Movie Tab II

I didn't dislike this movie nearly as much as you, but it's good to see I'm not alone in disliking it.

I'd probably give it a -

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My vote for second best movie of 2013, just behind Gravity.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

20 Feet From Stardom (2013 Morgan Neville)



I would hope this would appeal to more than just the people who are interested in the history of rock music (me) or just like to listen to really great voices (me also.) It's a darn good documentary and I hope it wins the Oscar. O.k. so I haven't seen the other nominated docs yet, but after I do I bet I'll say the same thing.

I was proud of myself for knowing beforehand who Tata Vega, Lisa Fischer and Darlene Love were. They are backup singers, the ones who can usually sing circles around the performer they are backing up, but for whatever reason they just never seem to find their own limelight. Lisa Fischer seems to be the sole person interviewed that never wanted to be a solo-artist. That's probably a very wise decision on her part. She is the queen bee of back-up singers and she's created a nice little niche for herself.

Darlene Love is probably the most notorious of the bunch. She is the voice behind The Crystals, although at the time no one knew that. She was royally screwed by the devil himself, Phil Spector, but she did manage to find some fame of her own.

I got goosebumps many times watching this. These women can sing. Back-up singers often make the songs what they are and it's nice to see them get the recognition they do in this documentary.

Highlights are listening to Lisa Fischer just let go and sing. The other is stripping away every part but Merry Clayton's part on the song Gimme Shelter. Hearing her sing the line" Rape, murder. It's just a shot away. " over and over crescendoing to a scream was almost inhuman. It gave me chills.

My one gripe is the inclusion of Judith Hill. You may know her from The Voice a couple of seasons back. Something about her is off-putting and I wanted to hear more from the other women. I also wished they would have shown footage from Joe Cocker's With a Little Help From My Friends. It's one of the greatest songs to showcase the importance and usage of back-up singers.

Small gripes though. Fantastic doc.!

I'll have to check that out, Godoggo. Only seen two of the best documentary nominees so far this year.

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"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."

Yeah, I want to check out the others, but with me being such a music nut, It would be hard to impress me more than this one did.

I've watched the YouTube video of Gimme Shelter and With a Little Help From My Friends half a dozen times each tonight because of 20 Feet From Stardom. Man, was I born in the wrong era. What I wouldn't give to be able to see performances like that live.

Nice to see Rango get a very good rating

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Nostalghia-
Was not a fan of this film, it left me extremely empty and I kept checking the time to see when it would be over. This is my 4th Tarkosvky film and probably his most disappointing that I've seen. Its visually identical to his other films, and it doesn't really bring up anything new. It just seems he's taking visual motifs and imagery from his other films and injecting it into a 2 hour film where little to nothing happens.His films are not about plot, or characters so when the imagery itself is unappealing and uninteresting then theres not much worth to the film in my opinion. The shots are static,bland, and leave the viewer in a state of boredom.I really wanted to like this film, but sadly I did not. I only recommend it to those who are hardcore Tarkovsky fans. If you aren't,well chances are you will probably loathe this movie..



A Serious Man-
This is definitely one of the weakest Coen Brother films, its not bad by any stretch of the imagination. But when you compare it against the outstanding films in their filmography, it just doesn't compare. I found this one of their less interesting films as well. What is fantastic however is the performances and the sharp cinematography. Michael Stuhlbarg is brilliant in this role, as a man whose life is quickly falling apart. The movie is rather bleak, and as things get worse and worse for the main character you feel pretty bad about it. A Serious Man is worth checking out,but its never going to be one of their best films. It's a .

Insidious Chapter 2 - I loved the first one. This one? No. Just no. It expands on the first film by making it overly complex and often silly as hell. Then Lin Shaye delivers the death blow. "So THAT'S what that was about..." real dialogue, and it brings the entire movie crashing to the ground. Dead. Done. Hated it.

The Conjuring - Same director as Insidious Chapter 2. Slightly better, but you see, modern cinema, some of us still remember when horror films were actually scary. Before the advent of "hey, idiots are scared when doors slam now, so let's save money on our budget!" I am tired of PG-13 horrors where we never see anything too upsetting, where characters never actually die, and the endings are happy ones. Go away, James Wan. You are ruining one of my favorite genres.

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"You, me, everyone...we are all made of star stuff." - Neil Degrasse Tyson

https://shawnsmovienight.blogspot.com/

Nostalghia is one of those rare Tarkovsky films that are not masterpieces. Very close to a masterpiece, though. Would have to watch it again!

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

This film is about nothing and everything at the same time.

