DVD Rental Day (2004 - 2010)

[pitchleague]

I know that I'm behind the times a little bit, especially compared to a lot of people in this particular thread, but I watched "The Black Dahlia" and "The Departed" for the first time the last couple of nights. Awesome movies. I loved them both, although the latter was better than the former, but in a different way.

 

My only problem with "The Departed" was that somebody on this message board, back when the movie came out, totally ruined the ending without putting a spoiler alert up. And like a dummy I was back then, I read it anyway since there was no "spoiler alert" put up. Kind of a put a slight damper on the movie knowing what was going to happen at the end.

[Katuluu]

Was the spoiler the ending stinks?

[homer]

There seem to be multiple endings to that movie. The first one did not stink the second one was pretty predictable.

[pitchleague]

and. . . . on the other end of the spectrum, I finally watched a movie that had been sitting on my tivo since March (again, I'm so far behind on movies, it's not even funny). . . . . "Ghost Rider" . . . . boy, what a tub of lard waste of two hours that one was. Awful story, awful acting (the effects were pretty good), and just general blah. So many parts didn't even make sense. Ugh, I can't believe my brother actually bought that on DVD and wanted me to watch it.

[jhart05]

No game today, so here are a couple of my favorites some of you may not have heard of...

 

 

Rushmore - Great music, like the story and characters, a Wes Anderson (Life Aquatic, Royal Tenenbaums) movie.

 

Run Lola Run - German movie, love the concept.

[homer]

Just watched Tsotsi the other night. It's a South African movie about a young gangster who begins to find redemtion when he unexpectedly comes into possession of an infant. I thought it was really well done with some great performances.

[Glennron]

A couple days ago I read through this entire thread, and after seeing several mentions of City of God I decided to rent it from my library. Definitely worth the hype.

 

I also rented Batman Begins cause I've never seen it, but most people I know say it's good...

[Katuluu]

Saw Wanted today, and while it is far from faithful to the solid source material, and liberally borrows from such fare as Fight Club and The Matrix, somehow still manages to be a fairly enjoyable film. It is a bit hokey and the super villain concept is really glossed over, but no one shoots action sequences like Bekmambetov. If you haven't seen either of director Timur Bekmambetov's other films Night Watch and Day Watch I also suggest checking them out as well.

 

If EDR disagrees with me be sure to ignore him. Because he is wrong.

[UeckerAddict]

I've gotten the opportunity to review films in the past, so I'm sorry if this is too much. I just get so damn excited to talk about great films. See rottentomatoes.com for further reference on some of these.

 

In reference to City of God, I believe City of Men is released tomorrow, which is the follow up by the same director. I haven't seen it, but it got good reviews.

 

Stellar films I've seen lately:

 

The Wicker Man (NOTE: I'm talking about the original. not the crappy Nicholas Cage follow up). The plot twists may be spoiled if you've seen the modern version, which was horrible.

 

The Thin Blue Line Best documentary I've seen outside of hoop Dreams. It was so convincing, it got a man released from a life sentence for murder. Was done by Errol morris who also did the outstanding documentary Fog of War.

 

Nashville Not for all tastes but this 160 minute film is Robert Altman at his peak (also see: Short Cuts, The Player). If you need results and constant action, it's not for you. But if you can pace yourself, this is quite solid in retrospect.

 

In Bruges The best 2008 film I've seen yet- and this is coming from a guy who has always hated Colin farrell.

 

Once This film proved that I actually do have a soft spot. (NOTE: My friends' band opened for The Frames- Glen Hansgard's band- At The Annex in Madison in 2002/2003. There was no more than 50 people in that room. Now the guy's playing the freakin Oscars. His only other movie was also great: The Commitments)

 

One False Move Billy bob thornton's first writing effort, starring him and Bill Paxon. Though different, this film can easily be uttered in the same breath as Slingblade. (Note: first 15 minutes are not for the faint of heart)

 

Bonnie and clyde You've either seen it or you haven't, but everyone knows about it.

 

Some solid documentaries: My Kid Could Paint That, Air Guitar Nation, King of Kong: A Fist full of Quarters.

 

Some solid band docs: We Jam Econo (Minutemen), Fearless Freaks (Flaming Lips), The Kids Are Alright (the Who), The Band that Would Be King (Half Japanese), The Devil and Daniel Johnston (Daniel Johnston), The Last Waltz (The band), The filth and the fury (sex pistols), New york doll (Arthur Kane of the N.Y. Dolls). I'm still yet to see the Joe strummer doc.

