What movie did you watch today?

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jamrage
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Post by jamrage »

Comedy Quaddafi wrote:Image

The Experiment (2010) - What happens when you give a guy power? He suddenly turns in to evil itself. This is a juvenile pop-psychology thriller with empty left-slanted pocketphilosophy you would hear in a high school cantina. No wonder it was D2V. It tries to say things about the nature of authority and humanity and fails miserably, so miserably that it's damn near offensive. Moving beyond the condescending and misanthropic propaganda it's rather dumb and implausible alltogether. That would be tolerable if the movie didn't take itself so seriously, seeing angsty Brody dream of his romantic interest and going to India was painful, so was Whittaker's poorly written monologues which he tries to deliver the best he can - to his credit, or how about the guard who resorts to gaysex because he hasn't been able to wank for 48 hours, or the dramatic background-music everytime some little non-issue is happening on the screen. Apparently it's a remake of a German movie, it has to be better than this muck. The best part of the movie was seeing Adrien Brody being pissed on, that'll teach him to finish his supper.

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Tetsuo the Iron Man (1989) - Whoa. WTF?!
Totally agree with you about both movies.

Tetsuo is incredible, and it's the first in a trilogy. Fucking weird, but totally awesome movie. Been a while since I've seen it, so saddingly I can't get into much more detail. I haven't been able to get my hands on the second film, but the third one came out in the last couple years.
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Post by Dan »

Here's what I watched this week:

Midnight in Paris (2011) - As much as I love Woody Allen, this was the first film of his that I have seen in a theater.
I love when Woody stars in his films, but as heג€™s gotten older, now he just writes and directs, though I have heard that in his next film, he will appear on screen, so Iג€™m excited for that.
As for this film, Owen Wilson did a great job. If this were made 25 years ago, Woody wouldג€™ve played the lead. I felt that Owen captured Woody in his performance.
I wasnג€™t as impressed with Rachel McAdams, though there were a couple nice scenes of her from behind, so that was nice to watch.
The story was pretty cool. It wonג€™t go down in my top 5 Woody Allen films, well, maybe if I went with ones in which he only wrote/directed.

Lג€™avventura (1960) - Italian film that starts off in one direction and then almost ignores what it started with to end in a different way.
A group of friends head out on a yacht and decide to explore a volcanic rock in the Mediterranean. One of the women goes missing, so her boyfriend and the rest comb the area to find her. While searching, the boyfriend and her best friend end up falling for each other. Days go by and the girl still hasnג€™t been found, but there are leads that the group are pursuing, but as the days go by, the focus moves more and more on the new relationship and less on finding the missing girl. At one point, the new love interest meets up with a fellow group member and the
girl isnג€™t even immediately brought up. I would think their first sentence would be, ג€œhey, has Anna been found yet?ג€
Aside from that, this film was very good. It was a mystery about finding someone that turned into a film about finding yourself.

Les bas-fonds aka The Lower Depths (1936) - The plot of this film seemed so familiar to me, but I just couldnג€™t place it. It wasnג€™t until after it was finished that I looked it up on IMDB and found that Akira Kurosawa remade it about 20 years later. I had seen Kurosawaג€™s version just last year.
Pretty sure I started posting my reviews on here last year, so that review would be on here. I havenג€™t checked, but Iג€™m sure I enjoyed Kurosawaג€™s, I really donג€™t remember, but I really liked this one.

Le Corbeau aka The Raven (1943) - French mystery about a doctor in a small town that is being slandered in hand-written letters that are mailed out to people of the town. All the letters are signed by a person using the alias, Le Corbeau (The Raven).
It was really good. It keeps you guessing on whoג€™s behind the letters and also if these slanderous things are actually true or not.

