Miscellaneous Movie Musings [Archive] - Page 19

Alex

07-09-2009, 08:46 PM

I've never seen Blazing Saddles. I've never really considered Mel Brooks to be scraping the outer borders of moderately amusing let alone a comedic genius.

Just watched about 40 minutes of Blazing Saddles on AMC. I know it was edited but I just really don't get whatever it is that makes so many people love it or Mel Brooks in general. He's just so broad and obvious and schticky.

And yet Gene Wilder is a genius. A genius who made so many really bad movies.

Not Afraid

07-09-2009, 08:47 PM

I <3 Alex.

innerSpaceman

07-10-2009, 06:38 AM

Perhaps that's why Young Frankenstein really stands out among the Mel Brooks ouvre, since it was co-written with Gene Wilder, the genius who made 3 good movies and a lot of bad ones.

Strangler Lewis

07-10-2009, 07:24 AM

Unlike Larry Gelbart, Neil Simon and Woody Allen, Mel Brooks never really stopped writing for Sid Caesar. That said, while I don't adore "Blazing Saddles" as some do, Brooks's shtick is something I've decided I want to laugh at, so I generally do.

Ghoulish Delight

07-10-2009, 07:28 AM

It's not required, but it probably helps to be Jewish to appreciate Brooks.

I don't know if I personally consider him a comedy genius or not. Taken on the whole, not so much, he's made many a stinker and the bulk of the humor ends up in the juvenile/recycled borscht belt buckets. But The Producers alone certainly qualifies him to be considered for genius status, then you add in the parts of Spaceballs and Blazing Saddles and History of the World that are more than fart, dick, and sex jokes and yeah I begin to concede. Of course, all I have to do is think of Robin Hood, Men in Tights to fall back on the "not a genius" side of the debate.

Strangler Lewis

07-10-2009, 07:30 AM

Come on. "Men in Tights" was worth it for "I have a mole?"

innerSpaceman

07-10-2009, 07:55 AM

Certainly not in the genius category, and uneven to be sure, but I find his homage films High Anxiety and Silent Movie above his unfortunate average.

Oh and Ghoulish Johnson is right .... it helps if you're Jewish.

Strangler Lewis

07-10-2009, 08:46 AM

Oh and Ghoulish Johnson is right .... it helps if you're Jewish.

That's been the case throughout history.

innerSpaceman

07-10-2009, 10:46 AM

Not so much during The Inquisition .... or perhaps the Holocaust, but most other times it's been really cool and somewhat chic.

Cadaverous Pallor

07-10-2009, 11:12 AM

Interesting to me that a discussion about Three Amigos, a movie directed by John Landis and starring Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short, (looked this up - written by Martin, Lorne Michaels and Randy Newman) suddenly shifts to a discussion about Mel Brooks. I don't think the humor is the same at all. Talk about a goyisha film. ;)

Not everything that NA doesn't like (or rather, hasn't seen) falls into the same box. I think this is one that she might actually like, in part since the jokes haven't been repeated a billion times like Brooks or Python.

Alex

07-10-2009, 11:24 AM

I don't think the discussion of Three Amigos prompted the Mel Brooks discussion. My post about Mel Brooks yesterday was completely unrelated and prompted by me watching part of Blazing Saddles yesterday.

That said, I'm not all that fond of Three Amigos, though it does get better as it goes along it is so hard to sit through the first half.

innerSpaceman

07-10-2009, 11:27 AM

I've never seen Three Amigos, and have no desire to. Despite all the mysterious quotes I've heard through the years. Despite my brother-in-law having done the production design. It just seems like the type of jeuvenile humor I don't particularly care for.

If it plays at the cemetery, I'll go. But I'm not inspired to Netflix it.

Not Afraid

07-10-2009, 02:09 PM

Not everything that NA doesn't like (or rather, hasn't seen) falls into the same box. I think this is one that she might actually like, in part since the jokes haven't been repeated a billion times like Brooks or Python.

Yes, but the films I think are the greatest usually get the response of "huh?". I just have odd taste in films - at least form the majority of humanity.

Gemini Cricket

07-10-2009, 02:10 PM

I must chime in too about Young Frankenstein. It's a wonderful film. His best film. Very funny.
"Sweet mystery of life at last I found youuuuuu..."

JWBear

07-10-2009, 02:21 PM

"Roll in the hay! Roll in the hay!"

Not Afraid

07-10-2009, 02:26 PM

:sigh:

JWBear

07-10-2009, 02:35 PM

:sigh:

You love us... Admit it! ;)

Strangler Lewis

07-10-2009, 02:35 PM

. . . Why thank you, doctor.

JWBear

07-10-2009, 02:57 PM

Frau Blucher...

innerSpaceman

07-10-2009, 03:04 PM

ok, how do you spell that horse noise that MUST follow???

Not Afraid

07-10-2009, 03:13 PM

I going to invite you all over and make you watch Fanny and Alexander or maybe Berlin Alexanderplatz.

Bornieo: Fully Loaded

07-10-2009, 03:21 PM

What Knockers!!

DreadPirateRoberts

07-10-2009, 03:28 PM

I going to invite you all over and make you watch Fanny and Alexander or maybe Berlin Alexanderplatz.

Are you sad because you've grown old?

SzczerbiakManiac

07-10-2009, 03:29 PM

Yes!
YeEEes!
He vas my BOYFRIEND!!!!!

JWBear

07-10-2009, 03:30 PM

I going to invite you all over and make you watch Fanny and Alexander or maybe Berlin Alexanderplatz.

Bring it on! I've been wanting to see both of those. (Just not all in one sitting, please!)

Snowflake

07-10-2009, 03:31 PM

ok, how do you spell that horse noise that MUST follow???

WHINNY!

I love this film, a hilarious treatment of James Whale's fabulous (and funny) Bride of Franekstein.

Just thinking about this film makes me smile. I remember a story, and I do not know if it is true or not, the original Bride of Frankenstein machinery was sitting in the original designer's garage (unassembled) and that's how it came to be in the film, they borrowed it.

Cadaverous Pallor

07-10-2009, 03:32 PM

I going to invite you all over and make you watch Fanny and Alexander or maybe Berlin Alexanderplatz.And these German dramas are replacements for silly comedy how exactly? :)

Alex

07-10-2009, 03:34 PM

The German ones are funnier?

Bornieo: Fully Loaded

07-10-2009, 03:39 PM

I wonder what the stats are on people in America born without a sense of humor?

Not Afraid

07-10-2009, 03:42 PM

I have a great sense of humor - you just have to work a bit harder to amuse me.

Alex

07-10-2009, 04:08 PM

And to that I ask: Does anybody here who has met me (other than as grandmaster of MouseAdventure) think I am lacking in a sense of humor?

Strangler Lewis

07-10-2009, 04:23 PM

And these German dramas are replacements for silly comedy how exactly? :)

One Swedish, one German.

"Fanny and Alexander" is a great movie. I would happily watch it at your house any time.

That or a Bowery Boys marathon.

Cadaverous Pallor

07-10-2009, 04:40 PM

I have a great sense of humor - you just have to work a bit harder to amuse me.Ha! I've seen you laugh for hours at the most base of jokes. :p

And to that I ask: Does anybody here who has met me (other than as grandmaster of MouseAdventure) think I am lacking in a sense of humor?You have a great sense of humor.

This is why when people say "I'm looking for someone with a sense of humor" I feel like smacking them. It's like saying you're looking for someone who has a taste for sweets. Most everyone does. There are many types of sense of humor, and it's hard to pin down definitions for types.

Some random types of humor I enjoy, in no particular order:

Beavis and Butthead (stupidity, gross-outs)
Mel Brooks (Jewish, sex, puns, pop-culture sillyness)
30 Rock/The Office (brainy sarcasm about everyday foibles)
Wes Anderson (detached surrealism, awkward character interactions)
Weird Al (childlike, slapsticky innocent spoofs of seriousness)
Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job (non-linear psychadelic deja vu, slow motion vomiting for no reason)
SNL (too many things to list)

Some random types of humor I can appreciate but don't make me guffaw for some reason:

Woody Allen (wordy self-deprecation)
Cary Grant style films (zinger after zinger)
Practical jokes (making someone else feel bad eventually gets to me)
Fawlty Towers and the British Office (the ultimate in awkwardness is too much for me)

Hmm, I bet there are dozens more.

innerSpaceman

07-10-2009, 04:45 PM

Oh my ... Fawlty Towers is simply The.Funniest.SitCom.EVER.Made.

Sigh.

And yeah, Alex has a sense of humor.

He just plays a curmudgeon on the internet.

Ghoulish Delight

07-10-2009, 04:52 PM

Oh my ... Fawlty Towers is simply The.Funniest.SitCom.EVER.Made.

I saw a bit of an interview with John Cleese. He talked about a "fan" of Fawlty Towers that described Jen's reaction to it perfectly. She couldn't sit down and watch it. It made her so uncomfortable that she'd stand at the doorway of the room, ready to bolt. But she'd still watch the whole show.

I get a bit of that feeling watching it too, it makes me cringe and want to turn away. But I just end up finding it hillarious. Jen falls more on the side of wanting to bolt from the room, yet still finding it funny.

innerSpaceman

07-10-2009, 05:03 PM

I didn't think it was funny at first. Watched like four episodes before a switch flipped inside of me.

Same thing with Ab Fab.

That's why I'll always give comedy a second or third chance if I can. Some of the stuff I was totally "huh?" about went on to beome hillariously funny for me.

:confused:

Not Afraid

07-10-2009, 05:07 PM

30 Rock/The Office (brainy sarcasm about everyday foibles) I've been told I'd loke 30 Rock. I love Arrested Development
Wes Anderson (detached surrealism, awkward character interactions) - Love him
SNL (too many things to list) - Moments of goodnes throughout the years but not all of it does it for me.

Woody Allen (wordy self-deprecation) - ADORE Woody Allen except really early slap stick stuff (but his serious films are really more up my alley)
Cary Grant style films (zinger after zinger) Heavy, witty dialog is a fav as his black comedy. His Girl Friday a great example as is Arsenic and Old Lace. The Thin Man (not Grant) but another witty dialog fav.

