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Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Movies you have seen recently?
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Steppenwolf
Member
DanielPlainview said:Oh man, just spent 2 hours on iCheckMovies. :lol Got everything 100% updated. How many of the top 250 have you seen?
Mine:
250/250
Tell me which ones you are missing and i can give you some tips what to check out first.
Milk Lizard
Banned
An education. It was fucking awesome.
The Librarian
Banned
Well...that's certainly not the case in the US.:lolBlader5489 said:
DeusTrinitas
Banned
I saw The Ghost Writer last night and it is, by far, the best film of the year so far.
Expendable.
Member
Steppenwolf said:
I'm on a mission to watch 'em all so I'll just start from my highest ranked haven't seen up to #250.
DeusTrinitas
Banned
icheckmovies.com
I had no idea a website like this existed! Thanks!
I had no idea a website like this existed! Thanks!
Expendable.
Member
big ander said:
Yep, this is what I have left (click unchecked) : http://www.icheckmovies.com/list/top+250/thefilmstage/#
I fucking need to watch Lawrence of Arabia, put it off far too long.
Net_Wrecker
Member
Treb said:
Too cute for me, especially the dub. Bleh. The animation was great, but I didn't really enjoy the characters or plot at all.
I finished a small Michael Caine marathon a couple days ago. What follows is the movies I watched and the score I give them!
Zulu: Slow, a bit tiresome and too contemplative at times, but the final fights and the character development are great, aside from a couple stupid actors whose sole purpose is dying and looking gooky... Great last stand, after all the previous scenes, you will be at the edge of your seat. Not bad. 7/10
Alfie: Small movie, but very entertaining and rewarding. You can expect how it all will end and sometimes Caine's character is hard to emphatize with... Great acting, and a fluid development make the movie interesting. A good watch. 8/10
The Ipcress File: Well, I expected something better, quite frankly. The direction is different from that of most movies of the time, with interesting use of foreground objects and angles, but the plot is generic and boring, with no character development and boring performances. Weak. 5/10
The Italian Job: Great fun all along! It's a fun movie and the way everything unfolds makes it quite etertaining! It doesn't take itself too seriously and it shows. 7.5/10
Get Carter: Horrible. From an aesthetic point of view to a story point of view. It's all dark and it is supposed to be ugly, but it's too much. The characters are awful, the acting is bad and everything is put together in boring, mundane ways. Horrible. 4.5/10
Zulu: Slow, a bit tiresome and too contemplative at times, but the final fights and the character development are great, aside from a couple stupid actors whose sole purpose is dying and looking gooky... Great last stand, after all the previous scenes, you will be at the edge of your seat. Not bad. 7/10
Alfie: Small movie, but very entertaining and rewarding. You can expect how it all will end and sometimes Caine's character is hard to emphatize with... Great acting, and a fluid development make the movie interesting. A good watch. 8/10
The Ipcress File: Well, I expected something better, quite frankly. The direction is different from that of most movies of the time, with interesting use of foreground objects and angles, but the plot is generic and boring, with no character development and boring performances. Weak. 5/10
The Italian Job: Great fun all along! It's a fun movie and the way everything unfolds makes it quite etertaining! It doesn't take itself too seriously and it shows. 7.5/10
Get Carter: Horrible. From an aesthetic point of view to a story point of view. It's all dark and it is supposed to be ugly, but it's too much. The characters are awful, the acting is bad and everything is put together in boring, mundane ways. Horrible. 4.5/10
Steppenwolf
Member
DanielPlainview said:
Most movies you have left are great or at least very watchable. There are only four of them that i didn't liked at all (Brief Encounter, Kind Hearts & Coronets, Arsenic & Old Lace, His Girl Friday). God i hate old Cary Grant comedy's.
My favourites from the ones you are missing are Das Boot, Det sjunde iseglet, Yojimbo, The Night of the Hunter, Le Notti di Cabiria and Rosemary's Baby.
I just saw The Forbidden Kingdom. Definitely had some bait-and-switch going on with the marketing it had, but it was surprisingly entertaining. I really enjoyed the fights and the characters were all likable. Only real misstep for me was the acting for the Monkey King. Awful. - A good 4/5 movie.
afternoon delight
Member
I respectfully, whole-heartedly disagree with this statement.
The Last Emperor
Awesome chronicle of China's last Emperor; had me reading everything about Pu-Yi in Wikipedia afterwards.
