The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Riff Magnum]

The Fountain is just a big fat downer. Tree of Life goes up and down, up and down, but in the end it's a very joyful and beautiful take on life and death.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Its weird. When I read your posts I get the vibe that the movie was "about" the Mom for you. Am I off base there? For me the movie was 100% about Jack and everyone else was just a peripheral character.

No, you're right. The film is 100% about Jack, and its probably about how Old Jack sees Mom, or how Old Jack sees Mom seeing God

I'm probably hanging onto the Mom because

[Show spoiler](a) her experience was identical to my mom: lost 1 of 3 kids, was told "you still have the other 2", cursed god, grew to accept god, etc etc, and (b) didn't have brothers (had 2 sisters), so the brothers part of the film didn't hit me as hard. I still think Old Jack's story will hit me harder, the more I watch it though, as it seemed like Old Jack blamed himself for his brothers death (or at least felt guilty for not watching over him), another emotion I can relate to.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

you mean the characters emotionally visited those places in the Fountain? not physically visited?

.

No. No I dont mean that. That would be wrong.

First of all, I never said physically visited. Secondly, they dont use emotion to visit those places. They use their imagination to visit those places. They may have an emotional experience during their imaginary visit, but emotion is not the vehicle they use to travel to those places.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Hmmmm. I guess I just think differently and thats why I didnt connect them (characters) to the daydreaming/pondering the same way you did. Interesting.

I can completely see how its a big jump (to conclude the characters were envisioning those sequences). Perhaps Malick didn't intend that. I don't know. Most likely, my personal experience triggered that (the jump that the charhacters were thinking those visions, since I have pondered similar ones as a result of similar experiences).

I was watching New World last night. Malick's films seem to put me in "memory recall" mode. What I mean by that: you know when you hear a song on the radio that you had forgotten and say "oh! I know this song! Its ____!"?? When I watch Malick's films and hear some of the voiceovers, like Farrell in New World last night saying "where does this inner voice come from that tells me what the next right thing to do is?", I have the same reaction as hearing that song on the radio: "oh! I know that inner voice! I hear it too"
That's why I seem to enjoy his films, I guess. But with him, its more "feeling recall" than "memory recall"

Yes I see the similarities between Tommy from the Fountain and the Mom. A lot. From denial, to acceptance, to actually embracing.
.

awesome, glad to hear I wasn't completely out there!

I can't decide which soundtrack was better. Probably leaning toward The Fountain, although this was my favorite track on Tree of Life:

The Tree of Life - Lacrimosa - YouTube

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

No. No I dont mean that. That would be wrong.

First of all, I never said physically visited. Secondly, they dont use emotion to visit those places. They use their imagination to visit those places. They may have an emotional experience during their imaginary visit, but emotion is not the vehicle they use to travel to those places.

touche!

"have an emotional experience during their imaginary visit" - nice!!!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

I'm probably hanging onto the Mom because didn't have brothers (had 2 sisters), so the brothers part of the film didn't hit me as hard.

Isnt that fascinating? I'm the opposite. I had no brothers and one older sister that I was never close to at all. But for me, watching the boys interact and test each other and bond was SUPER powerful. When they were tender with each other it hit me like a ton of bricks. Maybe because I never had those experiences.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Riff Magnum

The Fountain is just a big fat downer. Tree of Life goes up and down, up and down, but in the end it's a very joyful and beautiful take on life and death.

How can you say that Riff? Tommy comes to believe

[Show spoiler]in a Tree of Life. That he will always be with, and be a part of Izzi, and that they will always be together in some type of spiritual place. He finds peace at her grave where her physical remains are. He finally accepts the circle of life. Its so beautiful.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

"oh! I know that inner voice! I hear it too"
That's why I seem to enjoy his films, I guess.

That explains a lot. I wonder how many strong Malick fans have that same experience.

I can't decide which soundtrack was better. Probably leaning toward The Fountain, although this was my favorite track on Tree of Life:
The Tree of Life - Lacrimosa - YouTube

The score in The Tree of Life was so perfect. It was like another character.

I like how Aronofsky uses "sounds", and "silence", not just music to enhance his flicks. Its pretty blatant and heavy handed (like in Requiem for a Dream) so I could understand some folks actually disliking it, but it really really works for me. I'm just easily manipulated.

[Riff Magnum]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

How can you say that Riff? Tommy comes to believe

[Show spoiler]in a Tree of Life. That he will always be with, and be a part of Izzi, and that they will always be together in some type of spiritual place. He finds peace at her grave where her physical remains are. He finally accepts the circle of life. Its so beautiful.

Well, that is true. So, about 5 minutes of the movie is actually "happy."
I really like the Fountain anyways, but TOL just hits the spot for me.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

The score in The Tree of Life was so perfect. It was like another character.

