Recently watched

Watched 'The Grudge' (US version) last night. Nothing special but some nice tension build-up throughout. It's always better when they only give you glimpses of the big bad.

Watched 'The Grudge' (US version) last night. Nothing special
but some nice tension build-up throughout. It's always better when they
only give you glimpses of the big bad.

Saw it too ... it was OK, too bad they had Sarah Michelle Gellar in it. She acts like a pancake.

Just watched Mulholland Drive. Not a new movie, from 2001, but still it
was one awesome movie. One of the best I've ever seen. Still trying to
understand the movie. If you haven't seen it, do so, I strongly
recommend it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166924/

I watched The Jacket
last week when it came out. I have to say that I was pleasantly
suprised, the movie was quite a bit better than I expected. The
ending was good as well, I appreciate what the writer did and am happy
to see that Hollywood is willing to open its mind a little, even if
critics aren't.

wow cool, /me likes Jennifer Jason Leigh.. i might have to check this one out :smile:

I watched The Jacket
last week when it came out. I have to say that I was pleasantly
suprised, the movie was quite a bit better than I expected. The
ending was good as well, I appreciate what the writer did and am happy
to see that Hollywood is willing to open its mind a little, even if
critics aren't.

This isn't directed at you, but I'm sick of this "Hollywood Makes One Movie" attitude. Because it simply isn't true.

Anyway, I saw the Jacket last week as well. Not what I expected, that's for sure. But I enjoyed it.

I don't think that Hollywood makes one movie, and I said that I'm happy they don't. I think that critics review one movie.

I own Mulholland drive, have seen it several times, and still have no freaking clue what the hell is going on in some parts. If you liked that, you may be interested in one of Lynch's other films, Lost Highway. I personally think it's one of my favorite films, but it's incredibly abstract and random. But, if you dwell on it enough, it really does make sense.

You have to realize though, that Lynch doesn't make movies in a normal manner. Basically, he has starts with characters, and various abstract images of what the characters do. Certain visions if you will. He then worries about tying everything together with a storyline, as opposed to most directors who have a storyline in mind first, and create situations based on that.

Once you understand that, things get a bit easier to disect- simply look at the individual parts as being completely atomic first- try to understand the symbolism on that level, then work your way up through the chain, and try to see where everything comes together. If you want, I can give you the basic rundown on Mulholland based on my analasys.

I loved the scene in the restaurant when the guy talks about his dream. The atmosphere builds up in such a nice way.

The music is fantastic and those vague, dark tones in the background
through the movie really give a creepy feeling. I think I'm going to
read some analysis and then watch it again, so feel free to tell what
you think of it. :smile:

I'll definitely check his other movies out as well. Has anyone seen
Twin Peaks btw? I'd like to know what this series is like.

Just finished rewatching John Q again.. clear full of slobbery goodness in this one gents.

Well I got the Mr. Bean full nine yards every episode + extra features boxed set 4 DVD thingamabobber.

I watched all of them in a couple days, it's just so funny! The remarkable thing that I find as well, is that you can watch them over and over again and still wet yourself laughing. There is very little comedy out there that can do that. I suggest that you get ahold of this, or some other Mr. Bean episodes.

now tell me how this works please.....

wife speaking to me....after buying this dvd.......

"we are not watching "the incredibles" tonight because yer daughter is grounded...."

wha???

Doc B... :dodgy:

"The Incredibles" the best damned cartoon this millennium :biggrin:

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Orpheus</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>"The Incredibles" the best damned cartoon this millennium :biggrin: </DIV></DIV>

I second.

But I saw "Million Dollar Baby" yesterday afternoon. And boy, was it heavy duty stuff. I wasn't the same after I walked out of the theater. I was in a chipper mood going in, but I was so heavy-hearted by the time it ended.
So...don't watch it if you're already depressed. It just might ruin your day. That said, I highly recommend the movie. Just watch it when you're happier.

? quoting Orpheus
"The Incredibles" the best damned cartoon this millennium :biggrin:
I second.

So do I ... but it isn't a "cartoon" to be honest :razz:

Havent read through all the pages of this thread so I don't if someone already said anything about this movie.

Tombstone

Really awesome western. Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday was sweet. And the movie was just plain good.

Crono, out of curiosity - how do you define what is or isn't a cartoon?

