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I never thought Finding Nemo was that great- it looked great, but the story was so conventional. Labyrinth is similar, but I really liked it, and only first saw it last year. It was goofy, but tons of fun. I most liked it because it relied on practical effects, which you don't see much of these days. If it were made today, you know everything would be done with CGI, but if at all possible I prefer real effects. Anyway, now that summer's here and I'm... well, unemployed... I've got a good bit of free time and am working my way through a lot of movies and TV shows. I have no recommendation for the person above me, as I've never seen any of those, but I might as well throw my hat into the ring. There are tons of movies where people say "you've never seen that?" but I'll try to limit it to ten. 1. The Godfather - Any of them. I like including this one because I like explaining why I've never seen it. We actually watched the first one in my drama class in high school, but I was so tired I fell asleep and missed almost the entire movie. The sad thing is that the reason I was so tired was because the night before I went to a midnight showing of The Phantom Menace. Yeah, I don't think that was a good tradeoff. While we're on the subject of crime movies: 2. Goodfellas - Just never came up. I know Joe Pesci yells about not being funny for a while, and I remember the Animaniacs parodies, but that's really all I know. But I liked Gangs of New York and Raging Bull, so I have confidence in Scorsese. Speaking of De Niro: 3. Taxi Driver - Most of these I don't have a good reason for. This is another one of those movies everyone can quote, so I think I should see it, but it's just never come up. 4. Blade Runner - Now this is really shameful. I'm a big sci-fi fan, and I like Harrison Ford, so it's bad already. But what really makes it inexcusable is that I bought it a couple years ago, and it's still sitting on the shelf in shrink wrap. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 6. Anything by Kurosawa - Seems to me like you have to go out of your way to see foreign films. I don't know anyone who owns these, and no one's ever personally suggested one to me. I like Japanese culture and history (I once wrote a whole story set in 16th century Japan), so I feel I should see some of these, and not just more anime. Rashomon sounds interesting, but I'll take the recommendation of the thread. 7. Pulp Fiction - For that matter, anything by Tarantino except for Inglourious Basterds. Pulp Fiction, however, is that only one I've gotten the "you've never seen?" treatment over. I know Jackson quotes the Bible and Walken shoves a watch up his rear end, and there's a suitcase full of macguffins that they're fighting over, but I'm most interested in this because of the clever dialogue that Tarantino writes. Both this and Reservoir Dogs are on my instant queue, so just say the word. 8. Chinatown - I didn't realize this was a must-see, but so many people upthread have included it that I figure I must be missing something. I really like Rosemary's Baby, and I'm willing to overlook the fact that the director is a rapist and judge the film on its own merits (of course, by the same token, his personal behavior should be judged on its own merits and not because of what films he's made, but that's a whole other conversation). 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 10. Casablanca - Well, at least I’ve seen Citizen Kane, but AFI’s number 2 has escaped my notice. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this one right away- I was sitting here for a couple minutes trying to think of a number 10 to round out the list. Okay, tell me what I’m watching!
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Jun 27, 2011 08:40
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TrixRabbi posted:I'm glad you've come into this thread full force, but you have to pick a movie for Peaceful Anarchy. It doesn't matter if you haven't seen any of them, just pick the one with the coolest name or whatever other reasoning you come up with. Maybe write them all down and throw darts, that could be fun! All right, go with Etre et Avoir. I'm a teacher, so I'm interested in movies about education, therefore I choose to expose you to it as well. At first I was confused that a French documentary starred a rather tedious Mexican-American comedian, but then I saw the star was Georges Lopez- that one "s" makes all the difference. (My second choice would have been Last Command, just because it shares a name with one of the best Star Wars EU books, but fortunately I found a more substantive reason.)
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Jun 27, 2011 16:43
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Go see Ran, because why not? Completism. The Godfather: Well, it was better than The Phantom Menace, so that makes it at least- what, 1.5? The Godfather was certainly good. It was nice seeing where all the now-cliché ideas, like the horse’s head in the bed, came from. The acting was incredibly good all the way through, and the music helped the understated mood. I was surprised how quickly Michael got involved in the business. I knew it was a story of him being inadvertently drawn in, but he was quick to suggest killing his father’s attackers. However, it was clear he expected it to be a one-time event and ran to Sicily to stay out of it. The Sicilian scenes dragged a bit, but they were effective in showing that Michael couldn’t escape his past. And, of course, there’s the irony that Michael wanted to stay out of the Mafia and ended up even more vicious than his father. My one complaint was that there were so many characters that I couldn’t really keep track of all of them. I saw Robert Duvall a number of times, but I have no idea who he was playing. I get that they were telling an epic story, but all those Italians started to blend together pretty quickly. However, the acting was so strong that, even when I didn’t understand what was going on, I still felt emotionally involved. Similarly, once Michael got back from Sicily, the time seemed to fly by. In one scene, Michael’s proposing, and then suddenly he has a three year old son? Okay. 3.5/4 2. Goodfellas - Just never came up. I know Joe Pesci yells about not being funny for a while, and I remember the Animaniacs parodies, but that's really all I know. But I liked Gangs of New York and Raging Bull, so I have confidence in Scorsese. Speaking of De Niro: 3. Taxi Driver - Most of these I don't have a good reason for. This is another one of those movies everyone can quote, so I think I should see it, but it's just never come up. 4. Blade Runner - Now this is really shameful. I'm a big sci-fi fan, and I like Harrison Ford, so it's bad already. But what really makes it inexcusable is that I bought it a couple years ago, and it's still sitting on the shelf in shrink wrap. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 6. Anything by Kurosawa - Seems to me like you have to go out of your way to see foreign films. I don't know anyone who owns these, and no one's ever personally suggested one to me. I like Japanese culture and history (I once wrote a whole story set in 16th century Japan), so I feel I should see some of these, and not just more anime. Rashomon sounds interesting, but I'll take the recommendation of the thread. 7. Pulp Fiction - For that matter, anything by Tarantino except for Inglourious Basterds. Pulp Fiction, however, is that only one I've gotten the "you've never seen?" treatment over. I know Jackson quotes the Bible and Walken shoves a watch up his rear end, and there's a suitcase full of macguffins that they're fighting over, but I'm most interested in this because of the clever dialogue that Tarantino writes. Both this and Reservoir Dogs are on my instant queue, so just say the word. 8. Chinatown - I didn't realize this was a must-see, but so many people upthread have included it that I figure I must be missing something. I really like Rosemary's Baby, and I'm willing to overlook the fact that the director is a rapist and judge the film on its own merits (of course, by the same token, his personal behavior should be judged on its own merits and not because of what films he's made, but that's a whole other conversation). 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 10. Casablanca - Well, at least I’ve seen Citizen Kane, but AFI’s number 2 has escaped my notice. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this one right away- I was sitting here for a couple minutes trying to think of a number 10 to round out the list. 11. Godfather Part II- I borrowed the box set from a friend, and everyone says Part II is as good as if not better than Part I, so I'll probably watch it next any way. I doubt anyone will demand I watch Part III. Is that okay? Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4 Jurgan fucked around with this message at 05:12 on Jul 1, 2011 |
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Jul 1, 2011 02:57
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Well, Mr. Black, you get to watch Sin City. Finally, I can recommend something I've seen! It's an excellent movie- I know Frank Miller can get silly, but it worked perfectly here. That Yellow Bastard is probably the best because Bruce Willis. Hope you enjoy. The Godfather Part II: I think I liked this one better. It was a more focused story, and so I didn’t have the problem with too many subplots like in the first one. The only real subplot was the excellent flashback story, and the flashbacks were clearly distinguished from the present day, while having obvious parallels. I did miss Brando, but Pacino really came into his own here. I think this might have been the beginning of the Pacino personality- the voice and the intensity that have become his trademark. Sadly, that persona has largely descended to self-parody (see: The Recruit), but it was very effective here. He embodied the tragedy of the story well. Vito, for all his flaws, seemed a genuinely loving family man, but by the end of part two, Michael had completely cut off all human connections and become a true tragic hero. One headscratcher was that, according to the dates given in part two, Vito was only in his mid-fifties during part one, but he seemed a lot older to me. Rating: 4/4 I don't think I have any interest in Part III. Everyone says it's not nearly as good, but the real kicker for me is that there's a sixteen year gap between the making of II and III. Aside from Toy Story 3, has there ever been a sequel made more than ten years later that was good? So, back to the list. 2. Goodfellas - Just never came up. I know Joe Pesci yells about not being funny for a while, and I remember the Animaniacs parodies, but that's really all I know. But I liked Gangs of New York and Raging Bull, so I have confidence in Scorsese. Speaking of De Niro: 3. Taxi Driver - Most of these I don't have a good reason for. This is another one of those movies everyone can quote, so I think I should see it, but it's just never come up. 4. Blade Runner - Now this is really shameful. I'm a big sci-fi fan, and I like Harrison Ford, so it's bad already. But what really makes it inexcusable is that I bought it a couple years ago, and it's still sitting on the shelf in shrink wrap. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 6. Anything by Kurosawa - Seems to me like you have to go out of your way to see foreign films. I don't know anyone who owns these, and no one's ever personally suggested one to me. I like Japanese culture and history (I once wrote a whole story set in 16th century Japan), so I feel I should see some of these, and not just more anime. Rashomon sounds interesting, but I'll take the recommendation of the thread. 7. Pulp Fiction - For that matter, anything by Tarantino except for Inglourious Basterds. Pulp Fiction, however, is that only one I've gotten the "you've never seen?" treatment over. I know Jackson quotes the Bible and Walken shoves a watch up his rear end, and there's a suitcase full of macguffins that they're fighting over, but I'm most interested in this because of the clever dialogue that Tarantino writes. Both this and Reservoir Dogs are on my instant queue, so just say the word. 8. Chinatown - I didn't realize this was a must-see, but so many people upthread have included it that I figure I must be missing something. I really like Rosemary's Baby, and I'm willing to overlook the fact that the director is a rapist and judge the film on its own merits (of course, by the same token, his personal behavior should be judged on its own merits and not because of what films he's made, but that's a whole other conversation). 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 10. Casablanca - Well, at least I’ve seen Citizen Kane, but AFI’s number 2 has escaped my notice. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this one right away- I was sitting here for a couple minutes trying to think of a number 10 to round out the list. 12. Superman - Not that shameful, but I've seen most of the major superhero movies, and this one's supposed to be the gold standard. I'd probably enjoy it except for Superman reversing time.  Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4 Jurgan fucked around with this message at 00:28 on Jul 2, 2011 |
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Jul 2, 2011 00:22
