Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| Jan 2014

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Saw Her.

Loved everything about it.

I thought the lack of judgement by the supporting cast was surprising and refreshing.

And the humor was just spot on for me.

Such an odd, beautiful film.
 
Watched Night of the Generals. I don't think I've ever not been impressed by a Peter O Toole performance. He is utterly fantastic as a Nazi general. It's kind of a largely forgotten movie, and I don't really know why. A lot of big stars, very well done, and very ahead of its time.
 
Only God Forgives

I'm cheating because I actually watched this last month and just never mentioned it. I can see why some people have complaints, but I actually enjoyed it overall.

It wasn't an overly long movie but I certainly felt its length. There were just some scenes I felt were long and unnecessary. But then there were scenes that I could have watched forever, like (mid movie spoilers)
the fist fight with Chang
. It's the kind of movie that I finish, go about my business, and then find myself suddenly reflecting on later. I really like movies like that.
 
Star Trek - Like it better than Into Darkness.

The Matrix - Awesome.

The Matrix Reloaded/Revolution - From good to okay, I think.

Animatrix - Really good. Adds a lot to the Matrix universe.

Watchmen (Director's cut) - A better experience than Ultimate Cut.

Spring Breaker - I think it's a weird film. Not sure to like or not to like.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole - Good animation film. Story was too serious, though.

Dawn of the Dead (2004) - Great zombies film from Zack Snyder. Although it's not really a surprise, the film has more slow motion than I expected. Good thing Zack sped them zombies up instead of slowing them down imo.

Batman: TDKR(eturns) - Good adaptation from a great book.

Alien - Was really hyped for some Alien, so I decided to watch it again. Still fucking fantastic! Dat chestburster scene gets me chill every time.

Starship Troopers - I fucking love it!

Fellowship of the Ring - I love it, too.
 
Saw Psycho III. Weaker than Psycho II, but still manages to remain entertaining.

I don't get the hate for these movies (specially the second one). They aren't without stupidity, but they show restrain, have surprises of their own, create a good atmosphere, and Norman is still very good in them. 6/10

2 is an awesome inversion of the original.

3 is mostly crap except for the genius twist on the shower scene.
 
Did an animation double feature with Frozen and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, which was quite an interesting thing to do because of the major difference in presentation of animated films to their target audiences. Frozen is a classic tale as one would expect of Disney after the wonderful Tangled, really heartfelt with interesting characters and lovely music. I really liked the struggles of both sisters and it is told very well (it also has the most beautiful snow I have ever seen). Cloudy 2 is loud, colorful, bright and energetic while heaving some heavy handed morale and relying mostly on quick jokes (and puns. so. much. puns.) which works to a degree, but it loses steam past the halfway mark. Frozen **** / Cloudy ***
 
Pain and Gain

I'm not a Michael Bay guy, but after seeing critics like A.O. Scott give this film a nod on his top 10 list, I was interested in giving it a look. I'm conflicted on how I feel about it. Yes, it's Michael Bay's most thought-provoking film and there is some interesting satire under the surface, but you have to get through a layer of Michael Bay ick to get there. Unfunny jokes about stereotypes and insultingly dumb female characters abound.

One of my fav films from last year. Everyone is insultingly dumb except Ed Harris and his wife. It's truly unapologetic, and I'm glad its mood stays as black as its humour.
 
I think you both might be missing the negative connotation of the word.

Discotheque's use of the word doesn't fully match his examples, though. What he is getting at is emotional appeal that is laid on thick.

I think i got his meaning, however i'm making the point that whether or not you even notice the manipulation is a two way street, and i'm sure there's a lot of people who watch something you mightconsider shamelessly manipulative, and don't even notice it.
How vast your movie watching experience is, is a factor, for example, in how easy it is to break your disbelief, when it comes to holding your hand and guiding your emotions.
I am not sure how we could set an objective threshold on what is subtle and what is overt manipulation, although of course some movies are more clumsy at it than others.
 
True Lies

Good fun, but boy it's funny in these Jim Cameron movies how obvious the stunt men are and there are sooo many shots with them. Makes me laugh
 
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everyone I know told me this movie is awful, so I came in expecting the worst. Clearly I need to make new friends; incredible movie, great imagery, symbolism, acting, etc. everything is top notch;

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hands down the dumbest fucking movie I have ever seen. everyone in this movie should be banned from movies

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wow, how refreshing, a good movie with good dialogue. this director must love french cinema =]

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cool fights don't matter if the story is dog shit
 
Saw Her.

Loved everything about it.

I thought the lack of judgement by the supporting cast was surprising and refreshing.

And the humor was just spot on for me.

Such an odd, beautiful film.

Yeah, these were my feelings too. Really enjoyed, fantastic performances from Phoenix and ScarJo, great score (hope they release it, there was an orchestrated version of Porno that played during
their first sex scene
that I really want), and - probably my favorite part of the film - a very believable and realistic jump into the future. I loved the movie's art direction and really felt like what the world would look like in 25-30 years.
 
Ah man, that guys examples of the golden age of cinema are Donnie Darko, American History X, and Sin City? Dude there is not a through line here. Some could maybe make an argument for film having changed around/after certain time periods, even the 00s, but you were definitely just in high school then
Actually i think the simpler the story, the better martial arts movies are, as a general rule of thumb.

