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

[KeithTalent]

The Tree of Life - 9.5/10: By far the least traditional of all of Malick's films, without a true, cohesive narrative, but it's also probably the most beautiful of his films. At its heart this is a family drama, focusing on a family in the 50's and a young boy's perspective, but it also goes off and looks at the birth of the world and various other wondrous things in nature. Admittedly I was a bit confused and unsure of the film in the first 15-20 minutes, but after that I settled down and went along for the ride and enjoyed every single minute of it. The acting was great and even though it was not a traditional drama, the dramatic elements really worked for me and I felt a part of the family by the end of it all. Certainly not for everyone and I can even understand the cries of pretention and boredom, but for me it was absolutely beautiful and I'm hoping to see it again before it leaves the theatre.

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - 9/10: A documentary on Conan's comedy tour after he left The Tonight Show that follows the initial preparation of the show and the subsequent tour. If you are a Conan fan at all, you absolutely must see this as you get a tonne of excellent behind the scenes footage. I'm a fan myself and really enjoyed the thing; it was hilarious in many parts and it also gave some great insight into Conan's process, the people around him, and how he was actually impacted by the whole NBC mess. Saw it in a sold out theatre and everyone was really into it. Good time.

Bored to Death (Season 2) - 8.5/10: Love this show and I have no idea why it took me so long to get to season 2 (been sitting on my DVR for months). If you haven't seen the show it follows Jason Schwartzman as the lead character who is a struggling writer and an unlicensed private detective. The stories are whacky, with encapsulated detective stories and overall character arcs that link all of the episodes together; it's very fun and the interplay between Schwartzman, Galifinakis, and Ted Danson is absolutely perfect; a constantly stoned Danson is hilarious. Had some great appearances from John Hodgman, Patton Oswalt and Kristen Wiig, and others. My only real complaint is a season is only eight, 30 minute episodes; I wish it was longer. Anyway, can't wait for season three in September.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Loong Boonmee raleuk chat) - 4.5/10: A Thai film that won the Palme d'Or last year, about a Thai man who is near death and begins to see all of the past forms of his life. I guess I did not really get this one; maybe it had something to do with the references to Thai culture that went over my head, or maybe I'm just dumb, but there was a lot of stuff that I did not get (like when this princess, who came out of nowhere, is talking to a catfish in the lake and the catfish ends up wriggling around in her vagina and all kinds of treasure falls to the bottom of the lake; lost me there for a while). I did like some of the slower, intimate moments grounded in reality, and there were some beautiful shots to look at, but the spiritual side of things with the ghosts and whatnot, did nothing for me.

KT

 

[Krynj]

Insidious 9/10

I can't think of a single genre that's saturated with more garbage and unappealing titles than the horror genre. So whenever I'm recommended to watch a new horror movie, I usually just write it off as a waste of time, and never even watch a minute of it.

A friend of mine -- familiar with my disdain for the genre -- recommended I watch Insidious. Watched it over the weekend, and I was beyond impressed. I found parts of it to be genuinely chilling. The second half of it is kind of out there, but it holds up pretty well. I definitely recommend it.

 

[Beev]

Garden State 9/10

I really, really liked this movie. It had a familiar feel to it that made it very enjoyable for me.

 

[slayer202]

The Tree of Life - 9.5/10: By far the least traditional of all of Malick's films, without a true, cohesive narrative, but it's also probably the most beautiful of his films. At its heart this is a family drama, focusing on a family in the 50's and a young boy's perspective, but it also goes off and looks at the birth of the world and various other wondrous things in nature. Admittedly I was a bit confused and unsure of the film in the first 15-20 minutes, but after that I settled down and went along for the ride and enjoyed every single minute of it. The acting was great and even though it was not a traditional drama, the dramatic elements really worked for me and I felt a part of the family by the end of it all. Certainly not for everyone and I can even understand the cries of pretention and boredom, but for me it was absolutely beautiful and I'm hoping to see it again before it leaves the theatre.

