Last Movie you Watched?

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Source Code - nicely done sci-fi actioner with Jake Gyllenhall, Michelle Monaghan and Jeffrey Wright ... think Inception meets Groundhog Day, and you're pretty much there.

I was definitely reminded of Groundhog Day. I actually found myself wishing he had gone back more times. The whole things really seemed to fly by to me....

Then, I was a little under the influence at the time, so....

Thanks for the tips, folks. Looks like the Dick is off the menu.

Armond did an excellent review of the film, titled 'Matt Damon, Dickhead.'

"Matt Damon uses movies to explain the world to audiences who just want to be entertained."

"America is evil. Where's my Ferrari? No, my OTHER Ferrari!"

It's fine, I think, for movies to have an element of that stuff. But they should also have some kind of self-aware quality or a sense of humor. It's when they try to be so srs. And care more about making a point than making a movie anyone would want to watch.

Can't be bothered to fix the grammar of that post.

lalala2004 wrote:

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Source Code - nicely done sci-fi actioner with Jake Gyllenhall, Michelle Monaghan and Jeffrey Wright ... think Inception meets Groundhog Day, and you're pretty much there.

I was definitely reminded of Groundhog Day. I actually found myself wishing he had gone back more times. The whole things really seemed to fly by to me....

Then, I was a little under the influence at the time, so....

It IS only a 93 minute movie, so you probably weren't too :drunken: .

;)

The Insider

Some thoughts on it in the appropriate thread.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

lalala2004 wrote:

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Source Code - nicely done sci-fi actioner with Jake Gyllenhall, Michelle Monaghan and Jeffrey Wright ... think Inception meets Groundhog Day, and you're pretty much there.

I was definitely reminded of Groundhog Day. I actually found myself wishing he had gone back more times. The whole things really seemed to fly by to me....

Then, I was a little under the influence at the time, so....

It IS only a 93 minute movie, so you probably weren't too :drunken: .

;)

Good to know

Solomon Kane

Well, I enjoyed it. Lots of excellent sword action. And James Purefoy doing his Brizzle accent. Apparently the first of a trilogy, so I'm hoping for more smiting in the future.

Thanks colly, I reckon I'll slap on an order for Woman in the Window now. Which Lang films do you recommend, generally? I'm really in the mood for more of his stuff, especially after the last two I just watched.

M Fritz Lang, 1931

As with Scarlet Street, another near-enough perfect film from Lang. Peter Lorre's performance is rightfully noted by just about anyone who discusses the film. That first shot of his face (not even mentioning the character's chilling introduction via silhouette), as he stares into the mirror with that deranged look in his eyes, is utterly compelling. The production design is much the same as in his last silent efforts, the fantastical Spione and Frau im Mond, but the rawness of the narrative and subject matter gives the picture a bite that those films lack. It's a totally gripping thriller.

WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS Fritz Lang, 1956

After the heart-stopping opening sequence, the first twenty or so minutes of While the City Sleeps seem quite dull indeed. But once the story really kicks off, it's excellently told. Lang skillfully switches back and forth between multiple narrative threads, all with different tones, and produces a film that holds together very well. Not a masterpiece by any means, but a solid, solid film.

Lang-O-Meter:

1. Scarlet Street
2. M
3. Frau im Mond
4. Spione
5. The Big Heat
6. Human Desire
7. While the City Sleeps
8. Rancho Notorious
9. Metropolis
10. Western Union

Two that you havent seen, which I'd recommend, are CLASH BY NIGHT and YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE. First one's a rather good and seedy tale of marrying for comfort, underlying passions, Robert Ryan's chinese impressions and a cast thats also got Stanwyck, Paul Douglas and Marilyn Monroe.... and the second one's a solid early example of the doomed-lovers/criminals-on-the-run pic that stars Henry Fonda and Sylvia Sidney.

Though I really should finally watch FURY (owned it for ages) and I really want to get onto the double of WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS and BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT (both of which have just been released by the Warner archive).

I clearly need to see SCARLET STREET. M, though, is first-class filmmaking of the highest order.

Scream 4

7/10

I am a huge fan of the original trilogy (at least Scream and Scream 2) and I can say that while not matching up to the first two, Scream 4 is an improvement over Scream 3 and is bloody good fun! Didn't see me saying that, did ya?

Escape From Fort Bravo (1953) Dir. John Sturges

A second viewing, its truly a pleasure to return to one of the most superior forms of the 50s Western. Intertwining the US Civil War, the harsh Death Valley landscape, a love story and the savage Mescaleros couldve produced something overwrought and half-baked. Not so. Directed by John Sturges, featuring a cast of recognizable names in John Forsythe, Eleanor Parker, William Demarest and more, with the in-his-prime William Holden taking the lead. Casting off his more witty and cynical personas of films like SUNSET BLVD and STALAG 17, he's wonderfully hard-edged as the stern Captain Roper, head of his domain and an unapologetic gets-the-job-done type. Its probably my favourite role of his, and I'd heartily recommend it to any fans.

Saw my own film, along with 23 others, in the Calgary Underground Film Festival. Very cool moment, hopefully first of many to come.

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

Saw my own film, along with 23 others, in the Calgary Underground Film Festival. Very cool moment, hopefully first of many to come.

Well done, FS. That must've been great. :)

Any chance of it being online in the near future?

Mr. Brown wrote:

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

Saw my own film, along with 23 others, in the Calgary Underground Film Festival. Very cool moment, hopefully first of many to come.

Well done, FS. That must've been great. :)

Any chance of it being online in the near future?

Yeah, it's short enough to put it on YouTube, so I suppose we'll put it up and share it. I need to talk to the producer though, since he's scoping other festivals to put it in, and I'm not sure if publicly exhibiting it would violate rules or something -- I don't see how, it's already been premiered and usually that's what festivals care about, having that first show exclusivity.

You're not still in film school FS, are you?

Flashbacks of a Fool - This flew under most people's radars in 2008, so I thought it would suck. However, it turned out to be surprisingly good and criminally underrated... I liked this a lot more than the Oscar-fare of that year, including Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Benjamin Button, The Wrestler, etc. Few films made this century so far are as gorgeously lit, shot, and edited as Flashbacks. And few tearjerker movies have resonated so much with me. Daniel Craig is at his best here as a fading Hollywood star who reconnects with his past. The rest of the cast, including the teenage version of Craig's character, Olivia Williams, and Claire Forlani, is also strong.

GeneralGogol wrote:

However, it turned out to be surprisingly good and criminally underrated...

Everything's "criminally underrated" today.

GeneralGogol wrote:

I liked this a lot more than the Oscar-fare of that year, including Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Benjamin Button, The Wrestler, etc. Few films made this century so far are as gorgeously lit, shot, and edited as Flashbacks.

Agreed there.

Sharky wrote:

Everything's "criminally underrated" today.

...only until it becomes criminally overrated.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)



Funny how the laws of time can be alternated for money, and this is a perfect example. Judgement Day is unstoppable? Seriously?! Wasn't the whole point that the future is unwritten, it's what we make for ourselves? The only good side is Ahnuld and the car chase, which is the only good action piece in this CGI-filled wrap. Bottom line: they should just leave this for Cameron, although he's glory days are over.

2/10

I always thought Judgement Day was unstoppable. Sure you can go back in time, but what you do is what actually happened in 1984 and 1991 - so the world of "the future" so to speak, couldnt be altered.

That said i havent seen numbers 3 and 4.

The Matrix

One of the few modern action films with a brain. It's still one of my favorites.

Tubes wrote:

The Matrix

One of the few modern action films with a brain.

Half a brain, though David Davis's score is superb.