What are the last two movies you watched?

[Whip]

Terminator Salvation.
Doubt.

[Silent G]

True Grit
Harold and Maude

[Drew]

X-Men Origins: Wolverine: Watchable. A worthy rental.
Star Trek: Ultimate Star Trek 1 was as good as they all said. But the fact that Tyler Perry was in something that did not bear his name on it threw me.

[kubiak]

Terminator: Salvation & Fanboys.

One was a dissapointment that I already expected to be pretty bad, the other was a pleasant surprise that I enjoyed quite a bit.

[Taxman]

Gandhi - I found this to be a rather lifeless, clinical retelling of historical events. Clearly the film wants to be a David Lean style historical epic, but for my money it fell well short.

Taken - This, I found to be a souless actionfest with Liam Neeson essentially sleepwalking through his part. The core issue of the film (unrevealed in the marketing campaigns) is neither glamorized nor dealt with in any serious manner. Very little separates this film from the typical dime a dozen revenge flicks there are.

[RebootedCorpse]

Star Trek
Sunshine Cleaning

[Modok Gas]

Red Cliff (Part I) This is the John Woo directed film on the Three Kingdoms theme. Some nice action scenes... ending seemed too long. I'm holding off on judging this movie until I see the second part.

Ip Man This is an awesome martial arts bio pic about Bruce Lee's master. It's starts off with a city in China experiencing a boom in kung fu schools and then deals with what an individual can do during the Japanese invasion during WW II. The story, cinematography, acting, and choreography were great. You can find it on DVD on eBay. It hasn't been released theatrically in the US yet.

Here's the trailer for Ip Man : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhz4Jl6nf58

[Fygar]

The Phantom Menace - It's a good film with flaws. There's a lot I like about it though.

Attack of the Clones - My least favorite of the saga, but it's highly watchable.

Revenge of the Sith - Highly underrated in my opinion. It's a solid story marred by bad dialogue and occasional bad delivery. It flies by though and has some of my favorite scenes in all six films.

I have to watch something that doesn't have the word "Star" in the title for awhile though (but I'll probably watch Star Trek the motion picture soon since I have it from Netflix).

[schizorabbit]

East of Eden - This seems to be a trend in this thread. Great movie. James Dean was fantastic, especially when his character had vengeance on this mind. The scene where he's on the swing, talking to his father, is absolutely amazing, and a great display of Dean's chops. Kazan is quite the fantastic director, making his presence known in the more sinister scenes, yet remaining consistent throughout.



My first exposure to Dean, and it blew me away when I first saw it. Before this movie, I did not seek out classic movies. At all. After this, I sought out everything I had previously avoided.

Dean was phenomenal. I remember reading or watching about how the making of this movie, and how, in that one scene (where his father is berating his character for something he did in order to get his father's love) where Dean just breaks down and hugs his father before walking away--the commentator was talking about how the actor who played his father was old school--everything rehearsed, stuck to script, hit the same mark, etc.--and when Dean the improvisational method actor went up to him, crying, and hugged him, that he took the actor by surprised.

[J Money]

The Wrestler-loved it. Didnt know Ernest "The Cat" Miller was in this. :rock:
Vicky Christina Barcelona-Scarlett Johansson looked great, thats about all I remember.

[Greygor]

Resident Evil
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Extinction

I just wanted to take my brain out plus I have a thing for Mila. I wasn't disappointed I got some mindless action with a few interesting bits.

On top of that I thought Milla Jovovich is quite a good action star, started me wondering if she could play a superhero and if so which.

[MIKE D]

Tyson - Fascinating character study of possibly the most reviled man in modern sports. It's like glimpsing what a therapy session with Iron Mike would be like.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button- Technically amazing, and beautifully shot, but the film kind of left me cold. Also, I think it's a bit of cheat that we didn't get to see a man sized baby at the end.

Synecdoche, New York- Wow, Kaufman is just working at such a different level than anyone else in terms of screenwriting. I'm probably going to have to see this again just to soak up more of what's going on (I don't even think a second viewing is enough to pick up EVERYTHING). It seems that ultimately what he's saying is that the artist will always struggle to find and express the ultimate truth of life, and that the struggle will always be futile. One of the sadder films I've seen this year.

[leafinsectman]

Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla - Tokyo gets fucking smashed as a giant lizard creature fights a giant robot lizard creature, how can you go wrong? Not perfect but fucking fun shit.

Once Upon A Time In The West - Great stuff. I'm not a big western buff but I loved it.

[Greygor]

Synecdoche, New York- Wow, Kaufman is just working at such a different level than anyone else in terms of screenwriting. I'm probably going to have to see this again just to soak up more of what's going on (I don't even think a second viewing is enough to pick up EVERYTHING). It seems that ultimately what he's saying is that the artist will always struggle to find and express the ultimate truth of life, and that the struggle will always be futile. One of the sadder films I've seen this year.

Doesn't this explain the depth of Jeph Loeb's Hulk series? He gave up the struggle

[Eddie Edmends]

Wiener and Teenage mutant ninja turtles

[Thommy Melanson]

Get Shorty - Y'know, those are the most laidback, congenial mobsters I've ever seen. There's no laughs or drama, the whole flick just lays there like a dead fish. Spend the 90 minutes you'd waste watching this and read the novel instead.

Wristcutters: A Love Story - Existentialist, surreal and clever. Good performances from the three leads and the dour Eastern Bloc-esque landscape of the post-suicide purgatory they traverse is a note-perfect setting.

[George]

Watching the Detectives is a fun little romantic comedy set in a independent movie rental store. It was written & directed by one of the Broken Lizard guys and stars Cillian Murphy and Lucy Liu.

Babylon A.D. was a good sci-fi flick, action sequences and special effects were impressive. It’s like a futuristic transporter starring Vin Diesel.

[En Sabah Poo]

Wolverine - great first half, the second half fell apart. Gambit was terrible and what they did to Deadpool (even though i don't really care about the character) was awful.

Angels and Demons - pretty exciting, but the final story twist doesn't make any fucking sense in reality.

[Jamie S. Rich]

O' Horten - the new film by Factotum and Kitchen Stories director Bent Hamer, about a Norwegian train conductor entering into retirement and sorting out what to do with his life.

Wendy & Lucy - The story of Michelle Williams and her dog, directed by Wendy Reichardt. The tale is a simple one, but Williams is remarkable.

These make a good double feature, as both quietly observe their characters rather than forcing any conventional narrative. Loved them both. Very thoughtful, very emotional.

[(akaRyanHoffman)]

21 (harmless and forgettable. I'm not quite sure why I watched this.) and V (The original mini. This was mostly very good. On the other hand, I watched the first part of the second mini and thought that while it wasn't bad, it certainly was laying the allegories on a little too THICK. So far, it's not nearlly as good.)

[Prime]

Lesbian Vampire Killers - Terrible.

Night at the museum 2 - good, Amy Adam's behind FTW.

[Weasel21385]

The Tuxedo - Awful, but funny

The Rich Man's Wife - Any time Halle Berry is trying to decide between Shooter McGavin and the bad guy from the Mask I have trouble taking a movie seriously.

[Blake Sims]

Videodrome- Pretty neat movie. Woods was great in it. Plus it had Debbie Harry boobies, so that's ok.

[Cactusakic]

What's Up, Tiger Lily?
and
Sleeper

[justjeffery]

S Darko, which I really enjoyed and Nightmare Before Christmas for the 10 thousandth time because my youngest loves it.. Its grown on me.. I hated it originally, not I find myself singing along.

[Rosemary's Baby]

Taken - Taxman summed it up perfectly above. It felt like there were pieces missing from the narrative. Some cool fight scenes, but that's about it.

Still Walking - Fantastic. I love a good Japanese Drama. Koreeda, the director, also responsible for the wonderful and depressing Nobody Knows, captures the tension and awkwardness of family gatherings perfectly. Ryo is visiting his family on the 12-year anniversary of his brother's death. He's bring along his new wife and his stepson. His parents haven't met her yet and they don't like the idea of him marrying a widow with a kid. Koreeda gets amazing performances out of everyone, including the kid, which, if you've scene Nobody Knows, this shouldn't be surprising. The stand-out in the film is Ryo's mother. She seems like such a sweet old lady... Every slow-paced Japanese Drama is reminiscent of Ozu, there's nothing you can do about it, and this film is comparable to some of his best.

My Dear Enemy - My first experience with Korean director Lee Yoon-Ki. Thirty-something Hee-Su is unemployed and just generally fucked. She lent this old boyfriend $3500 and he ran off. She intends to collect. After she finds him, broke and at the racetrack, they set off throughout Seoul so he can borrow money and pay her back. The characters are great. She (Do-yeon Jeon) and he are both fantastic actors. She's best known for her role in Secret Sunshine, which won her best actress at Canne. This role is very subtle and sober. She does well, but never gets to fully display her skills. He (Jung-woo Ha) is the main source of laughs and drives the story. The film runs a bit long, but the masterful direction and characters keep it interesting.

[schizorabbit]

S Darko, which I really enjoyed and Nightmare Before Christmas for the 10 thousandth time because my youngest loves it.. Its grown on me.. I hated it originally, not I find myself singing along.

I got the soundtrack!!!

Man, and kids movies--I love watching kid stuff with kids!!! Like the stop motion animation stuff (Rudolf's Shiny New Year, The Year Without a Santa, etc.).

[justjeffery]

I got the soundtrack!!!

Man, and kids movies--I love watching kid stuff with kids!!! Like the stop motion animation stuff (Rudolf's Shiny New Year, The Year Without a Santa, etc.).

This movie has been a rollercoaster ride for me.. I HATE Tim Burtons films.. and hated this the first 2 times I saw it... but I sat and watched it with my son and its grown on me... I cant say that I like it, but I do enjoy it more than I originally did...

Im with you though.. I love a good kids film...

[Blane]

I just watched The Onion movie and Terminator Salvation.

Terminator was awful, avoid at all costs.

The Onion movie had some funny skits in it, but was nowhere near a cohesive movie. I wasn't a huge fan, although there are some really funny parts in it.

[Blake Sims]

Yojimbo- Excellent movie. Mifune was excellent as always.

Robocop- I love this movie. So entertaining.

[cPol]

Madagascar - Amusing, but wasn't good enough to compell me to watch the sequel.

Quarantine - Bad. It was an interesting concept, executed well, but it didn't work. I think I just didn't care for the hook, that being that it was being presented through a shaky, real-time news camera. Might've been better as a non-gimmicked movie. Except for the non-ending. I enjoyed the special features on the disc more than the movie.

