28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[baby doll]

I thought you hated this movie.

I only watched the first two hours before turning it off. After seeing Die Nibelungen and Spione again, I thought I'd give it another shot.

[Sven]

I only watched the first two hours before turning it off. After seeing Die Nibelungen and Spione again, I thought I'd give it another shot.

Well, do try to be smart about it this time. It's quite possibly Lang's most beautifully shot picture, and it's much more imaginative than Die Nibelungen, if not quite as exciting as Spies. Still, it's one of his best and a triumph of design.

[baby doll]

So now that I've viewed Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter, and enjoyed both, what are some other good Egoyan films?

I like all of Egoyan's films, but Next of Kin, Speaking Parts and Ararat are especially interesting. I might've added Family Viewing to the list if it weren't for the lame ending, or Calendar for that matter, except it felt a bit too neat (the three characters are obviously stand-ins for different approaches to the issue of Armenian identity, making it Egoyan's most rhetorical film; it also happens to be his lightest and funniest). The Adjuster looks a lot better on second viewing (probably because I was watching it on DVD rather than VHS and cropped), though it still strikes me as somewhat forgettable, and it's been too long since I've seen Felicia's Journey to comment on it in any meaningful way. And Where the Truth Lies is definitely not lame; as grand, sleazy entertainment with one of Kevin Bacon's slimiest performances, it puts most Hollywood product to shame, although a second viewing confirmed for me that there's less here than meets the eye.

[Sven]

Yeah, Qrazy, I'd say go with Felicia's Journey. It's my favorite Egoyan.

[Raiders]

I think the point here is: just watch another Egoyan film. He's worth it.

[baby doll]

Well, do try to be smart about it this time. It's quite possibly Lang's most beautifully shot picture, and it's much more imaginative than Die Nibelungen, if not quite as exciting as Spies. Still, it's one of his best and a triumph of design.

Well, I have to call you on Die Nibelungen being unimaginative; Lang's mise en scene (tight and orderly in Siegfried's Death, messy and energetic in Kriemhild's Revenge) and his use of motifs (notice how both Hagen Tronje and Brunhild are associated with dark birds by their hats, while Siegfried's ability to communicate with birds associates him with light ones) give the film a thematic unity so that the experience of both films seen together is much more than the sum of its parts. But on a much more modest level, it's just an exquisitely beautiful film to look at.

[megladon8]

Safety Last! was wonderful.

One of the funniest movies I've seen all year.

[megladon8]

Maxim's list of the 14 worst Christmas movies ever made includes movies like The Santa Clause 2 and Jingle All the Way.

It also includes It's a Wonderful Life.

:crazy:

[Grouchy]

Bee Movie
Simon J. Smith & Steve Hickner, 2007

I have a bit of an issue with animated movies that use their voice star power as a marketing tool, mainly because I think the star should be the animation and there are a lot of excellent (mostly unknown) actors who specialize in voice performances,. But there's no way to resist the offer of a movie starring (and co-written by) Seinfield, because ever since the greatest sitcom on Earth was cancelled, we see so little of him or his co-stars. And the voice acting is the main attraction of Bee Movie. Beyond the funny actors, sometimes making fun of themselves, there's not much else.

The premise can be traced back to every kid-friendly animated movie with animals of the past 10 years. There's this member of the hive, Barry B. Benson, who's different from everyone else and craves for more adventure than spending the rest of his life in the honey business, which, in real nature, the males take no part on, but hey, it's a movie. He escapes the colony and ends up befriending a NY florist with an annoying boyfriend. On his journey, he discovers that mankind has been eating and commercializing honey for private consumption for years, so he decides to sue the human race in a Marxist predicament. Cue hilarity and a courtroom, and guest cameos by Sting and Ray Liotta.

Even if the plot is totally familiar, Bee Movie kind of works like a satire of this animation sub-genre. Things go by too fast, there's little to nothing of the DRAMA these movies always reach for, and the whole premise is based on a series of impossible events, so much so that there's a sign at the beginning that claims that bees can fly despite the technical hindrances of their wings and physical structure. In fact, looking past the cute antropomorphic animals, I don't think anyone under 12 is gonna get much outta this movie. It's like every three seconds there's gotta be a punchline or a satire or something, mostly popular culture stuff. I also think it's a satire because of the contradictory "message" - it looks like the bee is gonna be awarded for his rebellious behavior, but at the end, when he wins the case he makes things tough both for bees and the ecological balance in general, and if he achieves victory at the end with a rescue plan is because the bees support him. So, what's the message here? Don't mess with stuff? Accept what's coming to you? The answer - there's no message. The movie is one big joke, and never tries to be anything else.

