Miscellaneous Movie Musings [Archive] - Page 9

innerSpaceman

04-25-2007, 11:06 PM

Heheh, speaking of The King and I ... I had an odd movie thing happen over the past week.

zapppop called me just after seeing 300 for the first time. His roommate, Gemini Cricket, wanted to see it again on Imax for some unfathomable reason :D , and took zapp with him. I got a text after the movie to the effect of, "that was so homo." And the person I was with when I got the text (my daughter, Shanti) got into a conversation with me about how flaming-queenlike the Persian Emperor Xerxes was portrayed in that film.

Even though Xerxes was shown to have nothing but female sex slaves in his rather debauched traveling hareem, it was pretty clear to us that he was as gay or gayer than the typical beefcake-loving fan of the movie 300.

What does this have to do with The King and I? Well, nothing ... precisely. But just after that conversation about gay Xerxes, I come home to find in my Netflix envelope a movie called One Night with the King. It's the story of the Jewish holiday of Purim, and the legend of Esther - who marries the Persian King and uses her influence to save all the jews in Persia from an extinction edict.

Oddly, though ... they changed the King in the movie from Ahasuerus to Xerxes ... the same Xerxes from 300 (though played decidedly less gay, and much more gay-appealing Spartan-bodied) - even though this movie was made about a year before 300.

I just found that a very odd thing to do, and certainly a very odd coincidence. And I found blueerica's noting of The King and I another tiny coincidence when I came to this thread to post about One Night with the King.

That is all.

oh, except that I was also surprisingly entertained by A Night at the Museum ... really a much better movie than One Night with the King.

wendybeth

04-25-2007, 11:19 PM

In keeping with the royal turn of this thread, I finally saw 'The Queen' last night. Liked it, thought Helen Mirren was deserving of her Oscar, but the choice for Philip was odd. (Maybe he was chosen for his name- Cromwell...) I like James Cromwell, but I'm not sure he was right for the part. Charles comes across as odd and wimpy as I expect he is in real life, and the actor who played Blair did a decent job, although they laid on the 'everyman' a bit thick- I mean, does anyone believe Tony Blair does the dishes after dinner?:rolleyes:

Gemini Cricket

04-26-2007, 06:33 PM

I watched 'The Queen' last night too. And I'm not talking about zapppop. :D

I love Helen Mirren. Love love love. She's third only to Dame Judi and Dame Maggie.

I also have the hots for the guy playing Tony Blair.
:)

blueerica

04-26-2007, 08:11 PM

I like coincidences.

CoasterMatt

04-26-2007, 08:25 PM

I like fresh maple bacon on vanilla ice cream...

Babette

04-27-2007, 09:21 PM

I just saw The Invisible this afternoon. I really thought it was going to be more suspenseful, mysterious and clever. It was ok to good for the first 2/3 but then it just got lame. One thing that saved it was Justin Chatwin (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0154226/). He should be sold with popcorn at the snackbar - yum-mee!

The girl with the beenie, no beenie, beenie with hoodie, hoodie only, hair deal was totally lame.

I have to say all through the movie I was thinking "awesome music". 30 Seconds to Mars, Snow Patrol, Remy Zero, Deathcab for Cutie just to name a few artists. I want to get the soundtrack.

Alex

04-28-2007, 06:42 AM

I expected to review The Invisible for MousePlanet but then they decided not to do press screenings. So I just assumed it would be crap. I like that they still put together the press publicity package though I'm not sure who will be using it without screenings.

Second time this year Disney has skipped on screenings.

We're in a lull at work so I skipped out for two long lunches this last week and saw:

Vacancy - Not particularly scary or suspenseful and really serving no purpose. But I did admire it for its simplicity and straightforwardness. It does not try to be bigger or more important than it is. Plus I love Frank Whaley for some reason. Luke Wilson looks like he's on some kind of steroid treatment that has put on 30 pounds of water weight. Getting very chubby in the face.

Next - I think Philip K. Dick is the teflon of book-to-movie adaptations. No matter what things are going to slide and a great movie is impossible. Sure there have been a couple decent ones (Blade Runner, Minority Report) but most suck outright. The idea of Nicolas Cage being able to see and respond to events 2 minutes in the future is intriguing but is inconsistently implemented and beyond a few sight gags and Groundhogs Day option examinations isn't really explored. Jessica Biel is pretty though. Sadly , Julianne Moore just completely fisfired on this one, completely overplaying her tough-as-nails FBI agent role.

Ad then it wraps up with the ultimate, rightfully, derided movie ending.

If you have any interest at all in either, wait for DVD.

innerSpaceman

04-28-2007, 08:10 AM

One I wish I hadn't waited for DVD for was Notes on a Scandal. I finally saw it, and I loved it.

Judi Dench should stop playing agreeable, cheeky old dames and take on much more total evil bitch roles. She was fantastic!

The story moved right along at a perfect clip, the script was clever, and the music by Philip Glass was beautiful and haunting.

As I understand it, the piece was adapated from a novel told entirely in first person, as diary entries. As such, I think they did a great job adapting it to film and retaining a sense of that. Voice-over was the obvious choice, and they didn't overdo it. Mostly, though, they got that first-person feeling by keeping the camera on Judi Dench's character (whereas a lesser director might have thought the effect could be best achieved by sticking to her P.O.V.). And, well, since Dench was an absolute malevolent marvel to behold, the choice was excellent all round.

wendybeth

04-29-2007, 08:49 PM

We saw Blades of Glory today, and I was surprised by how funny it was. It's been a long time since I've heard so much laughter in a theater audience, and it kept up pretty much all the way through the show. Maybe it's because we're a skating-obsessed town, but it really was hilarious. One of the actors, Craig T. Nelson, is from Spokane- he used to hang out with my former stepdad years ago.

blueerica

04-29-2007, 10:35 PM

Alex

04-29-2007, 10:49 PM

Where?

Unless it catches fire on word of mouth it'll pretty much be out of first run theaters by the end of May. It'll probably be starting to kick around second run by then.

It didn't open wide but the second weekend upped the screens by 50% and the per screen average dropped to a pedestrian $3,700.

There are going to be quite a few big opening action movies opening in the next month, all fighting for screens and, to a large degree, the same audience.

You might be able to find it (and maybe word of mouth will kick in), but I wouldn't count on it.

To give a sense, my local multiplex s currently showing 21 different movies. Only three of which have been out for six weekends (which would be necessary for Hot Fuzz to make the end of May). Wild Hogs and 300 are hits. Meet the Robinsons is only getting afternoon screenings for the kids. And it isn't nearly so crowded now as it will be in a month.

innerSpaceman

05-05-2007, 12:34 AM

Alas, Spider-Man 3 does not deserve its own thread. :(

A very mixed bag, I found it to be a crappy film that was highly entertaining. Too many villains is the first problem, a somber story involving Mary Jane soap-operatics is the other.

The mid-section, though, of bad Peter Parker loving the dark side of Spider-Man, geeking out throughout Gotham in the series' funniest interlude ... was almost worth the price of admission for the laughs.

Ultimately, though ... the film falls flat after that. The fight scenes were too frenetic, trying so hard to top efforts from the previous films that I felt like I caught A.D.D. just watching them.

There were some entertaining performances though. James Franco was yummy as Harry Osborn, Topher Grace fun as Edie Brock / Venom, and Bryce Dallas Howard redeeming herself as Spidey's new love interest, Gwen. Thomas Hayden Church was appropriately meloncholy as The Sandman ... but of all the multiple villains, his was the part that should have been cut. Unlike the other characters, he had zero to do with the plot of the film ... and after a big set up for his character, he disappears till the overblown and unaffecting big showdown that was a giant yawn.

I think the best part of the film actually came before the movie started. The Cinerama Dome is a class act, since they have live announcers start off the proceedings by touting the cast of the film, and reminding everyone to turn off their cell phones and pagers.

Tonight's guest announcer was none other than Tobey Maguire. :snap:

thecorndogwalker

05-05-2007, 06:45 AM

Who here thinks Hot Fuzz will make it (in theaters) until the end of May... I'm waiting to see it with the boy, at his suggestion. To be fair, the movie has done very well in the U.K.

Your opinion is vital.

;)

I saw "Hot Fuzz" last week and I enjoyed it. It wasnt as good as Shawn of the Dead, but it was cute. Simon Pegg is a good actor and he and Nick Frost got that whole buddy thing down. It had some funny moments. If you ever been to a sleepy English town you will get some big chuckles.

During my experience seeing it, I only saw adults in the theater, I didnt see many kids or teens. So maybe its only attracting adults?

Alex

05-05-2007, 07:47 AM

My biggest complaint with the first two Spider-Man movies (I really liked the first, didn't care much for the second) was that for all the money spend the CGI was very poor, looking like video game cut scenes. Any improvement on that front?

The Metreon in San Francisco tried live announcers for a while but I think they stopped because the audience (every time) first ignored, then taunted, then laughed at the poor young kid forced to do it.

innerSpaceman

05-05-2007, 09:47 AM

I think the effects were better (certainly than the first film) ... but overplayed their hand so much that the actions portrayed screamed FX louder than lousy effects.

I'm glad Hollywood audiences are generally more polite to the poor kid who tells them to turn off their cell phones. It's fun that some major talent from the film being screened usually attends the opening show or shows in this town ... but this is the first time I've ever had one sub in for the usher.

Heheh, he had to say "Spider-Man 3, starring Tobey Maguire" with a straight face.

Eliza Hodgkins 1812

05-06-2007, 05:56 PM

I had a lukewarm reaction to the first Spiderman, loved the second, and actually thought, "How embarrassing!" for most of the 3rd. It was, on the whole, a bad movie. And though I too really, really loved the Geek out baddie moments with Peter Parker, it was followed up by that horrible restaurant scene. I was entertained at times, but bored silly during others. I felt every minute I was sitting in the theater. Ah, well.

Alex

05-09-2007, 06:49 AM

I can't believe how actively bad Spider-Man 3 is. It isn't just standard lame but entertaining popcorn movie fare, it is actually bad.

It was like watching a young power hitter who is sure he has the next pitch figured. Misses completely, spins himself around, and falls down. I had no doubt that Sam Raimi could do "not good" but am shocked that he can do "really sucky."

innerSpaceman

05-09-2007, 06:50 AM

And yet, like Pirates 2 ... it's broken all box office records and is thus considered uber-popular. When two of the worst movies make the most money ever ... it's nothing but incentive to make films that suck.

Alex

05-09-2007, 07:07 AM

Well, I don't agree that Pirates 2 sucked but the incentive goes back a lot farther. And it hasn't broken all box office records, just the records for opening weekend which is a testament to marketing and hype not quality and popularity.

It'll be interesting to see how it holds up since so far I haven't run into a single person who has seen it and had much positive to say about it. By opening on over 10,000 screens did they blow their wad opening weekend? Will next weekend's drop be 50%? 70%? more?

