A few films recently watched.

  On 1/18/2010 at 4:59 AM, Al Hounos said:

  On 1/17/2010 at 11:28 PM, sneaksta303 said:

Trailer Park Boys : Countdown to Liquor Day 8.5/10

 

Lots of lols, but the ending left me hanging a bit. The guy that plays Layhey should win an award for his drunk acting. It's so perfect.

 

Hmmm, I consider myself a huge TPB fan, but I really thought it was dull and flat. Like they worried too much about the plot and forgot to make it funny. I really didn't like the first TPB movie either... they probably should have ended the show on a high note after season 5.

 

Have you heard about their new series? They've gonna have to live up to massive expectations.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2009/11/12/trailer-park-boys.html?ref=rss

you know, you ARE right, on all counts, but when I really and truly love something, I tend to gloss over blemishes. Case in point, I love every episode of twin peaks, despite some obvious flaws in the second season.

I thought it was better than "The Big Dirty" though. I really want to see that new show.

also I REALLY want to bang Sarah.

District 9 - 7.5/10

  On 1/18/2010 at 4:59 AM, Al Hounos said:

I really didn't like the first TPB movie either...

i had to turn the movie off. i've never seen the tv show but had seen it recommended on here so gave the movie a go. what a stinker. thanks watmm for another great recommendation

inglorious basterds 5/10

i didnt like it. long tension filled dialogue heavy "chapters". bear jew was disappointly small when he emerged. i just didnt enjoy seeing hitler shot in the face as much as i should have. and i don't know why. there were a few things to like - the burning screen/giant face shot. all QTs signature stuff felt wrong somehow. just didnt work as entertainment or feel good or thought provoking or cinema. i bet the screenplay was a great read though *hi5*

oh and i hate brad pitt in it

plus the english were portrayed as idiots and austin powers

I really enjoyed Once upon a time in Mexico, but I wouldn't rate it high, so,,,_,,,

  On 1/18/2010 at 5:51 PM, Benedict Cumberbatch said:

inglorious basterds 5/10

i didnt like it. long tension filled dialogue heavy "chapters". bear jew was disappointly small when he emerged. i just didnt enjoy seeing hitler shot in the face as much as i should have. and i don't know why. there were a few things to like - the burning screen/giant face shot. all QTs signature stuff felt wrong somehow. just didnt work as entertainment or feel good or thought provoking or cinema. i bet the screenplay was a great read though *hi5*

 

oh and i hate brad pitt in it

 

plus the english were portrayed as idiots and austin powers

I was just coming into this thread to give that movie the exact same, 5/10. Just wasn't that good.

it was a mess. why did that one guy get his name in huge letters on the screen when he was introduced only to then die like a noob? no one else got their names in big letters did they?

im glad to see i wasnt the only one that was underwhelmed. seems like everyone i talk to loves it.

im not sure if tarantino will still be lauded as a great director, in say, 50 years..

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus - 8/10 they did a lot with what they had, very nice trippy graphics and i liked the ominous tone

Franklyn - 7/10 a very unique script let down by some ho hum acting, the visual FX saved it from being trash.

my wife noticed something i missed. the last line "i think this might just be my masterpiece" delivered straight to camera. nah quentin its really not.

it's

  On 1/19/2010 at 6:27 PM, Benedict Cumberbatch said:

my wife noticed something i missed. the last line "i think this might just be my masterpiece" delivered straight to camera. nah quentin its really not.

yeah that was really terrible. by the time the theatre caught on fire i was experiencing zero tension and care for what was about to happen. In fact after that cheesy as hell double cross shooting involving her i laughed out loud and lost all suspension of disbelief.

  On 1/19/2010 at 9:52 PM, Awepittance said:

  On 1/19/2010 at 6:27 PM, Benedict Cumberbatch said:

my wife noticed something i missed. the last line "i think this might just be my masterpiece" delivered straight to camera. nah quentin its really not.

