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quote:
Originally posted by tanglenet:
you are watching actors playing actors playing characters, at least of Spock and Bones (Zachary Quinto playing Leonard Nimoy playing Spock). It's almost like a Sat Night skit, but without the laughs and it works.


Well put - I haven't seen this one yet, but I thought the first one did a really good job of nailing the characters. I was a big fan of the original series as a kid and the subsequent versions never quite got there. These do IMO for the reason you state.
quote:
Originally posted by Vino Bevo:

I was a big fan of the original series as a kid and the subsequent versions never quite got there. These do IMO for the reason you state.


Ditto. I saw a lot of it after school in re-runs. I hope you've also seen Galaxy Quest. It is a really, really funny satire of Star Trek with an all star cast. Easily one of my favorite comedies made in the last 15 years.
quote:
Originally posted by tanglenet:
quote:
Originally posted by Vino Bevo:

I was a big fan of the original series as a kid and the subsequent versions never quite got there. These do IMO for the reason you state.


Ditto. I saw a lot of it after school in re-runs. I hope you've also seen Galaxy Quest. It is a really, really funny satire of Star Trek with an all star cast. Easily one of my favorite comedies made in the last 15 years.


+1
quote:
Originally posted by tanglenet:
On the spur of the moment we went out and saw Star Trek Into the Darkness last But, either I wasn't paying attention to the last film and they are operating on a parallel time line or the writers / producers are really smart by re-building a new franchise out of an old one by re-mixing the old stories.

The former, it showed it to be a parallel world. That's why they're able to tork the legacy and yet keep it logical.
Last edited by The Old Man
quote:
Originally posted by The Old Man:

The former, it showed it to be a parallel world. That's why they're able to tork the legacy and yet keep it logical.


Great. Thanks for clearing that up!

Safe - action flick with Jason Statham my wife put in the queue. Similar plot to Mercury Rising with Bruce Willis. Body count is so high (50+?) that you get desensitized and the film just seems long. Carnage includes Chinese, Russian, NYPD good and bad cops.
Django Unchained

I'm not a huge Tarentino fan, so despite the great reviews I was a bit surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I believe I read somewhere that Will Smith was originally offered the Django part but turned it down. As I watched the film I kept thinking it would not as been as good with Smith in the role as I thought Jaime Foxx did a great job.
quote:
Originally posted by The Old Man:
quote:
Originally posted by wine+art:
Le Beau Serge

I just realized I've never seen one Chabrol film.


I'm very surprised, T.O.M. Eek

I would watch Hitchcock's, Shadow of a Doubt, then watch this Chabrol film, his very first.

Not a director for the masses IMO, his films tend to be often more anxiety driven as they are thriller based, but not wanting to split hairs. Wink

Besides La Ceremonie , check out Le Boucher & La Femme Infidele also. Two of my favorites.

Please share your thoughts if you watch any of his movies.
The Bling Ring

Oh, where even to begin? First let me say this. The review meter on Rotten Tomatoes is hovering around 60% -- and I don't understand that. Usually if I really like a movie I can still gauge with fair accuracy if others will as well. Similarly if I don't like a movie I can generally tell if it is just me or if it is a broader thing. I found The Bling Ring to be very good; and while I can certainly understand a "just above average" rating from any particular reviewer, it is hard for me to see 6/10 (3/5) as not being the worst a reviewer could say.

For those that don't know, this is Sofia Coppola's new movie about a bunch of economically comfortable, middle class, teenagers who decide to rob from celebrities -- pretty much just to have fun. The movie is closely based on actual events of just a few years ago.

What I found frustrating and compelling about the movie was how small these teens' lives were. "Let's get the f--k out of here" is said about 8 times in the movie... but that is the only way a 16/17 year old boy is going to talk. Sofia doesn't give context outside of the celebrity world, so you are watching realizing this is all the kids know.

