Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[mousepod]

Just came back from The Wrestler. Interesting character study. Not a bad flick... not sure if it's a great flick either, though. Sad that all of the hoopla around Mickey Rourke upstaged the excellent performance by Marisa Tomei.

[Gemini Cricket]

My little sister just bought The Women (2008) on DVD. I think I'm going to cry.
:D

[CoasterMatt]

Just came back from The Wrestler. Interesting character study. Not a bad flick... not sure if it's a great flick either, though. Sad that all of the hoopla around Mickey Rourke upstaged the excellent performance by Marisa Tomei's breasts.

fixed :D

[JWBear]

We saw Seven Pounds yesterday. I don't understand why people are saying it has a suprise ending. It was obvious from about a third of the way in. Once I figured out what the "obvious" ending was going to be, I watched the rest of the movie anticipating the twist I thought was coming. When the "obvious" ending became the real ending, without any twists, I was very disappointed.

[Gn2Dlnd]

My little sister just bought The Women (2008) on DVD. I think I'm going to cry.
:D

Chin up. Both of them.

[JWBear]

Chin up. Both of them.

Oh no, no, no.... Please don't get this board started on another The Women quote-a-thon! :eek:

[Morrigoon]

Oh, nobody cares what anybody says these days. Oh, you remember those AWFUL things they said about ol' whats-her-name just before she jumped out of that window? See, I can't even remember her name so who cares Edith?

[JWBear]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.....

Will. Not. Respond.

Will. Not. Give. In. To. Temptation.

[Tom]

Trailer fo 9 (http://www.filmroster.com/video/9_trailer)

Hadn't heard of this, looks intriguing. And that opening bit of music in the trailer is from one of my favorite artists, The Knife.

LSPE and I saw the short this was based on a few years ago, as part of the Oscar-nominated shorts program. It was good. There's a link to it on the trailer page.

[Alex]

I've recently watched two Italian movies from Netflix so it is no surprise that among the recommendations on the home page currently are more Italian films.

Here's a screenshot. You may notice a certain theme to the move posters.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/3158932892_d7e3ddc956_o.jpg


Just goes to show that automated recommendation engines are still lacking. I'm definitely a breast man rather than an ass guy.

[JWBear]

I've recently watched two Italian movies from Netflix so it is no surprise that among the recommendations on the home page currently are more Italian films.

Here's a screenshot. You may notice a certain theme to the move posters.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/3158932892_d7e3ddc956_o.jpg


Just goes to show that automated recommendation engines are still lacking. I'm definitely a breast man rather than an ass guy.

So... We know what kind of movie Alex watches.... :evil:

[Alex]

It tells you right there that they are in response to watching Cinema Paradiso and Open City. If you can find scantily clad asses in either movie I missed them.

Not that I'm opposed to scantily clad.

[flippyshark]

<updates Netflix queue>

I can see the cheeky link between the first two movies, but I don't see a derriere on the Suspiria artwork. Also, I've got Suspiria, and it has many things, but curvy behinds are not among them. (On the other hand, it has Jessica Harper, on whom I had a crush for years.)

[Moonliner]

A couple of nit-picky things....

I saw "Bolt" in 3D over the holiday.... The movie was great, I'm not sure the 3D really added anything however. If anyone else happens to go see it, I noticed that when Penny is printing out lost posters they have a real phone number on them. Unfortunately my memory is not good enough to recall it. I'd like to give it a call and see if she found her dog....


Also, does anyone have National Treasure II on Blu-Ray? I was watching part of it on the small TV and noticed that they give a brief shot of page 47 in the Presidents book of secrets. I wonder if you would be able to read a freeze frame in HD.

[Snowflake]

I finally caught The Dark Knight over the weekend. I loved Heath Ledger, he was really awesome and scary as The Joker. I did find the film overlong and the plot was not engaging, what plot there was. I loathed Christian Bale's Batman voice and I am fairly sure this was discussed when the film was new.

I can see how the film was supposed to be dark, but the cinematography was also so dark it seemed murky. Maybe that was better in the theater.

In any case, it was well worth seeing for Ledger and the Rachel character did not die soon enough. ;)

[flippyshark]

Everything Snowflake said. Dark Knight really ran out of steam in its last third. But Heath Ledger was great. He reminded me of Brad Dourif at his creepiest, and then some.

[CoasterMatt]

Dark Knight also keeps up the asstacular Warner Bros. bluray stupidity - the movie starts right into the film, with the legacy audio selected (so you have to switch to the audio menu to put the proper hi-def audio track).

Another Warner Bros. disc I won't be buying.

[Moonliner]

The Presidents Book Of Secrets

The text on the page referring to the Kennedy assanation is a letter which is hand written and signed by A. Lincoln.

Here is a copy of the letter:

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/vc5.10.jpg

[Alex]

Just watched Bad Seed for the first time in a long time. Oh I wish I'd remembered to stop it as soon as the Warner Bros. logo appeared at the end.

Is there any better example of a movie succeeding and then shooting itself in the foot like Bad Seed does with the closing credits. Bad enough they had to "improve" the ending.

[flippyshark]

Oh, the spanking gag? Yes, that is a groaner for sure. I could scarcely believe it when I saw it. As I recall, it is possible to stop the film before its final dramatic scene and retain the play's downbeat finish.

[Not Afraid]

Miss Butter-Wouldn't-Melt Fern.


(Sorry, for some reason that line from Bad Seed has always stuck.)

[Gemini Cricket]

I saw Gaslight the other day. Loved it. Can't believe I have never seen it. I think this was a mousepod recommendation, but I'm not sure.
:)

[Gemini Cricket]

"He could crack a coconut open with those knees, if he could get them together."

[SzczerbiakManiac]

Anyone else heard of the movie Growing Out (http://www.growingout-themovie.com/)? In spite of the word "Out" in the title, it does not at all appear to be a "gay film". In spite of that obvious flaw ;), the story seems pretty intriguing. Please go to that site, watch the trailer first, then read the synopsis, then tell me what you think.

[innerSpaceman]

Gonna Netflix it someday for sure.

[Alex]

Trailer doesn't do anything for me, and the synopsis doesn't help.

Certainly doesn't mean it isn't a good movie but what I've seen wouldn't have me putting out any money for it.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Without combing back through the thread, I believe it was Alex who made the comment of Langella's Nixon that it started out not seeming right, but eventually "locked in" (my term) and became very compelling. If I am remembering that comment correctly, I totally agree. I was having much trouble accepting him as Nixon for the first couple of scenes, but it eventually clicked and I thoroughly enjoyed the portrayal.

I wonder how much of my initial inability to accept it has to do with the fact that my mental model of Nixon is entirely saturated by Billy West's ridiculous version.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I think Frost should interview Bush.

[Alex]

Just keep in mind that the movie (and play) tweaked that drama of it all.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Just keep in mind that the movie (and play) tweaked that drama of it all.Ok - I think the fictional character of Frost should interview a fictional character of Bush that actually admits wrongdoing. I'd at least leave the theater satisfied.

[Snowflake]

Just keep in mind that the movie (and play) tweaked that drama of it all.

Well, I've not seen the film, but in the clips I've seen, I can't even understand Langella through his Nixonian accent. It sounds like Martian to me. :D

[Alex]

Ok - I think the fictional character of Frost should interview a fictional character of Bush that actually admits wrongdoing. I'd at least leave the theater satisfied.

You want a Bush interview that follows the standard expert-over-his-head storyline where the interviewer's cockiness leads him to assume he can just breeze in and excel but early setbacks show him that the world is not necessarily his oyster and he'll need to buckle down and work hard to win [the big game | get the part in the play | ace the interview | win the advertising account | win the love of the woman in his life]?

Seriously though, while I'd love to see extremely long form interviews, unfortunately I don't think the environment exists any longer where it is remotely feasible. At most an hour of Dateline. Bush doesn't need money (and I think Frost paying Bush for an interview would be a much bigger ethics scandal than it was then).

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Bush doesn't need money (and I think Frost paying Bush for an interview would be a much bigger ethics scandal than it was then).What about the Ex-Pres World Tour Until Incapacitation, complete with highly paid speaking gigs? Seems the same to me...

[bewitched]

Dear Movie Gods,

Please, please, please make Clive Owen's next movie, The International, be (at least) decent viewing. Please don't make me sit through another big pile of crap of a movie just for the 1 1/2 hours of Clive yumminess. I mean, look at him
<--------------.
Shouldn't there be a rule about just how crappy of a movie someone that beautiful can star in? I'm not asking for much. It doesn't have to be Oscar caliber or anything, just watchable.

I've spent 30+ years of my life as a Cubs fan, give me something here. Please.

Thanks.
Whitney

[Deebs]

Dear Movie Gods,

Please, please, please make Clive Owen's next movie, The International, be (at least) decent viewing. Please don't make me sit through another big pile of crap of a movie just for the 1 1/2 hours of Clive yumminess. I mean, look at him
<--------------.
Shouldn't there be a rule about just how crappy of a movie someone that beautiful can star in? I'm not asking for much. It doesn't have to be Oscar caliber or anything, just watchable.

I've spent 30+ years of my life as a Cubs fan, give me something here. Please.