I can't stand The THree Stooges. Irritation!

As for Brit humor, Black Books is one of my favorites.

Strangler Lewis

07-10-2009, 05:10 PM

Two types of humor I'm not much on:

1) the Chaplainy/Monsieur Huloty gentle soul moving through wry situations;
2) the Ryan Reynolds genre--Waiting, Van Wilder--where someone is admired for being the biggest asshole possible.

But you can make an endless loop for me of the concussed Basil Fawlty with his finger on his upper lip goosestepping around the German tourists, and I'd be a happy man.

innerSpaceman

07-10-2009, 05:17 PM

Yep, Best.Episode of Best.SitCom.Ever.Made.

Gemini Cricket

07-10-2009, 05:20 PM

And to that I ask: Does anybody here who has met me (other than as grandmaster of MouseAdventure) think I am lacking in a sense of humor?
No.

Films I find really funny:
Young Frankenstein
Some Like It Hot
The Birdcage
Superbad
Bringing Up Baby
Borat
Blazing Saddles
The Nutty Professor (dinner table scene)
Friday (the first 5 min especially)
Dr. Strangelove
Harold & Maude
Duck Soup
Holy Grail
Fish Called Wanda
The Thin Man
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
9 to 5
Victor/Victoria
Auntie Mame
Arsenic and Old Lace
to name a few...

As for TV shows:
South Park
Ab Fab
Little Britain
Flowery Twats ;)
to name a few...

Cadaverous Pallor

07-10-2009, 05:21 PM

I can't stand The THree Stooges. Irritation!Ah, should have been on my list. They still crack me up.

You would like The Office and 30 Rock, but these are more shows where you should probably start at the beginning.

Two types of humor I'm not much on:

1) the Chaplainy/Monsieur Huloty gentle soul moving through wry situations;
2) the Ryan Reynolds genre--Waiting, Van Wilder--where someone is admired for being the biggest asshole possible.Same here on both counts.

Didn't like American Pie at all, and I hope to continue to never see There's Something About Mary. (Ben Stiller needs a mention here - for the most part I find him unfunny.) I'm always tempted by films like Beerfest and Balls of Fury, but end up avoiding them. Then you get a good one like Harold and Kumar thrown in and my hopes for the entire college-style genre are raised.

I do like Jim Carrey, for the most part. See what I mean about "having a sense of humor" being a bullsh1t concept??

Not Afraid

07-10-2009, 05:21 PM

Oh, I forgot about Ab Fab. Love it.

Gemini Cricket

07-10-2009, 05:22 PM

I don't think the Three Stooges are funny at all. BUT I adore Laurel and Hardy.
:)

I liked Jim Carrey in the first Ace Ventura. After that, I didn't care for his stuff. Although I do like Eternal Sunshine quite a bit.

Gemini Cricket

07-10-2009, 05:23 PM

"The last mosquito that bit me had to check into the Betty Ford clinic."

Cadaverous Pallor

07-10-2009, 05:26 PM

Good call, GC - It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World is still one of the best comedy films of all time. :snap:

Gemini Cricket

07-10-2009, 05:35 PM

Good call, GC - It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World is still one of the best comedy films of all time. :snap:
Benjy Benjamin: Now look! We've figured it seventeen different ways, and each time we figured it, it was no good, because no matter how we figured it, somebody don't like the way we figured it! So now, there's only one way to figure it. And that is, every man, including the old bag, for himself!

Ding Bell: So good luck, and may the best man win!

Benjy Benjamin: (to Ethel Merman's character, Mrs. Marcus) Except you lady: may you just drop dead!

Buddy Hackett's delivery of that last line makes me laugh every single time I see it.

Strangler Lewis

07-10-2009, 05:41 PM

.

Didn't like American Pie at all, and I hope to continue to never see There's Something About Mary.

The pie part of American Pie was hilarious. I still bust a gut at There's Something About Mary. Not so much at the brothers' other efforts.

I don't think the Three Stooges are funny at all. BUT I adore Laurel and Hardy.

Reverse that sentence, and you've nailed it.

I liked Jim Carrey in the first Ace Ventura. After that, I didn't care for his stuff.

Reverse that one, too. He deserved an Oscar for Liar, Liar. Eternal Sunshine was great, too.

I'm also a fan of the mature romantic New Yorker comedy, in particular, the Billy Crystal oeuvre from the late '80s to mid '90s.

Not Afraid

07-10-2009, 05:47 PM

I can only stand Carey in Eternal Sunshine and The Truman Show.

Cadaverous Pallor

07-10-2009, 08:03 PM

Benjy Benjamin: Now look! We've figured it seventeen different ways, and each time we figured it, it was no good, because no matter how we figured it, somebody don't like the way we figured it! So now, there's only one way to figure it. And that is, every man, including the old bag, for himself!

Ding Bell: So good luck, and may the best man win!

Benjy Benjamin: (to Ethel Merman's character, Mrs. Marcus) Except you lady: may you just drop dead!

Buddy Hackett's delivery of that last line makes me laugh every single time I see it.I'm quoting this whole thing because this part also makes me giggle like a child. This movie was the finest (3) hour(s) for that entire cadre of comedians - Buddy Hackett, Jonathan Winters, Phil Silvers, Sid Caesar...

In fact, I dare ANYONE who ever lived to watch this movie and not find it funny.

Moonliner

07-10-2009, 08:06 PM

In fact, I dare ANYONE who ever lived to watch this movie and not find it funny.

Alex?

innerSpaceman

07-10-2009, 08:14 PM

Stooges. Nope, not funny. But yeah, Laurel and Hardy are hardy-har-har to me. Comedy and the taste for it is so strange. I prefer Carey in Sunshine and Truman to most of his more strictly comedy, even the few I like.

And wheeee, someone got me the DVD of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World for my birthday. I have to be in the right mood to watch it. There have been times it's hit me as 'meh,' and others where it's the funniest movie ever made.

€uroMeinke

07-10-2009, 08:21 PM

I find it even more amusing now that I recognize the Long Beach landmarks in the final scenes

innerSpaceman

07-10-2009, 08:41 PM

The Big W is, well, was on the grounds of an estate, The Hickson House, on the Portugese Bend that we got to spend the night in once. It was reputed to be haunted, and after having one of the scariest nights in my life there, I will not dispute that reputation.

But in the light of day it was a delight to find the Big W. Alas, a few of the palms have fallen in recent years and the Big W is no more. Should have dug for treasure when I had the chance. But gruesome things were said to have been buried by Satanists at the Hickson House ... and being as we went back the next night and interrupted people in white robes conducting some sort of ritual on the grounds ... well, I'm glad we didn't have any shovels with us the day before.

One other interesting Mad Mad World story ... during the original run, there were a series of police call recordings that furthered the story for the audience during intermission. These audio tracks were played in the auditorium during the break, and also in the restrooms at the Cinerama Dome - where the film premiered. But these "voices" freaked patrons so much, the intermission audio was nixed after the first week.

A couple years back, there was a revival of the film at the Dome, and the intermission audio was played for the first time in 3 decades ... including in the restrooms. It was completely rad.

€uroMeinke

07-10-2009, 08:52 PM

Now that reminds me of Flick's Fun Fair

flippyshark

07-10-2009, 09:22 PM

Are those intermission audio bits on the DVD by any chance?

Alex

07-10-2009, 09:22 PM

Alex?

Sorry to disappoint.

LSPoorEeyorick

07-10-2009, 10:46 PM

As for sense of humor, apparently all I need is 20 solid minutes of advertising directed by Jim Henson in the 60s. Holy hell, that stuff is amusing.

(Also 30 Rock. I often feel like Tina Fey has a video camera set up inside my head and is experimenting and recording exactly what I find funny, and then putting it in the show.)

Speaking of comedy, there was a brilliant 6-part series on PBS earlier this year (or late last year) that swept through the history of American comedy. If you can get hold of a copy, by all means watch it. It was a thing of beauty.

Tref

07-10-2009, 10:54 PM

.... a few of the palms have fallen in recent years and the Big W is no more.

I hear these days they are calling it the Big Forward Slash.

innerSpaceman

07-11-2009, 07:11 AM

Are those intermission audio bits on the DVD by any chance?
Alas, no.

Sorry to disappoint.

Cadaverous Pallor

07-11-2009, 08:04 AM

Speaking of comedy, there was a brilliant 6-part series on PBS earlier this year (or late last year) that swept through the history of American comedy. If you can get hold of a copy, by all means watch it. It was a thing of beauty.We've got it at work (PBS gave us bookmarks to advertise it and then the DVDs as well), and I'm tempted by it. Hmm, what with the slow TV right now...

innerSpaceman

07-13-2009, 12:10 PM

Bruno was highly amusing. I started laughing during the studio logo that starts the film, and didn't stop for 90 minutes.

But I'm curious about something. The movie mostly hinges on the Sacha Baron Cohen tradition of punking people. I don't know how that worked in this case.

In Borat, if memory serves (and that film did not imprint itself on my memory), the character was a sort of media correspondent who was interviewing people - and thus had a pretext for a camera being present.

In Bruno, most of the scenes are not "supposed to" be being filmed, and yet they are. How does the presence of the camera interfere with the "punking" process (for lack of a better term)? Clearly these people know they are being filmed. Just as clearly, the movie is funny only to the extent these are unscripted and somewhat honest reactions to the outrageousness of Bruno.

I liked the movie way better than Borat. On one hand, I saw this at the cinema, so that gives an advantage to a comedy. But mostly it's because I saw some larger "point" being made about teh gey and all that. I didn't sense anything like that in Borat.

I also found Bruno more consistently funny ... but maybe that's just my personal sense of humor.

Anyway, I recommend it. But I really want to know about the filming circumstances and how "in on it" some of these subjects were.

Ghoulish Delight

07-13-2009, 12:55 PM

Borat's scenes had varying degrees of "in on it". A good chunk of them were of the variety where people were told one thing was going to happen and be filmed and then while they were expecting that, Borat made his appearance. Not having seen Bruno I can't be sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a lot of, "We're filming a documentary or a tv show or whatever" and then Bruno arrives.

