What movies have you seen lately? Now with reviews!Movies 

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Notorious (1946) -- Following the conviction of her German father for treason against the U.S., Alicia Huberman takes to drink and men. She is approached by a government agent who asks her to spy on a group of her father's Nazi friends operating out of Rio de Janeiro. A romance develops between her and the government agent, but she starts to get too involved in her work. Starring Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. One thing I've always liked about Bergman was that she was beautiful... not only attractive as other bombshells from the 1940s and 1950s, but she was also smart; fluent in at least 5 languages, very 'classy' and overall good looking. The movie is very Hitchcock, but not a movie I'd enjoy watching again... it's very slow. Or maybe I should watch it again to appreciate it better; though it'll take me some time to do so again. The first half hour is excruciatingly slow and uneventful, and it's only in the last 40 minutes when stuff starts going on. Still, it's #116 in IMDb's Top 250. 7.5/10
 
Not really a movie, but I checked out the Battlestar Galactica, the original TV series from the 70's.

I just watched the key episodes from the complete series, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. Acting were just about what you'd expect from a show like this, and council members were made up of annoyingly naive, and borderline retards(excuse me). But the plot, especially the moral struggle, it actually made me ponder, once or twice. And some familiar faces; especially Rick from Magnum P.I., and Face from the A-Team were cool. :D

I wish I could give it a B or B+, but what the heck is up with that ending!? At least they didn't drag it out($$$) like my favorite show, "Lost". "B-"
 


Rashômon (1950) -- Directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshirô Mifune. Probably one of the first foreign movies to include the "different points of view" angle into a movie. In this one, a heinous crime and its aftermath are recalled from four differing points of view. This movie is often cited as being the reason why the Oscar's Foreign Movie award was created. It's a very good one, but as it often happens with me and Kurosawa's movies, I have to watch them in short 'sprints' (it took me about 5 days to watch Seven Samurai). And this one, clocking in at less than 90 minutes, really feels like 3 hours, including one of the sorriest sword fights ever. Still, a great classic worth every minute of it. It's #75 in IMDb's Top 250. 8/10
 
Big Kurosawa fan, and he pretty much got me into the foreign film genre(hilarious, considering I'm still technically Japanese). But I've never been impressed by Rashomon. I own the Criterion DVD, the film is still very hyped by the media & the critics, but when I think of my favorite Kurosawa flicks, I'm pretty sure it won't even make my top ten.
 
Really? I liked it, though not a lot. I have issues with Kurosawa's work.

Anyhow,



Some Like it Hot (1959) -- When two musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all female band disguised as women, but further complications set in. Starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, and directed by Billy Wilder, in what must be one of the best comedies of all time. I've also always liked Monroe, though I've heard a good many comments saying she looked ultra hot in this movie, btu she seemed a bit chubby for me. I think she looked better in prrior films, but that's just me. This film is so famous that there is no need going into detail, but for some younger person reading this, don't worry about this being an old-fashioned, boring black-and-white film your parents or grandparents liked but you would find boring. You'll probably like it too. It's #79 in IMDb's Top 250. 9/10

EDIT: Just checked, Monroe was pregnant during filming.
 
500DaysPoster.jpg


500 Days of Summer
This has been on my must-see list for quite some time. When news of the film started flying around last year during Sundance, my excitement could not have been contained. The best news is that it lived up to all of my expectations, but at the same time, my soul feels both brutally beaten, but also uplifted. Basically, this is not the love story that Mom and Dad grew up watching. This is not meant to be what we see and hear in our movies in music. This is supposed to be a love story that more accurately reflects real life. The truth in the situation is that it does, to the point at which I don't see how any guy would be able to see this movie and not relate to some part of it.

The main character, Tom, is your average twenty-something hipster that appears to be a hopeless romantic. Summer, much the same, appears to instead sees love as something false, never to be counted on. They meet, they date, and we watch what happens. Not in order, but jumping around in much the same way that you or I would look back on any relationship. Happy ending? Depends on what you're looking for. This is not your typical romantic comedy, and that's what makes it so perfect.

The comparisons to 2005's Garden State are inevitable. In my mind, I see both as very important movies for very different reasons. Personally, Garden State played a major role in the beginning of the end for my High School life. But, while that has still had a lasting effect on my view of relationships with people on multiple levels, 500 Days of Summer narrows that focus further, and hits home almost too hard. I'm on the verge of the end of my career at college, my relationships have all been disastrous as of late, and in the end, it hits me in the gut. Relationships suck, and as they clearly demonstrate in the movie in possibly the most clever thing I've seen in a while... Its about life's reality meeting your own expectations, on both ends of a relationship.