I like how Aronofsky uses "sounds", and "silence", not just music to enhance his flicks. Its pretty blatant and heavy handed (like in Requiem for a Dream) so I could understand some folks actually disliking it, but it really really works for me. I'm just easily manipulated.

I like how Malick used "silence" in one way:

(1) the scene where

[Show spoiler]they found out the son was dead. the mom calls Pitt to tell him. he's at an air strip where the airplane engine DROWNS OUT all audio. All we have is Pitt's face on the phone. We see it go from "hey what's up!" to "OMFG" in a 10 second interval. Genuis

(2) another one:

[Show spoiler]after they find out the son is dead, we hear a constant low-pitch or high-pitch tone that drowns out all character audio. the mom is screaming. we can't hear her. she is drowned out. again: genius.

I loved Aranofsky's use of silence in The Fountain, especially when

[Show spoiler]Jackman was in the bubble and whispering to Weisz (tree) and we'd see the hairs on the tree go up down with his voice/breathing. you could HEAR the tree breathing, from what I recall. Then there was my favorite moment of silence, just before we see the bubble explode and the tree grow and jackman rise up in "Death is the Road to Awe" = greatest track ever!!

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by jvince

Genre: Action | Thriller
Synopsis: A black ops super soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission.
Running Time: 1 hour, 33 minutes

[Show spoiler]
Director: Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's Eleven)
Writer: Lem Dobbs (Dark City)
Stars: Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class), Ewan McGregor (Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith), Bill Paxton (Titanic), Channing Tatum (Step Up), Mathieu Kassovitz (Amélie), Michael Angarano (Sky High), Antonio Banderas (Desperado), Michael Douglas (Wall Street)

Steven Soderbergh makes a welcome return to the genre with Haywire, a stylistic revenge film unlike any of the usual slew of action/thrillers... and perhaps his best and most entertaining outing since his 2001 caper, Ocean's Eleven.

Gina Carano of MMA fame -- who makes her feature-length debut as betrayed CIA agent, Mallory Kane -- does a respectable job overall as the lead. Carano may need some work on her acting and delivery, but Soderbergh wisely gives her minimal dialogue and more ass-kicking screentime. The acting by the ensemble is good and what you'd expect from vets like Douglas and Banderas. The cinematography and especially the score are quite wonderful, as both meld together perfectly.

Pacing is a bit slow (which might be an issue for some action fans), but it does a great job taking its time to build-up some tension. Action is also sparse, but when it gets going, it's a thing of beauty to watch. In fact, if there's one reason to see this movie, it's absolutely for the fight sequences. Carano was obviously cast mainly for the stunts and she brings it on while Soderbergh does his thing and shoots each sequence with refreshing eyes. No shaky-cam and excessive edits here that would leave you nauseous and make you wonder what's going on. All is shot steadily with minimal cuts, adding a sense of rawness and realism, making the viewer feel like a spectator within the scene.

Plot-wise, Haywire may be pretty basic and been-there-done-that -- and yes, it is higher on style than substance -- but it's still a blast regardless, and a commendable effort on the part of Soderbergh for trying to take the tired action/thriller formula and dress it up as something new.

Looking forward to seeing Haywire, even if it won't be in the theater.

Kind of surprised that Gina's voice got either altered or dubbed altogether, but that doesn't change my desire to watch the movie. I don't know what she really sounds like anyways.

[jvince]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

Looking forward to seeing Haywire, even if it won't be in the theater.

Kind of surprised that Gina's voice got either altered or dubbed altogether, but that doesn't change my desire to watch the movie. I don't know what she really sounds like anyways.

Wow, I didn't know about that. She must be really horrible then, because while her acting and delivery were awkward (Tatum too), I thought she had a great tone to her voice. But it turns out that's not entirely hers.

[Steve46]

22. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Science Fiction, Drama, 137 minutes
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon and Teri Garr



Close Encounters works so well because of the way Spielberg slowly increases the suspense. This is not a movie that relies on special effects; it succeeds because of a strong script and good acting. Although we learn of the alien presence at the start of the movie, most of the story consists of people's reactions to those early events.

Why is Roy (Dreyfuss) behaving oddly and causing his wife and children to freak out? Chicken wire and mud in the living room is not normally a recipe for a good marriage, but it soon becomes clear why Roy thinks it's necessary. The idea is pretty simple, with an image being placed in the minds of selected people. Jillian (Dillon) has reasons of her own to pursue something and teams up quite believably with Roy. I like that there's no forced romance between the two and that they are merely acting on instinct.

One refreshing thing about the movie is that the aliens aren't portrayed as invaders. There's no hostility in their actions, they just want to know and understand us. What a contrast to most science fiction movies up until that point.