Gemini Cricket

07-13-2009, 01:26 PM

I'm in the didn't like Bruno camp.

I found maybe a quarter of the film funny. A lot of it fell flat for me. One of the reasons for this is that Bruno's character is unlikeable. There's no reason to like the guy. I found myself liking the Borat character during the first five minutes of the film. Bruno was (pun intended) a d!ck. We had no reason to invest so much time in him and feel for him. Some of the time, I felt for some of the punk-ees. ie. Ron Paul. I'm not a fan of Ron Paul's but I did kinda feel sorry for him.

I also think that Sacha Baron Cohen overestimates his audience. I think open-minded people will get the jist of what he's doing but there is a high level of ignorance about GLBT issues in our country. Lots of the people in my audience were cheering on the gay haters in the film. That's not a good thing, imho.

Also, after some initial moments in the film, the film has nowhere to go. The scenes at the beginning were so over the top that everything else after that seemed tame.

I found myself covering my mouth in a couple of places. I couldn't believe what he did in certain scenes. I mean, honestly, he could have been killed in one or more of the situations he put himself into.

I also found his assistant to be a weak character. His wrestling partner in Borat was much better, much more likable.

Also, is full-frontal male nudity becoming more accepted by the MPAA? If so, I think that's good. ;)

Yes, idiots who think that gays can become straight through prayer need to be lampooned but even that moment seemed to fall flat for me.

There was an interesting moment at the end of the film where Snoop Dogg says something like "Bruno's gay and that's okay" something like that. That felt tacked on to me. It was sort of a post Prop 8 "Hey, homos, African Americans are okay with gays, really" moment to me. But thanks for the bone, Dogg. :)

Alex

07-13-2009, 01:36 PM

Yes, idiots who think that gays can become straight through prayer..

On the other hand, if gay people really were as obnoxious, aggressive, and abusive as Bruno seems to be (haven't seen it, don't plan to see it, but have seen him doing the character) then I might find god just so that I could pray for him to be made straight.

innerSpaceman

07-13-2009, 02:16 PM

I think I liked that Bruno was (almost) as stupid, vapid, cruel and clueless as the people he lampoons ... and yet still, for me, retained something sympathetic about his character.

Choice of venue is important. I specifically went out of my way to avoid a theater that I presumed might have a more gay-basher-friendly audience. And the crowd I saw it with was laughing throughout, as was I.

Borat did nothing for me. Perhaps because I didn't relate to the character Baron Cohen was spoofing while playing Borat ... but I'm obviously all too familiar with the types of people Bruno's character spoofs.

It also might have helped that I saw Bruno before any reaction was "out there." Borat had been hyped so much by the time I saw it, I may have had unduly high expectations or an ingrained prejudice to be less lemming.

Cadaverous Pallor

07-13-2009, 07:15 PM

I liked the movie way better than Borat. On one hand, I saw this at the cinema, so that gives an advantage to a comedy. But mostly it's because I saw some larger "point" being made about teh gey and all that. I didn't sense anything like that in Borat. Borat did touch on some concepts of poor people in struggling countries and xenophobia in America. I thought he did a good job of sprinkling that stuff in without ruining the basic "Jackass" concept.

Regarding cameras everywhere, I would assume it would be easy for them to say "we're filming a reality show" and let the cameras run.

I don't feel any pull to see Bruno.

Gemini Cricket

07-21-2009, 09:43 PM

SFW. Yeah, the film most likely will suck, but I looooove this Prince of Persia photo:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/photo_02_hires.jpg

Alex

07-21-2009, 10:08 PM

See, I'm excessively straight. So I see that picture and think:

"It is really amazing how a person can appear to have, but not actually have, a unibrow."

And then I'm off wondering if it would have been really that hard to find someone slightly less white (yes, I know he's half Jewish) to play a Persian.

Cadaverous Pallor

07-21-2009, 10:11 PM

JWBear

07-21-2009, 11:09 PM

I love men. I find that photo, however, to be hilarious, and not at all sexy. The hair is ridiculous. The stance is silly. And I just don't find the actor all that hot to begin with.

Perhaps I need to see Brokeback to understand.

I have to agree on the hair and stance; but generally, I do find him to be kinda sexy.

The first thing I thought when I saw the picture was "Less hair, more beard please".

Gemini Cricket

07-22-2009, 03:25 AM

Well, I like the almost unibrow, the hair and the stance. And when he and I get married, I'll be sure not to show him this part of this thread.

innerSpaceman

07-22-2009, 09:45 AM

Everyone's mileage varies, but I don't get it about the hair. I mean, is it because it's straight and not wavy? Because you're not used to seeing the actor with long hair? It's typical long hair.

More beard? You must mean beard, then ... because he's pretty face scruffy.

Less white? Um, ok, name me some Persian or Arabic actors with similar stateside fame and box office appeal?

Quibbles. Feh. Jealous quibbles.

Oh, well, easier to fight just Gemini Cricket for him, then. ;)

Ghoulish Delight

07-22-2009, 09:55 AM

We watched Step Brothers last week. I enjoyed it more than I expected. I had been expecting to like it and all. While Will Ferrell is hit and miss (heavy on the miss), John C. Riley and Judd Apatow were enough to give me reason to anticipate enjoying it. But I didn't expect it to be as fun as it was.

Don't get me wrong, it's an absolutely idiotic movie with nothing that I would describe as a redeeming value. But that doesn't mean it wasn't funny. A couple of grown men acting like children but with a whole lot of swearing. Win win. And in a surprise twist, the funniest scene was actually one of the scenes in the extended version reel. 99% of the time I watch extended versions of movies like this and think, "And that's why editors earn a living." But the scene in the extended version where Rob Riggle's character tells Ferrell's about the f*cking Catlina Wine Mixer had us rolling. And stands as the funniest thing Rob Riggle's ever done.

Alex

07-22-2009, 10:20 AM

Less white? Um, ok, name me some Persian or Arabic actors with similar stateside fame and box office appeal?

Not Persian, but less white (and already has experience playing Arab/Middle Eastern in action movies): Dwayne Johnson.

And on average his movies are good for $22 million more than Jake Gyllenhaal and $3 million more on opening weekend.

But I recognize why they'd choose a name like Gyllenhaal. Doesn't make it any less annoying than John Wayne playing Genghis Khan, though.

JWBear

07-22-2009, 11:38 AM

SzczerbiakManiac

07-22-2009, 11:58 AM

Granted, Jake has had more alluring hairstyles, but jeebus, that's hardly a reason to not want to jump (on) his bone(s)....

innerSpaceman

07-22-2009, 12:18 PM

I liked Marlo Thomas' hair. So sue me. :)

SzczerbiakManiac

07-22-2009, 01:07 PM

Yeah, but Marlo was (still is, AFAIK) a woman. Chick hairstyles don't always look good on dudes--and vice versa.

Gemini Cricket

07-22-2009, 01:13 PM

Chick hairstyles don't always look good on dudes--and vice versa.
True. Case in point, Robin Gibb:
http://www.mood.fm/SystemFiles/633681842905360033.jpg

Gemini Cricket

07-22-2009, 01:25 PM

Burton's Alice in Wonderland teaser trailer (http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/07/22/alice-in-wonderland-teaser-gives-a-generous-glimpse-of-tim-burtons-excellence/)

I like Depp's Mad Hatter so far. The Queen of Hearts... creeeeeepy! In a good way...

Snowflake

07-22-2009, 01:40 PM

Ghoulish Delight

07-22-2009, 01:46 PM

First impressions: Hatter good. Queen Bighead not so good. Overall inundation of c-gen not so good. But it's of course unfair to judge from a teaser trailer.

SzczerbiakManiac

07-22-2009, 02:23 PM

And it's been pulled already. Wow, that was fast.

innerSpaceman

07-22-2009, 03:08 PM

Rats, wanted to see it.

But it reminds me .... let's start the pool for how long it will be till Johnny Depp "graces" his second Disneyland attraction.

Snowflake

07-22-2009, 04:14 PM

Rats, wanted to see it.

But it reminds me .... let's start the pool for how long it will be till Johnny Depp "graces" his second Disneyland attraction.

Well, it will be back online tomorrow!

As for Depp in another attraction, please NO.

Alex

07-24-2009, 07:38 PM

Go see In the Loop if you want to experience some of the finest swearing ever captured on film. Truly, a work of art.

Also, it is a pretty fine political satire.

Gemini Cricket

07-24-2009, 08:04 PM

The Alice teaser is back up. (http://movies.ign.com/dor/objects/14219277/alice-in-wonderland/videos/sdcc09_alice_wondr_tease1_1_072209.html)

innerSpaceman

07-24-2009, 08:23 PM

Yay!

But why does everything have to be in 3-D? It doesn't matter if the technology is better ... it's as stupid a gimmick now as it was in the 1950's.

UP 3-D was a big disappointment, and I can't get very far into the story with those glasses on.

So no Tron Legacy, no Alice, no 3-D for me .... but SquEE for this movie.

Well, Burton's pretty hit and miss, and his films always look great ... but that's not nearly enough.

Sigh, it LOOKS GREAT.

And I LoVE BiG HeAD Queen of Hearts.

flippyshark

07-24-2009, 08:50 PM

It looks like they stole a bit from Bill Osco's X rated Alice In Wonderland - when Alice shrinks, her dress does not. (If you haven't seen the adult Alice, it's on DVD and well worth a rental - incredibly dumb but a fascinating artifact of 70s soft porn. But avoid the hardcore version - it's only got a few short bits of rather poorly shot action, and it's seedy enough to buzz-kill the otherwise light-hearted goings-on.)

Okay, I'll stop talking about porn and go back to Disney - Tim Burton's Alice looks visually splendid, and I will certainly go. but I'm with Steve about the 3D. I'm over it.

CoasterMatt

07-24-2009, 09:00 PM

The trailer looks great, and I like the release date - just before my birthday :D

DreadPirateRoberts

07-25-2009, 10:23 PM

Big Wednesday. Ever see it? It may be one of those that only connects if you are from that era.

