Chrono Compendium
Zenan Plains - Site Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: ZaichikArky on September 02, 2009, 01:49:43 am
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Discuss/rate/recommend/not recommend movies you've just seen and want to share with everyone.
I just got back from seeing District 9. I swear, one of the best alien movies EVER made, and apparently it was made with a low budget too(didn't seem like it). Has anyone else seen it?
You don't have to talk about District 9, just talk about any movie you want to discuss .
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As soon as I see Ponyo, I'm gonna be all up ons this thread. And if any of you mooks spoils it for me, I'll rip out your hearts and eat them while they're still beating! :kamina
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I am looking forward to seeing 9 next week.
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Hehe. I saw Ponyo in theaters when I was in Japan. I didn't think anyone would want to see it with me, so I went all by my lonesome. I thought it was ok. I'm a big Ghibli nut and while Ponyo was better than some other movies, I guess it was just a bit too immature for me. What I liked most was the song, which I learned almost completely by heart because my little kids would come into class and sing it for me all the time XD;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0lk-GEhYdY&feature=related
Whoa, apparently there's an "official" English version now.
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Going to see District 9 this weekend or next week! Looking forward to it.
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Going to see District 9 this weekend or next week! Looking forward to it.
It's really good, but had a couple things that bothered me.
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It's really good, but had a couple things that bothered me.
Well, other than the slum conditions, the alien prostitution service, and the abnormal growth on the agent's arm, I didn't think much else was wrong with it.
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I found a couple things wrong with District 9, but overall it really was one of my favorite movies. These days, it's so rare to have an alien movie that is not actually about aliens taking over the world. To me, this movie seemed like a version of ET for more mature audiences. The people writing flames on yahoo movies hated the shaky camera (I think this was attributed to the movie basically being a mockumentary), but that didn't bother me. There was a few things about the plot that I found kind of odd, but nothing that would cause me to really dislike the movie in any way.
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I didn't know how a terrible movie critic spoke...
... until I met a Yahoo! Movies user.
Anyways, ZaichikArky, what was it about the plot that confused you?
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I recommend that everyone see these two movies in the near future.
Everything Is Illuminated - Elijah Wood is a young Jewish man from the United states chasing his family history on a tour of the Ukraine. The wonky characters with all their quirks make this movie hilarious at the start, but there is a HUGE paradigm shift in the very middle of the movie that will just leave you sideswiped. I laughed, I cried, it's just amazing. 9/10
This Is England - A young English boy in 1986 is tortured at school until he meets a young skinhead named Woody. Woody takes him under his wing until the leader of Woody's gang gets out of jail and comes back. This furious man named Combo embodies the British Nationalist's radical ideals, and ends up stealing the boy's affections from the laid-back Woody. Plus you get to see a 20-year old girl make out with a 10-year old kid, which is a pretty funny scene. 10/10, if only for the emotional impact of the last 20 minutes.
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It's really good, but had a couple things that bothered me.
Well, other than the slum conditions, the alien prostitution service, and the abnormal growth on the agent's arm, I didn't think much else was wrong with it.
I should have been more clear. I'm not talking about content. Not in that sense, anyway. I mean in terms of the plot. The main thing that bothered me is that all of the factions had the same goal (prawns leave earth) so the whole conflict was entirely meaningless. I don't think the things you mentioned were things wrong with the film itself, although I can understand why they might have made people uncomfortable.
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Anyways, ZaichikArky, what was it about the plot that confused you?
It wasn't so much confusing, it was kind of more unrealistic. I'll explain (highlight to read the spoiler).
First the things you mentioned were somewhat unrealistic. About the arm growing faster than the rest of the metamorphasis. The slum conditions I just found kind of gross. What most bothered me, however, was how the aliens were portrayed. Basically, it seemed like Christopher was the only intelligent alien there. We know that the aliens created these incredibly powerful biological weaponry , but the movie portrayed them as being no better than rats. At one point even Wikus says "I always knew you were intelligent!" So to me it made it unlikely that the aliens were portrayed as rats (or prawns really, bottom-feeders) who had little intelligence when all along they were capable of what humanity can only dream of. Some other things I found kind of silly. The whole Nigerian warlord in the wheelchair wanting to be a prawn for one.
Everything Is Illuminated - Elijah Wood is a young Jewish man from the United states chasing his family history on a tour of the Ukraine. The wonky characters with all their quirks make this movie hilarious at the start, but there is a HUGE paradigm shift in the very middle of the movie that will just leave you sideswiped. I laughed, I cried, it's just amazing. 9/10
Hey I watched that one. LOVED it. That movie was seriously hilarious, especially with the character of the Ukranian pimp (for lack of a better word) and his antisemitic grandpa. Made it even better for me since I could understand the Russian.
Guys, you just keep replying to this thread so fast!
Not in that sense, anyway. I mean in terms of the plot.
Highlight spoiler again... Yes and no. The big subplot to that was not so much of the aliens right to go home, it was that Wikus was the key to using the aliens' weaponry. Without Wikus, the MNU would not be able to use the weapons so he was incredibly valuable and the goal was to capture him alive so that he could be used to activate the weapons. So the aliens going home was only one major factor.
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Highlight spoiler again... Yes and no. The big subplot to that was not so much of the aliens right to go home, it was that Wikus was the key to using the aliens' weaponry. Without Wikus, the MNU would not be able to use the weapons so he was incredibly valuable and the goal was to capture him alive so that he could be used to activate the weapons. So the aliens going home was only one major factor.
