| Author |
Message |
|
| bartist |
 Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 12:12 pm |
 |
|
|
Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
|
| Lorne, I had a feeling you would like GBH. I also liked the nested structure, like a Matrioshka doll. Did you stay and see the little dancing guy next to the music credits? |
_________________
He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
|
| Back to top |
 
|
| bartist |
| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 12:27 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
|
| Greatly enjoyed Jon Favreau's new science fiction offering, "Dogged," which stars his pal Vince Vaughn as a Labrador who is given human-level intelligence by means of an implanted computer chip. "Hey, I'm a lab Lab!" Vaughn jokes, once he's learned human speech which he produces by means of a voice synthesizer. The plot follows some fairly predictable sci-fi pathways, as "Noam," after tiring of his treatment by scientists (Bob Balaban, for example, is constantly asking him WHY he licks himself there so much, as if his scientific ambition is to provide a definitive answer to the ancient mystery), escapes from the lab and wanders through LA, wreaking various kinds of havoc. The story is saved from degenerating into a series of vignettes about a talking dog by degenerating into a buddy story, as Noam teams up with a lonely professor of philosophy (Ed Norton), and they develop a strategy to keep Noam away from the clutches of scientists while pursuing a legal path to citizenship for Noam and all future superdogs. I am not ashamed to admit that I wept at the ending which IS NOT AT ALL LIKE OLD YELLER, so don't even think that. |
_________________
He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| lshap |
| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 9:46 pm |
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
|
bartist wrote: Lorne, I had a feeling you would like GBH. I also liked the nested structure, like a Matrioshka doll. Did you stay and see the little dancing guy next to the music credits?
Dammit -- I missed the dancing guy! Gotta find me a stream just to watch the end... |
_________________
"Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?" |
|
| Back to top |
 
|
| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 4:20 am |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
bartist wrote: Greatly enjoyed Jon Favreau's new science fiction offering, "Dogged,"
Can't find this anywhere, even on IMDB. Where do I go? |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| gromit |
| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 8:12 am |
|
|
Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
|
| April Foolish? |
_________________
Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| bartist |
| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 9:01 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
|
| woof |
_________________
He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 9:40 am |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 6916
Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
|
bartist wrote: Greatly enjoyed Jon Favreau's new science fiction offering, "Dogged," which stars his pal Vince Vaughn as a Labrador who is given human-level intelligence by means of an implanted computer chip. "Hey, I'm a lab Lab!" Vaughn jokes, once he's learned human speech which he produces by means of a voice synthesizer. The plot follows some fairly predictable sci-fi pathways, as "Noam," after tiring of his treatment by scientists (Bob Balaban, for example, is constantly asking him WHY he licks himself there so much, as if his scientific ambition is to provide a definitive answer to the ancient mystery), escapes from the lab and wanders through LA, wreaking various kinds of havoc. The story is saved from degenerating into a series of vignettes about a talking dog by degenerating into a buddy story, as Noam teams up with a lonely professor of philosophy (Ed Norton), and they develop a strategy to keep Noam away from the clutches of scientists while pursuing a legal path to citizenship for Noam and all future superdogs. I am not ashamed to admit that I wept at the ending which IS NOT AT ALL LIKE OLD YELLER, so don't even think that. |
_________________
I ask you, Velvel, as a rational man, which of us is possessed? |
|
| Back to top |
|
| bartist |
| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 6:59 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
|
| It is. Chandra also made a sort of sequel to that called "Pleine de Merde." |
_________________
He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 9:27 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
| Completely blindsided me. Congrats! |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| bartist |
| Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 9:36 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| knox |
| Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 11:27 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 18 Mar 2010
Posts: 1246
Location: St. Louis
|
| Sounds like "Dogged" follows in a grand tradition of such movies as "A Boy and his Dog" and "Watchers." |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| knox |
| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 4:48 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 18 Mar 2010
Posts: 1246
Location: St. Louis
|
| Bart, the new Ed Harris flick you mentioned is "The Face of Love," in which he plays the guy Annette Bening falls in love with because he's a dead ringer for her previous husband (deceased). So I'm guessing it's a romance with a somewhat spooky psychodrama twist thrown in there? |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 6:20 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
| Wow, am I in the minority on this one, but The Grand Budapest Hotel gives me no major reason to change my opinion that Wes Anderson has never surpassed his second and best movie, Rushmore. The new (and screamingly raved-about) picture is (as always with Anderson) gorgeous to look at and overwhelmingly twee. An all-star cast headed by Ralph Fiennes has almost nothing interesting to do in this fable about a mythical country in the 1930s and a supposed murder investigation. Adding to my disenchantment with the overrated flick is the potty mouth with which these 1930 types converse. Deadwood notwithstanding, I simply don't believe that the F-bomb was so much on display in previous generations. Anderson remains the intellectual's darling, but I'm rapidly losing my fascination. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| gromit |
| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:18 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
|
I've found Wes Anderson to be very inconsistent.
Bottle Rocket was fine and relatively enjoyable, with a good use of a Rolling Stones song.
I thought Rushmore was entirely okay.
Had the same reaction when I rewatched it to see what I might be missing.
The Royal Tenenbaums otoh is pretty impressive and enjoyable.
I think that is easily WA's best film.
The Life Aquatic was really uninteresting, though I did like the David Bowie songs sung in Portuguese (and not much else.
Darjeeling Limited was another almost total misfire.
I liked the cussing in Mr. Fox but it didn't really hold my interest.
Moonrise Kingdom was pleasant and enjoyable if maybe a bit slight.
I've been meaning to rewatch it sometime to see how it holds up.
I'll definitely check out Grand Buda Hotel -- at least it doesn't sound like a Darjeeling or Steve Zissou snoozefest. |
Last edited by gromit on Mon Apr 07, 2014 8:23 am; edited 1 time in total
_________________
Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:22 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
gromit--I tend to agree with you in general, and should probably revisit both Rushmore and Tenenbaums, which I also liked a lot, to see if maybe I'd change my mind on both of them. Tenenbaums might emerge as my favorite Anderson.
As for "snoozefest," I must report that I and my two moviegoing companions all enjoyed catnaps during Budapest. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
