What is The Last Movie You Watched?

[CORVETTEDUDE]

Cowboys and Aliens, on cable. Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde. Pretty entertaining but, never iconic!!

[Prospero]

"Side Effects" a film released about a year ago and, according to its director, Steven Soderbergh, his cinematic swansong. (Though he did sneak out the HBO screened "Behind The Candelabra" about Liberace just after its release.). A highly improbably plotline, neo-Hitchcockian in its approach about ... well I am not entirely sure what it was about. It swivels mid-plot in such an improbable manner that the denouement is ludicrous.
At 51 It is hard to believe Soderbergh is done with cinema but when he returns he'd better improve upon this.

[Jimmy W]

KILL YOUR DARLINGS - lots of good acting all around but they never made the story that interesting. The guy who they cast as Jack Kerouac was possibly the worst and thoroughly inappropriate personification of him I have ever seen. More Kramden than Kerouac. Only worth seeing if you have a passionate interest in the subject.

[tsluvr61]

The Wolf Of Wall Street, Damn that Leo can act. Love the scene where he thought he got his Lamborghini home without a scratch, then later sees what really happened the night before, and the car is trashed. Great movie, and exactly the way it was in the 80's

[Stavros]

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014).
This superbly photographed film resembles one of the pastries baked in Mendls by the love interest in the film: extravagant, ornate, unctuous and liable to disappear. Other than that, the film is as empty of meaning and purpose as the fiction of Stefan Zweig on which it is based, like Wes Anderson, another stylist with nothing to say. I might be wrong, but I think Edward Norton gives almost exactly the same performance in this film as he did in the previous offering by Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom. Nevertheless, an enjoyable if wasted hour or so.

[Falrune]

I watched the Hobbit, late last night. It was not that good.

[Prospero]

The Great Budapest Hotel Yes, it had no message or meaning, but it was
terrific fun. This is a truly delightful concoction, less sweet than Moonrise Kingdom but with a wonderful cast and a phantasmagorical swirl of invention. A wonderful sense of style and terrific casting. It grabs and holds your attention and, frankly, who cares if it isn't deep or full of meaning. I loved it.

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - Official International Trailer HD - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fg5iWmQjwk)

[robertlouis]

I'll be seeing TGBH on Sunday and your reviews so far don't discourage me in the slightest; at one level Anderson's films have always been imaginative confections where style matters every bit as much as substance.

Now, has anyone seen, or is anyone planning to see, Jonathan Glazer's latest, Under The Skin, in which Scarlett Johansson in a bad wig plays a shapeshifting alien who eats men in Glasgow? Reviews tend to be at extreme ends of the spectrum.

[Prospero]

I love ms johansson ... Her voice featured in "Her" as the operating system's female persona was wonderfully sexy ... The little crack to it so lovely... But as a shape shifting vampire....Probably not.

[robertlouis]

I love ms johansson ... Her voice featured in "Her" as the operating system's female persona was wonderfully sexy ... The little crack to it so lovely... But as a shape shifting vampire....Probably not.

Local curiosity will probably entice me - both for the locations and just to see if I recognise anyone. Apparently Scarlett drove a van around Glasgow which was full of hidden cameras, supposedly seeking out possible "prey". When they decided to use the footage they got the person to sign an immediate waiver so that it could be included. Certainly a novel approach to film-making.

[Prospero]

Does make it sound interesting RL....

[robertlouis]

Does make it sound interesting RL....

And speaking as a Glaswegian of long experience I'm quite surprised that the crew didn't take a beating or two! :hide-1:

[Ben]

Super. It's a very dark comedy...

Super Trailer - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctcURFb7XE4)

[Ben]

From the Super soundtrack...

Two perfect moments with lyrics (Super Soundtrack) - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za6K39B7mVI)

[robertlouis]

The Grand Budapest Hotel. In addition to the comments already posted, I'll simply add that it's a ravishing feast for the eyes and I enjoyed it more than any of Wes Anderson's movies since Rushmore. And who knew that Ralph Fiennes could do comedy? I certainly laughed more than I have at many supposedly hilarious comedy films. A thoroughly satisfying early Sunday evening treat.

[gottuwett]

'Non-Stop' with Liam Neeson. not necessarily a bad film, but as an action film fan, the pickins are usually pretty slim this time of year.

btw this is my first post on the board. glad to be here!

[AshlynCreamher]

Not a movie - TV Series Dexter

Is Debra Morgan a tranny?

[Prospero]

Under The Skin . A few days ago I said I wasn't interested in this film. I'm glad I changed my mind. This is a very impressive eerie and disquieting piece of film making, hugely atmospheric but opaque of explanation or clear meaning. If you are expecting a standard horror or sci fi film forget it. Jonathan Glazer instead offers a darkly poetic meditation on alienation. Set in and around Glasgow in Scotland, the wonderful Scarlett Johansson is brilliant as an alien life form which has taken human guise and drives around in a transit van, using her erotic power to lure men to their deaths. So far, so ordinary. But her performance is remarkable in capturing a strange inhuman vacancy. The facial expressions that are just not quite normal and even her gait. And through her eyes our human world begins to look alien and unsettling. A touch of Craig Raine's Martian view. As the film progresses it is humanity as much as the visiting stranger which seems odd.

SPOILER ALERT. For me one of the most chilling sequences is a drama on a stormy beach as a couple drown. A young man who tried to help escapes exhausted and the alien, oblivious to the emotional content of the scene finishes him off with a rock. Meanwhile a baby is left to die, crying on the storm lashed beach. Johansson does not even register its presence. READ ON Film reviewers have evoked Nic Roeg or David Lynch in describing this film. There are echoes of both The Man Who Fell To earth and Lynch's Eraserhead (the use of strange almost industrial rumblings and gurglings in the score) but without Lynch's occasional lapses into weirdness for its own sake. This is a much more controlled and very dark tone poem of a film... Likely to haunt you with the subtle power of a dream. Much is left unexplained. Who is the strange biker. What prompts Johansson unusual behaviour to one of her victims (a man reminiscent of The a Elephant Man as portrayed in David Lynch's eponymous film) It is only at the end that it briefly falters, but by then it has woven its disturbing spell. Strongly recommended.

Under the Skin - Official Trailer (2014) [HD] Scarlett Johansson - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoSWbyvdhHw)

[robertlouis]

A spoiler warning might have been useful. :(

[Prospero]

A spoiler warning might have been useful. :(

Oh I've not given anything away you'd not find out about reading any of the press reviews RL

[Prospero]

I edited RL's post because he reproduced my review - to which i've now added a spoiler warning and changed one section so as not to give away another element of the plot.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/mar/15/scarlett-johansson-under-skin-extraterrestrial

[broncofan]

Killing Them Softly

I only thought Cogan's Trade, the book on which this movie was based, was average. This movie is worse than average, with its distracting and irritating political undertones that have nothing to do with the story. It made a poor addition to a gangster movie, even if thematically coherent, it is so dissonant and preachy that it ruins the movie. I don't need an extended analogy to Wall Street or spliced over speeches of George Bush and Barack Obama to understand how crooks and killers operate. I'm going to try like hell never to watch another movie directed by Andrew Dominik.

[ImpulZ]

Urban Justice....steven seagel....what the fuck..:hide-1:

[Dino Velvet]

Urban Justice....steven seagel....what the fuck..:hide-1:

Did you stop by the liquor store first? More better with booze. Fun critiquing how his hairline shifts and his weight varies. I think he invented Cajun Ebonics too. He was born to do the re-boot of Samurai Cop.

[JeyneRiley]

The Wolf of Wall Street. What a kick ass movie. Jordan Belfort (played by Leo) was an absolute train wreck of a human being.

[pantybulge69]

Need for Speed (Arron Paul aka Jessie Pinkmon from Breaking Bad series))

High adrenaline car race movie- the race/chase choregraphy scenes from
Need for Speed don't add up near to the impressive level of the Fast & Furious
series. Decent/above average film but not great. Solid enough for a popcorn flick. But Not a memorable classic.

[gottuwett]

Need for Speed (Arron Paul aka Jessie Pinkmon from Breaking Bad series)

High adrenaline car race movie- the race/chase choregraphy scenes from
Need for Speed don't add up near to the impressive level of the Fast & Furious
series. Decent/above average film but not great. Solid enough for a popcorn flick. But Not a memorable classic.


just saw this myself. for me, the sounds of those cars alone were worth the ticket price! that said though, there's definitely nothing to write home about here. probably best to save this one for Redbox.

[RallyCola]

I watched the Red Dawn remake (with Thor) on netflix earlier today.

I don't know why I continued to watch it after the first 15 min. From the training montage on, the movie was just awful. plus the attempt at catharsis that Thor's baby brother is supposed to experience is terrible. the invading koreans have the ability to stage such an attack but have no ability to monitor a group of kids? people are seen eating at a subway while tanks are rolling through a city?

Overall, please avoid this movie. There are several reasons, MGM's fiscal health notwithstanding, that this movie was shelved and only released to capitalize on Hemsworth's fame.

[AshlynCreamher]

I though Red Dawn was pretty suspenseful, especially The first 15 minutes - watching Korean's parachuting In the neighborhood and planes crashing, very suspenseful! Part I hated the most was the big brother getting killed.

[broncofan]

Place Beyond the Pines
This is a good movie, but runs at a slow pace. The pacing picks up about half way through, but you have to be patient to enjoy this one. If there's one theme I can identify, it's the significance of having a father and being a father for better or for worse. There are some poignant moments, one implausible coincidence, and some space in between. But it was worth watching.

The Badlands
A highly rated, but slightly overrated movie that was apparently inspired by the Starkweather killing spree. It involves sporadic action interspersed with peculiar narration from the naive 15 year old girl who accompanied the main character on his killing spree. The problem with the movie is that during those times when there isn't action, there's nothing to draw you to the characters or story. The narration serves only to let you know how confused (and psychologically manipulated) the young girl is, but besides edifying you about that, it fails to provide any other insight.

[Prospero]

Is the "Badlands" film you are referring to the 1973 movie with Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen, directed by Terrence Malick? I remember loving that film.

[broncofan]

Is the "Badlands" film you are referring to the 1973 movie with Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen, directed by Terrence Malick? I remember loving that film.
That's the one. It was recommended to me by someone who loved it. I did like it, but I just didn't get the narration by Sissy Spacek. I think the point was to let us know that she processes things in a child-like way and is highly influenced by her older, deranged boyfriend. But it was so constant and without variation that all it evoked in me was pity.

Anyhow, when I say slightly overrated I only say I think that because of its plaudits. Had I seen it without knowing anything about it I think I would have enjoyed it more.

[Prospero]

He used to be a terrific director. "Days Of Heaven" is a stunning film and "The Thin Red Line" was also a great war movie. His visual sense is pretty unerring. But his two most recent films have flipped into self indulgent and pretentious tosh.

[broncofan]

He used to be a terrific director. "Days Of Heaven" is a stunning film and "The Thin Red Line" was also a great war movie. His visual sense is pretty unerring. But his two most recent films have flipped into self indulgent and pretentious tosh.
It's funny. I was going to say the movie was visually impressive. I noticed it but I don't have a great aesthetic for that...and I don't always trust myself to give a good judgment on that basis. But many of the scenes were beautiful.

I enjoyed The Thin Red Line a lot, but have never seen Days of Heaven. That might be one to watch.

[Stavros]

Malick is what the French would call an Auteur, a film-maker with an individual, distinctive style -he is also one of the finest directors America has produced. Most of, if not all of his films, are informed by a (Christian) religious sensibility.

His first two films, Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven (1978) are about outsiders who rebel against the society into which they cannot fit, and lose. Both are bathed in the light of a late summer afternoon that has been so prevalent in Malick's films. Both have a narration by a young girl who acts as a morally detached observer of events over which they have no control. The apparent amorality or nihilism of Kit in Badlands is the central issue which enables him to kill; the scene at the end when he seems to relish being arrested speaks volumes for his narcissistic personality. Malick, famously camera shy these days, acts in Badlands but is not credited (he is the man who calls at the rich man's house when Kit is there).

The Thin Red Line (1998) is a flawed attempt to deal with the issue of sacrifice in the Pacific Theatre of the Second World War; at its centre are two soldiers who either decline to be part of the sacrifice/fighting -(Pvt Witt, played by Jim Caviezel)- or Captn Staros (played by the wonderful Canadian actor, Elias Koteas) who disobeys the orders of Lt-Col tall (Nick Nolte). Sean Penn takes the role of the detached observer, as interlocutor of the troops, but it is clear an enormous amount of footage was shot and spliced together which accounts for the disjointed conclusion where the George Clooney character suddenly appears for no apparent reason.

