List some movies you've watched recently. Theatre, rental, TV...

[KeithTalent]

I think I have that next in my queue.

I think that film is freaking awesome. To be honest Ponti is one of the few I have seen that disliked it, here or anywhere else.

KT

 

[KeithTalent]

The Road : 5.5/10

Given that this is based upon the novel by Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men) that is supposed to be the best American Novel written in the past 30 years, I was tremendously disappointed with how this film turned out. More than anything else, I'd blame this on the difficulties of translation from page to screen rather than on any of the actors or the director really.

Viggo was superb, perhaps his best performance to date really, and the supporting cast was mostly excellent, particularly the brief but fascinating appearance of an almost unrecognizable Robert Duvall.

What I think came across most poorly was the behavior and presence of the wife (played by Charlize Theron) in the flashbacks. I imagine that the book gave that a lot more detail and nuance, but in the film it felt artificial and rushed, and just made her character look like a cruel gutless loser.

There were brief periods where Viggo would narrate (obviously from the source material), and it was incredibly well written, poetic and hard-hitting, but then the movie would return to the near-slient malaise that dominated the running time. I can only imagine that the book kept up that feeling by continually keeping in touch with the thoughts and memories as things happened, and the disconnect with the film version made things a lot more difficult to endure.

In retrospect, it seems that this would have made a better translation had there been more narration, and a greater attempt at living up to the source material. Perhaps a 4 or 5 hour HBO-quality mini-series or something of that nature. As it was, I can only regret that what is widely viewed as one of the finest novels in recent history has been reduced to :

Unknown disaster : family struggles to survive : a handful of lines of dialogue/narration : despair : emptiness : ambiguous ending.

If I was bored enough, I could have made a 5-minute summarized version and virtually nothing would have been left out, and I refuse to believe that the book itself was that vapid.

Damn, I really liked the film, but I have not read the book, so that may be why? I do have the unabridged audio book, but have not had a chance to listen to it yet.

KT

 

[Arcadio]

I think that film is freaking awesome. To be honest Ponti is one of the few I have seen that disliked it, here or anywhere else.

KT

x2. Excellent movie. Just remember to watch it in the original Swedish language with English subtitles, assuming you don't speak Swedish.

 

[Arkaign]

Damn, I really liked the film, but I have not read the book, so that may be why? I do have the unabridged audio book, but have not had a chance to listen to it yet.

KT

Well, I should have qualified my rating some more. As an original film, or viewed as a stand-alone film, I could easily give it a 7/10 or maybe a smidge higher. I was really hard on it due to the legendary source material. A novel that is so widely heralded (even has the Pulitzer prize for fiction) should make for a more substantive film. For that reason, I penalized it some, as they only sparingly used pieces of prose from the novel (in what were almost certainly the most effective scenes in the film).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize_for_Fiction

 

[AnonymouseUser]

x2. Excellent movie. Just remember to watch it in the original Swedish language with English subtitles, assuming you don't speak Swedish.

Yep, that's what I did and I enjoyed it. Planning to watch it again soon, and I rarely watch movies more than once.

 

[pontifex]

I think that film is freaking awesome. To be honest Ponti is one of the few I have seen that disliked it, here or anywhere else.

KT

why do people like it so much?

none of the characters are likable or really have any depth. It's like none of them have any emotions as they always seem to act the same no matter what.

the ending was anti-climatic and so predictable.

 

[Loop2kil]

Avatar - 7/10 - Overall I enjoyed it but take away all the CGI and it's your basic movie plot(good guy, bad guy...struggles...happy ending). They did an awesome job wrapping it up with very pretty cinematography.

Tooth Fairy - 6/10 - Kids comedy but it was likable and the acting was decent.

Old Dogs - 9/10 - Disney did a great job making a hilarious movie without cussing or nudity. The first 20 minutes were slow but once the kids get on screen things change and I laughed out loud multiple times. It was good seeing Robin Williams in a funny movie where he was actually funny. I've always been a Seth Green fan and Travolta was on top of his game as well and was probably the funniest in the movie....great family movie.

 

[Tom]

Gas, Food, Lodging. an overlooked gem

fascinating relationships between a Mother and her daughters, but also reveals why ordinary life in america is often kind of magical, as it unfolds before us and inside us.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

Coraline - 7.5/10: Pretty damn beautiful and impressive stop-motion in this almost Burton-esque kids story. I enjoyed this much more than I expected and even laughed out loud in a couple of spots (the Russian guy made me chuckle). I like some of the Pixar films, but I have to say it is great to see stop-motion like this and others (Mr. Fox) still being done and receiving recognition. Anyway, not much else to say except it was good fun and I really enjoyed it.

KT

for the Coraline fans out there, I found this little segment in Wired to be really neat -
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/multimedia/2009/02/pl_screen

 

[KeithTalent]

for the Coraline fans out there, I found this little segment in Wired to be really neat -
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/multimedia/2009/02/pl_screen

Cool. I'll have to look at that when I get home tonight.

KT

 

[SlitheryDee]

for the Coraline fans out there, I found this little segment in Wired to be really neat -
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/multimedia/2009/02/pl_screen

Jeez, a LOT of work went into that movie.

 

[Gibsons]

The Road : 5.5/10

What I think came across most poorly was the behavior and presence of the wife (played by Charlize Theron) in the flashbacks. I imagine that the book gave that a lot more detail and nuance, but in the film it felt artificial and rushed, and just made her character look like a cruel gutless loser.

