Best movie you've seen

[Jake the Dog]

I saw Bruce Almighty last Friday night. I didn't have much in the way of expectartions and there is only so much Jim Carrey I can take but I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. it works well as a light-hearted flick and Carrey (or his direction) manages to keep his comedic "style" from going overboard. there's one scene in the movie which litterally had people laughing out of their chairs, I almost dod too, it's bloody hilarious.

Aniston's character provides little substance but Morgan Freeman as God, works very well. worth a looksee if you can handle Carrey.

 

[Santilli]

I agree. Bruce had us rolling as well.

s

 

[honold]

i found moral/religious overtones way too heavy-handed by the end of bruce almighty. i did like the first hour or so of it...

i'll echo again, see spirited away

i just got back from finding nemo a few minutes ago, i thought it was great

 

[James]

Anyone seen "Punch Drunk Love" yet?

It just came out on video in the US. Interesting movie.

I thought it was really good too, but I saw it in the cinema which adds a certain impact to the first 15 minutes of the movie (ie. immediately before he picks up the piano).

Recommended.

 

[zx]

I saw "Les invasions barbares", a Québécois film. A very nice film, well made and with a very strong morale. If you have the chance to see it i strongly recommend it.

 

[zx]

I have to say that the only film I really look forward to is "The return of the king". So far, i really appreciated the two first LOTR movies.

 

[Mercutio]

League of Extraordinary Gentleman was great fun.

The comic series is a genre-bending masterpiece to start with, an English major's wet dream of tiny in-jokes with utterly distinct artwork (particularly fun for me: noting the detail - Portraiture by R. Pickman, an utterly obscure character HP Lovecraft's fiction, beneath a portrait of some past members of the league).

The movie is... not the comic. But it is faithful to the source material. We have Allan Quartermain, star of dime store novels and adventures in Africa, Wilhelmina Harker, object of Dracula's desire, Dr. Jekyll, and properly Indian Kali-worshiper named Nemo.

I've only a limited familiarity to Quartermain as a character. The others, though... I worked my way through those books as a youth, as I suspect many others of a certain bent have. It gives me a certain joy to know that these characters have found another voice, another life.

(Incidently, more promise stares out from the walls. As compelling as Nemo and company are, seeing Natty Bumpo, Rip van Winkel, Faust, Athos, Porthos and Aramis together in a picture in the background only leaves me wondering at what past adventures there might've been... as I said, I love the concept).

The literary adventures of these characters could not be more different, yet I was thrilled to see this new vision of the past; the Argonauts re-born, so to speak. Art direction here was wonderful. 1890s Europe was a gilded age of steam and gears, and I believe that comes forth marvelously in the film, a time before the whole world was explained by science. And it is in that context that anachronism can turn to belief. Nothing felt wrong, nothing felt out of place.

As lush and detailed as the film is, there's only the barest of pauses in the action of the film. I can't even say how long the movie is; it felt like mere instants. The action sequences worked. As different as these characters are, so to is each one's approach to action, and I found it all very refreshing. It was, truth be told, the anti-Matrix. In this movie I saw the bad-assness that "The Hulk" could've been. I saw Connery as tough as nails - Indiana Jones and John Wayne, rolled into one. I saw something I desperately enjoyed seeing. No stop-action CG bullet-time crap. No half-assed philosophy. Just the right sort of swashbuckling goodness for a hot summer day.

 

[CougTek]

Les Invasions barbares is not my type of movie (mainly humans relationships). I haven't seen it and I don't plan to either. Great if it was good for the genre. I'm just not an amateur of this genre.

I'll go watch LEG soon. I won't find it as good as Mercutio for sure since Merc gave me high expectations for it. When we expect much, we can only be deceived or satisfied, but not overwhelmed.

I'm too really looking forward The Return Of The King.

 

[honold]

...and it got an 18% on rotten tomatoes.

my next trip to the theater will be to see pirates of the carribean

 

[Mercutio]

These are the same critics who say Matrix Reloaded is something like good, right?

I had fairly low expectations for League, thinking it'd be screwed up in a major way, and I came away thinking it earned my $7. It's the first of the summer movies at which I can say that. Hulk was a letdown (although given the auteur nature of Ang Lee's direction, it's entirely possible I missed something from a first viewing). Terminator 3 left me limp. Bruce Almighty was an utter waste of time, and Xmen 2 was a little underwhelming (due, I think, to the cast which was just WAY too big).

 

[Handruin]

Merc, was it you who liked punch-drunk love? I thought I remember someone saying it was a good flick. I watched that movie the other night and it left me feeling empty. The movie was clearly not a conventional style and at times I felt like they left out a budget for music/sound, most of which was terrible.

 

[Mercutio]

It's *not* a conventional movie. It's a movie about a man who has been swallowed up by the circumstances of his life, and about the person he becomes when he finally rises above it. The real story is told in subtext. A surface-level viewing of Punch Drunk Love is like a surface level reading of "Heart of Darkness".

