1) Management -- Romantic comedy with Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn. She's a succcessful woman with self-esteem issues, and he's a nothing motel janitor with a great heart. Pretty funny in parts (awesome cameo by Woody Harrelson) and as far as these formula movies go, it was a good one.
2) Brokeback Mountain -- I think most of you guys have heard of this one. It was a tough story, with some good insights typical of an Ang Lee film, but the relationship seemed rushed at the beginning. It was like we were brought gradually into the setting of the film but not gradually into the connection between these two young men.
3) The Business of Being Born -- a documentary about midwifery and how the practice is just about being pushed out of existence by insurance companies and the AMA. The insane number of C-sections being performed in the US today doesn't sense from a scientific, medical or economic perspective. This is a good microcosm of some of the healthcare issues being discussed these days -- our country is spending more money than the rest of the world and getting less for it.
__________________ Megaloi -- My Blog
"Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers."
- Mignon McLaughlin
2) Brokeback Mountain -- I think most of you guys have heard of this one. It was a tough story, with some good insights typical of an Ang Lee film, but the relationship seemed rushed at the beginning. It was like we were brought gradually into the setting of the film but not gradually into the connection between these two young men.
Yeah, cuz men are so careful not to rush into any sort of relationship. We are nothing if not logical and methodical when it comes to love.
Just watched The Human Face, it's a documentary on human facial expression and interaction featuring John Cleese. A four part mini-series that took a year to produce. It's a total of about 4 hours, but it's broke up into the standard BBC increments.
Very interesting actually. I would highly recommend
btw: I saw it on NetFlix instant que, by logging into brother's account.
__________________
***********************
If you weren't born drop dead gorgeous, be thankful for the opportunity to develop character first.
I didn't see it myself - it returned to Netflix before I had time to watch.
But ...
I have it on good authority that afficionatos of the horror/thriller/vampire genre will like Let the right one in.
From Sweden with English subtitles.
I saw Australia this last weekend. I really liked it, but I'm the sappy type with these things. Predictable is acceptable, at times. Hugh Jackman was cool and Nicole Kidman looked really good (her weird botoxness is gone, and she looks really pretty).
It had plenty of adventure and romance, and the kid was awesome (not annoying, like that stupid kid in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom or Maniquin Skywalker in SW I-III).
It was a little long, but I didn't mind, I was just surprised (I told my daughter it was almost over, then it picked up again for another good hour. Oops.).
The CGI effects (ships, planes, some scenery) were done in a way that made it obvious that they were for dramatic purposes and not supposed to look realistic, so all was good there.
I didn't see it myself - it returned to Netflix before I had time to watch.
But ...
I have it on good authority that afficionatos of the horror/thriller/vampire genre will like Let the right one in.
From Sweden with English subtitles.
It's great -- I wrote a little review on it here in this thread back in May.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lost Dog
I saw Australia this last weekend. I really liked it, but I'm the sappy type with these things. Predictable is acceptable, at times. Hugh Jackman was cool and Nicole Kidman looked really good (her weird botoxness is gone, and she looks really pretty).
It had plenty of adventure and romance, and the kid was awesome (not annoying, like that stupid kid in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom or Maniquin Skywalker in SW I-III).
It was a little long, but I didn't mind, I was just surprised (I told my daughter it was almost over, then it picked up again for another good hour. Oops.).
The CGI effects (ships, planes, some scenery) were done in a way that made it obvious that they were for dramatic purposes and not supposed to look realistic, so all was good there.
It was fun if you have the time.
Good to know; it's sitting in our house right now from Netflix. I saw the running time and was hoping it'd be worth it.
__________________ Megaloi -- My Blog
"Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers."
- Mignon McLaughlin
I saw I Love You Man. It was pretty good. The guy is so socially awkward with other guys that it really made me cringe. I almost looked away out of embarrassment for the guy (Paul Rudd).
Although, my review could really be summed up in two words: Rashida Jones
I saw I Love You Man. It was pretty good. The guy is so socially awkward with other guys that it really made me cringe. I almost looked away out of embarrassment for the guy (Paul Rudd).
the part at the beginning with him making those drinks with pirouette straws was pretty hilarious.
__________________ True Protein 5% off discount code: ZHS099 www.trueprotein.com
The CGI effects (ships, planes, some scenery) were done in a way that made it obvious that they were for dramatic purposes and not supposed to look realistic, so all was good there.
It was fun if you have the time.
They wanted an epic so bad they could taste it.
It had some okay moments, but overall I was a bit disappointed in it. Every one did okay with their parts, but it came off as a 'formula' movie. Like 'mix all these ingredients together and you will have an Epic.'
I agree the kid was a great, I hope he gets more parts. I suppose just seeing his acting would have made the movie worth it no matter what.
__________________
***********************
If you weren't born drop dead gorgeous, be thankful for the opportunity to develop character first.
Where the wild things are: awesome special effects, and i wouldn't expect anything less from a Jonez film. But, the story was lacking, and i thought pretty boring. I guess that's what happens when you try to stretch a kids book into a full length film. It was visually appealing, but without much substance.
