DVD Rental Day (2011 - ?)

[TooLiveBrew]

Not on DVD yet, but I saw Bridesmaids tonight. Exceptional comedy.

 

It was hilarious, & well acted with an ensemble cast. Plus, every time 'that' type of comedy would've gone left, it went right. Just did a nice job telling the story in a different way while still being hysterical. I can't think of the last time I've heard people laughing so hard in the movie theater.

[jjfanec]

I don't know what surprised me more, Avatar not winning, or Hurt Locker winning the Oscar. I guess I should have known the Oscar would not go to a wildly popular big budget shoot 'em up when a terribly contrived, slow movie about a "topical" theme like the Iraq War was available. But Hurt Locker wasn't even really about the War, it was just so meh and so utterly nonsensical in terms of reality that I can't believe it won but I think it fell into what the Academy voters want to believe the main character and job would be like rather than any reality of the military or the abilities, rules, and life they live.

Avatar deserved to win every visual category there was but it was not a best picture. The plot was weak and a ripoff of countless other films and the acting was average at best. The character development was seriously lacking. It was a visual masterpiece but overall not a best picture worthy movie. I found Hurt Locker more engaging but I thought this years crop had numerous movies more qualified to win a best picture than either of those two.

[TooLiveBrew]

Yeah, I was disappointed by The Hurt Locker overall. It wasn't a bad film, but certainly not Best Picture-worthy imo.

[jjfanec]

Yeah, I was disappointed by The Hurt Locker overall. It wasn't a bad film, but certainly not Best Picture-worthy imo.

The question is what movies were best picture caliber movies? Inglorious Bastard, Precious, Blind Side, Up, Avatar? I just dont see a best picture caliber movie in that group. This years crop with The King's Speech, Inception, Social Network, 127 Hours,The Fighter and True Grit (although I did not love it) were all better movies than either of those two in my mind. I have not seen Black Swan, the Winter's Bone, Toy Story 3 and the Kids are Alright to know if they were better

[TooLiveBrew]

The question is what movies were best picture caliber movies? Inglorious Bastard, Precious, Blind Side, Up, Avatar? I just dont see a best picture caliber movie in that group.

 

Good point, but I'd still go with Up or Inglorious Basterds over The Hurt Locker. I haven't seen Precious or The Blind Side, though.

[jjfanec]

The question is what movies were best picture caliber movies? Inglorious Bastard, Precious, Blind Side, Up, Avatar? I just dont see a best picture caliber movie in that group.

 

Good point, but I'd still go with Up or Inglorious Basterds over The Hurt Locker. I haven't seen Precious or The Blind Side, though.

The Blind Side is a good, fun movie but not an Oscar winner. I have yet to see Up or Inglorious Bastards. I have heard good things about both

[TooLiveBrew]

That's what I assumed & what I'd heard about The Blind Side. Definitely find time for both I.B. & Up, well worth it.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

If you could give me BACK the time I wasted watching Basterds, that'd be great.

[GAME05]

i still can't get over why they spelled basterds with an 'e'.

[Eck17]

If you could give me BACK the time I wasted watching Basterds, that'd be great.

I am glad I am not the only one who feels this way. I heard so many good things about it. I wanted to like it. It just wasn't that great at all, to me anyways.

[TracyThom]

Christoph Waltz was fantastic in Basterds. Absolutely blew me away. On the other hand, Eli Roth is a horrible actor. I would say that he should stick to directing, but I haven't liked anything he has put out.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Inglorious Basterds was 45 minutes longer than it needed to be. The dialogue was horribly over-long, and just a plain old yawn fest.

 

And honestly, over Hurt Locker, Basterds, or Avatar, the best movie should have been Up.

[RobertR]

Yeah, I was disappointed by The Hurt Locker overall. It wasn't a bad film, but certainly not Best Picture-worthy imo.

The question is what movies were best picture caliber movies? Inglorious Bastard, Precious, Blind Side, Up, Avatar? I just dont see a best picture caliber movie in that group. This years crop with The King's Speech, Inception, Social Network, 127 Hours,The Fighter and True Grit (although I did not love it) were all better movies than either of those two in my mind. I have not seen Black Swan, the Winter's Bone, Toy Story 3 and the Kids are Alright to know if they were better

 

The biggest "grower" in estimation for me from 2009 is A Serious Man. If nothing else it has, bar none, the best final shot of the year.

 

I also loved Moon.

 

I liked The Hurt Locker, but I'll agree that it seems more of a compromise choice than a true classic. I'll take it over Avatar any day though.

 

Robert

[jjfanec]

Yeah, I was disappointed by The Hurt Locker overall. It wasn't a bad film, but certainly not Best Picture-worthy imo.