Do I flag this down as the best movie about relationships that I've seen? Not quite. But does it get a special place in my heart? Most-definitely. Do yourself a favor and go see it. Its worth the $10.

500 Days of Summer
10/10
 
Twilight - (Why God why/I knew better)
My wife has had this on our Netflix queue for a while and I kept pushing it down, but she finally caught on, so we got it in last night and watched it. It makes no sense. Parts of vampire lore are changed, but in a way to romanticize them even more (they're so beautiful), when it could have been done in a way to explain why she isn't lunch. It makes no sense. It is like they took the Joss Whedon concept of good vs bad vampires and added tons of stupid. The writing was bad, the plot was contrived, the acting was so horrible that I am not surprised to find the chick that played Bella is getting replaced, and it is just an overall bad teen romance tale with a butchered vampire story thrown in to make it not just a teen romance.

Of course, as I was watching it I found myself making MST3K/Riff Trax style comments to the point that my wife asked me to stop or turn it off so she could watch it later in peace. So, I hushed but quickly picked up the laptop and found that, yes, RiffTrax has done Twilight. Bought and downloaded. This film will be getting a proper Riffing view before it is sent back. I'll leave my comments on that in the Riff Trax thread once I do that. The film is so bad that it will likely feel like a proper MST3K viewing.
 
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Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood, 2008)

Wow. The less you know about this film, the better - so all I will do is praise this brilliant film. I can't say that I've cried during many films - I could probably count them on the fingers of one hand - but this film knocked me out. I never rated Eastwood as an actor much until I saw "Unforgiven", which was very impressive - both his performance and his directorship. But I would argue that he has surpassed himself on both counts in this movie. Unmissable. 10/10
 
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Touring Mars
Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood, 2008)
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I can't disagree with a single word of that, I had no idea what to expect before I went to see it at the cinema and it was mind blowing. The effect isn't lessened when watching it a 2nd time on DVD either.

As for me, I've just seen Wall E for the first time ever, having bought it on Blu Ray. I can now say that I've cried at an animated film. It's easily one of the best films I've ever seen, it's genuinely touching and emotional and yet the two main characters never even speak. It's amazing what the human mind can do at times.

10/10
 
Gran Torino was a great film, and it was pretty cool that it was shot in Detroit (yes the are a lot of parts that bad, some worse). It's up there with one of the best films I think I've ever seen...granted I haven't seen a lot of epic films.
 
From the one's I've seen, I rate the Million Dollar Baby as "the" best Eastwood film. How would you rate Gran Torino to that?
 
a6m5
From the one's I've seen, I rate the Million Dollar Baby as "the" best Eastwood film. How would you rate Gran Torino to that?
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Haven't seen it yet, but I'll definitely be adding it to my rental queue 👍
 
Star Trek XI was actually better than I thought. The music was good too, and judging from the amount of fan fiction this movie has already generated, I'd say that The Next Generation is taking the Trek as their own.

yeah, bad pun I know..
 
Cars
I got this on Blu Ray together with Wall E and watched it tonight. First off, the quality is simply stunning in HD, the cars look like they're being rendered live infront of you and the effects are dazzling. Luckily the film itself was just as impressive. A great storyline with some brilliant little references and car/set designs combined with some decent, light hearted humour make a good film.

Plus there was a Fiat 500 in it. :D

9/10 (It only missed out on 10 because it wasn't as good as Wall E)
 
I agree both Gran Torino and Unforgiven are good movies! I have been a long time fan of Clint Eastwood. It started with the tv series Rawhide, Eastwood( Rowdy Yates ) play a cowboy. That is probably to old for most of you, but that is where it started for me. Oh and don't forget! MAKE MY DAY PUNK!

Has anybody watched G.I. Joe? I do like Sci Fi movies!

P.S. I'm a kid at heart! I go to the movies with my grandkids! Most of movies we watch are cartoons or animated if you will, and i ask them if they want to go! So i don't have to go buy my self.:sly::sly:
 
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Flags of Our Fathers
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The action scenes are very much a "Saving Private Ryan" in the Pacific theatre. The emotive scenes are well done and generally the plot flows nicely. At first I did find it quite confusing, but mostly because I'm incapabale of remembering names first time.

9/10
 
FLASH48
Has anybody watched G.I. Joe?
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Plenty have.

