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Movies you have seen recently?
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WorriedCitizen
Member
Force of Evil (1948)
Great noir. The doom hanging over the main character and the downward spiral are very explicit in this one.
Kiss of Death (1947)
Another great one. Widmark played a remarkable bad guy. Completely psycho. Always a joy to see this guy play.
High Sierra (1941)
Felt a bit off-beat but not in a bad way. It's a very enjoyable film. Almost has a noir untypical "feel good" mood to it but in the end the characters can't escape their dark destiny anyway. Must say i'm also healed from not liking Humphrey Bogart. The more of his films i see the more i dig him.
Phantom Lady (1944)
The weakest of the four. The story had potential, there is an interesting mystery and enough suspense but it's not so well crafted and the actors arn't so great either. Ella Raines was quite a looker tho.
Great noir. The doom hanging over the main character and the downward spiral are very explicit in this one.
Kiss of Death (1947)
Another great one. Widmark played a remarkable bad guy. Completely psycho. Always a joy to see this guy play.
High Sierra (1941)
Felt a bit off-beat but not in a bad way. It's a very enjoyable film. Almost has a noir untypical "feel good" mood to it but in the end the characters can't escape their dark destiny anyway. Must say i'm also healed from not liking Humphrey Bogart. The more of his films i see the more i dig him.
Phantom Lady (1944)
The weakest of the four. The story had potential, there is an interesting mystery and enough suspense but it's not so well crafted and the actors arn't so great either. Ella Raines was quite a looker tho.
Servbot #42
Unconfirmed Member
Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Saw this on cable just now because i remembered that the concept for the movie seemed kinda neat but man i was in for a surprise, a bad one. My problems with the movie is that it moves slowly, the dialogue is pretty bad and some of the twists are awful. Also the movie skips a lot of details for which is something that stood out for me. But my main problem comes from the ending which is stupid shit, Kurt Wimmer should be ashamed for writing an ending so stupid, damn what a piece of shit ending. I'm not much of a writer but i bet i could come up with something resembling a decent ending, man fuck that movie.
Saw this on cable just now because i remembered that the concept for the movie seemed kinda neat but man i was in for a surprise, a bad one. My problems with the movie is that it moves slowly, the dialogue is pretty bad and some of the twists are awful. Also the movie skips a lot of details for which is something that stood out for me. But my main problem comes from the ending which is stupid shit, Kurt Wimmer should be ashamed for writing an ending so stupid, damn what a piece of shit ending. I'm not much of a writer but i bet i could come up with something resembling a decent ending, man fuck that movie.
CajoleJuice
Member
Not any gaffers, according to my voting thread -- not one person mentioned it.MMaRsu said:
BotoxAgent
Member
HiResDes said:
anything with Sandler is will always be in my "avoid" list.
Rented A-Team (Why was there a trailer for A-Team on the A-Team DVD?)
It was pretty good. It would have been horrible if not for the actors although Mr. T's character was flatter than expected.
Maddock was a hoot, but the stars of the show were Neeson & Cooper. The story was sewer dwelling version of Mission Impossible, but somehow it all came together for a decent movie.
It's odd that my favorite action movie last year remains Knight & Day. Didn't see that coming (I don't consider Inception an action movie).
It was pretty good. It would have been horrible if not for the actors although Mr. T's character was flatter than expected.
Maddock was a hoot, but the stars of the show were Neeson & Cooper. The story was sewer dwelling version of Mission Impossible, but somehow it all came together for a decent movie.
It's odd that my favorite action movie last year remains Knight & Day. Didn't see that coming (I don't consider Inception an action movie).
Oh I was being hyperbolic of course, but I really do think extremely high of it...And the fact that it's so short and so effective really impresses me. Such a cohesive piece of work, showcasing true auteur vision.Drewsky said:
Edit: Punch Drunk Love doesn't try to be revelatory, it's not a necessity for greatness.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
If it's Sandler doing serious, it goes on my "see" list. If it's Sandler trying to be funny, it goes on the avoid list.
Anyway...
George Washington (David Gordon Green, 2000)
My first non-Pineapple Express DGG movie, and good LORD is this movie poetic. Granted, I never felt like it quite leaped into the unadulterated greatness of, say, Days of Heaven, but it was really fucking good throughout and an astonishingly good debut film for a director. It is sort of a "lyrical realism," in that the things that happen in it are fairly believable and naturalistic (especially in its depictions of poverty) but are woven together unnaturally by the director in order to create moments of poignancy and beauty. I'll definitely be checking out All the Real Girls soon, which I've heard is even better. From this, one would believe that DGG was an exciting new talent, destined for greatness. Looking at his upcoming films...
