Movies You've Seen Recently: Return of the Revenge of the Curse of the...

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Ashhong said:
I at first thought you meant that movie does the "Super 8" title justice, but I see you meant the kids angle. I will check it out!
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Not just the kids angle, but more the referencing 80s stuff and repurposing it. ATB borrows from others beside Spielberg, but there is overlap. SUPER 8 is just superfluous.

SUPER 8's conclusion should have involved the kids using filmmaking to save the day. Or it should have skipped forward to today and had the grown-up kids looking back and figuring shit out.
 
Expendable. said:
Watched Grizzly Man for the first time tonight. I loved it, but had an argument with my roommate. He hates the film because he thinks Herzog is doing no more than displaying footage from someone that can easily be made fun. Said it was like mean people laughing at retards and he despises it.

I personally disagree and imagine I'd act somewhat like Timothy Treadwell myself if I was out there for 13 years by myself. You can see his clear love for his environment and he knows the danger around him. What say you GAF?
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he wasn't by himself, but it's weird that yr roommate thinks its played for laughs.

watched:

betty blue (37°2 le matin, director's cut) *** the relationship bloom is pretty well written and interesting, but the fall is so telegraphed and and un-earned it doesn't make for a very good film. also all the non-relationship stuff is so focused on the male it doesn't make for every interesting character development. it's a shame that he never made a film as good as diva.

also ebert's review is pretty on point, though i like it more than he did:

Now comes a throwback to the old days when the phrase "French movie" did not mean art, and "art film" didn't mean art, either, and everybody knew exactly what they did mean, and had their exact change counted out before they dashed up to the box office, so nobody would see them going into a dirty movie. If you can get anything more than that out of "Betty Blue," consider it a bonus.
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because i was expecting mr. teas to show up at any second.

mission impossible: ghost protocol *** i think the ar stuff in imax was distracting, but its a pretty fun movie with some pretty cool set pieces. i miss the over complicated plots and twists though and tom cruise needed to run more, obviously.

also why was everyone mad about the batman thing? that prison looks like the stepwells.

the son's room (la stanza del figlio) *** one of the better family studies i've seen though i don't think it pulls together the two parts very well. also serious nanni moretti isn't as interesting as when he's channelling woody allen.

rewatch:

the devil is a woman ***** a perfect movie. wonderful costumes and sets - this is the best movie about obession i've seen though it took me years to fall in love with it. dietrich is at her vampy best i'm not sure how her spell to hit me the first time i watched it. tarsem is really jealous of her hairpieces i bet.

and look this set of her films look great and is9 dollars. buy it. love it.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E6ESXK/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 
swoon said:
the devil is a woman ***** a perfect movie. wonderful costumes and sets - this is the best movie about obession i've seen though it took me years to fall in love with it. dietrich is at her vampy best i'm not sure how her spell to hit me the first time i watched it. tarsem is really jealous of her hairpieces i bet.
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Loving all the Sternberg/Dietrich. I actually watched Blonde Venus after you mentioned it awhile back, and like you said, it's fantastic. Maybe I'll just have to complete the set, since I haven't seen this one, either. Aside from Anatahan (which I probably just didn't understand), I've adored every Sternberg film I've seen.
 
Blue Valentine
Good movie. I remember a poster saying that after watching it, i would be depressed for the remainder of the day. Not in the slightest. I'm not a big romance fan so it might have been better if I was more into the genre. Gosling's performance was very organic I guess, I've only seen two movies with him starring, Drive and this. I didn't love Drive too much and I already hated his face but after this, not so much. He was much more charismatic in this role.

If I were to rate it I'd give it a 7/10.
 
I guess I can see why Predator is so popular on the internet, it's alright I guess.
Contagion is interesting but shallow.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was actually okay. RDJ still works in the role and has great chemistry with Law and watching occasionally exciting and always overly flashy action is fine when it comes alongside a decent mystery. Though that could simply be my childhood Holmes-mania coming back.

