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| Shane |
 Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:56 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 1168
Location: Chicago
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Ghulam wrote: .
Watching 127 Hours is a wonderful experience, a tribute to Danny Boyle and James Franco.
I left when he started 'chewing' off his arm. I do the same with nature shows.
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| Shane |
| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:02 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Chicago
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bartist wrote: God I love DAAF (the original) -- "Firefly" fans have to see it for Alan Tudyk on acid, of course. I think Dinklage is in the American remake (in the same role, obviously), the rest of the cast mostly African-American. I wasn't sure the original concept, aided by the context of British culture and the particular ways it prizes formality and restraint and not making a fuss, could survive intact in the remake, but I'd be interested in what direction they did go with it.
We watched both versions lately. The first to enjoy and the second of course to compare...what a trip!! The remake went as you would hope I guess almost word for word translation. Including Peter Dinklage just as he was in the original. Enjoyed both. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:15 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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I thought Somewhere was a pretty useless film. Dull and familiar, the symbolism rather heavy handed, the car engine noise annoying me repeatedly.
Blech. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:46 am |
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gromit wrote: I thought Somewhere was a pretty useless film. Dull and familiar, the symbolism rather heavy handed, the car engine noise annoying me repeatedly.
Blech.
Did you like any of her other films? I want to know if I can trust your judgement on this. I didn't see Marie Antoinette but I loved Virgin Suicides and Lost In Translation. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:07 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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| Finally caught You Don't Know Jack on dvd. Pacino's performance is a tour de force. A balanced rendering of Dr. K, giving us both his heroic and compassionate side, and the self-dramatizing buffoon as well -- overall quite sympathetic and moving. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:14 am |
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Location: Shanghai
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Loved Virgin Suicides, watched it twice, sent a copy to my nieces, etc. Thought Lost in Translation was good and interesting and got some things very right. Probably was a little overpraised, but there's so much dreck out there, maybe that is how it should be.
Didn't try M.Antoinette, though maybe I should.
I'd rec following Charlie Sheen's antics, though I'm not, rather than watch Somewhere. I thought there were two good scenes total, and one sort of forced itself on the viewer as a set piece. I kind of liked the interaction between the star's buddy and the daughter, which was a fairly small bit. Fanning is pretty good. But the film is dull and annoying and obvious at times. And I'd go with Toby Dammit if I want annoying engine revving in my films.
I think Coppola had a bunch of autobiographical anecdotes from growing up spoiled and wanted to catch some of the decadent Hollywood lifestyle. But this just seemed like a slipshod vehicle and didn't cohere. I never believed the lead was a famous movie star which certainly undermined the film. I was more or less glad to be relieved of these people when the film ended.
Your mileage may vary. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:21 am |
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bartist wrote: Finally caught You Don't Know Jack on dvd.
You Don't Know Jack slipped out of my Top 10, but it was a solid enjoyable film.
I reviewed it here a bit a few months back. Al is in fine form. I was impressed. It's still in my Top 10 American films of 2010. Definitively worth seeing. A good film to catch on cable for sure. If I recall, the dvd extras were fairly good, meeting some of the real people and some follow-up, though I seem to remember wishing the Dr. Jack interview was more substantial. |
Last edited by gromit on Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:45 am; edited 3 times in total
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| bartist |
| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:34 am |
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Quote: I seem to remember wishing the Dr. Jack interview was a more substantial.
Me too. The real Dr. K is very personable and funny. Maybe a couple of centuries from now, when the Middle Ages finally end, he will be looked upon as a saint, perhaps canonized.
I liked The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation were pretty good, and will probably check out M.A. at some point (that's the one that had the characters singing contemporary song lyrics, IIRC). Somewhere didn't sound like my cup of tea. Those Fanning girls are talented, though. Seems like their next daughter after Dakota could have been named "Montana." |
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| grace |
| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:56 am |
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Marie Antoinette got pretty beat up, IIRC, but I liked it well enough. I think one criticism was that Dunst came off like a Valley girl, but for that time, that's sort of what MA was (maybe a Loire Valley girl?). The movie is the story of MA from about 14 to Louis XVI's being deposed. Some of the supporting performances - MA's ladies in waiting, Asia Argento as DuBarry - were quite good, IMO. If nothing else, it's a stunningly beautiful movie to look at. Marie Antoinette isn't all that bad - how's that for a ringing endorsement?
I don't recall any singing of contemporary lyrics, but modern music (The Strokes, Siouxsie/Banshees, Adam/Ants, etc.) was used in the flick. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:25 am |
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| I think after the initial drubbing, MA has been receiving a fair amount of praise/recpnsideration here and there. Like Showgirls. Though now I'm comparing tow films I haven't seen. |
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| Shane |
| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 2:40 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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| Wow...Romper Stomper just became one of my favorite Russell Crowe films to date! What a raw experience, much more then most of the polished drivel which passes these days for violent actioners. Good character development, excellent take on the frailties of the father and daughter relationship...just one very effectual film. Many thanks to Rod for turning me onto this gem!! |
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| knox |
| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 5:22 pm |
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| The scene with the self-abusing parrot made me cringe. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:15 pm |
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| I don't recall anyone saying Marie Antoinette was inept or laughable, the major issues with Showgirls. Mostly it was considered shallow, and too concentrated on Versailles. I still haven't see it, but it looks like a gorgeous pastry. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:42 pm |
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Joe Vitus wrote: I don't recall anyone saying Marie Antoinette was inept or laughable, the major issues with Showgirls. Mostly it was considered shallow, and too concentrated on Versailles. I still haven't see it, but it looks like a gorgeous pastry.
My problem was that it concentrated on the part of Marie Antoinette's life I didn't find all that interesting, and ended, deliberately, at the point at which the royal court moves to Paris. That's pretty early in the French Revolution. |
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| Shane |
| Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 12:19 am |
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Storm
It’s at times like this when flat, emotionless fare depending on fancy CGI glitter to make up for what it lacks is devouring the screens of thousands of cities crowding out movies with any possible merit, that I thank the forces that be for the rest of the movie industry, in Europe.
Storm shot in Sweden in 2005 and directed by Mans Marlind, also the writer, and Bjorn Stein, gives us what we have been missing ..heart. From the first you are caught by that wonderful emotion, fear, as the unlikely becomes the order of the day as a startlingly dressed Lova, Eva Rose, runs through a traffic jam towards a taxi carrying our reluctant hero, DD, Eric Ericson. So reluctant in fact that he locks the door as she approaches chased by stranger looking dudes than her obviously bent on her destruction. From the moment she exits the cab almost as quickly as she had entered, you become attuned to the idea that this is not your second guesser movie. No indeed, from darkened streets and hallways devoid of people to techno bars offering sleazy refuge this can easily be mistaken for an action noir torn from top line graphic novels. But there’s more...much more. This is a journey through the mind as well and as it turns out you are never too sure when you’ve stopped for a breather or when you should be looking over your shoulder and for whom.Fleeing through his life in search of clues, we inhabit his past unable to close our eyes as he inflicts pain and experiences agony you can only believe must bring a cathartic ending setting it all right. Incredibly paced with an eye towards leaving the audience as exhausted as the hero, you just may find yourself too weary to control the scream of ‘why’ from tearing out of your throat at the unbelievable conclusion. So if you tire easily of lights, sounds and monotonous acting being passed to you as fun, try the foreign section of your library or movie store and make sure to check out Storm. |
Last edited by Shane on Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:42 am; edited 1 time in total
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