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Movies/TV discussions - May 30, 2011

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Mudcat

Mudcat

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I haven't been out to a movie theater in ages. I think the last movie I saw was Inception the day it came out.

Anyway I saw a few odds and ends at home this week and here are my grumpy reactions:



The Color Purple (1985) - I hadn't seen this since it came out which is a long time now. My memory was playing tricks because I thought it was much better. Terrible direction start to finish. Nothing felt organic. Every scene felt staged for effect. Nothing rang true. Contrived, manipulative. The scenes of attempted comic relief were shticky and the tone was all wrong. It was like Spielberg couldn't decide if he was still making ET or doing a serious movie. Fortunately he figured out how to handle serious themes by the time he got to Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. I hate to give it a thumbs down because the actual plot and social commentary and the theme of empowerment are good. 5.1 out of 10.



The Bourne Supremacy (2004) - This is about a 30 minute story stretched into a 1:50 movie. Lots of chases and filler. There is quite a bit of cleverness to the chases and fights though. 5.4 out of 10.



Strangers on a Train (1951) - I really think Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most over-rated figures in movie history. Maybe it was just the times. You couldn't get away with some of the stuff he did now. This is yet another movie full of scenes that don't make sense and that character wouldn't do that in that situation. So many holes. Comically bad in parts - but not intentionally. 4.3 out of 10



Sons of Anarchy (Season 1) - I enjoyed this. It was a bit heavy on the soap opera tone and the bikers I have met are not quite that eloquent - but it's a page turner. I will watch the next season. 6.1 out of 10.
 
Agree with the first two, never saw Strangers on a Train and bikers just doesn't interest me.

The Funeral (1996) I had actually never even heard of this movie before last night. A gangster flick with Christopher Walken, Benecio Del Toro, Vincent Gallo, and Chris Penn. Throw Annabella Sciorra, Gretchen Mol, and Isabella Rossellini in for good measure. Directed by Abel Ferrara. Basically set in the 30's it's a story of three brothers and their "family business" and how it's affected by the unions. Chris Penn steals the movie. I know, I was surprised too. A little bit of overacting and slow in parts but overall pretty good. 7 out of 10.

Rescue Dawn (2006) Another film I was unaware existed. My GF DVR'd it and we watched it yesterday. Based on a true story of a US fighter pilot (Bale) whose plane goes down over Laos during the Vietnam War. Most of the movie is spent in a Laos/VietKong prison camp and captures the essence of what it would have been like to be a prisoner there. Steve Zahn is also in the film and does a good job in a supporting role. Written and directed by Werner Herzog I would say if you are fan of war films it's worth watching. The fact that it's based on a true story always makes the film a bit more interesting for me. So for that reason it succeeding in making me care about the character. Bale's performance is consistent but nothing to write home about. 6.5 out of 10.
 
we'll have to agree to disagree when it comes to hitchcock since i consider him a brilliant director. there are a lot of films from long ago that wouldn't make it today, but suggesting he was overrated is akin to saying brooks robinson was overrated because he never made the web gem highlights on espn. though it can never be quantified, i would venture to guess that hitchcock instilled more fright in moviegoers with fewer 'special effects' than any other filmmaker. technological advances alone have reshaped what audiences today expect to see.
 
Yeah it's too bad. I like Alfred. He always seemed like such a pleasantly goofy card in those intros to Alfred Hitchcock Presents.



I guess a big deal now in the world of movies is the release of Terrence Malick's, The Tree of Life. It recently won the Palme D'Or at Cannes and it has critics tripping over themselves to shower praise on it.

It sounds like exactly what I don't like in a movie. The reviews I have watched use words like pretentious, plotless, challenging to the patience. It sounds like homework.

I don't know if I will watch it or not. Based on those descriptions, it may be like Malick's earlier effort, The Thin Red Line which I started watching but was uninterested in finishing and ultimately rated 1 out of 10.
 
I watched the preview of The Tree of Life.

I really want to see it.

