Film What's the Last Film You Saw? v. Tell Us What You Thought!

[Euphio]

Just watched The Adjustment Bureau recently, and honestly thought it was awesome! Not really what I expected, but very good all the same. It's basically your classic love story, love at first sight, yet they can't be together... however, I thought this movie handled the theme in a completely different way. Parts of it seem a little silly and even cheesy, but I didn't care, still loved it.

I think I just like the idea of fate or freewill, and personifying this idea of fate was really interesting. I'm also a big fan of Matt Damon, and the acting between him and Emily Blunt was superb. I'd recommend giving this movie a good watch. I'm not a big fan of love stories, but I really enjoyed this one!

 

[MrGrunge]

Past couple days I've seen:

-The Ghost of Yotsuya (Visually-stunning Japanese ghost story)
- Killing of a Chinese Bookie (Cassavetes movie about a strip club owner who owes money to the mob - phenomenal acting)
- Opening Night (Also Cassavetes, a middle-aged star actress has trouble letting go of her youth - also phenomenal acting)

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

Sleeping Beauty (2011)

i had heard such negative opinions of this movie. i wish i had not gone into it expecting it to be generic pulp that was ripping of an an already terrible film, Eyes Wide Shut. Sleeping Beauty is not terrible. second half is much better than the first. the premise and themes are interesting. has the tone of a soderbergh film. while it is capitalizing on emily brownings's immaculate skin and breasts, there are feminist themes--primarily admires' use of female beauty and its impact on both sides. i also enjoyed the film's touching on the paralyzing nature of society and human habit. through direct dialogue, the film admits that this is a simple, common theme, and then states that this does not necessarily detract from an idea's value--i love works that reference the concepts, devices, and value of narrative within their own narrative. in a relevant scene, a character speaking to an off-screen character, with a camera perspective to give the impression of the audience being addressed, is solid implementation of an often off-putting trope.

there are certainly pieces of this film i cannot fully explain. to some extent i think that is due to my own shortcomings and efforts. my tendency to pair watching movies with using drugs. that i have only seen it once. i also fear it might have something to do with slight plot holes. the berries are because she is curious if the same car that picks her up also drops her off, right? or are they symbolic of something i am missing. is it her way of injecting nature--the relation between the digital/synthetic/simulacrum and nature is another concept touched upon--into something so manufactured, manipulated, and clandestine? is it a reference to another story sharing the same title? movies just are not meant to be seen only once.

ooo, and having some fun with the concept of the simulacrum, she works as a copyist.

 

[Carl Landrover]

Just watched The Adjustment Bureau recently, and honestly thought it was awesome! Not really what I expected, but very good all the same. It's basically your classic love story, love at first sight, yet they can't be together... however, I thought this movie handled the theme in a completely different way. Parts of it seem a little silly and even cheesy, but I didn't care, still loved it.

I think I just like the idea of fate or freewill, and personifying this idea of fate was really interesting. I'm also a big fan of Matt Damon, and the acting between him and Emily Blunt was superb. I'd recommend giving this movie a good watch. I'm not a big fan of love stories, but I really enjoyed this one!

Emily Blunt is hot. I'd do way more than just smoke that Blunt. Ironically I found her fairly unattractive in The Devil Wears Prada where she was supposed to be an attractive fashionista.

The Adjustment Bureau was alright. It reminded me of a few other movies. I did think the book/map the agents had was pretty cool/interesting. Also liked Matt Damon's speech early in the movie where he talks about how much he paid consultants just to tell him what type of shoe to wear to better attract voters. (---->Forgot how to do spoiler tags and am too tired/lazy to look--->) Not really a spoiler because it probably won't make sense if you didn't see the movie, but nevertheless I don't want to ruin anything.

NSFW:

I thought the end was also pretty neat where they were just running through all the doors. That whole idea was kind of cool. Seemed like a fun power to possess. Though I thought it was kind of corny how Matt Damon and Emily Blunt ended up together.

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

Drive

the first time i tried to watch this movie, i figured i knew where it was going and went ahead and jumped shipped less than 15 minutes in. then i continuously heard so many good things about it, until another go was given. [spoil]had i just given it like 2 more minutes the first time, i would have realized it was going to defy the set up.[/spoil] this is a quality movie. it takes the conventions of a pulp genre and applies them to something interesting. i love the 80s feel, especially the pink font and his absurd jacket. unfortunately i watched it with my parents, and their ideals often clash with mine. it ended up making me very mad that they considered the protagonist a monster. instead of enjoying the movie, we argued about the structure of society and when, if ever, violence is justified. i would like to re-watch it without them pissing me off in my peripheral. maybe that will happen. my biggest complaint is the CG blood. those scenes are supposed to be difficult and disturbing. animated blood in a live action film looks silly.

 

[Mysterie]

barton fink - what a great coen brothers film, i was captivated throughout the entire movie and just felt overall that almost every frame was like art. The end felt very sudden, but im a tad slow at grasping the full meaning of movies with as much depth as this one.

bound - this was a pretty cool film about a lesbian couple who plan and steal $2m from one of their husbands involved in the mafia, enjoyable watch.

