Recent Movies You've Seen?

Since I'm on break from school and am trying to avoid anything resembling work, I've been on a movie kick. Not in theaters -- I'm too poor for that. :) We rent from Blockbuster and Netflix and also watch a lot of streaming movies at Netflix.

Recent movies I have watched, and my very brief opinions:

Slumdog Millionaire: Lovely movie, very sad, but inspiring
Lost In Austen: LOVED it.
Vanity Fair: Very good interpretation of a book I couldn't force myself to finish.
Walk The Line: I was seriously not impressed. Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash? Not even close.
The Remains of the Day: I love Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, 'nuff said.
Of Mice and Men: Also love Gary Sinise and John Malkovich, but wow, it's so creepy.

Anyone else want to add your recent views, and opinions?

I'm always looking for good books & movies. I like historical stuff the very bestest :)

Watch Ink. Its available on Netflix.

Julie and Julia - watched it last night - was light-hearted and funny.

Dr. Who and the Daleks on Youtube
The Dalek Invasion of Earth on Youtube
Rush Hour 3 on HBO 2

Oh, DH and I saw Julie & Julia in the theater. Loved it.

I treated myself to Paranormal Activity.
Wonderful.

Afternoon showing, so only about 10 of us in the cinema.
Perfect, because of the long, silent stretches of the film.
It's far better to see it in the cinema, but I can see how it could be completely ruined by other people.

The audience were well spaced out (in seating terms!) and very respectful. Silences remained silent. Tension built.

No screams but a lot of jumps and shivers along my arms. Non-one left the cinema until the lights came up and music went on. For me it was because I wasn't 100% sure it had finished. I think that was the case for the others (who were sat further back - me being the only bint cheeky enough to snag a luxury seat when I'd paid for standard). Or they may have been too scared...!

Thank FSM there were no mirrors/ reflections used in the filming of this movie. As it was, it spooked me but I went happily to sleep that night. Buttons pushed, but not the panic button.

Datalyss;616933 wrote:

Dr. Who and the Daleks on Youtube
The Dalek Invasion of Earth on Youtube

All your past sins are forgiven

DanaC;616973 wrote:

All your past sins are forgiven

Meaning?

Meaning that if you're a Dr. Who fan, she wuvs you.

I saw Fabulous Mr. Fox and LOVED it. Was funny, clever, adorable in an un-treacly sort of way, and made me believe in Foxkind again.

I thought Julie & Julia was lame - the book was much, MUCH better.

Just watched "The Duchess" -- blech. I don't care for Keira Knightley very much.

Son rented "Knowing" - I'm not a fan of Nicholas Cage or freaky disaster movies, but I guess it was all right as such things go.

Last night I watched "Wine for the Confused" starring John Cleese - an educational film. I'm not much of a wine drinker, though I do have it occasionally and it's good to know at least a little about it lest some pseudo wine snob try to call me out. Good to at least know how to pronounce Shiraz or know whether Riesling is white or red. :)

Star Trek. I saw it once in the theaters and liked it; now that I have it home, and have watched it a bunch more times, I'm really liking it.

It's fascinating to watch how they have entwined the old and new; and to watch the actors interpret the familiar characters. I especially like Kirk's voice, for some reason. I like the music, too--movie music is very important to me.

Another pair of thumbs up for Fantastic Mr. Fox over here.

The most recent movie I watched was Angels and Demons. I thought it was great, though to people who read the book, did it do it justice?

Fresh!
Good to see you back.

I thought the book was sucky.
Then again, I always rad his books (someone always has one available to lend me) and I always think they suck.

NOT going to see the film, but I expect it is better.
Films usually have plot holes your could drive a four-in-hand through, but they dazzle you with lights and noises and such. It's more obvious in a book.

I'm trying not to read SG's post about Paranormal Activity because I really want to see it...my nephew said it's scary and I love scary. There probably aren't spoilers but I can't take the chance.

I went to the movie theater last Saturday for the first time in a long time, by myself with a big popcorn and pop, and saw Brothers.

Tobey McGuire does a great job. Natalie Portman is simply beautiful, and they could just rename Jake Gyllenhaal "Yum."

The girl who plays the oldest of the daughters, Bailee Madison, is the cutest thing and a great little actress.

I liked it.

No spoilers I promise.
It's not an in-depth critique anyway, more me being self congratulatory for seeing it in a quiet cinema!

Up in the Air - "B" Clooney at his most charming, fabulous, crinkly-smiled but a weensy bit tortured. Berri good.

Sherlock Holmes - "B" Holmes as James Bond. Great chemistry between Downey and Law - clever, psuedo tricky-occulitsh story with possible debbil worshippers. Nice.

freshnesschronic;617735 wrote:

The most recent movie I watched was Angels and Demons. I thought it was great, though to people who read the book, did it do it justice?

I saw Angels and Demons about 6 months ago and was surprised how much I enjoyed it...good disposable entertainment.

My next two movies when I get these others back in the darn mail: Paranormal Activity (and I want to be SCARED) and Public Enemies.

No spoilers please! ;)

Shawnee123;621190 wrote:

My next two movies when I get these others back in the darn mail: Paranormal Activity (and I want to be SCARED) and Public Enemies.

Then you'll LURVE Paranormal Activity.

on the other hand I read Public Enemas - Did a double take. :eek:

We saw Up, Epic Movie and Inglorious Basterds.

I liked Up more than I thought, Epic Movie was just another comedy spoof, along the lines of Scary Movie and IB was just plain weird and needlessly bloody, IMO. Typical Tarantino output.

Avatar in 3D (not IMAX) was fantastic! Star Trek was OK. Hope to watch Wolverine by the end of the weekend.

Watched Avatar last night. Very good stuff 3D and CGI are finally good enough for actual story telling.

Food Inc.

Cashback
Helvetica
Magic of Flight

I liked them all

BrianR;621419 wrote:

We saw Up, Epic Movie and Inglorious Basterds.

I liked Up more than I thought, Epic Movie was just another comedy spoof, along the lines of Scary Movie and IB was just plain weird and needlessly bloody, IMO. Typical Tarantino output.

Yeah, I'm wondering when people are going to finally cotton-on to Tarantino and see him for the sociopath he is.

Imma let you finish, but Pulp Fiction had the best movie ever.

;)

Julie & Julia: Great! Meryl Streep is an amazing actor, and a great voice actor--she had Julia Child DOWN. Also, it brought back a lot of memories for me--I swear my mother went through that whole cookbook too. (Shudders at memories of being forced to eat aspic.)

Shawnee123;621992 wrote:

Pulp Fiction ;)

Great actors make an ok movie excellent. I haven't seen it in a long time, but I think it was a "B" movie that got carried by those performances.

I loved Pulp Fiction. Mind you, I was tripping the first time i saw it, so it was very intense :P

Last night I watched The Invention of Lying. I thought it was a wonderful film. Funny and romantic, and with a refreshing lack of cynicism.

ugh. I thought Pulp Fiction was disgusting.

BrianR;621419 wrote:

IB was just plain weird and needlessly bloody, IMO. Typical Tarantino output.

I also thought IB was needlessly bloody, but other than that, I thought it was really good -- moody, suspenseful and funny. It'd be a perfect movie if they'd let me trim five minutes or so of the bloodiest stuff.

Apparently, netflix didn't have any more copies of Paranormal Activity so they sent the next in line. I would have rather waited until Saturday and received PA...I'm really excited about the scary movie.

But, I have Public Enemies! The next in line was Sunshine Cleaning. I should get one in before the Rose Bowl.

DanaC;622013 wrote:

I loved Pulp Fiction.

Me too. I also liked Reservoir Dogs, the Kill Bills, and also Natural Born Killers. I liked ER, can't stand CSI.

jinx;622419 wrote:

Me too. I also liked Reservoir Dogs, the Kill Bills, and also Natural Born Killers. I liked ER, can't stand CSI.

...or anything else that includes a blood-bath? lol!

The blood is clearly overdone... but it doesn't bother me. I see it as the hyperbolic opposite of cheesy tv violence, with bullets flying everywhere, no blood, and only the bad guys dying (very quickly and neatly).

