The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

i do. quit wasting your money and blu-rays and go buy me some

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

Put That Cookie Down! - YouTube

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

I look forward to blind buying this and watching it whenever it goes on a good sale. I decided to wait on it when it came out because I had two other Hitchcock movies in my collection still left to watch at the time.

When I saw this in high school it blew my mind. Actually, it's was my gateway film into Classic Cinema.

Al, thanks for the details on the SE. I probably won't even notice those nit picks, but I really want to freaking see those scenes. I'm always bugging my brother to see it again with me but he rolls his eyes as he left Terminator behind in Middle School.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

The Terminator


Recommendation: Watch this film if you want to live.

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Terminator 2: Judgment Day


Recommendation: Affirmative.

Good ones.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i do. quit wasting your money and blu-rays and go buy me some

I'll get right on that. Proofread your post while you're waiting.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

I'll get right on that. Proofread your post while you're waiting.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

I'll get right on that. Proofread your post while you're waiting.

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

i meant what i wrote... how many unwatched blu-rays you got? triple digits yet? that means you are in fact, wasting them

[Abdrewes]

Im Here about to watch Stand Up Guys. There's only 6-8 people here and this is one of the bigger screens.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i meant what i wrote... how many unwatched blu-rays you got? triple digits yet? that means you are in fact, wasting them

How was I supposed to know you actually meant that?

Just counting movies, yes, it's still a little over triple digits. It's not wasting them if I watch 3 or 4 of my movies a week though.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i meant what i wrote... how many unwatched blu-rays you got? triple digits yet? that means you are in fact, wasting them

I was laughing at the "proofread" part of his post.

[Abdrewes]

Stand Up Guys (2013)

Al Pacino has just been released from prison. His partner in crime played by the old and lonely Christopher Walken whom happens to spend his free time painting Bridges under vanilla skies and conversing with a young amiable waitress, picks him up from jail and treats him a bit too nice.*

I've just introduced just about all the predictable plot elements that will populate the third act. A few of them pay off, but oh boy it's a slog getting there. Horrendous and heavy handed dialogue moves this absolutely cliched clunker along. After being busted out of prison, Al Pacino goes to a ***** house, he can't get it up so he has to make a stop at a pharmacy store. He nails her four times then goes to a bar to "party." All the while he describes his penis as "Mt. Everest", "his pet cobra" and "as hard as the rock of Gibraltar." In another random subplot, after rescuing a hooker and handcuffing all three abusers, the woman asks the men if they're into ballet "cuz here comes the nutcracker." To use another cliche, as far as laughable, juvenile and heavy handed dialogue goes, that's the tip of the iceberg.*

For someone who rebuts, "Okay, so the script is pretty bad, I just wanna see these acting greats banter," I say Christopher Walken is often off his game, delivering clunky lines much too earnest and slow. Al Pacino is definitely adequate. Sure, it's just another paycheck, but at times you really forget it especially in the scene where he convinces a twenty something to dance with him. Alan Alda, much like his supporting turn in Argo, steals the show. I would have loved it if he was in more than twenty minutes of the film. His subplot along with the waitress subplot, though massively contrived, are the most touching. They almost make this picture worthwhile. An I have to admit, when those two subplots climaxed, I shamefully had a lump in my throat.*

Its a long, predictable disappointment. Few films can pull off the "last great hurrah" for an aging actor. John Wayne's final film 'The Shootist' had me in tears, while this one had me looking towards the exits. The dialogue is so bad that improvising and rewrites while shooting would have been less cringeworthy. Many times it seemed like the intention was to craft the worst possible line for the "Gangster Movie" parody. Anyways, when it was all said and done, for every dozen misses, there were two or three decent grounders. Need only apply if you're dying of curiosity.

4/10

[jvince]

(Notes on) Biology (2012 Palm Springs Int'l ShortFest) - YouTube

(Notes on) Biology (2011)
dir. Danny Madden

The Good: Robot Elephant!!!!! Crazy amazing blend of hand-drawn and stop-motion animation, forming one hell of an exhilarating flipbook-style short. Great sound design as well.

The Bad: Really nothing more than a 6-minute display of some pretty darn impressive art skills (and lots of patience).

The Bottom Line: There's a good reason why (Notes on) Biology has been winning over audiences at various film festivals. It's simply pure fun and entertainment. Go check it out. Now, where's my robot elephant game? I'd play the shit out of that.

