A few films recently watched.

  On 7/13/2012 at 10:42 AM, LUDD said:

  On 7/13/2012 at 6:00 AM, lumpenprol said:

  On 7/13/2012 at 5:45 AM, takeshi said:

The Guard - 3/10 - Almost completely forgettable... it took me coming back to it three times just to finish it and I can barely remember anything about the film. Brendan Gleeson plays a cop that's sarcastic and deadpan and Don Cheadle was somewhere in there too.

Good review, I felt the same way...I sort of liked it, but it seemed very derivative of a lot of better films. Brendan Gleeson defines deadpan in that flick, emphasis on the dead. He's so deadpan it's almost entirely humorless. I used to like Don Cheadle but he's so Don Cheadle. Big watery eyes, kind of wimpy and whiny and that's it. His defining role for me is probably Boogie Nights.

 

 

The guard blew my mind a bit. And not in a good way. I just could not understand how that film was made. The way it lamely stumbled from beginning to end via a series of pointless that just happened in some arbitrary order. There was literally no thought put into the making of that film. Cringe incucingly bad attempts at humour and novelty. I think it was written by a commitee of 10-12 year old boys. If something can be "remarkably inane" which seems oxymoronic, then I think the guard was. It was certainly moronic at the very least.

 

My thoughts exactly.

  On 7/13/2012 at 11:15 AM, spratters said:

  On 7/13/2012 at 10:42 AM, LUDD said:

  On 7/13/2012 at 6:00 AM, lumpenprol said:

  On 7/13/2012 at 5:45 AM, takeshi said:

The Guard - 3/10 - Almost completely forgettable... it took me coming back to it three times just to finish it and I can barely remember anything about the film. Brendan Gleeson plays a cop that's sarcastic and deadpan and Don Cheadle was somewhere in there too.

Good review, I felt the same way...I sort of liked it, but it seemed very derivative of a lot of better films. Brendan Gleeson defines deadpan in that flick, emphasis on the dead. He's so deadpan it's almost entirely humorless. I used to like Don Cheadle but he's so Don Cheadle. Big watery eyes, kind of wimpy and whiny and that's it. His defining role for me is probably Boogie Nights.

 

 

The guard blew my mind a bit. And not in a good way. I just could not understand how that film was made. The way it lamely stumbled from beginning to end via a series of pointless that just happened in some arbitrary order. There was literally no thought put into the making of that film. Cringe incucingly bad attempts at humour and novelty. I think it was written by a commitee of 10-12 year old boys. If something can be "remarkably inane" which seems oxymoronic, then I think the guard was. It was certainly moronic at the very least.

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

good to know. I was going to watch it soon. well not anymore

Edited July 13, 2012 by o00o

  On 7/13/2012 at 5:21 AM, lumpenprol said:

I thought Gran Torino was actually good, for about 1/2 its running time. Then it was sabotaged by amateur Hmong actors, and Eastwood's running out of ideas.

 

You mean he ran out of racist stuff to say.

Back To Future 1: 7.5/10 great movie even by todays standarts

Back To Future 2: 6.8/10 still good but not as great as part 1

Edited July 13, 2012 by o00o

today's standards are higher?

Edited July 13, 2012 by THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON

  On 7/13/2012 at 10:42 AM, LUDD said:

  On 7/13/2012 at 6:00 AM, lumpenprol said:

  On 7/13/2012 at 5:45 AM, takeshi said:

The Guard - 3/10 - Almost completely forgettable... it took me coming back to it three times just to finish it and I can barely remember anything about the film. Brendan Gleeson plays a cop that's sarcastic and deadpan and Don Cheadle was somewhere in there too.

Good review, I felt the same way...I sort of liked it, but it seemed very derivative of a lot of better films. Brendan Gleeson defines deadpan in that flick, emphasis on the dead. He's so deadpan it's almost entirely humorless. I used to like Don Cheadle but he's so Don Cheadle. Big watery eyes, kind of wimpy and whiny and that's it. His defining role for me is probably Boogie Nights.

 

 

The guard blew my mind a bit. And not in a good way. I just could not understand how that film was made. The way it lamely stumbled from beginning to end via a series of pointless that just happened in some arbitrary order. There was literally no thought put into the making of that film. Cringe incucingly bad attempts at humour and novelty. I think it was written by a commitee of 10-12 year old boys. If something can be "remarkably inane" which seems oxymoronic, then I think the guard was. It was certainly moronic at the very least.

