Recently viewed films

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 5:27 pm

mood swung wrote:quit yer bitchin' WSS - at least you've got the day off. and the music for CG is pretty good!

It was surprisingly good actually. It was kind of refreshing to see an animated film relatively free of Pixar-style computer-generated animation. The music was nice for a kids picture (very gentle and appropriate for the story) and there were a few genuinely funny moments. It kept her attention for an hour and 20 minutes, which is no small feat.

alexv · Post by **alexv** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:21 pm

Finally got around to watching "Melinda and Melinda". Awful. It was back in its NetFlix bag no more than half and hour into the movie.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 10:59 pm

After a string of kiddie flicks, I finally get to see a grown-up movie with the wife tomorrow night. It's down to a choice between "Tristram Shandy" and "Thank You For Smoking". What'll it be?

bobster: "Stay in and rent 'Serenity'" is not an acceptable answer!

SweetPear · Post by **SweetPear** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 1:50 am

Mood Swung....I love your cute little piggy picture!!

Saw Walk the Line and Cinerella Man.....both were so, so good. Watched them both again a few nights later.

Then, since I hadn't seen Gladiator, we watched that. I never was a big Russell Crow fan, but I am now. Next is a Beautiful Mind.

About 2 nights ago I saw GlenGary/GlenRoss on the IFC. I've seen it before, but what a f***ing movie that f***er was. A very sad and pathetic story. My middle aged uncle, a former car salesman in Jersey, said this was his favorite movie ever. I mean, he really loved this movie. Wow, how depressing.
I might add that he ended up committing suicide not too long ago.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 1:58 am

Who Shot Sam? wrote:After a string of kiddie flicks, I finally get to see a grown-up movie with the wife tomorrow night. It's down to a choice between "Tristram Shandy" and "Thank You For Smoking". What'll it be?

Tristram Shandy.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:51 am

Otis Westinghouse wrote:
Who Shot Sam? wrote:After a string of kiddie flicks, I finally get to see a grown-up movie with the wife tomorrow night. It's down to a choice between "Tristram Shandy" and "Thank You For Smoking". What'll it be?
Tristram Shandy.

Yeah, I'm leaning that way. Have you seen it?

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 12:58 pm

Eyes Wide Shut. Tom n' Nicole, Stanley Kubrick.

At first watching it didn't seem to go very far enough in exploring the male and female psyches, though that good use is made of symbollism. It can't avoid being very voyeuristic in the theatical, self-conscious way it seems to intellectualize, but it might repay a couple more viewings because I want to see what it 's like without some of the initial biases I may have brought to it - I want to see how Kubrick offsets the characters; Nicole's bitchiness against Tom's character's justification for his escape, about how he with his heroic idealism is the antithesis of the guy who sells him the mask, et al. And I want to think about the supposed allure of the secret house, the predicament of the girl who sacrificed herself, about how the dude whose ass Tom saved shrugged his shoulders, and about prostitute, who was the nicest, warmest character in the movie, and so on. It is absorbing.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 8:00 pm

Who Shot Sam? wrote:Yeah, I'm leaning that way. Have you seen it?

As ever, no but it's a brave move to film it, and it's one of the great comic books, and Michael Winterbottom + Steve Coogan is a great combo,, as evidenced by 24hrptyppl, and a friend with good taste liked it. Trust me?

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 8:20 pm

Haven't read the book, Tristram Shandy, but still enjoyed the film. Just saw Harrison Fords latest, Firewall, and was pleasantly surprised to find it very entertaining. Silly story which rips along at a great pace. Just as she does in 24, Mary Lynn Rajskub steals the show, she can do no wrong.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 9:47 pm

Otis Westinghouse wrote:
Who Shot Sam? wrote:Yeah, I'm leaning that way. Have you seen it?
As ever, no but it's a brave move to film it, and it's one of the great comic books, and Michael Winterbottom + Steve Coogan is a great combo,, as evidenced by 24hrptyppl, and a friend with good taste liked it. Trust me?

