Recently viewed movie thread - Rental Edition (5 Viewers)

[guru_007]

Okay, watched a "movie" last night.....

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price

As I'm watching this, it's so easy for me to be reminded why I hate, or at least severely dislike documentaries. The director has an obvious agenda and slants his "movie" to meet his wants. Michael Moore is no different. I actually kinda liked Roger & Me, but after that, he became more and more full of himself and his crap got worse and worse and more self fulfilling. This one about Wal Mart was absolute garbage. From the patriotic music being played when the mom and pop stores are closing down, to the inspirational, uplifting music at the end where the communities are "fighting back" and "winning" against the evil empire. Puhlease. It's nice to have the latitude to tell one side of the story, your side, and get a bunch of disgruntled ex-WalMart employees to share tales of woe. Funny, how most of these people worked there 15+ years. If the job is so effing bad, and the company is so disgusting, why waste fifteen effings years of your miserable life there?

Look, I've never worked at WalMart. I shop there on occasion. But I am by no means a Wal Mart apologist. My wife worked there for a short spell when she was younger, as have a few of her brothers and sisters. It's a job. Hopefully a spring board to a better profession, but look around at other super markets, other retail stores. You will get the same story. Hell, if you ask 95% of the people at my company, they will probably tell you they need to make more money, and the owner of this company is no where near a billionaire. The fact is, Wal Mart provides jobs to people that would otherwise be under or flat out un employed. There are no contracts of servitude need be signed when you go work there. Activists calling Wal Mart "plantation style store". Get over yourselves. It would be easy for simple minded people to be swayed by the crap that was thrown together in this movie. I hope they watch it, and start shopping at places charging twice as much for a dozen eggs and they go bankrupt.

One thing that was stated did hit me though. That WalMart employees have a critical need fund which they can voluntarily donate to and help fellow coworkers in time of need. in 2005, WalMart employees contributed $5 million into it, while the Walton family contributed $6,000 into it. (Of course this fails to mention that this 5 million was less than 5 bucks per employee, but don't let the facts sway your opinion. It's always better to see big numbers). Anyway, the Waltons are a bunch of cheapskates. Tell me something I didn't already know please. Last I checked, Warren Buffet's lived in the same house for 50 years or something like that.

Well, as you can tell, I really liked this movie. give it a 0.0 out of 5.0.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Okay, watched a "movie" last night.....

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price

As I'm watching this, it's so easy for me to be reminded why I hate, or at least severely dislike documentaries. The director has an obvious agenda and slants his "movie" to meet his wants. Michael Moore is no different. I actually kinda liked Roger & Me, but after that, he became more and more full of himself and his crap got worse and worse and more self fulfilling. This one about Wal Mart was absolute garbage. From the patriotic music being played when the mom and pop stores are closing down, to the inspirational, uplifting music at the end where the communities are "fighting back" and "winning" against the evil empire. Puhlease. It's nice to have the latitude to tell one side of the story, your side, and get a bunch of disgruntled ex-WalMart employees to share tales of woe. Funny, how most of these people worked there 15+ years. If the job is so effing bad, and the company is so disgusting, why waste fifteen effings years of your miserable life there?

Look, I've never worked at WalMart. I shop there on occasion. But I am by no means a Wal Mart apologist. My wife worked there for a short spell when she was younger, as have a few of her brothers and sisters. It's a job. Hopefully a spring board to a better profession, but look around at other super markets, other retail stores. You will get the same story. Hell, if you ask 95% of the people at my company, they will probably tell you they need to make more money, and the owner of this company is no where near a billionaire. The fact is, Wal Mart provides jobs to people that would otherwise be under or flat out un employed. There are no contracts of servitude need be signed when you go work there. Activists calling Wal Mart "plantation style store". Get over yourselves. It would be easy for simple minded people to be swayed by the crap that was thrown together in this movie. I hope they watch it, and start shopping at places charging twice as much for a dozen eggs and they go bankrupt.

One thing that was stated did hit me though. That WalMart employees have a critical need fund which they can voluntarily donate to and help fellow coworkers in time of need. in 2005, WalMart employees contributed $5 million into it, while the Walton family contributed $6,000 into it. (Of course this fails to mention that this 5 million was less than 5 bucks per employee, but don't let the facts sway your opinion. It's always better to see big numbers). Anyway, the Waltons are a bunch of cheapskates. Tell me something I didn't already know please. Last I checked, Warren Buffet's lived in the same house for 50 years or something like that.

Well, as you can tell, I really liked this movie. give it a 0.0 out of 5.0.

This is being shipped to me today. IMO the bias is just part of moviemaking. There are very few docs or even movies that you can't pick up on what the maker's intent or opinion is. To me a lot of the political ones or ones about corporations, etc.. are to be taken like I take the news. Watch a couple different ones, read an article or two and form your opinion. Didn't like the Michael Moore doc, watch Michael Moore Hates America or FehrenHYPE 9/11. Mash those docs together, and the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

I don't really think it's their responsibility to present all sides of the story, as long as they are telling the truth and not fudging facts.

I'll post in a couple of days - I have this and King Corn on the way. I am sure that I'll give it a 4 or a 5 b/c I haven't seen a documentary that I haven't liked yet - no matter how one sided they are.

 

[The Juggernaut]

Be Kind, Rewind Brutal. Not funny. Mos Def is horrible. Jack Black is unfunny and I'm usually a fan.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets Not bad. It was reasonably entertaining and exciting.