Any movies people label as pretentious I ultimately find to be deeply personal or difficult to follow. Both of which I enjoy. IMO all movies are not meant to be a straight line.
 
i got sucked into the thin red line because of the cast. also found myself becoming bored at times sitting in the theater. went by myself since wife hates war movies. think some of my boredom was having seen saving private ryan not too long before thin red line. actually enjoyed thin red line more when i rented it a couple of years later and saw it a second time.

just watched charlie wilson's war for the first time. wish that movie had spent a little more time focusing on philip seymour hoffman's character and less time showing tom hanks holding a glass of scotch.
 
Cougar Bait
Any movies people label as pretentious I ultimately find to be deeply personal or difficult to follow.
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That is a very broad blanket statement. There are such a wide range of pretentious movies out there.

I find that some movies considered pretentious can work. Magnolia might be an example. But some - probably more - don't. If I feel like I am watching someone squeeze his zits - if it starts getting excessively self-congratulatory - I don't want to see it. That was my reaction to The Thin Red Line.

I saw Malick's The New World and thought it was okay.

The vibe I'm getting about Tree of Life is closer to the former but who knows? Safe to say I won't be rushing out to the theater to see it but I can envision myself spotting it in the TV guide a few years down the road thinking, "Okay . . . "
 
Mudcat
That is a very broad blanket statement. There are such a wide range of pretentious movies out there.

I find that some movies considered pretentious can work. Magnolia might be an example. But some - probably more - don't. If I feel like I am watching someone squeeze his zits - if it starts getting excessively self-congratulatory - I don't want to see it. That was my reaction to The Thin Red Line.

I saw Malick's The New World and thought it was okay.

The vibe I'm getting about Tree of Life is closer to the former but who knows? Safe to say I won't be rushing out to the theater to see it but I can envision myself spotting it in the TV guide a few years down the road thinking, "Okay . . . "
Click to expand...

That's fair. I didn't care for The New World at all. In fact, I think I turned it off at some point.
 
Oh and I love Magnolia and Love Liza and many other "pretentious" movies.

From my experience it seems the use of the word pretentious is over-used when reviewing a film because the reviewer is either confused by what the director is trying to do plot-wise or is generally dissatisfied because it doesn't follow some Hollywood itinerary of how to structure a plot line or describe characters.
 
Dancer in the dark is really a film that stays in your mind, its just so different from a mainstream film with the acting,the setting, the use of the digital cameras, basically all of the cinematography.

Bjork is really what makes the film for me. Catherine Deneuve said Bjork was feeling not acting, I don't know if she meant it as a criticism but Bjork makes the film.

The whole low budget look of the film is why I love documentaries so much, Dancer in the dark its the exact opposite of all these big budget Hollywood films like Iron man,xmen, onion boy etc.

I love the look of the digital cameras in this especially with setting and the story. Breaking the waves is another one of those Dogme type films with digital cameras that was really original.

Von trier even made a few supposedly "female friendly" porn films, or his production company did, one was called pink prison and supposedly popular with European women. I bet guys hated it.

Speaking of documentaries, I just finished watching The Thin Blue Line last week. an incredible documentary.
 
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Mudcat
Sons of Anarchy (Season 1) - I enjoyed this. It was a bit heavy on the soap opera tone and the bikers I have met are not quite that eloquent - but it's a page turner. I will watch the next season. 6.1 out of 10.
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I really enjoyed Season 1 and I liked Season 2. However Season 3 got to the point of being so over the top and unbelievable that I stopped watching.



The Mechanic (2011) Not good. This remake was just a flop. Story was not good and acting was even worse. I didn't expect much from a Jason Stathem movie, but I enjoy other things with Ben Foster in them. Even he couldn't save this one. 2 out of 10
 
I really liked this thread, I have seen a few really good films over the last few weeks, these were from late 2010 early 2011 if I am not mistaken. "Carlos" is the story of the story of Carlos the jackal , the venezuelan radical most known for his raid on an opec meeting in Vienna but sort of disgraced figure now. Here is a review

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/oct/21/carlos-film-review

the trailer


If you like the Coen brothers, True Grit is different than alot of their work , but a really great film.

 
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