I too liked Pulp Fiction and The Kill Bills are my all time favorite,Reservoir Dogs. I couldn't stomach Natural born killers.

Liked CSI at one time as well as House but they just got ridiculous after awhile.

I used to like CSI; but I got bored with it after a while. House I adore! Then again, I was always a mad Sherlock Holmes fan and so much of House is based on Holmes, I like spotting the connections :P

I haven't seen (that i recall) a Tarantino film that didn't like. I muist have watched Pulp Fiction a dozen times. I love the musical direction. I think my favourite scene in the whole thing is the one where Bruce Willis' character finds the samurai sword. I just think it's such a stylishly directed film.

Yes there's a lot of blood. But it's supposed to be over the top. It's drawing on genre references. Not supposed to be taken too seriously. It's a little like the way they used blood in Evil Dead. That moment when Ash is literally blasted with a geyser of blood (always makes me chuckle).

Res Dogs was the only one of his films that I found genuinely disturbing. The violence was less cartoonlike than his other films. Still enjoyed he film, but it wasn;'t a comfortable one to watch.

[QUOTE=Shawnee123;622344]Apparently, netflix didn't have any more copies of Paranormal Activity so they sent the next in line. I would have rather waited until Saturday and received PA...I'm really excited about the scary movie.

I just bought Paranormal Activity because everyone I've talked to has said it was an awesome movie! I plan on watching it on my next night off work.

House and CSI writers were sucking after the 9th year or however many years for burn -out to occur.

House is at season 6. I still love it:)

[QUOTE=DanaC;622013]I loved Pulp Fiction. Mind you, I was tripping the first time i saw it, so it was very intense :P QUOTE]

I saw Pulp Fiction on a small screen TV on a cargo ship which was making its way through the Chilean archipelago and probably because of the surroundings (airport lounge type scenario on the boat...it was completely clouded and fogged in outside, so we didn't even see much of the islands) don't remember much of it. It hadn't even crossed my mind until now to watch it again in a more cinematic atmosphere.

jujuwwhite;622607 wrote:

I just bought Paranormal Activity because everyone I've talked to has said it was an awesome movie! I plan on watching it on my next night off work.

My 18 year old nephew warned: do NOT watch it alone! HA! I'll show him! (And I'm already a bit scared. Let me know what you think and I'll do the same. :)

Public Enemies was pretty good. The acting, of course, was wonderful. Oh Johnny...

His woman in the film is French on one side and Native American on the other...like me though I'm much more distilled than one would have been in the 30s, I've got all kinds of other stuff in there. ;)

DanaC;622620 wrote:

House is at season 6. I still love it:)

I've probably said this before, but I can't watch Hugh Laurie not being English so have only got through about 3 episodes of House. I am currently completely addicted to Scrubs though and love Dr Cox's character (the rest are great as well, but Dr Cox is the most cartoonish).

casimendocina;622626 wrote:

I saw Pulp Fiction on a small screen TV on a cargo ship which was making its way through the Chilean archipelago and probably because of the surroundings (airport lounge type scenario on the boat...it was completely clouded and fogged in outside, so we didn't even see much of the islands) don't remember much of it. It hadn't even crossed my mind until now to watch it again in a more cinematic atmosphere.

I think Pulp gets better the more you watch it. You start to see the order of things, since the story is told out of order. I like to watch any movie I like more than once, to catch things I missed before, but Pulp Fiction is the granddaddy of rewatchable, in my opinion.

Cool. I'll give it a go in a couple of months.

I hated his accent the first few times I saw it. I thought it sounded dead false. Then some Americans told me they thought he was American, so I guess it was more about expectations of Hugh laurie than any real understanding of the accent on my part.

It's taken a few years for House to really break over here. He is such a household name in Britain, that people were not ready to accept him as an American at all.


@ Shaw: I'd agree with that.

I never really knew much about Hugh Laurie before House, so the american accent seems normal to me.

And I LOVE House. He is awesome, the show is awesome.

@ casi: I've always like Scrubs, too. Funny show. I think my favorite is Turk.

As an actor/person I think Hugh Laurie is great.

I didn't know he was from Oxford nor that he attended Cambridge and Eton so I didn't notice any accent at all.

Over here he isn't just well-known, he's a 'national treasure' along with his comedy partner and best friend Stephen Fry. Both are known as quintessentially English, in a rather old-fashioned sort of a way. So hearing him with an American accent was something of a shock :P

What I was going to say and didn't was that now knowing I did recognize a bit of polish and that probably comes from his education.

I'll have to look up 'Fry and Laurie'. :)

There are some great quotes at imdb.com

Watched "Up" night before last. I thought it was wonderful. Also caught "Sunshine Cleaning" for the first time. Well played movie, but had the typical handmade, choppy feel of a lot of indie films.

I just saw Sunshine Cleaning, finished about half an hour ago. I loved it, but I love indie films. The acting was super, Amy Adams, Alan Arkin, Emily Blunt, and another chameleon, Clifton Collins Jr.

I love the real-lifeness of indies, the grittiness, the rawness.

Ew, Pulp Fiction was the only movie ever that I could not watch the whole thing. Fortunately we rented it, so I just went elsewhere while DH watched. I guess I could give it another try, but there are so many other good movies to watch, I probably won't.

I also love House, though it seems really repetitive in theme and structure and gets on my nerves. Yeah, he's a damaged, Byronic asshole, but really smart. I get it.

I'd already been introduced to Laurie as "American" in the Stuart Little movies so it wasn't a leap, but yes, I did know he was English and had quite an illustrious career as such. Actually his "American" accent grates on me because I find it really nasal, but that's probably just me.

I've been on a 19th century period piece kick. Watched Middlemarch, Lost in Austen, Under the Greenwood Tree, Vanity Fair.

Juniper;622736 wrote:

Ew, Pulp Fiction was the only movie ever that I could not watch the whole thing.

Heh. Selene is so funny about certain things, and Pulp Fiction is one of them. When we first got together, she would tell me again and again that I needed to see this film, because it was so great...although she would never watch it again because it was so disturbing. She was right - one of the best films evah.

I also love House, though it seems really repetitive in theme and structure and gets on my nerves. Yeah, he's a damaged, Byronic asshole, but really smart. I get it.

I find it slightly bizarre that, despite the fact that "House" is the same story over and over and over, I am addicted to it. I may figure out why someday, but until then, I'm just going to enjoy it.

Pulp Fiction is the only movie I ever, out of the blue, got a craving for.

House is addictive because of the backstory' also because he is an 'archetype'. he's based very much on Sherlock Holmes. Now, I adore Sherlock Holmes, but his stories are just as formulaic as those of House.

squirell nutkin;621989 wrote:

Yeah, I'm wondering when people are going to finally cotton-on to Tarantino and see him for the sociopath he is.

You didn't figure that out while you were watching Reservoir Dogs? Like in the first 15 minutes?

Saw Paranormal Activity - wasnt impressed at all. Saw Public Enemies - it entertained. Saw Sherlock Holmes - what a blast! Downey Jr. and Law were fantastic. Just got home from watching Avatar and my eyes are a still a bit swollen from crying. Must be hormones. It was a great film.

Wife and I rented Inglorious Basterds with Brad Pitt. Hilarious film. I especially liked the scene where they're at the theatre posing as an Italian film crew. Each is introduced to this German Gestapo guy and Brad Pitts character (who has a thick hillbilly drawl) states his fake Italian name with the same thick hillbilly drawl. It was great.

Madman;623366 wrote:

Wife and I rented Inglorious Basterds with Brad Pitt. Hilarious film. I especially liked the scene where they're at the theatre posing as an Italian film crew. Each is introduced to this German Gestapo guy and Brad Pitts character (who has a thick hillbilly drawl) states his fake Italian name with the same thick hillbilly drawl. It was great.

Cool, so what was it like hanging with Brad Pitt? Was he a regular guy or all stuck up? I'm surprised he wanted to watch it again after having starred in it and all. Did he try to put the moves on Mrs. Madman? I heard he can be like that.

wolf;623001 wrote:

You didn't figure that out while you were watching Reservoir Dogs? Like in the first 15 minutes?

