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Post by darksidebeadle on Sept 9, 2018 23:34:13 GMT
First Viewings...
nothing this week.
Re-watches...
-Men, Women & Children (2014) (Sep 4th 2018) - 7.5-8/10 (my 3rd viewing and it held steady. within my Top 105 movies)
p.s. in general for me... 5/10 or less = Thumbs Down. 6/10 or higher = Thumbs Up
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OP's...
-Tully (2018) - 6/10 (it's the worst of the movies from Jason Reitman that I like which is everything besides Labor Day. but given the ending, it can change ones perspective of it on a re-watch.)
-The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) - 5/10 (forgettable. the 1999 version is MUCH better which I gave a 9/10 as that's within my Top 26 movies)
-Hulk (2003) - 5/10 (watchable but forgettable)
-Dead Man Down (2013) - 5/10 (decent enough for a viewing but ultimately has no re-watch appeal for me)
Not seen that Reitman film
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william
Sophomore
@william
Posts: 513
Likes: 166
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Post by william on Sept 10, 2018 1:31:05 GMT
Welcome back to another week of the BEST & WORST edition of 'what movies did you see last week?' thread. For those who haven't been part of it before, basically your hosts (us) posts our weekly movies and you can comment on those and list your movie for the same time frame. We will get back to you on yours and you can talk to other users here about their films. It's a great place to talk about film. FIRST TIME MOVIE VIEWING
Leave No Trace (2018, Debra Granik) Cinema
This indie film sees a father (Ben Foster) and his thirteen year-old daughter (Thomasin McKenzie) living an ideal existence in a vast urban park in Portland, Oregon, when a small mistake derails their lives forever. The story and performances pack a punch in this emotional film and it is surely one of the years best. 7.5/10 Tully (2018, Jason Reitman)
Reitman directed Young Adult from a Diablo Cody script starring Charlize Theron in 2011, the three have combined forces again for this film where Theron plays a mother of three who hires a night nanny to help with her newborn. I think what you think of the film will depend on how you feel about the ending as it comes off like a soft remake of Fight club. 7/10 The Thomas Crown Affair (1968, Norman Jewison) tv
This heist film sees Steve McQueen (The Great Escape) as a debonair, adventuresome bank executive who believes he has pulled off the perfect multi-million dollar robbery, only to end up matching wits with a sexy insurance investigator played by Faye Dunnaway (Chinatown). The film is a little light on plotting but is big on style, with great editing and a wonderful score. 6.5/10 Blue Jean Cop aka Shakedown (1988, James Glickenhaus)
This crime film sees a legal attorney (Peter Weller) and renegade cop (Sam Elliot) team up to stop a corrupt cop. Weller is pretty poor in this but the film is so balls out crazy at times that it is a compelling enough viewing. It has good grit but is too ridiculous. 5.5/10 Wonder (2017, Stephen Chbosky) tv
I really enjoyed Chbosky's last film Perks of Being a Wallflower. Unfortunately this film based on the New York Times bestseller has none of its subtlety. This movie tells the inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters the fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time but really over does trying to send home the feels to the audience. 5/10 Friend Request (2016, Simon Verhoeven) tv
This film from Simon Verhoeven (No relation to Paul) is another one in the growing subgenre of 'social media horror'. It is not a good film but I was taken aback by how serious and sombre the approach was to this material, so that at least made it somewhat interesting. 4.5/10 REPEAT MOVIE VIEWING
Hulk (2003, Ang Lee) blu ray
After years of seeing well made but cookie cutter films from the MCU, it was nice to see Ang Lee's Hulk again and see what a film with a more interesting vision can bring to the super hero genre. The editing and panelling of the visuals were astounding as well as the story being more of a character study with some serious acting moments. The effects are a little bit of a mixed bag but when they are good they are very good. I could probably have trimmed 25 minutes of the run time happily but all in all this is something special for the genre. 7.5/10 Grease (1978, Randal Kleiser) tv
I am not a fan of musicals in general but this one is always fun. 6.5/10 Dead Man Down (2013, Niels Arden Oplev) blu ray
Set in New York City where a crime lord's right-hand man is helped by a woman seeking retribution, this film is pretty solid with a good cast and well enough made. 6.5/10 Scary Movie (2000, Keenan Ivory Wayans) tv
This spoof of 90's movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream and many otehrs is actyally pretty good and feels much closer to the classic Zucker Brothers (Airplane!) type spoofs than people probably remember because of all the terrible Scary Movie sequels. 5.5/10 WEEKLY AWARDS