[Cactusakic]

Sleeper
and
Drag Me To Hell

[Arion]

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Star Trek

[Jamie S. Rich]

Wise Blood - Totally weird and wonderful Flannery O'Connor adaptation from John Huston, starring Brad Dourif. I also recommend the book. (Review (http://www.criterionconfessions.com/2009/05/wise-blood-470.html))

Girl on a Motorcycle - Oh, my God, what a piece of crap. Alain Delon and Marianne Faithfull in a movie together is proof that pretty is not all that's required. (Review (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/37397/girl-on-a-motorcycle/))

[Andreas]

Wise Blood - Totally weird and wonderful Flannery O'Connor adaptation from John Huston, starring Brad Dourif. I also recommend the book. (Review (http://www.criterionconfessions.com/2009/05/wise-blood-470.html))

Girl on a Motorcycle - Oh, my God, what a piece of crap. Alain Delon and Marianne Faithfull in a movie together is proof that pretty is not all that's required. (Review (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/37397/girl-on-a-motorcycle/))

Les Reed's soundtrack to Girl On A Motorcycle is quite enjoyable.

listen to "Girl On A Motorcycle" (Theme) (http://cinebeats.blogsome.com/2009/04/28/girl-on-a-motorcycle-the-soundtrack/)

Andreas

[chazbot]

Slumdog Millionaire - Just a generally good film. Neat storytelling device used.

Transformers - Not nearly as bad as I was expecting. Though I was ready for it to be over well before it ended.

[Jamie S. Rich]

Les Reed's soundtrack to Girl On A Motorcycle is quite enjoyable.

listen to "Girl On A Motorcycle" (Theme) (http://cinebeats.blogsome.com/2009/04/28/girl-on-a-motorcycle-the-soundtrack/)

Andreas

Cool. Thanks for the link. I'm grabbing that!

It's funny, because in the first 15 minutes or so, I kept noticing the music and thinking it was going to be great, but I kind of forgot about it as it went. When I was writing my review, I clicked on Reed's name on IMDB and was amazed by his credits. Seems like he should have been someone I had heard of before.

[WickedLittleHigh]

Dewey Cox : Walk Hard - Not nearly as bad as I thought that it would be.

Bolt - Cute movie.

[MIKE D]

Away From Her - I avoided this for awhile because Fourthman gave me a bad review on it, but I didn't think it was as bad as he said. It definitely suffers from some glacial pacing, but ultimately I thought it was a pretty good portrait of what it feels like to lose the only person that matters to you.

I'm Not There - Admittedly a bit of a mess, and I don't always think Todd Haynes' ideas crystallized entirely, but I ended up really enjoying it none the less. A bunch of great performances, and it's hard to go wrong with that soundtrack. I need to go hunt down that My Morning Jacket version of "Going To Acupulco".

[En Sabah Poo]

Quarantine - Bad. It was an interesting concept, executed well, but it didn't work. I think I just didn't care for the hook, that being that it was being presented through a shaky, real-time news camera. Might've been better as a non-gimmicked movie. Except for the non-ending. I enjoyed the special features on the disc more than the movie.

Interesting perspective. I really liked the movie because it was done with real time shaky cam. I don't think it would have been so good if it was more straight forward style. I can see how stuff like this could really polarize audiences.

[Fygar]

Glengarry Glen Ross - My second viewing of his, and my God is it fantastic. The dialogue is unbelievable. Love this film.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture - My second exposure to Star Trek (the new one being the first) and wow...this was bad. There's maybe half an hour to forty five minutes of plot, but the run time is over two hours. Every scene feels stretched out. When they travel through "Vger" it seems like half an hour or longer. All it is is them traveling through the ship, then a reaction shot, them traveling through the ship, reaction shot from someone else, and this keeps repeating in a loop. Every once in awhile you'll hear about the pressure being low or that they aren't going to make it.

[MIKE D]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture - My second exposure to Star Trek (the new one being the first) and wow...this was bad. There's maybe half an hour to forty five minutes of plot, but the run time is over two hours. Every scene feels stretched out. When they travel through "Vger" it seems like half an hour or longer. All it is is them traveling through the ship, then a reaction shot, them traveling through the ship, reaction shot from someone else, and this keeps repeating in a loop. Every once in awhile you'll hear about the pressure being low or that they aren't going to make it.

Yeah, I'll never understand why they tried to make a Star Trek movie paced like 2001. And the worst part was, you sat there for all that time, and ultimately the whole friggin' movie was just a remake of an old episode.

[RocketRaccoon-DestroysYou]

DRAG ME TO HELL was surprising to me that sam raimi could make a PG13 film so scary.
when I heard it was not rated R. I just thought that his directing would be held back.
great twist ending. loved it. (but I'll be hoping for a Unrated Directors cut on DVD)

UP was fabulous. the moments in the begging without the dialogue said so much without saying a single word. it just tugged at my heart-string.
I LOVED IT AS MUCH WALL-E
FIVE STARS!!! EXCELLANT!!!

[danlomb]

Big Man Japan - This could have been so awesome - what a concept. But instead it was too obscure and at some times depressing. If they focused more on parodying the mega-monster scene, rather than middle-class life in Japan, it would have been an all-time great. "The life and times of Japan's sky-scraper tall protector", as a concept, is wicked. But it didn't deliver, and the ending was just nonsense, and if it was trying to convey the meaning that I think it is, then it even further hurts the film.

Semi-Pro - wasn't so bad! Ferrell was perfect. Fast-forward all the woody-harrelson scenes, and always be on the lookout for a gag in the background, and you'll love it.

[Nerdzner]

Taken: Pretty good. Not great, but enjoyable.

Repo!: The Genetic Opera: Easily the worst movie I've ever seen in my life. No exaggeration.

[Petey Parker]

Bolt - Fantastic movie. I love Rhino

Moon Child - Japanese film starring Japanese superstar Gackt and Hyde (lead singer of L'Arc En Ciel and VAMPS) It follows the life of a boy named Sho (who is played by Gackt once he grows up) who meets and befriends a vampire (played by Hyde). It starts out when they first meet when Sho is a young boy and jumps through ahead several years at a time as the story progresses. It had a nice mix of action, comedy, and some heartwarming moments. I enjoyed it a lot. It also stars Taro Yamamoto (who played Kawada in Battle Royale) and the awesome Ryo Ishibashi (from Audition and lots of other stuff)

[Gangy]

Reservoir Dogs: Finally watched it in its entirety after all these years of seeing bits and pieces at a time. I wasn't all that impressed, but I didn't hate it either. I DID enjoy the Silver Surfer poster on Mr. Orange's wall though. This is the second movie I've watched in the last couple of weeks where someone has a cool Silver Surfer poster, the other being "How I Got Into College".

Eraserhead: I have no idea. You go into it being pretty sure it will be the weirdest movie ever, and then it's that times about a billion. I think I enjoyed it, but you couldn't pay me to ever watch it again.

[Kedd]

Drag Me To Hell: Fucking brutal. A lot of gross stuff, some scary moments, and a good bit of comedy. My girl and I enjoyed it a lot.

[Joe Kalicki]

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Chasing Amy

[JoeE]

Miller's Crossing - Never seen this before, sadly. Dragged a bit at first, but some of the best Coen Brothers movies I've seen have required repeat viewings. Albert Finney is a fucking badass.

Synecdoche, NY - This was the last movie I had in my Netflix queue, I wasn't really looking forward to it, but I was totally knocked flat - maybe the most immersive movie I've ever seen. It amazes me how Charlie Kaufman takes all these insane, borderline genius high concepts and uses them to get at really basic human truths. Golf-clap for Emily Watson - YOWZA. Was not expecting that.

[Cactusakic]

Oops, forgot to update this thread after the last two films, so today's post is a double-bill:

Crank
and
Duel

Love And Death
and
Interiors

[Ryan_ZOOM_Turner]

Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist - which was terrible
Terminator: Salvation - Explosions and explosions

[(akaRyanHoffman)]

Drag Me To Hell and Harlan Ellison: Dreams With Sharp Teeth

[Doug]

Saw a lot of movies this weekend:
Up - 5 Stars, amazing movie
Drag Me to Hell - 3 or 3.5 Stars, I don't think I liked it as much as every one else. I thought it was very predictable, and too goofy at times for a "serious" horror film. I much preffer Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2 (best combo of horror and humor), A Simple Plan (an underrated gem), and The Gift.
Spider-Man 3 - 1.5 Stars. Raimi's worst, but my 5 year old loves it because it has Venom in it. So when he wants to watch it I put it on for him. Unfortunately it is his favorite of the three live action films.
Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang - 4 Stars, great movie that I had not seen before. The acting was across the board good, and the script was tight and very funny. "Why did you pee on the corpse?"

[Doug]

Miller's Crossing - Never seen this before, sadly. Dragged a bit at first, but some of the best Coen Brothers movies I've seen have required repeat viewings. Albert Finney is a fucking badass.

Synecdoche, NY - This was the last movie I had in my Netflix queue, I wasn't really looking forward to it, but I was totally knocked flat - maybe the most immersive movie I've ever seen. It amazes me how Charlie Kaufman takes all these insane, borderline genius high concepts and uses them to get at really basic human truths. Golf-clap for Emily Watson - YOWZA. Was not expecting that.

Miller's Crossing is definately one of my favorite Coen Brothers movies. But they have very few complete misses. Even Ladykillers had an entertaining turn by JK Simmons (granted he was just about the only thing I really liked in that film).

I really want to see Synecdoche, NY, but I haven't rented it yet. I might next week when my wife goes away on a business trip.

[Generic Poster]

Taken

and

Shooter

I had dumb action night this weekend.

[cPol]

Tropic Thunder - Funny stuff, but I have to imagine that if you're not hip to Hollywood, some of this is going to fly right over your head.

The Wrestler - I wanted to like it a lot more than I did.

[Andreas]

Drag Me To Hell and Harlan Ellison: Dreams With Sharp Teeth

I'm looking forward to the Ellison documentary. I guess it will be listed in one of the next Previews catalogues, so I'll grab it then.

Andreas

[Fygar]

Frida - Excellent film. Great performances from both Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina. Never felt like a typical bio pic. The way they integrated her art into the film was a nice touch. I really enjoyed this, it was a great love story.

Up - Another great Pixar film, but probably lies in the middle of their catalog for me. Most of the emotional beats were ruined by teenagers a row behind me which really sucked (and may have tainted my overall enjoyment). I wasn't a huge fan of the talking dogs. They didn't have that Pixar magic for me. Everything else was spot on.

[J Money]

Fanboys-good cameos, I liked it.
Punch Drunk Love-Weird.

[Japhy Ryder]

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: Agreed, it was terrible. The beginning gave me a "is this a mock run at Scott Pilgrim" feeling, which quickly devolved into bouts of Sartre's Nausea. Man, it seemed like there were two entirely different crews completely splitting up the movie and shooting scenes, some that were subtly and surprisingly good, and the rest a pile of recycled garbage that couldn't stop itself from doing horrible things to the viewer.