Strangler Lewis

07-26-2009, 08:07 AM

G Force made me appreciate Nicolas Cage anew. Especially on the second viewing.

I would give this the same review I gave Ice Age 3. The jokes all fall flat--even the one attempt at a dick joke--but it works passingly well as a straight-up action flick. Even had a good twist at the end, although the set-up that made the twist twisty was ridiculous.

Alex

08-02-2009, 06:09 PM

Steven Spielberg is going to be doing a contemporary new version of Harvey. More power to him if he can pull it off, but I can't imagine why he'd want to.

Not Afraid

08-02-2009, 06:33 PM

Anyone else see Food Inc. yet?

Snowflake

08-02-2009, 09:49 PM

Just watched Bread and Tulips and loved it. Just a charming film and now I want a hot dog phone.

innerSpaceman

08-02-2009, 10:02 PM

Yeah, i'm so behind. But we were having a Vegas-themed day, so decided for finally see Hangover. TeeHee Hee and Hee.

Really funny enjoyable. Um, and best closing credits in a long, long time.

Alex

08-02-2009, 10:21 PM

Have not seen Food Inc. I'm only going to be lectured by one documentary this summer and I've already decided it is going to be The Cove.

Funny People had a weird vibe to it. It wasn't bad, but it felt listless.

innerSpaceman

08-02-2009, 10:35 PM

Yeah, I wanna be lectured by The Cove, too. Though it sounds like it will infuriate and upset me. Hmmmm, don't know if I'm up for that.

Alex

08-02-2009, 10:54 PM

(Though I don't want to sound like I'm putting down Food, Inc. I just suspect that it is covering a lot of the same territory as The Omnivore's Dilemma and his more recent books so don't feel a need to pay theater prices to hear the same information with pictures.)

Not Afraid

08-02-2009, 11:06 PM

Well, Michael Pollan was heavily involved, so I'm sure there was a lot of the same info (but I haven't read any of his books, so I can't say for sure.)

We finally saw Slumdog and loved it.

Gemini Cricket

08-03-2009, 02:13 AM

I saw Burn After Reading and pretty much hated it. There was that one turn of events that took me by surprise but all in all I thought the characters were pretty much unlikable.

Tonight I watched Closer again. I love this movie. But one thing I did notice this time around was that Jude Law and Clive Owen have enormous heads.

innerSpaceman

08-03-2009, 07:38 AM

And schvanchutas .... or so I'm told.

or is that, or so i lilke to imagine?

Cadaverous Pallor

08-03-2009, 07:52 AM

Yay, Hangover! :) I can't believe we saw Slumdog before L&C! And yes, Burn After Reading was disappointing.

What did we see this weekend? Step Brothers with commentary. :D Can't say I recommend the commentary. About 1/3 of it was hilarious...but the movie is still one of the funniest Will Ferrell projects ever.

innerSpaceman

08-03-2009, 08:02 AM

It's hard to like pieces with uniformly unlikeable characters. That's why I could never get into Seinfeld.

But I kinda liked Burn After Reading. Not that I'd ever watch it again, or that it was great. But it had more of a Coen Brothers feel than their previous Oscar winning mainstreamer (which I liked), so I was glad to see a return to that. Not nearly one of their best or anything, but I appreciated it for what it was.

The more I think about Slumdog, the more I think was an overpraised, overhyped, undeserving Best Picture winner.

Gemini Cricket has his Crash, and I have Slumdog. Pfft.

Not Afraid

08-03-2009, 08:37 AM

We were just talking about Burn After Reading yesterday. I liked it. It's not among my favorite Cohen films, but still better than your average film.

Alex

08-03-2009, 08:44 AM

Slumdog was extremely disappointing and way overhyped. Extremely patronizing. Poverty, it's so photogenic. And we're all equal in love so it isn't so bad as it seems.

I liked Burn After Reading quite a bit. Not a surprise that there are few likable characters in it. You could probably count the likable characters in the Coen Brothers oeuvre on one hand. To me, their genius is in being able to make audiences enjoy people they shouldn't like. A tightrope walk for sure but it succeeded for me. Also, I consider Intolerable Cruelty one of their classics and don't like Raising Arizona or The Hudsucker Proxy so obviously I'm out of the mainstream of Coen appreciation.

Ghoulish Delight

08-03-2009, 08:57 AM

Slumdog was and enjoyable popcorn flick but nothing special imo.

My issue with Burn After Reading wasn't so much about unlikeability as the lack of depth to the characters. As GC said, nothing was surprising in the whole movie, you pretty much figured out who these characters were and what they were going to do from moment one. I didn't hate it, but I was disappointed by it.

Hudsucker's a weird one. I like it, but I hardly even think of it as a Coen Bro's movie, it just doesn't seem to fit in with the rest somehow.

Gemini Cricket

08-03-2009, 11:47 AM

I've been watching a truckload of movies on TCM. Tons of oldies but goodies:

A Star is Born (Judy version) - wonderful film that seemed to mirror Garland's real life here and there. I like the ending a lot.

Footlights Parade - Cagney the tough guy dancing a couple of steps here and there. It has that lovely 30's banter that I love so much:

Nan Prescott: You scram, before I wrap a chair around your neck!
Vivian Rich: [Angrily] It's three o'clock in the morning - where do you want me to go?
[Nan starts to speak, but Vivian immediately cuts her off]
Vivian Rich: You cheap stenographer...
Nan Prescott: Outside, countess. As long as they've got sidewalks YOU'VE got a job.
[Shoves her out, gives her a swift kick in the rump, and slams the door behind her]

Golddiggers of 1933 - Dick Powell was so cute when he was a young lad.

Grapes of Wrath - A classic. The more and more I re-watch Fonda films the more I like him.

The Wrong Man - a rare weak Hitchcock film. Apparently the only Hitchcock film that he narrates. (A short intro at the beginning.)

Farmer Takes a Wife - another Fonda. It was okay. Sorta dull.

I'm half-watching a Marion Davies film right now that appears to have some lesbian undertones to it. Not sure what it's called...

ETA: The MD movie is Blondie of the Follies.

Morrigoon

08-05-2009, 03:18 AM

If you want to engross yourself in some damn fine drama, I've got one for you. "Our Mutual Friend" is a 6-part made-for-TV BBC production of a Dickens work. One I'd never heard of before now, but having seen it, it's 100% Dickens, and fabulous.

In addition to the great underlying story, the performances were terrific. David Morrissey's portrayal of Mr. Headstone, as a nerdy schoolmaster type who can't handle being in love with a woman and it rips him apart, was particularly moving.

And some familiar faces for the Harry Potter crowd ;)

Dark as a whore's heart, but with some nice surprises at the end.

It's available for "instant viewing" on Netflix (http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Our_Mutual_Friend/70037395?trkid=541051)

innerSpaceman

08-05-2009, 09:37 AM

ooooh, sounds interesting. I'll check it out. Heheh, if i put it in my queue today, it should hit my mailbox in about 3 months. ;)

So just now, I'm hitting a few titles from last year:

Schenecdody New York - No NO WTF. Take it Away. OMG, NO, don't let me watch another minute. Christ. WTF?! :confused:

on the other hand,
Vicki Christina Barcelona - utterly charming. :D

LSPoorEeyorick

08-05-2009, 11:23 AM

iSm, iSm, when will you learn to read my reviews??

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.

innerSpaceman

08-05-2009, 11:32 AM

I read it. Decided to watch it anyway. Must have been drunk when I made that decision. I was really, really, really not up for it. Ycch.

(Your review was spot on, btw. But I guess I had to see for myself. And I'm sorry I did.)

MouseWife

08-05-2009, 11:35 AM

'Hangover'. OMG It was so damn funny {didn't I see a 'El Cortez' sign in the beginning? Anyone confirm that? And, is that the one that was on top of our El Cortez here in San Diego? I haven't been getting out much....}.

Hubster and I went alone and laughed our asses off.

The end credits were hillarious except......

I had promised to take my niece and nephew {12 & 7} to finally see 'Up' {while they still could}. I didn't want to see it again so Rick and I went to 'Hangover'. Our movie went 20 minutes longer than theirs so I told her, just bring the kids over and watch the end of our movie................:eek:

DAH!! If I had known.....

We saw 'Orphan'. It was very interesting but I know, not a fantastic movie. BUT it was the end that had me thinking more. So, while the Hubster said it sucked, it still made me go Hmmmm.

Saw Harry Potter with my son. Did not fall asleep {a plus!}. It was really good. Can anyone tell me what was so great about the very beginning? We missed it up until Harry was at the train station/stop.

Bornieo: Fully Loaded

08-05-2009, 11:44 AM

I loved Burn After Reading simply for the chaos. Didn't see that coming with Pitts character. He was hysterical. Malkovitch was such an ass in this movie - just a riot.

Saw the end of Orphan which makes me not want to watch the rest. Need to see Funny People this week.

MouseWife

08-05-2009, 11:51 AM

Yeah, BFL, if you saw the end, there went the movie. It was after that I thought about things that happened earlier in the movie and just thought of how strange it all was. But, no spoilers. Someone may rent it.... ;0)

innerSpaceman

08-05-2009, 12:36 PM

You didn't miss anything much at the beginning of Harry Potter 6. Instead of the two charming scenes where the Muggle Prime Minister meets the new Minister of Magic and Dumbledore visits the Dursleys in the book, the film has a special-effects heavy attack of streaming black-smoke (Death Eaters) attacking the Millennium Bridge in London, snapping it in two, then raiding Olivander's Wand Shop in Diagon Alley and taking Olivander captive (hooded, because they undoubtedly didn't want to pony up for John Hurt's salary for that single shot).

Unless you read the next book, the movie gives little clue about the kidnapping. It just shows them take a hooded captive, and it happens really fast. At that point, the Death Eaters transform from flying smoke to their corporeal form and you can see Belatrix LeStrange is involved and the werewolf (Fennir Greyback?) which the movie never explains is even a werewolf. Sigh.

mousepod

08-05-2009, 12:53 PM

MouseWife

08-05-2009, 01:51 PM

Thanks you guys. Good to know. I haven't read the books, son has, but, not me.

