Superb Scenes With Seanc [Archive] - Page 2

seanc

05-19-14, 10:47 PM

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4

Director: Martin Scorsese

Writer: Nikos Kazantzakis, Paul Schrader

Cast: Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey

"If I could touch every stone, if I could breathe on every branch, they'd get up and follow me. So what's wrong with you?"

"Today and tomorrow I cast out demons and work cures. On the third day, I will be perfected."

"You think God belongs only to you? He doesn't. God is an immortal spirit who belongs to everybody, to the whole world. You think you're special? God is not an Israelite."

The Last Temptation Of Christ came out when I was twelve years old. This was well before the internet when information and multiple opinions were available at your fingertips. The Pope and any Christian leaders that I can remember all came out in opposition to this film. I would say I was a movie fan at this point but I was still enamored with the films of my youth. Back To The Future, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones were the movies that were filling up my Saturday afternoons. A love for directors had certainly not developed yet so someone like Scorsese, who would become one of my favorites, was certainly not on my radar. Watching this movie never occurred to me. As far as I was concerned it was just another example of the world persecuting us. I put the film from my mind and never considered it for years and years. By the time I was entering adulthood and my film tastes were changing drastically this film was far from my mind. Nobody was talking about it anymore. If someone had asked me I am sure that I would have called the movie a novelty, something that created a lot of controversy years ago but that nobody cared about one way or the other anymore. About a year ago one of my favorite film critics talked about The Last Temptation Of Christ on his podcast. He is a Christian and it is one of his ten favorite movies of all time. I was intrigued. I thought that there must be something that I missed out on. There had to be more to this movie than just the controversy of Christ being tempted by a women. There is more to this movie. Not only that but I think that it could be a film whose message Christians embrace if they would give it the opportunity which is something I am willing to bet few have.

I was not impressed with the movie throughout. We get a scene between Jesus and Mary Magdalene early on but it is mostly uneventful. Jesus is about to go into his ministry and Mary wants him to stay. She tells Jesus he does not need to walk down this path, that he can have a normal life with her. He resists and my first chance at outrage as a Christian is averted. Things go down the normal Jesus biopic road for quite a bit after this. We see the temptation in the desert, the wedding where Jesus performs his first miracle, and his raising of Lazarus from the dead. There are a couple of scenes where I could see where there might be some controversy. On a couple of occasions Jesus says some things that I could see some considering Un-Christ like. He talks of being afraid, of being jealous. Feelings that most Christians probably don't think that Christ would entertain. Did he though? Most of these conversations revolved around Jesus wishing that he could lead a normal life. That the burden that he was called upon to carry was too much for him. He wanted to leave it all behind for a normal existence. Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus says these words soon before his crucifixion. I think it is very reasonable to assume that this would have been on his mind most of his life. I also think it is very reasonable to assume then that fear and jealousy are emotions that he had to deal with for most of his life. It is not something that most Christians like to think about. Jesus was God in the flesh and led a perfect life. So what does a perfect life look like? I think this film does a good job of showing us that vulnerability can still exist in a perfect life. This should not be something that Christians turn away form but rather something we embrace.

As we enter the last third of the film we also enter Christ's crucifixion. Soon after we enter the part of the film that if I had to guess caused the most outrage. We see the crucifixion play out as those of us that know the story have watched it play out many, many times. Pontius Pilate, the enraged crowds, the horrific whippings. They are all here and lead to Christ on the cross. A young girl appears before Christ on the cross. Immediately I know we are going somewhere I have never gone before. She tells Christ she is from God and that his burden has been lifted, he is free to remove himself from the Cross. Jesus is bewildered and so am I, this is it, this is where my journey ends and I become outraged but I have already made up my mind that I am in this for the duration. As Christ begins to walk with this girl he asks questions. You are going to your wedding day she tells him, it is time for you to have the life that you wanted, God has taken your burden of all of humanity's sin away. We see Jesus's marriage to Mary. He has children and things seem to be the way he has always longed for. My favorite scene comes as Jesus is walking along a road with his family one day. We hear a man preaching to a crowd and Jesus takes notice. He sends his family home and goes in closer to hear what the man is saying. Christians will immediately realize that this man is Paul and he is preaching about the crucifixion as if it transpired the way it should have. He is speaking of the resurrection, and of forgiveness through Christ. Jesus is bewildered and a bit enraged. He confronts Paul, played wonderfully by Harry Dean Stanton, about the the false things he is teaching the crowd. He tells Paul that he is Jesus so the things he is saying are lies and that he should stop. Paul tells him that the crucifixion was a necessary thing for humanity. That without it we would be lost, there would be no unconditional love and forgiveness. Paul tells Jesus that he was always going to preach Christ crucified no matter what happened. I love this scene because it is a perfect picture of what the foundation of Christianity is. It is well written and well acted. I am still hesitant however, because while it is a picture of Christianity it doesn't exist without the crucifixion.

We know that Jesus understands this as well because he immediately is in torment. We see him old and on his death bed. No comfort will come to him as a result of not fulfilling what he was sent here to do. As he is about to die we are sent back to Jesus on the cross. Everything that has transpired is a dream, he is fulfilling his promise to God and to us. Instead of of being hesitant about where this story is going I become bewildered at how anyone can think this movie is sacrilegious. The Last Temptation Of Christ is of course a movie. People are going to bring a lot of different things into their viewing of any film. Just because I see this as a really good picture of the things that Jesus must of went through does not mean others will. A non believer probably would see a completely different message or more likely would probably be bored by the film. I don't see how anyone can think that this film wants to diminish Christ's life in any way though. The end is a clear picture of the world's need for a savior, and that savior was Jesus. Although it is not a perfect film I am glad that I got around to seeing Scorsese's "controversial" film The Last Temptation Of Christ.

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seanc

05-24-14, 06:25 PM

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3

Director: Brian Singer

Cast: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence

X-Men has been an interesting franchise for me. I have never hated any of the films, aided by the fact that I skipped Origins I presume. I also never have loved any. I do think First Class has been the best of the bunch. I really like origin stories, plus the actors that they got to come out for First Class were top notch. Days Of Future Past has an interesting concept but I wondered if it would end up being too convoluted. I was very pleased when the movie ended up not being that way at all. Despite the huge amount of characters and time travel element, Days Of Future Past is coherent and entertaining. This is because once the initial conflict of the plot is laid out we basically spend our time with just a few characters.

It certainly didn't hurt my viewing experience that it was the characters that I have enjoyed the most in past films. McAvoy and Fassbender have been terrific additions to this world. I enjoyed them immensely together in First Class and that continues here. I believe this is what attracts me to X-Men the most. The featured villain always becomes incidental and that is fine by me. I have little interest in whatever super villain has decided to destroy the universe this month. With X-Men the central conflict continues to be between Professor X and Magneto. Magneto is a fascinating character because at heart he simply wants what the other mutants want. For civilization to accept them for who they are without fear or scorn. He of course always has extreme reactions to whatever is transpiring which essentially makes him the constant villain of this universe. That is no different here and I love every minute that Fassbender is on screen as the imposing Magneto.

Unfortunately Magneto is also my biggest issue with this film. While I enjoy watching him at his worst it is very hard to understand what his motivations are because of the a fore mentioned extreme reactions. At their basest Magneto and Professor X want the exact same things. Magneto can never see the forest for the trees however and always sees ultimate destruction of everyone who opposes him as the only way out. Maybe I have answered my own question concerning motivations, but it is hard for me to make the stretch of someone as intelligent as Magneto seeing no other form of resolution. I also have an issue in these films with Magneto and Professor X and the way they flow in and out of friendship. They seem to be either best friends or mortal enemies depending on what is needed in that moment. I enjoy them together so suspend disbelief but I don't know how much longer I am going to be willing to do that for.

Raven (Lawerence) and Wolverine (Jackman) are the other major players this go around. Both are very good, although we do not see a whole lot of actual Lawrence in this movie. Wolverine is always a lot of fun and that continues. This is probably the most I have liked the super macho, cigar chomping mutant. A lot of the plot hinges on Raven and I think everything involving her is done very well. She is similar to Magneto but seems to be able to put on the breaks a little more than him which is for the better. We see a whole lot of other mutants but their time is limited. That is for the better as well, Singer is not trying to do too much which is good. The action here is very good as well. There are two extended scenes that take place in the future and involve a lot of portals. This is usually the type of thing that takes me out of a movie but here I felt I knew what was going on the entire time and enjoyed the sequences. There is a jail break scene involving Quicksilver which is fantastic. It got the biggest reaction from the audience as is being talked about a lot for good reason. It is very well done and more importantly super entertaining.

Days Of Future Past is not the greatest thing to happen to the genre. In fact when the next film is made it may even become a little bit obsolete. It doesn't seem to move the characters forward a whole lot or change the universe at all. What it is though is a very well made action movie that is a lot of fun to spend your time with. In a period where that is becoming more and more rare for me with films of this type, I was very pleased.

Captain Spaulding

05-24-14, 08:50 PM

I also have an issue in these films with Magneto and Professor X and the way they flow in and out of friendship. They seem to be either best friends or mortal enemies depending on what is needed in that moment. I enjoy them together so suspend disbelief but I don't know how much longer I am going to be willing to do that for.

Nice review, and some interesting observations, especially about the relationship between Magneto and Professor X. That's been a trend in almost all of the X-Men films, but I thought the schizophrenic nature felt a little too forced in this one. Surely the movies could strike a better balance instead of going from "Hey, nice to see you again" to "Please stop trying to kill everybody!" in a matter of minutes.

seanc

05-24-14, 08:57 PM

Nice review, and some interesting observations, especially about the relationship between Magneto and Professor X. That's been a trend in almost all of the X-Men films, but I thought the schizophrenic nature felt a little too forced in this one. Surely the movies could strike a better balance instead of going from "Hey, nice to see you again" to "Please stop trying to kill everybody!" in a matter of minutes.

It becomes a bit much. I thought they even had an opportunity to not make them such hard corp enemies at the beginning of this one. They were on opposite ends of the spectrum for sure but at the end of First Class Professor X tells Raven to go with Magneto. Not how you would behave if you think the man is Satan like he does at the start of this one.

Swan

05-24-14, 09:07 PM

Great review. I just got out of the movie, and I gave it the same rating.

At the risk of setting people off...

Jennifer Lawrence sucks as Mystique.

Captain Spaulding

05-25-14, 12:07 AM

Jennifer Lawrence sucks as Mystique.

Why do you say that? I've never read the comics and I barely remember the cartoon, so I don't know how fair of a representation it is for the character, but I think she's good in the part. Or maybe I'm just distracted by all the blue half-nakedness.

I swear, between her and Zoe Saldana in Avatar, I'm developing a fetish for blue people.

Swan

05-25-14, 12:22 AM

Maybe it's just me, but her acting didn't seem that great. She just didn't fit the character to me. I must be crazy.

The Gunslinger45

05-25-14, 12:25 AM

I thought Jennifer Lawrence was fine as Mystique, for playing the younger version at least. The young, inexperienced, not quite hardened villain. But I do prefer Rebecca Romijn as the cold heartless bitch.

cricket

05-25-14, 01:26 AM

I'm pretty psyched to see Days of Future Past because First Class is the movie that got me into superheroes.

I still need to see The Last Temptation of Christ, after my 70's binge.

Sedai

05-27-14, 02:44 PM

Great X-Men review. I think we got a lot of the same impressions from this one!

seanc

05-27-14, 02:58 PM

Great X-Men review. I think we got a lot of the same impressions from this one!

Enjoyed yours as well. A lot of us on the same page for this one which is unusual.

seanc

05-28-14, 10:59 PM

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3

To be clear this documentary is not for everyone. If you have never read Calvin And Hobbes or hate the strip, God forbid, then you will have no interest. The narrator starts the film by talking about his relationship with Calvin And Hobbes. He talks about not being able to remember life without the comic but also having a hard time nailing down exactly when he started reading it. I can relate to this feeling so much. I have loved Calvin And Hobbes ever since I can remember but know in reality I must not have read it regularly until I was at least 12. I believe that I have all the strips that have been printed in book form and read through them once every couple of years. The strip is delightful on so many levels and this film relates to anyone who has that feeling about it. It takes us to Watterson's hometown and we get interviews with many other strip creators who were influenced by Watterson. What we don't get is Watterson himself.

We soon find out that this is because Watterson is a deeply private man and has never shared very much of himself with the world. I never knew this as I have never looked into any other aspect of Calvin And Hobbes. I knew I loved the strip and that has always been enough. The film made me wonder how many of the other things in my life that I have always loved I would feel this way about. If Lucas had just made Star Wars and left the universe alone would I care that I knew nothing of him or about books and video games and all the other things that came along with it. I always wondered why there was not more Calvin And Hobbes things around. You never saw mugs or stuffed animals. There was never any talk of a movie or Saturday morning cartoon. I always chalked it up to the comic not being as popular as others like Peanuts or Garfield. I was just grateful it was around for so long and that I got to enjoy it as much as I did. Turns out this is not the case at all. Calvin And Hobbes is probably as influential and popular as almost any comic strip that was ever created. Watterson simply made a decision to not let it become commercial and stuck to it. The documentary does an interesting job of exploring whether this was out of artistic integrity or simply that Watterson did not want to be bothered with the hassles that would come with licensing. I tend to think the answer lies somewhere in the middle but only Watterson knows for sure. He is not telling and that is fine by me. My feeling about this comic tends to make me think that probably most art would be better off to be made, enjoyed, and left alone. In our culture that will never be the case for most things. We must consume and if we love it we must consume more, until at the end we have scraps of the thing that we once loved.

This documentary does a great job of fan service. Most of the graphics that are used are from the strip, of course. This makes viewing for a fan very enjoyable. We see many of the images that we loved with quotes from both the strip and the author. It brings back memories of aspects of Calvin And Hobbes I had forgot about. I have read through all these strips at least ten times but still my memory was jogged about aspects I had not thought about for a long time. It also brought many spontaneous smiles to my face just like I get when reading Calvin And Hobbes.

If you have not read Calvin And Hobbes I would not bother with this film. It is for fans only which is why I gave it the rating I did. I would also encourage you to maybe give the strip a try despite its age. I am not a comic lover by any means. This is the only comic I truly love and will never stop reading. Like with most comics, I suspect, you can not simply read one or two strips and make a decision about whether you like it or not. You have to read quite a few and become involved with the characters and style. I don't know how I came upon Calvin And Hobbes and grew to love it so much but I sure am glad I did. It is funny, insightful, engaging, and beautiful to look at. Truly one of the great treasures of my life. This documentary reinforced that and made me realize that I have some kindred spirits in this world.

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seanc

06-10-14, 11:02 PM

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3.5

Director: Doug Liman

Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt

"Come find me when you wake up."

I almost didn't go see Edge Of Tomorrow in the theater. I had trailer burn out from the number of times I was subjected to the trailer for this movie. The first time I saw it I thought it could be good, then came the next dozen times. I heard the "Sci-fi Groundhog Day" talk and I was about as disinterested as I could get. Thankfully the tomato meter and some twitter buzz brought me back around. I was able to avoid spoilers which was great because usually I don't care about them. This is a movie you want to go into fresh as I think it will enhance the experience. Edge Of Tomorrow is my favorite summer flick thus far for quite a few reasons.

It has a lot of levity which is nice. The humor is never over the top and hits you at the right moments. The action is also quite good. Nothing earth shattering or ground breaking but not dull or overwrought. Cruise and Blunt are both more than capable and it never hurts to have compelling characters to play. Paxton is good in a supporting role as well. As was the case with X-Men, I enjoy the way the villain is used as part of the narrative. The aliens are there and are the whole reason for the conflict but ultimately they don't matter. We care about the protagonists journey. The main characters matter and that makes the narrative compelling.

What sets Edge Of Tomorrow apart from other blockbusters is the story telling. I don't think I can easily convey how impressed I was at how tight they kept a story arc that could have easily been a complete mess. The premise is well known so I will not spell it out. What I will say is that Liman does an amazing job of showing us just the right amount at the right time. It would be so easy to show us the same thing way too much or to hold too much back till the end. Liman never does instead everything feels extremely relevant. The number of times that the day is reset is conveyed without ever exhausting the audience. Liman also easily conveys when something is new to us but not the characters. It is a hard line to walk and the way that the film does was the most impressive aspect for me.

Edge Of Tomorrow is not perfect. These types of films are easy to tear to shreds if you start pulling at threads. Whether we do that or not is usually a direct result of how much we enjoy the movie. I enjoyed this quite a bit so I am not going to pull at any of those threads. What I will say is the ending was most certainly my least favorite part of the movie. I get bothered not when these types of films are unrealistic but when they disobey their own rules that they have laid out for the viewer. I don't feel that Edge Of Tomorrow does this until the very end which left me dissatisfied ever so slightly. As I found out after starting to listen to spoilers many have had the same issue. All these people are much smarter than me so if you desire to know what I am talking about seek out these opinions. My recommendation is to to skip the op-ed pieces and go see how you feel for yourself. It will be a satisfying couple of hours for most movie lovers.

cricket

06-10-14, 11:36 PM

Thanks for the review; I was on the fence with this but it sounds like it's worth watching.

Captain Spaulding

06-11-14, 02:20 AM

Nice review. I look forward to watching it eventually, but I'm not going to pay to see it in the theater. The positive buzz has surprised me a bit. Judging by the premise, I worried that, much like Source Code, the movie would become very repetitive.