A possible sign of things is the box office number for for Monday. Pirates 2 had a similar opening three-day as Spider-Man 3 and then made $18 million on its first Monday. Spider-Man 3 only made $10 million and will probably fall behind the pace of Pirates on Wednesday.

The theater I was in last night had maybe 12 people in it.

innerSpaceman

05-09-2007, 07:45 AM

And it may have made $380 million instantly ... but with it's reported $280 mil production cost and figuring more than the average $100 mil marketing costs ... it's barely broken even. And huge opening numbers mean simply that everyone who wanted to see it, saw it right away. And word of mouth is, as Alex pointed out, quite crappy. Repeat viewings and latecomers will be harder to come by.

The money will be all in the DVD, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Heck, I didn't even like the film ... and I'll be tempted to buy it, simply to complete my Spider-Man "collection."

But I'm not going to see Pirates 3 ... unless and until I hear from reliable sources that a miracle has happened and that series has been saved.

Cadaverous Pallor

05-09-2007, 10:08 AM

Ok, cool, I'm now ok with not seeing this in the theater. GD is really happy right now ;)

mousepod

05-09-2007, 10:28 AM

When Howard Stern raved about how great the movie was last Thursday, I got nervous. As much as I find his show entertaining, I have zero respect for his taste in pop culture - bad metal music, "dancing with the stars" etc. Being a comic fan and an admirer of most things Raimi (I don't have much of an appetite for the Hercules/Xena stuff) - I'll probably hit a matinée this weekend. I know I'll regret it.

Snowflake

05-09-2007, 10:32 AM

I can't believe it, it seems I've missed Meet the Robinsons in the theaters.
I should see Spiderman, but the reviews here on LoT do nothing to encourage me and beyond the Kevin Brownlow screening, I could not really get worked up for the SF International Film Festival (though I probably should have).

All the good movies that are new to DVD are still on LONG wait or VERY LONG WAIT in my netflix queue......

Ghoulish Delight

05-09-2007, 10:32 AM

...an admirer of most things Raimi (I don't have much of an appetite for the Hercules/Xena stuff) - I'll probably hit a matinée this weekend. I know I'll regret it.Being a similarly minded Raimi fan, the first one entertained me, the second one disappointed me. I have zero hope for this one.

Am I happy? Well, I would have much rather it be a good movie that I want to go see, but knowing that it's going to be bad, yes I'm happy I don't have to go sit through it in a theater.

katiesue

05-09-2007, 10:41 AM

We saw Meet the Robinsons this weekend. It was fun. Maddy loved it but I'm not sure it has a lot of repeatability. I'm sure we'll own it on DVD. We kept the 3d glasses just for that purpose.

Alex

05-09-2007, 10:49 AM

I'm going to have to go watch A Simple Plan to remind myself of what Raimi is capable of.

Ghoulish Delight

05-09-2007, 10:52 AM

This (http://imdb.com/title/tt0434020/) is...intriguing.

Gn2Dlnd

05-09-2007, 10:57 AM

I'll probably hit a matinée this weekend. I know I'll regret it.

I read this as. "I'll probably hit a manatee this weekend."

I know I'd regret it. OH, THE HUGE MANATEE!

mousepod

05-09-2007, 11:12 AM

I read this as. "I'll probably hit a manatee this weekend."

I know I'd regret it. OH, THE HUGE MANATEE!

Ouch. On so many different levels.

Cadaverous Pallor

05-09-2007, 11:53 AM

This (http://imdb.com/title/tt0434020/) is...intriguing.There is no way that will be good. F'n remakes. :rolleyes:

Prudence

05-09-2007, 12:12 PM

I'm going to a movie tomorrow evening. I have no idea what we're going to see, as there doesn't seem to be much out right now that's worth seeing. any suggestions?

Ghoulish Delight

05-09-2007, 12:17 PM

There is no way that will be good. F'n remakes. :rolleyes:
Normally I'd agree, but Evil Dead II? And the fact that this is listed as a remake of Within the Woods is particularly fascinating. What the hell does that mean? The original Evil Dead was a remake of Within the Woods to begin with. And Evil Dead II was a remake of THAT (don't let the II fool you, it was a remake not a sequel), and then THAT had a sequel. All by Raimi (I know you know this, Jen, just thinking out loud here). So I'm rather intrigued by a remake of a movie that's been remade twice already.

Ghoulish Delight

05-09-2007, 12:19 PM

I'm going to a movie tomorrow evening. I have no idea what we're going to see, as there doesn't seem to be much out right now that's worth seeing. any suggestions?If you can find it, Waitress is supposed to be excellent.

Alex

05-09-2007, 12:55 PM

Everything I've heard is that it is in development hell and is unlikely to ever proceed.

Ponine

05-09-2007, 01:26 PM

Waitress???
It's not in development hell. (At least I dont think so)
It was reviewed on Ropert and whatever last week. THey saw it.
I swear I saw a release date.

eta: limited on 5/2

Ghoulish Delight

05-09-2007, 01:28 PM

Waitress???
No its not. (At least I dont think so)
It was reviewed on Ropert and whatever last week. THey saw it.
I swear I saw a release date.

I believe he was referring to the Evil Dead project we were discussing in the previous posts.

Ponine

05-09-2007, 01:29 PM

I believe he was referring to the Evil Dead project we were discussing in the previous posts.

I didnt make that leap with him.
that can stay in development hell. :p

Though there was an article that referred to it recently.... I wonder where.

Alex

05-09-2007, 01:31 PM

Yeah, sorry about that. Maybe it has changed recently but I've been hearing about the remake of Evil Dead for a long time with no real progress.

I may have to re-evaluate Spider-Man 3. Since little in the last 20 years has indicated that George Lucas is anything other than completely wrong in his sense of movie quality this quote from him on Spider-Man 3 indicates it must be a great movie:

"It's silly. It's a silly movie," he said. "There just isn't much there. Once you take it all apart, there's not much story, is there?"

Alex

05-09-2007, 01:50 PM

Yep, Spider-Man is already off the lead for the "Most ever after X days" race.

It finished the weekend with a $16 million lead over Dead Man's Chest but that is all gone. Pirates had $169.5 million after five days and Spider-Man has $169.4 and will fall farther behind today and tomorrow.

But school was out for Pirates so maybe Spider-Man will come on strong over the weekend. Hope not, though.

BarTopDancer

05-09-2007, 02:07 PM

But I'm not going to see Pirates 3 ... unless and until I hear from reliable sources that a miracle has happened and that series has been saved.

Ok, cool, I'm now ok with not seeing this in the theater. GD is really happy right now ;)

We're going to go see a midnight showing - so you'll all know if it's good or has massive sucktude before you go to work ;)

BarTopDancer

05-09-2007, 02:08 PM

Finally saw Thank You for Smoking.

It was really good.

Prudence

05-09-2007, 03:56 PM

Uggh. Apparently my options are spidey 3 or blades of glory.

Alex

05-09-2007, 04:45 PM

Try this excuse:

But if we see either of those now, our next flight will suck all the more for sitting through a crappy movie we've already seen.

Not Afraid

05-09-2007, 06:02 PM

Waitress is probably the ONLY film I'm interested in at the moment - in theaters at least.

We returned to watching our lonely Netflix selections. The Illusionist and Marie Antoinette were recent viewings. I liked them both for very different reasons, but neither were fantastic. Both had good soundtracks, though,

NickO'Time

05-09-2007, 08:26 PM

We enjoyed Night at the Museum so we picked it up at our local "mom and pop" video store for 10 dollars. They had a few used widescreen copies available, so we jumped at the chance. :snap: :cool:
It's the only movie where I can stand Ben Stiller.

CoasterMatt

05-09-2007, 10:25 PM

I'm not really eager to see Pirates 3 - Especially since I read the movie storybook at Disneyland. If the last line of the movie is the same as the last line in that book, I am going to boo! louder than any Matterhorn scream, and throw rotten garbage at the screen.

Speaking of rotting garbage, Spiderman 3 - if I get to see Sam Raimi at a con, I'm gonna ask
"Who are you, and what have you done with Sam Raimi?!?"

Cadaverous Pallor

05-10-2007, 07:51 AM

We haven't touched our Netflix in months, due to the Wii. Our Misc Musings have kind of petered out...

Gemini Cricket

05-10-2007, 08:52 AM

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/hairspray460.jpg
Travolta as Edna Turnblad in "Hairspray".
:D

Bornieo: Fully Loaded

05-10-2007, 11:19 AM

Saw SPidey 3 in IMAX last night. It was good - not great but good. Truely better than X-Men trilogy, Daredevel, Hulk and the such. Worst of the 3 Spidey movies.

I think it suffered the "Batman&Robin" syndrome where they tried to stuff too much into one film - a ton of waisted characters and moments. And I have to agree with Matt this is Sam Rami's worst directed film. It was very "auto pilot" and there was nothing of the charm that I love about his films.

With all the dissapointment there was a glimmer of goodness about the film in that it was fun and had excellent FX. I think seeing it in the big IMAX format was a huge plus for me.

Spidey 3 gets 6 bornieo's out of 10

Alex

05-10-2007, 11:35 AM

Bornieo: Fully Loaded

05-10-2007, 11:50 AM

I'm really surprised when I see people say the FX were great. Are there two versions of the Spider-Man movies floating around and I keep getting the bad FX version?

That was why the fight between Parker and Harry in Harry's place was the best action in the movie. It actually managed to look like real people were involved and not just computers.

Well, compared to 99% of most FX in films now-a-days, which for the most part looks like crap, I would say it was up there and looked fantastic. The Sandman stuff where he was "forming" was very nice - similar to the first "new" Mummy film.

innerSpaceman

05-10-2007, 12:57 PM

I have to agree with Alex about the effects. The fight between Harry and Peter at Harry's place was gritty and great, while the opening fight between them as Goblin Jr. and Spidey was overblown, confusing, effects-bloated retardation.

That said, I think the effects in the 2nd film were great. The fight between Spidey and Doc Oc that started in the bank with the clever gag of gold coins flying everywhere, and then segued to Aunt Maye in peril on a Gothic skyscraper - was fantastic in both conception and execution.

Ghoulish Delight

05-10-2007, 01:25 PM

I hated the FX in the 2nd movie. Spidey looked like he was made out of recycled tire rubber.

thecorndogwalker

05-10-2007, 03:31 PM

Ghoulish Delight

05-10-2007, 03:35 PM

Heh, I'll cop to liking Summer School.

innerSpaceman

05-10-2007, 03:45 PM

Yes, GD, you hated what almost EVERYONE considers the primo best Spider-Man movie, and admit to liking Summer School.

Your opinions are, hmmm, unique. Nothing wrong with that. Just sayin'. :p

Ghoulish Delight

05-10-2007, 03:47 PM

Yes, GD, you hated what almost EVERYONE considers the primo best Spider-Man movie, and admit to liking Summer School. Hmm, I don't recall ever saying I hated Spiderman II. (but for the record, the first one's got a higher rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so that kinda blows that theory out of the water).

