The Color of Paradise
quote:Originally posted by wine+art:
The Color of Paradise
I've only seen Majidi's Song of Sparrows. It's interesting he often has people with disabilities that, in addition to be major plot drivers, would also in the real world make enjoying movies harder.
quote:Originally posted by The Old Man:
Song of Sparrows. .
HER
Fantastic movie. Not to give anything away, but if you haven't heard of it, this is Joaquim Phoenix's first movie in a long time (at least as far as I know) about a world in the near future where people start to become over-involved and in some cases fall in-love with their artificial-intelligence enhanced Operating Systems
Fantastic movie. Not to give anything away, but if you haven't heard of it, this is Joaquim Phoenix's first movie in a long time (at least as far as I know) about a world in the near future where people start to become over-involved and in some cases fall in-love with their artificial-intelligence enhanced Operating Systems
quote:Originally posted by Parcival:
HER
Fantastic movie.
Hmmmm, can I trust your movie insights, Parcival?
quote:Originally posted by Parcival:
HER
Fantastic movie. Not to give anything away, but if you haven't heard of it, this is Joaquim Phoenix's first movie in a long time (at least as far as I know) about a world in the near future where people start to become over-involved and in some cases fall in-love with their artificial-intelligence enhanced Operating Systems
Parcival, my review from December:
Her
In the dramatic irony that is moviemaking, Scarlett Johansson has now starred in both Sofia Coppola's and Spike Jonze's movies presumed to be about their divorce...
The movie is set in the not-too-distant future in Los Angeles. Very very believable version of the future: no apocalypse, no flying cars. Joaquin Phoenix is a not-yet-middle-aged man who spilt from his wife just under a year ago. New operating systems for phones/computers are invented that have genuine personalities, emotions, and infinite learning abilities. Phoenix falls in love with his OS, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Rooney Mara is the separated wife and Amy Adams is the best friend and neighbor.
I really liked this movie. A positive and negative is that touches on base existential questions, but leaves no answer -- nor gets bogged down in them. At one point Samantha (Johansson) questions if her emotions are real, given that she is just trillions of 1s and 0s. I forget the line, but it is clearly a human question as well about souls. Does Samantha have a soul? Do we? What are the differences? The movie could have gotten bogged down in this but it doesn't, it moves on. So on the one hand, no bog. On the other, a question that might deserve bog. This sort of thing happens several times in the movie. Fidelity, truth, existence, love, and connection are all themes, though none get treated completely. Only capacity to love really gets the full treatment; and on that, I think it is excellent.
Joaquin Phoenix gives a great performance, but Johansson owns the movie. Not physically in one scene, her voice work is not of the likes I've ever witnessed before. I don't know who has done the second best voice work ever in a movie, but I know who has done the best. The hype that she may be nominated for a lead Oscar without ever being on screen is 100% deserved. Beyond deserved.
The movie dragged a bit about 25 minutes before the end; and while the middle seemed elongated, the conclusion and closure seemed compressed.
Overall a very enjoyable movie experience and it is nice to see non-melodramas that are nonetheless about serious things.
B+/A-
... The movie has gone up slightly in my estimation since first seeing it.
BTW: Phoenix starred in the underwhelming (imo) The Master by P.T. Anderson last year. (Amy Adams and Phil Hoffman were the co-stars.)
Train Man: Densha Otoko
Spinning Plates
Spinning Plates
We're the Millers Good for a few laughs, and Jennifer Aniston still has a hard body.
Wolf of Wall Street Enjoyable but overlong.
Wolf of Wall Street Enjoyable but overlong.
quote:Originally posted by winetarelli:quote:Originally posted by Parcival:
HER
Fantastic movie. Not to give anything away, but if you haven't heard of it, this is Joaquim Phoenix's first movie in a long time (at least as far as I know) about a world in the near future where people start to become over-involved and in some cases fall in-love with their artificial-intelligence enhanced Operating Systems
Parcival, my review from December:
Her
In the dramatic irony that is moviemaking, Scarlett Johansson has now starred in both Sofia Coppola's and Spike Jonze's movies presumed to be about their divorce...
