Recently viewed movie thread - Rental Edition (9 Viewers)

[SoFresh&SoClean]

Baby Mama

Don't give me ####. It's free on HBO. I am trying to slog my way through this junk, and it occurs to me: any movie that has that happy, twinkly, bubbly music sucks. Automatically. Like, the music almost always occurs in a movie like this within two minutes of the opening credits. And I realized that I am thankful. Much like a dark alley that's blocked by a serial killer holding an axe, these movies give you a direct, clear warning that they are going to murder your brain.

For some reason my wife really wants to see this movie.

Unless your wife likes really dark indy films, I am certain she will enjoy Baby Mama.

I turned this on the other day for no real reason other than it being free and I think Tina Fey is funny...could not make it all the way through. Pretty silly.Also watched Extract not long ago and really enjoyed it. Not overly funny, but a funny story overall.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Road to Perdition was not a bad movie, but it wasn't all that great, either. It held my interest, but you could see the ending coming from a mile away. There were also a lot of things that just didn't make a whole lot of sense (the casual machine gun murders in the streets, the seemingly pointless bank robberies, etc... there's more, but I can't really allude to them without giving away spoilers). I will say that Tom Hanks can pretty much do absolutely anything as an actor. The guy is amazing. Daniel Craig is good, too, but I thought his role in this film was a bit beneath him (and I do realize that this movie was filmed before he became a true leading actor).

I agree. This is a movie that thinks it's great but is only great-looking.

 

[jdoggydogg]

The Informant!

This is a weird movie. I'd label it as a dark comedy. Not sure what to say. Well made and definitely funny at times, but no big laughs.

 

[saintfool]

"Army of Shadows" last night. Tales of the French Resistance movement film directed by Jean Paul Melville who did "Le Samourai" and "Bob Le Flambeur" among others. It's kind of interesting but not especially thrilling. More a character driven film than action. Nice visual storytelling. Not for most people, I think.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Baby Mama

Don't give me ####. It's free on HBO. I am trying to slog my way through this junk, and it occurs to me: any movie that has that happy, twinkly, bubbly music sucks. Automatically. Like, the music almost always occurs in a movie like this within two minutes of the opening credits. And I realized that I am thankful. Much like a dark alley that's blocked by a serial killer holding an axe, these movies give you a direct, clear warning that they are going to murder your brain.

For some reason my wife really wants to see this movie.

Unless your wife likes really dark indy films, I am certain she will enjoy Baby Mama.

I turned this on the other day for no real reason other than it being free and I think Tina Fey is funny...could not make it all the way through. Pretty silly.Also watched Extract not long ago and really enjoyed it. Not overly funny, but a funny story overall.

Apparently, Mike Judge makes these kinds of comedies now: subtle, clever movies without huge laughs but entertaining enough.

 

[saintfool]

The Chumscrubber

Take Donnie Darko, American Beauty, and Alpha Dog and insert into a blender. Ambitious, if not quite brilliant. If you're a fan of suburban angst subject matter, you should enjoy. A couple scenes not for the squeamish.

4/5

watched this tonight and liked it well enough. not much in the way of laughs but a great cast trying to doing something with an uneven script. the nominal love interest is really pretty hot.camilla belle

 

[Bob Magaw]

excellent call on marathon man... one of my favorite movies... good novel by william goldman...

another spy flick is the eiger sanction w/ clint eastwood... he conveys some of the wickedly ascerbic & droll sense of humor from the novel of the same name by trevanian (though i wish they would make his best novel, shibumi)...

i also liked the previously mentioned day of the jackal, three days of the condor & parallax view...

* i haven't visited the thread in a while, but i'll try & remember what i have seen lately...

outland - directed by peter hyams (?), who also did the interesting dark city... i saw this a long time ago & forgot most of it... basically high noon set on a mining colony on one of jupiter's moons, with sean connery as the sherrif & peter boyle as the corrupt company official... typically brilliant score by jerry goldsmith ( a sci-fi master... also did planet of the apes, alien ((though that score was butchered)) & total recall)...

sharky's machine - classic 70s cop flick with burt reynolds ("come on, its gotta hurt sharkey")... aspects are dated but it hdld up pretty good... rachel ward is smoldering... henry silva steals the show as a psychotic, drug fueled hitman...

dirty dozen - hadn't seen this in a while, either... better than i remembered... somewhat long at 150 minutes (TCM next friday)...

at theater, took family to see ponyo... great movie for children... jumped at the oppurtunity to see japan's disney, miyazaki, on the big screen...

