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Last post Author Topic: Movies you've seen lately  (Read 545588 times)

Edvard

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #450 on: January 05, 2015, 10:48 PM »
Yeah, that one.  And I didn't know that.  And Monsieur Reeves still dropped those lines like a dead fish, regardless.

Y'know, I liked him in "Prince of Pennsylvania", "River's Edge" and yes, I liked him in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure", forgot he was even in "Dangerous Liaisons" and "Dracula", never saw another  movie he was in besides "My Own Private Idaho"  (NO, I haven't seen "The Matrix"... because reasons).  He seemed to have so much charisma playing lower-key characters but when he is cast for lead roles, I dunno, something just goes... missing.  It's like if the movie is good, it's in spite of him.

Sorry.  Keanu rant over.  Haven't seen any other movies lately.

tomos

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #451 on: January 06, 2015, 06:09 AM »
^agree.
Enjoyed the film,
also because Henry IV was the main play we did in school (long time ago), but would have to watch it again - and read the play again - to see how similar in plot they are. I think it was more based on /inspired by the relationship between Falstaff and Henry than on the actual plot.

(Just checked, that film was out in 1991, so I probably saw it 1992, like 23 years ago - seems a reasonably excuse for a vague memory ;-)
Tom

4wd

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #452 on: January 07, 2015, 12:59 AM »
MV5BMTk2MTEwOTcwOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDEzMjM2MjE@._V1_SX214_AL_.jpg

If the worst day of your life consisted of accidentally killing your girlfriend with an axe, chain-sawing your own arm off, and watching in horror as your closest friends were devoured by a zombified Nazi battalion, you'd have to assume that things couldn't get much worse. In Martin's case, that was only the beginning.

Scandinavian horror is always fun :)

panzer

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40hz

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #454 on: January 13, 2015, 08:44 PM »
scol.jpg

A man returns from a short business trip to find his wife has gone mysteriously missing, prompting him to search for her in their bizarre Art Noveau apartment building with its cast of peculiar residents. Such is the premise behind The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears.

Sound intriguing?

...Yes it does.

Is it a good picture?

...No, it's not.

While visually impressive in several places, it only takes about 15 minutes to realize there's likely to be nothing resembling a linear narrative anywhere in this picture. Five minutes after that, you'll begin to suspect there isn't going to be a story of any sort in it at all.

And at the end of the picture, those suspicions will be confirmed.

I'm not quite sure why this film has attained the nascent cult status it has. It's been compared by some to the vastly superior and genuinely chilling 1977 movie Suspiria, with which it (possibly) holds a few minor things in common. But not much else since Suspiria does have a story to tell.

Recommendation?  :down: :down:

Skip this piece of self-indulgent nonsense. It's not even worth watching on Netflix.
« Last Edit: January 13, 2015, 08:55 PM by 40hz »

superboyac

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #455 on: January 13, 2015, 08:54 PM »
lol!  Loving the equal opportunity movie reviewing, 40! 

40hz

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #456 on: January 13, 2015, 08:59 PM »
lol!  Loving the equal opportunity movie reviewing, 40! 

Well..I couldn't just let it go by saying this flick sucked out loud - although I certainly wanted to. ;D

Renegade

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #457 on: January 13, 2015, 09:11 PM »
Slow Down Music - Where I commit thought crimes...

Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. - John Diefenbaker

Renegade

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #458 on: January 13, 2015, 09:14 PM »
I'm not quite sure why this film has attained the nascent cult status it has.

There are quite a few films that I've seen in the past that won awards and had lots of praise, and turned out to be some of the worst drivel.

I don't quite get the attraction to some of them. But, there's a crowd out there that loves to watch stuff happen on the screen with no point to it. Kind of like reality TV. Meh... whatever floats your boat.
Slow Down Music - Where I commit thought crimes...

Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. - John Diefenbaker

40hz

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #459 on: January 14, 2015, 09:29 PM »
There are quite a few films that I've seen in the past that won awards and had lots of praise, and turned out to be some of the worst drivel.

I generally attribute it to one of the worst possible scams a writer can try to pull: Being deliberately obscure in the hopes someone will mistakenly think you're profound.

Several French and Italian movie makers made a career out of that one.

Any film that can be summed up by saying: "The only conclusion to be drawn is that no conclusion is to be drawn" defines that class of picture.