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - 9/10: A documentary on Conan's comedy tour after he left The Tonight Show that follows the initial preparation of the show and the subsequent tour. If you are a Conan fan at all, you absolutely must see this as you get a tonne of excellent behind the scenes footage. I'm a fan myself and really enjoyed the thing; it was hilarious in many parts and it also gave some great insight into Conan's process, the people around him, and how he was actually impacted by the whole NBC mess. Saw it in a sold out theatre and everyone was really into it. Good time.

Bored to Death (Season 2) - 8.5/10: Love this show and I have no idea why it took me so long to get to season 2 (been sitting on my DVR for months). If you haven't seen the show it follows Jason Schwartzman as the lead character who is a struggling writer and an unlicensed private detective. The stories are whacky, with encapsulated detective stories and overall character arcs that link all of the episodes together; it's very fun and the interplay between Schwartzman, Galifinakis, and Ted Danson is absolutely perfect; a constantly stoned Danson is hilarious. Had some great appearances from John Hodgman, Patton Oswalt and Kristen Wiig, and others. My only real complaint is a season is only eight, 30 minute episodes; I wish it was longer. Anyway, can't wait for season three in September.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Loong Boonmee raleuk chat) - 4.5/10: A Thai film that won the Palme d'Or last year, about a Thai man who is near death and begins to see all of the past forms of his life. I guess I did not really get this one; maybe it had something to do with the references to Thai culture that went over my head, or maybe I'm just dumb, but there was a lot of stuff that I did not get (like when this princess, who came out of nowhere, is talking to a catfish in the lake and the catfish ends up wriggling around in her vagina and all kinds of treasure falls to the bottom of the lake; lost me there for a while). I did like some of the slower, intimate moments grounded in reality, and there were some beautiful shots to look at, but the spiritual side of things with the ghosts and whatnot, did nothing for me.

KT

I'm hesitant about Tree of Life. It looks interesting but I don't know if I'm a fan of that type of movie. The one that comes to mind is Mr. Nobody, which you also really loved, and which I didn't really like(or maybe understand).

I'm looking forward to the Conan movie, I've heard some good things, including it shows a darker side of him, and isn't just a puff piece.

I remember seeing that Boonmee movie on rottentomatoes and thought it sounded interesting, but maybe I won't bother now

 

[KeithTalent]

I'm hesitant about Tree of Life. It looks interesting but I don't know if I'm a fan of that type of movie. The one that comes to mind is Mr. Nobody, which you also really loved, and which I didn't really like(or maybe understand).

I'm looking forward to the Conan movie, I've heard some good things, including it shows a darker side of him, and isn't just a puff piece.

I remember seeing that Boonmee movie on rottentomatoes and thought it sounded interesting, but maybe I won't bother now

Skip Boonmee; the premise does indeed sound cool, but it does not amount to much of a film as far as I'm concerned.

Conan is a must see if you like him at all. Definitely a behind the scenes as it is done by one of his writers, not an outsider, so it covers a lot you probably would not see otherwise. I honestly wish it would have been another 30 minutes longer.

Tree of Life, well you saw my review. I really have no idea if others will like it (so far, some do, but some hate it); all I can say is it worked very well for me. If you like any of Malick's other work I think it's worth a watch.

KT

 

[KeithTalent]

Bobby Fischer Against the World - 6.5/10:
This is an HBO documentary from about a month ago. I heard some good things from somewhere and it sounded interested, and it's been sitting on my DVR since it aired.

It's about Bobby Fischer, the American chess player who rose to fame and became the world champion in the early 70's. The documentary begins with some of his background, childhood etc. Eventually it recaps his most famous match against Boris Spassky when he becomes world champion. Then we see Fischer, who is shown through the film and an odd guy, become paranoid and, basically, crazy.

I had higher hopes for this, it felt like most of the drama was forced. Eh, I was going to say more about it but I'll stop here. I didn't really like the film, you would be much better off reading an article or two about the guy and maybe a few youtube videos.

