Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[Alex]

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

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

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

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

[innerSpaceman]

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


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


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

[Alex]

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

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

My ranking of the five would be:

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

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

[Betty]

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

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

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

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

[Stan4dSteph]

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

[Gemini Cricket]

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

[Alex]

Have you seen either of the previous filmings of it?

[Gemini Cricket]

Of I Am Legend? No.

[Alex]

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

[Cadaverous Pallor]

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