|
|
Wednesday, December 29th, 2004
| |
3:17 pm - I love the way movies like these make me feel
|
icyblue
|
I saw three good films recently:
1. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. I love all of Wes Anderson's films... in fact, I could include all of them in my all time favourite movie list, probably (and Rushmore is the reason ![[info]](http://library.vu.edu.pk/cgi-bin/nph-proxy.cgi/000100A/http/web.archive.org/web/20041231011442im_/http:/=2fstat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) kliq and I named this community as we did). The Life Aquatic was totally great. I went to see it with my mom and dad and sister and we were cracking up throughout. There is some pretty remarkable subtle humour in this film, which is why I think I like Anderson's movies so much. Seriously, why would four people convulse with laughter when watching a submarine descend into the depths of the ocean with a dozen people on board? Who knows? We just did! I love that characters in Anderson's films are obviously flawed. Though his films aren't realistic, really, they are in touch with reality. This film isn't perfect - I'd have liked Angelica Huston's character, Eleanor Zissou, to have been developed further, for example, but overall I loved this movie.
2. Garden State. Let me preface by saying that I already loved Zach Braff before I saw this movie. I had wanted to see this in theatre, but didn't get the chance, and am so glad I got to see it now on DVD. When I see a movie like Garden State, I always find myself wondering how a person would write a screenplay like that. Garden State has a certain "feeling," and I'm sure if you've seen the movie, you know what I mean; sort of dreary, depressing, yet optimistic and hopeful at the same time. I know this film has been billed as the defining film of a generation, namely my own (I'm 22). I think the reason some critics have written of it as such is the "feeling" I referred to above. I know that I could relate to the film, even though I have an almost eerily great family, and have plenty of love from them. Something I really connected with was the concept of "life" that Braff's character, Andrew Largeman, talks about in the film. It actually made me fairly introspective about my own life; I was lying in bed after I watched the movie trying to fall asleep and contemplated my life, which is a good life, but lacks something crucial, I think. My character flaw, if I were in a movie, would be my lack of everyday courage. Not the type of courage that's adrenaline fuelled, but the type that makes an otherwise normal life into something great. I am scared to take chances, and I thought about Largeman and Nathalie Portman's character, Sam, as they met, and quickly fell in love, and I thought that if I were in Sam's place, I wouldn't be nearly courageous enough to take the chances she did. Any film that can make one think of one's self in such a way is probably a good thing. This film is also beautifully photographed - the scene where the four friends are sitting by the enormous fireplace stands out in my head. I, along with many others, really enjoyed the film's soundtrack, too, and thought it fit perfectly. I may have to buy the soundtrack, actually.
3. Napoleon Dynamite. Quirky, yes. But I happen to love quirky, and I have a feeling that many of you do, too. If you do, see this movie. Napoleon is a social reject, certainly. I'm a teacher, though, and have known many kids like him in the school's I've taught at (and I'm only a beginning teacher and have run across lots of kids with elements of Napoleon in them already!) - the scene where Napoleon and Pedro are talking about who they're going to invite to the school dance and Napoleon lies about his model girlftriend rings particularly true with some of the awkward teenagers I've met. I think this is one of the reasons this movie sort of resonates - it's essentially about acceptance, something that every kid wants in some way. Napoleon's way of speaking is already something my sister and I have taken up - HECK YES! and GOSH! and PRACTICIN' MY DANCE MOVES. Like The Life Aquatic, this movie is funny in the perfect way - it's not so obvious that the filmmaker and screenwriter are desperately grabbing at jokes. The basic thread of the movie leads this strange kid in moon boots to get what he really wants from life in the end: acceptance - from his peers at school and from the girl he likes. I wish there were more movies like this.
current mood:  hopeful
current music: Alexi Murdoch - Orange Sky
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
| Monday, December 27th, 2004
| |
3:37 am - Mad World
|
conversepunkie
|
Help. I'm afraid I dont understand "Donnie Darko" as much as I should. I do understand it and then again I don't.
Would someone be kind enough to explain...
|
|
(6 comments | comment on this)
|
| Thursday, December 16th, 2004
| |
6:39 pm - incredible...
|
the_beanio
|
anyone seen the incredibles?
Tell me your views and I shall share mine :)
current mood:  curious
current music: motown
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, December 15th, 2004
| |
9:36 pm - Alexander and Closer
|
gaidin
|
Well I haven't written much for this community of fellow Titanic haters. Just lurked in the background. But I have very strong opinions on two movies I saw the last two weeks so here goes:
Alexander - The worst movie of 2004!
I thought this movie would be a cheap Braveheart ripoff that would entertain me on some lowly level for a few hours. Instead it was some experimental slaughtering of the history books where one of the Worlds greatest generals/dictators is turned into an extremely whiny bisexual man that cries every 5 minutes. The movie even tries to imply that the whole reason Alexander explored the known world was to get away from his mother.