Babette

05-10-2007, 08:01 PM

Yes, GD, you hated what almost EVERYONE considers the primo best Spider-Man movie, and admit to liking Summer School.Sorry sweetie, that was me!

I watched "Summer School" that late 80's teen movie starring Kirstie Alley and Mark Harmon and it was so cheesy, but fun... Chainsaw, Alison from Melrose Place, that guy from NCIS... was a cute movie.. would see that on Imax over Spider man 3 anytime.... I love that movie. Shawnee Smith in a pre-boob job state (see the new boobs in Becker), Wonderdog (I think that was his name), driver's ed, horror movie fake-out. Good times.

We returned to watching our lonely Netflix selections. The Illusionist and Marie Antoinette were recent viewings. I liked them both for very different reasons, but neither were fantastic. Both had good soundtracks, though, I liked Illusionist, too. Not ultra-fabulous, but nice. Just got Marie on Netflix and watched the first half. Like it so far. Music is wonderful. Versailles. Shoes. Pastries. It takes a little long to transition scenes which is sometimes good, sometimes boring. We'll see my final opinion once I watch the rest.

innerSpaceman

05-10-2007, 08:10 PM

Oh, sorry, I'm mixing up my haters. GD, I now recall, simply liked Spidey1 better than 2.

And, ok yeah, I like Summer School a lot. :iSm:

Eliza Hodgkins 1812

05-10-2007, 08:53 PM

I watched "Summer School" that late 80's teen movie starring Kirstie Alley and Mark Harmon and it was so cheesy, but fun... Chainsaw, Alison from Melrose Place, that guy from NCIS... was a cute movie.. would see that on Imax over Spider man 3 anytime....

Man, did I have a crush on Chainsaw after that movie.

I walked by Mark Harmon in Westwood a week or so ago. He's very, very, very short.

Gemini Cricket

05-10-2007, 10:08 PM

I loved Spiderman 2. :)

mousepod

05-10-2007, 10:25 PM

So H and I finally saw "Hot Fuzz" tonight. We both enjoyed it quite a bit.

Dumb personal story: in the first few seconds of the movie, when the lead character is introduced as "Nicholas Angel", I thought to myself: "I used to work with a Nick Angel at Island back in the day." As the end credits rolled, the Music Supervisor credit flashed on the screen "Nick Angel" - and I realized that I got yet another inside joke.

sleepyjeff

05-10-2007, 11:30 PM

My wife, who is a theater manager, just left to screen Delta Farce.......she didn't seem too excited.

thecorndogwalker

05-11-2007, 07:43 AM

Man, did I have a crush on Chainsaw after that movie.

I walked by Mark Harmon in Westwood a week or so ago. He's very, very, very short.

I would have loved to been in that summer school class. call me insane but I just watched "One Crazy Summer" yesterday. It was on one of the HBO's. That is such a cheezy cute movie too...

Demi Moore and a very very young John Cuszak... It was about a two buddies that go to spend a summer in a New england town and all the wackiness that ensues.. they help Demi Moore save her grandpa's house from being turned into a sprawling resort area..

there are some really wacky characters... like Billie Bird who plays this really insane grandma... and a really tore up dog ...... was cute..

stupid comidies in the 80's were fun... maybe i just feel more connected to them because i actually went to see them in the movie theater....

Alex

05-11-2007, 09:05 AM

I was the one compelled to admit in a review for MousePlanet that I have a special place for Can't Buy Me Love.

I think it is mostly that teen movies are generally pretty stupid unless you're a teen when you first see them. And then they imprint and every generation ends up thinking their teen movies were the best while those of other (particularly later) generations are unbelievably stupid.

Eliza Hodgkins 1812

05-11-2007, 12:16 PM

I would have loved to been in that summer school class. call me insane but I just watched "One Crazy Summer" yesterday. It was on one of the HBO's. That is such a cheezy cute movie too...

Demi Moore and a very very young John Cuszak... It was about a two buddies that go to spend a summer in a New england town and all the wackiness that ensues.. they help Demi Moore save her grandpa's house from being turned into a sprawling resort area..

there are some really wacky characters... like Billie Bird who plays this really insane grandma... and a really tore up dog ...... was cute..

stupid comidies in the 80's were fun... maybe i just feel more connected to them because i actually went to see them in the movie theater....

Oh, you don't need to describe that movie to me. One crazy summer I watched One Crazy Summer at least once a week. I loved, loved, loved that adorable movie, very much in the spirit of Better Off Dead - was it made by the same people? The cone dog! The girls with the faces that got "stuck that way". Ah!

I loved his friend George Years later, I was canvassing door to door and who should open their front door but Joel Murray. I believe the first words out of my mouth were, "One Crazy Summer!" He smiled and was very, very cordial. Gave me $80 too.

AllyOops!

05-11-2007, 12:42 PM

Oh my golly goodness y'all are discussing films that I love! How have I missed this Thread?

I LOVE Summer School. And Can't Buy Me Love. And a special shout-out to Back To The Beach!! My Mom just bought me Back To The Beach on DVD not that long ago. Swoon..I still think Zed, the villainous surf-gang leader, is tasty.

I ♥ 80's teen flicks. Especially ones that starred Molly Ringwald. Or Kim Cattrall as a mannequin.

My boyfriend & I just watched Animal House on some cable channel. I think it was my zillionth viewing. "Did we give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? No!" :D

blueerica

05-11-2007, 12:42 PM

What did he give you $80 for, and where does he live? I could use $80.

Prudence

05-11-2007, 12:58 PM

Peter Parker is a drippy, pathetic crybaby.

Where do I even begin? Stan Lee cameo was painful. The camera work in the scene where Aunt May comes to check up on Peter was annoying and took one right out of the story. And the "you can tell I'm evil now because my hair is different"? All it was missing was the goatee.

I could go on with the various story flaws, but I think they've been covered. But the biggest flaw, for me, was that the movie made Peter Parker totally unlikeable.

Eliza Hodgkins 1812

05-11-2007, 01:00 PM

What did he give you $80 for, and where does he live? I could use $80.

$80 for peace! Heh. I worked for California Peace Action.

innerSpaceman

05-11-2007, 03:03 PM

It's what I hate about sequels in general. The only way they know to spice up a de-facto tired concept is to have the characters become horrible, and then turn on each other.

Spider-Man 3, Pirates 2, Empire Strikes Back, I could go on and on.

Bleh.

Prudence

05-11-2007, 03:49 PM

Oooh - just remembered that one of the trailers piqued my interest - "Across the Universe". Anyone heard the buzz on this? Interesting? Sucks? Seems like it has the potential to go either way.

Alex

05-11-2007, 04:03 PM

I'm intrigued by the trailer but haven't heard anything about it.

mousepod

05-11-2007, 04:30 PM

Well, it's Julie Taymor. I've loved one of her B'Way productions (The Lion King) and hated one (The Green Bird). I loved her movie Titus... so therefore... I have absolutely no idea.

innerSpaceman

05-11-2007, 04:58 PM

Her battle with the producers to get her cut released has become legendarily infamous around Hollywood in the last few weeks.

She does not have final cut on the film, so I'm betting it's going to be re-cut without her approval. But it's purportedly a confusing mess as it now stands.

Alex

05-11-2007, 05:30 PM

"as it now stands" being her cut or the studio cut?

innerSpaceman

05-11-2007, 06:00 PM

Her cut.

I haven't seen either, but I've no problem believing the producer's version that her cut is incomprehensible and too fvcking arty farty.

Babette

05-12-2007, 03:45 PM

Can't Buy Me Love is one of my favorites, too. Young Seth Green, as Chuckie Miller, is awesome. So sad when they are all doing the African Anteater Ritual at the kiddie party, as Ronald/Donald goes to sleep on a burlap sack in the garage.

One Crazy Summer was rad! The cone dog had puppies with cones. Yes, the mean girls' faces did stick when the girl slapped them on the back!

libraryvixen

05-12-2007, 04:25 PM

Can't Buy Me Love is one of my favorites, too. Young Seth Green, as Chuckie Miller, is awesome. So sad when they are all doing the African Anteater Ritual at the kiddie party, as Ronald/Donald goes to sleep on a burlap sack in the garage.

Ahhhh Patrick Dempsy... When I think Can't Buy Me Love, I think about that tacky white leather outfit and the wine!

Then it makes me think of McDreamy in Loverboy and ordering pizzas with anchovies. mmmm mmm mmmmmm

Patrick Dempsy totally grew into his looks!

Not Afraid

05-12-2007, 06:27 PM

My Fair Lady is on TCM. I got sucked into it and can't seem to pull away - except that the lip syncing is sooooo off, it is quite disgusting and it might force me away. (Besides, I scared the cats with my rendition of "Rain in Spain".)

Babette

05-12-2007, 09:52 PM

Ahhhh Patrick Dempsy... When I think Can't Buy Me Love, I think about that tacky white leather outfit and the wine!

Then it makes me think of McDreamy in Loverboy and ordering pizzas with anchovies. mmmm mmm mmmmmm

Patrick Dempsy totally grew into his looks!I was thinking of Loverboy when I was writing that last post. Another great early Dempsy movie.

Can't Buy Me Love: I love Cindy Mancini's Espirit sweaters and Cabriolet. Great line when he is looking through the telescope in the mall, "Ah yes, I see the erection".

My Fair Lady is on TCM. I got sucked into it and can't seem to pull away - except that the lip syncing is sooooo off, it is quite disgusting and it might force me away. (Besides, I scared the cats with my rendition of "Rain in Spain".)We were just discussing Miss Audrey last night. My favorite is Roman Holiday .

Not Afraid

05-12-2007, 10:08 PM

We were just discussing Miss Audrey last night. My favorite is Roman Holiday .

I LOVE Roman Holiday, but i also have a fondness for Charade and Sabrina. B@Ts is hard to warch (because of Cat). Audrey looks very much like my evil sister. I try to get over it, though.

Alex

05-12-2007, 10:22 PM

Apparently at some point way in the past I put the critical hits of 1990-1991 on my Netflix queue.

I have to say that the critics were pretty lame during that period.

One False Move. Bleh.

The Man in the Moon. Get to see Reese Witherspoon naked and she's 14. Sappy girl movie (and I mean girl, not chick flick; if you're not a 14 year old girl in love for the first time I don't know why you'd want to watch this)

Thelma & Louise. First time seeing it and mostly enjoyed it but the bonding scene and melodramatic Harvey Keitel slo-mo at the end almost ruined it. I like how the DVD has an "alternate ending" that is essentially watching the car fall farther before ending the movie.

Dances with Wolves. The version that came in the mail was the Director's Cut. 236 minutes. 3 hours, 56 minutes. That thing sat in my official Netflix DVD holder for most of the last month waiting for me to find the energy to slog through that. Never did find it so I just sent it back unwatched.

innerSpaceman

05-12-2007, 10:24 PM

The Director's Cut of Dances With Wolves is beyond lame.