 

[SmoovySmoov]

Be Kind, Rewind Brutal. Not funny. Mos Def is horrible. Jack Black is unfunny and I'm usually a fan.

I watched this the other night as well. I, however am a fan of Mos Def and a huge fan of Michel Gondry, so I may be slanted. Not his best work (or Mos Def's or Jack Black's for that matter), but I didn't think it was terrible. Mos Def was playing a dorky soft-spoken guy, so that threw me a little off. Not great, but not awful. (3/5)

 

[Drifter]

Okay, watched a "movie" last night.....

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price

As I'm watching this, it's so easy for me to be reminded why I hate, or at least severely dislike documentaries. The director has an obvious agenda and slants his "movie" to meet his wants. Michael Moore is no different. I actually kinda liked Roger & Me, but after that, he became more and more full of himself and his crap got worse and worse and more self fulfilling. This one about Wal Mart was absolute garbage. From the patriotic music being played when the mom and pop stores are closing down, to the inspirational, uplifting music at the end where the communities are "fighting back" and "winning" against the evil empire. Puhlease. It's nice to have the latitude to tell one side of the story, your side, and get a bunch of disgruntled ex-WalMart employees to share tales of woe. Funny, how most of these people worked there 15+ years. If the job is so effing bad, and the company is so disgusting, why waste fifteen effings years of your miserable life there?

Look, I've never worked at WalMart. I shop there on occasion. But I am by no means a Wal Mart apologist. My wife worked there for a short spell when she was younger, as have a few of her brothers and sisters. It's a job. Hopefully a spring board to a better profession, but look around at other super markets, other retail stores. You will get the same story. Hell, if you ask 95% of the people at my company, they will probably tell you they need to make more money, and the owner of this company is no where near a billionaire. The fact is, Wal Mart provides jobs to people that would otherwise be under or flat out un employed. There are no contracts of servitude need be signed when you go work there. Activists calling Wal Mart "plantation style store". Get over yourselves. It would be easy for simple minded people to be swayed by the crap that was thrown together in this movie. I hope they watch it, and start shopping at places charging twice as much for a dozen eggs and they go bankrupt.

One thing that was stated did hit me though. That WalMart employees have a critical need fund which they can voluntarily donate to and help fellow coworkers in time of need. in 2005, WalMart employees contributed $5 million into it, while the Walton family contributed $6,000 into it. (Of course this fails to mention that this 5 million was less than 5 bucks per employee, but don't let the facts sway your opinion. It's always better to see big numbers). Anyway, the Waltons are a bunch of cheapskates. Tell me something I didn't already know please. Last I checked, Warren Buffet's lived in the same house for 50 years or something like that.

Well, as you can tell, I really liked this movie. give it a 0.0 out of 5.0.

This is being shipped to me today. IMO the bias is just part of moviemaking. There are very few docs or even movies that you can't pick up on what the maker's intent or opinion is. To me a lot of the political ones or ones about corporations, etc.. are to be taken like I take the news. Watch a couple different ones, read an article or two and form your opinion. Didn't like the Michael Moore doc, watch Michael Moore Hates America or FehrenHYPE 9/11. Mash those docs together, and the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

I don't really think it's their responsibility to present all sides of the story, as long as they are telling the truth and not fudging facts.

I'll post in a couple of days - I have this and King Corn on the way. I am sure that I'll give it a 4 or a 5 b/c I haven't seen a documentary that I haven't liked yet - no matter how one sided they are.

I thought this movie lost a lot of its potential effectiveness by being so slanted. It makes the viewer question, "If they're providing such a slanted POV on this item, how much of the rest can I believe". It's a shame because there are valid parts in it. It also doesn't put enough of the blame on consumerism. Walmart exists because the American consumer wants it to exist.

 

[SKribbles]

Definitely, Maybe: 2nd best chick flick I've ever seen (behind the Notebook). Really liked the storytelling angle (and the hot women). Not as much humor as I was hoping for but still a couple laughs. 4/5

 

[Shooter McGavin]

Jack Black is unfunny and I'm usually a fan.

I was just having this conversation last week. Jack Black has a reputation for being pretty good, but I went through a mental inventory of movies he's been in, and for the life of me, I don't know where this idea came from. The only performance of his that I could think of where I thought he was good was in High Fidelity. Other than that, I came up empty. His other movies have been drivel like Shallow Hal (among the worst movies I've ever seen) and The Holiday. Am I forgetting a bunch of good movies he's been in?

 

[ElliotDiamond]

4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days: :X :( 5/5

Those emoticons are exactly what I would have predicted. Sounds like a hard movie to watch.

can you, or anybody else who thought this movie was anything above pig####, explain to me why you thought so? this was one of the worst, nothing movie i've ever seen, and it's favorable reviews blow my mind.

 

[guru_007]

Jack Black is unfunny and I'm usually a fan.

I was just having this conversation last week. Jack Black has a reputation for being pretty good, but I went through a mental inventory of movies he's been in, and for the life of me, I don't know where this idea came from. The only performance of his that I could think of where I thought he was good was in High Fidelity. Other than that, I came up empty. His other movies have been drivel like Shallow Hal (among the worst movies I've ever seen) and The Holiday. Am I forgetting a bunch of good movies he's been in?