BEST FILM: Leave No Trace BEST ACTOR: Ben Foster - Leave No Trace BEST ACTRESS: Thomasin McKenzie - Leave No Trace BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Sam Elliot - Hulk BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mackenzie Davis - Tully BEST SCORE: Michel Legrand - The Thomas Crown Affair BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Haskell Wexler - The Thomas Crown Affair BEST SCRIPT: Debra Granik - Leave No Trace BEST DIRECTOR: Ang Lee - Hulk 10/10 - Perfection (or as close to it as possible) 09/10 - An Excellent film 08/10 - A VERY Good film 07/10 - A Good film 06/10 - A Solid film 05/10 - An Average film 04/10 - Below Average film 03/10 - A mostly bad film 02/10 - A mostly terrible film 01/10 - Awful through and through 00/10 - Not only awful but offensive too Hi, Dark. Interested in Tully, although I read the spoiler. In Blue Jeans Cop too, I usually like Peter Weller. Yours:: The Thomas Crown Affair 8/10 Glad you enjoyed it in the end. I did too. It has style. Hulk 8/10 Haven't seen it in a while, but I liked it. Grease 8/10 Yeah, I enjoyed it too. I really like the songs. Dead Man Down 7.5/10 Yeah, I enjoyed it, Colin Farrell was pretty good. Scary Movie 6.5/10 I don't remember it that well, besides thinking it wasn't bad. Mine: Mary Shelley 6/10 The movie with Elle Fanning, about how she met Percy Shelley, and how she came to write Frankenstein. I thought it was so-so. I was liking it at first, Elle Fanning is good, then it gets kind of dull though. The guy who plays Byron is very weak, IMO. Three Days of the Condor 8/10 It's a good movie, I like it, it holds up well, love the ending. Max Von Sydow is great. Tattoo 6.5/10 It's a movie with Bruce Dern, about a psycho tattoo artist, who gets obsessed with a model he worked with. It's a bit trashy, it's not bad though, IMO, Bruce Dern is good. Du Rififi Chez les Hommes 9/10 Jules Dassin movie. I hadn't seen it before, really a classic. The heist scene is incredible, it's, what, half an hour long, no word, no music either, I think. You don't even notice it. Loved the lead actor, Jean Servais, Personal Best 8.5/10 It's Robert Towne movie, with Mariel Hemingway, about two athletes trying to make it to the women pentathlon Olympic team, falling in love with each other. Scott Glenn is in it too, he plays their coach. Loved the movie, I thought it was very sweet and sensual, the acting was very good. I think a lot of the characters were played by actual athletes, the girl who played Mariel Hewingway's lover was one for sure. She was pretty good, they had great chemistry together.
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Post by darksidebeadle on Sept 10, 2018 2:07:56 GMT
Welcome back to another week of the BEST & WORST edition of 'what movies did you see last week?' thread. For those who haven't been part of it before, basically your hosts (us) posts our weekly movies and you can comment on those and list your movie for the same time frame. We will get back to you on yours and you can talk to other users here about their films. It's a great place to talk about film. FIRST TIME MOVIE VIEWING
Leave No Trace (2018, Debra Granik) Cinema
This indie film sees a father (Ben Foster) and his thirteen year-old daughter (Thomasin McKenzie) living an ideal existence in a vast urban park in Portland, Oregon, when a small mistake derails their lives forever. The story and performances pack a punch in this emotional film and it is surely one of the years best. 7.5/10 Tully (2018, Jason Reitman)
Reitman directed Young Adult from a Diablo Cody script starring Charlize Theron in 2011, the three have combined forces again for this film where Theron plays a mother of three who hires a night nanny to help with her newborn. I think what you think of the film will depend on how you feel about the ending as it comes off like a soft remake of Fight club. 7/10 The Thomas Crown Affair (1968, Norman Jewison) tv
This heist film sees Steve McQueen (The Great Escape) as a debonair, adventuresome bank executive who believes he has pulled off the perfect multi-million dollar robbery, only to end up matching wits with a sexy insurance investigator played by Faye Dunnaway (Chinatown). The film is a little light on plotting but is big on style, with great editing and a wonderful score. 6.5/10 Blue Jean Cop aka Shakedown (1988, James Glickenhaus)
This crime film sees a legal attorney (Peter Weller) and renegade cop (Sam Elliot) team up to stop a corrupt cop. Weller is pretty poor in this but the film is so balls out crazy at times that it is a compelling enough viewing. It has good grit but is too ridiculous. 5.5/10 Wonder (2017, Stephen Chbosky) tv
I really enjoyed Chbosky's last film Perks of Being a Wallflower. Unfortunately this film based on the New York Times bestseller has none of its subtlety. This movie tells the inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters the fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time but really over does trying to send home the feels to the audience. 5/10 Friend Request (2016, Simon Verhoeven) tv