It does sound like it looked pretty cool, though.

wolfy999

08-07-2009, 08:20 PM

Julie & Julia....Saw it today....Meryl Streep outstanding as Julia Child, you sometimes forget its an actress portraying her. If you are into the Food Network and love history, your going to enjoy this light hearted tale of Julia Child's beginnings and Julies adventures into food, love and life.

The Wolfette enjoyed it even if I did have to bribe her into going with me.

innerSpaceman

08-07-2009, 08:24 PM

I'm gonna wait for the inevitable "Julia" edit.

(I hear the Julie segments are atrocious, and the Julia parts magnificent).

And, hey, it would be the second "Julia" movie Meryl Streep's in. :)

LSPoorEeyorick

08-08-2009, 12:33 AM

They're not at all atrocious. But you can't evenhandedly compare a loving rendition of a true legend with a normal woman inspired by a legend. And honestly, I don't think they were trying to, per se. I thought the entire thing, normal woman's story and all, was delightful.

Alex

08-09-2009, 08:20 PM

Watched Alien Nation for the first time since around when the TV show was on. Still an ok movie. I'd forgotten that Mandy Patinkin and Terence Stamp played the two main aliens.

Surprisingly, I didn't hate G.I. Joe. Yes, it is extremely stupid (extremely; see, for example, the self destruct method which any four year old should know wouldn't work)but it had some element of fun that is completely lacking in the Transformer movies. I can't recommend it, but I didn't leave the theater despairing for humanity.

innerSpaceman

08-09-2009, 08:22 PM

(500) Days of Summer was really good. Not as monumentally delightful as I'd heard, but I liked it a lot. The scene of his first morning after is worth the price of admission.

flippyshark

08-09-2009, 08:28 PM

Orphan has a plot twist that I did not guess (which is rare for this kind of movie), but
this is only because it was so flipping preposterous. Even if "Esther's secret" had occurred to me earlier, I would have dismissed it from my mind as too absurd. sub-spoiler - Yes, I know that there are little people who might be able to pass themselves off as children, but really, a serial orphan? On her fourth or fifth house? And no one caught on?

I didn't hate it. I was glad to see a horror movie that wasn't about teenagers, that generated suspense by putting sympathetic characters into a terrible situation, and there are terrific performances all around.

But boy is it silly.

Alex

08-09-2009, 08:41 PM

That was the obvious conclusion I came up with early on before going a bit more off with a secondary possibility.

The covering of the wrists certainly suggested earlier suicide attempt but covering the neck too let me to suspect that maybe it would turn out she was a vampire of some sort and therefore had stopped aging physically and the chokers were hiding the bite marks from when she was turned.

Silly, yes, but the genre is silly. Good performance from the girl, though.

CoasterMatt

08-09-2009, 09:25 PM

Watched 'Reservoir Dogs' on bluray today- first time I'd seen that movie in a while. It's still neat to see my old neighborhood, and remember meeting Michael Madsen during a break in filming.

Gemini Cricket

08-10-2009, 01:35 AM

Watched 'Reservoir Dogs' on bluray today- first time I'd seen that movie in a while. It's still neat to see my old neighborhood, and remember meeting Michael Madsen during a break in filming.
Ah, yes. Back when Madsen was a hottie. I love RD. In fact, I like it wayyyy better than Pulp.

Gemini Cricket

08-13-2009, 08:40 PM

I want to go see District 9. Sounds interesting.

Alex

08-13-2009, 08:55 PM

I was extremely intrigued by the early teasers but the later trailers have made it look more like an average action type movie.

But I'll still be there this weekend hoping for something good.

Ghoulish Delight

08-13-2009, 09:11 PM

Early returns on Rotten Tomatoes are good.

Morrigoon

08-14-2009, 01:34 AM

Pete Carroll seemed to like it

Cadaverous Pallor

08-14-2009, 08:25 AM

Early returns on Rotten Tomatoes are good.Much better than good - 93% overall, with the top critics going 100%! (only 14 reporting but including Peter Travers and Roger Ebert...)

If this really is as intelligent and well-written an action film as they say it is, I absolutely must see it in the theater.

mousepod

08-14-2009, 08:36 AM

We're seeing it at the Chinese at 8:30, in case anyone's interested.

innerSpaceman

08-14-2009, 09:44 AM

Hmmmm. Considering.

In other weirdish movie news (well, to me) ... I didn't realize till watching the entire last season of Weeds that the young actor playing regular Shane Botwin (Alexander Gould) was the voice of Nemo - while this season's recurring guest star was Albert Brooks, Nemo's Dad. Heheh. Oh, and series regular Elizabeth Perkins was Nemo's mom, Coral. Hahahahaha.

flippyshark

08-14-2009, 10:39 AM

They could have renamed it Sea Weeds - thank you, i'll be here all week.

innerSpaceman

08-14-2009, 10:55 AM

TeeHee ... especially since this season they changed the entire locale for the series ... to the beach!!

Stan4dSteph

08-14-2009, 12:39 PM

I might actually go see a movie this weekend! Not sure what though. Options include Funny People, Julie & Julia, Ponyo, District 9, Time Traveler's Wife, The Hurt Locker.

Alex

08-14-2009, 12:45 PM

Haven't seen Julia & Julia, District 9, or Time Traveler's Wife. Of the others I'd rank:

1. Ponyo
2. The Hurst Locker
3. Funny People

LSPoorEeyorick

08-14-2009, 12:49 PM

I recommend Julie & Julia if you're looking for charm and a whetted appetite. I hear The Hurt Locker is amazing but I can't bring myself to see it yet. I [hope my clients aren't looking] don't recommend Funny People.

innerSpaceman

08-14-2009, 01:06 PM

Must.See.Ponyo.

But I might wait for Alex's review.

Stan4dSteph

08-14-2009, 01:18 PM

Must.See.Ponyo.

But I might wait for Alex's review.No need to wait (http://www.mouseplanet.com/8942/Ponyo).

Ghoulish Delight

08-14-2009, 01:25 PM

No need to wait (http://www.mouseplanet.com/8942/Ponyo).
My wager is that iSm makes it only 81 words into the review before deciding he will be seeing this movie.

ETA: I wonder, is anyone screening it with the original vocal tracks and subtitles? If not, DVD it is.

cirquelover

08-14-2009, 01:36 PM

I will be seeing Ponyo this weekend. The guys should feel happy I waited, there was actually a midnight showing last night but I didn't go.

Alex

08-14-2009, 02:25 PM

My understanding is that there are not any Japanese track prints out there (they tried it in the past and they seriously underperformed).

Hope I'm wrong, but if the Kabuki in San Fransisco (in the middle of Japantown) is showing it dubbed I'd guess everybody is.

innerSpaceman

08-14-2009, 02:39 PM

Heheh, did you count the words till the magic one that hooked me, GD?

Think I'll see this at DTD sometime Sunday afternoon while SuPeR K! and my roommate play at Disneyland (or maybe I can convince them to join me). Anyone else in the neighborhood interested?

This is one I'd definitely prefer to see with the original Japanese language tracks, but I don't suppose that will be an option at the Downtown Disney AMC.

Ghoulish Delight

08-14-2009, 02:41 PM

My understanding is that there are not any Japanese track prints out there (they tried it in the past and they seriously underperformed).
Grumble. Here's hoping it makes it to DVD before February.

LSPoorEeyorick

08-14-2009, 04:05 PM

We're seeing it at the Chinese at 8:30, in case anyone's interested.

Me too!

(Heh, I have made consecutive identical posts.)

flippyshark

08-14-2009, 04:27 PM

Just the stills in that review made me want to run to see this - so I guess I will.

Gemini Cricket

08-14-2009, 05:06 PM

I'm going to see Ponyo. I love a good number of Hayao Miyazaki's films...

innerSpaceman

08-14-2009, 05:25 PM

I've been watching a slew of them all week. So unintentionally primed!

flippyshark

08-14-2009, 05:47 PM

I see elsewhere that the script for the English dub is by John Lasseter. That gives it at least a little street cred. (And it looks as though there really is no other option.) Like iSm, I've been having a very Ghibli week as well. (And as part of work no less. tee hee)

Not Afraid

08-14-2009, 06:46 PM

I could use a movie break about now.

Alex

08-14-2009, 07:42 PM

I doubt that Lasseter wrote the English dub, though he is the executive producer for the of the effort (along with Kathleen Kennedy and her partner who I forget the name of).

Lasseter has produced the US translations and DVDs for pretty much all the Ghibli stuff over the last seven or eight years and has made sure as good a job as possible was done. To good result.

One thing, though, that I regret about not screening the original track is that Lani can't tell me what was changed for translation. That was very helpful in understanding Spirited Away.

ETA: Found my press kit. The English language translation was done by Jim Hubbert and the screenplay then massaged into usable form by Melissa Mathison (the writer of E.T., and, irrelevantly, Harrison Ford's pre-Calista wife).

flippyshark

08-14-2009, 07:45 PM

D'oh - that's what I get for trusting random postings over at ebert.com

Alex

08-14-2009, 07:50 PM

More on the translation from the press kit (mostly typical PR glurge):

...The filmmakers also needed an English-language version of Miyazaki's script. The job called for someone who would not only understand Miyazaki's vision, but could make it work in English and within the confines of existing animation. "It was a challenge to figure out who shold do the English script," says Kennedy. "Melissa Mathison did the screenplay for 'E.T.,' and the minute she was introduced to Miyazaki's films, she was captivated. She said, 'I absolutely want to do this.'"

"'Miyazaki' was all I needed to hear when asked if I would tackle this adaptation. He is a great artist and any association with him would be an honor," says Mathison. "It was an exciting and unusual assignment - quick, down and dirty - something I had never done before. Definitely an interesting challenge: 'adapt teh Japanese translation to English, fit the words to the mouths, and pelase do it in four days!' And, teh project being handed to me was nothing less than the latest film of an artistic genius.