Sofia also doesn't moralize or try to explain. At all. There are only two examples of even coming close. In one scene where the teenage banditos are in Paris Hilton's house you see Paris' face on everything -- including her furniture. Which could be intentional social commentary on the vacuousness of celebrity culture... but they actually shot in Paris' house and that is her actual furniture and decoration. The other way -- and this is real, too -- is that Nicki's (in real life, Alexis Neiers') mom home schools her and Sam (in real life, Tess Taylor) in "The Secret" with vision boards, etc. The only possible explanatory literary license there is when 16/17 year old Nicki comes home at 4am on a school night without calling, the next morning her mom says, "well, try to do better next time, ok?" and that is it.

At once I was engaged in the thrill of the chase but also horrified at how far these kids could go without anyone stopping to realize it was wrong. Without moralizing there is an emptiness left at the end of the movie. Without giving broader context or moral framework, you're left with, "ok. This happened. And....?" But I think that is kinda the point. And I didn't feel bad about it -- it was for the audience to decide.

Sofia cast the movie in odd ways. A mixture of true unknowns (the two biggest leads) two teens with strong (in one case exceptionally strong) industry connections (leads numbers 4 and 5) and then Emma Watson as the third lead. Emma's SoCal (Alexis - specific) accent was spot on. There were one or two times in the movie you could tell she was thinking about her accent, but apart from that she was excellent. The problem with her being excellent, though, is that she blew everyone else off the screen and she was not the lead. There were almost times when it felt awkward to watch the non lead eat up the screen in comparison to the leads in the way she was doing. The only person who kept up with her was Leslie Mann, playing her mom, who was in the movie for just a few brief scenes. The other four main robbers were all fine. Good, even; but even the oscar-winner's daughter was only 16/17 when filming and this was her first acting job apart from being essentially an extra in The Dark Knight Rises -- so she was only as good as you could expect her to be. Gavin Rossdale was good in his small role.

Overall, this certainly wasn't a masterpiece. But it is probably my second favorite of Sofia's movies. (Though, yes, way, way, WAY behind Lost in Translation.) Worthy of checking out. And also, I found it pretty "fun".

B+
quote:
Originally posted by winetarelli:
The Bling Ring

Oh, where even to begin? First let me say this. The review meter on Rotten Tomatoes is hovering around 60% -- and I don't understand that. Usually if I really like a movie I can still gauge with fair accuracy if others will as well. Similarly if I don't like a movie I can generally tell if it is just me or if it is a broader thing. I found The Bling Ring to be very good; and while I can certainly understand a "just above average" rating from any particular reviewer, it is hard for me to see 6/10 (3/5) as not being the worst a reviewer could say.

For those that don't know, this is Sofia Coppola's new movie about a bunch of economically comfortable, middle class, teenagers who decide to rob from celebrities -- pretty much just to have fun. The movie is closely based on actual events of just a few years ago.

What I found frustrating and compelling about the movie was how small these teens' lives were. "Let's get the f--k out of here" is said about 8 times in the movie... but that is the only way a 16/17 year old boy is going to talk. Sofia doesn't give context outside of the celebrity world, so you are watching realizing this is all the kids know.

Sofia also doesn't moralize or try to explain. At all. There are only two examples of even coming close. In one scene where the teenage banditos are in Paris Hilton's house you see Paris' face on everything -- including her furniture. Which could be intentional social commentary on the vacuousness of celebrity culture... but they actually shot in Paris' house and that is her actual furniture and decoration. The other way -- and this is real, too -- is that Nicki's (in real life, Alexis Neiers') mom home schools her and Sam (in real life, Tess Taylor) in "The Secret" with vision boards, etc. The only possible explanatory literary license there is when 16/17 year old Nicki comes home at 4am on a school night without calling, the next morning her mom says, "well, try to do better next time, ok?" and that is it.

At once I was engaged in the thrill of the chase but also horrified at how far these kids could go without anyone stopping to realize it was wrong. Without moralizing there is an emptiness left at the end of the movie. Without giving broader context or moral framework, you're left with, "ok. This happened. And....?" But I think that is kinda the point. And I didn't feel bad about it -- it was for the audience to decide.