Thanks.
Whitney

Dear Whitney,

The movie gods care not what you say. They do not listen! They do not respond to us, no matter how we beseech them. I have tried, believe me. Take Colin Firth, for example. For every one fabulous thing he's done (Pride & Prejudice, Girl With a Pearl Earring, Love Actually, The Importance of Being Earnest) he has done something twice as horrible to go with it. And I have sat through every stinking one of them: Nanny McPhee, which I must admit I did like a little -- do not judge me -- Hope Springs (Heather Graham!!), What a Girl Wants, The Last Legion... I finally stopped. I have not seen Mamma Mia!. Can you blame me? I could not stand to watch. Jude Law is another case in point. From Cold Mountain to Alfie? Wait, I can't lie. I would watch Jude Law in just about anything. :blush:

Still, I say that the movie gods just don't care what we say.

Love,
Deebs

[Capt Jack]

was it really necessary to remake Friday the 13th? Not like theres going to be a 'surprise' ending.

as much as I love a good horror flick, I have huge doubts this will be anything but another suck-your-wallet-dry ripoff of someone elses ideas

feh.

[Snowflake]

Dear Whitney,

The movie gods care not what you say. They do not listen! They do not respond to us, no matter how we beseech them. I have tried, believe me. Take Colin Firth, for example. For every one fabulous thing he's done (Pride & Prejudice, Girl With a Pearl Earring, Love Actually, The Importance of Being Earnest) he has done something twice as horrible to go with it. And I have sat through every stinking one of them: Nanny McPhee, which I must admit I did like a little -- do not judge me -- Hope Springs (Heather Graham!!), What a Girl Wants, The Last Legion... I finally stopped. I have not seen Mamma Mia!. Can you blame me? I could not stand to watch. Jude Law is another case in point. From Cold Mountain to Alfie? Wait, I can't lie. I would watch Jude Law in just about anything. :blush:

Still, I say that the movie gods just don't care what we say.

Love,
Deebs


Okay, I like Nanny McPhee a bit, too. It was filled with too many fine actor people not to like it.

You're right, the movie gods do not care.

[Gemini Cricket]

I hear there is talk of making a remake of Poltergeist. My question is: why?

[innerSpaceman]

Hahaha, I think they should start remaking films that were released only two years ago.

That could be quite a gimmick for the first few of those!

[Alex]

26 year gap? Slackers.

Cecille B. DeMille did The Squaw Man three times in 18 years. And Leo McCarey only waited 18 years before remaking Love Affair as An Affair to Remember.

[Strangler Lewis]

I hear there is talk of making a remake of Poltergeist. My question is: why?

Do you mean "why" as in why spoil the memory of a good thing or, "why" as in why bother since the first one was one of the worst movies ever made and doesn't have in it a single legitimately scary moment where you think someone might actually die?

[Capt Jack]

Im goin with that second thing.

scary? not

[Strangler Lewis]

Dear Movie Gods,

Please, please, please make Clive Owen's next movie, The International, be (at least) decent viewing. Please don't make me sit through another big pile of crap of a movie just for the 1 1/2 hours of Clive yumminess.

Wait, I can't lie. I would watch Jude Law in just about anything.

There are a number of actresses that I find quite sexy--Kate Winslet, Julianne Moore, Angelina Jolie, etc.--all of whom are quite talented and all of whom as often as not appear nude in their films in a manner that is not unpleasasnt. Still, neither their presence nor that of any other star, male or female, is enough to make me spend time and money on a badly reviewed movie.

[Alex]

Poltergeist was the pinnacle of scary movies for me. But I was 8 when I saw it. And so I was a young boy who slept in a large second floor bedroom with a mean looking tree right outside the window.

But something about that scare fixed me as I believe it was also the last time I was scared by ANY movie. Movies can induce in me pretty much every other emotion but fear is not one of them. I can be startled, but not scared.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Do you mean "why" as in why spoil the memory of a good thing or, "why" as in why bother since the first one was one of the worst movies ever made and doesn't have in it a single legitimately scary moment where you think someone might actually die?

Im goin with that second thing.

scary? notSeriously? You guys don't think this movie is scary? As Alex mentioned, the kid with the evil tree, and the evil clown doll scene? What about when they're getting sucked into the closet? I swear, I could mention most every scene in that movie as wonderfully shot and pretty damn scary. It also has the best ending of any haunted house movie I've ever seen (not that I've seen a lot of them, but still.) The effects hold up, too.

[innerSpaceman]

or, "why" as in why bother since the first one was one of the worst movies ever made and doesn't have in it a single legitimately scary moment where you think someone might actually die?

OMG, that movie scared the CRAP out of me when I first saw it, and static-filled TV screens gave me the willies for weeks.

But its brilliance lies in the comedy gold scattered liberally throughout. A movie can scare you only once, but can make you laugh forever. My friends and I had something like 38 lines from this movie that we'd say on a rotating basis, and the film can crack me up ever four minutes to this day.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE PoLterGeisT!! :cheers:

[Not Afraid]

Not scary.

[Capt Jack]

Seriously?

seriously.....but then dont put too much stock in my opinion. Im the guy who couldnt sit through Devils Rejects without laughing my a$$ off the whole time.

[Gemini Cricket]

Well, I guess I meant it as it's a perfectly fine popcorn fun horror flick that doesn't need to be done again so soon. What they really should do is do a decent sequel to it. None of the sequels were any good.

The clown doll, the kid-eating tree, the swimming pool full of supermodels.... yeah, I found it extremely scary when I was 10. Scared stiff each and every time I went back to see it...
:D

[Strangler Lewis]

I give a pass to you folks who first saw it as a kid, but that doesn't make it scary for real. As a kid in Queens I would watch Japanese monster movies in the middle of the night and then look out my 7th floor apartment window to make sure the Empire State Building was still there.

I'll agree that the movie did a somewhat competent job with a few snapshots of childhood fears. But scary in a point A to point B way? In a "Gee, I'm worried that these people I care about might not make it out alive" way? No.

[innerSpaceman]

Sorry, I was 22 when that movie came out. Scared To Death.


Go ahead and say it didn't scare YOU. You are absolutely wrong if you say it wasn't scary. All of my companions who saw that Pre-Release Screening (with the extra 4 seconds!) were scared crapless.

If it scared some people, it was scary. By definition. :p



Anyway, GC's right ... it's a great popcorn flick and the sequels sucked (d'uh).

[lashbear]

OK, I have to ask.

What 4 seconds were they, and did they make a huge difference ?

BTW: Poltergeist scared the stuffin out of me too. Maybe I couldn't handle those extra 4 seconds... but I have to know.

[innerSpaceman]

No the four seconds was not at a scary part. It was when the Freelings went over to the neighbors' house to ask if they were experiencing anything unusual, all the while being attacked by mosquitos.

It was just an inconsequential bit of dialogue, but there's a really noticeably (to me) sloppy jump cut at the end of that scene in the release version where they poorly edited out those 4 seconds.


Anyway, yeah, me and my pals got really high in the restrooms at the long-gone Plitt Theaters in Century City before the show, and that might have had something do with it being really scary ... and subsequently becoming one of our favorite films of all time.



Don't knock Poltergeist around me. :cool:

[Ghoulish Delight]

I'm a total horror movie puss and I can handle Poltergeist.

[Deebs]

Okay, I like Nanny McPhee a bit, too. It was filled with too many fine actor people not to like it.

I'm so relieved I'm not the only one! You're so right -- Imelda Staunton and Celia Imrie, love them both.

There are a number of actresses that I find quite sexy--Kate Winslet, Julianne Moore, Angelina Jolie, etc.--all of whom are quite talented and all of whom as often as not appear nude in their films in a manner that is not unpleasasnt. Still, neither their presence nor that of any other star, male or female, is enough to make me spend time and money on a badly reviewed movie.

Everybody's got to draw their line somewhere. I drew mine at Mamma Mia! Nudity has little to do with anything for me. Men hardly ever go starkers in movies anyway, right? Maybe Kevin Bacon and a couple of others.

OMG, that movie scared the CRAP out of me when I first saw it, and static-filled TV screens gave me the willies for weeks.

Carol-Ann!
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o218/disneyballerina/posting%20pics/poltergeist.jpg

But its brilliance lies in the comedy gold scattered liberally throughout. A movie can scare you only once, but can make you laugh forever.
Yep.
"This house is clear!"

I remember laughing and being scared.

[Gemini Cricket]

Those 4 seconds where they visit the next door neighbor was classic. Chubby kid eating pork and beans. Brilliantly hysterical. I laughed at that part.
"A mosquito ever suck on you, Son?"
"I don't know, Dad."
Freakin' hysterical Spielberg crazy kid moment. (Yeah, I know Tobe Hooper directed it, but the movie reeked of Spielberg.)
There are crazy kids in a ton of Spielberg flicks that make me laugh really hard.
ie. Kid bashing the doll against the crib in Close Encounters, the kid with the HUGE headphones in ET, all of Goonies, the toothless kid in Jaws that is imitating his father, Dana flipping the bird to the construction workers in Poltergeist, Short Round...
Classic stuff here, people.
:D

[Gemini Cricket]

I always thought it was "this house is clean".

One of the weird things about Poltergeist is that it seems like it took place in the same neighborhood at ET.

[Deebs]

I always thought it was "this house is clean".


I stand corrected. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084516/quotes) With her warbling little voice, it was hard to tell. I always thought it was "clear" said with a weird, almost southern accent, but you seem to be correct, GC.

[Gemini Cricket]

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/Untitled-2copy-4.jpg
"I don't know, Dad."

Hysterical.
:D


Alex talked about jump scenes before (I think he was talking about the one in Eight Below) but this is one of the best ones ever in cinema history, imho:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/poltergeist_remake.jpg

[Betty]

I loved Potergeist.

I used to like scary movies - now though I won't watch them. I go more for the psychological thriller then cut em up blood bath types.

Movies like Saw and Hostel I just won't watch - or even be in the same room where I can hear it. My husband though will still watch them.