Anyway...
George Washington (David Gordon Green, 2000)
My first non-Pineapple Express DGG movie, and good LORD is this movie poetic. Granted, I never felt like it quite leaped into the unadulterated greatness of, say, Days of Heaven, but it was really fucking good throughout and an astonishingly good debut film for a director. It is sort of a "lyrical realism," in that the things that happen in it are fairly believable and naturalistic (especially in its depictions of poverty) but are woven together unnaturally by the director in order to create moments of poignancy and beauty. I'll definitely be checking out All the Real Girls soon, which I've heard is even better. From this, one would believe that DGG was an exciting new talent, destined for greatness. Looking at his upcoming films...
brianjones
Member
i really like funny people too
cmonmanreally
Member
Blader5489 said:
I can see why a lot of people wouldn't like Punch-Drunk Love, not to mention that it is PTA's most 'experimental' film. He does a lot of very interesting things with the use of color though, and although it might be my least enjoyable PTA film, I still think it's pretty great.
Biff
Member
Just saw Unstoppable.
Holy shit what a terrible movie. Second most undeserving RT rating next to The Other Guys.
The acting was terrible. Rosario Dawson was laughable. 'Evil corporations don't care' theme of the movie is incredibly overplayed. They had a CEO playing golf on a course while he gets the call about the runaway train. Basically says 'lol money' and hangs up. Retarded.
And the direction. Good god... the direction....
EVERY. SINGLE. SHOT. was either a quick-zoom or had the camera rotating around the scene. EVERY. SHOT. Such piss poor direction. And so much shot recycling within the film.
Can't believe this disgrace cost $80 million to make.
Holy shit what a terrible movie. Second most undeserving RT rating next to The Other Guys.
The acting was terrible. Rosario Dawson was laughable. 'Evil corporations don't care' theme of the movie is incredibly overplayed. They had a CEO playing golf on a course while he gets the call about the runaway train. Basically says 'lol money' and hangs up. Retarded.
And the direction. Good god... the direction....
EVERY. SINGLE. SHOT. was either a quick-zoom or had the camera rotating around the scene. EVERY. SHOT. Such piss poor direction. And so much shot recycling within the film.
Can't believe this disgrace cost $80 million to make.
brianjones
Member
Blader5489 said:
i dont see how the ending was predictable.. in fact quite the opposite
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Faster
Fun, kick ass movie. Loved it.
Fun, kick ass movie. Loved it.
British Monsoon
Member
Vincere (2009) by Marco Bellocchio
Marco Bellocchio's 'Vincere' is a dark and powerful film that follows Benito Mussolini's rise to power through the eyes of his first wife, Ida Dalser, who was seduced and then betrayed by Mussolini as he abandoned her and their son on his way to becoming Italy's dictator, ultimately disavowing any knowledge of their existence. The film starts with a stylish and operatic punch as a young Mussolini (played by Filippo Timi) veers away from socialism to form the National Fascist Party, the narrative speeding through historical events at a steady pace for the first half hour, interposed with newsreel headlines and archive footage projected on screen in a manner reminiscent of Lars Von Trier's 'Europa'. Abruptly the film shifts focus to Ida Dalser (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) as she is forcibly separated first from Mussolini, then from her own son and finally from the outside world as Mussolini attempts to cover up any trace of their marriage and has Dalser committed to an insane asylum. Not only does this present a shift of perspective, but it's a stark shift in the film's tone too. Gone are the stylish and grandiose themes of revolution, seduction and upheaval, replaced by a tragic and startling performance from Mezzogiorno as her character descends further into mental illness. Filippo Timi provides a frenzied and forceful portrayal of both 'Il Duce' and the adult version of the dictator's unrequited son, but it's Giovanna Mezzogiorno's career defining performance that steals the show, showing Dalser as strong, resilient and somewhat naive in outset, harrowed, resigned and on the very brink by the film's close. Mezzogiorno's role is somewhat allegorical of the film as a whole, as like Italian society Dalser too was seduced and subsequently betrayed by the charm of the fierce and intelligent Mussolini. Ultimately with 'Vincere' Bellocchio and his lead actors present a mature and thought provoking look at one of the most clouded stories of Fascist Italy's past with an uncanny sense of style and dramatic flair and punctuated by the film's wonderful classical score. Remarkable.
