We saw the Yellowstone Cubs yesterday - one of those World of Disney animal pics. Typically cute to be sure, but what was more interesting was just the "wrongness" of it by contemporary standards. There are long segments of tourists feeding bears, children feeding bears, people trying to pet the bears. I mean it's entirely authentic for the period, that's what you did in Yellowstone despite the "Do not feed the Bears" signs but I bet this is one film the Park Rangers never gets seen again.

Citzen Kane is one of those that I might as well have seen. I've never sat and watched it beginning to end, but I've seen at least 80% of it over the years in various bits and chunks. It's on the queue because I do eventually have to view it in whole, but it none of it will really be news to me.

Same with Philladelphia Story. The movie starts with a man threating to punch his wife, only to show amazing restraint by just shoving her to the ground by her face. It then proceeds to show respectable people getting hammered. Though there was a message of "drinking is bad", it still showed some binge drinking in a humorous light, something you most definitely wouldn't see today. Oh, and there was the humorous dirty old uncle who liked to pinch girl's asses.

It was so cool to see The Philadelphia Story at the cemetery. I'd seen the film dozens of times, but always by my lonesome. It's a fantastic comedy, and it was such a treat to finally see it with an audience.


Snowflake, cheesy and ancient as it is - - no movie's got anything on The Adventures of Robin Hood. Tops in its class - - in many ways unsurpassed to this day!

And it's way better than the Kevin Costner one...

Did I call it cheesy? Not my intention! I agree with you 100% it is unsurpassed. As Mary Poppins would say, practically perfect! ;)

It is also one to be seen on the big screen. The first time I saw it, it was a sparkling new print off the nitrate negative and I sat for the first 10 minutes just awestruck by seeing true three-strip techinicolor for the first time.

I saw The Libertine in the theatre.
A lot of very confused people left that theatre.

I think that Alex hit it dead on, it just didnt make it. Though it does come out this Tuesday for sale. Supposedly the behid the scenes making of extra is wonderful.

The "Calla Lillies" line is from Suddenly Last Summer, isn't it? (Which, is another of my favorite Hepburn films.)

I don't know if she said it in SLS (it's been awhile since I've seen it) but she does say it in 'Stage Door'. Guaranteed. I've seen that movie at least 20 times. It's fabulous.
:)

I keep seeing this thread's title as "Miscellaneous Movie Mushings."

Me, too! :D

Me, three. And it makes me giggle every darn time.

Uh oh.

The splats are coming in for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest!

It's better be good. I'm driving to the deep south to see it!

You're seeing it in Alabama?

Yes, or so it seems.

There are places where I will drive at the drop of a hat. Then there are places that, byt some magical twist, just seem like they are so far away. The Valley - West Side is one of those places. South Irvine and Beyond is another. It's not so much the distance as it is the amount of traffic I usually encounter while driving there. The culprit is usually the 405.

While I enjoyed PotC: DMC quite a bit (though it has some significant flaws), I think this one is critic proof. The audience at my screening absolutely loved it.

Are you reviewing it for MP?

Yes. It'll run tomorrow along with my review of Once in a Lifetime.

Cool.

Can you clarify what you mean by 'critic proof'? Are you saying that it's immune from neg criticism by the critics or that it's more vulnerable because it's a sequel?

I mean that pretty much absolutely nobody will care what the critics have to say about it. They've already decided whether they'll see it or not. So it is pre-emptively critic proof.

I also think that the "critic consensus" will give the movie lower marks than the "general consensus." This is one of those big sloppy summer tentpoles where critics will tend to focus on the negatives (and they definitely exist) that most people won't even notice.

Also, it is easy to predict a worse critical reception for this movie than the first. The movie is such that if you didn't like the first one then I think it is practically impossible that you'll like this one.

So, 45% of the "cream of the crop" critics at RT didn't like the first one. I'm pretty sure those 45% also won't like this one. Some percentage of the remaining 65% is going to have liked the first one but not the second one so the numbers are doomed to go down. That pretty much guarantees a "rotten" rating among the Cream of the Crop critics. So far the drop-off in the overall number is much lower than the drop-off among the top critics.

Got it. I understand. :)

Watched two movies yesterday.

The first was the new documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? It is mostly about the life and death of GM's EV-1 all electric car but touches on the larger issue of altnernative fuel cars. While the movie admits that the market failure of the car is complex and has many causes it is obviously slanted towards blaming the car and oil companies for actively fighting campaigning against them. Normally, I am somewhat suspicious of such conspiracy theories (as one guy in the movie says "GM would sell you a car that ran on pig **** if enough people wanted to buy one") but it makes its case reasonably well. The interests the oil companies have in resisting all-electric cars is obvious but why would GM resist production if there was a profitable level of demand?

The movie never really makes the case that demand was sufficient for a major auto manufacturer to continue mass production (at its peak, GM was making only 4 EV-1s per day). So it is easy to accept that GM simply wasn't making enough money to continue production. But it is how they behaved towards the cars already built and in the hands of consumers that is eyebrow raising. They had never allowed outright purchase of the cars but only leased them. As the leases ran out, GM refused to release or sell the cars, repossessed them and then destroyed almost every single one of them (a few disabled ones ended up with auto museums). This despite more than enough demand for the vehicles already constructed and an offer of $1.3 million to buy the last 70 or so temporarily stored in a lot in Southern California. Ford, Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota, all did similar things with their full-electric models (remember the Th!nk? or the electric Rav-4?)

I'm not completely sold on the overarching story they tell in the movie but it is an interesting presentation.

The second movie was The Verdict from 1982. This is a Paul Newman when he was in that slightly awkward looking stage between extremely handsome young buck and extremely handsome old fogey. He plays a washed-up attorney that has given in to alcholism and self-loathing. When a case falls into his hands that both the defense and the clients want to settle he decides it is his final chance as self-redemption and proceeds against everybody's wishes. It is a legal thriller without much thrill and while there are some good things in it I'll probably have mostly forgotten it by the end of the month. An elderly James Mason plays opposing counsel and I must say that Mason may just have the best voice in all cinematic history; I just love listening to him. Jack Warden is also interesting in a completely straight role rather than the comedic curmudgeon he usually plays.

I liked The Verdict. I think Paul gives it some heft and heart, and -yes- I can listen to James Mason read a menu and be satisfied.

:cool: I think I saw the movie a lfew times because it was playing with the very rare "Revenge of the Jedi" trailer.

So I just had the teevee on to some stupid edited for teevee movie as background noise and wasn't even paying attention until BT points out ....

Rimmer and Lara Croft, in the same movie.

I have to go lie down now.

Having never seen a Tomb Raider movie, this is the first time I've wanted to watch one.

We coincidentally bumped Red Dwarf at Netflix today.

I watched Supersize Me and Walk the Line today.

I enjoyed both of them. Supersize me was... eyeopening. Not for the reasons you would think, for I already knew that eating McDonalds 3 times a day for a month would be bad for you, but for how nuggets are made, and how much sugar is really in their (and all) fast food. It's sad that what are now kid sizes used to be the "small" adult sizes (which I already knew, it's still sad).

Walk the Line was amazing. I enjoyed the performances by both Reese and Joaquin. Joaquin's performance was more in-depth but his character had a lot more depth. We never learned about June's divorces or much about her before we were introduced to her.

Just saw Repo Man again - I forgot how much I love this film, quirks and all - captures the 80s in a way I remember them, as a suburban white punk/New Wave Guy. I will buy this one the next time I see it, just so I can pick up on all the stuff going on in the background.

I recently watched two movies: "Flight Plan" and "Good Luck and Good Night".

Flight plan was not nearly as good as I had hoped. Without giving anything away, let's just say that the actor, Peter Sarsgaard, should never have asked to play that role. No amount of acting by Ms. Foster could undo the damage. I thought he ruined the film.

Good Luck and Good Night, on the other hand, was such a good film. David Strathairn did a wonderful job in the role of Edward R. Murrow. The film definitely made me wonder if we are currently watching history repeat itself, except this time, sorely lacking an Edward R. Murrow.

I watched 'The Matador' last night. I thought it was just okay. Greg Kinnear was good in it, I'm not a big fan of his but this was a good casting choice. But I never bought Brosnan as a smarmy hitman. There were interesting choices by the director in terms of color. Very vibrant colors throughout.

Also watched 'Murder My Sweet' and 'Telefon' this weekend. Both are kinda dated but still okay flicks.

Yesterday, I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, then followed it up with 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea - my all time favorite Disney movie.

For me, the problem with Flight Plan was entirely in the script. I can accept horribly convoluted plots in caper films to achieve relatively minor ends. However, I absolutely hate when the bad guys are apparently blessed with omniscience to know the results, well beforehand, of dozens of random choices.

In other words, the plot was so stupid and unrealizable to remove any interest in the film.

You saw the wrong one, this is the Matador you should see.

That would make a fun Cemetary screening movie.

I'm such a dildo. I did see that one. Didn't put two and two together. What an awful weekend.
:D

Pedro is one of my favorite directors of all time.

I just finished Fun With Dick and Jane. Great movie. The first credits rock too.

Netflix should be sending me:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Fever Pitch
Shopgirl

Tried to watch Sophie's Choice yesterday. Made it about 90 seconds into the movie. The first moment of Kevin Kline chewing scenery and I knew I just couldn't sit through it.

It immediately came out of the DVD player and back into the Netflix envelope. Maybe I'll try again some other time. I like Kevin Kline but he rubs my very soul (as if I had one) the wrong way when he plays characters in a certain way.

So I watched Terms of Endearment instead. I remember the brouhaha about it when I was a kid and can picture in my head the evening when my parents rented it. But I've never seen it myself. Not really the movie I was expecting. It almost seems to derive its soul reason to exist from the cruel joke of "well, we'll make you really like this person and then kill them just so you can feel some pain." As a character piece without any real message I enjoyed it.

Just watched The Year of Living Dangerously.

It's good to be reminded that once upon a time Mel Gibson was an actor. Having recently seen Body Heat and now this and catching both Kathleen Turner and Sigourney Weaver I had to pause for a sexist moment to reflect on how aging is a differently cruel process for some people (especially considering that Weaver is 8 years older than Turner).

Anyway, a good subtle movie. Kind of touched on some of the same themes of journalistic responsibility and involvement that featured in the Sam Waterston portions of The Killing Fields. In fact, this movie and that might make for a very good pairing.

The brilliance of casting Linda Hunt (a white woman) as Billy Kwan (an Indonesian man) is amazing in its audaciousness. I'm sure it was all the buzz back in 1982 but I didn't realize it and it was very late into the movie before I realized it was Linda Hunt. I'd recognized the character as very feminine but it lent am amazing ethereal quality to an already bizarre characterization. Looking it up now I see Hunt won an Oscar and without checking the competition it seems thoroughly deserved.

Peter Wier shows a restraint that seems to have mostly abandoned him in recent years, willing to just let the camera linger without filling it with movement. But he showcases the ability to get the best from actors for which he is famous.

That was during a time when Weir was way at the top of my list of favorite filmmakers. The Last Wave, Gallippoli, The Year of Living Dangerously and Picnic At Hanging Rock all spoke to me at that time.

Indeed, I ran both that and The Killing Fields at the movie theater I worked in within a year or two of each other, and they do complement each other nicely. I have both on old VHS tapes and would love to upgrade someday.

And yes, Linda Hunt did win supporting actress for the role of Billy Kwan, deservedly so.

I remember being in awe of Wier. We recently purchased The Last Wave but haven't watched it again. I wonder if my awe will still stand?

Damn, thinking about these films makes me miss The Balboa (or any of the Revival theaters). I saw many a film for the first time on the big screen including Wier and Hitch. Thak you lord for the Revival Cemetery. ;)

Ah, the Year of Living Dangerously used to play constantly on ON TV back in the days when Lisa and I were cohabiting with my extended family. Must of watched 7 or 8 times, always completely mesmerized.

One of the only movies I can stomach with Gibson in it is 'Gallipoli'.

Peter Weir is a tremendous director.

Watched an atmospheric and beautifully filmed horror movie (more psychological than most) called A Tale of Two Sisters. I recommend it for shots of the house alone. Dream living.

"Based loosely on an old Korean folk tale that has been filmed no less than five times previously, Kim Jee-woon's A Tale of Two Sisters twists the source material more or less beyond recognition, keeping the father, stepmother and two daughters from the original but abandoning much of the rest. Rather than a literal adaptation, Kim's version is a successful attempt to update the story to a contemporary setting retaining the scary, sad and touching elements of the original."

Last night I watched Fever Pitch. Good movie. I love Drew Barrymore and JImmy Fallon.

I watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tonight. First time I saw the re-make. I saw the original for the first time a few months ago. I like the re-make, I love Johnny in it. He is so talented. I didn't see an inkling of Jack Sparrow (CAPTIAN) though I'm thinking CatCF was made first. The first thing I though of though, with the dolls was IASW.

We watched "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" last night. I didn't think I would like it but I actually did. Maybe I'm just a sucker for courtroom drama but I thought it was interesting.

