DVD Rental Day (2004 - 2010)

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Brick

 

Loved it. LOOOOVEEDD IT. Saw it in the theater. Twice.

 

"Ask for a show of hands of those that have actually met the Pin and you're likely to get a lot of full pockets."

 

Of course having watched (and read) Maltese Falcon (of which it is VERY derivative) and having read all of Chandler's work and most of Hammett's the plot is somewhat predictable, but man do they pull off the concept.

 

EDIT: And how can you not love the Richard Roundtee appearance. Classic stuff.

 

If I haven't mentioned it yet Robert, you need to get your hands on the Japanese film Ping Pong.

Fantastic show and one of the only films to actually use CGI to it's benifit rather than detriment.

 

I have been catchng up on all my crpped that I skipped at the theater like Hitchicker's Guide to the Galaxy and Aeon Flux. Horrible.

[RobertR]

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And how can you not love the Richard Roundtee appearance. Classic stuff.

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"You've helped this office out before."

"No, I gave you Jerr to see him eaten, not to see you fed."

"Fine. And very well put."

"Accelerated English, Mrs. Kasprzyk."

"Tough teacher?"

"Tough but fair."

 

Brick may very well be my favorite movie I've seen this year. At least of recent vintage.

 

I'll look into Ping Pong. I've got a long qeue though, so it will be a while.

 

Robert

[Katuluu]

I think the moment I realized Brick had it's hooks in me was when he bat a confession out of the pot head. In any other modern movie it would have seemed out of place and entirely hokey, but it just worked. Really enjoyable movie, but I doubt it will make my top ten. It's no Little Miss Sunshine and it's certainly no Proposition, which may go down as one of my all-time favorite movies.

 

As for recent views I watch Irreversible for the first time last week. Maybe it was all the buildup it got, but I wasn't blown away by it. The intial scene was marred by the absurdly obvious CGI use, and I felt that the stpry would have been more powerful if it was told from beginning to end rather than in reverse. The last 20 minutes simply bored me to tears, which didn't help change my feelings that it was simply a remade Straw Dogs with some fancy editing. Nice movie, but certainly no where near as good as I had heard it was.

 

Also watched Cache again tonight, which is easily in my top 5 for the year. Just a stunningly brilliant thriller in which absolutely nothing happens. I can't ever remember being on the edge of my seat thru a movie in which nothing ever happens to cause me to be nervous or on edge. Haneke's ability to manipulate an audience's mood is simply staggering.

 

Oh yeah, go rent Duck Season, which is another of my favorites from this past year. It never got a US release, which is a complete shame. Truly a wonderful film that deserves to be seen.

 

As for theatre releases, if The Descent is still playing in theatres near you run out and watch it. The first time I have been not only scared, but terrified out of my whits by a horror movie since The Blair Witch Project. It's oodles of fun to boot and a small screen just won't do the film justice.

[brettac1]

Nora-Jane Noone is in The Descent. I personally think she's the best actress there is right now. If you haven't yet, check out "The Magdalene Sisters". She's amazing in that flick, which is just altogether excellent. She also did a short a couple years ago called "News for the Church" that was really good. It was directed by Andrew McCarthy (the), actually.

 

She's going to be a huge star.

Punch Drunk Love...

 

I didn't catch this review before. I totally dug that movie. The family is in the movie really for that one scene - which sets the stage for the entire film. I thought Sandler was terrific, probably the only time he ever has been. Just a great movie, the use of colors and the running score in particular was just terrific. Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the best there is.

 

If you were expecting to se Cayjawn Man, watch The Waterboy.

[danzig6767]

I watched The Machinist recently,Christian Bale somehow managed to get himself so skinny for the role,he literally was as skinny as people in picutures from Nazi concentration camps.Bale looked like a walking dead man to play the role of a troubled insomniac.I found it to be a very good movie and definately worth seeing.

[Team Canada]

It's no Little Miss Sunshine and it's certainly no , which may go down as one of my all-time favorite movies.

 

 

Certainly no... what?

 

 

Brick

 

Loved it. LOOOOVEEDD IT. Saw it in the theater. Twice.

 

 

Wow, saw it yesterday and it was fantastic.

[Fatter than Joey]

From the FTJ Netflix Que.

 

1.) Running Scared -- I loved this movie. Very entertaining.

 

2.) Walk the Line -- I didnt care for this -- particularly J.P.'s portrayal -- He made Cash seem more "odd" than anything else to me. I grew up watching Johnny Cash on TV a lot -- the portrayal just didnt seem right. I also wish the movie would have focused less on his romance with June and more on his later life.

 

3.) The Heirloom -- Asian Horror tends to freak me out, so I am always watching them -- this one was average -- it had an interesting story based on legends of "feeding child ghosts".

[Katuluu]

Certainly no... what?