This film from Simon Verhoeven (No relation to Paul) is another one in the growing subgenre of 'social media horror'. It is not a good film but I was taken aback by how serious and sombre the approach was to this material, so that at least made it somewhat interesting. 4.5/10 REPEAT MOVIE VIEWING
Hulk (2003, Ang Lee) blu ray
After years of seeing well made but cookie cutter films from the MCU, it was nice to see Ang Lee's Hulk again and see what a film with a more interesting vision can bring to the super hero genre. The editing and panelling of the visuals were astounding as well as the story being more of a character study with some serious acting moments. The effects are a little bit of a mixed bag but when they are good they are very good. I could probably have trimmed 25 minutes of the run time happily but all in all this is something special for the genre. 7.5/10 Grease (1978, Randal Kleiser) tv
I am not a fan of musicals in general but this one is always fun. 6.5/10 Dead Man Down (2013, Niels Arden Oplev) blu ray
Set in New York City where a crime lord's right-hand man is helped by a woman seeking retribution, this film is pretty solid with a good cast and well enough made. 6.5/10 Scary Movie (2000, Keenan Ivory Wayans) tv
This spoof of 90's movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream and many otehrs is actyally pretty good and feels much closer to the classic Zucker Brothers (Airplane!) type spoofs than people probably remember because of all the terrible Scary Movie sequels. 5.5/10 WEEKLY AWARDS
BEST FILM: Leave No Trace BEST ACTOR: Ben Foster - Leave No Trace BEST ACTRESS: Thomasin McKenzie - Leave No Trace BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Sam Elliot - Hulk BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mackenzie Davis - Tully BEST SCORE: Michel Legrand - The Thomas Crown Affair BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Haskell Wexler - The Thomas Crown Affair BEST SCRIPT: Debra Granik - Leave No Trace BEST DIRECTOR: Ang Lee - Hulk 10/10 - Perfection (or as close to it as possible) 09/10 - An Excellent film 08/10 - A VERY Good film 07/10 - A Good film 06/10 - A Solid film 05/10 - An Average film 04/10 - Below Average film 03/10 - A mostly bad film 02/10 - A mostly terrible film 01/10 - Awful through and through 00/10 - Not only awful but offensive too Hi, Dark. Interested in Tully, although I read the spoiler. In Blue Jeans Cop too, I usually like Peter Weller. Yours:: The Thomas Crown Affair 8/10 Glad you enjoyed it in the end. I did too. It has style. Hulk 8/10 Haven't seen it in a while, but I liked it. Grease 8/10 Yeah, I enjoyed it too. I really like the songs. Dead Man Down 7.5/10 Yeah, I enjoyed it, Colin Farrell was pretty good. Scary Movie 6.5/10 I don't remember it that well, besides thinking it wasn't bad. Mine: Mary Shelley 6/10 The movie with Elle Fanning, about how she met Percy Shelley, and how she came to write Frankenstein. I thought it was so-so. I was liking it at first, Elle Fanning is good, then it gets kind of dull though. The guy who plays Byron is very weak, IMO. Three Days of the Condor 8/10 It's a good movie, I like it, it holds up well, love the ending. Max Von Sydow is great. Tattoo 6.5/10 It's a movie with Bruce Dern, about a psycho tattoo artist, who gets obsessed with a model he worked with. It's a bit trashy, it's not bad though, IMO, Bruce Dern is good. Du Rififi Chez les Hommes 9/10 Jules Dassin movie. I hadn't seen it before, really a classic. The heist scene is incredible, it's, what, half an hour long, no word, no music either, I think. You don't even notice it. Loved the lead actor, Jean Servais, Personal Best 8.5/10 It's Robert Towne movie, with Mariel Hemingway, about two athletes trying to make it to the women pentathlon Olympic team, falling in love with each other. Scott Glenn is in it too, he plays their coach. Loved the movie, I thought it was very sweet and sensual, the acting was very good. I think a lot of the characters were played by actual athletes, the girl who played Mariel Hewingway's lover was one for sure. She was pretty good, they had great chemistry together. Hey Billy Three Days of the Condor 6/10. Du Rififi Chez les Hommes 9/10 in my top 50
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william
Sophomore
@william
Posts: 513
Likes: 166
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Post by william on Sept 10, 2018 2:34:28 GMT
