Recently viewed movie thread - Rental Edition (3 Viewers)

[jdoggydogg]

I actually liked The Village.

It established a sense of dread that few films are capable of, it is only guilty of totally manipulating audiences to the point of stupidity.

I agree that the twist was lame. But the movie was a decent little melodrama. Lady in the Water, however, was a smelly pile of garbage.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I dont think I actually saw The Village. Reviews and my already sky high hatred of shamalan as well as my sister saying it sucked made me steer clear.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I watched Event Horizon when I was like 13. I think I pissed myself 2.5 times

We went to see this as a group in college - one of the girls was crying in the theater she was so scared, and claimed she was having nightmares for a week or two.I still can't watch the scenes where his wife shows up.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I hated The Village, but was mildly entertained by Lady in the Water.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Capturing The Friedmans is incredible. Love that movie.



I think Murder also makes the viewer question eyewitness testimony. Definitely going to check out Paradise Lost.

"Thin Blue Line" set the standard for this kind of inquiry.

Great movie. That's one of the first documentaries I ever saw.

same goes for me. morris kind of revived the genre in many ways, i think. i was just looking at wiki and came across this:

First Person

Morris used this process to film his critically acclaimed television show, First Person (2000). The show engaged a varied group of individuals from civil advocates to criminals.

Season 1

1. "Stairway to Heaven" — Temple Grandin, autistic college professor and expert on humane cattle slaughter techniques

2. "The Killer Inside Me" — Sondra London, serial killer groupie and writer

3. "I Dismember Mama" — Saul Kent, promoter of cryogenic immortality

4. "The Stalker" — Bill Kinsley, employer and victim of the disgruntled postal worker Thomas McIlvane

5. "The Parrot" — Jane Gill, victim of a murder with a possible avian eye-witness

6. "Eyeball to Eyeball" — Clyde Roper, authority on the giant squid

7. "Smiling in a Jar" — Gretchen Worden, director of the Mütter Museum of medical oddities in Philadelphia

8. "In the Kingdom of the Unabomber" — Gary Greenberg, Unabomber pen pal and would-be biographer

9. "Mr. Debt" — Andrew Capoccia, whiz lawyer for credit-card debtors

10. "You're Soaking In It" — Joan Dougherty, crime scene cleaner

11. "The Little Gray Man" — Antonio Mendez, retired CIA operative and master of disguise

Season 2

1. "Harvesting Me" — Josh Harris, internet entrepreneur (We Live in Public) and Television addict

2. "The Smartest Man in the World" — Chris Langan, bar bouncer with the alleged world's highest IQ

3. "The Only Truth" — Murray Richman, lawyer to New York mobsters

4. "One in a Million Trillion" — Rick Rosner, professional high school student and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? contestant

5. "Mr. Personality" — Dr. Michael Stone, forensic pathologist and homicide aficionado, host of Most Evil

6. "Leaving the Earth" — Denny Fitch, DC-10 pilot and hero

this sounds pretty great. and it's on Netflix!

Just added this to the queue.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Just a warning to everyone... The Last Airbender is getting blasted on RT. After The Happening I would avoid The Last Airbender like the plague.

Shamalan hasnt made a good movie since Sixth Sense, and I didnt even like that one (Stir of Echoes is similar and much better IMO). The next movie has been worse than the one prior to it, so this isnt a surprise to me.

Unbreakable was great... after that it's all way, way down hill.

Unbreakable his best by far.