Saw The Adventures of Robin Hood on the big screen tonight at the Stanford Theater in Palo Alto. There's so much that is hokey about it but the sense of just having stupid fun is enough to keep you rolling with it. Two people in the party hadn't seen it and they liked it too.

I'm going to try to get down there next month for a double bill of Only Angels Have Wings and Bringing Up Baby but we may be double booked for that weekend. I've seen both but they're both worth catching on a big screen.

Year of Living Dangerously is a great film. My Mom and her family lived thru that whole ordeal. They got out of Indonesia just like Gibson did without much but the clothing on thier backs. The score is wonderful too. Vangelis did the main theme when they're driving after curfew.

I watched 'Trainspotting' the recently. Love that movie. Great beginning to a film... It's a pre-famous Ewan McGregor flick. I also liked 'Shallow Grave' w/ Ewan.

Oh ya, I forgot to ask, were the endings different? I don't recall the scene where Charlie ripped into Willy Wonka in the remake or the dental scene in the original.

I saw Pee Wee's Big Adventure last night on TV land, I haven't see it in ages.

I enjoyed it.

We watched a bunch of PeeWee too. Such a fantastic movie.

Also, in honor of its 20th anniversary, we finally unwrapped and watche dour copy of Blue Velvet. I had seen it when I was in college...and didn't remember a single moment of it. Hell of a movie. Question, though, for those who have seen it. Was it actually supposed to be a period piece, set in the 50s, or was it just supposed to be kinda 50's mood/style not actually set there? I feel like I remember something from one of the early scenes that explicitly put it in the 50's...but if so, the hair and wardrobe are so bloody 80s it's not even funny.

I never thought of Blue Velvet as a period piece. To me, it just takes place in Lynchian Time.

PRETTY PRETTY!

Yes. Wonka's "character arc" wasn't in either the original book nor the first movie version. The story is called CHARLIE and the Chocolate Factory, not Willy Wonka and His Horrible Childhood. :rolleyes: Wonka's father and all that was completely added.

That's what I thought too - kinda like John Waters movies.

Well that just gave me a Barbarella Falsh back

Speaking of.....Barbarella is at the Aero tomorrow night.

I think this movie has been discussed already, but I just watched it.

I went out and rented The Producers, and I really enjoyed it. I've always been a fan of Lane and Broderick and the movie did nothing to change my opinion. The songs were catchy and a lot of the time I felt like I was either watching it on stage or watching a really old musical movie. Really good stuff.

I agree, FT. The Producers did poorly in theatrical release, and a lot of critics complained that the performances were pitched too much "to the rafters," but it works just great on video, and I laughed out loud throughout. I suspect this will find a loyal audience on DVD. (I know I want to get a copy.)

I do adore the original, of course.

Here's my movie musing of the moment: I'm going to see Clerks 2.

I'm going to see Clerks 2, and it will suck. It will be a sucktastic suckfest. I know this for a fact, without having read any spoilers or looked at Kevin Smith's blog. Trust me, I know.

So why see it? We have to see it. We've been Kevin Smith fans since seeing Clerks on VHS and have seen all of his movies. Ok, maybe we didn't see Jersey Girl. Yeah, did not go to that. But we did actually rent Vulgar, which no one should have to do. We did it because we loved Kevin Smith.

Thing is, he's lost it. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was a broken promise. After he did Dogma he had said he was done with the "Jersey Trilogy", which already wasn't a trilogy at all. He had said he was putting Jay and Silent Bob away forever. Then, he pulled them out in Strike Back, and it was somewhat funny but mostly embarrassing. I mean, when you've shot your wad you've shot your wad, and having the Mark Hamill battle you with a lightsaber is far beyond short-scorching for Fan Boy Made Cash.

Why the loyalty? Why the bond? Who cares if he throws in another Rick Derris reference? Will you really laugh because the number 37 has been mentioned...again? Will you be able to forget that he exalted Lucas for Episode III and raised your expectations from nothing just so they could be even more shattered?

I see it all too well. Less funny than Strike Back. More embarrassing. Ten bucks (make it twenty, I've got a date) down the toilet and Citizen Kane remains unwatched in a Netflix envelope.

Even though it's all crystal clear, I'm going to do it. I'll feel odd if I don't. Loyalty manifests in such bizarre ways.

Hmmm - not movie musing, but I had the same loyalty thing with Anne Rice - God I'm glad I finally broke from that habit or I'd be reading about Jesus Christ.

Ugh. I'm glad I broke the Anne Rice habbit.

And, in case anyone's not insulted enough:

I think crocs look like clown shoes
The Honda Element is a Clown Car and
I find Stephen King rather dull

ok, we can take it about Stephen King and Honda, but more talk like that about crocs, missy, and I'm gonna have to talk to the owner about banning you.











oh.

Watched Madonna's 'I'm Going to Tell You a Secret' this morning. Meh. Too much Kaballah. Shrug.

I had never heard of Crocs until I visited family over the 4th of July weekend. Turns out that in the two years since I last saw her my mother has adopted them as pretty much the only footwear she wears. They're hideous and remind me of the jelly sandals that were so popular among girls back in the '70s and once caused me to catch the backyard on fire.

Anyway, on the topic of movies. Lani and I drove up to the city last yesterday and saw the new crossword documentary Word Play. It is a lot of fun and well put together. It is built around the 2005 Crossword Championship in Stamford, CT, but does a good job of screen graphics, music, and editing to keep you involved during those times you're essentially watching a crowd of people do a crossword puzzle.

Near the end is a surprising bit of human drama that will have even the most competition averse people cringing in sympathy.

In terms of the mood it created I was reminded a lot of a documentary from 1997 called Hands on the Hard Body in which a group of contestants push themselves to physical limits to win a new pick-up truck. Lani initially said it reminded her of Spellbound from a few years ago which followed a group of contestants in the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee. I don't think that quite captured the same feeling because while you really rooted for the kids there was also a feeling of exploitation in some mof the stories. The rooting interest was tainted by a certain level of discomfort and voyeurism.

Anyway, if you're of a type to spend your movie theater dollars on documentaries I heartily recommend it. And if you haven't seen them, rent Hands on the Hard Body and Spellbound.

I've had 'Paradise Now' at home for so long it's gathering moss. R and I try to coordinate schedules to watch it and it never works out. I think I've had it out for a month now... Netflix makes its money off of people like us.
:D

I rented and watched Sahara last night. I'm not picky about movies, but that was $4 and two hours I'll never have back. I was doing my best to endure, but when they use a 150 year old cannon to shoot down the helicopter of the bad guy.....I just couldn't take it anymore.

Ha ha. You saw 'Sahara'. :D lol!

Just saw 'Nacho Libre' today- it was 'different'. I liked the guy who played Jack's sidekick- very funny in a disturbing way. I think they must have rounded up every weird looking Hispanic available for this flick, and a few freaky looking little persons as well. I think I liked the movie, but I'm not sure.

I've got "Song Remains The Same" on right now...

I didn't know it was possible to make Led Zeppelin boring...

You must be seeing it "unimpaired", I don't think it was intended for that state of mind.

Up next - Oingo Boingo: Farewell (The neighbors will like this) :D

To wipe clear the memory, watch the real Sahara.

You're watching the wrong Led Zeppelin DVD. Get the DVD set that was released a few years ago. There are far better performances captured and it spans their entire career.

If you're into that sort of thing...

I thought so...

I didn't get to watch Oingo Boingo - somebody borrowed the dvd, so I put on Stevie Ray Vaughn- Live at The El Mocambo

Now it's time for one of my alltime faves

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: The Movie" :D

Ok, that is just wrong. The Bee Gees should not be singing Beatles songs.

That movie introduced me to the music of the Beatles, so I'm indebted.

Besides, I like Earth, Wind & Fire's rendition of "Got To Get You In To My Life", and of course, Aerosmith's rippin' version of "Come Together" :D

Cover tunes are just like movie remakes - usually unnecessary and often painful. :D

But one could say that Peter Jackson's 'LOTR' trilogy is a remake of those 70's 'LOTR' cartoons. :D

Sing with me...
"Frodo of the nine fingers..."

God, I'm old.

Sincerely,

Geezer who saw the Beatles live in concert..

Off topic maybe?

First, I bought a Zippo Lighter featuring the Beatles last night for the hell of it.

Later today I'm going to the home of a guy I work with and he's going to sell me a copy of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club band on vinyl for pretty cheap from what I understand...


um...carry on.

Forgive me for bringing this thread back on topic... But has heard about 300 staring Gerard Butler? Mmmmmmm...

http://sunny.zandalea.biz/300/300.htm

Hubby and I had in our queue "Syriana" and "Munich." We watched them over the weekend, as it (the watching) seemed long overdue. The timing couldn't have been better (or worse) given the current meltdown in the Middle East. We feel an oppressive gloomyness that we haven't felt, since well, Sept. 2001. It's beyond despair...it's a sense of fatalism. I don't do this mood well. That and the black clouds overhead make my heart ache. People! Stop bombing each other!! :(

Ugh, what a double feature! :eek:
Now you need to watch something totally loony like 'It's a Mad Mad Mad World' or something...

I don't know if I am lookin forward to Lady in the Water or not. That being the soon to opening offering from Shyamalan.

I loved The 6th Sense. It is seriously the only movie I've ever seen that I had to rewatch immediately. I had to because I could not believe that he had really had no interaction with anyone except the boy. I just did not see it coming.

I even liked the much maligned Unbreakable. I loved Signs.

Then came The Village. I really wanted to like it. But I just didn't. I thought so much more could have been done with it. Not scary. Incredibly obvious.

So now comes the new one. So far reviews haven't been that good (OK, there are only five up on rottentomotoes with four not liking it). I want it to be good, but I'm doubting it.

Shyamalan still has enough credit with me that I'll give anything he produces a try. I loved both The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. Signs was pretty good but The Village was horrible in pretty much every way.

Combine Shyamalan with Giamatti (and Bryce Howard who was the only good tihng about The Vilage) and I'm definitely there. But if this one sucks then his credit is up.

However, I think he is great in that he is definitely making the movies he wants to make and that is to be respected. That doesn't mean the movies he wants to make will always be movies anybody wants to see, but it is still respect worthy.

Although I loved 'The Sixth Sense', I haven't been crazy about Shyamalan's other stuff. I've been watching his name get more prominent in each film ad, watching him promote himself in Amex ads, etc. I can't help but think that he's more ego than anything else.
I have a feeling 'Lady in the Water' is going to leave me dry...

Then you're not listening to the right cover songs. I hated covers until I listed to "Coverville," a podcast that specializes in finding ingenious re-envisionings of (mostly) pop tunes. Richard Cheese, for instance, has some excellent ones. Jonathan Coulton's "Baby Got Back" is incredible.

Yeah, I can name 10 fantastic covers off the top of my head, and there's much much more where those came from.

Covers are not like sequels. Thousands of covers are fantastic, and it's one of the beauties of song that they can be adapted and performed in many wonderful ways ... some of which will do credit to the original version and others that, according to tastes, even surpass.


M. Night's got full faith and credit with me. The Village may not be his best, but I'm one who liked it very much. This puts him in a rare (um, party of one) film director category for me: I like every single one of his films.

I said remakes, not sequels, and I said usually, not always. I have a few covers that I love - most notably, Frente's version of Bizarre Love Triangle - but most of the time, the original is the one and only for me.

Just a thought - Will there ever be another thread devoted to a single movie or filmmaker (other than Pirates)? M. Night seems worthy of his own topic, to be sure. (My own views on him are conflicted as can be.) This particular thread is amazing, but, pretty daunting if a month from now I want to find out what people were saying about Peter Weir a while back.

Well, yes, all you have to do is start one.

I kind of take this particular thread as a "what have you seen lately" sort, but I see Flippy's point - and I believe ISM had expressed similar concerns earlier. I'm not sure how you could control this as the nature of these boards sort of leaps about as our own unique synapse firings take us.

But for these ambiguous threads we could creat some caps (maximum post count) to keep them from getting too unwieldy - certainly many of the other boards do this. Granted our traffic is much more moderate, but perhaps this is ripe for discussion?

Thread Pudding?

Flippy, meet the Search feature. It's right under the word "Swag" at the top of your screen. ;)

You can do that (MP's cap was for system performances reasons and "moving on" was a secondary hoped for benefit that never arose) but in my experience you'll just end up with Miscellaneous Movie Musings II.

But somewhere in there, some smart-aleck might title it Miscellaneous Movie Mushings.

I think we should discuss the fate of this thread. How about we start another thread about this thread? Ha ha. It matters not to me. I thought we needed a random thread about flicks. If we didn't we would have had about 50 threads about each individual movie... ;)



I'm a sucker for dog movies. I just watched 'Eight Below'. I thought it was okay. Kinda slow in places. It's my very first Paul Walker movie. He's hot. The dogs were absolutely beautiful. I teared up a couple of times. :)

Oh yeah, I knew you wrote "remakes" and I meant "remakes" when the spirit of Lisa made me type "sequels." (actually I'm just unbelievablypostDisneylandbirthdayTired).




