Movie Talk!!

[Lore]

Don't you dare go see that movie. Blatant homophobic and rip off director

Eh? I thought that they just took it out because, you know, a full frontal shot of a castrated boy's crotch isn't considered very "appropriate" in the U.S.

I heard that it isn't that bad anyway.

 

[Tomo Takino]

There are other ways you can clarify a character's gender. In the book there is no peak scene, given the book is far too graphic to be made into a movie.

I'm also pissed at this director for living off of the styles developed by other people, adopting the painfully blue colour scheme of the previous movie, instead of simply adapting his own version of the book. Nearly all of his movies are based heavily in someone else's cinematography style, and its gotten to the point to where I refuse to give the man a penny.

 

[Luigitoilet]

Writing brilliantly and being full of yourself are not necessarily exculsive

I find his reasoning for many things to be unjustified, but he gets away with it because he's now pretty much the flagship of film critics.
[tangent]Except for his view on the whole videogames/art thing, he makes many good points.[/tangent]


But I apologize, if a critic generally matches your opinions, I have no place saying he's not fit to make material for you, and others, to read

I don't feel he's full of himself at all. Where do you get this idea, may I ask?

as for Let Me In:

I can't comment because of course I haven't seen it, but the director seemed very keen on being as faithful to the book as he could, and to approach it in a different way than the Swedish movie. Not sure where you're getting "homophobe" and "ripoff" from, though. Dude's only directed two movies before this and they aren't particularly similar to any other movie...well, I guess you could compare Cloverfield's style to Blair Witch but that's tenuous as best.

Manhunter is awesome. One of the best movies of the 80s.

I'm glad that finally there are some movies coming out worth watching. I want to see Let Me In, True Grit, Social Network, and even that Wall Street movie (though I can wait for the DVD on that one)

 

[Lythium]

Huh, I just watched Let the Right One In this morning. Such a beautiful movie. I forgot how much I liked it.

I think I'm going to watch Inglorious Basterds tomorrow. I've heard great things, but I just keep putting it off. For no good reason.

 

[DerpDaBerp]

I don't feel he's full of himself at all. Where do you get this idea, may I ask?

Hmmm, I can't really think of any specific examples, it's more being accustomed to his style...

First off, I may be coming into the question on a bit of a tangent because I don't see any value in critics anyway. That said, if one must critique, I believe defining something's quality and telling you whether or not you want to experience it are two different things. And now that I think about it, if he has ever explicitly stated that his purpose is only the former, I must refine my opinion of him. My point being that I very much get the impression from reading his admittedly very well written reviews that he sees his opinions as more fitting for others than theirs themselves.
He knows about film making, presumably, but often labels a factor of a movie as a flaw before explaining why, not giving a reader a chance to decide if they would agree.

I would however be very interested in reading material of his that explains his theories on the standards of film-making and what 'quality' is, which I do not deny may sway my opinions to closer to his own.
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On a different note:

Saw The Social Network last night and recommend it to everyone. It also had a trailer for True Grit which looked really cool. <3 the Coen brothers

 

[Rychu]

My Question for You all:
Silence of the Lambs is probably my favorite movie, mostly due to the performances by the whole cast(especially Hoppkins) and the gritty look of the whole thing.
The Question is: are there any other Lector movies that match up, or are worth watching? I've heard good things about Manhunter and Red Dragon(which I beleive was a Remake of Manhunter, which is wierd because Red Dragon(the novel) Takes place BEFORE SotL, yet the remake was made years(over ten, I beleive) later, but still used the same actor as in Silence. Just sayin'), but average things about Hannibal and God-awful things about Hannibal Rising. I want to see them but want to make sure i'm not wasting my time. What ones should I watch?

 

[Tomo Takino]

Man Hunter is the only other Hannibal Lector film I can recommend.

Just realized that Leonardo DiCaprio has never won an oscar.

Not for Catch Me If You Can
Not for The Departed
Not for Gangs of New York
Not for What's Eating Gilbert Grape

What's up with that??

 

[Rychu]

Maybe he'll win for Inception? (he's in that, right?)

