Miscellaneous Movie Musings - Page 44

innerSpaceman · 06-18-2006, 10:03 AM

Well, I finally saw Capote and I was not particularly impressed. I suppose all the fuss and the long Netflix wait had me expecting something more.

I could barely discern a performance behind Phillip Seymour Hoffman's wonderful impersonation. And I was disappointed that Truman Capote seemed to travel zero character arc in the film, albeit going from manipulative effite snob to obsessive manipulative effite snob.

At one point he is pitching his book to a publisher and he says that the events he has researched (infamous murders in 1959 Kansas) have changed his outlook on everything, and he feels it will have the same effect on his readers. It's a wonderful line, but I got the distinct impression it was simply another of Truman's constant lies. He didn't seem changed by his experience at all. He didn't seem to have grown or have become more serious a person or to have much of any metamorphosis via his delving so deeply into the dark underbelly of human conduct.

A disappointment, I'm afraid. Too bad.

Gemini Cricket · 06-18-2006, 11:27 AM

I was underwhelmed by 'Sarah Silverman's Jesus is Magic'. I watched it the other day and just thought, 'Meh.' I like her, she's often funny but this one wasn't funny enough for me. Featured in the right movie, Silverman could really, really rock.

I watched 'Unzipped', too. The doco about Isaac Mizrahi. I just thought that was okay, too.

Gemini Cricket · 06-18-2006, 02:39 PM

I had 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' on as background noise as I worked on my tank.
Two things:

1. Sometimes I hate the way the movie version of this story skirts the whole gay issue. Brick is gay, Maggie, he loved Skipper... move on. Urgggh.

2. Often Liz Taylor is wonderful. But often her voice bugs and she overacts. I love my Liz, but sometimes her characters need to be forcefed valium.

Cadaverous Pallor · 06-19-2006, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prudence

Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll

Quote:

Status Updated: 31 January 2006

No update in 6 months means this project is stillborn. It would have been interesting...

Not Afraid · 06-19-2006, 11:21 AM

We've watched a few things lately (besides Miazaki).

We watched The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari again the other night. This is such a GREAT film! I am always amazed by the sets, the make up, the overall design and look of this film. It is one of those films that any person who apperciated film should see.

Last night, because we missed it at the cemetery, we saw A Place in the Sun. First of all, I can name 3 films where Shelly Winters has a encounter with too much water. How odd is that? Montgomery Cliff is such a babe and Liz looks amazing in this film. She was at her prime. It has been ages since I've seen this film and I was foggy on the plot and ending. It was great to see it again and remember why I loved it so much the first time.

We also saw The Man Who Came To Dinner (a GC recommendation). I had no familiarity with this film before seeing and and was very pleased with the great ensemble of character actors playing such unique and colorful characters. What a fun play this must be to do live. Betty Davis was wonderful as usual. Great fun!

I think that's been all. Still need to see Cars.

Gemini Cricket · 06-19-2006, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

We also saw The Man Who Came To Dinner (a GC recommendation). I had no familiarity with this film before seeing and and was very pleased with the great ensemble of character actors playing such unique and colorful characters. What a fun play this must be to do live. Betty Davis was wonderful as usual. Great fun!

I'm glad you liked it. It's one of my favs. I watch it every Christmas.

"Nurse, will you take your clammy hands off my chair. You have the touch of a love-starved cobra."

Cadaverous Pallor · 06-19-2006, 11:30 AM

My family really enjoyed Crash. This means I'll probably hate it. I'll have to see it so they'll stop bugging me, but I really don't want to.

Gemini Cricket · 06-20-2006, 10:43 AM

There's not a whole lot in the theatres that I want to see... Kind of a boring summer for movies...

Ghoulish Delight · 06-20-2006, 11:42 AM

Returning to ancient history...So we saw Castaway last night.

I'll give it "not bad", with some problems. Overall, I enjoyed it. I didn't find it to be cinematic brilliance, though it contained some small nuggets of brilliance. The plane going down was fantabulous. A lot of the island stuff was cool.

Spoiler:

But, I had a hard time forgiving the fact that he walked away from that crash completely unscathed. Not even a freaking limp?! Worse than that, they not only had him unhurt, they showed him willfully dodging flying debris in the cabin as the plane slammed into the water at 400 miles per hour. I mean, go ahead and have the boat inflate accidentally, coushoing him on impact, and having one of the shipping crates wedge in a way that protectd him from debris. But just kinda dodging out of the way? Totally out of the scale of believability of the rest of the film. And at least give him SOME injury. Sprained ankle, hurt wrist. Something.

And I know it's nitpicky, but I felt beaten over the head with the hanging thing. I mean, I got the picture when he dragged the log up and it had a noose tied. Instantly obvious what happened...there was zero need for the following expository conversation with Wilson. Anything that might have been unclear would have been resolved by the conversation at the end where he retells the hanging story to his friend. As a matter of fact, I felt the impact of that scene was completely lost as it was now the 3rd time we as an audience were being told the story (once visually, twice verbally).

Other than that, I enjoyed the time on the island, save a minor nit here and there. But I'm in the GC camp when it comes to the story wrapper. I did not buy their relationship at all. Don't know what it was, but it just had zero substance. No sense of what made their relationship tick.

And of course, I now have to weigh in on the FedEx thing. Eh, could have done without it. I can't say it affected me as much as it did GC, but I don't think the movie needed it...and the opening sequence was totally a FedEx commercial. It was filmed in the exact style of one of their commercials, following that path of delivery of a package. That bugged a little, but it faded for me as the movie went. But the fact that it was FedEx, vs. any other global shipping company added nothing for me.

