Last Movie you Watched?

Harmsway wrote:

RE: HULK, I'm not sure that HULK is actually good, per se, but it is fascinating in ways that none of the other Marvel superhero flicks manage to be. A noble failure, perhaps?

RE: THE AVENGERS, I'm not holding my breath. But, like Sharky, I don't like Whedon.

Agreed on all points there, actually. This is bordering on sycophancy.

Lee's Hulk doesn't really work, but the ambition is impressive. I'm not sure that Lee is really served by most of the casting, although Elliot as Ross is about as spot-on as you can get.

At any rate, its far more fascinating and effective than The Incredible Hulk, which is just dross.

FourDot wrote:

Agreed on all points there, actually. This is bordering on sycophancy.

Great minds...

FourDot wrote:

Lee's Hulk doesn't really work, but the ambition is impressive. I'm not sure that Lee is really served by most of the casting, although Elliot as Ross is about as spot-on as you can get.

The cast is a bit of a problem. And I think the film stretches on too long.

But, oh, the editing!

I wasn't a fan of the panel effects either, really ruined a few moments like Talbot's death (though maybe not since I didn't care of that character).

I thought the panels were great. Nice reference to the source.

I don't mind the idea of the panels. But it's done to such an extremity that it's the most memorable thing about the film.

I dig the Herrmann-esque descending flutes motif and the Tibetan throat singing.

Awesome track.

I of course have no idea how THE AVENGERS will turn out. I hope it'll be good. I do like Whedon generally. I quite like SERENITY of course. I'm just not sure how well a film like that can work unless it's done just right. Too many superheroes in one movie is my biggest concern. There are few of these films that do a great job at capturing one superhero, let alone several.

It's more that I'm annoyed that CA couldn't be a completely standalone film. I found a lot of it quite stirring, so I was doubly let down by what I felt didn't work as well. Chalk it up as yet another film I wish I could make my own version of. The list now includes two WWII pulp adventures with "captain" in the title.

FourDot wrote:

Lee's Hulk doesn't really work, but the ambition is impressive. I'm not sure that Lee is really served by most of the casting, although Elliot as Ross is about as spot-on as you can get.

At any rate, its far more fascinating and effective than The Incredible Hulk, which is just dross.

Yeah, HULK is a movie whose reach exceeded its grasp, but there's more to admire in that than INCREDIBLE HULK, a film which essentially decided to be as mediocre as possible.

As for cast comparison, while on paper Norton would seem a better Banner than Bana, I think in every case the cast for the original is better. Elliot is far more believeable and three-dimensional as the warhawk than Hurt, Connelly is hotter (and a better actress) than Tyler, and Norton -- despite by all counts being really into the character -- always feels like he's phoning it in when I watch it.

Norton's OK in the first act... when the film is actually kinda servicable. I don't know who I prefer our of him and Bana. Split the difference. Actually, I like the casting of Ruffalo, and I'm interested to see how that works out.

The casting of William Hurt as Ross is potentially one of THE STUPIDEST CASTING DECISIONS IN HISTORY.

Seriously, getting Hurt to play a guy who, by default, has to shout at people and is a figure of authority, is tantamount to casting someone like John Fiedler as Darth Vader.

Sharky wrote:

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

Sharky wrote:

Didn't I just praise HULK?

Chinese director. ;)

THE CHINAMAN IS NOT THE ISSUE!

It's was produced by UNIVERSAL.

He thinks the carpet pissers did this?

I felt the inner conflict in Bana much more. The sense of that fear of the Hulk getting out.

He's much better IMHO. Brilliant in MUNICH.

The only thing wrong with Bana is that he's built like a linebacker in that movie. Part of the Banner/Hulk dynamic is that Banner's a weakling geek.

Don't agree. He didn't look 230-270 lbs.

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

The only thing wrong with Bana is that he's built like a linebacker in that movie. Part of the Banner/Hulk dynamic is that Banner's a weakling geek.

