Movie Thread (All forms)

[Variable]

Rented Looper. Entertaining, but once you start to think about it, the movie kinda falls apart. Especially the ending. But that's sort of the problem with any movie involving time travel, they even go as far to tell you (through character dialogue within the movie) to not even think about it. Worth a rental, some cool sequences.

 

[nana]

Agree with Biscuit on Les Miserables. Just saw it today. Loved it. Thought Russell Crowe was horribly miscast. You need to have a great bass and falsetto to pull off that role and he had neither. I'm sure another name actor could have done much better. Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman were both fantastic. They both deserve to be nominated and could win.



I have to agree That's My Boy was pretty funny. There was some "mean" and offensive humour, but mostly it was dirty, silly, slapstick and funny stuff. I've had a crush on Adam Sandler since I was 12, so there you go. I was not into boy banders and pretty boy fools. I like a funny and funny looking dude that can amuse me over some boring ass head.



Moonrise Kingdom was wonderful. One of my favourite movies of the year. I think he's only made two films that weren't as good: The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited. I think Moonrise was interesting, heartfelt, funny and sad and up to par with his best, Rushmore and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. He does have a great aesthetic, but also he understands people.



Want to watch Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty, Argo and a lot of documentaries. There aren't enough comedies out at this time of year, so I'll have to wait for a less awards-seasony time for the funny.

Les Mis - haven't seen it yet, but of course I will. From the little I've heard of Crowe singing, it was really sad as Javert should have a powerful voice.



SAMESIES re: Adam Sandler and basically everything you said, except I have not seen That's My Boy. Yet. Funny and Smart always wins.



Moonrise Kingdom - so happy to read that you two loved it. It is on my must-see list (Wes Anderson + Bill Murray + Ed Norton with some Frances McDormand as well).



Argo was good. Lincoln was very good. DDL was phenomenal, and I thought the fun surprise was James Spader's performance. Not to take anything away from Tommy Lee Jones, but Spader was great!



Looking forward to Zero Dark Thirty - it has gotten great buzz from what I have seen.

 

[the canadian dream]

guess im going to be the one person to say he didnt like Lincoln. In so mmuch after 40 mins in i stopped watching. i dont get the hype at all. im a history buff too. i dont understand whats so good about the film? actings okay but everyone is so one dementional and uninteresting. guess thats what politics have always been.



dont get the hype. its a yawner even for a talk piece film which what it is.

 

[the canadian dream]

ps might be i wasnt in the right mood also. who knows. i just thought the dialogue was too documentary story telling if that makes any sense. not my type of film and i love bio pics, time pieces, and stories about important historical events (which this was). The way the story was told just didn't do it for me i didnt get enough story telling which i couldnt get from an hour documentary or from reading a chapter in a history book. That' on Spieldberg and the Writers.



film didnt need to be made and Speildberg sucks now anyways. Forumals he follows are cliche and done to death. Over done heavy hearted tripe film making. Soundtrack sucked also.



im really mad about the film...lol..wow.

 

[bookjones]

ps might be i wasnt in the right mood also. who knows. i just thought the dialogue was too documentary story telling if that makes any sense. not my type of film and i love bio pics and stories about important historical events. this one didnt do it for me i didnt get enough story telling which i couldnt get from an hour documentary or from reading a chapter in a history book.



film didnt need to be made and speildberg sucks now also. forumals he follows are cliche and done to death.



im really mad about the film...lol..wow.

That is the story of his filmography and always has been.

 

[The Mule]

Have to agree with TCD on Lincoln. Aren't we supposed to trash talk exposition in storytelling? There is no subtlety and again, just pure exposition. Where is the tension? And the characters are given very little to do. DDL is great, but he doesn't have much nuance to work with. How many table talks make up a movie? How about every scene! Never have I seen more great actors wasted.



I think this will become a movie that fades in favour over time. Spielberg made Jaws and Close Encounters! This subject matter should have been ripe for dramatic tension.



James Spader however is the best part of the movie. Love him! He actually has a character and not generic white politician mode-acting.



Hugh Jackman for the Oscar!!

 

[MassHavoc]

An up coming Stratham film trailer



"Parker"



Not sure what to think. I'm a big fan of the novels. Not sure Stratham is good for the role, also not sure the "thief with ethics" is how you describe Parker. More like he does what has to be done to get the "score" and god help you if you are in the way or double cross him.