The New World (2005) is a version of real events surrounding the arrival in Pennsylvania in 1607 of English settlers, particularly John Smith (Colin Farrell), who first encounters Pocahontas (Q'orianka Kilcher, I think she was 15 at the time they shot the film), and the tobacco farmer John Rolfe (Christian Bale) whom she married and who with him was presented at Court when they came to England. There are not many films about this period of American history and probably few as ravishing to look at. The early scene when Pocahontas first sees the English settlers is mesmerising while the people involved felt Malick had been fair with their history. Colin Farrell is not my 'cup of tea'. Although like The Thin Red Line the film suffers from too much footage being spliced into one film, I have seen this numerous times and always enjoyed it.

The Tree of Life (2011) may be Malick's masterpiece, it certainly compares well with Badlands. The film is a contrast between the life of nature and the life of grace and contains one of the few attempts in cinema to present the origins of life and Planet Earth, in the process exposing how dated and shallow the first part of Kubrick's 2001 has become (although it was always a shallow lie, as one would expect of this cinematic technician with limited intelligence). You cannot really empathise with this film if you do not at least understand the biblical references taken from Job, or the overall thrust which is to contrast people who accept life as it is, and those who attempt to change life on their own volition. A sensitive performance from Brad Pitt is enhanced by the superb acting of his young sons.

To The Wonder (2012) is an almost wordless essay on love and commitment. Its meaning lies in both the way in which Malick shoots the human body, and the way movement is used to unravel the concepts of love, fidelity and eternity which permeate the film, again, shot in late afternoon sunlight. I cannot pretend the film is appealing for a wide audience, but lovers of Malick's work will enjoy it. I certainly did.

Malick has three films in post-production, according to imdb.

[Prospero]

A good breakdown of Malick's films by Stavros, but I must disagree regarding the most recent film. I loathed To The Wonder. It didn't work at all and was tedious beyond measure. Almost as tedious as the films of Bela Tarr.

[Stavros]

Bela Tarr -one of Europe's finest and most challenging directors. I admit that I was disappointed with The Man from London, but Satantango, The Turin Horse, and Werckmeister Harmonies are masterpieces of precision. As was said in relation to his films and the work of Krasznahorkai on which they are based -'reality extended to the point of madness'.

I think you need to have a pure love of film to appreciate Malick, in which narrative alone is insufficient.

[Prospero]

Oh I have a pure love of film sure enough but you insisting that Tarr's films are masterpieces does not make them so Stavros. The Turin Horse is anything but precise. it maunders on emptily for what seemed like hours. "Realty extended to the point of madness". Oh I think that I can concur with that.

[Stavros]

Oh I have a pure love of film sure enough but you insisting that Tarr's films are masterpieces does not make them so Stavros. The Turin Horse is anything but precise. it maunders on emptily for what seemed like hours. "Realty extended to the point of madness". Oh I think that I can concur with that.

I agree, but I think Tarr's best films are masterpieces, and that matters to me. I think you are wrong about The Turin Horse because it is indeed precisely constructed -the film resembles a novel by Beckett but without Sam's occasional shards of humour and wit, but as the film is about the last week of time that is not surprising. But while the father and daughter appear to do the same things every day at the same time eating each day a boiled potato, in fact there are glaring or subtle differences within each day, and the director has shaped the film like a piece of music so that the final day drifts into an eternal, elegiac silence. Wind plays a key role in the film, as does light, and you won't find many films filmed with such a translucent sense of light, a crucial element in a film in which light dies for ever. I would not recommend it in the way one can recommend a film with a conventional structure where the scene changes every three minutes, but as someone who has made films you know what it means to set up a shot and how long a take should last. Tarr gets it exactly right, in the context of his films, and the effect is part of the magic of cinema which is why we watch films.

I don't know if you saw it, but today's Guardian has a fascinating set of clips of long takes from tv programmes -I don't know much about the West Wing, but the take in this selection is amazing. I also don't know enough about tv to know what the best long takes are. But in film, I suppose we could start with....Bela Tarr?

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/mar/17/true-detective-and-the-greatest-long-tracking-shots-on-tv

[fred41]

20 Feet from Stardom...on Netflix

Twenty Feet from Stardom (2013) - IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2396566/)


Documentary on some of the better known backup singers through the times. Interviews with them and some of the people they worked with. With opinions offered on why some of them couldn't carry on solo careers and why some didn't want to. Well worth watching...even if only for the incredible vocal ability possessed by these singers (some of the stuff Lisa Fischer does with her voice honestly gives me chills...just wow...I had forgotten who she was...just bought one of her albums on itunes)
It will help reacquaint some of you with some favorite musical memories and perhaps have you listening to those songs differently.

[fred41]

Mud....on Netflix
Mud (2012) - IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935179/)

....a fine story - somewhat 'Twainish' (if I may be allowed usage of a made up adjective) performed by a fine cast.

[robertlouis]

Of Gods and Men, a French film about a small community of monks in Algeria working against the inevitable during the Islamist insurgencies of the 1990s. Beautifully filmed and acted. The scene where the monks consume their last supper to the accompaniment of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is almost unbearably moving. Very strongly recommended.

[Prospero]

That really is a great film, RL

[gottuwett]

The Raid 2

if you liked/loved the first one, you'll definitely like/love the second!

[fred41]

The Raid 2

if you liked/loved the first one, you'll definitely like/love the second!

yup...gonna have to see that first chance I get.

[RallyCola]

Alex Cross with tyler perry. it was not my idea to watch it and never have i actually turned off someone else's tv but that movie was such crap.

[Stavros]

The Past (Asghar Farhadi 2013)
This is the third film I have seen by Farhadi, the others being About Elly (2009) and A Separation (2011). Unlike the last two made in Iran, this latest feature is set in France but like the other films explores the tensions, deceits, misunderstandings, and pain that a lack of candour in relationships can produce. Farhadi has a way of presenting these domestic dramas in a way which enables narrative to appear to focus on its subject while also skirting the core issues which remain long after the film ends. This is one serious and seriously fine director.

The Past Official Trailer #1 (2013) - French Drama Movie HD - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLKpTRilMFc)

[Prospero]

Sleeper, an early Woody Allen film. I hadn't seen this since it was first released and had forgotten how heavily he used to rely on slapstick in his early days. The first section is dumb but funny but then it goes downhill fast.

Sleeper - Banana Skin - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfrShu_Lp2A)

[robertlouis]

The Past (Asghar Farhadi 2013)
This is the third film I have seen by Farhadi, the others being About Elly (2009) and A Separation (2011). Unlike the last two made in Iran, this latest feature is set in France but like the other films explores the tensions, deceits, misunderstandings, and pain that a lack of candour in relationships can produce. Farhadi has a way of presenting these domestic dramas in a way which enables narrative to appear to focus on its subject while also skirting the core issues which remain long after the film ends. This is one serious and seriously fine director.





Will be seeing it tomorrow. Thanks, Stavros

[RallyCola]

12 years a slave.

didn't like it at all. as with many academy award winning movies, i don't get the fuss.

[Ben]

Blackfish...
It's a difficult documentary to watch.
I mean, SeaWorld is, well, horrible.

[Prospero]

"Prisoners". One of the most unpleasant films i've seen in a while.

[Stavros]

"Prisoners". One of the most unpleasant films i've seen in a while.

Perhaps you can explain why. The acting is first class, as is the script. What it does is re-instate a moral dimension to that genre of movies in which people take the law into their own hands, and shows how their single-minded obsession can itself violate not just the law but the moral purpose behind it -you only need ask what this film would have been like with Stallion or Schwarzenegger to appreciate it.

[Stavros]

Wadjda (Haifaa al-Mansour, 2012)
Filmed in Saudi Arabia with a mostly Saudi/German crew, this film concerns a 10-yr old girl who takes a fancy to a bicycle to challenge a local boy she knows to a race. Wadjda already makes money selling bracelets to girls in her school but the 800 Riyals (£128/$213) the new bike costs is way beyond her price range. The film shows both how she goes about obtaining the money for the bike, but in doing so depicts the difficulties that lie in the way of women, including 10 year olds in Saudi Arabia. The film deals with men taking more than one wife, although it does not attempt to show how, in this film the husband/father in fact does not have an 'Islamic' reason for doing so; and also with the relationship between spiritual and material things. It is a finely observed film with mostly non-professional actors who as is often the case do an impressive job, not least the young woman playing Wadjda (Waad Mohamed). It is not a profound film, it has no special dazzling film-making, yet in a quiet way it is a moving film from a country which has no public cinemas. The DVD has both a background film and Haifaa al-Masour's short film on the lives of women in Saudi Arabia, Women with Shadows (2005).

Wadjda - Official Trailer (HD) Saudi Arabia - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3koigluYOH0)

[RallyCola]

craptain america part 2

1st off...i swore off marvel movies but my friends coerced me into seeing this.

it is better than the 1st but that's not saying much.

i don't want to give away anything to those that have not seen it but to me, they painted themselves in a corner with the avengers and that is why this villain and retooling the storyline ultimately fails because no threat that craptain america can handle alone is important anymore after the events of the avengers and thor 2. if the earth can be hurt by other worlds, Marvel should just make avenger movies and stop with the individual storylines.

[Prospero]

All the things you say about Prisoners are true Stavros. I found the portrayed oh human nature deeply ugly as were the motivations and the portrayal of violence. I didn't say it was a bad film.

[Dino Velvet]

Perhaps you can explain why. The acting is first class, as is the script. What it does is re-instate a moral dimension to that genre of movies in which people take the law into their own hands, and shows how their single-minded obsession can itself violate not just the law but the moral purpose behind it -you only need ask what this film would have been like with Stallion or Schwarzenegger to appreciate it.

I'm such a procrastinating doper I forgot to see that thing. If Stallone played Hugh Jackman's part and Schwarzenegger played Paul Dano's part would that have made it a better film? How about not only Jean-Claude Van Damme but the entire cast of Bloodsport with the Hacksaw Jim Duggan guy playing the creepy bastard? I've only seen the trailer so I can only be held to those standards for casting. Apologies in advance.

[danoblue]

Anchorman 2
Closed Circuit

loved both

[pantybulge69]

CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER

As i'm a very big Marvel fan so there was no way i'm missing out.
Although i may have to sit & endure the upcoming goofy looking
Guardian of the Galaxy, that's due in August though.

Capt America: Winter Soldier was everything the preview trailier made it out to be. Great superhero film !! the action was explosive and impressive despite some funky, shaky camera work at times. it was distant miles much better than the first original Capt film. First off, Scarlett Johanson as the Black Widow was just so stunning hot !! ..

this sequel had great hand to hand fighting, air fights (especially the Falcon) stunts, car chases, gun-fights, conspiracty plot, stunning new characters (see winter soldier) Nick Fury had probably one of the best car-combat scene since the Matrix: Reloaded. .i even saw Capt solo and singlehandedly taking out a jet-copter with such ease. i got more out of this Capt. America than both the original and the Avengers movie. in fact,i saw it twice in both 3-D and 2-D. (the 2-D worked much better for me)

Be interesting to see if Xmen: Days of Future Past will top the satisfication that Capt. 2 just put out.

[Dino Velvet]

I'm such a procrastinating doper I forgot to see that thing. If Stallone played Hugh Jackman's part and Schwarzenegger played Paul Dano's part would that have made it a better film? How about not only Jean-Claude Van Damme but the entire cast of Bloodsport with the Hacksaw Jim Duggan guy playing the creepy bastard? I've only seen the trailer so I can only be held to those standards for casting. Apologies in advance.

Little follow-up here. Went to Best Buy and got Prisoners. Was $14.99 on Blu-ray. Good deal. Also picked up Blu-ray for Seven which was only $7.99. Tonight I either watch Prisoners for the first time or Seven for the 23rd time.

[betts]

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - Official International Trailer HD - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fg5iWmQjwk)

charming movie. not my favorite of his works, but it's quality.

[Stavros]

I'm such a procrastinating doper I forgot to see that thing. If Stallone played Hugh Jackman's part and Schwarzenegger played Paul Dano's part would that have made it a better film? How about not only Jean-Claude Van Damme but the entire cast of Bloodsport with the Hacksaw Jim Duggan guy playing the creepy bastard? I've only seen the trailer so I can only be held to those standards for casting. Apologies in advance.

