Review the last movie you viewed (NO LISTS) IV

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I'm personally just waiting for The Fantastic Mr. Fox. That's going to force Anderson to do something unique and challenge himself, and I'm sure the results are going to be magnificent.
 
Lancemc said:
I'm personally just waiting for The Fantastic Mr. Fox. That's going to force Anderson to do something unique and challenge himself, and I'm sure the results are going to be magnificent.
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I'm as excited for that as I am for Tim Burton's return to stop-motion animation. :drool:
 
Okay, apart from that. I was thinking about The Nightmare Before Christmas, but he only produced it, didn't direct it.

He's gonna do Alice in Wonderland, not sure if it's live action or stop-mo, but it's got potential to be great.
 
Sweeney and Big Fish were definite hits... and that's about it.

Try and work with someone not named Johnny Depp for a while, too, that'd be great. Thanks, Timmy.
 
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

This is a tough one for me to review. The script and plot is very strong, and the acting is absolutely incredible, but I found it a bit difficult to figure out what the film wants to be. Is it a comedy? Is it a psychological study? A moral tale? A drama? That was frustrating. I'm going to hold out on formally rating this one, but rest assured that I was impressed.
 
I agree, but it's refreshing to see him work with some other people, you know?

That's one of the reasons why I loved Big Fish so much.

LemonMelon said:
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

This is a tough one for me to review. The script and plot is very strong, and the acting is absolutely incredible, but I found it a bit difficult to figure out what the film wants to be. Is it a comedy? Is it a psychological study? A moral tale? A drama? That was frustrating. I'm going to hold out on formally rating this one, but rest assured that I was impressed.
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Can't it be all of them?
 
It can be LMP.

Been on a big TCM kick last few weeks. Lots of 30's & 40's. Last night Treasure of the Sierra Madre, great as usual. Walter Huston dancing a jig when they find gold, laughing when it's all lost, realizing he's better off without a red centavo. Bogart, as Dobbs, is just magnificent, maybe his best performance. The guy who talks before and after the films made a great point after, when he mentioned the nominee's for best actor that year. Pretty weak list and no Bogart! Some things never change :lol:

After that was Crimes & Misdemeanors. I can see LMP? how you could consider it a bit of a downer at the end, I would call it somber. But not too much. The Schubert string quartet when Judah walks in Angelica Huston's apartment and see's her lying there dead is spot on amazing. A really great film, but I prefer Hannah. Probably cuz it's a bit more upbeat.

Fiddler on the Roof - :up: Life in pre-revolutionary Russia as a father deals with marrying off his daughters. Terrific uplifting music.

And a whole bunch more :)
 
LemonMacPhisto said:
I agree, but it's refreshing to see him work with some other people, you know?
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great movie , i feel sad that that big fella passed away
he reminds me of 007 , for some reason
 
Watched "The Break-Up" yesterday after randomly pulling a DVD out of our home collection.

The lack of traditional Hollywood ending was interesting, but Aniston and Vaughn have zero chemistry between them and their characters were just plain unlikeable, without the little touches that can make unlikeable characters sympathetic.
 
Fracture

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling,...

Synopsis:

When Ted Crawford discovers that his beautiful younger wife, Jennifer, is having an affair, he plans her murder ... the perfect murder. Among the cops arriving at the crime scene is hostage negotiator Detective Rob Nunally, the only officer permitted entry to the house.
Surprisingly, Crawford readily admits to shooting his wife, but Nunally is too stunned to pay close attention when he recognizes his lover, whose true identity he never knew, lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Although Jennifer was shot at point blank range, Nunally realizes she isn't dead.

Crawford is immediately arrested and arraigned after confessing – a seemingly slam-dunk case for hot shot assistant district attorney Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling), who has one foot out the door of the District Attorney's office on his way to a lucrative job in high-stakes corporate law.

But nothing is as simple as it seems, including this case. Will the lure of power and a love affair with a sexy, ambitious attorney at his new firm overpower Willy's fierce drive to win, or worse, quash his code of ethics? In a tense duel of intellect and strategy, Crawford and Willy both learn that a "fracture" can be found in every ostensibly perfect façade.


Caught this last night - It was alright, nothing great. Gosling irritated me. Don't know if it was his accent or that of the character, since I'm not familiar with his work. Overall, alright, but nothing special
 
The Bank Job (dir. Roger Donaldson)

Very entertaining film, with just enough touches of sadness to make it more than your typical popcorn type fare. Jason Statham was great, as was Saffron Burrows. Closest comparison I could think of is The Inside Man, without that film's gimmickry or stylistic flourishes.
 