 

[Clownbot]

Maybe he'll win for Inception? (he's in that, right?)

Given all the hype I've heard about Inception I certainly wouldn't be surprised if he got a nomination.

 

[Tomo Takino]

He's had a few Noms, but no Wins.

 

[Lore]

I'm glad that finally there are some movies coming out worth watching. I want to see Let Me In, True Grit, Social Network, and even that Wall Street movie (though I can wait for the DVD on that one)

Yeah, I know. So far, the only movie that I've enjoyed this year is Inception. XD

Is Scott Pilgrim good?

Huh, I just watched Let the Right One In this morning. Such a beautiful movie. I forgot how much I liked it.

I'm probably going to rewatch it tonight. :3

Maybe he'll win for Inception? (he's in that, right?)

Inception better win a lot of awards, but for some reason, I have a feeling that it won't.

 

[Luigitoilet]

Ebert stuff.

Ebert's general approach to criticism is "what was the film trying to accomplish? how well did it accomplish it?"

It's not the greatest ethos for criticism ever, but I think that's a good way to go about it. The problem with that is that you have to presume what the film is trying to do.

Of course, he doesn't always adhere to that. Sometimes he just plain marks down a movie for negligible reasons. To bring up There Will Be Blood again, the reasons he gave for awarding the film 3.5 stars instead of 4 was because of "its unbending characters, its lack of women or any reflection of ordinary society, its ending, its relentlessness". That's a cop-out to me. I feel like he didn't want to approach what he saw on its own terms and tried to relate it to what a film "should be".

@ Leo Dicaprio and Oscars- Leo's one of my favorite modern actors. I think he should have won something for Gilbert Grape at the least. That being said, he isn't that excellent in Inception. He's solid and very good, but that role just doesn't have much meat on it.

@ Hannibal films Nothing is as good as Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal sucks except for a few cool scenes. Red Dragon is mediocre. Manhunter is pretty **** good but it doesn't have any of the same cast.

 

[Olikus]

Maybe Leo gets a pity oscar in the future like Pacino did. He played so many great roles and never won, and then they just had do give him for Scent of a Woman, who wasn't his best performance at all.

 

[DerpDaBerp]

Ebert's general approach to criticism is "what was the film trying to accomplish? how well did it accomplish it?"

It's not the greatest ethos for criticism ever, but I think that's a good way to go about it. The problem with that is that you have to presume what the film is trying to do.

That sounds reasonable.
__________

Come to think of it, Nolan hasn't won any Oscars either. I think Memento was nominated. Maybe his works are too... gimmicky for the academy.

 

[Lore]

Welp.

I finished Let the Right One In again last night, and I'm not sure whether or not I should be hyped for the new remake.

As long as they don't ruin the pool scene with crappy effects, I might be happy.

 

[Luigitoilet]

Well, I'm about to go see either Social Network or Let Me In. I'm leaning towards Social Network since that's supposed to be better, and I've already seen Let the Right One in like 4 times so that can wait.

In other news, I just saw the 1966 Batman the movie. It is amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLZQ3OLEJWE

 

[Tomo Takino]

I was pretty disappointed by Public Enemies. It seems content to browse over its content without any interest in its subject matter, by the plot, director, composer, or even the lead actors. So many scenes could have been so much more, but where not given proper care. When we are introduced to Christian Bell's character, the whole thing is improperly handled. The music does not fit the mood, set in an apple orchid is a wonderful opportunity for good cinematography, (its easy to fit things in a camera when the world is symmetrical), the whole thing just felt like a waste of potential.

 

[Luigitoilet]

The Social Network

Any lingering doubts I had that this movie was going to prominently focus on the workings of Facebook were shattered five minutes into the film. This is a film about Mark Zuckerberg, a brilliant and gifted Harvard programmer who became the world's youngest billionaire. Everyone knows that part. What's more interesting, and the central irony of the film is that Zuckerberg' seems to have very little tact in social situations. It's clear in every line of dialogue that he thinks in a different way, he has trouble relating or even understanding people's emotions. At points, I feel he doesn't even understand his own emotions. It's clear that he (the character, I'm not sure how fictional this film really is) has some sort of social affliction like Asperger's. He's also a bit of a sociopath, and screws over a fair share of people to get to where he is today.