also saw inglorious basterds... i thought it was great, & one of tarantino's best...

also saw the original (italian)... no plot elements in common, though QT bought the rights, but a reasonably entertaining diversion in its own right...

yakuza - paul schrader story with robert mitchum... brian keith gets involved in a bad business deal with the yakuza & asks mitchum to help out... great acting by the japanese lead... well done blend of east & west (the schraders also did mishima, & i think his brother especially does a good job of conveying a sense of japanese culture)...

black sunday - robert shaw is an israeli commando, marte keller (she also co-starred in marathon man) is a terrorist bent on making a bang during the super bowl (cool cameos by steelers & cowboys), bruce dern is a tormented vet who she is using towards her end goal... i suppose this could fall into the category of a spy flick... i think this novel was thomas harris' breakthrough (red dragon was made into man hunter, silence of the lambs, the goofy, shark jumping hannibal)...

blue max - decent WW I film about an overly-ambitious fighter pilot (george peppard more wooden than a cigar store indian)... saved by a characteristically brilliant goldsmith score (one of his best)... incidentally, if anybody has ever been to soaring over by california at disney's adventure park, the music was also composed by goldsmith...

chinatown - along with LA confidential, one of the best neo-noirs (classic noir cycle generally cited as maltese falcon to touch of evil)... perfect casting... though a convoluted plot, instead of the usual blackmail/murder plot, the bad guys are from the dept. of water & power... title comes from an actual policeman who told writer robert townsend what he did in chinatown... as little as possible (when the tongs are going at the triads, & you can't tell who is doing what to who, or if you are helping uphold or break the law... you do as little as possible)...

farewell my lovely - mitchum is arguably the best marlowe, even better than the iconic humphy bogart... the world weary narrator comes naturally to him... superior remake of the earlier murder, my sweet (also good, from the '40s... on TCM this wed afternoon) with **** powell in the saddle as marlowe.. unlike the appalinglly bad big sleep, made around the same time...

fletch lives... had its moments, but for me not nearly as good as fletch...

the hidden - forgotten gem sci-fi from the '80s with a young kyle maclachan and michael nouri... an alien prisoner escapee is able to inhabit & control a host body (this alien seems to favor fast cars & hard rock), committing crimes until the body is so damaged he jumps to another host... basically a 90 minute long chase scene... pretty fun for this genre (hey, its not my dinner with andre )...

puppet masters - read the book & so wanted to watch the movie again... much better novel by heinlein (starship troopers a far higher profile heinlein remake by total recall & robo cops paul verhoeven)... OK, but could have been a lot better... appeared to be a pretty low budget production, other than presence of donald sutherland...

johnny mnemonic - another fun sci-fi movie that fell through the cracks... short story by seminal cyberpunk author (along with philip k. ****) neuromancer's william gibson... pre-matrix keanu reeves jacks in as an elite data courier who has some information the yakuza will cut his head off to get back... he is guided by a ghost in the machine, a deceased pharmaceutical exec who lives on & is granted legal citizenship as an AI... add in a telepathic dolphin, ice-T as a leader of a low-tek guerilla faction, along with henry rollins a doctor, & it was apparent the movie had the right element of irony & didn't take itself too seriously...

lust for life - GREAT biopic about vincent van gough, with paintings... one of the best scores ever by the masterful miklos rozsa (ben hur, el cid, king of kings)...

point blank - boorman directed (did deliverance most famously, but also excalibur, zardoz, etc)... lee marvin is a wraith-like killing machine, working his way up a crime syndicate's food chain to recover money that was stolen from him after being shot in the back & betrayed by his best friend (dean wurmer from animal house, also in dirty harry?) and wife... remade as the lesser pay back mel gibson vehicle...

running man - lightweight, but another fun sci-fi movie i hadn't seen in a while... about as amusing as i remembered...

von ryan's express - WW II POW movie with frank sinatra (not nearly as good as the great escape)... had some moments, a bit tedious, finished stronger...

wind & the lion... connery is a berber pirate that kidnaps candice bergen & sets off an international incident, with brian keith as teddy roosevelt, based on a true story, directed by john milius... another outstanding goldsmith score...

man from la mancha - never saw the musical this was based on, but i like the story of don quixote... peter o'toole captures the spirit of the character, sophia loren is dulcinea... the use a jailhouse play reenactment as a vehicle to launch the kaleidoscopic seriels of novel vignettes... well done, if you don't hate musicals, recommended...

logan's run - yet another goldsmith sc-fi score... also one i hadn't seen in a while... pretty cheesy, though edward g. robinson was compelling as always... far more dated than soylent green, from approx same era, for instance... working my way methodically through cheesy '70s sci fi cinema (omega man on deck soon )...

that sort of catches me up...