The movie is set in the not-too-distant future in Los Angeles. Very very believable version of the future: no apocalypse, no flying cars. Joaquin Phoenix is a not-yet-middle-aged man who spilt from his wife just under a year ago. New operating systems for phones/computers are invented that have genuine personalities, emotions, and infinite learning abilities. Phoenix falls in love with his OS, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Rooney Mara is the separated wife and Amy Adams is the best friend and neighbor.
I really liked this movie. A positive and negative is that touches on base existential questions, but leaves no answer -- nor gets bogged down in them. At one point Samantha (Johansson) questions if her emotions are real, given that she is just trillions of 1s and 0s. I forget the line, but it is clearly a human question as well about souls. Does Samantha have a soul? Do we? What are the differences? The movie could have gotten bogged down in this but it doesn't, it moves on. So on the one hand, no bog. On the other, a question that might deserve bog. This sort of thing happens several times in the movie. Fidelity, truth, existence, love, and connection are all themes, though none get treated completely. Only capacity to love really gets the full treatment; and on that, I think it is excellent.
Joaquin Phoenix gives a great performance, but Johansson owns the movie. Not physically in one scene, her voice work is not of the likes I've ever witnessed before. I don't know who has done the second best voice work ever in a movie, but I know who has done the best. The hype that she may be nominated for a lead Oscar without ever being on screen is 100% deserved. Beyond deserved.
The movie dragged a bit about 25 minutes before the end; and while the middle seemed elongated, the conclusion and closure seemed compressed.
Overall a very enjoyable movie experience and it is nice to see non-melodramas that are nonetheless about serious things.
B+/A-
... The movie has gone up slightly in my estimation since first seeing it.
BTW: Phoenix starred in the underwhelming (imo) The Master by P.T. Anderson last year. (Amy Adams and Phil Hoffman were the co-stars.)
Thanks for that repost . . . an excellent write-up BTW. I agree with everything you said. . . the voice work Johansson did was nothing short of amazing. I watched this not knowing who the voice was, but I knew I knew and had heard the voice before.
And like you said, there was a very abrupt closure. Perhaps that was the purpose to encourage us to wonder about what the next phase of "life" would be for the OSs . . .
Grand Budapest Hotel ***. Generally not a Wes Anderson fan, but this was very good, not great.
Dallas Buyers Club
What's eating Gilbert Grape
quote:Originally posted by wine+art:
I had an Academy Award winning actress sitting next to me on the plane. She tapped me on the shoulder to ask me what I was watching.
You sat next to Marisa Tomei?
quote:Originally posted by Juicy:quote:Originally posted by wine+art:
I had an Academy Award winning actress sitting next to me on the plane. She tapped me on the shoulder to ask me what I was watching.
You sat next to Marisa Tomei?
I tried to come up with a punch line, but you succeeded.
Watermark
Great documentary on how we interact with water around the world. The director did a Q+A afterwards at the Music Box Theatre. Took three years to film. Fascinating.
Otis
Great documentary on how we interact with water around the world. The director did a Q+A afterwards at the Music Box Theatre. Took three years to film. Fascinating.
Otis
The Hunger Games
quote:Originally posted by wineismylife:
The Hunger Games
I love these first 2 movies in the trilogy. When bored on a plane and with no new movies to watch, I find myself watching these over and over again and I have yet to get sick of them. Or perhaps more accurately, I have yet to get sick of watching Jennifer Lawrence for a two hour clip
The second one just popped up to the top of our Netflix queue and the original one was on streaming so I said what the heck. I'll catch up on this trilogy in 48 hours.
quote:Originally posted by wineismylife:
The second one just popped up to the top of our Netflix queue and the original one was on streaming so I said what the heck. I'll catch up on this trilogy in 48 hours.
I thought the first one was pretty good - even though it is a total ripoff of the Running Man and Battle Royale
Have not seen number 2 -
Reflections is a Golden Eye
quote:Originally posted by wine+art:
Reflections is a Golden Eye
Natch, I'm such a fan. A great tale of sexual madness and madness. Gotta love Brando's self-loathing "talk" with himself in the mirror. And when Taylor, as an accusation to Brando says, "Firebird's a stallion!"
quote:Originally posted by The Old Man:quote:Originally posted by wine+art:
Reflections is a Golden Eye
Natch, I'm such a fan. A great tale of sexual madness and madness. Gotta love Brando's self-loathing "talk" with himself in the mirror. And when Taylor, as an accusation to Brando says, "Firebird's a stallion!"
