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July 8, 2015 7:12 pm  #581


Re: Recently watched movies.

SolarSystem wrote:

stoertebeker wrote:

I saw the Minton movie yesterday. It was... well... OK, but overall disappointing by comparision to Despicable Me.

Well, what could ever compete with this:



 

 


One of my all-time favorite anime-scenes 

Besides that's exactly like me while snuggling my cats. They are sooo fluffy too!


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"There is a place for people like you, the desperate, the terrified. The ones with nowhere else to run."
"What place?"
"221B Baker Street."
 

July 8, 2015 7:24 pm  #582


Re: Recently watched movies.

A few weeks ago I was travelling on the underground with my boyfriend. We were standing close to the doors on one side and opposite to us there was a girl who was wearing a t-shirt with a print that showed exactly this moment and also the "It's so fluffy!"-line. And I was leaning over to my boyfriend and whispered to him "Look, she is wearing a t-shirt from Despicable Me with the unicorn and It's so fluffy!" - and well, seems I didn't whisper lowly enough, because the moment I had whispered It's so fluffy the girl gave me the broadest smile and then we laughed about it together. I'd say she was enjoying the fact that someone recognized her 'fandom' and fangirled with her for a moment.


___________________________________________________
"Am I the current King of England?

"I see no shame in having an unhealthy obsession with something." - David Tennant
"We did observe." - David Tennant in "Richard II"

 
 

July 8, 2015 7:41 pm  #583


Re: Recently watched movies.

That sounds like a really sweet moment.



Clueing for looks.
 

July 9, 2015 2:56 pm  #584


Re: Recently watched movies.

Last night we watched The Judge, starring RDJ and Robert Duvall.  RDJ isn't a favourite actor of mine and this movie didn't do anything to disawade me from my previous opinions of him (he wasn't bad - it was just he was, as he always is - RDJ) but RD was GREAT!! 

The film overall was interesting and good enough but Duvall's performance was pitch perfect to every degree and really out-classed the film by a wide margin. 

I was glad I saw it - not just for Duvall's performance (but I will admit it was mainly for that reason) but it wasn't one I would watch again. 

Tonight hopefully we will be able to see Selma - really looking forward to that.

-Val


"The only shipping I know is shipping containers."
                                           -Benedict Cumberbatch
 

July 10, 2015 4:01 pm  #585


Re: Recently watched movies.

We saw Selma last night and enjoyed it thoroughly. 

Ceertainly I think David Oyelowo deserved an Oscar nom for best actor and even perhaps Carmen Ejogo for best supporting actress. 

But the definite star of this production is Oyelowo and he steps up to the plate and hits it out of the park as far as I am concerned. 

The direction of Ava DuVernay is excellent as well so I could also say that she should have been acknowledged by the Academy, but it wasn't to be.

Too bad.

The story builds with such a driving rhythm to the climatic speech on the steps of the State Capitol building in Montgomery, Alabama that it is almost overwhelming in its emotionality.  There are some absolutely stunning scenes though beforehand - the moments just before the bombing of the church in which four beautiful, innocent children were killed in Selma; the heart-wrenching scene of King being sung to by Mahalia Jackson over the phone in his darkened kitchen - only to be counterpointed by the inclusion of the text that informs us that the FBI was taping this intensely personal communication; the lovely scene where Coretta King goes to Martin when he is in a jail cell and talks to him about her meeting with Malcolm X... and many more.

And it did most certainly deserve the Oscar for best original song - the ending montage shown over the song Glory was a wonderful way to end the film.

Highly, highly recommend it - as someone who lived through and will never forget the emotion of that time.

-Val


"The only shipping I know is shipping containers."
                                           -Benedict Cumberbatch
 

July 12, 2015 5:31 pm  #586


Re: Recently watched movies.

I need to catch some of those films. The Russell Crowe one is available on Netflix here I think.

I watched Filth, which stars James McAvoy, the other day; this is based on a book by Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting). Brilliantly acted by the lead and the supporting cast, which includes Jim Broadbent and Jamie Bell. This is certainly not a film for the faint-of-heart or those who are upset by swearing, sex scenes, violence, alcohol and drug abuse and general filth. It is however, utterly brilliant. Deeply disturbing and revolving around a protagonist who is frequently disgusting in his actions, it slowly reveals the mental instability and tragic history of the man. To say this film shook me up would be an understatement. Tissues at hand! To just add another dimension to the title: here in the UK the police are sometimes referred to in slang as 'the filth', 'the old filth' etc. It is set in Scotland so many characters speak in Scottish accents and use some Scottish slang. I would not say that this film entertained me, it is not that sort of film and nor is its subject matter but my goodness it has a very real punch to it!


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Don't make people into heroes John. Heroes don't exist and if they did I wouldn't be one of them.
 