Hi, Dark. Interested in Tully, although I read the spoiler. In Blue Jeans Cop too, I usually like Peter Weller. Yours:: The Thomas Crown Affair 8/10 Glad you enjoyed it in the end. I did too. It has style. Hulk 8/10 Haven't seen it in a while, but I liked it. Grease 8/10 Yeah, I enjoyed it too. I really like the songs. Dead Man Down 7.5/10 Yeah, I enjoyed it, Colin Farrell was pretty good. Scary Movie 6.5/10 I don't remember it that well, besides thinking it wasn't bad. Mine: Mary Shelley 6/10 The movie with Elle Fanning, about how she met Percy Shelley, and how she came to write Frankenstein. I thought it was so-so. I was liking it at first, Elle Fanning is good, then it gets kind of dull though. The guy who plays Byron is very weak, IMO. Three Days of the Condor 8/10 It's a good movie, I like it, it holds up well, love the ending. Max Von Sydow is great. Tattoo 6.5/10 It's a movie with Bruce Dern, about a psycho tattoo artist, who gets obsessed with a model he worked with. It's a bit trashy, it's not bad though, IMO, Bruce Dern is good. Du Rififi Chez les Hommes 9/10 Jules Dassin movie. I hadn't seen it before, really a classic. The heist scene is incredible, it's, what, half an hour long, no word, no music either, I think. You don't even notice it. Loved the lead actor, Jean Servais, Personal Best 8.5/10 It's Robert Towne movie, with Mariel Hemingway, about two athletes trying to make it to the women pentathlon Olympic team, falling in love with each other. Scott Glenn is in it too, he plays their coach. Loved the movie, I thought it was very sweet and sensual, the acting was very good. I think a lot of the characters were played by actual athletes, the girl who played Mariel Hewingway's lover was one for sure. She was pretty good, they had great chemistry together. Hey Billy Three Days of the Condor 6/10. Du Rififi Chez les Hommes 9/10 in my top 50 I have the feeling Melville was probably quite a fan of Rififi. Great movie. I thnk you might like Personal Best.
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Post by darksidebeadle on Sept 10, 2018 2:35:48 GMT
Hey Billy Three Days of the Condor 6/10. Du Rififi Chez les Hommes 9/10 in my top 50 I have the feeling Melville was probably quite a fan of Rififi. Great movie. I thnk you might like Personal Best. Yeah Le Cercle Rouge takes a lot of inspiration from Rififi Will look into Personal Best p-/
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Post by darksidebeadle on Sept 10, 2018 3:05:13 GMT
Hey Billy Three Days of the Condor 6/10. Du Rififi Chez les Hommes 9/10 in my top 50 I have the feeling Melville was probably quite a fan of Rififi. Great movie. I thnk you might like Personal Best. Actually, now that I have looked up Personal best, I am pretty sure I saw it way back when on tv
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Post by sjg on Sept 10, 2018 9:53:48 GMT
Hi Dark,
Yours: Hulk (2003, Ang Lee) 6/10
Grease (1978, Randal Kleiser) 6/10
Mine was a Bond fest: 1) Goldfinger 1964 (5/10)
2) Thunderball 1965 (6/10)
3) Casino Royale 1967 (3/10)
4) You Only Live Twice 1967 (5/10)
5) On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969 (4/10)
6) Diamonds Are Forever 1971 (4/10)
7) Live and Let Die 1973 (6/10)
8) The Man with the Golden Gun 1974 (6/10)
9) The Spy Who Loved Me 1977 (6/10)
10) Moonraker 1979 (7/10)
11) For Your Eyes Only 1981 (5/10)
12) Never Say Never Again 1983 (5/10)
13) Octopussy 1983 (6/10)
14) A View to a Kill 1985 (5/10)
15) The Living Daylights 1987 (5/10)
16) Licence to Kill 1989 (6/10)
17) GoldenEye 1995 (7/10)
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Post by darksidebeadle on Sept 10, 2018 10:10:21 GMT
Hi Dark, Yours: Hulk (2003, Ang Lee) 6/10 Grease (1978, Randal Kleiser) 6/10 Mine was a Bond fest: 1) Goldfinger 1964 (5/10) 2) Thunderball 1965 (6/10) 3) Casino Royale 1967 (3/10) 4) You Only Live Twice 1967 (5/10) 5) On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969 (4/10) 6) Diamonds Are Forever 1971 (4/10) 7) Live and Let Die 1973 (6/10) 8) The Man with the Golden Gun 1974 (6/10) 9) The Spy Who Loved Me 1977 (6/10) 10) Moonraker 1979 (7/10) 11) For Your Eyes Only 1981 (5/10) 12) Never Say Never Again 1983 (5/10) 13) Octopussy 1983 (6/10) 14) A View to a Kill 1985 (5/10) 15) The Living Daylights 1987 (5/10) 16) Licence to Kill 1989 (6/10) 17) GoldenEye 1995 (7/10) Hey dude 1) Goldfinger 1964 (7/10 2) Thunderball 1965 (6.5/10) 3) Casino Royale 1967 (did not finish) 4) You Only Live Twice 1967 (6/10) 5) On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969 (4.5/10 6) Diamonds Are Forever 1971 (4/10) 7) Live and Let Die 1973 (4.5) 8) The Man with the Golden Gun 1974 (5/10) 9) The Spy Who Loved Me 1977 (6.5/10) 10) Moonraker 1979 (6/10 11) For Your Eyes Only 1981 (7.5) 12) Never Say Never Again 1983 (7.5) 13) Octopussy 1983 (6.5) 14) A View to a Kill 1985 (4/10 15) The Living Daylights 1987 (6.5-7) 16) Licence to Kill 1989 (7.5-8) 17) GoldenEye 1995 (6.5/10)
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william
Sophomore
@william
Posts: 513
Likes: 166
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Post by william on Sept 10, 2018 11:24:19 GMT
I have the feeling Melville was probably quite a fan of Rififi. Great movie. I thnk you might like Personal Best. Yeah Le Cercle Rouge takes a lot of inspiration from Rififi Will look into Personal Best I haven't seen Le Cercle Rouge yet, will do.
