Ye Olde Watercooler: 6/2/08
Mena Suvari on the verge of a bad weekend in Stuart Gordon’s Stuck
If you like Stuart Gordon or if you like a certain brand of macabre horror and you live in New York or Los Angeles, go see Stuck this week so that THINKFilm will be encouraged to give it a proper release before it goes to DVD. This is a movie that needs to be seen with an audience. The story: Mena Suvari hits Steven Rea with her car and he gets lodged in her windshield. Rather than taking him to a hospital, she drives home, locks him in her garage and waits for him to die. Inspired by a true story, it’s clearly not for everyone, but I think those with a taste for this kind of movie will really like it.
Mr. Gordon did a little Q&A after the Friday and Saturday screenings at L.A.’s Nuart Theater. I caught the Saturday show and it’s sad that there weren’t more than 50 or 60 people there.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I’m surprised to report that the haters got it wrong. Was it as good as the original? Of course not, but if you thought it would be you’re not using your head. Seriously. What were you thinking? It took about a half an hour to warm up for me, but when it did, it was good enough. It was actually better than it had any right to be. I haven’t carefully read any full reviews yet because I still plan to do my own, but not even the elements that are so controversial - gophers, refrigerators, Tarzan or even…well, even the crux of the plot which I won’t reveal because it’s kind of a spoiler - bothered me in the slightest. All of them were well in keeping with the spirit of the series. Ok, the gophers were pushing it a little bit, but not much.
As far as what the movie did right: the chase from the diner, the jungle chase (yes, even the CGI…sorry folks, it’s the state of the world. Get used to it) and the ants. Whatever you think about this entry’s supernatural element, the climactic image was pretty cool.
All I can say to the people who disagree with me is, well, it sucks to be you.
Of course all the buzz this weekend is over Sex and the City which I did not see, but I’m guessing some of you did. Clearly a lot of people did see it. Though the box office numbers dropped off sharply from the record breaking Friday, as of this writing it was still predicted to be the #1 movie of the weekend. I’m curious to hear what fans of the show thought. Were you satisfied or was it a let down?
Filed under: Miscellaneous
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Darnit, when there are as many movies screening in a city as there are here there are also so many things to be missed, and I’m really sorry to have missed seeing Stuart Gordon introduce Stuck.
I’m also glad you liked Crystal Skull, Craig, I think you got it just right: anybody expecting the second coming had their expectations up too high. It’s a sequel, not an amazing one but certainly a satisfactory one.
My viewing consisted of two 80s horror movies on VHS that I had sitting around (Plutonium Baby and Slaughter High - nuff said), the Cary Grant version of Gunga Din (a little racist, but entertaining), and The Fall (to anyone who’s upset because it’s not playing where they live, I’d recommend renting Tideland instead - the same movie but better).
I’m glad you liked Indy, Craig :-) I went to see it a second time last Thursday (mostly as an opportunity to hang out with my dad and brother, the last time we went to the cinema together was for Grindhouse, June of last year), and I think I even liked it a tiny bit more. I agree with you: it’s not a perfect film by a long stretch, and there are clumsy elements, but in the end, it’s just FUN, with all caps. And maybe some exclamation points.
Oddly enough, my dad, who’s usually quite critical, loved it, while my little brother (who loves 300) was nitpicking all the way back, and didn’t quite enjoy it. But he’s been cranky for a while now, that must’ve been it ;-)
My movie weekend was quiet, since I worked all Saturday (it was pretty hectic, too), and Sunday I was away all day for an obligatory family outing. I did manage to see The Big Heat for the second time on Saturday, and yesterday, I was planning on watching Point Blank, but I was pretty tired and opted for the lighter Sabrina instead. It was the first time I saw the original (I saw the remake once or twice), and all I can say it: when it comes to romantic comedies, older is definitely better. The old Sabrina is also too sappy and pretty anti-feminist (girl has to turn herself into a princess before she can ‘catch’ a prince), but it’s so much better than the remake….
I think the bottom line with INDIANA JONES was that in the end it was and is completely forgettable. This is a time-worn tired concept for for me at least completely fails to capture the magic of the original film. This is a formula retread, which goes to the well once too often, and sad to say I had no fun watching it.
Hence, unlike Hedwig and Jeff I do not applaud Craig for liking it, rather I am in a deep state of disbelief and depression. LOL!!!!! But I am aware nonetheless that this is only my own personal view, which is worth no more than any else’s on this site of astute cinema lovers. Like Hedwig I also know others who loved it.
My own multiplex venture this weekend was THE STRANGERS on Saturday night. I was greatly amused by the teenagers packing the theatre at the premium time, most of whom interactively responded to the film. Of course the film was mostly derivative and ultimately laughable, borrowing from the usual suspects, so to speak. But it was a sobering reminder that once in a while you must dine on White Castle hamburgers, even if your stomach rumbles later in the night.
On Friday night I finally saw YOUNG AT HEART, which was moving, despite the lack of documentary cohesion and a somewhat rambling focus. Near the end, when the rotund senior with enphasema tubes was seeted on stage, the film hits the right level of poignancy, when the crooner delivers a ballad of great emotional power. Not by any means a great documentary, but one that does stir you with its heartfelt resonance.
Glad Indy surprised you, Craig. Them low expectations, they’s the key, you know. I thought it was fun. I think if the filmmakers had taken it more seriously, yes, they might have toned down some of the gopher, refrigerator, vine, etc. scenes, but they might have lost some of the good stuff, too.
I saw Sex and the City, and then, for cinematic whiplash, finally caught I’m Not There. SATC was ok; had some very funny bits and and some genunine emotion in there, though overall it was overlong and tried to do a more than it ought to have tried to do. Sarah J Parker did the comedy particularly well. I was trying to think of TV shows that have made the transition to feature film, and I couldn’t think of many that have done so with much critical success, although some do get the box office. Do you think having a TV show as source material automatically dampens the critical reception? Generally, it seems at best these films get a tepid “fans of the show may enjoy it, but as for the rest of us…” kind of review. SATC was squarely in that category. If you didn’t know/care about the characters before hand, I can’t imagine you’d get very invested in them by the film alone.
As for I’m Not There, I suppose I’m still processing it, but I liked and admired it quite a bit, even though I never warmed up to it emotionally, which I’m not sure I was supposed to, anyway. On first viewing, I’m not sure it all works, but enough of it does, and so very well. I’m not a Dylanophile–I like his music, but haven’t taken the time to delve deep into it like so many others have done–but the film still mostly worked for me. And Haynes deserves a bonus star just for being so dang creative and trying to do something different.
He and Charlie Kauffman should have a creativity-off.
I agree with you on Indy, cannot wait to read your review.
Sex and the City…you know where I stand, no use in giving myself another burst aneurysm.
Prince Caspian….was so awful. It brought tears to my eyes, for all the wrong reaons. I am still writing my review for it {it is released in SA on the 6th of June}, but I will say that I found it so hard taking Peter seriously when he spoke in that gay weirdo accent, it was SO off-putting.
Paris Je T’aime. Loved this one, am writing my review of it right now, some segments were so great, and some were just plain awful (…Elijah Wood’s….).
I watched Alex Gibney’s “Gonzo” again, and the great thing about screeners is that I can pause it to write my notes on my notepad ;)
Tomorrow I am missing the press screening of Incredible Hulk because I am choosing to go to the press screening of “Speed Racer” on Friday instead, my mother only lets me go to one a week, which I guess is fair.
