28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Sven]

I know this is SO 2011 of me, but I just rewatched Gamer with the spouse and I love love love those Neveldine/Taylor fellas.

[Mysterious Dude]

I have never seen Gamer, but I've seen this clip and it's awesome.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeScI9JN_Tc

[Ezee E]

Possible chance of Exodus not being sleep-inducing like the KoH/Troy predecessors?

[quido8_5]

Possible chance of Exodus not being sleep-inducing like the KoH/Troy predecessors?

Slim. Better than Troy, but that's also true of contracting gonorrhea.

[quido8_5]

I have never seen Gamer, but I've seen this clip and it's awesome.



The 360 with neck breaking is pretty, pretty fucking baller.

[baby doll]

Possible chance of Exodus not being sleep-inducing like the KoH/Troy predecessors?No.

[Dukefrukem]

http://vimeo.com/67768281

[quido8_5]

Rewatching "Broadcast News" for the 30th time with my wife. Forgot how sharp and emotional the script is. It's so funny that it's easy to forget how devastating it can be.

[DSNT]

Rewatching "Broadcast News" for the 30th time with my wife. Forgot how sharp and emotional the script is. It's so funny that it's easy to forget how devastating it can be.

Haven't seen it in ages, but just bought it thanks to the Criterion 50% flash sale. Looking forward to the revisit.

[quido8_5]

This is such a great scene, also one of the best lines in the film.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qeWduNomDqY

[transmogrifier]

There Will Be Blood is quite disappointing the second time around. I mean, it's beautifully shot and interesting enough on a scene-by-scene basis, but I can't help but think it is pretty hollow all things considered, and the character progression of Plainview somewhat tiresome when you know where it eventually ends up. Probably my least favorite PTA film now, though it would depend on a second viewing of Hard Eight.

Certainly, of the traditional Big Three of 2007 (There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, and Zodiac), the latter is the only one I really love.

[Winston*]

Holy shit - Warrior - I couldn't care less about UFC and it has the corniest premise ever, but this is a fucking great movie.

[MadMan]

Hard Rain (1998) doesn't deserve the hate it gets. Is it a really stupid movie? Yes. But I was entertained, and the film has a good cast. Morgan Freeman goes from being a bad guy to a slightly less bad guy and then back to straight up bad guy so quickly I got whiplash. Christian Slater's entire career based on what I've seen hinged on him hamming it up in every scene, and I like it. Minne Driver really was a pretty and decent actress, I wonder what happened to her career. And of course you have Randy Quaid as the sheriff, because why not? And the end credits song is Flood by Jars of Clay. Fantastic.

[dreamdead]

Been out of town all weekend, so I took the opportunity to watch the original The Blob. Outside of McQueen's obvious nearly-30s teenager character, the film was surprisingly earnest and committed to its material. That sincerity echoed through in how the teenagers all seek to assist one another, and in their attempts to assist the police even as the lead police officer refuses to engage the kids. It's the rare film that doesn't have an especially interesting villain, but has winning characters and a sensitive community. Intriguingly good.

[dreamdead]

Those with Hulu Plus would be wise to check out Im Sang-soo's A Good Lawyer's Wife, an early 00s South Korean film that blends ribald sexuality with family tension. While Moon So-ri's wife character doesn't receive entirely clear reasons for why she would turn from her philandering husband to a high school sophomore, the basic juxtapositions are interesting in their recording of the debasement of the modern family, and Im uses the various sex scenes to reveal character dynamics and interests. It's the kind of sexy filmmaking that prevailed in Philip Kaufman's peak, and it's the typically Korean jump through formal tones.

[Ezee E]

There Will Be Blood is quite disappointing the second time around. I mean, it's beautifully shot and interesting enough on a scene-by-scene basis, but I can't help but think it is pretty hollow all things considered, and the character progression of Plainview somewhat tiresome when you know where it eventually ends up. Probably my least favorite PTA film now, though it would depend on a second viewing of Hard Eight.

Certainly, of the traditional Big Three of 2007 (There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, and Zodiac), the latter is the only one I really love.

I seem to randomly watch all three of these at least twice a year. Still love them.

[Dukefrukem]

http://vimeo.com/108128386

[MadMan]

Been out of town all weekend, so I took the opportunity to watch the original The Blob. Outside of McQueen's obvious nearly-30s teenager character, the film was surprisingly earnest and committed to its material. That sincerity echoed through in how the teenagers all seek to assist one another, and in their attempts to assist the police even as the lead police officer refuses to engage the kids. It's the rare film that doesn't have an especially interesting villain, but has winning characters and a sensitive community. Intriguingly good.
Contrast that with the dark and sinister remake where the government agents are the bad guys. Funny what a difference three decades can make.

[Mara]

It's getting near Halloween time, and I watch to rewatch The Cabin in the Woods.

Hey, look, it's on Netflix. I mean, I own the DVD, but that's at home and Netflix is right here.

We should all watch The Cabin in the Woods.

Right now.

[MadMan]

I saw it last year :P

[Spinal]

Classic horror movies reimagined as Goosebumps novels. (http://ifitwerestine.tumblr.com/collect-em-all)

[Dead & Messed Up]

It's getting near Halloween time, and I watch to rewatch The Cabin in the Woods.

Hey, look, it's on Netflix. I mean, I own the DVD, but that's at home and Netflix is right here.

We should all watch The Cabin in the Woods.

Right now.

I rewatched it, now what?

[Mara]

I rewatched it, now what?

Well, I don't know about you, but I've spent the last week wishing I'd written something that clever.

I MIGHT WATCH IT AGAIN.

[MadMan]

Classic horror movies reimagined as Goosebumps novels. (http://ifitwerestine.tumblr.com/collect-em-all)Love it. My favorite is Television Trauma. "Long live the new flesh."

[Russ]

A recent viewing has reminded me that Gayniggers From Outer Space is one funniest films I have ever seen. Do not be put off by the title. It's not what you think. Well, it is about gayniggers from outer space but I say "Damn you, political correctness." The satire of sci-fi, blaxploitation and homophobia is cannily brought to fruition by some seriously messed-up mofo's. Hysterical.

[Sven]

All this recent talk of Keaton has inspired me to post a progress report on my KeatonFest that K & I have been enjoying.

"Enjoying" is a tough sell, because one of the things about this marathon is realizing that unfortunately, most Keaton films are not very good. He is almost always excellent in them, hopefully with a few other decent aspects as well, but largely, he appears in formulaic, styleless entertainments with limited ambition.

Still.

It's been a good time. Here's what we've watched in the past six weeks or so (in chronological order):

Night Shift
Mr. Mom
Johnny Dangerously
Gung Ho
The Dream Team
Pacific Heights
The Paper
Speechless
Multiplicity
Desperate Measures
A Shot at Glory
Live From Baghdad
Quicksand
Game 6
Penthouse North
RoboCop
Need for Speed

Rep for whoever correctly identifies the best film.

[Dukefrukem]

Remind me what Desperate Measures is again. I think that's one of my fave Keaton movies.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Night Shift
Mr. Mom
Johnny Dangerously
The Dream Team
Pacific Heights

These are my favorites from that list. As for the best, I'll go with Mr. Mom. Johnny Dangerously a close second.

[Sven]

Remind me what Desperate Measures is again. I think that's one of my fave Keaton movies.

Keaton's a killer, Andy Garcia is a cop whose kid needs a marrow transplant. Whaddya know, Keaton's marrow is a match, so Garcia has him transferred to a hospital, where he escapes and wreaks havoc. It's dire, and very silly. More amusing than good.

[Dukefrukem]

Keaton's a killer, Andy Garcia is a cop whose kid needs a marrow transplant. Whaddya know, Keaton's marrow is a match, so Garcia has him transferred to a hospital, where he escapes and wreaks havoc. It's dire, and very silly. More amusing than good.

Yeh that's the one. I like Keaton as a bad guy.

[transmogrifier]

All this recent talk of Keaton has inspired me to post a progress report on my KeatonFest that K & I have been enjoying.

"Enjoying" is a tough sell, because one of the things about this marathon is realizing that unfortunately, most Keaton films are not very good. He is almost always excellent in them, hopefully with a few other decent aspects as well, but largely, he appears in formulaic, styleless entertainments with limited ambition.

Still.

It's been a good time. Here's what we've watched in the past six weeks or so (in chronological order):

Night Shift
Mr. Mom
Johnny Dangerously
Gung Ho
The Dream Team
Pacific Heights
The Paper
Speechless
Multiplicity
Desperate Measures
A Shot at Glory
Live From Baghdad
Quicksand
Game 6
Penthouse North
RoboCop
Need for Speed

Rep for whoever correctly identifies the best film.

Has to be The Dream Team. Though was it you in here praising Multiplicity recently?

[DSNT]

I never understood the hate for Multiplicity. That's my pick for the funniest in that batch, with Johnny Dangerously a close second. Always wanted to check out Live from Baghdad, heard it was good.

[Melville]

Movies elevated by one spectacular scene:

- Stroszek: chicken dancing
- Beau Travail: Denis Levant dancing
- Leviathan: those seagulls

These movies are all good or great without those scenes, but they're brought up to a whole different level with them. At the moment I can't think of any movies otherwise bad but elevated to good by a single scene.

[Winston*]

Peter Watkins' Privilege was pretty weird. Knowing him from Punishment Park , it was strange seeing him do a dystopian satire that was so ridiculous. At one point it has the pop star protagonist performing a Christian concert to promote conformity in which attendees are doing Nazi salutes to the British flag and a flaming Cross.

Also the low budget means that despite the character being the biggest pop star the world's ever seen, his opening concert looks like it was performed in a rural town hall.

Recommended.

[Spinal]

Here's what I wrote (http://filmepidemic.blogspot.com/2005/11/privilege-watkins-1967.html) about Privilege when I saw it. Apparently, I liked it.

Nine years ago. Sigh.

[Sven]

A'ight, K-Fan guessed correctly the best film of Keaton-fest so far: Mr. Mom. A more meritorious Hughes film does not exist. Keaton, Garr, and the brood are performed to perfection.

I have now seen a few more:

The somber One Good Cop.
The interminable First Daughter.
The harmless Herbie Fully Loaded.
The surprisingly charming if still too formulaic Post Grad.
The excellent, parbaked Birdman.

Also watched guest roles in The Simpsons (funny) and Frasier (distracting, but things in Frasier often are).

[D_Davis]

Anyone seen Why Don't You Play in Hell? yet?

Looks amazing.

[MadMan]

Tombstone was a badass western. Val Kilmer ruled but I loved Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp and Michael Biehn as Johnny Ringo.

[Grouchy]

Anyone seen Why Don't You Play in Hell? yet?

Looks amazing.
That's because it is.

[D_Davis]

That's because it is.

Going to watch it this weekend.

[Ivan Drago]

Anyone seen Why Don't You Play in Hell? yet?

Looks amazing.

I have not but it's coming to my area soon and it looks fucking incredible.

[transmogrifier]

I didn't like it much. Too shouty and ultimately pointless.

[EyesWideOpen]

Disney just announced their 3 new Studio Ghibli blu-ray releases for next year (Porco Rosso, Pom Poko and Tales from Earthsea). Still no Spirited Away.

[Yxklyx]

s/disney//

So, unskippable trailers on blu-ray are a thing now?

[Watashi]

I miss boner. He hasn't posted in 3 months.

[MadMan]

He can be added to the list of posters that have disappeared from the boards.

Oh and Night of the Comet is an underrated 80s sci fi cult movie. Love those shots of downtown LA and apparently Comet helped inspire Joss Whedon to make Buffy.

[The Bad Guy]

He can be added to the list of posters that have disappeared from the boards.

I typically disappear for long stretches of time, myself. I guess that makes me part of the problem, since I do wish this forum was more active.

It's only in the November-Decemeber-January-February part of the year that I'm seriously watching a lot of movies.