I'm stuck between camps a bit with The Artist. It's very great, so I think the inane calls of it being "overrated" and the already-tired complaints about its best picture chances are grating. I also don't think it's a wondrous film. Lighting and cinematography are quite beautiful and it's often funny. But it lands in such a weird place on its ideas of advancement vs tradition and facade vs reality. The general message I got out of it was: fantasies can threaten any true connections we have, but if you put the power of those relationships behind your presentations you can make something amazing. Still, by the end I couldn't determine whether the film wanted me to walk away thinking that whether a film has sound or not doesn't matter, or that sound is better and everyone has to move on eventually, or that silent film is purer. I'd like to see it again one day to see if I can come closer to an answer, but for now the warm interaction between George and Peppy was enough to carry the film and make it an enjoyable experience.
 
Despite whatever message it's trying to relay, it's still nice to see a film with virtually no sound being championed in an era that's really trying to push things such as IMAX and 3D as the new frontiers. And perhaps that's really the crux of it. People like us, the active filmgoer, are already tired by the latest 3D upscaling and the expensive IMAX tickets for movies that rarely ever seem to warrant it.
 
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht- This film was kind of underwhelming, I must say. The first 30-ish minutes feel a loooooot like some film adaptation of a novel I would have been forced to watch in a high school english class. Kinski's performance was great, but the rest was just not up to par with what I expected. The great shots of the bat in slow motion aren't even Herzog's own work and many of the most haunting shots of Nosferatu are nearly exact duplicates from the original film. Additionally, Nosferatu is absolutely obsessed with the profundity of being unable to die but any sympathy this would evoke from me is totally negated by the fact that he could go out in sunlight at any time and, indeed, die. Could someone please tell me what I'm missing, because I really want to like this.
 
Dobermann - A pretty terrible wannabe in the likes of Lock, Stock &2SB and Pulp Fiction this movie tries way too hard and rarely succeeds. 4/10
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey - Interesting doc on this shy man that comes alive through portraying Elmo. I thought this was very good and personal documentary, and the behind the scenes looks were great as well. 7.5/10
Modern Times - Some great slapstick and a interesting view on the struggle of the normal man which still stands today. Also; I thought Paulette Goddard was gorgeous in this movie. 7/10
 
WhQI6.jpg



Word.
 
Spellbound (1945) - One of the best Hitchcock movies. A shout out for the surreal dream sequence, supervised by Salvador Dali himself.

8/10

The Wrong Man (1956) - a very peculiar Hitchcock movie. The mistaken identity theme is familiar, but it's filmed in a documentary style for the most part, probably to hammer the point that the movie is based on a true story. I can't warm up to Henry Fonda, because once again he confuses quiet dignity with a lack of emotions. Nevertheless, the score is:

7/10

Now, Voyager (1942) - it's a Bette Davis melodrama about a daughter who is so worn down by her domineering mother that she is on the verge of an emotional breakdown. She gets a new lease on life when a psychiatrist (the always wonderful Claude Raines) takes her to his sanatorium where he teaches her to live her own life. The ugly duckling turns into an independent woman of class, a process that is accelerated when she falls in love on a cruise to South America. It's an impossible love because Jerry (Paul Henreid) is already married and has no choice but to remain loyal to his wife and family, no matter how unhappy he is. We're in the heydays of the Hays code so Jerry and Charlotte will never find love, but will settle for the next best thing. The ending is utterly perfect and has this classic movie quote: ""Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars"

It's one of those movies from the forties that couldn't possibly work because it's so over the top, but somehow not only works, but bowls you over. There were heaps of those in the golden age of Hollywood and the best of them (Random Harvest, Hold Back the Dawn, To Each His Own, etc) can touch the heartstrings like nothing else can.

9/10
 
Expendable. said:
Watched Grizzly Man for the first time tonight. I loved it, but had an argument with my roommate. He hates the film because he thinks Herzog is doing no more than displaying footage from someone that can easily be made fun. Said it was like mean people laughing at retards and he despises it.

