Recently viewed movie thread - Rental Edition (5 Viewers)

[saintfool]

The Departed: watched it last night pretty good, still not sure I liked the ending.

Last Kiss: well written, good movie for couples to watch as it has great guy moments, and junk women can relate to.

To defend the ending of the departed without spoilers: I think it was gutsy to end the film that way. Most films don't have the courage to end a film wiith such a dire consequence for the protagonist. As for the rat that no one seemed to like, Scorsese has a sense of humor. And the total ham-fisted metaphor was clearly meant to be funny.

spoiler alert...

 

[jdoggydogg]

The Departed: watched it last night pretty good, still not sure I liked the ending.

Last Kiss: well written, good movie for couples to watch as it has great guy moments, and junk women can relate to.

To defend the ending of the departed without spoilers: I think it was gutsy to end the film that way. Most films don't have the courage to end a film wiith such a dire consequence for the protagonist. As for the rat that no one seemed to like, Scorsese has a sense of humor. And the total ham-fisted metaphor was clearly meant to be funny.

spoiler alert...

Another spoiler alert...

 

[saintfool]

mytagid = Math.floor( Math.random() * 100 );document.write("

i didn't have a problem with damon getting killed by wahlberg. i did think the other dirty cop, who we haven't seen since the first 5 minutes of the movie, as deus ex machina seemed untidy from the hands of marty. he's normally really smart about plot construction. that hole hurt an already threadbare plot. did they have it in the original "infernal affairs"?*** SPOILER ALERT! Click this link to display the potential spoiler text in this box. ***");document.close();

 

[jdoggydogg]

mytagid = Math.floor( Math.random() * 100 );document.write("

i didn't have a problem with damon getting killed by wahlberg. i did think the other dirty cop, who we haven't seen since the first 5 minutes of the movie, as deus ex machina seemed untidy from the hands of marty. he's normally really smart about plot construction. that hole hurt an already threadbare plot. did they have it in the original "infernal affairs"?*** SPOILER ALERT! Click this link to display the potential spoiler text in this box. ***");document.close();

Ahh...I see. I can't argue with that, though the choice didn't bother me.

 

[jamny]

just finished Supersize Me. not bad.now if you'll excuse me while i go induce vomiting

I always liked to indulge in some Mickey D's occasionally even though I knew just how bad it was for me. After watching this movie, my cravings for greasy fast food decreased significantly. Good movie, informative and pretty humorous at times if I recall correctly.

I finally saw this a few weeks ago. It was good, but I thought he clearly became ill towards the end. Sure his tests showed he was on a downward spiral but he didn't seem to be visually sick. He actually still enjoyed the food at the end.

 

[jamny]

Kurosawa's Sanjuro

I am probably in the minority, but I found Sanjuro better than it's prequel Yojimbo. Mifune's character was so much more developed here which was a problem that I had with the original. A great role turned in by Toshiro. Surly, wise, unkempt, annoyed at everyone. He's a man among boys just hoping to get through the day with a full stomach and a few sake's. Why he even bothers, only he knows. I guess that's just the way of the wandering samurai.

Probably the funniest scene in all the Kurosawa films so far was watching Mifune trace a Japanese symbol on a wall while the two women prattle on about which color flower to send down the river.

Also, the best swordplay in any film so far by Mifune. Still no blood, but well choreographed (sp?)

And the final duel was brief but shocking. I had to rewind it to see it again.

One of my favorite things about watching these films in order is seeing the recurring roles and getting familiar with certain Japanese actors.

Sanjuro shortens the gap between the upper group. Really no need to see Yojimbo first. It's a shame the Man with No Name series didn't continue.

Ranking so far:

Seven Samurai

Rashomon

Throne of Blood

.

.

Sanjuro

Yojimbo

Ikiru

The Bad Sleep Well

.

Hidden Fortress

 

[KarmaPolice]

The Departed: watched it last night pretty good, still not sure I liked the ending.

Last Kiss: well written, good movie for couples to watch as it has great guy moments, and junk women can relate to.

To defend the ending of the departed without spoilers: I think it was gutsy to end the film that way. Most films don't have the courage to end a film wiith such a dire consequence for the protagonist. As for the rat that no one seemed to like, Scorsese has a sense of humor. And the total ham-fisted metaphor was clearly meant to be funny.

spoiler alert...