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Grave of the Fireflies is amazing, my crocodilian comrade. You need to see it post haste. Keep a box of tissues handy, though. A Face in the Crowd, while I haven’t seen it, always seemed kind of simplistic to me. Certainly media demagogues are relevant today, but the idea that one would hold his viewers in so much contempt… I don’t know. I mean, someone like Glenn Beck may not respect his audience much, but it’s hard to imagine him so blatantly dismissing them as idiotic rubes. I don’t know, maybe I’m naïve, or maybe the movie is more complex than I’m imagining. Taxi Driver was excellent. Scorsese is 3/3 with me so far (Raging Bull and Gangs of New York are the others), so he's on my watch list now. It reminded me most of Fight Club- the story of a man's mental breakdown against the backdrop of society's breakdown (plus they both had Rorshach-style voiceover narration about how they hated the world and insomnia). So it managed to work both as an intense character piece and as a thumbnail sketch of New York in the seventies. DeNiro being so young made it easier to forget it was him and focus on the character, which in turn shows how good an actor he is. I was surprised how little Jodie Foster was in it- her role is pretty well-known, but I don't think she was onscreen more than ten minutes. I get that Travis was desperately trying to make some sort of human connection with Iris, and that's why he killed her pimps, but I'm less clear as to why he tried to shoot a presidential candidate. However, the whole thing was about Travis's mind snapping, so I imagine his motives would be clearer on repeat viewings. I'm not holding that against the movie, as a good movie should have deeper layers you can uncover on multiple viewings. The ending was very abrupt- Travis shoots some people, then we limp through a few minutes of epilogue and it’s over. Betsy showing up at the end, though, was the perfect bookend, as it showed Travis could relate to her as a normal human rather than an obsessive stalker. Rating: 4/4 2. Goodfellas - Just never came up. I know Joe Pesci yells about not being funny for a while, and I remember the Animaniacs parodies, but that's really all I know. But I liked Gangs of New York and Raging Bull [edit: and now Taxi Driver], so I have confidence in Scorsese. 4. Blade Runner - Now this is really shameful. I'm a big sci-fi fan, and I like Harrison Ford, so it's bad already. But what really makes it inexcusable is that I bought it a couple years ago, and it's still sitting on the shelf in shrink wrap. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 6. Anything by Kurosawa - Seems to me like you have to go out of your way to see foreign films. I don't know anyone who owns these, and no one's ever personally suggested one to me. I like Japanese culture and history (I once wrote a whole story set in 16th century Japan), so I feel I should see some of these, and not just more anime. Rashomon sounds interesting, but I'll take the recommendation of the thread. 7. Pulp Fiction - For that matter, anything by Tarantino except for Inglourious Basterds. Pulp Fiction, however, is that only one I've gotten the "you've never seen?" treatment over. I know Jackson quotes the Bible and Walken shoves a watch up his rear end, and there's a suitcase full of macguffins that they're fighting over, but I'm most interested in this because of the clever dialogue that Tarantino writes. Both this and Reservoir Dogs are on my instant queue, so just say the word. 8. Chinatown - I didn't realize this was a must-see, but so many people upthread have included it that I figure I must be missing something. I really like Rosemary's Baby, and I'm willing to overlook the fact that the director is a rapist and judge the film on its own merits (of course, by the same token, his personal behavior should be judged on its own merits and not because of what films he's made, but that's a whole other conversation). 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 10. Casablanca - Well, at least I’ve seen Citizen Kane, but AFI’s number 2 has escaped my notice. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this one right away- I was sitting here for a couple minutes trying to think of a number 10 to round out the list. 12. Superman - Not that shameful, but I've seen most of the major superhero movies, and this one's supposed to be the gold standard. I'd probably enjoy it except for Superman reversing time. 13. Duck Soup- Let’s lighten this list up with some comedy. I’ve never seen any Marx Brothers, but I did give this one a try. I have to say, though, that I gave up after about twenty minutes. It just wasn’t doing it for me. Something about the way Groucho was insulting people for no reason at all. It’s funny to watch a smart comedian take down someone who deserves it, less so when he’s doing it just to be a dick. Still, maybe I was too hasty. The political commentary that apparently shows up later sounds like my kind of humor. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4
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Jul 3, 2011 02:40
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P.S. I may be absent for a few days, as I now have an inexplicable urge to shoot the president. Oh, hi FBI surveillance monitors!
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Jul 3, 2011 03:17
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I haven't seen any of your movies, but my wife suggests Bringing up Baby, so go with that. Casablanca certainly deserves its reputation. The only problem I had was that it's so well-known that, at times, it seemed like I'd already seen it. There are times when I watch a specific video clip repeatedly and it starts to seem artificial, and this gave me the same feel, but I can't really hold it against it. While the movie is heavily parodied, the key lines seemed much more human when I heard Bogart's actual delivery. I liked the fact that some of the revelations weren't spelled out, but left for the audience to deduce, such as the young girl who, it is implied, slept with a government official to get her and her husband out of the country. The romance between Rick and Elsa didn't affect me that much, probably because I already knew basically how it would turn out. The one scene that really got to me was one that I've never seen referenced: The scene where the Germans are singing loudly in the bar, and then Lazlo gets everyone else to start singing along to the Marseillaise. That was downright beautiful, and I'm amazed I've never heard of it. Rating: 4/4 2. Goodfellas - Just never came up. I know Joe Pesci yells about not being funny for a while, and I remember the Animaniacs parodies, but that's really all I know. But I liked Gangs of New York and Raging Bull [edit: and now Taxi Driver], so I have confidence in Scorsese. 4. Blade Runner - Now this is really shameful. I'm a big sci-fi fan, and I like Harrison Ford, so it's bad already. But what really makes it inexcusable is that I bought it a couple years ago, and it's still sitting on the shelf in shrink wrap. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 6. Anything by Kurosawa - Seems to me like you have to go out of your way to see foreign films. I don't know anyone who owns these, and no one's ever personally suggested one to me. I like Japanese culture and history (I once wrote a whole story set in 16th century Japan), so I feel I should see some of these, and not just more anime. Rashomon sounds interesting, but I'll take the recommendation of the thread. 7. Pulp Fiction - For that matter, anything by Tarantino except for Inglourious Basterds. Pulp Fiction, however, is that only one I've gotten the "you've never seen?" treatment over. I know Jackson quotes the Bible and Walken shoves a watch up his rear end, and there's a suitcase full of macguffins that they're fighting over, but I'm most interested in this because of the clever dialogue that Tarantino writes. Both this and Reservoir Dogs are on my instant queue, so just say the word. 8. Chinatown - I didn't realize this was a must-see, but so many people upthread have included it that I figure I must be missing something. I really like Rosemary's Baby, and I'm willing to overlook the fact that the director is a rapist and judge the film on its own merits (of course, by the same token, his personal behavior should be judged on its own merits and not because of what films he's made, but that's a whole other conversation). 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 12. Superman - Not that shameful, but I've seen most of the major superhero movies, and this one's supposed to be the gold standard. I'd probably enjoy it except for Superman reversing time. 13. Duck Soup- Let’s lighten this list up with some comedy. I’ve never seen any Marx Brothers, but I did give this one a try. I have to say, though, that I gave up after about twenty minutes. It just wasn’t doing it for me. Something about the way Groucho was insulting people for no reason at all. It’s funny to watch a smart comedian take down someone who deserves it, less so when he’s doing it just to be a dick. Still, maybe I was too hasty. The political commentary that apparently shows up later sounds like my kind of humor. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4
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Jul 11, 2011 03:45
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I wouldn't call The Incredibles a libertarian movie. Some people see themes of "Objectivism" in the idea of supermen being held down by jealous average people. The problem with that, though, is that when they finally retake their roles as superheroes, they only use their powers to help others, while a true Randian "hero" would say "screw them, they can deal with their own problems." Well, watch it for yourself and tell me what you think. Well, I was bound to be disappointed sooner or later. I gave it a chance, but Duck Soup just bored me. The paper-thin story was obviously just there to hang disconnected scenes on, but then the same could be said of most Monty Python movies, and I like those. I'll admit that Groucho had some pretty good one-liners, and I liked most of the musical numbers, but very little kept my attention. The physical comedy with Chico and Harpo was mostly just tedious- they kept taunting the lemonade vendor to the point where they should have been arrested, and I just found myself hoping to get to the next scene. Similarly, the mirror scene is supposedly famous, but it just seemed stupid to me- I found myself screaming "just touch it!" I get the idea of starting with a reasonable premise and exaggerating it to ridiculous levels, but I couldn't figure out whether these characters were supposed to be stupid or just random. And why was Teasdale so in love with Firefly when he was constantly insulting her? And why was Chico still working for Firefly after he was arrested as a spy? And why did they trust this guy to run the country when he showed no signs of competence whatsoever? It would have made more sense if Firefly was a hereditary ruler, or if there was some better explanation of how he came to power, especially if they were going for satire, so it would better related to the real world. I know I'm not supposed to be asking questions about plot logic in a madcap comedy, but that's the point- since the individual scenes aren't engaging, I find all these nagging questions popping up in my head. Monty Python or Mel Brooks can make movies just as illogical, but they're funny enough that I'm distracted from asking questions. And I didn't see any deep anti-war message. Maybe that's a case of simply being dated, but if the entire message is "people who run countries can be pretty stupid," then I say tell me something I don't know. I did laugh pretty hard at the end, where they call for help and swimmers, elephants, and dolphins all start showing up, but overall the movie just didn't do it for me. Rating: 2/4 2. Goodfellas - Just never came up. I know Joe Pesci yells about not being funny for a while, and I remember the Animaniacs parodies, but that's really all I know. But I liked Gangs of New York and Raging Bull [edit: and now Taxi Driver], so I have confidence in Scorsese. 4. Blade Runner - Now this is really shameful. I'm a big sci-fi fan, and I like Harrison Ford, so it's bad already. But what really makes it inexcusable is that I bought it a couple years ago, and it's still sitting on the shelf in shrink wrap. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 6. Rashomon - Anything by Kurosawa, for that matter. Seems to me like you have to go out of your way to see foreign films. I don't know anyone who owns these, and no one's ever personally suggested one to me. I like Japanese culture and history (I once wrote a whole story set in 16th century Japan), so I feel I should see some of these, and not just more anime. 7. Pulp Fiction - For that matter, anything by Tarantino except for Inglourious Basterds. Pulp Fiction, however, is that only one I've gotten the "you've never seen?" treatment over. I know Jackson quotes the Bible and Walken shoves a watch up his rear end, and there's a suitcase full of macguffins that they're fighting over, but I'm most interested in this because of the clever dialogue that Tarantino writes. Both this and Reservoir Dogs are on my instant queue, so just say the word. 8. Chinatown - I didn't realize this was a must-see, but so many people upthread have included it that I figure I must be missing something. I really like Rosemary's Baby, and I'm willing to overlook the fact that the director is a rapist and judge the film on its own merits (of course, by the same token, his personal behavior should be judged on its own merits and not because of what films he's made, but that's a whole other conversation). 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 12. Superman - Not that shameful, but I've seen most of the major superhero movies, and this one's supposed to be the gold standard. I'd probably enjoy it except for Superman reversing time. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 15. Barton Fink- I like the Coens. I've seen Fargo, Lebowski, and No Country, and liked them all, though I'm not crazy for Lebowski like a lot of people are. This one is about writers in Hollywood, I think? It's a black comedy? It sounds like something I'd like. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4 Jurgan fucked around with this message at 05:37 on Jul 17, 2011 |