Gideon58

06-19-14, 12:57 PM

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0.5

2013 Director: Don Scardino

Full disclosure, I'm a Carell fan-boy, otherwise I wouldn't have gone anywhere near this movie. I should have stayed away. This is the type of comedy that has no appeal to my funny bone whatsoever. This film is trying desperately to be Anchorman but falls flat in every way. The first 20 minutes gives us a glimpse into the two main stars childhood. Presumably to give us some insight into the characters motivation, and to help us connect with them. Strike 1 and strike 2. Why would you spend 20 minutes of a comedy setting up your hero to be sympathetic to the audience if in the very next scene you plan on making him an unsympathetic egomaniac, inexplicable. Every single character in this movie except for Olivia Wilde's is played completely over the top. Correct that. Apparently they were told to play the character over the top, and then crank it up another notch.

Of course all of this is forgiveable in a comedy if it does the one thing that everyone expects, make us laugh. As you can probably already tell Wonderstone fails here as well. Two jokes landed for me in an hour and a half. When the name of Carrey's characters television show is revealed and the scene after the credits start rolling. Except for those not even a chuckle. It's the same way as I feel about The Office post Carell (in case your wondering why I'm a fan-boy).
I love Steve Carell too and am so disappointed that this film disappointed you...I think Carell was the best thing about Crazy Stupid Love.

seanc

06-22-14, 11:43 AM

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3.5

Director: Clint Eastwood

I feel like besides my mother I was the only person in the world excited for Jersey Boys. It had two things going for it in my opinion. It is a welcome break from the loud tent pole movies that I grow tired of this time of year and it was directed by Eastwood. Admittedly Eastwood has as many misses for my taste as he does hits, but when he hits for me he hits big. I wasn't really expecting this to be one of my favorites like Million Dollar Baby or Mystic River. I was expecting a Broadway interpretation to the big screen. Good music, some humor, and probably an unexpected great performance. I think it did all of this with the possible exception of the great performance. No one was bad in this movie, but no one blew me away either.

I have not read any reviews of this movie yet and there does not seem to be any real internet buzz. If I had to guess what the critics are disliking I would say this that the film is not gritty enough for them. It lacks the world weariness that seems to come with all of our dramas now. These characters are hoodlums throughout this film with a couple of exceptions. What we get are thugs who are closer to characters you would see in Happy Days as opposed to Goodfellas. For the most part that works for me and is exactly what I was expecting. Admittedly some of the more poignant scenes did lack the emotional resonance that would elevate the film for someone like me who responds very well to those types of scenes. Overall I loved the tone though. I smiled and laughed quite a bit. The music was fantastic. There is only one song in this movie that I don't care for, Big Girls Don't Cry, and it does not get a lot of screen time. The writing of that song also gets one of the more lighthearted moments of the movie that involves a Billy Wilder film.

Also of note for me was the look of the film and the breaking of the fourth wall, or rather the total dismissal that the fourth wall even exists. The film has what I would call a matted look. All the colors look very saturated. It is stark when compared to most of the films we see now and I really liked it. It gave the film a real feel for the time period as well as making it appear more like a stage show. I also think this was Eastwood's point in having the characters talk directly to the camera. This method is not constant but it is throughout. Depending on whose POV we are seeing at the moment, that is the character who is talking to the camera. It is not a technique that I would want to see used all the time but when used right it is very effective. It helps us to know the characters a little better and also makes us understand that everything in the narrative is a matter of perspective. What we are seeing play out at any particular time could change slightly depending on whose POV it is coming from.

I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for a little break from "the norm". Especially if you enjoy music from this era on any level. There are a couple of songs from this film I am still singing in my head a couple of days later. If you have no interest in The Four Seasons or musicals in general, there is probably nothing for you here.

cricket

06-22-14, 12:06 PM

Thanks for the review sean. I do like The Four Seasons and usually anything involving Clint Eastwood, so I'll definitely be giving this a shot. My father saw the show a couple of years back and loved it. I don't know if it's anything like that.

seanc

06-30-14, 01:40 PM

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4.5

Director: Wes Anderson

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe

"The plot thickens as they say. Why? By the way. Is it a soup metaphor?"

"You're looking so well darling, you really are. I don't know what sort of cream they put on you down at the morgue but, I want some."

If you have payed any attention to my babbling lately, and I have to assume if your reading this then you have, you know I am becoming a Wes Anderson fanatic. The other thing you know is that I think the rewatchability of his films is off the charts. This is my second viewing of The Grand Budapest Hotel and I am glad I revisited so soon. I loved this movie the first time around but just like his others it went next level the second time. When you know where the the story is headed you can glean so much more from Anderson's dialogue and his visuals. I don't think there is anyone better at both those aspects making movies right now. I also find Anderson hard to write about because those are the best part of his films. It would almost be more effective to post a bunch of stills and quotes as examples of what I love about Grand Budapest.

The visuals here may be my favorite of any of Anderson's thus far. The hotel itself is beautiful. Anderson is a genius at giving you a sense of scale despite his use of miniatures. The hotel looks old but clean at the points it needs to but then new and modern at the times when necessary. We also continue to get glimpses of more and more of the hotel as the film moves along. There is a shot towards the end of the movie where we are given a shot of the hotel ceiling and it looks amazing. I can't help but think another director would have given us this shot much earlier as a way to show off the hotel. Anderson holds some of those money shots back till the end which gave that scene more weight and scale in my opinion.I love Anderson's use of miniatures. It is not something I would want in every single movie I watch but it feels very refreshing in his films. Anderson's films are pure fantasy and the miniatures add to that very effectively. We always know we are being told a story, Grand Budapest plays like a modern fairy tale. A great example of this is the prison break sequence. There is no reality in this scene what so ever. Four men chisel at a window for a minute and they are out. Then they are caught and one man kills multiple guards. They go through a guard bunk house across rafters, their feet dangling in the guards faces as they sleep. The ladder they hang from the window is hundreds of feet long and put together with all sorts of odd things these men would have no access to. It is a wonderful and funny sequence. A perfect example of Anderson being whimsical while tackling serious subjects at the same time.

The characters in this film are also fantastic down the line. Jopling (Defoe) is a fun villain. Ominous and bearing vampire like fangs he seems to appear from nowhere. There is a scene involving him and a cat that must be the hardest I laughed both times watching the movie. Brody continues his string of me only liking him in Anderson movies as Dmitri. His personal introduction to Gustave H (Fiennes) is one of the better scenes. Gustave H and Zero (Abraham) are to be added to the long line of impeccable Anderson characters. This is without a doubt my favorite Fiennes performance and I have no doubt that Anderson's character creation has much to do with that. Zero and Gustave are together for most of the film and play off each other perfectly. The world wise and chatty Gustave constantly giving his insights to the quiet and unassuming Zero is at the center of the story and every second of it is enthralling. Zero holds his own when need be, especially when it comes to his girlfriend, "don't flirt with her".

I obviously love this film and don't feel like I am doing it anywhere near the lip service it deserves. Watch it, love it, and share your thoughts. Anderson continues to be a director whose films I just want to be consumed by.

Jack1

06-30-14, 01:43 PM

Good review. Not seen this. Anderson's films always strike me as being really bizarre, and that's just from seeing the posters, but I've never seen any of them. Have you seen any of his others?

Captain Spaulding

06-30-14, 01:45 PM

Good review. Not seen this. Anderson's films always strike me as being really bizarre, and that's just from seeing the posters, but I've never seen any of them. Have you seen any of his others?

You obviously didn't read his review.

seanc

06-30-14, 01:47 PM

Yeah I love them all to varying degrees. He has gone from a director I thought was really good and unique to my favorite director, in the last year and a half. Start with Rushmore, watch it twice within a few months time and then dig in to the rest of his stuff. If I had to do it all over that is how I would approach him.

Jack1

06-30-14, 01:47 PM

You obviously didn't read his review.
Not sure how I missed that. :facepalm:

Captain Spaulding

06-30-14, 01:53 PM

I haven't disliked any of Anderson's films, but his quirky style and aesthetic isn't really for me. I guess my favorite film from him so far is The Fantastic Mr. Fox. I haven't seen The Grand Budapest Hotel yet.

seanc

07-31-14, 11:44 PM

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5

Director: Steven Speilberg

Cast: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore

"E.T. phone home."

"You could be happy here, I could take care of you. I wouldn't let anybody hurt you. We could grow up together, E.T."

"I'll be right here."

E.T. came out in 1982 when I was six years old. I saw it twice in the theater with my parents. I remember that vividly. It was my first memory in a movie theater and going to see something twice is something that never happened with my parents again. Believe it or not after that is when my relationship with the movie gets murky. I know that Speilberg waited years to release E.T. on home video. I can recall going to the video store to rent it and it not being available. When he did finally release it we had a copy at my home. It was in the big clam shell packaging like Disney used for so many years. I believe I was thirteen and I watched it a few times over the next year. I loved it but then simply put it to the side. I knew all the references in the years that followed. Phone home, Reese's Pieces, and flying bikes are all things that you don't even have to have seen the film to recognize where they came from. I never had a desire to see it again though. I felt like I knew it and it was apart of my childhood but probably wasn't going to be something that appealed to me in my adult life.

My desire to watch it again grew in the past few months after watching Close Encounters for the first time. I really enjoyed most of that film but it fell apart for me in the final third in a way that I didn't remember E.T. doing. I compare the films not only because they are from Speilberg but because I think they have a very similar arc. Sure enough the tone through the first two thirds of E.T. was just as I remembered. Nobody does Americana like Speilberg. His families are perfect, in that they are not perfect, which makes them perfect. It is not just that however. The feeling of time and place in E.T. is unparalleled. There are so many little touches that add to the tone it would be hard to do them justice by naming just a few but I will anyway. D&D, Space Invaders T-Shirt, whole hamburger on a fork, speak and spell, Star Wars action figures, and every single scene that takes place in this suburb neighborhood that could be in any state in America. The way he writes his characters also gives them such a realistic feel. The whole family is wonderful but I especially love the relationship of Elliot and Michael. The way they interact gives us such a true sense of who these brothers are. Michael is older and at times gives Elliot a hard time as is to be expected but at the same time you know that these brothers are having the same experiences and would step in front of a bus for each other. A great example of this is before Michael is even introduced to E.T. He comes home from school knowing Elliot was faking being sick. He gives Elliot a hard time for a split second but then immediately switches gears and begins to tell him about the day and a friend's high score in a video game. Another character moment that demonstrates the genius of Speilberg's small touches comes when the mother is frustrated that the kids are not yet back from trick or treating. She storms to her car frustrated that she is being put out and mutters under her breath the word Mexico. This is a very simple call back to when Elliot informs his mom that their dad is going to Mexico with his new girlfriend. No one had mentioned it sense but it was there the whole time. It is a very small thing, something you could easily miss if you blink. It speaks volumes about the care that was put into these characters and why they feel so real. It is why we feel so much affection for them in the short time we spend with them. It is why they live forever in our pop culture zeitgeist.

I have droned on quite a bit without even mentioning the star of the show, E.T. He is a wonderful creation. There are many things in this film that have not aged all that well but thankfully E.T. himself is not one of them. He is still an amazing looking puppet. Full of character and humor. We could have certainly had a compelling story without it but I love the way that they decided to connect E.T. and Elliot. It adds emotional depth that maybe would not have been quite as heart wrenching otherwise. It also allows them to give us one of the better scenes in the movie. I can't imagine anyone not smiling during the frog dissection sequence. Gertie's interactions with E.T. are also sweet and funny. Her teaching him to speak, giving him the flowers, and calling him the man on from the moon are all a big part of what makes this movie special. Gertie is a pretty small character but once again one that seems authentic and essential to the film. I was really interested in this viewing to see how the third act played out for me. As I mentioned it all but ruined my experience with Close Encounters and I was desperately hoping for a different result here. E.T. and Elliot did not disappoint. From the moment E.T. pops out of the incubator and declares “E.T. phone home” I remembered why I love the ending of this movie so much. The bike race is still one of the best chase sequences ever put to film and then we get the goodbye. I am not ashamed to say I tear up right along with Elliot. “I'll be right here” is one of the great last lines for a movie.

Needless to say I am so happy I decided to return to this astounding film. I am sorry it took me this long to remember why it was one of my favorites. After watching it again it is firmly back where it should be among the movies I love.

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/et.jpg

Miss Vicky

07-31-14, 11:48 PM

E.T.'s a good movie. But I revisited it myself not long ago and found E.T. the character to be rather creepy looking. Like a giant turd with eyeballs. I still enjoyed it, but definitely no longer thought he was cute like I had when I was a kid.

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/etwater.gif

rauldc14

07-31-14, 11:48 PM

I saw E.T. as a kid. I haven't seen it since. Therefore I don't count it as watched since I really don't remember it.

jiraffejustin

07-31-14, 11:51 PM

Like a giant turd with eyeballs.

I am going to start using this to describe bad movies. :D

Miss Vicky

07-31-14, 11:52 PM

Bad movies have eyeballs?

jiraffejustin

07-31-14, 11:58 PM

Bad movies have eyeballs?

Yes.

cricket

08-01-14, 12:10 AM

Nice review Sean, it's a great movie that doesn't seem to get the credit it deserves anymore. I also saw it multiple times at the cinema, and while my tastes have changed, I can still happily say it's an A+ movie. I included it on my 80's list, because it had to be there.

seanc

08-04-14, 09:29 PM

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4

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Cast: Phillip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow

"It's always good to meet a new friend. I'll see you later."

"I know three kinds of Karate: Jujitsu, Aikido, and regular Karate."

"You know the first thing they should've taught you at hooker school? You get the money up front!"

Our introduction to Hard Eight is a look at John (Reilly), sitting despondent next to a diner. He is approached by our protagonist Sydney (Hall), for whom which the movie was originally named. Sydney simply asks John if he would like a cigarette and a cup of coffee. John reluctantly agrees and sits with Sydney in the diner. Sydney is inquisitive to the point of pushy, he wants to know why John is here and what his plans are. At the same time he seems to genuinely want to help John out of his situation. John is reluctant, as are we, but he also seems to be out of options so he agrees to travel with Sydney to Vegas and take some advice and money. This initial exchange is engaging. It tells us quite a bit about the characters while still leaving plenty of mystery. It raises many questions about the characters. Some that will not be answered till the end of the film. Probably some that will never be answered for many. It gives the film a tone of mystery that will never go away. This very first scene in Anderson's very first feature film can sum up quite nicely why he has become one of my favorite directors over the past three years. His characters are rich and the dialogue written for them is smart and funny. His scenes are full of suspense even, and maybe especially, when it is just two people talking and trying to figure each other out. He sets the atmosphere perfectly through his scores which I find to be the best choices of any director working right now. He moves his camera perfectly, always framing his shots just so. His themes are obvious but handled in a way that is ambiguous. Most of the characters in an Anderson movie never get any kind of real closure unless they end up dead.

That brings us back to Hard Eight. The main theme becomes obvious quickly. Sydney is a father figure. He is a father figure to John and desperately wants to be one to Clementine (Paltrow) when she enters the picture. It all but gets spelled out for us when Clementine asks Sydney about his family. Sydney divulges that he has a son and daughter who he never sees anymore. Clementine is a prostitute so she initially sees Sydney's motivations as sexual. Even John who knows Sydney really well by this point is unsure of his intentions with Clementine. Sydney quickly squashes any perceptions of impure motives. For a moment we get to rest in the pureness of the relationship of these three individuals. Two despondent souls who are getting affection and understanding from a fatherly figure who still has an aura of mystery surrounding him, but undoubtedly wants something more for these two individuals.

When the main conflict in the story comes we further see how invested Sydney is in these two, particularly John. If you were not wondering what Sydney's motivation for committing to them before this point, you have to be after. The first time I watched this film at multiple points I thought he would simply remove himself from the situation. When he didn't I had no idea why someone would put their neck out this far for someone who had begun to take part in criminal activity. After the situation calms we get another great scene, this time between Sydney and Jimmy (Jackson). We had met Jimmy previously. He is someone who has befriended John but had less then endeared himself to Sydney. He kind of loomed over Sydney and John's relationship throughout. He is not scene much to this point but is mentioned on multiple occasions which definitely gives off the vibe of “up to no good”. The scene starts slowly, with Jimmy simply inquiring about John under the pretense of making sure he is okay. Sydney plays along for a bit, the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sure enough it does, culminating in us getting the bomb on us we have been waiting for. This revelation explains very clearly why Sydney is so attached to John but clears up little else. The next two or three scenes are quite satisfying. In true Anderson fashion he gives us some closure but leaves enough loose threads for us to pull at as we please as well.

Hard Eight is not my favorite Anderson film. I do think it is an under rated one though. Maybe if it had been my first one to watch I would not feel this way. Watching it now I can see so much of the brilliance that is to come. However it also stands firmly on its own as an outstanding film. I strongly recommend checking it out if you have been reluctant to do so for any reason.

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cricket

08-04-14, 10:01 PM

seanc

08-04-14, 10:07 PM

I can't honestly remember what I disliked about Hard 8; just that it was disappointing given my interest in the subject matter. I thought it was ok but your review kind of makes me want to watch it again.