Spielberg keeps you interested for over two hours as two people journey across the country. That's quite an achievement. Notice too that the conclusion resists the temptation to show us too much about the aliens. Close Encounters is great cinema and has wide appeal to audiences of all ages.

If you like Close Encounters of the Third Kind:

Spielberg is very good at making movies which rely more on the journey than the destination. Think of Indiana Jones, Jaws, or Saving Private Ryan. His appeal lies in the details and the motivations of his characters.

If you enjoyed the science fiction aspect of the story, consider The Abyss from James Cameron. Like Close Encounters, it's the very presence of the aliens that matters rather than their appearance or their actions.

[surfdude12]

La Vie En Rose

Film: 3/5

-supposed true story about a famous French singer who lived from 1910-1960 era
-showed her rough childhood upbringing, difficulty getting into the singing business and then other bumps down the road as she aged and suffered from illnesses, and her coming to terms with all of that
-Oscar winning performance by Marion Cotillard, and well deserved
-Great hair, makeup and costume
-My problem with the film was simple: her character wasn't very interesting. She was self-absorbed to the core, spending most of the film complaining and whining about why she's not getting her way. I can't recall one instance when the film portrayed her thinking about anyone but herself. So why am I to feel bad for her when she hits bumps in the road?

[Steve46]

My favorite director is 66 today:

David Lynch - Funny Moments 7 - YouTube

David Lynch on iPhone - YouTube

Tailgating - Lost Highway - YouTube

Mystery man - Lost Highway - YouTube

Mulholland Dr. (1/10) Movie CLIP - Dan's Nightmare (2001) HD - YouTube

Mulholland Dr. (6/10) Movie CLIP - The Cowboy (2001) HD - YouTube

Hey, Man - YouTube

Candy-Colored Clown in "Blue Velvet" - YouTube

In Heaven - Eraserhead - YouTube

David Lynch - Funny Moments 9 - YouTube

Twin Peaks: Tibet - YouTube

[antmumford]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Twin Peaks: Tibet - YouTube

Good call

"Erase it Lucy" Cracks me up everytime!

Happy Birthday Mr Lynch

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by antmumford

Good call

"Erase it Lucy" Cracks me up everytime!

Happy Birthday Mr Lynch

I think seeing that scene in Twin Peaks was the reason Lynch grabbed my interest. I saw that series before any of his films.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Steve46

My favorite director is 66 today:

Mulholland Dr. (1/10) Movie CLIP - Dan's Nightmare (2001) HD - YouTube

that is SO WEIRD - I popped in Mulholland and fast forwarded to THIS SCENE last night

such an eerie scene. the faces of the characters + background score =

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

that is SO WEIRD - I popped in Mulholland and fast forwarded to THIS SCENE last night

such an eerie scene. the faces of the characters + background score =

Dan's expressions are perfect in that scene. Everything fits together and produces a tense scene that draws you in. The film might not work for many people, but it's hard to knock some of the individual scenes.

All I watched last night was 50/50.

[Steve46]

Another entry in my Top 100 blah blah blah...

23. Closer (2004)
Drama, Romance, 104 minutes
Directed by Mike Nichols
Starring Clive Owen, Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Julia Roberts



I mentioned in my introduction that it's not always easy to recommend movies to other people, even if you know them well. Closer was one selection that wasn't appreciated because "it's full of boring dialogue."

I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with my friend on that point. Closer is a film full of intelligent, realistic, captivating dialogue. Yep, all they do is talk, but those conversations are convincing and mix potent drama with genuinely funny sequences. It's clear that the film was adapted from a play, but the content is so good that it translates easily from one medium to another.

Closer succeeds on the strength of the script, but it wouldn't be as effective without strong performances from the four main characters. Fans of any of the four would probably enjoy this film. It shows how people think and interact. So many movies feel contrived, but many of these conversations could happen. It feels genuine to me.

It's refreshing to see a film populated by intelligent characters. While box office success often relies on reaching the lowest common denominator, Closer gives its audience some credit. It's hard to pick out a favorite performance, but I think Clive Owen just edges it. I love how he speaks his lines with such conviction.

Closer should appeal to fans of intelligent dialogue and good acting. You'll come away feeling like you know these people. Each is flawed, but from their point of view they think they are honest and good. It's a fascinating study of human nature.

If you like Closer:

The first movie I would like to suggest is The Graduate, also directed by Nichols. It's interesting to see how styles and attitudes changed between what was acceptable in 1967 and what works in 2004. Both have romantic elements, but they are so much more than simple romances.

It's hard to watch Closer without thinking about Woody Allen. Whether it's pure slapstick or a serious drama, Allen's movies rely on good dialogue and a strong cast. Several spring to mind, but I would say Vicky Cristina Barcelona is the closest in feel.