Manhattan exceeded my every expectation after seeing Annie Hall. I am making it a priority to track down the rest of Woody Allen's catalog. His dialogue is so on point and combined with the entire style of the movie with the wide shots, black and white, and classical music just felt, perfect. This movie felt really modern discerning technological and fashion advancements.
Goodfellas, I see in every respect how it is so highly regarded by people but I also recently saw The Godfather for the first time and I my emotional investment in Coppolla's characters were far greater. I know they are different types of mob movies, which my Dad pointed out but I can't help but compare them. I am definitely happy I've finally seen it but just didn't feel myself caring THAT much for any of the main character's at the end. Whereas when Sonny got taken out I was really pissed off. The ending was very anti-climatic too.
I watched The Graduate today to feed my growing rom-com addiction. I really liked the story and characters. The ending was so perfect.
Questions:
1. I saw Annie Hall for the first time a few weeks ago and Manhattan last night. Where should I go from here?
2. Are Dustin Hoffman's other movies from after The Graduate as good as it? Recommendations?
3. I want to see Apocalypse Now. My Dad said it's a really slow war movie and hesitated to call it a "classic" when I asked him if it is one. Should I watch it? And if I should, which version?
Up in the Air - I wasn't sure how I would feel about this, but I ended up really loving it.
Pan's Labyrinth - Very good, and very dark as well. I don't watch a lot of foreign films so I was afraid that reading the subtitles while trying to take in everything on screen would affect the immersion, but it didn't. I was hooked the whole time. The creature designs were fantastic, as well.
3. I want to see Apocalypse Now. My Dad said it's a really slow war movie and hesitated to call it a "classic" when I asked him if it is one. Should I watch it? And if I should, which version?
I asked him if it is a classic and he called it a slow movie and that some other classic war movies are Platoon and Hamburger Hill. Can you explain what makes AN a classic?
After years of putting it off, I finally watched Irreversible.
It's the only movie I have ever watched where I had to look away from the screen out of just sheer horror. I've never felt more uncomfortable in my life watching a movie, but the movie is so enthralling and draws you in like few movies can. It went far beyond any of expectations, and I will never watch it again in my life. Fantastic film, but fucking christ it left me feeling so dirty and hollow at the end... I sat motionless for 30 minutes after it had finished, unable to process what I had just seen and unable to move on and do anything else. Just when you think the movie is "dying down," another wrench gets thrown in your face and another little piece of your heart dies.
It was sublime. It's an exemplary film. I will say this, though: the opening cinematography was horrendous. As the film went on, however, it became more cohesive and familiar and really augmented the story. The seamless transitions between scenes was excellent. Some transitions were truly amazing.
3. I want to see Apocalypse Now. My Dad said it's a really slow war movie and hesitated to call it a "classic" when I asked him if it is one. Should I watch it? And if I should, which version?
Definitely watch the normal cut of Apocalypse Now. Redux drags on for too long, in my opinion.
Also, I think I should clarify my last post. Sunset Boulevard, Dr. Strangelove, and Unforgiven were all great movies, but I didn't feel like typing out too much details. I guess reading my last post I came off as unenthusiastic towards those movies, but that's not the case.
3. I want to see Apocalypse Now. My Dad said it's a really slow war movie and hesitated to call it a "classic" when I asked him if it is one. Should I watch it? And if I should, which version?
I asked him if it is a classic and he called it a slow movie and that some other classic war movies are Platoon and Hamburger Hill. Can you explain what makes AN a classic?
Well since you have a How High avatar I will respond.
To me personally it's certainly a classic. What makes it great is not only the cinematography, but also the directing and overall story of the movie. I would recommend not watching Redux, because that one is much slower in pacing and takes away a bit from the movie in my opinion.
Aside from that, great acting from Sheen and Brando. Just a great Vietnam and in general a great film. For me it was certainly better than Platoon, but that's not a putdown for Platoon.
I can't say too much more about it because it's been some time since I've seen it, but it really IS a classic.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (Murnau, 1927)
From the title, I expected a romance. From the first 25 minutes, I expected a horror film. From then on, it was a romance :lol
In all seriousness, this is a very good film. Murnau has some beautifully composed shots, and his optical effects are pretty convincing, really. The acting by the leads was spectacular. Both carried a wonderful range of facial expressions.
Manipulation of the frame during the titles (can't remember for sure, but I think the term is manipulating the plastics) was nice and helped the narration.