I'm gonna start an M. Night thread after Lady in the Water comes out. It won't be about one movie, but neither will it be about all movies. It will be a compromise thread.

Yeah, imagine my 'Eight Below' thread. It would have had one post in it by me, three lines at most... Most likely no replies. Then it would disappear. Like the movie did. :D

I would have responded to your "Eight Below" thread. This would have been my post:

They showed that on an airplane I was on recently, but I can't stand watching movies on airplanes, so I didn't watch it. I do like doggies, though.

But you didn't start that thread, so now you'll never know what I had to say about "Eight Below." :p

Not sure if you meant disappear as in the movie bombed. But it didn't. Eight Below was the best performer this year for Disney before the summer big guns. Everybody was surprised how well it did.

It was definitely in the direction of a kids' movie but when the people were off the screen I was amazed how well they did with the dog stuff.

I liked 'Eight Below'. I don't see many movies though, so my judgement is probably suspect. Great scenery. I startle easily so I jumped about 5 feet out of my seat at one point in the movie.

The leopard seal moment, DPR? :D

I liked the movie- Tori was a little pissed at me for not letting her know it was a sad movie in parts (like I knew?) but she liked it as well. Who couldn't love Snow Doggies?

Yeah that's the one. When I was a kid, the haunted mansion ghosts that popup used to scare the heck out of me. Probably not one of my best pirate qualities.

My oldest is starting to chafe at the movie restrictions we put on him (not too violent, not too much sex, not too scary, etc...)

But he's officially a teen now so I suppose it's about time I loosened up a bit. So I rented him "Alien" to watch tomorrow. When he's home alone. In the dark creepy basement.....

:D

I saw Alien, in a theatre, when I was 5 - I turned out perfectly normal :D

You're evil Moonliner. :evil: I remember being so annoyed at my parents when I was 12 for not letting me see PG-13 movies. Little did they know that my sisters showed me Dirty Dancing when I was 8. Jurassic Park took a good week of convincing. Anyways...

I watched Final Fantasy Advent Children. This movie was cool if you've spent several hundred hours playing Final Fantasy VII (which, sadly, I have). It was uber-cool to see the characters come to life like that. Red XIII was awesome, as were Sephiroth, Aries, and Vincent. The others I could take or leave as far as that movie goes. They did a good job of sneaking in game references. The movie couldn't stand alone without the game though.

We've been netflixing all the Scrubs that are out. We're up to the middle of season 2. Such a great show. I love it.

Rented Motorcycle Diaries, but we've seen it before. I'm not sure that we'll watch it again as Michael is swamped with web design and I don't want to watch it alone. Spectacular movie though.

Crocs? Disgusting. Good for gardening, I imagine.

Song remakes can be wonderful. I love Postal Service Such Great Heights, but the Iron and Wine cover takes it to a whole new level.

I was allowed to watch part of the Great American Strip-Off on the Playboy Channel when I was 7. Didn't really interest me one bit.

I was taken with my parents to see Poltergeist in the theater so I must have been 7 as well. That did affect me quite a bit. Scared the hell out of me for quite a while (I too had a big tree right outside my second story bedroom window). However, it was also the last time I was scared watching a movie. So I don't know if the impact was positive or negative.

Strangely, we were not allowed to watch A-Team.

I wasn't officially allowed to watch R-rated movies until I was 18. Or The Electric Company. Mostly it was G movies only until out of elementary school.

On the one hand, that does mean that my dad took me to see Song of the South in the theater.

On the other, it also means I've seen Flight of the Navigator enough times to justify an insanity plea.

Just now, 25 years later, it occurs to me that "Strip Off" is redundant.

My friends dad took us to see Zardoz when it opened - My first R rated film - we were big on James Bond so it was a must. With all the topless women I think I had a sustained erection for the duration of the film

Some of the scariest movies I ever saw were on network tv, and those gave me more nightmares than anything I saw in the theatre or drive-in. (NA, €uro and I had a convo about Trilogy of Terror when I was visiting- anyone else remember that?)

Alex, your parents showed great wisdom in not allowing you to watch the A-Team.

Oh, I watched it anyway. I just wasn't allowed to.

I also wasn't allowed to steal the quarters out of my mom's laundry so that I could play Super Mario Brothers at the IGA all afternoon either. But I did that too.

I suddenly want to see pictures of Alex when he was a kid, hanging out at the arcade.

Of course then I'd have to pull out my kiddie pictures and that might not be as fun. :blush:

And just for the record - my parents let me watch anything and everything.

Did they also take you to a really hilarious movie and thus you've never laughed again? Did they wear smilie face shirts all the time, thus your dislike for emoticons? Were you forced onto a roller coaster at the ripe age of 5, thus taking the thrill taken out of thrill rides forever? Suddenly the stoicism of Alex Stroup is explained. :p ;)

Strangely, I was allowed to watch the A-team. Yet Scooby Doo, Smurfs, and I Dream of Genie were off limits. :confused: My dad snuck in James Bond movies every time my mom left the house. I loved them when I was 8.

'Poltergeist' freaked me out as a kid. The face ripping part was too much for me. It made me gag. :D
My first rated R movie was 'Conan the Barbarian'. If I remember correctly.
:)

But what kind of access did you really have to media? With Netflix, blockbusters, Internet, cable and Tivo I think my kids have access to a lot more mature material than kids of your generation. Plus the content has changed. When I was a kid the only thing I was "forbidden" to watch was the three stooges. There was no nip-tuck or WWF coming into your home on a daily basis. TV, even basic cable was for the most part not too bad for kids but I do think the relentless violence, hate and adult issues you see on shows like the Shield or SVU is not something kids need to see.

My family was one of the first people in Hawai'i to test out cable in our homes. We moved to a condo when I was 5 or so and had cable installed. Oceanic Cablevision.
My sister and I watched it non-stop. We had WTCG (now TBS) and HBO (which showed porn late at night) and others. My parents were never around so we figured out a lot about things by watching TV. We watched movies ('Suspiria', 'Play Misty for Me', 'The Island of Dr. Moreau' etc.) that went unexplained which in hindsight probably wasn't good for us.
(Now that I think of it, I may have seen my first X rated film before my first rated R film. IN fact, 'Conan' may not have been my first R film, it may have just been my first R film in the theatre...)

HBO NEVER showed X-rated porn. Just the slightly naughty soft-core R-rated Immanuel type stuff. I remember the first time I went to a real x-rated theater. The part of the leading man was being played by a cucumber.

The one I still remember seemed to exceed R by a fingerbang and an oral examination... so to speak. But I'll take your word for it. Back then, I thought any prolonged nudity = X. ???

NSFW

NSFW
 

I watched WWF for as long as I can remember. We got cable when I was 5, and my dad would watch softcore stuff on Cinemax and not mind if I watched with him. We were allowed as much TV as we wanted - we were allowed to stay up as late as we wanted on weekends - and my parents had no idea what we watched. None of this was questioned. I watched plenty of MTV and I believe I did ask my parents what a virgin was after seeing the Madonna video. My dad loves super violent and super scary movies and I watched everything with them. Don't tell me there weren't any violent, gory movies before 1990 - I've seen most of them! They never had babysitters, and we always went to bed late, so it's not like they saved anything to watch when we weren't around.

I'm not advocating this "parenting style" as I disagree with much of it now, but I still maintain that kids can handle a whole lot more than people realize. I also maintain that it's up to individuals to parent as they see fit.

CP, what do you disagree with? I'm grappling with this right now. We let our 4 year old (at the time) watch Pirates I, and I was concerned about the scary scenes, but he had no problem with them. At his age, I wasn't allowed to go on the ride. I haven't seen Pirates II yet, and I'm not sure if he should or not, I guess I'll need to decide after I've seen it.

I don't think there is any sort of formula. I have three kids with differing personalities and it must be a bit taylored to each of them.

As an example with DL attractions, my 12 year old, when 6, was afraid of the unknown (still is), but the attractions genuinely did not scare her. She'd go on something freaking out about it, get off and say something like "wow, that wasn't bad, it was cool" and want to go on it over and over. My current 6 year old isn't afriad of the unknown so much as he is genuinely scared when he gets off something and then doesn't want to go again. So with the elder, it is make her try it. With the younger it is think real hard if it will genuinely freak him out. My four year old fears nothing.

That translates into TV viewing as well wihin our family, within certain limits, of course.

Rides, attractions, experiences - I wasn't shielded, but I was fearless. Nudity and violence......I was SHOCKED the first time I saw at nipple on the big screen. I thought people were arrested if they showed that. (The film was Ryan's Daughter.)

Just watched Fitzcarraldo without knowing anything about it other than being directed by Werner Herzog (which is why I've had it from Netflix for about 3 months and am only now watching it).

There are a couple visually interesting scenes that they actually did rather than using models. Which is a waste since I just assumed they were models anyway.

Kinski is always interesting to watch work. In looking it up I see that Jason Robards was originally supposed to play the role and boy would that have been a different result.

I love Fitzcaraldo. It was filmed in the jungles of Peru and in the town of Iquitos. I visited Iquitos few years after Fitzcarraldo was made, so I have a bond with it. I also love Klaus Kinsky (but that's more of a Nosferatu thing).

This film also heightened my appreciation of white linen suits.

I mostly enjoyed the film except for two things:

1) It has all the bad things (in my opinion) about a Werner Herzog movie. I'm generally ok with slowly paced films but Herzog seems to feel that there is no reason to say nothing in 90 seconds when you could do it in 5 minutes. I could have done with few long shots of the boat cruising around a bend in the river.

2) The whole endeavor is ultimately rendered meaningless but him doing what he could have done from the beginning of the movie. I know that was much of the point, but still it made me feel like I'd watched 40 long shots of a boat going around a bend (metaphor!) for not good reason.

Couple years ago the kids and I were channel surfing when we came across Led Zepplin's The Song Remains The Same right when they were performing Stairway to Heaven so we stop to watch.

Well, Robert Plant was wearing some tight spandex and no underwear that day, tell you what. It was all outlined for the cameras: mushroom, shaft, balls. My how we giggled like schoolgirls (even Cat, the schoolgirl). Every movement or motion caused another fit of laughter from the immature SacTown Clan.

Good clean family fun.:snap:

Alex, did (does) the Fitzcarraldo DVD include the amazing documentary Burden Of Dreams? That's a great example of the "making of" story being just as compelling, at least, as the finished film. Sure, Herzog could have used models, but he HAD to drag a boat over that mountain. It also includes footage of Robards performance before he left the production. Great stuff, right up there with Hearts of Darkness.

I forgot about Burden of Dreams! That was great.

Back to Lady in the Water....it opens tomorrow and it is getting just slammed on. 10% on Rotten Tomatoes (only two good out of 21 thus far).

Do I see it and have Shyamalan ruined for me forever, or do I skip it and hope his next is better? Hate to enjoy his first three so much only to have him consistently throw out junk.

This is totally a page out of my family's book. :D

Ooooh, another in this category is the DVD of The Blair Witch Project. It's the commentary track that's just as, if not more, compelling as the feature. In fact, on the rare ocassions I watch this disc, I always choose the commentary over the movie.

The filmaking process was far more interesting, and almost scarier than the story that was filmed. They got three amateur actors, told them the general outline of the story, and then filmed them (and had them film each other) while they completely improvised.

The actors were left alone in the woods for days. Each morning, different actors would receive different notes about the direction their characters were to take in the story. They also awoke to all the scary crap the film's characters awoke to, experienced the same frightning stuff in the night, and one day had one actor simply disappear with no explanation. The actors eventually became completely sh!tscared, and their freaked out performances were not really "performances" in the usual sense at all.

It's one of the most interesting filmmaking stories ever told, and one of the rare times a DVD extra is arguably better than the feature film.

No, the only real extra was a commentary by Werner Herzog but it put the disc back in the envelope without listening to that.

Wednesday is solo movie night for me so I went and saw Nacho Libre (has to be something I haven't already seen and that Lani has no interest in).

It was horrible.

Were ya expecting it not to be?
:D

I've got The Black Hole on in the other room right now - I love the Overture before the widescreen presentation.

I hoped it might be decent. Napoleon Dynamite was a very mixed bag but there was some good stuff in it so I hoped that given more money director Jared Hess might show something.

And so far, except for King Kong, I've been happy with Jack Black pretty much every time I've seen him.

I don't know why this thought came to me, but can anyone tell me what the dealio was with March of the Penguins?

I loved it, of course. It was beautiful, had wonderful script/narration, and there were penguins--how could it go wrong?

But at the same time, I've seen that documentary before. It's been done. So why all the hype with this one, I wonder?

I don't know. I was a little underwhelmed with it myself, but simple lifecycle documentaries have been done so many times that they are hard to make interesting.

I think there were three factors here that made it successful in English:

1) It was beautifully shot. That was definitely a step up from your normal Animal Planet/PBS life cycle doc.