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I watched The Mod Squad last night. I seem to remember that it was better when it was released in '99. The acting is pitiful, they make jokes about other action movies ("I'm getting too old for this 🤬" was awesome coming from Glover, but sucks from Danes) because apparently the writing wasn't pitiful enough already, there are more holes in the plot than there are in a wheel of Baby Swiss, etc.

In looking at the imdb page for it, I was shocked to see that it had received 3 award nominations, until I discovered that those were for soundtrack, best teen movie (Really? It is rated R, at least in the US so hopefully late teens) and the last one was a Razzie for worst screenplay. Can't say I disagree with any of that, which apparently explains why I liked it in '99. I didn't turn it off, so it's far from the worst movie I've seen. 4/10.
 
District 9 - (9.9/10)
Yes, you see that score correctly. This is the best movie this year, hands down. I go into a lot more detail here. This is a smart, intelligent, making you think, stuff goes boom too, great story that brings great characterization and actually makes the viewers understand the aliens and feel for them. I did not find a plot hole in the story <GASP!> but I still saw crap go boom. Basically, the action was part of the story as opposed to the story being tacked on to the action sequences to connect them.

For those who react to criticism of Wolverine, Transformers, Terminator Salvation, and GI Joe (to a small degree Star Trek), and those type of movies with, "What did you expect, Citizen Kane?" My answer is; No, I expected this.

Go see this film.


EDIT: I just wanted to add this for parents: Not for kids.

For 2009 my favorite films, in order, are:

  1. District 9
  2. Up
  3. Watchmen (Director's Cut)

Star Trek gets an honorable mention for not sucking.
 
I've been catching much critical hype surrounding District 9, and though I HATE going to theaters, I was thinking about this and that Inglorious Bastards. This one is a lock now.

The part about how action scenes are forced into movies, that is so true. 👍 With the exceptions of younger audience, or casual movie goers, I think the most have realized how "big budget" doesn't really go a long way, this day and age. Personally, I rarely feel any excitement from action scenes anymore, just totally uninvolved.

Once in awhile, they get it right, and it really shouldn't be that way. Executives and the producers are to be blamed for this, probably.
FoolKiller
For those who react to criticism of Wolverine, Transformers, Terminator Salvation, and GI Joe (to a small degree Star Trek), and those type of movies with, "What did you expect, Citizen Kane?" My answer is; No, I expected this.
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How is Citizen Kane going to support your case? Sorry, I couldn't resist. Rated #1 all-time film by many, I couldn't even finish it, last time around. :P

I liked the T4, but Transformers, that was a pure corporate garbage. When the product placement turns into a big TV commercial......... I should just stop here. After what they did to Transformers, I'm not spending my money on GI Joe. And the trailer, with the exception of the Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow sword fight bit, it looked laughably bad. One of those, "when I get around to it" rental for me.

P.S. Oh, yeah. I caught that Wayans character's actually Ripcord? And I was disappointed when they put some pretty boy to play Storm Shadow. :lol: Who's playing Roadblock? Steve Buscemi? Just do whatever you want, man. Whatever you want. This generation kids will grow up believing the Bumblebee's a Camaro, too!
 
a6m5
How is Citizen Kane going to support your case? Sorry, I couldn't resist. Rated #1 all-time film by many, I couldn't even finish it, last time around. :P
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I am not comparing District 9 to Citizen Kane, but what I put in quotes is an exact comment I have seen on movie sites in response to negative reviews. It is a typical defense for a movie with a negative review based on bad movie-making in general. It is often preceded by, "Dude, stuff blew up and looked cool and that chick was hot."
 
FoolKiller
I am not comparing District 9 to Citizen Kane, but what I put in quotes is an exact comment I have seen on movie sites in response to negative reviews. It is a typical defense for a movie with a negative review based on bad movie-making in general. It is often preceded by, "Dude, stuff blew up and looked cool and that chick was hot."
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I know that. I was just kidding about the people who'd bring up Citizen Kane as this Classic film, as there are many who find it very boring.
 


Amadeus (1984) -- The incredible story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, told in flashback mode by Antonio Salieri - now confined to an insane asylum, supposedly for murdering Mozart. It's one of those movies which takes a different approach to the life of someone, which may or may not be true. I personally think it ridiculized Mozart, made him appear like an idiot savant and rather dumb. Sure, he was a great comoposer, but a complete buffoon, which (again) may or may not be true, especially because there isn't apparently a great deal of data on the history of Mozart as a person. Still, I think the movie spent longer trying to portray Mozart as what they do than actually telling the story of his contributions to the world. It's #86 in IMDb's Top 250, but I give it a 6/10
 
a6m5
I know that. I was just kidding about the people who'd bring up Citizen Kane as this Classic film, as there are many who find it very boring.
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The Citizen Kane comment works when referring to a critical review as it is critically acclaimed. If you were to make the argument based on fan sales or something then they would have to say, "What did you expect, Transformers?"