"I have long been a dbbler in Japanese culture: literature, movie, art relgiions. I am an admireer of the culture," Mathison continues. "I wanted to clarify - crystallize - a Japanese story for a Western audience. I was to adapt while retaining the social touches that make the story particularly Japanese in nature. I did not want to underestimate the power of the original aspiration - a fairy tale told withinth world of a small fishing village in Japan. I wanted the emotions and the humor of the language to match that inherent in the drawings."

Traditionally, when animated films are created, the voices are recorded first, followed by the visuals, so synchronization is achieved during the animation process. When a Japanese animated film like PONYO is prepared for American release, the actors must try to match the "lip flaps" of their characters while giving a convincing reading. The differences in the cadence, word order, sound and grammar of English and Japanese only add to the difficulty of assembling a satisfactory translation.

innerSpaceman

08-14-2009, 07:56 PM

I will look forward to a Japanese-language track on the DVD. But the subtitles are usually pretty poor at faithfully reproducing the Japanese dialogue.

Can I borrow Lani?

flippyshark

08-14-2009, 08:33 PM

Wow - she had four days to do the translation? I hope she is either fluent or had access to an accurate transliteration (or a Japanese speaking friend).

Alex

08-14-2009, 09:07 PM

She didn't do the translation, she was provided a literal translation and then had to rework that into something that would work for American audiences and match the animation.

I could be wrong, but I'm guessing that "four days" was exaggeration for dramatic effect.

CoasterMatt

08-14-2009, 09:21 PM

I'm stoked - The Last Starfighter 25th Anniversary Bluray comes out on Tuesday! (preordered mine already) :D

Morrigoon

08-14-2009, 09:26 PM

I'm excited to see Ponyo, but I'll probably catch it on DVD. I'm reserving my next moviegoing experience for Julie & Julia.

flippyshark

08-14-2009, 09:50 PM

I'm thinking tomorrow will be a perfect day for a Ponyo - District 9 double feature.

Alex

08-14-2009, 09:51 PM

I wanted to see Julie & Julia but I've been put off by the fact that most (with a couple exceptions) of the people I know who've seen it say it is half a really good movie and half a really boring movie. So I suspect it'll end up on my Netflix queue for viewing sometime in the next decade.

Gemini Cricket

08-14-2009, 10:32 PM

Saw a bunch of movies on TCM and DVD recently.

The Sons of Katie Elder - I'm on a John Wayne kick lately. I'm not a huge fan of his but I love the Western genre. This one had a cool premise but a lot of it drags.

The Greatest Show on Earth - I haven't seen this one in awhile. Still not sure why it won Best Pic but I'm thinking it had a lot to do with the scale of the project and how the actors did a lot of their own stunts. One of the few films I like Heston's acting... I got all misty-eyed when the elephant comes to the rescue. I'm a sucker for cheese. Oy.

Patch of Blue - Sidney Poitier is amazing to watch but Shelly Winters kinda steals her scenes. Still a cool film. That melody always gets stuck in my head.

Buck and the Preacher - A not so good Poitier movie. Yikes.

Red Dust - Love this pre-code film. Jean Harlow cracks me up. Like this one better than Mogambo (the remake). Man, Gable had big ears... like me. Yay!

Mogambo - Oy. A good cast does not necessarily equal good movie. Ew. The movie does get props from me for featuring a baby rhino in a couple of scenes. Cute!

The Awful Truth - I love 99% of this movie. They lose me at the end with the cuckoo clock thing...

Cadaverous Pallor

08-14-2009, 11:00 PM

BarTopDancer

08-14-2009, 11:19 PM

I'm extremely curious to see the LoT reviews of District 9. I am intrigued by its premise, but since I'm the girl who cries when cartoon/CGA animals are hurt, I'm a bit concerned that I will be upset by the treatment of the aliens in District 9.

Oh and the whole "scary" factor. But from what I understand it's more sci-fi then scary.

€uroMeinke

08-15-2009, 08:57 AM

We saw Ponyo last night and loved it - can't remember leaving a theater just feeling so happy before. Just love the fresh imagination that Studio Ghibli continues to put in their films.

Not Afraid

08-15-2009, 09:03 AM

Loved Ponyo!

HAM!

LSPoorEeyorick

08-15-2009, 12:49 PM

I have no large urge to see Julie & Julia. When the book crossed my desk I read the blurb and the description kind of turned me off. "A woman tries to fix the massive problems in her life by obsessing about cooking everything in a cookbook in one year" sounds more depressing than inspiring to me. Um, maybe there are better ways to work on your marriage or fix your career.

I know I'm judging this story without any reading or viewing experience, but I am totally clueless when it comes to these tales of supposed soul-searching experiences, especially when it comes to spending inordinate amounts of time away from the problems themselves.

She wasn't trying to fix her marriage, and she didn't have a career, she had a temp job that went permanent. She wanted to be a writer - but like many people we know, she found it difficult to find the courage and energy to finish something. So she picked a topic and gave herself a deadline, and began to write about her experiences.

Don't judge a book by its misinterpreted jacket copy. It's not a perfect book, but it was one of the only things that got me through the month of May.

And Alex, the movie may not be exactly for you, but Tom and I have seen it twice and (I'm outing my husband here) he expressed interest in seeing it a third time. I will own it, for sure. I wasn't bored by the Julie Powell parts at all - though in comparison, I am more entranced by the Julia Child parts. Meryl Streep is hard to resist.

Cadaverous Pallor

08-15-2009, 01:46 PM

Thanks for the clarification, H. I feel kind of dumb for trusting the blurb. :blush: That does sound like something I could relate to...

Alex

08-16-2009, 07:42 AM

Saw District 9 last night. Very original, some quibbles about sciency things since it seemed to be trying so hard for realism but mostly they didn't bother me. Enjoyed it quite a bit.

Gemini Cricket

08-16-2009, 01:35 PM

I've been watching Elvis movies on TCM. Yeah, I'm sorry that he died 32 years ago today but his movies stunk!
:D

On a completely different note, Tea and Sympathy is a pretty good movie. Another to add to my "not on DVD" list. (Although I've never been a huge fan of Deborah Kerr. Liked her okay in Eternity tho.)

Snowflake

08-16-2009, 03:58 PM

I just saw a gorgeous Bollywood film, Saawariya (http://www.saawariyafilm.com/). I'm not too experienced in a lot of Indian films, I've seen several old style, but not too many newer films. I loved it, good music and a visual feast.

Here's the amazon editorial review:

Imagine a movie with the lavish production of Moulin Rouge!, the emotional complexity of a story by the great Russian writer Dostoevsky, a cast of staggeringly beautiful people, and the spectacular choreography of Bollywood extravaganzas? You've just imagined Saawariya, a lush romantic saga decked out in dazzling jewel tones--the entire world gleams with shades of sapphire, emerald, and amethyst. An innocent musician named Raj (Ranbir Kapoor, half Justin Timberlake, half the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz) falls madly in love with a lovely young woman named Sakina (Sonam Kapoor), who stands every night on a bridge with a black umbrella. But when he learns that she's in love with another man, a man who has been gone for a year but who promised to return that very week, Raj's pure soul turns corrupt with jealousy and longing. The charming lead actors are both making their feature film debut, but in supporting roles are two Bollywood superstars: Salman Khan (once voted the 7th best-looking man in the world by People Magazine) as Sakina's wayward beloved and the rapturously lovely Rani Mukherjee (sometimes known as the Queen of Bollywood) as a prostitute who counsels Raj in his affair, though she may have feelings of her own for the foolish young man. There's nothing else like Bollywood cinema; Saawariya combines wildly theatrical performances and insane dance sequences with an irresistibly sweeping romanticism that puts Titanic to shame. Truly a feast for the eyes and the heart.

Nephythys

08-17-2009, 01:05 PM

Saw District 9 last night. Very original, some quibbles about sciency things since it seemed to be trying so hard for realism but mostly they didn't bother me. Enjoyed it quite a bit.

Saw it yesterday-thought it was great. Very emotional for a sci-fi movie.

innerSpaceman

08-17-2009, 09:51 PM

Kinda really liked D9. Sciency things sure didn't bother me, because I was too wrapped up to notice any weird science.

That's usually a good sign that I'm liking the film. I didn't realize i was till it was almost over. But it's rad.

Gemini Cricket

08-18-2009, 12:43 AM

Duel in the Sun is on TCM.
Barf!
I don't know why but Jennifer Jones bugs me. She bugs me almost as bad as the expressionless Loretta Young.

innerSpaceman

08-18-2009, 09:20 AM

I really know only one Loretta Young movie well, because I watch it ever year at Christmastime, but she's hardly expressionless in The Bishop's Wife.

Snowflake

08-18-2009, 09:37 AM

Duel in the Sun is on TCM.
Barf!
I don't know why but Jennifer Jones bugs me. She bugs me almost as bad as the expressionless Loretta Young.

Well, Duel in the Sun is stunningly overblown cheese whiz of the highest calibre.

Poor Marion Davies got such a bad rap for heart financing her films and then had her career ruined by assumptions made based on Citizen Kane. Jones is another example, Selznick's obsession with her, my goodness there are some amazingly poor performances. I have great sentimental feelings for Portrait of Jennie, but other films ack.

Back to Duel in the Sun, worth it totally for the death scene of Lillian Gish and Lionel Barrymore's reaction. Makes me cry every time. Of course, King Vidor demanded his name be removed from the film, I can't remember if it was. And I do find the final creepy crawl over the rocks to be hilarious. The technicolor is overripe, too, but glorious. Joseph Cotten is the one the really bugs me. Well cast cheese still does smell awful sometimes.

Gemini Cricket

08-18-2009, 11:25 AM

Ghoulish Delight

08-18-2009, 11:35 AM

Speaking of TCM, do they show film uncut? We're wanting to catch Coppola's The Conversation, it's airing on TCM. But if they edit movies we'll just wait for netflix.

Moonliner

08-18-2009, 11:36 AM

For only the second time this summer, I made it out to see a movie at a real theater. District 9.

