[Focker]

  It's all good.  Also, I'm Aaron Eckhart fan, so I was surprised he's playing the role of Frankenstein's creation.  Honestly, I don't have high hopes for what seems to be a very predictable story line. I'm banking on the special effects and fun factor to win over my time and money.  For those who haven't read the original book by Mary Shelley, I highly recommend it.  It's a great, classical read.  

 
I'm definitely an Echkart fan, as well...his involvement is definitely a plus. 

 

[alpha421]

"The Intouchables"  9/10
 
I almost went into my man cave for a long listening session, but out of love decided to watch this spouse-pick-flick.  I was pleasantly surprised by this French film.  I found the directing superb, and I loved the contrast between the two main characters. I found many parts funny as hell. I couldn't help thinking how one almost looks like a dead ringer of Dustin Hoffman.

 

[Focker]

  "The Intouchables"  9/10
 
I almost went into my man cave for a long listening session, but out of love decided to watch this spouse-pick-flick.  I was pleasantly surprised by this French film.  I found the directing superb, and I loved the contrast between the two main characters. I found many parts funny as hell. I couldn't help thinking how one almost looks like a dead ringer of Dustin Hoffman.

 
Wow, another French winner, eh? I need to see this then...I'm on a roll with French films as of late. 

 

[Tangster]

Saw Man of Steel. 6/10, little too heavy on the attempted emotional conflict in Superman's head and a tad overdone with the big desolate cityscape/cliche camera pans. Enough parts shone through to make it worth watching though.

 

[Focker]

I generally avoid movies like this because I'm one of those people who are very deeply affected by the abuse and maltreatment of animals. I'm not some PETA freak, and I do eat meat and all that. But I believe in humane slaughter and properly treating animals with respect and kindness. 
 
I've always been absolutely fascinated by dolphins, but I had no idea that orcas were on par with them in terms of their emotional and overall intelligence. Learning about that made this documentary all the more infuriating. It's a common tale...corporate "bottom line" focus and complete disregard for ethics and morality results in suffering...not only of the whales, but those who care for them. '
 
Not an easy film to watch, but it was well done and something that people should see. 
 

 

[proton007]

I generally avoid movies like this because I'm one of those people who are very deeply affected by the abuse and maltreatment of animals. I'm not some PETA freak, and I do eat meat and all that. But I believe in humane slaughter and properly treating animals with respect and kindness. 

I've always been absolutely fascinated by dolphins, but I had no idea that orcas were on par with them in terms of their emotional and overall intelligence. Learning about that made this documentary all the more infuriating. It's a common tale...corporate "bottom line" focus and complete disregard for ethics and morality results in suffering...not only of the whales, but those who care for them. '

Not an easy film to watch, but it was well done and something that people should see. 

I haven't watched it, but I agree with you. I fail to see the point of using animals for entertainment or as pets.
I just stop shy of being a vegetarian.

Yes there was a time when there were no other distractions in life, but nowadays there's no lack of content.

I wonder what's the joy in seeing a fish jump around in a tank?

 

[Focker]

I haven't watched it, but I agree with you. I fail to see the point of using animals for entertainment or as pets.
I just stop shy of being a vegetarian.

Yes there was a time when there were no other distractions in life, but nowadays there's no lack of content.

I wonder what's the joy in seeing a fish jump around in a tank?

 
I totally agree. I think some of these radical animal rights groups become counter-productive, because they use such over the top means of action that people focus on them being crazy as opposed to the actual message. I never knew a thing about Kosher food, but a couple years ago I learned that one of the tenets of Kosher preparation was that the slaughter process had to be ethical and the animals respected. It gave me a small sense of control over things, so now I try to focus on kosher meats. 
 
And yeah, in all honesty I'd rather go whale watching and spend time with them in their natural habitat as opposed to seeing them being made to be circus clowns at Sea World. Especially now that I have a better idea of what's going on (and I truly had no idea the Orcas were THAT intelligent), it's clear that suffering is takign place and I wont' support it. When I was in Hawaii about 20 years ago, we took a whale watching charter and to this day it remains the single most amazing thing I've ever experienced. Humpback whales are absolutely MASSIVE, and to see those gentle creatures with their natural curiosity come close to the boat...wow...
 
Hell, even a well done documentary is very satisfying. It never ceases to amaze me how cruel people can be, especially in the name of the dollar. 
 