I never understood why this film does not receive more attention.
Shock.
Syrup - uneven and about 30 min too long but with flashes of LOL brilliance. A spoof on marketing of soft drinks (or anything). On Netflix.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Robot & Frank
quote:Originally posted by wineismylife:
Robot & Frank
45 minutes after Hunger Games Catching Fire?
Beat the Devil
quote:Originally posted by Jcocktosten:quote:Originally posted by wineismylife:
Robot & Frank
45 minutes after Hunger Games Catching Fire?
Watched Catching Fire last night on Blue Ray before popping it in the mail this morning. Watched Robot & Frank before work this morning. Logged both this morning. Got sidetracked between postings. Work screws up my goofing off like that sometimes.
quote:Originally posted by wine+art:
Beat the Devil
Always a fav, was not aware until now that Truman Capote had a hand in the script. Sometimes I wish Sydney Greenstreet was healthy enough to play the Morley role--though Robert Morley was in reality a cosmopolitan man and fits the role. But wouldn't it have been neat if Greenstreet and Lorre could have done one more movie together?
Paradise Lost 1-3
Documentary based Story of the West Memphis 3, who were (allegedly) wrongfully convicted in the brutal slayings of three 8 year old boys in Memphis. The first 2 documentaries contain highly graphic scenes and raw emotional footage of those involved on both sides. Frankly, difficult to watch some of the (crime) scenes).
The first 2 documentaries follow the initial investigations and trials. The third documentary goes through the appellate process, including the involvement of the Dixie Chicks, Johnny Depp and Eddie Vedder.
Very thorough and emotionally entangling documentary.
Documentary based Story of the West Memphis 3, who were (allegedly) wrongfully convicted in the brutal slayings of three 8 year old boys in Memphis. The first 2 documentaries contain highly graphic scenes and raw emotional footage of those involved on both sides. Frankly, difficult to watch some of the (crime) scenes).
The first 2 documentaries follow the initial investigations and trials. The third documentary goes through the appellate process, including the involvement of the Dixie Chicks, Johnny Depp and Eddie Vedder.
Very thorough and emotionally entangling documentary.
Philomena
Great story. Nice to see Steve Coogan do well in such a straight role.
Great story. Nice to see Steve Coogan do well in such a straight role.
quote:Originally posted by The Old Man:quote:Originally posted by wine+art:
Beat the Devil
Always a fav, was not aware until now that Truman Capote had a hand in the script. Sometimes I wish Sydney Greenstreet was healthy enough to play the Morley role--though Robert Morley was in reality a cosmopolitan man and fits the role. But wouldn't it have been neat if Greenstreet and Lorre could have done one more movie together?
Greenstreet + Lorre + Bogie =
The Women in White
quote:Originally posted by wine+art:
The Women in White
At first I assumed you misspelled the Masterpiece Theater production of Wilke Collin's The Woman In White, but I'm thinking you're talking about the unseen my me, Cuban documentary.
Groundhog Day
Seen this many many times, but was reminded of how good it is during a recent offline. I think I must have seen this a good 10 times over the years and it is just as funny (and almost just as fresh) on the 11th viewing
Seen this many many times, but was reminded of how good it is during a recent offline. I think I must have seen this a good 10 times over the years and it is just as funny (and almost just as fresh) on the 11th viewing
"I Know that Voice"
documentary about the voice-over industry. A lot of fun
The Green Mile
documentary about the voice-over industry. A lot of fun
The Green Mile
quote:Originally posted by Parcival:
Groundhog Day
Seen this many many times, but was reminded of how good it is during a recent offline. I think I must have seen this a good 10 times over the years and it is just as funny (and almost just as fresh) on the 11th viewing
I think it's a great movie on many levels. When I first heard the premise I figured it coudn't possibly work. Ramis was a genius and this was Murray's finest work.
The Monuments Men
Lone Survivor
Enjoyed both films. The firefight scene in Lone Survivor was really intense.
Lone Survivor
Enjoyed both films. The firefight scene in Lone Survivor was really intense.
The Wolf of Wallstreet