4/5
Marco Bellocchio's 'Vincere' is a dark and powerful film that follows Benito Mussolini's rise to power through the eyes of his first wife, Ida Dalser, who was seduced and then betrayed by Mussolini as he abandoned her and their son on his way to becoming Italy's dictator, ultimately disavowing any knowledge of their existence. The film starts with a stylish and operatic punch as a young Mussolini (played by Filippo Timi) veers away from socialism to form the National Fascist Party, the narrative speeding through historical events at a steady pace for the first half hour, interposed with newsreel headlines and archive footage projected on screen in a manner reminiscent of Lars Von Trier's 'Europa'. Abruptly the film shifts focus to Ida Dalser (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) as she is forcibly separated first from Mussolini, then from her own son and finally from the outside world as Mussolini attempts to cover up any trace of their marriage and has Dalser committed to an insane asylum. Not only does this present a shift of perspective, but it's a stark shift in the film's tone too. Gone are the stylish and grandiose themes of revolution, seduction and upheaval, replaced by a tragic and startling performance from Mezzogiorno as her character descends further into mental illness. Filippo Timi provides a frenzied and forceful portrayal of both 'Il Duce' and the adult version of the dictator's unrequited son, but it's Giovanna Mezzogiorno's career defining performance that steals the show, showing Dalser as strong, resilient and somewhat naive in outset, harrowed, resigned and on the very brink by the film's close. Mezzogiorno's role is somewhat allegorical of the film as a whole, as like Italian society Dalser too was seduced and subsequently betrayed by the charm of the fierce and intelligent Mussolini. Ultimately with 'Vincere' Bellocchio and his lead actors present a mature and thought provoking look at one of the most clouded stories of Fascist Italy's past with an uncanny sense of style and dramatic flair and punctuated by the film's wonderful classical score. Remarkable.
4/5
enter the void: i suppose this is what people would call, ''a beautiful mess.'' it was quite the trippy ride. the first ninety minutes or so, including the intro, blew my mind; the visuals are so eyepoppingly beautiful... oh my god. the camera work was mesmerizing and i just dug the whole atmosphere surrounding it. eventually, though, it starts dragging, and the fly-over camera starts feeling overused; it would benefit greatly, imo, if it had been a tighter package, if some of the scenes in the last seventy minutes had been cut uot. i saw the the full 161 minute cut, btw.
still, though, it was fascinating and beautiful, and i want to see it again. i am jack's sense of awe.
127 hours
awful. just awful. boyle doesn't have any semblance of a coherent strategy beyond infusing the film with invasive flashbacks and visions about the most superficial and stale family and relationship clichés. they're fragmentary and flashy, but always obvious, trite and offer little additional insight. initially and then again at the end, we get split screen montages interspersed with some very broad (stock?) footage of big crowds of people walking, going about their every day lives, cheering at football games etc. i suppose boyle was trying to say something about the human condition here? some vague implication about a sort of grand human "connectedness" or something about heroism perhaps, or maybe about how the "world goes on" while all that shit happened to that one guy? who knows. it's all completely redundant and feels out of place in a film like this. it doesn't do the extraordinary story of aron ralston and his personal triumph justice. there was never a need to infuse it with all this hokey nonsense.
but then, this is a central problem with the film either way: instead of focusing on one guy's performance and experience, the script dances around the central issue and instead tries to cram in all manners of unnecessary distractions, taking the audience out of any potential tension that it might have built up if it weren't for the constant shifts of point of view and the intrusive flashbacks and -forwards and -sideways. it feels desperate really, like boyle didn't trust either the story as such or his main actor to be strong enough to hold an entire film about a man fighting for his life, stuck under a rock. but 90+ minutes one-man-shows are nothing new and have been done successfully in the past. it's the script itself that lacks focus and just doesn't know how to make this one guy's awful experience interesting and watchable.
it's no surprise then that the one very grisly scene - you know which one - doesn't really have anything to offer beyond being... well, grisly. if you expected anything more than the most immediate, gory and explicit depiction of that central event you'll be in for an unpleasant surprise. it was a bit too much for me personally, but i guess that's up to everyone's particular tastes. what struck me was the lack of any sort of cinematic or artistic liberty or subversion taken with the material. if at least it HAD been nothing but a matter of factly depiction of the event, but instead, boyle had to go over the top and the sound design and the music now REALLY DRIVE THE POINT HOME and dreadfully underline every single break, cut, rip, tear etc. you get the point. and you will.