I went in the first time thinking it would be a whole lot of cool gambling stuff. I like hustling and card counting, things like that. Hard Eight is not that but it is a really good character drama.

cricket

08-04-14, 10:12 PM

I went in the first time thinking it would be a whole lot of cool gambling stuff. I like hustling and card counting, things like that. Hard Eight is not that but it is a really good character drama.

Yes you're right, it was different than I expected, although it at least had some of those elements. I will say that, even though I didn't love it the first time, it seems like a movie that's pretty good for repeat viewings.

Captain Spaulding

08-04-14, 11:49 PM

Hard Eight is the only PTA film I haven't seen. I really need to remedy that, since I already consider him to be one of my favorite directors.

seanc

08-04-14, 11:54 PM

Hard Eight is the only PTA film I haven't seen. I really need to remedy that, since I already consider him to be one of my favorite directors.

Go back through his filmography with me captain. I am going to watch all his movies over the next few months before Inherent Vice comes out. I would love to see your write ups for each. You write excellent reviews.

seanc

08-17-14, 09:28 PM

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4

Director: Richard Linklater

Cast: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater

"You don't want the bumpers, life doesn't give you bumpers."

"Because I don't have all the answers..."

Ecclesiastes 1:4-9

If you are reading this you know the mechanics behind this movie. One kid filmed once a year for twelve years. Simple but ambitious. I actually think ambitious is the wrong word, although pretty appropriate. I think a better word is courageous. Most of us can't keep still with what we want to do in our lives for a year, let alone twelve. To take on this endeavor Linklater had to have a singular vision for what this film would be twelve years ahead of time. Any waffling in the least and it would have showed up in a major way in the final product. He did not waver. The finished film is seamless. So seamless that I would not be surprised if people who do not know the story behind the filming of Boyhood did not even realize the same child actor was used throughout. The best example of how seamless this movie really is lies in the editing in my opinion. Li.nklater chooses to use no title cards or fade outs to let us know time is passing. We simply know time has passed because the characters are older. Haircuts, music, living situations, and even video game systems are all the indicators we get of time moving forward and what year we may be in. The film is put together flawlessly. Of course the novelty of Linklater's vision is not enough to sustain us for nearly three hours. We are movie goers, and as such we want to be entertained, inspired, and moved emotionally. Boyhood delivers on these levels as well, even if it is not how we expect.

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Boyhood has to be the most realistic movie I have ever watched. If you have grown up in this kind of middle class American culture there is no way you are not going to recognize a character type represented. The dialogue is fluid but a bit clunky at times. Clunky in a good way. When a character meets a new person or interacts with someone they have not in a long time they don't always know what to say. Other times we enter conversations in mid-stream. The characters are already very comfortable and the dialogue feels that way. Whether this is script genius or a lot of improvisation doesn't matter, Linklater deserves credit. It is obvious he set out to make the tone of this movie very realistic and he succeeded. The humor in the film is another great example of the realism. At no point is this film meant to be knee slapping funny. We are meant to find humor in the small moments in these characters lives, and the audience I watched this with did. A lot of the the humor comes from the recognition of just how realistic this movie is. A silly song you liked, a stupid friend, or an over bearing boss. All of these are great examples of Linklater using real life circumstances to get the audience on board with these characters and their situations.

The small moments is what Boyhood ends up being all about. There are numerous times in this film where Linklater uses misdirection in the opposite way that most movies do. He sets us up to think this is where the big turning point in the boy's life is going to be. Someone is going to die or be physically beaten. There is going to be an argument between two characters that they will not be able to come back from. I know I was not alone in seeing these moments coming because there were audible gasps from my theater at these points. The moments do not happen though. It is Linklater once again letting us know that is not the story he is telling. Not that these kind of situations could not happen in real life. I think he simply wants to keep us grounded in the reality that most of us live in. Another way Linklater keeps us in the small moments is to not over emphasize the big moments. These moments exist of course. We see birthdays, moving to other towns, friends lost, and even parental reunions. They are simply not given the same weight as in other films. They simply propel our characters forward into the next small moments of their lives. It is what keeps Boyhood so grounded in reality.

The last thing I want to talk about concerning Boyhood is perspective. My southern conservative neck hairs stood up a bit at a couple points in this movie. I started to even become a little annoyed at one point when a couple of the characters are putting up Obama signs in yards before the election. They come upon a house and ask the man if they could put a sign up. The disdain in his face, and the vile he spits at the kid was reprehensible. Not that this type of person doesn't exist, they do, but it was such a stark contrast to the liberal woman we see moments after who is unbelievably sugary sweet and inviting. I am glad that I didn't stay in this moment long and I am glad this moment exists. It made me realize my ignorance was starting to creep in. I was almost missing the entire point of the film. Every adult we are seeing is completely from our protagonists perspective. Of course both the conservative and liberal are caricatures. This is how they will be talked about and remembered by a young man going door to door and experiencing divisive politics for the first time. That is why his mom is either shown sitting in a pile of papers with her reading glasses on or with a man in a social situation. This is why his dad swoops in every other weekend like a knight in shining armor waxing philosophical and bearing gifts. When he gets a new family, he is losing his “cool” and driving a minivan. His grandmother is the nicest person in every room to everyone except his father. His boss is geeky and over bearing. Every single person is seen as they would be remembered by a boy growing up. It clicked suddenly and seemed like it should have been so obvious to me sooner. Another example of Linklater writing this movie perfectly.

So I have been gushing for a few paragraphs now and if you are still with me you are probably wondering, “why no perfect score?'”. The answer is this movie is so grounded in reality that it lacks the emotional punch in the gut that I was hoping for. It is a movie I will talk about. It will more than likely be in my top five this year. I admire it endlessly. I will probably not be returning to it very often however.

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/boyhood3.jpg

3 Coming Of Age Films I Love:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/dd/Almost_famous_poster1.jpg/215px-Almost_famous_poster1.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/69/This_Boys_Life.jpg/215px-This_Boys_Life.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/10/CidadedeDeus.jpg/220px-CidadedeDeus.jpg

Swan

08-17-14, 09:42 PM

Great review Sean. I think you know how much I love Boyhood, it is a masterpiece to me and Linklater's magnum opus. Bluedeed showed me this essay about it and it put in it a quote from Waking Life, which was made by Linklater the year before Boyhood started production. It's strange how much it relates to Boyhood.

INTERIOR: COFFEE SHOP
Woman: “What are you writing?”
Man: “A novel.”
Woman: “What’s the story?”
Man: “There’s no story. It’s just people. Gestures. Moments. Bits of rapture. Fleeting emotions. In short, the greatest stories ever told.”
Woman: “Are you in the story?”
Man: “I don’t…think so. But then, I’m kind of reading it and then writing it.”http://www.reverseshot.com/article/boyhood

seanc

08-17-14, 09:47 PM

cricket

08-17-14, 11:35 PM

Great review, Sean; I'm looking forward to this. It sounds like a very special movie.

seanc

09-01-14, 02:40 PM

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1997 5

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, John C Reilly, Julianne Moore

"You're not the boss of me, Jack. You're not the king of Dirk. I'm the boss of me. I'm the king of me. I'm Dirk Diggler. I'm the star. It's my big dick and I say when we roll."

"What can you expect when you're on top? You know? It's like Napoleon. When he was the king, you know, people were just constantly trying to conquer him, you know, in the Roman Empire. So, it's history repeating itself all over again."

"Wait a minute. You come into my house, my party, to tell me about the future? That the future is tape, videotape, and not film? That it's amateurs and not professionals? I'm a filmmaker, which is why I will *never* make a movie on tape."

Boogie Nights was my second PTA film. I am ashamed to say I watched this and There Will Be Blood before even knowing who PTA even was. I liked it a whole lot, but I wouldn't call it love. What I did love the first time and was only enhanced on this viewing was the scope of the film. I love an ensemble film done well and PTA is probably the best in the business right now. The way he just drops you into the world he creates is mesmerizing. The way he moves his camera and the music choices he makes give you an immediate sense of time and place. I felt drawn into this movie from the first scene. I wanted to get to know these characters and this world. Maybe why I didn't fall head over heels in love with this movie the first time I saw it, and probably why it took me so long to see it in the first place, is because of my feelings about pornography. Of the many things I would change about our culture, the general feeling about pornography is one of them. Without making this a moralizing rant I will just say that I think it is an industry that dehumanizes those that participate in the making or viewing of these films. It preys on the broken giving them a misplaced sense of self-worth. The reason I bring my personal feelings into this is because I think PTA does a great job of showing this in his characters without ever condemning or judging them. What makes this even more interesting is hearing PTA's personal views on pornography and knowing that our opinions on the industry are polar opposites. Is this me bringing my personal baggage to the art? Or does PTA see what I see but thinks to condemn is to judge? I know what the characters in Boogie Nights are telling me but what are they telling you? I think it is an interesting question to bring into the viewing of the film.

At first we are only given a small glimpse into the brokenness of three characters. We see our main character, Dirk Diggler (Wahlberg), in his home life. There is nothing particularly abnormal about it. He has an over bearing mother and a father who seems to be distant. Of course there may be more to it than that but this is what we are given. It is obvious that Dirk feels very repressed by this environment and wants to break free. He is not well educated and is trying to get by on minimum wage jobs. Jack Horner (Reynolds) offers him an opportunity to be in show business, to become a star. Amber Waves (Moore) is already immersed in this world but we get some insight into her brokenness as well. She has a son who she is not allowed to see. Her escape seems to be drugs. We see her snorting Cocaine immediately after getting off the phone with her ex-husband. Characters like this is where PTA's deft hand works so well. What came first the chicken or the egg? Is Amber broken because of the loss of her son? Or did she lose her son because of her vices? We get another small glimpse into this later, in what is one of the best scenes in the movie in my opinion. It appears to be the latter, but the question remains as to why she turned to this lifestyle in the first place. The third character we see in a broken state at the start is Rollergirl (Graham). This may be the saddest character of all because we see her in a High School setting, implying that she is not even of age yet to make this sort of decision for her life. She is seen taking a test but appearing to have no clue how to even begin to answer these questions. A boy towards the front of the class begins to tease her in a sexual manner. Again deft character development from PTA. This lets us know that this character already is known for the lifestyle she has chosen. This world is not new to her. She takes the abuse for a moment but quickly leaves the classroom. Again we will get a call back to this much later in the movie that makes us realize this character wanted something different for her life. Finishing school and having other possibilities open to her was a real desire, but something she couldn't get a grasp on at this point in her life. There are other small things that give us glimpses into the type of people who choose this vocation. When Dirk first meets Jack he asks him if he wants to see him masturbate for $10, letting us know this character is already involved it what many would consider sexually deviant behavior. When Dirk meets Reed Rothchild (Reilly), who is already immersed in this world, the first question Reed asks is, “did Jack find you on the street?”. Again this heavily implies that Reed was probably found on the streets, but that is never a certainty. So we are given our archetypes by PTA, it is up to the viewer to make the decision for themselves about what this says about the characters and this world.

After this brief introduction into the brokenness of some of these characters, PTA immerses us into this lifestyle for a long period of time without ever coming up for air in the “real world”. The reason this is significant is just like the characters we forget that this lifestyle is abnormal for most. Things are going well with Jack and Dirk's movies, so our cast is living it up as one big happy family. The homes and cars are extravagant. The drugs and alcohol abuse have no significant consequences. Dirk is winning awards and he is loved by everyone. I can't stress enough how great PTA's writing and pacing are. I truly got so lost in this environment that when the conflict comes I forgot how these people are viewed by the rest of society. They even come to the point where they begin to think they are making “legitimate” movies. Jack, Dirk, and Reed come up with a reoccurring character in the vein of James Bond. The conflict comes, and it homes hard. A new character is introduced and he is viewed by Dirk as a threat to his stardom, probably rightfully so. Dirk storms out of Jack's life not realizing what the repercussions of that decision will be. Money almost immediately becomes an issue. This leads to Dirk and Reed to become involved in situations that they are ill equipped to handle. It also leads to two of the funnier scenes in the movie, and two of the sadder scenes. Dirk and Reed trying their hand at being musicians is absolutely priceless. They are horrible but have no idea. It is emblematic of their relationship throughout. From the moment they meet they are kindred spirits. They have a child like quality that makes them different than those around them. Their first interaction is trying to one up each other about how much weight they can lift. After that while the “adults” are partying all around them, they decide to have a contest, seeing who can do the coolest dives off the diving board. There is a wide eyed innocence to them that doesn't fit in the seedy world they are in. It endears us to them, and makes there characters very fun to watch on screen. It also makes a scene where Dirk has decided to masturbate for money, once again, very heart breaking. We have grown to care about this character, even those of us who do not condone his lifestyle can not help but want Dirk to have some form of success and happiness. When he gets beat it is a cruel reminder to him and the viewer of how these characters are perceived by the world.

I will not go into detail about what happens to many of the other characters in the final third of this film. We see the same '”real world” lessons for Amber, Rollergirl, and Buck (Cheadale). Each are looking for something else in their life but have a hard time grabbing a hold of anything permanent because of the lifestyle decisions they have made. We also get a glimpse into the hypocrisy of those who condemn the lifestyle. This is a point that should not be missed. These characters are treated as less than by those from the outside looking in. These people are not without their vices and choices however. PTA has such a firm grasp on the psyche of the pornography industry. Both those in it and those outside of it. It really is astounding how much care and insight went into this story and each character. I have not even mentioned characters played by Macy, Hoffman, and Guzman. Each has smaller but significant arcs. Two industry titans played by Phillip Baker Hall and Robert Ridgely also have roles that give us a glimpse into an even more reprehensible side of the porn business, child pornography. Even this is a line that PTA chooses to blurr, however. We meet Rollergirl and Dirk both when they are only on the cusp of becoming adults. So how does that make Jack any different? Pages could be written about no less than a dozen of the characters in Boogie Nights. The themes are so complex, the characters so rich.

I am not afraid to admit that even at a 4 initial rating, I severely under rated Boogie Nights. This is not a topic I am still completely comfortable with so I don't think it will be a movie I return to on a yearly basis. I do however love the care that PTA gave to this film. I think the character building and camera work are astounding. The set pieces and music choices are perfect throughout. It is obvious that this is a film that PTA gave amazing care to. I hate the word masterpiece and am trying to never use it again. If it ever fits though, it fits here.

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cricket

09-01-14, 04:43 PM

In my top 5 so I'm glad to see you love it too:cool:

cricket

09-01-14, 04:47 PM

Btw, the drug dealer in the movie was based on real life gangster Eddie Nash. He was involved in the infamous Wonderland murders with porn star John Holmes. I find it to be a pretty fascinating story. This is the story of the movie Wonderland, which is also a favorite of mine.

Captain Spaulding

09-02-14, 05:51 AM

Boogie Nights would probably make my top 25 favorite films, yet it's not even my favorite from PTA (that would be There Will Be Blood).

Good review, but don't be hatin' on pornography. ;)

seanc

09-06-14, 05:29 PM

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19725

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Cast: Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, James Caan, Robert Duval, Diane Keaton

" I made him an offer he couldn't refuse."

"Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes."

"This one time I'll let you ask me about my affairs."

"All those politicians you carry in your pocket like so many nickels and dimes."

This is only my third complete, start to finish, viewing of The Godfather. This is one of those films that you feel like you have seen a hundred times even when you have not. It is such a part of the consciousness of our culture I felt like I saw it even before I did. Needless to say I responded to it immediately and have considered it one of my favorites since my first viewing about fifteen years ago. Everything about The Godfather is cinematic. The opening wedding scene, Michael in Italy, and the Corleone's home, everything is big and beautiful and shot perfectly. Considering it is a gangster film I also appreciate how quiet this film is. Where something like Goodfellas is all energy and brashness, The Godfather is contemplative. It allows its story and characters to breathe. For me that makes the film refreshing and gives it an organic feeling.

The story arc is simple and familiar. Most of us probably knew of Michael's journey before even viewing the film. No matter, what makes this film immersive and gives it its weight is the characters. Each one is drawn and acted brilliantly. It seems as though Puzo and Coppola care as much for their secondary characters as they do the main players. None feel as though they are expendable. Each and every one feels as though they are an important part of this world and because of this what happens to them is important to the viewer. Very few films have had so many moving parts and handled them so deftly.

The Godfather introduced, or in some cases reintroduced, me to so many actors. Duval, Pacino, and Keaton are all actors that I had seen before this and enjoyed but their performances are so unique here that they are almost unrecognizable as the actors I had watched before. Brando is perfect of course. His final scene with Michael is brilliant and mesmerizing. The way he drifts from talking about family to business and back again as a man at the end of life hanging on to what is important while still struggling with the things that he let consume his existence. I love this scene and have loved Brando from the first time I saw it. Caan is great as Sonny as well. I struggle to think of another Caan performance that I really like but always talk about him as a great actor and I think it is due solely to how much I love his portrayal as Sonny.

My favorite scene in The Godfather is Connie's wedding. It is long and beautiful and provides us so much of the exposition that propels not only this film but the next two as well. It sets up Vito as a man of character, even if his character does not jive with our moral compass. It sets up Sonny as the arrogant hot head. It sets up Tom as the brains and even hand. It shows us that Fredo is a character who is dismissed easily because of his lack of brains and gumption. Most of all it gives us insight into Michael and Kate's relationship and starts us on their important journey. Michael being honest about his family's business while at the same time explaining to Kate that he has chosen a different path is one of the great moments in this film. It is even more poignant I think when you are already aware of what path he is headed down. Once again the secondary characters do so much to set the tone of the scene. The funeral director with the plea for his daughter. The boss who has a reporter frisked and his film destroyed. The tongue tied made guy nervous to see the Godfather. Perfect scene and a perfect beginning to a perfect film.