 

[jdoggydogg]

Sunshine

This is a pretty sweet movie. Cillian Murphy is good, as usual. I don't care for the Friday the 13th scenes towards the end. But this is not your average sci fi schlock. I liked it a lot. Great score, too.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Sunshine

This is a pretty sweet movie. Cillian Murphy is good, as usual. I don't care for the Friday the 13th scenes towards the end. But this is not your average sci fi schlock. I liked it a lot. Great score, too.

Sci-fi is genre that hasn't been done well lately. Really liked this movie until the ending (if I remember correctly the last 15mins or so).

 

[TexanFan02]

another spy flick is the eiger sanction w/ clint eastwood... he conveys some of the wickedly ascerbic & droll sense of humor from the novel of the same name by trevanian (though i wish they would make his best novel, shibumi)...

Me too. Probably not enough "action" in it to make it in this day and age. A really good director could pull it off though.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Sunshine

This is a pretty sweet movie. Cillian Murphy is good, as usual. I don't care for the Friday the 13th scenes towards the end. But this is not your average sci fi schlock. I liked it a lot. Great score, too.

Sci-fi is genre that hasn't been done well lately. Really liked this movie until the ending (if I remember correctly the last 15mins or so).

I loved the last 15 minutes. It's the bad guy I could have done without.

 

[saintfool]

Sunshine

This is a pretty sweet movie. Cillian Murphy is good, as usual. I don't care for the Friday the 13th scenes towards the end. But this is not your average sci fi schlock. I liked it a lot. Great score, too.

i thought it was a total mess. it couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to be. great cast. looked fantastic too. it just needed to settle down on one or two ideas and execute them better.

 

[Payne]

Sunshine

This is a pretty sweet movie. Cillian Murphy is good, as usual. I don't care for the Friday the 13th scenes towards the end. But this is not your average sci fi schlock. I liked it a lot. Great score, too.

i thought it was a total mess. it couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to be. great cast. looked fantastic too. it just needed to settle down on one or two ideas and execute them better.

I see this is from 2007. Is this on video? Or did you guys catch it on HBO, Sho, etc?

 

[Buckychudd]

Duplicity

It was interesting I guess, and had a couple nice twists. It just seemed to drag in parts.

 

[guru_007]

In the Valley of Elah

Liked the movie pretty well, liked the acting just fine. But, hfs, can Hollywood, please stop with the political ####### commentary? It's one thing to be subtle about your anti-war sentiment. I get it, you're liberal, you don't like the president at the time, you don't think we should be in Iraq. That's ####### fine, I understand that. But, flying the American flag upside down at the end of your movie? I am so sick and tired of this crap, it's ridiculous. And does Susan Sarandon just smell a script with anti-war overtone and pay for a spot in the movie? ughhhhhhhhh. These people are so full of themselves and their ideology it's unreal. They pump this crap as part of actual events. The actual events were documented in a playboy article. And the director fully pins blame on the murder of an "exemplary soldier" on the horrors from Iraq. Oh? I guess drugs played no part in this one. I forgot, this is Hollywood, drugs aren't evil, war is evil. Drugs expand your mind, dude.

rant over, I'm done with this thread.

 

[saintfool]

Sunshine

This is a pretty sweet movie. Cillian Murphy is good, as usual. I don't care for the Friday the 13th scenes towards the end. But this is not your average sci fi schlock. I liked it a lot. Great score, too.

i thought it was a total mess. it couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to be. great cast. looked fantastic too. it just needed to settle down on one or two ideas and execute them better.

I see this is from 2007. Is this on video? Or did you guys catch it on HBO, Sho, etc?

i caught it on dvd earlier this year.

 

[saintfool]

In the Valley of Elah

Liked the movie pretty well, liked the acting just fine. But, hfs, can Hollywood, please stop with the political ####### commentary? It's one thing to be subtle about your anti-war sentiment. I get it, you're liberal, you don't like the president at the time, you don't think we should be in Iraq. That's ####### fine, I understand that. But, flying the American flag upside down at the end of your movie? I am so sick and tired of this crap, it's ridiculous. And does Susan Sarandon just smell a script with anti-war overtone and pay for a spot in the movie? ughhhhhhhhh. These people are so full of themselves and their ideology it's unreal. They pump this crap as part of actual events. The actual events were documented in a playboy article. And the director fully pins blame on the murder of an "exemplary soldier" on the horrors from Iraq. Oh? I guess drugs played no part in this one. I forgot, this is Hollywood, drugs aren't evil, war is evil. Drugs expand your mind, dude.

rant over, I'm done with this thread.

paul haggis - the director & helped write the script - also did "crash", which was also a "movie with a message". it's not hollywood being liberal. it's haggis telegraphing his punches.