Kung Fu Panda: Surprisingly not horrible. Some good bits, although again the best was the opening scene. I was thoroughly depressed and disturbed at the movie's subtext: "Hey, it's totally OK, kiddos to be incredibly obese and still entertain notions that you can also be a bad-ass athlete! See, the dancing cartoon fat fuck panda became a super ninja, so eat your eight squares of high fructose corn syrup every day, get fatter, and you too can magically not end of with Diabetes by the age of 14 and a coronary at 26." It was really quite evil, and definitely not something I would find appropriate for kids (unless I hated them and wanted them to die young with screwed up ideas ofhealthy body image).

[Andreas]

The last two movies I watched were Deathwatch (2002) by Michael J. Bassett and Amen (Der Stellvertreter, 2002) by Costa-Gavras.

Deathwatch (2002) by Michael J. Bassett
imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286306/)
trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhv_8DiEqNE)
Netflix (http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Deathwatch/70000365)
grade: 7/10

Deathwatch (2002) is a war movie with a supernatural/horror element that takes place during World War I. A troup of British soldiers is fighting in the trenches. One night, they are ordered to attack and the result is a massacre. A strange mist occurs, which they assume is poisonous gas that, if it doesn't kill you instantly is said to cause all kinds of hallucinations. The soldiers find themselves in a landscape devoid of fighting and devoid of people. They manage to overwhelm a small group of German soldiers in one of the trenches who appear terrified.

Deathwatch looks stunning. The screen is drenched in mud and rain for most of the time. There's a growing tension between the men as things happen for which no rational explanation is given. It feels like a flipside to Jacob's Ladder (1990), Adrian Lyne's exploration of an after-death experience. This could be one of the reasons Deathwatch stupefied most reviewers who expected either a traditional war movie or a traditional horror movie. It is also cast very well with fresh new faces, and the overall strong performances almost make you forget that this is the director's debut movie. Recommended. And it makes me look forward with confidence to Michael J. Bassett's third and latest movie, an adaptation of REH's Solomon Kane (2009).

Amen. (Der Stellvertreter, 2002) by Costa-Gavras
imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280653/)
trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoHMm5vctIM)
Netflix (http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Amen./60029556)
grade: 6.5/10

Der Stellvertreter (2002) is based on Rolf Hochhuth's theater play of the same name. For a movie with German actors it's particularly strong-cast, you will notice several of them from The Lives of Others (2006). The movie deals with the role of the Catholic Church and Pope Pius XII during World War II and the official church's role in the Holocaust.

An SS officer (Ulrich Tukur) learns about Jews being systematically killed in concentration camps with Zyklon B. He's actually an expert in disinfection and asked by his superiors to come up with a solution to maximize the killing of millions of people in the death factories. As this is something his conscience does not allow he tries to sabotage the delivery of the gas canisters. He contacts a young priest (Mathieu Kassovitz) who has access to the Pope. They try to get the Pope to make a public statement that would acknowledge the systematic killing of the Jewish population, and which would very likely get Christians to question the Nazi system and its policies.

We are presented a system, in which everyone tries to maintain their own status quo, tries to brush aside the obvious, from bourgeois patriarchs to church officials. But at the same time it's a differentiated portrait that also presents people who did disagree with the policies of the Nazis, average people who, though they were part of the machinery, didn't bring up the courage to act. The late Ulrich Mühe is brilliantly cast as cynical opportunist, who fully supports the system as the leader of a concentration camp but, aware of the coming defeat through the allied forces, is looking for a way to escape his looming fate as a war criminal and mass murderer.

Finally, the movie also comments on the issue of the global Judenhass at the time, when the American ambassador acknowledges that Goebbels wouldn't mind other countries to pick up the persecuted "lower races." But because all countries had their own problems, none of them would be interested in providing thousands of Jewish refugees with a new place to live. Sending soldiers to fight and defeat Hitler is as far as they are willing to go.

Amen is a very good drama, adapted by a seasoned director with the support of a great cast, and well worth watching. If you enjoyed The Lives of Others, Amen is similar in mood.

Andreas

[Blake Sims]

Memento- I actually feel asleep watching it, but I've seen it before. Still really great.

Traffic- Pretty good movie. Benecio Del Toro was great as usual. Not really to big on Catherine Zeta Jones though.

[RocketRaccoon-DestroysYou]

Harlan Ellison: Dreams With Sharp Teeth
what??
where??
where is it playing??
was it televised?? IFC??
is it out on dvd???

[Rosemary's Baby]

Episode 1 - My girlfriend hadn't seen any of the prequels. It's pretty bad, but it's not horrible. Is that a compliment? We're now half-way through Episode 2, now that's a piece of shit. Wow. Hayden Christianson is so fucking bad in it. Everyone overacts to an absurd degree. That little hissy fit he throws before he and Padme head back to Naboo. Goddamn, that was annoying. I will say one thing about episode 1, Jake Lloyd wasn't nearly as annoying as I remembered him being. A few bad lines, but you can't blame him. Lucas just doesn't know how to work with actors.

Enter the Dragon - God, I love this movie.

[cPol]

My Name is Bruce - Harmless fun. All of the bad acting actually enhanced the movie. It's unfortunate that they couldn't figure out a real ending for it.

Let the Right One In - Really, really good. Riveting. Doesn't live up to the internet hype (does anything, ever?). But I am always impressed with a vampire movie that can show me something I've never seen before. Really like some of the simpler, subtle effects they used to give it a wicked, creepy atmosphere.

[(akaRyanHoffman)]

I'm looking forward to the Ellison documentary. I guess it will be listed in one of the next Previews catalogues, so I'll grab it then.

Andreas


what??
where??
where is it playing??
was it televised?? IFC??
is it out on dvd???

It came out last week. I bought my copy off Amazon. Though, looking it up again, it's $5 more expensive this week than it was last week.

One of my friends was telling me they played it on Sundance last week.

[King of Mars]

Forgetting Sarah Marshall - I have mixed feelings about this one. Yeah, it made me laugh, but it also convinced me that I am sick to death of the Apatow formula.

North By Northwest - Not my favorite Hitchcock movie. It's a decent bit of entertainment but, in my opinion, the wacky plot keeps it from being truly extraordinary.

[ZombieSpeedball]

Wristcutters - Actually a pretty interesting flick. Really well performed, and despite my being able to see the ending from a mile away, I was still hoping it would happen.

Life - God, this is such an awesome movie. I swear, it must be the last Eddie Murphy movie I actually liked.

[mlpeters]

I saw Star Trek. I liked it, especially the integration of Nimoy's Spock in the story. Plenty of plot-holes and silly stuff, but those are part of what make it Star Trek. Karl Urban was especially great as Bones -- hard to reconcile that the same guy played Eomir in Lord of the Rings. The new Scotty was pretty good in a manic sort of way, though quite a change from the older, solid, professional, blue-collar-ish engineer played by James Doohan -- probably something to do with shifting stereotypes - -the Scottish engineer really isn't one anymore, is it?

[Andreas]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0THgOCgi-U

Manuela Velasco is on the cast list again... :eek:

[Rec] 2 by Jaume Balaguero & Paco Plaza, La Horde by Yannick Dahan & Benjamin Rocher, Chan-wook Park's Bakjwi, Michael Haneke's Das weiße Band, Splice by Vincenzo Natali, Love Exposure by Sion Sono, Michel Hazanavicius's OSS 117: Rio ne répond plus, John Woo's Red Cliff, The Sky Crawlers by Mamoru Oshii,... this promises to become one of the better year for movies.

Andreas

[Rosemary's Baby]

Episode 2 - The worst Star Wars movie. I never noticed, somehow, just how bad Lucas is with actors.

This Film Is Not Yet Rated - This was rather fantastic. The ego on Jack Valenti is insane, as our his delusions. It's amazing that these people think they're making these films better by censoring them.

[The-Last-Man]

Valkyrie - It was very good.

Night At The Museum 2 - It was OK, but the kids loved it, so cool.

[Rosemary's Baby]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0THgOCgi-U

Manuela Velasco is on the cast list again... :eek:

[Rec] 2 by Jaume Balaguero & Paco Plaza, La Horde by Yannick Dahan & Benjamin Rocher, Chan-wook Park's Bakjwi, Michael Haneke's Das weiße Band, Splice by Vincenzo Natali, Love Exposure by Sion Sono, Michel Hazanavicius's OSS 117: Rio ne répond plus, John Woo's Red Cliff, The Sky Crawlers by Mamoru Oshii,... this promises to become one of the better year for movies.

Andreas

I would add Bong Joon-Ho's Mother, Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Jacques Audiard's A Prophet, Johnny To's Vengeance and Glendyn Ivin's Last Ride to that list. Oh, and The Road.

[steedthedeed]

i was in a darkmood, so Hellraiser and Dark City. "you opened the box, we came" haha so classic

[(akaRyanHoffman)]

Get Thrashed: The Story of Thrash Metal (Not so much a documentary than it is a nostaligic look back at the emergence of thrash metal and the mark it made. I enjoyed it quite a bit.) and V: The Final Battle (which I thought was a big dissapointment. The first V mini is pretty fantastic and I highly recommend revisiting it.)

[Jimmie Robinson]

Last Two:

UP - I liked it.

Terminator: Salvation - I didn't like it that much, but I didn't hate it. Okay, I lied... I had too many problems with it.

[Blake Sims]

The Never Ending Story Pts 1 & 2. Yeah not that great, but I loved them as a kid. The first one is kinda creepy, the second is just kinda bad.

[Stupendous Man]

Terminator: Salvation - Light on story, very heavy on explosions. I enjoyed it for what it was, a big dumb summer action movie. Some of the action sequences were pretty exciting to watch.

Up: Absolutely tremendous. Pixar once again knocks it out of the park. This movie had it all. Humor, action, suspense, emotion. There were parts that out Indy-ed the latest Indiana Jones movie and the scene at Russel's Wilderness Explorers ceremony had me with tears in my eyes. Fantastic fantastic movie. Pixar has yet to make a film that I haven't loved every second of. Well done on all fronts.

[Eli Ca$h]

I think that would be Frost/Nixon and The Rock.

[CapnChaos]

Watched Spirited Away for the first time. Pretty good for an Alice in Wonderland story. Great animation.

Watched part of Jurassic Park with Rifftrax. Also good. But I fell asleep partway in. (D'oh.)

[Cactusakic]

Stardust Memories
and
Friday The 13th (2009)

[Dan-C]

Haloween (2007) - Way more brutal than the original. Zombie is good at making these kinds of movies.

Bedtime Stories - Enjoyable, but not great. Barely good, in fact. But a fun watch.

[(akaRyanHoffman)]

Godzilla: Final Wars (which was ridiculous!) and The Hangover (which was genuinly funny.)

