Recently viewed movie thread - Rental Edition (1 Viewer)

[Nigel Tufnel]

King of Kong: Amazing. I know documentarians take liberties with what they include and tone-setting music to sway the audience one way or the other, but this thing plays out like a brilliant, scripted, good vs. evil drama. Hilarious characters, too. One of the best docs I've ever seen.

 

[Drifter]

King of Kong: Amazing. I know documentarians take liberties with what they include and tone-setting music to sway the audience one way or the other, but this thing plays out like a brilliant, scripted, good vs. evil drama. Hilarious characters, too. One of the best docs I've ever seen.

Apparently the egomaniac former champion tried to sue the film makers but it had no tread since they really didn't say anything bad about him. In fact, when they talk about him they were usually complimentary. All of the negative image came purely from his own actions.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

All of the negative image came purely from his own actions.

Totally. If that character (as well as his weasley little sidekick) showed up in a work of fiction, you'd dismiss it as too ridiculous. His look was downright amazing.

 

[Darth Cheney]

The Invasion....Didn't hate it......I thought the end sucked though.

The Namesake.... Could have been better with a stronger actor than Kal Penn. I thought the first half of the story which focused solely on his father and mother was much better.

 

[jdoggydogg]

King of Kong: Amazing. I know documentarians take liberties with what they include and tone-setting music to sway the audience one way or the other, but this thing plays out like a brilliant, scripted, good vs. evil drama. Hilarious characters, too. One of the best docs I've ever seen.

I loved this movie.

 

[krista4]

I know I've brought up Heaven before, but I just caught most of it again on one of the premium channels.

Directed by Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, Princess and the Warrior) and written by Krzysztof Kieslowski (Red, Blue, White, Decalogue) with Kate Blanchette and Giovanni Ribisi. Really a stunning, moving film- one of the more beautifully filmed and... vibed movies I've seen.

Plot deals with issues on a more mythic level (pure Kieslowski)- Love, Redemption, Justice- and is jaw-droppingly beautifully filmed and acted- all in Italy, and mostly in Italian. If you're looking for a more straight ahead story, the mythic quality creates some forced plot lines, which bugged me a little when I first saw this in the theater (still loved the look and vibe at the time), but seemed more apparent and completely forgivable on this 3rd-ish viewing.

Every frame is carefully composed, and Tykwer somehow manages to get a lot of calm movement from his camera while staying tight on his lead actors (Blanchette ). Stunning use of light and shadow in every scene that brings to mind Renaissance paintings... or maybe Vermeer. Spare, haunting score- often w/out sound- that suits the movie perfectly, even if I'd never want to listen to it on it's own. There are two scenes at the end that are some of my all time favorite on a purely visual level (one involving a sunrise and the characters in silhouette, the other a helicopter).

Just hoping somebody else has seen this? I forget what came up last time I mentioned it.

Yes, you and I had a discussion about this movie before. One of my favorite movie endings ever. Go and look up our past posts, lazy.

.... Meanie!Vaguely rememberd and figured you had seen this one. Besides the ending, did you like the rest of the movie?

Anybody else see this?

How about Decalogue, written and directed by Kierslowksi? I think done for Polish TV in 10 x1hour segments to match the 10 commandments. Similar narrative approach, IMO, although less beautiful visually.

Great performances--was amazed that Blanchett spoke Italian in the movie--terrific cinematography, great premise to the movie. This is definitely an underrated, criminally overlooked movie.I own the Decalogue--one of my favorites movies (or series of movies, I guess). Also own/love the Three Colors trilogy.

 

[krista4]

Atonement

Fantastic cinematography, and brilliant acting aren't enough to carry the mediocre storyline. I thought the movie was pretty good, but could have been great. It's definitely worth a rental though.

After reading the book, I have practically no interest in seeing the movie... much like you described the movie- very well written, but annoying story.

I saw this during my Oscar Madness weekend. It was the only one I saw that weekend that I thought was "meh", and since that time I've grown to believe that I actively hate it.

 

[krista4]

I've got Juno in my queue, but this sure looks like a dud. From the scenes I've seen, it looks like it's really trying hard to be clever. Anyone that's seen it have an opinion?

It's a bit precious in it's writing, yeah- but the writing is still pretty good. Only problem I had with the writing was that it suffered from all the characters having too similar a voice. Relied too much on the actors, rather than the writing, to differentiate the characters. Other problem was the lack of change that occured to Juno while she was pregnant... not much of a character arc, despite the major-life-changing thing like a pregnancy.eta: but it's not a dud... definitely worth the watch.