Even at gross parts on TV shows, I hold my hand up and look away until he's done making a gross out face then I look back. I just don't need to see those things.

Even images that are photoshopped - that I know are photoshopped haunt me years after seeing them. This one for example -saw it years ago and yet - it's the first icky thing that popped into my mind even though I know it's a shop:

nsfw

http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/e3e32a7a81f71a2f0de754e997cb2d97c517.jpg

[Tom]

We kinda liked Nanny McPhee as well. I didn't know that it was something that had to be spoken of so furtively.

[Alex]

Exposing my odd moments of complete cluelessnes, I had no idea until this morning that Benjamin Button was based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald story.

[Gemini Cricket]

Betty ~ Ew. Ew! and EW!!
:D

[flippyshark]

I just got through watching the newly released RENT, as filmed on Broadway during its closing performance (or rather, last few performances, really.) If you are a fan of the show and thought the Chris Columbus movie was a soggy and leaden lump, you're likely to appreciate this chance to see the show on its original stage, with its original staging, and an energetic and attractive young cast.

RENT is an acquired taste for most people I know, and many never acquire it. I have to space out my viewings/listenings fairly far apart, as the show contains some vicious ear worms. (Even now, I'm going to have to live with "Seasons of Love" for a few miserable days.) But, it's worth it for the show's many glorious emotional highlights and moments of powerful pop triumph. This new DVD is the ideal way to enjoy it. I'll be revisiting it again in about five years. :)

[Gemini Cricket]

I just got through watching the newly released RENT, as filmed on Broadway...

I bought it today as well.
I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. Maybe tomorrow.
As a die-hard Renthead, I can't wait to see it.
:)

[innerSpaceman]

Hehehe, I'm going to rent it.



(Hated the movie, but .... in light of G.C.'s constant love for the piece, I'd love to see a representation of the actual show.)

[Gemini Cricket]

I just got through watching the newly released RENT, as filmed on Broadway during its closing performance (or rather, last few performances, really.) If you are a fan of the show and thought the Chris Columbus movie was a soggy and leaden lump, you're likely to appreciate this chance to see the show on its original stage, with its original staging, and an energetic and attractive young cast.


I watched it Thursday night and enjoyed it a great deal. Did I like watching 'Rent'? Uh, does a Christian dig Jesus?

I loved that the musical was shot in full. Nothing was cut from it. The deletion of "Christmas Bells" from the movie version was a travesty. I still have a special place in my heart for the film because of the number of original cast members in it. Adam Pascal will always always be Roger. Always.

With that being said, the Broadway cast featured on the DVD was great. Here are their grades:
Mark: A-
Roger: A
Mimi: B
Collins: B
Angel: B+
Joanne: A
Maureen: B
Benny: B+
The supporting players: A
My biggest gripe with the cast was that Mimi was lacking. The character of Mimi is an out of control, attention grabbing fireball. The Mimi that on the DVD was subdued in her song "Out Tonight". This song is a show stopper and a chance for an actress to go all out. This actress seemed worried that her outrageousness wouldn't transfer well to film. She should have gave it her all.
The Roger was a yum yum factory. Gorgeous. Yeah, he has no lips but hey he's hot. He nailed his songs and was right on the money.
The Mark was decent. But he's no Anthony Rapp. But this actor did just fine.
The Collins was lacking to me, too. He wasn't as strong as I'd like.

I thought the play's translation to film was amazing. I thought I'd get bored with the camera, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Another small gripe I had with this version was with "La Vie Boheme". It seemed to be on Valium. The song's tempo is a bit faster than what was shown. I don't know, it could be me, I guess.

Watching the original cast sing with the last Broadway cast was touching. The original cast absentees included: Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs and Adam Pascal. Would have liked to see them there, but their absence was understandable.

I'll be watching this one over and over again. No matter what, this musical will always be special to me.

No day but today, b!tches! 'Rent' rules!

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/Rent_2.jpg

[flippyshark]

I'd say your grades are very much on the money. I wasn't watching very critically, though. I was too busy sniffling and bawling for a lot of it. (There are moments in the score that ALWAYS get me.)

Y'know, I found La Vie Boheme sluggish in both this DVD and in the movie. I've seen four live casts, and they generally pulled it off, though I think it comes off most energetically on the cast album. Maybe I'm mentally putting together a much more kinetic picture of how that song should be staged.

Yes, Christmas Bells was an unforgivable omission from the movie. AND so was "Goodbye Love." What the fvck was Chris Columbus thinking!? (It did show up as a deleted scene in the extras, and it had been effectively performed and shot, and it had NO BUSINESS being cut.) This song is both a very direct shout out to the source opera, La Boheme, and in itself, an emotional moment that should never, ever ever ever ever be cut.

I said in my last post that I would wait a while before watching this again, but guess what - I've already rewatched it.

[cirquelover]

The boys had Netflixed Forbidden Kingdom last night, it wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be. I'm not a big Jackie Chan fan but I think I liked him as a drunk for some reason, go figure!

[Gemini Cricket]

Saw Slumdog Millionaire tonight. Loved it! :)
Really enjoyed the shenanigans during the credits.

[€uroMeinke]

Finally saw Vicky Cristina Barcelona last night and loved it - okay, I could have done without the voice over, but I still think nobody captures the complexity of love and desire like Woody Allen does. Loved Penelope Cruz in this.

[Alex]

I liked everything about except for the parts with Johansson. Unfortunately that doesn't leave enough for me to say I liked it overall.

[Not Afraid]

I just want to have a 3-some with Penelope and Salma.

[Gemini Cricket]

I just want to have a 3-some with Penelope and Salma.
If he could watch, I'm thinking Chris would be all for it.
;)

[Not Afraid]

DUH!

[Not Afraid]

Scratch the threesome - I'd rather just have Clive Owen.

Really, I DO enjoy films for more than the eye candy.....really.

[Gemini Cricket]

Scratch the threesome - I'd rather just have Clive Owen.

Well, DUH right back at ya.
:D

[Snowflake]

Finally saw Vicky Cristina Barcelona last night and loved it - okay, I could have done without the voice over, but I still think nobody captures the complexity of love and desire like Woody Allen does. Loved Penelope Cruz in this.


This is next up in the Netflix queue. I can do without Scarlett, but Javier Bardem rowr....

Bottle Shock was fun, I caught that over the weekend. Alan Rickman, I had to.

[Gemini Cricket]

Saw Slumdog Millionaire tonight. Loved it! :)
Really enjoyed the shenanigans during the credits.
Waitaminute.

I've been thinking about this movie and I think I have a couple of problems with it.
The moral of the movie: life is better if you have money? Unless I'm missing something. Yes he guessed at the last question implying he didn't care about the money, but he did in fact win the money. If he had donated the money to, oh I don't know, homeless children in Mumbai, wouldn't that have been a better message? AND did she only stay with him because of his notoriety and money? Not only that, but the lead actor pretty much had one expression on his face throughout the entire film. A sort of duh expression. I mean, yeah, he's adorable but there could have been more to him... Don't get me wrong, the film was shot beautifully on a meager budget and I'm addicted to the soundtrack I purchased on iTunes (I loves MIA) but I'm feeling that there's much ado about nothing with this film. I mean, Latika went from one rich guy to another essentially. AND with that kind of dough, isn't it possible that he'll just end up being the next gangster godfather? And I don't get the money in the tub scene. Why did he do that? And now that Jamal has the dough, aren't the surviving gangsters (both the godfather's cronies and the orphanage guys) going to be after him? Hmmm. Me likes the film still, I guess. But I don't know if it's Best Pic worthy despite cleaning up at the BAFTAs.

[Alex]

The moral of the movie as I saw it:

Poor people will be content with their lot (while being absolute ****s to each other) so long as there is a (almost literally) one shot in a billion of becoming suddenly wealthy. Also, love makes misery ok.

The movie is well made and not bad at all. But it didn't work for me and I don't think it a great movie. There was an article at Slate (http://www.slate.com/id/2209783/) a couple weeks back that perfectly captured my feelings about the movie. My answer to the question in the subtitle of the article is D.

[innerSpaceman]

Still, I feel like an unOscarcast-worthy newb if I haven't seen it.

I'm considering going to the AMC, day-before-Oscars BestPictureNomathon. There's three best pic noms I haven't seen. If the running order works out, I just might go. From what I understand, it's $30 for all five films and all the popcorn you can eat.

[€uroMeinke]

Scratch the threesome - I'd rather just have Clive Owen.

Really, I DO enjoy films for more than the eye candy.....really.

Well, that's okay - I'll just stand in for you till you finish up with Clive

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

I give a pass to you folks who first saw it as a kid, but that doesn't make it scary for real. As a kid in Queens I would watch Japanese monster movies in the middle of the night and then look out my 7th floor apartment window to make sure the Empire State Building was still there.

I'll agree that the movie did a somewhat competent job with a few snapshots of childhood fears. But scary in a point A to point B way? In a "Gee, I'm worried that these people I care about might not make it out alive" way? No.

As a child, I had a fear or open closets (I had nightmares) and of trees that could swallow you whole (one neighborhood tree, in particular, based on stories and older kid told to younger ones). So, when I saw Poltergeist, which had both a closet AND a tree that swallowed kids whole, it terrified me. As a result, I still get residual creeps when I watch it. Heh.

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

I should have loved Gaiman's Coraline. Instead, I loved the story, the characters and the overall creep factor, but didn't love...what? His prose? I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Instead, I liked the book well enough and was very excited when I found out it was being made into a stop action movie, thinking I would prefer it as a film.