On TV - caught “City of God” and “The Departed” again, even though I have them on DVD, sometimes I like seeing them on TV with the rest of the losers who are only seeing them on TV because they are too lazy or too busy to get themselves to the cinemas when they are released. Also saw “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” - so hilarious, and when I saw it as a kid, it was the first time I was exposed to cross-dressing, which as you can imagine is freaky for a kid still obsessed with cowboys and firemen, and my favourite line in the film is “That’s just what this country needs: a cock in a frock on a rock.” Yeah, so we have that on DVD as well, but I never get bored of those silly queers.
I bought a bunch of DVDS; Into the Wild, No Country for old Men, Michael Clayton, Atonement, Gone Baby Gone, Paranoid Park, Juno, Darjeeling LTD, Diving Bell and There Will Be Blood.
Good times….
I actually kind of enjoyed the Elijah Wood fragment. It was so out-there, and tonally so incredibly different from the rest. It didn’t fit, and it’s aesthetic was teenage gothic at its corniest, but I kind of liked it.
One of my favorites was Gus van Sant’s, which I re-watched several times on YouTube. It has a gimmicky reveal (like quite a few others), but I love the mood of it. And I love the one with Gena Rowlands, too. But as with most compilation films, as a whole it was hit and miss.
Jennybee, I think the problem with virtually all TV-to-movie conversions is that they rely heavily on the built-in audience, pander to it, and ignore the act of making a decent stand-alone film. It’s good to hear S&TC may have lept those simple hurdles and made a good movie too.
I’d like to say I really enjoyed The Fall, but I did not. Romanian actress Catinca Untaru is amazing as the lead and her scenes with Lee Pace are wonderful, but other than looking gorgeous this movie did little to move me. I thought the fairytale aspects were incredibly under-utilized (to the point of being nearly a slide show rather than a narrative element) and the third act was so hateful I almost walked out of the theater. Oh well, it was pretty to look at.
Finally saw Shine a Light, which was as much fun as all of you already noted. I didn’t think Scorsese was really going to do much other than capture the show but the last 60 seconds were perfect.
On DVD I saw Teeth, which was…a misfire. Jess Weixler has a lot of potential as a comedic actress but otherwise this movie was just ridiculous. The movie failed at being a decent satire, failed at being camp, failed at being a decent horror movie. It just failed.
I also revisited For Your Eyes Only, which happened to be sitting at the library when I wandered through. It still contains my two favorite character moments of all the Roger Moore Bond films, but I must admit…I’m no longer 11 years old and this one plays to the cheap seats far too much. As with many of the Moore Bond movies, it’s narratively lazy and fairly over-the-top, although the action sequences remain pretty insane and entertaining to watch. This being the only Roger Moore Bond even remotely tethered to reality, I was hoping it would hold up better. Oh well.
So Shine a Light was pretty good with three disappointments otherwise.
I only saw The Fall, for which I have similar, though a little more positive, thoughts as Joel. It wasn’t as charming as The Princess Bride and wasn’t as freaky as Pan’s Labyrinth. It doesn’t copy either but reminded me of both. Nothing can be taken away from the visuals, though, and Catinca Untaru is certainly a sight to see. The emotional arc at the end does not work, though.
Crystal Skull is enjoyable enough to recommend, but I’d say it’s the least of the series. I agree, though, the stuff that bothers a lot of people didn’t irritate me that much either. Shia was really good for the role he had, the sequence at the diner was amusing (”get that greaser!”), the chases were pretty cool, and Ford was still great. It’s a mild entertainment, nothing great, nothing terrible.
That said, I revisited Temple of Doom over the weekend and found it to be significantly better than I remember it being. I dare say it’s closer to Raiders than some people realize. It’s totally different and does its own thing (how many sequels have the ambition to be original?), it’s really dark and creepy at times and unusually intense for Spielberg. Capshaw isn’t Karen Allen, but whatever. Even with its flaws I thought it was pretty great.
Nick, you have a Gonzo screener? You lucky, lucky guy.
I didn’t make it out to the movies, but I did see The Apartment once again when they showed it on PBS the other night. Great movie. Even Shirley MacLaine didn’t bother me (she’s a good actress but not my cup of tea usually). And Jack Lemmon was just a fabulous actor. It seems that PBS is on a Jack Lemmon/Billy Wilder kick - they’re showing Some Like It Hot this coming weekend. If I’m home I’ll be watching it. :-)
At least the bugs in TEMPLE OF DOOM were real.
Yeah, Nick, I’m jealous of your Gonzo screener too. The trailer for that one is great.
Jeff/Joel. I think I liked the fall a little more than either of you, but I really really wanted to like it more. A big problem for me was that all of the drama was in the fairy tale sequences which were quite clearly made up. There was little sense of genuine danger and the real life sequences were mostly inert. Lovely to look at. Liked the little kid. liked the idea…but in the end I admired it more than I enjoyed it.
Hedwig. If you were tired, Sabrina was probably the better choice. You’re probably better cinematically prepared than I was the first time I saw Point Blank, but seeing it tired would be a bad idea methinks. As it was, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. It wasn’t what I was expecting. Didn’t much care for it until I revisited it later. By then I’d caught up on the French New Wave and I had a better frame of reference for it. Having said that, I hope you get to it soon. I want to hear what you think.
As for Indy, I don’t want to say too much about it just in case I write an actual review. Suffice it to say it was a pleasant enough reunion with an old friend to pass muster with me. The first 20 minutes or so I wasn’t buying it. It felt creaky. The humor fell flat and the music didn’t have the old magic. The Wild One introduction of Mutt was silly too, but the diner escape sequence started to turn me around on it and before long I realized I had a smile on my face and I was enjoying myself.
Chrisitan, as I said above, CGI is the way of the world. I’m uneasy with it too and part of me will never completely warm up to it, but if I’m going to be cranky about it, I’ll never enjoy another movie again.
Speaking of CGI though…did anyone see the trailer for Australia? What the hell was up with Nicole’s CGId face in the scenes where she’s talking ot the little girl? Seriously. Jar Jar Binks was a more convincing facsimile of a flesh and blood being. She looked like a Fembot .
Sam. Sounds like I enjoyed Young@Heart more than you…even though you did like it. It had a looseness to it, and the subject really was the drawing point, but the filmmakers did an effective job of shaping it into a story. And yeah, Fred Knittle singing Fix You was a show stopper.
Jennybee, I think there’s a high degree of snobbery against TV in general, and that counts double for anything that is popular. I’m guilty of it myself sometimes. The assumption is that if it appeals to a mass audience, it must be junk. Sometimes this is true, but not always. Also, I think some stuff that works on TV just doesn’t go over as well when it’s blown up on a big screen. They’re both visual mediums, but to me TV excels at telling a continuing story, but movies are better at bigger yet self contained stories.
End Part One
Craig: Never give up! Never surrender!
JB. I chickened out on writing a proper review of I’m Not There, though it did end up in my 2007 Top 10. I see what you’re saying though about an emotional connection. For me, I spent so much time trying to fit the pieces together it was hard to get a handle on it. Yet in the end there was enough of a thread to make it satisfying for me. I fear watching it again though because I don’t know if it will hold up to additional scrutiny. Whether it will get better or ring hollow.