Prospero's point about the ugliness of the people in the film is important, because you will find if you watch it that it doesn't have an 'avenging angel' character using violence as an excuse to solve a problem, which is how it would be handled by Stallion, Schwarzenegger or the tgirl-loving muscles from Brussels (who has been known to walk into a club in Pattaya and walk out with half a dozen beauties)...in fact you can argue in this film that the resort to violence creates more problems than it solves. Jake Gyllenhaal as the detective is in this context against type, he doesn't chew gum or have a cynical attitude to crime, or a drink problem, or guns slapped to his hip. I like Jake Gyllenhaal as an actor and don't think he has made an entirely duff movie.

[broncofan]

I saw Prisoners last night and loved it. It's difficult to discuss its message without giving spoilers. About half-way through I thought the movie was in danger of proselytizing a bit, but things were rounded out nicely. Because the moral of the story is sort of counter to the average person's intuition about violence, I don't mind having it put forth a bit aggressively. It's an insight worth emphasizing.

The acting was very good. The best for me was Hugh Jackman. I found him thoroughly believable. Terence Howard and the rest of the cast were very good too.

[hairyguy]

boyz n the hood. i saw it on youtube.

[Dino Velvet]

Prospero's point about the ugliness of the people in the film is important, because you will find if you watch it that it doesn't have an 'avenging angel' character using violence as an excuse to solve a problem, which is how it would be handled by Stallion, Schwarzenegger or the tgirl-loving muscles from Brussels (who has been known to walk into a club in Pattaya and walk out with half a dozen beauties)...in fact you can argue in this film that the resort to violence creates more problems than it solves. Jake Gyllenhaal as the detective is in this context against type, he doesn't chew gum or have a cynical attitude to crime, or a drink problem, or guns slapped to his hip. I like Jake Gyllenhaal as an actor and don't think he has made an entirely duff movie.

Thanks man. I like your take on Jean Claude Van Damme too. We Knighted him as one of The Expendables here but Wesley Snipes has the same honor so it's been watered down a bit through the sequels.

[Ben]

Blackfish...
It's a difficult documentary to watch.
I mean, SeaWorld is, well, horrible.

How films/documentaries can make a difference -- :)

California Assembly debates SeaWorld legislation inspired by 'Blackfish':

http://www.examiner.com/article/california-assembly-debates-seaworld-legislation-inspired-by-blackfish-video

[maaarc]

A Field in England

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZsO4fQvqRA

[STARTUP999]

Captain America: Winter Soldier.
Besides being a great action movie it make an interesting statement about our government spying on and manipulating us for its own power.

That theme was summed up in the after credits piece where some bad guy refers to "Hydra" the bad guys and "Shield" the good guys as two sides of the same coin.

[bluesoul]

A Field in England


that was mine favorite film of 2013. i played it 3 more times for friends and each time it was a treat. really loved the dialogue. the trailer you linked though really undermined the film imo- see this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRRvzjkzu2U

[Stavros]

Knowing (Alex Proyas, 2009)
I watched this movie with rising mirth on Film 4 last night. Nicolas Cage, as wooden as he has ever been, is a Professor of Astrophysics at MIT who, within the space of 24 hours and without question becomes converted to determinism/intelligent design, having raised the question in class as to whether or not Earth's position in the solar system is accidental or part of creative design. That MIT has Professors who, on seeing a 50-year old list of apparently random numbers works out that they have catalogued disasters makes it impossible for him to be sceptical or to even analyse the issues would be problematic in any scenario. His son is called Caleb but maybe should be Adam. To cut a long story short, the end of the world is predicted an duly arrives, but not before Calb/Adam and an Eve (they are both around 10 years old) have been spirited away by angels to a garden of eden complete with flowering tree (but only the one) as pseudo-Wagner plays out the film. More anti-science propaganda, in which intelligent design wins out of evolution. You might want to think again about sending little Johnny to MIT.

Knowing (2009) Movie Trailer Nicolas Cage - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwQmPc8Uxi0)

[retroboy]

Captain America was awesome definitely worth the hype.


Batroc vs Captain America (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHh0XaW0UyQ)

[retroboy]

I was thinking of watching the Other Woman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UntgUwEjAz8

[Ben]

Last night I watched Compliance. It's interesting. And disturbing.

[4star4]

"The Book Theif"

[Stavros]

Last night I watched Compliance. It's interesting. And disturbing.

What is disturbing is that a real life event be filmed with such a lack of quality and care, it turned out to be as manipulative as the real event, a truly horrible film, I wouldn't even give it 1/10 for effort.

[robertlouis]

Calvary, an Irish film made with a mix of Irish and UK funding, written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, who made the excellently dark and funny The Guard. Both films star Brendan Gleeson, and in Calvary, he plays a good priest - in every sense - in a rural parish in present day Ireland, with its ruined economy and broken lives, so don't go expecting some Quiet Man whimsy. This is raw, dark and occasionally violent. The set up is that a parishioner tells him in confession that within a week he is going to kill him (the priest). So yes, it's a thriller, but it is also so much more.

Gleeson is the centre of the film, and I don't think I've ever seen him give a better performance. It's a hard watch at times, but also both gripping and absorbing.

I can't recommend it too highly.

[Instrumental]

"The Edge" with Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. One of my favorite films.

[gummi baer]

Django Unchained

[Stavros]

Hereafter (Clint Eastwood, 2010)
I don't recall any reviews of this terrible film when it was released, and I am not surprised. Eastwood has made some first class films, this is not one of them. The idea that there is something after death is hardly original, nor is it original to have three people from three different countries coming together in a unifying climax, but none of it rings true, not least because it takes more than a year to publish a book yet within what seems a few months the French woman has both written and published a book. Matt Damon as a forked-lift truck driver doesn't really work, he isn't that good as a psychic either. The English boy cannot act, looks at the camera at least twice, but the dialogue overall is weak. Not one of Eastwood's memorable films. Maybe he should retire.

[Stavros]

The Raid: Redemption (Gareth Evans, 2011)
This is one of those martial arts films in which no matter how many people are coming at the hero, he commands the centre ground and inflicts the most terrible injuries on them which they cannot inflict on him. It is well choreographed, but the 'story' of corruption in the police is by now exhausted whether it is New York, London, Manila or Jakarta. It is vaguely interesting to have the entire film set within four walls, but other than that this is strictly for the teenage martial arts nuts.

[Dino Velvet]

Hereafter (Clint Eastwood, 2010)
I don't recall any reviews of this terrible film when it was released, and I am not surprised. Eastwood has made some first class films, this is not one of them. The idea that there is something after death is hardly original, nor is it original to have three people from three different countries coming together in a unifying climax, but none of it rings true, not least because it takes more than a year to publish a book yet within what seems a few months the French woman has both written and published a book. Matt Damon as a forked-lift truck driver doesn't really work, he isn't that good as a psychic either. The English boy cannot act, looks at the camera at least twice, but the dialogue overall is weak. Not one of Eastwood's memorable films. Maybe he should retire.

Oh, that one. Haven't seen it. Not even sure I heard of it.

[Stavros]

Noah (Darren Aronofsky, 2014)
This is a confused, and confusing film. God makes no appearance in it, although 'the creator' does. Unfortunately before the film started we had to sit through those ridiculous trailers full of bangs and whooshes, and a trailer for Transformers: Age of Extinction, so it was quite unsettling to see these Transformers, now, as it were, transformed into the English-speaking good guys, building the Ark. Anyone who thinks this is a faithful account of the Genesis story will be disappointed -the 'serpent' crawls along the ground in the Garden of Eden to tempt Eve even though according to Genesis it was only after the discovery of original sin that the serpent was punished by being made to crawl on the ground.
You may be interested to know, if you are a student of ancient history, that Cain and his descendants founded an -and I quote- 'an industrial civilisation'...or does this suggest we are not in biblical times at all, but some dystopian future in which snakeskin has magic properties, and nuggets of something called Zahar which, when tapped, explodes into light and fire (I prefer Zatar), but an age in which when necessary -as when the Ark is besieged by thousands of nasty people -an unseen hand wipes away all one's troubles?
Noah, excellently mumbled and grunted by Russell Crowe (if you want mumbles and grunts), claims he has been instructed by the Creator to marshal the natural world into the Ark to cleanse the world of its wickedness and corruption in preparation for a new start, which will not include humans. For reasons which are, shall we say, flexible, Noah changes his mind after the flood, although of course his inability to slay his new grandchildren and thus terminate human life from earth, is a 'sign from above' that he made the right decision. Exhausted and confused he crawls away to a cave to get pissed on the wine he has made from the grapes of the new world...he also strips butt naked on the beach, as an Aussie would, even in this film, and in any age.
According to the credits, Nick Nolte is in this farago of rubbish somewhere, it doesn't matter if you don't see him. Also, be warned: at over two hours this film for the most part is soaked in so-called 'music' which consists of three notes played over and over and over again, with the only variation two-notes, or maybe five, whatever it is, it is all but guaranteed to drive one to insanity. You would have to be part-insane to watch this film.
I like Jennifer Connolly, so I think she needs to change her agent. A deliciously attractive English girl, Emma Watson, screams a lot, because she cannot act, as if that mattered. I am not sure who Darren Aronofsky is, and to be frank, I don't want to know.
But a great advert for Iceland, where most of it was filmed (you surely don't think this would have been shot in the Middle East, now, do you?).

[ImpulZ]

Silly Movie Here....The Naked Gun......Epic Movie!

[Stavros]

Better than Noah!! Just think of the laughs!

[ImpulZ]

Fuck Noah!!!

:)

[pantybulge69]

Raid 2: Berandal

it doesn't come close to comparing to the 1st original Raid film (Redemption)
although the fights at the very end were very impressive but anyone that
recalls the first Raid knows how that entire film never let up and had such
great action sequences and pace throughout the entire film, whereas
Raid 2 has way too much dialogue that drags and slows down the film
much too often. And i was totally confused and disappointed that one introduced, highly skilled character
was killed off so very early after only a couple of very brief appearances.
Raid 2 Bernal does carry some of the heavy violence and blood-gore load
that we saw in the first one. the fantastic fight ending and the
early prison fights make it entertaining enough to call it an overall good film ... but it's not great.
Again it's nowhere on the level of the 1st Raid: Redemption film which
was just AWESOME and never slowed or let up throughout the entire film !!

[Prospero]

"Twenty Feet From Stardom" documentary lite, but fabulously entertaining film about the great women singers working as back-up to many of the most famous rock stars. Fantastic voices and feisty girls. Loved it.

Twenty Feet From Stardom Official Trailer #1 (2013) - Music Documentary HD - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWyUJcA8Zfo)

[RallyCola]

annie hall.

as woody allen movies go...it is standard fare and not my favorite one he has made.

as rom/com movies go...it is standard fare as well.

i really don't understand why this is in AFI's top 100 list. what am i missing???

[Stavros]

Blue is the Warmest Colour (Abdellatif Kechiche, 2013)
I wasn't sure what to expect given the hype over the sex scenes in this film, which in French is called The Life of Adele, Chapters 1 and 2. What is remarkable about the film is not so much the sex, but the framing device which Kechiche uses which means almost all of the film is shot in close up, or when dealing with groups, close enough to blot out most of the background. This intensifies the focus on the characters but also intensifies the emotions which shape the relationship between Adele and Emma, but luckily without some ghastly hysterical ending. In fact, it is the immediacy of the majority of the shots that gives the concluding shot its shocking depth, making it so painful. Even with a few cliches, this is a bold and powerful film in which, ultimately, being a lesbian is not as important as the authenticity of the feelings expressed between two exceptional actors. Adele Exarchopoulos is mesmerising as Adele, a stunning performance.

[Prospero]

"Fair Game" with Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. A drama based on the outrageous scapegoating by the White house of the former CIA operative Valerie Plame and her husband when he blew the whistle on the lies of the Bush administration over Yellow Cake uranium from Niger and Iraqi so-called WMD. Low key but sure footed piece of film making. Scooter Libby took the fall for this act but the true criminals from Bush downwards are still free and immune from justice for the illegal invasion of Iraq.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpMGQgXbOgA

[Cerberus]

Nymphomaniac Vol1

Interesting movie in storytelling format. Can't quite see the tenuous link between sex and fly fishing. Straight over my head!
Must say though, it has certainly pushed the boundaries in explicit sex for a mainstream movie. Thought I was watching porn again.

[darkrose2000]

The Grandmaster:
Yi dai zong shi (2013) - IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1462900/)

[Prospero]

I saw this last night and was enthralled. What an intelligent perceptive and moving film. it avoids all cliches and penetrated, as Stavros says to the heart of relationships where issues are skirted and where the past clings tenaciously to the present. Splendid. I re-post S's review bevause i agree with it wholeheartedly.

Oh and that teardrop. Wow...