The film actually ends up saying a lot about what it means to love and what pressures from the world around us can force us to do. I was surprised to find such a deep meaning in what was essentially a romance.
6.5/10
Monsters (Gareth Edwards, 2010)
I had heard a lot about this film. Most of what I had heard were comparisons to District 9 and Cloverfield. I don't really get the Cloverfield ones, because it's not fixed POV, but it does involve monsters I guess.
While D9 was a budget-ish film that tried to be a blockbuster, Monsters is a budget film that stays a budget film. Sure, it's about a global event. It is sci-fi. But the heart of the film is a love/journey story.
The visual effects are good, and when you consider they were done on a budget of $15,000 they're even more impressive. The monsters are cool.
They repeat light, that's sweet.
The script was fantastic. Each line was realistic and the characters were wonderful. At first I was worried the guy was pushing the "smart-alek with a soft side somehow" archetype, but he did it in a way that felt real. I've met people like that. Same with the girl: she could have kept being a doe-eyed damsel, but the script elevated her beyond that. And their relationship felt very genuine also. It wasn't immediately "I think I luv you" "Gosh thanks but I'm engaged." They had a real connection and plenty of the movie is devoted to that. The pacing was spot on. It's a slow build with some exciting moments, but it's not a horror flick. It's a journey story, really. And seeing that journey in full was excellent.
Also, it's great that the film doesn't get caught up in political commentary very much. It has hints of it, but the entire film isn't a metaphor for a political event (see D9). It helps to focus on the saga of their journey.
The acting is only good, though. The script helps to bring the characters to life a lot, and the actors deliver at the key moments, but other times their performances feel a little stilted. Plus side: Whitney Able is very cute.
A lot of the shots were composed very interestingly. Some great color, too. My only complaint was that the cinematography didn't vary a lot, but that's not a big deal because I was expecting one POV like in Cloverfield at the beginning. Still, you'll see a ton of this sequence: wide shot of area, cut to one persons face, close up of what they're looking at, cut back to their reaction, cut to other persons face, close up of what they are looking at, cut back to their face.
Anyway, Edwards has a great film here. This is probably the best film ever made for $15,000 (adjusting for inflation ). I'd love to see what he could do with a bigger budget. Check this out if you get a chance.
8.5/10
Fight Club (Fincher, 1999)
I know, I hadn't seen this before. Crazy.
Well, I already knew the twist and even before seeing it I had read a bunch of different theories. I don't care about that as much. The story is very good, has some great messages about anarchism/control, and is exciting.
Little things because everyone already knows this film so well:
The visual design and editing are essential in getting this to feel like an insomniac's waking dream, and they full-on hit the mark.
Acting was great from all 3 leads.
That's it.
I'm conflicted, if it didn't have consistent blatant sex scenes then I might've taken it more seriously, but I guess that wasn't the point in the first place to take it seriously. So it was mostly porno mixed in with some semi non factual history.
It was okay. Ultimately, a .....thumbs down. I don't think I could watch the whole thing again. Not my kind of movie.
This however.
First time I've ever seen a 3D movie and I was really really REALLY Blown away. It was amazing and mind bursting at times. I was so thoroughly entertained. This is bar none my favorite Resident Evil movie. I'm so very very happy this is my first 3D experience cause it was fucking perfect.
I'm completely turned around and a brand new man now GAF.
I haven't seen that film so I can't say for sure, but there's a very good chance that's just 3D buzz.
Once the novelty wears off, it won't get you as hyped.
I've got a $70 Barnes and Noble gift card to burn. Does anybody know if there'll be another 50% off Crtierion sale anytime soon? If not, any suggestions for blind buys?
I've got a $70 Barnes and Noble gift card to burn. Does anybody know if there'll be another 50% off Crtierion sale anytime soon? If not, any suggestions for blind buys?
Oooo, I forgot about this flick. Is it action-heavy? I've learned that I can't really trust the trailers for his movies, especially after Sukiyaki Western Django.
I just recently watched Road to Perdition - I was really into it at the beginning but it just kinda fizzled out, the ending was particularly lackluster. Hanks was good though.
Not to stray off topic.....but it's amazing how many people dont use the library more often. Im 32 and everyone I work with thinks it is weird I have a library card. I got all 3 seasons of Deadwood from the local library and most libraries let you put things on hold online. My library is like my secondary/free Netflix queue.