Nick. I’m a huge fan of Paris je t’aime and I can’t wait to hear what you write about it. Hedwig is right that it’s uneven (I’m sure everyone will disagree on the best and worst…I didn’t care for the vampires either..or the mimes) but I was surprised at how well they ultimately worked together. It was a rare case for me where an omnibus film was greater than the sum of it’s parts. And some of the parts were magnificent. I hope the New York one they’re working on is as successful.
Joel, I think I like teeth a little more than you, but that’s not to say I liked it a lot. It rallied for me in the final 20 minutes or so, though it was borderline too little too late. The first hour was a lot of wasted potential which is always frustrating..
Daniel. I’ve been sucked into a number of films lately where the visuals trump the story (Speed Racer, My Blueberry Nights leap to mind), but The Fall was an instance where the pretty pictures just weren’t enough. Not sure what the other films had for me that The Fall was lacking, but there you go.
Ari, I’ll have to watch the other three again before I can place Skull, but I suspect you’re right that it’ll be in fourth place. Doom has improved with age for me too…or at least it had the last time I watched it several years ago.
Alison. I love The Apartment. I think it’s my second favorite Billy Wilder after Double Indemnity, though Some Like it Hot (which I used to think was a little overrated) has grown on me over the years. Shirley is great though even if she rubs the wrong way in other stuff. I’ve always loved her in The Apartment.
And that’s that. More later, but for now I’ve got to earn some money.
Christian. I’m getting too old to fight.
Also: No audio dropouts in Indiana Jones that I noticed, just the annoying brown dots.
I think after The Fall, I’m ready to give Tarsem a pass in the future. The Cell annoyed the crap out of me so maybe his style of visual filmmaking isn’t for me. I require characters and some decent narrative too.
Funny Craig, but I used to be the sucker for the visuals. We’ve had a role reversal occur somewheres.
Paris J’Taime is uneven, as are all compilation films, but the overall theme of the piece worked really well and the ones that really worked, worked brilliantly.
I posted my review of “Paris” Craig, and it is as uneven and breathtaking {in a bad way though} as the film, which was breathtaking in a good way.
Jealous of me, wow, well, you will all get “Gonzo” soon enough.
Ah, the Apartment. It’s my favorite Wilder film, a perennial favorite at Casa Jennybee, watched every New Year’s Eve. Sunset Boulevard is my other favorite Wilder, with Stalag 17 and Some Like it Hot right behind. I bought the special edition of Double Indemnity sight unseen, but was a little let down by it.
I definitely agree with you all about the reasons TV shows don’t translate as well onto the big screen. I’m still stuck trying to think of some that did it well, though. Maybe the Twilight Zone? Mission Impossible? Even they aren’t exactly critical darlings. Get Smart’s having a go at it next, so I guess it was just on my mind.
Loved Paris, je t’aime, too. The vignette I remember as being the least successful is the one with the Asian hairdressers. Also, count me in the pro-Elijah Wood vignette column. I loved that it was so different from the others. The vampire in it is the new Bond girl, by the way, though probably less vampiric and floaty in Quantum of Solace.
Thank you Jenny for mentioning Sunset Blvd. When I read Craig’s list of favorite Wilder films, the first thought that sprang to mind was “WHAT!? What about Norma Desmond?”. I think I like Double Idemnity even better, but Sunset is gothically beautiful.
As for Paris Je T’aime, I think Craig’s right on the nose assuming we’ll all disagree about what worked and what didn’t. Because I, personally, didn’t get the Asian hairdressers one AT ALL.
Gonzo looks fascinating. And Hunter S. Thompson is a fascinating guy (though his books tire me out, like most of the beats).
Twilight Zone and Mission Impossible (the first one) are nice small-to-big screen transitions, Jennybee. I’m having a hard time coming up with any others to suggest off the top of my head. The X-files movie should have worked better because it seemed to have a lot of great elements, but something about it never completely gelled for me. The “Fight the Future” subtitle was laughable.
The original Batman TV series with Adam West spawned a wacky movie…but did that one play theaters? I always kind of liked how ridiculous it was, sort of an extended episode of the show. The dolphin joke is priceless, considering it was made when Flipper was on TV.
Double Indemnity may be a bit of an acquired taste. It’s fairly hard-boiled but I like it for being so. What didn’t you like about it?
I know Craig loves Sunset Blvd. Whatever you’re mentioning was a typo or a misunderstanding.
I am embarrassed to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed “The Strangers.”
Glad you liked Indy, Craig. Tell the haters where to go. (Kidding.)
No theatrical adventures this weekend for me. I want to see The Fall sometime in the next few days despite the overwhelmingly lukewarm reviews around here and elsewhere.
I saw The Houston Story with Gene Barry, a little noir made by William Castle. I’ve never understood why Barry didn’t become a bigger star; I suppose it may be due to his TV years. Anyway, it was pretty good.
Then I saw Manhattan Murder Mystery again for the first time in many years. I think it’s one of Woody Allen’s more underrated films. There’s a stretch of it that plays like a humorous nightmare (maybe more than one stretch, actually). Also, it’s a film that clearly loves Double Indemnity, jennybee, as well as The Lady from Shanghai, which it thrillingly spoofs in its denouement.
I noted a lot of positive reviews for the Strangers popping up this weekend, although that style of horror movie really isn’t my bag.
I hope you enjoy The Fall, Alexander. I can’t say it was so much as a bad film or a bad script as it didn’t work for me and I thought the director’s choices weren’t always the ones I would have preferred.
But it is gorgeous. If you’re going to see it, see it on the big screen.
Joel, I loves me some pretty pictures, but I need something to hang my hat on as well…The Fall had just enough for me to like it, but I would’ve preferred more. As for Singh, I never saw The Cell, but the jury is still out on him for me. If he can tether his visual sense to a good story with interesting characters, he might hit a home run.
Alexander, I still think it’s worth checking out, though I have no idea how you’ll respond to it.
I’ve never heard of The Houston Story…you’re really digging in to the noir vein, aren’t you? Have you always gone out of your way for noir or did the festival in San Fran a few months back inspire you?
And yeah, count me among the Sunset Blvd. lovers, but it’s probably 4th behind Double Indemnity, Apartment and Some Like it Hot…but only since SLiH was bumped up in my recent estimation.
As for TV shows. Mission Impossible as has already been mentioned seems to be a stand out. The first Brady Bunch worked, but that’s because it was a gentle spoof. I liked the first Wayne’s World back in the day and while I’m on the subject of SNL sketches, god help me I enjoy The Blues Brothers. The Twin Peaks movie is not David Lynch’s finest hour, but I think it’s highly underrated and has some of his best and creepiest moments.
Hmmm…I’d think a motor-vated feller (or fellette) with a blog could come up with a whole post on this…
Dorothy, there’s no reason to be embarrassed around here. Hell, I loved Forbidden Kingdom and I’m damn proud of it. That’s not to say I recommend it…I’m just saying. Ok, actually I’m not really proud of it either, I’m also a little embarrassed, but I’ll get over it.
Nick, I’ll head over and read your review soon. In the mean time, don’t feel bad if it’s not your best work. My own was among the first I wrote for the blog and it was awful. I’m not even sure it was long enough to qualify as a full review. I don’t know that it was my worst review ever, I’d prefer not to think about that too much, but I’m definitely not proud of it. Sucks because it was one of my favorite movies last year, but what are you gonna do? In the words of Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa (that I love to quote at least once a week) when the kid discovers his advent candy has been replaced by Candy Corn: “Well, they all can’t all be winners.”