Excellent review--agree with all of this.

 

[krista4]

Finally watched "There Will be Blood" in its entirety last night. it was one of the best movies I have ever seen. I have seen many, many movies.

I'm amazed that there is anyone, anywhere, who doesn't think this movie was fantastic. I liked No Country for Old Men, but this was far superior in my opinion, and I have barely been able to get it out of my mind in the weeks since I saw it. Just outstanding.

 

[krista4]

The Invasion....Didn't hate it......I thought the end sucked though.The Namesake.... Could have been better with a stronger actor than Kal Penn. I thought the first half of the story which focused solely on his father and mother was much better.

Enjoyed the Namesake a lot. I can see what you say about Kal Penn, but I guess I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[YSR]

Been on a tear this weekend, trying to catch up:

Fracture: this came and went out with a whimper in the theatres, and I don't really know why. While it wasn't the greatest film, I was entertained and reminded of how creepy Anthony Hopkins can be. 3.5/5

Once: I really loved this movie. Low budget flick, unknown actors (to me at least), but there was something so captivating about it. The soundtrack is amazing, I bought it immediately after finishing the film. 5/5

Into the Wild: Finally saw this. I read the book when it was first published, as McCandless was a casual friend of my brother's at Emory, and thought it was a haunting story. For me, the real power in the movie was the cinematography and the visual feast. Hirche gave a solid performance, I was super touched by Holbrook's turn, but all in all I was just kind of so-so on the film. 4/5

Up next: Away From Her.

 

[Bailiver]

Gone Baby Gone. Loved the movie. Some terrific performances, especially the druggy mom. I am appaently one of the few not completely sold on Casey Affleck. His accent was dead-on, I'll give him that much. Just not sure how wide of an acting range he has. Most of the movie he seemed to have the same expression.

 

[-arcK-]

Gone Baby Gone. Loved the movie. Some terrific performances, especially the druggy mom. I am appaently one of the few not completely sold on Casey Affleck. His accent was dead-on, I'll give him that much. Just not sure how wide of an acting range he has. Most of the movie he seemed to have the same expression.

Wow, I thought his performance in Assassination of Jesse James was entirely different from Gone Baby Gone... those two characters were two completely different people.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Gone Baby Gone. Loved the movie. Some terrific performances, especially the druggy mom. I am appaently one of the few not completely sold on Casey Affleck. His accent was dead-on, I'll give him that much. Just not sure how wide of an acting range he has. Most of the movie he seemed to have the same expression.

Wow, I thought his performance in Assassination of Jesse James was entirely different from Gone Baby Gone... those two characters were two completely different people.

While I had big problems with Gone Baby Gone, Casey's acting in both those films proves he's an actor that needs to be watched.

 

[saintfool]

The Namesake.... Could have been better with a stronger actor than Kal Penn. I thought the first half of the story which focused solely on his father and mother was much better.

like a lot of adaptations, the novel is a lot better. i jhumpa lahiri.

 

[Yenrub]

Rented No Country for Old Men on Friday

I thought it was just Ok

Why was this movie up for so many awards?

 

[shadyridr]

The Kingdom- Based on many good reviews in this thread I rented this and absolutely loved it. Why did so many critics blast it? It was like CSI: Saudi Arabia. Very interesting movie and the ending was friggin intense.

 

[Fallerjw]

30 Days of Night - Nothing too original, but I still found it entertaining. I'm a bit biased as I tend to like this genre of movie. The acting wasn't great, the dialogue wasn't great, it had plenty of Hollywood built into it, however, it was still able to make me want to keep watching.

Not a keeper, but worth a watch if you like the genre.

 

[Fallerjw]

The Kingdom- Based on many good reviews in this thread I rented this and absolutely loved it. Why did so many critics blast it? It was like CSI: Saudi Arabia. Very interesting movie and the ending was friggin intense.

Awesome movie! I'd recommend this one to pretty much anybody.

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

Caught Open Water 2 on HBO last night. Missed the very beginning, but I was interested (read: BORED) enough to watch the rest of it. It was a solid MEH. 2/5 for me. I was a little confused with the ending, but maybe I missed a vital something in the beginning?