I was going to say No Country for Old Men, but I forgot I watched Beowulf a few days ago.

It was pretty nifty, and definitely interesting. I couldn't help but laugh during the Grendel fight. It was like a game of "How Many Ways to Cover Beowulf's Wanger."

And Crispin Glover ftw. The behind the scenes featurette was very cool as well, if anything, just to see how they filmed the movie.
 
Millennium Actress
Visually dynamic anime with a simple story creatively told. A documentary filmmaker and his younger cameraman travel to interview a now reclusive, ex-starlet. The filmmaker is a very big fan of hers and gives her a lost memento from her past that he claims to have recently discovered and in doing so prompts her to reveal the story behind it. This is where the fun begins. The story itself concerns her career as an actress starting from wartime Japan and how it ties in with the love of her life. The two men she is telling this to become a part of the flashback scenes, observing the events as if they were there on the sidelines. But when she begins work as an actress the narrative blurs the boundaries between her story and those of the many films she starred in. It’s a brilliant way of merging these two aspects of her life story and as it’s all animated it gives the director and animators a free reign on what they put up on the screen. The story itself is both poignant and painful, but it’s the way in which it’s displayed to us that makes this film worthy of a watch. Unfortunately it was released the same year as Spirited Away and outside of Japan was completely overshadowed by Studio Ghibli’s magnificent film.

Naked
Mike Leigh and David Thewlis take a dark and fairly pessimistic journey through London’s back alleys and the people that inhabit them. Thewlis plays Johnny, an intelligent but directionless Manchurian who flees his home town to crash with an ex down south. Sharing his world views and disdain with anyone that listens, he moves from place to place, always charming his way in but constantly outstaying his welcome. It’s a bleak work as to be expected from Leigh, but a lot of what Johnny says had me thinking for some time afterwards. Overall I came to the conclusion that no matter how vulgarishly eloquent Johnny stated his outlook on life and society, I would much rather accept the views of those he encounters and ridicules. Yes, he makes them really take a good, hard look at themselves and forces them to see what they may have been denying, but where has it got Johnny. In this regard it’s possible to draw similarities with The Matrix, of all films.

2001: A Space Odyssey
Now this is a hard film to review. It’s reputation is legendary and to criticise the film appears to be an open invitation to be attacked for such cheek. And while after another viewing what the film means to me is clearer than before and there are many elements and scenes throughout the film that I more than appreciate, I just can’t claim to enjoy the bloody thing. I know that this isn’t meant to be a film designed for easy viewing and I’m more than fine with that; I also love pretty much every other Kubrick film I’ve seen. It’s just that while it works for me as an intellectual piece that doesn’t offer easy answers yet rewards multiple viewings, it will never be a film I stick on to have a good time watching. In fact, barring Eyes Wide Shut (which I have yet to see) and Spartacus, I’d rather watch anything he made from The Killing onwards. Is that just me or does anyone else here feel similarly?
 
Caught most of World Trade Center last night on Showtime. I had a hard time deciding how good it was on its own merit because the reality of the events portrayed was so moving.

I have to say I was... disappointed to see that the Marine who was inspired to reenlist to avenge the act spent his two tours in... Iraq. :|
 
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 days

Wow, where do I begin. An extraordinary film which won the Palme D'or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. It's a Romanian film which takes place in the mid-80s in Buccharest during Ceaucescu's reign, about 2 college students who set off to acquire an illegal abortion for one of them. It is a truly masterful film. It is unflinching in its realistic portrayal of the danger, the desperation, the fear. It's uncomfortable to watch at times and the tension is relentless until the credits roll but it is also so rewarding. It's heavy but somehow satisfying. The performances, directing, everything about it is just brilliant. Go see it.
 
/\ on my list

have heard only good things

it is not in my market place yet.



I did see

The Bank Job - 7.5


very well done.

great cast
 
This weekend I saw The Girl with the PEarl Earring. It was OK. It was kind of an odd story really, but then most artists are very odd characters. Scarlet was OK in it. The whole thing about the earring didn't happen till near the end of the film. I wouldn't highly recommend this film. :no:

On a scale of 1 to 5 I'd give it a 2-1/2.
 
