| Author |
Message |
|
| Trish |
 Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 4:40 pm |
 |
|
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 2438
Location: Massachusetts
|
Marj wrote: Trish,
I love your post. You and I usually don't agree on movies but this year ... WOW, do we ever! And I agree with Lorne too. The Reader and In Bruges were my favorite movies this year along with Doubt and The Visitor.
I hope you'll see Doubt and add the others to your queue. In Bruges, The Visitor are both available now. Oh, and I forgot Ironman. I rented it because of all of the great reviews here and was amazed at how great it was.
Maybe I'll see Gran Torino someday but I'm in no rush.
I saw The Visitor last Summer - very good and I loved Iron Man (which would definitely make my top ten) |
|
|
| Back to top |
 
|
| lshap |
| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 5:04 pm |
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
|
The Visitor, yeah, another really good film.
And The Wrestler was terrific, with a performance by Rourke that was leaps and bounds better than Penn's, though I don't begrudge him his Blanche and Oscar.
The overall tone of 2008 was, "Really good" and "Really depressing". "Exceptional" it wasn't. No film was a runaway smash because no film was unreservedly great. Some great performances, though. The 'depressing' part comes from so many sad, downbeat endings.
But it's a new, exciting year, and 2009 looks like it will be the year of Pink Panther: Part 2. I'm so psyched! |
|
|
| Back to top |
 
|
| marantzo |
| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 5:45 pm |
|
|
|
Guest
|
Quote: And The Wrestler was terrific, with a performance by Rourke that was leaps and bounds better than Penn's, though I don't begrudge him his Blanche and Oscar.
I didn't see Penn's performance so I can't compare, but it is very hard for me to imagine a better performance than Rourke's. The Wrestler was a terrific movie as. I'm starting to worry. I'm agreeing with Lorne too much.
Rourke's performance was in a manner of and comparable with, the top Brando work.
I don't agree with Lorne about 08's exceptionality. There are a handful of films that will be eagerly watched by film lovers from generations hence. The Visitor, In Bruges, The Wrestler, Iron Man, Ghost Town (I hope), Slumdog, Those are what I can remember of the one's I saw and thought were excellent, I'm sure some other will pop into my head. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Syd |
| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 6:04 pm |
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
|
| That's really not an impressive haul of films for a calendar year. |
_________________
Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Kate |
| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:32 pm |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 1397
Location: Pacific Northwest
|
Trish wrote: I haven't seen Gran Torino. I wasn't too impressed with the trailers - so I'vebeen a bit reticent to go see it (along with no asmuch time lately to see films). I'm sure I will catch it eventually.
I saw Milk, Slum Dog Millionaire, Benjamin Button which I thought were all good - but none blew me away. There was a serious sound issue at the theatre where I saw Milk.
I thought Penn was great as Milk, although I'm a bit perplexed why there has been so much brouhaha about James Franco and Josh Brolin's performances. I thought they were both fine but neither performance stood out to me.
I just got from Netflix, "I loved you So Long" - I'll be curious how Scott Thomas is in it. Hopefully I'll see Frozen River ala Netflix soon too.
Still need to see The Wrestler
I really loved Milk and especially Penn's performance. It was so utterly real that I feel like I know HM. I did not get the same for Brolin - I just did not find his perf as absorbing. I did get the same sense from Franco, who I thought should have been up for a nom - he was really terrific. He is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| warpedgirl17 |
| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:34 pm |
|
|
Joined: 06 Jan 2009
Posts: 51
Location: Salt Lake City,Utah
|
| I just saw Slumdong Millionaire last week with my mom. I loved it! I thought it was an amazing film! I loved the camera work and the different camera shots in the film! The actors were brilliant! I will be getting this on DVD when it comes out! My mom loved it too! |
_________________
I read somewhere... how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong... but to feel strong.- Christopher McCandless(Into The Wild) |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Nancy |
| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:28 pm |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4607
Location: Norman, OK
|
| Glad you liked it, warpedgirl! I thought it was really outstanding. (BTW, I saw a couple of episodes of The Big Bang Theory and I'm hooked. Thanks for the recommendation!) |
_________________
"All in all, it's just another feather in the fan."