July 13, 2015 5:43 am  #587


Re: Recently watched movies.

Perfect summary! I love this film (and I love Colin anyways) and I think the fact that it was shot with one very simple camera makes it so much more credible than it would have seemed in a perfectly set up scenery.  Many people have criticised the slowness with which the narrative moves forwards; I think it is just the right pace for telling such a story.

Ah-chie wrote:

We watched a very interesting movie last night with Colin Firth in it called Genova released in 2008.

It also starred Catherine Keener, an actress who I have followed for some time now and seems to always choose quirky roles (I know her best from her work with Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal, but she is probably better known for Being John Malkovich).

It was a very small project and not released in the US in theatres (only in DVD in 2011 after The King's Speech's Oscars) and I can't find any records on the internet of how it did in non-domestic North American markets (it was released theatrically in foreign markets but seemed just to mainly do the film festival circuits rather than do a wider release).  

It isn't a commercial film that's for sure.  Shot in an almost pure hand-held, "home movie" style it has a rough quality about it that just wouldn't go down big with a wide audience (it reminds me of Full Frontal in this way).  That isn't to say it is amateurish - not at all!  It has great depth and care in every shot.  The director, Michael Winterbottom (who also co-wrote the screenplay), is a veteran of being nominated for a Palme d'Or at Cannes and is responsible for a couple of very fine films including Welcome to Sarajevo, The Shock Doctrine and A Mighty Heart).  

This film tells the story of a teacher (Firth) whose wife dies in a car accident while driving on an icy road with her two children.  We find out very quickly that the youngest daughter was responsible for the accident (which is the first unconventional aspect of this film - there are many more) but it wasn't malicious - just a immature 9 year old being impulsively silly and willful.  This tragic event has tremendous ripples of effect on everyone in the film in many different ways.  The father is not privy (nor does he ever become) to the secret of what the younger daughter actually did (cause the death of her mother) - he thinks her behaviour after the accident is just survivour guilt and tries his best to help her cope with the loss of her mother (he is very sympathetic and understanding and even has sought professional help for her in the form of counselling).

The older sister, while not betraying the younger one's secret, makes sure her sibling knows that she ruined the family (and her in particular) and acts resentful and sullen about the all-encompassing sympathy that the nine year old receives from the father. 

Firth's character is lonely, sorrowful, and searching for some normalcy in his life. 

He accepts a teaching position in Genova Italy and moves his family there.  He meets up with an old lover/colleague from Harvard (Keener) who is eager to get closer to him and his family.  But the tensions within and outside the family (from being in a totally foreign environment) bring about obstacles throughout the film. 

I loved how the acting was so natural and the eerie atmosphere (achieved through unusual camera angles and a super clear sound track that exaggerated even the slightest of sounds).  Firth was perfect as the dedicated father trying desperately to keep his daughters close to him and protect them from any dangers.  The two girls were spot on as his daughters - Willa Holland as the sometimes snotty, resentful teen who is pushing the boundaries of her father's love and understanding and Perla Haney-Jardine as the haunted, precocious younger daughter.  

Keener also shines as the pal who pushes too much and too fast to worm her way into this troubled family's life. 

This isn't a "thriller" in the normal sense.  There isn't the usual frantic pace you would expect in a Hollywood movie.  But this film is rife with tension and intense moments that almost leave you breathless at times.  When Firth is charging through a darkening woods screaming out his missing youngster's name, straining to see if she is there - you can't help but feel terror in your heart that he will never find his lost little girl.  When Mary (the youngest daughter) wakes up crying in a night terror with the hidden guilt from causing her mother's death - you know she is truly a haunted child. 

Anger, loss, guilt and loneliness is clearly on display and evident on screen in the story and in the acting in this film.

It isn't a tidy story but it isn't a complete tragedy either.  It probably is one of Firth's finest performances.  Yes, I think I have seen enough of his work to say it is definitely the best work he has ever done.  Not that you will even find it on Box Office Mojo in the list of his movies.  Pity... more people should have seen this.

Highly recommended by me.

-Val


 

 


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"When you walk with Sherlock Holmes, you see the battlefield" M.H.

"My brother has the brain of scientist or a philosopher, and yet he elects to be a detective...what might we deduce about his heart?" M.H.

"Home is now behind you, the world is ahead."
 
 

July 15, 2015 6:00 pm  #588


Re: Recently watched movies.

I got to see Inside Out last night with some friends.  I haven't seen a Pixar movie in theatres since Toy Story 3, and I have to say that this film was definitely the Pixar quality I know, the best they've done in a while I'd say.  It had lots of great laughs, but was also very touching.



Clueing for looks.
 

July 15, 2015 8:33 pm  #589


Re: Recently watched movies.