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Jul 17, 2011 05:32
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Wekkness, you’ve got a lot of good movies on your list. I think The Graduate is overrated, but Rosemary’s Baby and Cuckoo’s Nest are great (though I’ve only seen the latter on stage, not the film). However, I’m gonna have to go with Taxi Driver. I just saw it myself three rounds back, and it’s a masterpiece. Was Pulp Fiction really 2.5 hours long? This sucker flew by. I always like stories that are structured as several smaller, loosely connected stories. Bruce Willis’s story was probably my favorite (I didn’t know he was in this movie, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie I didn’t like him in). And when Samuel L. Jackson and Ving Rhames had a conversation, I thought the movie would explode from black badassness. There were a lot of downright hilarious moments- my favorite might have been when Willis goes through all the trouble to get his watch back, succeeds against all odds, only to accidentally run across Rhames. The other highlight was Jackson’s character arc- I did not expect the movie to end with him turning into the Bishop of Digne. Terrific movie. Rating: 4/4 2. Goodfellas - Just never came up. I know Joe Pesci yells about not being funny for a while, and I remember the Animaniacs parodies, but that's really all I know. But I liked Gangs of New York and Raging Bull [edit: and now Taxi Driver], so I have confidence in Scorsese. 4. Blade Runner - Now this is really shameful. I'm a big sci-fi fan, and I like Harrison Ford, so it's bad already. But what really makes it inexcusable is that I bought it a couple years ago, and it's still sitting on the shelf in shrink wrap. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 6. Rashomon - Anything by Kurosawa, for that matter. Seems to me like you have to go out of your way to see foreign films. I don't know anyone who owns these, and no one's ever personally suggested one to me. I like Japanese culture and history (I once wrote a whole story set in 16th century Japan), so I feel I should see some of these, and not just more anime. 8. Chinatown - I didn't realize this was a must-see, but so many people upthread have included it that I figure I must be missing something. I really like Rosemary's Baby, and I'm willing to overlook the fact that the director is a rapist and judge the film on its own merits (of course, by the same token, his personal behavior should be judged on its own merits and not because of what films he's made, but that's a whole other conversation). 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 12. Superman - Not that shameful, but I've seen most of the major superhero movies, and this one's supposed to be the gold standard. I'd probably enjoy it except for Superman reversing time. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 15. Barton Fink- I like the Coens. I've seen Fargo, Lebowski, and No Country, and liked them all, though I'm not crazy for Lebowski like a lot of people are. This one is about writers in Hollywood, I think? It's a black comedy? It sounds like something I'd like. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4 Jurgan fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Jul 19, 2011 |
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Jul 17, 2011 21:09
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Naked City is naked. I've never heard of any of those movies, but hell, nudity! (Note: I don't really think that's what it's about, I'm mostly doing a callback to Nelson Muntz going to see Naked Lunch: "I can think of at least two things wrong with the title of that movie." Anyway, I have to pick something.) Barton Fink was a ton of fun. I like it mainly for all the great characters (oh, and when I listed Coen movies, I’ve also seen Raising Arizona and Oh, Brother- I sometimes forget who made those). Charlie/Mundt/John Goodman was terrific, though I guessed he killed the girl almost immediately. The studio head, Lipnick or whatever his name was, made me laugh with nearly every line. The alcoholic novelist, on the other hand, was just sad. I like when it was shown that Audrey was responsible for much of his success- in another time, she could have been a success on her own, but it’s unlikely a woman could have made it in that day and age. I liked the irony early on where Barton kept shouting at Charlie about how he understood the common man while ignoring everything Charlie was trying to tell him. What I really liked was the little stories on the edges- for instance, I wonder about Lou, and how he thought about all of this. Maybe he just told his boss the script was terrible to get back at Barton for having to kiss his feet. And did Mundt kill Barton’s family? Maybe, but they don’t say for sure. And was it Audrey’s head in the box? Wouldn’t it rot? Well, we don’t know for sure what was in there. The story was disjointed and went in a lot of different directions, but it was still good. The Coens like their Shaggy Dog stories. Rating: 3.5/4 2. Goodfellas - Just never came up. I know Joe Pesci yells about not being funny for a while, and I remember the Animaniacs parodies, but that's really all I know. But I liked Gangs of New York and Raging Bull [edit: and now Taxi Driver], so I have confidence in Scorsese. 4. Blade Runner - Now this is really shameful. I'm a big sci-fi fan, and I like Harrison Ford, so it's bad already. But what really makes it inexcusable is that I bought it a couple years ago, and it's still sitting on the shelf in shrink wrap. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 6. Rashomon - Anything by Kurosawa, for that matter. Seems to me like you have to go out of your way to see foreign films. I don't know anyone who owns these, and no one's ever personally suggested one to me. I like Japanese culture and history (I once wrote a whole story set in 16th century Japan), so I feel I should see some of these, and not just more anime. 8. Chinatown - I didn't realize this was a must-see, but so many people upthread have included it that I figure I must be missing something. I really like Rosemary's Baby, and I'm willing to overlook the fact that the director is a rapist and judge the film on its own merits (of course, by the same token, his personal behavior should be judged on its own merits and not because of what films he's made, but that's a whole other conversation). 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 12. Superman - Not that shameful, but I've seen most of the major superhero movies, and this one's supposed to be the gold standard. I'd probably enjoy it except for Superman reversing time. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 17. Annie Hall- Never seen any Woody Allen, to the best of my knowledge, but this is supposed to be great. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4 Jurgan fucked around with this message at 15:36 on Jul 25, 2011 |
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Jul 24, 2011 21:55
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Ratedargh posted:Salo, Or the 120 Days of Sodom - At least it's not A Serbian Film. No, I have never seen either of those, nor will I.
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Jul 25, 2011 15:39
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Well...that is...uh...well...I was right to be scared. It's the most vile movie I've ever seen.
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Bester, your list seems to have a lot of overlap with mine. Fargo is the only loving one on there I've loving seen, and it's definitely worth your loving time (sorry, I think Steve loving Buscemi wrote that last loving line). Annie Hall was... well, it's hard to say. I liked it, but it didn't blow me away, and it's hard to explain why. It may be that I didn't relate to it simply because I don't have a lot of bad relationships in my past. There's also maybe a bit of values dissonance in the attitudes to drug use- I wasn't really bothered by her marijuana use (clearly that was important to the character, not intended for shock value), but were people really that casual about cocaine use in the seventies? Maybe I'm taking that part too seriously, but it seemed pretty random. The movie was more a series of vignettes than a full story. I wasn't demanding a tight plot in what was clearly a character study, but it seemed like a lot of the scenes didn't really go anywhere. Take the scene with Walken talking about crashing his car- funny, to be sure, but after it's over it has no real bearing on the rest of the movie. There are a lot of scenes like that, and they're pretty hit or miss with regards to comedy. Some of them are good (the scene where Alvy listens to a pretentious windbag describing an author and then imagines getting the author to tell him he was full of poo poo was hilarious), and some of them are duds. Another example might be the Shelley Duvall character- they meet, have sex, then she's never mentioned again. And I didn't find anything inherently amusing in the character, so it seemed like a waste of time. On the other hand, I was very interested in the main characters. Like I said above about Casablanca, Woody Allen's persona has been so imitated that people who haven't seen the movies still think they know what to expect. Seeing someone like Jon Stewart riff on him makes the character look like a cheap, shallow bit. But, just like in Casablanca, actually seeing it is another story. He comes off as much more human and relatable than the trite parodies I've seen, and I get the feeling that this is a very personal story- I especially like that it didn't wrap up with a happy ending. Overall, I'd say Annie Hall is a good movie, but it doesn't always fire on all cylinders. Rating: 3/4 2. Goodfellas - Just never came up. I know Joe Pesci yells about not being funny for a while, and I remember the Animaniacs parodies, but that's really all I know. But I liked Gangs of New York and Raging Bull [edit: and now Taxi Driver], so I have confidence in Scorsese. 4. Blade Runner - Now this is really shameful. I'm a big sci-fi fan, and I like Harrison Ford, so it's bad already. But what really makes it inexcusable is that I bought it a couple years ago, and it's still sitting on the shelf in shrink wrap. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 6. Rashomon - Anything by Kurosawa, for that matter. Seems to me like you have to go out of your way to see foreign films. I don't know anyone who owns these, and no one's ever personally suggested one to me. I like Japanese culture and history (I once wrote a whole story set in 16th century Japan), so I feel I should see some of these, and not just more anime. 8. Chinatown - I didn't realize this was a must-see, but so many people upthread have included it that I figure I must be missing something. I really like Rosemary's Baby, and I'm willing to overlook the fact that the director is a rapist and judge the film on its own merits (of course, by the same token, his personal behavior should be judged on its own merits and not because of what films he's made, but that's a whole other conversation). 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 12. Superman - Not that shameful, but I've seen most of the major superhero movies, and this one's supposed to be the gold standard. I'd probably enjoy it except for Superman reversing time. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 18. Deer Hunter- I seem to be seeing a lot of Christopher Walken bit parts, so let's see one of his rare starring roles. I started watching this one a while ago, but never got more than a few minutes in- I think I got called away, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I do know it ends with death by Russian Roulette, but I still think I'd enjoy it. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4
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Aug 3, 2011 04:35
