Off Topic: Movies - General Discussion

[romster]

I finally got around to seeing Amelie. I *loved* it. What a wonderful movie.

[Lions West Coast]

Ocean's Twelve was a bit of a disappointment.

There's a good amount of pleasure to be taken from the smaller character moments where the actors are clearly enjoying themselves, but it lacks the sense of an epic heist from the first film and the resolution of the major plot points seem to rely on "just one more twist" rather than strong storytelling.

And the whole "Julia Roberts" subplot was a bad idea that never should have made it onto the screen...

[Lions West Coast]

Spanglish is an interesting stew of a film, very much in the James Brooks mode. This is being pitched as an offbeat comedy with Adam Sandler in the mix, but in fact it's more of a domestic drama with the comedy coming more from "moments of life" than scripted jokes.

Sandler is closer in tone here to Punch Drunk Love than his typical, although this film isn't nearly as over-the-top strange. Sandler is a successful chef married to Tea Leoni (really good) where the cracks in the family facade are broken open after the arrival of a Mexican housekeeper and her daughter.

Describing this film in terms of plot doesn't really do it justice, though... I keep coming back to "it's a James Brooks movie", and I guess you either understand that or you don't. Recommended for those who liked As Good As It Gets.

[unknown lions fan]

I finally got around to watching 2001 - A Space Odyssey last night and today. It's one of those "classics" that I've never seen.

While I appreciate that the effects and visuals were years ahead of their time, it was tedious to watch. I fell asleep on it last night, and had to prop my eyes open to finish it today. After the first quarter, I started wearing out my FF button to zoom through the 20 minute planet scenes.

[kayrone]

I caught a rather enjoyable flick called Full Frontal the other night. It had David Hyde Pierce, Catherine Keener, & Blair Underwood in it (among others). I don't remember ever hearing anything about it, but I would definitely recommend it. But don't get your hopes up...the title had nothing to do with the plot.

[Lions West Coast]

Full Frontal is one of Soderbergh's "experimental" films... overlapping timelines, film-within-a-film, actors playing "themselves" (a trick also recycled in Ocean's Twelve), and some very stylized cinematography that looks like it came from a $50 camcorder.

I thought it didn't hang together very well at all, and I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a general interest film. It's going to be an overly challenging view for most.

[kayrone]

well what do you know

[SeattleLionsFan]

LWC-

How on earth do you know so much about everything? Impressive to say the least!

[Lions West Coast]

How on earth do you know so much about everything?

I don't waste my time on things like law school... :P

[Markzilla]

Rom, I loved Amelie! A very clever flick, the characters were well developed and the plot was pretty funny!

ULF: I hear ya. I felt the opening sequence was overly long for 2001, although it has one of the most marvelous edits in history, spanning the entirety of human history, all in a split second. Once it got rolling, I rather enjoyed it but I tend to be a very visual person and I found the shots themselves were so nicely done that it didn't really drag for me.

What I do find interesting is the way Kubrick depicted weightlessness was even more effective than was done in 2010, which was done decades after when effects were more sophisticated. Go figure.

[romster]

Zilla, I think Amelie is now among my favorite movies. I should probably watch it again since I'm sure I missed some of the visuals from reading the subtitles.

2001 is my father's all-time favorite movie ever.

[Markzilla]

That's one of the inconveniences of foreign films, having to read the subtitles. Have you seen Hero yet? That's a visually stunning flick!

[SeattleLionsFan]

I'm a big fan of Hero. I think we might try to check out the house of the flying daggers (or something like that) this weekend.

[Markzilla]

I read a review for that this weekend, SLF. Zhang has always made smaller, more personal dramas prior to Hero and I guess he's branching out into more action driven pieces now. He's been nominated in the Best Foreign Language film category for the Oscars a few times. "Raise the Red Lantern" and "Ju Dou" come to mind right away. If you get a chance, you might want to check out "To Live," it's an excellent flick that gives some insight into life in contemporary China, but rural and urban. However, it's not a documentary.

[SeattleLionsFan]

DOn't get me wrong Mark...i like pretty pictures but it was the fight scenes that brought me in the door!