Last movie you watched

[Jennywocky]

August: Osage County

Great acting and ensemble work.
But just a pretty ugly movie in lots of ways, the comic relief was necessary.

I think one problem is that it was written originally for stage, and so all the over-the-top nastiness works on stage but on film where the camera can get close and in the actors' faces, it's just overwhelming. You're basically just watching a family destroy itself, through generations of cause and effect.

Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep dominate the center of the movie, but I thought Sam Shepard gave a sweet performance for the small amount of time he appeared.


----

And oh, yes... "Psycho." the original, by Hitchcock. I already knew the basic plot and the shower scene, but I had never actually watched it.

I tend to not like older movies, they have different sensibilities. Here, many of the actors had the same older acting styles (rather formalized), but Anthony Perkins had much more modern-day sensibilities, I thought.... especially in the scenes with him and Janet Leigh. He was very VERY good in those scenes. The whole discussion in the drawing room (with the stuffed bird camera shots) was as creepy as hell, especially nowadays when we're more acquainted with psychopathy... Norman Bates' dialog (and sometimes monologue) was a bit disjointed and didn't totally align with the expectations and natural progression of such conversations. It was like looking at someone who appears mild-mannered and courteous and non-threatening and yet makes your skin crawl.

As far as the "suspense," well, it didn't do much for me that way... I've just seen so many movies beyond this one. But the framing of all the shots was pretty awesome, the mother's bedroom was eerie, there was some nice tension with the cop following Leigh out of the city, etc. I'm glad I finally saw it.

 

[TheManBeyond]

Open Grave - another shitty history full of nothing with a non predictable-predictable end.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I watched 12 Monkeys last night, it is really an amazing movie. It is full of mental action but maintains enough visual activity that it's a full-on thriller until the end, even towards the ending as the conclusion started to become predictable I was in anticipation the whole time. It's the type of movie that you wish keeps on going.

The plot is about a prisoner in an underground society who's chosen to go to the surface on a scouting/collection mission, but then is given the choice to trade his freedom in return for embarking on a time travel mission into the past.

As for the acting Bruce Willis was already a favorite of mine, and Brad Pitt did a really good job of 'craziness'. I have to wonder who created the style first, him or Johnny Depp?.

 

[Jennywocky]

Twelve Monkeys is a decent movie. And yes, I thought even Pitt was pretty good in it. I do think Depp was eccentric before Pitt was, though; Edward Scissorhands was a good five years before Twelve Monkeys. (Even Thelma & Louise was after E.S.)

---

Watched The Fountain again. Each viewing grows on me. Not a perfect movie, I think it's flawed if one tries to believe anything but the central narrative is historical; but it's a beautiful ode to accepting one's own mortality, and daring in how it weaves images and dialogue and music between all three narratives. It does demand immersion by the viewer. Great acting by Jackman and Weisz.

 

[Puffy]

I'd recommend a short film called La Jetee to anyone who liked Twelve Monkey's as the latter is strongly influenced by it: it's a lot shorter and more experimental - told only in photographs - but a very interesting film.

Just saw 'Performance' - a 1970 crime/ psychedelia film. The editing and visuals were both innovative and I was impressed with the sexual honesty in this for a studio film of its time, but it was one of those films that felt like it had tonnes of energy and ideas that didn't quite come together cohesively. Would still recommend along with Roeg's other films Walkabout and Don't Look Now.

Twas also Mick Jagger's acting debut and he's quite pretty in it.

Spoiler

 

[BigApplePi]

Amores Perros ("Love's a Bitch"). It certainly is ... in this movie anyway. This film would never be made in the USA. Fast paced, real characters. I don't see anything phoney here. Never seen anything like it.

 

[Jennywocky]

Just watched Oculus. For being only a $5 million budget with a handful of actors, I thought it was pretty well done (production quality and acting) -- having some similar elements to The Shining except that the horror revolves around a haunted mirror.

The inventive aspect really comes into play that (1) until about 40% of the way through the movie, it's hard to tell whether there's anything odd going on or not... and potentially the question stays up in the air, if you think about it, (2) there's a ton of leaps back and forth with the past and present, illusion vs reality, which are handled perfectly well (the confusion comes over trying to figure out what is real and what is not, versus having the transitions bungled), and (3) it's much more a movie of "slow burn" chills vs outright blood/gore.

The score is pretty minimal but effective to keep a low pulse of tension.

 

[Hadoblado]

X-men: Days of Future Past.

