Skippy Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 The Cooler was good. Not really a gambling movie in the vein of Rounders. More of a love story. Still good though.634728[/snapback] Another solid recommendation. I didn't rent it. I just caught it on HBO. Pretty good flick and bonus points since it was set in Vegas. Oh and Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chester Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Nothing to add, except Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chester Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 What's the chances at 3 AM? :doah: :bawling: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miner Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Just watched 'Anchorman' this weekend. Probably one of the most stupid movies I have ever seen. Anyone else think Will Ferrell is just not funny at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vote Quimby2 Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Just watched 'Anchorman' this weekend. Probably one of the most stupid movies I have ever seen. Anyone else think Will Ferrell is just not funny at all? 640259[/snapback] Makes me laugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauders11 Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Watched Garden State last night with the wife- it was o.k., kinda weird, some funny moments, but overall rather boring IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pork chop express Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 I just don't understand the Will Ferrell bashing. Anchorman is head and shoulders above Elf. I have to agree with Man On Fire. Not what I was expecting, but real good. Also rented Festival Express. Awesome documentary of Janis Joplin, The Dead, The Band, and Buddy Guy riding a train through Canada in 1970. Neat to see the musicians party together and then jam on the train. It took place three months before Janis died. It had the promoter on there and he was just saying that the thing lost so much money, but he did not care because he was having such a good time. Pretty cool. Bought it off Amazon for $20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 I just bought and watched Napoleon Dynamite. It was a bit slow at times but dam funny! I brought it into work this morning and in the first hour had a co-worker asking to borrow it. He had heard good things about it during the long weekend... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauders11 Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 I just bought and watched Napoleon Dynamite.It was a bit slow at times but dam funny! I brought it into work this morning and in the first hour had a co-worker asking to borrow it. He had heard good things about it during the long weekend... 640637[/snapback] I Loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phat1 Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 Troy- I thought it was ok. Not great by any means, but the fight between Hector and Achilles is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 I hated Troy; derivative of just about every other latter-day sword-and-sandals epic and screwed with the story too much (I can take creative license with, say, Harry Potter, but the Iliad has been read for oh, about 3000 freakin' years; ya might want to stick to the plot points) Audition - very slow, but the last half hour definitely causes nausea. Triple billed Rounders, The Cooler, and Croupier - gambling flicks but on different levels - Rounders is more of a gambler's gambling flick, The Cooler is on some levels a love story/character study, and Croupier is a character study with some heist-ish elements. All 3 are money, though. Saw the Dawn of the Dead remake; after much b*tching about how unneeded it was, I DO have to admit it was a helluva zombie action flick. Shaun of the Dead is still better, though. I'm also in the minority of Collateral - I thought it was pretty bravura filmmaking that had great tension. Anyone using the "that can't happen in real life" argument of course removes themselves from enjoying Spider-Man or Shrek 2 or whatever, IMO. Re-watched The Heist while in Mexico. Mamet + Hackman + heist flick = much goodness. Plus they shoot that annoying midget DeVito in it, which is always a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 Last theatrical flick I saw was Sideways; terrific flick, and it reminded me of an adult version of Say Anything in many respects - slight, specific story, brilliant performances, great characterizations. And anyone who prefers those 20 year old teeny boppers over fortyish 100% woman Virginia Madsen is quite clearly insane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 Oh, I also watched a French comedy called The Dinner Game which I found to be freakin' hilarious. Much more mature and character based comedy than the fart jokes that make up most of what passes for "humor" in the US these days. Subtitled. Another French film that had some buzz was Irreversible, which was crap aside from a couple scenes that only get props for shock value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 Some of the latest movies i've seen: possible 5 star rating Employee of the Month *** Troy **** Little Black Book ** Anchorman ** Wimbledon **** Napoleon Dynamite * Anacondas *** Manchurian Candidate **** King Arthur *** Surviving Christmas *** I,Robot *** Needless to say, i watch ALOT of movies Ones that will be coming out, that i can't wait to see The Village coming the 11th Catwoman coming the 18th Cellular coming the 18th The Forgotten coming the 18th Friday Night Lights coming the 18th Mr. 3000 coming 2-1-05 It is safe to say the week of the 18th i will be watching some good flicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 last night i watched the first installment of the yakuza papers -- a series of japanese gangster movies from the 70s, sort of godfatheresque, newly released on dvd. recommended if you're someone who thinks 70s japanese gangster flicks sound pretty cool. i also saw the final flick in the goddfrey reggio 'qatsi' trilogy, 'naqoyqatsi'. i thought it was pretty cool, liked it much better than powaqqatsi, the second one. the philip glass soundtrack on the newest one was probably the best of the three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 last night i watched the first installment of the yakuza papers -- a series of japanese gangster movies from the 70s, sort of godfatheresque, newly released on dvd. recommended if you're someone who thinks 70s japanese gangster flicks sound pretty cool. 645042[/snapback] I've heard great stuff about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 last night i watched the first installment of the yakuza papers -- a series of japanese gangster movies from the 70s, sort of godfatheresque, newly released on dvd. recommended if you're someone who thinks 70s japanese gangster flicks sound pretty cool. i also saw the final flick in the goddfrey reggio 'qatsi' trilogy, 'naqoyqatsi'. i thought it was pretty cool, liked it much better than powaqqatsi, the second one. the philip glass soundtrack on the newest one was probably the best of the three. 