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A d10 roll says you're watching The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I've heard good things about it, I think. Finally got around to continuing on my list. Rashomon was certainly interesting. I didn’t know this was a period piece- I know most of Kurosawa’s movies were set in samurai times, but I thought this one was in the present (i.e., 1950). The opening shots of destruction looked very post-WWII, but maybe that was intentional. I love black and white films, and I wish more people used it these days. The photography was beautiful, and I can’t imagine this movie working as well if the forest were fully colored- it would have just distracted. The pacing was so slow, with long shots of people just walking through the woods, but it rarely felt boring. The character of Tajomaru was hilarious, with his crazy laughing and pathetic scampering across the ground during the fights. I gather that was Kurosawa’s go-to actor, like DeNiro with Scorsese or Depp with Burton, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him again (but probably not right away). I also liked the woman, and the many different ways she played the role. As for the story itself, it was engaging, but I’m not sure I understand it. Was the last version of the story meant to be the objective truth, or were they all equally flawed? Or is that meant to be debated? It wasn’t as subtle as I thought it would be- I expected the stories to have small differences that weren’t immediately obvious, not blatantly different. Was everyone just lying, then? Maybe the last version was true because it made everyone else look bad, which is why no one wanted to admit it. The samurai was spiteful towards his wife after her rape, the woman was vicious and hysterical, and the bandit was bumbling and cowardly. Perhaps all the others were lying to improve their standing, but then we’re left wondering what the bystander left out- we already know he stole the woman’s dagger. The ending at least restored hope, but the more I think about this movie, the more layers I see. Probably need a rewatch to appreciate the story, and the fact that I look forward to that is about the highest praise I could give. Rating: 4/4 By the way, I know it’s not on the list, but after Pulp Fiction, I decided to watch Reservoir Dogs. What impressed me about that movie was how much Tarantino did with so little. Most of the movie was just them talking in a warehouse, but it felt like a lot more was going on, because the dialogue was so vivid, and the few scenes outside the warehouse were fast-paced enough that they felt important. I’d give that one 3/4. 2. Goodfellas - Just never came up. I know Joe Pesci yells about not being funny for a while, and I remember the Animaniacs parodies, but that's really all I know. But I liked Gangs of New York and Raging Bull [edit: and now Taxi Driver], so I have confidence in Scorsese. 4. Blade Runner - Now this is really shameful. I'm a big sci-fi fan, and I like Harrison Ford, so it's bad already. But what really makes it inexcusable is that I bought it a couple years ago, and it's still sitting on the shelf in shrink wrap. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 8. Chinatown - I didn't realize this was a must-see, but so many people upthread have included it that I figure I must be missing something. I really like Rosemary's Baby, and I'm willing to overlook the fact that the director is a rapist and judge the film on its own merits (of course, by the same token, his personal behavior should be judged on its own merits and not because of what films he's made, but that's a whole other conversation). 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 12. Superman - Not that shameful, but I've seen most of the major superhero movies, and this one's supposed to be the gold standard. I'd probably enjoy it except for Superman reversing time. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 18. Deer Hunter- I seem to be seeing a lot of Christopher Walken bit parts, so let's see one of his rare starring roles. I started watching this one a while ago, but never got more than a few minutes in- I think I got called away, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I do know it ends with death by Russian Roulette, but I still think I'd enjoy it. 19. The Exorcist- My wife and I tried to watch this once, and both of us were just bored. We got about thirty minutes in, and it seemed like nothing happened. I don't ask for horror to be shocking from the get-go; some of my favorite horror (The Descent, Halloween, Paranormal Activity, many of Stephen King's better works, like Salem's Lot or Pet Sematary) start slow and take a while to build up, and the horror is more effective for it. I would have expected to see some creepy foreshadowing, though, or at least get me interested in the characters, but I don't remember anything remotely interesting happening. Maybe it does get better, but after half an hour, something should have sucked me in. Should I give it another try? Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4
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Aug 21, 2011 03:35
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More movies I've never heard of. Jay Sherman says: I like French films, snotty pretentious French films, I like French films- Les Enfants, s'il vous plait! Well, I've just returned from the far off future of 2019, where we have flying cars and humanoid robots to mine the offworld colonies. It's worse than Back to the Future II. Blade Runner (Director's Cut) was a good movie, but I'm not sure I followed all of it. Admittedly, I was a bit distracted looking for jobs online, so some of that's my fault. The movie was rather slow-paced, and at times it seemed like nothing was happening, and then suddenly the characters were somewhere else and I wasn't sure why they were doing what they were doing. I can understand why Scott was pressured to add a voiceover narration- I think it would make the movie worse, but it would also make it easier to follow, which means more commercial. Ford was subtle in a way I usually don't see from him, while Rutger Hauer brought all his narmy glory. His dying speech was very moving, though, covering the theme of accepting death while not becoming heavy-handed or obvious. A lot of this movie was focused on world-building, and Ridley Scott clearly wanted to show as much as he could of his sets, which contributed to the slow pace. Yes, the temple airport thing looks awesome, can we move on, please? Still, it was great to look at, and shows certain directors *coughGeorgeLucascough* that you can make engaging worlds without CGI. One thing that really confused me- wasn't Deckard supposed to be a replicant himself? I understand that's supposed to be hinted at somewhere, and while it makes sense (maybe he was just activated a few days ago for the purpose of hunting them down), I didn't see what in the movie suggested it. I must have missed something. Blade Runner is sometimes held back by a confusing narrative and slow pace, but it's a clever, well-acted movie in a fascinating fictional world. Rating: 3.5/4 2. Goodfellas - Just never came up. I know Joe Pesci yells about not being funny for a while, and I remember the Animaniacs parodies, but that's really all I know. But I liked Gangs of New York and Raging Bull [edit: and now Taxi Driver], so I have confidence in Scorsese. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 8. Chinatown - I didn't realize this was a must-see, but so many people upthread have included it that I figure I must be missing something. I really like Rosemary's Baby, and I'm willing to overlook the fact that the director is a rapist and judge the film on its own merits (of course, by the same token, his personal behavior should be judged on its own merits and not because of what films he's made, but that's a whole other conversation). 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 12. Superman - Not that shameful, but I've seen most of the major superhero movies, and this one's supposed to be the gold standard. I'd probably enjoy it except for Superman reversing time. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 18. Deer Hunter- I seem to be seeing a lot of Christopher Walken bit parts, so let's see one of his rare starring roles. I started watching this one a while ago, but never got more than a few minutes in- I think I got called away, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I do know it ends with death by Russian Roulette, but I still think I'd enjoy it. 19. The Exorcist- My wife and I tried to watch this once, and both of us were just bored. We got about thirty minutes in, and it seemed like nothing happened. I don't ask for horror to be shocking from the get-go; some of my favorite horror (The Descent, Halloween, Paranormal Activity, many of Stephen King's better works, like Salem's Lot or Pet Sematary) start slow and take a while to build up, and the horror is more effective for it. I would have expected to see some creepy foreshadowing, though, or at least get me interested in the characters, but I don't remember anything remotely interesting happening. Maybe it does get better, but after half an hour, something should have sucked me in. Should I give it another try? 20. The Seventh Seal- Never seen any Bergman- like Kurosawa, it seems I'd have to go out of my way, even though I've heard lots about him. I know this is the one where the guy plays chess with death to save his soul (I once read a parody of this by Woody Allen, where a guy plays Gin Rummy with death to save his soul). That's about all I know, but I hope the chess game opens with 1. e4 c5, so I can point out that you should never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4
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Aug 23, 2011 06:12
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Se7en was pretty good, but Memento was excellent. Go with that. Chinatown started slow, and I wasn't sure I would like it, but it really drew me in. Nicholson is one of those actors who has such a reputation off-camera that you sometimes forget what a good actor he actually is. He embodied the archetypal good-hearted cynic very well, and you really felt for his relationship with Evelyn. The movie was, of course, depressing as all hell. I liked the slow pacing of it, as striking images are revealed gradually (like the final scene, where you see the car stop and the horn blaring, and it takes a minute to realize what that means). The plot was twisting and required your attention, but it was still pretty clear by the end. Like a good mystery, the clues build on one another. And when you learn about Evelyn's relationship with the mysterious girl, it's almost a jaw-dropping surprise. I said immediately that they looked alike, but I didn't realize how close it would be (though, I have to admit, I did get a little creeped out when I realize Polanski had made a movie that involved a grown man raping an adolescent girl, but I was mostly able to put that out of my head). Mr. Cross's final scene, where he confronts Evelyn, was skin-crawlingly creepy, partly because of what we knew, but the actor played it with a lot of menace. I'm not sure I get the significance of Chinatown itself, though. So, what, the idea was that Chinatown at that time was largely independent, and the police left them to manage their own affairs? Chinatown played very little role in the plot, but I think it was intended symbolically. Like: Jake spent years working in Chinatown knowing there was very little he could do to have a positive impact there, so he left the police and went into private practice. However, when he finds this big case, he ultimately sees he's unable to do much good anywhere else, either. The famous line "forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown" is him seeing that the whole world is just as corrupt and he can't fight against the prevailing power. Does that sound right? Rating: 4/4 2. Goodfellas - Just never came up. I know Joe Pesci yells about not being funny for a while, and I remember the Animaniacs parodies, but that's really all I know. But I liked Gangs of New York and Raging Bull [edit: and now Taxi Driver], so I have confidence in Scorsese. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 12. Superman - Not that shameful, but I've seen most of the major superhero movies, and this one's supposed to be the gold standard. I'd probably enjoy it except for Superman reversing time. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 18. Deer Hunter- I seem to be seeing a lot of Christopher Walken bit parts, so let's see one of his rare starring roles. I started watching this one a while ago, but never got more than a few minutes in- I think I got called away, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I do know it ends with death by Russian Roulette, but I still think I'd enjoy it. 19. The Exorcist- My wife and I tried to watch this once, and both of us were just bored. We got about thirty minutes in, and it seemed like nothing happened. I don't ask for horror to be shocking from the get-go; some of my favorite horror (The Descent, Halloween, Paranormal Activity, many of Stephen King's better works, like Salem's Lot or Pet Sematary) start slow and take a while to build up, and the horror is more effective for it. I would have expected to see some creepy foreshadowing, though, or at least get me interested in the characters, but I don't remember anything remotely interesting happening. Maybe it does get better, but after half an hour, something should have sucked me in. Should I give it another try? 20. The Seventh Seal- Never seen any Bergman- like Kurosawa, it seems I'd have to go out of my way, even though I've heard lots about him. I know this is the one where the guy plays chess with death to save his soul (I once read a parody of this by Woody Allen, where a guy plays Gin Rummy with death to save his soul). That's about all I know, but I hope the chess game opens with 1. e4 c5, so I can point out that you should never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line. 21. Robert Altman is a name I've seen thrown around a lot- who is he? What's he done that I should see? Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4, Chinatown: 4/4
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Sep 7, 2011 04:46
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Magic Hate Ball posted:Jurgan, Chinatown's okay but Nashville is where it's at. I'm not too fond of Shelley Duvall, but otherwise that movie sounds amazing. Thanks for the rec.
