Well, starting today, I decided to change my rating giving methods a bit. I won't rate 5/5 movies on the first watch and I'll start using + and -. I just want to be a bit more rigorous! But the "old" me would have rated this higher! :p

No, but I have The General on my watchlist! Is there any other you recommend? :)

The General is great! I also highly recommend Sherlock Jr., my favorite of his. He's my favorite actor. I think he's a comedic genius.

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:) Thanks, I'll check it out as soon as I can! :)

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I personally quite liked The Cameraman too! But make sure you watch more Chaplin! :)


City Lights, The Dictator, The Kid, The Circus and Limelight :)

Are you not human? :eek:

@Neiba:
Chaplin's filmography is a treasure. I love all of his films with a deep passion and they're all extremely rewatchable. My personal favorite film of his is City Lights, but Modern Times sure comes close. Be sure, besides his silent classics, to also check out his generally lesser known talkies, Monsieur Verdoux and Limelight! They're also brilliant.

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When it comes to Chaplin I prefer The Great Dictator. City Lights a close second.

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When it comes to Chaplin, I prefer it starring Robert Downey Jr.

When it comes to The General, I don't think its Keaton's funniest film, but it is his best. Seven Chances is hilarious man, I couldn't breath laughing so hard. Steamboat Bill, Jr. is also hilarious, and has that famous scene with the house falling over Keaton, which quite literally could have killed him if it was like a few inches off. Some of the stunts Keaton does are completely insane man, but hilarious as well. You should check out Keaton, I might like him more than Chaplin. But both are so brilliant and symbolises to me the spirit of cinema.

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Even though I think Sherlock Jr. is his best, I think Steamboat Bill, Jr. is probably his funniest.

Go West is another good one.

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Yeah I think Sherlock Jr. is just great as well, the scene where he enters a film is brilliant. The General isn't even that funny, its more a drama in my opinion, I don't understand why people list it on funniest films of all time.

It stands as one of the greatest special effects sequences of all-time, in my opinion. I love watching old movies and being stumped by how they did the effects, it's something that is lost nowadays with all of the CGI. Of course, I figured it out fairly quickly, but still impressive.

Yeah dude I don't even know how he did that when I watched it, no one else thought as filmic as Keaton did. Also you know that scene in Sherlock, Jr. when he is on top of a train or something and water splashes down and knocks him off? Apparently he broke his neck on that stunt, and didn't even notice it untill like years later. So when he did his other films like Seven Chances, he was basically running around with a broken neck, which makes the stunts and the things he did even more insane. That guy was a genius.

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Damn, didn't know that. Crazy. You have to be crazy tough to do the kinds of stunts he did anyway. He was definitely a genius.

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So many new things to see! :p thanks guys, I really have to start watching silent movies!

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Get on it mate, it really isn't as hard to watch as people sometimes think. Especially the comedians like Keaton, Chaplin and Lloyd.

It may be the best romantic comedy ever made!
It has not so much physical humour as Modern Times nor so much social critic but it is an unique love story that is truly touching and deep! The ending is purely magic and the boxing scene is so so funny and well maid!
I can't say which I prefer, if Modern Times or this one because they are so different and unique at their own way!

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If you like watching movies in parts, you should check out You Tube...a lot of movies on there are divided into parts, usually ten minute segments.

January 6, 2015:

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It does Burton better than Burton because this is everything that Burton wants to be.

This film is the exact description of a Film Noir. It has every single element that describe the genre, stylistically and structurally.
The plot gets a little messy at some point but overall it's a very good noir, with great perfomances from the two leading men, Mitchum and a young Kirk Douglas, and a lot of good lines! Jane Greer is also nice as the incredibly seductive and ambiguous femme fatale though she lacks a bit of strength in some scenes.

January 7, 2015:

44 minutes? I haven't seen any Keaton yet; I'll try to watch it this weekend.

One of the best Noirs I ever seen!
Beautifully shot, with an amazing lightning, great perfomances, a refreshing and exciting story with a lot of clever quotes and it ends in a very beautiful way! The fact that is spoke in german makes it a lot more realistic but the best part is the incredibly complexity of each character! No one is 100% or evil and each one has its reasons to do what they do!
The sountrack left me with mixed feelings, it could have a more dramatic tone sometimes, though I understand Carol Reed's idea!

"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

Genius!