[MadMan]

My movie watching usually declines in December. This year I viewed 15 movies in November, which is good for me. January typically sees me hitting double digits although the most I ever watched during that month was 20+.

[The Bad Guy]

My movie watching usually declines in December. This year I viewed 15 movies in November, which is good for me. January typically sees me hitting double digits although the most I ever watched during that month was 20+.

That's interesting...

December is always one of the better months for theatrical releases.

[MadMan]

No that's true. I'm just busy during the holidays.

[dreamdead]

Watched Watership Down, which is the first conscious viewing I've had of the text. It was a rather sublime experience, translating a fable with intelligence and maturity, rather than feeling any need to water down elements. The opening visual style was absolutely breathtaking and if the rest of the film retreats a bit to more conventional visuals, the overarching themes of the film continue to allow it to resonate. The final confrontation between the two rabbits in the end was uncannily horrific, and even the coda had a quiet grace to it.

Surprised that I waited this long to visit this film, but this is exactly the kind of reason I'm happy Hulu Plus has access to the Criterion collection, even if I don't often take advantage of it enough...

[Qrazy]

Watched Watership Down, which is the first conscious viewing I've had of the text. It was a rather sublime experience, translating a fable with intelligence and maturity, rather than feeling any need to water down elements. The opening visual style was absolutely breathtaking and if the rest of the film retreats a bit to more conventional visuals, the overarching themes of the film continue to allow it to resonate. The final confrontation between the two rabbits in the end was uncannily horrific, and even the coda had a quiet grace to it.

Surprised that I waited this long to visit this film, but this is exactly the kind of reason I'm happy Hulu Plus has access to the Criterion collection, even if I don't often take advantage of it enough...

Check out The Plague Dogs for another collaboration between that animator and author.

[Russ]

Check out The Plague Dogs for another collaboration between that animator and author.

Taking such grim and relentlessly depressing material and producing such an immensely rewarding film was a neat trick. I recommend this one too (but avoid the shorter 'cut' version at all costs).

[Grouchy]

How many of you have seen Richard Stanley's Hardware and what's your opinion of it?

I personally loved every second of it, but I'm more surprised by how influential it seems to have been for sci-fi in general (specially the Fallout saga of videogames) and how little I'd heard about it.

[Yxklyx]

Watched Watership Down, which is the first conscious viewing I've had of the text. It was a rather sublime experience, translating a fable with intelligence and maturity, rather than feeling any need to water down elements. The opening visual style was absolutely breathtaking and if the rest of the film retreats a bit to more conventional visuals, the overarching themes of the film continue to allow it to resonate. The final confrontation between the two rabbits in the end was uncannily horrific, and even the coda had a quiet grace to it.

Surprised that I waited this long to visit this film, but this is exactly the kind of reason I'm happy Hulu Plus has access to the Criterion collection, even if I don't often take advantage of it enough...

Watership Down was OK - but on the topic of old animated films I just watched Allegro Non Troppo which I thought was pretty awful as a full length film. About half of the film is devoted to contemporary italian live action "comedy" while the shorts range from mediocre to pretty good.

[D_Davis]

I FINALLY got around to watching Django Unchained this past weekend. Longest I've ever gone without seeing a Tarantino film (not saying much, though, since every single one of his other films I saw opening weekend, except R-Dogs).

I thought I had out grown Tarantino's love of ultraviolence and pastiche, but I'll be damned if I didn't love every single minute of it.

Once DiCaprio is introduced, and the film quiets down, I was transfixed by Tarantino's brilliant direction. The dread and suspense build perfectly, and then.....BLAM! Wow! The explosion of action and violence we perfectly orchestrated. Man. Truly spectacular.

I guess I'm not as over QT as I thought I was.

[Idioteque Stalker]

Allegro Non Troppo is probably my favorite animated film. :sad:

[Spinal]

I guess I'm not as over QT as I thought I was.

I find that I am ambivalent about Tarantino until I am actually in the theater watching his movies. His personality is a bit grating. The hype and rumors surrounding his on-again/off-again projects grow a bit tiresome. But when I can shut all of that out and just interact with the film, I remember that I'm a pretty big fan. (Most of the time.)

[D_Davis]

At the end of the day, he's just a really, really great director. I wish he'd grow up a bit, and maybe do something a little more challenging, though.

[Grouchy]

Tarantino is a genius. I'm just thankful that he exists just the way he is.

There's something about Django Unchained that kept bugging me - I found the fact that the movie had two different showdowns anticlimatic and the Australian slavers scene seemed like it was stretching the plot for no good reason. Until I re-watched Corbucci's Django and I realized all QT was doing was following a genre convention of having the hero of a spaghetti western captured and tortured before his final victory.

[MadMan]

A few months back when Django Unchained hit Netflix Instant Viewing finally I tried to use it to fall asleep since I had already seen it one or two times. It didn't work. I watched the whole thing. I love that movie.

[dreamdead]

So Byrkit's Coherence is streaming on Amazon Prime and it's every bit the smart puzzle it was made out to be. The whole exploration of parallel universes is credibly made through snarky inferences about Sliding Doors and other films, but it's last twenty minutes takes the premise much deeper than it initially seems.

If there's a flaw to this film, and I think it is a slight error, it's that Emily, our lead, lacks just a bit of dimensionality to make her rash decisions more tragic. There's a sense through the first hour that the film could choose to zero in on any one of the ensemble cast, but that openness (while logical given the film's thematic focus) also undercuts the climax just a little too much for it to resonate more fully.

[Irish]

That's a terrific observation about the ending.

I loved the movie, especially since it takes such a pie-eyed premise and explains it effortlessly. The performances (largely improvised, I've heard) go a long way to selling the whole thing.

[D_Davis]

Guardians of the Galaxy was kinds of...OK? It was entertaining enough, but it felt like 1/2 the movie wasn't there. I learned very little about the characters, their motivations, the bad guys, the plot....

It was all surface level.

Was I supposed to care about those soldier and pirate guys helping fight the big bad at the end? Never even knew who any of them were except for that guy who was in Slither, the guy who is friends with Will Farrell, and that guy who was in Parks and Rec and was a voice in Dark Souls 2.

I'm surprised that audiences seemed to eat this up, especially considering how many weird creatures and people with red and green skin were in it. So that's cool that people embraced a space opera like this. However, on the other hand, I'm surprised that something so vapid seemed to capture the attention of so many.

[Irish]

I saw that again recently & liked it a lot better the second time. To you point, the set pieces are well imagined and more or less well executed, but everything between that is awkwardly written. The plot is threadbare and the movie barely manages to motivate anyone to travel from Planet A to Planet B. The character exposition is particularly bad. "Hey, I've known you for all of 24 hours but let me just bust out with my secret, childhood pain completely unprompted." (And every character has their own private exposition dump at different points in the film).

I kept thinking of Star Wars, which Guardians apes repeatedly, and how that movie had its own share of awkwardness but it sure as hell handled its characters a lot better. There's more development in 30 seconds of the Mos Eisley cantina and the line about "hoaky religions" and a "good blaster" than there is in Guardians' entire runtime.

That's the part that annoyed me-- Guardians' character exposition doesn't inform on the story at all. The fact that Rocket is a lab experiment doesn't matter to the larger story, or, really, any story.

[D_Davis]

Who was the bad guy? Who was he working for? Why?

Yes, Star Wars sets up its plot and its main conflict with ease.

I did like the grand cosmic scale of it all, and wish there were more cosmic films out there.

[Irish]

Yep yep. That's the other part that killed me-- whatever they might be in the comics, the villains in the film suck. They spend most of their screentime in throne rooms, glowering at their minions. The entire third act has no urgency, because the Guardians fight to save a planet we know nothing about, filled with one-off characters we've barely met.

I liked the cosmic scale too, and all of the planet sets/CGI were incredibly cool (they even managed to make yet another futuristic prison look interesting, and nobody can beat a planet made from the mined-out skull of a dead alien).

[D_Davis]

It just dawned on me what it felt like - the Firefly movie. Like it was a big episode of a long television series.

But with Firefly, we had the advantage of the TV series actually existing.

[Mysterious Dude]

I agree that the villain is weak. But it made me think of Star Wars and Darth Vader, and I'm not sure why Darth Vader works and Ronan doesn't. Even if you don't take The Empire Strikes Back or any of his backstory into account, he is a much stronger villain in A New Hope alone, and I don't know why. This requires further study.

[D_Davis]

They set up Vader's goal and establish the sides from the very first scene of the film - then it expands and evolves from there.

[Scar]

Ronan worked much better for me the second time through.

[Irish]

Ronan worked much better for me the second time through.

http://i.imgur.com/Lz0B44Z.jpg?1

:confused:

[Irish]

Ronan worked much better for me the second time through.

http://i.imgur.com/qcujNzI.png?1

:confused:

[Irish]

Ronan worked much better for me the second time through.

http://i.imgur.com/JYyBgEZ.jpg

:D

[MadMan]

Guardians of the Galaxy was highly entertaining. Sometimes that's all you need.

[Wryan]

Saw Wolf Children. What a wonder. Would not have been able to guess that the movie would handle the oddball and tricky material with such sensitivity and grace. The last forty minutes or so felt like a continuous, breathless moment. A loving exploration of both parenting and coming of age when you feel alone and confused and unsure of who you are. It's contemplative, delicate and passionately felt. It's also often very cute. I loved that it never forced the kids but rather let them come to their own conclusions.

Saw the dubbed version on YouTube. It was fine, but I'd like to watch the subbed sometime soon.

[Dukefrukem]

They set up Vader's goal and establish the sides from the very first scene of the film - then it expands and evolves from there.

The opening scene with Vadar is actually exactly the same as the opening of Ronan.

Btw we have a Guardians thread guys.

[D_Davis]

The new Planet Of the Apes movies are my favorite new genre films. Just incredible. Watched Dawn tonight, and I loved it even more than Rise. Bets special fx I've ever seen. Can't wait for the next one.

[Dukefrukem]

Marathon Man is so 70s.

[dreamdead]

Dunham's Tiny Furniture has kernels of great ideas and understated comedy, but there's so much unnecessary or persistent double-downs on characters fronting about their relative success that it's hard not to desire seeing them fail. Dunham's able to craft interesting characters, but the two best episodes in this film are both sequences concerning Aura and her mother, and the dialogue here moves from the pop culture savviness to actual character-revealing, rather than -deflecting, incidents. It's those moments that allow the film to succeed. Otherwise, it's a proto-Girls without some of the distance removed.

Some of the film wouldn't be so bad if Dunham weren't playing the lead, which collapses character/actor a little too much in ways that hurt Dunham rather than the character.

[Mal]

I saw a copy of The Reader at my library last week and immediately Hugh Jackman singing "I haven't seen The Reader" from the Oscars years back sprung into my head. I decided to rent the film for that fact. It's a fairly disgusting film and Daldry has no good sense to paint Kate Winslet's character as what she truly is. Being illiterate doesn't wash away being a statutory rapist and nazi, yuck.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I agree that the villain is weak. But it made me think of Star Wars and Darth Vader, and I'm not sure why Darth Vader works and Ronan doesn't. Even if you don't take The Empire Strikes Back or any of his backstory into account, he is a much stronger villain in A New Hope alone, and I don't know why. This requires further study.

Vader comes off as efficient and ruthless. Ronan comes off as petulant. Vader's arrival comes with a delicious Williams evil chord as he emerges silently from mist, evaluating the dead. Vader's first action is holding a rebel two feet off the ground and choking him to death. Ronan's first scene (unless I'm misremembering) involves him shouting at Thanos. Vader has a mystical choking power. Ronan wants to shortcut his way to some sort of transcendent power. Vader uses a laser fencing sword, which points up his samurai restraint and control. Ronan's a warlord with a hammer - a weapon that ties to his inexact, bludgeoning fury. Vader's shrouded in mystery, offering elliptical hints of history during his fight with Kenobi. Ronan's can't stop his self-righteous yammering.