They had something I've never seen in a theater before, a self serve soda fountain. Very cool, and a large butter popcorn was $3.00 :eek: I think I was in junior high the last time I paid that little for popcorn.

As for the movie..... Meh. I never felt emotionally invested in it.

I was like, well duh:

Of course the prawns are being dissected and used for all sorts of nasty experiments and stuff. Was I supposed to be surprised by that?

The bad "sciency" parts did bother me.

A little more back story on the prawns would have been interesting.

Gemini Cricket

08-18-2009, 11:40 AM

The theatres here in HI have self-serve drinks, too. I like it. The popcorn, tho, is like $500 dollars.
:D

Alex

08-18-2009, 11:47 AM

Speaking of TCM, do they show film uncut? We're wanting to catch Coppola's The Conversation, it's airing on TCM. But if they edit movies we'll just wait for netflix.

The schedule says it will be 114 minutes long. IMDb says the movie is 113 minutes long so I'd assume it is uncut. It is also letterboxed so no pan and scan.

Gemini Cricket

08-18-2009, 11:51 AM

The Conversation! Wonderful film. I liked it a lot.
I've seen a ton of films on TCM and don't remember any of them being cut (for length, content etc). I don't remember where they stand on films with adult language but I remember seeing a few films with the swearing in tact.

innerSpaceman

08-18-2009, 11:56 AM

One of my local Culver City theaters has self-serve soft drinks. And the popcorn is only $459.99!

Snowflake

08-18-2009, 12:06 PM

The schedule says it will be 114 minutes long. IMDb says the movie is 113 minutes long so I'd assume it is uncut. It is also letterboxed so no pan and scan.

TCM shows films in original format and uncut.

Bornieo: Fully Loaded

08-18-2009, 12:07 PM

Mine's free but I am they're slave...

Snowflake

08-18-2009, 12:14 PM

I actually liked a lot of the Marion Davies films they showcased on TCM. I thought she was pretty danged funny.

Back to Duel in the Sun, there's so much wrong about this film. Too long, too slow and Jennifer Jones had too much tanning makeup on. I think one of the most horrible things of the film is the advertisement for the film in the film at the beginning. "Duel in the Sun... two years in the making..." etc Oy vey. Which producer allowed that? Once they're sitting in the seats, they don't need to be convinced to come see the movie.
And as much as I love Lillian Gish and Lionel Barrymore, the scene had the opposite effect on me. The film makes me chuckle. It just feels soooo over the top sad that it makes me giggle.

Ah, Joseph Cotten. Sometimes I watch the couple of films he and Orson Wells are in and wonder if Wells had the hots for him. Just my gaydar working overtime, I think.

Davies was very funny and talented. But the release of Citizen Kane really did her career legacy damage that is, thanks to TCM, that's changing.

David O. Selznick was the producer and was legendary for his meddling ways on his films. A real Type A personality and one with severe control issues, especially when it came to Jennifer Jones. Besides, Selznick was convinced this would be greater than Gone with the Wind. It sure as hell wasn't. Lust in the Dust is a moniker that still sticks. However, like Wyler's Ben Hur, or De Mille's silly as hell 10 Commandments, this is Grade A #1 cheese and can be really loads of fun when you are in the mood for it.

Lionel is such a sh!t through most of the film, the final scene moves me when he crys out "Laurabelle" those damned Barrymores, exquisite ham.

I agree on Jennifer being doused in too much make up, but her growling and grunting as Pearl, well not my taste. Still loads of fun, and may I add, Gregory Peck was a hottie as a cowboy. Rowr.

JWBear

08-18-2009, 12:18 PM

Mine's free but I am there slave...

...their slave...

(Sorry, but that is one of the grammar mistakes that shreds my nerves.)

innerSpaceman

08-18-2009, 03:03 PM

Nope, they keep him down as part of the underclass by learning him bad grammars on the job.

Ghoulish Delight

08-19-2009, 04:28 PM

:iSm::iSm::iSm::iSm::iSm::iSm::iSm:
Deleted Scene from Close Encounters (http://www.boingboing.net/2009/08/19/deleted-scene-from-c.html)
:iSm::iSm::iSm::iSm::iSm::iSm::iSm:

innerSpaceman

08-19-2009, 05:17 PM

Thanks for the uber-:iSm: alerts, but of course that's not one of the two missing scenes I'll go to my grave insisting were in the original. (And once I go to my grave, they will be erased from all recorded and imaginary history).

That's a scene that was never in the film, and not even one of the more interesting ones. Close Encounters is really marvelous for what was judiciously left on the editing room floor. In particular, Spielberg seems to have filmed every second of Roy Neary's travels on the night of the electrical blackout. That he edited this down to one of cinema's most arresting segments is quite a feat.

(My favorite deleted scene is a garden party that the Nearys have the afternoon after Roy's close encounter. It's a total hoot. Great DVD extra.)

Ghoulish Delight

08-19-2009, 08:15 PM

I knew it wasn't either of your oft mentioned scenes, which is why I put it on high atomic alert. It wasn't clear from the post whether or not it was a newly surfaced find or not so I thought you'd want to know, just in case.

innerSpaceman

08-19-2009, 10:29 PM

I really appreciate that, truly.

Sigh, I hate being (apparently) the only one on the planet who KNOWS those two scenes were in the original movie.

Well, me and that other Steven ... but I guess he's not talking.

Andrew

08-19-2009, 10:30 PM

What are the two missing scenes?

(If one of them is a building with U F O in window lights, I'm there with you.)

Eliza Hodgkins 1812

08-19-2009, 10:54 PM

I'll just ditto everything LS said about Julia & Julie (the movie, not the books on which its based since I haven't read those).

District 9 is original and amazing, emotional and intelligent, heart racing and heart stopping. There were times when I was actually at the edge of my seat biting my fingers, and I was not the only one. One dude to our left kept scooting closer and closer to the screen. It was a very well written and substantial story. As said elsewhere by Jesse (or friend of Jesse), most alien movies are about what they would do to us; this movie asks what we would do to them.

I'm sure it had an outlined script but my understanding is a lot of the work was improvised. They filmed a ton of footage, much of it landing on the cutting room floor. Really looking forward to the DVD extras. I like that the scene from the teaser trailer wasn't in the movie, though I suspect it's some of the footage that was shot for the film and later cut.

Was so moved and convinced by the lead alien character I couldn't see it ("it" because I don't think gender was defined) - or any of them - as anything other than very, very real. So impressed that they were able to accomplish something like that with only CGI and sound effects.

Can't really sing praises loud enough for Sharlto Copley.

Gemini Cricket

08-21-2009, 09:22 PM

Speaking of TCM, do they show film uncut? We're wanting to catch Coppola's The Conversation, it's airing on TCM. But if they edit movies we'll just wait for netflix.
I watched The Conversation on TCM and it appeared to be in tact. Also, Mississippi Burning played right after it and I guarantee the movie is uncut. The f's and the n's are all there. (Wow, what a powerful film. I forgot that Frances McDormand was in it.)

Ghoulish Delight

08-21-2009, 10:09 PM

Just watched it ourselves. What a GREAT movie.

Cadaverous Pallor

08-22-2009, 07:52 AM

The Conversation is the first 70's drama I've seen that doesn't bore me. (Yes, that includes The Godfather, so sue me.) Starts intriguing and remains so throughout. Damn, Hackman was amazing. Great costuming, sets, photography, casting.....near-perfect movie making.

Alex

08-22-2009, 08:29 AM

Inglourious Basterds surprised me. I won't say it is a great film though it does have several Tarantino-standard dialogscenes that are worth the money. Particularly the opening prelude and then another scene later in a bar.

Considering that the only thing most people are talking about is the brutality and explicitness of the violence I was suprised as just how little of it there is in the movie (though it is matter of factly brutal when it does). The greatest thing about it though, as someone who sees a lot of movies, is that I had absolutely no idea where it was going and so truly was just along for the ride.

That's not a feeling I get very often.

Also liked that they didn't shy away from the language issues a movie set in European WWII should have when most of the characters is French or German. The result is that much of the movie is subtitled but that doesn't bother me at all. Christoph Waltz had to speak four languages through the movie and it is my understanding that only the Italian was faked.

Also liked that for the most part everybody, good or bad, was treated as intelligent beings. And that everybody, good or bad, were treated as somewhat couragesous.

Ghoulish Delight

08-22-2009, 09:29 PM

Son of a bitch, why has no one mentioned the heavy use of shaky-cam in District 9.

Had to bail after about 30 minutes, for the sake of the other theater goers who, I presume, would not appreciate the smell (and possibly feel for an unlucky few) of vomit. :(

Does the shaky cam stop at some point?

Alex

08-23-2009, 01:46 AM

No. But I had barely noticed it, which is why I didn't mention it. Didn't seem that bad to me.

innerSpaceman

08-23-2009, 09:26 AM

Sorry, I forgot your shaky-camnesia. I didn't notice it either, but yeah, now that you mention it.

But hey, did you know Ponyo is available in the original Japanese on DVD or via download?

Cadaverous Pallor

08-23-2009, 09:50 AM

But hey, did you know Ponyo is available in the original Japanese on DVD or via download?I saw this mentioned before but I thought it was pirated. Hmm, we don't buy much in movies but the ability to see this now would be nice...

District 9 was definitely intriguing me, though I found the subject matter hard to watch, much like watching documentaries on war torn and impoverished regions (obviously the intent). I think that while GD is more sensitive to shaky cam than others, I'm more sensitive than others regarding human inability to deal with these situations in a manner that leads to peace. I was flinching away, and kept thinking, "I'm going to watch 2 hours of this?". When GD said he needed to leave I was fine with doing so.

I would like to know what happens...so I guess the shaky cam doesn't stop at any time in the film? I may just have to read a synopsis.

flippyshark

08-23-2009, 09:58 AM

Oof - I'm now putting off my plans to see District 9. I am also shaky-cam-averse. (I had to take a lengthy break during Cloverfield, which I otherwise kind of liked, and the less said about Blair Witch the better)

- Note to H'wood and indie filmmakers alike - Shaky Cam is over so STOP IT already.