2) It did expose a quirk of nature with which most peole were unfamiliar and it just seems so odd. Simultaneously it seems an argument against natural selection and intelligent design. In other words, it reminds people that the world is sometimes stupidly wacky.

3) When it was redone for the U.S. market they completely changed the narration to be straight narration. In the original French version the narrators were the voices of the penguins (yes, apparently the penguins talked). I haven't seen both version but know people who have; apparently the original is kind of lame because of that.

A quick update on my Hitchcock cycle. I've been watching all of the Hitchcock movies in chronological order and I'm up to Dial M For Murder.

Anyway, I had a "how the heck did I miss this one" moment last week when I saw Shadow Of A Doubt. Holy crap! What a fantastic movie!

OK... back to penguin talk.

ND was going to be my next question for you. I liked ND a lot. I can't really explain why. It was so silly and offbeat that it just made me laugh. Maybe it was the mood I was in when I saw it the first time. The brother cracked me up.

'Penguins'... I liked it. But after seeing the 'Making of', I liked it even more. It was a huge undertaking to make this film. I do not envy those filmmakers at all. I enjoyed 'Murderball' also.

I liked 'Dial M' a lot. Keep in mind that a couple of scenes in the film were shot in 3D. That was an added effect for people seeing it in the theatre back then...

My 12 year old and I are going to ditch the wife and finally see Dead Man's Chest tonight. I'm just a bit behind the times.

I agree that on the whole Nacho Libre was awful, but I loved the characters- just weird enought to keep my interest. Not Jack Black- he gets on my nerves a bit, but the others. I wouldn't pay to see it again, but I didn't dislike it as much as I thought I would.

Next on the list: Dial N for Nonsense. :D

I don't think he's watching Sue Grafton DVDs in chronological order.

Lol, Alex, wouldn't that be a painful dvd fest. What would be worse is if they made The Cat Who series into movies. The Cat Who Baked a Quiche, The Cat Who Knitted a Sweater, etc. My mom was really into those. I read one when I was 13ish. Even then I could recognize crap. The cat moved a picture and the woman realized a neighbor was a pedophile or something.

I just have one word for M. Night Shyamalan:

"Narf!" ~ Pinky and the Brain

:D

Oooooooh. It's the sled!

Yes, GD, that's what caused the demise of Ethan Frome's wife in the movie 'Ethan Frome'. Very astute. Mojo for you.
:)

Well, I haven't yet seen Pirates. My 12 year old says "I don't want to go without mom!" and my wife said "I don't want to go without my daughter!" and we had no babysitter for the two younger, and my daughter is headed out on a camping trip with her Grandma tomorrow for a week so I'm still not going to be seeing it.

This may end up being a solo project.

Ha ha, Leo does it solo.

:D

Me and my brother decided to go to a movie today. It was between You, Me and Dupree, and Lady in the Water.

Unfortunately we chose Dupree. Maybe I should be less critical, or maybe I should read about movies more before I go to them. Because I could have sworn I read something that said that this movie was a comedy....

I honestly don't know what genre I'd put it in, but in my opinion, it wasn't funny enough to be considered a comedy, nor dramatic enough to be drama, nor thrilling enough to be a thriller, so on and so forth.

I don't know why I tricked myself into thinking Owen Wilson is actually funny all these years. I've never liked him now that I look back at it.

Bah Humbug!

Hehehehe, and Lady and the Water is not quite a comedy, and not quite a thriller, and yes it's a bedtime story ... but has so much funny stuff that I almost want to call it a comedy.



But not quite.

If I could go back in a time machine...first I would see Back to the Future, because that would just be ultimate bragging rights, but then I would stop myself today and go to Lady in the Water.

Damn you Owen Wilson!!!

I'm driving, or riding techically, an hour to see Clerks II in a bit

I'm skeptical, but I've read nothing but good reviews, so I have hope for it yet.

I couldn't make it through The Producers. I don't know if it was the heat or the movie.

I watched Shop Girl last night, it was really good.

Confession: I never made it all the way through Clerks (I) and have never been a fan of Smith, and have no desire to see anything he's done.

I'm a mediocre fan of Smith. I've seen everything he's made (other than Bill and Ted Strike Back, or whatever it is called). Most of it has moments I like and moments I don't like.

They're all pretty much near the mediocre line with Clerks and Dogma being on the better side and Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Jersey Girl slightly on the bad side. I actually liked Jersey Girl much more than most but then I'm not tied into the cult of Kevin Smith that was upset about him not making the type of movie they want from him.

I, for one, am amazed at how well 'POTC DMC' is doing. $35 mil this weekend. That's really good. It beat out 'Monster House', 'Lady' and 'Clerks 2'. It's already heading towards the top 10 all-time domestic...
Wow!

Ugh.



Oh, and I saw Dogma and sorta enjoyed it.

Uma Thurman....

I read an article today in which Uma talks about her new movie "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" and says "I love comedy and I've been wanting to do comedy forever".

Is it just me? I'd label both of the "Kill Bill's" plus "pulp fiction" as comedy.

I REALLY enjoyed Clerks last night.

Smith has redeemed himself in my eyes....

I hadn't even considered seeing Clerks 2. It looks like a "wait until it's on cable" movie to me, but I'm going ONLY on the TV ads I've seen, which look terrible.

Nah, I'd go with "action" instead of "comedy" for those. The resolutions are not funny or lighthearted, and their focus is not comedic, though they include plenty of comedy.

(wink)thanks again, Mousepod (wink wink)

Looks like :iSm: has a muscle spasm. Huh?

Finally watched Pirates last night with NA and €uro - I feel like I've waited years to finally see it.

My initial thoughts:
More slapstick than I expected.
The captain's facial hair was out of control.
The ships looked absolutely fantastic.
Cannibalism jokes are always funny.
The cursed treasure bit always was a nice touch.
The underlying futility and lack of romanticism of the pirates' lives was well presented.
In all - a slightly convoluted script, fun (if not great) acting, and beautiful cinematography.
It was clear that the filmmakers were fans of the Disneyland attraction and wanted to capture the spirit.
.
.
.
.
(wait for it)
.
.
.
.
.





I am, of course, referring to Roman Polanski's "Pirates" from 1986 starring Walter Matthau. For some reason, the only widescreen DVD presentation of the movie was on a giveaway on the cover of a Polish PC magazine. I finally got a copy on eBay a couple of months ago and was waiting for the right moment to watch the flick....

Man, that film just blows Disney's Pirate out of the water.

Or, maybe it just blows. ;)

Now you'll have to treat NA to a viewing of 'Yellowbeard".:evil:

This may be kinda random, but what the heck... Inspired by a discussion elsewhere I did a bit of investigation. It appears that May 2007 is going to be an interesting month at the movie theaters. It's like a showdown of the 3's.

Release dates as they currently stand:
Spider-Man 3... May 4
Shrek 3........... May 18
POTC 3........... May 25

I'm kind of sick of the whole Shrek franchise...for me it's time has passed.


I saw Monster House last night...great movie! Scarier than I expected though, but it made it good!

Ok, we all know that sequels tend to not be as good as the first film. We also know that remakes tend to not be as good as the original film.

So, what should we expect of a sequel to a remake? In this case I'm talking about The Thomas Crown Affair. Originally starring Steeve McQueen and Faye Dunaway and reasonably well remade with Pierce Brosnan and Renee Russo.

A sequel has been announced, though Russo has not yet committed. The name of the sequel? The Topkapi Affair. That name may ring a bell because Topkapi is one of the great caper films of all times (part of a brilliant pair from Jules Dassin with Du Rififi Chez les Hommes being the other movie).

Is this just a coincidence in name? No, it is not. The sequel to the ramake of The Thomas Crown Affair will itself be something of a remake of Topkapi.

Unfortunately, if successful the next sequel will probably be The Killing Affair so that Stanley Kubrick can roll in his grave and power London.

This makes it a double-remake sequel. Just how high should our hopes be set for this one?

'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'... such a wonderful flick.
Love it.
:)

I always confuse that film with How to Marry a Millionaire.

Just came home from the movies. Saw Clerks II. Heather and I are big Kevin Smith fans (though we didn't dig Jersey Girl), so it is with a heavy heart that I say that we both deemed this film mediocre. The most basic flaw? No story. Not in a cool indie film no-story-but-really-a-story way like, say, Clerks, but just no story. So we were left to laugh at some predictably rude jokes, gaze upon the beautiful Rosario Dawson (while sadly acknowledging that her character was absolutely a two-dimensional plot device), and enjoying the performance of Trevor Fehrman, an actor that we have never seen before but look forward to seeing again.

Alex's review (in the single-post thread) pretty much nailed criticism I have of the acting (but what's a Clerks flick without Dante?).

After enjoying the Clerks Animated Series on DVD, I just wish Smith had done something more than just try to recapture the feeling of the original film. He's better than that.

Two stagnant stars.

Sorry to go so ten posts ago, but I am agog that there are other people in the world who appreciate Roman Polanski's "Pirates" and find it an amazing fit with the spirit of Walt Disney's.




(drool) wide-screen DVD, hmpfhsllvvph ... the Depp sequel recently inspired a viewing of my crappy VHS panscan from the dark ages, bah. (/drool)

Indeed and in follow-up research I discovered that Polanski was a big fan of the attraction and took people to ride it for inspiration for the film.

But could you imagine a Walter Matthau animatronic?

Maybe someday Disneyland Paris will open a Repulsion ride...

or better yet Bitter Moon in 4D

movie musing to come: €uro, your copy of Dr. C (you know what I mean) is in the mail.

Um, great story there, €, but wasn't Polanski an indicted felon who could not set foot in the U.S.???


(He was stuck in France, I think, but the Parisian version of the ride had not been built yet.)

I'm still waiting for someone to send me Citizen Kane. :(

Although I've seen both Gentlemen Prefer Blonds and How to Marry a Millionaire.

Yeah, I was wondering a bit about the timeline - and if the story as written may have been embellished - perhaps he encouraged those who still could, to go ride it in the states - or perhaps they took a trip to Tokyo...

Bewitched was cute. I really like Nicole Kidman.

My movie musing is this: Isn't Marilyn Monroe just about the most overrated product of Hollywood ever? Not a good movie in the bunch (yes, Some Like It Hot suffers horribly in my opinion because of her presence) when she is involved for more than 10 minutes except for The Misfits and that is, I think, made more interesting by the events surrounding the movie than the actual movie.

She was pretty though. But it also sucks that somehow she is the image on the DVD cover for Monkey Business. That's such an insult to Ginger Rogers.


Also, I'd like to point out, for those who don't like them, the futility of resisting generic threads. I created a separate thread for Clerks II and mousepod still posted his comments here.

Cool - of course, now I'll have to hunt down a copy of Café Flesh

I will always love Marilyn in the 7-year itch and will have Champagne & Potato Chips in her honor whenever I view it.

Hey Alex, I didn't post in your thread because you put a spoilers tag on it. Since I'm not a fan of spoilers of a film I intend to see, I didn't read your post until this evening. I made the leap and assumed that I wasn't alone in my spoilerphobia, so in an effort to get the word out that the movie might not be worth the price of admission, I posted here. I referenced your thread so that others might look it up.

As far as Marilyn is concerned - I also don't completely "get" her - I'm not mesmerized by her on-screen presence, but most Hollywood sex symbols leave me puzzled and questioning my taste as it relates to the mainstream. Having said that, I love "The Seven Year Itch", though it probably has more to do with Billy Wilder than Miss Monroe...

I don't think I would like The Seven Year Itch regardless of who was playing the Monroe character so I can't really say it is her fault I don't like that one.

It is just so contrived and feels like exactly what it is: a filmed stage production. But not in a good way.

Hence the unplanned brilliance of my starting the M. Night thread once discussion about his films in this thread was nearly done.


Surprisingly, the general political thread that I thought would reign forever in the Daily Grind has seen better days now that some very serious political events are afoot.

So, it all depends...

No problem, I have no problem with this type of thread and don't care if comments about Clerks II get posted in a half-dozen threads that aren't the one I started.

Perhaps, though you did seem to need to post about that ;)

I think Marilyn was an adorable caricature of an idealised woman, but I still think dying young was the best thing that could have happened for her career. Is that really bad of me? She really had NOOOOOOO talent, just looks, and haven't we been fed enough of that sort of crap over the past few decades? (Mentally going over roster of male posters....)

Never mind- don't answer that.

Don't get me wrong! She was very cute, and even married a smart guy! But, come on, really- she couldn't act her way out of a strip club. Well, okay, she did, but not very well.

I think it was her caricature that made her - she became an icon of the ideal of the times. In her roles she seems tohave fun playing that out. In her real life, well - no wonder she offed herself. But her movies are Campy, and I can still have a lot of fun with that even if it isn't Bergman.

But only to have it be a mild poke at the someone who occasionally complains about this type of thread.


Another movie musing. Today I watched Choose Me from 1984. Stars Keith Carradine, Genevieve Bujold, and Lesley Ann Warren. It's some kind of parable about love and repression and just taking advantage of the moment when it happens. There are a couple very well acted scenes but I was mostly bored with the whole thing. Patrick Bauchau plays something of a heavy which was amusing to me since I only know him as Sydney from The Pretender.