January 8, 2015:

Best ****ing film of the year! I can't describe how intense this is! I had 0 expectations, didn't even know what the story was about and I never saw it coming!
Great story, great directing, great acting, great music, insane pacing!
And that final scene...

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Neiba, you're watching a lot of great movies. I don't know anything about Whiplash, but everyone seems to be proclaiming it as the one of the best films of last year.

I can't stand that guy. One of the most unfunny people on the planet.

It's a breathtaking film -- funny, entertaining, and featuring some of the most amazing stunt work I've ever seen. I think it's a perfect introduction to Keaton.

That's the good side of becoming a cinephile just recently, there's so many great movies yet to see! :p

Whiplash is incredible! You should watch it without watching the trailer or anything else, it will have even more impact! :)

Thanks Swan for recommending me this!
It's a really fun silent film with so many epic scenes! :) I was having mixed feelings about it during the first half but once he enters the theater screen it's just beautiful!
I wouldn't compare Keaton to Charlie because they are really different and I found magic and amusement in both! And I'll definitely continue exploring both!

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Glad you liked it neiba. :up:

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I cannot wait to see Whiplash. I hope I somehow get the chance before The Oscars. This movie was not on my radar two months ago, but everyone seems to love it.

I like Aziz, Swan, I may have to give that one a shot.

Agree with you on The Third Man, Neiba!

January 9, 2015:

Stop masturbating to Blue is the Warmest Color all day and maybe you'll have more energy.

January 10, 2015:

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Nosferatu has been in my watchlist for far too long! I really need to watch it!

http://akop.phillerworks.com/wp-cont...t2-860x280.jpg
Another movie I want to see among the Oscars nominations!
This one is, together with Moonrise Kingdom, my favourite by Wes Anderson!
Anderson's unique style gives magic to any story, no matter how uninteresting it may be! But everytime the story is already great, the result is a beautiful masterpiece as this one!
It has not imensely dramatic or comic moments, but it touches every single scene in a soft and gentle way - Anderson's trademark.
The acting is superb by everyone involved, and so is the soundtrack and, of course, the cinematography!

In my opinion, it's a very good movie, though it's not anywhere near of deserving all the nominations it has received so far!
Benedict Cumberbatch's perfomance is the best thing on the film and I can accept the script being nominated for Best Adapted Script, because the story is probably unknown to most people, so it's good that someone pays homage to Alan Turing's genius! As Cumberbatch said: "Turing should be on bank notes!".
The constant flashbacks and forwads were a good idea but it was exagerated and I got lost at certain point!
I doubt Keira Knightley was the best choice for that part and the other mathematicians on his team are almost completely forgotten! Again, like what happened with Hawking in The Theory of Everything, every aspect of his private life seem to be more important that the work he developed!
A typical Hollywood blockbuster, that had more potential than actual quality, but a good film nonetheless.

January 11, 2015:

It wants something more than it really is! It wants to be a slowly paced spy thriller with a profound message and social critic!
If every actor on scene were as genius as Seymour Hoffman was and if the directon was better (the script is alright, I guess), it would probably get there! Instead, it's a boring spy thriller where every piece of story seems unnatural and artificial!
The fact that it happens in Germany and you don't hear a single german word doesn't help, but the problem is deeper than that! There's no conection with any of the actors (except of course Hoffman's powerful performance) and the story doesn't resonates as well as it should.

What the hell happened in Hollywood last year? I can't remember a year with so many amazing movies like 2014!
This is so great at so many levels! Lubezki's cinematography is beyond perfect, the writing is refreshing, Iñárritu's directing is a dream and the cast is gold!
Keaton delivers the best perfomance of his career, Norton is back at his best (he was on screen for 2 minutes and he already had me) and Emma Stone never looked so beautiful!
It's going to be hard to chose the best film, actor/actress, director and cinematographer this year because everything is so good! I just hope the Academy doesn't blow it delivering the Awards to less deserving works!

I love Hoffman but I don't like spy-thrillers. Pass.

I want to see Birdman.

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I've yet so many things to see before the Oscars! I wanted to have all the main candidates tackled before the Nominations Day (Jan 15th) so I have some work to do! :p

Here is the list of the movie I haven't seen and that I have available:

Boyhood
A most Violent Year
Big Eyes
I Origins
Inherent Vice
Maps to the Stars
Noah
Pride
St. Vincent
The Hundred Foot Journey
The Judge
American Sniper
Cake
Into the Woods

I will watch Boyhood tomorrow! Any of these you recommend specially?