The question is what movies were best picture caliber movies? Inglorious Bastard, Precious, Blind Side, Up, Avatar? I just dont see a best picture caliber movie in that group. This years crop with The King's Speech, Inception, Social Network, 127 Hours,The Fighter and True Grit (although I did not love it) were all better movies than either of those two in my mind. I have not seen Black Swan, the Winter's Bone, Toy Story 3 and the Kids are Alright to know if they were better

 

The biggest "grower" in estimation for me from 2009 is A Serious Man. If nothing else it has, bar none, the best final shot of the year.

 

I also loved Moon.

 

I liked The Hurt Locker, but I'll agree that it seems more of a compromise choice than a true classic. I'll take it over Avatar any day though.

 

Robert

I havent watched either of those movies. I think we completely agree on Avatar and the Hurt Locker though

[berniebrewer4life]

And honestly, over Hurt Locker, Basterds, or Avatar, the best movie should have been Up.

Easily the best. I'd recommend Up to everybody. A great movie, and really funny.

[TooLiveBrew]

Up would be my pick, fwiw. I just thought I.B. was better than The Hurt Locker too.

[jjfanec]

I guess I really need to watch up. Oddly enough I have recommended it a couple times but my wife is the one who hasnt wanted to watch it.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Catching up on my instant queue, I've had a chance to watch some lately.

Harry Brown.

I liked this one, but I readily admit I'm a straight up sucker for British crime/gangster films. Michael Caine is absolutely fantastic, and the film pulls off the 'geriatric vigilante' subject matter in a believable way. It's excessively violent and vulgar, but that's not a turn off for me (might be for some). Really a good, if not obscure title, that I highly recommend if you're a fan of films like Gran Torino or the like. 8/10

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.

 

Tough to rate this on its own. I just watched it on disc last week, then went and saw part 2 yesterday. Part 1, on it's own, leaves a lot to be desired, but of course, there's a ton of setup to part 2, and really shouldn't be judged on it's own accord. If you've watched them up to this point, no matter what any reviewer says, you're going to see both of the Deathly Hallows movies. Part 1 is definitely a drag, as it seems the kids spend an inordinate amount of time just not doing anything other than trying to decide what to do next. I'm not even going to give it a rating, as this isn't mean tto be a stand-alone, and as this is 'DVD rental" thread, I can't really judge it (yet) with the 2nd half as part of the consideration.

 

Drive Angry

 

For God's sake, don't watch this. 0.5/10

[RobertR]

I'm working my way through Twin Peaks with my wife who's never seen the whole series. At its best, it both delivers on and sends up the soap opera format while delivering moments of genuine eeriness and/or beauty. Kyle MacLachlan is particularly great in almost every scene. At its worst, it's a subpar, self aware soap opera that threatens to drown in its own quirk. The James/Donna stuff in particular. Overall, the good stuff way outweighs the missteps for me, although we haven't gotten to the post-Laura Palmer/pre-Wyndham Earle patch yet that really sank the show. Revisiting it later, I'm kicking myself for missing stuff like a blatant Vertigo reference for Sheryl Lee's doppelganger.

 

Swamp Thing was a fun revisit for me. It's totally a B-movie. And one where the budget limitations show. But, the primary cast is game, the dialogue has moments that really pop, it has some genuine energy, and the swamp is filmed beautifully.

 

I got to Smiles of a Summer Night by notable comedy director Ingmar Bergman. Seriously, Bergman is known for his ultra serious works mostly, but this is a charming, delightful, funny romantic partners roundelay with some great cinematography. You can definitely see its influence on Woody Allen, particularly A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy.

 

I rented The Illusionist, the animated one based on an old script by Jacques Tati. I enjoyed the movie, and the animation is great, but the script is a little underwhelming being something of a bittersweet rumination on the end of personal, vaudeville type entertainers as they're replaced by flashier modern entertainments and the relationship between the title character and a young woman that tags along with him and who he helps blossom as a woman while never quite developing a connection with her.

 

Finally, I watched Rango. I'm sorry I missed it in theaters as the animation is awesome and its one of the best looking films of the year, maybe only behind Tree of Life. I think it's kind of a ballsy decision to go with a Chinatown riff for a kids cartoon as well. There's a lot of riffing off of other movies too, mostly the Sergio Leone westerns, but there are pretty clear references to John Ford's movies, particularly Stagecoach, Cat Ballou, and even The Road Warrior. The animation is amazing and I think Gore Verbinski's eye really helps frame the images in a memorable way. I do wish there was a lot less riffing on other films though and Rango had developed more into its own thing, but it's a very fun time.

 

FWIW, my summer movie scorecard:

 

Tree of Life - A-

Midnight in Paris - B+

Bridesmaids - B

Thor - B

Captain America: The First Avenger - B-

Green Lantern - C

 

I expect I'll see the final Harry Potter film in theaters and I did want to see Super 8, but Tree of Life was the only must-see theatrical experience of the summer, IMO.