Haven't seen either film, though have heard good things about booth. I guess it depends on whether you want something pretty intellectually zany and English (Shandy) or more acidly conventional ("Smoking") and American. I did like 24 Hour Party People a lot -- and it was more first and so far pretty much only exposure to Steve Coogan. On the other hand, Aaron Eckert is pretty great even though (or perhaps because) he's from the ultra-straitlaced state of Utah.

Of course, you COULD (if it's out in your neck of the woods yet) see..."Slither" the new gross out horror comedy starring Nathan Fillian, of "Serenity"...the plan is to make THAT film a huge smash, Nathan becomes a superstar, and THEN I get my sequel!!!!!

One track mind? Not I.

Oh, and "V for Vendetta" both rocks, and rolls in a wonderfully political kind of a way that is just catnip to myself. 1.5 sword fights, three old movie allusions, one Julie London recording.... Bobster says check it out.

Mechanical Grace · Post by **Mechanical Grace** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:13 pm

Well, back to kiddie flicks... the boy and I just saw Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, and I thought it was tops. Lots of visual gags that were worthy of Chuck Jones and the best animation generally. The first Ice Age was one of the cleverest of the genre, imo, and this one's pretty great as well.

Also there was a stunningly hilarious trailer for "Happy Feet" that featured sweeping cinematic (can you say that when it's animated??) views of singing penguins. The music was the Gypsy Kings, and the dancing was priceless. Sadly the last seconds were marred by the speaking voice of the main penguin, done by the uber-annoying Robin Williams... Nevertheless the audience actually roared and applauded after the trailer, which is the first time I've ever seen THAT.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 1:00 am

Saw "Tristram Shandy" and enjoyed it quite a bit. Coogan and Brydon were very funny together, and the film, with all its detours and asides, was certainly in keeping with the spirit of the book. I would definitely recommend it. Just what we needed.

Mr. Average · Post by **Mr. Average** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 2:55 am

My daughter attended the Hollywood Premier of Ice Age II by invitation, and met Ray Romano, who was unfriendly and rude. Queen Latifah was very gregarious and just a sweetheart, treating my daughter like a friend. The high point was John Laguzamo (sp?) who was extreemly gracious to my 14 year old...very kind, and as they were speaking the lights went doen for the movie and he was concerned that she got to her seat okay.

She caught him off guard, however, when she met him and he was initially rushed, until she said she loved his performance in Moulin Rouge. Probably doesn't hear that from many 14 year olds, and it pleased him immensely.

She thought the movie was B-/C+ quality, weaker than expected, and she was disappointed.

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 10:22 am

Not a "recent" film by any means but I finally caught 92 In The Shade starring Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Harry Dean Stanton, Burgess Meredith and Margot Kidder. It was based on the novel by Thomas McGuane and directed by McGuane himself who did a really, really good job his first time out helming a movie. Very low key and loose but the acting is wonderful (Peter Fonda may have had a rep as a wooden indian back in the day but he is suprisingly wry and in the moment) and it captures this weird, seedy world of Florida fishing guides very well and, obviously, that's not the kind of subject matter we often see in film. It's also a treat to see William Hickey (he was the ancient mafioso in Prizzi's Honor and the corpse in Mouse Hunt) with dark hair playing Fonda's sweetly melancholy dad.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 8:29 pm

El Vez is become God...I mean Robert Ryan.

Anyhow, saw "Thank You for Smoking" and "Slither" this weekend and, for very different reasons, recommend both.

Aside from being extremely funny, "Smoking" is a pretty interesting movie that you could probably discuss for hours in terms of just what side it comes down on. But good movies are better at asking questions than answering them.

On the other hand, "Slither" comes out firmly against ickly out space creations and flesh eating zombies and the grossness is mostly of the icky-gooey variety, rather than the mean-ultraviolent variety (which bothers me a LOT more). Very modest, very fun movie which reminded me of a sillier, darker, scarier version of "Tremors". I'm a bit bummed it didn't do better. There's a place in this world for good natured horror movies. Get out there and see it, comedy-horror fans...

