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Post by cheesecake on Feb 7, 2017 3:31:25 GMT
On the big screen on my wedding day. So romantic. ★★★★½ HOLY SHIT. CONGRATS TO THE BOTH OF YOU. Thank you! Also just got back from seeing Pulp Fiction in theaters for the second time. My local cinema is holding a Flashback Festival. So much fun with an audience of fans.
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Post by mikediastavrone96 on Feb 7, 2017 4:03:33 GMT
Just saw Arrival because I like to be late to parties. I found the first act (maybe half?) to be a little dull, it felt like Villeneuve was intentionally dragging everything out and having the actors sans Adams be as bland as possible because...? I don't know, maybe he just thinks that's what sci-fi is. It was like the film equivalent of a eulogy, what with the music and how miserable and grey everything looked. Just when I was thinking that it's hopeless for me to ever really love a Villeneuve movie, shit gets real and the entire damn world is preparing for Independence Day. Then the movie comes left and right with some clever existential questions, a genuine emotional core, and blows open a huge expansion on its themes of communication. The editing not only became much tighter, but the cross-cutting was well-motivated for narrative and character purposes that the whole film was contingent on. Jeremy Renner's character got more to do and I was starting to really dig him. Forest Whitaker got less screentime so I didn't have to hear his weird accent as much (is it Boston? New York? Some island?). Amy Adams was doing fine up to that point but was now doing some of her best work since The Master (or, for those who don't like her Master performance, Junebug), perfectly capturing the heart and soul of the film's ambitions. In short, I really, really loved the second half of the film.
Not sure what rating I'd give it considering my disjointed thoughts on the film, but it certainly skews more positive. Tentatively, I guess I'll give it an 8 but think on rewatch if I dig the first half more in a better mood and now that I know how it pieces together that it could go up to an 8.5-9.
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erickeitel
Junior Member
The beauty of life is in small details, not in big events.
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Post by erickeitel on Feb 7, 2017 4:30:45 GMT
Pollock. I liked the aesthetic Ed Harris went for, even if it was at the screenplay's expense. It felt more like a reimagining of an artist's life than an actual biopic; similar to how the underrated Miles Ahead reimagined Miles Davis in his drug-addled decay. The cinematography is creative and unique, and Harden's Oscar is well-deserved. 7.5/10
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Feb 7, 2017 6:33:12 GMT
The Last Samurai - **.
I really thought it would be up my alley, but it was just bland. Acting saved it some, though.
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Feb 7, 2017 12:05:56 GMT
Ricochet. Probably been 20 years since I've seen this. Couldn't stop laughing at Lithgow. Not in a bad way, just in an entertaining hammy villain way.
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carlyn
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Post by carlyn on Feb 7, 2017 14:44:38 GMT
Just saw Arrival because I like to be late to parties. I found the first act (maybe half?) to be a little dull, it felt like Villeneuve was intentionally dragging everything out and having the actors sans Adams be as bland as possible because...? I don't know, maybe he just thinks that's what sci-fi is. It was like the film equivalent of a eulogy, what with the music and how miserable and grey everything looked. Just when I was thinking that it's hopeless for me to ever really love a Villeneuve movie, shit gets real and the entire damn world is preparing for Independence Day. Then the movie comes left and right with some clever existential questions, a genuine emotional core, and blows open a huge expansion on its themes of communication. The editing not only became much tighter, but the cross-cutting was well-motivated for narrative and character purposes that the whole film was contingent on. Jeremy Renner's character got more to do and I was starting to really dig him. Forest Whitaker got less screentime so I didn't have to hear his weird accent as much (is it Boston? New York? Some island?). Amy Adams was doing fine up to that point but was now doing some of her best work since The Master (or, for those who don't like her Master performance, Junebug), perfectly capturing the heart and soul of the film's ambitions. In short, I really, really loved the second half of the film. Not sure what rating I'd give it considering my disjointed thoughts on the film, but it certainly skews more positive. Tentatively, I guess I'll give it an 8 but think on rewatch if I dig the first half more in a better mood and now that I know how it pieces together that it could go up to an 8.5-9. I still like it more than La La Land. It also has 9 BAFTA nominations, I'm interested to see how many of those it'll actually win.
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Post by Sharbs on Feb 8, 2017 0:48:13 GMT
An Education (2009) 9/10 - It was pretty great, I was expecting to like this, since Brooklyn is one of my faves. Mulligan became my win for 2009 and the final speech her father gives is pretty heartwrenching
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erickeitel
Junior Member
The beauty of life is in small details, not in big events.
