Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[innerSpaceman]

1) The Borat frat boy suit was NOT thrown out. The judge declined to have their scene cut from the DVD, but their suit proceeds for damages.

A man whose scene in a restaurant restroom was not in the finished film is also suing to make sure he is not featured in any DVD "extras" - and he's suing the restaurant for allowing them to film in their restroom. He didn't sign any release at all. I suppose so many people claiming they were duped into signing releases on false pretenses could be bandwagon jumping ... or it could be a pattern of foul play on the part of the filmmakers.

I just don't know of any foulplay on the part of Mel Gibson's recent filmmaking project. And I'm frankly miffed at the double standard he got from the press for violence no more gory than many a standard action film.


2) Natalie Portman was so-so in Garden State, but was so amazing in both Closer and her Cold Mountain cameo that it's clear to me she can still act.


3) I finally saw The Departed last night. All the participants can act, but that doesn't save this film for me. I thought it decidedly Meh, though there was some suspense in the dueling ratfinks scenario.

[tracilicious]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

2) Natalie Portman was so-so in Garden State, but was so amazing in both Closer and her Cold Mountain cameo that it's clear to me she can still act.

This is true. She really was good in Closer. I love Zach Braff. (Just thought I'd throw that in there.)

Saw The Prize Winner (of something something something) a few nights ago. I don't love Julianne Moore, but this was a fun movie to watch. A good fluff movie.

[Alex]

It was a good weekend for watching movies.

Dark Command (1940) - Definitely one of John Wayne's best pictures during his Republic years (I admire Stagecoach for what it did but that is much more of an academic admiration). Touches on an interesting side conflict during the Civil War and doesn't yet wallow into the Southern pride that would be more prevelant in the westerns of the later 1940s and early 1950s (where the Southern military was an institution almost completely divorced from slavery).

The Curse of the Golden Flower - Visually, I love the work of Yimou Zhang. Hero and House of Flying Daggers were both wonderful to look at. Unfortunately, the latter was painfully dull and the former would have been but at least had some good fighting in it to pass the time. This one has the same attention to visual gorgeousness but has something of a more coherent story. Not necessarily a compelling story but more coherent. I found it more satisfactory than the other two but if you really liked the other two and the visual satisfaction was enough then you'll probably find this one a lesser effort.

Rocky Balboa - I created a thread for it. Don't you dare mention it hear or iSm will lose his Christmas afterglow on your ass.

Donzoko - Akira Kurosawa's 1957 filming of Gorky's play The Lower Depths. Dreadfully dull (I finished it on Sunday but actually started watching it more than a week earlier). This is mostly because it is essentially a filmed play (there is one interior set and one exterior set) and it relies on visual cues to indicate the class, background, and archetype of the characters. Visual cues that went over my head.

The Jerk - Picked it up really cheap at the last days of the Tower Records clearance sale. Haven't seen it since I was a kid and still enjoyed it, though Steve Martin doesn't hold the same charm he did when I was 12.

Les Bas-fonds - Jean Renoir's 1936 filming of Gorky's play The Lower Depths. This version is much livelier than the Kurosawa version and coming in 30 minutes shorter keeps the energy flowing. The stable of side characters is much diminished as two of the relationships are given a much more central role. The darkness of the Kurosawa version is preferable to this one, particularly in the final conclusion, but this one is a movie rather than a play.

Dreamgirls - In one five minute song performance Jennifer Hudson won herself the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award (though she really is the lead) and she'll deserve every last bit of it. Even though the song isn't eligible for a nomination and therefore wouldn't really fit with the Oscar broadcast's template, if the director is smart he'll get her up there to sing. Wonderful performances all around and while it could have used a bit of trimming at the end (maybe 10 minutes or so) and suffered from having the emotional showstopper in the middle with it downhill from there I strongly recommend this one.

[CoasterMatt]

The other day I watched a great Jonathan Demme DVD double feature - Stop Making Sense (Special Edition) and Silence of the Lambs.

[CoasterMatt]

Tonight, after a really good day at work (not being sarcastic), I watched The Blues Brothers, and now I'm watching Cool Hand Luke - ain't this the life?

[Alex]

I saw that Cool Hand Luke is on AMC and I considered watching it (there is nothing on) but I find I just can't watch movies on commercial TV anymore. The first time a commercial comes on I switch channels and forget to come back.

The last two days of BART riding I've watched Find Me Guilty and The Assassination of Richard Nixon.

Find Me Guilty isn't great but it is good and has a suprising performance from Vin Diesel. The best thing about the movie is it is about a jury getting snowed by a likable guy who did horrible things and what it actually does is snow the viewer. In the end you can't really disapprove of the jurors because you realize you've fallen into the same trap.

I don't like Sean Penn. Even when he is just barely tolerable he is annoying (Mystic River, for example) and most of the time he is deplorable. I don't know why I can't stand him, but I can't. Anyway, The Assassination of Richard Nixon provides a character where I find he fits perfectly and is tolerable: delusional loser. Being able to tolerate him for once allowed me to enjoy this little drama of psychological decline.

After a couple more sessions of trying I'm still only about 60% through Kurosawa's Lower Depths. Yet I'm determined to get through it all. Can't say I'm enjoying it at all though.

[Moonliner]

Modern marvels is doing WDW tonight.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

American Splendor, finally! Incredible movie. Giamatti has balls of steel to portray someone who we see on the screen ourselves. He totally pulls it off, too. The phone book bit is my favorite part. I'm also glad the Revenge of the Nerds quotes that have been featured on Jonesy's Jukebox many times have been explained.

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

American Splendor, finally! Incredible movie. Giamatti has balls of steel to portray someone who we see on the screen ourselves. He totally pulls it off, too. The phone book bit is my favorite part. I'm also glad the Revenge of the Nerds quotes that have been featured on Jonesy's Jukebox many times have been explained.

Oh, I think this is one of the greatest movies ever made. Loved, loved, LOVED it.

[katiesue]

I watched Little Miss Sunshine last night, really loved it.