 

[SKribbles]

Blood and Bone: A street fighting movie that was a lot better the Fighting imo. The fights were done very good even though a couple were bordering on van Damme style dancing. Decent plot even though there were a couple holes. By no means masterpiece but I was expecting a lot worse. 3/5

 

[jdoggydogg]

Sunshine

This is a pretty sweet movie. Cillian Murphy is good, as usual. I don't care for the Friday the 13th scenes towards the end. But this is not your average sci fi schlock. I liked it a lot. Great score, too.

i thought it was a total mess. it couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to be. great cast. looked fantastic too. it just needed to settle down on one or two ideas and execute them better.

I thought it was an outstanding movie with a psychotic antagonist that didn't need to be there.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Sunshine

This is a pretty sweet movie. Cillian Murphy is good, as usual. I don't care for the Friday the 13th scenes towards the end. But this is not your average sci fi schlock. I liked it a lot. Great score, too.

i thought it was a total mess. it couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to be. great cast. looked fantastic too. it just needed to settle down on one or two ideas and execute them better.

I see this is from 2007. Is this on video? Or did you guys catch it on HBO, Sho, etc?

Netflix.

 

[jdoggydogg]

In the Valley of Elah

Liked the movie pretty well, liked the acting just fine. But, hfs, can Hollywood, please stop with the political ####### commentary? It's one thing to be subtle about your anti-war sentiment. I get it, you're liberal, you don't like the president at the time, you don't think we should be in Iraq. That's ####### fine, I understand that. But, flying the American flag upside down at the end of your movie? I am so sick and tired of this crap, it's ridiculous. And does Susan Sarandon just smell a script with anti-war overtone and pay for a spot in the movie? ughhhhhhhhh. These people are so full of themselves and their ideology it's unreal. They pump this crap as part of actual events. The actual events were documented in a playboy article. And the director fully pins blame on the murder of an "exemplary soldier" on the horrors from Iraq. Oh? I guess drugs played no part in this one. I forgot, this is Hollywood, drugs aren't evil, war is evil. Drugs expand your mind, dude.

rant over, I'm done with this thread.

paul haggis - the director & helped write the script - also did "crash", which was also a "movie with a message". it's not hollywood being liberal. it's haggis telegraphing his punches.

Blech. I liked Elah a lot more than Crash. But knowing that Haggis directed both movies makes me think less of Elah. Still, Tommy Lee Jones was outstanding in this movie.

 

[hooter311]

Sunshine

This is a pretty sweet movie. Cillian Murphy is good, as usual. I don't care for the Friday the 13th scenes towards the end. But this is not your average sci fi schlock. I liked it a lot. Great score, too.

i thought it was a total mess. it couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to be. great cast. looked fantastic too. it just needed to settle down on one or two ideas and execute them better.

I thought it was an outstanding movie with a psychotic antagonist that didn't need to be there.

I loved Sunshine, probably my favorite Boyle film.A little muddled towards the end, yes, but I was able to go with it. Probably my favorite sci-fi movie made in the last 10 years.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Sunshine

This is a pretty sweet movie. Cillian Murphy is good, as usual. I don't care for the Friday the 13th scenes towards the end. But this is not your average sci fi schlock. I liked it a lot. Great score, too.

i thought it was a total mess. it couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to be. great cast. looked fantastic too. it just needed to settle down on one or two ideas and execute them better.

I thought it was an outstanding movie with a psychotic antagonist that didn't need to be there.

I loved Sunshine, probably my favorite Boyle film.A little muddled towards the end, yes, but I was able to go with it. Probably my favorite sci-fi movie made in the last 10 years.

So many sci fi films are schlocky and unrealistic. So Sunshine gets big points for originality, set design, special effects, and Boyle's direction.

 

[hooter311]

Sunshine

This is a pretty sweet movie. Cillian Murphy is good, as usual. I don't care for the Friday the 13th scenes towards the end. But this is not your average sci fi schlock. I liked it a lot. Great score, too.

i thought it was a total mess. it couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to be. great cast. looked fantastic too. it just needed to settle down on one or two ideas and execute them better.