This is true, but the entire plot of Wikus being a resource to the MNU only exists in the context of both the prawns and the human citizens of Johannesburg wanting the prawns to go back to their home planet. If MNU had been more interested in finding prawns of Christopher Johnson's intelligence/type the whole situation could have been resolved long before the Wikus plot even began.
While it's unclear to me how they knew this, one of the interview clips does indicated that man kind knew that the prawns had a drone class and a leader class. Looking for leader class prawns should have been a huge priority from the moment the prawns arrived.
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Again, strange that I thought you were against the mega threads, ZaichiArky and then you make this though usually people make individual movie threads and they work out fine, but w/e...
I think Big Fan (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228953/) sounds interesting. At the very least I can't help but like the main cast teaming of Patton Oswalt & Kevin Corrigan. Trailer (http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1624572441/)
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Again, strange that I thought you were against the mega threads, ZaichiArky and then you make this though usually people make individual movie threads and they work out fine, but w/e...
No, it was opposite. You don't recall properly. As I remember it, I know that you are against the mega threads and I champion them... I actually prefer one huge movie thread as opposed to Zeality making individual movie threads(it seems like he's the only one who does that). But if anyone wants to continue making individual movie threads, I'm not going to complain. I think this kind of thread works better anyway if it's something like Lakonthegreat's post about these two movies he recommends because it would probably not be appropriate to make a thread like that.
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As far as this summer goes, really the only thing I've caught was Up, which was just fantastic. Some nice belly laughs. Had a few "deep" moments as well, at least deep for more or less a kids movie. I would recommend it to anybody. I still need/want to see:
Terminator
Bruno
Harry Potter
District 9
The Hangover
I feel like I'm even still missing some. Regardless, I'm a little bit behind... 8)
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Yeah, I missed a good chunk of movies from 2008 and some of 2007 due to me being in Japan. Wonder if anything good came out in 2008 XD;. I kind of want to see "The Hangover" and "Bruno" I hope I get around to it at some point.
Today, I watched "The Kids"(1995). This was a really bizarre movie and it had a lot of contraversy when it came out. Basically, it's about teenage delinquents in NYC who have a ton of sex. I watched it because it was Rosario Dawson's debut performance and I'm her fan. She's one of my favorite actresses. You can read about it here- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113540/ . I'm not sure if I'd recommend it. I think that in some ways, the movie was very very accurate to the lifestyles of some teens during that era and possibly today as well. I didn't like the ending, however. I give it 7/10.
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Kids was an awesome movie. Telly wound up as a recurring character in The Wire which was nice to see. Though it sucks Casper hung humself. Anyone here see City Of God?
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Saw District 9.
Go see it.
Action must with plenty of intense action, pretty freaking gorey, but the fact that the little weapons are capable of so much is part of what makes it so good. It also helps that the guys really deserve what comes to them, you can't help but smile!
Of course, then again I've been told I can have a sick sense of humor, what with Dark knight's Joker having me laugh hysterically with every one of his actions in the movie, specially the magic trick scene...
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(500) Days of Summer was great... It's too bad not enough people new about it, and not enough theatres showed it. I highly recommend it... and not just because Zooey Daschenel is in it...
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I am very interested in seeing that movie. But we(family) wound up seeing Inglorious Basterds instead.
If you need any convincing on why to see that, I believe there is already an entire thread about that movie.
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My college had a movie night here recently and presented the new Star Trek Movie.
I liked it. I'm not a Trekkie but I liked it and I understood all of the references. Perhaps me not being a Trekkie helped in the liking it though, as I've heard that they pissed off a lot of loyal Star Trek fans with this.
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specially the magic trick scene...
BEST SCENE IN MOVIE
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No, the best scene was clearly when they all turned to each other and said, "Damn, this Bat-Radar thing is pretty stupid, we'd better get rid of it by the end of the movie..."
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My college had a movie night here recently and presented the new Star Trek Movie.
I liked it. I'm not a Trekkie but I liked it and I understood all of the references. Perhaps me not being a Trekkie helped in the liking it though, as I've heard that they pissed off a lot of loyal Star Trek fans with this.
Really? I'm a huge trekkie and I really loved it. Maybe it's because I hated the original series (oh wait, maybe I'm not such a big trekkie after all) and didn't know much about the characters, but it was really well made, and hell of a lot better than any star trek movie since First Contact. I'm glad they finally did something worthwhile with the franchise, because to me, it'd been dead since Voyager ended : (. It turned out to be a huge hit, so here's to hoping they'll go with it and make another one.
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Do Flash movies count in this catagory?
Cause the people doing Cyanide and Happiness get some MAJOR cred from this short:
http://www.explosm.net/comics/1712/
(its short, so just watch it. Not even a minute long)
Perhaps one of my favorite things theyve ever done.
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The movies I saw this summer were:
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Transformers 2
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince
District 9
In this order:
How could they do that to Deadpool?
Michael Bay derailed the franchise
007 without the style and Team America without the bellylaughs
So... much... magic... can't... form... straight... sentence...
Yes! A sci-fi film with actual character, theme, and depth! I actually found myself internally rooting for the aliens and the government agent!
The lesson to be learned here? It all pays off in the end.
Hey, if there's a better lesson to be learned, share it. :D
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Hey, if there's a better lesson to be learned, share it. :D
Don't go see The Final Destination. I was spared, but my parents went and came back clawing out their eyes. They said it was the most horrible fucking movie they'd ever seen.
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... and not just because Zooey Daschenel is in it...
LIAR! SHE IS THE ONLY REASON ANYTHING IS GOOD.
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Can't wait to go see 9. Waiting til next week so I don't have to worry about annoying little kids who can't stay in their seats.
