watched Forest Gump the other night, Hanks kicks ass in everything.
Sadly, the woman I was dating at the time we saw Forest Gump could only moan and groan about how the film was an example of the patriarchy trying to force poor girls to settle for idiots for husbands rather than take chances and find happiness in life. The incessant and loud complaining has forever damaged my opinion of the movie. She had similar complaints with Beauty and the Beast; how it conditioned girls to settle for gruff ugly men who didn't treat them well. She was the one who opened my eyes to movies as art, but she had a lot of complaints that took the fun out of seeing movies.
Sadly, the woman I was dating at the time we saw Forest Gump could only moan and groan about how the film was an example of the patriarchy trying to force poor girls to settle for idiots for husbands rather than take chances and find happiness in life. The incessant and loud complaining has forever damaged my opinion of the movie. She had similar complaints with Beauty and the Beast; how it conditioned girls to settle for gruff ugly men who didn't treat them well. She was the one who opened my eyes to movies as art, but she had a lot of complaints that took the fun out of seeing movies.
Watch it again and try to view it as an outsider. It's the tale of a simple man who leads an amazing life. What's not to love?
It's classic. It is my favorite movie of all time.
Oh and you should have punched her in the throat so the only sound she could have made during movies is Agggk aaggggkgkk agggggk. Nothing I hate more than somebody who wants to yap over my movie.
Well, Beauty and the Beast is such an old story you can trace it back to the myth of Psyche and Cupid.
As for Gump, I don't get her complaints, the main female character in the film was a sexual abuse survivor who goes from one bad relationship to the other because of it only to realize the only man who really loved her for herself was Forest, but she couldn't accept that not because he was slow but because she couldn't accept love. Until it was too late.
I watched Charlie Wilson's War the other night. I thought I posted about it already. It comes off in the previews as being absolutely horrid, but ended up being one of the best movies I've seen in awhile.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman is a fat man's version of Gary Oldman. The guy is talented. It's hard to believe a guy with that 'look' can fade into his roles the way he does. He was the whole reason to watch the movie.
The movie is not at ALL the way the previews come off. It's very interesting and doesn't have the summer blockbuster shallowness the previews suggest.
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"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs." -KFM
Die Hard 4: Live free or die hard - Covers the fictional tale of what will happen when someone gets the balls to run a firesale. I love how they took this catch phrase from a random discussion within the 'hacker' blogs and ran with it. Anyhow a 'Firesale' is a scenario in which hackers take control of the grid. Power, water, gas, communications, utilities, you name it... they own it, and either control it or shut it down. That's why it's called a firesale - everything must go haha. Overall this movie was cool. I like most of the actors and even though they overreach a bit with the tech and the abilities of the bad guys, a good majority of what they demonstrate is fully realizable right now.
existenz - A game designer creates an artificial reality game that plugs directly into people's minds. The line between reality and game then blurs in a violent and gruesome way. This is very much a powerful art film, and not for everyone.
These were great. Kevin Smith's role in DH4 was outstanding.
I don't know why Existtenz didn't get a little more press. Cronenberg at his finest. He's got a movie on deck called A Dangerous Method that might be his life's work. We'll see.
These were great. Kevin Smith's role in DH4 was outstanding.
I don't know why Existtenz didn't get a little more press. Cronenberg at his finest. He's got a movie on deck called A Dangerous Method that might be his life's work. We'll see.
Agreed. I like most all of Kevin's films. My favorite line in DH4 has to be this one here..
Quote:
John McClane: I know I'm not as smart as you guys with all this computer shit. But, hey... I'm still alive, ain't I? I mean, you've *got* to be running out of bad guys by now, right? Huh? Gabriel? Honestly, you can tell me. I mean, how does that work? Got some kind of service or something? Some kind of 800 number? 1-800-HENCHMEN? Oh, you know what? I bet you're still on hold with, "Can I get another dead Asian hooker bitch over here right away?"
Gotta love Bruce Willis.
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This user laughed so hard that they peed a little:
Last night was Fear Friday again, so we started with Poltergeist
Then we watched Shutter
I had seen the remake, but not the original, which is sub-titled in Japanese. It was awesome! Creepier than the remake.
Last but not least, we watched Blood: The Last Vampire
I thought it was pretty awesome, Bams didn't dig the ending much. Overall, it had a Crouching tiger, Matrix, BloodRayne type feel to it.
Lain (is Bams) walks into the thread and sits down with her
So.... Bunnie and I watched Avatar. Not Avatar: The Last Airbender, just Avatar. I have to say, there was some rather impressive visuals in the film. CGI was kicking ass and takin names for sure.
The plot, on the other hand.
And what's with the length? Chop it down an hour, less fluff and quicken the pace, and it's a good movie. Due to it's mind-numbing length, I doubt I'll repeat it.
I had 2012 in the que to give it another shot (I watched it for about 12-20 minutes and was unimpressed. Then I recall why.... it's damn near 3 hours. Seriously how many action sequences can you cram into a Cusack film? I'm down with John, he's a good actor, but 2:40 is snoozeville.