I should have loved Selnick's Coraline.. Instead, I loved the story and the characters of Coraline and the Other Mother, and though the creep factor was there, one's imagination brings an awful lot to a book's table. How I imagined things painted a scarier picture in my mind. I thought Fanning and Hatcher were good. But...but...but... I cannot put my finger on what exactly I didn't like. Whatever, it is enough to hurt my enjoyment of the film and I was left disappointed. I even found myself thinking, "I would probably prefer reading to seeing, except...I didn't." So much to love about both, but not enough to fall in love, I guess.

[Gemini Cricket]

I felt like a good cry tonight so I watched Terms of Endearment. Yeah, I'm a sucker for punishment. The movie is great. Shirley McLaine is great.
:)

[Strangler Lewis]

I watched "Bottle Shock" the other night. True story or not, I don't think there was a single believable moment in the film--realistically believable, poetically believable, magically realistically believable or otherwise--but I still enjoyed it.

[bewitched]

I'd rather just have Clive Owen.



I'll send him over later.



Oh hell, no I won't. :D

[Snowflake]

I watched "Bottle Shock" the other night. True story or not, I don't think there was a single believable moment in the film--realistically believable, poetically believable, magically realistically believable or otherwise--but I still enjoyed it.

I think the wine was probably pretty good. I thought it captured the feel of the Napa of the 1970s. I enjoyed it, though. And I had a glass of wine, too while watching (Australian). :blush:

[Not Afraid]

I'll send him over later.



Oh hell, no I won't. :D

Bitch.


;)


We watched Lars and the Real Girl last night. I didn't love it but I thought Gosling was wonderful. I think I would have loved it more if there were more "quirks". I find I am really fond of "small town" drama when there are lots of quirky people and happenings (Northern Exposure, Twin Peaks, etc). I found "Lars" to be both predictable and unbelievable which took away from the sweetness I think I was supposed to feel.

Besides, I don't want to sleep with Gosling. ;)

[flippyshark]

And I don't want to sleep with the "Real Girl." Those things are creepy and awful.

[Not Afraid]

But intact.

[innerSpaceman]

Besides, I don't want to sleep with Gosling.

Fine. You send over Gosling then.


And I'll have bewitched sent you Owen.



(After I've had my (3)way with him and Gosling.) ;)

[Ghoulish Delight]

Until last night I was oblivious to the fact that Patton Oswalt is the voice of Remy in Ratatouille. That's odd.

[Snowflake]

I rented The Dutchess via Netflix. Yeech, what a crashing bore, beautifully costumed. I've come to the conclusion that Keira Knightly has the acting range similar to how Dorothy Parker categorized Kate Hepburn. "She runs the gamut from A to B."

[Alex]

That he was the voice or that you were oblivious?


Watched the original Bedazzled yesterday. Complete snooze-fest (almost literally though I think I warded off actual nap time). Mostly naked Raquel Welch was an all too brief distraction. The attempt at satire was more pointed than anything in the remake, but the most biting satire loses its edge if you're mostly asleep when it happens.

[Alex]

I didn't blame Kiera Knightly for the dullness of The Duchess since as far as I could tell watching it the script and direction simply never provided any justification for the moving having been made. It simply tells us she was an interesting person and assumes that was enough. I thought Knightly did well enough with what little she was given.

[Not Afraid]

We watched Burn After Reading last night. Thoroughly enjoyed the film. The Cohen Brothers never fail to amuse me. Brad Pitt was by far my favorite of the men in the film - which was surprising since I usually really like Cloony and Malkovitch. Cohen always makes me want more Cohen.

[Ghoulish Delight]

That he was the voice or that you were oblivious?
Both, I guess, though I was referring to the fact that he was the voice. And by "odd" I mean that he is not the most obvious choice for a Pixar voice, and that one in particular. However he did an excellent job, so cheers to them on the casting.

[flippyshark]

We watched Burn After Reading last night. Thoroughly enjoyed the film. The Cohen Brothers never fail to amuse me. Brad Pitt was by far my favorite of the men in the film - which was surprising since I usually really like Cloony and Malkovitch. Cohen always makes me want more Cohen.

Brad Pitt as a clueless dork. That was amazing. This was classic Cohen Bros. madness. They really deliver very consistently. ("Lady Killers" stands out in my mind as a rare disappointment.)

[mousepod]

Sorry, Alex. You're wrong about Bedazzled. Now, if you made the same comments on the Cook/Moore take on The Hound of the Baskervilles...

Finally making my way through the Oscar nominees. Benjamin Button. What exactly was the point of that movie? It was well-filmed and decently acted, I suppose, but the script seemed... somewhat lacking. Anyone?

[Alex]

I'll accept that I could be wrong. And that it was other factors that had me half-lidded sitting on the couch. But I'm probably not going to find out for sure.

On Benjamin Button, I just read the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story that it was inspired by. Here is what was kept by the movie:

There was a character named Benjamin Button.
That character was born physically old (though in the short story he was born standing 5'9" and able to talk) and aged physically in reverse.
He was from a wealthy family.

Absolutely everything else in the movie was written from whole cloth and can not be blamed on Fitzgerald (though I'll admit that a faithful filming of the short story would have likely sucked many eggs, but who knows). The love story; the travel; the location (New Orleans in general and the retirement home specifically); the adoption by a black woman; etc.

[innerSpaceman]

I'll see your pointless Benjamin Button, and raise you an inane Slumdog Millionaire. This is the frontrunner for Best Frelling Picture? WTF???


I've already ranted about Button. Well-filmed, nicely acted, interesting life tale and love story ... but absolutely no point made about the central gimmick of a life lived backwards ... rendering it simply a gimmick. Enjoyed it while it was playing out, started hating it one second after I left the theater.


I didn't hate Slumdog. But I'm astounded this piece of fluff and quasi PoorNogaphy is even nominated for Best Picture, much less the odds-on favorite to win. OMG, I give up.

[Alex]

I've seen all five nominees now and none of them strike me as truly great films. At this point my personal pick would go to Milk.

Yes, I think much of the films emotion is from the current societal zeitgeist and therefore won't age well (assuming progress for homosexuals continues at least slowly in the right direction). But at least it made me feel something, which none of the other four did.

My ranking of the five would be:

Milk
The Reader
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I'll say again that if those are the best five "Oscar bait" movies of 2008 then it was the perfect opportunity to swing mainstream or really break the mold and get The Dark Knight, Wall-E, and Man on Wire some serious chance.

[Betty]

Rented Burn after reading the latest X files movie over the weekend.

The X Files movie was time wasted I'll never get back. I used to really enjoy the tv show too. What a suck sandwich that was.

Burn After Reading was entertaining until the DVD stopped playing half way through. Bah.

Also have the first season of Californication to watch. Has anyone followed the series? Worth watching?

[Stan4dSteph]

Saw Coraline. Wonderfully creepy, and I really liked the 3D effects, especially one at the end that was clearly inspired by an Impressionist painting.

[Gemini Cricket]

I'm behind the times here but I saw I Am Legend the other night. I thought it was just okay. They should have used real actors to play the zombie vampire people. The CG characters looked fake. I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic movies, though. It was decent enough, they could have stretched the story along a little bit more, I think.

[Alex]

Have you seen either of the previous filmings of it?

[Gemini Cricket]

Of I Am Legend? No.

[Alex]

Well I recommend at least The Omega Man for some Charlton Heston cheesiness and an example of just how bad it could have been (not that I am defending I Am Legend as particularly good).

[Cadaverous Pallor]

How many post-apocalyptic films did Heston make, anyway? There are three that my under-educated mind knows of. What about Chuck elicited a "last man on earth" complex?

[Alex]

In addition to the three you're thinking of (I'm assuming Planet of the Apes, Omega Man, and Soylent Green) I'd add Earthquake one of the great cheesy disaster epics of the '70s. Post-apocalyptic, but on a more local scale.

Then there is Solar Crisis in which the post-apocalypse must be prevented. It was a proto-Armageddon (for which Heston provided narration services). Astronauts must go drop a bomb into the sun to prevent a solar flare that will destroy the earth.

Plus a small part in the Tim Burton Planet of the Apes remake.

I think he was just such a big presence on the screen (sometimes good and sometimes bad) that he just needed to be in the middle of massive-scale events for him to not overwhelm things.

[Betty]

I'm behind the times here but I saw I Am Legend the other night. I thought it was just okay. They should have used real actors to play the zombie vampire people. The CG characters looked fake. I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic movies, though. It was decent enough, they could have stretched the story along a little bit more, I think.

Oh - the book (was it a short story?) was WAAAAAAAY better. With a very different ending actually. Totally different - as in changed the whole story different.

[Alex]

Yeah, the short story is justifiably a classic (though I don't care for much else by Matheson).

[Gemini Cricket]

So is there something wrong with me that I like post-apocalyptic stories/movies? I love The Stand. I recently bought a documentary called Life Without People. It was very interesting, it talked about what would happen to the Earth if man suddenly disappeared one day. I'm even writing a story right now about alien beings visiting Earth five hundred years after everyone on it has died...

[cirquelover]

I'm right there with you GC. I love the Stand and we really enjoyed the Discovery special too!

I recently saw Omega Man and Logans Run again, the guys having been watching the old movies on netflix. We have to give the kid a good rounded education, don't we;)

[alphabassettgrrl]

Husband is watching E.T.

That little guy really was strange-looking, wasn't he? Interesting movie, looking at it at distant history.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

In addition to the three you're thinking of (I'm assuming Planet of the Apes, Omega Man, and Soylent Green) I'd add Earthquake one of the great cheesy disaster epics of the '70s. Post-apocalyptic, but on a more local scale.

