MOVIES: What are you watching?

I try and mix it up, tanglenet.

Red Dawn (2012)

Lincoln

Thumbs up. DDL was good, but not Daniel Plainview good.

quote:

Originally posted by steve8:
Lincoln

For some reason I just cannot get excited about watching this.

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:

quote:

Originally posted by steve8:
Lincoln

For some reason I just cannot get excited about watching this.

DDL is great, but the movie is really dull.

Return of the Pink Panther

That scene with the vacuum still cracks me up. My wife thinks what's funny is what I think is funny.

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:

quote:

Originally posted by steve8:
Lincoln

For some reason I just cannot get excited about watching this.

I agree - hard to get fired up about a story that we already know the ending, we have studied ad nauseum our whole lives, and watched multiple documentaries. With that said, I will watch it to see the great DDL.

Silver Linings Playbook. I thought it was great.

Before Midnight which both my wife and I were ultimately disappointed with. The feeling and conversation is recaptured from the prior films but the direction that it took was not to our liking.

Also, Pitch Perfect which was good fun.

Neil

quote:

Originally posted by aphilla:

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:

quote:

Originally posted by steve8:
Lincoln

For some reason I just cannot get excited about watching this.

DDL is great, but the movie is really dull.

I finally watched it this weekend. I wasn't in a huge rush to watch it, but I enjoyed and didn't find it dull -- though a bit slow moving in parts certainly. Several very good performances other than Lewis'. And though some point out that they already know the ending, if that were the criteria for not watching a film I'd guess I'd have to pass on about three-quarters of all Hollywood films made as the endings are obivious.

The latest Die Hard movie. Ok but not as good as the old ones.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again

The Sixth Sense

Even knowing the ending, it was really a treat to watch the movie again. This was a very well-made movie.

Fun to pick up on the little hints along the way.

My Winnipeg

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:
My Winnipeg

Big, big Guy Madden fan.

Never heard of it, but I'd be interested in seeing it. I've been to Winnipeg a half dozen times.

Madden is a acquired taste, his most accessible might be The Saddest Song in the World. He crosses German Expressionism with Soviet Constructivism with a soupcon of David Lynch thrown in. They are often very funny as you can see from just the first 10 minutes of Careful or from the title alone of the short, Sissy-Boy Slap-Party.

Though he doesn't use stars we'd recognize, he has worked a number of timea with Isabella Rossellini. His latest feature Keyhole is very difficult, but you've got to love this summary on IMDB, "Gangster and deadbeat dad, Ulysses Pick, (Jason Patric) embarks on an unusual journey through his home."

quote:

Originally posted by The Old Man:
Madden is a acquired taste,... very true. David Lynch thrown... I'm thinking a little Lynch this long weekend is in order.

The Dark Knight Rises

Surprisingly enjoyable the second time around.

a good day to die hard

Found Chinatown last night while looking for a different movie and had to watch.

Such greatness.

Touch of Evil was available on demand last night.

quote:

Originally posted by aphilla:
Touch of Evil was available on demand last night.

Can you think of a greater opening scene in any movie?

As an art enthusiast, my eye always catches the Jacques Mahe de la Villegle / Mimmo Rotella like wall seen as the camera tracks the bomb moving toward to car.

One of the greatest movies ever.

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:

quote:

Originally posted by aphilla:
Touch of Evil was available on demand last night.

Can you think of a greater opening scene in any movie?

As an art enthusiast, my eye always catches the Jacques Mahe de la Villegle / Mimmo Rotella like wall seen as the camera tracks the bomb moving toward to car.

One of the greatest movies ever.

I'm struck by how Welles uses the camera and light and darkness in this movie. It reminds me a lot of the Third Man. I'd like to see this and the Third Man on a big screen sometime.

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:
Can you think of a greater opening scene in any movie?

Full Metal Jacket?

The Heat, with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.
Not the worst movie I've seen, but I don't think it cracked the top 1000.
Quite a bit of profanity. Some violence. Some humor.

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:


Can you think of a greater opening scene in any movie?

First 2 minutes of Ghandi. What amazed me-- and still does-- is that Attenborough was able to resist the temptation to use that scene again in the movie, given the impressive logistics and cost of filming that incredible recreation of the funeral procession. No CGI here.

We now have 3 nominees for greatest opening scene ever, keep 'em coming.

There were several that I thought of in addition to, but not named yet.

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:
We now have 3 nominees for greatest opening scene ever, keep 'em coming.

There were several that I thought of in addiction to, but not named yet.

It's true-- there ARE no spelling mistakes!!

quote:

Originally posted by Seaquam:

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:
We now have 3 nominees for greatest opening scene ever, keep 'em coming.

There were several that I thought of in addiction to, but not named yet.

It's true-- there ARE no spelling mistakes!!

Oops.

One thing about iPad, it will make you look silly sometimes. It has a mind all its own, and thinks it can project what you want to say.

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:

quote:

Originally posted by Seaquam:

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:
We now have 3 nominees for greatest opening scene ever, keep 'em coming.

