Author Topic: Movies (Read 281790 times)

Sierra · « **Reply #1450 on:** November 25, 2011, 09:23:48 PM »

Excalibur: It would be so easy to see Monty Python and the Holy Grail as a parody of this specific movie if Excalibur didn't postdate it. Fortunately, I wasn't expecting a whole lot from the guy who made Zardoz (Zardoz primer for the uninitiated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOROvO2fxTc). I was in the mood for fantasy schlock and man, that's exactly what I got. Sex in plate mail? That can't be fun for either party. Merlin somewhat questionable for arranging this encounter. John Boorman's prime talent seems to be finding picturesque corners of the isles to shoot in. I will say, though, that Mordred was perfectly cast. Dude just looks wrong.

Immortals: And this one didn't even meet the low expectations I'd set for it. I knew it was going to be dumb, and indeed it is a narrative jumble that gives you no real reason to care about anything, but I figured it would at least look nice given the director's penchant for color and design (both of which were on brilliant display in The Fall--which is pretty much the only reason I bothered watching this and which is a great movie people need to watch. Or at least Grefters need to watch it, they would surely appreciate the meta nature of the narrative). But alas, it was only out in 3D, and 3D's tendency to render everything dark and muddy blunted whatever impact the visuals might have had. In case I haven't said it enough, fuck 3D.

Meeplelard · « **Reply #1451 on:** November 25, 2011, 10:13:43 PM »

Hot Fuzz: So I saw this at Minimeet. Its just sort of decent until the last half hour when it gets absolutely brilliant.

The Muppets: Its Muppets. In an original Movie. If you expect this to be anything less than awesome, there's something wrong with you. (And yes, it was about as good as you'd expect)

Sierra · « **Reply #1452 on:** November 25, 2011, 11:35:22 PM »

The thing about Hot Fuzz is that everything in the first part of the movie, while amusing enough in its own right, is also setup for the final act. Nearly every line and joke uttered in the period before the movie goes completely batshit gets a callback in the last half hour. The first time I saw it, my reaction was also, "Yeah, that was alright." On rewatching it I started noticing just how thoroughly they build a field of material to be mined in the endgame. There are so many nice little details you don't think to look for until you've seen it once already.

Shale · « **Reply #1453 on:** November 27, 2011, 04:31:02 AM »

I love that almost every single thing Nick or Danny says from the time it goes bonkers until they get to the supermarket is them quoting their own lines.

Also, if you've seen Shaun of the Dead the fence scene is an early warning of how things are going to go.

Veryslightlymad · « **Reply #1454 on:** December 03, 2011, 06:23:54 AM »

Jolene:
Interesting enough little indie character-portrait flick. Kind of chaotic. Sort of uncomfortable in some spots, because it doesn't shy away from nudity/sex even when the character is a still a minor, and when her third husband comes along, well, he's just crazy. Otherwise.... man, I dunno. It started to get a bit old with the whole "see the girl" "decide she's perfect" "basically want to move in with/marry the girl." Like she had some kind of mystic power or something. Just weird.

X-Men: First Class:
I was able to get into this once Xavier said something was really groovy, and I decided that it was Mission Impossible with Mutants and not an X-men movie. Normally for a pre-existing franchise, you can say "That was a good movie for it's franchise, but not a very good movie. This was.... a decent movie, but a truly horrendous X-men film. As far as movies go, it was better than the third by far, and maybe better than the first, but as far as having anything to do with the X-men? Dear lord. Not a single character matched up with their actual personality, aside from maybe Riptide. Remember Riptide in the movie? NEITHER DO I.

Sierra · « **Reply #1455 on:** December 03, 2011, 09:45:38 AM »

He had a snazzy suit.

Hunter Sopko · « **Reply #1456 on:** December 03, 2011, 02:44:12 PM »

Quote from: Veryslightlymad on December 03, 2011, 06:23:54 AM

X-Men: First Class:
I was able to get into this once Xavier said something was really groovy, and I decided that it was Mission Impossible with Mutants and not an X-men movie. Normally for a pre-existing franchise, you can say "That was a good movie for it's franchise, but not a very good movie. This was.... a decent movie, but a truly horrendous X-men film. As far as movies go, it was better than the third by far, and maybe better than the first, but as far as having anything to do with the X-men? Dear lord. Not a single character matched up with their actual personality, aside from maybe Riptide. Remember Riptide in the movie? NEITHER DO I.

You've almost hit the nail on the head with this, but not quite. It's a good movie for the X-Men MOVIE franchise (pretty damn good origins story for the movie continuity) but not a faithful X-Men movie.

Cmdr_King · « **Reply #1457 on:** December 03, 2011, 06:43:15 PM »

In fairness, I think their take on Xavier works quite well, and while it doesn't necessarily jive with some of the canonical portrayals of his past fits quite well with his overall character.

Otherwise yeah it's pretty far afield from a faithful adaptation.