Had all the sympathy in the world for him at the beginning, then became surprised to see that I'd lost all of it by the second half of the movie, and finally felt very sorry for him at the end of it all. Can't recommend it enough, 3 hour running time and all.
Also worth noting that this movie is beautifully photographed, it easily deserved the awards it received back in '87.
Repulsion
Finally watched this earlier today, better than what I'd been expecting.
Catherine Deneuve is freaking gorgeous here, even more so as she gives in to madness.
Really well done in how it shows her deterioration, along with some unexpected behavior by the supposedly sane people around her.
The Criterion Blu-Ray looks and sounds spotless, as you would expect. :]
VeryGooster
Banned
wRATH2x said:
Oh I'm not suggesting otherwise. I love Scoresese's Cape Fear and I have yet to watch the Gregory Peck original in all honesty. Although the movie, according to IMDB, was released in November 1991, Cape Fear always feels like Scorsese's summer movie to me, at least a crime film that's different compared to his other films because it's primarily a thriller, and a great thriller at that.
I just watched Frost/Nixon today. I liked it a lot. I should watch the actual interview one day, although honestly the relationship between the two was not at all what I was expecting, based at least on all the ads and trailers when it was making its run in theaters.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
Since Thursday, I have watched (all for the first time):
The Mirror (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1975)
One of the most gorgeous movies that I have ever seen. It's really effective at evoking the sensation of dreams and memories, and I love the way that it switches back and forth between black and white and color. This was actually my first Tarkovsky, which I now think was a mistake because of how personal it seems to be, but I loved watching it just the same.
Band of Outsiders (Jean-Luc Godard, 1964)
It's weird. I like Breathless the most of any of the French New Wave films that I have seen, but for the most part, I like Truffaut's films a lot more than Godard's because they feel more humane to me. Godard was a good director and artist, but for my money, his films have this coldness to them that makes them a little bit off-putting. I did like, it, don't get me wrong; I especially liked the deconstructive aspects of it (like the way the dancing scene played with the sound by letting the music fade in and out so that the narration could come in), and as usual, the crazy editing choices made by French New Wave directors in many of their films continues to excite me. Overall, though, I was somewhat apathetic toward this movie, though I do understand why Tarantino is such a big fan of it.
Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)
Visually, this movie is a masterpiece. The opening shot is, of course, deservedly famous for how well-conceived and executed it is, but even beyond that, I love the unity of the film's visual style; the ascending and descending crane camera was a very effective way to shoot this film, as it allows you to get drawn into the tale while simultaneously giving you moments to step back and breathe for a minute while you try and piece together what's happening. The script is also damn good, and Welles is his usual fantastic self; the man was a genius behind the camera, for sure, but he also had an undeniable screen presence (and due to his tendency toward cerebral, intellectual acting, is a personal idol of mine). Where the film loses me a bit is in the inherent silliness of having Charlton Heston playing a Mexican; in addition, I feel like the main relationship between Heston and Leigh is a little bit underdeveloped.. I'm willing to let those slide, however, because of how amazingly the movie is made in every other aspect.
Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
I love the shit out of most of this movie. The acting, cinematography, and design of the film are all top-notch (though the acting tends more toward the over-the-top, heavily stylized acting typical of some of Kurosawa's historical works). In addition, the fight between Mifune and Ueda is one of the best that I have ever seen in terms of staging and emotion; it is the sort of crude, realistic sword-fighting that George Lucas got very right in the original Star Wars trilogy and then got so very wrong in the prequel trilogy. The ending, however, is not very in the spirit of the film; for me, this films ends with the cynical listener leaving the priest, the woodcutter, and the baby standing under the shelter, left bewildered at the darker side of man's nature. The sappy tag at the end is completely out of the spirit of the movie, in my opinion, and should have been omitted.
The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1973)
Each shot of this film is like a painting; it is a sparse, carefully crafted work and avoids most of the trappings associated with films about children (and manages to turn one, the naivete and gullibility of young children, into an effective plot device). I was not versed in Spanish history prior to this film and thus did not pick up on some of the coded symbolism, but even without that, I think that it's a pretty little tale of a young child's fascination with the mystical and ethereal. The scene where she actually meets
is simultaneously one of the strangest and most beautiful scenes that I have ever seen in a film. I've heard that this film is an influence on Pan's Labyrinth, and I can definitely see it, though I would say that in more objective cinematic terms, this is probably a better film because it manages to do a lot of the same things with a lot less.