The Past (Asghar Farhadi 2013)
.... Unlike the last two made in Iran (b the director) , this latest feature is set in France but like the other films explores the tensions, deceits, misunderstandings, and pain that a lack of candour in relationships can produce. Farhadi has a way of presenting these domestic dramas in a way which enables narrative to appear to focus on its subject while also skirting the core issues which remain long after the film ends. This is one serious and seriously fine director.

The Past Official Trailer #1 (2013) - French Drama Movie HD - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLKpTRilMFc)

And this was a review from The Guardian.

The Past review – 'Its severity and cerebral force are beyond question'
A Separation director Asghar Farhadi confirms his place among cinema's true grown-ups with a pressure cooker of a relationship drama. Prepare yourself for post-film debate

Peter Bradshaw

The Guardian, Thursday 27 March 2014 14.59 GMT

Asghar Farhadi's complex, intricate drama is a tragedy of good intentions and bad beginnings and wrong decisions that seemed right at the time. Farhadi shows the desperation and anger involved in trying to annul incorrect life choices and defy the past. A brilliant opening vignette shows two people pranging their car while reversing. They are looking back, but failing to see the danger.

The Past is a film that announces this director's arrival in the rank of those film-makers like Kiarostami, Haneke and PT Anderson, directors who are intent on the unfashionable business of making morally serious films for adults. Very often, a certain type of movie is praised for being "immersive", for providing the longed-for sensual pleasure of pure cinema. Farhadi's kind of film is quite different, but just as valuable. You are not immersed; on the contrary, you are challenged, alienated, compelled to pay fierce attention to every line, every cutaway, every scene change, and then to question what you think you have learned. Having watched and rewatched The Past, I wonder if it is a little contrived, but its severity and cerebral force are beyond question, a pressure cooker of passion and anguish. Just as in his film A Separation, it is the agony of splitting that reveals the truth of a relationship most clearly; literally an analysis, a taking-apart.

This is a loss-of-love triangle. Bérénice Bejo plays Marie, a woman who works in a Paris pharmacy; Tahar Rahim plays Samir, who owns the dry cleaner just a few doors away. They have fallen in love, and Samir is now moving in to Marie's place, but such is the difficulty and pain of their situation that these characters never so much as smile at each other throughout the film.

Both are encumbered. Marie has been married twice, with two daughters from her first marriage; her current husband is Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) who deserted her and fled to his native Iran following a breakdown four years ago. Now he is returning to sign the divorce papers, to get closure, and simply to bid their shared past a civilised farewell.

Samir is married, too, with a little boy, but his situation is even more difficult: his wife is in hospital, in a coma. And Marie is saving up some news for Ahmad that he is not going to like.

Everywhere in this film there are crosscurrents of unspoken reproach, guilt and fear. From the very first, Ahmad resents the fact that Marie has not booked him a hotel, forcing him to stay at her messy and overcrowded place, and she has moreover chosen this moment to redecorate. (As in Farhadi's 2006 film Fireworks Wednesday, redecoration is a symptom of dysfunction.) Is it hate or love? Does she want him there to rub his nose in her new relationship and his desertion, or does she subconsciously wish to see him as the paterfamilias just once more, to measure Samir up against Ahmad? There is a brilliant moment when Ahmad is on the kitchen floor fixing a mucky, blocked sink just as Samir arrives to meet him. Excruciatingly, Ahmad smilingly declines to shake his hand, because his is too dirty – doing real man's work.

Marie gives Ahmad a more important job, a domestic task that instantly fills him with resentment and yet self-satisfaction that it is something important for which only he is competent. He must speak to Marie's elder daughter, Lucie (Pauline Burlet), and talk her out of her new, stroppy attitude and late nights. In discharging this new quasi-paternal responsibility, Ahmad stirs up even more of the destructive past and uncovers baffling layers of guilt and resentment.

Adroitly, incrementally, Farhadi's drama discloses the various solutions to the question of Samir's wife, and with each possibility, we bark our shins on the sheer frustration of not really knowing. Samir himself is worried by scratch-marks on his wife's stomach: could she have made them herself, and therefore be capable of entering into a semi-conscious state? The doctors are not sure, telling him only that new tests expose more "room for doubt". Farhadi's whole dramatic procedure is founded on exploring this room for doubt. The only alternative to doubt is to cut your losses and move on: a number of characters here advise each other to forget, to break the past's terrible grip. But it is not so easy. Forgetting the past means losing much of the present and much of oneself.

Sombre and difficult this movie may be, but it is exhilarating to watch something that makes you come out of the cinema not sated or torpid, but wanting to talk – to talk about what the film meant, and meant to you personally. It's a rare pleasure.

[Stavros]

Thank you for the compliment Prospero, and an unusually perceptive review by Bradshaw.

[robertlouis]

I saw The Past last week and have nothing to add to what Prospero and Stavros have already said. If you want to see sensitive, intelligent and intensely moving cinema, you couldn't spend your money on anything better right now.

[pantybulge69]

BRICK MANSIONS

paul walker's last completed film. There's an memorial Ob at the end of film
dedicated to Walker. the film itself is loaded with action that includes stunning acrobats and stunts hand-fights, car chases from begining to end, though
average in plot/characters.
Frankly it reminded me very much of District 12. i couldn't stand the
shaky-whirly camera work. Rza continues to prove he can't act to save his life.
Brick Mansions is above average- but not memorable. Nothing special
it's a popcorn flick film i can enjoy the day i see it but forgot about the
next day.

[RallyCola]

i just saw the mighty ducks for the first time in years. don't ask my why i stopped on it but for a campy kids sports movie, it is remarkably still entertaining.

[LibertyHarkness]

Enders Game , was pretty mehhh, dull and predictable .. cool effects though

Now a great old film i watched recently was Trading Places :)

[Ben]

Last night. A documentary...

[Stavros]

The Counsellor (Ridley Scott, 2013)
Ridley Scott makes some interesting films, and some terrible films. I was intrigued by The Counsellor because it had such terrible reviews. They were right. The script by Cormac McCarthy is bloated, obscure pretentious crap (or embarrassing, as in the first scene). I don't know how many more films can be made about a drug deal that goes wrong, they can't be much worse than this. But at least Natalie Dormer is in it, all to briefly, wearing one of those spray-on dresses that brings the best out of her derriere, inviting others to enter.

The Counsellor | Official Trailer #1 HD | 2013 - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ML50I0mVHY)

[Prospero]

"The Village At The End of The World' a cinema released documentary about the Inuit community of Niaqomat in Greenland. The title refers not only to its location where it can be reached only by ship or heiicopter, but also to the fact that, with the closure of a fish processing plant, the community faces total collapse. It's a revelatory look at a community thatit is almost impossible to imagine being part off - wth one small shop, no teenage girls (so the teenage boy featured has no chance of dating) and where everyone seems to be related. They only got electricity in 1998. The happiest man in the film seems to be a guy whose job is collecting and disposing of barrels of shit everyday from the village houses.

Village at the End of the World Trailer - now on DVD & VOD - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql6kWqa76nQ)

[Odelay]

The Counsellor (Ridley Scott, 2013)
Ridley Scott makes some interesting films, and some terrible films. I was intrigued by The Counsellor because it had such terrible reviews. They were right. The script by Cormac McCarthy is bloated, obscure pretentious crap (or embarrassing, as in the first scene). I don't know how many more films can be made about a drug deal that goes wrong, they can't be much worse than this. But at least Natalie Dormer is in it, all to briefly, wearing one of those spray-on dresses that brings the best out of her derriere, inviting others to enter.

Damn, this movie was bad. The two reasons I made it through it were: 1) I have a much lower standard for movies viewed while on an airplane; and 2) Stavros' point about seeing just how bad the movie could get.

Here's how bad... at the beginning of the movie they describe a device used by drug lords to decapitate their enemies, and also an in depth conversation about snuff films. By the end of the movie I'm rooting for several of the supposedly sympathetic characters die by decapitation and snuff film. Ridley did not disappoint me.

My last two Ridley Scott films were this one and the almost as horrible, Oblivion. Just retire already, old man!

[Stavros]

I have to agree with you; I am not a fan of Cormac McCarthy on any level, and if Scott can't do better than this, yes, maybe its time to give up.

[robertlouis]

Thinking I might go to see Blue Ruin when it opens in the UK later this week. Anybody seen it in the US?

[Prospero]

Calvary, an Irish film made with a mix of Irish and UK funding, written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, who made the excellently dark and funny The Guard. Both films star Brendan Gleeson, and in Calvary, he plays a good priest - in every sense - in a rural parish in present day Ireland, with its ruined economy and broken lives, so don't go expecting some Quiet Man whimsy. This is raw, dark and occasionally violent. The set up is that a parishioner tells him in confession that within a week he is going to kill him (the priest). So yes, it's a thriller, but it is also so much more.

Gleeson is the centre of the film, and I don't think I've ever seen him give a better performance. It's a hard watch at times, but also both gripping and absorbing.

I can't recommend it too highly.

I saw this last night. It is bleak and uncompromising and very powerful indeed. I think RL hits the nail on the head with his brief review. Anyone with Catholicism in their past - or present- is likely to find this film even more affecting.

Calvary Official Trailer #1 (2014) - Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly Movie HD - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGM5rq_vX4U)

[trish]

Damn, this movie was bad. The two reasons I made it through it were: 1) I have a much lower standard for movies viewed while on an airplane; and 2) Stavros' point about seeing just how bad the movie could get.

Here's how bad... at the beginning of the movie they describe a device used by drug lords to decapitate their enemies, and also an in depth conversation about snuff films. By the end of the movie I'm rooting for several of the supposedly sympathetic characters die by decapitation and snuff film. Ridley did not disappoint me.

My last two Ridley Scott films were this one and the almost as horrible, Oblivion. Just retire already, old man!Sorry to hear that.

I have to say I enjoyed The Counselor. I don’t think there are any main characters that are supposed to be sympathetic, perhaps the Counselor himself (played by Fassbender), but only because he the least crooked of bunch (in it for some quick money to presumably pay for an exorbitant ring). What I loved about the movie were the exchanges and the soliloquies. A lot of people panned the dialog for being unrealistic, and that’s very true. The screenplay (which I read before seeing the movie...”cause as you know...I’m a McCarthy fan) reads like a play, rather than a film.

Listen carefully in the beginning to the dialog between the jewler and the Counselor. The jeweler explains that because of its eternal nature, a diamond is a cautionary stone. “At our noblest we announce to the darkness that we will not be diminished by the brevity of our lives.”

Later in the movie, seeks the influence of Jefe, a very wealthy and powerful Latin American businessman. The character Jefe at this point is given a rather long soliloquy on the metaphysics of choice and consequence in which he advises the Counselor, “...the world in which you seek to undo your mistakes is not the world in which they were made.”

Still later in the film, the Counselor has a brief interchange with the tender of a seedy bar who explains that here people are killed on a daily basis,
“To make a joke. To show that death does not care. That death has no meaning.”
The Counselor asks, “Do you believe that?”
And the bartender says, “No. Of course not. All my family is dead. I am the one who has no meaning.”

The film is full of gems. Watching cramped in an agonizing airline seat probably wasn’t conducive to your viewing experience.

[dderek123]

I enjoyed The Counselor as well. The plot wasn't anything special but films like that can be carried by good dialogue and solid performances by an ensemble cast. Splash in a few scenes that are novel or 'edgy' along with some decent foreshadowing and I'll be entertained for the entire movie.

I wouldn't watch the movie again though. The plot is wayy too thin. Guy gets into the drug dealing business and it goes badly for him. THE END

[Stavros]

Listen carefully in the beginning to the dialog between the jewler and the Counselor. The jeweler explains that because of its eternal nature, a diamond is a cautionary stone. “At our noblest we announce to the darkness that we will not be diminished by the brevity of our lives.”

Later in the movie, seeks the influence of Jefe, a very wealthy and powerful Latin American businessman. The character Jefe at this point is given a rather long soliloquy on the metaphysics of choice and consequence in which he advises the Counselor, “...the world in which you seek to undo your mistakes is not the world in which they were made.”



Trish, it is a film -cinema exists to say things with something you can see, and your quotes, I have to say, merely underline what pretentious garbage Mac writes. The characters have no depth and no meaning in a film whose basic premise, a drug deal gone wrong, attempts and fails to say something 'profound' about 'the human condition'. There are other ways of doing it, this wasn't one of them.

[trish]

Goes to show, to each his own. I won't argue for the value of the movie in any absolute terms. I just happen to like Cormac's stark, metaphysical dialogues and existential characters. But I understand (I think) how some would be repelled by sketchiness of the characters in The Counselor and the violence of the piece, which is as predictable as a Greek tragedy.