Sofia cast the movie in odd ways. A mixture of true unknowns (the two biggest leads) two teens with strong (in one case exceptionally strong) industry connections (leads numbers 4 and 5) and then Emma Watson as the third lead. Emma's SoCal (Alexis - specific) accent was spot on. There were one or two times in the movie you could tell she was thinking about her accent, but apart from that she was excellent. The problem with her being excellent, though, is that she blew everyone else off the screen and she was not the lead. There were almost times when it felt awkward to watch the non lead eat up the screen in comparison to the leads in the way she was doing. The only person who kept up with her was Leslie Mann, playing her mom, who was in the movie for just a few brief scenes. The other four main robbers were all fine. Good, even; but even the oscar-winner's daughter was only 16/17 when filming and this was her first acting job apart from being essentially an extra in The Dark Knight Rises -- so she was only as good as you could expect her to be. Gavin Rossdale was good in his small role.

Overall, this certainly wasn't a masterpiece. But it is probably my second favorite of Sofia's movies. (Though, yes, way, way, WAY behind Lost in Translation.) Worthy of checking out. And also, I found it pretty "fun".

B+


Former15, thanks for the review.

The Dallas Morning News listed it as a to see movie this past weekend.
quote:
Originally posted by winetarelli:
The Bling Ring

Oh, where even to begin? First let me say this. The review meter on Rotten Tomatoes is hovering around 60% -- and I don't understand that. Usually if I really like a movie I can still gauge with fair accuracy if others will as well. Similarly if I don't like a movie I can generally tell if it is just me or if it is a broader thing. I found The Bling Ring to be very good; and while I can certainly understand a "just above average" rating from any particular reviewer, it is hard for me to see 6/10 (3/5) as not being the worst a reviewer could say.

For those that don't know, this is Sofia Coppola's new movie about a bunch of economically comfortable, middle class, teenagers who decide to rob from celebrities -- pretty much just to have fun. The movie is closely based on actual events of just a few years ago.

What I found frustrating and compelling about the movie was how small these teens' lives were. "Let's get the f--k out of here" is said about 8 times in the movie... but that is the only way a 16/17 year old boy is going to talk. Sofia doesn't give context outside of the celebrity world, so you are watching realizing this is all the kids know.

Sofia also doesn't moralize or try to explain. At all. There are only two examples of even coming close. In one scene where the teenage banditos are in Paris Hilton's house you see Paris' face on everything -- including her furniture. Which could be intentional social commentary on the vacuousness of celebrity culture... but they actually shot in Paris' house and that is her actual furniture and decoration. The other way -- and this is real, too -- is that Nicki's (in real life, Alexis Neiers') mom home schools her and Sam (in real life, Tess Taylor) in "The Secret" with vision boards, etc. The only possible explanatory literary license there is when 16/17 year old Nicki comes home at 4am on a school night without calling, the next morning her mom says, "well, try to do better next time, ok?" and that is it.

At once I was engaged in the thrill of the chase but also horrified at how far these kids could go without anyone stopping to realize it was wrong. Without moralizing there is an emptiness left at the end of the movie. Without giving broader context or moral framework, you're left with, "ok. This happened. And....?" But I think that is kinda the point. And I didn't feel bad about it -- it was for the audience to decide.

Sofia cast the movie in odd ways. A mixture of true unknowns (the two biggest leads) two teens with strong (in one case exceptionally strong) industry connections (leads numbers 4 and 5) and then Emma Watson as the third lead. Emma's SoCal (Alexis - specific) accent was spot on. There were one or two times in the movie you could tell she was thinking about her accent, but apart from that she was excellent. The problem with her being excellent, though, is that she blew everyone else off the screen and she was not the lead. There were almost times when it felt awkward to watch the non lead eat up the screen in comparison to the leads in the way she was doing. The only person who kept up with her was Leslie Mann, playing her mom, who was in the movie for just a few brief scenes. The other four main robbers were all fine. Good, even; but even the oscar-winner's daughter was only 16/17 when filming and this was her first acting job apart from being essentially an extra in The Dark Knight Rises -- so she was only as good as you could expect her to be. Gavin Rossdale was good in his small role.

Overall, this certainly wasn't a masterpiece. But it is probably my second favorite of Sofia's movies. (Though, yes, way, way, WAY behind Lost in Translation.) Worthy of checking out. And also, I found it pretty "fun".