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 10:30 am

Got around to seeing Shopgirl and, to quote the horse from Ren & Stimpy, "No sir, I didn't like it." The one thing I will say for it was that it was great to see Claire Danes knock it out of the park and hopefully it reminded some casting directors that she was the next Streep not that long ago. When My So-Called Life was being shown on MTV, I remember thinking that she was destined to be That Great Actress by now but you do a couple of Mod Squads and people forget all about that. Terry Zwigoff was actually bitching that people suggested her for Enid in Ghost World with the same level of "Can you believe those Hollywood idiots" disbelief that he was invoking when he also mentioned that the suits were thinking about Freddie Prinze, Jr. for Seymour.

Anyway, divergent rant aside, the movie just struck me as embarrassing in the same way that Kevin Spacey's Beyond The Sea was so difficult for me to watch. Here you have these olympian talents parading their worst traits in front of your very eyes but not in the good Cassavetes/Bergman/Loudon Wainwright III way but more like, say, R. Kelly singing dirty love songs while going up against child porn charges.

And I love Jason Schwartzman for life but I hope that I never have to see him cast as a hyper-brainy, existential version of Jon Cryer's Ducky ever again.

Boy With A Problem · Post by **Boy With A Problem** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 1:59 pm

Superman just made a post!

sorry.

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 2:02 pm

That's right and I will not hesitate to beat your ass with Ned Beatty's shoe either!

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:51 pm

I loved Transamerica. Felicity Huffman was really great as (ironically for us DH watchers) Bree. I love road movies, and this had a great sense of place throughout. Lots of interesting themes about, obviously, gender, paternity, familial respect and the lack thereof. And the teen actor Kevin Zegers who plays Bree's son, though he doesn't know it, is great, and a real looker. Recommended wholeheartedly.

And I finally saw Last oof the Mohicans on TV tonight. I never realised it was by Michael Mann. Boy is he a good director. I was getting very confused by some of the details, and I'm not at all up on the history here, in terms of the allegiances and all, but loved it. Madeleine Stowe was very watchable, and you'd never have known 17 years separate the year of birth and that of the gorgeous Jodhi May.

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 12:44 pm

El Vez wrote:And I love Jason Schwartzman for life but I hope that I never have to see him cast as a hyper-brainy, existential version of Jon Cryer's Ducky ever again.

I don't mind...

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 2:29 pm

miss buenos aires wrote:
El Vez wrote:And I love Jason Schwartzman for life but I hope that I never have to see him cast as a hyper-brainy, existential version of Jon Cryer's Ducky ever again.
I don't mind...

Well, yeah, but I suspect that your ability to rough it here is similar to my easygoing acceptance of Catherine Keener in the brainy, ganja-smoking ballbuster role that has been her glorious throne since she told Ben Stiller "We can talk. I just don't want something up my ass while we're doing it."

Tim(e) · Post by **Tim(e)** » Mon May 01, 2006 7:38 am

Just took my 7 year old along to the Toho cinema here in downtown Kawasaki to see the new Gamera movie that opened just this Saturday... not a bad little film with reasonable cgi and man-in-suit effects as well as a good storyline.

Don't know if it will ever make it out of Japan, but if it does I would recommend it as one to keep the kids entertained (as long as they are not too easily frightened).

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Mon May 22, 2006 2:53 pm

Took the younger Swungs to Over The Hedge in between thunderstorms and soccer games Saturday. We give it 3 thumbs up. Several lol moments for me.

Yesterday, in between soccer games and thunderstorms, we saw RV. It had a couple of moments, and given the choice between RV and Just My Luck, I'd pick RV again. MI:3 was sold out, Poseidon was potentially too scary for an 8-going-on-30 y.o.(as was MI:3, really but I had to make an effort for the 12-going-on-6 y.o.), and we couldn't find Hoot. So there, El Vez!

ice nine · Post by **ice nine** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:31 pm

Water - A beautiful film. Visually well done, wonderful acting, etc. You feel as though you are in India in the 1930's. Deserves the Oscar for Best Foreign film.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:52 pm

"Garfield - A Tale of Two Kitties" - had to take my daughter to see this one over the weekend. Really really awful, despite BIll Murray doing the voice of Garfield.

Am I officially a perv for ogling Jennifer Love Hewitt's cleavage (superb) while seated next to my daughter at a kids' movie