In case I have been mincing words I will end by saying I love everything about this film. I don't think there has been a movie more made for the cinematic experience. If The Godfather is ever anything more than a perfect film to me something about the way I view film will have to change drastically.

Captain Spaulding

09-06-14, 06:44 PM

I was hoping something else would win the 70's Countdown, just because The Godfather seemed like such a predictable victor, but now that we're down to only two films, I hope it wins, just because I think it's a much more deserving winner than Jaws.

There's so much going on in The Godfather and the cast is so huge that I felt like I was constantly lagging behind and trying to catch up with the rest of the film. I think that's why I enjoyed the second one so much more, because I was already familiar with the characters and their world. I desperately need to revisit both movies, though. I fully expect to fall in love with The Godfather on a re-watch.

Anyways, your passion for the film is evident in your (very good) review. Update this thread a little more often and you might be my pick for best reviewer. ;)

cricket

09-06-14, 08:52 PM

Great review of a great movie, Sean. I almost went to see that and Goodfellas in a double feature at the drive-in tonight, but we have bad thunderstorms here. Oh well

seanc

09-06-14, 09:05 PM

Great review of a great movie, Sean. I almost went to see that and Goodfellas in a double feature at the drive-in tonight, but we have bad thunderstorms here. Oh well

Two of my favorite movies and at the drive-in. That would have been awesome.

cricket

09-06-14, 09:59 PM

The other screen is showing Die Hard and The Terminator. Too bad it's one night only.

seanc

09-24-14, 09:11 PM

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19995

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Cast: John C Reilly, Julianne Moore, Tom Cruise, Phillip Baker Hall, Melora Walters, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, William H Macy

"Its a dangerous thing to confuse children with angels."

" The most useless thing in the world is what's behind me."

"I have sickness all around me and you ask me my life."

"This is the regret that you make."

"And we may be through with the past but the past is not through with us."

" Sometimes people need a little help, sometimes they need to be forgiven, and sometimes they need to go to jail."

Exodous 8:2

If you have not seen Magnolia it is very hard to get a grasp for the narrative from a normal plot summary. We have two older men at the end of their lives who want to make amends with their children. We have two child game show prodigies. One who was that years ago and is trying to deal with the fact that he no longer is. The other who is trying to deal with the pressure of being one now, most of that pressure coming from an overbearing father. We have a lonely cop who wants nothing more from life than to do the right thing and meet the right women. The film transitions quickly from story to story. It does so perfectly and this is all because of Anderson's direction. I don't think I have ever seen a better directed film. To juggle so many moving parts yet keep them all running seamlessly while still engaging the audience emotionally is directing perfection.

Magnolia does engage you emotionally right from the start. If it doesn't you will probably not enjoy this film. If it does you will probably have the reaction that many have over the years. No character is wasted in Magnolia and every single one is drawn perfectly. All of the characters are shown dealing with something from their past that has effected all aspects of their life. As we learn what those circumstance are we gain understanding of their psyche and connect with them. The first half of the film is spent building this theme of dealing with the past. The torment that each character is going through builds and builds until each gets some type of release. Anderson guides us through it every step of the way with his beautiful transitions and his choice of music which sets the tone and fits perfectly.

Of course as hard as every character tries they cannot bury the past. They most face their demons as we all do. The raw emotion of seeing each character deal with their circumstance in their own way engages us in yet another way emotionally with Magnolia. Every actor does a tremendous job of conveying these emotions in their respective scenes. In fact there is not a bad performance in Magnolia. Cruise, Moore, Hall, Reilly, Hoffman, and Walters are each brilliant. Each also have emotional scenes to showcase their talent. This is something else that Anderson should be given a lot of credit for. Similar to Tarantino he rarely, if ever, has bad performances in his films. I believe this is because of the characters he creates. They are so well fleshed out that if you simply put them in the hands of a capable actor then he receives a great performance.

It is hard of course to pick a favorite scene in a movie you love so much, but for me the best scene in Magnolia is the musical interlude. I have read many negative things about this scene but for me it fits the film perfectly. It comes at a moment when Anderson wants us to know that the characters are having an emotional release. Maybe I am in the minority but many times in my life when I have needed such a release it has happened when I was by myself and listening to a song that effects me. Exactly the way it happens for the characters in Magnolia. The song comes at a perfect time, it is the perfect song, and it is a joy to watch.

Concerning the frogs. Another device that has been decried by critics. Like the song I again think it is simple and well handled. In Exodus God sent plagues on Egypt until Pharaoh would let his people, or children, go. Simple but effective symbolism used here by Anderson. The characters in this film are in bondage. They have been held in bondage by someone in their life. They need to be freed. Some may have a better or deeper take on this sequence. For me it was simple, it was effective, and once again handled amazingly by Anderson.

In my estimation Magnolia is nothing short of perfect. I love going on this journey, as emotionally draining as it may be, with the characters. As stated above I do not think there is better film out there at dealing with raw humanity. The characters and themes are complex and must be experienced, probably many times, to be unraveled. It is well worth the effort if you have any interest in experiencing film on a emotional level.

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seanc

10-04-14, 10:47 PM

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3.5

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Tyler Perry

Gone Girl was one of my most anticipated movies of the year. Not only is it Fincher, a director I mostly love, but it comes right around the time I start to set into blockbuster fatigue. I don't abhor summer movies. However, by the end of the summer I am ready for something more character driven. Gone Girl delivers on that front and many others. Unfortunately it also falls into some of the thriller traps that keep it from being great in my opinion. I really enjoy a good thriller. Unfortunately for me way too many start strong and then gradually just peck away at my suspension of belief. Gone Girl doesn't do enough of this pecking to make me dislike the film, but it does do enough to make me feel it is flawed. The first hour Gone Girl is really firing on all cylinders. The central relationship is not entirely original but it is very engaging. The peripheral relationships are really good as well. Nick's (Affleck) relationship with his sister and the detectives are not only well drawn and pertinent but also make for some of the more entertaining scenes in the film. Fincher sets a chilling tone but also makes all the characters easy to relate to and sympathetic. This is Gone Girl's strength by far for me. There are a fair number of twists in this film. I did not find any of them to be particularly jarring. What I did find myself doing consistently was second guessing what I thought was coming. The possibilities for how all the threads are going to play out are mostly front and center. What Fincher does by drawing the characters as well as he does is make you feel any of the many possibilities make sense. It really is brilliant because it makes what could feel like a paint by numbers thriller feel fresh and unique.

Most of what I dislike about Gone Girl is impossible to talk about in a review. Gone Girl is a film that is not to be spoiled. I really appreciate the way that Fincher cut his trailers because I had not a clue how all of this would play out while watching the film. When the first big twist in the movie comes, things started to change for me a bit. Gone Girl suddenly went from a atmospheric, character driven mystery to a how deranged are they going to get thriller. While I like the former much more than the latter, not all in the latter is bad. I was white knuckled through much of the second half of this film. You can just feel the more visceral moments in Gone Girl coming. Once again what sets this movie and Fincher apart is you never quite know when and who these moments are going to come from. While there are are a couple of things that I really didn't like in the last hour, it has to be said that I think the ending is really strong. It won't be for everyone, but I think most film fans are really going to appreciate it.

I think most of the performances in this film are on point. Affleck is not an actor I love, but he is an actor I think is fine if he is just allowed to be himself. This may sound stupid to some, like anyone can play themselves, but not everyone can. Affleck is very natural when he is allowed to be just this kind of laid back every man. I think it works very well here. The supporting cast is good across the board. No one is reinventing the wheel here, but no one has to. The one performance I did not care for was Pike as Nick's wife. Nothing from her seemed natural to me. I always felt like I was watching a performance from her, which is never what you want. It has surprised me that I have read a lot of praise for her, both here and elsewhere, since watching the film. I came out thinking that my opinion would be pretty universal for her performance. I am glad everyone got so much more out of Pike than I did, I just wish I had seen the same performance. Perhaps it would have helped some of my issues with the film.

Overall Gone Girl is a really enjoyable watch. I have not even touched on the themes of marriage that run through the course of the film. They are very easy to relate to and help drive much of the sympathy for the characters. There is also a good amount of humor which is fun and necessary. Some have even suggested that this may be a black comedy. That is not a contention I would agree with, but there is more then enough levity throughout. There was as much crowd reaction, both good and bad, at my viewing of this movie as any I have been to in a long time. Gone Girl was a nice start to the fall season and a movie I could see showing up on my year end top ten.

Ranking Fincher:

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Yoda

10-05-14, 12:20 AM

Nice review. :up: It's now in the top spot on the Reviews page.

Swan

10-05-14, 12:35 AM

Sean! The Social Network is my favorite Fincher, as well. Great flick.

seanc

10-05-14, 12:42 AM

Sean! The Social Network is my favorite Fincher, as well. Great flick.

I love it. When I first saw it I wondered if it could stay relevant. I have seen it three times since and I love it even more. I don't think it is a coincidence that my favorite Fincher film is written by Sorkin. I am definitely a dialogue guy.

cricket

10-05-14, 01:08 AM

That's great review Sean, and I am pretty psyched to see this movie. I'm going to try to drag my wife out to see it. I think she'd love it too.

Daniel M

10-05-14, 05:22 AM

That's great review Sean, and I am pretty psyched to see this movie. I'm going to try to drag my wife out to see it. I think she'd love it too.

I'd recommend it to you and your wife, it's a hilarious film in a f*cked up way :D

Good review Sean even though I don't completely agree with you. I think Pike was absolutely brilliantly, as you say it's hard to talk without spoiling much but I think she nailed the role. I don't normally like Ben Affleck too much either, but he's cast perfectly here. I wasn't that bothered about the tonal shift in the second half, I liked it. The cinema I was in, the whole audience was laughing all the way to the end.

Thursday Next

10-22-14, 06:47 AM

The one performance I did not care for was Pike as Nick's wife. Nothing from her seemed natural to me. I always felt like I was watching a performance from her, which is never what you want.

That's because you are watching a performance. Her character is 'performing' for most of the movie, you can't quite trust any of her interactions with any of the other characters, or the flashbacks. Her whole identity is a performance, shifting from one scene to the next.

seanc

11-02-14, 09:57 PM

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4

Director: Dan Gilroy

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Renee Russo, Bill Paxton

I wanted to get my thoughts on Nightcrawler down before I read a bunch of reviews and my mind starts to become cluttered. The reason for that is because I can see people after watching this movie writing a slew of critiques on how Nightcrawler is a media satire. How as a society we have become so blood thirsty that we have caused our media outlets to go to unthinkable extremes to get us the coverage of the depraved that we crave. I don't think there is anything wrong with reading the film this way, in fact it may even be the film maker's intention. However I do feel like this is a very simple conclusion to draw and I don't want that to be what I take away from this movie personally. My take away from this film is actually much simpler than this reading, and maybe even juvenile. It is something that I crave in my movie watching though, and something I never feel I get enough of anymore. Nightcrawler for me is simply well made, and a heck of a lot of fun to watch. That is what I “got” from the movie, and all that I desire from it. I already have an unhealthy disdain for the media. I already think that as a culture we care way too much about the disgusting things that we do to each other. I didn't need Nightcrawler to reinforce those prejudices in me, and it didn't.

Calling this movie a lot of fun to watch may come across as some to be rather crass. This movie is beyond dark. The protagonist (Gyllenhaal) is the pure definition of an anti-hero. Our first encounter with him is as he is committing a crime and at no point are we asked to root for him. Gyllenhaal is perfect in this role which is probably my favorite performance of his to date. The character is tragically flawed. Certainly a sociopath but I read him as being autistic as well. This is never explicitly stated but he has an uncanny knack for processing information very quickly. He also argues with only cold hard facts, as he sees them. He never lets emotion enter into the picture during confrontations with others. Gyllenhaal is doing everything with his eyes and mannerisms. He is in nearly every single frame of this film so to say he carries the film is an understatement. He is what made Nightcrawler fun for me to watch. I laughed out loud many times at his interactions with others. I cringed at the moments he was devolving, which was frequently. Most of all he kept me transfixed on the screen for the entire duration of the movie. So despite the fact that the subject matter is extremely dark, Nightcrawler remains entertaining by having a central character that is enthralling to watch. It is also really well written. The dialogue is sharp. It makes you laugh when appropriate, and sometimes when laughing makes you uncomfortable to do so. It stirs up strong disdain for certain characters when it needs to. It immerses us in the world of the characters. This is Nightcrawler's other major positive aspect. It sets the world perfectly. L.A. feels dark and dangerous throughout, extremely seedy. The film looks like a great crime drama. If I didn't already know better I would not have been shocked to see Michael Mann's name pop up as the end credits rolled. Again maybe it sounds strange to call this type of atmosphere entertaining. That is exactly what it was though, the film is extremely cinematic.

Nightcrawler did have a major flaw for me and unfortunately it came in the form of Russo's news executive. While Gilroy does give this character clear motivations, it never felt realistic that she would go as far as she does at several points in the film. I won't say much more to avoid spoilers. I will say this character is the only thing that took me out of the movie at times. I do not have a clear picture of what I would have done differently. The character is important to the story moving forward. I do wish they could have found another way as I really did not enjoy her at any point.

Nightcrawler is a highly entertaining thriller. One that I will be recommending to others and will be quick to revisit. Now I am off to see what others are saying about it.

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cricket

11-02-14, 10:05 PM

Great review, Sean. I didn't think the trailer was all that great but now, after seeing how much everyone seems to like it, I'm very much looking forward to it.

Captain Spaulding

11-03-14, 03:12 AM

Good review, seanc. Like cricket, my interest in the film has risen after reading so many positive reactions.

I'm loving your new avatar, btw!

Sexy Celebrity

11-03-14, 07:46 PM

I can see people after watching this movie writing a slew of critiques on how Nightcrawler is a media satire. How as a society we have become so blood thirsty that we have caused our media outlets to go to unthinkable extremes to get us the coverage of the depraved that we crave. I don't think there is anything wrong with reading the film this way, in fact it may even be the film maker's intention. However I do feel like this is a very simple conclusion to draw and I don't want that to be what I take away from this movie personally.

This is what I thought, too, during and after I watched Nightcrawler. Like with Fight Club, where people fixated on the consumerism issues more than the other issues I saw happening with the characters and such, I'm imagining that people will fixate on the "trash TV news journalism" stuff with Nightcrawler.

Nightcrawler isn't really about news programs and going to extremes at getting exciting news footage. It's about sociopaths. It's about the sick people who live amongst us. The movie could have shown Louis Bloom working in a totally different field and the film would have felt the same as this one.

Nightcrawler did have a major flaw for me and unfortunately it came in the form of Russo's news executive. While Gilroy does give this character clear motivations, it never felt realistic that she would go as far as she does at several points in the film. I won't say much more to avoid spoilers. I will say this character is the only thing that took me out of the movie at times. I do not have a clear picture of what I would have done differently. The character is important to the story moving forward. I do wish they could have found another way as I really did not enjoy her at any point.

I liked Rene Russo in the movie. She is the second sociopath in the movie, to me, although I'm not really certain if she's truly a real sociopath. She's not normal, though, and in that regard, she's sort of on the same level as Louis Bloom. He's much worse, though. You can tell in the scene where they're at dinner that he's much more worse and ahead of her in terms of evil, though we don't really know much about her own life and past. She has one revealing sociopathic trait, though, I thought -- it's mentioned that she never sticks with a news channel for more than two years. She changes her job a lot, which is considered a sign that someone may be a sociopath. That's why she was on a bad news channel, because she never stayed put anywhere.

As I said in my review, I thought everything got too cartoony and absurd at the end.

Especially once Rick, the assistant, got killed. I knew that was coming, but that whole scene with Louis looking over him as he died, filming him, and then Louis and Nina watching the footage and she's in awe -- that was SO, SO corny. It has a bad ending, sort of. I thought it went, as I said, "extreme black comedy." The movie's about sociopaths, particularly a very dangerous one. They are out there and you can wind up a victim of one. Rick was a victim of Louis. And at the end, Louis has a full team of assistants and cameramen. As they all drive away in their vans, I saw a bunch of victims driving off to what will probably be doomed fates with Louis in their lives.

seanc

11-03-14, 08:56 PM

As I said in my review, I thought everything got too cartoony and absurd at the end.

This is my issue with way too many movies these days. It is like no one knows how to close anymore. I can totally understand how you feel this way, interestingly enough, I did not. I think because like I said, this movie was totally working for me as a piece of entertainment. Which was nice. I wasn't caught up in the plausibility, I was just going where this character took me.

I am glad Russo worked for you, I wish she had for me. If she had I would be talking about this as my favorite movie of the year right now. As it is, its still top five at the momemt.

seanc

01-04-15, 08:51 PM

I am going to post the current films I see here instead of the last movie thread even if I don't write a review, which I obviously haven't been in the mood for lately. This is just so it is easier to reference what I have been watching throughout the year.