Posts: 464
Likes: 383
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Post by erickeitel on Feb 8, 2017 15:32:19 GMT
Tanna - Great use of natural location, especially for the volcano shots. The storytelling is a bit mild, and is told in too straightforward a manner, but it has its simple pleasures. 6/10
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Post by harlequinade on Feb 8, 2017 15:55:31 GMT
To Kill a Priest - 7/10 - really surreal seeing Ed Harris in a movie about the event in my country's history (Poland) that I imagine is not that well known in other countries. I agree with Ebert's review that had Harris played the hero and Christopher Lambert the villain the film would be far more effective because the way things are you are far more interested in 'villain' and more convinced of his reasoning. Very solid cast too, including Tim Roth, Timothy Spall and Pete Postlethwaite
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Feb 8, 2017 20:57:18 GMT
Just watched Under the Shadow, which was top drawer stuff. I'll mull it over a while, but it may well be my new #1 for 2016.
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Feb 8, 2017 21:16:41 GMT
Silent Movie - Very amusing send-off of Silent films, Brooks style. 7.5 / 10
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Feb 9, 2017 4:12:40 GMT
Munich - A very powerful Spielberg "true story film". Well-shot and acted. 8.5 / 10
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Lubezki
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Post by Lubezki on Feb 9, 2017 6:33:10 GMT
The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007) - Appreciated the approach and some of it was rather disturbing but I feel it could have been executed a lot better, which in turn would have made for a more visceral experience. Good concept for a horror flick, but unfortunately it couldn't realize the potential.
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Feb 9, 2017 6:38:36 GMT
Two Weeks Notice - *** (for a popcorn rom-com). Baby Mama - *1/2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - * (I remember liking this a lot when I was a kid... but DEAR LORD, it's so horribly campy and just looks awful).
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Post by bobbystarks on Feb 9, 2017 6:47:17 GMT
The Love Witch. A bit slow at times, but mostly magical and absorbing. It looks and feels exactly like a 60s/70s sexploitation film without feeling like a total parody. It's strange, inventive, clever, and at times funny, and one of the most unique films of 2016. Great score too. Film Socialism I know you wanted to see this and I think it would be right up your alley. 8/10
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tobias
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Post by tobias on Feb 9, 2017 6:50:49 GMT
Any thoughts? Usually you don't just post one of the greatest films of all time ( ) and then say nothing about it. Edit: Last movie I've seen is Providence (1977). It's very interesting and thought-prvoking but also quite flawed in it's narrative which never really kicks off to where it truly tries to go. 7,5.
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Film Socialism
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Post by Film Socialism on Feb 9, 2017 6:52:48 GMT
fuckin sick thanks
i saw The Double Life of Veronique on that note which was cool but for some reason kieslowski just doesn't push my buttons like he did 5 years ago. lovely to look at though, and kieslowski does sex scenes (though not necessarily sex in general) better than like anyone.
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atn
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Post by atn on Feb 9, 2017 6:58:13 GMT
tobiasI just watched for the first time what is considered to be one of the most thought provoking films ever made, and you want an immediate reaction? I prefer not to do hot takes on all time classics, but for now I'll say it's undeniably great but the emotional impact wasn't as powerful as I wanted it to be. Johannes was easily the most compelling character first time around. Again, not big on hot takes. Opinion is nowhere near being finalized.
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Post by bobbystarks on Feb 9, 2017 6:59:27 GMT
fuckin sick thanks i saw The Double Life of Veronique on that note which was cool but for some reason kieslowski just doesn't push my buttons like he did 5 years ago. lovely to look at though, and kieslowski does sex scenes (though not necessarily sex in general) better than like anyone. Aw man, glad you liked it at least. Are you a fan of the Three Colors?
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Film Socialism
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Post by Film Socialism on Feb 9, 2017 7:02:45 GMT
fuckin sick thanks i saw The Double Life of Veronique on that note which was cool but for some reason kieslowski just doesn't push my buttons like he did 5 years ago. lovely to look at though, and kieslowski does sex scenes (though not necessarily sex in general) better than like anyone. Aw man, glad you liked it at least. Are you a fan of the Three Colors? i never got around to White :c but i really do like Blue and Red a lot, or at least from what i remember. i dig kieslowski in the way that i dig bergman where i've liked/loved what i've seen but the stuff is just a little too spiritual, non-ironic, something i can't quite put my finger on...anywho, makes me want to not really see more of their work in any hurry.