 

Robert

[homer]

Robert,

Is Tree of Life something I can wait until its on DVD? Or am I losing out on the visuals? Sort of like watching a David Lean film on a small screen? I think Malick is a visual master but the dialog puts me to sleep. I could watch his movies on mute and be quite happy.

[RobertR]

Robert,

Is Tree of Life something I can wait until its on DVD? Or am I losing out on the visuals? Sort of like watching a David Lean film on a small screen? I think Malick is a visual master but the dialog puts me to sleep. I could watch his movies on mute and be quite happy.

Tree of Life is a visual masterpiece as impressive as anything Lean or Malick has done previously. It's also full of pretentious tangents and breathlessly whispered voice overs along the lines of "Mother. Father. Constantly you war within me." It's a tough film to recommend in the "Go. You'll have a good time." way as it requires your attention and analysis. And, frankly, even though it honestly tries at being a masterpiece, it's not quite at that level which may not make the effort worth it for many people. However, if you're open to it at all, the big screen is well worth going out of your way for. That's where it will have the most impact and I can't stress enough how much Malick takes advantage of the big screen. Even among Malick films, this is a visual standout.

 

On a lighter note, I also watched the German film Die Farbe which is a low budget adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space. IMO, Colour is Lovecraft's best story and a relatively faithful adaptation is going to hit many genuinely creepy points to begin with. (Stephen King did his own take on the material in Creepshow btw.) It's a low budget, black and white affair, and a quiet (hardly any music), slow burn of a movie. A slow burn depends on mood and the payoff and it's pretty good at both those points. OTOH, there's a framing story and an added twist to the story which I don't think work and the acting is variable. Worth a look if you're a fan of Lovecraft.

 

Robert

 

[RobertR]

Source Code

A nice twisty, Quantum Leap influenced, sci-fi thriller. It's not in the same class as Moon, but it's fun, the characters are likable, and it has some clever twists. I never quite bought the premise, but in the end I didn't find that a problem.

 

24 Hour Party People

Michael Winterbottom's look at Manchester in the 70s/80s, Tony Wilson, and the development of bands like Joy Division through to the rave culture centered around Factory Records. It's a good look at the era and Steve Coogan is great, albeit tough to understand at times.

 

Unstoppable

A "lets see what's on HBO" decision. Runaway Train is one of my favorite films of the '80s, so I'm good with the premise, although this movie isn't remotely in the same ballpark. The well staged action, Denzel Washington, and Chris Pine are the saving graces of a movie that plays like a "movie of the week" with a bigger name supporting cast. There's a lot of really annoying exposition with news reports to tell us things we already know, and not in a clever Greek chorus way. It's ok for what it is, but aims pretty low.

 

An American Werewolf in London

Somehow I've missed this over the years. Rectified that this year and it's a very entertaining, funny, self aware movie with a solid understanding of horror at its core. It helps that the first attack is setup in such a way that you're not sure over who the victim is going to be. The special effects were ground breaking and still look good. It's a horror classic for a reason.

 

Don't Look Now

They don't make horror movies like this anymore and that's disappointing. This is a great film, dripping with atmosphere, it looks great, is well acted, it's intelligent, and it has one heck of a wicked twist at the end. The editing of this is a thing of beauty as well.

 

[Rec] and [Rec]2

I think I've mentioned [Rec] in this thread before. It's worth mentioning again, because both these films are fun, effective horror affairs. They're both essentially haunted house pictures where something scary leaps out and rushes at the camera, or does something else scary, again and again. But, once these movies get going they're relentless, fast paced affairs with some clever variations on their formula. And there are very few false jump scares. When something happens, they don't generally take the cheap, easy way out, but go all out. I'd like to see both with an audience.

 

Drunken Angel

Working my way through Kurosawa's movies from beginning to end. This is a minor masterpiece.

 

Robert

[Katuluu]

[Rec] 3 is one of my most anticipated movies of next year.

[RobertR]

I'm looking forward to [Rec]3, although I have to say that I liked [Rec]2 less than the first one. The angle they took for the outbreak is an interesting one, but it also seems like one where they get to turn off any and all rules. The subplot with the teens didn't go anywhere interesting. And they seemed to be repeating themselves to an extent. Not to mention the "we need some blood" macguffin seemed to be nonsensical at one point when there was blood all over the room. They really need to up their game for the third one, or diminishing returns is going to set in hard.

 

Robert

[Katuluu]

I think they've set up some very interesting rules, including one of the better takes on zombies I might have ever seen. That they are setting themselves up to potentially take off the reigns of POV and let loose isn't what I would call turning off rules. Also, I like the fact that [Rec] 2 focuses most of the film on toying with the viewer, setting up expectations from the first and then consistently riffing off those expectations.

 

BTW, [Rec] 3 is supposed to be a prequel, with [Rec] 4 being the film that ties up the entire series, for those that might be interested.