2009-12-31, 04:09 AM (This post was last modified: 2009-12-31, 12:51 PM by Smooth Criminal.)
Modeled after the "Thread all about good books", I thought this might be in order. This might cut down on a few recommendation threads, or also allow for movies that you felt you saw recently were awesome, but might not warrant a decent thread dedicated to its discussion.
In similar suit: What you might do here:
Suggest a movie to the community
Ask the community for a movie you might like
Just give your opinion of a movie, either good or bad
etc.
I'll start this off by a model post, inspired by the style of the book thread. I'll just list some of the stuff I watched this month.
Usually, when my friends go to watch a movie, I usually expect a piece of crap; they usually have horrible taste in selecting films, and most of the time, we watch some obscure little talked about movie that sucks- see: "The Stepfather" remake. I expect nothing because I've gotten almost 0 word on these things because they usually choose at the last minute, and come incredibly pissed. As usual, I walked not knowing what to expect; and came out liking it. A beautiful movie that came out of nowhere.
The Sting
Spoiler
Hoping that box-office lighting might strike twice, George Roy Hill again joined forces with Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who star as con men Henry Gondorff and Johnny Hooker in THE STING. In the Chicago of the 1930s, Johnny's partner, Luther (Robert Earl Jones), is fatally wounded by a victim of one of their scams who turns out to be powerful syndicate boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Eager for revenge, Johnny takes a tip from his dying partner and seeks out mutual friend Gondorff, a consummate master of the long con. Gondorff rouses himself from his alcoholic inertia and agrees to help Johnny take down the despicable Lonnegan, conscripting an army of grifters ready to avenge their friend's death. The labyrinthine plot, which is stuffed with false leads, red herrings, and a double-cross-a-minute, involves a fake bookie joint, a very persistent FBI agent, a bunch of corrupt cops, and one shifty dame. An extremely entertaining film, the Oscar-winning film transcends the genre through the superb acting of the three leads, the keen attention to the re-creation of period detail, and a fiendishly intricate script that cons audiences completely. The wonderful score, which became immensely popular, featured Marvin Hamlisch's orchestral transcriptions of Scott Joplin's piano rags; the film led to a revival of interest in the composer. The film is one of the most entertaining films of the 1970s and lives up to its hype on repeat viewings.
What an amazing movie. There's plot twist after plot twist in pulling off the heist, and it becomes flawless in that it comes out clearly instead of an incomprehensible and stupid mess. One scene after the other, there's always something that's surprising me. It's amazing how every little factor gets resolved in this giant mix of a movie. The film always kept me attentive and on my toes waiting to see what would happen. I even admit to being mislead at times. Pretty thrilling and suspenseful stuff, particularly with the way chase scenes are handled; namely with the investigator after him. I love how Robert Redford as Hooker was just toying around with the detective after him for most of the movie; like in the train station scene.
This movie comes very close to being a perfect film. There's amazing storytelling to be found in Up in its story about dreams and adventure, and after four viewings (once in 3D when it originally came out, once in traditional 2D with friends, and recently twice: one for film analysis in Video Production 2 and once in a class that was too lazy to teach on the last day before winter break) there are a lot of interesting things I picked up on.
Spoilers to the first few minutes of the movie
Up features a sequence in which its Carl Fredericksen as an aged old man after living his life with his wife he's known since childhood sits alone at her funeral as he clutches the same colored balloon as the blue one he held when he first met her as he is surrounded by balloons at the altar. Many have interpreted the scene that he took an extra moment to mourn in sadness of the events and how it deeply affected him, however on the contrary, it can also be seen from another perspective that they were a lonely old couple with no one they knew anymore and know that his wife died, he became truly alone. Now that's storytelling for you: there's a lot to be said in those single seconds in the dialogue-less storytelling set to a wistful take on a recurring piano theme throughout the film. And after that, I love the gentle fade into him holding that very same balloon and walking into his house sadly. In fact, the entire silent sequence tells a whole lot of story and back story for the events of the film; and it's also a very touching sequence too in how it talks about his hopes and dreams and the hardships he and his wife endured. The scene where the doctor is explaining to the wife that she had a miscarriage was incredibly saddening (on another note, at this moment, many parents had to explain to their kids that it simply meant: "she can't have a baby". Actually, when I first watched this movie, I thought it was that she was infertile or something, but I think the other interpretation is better).