IMHO the most recent example of that sort of BS was Jim Jarmusch's The Limits of Control. Although at least the naked body (Paz de la Huerta no less!) in that film was attractive - as opposed to those in The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears. :-\


Renegade

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #460 on: January 15, 2015, 04:30 AM »
There are quite a few films that I've seen in the past that won awards and had lots of praise, and turned out to be some of the worst drivel.

I generally attribute it to one of the worst possible scams a writer can try to pull: Being deliberately obscure in the hopes someone will mistakenly think you're profound.

Yes - that. Well phrased. I gave one film a bad review above, and it was just like that. I can't be bothered to look for the reference now though - it's best entirely forgotten.
Slow Down Music - Where I commit thought crimes...

Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. - John Diefenbaker

Deozaan

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #461 on: January 15, 2015, 10:47 PM »
I recently watched Godzilla (2014).

It was alright for a brainless action movie. There were a lot of things that didn't make sense. And not in the Fridge Logic kind of way, but rather in the yelling-at-the-TV-screen-as-it's-happening-because-it's-so-obviously-ridiculous way. I don't regret watching it, but I wouldn't mind if I never saw it again. Also, neither I nor my wife can take Bryan Cranston seriously. She was ruined on him because of his role in Malcom in the Middle, and I've seen him too much in Breaking Bad memes (even though I've never seen Breaking Bad, or MitM for that matter).

This video sums up most of my issues with the movie pretty well (spoilers (duh)):





I also recently watched The Amazing Spider-Man (2012).

It was better than I thought it would be. One thing I didn't like about the "original" 3 Spider-Man films (starring Tobey Maguire) was that the plot of all 3 movies was essentially the same: Good-guy turned bad guy by forces out of his control. Bad guy goes after Mary Jane to get to Spider-Man. In the end he regains control of himself and says he never meant to hurt anyone, and we all feel like it's not his fault he did those horrible things. Then he dies and we feel sorry for him. Or something.

Sadly, Amazing Spider-Man didn't deviate much from that pattern either. Except this time there was no Mary Jane to go after to get to Spider-Man. Though there was a time or two when the bad guy unintentionally went after Spider-Man's love interest. But that was mostly because she actively got in his way and/or tried to stop him. Also, why is Spider-Man revealing his identity to everyone in this film?

I'd say it's worth watching at least once.

Oh, and one thing I've had fun doing over the past few years is seeing if I notice any scenes which were put into the movie purely for the fact that it would try to "show off" the 3D. In Amazing Spider-Man it was the scene where Spider-Man is fighting The Lizard in the school library and The Lizard throws a table at Stan Lee and Spider-Man grabs it with his web and pulls it back (in slow motion) just before it hits Mr. Lee.

I can't think of a gratuitous "3D shot" in Godzilla, but it's my guess that it wasn't big budget enough to be shot in 3D.

MilesAhead

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #462 on: January 16, 2015, 05:42 AM »
@Deozaan  American actors from Raymond Burr on, should not be in Godzilla flicks.  Toho should make them themselves.  At this point, since the first Mathew Broderick version tried to make the thing "realistic" by spitting fire but no Heat Ray(tm) I have lost interest in any Godzilla produced in the English language.

The American flick has apparently served a purpose by nudging Toho to realize there's still a market.  Toho is supposed to pick up the series again.  I'll wait for those to be released.

I enjoyed Godzilla Final Wars.  There was a bit too much Alien fighting kung fu mumbo jumbo.  Those scenes reminded me a bit of the flick Wicked City  But City did it better.

As far as plot holes or logical flaws, I can't even bring myself to watch the video you posted since G 1998 had the bit with helicopters following the monster up and down streets instead of flying over the buildings.  Whenever I see that I want to switch ithe movie off right then.  I should have,  :)

I look forward to the real Toho releases to come.



tomos

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #463 on: January 23, 2015, 12:22 PM »
Whiplash I really enjoyed - well filmed, well acted, and complex enough to not get clicheed.

The Grand Budapest Hotel I found annoying initially (the way they moved very quick - or was it the film speeded up - I'm not sure now it being a couple of weeks since I saw it). It did win me over, but I wouldnt give it an oscar for anything much. Too heady: like slapstick made by intellectuals.
Tom

bit

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #464 on: January 23, 2015, 10:27 PM »
Atsu Hime
50 episodes.
Based on the true life story of Tenshōin, an influential and extraordinary Japanese princess who lived from 1836 to 1883.
« Last Edit: January 23, 2015, 10:36 PM by bit »

Shades

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #465 on: January 23, 2015, 11:13 PM »
The mule - movie about a guy who escaped going to prison after swallowing a kilo,s worth of condoms with hard drugs. And that he had to hold his 'number 2' for 11 days!