Another spoiler alert...

I would give the movie about 7-8/10. Was pretty good, I was just expecting a little bit more. From people talking, I was expected Jack's character to be even more evil. Also, I thought Marky Mark was a little too over the top and was getting annoyed within the first 20min because of his character. Didn't like the ending much either. Long story short, was expecting more but still thought it was pretty good. I don't think that I have ever really "loved" any of Marty's movies either, FWIW.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

The Departed: watched it last night pretty good, still not sure I liked the ending.

Last Kiss: well written, good movie for couples to watch as it has great guy moments, and junk women can relate to.

To defend the ending of the departed without spoilers: I think it was gutsy to end the film that way. Most films don't have the courage to end a film wiith such a dire consequence for the protagonist. As for the rat that no one seemed to like, Scorsese has a sense of humor. And the total ham-fisted metaphor was clearly meant to be funny.

spoiler alert...

Another spoiler alert...

I would give the movie about 7-8/10. Was pretty good, I was just expecting a little bit more. From people talking, I was expected Jack's character to be even more evil. Also, I thought Marky Mark was a little too over the top and was getting annoyed within the first 20min because of his character. Didn't like the ending much either. Long story short, was expecting more but still thought it was pretty good. I don't think that I have ever really "loved" any of Marty's movies either, FWIW.

I'm with you on Wahlberg. His praise has been a bit baffling to me. I thought Leo was the best actor in the thing.

 

[Buckna]

Watched Bullitt last night for the 1st time.Great movie, very gritty and true to life type of crime mystery. I wasn't really sure what to expect, I had always heard it had this mind-blowing chase scene and while the scene was good, especially the end of it, it's hard to compare it to the stuff they do today.It helps out if you know that Steve McQueen did all his own stunts and driving in his films and there's no CGI in there. I think that really adds to the respect I had for it.

It's a great movie and one of the best of the genre. McQueen really solidifed his place in pop culture with the role. As for the "chase", I hate to be bearer of bad news... wiki

Though it is widely believed that Steve McQueen, who was a great race car driver, did the bulk of the driving stunt work, the stunt coordinator, Carey Loftin, had famed stuntman and motorcycle racer Bud Ekins do most of the risky stunts in the Mustang (Ekins also doubled for McQueen in one sequence of The Great Escape, in which McQueen's character jumps over a barbed wire fence on a motorcycle).

No doubt McQueen would have tried to do the stunts but likely the studios (and their insurance underwriters) wouldn't allow him to participate in a chase where speeds reached in excess of 110 mph.

I guess that's one of those things that's gotten solidified in pop culture. McQueen always wanted to do his own stunts, but you're probably right, I imagine they wouldn't let him.

 

[Buckna]

Ended up with 2 serial killer flicks this weekend:

Frailty - 7/10

Kind of saw part of the ending coming from a mile away but they had a nice 2nd twist I didn't see. Paxton and the kid playing young Matthew McConaughey both give really good performances. Some neat cinematography on the "religious" elements like the reveal of the "weapons from god."

Taking Lives - 5/10

I wanted to like this, but the script was just too dang predictable in trying to be shocking and having a twist. Figured out the plot of the movie about 20 minutes in. The 1st 10 minutes are fun though and has one of the kids from the Girl Next Door in a really chilling and shocking scene. After that it went downhill quickly, poor Keifer Sutherland is criminally underused. The sound on the movie was very strange too, lots of breathing and grunting. The sex scene is kind of bizarre and I guess they were going for animalistic and carnal. At least you get to see Angelina Jolie's hoo-haa's.

 

[saintfool]

I don't think that I have ever really "loved" any of Marty's movies either, FWIW.

this is the one Marty movie that I absolutely adore.

 

[KarmaPolice]

The Departed: watched it last night pretty good, still not sure I liked the ending.

Last Kiss: well written, good movie for couples to watch as it has great guy moments, and junk women can relate to.

To defend the ending of the departed without spoilers: I think it was gutsy to end the film that way. Most films don't have the courage to end a film wiith such a dire consequence for the protagonist. As for the rat that no one seemed to like, Scorsese has a sense of humor. And the total ham-fisted metaphor was clearly meant to be funny.

spoiler alert...

Another spoiler alert...