,swas way better than Sixth Sense and everything after

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

morris kind of revived the genre in many ways, i think. i was just looking at wiki and came across this:

First PersonMorris used this process to film his critically acclaimed television show, First Person (2000). The show engaged a varied group of individuals from civil advocates to criminals.Season 1 1. "Stairway to Heaven" — Temple Grandin, autistic college professor and expert on humane cattle slaughter techniques 2. "The Killer Inside Me" — Sondra London, serial killer groupie and writer 3. "I Dismember Mama" — Saul Kent, promoter of cryogenic immortality 4. "The Stalker" — Bill Kinsley, employer and victim of the disgruntled postal worker Thomas McIlvane 5. "The Parrot" — Jane Gill, victim of a murder with a possible avian eye-witness 6. "Eyeball to Eyeball" — Clyde Roper, authority on the giant squid 7. "Smiling in a Jar" — Gretchen Worden, director of the Mütter Museum of medical oddities in Philadelphia 8. "In the Kingdom of the Unabomber" — Gary Greenberg, Unabomber pen pal and would-be biographer 9. "Mr. Debt" — Andrew Capoccia, whiz lawyer for credit-card debtors 10. "You're Soaking In It" — Joan Dougherty, crime scene cleaner 11. "The Little Gray Man" — Antonio Mendez, retired CIA operative and master of disguiseSeason 2 1. "Harvesting Me" — Josh Harris, internet entrepreneur (We Live in Public) and Television addict 2. "The Smartest Man in the World" — Chris Langan, bar bouncer with the alleged world's highest IQ 3. "The Only Truth" — Murray Richman, lawyer to New York mobsters 4. "One in a Million Trillion" — Rick Rosner, professional high school student and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? contestant 5. "Mr. Personality" — Dr. Michael Stone, forensic pathologist and homicide aficionado, host of Most Evil 6. "Leaving the Earth" — Denny Fitch, DC-10 pilot and hero

this sounds pretty great. and it's on Netflix!

Just added this to the queue.

same here.

 

[Masked Vigilante]

Book of Eli - 6.5 kittys/10

 

[Maik Jeaunz]

for M. Night Shamalamadingdong movies:

6th Sense - liked it a lot; enjoyed the twist because I wasn't really expecting it.

Signs - it was okay, would have been better if the aliens weren't so lame.

Unbreakable - I liked it, but not as much as some...probably because of my general disdain for Samuel Jackson's acting.

The Village - I liked this more than most; the music, acting, and the sense of tension made the experience good for me.

Lady in the Water - enjoyed it; paul giammatti made the movie for me, and the grass wolf was pretty cool.

The Happening - meh. I don't like Marky Mark and just couldn't really get into the premise.

all in all, I am usually at least mildly entertained by his movies. so I will probably go check out Last Airbender; I'm sure at least the visuals will be good.

 

[hooter311]

I forgot how much I liked Signs too, I guess that would be my favorite.

1. Signs

2. Sixth Sense

3. The Village

Nothing else worth watching for me, Unbreakable was "ok", just not my thing.

Lady in the Water and The Happening were awful.

 

[videoguy505]

I forgot how much I liked Signs

 

[prosopis]

I saw The Machinist. I liked it quite a bit. I could not believe how much weight Christian Bale lost for the role. He looked anorexic. I saw this on instant download from netflix.

 

[jdoggydogg]

I saw The Machinist. I liked it quite a bit. I could not believe how much weight Christian Bale lost for the role. He looked anorexic. I saw this on instant download from netflix.

Cool movie. Great atmosphere.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I saw The Machinist. I liked it quite a bit. I could not believe how much weight Christian Bale lost for the role. He looked anorexic. I saw this on instant download from netflix.

I thought I read somewhere that he only ate an apple a day for a month or something like that and that he wanted to go another 5-10 pounds but the filmmakers wouldn't let him. It effected the stunts he could do for Batman Begins b/c he couldn't gain the weight and get into shape fast enough.

 

[snogger]

I forgot how much I liked Signs

I enjoyed it.. Still think 6th Sense was better, then Unbreakable then Signs.. Didn't realize liking "Signs" was a offense

 

[Kenny Powers]

I saw The Machinist. I liked it quite a bit. I could not believe how much weight Christian Bale lost for the role. He looked anorexic. I saw this on instant download from netflix.