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Sep 8, 2011 01:50
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I wouldn't say I "hate" Duvall. I saw her in Annie Hall and found her pretty uninteresting there, but I really didn't like her in The Shining. Actually, I didn't like much of that movie, partly because I read the book just a few days before and spent too much time comparing, partly because Jack seemed completely unlikeable even before he goes crazy (you really need to sympathize with him early on in order to care when he goes bad), and partly because Shelley Duvall overacted to an extent that I found laughable. Maybe it had something to do with Kubrick terrorizing her throughout the whole shoot- YMMV, and I know a lot of people disagree on this one, but it didn't work for me. I actually did know that I might have gotten Popeye with that request, but was hoping I wouldn't. I thought that was one of those "shameful" projects, like "wait, Francis Ford Coppola directed Jack?" (also with Robin Williams) I was hoping to get something more notable, and it sounds like I got a good one.
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Sep 9, 2011 01:34
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Magic Hate Ball posted:Popeye is honestly really good for like an hour and fifteen minutes, and then it totally collapses. If you really like Nashville it wouldn't hurt to check out Short Cuts (massive-cast ensemble film based on stories by Raymond Carver). Everything he did from MASH to A Wedding (except for Buffalo Bill, ugh) is pretty great, too. Oh, I did see MASH- well, about half of it. I got right about to the "suicide is painless" scene, and had to leave shortly after that (and it was on TV, so I couldn't go back later). Pretty good, though I think I was surprised it wasn't as light-hearted as the TV show (though I've only seen a couple eps. of that).
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Sep 10, 2011 21:46
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More movies I've never heard of. d10 roll says: Santa Sangre It took me a while to get around to Nashville, but I just finished it. I'm honestly not quite sure what to think. It was billed as a satire about the intersection of country music and conservative politics, but it was a rather toothless satire. I was expecting something more like Bob Roberts, I guess. Still, it was a good movie, but I'm not quite sure if it was trying to make any sort of point or just showing a slice of life in Nashville. The political campaign was always going on it the background, but it didn't have much direct influence on the plot. Or maybe it did, and I just missed some of the details. Certainly there was a lot going on. In these "cast of thousands" movies it's always hard to keep up with all of the subplots (I said similar things about The Godfather a few pages back). I'm being awfully negative, but I really did like the movie. All the characters were interesting in their own way, and the music was gorgeous. I was hoping there'd be a few cameos by some real country musicians, but the main characters were very good singers nonetheless. There was a lot of humor in the background, and I'm not sure I got all of it. It really felt like we were looking into a whole world and not just watching a story. My favorite comic character was the somewhat clueless British reporter, and my favorite dramatic one was probably Lily Tomlin's. The movie was rather confusing at times, but it was enjoyable to watch and felt thoroughly authentic. While I don't plan to rewatch it, I get the feeling that there were more layers to this world than what we saw on a first viewing. Rating: 3.5/4 2. Goodfellas - Just never came up. I know Joe Pesci yells about not being funny for a while, and I remember the Animaniacs parodies, but that's really all I know. But I liked Gangs of New York and Raging Bull [edit: and now Taxi Driver], so I have confidence in Scorsese. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 12. Superman - Not that shameful, but I've seen most of the major superhero movies, and this one's supposed to be the gold standard. I'd probably enjoy it except for Superman reversing time. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 18. Deer Hunter- I seem to be seeing a lot of Christopher Walken bit parts, so let's see one of his rare starring roles. I started watching this one a while ago, but never got more than a few minutes in- I think I got called away, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I do know it ends with death by Russian Roulette, but I still think I'd enjoy it. 19. The Exorcist- My wife and I tried to watch this once, and both of us were just bored. We got about thirty minutes in, and it seemed like nothing happened. I don't ask for horror to be shocking from the get-go; some of my favorite horror (The Descent, Halloween, Paranormal Activity, many of Stephen King's better works, like Salem's Lot or Pet Sematary) start slow and take a while to build up, and the horror is more effective for it. I would have expected to see some creepy foreshadowing, though, or at least get me interested in the characters, but I don't remember anything remotely interesting happening. Maybe it does get better, but after half an hour, something should have sucked me in. Should I give it another try? 20. The Seventh Seal- Never seen any Bergman- like Kurosawa, it seems I'd have to go out of my way, even though I've heard lots about him. I know this is the one where the guy plays chess with death to save his soul (I once read a parody of this by Woody Allen, where a guy plays Gin Rummy with death to save his soul). That's about all I know, but I hope the chess game opens with 1. e4 c5, so I can point out that you should never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line. 22. A Face in the Crowd- Andy Griffith is Glenn Beck! Like I said earlier, the character sounds somewhat simplistic, but the clips I've seen look good, so I'd like to see how it works. Sounds like something I could watch with my dad, and maybe some others. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4, Chinatown: 4/4, Nashville:3.5/4
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Oct 1, 2011 05:43
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Suicide Mickey posted:No director alive, I feel can quite convey a "feel" like Scorsese. YES! I've been secretly hoping for this one for a while, but it seemed improper to request it.
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Oct 1, 2011 14:32
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My trusty d10 says to watch Red River. Goodfellas was excellent (parts of it made me hungry- the cooking looked like something off Food Network). Scorsese is now on my list of favorite directors. I was watching for a couple of the key scenes. The “how am I funny?” scene wasn’t as significant as I thought it would be, but it does help set up Tommy (his name was Devito? That’s funny, given that I always used to get Pesci mixed up with Danny DeVito) as unpredictable and dangerous. I was also looking for the famous continuous shot tour of the restaurant. I know which one they mean, but there were actually a lot of similar scenes. Scorsese relied a lot on the slow camera pan. The film had the feel of guiding you on a tour of the underworld, which of course was the point. The plot was very fast-moving and twisted, but it wasn’t as important as the characters. I liked how Karen wasn’t just the naïve, trusting wife like in The Godfather- she clearly knew what Henry was into early on, but thought it was worth it. She was as seduced by the life as he was. That’s why the breakdown at the end, with them crying in the corner, was so incredibly powerful. They both were facing the consequences of their choices, but you still couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. Similarly, while Tommy deserved to die, DeNiro’s crying over him was so convincing I actually felt bad for him. Towards the end, Henry kept saying “my plan was…” usually following up with something complicated and hard to understand. What I liked, though, was that it didn’t matter what exactly he was trying to do. What mattered was the frantic way he said it. You got that he was trying desperately to hold together the shattered pieces of his life, even if you didn’t fully understand exactly how he was trying to accomplish it. This movie-watching club has taught me something about the importance of good actors- relying on a written plot alone to propel the story can make it hard to get invested, but a good actor can make you care about the emotional side of things regardless of whether the plot works. I’m not saying the plot didn’t work, just that at times it moved so fast I missed some aspects, but since the characters cared about it, I cared along with them. One oddity- maybe it’s just me, but I thought Ray Liotta in this movie looked exactly like Leonardo DiCaprio. Given that DiCaprio is now one of Scorsese’s favorite actors- well, it’s just a little strange. Rating: 4/4 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 12. Superman - Not that shameful, but I've seen most of the major superhero movies, and this one's supposed to be the gold standard. I'd probably enjoy it except for Superman reversing time. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 18. Deer Hunter- I seem to be seeing a lot of Christopher Walken bit parts, so let's see one of his rare starring roles. I started watching this one a while ago, but never got more than a few minutes in- I think I got called away, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I do know it ends with death by Russian Roulette, but I still think I'd enjoy it. 19. The Exorcist- My wife and I tried to watch this once, and both of us were just bored. We got about thirty minutes in, and it seemed like nothing happened. I don't ask for horror to be shocking from the get-go; some of my favorite horror (The Descent, Halloween, Paranormal Activity, many of Stephen King's better works, like Salem's Lot or Pet Sematary) start slow and take a while to build up, and the horror is more effective for it. I would have expected to see some creepy foreshadowing, though, or at least get me interested in the characters, but I don't remember anything remotely interesting happening. Maybe it does get better, but after half an hour, something should have sucked me in. Should I give it another try? 20. The Seventh Seal- Never seen any Bergman- like Kurosawa, it seems I'd have to go out of my way, even though I've heard lots about him. I know this is the one where the guy plays chess with death to save his soul (I once read a parody of this by Woody Allen, where a guy plays Gin Rummy with death to save his soul). That's about all I know, but I hope the chess game opens with 1. e4 c5, so I can point out that you should never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line. 22. A Face in the Crowd- Andy Griffith is Glenn Beck! Like I said earlier, the character sounds somewhat simplistic, but the clips I've seen look good, so I'd like to see how it works. Sounds like something I could watch with my dad, and maybe some others. 23. More by Kurosawa- Rashomon was the only Kurosawa movie I knew anything about, but I loved it, so I'll take any suggestion for this one. I do know that Seven Samurai was the basis for Magnificent Seven, and Hidden Fortress was sort of the basis for Star Wars, but neither of those tells me whether I should watch them. So which one should I choose next? Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4, Chinatown: 4/4, Nashville:3.5/4, Goodfellas: 4/4
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Oct 10, 2011 05:42