I would give the movie about 7-8/10. Was pretty good, I was just expecting a little bit more. From people talking, I was expected Jack's character to be even more evil. Also, I thought Marky Mark was a little too over the top and was getting annoyed within the first 20min because of his character. Didn't like the ending much either. Long story short, was expecting more but still thought it was pretty good. I don't think that I have ever really "loved" any of Marty's movies either, FWIW.

I'm with you on Wahlberg. His praise has been a bit baffling to me. I thought Leo was the best actor in the thing.

I didn't know that he was up for an Oscar. WTF????

 

[joffer]

just saw Breach. i really liked it. the guy that played Robert Hansen was outstanding.

 

[fasteddie_21]

L4yer Cake - Very enjoyable movie. Craig is a subtle badass. His world is falling apart, yet he takes the time to chase some top notch tail. .

Definitely a :thumbsup:

Picked up "Running with Scissors" today too. Will check that out this weekend.

So the menu for this weekend, in no particular order is:

-Saw III

-Running with Scissors

-The Assassination of Richard Nixon

-The Black Dahlia

-Fly Boys

Still have GSH and the Illusionist to watch too...

Tuesday is a good day to return movies to Blockbuster from their online rentals:

The Prestige, Babel, & Man of the Year all come out

-fe

 

[whoknew]

Picked up "Running with Scissors" today too. Will check that out this weekend.-fe

Not to discourage you (and I've not seen it) but this was on many lists of worst movies of the year. It got a lot of VERY bad reviews.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Picked up "Running with Scissors" today too. Will check that out this weekend.-fe

Not to discourage you (and I've not seen it) but this was on many lists of worst movies of the year. It got a lot of VERY bad reviews.

I hated it.

 

[fasteddie_21]

Picked up "Running with Scissors" today too. Will check that out this weekend.-fe

Not to discourage you (and I've not seen it) but this was on many lists of worst movies of the year. It got a lot of VERY bad reviews.

I hated it.

:sigh:No biggie. If it sucks, I gots me some others And I am bringing it back after having burnt it prior to the reviews above. They are going to exchange it for me for another flick...Flags of our Fathers, SherryBaby, or Little Miss Sunshine...help me choose.-fe

 

[fasteddie_21]

 

[whoknew]

Flags of Our Fathers

-fe

I thought this was very good. But its not a pure war movie -- its more the story of the men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima and how it affected them. Its very good.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Picked up "Running with Scissors" today too. Will check that out this weekend.-fe

Not to discourage you (and I've not seen it) but this was on many lists of worst movies of the year. It got a lot of VERY bad reviews.

I hated it.

:sigh:No biggie. If it sucks, I gots me some others And I am bringing it back after having burnt it prior to the reviews above. They are going to exchange it for me for another flick...Flags of our Fathers, SherryBaby, or Little Miss Sunshine...help me choose.-fe

Don't let me sway you. Some people liked it. Give it a go. Report back.

 

[fasteddie_21]

Picked up "Running with Scissors" today too. Will check that out this weekend.-fe

Not to discourage you (and I've not seen it) but this was on many lists of worst movies of the year. It got a lot of VERY bad reviews.

I hated it.

:sigh:No biggie. If it sucks, I gots me some others And I am bringing it back after having burnt it prior to the reviews above. They are going to exchange it for me for another flick...Flags of our Fathers, SherryBaby, or Little Miss Sunshine...help me choose.-fe

Don't let me sway you. Some people liked it. Give it a go. Report back.

Will do. I did burn it. It's just that I find my tastes go very well with the majority in this thread. But I'll still check it out.Going to go get "Flags of our Fathers" now. Should be a fun & relaxing weekend.-fe

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Flags of Our Fathers

-fe

I thought this was very good. But its not a pure war movie -- its more the story of the men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima and how it affected them. Its very good.

Couldn't put the book down, hated the movie.

 

[einstein2u]

half nelson.

 

[jdoggydogg]

half nelson.

That's supposed to rock. I am looking forward to it.

 

[piratemike]

Science of Sleep - Quirky, cute, and ended abruptly, with a slight distaste for the main character who seemed over-the-top effeminate and needy. Yup, that's a Michel Gondry film alright.

 

[whoknew]

Flags of Our Fathers

-fe

I thought this was very good. But its not a pure war movie -- its more the story of the men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima and how it affected them. Its very good.

Couldn't put the book down, hated the movie.