[Stavros]

Mac's brittle style in his books seems to me to have the texture of a biscuit in a desert -some things don't translate well to the screen which is why it is often a short story or under-stated piece of writing that makes for the best adapted films. Things you would accept in prose can often sound overblown and ridiculous in a film.

[retroboy]

Last movie I watched was Spiderman 2 I was thinking of watching the other woman with Cameron Diaz but Kate Upton seems such a bimbo.

[Odelay]

Goes to show, to each his own. I won't argue for the value of the movie in any absolute terms. I just happen to like Cormac's stark, metaphysical dialogues and existential characters. But I understand (I think) how some would be repelled by sketchiness of the characters in The Counselor and the violence of the piece, which is as predictable as a Greek tragedy.

Movies are an escape for me, and I enjoy being surprised. I get predictability every day when I open my laptop at 6:30 AM and face work for the next 10 hours. Trish, thanks for your take on the film, despite my own difference with it. I have enjoyed a couple of Cormac McCarthy books and adaptations, I guess just not this one.

EDIT: and thanks RL and P for your reviews of Calvary. Definitely one that I'll be on that watch out for.

[Stavros]

An Actor's Revenge (Kon Ichikawa, 1963)
I have been watching Japanese films most of my life but only got around to seeing this well-known film over the weekend, and what a strange film it is too. I wonder if this is the first feature film in which the main character is a man dressed as a woman -in this precise case an Onnegata -the man who plays female roles in Kabuki theatre. I don't know how close this is to being 'transgendered' but the actor not only does not change into male attire off stage, but women fall for 'him' too. The film has the most bizarre mix of music from traditional Kabuki, to modern jazz and some schmaltzy orchestral music suitable for some romantic B film. The sets seems almost entirely stage-bound, but the panoramic shots of the Kabuki stage are wonderful. In sum a disappointing film as the story is not so gripping and the climax under-stated, but it has some eclectic qualities.

Revenge of a Kabuki Actor - A Kon Ichikawa Film - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh6iHHCEBto)

[MitziMore]

Odd Thomas! Loved it, though nothing about it was original. Really sad at the end. :(

[stan.smith]

The Monuments Men. Clooney, Damon, Goodman, Murray, Dujardin and Bonneville. Perfect cast. Need i say more!?!?!

[Stavros]

The Monuments Men. Clooney, Damon, Goodman, Murray, Dujardin and Bonneville. Perfect cast. Need i say more!?!?!

Because it has had such bad reviews, yes.

[Stavros]

In advance of the UK premiere of an American version of Godzilla, the Telegraph has published a fascinating article on the history of the Japanese original which underlines how the experience of nuclear war is embedded in the film, and follows through the changes to society and attitudes with the sequels that followed. It is very long article but worth reading for those interested in this film and goes some way to forcing a re-evaluation of what was clearly not 'just' a 'monster' film when it was made (and then re-cut for the American market...)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/10788996/Godzilla-why-the-Japanese-original-is-no-joke.html

[LI SEAN08]

Just saw Neighbors with GF last night. Couldn't stop laughing, funny!!!!

[BlüeKarma]

Ordinary Decent Criminal with Kevin Spacey, brilliant movie that.

[robertlouis]

***WARNING***

Grace of Monaco, the new biopic starring Nicole Kidman, is reviewed in Thursday's Guardian as "a film so awe-inspiringly wooden that it is basically a fire risk."

Here's the rest of his review to enjoy. It's a tour de force.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/may/14/grace-of-monaco-cannes-review-nicole-kidman

[maaarc]

Through a Glass Darkly - Ingmar Bergman - It was a good film. Persona remains my favorite

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJxC-rG6Eak

[sukumvit boy]

In advance of the UK premiere of an American version of Godzilla, the Telegraph has published a fascinating article on the history of the Japanese original which underlines how the experience of nuclear war is embedded in the film, and follows through the changes to society and attitudes with the sequels that followed. It is very long article but worth reading for those interested in this film and goes some way to forcing a re-evaluation of what was clearly not 'just' a 'monster' film when it was made (and then re-cut for the American market...)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/10788996/Godzilla-why-the-Japanese-original-is-no-joke.html

:iagree:Yes ,good article on Gojira lore.
Looking forward to the new one too.

[Prospero]

I caught up with "Mud" , a film much praised by a buddy of mine in the industry. Frankly I found it rather sophorific. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Sam Shepard, and Reese Witherspoon.

Mud Movie Trailer (2013) - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8atscK-3SpE)

[Stavros]

***WARNING***

Grace of Monaco, the new biopic starring Nicole Kidman, is reviewed in Thursday's Guardian as "a film so awe-inspiringly wooden that it is basically a fire risk."

Here's the rest of his review to enjoy. It's a tour de force.


The reviews are better than the film, and there was a French person, I think, on BBC Radio taking the history to pieces too.

[Stavros]

Through a Glass Darkly - Ingmar Bergman - It was a good film. Persona remains my favorite


As I am sure you know, Through a Glass Darkly (1961) is one of a trilogy of films on faith and sexuality which continue with Winter Light (1963) and The Silence (1963). Although I agree with you on Persona I could not live without the trilogy, as they are among Bergman's most intense films and were made when Bergman was at his most fluent.

[robertlouis]

In advance of the UK premiere of an American version of Godzilla, the Telegraph has published a fascinating article on the history of the Japanese original which underlines how the experience of nuclear war is embedded in the film, and follows through the changes to society and attitudes with the sequels that followed. It is very long article but worth reading for those interested in this film and goes some way to forcing a re-evaluation of what was clearly not 'just' a 'monster' film when it was made (and then re-cut for the American market...)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/10788996/Godzilla-why-the-Japanese-original-is-no-joke.html

The first Hollywood remake ignored the history and doubtless the second one will too. More bangs, screams and cgi. :(

How exactly does more money fuck up a better original every time?

[Stavros]

The generation going to see the new versions doesn't usually know the originals. I think the technical argument is that CGI can do things which were impossible before, but I also think this does tend to replace the 'message' of the original with a technical display minus content. I doubt many people were aware there was a social message in the original Godzilla, I did not before reading the article. Shelley's Frankenstein is firmly part of the 19th century's romantic anti-capitalism, and Dracula to me has undertones of anti-semitism. I don't know what the film theorists have devised, but I think monster films are sublimations of a threatening other...

[AshlynCreamher]

Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do, watch a gonna do you will smith and martin lawerance come for you...

Bad boys 1995 - funny movie!

[othello]

I saw GODZILLA last night and it was pretty good.It was way better than the previous one. I never listen to what the critics say about movies.Everyone has his or her opinion about movies.Its a summer movie about monsters so no deep thinkning is involved just sit back and watch.On another note I would like to see the uneditied version .

[jotaneves]

I love Pans Labyrinth. I saw it in a beautiful historic theater here in Portland when it was first released.
Yes I did, some years ago. It's a fantastic movie.

[trish]

Dean Spanley. A quirky, humorous exploration of father-son relationships and reincarnation.

[bluesoul]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/p350x350/10294398_493809790721024_2754487758776746527_n.jpg

really fun movie. very surprised at how well crafted it was (obviously the director of the film has a great knowledge and respect for the original as well as a healthy fascination with the kaiju ega (https://31.media.tumblr.com/d040688fe888a6d2ccbd4db23da78e43/tumblr_n5ofsjWkrB1qe21ogo1_500.jpg)) very loud too.

[maaarc]

pretty good film IMHO - Kiss Me Deadly


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HES8eEUaBL0

[crystalsopen]

I just saw Godzilla yesterday. It I really liked it. I think David Strathairn is a very under-rated actor. I loved his work in Alphas too. Plus I got to go with someone really cool.

[robertlouis]

I just saw Godzilla yesterday. It I really liked it. I think David Strathairn is a very under-rated actor. I loved his work in Alphas too. Plus I got to go with someone really cool.

I went to see it tonight in spite of my previous reservations, and it isn't the sort of thing I'd usually go to, but I just fancied something a little mindless for once.

It's actually very good for what it is, and it does track back to the Japanese original too. Impressive effects, although the 3D didn't really add much.

What I actually found most impressive was the sound. Amazing.

[KellyKlaymour]

Just watched "YellowBrickRoad" on Netflix. Reddit said it was great, I didn't feel it. "The Bay" was entertaining, though!

[Falrune]

Space Battleship Yamato

http://www.reviewgraveyard.com/00_revs/r2013/dvd/13-08-19_battleship-yamato.jpg

[LibertyHarkness]

watched Ronin 47 ... awful movie . destroyed the real history of the true ronin 47 ...

Mega Piranaha , great dumb mindless scifi channel d movie trash lol comedy gold :)

[happychris]

The darkest hour

[stephenward]

The Train

[maaarc]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s9o_kb-gZg


sad.....not a movie a documentary - slums of Philippines

[maaarc]

The Cremator (1969)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cgrEUPp4JM

This be one crazy MOFO movie.

From a review online:

The movie takes place against the backdrop of the political radicalization of Europe during the 1930s, more specifically the demise of the golden era of the First Czechoslovak Republic and the establishment of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia under Nazi Germany. Spiritually, the movie takes place in the aftermath of the death of Thubten Gyatso, the 13th Dalai Lama in 1933.

Karl Kopfrkingl works at a crematorium in Prague. Obsessed with his duties, he believes he is not just cremating the dead, but liberating the souls of the departed. With Nazi forces gathering at the Czech border, he descends into a mania that allows him to enact his disturbed beliefs.


In late 1930's Prague, Kopfrking (Hrusínský) is a misguided, enigmatic crematorium operator. He is an impeccably groomed, eerie, and meticulous figure, always talking in a hypnotic, soft spoken, poetic manner. He is overly preoccupied with mortality, morbidity, and the human soul, and deeply devoted to the funerary arts.

Kopfrking feels a physical affection for the instrumentality of his trade, lovingly caressing the equipment of the crematory process. He speaks constantly, literally and metaphorically, of death and the liberation of the soul through the process of cremation.

As the story progresses, he becomes increasingly obsessed with his work, finding it glorifying and cathartic. He sees visions of the ghost of his living wife in her youth, along with his future incarnation, as he begins a spiraling descent into fantasy and madness. He is on a mission to free the souls of the deceased (and in time the not-so deceased) through the pyrolization of human flesh, be it living or dead—just as long as that flesh is consumed and vaporized by fire.

The pre-WWII German propaganda machine is enveloping Eastern Europe, polarizing aspiring Nazis and oppositionists. Drawn toward the philosophy of the Third Reich, Kopfrking becomes morbidly obsessed with racial purity and the percentage of German blood flowing within his own veins—literally, to the point of having his vessels opened and the contents examined. While The Cremator is not a raving anti-Nazi film, it uses the political ideology as an allegory for exploring the phenomenon of sweeping, consuming mass delusion and insanity.

The gathering of Nazi forces on the border offers Kopfrking an opportunity to realize his misguided aspirations on a grand scale, one much larger than he could have ever hoped for, one seemingly without limit. Before applying his fervor and passion to the task, he hatches a plan to betray and destroy his own acquaintances, colleagues and family.

While there are elements of black satire in the The Cremator, the movie is so compelling as to nearly overshadow it. The film insidiously and steadily flows to its inevitable and horrifying conclusion like a hot rivulet of liquefied fat.

The production design is crisp and symmetrical. Stanislav Milota’s stunning black and white cinematography is haunting and beautiful. It features successions of extreme closeups that emphasize the slightly grotesque and disturbing features of the biological condition. Milota’s use of black and white film stock’s enhanced tonal range is artfully employed to focus attention on rich textures and multitudes of shades. This gives The Cremator a uniquely unsettling dreamlike quality. The musical score by Zdenek Liska is alluring, phantasmic, and aesthetically intriguing. Viewing The Cremator is akin to experiencing a nightmare that one is reluctant to wake from.

The Cremator was a Czech nominee for the Best Foreign Film Oscar.

[Tori Soshi]

I had a lovely time seeing X-men with a client last night.

He just wanted a dinner and movie date.

[Odelay]

Blue is the Warmest Color

My favorite love story on film is Brokeback Mountain. It surprised me when I reached that conclusion because although I find Ang Lee's films usually enjoyable, I would have never thought a film by him could rise to that level of affectation for me. But of course, Annie Proulx's story, the setting and the great acting had a lot to do with my high opinion, too.