 

Some cult classics:

True Stories (if you liked the Talking Heads, you'll dig this film, written, directed, and starring David Byrne),

24 Hour Party People (also: see Control if you have the slightest affinity for Joy division)

Ripley's Game (Same ripley Character as The Talented Mr. Ripley but a MUCH better film with John Malkovich playing a much better Tom Ripley)

Darkman (directed by Sam Raimi who did the Spiderman movies, the Evil Dead movies, and Army of darkness. But this one is my favorite)

 

Great directors:

 

Coen brothers: Must see's (that you might not have) include Blood Simple, Miller's Crossing (2 of my all-time favorites).

David mamet: House of games, Spanish Prisoner, Glengarry Glen Ross. Recently released Redbelt is worth a viewing.

Woody Allen: When he misses, he's bad. But when he's on, he's great. See: Annie Hall, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and (if you like those 2) try Deconstructing Harry.

Neil jordan: Crying Game

Danny boyle: Trainspotting and Millions (an overlooked dark children's movie- pardon the oxymoron).

P.T. Andersen: First film, Hard Eight, has been overlooked, but is great. Alternatively titled Sydney.

David Arnofsky: Pi and Requiem for a Dream. Not for all tastes. Only if you dig the macabre.

Robert Redford: Quiz Show did the worst at the box office of any of his movies, but I firmly believe it's his best.

Richard Linklater: I haven't liked any of his recent stuff, but years ago his Waking Life and Before Sunrise were outstanding (Yes- I also have a soft spot for Dazed and Confused).

Gus Van Sant: Everyone saw Good Will Hunting, but I actually preferred Finding Forrester. Elephant is a pitch black masterpiece (yes- it is basically a recreation of Columbine). and both My Own Private Idaho and Drugstore Cowboy were great.

[Katuluu]

I try not to blatantly advertise my site too much, but I just finished up my latest review of Koko: A Talking Gorilla, a 1977 French documentary on Koko the gorilla who has become world famous for learning sign language. I've been covering a bit more high brow fare recently but Koko: A Talking Gorilla is a very accessible and outstanding film that I highly recommend.

 

And since it is summer I do plan on reviewing a few more ridiculous films. The next film up will either a film with The Hoff as a Space Prince, or perhaps a movie about a police officer who gains super powers from a nuclear explosion only to find he loses them if he sees the color red. Both are fantastic in their own utterly stupid ways. Should be fun.

[GAME05]

and. . . . on the other end of the spectrum, I finally watched a movie that had been sitting on my tivo since March (again, I'm so far behind on movies, it's not even funny). . . . . "Ghost Rider" . . . . boy, what a tub of lard waste of two hours that one was. Awful story, awful acting (the effects were pretty good), and just general blah. So many parts didn't even make sense. Ugh, I can't believe my brother actually bought that on DVD and wanted me to watch it.

come on, that movie was hilarious. i don't know if my favourite part was the CG muscles they gave Nicolas Cage or that the high-school sweethearts have to be about 15 years apart in real life.

 

come to think of it, my favourite part was that the old guy's destiny was to help out the new Ghost Rider when he finally came along. so the big moment arrives, the guy takes him out there and then just turns around and leaves. ah, his big big moment was a sort-of chauffeur and not a part of the action whatsoever. awesome. that movie was right up there with Hudson Hawk for unintentional comedic value.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Ugh!

 

After the game tonight I had some time to kill so I ordered up the Cloverfield or as I'll be calling it from now on . . "This was a Movie?" I mean really? This wasn't one of those campy throwbacks that run on Saturdays on SciFi? People paid money in a theater for this?

 

I've played much more enjoyable (and scarier) video games. One thing about JJ Abrams 'tho . . . he knows how to cast hot chicks from Vancouver.

 

For the 'ole birthday a co-worker got me a Sam Fuller box set with two I haven't seen (I Shot Jesse James and The Baron of Arizona) so I'll be enjoying that for the rest of the weekend. It also contains The Steel Helmet, and gods I love me some Steel Helmet.

 

So I have that going for me, which is nice.

[homer]

Renaissance. It's set in 2054 Paris and is kind of like a cross between Blade Runner and Minority Report (cyberpunk is how one periodical described it) It's shot in "motion capture" animation (kind of like those creepy Charles Schwab commercials) but black and white. This made character recognition difficult (for me anyway) as they made heavy use of shadows to add some atmosphere. I found the animation really cool so if you are into that kind of thing you may enjoy this but the plot was thin and as is typical of comic book fare, they feel the need to slam the theme down your throat with little subtlety.

[BrewCrewForever]

The misses and I finally rented Iron Man on Friday night. I'm so disappointed in myself that I did not see that film in the theater. It was great, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark was spot on. It wasn't as good as Dark Knight as far as comic book movies go but I think I may have liked it more then the original X-Men and I loved that movie. Iron Man is a buyer.

[RobertR]

?I rented, and half watched, Iron Man for my wife who's a big Robert Downey Jr. fan. It's really the character work that holds this movie together and it's nice to have Downey actually fulfilling the potential that his addictions almost cost him.