 

yeah that was really terrible. by the time the theatre caught on fire i was experiencing zero tension and care for what was about to happen. In fact after that cheesy as hell double cross shooting involving her i laughed out loud and lost all suspension of disbelief.

as soon as she shot him and the cheesy music started i knew it was going to be bad. she runs a cinema fcs. shes never seen a movie where the dead person gets rolled over and isn't dead and has a gun?

lately ive been getting into the under appreciated 70s "new hollywood" director hal ashby. holy shit! amazing stuff! why am i just getting into this guys work now? here are the ones ive seen thus far -

harold and maude - 8.5/10 - this very easily could have been a shit film. a 'dark comedy' about a love affair between a 20 year old kid and an 80 year old woman. awesome film, great soundtrack from cat stevens.

the last detail - 9/10 - one of the best performances from jack nicholson ive ever seen. the ending was a bit wtf but now i love it.

and i just posted about it but - being there - 9/10 - id love to hear interpretations of the ending if anyones seen it.

this bio just came out. i must read it>

  Quote

Hal Ashby set the standard for subsequent independent filmmakers by crafting unique, thoughtful, and challenging films that continue to influence new generations of directors. Initially finding success as an editor, Ashby won an Academy Award for editing In the Heat of the Night (1967), and he translated his skills as an editor into a career as one of the quintessential directors of 1970s.

 

Perhaps best remembered for the enduring cult classic Harold and Maude (1971), Ashby quickly became known for melding quirky comedy and intense drama with performances from A-list actors such as Jack Nicholson in The Last Detail (1973), Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn in Shampoo (1975), Jon Voight and Jane Fonda in Coming Home (1978), and Peter Sellers and Shirley MacLaine in Being There (1979). Ashby's personal life was difficult. He endured his parents' divorce, his father's suicide, and his own failed marriage all before the age of nineteen, and his notorious drug abuse contributed to the decline of his career near the end of his life.

 

Ashby always operated outside Hollywood's conventions, and though his output was tragically limited, the quality of his films continues to inspire modern directors as varied and talented as Judd Apatow and Wes Anderson, both of whom acknowledge Ashby as a primary influence. In Being Hal Ashby: Life of a Hollywood Rebel, the first full-length biography of the maverick filmmaker, author Nick Dawson masterfully tells the turbulent story of Ashby's life and career.

  On 1/20/2010 at 1:39 AM, Z_B_Z said:

harold and maude - 8.5/10 - this very easily could have been a shit film. a 'dark comedy' about a love affair between a 20 year old kid and an 80 year old woman. awesome film, great soundtrack from cat stevens.

oh god, i love this movie so much. especially harold's suicides. fucking golden.

yeah it was hilarious and touching. the more i think about it the more i like it.

the book of eli

had zero expectations. it was pretty good. denzel was a badass, gary oldman got to act crazy, mila kunis is hot. i didn't mind that it looked a little like fallout. it had an intriguing premise. it was well put together and had a reason for being, which is more than i can say for a lot of movies out right now.

I've only seen a few Hal Ashby films, Harold and Maude and Being There (also just grabbed this on Blu Ray)... both films are excellent. I'm interested in checking out The Last Detail now that you mention it.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - 5/10 - Had really high hopes for this film but it felt completely discombobulated and forced, the crummy cheese-ball-filled CGI compared to what Gilliam can do without CGI is just way too apparent and missing from this film...

still the story had its interesting moments but still felt weird in a bad way due to Ledger's dying...

Tom Waits is definitely the best thing about the film....

and Lily Cole's beautiful alien looking face/tits/ass/mmm...

the story was bad Faust...

Faust should always be grand in its amazingness!

Anyways, I walked out disappointed.

The Book of Eli - 5/10 - Had no expectations at this being any good at all, and was not let down....

nice cloud shots.....

stupid post apocalyptic derivations....

blood....

heads....

crappy Christian malarchy...

twist ending....

was as crappy as I was expecting...

I gave it a 5 for Mila Kunis' hot self always being cute.

about to watch Harold and Maude...

for the first time....