[surfdude12]

Jaws

Film: 5/5

-classic horror that scared the CRAP out of me as a 7 year old when I watched it on TV w/o parental supervision
-watching it now was soooo different. It has aged pretty well, IMO. A beach island town won't change much over time, since a beach will always be a beach, and the houses on that kind of island town don't get rebuilt every 10 years or so. So Amity Island looked pretty close to what an island town like that would look today, IMO. Only difference was the 70's swimsuits and haircuts
-like all great horror films (Alien, Halloween, Shining) this film has great pacing, with very little gore/imagery, thus allowing terror/suspense to build in the viewer's mind. Showing the Shark's perspective (upward view of chick's legs on water surface) was a perfect way to (a) show the shark, but (b) not show the shark
-a few quibs: (a) the score became incredibly cheesy and upbeat near the end when they were chasing the shark in the boat - it sounded like a Mary Poppins score - waaaaaay too happy/warm/upbeat for a shark hunt , (b) where the heck did Hooper go when

[Show spoiler]he went to bottom of the ocean and fell out of cage? he didn't surface for 20 mins. I thought he was going to get the tranquilizer gun and stab Jaws with it. I suppose instead he just hid until he saw Jaws die? what a wuss I would have done the same thing , I suppose

, (c) OMFG why didn't Brody punch the Mayor? Someone??? Or put him under arrest?? was it 2 or 3 times that he

[Show spoiler]kept the beach open against advice and cost lives? and NOBODY called him out on it? I would have gone to the press after the FIRST time if I was Brody.

, (d) Quint was pure bada$$ - his monologue about shark eyes and their bite sent chills up my spine

[legendarymatt92]

Having seen even more short films yesterday, I decided that I'd share them with you again to get people's opinions. If we continue to watch as many short films as we are doing, this could become a weekly thing.

Anyway, this week we focused more on the "character" aspects within the short films -- with such a small amount of time in order to achieve at least some character development so that the audience may identify with the protagonist, film-makers continue to come back to the format to strain their skills.

Neighbours (dir. Buster Keaton, 1920) run-time: 17:35

"Neighbours" - Buster Keaton SILENT COMEDY (1920) - YouTube

The amazing Keaton is sometimes overlooked and under-favoured for the arguably more famous Charlie Chaplin, but it's true that, with his unique style, Keaton probably changed and morphed cinema more than Chaplin. Neighbours is an example of great story-telling in a very short amount of time, with Keaton as the now famous stone-faced, down on his luck everyman.

Bonus Keaton: Sherlock Jr. 1924

Sherlock Jr 1924 Buster Keaton - YouTube

The Man Without a Head (dir. Juan Solanas, 2003) run-time: 17:25

The Man without a Head - YouTube

A beautiful French film that creates an emotional link with a character without a head, it's a Terry Gilliam-esque look at a future world where Phelps, who has never owned a head, gets ready for an important date. Such an inspiring and amazing short that deals with the theme of love and self-esteem.

01:42:08 to Qualify (or A Man and His Car) (dir. George Lucas, 1966) run-time: 7:19

01 42 08 To Qualify - George Lucas - First Short Film - 1966 - YouTube

An interesting look at one of Lucas' earliest films, "A Man and his Car" follows the qualification lap of an un-named driver. What's extremely interesting is the mobile and fluid camera that Lucas, especially through Star Wars, is not necessarily praised or known for. A simple story, but an intelligent piece of film-making that has you rooting for the character even though he doesn't speak.

Electric Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB (dir. George Lucas, 1967) run-time: 15:05

THX1138 - YouTube

Since Star Wars is big news at the moment, another Lucas short wouldn't go amiss -- here, 4 years before creating his first feature length film (which would be an extension of this short), Lucas creates a future world where everyone is controlled and monitored constantly. As one commenter on YouTube has stated, "[Lucas] was on some good acid".

And finally, to wrap things up!

Tuileries [from Paris, Je T'aime] (dir. Coen Brothers, 2006) run-time: 6:32

Paris, je t'aime (2006) - Tuileries (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen) - YouTube

No Coen Brothers film needs any introduction, and this short for the 2006 episodic, feature length love letter to the French capital speaks for itself....just watch Steve Buschemi in one of his greatest performances ever.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

Electric Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB (dir. George Lucas, 1967) run-time: 15:05

THX1138 - YouTube

Since Star Wars is big news at the moment, another Lucas short wouldn't go amiss -- here, 4 years before creating his first feature length film (which would be an extension of this short), Lucas creates a future world where everyone is controlled and monitored constantly. As one commenter on YouTube has stated, "[Lucas] was on some good acid".