Yitzock, thanks for mentioning the film, I wasn't even aware that there is a new Pixar movie...
I really love Pixar. I've seen them all and of course some are better than others, but there is not one Pixar movie that I didn't like. They all have their special charme, even "Cars" which I was very sceptical about.
Last weekend we watched "Toy Story 3" and "Up" again, and what can I say: It's animation and I have to cry. It's unbelievable, but when the toys are in that incineration plant, convinced that they will all die and they take each other's hands... wow, this always makes me cry. It's so powerful!
And the same with "Up". Apart from the fact that I absolutely love how the main character looks like Spencer Tracy and the baddie looks like Kirk Douglas, I find that sequence in which we see Carl and Ellie get married and grow old together until Ellie dies so real and moving and emotional and just... perfect. Not one word is spoken, but you can see and feel their whole story... it's brilliant.
Pixar never ceases to amaze me.


___________________________________________________
"Am I the current King of England?

"I see no shame in having an unhealthy obsession with something." - David Tennant
"We did observe." - David Tennant in "Richard II"

 
 

July 16, 2015 3:27 pm  #590


Re: Recently watched movies.

Those parts always make me cry, too.  The opening of Up, I agree, is perfectly done, and there's a few parts of Toy Story, the incinerator included, that make me cry.  The ending as well.  Those are two of my favourite Pixar movies.



Clueing for looks.
 

July 16, 2015 4:50 pm  #591


Re: Recently watched movies.

Yes, they are two of my favourite Pixar movies, too. I also love Wall-E and Finding Nemo very, very much.
And in general, I love the fact that all of their movies basically have the same message and it never gets boring or feels repetitive: It'salways about friendship and how you're better off when you're having people around you who love you and help you and will always stick with you through thick and thin.


___________________________________________________
"Am I the current King of England?

"I see no shame in having an unhealthy obsession with something." - David Tennant
"We did observe." - David Tennant in "Richard II"

 
 

July 16, 2015 11:22 pm  #592


Re: Recently watched movies.

So did you ever watch the very first short films everything started with?
Luxo Jr. and Red's dream were the ones which let me fall in love with Pixar decades ago. 





Last edited by Mattlocked (July 16, 2015 11:27 pm)


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"After all this time?" "Always."
Good bye, Lord Rickman of the Alan
 

July 17, 2015 12:48 am  #593


Re: Recently watched movies.

@SolarSystem Yeah, I agree with that, as well.  THey find ways of making similar messages go down differently with their creative worlds.  I like Wall-E and and Finding Nemo a lot as well.  I also really like Ratatouille.

@Mattlocked I have seen a number of the shorts, having seen the movies that they went with, but while I have seen their first film Luxo Jr., I had not seen Red's Dream in the past or even heard of it.



Clueing for looks.
 

July 17, 2015 8:57 am  #594


Re: Recently watched movies.

Mattlocked, yes, I know them all and they all have their special charme. I especially love "For the Birds" and "Partly Cloudy".
A few years back there was a Pixar exhibition in a museum in Bonn. I went there with my boyfriend, it was a birthday present for him and I didn't tell him where we were going. We both had a wonderful time, it was so much fun. 


___________________________________________________
"Am I the current King of England?

"I see no shame in having an unhealthy obsession with something." - David Tennant
"We did observe." - David Tennant in "Richard II"

 
 

September 25, 2015 3:07 am  #595


Re: Recently watched movies.

While we were in Australia we went to the cinema one night and saw Last Cab to Darwin.

Wonderful movie and I highly recommend it if you like character study movies. 

It was about an older cab driver who is told he has very little time to live and he decides to drive to Darwin to make use of the fact that euthanasia clinics were legal (in the time frame that the movie was set in) and end his suffering on his own terms.

Along the way he meets a variety of differnt characters and there are also calls back to his hometown to a woman who is his neighbour there. 

Excellent cast and great location shooting all the way through the film.

My highest recommendation. One other thing to note: it was the first time that we ever were given a "private" showing... we were the only two people in the cinema.  We have come close a couple of times in the past (Philomena for one) but never before were we the only ones present to watch an entire movie.  Maybe the show was near the end of its run so that would explain it, but I did feel that it was more of an art house film so the targeted audience might be rather a sparc one at best.  Too bad - it was a great film!

-Val


"The only shipping I know is shipping containers."
                                           -Benedict Cumberbatch
 

September 26, 2015 1:48 pm  #596


Re: Recently watched movies.

It sounds good, though the scenario reminds me a bit of the Jason Priestley movie Cas & Dylan, though it's not exactly the same.  Hopefully one day I will get a chance to see it.

This week I saw a movie that I had wanted to see for a while now, The Babadook.  I'm not much of a horror movie fan, but I had heard that this one was very good and not just a movie full of jump-scares or gore.  It's not, and a lot of the tension isn't from things you see.