Cl

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Post by Comedy Quaddafi »

jamrage wrote: Tetsuo is incredible, and it's the first in a trilogy. Fucking weird, but totally awesome movie. Been a while since I've seen it, so saddingly I can't get into much more detail. I haven't been able to get my hands on the second film, but the third one came out in the last couple years.
My introduction to the Tetsuo-world was seeing the third one blindly at a festival. I didn't like the movie but it's one of my most intense cinema-experiences, it's like riding a metro at 1000mph while someone is agressively clicking a pen in your ear. Had to see the first one to kinda get a better feel of what it's all about. First one is bonkers too but less hectic editing and more coherent symbolism makes it a better movie and overall really cool, it stayed with me for a few days and I dig it now the initial shock/confusion has settled.

Check out Tokyo Fists also by Tsukamoto if you haven't, it's a very raw meditation on masculinity and urban living. I'll eventually dig deeper but that's my favorite of his so far.
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Post by drizzle »

the raven is a wildly underrated Clouzot, you chose wizely there
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Post by jamrage »

Comedy Quaddafi wrote:
jamrage wrote: Tetsuo is incredible, and it's the first in a trilogy. Fucking weird, but totally awesome movie. Been a while since I've seen it, so saddingly I can't get into much more detail. I haven't been able to get my hands on the second film, but the third one came out in the last couple years.
My introduction to the Tetsuo-world was seeing the third one blindly at a festival. I didn't like the movie but it's one of my most intense cinema-experiences, it's like riding a metro at 1000mph while someone is agressively clicking a pen in your ear. Had to see the first one to kinda get a better feel of what it's all about. First one is bonkers too but less hectic editing and more coherent symbolism makes it a better movie and overall really cool, it stayed with me for a few days and I dig it now the initial shock/confusion has settled.

Check out Tokyo Fists also by Tsukamoto if you haven't, it's a very raw meditation on masculinity and urban living. I'll eventually dig deeper but that's my favorite of his so far.
Shit, it's not available on Netflix either.

I will try and check it out when I can though.
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Post by jamrage »

Just watched Lumet's "Prince of the City", and what a disappointment it was. Treat Williams was fucking awful in this. That's a shame because this could have been a very good movie if it had been played with more gravitas by a better actor. A phenomenal supporting cast was also wasted here. I know this was something of a melodrama, but Jesus Christ Williams was bad.

6 outta 10
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Post by aleph »

Prince of the City was Lumet's magnum opus, but it took a couple of viewings for me to get it. Treat Williams' perf is a love it or hate it thing. Yes, he was over-the-top, but I think of it more as "operatic".

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Post by jamrage »

aleph wrote:Prince of the City was Lumet's magnum opus, but it took a couple of viewings for me to get it. Treat Williams' perf is a love it or hate it thing. Yes, he was over-the-top, but I think of it more as "operatic".
:lol: :lol:

No way.
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Lakeview Terrace (2008)
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Hilarious thriller about an interracial couple moving next door to a creepy, racist cop played by Samuel L. Jackson. There is an abundance of failure in this movie, it's heavy handed symbolism of the encroaching bush fire linked with the heated feud between both neighbours is one major example. This film reminded me a lot of your average My Two Cents thread metamorphosing into the film Unlawful Entry - stupidity, baiting and psycho meltdowns. As silly as the movie was, it kept me entertained, even it's predictable Hollywood bullshit outcome. I really dug the scene where Sam put a stop to his daughter's engrained slut potential, the bane of many woes encountered by worried fathers that transcends racial boundaries. You tell her, Sam!

<object width="425" height="349"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kwscRadM8cA?ve ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kwscRadM8cA?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="349" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

The Fiend (1971)
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As someone who completely nerds out when an old obscure british horror film is in my hands, this failed to live up to my expectations. The Fiend was a weak and dull attempt at religious horror. I could forgive it's low budget look, but there was fuck all atmosphere on offer and the cast including the always riveting, over the top hamminess of Patrick Magee was poorly managed in this film. The film is about a cruel, bible bashing, funky gospel singing cult led by a sadistic Magee who teaches his doctrine to his followers while one of them, a security guard and part-time life guard is in fact a righteous serial killer. The film's continuous message of religion being bad got so repetitive, that it choked the very life out of the film. Despite it's overall sleaziness (