Grefter · « **Reply #1458 on:** December 03, 2011, 08:12:07 PM »

Eh it isn't like they are doing a remake of it moving the city it takes place to somewhere completely unrelated, changing the race of all the cast and disconnecting it from any of the themes it is famous from discussing. Changing the character's backgrounds from something more dangerous and turning the two main characters into brothers instead of it just being a story of a good friendship.

The Akira movie is going to suuuuck.

Shale · « **Reply #1459 on:** December 03, 2011, 09:59:33 PM »

Not all the cast. The bad guy is still Japanese, which has no unfortunate undertones whatsoever.

Hunter Sopko · « **Reply #1460 on:** December 03, 2011, 11:07:58 PM »

Yeah. It's pretty unfortunate, since the Japanese would never do that, Shale.

Shale · « **Reply #1461 on:** December 03, 2011, 11:12:10 PM »

I know! If there's one thing you'd never think to accuse an old Japanese guy of, it's not liking white people.

Hunter Sopko · « **Reply #1462 on:** December 03, 2011, 11:13:36 PM »

Next people will be saying that the Japanese like to villainize Americans in THEIR movies!

Grefter · « **Reply #1463 on:** December 04, 2011, 02:07:16 AM »

Being represented by Ken Watanabe isn't being a bad guy. It is becoming the secret main character of the movie because of overwhelming awesomeness.

Sierra · « **Reply #1464 on:** December 05, 2011, 01:38:57 AM »

So I watched The Room. The PS3 groaned audibly trying to read the disc. Warning signs. First thing we see is a Wiseau Films banner. Then another Wiseau Films banner. Then "Wiseau Films presents..." So we've seen the guy's name three times before the title of the movie even shows. Hello vanity project. Shots of San Francisco, music plays that sounds like it's from one of those movie parodies you'd get five seconds of in the background of a Seinfeld episode, except it doesn't stop, it just loops again and again. Our star shows up and oh my god Tommy Wiseau is a neanderthal transplanted through time, you can see him puzzling out the mystery of speech as the lines spew forth "I open my mouth and noises emerge this is astonishing." Oh hi Denny no you can't watch while we have sex, hey there soft focus groping and the relieved groan of laxative taking effect on loop to smoove smoove basement R&B oh thank god that's over with wait what no why are you having sex again that can not possibly be comfortable on the stairs "by the way I have breast cancer" STOP HAVING SEX wait this is just reused footage from the first sex scene it wasn't raining just a minute ago! This movie is an endless series of people entering rooms saying two lines to each other and leaving again. Modern communication, drive across town to talk to someone for thirty seconds go home socialization is done for the day Denny how the fuck old are you who are you people and why are you having sex in somebody else's house. Most honest line of the movie, "What are these characters doing here?" People arrive, spew fragments of speech assembled by diseased computer, walk away. "I have something to show you" Is it your boobs, Lisa? It's your boobs, isn't it IT'S ALWAYS YOUR BOOBS No one knows how to make sex look ugly like you do Tommy Wiseau DO ANY OF YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT A GAME OF FOOTBALL LOOKS LIKE "Let's go home" wait what where are you right now, is this roof in another dimension I don't understand time and space "How's your sex life" yeah this is absolutely the kind of thing people toss out in casual conversation "Your point of view is very different from mine" that's because she's a psychotic pitbull. Gentlemen we have identified the face of evil and it is somewhere between Courtney Love and a chipmunk Peter you are the most useless psychologist ever "I feel like I'm sitting on an atomic bomb" WHO ARE YOU? WHO THE FUCKLEDIDDLEDEEDAMMIT ARE YOU AND WHERE DID YOU COME FROM? Johnny who gives a shit that you recorded their conversation everybody knows she's cheating on you they were making out at your birthday party in front of everyone BANG I can't help but feel partly responsible, saw you blink, dead guy! Roll credits, smoove smoove R&B plays, makeout music carries us out after the main character shot himself in the head, awwww yeah.

I never thought I'd say this, but I've seen something worse than Manos. Tommy Wiseau apparently likes to claim the movie was badfic. Tommy Wiseau is a fucking liar.

OblivionKnight · « **Reply #1465 on:** December 05, 2011, 12:43:38 PM »

Ah, another satisfied customer of The Room.

Veryslightlymad · « **Reply #1466 on:** December 08, 2011, 12:41:56 PM »

Melvin Goes to Dinner:

Interesting enough little movie. An understated drama of sorts. Designed clearly to be watched twice, but I dunno if that's something I'll be doing anytime soon. Still, definitely worth watching. In the middle of the movie, there's a random scene with Jack Black where he plays a schizophrenia patient, and I'm pretty sure it's the funniest thing I've seen in about a year.

Highball:

What the Christ?