I know. What does it say about me that I liked pulp fiction?

I watched Let the Right One In over Christmas. I can't find that I've posted a review, so excuse me if I have. I'm going to say the same thing anyway I expect!

I saw very few films in 2009, so it doesn't seem much to make it my Film of the Year. But it is probably the best film I've seen in the last five years at least.

It's a Swedish film and it's set in the winter - the cold and the heavy snow add another dimension to the story, making everything isolated and yet more intense. It's nominally a horror film - certainly a vampire film, and there is blood - but more a story of the ties between people.

It's a wonderful take on the over-filmed genre and a great antidote to the teen-aimed handsome vampires which are being touted around at present. I know it was originally a book, and I have to try to get hold of it - I'm sure it goes into the back stories in more depth and would be a cracking read.

I watched "Outsourced" Sun. night on Netflix. Kind of a cute story about a guy who has to travel to India to train his successor as call-center manager. Worth streaming online, when you can't sleep, I guess. :)

Sundae: you seen Hamlet yet?

Capnhowdy and I watched Paranormal Activity last night and honestly I have seen better evidence of the paranormal in the drain of my bathtub!!

This movie has been compared a lot to Blair Witch. I guess that makes sense as Blair Witch just wasn't that scary.

I hated Blair Witch Project.
I couldn't hear what they were saying, I couldn't see what they were seeing.
The characters were whiny and irritating.
Walking out of the cinema, I heard at least three different interpretations about what was in the handkerchief for example. That's not scary, that's, "What IS it? What IS it?" Breaks the suspension of disbelief.

I was able to believe in PA. It was well lit, I could hear everything. And of course it was set in one of the scariest places in the world (to me) - someone's home. Home is where you should feel safest. Home is where you run to and lock the doors and the vampires can't come in and if you've got good enough security neither can the zombies or werewolves or bailiffs.

I am so used to horror films that make me jump. That's fun. But for a slow building atmosphere of unease and tension, I'd go with PA every time.

I'm not trying to change the mind of those who didn't enjoy it - I know perfectly well that you either like something or you don't. But to those who haven't yet given it a try, do. Just approach it as a film that many people have been spooked by. And don't expect Freddy Kreuger to be jumping out from the cupboard at any point.

Dana - no I haven't yet. Was intending to get round to it though. I'm pretty sure we Sky-plused it.

I saw The Reckoning last night. We rented it from Blockbuster (yes, we still do that) on a whim. She thought it looked good but as I am cynical, I doubted it. Now I liked it enough to look for it to add to my collection. Kind of like a medieval CSI. Worth a look, if you see it on a shelf.

rented "Nine" with the qicelets last night... what a waste of an evening. bleh

I saw Daybreakers. I loved the premise, and the movie was OK, but nothing special. Sometimes cliches are alright (they're cliche for a reason), but this had a few too many action movie cliches for me.

Happy Monkey;625413 wrote:

I saw Daybreakers. I loved the premise, and the movie was OK, but nothing special. Sometimes cliches are alright (they're cliche for a reason), but this had a few too many action movie cliches for me.

I agree, except I thought it was worse than OK.

I saw "Up in the Air" today. Good movie.

But before it was a preview for "Death at a Funeral". Starring Chris Rock.

What the? Remaking a three year old film? With Peter Dinklage repeating his role? Weird.

Madman;623366 wrote:

Wife and I rented Inglorious Basterds with Brad Pitt. Hilarious film. I especially liked the scene where they're at the theatre posing as an Italian film crew. Each is introduced to this German Gestapo guy and Brad Pitts character (who has a thick hillbilly drawl) states his fake Italian name with the same thick hillbilly drawl. It was great.

squirell nutkin;623677 wrote:

Cool, so what was it like hanging with Brad Pitt? Was he a regular guy or all stuck up? I'm surprised he wanted to watch it again after having starred in it and all. Did he try to put the moves on Mrs. Madman? I heard he can be like that.

I asked him if Angelina will ever do a nude scene or pose for Hustler. All he could say was "yes, yes, yes, yes, yes."

I think he was still in character... damn actors.

I had a hell of a time keeping my wife off him. Women... :headshake

Rented "The Hangover" a couple days ago - it was hilarious. I especially liked the end scene when they looked through the photos on the camera... awesome! Brought back more than a few memories...

Crazy Heart

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - fun and strange

The Invention of Lying - They should have covered the "no suicide" corrolary to the "heaven" concept.

the Lovely Bones - I liked it, the 19 year old boy did not.

I cannot wait for the Runaways movie to come out! I always wanted to be Cherie Currie - or Jackie Fox. :bass:

Almost-14 year old daughter wants to see Lovely Bones. Bri, do you think it's appropriate?

She and a friend were going to see it Sat. night, but chose Leap Year instead. They enjoyed it.

Me, I'm still on my PBS Masterpiece Theatre kick. "Cranford" on PBS (from Elizabeth Gaskell novel -- ha ha, Bri can laugh about that, but it was better than Mary Barton), and now the umptyzillionth re-make of Emma is on PBS. I'm not enjoying it all that much though; I really don't care for the way Emma is being portrayed (she's not supposed to be that much of a bitch!) and Emma's dad, portrayed by Michael Gambon (Dumbledore #2) is much too whiny.

Love, love, love, Netflix. Also just finished watching "The Way We Live Today," from the Edith Wharton novel. Not one of my favorites, but pretty good.

It's fun seeing the same actors recycled over and over in different roles!

Imelda Staunton, who played Umbridge in Harry Potter, is a marvelous actress. Ooooh, and "The Way We Live Now" has a main character played by "Moaning Myrtle!" Loved it. :D

Imelda Staunton is a wonderful actress. She conveys so much even before she opens her mouth.


Most recent movie I watched was the BBC production of Hamlet with David Tennant in the lead and Patrick Stewart as the King and the Ghost of old Hamlet. I may have written about this elsewhere, but I can't remember ( early onset senility? :P)

Loved it. I was a little concerned that he'd be too Doctor Who about it...though was still very excited. I knew I'd enjoy it regardless. It's my favourite Shakespeare play; the one that got me into the Bard when I was a kid. And obviously, I love all things Tennant :P So I fully expected to enjoy it, 'despite' those concerns. As it turned out, I'd say it was the best Hamlet I have seen performed, possibly ever. I've seen many versions, on stage and on screen. They've all had somethng good about them and most have also had something bad. Of all of them, only one had hit me right in the solar plexus, before now: the old black and white Olivier version, which was the first one I saw, as a youngster. I sw that with no real expectations. Our Kid was into Shakespeare for his exams, and I was basically copying him :P But it came on tv, and I watched it in my bedroom, on an old black and white portable telly, with a shaky picture and it completely transported me. Even now, if I think back to that time, I can feel a catch in my throat and feeling of soaring excitement, tragedy and wonder. Hamlet: the ultimate antihero; a Yossarian for the Elizabethan age. Olivier was so breathtakingly beautiful, and his feigned madness so scarily edging into real insanity. It affected me deeply.

I've loved many Hamlets (Derek Jacobi was marvellous), but none of them has got me quite like that first one. Until I watched Tennant's Hamlet. I fell in love with the play all over again. He was brilliant, and desparate, and funny, and tragic. His indecision and inability to act was painful and believable. Patrick Stewart was awesome. Both as the King, Hamlet's uncle; and as the ghost of old Hamlet: the most believable and tragic ghost I've seen; and the most believably Father to young Hamlet. The pressing urgency of his fate came through so clearly and so darkly, it was almost painful to watch. Polonius, meanwhile, was played to perfection. A canny and occasionally ruthless statesman and advisor to the King, whose age was showing and whose memory was beginning to wander. His speech patterns so believable as the onset of senility.

The whole thing was played with such realism, in terms of delivery, that the viewer doesn't need to understand Shakespearian language to understand what's being said. The humour came through, with such an edge of darkness.

The setting of Elsinore was so well-designed, it was almost a character in its own right. Claustrophic and contained. The modern design included CCTV cameras capturing pieces of the action and the soldiers were armed with both swords and guns. This was a nation facing possible invasion (from Fortinbras) and the danger was palpable.