As far as scoring: It's closest to serialist classical music. I found it quite accessible and enjoyable. But then, I consider Philip Glass's "Music in 12 Parts" easy listening. The sound is actually an incredibly important element to the movie. Every sound is deliberate. The fact that there are seperate stereo, DD5.1 and DTS mixes on the DVD release should clue you in to that.

It's not TS Eliot's "The Waste Land" or Tchakovsky's "Pathetique", but considering the fact that the director purposefully left us with no commentary, I have to assume that it is his wish to have his film dissected and analyzed, and that we will have to dig to find meaning.

 

[Handruin]

I have no doubt the music used was intentional, but the quality didn't sound good to me. I watched the film using the DTS mix and many times I found the levels (perhaps intentional) to be balanced in a way I didn't like. I'll tell you, the scence when the SUV (for whatever reason) flipped-over, almost made me fall out of my couch because it was so damn loud. It probably gave my neighbor a heart attack.

The begining of the movie felt a bit dry and slow, and it didn't get interesting until the symbolic begining had passed. After reading your post, I'll believe that the considerable lack of any music for many of the scenes was intentional. I guess I've grown accustomed to the use of music to help set a mood. This movie left room for the viewer to make up their own mood based on the lack of music in numerous scenes.

 

[Howell]

I'll tell you, the scence when the SUV (for whatever reason) flipped-over, almost made me fall out of my couch because it was so damn loud. It probably gave my neighbor a heart attack.

I enjoyed it. I thought it was well done.

 

[honold]

anybody seen 'your friends and neighbors'?

 

[Pradeep]

I saw "A Clockwork Orgy" on DVD the other day.

 

[timwhit]

Anyone seen "Punch Drunk Love" yet?

It just came out on video in the US. Interesting movie. Very beautifully shot. There's some REALLY interesting art direction in that movie. If you happen to watch it, pay attention to the use of colors. Barry (Adam Sandler) wears a solid blue suit and red tie throughout the movie, until the end. His girlfriend consisitently wears solid red, as do the stewardesses and entertainers. His sisters appear in solid green. There's an emphasis on featureless white walls.

In addition to that, there's some interesting symbolism with a harmonium and with the recurring theme of pudding.

Most interesting is the fact that the 2 DVD set has no director's commentary. No commentary at all, in fact. I watched this movie and I realize that there is a TON of sub-surface nuance. Not at all what I would expect from an Adam Sandler flick, or even a PT ("Boogie Nights") Anderson movie. Entirely different from everything I've seen this year. I enjoyed it a lot.

I just watched it and I would have to say that it is the weirdest movie I have seen all year. Most likely I didn't understand all of the symbolism; but I never really understand that sort of thing until someone explains it to me.

 

[The JoJo]

I just got the soundtrack from the movie Shrek, and thought I'd chime in here. Shrek is one of my favourites, if not THE favourite! The movies always gets me in a good mood, which is it's best "feature" for me.

Highly recommended!

 

[The JoJo]

As for some other good movies, I'd mention Casablanca, Rio Bravo, Maltese falcon, Final Fantasy (due to the great graphics)...Alien 1-4....

 

[flagreen]

Again.... "What about Bob?" is tops for comedy.

"Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I'm schizophrenic...
and so am I."

Bob Wiley

 

[Bartender]

I like What About Bob and Rio Bravo too.

 

[Mercutio]

Irony: Going to see a PG-rated movie because of on an interview with its 13-year-old star, that was conducted on the Playboy channel.

"Secondhand Lions" was quite entertaining. Duvall and Caine did a fair impression of a couple of my eccentric uncles.

 

[Buck]

Although not a movie, I figured it was worth mentioning. The television series Waiting for God is fun to watch. Their humor just has me in stiches.

 

[Mercutio]

What channel is that one on?

I confess that I find DirectTV #595 entirely too entertaining to have tried watching anything else. I only just hooked the satellite doohickey up last evening. I watched the evening news. Which is how I heard about "Secondhand Lions". Which was an entertaining way to spend two hours.

Hopefully, if I someday figure out the 50,000 functions on the remote and find what channel it's on, I'll be able to watch that AND the Simpsons.

Who the hell needs 200 different sports channels??? Golf has it's own network? So does Fishing. And Auto-racing. Who is the sad person who needs continuous coverage of NASCAR or crank baits?

 

[Fushigi]

What channel is that one on?

I confess that I find DirectTV #595 entirely too entertaining to have tried watching anything else. I only just hooked the satellite doohickey up last evening. I watched the evening news. Which is how I heard about "Secondhand Lions". Which was an entertaining way to spend two hours.

Hopefully, if I someday figure out the 50,000 functions on the remote and find what channel it's on, I'll be able to watch that AND the Simpsons.

Who the hell needs 200 different sports channels??? Golf has it's own network? So does Fishing. And Auto-racing. Who is the sad person who needs continuous coverage of NASCAR or crank baits?

