The Kings of Summer
A Mighty Heart
Artificial Intelligence
I don't think that's exactly what Kubrick had in mind.
I don't think that's exactly what Kubrick had in mind.
quote:Originally posted by steve8:
Artificial Intelligence
I don't think that's exactly what Kubrick had in mind.
Imagine what Spielberg would have done to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Watched Wall Street for the first time. Wow. A lot has changed since. Laughed when Martin Sheen ordered a 'Molson Light'.
quote:Originally posted by Adam10:
Watched Wall Street for the first time. Wow. A lot has changed since. Laughed when Martin Sheen ordered a 'Molson Light'.
How can it be that you haven't seen that movie before now??
Saw No Country for Old Men again last night. Javier Bardem is chillingly great without any overacting. I've appreciated his other work which demonstrates his versality as a talented actor.
quote:Originally posted by wineismylife:
Interstellar
Although I wouldn't give it 1 out of 4 stars like indybob did I also wouldn't give it in excess of 8 out of 10 stars like it is trending on IMDB.
Honestly, it probably is a better movie than one star, I guess. Part of me wanted to give it zero though. I was so damned frustrated with it as the credits rolled it was all I could do to not yell out, "ugh!!!" in the theater. Crappy script, emotional climaxes that aren't earned, a beyond laughable reveal involving the power of love. My two friends agreed, and admittedly it was worth wasting $10 just take part in our entertaining rant about the movie on the drive home.
quote:Originally posted by Board-O:
Saw No Country for Old Men again last night. Javier Bardem is chillingly great without any overacting. I've appreciated his other work which demonstrates his versality as a talented actor.
A big +1
The Giver.
The Inbetweeners. The Movie.
If you've never heard of this show, and can stomach a crass sense of humour, I suggest you get on it. Very funny.
If you've never heard of this show, and can stomach a crass sense of humour, I suggest you get on it. Very funny.
Chef
1 of 3 in the past couple of weeks:
Birdman (or: The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Michael Keaton plays a washed up super hero actor attempting to direct, produce and star in a Broadway play. I've always liked Keaton and this is his best role in years. This is also my favorite of Alejando González Iñárritu's films. Who knew he had a sense of humor?
Naomi Watts and Zach Galifianakis are both very good as Keaton's female lead and agent, respectively. And Emma Stone and Edward Norton are both excellent as his daughter and other male lead.
There isn't much to say, review-wise. I really liked this film but I was not as engrossed as I wanted to be. I laughed several times and all the acting is excellent.
The camera-work is extraordinary. The entire film, though it takes place over several days, is filmed as one long take. There are clearly several 4 to 6 minute or longer scenes where the camera is following individual actors around in a way that must have been quite difficult to shoot. The cinematographer is Curón's typical DP, Emmanuel Lubezki, who won the Oscar for Gravity but whose best work may have been in Children of Men.
At one point in the film, an issue comes up that I thought had already definitively been settled, and I really wish if we were meant still to be considering that issue that we were given more of a "heads up".
Again, I liked this film a lot, but I wasn't really engaged with it; and it didn't really stay with me. I still think about Whiplash, which I saw several days prior, but not this. Still, this was fun and the acting and camera work are worth the price of admission, alone. B/B+
Birdman (or: The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Michael Keaton plays a washed up super hero actor attempting to direct, produce and star in a Broadway play. I've always liked Keaton and this is his best role in years. This is also my favorite of Alejando González Iñárritu's films. Who knew he had a sense of humor?
Naomi Watts and Zach Galifianakis are both very good as Keaton's female lead and agent, respectively. And Emma Stone and Edward Norton are both excellent as his daughter and other male lead.
There isn't much to say, review-wise. I really liked this film but I was not as engrossed as I wanted to be. I laughed several times and all the acting is excellent.
The camera-work is extraordinary. The entire film, though it takes place over several days, is filmed as one long take. There are clearly several 4 to 6 minute or longer scenes where the camera is following individual actors around in a way that must have been quite difficult to shoot. The cinematographer is Curón's typical DP, Emmanuel Lubezki, who won the Oscar for Gravity but whose best work may have been in Children of Men.
At one point in the film, an issue comes up that I thought had already definitively been settled, and I really wish if we were meant still to be considering that issue that we were given more of a "heads up".