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2

Just a mishmash of themes that never feels coherent. Waltz and Adams were good as you would expect. The last twenty minutes is entertaining. I also liked how a lot of the landscape shots were made to look like paintings. First Burton that I have desired to go see in quite a few years, they got me with the trailer.

honeykid

01-04-15, 09:26 PM

Yeah, I thought the trailer was a little interesting, too. Not enough to go see it, but still.

seanc

01-04-15, 09:30 PM

Yeah, I thought the trailer was a little interesting, too. Not enough to go see it, but still.

The trailer seemed fun, the movie was not so much.

honeykid

01-04-15, 09:33 PM

I can't say that's too big of a surprise. It is Burton, after all.

rauldc14

01-04-15, 10:06 PM

Darn. I had high hopes.

honeykid

01-04-15, 10:14 PM

Well you still might like it. :)

Gatsby

01-04-15, 10:16 PM

Shoot... I guess I should just watch Ed Wood again instead.

Citizen Rules

01-04-15, 10:27 PM

I'm not a fan of Burton's style of movie making...BUT Ed Wood rocks.

cricket

01-04-15, 11:01 PM

I never heard of Big Eyes but it sounds like a waste of Amy Adams.

Captain Spaulding

01-05-15, 03:23 AM

I got excited when I saw that you had updated this thread, assuming it meant that you had finally posted another review after a too-long hiatus, only to have my hopes crushed by a measly five-sentence write-up. :(

I didn't even know that Tim Burton had a new movie until I saw someone else rate Big Eyes on here. I still have no idea what the movie is about, although judging by the title, I'll assume it's about an anime character who gets transported into a Gothic land populated by strange, misanthropic individuals with odd hairdos, followed by an eventual cameo by Johnny Depp. I'll definitely check it out at some point, though, since I'm one of the few still in Burton's fan club. The presence of Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz doesn't hurt matters.

seanc

01-05-15, 06:16 PM

Sorry to disappoint you Captain. I just haven't felt like doing my reviews lately as light as they are. I certainly don't think I will be forcing them anytime soon. No Depp, no Carter. Part of what drew me to it actually. I was pretty disappointed.

seanc

01-10-15, 01:36 AM

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3

Disappointing first viewing for one of my most anticipated movies of last year. I wanted to love it, and there were moments when I thought I would. Phoenix is fantastic, I love the score, and it is very well written. The plot was just frustrating, I think deliberately so, but still frustrating. It is not one of those movies in which the plot just becomes insignificant, see The Master, because all of the dialogue revolves around the plot. It is funny at times and the characters are good. PTA creates a very lived in world as usual. I am hopeful that my feelings will change on subsequent viewings, PTA is one of my favorite directors so of course I want to love everything he does, but I have to be honest about my viewing experience. I have heard many say that judging from the trailer this will be the PTA film for those who don't like PTA. If you go into this movie with that mentality you will be very disappointed.

Swan

01-10-15, 01:37 AM

Glad to hear the score is good. I absolutely love Jonny Greenwood's orchestral work.

hello101

01-10-15, 01:44 AM

What do you think of Hard Eight?

seanc

01-10-15, 01:48 AM

What do you think of Hard Eight?

I like Hard Eight more than most. It was still my least favorite PTA until now, but I quite like it. 4 movie. Great characters and and acting.

Captain Spaulding

01-10-15, 07:16 AM

Inherent Vice isn't playing anywhere near me, so I doubt I'll get a chance to see it anytime soon. I can't say your reaction to it surprises me, though, since judging by the trailers and what little I know of the film, Inherent Vice seems destined to become one of those movies that initially underwhelms and fails to make much of a splash, before gaining a newfound appreciation years later and developing a cult following. Regardless, I'm still very much looking forward to the movie. I figure a lackluster PTA film is still better than most other films.

Some of the reviews I've read say that viewers who are familiar with the novel are more likely to enjoy it, so I might try to pick up a copy. I've been wanting to reading Pynchon for awhile anyway.

cricket

01-10-15, 05:35 PM

Too bad you were disappointed; I'm still looking forward to it, but I have guarded expectations. PTA is so talented, but I wish he wouldn't try so hard to be different. At least that's how I look at it.

seanc

01-11-15, 10:18 PM

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3.5

Really great lead performance and some very powerful moments. I am getting used to these bio-pics that are a snapshot instead of trying to do someone's entire life. They are very effective. Selma also probably has my favorite scene of 2014.

seanc

01-14-15, 07:45 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b3/The_Guest_Film_Poster.jpg/220px-The_Guest_Film_Poster.jpg
1

This is not usually the type of movie I seek out, but a few of the people on podcasts I listen to have liked it quite a bit so I wanted to give it a try before I make my final 2014 list. I just thought it was all around a pretty horrible film. The story is very dull, the writing is bad, the acting is worse, and the score is probably the worst part of the movie. By the time Wingard decides to go stylized horror in the final act I had already checked out, and that definitely wasn't going to draw me back in. I thought this might be my jumping off point for Wingard after all the buzz. I thought maybe this would finally get me to check out You're Next. Probably not.

BlueLion

01-14-15, 08:10 PM

One of my favorites from last year, too bad it didn't work for you. It's much better than You're Next so probably it's best that you stay away from that one.

seanc

01-14-15, 09:37 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/29/Frank_movie_poster.jpg/250px-Frank_movie_poster.jpg
2.5

Had some fun moments but ultimately there just isn't enough here.

seanc

01-14-15, 11:08 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/God%27s_Pocket_poster.jpg/220px-God%27s_Pocket_poster.jpg
3

Not a bad little crime film. Interesting characters and the story moves along nicely. Not sure why more people haven't enjoyed it.

hello101

01-14-15, 11:41 PM

My friend has been raving on about The Guest, I'll check it out and come back to you. Fine review :)

Gatsby

01-15-15, 12:11 AM

Sad you aren't writing full length reviews anymore. I've always enjoyed your reviews- a lot more than JayDee's dissertations. :lol:

I'm not against it much- after all its your review thread and you can do whatever you want, but its dissapointing that this has turned into basically the 'Rate the Last Movie You Saw' thread.

Captain Spaulding

01-15-15, 12:31 AM

I am getting used to these bio-pics that are a snapshot instead of trying to do someone's entire life. They are very effective.

I haven't seen Selma, but I agree with the above statement. If a person is important enough to serve as the subject of a bio-pic, it's impossible to condense that person's life into a two-hour film and do their story justice.

I've yet to watch any of the last four films, but I'm interested in all of them. I've heard a lot of great things about The Guest. It doesn't seem like your type of film, so your low rating doesn't discourage me.

I'm interested in Frank solely for Fassbender. And I'm interested in God's Pocket solely for PSH.

Godoggo

01-15-15, 12:47 AM

That's how I feel about bi-pics. I would much, much rather that they pic one key part of a person's life rather than try to do birth through death. I always feel this disconnect when films do that or find that one part is so much more interesting that it overshadows the rest of the film.

With a couple of exceptions, I'm not overly fond of movies when they span over large periods of time anyway.

JayDee

01-15-15, 12:49 AM

Sad you aren't writing full length reviews anymore. I've always enjoyed your reviews- a lot more than JayDee's dissertations. :lol:

HEY!!!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/insta_zpsdbvh31nt.gif (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/insta_zpsdbvh31nt.gif.html)

I mean seriously what the f*ck?!!! Where did that come from? Talk about a drive by. :laugh:

I'm not against it much- after all its your review thread and you can do whatever you want, but its dissapointing that this has turned into basically the 'Rate the Last Movie You Saw' thread.

I don't like it either. But mainly because it means he's posting a lot and his thread is always at the top of the Reviews section, stealing my spotlight. :D

hello101

01-15-15, 12:54 AM

Did someone say drive by?

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--XDlSsduf--/181gtr7mvznd2gif.gif

Gatsby

01-15-15, 12:59 AM

Lol are those people made out of gunpowder?

Oh and JayDee just to let you know I wasn't saying that I don't appreciate your hard work and effort in the reviews you write. :)

seanc

01-15-15, 07:22 AM

I will write reviews again. I gotta be in the mood though, I am not going to force it. I am bad enough at it as is without forcing myself to say something. You guys were talking in another thread about how long it takes to write a review. It basically takes me an hour, so that is like half another movie I could be giving my attention to. Although maybe I shouldn't do them in front of the TV. Anyway, I just wanted a place to keep track of current stuff I am watching without making a whole new thread. I won't put everything here. If it shoots my thread above Jay Dee's every few days that is just an added bonus.:D

Captain Spaulding

01-15-15, 11:15 AM

I will write reviews again. I gotta be in the mood though

Would it help if I whisper sweet nothings into your ear? Maybe throw on a jazz record and dim the lights?

Oh, I know what will put you in the mood: a nice warm bath!! :D

seanc

01-15-15, 11:20 AM

Would it help if I whisper sweet nothings into your ear? Maybe throw on a jazz record and dim the lights?

Oh, I know what will put you in the mood: a nice warm bath!! :D

Wrong thread, but I can think of a couple people you could send over to do such things.:D

seanc

01-17-15, 08:13 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Foxcatcher_First_Teaser_Poster.jpg/220px-Foxcatcher_First_Teaser_Poster.jpg
4

Really enjoyed this. Sets a bleak but intriguing tone. Very good performances all around. One of my favorites of 2014.

seanc

01-18-15, 05:56 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/17/Calvary_movieposter.jpg/220px-Calvary_movieposter.jpg
3.5

This is going to be an interesting one to chew on for a bit. Great writing, looked awesome, and I love Gleeson and his character. It doesn't appear to have an agenda to me, which is a good thing. It leaves me really wondering what it is driving at though. Very good movie.

christine

01-18-15, 06:18 PM

Sean, I think Calvary is a cracking film. Brendan Gleeson is almost playing the priest version of the Garda officer from The Guard. A man unto himself as my nan might've said.

seanc

01-18-15, 06:44 PM

Sean, I think Calvary is a cracking film. Brendan Gleeson is almost playing the priest version of the Garda officer from The Guard. A man unto himself as my nan might've said.

I might have to check out The Guard.

christine

01-19-15, 02:34 AM

I might have to check out The Guard.

I'll reword that for you Sean "I will check out The Guard as soon as possible"
:p

Both The Guard and Calvary were directed and written by John Michael McDonagh, brother of Martin McDonagh who directed and wrote In Bruges, which if you haven't seen then you really should :)

seanc

01-19-15, 06:57 AM

I will take those recos Christine. In Bruges has been on my radar too long anyway.

seanc

01-22-15, 10:27 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/10/American_Sniper_poster.jpg/220px-American_Sniper_poster.jpg
3

I get the wide divide on this movie, which is not something I was expecting to say. There is enough super soldier going on to prove that side of the criticism right. There is also enough of the broken soldier going on for the other side of the argument to hold up. There isn't a whole lot of nuance going on in either of these cases and I think that is why there seems to be a love/hate divide and not much in between when it comes to this film. Personally I fall in the middle of the argument. I thought most of the stuff in Iraq was pretty good and most of the stuff at home pretty bad. Which leaves me with a movie that I thought was fine but probably won't think much about in the future. I even wish I could split the difference on my rating and give it a 2.75.

JayDee

01-23-15, 04:40 PM

I still think you were pretty generous with it Sean. I thought it was really quite a poor film

seanc

01-24-15, 12:47 PM

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/the%20fighter.jpg
5

I saw this before really knowing who Russell was as a director. This movie is ridiculously in my wheel house. Its a sports film, which you have to mess up pretty badly to get me to hate. It is about broken people but still has plenty of humor and hope to offer. It is an ensemble full of great performances.It is extremely well written which for my blind eye usually goes hand in hand with the great performances. In fact as I am typing this I am realizing it is a wonder that it isn't in my top 10-25. It is in my favorite 100 and was my favorite Russell film before American Hustle came along.

The Fighter is most definitely an ensemble but the relationship between Mickey(Wahlberg) and Dicky(Bale) is at its heart. Dicky is played amazingly by Bale and is the most tragically flawed character in a film that is full of very flawed people. Watching Mickey struggle with who is brother was, is, and wants him to be is incredible. Mickey finds something to cling to pretty early in the story in Charlene(Adams). She is far removed from who Dicky is to his family, so naturally she is trying to get Mickey to distance himself from this drug addicted tornado. Mickey has always been loyal to his brother because in his own many times messed up way his brother has always been loyal to him. Watching these dysfunctional relationships play out is really great, it is at times heart warming, at times heart breaking, and at times hilarious. Wahlberg, Bale, and Adams are all as good as I have ever seen them.

All that alone would be enough to make The Fighter a really great movie. There is more though. Mickey's family outside of Dicky may be even more messed up than Dicky himself. Although we don't really get to know these his sisters extremely well, I can never shake the feeling that they just want Mickey to hit it big because for them it would be the equivalent of winning the lottery. The mother(Leo) has a little more nuance. Her focus is on Dicky returning to his glory days. I think she believes that this is the only way Dicky will ever remain clean and have some peace in his life. On paper this probably sounds like a typical nurturing mother character. She is far from that however. One of the main reasons for that is she is delusional about who Dicky was as a boxer. Dicky once got to fight Sugar Ray Leonard and for Dicky and his mother this is their entire world. They cling to that great moment in Dicky's life and try to translate that into Dicky having a great present. She sees Mickey as being Dicky's future and is more than willing to try and steam roll anyone who she thinks is getting in the way of that. This also makes for a mixture of humorous yet upsetting scenes. Another great Russell character played perfectly by Leo.

This movie has many more threads running through it. Dicky is involved in the making of an HBO documentary that he thinks is about boxing but is actually about crack addiction. Mickey and Dicky's father is present but nearly invisible which seems like the way it has always been and could be a theme unto itself. Mickey's trainer and family friend plays a prominent role. In many was this feels the least like a Russell movie of all his films. It is the only movie of his I don't consider a straight up comedy. As I write about it though I realize it is very much playing in the same realm as his other films. It is about fixing relationships, about trying to build new relationships in a healthy way, it is about trying to reconcile your past with your future. It is all about the characters and their journey. That is why I love his films and that is why I love The Fighter.

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/2.jpg

seanc

01-24-15, 12:48 PM

I know I am double dipping, but I want to keep all my reviews in my thread.

seanc

01-24-15, 12:49 PM

I still think you were pretty generous with it Sean. I thought it was really quite a poor film

Honestly, the more I think about it the more I think you might be right. There was stuff I really liked though. Some of it was soooo bad though.

seanc

01-25-15, 09:17 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/01/Whiplash_poster.jpg/220px-Whiplash_poster.jpg
4

One of those movies that lives up to every bit of the hype. Is Simmons over the top? Yes. Did it ever bother me? Not at all, because the movie and performance are completely engrossing. I don't ever react to movies physically but I threw my arms up at one point I was taken by such surprise. I also found myself tapping quite a bit at the music. I didn't think I cared for Jazz, but maybe I do. The ending is phenomenal, best ending of the year. Certainly one of the best movies of the year. I am already wanting to see it again.

the samoan lawyer

01-26-15, 08:43 AM

Great review of The Fighter, I love it too. Looking forward to watching Whiplash, i don't think i've heard a negative review for it yet.

seanc

02-04-15, 08:48 PM

2014 Year In Review:

The Lego Movie: 4
The Monuments Men: 2
Captain America: The Winter Soldier 2.5
The Grand Budapest Hotel: 4.5
Draft Day: 1
Noah: 3
Transcendence: 2
The Amazing Spider-Man 2: 2
Labor Day: 1.5
Godzilla: 2
X-Men: Days Of Future Past: 3
Edge Of Tomorrow: 3.5
How To Train Your Dragon 2: 3
Joe: 3
Jersey Boys: 3.5
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes: 2.5
Under the Skin: 3.5
Enemy: 1
Blood Ties: 4
Guardians Of The Galaxy: 3.5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 1
Boyhood: 4
Muppets Most Wanted: 2
Only Lovers Left Alive: 3.5
Locke 3.5
Blue Ruin: 3
The Rover: 1
Gone Girl: 3.5
The Boxtrolls: 2.5
Fury: 3.5
The Double: 3.5
Nightcrawler: 4
Interstellar: 3.5
A Most Wanted Man: 3
Life Of Crime: 3
Venus In Fur: 4
Snowpiercer: 1
The Immigrant: 2
Chef: 3.5
The One I Love: 2.5
Altman: 3
Birdman: 4
The Theory Of Everything: 2.5
Ida: 2.5
Big Hero 6: 2.5
Big Eyes: 2
Inherent Vice: 3
Selma: 3.5
The Guest: 1
Frank: 2.5
God's Pocket: 3
Foxcatcher: 4
Calvary: 3.5
This Is Where I Leave You: 1.5
American Sniper: 3
Whiplash: 4
The Drop: 4
The Imitation Game: 3.5

That is 58 movies watched in 2014. Not too bad of a total for me. I still have half a dozen movies left on the watchlist but as soon as I get those watched there will be six more. So before the Oscars and I start watching 2015 releases, it is time to close out 2014. I will do my top ten in the next couple of days. Feel free to ridicule my ratings and tell me what movies I should be watching from 2014.

rauldc14

02-04-15, 08:51 PM

Holy hell 58 films. You put me to shame. Mainly because I catch up on the old years that I'm so far behind on.

seanc

02-04-15, 10:41 PM

Best Of 2014

I had my usual reaction to going to the theater in 2014. Around September I think my top ten is going to be putrid. By the time I have finished watching things in January I am upset to leave things off. My honorable mentions this year: Lego Movie, Fury, Under The Skin, Selma, Edge Of Tomorrow, and Calvary. Still a few to see but I am happy with where I am at, so here we go.