I'm not criticising your comment in any way, I just wan't to know why you wouldn't call 'The Incredibles' a cartoon. :smile:

I intended to read this entire thread but it seemed to get bogged down in piracy and the definition of anime after a few pages, so I'm skipping to the end. :smile:

Here are my ratings on movies I've seen. If you like the ones I like, perhaps you'll see some you haven't seen yet.

The Game (Michael Douglas) - Fantastic. One of the most gripping and unexpected storylines ever. Good enough to watch more than once.

The Grudge (Sarah Michelle Geller) - I saw this yesterday and thought it was crap. Totally plot driven, with big plot holes and unrealistic characters. Rips off a lot of The Ring. There were a few good scenes, like in the elevator and the special effects on the security video. But haven't any of these characters heard of a light switch? And when you go to burn down a haunted house, are you realy going to put down the kerosine to investigate the splashing noises coming from the bathroom? Fundamentally flawed.

The Thing (Kurt Russell) - I loved this movie. One of the few horror movies that I think really worked, and the only movie I can think of that has plausably done a shapeshifter (apart from Terminator 2 I suppose). Excellent special effects.

Hellboy - Another typical Hollywood comic-to-movie film, which I don't usually like, but this one was better than most.

Van Hellsing - One of the crappest Hollywood movies I have ever seen. A total insult to the intelligence. (If a werewolf jumps onto a moving stagecoach, is a spark from his claw striking the railing going to ignite the entire roof? Give me a break.)

The Last Samurai (Tom Cruise) - I can't stand Tom Cruise, but I liked this movie. Partly because he gets upstaged by the Japanese actors, and partly because of the ending which I won't spoil.

Unbreakable (Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson) - I saw this years ago but it really stuck in my mind. It's really a superhero movie, but it doesn't push itself as such too much. Quite well done.

American Beauty (Kevin Spacey) - A fantastic movie. Despite it's themes of murder, adultery, violence, swearing, paedophillia, drug use, homosexuality, and nazism, you could still take your grandmother to see this movie. Beautifully filmed and acted.

Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind (Jim Carey) - Outstanding. Jim Carey seems almost out of place in this movie, but he performs really well. Great special effects, moments of humour, and powerful emotion that'll leave you thinking.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - This movie is visually stunning, with great acting, great story, and great "wire-fu" fight scenes. The best I've seen of this genre.

House of Flying Daggers - Almost as good as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, but the plot is a little lacking. Stunning visuals and breathtaking fight scenes. Ending could have been a little better.

Hero - This one didn't really grab me as much as the two above. The cinematics were excellent, but the plot was too convoluted. I didn't reall "get it".

Independence Day (Will Smith) - I hate this movie.

Starship Troopers - Very entertaining, with some subtle humour reminiscent Robocop (same director I think). Quite gorey, but definately sci-fi rather than horror.

Sphere - I have mixed feelings about this movie. In hindsight I think it was quite good, but I know there were moments I was hating it. It felt like Samuel L. Jackson was almost bored in this movie, or at least wasn't being directed properly. The characters didn't respond to things as you would expect people to.

The Quiet Earth - A 70s sci-fi movie, in which a man awakens to find everyone in the world missing. He goes a little bit crazy as first, thinking he's the kind of the world. Later he meets some people and they get down to find out what happened and what they can do about it. Worth watching every 8-10 years. :smile:

Kill Bill 1 & 2 (Uma Thurman) - Extremely artistic and well executed (no pun intended). Actually I'll say this for all of Quentin Tarantino's movies - they're amazingly directed with awesome storylines and plot twists. Once you can get over the extreme violence, that is (took me a few years!). Jackie Brown is probably the crappest of his movies, the others are good.

Troy (who cares) - Big-budget Hollywood crap, created solely to make money. Save your money. In fact, don't even waste your download bandwidth. ;-)

The Matrix Trilogy (Keanu Reeves) - I remember seeing the trailer before the first movie came out and wondering how such an awesome looking movie could be so under-advertised. It soon became popular. :smile: I actually liked the second movie the most, since it had even more amazing special effects and fight scenes, plus some very well thought out philosophical plot elements (and some great secrets to watch for, like the agents' car licence plate). The third one I thought was pretty crap, like they didn't know how to end it so they just threw in a bunch of special effects and tried to make it as tense as possible. The Zion invasion was just boring. Overall though, an excellent trilogy. Might be a while before I watch it again though.