This isn't meant to bag on Ronan, since I'm pretty sure the point was to create a guy who's basically Darth Vader in his wildest dreams and a bit of a bore and a stooge in reality (which sets him up nicely against the Guardians, who often resist their potential heroism). Vader is a fucking opponent. Ronan is a jerk.

[Dukefrukem]

Vader comes off as efficient and ruthless. Ronan comes off as petulant. Vader's arrival comes with a delicious Williams evil chord as he emerges silently from mist, evaluating the dead. Vader's first action is holding a rebel two feet off the ground and choking him to death. Ronan's first scene (unless I'm misremembering) involves him shouting at Thanos. Vader has a mystical choking power. Ronan wants to shortcut his way to some sort of transcendent power. Vader uses a laser fencing sword, which points up his samurai restraint and control. Ronan's a warlord with a hammer - a weapon that ties to his inexact, bludgeoning fury. Vader's shrouded in mystery, offering elliptical hints of history during his fight with Kenobi. Ronan's can't stop his self-righteous yammering.

This isn't meant to bag on Ronan, since I'm pretty sure the point was to create a guy who's basically Darth Vader in his wildest dreams and a bit of a bore and a stooge in reality (which sets him up nicely against the Guardians, who often resist their potential heroism). Vader is a fucking opponent. Ronan is a jerk.

You're misremembering. Ronan's first scene is smashing someone face in with a giant mallet as he is getting his suit put on.

Vadar's first scene and Ronan's first scene are equivalent and I'm wondering why people are forgetting this.

[Irish]

You're misremembering. Ronan's first scene is smashing someone face in with a giant mallet as he is getting his suit put on.

Vadar's first scene and Ronan's first scene are equivalent and I'm wondering why people are forgetting this.

They're not equivalent at all. Vader's goals are made clear by dialogue and escalating action. The rebels made off with some information. Vader wants it back. You see Vader threaten and kill several people in the first 20 minutes of the movie, and he interacts directly with one of the heroes of Star Wars (Leia) early on.

Ronan's first scene is an exposition dump between a bunch of characters you don't know. The guy he kills is a walk-on nobody, and the stuff they discuss makes no sense unless you're already familiar with the Marvel universe. It's all about peace treaties, the Kree, and distant governments. The audience isn't given any kind of point of reference for all this. Ronan then spends most of the rest of the film glowering at people while standing around dark thrones rooms. It isn't until half way through the film that he leaves his little base, and then only briefly.

There's a lot of fun in Guardians but I don't think it would be possible to write the character-driven dialogue in a more ham handed way. Star Wars has awkward dialogue, too, and some terrible line readings, but at least Lucas was skilled enough to tie characters to action when introducing them to the audience.

Lucas told you everything you need to know about the people in Star Wars (while constantly hinting at a much larger universe). Marvel movies often force you to do Wikipedia searches if you really want to understand what's going on.

[Dukefrukem]

They're not equivalent at all. Vader's goals are made clear by dialogue and escalating action. The rebels made off with some information. Vader wants it back. You see Vader threaten and kill several people in the first 20 minutes of the movie, and he interacts directly with one of the heroes of Star Wars (Leia) early on.

Ronan's first scene is an exposition dump between a bunch of characters you don't know. The guy he kills is a walk-on nobody, and the stuff they discuss makes no sense unless you're already familiar with the Marvel universe. It's all about peace treaties, the Kree, and distant governments. The audience isn't given any kind of point of reference for all this. Ronan then spends most of the rest of the film glowering at people while standing around dark thrones rooms. It isn't until half way through the film that he leaves his little base, and then only briefly.

There's a lot of fun in Guardians but I don't think it would be possible to write the character-driven dialogue in a more ham handed way. Star Wars has awkward dialogue, too, and some terrible line readings, but at least Lucas was skilled enough to tie characters to action when introducing them to the audience.

Lucas told you everything you need to know about the people in Star Wars (while constantly hinting at a much larger universe). Marvel movies often force you to do Wikipedia searches if you really want to understand what's going on.

The rebel that Vader kills is a walk-on nobody. In fact, he kills a nobody and then screams that he wants the rest of the crew alive "I WANT THEM ALIVE". Not really that threatening to our main characters.

The stuff Ronan preaches about is as generic as Vadar wanting some ambiguous plans. Ronan discusses punishing those who do not obey certain laws of the universe and depicts his anger about his father's death, which I find much more ominous then Space Station plans. Ronan actually feels like he will be killing our main characters. Vadar never comes across this lethal.

And you can't really credit Lucas to this bigger universe. No one knew anything about the clones wars or the Kessel Run, or whatever one-liners the trilogy says that are never mentioned again until 30 years later.

And if you are going to credit Lucas for the bigger universe you can certainly do the same thing for Gunn/Guardians. Example: the Celestial head that is mentioned in GotG referring to the Eternals/Deviants was a fantastic reference (and I believe will explain who is Quill's father

[Irish]

The rebel that Vader kills is a walk-on nobody. In fact, he kills a nobody and then screams that he wants the rest of the crew alive "I WANT THEM ALIVE". Not really that threatening to our main characters.

He threatens Leia multiple times in the first twenty minutes, tortures her after that, and then plays a hand in blowing up her home planet while she watches. And that's just the first act.


The stuff Ronan preaches about is as generic as Vadar wanting some ambiguous plans. Ronan discusses punishing those who do not obey certain laws of the universe and depicts his anger about his father's death, which I find much more ominous then Space Station plans. Ronan actually feels like he will be killing our main characters.

Ronan feels like he barely knows the Guardians exist, and when he does, he doesn't care (eg Drax, etc).


And you can't really credit Lucas to this bigger universe. No one knew anything about the clones wars or the Kessel Run, or whatever one-liners the trilogy says that are never mentioned again until 30 years later.

One of Lucas' little narrative tricks is that he's constantly referencing past history and other places in dialogue. He doesn't need to put any of that stuff on screen to make it effective. It's enough to suggest it. The movie has two main locations and about a half dozen main characters, but it feels much bigger than that because of all the casual detail.


Example: the Celestial head that is mentioned in GotG referring to the Eternals/Deviants was a fantastic reference (and I believe will explain who is Quill's father

I've seen Guardians twice and I have no idea what the hell any of this means. That's my issue with the movie.

[Dukefrukem]

He threatens Leia multiple times in the first twenty minutes, tortures her after that, and then plays a hand in blowing up her home planet while she watches. And that's just the first act.


I thought we were talking about the first scene these villains were introduced? Not their presence throughout the films. My comments about Vader vs Ronan was about their respective introductions into both movies. Their goals and demeanor are both setup, and my argument is Ronan's is more sinister.


Ronan feels like he barely knows the Guardians exist, and when he does, he doesn't care (eg Drax, etc).

Why should he care? They haven't proven anything and he handles Drax with 1 arm, twice. Once he gets the infinity stone, then he REALLY doesn't care. It's not till the every end we find out Quill is half alien.



One of Lucas' little narrative tricks is that he's constantly referencing past history and other places in dialogue. He doesn't need to put any of that stuff on screen to make it effective. It's enough to suggest it. The movie has two main locations and about a half dozen main characters, but it feels much bigger than that because of all the casual detail.

Disagree. It feels bigger because of the cantina scene, not because of any dialog from Lucas.


I've seen Guardians twice and I have no idea what the hell any of this means. That's my issue with the movie.


My point is this is equivalent to referencing the "Clone Wars" once. At least you can look up the Eternals if you really want to. You couldn't look up shit with the Clone Wars. You don't need to know what the Eternals are unless you are trying to find out who Quill's father is. And even then I'm only speculating. It could just be a nod to that Marvel series.

[Irish]

I thought we were talking about the first scene these villains were introduced? Not their presence throughout the films. My comments about Vader vs Ronan was about their respective introductions into both movies. Their goals and demeanor are both setup, and my argument is Ronan's is more sinister.

That was a combo comment, partially reacting to your "Vader never comes across as lethal."

Anyway, Ronan didn't seem threatening to me. He came across like a poser, a schoolyard bully, more bark than bite. *shrug*


Why should he care?

Because he's the villain of the movie. That's a problem if you ascribe to the idea that a hero is only as good as their villain. Arguably, Guardians has weak villains.


Disagree. It feels bigger because of the cantina scene, not because of any dialog from Lucas.

That's definitely part of it, but also outside the scope of what I was referencing.


My point is this is equivalent to referencing the "Clone Wars" once. At least you can look up the Eternals if you really want to. You couldn't look up shit with the Clone Wars. You don't need to know what the Eternals are unless you are trying to find out who Quill's father is. And even then I'm only speculating. It could just be a nod to that Marvel series.

Yeah. That's because the Clone Wars reference is meant to spark the audience's imagination, not drop Wikipedia into their lap, stop the narrative completely, and spoon feed them exposition (which is what Guardians does repeatedly).

Quill's father might be a neat reference for fans, but it's also information that has zero effect on Guardian's story. Compare that to (just as an example) Star Wars' repeated references to Jabba the Hutt.

[Irish]

Ugh, Duke. Now I've got that damned Mos Eisley cantina music stuck in my head. Thanks a lot! :lol:

[Dukefrukem]

Whelp that's what you get. :lol:

[Scar]

That was a combo comment, partially reacting to your "Vader never comes across as lethal."

Anyway, Ronan didn't seem threatening to me. He came across like a poser, a schoolyard bully, more bark than bite. *shrug*


Even after he takes out Drax without breaking a sweat? Hell, he barely broke stride.

[Irish]

Even after he takes out Drax without breaking a sweat? Hell, he barely broke stride.

No, because Disney/Marvel movies are written to such a rigid formula that Ronan felt exactly as powerful as he needed to be for that moment (it was the second act climax).

[Russ]

A Brighter Summer Day (Edward Yang, 1991) PRO

A tremendous achievement. An epic that is filled with big and little moments of heartbreak, despair and uncertainty. Yang's mastery of long, medium, and static shots helps convey a sense of time and place rarely captured so effectively in films of this scope. As poetic as it is profound.


On a thread-relevant note, I seriously doubt that either of the two badass characters, Honey or S'ir, would have been much of a match for Ronan.

[bac0n]

The Ronan the Accuser I've enjoyed in the comics always struck me as more a Judge Dredd type, dealing with any perceived threats to the Kree Empire with impunity and without remorse. Shit, he wound up part of the superhero group The Annihilators after the Thanos Imperative story arc. I kinda wish the movie woulda had that Ronan, instead of the, yes, petulant monologuer version of Ronan who tussled with the Fantastic Four and Avengers in the 60s. That's one of my few gripes with the movie; overall, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

[Qrazy]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2972482/

This is one very entertaining film. I think Match-cut will enjoy.

[Lucky]

Coincidentally enough, "What movie is the fictional band Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes from?" was a question at trivia night yesterday.

[transmogrifier]

Any film related resolutions for this year?

Mine is simple: no repeat viewings. I want to watch nothing but films I haven't seen before all year.

[MadMan]

I don't count repeat viewings anyway.

I was thinking going for 200 new viewings this year but I donno. Something always gets in the way.

[Irish]

Any film related resolutions for this year?

No more sequels or prequels. I'm burned out*

* but still interested in age of ultron

[Dukefrukem]

Any film related resolutions for this year?

Mine is simple: no repeat viewings. I want to watch nothing but films I haven't seen before all year.

Just chip away at the 1001 movies I need to see before I die.

[DSNT]

Who wants this? (http://www.amazon.com/Performance-Blu-ray-James-Fox/dp/B00IMRL2AA/ref=tmm_blu_title_0?_encoding= UTF8&sr=&qid=)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81F463DInhL._SL1500_.jpg

Messed up on a Warner Archive sale and accidentally ordered two. Can't send it back so I'm offering it free of charge for whoever is paying attention. The first PM gets it, otherwise congrats to my local library.

[Mysterious Dude]

Any film related resolutions for this year?

