Miscellaneous Movie Musings - Page 279

Alex · 01-18-2008, 10:20 PM

Just saw Cloverfield. The shakycam didn't bother me (but then it didn't in Blair Witch either).

It wasn't great but it was good. A few very suspenseful moments and for the most part it remains true to its conceit of being from the point of view of a small group of people involved in a terrible event but in no way centrally involved.

A lot of grumbling when the movie was over, though. If you really want a traditional narrative structure all the way to the end you're going to be disappointed and I suspect the second week for this one isn't going to be great.

Teaser for the next Star Trek before the next movie. Still not excited. Plus it looked like they were building the Enterprise on the planet surface in atmosphere which makes absolutely no sense.

Alex · 01-18-2008, 11:48 PM

Also watched Helvetica tonight as a test of Netflix's newly expanded on-demand download system.

It is a documentary about the font but not so much about the font as about designers who have strong feelings about the font. Some interesting stuff (as is bound to happen when you have people on screen who say things like "I was morally opposed to Helvetica" with a straight face) but pretty much nothing of any substance other than reinforcing that people who dedicate their life to a small niche feel that niche is interesting and important.

flippyshark · 01-19-2008, 05:20 AM

Wow! A documentary about fonts? That hurts my brain. Guess I should go ahead with my ambitious plan to make a trilogy of three-hour films about college-rule notebook paper versus legal pads.

Alex · 01-19-2008, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flippyshark

Wow! A documentary about fonts? That hurts my brain. Guess I should go ahead with my ambitious plan to make a trilogy of three-hour films about college-rule notebook paper versus legal pads.

It did remind me of this much shorter and more energetic short film: Behind the Typeface: Cooper Black.

It is in the style of VH-1s Behind the Music documentaries.

innerSpaceman · 01-19-2008, 09:17 AM

I unexpectedly loved Cloverfield ... but posted more in detail about that it the, er, Cloverfield thread.

As for the Star Trek trailer ...I got the impresison it was not footage from the film, but simply a teaser for teaser purposes only (because, yeah, building the Enterprise on a planet's surface would be insanely stupid and would not "fly" - heheh - with Star Trek fans.) Um, the teaser got a tepid reaction from the mega-excited, J.J. Abrams-loving, fanboy audience at the Chinese. Not good.

But I appreciated that it didn't seem like "real" movie footage, though maybe I am wrong. Although the Cloverfield teaser really hooked me, it was real footage of one of the highlights of the movie ... which was then less exciting than it could have been when I finally saw it in the context of the film. Oh well. Still loved it.

JWBear · 01-19-2008, 11:11 PM

We watched Baghdad Cafe again tonight. I forgot how good it is.

Gemini Cricket · 01-20-2008, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWBear

We watched Baghdad Cafe again tonight. I forgot how good it is.

I love that film!

innerSpaceman · 01-20-2008, 08:39 AM

I finally saw Juno yesterday. A shining example of why I should see films before the hype gets to high. I was mildly disappointed. Even though I was completely entertained, found it funny and charming, and

Spoiler:

Also, I did not find anything unusual or requiring of belief-suspension about her teenage lingo. Not in the least. And I liked all the performances. I just didn't think the movie was that big a deal.

Similarly, I don't think There Will Be Blood (which I also saw yesterday) particularly lives up to its hype. Still, it's a fantastic movie with a stunning peformance by Daniel Day Lewis. Perhaps not at the Citizen Kane level it's being hoisted to by critics, but a great American film about a meglomaniacal oil tycoon at the turn of the century.

Not that it's a competition or anything, but I would recommend seeing There Will Be Blood in theaters right now ... while Juno is, imo, a fine Netflix film at home.

LSPoorEeyorick · 01-20-2008, 09:34 AM

I found more that required suspension of disbelief in There Will Be Blood than in Juno. Particularly had problems with the last scene. Sure, Day Lewis had a great performance (as did the actor who played his son) but they were definitely flirting with the line of melodrama, a line I prefer to keep my distance from unless it's handled with a fair bit of comedy. Any attempt at comedy in TWBB fell flat for me. There were things to like about the film, sure, but on the whole it disappointed me. And fanboys are trying to bring "I drink your milkshake" into the realm of the mega-quotes (idrinkyourmilkshake.com) - while I would prefer to create a website called ithinkyourmilkshakeisoverrated.

innerSpaceman · 01-20-2008, 09:50 AM

Interestingly, perhaps, the milkshake straw analogy to oil field drainage was made, in reality, by New Mexico Republican Senator Albert Fall during Congressional hearings on the Teapot Dome scandal of the 1920's. Truth is often stranger than fiction .... and while this bit perhaps stands out in the film as over the top, it's actually a true quote dating from the period being portrayed.

I think the humor in There Will Be Blood worked wonderfully in the interplay between Plainfield and Sunday. The audience I saw it with thought so too.

