Review the last movie you viewed (NO LISTS) III

[lazarus]

I don't feel like responding to everything separately, so here's a brief rundown:

LMP/Vertigo: Very glad you enjoyed this. Multiple viewings will definitely reward. The scene where the "transformed" Novak finally comes out of the bathroom and Stewart sits there looking at her is one of the most twisted film moments ever. He looks like he just creamed himself over seeing his obsession completely manifested. I don't know if you saw this in widescreen or not, but if you didn't, you HAVE to see the full image.

The Lives of Others: I didn't see this until after the Oscars and was surprised and disappointed when Pan's Labyrinth failed to win the Foreign Film Oscar after winning a couple techies. But I caught this back in March and I have to say the award was richly deserved. They are two very different films, even if both are personal stories told against political backgrounds. Without taking away from the creativity of Del Toro's vision, I was just much more moved by the humanity in von Donnersmarck's film. That last shot in the bookstore floored me, and knowing that the guy died since the film came out will probably make a second viewing just as powerful.

Saw NCFOM again, and there's no doubt in my mind this is one for the ages. I still can't say it's my favorite film of the year because stylistically there are one or two more to my taste, but you just can't ask for much more in a filmgoing experience.

Lance: Lust, Caution is still playing in the Los Angeles area (Pasadena, to be exact)! I can't wait to see this tomorrow, and will be back with a review.

Dark Knight FTW: Yes.

Watchmen: I don't know if anything other than being the greatest comic book film ever is going to be enough to satisfy fans of the source material. I pray for Zack Snyder daily. And I don't know if you guys have been reading anything online, but apparently they might be shooting the Tales of the Black Freighter comic-within-the-comic as a separate animated film, and releasing it in stores right before Watchmen hits the theatres. Very cool idea.

 

[monkeyskin]

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
An underlooked gem, this is one of my favourite films of the decade so far. Those looking for a film bursting to the brim with epic sea battles turn back now, there’s only a brief skirmish at the start with the main battle saved for the end. Instead, this film takes it’s time to introduce us to the chores and happenings on such a ship at sea during the 1800s. Russell Crowe is excellent as Captain ‘Lucky’ Jack Aubrey and is ably supported by Paul Bettany as the ship’s physician and naturalist. The scenes between this pair are a joy to watch as they share a real chemistry and it almost makes me want to watch A Beautiful Mind to see more. Almost. Peter Weir lets us spend so much time with the crew that when there is danger we genuinely care for their safety. A look at Wikipedia says that this film grossed more than $200 million worldwide, so why oh why isn’t a sequel planned yet?

The Taking of Pelham 123
Perhaps more famous these days for being the inspiration behind Reservoir Dogs’ colour name scheme (it’s how I first heard about it) this is actually a smart and accomplished thriller in it’s own right. Walter Matthau and Jerry Stiller insure that the tone never gets too serious for long with some great old time buddy banter going back and forth, as well as with Matthau’s radio conversations with the lead hijacker. Interestingly it’s sown in real time for much of the way through and this really adds to the tension when necessary. Worth seeking out as a forgotten gem.

Manhattan Murder Mystery
Another Woody Allen film, this time one I’ve heard about for quite a while now. It’s a very light hearted film that harks all the way back to Annie Hall (this film is built out of a discarded plot strand from that classic) with Diane Keaton convinced that her neighbour has murdered his wife and drags hubby Woody along for the investigation. At times really silly (e.g. the final showdown played out against The Lady From Shanghai), at others just what you might expect from a Woody film. The dialogue is great and feels natural and improvised, many scenes are shot in very long takes and one can’t help but get swept up with Diane’s enthusiasm for her case. So glad it was made into it’s own movie that’s far separated from Annie Hall though, that just wouldn’t have felt right otherwise!

Rescue Dawn
Crash landing right into my top ten of 2007, the latest film from Werner Herzog sees Christian Bale portray Dieter Dengler, a Navy pilot who was shot down and captured in the build up to the Vietnam War. Bale plays him as optimistic and resourceful, but also slightly arrogant to the point where he is willing to put his fellow captives’ lives on the line against their will just so he can escape with or without them. You could argue it’s more down to him being idealistic, but it’s a thin line. I’ll be honest; as much as I enjoyed this film it sure was a gruelling experience to get through it. Dengler is shot down and captured soon into the film and from then on out things are hardly rosey for him. I’m pretty sure that at quite a few times the actors, particularly Steve Zhan, weren’t just acting when they had to look miserable, exhausted and barely clinging to life and sanity.

But the real star of the film is Herzog himself. Once again taking his (probably minimal) cast and crew right into the heart of the location and filming in a very rough and ready style, he captures the brutality and numbing horror of Vietnam in a way not done since Coppola. Not that this reaches the heights of Apocalypse Now, but it’s a more than worthy film to include as a double bill. Best not to have any popcorn whilst watching it too, one scene around the dinner table will put you right off.