There were one or two bits that didn't work so well for me; but they were minor and based more in Shakespeare's writing than their execution: Laertes getting into Ophelia's grave with her for instance; Hamlet's competing in the extent of grief. These are points that always jar with me, in every version.

All in all, even with the bits that didn;t work so well, this version has stayed with me since I watched it a few weeks ago. I find my mind returning to it. It's left its atmosphere, it's flavour behind. Just like Olivier's did almost three decades ago.

Fame... My wife thought it was kinda gay. Me? I liked it. Go figure.

Finally saw District 9 the other night. Good movie. Was it a book first? It definitely had the feel of one.

Avatar. 3D yes Imax no.

I give it two stars. It's like Brokeback Mountain: no matter what the movie is, you can always just sit back and enjoy the Rockies shot by a top-notch cinematographer.

Too many of the effects pulled me out of the film instead of drawing me in. When the hack story wasn't doing it...

It sticks with you a bit, but the more I thought about it, the more I found not to like about it. They say that the secret to Star Trek's longevity is that Trek is hugely optimistic about the future, and about mankind's role in it. Well, this movie does not share that vision. That is all I will say without spoiler alerts.

DanaC;630008 wrote:

I've loved many Hamlets (Derek Jacobi was marvellous), but none of them has got me quite like that first one. Until I watched Tennant's Hamlet. I fell in love with the play all over again. He was brilliant, and desparate, and funny, and tragic. His indecision and inability to act was painful and believable. Patrick Stewart was awesome. Both as the King, Hamlet's uncle; and as the ghost of old Hamlet: the most believable and tragic ghost I've seen; and the most believably Father to young Hamlet. The pressing urgency of his fate came through so clearly and so darkly, it was almost painful to watch.

The last Hamlet I saw was played by Mel Gibson.

Yeeeeesh.

I'll have to check this one out.

I hated the Gibson version. I actually couldn't see it out to the end.

Juni - I think the Lovely Bones would be ok for your daughter. No sex scenes, no gross-out over the girls murder. Is really about life after death.

Undertoad;630063 wrote:

That is all I will say without spoiler alerts.

http://www.vbhackers.com/f104/bbcode-spoiler-tag-10530/

Clodfobble;630055 wrote:

Finally saw District 9 the other night. Good movie. Was it a book first? It definitely had the feel of one.

Really? I couldn't decide whether my laughter made it worthwhile or if I should still feel robbed for the $1.09 I spent on it.

I watched Big Fan and Letters From Iwo Jima. Big Fan was OK, Letters From Iwo Jima I liked a lot. I thought a lot about my dad. He wasn't on Iwo Jima, but on Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa.

I want to see Flags of Our Fathers next

lookout123 wrote:

Really? I couldn't decide whether my laughter made it worthwhile or if I should still feel robbed for the $1.09 I spent on it.

Sure, I laughed, but I thought that was intentional in most places. People getting blown into well-rendered giblets, crazy-ass African gang members, the poor sod whose life just keeps getting worse and worse... I wasn't on the edge of my seat with drama or anything, but I was definitely entertained.

I was pleasantly surprised when I watched it. After reading about all the hoopla linking it to Apartheid, I wasn't initially too interested in seeing it. It wasn't a bad little action flick, after all.

Undertoad;630063 wrote:

Avatar. 3D yes Imax no.

I give it two stars. It's like Brokeback Mountain: no matter what the movie is, you can always just sit back and enjoy the Rockies shot by a top-notch cinematographer.

Too many of the effects pulled me out of the film instead of drawing me in. When the hack story wasn't doing it...

It sticks with you a bit, but the more I thought about it, the more I found not to like about it. They say that the secret to Star Trek's longevity is that Trek is hugely optimistic about the future, and about mankind's role in it. Well, this movie does not share that vision. That is all I will say without spoiler alerts.

Im glad you said this (bold) because no else brings it up and I thought I was just being too analytical as usual.That was the part that affected me the most about this movie.

Clodfobble;630055 wrote:

Finally saw District 9 the other night. Good movie. Was it a book first? It definitely had the feel of one.

I liked the aliens. They had personality.

Juniper's right--Netflix is awesome. I have four "Watch Instantly" devices in the house, plus the computers. It's like having a Blockbuster down the hall past the kitchen. We watch a lot of movies.

Last night was Blood Sucking Freaks. I give it two stars out of five. A typical Troma production. Surprising humor, very gory, occasional clothing, and degrading humiliation in practically every scene.

Before that--

Howl's Moving Castle, five stars. Outstanding work. Miyazaki is a genius. A moving castle and a moving story. I found the voice acting to be delightful, especially Billy Crystal as Calcifer.

Castle in the Sky, five stars. I also loved this one though it was more of a romp and considerably less subtle.

Stomp Live, five stars. Streamed, and it has been rewatched many times in the past month. I may wind up purchasing it just to save bandwidth.

The Botany of Desire, five stars. I didn't realize I'd been domesticated by the potato. I, for one, welcome our shoestringed, mashed, and scalloped overlords. Plus, I like tulips.

In the theater, Avatar (3D, and Imax 3D), four stars. Inglorious Basterds, three stars. Where the Wild Things Are, five stars. wrt Where the Wild Things Are, I was delighted to have my .... low expectations exceeded so dramatically. The film expresses the emotion and confusion of feelings without words. I mean the film does a fine job of conveying what cannot be articulated.

Undertoad;630063 wrote:

Avatar.

I give it two stars.

Too many of the effects pulled me out of the film instead of drawing me in. When the hack story wasn't doing it...

the more I thought about it, the more I found not to like about it.

I wish I was griff at this point.

Saw it in 3D - was an "ok" movie with neat effects . . . thats about it.

I just watched Slap Shot. Far from recent, but fucking hilarious.

Instantly watching via netflix; I like killing flies. I like it a lot.

Saw "Strays" by Vin Diesel mainly because Suzanne Lanza is in it. I was surprised bec. I always thought Vin was a knucklehead the way people talk about him. I've actually never ever seen or heard anything by him so I really had no opinion.

It wasn't a bad movie for what it was. 16mm bumped up to 35. It looked like a really really good student film. The story was sincere, if a little thin. And it had Suzanne Lanza in it, so... Awesome. Two tails up!

I just found out that coming this spring you can watch netflix instantly via the Wii! I'm so excited! :D

The Hangover finally came this weekend, but the disc was messed up. The first half was fun though. I'll give a review on the full movie once we get the replacement.

squirell nutkin;631342 wrote:

Saw "Strays" by Vin Diesel mainly because Suzanne Lanza is in it. I was surprised bec. I always thought Vin was a knucklehead the way people talk about him. I've actually never ever seen or heard anything by him so I really had no opinion.

That's on my netflix queue. The interesting thing about Vin Diesel is that he plays beefy and brawny, but is actually quite bright. He's a grown-up (and nicely too) D&D geek.

Netflix is evil. Of course, I said that about cell phones, too . . .

Saw Ong Bak 2--the beginning. seriously sucked--waaayy too many flashbacks and forths.

Star Trek (2009) on DVD...about 4 months ago. Does that count as recent?

wolf;633858 wrote:

That's on my netflix queue. The interesting thing about Vin Diesel is that he plays beefy and brawny, but is actually quite bright. He's a grown-up (and nicely too) D&D geek.

Yeah, that's part of what surprised me was the depth and complexity of what I thought would be a one dimensional story. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't John Le Carre, but it still surprised me.

Doubt, Lawman, & Seven Pounds

The Last Station. Excellent cast. Able to make a story I was indifferent about into an extremely moving film.

We saw Zombieland on Saturday night. It was what you would expect. A fun zombie movie. I didn't realize Bill Murray had a big cameo as himself. Funny at times, with a few jump scenes, but mostly just a fun mindless flick.

Saw Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief. Very special for me, because of my grandson. Very enjoyable--casting was spot on. Uma Thurman as Medusa was fantastic!

Read the plot synopsis for the original wickerman on wikipedia (coincidence) last night. Do I get partial credit?

glatt;634814 wrote:

We saw Zombieland on Saturday night. It was what you would expect. A fun zombie movie. I didn't realize Bill Murray had a big cameo as himself. Funny at times, with a few jump scenes, but mostly just a fun mindless flick.

