What Movies Are You Watching?

[LennyH]

Gravity

Quite possibly the biggest letdown I've ever experienced in a movie. Well, perhaps Avatar was worse.

How some empty eye candy like that got nominated for 10 Oscars is far beyond me.

Avatar is a pretty good comparison because it was very critically acclaimed and a let down for me as well (other than as eye candy when I got a new HDTV). I saw both movies in the theater and in 3D.

Gravity is a 3 star movie for me, which means that I liked it and thought it was worth watching. That's all I can say for it.

As I said earlier in this thread, the 3D was pretty worthless to me. I thought this might be one, based on the buzz, where the 3D would feel natural to me and not gimmicky but that wasn't the case. Next time there's a serious movie that I want to see in the theater and is available in 3D I'll be seeking out the 2D version instead.

[stonemonkts]

Have never experienced 3D and don't have any desire to do so. If I want 3D I'll just stand here and open my frigging eyes. Film was never meant to be that "real".

[LennyH]

Have never experienced 3D and don't have any desire to do so. If I want 3D I'll just stand here and open my frigging eyes. Film was never meant to be that "real".

Yeah, twice now I've been fooled by critics saying that "this is the one you really need to see in 3D in the theater". Phooey.

Truthfully, if you want to watch something in 3D then try an animated film. I don't care about 3D in that case much either but I did watch "How to Train Your Dragon" in 3D on my father-in-law's giant TV and it was fun enough. Then it's more like fun kids stuff instead of someone trying to blow your mind in a "serious film" by having wrenches and shit whiz by your head. Heard during "Gravity" coming from numnuts a couple of seats down from me: "Look, it's a retainer". Douche.

[walto]

Speaking of the Oscars, how many presenters were drunk or otherwise high last night? I count these: Harrison Ford, Zac Efron, and John Travolta.

Also, Kim Novak scared the hell out of me. Matthew Mcconaughey's speech was obscenely arrogant. Jared Leto couldn't decide what was most important to him--his family, AIDs, or thinking about people in Crimea. Ellen Degeneres was only mildly amusing. They showed trailers instead of clips. But worst of all was this crazy "theme" thing. Maybe as many as 90% of every movie made has a hero/heroine. They pick 30 movies, including about 8 cartoons, and celebrate the heroes in them. Why? Who the hell knows? Is Mr. Incredible a more important hero than any character Laurence Olivier ever played? Apparently. Where the hell do they get these stupid ideas?

[LennyH]

Also, Kim Novak scared the hell out of me.

Ugh. Grotesque.

I caught a glimpse of Goldie Hawn in the audience and she looked like she's on her way.

[LennyH]

Ellen's joke about Liza was just brutal! Ouch.

[Mr. Met]

The Oscars should be taken with a grain of salt. Does anyone remember who the 2013 Best Actor award went to? Or Best Picture?

Okay... maybe 2012?

[walto]

Grain of salt? GRAIN OF SALT!?@!

That's a three hour commercial we're talking about, with lots of very expensive other commercials mixed in!!!

[walto]

I've now seen most of Blue is the Warmest Color on Netflix. Not sure what to say about it. There's more explicit sex than any movie I've ever seen--including some stuff that's been labeled porn. But it's "highbrow" and (to me at least) extremely long and slow moving. I think the acting is good and the lead character is likeable and sympathetic, but the dialogue is very unrealistic--or at least it would be if it took place in the U.S., and there are a lot of scenes that I think could have been shortened or cut out completely with little or no loss to the result. Finally, as a, you know....guy, the sex scenes seemed kind of, well, long. (There's a limit to erotic, or nudist colonies would be way hot.)

So, I don't know, I guess I disagree with a lot of the critics. I'm giving only two Montes, even though, if pressed, I'd give four for the bods, the acting, and the panting.

[Jazzooo]

I bailed on Blue.

[Jazzooo]

Walked out of the 300 sequel/prequel or whatever it was. Ridiculously repetitive.

Watched Into the Night, the '80s flick with Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer. Holds up ok.

[Monte Smith]

Kahaani, an Indian thriller from 2012. As a film, this was so-so. It was a little plotty watching characters connect dot to dot to dot. As an insight into Indian culture, this was intriguing. Motherhood rises up to defend India against terrorism. Set in Christian-y Kolkata during a Hindu festival called Durga Puja.

[LennyH]

I saw American Hustle in the theater but the wife did not accompany me, so we just watched it last night on DVD.

I have to say that I'm disgusted by the ending because it's different on the DVD.

*Spoiler*

Most people will think I'm crazy, which I am, but this small change irritates the shit out of me. Early in the film, Christian Bale and Amy Adams are listening to Jeep's Blues from Ellington's At Newport and, when the tune reaches a certain crescendo, Bale raises his his arms in the air. At the end of the film, they are listening to it again and, in the theatrical release, he throws his arms up at the same exact point and it goes right to black. It's was a great stroke, I thought. But, in the DVD release, that doesn't happen. Instead, he just shoots Amy Adams a look.

I'm probably the only person in the world that was pissed off about this. I can accept that. But I'm right.

[LennyH]

Another oddity about American Hustle is the changes they made for marketing. I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but there's a point in the trailer where Jennifer Lawrence says something like "these people that you all are so afraid of look like the perfect people to buy me a drink". Absolutely not in the film. Also, the Led Zeppelin tune "Good Times Bad Times" is used very much in the trailers and, unless I was zoning out last night and missed it, it's not in the film.