I haven't seen the movie, but the wife plays a very small role in the book, just a few paragraphs at most. I think her role was expanded greatly in the film and that might explain why it seemed out of place.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

Avatar - 9.0/10 - Was able to go into this with no prior knowledge (I'm getting better and better at this!). Sadly, within like 15 minutes I could see the whole thing unfolding. I REALLY like the themes of

Spoiler

rebirth/second chances and unlocking hidden potential. Sort of being destined for something great, discovering unknown strengths, going from irrelevant to hero (Similar themes in Matrix as well).

Extra credit for insane visuals. We watched the 3D version. Sadly I spent much of the movie without the glasses on... our seats were super close to the screen and I kept getting nauseated.

Points off for dumbing the plot down so far there is absolutely no doubt about what will happen and ruining a lot of suspense.

More points off for the dumbed down thinly veiled in your face

Spoiler

political commentary. There is more to the issue than just raping and pillaging cultures and land. They could have developed a really controversial substory but instead just demonized and polarized the sides making it more of a distraction than anything. IMO

 

[HardcoreRobot]

Jeez, a LOT of work went into that movie.

No joke! I mean, when watching it you know the visuals are something special, but it wasn't until I saw that piece in wired that i really appreciated the effort

 

[conehead433]

Run Lola Run. I was quite surprised at how good this film was. Worth checking out.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

An Education - 6/10

Not-bad, but overrated coming-of-age story in which a bright 16-year-old girl is seduced by a suave, mysterious 35-year-old man in 1961 London. It's funny, since the movie is based on a true story, that it really didn't ring true to me. It often felt forced and phony, and once it was over I felt like I'd spent 2 hours on the couch watching a made-for-Lifetime melodrama. Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard were good in the leading roles, but some of the supporting cast were unimpressive (the normally strong Alfred Molina was especially disappointing). Slightly better than average but it really didn't live up to the hype for me.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Pandorum - 7/10

Pretty solid, if unexceptional, sci fi/horror flick starring, oddly enough, Dennis Quaid. This is fairly entertaining, and shot and staged cleverly, though it recycles a lot of material from other movies, including Event Horizon, 28 Days/Weeks Later, and Alien.

 

[911paramedic]

The Triangle - 8/10

Pretty decent sci-fi/thriller movie involving the Bermuda Triangle. You really need to watch it two or more times to see things you missed the first time through. Sure, there are a few holes in it, but if you overlook them it's a really good movie.

High Times 8.5/10

This movie is destined to be one of those underrated classics if you ask me. Great story, great characters, and it was entertaining from beginning to end. Olyphant (Timothy) was great in this flick, as was his old cellmate, but I don't know who played him.

The Big Lebowski 9/10

Just watched it again, great movie Dude! ("Shut up Donnie!!")

 

[zerocool84]

Avatar - 9.0/10 - Was able to go into this with no prior knowledge (I'm getting better and better at this!). Sadly, within like 15 minutes I could see the whole thing unfolding. I REALLY like the themes of

Spoiler

rebirth/second chances and unlocking hidden potential. Sort of being destined for something great, discovering unknown strengths, going from irrelevant to hero (Similar themes in Matrix as well).

Extra credit for insane visuals. We watched the 3D version. Sadly I spent much of the movie without the glasses on... our seats were super close to the screen and I kept getting nauseated.

Points off for dumbing the plot down so far there is absolutely no doubt about what will happen and ruining a lot of suspense.

More points off for the dumbed down thinly veiled in your face

Spoiler

political commentary. There is more to the issue than just raping and pillaging cultures and land. They could have developed a really controversial substory but instead just demonized and polarized the sides making it more of a distraction than anything. IMO

You give it a 9/10 but then take points off for many different issues???

 

[911paramedic]

I forgot one I watched yesterday, lol...

The Canyon - 7.5

Great survival story and it was done on a pretty low budget. Good storyline and cast, it includes the girlfriend from the TV show "Chuck", and a surly guide that takes a newlywed couple on a tour in the Grand Canyon.

First 15 sec probably NSFW, she in in panties. Trailer also gives away a lot of the movie, if you only watch the first 45 seconds you will be fine, going further will show some spoilers.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVK7nYCLIY8

 

[shortylickens]

Also, anything with Misty Mundae is automatically 10/10.

 

[Arkaign]

Also, anything with Misty Mundae is automatically 10/10.

That sounds like such a pron star name. I don't feel like goggling her name at the moment though

 

[slayer202]

tonight watched..

The Road: 5/10
Man this was dissapointing. I never read the book, but I thought I was going to like this movie. I think the best way to sum up my feelings on this movie was that there are no memorable scenes, nothing that I would watch this film again to see. Maybe not even any memorable lines even. It was just very boring and anticlimatic. The plot seemed so flat and forced. I kept waiting for something significant to happen but it never did. Something would happen, and then it would be forgotten. Nothing carried through the movie. I didn't like the ending either.

 

[KeithTalent]

The Thirteenth Floor - 7/10: Pretty darn cool sci-fi film about some scientists that make a virtual world you can laod yourself into and interact with what is really a fully functional world with essentially real people. Some of the acting and dialogue was a little dodgy, but the story is solid and I had a lot of fun with it. I like D'Onofrio, seems like a good guy, though I can barely remember other films he has been in. :hmm:

KT

 

[GT1999]

Last night I watched Pandorum on on-demand HD. Simply awesome. I loved the ending. Worth watching. 8.0/10.