Then there is Solar Crisis in which the post-apocalypse must be prevented. It was a proto-Armageddon (for which Heston provided narration services). Astronauts must go drop a bomb into the sun to prevent a solar flare that will destroy the earth.

Plus a small part in the Tim Burton Planet of the Apes remake.

I think he was just such a big presence on the screen (sometimes good and sometimes bad) that he just needed to be in the middle of massive-scale events for him to not overwhelm things.You're probably right. Regarding Earthquake, eh, I don't count it.

That's a whole thread in itself. It's far from the best 70's cheesy disaster epic, as Poseidon Adventure and Towering Inferno are leagues better. Oddly, I never did see Airport (or Airport '75), though I did see Airplane! many, many times. I tried to catch some of Airport on TV, but couldn't watch it. It's much harder to sit through those '70's films now, unless you saw them way back when and have a soft spot for them.

[Alex]

I watched Airport '75 on TV in Rome. Needless to say it was in Italian.

That may have helped my enjoyment.

[bewitched]

Saw Coraline yesterday. Other than the awesome stop motion animation, it was a complete yawnfest. The only excitement came when my friend's heretofore "unscareable" 4 year old got scared when the 3 Scotty dogs jumped at the door when Coraline knocked.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I've seen all five nominees now and none of them strike me as truly great films.

Ditto that. I didn't think any of them were terrible films. I just didn't think they were great. It was a slow year.

Though three films I really did appreciate (Wall-E, Rachel Getting Married, and The Wrestler) didn't crack the BP category. And that's really too bad.

[flippyshark]

Add me to the league of Heston Apocalypse enthusiasts. I only wish there could have been more! (Heck, if the "Left Behind" movies had been made in the 70s, with bigger budgets and Heston in the lead, I'm sure I'd count them as guilty pleasures. Kirk Cameron cannot hope to fill such bombastic shoes.)

The first Airport holds up for me as an entertaining sixties soap opera with action/disaster elements. After that, the franchise went awfully cheesy quite fast, with Airport '75 being good mostly for laughs, and the rest close to unwatchable.

[innerSpaceman]

Must echo, the original Airport was not a disaster film. It was a soapoperatic melodrama that may have inspired the genre to come ... the first (and best) of which was The Poseidon Adventure. Both films are very decent peices of work (Airport was nominated for Best Picture if I'm not mistaken). Their followers were pretty much pure schlock. Earthquake, in particular, is practically unwatchable - postapocalypto Heston notwithstanding.

[Alex]

I must clarify that when I called Earthquake one of the great cheesy disaster pictures I was not in any way meaning that resulted in quality.

[Strangler Lewis]

Before "Airport," and "Airplane," there was "Marooned," one of my favorites.

[innerSpaceman]

OMG, forgot about that one.


Don't know that it's any more of a disaster film than Apollo 13. I think John Q. Public has to be at risk if it's to be classified as a Disaster Film. Astronauts don't count. :p


But, yes, it was CHEESY.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Ah, didn't realize Airport was more of a soap opera.

Do you guys like Towering Inferno? I always loved it but again, I grew up with it. Steve McQueen, yow!

[innerSpaceman]

Towering Inferno is a hoot. Not a very good movie, but a hoot regardless.


Airport is a really good film, if a bit of a melodrama. More of a quality thriller really. Great cast - Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jacqueline Bisset, Helen Hayes and, yes, George Kennedy originating the role of Joe Patroni that would "grace" many of the really crappy sequels that were pathetic disaster movie descendents.



Of course, The Towering Inferno had a great cast, too. I guess it's what you do with it.

[JWBear]

Love me some Inferno and Poseidon.

[Not Afraid]

Looks like I'm going to be singing "There's Got to be a Morning After" for the rest of the day.

[JWBear]

Looks like I'm going to be singing "There's Got to be a Morning After" for the rest of the day.

Just in case you forgot the words: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nxvD6s0BNc)

[flippyshark]

I've even gone to the extent of reading Arthur Hailey's Airport novel. the movie is a pretty faithful rendering of it. For that matter, i read both of the novels that inspired The Towering Inferno. (The Tower and The Glass Inferno) As soon as I run across a used paperback copy, I can't wait to read Arthur Herzog's The Swarm. From what I've heard, it bears little relation to the awesome crapfest that Irwin Allen unleashed on the public.

[innerSpaceman]

Hahah, I read those two towering inferno-inspiration novels, too.

And I liked the Arthur Hailey Airport novel so much, I read a few of his others as well. (Airport was a pretty faithful adaptation; Hotel not so much.)

[mousepod]

...and Arthur Hailey also wrote "Runway Zero-Eight", which was based on his script for the 1957 movie Zero Hour!, the movie that Airplane! spoofs.

(According to Wikipedia, the story first appeared as a CBC TV Movie called Flight Into Danger, which I've never seen).

[Strangler Lewis]

I think John Q. Public has to be at risk if it's to be classified as a Disaster Film. Astronauts don't count. :p


Raising the question of what makes a disaster film. Is it sufficient that people be put in peril? Does the peril have to be a gigantic natural force? Does the peril have to be a form of man's arrogance or complacency coming back to bite him on the ass?

Towering Inferno had arrogance but not a great natural force. Poseidon had both a natural force and man's greed/complacency in that the ship was insufficiently ballasted because they wanted to get it to port faster to scrap it.

If peril and complacency are enough, then maybe a little movie like "The Incident" is a disaster film: New Yorkers terrorized by thugs on a subway train. Or is that urban horror or a monster movie? Is "Alien" a disaster movie or a monster movie or both?

Apollo 13 was exciting, I suppose, but I don't think it inspired much reflection.

You have 45 minutes. You may begin.

[mousepod]

I think scale plays a big part in defining a Disaster Film. Towering Inferno counts.

Alien (the first one), is famously an "Old Dark House" variant in outer space. So a horror movie, not a Disaster flick.

I'd imagine that the more fantastic the peril, the less it becomes a Disaster Movie. Perhaps the peril must be elemental: Earth, Air, Fire, Water...

[innerSpaceman]

The peril must be over-the-top. An All-Star-Cast of stereotypes must be employed. It must be fiction.

[Moonliner]

The peril must be over-the-top. An All-Star-Cast of stereotypes must be employed. It must be fiction.

So a movie about The Twin Towers, Chernobyl or the 2004 Tsunami could not be disaster movies?

[innerSpaceman]

No.

Disaster movies must be fictional. No exceptions.


The "disaster" is not the only requirement of the genre. Too many movies would qualify. There is a certain "quality" (usually a lack of) that denotes Disaster Movie.

[mousepod]

Well, maybe there are a couple of exceptions.

The San Francisco Earthquake, the Titanic etc. could be used as backdrops for Disaster Movies.

so could:
http://www.impawards.com/1969/posters/krakatoa_east_of_java.jpg

[Ghoulish Delight]

Well, Krakatoa is actually west of Java, so the one depicted in the movie is clearly fictional.

[Moonliner]

Well, maybe there are a couple of exceptions.

The San Francisco Earthquake, the Titanic etc. could be used as backdrops for Disaster Movies.

so could:
http://www.impawards.com/1969/posters/krakatoa_east_of_java.jpg

Wait, The San Francisco Earthquake is OK but the 2004 Tsunami (caused by an earthquake) is not?

Is it a date thing?

[mousepod]

I'm sure the 2004 Tsunami could be a fine backdrop for a Disaster Flick.

[Moonliner]

So a movie about The Twin Towers, Chernobyl or the 2004 Tsunami could not be disaster movies?

No.

Disaster movies must be fictional. No exceptions.



I'm sure the 2004 Tsunami could be a fine backdrop for a Disaster Flick.

So how are you two going to settle this difference of opinion?

I'll offer to be Mousepod's second if needed.

[Alex]

I'd say that a real historical event could be the backdrop, though best one with little strong societal emotion still involved, but the specific dramas depicted need to be well in the realm of fiction.

Airport '75 and United 93 are both movies essentially about a plane full of people in peril and the reactions of those people as well as spectators on the ground. But emotionally they are very different things. And I'd say there is a certain emotional remove to Disaster Movies that isn't necessarily reflected in the literal meaning of the phrase.

[innerSpaceman]

Perfect examples, Alex. Airport '75 is a disaster movie. United 93 is not. If you cannot grok the difference, there's nothing I can do to help.



mousepod is unequivocally wrong. :p Titanic, for example, may be many terrible things, but it is not a disaster movie. Mixing plenty of hogwash fiction with remarkable depictions of fact does not change that the disaster really happened. Such a thing cannot be cheesy enough to rise (er, lower) to the level of a Disaster Movie. And believe me, Titantic tried real hard.

[mousepod]

Titanic was both a disaster and a Disaster Movie.

[JWBear]

Don't get me started on Titanic....

[innerSpaceman]

ok, since you ask (hey, you and i never had that discussion) ...


I loved the verisimilitude of the "look" They bothered to get every set perfect, down to the china patterns. The ship, the costumes, all were top notch and spot-on. The special effects were great. If you turn the sound off, you have a fantastic visual representation of the Titanic's maiden fateful voyage.


That is all. When I watch the film, which I rarely do ... but I'm a Titanic buff, so I must every now and again ... when I do, I simply pretend the director meant to do it in the style of a corny mellodrama of the era.



Too bad the far better film, A Night to Remember, which did not fictionalize the characters, was filmed on a ferryboat with no budget to speak of.

If only the two films could be melded, with the best qualities of each left intact. Le sigh.