I thought it was an outstanding movie with a psychotic antagonist that didn't need to be there.

I loved Sunshine, probably my favorite Boyle film.A little muddled towards the end, yes, but I was able to go with it. Probably my favorite sci-fi movie made in the last 10 years.

So many sci fi films are schlocky and unrealistic. So Sunshine gets big points for originality, set design, special effects, and Boyle's direction.

I know I'm the minority, but I actually liked reflecting on the psychology of a man trapped alone in space staring at the sun for years because there is literally nothing else to look at. I thought it was a pretty damn cool idea, but was executed pretty corny. Not quite sure how he also developed superhuman abilities in that same time period.

 

[saintfool]

I loved Sunshine, probably my favorite Boyle film.

A little muddled towards the end, yes, but I was able to go with it. Probably my favorite sci-fi movie made in the last 10 years.

wow. that's a pretty bold statement considering the body of work. i liked "sunshine" because it was playing with a few interesting ideas. it wasn't sucessful, imo, in pulling them off though. better boyle films are "shallow grave", "trainspotting" and "28 days later", and "millions" in that order. that some of you are gushing over "sunshine", to me, is more of an indictment of the genre than a celebration of boyle here.

 

[SmoovySmoov]

I know I'm the minority, but I actually liked reflecting on the psychology of a man trapped alone in space staring at the sun for years because there is literally nothing else to look at. I thought it was a pretty damn cool idea, but was executed pretty corny. Not quite sure how he also developed superhuman abilities in that same time period.

Agree with this. Really enjoyed the movie, and the character didn't bother me, aside from the aforementioned superhuman powers.

 

[krista4]

Sat on the couch and watched Teen Wolf a couple times yesterday afternoon.

Uhhhhhhhhh...This just struck me as funny.

If I pop in an old 80's favorite, you can pretty much guarantee I'm going to restart it as soon as the credits finish rolling. I'll probably end up watching it again tonight because its still in my DVD player. I partially blame this on the nostalgia factor of the soundtracks playing through the credits, when its done and I don't have another new rental to put in the only thing that makes sense to me is to restart the experience.

This habit is has allowed me to view Ferris Bueller's Day Off 100+ times without ever finding the time of day to watch films like Gone With the Wind or Casablanca once in my life.

I can dig it. Although I like months, even years to pass between viewings. It ensures that I'll be surprised by little things I've forgotten about.Still, you should see Casablanca ONCE

I agree with you and hopefully I will get a chance to watch it soon. Its not that I have anything against the classics, it's just that they don't ever sound THAT appealing.Queued up that hopefully I'll see in the next 3 months or so:

Treasure of the Sierra Madre

The Seventh Seal

The Cincinnati Kid

Them!

Hud

Cowboys

Somebody Up There Likes Me

After that I'll try to fit Casablanca in on the next set.

Am I the only person that keeps all 500 slots filled in their netflix queue?

I'm just catching up after about a month out of this thread, but I not only keep all 500 slots filled, I keep an ancillary list of movies to add once a space becomes available.

 

[saintfool]

speaking of 80's movies... i watched "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" for the first time in ages. what made it interesting for me was that it was unedited. i've watched it so many times over the years but it's always the safe TV version. it's a definitely a standard bearer of the 80's teen "dramedy". phobe cates made the movie a work of art.

 

[Anonymous Internet User]

just saw District 9 in theaters.

enjoyable popcorn flick. some deep plot flaws that prevent it from being taken too seriously. would recommend it if you haven't seen it.

 

[whoknew]

Sugar

I really enjoyed this one, even with the sub-titles. It was a thoughtful and prolonged look at a Dominican baseball player and his journey through the KC Royal farm system as he becomes a man. THis would make a great double bill with Rudo y Cursi. The lead was believable and I really pulled for him throughout the movie. The family in Bridgetown was classic. Really solid film, 4/5 stars

I just watched this last night after reading all the hype about it. I liked it also and thought it was good - but I think I was a little bit of a victim of the hype. It wasn't the amazing cinema experience that I thought it'd be going in.

 

[krista4]

Haven't done much movie-watching over the past couple of months, and what I have watched I didn't post about because I was catching up to stuff that had been reviewed many times--The Bank Job, for instance, which I liked very much despite the fact that it was neither depressing nor in a foreign language. Watched Anvil! The Story of Anvil on a plane a week ago, and while it was enjoyable, it was also too forced and set-up to rate more than a 3/5.