I liked Stavros (http://www.hungangels.com/vboard/showthread.php?p=1480836&highlight=warmest#post1480836)' and Prospero (http://www.hungangels.com/vboard/showthread.php?p=1454788&highlight=warmest#post1454788)'s write ups of this movie, so I don't know that I have much more to add from a critique standpoint. As for my opinion, this movie almost rises to the level of Brokeback. Both movies took me back to painful experiences in my own life. But they also both depict love as something completely transformational, and eternal, I might add. I found very little that was fake in this movie. As Stavros points out, the closeups are amazing. Watching the characters, this up close, made it feel like I was in an emotional simulator.

Twenty minutes into the film on Netflix, I noticed there was almost 2.5 hours remaining. I thought... holy jesus, do I really want to spend this much time watching the movie? After that brief moment, I never thought about it again.

I will add one thing that isn't any kind of spoiler that I really enjoyed. The length of the film allowed the filmmaker to show people actually eating, sleeping, thinking, etc. Doing real things. Fuzz gets in a person's hair and it takes awhile to remove it. They show that. And the other thing they show is a lot of dancing, but not just one time as a gimmick, but as a thing that changes depending on the venue, the company of people, and the passage of time. It was one of the threads throughout the movie that helped to hold it all together.

I recommend it.

[pantybulge69]

XMEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST:
Very Good but not a classic great, IMO. Quicksilver (who will also be in Avengers 2 Age of Ultron) was a hoot. Mystique, Magneto, Wolverine and the Sentinels lead the way. Saw very little of Storm. Wish Colossuss had a bigger role.

[rockabilly]

X-Men - Days of Future Past 3D

[robertlouis]

The Two Faces of January. Fine adaptation of a lesser-known Patricia Highsmith novel with Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and Oscar Isaac. Set in Greece and Turkey in the early 60s, it captures the delicious mix of tension and moral ambiguity that made the late Ms Highsmith such a beguiling author. Fine performances from the leads, minimal sex or violence, but all in all an entirely satisfying 96 minutes; if you can't tell the story in less than 100 minutes, don't make the film, if it's a thriller.

Oh, and the score, by Alberto Iglesias, is perfect, like Bernard Herrmann at his very best for Hitchcock.

[AshlynCreamher]

a horrible Syfy documentary about space aliens and ufo's, it was the worst thing I've ever seen in my life.

[Jericho]

Escape Plan...Stallone & Schwarzenegger...I was entertained and mildly amused!

[Prospero]

"A bout de Souffle (Breathless)". Jean Luc Godard's first film. Superb.

À bout de souffle (Trailer) - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2hDR_e1o1M)

and "The Lincoln Lawyer"

The Lincoln Lawyer Movie Trailer Official (HD) - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU4ReVEemN0)

A plodding and predictable courtroom film. Watchable but not much more.

[transfan8591]

Ghost in the Shell (1995)
http://hqsubversiva.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/poster.jpg

[Prospero]

"When I Saw You" a film set in 1967 in Jordan largely in a Palestinian refugee camp in the immediate aftermath of the six days war. It is seen largely through the eyes of a little Palestinian boy - and is a moving film that makes it clear how radicalisation can happen in the light of hopelessness.

When I Saw You - Trailer - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBXFBPwL8JI)

[Stavros]

"A bout de Souffle (Breathless)". Jean Luc Godard's first film. Superb.


I remember the first time I saw A Bout de Souffle in the early 1970s when I was soaking up as much cinema as I could. Not long into the film I predicted the end, and spent most of the time wondering how this amateurish crap had ever reached the screen. A jerk with a gun who kills people because he doesn't care, who walks around for most of the film with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, who has sex with a plain looking American who fulfills the stereotype of the American in Paris who wants a good time and maybe a little danger...yawn. A Bout de Souffle is not the worst film ever made, I don't know what is (but anything by Michael Powell will do), but it does have a claim to be one, while the man who made it, Godard is the sort of man who drops his pants, ejects a turd into your lap, and has the cheek(s) to call it a 'film'. Indeed, the logical conclusion is that the work of this turditeur amounts to little more than a bucket of shit.

It is worth noting that Godard was an amateur when he shot A Bout de Souffle, and actually lost control of the filming on the streets of Paris (see the link at the end of this critique) and in the process turned a film which is made up of a collage of other films -because Godard is a man without a single original idea- and turned what was supposed to be an homage to Bogart and the golden age of Hollywood, into a one-dimensional farce.

Philip French has described how important Godard was to him and his generation in the early 1960s, but while he dismisses most of Godard's later work, French refuses to confront the juvenile politics of Godard, and perhaps crucially, because it is on display throughout A Bout de Souffle, Godard's inept, offensive stereotyping of women -Godard may have been an admirer of Ophuls, but you won't find in any of Godard's films a sensitive depiction of women comparable to I Signora di Tutti (1934), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), or Lola Montes (1955).
You can read the article by French here-
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/jun/06/film-jean-luc-godard-breathless-feature-philip-french-french-new-wave

Godard did not just betray women, by depicting women as creatures of men's desire with no lives of any importance unless lived in reference to men, he inadvertently registered his own 'bourgeois' origins as the son of a wealthy Franco-Swiss banking family, while posing as a revolutionary without having any real clue as to what this meant, least of all in cinema in the age in which he lived. He made films which like the wholesale theft of American films in A Bout de Souffle, stole from Vertov and Eisenstein and justified it with the slogan There is only one way to be an intellectual revolutionary, and that is to give up being an intellectual.

An example of his juvenile mind at work can be found in the British films he made, One Plus One (aka Sympathy for the Devil) (1968) and British Sounds (aka See You at the Mao) (1969); these embarrassing, rambling sequences of sloganeering and political posturing, are supposedly enlivened by the footage in One Plus One of the Rolling Stones recording their song Sympathy for the Devil -noticeably slower than the final cut which came out on the album Beggar's Banquet.
Indeed, Godard deliberately left out the final cut and when invited to see the UK premiere at the National Film Theatre London in late 1968, discovered that the producer Ian Quarrier had changed the ending, playing the whole of the final cut over the crane shot -and set about him, punching him in the face and stomach. Mike, the house manager for many years in those days, grabbed hold of Godard and literally thew him out of the building, one of most necessary acts of devotion to cinema to have happened in the UK in the last 50 years. I believe Godard never returned to the UK, one can only hope he never does.

Godard is a fraud, his films are incoherent splices of other people's films masquerading as a critique of the 'bourgeoisie' -Godard even once described himself as 'a thorn in the side of the bourgeoisie' and took to waving red flags, smoking cuban cigars and being generally obnoxious. He became the darling of the pseudo-Marxist left which in spite of its serious devotion to radical cinema was quite happy to jump ship in the 1980s when Derrida and deconstruction took over film criticism, producing reviews of Disney in prose that would have confused Hegel. Weekend (1967) ends with the famous caption Fin du cinema which would have been appropriate for this turditeur has it read Fin du Cinema Godard, yet he went on to prove he was a Man with a Movie Camera with Nothing to Say in unadulterated crap like Tout va Bien (1972), Numero Deux (1975), Sauve qui peut (la vie) (1980) and others.
Many people think revolution is a con, Jean-Luc Godard may just be the proof that they are right.

Further reading
A general study -The Films of Jean-Luc Godard, Wheeler Dixon
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2YsyOUsaSAEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Films+of+Jean-Luc+Godard++By+Wheeler+W.+Dixon&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ni6JU8X9L8XiPN_fgeAP&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=The%20Films%20of%20Jean-Luc%20Godard%20%20By%20Wheeler%20W.%20Dixon&f=false

An account of the making of A Bout de Souffle
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/summer_movies/2010/06/go_see_breathless.html

Godard's telegrams to the British Film Institute in 1968, just to prove what a pretentious jerk he was -
http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/godards-telegram

[bluesoul]

^^ cliff notes: stravos doesn't like jean-luc godard.

godard's response (minus the cigarette hanging out of his mouth):

http://www.animateit.net/data/media/feb2013/haters-gonna-hate.gif

[Odelay]

Of Godard, I know I began watching Masculin Feminin, and Weekend, but since I couldn't tell you how they ended, I'm not sure I made it to the ending.

I know I watched Pierrot le Fou all of the way to the end because it had a fairly remarkable ending. I don't disagree with Stavros' criticism about the treatment of women in his film. Seems like a bit of a misogynist. Nevertheless, I don't think I have quite the antipathy for his films as Senor Stavros seems to have. Back in my film enthusiast days in the late 80's and early 90's, I was told he was a must see. I saw a few films and moved on.

[Always_aUnicorn]

Maleficent. N id watch that shit again.

[my my my!]

I usually have a pretty low opinion about almost anything that comes out of Hollywood.

And Flight (2012) was no exception.

total cliche "omg look at the perils of alcohol" hollywood crap.

[transfan8591]

One of my favorite pro wrestling documentaries.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51EXGSCJ82L.jpg

[bluesoul]

dayum. didn't bret hart die? and what was his finishing move? the sharpshooter? i remember people being put in a sharpshooter and agonizing in pain for the ref to throw the match. i think one person was jake "the snake" roberts whose own move the ddt was something you didn't want to find yourself on the recieving end of, then bret hart gets out of it and puts the snake in the sharpshooter and it's game (set?): match

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11uQO1ECsJg

[bluesoul]

http://classic-horror.com/files/images/sleepaway_camp.jpg

this movie is pretty much a laundry list of political incorrectness, with laughs for pedophilia and transsexualism, but more so, it's a great fashion advertisement for early 80s righteousness

p.s. major crush on judy here. wouldn't mind doing a sleepaway in her vagina: permanently

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfZR1Lqjws4

[Prospero]

And there was I thinking breathless was an intriguing piece of cinema history. Now I know.

[LibertyHarkness]

Bad Grandpa :)

[robertlouis]

Bad Grandpa :)

Totally irrelevant, but that is a very nice new avatar, Libs.

[JayCon2006]

I just watched the Lego movie ... definitely wouldn't have paid to see it.

[Datdude]

The new X-Men Movie

[sukumvit boy]

Totally irrelevant, but that is a very nice new avatar, Libs.

:p I think she means the movie.

[Ben]

Planning on re-watching Fight Club. Watched it years ago. But kinda curious to see it again.

[maxpower]

:p I think she means the movie.


I think he meant that his own comment about her avatar was irrelevant to the topic of conversation, not that her post was irrelevant.

[Prospero]

I think irrelevancy is largely irelevant... except when its not . erm

[robertlouis]

I think he meant that his own comment about her avatar was irrelevant to the topic of conversation, not that her post was irrelevant.

Correct. Your pedantry is much appreciated. :D ;)

[Johnny.Blaze]

Bad Grandpa :)

Would have loved to sit with ya watching that one Liberty. One of the best movies EVER!!! I especially like the Dirty Old Grampa. He was hilarious lol "I'm a free man now, I can't be having that little cock block hanging around" lol

[bluesoul]

http://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/TLAM2_DOM_TSR_1SHT-400x242.jpg

i went into this film with very low expectations and the film still managed to disappoint mainly because of terrible jokes, a tired and cliche plot and kevin hart. wendi convey is head-damagingly gorgeous though

[sukumvit boy]

Death at a Funeral , 2007 British comedy . Brilliant!

[bluesoul]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/Deliver_Us_from_Evil_%282014_film%29_poster.jpg

this movie struck me as an x-files type without scully with 2 cops investigating supernaturally themed crimes. so it's basically, cops meets the exorcism of emily rose with the guy from the soup cracking jokes every time something happens

i can't even being to imagine what they were thinking

[emmettray]

http://s7.postimg.org/78durahyj/Child_of_God_Movie_Poster_James_Franco.jpg (http://postimage.org/)

I realise this is not for everyone and also that it is a complicated literary (Cormac McCarthy) adaptation to bring to the screen but this will seriously fuck with your head so be warned. This will certainly not be everyone's cup of tea as it is a very profound essay on how we treat those who live willingly/unwillingly outside our social boundaries. Do you stand in shit or avoid it? It took up all my powers of endurance to stick with it and scared the bollix out of me. But in strange way I'm glad I got through it because in retrospect, it makes you think and examine yourself for shortcomings of your own.