 

[Yenrub]

The Kingdom- Based on many good reviews in this thread I rented this and absolutely loved it. Why did so many critics blast it? It was like CSI: Saudi Arabia. Very interesting movie and the ending was friggin intense.

I really enjoyed that movie

 

[Big_Russel]

"The Mist" was on the menu last night. Hated it.

 

[The Juggernaut]

Into The Wild Beautifully shot film. Good music. But I just coudn't connect with the story. Seemed like such a waste.

Michael Clayton Good film. I'm a Clooney fan. Not better than No Country though. I didn't feel it really broke any new ground at all. Pretty standard lawyer drama/thriller.

 

[fsufan]

The Kingdom- Based on many good reviews in this thread I rented this and absolutely loved it. Why did so many critics blast it? It was like CSI: Saudi Arabia. Very interesting movie and the ending was friggin intense.

Awesome movie! I'd recommend this one to pretty much anybody.

Got this movie a month ago from Netflcks but could not make myself watch it so I burned it . I am going to watch tonight after all the good reviews I have read from the thread

 

[whoknew]

Romance and Cigarettes -- This is in the running for the most unusual movie I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure I liked it but I'll have to think about that for a while more. But it is most certainly worth seeing -- if for nothing else than Christopher Walken. It is certainly unique.

 

[whoknew]

The Namesake -- An excellent movie. It was funny and sad -- I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend this movie.

 

[Big_Russel]

The Kingdom- Based on many good reviews in this thread I rented this and absolutely loved it. Why did so many critics blast it? It was like CSI: Saudi Arabia. Very interesting movie and the ending was friggin intense.

Awesome movie! I'd recommend this one to pretty much anybody.

Got this movie a month ago from Netflcks but could not make myself watch it so I burned it . I am going to watch tonight after all the good reviews I have read from the thread

It put me to sleep.

 

[tommyboy]

Rented No Country for Old Men on Friday

I thought it was just Ok

Why was this movie up for so many awards?

thought it was really good.

 

[Homer J Simpson]

Just finished watching Babel.What a suckfest that was. Who the hell nominated this for Best Picture?

So has there already been a discussion on how much this sucked?

 

[fsufan]

Mr Brooks

I heard alot of bad things about this movie not sure why. i liked it . a different serial killer movie

 

[SmoovySmoov]

Disappointed in the latest crop from Netflix.

Them - This was the highlight of the 3. French "horror" film. I really wouldn't call it that. Much more tension and suspense than horror. Based on a true story. It was pretty good, and creepy at times. (4/5)

Slipstream - Why do these movies I have been getting lately, that look really really good in the trailer, turn out to be so disappointing (Southland Tales, I'm looking at you). Anthony Hopkins tries to write, direct, and star in his own version of a David Lynch film, and falls well short of the mark. I didn't even finish it. (1/5)

Stalker - It's Russian. It's sci-fi. It's thought provoking. I wanted to like it. I didn't. (2/5)

In a side note, I'm kicking myself for not getting my Netflix queue adjusted prior to my last batch arriving, as I really needed to get the next two discs of Carnivale bumped up. If you haven't seen this show, it's the best show I've seen since Twin Peaks.

 

[Drifter]

Just finished watching Babel.What a suckfest that was. Who the hell nominated this for Best Picture?

So has there already been a discussion on how much this sucked?

I talked about it's momentous suckitude a couple weeks ago.

 

[YSR]

Been on a tear this weekend, trying to catch up:

Fracture: this came and went out with a whimper in the theatres, and I don't really know why. While it wasn't the greatest film, I was entertained and reminded of how creepy Anthony Hopkins can be. 3.5/5

Once: I really loved this movie. Low budget flick, unknown actors (to me at least), but there was something so captivating about it. The soundtrack is amazing, I bought it immediately after finishing the film. 5/5

Into the Wild: Finally saw this. I read the book when it was first published, as McCandless was a casual friend of my brother's at Emory, and thought it was a haunting story. For me, the real power in the movie was the cinematography and the visual feast. Hirche gave a solid performance, I was super touched by Holbrook's turn, but all in all I was just kind of so-so on the film. 4/5

Up next: Away From Her.