Again, I liked this film a lot, but I wasn't really engaged with it; and it didn't really stay with me. I still think about Whiplash, which I saw several days prior, but not this. Still, this was fun and the acting and camera work are worth the price of admission, alone. B/B+
2 of 3 in the past couple of weeks:
Horns
One of the better horror-dramady-murder mysteries I've seen.
Daniel Radcliffe plays a young man whose girlfriend (Juno Temple) gets murdered. The entire town thinks Dan's character did it. He is looking for the real killer and one day he wakes up with devil horns. Then everyone he meets starts telling him what he or she is actually thinking. Plus he discovers he has the power to get people to do whatever he asks them to.
The story does not get bogged down in explanation as to how or why the horns came or anything like that. There is zero explanation -- which is great. Whenever these stories try to explain they just go sideways.
There is a lot going on in this film, most of which I liked. Juno's American accent is slightly better than Dan's.
After a little while it becomes pretty easy to figure out who the real killer is, but that doesn't make it less fun watching Dan try to figure it out.
Not a great film, but really solid entertainment. Watched on my TV OnDemand. B-/B
Horns
One of the better horror-dramady-murder mysteries I've seen.
Daniel Radcliffe plays a young man whose girlfriend (Juno Temple) gets murdered. The entire town thinks Dan's character did it. He is looking for the real killer and one day he wakes up with devil horns. Then everyone he meets starts telling him what he or she is actually thinking. Plus he discovers he has the power to get people to do whatever he asks them to.
The story does not get bogged down in explanation as to how or why the horns came or anything like that. There is zero explanation -- which is great. Whenever these stories try to explain they just go sideways.
There is a lot going on in this film, most of which I liked. Juno's American accent is slightly better than Dan's.
After a little while it becomes pretty easy to figure out who the real killer is, but that doesn't make it less fun watching Dan try to figure it out.
Not a great film, but really solid entertainment. Watched on my TV OnDemand. B-/B
3 of 3 in the past couple of weeks:
Nightcrawler
Best film I've seen this year, so far. And best performance of Jake Gyllenhaal's career, by a lot.
Gyllenhaal plays an amoral petty thief who discovers the world of freelance video for local news in LA.
Rene Russo as a 6am news manager and some excellent guy I've never seen before as Jake's "intern" are the only two other major players. Bill Paxton has a role as a competing freelance videographer.
The film is an overt assault on local news, but it is also a scathing commentary on the modern economy -- the celebration of "making it on your own, no matter the cost". Jake's character will simply do what it takes -- it isn't that he is *immoral*, per se. But he is truly amoral, which makes him even more frightening at times. Also frightening, there are moments when I found myself actually rooting for him.
I don't want to give anything away about this film, but it always kept me on the edge of my seat and never felt forced at all. I cannot remember ever having nearly this much fun during a movie this bleak or dark. And beyond the terrific acting and social commentary, yes, this film is a lot of fun, to boot. Best new film I've seen this year, thus far. And Jake will almost undoubtedly get an Oscar nomination. B+
Nightcrawler
Best film I've seen this year, so far. And best performance of Jake Gyllenhaal's career, by a lot.
Gyllenhaal plays an amoral petty thief who discovers the world of freelance video for local news in LA.
Rene Russo as a 6am news manager and some excellent guy I've never seen before as Jake's "intern" are the only two other major players. Bill Paxton has a role as a competing freelance videographer.
The film is an overt assault on local news, but it is also a scathing commentary on the modern economy -- the celebration of "making it on your own, no matter the cost". Jake's character will simply do what it takes -- it isn't that he is *immoral*, per se. But he is truly amoral, which makes him even more frightening at times. Also frightening, there are moments when I found myself actually rooting for him.
I don't want to give anything away about this film, but it always kept me on the edge of my seat and never felt forced at all. I cannot remember ever having nearly this much fun during a movie this bleak or dark. And beyond the terrific acting and social commentary, yes, this film is a lot of fun, to boot. Best new film I've seen this year, thus far. And Jake will almost undoubtedly get an Oscar nomination. B+
Big hero 6, with the family. Pretty good.
Tu Seras Mon Fils
You Will Be My Son
If you are a wine lover I recommend it.
If you are a wine lover that enjoys foreign film I definitely recommend it.
If you are a wine lover that enjoys foreign film and are seriously into shoes I absolutely recommend it.