I don't think the theatrical version, which I happen to think is great, is available on DVD at all.

ETA: I've never seen Roman Holiday all the way thru.

Babette

05-13-2007, 10:21 AM

I thought Dances with Wolves was a great movie when I saw it in the theater. It was long enough, I can't imagine the extended director's cut.

iSm you need to see all of Roman Holiday. Adorable.

I don't think I've seen Charade. Just caught the last half hour of Sabrina a few weeks ago on cable. Love that one too. I feel B@T is really fun in parts, but just OK in others. I do love the swanky music - downloaded the Barney Kessel jazz from iTunes.

Snowflake

05-13-2007, 12:42 PM

It's Mother's Day, I've been to see Mom yesterday and now I'm gonna watch Mildred Pierce. :)

innerSpaceman

05-13-2007, 01:18 PM

And they said she was Box Office Poison. :cool:

innerSpaceman

05-15-2007, 09:34 PM

Finally saw Last King of Scotland. A good movie, but I seriously don't know what all the fuss about Forrest Whitaker's performance was all about. Completely run of the mill, imo.

Eliza Hodgkins 1812

05-16-2007, 02:38 PM

I recently watched Gidget.

Dear Big Kahuna.

I love you JUST the way you are and you're way hotter than Moon Doggie. Please, please invite me to one of your private parties.

Love,
EH 1812

I also recently watched Brick, which deserves all the high praise it received.

Gemini Cricket

05-17-2007, 10:50 PM

Apparently Shrek the Third is virtually Donkey-less. Bad move on someone's part...

innerSpaceman

05-17-2007, 11:01 PM

Really. What an ass.

NickO'Time

05-18-2007, 02:06 AM

Spiderman 3 sucked!
It sucked so bad, that one could easily see the "extras" and their extremely bad acting in some scenes. :decap:

I watched quite a few people in the audience walk out after a while.

Alex

05-18-2007, 06:10 AM

There's about as much Donkey in the movie as any other non-Shrek character. One of the flaws is that it is trying to cram in time for everybody who ever appeared in one of the first two movies, plus having to add more for this one.

It's a very distracted movie. Overall I still found it entertaining though definitely the weakest of the three.

innerSpaceman

05-18-2007, 06:30 AM

^
and ^^

gee, i wonder how sucky Pirates 3 will be!

Alex

05-18-2007, 06:51 AM

I'll find out on Monday. The first time I'll ever take time off from work to go see a movie since for some reason the press screenings have been scheduled for the middle of the day.

innerSpaceman

05-18-2007, 07:34 AM

I'm now thinking of giving Shrek 3 a pass. I'm tired of being a sucka.

I'm certainly not going to see Pirates 3 absent authoritative opinion that it's the Citizen Kane of pirate movies.

Alex

05-18-2007, 07:41 AM

Here's (http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=sr070518as) my full review. It finds a groove and I don't think it sucked. Still good for some bawdy family entertainment (to the extent that family entertainment can be baudy) but I don't think you're missing anything if you don't see it.

Cadaverous Pallor

05-18-2007, 10:10 AM

Strangler Lewis

05-18-2007, 10:28 AM

I'm certainly not going to see Pirates 3 absent authoritative opinion that it's the Citizen Kane of pirate movies.

You mean a beautiful bore? I think that's a safe bet.

Freaky Tiki

05-18-2007, 05:18 PM

I saw Shrek 3 last night.

I was right in thinking the franchise should've been put to rest.

mousepod

05-27-2007, 09:12 AM

After returning, disappointed, from PotC 3, I decided to cleanse my palate with a selection from my unwatched DVD pile.

So I cracked the plastic wrap on my copy of Alex Cox's Revenger's Tragedy, which I picked up for a couple of bucks at the Tower Records "Going Out of Business" sale, and popped it in my DVD player.

What a fun flick. The source material is the Jacobean revenge play of the same title originally published in 1607 - and much of the dialog comes straight from the play. Cox updates the setting to a near-future dystopian Liverpool, and by doing so gives himself license to pay homage to all of his favorite genres and directors, like Sergio Leone's westerns and Ken Russell's twisted sex sci-fi fantasies.

The mostly outstanding cast, featuring Christopher Eccleston as Vindici, the Revenger of the title and Derek Jacobi and Eddie Izzard as the father and son objects of Vindici's plot, respectively, eat up the script and spit it out in an over-the-top fashion which rarely verges on ham (and even then, it's reminiscent of Derek Jarman's Jubilee, so that's ok).

In all, a 109 minutes well-spent.

flippyshark

05-27-2007, 11:11 AM

In all, a 109 minutes well-spent.

Sounds like my kind of fun. I'll have to put it in the queue.

I saw Pirates 3 last night at the Silver Moon Drive-in of Lakeland Florida. The lot was packed, and the night had a festival atmosphere, to which the movie was almost secondary. Even with lo-fi sound and state-of-the-eighties projection, I think I liked the movie better this way, rather than in a tightly packed modern movie-house with ear-splitting digital sound. I was able to hike around, socialize a bit, stargaze and watch trains go by, and occasionally pay attention to POTC III.

Prudence

05-27-2007, 08:31 PM

Today I watched Golden Door (Nuovomondo), an Italian film being shown as part of the Seattle International Film Festival. The festival gave it an A+ grade, which was definitely a bit over generous.

I wasn't totally thrilled with it as a movie. It had some amusing parts (lots of super large carrots), but was a bit over-odd. Although I think the end of the movie puts the beginning better in context, I'm not sure I like that approach.

Regardless, what the movie *did* do was get me once again thinking about what it must have been like for my great grandparents when they came here (also on an Italian boat) from Switzerland. Having just recently been to Ellis Island and seen the various exhibits, it made that portion of the film more meaningful to me.

It's not a movie I would probably watch again, but I will be thinking about it for awhile.

Alex

06-04-2007, 07:07 AM

I haven't been watching many movies lately, most of my spare time has been taken up slogging through the 1983 mini-series of Herman Wouk's The Winds of War. About 10 hours in and the Germans and British just started shooting at each other. Started well but the last four hours have been pretty slow.

But this was a three movie weekend.

Mr. Brooks - Nothing truly fantastic but a pretty good movie starring Kevin Costner as a high-functioning serial killer. It has a pretty tight ending, but the epilogue makes the movie's first serious misstep and it was a pretty bad one, slightly redeemed by the last words.

Knocked Up - Lani and I enjoyed this a lot. A comedy targeted squarely at adults that is still raunchy enough to be fun. Certain parts of the set-up didn't ring true, but once you accept them the rest flows in a reasonable manner.

Damage - A 1992 psychological sex drama starring Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche. First, it is amazing that a movie with so many explicit sex scenes could leave me falling asleep out of boredom. They are the most unerotic (somewhat by intention) I've suffered through. Second, other than some sympathy for Irons' wife in the movie, there isn't anybody to even care about. A review at IMDb says it is a fantastic satire of overwrought sex dramas that give good thoughtful movies a bad name when critics go gaga over them.

That's true, except any satire would appear to be unintentional.

Cadaverous Pallor

06-04-2007, 07:42 AM

Did I post this earlier? I tried to watch Meet the Feebles and failed. Just not funny.

We saw Bruce Almighty last night, and it wasn't awful, but it sure could have been better. I mean, he didn't even try to cure cancer or end world hunger. Isn't he supposed to try to do away with at least one worldwide ill and of course have it ruin the planet? Saying "yes" to the prayers of one neighborhood seemed lame and tiny for the guy given the job of GOD. Way too much Jim Carrey - any other comedian would have made the movie much more watchable.

Every time I watch I heart Huckabees again, I think in existential terms for a month afterwards...

Ghoulish Delight

06-04-2007, 08:25 AM

We also saw Night at the Museum. About what I expected, fairly enjoyable movie. Nothing amazing, but I wouldn't have complained having to sit through it with a kid. There was one scene, however, that made me want to hurt people.

Gemini Cricket

06-04-2007, 09:40 AM

There was one scene, however, that made me want to hurt people.
:taps fingers on desk waiting for more info:
:D

Ghoulish Delight

06-04-2007, 09:43 AM

:taps fingers on desk waiting for more info:
:DOh, it was just a stupid Ben Stiller scene that was not funny to start with and went on way....too...long.

But seeing that it's a Ben Stiller movie and there was only one of those, I'll count my blessings.

CoasterMatt

06-04-2007, 06:41 PM

I think after the Ducks game tonight, I'm gonna watch Turkish Star Wars.

Not Afraid

06-04-2007, 06:53 PM

We saw Children of Men last night. It was a decent film and I enjoyed it - and Clive Owen is hot. I always seem to treat any story having to deal with the future as pure fantasy, so I'm not effected in the same way as I am with films that deal in the past .

Not Afraid

06-04-2007, 07:47 PM

Netflix has used copies of Howl's Moving Castle (http://www.netflix.com/DVDPurchaseItem?useditemid=403&lnkctr=pv_bs&movieid=70028883&trkid=185673)on sale for $7.99.

Gemini Cricket

06-04-2007, 08:25 PM

I second that Clive Owen is hot.

CoasterMatt

06-04-2007, 08:32 PM

Who's Clive Owen?

Perle

06-04-2007, 08:45 PM

Clive Owen on IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0654110/). He is hot!

CoasterMatt

06-04-2007, 09:06 PM

I was just kidding... I met him just after the premiere of Children of Men, and it was kind of awkward cuz he looked familiar but I couldn't think of his name.

Perle

06-04-2007, 09:21 PM

LOL. I shoulda realized. Well? Was he just as hot in person?

Alex

06-10-2007, 09:56 PM

Let's see. The recent watchings.

Surf's Up. My MousePlanet review here (http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=sr070608as). Recap: went in with low expectations and was very pleasantly suprised.

Brewster's Millions. The vagaries of life resulted in us no longer getting the $60 cable package at the $13 price. Of course, now we are used to the $60 package so I had to kick in, and while kicking in might as well get the basic digital package so now we have On Demand. Used my inaugural On Demand viewing to watch this. Stupid movie but I got a kick out of it when I was a kid.

Whispering Smith. I believe this was Alan Ladd's first western, from 1948. Ladd is, as far as I'm concerned, the Ben Affleck of the 1940's. I just don't understand the appeal he had for people. But it was a lot of fun to watch Robert Preston chew up the scenery. It is always interesting to see actors etched in my brain as old being young.

The African Queen. On the big screen at the Stanford Theater in Palo Alto. Some sound issues and one really bad splice. I'd never seen the whole movie in one go (though I'd seen most of it in pieces) and I'd forgotten what a fun movie this is. It starts off pretty weak but, pardon the pun, builds up quite a head of steam by the end.

Oceans 13. Much better than the second one but still pretty pointless. I found it too predictable and too choppy for the style to come through (though it still did at points) but Lani had a lot of fun with it.