There's a lot of recurring motifs that I picked up on. Blue balloons definitely show up a lot in the beginning of the film after the very opening sequence. The significance it holds of course is that it's the color of the very balloon Carl met when he met his wife Ellie. When she sends a letter through his window, that's a blue balloon. As she sits in the hospital and he sends her a letter in the same way she did to him as a kid, it's a blue balloon also. At the funeral and as he heads home, it's a blue balloon as I mentioned before. It's a very significant symbol in Carl and Ellie's relationship. Every detail has some sort of significance in meaning or used as a plot device: the grape soda badge, Ellie's Adventure Book and the little crayon drawing on the ripped library book page, the very furniture and pictures in his house, tennis balls,... everything. Almost nothing is forgotten about. Every line of dialogue is never wasted.
I also noted some choices that seemed interesting for a children's movie.
Some Major Spoilers
The blood, the gun that Charles Muntz starts shooting at them with, and miscarriage.
Star Wars Episode IV and Star Wars Episode V
No synopsis needed here. Probably everyone's seen these.
Amazingly, it's my first time watching the two of these. I'll just leave this at the title: no need to say anything, it's Star Wars Episode IV and V- once you hear mentioned, you'll instantly think of how legendary and awesome these films are.
The Hangover
Spoiler
From "Old School" director Todd Phillips comes a comedy about a bachelor party gone very, very wrong. Two days before his wedding, Doug (JUSTIN BARTHA) drives to Las Vegas with his best buddies... From "Old School" director Todd Phillips comes a comedy about a bachelor party gone very, very wrong.
Two days before his wedding, Doug (JUSTIN BARTHA) drives to Las Vegas with his best buddies Phil and Stu (BRADLEY COOPER and ED HELMS) and his future brother-in-law Alan (ZACH GALIFIANAKIS), for a blow-out bachelor party they vow they'll never forget.
But when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning with pounding headaches, they can't remember a thing. Their luxury hotel suite is beyond trashed and the groom is nowhere to be found.
With no clue about what happened and little time to spare, the trio must attempt to retrace their bad decisions from the night before in order to figure out where things went wrong in the hopes of finding Doug and getting him back to L.A. in time for his wedding.
But the more they begin to uncover, the more they realize just how much trouble they're really in.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Green Hat Films Production of a Todd Phillips Movie: "The Hangover," starring Bradley Cooper ("He's Just Not That Into You"), Ed Helms ("The Office"), Zach Galifianakis ("What Happens in Vegas"), Heather Graham ("Baby on Board"), Justin Bartha (the "National Treasure" films) and Jeffrey Tambor ("Arrested Development").
The film is directed by Todd Phillips ("Old School") from a screenplay by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore ("Four Christmases"). Todd Phillips and Dan Goldberg ("Old School") produce, with Thomas Tull ("Watchmen"), Jon Jashni ("Observe and Report"), William Fay ("Observe and Report"), Scott Budnick ("School for Scoundrels"), Chris Bender ("American Pie," TV's "Kyle XY") and J.C. Spink ("Kyle XY") serving as executive producers.
I don't believe this would be bumping, but sorry if it is. Just watched tons of movies in this month.