The Wild Bunch-The Western. One of the most revered genres of cinema. The Wild Bunch is a 1969 film from Sam Peckinpah that attempts to deconstruct the typical values we find in usual westerns. The main characters of this film are evil,vain,and murderous. They exist only to make money, yet they are aging and the old west that once was is now about to die. This movie features gratuitous bloody violence and action that presents carnage much different than found in films of that era. The people are grimy, and even sadistic. There's heavy nudity, and the lines between who the good guys and the bad guys are is blurred. I find this movie flawed, but Its certainly a good movie that tries to give the age-old western a face-lift. It doesn't have the grace,beauty or sheer style of the great Sergio Leone westerns but this is a much different kind of force.Its very well worth a watch. +



Welcome to the Dollhouse-
This movie is far from a comfortable viewing, I found myself cringing,laughing, yet feeling appalled all at once. It's a brilliantly dark comedy about a young girl whose life is nothing but being bullied,ignored, and being ostracized from family and peers alike. I adore the fact that the film doesn't try to sentimentalize or water down bullying that is frequent in most films. Most filmmakers wouldn't dare make such a film,and if they did they would sugercoat it to death. The main character of this film is simply trying to navigate her Junior High environment, yet is unable to do so because she is awkward and unattractive. I think this is a genuinely honest portrayal of how life is like for those that get bullied. I loved Happiness, and while this film isn't as good as that this is a dark comedy thats still worth a viewing. I rate it



Gummo(rewatch)-
A kid wearing a bunny costume wanders aimlessly. Impoverished kids killing cats for fun. Strange,abnormal people doing abnormal things. Gummo has no narrative to speak of, it's just a series of vignettes about people living in an impoverished dirty town. Its disturbing,nasty,strange...yet I can't look away. Is this the work of a talentless hack trying to grab people's attention? Is this supposed to be a portrayal of lives some people might end up living? I honestly am not sure, but its somehow interesting in a very strange type of way. Its almost as If I'm peering into something I shouldn't be seeing. . Gummo is not something I would particularly recommend in a typical sense, but if you are interesting in something very odd....go for it.

The Wild Bunch is a great film, a whole lot of fun. Like Matteo said in the other thread I would recommend Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and also perhaps Straw Dogs, I say perhaps because I haven't seen it all, but I watched some of it and liked it - need to get round to finishing it.

Titanic (1997) - James Cameron
Somewhat unfairly maligned. It contains everything great about Cameron - and everything terrible. For me there is a bit more great than crap.

Spartacus (1960) - Stanley Kubrick
Not my favourite Kubrick movie - but that's OK because it wasn't Stanley's favourite either. Pretty good but way too long.

Love Actually (2003) - Richard Curtis
I really like this movie - until the last half hour or so. It's got interesting characters and Curtis makes them all work. I just wish it didn't all end so damn happy - but, it's a chrsitmas movie I guess ...

Heathers (1989) - Michael Lehmann
Well written 80s comedy. Has some very funny lines in it.

Colin (2008) - Marc Price
Very low budget (£45 apparently) horror movie. Basically follows a zombie trying to survive which was a nice twist. Some scenes really show the budget and lack of acting ability of some of the cast but other parts are great. I enjoyed it.

In the Mouth of Madness (1995) - John Carpenter
Probably my second favourite Carpenter movie - behind The Thing. Good performance from Sam Neill.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller, 2013) +

The Lone Ranger (Gore Verbinski, 2013) (Rewatch)

American Gangster (Ridley Scott, 2007) (Rewatch) +

Mud (Jeff Nichols, 2012)

12 Years A Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013) (Rewatch)

Funny Games (Michael Haneke, 1997) –
L’age d’Or (Luis Buñuel, 1930) – +
The Illusionist (Sylvain Chomet, 2010) – +
Seven Chances (Buster Keaton, 1925) –
Slacker (Richard Linklater, 1991) – +
Cloverfield (Matt Reeves, 2008) –
Fritz the Cat (Ralph Bakshi, 1972) –
Autumn Sonata (Ingmar Bergman, 1978) – +
Forbidden Games (René Clément, 1952) –
American Hustle (David O. Russell, 2013) –
Sanjuro (Akira Kurosawa, 1962) –
The Man Who Knew Too Much (Alfred Hitchcock, 1934) –
The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013) – +
Eyes Without a Face (Georges Franju, 1960) – +
You’re Next (Adam Wingard, 2011) – +
Fitzcarraldo (Werner Herzog, 1982) –
I Stand Alone (Gaspar Noé, 1998) –
Santa Sangre (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1989) – +
Belle de Jour (Luis Buñuel, 1967) – +
Knife in the Water (Roman Polanski, 1962) – +

Been meaning to see this for ages, trailer is great and looks like my type of film.

I definitely recommend it. McConaughey was excellent, of course, but I was also quite impressed with the child actors.

Also McConaughey's shirtless scenes were a big plus.

Yeah its a really good movie I thought. Reminds me of great coming of age films like Stand By Me.