It's about a little boy who has this apparent obsession with monsters hiding in the closet or under the bed, he even builds contraptions to use to defend himself from them.  It frustrates his mother a lot, especially since he even brings these weapons to school and gets in trouble.  Other parents are afraid of him and don't want their kids around him.  The mother tries to get him to stop and even takes him to the doctor.  One day the son finds this story book in the house called "Mister Babadook." At first it just seems like a nice story, but as the mother reads him the book before bed, it gets more creepy.  After that night, the boy says he keeps seeing the Babadook in the house, and his mother gets angry because she believes there is no Babadook, that it was justa story.  She tries destroying the book, but it doesn't work.  As time passes, they become haunted more and more until the climax of the film.

It's actually quite hard to describe the movie without being concerned I will reveal too much.

In our film club group, we did not agree on whether it was a representation of mental illness of just general parental rage and frustration.  It might have been a bit of both.  Either way it was very well done.

And the acting, wow! The two main characters, the little boy and his mum, were both played very well.  I don't know where they found that kid, but he was amazing.  He and the mother character carried the entire movie essentially, and they were both great.  They felt real.  It's a very small movie, small cast, but it didn't need anything more than what few locations and effects it did have.  

Unless you get scared really easily and tense movies keep you up at night, I would recommend it.  It's not the kind of movie I watch very often, but I thought it was great.

Last edited by Yitzock (September 26, 2015 1:49 pm)



Clueing for looks.
 

September 28, 2015 7:15 pm  #597


Re: Recently watched movies.

I've heard very good things about that film and I shall watch it. I don't mind horror at all, although the more psychological it is the scarier!


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Don't make people into heroes John. Heroes don't exist and if they did I wouldn't be one of them.
 

September 28, 2015 7:22 pm  #598


Re: Recently watched movies.

We went to see Legend last week. It is about the infamous Kray twins and the lead is Tom (sigh) Hardy. We all really enjoyed this film. It is, of course given the subject matter, violent but most of the violence is flagged up prior so you can shut your eyes (like I did) if you need to. The portrayal of the twins was just excellent! Much achieved by the physicality of the acting but also their voices, facial expressions (especially Ronnie's reptilian stare). The supporting cast is first class (including Christopher Eccleston). The fight choreography was brilliant, especially when the twins fight each other. The film itself has quite a Guy Ritchie feel to it. Beautiful costuming and great use of music and lighting. Poignant, scary and also extremely funny in places (when you laugh at something you know you really shouldn't be laughing at). I can thoroughly recommend this film. 


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Don't make people into heroes John. Heroes don't exist and if they did I wouldn't be one of them.
 

October 1, 2015 6:16 pm  #599


Re: Recently watched movies.

I had no idea Christopher Eccelston was in anything recent.

This week our film club at school watched Ex Machina.  It was a film I had been wanting to see since it came out this summer, but I never got the chance.
While it had some good parts, it left me feeling disappointed.  There were things that were interesting that I thought did not get enough time spent on them and other parts that were not so interesting that took up too much time.
The ending was kind of surprising, but I still didn't like it.

And then there was this conversation that the guy has with the AI's creator, asking her why she had to have sexuality and then immediately afterwards asking why she has to have a gender.  The way it was phrased, it was like they were conflating the two, which it's not right and a movie from this past year should not have that mistake in it.  And just the general lack of knowledge of female sexuality that her creator has...just ick.  I'm tired of the narrative of "guy falls in love with AI." It worked in Her, but for this it didn't.  For spoilers, I won't say how that's twisted in the story, but for part of the story I was like "Come on, really? Again?"



Clueing for looks.
 

October 17, 2015 8:16 am  #600


Re: Recently watched movies.

My best friend took me out to see Crimson Peak last night 

(Even if it was painful to see all the people going in to see Black Mass, knowing I won't get to see that before it comes to DVD)

But I really enjoyed the film! 

It was visually beautiful, stunning even. There were so many little details and they all felt like they had a poetic purpose, The crimson clay running down the walls like blood... wow! It's really a film to watch on the big screen so you can really take in it all! 

The story was perhaps a bit 'infantile' and I thought predictable (until the ending totally surprised me! But I love being surprised!).

The reviews I had seen on the telly complained that it wasn't scary... and I went in not expecting to be scared (I've watched hardcore horror films since I was a kid and always search for films that can actually scare me) but I did get scared of this! 

And what I liked was that the horror element wasn't just there for the sake of horror. It had a meaning, it made sense in telling the story. 

And I am not an official Hiddlestoner... but oh my!! I tried hard not to squeal several times about him. He's gorgeous in it! 
And there was a time where I got very red cheeks like a teenager. 

I thought I'd really miss Benedict in it... but Hiddleston really worked for me in it. Oh his pretty face! 

 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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"Oh Watson. Nothing made me... I made me"
"Luuuuurve Ginger Nuts"

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