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I'll be attempting to see 9 this weekend as well with my two best friends.
It looks wonderful.
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If you're into anime in the slightest, you owe it to yourself to see Millennium Actress. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Actress) Perfect Blue, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_Blue) also by Satoshi Kon, is a masterful look into sexism in some of its most brutal forms and the psychosocial repercussions on women. Viewer discretion advised on the latter one -- I actually had a plan to make a more family friendly cut and toss it up on Youtube or something but it's been put on hold indefinitely due to my inability to draw a brassiere.
:picardno
Ohohoh, sweet bowdlerization. It should only be watched in the Spanish dub though, if you can find it. Neither the English nor the Japanese dubs got Mima right, but her Spanish voice actress was spot on. I think I'll upload a few minutes just to show the Spanish dub off sometime. What makes Satoshi Kon's movies so amazing is that they're utterly subjective; they could have an entirely different meaning to every individual watcher.
I'll second Lakon on "Everything is Illuminated." It starts out horribly slow, but when Elijah Wood's guide says "Welcome to the Ukraine!" at that dinner scene, it picks up and gets interesting. It's kind of quirky but works well; I'm not sure if there's anything it could be legitimately compared to.
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I saw The Pillow Book (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4I75Rvb0zo) (1996) a few days ago. It's the story of "a Japanese model in search of pleasure and new cultural experience from various lovers" (yeah, too lazy to write a decent summary, so I borrowed this one from Wikipedia).
Beautiful, erotic movie, I had a wonderful time watching it. It is visually stunning, and the story flows in a lovely, very strange way, though I must admit it felt sluggish at times. It also made me want to learn Japanese calligraphy and fill my dull, white walls with different colored inks... Plus, it was nice seeing McGregor and not linking him automatically to Obi-Wan. I actually had a hard time recognizing him, but maybe that was due to the wine :lol:
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I saw The Pillow Book (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4I75Rvb0zo) (1996) a few days ago. It's the story of "a Japanese model in search of pleasure and new cultural experience from various lovers" (yeah, too lazy to write a decent summary, so I borrowed this one from Wikipedia).
Beautiful, erotic movie, I had a wonderful time watching it. It is visually stunning, and the story flows in a lovely, very strange way, though I must admit it felt sluggish at times. It also made me want to learn Japanese calligraphy and fill my dull, white walls with different colored inks... Plus, it was nice seeing McGregor and not linking him automatically to Obi-Wan. I actually had a hard time recognizing him, but maybe that was due to the wine :lol:
leena! its good to see you! havent seen you in so long!
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Yay! Someone missed me! :D
I know I haven't posted anything in a while, but, ya know... I've been around.
Since this is a movie thread I feel compelled to recommend yet another weird movie I saw recently.
It's called Night Watch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMHQsjgQDrA). It's this 2004 Russian film and it is as weird as hell. Supposedly it's the first part of a trilogy based on a book by the same name, but I haven't gotten the chance to see the second part, Day Watch. Dunno if the third part is already done.
Geez, I'm really bad at making movies seem like they're worth watching....
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I just finished seeing Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_The_Bruce_Lee_Story) on Encore last night.
Granted, the film took a lot of creative liberties and distortions of his biography for the sake of narrative, but it was an amazing film to watch regardless. Who knew how much influence one man could bring to the world of martial arts?
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Yeah, the Bruce Lee story was fantastic. For a hilarious time, try playing the Chocobo battle theme from Final Fantasy VII while Lee is fighting that Shredder-like evil dude at the end.
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Watched The Protector last night. Tony Jaa(sp?) does the ill nasty all over again. It was good to see my boy Hum Lee out there, even that's just his name from Ong Baak(sp?)
If you're into the ridiculous martial arts stuff, catch both of them.
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Hay guize! Guez teh best moovey evar!
(http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/303/jennifersbodyr.jpg)
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
I had to...
You know it's gonna sell well, and it's gonna have plenty of success since... well... you know... :lol:
And yes, I made this really fats as you can see in the tabs my reply here is one of them.
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I have much respect for movies, because many people work so hard to get them out there... Plus, I like Diablo Cody as a writer. But that movie looks God-awful.
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Not exactly a movie, but an anime series...
When They Cry, also known as Higurashi ni naku koro ni, is the single best anime series ive ever seen.
It has a follow-up series which is just as, if not even more, amazing as it was, called Higurashi ni naku koro ni Kai (Can be roughly translated as When They Cry, Solutions)
I also just finished the 5 episode add-on to it, called Higurashi ni naku koro ni Rei (not sure what the rei means).
I can say with 100% honesty its the single best anime series ive ever seen, possibly the single best series ive seen in general.
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Hmm...
I'd have to say that Rurouni Kenshin is the best anime series I've ever seen.
I liked to because what of the depths of the characters' past, the never-ending potpourri of jaw-dropping techniques and attacks, and the ever-so-frequent comical input to show that the author isn't just another gloomy, brooding, basket case with nothing but emo overtones in his work.
I don't like anime series that:
a) find an escape from a crisis via some supernatural/deux ex machina means.
b) keep their characters two-dimensional.
c) drag out their incidents over the course of a season with no resolution.
d) continue making episodes just for the sake of continuation/fan appeal.
As for choice d), there is such a thing as ending a series. I mean, come on! Even Akira Toriyama knew when to end the Dragon Ball series.
What says you?
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Hmm...
I'd have to say that Rurouni Kenshin is the best anime series I've ever seen.
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEAH!
I completely agree with you, and I'm glad to have found someone else on the Internet that actually knows what Ruroken is.