I've read several of the original stories of Alexander in Latin classes and the greatest triumph of his life was probably the period when he took over Egypt, founded his greatest city, and was named the son of Zeus by the Oracle there. The movie totally skips over all of that with 30 seconds of narration. Instead they go right from where he is a half naked young boy wrestling his other male classmates and talking about gay sex with his teacher; to where he is a grown man humping everything in sight and trying to make his empire bigger than it needs to be.
Colin Farrell is grossly overrated. He is a character actor at best, but that's a rant for another time.
There are so many characters in this film that you never really have time to care about any of them. Also the camera work during the battles is so spastic and erratic that I was getting motion sickness in the theatre for the first time since the Blair Witch Project. The finishing touch might've been the bad CGI featuring an eagle that shows up at totally random times during the film.
Avoid at all costs!
Closer -
When I first saw this movie I thought it was good but not great. Most of the film is spent with male/female pairs emotionally arguing the personal details of relationships in a way you rarely see in films. The script is designed to be shocking. In particular all the actors do a good job with the directors choice of uninterrupted reaction shots.
The great bonus of this film is that it inspired some great debates between me and my friends after we saw it. Everyone wanted to discuss who was really bad and who was really the good guy. Are breakups ever really one persons fault? Is cheating ever really one persons fault? Is the dishonest stripper the most moral character in the film?
Oh yeah, if you wanted to see this movie because you saw Natalie Portman bragging on Letterman's late night show that she was full frontal nude in this film you are going to be disappointed. They cut out the scene at the last minute and you can totally tell where. However, you probably didn't need to see it anyways. I mean she runs around in stripper clothes for portions of the movie and her body isn't all that amazing. I mean she's in good shape and has a pretty face but she is definitely not a model or anything.... Also, I hear she got a Golden Globe nomination for this film so maybe it helped her be taken more seriously.
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| |
3:46 pm - unfortunate event
|
hankchinasky
|
i went to the advance screening of "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (when does this movie come out anyway? is it already out?) this weekend. here are my two cents.
i didnt really know what to expect from this movie. i am not a fan of mr carrey's or the book series, but i am a huge fan of free movies, so that was the major deciding factor to get my ass up at 9am on a saturday morning to go see this film.
i felt as if this movie was a little confused, was this movie supposed to be a "kids movie" or a movie for a wider "teenage/adult" audience. most of mr carrey's dialogue was inteniously and speedily delivered. it was spiced with some heavy accents from time to time which made it extremely difficult for me, an "adult", to comprehend. i would imagine a 6 or 7 year old to experience the same problems. but then again, i am not familiar with the books. maybe the 6 or 7 year old's have read the books so many times they know all the dialogue by heart?
mr carrey is either brilliant or boring in his mulitple playing roles in the film. you are either a huge fan of mr carrey and his antics or you are bored to tears with seeing him do the same old schtick he always does in his films and stand up work. the Violet character played by the excellent Emily Browning stole the movie. she is a real talent and i hope to see more from her in the future.
the two worst things about this movie was that the great Luis Guzman is in this film for about 90 seconds and only has three words of dialogue and they are unintelligible. and the other is the whole film looks like a blatant rip off of a tim burton/barry sonnenfield "addams family" film. if you are a 12 year old goth girl who really wants to make a duct tape dress to prom (like you are even going to prom anyway), you will love this movie.
|
|
(16 comments | comment on this)
|
| |
4:22 am - Racing Stripes
|
communitywriter
|
I look at this, and no matter how stupid I think it is, it makes me chuckle.
The movie does look kind of cute, though. It's not one of those movie I'd go to on my own, but something I'd like to take the niece out of my sister's hair for a day, though.
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Sunday, December 12th, 2004
| |
2:17 pm - Help me!
|
bruisednecks
|
Hey...so I'm taking a film as literature class and I have to write a paper on The Searchers and Chinatown and how they are related.
If anyone is interested in talking to me about it (and helping me with it) IM me leave a comment with your sn and I'll IM you.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Friday, December 10th, 2004
| |
9:36 am - wonkavision
|
|
| |
8:21 am - deja vu
|
hankchinasky
|
i went to the advance screening of "the life aquatic" last night, and let me tell you how much of a disappointment it was.
i first heard of mr anderson in 1994 when "bottle rocket" came out. it was a cute little film from a first time director/writer, but it was just a short 13 or 15 minute film. then, two years later in 1996, the short "bottle rockets" was now a major full length motion picture and boy was it just an impressive little gem. mr anderson really impressed me and i was eager to see what he would show as his softmore attempt.