Gemini Cricket · 06-20-2006, 11:58 AM

Spoiler:

06-18-2006, 10:03 AM	#431
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	Well, I finally saw Capote and I was not particularly impressed. I suppose all the fuss and the long Netflix wait had me expecting something more. I could barely discern a performance behind Phillip Seymour Hoffman's wonderful impersonation. And I was disappointed that Truman Capote seemed to travel zero character arc in the film, albeit going from manipulative effite snob to obsessive manipulative effite snob. At one point he is pitching his book to a publisher and he says that the events he has researched (infamous murders in 1959 Kansas) have changed his outlook on everything, and he feels it will have the same effect on his readers. It's a wonderful line, but I got the distinct impression it was simply another of Truman's constant lies. He didn't seem changed by his experience at all. He didn't seem to have grown or have become more serious a person or to have much of any metamorphosis via his delving so deeply into the dark underbelly of human conduct. A disappointment, I'm afraid. Too bad.
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06-18-2006, 11:27 AM	#432
Gemini Cricket ... Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 13,244	I was underwhelmed by 'Sarah Silverman's Jesus is Magic'. I watched it the other day and just thought, 'Meh.' I like her, she's often funny but this one wasn't funny enough for me. Featured in the right movie, Silverman could really, really rock. I watched 'Unzipped', too. The doco about Isaac Mizrahi. I just thought that was okay, too.
	Submit to Quotes

06-18-2006, 02:39 PM	#433
Gemini Cricket ... Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 13,244	I had 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' on as background noise as I worked on my tank. Two things: 1. Sometimes I hate the way the movie version of this story skirts the whole gay issue. Brick is gay, Maggie, he loved Skipper... move on. Urgggh. 2. Often Liz Taylor is wonderful. But often her voice bugs and she overacts. I love my Liz, but sometimes her characters need to be forcefed valium.
	Submit to Quotes

06-19-2006, 11:21 AM	#435
Not Afraid HI! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 17,108	We've watched a few things lately (besides Miazaki). We watched The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari again the other night. This is such a GREAT film! I am always amazed by the sets, the make up, the overall design and look of this film. It is one of those films that any person who apperciated film should see. Last night, because we missed it at the cemetery, we saw A Place in the Sun. First of all, I can name 3 films where Shelly Winters has a encounter with too much water. How odd is that? Montgomery Cliff is such a babe and Liz looks amazing in this film. She was at her prime. It has been ages since I've seen this film and I was foggy on the plot and ending. It was great to see it again and remember why I loved it so much the first time. We also saw The Man Who Came To Dinner (a GC recommendation). I had no familiarity with this film before seeing and and was very pleased with the great ensemble of character actors playing such unique and colorful characters. What a fun play this must be to do live. Betty Davis was wonderful as usual. Great fun! I think that's been all. Still need to see Cars.
	Submit to Quotes

06-19-2006, 11:30 AM	#437
Cadaverous Pallor ohhhh baby Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Parental Bliss Posts: 12,364	My family really enjoyed Crash. This means I'll probably hate it. I'll have to see it so they'll stop bugging me, but I really don't want to. __________________ The second star to the right shines in the night for you
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06-20-2006, 10:43 AM	#438
Gemini Cricket ... Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 13,244	There's not a whole lot in the theatres that I want to see... Kind of a boring summer for movies...
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06-20-2006, 11:42 AM	#439
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	Returning to ancient history...So we saw Castaway last night. I'll give it "not bad", with some problems. Overall, I enjoyed it. I didn't find it to be cinematic brilliance, though it contained some small nuggets of brilliance. The plane going down was fantabulous. A lot of the island stuff was cool. Spoiler: But, I had a hard time forgiving the fact that he walked away from that crash completely unscathed. Not even a freaking limp?! Worse than that, they not only had him unhurt, they showed him willfully dodging flying debris in the cabin as the plane slammed into the water at 400 miles per hour. I mean, go ahead and have the boat inflate accidentally, coushoing him on impact, and having one of the shipping crates wedge in a way that protectd him from debris. But just kinda dodging out of the way? Totally out of the scale of believability of the rest of the film. And at least give him SOME injury. Sprained ankle, hurt wrist. Something. And I know it's nitpicky, but I felt beaten over the head with the hanging thing. I mean, I got the picture when he dragged the log up and it had a noose tied. Instantly obvious what happened...there was zero need for the following expository conversation with Wilson. Anything that might have been unclear would have been resolved by the conversation at the end where he retells the hanging story to his friend. As a matter of fact, I felt the impact of that scene was completely lost as it was now the 3rd time we as an audience were being told the story (once visually, twice verbally). Other than that, I enjoyed the time on the island, save a minor nit here and there. But I'm in the GC camp when it comes to the story wrapper. I did not buy their relationship at all. Don't know what it was, but it just had zero substance. No sense of what made their relationship tick. And of course, I now have to weigh in on the FedEx thing. Eh, could have done without it. I can't say it affected me as much as it did GC, but I don't think the movie needed it...and the opening sequence was totally a FedEx commercial. It was filmed in the exact style of one of their commercials, following that path of delivery of a package. That bugged a little, but it faded for me as the movie went. But the fact that it was FedEx, vs. any other global shipping company added nothing for me. __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
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