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I found that Kenshin mostly fell apart somewhere in the third season, myself, but the Kyoto arc was kickass (and I don't often say things like that about long shounen series).
(Yeah, I watch a lot of anime.)
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Yay! Someone missed me! :D
I know I haven't posted anything in a while, but, ya know... I've been around.
Since this is a movie thread I feel compelled to recommend yet another weird movie I saw recently.
It's called Night Watch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMHQsjgQDrA). It's this 2004 Russian film and it is as weird as hell. Supposedly it's the first part of a trilogy based on a book by the same name, but I haven't gotten the chance to see the second part, Day Watch. Dunno if the third part is already done.
Geez, I'm really bad at making movies seem like they're worth watching....
No, Night Watch is AMAZING. My band is named after The Gloom in that movie! Little known fact.
You have to see the sequel, it wraps the story up completely and becomes a (dare i say more entertaining than the first?) second half of a whole piece of art. Last I heard, they're not doing the third one. And I don't care too much, cause if they did, they'd probably make it in America and it would get the "Hollywood treatment".
But yes. Night Watch and Day Watch. If you like supernatural shit at all, these movies are made so creatively that you won't even think of it as a Russian movie or a Vampire movie or an Action movie. It's a beautiful and engaging cinematic experience!
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wait i thought this thread was about movies.
i havent seen a good movie in a while. id love to go to a theater just to see one though. theater seats are comfy, and i love movie theater popcorn with a passion.
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wait i thought this thread was about movies.
yes, what made you think otherwise?
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I found that Kenshin mostly fell apart somewhere in the third season, myself, but the Kyoto arc was kickass (and I don't often say things like that about long shounen series).
(Yeah, I watch a lot of anime.)
The "third season" of the anime was all filler arcs done without the oversight of Watsuki. As a rabid fan of the series, the ending to the anime pissed me off almost as much as Samurai X: Reflections did(there, its a movie thread again).
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wait i thought this thread was about movies.
yes, what made you think otherwise?
Not exactly a movie, but an anime series...
and thus the topic went downhill.
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ah. i tried bringin it back. did you guys know they're still trying to make a jurassic park 4 and remaking nightmare on elm st?
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Went to see 9 yesterday. Very good movie. There were some things that I didn't like about the plot, but it was overall very forgivable. Some say that it really needed to be longer than 70 minutes. I think they just ran out of money XD;. Maybe when it gets released on DVD, it will have more scenes? I give it 8/10.
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9 is what I'm thinking of going to see for my b-day this weekend(wait till it's been out for a bit also so little kids don't bug me, think i said this before).
And what most people don't know is that it's based off a 10 minute short.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL5kOCrXnZ8
Warning, the 10 minute thing could seriously spoil the movie for you since the 2 are apparantly the same for the most part just the movie is the short done for all the characters rather than a few (originally there was only 9 and 5).
I guess if you want a movie, it's possible to just make something for fun and hope a big time producer happens to be bored surfing Youtube when he stumbles on your video :lol: .
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So I just saw Clockwork Orange for the very first time a couple minutes ago and...wow.
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So I just saw Clockwork Orange for the very first time a couple minutes ago and...wow.
Wow good or wow bad?
( I assume "wow" good but ya never know. )
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i love the futility theme of clockwork orange. at the end, how the "man" creates the very monster they think they're destroying. trying to be vague and specific so as not to ruin it for people who havent seen it but those who have should know what i'm getting at.
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I've seen A Clockwork Orange.
To me, it's one of the best films out there that reveals a true-to-life insight of the human condition, especially when it comes to finding means to fighting inner-city crime.
Psychological warfare, aversion therapy, etc. are, to the government workers, a means to an end, which is to instill nausea and distress at the very thought of crime or appalling actions. Apparently, they got what they wanted, at the cost of having the protagonist being stripped of any ability to choose good over evil.
Anyway, that's my viewpoint of the movie. Awesome novel, too. The adaptation was a success.
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I need thoughts.
A friend is trying to convince me to see because it's good, Gamer.
I'm convinced it's made simply for today's "gamers"(frat bos who think they know what they're talking about cause they play Halo and Call Of Duty and Madden), that the plot seems like it's been done repeatedly(from what they show, and I can assume I know the plot since), and the trailer seems to spoil a good amount of it. To top this off, I've found movies that have musical artists as one of their big roles don't turn out good. Haven't seen one example of a music star turn actor/actress have a good movie. When they're the lead I mean. On top of this, Gerard Butler seems ok, but not much for a lead. I've just gone through a list of about 30 of his movies, only like 6 or 7 were actually good. This is me. Anyone think they can convince me to see it? Or am I gonna be hearing about this til it hits rentals and I see for $1 rather than the usual totaled up $25 for ticket, drink, food, etc?
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i actually want to see gamer. im interested in it.
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Well, let me put it this way (courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes):
"If you are a gamer, and like shooters, science fiction, action, and wouldn't consider gratuitous boob shots gratuitous, you won't feel short-changing on leaving the cinema after watching Gamer. "
Other than that, it's been my experience from watching movies based on playing console games that they leave plenty to be desired, so save yourself a headache and your hard-earned money. It's not worth it.
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"The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultraviolence."
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Oh, yeah?
"Oh bliss! Bliss and heaven! Oh, it was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh. It was like a bird of rarest-spun heaven metal or like silvery wine flowing in a spaceship, gravity all nonsense now. As I slooshied, I knew such lovely pictures!"
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Surrogates = not that great. 6/10. It was almost... a little... well, campy. The writing was pretty shotty.
But not a bad film. Better than some. Just not as good as I thought it would be.