I personally disagree and imagine I'd act somewhat like Timothy Treadwell myself if I was out there for 13 years by myself. You can see his clear love for his environment and he knows the danger around him. What say you GAF?
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It's pretty obvious that Herzog didn't want to make fun of Treadwell, although i loved the movie, because it was an interesting window into delusional thinking and a skewed prespective of reality.
--
The other day i saw Silent Light.
I was feaverish and very tired, but i managed to go through it.. it was VERY beautiful to look at, as in almost at a Kubrick/Malick level, and had a slow and silent approach to it.
I think i have to watch it again, since i wasn't exactly lucid, but i felt the drama was muted and overblown at the same time, creating a weird surreal feeling (not saying bad, though).
 
Expendable. said:
Watched Grizzly Man for the first time tonight. I loved it, but had an argument with my roommate. He hates the film because he thinks Herzog is doing no more than displaying footage from someone that can easily be made fun. Said it was like mean people laughing at retards and he despises it.

I personally disagree and imagine I'd act somewhat like Timothy Treadwell myself if I was out there for 13 years by myself. You can see his clear love for his environment and he knows the danger around him. What say you GAF?
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There is a huge difference to me between laughing at retards (mentaly disabled persons) and laughing at people who voluntarely do stupid things.
Also i don't think Herzog did this film for comedic effect and to poke fun at him. This film is more like a real life version of a Struwwelpeter story. You can laugh about them but its also a sign that you don't take the message seriously and still have some growing up ahead.

I wonder what your roommate would say to some of Herzogs earlier films where he put actual mentaly disabled persons in front of the camera.
 
Oof. Larisa Shepitko's Wings was certainly sad, but it was ultimately hopeful. Going into The Ascent expecting something similar resulted in quite the gut punch. The film is gorgeous and so completely bleak. I prefer Wings, but The Ascent's unflinching futility is admirable.
 
OrangeGrayBlue said:
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht- This film was kind of underwhelming, I must say. The first 30-ish minutes feel a loooooot like some film adaptation of a novel I would have been forced to watch in a high school english class. Kinski's performance was great, but the rest was just not up to par with what I expected. The great shots of the bat in slow motion aren't even Herzog's own work and many of the most haunting shots of Nosferatu are nearly exact duplicates from the original film. Additionally, Nosferatu is absolutely obsessed with the profundity of being unable to die but any sympathy this would evoke from me is totally negated by the fact that he could go out in sunlight at any time and, indeed, die. Could someone please tell me what I'm missing, because I really want to like this.
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-The movie is beautifully shot, and although I certainly give Murnau credit for how lasting his movie has been, I think that Herzog's movie leaves the original behind in the dust both for the way that he repurposes iconic shots from the original in new contexts as well as the way in which he uses his color and score to create an atmosphere altogether unlike anything else that I've ever seen.
-The shots that are similar to the original are, in my opinion, better. The shot where Dracula advances on Harker as he walks backward, terrified yet seemingly entranced and unable to escape, is so simple and yet so effective that it's practically burned into my brain.
-Who cares if Herzog didn't shoot the bat? What matters is the power given to it by the context of the film, and in that, Herzog did great work.
-The fact that he could just walk out into the sun is part of what makes the character work. It creates two possibilities in the viewer's mind: either the nature of his existence prevents him from being able to take his own life, for whatever reason, or he's ultimately a coward, wanting to die but not being willing to take the necessary measures to take his own life. Dracula, in this movie, has as much depth as any character that I've seen.
-What ultimately makes the movie great, though, are the little things, the little ways in which Herzog makes the story his own: turning what was originally a vampire story into an almost post-apocalyptic tale, the quirky little moments (such as the sick people feasting in the square, or the limp old man at the end feebly attempting to arrest Dr. Van Helsing), the power of the imagery (shot with Herzog's typical attention to eye-level realism, rather than anything consciously "epic"), and the twist of the ending, wherein the sacrifice of the heroine is possibly all in vain.

The Herzog Nosferatu is one of the greatest movies of all time.
 
i saw a long time ago, but here's what i remember of it: i saw the english-spoken version which i regret because the actors didn't seem comfortable speaking english, but i thought the first parts were extraordinary: the build-up to the castle and the actual scenes in the castle were so fuckin' atmospheric. i didn't really care for the rest, though.
 