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william
Sophomore
@william
Posts: 513
Likes: 166
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Post by william on Sept 10, 2018 11:24:51 GMT
I have the feeling Melville was probably quite a fan of Rififi. Great movie. I thnk you might like Personal Best. Actually, now that I have looked up Personal best, I am pretty sure I saw it way back when on tv Cool.
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Post by darksidebeadle on Sept 10, 2018 13:56:24 GMT
Yeah Le Cercle Rouge takes a lot of inspiration from Rififi Will look into Personal Best I haven't seen Le Cercle Rouge yet, will do. You should like it!
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Post by mikef6 on Sept 10, 2018 13:59:40 GMT
The only one I've seen of yours is The Thomas Crown Affair and that was in a theater the year it was released. Don't remember much about it except the ending and that great score you mention. Have to see it again sometime. MINE The Shadow Strikes / Lynn Shores (1937). The Shadow was a very popular radio adventure program that ran from the early 1930s until 1954. It’s catch phrase, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!” is still famous. The best that movies could do for The Shadow was a series of very low budget films cranked out of Poverty Row studios. This one is from Grand National whose productions, going by this one, used outdated technology that makes their films seem like very early sound from the late 1920s. There is almost nothing to recommend in “The Shadow Strikes.” The catchphrase is not used; neither does The Shadow “cloud men's minds” – he just wears a wrap around cape with a wide-brimmed fedora and gets the drop on criminals. Neither is anything about him is explained. Apparently, the script writers just assumed the audience would already be Shadow fans. The Shadow only shows up for a few seconds at the beginning and at the end. In fact, this didn’t even have to be a “Shadow” movie. The Shadow is so incidental that it could have served just as well as a Saint, Falcon, or Lone Wolf mystery. Silent film leading man Rod La Rocque stars as The Shadow and his everyday identity, Lamont Cranston (Granston in “Strikes” for some unknown reason). Strange Impersonation / Anthony Mann (1946). Nora Goodrich (Brenda Marshall) is first seen briefing a room of physicians on a new anesthetic that she has just created, but the final trials have not been completed. Nora is not a doctor (not in 1946), but the movie lets her be an accomplished chemist. She is engaged to Dr. Stephen Lindstrom (a dull William Gargan) but keeps putting off the marriage because of her work. Nora decides to skip the red tape required for medical testing and try the anesthetic on herself at home with only her lab assistant, Arline (Hillary Brooke) present as a witness. I thought this was going to lead up to yet another Jekyll/Hyde mad scientist rip-off movie where the good doctor tries the serum on himself and changes into something. Right at the last second the film quite suddenly – and delightfully – switches into noir territory. To say more would be telling but I can say that this far-out movie doesn’t just take twists and turns but giant leaps into startling narrative shifts that will keep you laughing in amazement – not at the movie but with it. The run time is brief, only sixty eight minutes, but Mann and his writers pack about two hours of plot into that time. The only other major player is George Chandler as an ambulance chasing lawyer. This is one wild and crazy movie that you won’t want to miss. Undertow / William Castle (1949). Tony Reagan (Scott Brady) is in love with Sally Lee (Dorothy Lee) but her Chicago mobster uncle, Big Jim, disapproves. Tony has stayed away from Chi Town for seven years serving in the military. Now, he has plans to go back and talk Big Jim into giving his consent. But when he arrives, he is knocked unconscious. When he wakes up, he finds out the cops are after him for Big Jim’s murder. Director William Castle is better known for his ‘60s cheesy fun fright films that he himself sometimes introduced. But before that, he was a busy director of low budget crime and mystery thrillers to which he often added some cinematic class and “Undertow” is one of his best. Notable is some actual location footage in Reno, Nevada and Buckingham Fountain in Chicago. There is a very good print of “Undertow” on YouTube. Also in the cast is Peggy Dow, Bruce Bennett, and John Russell. Another point of interest is Rock Hudson in his first credited role. Hudson (his first name appears as “Roc” in the opening titles and closing credits) has a role of exactly 38 seconds. Terminator Genisys / Alan Taylor (2015). I guess all Terminator fans are supposed to hate this movie because it contradicts what happened in the previous Terminator movie, or something like that, but since I have only seen the first two – from 1984 which I love, and 1991 which was OK – I wasn’t bothered by this except that it is a dreaded “reboot.” Anyway, there are other reasons not to like it. It begins like the 1984 