645042[/snapback] They used Phillip Glass throughout? Excellent. You watch Japanese films? I dont, but a client gave me Ikuru by Kurosawa as a gift and says it is excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 They used Phillip Glass throughout? Excellent. You watch Japanese films? I dont, but a client gave me Ikuru by Kurosawa as a gift and says it is excellent. 645050[/snapback] glass composed all three scores in their entirety, so, you know, they used him throughout on all three. the score for this one is basically a cello concerto, with the solo part being played by yo-yo ma. (those of you who think classical music died and was "hermetically sealed" 80 years ago should definitely give this one a spin) ikiru is one of my favorites. one of kurosawa's most dramatic (least action-oriented) great movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 glass composed all three scores in their entirety, so, you know, they used him throughout on all three. the score for this one is basically a cello concerto, with the solo part being played by yo-yo ma. (those of you who think classical music died and was "hermetically sealed" 80 years ago should definitely give this one a spin) ikiru is one of my favorites. one of kurosawa's most dramatic (least action-oriented) great movies. 645062[/snapback] Yer not such a bad guy for an antagonistic nemesis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 (those of you who think classical music died and was "hermetically sealed" 80 years ago should definitely give this one a spin) 645062[/snapback] At the risk of careening this thread off track, that comment was basically due to the view of a more-than-casual music fan who hears little-to-nothing about modern composers. If it's still a vital, forward-moving enterprise, good for classical, but modern classical doesn't make a dent in the average Joe's consciousness. The last article I read on classical was a bit on how "classical fusion" (i.e. Josh Groban, Charlotte Church) is dominating the classical charts - a state of affairs as odious as Kenny G being considered a "jazz artist" from what I could tell. In other words, if an orchestra plays in the forest and nobody hears it, does it make a sound? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 At the risk of careening this thread off track, that comment was basically due to the view of a more-than-casual music fan who hears little-to-nothing about modern composers. If it's still a vital, forward-moving enterprise, good for classical, but modern classical doesn't make a dent in the average Joe's consciousness. The last article I read on classical was a bit on how "classical fusion" (i.e. Josh Groban, Charlotte Church) is dominating the classical charts - a state of affairs as odious as Kenny G being considered a "jazz artist" from what I could tell. In other words, if an orchestra plays in the forest and nobody hears it, does it make a sound? 645068[/snapback] crap always sells. ALWAYS. that is NOT an appropriate measure of artistic vitality, and it never has been, with music or anything else. how many "great writers" were fully appreciated as such during their own lifetimes? not many. as far as the classical charts...those crappy andrea bocelli, charlotte church discs have a crossover appeal, mostly because they ARE crap, and so they sell well for short amounts of time. real classical fans have thousands of recordings of thousands of works by hundreds of composers available to them, and many of these stay in print and continue to sell for many years because there's ongoing demand. top-40 charts don't take that sort of thing into account. and even if they did, like i said above...popularity doesn't really mean much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 crap always sells. ALWAYS. that is NOT an appropriate measure of artistic vitality, and real classical fans have thousands of recordings of thousands of works by hundreds of composers available to them, and many of these stay in print and continue to sell for many years because there's ongoing demand. top-40 charts don't take that sort of thing into account. and even if they did, like i said above...popularity doesn't really mean much. 645095[/snapback] I don't disagree; but for modern composers, I wouldn't have clue where to start. There are very few media - film, popular music, jazz, lit - that I feel that way about. I'm not saying I'm not partly to blame, but the obscurity (where do you go to get a line on "good" (yeah, subjective term) new classical?) and snobbery (real or merely perceived) often inherent in the classical genre combine to make it both off in it's own quiet little corner and a tad daunting when you're starting from square one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Anyone using the "that can't happen in real life" argument of course removes themselves from enjoying Spider-Man or Shrek 2 or whatever, IMO.645000[/snapback] I disagree with comparing the "that can't happen" with movies like Spider-Man or Shrek. Those are movies that don't really try for a "this could be real" and you know that all along. Not to say that you think any movie is real but when a movie sort of pretends to be a series of real events then the "that can't happen" kicks in for me. At the risk of careening this thread off track645068[/snapback] Done, btw! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 I disagree with comparing the "that can't happen" with movies like Spider-Man or Shrek. Those are movies that don't really try for a "this could be real" and you know that all along. Not to say that you think any movie is real but when a movie sort of pretends to be a series of real events then the "that can't happen" kicks in for me. 645252[/snapback] "Pretends to be a real series of events"? I don't recall Collateral posing as anything but a work of fiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thews40 Posted January 7, 2005 Author Share Posted January 7, 2005 (edited) "Pretends to be a real series of events"? I don't recall Collateral posing as anything but a work of fiction. 645264[/snapback] If you didn't see Collateral, Dawn of the Dead II or Spiderman II and want to don't read this post any further... Did you actually believe the Tom Cruise character would have killed the taxi driver’s mom? Why didn’t he just rent a car and do the dirty deeds? Do you really think a hired gun would walk into a hospital where a camera might ID him? Do you think a high powered lawyer would fall for a taxi driver in a 15 min ride? Full of holes throughout, but if you get past that it was entertaining enough for me. Spiderman II – Poor Spidey… everyone hates the guy. He never catches a break and tries so hard to be so nice to everyone. They tried too hard to portray Spiderman as the underdog. I didn’t buy it. I didn’t like the lobster claw character in II and don’t for the life of me understand why the mechanical claw guy needed to insert spikes into his spine to hold an energy ball. Ever heard of a joystick? This move sucked… just like #1. Dawn of the dead II – I actually saw this movie at the theater. It was ass, but ass is what I expected from it. If I were in a mall and one bite from a zombie would infect me, I think I’d don a leather coat. I’m wasting time in poking holes in this one, one of my buds is a big fan of B flicks and he loved this movie. Still haven’t heard much about I robot or Resident Evil II. Edited January 7, 2005 by Thews40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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