I loved the scene where the kid drops his keys and realizing that he doesn't have enough time to retrieve them before the zombie gets to him, decides to take another lap around the parking lot. :D

There was some good physical comedy there.

Always double tap. :D

Watched The Hurt Locker. Bleh. Tried to watch Sherlock Holmes. Gave up after 45 minutes. Enjoyed The Invention of Lying.

People keep telling me to see Holmes. But I used to be a massive Holmes fan...I just can't see the big budget, swashbuckling, Hollywood treatment is going to be a good thing.

Especially not whilst Big Finish are doing a brilliant job of reworking Holmes on audio. Roger Llewelyn (i think that's the fellah) did a one man stage show in which Holmes is returning from Watson's funeral. The whole thing is a monologue, with Holmes imagining conversations with Watson, and relating previous adventures. He does all the different voices, it's an amazing performance. BF have adapted it for audio, with Llyewlyn doing it as a one man performance again. His Holmes is so wonderful. Wry and dark.

Well...whadayaknow, I've talked myself out of seeing it again.

The Invention of Lying is a lovely film. I really liked it.

I liked Sherlock Holmes, but I really enjoy Robert Downey Jr. in most anything I see him in. Same goes for Jude law. No, this isnt a typically cerebral Sherlock Holmes story - in fact one review I read likened it to a Scooby Doo plot :D - but it was a lot a fun.

Saw the movie called 'The Orphan'. It was advertised as a thriller and it truly was especially if you paid attention to the underlying meanings behind some of the scenes. Had a really cool twist to it.

The Stepfather - broke down and let the son watch it on MOD.

Huuuuuuuge chunk of cheese.

I just watched the film "Crazy Heart".

I dunno.. I was growing kinda bored of watching Jeff Bridges' character with his freakin' fly down. And Maggie Gyllenhaal's little romance with him was kind of awkward. The ending was at least positive, imo.

Saw Shutter Island last Saturday. It's one of those extremely rare cases where I've liked the movie better than the book. Because I actively avoid watching pre-press, I wasn't aware that the movie was directed by Martin Scorsese until the end credits ran.

Capn and I went to see AVATAR before his surgery. It was a long movie but well worth it! It was excellent!

I watched Amelia tonight. I fell asleep during the middle part.
I like both Hillary Swank and Richard Gere but this movie was a sleeper!

Just watched (500) Days of Summer. Not bad. There were parts which I thought were wonderful and parts that were meh. Touted as a "quirky romantic comedy" and starting out telling the audience "this is NOT a love story" I was pleasantly surprised that it was not the typical boy-meets-girl story.

There were some really clever parts.

Inglorioius Basterds.

Worst movie I've seen in a looong time.

I like Reservoir dogs and think Pulp Fiction is genius, Kill Bill is over stylized and full of movie nerd in jokes, but quite good.

But this totally jumped the shark, I thought I could see what he was going for long quiet increasingly tense scenes with a violent ending. But the the scenes were poor, didn't build tension and once or twice is great, but over and over again totally over egged the pudding.

Oscar nominated, top 250 on IMDB, did I just not get it somehow, or is the Emperors new clothes.

Saw V on Showtime

Kick Ass kicked ass. I expected a fun flick, but this was a real movie.

Cool, I wanna see that.

Really wanna see Kickass!

Last night I finally got around to watching RunFatboy Run (with Simon Pegg). A pleasant little romcom. Liked it a lot.

The night before I watched 'Satanic' lol loved it. Intriguing enough plot to keep me interested but lots of cheddar. I love a good cheesy horror flick.

These past weeks, I've seen Sherlock Holmes, Kick Ass, and Dragons.

Tomorrow, it's Iron Man 2 opening in France.

At home, I saw for the fourth maybe fifth time a wonderful film: "Pan's Labyrinth".

Loved Pan's Labyrinth. Can't decide whether or not to watch Holmes ... I like everybody in it, but the whole thing just looks too Hollywood swashbuckler with added explosions and chase scenes; not what I think of when I think of Holmes.

"The Losers" was a decent mindless action flick. Fun heroes, super-goofy villains.

Oh, I really wanna see the Losers.

I downloaded Glorious 39 as an itunes rental, but haven't got around to watching it yet. Might do that tonight.

DanaC;652030 wrote:

Loved Pan's Labyrinth. Can't decide whether or not to watch Holmes ... I like everybody in it, but the whole thing just looks too Hollywood swashbuckler with added explosions and chase scenes; not what I think of when I think of Holmes.

It's not "Sherlock Holmes". It's "Sherlock Holmes: Action Hero". Don't expect the the cool mental exercises from the books. I didn't like it.

I thought it was Sperlock Holmes

Last week, I saw IronMan 2.

I staid till the end of the movie. The biggest fun fun for me was that there were maybe 50 or more people in the theater all asking what was the meaning of the f.... hammer !

I saw the new Elm Street, not as good as the original but worth a matinee.

'The Crazies', eh, it was ok.

Anybody seen 'Black Dynamite'?

The Blind Side.
I enjoy true stories.

Yesterday, I saw again The bicentennial Man with Robin William.

A good interpretation of the novel by Isaac Asimov.

'Bicentennial Man', fucking loved it!

A wonderful movie with a magnificent question : what makes a human being ?

DanaC;652030 wrote:

Loved Pan's Labyrinth. Can't decide whether or not to watch Holmes ... I like everybody in it, but the whole thing just looks too Hollywood swashbuckler with added explosions and chase scenes; not what I think of when I think of Holmes.

Pan's Labyrinth was wicked. In a good way.

we watched Benjamin Button tonight , long Flick B ut we were BOTH teary eyed at the end , good flick

Went out to see Date Night with Steve Carell and Tina Fey. It was more than a little silly, as was to be expected, but very funny nonetheless.

Watching "Che: The Argentine-Part 1" (Steven Soderbergh) as I type-despite my one time fascination with Che Guevara and all things revolutionary and Cuban, this isn't really grabbing me.

Parasomnia: strange. Quite cool in its own way.

Lot of cheddar in it. But I don;t mind that.

casimendocina;656366 wrote:

Watching "Che: The Argentine-Part 1" (Steven Soderbergh) as I type-despite my one time fascination with Che Guevara and all things revolutionary and Cuban, this isn't really grabbing me.

Che, a snapshot of the man and the myth.

http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1535

Cheers for this - interesting stuff and quite alot that I hadn't heard referred to previously, despite having read a fair amount on the man and the topic. Alvaro Vargas Llosa (son of the novelist and one time candidate for the Peruvian presidency-Mario Vargas Llosa), however, is unlikely to be completely unbiased, but then again it's pretty much impossible to be neutral about someone like Che.

The Wolfman, Daybreakers, The Road, & Edge of Darkness were all pretty good, good enough anyway.

Legion - I thought it sucked.

Appaloosa
Good, a western in the new style gritty realistic. They obvioulsy worked hard on having the clothes and sets true to the time, the gunfights are short and to the point. Great acting, the two main characters are gunfighters on the good sidewho have worked together for many years.

Just a little something to give it more edge could have made this a great western.

Renee Zellwigger is the love interest, so that's a minus :p:

NINJA ASS-ASS-IN
What a bore man!

Beest;663007 wrote:

Appaloosa

Freakin' lurved it. ("South of Heaven, West of Hell" is another great western, quirky, but real good)

skysidhe;653850 wrote:

The Blind Side.
I enjoy true stories.

Did anyone see the Blind Side that didnt like it?

Gravdigr;662907 wrote:

The Wolfman, Daybreakers, The Road, & Edge of Darkness were all pretty good, good enough anyway.

Legion - I thought it sucked.

I saw Wolfman, Daybreakers, and The Road and I wasn't impressed with any of them.

Just got back from Toy Story 3. It was surprisingly emotional, and a great way to end the story arc. Loved it.

Go see Inception...you will like it. Remember how you felt when you first saw The Matrix? This movie will take you there again. Its not perfect - the gratuitous gun fights, for example- but it makes for a great summer blockbuster. Try to go without reading or hearing anything about it.