[Strangler Lewis]

Somewhat on topic:

I just saw the funniest logline for a screenplay that supposedly has been sold and will be produced:

"Pride and Predator." An alien crash lands and begins to butcher the mannered characters of a Jane Austen novel.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Somewhat on topic:

I just saw the funniest logline for a screenplay that supposedly has been sold and will be produced:

"Pride and Predator." An alien crash lands and begins to butcher the mannered characters of a Jane Austen novel.
Sounds like an attempt to capitalize on the success of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (http://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Zombies-Classic-Ultraviolent/dp/1594743347).

[Tom]

If only the two films could be melded, with the best qualities of each left intact. Le sigh.

This sounds a little like a challenge. I might consider trying a creative editing project.

[Tom]

In accepting his Golden Globe last month, Mickey Rourke thanked his dogs, past and present, saying "Sometimes when a man's alone, that's all you've got is your dog."

Rourke's dog, Loki, died today. Blogger Kris Tapley has written up a nice remembrance (http://www.incontention.com/?p=4592#comments), with a photo of Mickey and Loki.

[innerSpaceman]

This sounds a little like a challenge. I might consider trying a creative editing project.
OMG, I would love you. Can I consult?

Adding to the degree of difficulty, one film is in b&w in standard aspect ration, the other in glorious color and Panavision.


Have fun!

[Tom]

Adding to the degree of difficulty, one film is in b&w in standard aspect ration, the other in glorious color and Panavision.

Aspect ratios can always be adjusted, and color can be made b&w quite easily (the reverse is more difficult).

[Cadaverous Pallor]

...and Arthur Hailey also wrote "Runway Zero-Eight", which was based on his script for the 1957 movie Zero Hour!, the movie that Airplane! spoofs.

(According to Wikipedia, the story first appeared as a CBC TV Movie called Flight Into Danger, which I've never seen).Holy crap. I had never even heard of Zero Hour!. And holy crap again, wikipedia says that they bought the rights to the film when they made Airplane! and used the screenplay mostly verbatim. No f'n way! :eek: I must see this.

[flippyshark]

I bet many of you remember this trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Chq_92_KXU) for Kubrick's The Shining. It still gives me chills to this day, and that's almost completely thanks to Wendy Carlos' genius music track, which was composed for but unused in the finished film itself.

Apparently, Roland Emmerich was mighty impressed by that music as well, because here it is again. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VXa82AuwHU) This teaser trailer for 2012 pays homage by swiping the piece whole. (I assume Carlos is getting a decent royalty for this.) Of course, there are some added contemporary whooshes and thumps added to the track, though I can't help but think the trailer would be better off without them. (I'm a big non-fan of the un-subtle Mickey Mousing of every single visual element in today's blockbuster cinema.) Still, an interesting tribute.

[Gemini Cricket]

And there's a question I have. Why is Roland Emmerich still making movies? His movies stinketh. He and Kevin Costner, out ta pasture with the both of yous guys.

[innerSpaceman]

Makes me want to watch The Shining again ... RIGHT NOW!


Oh, and with apologies to everyone ... and I've enjoyed my life so very much ... but I've had just about enough, and I wouldn't mind at all if the prophesies were true and the world comes to an end in 2012.




Or before the release of that film ... whichever comes first.

[Moonliner]

Or before the release of that film ... whichever comes first.

So if 2012 comes out in 2009 and then the world really does end in 2012 could it qualify as a disaster movie or not?

[mousepod]

Roland Emmerich, end of the world, blah blah blah.

Has anyone seen the red-band trailer for Miss March?

[Strangler Lewis]

Roland Emmerich, end of the world, blah blah blah.

Has anyone seen the red-band trailer for Miss March?

What a disappointment. I assumed that would be the Jane March biopic we've all been waiting for.

[Not Afraid]

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.

[Snowflake]

I finally got around to Changeling (thanks to Netflix). I wanted to like the film. Period film, LA 1920's-30's, cool. But I really did not like the film very much. Maybe the script did not build in that little extra preliminary lead up to make me care about this poor woman and her son. Maybe AJ's performance was just a little underwhelming? Compelling story, to be sure, but in the end, I came away wondering what was it about her performance that lead to an Academy nod?

[mousepod]

I'm with you on that one, Snowflake. I've been trying to cram in as many Oscar nominees as I can before the show, and I also watched Changeling last night.

While it was certainly lovely to look at, I thought that the plot was fairly predictable and sadly not engaging. I've seen similar stories told better. So far, it's Meryl Streep for me for Best Actress... but I still have one more movie to see in that category.

[Gemini Cricket]

I watched Born Yesterday (1950) last night. Holy crap. Can't believe I have never seen this one. I have heard Judy Holiday's character parodied before but never saw her do it. That voice! Hysterical. The writing in this is absolutely wonderful.

[Alex]

Now watch the remake with Melanie Griffith, Don Johnson, and John Goodman in the main roles.

[Snowflake]

I watched Born Yesterday (1950) last night. Holy crap. Can't believe I have never seen this one. I have heard Judy Holiday's character parodied before but never saw her do it. That voice! Hysterical. The writing in this is absolutely wonderful.

Yeah, but I'm still mad Gloria Swanson did not win an Academy Award for Sunset Blvd. and it went to Holiday. Who was wonderful as Billie, no question. Of course, this was a year very RICH in worthy perfs, like Bette Davis and Anne Baxter in All About Eve, as well. Damn, who was the fifth nominee? I can't remember!

Back to Born Yesterday, I adore William Holden in this film.

Alex is pure evil.

[Alex]

Eleanor Parker in one of the most critically acclaimed "women in prison" movies.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Eleanor Parker in one of the most critically acclaimed "women in prison" movies.
The "women in prison" movies I've seen probably don't qualify for academy consideration.

[Alex]

Such was my point.

I haven't seen Caged so I don't know if it has the genre requisite naked shower fight. But it was early so not all of the tropes had been established.

[Gemini Cricket]

Yeah, but I'm still mad Gloria Swanson did not win an Academy Award for Sunset Blvd. and it went to Holiday. Who was wonderful as Billie, no question. Of course, this was a year very RICH in worthy perfs, like Bette Davis and Anne Baxter in All About Eve, as well. Damn, who was the fifth nominee? I can't remember!

Back to Born Yesterday, I adore William Holden in this film.

Alex is pure evil.
What a great year for awesome parts for women!
Well, Anne split the vote between her and Davis by not taking a supporting nom instead. Bad move on her part. OR the vote may have been split between Swanson and Davis. Interesting.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I have never seen a women in prison movie. Hmm, how about a list of mini-genres?

Disaster!
Women in Prison
Last Person
Road Trip
Rags to Riches
Gang Violence (aka Romeo and Juliet)
Snob Learns a Lesson
Ragtag Team Pulls it Together
There's a Bomb on that Bus/Building/etc
Wacky Person (aka every Will Farrell/Jim Carrey movie)

Fish Out of Water is a large net, really. I'd pinpoint "Bumbling at a Task" as a better label.

...

[Snowflake]

The most fun women in prison movie, and all around great pre-code treasure, Baby Face with Barbara Stanwyck. After the discovery of the LOC print, pre-cut version, oh what a difference 4 minutes of footage makes! Fun and racy stuff. Also a young cameo by John Wayne. This one gets ***** snowflakes.

[Morrigoon]

Such was my point.

I haven't seen Caged so I don't know if it has the genre requisite naked shower fight. But it was early so not all of the tropes had been established.

So, since Chicago lacked the "requisite naked shower fight" scene, and also fit well within the bounds of another category (that being "stage musical turned into a movie"), would it not count as a "women in prison" movie?

[mousepod]

As far as WIP movies, I'd recommend "Bamboo House of Dolls". Do I have the DVD? You bet.

[Gemini Cricket]

I Want to Live!

[Snowflake]

As far as WIP movies, I'd recommend "Bamboo House of Dolls". Do I have the DVD? You bet.

Am I surprised at this? Absoultely not. ;)

[Ghoulish Delight]

I'm waiting for the Blu-Ray

[Alex]

So, since Chicago lacked the "requisite naked shower fight" scene, and also fit well within the bounds of another category (that being "stage musical turned into a movie"), would it not count as a "women in prison" movie?

No, at least not to me. But we can define this one like we did Disaster! and everybody can have a different view on where the lines are.

When I say a "women in prison" movie I don't mean just a movie that has a woman in prison but rather is about the abuse/exploitation of women in prison. Most generally in the form of exploitation films that are primarily motivated by S&M and lesbian tensions. Sometimes a particularly strict boarding school is substituted for the prison.

I wasn't necessarily serious in calling Caged a woman in prison movie. Like I said I haven't seen it. But the plot summary at IMDb read like a perfect description of one. Woman somewhat mistakenly is imprisioned and brutalized by the harsh headmistress.

[flippyshark]

I've got (and love) The Big Doll House. Pam Grier, baby!

[Prudence]

My favorite guilty pleasure movie subgenre is "demonic coven at girl's school" - which is why I wanted to like Suspiria. Sadly, however, I did not.

[Snowflake]

What a great year for awesome parts for women!
Well, Anne split the vote between her and Davis by not taking a supporting nom instead. Bad move on her part. OR the vote may have been split between Swanson and Davis. Interesting.

Well, I expect Baxter and Davis cancelled one another out. Baxter had already won a best supporting Oscar if I am not mistaken and was likely not after another suporting nod. She had won for the always reliable former good girl who goes bad and ends up not only a drunk but a prostitute after family tragedy in The Razor's Edge. You know, the sentimental actress choice, she's so out of character as a drunk, much like Claire Trevor's win in Key Largo.