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Post by Comedy Quaddafi »

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Hair Extensions (2006) - Maybe the best ever movie about murderous hair-extensions. I gave it a look because with Sono at the wheel you know he will do something interesting with it. And it's a fairly crazy piece of genre-blend, you get the average j-horror tropes which he toys around with in a spoofy manner, then there's some very serious drama which was my favorite part, the excellent Chiaki (the teen-killer from Kill Bill) is a great heroine and she is a great actor to boot. There's also some moments of comedy which didn't work as well for me. The design of the hair-murders is ridiculously good and apparently they barely used CGI. Mostly it's for Sono fans I guess, but I thought it was decent.
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[quote]Given only a limited 3-D release upon its opening, Hitchcockג€™s Dial M is rarely seen in its original double-system NaturalVision form: two projectors synchronized to give maximum brightness, color and depth. (A 3-D reissue in the early 80s converted the film to an inferior single-projector process.) Quintessential cool blonde (and Hitchcock favorite) Grace Kelly stars as a society woman for whom jealous husband Ray Milland arranges the perfect murder. But thanks to a well-placed pair of scissors, the tables are turned and Millandג€™s carefully-laid plans begin to disintegrate. Hitchcock used a rapid 36-day shooting schedule, and was dismissive of 3-D itself (ג€œA nine-day wonder, and I came in on the ninth dayג€). He refused to open out the hit play by Frederick Knott (author of another masterpiece of unknown terror, Wait Until Dark), confining most of the action to one set, and setting his cameras in a pit to get low-angle shots designed to emphasize depth and to give the film a theatricality and claustrophobia
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Post by Spartan »

Damn, that must have been incredible.

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Post by Spartan »

I need to see Hair Extensions.

Somebody Help Me (2007)
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Shite.

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Post by Tommy Bunz »

:lol:

I can't believe you, or anyone who isn't a 14 year old girl, watched that.
No offense, of course.

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Post by Spartan »

I'm steering clear of the sequel.

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Post by Spartan »

Ogroff (aka Mad Mutilator) (1983)
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Written and directed by a complete imbecile called N.G. Mount, I found this utterly retarded spatterfest wholly fascinating. From a technical standpoint, it's about as professionally competent a job as you would expect if you asked a sewage worker to perform a triple heart bypass. I read somewhere that the sound was apparently lost and that would explain some of the hilarious post-production sound effects, to it's credit, the synth score was surprisingly effective. The film follows the antics of the violent, masked cannibalistic, war hero - Ogroff. His daily routine seems to be chopping up women and children (shot very graphically), masturbating with his axe and riding his bike through the French countryside. That's the first half of the film, the second part abruptly turns into a zombie movie and Ogroff is now some chivalrous dude out to rescue his sweetheart from the undead. Add to the mix the final closing minutes features a vampire priest and that about wraps this extremely amateur, z-grade, horror obscurity. At times, Ogroff reminded me of a sick and twisted interpretation of a Buster Keaton silent movie. Much like other trashy WTF gems from the so-bad-it's-good pantheon, such as Nail Gun Massacre, Night of the Demon and Devil Hunter, this was right up there with the best of them. A complete botch-job of a film and one that would make Ebert's jaw drop if he had one, this was so enjoyable that I'm now wishing for an official DVD release of this.

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Post by Dan »

Here's what I watched this week:

Ostre sledovan

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Post by Tommy Bunz »

Man, I found Europa really enchanting but I'm a pretty big Von Trier fan. That scene at the end where the body is floating through the train car is amazing, still blows my mind trying to figure out how they filmed that.

Summertime sucks. I love David Lean but seriously fuck that movie.

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Post by Spartan »

For Your Height Only (1979)
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A cinematic masterpiece.

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Post by drizzle »

Spartan wrote:For Your Height Only (1979)
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A cinematic masterpiece.
there is another skywalker

actually, 3 or 4 apparently

but i've found none except FYHO
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Post by Spartan »

i'm guessing FYHO wasn't the original title since the Bond one it parodies was from '81.

the english dubbing is on some seriously next level shit, "very petite like a potato".