Words to live by.
The Fall is nice to look at in a perfume commercial kind of way, but the visuals felt very arbitrary to me, like Singh just made a list of all the locations he wanted to include and included them, whether they made sense or not. I mean, why so much Arab/Indian imagery in a movie told by a cowboy to a Gypsy (?) girl?
Commercial directors tend to make the same kind of mistakes, like assuming that ‘bigger’ and ‘prettier’ is always better.
I’ve always loved noir, Craig. I first found out about the San Francisco annual noir festival in December of ‘06 when renting Where the Sidewalk Ends, a strong “rogue cop” noir by Preminger, when I listened to the commentary by Eddie Muller. That was six weeks before the noir festival at the Castro that year. I’m sure I’ll always go so long as I can.
The Houston Story is quite good. It gave me an entirely new appreciation for Barbara Hale, who played Della Street in the Parry Mason TV show; in The Houston Story she’s a hardboiled, sexy dame. Thank the gods for TCM!
TCM is the best Alexander. It’s about the only reason I occasionally consider getting cable or sattelite again.
I know I mentioned recently watching Naked City, but did I also mention waching Night and the City? I can’t remember. Anyway, it was 31 flavors of awesome.
I’m with you all the way on commercial directors Jeff. And in retrospect, the fantasy elements of Fall did feel like a bunch of unrelated Lexus commercials.
Ridley Scott for me is probably the most successful commercial director. His brother….not so much.
Music video directors sometimes have the same problem, but there are more of those that I like.
I haven’t read up on the production info, Jeff, but I think Singh actually did just arbitrarily shoot The Fall, or at least parts of it, in countries that he happened to be traveling through. Don’t quote me on that. i should go back and read the NYT article
I seem to recall he intentionally accepted jobs in areas where he already knew he wanted to film.
If that’s true, the implication is that he had some kind of master plan, for better or for worse.
Either way, it’s conceptually sloppy.
Off topic but: Bo Diddley passed away. He was 79. :(
I saw that. Sad. If he’d had a bigger movie presence I woulda blogged about it.
That’s too bad. RIP…
Also, while we’re on sad subjects, it’s truly a shame to see Tatum O’Neal’s situation, and as usual I’m dismayed by media coverage of said situation.
I saw that yesterday, Alexander. It’s really very sad.
Glad to hear you liked Indy Craig. It’s not a great movie, but I enjoyed it for what it was. It’s one of those things you just have to surrender to and go with.
Sorry Nick, the vampire segment of “Paris Je’Taime” is one of my favorite parts of the film, along with the mimes, Juliette Binoche, and Margo Matindale. I agree about the Asian hairdressers though, but my least favorite was the one with Maggie Gyllenhaal, which I thought was pretty pointless.
I of course saw “Sex and the City” this weekend, which I loved and immediately went out and bought the 1st season on DVD (I had never seen an episode before.
I also saw Giuseppe Tornatore’s “The Unknown Woman,” which was very disappointing, nowhere near the level of “Cinema Paradiso” or even “Malena.” I posted a review on the blog.
I still plan on seeing “The Strangers” sometime this week. It probably won’t be great, but the trailer got me intrigued. I thought it was one of the creepiest trailers I’ve seen in a while.
m. a couple of days ago you asked me if i liked ‘the fall’. uh i said no. really i just saw the the thing friday. and i’m trying to remeber much about it. *ha ha*
and i’m in shock that the lic crew seems to to agree with on not being woed by ‘the fal’l. yes i’m beyonf spit take shocked….*really*
this and craig saing nice stuff about the ’stuck.’ (which i likley see this weekend. the trailer captured my attention)
craig…but your championing ’stuck’. i feel you entered/taking my terriority on your page… you know the film that’s not a big deal/has little chance at awards/has a losing(or barely passing) score at metacritic…
‘the fall’ evem seeing trailer i was un der whelmed. really…..
and it seems my tolerance interst in fantasy stuff is about at the same level as my interst in war films/historical stuff…aka…*none* now i’m gonna take a bow…
really it would be so much cooler if the next time you see a film intro by being from acclaimed music video director…just say no….has this ever been a good sign ????
the young girl/with broke arm has a better role that most female adults get….
for me the visuals need to be alot stronger or the my interst in the movie/story alot stronger something…
but again m i’m the guy that hates film music/so how are a few ok visual stuff gonna grab me…. ????
i did like some plot twist/story twist towards the end.although they didn’t hit hard as the twist in ‘priceless’ which i saw the next day…
and i did love the some of the interconnectedness(is that a word ??) that happened when alexandria wanted a story element/a and how roy woked it in and what we saw on screen…
m. i know you have an interest in…lee pace…and i have no idea what to say i was disinterested in the movie…uh i thought he was ok….and there was a snippet when he took of the mask and it looked it he was wearing eye liner…and he looked pretty darn hot. :)
but i guess ‘the fall’s trailer is what it takes to get noticed aura od ‘importance’/being a ‘big film’/kick up some visials and people think it’s gonna soar. uh no…
ok when watching ‘the fall’ i didn’t have any big urge to run from the ‘auditorium’ but i also feel no need/want to champion it/want to see it again/or have or respect it’s aesthetic’s.i really want movies like this to stop getting the spotlight/or such an excessive bit of it….it’s chocking out life…
i imdb is repeorting the fall as remake of ‘yo ho ho’ uh whatever that was.and i vote for the fall on imdb as i’m gonna do on boxofficemojo too a bit under what i thought it deserved.that’s right i’m going my bit to calim the hype down abit… next…
i saw Hors de prix/pricelss early sat. hell the earliest show/11:40 am. and wow…i can breathe again.
went in pretty much no expectations/no reservation just a maybe i should try to keep up with more stuff since i post on lic/cp…
and this movie wowed. i’m sort still playing fragments of ot in my head/in a good way.
but my memory is pretty creppy/crappy…so the message is sent in code/and i’m sure my slant is not even close. :)
and yeah being the lsoer that i am i liked the male lead was more babling/confused/naive/stupid than a part of the sauve brigade. there i go again meshing with the real under dog…. ha ha..sorry..
and a ‘name’ or something that may be considered a name at lic….audrey tatou is in this…..and did pretty swell i think. i know i’m supposed to atempt to descibe what the leads did…but i have a headache…
this film could lock for top 10 of year *really* circa now i don’t even have enough films to make a top 10. but i think this will stand when later this year hits…
so i like this but usully unmoved or gate the ‘indie’ event film. so there you go….if i had the nergy or something i’d almsot see it again there was so much cool dialouge to absorb….
it funny i was so much more on the edge of my seat/squirming even (yes you can do this when you’re the only person in your row…)
in a i can’t stand to discover what happens next/i have to know what ahppens next way watching this or ‘the babysitters’ han i ever could watching ‘the fall’ or ‘iron man’ (nope not much movement from me on thses. read none for ‘iron man’…)
i know a snipets i’ve caught desribe ‘priceless’ as a romantic comedy. although the romance slant didn’t become blantant pop up until way late in film. and i’m so dumb i didn’t see it coming(yep i’m the perfect audience. ha ha..)
i’m shocked because uh this is a romantic comedy ??? and i really liked it….