[bluesoul]

http://i.imgur.com/EdNpV7Y.jpg

this film tried to be nerdy and interesting but it didn't have the einsteins to pull off the dialogue to really sell the story, so instead what came out is this: everyone has unique eyes. nobody else can have the same kind of eyes like yours. so why did we just find someone with the same eyes as my ex?

this sort of "complex" subject (at least the fantasy of it) is usually pulled off as a paradox. in this case, it's pulled off as a pseudo romance story

i like the brit marling babe though. i'd totally make her pregnant

[pikashoo]

started the night with:-
22 jump street ( only cause i am a Channing Tatum fan ) i couldn't stand 20 minutes into the movie,Jonah Hill never fails to disappoint me, so just like the first movie i left.
in TAJ-MALL cinema's, they do follow ups to any person leaving the movie theater during the show, asking why and whats not.
i was amazed that they decided to give me another go, for another movie.
my choices were :-
edge of tomorrow ( already seen it 2 times )
blended ( adam sandler ?! ...no thank you ! )
so i watched (( edge of tomorrow )) and i have to say
it was still fun to watch, special effects were done neatly, maintaining some level of logic flow with the plot was decent.
and i am a huge fan of tom anyway.

[pikashoo]

http://s7.postimg.org/78durahyj/Child_of_God_Movie_Poster_James_Franco.jpg (http://postimage.org/)

I realise this is not for everyone and also that it is a complicated literary (Cormac McCarthy) adaptation to bring to the screen but this will seriously fuck with your head so be warned. This will certainly not be everyone's cup of tea as it is a very profound essay on how we treat those who live willingly/unwillingly outside our social boundaries. Do you stand in shit or avoid it? It took up all my powers of endurance to stick with it and scared the bollix out of me. But in strange way I'm glad I got through it because in retrospect, it makes you think and examine yourself for shortcomings of your own.

you are my hero for today ! i saw the trailer, and it got a decent amount of blood and anger in it. ( i hope it have more than what they shown in the trailer ).
it reminds me of a movie called
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKJeFZ3Dbco

[gummi baer]

"Here Comes the Navy" (1934)
This eighty year old pic starred James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, the battleship U.S.S. Arizona and the dirigible U.S.S. Macon. Mostly silly stuff.

[8bit]

the last movie a cute boy took me to? the avengers

the last move i saw on my computer was actually uwe bolls "rampage" lol

i need to go out on more dates >.<

[Stavros]

True Detective (2014)
Although this is a tv series, I bought the box set and watched it as two movies spread over two days.
I did not know much the show before watching it, and at least one can say that these days so much money is spent making these programmes/films that they recruit fine actors (down to the smaller roles), have high production values, and take on challenging themes.
However, by the time we got to the last three or four episodes I was weary of the main storyline which I felt was not thought through. There is an attempt to depict Rusty Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) as a thinker, and Marty Hart (Woody Harelson) as a man of action, not very original, and the use of interviews and flashbacks to events that happened 12 years previously creates some interest and tension. It should also be said that the theme of underage sex is very much part of contemporary issues, particularly in the UK where senior politicians, dead or alive (Cyril Smith, Viscount Tonypandy, and Lord Jenner) have been accused of exploiting their positions of power to abuse children in care.
Here, the problem arises that the key suspect practises a Louisiana version of Voodoo or more properly, Voudon, and that the abduction and sexual abuse of minors is not only integrated into Voudon rituals, but that the Detectives appear to be uncovering a paedophile ring that includes Louisiana politicians and Church leaders. It falls down for me because the key suspect is one of those rural Louisiana yokels whose way of life is so alien to most Americans they may as well be aliens. We have seen this inbred, semi-literate brood in films before, from Deliverance to MUD, and their homes which are crammed from floor to ceiling with 'stuff', their yards scattered with broken down pieces of machinery and other unidentifiable objects, who have ferocious dogs, and seem to greet every stranger by pointing a double-barrelled shotgun at them. They usually live in the middle of a forest miles from a road. The women are obese, sexually uncontrollable and evidently incapable of baking a cherry pie or a loaf of bread. How these sort of people can be associated with leading politicians is beyond me, I never saw the connection, not least because Voudon if it has a connection it is with the Catholic Church whereas the Christians in this film seem to be tent-based revivalists or fundamentalists who would not want to associate with either Voudon or Catholics.
So, incoherent, and a series or film which seems to me to be liberal America depicting that 'other America' as not just weird, but very dangerous, even though most sexual abuse takes place in the home, and by men (for the most part) who look normal and have normal jobs. This box set is on its way to the charity shop, and I won't bother with Series Two.

[emmettray]

I quite enjoyed it myself.

[Prospero]

You got further than I did Stavros.

I saw "Dr No" a few days ago - nearly 50 years old but I have never seen it before. It established all the cliches which were played out through every subsequent Bond film.

[Toadily]

Just finish watching True Romance.

http://www.hans-zimmer.com/~hybrid/zimmer/TrueRomance.jpeg
http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&docid=iwagdGnLvaf-HM&tbnid=RF1S7ng42gG1iM:&ved=0CAIQjBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsmariorganics.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F01%2Ftrue_romance_ver2. jpg&ei=A8TRU-jzLOrViwK_jYGABA&bvm=bv.71778758,d.cGU&psig=AFQjCNER0LE-PTOEflTKOuiG5MGEDfiThg&ust=1406342356642725
You can watch it online for free
http://popcornered.com/films?films=332

[Ben]

A baseball flick called: Sugar. It's quite good. A touching story, too.

[bluesoul]

http://i.imgur.com/SVy3qG2.jpg

i can't believe how many versions of la femme nikita luc besson has managed to get away, but it's now basically a case of can he make a film that isn't similar to that one..

well, this one ISN'T it. it's basically la femme nikita all over again, except this time she's using (wait for it.....) 100% of her brain. yes, that's right folks. la femme nikita is the einstein of killing. but she needs guns, just like the other versions of herself (huh?) unfortunately, luc besson isn't the einstein of screenwriting, which presents a flaw in his protagonist- who btw does a better job gallivanting around the scottish highland putting random dudes in black sludge to get eaten up and attempting to understand humanity whilst avoiding her alien chaperone

not this

[buttslinger]

Under the Skin featuring more Scarlett Johannson, hmm..I would say this movie is for late at night with a bit of herb, Scarlett plays an alien seducing guys in Scotland. I don't want to give away any more....?

[Jericho]

Red Dawn (The Remake).
Like the original, a bit shite really...But enjoyable shite! :shrug

[LilyRox]

It's Pat

Pat is a transgender man or woman that through out the entire movie it asks the question "What is Pat?". Pat lives with Chris who is also transgender and meant to be a question mark gender. I consider myself pretty easy going on rating movies. This movie got horrible reviews by other people, but I actually liked it to some degree.

The movie is repetitive and if you're thinking the movie is going to go anywhere else than making fun of Pat's unknown gender you're wrong. I pretty much knew this from the start though and I enjoyed the continuing jokes. A couple things I really liked about this movie is that Pat's gender is never revealed. This is a good thing because if you were to find out Pat's gender Pat wouldn't be Pat. I also liked that this movie is fairly short. The movie is about a hour and a half. Most movies over a hour and a half I get very bored.

Favorite movie quote:

Chris: You know Pat maybe you should find a job.
Pat: I'm exhausted! I had 23 jobs this year, how many did YOU have?
Chris: Just one.

6/10

http://juliasweeney.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/41FbecR-2BYLL._SX500_.jpg

The Fault In Our Stars

Dying from terminal cancer, Hazel Grace finds true love that sees her for herself and not her disease. This was a good movie about life and death. Not going to go much into this movie as the plot wasn't super dynamic and I didn't feel I really learned anything new philosophically (or at least not as much as I expected to), but it was a good movie. I still highly recommend it, especially if you haven't cried in a while.

Favorite movie quote:

"There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There's .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is a bigger infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or between 0 and a million. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities."

8/10

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/19/ab/3b/19ab3b0ff4ce32d4630853e68d86bfb5.jpg

[fred41]

"Nanking"
Nanking (2007) - IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0893356/)

...watched this on Netflicks.
A retelling of this brutal period during the war, in part, using readings from well known actors to represent the viewpoints of the expatriates that were there at the time, and present day interviews of Chinese survivors and Japanese soldiers.
warning...a bit graphic at times, but necessarily so ( 200,000 people massacred and tens of thousands of young girls and women raped )

It's one of the truly awful times in human history - the atrocities committed by the Japanese soldiers in Nanking were truly heinous...but this film also shows, how many were saved by the heroic acts of individuals who showed remarkable strength of spirit in the face of evil.
Very much recommended.

[Stavros]

The Conjuring (James Wan, 2014)
I don't usually watch 'horror' films but this had good reviews so I bought the dvd for £6 -the film is a succession of cliches -old house where things go bump in the night, demonic spirits of unhappy dead people that can only possess a woman's body; increasingly dramatic scenes culminating in a DIY exorcism that works in spite of the heroic male's terrible Latin. Why ghosts only seem unable to cope with Latin is rarely explained. Because it is a dead language? At two moments one of the crew has to suddenly appear (face and body unseen) from the dark and clap his hands; on another occasion throw a ball into a basement, it really was that bad, like a student film. Another dud for the charity shop.
I like Vera Farmiga though. She has such haunting eyes.

The Conjuring - Official Horror Trailer | Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPcQXo3KLcA)

[diddyboponTOP]

The Purge 2,I enjoyed it.

[TS Evelyn Summers]

Titanic, 3 Hours und 47 Minutes....

It was my FIRST time watching it!

My God I have NOT had a HARD cry like that für a while!!!!

[bluesoul]

http://i.imgur.com/d5PQHZc.jpg

a sports movie: you know what that means? lots of inspirational yap- chop chop editing during the gameplay that unrealistically nothing like the real thing and a (semi) inspirational soundtrack.

laura dern looks great. movie was boring

[RallyCola]

umm...am i the only one here that watched sharknado 2 last night?

[dakota87]

http://i.imgur.com/SVy3qG2.jpg

i can't believe how many versions of la femme nikita luc besson has managed to get away, but it's now basically a case of can he make a film that isn't similar to that one..

well, this one ISN'T it. it's basically la femme nikita all over again, except this time she's using (wait for it.....) 100% of her brain. yes, that's right folks. la femme nikita is the einstein of killing. but she needs guns, just like the other versions of herself (huh?) unfortunately, luc besson isn't the einstein of screenwriting, which presents a flaw in his protagonist- who btw does a better job gallivanting around the scottish highland putting random dudes in black sludge to get eaten up and attempting to understand humanity whilst avoiding her alien chaperone

not this

I enjoyed this movie. If you turn your brain down a little the movie will be fun to watch. Lots of action, swell performances from Johanssen and Morgan Freeman and the guy who plays the villain Mr. Jang.

[Torris]

Just bought a 55 inch smart TV. Had bought a used double disk version of Kubrick's 20001 a few months back.

I literally upgraded my TV to break its cherry on this flick in HD and 7.1

Wow. The colors.... The stars.... We is Stoned Immaculate

[Stavros]

http://i.imgur.com/d5PQHZc.jpg

a sports movie: you know what that means? lots of inspirational yap- chop chop editing during the gameplay that unrealistically nothing like the real thing and a (semi) inspirational soundtrack.

laura dern looks great. movie was boring

Have there been any great sports movies? I don't consider Boxing to be a sport, so that rules out Raging Bull, and that is one of Scorsese's finest films; but I can't think of any others that do not fall into the trap you refer to above.

[Prospero]

Hoop Dreams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph2Y-epihlk

[Stavros]

Hoop Dreams


Hoop Dreams is a documentary, not a feature/fiction film which is the genre I should have made clear was in my thoughts. Hoop Dreams, riddled with cliches from start to finish, is also poor by comparison with other documentaries even though it ranks 17 in Sight and Sound's 'Greatest Documentaries of all Time', a list which includes classics like Sans Soleil, but not Nick Broomfield's Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003) or The House I live In (Eugene Jarecki 2011).
A good documentary introduces you to something you were previously unaware of, and makes it appear important, or forces you to re-think something on which you thought you had a settled opinion. Broomfield's film on Aileen Wuornos exposes the extraordinary violence this woman had to deal with in her life, which she meted out with just as much disagreeable force; while Jarecki's film exposes the commercial value, but the social destitution of the USA's 'war on drugs'.

The 'Greatest Documentaries' list is here:
http://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-sound-magazine/greatest-docs

[iloveTranssexual]

the expendables 3


The Expendables 3 (2014) Official Trailer [HD] - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bPJrbzjLls)

[Jericho]

Pacific Rim.
Wait for the porno version, this turd just won't flush!

[Prospero]

Huh.....

[Jericho]

Pacific Rim job.

[Jericho]

No doubt filled with dusky eyed Asian cuties....Hopefully! :shrug

[Instrumental]

Watched Apocalypse Now last night. It's my favorite film.

[peacheater]

The latest film that I am looking forward to is Zero Theorem. I love Terry Gilliams work.

[Deimos]

Batman Assault on Arkham... amazing... for fans of the Batman Arkham game series, this movie is a must see!