Just came back from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and I don't really know what to think of the movie. The movie was extremely well-shot and the acting was seriously top-notch, but the coldness of the entire movie was too patience-draining. You don't really get to care about any character (except for maybe Tom Hardy's), and the plodding pacing didn't do the movie any favours, especially in the beginning. It gets better as you get more familiarized with the characters and when the puzzle pieces are arranged slowly, but the end of the movie fizzles out completely when they could've made it into a more captivating reveal.

Still, it's an alright movie and I can see why people like it, but I need some time to digest it. Right now, I didn't find it too appealing.
 
creativity said:
Loving all the Sternberg/Dietrich. I actually watched Blonde Venus after you mentioned it awhile back, and like you said, it's fantastic. Maybe I'll just have to complete the set, since I haven't seen this one, either. Aside from Anatahan (which I probably just didn't understand), I've adored every Sternberg film I've seen.
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shanghai gesture with gene tierney is worth watching - its all set in this wonderfully surreal casino and gene is stunning throughout.

big ander said:
Oof. Larisa Shepitko's Wings was certainly sad, but it was ultimately hopeful. Going into The Ascent expecting something similar resulted in quite the gut punch. The film is gorgeous and so completely bleak. I prefer Wings, but The Ascent's unflinching futility is admirable.
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i'm glad you liked both films! i think ascent is kinda uplifting in the way christ dying on the cross is uplifting to some people.
 
The_Iron_Giant_poster.JPG


Finally got around to watching this, it kept coming up in conversation this last month. Partly because Brad Bird the director just got finished directing the new Mission Impossible, partly because it's a tragically overlooked animated film. Good movie and a lot more throughtful than most animated movies. Stremaing on Netflix if you are interested.
 
Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
So what the fuck was up with the credit sequence in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo? Jesus Christ that was terrible.

Edit: Decent cover of Immigrant Song, though.
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i love how incredibly out of place it was with...well, the entire film, but especially the surrounding scenes

probably would've been a killer music video in 94 though
 
swoon said:
shanghai gesture with gene tierney is worth watching - its all set in this wonderfully surreal casino and gene is stunning throughout.



i'm glad you liked both films! i think ascent is kinda uplifting in the way christ dying on the cross is uplifting to some people.
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That was positive to a point, but ending with a focus on Judas/Kolya retroactively imbued the film with even more despair. For me, at least. Still awesome.
 
Jane Eyre - Enjoyable. It looks like there is about 10 versions of this story already, not sure why they remade it but it was good, solid performances by everybody - 7.5/10

Martha Marcy May Marlene - Fucking intense! I loved it really much. And it's probably one of the first time where I think the use of intense zooms like that adds something, with the little music in the background. Fucking creepy. John Hawks, was incredible, I thought he had one of the best performance last year in Winter's Bone and he was really great in that one too. Elizabeth Olsen... gat damn, why is this the first time I see her in anything? Breakout roll of the year and she is really amazing looking, can't wait to see her career develop. - 8.5/10
 
Watched Meet the Feebles. I liked it and thought it was Peter Jackson's best movie (come at me, I didn't like LotR) 7/10

Watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show. certainly a cult classic, a movie that needs to be watched twice to get the full impact and on top of it, the movie certainly has a charm to it of taking what is perceived to be sacred, debauching it, and making it become exactly what it wants to be. Certainly a delightful film. 9/10.
 
somewhere deep inside me i hope in a few years people can look back on Martha Marcy May Marlene and realize how weak it really is
 
Max Armstrong said:
Martha Marcy May Marlene - Fucking intense! I loved it really much. And it's probably one of the first time where I think the use of intense zooms like that adds something, with the little music in the background. Fucking creepy. John Hawks, was incredible, I thought he had one of the best performance last year in Winter's Bone and he was really great in that one too. Elizabeth Olsen... gat damn, why is this the first time I see her in anything? Breakout roll of the year and she is really amazing looking, can't wait to see her career develop. - 8.5/10
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This was one of more disappointing movies of the year for me.