i thought i didn’t have a heart. ha ha….
and maybe i don’t since i wasn’t rooting for the ending we got…but ti was done so well..it just sneaked up on me like falling asleep without planning too…and i was sold/under the spell. :)
‘priceless’ has been out since 1922 or something. and there’s already a region 2/3/4 and an all region thing dvds with english subs..i may ave to hit the virtual used/and unused bins. and from the slight/quickish checking i’ve done.
i may have to go mostly new if i want it *now* because lord or whomever knows there could be many a lonely night if i have to wait months for a region 1 to happen. *gulp* .
audience breakdown…sorry this something i haven’t been focusing in as much lately. and you’re saying i say this after i babled about 77% of the stuff i saw the night of the night of satc friday mandness. well because it’s true…well anyway…
the audience for ‘priceless’ when i the angelika was doing whatever it was it does pre showing trailers.when going to get…yes popcorn… i mentioned to at the time the only other person in the ‘auditorium’ as angelika speak has it. that ‘this is like a private screening.’ was that funny ??? ;)
but going to get popcorn give me another chance to steal any/all info i could get from the manger/concession person concerning the satc madness last night. so that was cool.i guess… :)
anyway the audince breakdown for ‘priceless’ well counting me. six people (agin you know further get why i often refer to it as ‘my angelika’)
weird this lady mid-late 40’s came in. ok it’s still preview trailer time. and she chooses a seat second section. left side. she seats there abit 2/3 minutes and than she gets upgets another seat the seat she chooses is a seat directly in front of a some guy (mid 30’s)
location sorry wish i di an aisle count but it was furthest seat left side a couple of rows below mid mark…
and what does he do. in less than five seconds he gets up in hirry and with passion and stays in same row but goes extreme right. the movie hadn’t started so i wasn’t as if he couldn’t read the subs. but yeah this may have been a potential problem….
anyway abit pass and the female’s friend come in and hey sit side by side. but not hand in hand.. ;) (her friend was about the same age/maybe little older…)
so there you have those two females the ‘get ot my view guy’ (i also wonder if the guy would have stayed in his seat until the movie started/to see if he had a problem with subs/if the femela was a ‘hot’ female. hmm…)
another guy mid/late 20’s hair cut to skin level/almost bald in tight stopted tee (yep) shorts/hair on his calfs/toned body/not very muscular (this is guy i made the ‘private screening joke to)
and of course you’ve to have the male indie fan in buttom down shirt with soft body that’s very visiably going bald ™ was there to repesct his species.
note the change seats guy had more hair than most 16 year olds.
so micro sized/mico audience but it was cool. plenty laughter and intent looks towards the screen( as i prefer/try and hope to/i was seting last row pretyy much in the center/slighly to left..)
no one went to restroom. no one took out their cell phones. i think this movie was an audince success :)
i styed for most of credits. for whatever reason. one of which had to do with my seeing if i misplaced something. sure i could replace the angelika ‘in focus’ hpe deal. but what about…(more on that later maybe…)
and i said something to the older females when existing the ‘auditorium’ and spoke them for a couple minutes in the lobby…
seems they really enjoyed the movei and knew it wasn’t a current/and it was had been showing in france whatever couple of years ago. and they were puzzled why it took so long for it to get a stateside run ??
good question. i’ve thought similiar. but i’m really glad they enjoyed the film. since they had a longish drive to get there.and this was really the main reason for their using up the gas…
so an ok experince at the thetre. who would have think it would have went this ok. after getting off public transportation thing. we got off at the same spot.i had a guy hitting on me. yeah i’m walking a couple of steps ahead of him. and he’s making very sexual ah somethings i loved the ‘i want some cock’ comment… ;)
i’m thinking ok we had second or two of eye contact when i was at door.but come on i don’t want to be this friendly with him. ha ha..
but i’m fast walker(unlike most in my city) so i’m able to leave him behind in 15 seconds or so.and not even break a sweat doing so…
and i never told you about the time i went to see ‘lars and real girl’ and has i was crossing the street a bird sh***ed im hair. forrnately i had paper towel with me (and likley crumbs from thanksgiving dinner too)
so yep i wiped it off.i hope that stuff i guess for your hair. ;)
and had nothing visiable when i got inside the angelika or so the mirro told me. than i worked on that problem abit. arrrgh…
i think it’s impossible for me to go to the angelika and not have guy hit on as i walk to the thetre/walking away… homeless/non homeless/doesnt matter…
someone try to get me to buy something for them/from them. homeless/non homeless doesn’t matter…
a quick throw away mirco talk with older females/yep even if elerdly age (i had a very cool talk with some fmelas sporting lovely gray hair about the ‘diving bell’ a few months ago whilewas in line to see whatever film..)
and quick micro micro talks with younger females or ‘easier’ on the eye types being a total disater in a i wish i could climb inside my mind and hide type way. ah….ha ha…
oh well the guys still love me. ha ha….
and i’ll always will have ‘priceless’ :)
m. a couple of days ago you asked me if i liked ‘the fall’. uh i said no. really i just saw the the thing friday. and i’m trying to remeber much about it. *ha ha*
and i’m in shock that the lic crew seems to to agree with on not being woed by ‘the fall. yes i’m beyond spit take shocked….*really*
this and craig saying nice stuff about the ’stuck.’ (which i likley see this weekend. the trailer captured my attention)
craig…but your championing ’stuck’. i feel you entered/taking my terriority on your page… you know the film that’s not a big deal/has little chance at awards/has a losing(or barely passing) score at metacritic…
‘the fall’ even seeing trailer i was un er whelmed. really…..
and it seems my tolerance interst in fantasy stuff is about at the same level as my interst in war films/historical stuff…aka…*none* now i’m gonna take a bow…
really it would be so much cooler if the next time you see a film intro by being from acclaimed music video director…just say no….has this ever been a good sign ????
the young girl/with broke arm has a better role that most female adults get….
for me the visuals need to be alot stronger or the my interst in the movie/story alot stronger something…
but again m i’m the guy that hates film music/so how are a few ok visual stuff gonna grab me…. ????
i did like some plot twist/story twist towards the end.although they didn’t hit hard as the twist in ‘priceless’ which i saw the next day…
and i did love the some of the interconnectedness(is that a word ??) that happened when alexandria wanted a story element/a and how roy woked it in and what we saw on screen…
m. i know you have an interest in…lee pace…and i have no idea what to say i was disinterested in the movie…uh i thought he was ok….and there was a snippet when he took of the mask and it looked it he was wearing eye liner…and he looked pretty darn hot. :)
but i guess ‘the fall’s trailer is what it takes to get noticed aura od ‘importance’/being a ‘big film’/kick up some visials and people think it’s gonna soar. uh no…
ok when watching ‘the fall’ i didn’t have any big urge to run from the ‘auditorium’ but i also feel no need/want to champion it/want to see it again/or have or respect it’s aesthetic’s.i really want movies like this to stop getting the spotlight/or such an excessive bit of it….it’s chocking out life…
i imdb is repeorting the fall as remake of ‘yo ho ho’ uh whatever that was.and i vote for the fall on imdb as i’m gonna do on boxofficemojo too a bit under what i thought it deserved.that’s right i’m going my bit to calim the hype down abit… next…
i saw Hors de prix/pricelss early sat. hell the earliest show/11:40 am. and wow…i can breathe again.