I agree with Shooter McGavin. High Fidelity he was great.....show me another movie where he was good.I was Nacho Libre, did not laugh once....and that was probably right behind the Ladykillers as the worst movie ever.Shallow Hal, awful. Pick of Destiny, worse.He was bearable in Orange County and Saving Silverman. He makes a great bit part actor, but isn't really that great on his own, just not funny.

 

[The Juggernaut]

Jack Black is unfunny and I'm usually a fan.

I was just having this conversation last week. Jack Black has a reputation for being pretty good, but I went through a mental inventory of movies he's been in, and for the life of me, I don't know where this idea came from. The only performance of his that I could think of where I thought he was good was in High Fidelity. Other than that, I came up empty. His other movies have been drivel like Shallow Hal (among the worst movies I've ever seen) and The Holiday. Am I forgetting a bunch of good movies he's been in?

Orange County, Saving Silverman, and School of Rock were good. Nacho Libre sucked. I think a lot of it for me is the extra stuff he's done like at awards shows and stuff.

 

[jdoggydogg]

I forgot that I watched Stop-Loss the other night.

Not surprising, but this was a movie with an agenda and a message. Not as if that is a bad thing - see movies like Syriana, but this one tried way too hard. It was OK, but was really dragged down by the unrealistic way the story unfolded and by how "ram it down their throats" they were getting with their message. Not sure if I'd recommend it, and was surprised that critics were actually saying good thing about the movie. It did have some nads to make a movie like that while the war is still going on, but it was just too much.

A film critic on NPR commented that the war movies haven't been very good during the Iraq war. I did see some of the excellent HBO doc "Alive Day Memories" about injured soldiers that survived Iraq.

I just remember that there were a couple of critics that recommended the movie that I usually agree with - Peter Travers was one that I remember. For those of you that have seen it, or don't intend to see it my major beefs were:mytagid = Math.floor( Math.random() * 100 );document.write("

1. All this crap happens over a short leave? come on - every major character lost it in some way. One has 3 DUIs in that time, one beats his wife, one decides not to go back drives to DC, then to the Mexican border, and is also losing his mind. Just way too much.

2. After all that, he gets on the bus at the end? WTF.

*** SPOILER ALERT! Click this link to display the potential spoiler text in this box. ***");document.close();

Yeah, that trailer looked a little weak, so I avoided it. The new HBO miniseries about Iraq looks excellent.

 

[bryhamm]

Watched Vantage Point last night ... well, all but the ending. The damn DVD kept stalling at the same point. I will hide where I last saw and hopefully someone can fill me in on what I missed.

Bump. Anyone?

 

[Klimtology]

The Savages(2007)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0775529/

Recommended.

 

[Statorama]

Be Kind, Rewind Brutal. Not funny. Mos Def is horrible. Jack Black is unfunny and I'm usually a fan.

I watched this the other night as well. I, however am a fan of Mos Def and a huge fan of Michel Gondry, so I may be slanted. Not his best work (or Mos Def's or Jack Black's for that matter), but I didn't think it was terrible. Mos Def was playing a dorky soft-spoken guy, so that threw me a little off. Not great, but not awful. (3/5)

It wasn't as horrible as I'd been lead to believe, and had a few moments. Decent enough 'time waster'.

 

[offdee]

Jack Black is unfunny and I'm usually a fan.

I was just having this conversation last week. Jack Black has a reputation for being pretty good, but I went through a mental inventory of movies he's been in, and for the life of me, I don't know where this idea came from. The only performance of his that I could think of where I thought he was good was in High Fidelity. Other than that, I came up empty. His other movies have been drivel like Shallow Hal (among the worst movies I've ever seen) and The Holiday. Am I forgetting a bunch of good movies he's been in?

Orange County, Saving Silverman, and School of Rock were good. Nacho Libre sucked. I think a lot of it for me is the extra stuff he's done like at awards shows and stuff.

I was just about to post School of Rock. He was pretty entertaining in that. It's right in his wheelhouse though with the whole music concept and his Tenacious D background.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Okay, watched a "movie" last night.....

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price

As I'm watching this, it's so easy for me to be reminded why I hate, or at least severely dislike documentaries. The director has an obvious agenda and slants his "movie" to meet his wants. Michael Moore is no different. I actually kinda liked Roger & Me, but after that, he became more and more full of himself and his crap got worse and worse and more self fulfilling. This one about Wal Mart was absolute garbage. From the patriotic music being played when the mom and pop stores are closing down, to the inspirational, uplifting music at the end where the communities are "fighting back" and "winning" against the evil empire. Puhlease. It's nice to have the latitude to tell one side of the story, your side, and get a bunch of disgruntled ex-WalMart employees to share tales of woe. Funny, how most of these people worked there 15+ years. If the job is so effing bad, and the company is so disgusting, why waste fifteen effings years of your miserable life there?

Look, I've never worked at WalMart. I shop there on occasion. But I am by no means a Wal Mart apologist. My wife worked there for a short spell when she was younger, as have a few of her brothers and sisters. It's a job. Hopefully a spring board to a better profession, but look around at other super markets, other retail stores. You will get the same story. Hell, if you ask 95% of the people at my company, they will probably tell you they need to make more money, and the owner of this company is no where near a billionaire. The fact is, Wal Mart provides jobs to people that would otherwise be under or flat out un employed. There are no contracts of servitude need be signed when you go work there. Activists calling Wal Mart "plantation style store". Get over yourselves. It would be easy for simple minded people to be swayed by the crap that was thrown together in this movie. I hope they watch it, and start shopping at places charging twice as much for a dozen eggs and they go bankrupt.