Isaacism, 2009 |
|
| Back to top |
|
| lshap |
| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 10:18 pm |
|
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
|
| warpedgirl - I really liked Slumdog and understand why so many people raved. On a certain level it's very powerful, romantic entertainment. It left me hungry for something deeper because its strengths were mostly of the comic book variety. It seemed to be uncovering brutal reality, but at a certain point I realized I was watching fantasy. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Marc |
| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 10:37 pm |
|
|
Joined: 19 May 2004
Posts: 8424
|
Gomorra is a powerful film about the Mafia in Naples. It is nitty griity, documentary-like, sprawling, bleak and very well-acted by a cast of mostly non-professionals. It's a demanding film that drops you into the middle of the action with very little exposition. Gomorra gathers momentum as it progresses and the cumulative effect is nightmarish. At the screening I attended, about a half dozen people walked out. This is not the Godfather or Goodfellas. There is not a hint of Hollywood in this film. It has more in common with the neo-realist films of the 50s and 60s. But, the brutal and explicit violence of the film is contemporary.
Gomorra is based on real events and its frightening to see just how long the reach of organized crime is. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| lshap |
| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 10:40 pm |
|
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
|
But it's a whole different ballgame when you go in expecting a comic book.
Just came back from The Watchmen and....and....holy shit. In a good way. I never read the book, I know nothing of its mythology, and maybe that's a good thing, because there were no comparisons and no expectations.
And really, there are no comparisons. The Watchmen is the best comic book I've ever seen brought to film. I spent two-and-a-half hours absorbed in its swirling hallucinogenic nightmare which takes place in an alternate reality, through the eyes of most interesting characters I've ever seen in spandex (except for Mickey Rourke).
I have no idea how to review this film, other than to say it tackles both the simple story and the huge theme, it showcases absolute power and wavering doubt, it presents good guys and bad guys who happen to be both, and it screams questions without imposing answers. It's got Peter Parker's vulnerability, Batman's moral thunderstorm, the X-Men's action, all combined with Tarantino-esque violence. It is big, bold and brazen.
But it's still a comic book. Set your suspension of disbelief accordingly and enjoy. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 11:43 pm |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
|
| I've been curious what the Third Eye Rection might be. Thanks Lorne. |
_________________
You've got a great brain. You should keep it in your head.
-Topher |
|
| Back to top |
|
| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:38 am |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
Joe Vitus wrote: I've been curious what the Third Eye Rection might be. Thanks Lorne.
It certainly seems to have prompted a Third Eye Rection from Lorne.
The overall "rection" to this movie has been wildly mixed, everything from Lorne's all the way down to "avoid at all costs." |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:44 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
Marc wrote: Gomorra is a powerful film about the Mafia in Naples. It is nitty griity, documentary-like, sprawling, bleak and very well-acted by a cast of mostly non-professionals. It's a demanding film that drops you into the middle of the action with very little exposition. Gomorra gathers momentum as it progresses and the cumulative effect is nightmarish. At the screening I attended, about a half dozen people walked out. This is not the Godfather or Goodfellas. There is not a hint of Hollywood in this film. It has more in common with the neo-realist films of the 50s and 60s. But, the brutal and explicit violence of the film is contemporary.
Gomorra is based on real events and its frightening to see just how long the reach of organized crime is.
I watched the first half hour of Gomorra (on my home computer) and did the home-viewing version of walking out. Marc may well be correct about the movie being worthwhile on the level it exists on, but the story was incoherent and didn't grab me. Marc's version is that it's "demanding," that it "drops you into the middle of the action with very little exposition." Now I am not an exposition fan, but more is necessary for me than you get here. I had a similar reaction to The Wire, however, which many love, but call me an ADD victim or whatever, I need more help than Gomorra is willing to give. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:24 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 30 May 2004
Posts: 12533
|
| "Gomorra" will be in Santa Fe soon. I've seen the coming attractions a few times. I would imagine the Scorsese name would be a big draw there. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| marantzo |
| Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 10:17 am |
|
|
|
Guest
|
Nancy wrote: Glad you liked it, warpedgirl! I thought it was really outstanding. (BTW, I saw a couple of episodes of The Big Bang Theory and I'm hooked. Thanks for the recommendation!)
I recommended The Big Bang Theory when it first hit the small screen. My ratings get no respect, no respect.
Billy, yes, the reviews for Watchmen have been all over the place. They use a nice devise here with some of the movie reviews in the paper. After the review they print a lot of quotes from other reviewers around world. So it was a very mixed bag. The two reviews from Winnipeg critics were both positive. One being an outright rave and the other being mixed but having the reviewer say that she had to see it again, because she thought it would be better with more than one viewing. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