"rushmore" came out two years later and was a critical and somewhat finacial success (with a cult following with the young kids). i did enjoy "rushmore" but still felt that "bottle rocket" was by far a stronger film.
another three years later in 2001 mr anderson came out with "the royal tenenbaums" which i was not thrilled or impressed with at all. it seemed like a slightly altered carbon copy of mr anderson's first commercial success "rushmore". the only thing that was different were the characters names and a few of the actors. this movie should have been called "rushmore pt 2". to be honest, i was disappointed.
last night i went to the advance screening of "the life aquatic" and guess what, its "rushmore pt 3". there was nothing sweet or special about "life aquatic". it is just a cut and paste re-rendering of "rushmore". sometimes when directors find a groove for themselves, a style that they are known for, that is all they ever do for the rest of their careers. and its so very sad really. mr anderson is turning into the thomas kinkade of film.
p.s.- the two best things of this movie are owen wilson not being the stock asshole owen wilson character that he is always in in every single film he does and seeing bill murray rock out and dance for 5 seconds while in a wet suit.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Monday, December 6th, 2004
| |
10:57 pm - A post from the moderator
|
|
| Monday, November 29th, 2004
| |
1:52 pm - Finally
|
|
| Friday, November 26th, 2004
| |
3:16 am
|
|
| Tuesday, November 23rd, 2004
| |
3:12 am
|
teef
|
4thdoorfilms.com - x posting
Since this community is into good movies, I thought you would be interested to know that currently there's a site that sells awfully cheap DVDs. So if you are building up your own DVD library or trying to get your hands on some obscure films, perhaps you could try out http://www.4thdoorfilms.com
Their prices are around USD$9 - USD$14 (depending on the kind of packaging) and it's INCLUSIVE OF SHIPPING.
And they are really unlike Amazon. The site works like a procurement agency. There are no titles to browse from because it is expected that you should know what you want before approaching them. So basically all you have to do is to submit what you want and then 4thdoorfilms will get back to you on your requests.
So well, go try it out!
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Saturday, November 20th, 2004
| |
8:37 pm - A great movie I can't find
|
estu_k_aftadai
|
I saw this movie in a plane a while ago, loved it, and forgot all about it. Now I just remembered it, and I'd really like to find it again, but I've forgotten the title.
The movie was in French - I was watching a subtitled version. It was about a 10-or-so-year-old French boy who went to England with his two best friends to find his father.
If anyone knows anything about this movie and could help me identify it, it would be greatly appreciated!
|
|
(9 comments | comment on this)
|
| Friday, November 19th, 2004
| |
10:46 am - Bridget!
|
the_beanio
|
What does everyone think of the new bridget Jones' movie? Does anyone absolutely dispise the idea of seeing such a crap looking movie?
current mood:  bored
current music: shtuff
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Thursday, November 18th, 2004
| |
5:57 pm
|
|
| |
9:13 am - Breaking News
|
|
| Monday, November 8th, 2004
| |
6:00 pm - Allow myself to introduce...myself
|
bruisednecks
|
Hey. I'm Jen. I've worked at a movie theatre for 2 and a half years, and I see all the free movies I want. I'm also taking film classes at school for fun. So...this seems like a good community for me.
Well...the last movie I saw was Team America. It was funny, but, if I may be so bold, I don't think it's going to win an Oscar.
Before that I saw Shaun of the Dead and I Heart Huckabees. I'm gonna have to say that I Heart Huckabees was quite a disappointment, but Shaun of the Dead was alot funnier than I would've thought.
I'm also just wrapping up a huge film project on Annie Hall.
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Friday, November 5th, 2004
| |
8:20 am - good week
|
hankchinasky
|
so, this week i saw the heartbreakingly good "2046". mr wong kar wai outdid himself this time. then i watched a poor copy of mr yimou zhang's "house of the flying daggers" (Shi mian mai fu). honestly, i was expecting something more, i dont know what exactly, but something more. dont get me wrong, it was a good movie, but it still was missing something. but it was good to see the hot andy lau. and last night i went to see "the incredibles", and what else can i say except that the movie is totally incredible. i was so surprised by how much i enjoyed this movie. by far, its the best surprise of 2004 for me. i highly recommend it to everyone. i would love to talk more about all of these movies, but i hate it when people post huge entries and reviews. so, if you want to know more about these three movies, just email me and we can discuss.
up for next week: "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou", whats better then a bearded Bill Murray in a wet suit? then "Blade: Trinity", Parker Posey as a vampire, is someone tapping my phone calls? and finally Godard's "Our Music" (Notre musique), hello, its Godard.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, November 3rd, 2004
| |
9:43 pm
|
|
lohtas
|
Finally a movie community that is somewhat "alive" still. Here's a cross-post:
I just came from seeing "Primer".
http://primermovie.com/
I'm not about to pretend I followed all the details of their experiment, but it was intriguing none the less.
If you're a fan of Robert Heinlein stories, then the plot of this movie might interest you too. Other than that... think of it as an ULTRA-sophisticated Bill & Ted.
(But way awesome...-er.)
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
|
|