I would be 100 percent in if it wasn't Jlo.... as such, i'm like 50/50, Chiklis and Nolte help, but not much

 

[the canadian dream]

Honestly I need to discuss Lincoln and why everyone loves it so much. it's driving me crazy how much I disliked the film. CRAZY!! I don't want to use the "It must be an American thing" excuse as to why people love it because I know a shit load of non Americans who loved it. I need to know, outside of the few acting performances, why the film is seen as being so great..cause I can't find a fucking thing that made the film deserving of the hype it carries. Even the design wasn't anything to write home about although it was good..not great.



The Mule said something that was perfect. We have these 60 second advertisements in Canada called "A Part Of Our Heritage". Watching Lincoln was like watching a long version of these history lesson advertisements. Dare I say the Heritage minutes are actually more exciting? I do dare say.



[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnhM0uDIcxA[/media]



Oh and P.S. Sally Field was fucking horrible!!! That was over-acting at it's best.

 

[MassHavoc]

I thought you only watched 40 minutes of it?

 

[bookjones]

I thought you only watched 40 minutes of it?

Heh.

 

[the canadian dream]

I thought you only watched 40 minutes of it?

I could still hear it as the Mule sucked it up and finished it all... plus I kept walking back to it..only to walk away again and again. And I rarely walk away from films. I can only think of one other film I ever walked away from and that was Howard The Duck.



Maybe the hype around it killed it for me because I really really wanted to see this more than any film in a very long time. That's happened before with movies and me. But then again hundreds have also lived up to the hype. So it can't just be that.



it's almost to the point where I believe part of it has to be that people are simply afraid to say they didn't like it in fear that they will be called unpatriotic (if one is American) or against the 13th amendment. I can't think of anything else which explains the overwhelming love affair with this film. People have to be kidding themselves into liking this film right? please tell me that is the case. I think the entire events leading up to passing the amendment is amazing...but I would get more out of the history of that from an hour documentary or from the book the movie was based on.



I really do blame Spieldberg. Thats my bottom line. I think he sucks as a film maker now and the creative portion of the industry passed him by years ago.

 

[Variable]

I saw it the other night. Slow to start, but it gets going. I really had no expectations going into other than knowing it was more about the politics of getting the Amendment passed than any actual fighting of the Civil War. And of which the politics aspect of it left me disgusted. So I guess they did a pretty good job of it with that. Entertaining in sort of a dark way. The same thought kept coming to me, especially when watching any scene of the politicians in the House:



"Nothing has really changed."

 

[the canadian dream]

I saw it the other night. Slow to start, but it gets going. I really had no expectations going into other than knowing it was more about the politics of getting the Amendment passed than any actual fighting of the Civil War. And of which the politics aspect of it left me disgusted. So I guess they did a pretty good job of it with that. Entertaining in sort of a dark way. The same thought kept coming to me, especially when watching any scene of the politicians in the House:



"Nothing has really changed."

And I think because there was a huge election happening at the time the film was released and marketed that it added to the political darkness which probably attracted people to the film. It came out at the perfect time. Maybe another reason I hated it so much is because I am currently politically worn out. Had I watched it a a few months ago in the middle of the political heat in America (which I was caught up in) it might have left more of an impact on me. Maybe...I still don't think my personal taste in film directing and narrative would have liked it very much. Just not my flavour.....but



Bet if the film were released today it wouldn't get half the praised at the time of the release.



I think you hit on something though when you said the film made you see that things really haven't changed in American politics. I think that is one of the bigger messages one can take out of the film and the only thing that makes it worth discussing on any philosophical level.

 

[mikita's helmet]

That is the story of his filmography and always has been.

Spielberg, WAY overrated. Don't understand the big deal about Daniel Day Lewis, either.

 

[Variable]

Like I said before about movies like this, I'm kinda hesitant about how history is re-told, especially the more intimate moments. There is one scene in particular at the end where I hope it actually went the way they portrayed it in the movie, though I know it would be hard if not impossible to verify either way. It's after the Amendment passes, and Lincoln is discussing the South's surrender/cease-fire with the Vice President of the Confederacy, and Lincoln says something along the lines of though it may be true that democracy didn't hold the Union together or win the war, it would be something to aspire to, that one day we would be worthy of truly having it.