Mine is simple: no repeat viewings. I want to watch nothing but films I haven't seen before all year.
Interesting. For most of my 20's, that was my basic philosophy of watching movies. But this year, I'd like to watch the movies on my top 100 that I haven't seen since before 2009 (the year I started logging the date of every movie I watch). I have 43 movies to go.

[dreamdead]

Any film related resolutions for this year?

Mine is simple: no repeat viewings. I want to watch nothing but films I haven't seen before all year.

Finish out Linklater's Before trilogy with a rewatch of Before Midnight, in anticipation of rebuying them later this year as a Criterion set.

Otherwise, I expect I'll likely do a rewatch of several different Linklater and Malick films. Also, finish Shoah.

[MadMan]

I'm also trying to watch more documentaries. I viewed Man On Wire tonight and found it to be magnificent and beautiful.

[Dukefrukem]

I finally discovered a movie that is impossible for someone to hate.

The Adventures of Robin Hood. (1938)

[DSNT]

Finish out Linklater's Before trilogy with a rewatch of Before Midnight, in anticipation of rebuying them later this year as a Criterion set.

Otherwise, I expect I'll likely do a rewatch of several different Linklater and Malick films. Also, finish Shoah.

The Before Criterion isn't a done deal yet. Hawke mentioned in an AMA the other day that they are working on the rights and it is tricky, but they want it to happen.

I also plan to revisit some Linklater, including Slacker and Dazed & Confused, which I loved the first time.

Shoah is 9-hours of required viewing for everyone who appreciates any type of film. It pairs well with Come and See from the same year, but I would find a nice comedy or five in between.

[DSNT]

My resolution is to (of course) make a dent in my Criterion project .. more to reduce the stacks in my living room than anything else.

I specifically want to venture more into classic Asian cinema, like Suzuki, Mizoguchi, Ozu and the Naruse's that I haven't seen.

[Ezee E]

Got a taste of Sundance, albeit, in Salt Lake City. Nonetheless, it is very organized, smooth, and on time.

Tickets were easy to get, but you definitely have to be quick to purchase them as the Park City and "big shows" will sell out within eight hours of being on the site. Probably less. I didn't try purchasing until eight hours or so.

Every show started immediately on time, with just a quick message from the host, a brief short, and it begins. Unlike AFI Fest, which was never less than 15 minutes late (and up to a hour late in some cases).

The Salt Lake City portion is all over the city, so you definitely don't feel any festival buzz. I know this is COMPLETELY different in Park City, so it makes me excited to try it out next year.

[dreamdead]

Ended up doing a rewatch of De Palma's Femme Fatale over the weekend since Sarah had never seen it. The utter ridiculousness of the plot was more apparent this time through (and yes, Romijn is sexy during her striptease in the bar basement, but why does Banderas possibly have sex with her there, given what he knows about her character at that point), but man, is the camera ever alive, fluid, and just generally ballsy. The abrupt reboot and demand for a happy end 2/3 of the way through is far more valuable than Haneke's similar move in the earlier Funny Games, and the last five minutes are just a dazzle of expertly set up dramatic stakes.

Biggest critique: man, that's a lot of black Frenchmen that want to kill our semi-heroine. Awkward to think about in racial representation, de Palma.

[Spun Lepton]

I watched Romancing the Stone for the first time in ... sheesh ... at least 20 years. By today's standards, this film is as sexist as sexist can be. It's not just sexist, but it's strangely sexist. All of the accusations about white-male-dominated Hollywood apply tenfold to this movie. It's rather uncanny. To wit:

Kathleen Turner plays the lead character, Joan Wilder, a successful romance novelist whose only hope is to find the man of her dreams. She's pulled into a world of adventure and intrigue, just like one of her romance novels. So, over the course of said adventure, she meets a dashing rogue played by Michael Douglas. Here's where it gets really bad.

Douglas's character overcomes obstacles by sheer manly man force of manly willpower. He sees what needs to be done and he does it in a manly manner.

Turner's character overcomes obstacles purely by accident, up until her final climactic obstacle, an angry dude with a knife. She kinda, sorta wins that fight by accident, too. Granted, they may have been trying to give her an arch where she goes from frumpy meek Turner to stands-up-for-herself Turner, but her transformation is less psychological and more physical. Her dress rips and her sexy, sexy legs come out. She lets her sexy, sexy hair down.

DeVito is very funny, but underused.

5/10

Edit: Oh! OH! This made me laugh sadly (shut up, it's possible): Michael Douglas gets first billing, even though Turner is the lead. Talk about lame.

[Dukefrukem]

I haven't seen it in a while, but I remember thoroughly enjoying Romancing the Stone.

[Scar]

Edit: Oh! OH! This made me laugh sadly (shut up, it's possible): Michael Douglas gets first billing, even though Turner is the lead. Talk about lame.

Think about this: Christopher Reeve got THIRD billing in Superman.

[Spun Lepton]

Think about this: Christopher Reeve got THIRD billing in Superman.

Madness.

[dreamdead]

Watched Zhang Yimou's Raise the Red Lantern, which has always escaped my attention due to being out-of-print when I went through my early-00s crush on his work. This is among the best of his films, balanced around a gender point-of-view that uses cinematographic distance from the main 1920s master to highlight his central authority over his various mistresses, the horrible situation that the practice of mistresses forced upon Chinese women (who could not trust any loyalty among their fellow mistresses), and even the degree to which maids were preyed upon. There are just remarkable shots that the film orchestrates, such as the build-up to Gong Li's winter approach to the barred-off room where hangings have occurred. The final scenes with her madness make sense on a thematic level, but are undercut by a neutralization of Li's energetic gaze.

Solid, solid film. I'm sad that Zhang Yimou's post-Hero holds no appeal to me after watching this...

[Qrazy]

Watched Zhang Yimou's Raise the Red Lantern, which has always escaped my attention due to being out-of-print when I went through my early-00s crush on his work. This is among the best of his films, balanced around a gender point-of-view that uses cinematographic distance from the main 1920s master to highlight his central authority over his various mistresses, the horrible situation that the practice of mistresses forced upon Chinese women (who could not trust any loyalty among their fellow mistresses), and even the degree to which maids were preyed upon. There are just remarkable shots that the film orchestrates, such as the build-up to Gong Li's winter approach to the barred-off room where hangings have occurred. The final scenes with her madness make sense on a thematic level, but are undercut by a neutralization of Li's energetic gaze.

Solid, solid film. I'm sad that Zhang Yimou's post-Hero holds no appeal to me after watching this...

I haven't seen it but The Flowers of War could be good.

[dreamdead]

Rewatched the Dutch version of The Vanishing, since Sarah hadn't seen it. I'd forgotten so much of the film's narrative structure, so the shifts to the kidnapper and the skill of his predatory nature were doubly fascinating. Not sure that the egg motif is necessary beyond offering a beautiful final image, but the core concept of obsession leading to self-destruction remains devastating. The film does a marvelous job documenting why Rex pursues Saskia past any logical point--and the recording of a quotidian family life assume greater dread when we see how Lemorne practices on his family.

[Spinal]

Rewatched the Dutch version of The Vanishing

Also known as The Vanishing. :)

One of my very favorite movies. Utterly captivating from start to finish.

[Dukefrukem]

I was browsing through Netflix last night and rewatched Starship Troopers. Man that movie is filled with awesome political satire.

[MadMan]

Yes Starship Troopers is hilarious. And very entertaining.

I liked that they added a bunch of Friday the 13th movies because of Friday the 13th. Too bad they have only 1-4 and then 6-8 but no Part 5.

[Pop Trash]

I liked that they added a bunch of Friday the 13th movies because of Friday the 13th. Too bad they have only 1-4 and then 6-8 but no Part 5.

Other than that 'actress' with spectacular tits, Part 5 kinda blows. Part 4 is where it's at.

[MadMan]

I kind of like Part 5. I enjoyed viewing Part 4 again Friday night. Gordon is the best dog in the series.

[dreamdead]

So Cameron's The Abyss. Always good stuff when the female lead is called a “bitch” twice before she's even introduced, constantly told to keep her pantyhose on as a joke, and then called a “bitch” again to revive her from death.

Oh, 1980s mainstream Hollywood films. How I don't miss you. At all.

A decent film is in here. But goodness, the gender politics, which aren't even central to the film, undo so much.

[Dukefrukem]

You can spin that so many ways dreamdead.

[dreamdead]

You can spin that so many ways dreamdead.

My frustration with this character arc is that there's never any acknowledgement that the characters voicing these words feel guilt over casting Lindsey in this light. At one point Lindsey (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's character) refers to herself this way, and so much of the film is about her sublimation from an independent, separated spouse of Ed Harris's character into a far more conventional, albeit smart, version of the conventional secondary wife character. It's demeaning and feels so era-specific in everyone's acceptability of the language--in the sense that the film suggests that of course a woman who's independent and prizes her accomplishments more than her husband is a "bitch"--that it just undercuts the happy ending structure of the final thirty minutes.

[Dukefrukem]

I haven't seen it in a while, but I remember the frustrations said by Ed Harris before she's introduced, and took the arc as ironic. He goes through self denial in WANTING to hate her, for the obvious divorce reasons, fights with himself to get rid of his wedding ring, and then when she's finally introduced, she's actually nice, smart, intelligent. The "bitch" defibrillator scene is Ed Harris's character's going back to those opening remarks, mocking himself, when he realizes she's not the bitch he called her out to be.

[D_Davis]

I finally watched Avatar.

Man, what a big, great looking, epic, expensive film, that also has one of the most mediocre, cliche-filled, stupid plots I've ever experienced. It's such a big nothing of a movie. There are bad kung fu movies with more intricate plots and surprises than this thing.

[Spun Lepton]

I finally watched Avatar.

Man, what a big, great looking, epic, expensive film, that also has one of the most mediocre, cliche-filled, stupid plots I've ever experienced. It's such a big nothing of a movie. There are bad kung fu movies with more intricate plots and surprises than this thing.

Dances with Smurfs

[dreamdead]

Fincher's Alien 3 was better than I expected. It's tone is interesting, establishing a medieval Passion of Joan of Arc look to it, and Charles Dance is typically excellent. There's a sense of been-there-done-that regarding the military that wants access to Ripley's baby, but a lot of the film achieves a generally stable but valuable cross-hatch of characters. If anything, though, the inmates are too uniformly sketched, and exist as extras to be executed by the xenomorph. And though there's some fancy camera angles executed throughout, there's little passion or true virtuosity that marks this as a Fincher work. Some of that is beneficial as it bleeds into the earlier films, but while it has a different touch, it doesn't feel like one vision, as the first and second films did.

[transmogrifier]

Alien 3 is awesome. Not quite as good as the first two, but pretty damn good. The Alien trilogy is my favorite trilogy ever.

(Alien Resurrection is balls)

[Dukefrukem]

Alien 3 is awesome. Not quite as good as the first two, but pretty damn good. The Alien trilogy is my favorite trilogy ever.

(Alien Resurrection is balls)

Yeh it's my favorite trilogy too. A very close second is Indiana Jones probably.

(Crystal Skull was never made)

[transmogrifier]

Yeh it's my favorite trilogy too. A very close second is Indiana Jones probably.

(Crystal Skull was never made)

Not a huge fan of the third one. Same problem knocks out the Godfather trilogy. Second favorite would be Linklater's Before trilogy. Some other options for me would be:

The Colors trilogy
Star Wars OT
The Dollars trilogy
The Lord of the Rings (Extended Editions only)

[Ezee E]

Yeah, I like Alien 3 more on reflection, and then I see it again, and there's a lot of missed potential throughout the whole thing.

[dreamdead]

I got halfway into Fritz Lang's 1950s noir Clash by Night, and just had to stop it. The film's has such regressive attitudes toward human attraction, situating Barbara Stanwyck's struggle with fidelity to a fairly old, feminine, but well-meaning man while a racist, sexist, misogynist asshat comes onto her. And while noir is always half-baked about how dangerous men (and women) possess an allure that cannot be contained, the dangerous man here is so toxic that the film treats Stanwyck (and Marilyn Monroe as well) as subjectless agents who cannot see through the veneer of sex to realize the horror that Robert Ryan possesses.