[Ryan_ZOOM_Turner]

The Hangover and The Sandlot

[Gangy]

The Apartment & Mean Streets - Both were decent enough, but not all they're cracked up to be.

[William Joseph Dunn]

up

[rwsmith]

Terminator Salvation and Kung-Fu Panda with my daughter this morning. Really enjoyed the latter. The former was just "okay."

[Jamie S. Rich]

Green For Danger - An entertaining 1940s British whodunit with Inspector Cockrill, as played by Alasdair Sim. (Full review (http://www.criterionconfessions.com/2009/06/green-for-danger-375.html))

Au Bonheur des Dames - a Julien Duvivier silent film, adapting Emile Zola, that is very good despite a classically maddening ending. Great photography and use of real sets. (Full review (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/37501/au-bonheur-des-dames/))

[Jamie S. Rich]

The Apartment & Mean Streets - Both were decent enough, but not all they're cracked up to be.

The government should come and take your DVD player away.

[Cactusakic]

Push
and
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy

[Girlfriend In A Coma]

I'm in a musical mood today. So far I've watched Repo the Genetic Opera and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Sigh. Such good stuff.

[Petey Parker]

Fanboys

Tropic Thunder (on Cinemax, had already seen it before)

[Andreas]

In case you wonder why you can no longer access Slasherpool.com (via imdb's external reviews):

http://www.upcominghorrormovies.com/uhm/showthread.php?p=824650


FrighT MasteR [UHM Moderator], 2 weeks ago

Our good friends at Slasherpool.com have closed their doors. The owner actually took down the site a couple weeks ago. Apparently he had a hard time juggling his job in the DVD distributing field and also maintaining the site.

Since I've been friends with the webmaster for a number of years, he decided to give UHM [Upcoming Horror Movies (http://www.upcominghorrormovies.com/)] his huge library of reviews. This means UHM will essentially never run out of review updates http://www.upcominghorrormovies.com/uhm/images/smilies/yes.gif

However, I will not be incorporating the reviews until UHM 2.0 is open to the public next month. I will be preserving Slasherpool's memory by adding a line of text somewhere in each of their reviews saying where it was originally from.

RIP Slasherpool http://www.upcominghorrormovies.com/uhm/images/smilies/getsome.gif

And if you never heard of Slasherpool.com:


The webmaster had a lot of good reviews for many foreign flicks that you'd rarely see anywhere else, and he got quoted on a lot of DVD cover art, so it was a site that was known to have some good reviewed content.

Andreas

[Bandit Chimera]

Wall -E (which was cute but not my favorite Pixar flick)

Nacho Libre (It's always good for a laugh)


Saturday I watched Quarantine though which was a really terrible boring horror flick.

[Joe Kalicki]

The Five Obstructions.

Predator.

[cPol]

My Bloody Valentine (2009) - Went into it with the lowest of low expectations (a remake of one of the quick cash-in rip-offs of the Halloween and Friday the 13th craze?) and came out of it with one my my new favorite horror flicks. They actually wrote a smart authority figure (the sheriff). Apart from a somewhat contrived and telegraphed ending, I was fairly well stunned at how much I ended up liking this.

Up - A movie that tries for an uplifting (no pun intended) message, but is based upon depression and hurt. Ten minutes into it, I wanted to leave and sob quietly to myself in my car. Because of where I am in life right now, and the things that have happened to me int he last three years or so, I ended up walking away from the movie with the exact opposite message they were trying to get across. A stinker that rates just barely above Wall-E. Pixar is rapidly losing me as a fan.

[Cactusakic]

Face/Off
and
Con Air

[Rosemary's Baby]

Il Divo - A great film that suffered slightly from the introduction of too many characters. Expertly directed and shot, with an amazing soundtrack, Il Divo is about Giulo Andreoti, former Prime Minister of Italy and all the horrible things he did in his long political career. Definitely need to watch it again to fully digest all the happenings.

Alien

[Jamie S. Rich]

I really wanted to see Il Divo when it was at the Portland Int. Film Fest.

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man - Wow. The best music documentary I've seen in a long time. I love Scott's stuff, so it was great for me, but I think it's also a good intro for anyone who doesn't know his music. (Full review (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/37512/scott-walker-30-century-man/))

The Strange One - Ben Gazzara's first movie, and whoa, was he great. A solid drama about military school hazing with lots of dark undertones.

[Cactusakic]

Enemy Of The State
and
Reality Bites

[Blake Sims]

F For Fake- I really dug this. It was put together in a very interesting way.

Best In Show- Still funny. McKean, Higgins, and Willard were hilarious.

[Fygar]

Drag Me To Hell - Just not for me. I like my horror more subtle and nuanced. This was loud, over the top, and sort of obnoxious. There were parts that I liked, but for everyone of those there were 10 "jump" scares.

The Dreamers - I want to like this movie, but I don't. I like the story but the characters are so annoying. The way French new wave and classic films are interwoven within the narrative is neat, but I can't stand listening to the characters rave about said films. It's well made, but something keeps me from loving it.

[Rosemary's Baby]

Eternity and a Day - This is a fantastic film. Bruno Ganz, who's amazing in the film, plays Alexandre, an old poet that's on his last leg. He meets a little boy, an Albanian immigrant who has no one in his life, and they go on a bit of an adventure trying to return him back to his home country. It's a slow film at times, and occasionally, you feel its length. I think it's because of how the director (Theo Angelopoulos) likes long, slow panning shots. He lets things unfold before the camera. He's in no hurry. The relationship between Alexandre and the little boy is a wonderful thing to watch. I love stories like this and Eternity and a Day is one of the best I've seen.

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters - A recent thread inspired me to check this movie out and I'm glad I did. It's a very interesting film about a fascinating man in Japanese history. There's very little I can say about it because the film is rather difficult to describe. It's best to just watch the damn thing and enjoy the ride. I love the structuring. It's not an easy film, I'll say that, but it is extremely well done and the score is outstanding.

[Andreas]

Eternity and a Day - This is a fantastic film. Bruno Ganz, who's amazing in the film, plays Alexandre, an old poet that's on his last leg. He meets a little boy, an Albanian immigrant who has no one in his life, and they go on a bit of an adventure trying to return him back to his home country. It's a slow film at times, and occasionally, you feel its length. I think it's because of how the director (Theo Angelopoulos) likes long, slow panning shots. He lets things unfold before the camera. He's in no hurry. The relationship between Alexandre and the little boy is a wonderful thing to watch. I love stories like this and Eternity and a Day is one of the best I've seen.

...

I watched several movies by Theodoros Angelopoulos. Ulysses' Gaze (1995) was the last one I saw.

Bruno Ganz is amazing in almost everything. In 2000 he played in a stage performance of Faust I and II, a performance of more than 13 hours that was later broadcast on tv. One of the few chances to see Faust in its entirety.

Ganz also plays in Vitus (2006), which has a similar dynamics with him playing the grandfather of a young boy.

Andreas

[Rosemary's Baby]

I watched several movies by Theodoros Angelopoulos. Ulysses' Gaze (1995) was the last one I saw.

Bruno Ganz is amazing in almost everything. In 2000 he played in a stage performance of Faust I and II, a performance of more than 13 hours that was later broadcast on tv. One of the few chances to see Faust in its entirety.

Ganz also plays in Vitus (2006), which has a similar dynamics with him playing the grandfather of a young boy.

Andreas

I'm just now discovering Angelopoulos. The only other film of his I've seen is The Weeping Meadow, which, while a great film, is possibly the most depressing movie I've ever seen. He's starting to remind me of a Greek Bergman.

Bruno Ganz was also very good in Downfall.

[Dan-C]

Unfortunately, it doesn't come out until next week, but you know I won't be the only one seeing this movie (http://www.blockbuster.com/browse/catalog/movieDetails/436532)

I'm wondering if its in any way an unofficial sequel to the movie with my favorite title ever: Monsturd (http://www.blockbuster.com/browse/catalog/movieDetails/223439).

[Rafiennes]

Last Chance Harvey -- Very sweet film that is riddled with cliches but the leads (Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson) make this movie worth it. Some of the best performances they've given. Nice score as well, very Badly Drawn Boy 'About A Boy'.

Star Trek -- Saw it a second time. Just a damn good film. A rare find these days.

[Andreas]

I'm just now discovering Angelopoulos. The only other film of his I've seen is The Weeping Meadow, which, while a great film, is possibly the most depressing movie I've ever seen. He's starting to remind me of a Greek Bergman.

Bruno Ganz was also very good in Downfall.

Angelopoulos' Trilogy of Silence is very good, elegiac, with its characters that feel disconnected with the present, exiled inside, looking back at broken dreams. I assume he was shaped by living under the military junta in the Seventies. Of the filmmakers of his generation, I'd compare him to Abbas Kiarostami in his realism. There's something genuinely Greek about his movies, something you can also find in the poetry of Kavafis and Seferis. It's difficult to pin down.

Andreas

[Jamie S. Rich]

Straight to Hell - Perfect movie for a day off. I loved it. Just a lot of fun, a no-brainer that doesn't make me feel stupid for watching it, and some genuine scares.

Life is a Bed of Roses - Digging through Alain Resnais' '80s output ever so slowly. I had started with Melo (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/37328/mlo/), which I loved, but the next two, including this one, have been a little tedious. I get what he's trying to do, but his aesthetic exercises aren't what they once were. They may have the formalism of Marienbad, but none of the real drama. (Full review (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/37537/life-is-a-bed-of-roses/))

[Stupendous Man]

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - On DVD. Second time I've seen it, just as good as I remembered it.

The Hangover - Absolutely laugh out loud hilarious throughout. Great performances by the leads, especially Ed Helms. I heartily recommend it.

[CapnChaos]

The Hangover- This year's funny adult comedy. Recommended, even if I did cringe as soon as I heard "What happens in Vegas..." Anyone else think that's the most overused phrase in decades?

Atlantis: The Lost Empire- Put me down as one of the fans of this flawed, but entertaining and fun, Disney film. I actually think if it hadn't been for the "Mole" character, it would be more highly regarded. As it is, it's a fun Wells-ian romp, the Mignola designs are beautiful and I dig Vinnie the explosives expert.

[chazbot]

Kung Fu Panda - Awesomesauce.
Hancock - Finally saw it. I get what people mean about liking the first half and not the second. Smith and co. did a great job of establishing Hancock as a character, but they had absolutely nothing to do with him, so they tacked in all that crap storyline with Charlize Theron.

[FrnkCastle]

Hurt Locker - great war pic drama

Tyson - Reminds me how badass Tyson was in his Prime!

[King of Mars]

Cloverfield - I liked this a lot. It's kinda like Paul Greengrass does sci-fi. Very well made and quite innovative.

Super High Me- It's not side splittingly funny, but it's amusing throughout. Plus, if you're not familiar with medical marijuana issues, this film is actually kind of informative.