Bladerunner (Harrison Ford) - An old but great sci-fi movie of a bleak futuristic society. The original had naration and a happy ending, but later the director's cut was released with no naration and a bleaker ending. Both are outstanding, but I think the director's cut was a little overrated and had made the original hard to find. The soundtrack (by Vangellis) is one of the best of any movie ever.

Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection, Alien vs Predator (Sigourney Weaver) - The first movie broke ground with it's gritty, industrial view of the future, as opposed to the 2001 Space Odyssey mindset of its time. But it was the sequel with the marines being sent in that really shined and is by far the best of the series. Watch the Special Edition if you can, with opening footage of Hadley's Hope and later footage of the sentry guns. Alien 3 wasn't quite as good. Not bad in its own right, but they were clearly milking the cow at this point (check out the original script for a wildly different version of this movie). Alien Resurrection was crap, and turned the series clearly from sci-fi to horror. Despite a couple of good scenes, it had too many unbelieveable moments (how long can these guys hold their breaths underwater? And why did that soldier need to remove a piece of brain from the hole in the back of his own head in order to confirm he was dead?). The fifth movie focussed a lot more on Predator than Alien, and suffered somewhat by trying to compress both themes into one movie. Lance Henriksen gave a respectable performance, which isn't hard for him.

Memento (Guy Pearce) - Definately worth watching. Despite each "scene" being showed in reverse order, it's not unduely hard to follow. In fact it fits very well with the main character's memory loss.

The Butterfly Effect (Ashton Kutcher) - A highly original and breathtaking movie. A bit freak and trippy at points, but the plot lines come together with great precision and unpredictability. I actually found it quite disturbing and had nightmares for a week following it, although it cartainly isn't a horror movie. I've only seen the original cinema version, which has a different ending from the DVD release.

The Mothman Prophecies (Richard Gere) - Another highly orininal movie. In fact I can't think of another movie that has a similar take on its supernatural themes. There are moments where it's hard to follow, but these clear up quickly as the characters have no idea what is causing the weird stuff around them. I highly recommend this one.

Exitenz - A movie about a virtual reality within a virtual reality within a virtual reality ad naseum. Director David Cronenberg works in some trypically grotesque moments in a genetic engineering abattoir, and a supurbly disgusting moment where a restaurant diner constructs a gun out of the remains of his meal. If you're interested in surreality movies then take a look, but personally I won't be watching it again. I think it tries too hard to surreal.

Naked Lunch - Speaking of surreal, this one takes the cake. Worth watching just to say WTF? at the end. I've read many reviews saying it's not supposed to make sense, but if you follow closely it all fits. The problem is that what you see is sometimes real and sometimes a drug-induced hallucination of the main character as he goes from exotic drug to drug in delusional paranoia. The 50's settings, props and costumes are well done. Occassional Cronenberg organicish gross-out scenes. By the way, if anyone knows what the last scenes means let me know! Recommended.

Resident Evil 1 & 2 - The first one was better. I don't see a lot of undead movies so I'm no authority, but it was pretty entertaining and full of action.

The Cube 1 & 2 - Both excellent sci-fi movies. A group of seemingly unrelated characters wake up to find themselves in a room, with all connecting rooms randomly containing deadly traps. I prefer the sequel, but it might be because I saw that one first. Thought provoking, if even at a shallow level. The action and danger somehow makes you care about the characters and wonder what you would do in their situation.

Lord of The Rings trilogy - Bah. I know I should like them. They looked amazing. The story is a milestone in fantasy literature. Maybe they're just too long, but I can't see myself watching them again. Not for a long time anyway.

Fight Club - I loved this movie (plus the ending was like a kick in the teeth to Hollywood cliches). Exciting and fun, highly recommended. Even if you don't like fights. :smile:

The Usual Suspects (Kevin Spacey) - An excellent thriller with an almost flawless plot. I know this is picky, but how did Verbal know "Kobayashi" was printed on the underside of his full coffee mug? Great movie anyway.

Scarey Movie 2 - Kill yourself before watching this movie.

Scarey Movie 3 - Much better.

Flippin 'eck! You must never leave the house :wink:

Thanks though, you've reminded me the name of a film i've been wanting to watch again for ages. Saw 'Quiet Earth' years ago, and vaguely remember the ending making bugger-all sense with people disappearing into limbo and stuff?! Maybe i'm old enough to understand it all now though.

/goes off to try and find it

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting DrFrag</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>
The Usual Suspects (Kevin Spacey) - An excellent thriller with an almost flawless plot. I know this is picky, but how did Verbal know "Kobayashi" was printed on the underside of his full coffee mug? Great movie anyway.