Not to stray off topic.....but it's amazing how many people dont use the library more often. Im 32 and everyone I work with thinks it is weird I have a library card. I got all 3 seasons of Deadwood from the local library and most libraries let you put things on hold online. My library is like my secondary/free Netflix queue.
I use to use the library all the time before I got Netflix. Its great if you don't feel like paying for Netflix, but I had many instances where the DVDs I got were too damaged to play (happens also to Netflix but not as often). Also you can't really go in expecting to find a specific title. It's better when you have a library that has blu-rays.
Oooo, I forgot about this flick. Is it action-heavy? I've learned that I can't really trust the trailers for his movies, especially after Sukiyaki Western Django.
yea, i'd say its action heavy... im gonna spoiler this to kinda describe how the movie arcs, but there aren't any *real* spoilers, just don't wanna upset anyone overly sensitive
it was a little over 2 hours long, about 90 minutes of that is all setup / character introductions with very little action but culminates into about a 45 minute battle
Overrated. The movie could have been 3 minutes long without leaving anything out. No laughs, no drama, just boring "ahh she's ignoring me!" awkwardness and a bad ending.
Overrated. The movie could have been 3 minutes long without leaving anything out. No laughs, no drama, just boring "ahh she's ignoring me!" awkwardness and a bad ending.
Does anyone know if they ever released the music that plays over the ending chase sequence as a single piece? The OST runs the intro for two minutes and then fades it out, and I've been looking for the full version ever since.
THIS! Fucking this! I've tried and failed forever to find that piece that plays during that scene, where the melody cuts out and it gets all surreal. If you ever find it PM my ass pronto
Overrated. The movie could have been 3 minutes long without leaving anything out. No laughs, no drama, just boring "ahh she's ignoring me!" awkwardness and a bad ending.
Not to stray off topic.....but it's amazing how many people dont use the library more often. Im 32 and everyone I work with thinks it is weird I have a library card. I got all 3 seasons of Deadwood from the local library and most libraries let you put things on hold online. My library is like my secondary/free Netflix queue.
That's a good way to describe how it has been for me so far. Just picked up Life is Beautiful, Se7en, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, Lawrence of Arabia, Chinatown, Das Boot, To Catch a Thief, The Usual Suspects, and The Hustler for free. And I have several more on hold. This really freed up some room on my Netflix DVD queue.
That's because it's not really his - it's more Kirk Douglas' movie than anything else. It's the film Kubrick probably had the least creative control over in his entire career.
It's ok, but I vastly prefer pretty much everything else in his catalog, excepting Killer's Kiss (lollercopters) and Eyes Wide Shut.
Yeah, I didn't know much about it. I actually forgot it was directed by him until 1/2 through the film. Some shots made me think Kubrick. Then I looked it up and voila.
I also read up on all the production notes. Kubrick fired his DP and did the lighting himself, but due to contracts the DP got credit and won the Oscar. :lol
Overrated. The movie could have been 3 minutes long without leaving anything out. No laughs, no drama, just boring "ahh she's ignoring me!" awkwardness and a bad ending.
Boring & overrated I get if you're not into that kind of movie, but being forced to watch tons of chick flicks by the wifey helps me to see the ending was one of the best I've seen out of this genre.
It actually is the way most of those types of movies would play out in real life. Someone mentioned this in another thread as being a sad movie, but I thought it was a happy ending.
Training Day- good movie, after all the movies watched, 21 of criticker, I still have a decent amount of Denzel to go haha
Tranformers Revenge of the Fallen- nice action and several funny line but seemed too drawn out and long and a huge fall for me considering how much i like the first
The Wackness- This has to be the worst film I have ever seen. The main character was such a dipshit. I wanted to punch him in the face. I mean, who says "word" after busting a nut.:lol :lol :lol
The Social Network-Amazing on so many levels. Film of the year.
Girl With The Dragon Tattoo- It dragged on a bit too much but I liked it.
Let Me In - it was alright, but not as good as the original to me.
Tomb of Ligeia - movie version of a Poe story, and I wasn't digging it until the epic fight at the end (Vincent Price with a bullwhip vs a black cat, inside a flaming building :lol )
Eyes Without A Face - 1960 'horror' movie about a guy that's cutting women's faces off to make a new one for his disfigured daughter. It's supposedly critically acclaimed, but I found it slow and really boring.
I watched Tupac Resurrection and Gridlock'd this past week. Ive been on a 2pac kick lately. Its a shame he died so young, he was a very gifted actor. I really enjoyed gridlock'd, Tupac and Tim Roth have very good chemistry and its a pretty funny movie.