Which one's the one on a cruise ship? That's Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend, right? That one I watch for the other chick, who's way cool even if her name escapes me.

The cruise ship is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Marilyn performs "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" in it.

Jane Russell is the other one, I presume.

oh yeah. (My brain is currently full of evidence rules and doesn't have space for movie titles.)

I like Breakfast at Tiffanys.

And I'm not sure why, but I miss seeing George Peppard in stuff (yes, I know he died). That's probably one of the many reasons I TiVO the A-Team.

And I really hope this plot outline from IMDB is wrooooooong.

. Better yet I hope the whole movie is scrapped.

The poor-man's Marlyn, namely Jayne Mansfield, is in a fabulous movie called The Girl Can't Help It.

Hysterical Frank Tashlin pic, lots of early rock'n'roll bands doing famous numbers, even Julie London in a featured cameo, and her classic rendition of Cry Me a River featuring heavily in the story.


Oh, why oh why can't I find this one on DVD? It's an absolute classic!

ooooh! I've had that song stuck in my head for weeks! (probably due to listening to the CD over and over again.) It's not on DVD?

Dunno, but I've never seen it. I had an old videotape that I taped off some pay channel about 15 years ago, but i lost it.


Say it with me now ... BAH.

They used to show The Girl Can't Help It on TCM (widescreen, no less), which is where I taped it. But it looks like amazon.co.uk has it on DVD for less than 13 bucks (plus shipping).

It is part of this Jayne Mansfield DVD collection. Here it is all on its own but it is out of print so the used copies are going for a fair chunk of change (just as much as for the collection)

The UK Version is reasonably priced, though, if your player can play it.

Speaking of spoilers - I've seen several trailers multiple times over the last few weeks (I'd like someone to explain to me how trailers are selected - are they "attached" to a movie by the studio or the distributor? Are they selected by the theater? A combination?) - and I feel like I know everything I need to know about them and more.

I've had a copy of Kairo sitting in my "to watch" pile for over a year, and had very little idea of the several plot twists. Now that I've seen the trailer for Pulse, the American remake of the Japanese horror flick. I feel like I don't need to see either.

Jayne Mansfield was way hotter than Marilyn imho... till she lost her head.

Urban legend. But you get mojo anyway.

Well, she wasn't decapitated, but part of her skull was ripped off, along with part of her cranium - but it was quick and painless :eek:

The great ones always die in tragedy. Why is that?:(

My wife loves Danny Kaye so for her birthday last year I set out to get every movie he ever made. Some were out of print, some never printed, and all but two were not sold in stores. One was only sold for a short time on DVD, and was pulled from the shelves because someone purchased the rights and wanted to remake it. And that DVD was selling online for hundreds! I settled for the VHS copy:rolleyes: .

Point is, I got them all, even the non-released one and out of prints on eBay (the non-realeasted must have been recorded off of a pay channel on TV, the quality was fair. And yes, I know that makes it an illegal bootleg, but I was on a mission!). At times eBay can be your friend! The out of prints were used, but in good condition.

I also got her from eBay a nice 8 X 10, and framed it in a double mat with a signed check (cancelled by the bank, so I'm pretty sure it's authentic. Plus I researched his signature to be sure it matched). Made a nice piece that would have sold at Starabilias for like $800. I made it for under $50! ;)

Danny Kaye's The Court Jester is one of my favorite movies of all time!



Nice Mission-Accomplished tale, RStar.

I often wonder if the great die young or if it is just that the great that die young never get the chance to tarnish themselves. The best thing that ever happend for Monroe's popularity or James Dean's was likely dieing young. If Marlon Brando had died after On the Waterfront would he be idolized by everyone or just movie geeks as is currently the case?

I wonder what the general view of the Beatles would be if they'd never broken up and were still touring the world like the Rolling Stones. So, probably the smartest thing they ever did was breaking up.

I really enjoyed Elizabethtown.

I watched 12 Angry Men today for the second time. God, I love this movie. To have an entire film basically occur in one room, with a very sparse score, and nothing to carry it along other than brilliant dialog and wonderful acting. No special effects, no exotic locales, no overbearing soundtrack. Just 12 people talking. And I was glued to the screen the entire time. Great stuff.

^ yes, amazing that. It would have never been conceived as movie, of course. But is one of the best stage plays ever filmed. No stupid attempts to "open it up."


As for the Beatles ... i think their career could have gone on much longer. If simply the cream of all the solo albums had been gleaned for a few Beatles albums, those would have been some more great Beatles albums.

In the end, though, best that they did not make a mockery of themselves by pretending to be rockers into their 80's. Breaking up was indeed better than that. Of course, they also stopped doing live performances long before they broke up as a recording band, so I don't think the Rolling Stone analogy works very well.

Could they still have been producing good music into their elder years? Quite possibly. For instance, John Lennon's career was cut off just as it was getting good again.

But, yes, the breakup was a brilliant way to fix the magnificence and astounding growth of their music to a certain time period, with no chance for things to really go down hill - - the tragic arc of most artistic careers. Abbey Road is one of the best albums ever created. The End.

(or, as I should probably put it, And in The End, the love you take is equal to the love you make.)

Oooh! Then check out Closetland! Okay - totally dissimilar except for the one room thing. And knock the cast down to two.

12 Angry Men is one of the few examples I can think of where simply filming the stage production works magnificently. I don't know why it does, but it does.

On the great dying young thing another example that occured to me this morning is Elizabeth Taylor. Can you imagine how built up she'd be by this point if we hadn't spent the last 40 years just watching her get old?

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an amazing band who have been going for 10 years. But if they are rocking into their 80s (or 60s) it's not going to be a pretty sight.


I was just watching the video for Dani California

Where else can you find such dialog?


The Chalice From The Palace

Hawkins: I've got it! I've got it! The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true! Right?

Griselda: Right. But there's been a change: they broke the chalice from the palace!

Hawkins: They *broke* the chalice from the palace?

Griselda: And replaced it with a flagon.

Hawkins: A flagon...?

Griselda: With the figure of a dragon.

Hawkins: Flagon with a dragon.

Griselda: Right.

Hawkins: But did you put the pellet with the poison in the vessel with the pestle?

Griselda: No! The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon! The vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true!

Hawkins: The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon; the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true.

Griselda: Just remember that.




Why, thank you!

My favorite bit is 'Oh the Doge'

Horrah for the Court Jester. Fantastic movie indeed, had me in stitches.

We saw Home Fries last night. Drew Barrymore, Luke Wilson, Shelly Duvall, Kaherine O'harrah, and everyone's favorite, Jake Busey (who is referred to as "Muldoon" in this household. Yay Stoned Age). Not a bad midnight watch. Kinda falls apart in the end in my eyes, the way Requiem for a Dream does in that they had a good idea that they just kind took too over the top. But definitely some enjoyable watching overall.

For the second Sunday in a row, I watched a bizarre Polanski flick that I hadn't seen before (see last week's Pirates comments). This time around, it was What?. Odd but very entertaining. Weird (very weird) sex scenes featuring Marcelo Mastroianni. I need a little time to let it all sink in before I offer a serious review. whew...
Only three Polanski flicks I haven't seen yet (and they are all since 1994). I need to see Bitter Moon again. It's the only one I hated on first sight. Maybe it needs second chance.

Ok, got my attention!;)

There's something about Polanski and wierd sex scenes. "Here piggy piggy."

We watched "Hero" tonight. I've had it in the home queue for, literally, years and just got around to watchig it. It's one of the most visually beautiful films I've ever seen. I really loved it.

I was going to go to the movies this past weekend, but didn't end up going to see anything. I still haven't seen POTC 2.

I do, too. Love it.
Such a great cast, wonderful screenplay (from the play) and nice pacing. This film really moves. I have never had a chance to see this play, but I'd like to. In fact, I'd love to be in it. :)

'Hero' is fantastic. I liked it better than 'Crouching Tiger' and 'House of Flying Daggers'. It was beautifully shot.

Marcello, wearing only a tiger skin, crawling around on the floor, demanding "Tame me!" to a whip-bearing Sydne Rome.

Marcello taking an almost-naked Sydne to an empty beach, where he digs up a buried chest, out of which he takes a policeman's uniform. He cuffs her wrists and ankles together and "interrogates" her with a switch.

That's not to mention scenes like a couple who make love under a furry blanket shouting "Take it!" "Give it!" "Take it!" "Give it!" ad nauseum.

A very odd movie.

Did I mention that Polanski plays a character called Mosquito?

...and according to the New York Times review:

I find Polanski's weirdness to be a little too comical.


'Hero' is completely gorgeous and wonderful. ooooh, I think I'll watch that again soon. It's good for the soul.

I'm a bit behind the times....I finally saw Pirates last night.

I liked it. A few things bugged me, but not enough to ruin it. I will say I found it to be much darker and not as funny as the first, but I still found it to be enjoyable.

Yeah, saw this while we were in Alaska. Absolutely stunning, and what a great story. I think I liked it better than Crouching Tiger, but it's been a while since I've seen CTHD.

i liked it a thousand times better than CTHD. The lyricism of the visuals, the structure of the tales within a tale, and each version of the tale with its own beautific color scheme, and the love story unfolding through different versions, and the hero's quest unfolding through it all, and the magic and the wonder and .... I rave.

Bad news, iSm. The new Star Wars DVDs being released are the special editions that we got last year. The original versions are going to be "extras" on each DVD - presented in a crappy, unremastered format (i.e. letterbox as opposed to anamorphic widescreen). If you want the correct original trilogy in a nice anamorphic widescreen, you still have to rely on fanboy DVDRs (I take it you know someone who might have a set they'd be willing to send you - just drop them a PM).

Um, sorry but the fanboy copies that zapppop purchased for me at a hefty price become unplayable after 1 viewing. Not going down that route again.

I don't so much care if the DVD versions will be letterbox as opposed to anamorphic ... i'm not watching them on some huge screen. And if they look any crappier than the laserdiscs I currently have to resort to, I will be surprised.

It's all going to be worth it for the remaining doubters who will eat their flung-at-me words when the opening crawl has no episode name or number.

Not to nit-pick (too much), but Lucas is using the laserdisc masters to create the DVDs - so unless your LD player is in bad shape or the LDs themselves are rotting, it's going to be the same. As far as the crawl goes, it appears that they've just faked the opening crawl of the original by digitally removing the name and number from the first movie. This is not the version that you saw in the theater...

In honor of iSm, I'm going to watch 'Close Encounters'.
:)
I may just eat mashed potatoes while I do it.

Lordy! You're throwing barrels of gasoline on iSm's fire! Everyone run!!

You're right - I'm crazy to be wasting precious gasoline like that!

CE3K
 

Couple of things:

1. Roy has a lot of stuff on his dashboard.
2. Barry's mom is a heavy sleeper.
3. A kid stands in the middle of the street near a blind curve and no one tries to get him off the road?
4. Roy reminds me of Steve. So does Dreyfuss' other character in 'Jaws'.
5. There are a lot of great actors in this flick.
6. The tanker that shows up in the Gobi Desert. Matte painting? Surely they didn't build that thing.
7. "Hurry, Brad, there are thousands of lives at stake." :D
8. If my kids hit me with a paddle, I'd ground them. Roy's kids are messed up. But hysterical. Remember when Spielberg movies had funny kids in them?

Okay, back to the movie...

Looks like Scoop will be on my list this coming weekend. Still need to see Pirates.

I'm totally confuzzled about the Star Wars releases. Am I correct in reading the meaning that none of the first 3 are available on DVD as originally seen in the theatres? Only in the later Lucas futzed with masterings?:(

CE3K (cont'd)
 

9. Teri Garr. Fantastic choice for this film.
10. Mashed potato scene. It's such a well done moment. The kid's reaction is priceless. Love it, love it.
11. I want to go to Devil's Tower in Wyoming.
12. Larry... this guy is this movie's red shirt Star Trek dude. Ha ha.
13. I never caught this before, but when Melinda Dillon hugs Roy at the train station, it's the hug he didn't get from his wife. What a great moment.
14. Lots of product placements in this film, but I won't get into it.
15. I haven't seen this one in a long time. I feel like I'm seeing it for the first time...

:)

mousepod, I'm going to have to rewatch Empire of Dreams, the doc about the making of the Star Wars trilogy that first silenced my naysayers when it came out a couple years ago and featured the original opening crawl, with George Lucas admitting the whole episode thingy was made up post-StarWars, as was the storyline about Darth Vader being Luke's daddy.

I may have been too ecstatic at the time to make note if that opening crawl was a fake. The timing to the music is very particular, and I would know a fake if I watched it with a little less excitement rushing through my veins. But if that was the real thing, why would they now stoop to digitally recreating it incorrectly???

This link is just for iSm. I take no responsibility if a non-iSm clicks on the link and is plunged into a frightening morass of geekery.