Between Ryan's asshatery making fun of the Chinese, his constant berating of an absent wife for her likely philandering, his constant drunkenness, and his open come-ons to Stanwyck in her engaged, and later married state, the film is just such a mockery of women's judgment. When I read up to see how it was going to end, it just begged to be deleted from the dvr and purged from my memory.

Begone, film with horrible gender politics.

[Grouchy]

Begone, film with horrible gender politics.
You seem to be trying really hard to become an extreme caricature of a sort of person I really hate.

[dreamdead]

You seem to be trying really hard to become an extreme caricature of a sort of person I really hate.

Or, at the age of 32, I can no longer find entertainment in films that don't stand back critically and demarcate a distinction between the character's politics and the film's politics. Even if Lang wasn't sexist, this film undoubtedly is, and that fact is on Clifford Odets's adaptation of his play and switch to a happier ending that undermines her actions. It's a classic female melodrama, about loss of self and how marriage (and forgiveness) heals, but the person that Stanwyck chooses is so hopelessly wrong that the whole scenario undercuts her intelligence. The guy she chooses might be read as a wrong option that's so stridently wrong that she's punishing herself even as she commits the affair. Sadly, though, after being in the film's narrative space for an hour, that's a smarter reading than I'm willing to give the film as intentionally possessing.

I realize that you, Grouchy, typically worry less about a film's gender politics than others. If you haven't seen the film in question, then let me affirm that it's a narrative drag as well, full of stereotypical characters that don't reverse their character types in any useful way.

[Grouchy]

Or, at the age of 32, I can no longer find entertainment in films that don't stand back critically and demarcate a distinction between the character's politics and the film's politics. Even if Lang wasn't sexist, this film undoubtedly is, and that fact is on Clifford Odets's adaptation of his play and switch to a happier ending that undermines her actions. It's a classic female melodrama, about loss of self and how marriage (and forgiveness) heals, but the person that Stanwyck chooses is so hopelessly wrong that the whole scenario undercuts her intelligence. The guy she chooses might be read as a wrong option that's so stridently wrong that she's punishing herself even as she commits the affair. Sadly, though, after being in the film's narrative space for an hour, that's a smarter reading than I'm willing to give the film as intentionally possessing.

I realize that you, Grouchy, typically worry less about a film's gender politics than others. If you haven't seen the film in question, then let me affirm that it's a narrative drag as well, full of stereotypical characters that don't reverse their character types in any useful way.
I probably do, or at least I don't believe every female character in a film speaks for the director's viewpoint of the entire gender. Women can make wrong decisions or be shitty people and I don't think that's supposed to be a statement in "gender politics".

I can't speak about the Lang film because I haven't seen it. I'm sorry you can't enjoy films the same way anymore but to make a review of every film based solely on how it treats women according to you seems like madness to me. It's valid film criticism, sure, but you're not a professional film critic - you should enjoy yourself more.

Similarly, if I did a review of every American film I see based on how much it glorifies America's soldier mentality and repressive police society, I'd probably be right more often than not in bashing some otherwise solid movies, but it'd soon become pointless and annoying.

[dreamdead]

I probably do, or at least I don't believe every female character in a film speaks for the director's viewpoint of the entire gender. Women can make wrong decisions or be shitty people and I don't think that's supposed to be a statement in "gender politics".

I can't speak about the Lang film because I haven't seen it. I'm sorry you can't enjoy films the same way anymore but to make a review of every film based solely on how it treats women according to you seems like madness to me. It's valid film criticism, sure, but you're not a professional film critic - you should enjoy yourself more.

Similarly, if I did a review of every American film I see based on how much it glorifies America's soldier mentality and repressive police society, I'd probably be right more often than not in bashing some otherwise solid movies, but it'd soon become pointless and annoying.

But we allow that different cultural trends in the 1920s-50s films postulated that women should remain committed to their husbands, yes? So in that sense, film contained a potentially regressive attitude toward wandering spouses, one that put the hammer down far more on wandering women than men. De Mille and other directors all structured films around the wayward women and how they had to submit to a sex smarter than them. Clash by Night is regressive in that there's no redeeming trait to warrant Stanwyck's remotest interest in him as a diversion from her feminine husband.

This isn't to suggest that all women must be represented postitively. I just finished a third viewing of Primer, a film that continues to grow in quality with each viewing, and Aaron's wife there is totally relegated to the sidelines and is treated like an object. However, Carruth's film makes clear that that perspective is Aaron's view of his wife, not the actual reality of her worth. That's what I was looking for with Lang's film.

And regarding the assertion that I'm not a quote unquote professional film critic, I've earned a Ph.D. in film studies and have had multiple articles published in peer-reviewed critical cultural and film journals, so in fact, yes. Yes, I am a professional film scholar. That perspective feeds how I view films.

[Grouchy]

But we allow that different cultural trends in the 1920s-50s films postulated that women should remain committed to their husbands, yes? So in that sense, film contained a potentially regressive attitude toward wandering spouses, one that put the hammer down far more on wandering women than men. De Mille and other directors all structured films around the wayward women and how they had to submit to a sex smarter than them. Clash by Night is regressive in that there's no redeeming trait to warrant Stanwyck's remotest interest in him as a diversion from her feminine husband.
Like I said, I haven't seen Clash by Night so I can't comment on that. What you are saying is obviously true but you apply that kind of thinking to every film, every time and it's not always justified in my opinion.


This isn't to suggest that all women must be represented postitively. I just finished a third viewing of Primer, a film that continues to grow in quality with each viewing, and Aaron's wife there is totally relegated to the sidelines and is treated like an object. However, Carruth's film makes clear that that perspective is Aaron's view of his wife, not the actual reality of her worth. That's what I was looking for with Lang's film.
For example, I've seen Primer recently (twice) and I have no idea why you would say that. The wife is not an important character in the movie. She's relegated to the sidelines mainly because she has no real protagonism in the film.


And regarding the assertion that I'm not a quote unquote professional film critic, I've earned a Ph.D. in film studies and have had multiple articles published in peer-reviewed critical cultural and film journals, so in fact, yes. Yes, I am a professional film scholar. That perspective feeds how I view films.
Ok, I stand corrected.

[The Bad Guy]

Y'all are crazy when it comes to Alien 3. That movie is a hot mess and it makes sense the more you learn about the production. I can't even blame Fincher.

They had an entire script and set ready to go and Sigourney Weaver wasn't even in the film. But I guess some folks upstairs demanded everything be gutted and re-done in short order, because in their minds an Alien movie just wasn't marketable without Ripley. They had to destroy all the sets and create a new script overnight. It's painfully obvious when you consider how clumsy the whole thing is. Also... my God, the CGI Alien looks awful.

I view the Alien franchise as two movies (Alien and Aliens) and one video game (Alien Isolation). I pretend that Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection are fan fiction. When I bought the Blu Rays as a package - which they force you to do - I just gave 3 and 4 to my local video store for free.

[The Bad Guy]

I finally watched Avatar.

Man, what a big, great looking, epic, expensive film, that also has one of the most mediocre, cliche-filled, stupid plots I've ever experienced. It's such a big nothing of a movie. There are bad kung fu movies with more intricate plots and surprises than this thing.

Yeah, but you didn't see it in IMAX3D.

Fully agreed there are script problems, but it was one hell of a ride if you had the right graphics card. The action sequences are very underrated.

[Mysterious Dude]

I didn't like Clash by Night very much, either. But I did finish it.

[Irish]

If you people are gonna talk Alien 3, you need to differentiate between the theatrical & "Assembly" cuts. They're quite different.

For reasons, uh, I won't go into, I've seen the "Assembly" cut about 2-3 times in the last month. It's still a hot mess of a movie, but the more I see of it, the more I like it.

The first two films work better on every level, especially at what they were trying to do (Alien as haunted house spooker, Aliens as sci-fi action film).

Alien 3 half heartedly tries to be slasher-horror and fails miserably at it, but in between the lines there's interesting stuff going on.

You could probably spin out a half dozen stories on elements Alien 3 briefly touches, like weird futuristic death cults and men born with genetic "YY" mutations and sentenced to corporate penal colonies.

Thematically, Alien 3 is probably the most interesting of the bunch, met only by the first film's subversive qualities. There's a lot of stuff in there about survivor's guilt that ties nicely into Ripley's ongoing story.

They completely fucked it up, of course, and despite my reluctant admiration, every single rewatch gave me a headache (especially at the end, when it becomes painfully obvious Fincher has no idea how to stage action scenes).

[D_Davis]

Not a huge fan of the third one. Same problem knocks out the Godfather trilogy. Second favorite would be Linklater's Before trilogy. Some other options for me would be:

The Colors trilogy
Star Wars OT
The Dollars trilogy
The Lord of the Rings (Extended Editions only)

My favorite trilogy is the Mad Max trilogy.

I also like Alien 3 a lot more than most people seem to.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I finally watched Avatar.

Man, what a big, great looking, epic, expensive film, that also has one of the most mediocre, cliche-filled, stupid plots I've ever experienced. It's such a big nothing of a movie. There are bad kung fu movies with more intricate plots and surprises than this thing.

I'm torn on this one, since its simple plot is really too simple, too lacking in nuance, too lazy, but at the same time, it's one of the few mass-market sci-fi pictures in recent years that relies on character decision-making to escalate its story rather than upheaving everything constantly with wham reveal after wham reveal. Shame that decision-making is so predictable.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Y'all are crazy when it comes to Alien 3. That movie is a hot mess and it makes sense the more you learn about the production. I can't even blame Fincher.

They had an entire script and set ready to go and Sigourney Weaver wasn't even in the film. But I guess some folks upstairs demanded everything be gutted and re-done in short order, because in their minds an Alien movie just wasn't marketable without Ripley. They had to destroy all the sets and create a new script overnight. It's painfully obvious when you consider how clumsy the whole thing is. Also... my God, the CGI Alien looks awful.

I view the Alien franchise as two movies (Alien and Aliens) and one video game (Alien Isolation). I pretend that Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection are fan fiction. When I bought the Blu Rays as a package - which they force you to do - I just gave 3 and 4 to my local video store for free.

For what it's worth, the Alien is a rod-puppet composited into the shots. Bad effect, but not CGI.

[Sven]

Haha, Paul Verhoeven is suing the Cannes film festival. He's saying they're homophobic for not accepting one of his films into the festival. You so crazy, guy...

[Sven]

Haha. Turns out that this is a completely different "Paul Verhoeven". From France. Weird.

[Mysterious Dude]

I just watched the trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQEqVbaV0qE) for the movie in question. I'm very confident it wasn't rejected because of homophobia. It looks unwatchable.

[dreamdead]

Nacho Vigalondo’s Open Windows is a decent genre exercise for the first hour--formally interesting even if it doubles down on the skeeziness. The sense of geographic enclosure (both on the computer screen and early in the car) is genuinely unnerving. Once it becomes a car chase film, and defaults to an incredibly lousy third act, though, it all jumps off the rails.

Shame, it's kinda interesting for all of that.

[The Bad Guy]

For what it's worth, the Alien is a rod-puppet composited into the shots. Bad effect, but not CGI.

Interesting

It just looks so fake...?

I would go back and watch it but I donated my Blu Ray away so it's not next to me at the moment.

[Gittes]

Has anyone here seen Ride the Pink Horse, the Robert Montgomery film that is being released by Criterion in a couple of weeks? It's inevitable that I'll check it out, but I'm still kind of curious about general impressions. I hadn't heard of this film before Criterion announced its release.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/release_boxshots/4339-3f7916d095273ea36a27d4e48f9138 f6/750_BD_box_348x490_original.jp g

[Mysterious Dude]

I used to have Ride the Pink Horse in my top 100. There's a great scene with a merry-go-round. I watched it recently, and it slipped out of my top 100. I still think it's good, but I think it was elevated in my mind more than it deserved to be, by that one scene.

