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Movies You've Seen Recently III: The Third Chapter

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Thug Waffle said:
Would The Phantom Menace have been better off it reduced young Anakin's role to a subplot and added more depth to other characters (maybe Obi-Wan)? Jake Lloyd was such a punk bitch. Not really his fault considering he was just a little kid, but he would have been more palatable in a smaller serving.
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Probably not, which is more indicative of how useless it was to spend an entire movie establishing who those characters were in their youth. I think that everyone agrees that the prequels should have started with Anakin in his late teens with having some Jedi training under his belt and go from there.
 
From the Holy Motors thread:

xtrasauce said:
Just watched it.

Okay, so Holy Motors is extremely abstract in some ways but as OP said, it also has its own internal logic. I don't know if director Leos Carax had a clear idea of how the universe he created works exactly, and I don't know if he wanted the viewer to come up with crazy theories or just sit back and enjoy the absurdity for absurdity's sake, but here goes nothing:

Basically, what I got from the film is... we are now living in a world where everyone can make a movie, and everyone can see that movie, so the frontiers between cinema and reality are becoming more and more blurry. At some point
Oscar mentions the cameras getting smaller, which made me think of the ubiquity of phone cameras and how every moment of our lives can become its own little movie. I don't have a concrete theory on what the fuck was going on throughout the film though, and I'm hesitating between coming up with a sci-fi or fantasy interpretation.

One of my favorite parts was Oscar entering the limo after the "father" scene. He looked like he wasn't over what had just happened, indicating for the first time that perhaps his amazing jumps from one role to the next perhaps weren't as clearcut as previously suggested. Or, the job was taking a toll on him.

I'll be honest, I didn't think I would enjoy Holy Motors and was planning on skipping it but curiosity got the best of me. And for awhile as I was witnessing Oscar's bizarre acting jobs unfold, I was ready to file it under the "brilliant but not for me" category. However, several key moments kept my interest and as the movie progressed, the gradual introduction of a mythology surrounding the company Oscar worked for (as vague as it was), his past life, and the increasing feeling that Carax was telling a story and not merely a series of disconnected ones won me over. Of course the fascinating visuals and great use of music didn't hurt either.

Also, I have a feeling that mindfuck of a last scene will have me ruminating for awhile.
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L'Atalante
I want to thank Borgnine for recommending this to me, it's fantastic. It's a simple story told remarkably well, and it has a great sense of fantasy/magic/whimsy, from little shoulder kittens to underwater mirages, yet manages to feel very real and human. Also, there's great use of shadows, they're really striking in black and white. 9/10

It also got me thinking about the recent black and white conversation, and I wish there were more contemporary black and white films. It's such an interesting way to look at the world.
 
MidnightCowboy said:
It also got me thinking about the recent black and white conversation, and I wish there were more contemporary black and white films. It's such an interesting way to look at the world.
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From just last year, Tabu and The Turin Horse are faaaaaaaaaaantastic b&w films :)

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The Place Beyond The Pines is pretty great -- a rare kind of intimate drama that's told on an ambitious scale, and the upstate NY setting is perfectly captured. Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper are solid, but Dane DeHaan is the major highlight. See it when it comes out late next month!
 
Loved Perks of Being a Wallflower. Possibly Top 10 of the year material. Was nice to see Ezra Miller's talent being put to good use after the frustratingly wasted potential of There's Something About Kevin. Logan Lerman and Emma Watson were great too.
 
nskinnear said:
From just last year, Tabu and The Turin Horse are faaaaaaaaaaantastic b&w films :)

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Don't know about Tabu, but I don't think The Turin Horse is the best movie to lure someone into b&w films.

Expendable. said:
The Place Beyond The Pines is pretty great -- a rare kind of intimate drama that's told on an ambitious scale, and the upstate NY setting is perfectly captured. Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper are solid, but Dane DeHaan is the major highlight. See it when it comes out late next month!
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I've heard one other person talk about this, and he was not a fan. Said was a pretty huge disappointment coming off of Blue Valentine. Though I know that has plenty of detractors as well.
 