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You've got a few I've seen. I'll say go with Singing in the Rain- it's a lot of fun. I'm ashamed it's taken me long to get into Kurosawa, but I'm hooked. The Seven Samurai was absolutely brilliant. Kurosawa is a gifted director and the movie was beautifully shot- between this and Rashomon I've seen that no one shoots nature like Kurosawa. There are great scenes of forests, dust blowing through the village (I can see why someone thought this would make a good Western), and the amazing scenes of battle in the rain and mud. Black and white is perfect for this director. However, while Kurosawa deserves a lot of credit, I saw Seven Samurai as primarily an actor's movie. There's a huge cast and practically every one of them is memorable and unique. Mifune is hilarious- he's one of the best physical comedians I've ever seen. The way he hoots and hollers while scrambling around like a monkey makes me laugh every time. That schtick might get tiring, though, if that was all there was to the character, but then he has his Oscar clip moment where he starts screaming at the other samurai about how their atrocities during war affect small farming communities, and the others realize he was from a farming community that was attacked by samurai. It's a brilliant performance. The leader of the samurai is sad and world-weary but incredibly noble. He has one sad speech about how his whole life has passed him by, and one powerful one where he orders the community to cooperate and explains how holding together is the only way they'll survive, and he has the noticeable quirk of always rubbing his newly bald head. The young samurai is eager and naive, and has a lovely romance, which ended cruelly but believably, given the time. Meanwhile, he's fascinated by one of the older samurai, the one who is always a completely stoic badass, and loses his poo poo when he dies (he seemed more attached to his mentor than his designated love interest). And then there was the farmer whose wife was with the bandits. We never quite figure out what happened, but it seems she'd rather die than go back with him. Maybe there's an explanation, but it seems we're meant to be kept wondering what their story was. I'm not good with remembering names, but the characters are unforgettable. The battles were brilliant every time. They were frantic, and you didn't often get to focus on any one person, but that made it feel much more like the chaos of a real battle. I also liked the very Lord of the Rings ending- the heroes win the battle for the sake of others, but get no personal satisfaction out of it. They watch the others celebrate, but aren't part of the celebration, simply watching the world moving on without them. I don't think I have enough thumbs to explain just how strong my reaction to this movie was. Rating: 4/4 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 12. Superman - Not that shameful, but I've seen most of the major superhero movies, and this one's supposed to be the gold standard. I'd probably enjoy it except for Superman reversing time. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 18. Deer Hunter- I seem to be seeing a lot of Christopher Walken bit parts, so let's see one of his rare starring roles. I started watching this one a while ago, but never got more than a few minutes in- I think I got called away, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I do know it ends with death by Russian Roulette, but I still think I'd enjoy it. 19. The Exorcist- My wife and I tried to watch this once, and both of us were just bored. We got about thirty minutes in, and it seemed like nothing happened. I don't ask for horror to be shocking from the get-go; some of my favorite horror (The Descent, Halloween, Paranormal Activity, many of Stephen King's better works, like Salem's Lot or Pet Sematary) start slow and take a while to build up, and the horror is more effective for it. I would have expected to see some creepy foreshadowing, though, or at least get me interested in the characters, but I don't remember anything remotely interesting happening. Maybe it does get better, but after half an hour, something should have sucked me in. Should I give it another try? 20. The Seventh Seal- Never seen any Bergman- like Kurosawa, it seems I'd have to go out of my way, even though I've heard lots about him. I know this is the one where the guy plays chess with death to save his soul (I once read a parody of this by Woody Allen, where a guy plays Gin Rummy with death to save his soul). That's about all I know, but I hope the chess game opens with 1. e4 c5, so I can point out that you should never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line. 22. A Face in the Crowd- Andy Griffith is Glenn Beck! Like I said earlier, the character sounds somewhat simplistic, but the clips I've seen look good, so I'd like to see how it works. Sounds like something I could watch with my dad, and maybe some others. 24. The Great Dictator- I think this Chaplin kid may be going somewhere. Maybe I should take a look at one of his movies. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4, Chinatown: 4/4, Nashville:3.5/4, Goodfellas: 4/4, The Seven Samurai: 4/4 Jurgan fucked around with this message at 23:53 on Oct 29, 2011 |
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Oct 24, 2011 23:37
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I haven't seen Potemkin either, but it's supposed to be must-see. Come to think of it, maybe I should add it to my list... Took a break from playing Arkham City to watch Superman. Weird, I was always more of a Marvel fan, but these days I’m willing to give anything a try if I have reason to believe it’ll be good on its own. Gotta say, though, Superman didn’t really do much for me. There were definitely some good things in it. I liked the opening scenes on Krypton, though I didn’t understand why it started with the trial of General Zod- what kind of movie opens with a sequel hook? Way too much time on a scene that has no relevance to the movie it was in. The childhood with the Kents, especially Clark’s reaction to Jonathan’s death, was also very good. My favorite scene was probably Superman’s interview with Lois- the characters really came to life and had great chemistry. Reeve played Superman’s corniness to the hilt, but it worked, and I did believe the character. But there was a lot wrong with the movie. First off, right after the interview Superman and Lois go flying. If he’s holding her by one hand, shouldn’t she be hanging from the hand, not upright and parallel to Superman? I could accept that with a rigid body like a helicopter, but a human body doesn’t work that way. It may seem like I’m nitpicking, but when the movie’s tagline is “you will believe a man can fly,” they need to make the flying… well, believable. Then there was the supporting cast. Okay, Margot Kidder was great, and Marlon Brando performed his ten minutes fine (for which he got top billing, bumping Reeve to third after Hackman- I get why they did it, but it’s still funny). Perry White, on the other hand, was disappointing. I thought he’d be the typical gruff but loving boss, which is how I’ve seen him portrayed in other incarnations of the story, but he was nothing more than a sexist moron who’s idea of a good reporter was someone who could type fast and didn’t misspell words (speaking of sexism, the “comic” scene where a policeman volunteers to give “vigorous chest massages and mouth-to-mouth” to an unconscious woman was cringeworthy). It’s not a knock on the actor, but the character was repulsive. And Lex Luthor was ridiculous. He ranted and raved his way through every scene in his underground condo, going on and on about how he was the greatest criminal genius of all time to his worthless minions. He made me think of Professor Ratigan, but with less charm. Why do supposedly brilliant villains keep these morons working for them? Otis was not funny, he was annoying. The woman who’s name I forget was just eye-candy, and given she was complicit in the plan to kill millions she got off way too easy in the end. Of course, if Luthor had just watched to make sure Superman died, it wouldn’t have been an issue. Incidentally, his speech about how real estate never loses value is hilarious in light of the recent housing market crash. I wish Luthor had been more of a corporate villain like he is now. I know that characterization didn’t show up until the 80’s, but he was not threatening in this movie. If he was going to be a gangster type, he needed more than two followers, and some indication of what crimes he had committed in the past. Without a history of successful crimes, how do I know he’s not just an egomaniac who thinks he’s brilliant? The only things he did that seemed smart were sending a radio message that only he could hear (though, again, how did he know how to do that?) and his vaguely clever reverse psychology to get Superman exposed to kryptonite. Ah, yes, kryptonite. “Given the location of the galaxy he’s from, it stands to reason-” Oh, dear, this is going to be painful. Yes, the fact that his planet exploded means that A) it contained rocks that would be toxic to him and B) some of those rocks just happened to land on Earth. How do you know any of this? Do you realize how small the probability of that happening is? Couldn’t they have come up with a better explanation? No time, we have to get to our massive special effects-fest ending extravaganza! I’ll admit, the effects were pretty good, especially for thirty years ago, but then we had to end with Superman reversing time. Yeah, you knew this one, and so did I, but it was still stupid to watch. Whether because of the nonsense science or the deus ex machina nature of the power, that knocked it down half a star on its own. This movie had some good stuff in it, and I suppose it deserves some credit for codifying the genre tropes, but I can’t say I recommend it. Rating: 2/4 I also watched The Exorcist earlier today, as part of a Halloween weekend movie theme. I don’t really have that much to say. This is another case where it codified much of the genre, but has been referenced so much that it no longer has the same impact. One thing that surprised me was how skeptical most of the characters were. Specifically, Damien didn’t believe in possession. He was a very good character. My problem with this movie was that it was very slow, especially at the beginning. When it was good, it was very good, but there were long sections where nothing happened. They should have trimmed this movie down- I think that, at a brisk ninety minutes, it could have been much better. Rating: 3/4 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 18. Deer Hunter- I seem to be seeing a lot of Christopher Walken bit parts, so let's see one of his rare starring roles. I started watching this one a while ago, but never got more than a few minutes in- I think I got called away, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I do know it ends with death by Russian Roulette, but I still think I'd enjoy it. 20. The Seventh Seal- Never seen any Bergman- like Kurosawa, it seems I'd have to go out of my way, even though I've heard lots about him. I know this is the one where the guy plays chess with death to save his soul (I once read a parody of this by Woody Allen, where a guy plays Gin Rummy with death to save his soul). That's about all I know, but I hope the chess game opens with 1. e4 c5, so I can point out that you should never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line. 22. A Face in the Crowd- Andy Griffith is Glenn Beck! Like I said earlier, the character sounds somewhat simplistic, but the clips I've seen look good, so I'd like to see how it works. Sounds like something I could watch with my dad, and maybe some others. 24. The Great Dictator- I think this Chaplin kid may be going somewhere. Maybe I should take a look at one of his movies. 25. Treasure of the Sierra Madre- Movies? We don't need no stinkin' movies! Yeah, I liked Bogart in Casablanca, so I'll probably like him in this, too, but mainly I just want to learn to do the prospector dance. 26. Battleship Potemkin- I have no idea what this is about- is it Russian, I think? I don't know, but it's on so many best of all time lists that I figure I should put it on mine. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4, Chinatown: 4/4, Nashville: 3.5/4, Goodfellas: 4/4, The Seven Samurai: 4/4, Superman: 2/4, The Exorcist: 3/4 Jurgan fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Oct 29, 2011 |
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Oct 29, 2011 23:50
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Fair enough, I suppose. I can't say camp is appealing to me- I think of it as synonymous with "so bad it's good." The Dark Knight is my favorite comic book movie because it's so relevant. I can't think of any other superhero movie with as many "leaps of logic" except Adam West's Batman, which I don't mean as a compliment. Some people, I gather, like camp sincerely, and I'm happy for you, but that's not my thing. However, I don't think it's the science exactly that gets to me- it does some, but that's not my biggest concern. I'm actually okay with the flight scenes, even if they looked nonsensical. I didn't have the hackish complaint about no one realizing Clark and Superman were the same problem, mainly because Reeve played the characters so differently. And I'm willing to accept that a magic rock happens to make it to Earth which can kill Superman. I don't accept that Luthor knows this when there's absolutely no way he could have figured it out. I know moon logic occurred in plenty of comics back in the day, but I consider that a phase they grew out of, and by the late seventies they should have known better. Again, a matter of taste. As for turning back time- the science isn't the main problem. The bigger issue was that it's such a perfect deus ex machina it could fix any problem. I get the idea that he saved Lois's life like he couldn't save his father's, and it had a lot of emotional impact, but then how do you ever challenge him in the sequels? And for Lex Luthor: My biggest problem is that he seems way too small. If the story is supposed to be a myth, then it seems to me that the villain needs to be larger than life. Luthor just seems like a cheap crook who happened to get lucky enough to control some missiles. He doesn't have to be dark and serious, but if he's going to be the villain of a mythic story, he needs to have more gravitas. I like that it's a big myth- I especially liked the Jesus parallels. I just don't think all the elements held together. Again, YMMV- I'm not telling people they shouldn't like, just discussing why I didn't.