With a comedy ratio this high, sometimes it misses, but most of the time it scores. Ray Liotta is awesome, there's a moment where Winnie the Poo gets a bit of police brutality, and the dialogue, although unrealistically filled to the brim with satire, is sparky and funny. There's no Seinfield-like humor, though. This is far from comedy about nothing and most of the dialogue scenes are not funny by themselves or even by the word usage, they're funny because of the context they're said in. Still, the funniest character, a mosquito played by Chris Rock, is totally underused and in fact there's not much of a point in having him in the script at all besides token funny black guy. Bee Movie is a past-time and doesn't try to be anything else, but it left me with a disappointed aftertaste. Maybe I expected something hilarious beyond rational expectations, but I saw it yesterday and I've already forgotten most of it. It's a one-trick pony and a one-time viewing experience, a comedy that rises above the level of most animated stuff only because of the care put into the casting and the voice performances. There's nothing visually arresting or groundbreaking about the run-of-the-mill animation. I recommend it for a good, hearty laugh, but I think the trailers were actually funnier. If only Larry David had been on board for this, it might be a different song.

[balmakboor]

Maxim's list of the 14 worst Christmas movies ever made includes movies like The Santa Clause 2 and Jingle All the Way.

It also includes It's a Wonderful Life.

:crazy:

The first word of your post tipped me off that I was in for some :crazy:.

[megladon8]

The first word of your post tipped me off that I was in for some :crazy:.

Indeed.

I just find it hard to comprehend how :crazy: someone has to be to create a list like that.

[balmakboor]

Indeed.

I just find it hard to comprehend how :crazy: someone has to be to create a list like that.

Is the list online? Their reasoning behind It's a Wonderful Life might be interesting. I haven't seen the other two movies you mentioned, but the list does raise the question: "Why 14?"

[Raiders]

Is the list online? Their reasoning behind It's a Wonderful Life might be interesting. I haven't seen the other two movies you mentioned, but the list does raise the question: "Why 14?"

They don't explain any of the choices, but here it is:

http://www.maximonline.com/slideshow...gCollectId=136

They also included Home Alone, which is a film I still enjoy.

[megladon8]

They don't explain any of the choices, but here it is:

http://www.maximonline.com/slideshow...gCollectId=136

They also included Home Alone, which is a film I still enjoy.

Yeh, I love the first Home Alone.

[Ivan Drago]

Weekend:

Bratz: The Movie

You're kidding, right?

And I love the first Home Alone, it's a childhood favorite of mine. I remember some guy on RT calling it the 2nd worst movie of all time, and I have no idea what people find against it.

[balmakboor]

They don't explain any of the choices, but here it is:

http://www.maximonline.com/slideshow...gCollectId=136

They also included Home Alone, which is a film I still enjoy.

You know, reading through those comments just raised the bar defining a waste of time. (Or is it lowered the bar? Ah, hell, you know what I mean.)

I hate Maxim.

[Rowland]

I used to love Home Alone as a kid, but something about it bugs the hell out of me now.

[Grouchy]

Macaulay Culkin is my favorite junkie child star of all time.

[balmakboor]

Don't you love how critics just always seem to see eye-to-eye?

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=31611
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=31608

[Cult]

The opening sequence is excellent, Simon Yam is as always very good, and I must admit that the story is quite original (about women killing all men). I'm pretty sure you will like it.

I have this on deck also. Love the av btw.

Waitress was... I'd say a disappointment, but I didn't expect much to begin with.

[dreamdead]

You're kidding, right?

Nope. I'm interested if Bratz ends up being crap or if it's got some subversive value. Now, to be sure, I don't expect the latter quality to be there, but maybe it'll even be unintentionally hilarious.

I love the John Williams score to the Home Alone series... and I still enjoy the first two in the series...

[balmakboor]

I have this on deck also. Love the av btw.

Waitress was... I'd say a disappointment, but I didn't expect much to begin with.

If you didn't expect much to begin with and it was still a disappointment, that's not good.

[Cult]

If you didn't expect much to begin with and it was still a disappointment, that's not good.

Nah, I'd say it was about on par with what I expected. Though it was a bit more odd and bitter-toned than I would have guessed. It's not very funny, not very sweet, and not very interesting. Just really lifeless.

[Raiders]

I was actually very impressed with Waitress. Much better than I even expected it to be. I posted some short thoughts:

Waitress

[Ivan Drago]

I hate Maxim.

I do too. After all, any magazine that calls Lindsay Lohan the hottest woman alive has lost all credibility with me. She was even above Jessica Alba, for Pete's sake!