One thing that was stated did hit me though. That WalMart employees have a critical need fund which they can voluntarily donate to and help fellow coworkers in time of need. in 2005, WalMart employees contributed $5 million into it, while the Walton family contributed $6,000 into it. (Of course this fails to mention that this 5 million was less than 5 bucks per employee, but don't let the facts sway your opinion. It's always better to see big numbers). Anyway, the Waltons are a bunch of cheapskates. Tell me something I didn't already know please. Last I checked, Warren Buffet's lived in the same house for 50 years or something like that.

Well, as you can tell, I really liked this movie. give it a 0.0 out of 5.0.

This is being shipped to me today. IMO the bias is just part of moviemaking. There are very few docs or even movies that you can't pick up on what the maker's intent or opinion is. To me a lot of the political ones or ones about corporations, etc.. are to be taken like I take the news. Watch a couple different ones, read an article or two and form your opinion. Didn't like the Michael Moore doc, watch Michael Moore Hates America or FehrenHYPE 9/11. Mash those docs together, and the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

I don't really think it's their responsibility to present all sides of the story, as long as they are telling the truth and not fudging facts.

I'll post in a couple of days - I have this and King Corn on the way. I am sure that I'll give it a 4 or a 5 b/c I haven't seen a documentary that I haven't liked yet - no matter how one sided they are.

I thought this movie lost a lot of its potential effectiveness by being so slanted. It makes the viewer question, "If they're providing such a slanted POV on this item, how much of the rest can I believe". It's a shame because there are valid parts in it. It also doesn't put enough of the blame on consumerism. Walmart exists because the American consumer wants it to exist.

Or do they need it to exist because we have a crap economy and don't pay people well enough to afford better? I know I've been low on funds and have had to go there for stuff. Trust me, I didn't want to buy cheap crap that was going to fall apart after a couple months, I just didn't have many other alternatives. BTW- I watched King Corn last night. Had some good/interesting info, but it was still a little dry and slow paced. Still liked it, but it's not one of the better docs I've watched.

 

[jdoggydogg]

I know this isn't the proper thread for a political post, but:

Walmart isn't evil. But Walmart does have a long history of workplace abuse of its employees. Walmart has been fined numerous times for violating labor laws in the U.S.

Futhermore, Walmart does most of its manufacturing in China. So workers in China get a tiny fraction of the pay that workers get in the U.S. The jobs are exported and the working conditions are sketchy in many Chinese plants.

So if America wants to pay low prices with little regard to the impact of their purchase, Walmart is a great deal. I've shopped at Walmart, and I like the prices a lot. But there's a price to pay for those low prices.

 

[badmojo1006]

I just tried to watch Hostel. What a sick sick movie. I turned it off halfway through

 

[jdoggydogg]

I just tried to watch Hostel. What a sick sick movie. I turned it off halfway through

Yeah. Torture porn doesn't appeal to me.

 

[buddyboy]

Tender Mercies - A low keyed movie from 1982 with a simple story about a man with a second chance to get things right in his life. I really like Robert Duval and think this is one of his better acting jobs. Recommended, 4/5.

Rescue Dawn - Christian Bale as a pilot shot down and captured in Laos. I was a bit disappointed after reading strong reviews, but still it's a good movie worth a rental. 3.5/5

Dan In Real Life - I enjoyed this one even though it had a very obvious story line. It's a fluff, romantic comedy, but I laughed several times. 3.5/5

 

[Daywalker]

Jack Black is unfunny and I'm usually a fan.

I was just having this conversation last week. Jack Black has a reputation for being pretty good, but I went through a mental inventory of movies he's been in, and for the life of me, I don't know where this idea came from. The only performance of his that I could think of where I thought he was good was in High Fidelity. Other than that, I came up empty. His other movies have been drivel like Shallow Hal (among the worst movies I've ever seen) and The Holiday. Am I forgetting a bunch of good movies he's been in?

I agree with Shooter McGavin. High Fidelity he was great.....show me another movie where he was good.I was Nacho Libre, did not laugh once....and that was probably right behind the Ladykillers as the worst movie ever.Shallow Hal, awful. Pick of Destiny, worse.He was bearable in Orange County and Saving Silverman. He makes a great bit part actor, but isn't really that great on his own, just not funny.

Think Shallow Hal is hilarious. Pick of Destiny is good too. I enjoyed School of Rock. Nacho Libre sucked.

 

[Drifter]

I know this isn't the proper thread for a political post, but:Walmart isn't evil. But Walmart does have a long history of workplace abuse of its employees. Walmart has been fined numerous times for violating labor laws in the U.S.Futhermore, Walmart does most of its manufacturing in China. So workers in China get a tiny fraction of the pay that workers get in the U.S. The jobs are exported and the working conditions are sketchy in many Chinese plants.So if America wants to pay low prices with little regard to the impact of their purchase, Walmart is a great deal. I've shopped at Walmart, and I like the prices a lot. But there's a price to pay for those low prices.

Almost every thing you buy is manufactured in China these days, Walmart or no.

 

[jdoggydogg]

I know this isn't the proper thread for a political post, but:Walmart isn't evil. But Walmart does have a long history of workplace abuse of its employees. Walmart has been fined numerous times for violating labor laws in the U.S.Futhermore, Walmart does most of its manufacturing in China. So workers in China get a tiny fraction of the pay that workers get in the U.S. The jobs are exported and the working conditions are sketchy in many Chinese plants.So if America wants to pay low prices with little regard to the impact of their purchase, Walmart is a great deal. I've shopped at Walmart, and I like the prices a lot. But there's a price to pay for those low prices.