You might want to spell out what ch 595 is. DirecTV channel numbers can vary not only by region but by decoder type. This is very true for the local stations; I'm not sure about the nationals. A friend 2 suburbs away using a Sony decoder had the local channels re-assign to random numbers in teh 800s. For me, I had channel 2 on 2, 5 on 5, 50 on 50, etc. I didn't know it was any other way until I saw his setup.

You'll also find the ability to block channels from your list to be a godsend. You can program the sports, shopping, religion, etc. channels to just not show up while surfing. Something my current utter POS digital cable TV box can't do. I gotta call Comcast about that someday.

 

[SteveC]

Who the hell needs 200 different sports channels???

That would be me. As long as there's a baseball, football, or hockey game on, there's something to watch. Yes, I watch too much TV.

 

[Mercutio]

]You might want to spell out what ch 595 is.

595 on my satellite-doohickey is the Playboy channel. I'll never miss the evening news again. They have sports, too. Topless Pillow fighting is a sport, right?

 

[dagtag]

Mystic River

Go see this movie! Mystic River = Sean Penn Best Actor Oscar (though he should have gotten one for 'Dead Man Walking" or "Carlito's Way".

 

[Pradeep]

Merc, now that you have DirecTV you may want to get a DirecTivo, they have them for $99 per receiver now. I believe it's $5 per month for the Tivo programming, no matter how many of them you have in the house.

 

[Mercutio]

I'm looking for a series-1 unit with upgraded AV outputs. I haven't found one yet.

I've dagtag, if you've seen Mystic River and enoyed it, please to explain the %#%%$ing weirdo ending.

 

[Drakantus]

As far as the original topic-

Braveheart
Run Lola Run
Memento
Boondock Saints
Mulholland Drive

and more recently,

Kill Bill

 

[Mercutio]

I've seen Kill Bill four times now.

The strange thing is, I was the only person in the theater at two of the showings, and every showing I've been to, there's been less than a dozen people.

I don't think the residents of the Hoosier state get it.

To be honest, it's not on the same level with "Reservior Dogs" or "Pulp Fiction" but the House of the Blue Leaves segment kicks my ass every time I see it. All three movies are incredibly violent, but really, Kill Bill is the first movie that actually leaves the violence in-frame. And in Kill Bill, that's actually appropriate. Kung Fu movies wouldn't be Kung Fu movies without extreme graphic violence.

The soundtrack was kind of a let down. Tarentino's other movies have done well in that regard - the surf music in Pulp Fiction especially. I can't decide whether the 'Bill soundtrack is inappropriate or if I just can't stand the mix of J-pop and Kung-Fu themes.

 

[Mercutio]

Solaris.

I read Lem's novel when I was in college, in a "Literary Science Fiction" class. The movie basically covers the book's major plot points and not much else.

But... 1. It is beyond gorgeous to look at. The DP and the art director both deserve real credit for their work.
2. The score is phenomenal. It's by someone named Cliff Martinez. It's sort-of minimalist electronica, and it fits the film perfectly.

 

[timwhit]

I watched Sneakers recently and it is a pretty entertaining movie. I hadn't seen it in about 8 years and watching it today it is still a pretty good movie. A lot of the things they talk about are still relevant today. The idea of a code breaker is a little preposterous but makes for an interesting device.

Also, the way that the Russians are treated is quite different from today, since the movie came out right after the breakup of the Soviet Union and no one really knew what would happen between the new Russian Federation and the US.

 

[Buck]

In like fashion to Sneakers, but a better movie in my opinion, Three Days of the Condor was on the other night, I believe on AMC. The opening scene with the gunfire and teletypes banging away is very surreal.

 

[Fushigi]

I read Lem's novel when I was in college, in a "Literary Science Fiction" class. The movie basically covers the book's major plot points and not much else.

Have you read other S.Lem books? I read several about 15-20 years ago. I don't remember them very well except that they were rather different than what the American SF authors were writing at the time.

 

[Mercutio]

Merc, now that you have DirecTV you may want to get a DirecTivo...

SnapStream PVS is awesome beyond words. Screw Tivo, the $65 I spent getting Snapstream justified every penny I have in my HTPC. Besides, how many Tivos can hold 800GB?

Also, Punch Drunk Love remains the best movie I've seen in the last two years.

Fushigi - Sorry, no other Lem fiction. I've read some of his literary critisism. It's fairly vitriolic.

 

[its.fubar]

Casablanca,
Maltese falcon,
Gone with the wind,
The third man,
North by Northwest,

They just don't make them like they used to ?

 

[Howell]

Also, Punch Drunk Love remains the best movie I've seen in the last two years.

You might also like Anger Management. It's not nearly as sophmoric as other Adam Sandler films but not quite as serious as PDL. It still centers around an underdog character who grows by taking a chance.

 

[timwhit]

I watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade last night and tonight I watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Both on DVD. These are two great movies, and they are even better on DVD.

I even hear that there are plans to make an Indiana Jones 4, but I wonder how Harrison will do, he's getting kind of old.