The Fortune Cookie. The first pairing of Matthau and Lemmon. It is interesting to think that I watched Whispering Smith form 1948 in Technicolor and The Fortune Cookie from 1966 in black and white ('66 was the last year of separate Academy Awards for color and b/w). Not a great movie and pretty much everybody in it is completely hateful with nothing to redeem them but when Matthau gets in a groove he was a thing to watch. Was surprised that "bitch" was used freely and had to remind myself repeatedly that it was 1966 even though my brain kept wanting to put it back a decade.

Ghoulish Delight

06-10-2007, 10:44 PM

Let's see. The recent watchings.

Surf's Up. My MousePlanet review here (http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=sr070608as). Recap: went in with low expectations and was very pleasantly suprised.I heard a review of it the other day that actually kinda make me want to see it...

Brewster's Millions. The vagaries of life resulted in us no longer getting the $60 cable package at the $13 price. Of course, now we are used to the $60 package so I had to kick in, and while kicking in might as well get the basic digital package so now we have On Demand. Used my inaugural On Demand viewing to watch this. Stupid movie but I got a kick out of it when I was a kid.I'll admit to liking it, though I doubt I'd sit through it again having seen it twice.

Not Afraid

06-10-2007, 10:47 PM

We saw The Prestige the other day. Why did two films about magicians suddenly come out at the same time and, why did I rent them back to back? Three months from now, I won't be able to tell you what the difference is between them.

Alex

06-11-2007, 06:38 AM

One was good the other one was not.

Snowflake

06-11-2007, 07:11 AM

Having never seen Goldfinger (:eek: ) I watched it this weekend, in widescreen. Terrific flick, Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Oddjob, nuff said :snap:

As much as I love Connery as Bond, I'm ready now for the franchise to revist the original books and redo them with Daniel Craig. Won't happen, but I can dream, can't I?

libraryvixen

06-11-2007, 08:19 AM

I went to see Waitress this weekend. The movie was truly lovely. Jenna (Keri Russell) is a pregnant woman in a bad marriage. Her only escape from her husband is working at a local pie diner where she makes pies based on the happenings in her life (ex: the "Bad Baby" pie, after she finds out she's pregnant). She dreams of going to a pie baking contest to win the grand prize.

This movie was such a lovely, little gem. I'd recommend it as a respite from the high tech / action heavy summer blockbuster.

This movie was no different than other indie / arthouse films I've attended in my area. There were a total of 3 paying customers in the movie. :rolleyes: It's a like a private screening though!

Alex

06-11-2007, 09:02 AM

I was just looking at Brewster's Millions on IMDb and I learn that the Richard Pryor version was actually the fourth filming of this movie in the United States (and it has been done nine times total worldwide). Interesting lesson on inflation:

1985 - $30 million in 30 days for $300 million.
1945 - $1 million in 60 days for $8 million.
1926 - $1 million in 60 days for $5 million (Miss Brewster's Millions)
1921 - $2 million in 365 days for $10 million.

How extravagant the British 1935 version (500,000 pounds in 60 days for 6 million) must have seemed in the middle of a global depression.

Ponine

06-11-2007, 10:51 AM

One was good the other one was not.

And I am curious, having seen neither, which would you reccomend?

I have a weakness for Christian Bale, but no idea if his film is the better.

Capt Jack

06-11-2007, 10:52 AM

I liked Prestige. even the parts that didnt make any sense. :p
havent seen the other.

Alex

06-11-2007, 10:54 AM

The Prestige is the good one. I did not like The Illusionist at all, but a lot of people did. My unscientific perception is that among people who saw both, and liked both, liked The Prestige better.

Snowflake

06-11-2007, 10:59 AM

The Prestige is the good one. I did not like The Illusionist at all, but a lot of people did. My unscientific perception is that among people who saw both, and liked both, liked The Prestige better.

I liked both, but I preferred the style of The Illusionist over The Prestige. Both, to me, worth a rental.

Alex

06-11-2007, 11:07 AM

I will say that The Illusionist was prettier. But I just didn't like the story being told so all of the acting (fine except for Sewell) and cinematography was for naught.

And I don't mean to imply that everybody likes The Prestige more, just that my sense is that on average the cohort likes The Prestige more.

Not Afraid

06-11-2007, 12:15 PM

I actually think I preferred The Illusionist.

Alex

06-11-2007, 12:57 PM

Can I ask what you preferred about it? I found the central story so lame (not to mention obvious before it even happened, let alone when you were supposed to realize what had happened) that everything else paled in comparison.

And I see that I was apparently wrong (or my unscientific sample was way skewed). At rottentomatoes, they both have similar overall ratings (75%) but The Prestige has an abysmal cream of the crop number (54%) while The Illusionist has 88%.

So that would mean among cream of the crop critics, The Illusionist was far preferred while among the rest, The Prestige was the big winner.

Strangler Lewis

06-11-2007, 01:17 PM

I liked both, but I found the competition at the core of "The Prestige" to be more compelling than the lost/found love thing at the core of "The Illusionist." "The Presige" reminded me of "Sleuth." "The Illusionist" reminded me of "The Princess Bride," except without the humor and the ROUSes.

I also thought that Christian Bale's character was fairly interesting in that, at least initially, he was unlikeable in a fairly lowkey, "What's wrong with this asshole" sort of way. The movie's low ratings might be attributable to the fact that Edward Norton provides more of a solid core for a movie than Hugh Jackman who is basically a handsome dish towel. Actually, to my mind, "The Prestige" was Jackman's most compelling showing since, like Tom Cruise, he seems to be at his best playing a handsome fellow who is totally in over his head.

Snowflake

06-11-2007, 01:41 PM

I enjoyed them both, as I said. I found them both to be predictable. My main beef about The Illusionist was a plot point in the wrapup/flashback, was not seen during the course of the film, and that made me mad (like a Christie novel, adding a last minute character). It was stylish and entertaining.

The Prestige had more heft plotwise, but was equally predictable to me (I understand the book is much better). I felt nothing for either character, in fact I was more interested in David Bowie.

Both worth a Netflix rental, neither worth buying and keeping.

€uroMeinke

06-11-2007, 06:54 PM

The CGI Magic in the Illusionist bothered me, so to the extent the magic in the Prestige was more "authentic" in it's trickery, I liked that - but our DVD rental was munched at the end, so I'm not sure if we were meant to believe Tesla's trick or not at the conclusion.

Not Afraid

06-11-2007, 07:01 PM

I probably enjoyed The Illusionist more because it was the one I saw first. It was also a "prettier" film but less of a solid story. However, they are already starting to meld in my mind as one story.

Capt Jack

06-11-2007, 07:35 PM

our DVD rental was munched at the end, so I'm not sure if we were meant to believe Tesla's trick or not at the conclusion.

did you not see the end or just not clearly? if memory serves....and it rarely does, the end was sort of a vital part.

€uroMeinke

06-11-2007, 07:42 PM

From what i could make out through the sticking scene and backing up as much as we could from the end, it looked like there were flashbacks, of the one magician killing his doppleganger, leading me to believe that in the realm of the movie the Tesla thing actually worked, but I know there was some pan by the magician suspended (apparently dead) in the tank, so it might have been some decent into death delusion - or maybe he had a brother too?

Not Afraid

06-11-2007, 07:45 PM

Wait a minute. We missed maybe a sentence or two due to glitchy DVD.

Strangler Lewis

06-11-2007, 09:03 PM

It worked. Hence the hats on the hillside. There was a garbled speech about how Hugh Jackman never knew on any given night if he'd wind up as the prestige in the balcony or the man in the tank. That whole room was full of tanks with dead Jackmans. That's why he had blind stage hands.

Alex

06-11-2007, 09:20 PM

No, he knew. That is what was so creepy about it. Every night's performance was an act of suicide. And a painful one.

By the way, that whole element of the movie is not in the book. A lot of people complained about the significant changes to the book in translating it to the movie. I liked both and understand the reasoning. The book's version would have been too hard to do without a lot of exposition of voiceover.

If anybody wants to read the book I'd be happy to send it along.

€uroMeinke

06-11-2007, 09:38 PM

Sigh - I feared that's how it ended, and so like it a little less. Where the illusionist annoyed me with CGI Magic to make you think the trick is real (and not just the trick), this annoys me in the introduction of a lame fantasy element to complete the story - it would have been much better as another elaborate trick. I mean, if you had that Tesla Machine magic tricks would be the last thing you'd do with it.

CoasterMatt

06-11-2007, 09:43 PM

I'd transfer my pictures from wireless device to wireless device, effortlessly.

Strangler Lewis

06-11-2007, 09:51 PM

Alex

06-11-2007, 10:16 PM

What page? I don't remember anything being said about this in the movie.

But he did know that the body walking into the box would die. Whether the consciousness died with it or transferred to the next body would be a different issue.

If there is ambiguity in the movie, there is none in the book.

Ghoulish Delight

06-15-2007, 02:17 PM

You know those movies that have a cast of a few really excellent actors, but that just don't really make sense together and thus, despite the talent, make for a terrible movie?

I fully expected Mad Dog and Glory (http://imdb.com/title/tt0107473/) to be one of those. De Niro, Uma Thurman, Bill Murray. I love all 3, but Bill Murray just seemed out of place in that cast list.

Much to my surprise, it's a really well put together film. I quite enjoyed it.

Gemini Cricket

06-15-2007, 02:25 PM

It's been awhile since I've seen MD&G. I guess I should check it out again. I don't remember what I thought about it.
:)

Cadaverous Pallor

06-15-2007, 02:34 PM

DeNiro's performance in Mad Dog and Glory was just wonderful, and is worth a viewing. I didn't like Uma as much, but then, I always have mixed feelings about her acting style. Murray was well cast, except for the part where he has to act physically tough. I don't think I could see Bill Murray holding his own in a fist fight.

Alex

06-15-2007, 02:38 PM

Mad Dog & Glory is one of those movies I need to see again. I saw it in the theater my freshman year of college so I was 18. And I hated it. But it was critically successful so I suspect I was just an immature punkass.

To me it is Uma Thurman who sticks out since the other two can act.

Eliza Hodgkins 1812

06-15-2007, 03:00 PM

Gemini Cricket

06-15-2007, 03:01 PM

Bornieo: Fully Loaded

06-15-2007, 09:05 PM

Just came back from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Although it is much better than the horrible first film, this one misses the mark with horrible writing and acting. The only highlight is the better than normal special effects of the Silver Surfer character - Doug Rice is his name I believe - he was Pan in Pan's Labrynth and Abraham Sapian in Hellboy and did a find job as the S.S.

As typical with "comic book" movies, they failed miserabley keeping with the original story. They strayed so far off, it was so unbeliveably dumb and totally cheated the viewer of the best FF story out there - even more "classic" than the origin of the group.