To each his own ... or, for fun, should we have Juno Fan vs. Blood Fan WAR?!

01-18-2008, 10:20 PM	#1
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	Just saw Cloverfield. The shakycam didn't bother me (but then it didn't in Blair Witch either). It wasn't great but it was good. A few very suspenseful moments and for the most part it remains true to its conceit of being from the point of view of a small group of people involved in a terrible event but in no way centrally involved. A lot of grumbling when the movie was over, though. If you really want a traditional narrative structure all the way to the end you're going to be disappointed and I suspect the second week for this one isn't going to be great. Teaser for the next Star Trek before the next movie. Still not excited. Plus it looked like they were building the Enterprise on the planet surface in atmosphere which makes absolutely no sense.
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01-18-2008, 11:48 PM	#2
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	Also watched Helvetica tonight as a test of Netflix's newly expanded on-demand download system. It is a documentary about the font but not so much about the font as about designers who have strong feelings about the font. Some interesting stuff (as is bound to happen when you have people on screen who say things like "I was morally opposed to Helvetica" with a straight face) but pretty much nothing of any substance other than reinforcing that people who dedicate their life to a small niche feel that niche is interesting and important.
	Submit to Quotes

01-19-2008, 05:20 AM	#3
flippyshark Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 2,852	Wow! A documentary about fonts? That hurts my brain. Guess I should go ahead with my ambitious plan to make a trilogy of three-hour films about college-rule notebook paper versus legal pads.
	Submit to Quotes

01-19-2008, 09:17 AM	#5
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	I unexpectedly loved Cloverfield ... but posted more in detail about that it the, er, Cloverfield thread. As for the Star Trek trailer ...I got the impresison it was not footage from the film, but simply a teaser for teaser purposes only (because, yeah, building the Enterprise on a planet's surface would be insanely stupid and would not "fly" - heheh - with Star Trek fans.) Um, the teaser got a tepid reaction from the mega-excited, J.J. Abrams-loving, fanboy audience at the Chinese. Not good. But I appreciated that it didn't seem like "real" movie footage, though maybe I am wrong. Although the Cloverfield teaser really hooked me, it was real footage of one of the highlights of the movie ... which was then less exciting than it could have been when I finally saw it in the context of the film. Oh well. Still loved it.
	Submit to Quotes

01-19-2008, 11:11 PM	#6
JWBear Worn Romantic Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Long Beach California Posts: 8,435	We watched Baghdad Cafe again tonight. I forgot how good it is. __________________ Unrestrained frivolity will lead to the downfall of modern society.
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01-20-2008, 08:39 AM	#8
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	I finally saw Juno yesterday. A shining example of why I should see films before the hype gets to high. I was mildly disappointed. Even though I was completely entertained, found it funny and charming, and Spoiler: really appreciated the way they handled her dilemma of flirting with Mark to the point of awakening him right of out of the marriage she needed to be sustained for her baby adoption. Also, I did not find anything unusual or requiring of belief-suspension about her teenage lingo. Not in the least. And I liked all the performances. I just didn't think the movie was that big a deal. Similarly, I don't think There Will Be Blood (which I also saw yesterday) particularly lives up to its hype. Still, it's a fantastic movie with a stunning peformance by Daniel Day Lewis. Perhaps not at the Citizen Kane level it's being hoisted to by critics, but a great American film about a meglomaniacal oil tycoon at the turn of the century. Not that it's a competition or anything, but I would recommend seeing There Will Be Blood in theaters right now ... while Juno is, imo, a fine Netflix film at home.
	Submit to Quotes

01-20-2008, 09:34 AM	#9
LSPoorEeyorick scribblin' Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: in the moment Posts: 3,872	I found more that required suspension of disbelief in There Will Be Blood than in Juno. Particularly had problems with the last scene. Sure, Day Lewis had a great performance (as did the actor who played his son) but they were definitely flirting with the line of melodrama, a line I prefer to keep my distance from unless it's handled with a fair bit of comedy. Any attempt at comedy in TWBB fell flat for me. There were things to like about the film, sure, but on the whole it disappointed me. And fanboys are trying to bring "I drink your milkshake" into the realm of the mega-quotes (idrinkyourmilkshake.com) - while I would prefer to create a website called ithinkyourmilkshakeisoverrated.
	Submit to Quotes

01-20-2008, 09:50 AM	#10
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	Interestingly, perhaps, the milkshake straw analogy to oil field drainage was made, in reality, by New Mexico Republican Senator Albert Fall during Congressional hearings on the Teapot Dome scandal of the 1920's. Truth is often stranger than fiction .... and while this bit perhaps stands out in the film as over the top, it's actually a true quote dating from the period being portrayed. I think the humor in There Will Be Blood worked wonderfully in the interplay between Plainfield and Sunday. The audience I saw it with thought so too. To each his own ... or, for fun, should we have Juno Fan vs. Blood Fan WAR?!
	Submit to Quotes