</DIV></DIV>
Because he's gotta tilt the mug so that the bottom faces Verbal so's he can drink from it.

Quiet Earth makes more sense when you're older. That is, you're old enough to recognise the exact amount of sense it doesn't make. :smile: It's still cool though. And no, I don't get out much, but these are movies I've seen throughout my life that came to mind.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Cash Car Star</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>
Because he's gotta tilt the mug so that the bottom faces Verbal so's he can drink from it.

</DIV></DIV>
Ah, thanks! I thought it was Verbal's mug. I loved the parody of this in Scarey Movie 3.

? quote:Crono, out of curiosity - how do you define what is or isn't a cartoon?
I'm not criticising your comment in any way, I just wan't to know why you wouldn't call 'The Incredibles' a cartoon. :smile:

Cartoons are the shorts before the films (or were). It's because of television that they were brought into the home and expanded into full length television shows. That being said, the half-hour shows on TV are cartoons if dealt in a childish manner (such as, something like The Simpsons or Family Guy would be better described as an animated sitcom)

But in no circumstance, whatsoever, do I consider any full length film to be a cartoon. Animated, GCI, whatever, it's a film or movie. Calling it a cartoon would be like spitting in the productions teams face. It's kind of like people who call every movie a show, referring to a TV show, not a Theatrical show. The quality of work and effort put into films is so much higher then anything else in recorded non interactive entertainment. So, I think they deserve a little separation.

I believe the word actually was made for comic strips with captions (like Far Side) then were adapted to certain animations.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Cartoon

This also explains why I separate anime as well.

Oh, I forgot. I saw Ong-Bak last night ... such a stunts movie. But oh man. So brutal. Awesome.

Well I got the Mr. Bean full nine yards every episode + extra features boxed set 4 DVD thingamabobber.

I watched all of them in a couple days, it's just so funny! The remarkable thing that I find as well, is that you can watch them over and over again and still wet yourself laughing. There is very little comedy out there that can do that. I suggest that you get ahold of this, or some other Mr. Bean episodes.

Oh Mr Bean I dont get why people find it so funny I used to find it funny but it've lost what ever made it funny my mum and gran used to say its to daft to laugh at but they laughed at it more than i did I preffer Rowan Atkinson in Blackadder that is much much funnyer series especialy Black Adder Goes Forth.

But anyway on with what films I have seen reasently

Hero - I loved this it kinda lost me for a bit but I think it had something to do with me zoning out.

Old School - I love this film its bloody funny I think I'll go and watch it in a min.

Rome + Juliet - I love this one its a really good take on the play Baz Luherman did a really good job on it and plus it has Clare Danes in it.

and last but not least

Star Wars Epesode 1 - While its not my favorite that goes to The Empire Strikes Back (I have a soft spot fr Hoth) but I do like it.

Watched Garden State an hour or so ago, fairly amusing plus decent acting makes it a worthwhile watch (at least if you're one of the weirder types).

A Bronx Tale. Really good movie.

w00t! I just got the 2DVD version of The Incredibles so now I can watch the movie and all of the special features.

I liked that too Andrei, good film. Just watched "Eternal Sunshine..."
last night and was really impressed. Didn't know much about it before
hand, so it really took me by surprise. Very refreshing movie :smile:

Anyone's seen Spielberg's "Artificial Intelligence" ? The whole concept
is pretty unoriginal, but the scenery, especially that underwater
themepark, prooves that this guy has a really wacky imagination!

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting ReNo</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>I liked that too Andrei, good film. Just watched "Eternal Sunshine..." last night and was really impressed. Didn't know much about it before hand, so it really took me by surprise. Very refreshing movie :smile:
</DIV></DIV>



and yeah, A.I. was top grade viewing :smile:

A.I should have left it with the kid trapped in the ocean. The ending they left it with felt like it was tacked on so that it could end on a happy family friendly note.

It'd be nice to see the occasional film with an ending that makes you think. The TV series 'The Others' had all the main characters die in the last episode and it was all the better for it.

Hmm, I think the aliens were pretty cool at the end, but even so it was taken too far (the lame Pinochio stuff).

My subconcious thought the movie was over when the narrator's voice
kicked-in during the ocean scene. The actual ending felt somewhat out of
place. I feel like quoting Camil Petrescu (a great writer): "happy ends
are
like a drug, sold to the masses".