Step Brothers is one of the best comedies I have seen in awhile. Great stuff

Sybil - 7/10 Heart wrenching but really problematic.

Also just watched Woo and Pootie Tang, lol.

I finished the first season of The Sopranos and I wonder why I haven't seen it before now? It's brilliant!

10/10

  On 1/20/2010 at 1:28 PM, Squee said:

I finished the first season of The Sopranos and I wonder why I haven't seen it before now? It's brilliant!

 

10/10

I got bored of the Sopranos two episodes into the second season. It's just not grabbing me at all. Maybe I'll try and plow through it again at some point.

Taxi Driver: I think I've sort of come to the (probably wildly unpopular) conclusion that Scorsese is just a so-so director. Goodfellas is a good movie for sure, but it seems like when Scorsese succeeds, it's a bit by accident rather than design. It's been over a decade since I saw Raging Bull so I should probably give that another look though. But as for Taxi Driver - this was my first time seeing it and it doesn't seem to have aged well. Scorsese does a good job of building up De Niro's character and then pisses it all away in the final reel, with a hollywood ending. He also uses music poorly; while the jazz works great for most of the film, at the "climax" it starts getting way overdramatic. Perhaps what was shown onscreen was shocking at the time, but it certainly isn't now. Harvey Keitel was also rather ridiculous as a pimp. I will say it succeeded in one way, which is the lovely nighttime shots of New York blow anything Mann achieved in Collateral off the map. 7/10

Valkyrie: suprisingly good. I remember the furor about Tom Cruise at the time the flick was being made, everyone seemed to be saying it was a disaster. Didn't even know it was directed by Bryan Singer until the credits rolled. The film is overstuffed with good actors: Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard...and then there's Tom Cruise. It's one of his most wooden performances, which is a shame. I really liked the production design, it felt really well-researched and authentic. Not a great film, but a solidly above average one 7.5/10

  On 1/20/2010 at 12:14 PM, Yegg said:

Sybil - 7/10 Heart wrenching but really problematic.

 

Also just watched Woo and Pootie Tang, lol.

Sybil, like the old school one with Sally Field? I remember that movie gave me nightmares when I was a kid.

...and lol @ Pootie Tang. I love Louis CK, but I do believe he has never been involved with a Hollywood film that wasn't shit.

  On 1/20/2010 at 3:13 PM, lumpenprol said:

Taxi Driver: I think I've sort of come to the (probably wildly unpopular) conclusion that Scorsese is just a so-so director. Goodfellas is a good movie for sure, but it seems like when Scorsese succeeds, it's a bit by accident rather than design. It's been over a decade since I saw Raging Bull so I should probably give that another look though. But as for Taxi Driver - this was my first time seeing it and it doesn't seem to have aged well. Scorsese does a good job of building up De Niro's character and then pisses it all away in the final reel, with a hollywood ending. He also uses music poorly; while the jazz works great for most of the film, at the "climax" it starts getting way overdramatic. Perhaps what was shown onscreen was shocking at the time, but it certainly isn't now. Harvey Keitel was also rather ridiculous as a pimp. I will say it succeeded in one way, which is the lovely nighttime shots of New York blow anything Mann achieved in Collateral off the map. 7/10

 

Valkyrie: suprisingly good. I remember the furor about Tom Cruise at the time the flick was being made, everyone seemed to be saying it was a disaster. Didn't even know it was directed by Bryan Singer until the credits rolled. The film is overstuffed with good actors: Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard...and then there's Tom Cruise. It's one of his most wooden performances, which is a shame. I really liked the production design, it felt really well-researched and authentic. Not a great film, but a solidly above average one 7.5/10

I'm no Scorsese fanboy, but this post made me lol my face off. Taxi Driver bad, Valkyrie good? Wow. The former is still, IMO, one of the most important films ever made (important is a term I could elaborate on but I'm lazy right now) and the latter is as bland as an ABC After School special.