All this wouldn't be nearly as interesting if it weren't for the incredible job Jesse Eisenberg does at Zuckerberg. This performance should definitely be a lock for at least a nomination at the Academy.

Equally astonishing is the pacing, the sense of direction, the music, the writing. It's all crystal clear, smart, witty, and very enthralling. For a movie about a code programmer, I was very engaged and interested for the whole 2 hours.

4.8/5

 

[PolarBear]

Donnie Darko reminds me of Slaughterhouse Five.
I'm very surprised by all the praise Social Network is getting. Jesse Eisenber reminded me of Michale Cera. I couldn't really picture him outside of his role in Zombieland. The movie itself seemed like it was trying to make money off the Facebook craze and wouldn't have a compelling story. I'll go check it out some time soon since so many people are liking it. I just realize too it's directed by David Fincher, who is an excellent director.

 

[Lore]

Wow, I'm glad that Social Network is apperently good; I was planning on seeing it soon.

I won't be seeing Let me In this week, by the way. Everyone in my little group is going to go somewhere with their family (fall break), and since the closest theater is an hour away (long story, lol), I don't feel like wasting gas to go see a movie by myself.

 

[Luigitoilet]

Donnie Darko reminds me of Slaughterhouse Five.
I'm very surprised by all the praise Social Network is getting. Jesse Eisenber reminded me of Michale Cera. I couldn't really picture him outside of his role in Zombieland. The movie itself seemed like it was trying to make money off the Facebook craze and wouldn't have a compelling story. I'll go check it out some time soon since so many people are liking it. I just realize too it's directed by David Fincher, who is an excellent director.

He's really not. Michael Cera is an annoying one-note actor who plays the same role every time. Jesse Eisenberg is a really good actor and not nearly as annoying and hipster-y as Michael Cera.

 

[Jane]

lol, hipster-y.

but yeah michael cera sucks

 

[DerpDaBerp]

So for the rest of the year, here are some movies that have a relatively good amount of hype behind them.

Oct.
It's Kind of a Funny Story (for Galifianakis and/or romantic comedy fans)
Jackass 3D
Paranormal Activity 2 (I made a thread for this but waaay too prematurely lol.)

Nov.
Due Date
Harry Potter (first of two parts apparently)

Dec.
The Tourist (Depp + Jolie = [Peaches song that I'm sure will get me infracted] )
True Grit

(things I will undoubtedly see)

 

[PolarBear]

He's really not. Michael Cera is an annoying one-note actor who plays the same role every time. Jesse Eisenberg is a really good actor and not nearly as annoying and hipster-y as Michael Cera.

I don't know if I'd call Cera a hipster, just an awkward guy. Eisenberg kind of looks like Cera, his role in Zombieland was pretty much a Cera rip off, and I haven't seen Adventureland, but it looks like a film Cera would star in. That's good to hear he does a great acting job in Social Network. Cera does always play the same role, but I've liked the stuff he does. I wish he would branch out more.

On to another topic, 2009 was a great year with films I'd consider best of the decade, but no one ever talks about them. Black Dynamit, You The Living, A Serious Man (I realize it was nominated for best picture, but that was only because it had the Cohen name and the Oscars did that silly 9 nominations thing), Moon, Mary and Max, and World's Greatest Dad were all critically praised but after a year no one mentions them. It's like Avatar took the spotlight from every other movie of the year. When I went to see Avatar, I expected something groundbreaking, but instead I got a non-animated mix of Pocahontas and Princess Mononoka.

 

[Luigitoilet]

Personally I think 2007 was the best year of the decade.

No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Zodiac, Inland Empire, The Valley of Elah, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Hot Fuzz, Michael Clayton

Those are all A+ movies to me, and then there are plenty of other good ones that came out in 07 as well.

 

[Tomo Takino]

Is Seven Samurai worth it? I hear so much hype for the movie, but have never seen it myself.