original: Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) is sent back in time to stop a Terminator from killing Sarah Connor, the mother of the leader of the resistance against the Machines (if you are not up on the Terminator story, it is useless to ask questions). But at that point, history changes. Sarah (Emilia Clarke) doesn’t need protecting. She is already fully aware of the coming apocalypse and, furthermore, she is being helped by the Protector (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from “Terminator 2.” With me so far? Kyle has found himself in an alternate time line. It is actually good to see Ah-nold again. He repeats some of his catchphrases, which are amusing, but tries out a new one (“old but not obsolete”) which is said three times but doesn’t quite work. The film is repetitious as well. No scene can be played to completion because someone will always turn out to be a shape-shifting Terminator and set off yet another fight, gunfight, and/or vehicle chase. For action/sci-fi movie fanatics only. Xia Dao Lian Meng (The Adventurers) / Stephen Fung (2017). Dan Zhang (Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau) is just getting out of a French prison after a 5 year sentence when the film opens. He is greeted by the detective who arrested him, Inspector Pierre Bissette (Jean Reno). Zhang had been a master jewel thief who pulls off impossible heists, but now claims he is retired. Bissette believes that Zhang is after the most valuable necklace in the world, a creation called “Gaia.” Bissette is correct. Zhang gathers a small group of partners including his protégé, Po (Tony Yo-ning Yang) and Red (Qi Shu, Millennium Mambo). The film then immediately leaps into the first caper, the theft during an auction at Cannes of the second part of Gaia. This exciting and clever set-piece launches the story with a few bangs, but there is a second, even more complicated caper for the latter half. Meanwhile Bissette has joined with someone himself: Amber Li (Jingchu Zhang, Mission: Impossible-Rouge Nation), Dan Zhang’s ex-girlfriend. The thrilling film score is by Finnish composer Tuomas Kantelinen and adds immeasurably to the excitement. A pulse-pounding good time. Again, I am set to wondering what it is exactly that puts Asian action (especially from China) so far above the Hollywood output even when they share so many of the caper/heist tropes that we all know and love so well.
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maxwellperfect
Junior Member
@maxwellperfect
Posts: 3,966
Likes: 1,683
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Post by maxwellperfect on Sept 10, 2018 15:47:22 GMT
First viewings:
How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2018)
This comes across like a modern Doctor Who episode in the comic sci-fi aspect and also in the not-quite-convincing and overly-romanticized portrayal of a past era, however recent. At its best, it is very funny but the long overly melodramatic and sentimental ending robs the movie of the energy it had through the first two acts. Only the first 15 minutes of it are based on the Neil Gaiman story. 6/10
Ringu (1998)
Having seen the American remake first, it was hard to watch this with fresh eyes, even if I hadn't seen the remake since it was in theaters. I didn't notice much difference, but it's still a creepy story with a wonderful visual component. 7/10
The Greatest Showman (2017)
I think a movie about P. T. Barnum the huckster would have been more interesting than a movie about P. T. Barnum the sprinkler of fairy dust and magic into a humdrum world (as he is basically portrayed in this). For the great part, this movie didn't make me laugh, cry, think or care in any way about the characters. I thought the musical numbers were weak and generic sounding, and the "be proud of being a misfit" themes very obvious and ready made for consumption by theater-going masses. 4/10
Yours:
Hulk - 5/10 Grease - 7/10
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prolelol
Sophomore
I love movies, especially drama and horror movies! And also, I'm a big fan of TV shows.
@prolelol
Posts: 377
Likes: 101
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Post by prolelol on Sept 10, 2018 16:47:07 GMT
Tangerine (2015) 10/10 - The way it was shot on iPhone 5s was amazing. It got kinda some GTA vibe and I loved the cinematography.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) 9/10
Friday the 13th (1980) 10/10 (rewatch)
Norbit (2007) 8.5/10 (rewatch) - I kinda feel sorry for Eddie Murphy. He got too many Razzies but I thought he was doing good job playing in three roles, especially as Rasputhia. And I still think it's an underrated film and still hilarious.
Exam (2009) 9/10 - It got some serious SAW vibe. I enjoyed it!
Hobgoblins (1988) 3/10 - I enjoyed only the first 30 minutes, that's it. But after 30 minutes, I slowly realized why it has 2.3 rating because it has a horrible acting, terrible fighting scenes which is some one of the worst I've seen, too many errors, badly written scenario and this movie tried way too hard. It deserves its rating.