Rumble in the Bronx, for example.
I'd agree but I'd probably use "lean" instead of "simple"

I mean I haven't seen enough martial arts films but my favorites I've seen have stories that get at pretty interesting ideas but through the fights and barebones storytelling. The Big Boss leaps to mind

EDIT: as for the raid: I agree that the story doesn't have much dimension at all but it's a likably skinny crime story I think. Put the incredible fights on top of it and I'm a fan. Have nothing but high hopes for 2, considering it is the film they wanted to make in the first place.
 
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bought this the other day out of some serious nostalgia and saw the directors cut for the first time, having only seen the american theatrical cut a few times when i was younger.

what a great movie. some really fantastic visuals, especially during
the unicorn's death, gump's riddle in the forest, and Lili's temptation scene with the dancer.

im going to go out on a limb and say its the legend of the zelda movie ive always wanted (and actually got)
 
Not technically a film I guess - but I finially finished watching The Story of Film: An Odyssey on Netflix. Talk about eye-opening about the medium in every way possible. The only complaint I have is that Mark Cousins simply doesn't have a good voice for narration, he was completely monotone throughout all 15 episodes and has an accent where it sounds like almost literally every sentence he says has the inflection of a question. Listening to that for 15 hours became a bit grating.

But overall, very educational.
 
has anyone seen the teaser for the better angels? it genuinely looks exactly like a terrence malick film.

i want to see it.
Looks cool.

--
Saw La grande bellezza, it was fairly entertaining, but i didn't love it, it felt anti-intellectual in a smug manner at times, although by the end it does manage to humanize somewhat the characters.
Servillo being Servillo.

Nobody's Daughter Haewon, which is the first i see from this director, and thought it was pretty great.
Some really beautiful and natural performance and i loved the general tone and style of the film.
 
wow, how refreshing, a good movie with good dialogue. this director must love french cinema =]

I had a LOT of trouble with the first half of this movie as pretty much everyone but Frances oozed awfulness. Frances was very cool, though she ultimately was just about the same character as Florence from Greenberg with a tad more optimism and naivety.
 
I'm not sure how I feel about Malick-a-likes like this and Ain't Them Bodies Saints - when anybody else repurposes his style it feels like they're trying too hard, getting the surface and missing the forest for the trees. Handheld shots of people frolicking in nature do not a Malick movie make (did I get that right?)

That's just a judgment based on trailers, though, so maybe I'm wrong and they're amazing. But it's hard not to feel like that authorial voice is being diluted by being copied.

Jesse James had some Malick-ness to it, but it was still a good movie.

Although, from the teaser, this is closer.. "creepy" close.
 
The Man from Nowhere great, great movie. Saw on netflix and had to watch it again. Want to see Mother at some point, curious how Bin Won is in that..
 
From Up On Poppy Hill

A very sweet and innocent feature from Ghibli about love, friendship and loss. The son of the great master himself shows with this movie that he definitely inherited some talent from his old man. The animations for this one looked absolutely great. There were lots of little details in the background and the characters looked very alive. To top it all off there's a great soundtrack too. This is a memorable sweet little story.

7.5/10
 
I'm not sure how I feel about Malick-a-likes like this and Ain't Them Bodies Saints - when anybody else repurposes his style it feels like they're trying too hard, getting the surface and missing the forest for the trees. Handheld shots of people frolicking in nature do not a Malick movie make (did I get that right?)

That's just a judgment based on trailers, though, so maybe I'm wrong and they're amazing. But it's hard not to feel like that authorial voice is being diluted by being copied.

I did not like Ain't them Bodie Saints but The Better Angels looks far more promising to me based on the teaser and the premise.. plus the fact that it's actually produced by Terrence Malick himself gives me hope that it will be a good Malick imitation.

Will definitely see it either way because that B&W photography looks gorgeous.
 
Look at this sneaky motherfucka right here.


Here i am just watching this, basically Medal of Honor (2009) to Call of Duty's Act of Valor, and then BAM right in the fucking head one of the most brutal movies of the year. I enjoyed it.

Also, Explosions in the Sky soundtrack, fuck yeah.
 
Saw Nebraska today.

Really enjoyed it. Very simple story, with simple characters, but builds up for a few perfect moments that make the film. Thought the cinematography was beautiful.

Only fault may be too many shots of Will Forte, contemplating his father's infinite sadness after some revelation. But these usually ended up washed away with some biting humor, so I forgive them...

End spoiler:
A little too convenient that the perfect people happened to walk out onto the street to see Woody in the truck. Which got me thinking... forcing David (Will Forte) to duck down (which was a big laugh for me) might have opened up the possibility this was still Woody's fantasy, and those last two "witnesses" were in his imagination?
 
Saw Inside Llewyn Davis today and I absolutely loved it, definitely has that Coen brothers magic. Great, great music. A ton of laughs, great performances, and a really interesting character study. I'd probably say that, surprisingly, the Coen brothers film it most resembles is A Serious Man, Really loved it, up there with Upstream Color and Before Midnight for my favorite of the year so far. It's a shame that it's probably not gonna get all that much Oscar attention. Oscar Isaac in particular is a star from here on out, he kills it.
 
Saw Inside Lllewyn Davis, really dug it. I really like the Coen's smaller stuff like this and A Serious Man. Strangely the music was kind of lame I thought. It's also way funnier than it looks in trailers. The roadtrip part with Goodman was amazing.
 
Her

I found it well-executed, funny, endearing, and genuinely horrifying.

I'm still processing it all but I would recommend it although it's put me in a pretty nihilistic mood.
 
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