monkeyskin said:
Millennium Actress
Visually dynamic anime with a simple story creatively told. A documentary filmmaker and his younger cameraman travel to interview a now reclusive, ex-starlet. The filmmaker is a very big fan of hers and gives her a lost memento from her past that he claims to have recently discovered and in doing so prompts her to reveal the story behind it. This is where the fun begins. The story itself concerns her career as an actress starting from wartime Japan and how it ties in with the love of her life. The two men she is telling this to become a part of the flashback scenes, observing the events as if they were there on the sidelines. But when she begins work as an actress the narrative blurs the boundaries between her story and those of the many films she starred in. It’s a brilliant way of merging these two aspects of her life story and as it’s all animated it gives the director and animators a free reign on what they put up on the screen. The story itself is both poignant and painful, but it’s the way in which it’s displayed to us that makes this film worthy of a watch. Unfortunately it was released the same year as Spirited Away and outside of Japan was completely overshadowed by Studio Ghibli’s magnificent film.
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Really glad you liked this. And while it may not be the best animated film the year it came out (as per your Spirited Away clarification above), I feel comfortable calling it one of the 5 best animated films I've ever seen.

In my review of Paprika I mentioned how Satoshi Kon's films seem the most "real" to me compared to his peers on both sides of the ocean. While this film would probably have been very difficult to do in live action, it's so humanist that at times you really do forget you're watching something drawn. A staggering achievement.

As for your remarks about 2001, I somewhat see what you're saying. I had a long discussion with a fellow cinephile last night about Kubrick, and we seemed to agree that Kubrick is held in very high regard by the film school crowd because he makes a kind of art that is very visually arresting, and fairly digestible compared to other "artsy" filmmakers. The problem is that what he says in his films isn't often very deep, and anything else you get out of it is likely from your own extrapolations from his light skimming. Also, because of his seclusion from what we would consider "normal" society, it's often hard to relate what he's saying to the real world around you.

By comparison, someone like Bergman, Kieslowski or Antonioni (among others) have to be considered ahead of him (even if I don't personally prefer the films), for while the images themselves may not be as powerful, their wisdom, which Kubrick wasn't evolved enough in his human interactions to possess, reveals something far more tangible and illuminating.
 
Looking forward to Paprika, although there's a few above it on my rental list. Also found the complete series of Paranoid Agent to stream online so I'll check that out sometime.

That's an interesting point about Kubrick. I enjoy his visual style and can happily revisit most of his films and find some element I'd previously missed. But I wonder how significant it is that the majority of his acclaimed films are based on existing source material, therefore he's really just taking someone else's ideas and running with them, adding his own interpretations and perceptions. The other directors you mentioned created deep works that really delve into the human pysche but aren't as exciting. From what I've seen of those three, only Kubrick's 2001 can really be compared to their films.

On a side note I watched Antonioni's The Passenger last night. Makes me pine for the old Nicholson, or at least the one who made The Pledge and About Schmidt. But it was a great look at the nature of identity and the motivations behind our actions and lives. Although I wasn't a fan, the general tone and style reminded me of Cache. And it had a brilliant ending too, what a fantastic shot.
 
I haven't seen all of Kubrick's work, but I do agree with your guy's assessment of 2001. I have a great appreciation for it and sat in awe of the audacity and scale of it, but I can't say I enjoyed it. I can't watch it as much as Strangelove or even Clockwork, which I'm really itching to see again. With your point about him working on other people's work, where does The Shining fall into that? It is based on a book, but it's apparently way different.

On the other hand, I did watch Singin' in the Rain for the first time and was surprised at how much I loved it. It was pure fun and entertainment for about an hour and a half, which is really all I can ask for.

Then there was My Left Foot, which was brilliant. I think watching that, Gangs of New York, and There Will Be Blood in the same week will make your brain explode over the talent of Daniel Day-Lewis. The next movie of his I'm dyin' to see is Last of the Mohicans - well, see all of the way though, I saw it a while ago on TV, but that's far from the real thing.
 
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MS: A very good point on the adaptation thing with Kubrick. He certainly didn't add anything to Lolita, and I'd argue that as awe-inspiring as 2001 is, does it really contain more meat than the writing of Arthur C. Clarke? I don't think so. I don't know that Clockwork really adds much to that material either, though he was right to override Burgess and drop that bullshit tacked-on ending. I haven't read Thackeray so I can't say how his Barry Lyndon compares.

He may have improved The Shining, but Stephen King isn't Nabokov, Clarke, Burgess, etc.

Now Bergman, Antonioni, and other European greats weren't above adapting other works. But often they chose shorter or more obscure pieces, as opposed to Kubrick's higher-profile adaptations. And that's precisely what's giving those films more weight than they would otherwise deserve.

I hope it doesn't seem like I'm bashing Kubrick, because his films aside from a couple are all great. But the depth just isn't there, and I think after a couple years of college and/or a sampling of world cinema they fail to loom as large on an intellectual level.
 