Since I don't care about spoilers, I read a few things about The Place Beyond The Pines and
I don't really like what I heard about where the plot goes after the first half.. hope the execution is less melodramatic than it sounds
.
 
Wow Tangled was bullshit.

If you've established that the hair has magic healing powers, why do you then pull a new power out of your ass at the end of the movie when it's time to heal someone? Why would the dude cut the hair off and let himself die, wouldn't letting yourself get healed first SO YOU WOULDN'T DIE make a tiny bit more sense?

I also saw The Princess Bride for the first time. The bad guy just turning and running after the famous Inigo quote was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
 
Ventilaator said:
Wow Tangled was bullshit.

If you've established that the hair has magic healing powers, why do you then pull a new power out of your ass at the end of the movie when it's time to heal someone? Why would the dude cut the hair off and let himself die, wouldn't letting yourself get healed first SO YOU WOULDN'T DIE make a tiny bit more sense?
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The purpose of the healing tear was to establish that the power was within Rapunzel and not just her hair. Throughout her life, she had had her existence defined solely by her hair and her ability to heal Eugene without it meant that she was not diminished by the loss of her hair, that she need not be shackled by it.

As to why Eugene didn't cut off her hair after accepting the healing, firstly, he had no idea that Gothel would die and she might still have been in a position to stop him. Also, Rapunzel had entered into an agreement with Gothel and cutting her hair after healing would violate said agreement. May not have been the most pragmatic course of action but then I don't think these sort of things, especially in a fairytale are meant to be viewed pragmatically.

Edit: Actually, it can also be viewed as pragmatic. As mentioned, he had no idea that Gothel would die and she could have stabbed them both to death for breaking the agreement.
 
ThisWreckage said:
My theory is that the guy that directed Holy Motors is actually David Lynch. Pola X makes me think that even more. I'm joking, I think.
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Sometimes I hate you.



So has there ever been an adaptation of a book worse than Razor's Edge starring Bill Murray? I don't think there is. It's like Bill and the crew read a cliff note version of the book and missed what made the whole thing worth while.
 
Django

PohjahR.jpg


A fun little western with a very badass looking lead character. Lone gunslinger dragging a coffin through the desert -- such a cool visual, and a cool performance from Franco Nero. The movie overall feels kind of trashy, like a B-movie to the Sergio Leone westerns, but Nero makes it worth watching. The final shot is pretty fantastic looking, and that theme song! I've been humming it for the past day, love it.

I mentioned a little while ago that I was thinking of going on a spaghetti western kick and I got some good recommendations. There are titles streaming on Netflix that caught my eye -- Death Rides A Horse, The Mercenary, My Name is Nobody -- can anyone attest to whether these are any good/worth watching?
 
I re watched all the Friday the 13th movies, what with being a huge fan. Not much has changed, i still love Part 2 and Part 4: The Final Chapter (yeah i know lol at that title) the most. The original still feels like a Halloween wannabe than some great slasher film that started this whole thing. Where as Part 2 is damn excellent, the ending especially is great. Whereas most horror franchises peaked with the original, Halloween, Exorcist, Scream etc. i really do not think this is the case here.

The rest of the series is largely forgettable except for a few great kills here and there. Jason Takes Manhattan was interesting because i forgot how it ended

Spoilers for Jason Takes Manhattan

So after all the carnage and all the violence, Jason is killed by New York City sewage pollution, that is some great commentary right there.

The worst movie in the series for me is still Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, if you have seen it you know why, cool little ending but the movie is almost painful to watch.

The Remake is a ok film but the cast of characters is unbearably annoying, i am amused by the fact that
people minded that Jason had underground tunnels and how it "ruined" the character, odd since we have seen much weirder stuff than this in the series yet this is a problem?