Came out when I was in college and some film club or something would show an indie flick once a week. Only time I ever went was for this movie, was pleasantly surprised. Havent seen it since then, but I didnt see the ending coming at all. I dont think he's had a better performance since The Machinist, although he was good in The Prestige

 

[Kenny Powers]

I saw The Machinist. I liked it quite a bit. I could not believe how much weight Christian Bale lost for the role. He looked anorexic. I saw this on instant download from netflix.

I thought I read somewhere that he only ate an apple a day for a month or something like that and that he wanted to go another 5-10 pounds but the filmmakers wouldn't let him. It effected the stunts he could do for Batman Begins b/c he couldn't gain the weight and get into shape fast enough.

IIRC it was an apple and a can of tuna per day. I dont remember the time frame, but I think it was at least for 6 months before shooting it, probably more like 12. No way someone his size could lose that much weight in a month

 

[Kenny Powers]

I forgot how much I liked Signs

Admittedly, I thought it was very good until you find out that water can kill them. What kind of ######ed ####### alien that cant come in contact with water comes to a planet that is 75% water?!

Swing away, Merrill, swing away!!!

 

[Chaka]

Just a warning to everyone... The Last Airbender is getting blasted on RT. After The Happening I would avoid The Last Airbender like the plague.

Shamalan hasnt made a good movie since Sixth Sense, and I didnt even like that one (Stir of Echoes is similar and much better IMO). The next movie has been worse than the one prior to it, so this isnt a surprise to me.

Unbreakable was great... after that it's all way, way down hill.

Unbreakable his best by far.

,swas way better than Sixth Sense and everything after

List of potential villains for Unbreakable II:The Swim CoachpiratemikeCountess Vanessa von Breastroke The Bulgarian 1984 Olympic Synchronized Swimming TeamThornton Mellon

 

[gump]

Heathers - hadn't seen it in 20 years...just tuned in on cable to watch a little, and sat thru the whole thing. Not your run-of-the-mill teen flick. Dark, cool, and moves quickly. Slater should have made his career playing psycopaths.

"I love my dead, gay son!"

 

[videoguy505]

I saw The Machinist. I liked it quite a bit. I could not believe how much weight Christian Bale lost for the role. He looked anorexic. I saw this on instant download from netflix.

I thought I read somewhere that he only ate an apple a day for a month or something like that and that he wanted to go another 5-10 pounds but the filmmakers wouldn't let him. It effected the stunts he could do for Batman Begins b/c he couldn't gain the weight and get into shape fast enough.

IIRC, he had no problem bulking up for Batman. He lost all his muscle for the Machinist, down to 120 lbs (he wanted to go for 100), but built it all back up in 6 mos. Actually, if memory serves, he got up to 225 for Batman and the producers thought it was a bit too much, and he dropped down to 190 for filming. Quite a yoyo.

 

[videoguy505]

Nice, have Heathers on the docket to watch soon. Hadn't seen it in forever either, then last week it seemed like a good idea to check it out again.

 

[krista4]

Heathers - hadn't seen it in 20 years...just tuned in on cable to watch a little, and sat thru the whole thing. Not your run-of-the-mill teen flick. Dark, cool, and moves quickly. Slater should have made his career playing psycopaths.

"I love my dead, gay son!"

Great movie.

 

[Bojang0301]

Let The Right One In - I took a stab in the dark with this Scandinavian vampire movie about 2 12 year old's that become friends. I was pretty blown away with how well made this movie was. I still felt a twinge that it was riding off Twilight's (which I haven't and hopefully will never see) coattails. Although the story goes to places not many would tread (which I respect) and seems a hell of a lot darker. I would recommend if you can watch foreign films and you are into horror/vampire movies.

I wanted to revisit this because this damn movie has been on my brain all day. I've decided it's absolutely fantastic in every way. The ambiguity and build up of it is wonderful. The cinematography is absolutely spectacular and the pool scene is probably my favorite scene of recent memory. I was wrong to even mention Twilight but #### happens after a long day being extended later into the night by a "strange" Scandinavian vampire flick.