Away From Her - this had a lot of momentum at the start and I found myself wondering if I would be able to handle it after watching two emotional movies above. It's a really poignant story about how Alzheimers affects a couple of 44 years and how both parties deal with it - in particular, the love that the husband has for his affected wife and his resolve to do what he needs to make her happy, even if it is at his own expense.Beautifully acted and an interesting story line, I just kind of found myself doing other things while watching it. Still, though: 4/5

 

[snogger]

Mr BrooksI heard alot of bad things about this movie not sure why. i liked it . a different serial killer movie

I enjoyed it.. Not great, but was worth the rental fee.

 

[El Floppo]

In a side note, I'm kicking myself for not getting my Netflix queue adjusted prior to my last batch arriving, as I really needed to get the next two discs of Carnivale bumped up. If you haven't seen this show, it's the best show I've seen since Twin Peaks.

Worst. Ending. Ever.sorry.

Some brilliant moments before then, though.

 

[jdoggydogg]

In a side note, I'm kicking myself for not getting my Netflix queue adjusted prior to my last batch arriving, as I really needed to get the next two discs of Carnivale bumped up. If you haven't seen this show, it's the best show I've seen since Twin Peaks.

One of the most brilliant works of art in any medium...ever. Genius. The first season is the best.

 

[El Floppo]

In a side note, I'm kicking myself for not getting my Netflix queue adjusted prior to my last batch arriving, as I really needed to get the next two discs of Carnivale bumped up. If you haven't seen this show, it's the best show I've seen since Twin Peaks.

One of the most brilliant works of art in any medium...ever. Genius. The first season is the best.

c: above, but I actually got angry- like throw things at the screen angry- over how badly this thing ended. I guess that emotion came from really digging it up until (I guess) the plug got pulled and they had to figure out how to finish it up.

 

[jdoggydogg]

In a side note, I'm kicking myself for not getting my Netflix queue adjusted prior to my last batch arriving, as I really needed to get the next two discs of Carnivale bumped up. If you haven't seen this show, it's the best show I've seen since Twin Peaks.

One of the most brilliant works of art in any medium...ever. Genius. The first season is the best.

c: above, but I actually got angry- like throw things at the screen angry- over how badly this thing ended. I guess that emotion came from really digging it up until (I guess) the plug got pulled and they had to figure out how to finish it up.

I agree that it finished poorly. I think, though, if you just isolate the first season, it's a work of art of pure genius.

 

[saintfool]

i caught a fun documentary about the ramones called "ramones: end of the century" on pbs the other night. it was really very entertaining. i liked the ramones but was never really in love with them. this doc has got me thinking about them in a completely different way. great interviews with members of the band, the peers and admirers, and those that worked with/for them. just a lot of fun.

 

[jdoggydogg]

i caught a fun documentary about the ramones called "ramones: end of the century" on pbs the other night. it was really very entertaining. i liked the ramones but was never really in love with them. this doc has got me thinking about them in a completely different way. great interviews with members of the band, the peers and admirers, and those that worked with/for them. just a lot of fun.

Sounds cool. "Ramones Mania" is a great CD to buy if you want just one.

 

[Bob Magaw]

crash - the cronenberg movie... i forgot how bizarre this was... made blue velvet look like a walter cronkite documentary

saw a movie on satellite (but available from criterion/netflix) called naked prey... i hadn't seen it before, based on story of colter's run, a trapper who scouted with lewis & clark who later had to run for his life after ahead start from hundreds of indians... director/actor cornell wilde transposed to a safari in africa... outstanding movie, highly recommended, deftly edits in & intercuts stock footage of africa...

 

[saintfool]

crash - the cronenberg movie... i forgot how bizarre this was... made blue velvet look like a walter cronkite documentarysaw a movie on satellite (but available from criterion/netflix) called naked prey... i hadn't seen it before, based on story of colter's run, a trapper who scouted with lewis & clark who later had to run for his life after ahead start from hundreds of indians... director/actor cornell wilde transposed to a safari in africa... outstanding movie, highly recommended, deftly edits in & intercuts stock footage of africa...

if you liked "crash" then you should check out j g ballard's other work. it's a very specific but works for some readers. paul bowles is the same way.i haven't seen "naked prey" since i was a kid. i remember watching it on my local uhf channel one day while home sick from school. huh.

 

[El Floppo]

crash - the cronenberg movie... i forgot how bizarre this was... made blue velvet look like a walter cronkite documentarysaw a movie on satellite (but available from criterion/netflix) called naked prey... i hadn't seen it before, based on story of colter's run, a trapper who scouted with lewis & clark who later had to run for his life after ahead start from hundreds of indians... director/actor cornell wilde transposed to a safari in africa... outstanding movie, highly recommended, deftly edits in & intercuts stock footage of africa...