I used to read xmen as a kid. While watching I enjoyed it, but didn't expect others to. The plot was very broad and there seems to be some pretty big plot holes. I read some reviews afterwards and everyone loves it. I don't really understand how reviews work...

Also... Wolverine acts like Captain America in this one. Where's the angst at?

 

[HsinHsin]

Magnolia (1999).

 

[Jennywocky]

X-men: Days of Future Past.

I used to read xmen as a kid. While watching I enjoyed it, but didn't expect others to. The plot was very broad and there seems to be some pretty big plot holes. I read some reviews afterwards and everyone loves it. I don't really understand how reviews work...

I didn't go see it, and the only reason I'm considering it is because everything thinks its so great... so maybe I need to be more fair about it?

But it looks like the other X-Men movies were so bad for so long (except for First Class) that I guess they are scaling off that.

The first issue of Uncanny X-men I bought (in high school) was #162 (the one where Wolverine realizes he's been implanted with a Brood egg):

Spoiler

it did not take me long after that to discover the Clarement/Byrne run on X-men, and I still own much of it. For me it's the definitive run. So I've pretty much hated all the movies, aside from acknowledging that Xavier and Magneto were handled pretty well in First Class. I love Ellen Page as an actor but think she is totally miscast as Kitty Pryde. And of course when they changed everything around (to basically build/connect the cinematic line) in this and highlighted Wolverine, I was totes meh on that.

The original Days of Future Past was definitive for the industry. Its cover has been ripped of numerous times and it was the first real big example of a future timeline that goes badly ... and thirty years later of course the concept has been ripped off again and again, but back then it seemed new and fresh and different.

 

[Cavallier]

I admit to having seen the Total Recall remake. It was terrible, especially considering that the book was so good.

I give it two Mehs and half a bag of day old popcorn.

 

[Jennywocky]

Book? It was based on a short story. Do you mean the novelization of the movie(s) or what?

 

[Puffy]

I saw If.... a while ago, a 60s counter-culture film on the old English boarding school system and a few youths who revolt against it. If anyone liked Clockwork Orange, Malcolm Mcdowell stars as a similar character and Kubrick apparently chose him based on his performance in this film. I liked it anyway.

Spoiler

 

[Cavallier]

Book? It was based on a short story. Do you mean the novelization of the movie(s) or what?

I said book but I meant the short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale. I was on a Philip K. Dick kick for a while.

 

[Jennywocky]

I said book but I meant the short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale. I was on a Philip K. Dick kick for a while.

Okay, that's what I was wondering.

I think one disappointment with the newer movie was that it was more a remake of the old movie rather than going back to the short story source -- they could have done a lot more with it but it kind of just became a long action sequence and rather flat and derivative of that first film. I thought a few sequences were kind of neat but overall, just... very flat. The 1991 version was far more campy but seemed to at least have more pep.

The Director's Cut of the recent version was better than the theatrical release.

 

[(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

23 (1998) subtitles

The movie's plot is based on the true story of a group of young computer hackers from Hannover, Germany. In the late 1980s the orphaned Karl Koch invests his heritage in a flat and a home computer. At first he dials up to bulletin boards to discuss conspiracy theories inspired by his favorite novel, R.A. Wilson's "Illuminatus", but soon he and his friend David start breaking into government and military computers. Pepe, one of Karl's rather criminal acquaintances senses that there is money in computer cracking - he travels to east Berlin and tries to contact the KGB.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0126765/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I admit to having seen the Total Recall remake. It was terrible, especially considering that the book was so good.

I give it two Mehs and half a bag of day old popcorn.

Would you recommend the short story? I think Total Recall (1990) perfectly captured the bizareness of a dream sequence, the kind where you feel like you truly were somewhere else while your body was sleeping. And it had some of the most surreal Sci-Fi scenes.

Spoiler

 

[grayskies]

Star Trek: Into Darkness and it was surprisingly entertaining.

 

[Pyropyro]

How to Train Your Dragon 2 - Too much feels

 

[Budthestud]

King of Thorn (Anime movie) 3.5/5

Overall I thought the movie was okay/good but I feel the plot leading up to the ending was completely botched. There is a plot twisting revelation at the end but I feel they tried to force it too much by throwing in a lot of convoluted garbage.

 

[Cavallier]

I watched both Snowpiercer and Coffee in Berlin I'm still surprised my head didn't split down the middle.

I'm very glad Snowpiercer didn't get shortened for American audiences. It's only showing at a few theaters because of the whole debacle but I was able to hunt it down at a very small private theater. The theater was full of peole like me who had read all the articles and less than patiently waited for the opportunity to see this film.