Only one worth reviewing in full:

Cherry Blossoms: Please someone else watch this so that I can get another person's thoughts on it. It was high on my list for the Chicago International Film Festival last year, but I ended up missing it. Hard to describe without spoilers (and DON'T read any reviews because I see that most have spoilers, too), but it's the story of an older couple who visit their children in Germany and Japan. I don't know what to think of it. In some ways, it's one of the best movies I've ever seen. The cinematography and directing are unbelievable--not just the beauty of some of the scenes, but the composition and just the idea of what was filmed--and the acting of the two people playing the couple was astonishing. There were points that were absolutely wrenching.

On the other hand, I don't need any more "young person from a different culture teaches older person how to live again" movies, and there was a creepy aspect to the movie involving cross-dressing in a dead person's clothes that turned me off. Also, the couple's three children were absolutely despicable, with no redeeming qualities, and it would have been better to have some balance there or at least a fuller understanding of why. Could have used a bit of editing, too. Overall, the movie frustrated me because the good aspects of it were so great that I wanted it to be better as a whole. 3.5/5

 

[hooter311]

I loved Sunshine, probably my favorite Boyle film.

A little muddled towards the end, yes, but I was able to go with it. Probably my favorite sci-fi movie made in the last 10 years.

wow. that's a pretty bold statement considering the body of work. i liked "sunshine" because it was playing with a few interesting ideas. it wasn't sucessful, imo, in pulling them off though. better boyle films are "shallow grave", "trainspotting" and "28 days later", and "millions" in that order. that some of you are gushing over "sunshine", to me, is more of an indictment of the genre than a celebration of boyle here.

Both "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Shallow Grave" were better made movies than Sunshine, but it's still my favorite."Trainspotting" was good/great, but I enjoyed "The Beach" more. "28 Days Later" is solid.

Haven't seen "Millions" yet

 

[jdoggydogg]

So many sci fi films are schlocky and unrealistic. So Sunshine gets big points for originality, set design, special effects, and Boyle's direction.

I know I'm the minority, but I actually liked reflecting on the psychology of a man trapped alone in space staring at the sun for years because there is literally nothing else to look at. I thought it was a pretty damn cool idea, but was executed pretty corny. Not quite sure how he also developed superhuman abilities in that same time period.

I thought the movie had a lot of interested predicaments and conflicts before the bad guy shows up. So I don't even think this movie needed a heavyweight bad guy. I think all the conflicts between crew members were infinitely more interesting.

 

[jdoggydogg]

I loved Sunshine, probably my favorite Boyle film.

A little muddled towards the end, yes, but I was able to go with it. Probably my favorite sci-fi movie made in the last 10 years.

wow. that's a pretty bold statement considering the body of work. i liked "sunshine" because it was playing with a few interesting ideas. it wasn't sucessful, imo, in pulling them off though. better boyle films are "shallow grave", "trainspotting" and "28 days later", and "millions" in that order. that some of you are gushing over "sunshine", to me, is more of an indictment of the genre than a celebration of boyle here.

28 Days Later and Trainspotting are my favorite Boyle films. While I do think that the sci fi genre is bereft of good films, I still contend that Sunshine was very good.

 

[QUEZILLA]

Anyone know where I can find that movie "Moon."

 

[KarmaPolice]

I loved Sunshine, probably my favorite Boyle film.

A little muddled towards the end, yes, but I was able to go with it. Probably my favorite sci-fi movie made in the last 10 years.

wow. that's a pretty bold statement considering the body of work. i liked "sunshine" because it was playing with a few interesting ideas. it wasn't sucessful, imo, in pulling them off though. better boyle films are "shallow grave", "trainspotting" and "28 days later", and "millions" in that order. that some of you are gushing over "sunshine", to me, is more of an indictment of the genre than a celebration of boyle here.

28 Days Later and Trainspotting are my favorite Boyle films. While I do think that the sci fi genre is bereft of good films, I still contend that Sunshine was very good.

Can't think of many from the genre that I have really liked from the last several years. Sunshine, Primer, Moon, and Serenity are ones that come to mind. It's like horror movies for me - love the genre, but seems like 85% of the time I walk away dissapointed. Probably why I seem to stick to drama and documentaries.

 

[jdoggydogg]

I loved Sunshine, probably my favorite Boyle film.