I was looking at this, deciding whether to watch it. I remember the feature film on him from when I was a kid and I really liked that, but I've heard mixed things about this doc. Rumour has it there is another documentary out there that is better, but I can't seem to find anything about it. :hmm:

KT

 

[pontifex]

Gorgeous - 7/10 - Another Jackie Chan movie - kind of romantic martial arts comedy?
Fight scenes were pretty good but kind of an odd premise for a Jackie Chan movie.

 

[BurnItDwn]

The Man from Nowhere
2010
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527788/
9.5/10
Saw the title and ratings on netflix streaming, said, meh, could be good.
As I start to watch it, I notice it has the same dude from Tae Guk Gi. Then, as I watch, the movie just gets better and better.The camera work isn't quite as pretty as Chan Wook Park films, but, the overall direction and story are VERY VERY VERY good. Magnificant!


Ip Man 2
2010
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386932/
8.5/10

Donnie Yen kicks a lot of asses in this movie. It's tends to fillow many of the cliches of the Kung Fu genre, foreign imperialists who don't respect the Chinese, foreign fighting style vs Chinese fighting sytle, Foreign fighter is jerkface, Chinese fighter is modest but still wins. It's loosely based on a true story... The fighting is marvelous, the story is quite good as long as you can forgive the whole bit about the cliches. The camera work is out of this world. Really, for a sequel, this was damn good!


Iron Man 2
2010
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228705/
8/10

This one was really hard for me to rate.

The story really didn't do anything for me.

But the actors on the other hand, really outdid themselves. Sam Rockwell was so damn good that I couldn't tell he was Sam Rockwell (though his performance in Moon is still by far my favorite), and Micky Rourke really nailed the part.

The effects were great, the camera work was good. Very well made movie. I enjoyed it!


Terror Firmer
1999
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169299/
7.5/10

I enjoyed this a hell of a lot. Great blood/gore effects. Cast was good, story was funny. Everything I would ever ask of a "B" movie and more. LLoyd Kaufman does not disappoint!

 

[KeithTalent]

The Man from Nowhere
2010
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527788/
9.5/10
Saw the title and ratings on netflix streaming, said, meh, could be good.
As I start to watch it, I notice it has the same dude from Tae Guk Gi. Then, as I watch, the movie just gets better and better.The camera work isn't quite as pretty as Chan Wook Park films, but, the overall direction and story are VERY VERY VERY good. Magnificant!

I saw this last year and while I liked it overall, and I really liked the lead actor, I thought some of the emotional stuff thrown in left me a bit flat. Those parts seemed a tad forced, but most of the other stuff was good.

KT

 

[SandEagle]

Ong Bak 3 - 0/10. watched 15m and was like wtf?
Hot Tub Time Machine - 7/10. funnier than i thought it would be

 

[BurnItDwn]

I saw this last year and while I liked it overall, and I really liked the lead actor, I thought some of the emotional stuff thrown in left me a bit flat. Those parts seemed a tad forced, but most of the other stuff was good.

KT

Yes, I'll admit, it's not perfect.

Spoiler

The sappy part at the very end was dumb, Movie should have ended after the fight after he was handed the eyebals. A nice and evil dark ending would have been perfect.

 

[busydude]

The Killing - 8.5/10 Part political drama, part murder mystery.. its just 4 episodes down.. but got me hooked pretty fast. Although it has slight pacing issues, the acting and production is top notch... even the kids in this series are pretty good.. except for Richard Harmon(El Diablo.. the rich man's kid). Looking forward to the series..

Update after the first season..

The Killing(Season 1) - 2/10

I just feel violated after 13 weeks.. seriously if I had the chance.. I would punch Veena Sud. I thought I would get over the disappointment, but even after two weeks I can't seem to digest the fact that the season ended how it ended. The final 4 minutes of the last episode were pathetic beyond words. This is what she has to say;

The Killing's showrunner, Veena Sud, says she's "flattered and I guess surprised a little bit" by the fan reaction to Sunday's infuriating finale. "I mean, the last time I felt this personally myself, and saw this type of reaction, was when The Sopranos ended its run," she told the Hollywood Reporter.