In the process of watching 28 Weeks Later. After that I'm thinking about watching 300.

I'm watching The Machinist... starve much, Mr. Bale?

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Saw Salt. Pretty fun to watch, and kept me guessing for a while. I figured out the twist, but pretty late.

'Repo Men' is a six (out of ten).

****SPOILER ALERT****

The movie 'Neighbor' [COLOR="LemonChiffon"]includes one scene that involves a small-diameter glass rod, and a man's erect penis. If you've ever wanted to see blood gushing from the pee-hole of an erect penis, this is your chance.[/COLOR]

I gave it a seven.

"The Waiting City-it tries very hard to be worthy and almost makes it. The issues that come out of it (adoption of children from other countries + what a family should be + what constitutes understanding another culture) are more worthy than the movie itself.

"Never Let Me Go" was very good. I went in knowing the premise, and enjoyed it, but I expect that the less you know going in, the better.

My last movie is Avatar 3D and it is superb.

I like to be scared. A little gore isn't going to do it for me. I need tension and build-up and the big surprise.

So, the last couple Saturdays I hit the movie theater for the first showing of the day (only 4 dollah and 25 cent) of the most recent new scary movies.

First Saturday I saw The Last Exorcism. Like most films set in "documentary" style it totally fizzled for me. I loved the beginning: the preacher guy was great as an evangelist setting out to debunk the exorcisms they'd been doing for year. But not one time did I feel even slightly scared.

And I can turn down my brain and suspend disbelief if I can get my WHAT THE FUCK? moment.

Then I saw Devil, by M Night Shama-lama-ding-dong. It wasn't great, it was decent, but there was "that moment" where I'm sitting in the theater, almost completely alone, and I gasped out loud "OHHHHHH FUCK!"

I don't have high hopes for all the other scare fare that comes around this time of year, but I'll probably keep trying, I so love that scary moment.

Resident Evil was 3D.

Got around to seeing "The Informant" last night. I went in thinking it was a drama, so I was pleasantly surprised. Very funny black comedy.

Akeelah and the Bee on tv. Superb!

Clodfobble;686754 wrote:

Got around to seeing "The Informant" last night. I went in thinking it was a drama, so I was pleasantly surprised. Very funny black comedy.

Glad to know that. I wondered if it were any good.

Shawnee123;686656 wrote:

M Night Shama-lama-ding-dong

Great minds! I call him "Midnight Shama-lama-ding-dong"

Cloud;686755 wrote:

Akeelah and the Bee on tv. Superb!

Is that about an apiarist?

Spexxvet;686910 wrote:

Great minds! I call him "Midnight Shama-lama-ding-dong"

Hahhahahaa! I've never heard it pronounced...so Shama-lama-ding-dong it is!

Watched Melancholia last night. Had the same sort of feel, to me, as Black Swan. Visually, it was incredible, the acting/cast was outstanding, the interaction of the characters was unsettling.

I watched Hesher recently. pretty great

I saw the very first showing of The Muppets in the Dallas area. Awesome and entertaining as always. I loved the nostalgia shots. They still have that same old magic, all these years later.

I noticed that a nearly everyone in the theater with me was my age.

Highly recommended for anyone but especially original Muppet fans.

Super 8. Goonies meets Cloverfield

The Muppet Show was the main purpose of Sundays as far as I was concerned as a kid: bath and jimjams, then cosy on the couch for the Muppets, followed by Heart to Heart (and when they got together it was moyder), then bed :p

Even now, alll these years later, if I think of the opening music it still gives me a little shiver of anticipation.

Just came across Mary and Max, a feature length animation film. It was on TV here, but from the website (very much worth a look) I see it's been around in the UK and Australia and maybe more countries. - Great stuff.

This sums it up for me too:

REVIEW:
(snip)an original clay animation film by Australian director Adam Elliot. Based on a true story, the film centers on the unique pen pal relationship between two social outcasts; Mary, an awkward 8 year-old Australian girl trying to make sense of the adult world surrounding her and Max, an obese, neurotic, obsessive-compulsive Jewish man in his 40s (oh, and he has asbergers syndrome too) living in New York City.

While the premise sounds a bit like a pedophile’s wet dream, the relationship between the two characters never goes beyond friendship, even twenty years down the line when Mary has grown up and finally figured out where babies comes from (watch for a hilarious segment where Max addresses Mary’s question with a very innovative take on the birds and the bees).

While I usually don’t go crazy for the animation genre, MARY AND MAX struck a particular chord with me, most likely because of its quirky, highly detailed aesthetic and its wicked adult humour (this is no pixar flick). In its 90 minutes, MARY AND MAX manages to breech every taboo topic possible, from fat jokes, homosexuality, and suicide, to alcoholism, prescription drug abuse and mime-murdering- while at the same time, evoking a charming, highly original atmosphere reminiscent of a Roald Dahl story.(snip)

Oh yes, Netflix streaming has that. Really excellent. Laugh-out-loud funny and also sad enough to make you cry.

I think Mary and Max is on OnDemand, too. I'll have to watch it this weekend, if it is.

Last week we really enjoyed Dreamhouse with Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz (huh, looked up the spelling of her name, and saw that they're married to each other).

I was surprised that I liked Real Steel so much. I wasn't a huge fan of Transformers, and thought that it would be just like it...but it was way better.

I saw Sinister over the weekend. I give it 4 out of 5 GASPS©

I admit to being able to suspend disbelief in order to have the crap scared out of me. Even so, I've been disappointed in most of the scary movie fare as of late (case in point: The Cabin in the Woods can bite me) but this one was sufficiently creepy. And Ethan Hawke. Yay.

Ok! Imma see it, too! I can do suspension but I want to be SCARED dammit in a semi-believable way.

I loved Cabin in the Woods, but I knew going in that it wasn't a horror movie.

Hmmm. I don't necessarily equate 'scary' with 'horror.' In fact, I'd more likely put Cabin in the horror realm for sheer gore (not Al Gore.) Also that they included the possibility of every sort of 'monster' ever dreamed up by man. It was more an action flick with body parts, imo. It did give me a couple jolts, but it didn't have the kind of build up and anticipation that really gets my blood going. Not for lack of blood in the movie, for sure.

Doing 'scary' well, like any other art genre, requires more subtlety. (Yes, I do think scary is an art genre if done right. See: Edgar Allen Poe.) I can sure cringe and react to, say, the Saw movies...they don't really scare me like the apprehension and build up that comes with a more quiet approach to the things that creep out the human brain. Build up, build up, build up...BOOM! Whaaaaaaaaaaaa? AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. (That was cool! Gasp breathe gasp!)

Oh, and Cabin defied the three laws of surviving a horror movie, as laid out in Scream:


1) You can never have sex.
As Randy says, “Big no-no! Big no-no! Sex equals death!” And he’s right. Think back on it: Kevin Bacon in Friday the 13th? Dead. That chick who’s freeze framed behind Randy in Halloween? Toast. Of course, our intrepid heroine Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) manages to break this rule, so score one for Sid.

2) You can never drink or do drugs.
Ah, yes: “The sin factor.” Good little boys and girls don’t do nasty things like drink or do drugs– that way madness lies! So if you do, of course you’re going to have to be punished. WITH DEATH.

3) Never, ever, ever, under any circumstances, say “I’ll be right back.”
Because you won’t be. Don’t jinx yourself. Better yet, don’t go anywhere alone. Or anywhere. At all.

http://crushable.com/entertainment/revisiting-scream-how-to-survive-a-horror-movie/

That was the point, though. The engineers were trying to make a horror movie that followed the formula, but everything went wrong.

True. I got hung up on what they were trying to engineer.

That was the part that was good. In the process of getting there, though, they employed all the formulas and that didn't grab my attention: it tried too hard.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is the scariest and best scary movie I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them.

Re: Cabin In The Woods:

My favorite scene was the hall of elevators.

DING!

I gakked used Bud Light all over the living room.

Went to see Paranormal Activity IV on Saturday.

It was a good audience. A lot more folks than I'm used to seeing at the Saturday matinee. Families with teenagers, etc. It was obvious they have also been following the series. What was great was when the jolt moments happened, we'd all gasp, then we'd all giggle at the collective gasp.