Whether you agree or not with the premise, it is an interesting story. It won't win Oscars, but don't let that stop you from watching. This is a good Aussie flick.

MilesAhead

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #466 on: January 24, 2015, 06:01 AM »
Atsu Hime
50 episodes.
Based on the true life story of Tenshōin, an influential and extraordinary Japanese princess who lived from 1836 to 1883.

Good site.  I've been watching some Asian movies etc. on YouTube and many emanate from there.   :Thmbsup:

Deozaan

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #467 on: January 24, 2015, 03:11 PM »
Last night I watched a double feature (at home):

Rocketman (1997)

A hilarious live-action Disney film about an accident prone programmer who somehow manages to qualify for a manned mission to Mars, and the mishaps he experiences (and causes). This is an old favorite of mine which I hadn't seen since the early 2000's, but is a part of my every day life due to my frequent references I make to it. Almost every time I put my hands in hot water I'll quote, "It burns the flesh!" Or I can often be seen pointing at someone else and/or saying some variation of "It wasn't me! It was Julie!"

My wife hadn't seen the movie, and after one of my recent "it was Julie!" statements, she (once again) asked "Who is Julie?" and finally I decided it was time to show her. My wife is no great fan of Disney films, so I was worried she wouldn't like the movie. But she seemed to enjoy it and laugh through it. A few times throughout the movie she said, "That explains so much!" referring to the references I make to this film on a regular basis. The other nice thing about the movie is that other than a little bathroom humor (farts are funny) it's completely clean. Hard to find that these days! I'd recommend it.


Blast off for outrageously funny space travel in this screwball comedy that spins wildly out of control all the way to Mars! Though he's a wiz with computers, accident-prone astro-nut Fred Randall (Harland Williams) is the last guy on Earth you'd want on the first manned mission to Mars. But as bad luck and poor timing would have it, that's exactly what happens, and Fred undergoes rigorous, if not hilarious, training at NASA. After that it's t-minus a reality check as Fred blasts off with the rest of the space shuttle crew: a cocky, no-nonsense Commander, a sexy Mission Specialist, and a mischievous space chimp named Ulysses. From the dizzying preflight foolishness to the even loonier landing, ROCKETMAN is the out-of-this-world comedy that's more than go for launch ... it's go for laughs!



Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Though I'd heard very positive reviews from virtually everyone I know who has seen this movie, I wasn't sure how much I'd like it. My primary concern was that it would be too raunchy/inappropriate. But it turned out to be relatively clean for a PG-13 film, and all-in-all a fun action flick. There were a few times throughout the movie where I said/thought "Why are they doing that?" or "Why didn't they just do that in the first place?" but it was fun/ny enough to keep me entertained despite these glaring issues.

One thing it reminded me of was my overall dislike for comic book/graphic novel plots. After the recent slew of comic-based movies from Marvel I've often thought "Oh, Character X was interesting, I wonder what his/her story is," then I'd go to Wikipedia and read a summary of what is a very convoluted and ultimately stupid background of the character. But I guess that's a side effect of writing about the same character(s) for 40+ years.

That's the nice thing about something like Watchmenw. It's a single story, so all the characters can exist in a way that makes sense (sort of) without resorting to convoluted cross-overs, retcons, alternate dimensions, or good/bad clones. I've found I have similar issues with television series. Watching them within a short period of time, you get a clearer picture of all of their flaws, plot holes, and the basic, repetitive patterns they follow. It works well when they drip-feed it to you over the course of weeks, months, and years, but sitting down to watch an entire season over the course of a few days on Netflix (or DVD/Blu-Ray, etc.) quickly reveals these issues.

But I digress.

I'd say Guardians of the Galaxy is worth a watch.

Shades

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #468 on: January 24, 2015, 04:32 PM »
I always like to watch several episodes or season of a series. That is, with series that have an story arc which can span over several seasons. This is also what I like about the 12/13 episodes per season series...especially when the writers are daring enough to make the (support) characters suffer severely of even kill.