Holiday was such a breath of freshness, and it was a damned good part. She'd won a richly deserved Tony for the role on Broadway. Yeah, she died young. But, I really think it shoulda been Swanson's year, it was her last great film role and I guess it cut just a little too close to home for some Academy members.

Pretty silly, I'm still arguing with myself over this and I was not even there when this happened!

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Back to Born Yesterday, I adore William Holden in this film.

Alex is pure evil.

Hah! Agreed on both counts.

[mousepod]

My favorite guilty pleasure movie subgenre is "demonic coven at girl's school" - which is why I wanted to like Suspiria. Sadly, however, I did not.

I am a fan of Suspiria, sorry you didn't like it. How about the TV-Movie classic Satan's School For Girls?

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

I am a fan of Suspiria, sorry you didn't like it. How about the TV-Movie classic Satan's School For Girls?

I also like Susprira. The scene where the blind man attacked is really one of the most deliciously suspense driven horror scenes I've watched.

[Prudence]

I am a fan of Suspiria, sorry you didn't like it. How about the TV-Movie classic Satan's School For Girls?

LOVE IT!!!!!!

[flippyshark]

Suspiria - Jessica Harper - <Homer Simpson "gargle of longing">

Apart from that and Satan's School For Girls, what other films are to be found in this sub-genre? I really must know.

[CoasterMatt]

I've got The Big Bird Cage, that's one of my favorite "women in prison" movies.

[mousepod]

Suspiria - Jessica Harper - <Homer Simpson "gargle of longing">

Apart from that and Satan's School For Girls, what other films are to be found in this sub-genre? I really must know.

http://www.timewarp.org.uk/cellar/worstwitch.jpg

and

http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/bestselling-movies-2006/1935-1.jpg

[€uroMeinke]

Diana Rigg? I may have to look into that one

[innerSpaceman]

And Tim Curry? HahahahahahahowdidImissthis?

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Bruce Campbell!!! :D

[SzczerbiakManiac]

http://www.timewarp.org.uk/cellar/worstwitch.jpgAnd Tim Curry? HahahahahahahowdidImissthis?Dude! Tim even sings a abysmally cheesy song (http://www.rockymusic.org/showvideo/a514e707aa68265788634494cd24cd12.php) in it!

[Ghoulish Delight]

For some reason, he's reminding me of Cojo* in that video.




* You can blame The Soup for my knowledge of who Cojo is

[flippyshark]

Dude! Tim even sings a abysmally cheesy song (http://www.rockymusic.org/showvideo/a514e707aa68265788634494cd24cd12.php) in it!


Actual lyrics in this song: "Your dentist could turn into a queen."

That was gawdawful, but in a highly entertaining way.

[CoasterMatt]

If you wanna see a funny movie (yes, many call it terrible, blasphemous and worse things) - Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311361/)

[Not Afraid]

For some reason, he's reminding me of Cojo* in that video.




* You can blame The Soup for my knowledge of who Cojo is


I misread. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmwPwN7dReQ)

[lizziebith]

I watched Born Yesterday (1950) last night. Holy crap. Can't believe I have never seen this one. I have heard Judy Holiday's character parodied before but never saw her do it. That voice! Hysterical. The writing in this is absolutely wonderful.

We just watched it too -- fabulous! (and it erased the dreck "Atonement" we'd watched finally the night before).

[Strangler Lewis]

I liked "Atonement," although the "Did any of the foregoing actually happen" ending did diminish my emotional investment in the characters a bit.

I watched "Dr. Zhivago" last night for the first time. As with every piece of Russian drama ever done, there are no likable characters, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Now where have I heard that music before?

[innerSpaceman]

Dude! Tim even sings a abysmally cheesy song (http://www.rockymusic.org/showvideo/a514e707aa68265788634494cd24cd12.php) in it!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! :snap: :snap: :snap:

[Cadaverous Pallor]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! :snap: :snap: :snap:I knew that would make your day. :D

That was so hard to watch!

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Haven't seen Milk yet but just watched The Times of Harvey Milk, which blew me away. I knew nothing about him and now feel alternately inspired beyond belief and shocked at the circumstances of his death. It's hard to believe that these things happened within my lifetime - even if I was just a baby then.

Please don't post "spoilers" (though these events are history), GD hasn't seen this and we're both going to watch Milk soon.

[SzczerbiakManiac]

Harvey dies at the end.Yeah, I'm a douchebag, but y'all should be used to that by now.

[Alex]

I've got nothing against the idea of a Richard Pryor biopic, but Eddie Murphy in the role seems like a trainwreck of a choice.

[Morrigoon]

Finally saw "The Visitor". Good enough movie, but I freaking hated the ending. Perhaps it would have been a bit trite to have him marry the mom so she (and eventually Tariq?) could return, but after all that, you kinda want a semi-happy ending.

[Alex]

Yeah, I was expecting a different ending but I suppose it was prety real.

I was expecting him to follow her and reverse the situation by living as a foreigner -- though not illegally -- in her home country.

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Finally saw "The Visitor". Good enough movie, but I freaking hated the ending. Perhaps it would have been a bit trite to have him marry the mom so she (and eventually Tariq?) could return, but after all that, you kinda want a semi-happy ending.

My issue with the movie is that I loved the relationship he developed with the two immigrants...

one of whom disappears halfway through the movie. I didn't care about the romance with the mother, at all. The friendships were far more interesting. Oh, well.

[Moonliner]

Ok now this is really pissing me off.

Twilight Incorporated you are a bunch of evil callous money grubbing nerff herders.

Headliner is excited beyond words that the DVD is coming out Friday. She's doing the whole midnight release party, come home and watch it with her coven friends thing. Which is great. But the grubby corporate pricks at Twilight, Inc. have decided to release the Blu-Ray version weeks after DVD. No doubt in an attempt to get fans to buy both versions. I see it as a callous attempt to prey on the emotions of my little girl for profit and I hope they burn in hell for it.

[CoasterMatt]

They had to make sure the blurays could stand up to squealing girls.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I see it as a callous attempt to prey on the emotions of my little girl for profit and I hope they burn in hell for it.With that phrase, you damn most of the entertainment industry. Which is ok by me. Speaking of exploiting little girls, you did see this (http://loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showthread.php?t=9295), right?

[Ghoulish Delight]

Speaking of exploiting little girls, you did see this (http://loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showthread.php?t=9295), right?
If Kevy had posted that sentence, there's not a chance in the universe I'd have clicked the link.

[flippyshark]

Damn! Ken Russell will be here in Orlando on Saturday night, at a screening of his Crimes of Passion. (The theme of this years Orlando Film Festival is "forbidden films") As of this moment, there is almost no way I will be able to attend, even if it hasn't sold out already. However, a friend of mine is going to be his driver and personal assistant for the weekend. Maybe, just maybe, I can arrange to meet him somehow. (I do love me some Ken Russell!)

[€uroMeinke]

Damn! Ken Russell will be here in Orlando on Saturday night, at a screening of his Crimes of Passion. (The theme of this years Orlando Film Festival is "forbidden films") As of this moment, there is almost no way I will be able to attend, even if it hasn't sold out already. However, a friend of mine is going to be his driver and personal assistant for the weekend. Maybe, just maybe, I can arrange to meet him somehow. (I do love me some Ken Russell!)

consider me jealous

[Not Afraid]

OMG! That would be a wonderful persn to meet.

[Strangler Lewis]

As a yute, I thought "Crimes of Passion" was the hottest movie ever.

[Moonliner]

Damn, I had to go all the way back to 1980's "Altered States" to find something of his I've actually seen.

I really need to get out more.

[Moonliner]

Right. Can I just take a dagger to my eyes right now and save myself the torment to come?

The New THREE STOOGES (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i52a5818a20ffa024b3631338dc79d03d)Are Penn, Jim Carrey, and del Toro.

I really can't say that it matters who takes this on, it has got to be the worst thing since the movie Dune.

[SzczerbiakManiac]

Jim Carrey, okay. He can definitely do slapstick and he'd be fine as a Stooge. But Curly? Is he gonna wear a fat suit? Would that not impede his physicality?

Benicio Del Toro? Um, no. Moe is not a psychopathic killer. The only qualification Benny of the Bull has to play Moe is black hair.

Sean Penn (I originally thought you meant Penn Jilette) as Larry!?!?! Jeebus zombie christ on a pogo stick, how much crack were they smoking when they thought Sean Penn could play a Stooge? Sure, he's a talented dramatic actor, but not a gifted comedian, let alone someone who can handle slapstick.

Please tell me this is all just someone's idea of a practical joke.

[Morrigoon]

Is "Being John Malkovich" any good? Because so far, with the exception of some really amazing puppetry, I'm bored. Wondering if I should bother with the rest of the dvd.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I suppose that depends on taste, but yes. Yes, I think it's terrific.

[flippyshark]

Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed being John Malkovich, and I want to see lots more of that amazing puppetry!

[Strangler Lewis]

For me, like all Charlie Kauffman films, "Being John Malkovich" wore out its welcome in the ending.

As for Jim Carrey playing Curly, he's got a tough road to hoe to make me forget Michael Chiklis. I admired his Curly immensely.

[Strangler Lewis]

For me, like all Charlie Kauffman films, "Being John Malkovich" wore out its welcome in the ending.

As for Jim Carrey playing Curly, he's got a tough road to hoe to make me forget Michael Chiklis. I admired his Curly immensely.

[Not Afraid]

I loved BJM. I tend to enjoy Kaufman's style.