[Zac Goyette]

The Hangover
Love Actually...it was with my girlfriend, but the guy from Shawn of the Dead and Pirates of the Carribean 2 was hilarious in the movie.

[Agent_White]

Bourne Ultimatum - oh damn... little matty d getting all crazy with stuff.
and
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen - ridiculously good movie (which i knew but enjoyed being reminded of)

[JAK]

Dark Passage
Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Been in a mood to see Bogart chew up some scenes, don't know why. Both of thsoe are excellent movies, although I've watched Passage many, many times. Had not seen Sierra Madre before, so watching Bogey get fuckin crazy as Fred C. Dobbs was sweet.

[Fygar]

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - It started out really well, but then meandered for far too long. Ultimately, the film felt unsatisfying in the end. I think they revealed too much of the story within in the first half hour, and then just kept reiterating on those points.

Band of Brothers - I know...I know this isn't a movie, but I wanted to write about it. I've been meaning to watch this for several years now, and devoured it over the last couple weeks. The series really hits it's stride by episode 5. The first four are good, but they mess with the structure at the half way point thus creating a far more compelling narrative. It's such a fantastic show and deserves all the praise that's been bestowed upon it. Excellent stuff that I'll I'm sure I'll revisit. For you high def geeks the Blu Ray is pretty much a six disc wet dream. The visuals are absolutely stunning, but the audio is a real piece of work.

[Greygor]

Judgment at Nuremberg - I've seen it a few times and it has a wonderful performance by all concerned. It's also surprising to see a major star like Burt Lancaster take such an unsympathetic role as Dr. Ernst Janning. Also interesting to see a young William Shatner at work with subdued acting.

[Girlfriend In A Coma]

Sleepaway Camp - Uh...uh...I actually enjoyed it although the ending was a little abrupt. Heh

Kissed Hooray for necrophilia? An interesting litt;e movie to say the least.

[Martin J]

Last Chance Harvey: nice gentle paced movie with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson
Insomnia: Al Pacino version on tv as i came back from the cinema

[PeteL]

The Hangover - excellent.

The Midnight Meat Train - all I could have asked for in an adaptation of my favorite horror short story. Just perfect.

[Joe Kalicki]

Saw

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy

[Greygor]

Saw

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy

Two films that are so alike in many ways

[Cactusakic]

Terminator: Salvation
and
My Bloody Valentine (2009)

[(akaRyanHoffman)]

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 (on VH1 last Saturday. Entertaining enough look at their last work tour.) and Hellraiser (One of those movies I like watching every few years. While it's not quite a flawless movie, it really is one of the better horror flicks to come out of the last few decades.)

[Cactusakic]

Broken Flowers
and
Equilibrium

[Rosemary's Baby]

The Terminator - Yes, yes, good science fiction with a horrible sex scene

Control - I liked this one, all right. Good portrayal of Ian Curtis and Joy Division. It was beautiful too, loved the black and white.

[Big McLargeHuge]

The Good, the Bad, and the Weird
and
The Spirit(man, what a trainwreck)

[Rosemary's Baby]

The Good, the Bad, and the Weird

Where did you see that?

Edit. Holy shit I had no idea this was out on DVD!

[Big McLargeHuge]

Yeah man, but I'm really itching to get it on blu-ray when it gets a proper release outside of Korea. It's pretty bad-ass, crazy stunts and some wild camera work in some of the action scenes...kinda' like Fincher on speed.

[Jamie S. Rich]

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man - Wow. The best music documentary I've seen in a long time. I love Scott's stuff, so it was great for me, but I think it's also a good intro for anyone who doesn't know his music. (Full review (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/37512/scott-walker-30-century-man/))


Yeah, I know, I'm quoting myself, but it seems to be a trend of me watching documentaries about artists of different kinds.

I just watched (and click on the names for reviews):

Bergman Island (http://www.criterionconfessions.com/2009/06/bergman-island-477.html)- A profile of Ingmar Bergman in his later yaers.

Harlan Ellison: Dreams With Sharp Teeth (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/37572/harlan-ellison-dreams-with-sharp-teeth/) - A fantastic, lively snapshot of one of my favorite writers.

The Bergman is also an extra on the new edition of The Seventh Seal, which is up next for me.

[Andreas]

...

Harlan Ellison: Dreams With Sharp Teeth (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/37572/harlan-ellison-dreams-with-sharp-teeth/) - A fantastic, lively snapshot of one of my favorite writers.

...

Pleasure to read. (A bit anecdotal, of course...)

Andreas

[shoelaceless]

x

[Jamie S. Rich]

Pleasure to read. (A bit anecdotal, of course...)

Andreas

Thanks. I think. I mean, it's not like I don't front-load it by saying I'm going to do something different.

"I'm going to take my clothes off!"

"It was interesting. (But you got kind of naked...)" :razz:

[Cactusakic]

Zelig
and
Broadway Danny Rose

[Jimmie Robinson]

I just saw two Japanese gore / horror films....

http://homepage.mac.com/jimmykitty/Art_kitty/Online_art/Caps/TGP_0.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/jimmykitty/Art_kitty/Online_art/Caps/TGP_1.jpg

And, 2008's Cruel Restaurant -- which was okay... until it turned into a wannabe soft porn black comedy.

[Sarcastro]

Watched (because of another thread here) Last Supper for the second time.

Also Valkyrie, which was fair to pretty awful.

[Jamie S. Rich]

Diary of a Suicide - a pretentious, boring art film from early 1970s France (full review (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/37601/diary-of-a-suicide/))

Timecrimes - a nifty time travel thriller from Spain. Good antidote to having watched a bad movie just before it.

[Rosemary's Baby]

Yeah, Timecrimes is great.

Enter the Dragon - I think I could watch this movie every day and be totally fine with it.

Kimjongilia - Documentary on North Korean which is primarily composed of stories of escape from refugees. Overall, the film was poorly done, but you couldn't help but be affected by the stories of these people. It's amazing how there are over a dozen labor camps in that country where people are tortured, publicly executed and live off of barely any food and no one knows about it. The film was easy; of course these horror stories were going to affect you, and I don't generally like that about documentaries, but it was nonetheless fascinating.

Everyone Else - This film is the observation of a relatively new relationship. Chris and Gitti are vacationing in the Italian countryside. Chris is a brilliant architect. His ideas are rather radical so he's having trouble getting work. Gitti is PR person for a music label. In the beginning their relationship seems to be everything one could want. They have fun, make love, have a spat or two, make up, and are clearly fond of each other. She's more invested than he, though. Aside from his insecurities everything's going peachy, until Hans, a colleague of Chris' and a more successful architect, and his wife, an artist, are thrown into the mix. This is where the issue of class slyly enters the film and the subtle dissection of their relationship begins. I don't want to spoil it. After the film, my girlfriend and I were walking home and she said to me, "I'm glad we don't suck." Subtle, amazing movie. SIFF was a bit disappointing this year but this and the film I saw after it were a fantastic way to cap off the festival.

The Overbrook Brothers - Some strange movies come out of Austin, Texas. This film is hilarious. No two ways about it. It reminded me, at times, of another Austin film, The Puffy Chair, but only in the way that the film never goes in the usual direction and this never feels forced. For instance, in standard comedies, let's say Knocked Up, there's the point in the film where it looks like it may not work out, but you know it will and then there will be baby pictures. In The Puffy Chair, it looks like it won't work out, [SPOILERS] and it doesn't. [SPOILERS] This unpredictability, of course, gives the film a fresh feel. The Overbrook Brothers is about two brothers that find out they are adopted and travel to Austin from Colorado to try and find out who their parents are. A lot of laughs, including a particularly funny tazing scene, and the perfect way to end the festival.

Damn, these reviews are kind of long. Sorry about that.

[Andreas]

Ooh, Timecrimes and Tokyo Gore Police. Nice to see someone else appreciate them. :)

Andreas

[Cactusakic]

Ooh, Timecrimes and Tokyo Gore Police. Nice to see someone else appreciate them. :)


Timecrimes has been getting a fair bit of play around the BenBo.

I know I have mentioned it myself at least once or twice and I have seen it discussed in the TIP thread a couple of times too.

[Kedd]

Pelahm 123 -it was alright.

[Andreas]

Timecrimes has been getting a fair bit of play around the BenBo.

I know I have mentioned it myself at least once or twice and I have seen it discussed in the TIP thread a couple of times too.

I was lucky to catch it at a festival in 2008 (http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=146729&p=4500400). It's difficult to talk about it without giving too much away.

There have been many very good fantastic/horror movies from Spanish directors in the last few years. And some older gems like Agustí Villaronga's In a Glass Cage (1987) are getting re-releases on dvd.

Andreas

[Cactusakic]

Full Frontal
and
Grosse Pointe Blank

[Fygar]

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn - Decent but not as great as people claim it is. It's way better than Star Trek the Motion Picture but that's not saying much. It's still far too slow paced for what it is.

Oldboy - I enjoyed this so much more the second time around. I still have minor qualms with the story, but they're easily overlooked by everything this film gets right (you know...acting, direction, score, cinematography). I'm in the minority though, and want to see the American remake. I don't think it'll be better, but it doesn't have to be. I just want another interpretation of this story.

[Cactusakic]

True Romance (Director's Cut)
and
The Purple Rose Of Cairo

[shoelaceless]

x

[Ashton]

Up I took my daughter to see this and it was worth the theater ticket price~ great story, loved the animation. Not as good as Panda or Ratatoolie, but its up there. 9/10

While She Was Out well it had Kim Basinger so I figured it wouldn't be too bad, but boy was I wrong. Avoid this one, its a stinker. 2/10

Passengers Excellent! Can't say much about the story w/o spoiling the plot but it was very good. 8/10

[Blake Sims]

Kill Bill pts 1 & 2. Still fun to watch.

[Arion]

Terminator Salvation. Disappointing but not terrible.

[NickT]

Looking for Eric

Never thought I'd say the words "I just saw a Ken Loach movie at the cinema". Seems like almost the opposite of what I go to the cinema for generally :)


It's the story of a postman whose life is going through a crisis when at his lowest ebb his hero, footballing god Eric Cantona, comes to him in hallucinations and tries to turn his life around.


It was a very good movie IMO, had a good balance of serious and funny and was well acted. Cantona is basically how you'd want him to be.


Not just for football fans, too. I think the movie pretty much sets up Cantona for people who don't know him.

[Taxman]

Inland Empire - yeah . . .

there was almost nothing in this film which I did not feel I had seen before. Seen before in another David Lynch film. This is almost enough to convince me not to pick up Twin Peaks from the library.