AI's ending was horrible IMO; it felt completely unnatural. You can
tell it was something Spielberg latched onto the end after Kubrick
kicked the bucket. Hell, the whole film was a big unfocused mess in my
eyes. Cool visually though.

Just finished re-watching "Master and Commander" as well as "Bruce Almighty"

Two opposite extreme themes, but still good watching.

Everybody (well, maybe not everybody) should watch the Korean
film "Old Boy". It came to the UK for the Edinburgh International Film
Festival and recieved excellent feedback, and it really does deserve it.

Basically it tells the story of a regular man who is suddenly kidnapped
and imprisoned without explanation. During this time he has only a
television for company, and is served meals through a hatch. After 15
years he is released without any explanation, and sets out to find the
truth behind his torment and gain revenge.

As well as telling a great story, the film is really funny in places
and features the best and most original fight scene I've seen in a long
time. Its very dark and quite hard going, but its very much worth it.
Check it out...

http://www.play.com/play247.asp?pa=srmr&page=title&r=R2&title=509013

Watched the "special edition" of Alien 3 in that fance 10-disc Alien
boxset. Some parts are better (the second half mostly), some parts are
not (the first half mostly), though overall is a much better movie.
Note that if you didn't like Alien 3 in the first place, you probably
won't enjoy it at all; everyone still dies, it's still dark as f**k,
the special effects are still slightly dodgy etc. Though it's
interesting to say the least. A few of the major changes:

1. The alien comes out of a dead oxen instead of a dog (the Oxen were used to pull Ripley's EEV out of the water)

2. The plan to trap the alien in the nuclear waste hold worked, but a
prisoner called Golic (the one they tied up and stuck in the infirmary)
goes slightly mental and decides to free it.

3. The alien doesn't come out of Ripley when she's falling

That's about it, really. It's sort of like watching an extended edition of the LOTR movies.

I think there's an alternate version of Alien Ressurection as well in this boxset, so I might give that a go tonight.

Just finished up on the last episode of 'The Day Of The Triffids', and the series was much better than I expected it to be. I read the book many years ago (my mum used to bring me books home from school as she's an English teacher), and really enjoyed it, and the TV series stayed pretty faithful to the source material. The special effects still hold up well too, so it doesn't have the old Dr. Who shabbiness about it. :smile:

I concur with Reno's judgment of Oldboy, my brother showed that one to me sometime last year, good stuff... if you like that one, you should watch Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, same director, same crazy violence.

Any news on advent children? (FF7 movie for those who dont know)

Just finished watching my taboo "National Treasure" although I admit it had some bloopers, I still think for a fictional accounting of history, it had its moments.

/me liked

Advent Children news has been kinda slow lately, though I'm sure there
will be more news at E3 which isn't too long away now. Lots of
"official sites" for all the FFVII related stuff have been popping up
recently, including the Dirge of Cerberus website (PS2 action game
starring Vincent), Crisis Core website (PSP action RPG, bugger all is
known), and English Advent Children site, but none of them hold any
"new" information as such.

"Don't worry, the pink part didn't touch you" .. "Meet the Focker's"

National Treasure is by far the best bad movie ever made.

I just watched Kung Fu Hustle, it's like a spoof on the standard chinese kung fu movie. Ir's really funny, but also really odd.

"Gay goes both ways"

"Oh, I bet he does."

"Meet the Fockers"

Elektra... f**kin ROX.!

Re-watched "Sum of all fears"

movie was just as upsetting the second time. having lived through the 60's as a child, left its mark on me i reckon.

Kelly's Heroes, with Clint Eastwood. GREAT movie; original, action-filled and with a nice sense of humor.

Andrei said:
Kelly's Heroes, with Clint Eastwood. GREAT movie; original, action-filled and with a nice sense of humor.

Man, I didn't know you liked the oldies.. someday I need to get with you and make a list of "Must see" movies.

while you are waiting, look for "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" .. "Carbine Williams".. "Sargent York"

old to be sure, but classic viewing.

A Bridge Too Far, The Godfather (all of them),Patton, The Dirty Dozen, Kelly's Heroes...they just
don't make movies like that anymore :sad: . I feel like puking
eachtime a Schwarzenegger movie is on.

<br style="font-style: italic;">
Schindler's List; it's a new movie but a very very good one. Spielberg's done a great job with that one; he always does.

[edit]

THE STING! Wonderful movie! The plot was brilliant!