The Big Sleep (Howard Hawks, 1946)
It's strange; Bogie was not really much of an actor in terms of his range of expressiveness, but he is still one of the most compelling screen actors because of his distinctive look and perfect timing. He gives a fine performance in this film; it's the sort of performance that he has given in a number of films, but what sets it apart is the strange sort of sexual chemistry that he has with his future wife Lauren Bacall. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it's not something that I see myself revisiting many times in the future, if only because there are other film noirs that I like more.
8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, 1963)
After a few false starts over the last few months, I finally got through this. Man, it's a hell of a film. Fellini just throws everything onto the screen in this one; it veers into every conceivable genre, including just a pinch of sci-fi, and its over-abundant use of symbolism is at once pretentious and completely perfect. Mastroianni is, as usual, perfect; that sly tilting of the glasses is something that I don't think I will ever forget. Honestly, so many things happen in this film that I don't feel qualified to talk about it on a single watch; I'm really not sure what hit me.
A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
Loved this film a hell of a lot. This is my second Cassavetes film, and thus far, I've been supremely impressed by his work. The acting in his films is absolutely spot-on, and I love the way that his characters talk like real people (though he achieves this in a very different way from Robert Altman, who also got realistic dialogue from his actors). The guy at the video store told me when I rented this that it took him 3 years to get through this film because of how hard it is to watch sometime, and though I did not respond to it as viscerally as that, I definitely agree that there are moments when Rowlands's performance is so convincingly unstable that I could not help but wonder aloud, "What the fuck is wrong with this woman?" Peter Falk was also great, and he had, to my mind, a tougher job because he had to create a character that was, in reality, just about as crazy as his wife but who revealed his insanity in less obvious ways. To my mind, Peter Falk's character is much more dangerous that Rowlands's unhinged loon because his problems are much harder to detect and are much more violent than his more showy but ultimately harmless wife's. Wonderful film.
The Mirror (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1975)
One of the most gorgeous movies that I have ever seen. It's really effective at evoking the sensation of dreams and memories, and I love the way that it switches back and forth between black and white and color. This was actually my first Tarkovsky, which I now think was a mistake because of how personal it seems to be, but I loved watching it just the same.
Band of Outsiders (Jean-Luc Godard, 1964)
It's weird. I like Breathless the most of any of the French New Wave films that I have seen, but for the most part, I like Truffaut's films a lot more than Godard's because they feel more humane to me. Godard was a good director and artist, but for my money, his films have this coldness to them that makes them a little bit off-putting. I did like, it, don't get me wrong; I especially liked the deconstructive aspects of it (like the way the dancing scene played with the sound by letting the music fade in and out so that the narration could come in), and as usual, the crazy editing choices made by French New Wave directors in many of their films continues to excite me. Overall, though, I was somewhat apathetic toward this movie, though I do understand why Tarantino is such a big fan of it.
Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)
Visually, this movie is a masterpiece. The opening shot is, of course, deservedly famous for how well-conceived and executed it is, but even beyond that, I love the unity of the film's visual style; the ascending and descending crane camera was a very effective way to shoot this film, as it allows you to get drawn into the tale while simultaneously giving you moments to step back and breathe for a minute while you try and piece together what's happening. The script is also damn good, and Welles is his usual fantastic self; the man was a genius behind the camera, for sure, but he also had an undeniable screen presence (and due to his tendency toward cerebral, intellectual acting, is a personal idol of mine). Where the film loses me a bit is in the inherent silliness of having Charlton Heston playing a Mexican; in addition, I feel like the main relationship between Heston and Leigh is a little bit underdeveloped.. I'm willing to let those slide, however, because of how amazingly the movie is made in every other aspect.
Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
I love the shit out of most of this movie. The acting, cinematography, and design of the film are all top-notch (though the acting tends more toward the over-the-top, heavily stylized acting typical of some of Kurosawa's historical works). In addition, the fight between Mifune and Ueda is one of the best that I have ever seen in terms of staging and emotion; it is the sort of crude, realistic sword-fighting that George Lucas got very right in the original Star Wars trilogy and then got so very wrong in the prequel trilogy. The ending, however, is not very in the spirit of the film; for me, this films ends with the cynical listener leaving the priest, the woodcutter, and the baby standing under the shelter, left bewildered at the darker side of man's nature. The sappy tag at the end is completely out of the spirit of the movie, in my opinion, and should have been omitted.