A little muddled towards the end, yes, but I was able to go with it. Probably my favorite sci-fi movie made in the last 10 years.

wow. that's a pretty bold statement considering the body of work. i liked "sunshine" because it was playing with a few interesting ideas. it wasn't sucessful, imo, in pulling them off though. better boyle films are "shallow grave", "trainspotting" and "28 days later", and "millions" in that order. that some of you are gushing over "sunshine", to me, is more of an indictment of the genre than a celebration of boyle here.

28 Days Later and Trainspotting are my favorite Boyle films. While I do think that the sci fi genre is bereft of good films, I still contend that Sunshine was very good.

Can't think of many from the genre that I have really liked from the last several years. Sunshine, Primer, Moon, and Serenity are ones that come to mind. It's like horror movies for me - love the genre, but seems like 85% of the time I walk away dissapointed. Probably why I seem to stick to drama and documentaries.

Much like a really good comedy, I think it's hard to make a really good sci fi flick.

 

[cosjobs]

Lymelife - Indy family drama set in Long Island suburbia in the late 70s. If you like this sort of thing, this one is very good, altho its a genre that's been done countless times. I particularly liked the cast thought they were all first-rate, particularly Alex Baldwin and the Culkin brothers. Romantic interest Emma Roberts is destined for fame. She's got the "it" factor. Executive produced by Scorcese, so you my expectations were higher than normal for this type film and those expectations were met. 3.5/5 stars

Observe & Report - I had no interest in seeing this, but its 51% Tomatometer rating enticed me to give it a shot. Weird film with many twisted scenes kept it interesting. Decent and occasionally funny. Interesting enough that I did not regret watching, but not so much that I can recommend it. 2.5/5 stars

 

[jdoggydogg]

State of Play

This is the British miniseries that the Russell Crowe film is based on. Just started watching it this week, and it's fantastic.

 

[Bob Magaw]

another spy flick is the eiger sanction w/ clint eastwood... he conveys some of the wickedly ascerbic & droll sense of humor from the novel of the same name by trevanian (though i wish they would make his best novel, shibumi)...

Me too. Probably not enough "action" in it to make it in this day and age. A really good director could pull it off though.

maybe michael bey would be a great directorial choice for hard hitting scenes like when the protagonist "tunes" the brook or stream in his meditation garden by moving rocks & plants around (with the now obligatory, bourne-like, staccato, epilptic seizure-inducing, collapsing attention span-enabling, hyper-fast cut editing...

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

Sunset Boulevard

Saw this for the first time over the weekend.

Great story, well written, and well acted. William Holden seems to have been forgotten in the world of cinema.

When watching old movies I realize that you have to put things into a pastime context, but Gloria Swanson's performance was like an SNL bit: just sooooooo over the top that it becomes implausible, but in 1950 that was a revolutionary character.

 

[Wingnut]

Watched the new Star Trek flick last night.

Ive never watched a single episode of the TV series, but Ive seen a few of the movies. This one was by far the best. Highly entertaining, excellent effects, and I really liked the guys playing young Spock and Kirk. 8/10.

 

[SKribbles]

Watched the new Star Trek flick last night.Ive never watched a single episode of the TV series, but Ive seen a few of the movies. This one was by far the best. Highly entertaining, excellent effects, and I really liked the guys playing young Spock and Kirk. 8/10.

Watching this tonight. The only Star Trek I've watched is a few episodes of the old school tv show.

 

[hooter311]

Pandorum

Caught this in the theater over the weekend, and am kind of disappointed it flopped as badly as it did. Good Sci-fi is hard to come by as we recently discussed and this movie has a lot going for it. Think Alien/Event Horizon in a blender. As an admittedly huge fan of monster movies, this movie really could have done without the creatures and focused more on the physiological aspects of space travel it attempted to explore. There is no new ground covered with the creatures which reminded me a lot of the Ghosts of Mars monsters. The movie requires you to put a lot of the pieces of the puzzle together yourself without a whole heck of a lot of clues. I'm not sure if this was brilliant or lazy filmmaking, but I find myself still thinking about the story a few days later. One big "no no" it committed was explaining a large chunk of the plot through exposition from a character introduced later in the movie. I could not figure out how in the world he would know what he did either. I enjoyed the ending which isn't very common in space movies I've seen. Most of the non-classics always seem to end in a complete disaster of script writing.

3.5/5

The alien screeches were a bit much for me in theaters, I'd probably wait to enjoy it in a home theater where I could tinker with this a bit. It doesn't look like this is going to spend much time in the cinema anyways.