went in pretty much no expectations/no reservation just a maybe i should try to keep up with more stuff since i post on lic/cp…
and this movie wowed. i’m sort still playing fragments of ot in my head/in a good way.
but my memory is pretty creppy/crappy…so the message is sent in code/and i’m sure my slant is not even close. :)
and yeah being the lsoer that i am i liked the male lead was more babling/confused/naive/stupid than a part of the sauve brigade. there i go again meshing with the real under dog…. ha ha..sorry..
and a ‘name’ or something that may be considered a name at lic….audrey tatou is in this…..and did pretty swell i think. i know i’m supposed to atempt to descibe what the leads did…but i have a headache…
this film could lock for top 10 of year *really* circa now i don’t even have enough films to make a top 10. but i think this will stand when later this year hits…
so i like this but usully unmoved or gate the ‘indie’ event film. so there you go….if i had the nergy or something i’d almsot see it again there was so much cool dialouge to absorb….
it funny i was so much more on the edge of my seat/squirming even (yes you can do this when you’re the only person in your row…)
in a i can’t stand to discover what happens next/i have to know what ahppens next way watching this or ‘the babysitters’ han i ever could watching ‘the fall’ or ‘iron man’ (nope not much movement from me on thses. read none for ‘iron man’…)
i know a snipets i’ve caught desribe ‘priceless’ as a romantic comedy. although the romance slant didn’t become blantant pop up until way late in film. and i’m so dumb i didn’t see it coming(yep i’m the perfect audience. ha ha..)
i’m shocked because uh this is a romantic comedy ??? and i really liked it….
i thought i didn’t have a heart. ha ha….
and maybe i don’t since i wasn’t rooting for the ending we got…but ti was done so well..it just sneaked up on me like falling asleep without planning too…and i was sold/under the spell. :)
‘priceless’ has been out since 1922 or something. and there’s already a region 2/3/4 and an all region thing dvds with english subs..i may ave to hit the virtual used/and unused bins. and from the slight/quickish checking i’ve done.
i may have to go mostly new if i want it *now* because lord or whomever knows there could be many a lonely night if i have to wait months for a region 1 to happen. *gulp* .
audience breakdown…sorry this something i haven’t been focusing in as much lately. and you’re saying i say this after i babled about 77% of the stuff i saw the night of the night of satc friday mandness. well because it’s true…well anyway…
the audience for ‘priceless’ when i the angelika was doing whatever it was it does pre showing trailers.when going to get…yes popcorn… i mentioned to at the time the only other person in the ‘auditorium’ as angelika speak has it. that ‘this is like a private screening.’ was that funny ??? ;)
but going to get popcorn give me another chance to steal any/all info i could get from the manger/concession person concerning the satc madness last night. so that was cool.i guess… :)
anyway the audince breakdown for ‘priceless’ well counting me. six people (agin you know further get why i often refer to it as ‘my angelika’)
weird this lady mid-late 40’s came in. ok it’s still preview trailer time. and she chooses a seat second section. left side. she seats there abit 2/3 minutes and than she gets upgets another seat the seat she chooses is a seat directly in front of a some guy (mid 30’s)
location sorry wish i di an aisle count but it was furthest seat left side a couple of rows below mid mark…
and what does he do. in less than five seconds he gets up in hirry and with passion and stays in same row but goes extreme right. the movie hadn’t started so i wasn’t as if he couldn’t read the subs. but yeah this may have been a potential problem….
anyway abit pass and the female’s friend come in and hey sit side by side. but not hand in hand.. ;) (her friend was about the same age/maybe little older…)
so there you have those two females the ‘get ot my view guy’ (i also wonder if the guy would have stayed in his seat until the movie started/to see if he had a problem with subs/if the femela was a ‘hot’ female. hmm…)
another guy mid/late 20’s hair cut to skin level/almost bald in tight stopted tee (yep) shorts/hair on his calfs/toned body/not very muscular (this is guy i made the ‘private screening joke to)
and of course you’ve to have the male indie fan in buttom down shirt with soft body that’s very visiably going bald was there to reprsent his species.
note the change seats guy had more hair than most 16 year olds.
so micro sized/mico audience but it was cool. plenty laughter and intent looks towards the screen( as i prefer/try and hope to/i was seting last row pretyy much in the center/slighly to left..)
no one went to restroom. no one took out their cell phones. i think this movie was an audince success :)
i styed for most of credits. for whatever reason. one of which had to do with my seeing if i misplaced something. sure i could replace the angelika ‘in focus’ hpe deal. but what about…(more on that later maybe…)
and i said something to the older females when existing the ‘auditorium’ and spoke them for a couple minutes in the lobby…
seems they really enjoyed the movieand knew it wasn’t a current/and it was had been showing in france whatever couple of years ago. and they were puzzled why it took so long for it to get a stateside run ??
good question. i’ve thought similiar. but i’m really glad they enjoyed the film. since they had a longish drive to get there.and this was really the main reason for their using up the gas…
so an ok experince at the thetre. who would have think it would have went this ok. after getting off public transportation thing. we got off at the same spot.i had a guy hitting on me. yeah i’m walking a couple of steps ahead of him. and he’s making very sexual ah somethings i loved the ‘i want some cock’ comment… ;)
i’m thinking ok we had second or two of eye contact when i was at door.but come on i don’t want to be this friendly with him. ha ha..
but i’m fast walker(unlike most in my city) so i’m able to leave him behind in 15 seconds or so.and not even break a sweat doing so…
and i never told you about the time i went to see ‘lars and real girl’ and has i was crossing the street a bird sh***ed im hair. forrnately i had paper towel with me (and likley crumbs from thanksgiving dinner too)
so yep i wiped it off.i hope that stuff i guess for your hair. ;)
and had nothing visiable when i got inside the angelika or so the mirro told me. than i worked on that problem abit. arrrgh…
i think it’s impossible for me to go to the angelika and not have guy hit on as i walk to the thetre/walking away… homeless/non homeless/doesnt matter…
someone try to get me to buy something for them/from them. homeless/non homeless doesn’t matter…
a quick throw away mirco talk with older females/yep even if elerdly age (i had a very cool talk with some fmelas sporting lovely gray hair about the ‘diving bell’ a few months ago while i was in line to see whatever film..)
and quick micro micro talks with younger females or ‘easier’ on the eye types being a total disaster in a i wish i could climb inside my mind and hide type way. ah….ha ha…
oh well the guys still love me. ha ha….
and i’ll always will have ‘priceless’ :)
glim, you kill me. Some of the stuff that you said had me laughing out loud. But I dig the way that you express yourself. I genuinely do.
I’m certainly all for individualism and having your own personal point of view.
Yeah, I am sad that a whole wack of people that I’m really fond of (you, Danny, joel, Jeff) are NOT digging THE FALL. That’s really tragic.
It is true. DEFINITELY. I love LEE PACE. Really adore him. But if he were just handsome, then he would never draw me in like he does. In the few things I’ve seen him in, he has great movie star charisma. There are some people that you just can’t stop looking at. They have that “it” factor. Plus he’s loaded with talent too.
All of that is extremely important. That’s why he’s going to go far, get some interesting roles and hopefully have a long career. The gorgeous thing is just the first layer. Over the years, lovely looking people that have no real skill have gotten some rather high level acting jobs. But the careers generally don’t take hold. Film may be a visual medium, but at the end of the day, people have to be more than hot.