I really liked "Noah"... I enjoyed how dark it was... Not a huge fan of Aronofsky films but I did enjoy it.

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I love Aronofsky so I'll probably give Noah a try! :p I've been avoiding it because I'm not very optimistic about the idea of Aronofsky doing a story like this but I have to stop being biased! :p

January 12, 2015:

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Neiba, I'm surprised you are falling in love with 2014. Not much is really screaming at me to watch it.

Guardians is just a pure fun entertaining movie. There's load of better Marvel, but I love the Guardians soundtrack and the visual universe it produces is quite fascinating.

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nice to see that you are falling in love with Parks and Rec, Swanzo.

I angrily disagree.

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I know you aren't big on Marvel, but I can think of at least 4 I prefer for sure.

Only a handful better the Guardians. Then again I liked Captain America: Winter Soldier better. So currently I say Guardians is the third best Marvel movie. Better then Iron Man, but not as good as The Avengers and Winter Soldier.

And I know Swan will disagree with my Avengers feelings. :D

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Avengers, Iron Man, and Spiderman 2 are definites. Possibly Winter Soldier and Thor.

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You guys just get me. You really do.

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I can't complain though. I'm just glad you like Guardians.

I'm talking about Marvelverse movies, so Spiderman 2 doesn't count in this case.

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I am REALLY glad you liked it. Me and JayDee are the Marvel fanboys here with the loudest squee's on this site, so when a non MCU fan likes a flick it makes me happy, and it shows the film is special.

January 13, 2015:

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The quotes on the poster ("sexual frankness . . .", "incest, self-defilement and nymphomania . . .", "glimpses of nudity and sexual activity . . .") make me want to watch this movie right now. I can satiate my inner pervert while feeling sophisticated and cultured at the same time!

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Well, you get to see Gunnel Lindblom's boobies, which is worth watching the film for.

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Were you able to keep up with the subtitles while still pleasuring yourself?

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The pause button is there for a reason. ;)

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I thought you would like it Swan. Did The Shining pop into your head at all while watching it?

Whoa, not at all, but I can totally see why it would. Now that I think about it, I would be surprised if Kubrick wasn't influenced by it.

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Yeah, I didn't want to say anything before you saw it because I didn't want to put it in your head. I got the vibe more than once though.

The part that especially comes to mind is...

I liked The Silence a lot, much more than Bergman's Winter Light from the same year.

Birdman, Interstellar and Whiplash are 3 of the best films of the last 20 years, in my opinion! There's also great performances by everyone! :)

That was weird... Incest, murder, visions and suicides all in an apparently inoffensive movie! It was actually my first Cronenberg and it captivated me in a weird way! It has this atmospere that reminded you that not everything is as normal as it seems!
The performances were great but he could have lost more time in working on the one scene with special effects!

:confused: What makes you say that? I mean it's not like I am proclaiming my fanboyness with some silly Marvel-inspired avatar or anything like that.

Oh wait.

:p

January 14, 2015:

It's hard to write about this! Boyhood is a very special movie and I didn't realize yet how much I liked it.
Though I was feeling a bit bored during the first hour, I gradually became more connected with Mason's life. By the end of the movie I was already reflecting his experiences on my own life and thinking about how much I changed through the years. By using the same actors for such a long period and in apparently regular activities, Linklater managed to capture the essence of growing up and all the idiosyncrasies of a teenage boy. This is probably the movie that Linklater was born to do!
The writing goes from "not that good" in a few moments to astonishing in the majority of the time, the acting is great at all times, the editing didn't convince me at all (it certainly does not deserve the nomination for Best Editing, IMO) and the directing is pretty good because it keeps it all natural, as it's supposed to be!
It's an experience that achieves the overwhelming through nature and reality, not through intensity - that's magic!

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Glad you like it Neiba. I think what people are responding to concerning the editing is the seamless nature of the transitions. That is certainly something I noticed, and couldn't have been super easy considering the length of time between filming. I was pretty amazed at how technically sound the entire movie was considering the span of time it was filmed in. I was kind of expecting more of a home movie type feel, and there is none of that.

well, haven't seen the movie, but hubba-hubba for Patricia Arquette :yup::p

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I could have watched Boyhood for another 3 hours. I wasn't bored at all throughout, a genuine masterpiece in my opinion. Glad you liked!