Anyway, for me that can give a series some added value. You do see quite some 'rinse and repeat' with series that have 20 to 23 episodes per season.

On topic now:
What we do in the shadows - Weird comedy shot in reality-TV style. It's about 3...actually 4 vampires living in one house. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea and probably better when enjoyed under some kind of influence and/or the right crowd. Dark(ish)/dry humor, something I appreciate.

bit

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #469 on: January 24, 2015, 11:35 PM »
Atsu Hime
50 episodes.
Based on the true life story of Tenshōin, an influential and extraordinary Japanese princess who lived from 1836 to 1883.

Good site.  I've been watching some Asian movies etc. on YouTube and many emanate from there.   :Thmbsup:
Yes, I can't get enough of them myself.  :Thmbsup:

40hz

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #470 on: January 26, 2015, 06:02 PM »
moon.jpg

Watched Moonstruck again after some years.

It's just as funny and poignant as the first time I saw it. Recommended.

It's funny how 'comedy of errors' films that have a wedding as a central plot element work out so well. And so often. I guess it's because weddings are intrinsically funny. And they tend to bring out the best and worst in us. Perfect stories for a movie.

Other good 'uns are:

w1.jpgMovies you've seen lately

Four Weddings and a Funeral (even if putting Andie McDowell in a lead role was a huge mistake IMHO)

w2.jpgMovies you've seen lately

The Wedding Date (with the utterly charming Debra Messing - a redhead connoisseur’s redhead if there ever was one!)

w3.jpgMovies you've seen lately


My Big Fat Greek Wedding
 (Nia Vardalos's brilliant screenplay and performance  made this one a classic that spawned many imitators.)

w4.jpgMovies you've seen lately

Wedding Crashers (Owen Wilson, Vince Vaugn, and Christopher Walken in one film! You know it's gonna be good.)


There are many more. But these will do for a start. :Thmbsup:

tomos

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #471 on: January 27, 2015, 04:31 AM »
^ what was that Aussie 'Wedding-film' with loads of Abba music - that was good, that one ;-)
"wedding film abba aussie australian" found it:
Muriel's Wedding

seeing as your posting pics:

MV5BMTgyMzgwNDMwNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTAwMzAzMQ@@._V1_SY317_CR3,0,214,317_AL_.jpgMovies you've seen lately
Tom

tomos

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #472 on: February 05, 2015, 06:29 PM »
Just after seeing an older film by Danish director Suzanne Bier.
After the Wedding (2006)
I saw it without knowing anything about the story beforehand, and think even the short summary on IMDB is TMI.
Critical of some aspects, but I think it's a very good film.

I've seen a few of her films now over the years: they're always thought provoking - without getting stuck in the intellectual; you usually dont have a clue how they're going to work out, and often emotionally intense. This one had a similar general topic to a couple others I've seen - man comes back from time in a third world country - doctor (In a Better World), army (Brothers), ngo (this one just seen) and while struggling with that culture shock, gets involved in / confronted with [insert story here :p]
(Both those other linked films highly recommended as well.)


FWIW I see she's made a film in English lately, Serena, which doesnt get good reviews...
Tom

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #473 on: February 05, 2015, 07:55 PM »
My primary concern was that it would be too raunchy/inappropriate.

Are we getting old? :)

I have no problems with cursing and a lot of other things, but I no longer need to see any gore - at all. I used to "kind of" like gore flicks, but not at all anymore.

As for sex in movies, I hate it. If it's actually a very real plot device, and done carefully, it can work, but that's exceedingly rare. I think I like the Jackie Chan level of sex in movies, i.e. possibly a peck on the cheek. With lots of free porn available, there's no reason to have it in movies at all. (Well, unless you're a 14-year old boy, but then there's still National Geographic and the Sears catalogue. :P )

So... yeah... I get that "too raunchy/inappropriate" bit. There are movies that I simply never watch because I know that they're going to have a lot of that, and I'm just not interested in it.

I don't recall if there was much of that in Guardians of the Galaxy though.
Slow Down Music - Where I commit thought crimes...

Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. - John Diefenbaker

wraith808

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Re: Movies or films you've seen lately
« Reply #474 on: February 05, 2015, 09:00 PM »
I don't recall if there was much of that in Guardians of the Galaxy though.

There wasn't any, to my recollection.  There was one time that Star Lord and Gamorra almost had a moment.  But ... almost.  And the girl he forgot.  But nothing else.