Almost every thing you buy is manufactured in China these days, Walmart or no.

Absolutely. This makes the hue and cry over the Olympics in Chine seems silly. Why boycott the Olympics when our entire economy is dependant on China?

 

[No. 16]

Saw Amelie the other day and I don't really get all the love for it.

It's a good movie, far from a bad one, but I felt it just dragged.

 

[Hawk Fan]

In Bruges - Fantastic

Fantastic Voyage - Not as fantastic. Finally got around to seeing this one. Raquel Welch in her tight suit was the best part of this. Lots of big plot holes.

The Ruins - Pretty bad. I thought the book was decent but was a little disappointed based on the phenomenal reviews it got.

 

[jamny]

Huge George Romero fan. The original Night of the Living Dead is my favorite movie of all time.

But, Diary of the Dead was a dud.

He should have watched Cloverfield first to see how the concept should be done.

I actually had a script I was working on years ago involving war vets returning from (the first war in.) Iraq with a disease caught by a discovery of a hidden bunker with a secret chemical weapon (See: Khamisiyah). Using nothing but homemade footage. My movie would have been better.

 

[El Floppo]

I know this isn't the proper thread for a political post, but:Walmart isn't evil. But Walmart does have a long history of workplace abuse of its employees. Walmart has been fined numerous times for violating labor laws in the U.S.Futhermore, Walmart does most of its manufacturing in China. So workers in China get a tiny fraction of the pay that workers get in the U.S. The jobs are exported and the working conditions are sketchy in many Chinese plants.So if America wants to pay low prices with little regard to the impact of their purchase, Walmart is a great deal. I've shopped at Walmart, and I like the prices a lot. But there's a price to pay for those low prices.

Almost every thing you buy is manufactured in China these days, Walmart or no.

Absolutely. This makes the hue and cry over the Olympics in Chine seems silly. Why boycott the Olympics when our entire economy is dependant on China?

Because they talk funny?:dodgeandweave:

 

[El Floppo]

I've seen a few movies in the last month or so since I last had time to check in here...

Michael Clayton... I liked it fine- pretty seemless and professional direction/editing/acting. Fairly predictable storyline, especially the ending which wrapped up a bit too quickly in comparison to the rest of the movie, IMO. Loved the Englishman (name forgetting) who played the "crazy" guy and really liked how the part was written- especially when we see him turn on the shark-lawyer side of him when he needs to.

American Gangster... pretty much the same as Michael Clayton for me. Interesting character studies (of Crowe and Washingtons' characters) of men living flawed lives according to some internal sense of honor or code. Maybe we saw an alternate ending, but woof- seemed like Crowe and Washington decided at the end of this that they didn't get enough time to work together and forced Scott into adding that coda-style ending where Denzel's character is met by Crowe's as he's getting out of prison... almost laughably bad TV style in all aspects. Also wasn't crazy about the "where they ended up" montage which is hackneyed to the point of pain.

Don't remember if I posted about seeing Narnia in the theaters after my last swoop in here (Mongol didn't work with our schedule that night). Good, I guess.... yeah- good, if you like the kid-style fantasy thing... which I do. Not much else to say

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Love Actually - 7.5/10

An excellent "date night" type movie.

Martine McCutcheon =

 

[SKribbles]

Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay: Not very good. Over the top comedy and fart jokes. White Castle was far better. Doogie was still hilarious though. 2/5



The Ruins: Pretty good for a horror flick. Some parts we obviously corny/cheesy but what else can you expect from a horror. The cringe factor in this movie was very high. 3.5/5

 

[whoknew]

Love Actually - 7.5/10

An excellent "date night" type movie.

Martine McCutcheon =

THAT's the one you liked from that movie?!?When Keira and Lucia Monez are available (not to mention the WI girls!).

 

[whoknew]

Hitman -- I clearly realize all the ridiculousness of the movie and how ... well bad it was. But I still liked it. It was fun.

 

[Musesboy]

I loved the Twin Peaks series but until recently I hadn't seen anything else by David Lynch apart from Dune. Then I saw Mulholland Drive in a sale for $5 and took a chance. It totally changed the way I view and think about movies. How refreshing to see something that makes me think rather than a predictable plot that can be figured out after a few minutes. I have now picked up as many of his movies as I could find.

Mulholland Drive

Probably my favorite of the bunch, but it's close. I like something about almost every scene. Naomi Watts was superb in this. I watched it with three friends and they all thought it was a pointless waste of time, so don't bother if you like to watch movies without really paying attention. I wanted to watch it the following day, and did. Things made a bit more sense the second time through, although I think it's open to a few interpretations even now. The lesbian and masturbation scenes might upset some people, so it's not for everyone. I thought they were well done and necessary.

Blue Velvet

Hard to believe that it took me over 20 years to get around to seeing this movie. My first thought was that it was way ahead of it's time. I was laughing out loud at the opening scene because it was so deliberately over the top. It even made me want to see it on the big screen, so I went to a re-run theater and watched it - something I have never done before. I expect to watch this movie a lot over the coming years.

Lost Highway

This had a great feel to it too. I loved the "call me" scene at the party. The music added a lot to the atmosphere this movie created.

Wild at Heart

I didn't expect much from this movie at all, but it surprised me. It's right up with the others in my opinion. Every Lynch movie has something I like.