 

[Lancemc]

I did my parents' Christmas shopping for me today.

They bought me the Kubrick Collection, and the Criterion DVD's of Fanny and Alexander (The full set) and Le Samourai.

I can't wait till Christmas.

 

[LMP]

LMP/Vertigo: Very glad you enjoyed this. Multiple viewings will definitely reward. The scene where the "transformed" Novak finally comes out of the bathroom and Stewart sits there looking at her is one of the most twisted film moments ever. He looks like he just creamed himself over seeing his obsession completely manifested. I don't know if you saw this in widescreen or not, but if you didn't, you HAVE to see the full image.

I did see it in widescreen, what a beauty. That entire sequence of him shopping for Judy is so twisted, I loved it. The part you mentioned was my favorite part of the second half, with my other favorite part being the scene in the tree park (that you see in 12 Monkeys).

I did my parents' Christmas shopping for me today.

They bought me the Kubrick Collection, and the Criterion DVD's of Fanny and Alexander (The full set) and Le Samourai.

I can't wait till Christmas.

That's depressing.

There may be a Criterion Bottle Rocket coming out soon, hopefully around the same time as Darjeeling. Now that's exciting.

 

[Lancemc]

Looking through Borders' DVD section was the most strenuous thing I've done in a while. Just picking a few items was next to impossible.

Others I wanted to buy there included:

Ikiru
Seven Samurai
Ingmar Bergman: 3 Films or something like that
well, fuck listing, there were over 20 DVD's there that were simply mouth-watering, including a $200 Miyazaki collection with like 8 of his films in it.

 

[LMP]

Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc... have good collections, especially for Criterion discs, but they're too expensive for already expensive DVD sets.

I'd get those off of DeepDiscount, Amazon, or Half.com if I were you.

I posted a link for the 4 Film Bergman set in the General Movie Thread, good price too.

 

[Lancemc]

Borders is actually a damn good place to buy Criterions if you have the Borders Club card or whatever the hell it is, which my mother does, so my DVD's were something like 25% off, which made them like regular priced DVD's. Which was awesome.

I also just told my mom to pick up the Blade Runner Final Cut, which hasn't come out yet. So horray for that.

 

[LMP]

If you have the Card is the key part of that sentence. I may have to get one of those sometime, then.

I'm debating whether or not to get Blade Runner in HD-DVD (if I get a 360 this year) or standard DVD. Either way, it's a winner, but how much of a win, not sure.

 

[Lancemc]

I'm choosing not to invest in a High-Def hard disc format ever. By the time there's even a clear winner between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, I'm likely going to be buying/renting all my movies through a digital marketplace, or simply stick with DVD, which is still perfectly fine by me.

 

[LMP]

Hmm, I'm still not sold on digital film buying/renting yet (especially if they follow the iTunes model), but if the integration between high-def televisions and the internet gets to that point, I may have to reconsider. Although, having hard copies of anything is great.

There are some HD-DVDs with standard DVDs inside, too. Not sure how many though.

 

[Lancemc]

Having a hard copy of something alone isn't really that great to be honest. When you buy a DVD you're only really buying a thin plastic disc with code printed on it. A disc that can get lost, scratched, broken, etc.

If digital distribution gets itself straightened out and really working, which it absolutely will in time, you'll be purchasing a license to the code, and nothing more. Code that you can watch whenever you want, on any medium you want (This is the biggest issue with it right now, but I'm sure it will be resolved in the next couple years), and you can download it as many times as you want. You'll always have the move/program, and it will always be in perfect HD playing quality.

I can't fucking wait for that day to come.

 

[LMP]

It'll probably happen sometime after the switch from analog to HD in '09. Just in time for college.

I was looking through one of those in-air tech magazines a few weeks ago and saw these huge glasses you can put on for your iPod and watch your movies there. It costs more than the iPod itself, but how cool is that?

It's like the Total Recall of awesome iPod inventions.

 

[Lancemc]

I can't wait until I have have a super-slim media device in my pocket, that's essentially a 4-inch widescreen display of an insane resolution. It will have a massive harddrive, will play video and music, live TV, satellite radio, live communication, and receive faster-than-we-can-believe internet speed from a satellite signal.

I can just be riding the bus, whip it out, rent a movie on the spot, and start watching it less than a minute.

I can't wait for that day. And the best part is that it's likely only 3 or 4 years away.

 

[LMP]

Watch it be built by Sony or CyberDyne.

 

[Lancemc]

I hear the CyberDyne model comes with a microtemporaldistortion accessory for an extra $95.