[bluesoul]

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

harvey weinstein has been going on about this movie almost all year. i think the man is loosing his mind coz this shit was boring as hell. pretty much in the same vein of "extremely loud and incredibly close" except this one takes place in the future- wherever everyone is a compliant dipshit and meryl streep has some great blonde locks.

the q&a was hilarious though as the director and actors named the films that influenced this one and those turned out to be more interesting.

stravos: you asked about the sports movie. i hate sports films. my friends loves them. i went to that one as a favor to him and to another friend. i've considered terminating our friendship but have put it on halt since viewing that film.

[bluesoul]

http://i.imgur.com/jky0GlQ.jpg

i really wanted to like this show because some of my favorite people (heros) worked on the manhattern project. so far, this is what's happening:

a bunch of "who is that guy?" arrive in los alamos and have this type of conversation. "say, why are you here?"
"oh, i got hired because am good in math. i'm trying to impress oppenheimer. how about yourself?"
"oh me too. btw forget it. you can't impress oppenheimer. he's such a genius. btw: did i mention oppenheimer?"
"i believe you did. oppenheimer! there i said it"
"yep. you did. where are our wives. hope they're not having sex with oppenheimer"
"they can't be. oppenheimer is doing math at a genius level. and so will we once we meet him. which will be as soon as the writers figure out a way to make all this plausible"
"right! oppenheimer"

this went on for about 2 hours.

[jd666wheelz]

Just saw "Lucy" over the weekend... Good action!

[bluesoul]

http://i.imgur.com/pYk4UbQ.jpg

plodding 2hr movie about a phillip seymour hoffman german doing surveillance on a very dodgy looking chechen dissident with a very attractive rachel mcadams lawyer "kinda" funding al qaeda by proxy of some islamic dude with a family heirloom from a not-too-convincing german willem defoe banker.

[shiG28]

Transformers 4, pretty cool movie.

[tao1kiku]

Lawrence of Arabia
The Gatekeepers (documentary)

[Odelay]

Re Lucy: i can't believe how many versions of la femme nikita luc besson has managed to get awayHa! Of course, that was the connection I was looking for. Forgot that LFN and Lucy were both Luc Besson movies. I've only seen the Lucy trailer, to date.


Have there been any great sports movies? Bang the Drum Slowly? Of course, that's DeNiro again. Saw it when it was released so it might be pretty dated. And it might be classified less as a sports movie and more of a drama about cancer.


The Conjuring (James Wan, 2014)... I like Vera Farmiga though. She has such haunting eyes.Actually, I liked almost all the cast. For example, I think Ron Livingstone is very underrated. But yeah, this is a case of good actors not being able to save a bad script.


Re: 12 Years a Slave - didn't like it at all. as with many academy award winning movies, i don't get the fuss. Sort of have to agree with Rallycola here. Expecting bigger things, especially from the story (screenplay) but was left enjoying the cinematography, acting, etc. Here's my issue... this is just Roots Redux. I didn't see one thematic element in 12 Years that Alex Haley didn't explore in Roots, 40 years ago. Free man kidnapped from his home land, shipped to the South and sold into slavery - check. Slaves separated from spouses and kids - check. Hard work in the fields - check. Whipping - check. Lynching - check. Cruel white southern masters sexually abusing their female slaves - check.

All that said, I think the story of slavery in the US needs to be retold at least once a generation, and they did a nice job of it here.

[boredtryst]

Olympus has fallen-


what can i say.......

[iloveTranssexual]

the calling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sCDg5Ij6e0

[broncofan]

I just saw In a Lonely Place. I enjoyed it because I enjoy almost all noir films that are reasonably well done. This movie stars Humphrey Bogart as a screenwriter with a volatile temperament who is the lead suspect in a homicide. The movie leads you in all directions, first convincing you of his innocence, then raising doubts and ultimately keeping you uncertain until the end. Better than average.

[Michelle Firestone]

The Purge: Anarachy

[bluesoul]

http://i.imgur.com/8vF9kNG.jpg

despite looking (obviously) aged, brosnan is also looking pretty good (physique wise). other than that, this film is one of those projects that even tom cruise obviously said no to.

so they chucked it over to pierce who obviously didn't mind a few hundred thousand, a free ticket to the balkans and a few minutes exchanging saliva with olga kurylenko. hey, i would've said yes too. as far as the movie? what movie?

[BJ4TS]

I look for Brosnan to join the other AARP actors in the next Expendables movie.

[greedo1976]

Just watched Ping Pong Summer.....great 80's themed movie!!!

[bluesoul]

http://i.imgur.com/ny1JTux.jpg

just came back from this movie. basically, a garden of eden/adam & eve type scenario taking place in the future where no "sin" takes place. the giver is basically jeff bridges "giving" brenton thwaiteshis' character his memory of a time before things were so blissful-

the film depends a lot on the performances which are, for the most part, sub-par, including meryl streep who (surprisingly) adds nothing.

there is a lot of hoopla currently surrounding this film thanks mostly to jeff bridges, katie holmes and harvey weinstein who all seem to have a personal steak in this project

[pantybulge69]

LUCY (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kSU5lKIubo


i thought it was odd but stilll entertaining.

[MrFanti]

The Siege!

[holzz]

Noah...i'm an atheist, but still liked it lol....

[Dahak]

The Machine
http://s9.postimg.org/8v4ear1dr/file_175827_1_machine_xlg.jpg

[RallyCola]

the expendables 3.

not as bloody as #2.
lots of quips and nods to the stars old movies (except harrison ford does not say "get off my plane")
not enough ronda rousey
too many "old fart" references
the final scene between mel gibson and sly could have been better.

it was ok...5/10 at best as i would not watch it again.

[BlüeKarma]

I watched Blended last night and it was one of the few Sandler movies I got a few laughs out of, still a lot of cringey moments but entertaining.

[Prospero]

Not exactly a film but "Cambridge Spies" four one hour films for the BBC about Burgess, Maclean, Philby and Blunt. Beautifully acted, scripted and directed.

[Athena_Addams]

allidan , dead poets society, and FIsher King

[Kevin Dong]

Pokemon: The First Movie

[trish]

Guardians of the Galaxy

great fun
good music
I am Groot

[Ultron]

I watch the the MST3K version of Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967)...

There is nothing better than kaiju and robots...

Well...may-be robots riffing on kaiju...

[bluesoul]

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

good movie but not as good as the first one- which was kinda boring at times for me. this only had a few small stories that had some plodding and unnecessary parts and one particular story which was extremely predicable (hint: eva green)-

other than that? the same film noir comic book orgyfest

[Odelay]

Nymphomainac vols 1 & 2 - Lars Von Trier (via Netflix) earlier review (http://www.hungangels.com/vboard/showthread.php?p=1483822&highlight=nymphomaniac#post1483822) by Cerberus

I went back and looked at LVT's filmography and really couldn't recognize any of the film titles that I might have seen since Breaking the Waves. I guess through the years I always assumed I was seeing Lars' films when I really hadn't been. Part of this faulty memory might be due to his push to have movies filmed in the Dogme format, i.e. shaky handheld video cams. I never saw many of the Dogme films but I did see The Celebration, which I believe is a brilliant movie. Since it was a movie with a very grim storyline like BtW, I just assumed, without checking, that it was a Lars Von Trier movie, but of course, it wasn't.

My memory isn't good enough to be 100% sure but I believe Nymphomaniac is the first film by LVT that I've seen since Breaking the Waves. It was about 10-20 years ago that filmmakers were stating that on screen real sexual intercourse, with penetration, would be coming to theatres soon. Well, this movie surely broke through that barrier, although several others have too in recent years. I'm gathering Nympho was not widely distributed across worldwide theatre screens. Nevertheless, it's probably doing well in Netflix.

The movie is in 2 parts (about 4 hrs total) which tells the titular character's story through her own voice to a guy who saves her from a beating, played by Stellan Skarsgård. There's quite a few famous American actors who have guest roles in this flick, including Christian Slater, Uma Thurman, Shia LaBeouf and Willem Dafoe. If I had to characterize some sub-genre that this movie belongs to it would have to be movies about addiction, or maybe even more specifically, movies about women with addiction. The various stories the main character tells are interesting to varying degrees. The problem for me with addiction stories is that they generally don't build to any interesting climax (excuse the pun-like phrasing), barring the recovery storyline, which this movie doesn't have. That's why despite the decent acting, somewhat erotic scenes, and somewhat interesting stories, I can't really rate this much more than 3 stars. 4 hours is a pretty big investment for a movie. Truthfully, watching the first part and getting the gist of it and not bothering with the 2nd part wouldn't really be a bad approach to the movie.

[CORVETTEDUDE]

Lone Survivor.....

[Yasmin Lee Fan]

Saw " November Man ". I saw preview a couple of weeks ago and it looked good. Movie was somewhat of a letdown though. Okay action movie, but could have been better. Pierce Brosnan did a pretty good job, but something was off. Direction, pacing; I can't put my finger on it.

[fred41]

Captain America: The Winter Soldier...(on Amazon )

I liked it...but I kinda liked the first one better.
Of course this is just a build up (as is the SHIELD television show) to the next Avengers film. Makes you think at some point, instead of making them movies, they may have to break them up into cable show series.
Also...I was never a big Scarlett Johansson fan and I probably would have cast someone else to play Black Widow...but she's grown on me.

[BlüeKarma]

The Giver, I can't imagine a worse scenario than an emotionless utopia.

[Ben]

Tightrope.... It's quite good.

[transfan8591]

China Strike Force

[broncofan]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/16/world/europe/richard-iii-bones-injuries/

I saw in the news that King Richard III's bones had been analyzed and it was confirmed that he was brutally hacked to death on the battlefield. He even suffered some post-mortem wounds. In light of that graphic visual, I thought it was time I either read Richard III or watch the Laurence Olivier version. Feeling a little lazy, I opted for the second option. Olivier was great as the twisted (not referring to his spine) King Richard.

I had seen Olivier's version of Henry V and didn't like it as much as Branagh's version so I didn't know what to expect. However Olivier did a great job and it's worth watching even if you haven't read the play.

I also recently saw the Henry V The Hollow Crown by Sam Mendes and think it was very well done. It omits what I think is an important scene or one I'm kind of partial to anyway (the treason scene Act 2 Scene 2) but is otherwise a good production.

[Stavros]

I saw in the news that King Richard III's bones had been analyzed and it was confirmed that he was brutally hacked to death on the battlefield. He even suffered some post-mortem wounds. In light of that graphic visual, I thought it was time I either read Richard III or watch the Laurence Olivier version. Feeling a little lazy, I opted for the second option. Olivier was great as the twisted (not referring to his spine) King Richard.


Look again at Olivier in this film -the hair, the hose, the pose -and you may conclude it should be called Queen Richard the III. Like too many directors before and since Olivier cut Shakespeare's text and moved it around to do it better than Will or to fit it into the 90 minute timeframe for an average film. In The Hollow Crown they even transform Aumerle from a defender of Richard II into his executioner, surely a contradiction too far.

[LibertyHarkness]

transformers extinction and it was rubbish

[waltham]

Con air... Again...and it was brilliant again-

[Prospero]

Caught up with a well reviewed Swedish film from last year "We are the best' directed by Lukas Moodyson.

Rather uninspiring little tale abut two troubled 13-year-old girl who decide they are punks.

We Are The Best! International Trailer 1 (2014) - Swedish Drama Movie HD - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWWNd-eybN0)

[Yasmin Lee Fan]

Walk Among The Tombstones
This was a big letdown. I got sucked in by the previews again !

[RallyCola]

I saw Tusk last weekend.

I realize there are tons of reviews of this movie online but please take it from me....stay away unless you are just a kevin smith fanboy.

tusk starts out like it will be awesome in the first act. then kevin smith just says fuck all and ruins the second half by destroying the pace. the big reveal happens way way to early. the love triangle is meaningless. johnny depp is only there for comic relief and even so kinda phones in his performance and finally, the end is terrible because it makes no fucking sense. actually...justin long's character arc is just retarded because the character traits that he starts the movie with do not lend themselves to the disposition he ends up in. it would be like making a movie where superman sucks a dick at the end and willingly takes a kryptonite enema!!!

in short...
from a horror perspective, it is only horrifying for the first half.
from a comedic perspective, it is only funny at moments until you realize that the humor is based in sheer ignorance.
from a shock value perspective, it lacks the punch of the human centipede

its not worth your $14

[killa69]

47 Ronin...much better than I thought it would be. Spider Man 2 the other day. The Spidey movies have too much going on though. He always has 2 villains & some life drama. Not sure why they do that in his movies because the comic books weren't always like that.