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william
Sophomore
@william
Posts: 513
Likes: 166
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Post by william on Sept 10, 2018 22:30:05 GMT
I haven't seen Le Cercle Rouge yet, will do. You should like it! Yes, I think so too. and, in general, I like Melville movies. Loved Le Samourai and Bob le Flambeur.
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Post by darksidebeadle on Sept 10, 2018 23:03:56 GMT
The only one I've seen of yours is The Thomas Crown Affair and that was in a theater the year it was released. Don't remember much about it except the ending and that great score you mention. Have to see it again sometime. MINE The Shadow Strikes / Lynn Shores (1937). The Shadow was a very popular radio adventure program that ran from the early 1930s until 1954. It’s catch phrase, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!” is still famous. The best that movies could do for The Shadow was a series of very low budget films cranked out of Poverty Row studios. This one is from Grand National whose productions, going by this one, used outdated technology that makes their films seem like very early sound from the late 1920s. There is almost nothing to recommend in “The Shadow Strikes.” The catchphrase is not used; neither does The Shadow “cloud men's minds” – he just wears a wrap around cape with a wide-brimmed fedora and gets the drop on criminals. Neither is anything about him is explained. Apparently, the script writers just assumed the audience would already be Shadow fans. The Shadow only shows up for a few seconds at the beginning and at the end. In fact, this didn’t even have to be a “Shadow” movie. The Shadow is so incidental that it could have served just as well as a Saint, Falcon, or Lone Wolf mystery. Silent film leading man Rod La Rocque stars as The Shadow and his everyday identity, Lamont Cranston (Granston in “Strikes” for some unknown reason). Strange Impersonation / Anthony Mann (1946). Nora Goodrich (Brenda Marshall) is first seen briefing a room of physicians on a new anesthetic that she has just created, but the final trials have not been completed. Nora is not a doctor (not in 1946), but the movie lets her be an accomplished chemist. She is engaged to Dr. Stephen Lindstrom (a dull William Gargan) but keeps putting off the marriage because of her work. Nora decides to skip the red tape required for medical testing and try the anesthetic on herself at home with only her lab assistant, Arline (Hillary Brooke) present as a witness. I thought this was going to lead up to yet another Jekyll/Hyde mad scientist rip-off movie where the good doctor tries the serum on himself and changes into something. Right at the last second the film quite suddenly – and delightfully – switches into noir territory. To say more would be telling but I can say that this far-out movie doesn’t just take twists and turns but giant leaps into startling narrative shifts that will keep you laughing in amazement – not at the movie but with it. The run time is brief, only sixty eight minutes, but Mann and his writers pack about two hours of plot into that time. The only other major player is George Chandler as an ambulance chasing lawyer. This is one wild and crazy movie that you won’t want to miss. Undertow / William Castle (1949). Tony Reagan (Scott Brady) is in love with Sally Lee (Dorothy Lee) but her Chicago mobster uncle, Big Jim, disapproves. Tony has stayed away from Chi Town for seven years serving in the military. Now, he has plans to go back and talk Big Jim into giving his consent. But when he arrives, he is knocked unconscious. When he wakes up, he finds out the cops are after him for Big Jim’s murder. Director William Castle is better known for his ‘60s cheesy fun fright films that he himself sometimes introduced. But before that, he was a busy director of low budget crime and mystery thrillers to which he often added some cinematic class and “Undertow” is one of his best. Notable is some actual location footage in Reno, Nevada and Buckingham Fountain in Chicago. There is a very good print of “Undertow” on YouTube. Also in the cast is Peggy Dow, Bruce Bennett, and John Russell. Another point of interest is Rock Hudson in his first credited role. Hudson (his first name appears as “Roc” in the opening titles and closing credits) has a role of exactly 38 seconds. Terminator Genisys / Alan Taylor (2015). I guess all Terminator fans are supposed to hate this movie because it contradicts what happened in the previous Terminator movie, or something like that, but since I have only seen the first two – from 1984 which I love, and 1991 which was OK – I wasn’t bothered by this except that it is a dreaded “reboot.” Anyway, there are other reasons not to like it. It begins like the 1984 original: Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) is sent back in time to stop a Terminator from killing Sarah Connor, the mother of the leader of the resistance against the Machines (if you are not up on the Terminator story, it is useless to ask questions). But at that point, history changes. Sarah (Emilia Clarke) doesn’t need protecting. She is already fully aware of the coming apocalypse and, furthermore, she is being helped by the Protector (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from “Terminator 2.” With me so far? Kyle has found himself in an alternate time line. It is actually good to see Ah-nold again. He repeats some of his catchphrases, which