[Monte Smith]

I watched American Hustle last night. Wasn't too in to it. I prefer its close cousin, The Wolf of Wall Street.

[LennyH]

I watched American Hustle last night. Wasn't too in to it. I prefer its close cousin, The Wolf of Wall Street.

You'd have liked it much better if they didn't change the freaking ending .

A polarizing bunch of films at the top of the pack last year. Films that some love while others don't get what the fuss is. I'd put American Hustle, The Wolf of Wall Street and Gravity in that category for sure. Her is one that I'm really looking forward to. David Edelstein, a critic I like, said that Her was the best film of the year by a wide margin. Steve(thelil) begs to differ, IIRC.

Did anyone catch Upstream Color? It's available on Netflix. Insanely difficult to follow but compelling stuff, I thought. It's one of those that you have to research after if you want to make sense of it.

[LennyH]

I still say Frozen is the best movie I saw this year.

It's on the list! I'll hold out for HD.

[mjb]

Just returned from "Finding Vivian Maier."

We liked it a lot. Fascinating story about a fascinating person and a very fine photographer.

Didn't care too much for American Hustle either. So shrill (as was Silver Linings Playbook to these ears) it was hard to listen. Pretty good performances though. Especially Amy Adams.

Found Nebraska to be good if a little one dimensional.

Thought Upstream Color was a mystery, albeit a worthwhile one. I will watch again and perhaps again. Prime was at least as difficult.

[walto]

Checked out the Blu-ray release of it last night. Liked it even more the second time. Truly an anti-Disney princess movie princess movie.

Speaking "kids' movies," my college-age daughter says that (of all things) the Lego movie is fabulous.

[LennyH]

Didn't care too much for American Hustle either. So shrill (as was Silver Linings Playbook to these ears) it was hard to listen. Pretty good performances though. Especially Amy Adams.

Found Nebraska to be good if a little one dimensional.

Thought Upstream Color was a mystery, albeit a worthwhile one. I will watch again and perhaps again. Prime was at least as difficult.

I'm still a bit shocked that I liked American Hustle so much. I didn't really care for The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook was adorable at the end and all (almost got a cavity) but I think I'm being generous when I round up to 3 stars (I usually don't see the end of films that I'd end up giving 2.5 stars or less). I don't agree with people who said American Hustle was a mess, but it was far from an airtight plot and I usually grumble about flaws. No explaining it.

I can't get exited about Nebraska, but I'll end up watching it. I'm also not very exited about Blue Jasmine, but I'll end up watching that tonight.

If you're going to watch Upstream Color again then I hope you don't do what I did (read someone else's analysis). The clues are there, for the most part, but getting it all yourself might be tough. I hope you check in after a second viewing, mjb.

Then again, I'm on the record as liking Dollhouse so grain of salt and all .

[LennyH]

Blue Jasmine.

Ugh. I made it through, but only because there wasn't anything else I could think of to watch instead.

Woody's idiosyncrasies make it so that I can't forget for one second that I'm watching a Woody Allen film. It's both the common themes that run through his films and, especially, the dialogue.

"I want to do something substantial".
"I want to meet someone substantial".
"Oh, I love the garden. It's so established"

People don't talk this way. This has infected his films throughout his career, IMO, but it mattered a lot less to me when the films were better. Scarlett Johansson said that he told her that he didn't care whether she did his dialogue verbatim; that if she didn't like it then she can change it. He should tell all of his actors this and they really should take him up on it.

Liked Andrew Dice Clay.

[walto]

I absolutely agree with you, Lenny.

(1) Woody Allen writes terrible, completely unbelievable dialogue; and
(2) Blue Jasmine isn't really very good.

OTOH, I still think he's a terrific film maker. It's just that people often give him credit for the wrong things.

[LennyH]

OTOH, I still think he's a terrific film maker. It's just that people often give him credit for the wrong things.

Yeah, walto, I still love many of his films and I would not be surprised if he comes up with something else that I like a lot before he's through. I can't imagine that he'll come up with another great one but I welcome him to prove me wrong. At this point, I feel like something on the level of Vicky Cristina Barcelona is about as good I can expect.

From now on, I'm going to need something more *substantial* than critically acclaimed acting to get me to spend my time.

[Monte Smith]

We went to see The Grand Budapest Hotel yesterday. For some reason I want to call it The Exotic Marigold Hotel. Same principal, I suppose. Gather a lot of character actors at a romantic pile to celebrate life. I enjoyed how Wes Anderson accomplished this in GB Hotel. It was warm and full of comedy, most of the comedy coming from elaborately set-up camera pieces and good writing. Anderson is an artiste, and one thing that was good about this film was that he was laying his convection overtop the disappeared world of Stephan Zweig. It's nice in a Wes Anderson film to have some base layer that is not Wes Anderson.

Anyway, read a view of this film which called it, like all the great works of Anderson, instantly forgettable. Great and forgettable. That's comedy.

[Jazzooo]

20 feet from stardom. A fantastic documentary about background singers. A little too long, but good to the last drop.

August: Osage County. A decent drama, with a few too many "made-for-TV" touches.