 

[Luigitoilet]

Seven Samurai is a total classic. It's worth seeing twice unless you have something against old or foreign movies. It was remade as an American Western as The Magnificent Seven, which is also a great movie. I believe there's also an anime remake but I haven't seen that.

 

[DerpDaBerp]

A Serious Man (I realize it was nominated for best picture, but that was only because it had the Cohen name and the Oscars did that silly 9 nominations thing)

The Coens had their name attached to it... because they were the auteurs, essentially. Not the same relation that, say, Jackson had to District 9.
Those two having such regard as to presume what they do is probably quality, which it was.
So... there was pretty legitimate reason for their nomination anyway.

and Princess Mononoke.

huh, I hadn't actually considered that relation.

 

[Rychu]

My Favorite Movie of the Decade(keep in mind I dont get to see too many small-budget movies) is a toss-up between The Dark Knight, Watchmen, Inglorious Basterds and Toy Story 3. Thats just me though

 

[PolarBear]

The Coens had their name attached to it... because they were the auteurs, essentially. Not the same relation that, say, Jackson had to District 9.
Those two having such regard as to presume what they do is probably quality, which it was.
So... there was pretty legitimate reason for their nomination anyway.



huh, I hadn't actually considered that relation.

Nobody can tell me that Princess Mononoke and Avatar are not 90% the same movie lol.

I'm aware that the Coens directed the movie, which is what I meant by the Coen name. They're an Academy Award darling. Now that I think of it though, A Serious Man, might not deserve to be in the same category as the other movies in terms of being unappreciated. It was the most appreciated of the bunch. Still, I think its nomination came with the Coen name. I think if any indie director would have done it, it would have been overlooked by the academy. It's an unconventional movie, with strange dark humor. I think it's easily one of the Coens best, in their top 5.

Has anyone ever seen Black Dynamite? I thought that film was hilarious. I expected it to be some cheesy, not funny, Blaxplotation spoof that was going to get tiring eventually, but it was really styled and had me laughing through out.

 

[Luigitoilet]

Black Dynamite is a very good movie. It's not only funny, but it's really accurate towards blaxploitation movies.

Anyway, I found something pretty interesting.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/538697/Mark-Zuckerbergs-Online-Diary

that's Mark Zuckerberg's blog as he was making facemash.com (the site that was more or less the precursor to facebook). It's funny because it is almost exactly verbatim from the first ten minutes of the Social Network.

 

[Tomo Takino]

Watchmen

Oh god, that movie was like, People Do Stuff While I Play Unfitting Music.
That had to be the worst soundtrack I ever saw (because the music wasn't bad, it was just unfitting for what I was watching) for a movie.
Time of dramatic tension: INSERT TWANGY GUITAR
Two characters making love: JESUS MUSIC

Prophecies was perhaps the only song in the movie that added to what I was seeing.

 

[Jane]

no u.
watchmen's soundtrack was ****ing great. playing leonard cohen's hallelujah was perfect for that scene.

 

[Luigitoilet]

I think the opening credits scene with The Times They Are-a Changing was really good, but yeah. besides that the soundtrack did nothing but distract me.

 

[Rychu]

Thats kind of the part I liked so much.
As a (kinda) musician as well as hopeful film maker, music adds so much to the effect of the movie for me. The whole soundtrack was almost ironic in itself(although the jesus music was a bit overkill).
Besides the soundtrack, what were your thoughts on the rest of the movie?

 

[Luigitoilet]

Hated it. Couldn't finish it.

 

[DerpDaBerp]

Fun fact: No Country for Old Men had no music

_____


Yeah, read the graphic novel, you'll be much more satisfied.

 

[Jane]

i want to but i dont wanna drop the scrilla on it lol

 

[Tomo Takino]

Besides the soundtrack, what were your thoughts on the rest of the movie?

I don't think it was handled very well at all. For many of the plot points, I had to have a friend who read the comic book explain it to me.

 

[Luigitoilet]

Fun fact: No Country for Old Men had no music

_____


Yeah, read the graphic novel, you'll be much more satisfied.

No Country has a graphic novel adaptation?

I would recommend the original novel, but the movie is almost exactly the same and better.

edit: OH, you meant Watchmen.