Best Scene:

The Quicksilver scene in X-Men was fantastic. The first march in Selma packed a punch. There are a handful of scenes from my top three movies I could have chosen from. I thought my choice was going to be tough, then I saw this:

The final scene in Whiplash

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/whiplash.jpg

There are a few things that lead up to this scene that I won't spoil. I will say watching Teller play what amounts to a ten minute drum solo while squaring off with Simmons for the last time was mesmerizing. Best scene of the year.

Best Female Performance:

Scarlett Johansson-Under The Skin

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/under%20the%20skin.jpg

She owns the screen from start to finish. Something I have never seen her do, and I am a fan.

Best Male Performance:

Jake Gyllenhaal-Nightcrawler

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/nightcrawler_1.jpg

A whole lot to choose from in this category but I can't get this performance out of my head. I love it when an actor transforms himself, and Gyllenhaal did here.

Top 10 Films 2014:

10: Chef

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/chef%2010.jpg

9: Gone Girl

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/Gone%20Girl%2010.jpg

8: Blood Ties

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/Blood%20Ties%2010.jpg

7: The Drop

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/The%20Drop%2010.jpg

6: Foxcatcher

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/Foxcatcher%2010.jpg

5: Whiplash

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/Whiplash%2010.jpg

4: Nightcrawler

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/Nightcrawler%2010.jpg

3: Boyhood

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/boyhood%2010.jpg

2: Birdman

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/Birdman%2010.jpg

1: The Grand Budapest Hotel

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a6/The_Grand_Budapest_Hotel_Poster.jpg/220px-The_Grand_Budapest_Hotel_Poster.jpg

My second favorite director, PTA, didn't completely through for me this year but my favorite director sure did. Wes Anderson delivers his usual cast of crazy characters, witty dialogue, and lush visuals. The only movie of 2014 I saw twice, and in usual Anderson fashion it was even better the second time. Great movie that I would love to see win in a couple of weeks.

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/Budapest%2010.jpg

honeykid

02-05-15, 12:45 PM

I don't think there's been 58 films I've wanted to see in the last 5 years, let alone did see last year. :D

rauldc14

02-05-15, 12:46 PM

I don't think there's been 58 films I've wanted to see in the last 5 years, let alone did see last year. :D

Out of curiosity, how many have you seen this year?

honeykid

02-05-15, 01:39 PM

Films or films from this year? I think I've watched 4 or 5 films this year, but none from this year. Hell, none from this century. :D

Captain Spaulding

02-15-15, 06:52 PM

I've probably seen 40+ from 2014, but most of them are summer blockbusters and crap releases from early in the year, so I still have a ton of stuff to watch. It will be months before I'm caught up with everything. I've yet to watch any of the major award contenders. Plus I just added dozens of movies to my Netflix queue the other day after browsing some best-of-the-year lists that included a lot of movies I'd never heard of before, like Force Majeure.

So far the only movie I've seen from your top ten is Chef, which I really enjoyed. Some of my most anticipated movies are the ones you rated the lowest, like Snowpiercer, Enemy and The Rover.

I'm surprised you like Under the Skin. I haven't seen it yet, but everything I've read leads me to believe it's one of those weird, surreal, Lynchian type movies you typically hate.

seanc

02-15-15, 07:16 PM

I'm surprised you like Under the Skin. I haven't seen it yet, but everything I've read leads me to believe it's one of those weird, surreal, Lynchian type movies you typically hate.

I was surprised too. For being surreal it was really focused though. I thought the visuals were fantastic as well.

Captain Spaulding

02-16-15, 02:06 AM

I thought the visuals were fantastic as well.

By "visuals," I assume you mean Scarlett Johansson's full-frontal. :randy:

hello101

02-16-15, 02:21 AM

Under The Skin was at least better than Species. Gave it 3 with room to grow.

:( at Big Hero 6 rating.

nebbit

02-16-15, 06:35 AM

I didn't have time to read all your reviews :blush: What i did I enjoyed :yup: keep it up :)

seanc

02-20-15, 10:34 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/McFarland%2C_USA_poster.jpg/220px-McFarland%2C_USA_poster.jpg
2.5

My first 2015 release. I tend to find things to like in these schmaltzy Disney sports flicks. I have even loved a couple of them. McFarland was no different. It has some really good moments and held my attention throughout. Very melodramatic but entertaining. I am not sorry I saw it but it probably won't be on my mind at the end of the year.

Gatsby

02-21-15, 03:46 AM

I've never even heard about McFarland USA until you wrote the review. I can tell what the film is going to be like just from your very short description and it's exactly why I'm not going to watch it. Disney sports flicks are to me a forgettable and clichéd bunch.

seanc

03-08-15, 08:51 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bf/2015_Focus_film_poster.png/220px-2015_Focus_film_poster.png
2

I like a good con movie, unfortunately there are not a whole lot of them. This one has its moments and I would recommend it if you like the genre. There are quite a few laughs and some of the cons are fun. I could have done with a lot less of the cuddling but then we would lose half the movie so I guess it was necessary. You can do worse then looking at Margot Robbie for a couple hours.

The Gunslinger45

03-08-15, 09:07 PM

I can do that in The Wolf of Wall Street. Well done sir.

seanc

03-14-15, 12:01 AM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/71/Chappie_poster.jpg/220px-Chappie_poster.jpg
2

Looks really good but the story and script are an absolute mess. Sound like Blomkamp has a pattern to you? Feels that way to me. I really like the look of Chappie and the voice work. I wouldn't blame people for rating it lower than this but there were moments for me.

cricket

03-14-15, 08:21 AM

I got the impression from the trailer of Con that they were trying to be too slick. I'll still try it but it looks like wasted potential.

Captain Spaulding

03-26-15, 09:13 AM

I'm surprised by how poorly received Chappie has been. Even though I feel like the only person who genuinely liked Elysium, it has 68% on Rotten Tomatoes. Chappie, on the other hand, seems to be almost universally panned. Blomkamp's once promising career is already trending downwards. Hopefully this much discussed Alien sequel that's in the works will get him back on track.

Judging by the trailers, I feel like I've already seen McFarland, USA and Focus a hundred times before.

seanc

03-26-15, 09:21 AM

Hopefully this much discussed Alien sequel that's in the works will get him back on track.

I am pretty optimistic because I think Blomkamp is a great visual story teller. With Alien I am sure they will not be giving him control of the script. If you liked Elysium check out Chappie. I don't hate either of those films but they feel so uneven I come away disappointed and the more I think about them the worse they get.

Guaporense

04-19-15, 03:04 AM

seanc

04-25-15, 01:17 PM

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/ex%20machina.jpg
3.5

Director: Alex Garland
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander

Ex-Machina is a film that wasn't even on my radar a couple of weeks ago. After its release I started to hear some buzz on podcasts and finally saw the trailer. I decided it was something that I had to see despite stories about AI not exactly appealing to me. It is not that where we are going with AI doesn't intrigue me, it is more that these the end game for these stories always seems to be asking the question what if AI caused the machines to become smarter then us and they took over the world. This is not something that keeps me up at night, in fact it is something that I find preposterous. Maybe I am too dumb to see it, in fact this is the most likely scenario. However from my perspective the machines are already smarter then us but of course they still lack the ability to reason. I don't see how this will be able to be overcome. Do I think we can teach the machines to reason? It seems possible to me but only to a point. The machines will still only be able to reason to the point that we allow them to. They will still only produce what we put in. Anyway enough about why these types of films don't usually appeal to my super finite mind, lets talk about what I like about Ex-Machina.

I don't think I will ever describe this movie as fun, or even as entertaining in the sense of it hitting pleasure points. What Ex-Machina is, is mesmerizing. It was made on a $8 milion budget but looks spectacular. Most of the movie takes place in billionaire CEO Nathan's home played by Oscar Isaac. Both the setting for the home and the home itself are brilliantly conceived. We are immediately immersed in this world with Caleb (Gleeson) and suddenly the outside world ceases to exist. Usually some of the stupid decisions made by a character as smart as Caleb would bother me but somehow here I was on board with Caleb almost till the end. When Caleb is invited to stay at Nathan's home for a week he is star struck and a more then willing participant in whatever Nathan has in mind for him. I can easily see myself being sucked into this situation. So when Nathan asks Caleb to be a part of a Turing Test for his new invention, he is a willing participant.

Enter Ava portrayed by Alicia Vikander. She is robot who has been given the gift of Nathan's newest version of AI. She is pretty but still very obviously an android. As Caleb interacts with her he naturally becomes more smitten then is healthy for a human interacting with a machine. It is obvious before you walk into the theater that the story will take this turn. I do wish Garland had fleshed out this aspect of the story a bit more. From the first session Caleb is taken with Ava in what seems an unhealthy way. I wish we could have seen a little more of how he gets from point A to point B. He does get there none the less, and where the story goes from there is both a spoiler and the point so I won't talk much about it. I will say I was mostly satisfied. I don't think the film is ever meant to have any huge moments or revelations. The journey mostly plays out in expected and subtle ways. I appreciate this about the film. It did however make me wish that there was more. It left me feeling like I missed something, like there is more to glean from the story then I was able to. Maybe that is the point and it will almost certainly have me giving this movie another viewing.

The performances in the film are really good all around. Isaac steals the show for me though. His character is what kept me intrigued throughout. Immediately he is an engaging character whose personality is easy to become enthralled with. There is something slightly off about him as there is with most geniuses. When they first meet Caleb makes a reference to the invention of AI being similar to being God. Nathan very quickly makes a reference to that and says more then once that Caleb called him God. This quickly and efficiently makes us understand his character and where the story is headed. I don't think audiences are going to care, and I certainly didn't. Garland and Isaac keep this character perfectly engaging. Like Caleb we have a feeling about Nathan but we still want to be him. We want to hang out with him. He is one of those rare people whose genius overcomes any faults that we may see. In case it is not obvious I really love how this character is written and portrayed. Ex-Machina is worth seeing for Isaac alone, even if none of the other aspects of the film appeal to you.

I highly recommend Ex-Machina. It is a film that I think those at MoFo are really going to respond to. It is more about the atmosphere and tone then it is the story. It has a really good tight script. It has three very good performances. It left me wanting more, so maybe my score seems a little low for how I am describing it. I will come back to it as it is a film I could see growing even better on re-watches. Once you know where the story is headed I can see myself gleaning more from the journey next time around.

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/seancriswell/exmachina.jpg

Daniel M

04-25-15, 01:20 PM

When I first heard about it the name and trailer actually put me off, but now the more I read and hear about it, the more interested I am. Very good review as always :up:

The Sci-Fi Slob

04-25-15, 01:23 PM

I've been looking forward to watching Ex Machina for ages. After reading your review, at trip to the cinema may be in order next week.

MovieGal

04-25-15, 01:26 PM

Im going to the cinema today to see this.... Thanks Seanc!

Captain Spaulding

04-28-15, 10:23 AM

I've seen a few ads for Ex Machina, but I never really pay any attention to them, so I still know very little about the movie. That's probably for the best. I've been surprised by how positive the reviews have been. It seems like every year at least one relatively small, idea-driven science-fiction film flies under the radar and ends up surprising a lot of people. Sounds like Ex Machina continues that streak. Oscar Isaac's involvement is also a selling point for me, since he's really starting to turn into an actor to watch.

It's good to see you dusting off your old reviewing skills, sean. I've told you before that you're one of my favorite reviewers on here. I just wish you wrote them more often.

seanc

05-01-15, 10:19 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1b/Avengers_Age_of_Ultron.jpg/220px-Avengers_Age_of_Ultron.jpg
4

Pretty fun stuff, not perfect, but pretty darn fun. I really liked Spader as Ultron. Whedon does a great job keeping these movies entertaining with humor if the action is too much for you. I hope that continues when he is gone because I certainly didn't find Winter Soldier as entertaining and that is who is directing the next one. Time will tell but in the mean time we have two really well done Avenger films to entertain us. I will probably see this one more time in the theater with my boys.

JayDee

05-02-15, 02:13 PM

seanc

05-03-15, 02:10 AM

Glad to see you enjoyed it so much Sean, although I have to admit to being a little surprised. I thought the MCU had sort of lost you, particularly when you weren't taken with The Winter Soldier which I thought was excellent

By the way I spotted your post last night just as I was logging off, did you not give it a rating_4_5 to start with or am I just imagining that?

You imagined it. I don't know why I didn't enjoy Winter Soldier. I really think Whedon does a great job with humor and that is probably part of it. I liked Guardians quite a bit too, so I imagine humor is playing a big role in these films for me lately. Plus I thought Ultron was ten times the baddie Winter Soldier was. The villain was under used there.

seanc

05-24-15, 07:38 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/23/Max_Mad_Fury_Road_Newest_Poster.jpg/220px-Max_Mad_Fury_Road_Newest_Poster.jpg
3

I get why people are diggin' this so much, but I certainly don't think it is the masterpiece people are saying. The action is constant, easy to follow, and fun. That is what people were expecting, and it delivered.

Daniel M

05-24-15, 08:06 PM

That's pretty much the way I expect to feel about the film, but I'm ready to be surprised either way.

seanc

05-24-15, 08:07 PM

That's pretty much the way I expect to feel about the film, but I'm ready to be surprised either way.

I am kind of glad it has gotten the hype it has. I probably wouldn't have seen it otherwise.

Swan

05-24-15, 08:10 PM

I'm with you Sean. I dug it quite a bit, though it was a blast, and gave it half a popcorn higher, but it's by no means flawless for me. Still a treat.

BlueLion

05-24-15, 08:15 PM

I expect to feel about this film the same way I did with Gravity. Judging by the people's reactions, it seems to be exactly that kind of movie.

seanc

06-13-15, 10:14 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6e/Jurassic_World_poster.jpg/220px-Jurassic_World_poster.jpg
2

I really had next to no interest in this when I started seeing the trailers. My sons felt different though, so away to the theater we went. The biggest problem is that nothing is fresh. Not only is everything a retread of the original but the movie is hijacking Spielberg in a bunch of other ways as well. From the maybe not as noticeable preteen trying to deal with his parents apparent inevitable divorce to the very noticeable Indiana Jones look of Pratt's character. Complete with him barely making it through a closing gate. There is also just more of everything. More dinosaurs, more people on the island to kill, more guns, more machismo, more action. The reason I gave it two stars is that for about half the movie I thought this might become something mildly entertaining, so I wasn't completely checked out. The second half of the movie was bordering on unwatchable though. Pretty big swing and miss for my tastes.

seanc

06-13-15, 10:16 AM

Sorry for the double post. Meant to keep all my 2015 viewings in this thread.

Miss Vicky

06-13-15, 12:17 PM

Damn you're hard to please.

I had a lot of fun with JW. Not nearly as much fun as I did with Fury Road, but I enjoyed it a lot and so did Funny Face. The crowd even applauded at the end.

seanc

06-13-15, 12:26 PM

Damn you're hard to please.

I had a lot of fun with JW. Not nearly as much fun as I did with Fury Road, but I enjoyed it a lot and so did Funny Face. The crowd even applauded at the end.

My crowd did too and my boys enjoyed it so the evening was a success. To me a sequel or reboot is effective if it has rewatchability. If I am in the mood for a dinosaur adventure is there any chance I would put this in over the original. Never 100/100 times I would put in Jurassic Park. If it doesn't work on its own term then it is not successful. One man who has seen Phantom Menace like five times opinion. :D

Miss Vicky

06-13-15, 12:29 PM

I have every intention of buying it and rewatching it many times. Actually I had a better time with it than I did with my recent rewatch of Jurassic Park - though much of that is probably attributable to the fact that I've seen JP so many times before.

Miss Vicky

06-13-15, 12:33 PM

Oh also, I disagree with your assertion that Pratt's character was intended to look like Indiana Jones. To me, he just looked a lot like this guy:

http://www.wildsoundmovies.com/images/jurassic_park_hunter.jpg

Also very similar to the way employees dress at real theme parks with animal attractions.

seanc

06-21-15, 10:00 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0a/Inside_Out_%282015_film%29_poster.jpg/220px-Inside_Out_%282015_film%29_poster.jpg
4.5

Great concept perfectly executed by Pixar. When Pixar is at its best their movies are funny and emotional experiences. Inside Out delivers every bit of that. From start to finish it is hitting all the right beats for me. I really found the writing to be exceptional. My favorite movie of the year so far.

Optimus

06-22-15, 05:17 AM

I'd have to disagree with you Jurassic World review just because..... Well your wrong :p.

rauldc14

06-22-15, 05:18 AM

Alright, well maybe I do after all need to see Inside Out

seanc

06-29-15, 08:43 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/54/Love_%26_Mercy_%28poster%29.jpg/220px-Love_%26_Mercy_%28poster%29.jpg
4

I have spent the last couple hours trying to fumble my way through a review for this film but I am having a really hard time putting my thoughts together in a coherent manner. I will just say this will probably end up being my surprise of the year. The story telling method here is fantastic. I am sure it helped that I really knew nothing about Wilson going in. In fact I am so ignorant of The Beach Boys that I didn't even realize they sang the song God Only Knows, which I absolutely love. Cusack and Dano both do an incredible job as Wilson. Maybe my favorite performance for both. Giamatti is his usual awesome self as the kind of villain of the film. Despite those three great performances, Banks was the one who surprised me the most. She gets to be the kind of audience surrogate. We are to feel the sympathy for Wilson that she does, and we do.

