DVD Rental Day (2004 - 2010)

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Well I just signed up for Netflix for the simple reason that I couldn't find Jean-Pierre Melville's Army in the Shadows anywhere in town to rent.

 

my que filled up quickly and my french noir arrives tomorrow.

 

I'm almost excited.

 

http://www.cinep.org/site/images/films/armeeOmbres.jpg

[RobertR]

EDR, you're going to love ARMY OF SHADOWS. I was lucky enough to go see it when it made its brief trip through theaters last year.

 

Been a long time, so

 

SCOOP

 

Not as good as MATCH POINT, but I thought it was a solid, light Woody Allen comedy. Woody gets a good performance out of Scarlet Johanssen and Hugh Jackman makes a good match. And Ian McShane is a scene stealer in a too brief part. Woody is doing his same old schtick, albeit with a different outcome for his character than usual, and that's probably the biggest issue for many people. There's no gravitas to anything in the movie, but it's good looking and reasonably fun.

 

THE CONFORMIST

 

A masterpiece by Bernardo Bertolucci following an Italian Fascist as he is twisted by what he sees as his own secret perversions and tries to bury it through his politics and lifestyle. One of the greatest looking movies you'll ever see.

 

Robert

[molitor fan]

I felt the need to bring back one of my favorite threads tonight after seeing a movie that I truly loved - Stranger Than Fiction. I loved seeing Ferrell act instead of scream and act out of control, in a movie where he very much WAS out of control. Nuanced to the hilt, his performance was lovely, and I know an actress has given an effective performance when I am a little bit in love with her in the end - which occured last with Kate Winslet (in a role where she had blue hair), and now with a heavily tatted Mrs. Dario Franchetti.

 

I also watched Tristan and Isolde, a decent movie that was a bit ragged in the middle. The story itself, which is hugely popular in Europe is worth knowing in itself, regardless of the adaptation.

 

Also saw Dreamgirls, which bored me to tears.

[brettac1]

THE CONFORMIST

 

Bertolucci doesn't get enough love, as far as I'm concerned. Not only is it one of the greatest looking films ever, it's one of the greatest films period.

[UeckerAddict]

Saw An Unreasonable Man. Very good documentary on Ralph Nader that shows all different sides of his story. Educational whether you like the man, hate him, or are indifferent.

[diomedeh2]

Recently watched Sweet Land.

 

Pretty good film about 1920's southern Minnesota and how the War affected relationships between ethnicities there. Basically it's a love story about an arranged marriage between a Norwegian farmer in MN and a German immigrant. There were some beautiful scenes and I really appreciated the style of the film.

 

Also saw Ever Since the World Ended.

 

Definitely a small budget film. It was shot locally (for me) in San Francisco and basically shows a filmmaker interviewing the survivors of an apocalyptic plague 10 years later where roughly 150 people in the City survived. Some extreme over-acting (like any locally made movie using theater locals), but it had some interesting moments and some unique camera work. Not the best I've seen, but I enjoyed it enough.

 

And, while it's in the theaters, I have to mention Once.

 

What a stunner of a movie. I really enjoyed it, from the soundtrack (the Frames) to the acting to the simply complex love story. Really a great little Irish movie.

[Crazyk1294]

Hot Fuzz

 

A pitch perfect, affectionate send up of action films. Using English cops as the protagonists makes it fresh because an American style cop doing his own thing is decidedly out of place. Add in an editing style that's very reminiscent of Tony Scott/Michael Bay, homages to movies from Bad Boys to Mad Max to High Plains Drifter to The Wicker Man to Chinatown ("Forget it Nick, it's Sandford&quothttp://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif to Point Break, among others, and this is a love letter to movie fans.

 

Beyond the homage/parody aspects, the script is very tight. Lines and situations set up early in the film are called back later to often hilarious effect. It's probably a better script than Shaun of the Dead. And the acting is terrific throughout. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have the potential to be one of the great comedic duos of the next decade.

 

This came out on DVD today. We were at Best Buy early to pick it up.

[FVBrewerFan]

BLOOD DIAMOND

 

Finally rented it last weekend. I thought it was fascinating, and it was refreshing to see a movie without the same plots, same settings, etc.

 

24- SEASON 3

 

I was slow to board the 24 train. I'm using the summer to catch up on the first 4 seasons before the new season starts this fall. It's comical to me that CTU-LA is the least secure place on the face of the earth. Some of the casting is questionable, and you have to overlook parts of the plot.

 

All that being said, it is edgy and gripping for network TV. It does leave me needing to know what happens next, and that's the point I guess.

 

HARVEY'S WALLBANGERS

 

I don't know why, but I expected so much more. I stopped watching it near the end, threw it on the shelf never to be seen again. Frankly, I think a high school AV club could have produced a better documentary on the '82 Brewers.