Just got back from Letters from Iwo Jima. I liked Flags of our Fathers (didn't read the book) and really liked Iwo Jima. They are both very good but Iwo Jima was probably a little better.

 

[seahawk 17]

The Departed: watched it last night pretty good, still not sure I liked the ending.

Last Kiss: well written, good movie for couples to watch as it has great guy moments, and junk women can relate to.

To defend the ending of the departed without spoilers: I think it was gutsy to end the film that way. Most films don't have the courage to end a film wiith such a dire consequence for the protagonist. As for the rat that no one seemed to like, Scorsese has a sense of humor. And the total ham-fisted metaphor was clearly meant to be funny.

spoiler alert...

Another spoiler alert...

I would give the movie about 7-8/10. Was pretty good, I was just expecting a little bit more. From people talking, I was expected Jack's character to be even more evil. Also, I thought Marky Mark was a little too over the top and was getting annoyed within the first 20min because of his character. Didn't like the ending much either. Long story short, was expecting more but still thought it was pretty good. I don't think that I have ever really "loved" any of Marty's movies either, FWIW.

I'm with you on Wahlberg. His praise has been a bit baffling to me. I thought Leo was the best actor in the thing.

I didn't know that he was up for an Oscar. WTF????

Leo was amazing, from a character standpoint, he is the reason I did not like the ending. He overcame so much, and had to do everything, that he always tried to avoid. I would of like to see Wahlburg take down Damon, without sacrificing Leo's character.

 

[piratemike]

Might want to put that in a spoiler warning.

Just watched Unknown. Meh.

 

[fasteddie_21]

Just finished "The Descent". Not really sure what the hey about this movie was, but it really was kinda "meh" about it.

Ok for a rental, I guess, but don't go out of your way to watch it. Meh.

-fe

 

[jdoggydogg]

Just watched Little Miss Sunshine. What a trainwreck. Awful. Almost every plot element was cliche and weak. I cannot believe this movie was so highly praised.

 

[Wheelhouse]

Just watched Little Miss Sunshine. What a trainwreck. Awful. Almost every plot element was cliche and weak. I cannot believe this movie was so highly praised.

I liked it, but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be from the reviews I heard about it. Alan Arkin was hysterical and the guy that played Dwayne did a great job. The way the characters were developed and the flow of the movie itself reminded me of Garden State, in that the plot was kinda strange, yet watchable and very good acting, IMO.

 

[RC94]

Watched "Thank You For Smoking" last night. I thought it was good, but I expected more. Maybe the hype had unrealistically raised my expectations, but I didn't find it all that funny. I'll give it a 6/10.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Just watched Little Miss Sunshine. What a trainwreck. Awful. Almost every plot element was cliche and weak. I cannot believe this movie was so highly praised.

I liked it, but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be from the reviews I heard about it. Alan Arkin was hysterical and the guy that played Dwayne did a great job. The way the characters were developed and the flow of the movie itself reminded me of Garden State, in that the plot was kinda strange, yet watchable and very good acting, IMO.

I like Alan Arkin a lot. Heck, I pretty much thought that all the actors did a good job with this material. But this is like Disney re-made "The Royal Tennenbaums" and added cuss words.

 

[Mark Speener]

The Guardian

Premise: Costner plays a Coast Guard rescue diver that suffers a bad accident and gets sent to teach at the rescue diver school. Ashton Kutcher plays a hotshot swim champ who thinks he's got what it takes.

Not bad but not great. Some of the early bits where Costner bucked convention at the school were pretty good but the rest of it was meh.

 

[El Floppo]

Heaven: I loved this movie when I first saw it in the theaters, and it kind of slipped my memory until I rented it again. This is the one written by Kieslowski ("Red", "Blue", "White", "Decalogue"), directed by Tykwer ("Run Lola Run", "The Princess and the Warrior"- really liked the Princess, which doesn't get the credit that Lola does) starring Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi.

It has moments of stunning beauty and moral insight (combo of "Decalogue" and "Princess") which far outweigh the relatively slow pace, which bothered my wife. Blanchett and Ribisi are incredible- Blanchett especially. Doesn't provide pat answers but lets the viewer come to their own conclusions- unlike most of what's avaiable. If you like Kieslowski's movies, I give this one a slam dunk guarantee.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

half nelson.