Plus I’ve seen Lee interviewed and he’s such a sweet, decent guy. I can tell when actors are faking people out and he seems like the real deal.
So I do hope we get THE FALL - despite the fact that everyone doesn’t appear to be crazy about it. I’m totally respectful of everyone’s take but I have to make up my own mind.
But it sounds like you enjoyed Priceless, glim. See, you are actually finding movies that you like.
That doesn’t seem so bad…
I’ll say that Lee Pace acquits himself quite well within the film and I definitely saw that charisma and intelligence you’re talking about.
Absolutely see it, Miranda, at your first opportunity. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, but I think you in particular will find quite a lot to appreciate about it. It didn’t leave me as dazed and confused as I expected it would (and one section that I won’t discuss didn’t really work at all for me), but it could get much richer with multiple viewings. I was VERY distracted by two idiots behind me. That and my friend and I unfortunately decided to sit in the balcony, when there were plenty of clear center seats down low, where the visuals would have had even more pop.
I’m not trying to get over my initial shrug, but I do recognize that there may, there just may be a lot more to this film than I first realized. Maybe.
Cool…
That was the impression that I got from all of you, Jeff. You didn’t like the way the elements meshed together or there were specific things about the film that you really didn’t care for.
I didn’t think that any of you felt let down by Lee or Caterina. NOT IN THE LEAST.
Unfortunately, as an actor you can be brilliant in a mediocre or bad film - and that won’t realistically get you very far. But you can never be assured of anything till you see the final cut.
That’s the nature of the business. As an artist, those are the risks that you take…
Danny, I just saw what you said. So I’ll attempt to add on here before it cuts me off.
I see what you’re saying now. Yeah, that is the difficult part of seeing stuff in the theatre. It is the ideal presentation but other patrons do tend to get in the way on occasion.
Oh…I WILL GO. But that’s only if it ends up here - and release patterns are getting exceedingly odd. When an Italian film ends up here a week before New York and we don’t get the latest Woody Allen movie (the first time that’s ever happened!!!) then something’s up.
I do adore my multiple viewings. I just like to relax and immerse myself. It’s my down time.
So we’ll see. I really want to go. Don’t know how it will hit me, though…
Avoid the temptation, Miranda…but Marilyn at Ferdy on Films has posted a glowing review - with spoilers - after her experience that included a Q & A with Singh. For those who’ve seen it, there are also some great clips to revisit:
http://ferdyonfilms.com/2008/06/the-fall-2006.php
Also, I think she may be mistakenly referring to Tarsem as “Karsem,” unless he goes by yet another name.
@Matthew: give the show some time, though. It took a while to find its footing in the first season, and some rather awkward/stilted elements (like the street interviews) vanish later.
Inicdentally, the SatC screening today was full…but there’s another one on Thursday, so I’ll report back then.
I loved “SatC” when it began in 1998, it was love at first viewing, I was young and didn’t know that “sex” entailed more than just kissing, but it was really educational.
I wish I knew how to use that comment thing faster. Anyway, just wanted to add that I saw “The Incredible Hulk” today at a press screening, and liked it a whole lot more than Ang Lee’s forgivable mess. I also loved the one tie in.
All in more, it was more than I was expecting, but only a little bit.
Miranda, ABC is bringing back Pushing Daisies this year so that’s good news for Lee Pace. Unless there’s some unforseen event (cough, cough, actors’ strike), I think this might be his year to finally get his due.
Glim, I’m championing Stuck because it’s a good movie and because it needs it….though my review is ’stuck’.
Also, glad/surprised you liked Priceless. I have yet to meet a person whose opinion I trust who didn’t.
Good news on The Hulk, Nick. I still need to watch the last one to see if it’s as bad as everyone says.
Speaking of reviews, Craig…I’d like to see you review some of the non-blockbuster movies you’ve seen in the last month…but that’s just me.
I wish I could see some non-blockbuster movies that you are all enjoying.
I fully intended to review Roman de Gare, Reprise, Up the Yangtze and Water Lilies, Daniel, but I think I’ve waited to long now to do them justice.
I had a whole review blackout going there for a while.
It sucks because all four movies deserved to be written about. I know I mentioned them in the Watercooler, but they didn’t get the attention they should have.
Ang Lee’s Hulk is worth watching. It has effective moments, and I liked how Lee frames the Hulk in shadows which gave the CG more depth and style. It goes crazy at the end and turns into a Chekov play, but it’s not a disaster.
yeah craig i loved ‘priceless’ all i have to say is..
‘i would love…. i would like…’
that killed me. :)
and yes m. it’s ‘priceless’ for the win. but don’t tell anyone i liked it. ;)
Hulk. I’m going to approach it as an Ang Lee movie and not a comic book movie. We’ll see how that goes.
Hee hee. I won’t tell anyone, glim. That will be our little secret.
joel, I’m ecstatic to hear that. I didn’t realize until rather late in the game that LEE PACE was actually the guy on Pushing Daisies. With all the press that this show got on its initial push, I’m surprised it went right over my head. But it wasn’t until I saw him in Miss Pettigrew that I remembered him from some small roles in other films and recognized him as the gentleman from PD.
Though I assuredly do like some TV, it doesn’t leave the lasting impression on me that film and music do. Movies and music enthrall me and have always been big deals in my particular universe - and I don’t always have the time and the patience for television. But when something sparks my interest I’ll definitely make time to watch it.
Just wanted to say something while I’m here. Since I am at Le Watercooler.
I have FINALLY gotten to the bottom of the enormous backlog of DVDs that I’ve purchased over the last few months. The only reason it got so unmanageable is because I kept buying brand new releases. Far more than in any typical year…and they kept on piling up.
Can I just state for the record that 2007 was a phenomenal, magnificent, sensational year for movies and filmmaking?
Over the last ten days I watched my personal top four from 2007 - ATONEMENT, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, SLEUTH and BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD.
I am just astounded by the power and the beauty of these films. The first two really speak to me personally. I think the latter two are just brilliant.
So, truly a knock down kick ass year. Hopefully we’ll get another one soon…?
I’m with you on TV Miranda. WIthout playing the snob card, I’m just too busy with movies to commit to TV. I started watching the return of The Mole last night though :) Also, I might have to catch up on Pushing Daisies.
I finally saw “Priceless” and really enjoyed it. I may be one of the few who liked Salvadori’s last film, “Apres Vous,” better, but “Priceless” is a well crafted, classy romantic comedy and I liked it a lot.
“Apres Vous” is just one of those films I’ve always had a big soft spot for.
Miranda, season one of Pushing Daisies (which was cut short by the writers’ strike) is coming out in mid-Sept on DVD. Worth a rental to take a look.
Thank you, joel. You’re awesomely helpful.
Yet another reason I delight in your presence at LiC…
The Pushing Daisies DVD cover art and DVD art is so awesome.
http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/pushing-daisies.html
By the way, it is released four days before my birthday…
Are you angling for a bday present, sweetie?
BTW, I KNEW it was in September…
Matthew, I haven’t seen Apres Vous, but after Priceless I’m inclined to check it out.
It’s definitely worth it. It’s more farcical and over the top than “Priceless,” but Daniel Auteuil is wonderful and really makes it all work. It’s a farce so outlandishness is expected.
The French seem to know how to pull of the farce better than anyone.