Not sure I necessarily agree with that assessment of Kubrick's work. I feel he functions more in the realm of pure cinema, and his work benefits from a critical approach from that point of view. It's not the same pretense with which I critique someone like Bergman for example, who is a director who deals more with the literature of his film than the purely cinematic elements. Just can't say I buy the argument of depth when one director functions on a different direction than the other. I guess what I'm saying is there's probably an equal amount of depth to Kubrick's work when analyzed in terms of pure cinema as opposed to narrative cinema. Not trying to say one of these directors is "better" than the other, just that their genius falls in remarkably different schools of thought.

With that, I could probably go on for hours on this subject if I had the time, but I'm trying to entertain company this week, so it will have to wait a while. I would like to get into this though more at another point. It's a good conversation.
 
This has got me thinking about the merits of adapting popular novels versus more obscure works / short stories. Film and literature is so different and when it comes to adapting novels there are so many failed attempts or decent films that still don't live up to the source material. Even if the film is a success there are always those who have issues with some of the (necessary) changes made.

But short stories, or books that aren't really nestled in the public's conscious, seem to be fertile ground for filmmakers and allow them to expand and explore upon the themes rather than being bound and restricted by so many key events. Brokeback Mountain, Blade Runner and The Shawshank Redemption are three examples off the top of my head that exemplify this.

Then again there are films that take the bare bones of the source novel and throw the rest away. Howard Hawks' To Have and To Have Not is a classic example (done for a bet) and I remember reading a quote from Alexander Payne that when it comes to adapting a book, the first thing he does after reading is to throw it away.

EDIT - and I agree with some of Lance's points there. Kubrick was a director of extradordinary skill and vision, even if his films don't arguably say as much as they have been made out to. But I feel he's so highly regarded because he managed to balance technical skill that can be marvelled at time and time again, engrossing / entertaining action and stories and ideas that do merit discussion. That's an impressive feat, especially when he was pretty consistent across a variety of genres.
 
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LemonMacPhisto said:
On the other hand, I did watch Singin' in the Rain for the first time and was surprised at how much I loved it. It was pure fun and entertainment for about an hour and a half, which is really all I can ask for.
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It really pleases me to hear this. While Singin' is a pretty accessible musical (and obviously one of the best), I think it's not a stretch to suggest that you'll enjoy others along those lines or made by the same people.

Suggested viewings:

The Pirate (Minnelli): Newly available on DVD, a historical farce with Gene Kelly at his funniest pretending to be a Spanish pirate, and Judy Garland. Minnelli is the supreme master of the American musical, and while this isn't considered one of his major works, it's one of the most enjoyable, and has fantastic Technicolor work.

The Bandwagon (Minnelli): Some people prefer this behind-the-scenes showbiz story to Singin', but here you get Fred Astaire instead of Gene Kelly and he's not a better actor or singer. Some great sequences, though, and Cyd Charisse is fucking hot.

Guys and Dolls (Mankiewicz): Maybe the most entertaining overall, because it has a great screenplay from respectable source material (Damon Runyon's short stories), and very good actors. Sinatra plays the neurotic wimp, Brando the Playa, and Jean Simmons the object d'affection. Great songs, cast, sets, and use of Cinemascope.

An American in Paris (Minnelli): Best Picture winner that is still underrated. You have Minnelli directing, Gene Kelly starring and choreographing, songs by George & Ira Gershwin, and an indescribable 20+ minute finale without dialogue that is a triumph for all involved. It's not really set in Paris, but it captures the magic of the city anyway.

New York, New York (Scorsese): You'll really want to watch some Minnelli before watching this, because it's Marty's tribute to the master, combining the fantasy of Technicolor and soundstage sets with his own signature use of New York method acting and emotional bluntness. It's a mix that doesn't always blend well, but the experiment is impressive none the less. With De Niro (!) and Liza Minnelli, who had both already won Oscars by this point.

On The Town (Kelly/Donen): Made before Singin' in the Rain, but notable for being the rare musical shot on location, in New York City no less. Kelly and Sinatra both star, and if you need anything else to recommend it, I pity you.

Funny Face (Donen): Fred Astaire again, Paris again, but this time it's about a photographer (supposedly based on Richard Avedon) and his bookstore clerk-turned-model played by none other than Audrey Hepburn, who is about as cute and endearing as you could possibly imagine. The songs aren't as great as some of the titles mentioned above, but of course there's some great dancing, and the people involved in front of and behind the camera are all highly skilled.

Enjoy.
 
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