are amusing, but tries out a new one (“old but not obsolete”) which is said three times but doesn’t quite work. The film is repetitious as well. No scene can be played to completion because someone will always turn out to be a shape-shifting Terminator and set off yet another fight, gunfight, and/or vehicle chase. For action/sci-fi movie fanatics only. Xia Dao Lian Meng (The Adventurers) / Stephen Fung (2017). Dan Zhang (Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau) is just getting out of a French prison after a 5 year sentence when the film opens. He is greeted by the detective who arrested him, Inspector Pierre Bissette (Jean Reno). Zhang had been a master jewel thief who pulls off impossible heists, but now claims he is retired. Bissette believes that Zhang is after the most valuable necklace in the world, a creation called “Gaia.” Bissette is correct. Zhang gathers a small group of partners including his protégé, Po (Tony Yo-ning Yang) and Red (Qi Shu, Millennium Mambo). The film then immediately leaps into the first caper, the theft during an auction at Cannes of the second part of Gaia. This exciting and clever set-piece launches the story with a few bangs, but there is a second, even more complicated caper for the latter half. Meanwhile Bissette has joined with someone himself: Amber Li (Jingchu Zhang, Mission: Impossible-Rouge Nation), Dan Zhang’s ex-girlfriend. The thrilling film score is by Finnish composer Tuomas Kantelinen and adds immeasurably to the excitement. A pulse-pounding good time. Again, I am set to wondering what it is exactly that puts Asian action (especially from China) so far above the Hollywood output even when they share so many of the caper/heist tropes that we all know and love so well. Hey Im keen on Strange Impersonations, not heard of it til now but sounds very interesting, will add to my watchlist. My first viewing of Terminator Genisys was kind of fun for spotting the references to the first two films but on second viewing I found it a bit tedious, still better than T3 though. 5/10
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Post by darksidebeadle on Sept 10, 2018 23:05:33 GMT
First viewings: How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2018) This comes across like a modern Doctor Who episode in the comic sci-fi aspect and also in the not-quite-convincing and overly-romanticized portrayal of a past era, however recent. At its best, it is very funny but the long overly melodramatic and sentimental ending robs the movie of the energy it had through the first two acts. Only the first 15 minutes of it are based on the Neil Gaiman story. 6/10 Ringu (1998) Having seen the American remake first, it was hard to watch this with fresh eyes, even if I hadn't seen the remake since it was in theaters. I didn't notice much difference, but it's still a creepy story with a wonderful visual component. 7/10 The Greatest Showman (2017) I think a movie about P. T. Barnum the huckster would have been more interesting than a movie about P. T. Barnum the sprinkler of fairy dust and magic into a humdrum world (as he is basically portrayed in this). For the great part, this movie didn't make me laugh, cry, think or care in any way about the characters. I thought the musical numbers were weak and generic sounding, and the "be proud of being a misfit" themes very obvious and ready made for consumption by theater-going masses. 4/10 Yours: Hulk - 5/10 Grease - 7/10 Ringu - I preferred the American remake but it was ok enough.. It spawned a lot of film who have used its tropes since, kinda sour on the whole lot of them now. 5/10
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Post by darksidebeadle on Sept 10, 2018 23:06:49 GMT
Tangerine (2015) 10/10 - The way it was shot on iPhone 5s was amazing. It got kinda some GTA vibe and I loved the cinematography. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) 9/10 Friday the 13th (1980) 10/10 (rewatch) Norbit (2007) 8.5/10 (rewatch) - I kinda feel sorry for Eddie Murphy. He got too many Razzies but I thought he was doing good job playing in three roles, especially as Rasputhia. And I still think it's an underrated film and still hilarious. Exam (2009) 9/10 - It got some serious SAW vibe. I enjoyed it! Hobgoblins (1988) 3/10 - I enjoyed only the first 30 minutes, that's it. But after 30 minutes, I slowly realized why it has 2.3 rating because it has a horrible acting, terrible fighting scenes which is some one of the worst I've seen, too many errors, badly written scenario and this movie tried way too hard. It deserves its rating. Tangerine (2015) 7/10 Friday the 13th (1980) 7/10 Norbit (2007) 5/10 I agree this one gets too much hate.. some parts are good and Eddie puts in great work at times
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Post by darksidebeadle on Sept 11, 2018 0:06:27 GMT
Yes, I think so too. and, in general, I like Melville movies. Loved Le Samourai and Bob le Flambeur. Le Cercle Rouge is my number one Melville and in my top 50 films of all time
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william
Sophomore
@william
Posts: 513
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Post by william on Sept 11, 2018 16:47:22 GMT
Yes, I think so too. and, in general, I like Melville movies. Loved Le Samourai and Bob le Flambeur. Le Cercle Rouge is my number one Melville and in my top 50 films of all time Will certainly watch. It has a great cast too.
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