 

[krista4]

I watched two interesting documentaries today:

Helvetica: Yes, it's about the font. And yes, it's really fascinating anyway. Had no idea of the history and how much some people care about fonts. My favorite was the woman who hated Helvetica because "it was the typeface of the Vietnam War". Really interesting learning in this movie. 4/5

Up for Grabs: Another very good doc about the fight over Barry Bonds's 73rd home run ball in his record-breaking season. Had remembered the news accounts of the fight and the lawsuit but didn't know a lot of the surrounding info. Again, super interesting. KP, if you like movies where you're not sure where you stand in the end, this one's for you. 4/5

 

[videoguy505]

Helvetica: Yes, it's about the font. And yes, it's really fascinating anyway. Had no idea of the history and how much some people care about fonts. My favorite was the woman who hated Helvetica because "it was the typeface of the Vietnam War". Really interesting learning in this movie. 4/5

Saw this a year or so ago. Great docu.

 

[jdoggydogg]

I watched two interesting documentaries today:

Helvetica: Yes, it's about the font. And yes, it's really fascinating anyway. Had no idea of the history and how much some people care about fonts. My favorite was the woman who hated Helvetica because "it was the typeface of the Vietnam War". Really interesting learning in this movie. 4/5

I've broken some kind of graphic designer law by not having seen this yet, but it looks good. Since you liked this movie, you may very well enjoy Milton Glaser: Inform and Delight. He's one of the most famous designers of all time. He invented the I <3 NY brand. But the movie is interesting to art lovers, as well. Very good.

 

[Chaka]

Heathers - hadn't seen it in 20 years...just tuned in on cable to watch a little, and sat thru the whole thing. Not your run-of-the-mill teen flick. Dark, cool, and moves quickly. Slater should have made his career playing psycopaths.

"I love my dead, gay son!"

Great movie.

For the Heathers fans I recommend checking out Pretty Persuasion. Very entertaining, well acted movie.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Have been looking for some entertaining (even if cheesy) horror movie lately. Last night I watched Brainscan.

This started out as a decent little horror movie right up until the point where the Trickster showed up and started dancing around the room like Drop Dead Fred, then it got all sorts of stupid. Not sure what the point of going this route was - it could have been a decent movie for the genre if they just stuck to him realizing that mistakes where made and he kept getting the game discs.

 

[hooter311]

I forgot how much I liked Signs

I saw it in the theaters and was able to totally suspend all logic for the duration of it. I'm a big Gibson/Phoenix fan, so it just worked for me. I realize how stupid it was, but it wasn't like M. Night didn't put any effort into it, which is more than what a lot of films can say.

 

[Iraqi Information Minister]

I forgot how much I liked Signs

I saw it in the theaters and was able to totally suspend all logic for the duration of it. I'm a big Gibson/Phoenix fan, so it just worked for me. I realize how stupid it was, but it wasn't like M. Night didn't put any effort into it, which is more than what a lot of films can say.

I'm with you. I like Signs a bunch. The soundtrack gets me too.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Adoration

Atom Egoyan made a great film with The Sweet Hereafter. One of the best movies of the past 20 years, in my opinion. Adoration isn't nearly as good, but it's still worth a rental.

Adoration hits some high notes for originality, mood, music, and acting. But ultimately, I don't know what this movie's about. On one hand, I don't want a film that tells me how to think. On the other hand, I like an insight into the director's intentions. Adoration could have used some editing at the script level.

I think The Sweet Hereafter was a much better movie because the source novel was a lot stronger than Agoyan's script here. Still, an interesting movie that I'm glad I saw.

 

[Statorama]

Wow "The Last Airbender" getting savaged by the critics. 7% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Wow "The Last Airbender" getting savaged by the critics. 7% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

It's PG, so isn't this a kid's movie? Seems like the ads are pimping it to a higher age demographic, and I think a lot of people will be dissapointed because of it. How many non-animated recent PG movie have people really enjoyed? I am sure I am missing some, but Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean are ones that pop into mind, but I am sure there are more...