Visually interesting, just a little light on the plot and substance imo. I liked the full-length movie a little better, but it's all weird stuff.

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

Tuileries [from Paris, Je T'aime] (dir. Coen Brothers, 2006) run-time: 6:32

Paris, je t'aime (2006) - Tuileries (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen) - YouTube

No Coen Brothers film needs any introduction, and this short for the 2006 episodic, feature length love letter to the French capital speaks for itself....just watch Steve Buschemi in one of his greatest performances ever.

This was my favorite part of the Paris, Je T'amie collection.

[Al_The_Strange]

Started watching my next greatest blind-buy: Love Exposure

Given the sheer epicness of this film, I can't watch it all in one sitting (even though I probably could, since the film doesn't seem to drag much). I'll have to finish it tomorrow. First impressions:

• This is so messed-up.
• This is so not messed-up.
• This is funny.
• This is sad.
• This could have been an anime film, or a manga.
• This could have been a kung-fu movie.
• This could have been a high-school comedy.
• This is another great reason why 2008 is my favorite year in films thus far.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Started watching my next greatest blind-buy: Love Exposure

Given the sheer epicness of this film, I can't watch it all in one sitting (even though I probably could, since the film doesn't seem to drag much). I'll have to finish it tomorrow. First impressions:

• This is so messed-up.
• This is so not messed-up.
• This is funny.
• This is sad.
• This could have been an anime film, or a manga.
• This could have been a kung-fu movie.
• This could have been a high-school comedy.
• This is another great reason why 2008 is my favorite year in films thus far.

You're only half way through and you've already pretty much hit the nail on the head

[legendarymatt92]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Visually interesting, just a little light on the plot and substance imo. I liked the full-length movie a little better, but it's all weird stuff.

Same here; the full movie seems, as obvious as it sounds, more filled out and complete but, as you say, it's the visual aspect that's the best with the short.

This was my favorite part of the Paris, Je T'amie collection.

Definitely, although I did enjoy Alfonso Cuaron's segment a lot.

[volcomsocal]

Janie Jones - 2010

Has-been rock star Ethan is attempting a comeback when a former groupie tells him he has a 13 year old daughter, Janie, and leaves her in his care. (Netflix summary)

This is a very touching and well acted no nonsense indie drama. I recommend it. Not much else to say, except that I loved it. Ohhh, and that girl can sing!

Netflix streaming

PQ - n/a
AQ - n/a

5/5

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

[Show spoiler]Started watching my next greatest blind-buy: Love Exposure

Given the sheer epicness of this film, I can't watch it all in one sitting (even though I probably could, since the film doesn't seem to drag much). I'll have to finish it tomorrow. First impressions:

• This is so messed-up.
• This is so not messed-up.
• This is funny.
• This is sad.
• This could have been an anime film, or a manga.
• This could have been a kung-fu movie.
• This could have been a high-school comedy.

• This is another great reason why 2008 is my favorite year in films thus far.

I feel that way about the following year. To me, 2009 stands out above any others over the past decade. I thought it was a ridiculously good year. After posting my Top 20 of 2012 for this site's poll, I started comparing to my lists from other years.

Here's my top 20 of 2009:

[Show spoiler]1. A Serious Man
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. Thirst
4. A Prophet
5. 500 Days of Summer
6. The Road
7. Mr. Nobody
8. Up
9. Star Trek
10. Mother
11. The Hurt Locker
12. The White Ribbon
13. Coraline
14. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
15. Watchmen
16. Drag Me to Hell
17. District 9
18. Broken Embraces
19. The Lovely Bones
20. Last Train Home

Such a great list of films that it's hard to believe it's all from the same year. The list is so solid that movies like Moon and Mary and Max couldn't even make the top 20. Here are some honorable mentions:

[Show spoiler]Moon
Brothers
Black Dynamite
Secret of Kells
Secret in Their Eyes
Up in the Air
Mary and Max
The Hangover
Zombieland
Avatar
Summer Wars
Mother and Child
Fish Tank
Triangle
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinski
The Messenger
Julie & Julia
Nine
State of Play
The House of the Devil
Away We Go
Everybody's Fine (a personal fave)

I really liked all of these films. For me, no other recent year even holds a candle to 2009, except maybe 2011. I guess my 2009 was your 2008...