WTF.. now she is comparing the show with The Sopranos!! Overall.. this had a lot of promise, but fell way below expectations. A very frustrating experience.

 

[slayer202]

I'm glad people are pissed with it. Everyone was hyping it up like they do with all the amc shows. How quickly people change their minds. With the reaction I'm finally interested in watching it

 

[OCNewbie]

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets - 6/10

I like these kinda lost civilization, lost treasure, adventure, etc., movies, so I enjoyed this probably more than a lot of people would/will. Definitely not without its flaws, but I managed to get all the way through it, which is a lot more than I can say for a number of movies I've tried to watch lately.

 

[Six]

The Warrior's Way 7/10 Should be re-titled Cowboys vs Ninjas. Entertaining. Cheesily funny.

Battle Los Angelese 0/10 BS Accomplished!!

Just Go with It 7/10 Some old Adam Sandler styled movie. It's a worthwhile watch.

 

[Schadenfreude]

The Man from Nowhere
2010
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527788/
9.5/10
Saw the title and ratings on netflix streaming, said, meh, could be good.
As I start to watch it, I notice it has the same dude from Tae Guk Gi. Then, as I watch, the movie just gets better and better.The camera work isn't quite as pretty as Chan Wook Park films, but, the overall direction and story are VERY VERY VERY good. Magnificant!

Just saw this movie as well, actually. Wasn't too impressed.

Spoiler

A super-tough black-ops dude - who apparently is really okay with ultra-violence where some congressman faints at his drills and is commended for partaking in several operations, presumably violent as well - loses it after his wife gets taken down? Really? And the whole saving the little girl from evil mobsters angle seemed it was too much of a weak imitation of Leon

I much preferred A Bittersweet Life and would like to see I saw the Devil.

Also watched The Way Back. Not much of a movie watcher, but I was hooked when my wife started watching. Quite enjoyable film, IMO.

 

[Jeeebus]

The Mechanic -

.../10

Ok, we made it to the FBI anti-piracy warning last night before we realized that one of us was going to have to sleep on the floor in the room with the 2 year old who has a bad cold. From what I could tell, the FBI warning was fantastic and very sharp in Blu Ray.

 

[slayer202]

The Mechanic -

.../10

Ok, we made it to the FBI anti-piracy warning last night before we realized that one of us was going to have to sleep on the floor in the room with the 2 year old who has a bad cold. From what I could tell, the FBI warning was fantastic and very sharp in Blu Ray.

Sounds interesting, I'll check it out. Is it on netflix streaming?

 

[BurnItDwn]

Just saw this movie as well, actually. Wasn't too impressed.

Spoiler

A super-tough black-ops dude - who apparently is really okay with ultra-violence where some congressman faints at his drills and is commended for partaking in several operations, presumably violent as well - loses it after his wife gets taken down? Really? And the whole saving the little girl from evil mobsters angle seemed it was too much of a weak imitation of Leon

I much preferred A Bittersweet Life and would like to see I saw the Devil.

Also watched The Way Back. Not much of a movie watcher, but I was hooked when my wife started watching. Quite enjoyable film, IMO.

I saw the Devil has been added to my netflix instant watch list, others don't appear to be available for streaming, but I'll tack them to my dvd queue...

Thanks for the suggestions

 

[KeithTalent]

I saw the Devil has been added to my netflix instant watch list, others don't appear to be available for streaming, but I'll tack them to my dvd queue...

Thanks for the suggestions

I Saw the Devil is awesome; I reviewed it earlier in the thread. Big fan of that one.