A thread (over 100 posts and counting) about the crawl on the "bonus" "original version" of Star Wars on the upcoming DVD.

You have been warned.

Scoop opens this weekend? Hot damn!

ARG! What am I going to do? Love Hugh Jackman, hate Woody Allen. I'm so conflicted!

CE3K (concl.)
 

16. The special effects for this movie really holds up well. Kind of like the effects for 'BladeRunner' still convincing in many places.
17. I was thinking that this whole movie would have sucked had the ending been lame. Nice pay off.
18. No inside the ship scene in this version I saw.
19. Love this film. Wonderful stuff. The 'When You Wish Upon a Star' is such a nice touch.
20. One of Spielberg's best.

:)

After Match Point was very excited by Scoop and hoped a Woody Allen rennaissance is underway. Unfortunately the trusted Allen fans I know who have seen it all say it is the worst he has done in a decade.

I'm hoping they're wrong.

1. Glad you liked the mashed potatoes scene, Brad ... it would have been a thousand times better, if only.

2. I believe CE3K remains the only film Spielberg wrote as well as directed.

3. The cool "Brad - thousands of lives are at stake" line was not in the original, so I'm glad there was a special treat for you in the special edition.



(I haven't clicked on that link yet mousepod. I'm afraid, very very afraid)

Spielberg also has the screenplay credit for A.I.: Artificial Intelligence but I believe that is mostly a polite fiction.

I'd forgotten he wrote Poltergeist.

You're not counting Amblin' then?

According to imdb, you appear to be right. The only other thing is that he's got a screenplay credit for AI, but I've always heard he was a late addition to that one, so he probably didn't have much to do with the screenplay.

-OR-

What Alex said.

And to pick up on Alex's comment, most people see Spielberg's participation in Poltergeist as similar to Orson Welles' in Journey Into Fear. In other words, he's the director in everything but title.

For anyone who wants a slightly different look at the behind-the-scenes stuff that happened while filming Close Encounters, read Julia Philips book 'You'll Never Eat Lunch In This Town Again'. Ms. Philips was one of the producers on the film and pulls no punches when describing the chaos, diva-drama and egostraphes that occured during production. Good stuff.

Philips book is very good for the rest of the stuff in it too. So I'll second the recommendation.

I hope so, too. I believe I was in the minority, I came awy from Match Point with a meh, so what. Hints of Crimes and Misdemenors and not the brilliance of C&M to me. I hope Scoop is as promising as it seems to be

I'm not sure if it is a good thing I just saw Manhattan or not.

If it has Scarlett Johannson, I'll be happy

I just got done watching Ghost World. I love it so much.

I really enjoyed Match Point. It is by no means near the best of Allen (and Crimes and Misdemeanors is certainly better) but it is the best he's done in more than a decade. I'm hoping that the move to Europe frees him of his baggage (and I was pleased to get an Allen movie without an Allen character and that is definitely not true for Scoop).

But I won't be reading any reviews and I'll probably see it next Wednesday.

Loved 'Manhattan'.

The other Woody Allen Films I love are:
'Bullets Over Broadway'
'Crimes and Misdemeanors'
'Annie Hall'
'Husbands and Wives'
'Hannah and Her Sisters'

The one WA film I truly haaaate:
'Shadows and Fog'

After not having the heart to watch his stuff for so many post-scandal years, I recently rented everything I missed.

The only bright light in the bunch, far as I was concerned, was Deconstructing Harry, which I highly recommend.


Match Point, which was the first Woody film I saw in theaters in decades, was also excellent - imo. But I have no desire to his new one, strongly rumored to be a stinker.



mousepod, thanks for that disturbing link to the Star Wars original crawl discussion. I'll finish reading it later today, but I think my decision to buy the new DVDs is finished.

What is it about 1977 scifi/fantasy films? Star Wars and Close Encounters have been altered from the versions that became megafamous ... and the versions that claim to be restorations are stinking bloody LIES.



Read my forehead - BAH

I'm not a Woody fan. However, I have a feeling I will be renting "Scoop" when it comes out on DVD for the Hugh Jackman eye candy. I hear there is a scene with him getting out of a pool... :)

I guess I just blocked the whole ordeal out of my mind during that period of time. I went to see his films and didn't think about it. Same with Polanski.

I need tore-see all of the Allen films again. It's been much too long. I think we only own one (Hannah and her Sisters - one of my VERY favorites), and that itself is a crime.

Interiors has always been one of my favorites. I think I could relate to the psycho family drama thing at the time. I wonder if I'd like it still?

MousePod is going through all of the Hitchcocks in order. I should do the same with Allen. That sounds like a fun "project".

My friends and I did that with Fellini. It was very, very hard to do.

Fellini is another good one. Maybe I'd stay awake through 8 1/2.

8 1/2's the easy one to stay up for. 'Nights of Cabiria' and 'Juliet of the Spirits' are hard. And I never, ever fall asleep during movies.

Okay, so they remade The Pink Panther with Steve Martin and it basically tanked, right? Why remake it anyway, I ask?

So now they're doing a sequel? WTF? :confused:

Both worthy projects! Many great WA flicks, some no so. Manhattan, Crimes and Misdemenors and I do love his nostalgic comedies, Radio Days is a fav.

I love all Hitchcock films, and even Family Plot holds a special place in my heart. But going through them in chronoligical order, great idea!

Don't think I could that with Altman films, though.

Add Radio Days and Play it Again Sam and I had a very soft spot for Manhattan Murder Mystery. I confess, it's the fils from the last 5 years that I have sort of let slip by without seeing, until Match Point (which was a disspointment to me). Looking forward to Scoop this weekend.

I've never been able to sit through Shadows & Fog

That's a good one, too. Very funny.

The only Altman films I can watch over and over again are 'M*A*S*H' and 'Gosford Park'. I could barely sit through 'Short Cuts' the first time I saw it... (It's not short and nothing is cut.) :D

'The Pink Panther 2'? Ugh.

The Altman chronology might be fun - but I'd restrict it to the '68-'88 period...

And miss The Player?

That's a tough one... I love The Player, but Vincent & Theo is so painful..

If I watched Robert Altman in chronilogical order I'd have to only do the following time periods:

1970-1974
2001-2001

Obviously, since California Split, he hasn't done much that appeals to me. I've yet to successfully sit all the way through Nashville despite many attempts to do so.

I hear ya, Alex. But what about Secret Honor?

At first I thought that said Scout's Honor. And I was trying to picture Alex viewing that Gary Coleman Boy Scout movie...
:D

Havent seen that one yet. I like Philip Baker Hall but must admit that just the idea of watching one person do a Nixon impersonation for 90 minutes wears me out.

Love and Death is my favorite Woody Allen film. Followed closely by Annie Hall.


corrected spelling

Freudian typo, SM? It's Love and Death.

Maybe it isn't. I hear one of his other favorite films is Edward Penishands...
:D

I'm not sure I've ever actually seen a Woody Allen movie.

I saw one...don't remember what it was, who was in it, or why I watched it.

I just know I saw one.

I liked "What's Up Tiger Lily," but it's been a long time since I've seen it.

I think I will quit housecleaning and watch Suddenly Last Summer for the 45th time.

<Snicker>

Holy cow. 'Mother, Jugs and Speed' the Fox Movie Channel right now. That was one of those bad movies I wasn't allowed to watch as a kid!
:D I haven't seen it since I was a kid.

Worth watching. Got it in the Raquel Welch box - along with Myra Breckenridge and the short cut of One Million Years B.C. grrrr. What other movie has Harvey Keitel and Bill Cosby? No other movie!

Now, there's some "six degrees of separation" information that may come indy some day.

Just watched The Cotton Club (1984).

Personally, I generally find Richard Gere pretty annoying and that is true here as well. At least it is tempered by being more of an ensemble piece. I can't say that the movie has immediately latched on to my psyche but it has some of the elements that may dig in there as time goes on.

However, it contains one of the best little character scenes I've seen in a long time. Right after Fred Gwyne (best known as Herman Munster) is released from his kidnapping and gets back to Bob Hoskins office. That little scene is so masterfully done with the dialog and the acting. I don't know what they teach in acting classes but that should be required viewing. A two minute bit completely expains the characters.

In the Mood for Love.

Pretty, pretty, lovely, lovely, sad, sad, sad.

The Color Purple

Wow, that's one that redeemed itself. I almost gave up on it about a third of the way through. Another great scene in the periphery of the movie when Shug makes good with her father.

That's also two movies in a row with "Larry" Fishburne in minor parts. He certainly was a handsome man before he started getting all jowly.

I love this pic, although I would have loved to see an African American director at the helm. But it is a good flick. It has some of the best scene transitions in it.
The scene where Mister is separating the sisters is a tear-fest for me. Very, very sad.

I don't know if you noticed but Oprah couldn't help looking into the camera in one scene. She's obssessed with that.

I love my kids. I like being a dad. I hate being a dad when a stupid kids movie comes out.

I took them the see The Barnyard this afternoon. Because they wanted to.

It was a 15 minute cartoon with 60 minutes of music videos thrown in as filler.

$23 and 1.5 hours of my life I will never have back.

Any explanation for male udders?

I just tried to pretend I didn't notice.

That's udderly unacceptable!



Sorry. I just got off the phone with the punmaster.

The movie is udderly unacceptable. And I'm not even a picky movie goer.

From what I saw from the previews stuffed down my face before Cars, male udders were the least of this film's problems. I've never before been made so pre-aware of a film release by its anticipated suckitude.

I just saw Talladega Nights...

though it wasn't the best thing since sliced Wonderbread (get it? He's sponsored by Wonderbread!! Ha!) I accepted it for what it was, and took it in as my own.

If you like Anchorman, you'll enjoy it.

Oh, well, okay. Sounds interesting! But, leave the pigs out of it please....

What if I thoughht Anchorman was just kinda okay, quite annoying in parts.

Chances are you'll find Talladega Nights to be just kinda okay, but quite annoying in parts. The styles are exactly the same. Though I think Anchorman did a better job of presenting itself.

Talladega just jumps around a lot and it feels as though you are watching a montage rather than an actual movie. I knew not to expect some complex dramatic masterpiece, but the movie seemed to go out of its way to avoid in subplots. There were parts that had the potential to be very touching scenes, but they chose the slapstick option instead persuing the emotion.

'Angels with Dirty Faces' is such a good movie. The actor they found to play a young Cagney was absolutely perfect. The Dead End Kids were awesome, too.

'Taps' - Haven't seen this one in ages. Love Timothy Hutton.

I watched First Blood last night when I couldn't sleep. I love that movie.

Hey, I watched some of that too!

I think it was on Spike or TNT maybe? Don't recall. It's one of the only Stallone movies I like.

I saw some of it too, and it was my first time. Not bad, actually. I liked how Stalone had a bit of humor, those are the parts I like to see him in. The jail break part was good, and the part with his partner and his sister on the couch!:D

I just got back from the movies at DTD. Saw Night Listener. Not that good. I wouldn't call it a Hitckocian thriller at all like some have. In fact it is was a plot I've seen on CSI (they claim this was based on real events from 14 years ago, so CSI was based on this, if they are at all connected). The end was a bit of a let down as well. It had the feeling of Good Will Hunting, but a lot less interesting. The woman is a little weird, but that's the extent of the "thriller" part.

I don't want to spoil anything for anyone so it's in spoiler tags. But beware, I give away most of the ending of the movie here. Only look if you don't plan to see it, or don't mind knowing.

Ummm...I don't think that's First Blood. Not much funny with Stallone in First Blood. First Blood is about a Vietnam vet green beret Congressional Medal of Honor winner, home and drifting in Oregon, gets pushed around by the cops and goes commando on them. He escapes into the forest, they try to hunt him down, and he pretty much injures everyone after him and destroys the whole town. His former commander comes and gets him to stop.

When his former commander first communicates with him via radio, Stallone tells him "They drew first blood, not me", thus the title.

I just finished watching 'The Shining' in HD - absolutely wonderful.

Up next? A Clockwork Orange (I love HDMV) I think I'll go drink some milk

I'm watching The Carebears - Big Wish Movie.

Again - woo hooooo

Ouch.

We just watched Sabrina in Rome- that was bad enough, but I'm feeling pretty darned privileged now.

We watched Sabrina in Rome last night.

You know, I'm getting worried. I actually kind of like Phil of the Future. I need to get out once in a while.

It's the best of those shows. Some of them kill brain cells, but that one actually can make me laugh.

I do quite like Phil of the Future, but Unfabulous is my favorite.

I love Pim! She is so unashamedly evil. Curtis is fun, too.


Scaeagles, the Girl and I were watching Kim Possible the other night and when Ron said "Booyah", I thought of you. Sort of in a random, 'oh, yeah- that's where he gets that from' way, but now I think of you as a freckle-faced hapless sidekick with a naked mole rat in your pocket. I may need therapy.

That's the one with Emma Roberts, right? She's very cute, but her singing gets on my nerves.

I saw it a couple weeks ago and definitely not good.