Inland Empire

I haven't got into this one as much as the others, but I have only seen it twice. The rabbits are hilarious and Laura Dern gave a great performance.

After finally discovering Lynch, I now find myself looking at how scenes are created when I watch movies. The guy is so passionate about the whole process and the detail is incredible. It's all designed to give each scene a certain feel. I really admire what he has achieved and I can't wait for the next one. Three or four of these movies are now in my top 10 of all time. I find that I have to stop myself from watching them too much because I don't want to get sick of them.

The only thing is, none of my friends share my opinion on this. I have to enjoy the experience on my own.

I need to buy Eraserhead but I haven't seen it in any stores yet. I guess I'll order it in the near future.

 

[guru_007]

two from this weekend.

Bourne Ultimatum

Typical Bourne movie, and I suppose if you liked the first two, this one is just fine. Nothing really memorable in this one, as they all are kind of blurring together to me now. I thought one fight scene was better than average, and at least this one gives you a bit of closure into how Bourne came to being, although quite a bit far fetched to me that a compound like that can exist in downtown Manhattan. Rank it a 2.5/5.0

30 days of Night

Well, you know what you are getting yourself into with this one, and I think it does an adequate job. The vampires were cool, and creepy and gruesome. The hero's were a good group that you could mostly root for. I liked the background setting and the idea of it all, kind of like Pitch Black, in the United States. I'd give it a 3.25/5.0

 

[jdoggydogg]

Michael Clayton... I liked it fine- pretty seemless and professional direction/editing/acting. Fairly predictable storyline, especially the ending which wrapped up a bit too quickly in comparison to the rest of the movie, IMO. Loved the Englishman (name forgetting) who played the "crazy" guy and really liked how the part was written- especially when we see him turn on the shark-lawyer side of him when he needs to.

Tom Wilkinson is a brilliant actor.

 

[jdoggydogg]

I loved the Twin Peaks series but until recently I hadn't seen anything else by David Lynch apart from Dune. Then I saw Mulholland Drive in a sale for $5 and took a chance. It totally changed the way I view and think about movies. How refreshing to see something that makes me think rather than a predictable plot that can be figured out after a few minutes. I have now picked up as many of his movies as I could find.

For me, this is what makes Lynch a great artist. I don't always like his movies. But he's so brilliant and experimental, I really respect the chances he takes.

 

[bryhamm]

Watched Vantage Point last night ... well, all but the ending. The damn DVD kept stalling at the same point. I will hide where I last saw and hopefully someone can fill me in on what I missed.

Bump. Anyone?

No one?

 

[Shooter McGavin]

There Will be Blood - Jebus, what a slow movie. I'm generally a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson (big "Magnolia" fan) but he fell a little bit in love with himself on this one, and really tried a little too hard in spots. It seemed like he was just being weird for the sake of being weird, especially with the ending. He did some cool stuff to symbolize Plainview's (Day-Lewis' character) narcissism and the scenes with the oil exploding from the ground were visually very cool. But the story didn't really go anywhere particularly interesting, and the character of the preacher was underdeveloped and ended up as basically a caricature. The relationship between commerce and religion at that point in history could have been a very interesting theme, but it wasn't really adequately explored, IMO.

Semi-Pro - I generally find Will Ferrell somewhat amusing, and this was pretty standard fare for him. It was silly and fun, and about what you would expect going into it.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Love Actually - 7.5/10

An excellent "date night" type movie.

Martine McCutcheon =

THAT's the one you liked from that movie?!?When Keira and Lucia Monez are available (not to mention the WI girls!).

Knightley goes without saying, although she could stand to bulk up a bit. And while Monez is attractive, I think McCutcheon is a knockout.

 

[jdoggydogg]

There Will be Blood - Jebus, what a slow movie. I'm generally a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson (big "Magnolia" fan) but he fell a little bit in love with himself on this one, and really tried a little too hard in spots. It seemed like he was just being weird for the sake of being weird, especially with the ending. He did some cool stuff to symbolize Plainview's (Day-Lewis' character) narcissism and the scenes with the oil exploding from the ground were visually very cool. But the story didn't really go anywhere particularly interesting, and the character of the preacher was underdeveloped and ended up as basically a caricature. The relationship between commerce and religion at that point in history could have been a very interesting theme, but it wasn't really adequately explored, IMO.

I can't really argue with any of that, and yet the movie worked for me.

 

[Sweeper]

Watched Before the Devil knows your dead:

Two words:

Marisa Tomei

My Castanza moved.

She is smokin' hot. Good flick.

Marisa Tomei. I thought this movie was a little ... drawn out.I watched Eastern Promises last night and thought this was an amazing movie.

ETA: It was a fantastic Russian mob movie.

 

[Bob Magaw]

berlin alexanderplatz...

this came to my attention in the excellent documentary Z channell, when a director cited it as an example of programming excellence, & compared to a feast that kept coming...

kind of hard to see until recently, as it was OOP for a number of years*, isn't shown much/at all on US cable/sat stations, & doesn't get many theatrical releases with a running time of about 15 hours (13 episodes plus an epilogue)...

through five episodes i have found it enthralling and one of the greatest cinematic experiences i can recall, but i'm sure its not for everybody (a redundant statement after the 15 hour warning )... so far not a lot of car chases, explosions, lasers, robots, dinosaurs, superpowers, time travel or starships...

i wouldn't compare it in any way to a show like 24 ( a similar length in a season minus commercials) except in length and the ability to tell a story on a much bigger canvas than usual, given time constraints of typical feature film... but of course 24 is almost entirely plot driven, berlin alexanderplatz is an in-depth character study on a monumental scale...

haven't seen anything by fassbinder before (he was prolific, with something like 35-40 movies before he was 35, but died very young)...

if you like movies by german directors such as herzog & wim wenders, this is highly recommended...

it is a period piece about a criminal who tries to stay clean upon release from prison but is sucked in by the undertow of pre-WW II germany...