[J Money]

Twilight-lazy story, though I didnt hate it as much as I expected
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin-better late than never, classic film

[King of Mars]

The Sinful Dwarf - Loved it. A dwarf, who lives with his ex-showgirl mother, lures girls back to the boarding house they own, imprisons them, gets them hooked on heroin, and then turns them into prostitutes. Yeah, it's as awesome as it sounds. Sleazy, stupid, and artful, all at the same time. Definitely worth a look.

http://cdn-6.nflximg.com/us/boxshots/large/70116626.jpg

[The Crushtacean]

Kill Bill pts 1 & 2. Still fun to watch.

These were on TV the other day when I was flipping through channels, and I stopped at the part where she wakes up in the hospital. I was wondering how they would edit it,

"My name is Buck, and I like to... party."

They even digitally altered his keychain and truck so they said "Party Wagon". I was laughing so hard I may have wet myself.

[cmoney]

The Tin Drum: I feel like the kid was way too obnoxious for the apparent themes about innocence to stick, but maybe that was the point?

Kill Me Again: I watched John Dahl's "The Last Seduction" last week and enjoyed it a lot more, but this was okay, a decent enough debut.

[WickedLittleHigh]

Inland Empire - yeah . . .

there was almost nothing in this film which I did not feel I had seen before. Seen before in another David Lynch film. This is almost enough to convince me not to pick up Twin Peaks from the library.

Twin Peaks is sooo good, I would highly recommend watching the series.

And I'm mildly ashamed to reveal the last two movies I watched, but I will....
Bride Wars - Not good, but an okay mindless watch when I didn't want to watch anything serious.
The Jane Austen Book Club - It was good, then again I loved the book it is based on, and I have a Jane Austen obsession.

[Blake Sims]

Inland Empire - yeah . . .

there was almost nothing in this film which I did not feel I had seen before. Seen before in another David Lynch film. This is almost enough to convince me not to pick up Twin Peaks from the library.

NO!! You should still check out Twin Peaks. It's totally worth it!

[Taxman]

Doubt - I had an interesting experience here which really has little to do with the actual film. I was watching this one scene where PSH is sitting there talking and he opens up his Bible. He has pressed flowers he keeps in there. I just looked at his hands and his Bible and I started reflecting on how long the character had been with the Bible and what a life of service to the Church would be like for him. Then, I just suddenly snapped out of it. And I thought of everything as fake and how the Priest didn't exist outside of the months this actor work the part and how there didn't even have to be anything printed on the other pages of the Bible. It was weird. I had never had a performance translate so much and then just suddenly think of it as just a performance.

Eh, I was probably contaminated from watching Inland Empire a few hours earlier.

[Generic Poster]

Up - Yay!

Get Smart - Boo!

[AndrewG]

Double feature: Ewoks: Caravan of Courage and Ewoks: Battle for Endor. The kids saw it at Blockbuster and wanted to rent it. They thought it was the funniest thing they've ever seen. Treated as a comedy, it was a glorious experience for them. I was just cringing.

[Black Roman]

I actually watched 3, so I'll mention all three.


Red Road - A very disturbing, yet strangely engaging thriller (?) set in Glasgow (who knew anything interesting happened there?), it apparently won a bunch of awards overseas, but I was unaware of it beforehand, the lead actress gives a fantastic performance and there's a shockingly (and I'm not shocked easily) graphic sex scene towards the end of the film.

Red Dragon - (What's with me and red?) It's no Silence of the Lambs, but by god, I really like Red Dragon, great performances all around, and a genuinely scary story (and intelligent, a rare mix nowadays) along with some great directing (yeah, i'll probably never say that in conjunction with Brett Ratner again) make for a great movie. (I love Emily Watson.)

RockNRolla - (Forget Red, what's with me and R's?) I actually really enjoyed this movie, no weird near as bad as I was lead to believe, not great, but fun and enjoyable. Plus Thandie Newton as this wonderful ability to steal any scene she's in without even saying anything. Although, Johnny Quid is one annoying little fuck. (Plus, I'm pro any movie with a Roman in it. ;))

[LordKinbote]

Currently watching The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

[Cactusakic]

Red Dragon - (What's with me and red?) It's no Silence of the Lambs, but by god, I really like Red Dragon, great performances all around, and a genuinely scary story (and intelligent, a rare mix nowadays) along with some great directing (yeah, i'll probably never say that in conjunction with Brett Ratner again) make for a great movie. (I love Emily Watson.)

Manhunter>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Red Dragon.


Radio Days
and
Before Sunrise

[Cradleman]

Iron Man
Godzilla Vs. MechaGodzilla(1974)

[Fygar]

Revolutionary Road - This didn't do much for me. It was cold and depressing as fuck. I didn't really think Kate Winslet's performance was very good either. She seemed to be laying it on rather thick at times. Not something I'll ever watch again that's for sure.

Hancock - I was in the mood to watch something dumb, and this fit the bill. Far from good but not as bad as I'd been led to believe. I thought Jason Bateman did a fine job in this, but everyone else phoned it in (Will Smith has one of his worst performance in years). The music, art design and special effects were pathetic. It honestly felt like no one cared if it was going to be good or not.

[(akaRyanHoffman)]

Dark City (The Director's Cut. I haven't seen it in a bit, so I didn't really notice anything different about it. I've always enjoyed this flick.) and UP (which very well might be the best movie I've seen from this year. I make no hesitation calling this a great movie.)


(I also watched the Caprica "pilot", which I thought was ok. The Atheism Tapes (http://www.amazon.com/Atheism-Tapes-Richard-Dawkins/dp/B00175GAIS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1245646823&sr=1-1) which was six half-hour interviews with people such as Arthur Miller and Richard Dawkins. Fascinating stuff. and Andy Richter Controls the Universe, which was very fucking funny. It's a shame we only got 19 episodes.)

[Frozen Sooner]

Ghostbusters and Fletch. No review needed, probably.

[CapnChaos]

I finally watched Transformers. And it's stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Like, in the fun '50s sci-fi movie way, but yeah.

OMG! The Decepticons haxored the internets! All of them! :lol:

[Nayias]

Incredible Hulk - Finally got around to completely watching it, and I really liked it, a much better run through than Ang Lee's Hulk (though of course, that's the obvious consensus, :P) Ed Norton made a very good Banner I thought.. Definitely interested to see how things come along as the Avengers movies get rolling.

Gran Torino - Clint motherfuckin' Eastwood as badass as evar~ : D I'm thrilled by how little of the movie the previews for it revealed, definitely a welcome change from the previews where you've seen pretty much the entire movie and every super awesome reveal, and you just sit there waiting for some specific scene to come up in more detail.

The whole plot of the movie was really quite engaging and different, too. It could've completely gone the route of Four Brothers or even Road House where the shitty neighborhood is cleaned up by a likeable gruff, with obvious retribution before the final confrontation (which it kinda did towards the end, but it hauled a total 180 doing it..)

[Cactusakic]

Before Sunset
and
Transformers ('07)

[cPol]

Igor - Much better than I expected. Some good, funny moments and a top-notch cast (Cusack, Izzard, Buscemi).

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang - Fucking amazing flick. Wanted to see it in the theatre and am so pissed at myself for missing it and letting it languish in "someday I gotta rent that" land for so long.

[Rosemary's Baby]

Lolita - Kubrick's weakest film. I read the book recently and decided to see how this compared. I know it was the 60s and they could only do so much but the film didn't work on several levels. Humbert never felt obsessed with Lolita. The three years that pass before she writes him felt like a minute (No Rita!?) Even the road trip only felt like it spanned a month or so. Peter Sellers, however, was amazing.

Cure - This was decent. I've decided to go back and see what Kiyoshi Kurosawa was all about before Tokyo Sonata. I've never seen any of his other work. Cure was a nicely done psychological thriller. The protagonist's possible decent into madness was well done and the ending was great.

Frost/Nixon - Great movie. Frank Langella is so good in this. He really steals the show, as he should. Very solid movie and Howard's direction was fantastic. No complaints here.

[RED!]

Haeckel which could have been a good film but so so so very was NOT.

Dead and Breakfast which could have been much much worse, it was a hillbilly version of Shawn of the Dead.

[Fygar]

Frost/Nixon - Great movie. Frank Langella is so good in this. He really steals the show, as he should. Very solid movie and Howard's direction was fantastic. No complaints here.

What the fuck? You watched a Ron Howard flick? That's weird...

[schizorabbit]

Before Sunset
and
Transformers ('07)

The perfect double feature.


Lolita - Kubrick's weakest film. I read the book recently and decided to see how this compared. I know it was the 60s and they could only do so much but the film didn't work on several levels. Humbert never felt obsessed with Lolita. The three years that pass before she writes him felt like a minute (No Rita!?) Even the road trip only felt like it spanned a month or so. Peter Sellers, however, was amazing.




You know, I actually enjoyed the version directed by the director of Flashdance more than Kubrick's. Had me at the opening scene, the gun sliding around on the seat...

:)

[Big McLargeHuge]

Cure - This was decent. I've decided to go back and see what Kiyoshi Kurosawa was all about before Tokyo Sonata. I've never seen any of his other work. Cure was a nicely done psychological thriller. The protagonist's possible decent into madness was well done and the ending was great.

Pulse is where it's at. It's far and away my favorite Kurosawa flick.

[Rosemary's Baby]

What the fuck? You watched a Ron Howard flick? That's weird...

And enjoyed it. It's one of those movies that feel like a good meal.


You know, I actually enjoyed the version directed by the director of Flashdance more than Kubrick's. Had me at the opening scene, the gun sliding around on the seat...

:)

:) Good place to start.

Now I have to watch that version. I can definitely see Jeremy Irons making a good Humbert Humbert, but Flashdance. James Mason did well, I suppose, but the time period restricted them so much. They obviously eluded to them fucking, but too much was changed. Humbert didn't seem like he had any evil in him. He didn't manipulate her mentally like he did so well in the book.

I don't even think she played any tennis.

[Rosemary's Baby]

Pulse is where it's at. It's far and away my favorite Kurosawa flick.

It's #2 on my netflix queue.

Wish that didn't rhyme.

[schizorabbit]

And enjoyed it. It's one of those movies that feel like a good meal.



:) Good place to start.

Now I have to watch that version. I can definitely see Jeremy Irons making a good Humbert Humbert. James Mason did well, I suppose, but the time period restricted them so much. They obviously eluded to them fucking, but too much was changed. Humbert didn't seem like he had any evil in him. He didn't manipulate her mentally like he did so well in the book.

I don't even think she played any tennis.

Yeah, I agree.

You haven't seen the Jeremy Irons version? I haven't seen it since it came out with all the surrounding controversy, but I remember it surprising me. Oh, and it has Nixon--Frank Langella--playing Peter Sellers. :)

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk200/schizorabbit/lolita.jpg

[Rosemary's Baby]

Yeah, I agree.