[RobertR]

The Hot Fuzz/Shaun of the Dead $20 sale at Best Buy is a bargain.

THE PRESTIGE

A solidly constructed, acted, and shot revenge thriller/puzzle movie from Christopher Nolan. The problem is that I had no rooting interest in the revenge aspects of the movie since the main characters aren't very likable and the puzzle aspects were something I figured out quickly. It's more than competent, but it's not particularly layered or deep to allow for multiple viewings.

[Katuluu]

Went and saw Stardust yesterday. Pretty solid movie, and a worthy follow up for Matthew Vaughn after his brilliant debut with Layer Cake. It's going to be tough for it to find an audience, as Gaiman really seems like more of a niche author, and Stardust doesn't have quite the rabid following as say Good Omens or The Sandman. Buzz seems to be pretty favorable, but I don't know if the audience will follow, what with Harry Potter mania still in full effect.

 

That all being said, Robert DeNiro as a gay pirate is cinematic gold.

[BrewCrewForever]

Shaun of The Dead is one of my favorite movies of all time. But I have yet to see Hot Fuzz. Yes, that is insane of me. I plan to buy or rent this week.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Hot Fuzz was great. Rented it last night.

 

I expected the ridiculous over-the-top gunfighty stuff to start earlier than it did, but that's hardly enough to take it down a notch, IMO.

[IslandsAC]

Just rented (ahem, from the internet) Hot Fuzz and boy oh boy was it funny. It was delivered almost exactly like Shaun of the Dead so I don't know how it could have gone wrong.

 

Also, Remember the Titans was on tv earlier today, and I dare anyone to watch that movie without having to wipe some dust from their eyes.

[pogokat]

Robert---

 

Are you excited or scared about the upcoming watchmen movie?

[GAME05]

everyone was renting Ghost Rider (i work at a video place), but i thought it was miserable. laughably bad, if you like those, though.

 

300 i thought was only decent. fine story and such, but overly stylized, like it was a preview that ran an hour and a half. good call on Hot Fuzz, though. excellent blend of humour and action. Seraphim Falls gets overlooked, but it's an excellent western-style movie and keeps your attention throughout. i'm not a fan of Pierce Brosnan, but he was pretty good in it.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Being in the extreme minority that didn't at all like Sin City, I was skeptical going into 300. The visual style of Sin City didn't bother me, I just didn't find the story(s) to be all that interesting.

 

Anyways, with the hype, the hoopla, and my skepticism all piling up, I settled in to try to watch 300 tonight, and just enjoy it for what it would be, rather that what I thought it would be, (or what I've read and been told it's supposed to be)

 

All I can say is I loved it. Fantastic visuals (I really do think this is a "wave of the future" type movie in the aspect of visual presentation). The storyline and dialogue were excellent (even though we know how the story ends, eh?). The action scenes were outstanding. Can't speak for anyone else, but I loved the slow-down-to-super-slo-mo followed by the speed-back-up-to-normal style they used during the battle sequences.

 

I really did expect the story and acting to be completely drowned out by the visuals in this film, but that just wasn't the case at all. This one justifies the hype.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Oh, and I forgot to add, Ghost Rider sucked.

[RobertR]

Robert---

 

Are you excited or scared about the upcoming watchmen movie?

Both.

 

I don't expect it to go off the tracks like LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN or FROM HELL, but an adaptation just strikes me as unnecessary. WATCHMEN takes so much advantage of the medium it originally presented itself in that there's no place to go but down. That and removing the 9 panel grid from WATCHMEN is like removing iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets from Shakespeare.

 

OTOH, RAN and THRONE OF BLOOD are masterpieces, even if they're not truly Shakespeare. And we've had enough superhero movies made in recent years that it's about time for a deconstructionist take. I'm just trying to keep an open mind at this point.

 

Robert

[RobertR]

Went and saw Stardust yesterday. Pretty solid movie, and a worthy follow up for Matthew Vaughn after his brilliant debut with Layer Cake. It's going to be tough for it to find an audience, as Gaiman really seems like more of a niche author, and Stardust doesn't have quite the rabid following as say Good Omens or The Sandman. Buzz seems to be pretty favorable, but I don't know if the audience will follow, what with Harry Potter mania still in full effect.

 

That all being said, Robert DeNiro as a gay pirate is cinematic gold.

I'm not going to dispute any part of the review of a movie I haven't seen, but is it really accurate to describe Neil Gaiman as a "niche author". Granted, he's not a household name like Stephen King or J. K. Rowling, but his books appear routinely on and atop the NY Times Bestseller lists. He has plenty of recognition already.