[innerSpaceman]

I like the set-ups. Like BJM, but not all the way thru. The orchid one was good, too ... but again, not thru to the end.

I haven't seen his latest. Heard it was grueling, tho interesting. It's something I would Netflix, but am too lazy too look up. Title, anyone?

[Strangler Lewis]

On a related note, the trailer for Spike Jonze's version of "Where the Wild Things Are" came out. The island stuff looks cool, but the added back story looks totally wrong.

[CoasterMatt]

I can't wait to see the Three Stooges.

I think they made good choices for the cast.

[CoasterMatt]

On a related note, the trailer for Spike Jonze's version of "Where the Wild Things Are" came out. The island stuff looks cool, but the added back story looks totally wrong.

The look of it reminded me of "The Never Ending Story" - which I have now watched 3 times in the last 2 days. The only negative I felt about the trailer was the lame music.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I haven't seen his latest. Heard it was grueling, tho interesting. It's something I would Netflix, but am too lazy too look up. Title, anyone?

Kaufman's latest was also his directorial debut, Synecdoche NY. It... yeah. It was possibly the most horrific thing I've ever seen. I don't mean it was a bad movie. Though it may have been that. But it was the most brutal absurdist depiction of mortality and failure I've ever seen. There were flashes of brilliance, but I don't think I could watch it again soon. Maybe ever.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

iSm, I found my review for you.


Synecdoche, NY
I'm a big fan of Charlie Kaufman, so I was excited to hear he was going to try his hand at directing. We'd get The Full Kaufman Experience!

As it turns out, we may not actually want the Full Kaufman Experience.

Synecdoche is the unfurling of a dream state. Or a descent into madness. Or an abstract metaphor of the devolution of the human body. Possibly all three. Possibly none.

Like a Derren film, or a Lynch one, I think you're meant to sit back and let it absorb into your pores, into your brain, into your consciousness. And so I didn't spend too much time trying to discern exactly what was happening. (I really don't think it's the point, and moreso, I don't even think it's possible.) I just let it float over me, and into me. And that experience was the bleakest, most uncomfortable one I've ever had in a movie theater. It bores into all of the least-appealing parts of humanity. And so many of them are universal. That, or Kaufman and I have the same insecurities and nightmares.

It is a horrible film. Not that the performances were bad, or anything in particular. In fact, I can't be certain, but I think it really was quite remarkable. What I mean is that it is marked by the arousal of horror. And not in an "eek, the killer is right behind you!" kind of way. In a way that says slowly, clearly, and unequivocally: everything in this life is ****, and you're never going to make of yourself what you want to. And quite honestly, it may be the truth, but I really don't need to hear it if I'm going to live a life of anything aside from self-centered regret.

Should you see it? That's an excellent question, and I don't have the answer for you. Is it brilliant? Quite possibly. Are you up for it? You might be. And then again, you really, really, really might not be.

[€uroMeinke]

Kaufman's latest was also his directorial debut, Synecdoche NY. It... yeah. It was possibly the most horrific thing I've ever seen. I don't mean it was a bad movie. Though it may have been that. But it was the most brutal absurdist depiction of mortality and failure I've ever seen. There were flashes of brilliance, but I don't think I could watch it again soon. Maybe ever.

Somehow this description really makes me want to see it

[Deebs]

iSm, I found my review for you.

I remember reading that when you posted it and thinking I was definitely not up to it. I'm not so much afraid of heavy subject matter, but not-in-the-spooky-way horrifying is too depressing right now.

Somehow this description really makes me want to see it

Like a Derren film, or a Lynch one, I think you're meant to sit back and let it absorb into your pores, into your brain, into your consciousness.


And this is the part that tempts me to see it, in spite of knowing how difficult it would be to watch.

[innerSpaceman]

The description, yes. The review. Toxic Warning. I remember reading it back then, too. And hence why I stayed away. Now that I've forgotten why, I'm thankful of the reminder.

[Gemini Cricket]

The look of it reminded me of "The Never Ending Story" - which I have now watched 3 times in the last 2 days. The only negative I felt about the trailer was the lame music.
I still have no idea what the name was that he shouted at the end.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Somehow this description really makes me want to see it

Yes, that's exactly why I tried to express that it may definitely be worth your while, or it may definitely overwhelm you, or possibly both. Or possibly neither. It's very abstract and, I would say, worth a viewing if you keep your mind open. I just can't tell you what you're going to think about it. There's a good chance you'll think it's absurdly amazing, and a good chance it'll make you hurt. Or possibly both. Or neither, if surrealism isn't your thing and you've never met with failure.

[Deebs]

I saw Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D yesterday. I had a collision with fully sugared soda and freshly buttered popcorn before the movie started, so I really don't know how objective I am about the beginning when I say that I hated it. I just thought it was slow and not amusing, but then, my hair and clothes were wet and the Pepsi had gone down my shirt, both front and back.

Is Reese Witherspoon ever not charming? I like her. I think she should voice many more animated characters. I am so tired of the popular feminine voice: lazy and throaty. I'm done with that. Everyone should enunciate like Reese!

Stephen Colbert usually amuses me greatly, but I hated the character of the president. We all know it is possible to have an idiot elected to the presidency. Did we need to see another moronic characterization? The way he looked reminded me of Greg Proops or Buddy Holly with a Jay Leno chin; mildly creepy.

The beautification of Modesto was funny. Rolling green hills, really? Huh. Nick O' Time, where art thou? Oh, yes. Modesto. And I am in Stockton. There are no hills, green or otherwise.

I liked the music. As much as I hated hearing Reminiscing by The Little River Band and Journey's Who's Crying Now? on the radio at the time those songs were popular, I must admit that when I heard them in the movie yesterday, I smiled.

After seeing the trailer for UP, I am excited about it. I laughed more during the UP preview than I did in the first half of Monsters vs. Aliens. On the whole, by the time I turned in my 3D glasses, I was glad I went.

[Stan4dSteph]

SYynedoche, NYI don't really want to see a film that is set in the depressing city where I work. Wasn't filmed here though.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I don't think it is, Steph. I think it's set in NYC and environs.

[Stan4dSteph]

I don't think it is, Steph. I think it's set in NYC and environs.I didn't realize it moved during the film. He starts out in Schenectady, NY.

[Ghoulish Delight]

On a related note, the trailer for Spike Jonze's version of "Where the Wild Things Are" came out. The island stuff looks cool, but the added back story looks totally wrong.
Agreed. The book is a classic because it is utterly simple, and entirely innocent bit of childhood fantasy with nothing more than a tiny hint of reality. While the trailer LOOKED gorgeous, I can't imagine any way you can add a story to the book and not make it worse.

[flippyshark]

Somehow this description really makes me want to see it

Me too. One of the quickest ways to get me to a movie is to indicate that it might hurt. Similar advisories have put me in front of Salo: The 120 Days of Sodom, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Kids, Thriller: a Cruel Picture, Irreversible, Elephant and any number of other sad, nihilistic, disturbing, transgressive or shocking pictures. Mileage varies widely for those films just named, of course. But I sometimes ask myself, really dude, what the hell?!

[alphabassettgrrl]

James Bond: Quantum of Solace.

Disappointing. Good car chases, aside from using waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many camera cuts and edits, good fight scenes, again using way too many choppy bits. Cute girl but hardly any backstory; she gets one little dialogue. Almost no storyline at all. No explanation of the bad guys. And they are once again on the line of questioning Bond's loyalty. NO. Bond is loyal to England. End of story. I hate it when they don't trust him. What are you, new? Bah.

Watch it with the sound turned down, fast forward to the parts with fights, car chases, or bits with the girl (actually 2 Bond girls, of sorts). Or the parts with Judi Dench.

[Tom]

Found this posted elsewhere under the heading "The World's Most Baffling Movie Trailer." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpXT9FztleI)

Apt.

[JWBear]

We watched Molière (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796335/) tonight. Wonderful! The plot conceit uses various bits from his plays cobbled together to create a story of what may have happened in the missing months of his life. The acting is excellent. We were especially taken with the handsome Edouard Baer (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046347/), who plays a roguish and scheming Count; and also by Fabrice Luchini, who plays Molière's naive and befuddled employer.

A delight!

[Gemini Cricket]

Fun with Photoshop (http://www.new.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=68251077855&h=EEKES&u=Uvd41&ref=mf)

Some of these are pretty good.
:D

[Not Afraid]

I saw 3/4 of the Sara Marshall movie last night. I was better than expected. The advertising was really geared for a much younger audience than the movie seemed to appeal to. I had just read the Vanity Fair article about current comedians so I found it interesting to place them in a film context. Not sure if I want to explore the genre now, but it was good to have a taste.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I actually think that Apatow's work (especially the comedies he wrote and directed - he only produced Sarah Marshall) are absolutely not geared towards the younger generation (no matter how much we market the films to them.)

The Forty-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up are surprisingly funny AND surprisingly sweet. And definitely written with adults in mind.

[Gemini Cricket]

I love Apatow's stuff. And Paul Rudd has been making some good choices lately and the films that he is in outside of the Apatow stuff are pretty danged good too.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Sarah Marshall wasn't as good as the others, too. You may want to check them out. 40 year old virgin was a fantastic film on all levels.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

We finally saw Milk, and I have to say that I didn't like it nearly as much as the documentary. Way too much romantic storyline, meh. I dislike that in any doc style movie, regardless of sexual orientation. It was kind of cool that they put all that personal, seriously gay stuff in without worrying about backlash, but personally, I'm more interested in the politics. Some of my favorite details from the documentary were left out of the film.