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Anyone here's an independent and international movies fan? The other day I was on the store in front of my house, and they had this movie, Dancer in the Dark, on discount, Björk starred it, and since I love that crazy woman, I decided to buy the DVD. MY GOSH, it's one of the best purchases I've done lately, what an incredible movie, the plot, the twists, the music! (Yeah, I love her sick sounds). I regret that I didn't see it sooner, but now I understand how it won so many awards. I totally feel like looking other movies by Lars von Trier :D
I want to see Final Destination 4 on the theatres, but they only have it with those crappy 3D glasses, and since I live in Latin America, it's not worth wasting 7 bucks to use 3D glasses on shitty screens <_< (regular movie tickets costs $3.90) I'll have to wait until it pops up on Blockbuster.
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I do! I do!
Although I'm sort of "indied" out because I worked at an independent film festival this weekend. It sort of burnt me out for a few weeks, hahaha...
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I'm on this Audrey Hepburn craze right now, and I watched "Breakfast at Tiffany's" for the first time. I'm reading a biography about her, and I love Audrey so much. I made a LJ UI to commemorate:
(http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/94031464/225372)
The party scene from Tiffany's has got to be one of the most hilarious scenes ever. Everything about that movie was awesome. 10/10.
Next, I need to watch "Roman Holiday". It was her first Hollywood movie. I remember watching the end of it one day, and that was what got me more excited about Audrey Hepburn in the first place.
I also watched "The Ascent" because I randomly found it recorded on the TV at home and I got bored of watching all the recorded Jon and Kate episodes I missed. "The Ascent" is this early 70s Russian WWII movie. It was unusual for a WWII movie, and I've only really seen a handful of Russian movies. This one was very effective in its dialogue and it really shows the ugliness of the human condition during wartime. The director died a couple years later while she was shooting her next movie. Quite a tragedy, because "The Ascent" is largely considered to be her best movie. My only real complaint is that the movie was a bit too slow at times. 7/10
The last movie I watched lately was this anime movie by that director of "Ghost in the Shell" called "The Skycrawlers". It was recommended to me, but I didn't know that it was made by the same director. It took a year for me to finish downloading it. I didn't really like the movie. It was too slow and philosophical. I didn't even understand what was going on until I read the short wiki article about it, then it pissed me off. I wouldn't recommend it unless you like "Ghost in the Shell" and philosophical, thoughtful movies. I give it 6/10.
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The other night, I finally got to see "Akira" in the original Japanese.
Epic story, very dark tones, very dystopian. Words can't express my awe over how much effort went into the estimated 160,000 cels for the film stock.
Now I know why it's called the 'holy grail' of anime.
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Per a long term request of the girlfriend, yesterday was largely spent marathoning the Pirates of Caribbean movies. They have that common movie trilogy syndrome of the first movie being strong enough to stand on its own, and then the second and third being an arc in of themselves.
This was my second time watching these films, so I took a more critical eye this time. The first movie is inconsistent in its portrayal of the state of the cursed crew. Barbosa says they can't feel, but the crew to react to painful stimulus throughout the film. In the third film they seem to forget William witnessing Elizabeth kissing Jack at the end of the second film, and I found their relationship unbelievable. Both know they can't trust the other, and yet behave throughout as though they can. There also seemed to be an anti-deregulation subtext to the second and third films. I'm not sure how I feel about that in the context of these films.
This is not to say I didn't enjoy the films. They're a lot of fun, but I find that over all, each is better than the one that follows it. The third one still gains points with me, however, for Davy Jones killing Beckett's man with his beard.
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Per a long term request of the girlfriend, yesterday was largely spent marathoning the Pirates of Caribbean movies. They have that common movie trilogy syndrome of the first movie being strong enough to stand on its own, and then the second and third being an arc in of themselves.
In my experience, that's not limited to films. I don't think that the first instalment set-up then mostly the second and third covering the main arc is necessarily a bad thing. There's something to be said for having a first instalment that's less important in the main arc to build up the setting and characters and set the scene, as opposed to diving right into the main storyline.
That's not to say PotC did it well, of course. I'd have to watch 'em again myself to say.
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What got me was in the third film was the climax after the maelstrom dissipated when Lord Beckett's ship gets attacked from both sides.
He's an excellent bad guy, not a low-watt bulb, but when his ship is getting blasted every which way, he freezes and doesn't give the order to return fire.
Why would he do that!? His ship is turning into flying toothpicks (unbelievable that every single splinter and cannon ball misses him) while he mutters that "It's good for business." He stares at the horizon like he's stoned - and he does NOTHING.
He's always been Mr. Ruthless Evil Quick-Decision Maker. Suddenly, he's Caspar Milquetoast on Nembutal.
As a screenwriter who stresses character above story, this is a stupid screenwriting mistake: making your character do something because you make them (a.k.a. making your character do something stupid in order to advance the story).
This leads me to an interesting question: What are some of the stupidest character blunders that you've seen in a movie (or TV show or video game) to date?
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In my experience, that's not limited to films. I don't think that the first instalment set-up then mostly the second and third covering the main arc is necessarily a bad thing. There's something to be said for having a first instalment that's less important in the main arc to build up the setting and characters and set the scene, as opposed to diving right into the main storyline.
That's not to say PotC did it well, of course. I'd have to watch 'em again myself to say.
Oh, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. Star Wars does the same trick, but I think it does it better. At the end of Episode IV, the Rebels strike a huge blow to the Empire, but the Empire is still largely in control of the galaxy, Han still has his unresolved business with Jabba, and Luke has yet to really begin his Jedi training. That's set up in Episode IV.
