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| billyweeds |
 Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 7:28 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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After all the talk about the auto-amputation scene in 127 Hours, I was surprised to find it graphic but basically undisturbing, being the culmination of a hopeless situation and therefore a cathartic freeing of the spirit of the central character. The movie itself is extremely well made but not great, featuring an extraordinary overuse of the split-screen and the jumpy camera to tell a story that's very limited in scope and therefore dependent on hallucinations, flashbacks, and premonitions.
James Franco plays the real-life Aron Ralston, who chose to cut off his own right arm rather than die trapped in a canyon. It's an unusual story to say the least, but made completely believable by director/co-writer Danny Boyle and the actor James Franco, who lets you follow every transition in the character's psychology. In the end, Ralston becomes a better person through his ordeal--more giving, more open, more human.
I was engaged by but not insanely in love with this movie, which IMO has been slightly overrated for its "money" scene. As I noted, this scene is fantastic in its way, but in no way made me feel faint or sick to my stomach, the way it's apparently affecting others. I was more shaken by Janet Leigh's death in Psycho, to cite just one example. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:33 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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None of these new films being discussed sound of any interest to me.
What films are we waiting for in the waning months of this year??
I guess I want to see Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives and Woody Allen's Tall Dark Stranger, though I don't have high hopes for either.
Anybody have a list of 2010 favorites?
I've been pretty slack on compiling one this year.
Edit: this got me to sort through the watched-but-not-yet-put-away pile on the side of my dvd players. Here's what I've got, mostly 2009 foreign releases which were US released in 2010:
Very Good
1. The White Ribbon
2. A Prophet
3. The Wind Journeys
Reasonably Good
4. Exit Through the Gift Shop
5. Lourdes
Okay
6. You Don't Know Jack
7. The Social Network
8. I Love You Phillip Morris
9. Mr. Nobody
10. Entre Nos
11. Milk of Sorrow
12. The Thorn in the Heart
&
Didn't care for much:
- Solitary Man
- Please Give
- Life During Wartime
- Fish Tank
- Greenberg
- The Secret In Her Eyes
Usually I see a lot more Current Year films than this.
Where/which are the top American films of 2010?? |
Last edited by gromit on Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:39 am; edited 1 time in total
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:39 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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gromit--Since two of your "Didn't Care For" films are in my top five, I fear there's a lot of difference between us. In any case, my top five so far are:
(in alphabetical order since I can't decide yet which comes first):
1) Hereafter
2) The King's Speech
3) Please Give
4) Secretariat
5) Solitary Man
Runners-up are Cyrus and The Social Network.
Best Actor:
Matt Damon, Hereafter
Michael Douglas, Solitary Man
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Jonah Hill, Cyrus
John C. Reilly, Cyrus
Best Actress:
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Cecile De France, Hereafter
Catherine Keener, Please Give
Diane Lane, Secretariat
Emma Stone, Easy A
Marisa Tomei, Cyrus |
Last edited by billyweeds on Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:05 am; edited 1 time in total |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:53 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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I haven't seen 3 of your top 5, but wasn't (yet) intending to see any of them unless further positive feedback persuades me. But I'll keep your skyward opposable digit in mind.
Solitary Man was okay, but didn't interest me.
Now that I think of it, it does have some similarities with Once is Not Enough, mostly regarding Kirk/Michael Douglas playing aging failed fathers.
I'm really having trouble remembering much at all about Mr. Nobody, and it's on my list because it was on my list. IMDb seems to be blocked in China today, and I'm relying on AllMovie.com for info and release dates, and nothing there triggered my memory of Mr. Nobody. |
Last edited by gromit on Sat Nov 13, 2010 2:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:57 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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Jeez, I've never heard of the film Cyrus -- about Carter's Secretary of State, right? (joking).
The Kids Are All Right is good?
The dvd just turned up here and I couldn't recall the consensus. I'll have to search for the discussion on that.
I like Benning.
I'll need to research Easy A and Hereafter, two films I've only just heard the names of. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:02 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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The Kids Are All Right is all right, not great, but the acting--particularly Bening's--is really terrific.
Cyrus is an amazing movie with three great performances. Marisa Tomei in the starring female role is just as good as the two guys. It's a very darkly funny triangle story between mom (Tomei), son (Hill), and new boyfriend (Reilly). I loved it. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:22 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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I'll keep an eye out for Cyrus.
Like Tomei, but fairly tired of Jonah Hill. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:33 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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gromit wrote: I'll keep an eye out for Cyrus.
Like Tomei, but fairly tired of Jonah Hill.
Then Cyrus is just the ticket. Hill stretches magnificently in this one, showing a side of his talent I didn't know existed. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:44 am |
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Last edited by marantzo on Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:55 am; edited 1 time in total |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:46 am |
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Quote: (Sorry, Gary, for the dangling preposition, but I have no problem with them.)
No problem, Churchill didn't have a problem with them either, as his retort when criticized when he used one, "This is something up with which I will not put."
I think that's how it went. |
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| chillywilly |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:06 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 8251
Location: Salt Lake City
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| I liked The Kids Are All Right especially with Benning's performance. A lot of fun with Ruffalo and Julianne Moore, but lots of powerful scenes and dialogue. |
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Chilly
"If you should die before me / Ask if you could bring a friend" |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:10 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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chillywilly wrote: I liked The Kids Are All Right especially with Benning's performance. A lot of fun with Ruffalo and Julianne Moore, but lots of powerful scenes and dialogue.
Agreed. All three leads were wonderful, and the dialogue was sharp. One sequence was seriously, totally memorable--Bening at the dinner table singing Joni Mitchell and everything that followed. The rest of the movie fluctuated for me, but I was certainly glad I saw it and will probably see it again. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:30 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Trish wrote: Good reviews be damned - I thought Morning Glory was BORING
I continue NOT to be charmed by Rachel McAdams. Harrison Ford couldn't have been worse or more unnatural in his performance (that awful voice... what the hell , who the hell was he trying to imitate - yikes) and I think I've seen Keaton play this character about a million times give or take a quirk or two.
I always like McAdams when she's a brunette but I'm indifferent when she's a blonde. This is one of her blonde movies. I'm going to give it a try anyway. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:44 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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| Sylvain Chomet (Les Triplettes des Belleville) has a new animation feature, The Illusionist, due for an Xmas release in the USofA. Triplets was wonderful, so I'm excited about this new film. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 12:07 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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gromit wrote: Sylvain Chomet (Les Triplettes des Belleville) has a new animation feature, The Illusionist, due for an Xmas release in the USofA. Triplets was wonderful, so I'm excited about this new film.
It looks stunning. |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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