Strangler Lewis

08-23-2009, 11:39 AM

I was okay with Blair Witch, but I nearly puked watching Unzipped from the second row.

wendybeth

08-23-2009, 11:58 AM

Shaky cam was annoying, but it settles down as the movie revs up- 'documentary cam' doesn't follow the main characters around as the main storyline gets going. It's primarily a device to use epilogue as a prologue, etc. The rest of the movie is shot like 'Saving Private Ryan', etc- some erratic camera movements when things are going to hell, but for the most part not too nauseating. That's how I remember it, anyway- but I did spend most of the time trying to cover Tori's eyes. :D

Great movie. I felt like I'd had the shyt beat out of me by movie's end, but it really was incredible.

Gemini Cricket

08-23-2009, 01:27 PM

Ghoulish Delight

08-23-2009, 05:07 PM

I like shaky cam actually. If it's used right, it can give a film a certain feel, a documentary-type feel that I like. I usually sit as far away from the screen as I can, tho.
Cloverfield was the most use of shaky cam that I can remember, Blair Witch, too.
I understand the creative reason to use it, it just disqualifies me from being able to watch the film.

I am particularly sensitive to it, no matter the screen size or how far I am from it. If the opening sequence of Strange Days had been much longer I would have had to bail. For the same reasons, I can't play 1st person shooter video games.

I somehow managed to make it through Blair Witch with dramamine, but even with the dramamine and a lot of time closing my eyes and taking deep breaths, it was not exactly pleasant and not something I'd want to repeat. Thus I skipped Cloverfield alltogether.

I was really enjoying District 9 (well, as much as one can be said to be "enjoying" that), so I'm bummed. I don't recall Saving Private Ryan being a problem, so perhaps when it hits DVD I'll try again, skipping what we already saw and taking viewing breaks if need be.

The theater was nice enough to give us passes to come back another day, so some time soon we'll be seeing Inglorious Basterds. That is assuming we don't learn that IT'S full of shaky-cam too.

CoasterMatt

08-23-2009, 05:31 PM

I wish I could say I skipped Cloverfield.

LSPoorEeyorick

08-23-2009, 08:33 PM

I didn't notice the shakycam whatsoever. How close were you guys sitting to the screen? If you went to a megatheater (like the Chinese or the Dome) I doubt it would even register. It'll be fine on DVD.

Ghoulish Delight

08-23-2009, 10:03 PM

No, I know myself, it won't be fine on DVD.

Gemini Cricket

08-24-2009, 02:21 AM

GD ~ Did you have the same problem with Waking Life? I did. I moved back and still threw up. Not shaky cam necessarily but the constant moving of the background etc.

Ghoulish Delight

08-24-2009, 07:27 AM

No, Waking Life didn't bother me.

Cadaverous Pallor

08-24-2009, 07:47 AM

To vouch for GD - we weren't very close to the screen at all.

innerSpaceman

08-24-2009, 09:52 AM

Ponyo has no skaky cam, and is available legit at Amazon. (The download is a pirate of the legit-released DVD.)

flippyshark

08-24-2009, 01:26 PM

I just go backl from the English language Ponyo - I can't say anything about it that won't sound unbelievably sappy - but it felt cleansing in its simplicity, beauty and uncynical humanity. Just a small story, not a big emotional roller-coaster, but between the gorgeous drawings and Joe Hisaishi's score, I spent most of my time quietly leaking out of the corners of my eyes while smiling. So, I can't wait to see it in its original nihongo. (Though, as dubs go, this one was very well done.)

flippyshark

08-24-2009, 01:29 PM

(Oh, but PS - there is a terrible dance remix of the title song in the end credits, complete with a Jonas brother and some other Disney tween clone - I'd be surprised if that is in the original soundtrack in any form.)

innerSpaceman

08-24-2009, 02:05 PM

I love the end credits song (before the dance mix). Now I want to do a Mermaid mix tape with The Mermaid Song from Tokyo Disney, some obligatory tune from The Little Mermaid and the Ponyo catchy end credits song. Um, that's 3.

Well, a really brief mix tape.

I found the expository elements of the fairy tale to be beyond sappy, and the main boy character didn't grab me at all. Generally speaking, I prefer the one's without little children, but this was delightful. Visually outstanding.

Gemini Cricket

08-27-2009, 01:42 AM

I
loved
District 9!

It's a great film. Go see it. Uh, you know, if you can. There is a TON of shaky cam. But I must admit (me sitting against the wall below the projector window) it didn't bother me too much. In fact, as I was saying before I really liked it. If it didn't have it, the movie wouldn't have been as good, imho. I felt the same way about Cloverfield. The documentary feel of this movie sells it.

A couple of times I talked about grit in a movie that makes it believable, this one is has a lot of it. Casting unknown actors was also a huge plus.

One review said it had you riveted from the very beginning to the end, I would have to agree totally.

It didn't ever get cheesy either. At least not to me. As soon as it started heading there, Blomkamp cuts away from the scene. Nicely done.

The movie gets props for terrific use of editing, visual effects (they knew that the mother ship did not need to be in focus and properly lit 100% of the time) and sound effects (I've seen thousands of films and I actually thought someone was talking in the theater, realizing that it was Copley's voice).

It did take me awhile to get into the groove with the prawns. At first, the seemed comical and out of place. But that quickly changed for me.

Some of it was reminiscent of Aliens for me, but all in all I loved it.

Wasn't thrilled by the 'I'm going to eat your arm' scene, but by that time the movie had already scored major points with me that it didn't bother me too much.

Cadaverous Pallor

08-27-2009, 08:38 AM

Finally got around to Be Kind Rewind. This seemed to be two different movies in one - a tribute to pop culture film and a tribute to a jazz musician. These themes didn't mesh well and by the end when the jazz stuff was heavy and sugary, I was annoyed that it was edging out the pop culture fun.

Also - it began rather cartoony, with Jack Black's accident seeming like something out of Ghostbusters itself, but by the end it was way too real and serious. Too much variation in tone.

Enjoyable anyway, but left me wanting more fun.

innerSpaceman

08-27-2009, 09:58 AM

I finally got around to Were the World Mine ... the movie who's trailer intrigued me when we saw Repo: The Genetic Opera. I think I liked that trailer better than the feature (sorry, GD).

But I found the movie really boring and fell asleep. Too soon, I guess. I'm glad I gave it a second chance last night when I was more awake. After a slow start, it really becomes the charmer I was looking forward to.

A gay teen always picked on at the all-boys prep school he attends (no this isn't a porn film) lands the role of Puck in a school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. While rehearsing the role, he concocts his own brew of gay love potion and accidentally doses his straight best friend. When that works to unfortunate results, he tries for better ones with the hottie guy from the Rugby team he lusts after. Then he doses the entire cast of the play. And then many people about town. Everyone goes gay for a day, and sweet hijinks ensue.

:D

Eliza Hodgkins 1812

08-27-2009, 06:16 PM

Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist: I thought Michael Cera was lovely and most of the cast enjoyable to watch. The story was so-so, and for a movie so focused on music I kind of felt like music took too much of a backseat. HATED the drunk girl vomits and chews vomit gum bits. HATED. And the decision to make the girl that dumps Cera's character such a movie-typical hot teen bitch was really disappointing.

Gigantic: Starring Paul Dano who mostly wasted away here. The only person with any energy in this film was John Goodman, and this very-not-so-great movie was worth it just for his scenes. Zooey D. was the Zooey D. she always is when she isn't awesomely singing, and mostly I just wanted to steal her clothes. There was a subplot involving Zach Galifianakis that was really out of place, adding a "Fight Club" is this guy nuts question mark that is never answered and, based on how the rest of the film played out, really should have been. Quirky fluff that never delivers, again, minus Goodman.

flippyshark

08-27-2009, 09:48 PM

Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist: HATED the drunk girl vomits and chews vomit gum bits. HATED.

Yep - completely killed the movie for me.

Gemini Cricket

08-28-2009, 11:36 AM

innerSpaceman

08-28-2009, 12:35 PM

Can I just say that Isaac and nirvanaman are now officially members of Western Civilization, having successfully seen Singin' in the Rain at long last, last weekend.

Gabba Gabba, gentlemen, we accept you.

Yes, we accept you. One.Of.Us.

Snowflake

08-28-2009, 01:01 PM

Singin in the Rain and On the Town:
Can I just say that these movies are absolutely wonderful and hysterical? That Gene Kelly, not only was he a great dancer but he had an incredible sense of humor, too.
:)

And Jean Hagen was absolutely under-utilized by MGM in comedy. She was glorious as Lina Lamont (YOU can't make a fool outta Lina Lamont, YOU can't make a LAUGHINGSTOCK outta Lina Lamont. A glowing and shimmering star in the cinema firmament, it says so, right there.....).

Also, Donald O'Connor was no slouch when it came to dancing.

Gemini Cricket

08-28-2009, 01:03 PM

Singin' in the Rain is a movie that always makes me happy. And I can watch the scene where Lina flies head over heels when her mic cord gets pulled over and over and over. It makes me laugh a lot.
:D

Gee, this is dumb! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6jsXQm5IrM)

Gemini Cricket

08-28-2009, 01:25 PM

One of these days I'm going to write an essay about the "Singin' in the Rain" sequence of "Singin' in the Rain". The song and the accompanying scene has been glorified and parodied to the point where it's become tired in some people's eyes. But it's a great song. It's about smiling amidst adversity. It's a rebellious song. That is why I love it. Being happy while things around you may not be so great is a wonderful message. His small interaction with the cop is f*cking priceless. The cop is trying to get him to stop and maybe he does for now but he's still unapologetically smiling and singing and is so happy he doesn't freakin' need his umbrella any more and gives it away to someone who needs it. Seriously, folks, the man was inspired.

AND to make it pertinent to LoT, Lisa has a cameo in this scene. In the window of the perfume store. There's an ad there featuring a glamorous, fashionable redhead surrounded by cats. lol!

*ETA: Well, they look like cats. But upon viewing it again, I'm not sure. lol

SITR (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmCpOKtN8ME)