8198 replies to this topic

[brobee]

watched ghost town, horton hears a who and the wackness and none of them were all that great. ghost town was nice, but with over-deliberate pacing (not to mention leaning hard on the capra-crutch). horton doesn't really need to be mentioned other than as a waste of voice talent. and the wackness was predictable, tried way too hard to be cool, and just dragged on. it was still the best movie i watched today. bum day for movies, whatever.

[Asher Ford]

Revolutionary Road:

Makes marriage, suburbia, love, parenthood, work and everything else involved seem like pure torture. This movie spends two hours tackling the same issues that Mad Men will end up ruminating on for 5 seasons (40+ hours), and as a result becomes a manic couple-war of sickeningly intense proportions. It lacks the subtlety of that show, but like I mentioned, that's because of the time-crunch, and it's kind of nice to see the subject matter reach its conclusion at a quicker pace. Somewhere 3/4 or so through the film, I and a few others chuckled at a marital fight as it rose to absolutely terrifying intensity and I realized the film had become so aware of its own issues that the sheer wildness of it all became comic. That really is what it all comes down to. The decisions, the problems, the fights, the love, the happiness, the sadness. There are choices everybody needs to make, and if you've made it through any easier than these characters, I think you've done quite well. Don't tell me these characters are supposed to be some reflection of the normal life of a suburban couple, now, or back in '55. These characters deal with their issues in ways that should confine them to the mental hospital, and any SANE person (sanity is well-covered in the discussions in the film btw), doesn't have this much of a problem communicating or deciding. The film is excision of issues nobody likes, but I'm quite thankful that it does take them to the level it does. It becomes so uncomfortably honest and self-aware that it dodges all sense of real human decision-making. Seriously, thank God real life isn't this inane, depressing, sickening, intense or horrific.

Also Mendes does a great job with it, and the acting performances are VERY strong throughout. Shannon definitely deserved a nom, Winslet got shorted by circumstances, and the only explanation for Leo's snub is that the Academy has grown somewhat bored with his predictable character choices and in a way, his skill. He is fantastic here, and the only reason not to nominate him is because we've seen him master this type of performance before (aviator, although this character is much more intriguing).


Also makes me really want to see a silent film called The Crowd from 1928, not currently available on DVD yet, but from what I've read it tackles the exact same subject quite well.

[Ogawa]

Just saw Soderbergh's Che last night. Surprisingly, at 4 and a half hours in length, I was not once bored, shifty, looking at my watch, etc.



Che is not a typical biopic or war film and I don't expect most people to like it. It's hardly a visceral thrill and a lot of the things I love about the film may seem insubstantial to most. This is a very focused narrative, divided into two parts: The Cuban Revolution and Che's Bolivian attempt. On the surface, these two halves appear similar, but the differences between the two are key to the structure's success. The differences in his character, the differences in how others react to him, the attitudes of everyone involved. The focus on the passage of time. The differences in color and saturation. The first half feels alive, the second half is a death march.

Benicio Del Toro's performance is flawless and that he wasn't nominated for an Oscar is hilarious, but not surprising. This is not a performance that caters to the tastes of the Academy. The character of Che, and the character of the revolution, is not revealed in big emotional outbursts or dramatic constructions, but in bits and pieces over the course of the film. It's a very quiet, very subtle work, which may be inexcusable for some people considering the run time and the subject matter. Soderbergh isn't making any grand statements here, but merely observing, and in doing so has made a film that is so much more powerful and revealing.

[Magnus Malcolm]

Someone tell me all the places Dark City steals its ideas. 12 Monkeys for one. Help me out here.

EDIT- Obviously Metropolis too. I'm looking for more of that whole "we don't have real memories" thing, I know I've seen it a thousand places.

[cerebralcaustic]

Philip Dick movies obviously

[Agrimorfee]

Vanishing Point: Well, this was kind of a waste of time. The car chase sequences were pretty great, but not so great that it was really worth watching. I liked the opening twenty minutes or so where there was no attempt at trying to make a plot, just a guy racing away from the cops. But, when it tried to flashback and make him a well-rounded character, I think it lost all its momentum. In terms of car chases, I'd put it well below 'The French Connection', 'Bullit', and even 'Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry'.

Whadja think of Death Proof?

Someone tell me all the places Dark City steals its ideas. 12 Monkeys for one. Help me out here.

Ask Roger Ebert.

[MattW]

Not a must-see or anything, but she sure is easy on the eyes as a good 15% of the movie is her changing clothes.

[caley]

You want to play house you got to have a job. You want to play nice house, very sweet house, you got to have a job you don't like.