It's just a fun escape.

Mrs. Z and I watched Snow White and the Huntsman last weekend. I was underwhelmed. It was more a collection of scenes than a movie.

Saw Paul, very amusing.

Just watched "The Next Three Days".

First 45-60 minutes: Please shoot me.
Last hour: Pretty good.

6.5 outta ten

Paul was great.

SKYFALL!

Too much M not enough naked Daniel Craig.

Twil and I just got back from watching Derby Baby. It was great. Several skaters from the Rat City Roller Girls were at the theater, enjoying the film. It's so cool to see them off the track.

"Derby Baby" is a love story about a sport and a movement. Narrated by Juliette Lewis, "Derby Baby" was filmed over a two-year period that just might be the most turbulent time in history for the international sport of women’s flat-track roller derby. The film captures the love and addiction that connect women from very different walks of life as they organize into leagues and grow the sport from its WWF-like legacy into something that is athletic, fiercely competitive, and for some skaters, life-saving.

I'll be buying the dvd in a couple minutes. I give it five stars.

infinite monkey;835193 wrote:

What was great was when the jolt moments happened, we'd all gasp, then we'd all giggle at the collective gasp.

I think this is one thing that a home theater can never replicate. Seeing a movie with a crowd is so different because of the temporary community it creates.

Saturday I went to go see the last Twilight movie with my best friend -- we've seen all of them in the theater, so for tradition's sake I suffered through one last one. We had a great time gossiping with the women on either side of us, and we all clapped and yelled at an unexpected twist. I love those shared moments with other people.

I would highly recommend Spielberg's, Lincoln.

I now know of two people who have seen that movie, and both have highly recommended it.

I would like to see that. I just looked it up on IMDb...what a cast! Jackie Earle Haley...always glad to see him get a good role.

I also want to see Flight but it hasn't come to our theater yet.

Maybe if my back is better I'll hit a movie over the long weekend.

Make it three. Very good.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was fun. I wouldn't highly recommend it, but as long as you go in with standard vampire-hunter movie expectations, you will probably enjoy it.

I just saw Gone Girl. Excellent. I almost wish I hadn't read the book first. The reactions from the older folks in the theater were fun!

OMG I kept wondering who the lady was playing Detective Boney. She played Matt Saracen's mom on Friday Night Lights, which I am currently rewatching. I'm on season 4 and season 5 is on its way.

Next up: Chef.

John Favreau (director, writer, and starring), John Leguizamo, Sophia Vergara...and...

Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson, Bobby Cannavale, Oliver Platt, and Robert Downey Jr.

I saved the kid actor for last. He was really great. Name: Emjay Anthony.

You're gonna eat that one up. We loved it when we saw it in the theater. Splendid movie. :)

LOVED it! Great movie, and it's so refreshing that someone else saw it too. I got it 'on demand' on my TV. Thanks BigV! :)

Liked Chef as well.

Was unsure about gone girl, but I'll give it a try.

I found another one! Housebound. It's a comedy/mystery/suspense out of New Zealand.

Like how Scream was scary but funny, but maybe even better. Highly recommended, if you're into that sort of thing.

Even some of the best horror-comedy movies tend to favor one genre over the other, but Housebound strikes a great balance between laughs and scares -- largely because it doesn't beat you over the head with the humor.

quote by By Mark H. Harris

Housebound was great!

I'm so glad you liked it! I watched it twice and now I want to buy it just to have it.

Did you love the chick, or what? I LOVED her! And her wacky mom!

Absolutely

I cackled during the scene where she's peeing, and hears a noise.

The Maze Runner - Some major plot holes if you bother to look. I give it two Mehs up.

Guardians of the galaxy. Most hilarious, many of good lines worth repeating. Two out of three feet.

Ghost World - For the second time. Still very funny and eerily foreshadowing Thora and Scarlett's career trajectories. Two feet, six inches up

Movies I've watched recently:

Traffic
Heavy movie. Learned today while creating this post that it won four Oscars. Three stars.

Nil by Mouth
Anothery heavy movie. Come to think about it, this whole list is filled with heavy movies.

Lilya 4-Ever
Sex trafficking in Estonia. So bleak, I shudder to think what life was like for the people living there. Major downer. Do not drink and watch.

Requiem for a Dream
Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans, all give powerful performances portraying the seductively corrosive effects of addiction. Excellent film.

Gone Baby Gone
It has been awhile since I've seen this one and I am foggy on the details. I'll take that as a sign I'm healing. It's another dark, tragic film.

I've seen (actually, I own a copy of) Traffic, Requiem, and Gone Baby Gone. I love them all.

Traffic: I can always hear, in my head, Catherine Zeta-Jones yelling "shoot him in the head! Shoot him in the head!"

Requiem: I recently watched this but I'm still a bit fuzzy on it, may watch it again this weekend.

Gone Baby Gone: I love Casey Affleck (and have never been a big fan of brother Ben, though I know he directed this movie and IS talented...as an actor he never wowed me. I think it was that whole Bennifer thing that turned me off...Anyway...) and Amy Ryan is one of my favorite underrated actresses. She was stellar in this movie. It's a fave.

Speaking of Amy Ryan and movies. There's a new movie out called Birdman, starring Michael Keaton. It's getting rave reviews and I really want to see it. Some of my favorite actors are in this one too: Edward Norton, Amy Ryan, Naomi Watts, Merritt Wever (hilarious in the Nurse Jackie TV series.)

But I can't find where it's coming anywhere near me, like, ever.

It sounds a lot like that movie, Manbird

[YOUTUBE]qfU_p5NgrqE[/YOUTUBE]

:lol2:

Watched "The One I Love" today, because it starred Mark Duplass from The League. Netflix recommended it for me, and I was very doubtful based on the description, but like I said... Mark Duplass.

Can't give more details without spoiling it, but suffice it to say there is definitely more to this film than the boring romantic dramedy it initially appears to be. The plot is not what you think. Very well done.

My friend and I watched this the other nite online.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278388/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Don't Tell any body.

Clod, I saw that too. Pretty interesting.

fargon, did you like it? That's on my to-watch list.

The Grand Budapest Hotel was very entertaining, I highly recommend it. But then I like movies with a fantastical flair to them. Some like this: Big Fish, Moonrise Kingdom, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, What Dreams May Come, etc. These are examples of movies I loved across a range of styles. Though I've noticed having listed them, that they are all love stories, wearing fantasy costumes and effects. Huh. Learned something about myself today.

Grouchy Tiger, Livid Dragon was great.

I've been on a bit of a tear lately,

Wild
Fury
Get on Up

The Machinist (skinny Christian Bale)--eerie, confusing, good
Out of the Furnace (normal Christian Bale)--not bad. Casey Affleck!
Sophie's Choice (re-watch)--goes without saying
What Maisie Knew--eh, OK I guess
Zodiac--good

Amanda and I watched Hugo last week. I didn't realize at the time that the kid is Ender. Then I caught the end of enders game on weds. Cool Kid. Great movies.

So tonight, Forrest Gump and Gladiator are on at the same time. Both are movies I am compelled to watch whenever I encounter them. Which to watch?

Wow Jim, that is a tough call. Do you own a DVR?????

Forrest won. The scene where he finds out he is a father is, perhaps, Tom Hanks' best performance of his many many excellent efforts. I tear up every fucking time.

Now that I gave "The One I Love" five stars, I am having quirky but touching independent films shoved at me left and right.

Today I watched "Robot & Frank." Fantastic.

Frank was amazing, I really loved everyone's performance in that.
Haven't seen Robot yet.

infinite monkey;919391 wrote:

fargon, did you like it? That's on my to-watch list.

I loved it, F Murrey Abraham was excellent.

Clodfobble;919485 wrote:

Now that I gave "The One I Love" five stars, I am having quirky but touching independent films shoved at me left and right.

Today I watched "Robot & Frank." Fantastic.

Robot & Frank was such a pleasant surprise. I loved it.

lumberjim;919477 wrote:

So tonight, Forrest Gump and Gladiator are on at the same time. Both are movies I am compelled to watch whenever I encounter them. Which to watch?