Now look at the end of Curse of the Black Pearl. Norrington is going to be chasing after Jack, and Elizabeth and Will are going to get married. Dead Man's Chest starts out by wiping out the wedding plans, and explaining that the Norrington chasing Jack storyline has been entirely resolved off camera. The 2nd and 3rd Pirates movies felt, at least to me, like they weren't so much building on the established characters and story as they were using the previous film as a backdrop in which to tell their own story, previous context be damned.
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Just saw Sherlock Holmes. It was really awesome.
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Just saw Sherlock Holmes. It was really awesome.
I saw it, too. Being an amateur magician, I liked how he explained those events that seemed to be paranormal at first, but then turned out to be elaborately-constructed illusions.
This thread needs more posts, considering how seeing movies isn't limited to theaters. Any movie anyone has seen is worth mentioning and sharing feelings about in here.
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I wanted to catch that one, but in the trailers it just comes off as a James Bond movie for some reason... "the name is Holmes, Sherlock Holmes" comes to mind.
But I still plan to watch it, eventually =P
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I just finish Tideland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tideland_%28film%29), fuck...
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I wanted to catch that one, but in the trailers it just comes off as a James Bond movie for some reason... "the name is Holmes, Sherlock Holmes" comes to mind.
But I still plan to watch it, eventually =P
Yeah, I feel similar...having read the series of short stories (& the novellas) and becoming a Sherlockian I can't help but think that the movie doesn't really follow the source material so much as the perception of the material (i.e.: "Elementary, my dear Watson!", which Holmes never says in the books)...Doyle didn't even like the source all that much to begin with, so I can only imagine what he'd think if he were alive today and there was a Hollywood version of it now while most of his other work (besides a rather consistently retooled Land of the Lost) continues to go mostly unnoticed (by me too)...>_>
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I wanted to catch that one, but in the trailers it just comes off as a James Bond movie for some reason... "the name is Holmes, Sherlock Holmes" comes to mind.
But I still plan to watch it, eventually =P
Yeah, I feel similar...having read the series of short stories (& the novellas) and becoming a Sherlockian I can't help but think that the movie doesn't really follow the source material so much as the perception of the material (i.e.: "Elementary, my dear Watson!", which Holmes never says in the books)...Doyle didn't even like the source all that much to begin with, so I can only imagine what he'd think if he were alive today and there was a Hollywood version of it now while most of his other work (besides a rather consistently retooled Land of the Lost) continues to go mostly unnoticed (by me too)...>_>
I think you mean The Lost World. Land of the Lost was never a novel. Edit: it was the title of a 1945 children's novel, but the premise that we're all familiar with was developed by Sid and Marty Krofft, of H.R. Puffnstuff fame.
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We watched "The Gamers: Dorkness Rising (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gamers:_Dorkness_Rising)" on Saturday. Utterly hilarious and entertaining. Perhaps not suited for individuals who have never played a tabletop roleplaying game, but if you have any idea what a D20 is, you should be fully amused.
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Just discovered this and had to share. As goes without saying, there are vampire myths throughout the world. The Chinese have their own addition which turned into some hilarious films.
Case in point, Mr. Vampire (1985). A Priest (Taoist, from the vague things I know about Chinese religion) discovers a vampire after digging up someone for a reburial. He, along with his rather dimwitted disciples, attempt to contain the vampire until something can be done, but of course it escapes.
The vampires in question don't walk, but hop. They drain lifeforce by way of their razor sharp claws. In similar movies (like Hello Dracula), they also are able to paralyze people by jumping and landing in their shadows. Sticky rice and strips of yellow paper stuck to the face of the vampire (written on in ink mixed with chicken's blood) are used to contain the vampires, while destruction is assured by way of impalement and/or cremation.
These are interesting because of the different take on vampires that they present. They are a weird fusion of horror, comedy, and kung fu. Probably not for everybody, but if you're into this sort of thing than it's definitely worth it.
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Please watch Revolver.
It is a Guy Ritchie film and it plays with your head. It's a great movie.
Let my get a synopsis real quick.
"After seven years in solitary, Jake Green is released from prison. In the next two years, he amasses a lot of money by gambling. He's ready to seek his revenge on Dorothy (Mr. D) Macha, a violence-prone casino owner who sent Jake to prison. He humiliates Macha in front of Macha's lieutenants, leaves, and keels over. Doctors tell him he has a rare disease and will die in three days; Macha also puts a hit out on him. Loan sharks, Zack and Avi, demand Jake's cash and complete fealty in return for protection. Jake complies, and through narration and flashbacks, we watch him through at least three days of schemes, danger, and redemption. Who is his greatest enemy?"
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Just watched Percy Jackson & The Olympians this weekend with my family. From a technical and visual viewpoint, it was an amazing film, but in terms of story-telling, it left a lot to be desired. Here’s what I mean:
Harry Potter Percy Jackson is your average teenager with less than stellar step-parents, except he has unusual powers that he’s unaware of. As it turns out, he’s a wizard demigod who is being sought after by Voldemort Hades who wishes to possess the Sorcerer’s Stone Lightning Bolt. In order to improve his abilities, Percy heads off to Hogwarts Camp Half-Blood where he makes new friends (Ron Grover and Hermoine Annabelle ) and plays Quidditch Capture the Flag. As it turns out, Professor Quirril Luke, his Platonic quasi mentor, was working for Voldemort Hades all along. He even had the Sorcerer’s Stone Lightning Bolt all along, but Percy and Professor Quirril Luke battle it out to the end in a spectacular climax. Percy wins and returns the Sorcerer’s Stone Lightning Bolt to the rightful owner, Professor Dumbledore Zeus. In the end, Percy gets to continue training at Hogwarts Camp Half-Blood and enjoy life as a wizard demigod.
