It's a wonderful life.

Les Miserables

Jackman decent; Hathaway ok; and Crowe ok, but lacking authority and gravitas in voice (IMO). Would have settled for move voice and less star power, but that doesn't necessarily translate to ticket sales.

Eddie Redmayne is a rising star. Keep your eye on this talented actor. He turns what I feel is the second weakest supporting role in any performance of the musical I have seen (behind only adult Cossette) into a captivating performance (with excellent voice to boot). I would have to say this is my favorite actor of the year. He displays intensity with innocence in many of his roles (My Week with Marilyn, Pillars of the Earth, and now Les Miserables). I look forward to watching this artist's career unfold.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Primordialsoup,

Christmas Vacation. After a few glasses of wine, it was laugh out loud funny!

Les Miserables on Christmas. Crowe was a notable singing weakpoint but I otherwise loved it. As one viewer was quoted in the LA Times, "I thought it was completely ridiculous and exactly what I wanted."

The Hobbit

The Dark Knight Rises

Watched it on my brother in-law's new 70-inch TV. He didn't have the surround sound totally worked out -- voice track was a little low, so to hear speaking parts made the other parts of the movie pretty loud. But that is one big azz TV. Movie was good.

quote:

Originally posted by winetarelli:

quote:

Originally posted by irwin:

quote:

Originally posted by winetarelli:

quote:

Originally posted by ratso:
I was happy with Midnight in Paris, a Woody Allen produced movie.

... and written and directed by... and also not produced by.

But, yes, I think there are lots of comments about that movie here. IMO, quite possibly the best comedy made since I've been alive and certainly Woody's best movie (of any genre) of my lifetime. (Manhattan came out just before I was a party to this world.)

I absolutely adore the movie...

Winetarelli: You need to watch Bananas and Play it Again Sam and Take the Money and Run.

Trust me irwin, I've seen those all multiple times. Bananas, literally dozens of times. But those all came out before I did.

For whatever reason, I've never been as big a fan of Annie Hall as some other people are. Always enjoyed Sleeper but never LOVED it. When I was 16, however, I became completely obsessed with Love and Death. I must have watched it 30 times. The "no it is a greater honor to meet you..." scene had me on the floor laughing every time. Now I don't find it quite as funny, but I think that is because I over-watched it back then.

It's amazing how different tastes can be. All the power to you and I'm glad you enjoy what you enjoy but I've never seen a woody allen movie that didn't make me want to wretch, run, or find something to bludgeon myself with. I went to see Midnight in Paris with my wife and at the time boss and his family as his daughter is one of the actresses in it. I daydreamed of using a spork to gouge out my eyes.

The best comedy made? It wouldn't be in my top 1000.

quote:

Originally posted by Rob_Sutherland:
It's amazing how different tastes can be. All the power to you and I'm glad you enjoy what you enjoy but I've never seen a woody allen movie that didn't make me want to wretch, run, or find something to bludgeon myself with.

After reading all of the Woody love in this thread, I was beginning to think I was the only one that can't stand his movies. Luckily, there are plenty of movies for those in both camps to enjoy.

quote:

Originally posted by thelostverse:
After reading all of the Woody love in this thread, I was beginning to think I was the only one that can't stand his movies.

OH, you are not alone, tlv. Not at all.
I just ceased debating the topic. Resistance is futile.

quote:

Originally posted by KSC02:

quote:

Originally posted by thelostverse:
After reading all of the Woody love in this thread, I was beginning to think I was the only one that can't stand his movies.

OH, you are not alone, tlv. Not at all.
I just ceased debating the topic. Resistance is futile.

You can lead a horse to water...

Les Miserables - thought Crowe was miscast but the rest was excellent.

Looper.

Pitch Perfect. Watched with my daughters.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Sexy Baby

Heartbreaking documentary. It just came out a couple of months ago and is on Showtime(?). It follows 3 young women over 2 years and their experiences with modern sexuality. The primary focus is a girl who starts the film at age 12, the other two start at 22 and 32. I don't much care about the 22 year old or the 32 year old as most of my friends are 20-31 year old girls so I know the people documented are extremes, but they are intended to be. Frankly, I think the film should have done away with those two segments entirely (which probably account for less than half the film between them, anyway). From the very outset, the 12 year old is different. She is a very bright, Jewish girl living in NYC with divorced-but-good-relationship-between-them well educated, well-adjusted upper-middle class parents with good values and who seem to be very good parents. Watching as she changes from early to mid adolescence, all that she and her parents have to deal with, particularly as it pertains to social media, MTV, and the internet is shocking. But it also rings absolutely true -- that unlike the other two subjects, I don't believe this is an outlier at all.

It is not at all an objectively filmed movie and some of it is tedious, particularly as it relates to the 22 year old (it can kindof remind you of those scare-the-parents 'your teenagers are trying to get drunk by putting vodka in their eyes' type exposes you see on news magazine shows). But, despite its serious shortcomings, for what the camera captures of the NYC family, this is a good movie and while the two older girls' stuff is marginally interesting at best, and largely beside the point, if anyone on this board has a daughter under the age of 16, I would say this film is a must.

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This is 40. Topical for where my wife and I are in our lives, but in the end a bit tedious. Some good laughs though

Jack Reacher - Cool Movie.

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Originally posted by spo:
Jack Reacher - Cool Movie.

Have you read any of the books, spo? If I had to pick 20 actors to play Reacher, Cruise wouldn't have made the list. I'll see it eventually, but based on reviews it'll be a rental for sure.

PH

PurpleHaze, I have only seen the movie so Tom Cruise was fine. Who would you pick for the role?

Truthfully, it is a pretty shitty looking line up in the movie theaters right now and this looked like the only thing worth watching. Much better than I expected.

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Originally posted by PurpleHaze:

quote:

Originally posted by spo:
Jack Reacher - Cool Movie.

Have you read any of the books, spo? If I had to pick 20 actors to play Reacher, Cruise wouldn't have made the list. I'll see it eventually, but based on reviews it'll be a rental for sure.

PH

You are being far too kind.