Veryslightlymad · « **Reply #1467 on:** December 08, 2011, 02:40:26 PM »

Swingers:

Finally saw this without the power going out or God knows what else keeping it from me. In the end..... eh. It was good. Not great. I hear all the time that this is like, -the- guy movie, or just mandatory watching or whatever but in the end, it's just, you know, another Film (albeit one with good music) in a sea of films very similar to itself. Maybe I just don't get "it".

Grefter · « **Reply #1468 on:** December 08, 2011, 08:11:20 PM »

Watch The Graduate sometime VSM. Entirely unrelated but just a thing.

Anthony Edward Stark · « **Reply #1469 on:** December 09, 2011, 12:59:50 AM »

Quote from: Grefter on December 03, 2011, 08:12:07 PM

Eh it isn't like they are doing a remake of it moving the city it takes place to somewhere completely unrelated, changing the race of all the cast and disconnecting it from any of the themes it is famous from discussing. Changing the character's backgrounds from something more dangerous and turning the two main characters into brothers instead of it just being a story of a good friendship.

The Akira movie is going to suuuuck.

Also Tetsuo is named Travis now.

Captain K. · « **Reply #1470 on:** December 09, 2011, 01:42:01 AM »

TRRAAAAAAVVVVIIIISSSSSSSS!!! Yeah, that totally works.

NotMiki · « **Reply #1471 on:** December 09, 2011, 01:44:46 AM »

Eh. It's not worth getting too wrapped up in the differences in the movies. In the end, if it's good, having a dude named Travis in it won't detract,and if it sucks, callin' him Tetsuo ain't gonna make it that much better.

Veryslightlymad · « **Reply #1472 on:** December 09, 2011, 08:42:42 AM »

Quote from: Grefter on December 08, 2011, 08:11:20 PM

Watch The Graduate sometime VSM. Entirely unrelated but just a thing.

True story: I've had the Netflix DVD for this sitting around unwatched since May.

Veryslightlymad · « **Reply #1473 on:** December 09, 2011, 06:34:53 PM »

The Graduate:

I have to think that a good chunk of this movie is largely symbolic in some way, because the alternative is that life in the sixties was damn near unlivable, and no one I have talked to from around that time has really given me the impression that this is true.

Like, the shiftlessness of the main character, I can relate to that. I -am- that. But around where he meets Elaine, things kind of go off the rails and make no sense. This is a guy that would be arrested (oddly, not for the various things he was threatened with.....) and thrown into a nut house. Why did he love Elaine? WHY IS THE OPPOSITE true? Her personality makes absolutely no sense in any context until, I guess, right at the very end. Is it really that easy to force someone into a marriage? Apparently so.

This movie made no sense. None. Trying to read reviews of it, I find that, apparently, Roger Ebert thought it was a comedy. Did I have to be ALIVE in 1967 to understand this movie? Apparently so. Although, I did crack up pretty hard at the "Don't tell me he did it in a car" line, in response to Elaine's other proposal. That was delightfully dickish.

The other thing is during the seduction, the sort of.... stiff, sudden way he grabs Mrs. Robinson's breast. Is that a thing? Is this a thing guys do on their first contact with boobs? Because it's something I've seen in plenty of films, but it just seems completely untrue. Who -does- that? I wasn't like that. Am I apparently the only young awkward soul who didn't haphazardly palm a tit to get the ball rolling? Apparently so.

Also, Simon and Garfunkle: At times, really enjoyable. At times, "AREEEE YOU GOINGGGG TO SCARBOROUGH FAIIIIIIIR.... PARSLEY SAGE, ROSEMARY AND THYME...... .....Stir for fourrrrrty minutes and simmerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, for extra flavour, add zest of limmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

Can't say I really enjoyed this movie. Can't say I know why this movie was made. I'm gonna go on a limb and say context was everything for the film, and I apologize to the no doubt thousands of fellow film students who had to watch this for some reason or another.

Sierra · « **Reply #1474 on:** December 09, 2011, 06:47:39 PM »

Quote from: Veryslightlymad on December 09, 2011, 06:34:53 PM

The other thing is during the seduction, the sort of.... stiff, sudden way he grabs Mrs. Robinson's breast. Is that a thing? Is this a thing guys do on their first contact with boobs? Because it's something I've seen in plenty of films, but it just seems completely untrue. Who -does- that? I wasn't like that. Am I apparently the only young awkward soul who didn't haphazardly palm a tit to get the ball rolling? Apparently so.

If she looks really surprised at suddenly getting groped, that's because she was: it wasn't in the script and Dustin Hoffman evidently decided that yeah, that is the sort of thing guys do on their first contact with boobs (along with subsequently banging their heads on the wall, apparently). May be worth noting, the seduction of a young man by an older woman was a pretty scandalous thing for a movie to do at the time.

And yeah, movie had way too much Scarborough Fair. I mean, I like Simon and Garfunkel a lot, but that didn't need to be in the movie like six times.

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Author Topic: Movies (Read 281790 times)