The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1973)
Each shot of this film is like a painting; it is a sparse, carefully crafted work and avoids most of the trappings associated with films about children (and manages to turn one, the naivete and gullibility of young children, into an effective plot device). I was not versed in Spanish history prior to this film and thus did not pick up on some of the coded symbolism, but even without that, I think that it's a pretty little tale of a young child's fascination with the mystical and ethereal. The scene where she actually meets
Frankenstein's monster
The Big Sleep (Howard Hawks, 1946)
It's strange; Bogie was not really much of an actor in terms of his range of expressiveness, but he is still one of the most compelling screen actors because of his distinctive look and perfect timing. He gives a fine performance in this film; it's the sort of performance that he has given in a number of films, but what sets it apart is the strange sort of sexual chemistry that he has with his future wife Lauren Bacall. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it's not something that I see myself revisiting many times in the future, if only because there are other film noirs that I like more.
8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, 1963)
After a few false starts over the last few months, I finally got through this. Man, it's a hell of a film. Fellini just throws everything onto the screen in this one; it veers into every conceivable genre, including just a pinch of sci-fi, and its over-abundant use of symbolism is at once pretentious and completely perfect. Mastroianni is, as usual, perfect; that sly tilting of the glasses is something that I don't think I will ever forget. Honestly, so many things happen in this film that I don't feel qualified to talk about it on a single watch; I'm really not sure what hit me.
A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
Loved this film a hell of a lot. This is my second Cassavetes film, and thus far, I've been supremely impressed by his work. The acting in his films is absolutely spot-on, and I love the way that his characters talk like real people (though he achieves this in a very different way from Robert Altman, who also got realistic dialogue from his actors). The guy at the video store told me when I rented this that it took him 3 years to get through this film because of how hard it is to watch sometime, and though I did not respond to it as viscerally as that, I definitely agree that there are moments when Rowlands's performance is so convincingly unstable that I could not help but wonder aloud, "What the fuck is wrong with this woman?" Peter Falk was also great, and he had, to my mind, a tougher job because he had to create a character that was, in reality, just about as crazy as his wife but who revealed his insanity in less obvious ways. To my mind, Peter Falk's character is much more dangerous that Rowlands's unhinged loon because his problems are much harder to detect and are much more violent than his more showy but ultimately harmless wife's. Wonderful film.
Pulp Fiction - 10/10 - One of my all time favorites. I've seen this movie close to 20 times and I still pick up on new stuff every time I watch. Excellently written and superbly shot, Tarantino's peak for sure.
Sherlock Holmes - 5/10 - RDJ was excellent, no doubt about that, but everything else about this movie was super meh. I was in to it at first, but then it just fizzled out. The action was mediocre at best and I felt nothing for the characters. Worth watching once, but I definitely don't need to see it ever again.
Sherlock Holmes - 5/10 - RDJ was excellent, no doubt about that, but everything else about this movie was super meh. I was in to it at first, but then it just fizzled out. The action was mediocre at best and I felt nothing for the characters. Worth watching once, but I definitely don't need to see it ever again.
The Interrobanger
Member
Took a plane across the continent, watched some movies I had no real interest in.
Big Fan - Meh. 90 minutes of watching some moron live his pathetic life. Characters were too idiotic to be funny too but too over the top to take seriously. Needed to be either more of a drama or a dark comedy instead of failing at both.
Astroboy - Astroboy himself and the bad guy/robot were OK, everything else was cringe worthy, especially the "surface-dwellers". Story/script made me want to punch babies. Nic Cage needs to die. Would have been better if it wasn't manufactured for kids.
Sherlock Holmes - Better than I expected, but still pretty shitty. I enjoyed the first half much more than the second since it quickly turned from an interesting, stylish, character study into a black magic CSI buddy comedy.
Transiberian - Another film that suffers from "stupid characters doing shit they would never do in real life". Beautifully shot, but horribly acted (except Ben Kingsley) and ridiculously far fetched. Watching irrational characters and scenarios for 2 hours is not fun no matter how pretty it is. Felt like a shitty version of Babel at times.
How To Train Your Dragon - Cannot believe anyone could say this was Pixar quality. Last 20 mins were pretty entertaining but the rest of the film was a chore to sit through.