Streaming on Netflix. 1h 42m. Easy to catch quickly.
You Will Be My Son
If you are a wine lover I recommend it.
If you are a wine lover that enjoys foreign film I definitely recommend it.
If you are a wine lover that enjoys foreign film and are seriously into shoes I absolutely recommend it.
Streaming on Netflix. 1h 42m. Easy to catch quickly.
A Most Wanted Man
Slow, deliberate, shattering, Le Carre. One of the recent more difficult Le Carre books that I was surprised they made a movie of. Even stranger is the currently in production filming of the book Our Kind of Traitor.
In order the film, and TV, versions of Le Carre:
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold Essential
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) The BBC TV series followed by Smiley's People (1982) Perfection
The Tailor Of Panama Wonderful unappreciated movie, perhaps Pierce Brosnan's best role
A Most Wanted Man Better than most
A Perfect Spy Unpleasant, but excellent, BBC TV story loosely based on Le Carre's relationship with his awful father
The Constant Gardener Good
A Murder of Quality Good, untypical Smiley Story from the BBC
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2013) No reason for it to exist with the TV version
The Russia House Semi-OK version of a rarely read Le Carre novel
The Little Drummer Girl Dreadful
The Deadly Affair and The Looking Glass War Currently unobtainable
Slow, deliberate, shattering, Le Carre. One of the recent more difficult Le Carre books that I was surprised they made a movie of. Even stranger is the currently in production filming of the book Our Kind of Traitor.
In order the film, and TV, versions of Le Carre:
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold Essential
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) The BBC TV series followed by Smiley's People (1982) Perfection
The Tailor Of Panama Wonderful unappreciated movie, perhaps Pierce Brosnan's best role
A Most Wanted Man Better than most
A Perfect Spy Unpleasant, but excellent, BBC TV story loosely based on Le Carre's relationship with his awful father
The Constant Gardener Good
A Murder of Quality Good, untypical Smiley Story from the BBC
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2013) No reason for it to exist with the TV version
The Russia House Semi-OK version of a rarely read Le Carre novel
The Little Drummer Girl Dreadful
The Deadly Affair and The Looking Glass War Currently unobtainable
quote:Originally posted by The Old Man:
A Most Wanted Man
Slow, deliberate, shattering, Le Carre. One of the recent more difficult Le Carre books that I was surprised they made a movie of. Even stranger is the currently in production filming of the book Our Kind of Traitor.
In order the film, and TV, versions of Le Carre:
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold Essential
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) The BBC TV series followed by Smiley's People (1982) Perfection
The Tailor Of Panama Wonderful unappreciated movie, perhaps Pierce Brosnan's best role
The Constant Gardener Good
A Perfect Spy Unpleasant BBC TV story based on Le Carre's relationship with his awful father
The Russia House OK version of a rarely read Le Carre novel
The Little Drummer Girl Dreadful
A Murder of Quality Unseen
The Deadly Affair and The Looking Glass War Currently unobtainable
What about the 2011 version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with Gary Oldman?
quote:Originally posted by sunnylea57:
What about the 2011 version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with Gary Oldman?
Redone, also forgot to put last night's movie in its place. I also changed one place, and added a couple of words.
The Boxtrolls.
quote:Originally posted by winetarelli:
Nightcrawler
Best film I've seen this year, so far. And best performance of Jake Gyllenhaal's career, by a lot.
I don't want to give anything away about this film, but it always kept me on the edge of my seat and never felt forced at all. I cannot remember ever having nearly this much fun during a movie this bleak or dark. And beyond the terrific acting and social commentary, yes, this film is a lot of fun, to boot. Best new film I've seen this year, thus far. And Jake will almost undoubtedly get an Oscar nomination. B+
Holy smoke! So what does take to get an A- in your class, Professor Winetarelli?
quote:Originally posted by Seaquam:
Holy smoke! So what does take to get an A- in your class, Professor Winetarelli?
Not end of the year Oscar bait.
quote:Originally posted by winetarelli:
3 of 3 in the past couple of weeks:
Nightcrawler
Best film I've seen this year,
Hmm, this was a movie not even remotely on my radar.
quote:Originally posted by wine+art:quote:Originally posted by winetarelli:
3 of 3 in the past couple of weeks:
Nightcrawler
Best film I've seen this year,
Hmm, this was a movie not even remotely on my radar.