<object width="425" height="349"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SsM-UUBHH0A?ve ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SsM-UUBHH0A?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="349" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

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Post by Andvil »

I say "ow my little head" out loud probably once a week

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Post by Dan »

Here's what I watched this week:

Another Woman (1988) - Woody Allen wrote/directed this, but doesnג€™t show up on camera in this drama about mid-life crisis.
It was good, but didnג€™t come across as a Woody Allen film, then again, neither did Interiors, so what the hell do I know? I canג€™t always expect self-deprecating sex life jokes.

Frankenstein (1931) - The original classic from Universal Pictures. I love it when old horror films have intros warning the audience at how frightening the film theyג€™re about to watch is. I wish I could go back in time and see audience reactions just to see if it was all a gimmick or if people really were passing out or screaming in horror at the sights scene on screen.
Another thing I really liked was the cast list in the opening credits. It looked like this:

Colin Clive...........................Henry Frankenstein
Mae Clark............................Elizabeth
John Boles..........................Victor Moritz
The Monster........................X

It was just funny to me keeping the actors name as a mystery. However, It was revealed in the end credits.
As for the film, this was very good. It was cool seeing this after recently watching the Spanish film, The Spirit of the Beehive, and spotting how much footage they used from this film.

The Leopard (1963) - From the start I was extremely bored with this, but I trudged through the 160+ minutes. When it mercifully ended, I went to its IMDB page to read about it and maybe find out why Criterion thought this was a worthy title for their collection.
I discovered that there are many cuts to this film, all much longer than the version I sat through. I also found out that thereג€™s an Italian language version which received much praise. The one that received the worst reviews was the one I watched, a butchered cut with dubbed voices.
I watched this on Instant Netflix, not knowing about different cuts. I just saw that it was a Criterion and expected the best. This was the only version available.
I donג€™t know if Iג€™ll ever attempt to revisit this film with the proper cut. It kinda left a sore spot for me. Not sure my hatred could subside...at least not in the near future.

Panic (2000) - William H. Macy stars in this film about a hired hitman who one day realizes what heג€™s doing is bad, so he decides to visit a psychiatrist. There, he meets a much younger sex crazed woman, who seems to have her psychiatrist appointments scheduled at the same times.
Macy is great in this and so is his father, played by Donald Sutherland. One of the best performances is by the kid that plays Macyג€™s son. Heג€™s probably 6-years-old, but he was very good.
It just seems a little silly that as old as Macy is, he comes to terms that killing is bad.
It was still decent though.

Easy Money (1983) - Rodney Dangerfield plays a guy obsessed with drinking, smoking, gambling, drugs, etc... When the family discovers that his extremely wealthy mother-in-law has perished in a plane crash, her will states that $10 million will go to him and his family if he avoids his vices for one whole year.
That premise was pretty cool. Itג€™s the stupid subplot in this that annoyed me. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays his oldest daughter and sheג€™s marrying a Puerto Rican. Apparently sheג€™s a virgin that never had the sex talk with her parents. Sheג€™s bothered by this and scared to consummate on her wedding night. Thereג€™s even a scene in a hotel room where sheג€™s slithering away from her husband because sheג€™s scared to have sex with him.
Take all that out and you have a nice 45 minute short film.
Rodney is great, as expected, and his best friend in the film is none other than Joe Pesci. They were a good team.

Taps (1981) - A long standing military academy is being shutdown in a year so that condominiums can be built in its place. This angers the General as well as all the young cadets.
After an unfortunate accident, the General is hospitalized with a heart attack. The kids are told they can go home while he recuperates. Instead, the 12-17 year-olds decide to take matters into their own hands and defend their academy, first standing up to the state police and then it escalates so the National Guard gets involved.
I know as a viewer youג€™re supposed to cheer on the kids and hope they prevail against the adults, but I had the total opposite reaction. I wanted to see these brats get slaughtered. I kept waiting for a tank to just wipe out the building they were in.
I did find it laughable that the nearest bunker to the front gate was being guarded by two 12-year-olds. Yeah, thatג€™s who Iג€™d want at the front of the line in case the ג€œenemyג€ approached.
It did have somewhat of a happy ending...at least for me.