Big Fan - Meh. 90 minutes of watching some moron live his pathetic life. Characters were too idiotic to be funny too but too over the top to take seriously. Needed to be either more of a drama or a dark comedy instead of failing at both.
Astroboy - Astroboy himself and the bad guy/robot were OK, everything else was cringe worthy, especially the "surface-dwellers". Story/script made me want to punch babies. Nic Cage needs to die. Would have been better if it wasn't manufactured for kids.
Sherlock Holmes - Better than I expected, but still pretty shitty. I enjoyed the first half much more than the second since it quickly turned from an interesting, stylish, character study into a black magic CSI buddy comedy.
Transiberian - Another film that suffers from "stupid characters doing shit they would never do in real life". Beautifully shot, but horribly acted (except Ben Kingsley) and ridiculously far fetched. Watching irrational characters and scenarios for 2 hours is not fun no matter how pretty it is. Felt like a shitty version of Babel at times.
How To Train Your Dragon - Cannot believe anyone could say this was Pixar quality. Last 20 mins were pretty entertaining but the rest of the film was a chore to sit through.
Steppenwolf
Member
Gyrian said:
Saw that one too yesterday. Pretty good. Polanski's horror movies have something of the deep psychological character studys of Bergman mixed with the terror and suspense of Hitchcock.
Houston3000
Member
I saw quite a few movies last week, between Monday and Thursday I went to the theater six times. I saw Cop Out, Hot Tub Time Machine (twice), How to Train Your Dragon (twice), and Clash of the Titans.
Cop Out
I really wasn't expecting much from this movie. It had already been out a couple of weeks and my friends all told me it was mediocre at best. I decided to go see it anyways though since a friend and I were bored at the mall. I actually rather enjoyed it, I think we went in with the right mindset and were able to just laugh at how silly it was. We couldn't get over the soundtrack, felt just like something out of the mid 80s and while the story was pretty lackluster and the villain was terrible I couldn't stop laughing at Tracy Morgan and Sean William Scott's dynamic
Hot Tub Time Machine
I thought Hot Tub Time Machine was hilarious, I absolutely loved the plot... even though the magic hot tub felt kind of stuck in and contrived it was just a means to an end that I thought worked out well enough. I'm not really a big Cusack fan but I thought he fit the 80s vibe considering I remember him in movies from the 80s same with Crispin Glover (being from Back to the Future and all :lol ). I was expecting a lot out of Craig Robinson but I think the stand out of the cast was Rob Corddry. Anyways, I ended up seeing the movie twice and thought it held up on a second viewing, which isn't that common for me. The only thing that really bothered me was the ending, I felt bad for the guys
How to Train Your Dragon
This one I saw in IMAX, it's actually the first real movie I've ever seen in IMAX and I was hell-a-impressed. My friend and I couldn't get over how similar Toothless (the dragon) was to her cat, or hell just felines in general - I swear they modeled that thing from a cat. I didn't care too much for the whole dad/son viking plot but thought it was interesting / funny the way he dealt with the different dragons in the arenas. So I really enjoyed this one, been pretty impressed with Dreamworks lately.
Clash of the Titans
My expectations for this movie were waaaay too high. I was a really big fan of the original movie, at least seeing it years after its release when I was old enough to watch it, and the trailers had me stoked. To be fair, I found the whole movie-going experience enjoyable - the movie was like a rollercoaster ride of awesome action scenes and visual effects mixed with piss poor acting. Seriously after Terminator, Avatar, and Clash of the Titans I really can't imagine how anyone could think Sam Worthington is a good leading man - I mean Avatar was alright but not due to Worthington. Like I was saying though, I thought the battle scenes were cool - the scorpions, Calibos, Medusa, and especially the Kraken were fun and intense. Everything else though was fluff.
EDIT: Oh, I also watched The Proposal last night on Netflix. Not really my type of movie but it was better than I expected for a RomCom starring Ryan Reynolds.