Adjust your radar. You'll like it.
quote:Originally posted by Seaquam:quote:Originally posted by winetarelli:
Nightcrawler
Best film I've seen this year, so far. And best performance of Jake Gyllenhaal's career, by a lot.
I don't want to give anything away about this film, but it always kept me on the edge of my seat and never felt forced at all. I cannot remember ever having nearly this much fun during a movie this bleak or dark. And beyond the terrific acting and social commentary, yes, this film is a lot of fun, to boot. Best new film I've seen this year, thus far. And Jake will almost undoubtedly get an Oscar nomination. B+
Holy smoke! So what does take to get an A- in your class, Professor Winetarelli?
Last year I gave 12 Years a Slave an A, Her an A-, and both The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle B+/A- ratings.
Nightcrawler is on par with Whiplash, maybe just slightly
quote:Originally posted by winetarelli:
Last year I gave 12 Years a Slave an A, Her an A-, and both The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle B+/A- ratings.
With those low scores, you would never qualify as a reviewer for The Wine Advocate.
quote:Originally posted by winetarelli:
Nightcrawler is on par with Whiplash, maybe just slightlybetter... more immersive.
Funny, yesterday I made a list of movies I should check out and both of those are on it. But fairly far down the list, below Boyhood, A Most Wanted Man, The Overnighters, Birdman...
Maleficent Really liked this one for some reason. I guess because there were no real heros or villans, but more shades of gray in the characters.
Edge of Tomorrow Liked this one a lot less than I thought I would. It was like they had a concept (unoriginal as it was) and that was it. If you were to take the concept at face value, then the ending made no logical sense whatsoever.
Edge of Tomorrow Liked this one a lot less than I thought I would. It was like they had a concept (unoriginal as it was) and that was it. If you were to take the concept at face value, then the ending made no logical sense whatsoever.
Tonight: A Most Wanted Man
quote:Originally posted by bman:quote:Originally posted by wine+art:quote:Originally posted by winetarelli:
3 of 3 in the past couple of weeks:
Nightcrawler
Best film I've seen this year,
Hmm, this was a movie not even remotely on my radar.
Adjust your radar. You'll like it.
It's funny. I get why it wasn't on your RADAR, but obviously, I agree with bman.
While the latter is still the significantly more impressive film... this film is to a 'wanna-be loner action film noir flick with a heavy handed social message made by a first time director' what Leon (aka The Professional) is to a 'bloody, cops and robbers, starring a 12 year old girl in a quasi father/daughter, quasi romantic, tremendous sexual tension, relationship with her middle aged assassin protector (who at first, thought of killing her) film'
Generally speaking, neither had a particularly good chance of being a strong film based upon a synopsis. Both are worth seeing.
A Most Wanted Man
Very good.
Very good.
quote:Originally posted by winetarelli:
3 of 3 in the past couple of weeks:
Nightcrawler
Best film I've seen this year.... B+
Really enjoy and appreciate your mini reviews, wineteralli!
quote:Originally posted by The Web:quote:Originally posted by winetarelli:
3 of 3 in the past couple of weeks:
Nightcrawler
Best film I've seen this year.... B+
Really enjoy and appreciate your mini reviews, wineteralli!
Why thank you so much! I try
F.W. Murnau's Sunrise aka Sunrise: A Song of Two Human Beings, 1927.
A truly overwhelming experience. Murnau, the godfather of German Expressionistic filmmaking, is of course most famous for Nosferatu. With it's deep shadows, strange angles and moody feel, it's the precursor to the American film style Film Noir.
Hitchcock was an big admirer of Muranu and supposedly watched him working on an earlier picture when working in Berlin. (As a weird side note in the middle of the movie there's a short sequence accompanied to the the music Funeral March of a Marionette. The song became the theme song for the TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents and later Hitch's unofficial theme song whenever making TV talk shows appearances etc.)
An astounding thing about this "silent" movie is that it has a real soundtrack. Most silent films were accompanied by music, sometimes simply an improvisation on a piano, or, like in the case of Abel Gance's Napoleon, an orchestral score which was played live. In Sunrise a soundtrack consisting of music and some sound effects was printed on the actual film as all films would be until modern day methods replaced it. The movie had its release in September 1927 about a month before The Jazz Singer!