Need I say more?
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I always misread that movie title as Peter Jackson and the Olympians and got confused.
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Just watched Percy Jackson & The Olympians this weekend with my family. From a technical and visual viewpoint, it was an amazing film, but in terms of story-telling, it left a lot to be desired. Here’s what I mean:
Harry Potter Percy Jackson is your average teenager with less than stellar step-parents, except he has unusual powers that he’s unaware of. As it turns out, he’s a wizard demigod who is being sought after by Voldemort Hades who wishes to possess the Sorcerer’s Stone Lightning Bolt. In order to improve his abilities, Percy heads off to Hogwarts Camp Half-Blood where he makes new friends (Ron Grover and Hermoine Annabelle ) and plays Quidditch Capture the Flag. As it turns out, Professor Quirril Luke, his Platonic quasi mentor, was working for Voldemort Hades all along. He even had the Sorcerer’s Stone Lightning Bolt all along, but Percy and Professor Quirril Luke battle it out to the end in a spectacular climax. Percy wins and returns the Sorcerer’s Stone Lightning Bolt to the rightful owner, Professor Dumbledore Zeus. In the end, Percy gets to continue training at Hogwarts Camp Half-Blood and enjoy life as a wizard demigod.
Need I say more?
I figured it'd be a fairly cookie-cutter storyline, but it looks like the eye candy is the real draw. I'd really like to see the film, but I don't want to pay theater prices and I don't mind waiting. Hello, Netflix!
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I'd really like to see the film, but I don't want to pay theater prices and I don't mind waiting. Hello, Netflix!
Story of my entire movie-watching life. :P
Besides, it's rare to find a movie with a truly original storyline anyway.
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I watched Once last night. If you enjoy acoustic music, you'll enjoy it. It felt like it was mainly there to showcase the music, but the music is good and the story was enough for the purposes of the film.
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I really enjoyed Once. If you put it off because it's basically a "musical" (certainly not in any traditional sense you may be thinking of) or because you thought it was some sappy romantic piece of trash, know that you are wrong and should really give it a chance. At first, I had wished that it hadn't been filmed with that handheld, documentary style, but then it just sucked me in and I didn't notice it. Great performances (especially since the leads aren't actors, but musicians), great tunes, great simple, sweet, & short story. If you know the Irish band The Frames then you will definitely enjoy the music...
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I saw Legally Blonde a couple of days ago. Reese Witherspoon's cute but it made me uncomfortable. At the start because I wouldn't get into Harvard in a million years, and later because the case and stuff felt kinda hackneyed. Then again I love the Rush Hour movies even though those movies aren't well made, so go figure.
:?Anyone here into silent movies? I started watching some around last year. Most of it's dated, the visuals take a while to get used to,and the racism makes me cringe, but some are still...fun, at least for me.
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The only silent movie I've ever seen is Nosferatu. Fantastic film.
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Can't go wrong with comic legends Buster Keaton & Charlie Chaplin. Physical comedy is universal and works with or without color, sound or 3D technology!
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The only silent movie I've ever seen is Nosferatu. Fantastic film.
Try The Man With The Movie Camera - great artifact from the 1920s.
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The only silent movie I've ever seen is Nosferatu. Fantastic film.
Did you see the version scored by Silent Orchestra? (http://www.silentorchestra.com/) I've been waiting yeeeeears for them to release the soundtrack for purchase! They're finally about to do it, or so I hope.
The director of Nosferatu also did Faust, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4HMJMLjul8) but unfortunately I can't say I recommend it all that highly. Probably because Silent Orchestra spoiled all other silent film experiences for me with their awesomeness in Nosferatu. I still need to check out Murnau's Sunrise. I think that might be the last one he did.
I recall enjoying an old Rudie Valentino flick called The Eagle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6btUbsazCE8). There's an instance of animal cruelty in it though, where I'm 99% sure one of the actors shot a live bear on camera as part of the story. :(
I thought Madchen in Uniform (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duXOgKt0qO0) was silent for some reason, but now I remember it was an early German talkie. The 1958 remake is much preferable, but sadly it's disappeared from Youtube; way to go for art preservation. Comparing the original and the remake of this obscure German flick was really interesting while they were both up though. The 1931 version seemed kind of trashy and incoherent, but the later version had excellent characterization and treated an offbeat subject with greater panache IMO.
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Nosferatu is good. As long as we're on Silent films, I'd recommend Lon Chaney Senior's Phantom of the Opera. It still managed to shock me, even though its from the twenties.
I saw the new Wolfman on Friday. Great effects and make up, cool production, a story line that is just about okay. Not it's great predecessor, but I think its worthy of the name at least.
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Nosferatu is good. As long as we're on Silent films, I'd recommend Lon Chaney Senior's Phantom of the Opera. It still managed to shock me, even though its from the twenties.
I saw the new Wolfman on Friday. Great effects and make up, cool production, a story line that is just about okay. Not it's great predecessor, but I think its worthy of the name at least.
You can't go wrong with Phatom - The Movie (1920s & 2004) or Musical.
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I love Movie night with my friends, Ever week we get one person picks two movies that we watch. But after a few months of films like Tenacious D, Step Brothers, Star Trek: First Contact, and Spider-man 2, I am so looking forward to my night tonight. For we watch Primer (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3909854615539675694&ei=vFeES4L5FoOGqQOe_rScBw&q=Primer&hl=en#) and Millennium Actress (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291350/).
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Millennium Actress
W00t!