Cop Out
I really wasn't expecting much from this movie. It had already been out a couple of weeks and my friends all told me it was mediocre at best. I decided to go see it anyways though since a friend and I were bored at the mall. I actually rather enjoyed it, I think we went in with the right mindset and were able to just laugh at how silly it was. We couldn't get over the soundtrack, felt just like something out of the mid 80s and while the story was pretty lackluster and the villain was terrible I couldn't stop laughing at Tracy Morgan and Sean William Scott's dynamic
Hot Tub Time Machine
I thought Hot Tub Time Machine was hilarious, I absolutely loved the plot... even though the magic hot tub felt kind of stuck in and contrived it was just a means to an end that I thought worked out well enough. I'm not really a big Cusack fan but I thought he fit the 80s vibe considering I remember him in movies from the 80s same with Crispin Glover (being from Back to the Future and all :lol ). I was expecting a lot out of Craig Robinson but I think the stand out of the cast was Rob Corddry. Anyways, I ended up seeing the movie twice and thought it held up on a second viewing, which isn't that common for me. The only thing that really bothered me was the ending, I felt bad for the guys
sure, they got the future they always had wanted but none of them, save for Lou, lived the last 24 years of their current lives.
How to Train Your Dragon
This one I saw in IMAX, it's actually the first real movie I've ever seen in IMAX and I was hell-a-impressed. My friend and I couldn't get over how similar Toothless (the dragon) was to her cat, or hell just felines in general - I swear they modeled that thing from a cat. I didn't care too much for the whole dad/son viking plot but thought it was interesting / funny the way he dealt with the different dragons in the arenas. So I really enjoyed this one, been pretty impressed with Dreamworks lately.
Clash of the Titans
My expectations for this movie were waaaay too high. I was a really big fan of the original movie, at least seeing it years after its release when I was old enough to watch it, and the trailers had me stoked. To be fair, I found the whole movie-going experience enjoyable - the movie was like a rollercoaster ride of awesome action scenes and visual effects mixed with piss poor acting. Seriously after Terminator, Avatar, and Clash of the Titans I really can't imagine how anyone could think Sam Worthington is a good leading man - I mean Avatar was alright but not due to Worthington. Like I was saying though, I thought the battle scenes were cool - the scorpions, Calibos, Medusa, and especially the Kraken were fun and intense. Everything else though was fluff.
EDIT: Oh, I also watched The Proposal last night on Netflix. Not really my type of movie but it was better than I expected for a RomCom starring Ryan Reynolds.
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire, Written With A Pen By Bic, On College-Ruled Filler Paper By Mead: this was pretty bad. Way over the top, felt like I was watching a cartoon.
Where The Wild Things Are: Excellent. Waited for the home video release because I knew I was going to cry like a little baby, and that's exactly what happened.
The Vanishing (AKA Spoorloos [1988]): This was great, kept me on the edge the entire time. I was afraid we were heading in to the usual foreign movie territory of "what does it all mean.....?!" without actually telling us what happens, but they totally tell you what happens. Also OMG WTF @ what actually happens.
The Informant!: Medium. I thought the This American Life podcast I heard of this story was a much better telling of it.
The Virgin Spring: Loved this. My first Bergman film was Seventh Seal, which I did not care for (well made and all but the allegory did nothing for me), but I know he's one of the greats so I gave this a shot. Maybe it's because it was a more straight forward story, but anyway I thought it was great. Definitely going to check out more from him.
Where The Wild Things Are: Excellent. Waited for the home video release because I knew I was going to cry like a little baby, and that's exactly what happened.
The Vanishing (AKA Spoorloos [1988]): This was great, kept me on the edge the entire time. I was afraid we were heading in to the usual foreign movie territory of "what does it all mean.....?!" without actually telling us what happens, but they totally tell you what happens. Also OMG WTF @ what actually happens.
The Informant!: Medium. I thought the This American Life podcast I heard of this story was a much better telling of it.
The Virgin Spring: Loved this. My first Bergman film was Seventh Seal, which I did not care for (well made and all but the allegory did nothing for me), but I know he's one of the greats so I gave this a shot. Maybe it's because it was a more straight forward story, but anyway I thought it was great. Definitely going to check out more from him.
:lolBorgnine said:
Continuing my Kubrick marathoning, I recently rewatched Dr. Strangelove and The Shining, and enjoyed them both even more than the first time I saw them (which was quite a while ago).
Excluding Spartacus and Barry Lyndon (the only two I haven't seen yet, here's how I'd rank Kubrick's films for me:
2001 > Dr. Strangelove > The Shining > Paths of Glory > Lolita > A Clockwork Orange > Full Metal Jacket > Eyes Wide Shut > The Killing > Killer's Kiss > Fear and Desire
Though I really only like the first four of those, and pretty much hate everything from EWS and onwards.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
How the FUCK do you hate The Killing? That's, like, one of the best heist movies ever made.