Holy crap- I remember seeing Naked Prey, but had no idea what in the hell it was. Really glad you brought this up. I remember really saturated colors more than anything else, but liked it.eta: and Crash... love Unger ... I like the vibe of his films, but don't really love them... the fetishism gets corny, IMO (eXistenZ comes to mind along with Crash).

 

[El Floppo]

crash - the cronenberg movie... i forgot how bizarre this was... made blue velvet look like a walter cronkite documentarysaw a movie on satellite (but available from criterion/netflix) called naked prey... i hadn't seen it before, based on story of colter's run, a trapper who scouted with lewis & clark who later had to run for his life after ahead start from hundreds of indians... director/actor cornell wilde transposed to a safari in africa... outstanding movie, highly recommended, deftly edits in & intercuts stock footage of africa...

if you liked "crash" then you should check out j g ballard's other work. it's a very specific but works for some readers. paul bowles is the same way.i haven't seen "naked prey" since i was a kid. i remember watching it on my local uhf channel one day while home sick from school. huh.

Are we the same person?

 

[jdoggydogg]

crash - the cronenberg movie... i forgot how bizarre this was... made blue velvet look like a walter cronkite documentarysaw a movie on satellite (but available from criterion/netflix) called naked prey... i hadn't seen it before, based on story of colter's run, a trapper who scouted with lewis & clark who later had to run for his life after ahead start from hundreds of indians... director/actor cornell wilde transposed to a safari in africa... outstanding movie, highly recommended, deftly edits in & intercuts stock footage of africa...

if you liked "crash" then you should check out j g ballard's other work. it's a very specific but works for some readers. paul bowles is the same way.i haven't seen "naked prey" since i was a kid. i remember watching it on my local uhf channel one day while home sick from school. huh.

Are we the same person?

 

[saintfool]

eta: and Crash... love Unger ... I like the vibe of his films, but don't really love them... the fetishism gets corny, IMO (eXistenZ comes to mind along with Crash).

there was a period in cronenberg's body of work that he was pretty close to unwatchable. "naked lunch" was borderline (one of my favorite movie posters of all time, btw) but he didn't get his footing again until "a history of violence".

 

[jdoggydogg]

eta: and Crash... love Unger ... I like the vibe of his films, but don't really love them... the fetishism gets corny, IMO (eXistenZ comes to mind along with Crash).

there was a period in cronenberg's body of work that he was pretty close to unwatchable. "naked lunch" was borderline (one of my favorite movie posters of all time, btw) but he didn't get his footing again until "a history of violence".

Yeah. Existenze was

 

[El Floppo]

eta: and Crash... love Unger ... I like the vibe of his films, but don't really love them... the fetishism gets corny, IMO (eXistenZ comes to mind along with Crash).

there was a period in cronenberg's body of work that he was pretty close to unwatchable. "naked lunch" was borderline (one of my favorite movie posters of all time, btw) but he didn't get his footing again until "a history of violence".

Good point, me... Get's back to more character driven story there- furthered with Eastern Promises (which I prefered).He's kinda like (disclaimer: bear with me while this stuff pops out of the noggin) Spike Lee in that the characters and even plot are secondary to the underriding theme of the film (fetishes or race). Both hurts and helps each of their work, IMO- creates richer "meaning" by not having the characters get in the way, but loses my interest since I can't empathasize with flat stereotypes.

 

[Bob Magaw]

i thought videodrome was the best thing cronenberg ever did (& the criterion commentary track with james woods one of the best of its kind i've ever heard)...

the brood is underrated, i had never seen it, but not a juvenalia work, his style is pretty fully formed already, this is his first work with name actors... psycholgical thriller/horror, in the murderous, psychopathic, mutant, deformed midget genre (with don't look now & phantasm... actually that was the murderous, psychopathic, mutant, deformed, ZOMBIE midget genre)...

i liked history of violence & eastern promises, too... probably the former more, the end of eastern promises left me a little cold (sort of like kubrick's last movie, left hanging)... but it was compelling at times...

 

[SmoovySmoov]

Holy crap. I finally got to see King of Kong - A Fistful of Quarters, and it was the shiz. I laughed. I cried. I watched it two times in a row. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up. (5/5)