[Russ]

Has anyone here seen Ride the Pink Horse, the Robert Montgomery film that is being released by Criterion in a couple of weeks? It's inevitable that I'll check it out, but I'm still kind of curious about general impressions. I hadn't heard of this film before Criterion announced its release.
This is from one of my old capsules:

What a wonderful surprise this quirky, little offbeat slice of crime-noir turned out to be. I loved it not so much for the fact that it was very much character-driven, but for the fact that it was never clearly explained exactly what drove some of the characters. The enigmatic behavior of both leading man Montgomery (as ex-GI and all-around schmo, Lucky Gagin – what a great name!) and one of several convenient "guardian angels", the pixie-ish Pilar (Wandra Hendrix), provides much of the charm of this little seen gem. The supporting cast is all top-notch, from Fred Clark and Art Smith, as the near-deaf gangster and the government agent out to trap him, to Thomas Gomez, who delivers an Oscar-nominated turn as Pancho, the owner of a children's carousel and newfound friend to Gagin. Special mention must also be made of Russell Metty's atmospheric cinematography (including a terrific tracking shot that opens the film) and the smart writing, courtesy of Ben Hecht among others (who contribute some great lines of dialogue). By leaving some of the characters' motivations unclear, the screenplay consistently keeps the viewers in the dark and gives the film a helter-skelter quality (not necessarily a bad thing). While Montgomery displays great verve and skill behind the camera, he occasionally comes up short in a role that features him on-screen 98% of the time. That shortcoming, and the occasional insipid plot contrivance are about the only flaws that keep me from giving this a higher grade.

Great scene: Thugs brutally beat Pancho, as a wounded Gagin and Pilar hide amongst the children on the carousel, which spins around to occasionally reveal a fleeting glimpse of the brutal beating, much to the horror of the young riders on the merry-go-round.

[Spinal]

I did something I very rarely do over the weekend. I walked out of a movie. I am bewildered by the universal acclaim for The Duke of Burgundy. I saw it pitched as a throwback to the erotic films of the 70s. It's not really an erotic film, so much as a film about erotic boredom. That, and strained entomology metaphors. Not the film I wanted to see. I left with about 20-30 minutes left and felt a tremendous sense of relief.

[Gittes]

I used to have Ride the Pink Horse in my top 100. There's a great scene with a merry-go-round. I watched it recently, and it slipped out of my top 100. I still think it's good, but I think it was elevated in my mind more than it deserved to be, by that one scene.


This is from one of my old capsules:

What a wonderful surprise this quirky, little offbeat slice of crime-noir turned out to be. I loved it not so much for the fact that it was very much character-driven, but for the fact that it was never clearly explained exactly what drove some of the characters. The enigmatic behavior of both leading man Montgomery (as ex-GI and all-around schmo, Lucky Gagin – what a great name!) and one of several convenient "guardian angels", the pixie-ish Pilar (Wandra Hendrix), provides much of the charm of this little seen gem. The supporting cast is all top-notch, from Fred Clark and Art Smith, as the near-deaf gangster and the government agent out to trap him, to Thomas Gomez, who delivers an Oscar-nominated turn as Pancho, the owner of a children's carousel and newfound friend to Gagin. Special mention must also be made of Russell Metty's atmospheric cinematography (including a terrific tracking shot that opens the film) and the smart writing, courtesy of Ben Hecht among others (who contribute some great lines of dialogue). By leaving some of the characters' motivations unclear, the screenplay consistently keeps the viewers in the dark and gives the film a helter-skelter quality (not necessarily a bad thing). While Montgomery displays great verve and skill behind the camera, he occasionally comes up short in a role that features him on-screen 98% of the time. That shortcoming, and the occasional insipid plot contrivance are about the only flaws that keep me from giving this a higher grade.

Great scene: Thugs brutally beat Pancho, as a wounded Gagin and Pilar hide amongst the children on the carousel, which spins around to occasionally reveal a fleeting glimpse of the brutal beating, much to the horror of the young riders on the merry-go-round.

Thanks for this. I'm always up for more noir, but now I'm even more intrigued. Hopefully I can check this one out sooner than later.

[dreamdead]

I did something I very rarely do over the weekend. I walked out of a movie. I am bewildered by the universal acclaim for The Duke of Burgundy. I saw it pitched as a throwback to the erotic films of the 70s. It's not really an erotic film, so much as a film about erotic boredom. That, and strained entomology metaphors. Not the film I wanted to see. I left with about 20-30 minutes left and felt a tremendous sense of relief.

Nope, nope. You will not break my excitement for seeing this film.

Do you think you would have been better prepared to enjoy this film if you knew in advance that it's more interested in the boredom element? I'm hoping for a Mulholland Dr. first half kind of take, where everything's pitched one take too high to seem wholly normal.

[Spinal]

Nope, nope. You will not break my excitement for seeing this film.

Do you think you would have been better prepared to enjoy this film if you knew in advance that it's more interested in the boredom element? I'm hoping for a Mulholland Dr. first half kind of take, where everything's pitched one take too high to seem wholly normal.

I will probably try to watch the film again at some point knowing what it truly is. I went on a Friday night and was hoping for more fun and less ennui.

[Grouchy]

I haven't seen Duke of Bungurdy, but when I was in the Mar del Plata Film Festival, everyone was talking about it and opinions were wildly divergent. Some people had walked out of it, some loved it. It was sold out every single day, though.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Every time I see that title, I imagine a jazz duet between Duke Silver's sax and Ron Burgundy's flute, and then I get depressed.

[D_Davis]

Every time I see it I imagine a Euro board game.

[dreamdead]

So Marty. That's one of the first times in American commercial filmmaking where it feels like the whole cast captures a vision of immigrant America, where low level dreams meet up with aspirations for betterment drowned by family responsibility. The film has a strong voice in Paddy Chayefsky's script, and the performances are all roundly good (though Marty's mother seems a bit too spry for her age). What frustrated me, despite a wholly earned ending, was the ease in which the film retracts its fatalistic attitude for a happy ending. I doubt that Marty would have kept at a self-defeating suppression of individual desire just because his peers regard his date as frumpy, but he changes his resolve, and she accepts his apology, in seconds flat. Just a bit more here would have given it more light.

Interesting study of how limited "non-beautiful" women had it, even if that's a sub-theme. And in how normal verbal critiques of wife-figures were since Marty never bats at eye at his sister getting chewed out by her husband.

[D_Davis]

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is excellent. Totally love these moves.

[MadMan]

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is excellent. Totally love these moves.

I will have to watch that one sometime.

[MadMan]

Has anyone here seen Ride the Pink Horse, the Robert Montgomery film that is being released by Criterion in a couple of weeks? It's inevitable that I'll check it out, but I'm still kind of curious about general impressions. I hadn't heard of this film before Criterion announced its release.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/release_boxshots/4339-3f7916d095273ea36a27d4e48f9138 f6/750_BD_box_348x490_original.jp g

I want to see it based on that cover and title alone.

[Spinal]

How to Train Your Dragon 2 was fine, but probably the least of last year's big animated films in my opinion. I just thought it bit off more than it could chew and did not handle the aftermath of the protagonist's big life-changing moment all that well.

From my point of view:

1. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
2. The Lego Movie
3. The Boxtrolls
4. The Book of Life
5. Song of the Sea
6. Big Hero 6
7. How to Train Your Dragon 2

[Morris Schæffer]

http://www.empireonline.com/features/cinema-sound-secrets-foley-artist/

This is cool. 44 foley effects and how they're created. With sound!

[Spun Lepton]

So, my home internet has been down for about 3 days. As a result, I've been digging into feature-length movies I have downloaded from YouTube. Most of the stuff is ultra-obscure, (anybody remember the movie Surf II?) or simply bad.

Last night I watched Super Mario Bros. I remembered it being bad, and I had recently read some hilarious making-of stories about how disorganized the filmmakers were and how little confidence Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo had in them. Apparently, they were both drunk for a lot of the shoot.

Either way, wow. My memory did not do justice to how odd and fractured it was. I watched the whole thing like a rubbernecker at a car wreck. How on Earth they landed Dennis Hopper as the villain will be a question for the ages.

3/10

[D_Davis]

How to Train Your Dragon 2 was fine, but probably the least of last year's big animated films in my opinion. I just thought it bit off more than it could chew and did not handle the aftermath of the protagonist's big life-changing moment all that well.

From my point of view:

1. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
2. The Lego Movie
3. The Boxtrolls
4. The Book of Life
5. Song of the Sea
6. Big Hero 6
7. How to Train Your Dragon 2

I liked it more than The Lego Movie and Big Hero.

Didn't see the others.

[D_Davis]

So, my home internet has been down for about 3 days. As a result, I've been digging into feature-length movies I have downloaded from YouTube. Most of the stuff is ultra-obscure, (anybody remember the movie Surf II?) or simply bad.

Last night I watched Super Mario Bros. I remembered it being bad, and I had recently read some hilarious making-of stories about how disorganized the filmmakers were and how little confidence Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo had in them. Apparently, they were both drunk for a lot of the shoot.

Either way, wow. My memory did not do justice to how odd and fractured it was. I watched the whole thing like a rubbernecker at a car wreck. How on Earth they landed Dennis Hopper as the villain will be a question for the ages.

3/10

I still think it's the best video game movie, because it's so absolutely fucking bonkers.

It boggles my mind that the movie exists in the state it does. It's got to be one of the fascinating stories in cinema history.

[bac0n]

So, the other night, I watched Knights of Badassdom.

My main takeaway from watching the film would be that the epilogue would have been much better if...

...it would have taken place in a maximum security penitentiary. I mean, how do you explain dozens of mutilated corpses, among them the town sheriff, being killed by a succubus, without being laughed out of court? No wait, perhaps the epilogue should have instead taken place in a mental institution...

[Dukefrukem]

So, the other night, I watched Knights of Badassdom.

My main takeaway from watching the film would be that the epilogue would have been much better if...

...it would have taken place in a maximum security penitentiary. I mean, how do you explain dozens of mutilated corpses, among them the town sheriff, being killed by a succubus, without being laughed out of court? No wait, perhaps the epilogue should have instead taken place in a mental institution...

That movie could have been so much better.

[Skitch]

So, the other night, I watched Knights of Badassdom.

My main takeaway from watching the film would be that the epilogue would have been much better if...

...it would have taken place in a maximum security penitentiary. I mean, how do you explain dozens of mutilated corpses, among them the town sheriff, being killed by a succubus, without being laughed out of court? No wait, perhaps the epilogue should have instead taken place in a mental institution...

I dont know if we'll ever know. That flick was stripped from the director, heavily edited. Maybe ending was something like that originally.

[MadMan]

Super Mario Brothers should be remade heh. And yet the 1993 version is a testament to how truly awful a film can be. It is also why we didn't get more video game adaptions during the 90s.

[Dukefrukem]

What do you call a movie like A Civil Action? Is it a biopic?

[Lazlo]

What do you call a movie like A Civil Action? Is it a biopic?

Historical drama? Dramatization? Biopic seems off because it's not really the story of Travolta character.

[Dukefrukem]

Historical drama? Dramatization? Biopic seems off because it's not really the story of Travolta character.

Yeh, I'm looking at other movies that follow this trait too.

Captain Phillips
Goodfellas
127 Hours
Apollo 13
The Pianist
Dallas Buyers Club
Foxcatcher

"biographical drama" makes sense. Biopic suggests it's a movie about the person's whole life.

[Mysterious Dude]

I wonder if it depends on how famous the main character was in real life. Selma has a pretty limited focus on one event in Martin Luther King's life, but has still been called a biopic.

[Gittes]

Any fans of Purple Noon here? I watched it a couple of years ago and, for whatever reason, I thought of the last few moments of the film today. A pretty great ending.