There were several that I thought of in addiction to, but not named yet.

It's true-- there ARE no spelling mistakes!!

Oops.

One thing about iPad, it will make you look silly sometimes. It has a mind all its own, and thinks it can project what you want to say.

No, no, my friend, it did not make you look silly at all! For someone who loves cinema as you do, it was actually the perfect slip.

quote:

Originally posted by aphilla:

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:

quote:

Originally posted by aphilla:
Touch of Evil was available on demand last night.

Can you think of a greater opening scene in any movie?

As an art enthusiast, my eye always catches the Jacques Mahe de la Villegle / Mimmo Rotella like wall seen as the camera tracks the bomb moving toward to car.

One of the greatest movies ever.

I'm struck by how Welles uses the camera and light and darkness in this movie. It reminds me a lot of the Third Man. I'd like to see this and the Third Man on a big screen sometime.

I don't know if you meant this, but it's directed by Carol Reed.

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:
We now have 3 nominees for greatest opening scene ever, keep 'em coming.

There were several that I thought of in addition to, but not named yet.

I can't really watch the opening of Saving Private Ryan - not the battle sequence but the scene in the American cemetery in Normandy.

I imagine there are a lot of great opening sequences in action movies like James Bond/Raiders of the Lost Ark type openings, but I would kind of rule all of those out without even thinking about them.

When I think of great movie openings, the first scene from the Godfather is probably it.

quote:

Originally posted by The Old Man:

quote:

Originally posted by aphilla:

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:

quote:

Originally posted by aphilla:
Touch of Evil was available on demand last night.

Can you think of a greater opening scene in any movie?

As an art enthusiast, my eye always catches the Jacques Mahe de la Villegle / Mimmo Rotella like wall seen as the camera tracks the bomb moving toward to car.

One of the greatest movies ever.

I'm struck by how Welles uses the camera and light and darkness in this movie. It reminds me a lot of the Third Man. I'd like to see this and the Third Man on a big screen sometime.

I don't know if you meant this, but it's directed by Carol Reed.

The Third Man, you mean. Yeah, the obvious connection is that Welles acts in both, but the camera work in the two reminds me of the other.

Ugh. Too much to write here, I'm going to use quote marks to save time. W+A really interesting thoughts on the beginning of "TOE." There are just to many greats for me. As we've discussed how to can top a dead man discussing his deadness as in "Sunset Blvd"? Or the greatest, longest opening of "Once Upon A Time In The West"? Or "Citizen Kane"'s opening that pretty much tells the story of the entire movie? Or the two bombers making love to a romance song in "Dr. Strangelove..." Or all the motifs being setup at the start of "La Dolce Vita"?

This is all too much for me to be thinking about this 4th of July holiday morning.

quote:

Originally posted by aphilla:

quote:

Originally posted by The Old Man:

quote:

Originally posted by aphilla:

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:

quote:

Originally posted by aphilla:
Touch of Evil was available on demand last night.

Can you think of a greater opening scene in any movie?

As an art enthusiast, my eye always catches the Jacques Mahe de la Villegle / Mimmo Rotella like wall seen as the camera tracks the bomb moving toward to car.

One of the greatest movies ever.

I'm struck by how Welles uses the camera and light and darkness in this movie. It reminds me a lot of the Third Man. I'd like to see this and the Third Man on a big screen sometime.

I don't know if you meant this, but it's directed by Carol Reed.

The Third Man, you mean. Yeah, the obvious connection is that Welles acts in both, but the camera work in the two reminds me of the other.

Speaking of which, even though it's just the credits, the feeling that you get seeing the still zither and then the strings moving to play that great them song--sublime.

Also I found this critic's response on Wikipedia, "The film's unusual camera angles, however, were not appreciated by all critics at the time. C. A. Lejeune in The Observer described Reed's "habit of printing his scenes askew, with floors sloping at a diagonal and close-ups deliriously tilted" as "most distracting". American director William Wyler, a close friend of Reed's, sent him a spirit level, with a note saying, "Carol, next time you make a picture, just put it on top of the camera, will you?"

Completing missing the point: Holly is an American who is constantly being thrown of guard, he's never sure of his footing and it's all reflected in the pace and style of the film.

And while we're on great openings, how about the great ending? (No spoiler) Reed takes an incredible amount of time to get to the punchline.

quote:

Originally posted by The Old Man:
"Sunset Blvd"? Or the greatest, longest opening of "Once Upon A Time In The West"? Or "Citizen Kane"'s opening that pretty much tells the story of the entire movie? " Or all the motifs being setup at the start of "La Dolce Vita"?

Well done!

I think 8 1/2 & The Godfather should also be in any debate as well.

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:I think 8 1/2 & The Godfather should also be in any debate as well.

I was going to throw 8 1/2 in there, and for fun Woody's take off in Stardust Memories (which is a film I'd like better the second time I watched it and now is top 10 Woodman for me.

quote:

Originally posted by The Old Man:

and for fun Woody's

Manhattan... Gershwin, black and white NYC and Woody's narrative.

Of course that was coming, I just got tired of typing.