The movie was probably better than her sparkling wine.

B+
[QUOTE]Originally posted by mpls wine guy:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by winetarelli:
The Bling Ring

Oh, where even to begin? First let me say this. The review meter on Rotten Tomatoes is hovering around 60% -- and I don't understand that. Usually if I really like a movie I can still gauge with fair accuracy if others will as well. Similarly if I don't like a movie I can generally tell if it is just me or if it is a broader thing. I found The Bling Ring to be very good; and while I can certainly understand a "just above average" rating from any particular reviewer, it is hard for me to see 6/10 (3/5) as not being the worst a reviewer could say.

For those that don't know, this is Sofia Coppola's new movie about a bunch of economically comfortable, middle class, teenagers who decide to rob from celebrities -- pretty much just to have fun. The movie is closely based on actual events of just a few years ago.

What I found frustrating and compelling about the movie was how small these teens' lives were. "Let's get the f--k out of here" is said about 8 times in the movie... but that is the only way a 16/17 year old boy is going to talk. Sofia doesn't give context outside of the celebrity world, so you are watching realizing this is all the kids know.

Sofia also doesn't moralize or try to explain. At all. There are only two examples of even coming close. In one scene where the teenage banditos are in Paris Hilton's house you see Paris' face on everything -- including her furniture. Which could be intentional social commentary on the vacuousness of celebrity culture... but they actually shot in Paris' house and that is her actual furniture and decoration. The other way -- and this is real, too -- is that Nicki's (in real life, Alexis Neiers') mom home schools her and Sam (in real life, Tess Taylor) in "The Secret" with vision boards, etc. The only possible explanatory literary license there is when 16/17 year old Nicki comes home at 4am on a school night without calling, the next morning her mom says, "well, try to do better next time, ok?" and that is it.

At once I was engaged in the thrill of the chase but also horrified at how far these kids could go without anyone stopping to realize it was wrong. Without moralizing there is an emptiness left at the end of the movie. Without giving broader context or moral framework, you're left with, "ok. This happened. And....?" But I think that is kinda the point. And I didn't feel bad about it -- it was for the audience to decide.

Sofia cast the movie in odd ways. A mixture of true unknowns (the two biggest leads) two teens with strong (in one case exceptionally strong) industry connections (leads numbers 4 and 5) and then Emma Watson as the third lead. Emma's SoCal (Alexis - specific) accent was spot on. There were one or two times in the movie you could tell she was thinking about her accent, but apart from that she was excellent. The problem with her being excellent, though, is that she blew everyone else off the screen and she was not the lead. There were almost times when it felt awkward to watch the non lead eat up the screen in comparison to the leads in the way she was doing. The only person who kept up with her was Leslie Mann, playing her mom, who was in the movie for just a few brief scenes. The other four main robbers were all fine. Good, even; but even the oscar-winner's daughter was only 16/17 when filming and this was her first acting job apart from being essentially an extra in The Dark Knight Rises -- so she was only as good as you could expect her to be. Gavin Rossdale was good in his small role.

Overall, this certainly wasn't a masterpiece. But it is probably my second favorite of Sofia's movies. (Though, yes, way, way, WAY behind Lost in Translation.) Worthy of checking out. And also, I found it pretty "fun".

The movie was probably better than her sparkling wine.
quote:
Originally posted by ABryce:
quote:
Originally posted by kid lightning:
Went to a screening of SOMM last night and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Good flick, highly recommend.


+1
Watched it on iTunes over the last couple of nights and really enjoyed it for what it is. Only complaint is two or three to many exploding glass shots.
quote:
Originally posted by winetarelli:
The Bling Ring
Emma's SoCal (Alexis - specific) accent was spot on. There were one or two times in the movie you could tell she was thinking about her accent, but apart from that she was excellent. The problem with her being excellent, though, is that she blew everyone else off the screen and she was not the lead. There were almost times when it felt awkward to watch the non lead eat up the screen in comparison to the leads in the way she was doing.
I sense personal affectionate bias here... Big Grin

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