 

[alasdairm]

^ bound is awesome. directed by the wachowski brothers (who directed the matrix) while they were still brothers

alasdair

 

[L2R]

^yup.
they made it on the cheap just to prove that they could direct, and be granted the directorial chair on the first matrix.

barton fink - what a great coen brothers film, i was captivated throughout the entire movie and just felt overall that almost every frame was like art. The end felt very sudden, but im a tad slow at grasping the full meaning of movies with as much depth as this one.

i love this movie so much

 

[MrGrunge]

^ bound is awesome. directed by the wachowski brothers (who directed the matrix) while they were still brothers

alasdair

"Wachowski Siblings" just doesn't have the same ring.

 

[Carl Landrover]

Did they have a falling out or is one of them a woman now?

 

[MrGrunge]

This is Lana (formerly Larry) Wachowski:

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

^ethan's next.

i messed up and didn't search these threads before watching Summer with Monika last night. i was thinking it felt familiar, but chalked it up to having seen Eraserhead. oh well. in addition to what i wrote about it last time, the fade from the pier to the sky is one of the more beautiful transitions that i can think of at the moment.

 

[MrGrunge]

^ Ethan Coen? Honestly I always thought it would be Joel. Just look at his luscious, flowing locks:

Recently I've seen:

- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (I liked it more than the first, but that's not saying much)
- Wreck-It Ralph (It looked pretty, I laughed once or twice, but overall I thought it was pretty weak)
- Skyfall (Visually impressive, but the the story was full of holes. Bardem did a good job all things considered)
- The Machinist (Christian Bale gives a good performance, the story was interesting and kept me guessing. My favorite of the last four films I've seen)

 

[GodSpeedK]

Holy Motors

Was a bit disappointed in all honesty. Definitely thought it was going to be a lot better. Some interesting ideas and the cemetery scene was quite amusing, but I wasn't left majorly impressed. Visually great, but lacking substance.

- Le Cercle Rouge (Jazzy, cool, and French)

Check out Le Samourai if you haven't already...

 

[herbavore]

I went to see Amour against the advice of most of my friends around my age who warned it was too depressing. I did not find it depressing at all. The acting was some of the best I have ever seen and the subject matter? Well, it's life. I actually left the theatre moved and inspired to live as much as I can, while I can.

 

[shimazu]

I watched the movie Idiocracy by Mike Judge. I thought it was a decent movie kind of like a cross of Tron and a not really funny Hangover but there were some good parts I guess. The message was good though and he more or less shoves it in your face right before the ending.

Idk I guess id say like 3.5/5

 

[MrGrunge]

Recently I've seen:

- The Kid (1921 Charlie Chaplin film, almost the exact same plot as Big Daddy, nowhere near as entertaining as the other Chaplin films I've seen but a good film in its own right)
- A Man Escaped (1956 Robert Bresson film, stiff acting [like many French films], but it has a good script, excellent sound design, and some cool cinematography)
- Fitzcarraldo (First Werner Herzog film I've seen that wasn't a documentary, all-around awesome)
- The Burden of Dreams (Documentary about the making of Fitzcarraldo and a testament to Herzog's insanity [and genius] as a filmmaker. This crazy German motherfucker literally hauled a 320 ton steamboat over a mountain in the Amazon jungle.)

 

[Carl Landrover]

Did they have a falling out or is one of them a woman now?

This is Lana (formerly Larry) Wachowski:

This was a surprising response. I thought I was making a joke and had thought that they only had a falling out. I didn't realize they went from brothers to brother and sister. That's a bold move. Maybe (s)he is The One that Morpheus was waiting for.

- The Kid (1921 Charlie Chaplin film, almost the exact same plot as Big Daddy, nowhere near as entertaining as the other Chaplin films I've seen but a good film in its own right)

Isn't Chaplin well-known for that film? Or isn't the movie well-known or regarded highly for some reason? I've heard it mentioned elsewhere before.

I've been watching Season 6 of 30 Rock lately, so haven't seen as many movies. Was close to a 1 per day average. Last film I saw was E.T. though that was a re-watch, not a new film. The kids did a great job acting especially considering how young they were. I thought the effects were pretty decent, especially for 1982. E.T. looked good. They did a good job with the costume and effects so it looked fairly realistic. I remember watching the first Terminator not too long ago and at the end when the terminator just is just the metal skeleton it looks really fake. Definitely did not age as well.

 

[MrGrunge]

Isn't Chaplin well-known for that film? Or isn't the movie well-known or regarded highly for some reason? I've heard it mentioned elsewhere before.

Yeah, it's significant in that it was Chaplin's first feature-length film and was a huge success and basically turned him into an international star actor/director, but I don't think its his best film. It is interesting though to see how his style evolved and matured through the years.

 

[GodSpeedK]

Nothing very recently. Watched a couple of scenes from Clerks with my brother, but seen it way too many times for another whole viewing.

Been re-watching Six Feet Under. Ah, what a show! Possibly my favourite show of all time. Bit harsh to pit the holy trinity (Wire, Sopranos, SFU) against each other, but I still think it just about edges it. I find myself reacting to some scenes with a massive grin on my face and the words: "Wow, that was a perfect scene." Anyway, all things considered...I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with my bold statement. Each to their own I suppose.

- Fitzcarraldo (First Werner Herzog film I've seen that wasn't a documentary, all-around awesome)

My favourite movie of Herzog's is Aguirre, The Wrath of God. I'm sure you've considered it, seeing as you have pretty impeccable taste. Nevertheless, I definitely recommend.