* netflix has the new criterion edition avail on 7 discs (last with several documentaries)...

 

[Mr. Mojo]

There Will be Blood - Jebus, what a slow movie. I'm generally a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson (big "Magnolia" fan) but he fell a little bit in love with himself on this one, and really tried a little too hard in spots. It seemed like he was just being weird for the sake of being weird, especially with the ending. He did some cool stuff to symbolize Plainview's (Day-Lewis' character) narcissism and the scenes with the oil exploding from the ground were visually very cool. But the story didn't really go anywhere particularly interesting, and the character of the preacher was underdeveloped and ended up as basically a caricature. The relationship between commerce and religion at that point in history could have been a very interesting theme, but it wasn't really adequately explored, IMO.

I can't really argue with any of that, and yet the movie worked for me.

My only argument would be that Magnolia sucked, too.

 

[jdoggydogg]

There Will be Blood - Jebus, what a slow movie. I'm generally a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson (big "Magnolia" fan) but he fell a little bit in love with himself on this one, and really tried a little too hard in spots. It seemed like he was just being weird for the sake of being weird, especially with the ending. He did some cool stuff to symbolize Plainview's (Day-Lewis' character) narcissism and the scenes with the oil exploding from the ground were visually very cool. But the story didn't really go anywhere particularly interesting, and the character of the preacher was underdeveloped and ended up as basically a caricature. The relationship between commerce and religion at that point in history could have been a very interesting theme, but it wasn't really adequately explored, IMO.

I can't really argue with any of that, and yet the movie worked for me.

My only argument would be that Magnolia sucked, too.

X

 

[Shooter McGavin]

There Will be Blood - Jebus, what a slow movie. I'm generally a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson (big "Magnolia" fan) but he fell a little bit in love with himself on this one, and really tried a little too hard in spots. It seemed like he was just being weird for the sake of being weird, especially with the ending. He did some cool stuff to symbolize Plainview's (Day-Lewis' character) narcissism and the scenes with the oil exploding from the ground were visually very cool. But the story didn't really go anywhere particularly interesting, and the character of the preacher was underdeveloped and ended up as basically a caricature. The relationship between commerce and religion at that point in history could have been a very interesting theme, but it wasn't really adequately explored, IMO.

I can't really argue with any of that, and yet the movie worked for me.

My only argument would be that Magnolia sucked, too.

X

He obviously needs to learn to respect the ####.

 

[fsufan]

took my daughter to see Meet Dave, good for a kids movie.

 

[SmoovySmoov]

I loved the Twin Peaks series but until recently I hadn't seen anything else by David Lynch apart from Dune. Then I saw Mulholland Drive in a sale for $5 and took a chance. It totally changed the way I view and think about movies. How refreshing to see something that makes me think rather than a predictable plot that can be figured out after a few minutes. I have now picked up as many of his movies as I could find.

Mulholland Drive

Probably my favorite of the bunch, but it's close. I like something about almost every scene. Naomi Watts was superb in this. I watched it with three friends and they all thought it was a pointless waste of time, so don't bother if you like to watch movies without really paying attention. I wanted to watch it the following day, and did. Things made a bit more sense the second time through, although I think it's open to a few interpretations even now. The lesbian and masturbation scenes might upset some people, so it's not for everyone. I thought they were well done and necessary.

Blue Velvet

Hard to believe that it took me over 20 years to get around to seeing this movie. My first thought was that it was way ahead of it's time. I was laughing out loud at the opening scene because it was so deliberately over the top. It even made me want to see it on the big screen, so I went to a re-run theater and watched it - something I have never done before. I expect to watch this movie a lot over the coming years.

Lost Highway

This had a great feel to it too. I loved the "call me" scene at the party. The music added a lot to the atmosphere this movie created.

Wild at Heart

I didn't expect much from this movie at all, but it surprised me. It's right up with the others in my opinion. Every Lynch movie has something I like.

Inland Empire

I haven't got into this one as much as the others, but I have only seen it twice. The rabbits are hilarious and Laura Dern gave a great performance.

After finally discovering Lynch, I now find myself looking at how scenes are created when I watch movies. The guy is so passionate about the whole process and the detail is incredible. It's all designed to give each scene a certain feel. I really admire what he has achieved and I can't wait for the next one. Three or four of these movies are now in my top 10 of all time. I find that I have to stop myself from watching them too much because I don't want to get sick of them.

The only thing is, none of my friends share my opinion on this. I have to enjoy the experience on my own.

I need to buy Eraserhead but I haven't seen it in any stores yet. I guess I'll order it in the near future.

Huge Lynch fan. I know how you feel. None of my friends are into movies you have to think about either. When Inland Empire came out, it came out in very limited release. As far as I know, it was only shown in one theater in each state. So, I travelled halfway across mine to see it in Nashville. I stayed with a friend about 45 minutes away, who could not understand A) that I had travelled so far just to see a movie B) that I not only went to see it on Friday night, but drove back again to see it on Saturday night and C) that after two viewings, I said that I felt like I understood about 75 - 80% of it.