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I spent a day last week trying to find a decent copy of the 1939 classic Wuthering Heights on DVD. Why such a classic movie is rare and out of print makes no sense to me. I just discovered that it's been posted on YouTube. If you haven't seen it, I highly reconmend it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BTdQ3eomP8
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I spent a day last week trying to find a decent copy of the 1939 classic Wuthering Heights on DVD. Why such a classic movie is rare and out of print makes no sense to me. I just discovered that it's been posted on YouTube. If you haven't seen it, I highly reconmend it:
You have no idea how useful this is to me. We're reading Wuthering Heights for class, and never once did I bother to see if a movie was released, much less one I could watch on youtube! Thanks for the find.
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I spent a day last week trying to find a decent copy of the 1939 classic Wuthering Heights on DVD. Why such a classic movie is rare and out of print makes no sense to me. I just discovered that it's been posted on YouTube. If you haven't seen it, I highly reconmend it:
You have no idea how useful this is to me. We're reading Wuthering Heights for class, and never once did I bother to see if a movie was released, much less one I could watch on youtube! Thanks for the find.
Let me warn you that the particular film adaption is very "Hollywoody" and they cut out the 2nd half of the book from the film and take out a lot of the gothic undertones. Basically every film adaption ignores the 2nd half of Wuthering Heights and tends to only focus on the relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine and not on his subsequent assholiness after her death and him being a dick to all the kids from the next generation of moor dwellers.
You're very lucky that you're reading that book for class. It's my favorite book. I never had the opportunity to read it for class and read it on my own. I've read some pretty terrible books for school, but that one is fantastic. It requires a little willing suspension of disbelief for the way it's narrated, but it truly is a fine piece of literature.
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I'm a big fan of the old classics, so this movie didn't let me down one bit. I thought it was wonderful.
Though perhaps I should have finished the novel before watching the movie, but . . . eh. I will be doing that now. It truly is a great story.
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I'm a big fan of the old classics, so this movie didn't let me down one bit. I thought it was wonderful.
Though perhaps I should have finished the novel before watching the movie, but . . . eh. I will be doing that now. It truly is a great story.
I saw the movie before reading the book, and I actually didn't mind it. Since the movie is only the first half of the book, you get to whet your appetite for further depth into that story with the second half so you don't have it completely spoiled. I'm glad you enjoyed the movie and know you'll love the rest of the book. Glad to have another Wuthering Heights fan among us.
Speaking of classics, there is a little known movie from the early 90's you may like if you're into old movies. It's a film called "Oscar" starring Sylvester Stallone. It's a comedy about a gangster who is trying to go straight and the mishaps he has during his first day of "going legit". The comedy and pacing aren't like modern comedies but have the comedic timing of films from the 30s and 40s, giving it a real charm. The acting is brilliant and it's hilarious for all the right reasons.
Here's the opening scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaDgyqZxeCY
And the rest of the parts can be found starting here (for some reason the guy who uploaded the movie didn't upload the very very begining and someone else did):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF1Z6Z788es
Edit: Fun Fact. Tim Curry (from the Rocky Horror Picture Show) plays one of the main supporting characters and Arleen Sorkin (who voices Harley Quinn in Batman) has a very small part as a secretary. If you're a fan of the 90's Batman animated series, you'll be able to recognize her by her voice. There are a few other well-known actors in it too you may recognize. Don't want to spoil all of them. ^_-
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Just watched Léon (The Professional). It still rocks as much as I remember. Though watching it now only reinforces the idea that Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is a kind of black version of Léon. Both excellent movies about tragic assassin characters...and the little girls (/& a French ice cream truck man) that love them. >_>
But seriously, Natalie Portman taught me that child actors don't have to be terrible drags on movies.
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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
I had little expectations of this movie, but I was surprised! Disney did a great job. I certainly recommend watching it. Jake Gyllenhaal (as Prince Dastan) was wonderful as an actor.
It's been quite some time since I played the actual game, though, so I will be doing that to compare storylines.
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I saw the new Wolfman on Friday. Great effects and make up, cool production, a story line that is just about okay. Not it's great predecessor, but I think its worthy of the name at least.
I only recently saw American Werewolf in London and was impressed as hell! That's what a monster movie should be, and the ending is great! No bullshit. Boom bang pow. Roll credits. You can almost hear the director saying "Aftermath? Fuck it. I just directed horror gold, I'll just let some ... Frenchman try to figure out what happens next."
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Saw Jaws for the first time on Halloween the other day.
I was surprised how well it holds up today.
On a lesser note,
I watched Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter a few weeks ago.
Anyone with a sense of humor will enjoy a movie where Jesus fights Rabid Atheists and Lesbian Zombies.
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Rise of the Planet of the Apes lives up to my expectations. It's good. Seriously, coming from someone who is a die hard fan of the original.
Also, round of applause for Tom Felton, for going down in history as one of the few people privileged to say one of the greatest and most memorable lines in movie history. Congrats, you damn villain you.
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Rise of the Planet of the Apes lives up to my expectations. It's good. Seriously, coming from someone who is a die hard fan of the original.
Also, round of applause for Tom Felton, for going down in history as one of the few people privileged to say one of the greatest and most memorable lines in movie history. Congrats, you damn villain you.
Excellent! I can't wait to see it, as a big fan of the original AND the Tim Burton version. I wonder, I know it wasn't meant to connect with Burton's version, but is it really a reboot?
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I wouldn't say it's a reboot of the series. Definitely a prequel, but with a premise very similar (though notably different) to Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. The movie ties in nicely with the 1968 film; I giggled like a schoolgirl every time I caught an intentional teaser for the original.