Pollock (2000) - A biopic on the artist, Jackson Pollock.
To be completely honest, I knew nothing of this guy other than that he was an artist. I didnג€™t know the era he lived in, the kind of artist he was, why he was worthy of a biopic, and whether or not he was still living.
Ed Harris directed and stars as Pollock. As a film, I thought this was great. I donג€™t know how accurate Harrisג€™ portrayal of Pollock was, but I thought it was an outstanding role.
Iג€™d like to think I learned something about Pollock from watching this. It was an entertaining film, regardless.

La passion de Jeanne dג€™Arc aka The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) - A silent film that gave true meaning to the word ג€˜silent.ג€™ Iג€™ve seen several silent films and while thereג€™s typically no dialog, thereג€™s usually music accompaniment. This did not. It was still extremely captivating.
A French film based on the real life trial of Joan of Arc, a 19-year-old woman who believed God talked with her, telling her to defend France against the English. Ultimately she is captured and burned at the stake, only to be declared a martyr years after her death.
This was very good. The girl who played Joan was great.

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Post by aleph »

Think of it this way, if you didn't see the original cut of The Leopard you really haven't seen it. I saw it twice on the big screen, but the dvd more than suffices. The blu-ray edition is supposed to be even more breathtaking, if that's at all possible.

I should say that I also saw the dubbed, cut version the 1st time around and like you, was totally bored.

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Image

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Post by Spartan »

Rififi (1955)
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Perfect beginning, middle and end.

Big Tits Zombie (2010)
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I had very low expectations for this z-grade horror comedy, but this was pretty enjoyable.

The Pack (2010)
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Oddest horror film I've seen in quite a while. Don't want to go into too much detail, but it's highly recommended despite it's flaws. Perhaps the best from last year.

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Post by Comedy Quaddafi »

Spartan wrote:"very petite like a potato".
Best moment along with the menacing floating hat.

Good to hear you really liked The Pack.
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Post by LilLeftBrain »

all caught up on the hairy potts now
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Deathly Hallows pt1

felt a lot like stalling. has there ever been a series than embodies 'show don't tell' more than harry potter? seven movies in and asides from taking out rpattz (and harrys parents, sight unseen) voldemort really hasn't done shit, though we are told relentlessy that he embodies badassdom. no nose knows like he's whos nose knows no grows. not even gonna lie, the death of dobby was sad shit, but i thought they weregonna end this w/ luna dying (speaking of murdering you on your own shit, she's had like seven scenes in the series and she's by far my favorite ((snapes the obvious answer, but)) and that would have sent me into a rage.
the animation sequence explaining the deathly hallows was ridiculously ill
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Norwegian Ninja (2010)
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Bonkers cold war action thriller set in the early 80's dealing with an elite force of norwegian ninjas and their escalating feud with another covert organisation called Stay Behind. Mixing real life news events at the time with preposterous and farcical elements (eg. stone statues that knock would-be invaders down with feng shui) is what the film truly excels in. The film is about a real life diplomat figure called Arne Treholt who was sentenced to twenty years for treason and aiding the KGB and in this bizarre film he is a bad-ass ninja commando leader. It's really difficult to describe this film as it's so unique in style that I don't think I can compare it to anything else I've ever seen. The humor is strictly a very acquired taste so much so, I might have missed many of the gags on my first proper sit thru (i fell asleep from being jet-lagged last time). The running time is only about seventy minutes and I honestly lost count how many surreal moments the film had, it was that many. Well worth watching if you're looking for something utterly unique and truly out there. Looking forward to watching this one again.

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Post by drizzle »

alright i'm glad you came back with a more favorable take, i was worried
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