I had 2012 in the que to give it another shot (I watched it for about 12-20 minutes and was unimpressed. Then I recall why.... it's damn near 3 hours. Seriously how many action sequences can you cram into a Cusack film? I'm down with John, he's a good actor, but 2:40 is snoozeville.
I watched it in one of my 8+ hours flights to somewhere... after all... time is something I had.
This user laughed so hard that they peed a little:
"As unrepentantly grandiose and ludicrous as its title, Luca Guadagnino's visually ravishing third feature suggests an epic that Visconti and Sirk might have made after they finished watching Vertigo and reading Madame Bovary while gorging themselves on aphrodisiacs." Melissa Anderson in the Voice on I Am Love: "That it works so well — despite frequently risible dialogue and a notion of feminism that carbon-dates around the time Kate Chopin published The Awakening — is a testament to the film's loony sincerity and seductive voluptuousness, anchored by the magnificence of Tilda Swinton."
"Amid all the luxuries on display in the Italian film I Am Love — the chandeliers, tapestries and paneled walls, the paintings, statuary and white-gloved servants — nothing holds your gaze as forcefully as Tilda Swinton's alabaster face." Manohla Dargis in the New York Times: "The first time you see that vision, her character, Emma Recchi, a Russian who's married into a wealthy Milanese family, is stage-managing the lavish birthday party that opens the film. By the end of this often soaringly beautiful melodrama, which closes with a funeral, Emma's face will have crumpled into a ruin. But it will also be fully alive, having been granted, like Pygmalion's statue, the breath of life."
Saw this movie over the 4th of July weekend. It was incredible. And Tilda Swinton WAS magnificent.
We just finished watching all 14 episodes of Firefly plus the Serenity movie.
If you're not familiar with Firefly, it was a sci-fi series that aired on Fox (spit!) in 2002-2003. Set 500 years in the future, humans have left the used-up Earth and migrated to other star systems. Firefly is set in one such system containing a dozen planets and hundreds of moons where the Core Planets formed a repressive government -- the Alliance -- and attempted to force the other worlds to join. They resisted, and war broke out. The Alliance won.
Now, some years later, the story line of Firefly concerns the crew of the Serenity, which is a Firefly-class space freighter, and all the predicaments they get into.
It's a great little ensemble cast with nine principals, the crew of the Serenity. Very character-driven with some amazing plot twists.
Unfortunately, Fox (spit!), in their wisdom, cancelled the show midway through its first and only season, so there are only 14 episodes. Created by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse), the series to me has a tasty mix of drama and comedy.
Two years after the series' demise, Whedon reunited the cast for a feature film entitled Serenity which wraps up the story line as neatly as could be reasonably expected. Sans and I enjoyed both the series and the movie very much.
P2
I loved Firefly, and was so bummed when it got canceled.
One of the things I found really fascinating about Firefly and Serenity was how Chinese was the universal language.
I watched 'Let The Right One In' week before last, and I thought it was really great, in a very quiet, slow, Scandanavian way. It's about suburban life, how hard it is being a kid, and vampirism. All the usual vampire tropes, in fact, but played out in such a subtle and unpretentious way that it made me smile.
And of course, the American remake can't be as good, unless it's done with the same appreciation for the feel of the setting.
A piece of film lore that I heard from my cinematography teacher when I was in high school.
In the 50's the Brits were making a jungle picture in Africa.
The big climatic scene near the end, The white explorers are surrounded and you could hear the drums in the back ground.
In to the scene rushes their faithful native gun bearer.
Who collapses ,He utters his last words in Swahili and dies. One of the explorers exclaims "My god the natives killed Jenkins"
A gut wrenching scene for them to find out one of their friends is dead.
The movie played all over the world with the same reaction from audiences, except Africa where when the gun bearer dies.
The audience breaks out in laughter. This mystified the producers, until someone who speaks Swahili reported that the last words of the gun bearer were
"I am not getting paid enough to play this part"
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you should be ashamed of yourself... here you are, at you are age, with a full grown mustache, and you are not a lick smarter than a toddler imitating an adult---Mulch
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"I don't have low self esteem, I have low esteem for others"--Daria Morgendorffer
Last edited by Roxie; 08-09-2010 at 03:58 PM.
3 users laughed. The question is: Are they laughing with you, or at you?:
I mean this as a friend..... you should seek help. Support group, counseling, hard drugs.... break the cycle... free yourself from the torture. We're with you.
4 users laughed. The question is: Are they laughing with you, or at you?:
Mention of Philip Seymour Hoffman earlier put me in mind of these two.
PSH has a relatively small but compelling role
in this multi-storied look at life in contemporary LA.
One of the most perfect movies ever made in my opinion.
PSH stars in a true story about a Canadian bank manager
who starts embezzling money to support his
Atlantic City gambling habit. He reaches entourage level
before it all falls apart. Brilliant performance and movie
and a lovely star turn by John Hurt as a lizardy Casino manager.
A piece of film lore that I heard from my cinematography teacher when I was in high school.
In the 50's the Brits were making a jungle picture in Africa.
The big climatic scene near the end, The white explorers are surrounded and you could hear the drums in the back ground.