Freddy vs. Jason, is probably the most fun of the recent movies (not a big accomplishment tough), the only issue is the annoying Destiny's Child girl, Kelly? She is a bit too sassy, i liked the scene where
Jason gets imprisoned by the water surrounding him, makes sense right, he drowned? Yet in almost all the films before we have seen the character willingly swimming and diving under water without any problems?

Jason X is pretty much excatly what you think it is, Jason...in SPAAAACEEEEEEEE. It does not feel like a Friday film, feels more goofy than anything else but that is a part of its charm.

My absolute favorite is Part 4: The Final Chapter, for me this is the quintessential Friday movie, great kills, fun characters and a satisfying arc and "ending" to the series.

Odd that series about a guy in hockey mask and murder for me will mostly be remembered by...Crisping Glover going insane with his dance moves
crispin-glover-dancing-o.gif


Read a rumor that originally he is dancing to Fade To Black, which still does not explain..whatever he is doing, but it is awesome.

Anyway enough ramblings i might start watching all the Halloween movies, ive only seen the original, the 2 remakes and the Busta Rhymes one, so ill give a go
 
After having a good run of movie choices recently, Compliance has left a sour taste. The worst movie I've seen in a LONG time. It almost reminds me of the Human Centipede, going for the "look how far we can go" approach rather than give you anything of real value. It over states the figures at the end as well as there were only a few cases of the strip search actually going ahead. It could of had a real message, but instead goes for over the top dramatization rather than go into any remote depth. Unless you're after a good laugh with some friends or you have a dominatrix fetish, I'd stay away from this one.
 
Blader5489 said:
I mentioned a little while ago that I was thinking of going on a spaghetti western kick and I got some good recommendations. There are titles streaming on Netflix that caught my eye -- Death Rides A Horse, The Mercenary, My Name is Nobody -- can anyone attest to whether these are any good/worth watching?
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I saw My Name is Nobody last year from DVD but I really don't remember it well... It has more humor than the typical (spaghetti) western but without being too campy, as the fake sequel does (A Genius, Two Friends, and an Idiot). I've watched it also and Terrence Hill admitted in a interview is not so good as the first (and I agree).
If you are looking for a more lighthearted story you can give it a try.
 
My Name Is Nobody is one of my favorite westerns. A story about a mysterious young troublemaker urging/manipulating an old legend of the west to come out of retirement and give him a heroic final show/go down in a blaze of glory - so twisted and whimsical - it's so odd that its imagery has stayed with me for well over a decade.
 
Saw Looper. Decent movie, but not nearly as good as some here at gaf claim; entertaining at best. Man, JGL looked so fucking weird (besides it always looking like makeup), way too distracting for the movie's benefit. Kind of silly and at times contradictory premise
(so it's nearly impossible to dispose of a body in the future, yet they kill the looper's wife like an everyday occurrence).
The kid was just serviceable, but that's usually expected from kids. 6/10.
 
I was crazy about Looper the first time I saw it. Viewed it a second time and it just fell. Went from initial impressions of 4-4.5/5 to 3/5. Still entertaining to me. Cool concepts. Average execution.
 
Blader5489 said:
Django

http://i.imgur.com/PohjahR.jpg

A fun little western with a very badass looking lead character. Lone gunslinger dragging a coffin through the desert -- such a cool visual, and a cool performance from Franco Nero. The movie overall feels kind of trashy, like a B-movie to the Sergio Leone westerns, but Nero makes it worth watching. The final shot is pretty fantastic looking, and that theme song! I've been humming it for the past day, love it.

I mentioned a little while ago that I was thinking of going on a spaghetti western kick and I got some good recommendations. There are titles streaming on Netflix that caught my eye -- Death Rides A Horse, The Mercenary, My Name is Nobody -- can anyone attest to whether these are any good/worth watching?
Click to expand...