The other surprise for me was the direction. Pohlad is doing a lot with the visuals and sound. He clearly wants us inside the head of Wilson. With visual perspectives and the way he sets us on edge with sound. Again a home run in this department. The scenes where Wilson is creating his music are brilliant as well. We get to see both what a genius he was and also how he could drive them around him a little nuts.

There is really so much to say about this movie. I hope some of my fellow MoFos start seeing it because I think it could be one of the more well loved films of the year around here.

https://youtu.be/PISkFEzC5XE

Swan

06-29-15, 08:49 PM

I really want to see that movie after seeing the trailer. I swear in some shots Dano looks just like Wilson.

seanc

06-29-15, 08:50 PM

I really want to see that movie after seeing the trailer. I swear in some shots Dano looks just like Wilson.

Yeah, see it if you can. I thought of you after because of your love of music. Sorry I didn't get you a full review but I tried. See it and then we will talk about it.

MovieGal

06-29-15, 08:51 PM

I wanted to see that film too... as Im a Beach Boys fan... but Im not sure when I will get to see it... :|

seanc

06-29-15, 08:54 PM

I wanted to see that film too... as Im a Beach Boys fan... but Im not sure when I will get to see it... :|

I'm sure it will be a pretty quick turn around to DVD. If I got it here there may be something close to you that has it though.

MovieGal

06-29-15, 08:55 PM

I'm sure it will be a pretty quick turn around to DVD. If I got it here there may be something close to you that has it though.

There is a cinema showing it.. its an arthouse cinema... but I rarely go to it at all... not the kids thing.. ya see..

Swan

06-29-15, 09:02 PM

I'm going to be seeing this this week with pops.

seanc

06-29-15, 09:10 PM

I wanted to see that film too... as Im a Beach Boys fan... but Im not sure when I will get to see it... :|

It's mom's turn. I bet they would like it.

MovieGal

06-29-15, 09:21 PM

It's mom's turn. I bet they would like it.

Nope they wouldnt.. they told me already

seanc

06-29-15, 09:26 PM

Nope they wouldnt.. they told me already

I'll go with you MG

MovieGal

06-29-15, 09:28 PM

I'll go with you MG

lol trying to remember where you are at... Georgia?

I think thats where you are..

Raul is the one north of me...

seanc

06-29-15, 09:33 PM

lol trying to remember where you are at... Georgia?

I think thats where you are..

Raul is the one north of me...

GA is correct.

seanc

07-03-15, 11:21 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ac/Me_%26_Earl_%26_the_Dying_Girl_%28film%29_POSTER.jpg/220px-Me_%26_Earl_%26_the_Dying_Girl_%28film%29_POSTER.jpg
3

A good time at the theater. Nothing spectacular, just a solid, funny film. Probably would have seemed original fifteen years ago. Now it feels like a bit of a trend film, but that isn't such a bad thing when the formula is entertaining. Oh and Nick Offerman should play a father in every coming of age story for the foreseeable future...and it appears he is going to.

seanc

07-07-15, 10:33 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fa/While_We%27re_Young_%28film%29_POSTER.jpg/220px-While_We%27re_Young_%28film%29_POSTER.jpg
3

Really liked this a whole lot through the first hour. I love the premise and the execution was going great. Smart and funny script with four solid performances. Then it pretty much went into rom-com mode for the last half hour plus, which was disappointing and brought the movie down for me. Baumbach subverts your expectations a bit in the final couple of scenes but it was not enough to bring me to love.

seanc

07-13-15, 11:20 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/76/%27Jupiter_Ascending%27_Theatrical_Poster.jpg/220px-%27Jupiter_Ascending%27_Theatrical_Poster.jpg
1

Way too long on the self-serious and way too short on the fun. I like to give the Wachowskis a chance but this was just badly executed. I give it a star because the world building and visuals did take some imagination. Probably the worst movie of 2015.

Gatsby

07-14-15, 05:09 AM

Jupiter Ascending was extremely... just, just BAD. Someone needs to take back Eddie Redmayne's oscar for Best Actor , because he clearly isn't one.

jrs

07-14-15, 05:26 AM

Gatsby

07-14-15, 05:27 AM

So I presume this wouldn't be a superb scene? :p
There is one superb scene. And that's the final moment of the film, meaning it's gonna finally end.

seanc

07-18-15, 09:31 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/75/Ant-Man_poster.jpg/220px-Ant-Man_poster.jpg
3

One of the few movies you will ever hear me say that the action saved the day and my enjoyment. The action scenes and set pieces are really imaginative and well done. The story arc and characters however were about as vanilla as you can get. That is saying something in the comic book world where originality is not exactly the driving force. Paul Rudd is so watchable in everything for me. not the greatest actor by any means but just a natural in front of the camera. He is never offensive. Marvel fans will be more than fine with this one, others will hate it.

cricket

07-19-15, 07:37 PM

I like Paul Rudd too but the trailer for Ant-Man left me uninterested.

honeykid

07-19-15, 07:39 PM

I hate Paul Rudd. Even the great things he's in he ruins to an extent. :( Namely Friends and Clueless.

seanc

07-19-15, 07:52 PM

I hate Paul Rudd. Even the great things he's in he ruins to an extent. :( Namely Friends and Clueless.

Even when we agree we disagree. I love him in both of those. Clueless is the first thing I remember him in. How can you not like Mike? :p Shameful.

honeykid

07-19-15, 08:19 PM

How can you? He ruined Phoebe. :( She should've gone with David.

Clueless was the first time I saw him, too. Only part of the film I didn't like. Still the worse parts of the film, but I love it too much to let him truly spoil it. Or he's not in it enough. :D

seanc

07-19-15, 08:37 PM

How can you? He ruined Phoebe. :( She should've gone with David.

I liked David a lot too. I like that they kept that relationship tragic.

MovieMeditation

07-19-15, 08:52 PM

seanc

07-19-15, 09:03 PM

Damn, either I kind of forgot this was a review thread or maybe I just didn't know before now. That title really throws me off and makes me think of it as a list or something. :p

I'm sorry for not really checking in here, seanc, but there's is some nice, sharp and short reviews in here. I will try to look in more often! :up:

Thanks MM. I only get in the mood to write reviews every so often but that seems to be the norm around here. People start out writing a lot and kind of taper off. I hope you and Gatsby keep yours going I really enjoy them.

seanc

07-19-15, 11:02 PM

http://i.imgur.com/iueHFB9.jpg
Woody Allen (1977)

This is my fourth viewing of Annie Hall. I love it more each and every time I see it. It truly is Woody Allen's masterpiece. When you talk about Allen you have to start with the dialogue. Few people write as well as Allen. He is funny, of course, but he adds to that an intelligence that just takes his scripts to the next level. The humor is so biting and on point. His references are quick and vast. There is a scene where Annie sees Alvy's stand-up and she tells him, “you know I really think I am starting to get your references”. I don't know if I would go far as to say that, but I do think the more Allen I watch the more I catch and the more I re-watch his films the more I can take in. This movie is not long anyway but this last viewing just felt like it flew by. His story telling is very tight.

Annie Hall is a very simple story. Like most Allen films it is simply about relationships and the complexities within them. This movie is extremely unique however, and I think that is what sets it apart from his other films. He uses every technique that I can think of as it pertains to telling stories on film. He breaks the fourth wall, he uses narration, and there is an animation sequence. There is not a strict time line in Annie Hall. There is a scene where the characters in the present are in the same room as people from Alvy's past. There is a scene where Alvy stops and talk to random people walking within the scene about things that he is narrating to us. I honestly can't think of another movie that uses this many devices to tell its story. Every bit of it works for me without fail. It all makes me laugh and makes me engage with the characters. My guess is that all of these devices were used in films previous to Annie Hall but I would love to hear of another example of a film that uses them all and this effectively. Please let me know if I am incorrect because I will see that film immediately.

There are so many great scenes in Annie Hall. I am currently planning on watching my top ten movies in reverse order. I want to write a bit about all of them and within that I really wanted to choose my favorite scene from each film. I was not easily able to land on one scene here. I will choose but it seems like every scene that came along I thought this could be the one. The scene where we see Alvy talking to Max about antisemitism for the first time is funny and technically very cool to watch. The camera is with them the whole time as they walk down the sidewalk. It never zooms or retreats however until they have walked the whole length right up to where we are. Allen is not normally known for his camera work but this scene is a standout, but not my favorite. We also have the scene where Max sets Alvy up on a date with a journalist from the Rolling Stones. Shelly Duvall is a lot of fun here as the date. Allen steals the show though. His reactions to what she is saying are priceless. Then after having sex Duvall apologizes for taking so long. A conversation about orgasms begins but the whole time Alvy is rubbing his jaw. It is an absolutely priceless scene, but not my favorite. My favorite scene is the lobster scene. Alvy and Annie are away at a beach house and are cooking lobsters. The lobsters have made their way to the floor and are crawling around. It is a very cute and playful scene but what I really like is the call back later when Alvy is trying to recreate that moment with a new women. Of course it is not the same. Alvy wonders what is wrong with his date, she wonders what is wrong with him, and we wonder why our two main characters are not together.

I love watching Annie Hall. I think it is the perfect storm of all the things that Allen does so well. It is funny, charming, neurotic, and poignant. Its characters are well written, self-involved, and tragically flawed. It sums up Allen's style and films very well. Full of humanity and tragedy just like Allen himself. Perfect film and firmly in my top ten after this viewing.

5

mark f

07-19-15, 11:51 PM

Jew eat? :laugh:

seanc

07-24-15, 11:14 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/89/Southpaw_poster.jpg/220px-Southpaw_poster.jpg
3.5

I get why critics are hating on this movie, it is very formulaic and for being kind of a raw movie it is very glossy. Boxing movies almost always work for me though. While I didn't love this one like I do some others I really enjoyed watching it. I really like the character development. I felt a lot of sympathy for Gyllenhaal's character despite Fuqua doing a good job of showing his fatal flaws. Gyllenhaal is great and the boxing scenes are really well done. The scenes between Whitaker and Gyllenhaal are probably the best in the movie. McAdams is very good in her limited time as well. I really wish they had not given away her story in the trailer.

Swan

07-24-15, 11:24 PM

I spy an actor looking to get an Oscar. Good for him. He deserves one.

seanc

07-24-15, 11:28 PM

I spy an actor looking to get an Oscar. Good for him. He deserves one.

He was great but unless the fall sucks he won't even be nominated. This isn't an Oscar flick. He should have gotten it for Nightcrawler. Maybe this will be DiCaprio's year. The Revenant looks like it might be great.

Swan

07-24-15, 11:28 PM

I didn't mean he will get nominated for it, just that it seems like with his last few performances he's looking to get an Oscar.

seanc

07-24-15, 11:30 PM

I didn't mean he will get nominated for it, just that it seems like with his last few performances he's looking to get an Oscar.

Yeah. I like that he is picking lots of interesting roles. He may be becoming a favorite of mine. SC rubbed off on me. :D

Swan

07-24-15, 11:30 PM

The Revenant looks like it might be great.

You know, I actually agree, despite not being a big fan of Leo or Inarritu. The Revenant looks great.

seanc

07-24-15, 11:31 PM

You know, I actually agree, despite not being a big fan of Leo or Inarritu. The Revenant looks great.

You didn't like Birdman?

Swan

07-24-15, 11:32 PM

You didn't like Birdman?

It was pretty good, I think I gave it a 3, but I'm not crazy about it and wasn't really a fan of Amores Perros.

seanc

07-24-15, 11:34 PM

It was pretty good, I think I gave it a 3, but I'm not crazy about it and wasn't really a fan of Amores Perros.

I haven't seen that or 21 Grams actually. I loved Birdman and thought Biutiful was really solid too. Babel I didn't like.

Swan

07-24-15, 11:35 PM

I don't dislike him or anything, just haven't been overly impressed yet. The Revenant looks freaking fantastic though.

cricket

07-25-15, 12:42 PM

This is the first time I've heard of Southpaw; I want to see it!

nebbit

07-26-15, 12:13 AM

It has Jake in it :randy: must watch :yup:

That Moment In

07-26-15, 09:45 AM

Re: Silver Linings Playbook
You are so right. There was a lot to like about this film, and some issues as well, as it couldn't seem to find its footing. The ending got a little contrived but I really liked De Niro. Nice review.

seanc

07-26-15, 10:02 PM

Not exactly a tailor made double feature, but this is two movies that have been on my radar for this year and were available at the redbox.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/70/What_We_Do_in_the_Shadows_poster.jpg/220px-What_We_Do_in_the_Shadows_poster.jpg
3

Funny for most of its run time but did have a couple of lulls. I love the very dry humor, makes it feel like it isn't a spoof film because it is not "jokey". It is very much a spoof movie though. Playing with the recent fads of mockumentaries, vampire flicks, and found footage a bit. Perfect if you like Flight Of The Concords style humor.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bf/Clouds_of_Sils_Maria_film_poster.png/220px-Clouds_of_Sils_Maria_film_poster.png
2

Had very high hopes for this one but it is a pretty empty film. Even the cinematography which I expected to be great, only is in very small increments and doesn't really immerse you at all. It is interested in the themes of aging, celebrity, and sexuality but doesn't really ever give you any meat concerning these themes. Binoche is always easy to watch and that is abut the only plus in the movies favor for me. I had heard good things about Stewart here, but she just seemed like Bella with a job to me.

seanc

08-01-15, 12:52 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fb/Mission_Impossible_Rogue_Nation_poster.jpg/220px-Mission_Impossible_Rogue_Nation_poster.jpg
3

Almost didn't go to see this because I have not enjoyed the last three despite loving the first one. I am glad I did though. Not a perfect movie by any stretch but much closer to the first which was great for me. The story is still pretty irrelevant but the characters and set pieces make it well worth a trip to the theater.

cricket

08-01-15, 12:56 AM

I've only seen the first Mission Impossible, and I wasn't crazy about that one.

seanc

08-08-15, 11:10 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c5/Trainwreck_poster.jpg/220px-Trainwreck_poster.jpg
2

I keep going to see most of these Apatow produced or directed films. I'm not sure why I always come away underwhelmed. People love them though so when the chatter starts I end up going. This one was more of the same. It has a few giggles and the performances are always fine because it is just people being themselves. Not offensively bad but nothing to make me recommend it either.

MovieMeditation

08-08-15, 11:21 AM

What We Do in the Shadows is a film I've been meaning to watch for quite some time. I still want to see it and it seems like I will probably like it about the same as you. I'm disappointed to hear what you say about Clouds of Sils Maria, I, too, expected it to be great and all. Anyways, I will probably still watch it...

I gave the same rating to M:I - Rogue Nation, but I was probably a bit more underwhelmed than you, especially since I actually enjoyed these movies as they went on. First was a great little spy film, second one was a little overbloated and confused, third is perhaps my favorite even though it's mostly full-on action, though the emotional aspects is great, and the fourth one was a lot of fun with some of the best set pieces for the series... I will have to rewatch M:I-5 to make sure, but a lot of what I saw I didn't really like.

I feel mostly the same about Apatow and Feig comedies. They don't really do it for me I'm afraid.

Good reviews! Nice to hear your thoughts on movies I wanted to see and some I haven't seen yet. :up:

seanc

08-08-15, 11:29 AM

seanc

08-12-15, 09:42 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/97/The_Gift_2015_Film_Poster1.png/220px-The_Gift_2015_Film_Poster1.png
2.5

The rare movie where the last third is much better than the first two-thirds. It wasn't enough to elevate me to loving it but it was solid enough. Edgerton does a pretty good job with the misdirection. Obvious plot points keep you distracted enough that I think even seasoned movie watchers will get enough surprises to satisfy.

cricket

08-12-15, 11:01 PM

I like movies like that and I like the 3 leads, so I want to see it. I'm not expecting anything great, just to be entertained.

seanc

08-12-15, 11:04 PM

I like movies like that and I like the 3 leads, so I want to see it. I'm not expecting anything great, just to be entertained.

It will do that. I had heard a lot of great things so people are enjoying it more than me. It is a thriller for sure but certainly playing with some horror tropes as well. So some of you horror lovers may like it a bit more than me.

cricket

08-12-15, 11:07 PM

The trailer makes me think I've seen some version of it a hundred times before, but I don't necessarily mind with a movie like that.

seanc

08-17-15, 10:45 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f8/Ricki_and_the_Flash_poster.jpg/220px-Ricki_and_the_Flash_poster.jpg
2.5

More enjoyable then I thought it would be. Still not great but Meryl Streep can carry a movie like few others. The music was fun and it had a few laughs. You can do much worse for a night at the movies.

seanc

08-29-15, 12:43 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/73/Aloha_poster.jpg/220px-Aloha_poster.jpg
2

A good soundtrack and five stars do not a great film make. This movie might not be as bad as some people are saying but it isn't very good either. The major problems for me are when Crowe tries to make the story about the plot hole ridden satellite weapon story line. That angle should have been left on the cutting room floor. If he would have spent more time developing the characters there could have been more of the connection that he manages in a couple of scenes. Overall, a wasted opportunity. Murray is especially wasted, he doesn't even get one good scene. Oh if you think the "You had me at hello" scene in Jerry Maguire is cringe worthy just wait until you see the silent scene between Krasinski and Cooper towards the end of the film. :rolleyes:

rauldc14

08-29-15, 12:51 PM

I have a feeling I make like it in a guilty pleasure way, maybe in the same way Morning Glory, Family Stone, and Married Life are. Of course there is a common denominator.

seanc

08-29-15, 12:58 PM

I have a feeling I make like it in a guilty pleasure way, maybe in the same way Morning Glory, Family Stone, and Married Life are. Of course there is a common denominator.