I know Lynch fans (cough Krista cough) who didn't like Empire, but I thought it was beautiful, especially on the big screen. Have been a fan of Twin Peaks since it was on during my high school years, but it wasn't until later in life that I realized just what a genius he is when I got into his movies. And you're spot on about Mulholland Drive. It's in my Top 3 favorite movies of all time.

I will warn you that as big a fan as I am, Eraserhead is not nearly as enjoyable to me as his later films. It very much has a "student film" feeling to it. There are things I like about it, but when I feel like watching Lynch, it would probably be my last choice to watch again and again. Worth a view, but don't expect that blown away feeling that came with Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, etc.

One other thing about Mulholland Drive, is that scene in the diner, with the guy talking about his dream not incredible? To this day one of my favorite scenes of any movie. Just genius. The feeling of dread and terror that he evokes is just outstanding.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

One other thing about Mulholland Drive, is that scene in the diner, with the guy talking about his dream not incredible? To this day one of my favorite scenes of any movie. Just genius. The feeling of dread and terror that he evokes is just outstanding.

It sets a good mood, but as I remember doesn't fit in with the story very well.

 

[Musesboy]

I loved the Twin Peaks series but until recently I hadn't seen anything else by David Lynch apart from Dune. Then I saw Mulholland Drive in a sale for $5 and took a chance. It totally changed the way I view and think about movies. How refreshing to see something that makes me think rather than a predictable plot that can be figured out after a few minutes. I have now picked up as many of his movies as I could find.

Mulholland Drive

Probably my favorite of the bunch, but it's close. I like something about almost every scene. Naomi Watts was superb in this. I watched it with three friends and they all thought it was a pointless waste of time, so don't bother if you like to watch movies without really paying attention. I wanted to watch it the following day, and did. Things made a bit more sense the second time through, although I think it's open to a few interpretations even now. The lesbian and masturbation scenes might upset some people, so it's not for everyone. I thought they were well done and necessary.

Blue Velvet

Hard to believe that it took me over 20 years to get around to seeing this movie. My first thought was that it was way ahead of it's time. I was laughing out loud at the opening scene because it was so deliberately over the top. It even made me want to see it on the big screen, so I went to a re-run theater and watched it - something I have never done before. I expect to watch this movie a lot over the coming years.

Lost Highway

This had a great feel to it too. I loved the "call me" scene at the party. The music added a lot to the atmosphere this movie created.

Wild at Heart

I didn't expect much from this movie at all, but it surprised me. It's right up with the others in my opinion. Every Lynch movie has something I like.

Inland Empire

I haven't got into this one as much as the others, but I have only seen it twice. The rabbits are hilarious and Laura Dern gave a great performance.

After finally discovering Lynch, I now find myself looking at how scenes are created when I watch movies. The guy is so passionate about the whole process and the detail is incredible. It's all designed to give each scene a certain feel. I really admire what he has achieved and I can't wait for the next one. Three or four of these movies are now in my top 10 of all time. I find that I have to stop myself from watching them too much because I don't want to get sick of them.

The only thing is, none of my friends share my opinion on this. I have to enjoy the experience on my own.

I need to buy Eraserhead but I haven't seen it in any stores yet. I guess I'll order it in the near future.

Huge Lynch fan. I know how you feel. None of my friends are into movies you have to think about either. When Inland Empire came out, it came out in very limited release. As far as I know, it was only shown in one theater in each state. So, I travelled halfway across mine to see it in Nashville. I stayed with a friend about 45 minutes away, who could not understand A) that I had travelled so far just to see a movie B) that I not only went to see it on Friday night, but drove back again to see it on Saturday night and C) that after two viewings, I said that I felt like I understood about 75 - 80% of it.

I know Lynch fans (cough Krista cough) who didn't like Empire, but I thought it was beautiful, especially on the big screen. Have been a fan of Twin Peaks since it was on during my high school years, but it wasn't until later in life that I realized just what a genius he is when I got into his movies. And you're spot on about Mulholland Drive. It's in my Top 3 favorite movies of all time.

I will warn you that as big a fan as I am, Eraserhead is not nearly as enjoyable to me as his later films. It very much has a "student film" feeling to it. There are things I like about it, but when I feel like watching Lynch, it would probably be my last choice to watch again and again. Worth a view, but don't expect that blown away feeling that came with Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, etc.

One other thing about Mulholland Drive, is that scene in the diner, with the guy talking about his dream not incredible? To this day one of my favorite scenes of any movie. Just genius. The feeling of dread and terror that he evokes is just outstanding.

Wow. someone gets it Yep, I love that scene in the diner. The guy's face while he is telling the story is spot on.

That movie has so much drama in scenes that sound mundane.

Espresso, the golf club, the paint, the botched hit, so many hilarious moments. I could go on and on.

I once flew 3,000 miles to see a concert, but I haven't been more than 15 miles to see a movie. I get why you did it though.

 

[Statorama]

One other thing about Mulholland Drive, is that scene in the diner, with the guy talking about his dream not incredible? To this day one of my favorite scenes of any movie. Just genius. The feeling of dread and terror that he evokes is just outstanding.

It sets a good mood, but as I remember doesn't fit in with the story very well.

Is that the one where Nick Nolte is banging Jennifer Connelly?