 

[KarmaPolice]

Adoration

Atom Egoyan made a great film with The Sweet Hereafter. One of the best movies of the past 20 years, in my opinion. Adoration isn't nearly as good, but it's still worth a rental.

Adoration hits some high notes for originality, mood, music, and acting. But ultimately, I don't know what this movie's about. On one hand, I don't want a film that tells me how to think. On the other hand, I like an insight into the director's intentions. Adoration could have used some editing at the script level.

I think The Sweet Hereafter was a much better movie because the source novel was a lot stronger than Agoyan's script here. Still, an interesting movie that I'm glad I saw.

That was my impression as well - this is on the list of "watch agains" to see if something jumps out more the second time around.

 

[KarmaPolice]

There's been a fair amount of talk about documentaries lately, so I have a question for everybody:

Have you watched a documentary that you thought was terrible or that you hated?

One of the reasons that I like the genre is that I always get something out of every one that I have watched, no matter if I agree with the side presented in the movie or not, and can't think of any bad ones.

 

[krista4]

There's been a fair amount of talk about documentaries lately, so I have a question for everybody:

Have you watched a documentary that you thought was terrible or that you hated?

One of the reasons that I like the genre is that I always get something out of every one that I have watched, no matter if I agree with the side presented in the movie or not, and can't think of any bad ones.

Documentaries I disliked (not that I keep a list or anything ):Bigger, Stronger, Faster - Frankly, I don't remember why.

The Bridge - We've discussed this one at length on here.

Bright Leaves - Just bored me.

Gray's Anatomy - Don't remember why.

I Am a Sex Addict - Stupid.

Standing in the Shadows of Motown - Horribly boring.

Steal a Pencil for Me - Ditto.

Surfwise - I know others here liked it, but that family was just unbearable for me to watch (esp. the dad).

This So-Called Disaster - Don't remember why.

The Weather Underground - Fascinating subject inexplicably made boring.

I didn't hate all of the above, but they were all highly disappointing.

ETA: That said, docs bat at a much higher average for me than any other genre, for the reasons you mentioned. I watched one on power plants in former Soviet Georgia that I even found interesting.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I dont remember it really, and I dont think I watched the whole thing, but I thought I Am A Sex Addict was pretty funny

 

[krista4]

I dont remember it really, and I dont think I watched the whole thing, but I thought I Am A Sex Addict was pretty funny

Started off great--I thought I was going to love it. Seemed like one note, though, played over and over and over.

 

[travdogg]

Heathers - hadn't seen it in 20 years...just tuned in on cable to watch a little, and sat thru the whole thing. Not your run-of-the-mill teen flick. Dark, cool, and moves quickly. Slater should have made his career playing psycopaths.

"I love my dead, gay son!"

Agreed, I guess he played a very similar character in Very Bad Things, which like Heathers, is a very underrated movie.

 

[Chaka]

There's been a fair amount of talk about documentaries lately, so I have a question for everybody:

Have you watched a documentary that you thought was terrible or that you hated?

One of the reasons that I like the genre is that I always get something out of every one that I have watched, no matter if I agree with the side presented in the movie or not, and can't think of any bad ones.

Farenheit 9/11

 

[jdoggydogg]

Wow "The Last Airbender" getting savaged by the critics. 7% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

I need to stay away from this thread. I'm seeing Airbender Friday, and every negative post I read makes me less willing to go.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Adoration

Atom Egoyan made a great film with The Sweet Hereafter. One of the best movies of the past 20 years, in my opinion. Adoration isn't nearly as good, but it's still worth a rental.

Adoration hits some high notes for originality, mood, music, and acting. But ultimately, I don't know what this movie's about. On one hand, I don't want a film that tells me how to think. On the other hand, I like an insight into the director's intentions. Adoration could have used some editing at the script level.

I think The Sweet Hereafter was a much better movie because the source novel was a lot stronger than Agoyan's script here. Still, an interesting movie that I'm glad I saw.

That was my impression as well - this is on the list of "watch agains" to see if something jumps out more the second time around.