If you've got nothing better to do but shell out $10 for this failure, by all means. I'd rather be in a 2 hour line for Nemo. ;)

This get's 4 bornieo's out of 10 - only because of the Silver Surfer character.

Ghoulish Delight

06-16-2007, 12:45 AM

Cadaverous Pallor

06-17-2007, 10:34 AM

Life Aquatic was awesome! Easily the best Wes Anderson flick, to me. But I'm in the didn't-quite-get-Royal-Tenenbaums grouping.

Oh, and we watched Holy Mountain the following night and oddly enough, these movies are totally linked. HM was incredible, almost too much to handle, in a good way.

Gemini Cricket

06-17-2007, 01:55 PM

Kinky Boots.
Good flick.
:)

AllyOops!

06-18-2007, 03:41 PM

I never go to the movies. However, so far this summer, I saw the third installement of Pirates (UGH) & Knocked-Up (LOVED it!)

Over the weekend, I happened to be listening to Magic Man by Heart on the way to the beach. All I could picture, while driving, was that movie I vaguely remember, The Virgin Suicides.

Josh Hartnett as Trip Fontaine, strutting down the highschool hallway (if I'm not mistaken) to the strains of Magic Man looking every inch the teenage heartthrob. Unbelievably sexy! :blush:

Also, it had a killer soundtrack that featured Air. Way killer. :snap:

Strangler Lewis

06-18-2007, 04:10 PM

Saw "Dreamgirls" this weekend. Basically enjoyed it, but I couldn't help thinking that it could inspire a new drinking game called "It's over."

Not Afraid

06-18-2007, 08:13 PM

Kinky Boots.
Good flick.
:)

Yeah, that was a fun film. Nice surprise.

Not Afraid

06-18-2007, 08:19 PM

Next up on the queue:

Shortbus
After the Wedding.

libraryvixen

06-18-2007, 11:21 PM

Chernabog

06-19-2007, 12:11 AM

I saw Ratatouille on Saturday nite and it was freaking wonderful. One of Pixar's best.

Snowflake

06-19-2007, 07:52 AM

I saw Ratatouille on Saturday nite and it was freaking wonderful. One of Pixar's best.

I'm looking forward to it. Even my roomie (who is not at all interested in animation) wants to see it, I'm treating her as part of her birthday present (the other part is a Canon SD 900 digital camera, like mine, for her trip to Mexico).

I've been catching, sporadically, part of the series of films TCM is running for the "Screened Out" Gay Images in Film series. Last night's fare was, The Uninvited (spooky movie about a ghost with Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey - a great name for an actor if ever there was one, Ruth Hussey) and The Picture of Dorian Gray (Hurt Hatfield as a remote Dorian and a very young and beautiful Angela Lansbury as Sybil Vane and the always wonderful George Saunders). An old old favorite film, well done, moody and a nice use of technicolor when showing the painting, before and after.

Ponine

06-19-2007, 10:12 AM

I'm currently passing Catch & Release around the building....

surprising little film. Who'dve thunk I'd ever find Kevin Smith amusing, let alone funny?

Capt Jack

06-19-2007, 10:14 AM

yeah, I enjoyed that one immensely. didnt expect to in the least.
plesantly surprised.

libraryvixen

06-19-2007, 12:14 PM

I'm currently passing Catch & Release around the building....

surprising little film. Who'dve thunk I'd ever find Kevin Smith amusing, let alone funny?

I enjoyed Catch and Release as well. I love Timothy Oliphant. He's delicioso!

Eliza Hodgkins 1812

06-19-2007, 06:09 PM

Finally watched Life Aquatic. Gotta say, I'm baffled by the luke-warm reception it received. I thought it was a great movie. It had me engaged from beginning to end, the animation was inspired, the characters were tremendous.

I've seen all of Anderson's movies, and I really don't get the seemingly common sentiment of, "It was pretty good, but nothing compared to his others." Not that I'd try to dissuade anyone from saying such-and-such is my favorite Anderson film (I can't even really peg what my favorite is), but for this to be so universally ranked as his weakest...don't get it.

For me Aquatic had some of his finest directing. The animation and music were astounding. I loved, loved, loved Willem Defoe. But I thought Bill Murray's character was a bit tired, I HATED Cate Blanchett (something I didn't think possible) and I thought

It does have one of the best action sequences ever filmed. Best and funniest! Angelica Huston seemed wasted. But then we were given Seu Jorge, who I think is wonderful, wonderful. His voice!

The Royal Tenenbaums really is my favorite. I think that and Rushmore really are perfect movies. Sadly, I'm in a small camp of Anderson fans who didn't get Bottle Rocket. Some parts of it I liked. "Cawcaw," being one. But something about the romance really, really, really irritated me, I think.

Snowflake

06-19-2007, 06:20 PM

For me Aquatic had some of his finest directing.
Angelica Huston seemed wasted.

That's how I felt about Tennebaum's, not enough of Angelica, and what was there was minor compared to what she could give. I simply adore her. That said, I loved The Royal Tennenbaums

Gemini Cricket

06-19-2007, 06:26 PM

Rushmore is my favorite of the bunch. I loved Bottle Rocket, too. I think it was the first time we got to experience Owen Wilson doing his shtick. I liked him in that. In fact, I like a lot of his films.
:)

innerSpaceman

06-19-2007, 07:15 PM

The only one I didn't like was Tennenbaums. I just did not get it all all. Blech.

Perhaps I should give it a second chance.

But I'm not going to.

innerSpaceman

06-22-2007, 10:35 PM

I saw "La Vie en Rose" tonight.

If the AFI is going to make a list of the best musical bio pics, this one should be on it. Marion Cotillard is wonderful as Edith Piaf. A beautiful and touching film that really filled in the blanks for me, as a casual fan.

At one point in the film, Edith has a chance encounter with Marlene Dietrich when they are both living in New York. Dietrich effuses that Piaf was simply the soul of Paris, and made her feel as if she were there - though thousands of miles away.

That's how the film made me feel at times. And Edith Piaf is the soul and the sound of Paree.

A salut, Not Afraid and €uroMeinke ... and mon amour, monsieur izak.

€uroMeinke

06-22-2007, 10:39 PM

Damn - that one's on my list - I hope it makes it to DVD - of course, then I'll really want to go back to Paris

Not Afraid

06-22-2007, 10:42 PM

Damn - that one's on my list - I hope it makes it to DVD - of course, then I'll really want to go back to Paris

It's playing at The Art.

innerSpaceman

06-22-2007, 10:45 PM

If you guys don't get to see it first run, come over here to watch it when it's out on DVD.

Bring your passports. I live near the airport.

Bornieo: Fully Loaded

06-23-2007, 12:08 AM

Saw "Evan Almighty" tonight.

90 minutes I'll never get back - it was medium sitcom funny and only reminded me why I"m tired of Steve Carell (sp). There were a couple good side comments by Wanda Sykes (sp) that are worth skipping too if you rent the DVD. Otherwise, just watch the trailer.

Then there was the jerk snoring behind me. . .

3 bornieo's out of 10 - for the 2 really laugh out loud moments.

Cadaverous Pallor

06-23-2007, 12:27 AM

3 bornieo's out of 10 - for the 2 really laugh out loud moments.Was one moment worth 2 bornieo's or were each worth 1.5?

cirquelover

06-23-2007, 12:37 AM

My son really wants to see that movie but I'm more inclined to take him to Nancy Drew at the moment. Maybe I should just suggest Pirates again, I'm sure he'd love to see it a second time. We watched Bruce Almighty tonight. We also watched a few classic movies on AMC or the Turner channel.
I caught part of Them today. I remembered that one from my childhood. My son walked in and then turned around and walked out. Go figure, I guess he doesn't like giant ants!

Ghoulish Delight

06-23-2007, 12:48 AM

We watched Love Actually. Eh. Sure, I laughed at a lot of the bits, but it never really grabbed me. Too rambling and scatter-brained. And something about the production values made me feel disconnected, like I was watching a re-edited recap of a movie rather than a movie itself.

17 Girthies out of 30.

Bornieo: Fully Loaded

06-23-2007, 12:56 AM

Was one moment worth 2 bornieo's or were each worth 1.5?

I gave each moment 2 bornieo's but since they used the song "Are You Ready for a Miracle" for the up-teenth billionth time or seemingly in 18 of the last 20 films I've seen - I had to deducts an extra bornieo.

Charge up the choir! Are you ready for a miracle? Yeah, it'd be a miracle if they'd stop playing that f**king song all the time.... :)

Gemini Cricket

06-23-2007, 09:38 AM

Critic Gary Thompson's quote about Evan Almighty:
If Jerry Falwell weren't dead already, this movie might have killed him.I thought that was funny.
:D

Cadaverous Pallor

06-23-2007, 11:12 AM

I enjoyed Love Actually. I thought the haphazard style fit the concept. It's a good thing they didn't make a whole movie out of any one of these stories - there wasn't much too them, they were just fluffy and fun. The political moment was totally out of place, though it was sweet in the context of defending Natalie's honor. As always, I was disappointed by the stories that ended up sad. I admit that I prefer happily ever afters.

I loved the bit about the Brit who comes to America to get laid - so freaking true.

Oh, and it was filled with cute British guys. I think I now understand the Colin Firth thing.

Gemini Cricket

06-29-2007, 03:41 PM

"Merde that meets the eye."
~ David Poland's description of the Transformers movie. He's a critic from 'Movie City News'

lol! That's funny sh!t.
:D

Alex

06-29-2007, 04:34 PM

He is Movie City News.

He and I disagree a lot but I have a feeling we're going to be agreeing on that one. But I'll still be seeing it since it is part of a social event.

CoasterMatt

06-29-2007, 06:41 PM

I'm watching Jaws again in HD tonight - anybody care to join me?

flippyshark

06-29-2007, 06:54 PM

I'm watching Jaws again in HD tonight - anybody care to join me?

D'oh! So... envious... oooh!

Alex

07-01-2007, 09:28 PM

Let's see. Recent movies:

Live Free or Die Hard - Bruce Willis has charisma and that carries the day. Don't spend even a moment thinking about it or it falls apart, and the action sequences build up until the audience was actually laughing at the conclusion of the final one (in more of a "wheeee!" way than a "that was way stupid" way).

In the Bedroom - Just shows how long it takes movies to work their way through my Netflix queue since I believe I added this 2001 movie right when it came out on DVD. Not at all the movie I was expecting and it has very three distinct acts with a significant mood and tone shift with each. Went to a place I really didn't foresee.

The Player - I didn't like this when I saw it in theaters on its release in 1992. Watching it again I definitely "get" it much more than I did back then. But I still don't like it. Altman is very hit and miss for me and this is an almost redeemed miss. Still prefer the Kevin Spacey/Frank Whaley Swimming with Sharks which came out a couple years later and covers some similar territory.