I loved it. It was very dark. I found myself wondering if maybe there is a place in the world for psychopaths. Tilda was phenomenal. All the actors and actresses were well placed.

Coffee in Berlin made me feel like I was inside the psyche of 90% of this forum. It was funny in moments but those moments felt empty and flat. It was very dry. I identified very strongly with the main character. He really embodied our generation's sense of ennui. It also did a good job of showing how the loner comes across as an asshole so easily to those who don't understand introvertion and depression.

 

[Jennywocky]

I'm very glad Snowpiercer didn't get shortened for American audiences. It's only showing at a few theaters because of the whole debacle but I was able to hunt it down at a very small private theater. The theater was full of peole like me who had read all the articles and less than patiently waited for the opportunity to see this film.

I loved it. It was very dark. I found myself wondering if maybe there is a place in the world for psychopaths. Tilda was phenomenal. All the actors and actresses were well placed.

Thanks for the update, I've been keeping my eye on this and want to see it.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 - Too much feels

ha -- I actually really liked it, more from the characterization POVs and all the places where they could have wimped out / cheapened the movie but did not.

Until the last twenty minutes or so, which weren't as good as the prior part. I felt like they kinda copped out / went for the "omg, remember, I'm your friend!" route to resolve what seemed to be an insurmountable plot problem, which I didn't find realistic. Also, they closed the door on a character relationship that would have been really interesting to watch unfold in the next movie.

 

[Cavallier]

How to Train Your Dragon 2 - Too much feels

ha -- I actually really liked it, more from the characterization POVs and all the places where they could have wimped out / cheapened the movie but did not.

There were a lot of feels. I saw the first one and was disappointed. They took the obvious joke route, the worn out plot twists, and the overdone relationship conflicts. A friend wanted someone to see the second with her so I went along. I was pleasantly surprised. I agree the ending was the usual cliche bullhocky but the rest of the film was better. I appreciated how the relationships worked or didn't work. It was a lovely film and better than the first.

I wondered if perhaps with the first movie it was so simple and sadly cliched because it had a book to follow? With the second one they could do whatever they wanted and their writers were given the freedom needed to flex their muscle?

 

[Reluctantly]

Her

It wasn't a bad movie at all. It did kind of bother me that the OS didn't have a body. There's just something different about hearing someone versus having them there in the flesh, able to affect you in different physical ways (I'm not talking sexual here although that is part of it) that made it seem a little like their relationship was missing something...important?

Spoiler

Overall it did seem kind of an emotionally cold movie, especially given the ending; I didn't much like the ending because it seemed to present that relationships aren't meant to last and then people split, but then that's like saying you shouldn't have lifelong friends and many people do. In a way, it made me feel like Theodore was used as well. But maybe that was also the point.

 

[Jennywocky]

"12 Angry Men" (1957).

Lotsa guys I had heard of but had never seen from that time period (although I saw the end of their careers in movies modern to the age I grew up in).

Liked Juror #8, of course, who wanted to raise the questions and examine all the evidence in detail; and Juror #4, who was fair and had intellectual integrity.

 

[Prion]

"Lego movie."

And it was excellent. Way better than I thought.

 

[Absurdity]

I saw Black Death (2010) a few nights ago and I enjoyed it. Very violent and grim, and it looked like it was shot with some kind of grainy film. No CGI either, only special effects, which gave it a sort of throwback feel. I think Sean Bean did a good job (and it was funny seeing him with Carice van Houten after watching Game of Thrones, although I don't believe the two ever met in that series).

I'd recommend it overall, even if it wasn't anything earth-shattering.

 

[Cavallier]

^Yes. That was an interesting movie. I think they actually did a good job of dancing around the main character's sense of morality and loyalty. It was a good movie.

 

[Puffy]

Recently: Marebito, Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness (lol), One Missed Call (Miike version.) All distinctly average J-horror flicks. Only recommend these to fans of the genre as I can think of much stronger examples.

Marebito: had a surface art-house feel and interesting premise, but I thought it was an incoherent, unfinished project tbh. Eko: campy high school horror. One Missed Call: had a few good scenes but overall it felt like a cash-in on the popularity of the Ring/ the Grudge as it had a lot of similarities; disappointed as Miike is usually an excellent horror director.