KT

 

[GiggleGirl]

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets - 6/10

I like these kinda lost civilization, lost treasure, adventure, etc., movies, so I enjoyed this probably more than a lot of people would/will. Definitely not without its flaws, but I managed to get all the way through it, which is a lot more than I can say for a number of movies I've tried to watch lately.

i love the national treasure movies! as unrealistic as they are, theres something about the that silly POSSIBILITY! and i dunno, i are entertained!

 

[purbeast0]

The Warrior's Way 7/10 Should be re-titled Cowboys vs Ninjas. Entertaining. Cheesily funny.

Battle Los Angelese 0/10 BS Accomplished!!

Just Go with It 7/10 Some old Adam Sandler styled movie. It's a worthwhile watch.

just go with it is worth watching simply for the hot younger chick who sandler is persuing the whole movie. and anniston looks great too.

 

[Locut0s]

The Tree of Life - 9.5/10: By far the least traditional of all of Malick's films, without a true, cohesive narrative, but it's also probably the most beautiful of his films. At its heart this is a family drama, focusing on a family in the 50's and a young boy's perspective, but it also goes off and looks at the birth of the world and various other wondrous things in nature. Admittedly I was a bit confused and unsure of the film in the first 15-20 minutes, but after that I settled down and went along for the ride and enjoyed every single minute of it. The acting was great and even though it was not a traditional drama, the dramatic elements really worked for me and I felt a part of the family by the end of it all. Certainly not for everyone and I can even understand the cries of pretention and boredom, but for me it was absolutely beautiful and I'm hoping to see it again before it leaves the theatre.

KT

I will review it when i get back, along with a bunch of other films. I want to give about 80 percent of it an 11 out of 10, problem is the other 20 percent I want to give a 1. I'm an atheist but I'm open to artistic and philosophical depictions of the mystical. Problem for me was that the religious portions of this were a little too literal for me. Especially the depiction of heaven at the end as a meeting on the beach. I rolled my eyes at that. The rest though is so amazingly wonderfully done. I'm still conflicted and need to see it again.

 

[Jeeebus]

The Mechanic -

.../10

Ok, we made it to the FBI anti-piracy warning last night before we realized that one of us was going to have to sleep on the floor in the room with the 2 year old who has a bad cold. From what I could tell, the FBI warning was fantastic and very sharp in Blu Ray.

ok we managed to get through it last night - with the kids, any 1.5 hour movie suddenly transforms into a 3 hour epic adventure with the pause button. Anyhoo...

I will revise my original score to a solid 6.5/10. There's no shortage of stupid violence in this movie, so I got what I wanted, and the wife got to stare at Jason Statham's chiseled body. Win win.

It only loses points for the somewhat idiotic story and forced advancement of the "plot." I'm not gonna give anything away, but if you've seen the movie, you would probably agree with this:

Sometimes, a simple conversation where people discuss their differences and qualms is just as effective as bullets/explosions. This movie could have been about 10 minutes long if the main stars actually followed the above. But then again, I wouldn't get to see Statham but bulletholes in the heads of about two dozen people.

EDIT: Actually, now that I think about it, lets bump that up to 7.0/10 for effective use of gratuitous model tits and ass.

 

[KeithTalent]

I will review it when i get back, along with a bunch of other films. I want to give about 80 percent of it an 11 out of 10, problem is the other 20 percent I want to give a 1. I'm an atheist but I'm open to artistic and philosophical depictions of the mystical. Problem for me was that the religious portions of this were a little too literal for me. Especially the depiction of heaven at the end as a meeting on the beach. I rolled my eyes at that. The rest though is so amazingly wonderfully done. I'm still conflicted and need to see it again.

The ending, actually about the last 15 minutes of the film, was quite terrible. I actually expected, and in hindsight I wish, the film to end on the image of the sunflowers, but it added that additional piece which had me rolling my eyes as well. However, I loved the rest of the film so much, I am willing to overlook that last bit and keep my high rating.

I will be seeing this again on the weekend, so my rating may change a bit. Who knows.

KT