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Oct 30, 2011 02:47
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Maybe that was the point- set him up as a petty criminal, and then have him become obsessed with defeating Superman in the sequel. I might give number 2 a watch sometime, but it'd be through Netflix instant, and I doubt that's the director's cut.
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Oct 30, 2011 03:55
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Zogo posted:It's good news to me that they don't appear in all the films. I actually liked the openings, because they were slightly different each time. It showed Harry's growth by showing him taking less of their poo poo in each successive book. By the last one he actually has earned Dudley's respect, which is a crowning moment of awesome, character-wise.
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Nov 10, 2011 03:51
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I like how fair you're being to Singing in the Rain- even though it wasn't your cup of tea, you understand what others see in it. That's a good attitude for a critic to have. A die roll says for you to enjoy Precious next. A Face in the Crowd was very good. Lonesome Rhodes had a lot more depth than I was expecting. I thought he’d be basically a shameless con man from the beginning, but he was pretty innocent at the start. He ended up pretty sad- you couldn’t tell how much he believed his own press. He got caught up in the myth of his own celebrity and ended up crushed when even he didn’t know what was real. His behavior was generally loathsome, especially the way he used and disposed of women, and yet he also had some good points, like the way he railed against the corporate sponsor. But then, of course, he turns around and works for an even bigger sponsor. He’s not so much a hypocrite as he is someone who simply has no core values at all. Andy Griffith’s performance was absolutely stellar. I watched this movie with my dad, and he recognized a lot of big stars, but I didn’t catch any of them. The movie dragged a bit in the middle, when it showed Lonesome’s rise to the top and all the improbable things that happened (such as people naming ships and mountains after him). Otherwise, it was very strong all around. I felt the ending was a bit long, but mainly because I already knew a lot of what was going to happen. However, I thought Mel’s epilogue was necessary, explaining how Lonesome would go on to have another show and slowly fade away. It would be unbelievable for him to instantly vanish- some of his followers would delude themselves that he wasn’t really like that (blame it on the drat liberal media!). Rating: 3.5/4 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 18. Deer Hunter- I seem to be seeing a lot of Christopher Walken bit parts, so let's see one of his rare starring roles. I started watching this one a while ago, but never got more than a few minutes in- I think I got called away, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I do know it ends with death by Russian Roulette, but I still think I'd enjoy it. 20. The Seventh Seal- Never seen any Bergman- like Kurosawa, it seems I'd have to go out of my way, even though I've heard lots about him. I know this is the one where the guy plays chess with death to save his soul (I once read a parody of this by Woody Allen, where a guy plays Gin Rummy with death to save his soul). That's about all I know, but I hope the chess game opens with 1. e4 c5, so I can point out that you should never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line. 24. The Great Dictator- I think this Chaplin kid may be going somewhere. Maybe I should take a look at one of his movies. 25. Treasure of the Sierra Madre- Movies? We don't need no stinkin' movies! Yeah, I liked Bogart in Casablanca, so I'll probably like him in this, too, but mainly I just want to learn to do the prospector dance. 26. Battleship Potemkin- I have no idea what this is about- is it Russian, I think? I don't know, but it's on so many best of all time lists that I figure I should put it on mine. 27. Gattaca- Another on the embarrassingly long "owned but not watched" list. This is sci-fi, I think having something to do when genetic engineering? I was thinking maybe it was a prison, but that's Attica. As you can see, I'm mostly blind on this one. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4, Chinatown: 4/4, Nashville: 3.5/4, Goodfellas: 4/4, The Seven Samurai: 4/4, Superman: 2/4, The Exorcist: 3/4, A Face in the Crowd: 3.5/4
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Nov 20, 2011 03:53
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Zogo posted:Let the Right One In - Boy meets girl and an awkward love story unfolds. While this broke some conventions it didn't do much for me. Would I have liked it more if Oskar and Eli were both a little older? Maybe, but then it loses some of its novelty and possibly becomes Bizarro Twilight. Is Oskar now the new Håkan? I was told that the girl was actually a neutered boy. If so, I missed it in the movie, but I think it was more explained in the book. Anyway, I really liked it.
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Nov 21, 2011 03:08
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TrixRabbi posted:I think that line is meant to hint at Eli being a boy, but audiences will think it's about being a vampire. Let the Right One In: That's certainly how I took it until I read people saying she was in fact a boy. I saw the shot of hir genitalia, but I thought it was a vagina. I didn't look close, and I don't know exactly what a twelve year old's vagina looks like, or I'd be on multiple sex offender registries.
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Nov 22, 2011 00:02
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I liked that movie better the first time, when it was on Nickelodeon and called Ahhh! Real Monsters! Ah, but seriously, it was pretty good, but not one of the great Pixar movies.
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Nov 22, 2011 20:14
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Gangs of New York is excellent- probably my favorite Scorsese except maybe Taxi Driver. But I just sent something off to Netflix, so I can't make anyone watch anything for a few days yet.
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Nov 25, 2011 02:12
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Well, this is nice. Just a few days ago, I was saying I wish I could tell you to watch Gangs of New York. Now I can. I watched The Seventh Seal a couple of hours ago, and I’m trying to figure out something to say about it. The truth is, I really didn’t see much there. It had a lot of good moments and decent characters, but ultimately it just didn’t seem like there was much substance. This is probably blasphemy to some, but I just couldn’t get into it. I normally like waxing philosophic about the nature of God and the meaning of life, but what philosophy there was seemed really trite and simplistic. I liked some of the comic moments, and there were some memorable images (like the line of people climbing the hill at the end), but the movie as a whole left me cold. Different strokes, of course, but I didn’t really care what was on the screen. Not a horrid movie, but not a very interesting one, either. P.S. Death said he was taking Antonius’s queen, but queens weren’t introduced to chess until the 1500’s! Research fail- 0 stars! Aaaaah- nah, just kidding. A mistake, but who cares. Rating: 2.5/4 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 18. Deer Hunter- I seem to be seeing a lot of Christopher Walken bit parts, so let's see one of his rare starring roles. I started watching this one a while ago, but never got more than a few minutes in- I think I got called away, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I do know it ends with death by Russian Roulette, but I still think I'd enjoy it. 24. The Great Dictator- I think this Chaplin kid may be going somewhere. Maybe I should take a look at one of his movies. 25. Treasure of the Sierra Madre- Movies? We don't need no stinkin' movies! Yeah, I liked Bogart in Casablanca, so I'll probably like him in this, too, but mainly I just want to learn to do the prospector dance. 26. Battleship Potemkin- I have no idea what this is about- is it Russian, I think? I don't know, but it's on so many best of all time lists that I figure I should put it on mine. 27. Gattaca- Another on the embarrassingly long "owned but not watched" list. This is sci-fi, I think having something to do when genetic engineering? I was thinking maybe it was a prison, but that's Attica. As you can see, I'm mostly blind on this one. 28. Sophie's Choice- I really have no idea what this is, but I've seen it referenced a lot lately. I'm not sure why, but I figure there must be a reason. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4, Chinatown: 4/4, Nashville: 3.5/4, Goodfellas: 4/4, The Seven Samurai: 4/4, Superman: 2/4, The Exorcist: 3/4, A Face in the Crowd: 3.5/4, The Seventh Seal: 2.5/4
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Dec 3, 2011 23:21
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It also has the most Freudian name of all time: "General Buck Turgidson."
