The Official Movie Thread

[Blind Guardian]

Just saw Elephant. This isn't to say that I wasn't affected by the film, I was rather horrified by it actually, but I don't see the point of these kinds of movies. It's clearly not meant as entertainment, but I don't feel that I've learned anything from it either. The only thing the movie does is to give you a feeling of uselessness, that your life can be taken away so easily if someone else just puts his mind to it, but that's just a feeling everyone knows already, albeit jacked up for an hour or so.
I think the mundane objectivity of the whole movie is what makes the crescendo so horrific, but at the same time it's what ruins the whole movie. I'm not saying that the director has to moralize and point fingers and whatnot, but I'd at least expect some kind of thesis or analyzation from him.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

The way I see it, any movie that gives you a strong feeling of anything is a movie that you can reflect upon. I'm extremely insensitive so any movie that can affect me strongly in any way is a valuable one.

Just my take on what the purpose of movies that make you feel like shit is.

 

[Satanstoenail]

My favourite line from the series is when Malcolm describes somebody on the phone as "as useless as a marzipan dildo."

Hah. Malcolm is awesome.


I watched The Road last night. It was written by Cormac McCarthy who wrote No Country For Old Men. Obviously Cormac doesn't hold out to much hope for us humans, lol. It was depressing as hell but extremely well done. I love a good post-apocalyptic tale.

 

[Einherjar86]

I watched The Road last night. It was written by Cormac McCarthy who wrote No Country For Old Men. Obviously Cormac doesn't hold out to much hope for us humans, lol. It was depressing as hell but extremely well done. I love a good post-apocalyptic tale.

It was very well-done. Have you read the book?

 

[no country for old wainds]

'in the loop' is amazing but 'the thick of it' is even better, and alongside 'arrested development' the best sitcom of the last 10+ years

i'm not that fond of 'elephant', much prefer its estonian equivalent 'klass'. i stand by what i said originally about it: mostly about the way little things have their meaning revamped by the shadow of impending death, it's realism transformed into quietly haunting dreamscape by foreshadowing and hindsight, with beethoven as deathmarch and elegy. problem is, it's too cute, its tension and implication feel contrived, kind of like with that other sort of similar critical darling 'united 93'.

prob the best of the 4 van sants i've seen though.

 

[Einherjar86]

I actually thought United 93 was a really good film. Not enjoyable, but good.

 

[challenge_everything]

yeah I can't understand anyone not finding In The Loop hilarious. And I agree, The Thick of It and Arrested Development are the best sitcoms for... pretty much ever. I'll add Coupling to that group too.

Last two movies I watched:

Grave of the Fireflies - found this disappointing. Tries to be an emotional wrecking ball, but I just found it too trite and melodramatic to be effective.

Five Easy Pieces - Jack Nicholson is as brilliant as ever but I didn't quite get what this movie was going for beyond a character study of Nicholson's egotistic womaniser.

 

[Dak]

Went and saw the Green Zone. Although I haven't seen the Hurt Locker yet, I suspect the Green Zone is superior in pretty much every way.

 

[rms]

I wonder if In the Loop is an UK and the prisoners of UK thing

 

[Blind Guardian]

Grave of the Fireflies - found this disappointing. Tries to be an emotional wrecking ball, but I just found it too trite and melodramatic to be effective.

Did someone throw your heart away at birth?

 

[Draehl]

Just watched "Next"- I had seen part of it on TV before but never the entirety. Overall a very good movie- definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but I love that kind of stuff, especially the part in the warehouse where he avoids all the gunfire & explosives and when he initially approached Jessica Biel.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

Went and saw the Green Zone. Although I haven't seen the Hurt Locker yet, I suspect the Green Zone is superior in pretty much every way.

I heard it was really anti american? that true at all?
Hurt Locker wasnt anything special.

I enjoyed Next too

 

[Cythraul]

Did someone throw your heart away at birth?

.

 

[Vossyrus]

i'm not that fond of 'elephant', much prefer its estonian equivalent 'klass'. i stand by what i said originally about it: mostly about the way little things have their meaning revamped by the shadow of impending death, it's realism transformed into quietly haunting dreamscape by foreshadowing and hindsight, with beethoven as deathmarch and elegy. problem is, it's too cute, its tension and implication feel contrived, kind of like with that other sort of similar critical darling 'united 93'.

prob the best of the 4 van sants i've seen though.

I thought Elephant was interesting but not anything great. I agree that Klass is a much better film.

 

[challenge_everything]

Did someone throw your heart away at birth?

It was like an anime version of those weepy midday movies, you know the ones where a mother has to battle to recover her lost baby or some other typically soppy story. It really didn't have much to say other than being sad. Having said that, the dubbed voices were clearly by rubbish American actors, so perhaps that made it worse. I usually try to watch the subtitled version if possible.

 

[Satanstoenail]

It was very well-done. Have you read the book?

No. It's next on my list.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

Grave of the Fireflies - found this disappointing. Tries to be an emotional wrecking ball, but I just found it too trite and melodramatic to be effective.

I completely agree with you.

 

[Dak]

I heard it was really anti american? that true at all?
Hurt Locker wasnt anything special.

I enjoyed Next too

Next is an enjoyable movie. Probably my 2nd favorite Cage movie after Lord of War.

The Green Zone posits that we went into Iraq knowing there were no WMDs, and killed all the leaders of the Baathist regime to cover it up.

I doubt that is too much of a stretch, and I don't see how suggesting we have/had corrupt officials in government is "Anti-American".

There are some military procedure inaccuracies in the movie but I have gotten pretty used to them at this point unless they are over the top.

 

[unknown]

I watched Precious the other night. It was pretty good. I guess I had pretty high expectations after hearing all the reviews and everything about it. It wasn't as long and didn't go as in depth or get nearly as brutal as I hoped it would. There were a few intense scenes. Enjoyable, but I don't know if it was amazing

 

[Einherjar86]

Fuckin' A, this actually looks pretty cool.

http://www.predators-movie.com/