Friday night I got home from college and collapsed on my bed to watch TCM all night. Psycho was even more captivating and creepy than I remembered. Has anyone noticed the psuedo-masochistic way Hitchcock treats his daughter in every film. She always plays airheads who have no self-awareness. In Psycho she brags about discovering tranquilizers. She’s the stupid sister who almost gets strangled in Strangers on a Train and (though my memory of th film’s hazy) a similar character in Stage Fright. Did he choose those roles for his daughter or did he adapt the roles to fit her personality?
Screaming Mimi was an interesting, obscure noir with the voluptuous Anita Ekberg. Some fantastic B&W cinematography, but a frequently nonsensical plot. The Seventh Victim, another middle-of-the-road noir was fairly entertaining but not terribly notable.
I saw Indiana Jones as well, but there’s really not much left to be said about that one. I wasn’t blown away by it, but I wasn’t disappointed either — and wasn’t that the point?
On Sunday, I saw Blue Velvet for the first time. I don’t think David Lynch is for me. Mulholland Dr. had its moments, but for the most part seemed pretentiously convoluted. I slogged through an hour of Inland Empire before turning it off. The plot of Blue Velvet was easy to follow, but it seemed too preoccupied with style to provide much substance. A lot of cool Edward Hopper-inspired imagery; not much else.
W.J., I’ve noticed that same deal about Hitchcock’s daughter. Finally I came to believe that he cast her in roles like that because they fit for her. Whatever that means, eh…
I just saw Screaming Mimi from TCM, too! You’re right, it was beautifully shot, despite the frequently nonsensical plot as you accurately describe it. I like The Seventh Victim a bit more than you, with its more horror-tinged nature giving it a somewhat unique flair.
Lynch seems to be one of those true love ‘im or hate ‘im directors. I personally know several people from college alone who either idolize him and consider him the best American director or who can’t stand anything from him.
Me, I love him. But I’ve become accustomed to letting those who disagree proverbially park in my the same proverbial garage.
I just got home from seeing The Fall and a running a bunch of errands. Must. Review. For. Blog.
With Lynch, style is substance. But I can see how he isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Count me among the Lynch worshipers. “Blue Velvet,” “Mulholland Drive,” and “INLAND EMPIRE” are all masterpieces, in my opinion. I’m also a big fan of “Twin Peaks” and “Wild at Heart.” Whatever Lynch does, I’ll be there.
I saw Point Blank and loved it. But I’m not sure if I’ll write about it, since I doubt I’ll be able to surpass Alexander’s recent post. I’ll try to find a new angle, but once thing’s for sure: Lee Marvin is the bomb.
You know who’s also the bomb? Me. Well, kinda: a quote from my review made it on the Dutch DVD-edition of 2 Days in Paris. I DID call it “probably one of the funniest comedies of the year” (can you say, ‘ugh’?), but they quotes some words from the sentence before that too, so I’m happy. Unfortunately, it doesn’t say my name, just filmtotaal.nl, but I nonetheless thought it was pretty cool. I’ll have to buy it now. Or do you think they might send me a free copy if I ask nicely?
Have to go now, on to SatC!
I just realize the above comment “sounded” a little arrogant. But trust me, on my face there’s no superior look, just a grin and frequent squeals of glee ;-)
It doesn’t sound arrogant at all, congratulations.
And definitely ask for a copy :)
Nice Hedwig! way to go!
That’s pretty exciting and no, you don’t sound arrogant at all.
I love and respect all of you guys, but the “I liked INDY and those who didn’t were probably expecting something Earth shattering” bit doesn’t exactly come across as a ringing endorsement. It comes off as someone who expected shit, saw shit, and is now (understandably) going into defense mode against the disappointment. I agree that its unreasonable to expect another Raiders nearly 30 years down the road from a drastically different filmmaker, but is it unreasonable to expect a decent on its own terms movie? People using this line of thinking as defense want it both ways: they say we shouldn’t hold the other movies against INDY 4, while INDY 4 is clearly using the other movies as a crutch for insta-nostalgia. Alot of people talked themselves into liking the new Star Wars movies when they first hit theatres too.
I look at Indy 4 as a movie that didn’t need to exist, but it did so I’m making the most of it.
I’m sure nostalgia had something to do with it, but goddamnit I kind of enjoyed myself. For me that’s the beginning and ending of any discussion of a summer movie: Did I have fun? If I did, the cheesy sets and sketchy CGI are all forgiven. If I didn’t, then anything they did right was for nothing.
Damnit, I really should write up a review of this thing, it just seems so pointless.
It is a decent-on-its-own-terms movie, and I think it just barely gets edged out by the other sequels, and that a lot of the things people are complaining about are (a) the result of Spielberg being a different director now than he was in the 1980s, and (b) they should have seen coming.
Hearty congrats, Hedwig.
That’s tremendously cool…
Isn’t it???!!!!
Wowza Hedwig! That is so freaking awesome. I’m smiling right now, like a crazy person, just for you.
Nice going, Hedwig! That’s so cool. :-)
Wow, that is cool, Hedwig. Look out, Pete Hammond.
Fair points, Chuck. My thoughts on Indy could be interpreted as you describe. Part of it is relative, and part of it is definitely nostalgia. On its own, no, it may not have been more than another installment of National Treasure. I, for one, had about as much fun at both (which says more about how surprisingly fun NT was than how bad Indy was), but I wouldn’t make the case that either is necessarily a good movie on its own terms.
That’s terrific, Hedwig! Congrats.
I’m going to wait to see Indy 4 again later today before I say much more about it, but I happen to agree with Jeff. I honestly haven’t “ranked” it against the sequels yet because I want to live with it for a while longer before doing so, but I do think that a lot of people who have trashed it are approaching it with an overly rosy perspective on the sequels to begin with (both of which I like just fine).
It had many very frustrating blown opportunities, and the screenplay is seriously, deeply flawed (to the point of overcomplicating potentially wonderful simple concepts for absolutely reason, and botching at least a couple of the new characters, especially Mac). And the jungle chase, which should have played at least a little bit comparatively like Crystal Skull’s truck chase in Raiders and mine car race in Temple of Doom, and yes, the tank sequence in Last Crusade (as being the chief climax that sends the rest of the narrative on its last big stretch), is riddled with distracting problems… The Lucas touches, which seem to become more commonplace in the latter stretch, aren’t particularly welcome.
But, on the whole, the film manages to succeed, even if wholly separated from its antecedents, though not gloriously so. You could say it’s something of a halfway ineffective movie, but a very interesting film, and definitely demonstrates how Spielberg is more and more interested in ideas and less and less interested in standard one-two-three storytelling these days. You could say it’s a two-way road, and if this Spielberg is less fun with Indy he’ll be vastly more palatable with Lincoln, Chicago 7 and Interstellar, which is why I’m looking forward to those much more than I ever did with Crystal Skull.
Shit, I wanted to wait ’till I saw it again before saying much. Oh well.
“On Sunday, I saw Blue Vlevet for the first time. I don’t think David Lynch is for me.”
Uh…buh…blub blub…sputter….
THUD
Frank, good to see you again!
Hi! Can you pass the smelling salts?
How about a Heineken….
That’s not funny.
You know I couldn’t resist. I’d have to turn in my Lynch card.
PABST BLUE RIBBON! Come on, Craig, get with the program here.