From Dusk to Dawn. I always thought it was going to be a campy movie. QT's character was actually unsettling at first, but the last quarter of the movie got campy. Since I didn't fully pay attention to the movie, I won't rate it, but I will rate Salma Hayek a 10/10 daym those curves!
Clash of the Titans: Remarkably boring for an action film. Pretty sloppy stuff all around and a big disappointment for this fan of the original (though I had a bad feeling from the butt-rock trailers).
Astro Boy (2009 animated film): It was okay. It telegraphed the messages way too clearly, with people spouting dialog at odd times that did nothing but establish the arc the movie was going to follow ("Someday, you'll discover what your destiny is....") It wasn't needed, because 15 minutes in, it was clear what the exact story arc was going to be and what the ending showdown was going to entail. It had some superfluous characters, such as those three goofy robots on the surface; they could have been edited out and the film would have been tighter and better for it. The action scenes were great and the lead character likable. My kids liked it, so it did its job.
Astro Boy (2009 animated film): It was okay. It telegraphed the messages way too clearly, with people spouting dialog at odd times that did nothing but establish the arc the movie was going to follow ("Someday, you'll discover what your destiny is....") It wasn't needed, because 15 minutes in, it was clear what the exact story arc was going to be and what the ending showdown was going to entail. It had some superfluous characters, such as those three goofy robots on the surface; they could have been edited out and the film would have been tighter and better for it. The action scenes were great and the lead character likable. My kids liked it, so it did its job.
jonnybryce
Member
Just saw Chloe yesterday. I was surprised it was showing at the theatre near me because I thought it was one of those smaller released, travel to see it or grab it on DVD online type deals.
Anyhow, it was really good. It wasn't groundbreaking or anything but it was pretty smart and had a nice atmosphere and pacing. Julian Moore did a great job as the frazzled, emotionally neglected housewife and Amanda Seyfreid really shined as a streetwalker who gives herself more credit than she deserves. Liam Neeson....continued to sound cool, but was just average.
The story was good, there was a lot of nudity which aside from being a little fun to watch also gave the film more depth and realism, and the twists and bumps in the road keep it very surprising. This is a film that you can't really discuss with someone unless they've seen it, because it'll ruin it for anyone wanting to watch it...so, yeah.
Good story, great characters, nice twist, would recommend.
Anyhow, it was really good. It wasn't groundbreaking or anything but it was pretty smart and had a nice atmosphere and pacing. Julian Moore did a great job as the frazzled, emotionally neglected housewife and Amanda Seyfreid really shined as a streetwalker who gives herself more credit than she deserves. Liam Neeson....continued to sound cool, but was just average.
The story was good, there was a lot of nudity which aside from being a little fun to watch also gave the film more depth and realism, and the twists and bumps in the road keep it very surprising. This is a film that you can't really discuss with someone unless they've seen it, because it'll ruin it for anyone wanting to watch it...so, yeah.
Chloe's death was a little unsatisfying, as it was just an accident that happened to fix everyone's problems, but it didn't ruin the movie...just seemed like too much of an easy way out...especially to expect me to believe such a beautiful and rich house is so poorly constructed that if you bump into the wall you fall out. Ok.
Good story, great characters, nice twist, would recommend.
Expendable.
Member
recently watched The Killing, so good.
Saw The Princess and the Frog, boring piece of shit. Can't believe how shitty it was, I don't recall any characters name, no song was enjoyable, can't even remember a song and the villain- who was he anyway!?
Incredible disappointment.
Incredible disappointment.
Went on an mini animated marathon this weekend. I saw Waking Sleeping Beauty, Toy Story 1 and 2 on Blu-ray, and How to Train Your Dragon. Was pleasantly surprised by Dragon, easily the best animated film ever from Dreamworks.
Then I ended the weekend with Up in the Air. It's a good film, but man was it fucking depressing.
Then I ended the weekend with Up in the Air. It's a good film, but man was it fucking depressing.
Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
It sucks, that's how.
"Hate" was a poor choice of words, though. The only Kubrick film I really *hate* is Eyes Wide Shut, and the only reason I ranked it above The Killing was because it at least gave me a shot of Nicole Kidman's ass. That's gotta be worth something.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
Blader5489 said:
The Killing is absolutely incredible. Great cinematography, writing, and performances. What in it could a person possibly think sucks? I don't think that it hits the artistic highs of some later Kubrick films, but taken purely as a film, it's nearly perfect.
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