Black Death (2010)
Reminded me of Valhalla Rising. It's dark and gritty but unlike VR it doesn't go the esoteric route, it stays much more down to earth till the end. A must watch if you like medieval movies.
Centurion (2010)
For a low budget movie it's pretty decent. I would put it in the same category as Valhalla Rising and Black Death. Dark, gritty and gory. Seems to be a trend in European cinema this year. Of the three this one has the most focus on action and fighting scenes. If you liked Rome (the TV show) you will probably like this one. It's like a one and a half hour special that plays 150 years later.
Conquest of Space (1955)
I stumbled upon this old Sci-Fi movie on youtube. Never heard of it before. It's silly as fuck but it's also very nice to look at thanks to Technicolor. So only watch it if you really love old sci-fi and/or Technicolor.
Wild Style (1983)
As a movie it's pretty bad. The acting is awful, the editing a joke etc. But as a historic document the movie is outstanding. It's a realistic window that lets the viewer look into the early phase of hip hop and graffiti culture. The music especialy is pretty good and that alone makes it worth to watch.
While I don't think it's necessarily his strongest film there are so many great touches and
captures the spirit and energy of the era. Still every time I watch this, I cringe at how poorly acted the scene is when Wahlberg's character leaves home.
First time seeing this and it was an interesting little piece. Philip Baker Hall is such a commanding performer it's easy to get caught up watching him. Anyone else get parallels between Samuel Jackson's performance in this and his role as Ordell Robbie in Jackie Brown? The leather glove wearing especially is a bit of a call back.
No no no no no. It's over the top and he's throwing a huge tantrum, but that's the whole point. They're trying to show you how much of a child he still is, there's lots of scenes like this. I don't really know how else they could have done it without you thinking the acting was bad, but I definitely disagree.
Inside Man - Pleasantly surprised. Pretty solid movie all around.
Mongol - Unpleasantly surprised. Besides the cinematography, the movie was pretty boring and it felt very generic, despite it's attempts at an "epic" scope. Will pass on the sequel coming out this year. You just don't give a damn for Genghis.
Watching this movie, I could tell that there was a lot of good happening. For one, Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance of Truman Capote was quite good, as expected of such a great actor. For another, it is a very nice looking movie; the color palette serves it well. And of course, the music is very good: low-key and used in just the right spots. However, it seems like it just never quite got to that higher plateau of greatness. PSH's performance was good, but it wasn't great; Capote was a very strange person, making him a difficult role, and while Hoffman has some moments of real insight, I think there are portions of the film where he's content to just put on the voice and leave it at that. It also seems as though a lot of the plot points were undercooked, particularly his relationships with Harper Lee and Jack Dunphy; we saw that the case was affecting him, but we never got a good glimpse at how it was proving deleterious to his relationships, save for the lone scene where he gets drunk at the To Kill a Mockingbird premiere. It's kind of sad because, overall, there is so much potential in this movie, but it's content to just skim along the surface and not dig any deeper. It could have been, and should have been, better.
A couple of nice visual things: toward the beginning, there's a long shot of some tall grass, and it cuts immediately to a long shot of New York City, the buildings seemingly growing out of the ground in a similar fashion. I thought that a nice cut. Also, and I'm not sure if this has been commented on or not: it seems like the camera sometimes lingered on, and sometimes zoomed into, little details. My interpretation was that those were little jumps into Capote's head as he scanned the scenery, forming ideas about how to write this novel, looking for little details to give the scenes more character; it's as though we're watching him write the prose in front of us. What's sad is that we got very little else in terms of the creative process/how he actually wrote the book, and those subtle camera movements could have been a nice visual gateway into such an examination. Ah well; it's okay once in a while for a movie to be good but not great, even if it is disappointing.
Watched The Treasure of Sierra Madre on Saturday. I haven't seen too many of Bogart's films, but I'd say this is my favorite so far. He played such a different part in this movie compared to the other movies of his I've watched, where he played a very savvy, intelligent man.
Just finished watching Days of heaven (my first terrence malick film). I think this is the first time in a while, that i have been moved emotionally by a film. It was simply beautiful for lack of a better word. Everything about it was from the score to the cinematography.;_;
Cold Fish kicked my ass all over the place. Completely draining, ultra violent exploration of deceit and the human condition. Tough to recommend, but I have a feeling you'll know if this is something up your alley or not.
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