That could be the problem. It's been a long time since I've seen it, but something about it just doesn't work.

As for Bana's best work, I think it's still Chopper.

The Adventures Of Tintin : The Secret Of The Unicorn (2D version) - hugely enjoyable big-screen depiction of Herge's teenage reporter with a thirst for adventure that admirably captures the spirit of the books. The animation is fantastic, and the action-adventure 'mojo' that appeared to desert Spielberg on Crystal Skull is firmly back. Great fun.

Looking forward to Tintin. We don't get it until Boxing Day.

10,000 BC (2008)
Dir. Roland Emmerich

In which dreadlocked nobodies torment the cast of Ice Age. With most crap films I can at least see what the target audience was and how it might have been greenlit. Not so in this case.

Blow Out (1981)
Dir. Brian De Palma

Tremendously entertaining stuff. Pretty much lean and mean, with De Palma justifying everything on a story level except perhaps the cubicle strangling. The photography is really something, but what I'm most impressed with is that De Palma does a procedural about a format that isn't usually given the time of day in cinema. There's a thoroughness to Travolta's investigation that would be dead boring if it were photography or video or whatever. And, for that matter, Travolta's actually pretty good, which is a real shock. I can't say the same for Allen - I know she's playing a specific type, but that's not really an excuse for her inadequacy. But that's a fairly minor issue.

I prefer The Conversation overall, but this is a lot more fun. The best De Palma I've seen thus far.

Sharky wrote:

Don't agree. He didn't look 230-270 lbs.

no, but the point is he didn't look the Edward Norton i.e innocuos

Smart People (2008)

liked Quaid and Haden Church but well...it moved apace I suppose.

Saw OBSESSION today in the theater.

This time, I didn't have a c*** sitting next to me, laughing at every scene.

Coincidentally, Paul Schrader was at the theater, too, but seeing another film. I only noticed it was him when he was in the lobby on his cell phone, and didn't want to interrupt. Thought I'd catch him after the film, but it didn't work out. Pretty cool, regardless.

Mr. Brown wrote:

Vertigo
Also, it's always interesting to see/hear the audience's response to the film. I found it odd that they were laughing during the scenes in which Scottie tries refashioning Judy.

I remember seeing it in the cinema back in the 90s and laughing out loud when Novak is basically saying to Stewart "Look, I've done all this, that's gotta be enough", but he just fucking ignores her and tells her the next thing to change. It's demented, yep, but it's always blackly amused me that moment. And it was nice to hear quite a few of the audience laugh out a few seconds afterwards as if the joke had just clicked, always nice to sprinkle some of the old Lazenbian demented humour an audience's way from time to time.... :twisted:

And yep, the dream sequence really comes alive on the big screen, feeling like a really special standout sequence, something that doesn't really seem all that mind-blowing on the small screen, yet, like 2001's "light show", makes you feel like you're experiencing one of those special cinema moments when it's up there on the big screen.

I tried watching THE SHADOW from 1994. Wow, that movie just doesn't work. Got about 20 some odd minutes in, after Baldwin drops off Penelope Ann Miller. I got distracted and paused the thing, but when I came back I just didn't care enough to see the rest. Nice cast, but the thing just... doesn't work at all. Pity, I like Baldwin, Miller, Boyle, Winters, etc. I didn't get to McKellen yet. What an odd cast.

That Miller was a classy dame in the day, though.

Speaking of odd casts, has anyone seen HEARTS OF THE WEST? It's gonna be on TCM. It's from 1975 and stars Jeff Bridges, Andy Griffith, Donald Pleasence, Alan Arkin, and Blythe Danner. :shock: The synopsis is: An aspiring western novelist in thirties Hollywood becomes a low-budget cowboy star.

I'm recording it!

Awww - I love The Shadow. It's typical Russell Mulcahy - arty shots, light across eyes, exploding drain covers, and showers of broken glass. Can't get enough of it.