They're all worth watching, but The Mercenary is the stand out IMO. Death Rides a Horse is good, and My Name Is Nobody is a great goofy ride, but The Mercenary has some of that spaghetti western magic and better production values than Django. Plus you'll see and hear where Tarantino pulled certain things for Kill Bill Vol. 2 and Django Unchained.
 
I hadn't seen Die Hard With A Vengeance probably since the 90s. 2001 at the latest. I forgot how fucking awesome it is. The whole way through. Just pure awesome. Bruce and Sam at their best in their best archetypal roles.
 
So I just finished The Elephant Man. Jesus fucking christ. Deeply, deeeeeeply moving. Like I had to stop a couple times to curl up in a fetal position and cry for about 15 minutes before I could go on. I'm not making that up, I had to do that twice. I'm pretty drained. I mean some of it's not even fair like using Barber's Adagio and shit, or maybe I'm just in some sort of mood, but this hit me hard. Anyway, this was extraordinarily excellent.

So, with this receiving a TEN out of TEN and the other Lynch film I've seen, Mulholland Drive, receiving a ZERO out of TEN, that brings David Lynch's average as a director to FIVE. Good job!
 
Borgnine said:
So I just finished The Elephant Man. Jesus fucking christ. Deeply, deeeeeeply moving. Like I had to stop a couple times to curl up in a fetal position and cry for about 15 minutes before I could go on. I'm not making that up, I had to do that twice. I'm pretty drained. I mean some of it's not even fair like using Barber's Adagio and shit, or maybe I'm just in some sort of mood, but this hit me hard. Anyway, this was extraordinarily excellent.

So, with this receiving a TEN out of TEN and the other Lynch film I've seen, Mulholland Drive, receiving a ZERO out of TEN, that brings David Lynch's average as a director to FIVE. Good job!
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Charles Foster Kane said:
Saw Looper. Decent movie, but not nearly as good as some here at gaf claim; entertaining at best. Man, JGL looked so fucking weird (besides it always looking like makeup), way too distracting for the movie's benefit. Kind of silly and at times contradictory premise
(so it's nearly impossible to dispose of a body in the future, yet they kill the looper's wife like an everyday occurrence).
The kid was just serviceable, but that's usually expected from kids. 6/10.
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they light their house on fire to cover up that kill. Before you ask "why don't they always do this?" the answer is it would be highly suspicious to have it happen on a regular basis
 
Borgnine said:
So I just finished The Elephant Man. Jesus fucking christ. Deeply, deeeeeeply moving. Like I had to stop a couple times to curl up in a fetal position and cry for about 15 minutes before I could go on. I'm not making that up, I had to do that twice. I'm pretty drained. I mean some of it's not even fair like using Barber's Adagio and shit, or maybe I'm just in some sort of mood, but this hit me hard. Anyway, this was extraordinarily excellent.

So, with this receiving a TEN out of TEN and the other Lynch film I've seen, Mulholland Drive, receiving a ZERO out of TEN, that brings David Lynch's average as a director to FIVE. Good job!
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The Elephant Man is really excellent. Mulholland Drive....man, did I hate the last 30mins of that movie
 
Charles Foster Kane said:
Cool, thanks. I'd assume it is. It probably flew by, I didn't notice.
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Yeah, there's a quick heli-shot (on the news or something) that shows them leaving the building with Old Joe and there's smoke billowing out from the building. It's one of those things that might trust the viewer a little too much to put 2 and 3 together because they spend so little time on it that it's even hard to realize what you just saw the first time through.
 