My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Beneath every superhero facade lies a real, often-misunderstood person. That is the lesson at the heart of MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND, a supernatural romantic comedy in which a jealous ex-girlfriend's rage reaches terrifying heights thanks to the fact that she also happens to be G-Girl, a sexy superhero who serves as the object of many male fantasies while routinely saving New York City from disasters like fires, thieves, and fast-approaching missiles. Matt Saunders (Luke Wilson) has dealt with his share of difficult women, but when he meets bookish beauty Jenny Johnson (Uma Thurman), his instincts tell him this one is a whole new kind of trouble. After initially playing hard to get, Jenny quickly latches onto Matt, professing her love to him before their relationship has even hit the one-week mark. While infatuated by her aggressive lovemaking and voluptuous figure, Matt is wary of her strange, clinging ways, and decides to call it quits just days after discovering that Jenny's alter ego is G-Girl. Breaking up with a superhero presents quite a few challenges, as Jenny readily cashes in on her inhuman strength for the purpose of getting even. Making things even more complicated are Matt's best buddy, Vaughn (THE OFFICE's Rainn Lewis), who is always there to offer relationship advice despite his unlucky ways with women, and possible love interest Hannah (Anna Faris). If being rejected by Matt doesn't push her over the edge, Matt's attempts to move on will, with things between Matt, Hannah, G-Girl, and her arch-nemesis, super villain Professor Bedlam (Eddie Izzard), erupting in an all-out war of supernatural proportions.
Go away, shoo. I don't like you, My Super Ex-Girlfriend. I'm not laughing. The only humor is in fact, found in the premise: turning everyday crap into SUPER proportions; and an obviously the idea of giving the neurotic, aggressive, and jealous ex-girlfriend SUPER abilities to allow SUPER POSSIBILITIES OF HOW SHE CAN GET BACK AT HER EX-BOYFRIEND could have been funny when written on the paper; but the dialogue, acting, and characters are absolutely tasteless and bland.
New in Town
Renee Zellweger stars opposite Harry Connick Jr. in this snow-packed romantic comedy. NEW IN TOWN begins in Miami, home to Lucy Hill (Zellweger), a single, high-powered executive on the fast track to being a CEO. With her spiked heels, plush bachelorette pad, and fierce collection of power suits, Lucy is unprepared when her boss sends her to snowy Minnesota to work on-site at one of the company's factories. Reluctantly leaving her sunny home, Lucy lands in New Ulm, a small town distinguished by a thick Midwestern accent, a strong work ethic, and an appropriately skeptical attitude toward big-city newcomers like Lucy, who finds herself in a brutal battle against several factory workers, a nosy assistant (Siobhan Fallon), and a stubborn union rep (Connick) who, as fate would have it, just happens to be a love interest as well. Zellweger appears a bit wooden at the start of the film but eases into her role as the film progresses. As her character grows more comfortable in her own skin and develops some empathy towards her new neighbors, we see Zellweger's familiar charm emerge. Much of the film's humor comes at the expense of Minnesotans, but the cast delivers the jokes in good fun. Director Jonas Elmer captures some chemistry between his two leads, though the film doesn't rely too heavily on this romance. Instead, it explores the differences in small- versus big-town life, exposing the unique, homey appeal of the former. By focusing on the people working behind the scenes, NEW IN TOWN celebrates a way of American life that is rarely the focus of Hollywood romantic comedies.
This movie is absolutely garbage. I was smashing my head against a wall for the 25 minutes I watched. At the same time, I also felt a lot of pity for Renee Zelweger's movie career.
Kramer vs. Kramer
Spoiler
Robert Benton's moving and well-observed adaptation of Avery Corman's novel about the aftermath of divorce stars Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep as the separating couple, Ted and Joanna Kramer. When dutiful wife and mother Joanna decides to leave Ted, an advertising executive, she also leaves him with the responsibility of caring for their young son, Billy (Justin Henry). The situation proves to be especially difficult since the workaholic father has never really taken care of the boy and, in truth, barely knows him. Things are rough at first, but as the two become accustomed to life without Joanna and Ted's caretaking skills improve, father and son finally develop a relationship. As Ted devotes more time to his son and less to his work, however, the latter suffers, and Ted's subsequent firing coincides with the return of Joanna, who wants her son back. Despite the titular framing of a custody trial, KRAMER VS. KRAMER steps lightly around the complex issue, essentially concerning itself with the father's discovery of the joys and travails of being a parent. Hoffman and Streep turn in exceptional Academy Award-winning performances, and Benton crafts a memorable exploration of parenthood by wisely focusing on the tiny dramas of everyday life--such as the classic, heartbreaking scene in which Ted, on his first morning as a single father, tries (and miserably fails) to make french toast for his son--to capture the essence of a precious relationship.