And that just kinda stuck with me. It's like, ****, that day has yet to come almost 150 years later. We aren't there yet Abe. I wonder, if he really said that, how long he thought it may take. Today there is probably more slavery than there was back then. With the U.S. and their corporations being one of the stronger driving forces in it. We've got the same clowns in government as back then. Same type of people. Different suits, different way of talking, same fucking mutt breed of human beings, motivated by the same kind of self serving, greedy aspirations.Watching this movie with politicians arguing about rights and freedom of human beings.....when the same fucking thing is still happening to this day. But even to me, who can see the dark humor in it, it was still kinda depressing. We think we have come so far from then. Barely out of the jungle yet.

 

[the canadian dream]

Spielberg, WAY overrated. Don't understand the big deal about Daniel Day Lewis, either.

I think DDL has shown his versatility as an actor and that's why I love him so much and probably why he gets the praise he does. Can't really say any of his performances are ever alike or he ever plays cliche characters over and over again until he became a household name like many hollywood actors do. He has been in bad films but I think the 5-6 films he is best known for is acting at it's best despite if one actually liked the over all film or not. 5-6 positive memorable performances in an actors career is a great resume. While he was good in Lincoln and I thought he was certainly believable I don't think it was one of his most challenging or interesting rolls to date. Not Oscar deserving in my opinion. He will be remembered for it mainly because no one has really put an effort in before to portray Lincoln like he did. It's usually over-acted and intolerable with someone laying on a thick dramatic overdone line deliveries. Or killing vampires.



Spielberg has zero versatility as a director that's why he sucks. Follows the same formulas he always has and layers it with heavy hearted dialogue im sure he puts in his films against the writers advice and then layers that with sappy heavy hearted scores.

 

[nana]

it's almost to the point where I believe part of it has to be that people are simply afraid to say they didn't like it in fear that they will be called unpatriotic (if one is American) or against the 13th amendment. I can't think of anything else which explains the overwhelming love affair with this film. People have to be kidding themselves into liking this film right? please tell me that is the case.

While I do not have an overwhelming love affair with the film, I did say it was very good. I loved the acting. As I mentioned before, DDL and James Spader were excellent and most of the cast did a great job. I agree about Sally Field though - I found myself wishing another actress had the part. I also liked that it felt like a play, and I thought that was a purposeful stylistic choice (I could be wrong). The script was clearly dialogue-heavy, and I enjoyed the language. My interpretation was that it was styled as a play to mirror the political stage which the film depicts. I also liked the atmosphere (inside it was dark, often smoky) and the scenes with the House. I'm not a history expert, so that probably allowed me to enjoy the film more. If others did not like it, I can understand why, but I was entertained. Since Spielberg is not on my list of favorite/best directors, I did not go into the film expecting otherwise, and that probably helped as well.

Last but not least, I mostly said I liked it because I live in fear of being called unpatriotic.



I would like to see a film about the life of Elizabeth Beckley... does anyone know of one? There are so many stories that could be told about this time of history and how different people impacted the abolitionist movement.

 

[phranchk]

You mean Elizabeth Keckley? There's some books out there. Looks like there was a TV movie back in the 80's called "Look Away" but there's not much about it other than Madge Sinclair won an Emmy for her portrayal of Keckley.

 

[phranchk]

Pretty good write up about the difficulty these days with movie endings or not ending when they should.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...ewed Stories)&utm_source=feedburner&track=rss

 

[bookjones]

I would like to see a film about the life of Elizabeth Beckley... does anyone know of one? There are so many stories that could be told about this time of history and how different people impacted the abolitionist movement.

You mean Elizabeth Keckley? There's some books out there. Looks like there was a TV movie back in the 80's called "Look Away" but there's not much about it other than Madge Sinclair won an Emmy for her portrayal of Keckley.

I'm pretty sure she must have meant Keckley.



Don't know anything about films SAMESIES but I do know that her memoir is widely available. Back in the olden times of my college years I took a 300-level elective on African-American Female Writers and her Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House was a part of the syllabus. VERY interesting read (but then that class was chock full o' interesting stuff). We had to get an Oxford hardcover that was part of a larger series their press does for one of the Oxford libraries and their collection of 19th-Century black female writers---still have that tiny hardcover edition, heh. But I also know that Penguin Classics used to do a trade edition as part of their catalog.