Bad Lieutenant - For some reason I have pretty clear memories of when this came out in 1992 (probably because of the NC-17 rating) even though I didn't see it. Oh my was this tedious to sit through. Here's my personal "Stoned" scale. 10 equals fun:

Actually being stoned/high/etc. = 6
Watching other people who are stoned/high/etc. = 3
Watching Harvey Keitel be stoned/high/etc. = -16

Bob le Flambeur (Bob the Gambler) - This 1956 movie was recommended to me as a good caper flick. And since the French have done some of the best caper flicks of all time that was good enough for me. Unfortunately, I don't really agree with that categorization. There is a caper but it doesn't even come up until halfway through the movie and then is never realized at all. Some interesting characterization and it is odd to see nudity in a black-and-white 1950s movie (those rascally French!). But it didn't rock my world or anything. And another (actually, always) portrayal of casino baccarat ruins the ending for me.

After sitting on my TV for two months without me ever finding the energy to watch it, Malcolm X went back to Netflix unwatched. Considering that The Autobiography of Malcolm X was a formative book for me, I don't know why I've always been emotionally reticent about finally seeing the movie. But I am. I put it back on the list and I'll try again in 5 years when it gets here.

Ghoulish Delight

07-01-2007, 09:41 PM

Revenge of the Pink Panther is a steaming pile. Couldn't even finish it. Worse than A Shot in the Dark even. I enjoyed the original, mostly because Clouseau was not the focus of the movie and was hardly in it at all. What a terrible character.

Cadaverous Pallor

07-02-2007, 07:48 AM

JWBear

07-21-2007, 10:45 PM

We just watched a cute movie. It's a film from Spain called Reinas (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434304/).

3 gay male couples are getting married as part of a mass wedding following Spain's legalizing of same-sex marriages. The boys face many challenges leading up to their happy day, but none as disastrous as their mothers....

CoasterMatt

07-21-2007, 10:57 PM

Watched 12 Monkeys on Universal HD tonight - It's kind of weird that that movie showed up in the rotation after all our discussion here.

Alex

07-21-2007, 11:33 PM

Finally watched Bull Durham for the first time ever last night. Mostly enjoyed it but the fact that I've never found Susan Sarandon attractive (I don't know why, it's something around her eyes but I can't pinpoint why she turns me off) made it hard to suspend disbelief enough to go along with everybody in the movie finding her attractive.

Motorboat Cruiser

07-22-2007, 02:06 AM

I just checked, and according to imdb reviews, the Pink Panther films we skipped ("Return of" and "strikes again") were the two funniest of the series. Sigh. Maybe in a few years we'll actually be brave (bored?) enough to give them a try.

Yeah, I would recommend those two out of the series. You really have to already be a fan of the series to be able to find any enjoyment of "revenge". It's probably the weakest of all, other than "Trail of the Pink Panther" which was assembled from old footage after Peter Sellers had died.

I just saw "The Queen" and really thought Helen Mirren did a phenomenal job. I was afraid that the film might not live up to my expectations, after all that I had heard about it but I thought it was really well done.

Gemini Cricket

07-24-2007, 08:46 PM

I'm sure I mentioned this in this thread before, but I love love love Bullets Over Broadway.
It's one of the most quotable movies ever.
Not to mention, it's my favorite Woody Allen. I admit it.

"Please forgive me. My pedicurist had a stroke. She fell forward onto the orange stick and plunged it into my toe. It required bandaging."

CoasterMatt

07-24-2007, 09:04 PM

Rose and I watched Dangerous Liasions last night - It looks even more immaculate than I remember, beautiful HD movie :)

Babette

07-24-2007, 09:45 PM

Just watched Reefer Madness this week. Very funny and campy. Kristen Bell is totally adorable as Mary Lane, and hubba hubba Christian Campbell. I recommend viewing the original 1930s film (at least in part) to understand the film they are mocking.

Don't smoke pot or you will become a sex crazed murderer people! The government said so.

Also finally watched The Queen. Beautiful acting by Helen Mirren. :snap:

L4ayer Cake just arrived today.

Gemini Cricket

07-24-2007, 09:48 PM

Also finally watched The Queen. Beautiful acting by Helen Mirren. :snap:
Oh, Babette and MBC, The Queen is soooo last year. Get with the times.
:D

Just kidding. I loooove Helen Mirren. She was flawless in that film.
I almost heart her as much as Dame Judi.
:)

Bornieo: Fully Loaded

07-24-2007, 09:50 PM

Ghoulish Delight

07-24-2007, 10:18 PM

Don't smoke pot or you will become a sex crazed murderer people!Awww, I only got one of the two. I feel gypped.

Gemini Cricket

07-24-2007, 10:21 PM

Awww, I only got one of the two. I feel gypped.
It's true. GD murdered me. I type from the grave.

:D

wendybeth

07-24-2007, 10:31 PM

Not a haunted toilet?

Gemini Cricket

07-24-2007, 10:32 PM

Not a haunted toilet?
Yes, a haunted toilet.
It flushes by itself...
Booooooooooooo!
:D

MouseWife

07-24-2007, 11:43 PM

In the Bedroom - Just shows how long it takes movies to work their way through my Netflix queue since I believe I added this 2001 movie right when it came out on DVD. Not at all the movie I was expecting and it has very three distinct acts with a significant mood and tone shift with each. Went to a place I really didn't foresee.

Okay, is this the one with Sissy Spacek? Marissa Tomei? If so, it was a very good movie but quite difficult for me to watch, at times. Quite possible, really. Things happen that you think no way, stop that!! But you know in real life, sometimes people don't stop things they should.

I saw 'Premonition'. All of the flashbacks, etc., to me, were probably too much in the theater but on DVD it was okay. Interesting although so far the rating from people I know who've seen it is 50/50. No spoilers since it just came out.

We rented 'Dead Girl' while on our trip. I think it was a Sundance type film. It was really good, not a kid friendly movie, to be sure. Again, like 'In The Bedroom', it went places that were a bit hard to take at times, and, to me, quite possible and that made it hard to swallow.

We also rented 'First Born'. This may be a t.v. movie {actually, I think I did see a listing for it}. I won't give it away BUT they really didn't do the movie right. The box for it represents it as a thriller but it isn't. Now, if they want to keep you guessing, oh well. But, as a psychological thriller, it would have made more sense. Ack, I can't say more because it will give it away. But, it would do the movie justice if it were presented that way.

'Norbit'. Norrrrrbiiiiit!!! {sorry, have to say it that way every time}. The movie starts off funny and then agh, not. And, it stays this way. We laughed our heads off at some things but then stopped thinking, Hey, that was awful. I mean, I know I love fluff movies and I love to laugh but this touched on something that really isn't funny {hypocrite that I am who laughed throughout} . But it was presented as a comedy and it was funny. BUT was it? I'd love any opinions on this movie as I was torn and I didn't see it when it came out nor did I read any reviews on it or hear about any flack given about it.

The Pink Panther movies. I bought the Hubster the Steve Martin version but we haven't watched it. I know I've watched some of the old ones, but I don't know which. A different type of funny. I don't think the remake would be as funny because it was funny back in the day because it was fresh and different. Am I wrong with this?

I always want to see movies but I forget what they are....

Stan4dSteph

07-25-2007, 06:35 AM

I think I might go see La Vie en Rose this weekend.

mousepod

07-27-2007, 06:46 PM

Just saw The Simpsons Movie.

My brief review: it was a long, widescreen, average Simpsons episode.

Alex

07-27-2007, 07:12 PM

That was my thought as well.

But there were people there who were rolling in the aisles from the first frame of Itchy (or Scratchy, I don't know which is which).

CoasterMatt

07-27-2007, 07:33 PM

People who fear clowns are REALLY not gonna like to walk near the Simpsons ride next spring :)

Ghoulish Delight

07-27-2007, 07:35 PM

Would that be a seasons 1-10 average or a seasons 11-several years past expiration date average?

Alex

07-27-2007, 07:37 PM

I personally couldn't say. I've never watched the show regularly. It was just "yep, those are the Simpsons...up on a big screen."

I was amused but I only laughed out loud once.

xharryb

07-27-2007, 07:52 PM

My brief review: it was a long, widescreen, average Simpsons episode.

I kindof agree, but at the same time loved it. They did take a few things further than they would have gone on TV (language, Bart's full frontal, etc), but overall it was just an extended episode. For those that enjoy the episodes though, that's not necesarily a bad thing. Plus, they did give us fair warning with that opening gimmick: Homer's comments about the Itchy and Scratchy movie

innerSpaceman

07-27-2007, 08:01 PM

Would that be a seasons 1-10 average or a seasons 11-several years past expiration date average?
Yes, because that makes all the difference.

I'm not one who can quote from The Simpsons ... but because I recognize 83% of the quotes in that thread ... that means they're from Seasons 1 - 10.

Confirming my assertion ... that I stopped watching when the show went downhill.

If the movie is a 90-minute episode from the first ten seasons, I'll like it.

But regardless, I'm obviously seeing it sometime this weekend. (likely Sunday)

Babette

07-28-2007, 01:24 AM

I think the big thing about The Simpsons Movie is they hand drew the entire film, when most cartoons are computer generated these days. It is an "art" film. I hope to see it this weekend.

€uroMeinke

07-28-2007, 01:48 AM

Just saw Shortbus - what a delight. I want to see it again just to pick up some of the lines. Of course, the national anthem will never be the same for me.

Cadaverous Pallor

07-28-2007, 08:38 AM

Shortbus was great, I think most of this lascivious crowd would love it. Just draw the blinds before viewing :)

Note to self - watch more unrated films

Alex

07-28-2007, 09:09 AM

I liked the last Batman movie (which was a very nice surprise since I didn't care for any of the KKK(c) incarnations), so I must admit I'm looking forward to The Dark Knight. Teasers are, almost by definition, lies but I like this one (http://whysoserious.com/).

And seeing the visual approach they took to the Joker it seems they are keeping with a pleasingly dark and serious approach to it.

http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/images/column/72507/jokermouth.jpg

Not Afraid

07-28-2007, 09:38 AM

Shortbus was fantastic!

innerSpaceman

07-28-2007, 11:11 AM

Yeah, I was rather fond of Shortbus.

I don't suppose there are any clubs like that in L.A.??

*****

Teasers are, almost by definition, lies but I like this one (http://whysoserious.com/). And seeing the visual approach they took to the Joker it seems they are keeping with a pleasingly dark and serious approach to it.
Yeah, I guess with a teaser like that, the only "lie" they can tell is to leave some of that dialog on the cutting room floor.

I like the dark approach to the new Batman series, but I draw the line at wanting "serious" with my Batman. It's frelling Batman.

I'm not wanting anything as campy as the TV series or as stupid as the Joel Schumacher disasters ... but I prefer the filmmakers acknowledge the complete non-seriousness of themed villains and an animagus-inspired crimefighter.

€uroMeinke

07-28-2007, 11:15 AM

Yeah, I was rather fond of Shortbus.

I don't suppose there are any clubs like that in L.A.??