I'm keen to watch a 1960s J-horror called Jigoku, as it's apparently rated quite highly alongside classics like Kwaidan & Onibaba (which I'd be more inclined to recommend. )

 

[_whispers_]

The 3rd Resident Evil movie

Lets say it was mildly entertaining, average as far as action goes and full of unresolved plots... actually, I didn't finish it. Sleep won the battle

 

[TheManBeyond]

The wind rises, another one by Studio Ghibli. I stopped watching it right in the middle of the 2 hours. It was really tiring, i couldn't handle the realistic direction they took there, too much uninteresting details, too damn slow, also the faces for the animation are like from heidi - oliver benji era?, i didn't like that shit, it seems it's a trademark for them movies tho. I mean it wasn't that bad, it was just kinda boring.
I'll probably finish it today tho, the final part probably improves the overall feeling.

 

[Cavallier]

The East is an espionage thriller about a woman infiltrating an environmentalist terrorist group. The scenes were set up well with slowly built up tension. It was a bit bogged down by its message. I felt the characters husband's role in the movie was mismanaged. It was a role reversal where the male character serves only to assist in the personal growth of the main female role. The role reversal was interesting but that part of the movie still felt flat too me. The writers felt for to drop him once the main female character had progressed forward.

Ellen Page played her usual part, perhaps a bit more serious and without sarcasm, but essentially the same part. She is good at that part and fit well into the movie.

 

[StevenM]

"Man of Steel"

I found it interesting, and the CG was inspiring. I don't have opinions whether something is "good" or "bad", especially when it comes to movies. Let's just say I found it entertaining and interesting.

 

[Jennywocky]

^^ I actually enjoyed it. Maybe it could have been better, but I enjoyed the movie enough to watch it multiple times. I don't understand all the hate that critics sometime level at movies. (I thought Maleficent could have been better as well, but it had some good elements as a movie and I'll probably rewatch it.)

 

[Absurdity]

The East is an espionage thriller about a woman infiltrating an environmentalist terrorist group. The scenes were set up well with slowly built up tension. It was a bit bogged down by its message. I felt the characters husband's role in the movie was mismanaged. It was a role reversal where the male character serves only to assist in the personal growth of the main female role. The role reversal was interesting but that part of the movie still felt flat too me. The writers felt for to drop him once the main female character had progressed forward.

Ellen Page played her usual part, perhaps a bit more serious and without sarcasm, but essentially the same part. She is good at that part and fit well into the movie.

The ending of that movie was so lame. I get the feeling that it was a hasty patch-over job demanded by some exec who wasn't happy with ending the film with a call to radicalism.

 

[Cavallier]

The ending of that movie was so lame. I get the feeling that it was a hasty patch-over job demanded by some exec who wasn't happy with ending the film with a call to radicalism.

Yeah. I felt they had written themselves into a corner and flinched away from any sense of reality right at the end. She had some tough questions to answer with no clear path. Instead of dealing with that they turned her into a crusader and ignored the emotional and moral consequences of her ultimate choices. What does she say to the supportive husband who is now bereft of her? What does she do about the radical leader who she will inevitably run up against in the future? And what exactly is she doing with all the other spies? She enlightens them and then they...what?

The movie had promise but in the end was a mess.

 

[Reluctantly]

Shame

Strange movie. The guy was a sex addict and took it to such an extreme that he couldn't have normal sex anymore. The whole movie is pretty much about him and his addiction and how it fucks up his interpersonal life and relationship with his sister. It's interesting, but the extreme that he goes to at one point in the movie to get the kind of sex he wants (I won't spoil it) is just ...wow.

I don't know how realistic this movie is, but it's interesting.

 

[Jennywocky]

Shame

Strange movie. The guy was a sex addict and took it to such an extreme that he couldn't have normal sex anymore. The whole movie is pretty much about him and his addiction and how it fucks up his interpersonal life and relationship with his sister. It's interesting, but the extreme that he goes to at one point in the movie to get the kind of sex he wants (I won't spoil it) is just ...wow.

I don't know how realistic this movie is, but it's interesting.

I've been planning to watch that for awhile. Michael Fasssbender, right? And... Carey Mulligan I think.

 

[Reluctantly]

Mmhmm, it's Magneto and Carl Jung, now with a sex addiction, lol.

 

[Cavallier]

I don't know how realistic this movie is, but it's interesting.

From the reading I've done one of the reasons the movie is disturbing for many is because it is a realistic depiction of sexual addiction. He doesn't get any pleasure in it but he seeks it out compulsively.