 

[hooter311]

Randy and the Mob

Added this because I just had to quench my thirst for Walton Goggins after the ending of the The Shield. He plays Forrest Gump the mobster in a 100% deadpan role, he never cracks a smile. Very strange movie as its a PG mafia movie without any material for children. Main character also plays his gay identical twin brother, which adds very little to the plot. Main character was a Southerner who owned multiple businesses, had his own BBQ restaurant, and a football fan. He kind of reminded me of someone on this site, but I just couldn't put my finger on who. Despite all its flaws and virtually nothing exciting happening, this had a very strange appeal to it. One to watch while you drift in an out of a nap on a Sunday afternoon I suppose.

2/5

 

[SKribbles]

Transformers 2: Great visuals, zero substance. Plot holes everywhere and horrible acting... the Transformers had more character than anyone else. The only enjoyable character was the sector 7 guy. Way to much 'Jar-Jar Binks' type crap in this. 2/5



Star Trek: Pretty freaking awesome. I've never watched a Star Trek movie. I love sci-fi but just never got into them. Even at 2:15ish minutes, this was too short. I really don't like the "3 years later" crap. Other than that, I have no complaints. Good eye candy and a pretty good story without any glaring holes. 4/5



The Brothers Bloom: Meh... pretty boring. I'm think this was supposed to be a comedy but I'm not sure. It wasn't funny, it wasn't dramatic and there was very little excitement. Since it was a movie about con-artists, you know the big twists are coming and nothing is as it seems. 1.5/5

 

[saintfool]

Pandorum

Caught this in the theater over the weekend, and am kind of disappointed it flopped as badly as it did. Good Sci-fi is hard to come by as we recently discussed and this movie has a lot going for it. Think Alien/Event Horizon in a blender. As an admittedly huge fan of monster movies, this movie really could have done without the creatures and focused more on the physiological aspects of space travel it attempted to explore. There is no new ground covered with the creatures which reminded me a lot of the Ghosts of Mars monsters. The movie requires you to put a lot of the pieces of the puzzle together yourself without a whole heck of a lot of clues. I'm not sure if this was brilliant or lazy filmmaking, but I find myself still thinking about the story a few days later. One big "no no" it committed was explaining a large chunk of the plot through exposition from a character introduced later in the movie. I could not figure out how in the world he would know what he did either. I enjoyed the ending which isn't very common in space movies I've seen. Most of the non-classics always seem to end in a complete disaster of script writing.

3.5/5

The alien screeches were a bit much for me in theaters, I'd probably wait to enjoy it in a home theater where I could tinker with this a bit. It doesn't look like this is going to spend much time in the cinema anyways.

the a-few-weeks-old film "moon" kind of dabbles in this from what i understand. supposed to be pretty good too.

 

[hooter311]

Pandorum

Caught this in the theater over the weekend, and am kind of disappointed it flopped as badly as it did. Good Sci-fi is hard to come by as we recently discussed and this movie has a lot going for it. Think Alien/Event Horizon in a blender. As an admittedly huge fan of monster movies, this movie really could have done without the creatures and focused more on the physiological aspects of space travel it attempted to explore. There is no new ground covered with the creatures which reminded me a lot of the Ghosts of Mars monsters. The movie requires you to put a lot of the pieces of the puzzle together yourself without a whole heck of a lot of clues. I'm not sure if this was brilliant or lazy filmmaking, but I find myself still thinking about the story a few days later. One big "no no" it committed was explaining a large chunk of the plot through exposition from a character introduced later in the movie. I could not figure out how in the world he would know what he did either. I enjoyed the ending which isn't very common in space movies I've seen. Most of the non-classics always seem to end in a complete disaster of script writing.

3.5/5

The alien screeches were a bit much for me in theaters, I'd probably wait to enjoy it in a home theater where I could tinker with this a bit. It doesn't look like this is going to spend much time in the cinema anyways.

the a-few-weeks-old film "moon" kind of dabbles in this from what i understand. supposed to be pretty good too.

I'm really anticipating Moon, but I don't think it even came to my local theater. I can't wait to check it out on DVD.

 

[jdoggydogg]

State of Play

This is the British miniseries that the Russell Crowe film is based on. Just started watching it this week, and it's fantastic.

Just finished disc 1 of 2. Holy balls this is great.

 

[Homer J Simpson]

State of Play

This is the British miniseries that the Russell Crowe film is based on. Just started watching it this week, and it's fantastic.

Just finished disc 1 of 2. Holy balls this is great.

Yes, it certainly is. Glad you're watching that instead of the Crowe movie.