I can't believe someone would ever want to re-watch a movie starring Victor Mature.

47 Ronin - did not enjoy
Grand Budapest - loved

Robot & Frank. I thought they were two different movies.

Frank

Lamplighter;919518 wrote:

I can't believe someone would ever want to re-watch a movie starring Victor Mature.

is that old guy humor or something? I'm not getting it

lumberjim;919531 wrote:

is that old guy humor or something? I'm not getting it

Not anything to crow about...

Must have been what Leslie Neilson was referring to in Airplane!

Broken

Starring Tim Roth and an awesome young lady Eloise Lawrence.

I thought it was the wow. Just really beautiful, yet dramatic. Hard to explain, as so many good films are.

OK so I put on this Robot and Frank and I'm bored shitless. :/

does it get better? Or am I just too jaded to enjoy such things? I cannot for the life of me figure our what has all y'all so enraptured

lumberjim;919572 wrote:

Must have been what Leslie Neilson was referring to in Airplane!

Do you mean Peter Graves asking the boy if her liked gladiator movies.

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monster wrote:

does it get better? Or am I just too jaded to enjoy such things? I cannot for the life of me figure our what has all y'all so enraptured

Did you finish it? For me it was all about the characterization of Frank. My dad is going to be Frank, to a T. And I am the son and my brother is the hippie daughter, minus the ambition to actually get himself out to a foreign country and do something about his dirty hippie feelings. I guess it really wasn't the plot at all, just seeing characters that I could so readily identify with.

xoxoxoBruce;919667 wrote:

Do you mean Peter Graves asking the boy if her liked gladiator movies.

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Yes. Yes I did.

Clodfobble;919691 wrote:

Did you finish it? For me it was all about the characterization of Frank. My dad is going to be Frank, to a T. And I am the son and my brother is the hippie daughter, minus the ambition to actually get himself out to a foreign country and do something about his dirty hippie feelings. I guess it really wasn't the plot at all, just seeing characters that I could so readily identify with.

No. I tried, but I couldn't concentrate on it, my attention wandered and then I realized I had stopped listening/watching ....and I had no desire to go back and see if I'd missed anything.. Oh well.

Just watched In Bruges.

lol and omg! All at the same time. It's like the Coen Brothers only it's not.

I'm loving netflix, my free trial is over in two days. How did I miss this film for all these years? I don't know, but it was recommended to me based on my netflix history, all of one month...and they nailed it. I didn't know if it was going to be a comedy or a drama. Well gee, both. My favorite kind of movie.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_bruges/

Fucking Bruges

m.youtube.com/watch?v=jDyEbUUpiLc

:thumb:

infinite monkey;919744 wrote:

Just watched In Bruges.

lol and omg! All at the same time. It's like the Coen Brothers only it's not.

I'm loving netflix, my free trial is over in two days. How did I miss this film for all these years? I don't know, but it was recommended to me based on my netflix history, all of one month...and they nailed it. I didn't know if it was going to be a comedy or a drama. Well gee, both. My favorite kind of movie.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_bruges/

I became aware of that film because of the clip floating round the internet of Matt Smith - his scene was cut in the end because it was considered too violent (I think). Which is a shame because it was a wonderful performance. I believe it was a flashback sequence. Havent actually seen the film yet. It's on my list of films I really should watch one day :P

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infinite monkey;919744 wrote:

Just watched In Bruges.

I enjoyed, too

Watched Pompeii, because GOT's Jon Snow was in it. I disliked it intensely.

@ Dana: yes, do watch it. In my opinion, it just kept getting better and better as it went on. A lot of giggles and some wtf moments.

Whoa, just saw the video you posted. At first I was like 'yeah' because of the backstory coming out in the film in other ways (the deleted scene was definitely a flashback), then I was like WTF?

Oh now you have to see that movie because I have some questions about that scene and the backstory!

Dana,
I've finally started Dr. Who. I saw all of the first season and I'm nearly through season two. It was hard to make the transition to Tennant, but he has much more range than Eccleston, whose stupid grin seemed to be the entire gamut of his expressions.

Are your my mommy? was so creepy.

So cheers for insisting I watch it.

footfootfoot;919798 wrote:

Dana,
I've finally started Dr. Who. I saw all of the first season and I'm nearly through season two. It was hard to make the transition to Tennant, but he has much more range than Eccleston, whose stupid grin seemed to be the entire gamut of his expressions.

Are your my mommy? was so creepy.

So cheers for insisting I watch it.

Footsie, dear, the first season starred William Hartnell and was originally shown in 1963 in black and white. Jus' sayin' :right:


Sent by thought transference

I know, they are calling the 2005 revival 'series one' for some reason. Dana gave me a pass on catching up from the very beginning. ;)

When I was in the nuthouse, a few things kept me going.
A major one was the itsy bitsy DVD player my Mum bought me, which I defiantly didn't have PAT tested (after they took over a week to PAT test my radio) and CEX, which is a place to buy and sell DVDs, CDs, games etc. You can pick up films for like 50p, so you don't have to be too choosy.

I watched LOADS. I found my phone headphones, which I've never used, fit the socket, so I could shut out the screms and shouting and weeping IRL with the same on DVD.
The machine just EATS up battery time, so it's perfect if you're not paying for the electricity ;)

Last films I watched were:
Grave Encounters. A film crew go into a shut down mental hospital looking for ghostly footage. Things do not go as they (or I) expected. I watched on a pretty lively night on the ward, so was probably far more creeped out than was caused by the film. I had my light off and the privacy shade drawn on the observation window so I was isolated fro what was happening. Like being a kid reading by flashlight.

Off the back of that, the person serving me recommended The Dyatlov Pass Incident. They didn't have it in at the time, but when it turned up I bought it. It was... Odd. I can see the correlation between the films. Mildly creepy, then building to an improbable climax too slowly, interspersed with some really jarring shocks. I watched that one in daylight.

I just watched SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT (1977) on VHS :)

rented Passengers from Redbox last night. Worth it.

Watched that recently. Decent.

We were all feelin down and kinda crushed by circumstance last night, so we retreated to some awful, awful favorites. Like Ghost Rider (don't judge me, I like the effects, especially the dual riders headed for San Venganza scene, and I'm old enough to think Sam Elliott is hot). And The Avengers. Side note, I can't WAIT for my birthday because Thor 3: Ragnarok will be on the big screen and it looks so frisky from the teaser!

Also, SQUEE they paid Jimmy Page whatever ridiculous amount he demanded to use one of my fave Zep tunes in the teaser!!! :D I WILL be singing along if they preview it at Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (which is going to be the next theater movie we see) on account of I've known the lyrics to that song for most of my life...

I've been recommending a couple of Werner Herzog documentaries a lot lately, too.

Inferno is about volcanoes, with a really awesome side trip in Ethiopia to hunt hominid fossils.

Happy People is about sable trappers in the heart of the Russian taiga, the vast forest that covers much of central and eastern Russia. Way more interesting than it sounds!

Both are available on streaming as far as I know. It hasn't been terribly long since I checked, so hopefully they're still there.

Dunkirk is a very well done and extremely manipulative movie. I feel a little violated.

Get Out was pretty good. Most profitable movie, compared to it's budget, released this year.

Gravdigr;993897 wrote:

Get Out was pretty good. Most profitable movie, compared to it's budget, released this year.

I enjoyed it immensely. I was successful at avoiding all the trailers, had only heard one interview before seeing it, well, that and numerous "omg, this movie is great" remarks.

I was not disappointed.

Saw "Parasite" last night. It's a foreign film that won't be in theaters much longer, so go see it while you can. Crazy good--and it's best if you go in knowing nothing about the plot.

Yay! Somebody else saw it.

Seriously peeps. Go see it. Best movie I have seen in a few years.

John Wayne flick The Searchers.

Not a recent movie, but I recently watched it.

I saw Blinded by the Light last night. 1980's English Pakistani culture lit up by Springsteen, good stuff.

Hmmm, I'm not really interested in the superhero genre of movies and I didn't see the previous WW one. I wonder if the '80's setting (which is back when I was running around the world) will bring enough nostalgia to make a difference; or, if it'll get lost in the special effects.

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