I watched the second Planet of the Apes movie. It had a lot of feels. It was interesting though as a summer blockbuster. They made me care enough to be emotionally invested in a few of the characters. At one point I they might kill off one of my favorites and I almost lost it in the theater. I was more attached to that character than I am to most people.

 

[TheManBeyond]

Nymphomaniac. I did not saw the whole movie, i just wanted to verify how harsh it was. I was totally dissapointed after seeing the hyped anal scene.

 

[Jennywocky]

Just watched "The Purge" (from last year).

Kind of a mess of a movie, but it had two interesting scenes to me: One where a particular person was being duct-taped and moral contradiction raised its ugly head, and then probably the last ten minutes.

Most of the rest was well-meant but either predictable, rationally flawed (plot points, character behavior, etc.), or just rather flat.

Still, those two scenes were interesting. And it was nice to see Lena Headey in something other than GoT.

 

[HsinHsin]

Capote (2005).

Capote: "More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones."
What does the quote mean?

 

[paradoxparadigm7]

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Recommend it highly. Great special affects, apes are believable, good writing and most important, it wasn't over the top. Subtle relationships between apes and humans. Could have been very hokey but this held back in the right places.

 

[Jennywocky]

Under the Skin

Reminds me of a Terrence Malick movie like Tree of Life -- it's a loose adaptation of a book with the same general themes / high concept but is handled differently, about an alien who is in essence preying on men in Scotland. It's not really plot driven as much as like an existential exploration of the alien's experience, honestly; and the primary medium is entirely visual rather than dialogue, it's all about look and feel. Much of the imagery is metaphorical in nature and visually beautiful. There are visuals in this movie / certain scenes that will linger with me a long long time.

Unlike an action driven movie, the camera is very meditative and will linger on shots which the actors have left. You kind of have to immerse yourself in the experience and be patient, versus expecting a conventional sort of narrative structure.

In short, it's basically one of those movies which you'll think is really cool or be really frustrated with. Johannsen does an amazing job without many lines at all, she has to evoke everything through body language and emotive aura... which is interesting, since in "Her" (which came out in the same sort of time frame) she had to do the opposite.

 

[Reluctantly]

Go (1990). It's like Pulp Fiction. I liked it.

 

[Cavallier]

Under the Skin

In short, it's basically one of those movies which you'll think is really cool or be really frustrated with. Johannsen does an amazing job without many lines at all, she has to evoke everything through body language and emotive aura... which is interesting, since in "Her" (which came out in the same sort of time frame) she had to do the opposite.

It's an arthouse flick. I expect to be equal parts frustrated and fascinated. I want to see this movie but missed it when it was playing locally. I'll have to wait I guess.

I rewatched the Dark Knight trilogy yesterday. I re-kindled my love of Bane and Joker. They are magnificent bad guys.

 

[Jennywocky]

It's an arthouse flick. I expect to be equal parts frustrated and fascinated. I want to see this movie but missed it when it was playing locally. I'll have to wait I guess.

Just got it on sale on Bluray. Yes, it's very arthousy. I found it more of an experience where I'm "sharing the same quiet space" as the lead character. Did I mention it reminded me of "Tree of Life" and similar stuff that way? *looks back* Oh. Yeah. I did. *doh* All the visuals are used to create/generate broad vague feelings, it's so surreal at times and cannot be placed into words.

Watched "The Master" this week. it's not quite as arthousy, but has a lot of that in it. The story just kind of happens, but you're watching it for the performances of Amy Adams, Joaquin Phoenix, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman -- quite excellent. Phoenix also just looks like he's caving in on himself, he really is a man who can't focus on anything and has kind of lost his soul -- very much the lost soul drifting around the world unable to materialize again. My favorite visual is a scene in the middle where they both go to jail and share adjoining cells, and it's like watching a split screen... the reaction of both men is entirely different. But there's a lot of good scenes in there.

I rewatched the Dark Knight trilogy yesterday. I re-kindled my love of Bane and Joker. They are magnificent bad guys.

Glad you could enjoy the third one. I might try to brave it in the future just to confirm, but I loathed the Bane movie on first viewing as much as I loved the Joker movie.

 

[Cavallier]

Glad you could enjoy the third one. I might try to brave it in the future just to confirm, but I loathed the Bane movie on first viewing as much as I loved the Joker movie.

Yeah...

Spoiler

I have to admit that I loved Bane except for the fact that he acted as a smoke screen for Talia. Then he becomes placid and the shadowed complexity of his character is cleared away in the blinding light of the Plot Twist. It is unfortunate.

 

[Missfortune]

most recent is Blazing Saddles.