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Dec 11, 2011 21:39
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Edit: Forgot to make a recommendation. I heard Dogville was good. Treasure of the Sierra Madre was a lot of fun, and also not quite what I expected. It started off pretty simply, and I didn’t think it’d take twenty minutes to get to the main plot, but the characters’ struggles with being poor drew me in. For the first half, it seemed like just a straight adventure movie, and I enjoyed the amount of detail they gave into the logistics of gold-mining. It was clear that they had done the research. About halfway through, though, the story turned rather dramatically. I’m spoilering the rest, because the clever plot structure was one of the joys of this movie. We get Dobbs slowly going nuts, becoming more and more paranoid. This wasn’t too surprising, given that he’d earlier stated he’d be satisfied with $5000- it seemed obvious he was only saying that because he didn’t know any better. Then he eventually loses it and shoots Curtin, and then goes even more crazy with shades of The Tell-Tale Heart. Then gets shot by the bandits, and then they get shot by the soldiers. The ending was a classic shaggy dog story, but what made it work was that it was all set up early. You had characters state that the gold looks like sand, and Howard talked about the strong winds from the north, and the group had a showdown with bandits. So, naturally, the movie ends with the same bandits killing Dobbs, dumping the gold out thinking it’s sand and it getting blown away by the northerly wind. The plot was like clockwork, and everything that happened on screen paid off in the end. Rating: 3.5/4 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 14. Apocalypse Now- Guy goes up a river, sees weird poo poo, the horror, goes back down the river, man is evil. Well, that's how my brother summed up Heart of Darkness, which I tried to read in high school and got to about page three. But I know this is a fairly loose adaptation and is supposed to be great, and Martin Sheen is awesome, so I'd be cool with this. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 18. Deer Hunter- I seem to be seeing a lot of Christopher Walken bit parts, so let's see one of his rare starring roles. I started watching this one a while ago, but never got more than a few minutes in- I think I got called away, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I do know it ends with death by Russian Roulette, but I still think I'd enjoy it. 24. The Great Dictator- I think this Chaplin kid may be going somewhere. Maybe I should take a look at one of his movies. 26. Battleship Potemkin- I have no idea what this is about- is it Russian, I think? I don't know, but it's on so many best of all time lists that I figure I should put it on mine. 27. Gattaca- Another on the embarrassingly long "owned but not watched" list. This is sci-fi, I think having something to do when genetic engineering? I was thinking maybe it was a prison, but that's Attica. As you can see, I'm mostly blind on this one. 28. Sophie's Choice- I really have no idea what this is, but I've seen it referenced a lot lately. I'm not sure why, but I figure there must be a reason. 29. Gandhi- Bald Ben Kingsley takes on the British Empire. P.S. Ben Kingsley is British. Sure, why not. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4, Chinatown: 4/4, Nashville: 3.5/4, Goodfellas: 4/4, The Seven Samurai: 4/4, Superman: 2/4, The Exorcist: 3/4, A Face in the Crowd: 3.5/4, The Seventh Seal: 2.5/4, Treasure of the Sierra Madre: 3.5/4 Jurgan fucked around with this message at 21:56 on Dec 14, 2011 |
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Dec 14, 2011 21:54
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I've seen American Beauty. It was good. Give it a shot. Thank you, instant watch. Apocalypse Now was pure mood. The plot was almost beside the point. The characters were fascinating, and the movie drew you in brilliantly. The stark lighting contrast helped, as did the psychedelic music choices. Even the Flight of the Valkyries scene, which has been parodied to death, was still very powerful. Sheen gave a great performance all the way through, and you really felt his turmoil, and Brando had the classic “star role,” where they spend two hours building him up so that you’re blown away when you finally see him. There are lots of other great moments (Duvall's very quotable lines, which seem perfectly natural when he delivers them), and they all come together to make a coherent mood piece. The reflections on war and power and other such ideas are well-known, so I won’t go into them, but they have power just the same. So I’ve now seen all three of Coppola's good movies (are there any others?). Rating: 4/4 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey - More sci-fi that everyone but me has seen. I think my dad has a copy, so that would make it easier. I think I already know most of the plot, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it. If I'm given this one, I promise to try my best not to make too many Portal jokes. 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 18. Deer Hunter- I seem to be seeing a lot of Christopher Walken bit parts, so let's see one of his rare starring roles. I started watching this one a while ago, but never got more than a few minutes in- I think I got called away, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I do know it ends with death by Russian Roulette, but I still think I'd enjoy it. 24. The Great Dictator- I think this Chaplin kid may be going somewhere. Maybe I should take a look at one of his movies. 26. Battleship Potemkin- I have no idea what this is about- is it Russian, I think? I don't know, but it's on so many best of all time lists that I figure I should put it on mine. 27. Gattaca- Another on the embarrassingly long "owned but not watched" list. This is sci-fi, I think having something to do when genetic engineering? I was thinking maybe it was a prison, but that's Attica. As you can see, I'm mostly blind on this one. 28. Sophie's Choice- I really have no idea what this is, but I've seen it referenced a lot lately. I'm not sure why, but I figure there must be a reason. 29. Gandhi- Bald Ben Kingsley takes on the British Empire. P.S. Ben Kingsley is British. Sure, why not. 30. Platoon- "Hey, dad, I made a Vietnam movie, too!" "That's nice, Charlie." "Ah, screw you! I'm gonna go snort coke off a hooker's rear end." Also the Green Goblin is in this. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4, Chinatown: 4/4, Nashville: 3.5/4, Goodfellas: 4/4, The Seven Samurai: 4/4, Superman: 2/4, The Exorcist: 3/4, A Face in the Crowd: 3.5/4, The Seventh Seal: 2.5/4, Treasure of the Sierra Madre: 3.5/4, Apocalypse Now: 4/4 Jurgan fucked around with this message at 03:16 on Dec 17, 2011 |
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Dec 16, 2011 04:07
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Magic Hate Ball posted:It's a comedy. Don't think I'd say it that simply. It straddles the genre lines pretty well.
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Dec 16, 2011 23:59
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So my dad no longer has his copy of 2001, which meant it took a lot longer than I expected to see it. But I now have and- what the hell was that? No, seriously, what was that? All right, first there was the whole "birth of man" thing, which was strange but enjoyable. Then the movie proper started, and we had extremely long scenes of objects moving through space to classical music. It was basically a ballet in space, which I'm pretty sure is how others have described it in the past. I can respect that, but it was so slow I lost interest. The human dialogue was rare, which may have been a good thing, because it was pretty dull. Clarke tended to focus more on technological challenges than engaging human characters, and Kubrick's typical mechanical directing only added to it. I've generally liked Kubrick and Clarke, but this seemed lifeless. Ironically, the most interesting character wasn't human. I enjoyed Hal's scenes a lot, but when they ended- again, what the hell is this? So, we get an enormous laser light show, old people in a bedroom, and then a fetus meeting the earth? What? I think it's supposed to be like Dave evolved to a new life form, and since it was the birth of a new life form, it appears as a baby. But again, it's just strange. I don't get the point, and I was mostly bored. I give credit for the amount of skill that went into the construction of the film and how it took sci-fi seriously, but I was alternately bored and confused for most of the movie. Rating: 2.5/4 On the other hand, Close Encounters of the Third Kind was an excellent movie about first contact with aliens. 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 18. Deer Hunter- I seem to be seeing a lot of Christopher Walken bit parts, so let's see one of his rare starring roles. I started watching this one a while ago, but never got more than a few minutes in- I think I got called away, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I do know it ends with death by Russian Roulette, but I still think I'd enjoy it. 24. The Great Dictator- I think this Chaplin kid may be going somewhere. Maybe I should take a look at one of his movies. 26. Battleship Potemkin- I have no idea what this is about- is it Russian, I think? I don't know, but it's on so many best of all time lists that I figure I should put it on mine. 27. Gattaca- Another on the embarrassingly long "owned but not watched" list. This is sci-fi, I think having something to do when genetic engineering? I was thinking maybe it was a prison, but that's Attica. As you can see, I'm mostly blind on this one. 28. Sophie's Choice- I really have no idea what this is, but I've seen it referenced a lot lately. I'm not sure why, but I figure there must be a reason. 29. Gandhi- Bald Ben Kingsley takes on the British Empire. P.S. Ben Kingsley is British. Sure, why not. 30. Platoon- "Hey, dad, I made a Vietnam movie, too!" "That's nice, Charlie." "Ah, screw you! I'm gonna go snort coke off a hooker's rear end." Also the Green Goblin is in this. 31. Brazil- So a Monty Python guy made a trippy Orwellian sci-fi movie. Sounds fun! Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4, Chinatown: 4/4, Nashville: 3.5/4, Goodfellas: 4/4, The Seven Samurai: 4/4, Superman: 2/4, The Exorcist: 3/4, A Face in the Crowd: 3.5/4, The Seventh Seal: 2.5/4, Treasure of the Sierra Madre: 3.5/4, Apocalypse Now: 4/4, 2001: A Space Odyssey: 2.5/4
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Jan 1, 2012 23:16
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I saw Mifune as a master of physical comedy- I loved they way he scrambled around on all fours like a monkey, and then leaped up barricades so nimbly. I'm usually not a fan of slapstick (that's why Duck Soup was hard for me to get through), but it worked here. He's much less refined in his style than the other samurai, which makes sense because he was the only one who wasn't a samurai from birth. While we're on the subject, I want to thank the thread for making me watch this movie. Others, too, but Seven Samurai was my favorite of the thread, to the point where I instantly put it on my Amazon list. I just got it for Christmas last week, so happy holidays to the Shame thread! Question: I probably want to add some more Kurosawa to my knowledge- what other movies (other than Seven Samurai and Rashomon) of his are essential? I've seen Yojimbo mentioned on this thread a lot, but I've also seen Ran listed as great. I've also heard of Hidden Fortress, which is not considered as great, but I might be interested to see how it inspired Star Wars. Any suggestions?
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Jan 3, 2012 20:51
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I don't know anything about Blue Angel, and neither do you. Have fun! Deer Hunter was pretty good, but I don’t think I’d watch it again. The movie was too long, especially the wedding sequence at the beginning. DeNiro is always good, and Walken gave a surprisingly good performance (surprising because I’ve never seen him play such a straight role). The individual scenes were all pretty tight, and I felt for the characters as they went through their trials. At the same time, said trials seemed somewhat perfunctory and clichéd (get the professor hat off, Jurgan). The escape from the prison was great, but after that we had long scenes of the characters readjusting to civilian life. Why are they having trouble readjusting? Well, because that’s what people do when they return from war. I didn’t really see the characters having unique story arcs; rather, it seemed like they were following the template of war stories going back for decades. It’s possible I just wasn’t in the mood for something slow, dark, and serious. Nevertheless, my verdict is: Good, but unoriginal. Rating: 3/4 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 16. Schindler's List- Of course, I know what this is about, but I know very few details. My wife has seen it and said she'd watch it with me. Since she usually doesn't like serious movies, this is a strong recommendation indeed. 24. The Great Dictator- I think this Chaplin kid may be going somewhere. Maybe I should take a look at one of his movies. 26. Battleship Potemkin- I have no idea what this is about- is it Russian, I think? I don't know, but it's on so many best of all time lists that I figure I should put it on mine. 27. Gattaca- Another on the embarrassingly long "owned but not watched" list. This is sci-fi, I think having something to do when genetic engineering? I was thinking maybe it was a prison, but that's Attica. As you can see, I'm mostly blind on this one. 28. Sophie's Choice- I really have no idea what this is, but I've seen it referenced a lot lately. I'm not sure why, but I figure there must be a reason. 29. Gandhi- Bald Ben Kingsley takes on the British Empire. P.S. Ben Kingsley is British. Sure, why not. 30. Platoon- "Hey, dad, I made a Vietnam movie, too!" "That's nice, Charlie." "Ah, screw you! I'm gonna go snort coke off a hooker's rear end." Also the Green Goblin is in this. 31. Brazil- So a Monty Python guy made a trippy Orwellian sci-fi movie. Sounds fun! 32. Young Frankenstein- These last few have been pretty depressing- how about a goofy comedy? I liked Spaceballs, Blazing Saddles, and The Producers (and I used to watch Get Smart all the time, not knowing Brooks was involved). Men in Tights wasn't great, but even poor Mel Brooks is pretty good, and YF is supposed to be the tops. Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4, Chinatown: 4/4, Nashville: 3.5/4, Goodfellas: 4/4, The Seven Samurai: 4/4, Superman: 2/4, The Exorcist: 3/4, A Face in the Crowd: 3.5/4, The Seventh Seal: 2.5/4, Treasure of the Sierra Madre: 3.5/4, Apocalypse Now: 4/4, 2001: A Space Odyssey: 2.5/4, The Deer Hunter: 3/4
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Jan 8, 2012 04:18
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| # ¿ May 19, 2024 22:39 |
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Is it weird if I said Gangs of New York was my favorite? Well, except maybe Taxi Driver, but I'd probably say those were tied. I like period pieces, though.
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Jan 10, 2012 01:57
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