I'm not sure I'd want to see this again, although it's rich enough to warrant a second viewing. My biggest beef was that ridiculous confrontation with the cab driver. I thought that was a totally unnecessary character. And for me, that confrontation was emblematic of the movie's problems.

 

[jamny]

Heathers - hadn't seen it in 20 years...just tuned in on cable to watch a little, and sat thru the whole thing. Not your run-of-the-mill teen flick. Dark, cool, and moves quickly. Slater should have made his career playing psycopaths.

"I love my dead, gay son!"

Agreed, I guess he played a very similar character in Very Bad Things, which like Heathers, is a very underrated movie.

Just saw Very Bad Things recently and loved it. I'm not a Slater fan but he was great in it.

 

[Bojang0301]

Wow "The Last Airbender" getting savaged by the critics. 7% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

I need to stay away from this thread. I'm seeing Airbender Friday, and every negative post I read makes me less willing to go.

REMEMBER THE HAPPENING!!!!

 

[jdoggydogg]

There's been a fair amount of talk about documentaries lately, so I have a question for everybody:

Have you watched a documentary that you thought was terrible or that you hated?

One of the reasons that I like the genre is that I always get something out of every one that I have watched, no matter if I agree with the side presented in the movie or not, and can't think of any bad ones.

Great question. Most mediocre documentaries are still better than many fiction films because they still have truth in them - and that can be interesting. Documentaries that I either couldn't finish or won't recommend:Grey Gardens

People love this movie, but I was bored stiff. And furthermore, here you have two nutty women that are so weird and dull that I can't help but conclude that this movie wouldn't receive any attention if the women weren't related to the Kennedys.

The Devil and Daniel Johnson

Documentary about a weird, mentally ill guy that's been heralded as a great folk icon by some very respected musicians. His lyrics were interesting. And yet, I didn't think his music was very good and the guy is pretty much crazy. Worth 30 minutes, maybe; but not 90 minutes.

Shane McGowan: If I Should Fall From Grace

I love The Pogues. Big fan. But 90 minutes of this toothless drunk became unbearable.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I think the only doc that I can remember not liking is Fahrenhype 9/11. Instead of just laying down a counter argument, it was just "Michael Moore is stupid and paranoid" for about 90mins. No info, no perspective, and no entertainment value.

Also, March of the Penguins was way overhyped and I almost couldn't get through Grizzly Man (but that's mostly because I wanted to crawl through the screen and punch that guy in the throat - damn was he annoying).

I've managed to avoid all the others people have listed.

 

[Worm]

We saw The Blind Side last weekend. I liked it. Kind of knew the basics of the story but enjoyed seeing on film. I actually liked Bullock in it. Real photos at the end were pretty cool.

Not a rental, but we saw Knight and Day last weekend too. We had a babysitter and just wanted to get out, and ended up at this. I had VERY low expectations, as Tom Cruise action movies are not really my favorite, but I actually really enjoyed it and had fun. Cruise and Diaz were pretty good together and there were some really funny lines/scenes.

We have The Box to watch tonight. Seems like there is mixed reviews of this, leaning more negative.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Not a rental, but we saw Knight and Day last weekend too. We had a babysitter and just wanted to get out, and ended up at this. I had VERY low expectations, as Tom Cruise action movies are not really my favorite, but I actually really enjoyed it and had fun. Cruise and Diaz were pretty good together and there were some really funny lines/scenes.

Despite not really thinking much of him as an actor, he has a ton of movies that I liked

 

[jeter23]

Not a rental, but we saw Knight and Day last weekend too. We had a babysitter and just wanted to get out, and ended up at this. I had VERY low expectations, as Tom Cruise action movies are not really my favorite, but I actually really enjoyed it and had fun. Cruise and Diaz were pretty good together and there were some really funny lines/scenes.

Despite not really thinking much of him as an actor, he has a ton of movies that I liked

Same here...I liked:

Minority Report

MI1

Collateral

Jerry Maguire

Rain Man

A Few Good Men

The Firm