I'm about to write a large review about this over the weekend for a class, so I might edit something better here later on; but damn, it was a real damn heartbreaker and the way director Robert Benton captured the essence of a precious parent-child relationship through lighting, blocking, and excellent dialogue really got to me. For anyone who has or hasn't seen this movie: I really loved the way the director remembered the french toast scene and made a throwback to it later on. Also, if I ever get a speeding ticket in my life, I'll get Ted's lawyer to work for me.
Forrest Gump
Spoiler
The title character leads viewers through an accidental travelogue of American social history from the early 1960s through the present in this revisionist fable. Vietnam, desegregation, Watergate, and more are presented from the perspective of Tom Hanks's loveably slow-witted Forrest Gump as he finds himself embroiled in situations he can't quite comprehend. Hanks leads an excellent cast, featuring Robin Wright Penn as Jenny, Forrest's lifelong love; Gary Sinise as the irascible Lt. Dan, his Vietnam superior; Mykelti Williamson as Bubba, a shrimp-loving soldier; and Sally Fields as his devoted mother. Robert Zemeckis's emotional, heartwarming film garnered 13 Academy Award nominations and six wins, including Best Picture, Director, Actor--Tom Hanks, and Adapted Screenplay.
There are plenty of things to say about this movie, and the very first praise I have to note about this movie might seem bizarre and a total shocker: the soundtrack. Yes, the soundtrack. The soundtrack was definitely one of the finest I've ever heard, and it works absolutely well in this movie, as well as the original themes to this movie like the piano theme as the feather floats in the beginning are nice too. "My momma always said, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."'? The line's overrated in my opinion, but definitely worth being called iconic when thinking about this movie. How about "I got to pee" when he goes to meet friggin' President Kennedy for his football? That's a great line there, and far funnier than anything than I saw in New in Town and My Super Ex-Girlfriend. And of course: this movie is incredibly touching, but who didn't know that?
Up in the Air
Spoiler
After getting Oscar attention for JUNO, director Jason Reitman turns to this adaptation of Walter Kirn's comic novel. Academy Award-winner George Clooney stars as Ryan Bingham, a businessman on the verge of reaching five million frequent flyer miles when his company decides to cut back on travel. But his goal isn't the only thing just out of reach: he now won't be able to see a fellow frequent traveler (THE DEPARTED's Vera Farmiga) who has caught his eye.
I came into this movie, just expecting it would be good due to really good word from the critics. After coming out, I felt I had thoroughly enjoyed it, but I had trouble being able to make sense of it. In fact, finding out what it was really all about was a major part of trying to figure this movie out for me. It's neither exactly a comedy or a drama: it's an observant look at how a man lives his life. Most movie characters seem to have bland generic jobs compared to this mofo' played by George Clooney. High school student? Assassin? CEO? Ruling people? This mofo' is, as he says, is a Termination Facilitator. When corporations need to downsize quickly but hate the mess, he flies in and breaks the news to the new former employees. In hard times, his business is great. And you know what? He loves his job. He doesn't want a home. His address is everywhere his employer has an office: Omaha, St. Louis, and tons of places across the nation. He doesn't want a family either. He fires people for a living and gives lectures on and why to unload the backpack of one's life to empty it of connections and responsibility. This guy is awesome, and this movie about his life and philosophy is one of the obvious best watches of 2009.
The Girl who Leapt through Time/Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo
Spoiler
The power to travel through time... It can be used for the good of humanity, or just selfishly abused. While many may fantasize about obtaining such a power, it has become nothing less than reality for otherwise-normal schoolgirl Konno Makoto.
After a fated event, her life takes a turn for the extraordinary. Though she initially uses her power to literally "leap" into the past and change little things in order to make her life easier, she soon has to face the fact that changing the past can have drastic consequences.
The otaku community has said enough about this one for me to say anything new, but it was definitely a good watch and deserves the 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. Director Mamoru Hosoda has certainly come up many steps up since he directed some stuff for Digimon and the Digimon movie.
Last but not least:
Sherlock Holmes. I'll just leave this movie as saying this: Robert Downey Jr. did an excellent job in this movie.