Revolutionary Road: I saw the preview for this about a month back and thought: "Is that it? Is there more to this movie that they didn't want to give away in the previews?" But, about twenty minutes into it, I started to really come to appreciate its narrow focus. Some times movies can just be about one specific thing and not have to over-reach. And, as a portrait of two self-centered people looking for something more it was pretty effective. I mean, as long as we weren't supposed to feel sympathy for either Winslet or DiCaprio's characters. The Wheelers are always looking for something, always pining for something, always upset, never happy. And I thought it was rather pointed that the only one who agreed with them, was the real estate agent's crazy son (The second amazing performance by Michael Shannon this year). But, after a while, it started becoming like when you're at a friends place and they're in the middle of an argument, and they keep sniping at each other, and you just want to get the hell out of there, but, for whatever reason you can't leave. Don't get me wrong, the acting is terrific, and I'm not entirely sure why both Winslet and DiCaprio got snubbed, especially the latter. And it's extremely well put together, the scenes handled well, the cinematography and score both very gorgeous. But, it's just such a depressing ride, and the characters are so self-centered you just want to grab them by the collars and go "You're young, white, and well-off, be happy! Look after your damn kids!" (Who oddly never seem to be around. They're always "At a sleepover" so that they're conveniently not around to interfere with DiCaprio and Winslet's epic fights). In fact, it got to the point where Shannon's character lights into both the Wheelers, and concludes by saying "I'm glad I'll never be that kid!" (meaning one of the Wheelers) and the audience is in agreement with him (I think I heard some cheers, I know I wanted to cheer: "Go, Crazy Man, Go!". And, look, I went the whole write-up without saying "If you come across Revolutionary Road, take a U-Turn" or "No Thru Road" or...oops, I guess I didn't.

Vanishing Point: Well, this was kind of a waste of time. The car chase sequences were pretty great, but not so great that it was really worth watching. I liked the opening twenty minutes or so where there was no attempt at trying to make a plot, just a guy racing away from the cops. But, when it tried to flashback and make him a well-rounded character, I think it lost all its momentum. In terms of car chases, I'd put it well below 'The French Connection', 'Bullit', and even 'Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry'.

Whadja think of Death Proof?

I didn't see it. I guess I should eventually, but it just seems like the height of QT's mastubatory fantasies, so I keep putting it off.

[MattW]

You want to play house you got to have a job. You want to play nice house, very sweet house, you got to have a job you don't like.

Holy shit, is that lame.

I still haven't forgiven Sam Mendes for how trite, simple-minded, and confused American Beauty was. I was curious to give this one a shot but if that line is in the movie, it's working quite steeply uphill for me.

[caley]

You want to play house you got to have a job. You want to play nice house, very sweet house, you got to have a job you don't like.

Holy shit, is that lame.

I still haven't forgiven Sam Mendes for how trite, simple-minded, and confused American Beauty was. I was curious to give this one a shot but if that line is in the movie, it's working quite steeply uphill for me.

Well, it was the crazy guy saying it to the seemingly well-adjusted couple his mother was introducing them to, so it's not like they were saying it to each other. I really wanted to use a crazy guy quote and IMDB didn't have a lot of them. Still...

[brobee]

eagle eye was astonishingly bad. it was pretty obvious what they were trying to do (enemy of the state x i robot), so obvious, in fact (not to mention so obviously awful) that i cannot imagine anyone reading the script and thinking it a good idea for a film. worse than flawed: stupid, loud and boring.

[Tongue-Tied]

Paranoid Park: I really enjoyed this one. I also like Gerry, Elephant, and Last Days so it's not surprising. But out of all of those films, I think PP would be the best bet as to finder a bit wider audience. First thing is first, Gus Van Sant is a talented director. His compositions are stunning and simple knows what to show on the screen and from what angle to present it. Secondly, the sound design blew me off my feet. The way he would be talking to his girlfriend and have the music change tones a course of three times in a single conversation was very interesting and told a lot about the insanity and state of paranoia the lead character was feeling. The shower scene also displays the strong effects of the sound design as it plays a crucial role in the film.

Overall, I was entertained and the length is perfect for a slower movie like this. Gus Van Sant's true genius lies in his less-hollywood friendly films where he is able to fulfill himself artistically.



Hoop Dreams: This documentary truly takes you straight inside two poor chicago families and lets you see what the meaning of some day playing in the NBA means to them. The film doesn't waste a minute of it's three hour running time as you are constantly trying to figure out where each player (and their respective families) is going to end up. You care about the families and you want them all to succeed. You can't help but shed a tear when you see that the mother finished her nursing school and is over-estatic for that joy or when she bakes her son a cake on his 18th birthday, just being happy he made it that far in life. It's a film that reaches inside the heart of true American lifes and makes you realize a number of things. One being how much this film can move you.

[theremin]

I can't wait for more people to have seen the hoop dreams sequel, so I can discuss it with someone.

[AFTERSHOCK]

Excellent:


Damn Good:

[Campaigner]

I can't wait for more people to have seen the hoop dreams sequel, so I can discuss it with someone.

seriously, there's a sequel??

[Mr.Nobody]

Ratatouille:

I streamed this on Netflix and watched it with my little sister.It was way better than I thought it would be and it really continues Pixar's streak of good films(Honestly,outside of Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo they don't have any bad films.).

[Tongue-Tied]

wait, what the fuck is wrong with Toy Story 2?

[Guy]

Ratatouille:

I streamed this on Netflix and watched it with my little sister.It was way better than I thought it would be and it really continues Pixar's streak of good films(Honestly,outside of Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo they don't have any bad films.).

You liked Cars?

[Agrimorfee]

wait, what the fuck is wrong with Toy Story 2?

Yeah, even with the Randy Newman song, what's up with that?

[Ogawa]

wait, what the fuck is wrong with Toy Story 2?

Yeah, even with the Randy Newman song, what's up with that?

Yeah, seriously, dude. What the fuck?