 

The Proposition. Slight HTML gaf caused the mixup.

 

Oh yeah, watch The Proposition whenever it makes it to video.

[pogokat]

This thread is awesome....lte's try to keep it on the first page...it makes my netflix que fill up faster..

 

Crimes and Misdemeanors

 

I love Woody Allen, and this one is very good. Woody's presence tends to hurt his pictures of late, but his character and presence are very stong in Crimes. I would recommend this to non-Allen fans, but of course, the axiom holds true: if you don't love Woody, you will probably want to kill yourself in the face before the end of the movie. Alan Alda might make you kill yourself samurai style as well. (futurama's take on alda is great: Maudlin or irreverent...thats all you get.)

[Fatter than Joey]

"This thread is awesome..."

 

I couldn't agree more -- I have been loading up the Que with all of the suggestions here Thanks! -- In fact I just was able to bump my wife's "The Wedding Date" pick into the "we will never see this" part of my Que -- Thanks Again!!

 

I know these are old(er) movies -- but in case people like me missed them -- I would say these are must-see (IMO of course) --

 

The Believer -- Identity -- Fraility --

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Wow, when the old thread got eaten by ez-board, I didn't realize how many of my posts got nuked.

 

It's amazing that the thread got saved anyhow and that we (meaning Robert) have been keeping it going for over two years now.

 

Crikey!

 

I know I haven't had any usefull aditions to it for a while, but I'll try to add stuff here and there.

 

I will say that at the rental shop last week, I see that Criteron has released a disc of The Bad Sleep Well.

 

It's one of Kurosawa's crime noir films and not as good as Stray Dog or High & Low, but it still is as good as anything else. As close to a Hamlet adaptation as it's a fairly straight forward revenge story, well as straightforward as Kurosawa gets.

 

Rented Inside Man instead. If I had to rank the Top 10 films of this decade, 25th Hour would be on the list, so Spike Lee has a little credit going with me, but this script seemed to be just a little unfocused. The performances (especially Jodie Foster) were great, but I just never ever got involved with the plot on any level. A dissapointment for me.

[MKE alz]

Quote:

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Rented Inside Man instead.

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This ain't no bank robbery.

 

The most recent film I saw was this past weekend when I watched Sympathy for Mr. Revenge, which a friend taped off IFC or Sundance.

 

I don't know what to say other than it's very Art-House and VERY violent. The movie takes a bit of time to get going but once it does it's certainly...interesting. You really have to be paying attention to understand some scenes as several scenes contain no dialog (one of the main characters is a deaf mute). There's some things that just don't make sense, but the more I think about it the more I like it (well other than one part in particular). I think most people who only half-way pay attention will say it's "too bizarre" or "just plain stupid" and I definitely wouldn't agree there.

 

If you like films that are very different and force you to INVEST your attention this might be for you. The film is very intense in parts so if you do watch it, don't say I didn't warn you.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

If I had to rank the Top 10 films of this decade.

 

Wow, I actually started to think about that a little bit, and decided I need to see more movies.

 

Here's what I came up with . . .

 

1. City Of God

2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

3. Y tu mamá también

4. 25th Hour

5. The Incredibles

6. Ping Pong

7. Brick

8. Nobody Knows

9. The Safety of Objects

10. 24 Hour Party People

 

Hmmmm . . . .

 

Edit: I just remembered, Millions, 28 Days Later and Shaun of th Dead all of which are as good as anything from 8-10 on my list.

[pogokat]

edgar---

 

you seen Little Miss Sunshine yet?

 

 

also, Shaun should be #1

[RobertR]

Hmm, top ten of this decade is an interesting question. I'm going to have to think on that some, although off hand I'd probably go with City of God as #1.

 

Has anyone gone out and bought the new version of The Seven Samurai yet? I feel my resolve crumbling by the second the more I read about it.

 

Robert

[homer]

I thought Millions was lame but that's just me.

 

City of God is one of my all time faves however.

 

And except for the unnecessary pool **** scene, Y Tu Mama Tambien is good too.

 

If you haven't seen it, the DVD's for Band of Brothers are excellent. I never had HBO while this series was on TV and just made my way through the whole series last week. Imagine Saving Private Ryan but with no name actors. Great stuff.

[pogokat]

I'll review this because you guys would like it:

 

Monster House

 

Just fantastically enjoyable all the way through. This isnt really a kids movie as it definitely plays more to the 12-14 crowd, but setting it in the mid to late 80's aims it squarely at those of us in the 25-35 range. The movie is very funny and dark enough to be slightly scary, even for adults. Beyond that, it looks great. I'm pimping this movie because i'm a big cartoon fan and i want you guys to see it so they'll make more movies like this one, and less about a group of talking animals that are escaping from something (madagascar, the wild, barnyard, open season probably about 15 more coming out at christmas. Also, check out hoodwinked---which you should enjoy just for the allusions to Fletch--- a movie that NEEDS to be on DVD

[MKE alz]

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Monster House

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I haven't seen that yet, but it's definitely on my list because it was co-written by Rob Schrab who is not only the creator of Scud (an awesome comic), but also was co-creator of Heat Vision and Jack (and awesome TV Pilot) AND is from Oak Creek.