I think you will be disappointed with her amount of screen time. There are things to like though, so you may get more out of it.

honeykid

08-31-15, 09:20 AM

raul will like a rubbish film? Strangely I have no trouble accepting that concept. :p:D

seanc

09-06-15, 07:06 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/66/Slow_west_poster.jpg/220px-Slow_west_poster.jpg
3

Very watchable Western with good acting and a good score. Ultimately I think it will be pretty forgettable but I am glad I watched it.

seanc

09-07-15, 07:28 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/88/Black_or_White_poster.jpg/220px-Black_or_White_poster.jpg
2

I know this isn't the type of film that usually shows up in MoFo viewing habits. I have always been a pretty big Costner fan, have a soft spot for racial dramas, and it showed up on Netflix so i gave it a look. Definitely the type of thing you would expect to show up on TV somewhere. Lots of melodrama and the conflict feels very watered down. I won't be recommending this to anyone but it was watchable.

Captain Spaulding

09-08-15, 10:10 AM

I watched Slow West pretty recently. After all the acclaim it's received, I was pretty disappointed. To me it felt like a western made by people who don't like westerns. The cinematography was fantastic and the last fifteen minutes or so were very strong, but I rate it half a popcorn lower. "Artistically confused" is the term that popped into my head after watching it.

I watched Black or White with family awhile back. My rating and thoughts mirror your own. It's hard to imagine anyone under the age of sixty thoroughly enjoying that movie.

seanc

09-20-15, 09:06 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c0/Black_Mass_%28film%29_poster.jpg/220px-Black_Mass_%28film%29_poster.jpg
3.5

Very good crime drama. Feels very much like a real life Lehane adaptation which is great news for me. Good atmosphere, script, and performances. Depp's eyes were like death. Very well done. I am tempted to go half a star higher but will wait for a re-watch before doing so.

The Gunslinger45

09-20-15, 09:15 PM

Close enough to what I gave Black Mass. Great flick and I am glad you liked it.

seanc

09-25-15, 09:03 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/28/Everest_poster.jpg/220px-Everest_poster.jpg
3

I thought this movie could go either way but have been intrigued to see it since the pretty good cast was announced. I really enjoyed my time at the the theater with this. It probably won't be a movie I will remember 10 years from now, but everything doesn't have to be. The story is naturally compelling and all the acting is good. They don't try to do too much with the characters, keeping it very simple. The movie looks good as well. A couple of the visuals are sure not to hold up but they are pretty minimal.

seanc

09-30-15, 11:19 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/57/The_Walk_%282015_film%29_poster.jpg/220px-The_Walk_%282015_film%29_poster.jpg
3.5

This one was very high on my most anticipated list since seeing the trailer a few months back. I thought the visuals had a chance to be something special and for the most part I came away feeling they were. I know a lot of people didn't feel this movie necessary because the documentary was so great. While I do think the documentary was superior, I am happy to have both exist. Zemeckis stayed very true to the real life character. The movie has energy and is a lot of fun. I wish the script would have been more polished but the focus here was for an eye popping experience and it delivered. In fact I am probably giving this movie a half star IMAX 3D bump, but I am happy that even exists for me. As some one who usually hates 3D I am happy that at times it is being used effectively and adding to the movie going experience. If you have any interest in this movie at all, that is how I would recommend seeing it.

honeykid

10-01-15, 12:55 PM

seanc

10-01-15, 01:11 PM

I'm assuming you know that Everest was a true story? I know it sounds a stupid question, but I've heard people wondering why there's a Titanic museum. While it was the biggest movie of all time, it was only a film. :eek:

I don't really know anything about it, but I'd assume there wasn't much they could do with the characters while keeping it close to the story/real people. Had it happened 100 years ago it wouldn't really be much of a problem, but the friends and family of these people (and the survivors of course) are still alive.

Yeah, I knew. The simple characters weren't an issue really. I have seen three movies the past two weeks. All true stories, all competent, but all just leaving me wanting a bit more. I would say all three start from a place of here is a great story. Now let's tell it in an intriguing way. Now let's write a script. I think I respond to dialogue very strongly so when I see movies like this I come away wishing for better.

honeykid

10-01-15, 03:43 PM

Have you seen Touching The Void? I think it's a fantastic documentary and something which manages to blend reconstruction and talking heads with the participants very well, giving the best of the worlds of documentary and based on a true story fiction.

seanc

10-01-15, 04:42 PM

seanc

10-10-15, 09:16 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4b/Sicario_poster.jpg/220px-Sicario_poster.jpg
3.5

I was expecting to love this one more but it was very good. Excellent performances, script, cinematography, and action. Like a lot of movies the final act lost me a little. Brolin's character motivations in particular left a bit to be desired for me at the end of this one. The film is dour but still manages to be very engaging. I really like Benicion del Toro but I almost always leave one of his movies wishing there was more from his character. Sicario was no exception. Well above average film that I wish had been great.

seanc

10-10-15, 09:21 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cd/The_Martian_film_poster.jpg/220px-The_Martian_film_poster.jpg
4.5

Absolutely loved this movie. I don't know what it is about me and space survival movies but they seem to hit all my pleasure points. Especially if they are somewhat grounded in the realities of this dimension, which The Martian is. This film looks fantastic, is funny, and has emotional beats at just the right times. I really can't find anything to complain about. Might be my favorite of the year at the moment although it does have some competition from a couple of movies.

MovieMeditation

10-10-15, 09:46 PM

Damn, I really should've went to the press screening of The Martian. Seems to get a lot of praise and I'm glad to hear you also liked it, sean. Hopefully I'll see it soon!

Sicario is highly anticipated for me and I will most certainly catch the press screening for that, though I really hope to love it. I hate those movies where you liked it but just wish it had been truly great. I don't know, I'm looking forward to be finding out...

Good small and direct write-ups too, I like them! :up:

Beatle

10-11-15, 11:48 PM

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQp2p52tGysS8APsN8QcQkcCGdpgXsmnpWk2b93j9hwrVV2jfDh
rating_2

Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen

Larry Gopnik is having a good old fashioned mid-life crisis. He is a physics professor, and it is safe to say his job is not all he wants it to be. His students seem disinterested and the one that is engaged is trying to bribe him for grades. His teenage children are self involved, imagine that, so he is getting little fulfillment on that front. His wife wants a get, a divorce to us non-jews, and to top that off he had no idea anything was wrong plus she wants to marry his friend. All this seems like drama ripe for entertainment in the hands of the Coens. In my opinion there is little entertainment to be had.

Where I think A Serious Man goes wrong is in it's character development. Besides our protagonist every other character in this film is severely under developed. In fact next to Larry I would say the next most developed character is Clive Park. He is the before mentioned student that tries to bribe Larry for a grade. The two scenes that Larry and Clive have together are the best in the film. This is unfortunate because they are very short, and Clive's situation amounts to little more than a plot device to be used later on in the story arc. Larry's whole family is ripe for drama and terribly underused, but the most egregious example of this his brother Arthur, played by Richard Kind. I was excited to see Kind in this film, however like most of the characters he is in little of the film and we don't get to know him. He has one crucial moment towards the end of the film, but of course nothing much comes of it and we are left wondering what he had to do with anything at all.

What A Serious Man does right, is let us get to know the character of Larry. He is a very quiet unassuming man, yet those around him treat him as if he is the source of all their discomfort and misery. Larry never loses his cool in any of his personal interactions but simply always looks bewildered at whatever situation he is being confronted with. We are waiting for him to explode with emotion, but he never does. There are a couple of times when yet another character has told him to calm down that I wanted to explode for him. Larry is a really good character, unfortunately there is just not enough going on with the characters around him to truly engage us the way we need to be.

I love the Coens, I love almost every film they have done. One of the things that I like best about their films is the characters they create. Even their most seldom used characters always feel like part of the world they are creating. They have nuance, they give us reason to laugh with them, cheer them on, or root against them. That is why this effort is so disappointing to me. A Serious Man is practically unrecognizable as a Coen brother film.

Thanks for this review, Seanc. :) I only saw the first half of it. I love Coens too. In fact, I love all I saw from them. I agree about their characters. I loved the opening scene:

https://vimeo.com/62620013

Also, I would like to appologize to you about that Shawshank thing, if you remember. :) Sorry if I hurt your feelings or made you feel uncomfortable. :) It really is a fantastic film. :)

seanc

10-12-15, 12:07 AM

Thanks for this review, Seanc. :) I only saw the first half of it. I love Coens too. In fact, I love all I saw from them. I agree about their characters. I loved the opening scene:

https://vimeo.com/62620013

Also, I would like to appologize to you about that Shawshank thing, if you remember. :) Sorry if I hurt your feelings or made you feel uncomfortable. :) It really is a fantastic film. :)

I'm sorry that I don't even remember what your referring to but you will never upset me by disagreeing with my opinion on a movie. Thanks for checking in.

seanc

10-27-15, 08:58 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/aa/SteveJobsposter.jpg/220px-SteveJobsposter.jpg
4

Mostly what I expected, which is a good thing. The dialogue is great but it is Sorkin. So if you don't like the quick self aware way he writes his characters then stay away. I wasn't aware of the way the narrative was going to be told but I really enjoyed it. It definitely stretches your suspension of disbelief but I don't think it is that hard to do. Just enjoy unique glimpse into Jobs head that Boyle and Sorkin are giving us. All the performances are very good but Fassbender stands tallest, which is no surprise. I also think this is my favorite score of the year thus far. Very good film that I will be excited to go back to when it hits blu-ray.

seanc

11-03-15, 09:44 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cf/Beasts_of_No_Nation_poster.jpg/220px-Beasts_of_No_Nation_poster.jpg
3.5

Very solid film. The story is very compelling and packs an emotional punch. Elba owns every scene he is in, he is a really great actor. The cinematography is also top notch. Glad Netflix picked this up. Probably won't hold on but as of right now it would make my top ten of the year.

seanc

11-03-15, 09:52 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fa/Bridge_of_Spies_poster.jpg/220px-Bridge_of_Spies_poster.jpg
3

If there is such thing as a workman like movie this is it. Three things stood out in this film: The opening fifteen minutes, the climatic scene on the bridge, and the cinematography might be the best in a movie all year. Past that every thing was very run of the mill. The script is especially disappointing considering the Coen brothers were on board. Hanks is fine but even his character doesn't feel like anything special. I think this movie is really missing the trademark Speilberg characters. Pretty disappointed in this one despite the movie not being terrible.

seanc

11-07-15, 06:47 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Spectre_poster.jpg/220px-Spectre_poster.jpg
3.5

I have never been in love with Bond but I always seem to get some enjoyment out of them. This has everything you want: big set pieces complete with very good chase scenes. lots of gadgets, and of course the girls. All of that is good here but there are also a couple of problems. One is they are going to the Bond has a family and a heart well too often now. My problem is they just don't do it well, this franchise just isn't made for this type of character development because they don't spend enough time on it. I know I might be the only one who didn't go for all that stuff in Skyfall but I will admit it is even clunkier here.

Another issue is they under use their villains. Again, I may have been the only one who thought Bardem was under used in Skyfall, but in my opinion they do it here again with Waltz. Lastly, there is always one action scene too many in these films. They would have done well to tighten this up to an 1:45.

All that being said this movie is still mostly a lot of fun. The day of the dead parade sequence is fantastic. There are some call backs to the previous Craig installments that are cool to see as well. The cinematography is mostly great, although they seemed to put a fog over the night scenes that was off putting and dampened those scenes a bit. If you like Bond then, of course, make a trip to the cinema. If you don't then there is nothing here for you.

Tugg

11-07-15, 07:07 PM

seanc

11-07-15, 07:11 PM

Of all Bond movies, the one thing that left biggest impression for me was death of Vesper Lynd in "Casino Royale" (2006). That puts it above other Bond movies. Although later Craig Bonds didn't handle the emotional aspect too well I think. At least for me.

The more usual problem with Bond movies is lack of depth rather than excessive exploration of characters. That makes them not so memorable, even if I see some of them multiple times.

Yeah, I agree with all that. I enjoy them as a good time at the movies but ultimately they are almost all forgettable. Do keep in mind I have only been watching since Bronsan so I don't know the older ones at all despite seeing a couple of them. Goldeneye and Casino Royale are by far my favorites.

rauldc14

11-07-15, 07:18 PM

I'm so far behind. I would like to see both The Martian and Spectre, I'm starting to feel like the new HK of this forum.

seanc

11-07-15, 07:22 PM

I'm so far behind. I would like to see both The Martian and Spectre, I'm starting to feel like the new HK of this forum.

Go see The Martian, you won't be disappointed.

Tugg

11-07-15, 07:29 PM

Right now I would say:
1. Casino Royale (2006)
2. Goldfinger (1964)
3. Goldeneye (1995)
4. From Russia With Love (1963)
5. Tomorrow Never Dies (1999)

rauldc14

11-07-15, 07:35 PM

Close Tugg, close.

seanc

11-13-15, 10:29 PM

http://i.imgur.com/RjA1qnU.jpg
A New Hope 5

What can anyone write about Star Wars that hasn't already been said? I don't know, but I am willing to try because I couldn't be more excited about The Force Awakens coming out in a little over a month. As part of that I really want to write a bit about my relationship with the original trilogy and what makes it special in my mind. I started by sitting down and watching A New Hope for what feels like the 100th time this afternoon. My mind automatically goes to wondering what did Lucas do so right in this film that he got so wrong in the prequels. The first thing that is fantastic is the world building. The shear amount of imagination that goes into the ships, weapons, characters, and planets in this world boggles the mind. Nearly forty years later all these things have just become a part of the tapestry of our lives. As I was watching today I tried to pay special attention to the aesthetics of the film and that alone is enough to make A New Hope a cinema changing film. When I was a kid the scenes that always stuck out to me were the ones with the most imaginative characters. I loved Mos Eisley cantina, and I still do. The Walrus, Greedo, and the elephant looking guy that gives up Luke and Obi-Wan. These were the things that stuck in my mind. They were very small parts of the film but they were the action figures I wanted the most and the characters me and my friends talked about. After seeing this movie so many times it is still the scene that makes me sit up a little but straighter in my seat and pay closer attention. Lucas put such care into the details of this world and that is a big reason it resonates so strongly with so many.

I also think that Lucas has a great eye for creating memorable set pieces. One of my favorite scenes in A New Hope, and probably the whole trilogy, is the scene in the trash compactor. This comes when Luke and Han have just rescued Leia. They are heavily outnumbered so they make a quick escape into a trash chute. I don't think this scene lasts more than ten minutes and it is definitely not integral to the plot, but it is just so damn cool. When Han shoots off his blaster and Luke chastises him. The creature they have to kill. There are just so many small things in these set pieces that make each one memorable and stick out for different reasons.

I really like how tight of a story A New Hope is. The film just flies by. We really just spend time in three main spots in the first film and I think that is a fantastic way to introduce this world. We aren't given too much of anything. Just enough to become immersed and be intrigued by the characters. I really believe Lucas is someone who works better when he has restrictions. I don't know how much time constraint he had making A New Hope but we do know he was under budget constraints. The movie is the better for it. When he is allowed to tinker he definitely over thinks things.A New Hope works because everything is propelled forward quickly. Proof of this is that Lucas added absolutely nothing to the narrative of Star Wars with his new cuts. I don't despise everything like some, besides that Jabba scene, but I don't find anything extra in his new cuts either. You can't mention Star Wars without mentioning the score. Getting John Williams to do what he did with these films is amazing. There is probably not a more iconic score in film. I get goose bumps every time I start up one of these movies.

A New Hope is not a perfect movie. When watching it I can see why people could be turned off by it. I find the shootouts to be pretty poor action sequences overall. The script really isn't very good. Hamill and Fisher came into their own as their characters moved forward and they became more comfortable with them. However, in A New Hope they really are not very good. The very simple story and straight forward storytelling that I consider a strength could also be considered a weakness if you are not on board with this world. I just happen to have loved it from day one so all these things don't bother me in the least. I wish everyone could get the joy out of A New Hope that I do, but I certainly understand why some don't.

My five favorite things about A New Hope:

5) The Falcon swooping in and helping Luke blast that wamp rat. I don't remember if I saw it coming when I saw the film at such a young age but it doesn't matter because it still gives me chills and puts a smile on my face every time.

4) Luke and Han in StormTrooper suits. They are in them for a while and a lot of fun stuff happens while they are. I like it because it is an iconic image and starts the Luke-Han friendship off with a bang. Lots of butting heads but ultimately coming together for a common goal.

3) Mos Eisley Cantina. I love this sequence. It has so many great creatures, really cool music, and of course our introduction to the man who always shoots first.

2) Trash Compactor. I mentioned this above and I simply love the sequence. I think it has the best interactions between the three in the film.

1) Obi-Wan going down like a bad ass. This has always been one of my favorite Star Wars moments. Obi-Wan doesn't get killed. He goes down like a god. The greatest end Lucas could have given to one of my favorite characters.

http://i.imgur.com/AoL0kIS.jpg