As a character study it fails to provide any sort or insight or deeper understanding of the main character beyond the fact that she joined a cult and later escaped. The movie kind of hints at an interesting past relationship between Martha and her sister, but the director never attempts to develop anything there; instead, the viewer is left to only make assumptions about the characters' past lives. I mean, why was the sister so distant at times? Martha was clearly crying out for help from the very beginning. This also speaks to why it fails as a paranoia thriller, because there is literally no reason I should be rooting for Martha in this movie (she was in a cult that
murders and robs people
, after all - which is yet another reason why it falls flat). MMMM is a rare case where I think more exposition would have greatly helped the movie, because as is, it leaves too many areas unexplored.
 
I need to see Martha Marcy May Marlene still, but it's giving me a serious Winter's Bone vibe and I really didn't like that film.
 
Red UFO said:
I watched The Hangover Part 2. It is not funny.
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Yeah it was pretty blah.

other movies i have seen recently

African Queen (1951) - good
The Smurfs (2011) - pretty bad
True Grit (1969) - good

going to watch the guard and deathly hallows part 2 tonight.
 
Instead of going to sleep I made a list of my top 15 films of 2012:

1. Snowtown

2. Wuthering Heights

3. Chicken with Plums

4. Kill List

5. Sleepless Night

6. The Kid with a Bike

7. God Bless America

8. Beyond the Black Rainbow

9. Magic Valley

10. Your Sister’s Sister

11. You’re Next

12. Turn me on, goddammit

13. The Grey

14. The Deep Blue Sea

15. Friends with Kids

I fully expect zero of them to appear on my list 359 days from now.
 
nskinnear said:
This was one of more disappointing movies of the year for me.

As a character study it fails to provide any sort or insight or deeper understanding of the main character beyond the fact that she joined a cult and later escaped. The movie kind of hints at an interesting past relationship between Martha and her sister, but the director never attempts to develop anything there; instead, the viewer is left to only make assumptions about the characters' past lives. I mean, why was the sister so distant at times? Martha was clearly crying out for help from the very beginning. This also speaks to why it fails as a paranoia thriller, because there is literally no reason I should be rooting for Martha in this movie (she was in a cult that
murders and robs people
, after all - which is yet another reason why it falls flat). MMMM is a rare case where I think more exposition would have greatly helped the movie, because as is, it leaves too many areas unexplored.
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There are plenty of reasons we should root for Martha and your reason for rooting against her isn't all that valid.
The murder/robbery scene leaves it unclear as to how often this has happened, or even if it has ever happened before. And from what I remember, it made it clear that Martha was passively following and wasn't fully sure what was going on. Beyond all that, Martha being in a cult doesn't make her not relatable. The film goes to great length to show how alluring and hypnotic cults and their leaders are. Normally vulnerable people join them because they get sucked in. A good chunk of the movie is about Martha being swallowed up by the cult.
Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
Hunger is a great movie, and if you disagree, you can fuck right off. Holy balls is that movie engaging.
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That 17 minute shot. Only gets better each time I watch it. McQueen talking about it on the criterion release is great.
 
Really surprised that Snowman digs Hunger. Did he see Shame yet?

Also, the Moroder Metropolis played here recently. It's the only version I've seen.

Also, cool list, Plainview. Have you not seen Anatolia/Turin yet?

Feel like they both played NYFF but maybe not?
 
Saw The Green Hornet today

What an awesome movie! Ok maybe not that awesome, but it was very entertaining. I thought I would be tired of Rogen by now but after watching 50/50 and this, his comedy is still as good as ever. Loved the villain too, though James Franco could have been good too. So many one liners sprinkled throughout.

"You only brought a gas mask for yourself?!"

4/5
 
I am pissed off that nowhere in my county is showing The Artist and it was supposed to come out today so Im venting here.
Same thing with the Tree of Life... ugh.
 
Johnlenham said:
I am pissed off that nowhere in my county is showing The Artist and it was supposed to come out today so Im venting here.
Same thing with the Tree of Life... ugh.
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You're in London right? The Artist is on at the Stratford Picture House.

Tree of Life is out on DVD now, and you're not missing much if you haven't seen it.
 
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