 

The best part is right after the last shot of the film. Some upbeat triumphant sounding rock music comes on and the "directed by" credit takes up the whole screen. I literally laughed out loud. I could imagine in the filmmaker's head the audience would erupt in applause at this point but the energy of the whole film is so low for so long that it just makes the way it was done even more ridiculous.

 

Doug Stanhope: Oslo Burning the Bridge to Nowwhere - 2/10 - I remember watching a comedy special by this guy a while back and liking it but maybe I was high or something. Because this is really terrible. I know enough about him to know that he's supposed to be the "edgiest" comedian around but it doesn't mean anything if you're not funny. He picks the least funny premises to go into detail for 10 or 15 minutes longer than they should. I think maybe he didn't work this material out much or maybe just in front of hardcore fans because it's very indulgent. Mostly he just comes across as a smug guy that wants to tell you what's wrong with the world without being particularly funny doing it. At least when Bill Burr does the same thing he also turns it around on himself, to show how full of shit he is too.

  On 7/13/2012 at 5:51 PM, THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON said:

today's standards are higher?

 

Watched the Thin Red Line last night, and it has some really amazing sequences/scenes in it... and probably captures the feeling of War better than any other War films, but god damn if Terrence doesn't over-do it with the VO dialog and the somber hallmark cheese score. He really needs an editor.

Edited July 13, 2012 by compson

so, who's actually been to war?

I doubt anyone on this forum. Whats your point? Are you saying because one hasn't been to war they are incapable of determining an actual representation of war time compared to something phony?

Battle: Los Angeles: 1/10, generously.

 

Snow White and the Huntsman: 5/10; she really is autistic

  On 7/13/2012 at 7:36 PM, compson said:

I doubt anyone on this forum. Whats your point? Are you saying because one hasn't been to war they are incapable of determining an actual representation of war time compared to something phony?

 

yes, i am

Edited July 13, 2012 by THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON

I know a guy who killed a lot of people in Vietnam (so he says) and he said Full Metal Jacket is the most intense War film for him. I think there are certainly a few films that everyone would agree are most realistic and bleak... but something about the scene in A Thin Red Line, where they send two soldiers up the grassy hill to further investigate, and as they timidly get over the top of the hill, you hear gun fire and nothing more. Something about the wide POV shot of that hill with the wind blowing, very beautiful, yet absolutely terrifying at the same time. I imagine those moments in War would be the most frightening... where you get a full flavor contrast of life all in one moment.

Edited July 13, 2012 by compson

that's what's called good cinema, doesn't mean it's faithful...

 

i'm not trying to be picky, it's just that most of the time when reviewing war movies fans get the tendency to trow that card out...

I see no reason why something like that couldn't have happened... considering the vast amount of different perspectives there are in war, who's to say what is faithful in war?

Back to the Future is easily the most realistic portrayal of an 80s gimp going back to the 50s in a souped up delorean

  On 7/13/2012 at 7:57 PM, compson said:

I see no reason why something like that couldn't have happened... considering the vast amount of different perspectives there are in war, who's to say what is faithful in war?

veterans

That movie isn't based on reality though...

 

@Ludd

 

@MJ But even veterans don't experience all war experiences... I see your point though... but I think human beings are capable of understanding the feelings of being hunted, losing life, murder, and the pure backwardness of war to determine if a piece of cinema is more or less effective at putting you in a similar emotional tone.

Edited July 13, 2012 by compson

or was it?

Was it?

 

Was what?

Edited July 13, 2012 by compson

God, I hate those avatars...

Off topic

 

1 warning point for you

  On 7/13/2012 at 8:00 PM, compson said:

@MJ But even veterans don't experience all war experiences... I see your point though... but I think human beings are capable of understanding the feelings of being hunted, losing life, murder, and the pure backwardness of war to determine if a piece of cinema is more or less effective at putting you in a similar emotional tone.

what i mean is that the movie itself could be written with gimmicks that make you feel all that stuff but at the same time it is cheating you, like most drama writing...

Hmmm perhaps... maybe its a bit silly to quantify the accuracy. You are right.

  On 7/13/2012 at 8:09 PM, Squee said:

God, I hate those avatars...

just wait till i finish my recollection of karl´s expression gifs...