A simple story of a farmer ("The Man", no characters have names in the movie) who is seduced by a city woman who urges him to kill his wife. "The Wife" is play by Janet Gaynor who after many silent pictures made an effortless transition to "talkies" eventually making it big in the great A Star Is Born. The script was co-written by Murnau and Carl Mayer. Mayer had early co-written The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
There is so much innovation in this film that if I were a director of the time I might have hug up my megaphone. Murnau is credited with the invention of he "unchained camera" displayed here in unbelievable tracking shots, jaw dropping in-camera superimpositions and other flourishes that all help, rather than detract, from the emotional filled scenes.
Murnau was brought to America by producer William Fox (yes that Fox) to make a German style film in the US. The film, as with so many masterpieces, was not a hit at the time--though now consider one of the greatest films of all time. A number of Murnau's films are lost including the film he made right after this one. He died in a car accident in Santa Barbara in 1931. He was only 42.
Essential viewing.
A truly overwhelming experience. Murnau, the godfather of German Expressionistic filmmaking, is of course most famous for Nosferatu. With it's deep shadows, strange angles and moody feel, it's the precursor to the American film style Film Noir.
Hitchcock was an big admirer of Muranu and supposedly watched him working on an earlier picture when working in Berlin. (As a weird side note in the middle of the movie there's a short sequence accompanied to the the music Funeral March of a Marionette. The song became the theme song for the TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents and later Hitch's unofficial theme song whenever making TV talk shows appearances etc.)
An astounding thing about this "silent" movie is that it has a real soundtrack. Most silent films were accompanied by music, sometimes simply an improvisation on a piano, or, like in the case of Abel Gance's Napoleon, an orchestral score which was played live. In Sunrise a soundtrack consisting of music and some sound effects was printed on the actual film as all films would be until modern day methods replaced it. The movie had its release in September 1927 about a month before The Jazz Singer!
A simple story of a farmer ("The Man", no characters have names in the movie) who is seduced by a city woman who urges him to kill his wife. "The Wife" is play by Janet Gaynor who after many silent pictures made an effortless transition to "talkies" eventually making it big in the great A Star Is Born. The script was co-written by Murnau and Carl Mayer. Mayer had early co-written The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
There is so much innovation in this film that if I were a director of the time I might have hug up my megaphone. Murnau is credited with the invention of he "unchained camera" displayed here in unbelievable tracking shots, jaw dropping in-camera superimpositions and other flourishes that all help, rather than detract, from the emotional filled scenes.
Murnau was brought to America by producer William Fox (yes that Fox) to make a German style film in the US. The film, as with so many masterpieces, was not a hit at the time--though now consider one of the greatest films of all time. A number of Murnau's films are lost including the film he made right after this one. He died in a car accident in Santa Barbara in 1931. He was only 42.
Essential viewing.
quote:Originally posted by mneeley490:
Edge of Tomorrow Liked this one a lot less than I thought I would. It was like they had a concept (unoriginal as it was) and that was it. If you were to take the concept at face value, then the ending made no logical sense whatsoever.
I liked it.
quote:Originally posted by spo:quote:Originally posted by mneeley490:
Edge of Tomorrow Liked this one a lot less than I thought I would. It was like they had a concept (unoriginal as it was) and that was it. If you were to take the concept at face value, then the ending made no logical sense whatsoever.
I liked it.
+1
Expecting nothing from a Tom Cruise movie and then reading good reviews and it being a financial failure I figured there was a decent chance it would be good.
7 Ans (7 Years)
Not every French film stars good looking actors, or has interesting plot or a well made story.
69 pts.
Oh yeah, the print, on Amazon, is terrible too.
Not every French film stars good looking actors, or has interesting plot or a well made story.
69 pts.
Oh yeah, the print, on Amazon, is terrible too.
Jacobs Ladder.
The Conspirator, Dreadful. Essentially an overblown made-for-TV movie that became a theatrical because it was directed by Robert Redford. Whoever told him he was a director? I only know of two great movies directed by an actor. One is Night of the Hunter amazingly a remarkable one time effort by Charles Laughton. The other is the brilliant Confessions of a Dangerous Mind helmed (a movie critic cliche) by George Clooney.
The Lego Movie - surprisingly entertaining