[Gittes]

That is not to say that the rest of the film isn't compelling, though. It's just that those final few moments are really tremendous. I'm perusing screen caps (http://www.criterionforum.org/DVD-review/purple-noon-blu-ray/the-criterion-collection/1091) of the Criterion Blu-ray right now, which is also making me wish I could revisit this one immediately.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7608/16923476381_3cc0d57223_c.jpg
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7616/16717155467_1eed570131_c.jpg

Unfortunately, I first saw the film via an iTunes rental and I don't own it in any format. I do, however, have another Criterion DVD featuring Alain Delon: Le Samourai. I have yet to watch that one, so I think I'll try to fit it in soon.

[Dukefrukem]

I'm on a quest to find the definitive best action movie of the 90s. (not including Die Hard 3, the Matrix or Terminator 2, True Lies)

So far this week I've watched:

Speed
Under Siege
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (Dark Territory is the stretch of track where cell phones have no service and the terrorists cannot be tracked)
Broken Arrow
Exit Wounds
The Last Boy Scout

Up next:

Timecop
Fled
Executive Decision

[Ezee E]

Point Break.
True Lies.
Michael Bay.

[Dukefrukem]

Point Break is definitely going to be hard to compete with.

"I am an F. B. I. AGENT!"

True Lies belongs in the exempt list above.

[Ezee E]

Demolition Man.
Van Damme.

[Dukefrukem]

Here's my full list to watch:

Universal Soldier
Peacemaker
Executive Decision
Hard Rain
Desperado
Money Train
Daylight
Blue Streak
Last Action Hero
U.S. Marshals
Blown Away
Armageddon
Predator 2
Fire Down Below
The Glimmar Man
Maximum Risk
Chain Reaction
Striking Distance
Double Team
Knock Off
Sudden Death
Black Dog
Assassins
No Escape
Judge Dredd
Turbulence
On Deadly Ground
Escape from L.A.
Fled
Desperate Measures
Fair Game
Hudson Hawk


These I've already seen enough times.

Speed
Under Siege 2
Point Break
Broken Arrow
Total Recall
Demolition Man
Bad Boys
the Rock
The Last Boyscout
Airforce One
Face/Off
Con Air
Die Hard 2
Cliffhanger
Eraser
Volcano
The Rock

[Grouchy]

Hard Boiled
Hard Target
Iron Monkey
Nikita
The Rock

[Dukefrukem]

Hard Boiled and Hard Target are also exempt. These movies are too good for the 90s.

[Winston*]

You're watching US Mars halls, but not the The Fugitive?

[Dukefrukem]

I've seen The Fugitive like 37 times. No need to watch it for where it sits on my rankings.

[Gittes]

Bill Hader has joined the cast of The BFG. He's going to play one of the giants. Pretty cool.

[Irish]

Hard Boiled
Hard Target
Iron Monkey
Nikita
The Rock

^ These, although you could probably pick any movie from the decade starring Michelle Yeoh, Jackie Chan, or Chow Yun Fat:

Police Story 3: Supercop
Heroic Trio
The Executioners
Wing Chun
Full Contact

For American films, I lean toward Speed, Point Break, and The Matrix as best of decade for that genre. They're easily head and shoulders above the rest.

[Dukefrukem]

I'm 13, 90s action films deep- check out which ones, my thoughts and ratings in my film diary- some are hilarious to watch.

http://letterboxd.com/dukefrukem/films/diary/

The biggest surprise while watching these is how many actors are tied to multiple movies. No I'm not talking about the Bruce Willis, Steven Segels, or Stalones etc. The supporting actors like: Kurtwood Smith, Ken Jenkins, Bruce McGill or even more obscure Danielle Harris. Talk about being typecast.

[Grouchy]

^ These, although you could probably pick any movie from the decade starring Michelle Yeoh, Jackie Chan, or Chow Yun Fat:

Police Story 3: Supercop
Heroic Trio
The Executioners
Wing Chun
Full Contact

For American films, I lean toward Speed, Point Break, and The Matrix as best of decade for that genre. They're easily head and shoulders above the rest.
Yeah, I think Duke was aiming specifically towards American movies, but Jet Li owned the decade/genre combo.

[Dukefrukem]

Yeah, I think Duke was aiming specifically towards American movies, but Jet Li owned the decade/genre combo.

More than Jackie??

[Grouchy]

More than Jackie??
Hmmm no, no more than Jackie, but I have a serious movie watching debt in comparison. I've only seen Police Story 3 and Rush Hour from his decade.

[Irish]

Yeah, I think Duke was aiming specifically towards American movies, but Jet Li owned the decade/genre combo.

Fist of Legend and Once Upon a Time in China would be good picks, maybe Black Mask, but I wouldn't say he "owned" anything compared to Michelle Yeoh or Jackie Chan.

I like Li's movies for his technical proficiency but the other elements in them tend to be flat, as compared to Yeoh and Chan and even Chow.

[Ivan Drago]

Super Mario Brothers should be remade heh. And yet the 1993 version is a testament to how truly awful a film can be. It is also why we didn't get more video game adaptions during the 90s.

Now is the perfect time to start an animated Nintendo cinematic universe with a Mario Brothers movie, a Legend of Zelda movie, a Metroid movie, and a Donkey Kong movie, and have them culminate with a Super Smash Bros. movie.

That's the only non-comic book universe I want to see in theaters.

[MadMan]

Now is the perfect time to start an animated Nintendo cinematic universe with a Mario Brothers movie, a Legend of Zelda movie, a Metroid movie, and a Donkey Kong movie, and have them culminate with a Super Smash Bros. movie.

That's the only non-comic book universe I want to see in theaters.
Oh absolutely. I've always liked video games over comic books.

[dreamdead]

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. What... was that? So bewildering on a narrative level, though it is nonetheless readily understandable generally, and yet it's full of beautiful imagery and intrigue. Rather fantastic, though some of the male gaze on the female lead became awkward due to her age.

[Spinal]

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. What... was that? So bewildering on a narrative level, though it is nonetheless readily understandable generally, and yet it's full of beautiful imagery and intrigue. Rather fantastic, though some of the male gaze on the female lead became awkward due to her age.

The book is really good too.

[D_Davis]

I'm on a quest to find the definitive best action movie of the 90s. (not including Die Hard 3, the Matrix or Terminator 2, True Lies)



Hard Boiled - nothing else comes close.

[D_Davis]

But then again, nothing touches Hong Kong's output during the 1990s. Arguably among, if not the, the most exciting decade of world cinema ever. So many groundbreaking films.

[Spinal]

So, a few days ago, I noticed that Saw was on Hulu and I had never seen it. So I decided to watch it since I'd always been curious about its reputation and its following. And I actually kind of enjoyed it. Obviously it's coarse and absurd, but I thought it did a decent job of maintaining suspense. I cared what happened next.

So then last night, I decided to watch Saw II. Boy, you really need to space these movies out if you're going to watch them at all. I feel kind of battered and I've been bummed out all day. The quality of the movies is largely irrelevant. They are competent enough and have a certain go-for-broke energy that I admire on some level. I just think they might not be good for me.

[D_Davis]

So, a few days ago, I noticed that Saw was on Hulu and I had never seen it. So I decided to watch it since I'd always been curious about its reputation and its following. And I actually kind of enjoyed it. Obviously it's coarse and absurd, but I thought it did a decent job of maintaining suspense. I cared what happened next.

So then last night, I decided to watch Saw II. Boy, you really need to space these movies out if you're going to watch them at all. I feel kind of battered and I've been bummed out all day. The quality of the movies is largely irrelevant. They are competent enough and have a certain go-for-broke energy that I admire on some level. I just think they might not be good for me.

Interesting.

I've actually been wanting to watch the entire series.

But I don't know if I can stomach all the violence and cruelty. I'd totally watch versions with the most gruesome parts edited out.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Wait, didn't the mid-'90s give us a burst of video game movies? Despite SMB, there was Double Dragon, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Annihilation, and Wing Commander. Seems more like people were determined to ignore the lesson of SMB.

[Gittes]

Following my recent and first viewing of Anatomy of a Murder (to put it tersely: wow), I'm in the mood to check out more of Ben Gazzara's work. It's been a few years since my last viewing of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, so I'm wondering if anybody here has any thoughts on which version is superior (the 135 minute version released in 1976 or the 108 minute version released in 1978)? To be honest, I can't remember which cut I watched. I know Cassavetes apparently preferred the shorter cut, but arguments have been made for both versions. Just curious if any of you have an opinion on this.

[MadMan]

Mortal Kombat was solid. The rest you listed DaMU I have no desire to see.

I actually dug Saw a lot. The sequels don't really interest me even though I'm more of a gore hound these days.

[The Bad Guy]

Hard Boiled - nothing else comes close.

Hard Boiled is no doubt the most ambitious and highly choreographed, but I'd personally take the heist scene from Heat over any other action sequence from the 1990s.

[The Bad Guy]

So, a few days ago, I noticed that Saw was on Hulu and I had never seen it. So I decided to watch it since I'd always been curious about its reputation and its following. And I actually kind of enjoyed it. Obviously it's coarse and absurd, but I thought it did a decent job of maintaining suspense. I cared what happened next.

So then last night, I decided to watch Saw II. Boy, you really need to space these movies out if you're going to watch them at all. I feel kind of battered and I've been bummed out all day. The quality of the movies is largely irrelevant. They are competent enough and have a certain go-for-broke energy that I admire on some level. I just think they might not be good for me.

I actually like Saw a good deal. The original is a creative horror concept that's well executed for the most part.

Saw 2 isn't outright bad, but it starts the downward trend of the franchise. It is, however, probably the only other movie in the series that you could even make the case is worth watching. Once I'd delved into 3 and 4 I realized that this series had jumped the shark completely. That and (as you say) it's hard to justify watching given the gratuitous violence that just tries to outdo itself. It didn't take long for it to go from effective horror into torture porn.

[Peng]

I liked the first three Saws because they form a nice trilogy, even though each one is worse than the last. I'm also partial to Saw 6, which I think is even slightly better than the second one.

[TGM]

I liked the first three Saws because they form a nice trilogy, even though each one is worse than the last. I'm also partial to Saw 6, which I think is even slightly better than the second one.

This is pretty much my same assessment on the series, though I personally liked the third one the best.

[Dukefrukem]

I'm on a quest to find the definitive best action movie of the 90s. (not including Die Hard 3, the Matrix or Terminator 2, True Lies)

So far this week I've watched:

Speed
Under Siege
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (Dark Territory is the stretch of track where cell phones have no service and the terrorists cannot be tracked)
Broken Arrow
Exit Wounds
The Last Boy Scout

Up next:

Timecop
Fled
Executive Decision

http://letterboxd.com/dukefrukem/films/diary/

Added over the weekend.

Executive Decision 1996 (the entire movie is spent whispering....)
Desperate Measures Desperate Measures 1998 (Michael Keaton is so good here- possibly the best prison escape movie)
Money Train Money Train 1995 (funnier than I thought it was going to be- worth watching)
No Escape (a travesty)

[Dukefrukem]

http://letterboxd.com/dukefrukem/films/diary/

Added over the weekend.

Executive Decision 1996 (the entire movie is spent whispering....)
Desperate Measures Desperate Measures 1998 (Michael Keaton is so good here- possibly the best prison escape movie)
Money Train Money Train 1995 (funnier than I thought it was going to be- worth watching)
No Escape (a travesty)

Added Chain Reaction to this list last night. Heh. I saw this in theaters when it came out.

[MadMan]

Does Money Talks count? Chris Tucker and Charlie Sheen had great chemistry together. It's a 90 action comedy.

[Dukefrukem]

Added Chain Reaction to this list last night. Heh. I saw this in theaters when it came out.

Striking Distance! Bwhahahahahaha As action packed as paroling the Monongahela River sounds. Sarah Jessica Parker actually looks smokin' hot in that red dress.

[MadMan]

Striking Distance is a bad movie. And yet I found it to be gloriously entertaining. I do agree that SJP is really hot in that film.