Johnny Guitar
I love melodrama, and this is an extremely melodramatic film. It's like everyone is overacting, except Sterling Hayden, he's just cool, but in some bizarre way it manages to work. Mercedes McCambridge for example basically just screams a lot, but has this manic energy to her that I really enjoyed. Joan Crawford is great, it's just really sweet seeing a strong female character in a 1950s western. Some interesting gender play going on, as well as coloring, Crawford's boldly colored clothes contrast well with the typical brown western backdrop. It's got some campy moments, but I love camp so they didn't bother me. Also, Ernest Borgnine is always a plus. And finally, the theme is ace, but I already knew that from New Vegas. 8/10
 
Saw Cloud Atlas. Yes, the movie is a bit of a mess, yes it can feel distant at times, but it just doesn't feel cold. I like the feeling of liking a film I thought I'd hate. 7/10
 
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Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 - Documentary on Flemming, his novels and turning them into movies, the producers and all the problems they ran into along the road. I was unfamilari with the backstory of the Bond franchise so this was quite interesting.

Whisky: The Islay Edition - Documentary on Islay Whisky, the process of making it and what differences them from other whiskies. Didn't offer much information I didn't already know, but it could be interesting for people just getting into scotch. The imagery was quite nice, Scotland looks like a beautiful place.
Wedding Crashes - Starts out fun, but gets too sappy for my tastes. Great chemistry all around. ***
Red Dawn (2012) - zero fucking stars for this offensive piece of shit
 
&Divius said:
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Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 - Documentary on Flemming, his novels and turning them into movies, the producers and all the problems they ran into along the road. I was unfamilari with the backstory of the Bond franchise so this was quite interesting.
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Is this really not available on BR? Can't find it on Amazon UK. :(
 
Finally got around to watching my first film by Tarkovsky, The Mirror.

Didn't follow it very well, which I attribute to my usual difficulties following even the most straightforward of stories, not to mention I was watching it very late at night, but I can say this; some of those shots were some of the best I think I've ever seen. The way he framed certain shots, the steadycam work, those loooooong shots that just kept going as one take, beautiful.

I get the feeling I'm going to want to rewatch this many times, and also, that I might want to check out some more of this guys work.

Edit: Damn, looks like I watched a pretty shoddy version caption-wise. I thought something was up when it seemed as though lines were being spoken but no captions were showing up, but then I figured maybe the captions were perpetually behind or ahead of the dialogue. Damn Kino version. Also, some of those poems also stuck with me, turns out they're by Tarkovsky's father, Arseny Tarkovsky, going to look into his work as well.

Charles Foster Kane said:
Saw Cloud Atlas. Yes, the movie is a bit of a mess, yes it can feel distant at times, but it just doesn't feel cold. I like the feeling of liking a film I thought I'd hate. 7/10
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That's pretty much almost exactly how I felt after I saw it. The more I reflected on it days after seeing it, the more I liked it; which I'm not sure if it's more to the films' credit, or just the story itself. Looking forward to watching it again regardless.
 
TheKaeptain said:
Sometimes I hate you.
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Why's that? lol

Lynch has some pretty straightforward movies that a family could watch together (Straight Story and The Elephant Man). Straightforward movies that get bizarre in parts (Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart). And movies that are purely Lynch and not for everyone (Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway, Inland Empire). The latter category of movies is the category where you either give yourself over to his method of filmmaking or you're going to have an awful time.

0/10 for Mulholland Drive is borderline objectively wrong. It deserves a 5 just for the sound design (like all of this movies).
 
movies I watched in february:

Point Blank 4.5
Logans Run 4.5 classic
Bottle Rocket 5 lovable road movie with both Wilsons
Incredibles 3.5
This must the place 4
State and Maine 3.5
Spartan 4.5 surprisingly brilliant, really didn't expect that
Another Earth 4
Hot Chick 3 man I love Rob Schneider movies, one of his weaker ones but still funny.
 
MidnightCowboy said:
Johnny Guitar
And finally, the theme is ace, but I already knew that from New Vegas. 8/10
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Fuck that's where I heard it! I was watching the movie and was like wtf how do I know this song I've never seen this shit, and certainly was never a hit song or anything. I played new Vegas about 6 months ago. You have saved me many sleepless nights.
 
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