In to the scene rushes their faithful native gun bearer.
Who collapses ,He utters his last words in Swahili and dies. One of the explorers exclaims "My god the natives killed Jenkins"
A gut wrenching scene for them to find out one of their friends is dead.
The movie played all over the world with the same reaction from audiences, except Africa where when the gun bearer dies.
The audience breaks out in laughter. This mystified the producers, until someone who speaks Swahili reported that the last words of the gun bearer were
"I am not getting paid enough to play this part"
That quote reminded me of this movie: White Hunter, Black Heart. One of many Clint Eastwood movies that I loved.
He is one of those directors that always seem to find the perfect script to play with. I loved most of his movies, the last one I saw is Grand Torino.
As mentioned previously -- Firefly and Serenity which, by the way, is reaching Rocky Horror cult status replete with midnight showings, costume contests, call and response and Josh Whedon worship. It is fascinating to see it grow.
Diva -- Starring a whole bunch of people you never heard of. Visually stunning. See it in French and read the damned subtitles. The overdub does not do it justice. From IMDB: "Two tapes, two Parisian mob killers, one corrupt policeman, an opera fan, a teenage thief, and the coolest philosopher ever filmed. All these characters twist their way through an intricate and stylish French language thriller." It also has a beautiful aria you don't get to hear much from an opera that's almost never produced because it calls for an avalanche.
The African Queen -- arguably the best film ever made. Starring Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, directed by John Houston and shot entirely on location in the 1950s. I have the colorized version and its worth seeing colorized. From IMDB: "In Africa during WW1, a gin-swilling riverboat owner/captain is persuaded by a strait-laced missionary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship."
Malcolm -- This is an adorable little film that is almost entirely unknown. Its kind of a black comedy about an OCD/autistic man who hooks up with two bank robbers. Hijinks ensue.
To Catch a Thief and North By Northwest -- Hitchcock at his finest. In To Catch a Thief you get to see Grace Kelly before she became a princess. The action scenes on top of Mount Rushmore in North by Northwest are still breathtaking -- and really freakin cool. Both are amazing stories. Both have Cary Grant who I had a crush on when I was 6 but could take or leave now. But Hitchcock used either Grant or Jimmy Stewart most of the time and mostly Grant.
Truly, Madly, Deeply -- This is a really slow movie. Its really heartwarming and "awwww" at the end but it takes its time getting there. However, there is Alan OMG Rickman and he is completely awesome.
My favorite Shakespeares:
Much Ado About Nothing -- Has Keanu Reeves in it but he has like one line and the rest of the time he just walks around glowering and looking stupid so its ok. The rest of the cast is amazing: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Michael Keaton, Denzel. A really fun and well-done production.
Richard III -- Starring Gandalf! Seriously though this has become the go-to version for Rick3. Set in Fascist England with Ian McKellan, Annette Benning, Robert Downey Jr., Maggie Smith and a whole bunch of other amazing actors.
Henry V -- Branagh again but the man can do Shakespeare. His delivery of the St. Crispen's Day speech is amazing. With Derek Jacoby and Ian Holme (Bilbo).
i am going to go back with time catch a few tht sound particularly interesting here- but let me see in this rings a bell with anyone as i have been looking for the flick for ages but dont recall the name.
Told from the perspective of an English woman sitting in a café maybe opposite an English man- her story is some how or other she went to Africa and was kidnapped by an Arab and taken to his harem. There is more of course but this is the part that i recall the most- he had her hands and legs and feet covered in henna- and eventually his other wives help her escape (they wanted her out of the way) and somehow she makes her way to where she meets this Englishman with her tale.
Oh I loved that movie plus the soundtrack, wow flashback.
On netflix I watched an old Swedish Movie "girl with the dragon tattoo" very cool movie I think you two would love it has subtitles. Also, I think I heard recently that they are remaking it? Dont know anything about that but they are making it a big deal, it didnt seem that it was that old to begin with, maybe parts 2 & 3?
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I read 50 Shades and laughed...so going to hell.
“A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” ― Coco Chanel
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." ― Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan
For me, movies are mostly about entertainment, so I like them light and easy to digest :-) That is why I agree with Jorus about Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile. But also the Indiana Jones movies for example. My all time favorites though:
- Blues Brothers (what is not to like about that movie??)
- The Matrix (only part 1 though, the storyline is super and makes you think)
- Lord of the Rings (entire trilogy extended versions, I never expected anyone able to film the books and was pleasantly surprised)
- Avatar (simply because of the stunning visuals, saw it in Imax 3D)
Furthermore, about every movie of Tarantino is gold.
If we are talking impressive movies that are a bit more serious: Jacques Tati is one of thhe best cineasts ever. Mon Oncle, Jour de Fete, les vacances de M Hulot, geniale :-)
The only movies I try to avoid are those drama love stories that get too sensitive, oh and serious horror flicks. I love visual action movies or mysteries.
Keeping in the Friday night zombie genre we just rented and watched 'Horde'. A French made undead thriller. Cops and bad guys stuck in an old tenement and forced to team up to fight off the zombies. What fun.
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