[dreamdead]

Rewatched Mike Leigh's Life is Sweet, and the initial impression remains that it's largely a single character quirk kind of film. Typically his films feel remarkably lived-in and developed, but this one, save for a breathtaking scene between mother and daughter that challenges the status quo, just has type after type doing middle class surviving. The Timothy Spall character feels especially one note. It's interesting enough on that end, and that might be all Leigh sought to document, but it lacks the refinement and engagement directly with culture that Naked, Secrets and Lies, and Another Year all hold.

All that, yet I'm interesting in revisiting All or Nothing, which memory suggests will be rather the same as this one.

[dreamdead]

Rewatches of childhood favorites have not been especially kind. Last year was the first Ghostbusters, which became exceedingly average in execution (even if a great idea). This year it's Beetlejuice, a film that seemed much more madcap and focused on Keaton titular character than it actually is. Beetlejuice is really just a supporting character, and the tone reminds me of a bad Korean film in its awkward blend of styles; the strongest stuff is the Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin relationship and their struggle to understand their new undead lives.

The O'hara and Ryder material is much weaker, more monotonous, and sadly where the second half of the film drops its anchor. At times there's an interesting darkness to Burton's vision, and Beetlejuice himself is quite an ass, but it's one of those films where it just kind of sits there, limp and uninteresting.

[Gittes]

First image from Woody Allen's next film, Irrational Man. It may be debuting at Cannes.

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/irrational-man.jpg?w=670&h=377&crop=1

Stone and Phoenix in a Woody Allen film strikes me as a pretty intriguing/amazing prospect. Not sure if there are a lot of fans of Allen's current output around here, but I always look forward to his new work (I think I was one of the few people on this forum to see Magic in the Moonlight and to mostly end up liking it). This one seems especially promising, though.

[Grouchy]

Following my recent and first viewing of Anatomy of a Murder (to put it tersely: wow), I'm in the mood to check out more of Ben Gazzara's work. It's been a few years since my last viewing of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, so I'm wondering if anybody here has any thoughts on which version is superior (the 135 minute version released in 1976 or the 108 minute version released in 1978)? To be honest, I can't remember which cut I watched. I know Cassavetes apparently preferred the shorter cut, but arguments have been made for both versions. Just curious if any of you have an opinion on this.
The only one I watched is the 135 minutes one and, even though I loved the movie, I remember thinking it could've been shorter. Don't know if that helps.

[Gittes]

The only one I watched is the 135 minutes one and, even though I loved the movie, I remember thinking it could've been shorter. Don't know if that helps.

Appreciate it. I'm still undecided about which version I'll watch (I was going to make it my next viewing, but I revisited The Lady Vanishes instead). I'll do a little bit more reading about this and make up my mind.

[MadMan]

First image from Woody Allen's next film, Irrational Man. It may be debuting at Cannes.

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/irrational-man.jpg?w=670&h=377&crop=1

Stone and Phoenix in a Woody Allen film strikes me as a pretty intriguing/amazing prospect. Not sure if there are a lot of fans of Allen's current output around here, but I always look forward to his new work (I think I was one of the few people on this forum to see Magic in the Moonlight and to mostly end up liking it). This one seems especially promising, though.
Sounds good to me. The last modern Woody Allen I watched was Midnight In Paris, which I love a lot.

[Dukefrukem]

It's not better than Christian Bale but this is a pretty good Dennis Quaid tirade.

http://www.tmz.com/2015/04/13/dennis-quaid-rant-movie-set-cursing-unprofessional/

[Dukefrukem]

It's not better than Christian Bale but this is a pretty good Dennis Quaid tirade.

http://www.tmz.com/2015/04/13/dennis-quaid-rant-movie-set-cursing-unprofessional/

Could have fooled me

http://time.com/3823289/dennis-quaids-freakout-funny-die-prank/

[MadMan]

I really wish that Dennis Quaid as a serial killer movie would not have been painfully boring. I turned it off 25-30 minutes in.

[baby doll]

Following my recent and first viewing of Anatomy of a Murder (to put it tersely: wow), I'm in the mood to check out more of Ben Gazzara's work. It's been a few years since my last viewing of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, so I'm wondering if anybody here has any thoughts on which version is superior (the 135 minute version released in 1976 or the 108 minute version released in 1978)? To be honest, I can't remember which cut I watched. I know Cassavetes apparently preferred the shorter cut, but arguments have been made for both versions. Just curious if any of you have an opinion on this.If I had to pick just one, I'd say go with the longer version, but the shorter one is worth seeing as well, especially as it has one or two scenes that aren't in the first.

[Qrazy]

Just watched Homicide. Mamet is an absolutely garbage director. How is this criterion?

[dreamdead]

Rewatched Fincher's The Game for the first time since its release. While absolutely ludicrous on a narrative level (the newscaster's direct address, Douglas's response in the coda), the film remains surprisingly watchable. A lot of that is due to the ease in which Douglas's character navigates from one scenario to the next, and the degree to which the film is willing to allow some reveals early on so that it can continue surprises later. It's the sort of film that works on a revelatory level for beginning film buffs, and is a pleasant diversion amidst more challenging works by Fincher later on.

Interested in the Criterion essay on it, at least.

[Gittes]

http://i.imgur.com/0rlgnID.jpg

Does anyone still believe in this man? I want to believe. Unbreakable, Signs, The Village: Shyamalan used to be reliably great. Long before my cinephilia took off in earnest, I remember him being, along with Spielberg, one of the first filmmakers that really garnered my attention and got me to think more about the idea of an ongoing, directorial body of work.

[Gittes]

Speaking of Spielberg and Shyamalan, I recently came across this:

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5441/17018310619_72d236d9a6_o.jpg

The comparison was always dubious, even in Shyamalan's heyday, but it's obviously even more preposterous now, given his recent creative and commercial misfires (well, if you consider international revenue, I actually don't think many of his recent films could be considered commercial failures). Still, I find this cover kind of endearing, in a nostalgic way. It reminds me of the time when he fascinated me as a skilled purveyor of exciting, thoughtfully mounted, and supremely compelling thrillers. I remember absorbedly watching the trailer to Signs, and also, the feeling of exhilaration that followed my theatrical viewing. In those days, I would stay up late, raptly listening to Coast to Coast, so Signs definitely appealed to already well entrenched, youthful obsessions. More than that, though, the presentation of the aliens, carefully doled out in creepy and oblique doses, felt hauntingly authentic. It was so long ago, but I can still remember how attuned the audience was to the whole experience. It felt like everyone in the theatre screamed at that remarkable birthday party scene (this was also one of the early indications, for me, of Joaquin Phoenix's tremendous talent).

[Winston*]

Based on that poster and the wiki synopsis, is it supposed to be a comedy?

[Gittes]

The genres listed on its IMDb page are "comedy" and "horror." The trailer is currently attached to Unfriended and will be available online sometime this week, I think. He adopted a found footage aesthetic with this one.

[transmogrifier]

He adopted a found footage aesthetic with this one.

Yippee.

[DavidSeven]

He adopted a found footage aesthetic with this one.

Gross.

[Ezee E]

http://i.imgur.com/0rlgnID.jpg

Does anyone still believe in this man? I want to believe. Unbreakable, Signs, The Village: Shyamalan used to be reliably great. Long before my cinephilia took off in earnest, I remember him being, along with Spielberg, one of the first filmmakers that really garnered my attention and got me to think more about the idea of an ongoing, directorial body of work.

My final pick in the draft!

[Ivan Drago]

The movie will probably suck, but that is an awesome poster.

[baby doll]

Just watched Homicide. Mamet is an absolutely garbage director. How is this criterion?Obviously the Elders of Zion pulled some strings.

[Spinal]

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 is currently sitting at an impressive 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. Has Armond White not seen it yet?

[Spun Lepton]

He adopted a found footage aesthetic with this one.

"What a twi --AACK!"

[[ETM]]

Dear God, Cinderella must be the most unnecessary film in recent memory.

[Raiders]

;538097']Dear God, Cinderella must be the most unnecessary film in recent memory.

I don't see how it is less necessary than just about every other film. My daughter adored it. Good enough for me.

[dreamdead]

Gina Prince-Bythewood's Beyond the Lights is the kind of midlevel romance that would have been swallowed up by audiences two decades ago, but it seems like this film is more celebrated by critics only. And that's unfortunate. Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Nate Parker are both attractive and compelling leads; at times the script goes beat-by-beat through overt themes, but the quality of the leads overwhelms any of the predictability. It's more than competent as it's able to articulate a level of character intelligence that these films often neglect.

Surprisingly good, and the kind of film that will make visit Love and Basketball after ignoring it for so many years.

[[ETM]]

I don't see how it is less necessary than just about every other film. My daughter adored it. Good enough for me.

Doesn't add anything to the animated picture, except kitchy excess, some ethnic diversity, and a more often and more bluntly stated moral of the story. I was hoping for something, but found it... empty.

[transmogrifier]

;538097']Dear God, Cinderella must be the most unnecessary film in recent memory.

You'll be happy to know there are six Robin Hood movies currently in various stages of pre-production.

[[ETM]]

You'll be happy to know there are six Robin Hood movies currently in various stages of pre-production.

Not to mention the series of Transformers flicks... yeah...

[Pop Trash]

Following my recent and first viewing of Anatomy of a Murder (to put it tersely: wow), I'm in the mood to check out more of Ben Gazzara's work.

Road House, baby.

[Gittes]

The top 10 Canadian films of all time (http://tiff.net/canadas-all-time-top-ten) (curated by a selection of "Canadian filmmakers, industry, critics, academics & programmers")



1. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner
Zacharias Kunuk, 2001

2. Mon oncle Antoine
Claude Jutra, 1971

3. The Sweet Hereafter
Atom Egoyan, 1997

4. Léolo
Jean-Claude Lauzon, 1992

5. Jésus de Montréal
Denys Arcand, 1989

6. Goin’ Down the Road
Don Shebib, 1970

7. Dead Ringers
David Cronenberg, 1988

8. C.R.A.Z.Y.
Jean-Marc Vallée, 2005

9. My Winnipeg
Guy Maddin, 2007

10. Stories We Tell
Sarah Polley, 2012

10b. Les Ordres
Michel Brault, 1974


I've seen six of these (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9). This list is missing the Canadian film that I think about most often: Springtime in Greenland (John Paizs, 1981). It's awesome. EDIT: It turns out it is noted in some of the individual lists provided by the academics, critics, etc.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Went to the LACMA yesterday, and by coincidence they were having their 50th anniversary and giving everyone free admission, and by coincidence they had a multi-room exhibition devoted to, are you ready, are you ready, German Expressionism.

Took some pictures, will post when I get home from work.

The attendants were sort of following me, probably because I was the only visitor there that looked giddy instead of stern and thoughtful.

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/GE_Title_zpsiezuv8qb.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/GE_CaligariChair_zpseigdapb2.j pg

The infamous chair from Caligari.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/GE_Metropolis_zps9urmerl3.jpg

Concept for buildings from Metropolis.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/GE_Waxworks_zpspdngszzr.jpg

Can't remember 100%, but I think this is concept for setting in Waxworks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/GE_Nibelungen_zpssccovpx5.jpg

Mechanics behind the dragon in Nibelungen.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/GE_Metropolis_Valves_zpsnxfkk4 bt.jpg

Another setting concept from Metropolis.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/GE_Caligari_zpsv0wjm7z2.jpg

Another Caligari.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/GE_Mabuse_zpsnw6u1o7q.jpg

Character design from Dr. Mabuse.

[Stay Puft]

Wow that stuff is great, damu. I'm mad jelly.

[Ezee E]

Watched an oldie for the first time in a while.

Gene Hackman in The Hunting Party. Some bloody, mean Western movie that could only have gotten made in the 70s. It's horrible, but the sweet thing about the movie is that the main weapon is a long range rifle. The final scene is just two guys taking each other out with them to an overly bloody degree. Everyone dies.

Oh, and Candice Bergman is in it.