A niche waiting to be filled?

innerSpaceman

07-28-2007, 11:16 AM

Something waiting to be filled.

skinnylycan

07-28-2007, 11:24 AM

heh... wow.. :-) there are a few things here (disney) that are waiting to be filled... and most just like your thinking. :-P

innerSpaceman

07-28-2007, 11:33 AM

Hmmm, I'm gonna run that through the vagueometer and see what it implies.

But I do have a sudden inkling to find out what's going down at the Park.

AllyOops!

07-28-2007, 03:42 PM

I swear I have ADD when it comes to films. I'm a disaster at the cinema. I fidget & practically panic attack sitting still for too long. I never used to be that way when I was younger, but I sure am now.

I'm finding more & more that I just don't enjoy popular blockbuster films. Of course, I immediately think "it must be me". "Something is wrong with ME." I really need to adjust my attitude to "this film sucks" & "everybody sucks but ME". :p

I gave up and fell asleep during PotC 3. For the love of all things HOLY, it just wouldn't end! I fidgeted myself into a frenzy during Transformers. I finally settled down and then fell asleep on my boyfriend's shoulder. Everybody seemed to love that movie but me!

I'll hopefully be seeing The Simpsons this weekend! I'm obsessed and have enjoyed absolutely every season. I know I'll be all spiral-eyed and non-fidgety for that one! :)

CoasterMatt

07-28-2007, 06:09 PM

Watched 'The Blues Brothers' and 'Chinatown' back to back last night on HD...

innerSpaceman

07-30-2007, 05:59 PM

In money news, the 5-film Harry Potter franchise just edged out the money made by the 6-film Star Wars franchise, and is narrowly behind the 22-film James Bond franchise.

Alex

07-30-2007, 06:51 PM

Raw dollars or inflation adjusted?

innerSpaceman

07-30-2007, 09:07 PM

Raw dollars.

It's not a measure of popularity, or even of how much wealth at any particular time. It's dollars pure and simple.

I'd be interested to see how many paid admissions for each of those franchises, but I'm not even sure such numbers are available.

Alex

07-30-2007, 09:13 PM

You can find some sites that guesstimate it since average ticket price numbers are available for each year, but it gets fuzzy with matinee vs. full price, adult vs. tickets.

Gemini Cricket

07-30-2007, 09:13 PM

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Seen it a million times.
Love it.
Schmaltzy, but I tear up every time.
:)

xharryb

07-31-2007, 04:09 AM

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Seen it a million times.
Love it.
Schmaltzy, but I tear up every time.
:)

I recently watched that one (gasp!) for the first time. I loved it!

I've actually been watching a lot of old movies lately. Perhaps to balance out all the summer blockbusters I've gone to see in theaters. The most recent film I watched was Charley's Aunt. The stage play was the very first community theater production I got involved with 15 years ago, so it's got a special place in my heart. This month a DVD was released of the film version starring Jack Benny, and it was fantastic.

CoasterMatt

07-31-2007, 06:17 AM

Last night, I finally got to see 'Enter The Dragon' (Have I mentioned how much I love HD Movies?)

Snowflake

07-31-2007, 07:52 AM

I recently watched that one (gasp!) for the first time. I loved it!

I've actually been watching a lot of old movies lately. Perhaps to balance out all the summer blockbusters I've gone to see in theaters. The most recent film I watched was Charley's Aunt. The stage play was the very first community theater production I got involved with 15 years ago, so it's got a special place in my heart. This month a DVD was released of the film version starring Jack Benny, and it was fantastic.

Ooh! Heading to netflix now, I have not seen this in ages and I simply adore Kay Fwancis! Thanks for the tip!

Babette

08-04-2007, 01:56 PM

Finished L4yer Cake with Daniel Craig. It was an interesting drug lord tale. I was a little confused in some parts because of their strong British accents and there are so many offscreen characters they refer to, but it all came together.

If you liked movies like Traffic, Blow and Snatch, I think you'll like this one.

Not Afraid

08-04-2007, 02:02 PM

I got the Almodovar box set yesterday. I see some color in my future - unless we choose to watch Matador.

Stan4dSteph

08-05-2007, 07:16 AM

Saw The Bourne Ultimatum last night. It's awesome, although I have to admit there were some plot points I wish had been resolved better, especially if this is the last one. I still don't quite understand the relationship hinted at between Nickie and Bourne.

CoasterMatt

08-05-2007, 09:28 AM

Polyester + NyQuil = WOOHOO!!

innerSpaceman

08-09-2007, 10:03 AM

Why-oh-why do I listen to critical reaction?

The Bourne Ultimatum was completely MEH.

There was plenty of fun action, and a goodly amount of spyster intrigue.

But Jason Bourne was a weaksauce character this time out. Damon barely spoke a word. He had no one to play off throughout the entire film (cept for a brief interlude with Nicki, who - it turns out - used to be his gal at one time pre-being-Bourne) .. and so he never seems decisive or pro-active. He's just there, and he's always shown to be competent in sneaking around and fighting and chasing. But he's never moving the story along, never making anything happen, and never offered an opportunity to express his character through dialogue.

The stuff in the movie is re-tread city. David Strathairn is nasty, but his character is - in the end - far too easily fooled by Bourne to have risen to the high post he's got at the CIA. Joan Allen plays the same good-guy-at-the-Agency role she delivered in the last outting.

The series has been weak ever since Bourne recovered from amnesia. There's no hook to the tale. He's simply a rogue spy/assassin looking for revenge. Snore.

Last time he was looking to apologize for his first hit job, and he has to remember the details of that assignment. This time he's close to recovering the memory of how he was indoctrinated into the Treadstone program ... and the payoff for that is ho-and-hum. Ooooh, big deal ... he volunteered for the job. So frelling what??.

The pacing was fine, the action was good. But the part of Bourne was simply phoned in, virtually non-existent in a film with his name in the title. And - um - there was no "ultimatum" anywhere to be found.

Babette

08-09-2007, 08:05 PM

Saw Bourne yesterday. I really enjoyed it. Thought the action was fun and entertaining. Extended chases and fights were amazing.

The story was not as great as the first. When Matt did speak (like only a handful of times or in short phrases) he sounded like he had a cold. Whatever, he was still hot!

The story had holes, but not too many to make me hate it. I wonder: Do you really think top CIA members (or any CIA agents) really have office windows you can see into? Wouldn't they have one-way glass or something to prevent people from peeping and finding their secret hiding spots? Just wondering.

The end of Bourne Supremecy flashes forward a few months and has Jason looking into Pamela Landy's office and telling her she looks tired, etc. There was a similar scene in Bourne Ultimatum. This made me think that the first half of Ultimatum was supposed to be those missing months from Supremecy, then it continued on from there. Anyone else feel this?

I like how it ended the same way Bourne Identity started with him floating in the water :) Nice book ends for a trilogy.

I LOVE MATT DAMON!!

DreadPirateRoberts

08-09-2007, 08:19 PM

I wonder: Do you really think top CIA members (or any CIA agents) really have office windows you can see into? Wouldn't they have one-way glass or something to prevent people from peeping and finding their secret hiding spots? Just wondering.

I didn't see the movie, but:

Top CIA members/agents may have an office with windows, but I doubt they would discuss anything classified in them. A laser listening device (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_gx5211/is_2004/ai_n19126431)has a good chance of picking up a conversation via the window. Any sound vibrations in the room will vibrate the window. That vibration can be picked up and interpreted.

BarTopDancer

08-10-2007, 10:45 AM

I think I am going to see The Simpsons and The Bourne Ultimatum tonight.

Gemini Cricket

08-10-2007, 04:53 PM

Daddy Day Camp : 2% on Rottentomatoes.com
:D

innerSpaceman

08-10-2007, 05:07 PM

Heheheh, I wonder how Rush Hour 3 will fare .... but I'm not going to find out.

I was a big fan of Jackie Chan. Chris Tucker? Not so much.

* * * * *

Here's an example of problems I had with the Bourne sequels. Car chases. Big part of the franchise, right? Always a good car chase in the Bourne films.

But the ones in the sequels with just Jason Bourne in the car are not nearly as good as the one in the original with his new girlfriend along for the joyride.

See, there's no danger for Jason Bourne in a car chase (heck he survives a wreck in Bourne-Three without a scratch that would have killed an entire schoolbus full of kids). But with an unsuspecting girl along, the danger quotient is there. We feel it. She's our surrogate. She's the innocent civilian along for the ride with the uber-trained spy.

The chases with just Bourne alone in the vehicle, while technically superb, were emotionally inferior.

Likewise, the most riveting action in Bourne-Three is when the girl, Nicki, is being hunted by a CIA assassin and Bourne must rescue her. Girl in danger = excitement. Bourne in danger = we don't believe it for a second.

And yeah, the ending of Bourne-Three with him in the water was a nice bookend to the series. But his repeat of the line from the original, "Look what they make us give" came off lame, imo. (It was a ham-handed salute ... plus, um, Matt Damon is no Clive Owens. Sorry, Matt. No.)

Not Afraid

08-10-2007, 05:10 PM

I'm thinking it's gonna be an Almodovar kind-of night.

innerSpaceman

08-10-2007, 05:57 PM

I am house-sitting with a big-screen plasma. So I'm just viewing widescreen faves of the past.

Fellowship of the Ring was last night. This weekend will include such widescreen geek fare as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Wrath of Khan.

BarTopDancer

08-10-2007, 10:35 PM

Really liked Bourne. Mindless action + hot guy = good movie.

The ending after he remembered really bothered me. I didn't need to see him kill his friend :(

Loved the ending in the water and Nicki smirking when she heard the news.

Easily wrapped up or left open. Though I hope this is the end.

Alex

08-10-2007, 10:36 PM

Just found Stardust to be pretty enjoyable. Not head over heels or anything but pleasant throughout.

cirquelover

08-10-2007, 10:42 PM

My son has been trying to convince me all day to take him to Stardust. Today was far to busy for a movie though, maybe later in the weekend.

Snowflake

08-11-2007, 06:11 PM

Undertaking Betty came to me via Netflix. Wacky undertaking fun with Brenda Blethyn, Alfred Molina, Naomi Watts and Christopher Walkin. Silly and fun, loved it.

Alex

08-11-2007, 09:49 PM

I will not apologize for my Jackie Chan fetish and I have no doubt that I will be seeing every movie in the earliest form I can get my hands on until the day one of us is dead.

That said, I also know that most of the suck pretty hard (especially the American ones). Rush Hour 3 is really very much in the hard suckage category. Among its many problems is the fact that they are unable to hide the fact that Chan is 53 years old and just can't do it any more.

He is still agile and good with the acrobatics but when the better fight choreography goes to Chris Tucker then there is really a problem.

Add to that the fact that they apparently just said "let's reshoot the first Rush Hour but in Paris this time" and it really is a waste of time. Unless you have to see everything with Chan, just go watch the first one again.