 

[LMP]

IT'S NOT A TUMOR!

 

[LMP]

Oh, I know it's a bit early, but where would you guys put No Country for Old Men in the grand scheme of Coen Bros. films?

It can go anywhere in the Top 5, really.

*Pre-No Country Rankings*
1. Barton Fink
2. The Man Who Wasn't There
3. The Big Lebowski
4. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
5. Miller's Crossing
6. Fargo
7. Blood Simple.
8. The Hudsucker Proxy
9. Raising Arizona
10. Intolerable Cruelty

The only one I didn't like was Intolerable Cruelty. I don't intend to see The Ladykillers and I haven't seen their segment of Paris, je t'aime yet.

 

[Lancemc]

I think it's probably the best thing they've ever done, though I haven't yet seen Blood Simple or The Man Who Wasn't There. But I honestly can't see either of those films beating No Country personally, however good they may be.

 

[LMP]

It was like a perfect blend of some of the best of their filmography. Kind of like a hybrid of Miller's Crossing / Fargo / Blood Simple. / Raising Arizona (stylistically)

This was far, far better than their "previous masterpiece" Fargo though, even if it has Buscemi.

 

[Lila64]

I'm almost afraid to post in here with you guys!

I saw 'The Holiday' yesterday, and liked it (Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law)

<<sneaks back out

 

[Lancemc]

^^^^^ Pfft, she can't even spell "Jack Black" right.

 

[Lila64]

bite me paperboy

And I don't know WHAT you are talking about

 

[Lancemc]

I'll have you know, Jack Black is a fundamental necessity to the art and industry of cinema... nay! A treasure even.

His debut appearance in the 1991 television series "Our Shining Moment" was a landmark performance for all the visual and theatrical arts as we know them today. His breakthrough performance as Teenage boy (skater/hockey player) is one that will mark bold in the history book for centuries to come, and our children's children's children's great-grandchildren's grandchildren will read of his illustrious and daring career as a true auteur while farming their moon colonies for astro-spud.

 

[impy13]

I'm Not There

I don't really know where to start with this since I'm unsure where the film really begins and ends. One thing I know for certain is Cate Blanchett has another Oscar nomination (at the very least) coming her way.

The interweaving of the six Dylans is done exceptionally well, but I found the Jude Quinn (Blanchett) sequences to be the most engaging. All parts were well acted and the film darts in and out through different parts of Dylan's life seamlessly.

It was pretty interesting, that's about the best I can say. I don't know how non-Dylanphiles will enjoy it. Personally, though, I liked it and am having a hell of a time trying to decipher it.



Also, I saw No Country a few days ago and agree with you guys on how perfect it was.

 

[LMP]

Did any of you guys see the trailer for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly with No Country?

I've been trying to find 2 of the songs in the trailer, the other one was Explosions in the Sky. Either way, that movie looks good.

 

[Lancemc]

I saw the trailer. Don't remember anything about it really, except that it looked good.

 

[lazarus]

I can just be riding the bus, whip it out, rent a movie on the spot, and start stroking it in less than a minute.

Dude, you need help.

This is the dark side of mobile technology.

 

[lazarus]

Oh yeah, I may need to revise my Top 10 Woody Allen films after that double feature tonight.

I hadn't seen The Purple Rose of Cairo in ages and now I'm convinced it's one of his very, very best. I was almost in tears at the end.

I think I had it in my Top 10 before, and the problem is he has too many masterpieces. But I'm thinking:

1. Stardust Memories
2. Annie Hall
3. Crimes and Misdemeanors
4. The Purple Rose of Cairo
5. Everyone Says I Love You
6. Manhattan
7. Hannah and Her Sisters
8. Manhattan Murder Mystery
9. Sleeper
10. Match Point

 

[hardyharhar]

Guess I better watch Stardust Memories a few times. Don't know why I've missed that one



Liked the Purple Rose of Cairo too. It kinda got passed over when it came out, maybe cuz Woody wasn' t in it. Some great lines from the cast when Daniels steps out of the screen Can't seem to remember how it ends, I don't think they're together though, are they


And Everybody Says I love You was a fun one too. Great cast, good songs. it was a real surprise when I finally saw it.

Here's my favorites:

1. Broadway Danny Rose
2. Manhattan
3. Crimes & Midemeanors
4. Hannah & Her Sisters
5. Annie Hall
6. Love & Death
7. Everyone Says I Love You
8. Zelig
9. Purple Rose of Cairo
10. What's Up Tiger Lily
11. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex
12. Sleeper
13. Bananas
14, Take the Money & Run
15. Play it Again, Sam

 

[corianderstem]

I'm going back and forth and back and forth about either seeing I'm Not There or No Country For Old Men today ... which probably means I'll stay in and see neither.