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tobias
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Post by tobias on Feb 9, 2017 7:12:36 GMT
tobias I just watched for the first time what is considered to be one of the most thought provoking films ever made, and you want an immediate reaction? I prefer not to do hot takes on all time classics, but for now I'll say it's undeniably great but the emotional impact wasn't as powerful as I wanted it to be. Johannes was easily the most compelling character first time around. Again, not big on hot takes. Opinion is nowhere near being finalized. Well, I didn't want a fully thought out analysis or anything, merely an indication on wheter you liked it or not would have been something already. I'm not big on rushing stuff either. Ordet is a film that constantly lingers and I think although I loved it about as much when I first saw it, I'm able to appreciate it more now and to understand it a little better. I thought that it was emotionally powerful but I connect incredibly well with the old danish village setting because it was part of my upbringing and is part of my culture. But I understand your disconnect, I imagine it could be similar to how I sometimes feel about Asian films (particularly Ozu).
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tobias
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Post by tobias on Feb 9, 2017 7:24:46 GMT
Aw man, glad you liked it at least. Are you a fan of the Three Colors? i never got around to White :c but i really do like Blue and Red a lot, or at least from what i remember. i dig kieslowski in the way that i dig bergman where i've liked/loved what i've seen but the stuff is just a little too spiritual, non-ironic, something i can't quite put my finger on...anywho, makes me want to not really see more of their work in any hurry. Dude, you're missing out. The Three Colours as a whole are imo perhaps the most significant work of cinema to our society, but only if you look at the whole work. Alone they are merely great dramas. The Three Colours also aren't particularly spiritual, it's about the real life problems of our core values, freedom, egality and brotherhood and examines them by showing us the entire spectrum of what they encapsulate. Also Kieslowski's approach is very different from Bergman, Bergman cared the most about him self and his films are even a little sentimental in that regard (nothing wrong with that though, I love his films), Kieslowski always looked at society on a macroscale and took logical approaches to big abstract themes (he even came from making documentaries). Below is a short review (kind of) from an IMDB thread about what everyone thought was the most important film (that noone really bothered replying to). But maybe consider watching White before you read it. White is also a black comedy if that helps and there are people who prefer it over the other 2. I can't guarantee you'll love or even like it obviously but perhaps you will enjoy the complete picture of these films, I can only echo, that I can't think of a more important cinematic work: My pick would be the Three Colours trilogy as it tackles the values that our society is built upon (freedom, egality, brotherhood) in a very comprehensive and almost dialectic fashion that is at the same time deeply personal (which is why the films are such relatable dramas) but which also questions the very fabric of our society and shows how it takes more than blind adherence to these values. I think the strength of these films are that they play on a very intimate level, they internalize the idea, that if you want to change the world, you have to start with yourself. They go on direct confrontation (in at times provocative ways) with values which we spout all the time but which we have not internalized. Freedom is the greatest burden of all as it means you have to take controll of your life yourself (not something liberals like to talk about), Egality means that you have to reap what you sow (not something socialists like to talk about) and brotherhood means brotherhood even to the worst psychopaths (something noone likes to talk about). The films portray the shadowsides of all these values wonderfully. One of the most provocative (or delightfully perverse) arguments in the entire trilogy is actually the start of the first film, Blue. Julie's family dies in a car crash and she becomes more free (in theory at least, as she becomes obsessed by her husbands relationships). If freedom is inherently good what does that say about her family dying or family in general? If freedom is truly what we desire, why would she obsess over her dead husband and not let loose? In the end what's so great about these films is that they encourage us to reflect. They never demonize the subject at hand, they simply portray that they are more complex than we usually like to think and certainly more complex than we treat them in everyday life and in political discourse. In the end I'd argue the films actually argues in favor of all of these values but asks us to really internalize them and to confront the demons that inhabit them (especially Blue is at it's heart a confrontation with the existencial void). I think they are extremely important films, it's a little sad that they often only get credit for being good personal dramas, while they actually work on a very grand societal scale (like most of Kieslowski's work anyway).
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Film Socialism
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Post by Film Socialism on Feb 9, 2017 7:40:37 GMT
shit tobias go write for some patrician pub you could make me wanna see anything
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Post by bobbystarks on Feb 9, 2017 7:42:30 GMT
shit tobias go write for some patrician pub you could make me wanna see anything Lol right? He and mikediastavrone96 could convince me that Grown Ups 2 is the best film of the decade if they wanted to.
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Film Socialism
Based
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Post by Film Socialism on Feb 9, 2017 7:45:49 GMT
shit tobias go write for some patrician pub you could make me wanna see anything Lol right? He and mikediastavrone96 could convince me that Grown Ups 2 is the best film of the decade if they wanted to. yeah on the real haha
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