Bad Boys: The Sean Penn film from the 80s. About Sean Penn who's gets put in JuV. Was an entertaining movie, but nothing to write home about.
Brick: I saw this again. I saw it originally when it came out, but watched it again a week or two ago. Awesome film for anyone who hasn't seen it and is a fan of the film noir genre. Would recommend.
Take out: I rented this one b/c rottentomatoes gave it a 100%. It was ok, but not deserving of 100%. Basically it's about a guy who is an illegal immigrant in NYC, and has to pay his debtors back a large sum before the next day. So, the whole movie involves him delivering food for tips. It really makes you hate americans, and feel bad for delivery people. Overall, not a bad film and it's only an hour and 20 minutes, so you're not missing out on much if you don't like it.
I've been watching a bunch of TV series that i never watched when they were on. I watched 3 seasons of the Wire (awesome), all 3 seasons of friday night lights (awesome), and 1 season of Deadwood (very awesome). I'm on season 2 of deadwood right now, and ended up buying the wire, so there's no rush on those.
__________________ True Protein 5% off discount code: ZHS099 www.trueprotein.com
yep. i got so many movies and stuff though, i think i may have to put netflix on hold for awhile after i finish deadwood so i can watch the rest of the series.
__________________ True Protein 5% off discount code: ZHS099 www.trueprotein.com
The man from Earth - Must have cost them about $30 to make this movie considering its just a bunch of people sitting around and talking. BUT the story i thought was really good. Very interesting take they have on all religions in this movie. Its only a little over an hour - so not to bad to sit through. IF they took this story and added in sort of flashback scenes, and changed the storyline just slightly (needed a better ending)- it would have made a ton of money..
Quote:
Originally Posted by AS
I saw this about a year ago, I really enjoyed it. True, its just a group of people sitting around talking, but I thought the story was good. Too bad nobody saw it.
I finally got around to seeing The Man From Earth -- it was okay. I think Frank is right that there was just a ton of potential in the story, but I felt like they kept it so much smaller than it should have been.
It also seemed like the whole thing was an excuse to give an eyepoke to Christianity, which I guess I should have expected from that screenwriter. My so-so review isn't based as much on personal offense at the obvious slant against religion; it's more that the cultural and psychological parts of the story are so much more interesting than the religious ones!
__________________ Megaloi -- My Blog
"Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers."
- Mignon McLaughlin
1) The Proposal -- unabashed chick flick, but as far as these go it was a good one. Almost completely due to Ryan Reynolds and his great comedic timing/tone. I've never been a Sandra Bullock fan but she was tolerable here, and the supporting cast is great.
2) Knowing -- the Nicolas Cage thriller that turns sci-fi near the end. Hard to talk about without giving a lot away. I'll say that I rate the movie extremely highly in the areas of asking good questions, layering the story and editing it to make it tension-filled. I would've changed some things in the screenplay to make the ending tighter, but I still liked it. Between this and Dark City, I'm pretty much guaranteed to watch anything else Alex Proyas ever makes. I've now forgiven him for I, Robot.
3) I.O.U.S.A. -- documentary about the fiscal mismanagement in US Government and in our households. The movie was made in 2007/2008, and it's interesting how they nailed the upcoming recession. It's also very damning to the Bush administration and their forceouts of key Treasury and GAO leadership who were fighting for fiscal responsbility. It ended too quickly, though -- they should have spent at least 20 more minutes on the possible solutions.
__________________ Megaloi -- My Blog
"Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers."
- Mignon McLaughlin
3) I.O.U.S.A. -- documentary about the fiscal mismanagement in US Government and in our households. The movie was made in 2007/2008, and it's interesting how they nailed the upcoming recession. It's also very damning to the Bush administration and their forceouts of key Treasury and GAO leadership who were fighting for fiscal responsbility. It ended too quickly, though -- they should have spent at least 20 more minutes on the possible solutions.
i've heard that this is a great movie. I'm a big fan of documentaries, but kinda get overloaded on them after awhile.
__________________ True Protein 5% off discount code: ZHS099 www.trueprotein.com
I saw an old French horror film a few nights ago, Eyes without a Face. Excellent movie about a girl who gets into a car accident with her dad. Her dad is a surgeon, and blames himself for the accident and puts it upon himself to get her a new face. So, he kidnaps and removes faces from girls to give them to his daughter. Awesome movie for being 50 years old and the mask is STILL creepy. Would watch again.
Watched Brokeback Mountain again for a film class. I'm sure pretty much everyone has seen this already, but if you haven't, you should. This is the 3rd or 4th time i've seen it, and it honestly gets better with each viewing. I was thinking about how easy it would be to write 8-10 pages on this movie, by talking about the style, the fact that gay people don't have the same luxury of living with someone they care about, and the consequences that come along with it (death), etc.
One thing that always kinda gets under my skin with the movie, is how it seems like every guy is a complete homophobe when it comes to watching it. I had to show it to a college film class last night, and the guys were talking about the scenes in it and how bad they were, etc etc. Guys, watching a movie is not going to make you gay. If it does, chances are you are on that border already.