What the movie is based on is a telephone relationsihp Amistead Maupin had with a teenager way back when and then it turned out they couldn't confirm the kids existence. Most of the stuff in the movie is just an extension of that but not based on any real events.

The CSI episode (and a similar Law & Order episode) is most likely based on the Kaycee Nicole scam a few years ago in which a woman posed online as a teenager dieing of cancer. Blogged the whole thing, got a lot of support, both emotional and financial.

Shortly after her death it came to light that Kaycee Nicole never existed.

'To Kill a Mockingbird'
What a great film. Gregory Peck is amazing. Powerful flick.
:)

Hear Hear! Peck is Atticus Finch.

I'm more along the lines of a Draken. Except I'm not blue.

Actually, my hero is Plankton from Spongebob. I hope to be like him some day.

Somehow this does seem to fit you.:D

Thanks Alex!
Yes, the show I saw was a teenage girl. It may have been Law & Order, I don't recall. And it was on the internet and phone calls. She was about to get a big life insurance check when they found she wasn't real. Whichever show that was.

Strange how much emotional support these people can get from strangers who never even meet them. They will do anything to protect them in some cases.

Whew! Thanks, Scaeagles- I can totally see you as Plankton!

I like Patrick.:D

Oops, sorry. That was Tango And Cash. My bad.

I think 'Kim Possible' is the only good show on the Disney Channel...
:)

That was the Law & Order episode then and definitely inspired by the Kaycee Nicole incident.

I was only on the fringe of Kaycee but in my too many long years in online communities I've seen it on a smaller scale so many times. If you ever want to express doubt about someones story you might as well save it unless you have absolute proof because until then you are just a cruel heartless bastard.

Some of you here are also familiar with SDMB so are familiar with the debate over whether Wally ever existed, and if he did whether he really died.

'I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'
Hysterical.
:)

My toe hurts, just thinking of that one, GC :)

Finally saw Batman Begins. On the whole I liked it. I didn't dislike Ms. TomKat as much as most seemed to. And the Dr. Rocked. Loved him.

I know it's supposed to be part of the character, but by the end of the movie I was thoroughly fed up with the whisper growl from the batman.

The story wasn't bad. I prefer superhero movies that are based on plausible technology, rather than mutant powers or radioactive spiders. So that was a plus. Wasn't buying the whole Shadow fraternity destroying civilizations thing, though. That just seemed stretched and bothered me, particularly since I think it was unnecessary.

Oh, and no one delivers a sarcastic line like Morgan Freeman.

Different worlds moment: when Liam Neeson hit the screen I said, "Hey, is that..." and BT's answer was "yeah, Qui-Gon Jinn" when my thought had been Rob Roy.

Batman Begins was almost ruined for me by the technology in question and the overlooked, obvious, gaping flaw in how it worked.

But in the end I was able to overlook that and like it anyway.

Then you really need to see Lucky Number Slevin. He plays The Boss.

Slevin: Anything else you want to tell me?
The Boss: I suppose I don't need to say anything as terribly cliche as "go to the police and you're a dead man".
Slevin: I think you just did.
The Boss: I guess I did.

That's what I thought. The more I tried to picture the detectives in the story, the more I came up with those faces. I watch both CSI and Law & Order little enough to not be sure. I'm more of a Sci-Fi guy when it comes to TV. That and Smallville, Supernatural, and Whose Line. And, of course Star Trek.

For me, it's easier for me to overlook any sort of pseudo technology than the other things I listed. Must have been the steady childhood diet of Star Trek.

Just saw Dr. Caliari - no not that one, the 1989 version. It will definately be in the queue for the next movies till dawn extravaganza - Monotone actors delivering bizare lines choreographed like Abba impersenators, Canibalism, transvesitism, brain fluid transfers, giant tongues, sheep trotters, and auto-eroticism. Not sure what I can compare this film too, maybe the more abstract portion of early Lynch?

Thank you MousePod.

Happy to share it, €uro.

Chinchilla, chinchilla, chinchilla.

Sunday was definitely movie day. While I folded laundry and worked on some other things I watched:

'To Kill a Mockingbird'
'I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'
'Mildred Pierce'
'Oliver'

Saturday it was:
'Taps'
'Angels with Dirty Faces'

:) It was a good weekend.

You mean "Chinchilla, chinchilla, chin chin cheree!"

I finally saw Pirates 2!

I forgot to also add that I watched 'The Godfather' last night...

Yeah, I'm a loser.
:D

so....
I got Suddenly Last Summer through NetFlix thanks to comments on LoT.

Guess I know where to come for movie suggestions.

GC - You're the good kind of loser, as far as I'm concerned.

I'm still on my Hitchcock kick - watched Rear Window this weekend. Next up: To Catch A Thief. I'm also going to be watching the TV shows he directed (just got a 5 DVD set from Amazon France that has all 17 episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' he directed plus the single episodes of 'Suspicion,' 'Ford Startime,' and 'The Alfred Hitchcock Hour') over the next few days as well.

I guess I'm a loser too.

Ooh! Ooh! Mr. Kotter! I love 'Rear Window'! It's my favorite Hitchcock film. I don't know why I don't own it. Grace Kelly is beautiful in this one.
:)

:blush: :(

sad and embarassed to say, I have not.

Yep. Gorgeous. Sigh...
Princesses should not ride in cars. Ever.

Which tech/flaw in particular were you thinking of?

I saw (for the first time) Donnie Darko last week. Interesting flick. I'd like to see it again and then again with a director's commentary. I saw it on cable, so a commentary wasn't an option.

It is essentially a microwave gun and boils the water in the sewers but apparently has no effect all all the other water between it and the sewers, particularly the other people and also ignoring the large amounts of metal between the microwave and the targetted water.

Also causing problems is the fact that the chemical had been in the water for quite a while and wasn't causing an epidemic of craziness from people taking hot showers and such. Most people will inhale vaporized city water once a day, if not more.

If it had been a movie in the mold of the previous Batman movies (or especially the TV show) I wouldn't have minded at all, but this one took things more seriously so such obvious problems bothered me more. Not enough to ruin the movie, though.

With me what made Batman Begins so good was that how he became Batman was so believable. I've never bought into radioactive spiders mutating someone (though I like the Spiderman movies just fine).

Battling superevil bad guys in superhero movies is never very realistic, so I don't really think about what's happening too much.

There was virtually no way I could dislike this movie. It involved my 2 favorite Batman storylines/villains: R'as Al Gul and The Scarecrow. And the implication that the Scarecrow will figure prominantly in at least the next installment makes me happy. It was an added bonus that it was a relatively well put together movie.

I didn't have a problem with the voodoo technology, but the chick making it into the quarantined area so easily kinda bugged.

As opposed to all of those other movies where she is horrendously ugly. ;)

Just watched Bend it like Beckham. (Vacation = catching up on my movie watching.)

It was great. Or, perhaps I should say brilliant.

I wish I could be more descriptive and analytical but right now I'm still basking in this "that was such an excellent movie" glow and I can't really manage that.

I love that movie! Isn't the Indian music great?

The soundtrack is wonderful! It features a couple of songs by the great Indian (but lives in London) DJ, Bally Sagoo as well as Packstani artist Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Punjabi singer Malkit Singh. Good stuff all around. I recommend all of the artists on the soundtrak with the exception of Victoria Beckham. I especally LOVE Bally Sagoo.

I like 'Jaan Pehechaan Ho' from 'Ghost World'. It's groovy.

A friend also got me hooked on 'Maahi Vei' from the film 'Kal Ho Naa Ho'.

:)

I LOVE Ghost World! Great soundtrack to that film.

I really do like Devil Got My Woman.

We watched the Last Wave tonight- hadn't seen it in years, but wow it was an interesting reminder of what Peter Wier was doing before he came to Hollywood. Seeing it again I see where David Lynch picked up some of his ability to make the ordinary distrubing.

Yes, Alfred did have a thing for blond bombshells!

Bad things seem to happen to them, too.

Although there was Suzanne Pleshett in 'The Birds'. She was a brunette...

:D

Too creepy. Last night's film was To Catch A Thief. The road where Francie (Grace Kelly) outruns the police in a wild chase is the same road where Princess Grace actually had her fatal accident.

I went DVD shopping today. I probably should have watched the stuff I own that I haven't seen yet, but why would I do something like that?

Everytime I see the trailer for 'World Trade Center' I cringe. Not because of the subject matter, but just seeing Nicholas Cage does that to me. Ugh.

I agree, he hasn't aged very well.

I like Nick Cage, even though I never found him attractive. That mustache he's sporting for WTC is definitely cringe-worthy though!

I think I'd see Flight 93 before I'd see the WTC movie.

I liked Nicholas Cage in The Weatherman, that was a good movie.

Hmmm, I hated that movie (though I admired what I think it was trying to say). That's when I knew that Pirates 2 would suck, and Gore Verbinski had only one good film in him.

I like Nicolas Cage in almost everything he's been in. Oooh, what's that one where he's the ambulance driver? Haven't seen it and should Netflix it.

I didnt' care for nasty trash like Con Air, but surprisingly enjoyed fluffy trash like National Treasure. I would be seeing World Trade Center whether he was in it or not, so having an actor that I've enjoyed all but one performance of his does nothing but add to the attraction of the film for me.


Oh, and what's that one where he's the arms dealer? Gosh, that was a great movie, out in theaters for all of two seconds and well worth a Netflix rent that I am hereby highly recommending (but you have to come up with the title yourself - - Dogs of War, Lords of War, something like that).

I LOVE books and I LOVE movies. Just revisted a wonderful film about books and love of books, 84 Charing Cross Road. I hate pan and scan, but this film is so intimate, it's okay, I dealt with it.

A nice script, no, a beautiful script and wonderful performances and I had forgotten Judi Dench was in it! Adore Antony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft.

If you've not seen it, do rent it via Netflix, it's a lovely film.:D

I'm riding the fence on these. Does anyone else think we shouldn't capitalize on this subject? Or are we just putting it on film to remember for future generations? The movies seem to be more "hero" oriented, and remembering those people is cool and all. I'm just having a hard time deciding weather it's right or not, and weather I'll see them.

Capitalize? Remember? I don't see what any of that's got to do with it. It is simply one of the most dramatic and historic moments - - and as such, perfectly legitimate inspiration for storytelling ... whether or not money is made from the telling.

United 93, in particular, used most of the actual living persons to play themselves - thus arguing very strongly for that story being told while such casting was still possible.

But I don't think that touch of uber-honesty is necessary to "allow" for a story to be told of events so naturally dramatic. If the technology existed for James Cameron to make Titanic in 1919, would it have been too soon?

There's a documentary called "9-11" that fits the "put onto film to remember for future generations" category. It's very well done, but I found it very difficult to watch.

I don't know enough about this new movie to know whether this is crossing a line or not, but if Nick Cage is reenacting, that seems a little hokey to me (esp. given that there is already a lot of genuine footage). If he's a fictional character inserted into the events in a historical fiction kinda way, well, I think it's too soon for that, and that might count as "capitalizing."

Steve, the ambulance movie is Bringing Out the Dead, and we loved it.

Did they obnoxiously quote Monty Python anywhere in that one?

No. Despite the very familiar title, I don't recall them referencing it in the movie.

Tonight we watched The Producers - the recent version.

I really really really wanted to like it. Really. I like many of the people who are in it. The plot sounds very funny, and usually I'm fairly fond of award-winning musicals.

But, I kind of didn't. I didn't hate it, but if someone else was watching it I'd probably leave the room.

I periodically stopped paying attention during the musical numbers, which is so not like me. I didn't buy Nathan Lane in the lead, which was a little bit of a shock. I think I've seen so much of him doing sort of his stock personna that it's now hard for me to forget that it's him in the role and see the character. And there was a whole lot of "now what was s/he in?" during the movie that was a bit distracting.

It just seemed to be one set-up after another with some very boring filler in between. Which isn't really a good musical in my book.

See, Prudence's description is exactly how I feared I'd view it, based on the advertising I saw. I'm glad I haven't seen it.

I was pleasantly surprised that Jason Alexander managed to get me past the "Great, Jason Alexander's doing his schtick again" trap on stage. He really made the character his own, doing neither a Zero Mostel inpersonation (heavily inspired, obviously, but not imitated) nor George.

I think I know why Cage made me cringe in the trailer. It's because he's a big movie star type. It ruins my suspension of disbelief to see him in this role. If the movie starred actors that weren't easily recognized, like Pena, then it would work better for me. Cage takes me out of the situation at hand. (Like product placement does...)


I like Cage in the following movies:
'Raising Arizona'
'Moonstruck'
'Honeymoon in Vegas'
'Valley Girl'
and maybe 'Leaving Las Vegas'
:)

Yeah, but you can't always have unknowns. I agree it works better in many situations, but you'd have to have a fresh supply of unknows for every single movie.


Did the same apply with oldtime studio fare? Does the presence of bona-fide movie stars in every single film make it impossible for you to escape into the story?

It doesn't work that way with me. To each his own, but I won't hold today's films to a standard that I never held yesterday's to.