Although, I personally feel a Star Wars (original trilogy) comparison is best. Solid story, good acting, good characters, and a fun sci-fi action film loved by all (most). Unfortunately, not even George Lucas can do that in Hollywood today. It requires a small unknown nobody with no budget, running under the radar to do it.
 
My theory is that District 9 is the sequel to The Fly with Jeff Goldblum, and takes place 1000 years later. Think about it.
 
Woodstock.jpg


Woodstock (1970)

The weekend just past marked the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock festival, and BBC Four marked the occasion by showing this 3-hour plus film/documentary. Considering that the organisers of the festival had no clue as to how huge the event would turn out to be, the film makers too presumably wouldn't have known what they were about to film - however, they captured the event in spectacular detail. The film is interesting on many levels, and the use of a split-screen format is very effective - occasionally used to show the same thing from two different angles (Joe Cocker's frantic wailing and gyrating) or to frame two close-ups simultaneously. Often, the performance is on one panel and the crowd is juxtaposed on the other to great effect.

However, the cinematography is not exactly the main attraction here. To this day, the Woodstock festival of 1969 still has to rank as perhaps the greatest live music show ever. There are some notable absences - Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Simon & Getfunky etc., some even more memorable inclusions - Santana, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and some surprisingly great performances from Sly and The Family Stone and Crosby, Stills & Nash. All told, the line-up is frankly stellar, and many of the performances are now considered legendary - particularly Hendrix's searing rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner.

The film fortunately doesn't dwell on any artist for too long, and moves along nicely. The musical performances are interspersed with interviews with folks from the crowd, artists and the event organisers/hosts, which give a revealing insight into popular culture at the time, some are curiously anachronistic, while others are eerily reminiscent of more recent comments - note the paranoid comments of one reveller who insisted that the media and the government were trying to silence them by 'seeding the clouds' and making it rain :lol:

All in all, it's a great film and a must-watch for any fan of rock music. Probably going to have to add this to my Amazon wishlist now too. 8/10
 


8½ (1963) -- One of those international must-watch movies, however slow it may be. It's about a harried movie director who retreats into his memories and fantasies. Works especially well since he's just come from making a blockbuster and is debating whether the next movie should go the same route as the previous one, or make a more artsy/deep one. The movie's all ready to go, except that the director hasn't even thought of what he wants to make... I felt completely identified with the character since I work in advertising creativity and always find myself in that position; the same day it has to be sent to the client I am sometimes still thinking what I'll do and constantly get distracted over anything. The movie is also about making what FEELS right vs. what the rest of the world wants. It's one of those movies which has you talking about it a long time after watching it. Very recommendable, though you'll have to arm yourself with copious amounts of caffeine and maybe even consider watching it in short stretches. It's directed by Federico Fellini, in case you're interested. #154 in IMDb's Top 250. 8.5 (ha!)/10
 
Tom Servo


Amadeus (1984) -- The incredible story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, told in flashback mode by Antonio Salieri - now confined to an insane asylum, supposedly for murdering Mozart. It's one of those movies which takes a different approach to the life of someone, which may or may not be true. I personally think it ridiculized Mozart, made him appear like an idiot savant and rather dumb. Sure, he was a great comoposer, but a complete buffoon, which (again) may or may not be true, especially because there isn't apparently a great deal of data on the history of Mozart as a person. Still, I think the movie spent longer trying to portray Mozart as what they do than actually telling the story of his contributions to the world. It's #86 in IMDb's Top 250, but I give it a 6/10
Click to expand...

Yes, they did not do a great job portraying Mozart. In real life, he was not a giggling buffoon. I know, because I did a research paper on him for college. I read tons of details about his personality from accounts of many different people who knew or worked with him. In real life, he was more quiet and calculating with his words and thought.

However, he was huge 'spoiled little brat' and had an enormous ego. He was also a merry, debauched drunk and when sober, a snappy petulant. Sounds like a modern day rock star, doesn't he? He was also every bit as genius depicted in the movie. Also, he was very sophomoric, and sometimes vile, with his enormous sense of humor and all the while being charismatic and magnetic.

While I didn't care for his character portrayal in the movie, it was still an amazing story that was extremely well done.
 

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