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| yambu |
 Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 12:53 am |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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gromit wrote: During allergy season, I have pretty leaky eyes. I might be able to cascade a single tear at whim. Although they'd have to cut the scene before my nose started dripping...... |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 1:19 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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I'm not a huge fan of Syriana--preferring my movies comprehensible--but Matt Damon is very good in it. I liked him in The Bourne Identity too.
I liked Ben Affleck best in Changing Lanes. He's convincing as a sleazy lawyer who learns better. (Amanda Peet has now been married to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in movies and they both gave good performances. Maybe she should do a movie with Jason Lee.) |
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| yambu |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 1:37 am |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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Syd wrote: I'm not a huge fan of Syriana--preferring my movies comprehensible--but Matt Damon is very good in it.....
My favorite such is his NSA rant in Good Will Hunting, which ends with:
"...So what do I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. Why not just shoot my buddy, take his job and give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president." |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 2:12 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
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lshap wrote: Damon's made much better film choices than Affleck - that's kind of obvious. Slightly less obvious is that he's supposed to be a nicer, more accessible guy.
I happen to think Affleck was great in Chasing Amy, proving he had every bit as much raw talent as buddy Matt, but a) He fell into the starfucking machine and copped some stupendously silly roles; and b) Alot of people on this forum hate Chasing Amy, the erroneous bastards.
You nailed that last part. It's one of the most underrated movies among our group. |
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| lady wakasa |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 2:18 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 5911
Location: Beyond the Blue Horizon
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| I always liked it, and it may be Kevin Smith's best movie (although I haven't seen a few of the recent ones). |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 2:22 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Houston
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gromit wrote:
Alot of people on this forum like 40Y Virgin, calling it a "sweet, sexy comedy" or something similar. When I hear a phrase like that, I think of a film like Chasing Amy, which was genuinely funny and touching, with believable characters. 40Y was filled with cliched characters: middle-aged adolescent geek, stoner friend, hip black guy, one-note wise-ass friend, hot drunk/unstable chicks, Indian guys who run counter to the stereotypes by cursing
This is so wrong. The characters were far from stereotypes. The virgin in question wasn't a loser or a repressed character. He fell in a rut and didn't know how to get out of it, and didn't know how to navigate between respecting women and wanting them as sexual objects. The male buddies were genuinely concerned and supportive in a way few onscreen friends are, particularly in comedies. The manager was a particularly good twist on a cliche. We expect her to be the bitch, but she's a crazy as the rest. Then we expect her to be the oversexed woman who can't understand why no one wants her. But no she doesn't fall into that category either. She's just one of the gang, and all of them have their hang-ups. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 2:30 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
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I didn't realize you were a fan, Lady.
I love the movie. It rings very true to me on a number of levels. I know that comic book subculture they're all a part of, and I've known enough people who've had to make the choices Alissa makes (damned for their sexual past, or for their unwillingness to live life on any terms other than their own). I love her speech about "I didn't come with a roadmap to my sexual destination." Really rang true.
I don't think Affleck gave a good performance, though, or at least not a great one. And this is a fault with all of Kevin Smith's movies, though I often like them. As with some of the movies of Joseph Mankiewicz (who's work Smith's resembles on a few levels), the actors tend to fall into sing-song patterns when reciting their lines. Affleck does this a lot in Chasing Amy, but so does the whole cast. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 8:11 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Joseph Mankiewicz (who's work Smith's resembles on a few levels), the actors tend to fall into sing-song patterns when reciting their lines.
This comment is so iconoclastic it needs further explication. How does Kevin Smith resemble Joseph L. Mankiewicz on a few levels? (Granted I like JLM and loathe KS, but purely for argument's sake, explain yourself further, please.) |
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| Earl |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 8:30 am |
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Joined: 09 Jun 2004
Posts: 2621
Location: Houston
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Ghulam wrote: Gregg Araki's Mysterious Skin is an exquisitely well filmed story of the life changing ill effects of childhood sexual abuse. It is also about friendships and families, and bonds that grow out of similar traumatizing experiences. It has the impact and the pain of "The Midnight Cowboy". It is touching, tender and sad, and yet in a strange way uplifting. A must-see.[/i]
I watched it last night and agree with your review. (Except for the part where you included "The" in the title of Midnight Cowboy. Really, how could you?)
Thanks, Marc for recommeding Mysterious Skin |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:21 am |
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Good Will Hunting is not a good movie. Driver is the only saving grace. The hero of the movie is an asshole who smartass attitude would have resulted in a beating in the real world. As obnoxious as those University snobs were in that bar scene, Will outdoes them in the 'look what an ass I am', department by several lengths.
When we left the theatre my wife said, 'What a badly written movie, I could have written a better script than that.' She was a literature teacher, and a good one. At the time she, didn't hadn't notice that it was written by Damon and Affleck.
I've noticed on these forums that there has been some backlash against Midnight Cowboy, in the past. Somewhat like the backlash aginst The Graduate, which does have a 'The'. This surprises me as I can't think of anything that was wrong about Midnight Cowboy. From the soundtrack, to the screenplay, to the acting, to the cinematography, to the editing, it was just about perfect. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:23 am |
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| She could have written a better first part of the above post also. |
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| ehle64 |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:26 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 7149
Location: NYC; US&A
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| I believe I was the first to mention/see Mysterious Skin, but who's counting hairs? |
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| ehle64 |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:27 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: NYC; US&A
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Midnight Cowboy -- A+
The Graduate -- B-
Chasing Amy -- F! |
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It truly disappoints me when people do something for you via no prompt of your own and then use it as some kind of weapon against you at a later time and place. It is what it is. |
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| chillywilly |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 11:37 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 8251
Location: Salt Lake City
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billyweeds wrote: Another ubiquitous title error is A Touch of Evil. On screen and in official publicity there is no "A" anywhere.
Maybe they are confusing it with the Judas Preist song, which did begin with an "A" |
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"If you should die before me / Ask if you could bring a friend" |
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| chillywilly |
| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 11:42 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Salt Lake City
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gromit wrote: You can actually watch them develop as actors in Dogma, a film where they nail half the scenes and look uncertain or less confident the rest of the time. [Boy, if people here pan Clerks and Chasing Amy, I can't imagine that the somewhat overblown Dogma comes in for too much praise].
I liked Dogma, a very well done movie by Smith. So many great characters, including Affleck's role as Bartleby. |
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"If you should die before me / Ask if you could bring a friend" |
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