You haven't seen the Jeremy Irons version? I haven't seen it since it came out with all the surrounding controversy, but I remember it surprising me. Oh, and it has Nixon--Frank Langella--playing Peter Sellers. :)
[/IMG]

Damn. It's not available on netflix. I'll have to rent it proper like.

[schizorabbit]

Damn. It's not available on netflix. I'll have to rent it proper like.

No way. Whoa.

I remember it being hard to find when it did come out on DVD. Like I had to check 5 different Blockbusters before I found one that had it.

Good luck hunting.

Here's the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un3UmapyAAQ

[Cactusakic]

Kill Bill Volume 1
and
Kill Bill Volume 2

[Morrison_Lad]

The last two films I watched:


X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE: Meh. I wasn't really looking forward to this, and although it didn't live down to my expectations, it didn't thrill, either. I mean, at least the main plot was sort of old school X-Files. Carter did a decent job directing, but this thing was nothing special at all.


THE AFFAIR OF THE NECKLACE: OTOH, this I really did like. First, Swank rocked her role. Joley Richardson was gorgeous and fascinating as Antoinette, and the whole thing held together well as a historical picture. It's really such an interesting story, and I enjoyed the whole thing quite well.

[Cactusakic]

The Hangover
and
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

[Blake Sims]

The Life of Brian- Hilarious movie. I can't believe I hadn't seen it before.

[PeteL]

The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008 )

Rachel Getting Married.

[Ryan_ZOOM_Turner]

The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008 )

Rachel Getting Married.

What did you think of Rachel Getting Married? I loved it.

[PeteL]

What did you think of Rachel Getting Married? I loved it.

I thought it was good, if a bit overtly hip and annoying.

I really enjoyed the acting though. Just thought it was a bit much at points.

[bradical]

taken and superbad. one was fun and i enjoyed, the other had moments but, for the most part, was not enjoyed.

[andrew french]

Le feu follet and Batman Return of the Joker

[Rosemary's Baby]

Le feu follet and Batman Return of the Joker

What did you think of Le feu follet?

[Ryan_ZOOM_Turner]

I thought it was good, if a bit overtly hip and annoying.

I really enjoyed the acting though. Just thought it was a bit much at points.

I really enjoyed Kyp Malone.

[Weasel21385]

I just watched The Wrestler, which was every bit as good as people told me. And The Hammer, a straight-to-DVD Adam Corrolla movie. It had it's moments but I can see why I had to DVR it at 3:30 in the morning on HBOZone.

[andrew french]

What did you think of Le feu follet?

I liked it a lot, my gf is more heavily into Malle than I am, but this was the first of his movies, and maybe one of the first 60s french films that I really enjoyed. More than an aesthetic appreciation at least as with others; I really liked the character.

[shoelaceless]

x

[rogerio]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/5e/Defianceposter08.jpg/210px-Defianceposter08.jpg
Defiance
http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/144/K-19-regular~K-19-The-Widowmaker-Posters.jpg
K-19 The Widowmaker

I am a big fan of World War II and Cold War stories...;)

[Rosemary's Baby]

I liked it a lot, my gf is more heavily into Malle than I am, but this was the first of his movies, and maybe one of the first 60s french films that I really enjoyed. More than an aesthetic appreciation at least as with others; I really liked the character.

What others have you seen?

I was obsessed with this period in film a few years ago.

[Jew Mafia]

The Foot Fist Way - Just ok, some really slow parts, McBride is the only reason to watch this. But I knew that going in.

Charlie Bartlett - Pretty good, but nothing I'd probably watch again.

[Rosemary's Baby]

Oh, the last two movies I watched were The Departed and The Thing.

I hadn't seen The Thing before (I know, I suck). Damn, was it fantastic. I'm a fan of Carpenter 50% of the time and this is easily the best I've seen from him. I loved it.

[Adam Witt]

One Missed Call (liked, until the ending) and Up (loved all the way through).

[andrew french]

What others have you seen?

I was obsessed with this period in film a few years ago.

thanks to living with a couple french film fans, i've seen a fair amount, but mostly the big ones.

Les quatre cent coups, L'armée des ombres, le cercle rouge, pierrot le fou, ascenseur pour l'échafaud, bande à part, à bout de souffle, Masculin féminin, au revoir, les enfants, crin-blanc...

I don't know if they'r all strictly from that era, but those are the ones I remember. I admire them, though I have to be in the mood for them. Having a french major gf helps to see them, with the promise of more.

[Girlfriend In A Coma]

Anvil - The Story of Anvil

and...

Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus.

An epic couple of nights...

[Rosemary's Baby]

thanks to living with a couple french film fans, i've seen a fair amount, but mostly the big ones.

Les quatre cent coups, L'armée des ombres, le cercle rouge, pierrot le fou, ascenseur pour l'échafaud, bande à part, à bout de souffle, Masculin féminin, au revoir, les enfants, crin-blanc...

I don't know if they'r all strictly from that era, but those are the ones I remember. I admire them, though I have to be in the mood for them. Having a french major gf helps to see them, with the promise of more.

Yeah, I love nearly all of those with the exception of the last two, which I haven't seen and I thought ascenseur pour l'échafaud was good, but not great. I credit Bande à part with getting me into movies. If you want to check out something a bit more modern I recommend the films of Jacques Audiard, in particular De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté (The Beat that my Heart Skipped). Also, if you haven't already, check out some Bresson films. Pickpocket is one of my favorites.

[MIKE D]

I hadn't seen The Thing before (I know, I suck). Damn, was it fantastic. I'm a fan of Carpenter 50% of the time and this is easily the best I've seen from him. I loved it.

One of the great 80's horror movies. It still completely works. It's also easily the most minimalist Morricone score I've ever heard. It's practically non-existent.

[Rosemary's Baby]

One of the great 80's horror movies. It still completely works. It's also easily the most minimalist Morricone score I've ever heard. It's practically non-existent.

I was surprised at how well the effects held up. Obviously some parts look worse than others, but the overall quality is very good.

[MIKE D]

I was surprised at how well the effects held up. Obviously some parts look worse than others, but the overall quality is very good.

Yeah, it's a great example to show that practical effects, in the hands of masters, can still pack a wallop.

[Arion]

Terminator Salvation

Knowing

[Big McLargeHuge]

I was surprised at how well the effects held up. Obviously some parts look worse than others, but the overall quality is very good.

You should check out the documentary on the dvd. Rob Bottin talks about the insane chemicals they concocted to fill some of the prosthetics and how it set off a huge fireball during one scene. It's definitely Carpenter's crowning achievement...the movie, not the fireball. In the Mouth of Madness is also pretty damn rad.

[Black Roman]

Ratatouille - I watched this, truly hoping to be blown away, but it never happened. It was enjoyable, yes, and the ambience of the film is fantastic, but I didn't really like any of the characters. Alfredo was whiny and bumbling and Remy was a bit of a jerk for the greater part of the film. Good. but not really up to the Pixar standard for me.

Wall-E : Wall-E was probably the best thing I've seen in YEARS. I mean, seriously, it inspired a magical wonder and awe that no movie has gotten me to feel since I was like 5. I truly have nothing bad to say about the movie, it succeeded at all fronts, a perfect film. One of 4 perfect films I've seen in my lifetime.

[andrew french]

Yeah, I love nearly all of those with the exception of the last two, which I haven't seen and I thought ascenseur pour l'échafaud was good, but not great. I credit Bande à part with getting me into movies. If you want to check out something a bit more modern I recommend the films of Jacques Audiard, in particular De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté (The Beat that my Heart Skipped). Also, if you haven't already, check out some Bresson films. Pickpocket is one of my favorites.


I'll be sure to check those out, thanks. I heartily recommend Au revoir, les enfants.

[King of Mars]

Danika - A "thriller" starring Marisa Tomei as a mother of three who is having horrific visions about bad things happening to the people around her. It's just a really poorly done film. It features a cliche ridden plot, painfully limited characterization, and some of the most lifeless dialogue ever committed to film. Also, it's so poorly shot and edited, you can actually see the goddamn boom mics in several scenes. Marisa Tomei gives a wooden performance that is perfectly appropriate for this boring, piece of shit movie. Trust me, folks, ya want to skip this one.

[Cactusakic]

Knowing
and
Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li

[J. R. Scherer]

Face/Off
and
Con Air

Two completely ridiculous Nicholas Cage actioners. I particularly like the bit in Con Air when he says, "I'm gonna show you that there is a God" and then proceeds to walk directly into gunfire, taking a hit and not even flinching. So basically the god he's talking about is him.

[J. R. Scherer]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/73/Outlanderposter.jpg/200px-Outlanderposter.jpg

OUTLANDER
This was a fun little surprise. Basically, it's 'The 13th Warrior meets Alien/Predator' which is definitely up my alley, but I think it's also pretty well-made. It has a surprisngly known-actor filled cast and impressive effects work for such a low budget monster movie. Plenty of kick-ass characters and hero moments. Like Doomsday, it very much reminded me of the kind of sci-fi action movie that I loved to see in the theaters in the '80s. Good stuff.

[J. R. Scherer]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cb/TF2SteelPoster.jpg/215px-TF2SteelPoster.jpg

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
Before the 2007 Transformers movie came out Michael Bay defended the new designs for the characters by explaining just how stupid the original G1 designs would look on the big screen. So then he gives us this:

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd43/Devastattor/53_71646_5cdc4999761a773.jpg

The 2007 film was pretty dumb but I did still find it to be entertaining, overall. This new movie has a two, maybe three, really cool sequences couched within such a colossally, monumentally insurmountable heap of shit that it is completely mind-boggling. It is the epitome of everything that anyone has ever complained about in a Michael Bay movie but intentionally dialed up to 11. One example out literally dozens of ridiculous and completely idiotic things that appear on screen in this movie: any time anyone gets out of a car for any reason it's done with a 'hero shot' where the camera is placed low looking up at them and then starts swirling around them. People stand on the sidewalk having a normal conversation and the camera is wildly, manically swirling around them. It's insane. It's like Bay purposefully set out to make a movie mocking himself all the while knowing that it was guaranteed to make a mint.

[mlpeters]

Hancock

I liked it better than I thought I would, but the film fell apart less than half way through. Charlize Theron has rarely looked more stunning and Will Smith did a good acting job, during Hancock's transition from bum/hero to full hero, and Jason Bateman was great as the idealistic public relations guy... But the plot holes were big enough to accommodate... whole universes.

I don't think the original nihilist screen-play version (I read part of it online, back when the film was in theaters -- partly why I didn't bother seeing it until now) would have been any better -- just irritated that they couldn't avoid such glaring plot holes and bad cliches and come up with better second and third acts.