My current selections from netflix are:
Food Inc.
Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau/French film from 1946)
Shadow of a Vampire
__________________ True Protein 5% off discount code: ZHS099 www.trueprotein.com
I have Beauty and the Beast and have seen it (the Cocteau version - I've yet to see the Disney version in full) - and would like to read your impressions of it.
__________________
Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
Watched All About Steve yesterday. It's bad, even for a chick flick. It's not even really a romance as much as an ill fated attempt at a movie about 'self discovery'.
Mostly it's just pointless.
__________________
***********************
If you weren't born drop dead gorgeous, be thankful for the opportunity to develop character first.
One thing that always kinda gets under my skin with the movie, is how it seems like every guy is a complete homophobe when it comes to watching it. I had to show it to a college film class last night, and the guys were talking about the scenes in it and how bad they were, etc etc. Guys, watching a movie is not going to make you gay. If it does, chances are you are on that border already.
Ive never seen it, and probably never will. Love stories I can't make it though. If the movie was about a straight couple I wouldn't see it, either. It can be annoying when someone mentions the movie and I say I haven't seen it.. and get called a homophobe (not saying you are implying this).
I have Beauty and the Beast and have seen it (the Cocteau version - I've yet to see the Disney version in full) - and would like to read your impressions of it.
I liked it. From a visual aspect alone, for being as old as it is, the makeup was pretty good. I also like how the sets were done, with things like human hands to hold the candle sticks. It really reminds me of a play rather than a film which is cool given his history as a playwright. I always have fond memories of the Disney version, because i remember seeing it when i was a kid and loving it, so probably no matter how good or bad Cocteau's version of it is, i would always be comparing it to the Disney version.
I like how Cocteau plays with the dream/reality aspect of the movie. You have Belle entering a dream like setting with the Beast's castle from being a worker in the real world, and the whole story is very much like a dream. Then at the end, i like how Cocteau has you drawn into the story so you think that it's reality, but then ends the story with them flying into the sky, so solidify the fact that it's very imaginative.
That was the main thing that really stuck out to me with the film. I enjoyed it, although it was a bit slow at some parts, but overall very good.
What did you think?
Quote:
Ive never seen it, and probably never will. Love stories I can't make it though. If the movie was about a straight couple I wouldn't see it, either. It can be annoying when someone mentions the movie and I say I haven't seen it.. and get called a homophobe (not saying you are implying this).
you should see it. It's a bit slower paced, but overall a good story. I think one thing i really liked about the movie is how they had to hide who they were throughout the movie.
All of my guy friends refuse to see it b/c it's a story of 2 guys. I just roll my eyes. IMO, i have no problem watching films of any kind. It's not like you're a dude watching gay porn... it's a film that is and will be in the future, pretty culturally significant, and some people just miss out on that.
__________________ True Protein 5% off discount code: ZHS099 www.trueprotein.com
The last flick I saw was Zombieland, and I loved it. However, dh nailed it when he compared it to a Twinkie - it's yummy and enjoyable, but with little substance. Still, it's a fun movie.
This weekend I'll revisit old favorites: Harold & Maude, and especially Amadeus. I'm not in the mood right now to see new things. I want comfort.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LisaS
I have it on good authority that afficionatos of the horror/thriller/vampire genre will like Let the right one in.
From Sweden with English subtitles.
It's a great movie, poignant at times and it has an eerie stillness to it that I enjoyed. However, I don't think aficionados of traditional horror movies will like it much (they'll find it slow-paced, and it doesn't have a lot of gore or action). Vampire-lovers, though, that's a different story.
The last flick I saw was Zombieland, and I loved it. However, dh nailed it when he compared it to a Twinkie - it's yummy and enjoyable, but with little substance. Still, it's a fun movie.
Watched The Christmas Carol in 3D last night. Really an awesome adaptation of the book. It was more accurate to the original work than any that I have seen. Jim Carry does an awesome job.
There are so many things that this movie has, that most movies skip over.
*slight spoiler alert, but afterall I figure everyone should know the basic story*
~The torment of the dammed. (outside scrooge's window)
~The children at the feet of Christmas Present (Ignorance and Want)
~It even has the Ghost of Christmas Present giving his speech against the church system of the day, which I have never seen in any movie.
There are a ton of other things, and some that you have to be a real fan of the story to catch (the girl in the that is 'not in the green dress with the print' or whatever in the nephew's party scene, for example).
The 3D was totally amazing with it, and fabulous, however it is not the kind of movie that you have to watch in 3D for it to be any good. The story itself is by far the main attraction and will hold up well, even if just enjoyed at home on a DVD
**just a note, keep in mind that this, like the book, is a bit darker and scarier than most versions of the story. I personally wouldn't take a child that is younger than 8 or so to see it, especially in a theater. Somebody behind me brought a 3 year old, and the poor thing was scared and cried the whole time.
__________________
***********************
If you weren't born drop dead gorgeous, be thankful for the opportunity to develop character first.
Still, it's a fun movie. 
Linear Mode