 

Since it's almost Halloween, I rented The Call of Cthulhu which is a wonderful example of no budget, fan filmmaking. Made in 2005 it adapts Lovecraft's story like a piece of contemporary film of the time, in this case a black and white silent movie. The acting is no great shakes and the limits of the budget show up quite a bit, but it's an imaginative effort made by people with obvious affection and understanding of the material.Well worth seeking out if you have a spare hour.

 

Given it's obscurity, a look at the trailer.

 

 

 

 

Robert

[theavrock]

I just watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Really funny comedy. Its a bunch of the same guys from Knocked Up and Superbad. If you like that kind of stupid comedy go check it out. Plus Mia Kunis is in it and looking very good! Rawr!

[RobertR]

We had our annual Halloween horror film party the other night. I pulled out the big guns this year.

 

Halloween (1978)

Jamie Lee Curtis really holds this movie together. She's down to earth, likable, and believable as she encounters evil and fights back. Her friends come off as types while she comes off as something above the typical horror movie girl. The fact that her mother was the victim in one of the most famous scenes in film history adds to the film.

 

Halloween has started to age in a few respects. The dialogue overuses the word "totally" and isn't very memorable, outside of what Donald Pleasance can deliver. And the sheriff seems to be a fairly useless character. But the film is a perfect example of camera control and atmosphere overcoming some shakey performances. It plays as one part campfire story, crazed killer escapes from asylum and comes home again to kill, and one part supernatural tale, it's the boogeyman.

 

Still works for me.

 

The Thing (1982)

Holds up stronger over time for me. The practical effects and props playing a big part in it.

 

What strikes me on this viewing is that it's probably impossible to figure out who is the thing at what time and what is he up to. One gets the feeling that they were making it up as they were going along. A character going outside, finding planted incriminating evidence for a false trail, and the next thing you know the character is dead and burned with no solid explanation. Sherlock Holmes couldn't fit this puzzle together. And that's o.k. for this particular story. The whole point is about being unsure about what's going on, who is who, and you can't be sure if you can trust anyone. John Carpenter manages to keep the audience guessing by not playing fair and that puts the audience in the same shoes as the characters.

 

Robert

[Team Canada]

Son of Rambow

 

You must watch this. Absolutely delightful.

[Principessa21]

I just watched the animated short Peter and the Wolf that won the 2008 Oscar for best short animated film. It was great. I love stop motion animation, and it was combined with digital animation, so visually I thought it was fantastic. And I heart how it had no speaking, just the music.

[homer]

I just started watching HBO's The Wire on DVD since I missed the series when it originally ran. I'm hooked. I watch 2 - 3 episodes per night.

[Hammer]

Watched Eastern Promises last night. European gangsta movie that kept my attention. Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel (Night fox from Oceans 12 and 13), Naomi Watts. I would recommend this movie.

[Gobias Industries]

Watched Glengarry Glen Ross a few days ago. I really liked this movie. Completely dialogue driven, but it kept my attention the entire time. Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, and a 7 minute monologue by Alec Baldwin were all top-notch, and in Baldwin's case, legendary.

[mothershipconnection]

The Happening is one of the worst pieces of crap to every be burned onto a plastic disc. DON'T rent it. It's not a niche movie or something you may like despite what your friend says because the two of you have different tastes in movies and you often like the ones he doesn't. Incorrect, you will not enjoy that movie, nobody can.

 

Step Brothers, on the other hand, is great if you like either of the leading men.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Every now and then I'll hear from all my friends and family that "this movie was awful", and I think "it can't be THAT bad"

 

I didn't rent the Happening because I wanted to see it, I rented it because I didn't think it could be as bad as everyone said. It was *that* bad.

 

I also rented Iron Man, which I loved. It seems the studios have really, really figured out the last 3-4 years how to do super hero movies *right* finally. Iron Man wasn't chock-a-blok full of action, but Robert Downey's Tony Stark is such a great character, he, rather than the action sequences, highlight the movie.

 

Hellboy: the Golden Army was a nice capper to the movie night. The story was so-so, but the creature design and action sequences were outstanding.

 

On deck for tonight is Get Smart, The Forbidden Kingdom, and Wanted.

[Team Canada]

Man, 2 solid ones in a row: The Visitor is also great. Heartwrenching, but good. Loved Richard Jenkins' character.

 

Agree with the The Happening comments. I'm stunned Shamalyan came up with that pile of crap. And Wahlberg's performance is analogous to Natalie Portman in Star Wars -- you know they're good in other movies, but somehow it was an epic fail.

 

On RoCo's list, I enjoyed Get Smart quite a bit, but the other 2 were kind of "meh" for me.