Stranger Than Fiction

Waaaay better than I'd expected. I'd heard some good word of mouth, but stayed away from it because I can't stand Will Ferrell's usual semi-ironic/moronic comedies. Surprisingly, he can act, if he's asked to do so. Emma Thompson and especially Dustin Hoffman were also great in the film... and think I might have a crush on Maggie Gyllenhaal.

[Rivka]

3-Iron -- a great, thought-provoking, beautiful movie. I really enjoyed it.

A Room With a View -- I've seen it before, with Helena Bonham Carter and Julian Sands and Daniel Day Lewis, but I was in the mood for Edwardian Romance so I watched it again last night.

[Girlfriend In A Coma]

3AM - Heard about it on the board here and it was pretty interesting.

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen - Exactly what I expected.

[cmoney]

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills. I don't really like "reviewing" films as I find that my experiences with them are always just a bit different than other peoples' seem to be, and more and more I find that I really only care to internalize my reactions to them and leave it at that.

[stephenp01]

In the theater Star Trek and Up, both fantastic. At home Daredevil DC which was actually much better then the original. The 2nd is Enchanted, for some reason I liked this movie. I have no idea why.

[mlpeters]

@cmoney

I like review type posts -- especially if the person tells why they like or dislike a film.

I don't watch a lot of movies and am picky. I've seen some films only because someone gave a good review. Sometimes a harsh review makes sense and I'll save my money, sometimes the rationale behind a negative review will only intrigue me.

I remember once, while driving to the theater, hearing a less than glowing review for LXG on the radio and turned around and went home.

[cmoney]

I like review type posts -- especially if the person tells why they like or dislike a film.

I don't watch a lot of movies and am picky. I've seen some films only because someone gave a good review. Sometimes a harsh review makes sense and I'll save my money, sometimes the rationale behind a negative review will only intrigue me.

I remember once, while driving to the theater, hearing a less than glowing review for LXG on the radio and turned around and went home.

Sure, I didn't mean to imply I didn't like what people were doing in the thread. I just don't like to do it myself very often. It probably has to do with the fact that my friends and family pretty much ignore any recommendations I make when a film really grabs me, so I just stopped talking about it.

[R0cketFr0g]

Return of the King - theatrical not extended

and

Sex Drive - I loves me some Seth Green

[(akaRyanHoffman)]

Baraka (visual stunning. Lot of memorable images here.) and Away We Go (Sure, maybe some of it could have been dialed down a little, but damn, what a fun movie. And the two leads are just nice, likable characters. I'll definetly be watching this one again.)

[MY CHAINSAW Drinks Blood]

life of brian - criterion collection
babel II PERFECT COLLECTION- ANIME

[BRIDE OF CHUCKY]

tales from the darkside: the movie
lost in space
babylon a.d - raw & uncut - DO NOT BOTHER WATCHING THIS MOVIE
BARDOCK: THE FATHER OF GOKU: MOVIE SPECIAL - DRAGON BALL Z

[RegularJoe]

theater: "year one" and "my sister's keeper". bad weekend for me at the theater. 'year one' was bad. 'keeper' was annoyingly CLOSE to good but fell short.

dvd: the crow - wicker prayer (eek...) and now watching "payback: directors cut". interesting to watch this and the other cut.

[greg donovan]

revenge of the fallen and monsters vs. aliens.

i thought they both were a bunch of fun.

[Cactusakic]

Wet Hot American Summer
and
The International

[Jamie S. Rich]

3-Iron -- a great, thought-provoking, beautiful movie. I really enjoyed it.

That's a real fave of mine. If you've not see any other Kim Ki-Duk, I suggest Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, & Spring.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2556/3667772524_34ec8fcfcf.jpg?v=0

My latest...

Lonely are the Brave - a 1962 pseudo-Western with Kirk Douglas as a cowboy refusing to give up his old ways and conform. Written by Dalton Trumbo, it's a philosophical, social drama that works on may levels. Great performance by Walter Matheau as the sheriff. One of the best movies I've seen in a good long while. [Full review (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/37744/lonely-are-the-brave/)]

I Am Curious - Yellow (http://www.criterionconfessions.com/2009/06/i-am-curious-yellow-180.html) / I Am Curious - Blue (http://www.criterionconfessions.com/2009/06/i-am-curious-blue-181.html) - The two-part controversial experimental film from Sweden. Released in 1967, it's not all that scandalous anymore, but I found Yellow has a lot to offer. Unfortunately, Blue did not. More of an unnecessary take-on.

[JeremyDale]

Bolt
Gran Torino
Quantum of Solace

[SCOURGE]

Pulp Fiction and Star Wars: A New Hope

[Gunk]

At home:

Taken (BOOO!)
The Wrestler (YAY!!!!)

In the theatre:

Star Trek (YAY!!!)
The Hangover (BOO!!!!)

[J. R. Scherer]

The 2nd is Enchanted, for some reason I liked this movie. I have no idea why.
Maybe because it's a really good movie?

[MY CHAINSAW Drinks Blood]

double-feature
two with john tuturo
tranformers: revenge of the fallen
taking of pelham 123 (tuturo was better in "pelham")
.
.
.

[Rosemary's Baby]

The Untouchables - I stayed away from this for the longest time because I have yet to enjoy a De Palma movie and a friend didn't care for it. He was right. I nearly shut it off several times. Aside from some memorable lines from Deniro, the dialogue is horrible, especially all the bullshit inspirational speeches from Connery. I hated his character. Costner acted like he was made out of wood and Garcia barely had any lines so lucky him. Ack. And the score... The music in the beginning of the film is fantastic. I knew it was Morricone so I expected this, but as the film progresses, the score gets laughably bad and oh so obvious. The entire film seemed like a bad joke. De Palma had some interesting shots, that's the best thing I can say about it. And I like when Costner pushes that guy off the roof. Essentially, I thought Deniro phoned in his performance. Not much more than a generic mobster with some good lines.

Pulse - While this is better than Cure, I think it's safe to say that I prefer the softer side of Kyoshi Kurosawa. This is the film where people start disappearing into the internet. Or maybe I should say are kidnapped into the internet. Sounds lame and dated, I know, but it was surprisingly well-executed and a decent examination of modern alienation through technology with some cheesy drama tossed in here or there.

Miller's Crossing - See, now this is a fucking gangster movie. Great, as always.

[WickedLittleHigh]

Taken - Enjoyable. Tried to tally body counts, couldn't keep up.

The Unborn - Alright...predictable.

[Ashton]

Mongol this was really good, its only weak point is that it left off at the most interesting part of Ghengis Kahn's life. I hope they make a sequel, that'd be great. 8/10

Gran Terino wow, this was great, I really liked the interaction between Eastwood's character and the Hmong family~ some really funny and touching moments. 10/10

Jaws 4 utter shit. 0/10

[Fygar]

Mongol this was really good, its only weak point is that it left off at the most interesting part of Ghengis Kahn's life. I hope they make a sequel, that'd be great. 8/10


I believe this was the first part of a trilogy.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Such an amazing film. The acting is ridiculously good. The basketball scene always puts a big grin across my face. The last 30 minutes or so are so well executed that you can't take your eyes off the screen.

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker - I was shocked at how dated the Batman Beyond animation has become already. I always heard this was a good Joker story, but I thought it was merely okay. It had some cool parts but I had a tough time focusing. It just never really grabbed me.

[Ashton]

[QUOTE=Fygar;6125744]I believe this was the first part of a trilogy.

ah, good to know. it was so well made too.

[schizorabbit]

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Such an amazing film. The acting is ridiculously good. The basketball scene always puts a big grin across my face. The last 30 minutes or so are so well executed that you can't take your eyes off the screen.


One of my favorite movies. No joke--I must've watched that movie from beginning to end at least a half a dozen times throughout my life.

Me--I watched Up in 3D. Man, that was awesome, although it took me, like, 10 minutes to acclimate to the 3D. Watched it with my son, and for the first few minutes, were trying to grab the stuff off the screen.

[Jen Grunwald]

Taken (awesome)
Marley & Me (sweet but sad)


:rogue:

[Taxman]

Transformers II (snoozefest)

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 - had more life than Transformers, but not really any better.

[Weasel21385]

Righteous Kill and Dog Day Afternoon. Righteous Kill was way too predictable but well done. Dog Day Afternoon was great, but I was distracted by the fact that Fredo Corleone had long hair.

[justjeffery]

I got my girls kids stuck on Star Wars.. and I've had to it through all 6 of them over and over again over the last 2 weeks...

[Taxman]

Dog Day Afternoon was great, but I was distracted by the fact that Fredo Corleone had long hair.Sal was a mess

[Andreas]

The last two movies I watched were The White Sound (2001) by Hans Weingartner and Taken (2008 ) by Pierre Morel.

The White Sound (Das weiße Rauschen, 2001) by Hans Weingartner
imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0276617/)
excerpt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KowTIH-lJ7I)
grade: 5/10

The White Sound is the debut feature of director Hans Weingartner, his practical thesis at a university for Film Studies. We are introduced to Lukas who comes to Cologne to escape small town life. He finds a place to stay with his sister and her boyfriend and enrolls at the university. After a date goes horribly wrong and a weekend on mushrooms and drugs, he starts to hear voices and develops a paranoia. Though he's aware that something's wrong with him, he's unable to control it. He makes a suicide attempt, is hospitalized, diagnosed with paranoid psychosis, and put on medication. He finds a job and for a while he's capable to deal with the world. But then he stops taking the pills and the voices return.

The White Sound is a realistic and authentic portrait of a schizophrenia, at times painful to watch, not the sentimentalized Hollywood idea of it you're presented in A Beautiful Mind (2001). Its structure follows the protagonist's trajectory, which is presented in Dogma style. My main complaint is Daniel Brühl (in his first leading role), who plays amateurish in the first half of the movie, though he becomes very good in the second half. Nevertheless, I recommend it to anyone interested in the topic.

Weingartner and Brühl went on to make The Edukators (2004).

Taken (2008 ) by Pierre Morel
imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/)
trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvUxdQ4q-Lg)
Netflix (http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Taken/70101374)
grade: 6.5/10

Liam Neeson plays a former spy whose estranged daughter is kidnapped by slavers during a trip to Paris. It's the kind of well-crafted and hand-made action thriller Luc Besson specialized in producing in the last decade. Neeson is neither a Jason Statham nor a Daniel Craig, but is perfectly cast as the worried dad of a 17-year-old girl, a man who can neutralize a small army of men without effort. Unlike the trailer suggests, the movie does not use split screens. Like other movies of its kind it's staged rather slick, and at 93 minutes it doesn't feel drawn-out. The downside is that none of the supporting characters is given any depth. In comparison to recent action thrillers it fares ok, though it never reaches the class of The International (2009) (http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?p=5897079&p=5897079).

For a movie that deals with the complexity of trafficking I recommend the excellent British tv production Sex Traffic (2004) (http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?p=5083044&p=5083044).

Andreas