That's supposed to rock. I am looking forward to it.

It was very good. Very solid story and the cast was terrific. Also saw The Layer Cake last week which was great, and The Descent which was good.

 

[jamny]

Flags of our Fathers

Loved it. I'm very biased to all things Clint, but this is an exceptional movie. Learned a lot and continued the admiration for the Greatest Generation.

 

[saintfool]

"grizzly man" - liked it well enough. the subject itself wasn't as interesting to me as herzog himself.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Half Nelson: I really liked this one. Gosling is a good actor and deserves his nomination, even though he won't win. Interesting, tough subject.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

Just watched Little Miss Sunshine. What a trainwreck. Awful. Almost every plot element was cliche and weak. I cannot believe this movie was so highly praised.

I liked it, but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be from the reviews I heard about it. Alan Arkin was hysterical and the guy that played Dwayne did a great job. The way the characters were developed and the flow of the movie itself reminded me of Garden State, in that the plot was kinda strange, yet watchable and very good acting, IMO.

That about sums it up. Good but nothing great.

Nominating Alan Arkin for Supporting Actor for a one note performance over Paul Giamatti in The Illusionist is a crime!

 

[BigTex]

Just finished "The Descent". Not really sure what the hey about this movie was, but it really was kinda "meh" about it. Ok for a rental, I guess, but don't go out of your way to watch it. Meh.-fe

Over acting and weak movie at best. By far the worst I've seen in some time.

 

[snarfsnarf]

Separate Lies - wow, this movie sucked.

 

[skrzycki]

Separate Lies - wow, this movie sucked.

Watched "The Guardian" (Costner and Kuchner) and "Invincible". Both of them were good but I feel like I've watched them before.Guardian = Officer and Gentleman/Top Gun meets The Perfect Storm.Invincible = Rudy meets Rocky

 

[Minotauro]

Blockbuster is doing the same deal again where you get free rentals for each Netflix label you bring in. The promotion expires Wednesday (2/21) and there's no hard sell for BB Online.

I walked out of there with 7 movies for free today.

 

[fasteddie_21]

Blockbuster is doing the same deal again where you get free rentals for each Netflix label you bring in. The promotion expires Wednesday (2/21) and there's no hard sell for BB Online.I walked out of there with 7 movies for free today.

Are we talking about the labels that you tear off before you mail them back?Tuesday has 3 flicks coming out I wanna see, so I gotta get in on this:Man of the YearBabelThe Prestige!!!!

 

[Minotauro]

Are we talking about the labels that you tear off before you mail them back?Tuesday has 3 flicks coming out I wanna see, so I gotta get in on this:Man of the YearBabelThe Prestige!!!!

Yeah, the tear offs. The Prestige was good.

 

[El Floppo]

Running w/ Scissors... I know. Wife put it on the Q- she actually liked it fine. I thought it was a huge "why bother". Annoying characters, annoying direction, annoying art-direction. Flat out annoying. Thought the chick from "13" was good and Annette Benning was amazing- although my wife pointed out that she did her standard "crazy" character, ala HBO's "the scarsdale diet doctor" movie. Be interested in hearing what the guy above thought of this...

 

[fasteddie_21]

Running w/ Scissors... I know. Wife put it on the Q- she actually liked it fine. I thought it was a huge "why bother". Annoying characters, annoying direction, annoying art-direction. Flat out annoying. Thought the chick from "13" was good and Annette Benning was amazing- although my wife pointed out that she did her standard "crazy" character, ala HBO's "the scarsdale diet doctor" movie. Be interested in hearing what the guy above thought of this...

Gonna give it a go this week. I'll report back, but I'm not holding out much hope for the flick.

 

[biggamer3]

Gonna watch Oldboy a movie from Asia, sounds real good, any one watch it here?

 

[D_House]

The Third Man (1949) - noir film set in post-War Vienna. Orson Welles and Joe Cotten (both of Citizen Kane) star. The movie sort of plods along for the first half until one of the major characters is introduced. For the times, the cinematography was excellent. One of the few movies of the period with a lot of outdoor shots. That most of these were done at night gave Vienna a sort of sinister and mysterious feel. Some shots actually reminded me a lot of Citizen Kane (I just saw that for the first time last weekend). Anyways, it's regarded as a classic, and I can see why, but I don't think I'll ever watch it again.