Unknowns have to start somewhere. Before you're discovered you're an unknown. And I don't mean every single movie. I'm talking about historical films like this one. The credibility seems to go when you cast Ben Affleck in a film about Pearl Harbor.
Nope. It depends on the movie. ie. It was hard for me to buy Bette Davis as Queen Elizabeth I. I think it depends on the degree of stardom. I'd cringe if Angelina Jolie dyed her hair blonde and tried to play Princess Diana in a film about her death. It would be too distracting. You wouldn't see Princess Di, you'd see Jolie with a dye job.

Cage is an A-List star. The movie wants to come across as being historically accurate. Seeing Cage removes you from that accuracy.

Speaking of Cage, we just saw The Weatherman. We loved it. Hilariously dry, with just a touch of slapstick. Michael Caine was brilliant in it.

I also loved Cage in The Family Man. Hated him in Face Off.

Eh, I take historical dramas case-by-case. In another dramatic disaster re-telling, I totally bought Kate Winslet as a Titanic passenger, but Leo DiCaprio kept bringing me right back to the present.

I'll have to see what Nick Cage does to me, playing an actual person (albeit one who is not famously recognizable). I'm not sure, in fact, if the "stunt" casting in United 93 of having the actual people play themselves wasn't too far in the other direction, and distracting in its own way.

I usually don't have trouble with people playing Abraham Lincoln or Queen Elizabeth. Perhaps someone who lived in media times might be more difficult to convincingly portray, but I don't know either of these Port Authority cops in World Trade Center from Adam, so I really don't see how I can't buy an actor, even a very famous actor, in the role.

I'll let you know in a couple of days, though. From what I'm hearing, the presense of Nicholas Cage is hardly the big problem with this movie.

Watched two movies yesterday: Lost in America and The Falcon and the Snowman.

I must admit to a small filmmaking fetish. No matter how bad a movie otherwise is, if it does one small thing right I'll always have a soft spot for it. And that thing is perfectly capturing the way married people (or a couple that has been together for a long time) fight. The way something starts with "could you please close the dryer door when you empty it?" a few minutes later has turned into an all out verbal brawl that slowly subsides and flares up again and what is said is never what it is about.

Lots of films try to capture this and, in my opinion, most of them fail. The cadence is off. But every once in a while I'm watching a movie and halfway through such a scene I realize that the screenwriter and the director nailed it perfectly. As an example, consider The Real Blonde, a small indie film starring Matt Modine and Catherine Keener from back in the mid-90s. I have zero recall as to what this movie was about, what its story was. Anything at all except that halfway through Modine and Keener have a "couple's fight" that was perhaps the best I've ever seen.

This was the first time I've seen Lost in America since high school. I found it funny then and have always been a huge Albert Brooks fan. Well, let me just say that from my current perspective it is all the more brilliant. The argument between Brooks and Julie Hagerty at Hoover Dam is near perfection. It plays more comedically but it has the cadence perfectly as well as the ebb and flow.

Glad I watched it again.

I was "meh" on The Falcon and the Snowman the story of a kid who ends up working with classified information at a sattelite communications company in 1974 and decides to start selling the information to the Russians. It was ok but nothing particularly interesting and it proved that Sean Penn was just as annoying 20 years ago as he is today.

Looking up the real story after watching it I was disappointed (but not surprised) that the movie whitewashed much of the guy's motivations and cleaned up his capture to make him look much more noble. Also, once I did that I realized I knew someone who had connections to the company in question at the time in question. So I was able to have an interesting conversation with someone on the fringe of the incident.

Flash Gordon (1980)

Love this movie. I know it's total crap but still love it. Queen soundtrack, bad special effects, questionable plot, ahh the costumes. Brings back memories of 8th grade. I thought Sam J. Jones was just the hottest ever.

In watching last night I decided I need one of Ming's orgasm ring thingies. This didn't really occur to me in 8th grade.

So, did I.
"Why do I like this movie so much?" Young GC asked himself at age 9.
:D

Saw Midnight Cowboy for the first time last night. Great 60's stuff, Hoffman is amazing, fun with dream sequences and jump cuts.

When the bus pulls into Florida and Joe buys the fresh, light, easy-wear clothing, and everything is sunshine and suburbs, I am again resolved to never live anywhere that's anything like New York City. <shudder> I think being a bum in NYC has got to be a high-ranking hellish life. It's bad enough enduring the weather when you've got a warm home to go to.

I finally watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding last night. I realize I was the only female on the planet who had never seen it.

Yeah, I liked it. I mean, it's not an amazing bit of cinematography, and I spent way too long wondering which boy band that cousin belonged to, but I'd watch it again.

It was nice. Totally insubstantial, but exactly what I want in a romantic comedy. Just easy to watch. Enough cliche that I could relate to the main character, not so much that I felt like I'd seen that exact movie a gazillion times.

We watched DOA the other night. We recently bought a film noir collection - mainly because it included Detour - but we started with DOA. This was a fine little film with an interesting premis:

I want to report a murder
Who was murdered?
Me.

There are other noir films that that enjoyed more, but this was certainly a good one.

You were not. I haven't seen that, and never had any desire to.

Curious, not knowing your background, but were you raised in any sort of "ethnic" environment (yeah, I know, it's an il-defined question...but I think y'all get my meaning)? In general, that movie gets a lot more laughs from people who grew up in America in some sort of non-Protestant, lived here for generations family. Or at least grew up with good friends who did. The specifics may be different, but there is so much common ground, whether you're Greek, Jewish, Italian, etc. I know that so much of it had me rolling, simply because I recognized so much of my Jewish family in it.

Does midwestern count as ethnic? Because it should around here. No, I don't think that "Swiss Immigrant" qualifies as ethnic as you mean it. However, my family (and my best friends' family) was the odd one when I was growing up. My mom wanted to dress me like it was 1965. I wasn't allowed to do any of the usual social events. "Dates" consisted of sitting on the couch under parental supervision - and each butt had to be on a separate cushion. We're not as loud, but if we're in central Iowa I'm probably related to every other person who walks by, and my dad could tell you exactly how. He has something like 40 first cousins, so her 27 is small potatoes. My grandmother would regularly hold family reunions on the Farm with hundreds in attendance. The local paper printed a blurb whenever we visited. It is a definite kind of life, although not what people of think of when they say "ethnic".

Yes! Frelling awesome costumes! I love the bugle bead work on Ming's cape collar thing! It actually inspired me to try my hand at some bead work.Two words: prison speedo!
[drool]

Saw Scoop tonight.

It isn't bad but it isn't all that remarkable either. Johannsen overplays it a bit in a few scenes but looks really nice in her red swimsuit. Woody Allen is Woody Allen which is a bit like going and seeing the Tim Conway show in Vegas. Sure, it might still be funny but it has a lot of creakiness to it.

I'll see it

Watched Pirates I last night. Needs to be on the big screen to be sure. I liked it better in the theatre, so this does not bode well for Pirates II which I missed due to the road trip.

I really do need that 42 inch LCD tv......that will make all the difference!

So? GC, can we talk about The Third Man in this thread now that you've seen it, I presume?

Saw Dead Man Walking finally last night. As soon as the credits at the beginning started rolling, I cringed. It was a veritable whos's who of whacko activists most of whom I have a particular disdain for. That aside, I was able to look past that and enjoy the flick. The ending is certainly interesting and the story does and interesting job of straddeling the death penalty issue...one that I am personally conflicted about.

This is one movie I've not seen. I admire Sarandon's work a good deal, and I love TIm Robbins, but, I'm not sure I can sit through this movie. But, based on your comments, I think I should give it a go.

I wasn't aware any wacko activists were in the cast. I wouldn't recognize their names or faces.

I own this movie, but never watch it. Love it, but death penalty conundrum turns out to be something I'm never quite in the mood for.

I've always wanted to see it, but have had the same reaction you have, ISM.

As far as the cast, I could care less what they do on their own time. I watch Charlton Heston, Hugh Grant, Ronald Regan, Susan Sarandon etc for their acting. Well, maybe not Regan.

Bedtime for Bonzo?

"Where's the rest of me?!?!?" aka Kings Row, a sick film if ever there was one

I think it is still playing in some theaters if you really want to see it on the big screen.

Yes, I'm sure you can find it playing somewhere in ... oh... what's the name of that burg you live in?

I finally saw Brokeback Mountain.

Wow.

It should have won.

It is the first DVD that I have watched in a very long time that I sat through without doing anything else.

I'm sure I'll have more later (about a year late) but I'm still processing it.

Amazing.

Wow.

Yes. :)


POTC: DMC is #7 in all time Domestic. It just kicked 'Passion' out of the top 10. Amazing.

/snicker. Take that religiousright. That's right. We prefer pirates to Jesus. HAHA! :P

I was really tired last night, I had already stayed up too late and had to get up early. I made the mistake of turning on the TV. Comedy Central was playing Clerks uncut. So as much as I knew I needed to go to bed, I couldn't help but watch the movie. Needless to say, now at the end of the day, I'm tired.

Damn Comedy Central for playing decent movies late at night!

I so didn't get it about Clerks.

So much so that ... despite how everyone continues to rave about it ... I have zero desire to give it another chance.

Yeah, Clerks was ok, but not much more. I prefer Dogma over Clerks.

I just watched The Iron Giant. It was pretty cute.

Introducing the 12 year old to "Back to the Future" right now.

With that avatar next to that post, it seems as if you don't like Back to the Future very much.

Yes, Leo. Your avatar tends to lend a sad not to every single post. :(

We watched The Name of the Rose last night. We had a decent-sized TV at our disposal and thought that film would look "pretty". It looked pretty good, but it's wasn't "pretty". God, those Medieval people were dirty! I sure appreciate my shower.

It has been a while since I last saw this film and enjoyed it once again. Sean Connery is yummy and whatever happened to Christian Slater? Good period piece in a period I don't seem to see protrayed in many movies.

The first time I saw my new avatar next to a post, it was when I was agreeing with ISM. Seemed fitting.

Spent Hitch's birthday weekend watching The Man Who Knew Too Much, a half-dozen episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Wrong Man. I was hoping to be up to Vertigo and North By Northwest for Sunday, but life got in the way... I'll be celebrating the week after his birthday with those.
I was particularly surprised by The Wrong Man. I'd never seen it before, and my initial thought was that it was a misstep. Based on a true story, it tells of a musician (played by Henry Fonda), who is wrongly accused of being a holdup man, and the tribulations that his family goes through as he is subjected to a Kafka-esque arrest and trial process. That night, I had many nightmares triggered by the movie, so I guess it wasn't such a misstep after all...

I like 'Clerks' because of how irreverent it is. The montage of the clueless customers is great. Anyone who works in a customer service job could relate. And the fact that he shot this film after work was kinda cool.

I didn't get to watch 'The Third Man' like I wanted to. I spent the whole weekend working on a project for my friend Roddy, cleaning house and shopping. While doing these things I had the DVDs of 'Stage Door' and then 'Fight Club' playing in the background.

Up until recently I worked in a convenience store which is why I thought a lot of it was funny. Because so many people like that actually exist! You don't get the guys searching for the perfect eggs, but you do get the ladies that try and find the milk that will last a million years.

One day someone called in sick so I had to come in and work, I just kept complaining and saying "I'm not even supposed to be here today!" I didn't even realize I was quoting the movie until someone pointed out to me, and then it got even more funny.

I watched 'The Third Man' today. It's a wonderful film. I used to think that 'Double Indemnity' was my favorite film noir movie, but I think this one replaces it.

The lighting in this film is great. A true textbook film on how to light a black and white picture. Stunning. There are shots in this film that look like it took the filmmakers hours to light and the shots only last for a few moments. Wonderful.

There are many interesting angles and shot compositions in this one. Great stuff. Shots look like postcards. Really beautifully done.

I'm not for certain, but it seems like Spielberg got a lot of inspiration for 'Schindler's List' from this film. There are moments that reminded me of Spielberg's film. ie. The use of shadows and the lighting in the sewer scenes remind me of parts of 'SL'.

There's a scene that takes place on a ferris wheel that must have been a bear to coordinate for editing purposes. The constant views out of each window in each shot needed to be done just so in order to make the scene flow. It's hard to describe and when you see it it looks flawless but I'm sure it wasn't easy to pull off.

The acting and story are highlights, too. This film had some of the best minor characters and extras I have seen. People that look like every day type people and not some actor/actress.

This movie also wins an award from me for Best Zither in a film. :D

If you haven't seen this film, see it. It's a good one.

I've actually seen Double Indemnity.

I note this only because I've failed to see so many significant films, yet this one I've seen.

No Third Man, though.

The young monk/crazy girl sex in the book is one of the most deliciously lusty passages I've ever read. It's not quite as yummy in the film, but it'll do.

This weekend I watched Babette's Feast.

Perfect. Movie.

I LOVE that film! Love love love it!

'Babette's Feast' is another one of those movies that people have been telling me to see and I never saw it. I'm putting it in my queue.
:)