damn shame. you're definitely much better off watching a documentary about ralston's 127 hour experience or reading the book.
awful. just awful. boyle doesn't have any semblance of a coherent strategy beyond infusing the film with invasive flashbacks and visions about the most superficial and stale family and relationship clichés. they're fragmentary and flashy, but always obvious, trite and offer little additional insight. initially and then again at the end, we get split screen montages interspersed with some very broad (stock?) footage of big crowds of people walking, going about their every day lives, cheering at football games etc. i suppose boyle was trying to say something about the human condition here? some vague implication about a sort of grand human "connectedness" or something about heroism perhaps, or maybe about how the "world goes on" while all that shit happened to that one guy? who knows. it's all completely redundant and feels out of place in a film like this. it doesn't do the extraordinary story of aron ralston and his personal triumph justice. there was never a need to infuse it with all this hokey nonsense.
but then, this is a central problem with the film either way: instead of focusing on one guy's performance and experience, the script dances around the central issue and instead tries to cram in all manners of unnecessary distractions, taking the audience out of any potential tension that it might have built up if it weren't for the constant shifts of point of view and the intrusive flashbacks and -forwards and -sideways. it feels desperate really, like boyle didn't trust either the story as such or his main actor to be strong enough to hold an entire film about a man fighting for his life, stuck under a rock. but 90+ minutes one-man-shows are nothing new and have been done successfully in the past. it's the script itself that lacks focus and just doesn't know how to make this one guy's awful experience interesting and watchable.
it's no surprise then that the one very grisly scene - you know which one - doesn't really have anything to offer beyond being... well, grisly. if you expected anything more than the most immediate, gory and explicit depiction of that central event you'll be in for an unpleasant surprise. it was a bit too much for me personally, but i guess that's up to everyone's particular tastes. what struck me was the lack of any sort of cinematic or artistic liberty or subversion taken with the material. if at least it HAD been nothing but a matter of factly depiction of the event, but instead, boyle had to go over the top and the sound design and the music now REALLY DRIVE THE POINT HOME and dreadfully underline every single break, cut, rip, tear etc. you get the point. and you will.
damn shame. you're definitely much better off watching a documentary about ralston's 127 hour experience or reading the book.
Faster - This could have been really good if they fleshed the characters out more. Sadly, they were totally flat. It was ok though, good if you're bored.
2.5/5
Unstoppable - I heard this was really good. The cast was great but the while movie just felt way more dramatic than the plot could pull off.
3/5
2.5/5
Unstoppable - I heard this was really good. The cast was great but the while movie just felt way more dramatic than the plot could pull off.
3/5
bud said:
enter the void: i suppose this is what people would call, ''a beautiful mess.'' it was quite the trippy ride. the first ninety minutes or so, including the intro, blew my mind; the visuals are so eyepoppingly beautiful... oh my god. the camera work was mesmerizing and i just dug the whole atmosphere surrounding it. eventually, though, it starts dragging, and the fly-over camera starts feeling overused; it would benefit greatly, imo, if it had been a tighter package, if some of the scenes in the last seventy minutes had been cut uot. i saw the the full 161 minute cut, btw.
still, though, it was fascinating and beautiful, and i want to see it again. i am jack's sense of awe.
I just saw this and had the same thoughts. Gaspar did improve but he still needs an editor.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
jarosh said:
Yeah, the farther away from this one I get, the more I just wonder what the point was. I mean, all of the style and crazy music was perfect for, say, Trainspotting, but what was the point here? It's almost the definition of lowest common denominator to take an interesting but potentially slow story and 'glam it up' so that it can be consumed by a larger number of people. And yeah, I agree that it's just in-your-face obviousness to depict the arm-cutting that way; you can do it, and it's certain effective on a visceral level, but it doesn't really add anything on an artistic level. Could we REALLY not get that it hurt like a bitch without Boyle showing us every bit of pain? I don't know. I don't think my reaction was as intensely negative as yours, mostly because Franco's performance did a lot to ground an otherwise aimless and ineffective movie, but I agree that it's ultimately not the way you portray that story. I would totally cast Franco again, though, were another crack taken at the story.