 

I wish I got the appeal of City of God. I thought it felt like a cross between Goodfellas and Kids but wasn't nearly as good as either of those...Perhaps my expectations were too high?

 

I haven't really looked back at the films of the decade in a while but I'm betting my pick for #1 would be Amelie, with Eternal Sunshine close behind.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

you seen Little Miss Sunshine yet?

 

I haven't, mainly because I have seen WAY too much of that little girl recently, including watching her shake her pre-teen "humps" with Fergie on the VMA's.

 

That and I have a low tolerance for Greg Kinnear.

 

also, Shaun should be #1

 

Both it and 28 Days Later are films IMO that need the key of Dawn of the Dead to unlock their true brilliance (and in 28 Days case, Night of the Comet and Day of the Triffids as well.)

 

It's very odd that those two very different films are much better homages than the "official" remake of Dawn of the Dead, which is mainly only notable for being funny in The 40 Year Old Virgin as a backdrop.

 

And except for the unnecessary pool **** scene, Y Tu Mama Tambien is good too.

 

That scene did have a point. The two guys represent the two sides of native Mexicans and that scene showed that as a country they really needed to grow up and quit wasting their "seed", and the rest of the movie is their journey to do just that.

 

I wish I got the appeal of City of God.

 

You're not the first I've heard this from. I don't know if I can help you there. but I will say for me its trancendence is really in its filmaking more than the story, which I also think is pretty top notch too, and unlike Godfather or others, is firmly rooted in actual events in an area that still suffers from the same problems to this day.

 

But really it is one of the best directed films I have ever seen.

 

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e246/stevenml/city-of-god-web.jpg

[homer]

Quote:

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That scene did have a point. The two guys represent the two sides of native Mexicans and that scene showed that as a country they really needed to grow up and quit wasting their "seed", and the rest of the movie is their journey to do just that.

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I got that, I just think the point could have been made without actually seeing the seed.

[brettac1]

"Y Tu Mama Tambien" is definitely in my top five for the decade. So is "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". The latter is in my top 10 ever (favorites, at least), for sure. "Adaptation" is in there for me.

 

The thing with "25th Hour" is that there's nothing really going on. It's kind of listless. I know that's what happens with Spike Lee, at times (anyone watch the Requiem in Four parts, BTW? Excellent.). I'm a big fan of Spike, though, just not that movie. I like Norton. Like Cox. Like Dawson. Love P.S.H. Don't like the movie.

[RobertR]

I'll put out my top ten list, so far. Probably to some derision, but what the heck.

 

1. City of God

2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

3. Mulholland Drive (yeah, I'm a Lynch groupie)

4. Before Sunset

5. The Incredibles

6. Black Hawk Down

7. Downfall

8. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

9. Murderball

10. American Splendor

 

Honorable Mention: Y Tu Mama Tambien, Gosford Park, Sideways, & Amelie. O.K. and Shaun of the Dead.

 

Give me another day and I'd probably revise it totally and throw on a half dozen other films I forgot about.

 

Robert

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Mulholland Drive

 

That film is one of my all time favorite "brilliant failures".

 

I absolutly love what he tried to do, love the way he did it, but it's just to dense to figure out even without any sort of key.

 

I have heard of philosophy courses trying to solve it and there is a whole website devoted to figuring it out.

 

And like the last 15 minutes of 2001, without having the mind that came up with it, it's impossible to figure out.

 

I have a similar problem with Primer, but there it's like the filmakers need to feel smarter than you, so they hold back information and coyly answer questions, "maybe".

 

Obviously with my love of Rashomon and Picnic at Hanging Rock, "puzzle films" don't inherently bother me, but at the same time insoluble ones . . . .

 

And I LIKED the film . . . . . .

[xisxisxis]

Hmm, top ten of this decade is an interesting question. I'm going to have to think on that some, although off hand I'd probably go with City of God as #1.

 

I'll have to think about that a bit too and expand it to the last 10 years, but I can probably start out with a top 11-15:

 

11. Gosford Park

12. The Thin Red Line

13. LA Confidential

14. Lone Star

15. Shakespeare In Love

 

The incredibles is definitely in my top ten (loved it) as is Lord of the Rings, but I need to think a bit about the rest.

[Katuluu]

That and I have a low tolerance for Greg Kinnear.

 

That better not be the soup talking.