The best of this are the two great performances by Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz (though he's a bit over the top sometimes, it certainly goes well with the character).
The story is interesting but it's not a particularly good movie! There are some funny scenes and the cinematography is cute but nothing special overall! Even the soundtrack seems that comes from a not very good TV Show...

Yes, I agree that editing a 12 year old work is not easy! But the Oscars should go to "Outstanding Work", not for "Particularly Difficult Work Turned into Something Not Bad".
It's the one thing I can point to it! I really enjoyed every other aspect!

January 15, 2015:

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You noticed that Elsa Lanchester not only played the Bride, but she was Mary Shelley too. :)

Yeah, I think it's cool too that she was credited with that character but never as The Bride. They just left it a question mark.

Isn't the point of Christoph Waltz to be over the top?

Hey Swan, I was wondering what you thought of The Bride after I saw you watched Frankenstein, and I'm glad to see you love it. It's my favorite of the old classic horrors.

Yes! But I meant over the top, even for Waltz! :p

The plot is pretty simple but so well executed! Robert Wise shows a perfect control on tension building and cinematography, using the first half of the movie as a prelude to an epic fighting scene!
I wouldn't agree with this being classified as a Quintessencial Noir - except for the last 15 minutes, it's more of a suspenseful sport drama, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless!

January 16, 2015:

January 17, 2015:

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That's weird. I just watched The Mummy last night. Before you posted that entry, I was going to ask you what you think of it, since you've been watching all those movies lately. Personally, I was very disappointed by The Mummy. I expected lots of Boris Karloff stumbling around in mummy garb, but we only got that at the very beginning of the movie. I want more mummies in my mummy movie, damn it!

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Since you're a big fan of James Whale, have you seen Gods and Monsters?

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I like Brendon Fraiser's The Mummy more.

If you've not, you should see that regardless, Swan. It's a great film.

I think you've been very generous with The Mummy.

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Is it weird that I never saw a monsters or a B movie? oO

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I'd give the 1932 Mummy a 6/10. It's ok, but like you stated could have been better. I liked Boris Karloff though.

Like I said in the post, it was the atmosphere and Karloff's charm that made the film work for me. However, compared to the best of Universal (Bride, Invisible Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon) it's definitely lackluster.

I'm curious why you chose The Mummy. If I was going to choose a Universal monster flick to watch, the first would definitely not be that one. :laugh:

No, but I should.

I've had it recorded for over a year. I figured it was time to finally watch it.

I've seen Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Creature From the Black Lagoon and The Wolf Man. I loved Frankenstein and especially Bride of Frankenstein, which I think are head and shoulders above the others. The Creature From the Black Lagoon and The Wolf Man are good, not great, but I enjoyed them. The Mummy was lame.

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The only old school ones I've seen I believe are Dracula, The Mummy, and The Invisible Man

You have to remember these movies and movies like them were a big part of my childhood. While as a kid The Mummy didn't impact me as much as something like The Invisible Man, there is still a major nostalgic factor to it.

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You were born in the 30s or 40s?!? Damn you're old.

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Nay. My dad showed me so much horror as a kid, that's a big part of why I love the genre. Universal, Harryhausen, Corman. I have papa to thank.

http://staticmass.net/wp-content/upl...6/dvd_pulp.jpg

I was watching some interviews with Quentin Tarantino, and if there's something that I love about him, it's his excitement about cinema that always make me wanna write my own movies! So, after some interviews I was feeling that I needed to rewatch the coolest movie of all time - Pulp Fiction!
I was curious to know if I was going to enjoy it so much, knowing a lot more about cinema than I knew the last timeI watched! And I'm surprised by how much I loved it, even more than before!
Uma Thurman is the definition of hot, the writing is awesome, every character has a lot more depth than it looks like on a first view, the timeline built is genius, the soundtrack is addicting... I never really cared about the ending but this time I was so ****ing excited about it, it looked like I was watching for the first time!
It's Tarantino's eternal masterpiece and I doubt he will ever make something nearly as good as this film!

Yeah, it's a damn shame he completely ruined her in Kill Bill. :( Making Uma unsexy? I didn't even know that was possible.

Just because talking about Uma in Pulp Fiction always reminds me of it, check out The Last Seduction. I think you'll like it.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WkKZJVG5wT...seduction1.jpg

I wouldn't say he ruined her! It's a very different part and she certainly has some sexy moments though she never looks as good as in Pulp, that's true!

Uhh, seems interesting! :) I will, thanks!