LOL i was ready to tear this movie a new one since I loved the original, but honestly this version is better. So impressed w/ Matt Reeves here. Wasn't a big fan of Cloverfield because of the subject matter, but I could tell the director had some mad talent. really good shit
Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
I agree with this take on the movie. The music and some of the hallucinations took me out from the movie. There was just maybe 1-2 to many scenes where it was OTT and detracted me from the experience. Even the music sometimes was a bit much.
If you watch the youtube video where he talks about inserting a knife into his thumb and it was black/decomposed and it slid in like butter and then the decomposition gas from inside his arm escpaed, that would have added to the movie - much more than say - the scoobydoo/car winter orgy scene.
Not say we're going for torture porn, but 127 hours just had 2 too many dream sequences. I understand he wasn't going anywhere but there seems to be missed oppourtunities.
The Last Starfighter (1984) - Been meaning to watch this for a long time, on my list of older movies. I don't think it holds up as well as Wargames does. The dialog is pretty terrible but the main character's younger brother (around 8-10?) is fucking hilarious.
I was expecting more considering how many references to it I see. Not enough aliens.
He looks at playboys and says "What the SHIT!?"
The king's speech- Wow what a movie. Love the photography in this one. Firth deserves the hype he's getting. I loved Bale in Fighter, but it's a little upsetting Rush isn't getting more recognition. This is probably my pick for best picture... although I know TSN will win.
I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey last night for the first time.
FUUUUUUUUUUCK what an incredible experience. The audio design is absolutely exceptional. The whole thing was mind-blowing. Visually stunning, especially using some revolutionary film-making techniques. I can't see that it will ever look dated.
I'm not sure I totally understand the complexities of the narrative yet, but I'll will take great delight in watching it again (and again and again) to uncover more.
It was fantastic to see the original inspiration for all the things that I love that have been made since.
FUUUUUUUUUUCK what an incredible experience. The audio design is absolutely exceptional. The whole thing was mind-blowing. Visually stunning, especially using some revolutionary film-making techniques. I can't see that it will ever look dated.
I'm not sure I totally understand the complexities of the narrative yet, but I'll will take great delight in watching it again (and again and again) to uncover more.
It was fantastic to see the original inspiration for all the things that I love that have been made since.
Fallout-NL
Member
Jax said:
Oh Jesus Christ.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
arena08 said:
It makes me so sad that it took me a second watch to 'get' this movie, at which point it became my #1 of all time. I just saw it before I was really ready, before I'd watched enough films and learned enough about art to truly appreciate it. If I could go back and watch it for the first time again, knowing what I know now... what I wouldn't give.
Glad you enjoyed it. One of the closest things to cinematic perfection that exists.
Burger
Member
ChefRamsay said:
This was pretty much my review a few pages back. So bad. Although I didn't think the acting was terribad, especially between the two leads. The story & the direction take the cake.
The conflict between Pine's character and his wife was completely meaningless. Denzel's daughter hating her shitty dad was the same. I guess that's what they call character development these days.
I feel like if this movie was made in the 1960's it would have turned out better.
Mysterious Skin (Araki, 2004):
Good movie, twisted terrible story, with quite good acting (well, mainly from Gordon Levitt), nice directing and soundtrack, too.
Some scenes, i wasn't so sure about, they come off a bit fake.. but overall, it was a good watch (though disturbing).
Confessions of a dandgerous mind (Clooney, 2002):
Excellent writing, very good and creative directing and some good performance too, though i gotta say, i didn't "felt it" to omuch.
Maybe it's just not my cup of tea, but it felt empty to me.
I didn't really connect with his character and hie sense of guilt etcetera.
sixteen-bit
Member
I saw Fallen Angels tonight. Not really familiar with a lot of Wong Kar Wai's work, but after seeing Chungking Express a while back, I found this a bit disappointing.
Phoenix
Member
Saw 13 (2010) last week and it was a pretty good film that I had never even heard of before. Conceptually different than anything I'd seen in quite some time and considering a good bit of the cast was no namers, it was done well.
And I've watched Scott Pilgrim vs The World at least 10 times in the past 2 weeks. Love that movie.
And I've watched Scott Pilgrim vs The World at least 10 times in the past 2 weeks. Love that movie.
disappeared
Banned
Phoenix said:
For a moment there I couldn't believe they were up to Saw 13 already.
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