 

Robert

[Katuluu]

Outside of comic book fans, of which there are plenty, I would strongly argue that Gaiman has almost zero name recognition. His fans are devout and buy his books immediately, but they haven't had much staying power on the list. That, and he's only had three books to ever make the list (American Gods, Sandman Endless Nights, and Anansi Boys), with Anansi Boys the only one to ever reach #1.

 

There is a reason why they are not using his name in any promo for the film, it's because he isn't considered a positive commodity in Hollywood. His fans will come, maybe (Mirrormask made less than $1 million and the majority of that was here in Minneapolis), but he certainly isn't viewed as any sort of long-term drawing card. That's what DeNiro, Pfeiffer, et al are for.

 

That being said, with Beowulf coming out this fall, and Coraline later next year, Gaiman is poised to be a breakout star. But for the moment, he has little to no mass appeal in terms as a script writer/producer.

 

And being that I am a long-time ardent fan myself, having been to I don't know how many signings and attending even more of his readings, I'm quite content in realizing his appeal isn't to a very broad audience. He even makes light of it himself, as he tells the tale of his Mall of America signing disaster with relish almost any chance he gets.

 

But go see the movie with thousands of friends and I will happily admit I am completely wrong.

[GAME05]

Darwin Awards is a good one that's out now. takes a dramatic twist to the classic stories we already know. what i really liked about the movie was that we typically see these people as complete idiots, but the movie twists it a little to make them into more admirable characters.

I don't think Surf School has been mentioned yet. it doesn't try to be anything more than an idiot comedy, but even watching it with low expectations, it failed miserably.

[DuWayne Steurer]

FINALLY got a chance to watch Children of Men.

 

Excellent movie. The agendas of the differing factions isn't made crystal clear (unless I wasn't paying close enough attention) but it didn't detract from the movie. Michael Caine smoking ganj and dropping F bombs was pretty much hilarious.

 

As an aside, over the years, I can't help but notice that in many, many movies that are either British in origin, or are set in Britain, the main characters almost always eschew the use of guns, even when a gun is readily available, and would be imminently helpful in the current situation. I'm sure there's a message there.........

 

I've always enjoyed British literature and films, my wife hates me for it, and won't watch Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels anytime I pop it in the DVD player.

[mothershipconnection]

This may be a good place for me to pimp for Blockbuster total access. Seriously, it's wicked awesomeness wrapped in an insane bargain.

I bought a 42" plasma a few months back and had to take it for a few spins around the block with basically every major release this summer that wasn't an outright chick flick. I honestly watch at least 20 movies a month for a total of $17.99.

 

I'd recommend (in totally random order)

Hollywoodland

Children of Men

Who Killed the Electric Car?

Let's go to Prison

Zodiac

Premonition

300

Vacancy

Perfume

The Contract

Host

Darwin Awards

The Number 23

Hot Fuzz

Apocalypto

Aqua Teen Hunger Force

The Illusionist

 

I'd advise against

Smokin Aces

Wild Hogs

Pathfinder

Ghost Rider

 

Absolutely never watch even if threatened with death

Gray Matters

[RobertR]

I watched Dreamgirls over the weekend. It's something of a tale of two halves. The first half of the movie, with its focus on Jennifer Hudson, is terrific. It's truly a great performance, especially since Hudson can act while she's singing. The first half is also bouyed up by a great Eddie Murphy performance. The second half of the movie is rather ordinary once it switches its focus to Beyonce. She's pretty to look at, but she's a passive, inscrutable void on the screen. She's competent, but with seemingly no inner life. Jamie Foxx holds both halves together as he rises to power and is corrupted by success, but there's noone to really play off of in the second half.

 

The songs are terrific and it does a fine job of creating a backdrop of social change with the times. The film has a real gleam to it during the musical numbers, although Bill Condon overdoes some of his choreography. We don't need to see the big moment of each number shot from two or more angles in practically every number. Sometimes less cutting is more.

 

Also, I know it's probably not on everybody's radar, but The Lives of Others is out on DVD tomorrow. It is one of the best movies of this year.

 

Robert

[homer]

A few I watched recently:

 

300 - Better than I expected and unlike Sin City, had a palatable plot line that justified the violence.

 

Zodiac - Very good film although I may have had a bias going in because David Fincher is one of my favorite directors. It ran a bit long and almost split into two films - one about the case itself and one about a guy obsessing over the case. I thought the first half was great and Fincher a master at extracting suspense. The movie sort of slowed down the last third or so but was still interesting.

 

Hot Fuzz - I liked this but I can't heap the praise others have. Some laugh out loud moments (and maybe I missed something) but I thought they could have used a different choice than a serial killer - it seemed too close to Shaun of the Dead.