There's a film out there called The Cove, which is about the Japanese hunt of Dolphins...the movie has excellent reviews, but I can say with certainty that I'll never see it. I already know I won't be able to handle it....but if anyone wants to see other activist-type films about our friends in the ocean, that's one that you may want to check out. 

 

[proton007]

   
Hell, even a well done documentary is very satisfying. It never ceases to amaze me how cruel people can be, especially in the name of the dollar. 

 
The way I've analyzed it, in a commercial world, the ones who're high up are too focused on figures and profits and have a disconnected viewpoint. The ones who carry out the real dirty work are too narrow sighted, they're more interested in paying their bills than philosophisize the ethics of their actions.
The middle, well is a mix of both.
So essentially, morality and ethics are lost. Its not only this industry, it happens everywhere.
 
Anyways, this is another discussion for another time.
 
 
Anyone watching Ender's Game? The reviews don't seem to promising, but I'm guessing people will want to watch it just to see the live action adaptation of the book, like Twilight.

 

[Focker]

I love when one of the premium cable networks come out with a new documentary. Some of my favorite films over the last five years or so have been exactly these. The premise of this one sounded very interesting, even though I'm not much of an Alec Baldwin fan at all, and it far exceeded my expectations in spite of that. Basically Baldwin and director James Toback travel to the Cannes Film Festival to work out funding for a film they're trying to make, but it ends up being so much more than that. Many notable directors, actors, and films are discussed, along with a few life topics, the most interesting one being "are you ready for death". Surprisingly, the most engaging parts for me were the interview clips with Ryan Gosling. He has some very interesting takes and delivered them in a very humorous and interesting way. 
 
For anyone who loves film, this is a great way to spend an hour and a half...even if you think Alec Baldwin is a **** like I do
 
"Seduced and Abandoned" - 8.8/10
 

 

[alpha421]

I agree that Alec Baldwin is a major a**%&@!

 

[Focker]

LOL

 

[alpha421]

I think it runs in the Baldwin family.  I have a friend who ran into his younger brother, William, a few years ago at a upscale restaurant in Santa Monica and got the cold shoulder and stare when my friend was just saying, "Hi".  Since then, he thinks the same.   

 

[Focker]

  I think it runs in the Baldwin family.  I have a friend who ran into his younger brother, William, a few years ago at a upscale restaurant in Santa Monica and got the cold shoulder and stare when my friend was just saying, "Hi".  Since then, he thinks the same.   

 
It's funny, cause I ALWAYS remember stuff like that when the feedback is credible. My brother is the GM of a popular theater in a very upscale suburb of Atlanta. He gets celebs in there all the time and frequently I'll hear about something that went down with one of them. There was one time when my brother was helping out at concessions when someone said over the walkie talkie that Jeff Foxworthy was in the theater. There was a young female employee standing next to my brother who looked at him and said, "oh wow, Jeff Foxworthy is here!!". As soon as she said that, a man who was at the front of the concession line yelled, "oh my GOD, Jeff Foxworthy!?!  Where!?!", to which the girl replied, "I'm not sure, but I'm gonna go see if I can find him!"  As she was walking away my brother and the man just smiled at each other...the man was Jeff Foxworthy lol. 
 
There was another experience that was pretty much the exact opposite, and now whenever I see this guy on TV I think about what a major ****** my brother said he was. I don't want to name names, but his named rhymed with "Barry Monnick Hoonyer"

 

[mutabor]

   
Wow, another French winner, eh? I need to see this then...I'm on a roll with French films as of late. 

 
The latest most unusual and avant garde French movie I have watched was Mood Indigo ( 2013) by Michel Gondry. I don't see this movie on Amazon and any release date in the US. I have to admit the movie is not an easy watch because of excessive animation. What I personally liked about this film was how Gondry expressed miserable condition and suffering of a main hero in its second half.
 

 

Usually, I do not care about how a book is adapted, as long as the movie is good on its own. In that case it was completely different; I am a huge, massive Boris Vian fan, and I never thought his style (for example the way he took metaphors literally) could be set upon a screen.

That is to say, until I've heard that Gondry was directing L'écume des Jours. Sometimes, those things just make sense; Gondry is the only one who could have transformed Boris Vian into something visual, and that is exactly what he did, and with no CGI, only old fashioned tricks. The DIY way ladies and gentlemen, that's what it is all about.

Maybe many will dislike this movie. Others, like me, will love it passionately, for its effusiveness, for its communicative joy, for its unrelenting sadness. But at least, people will feel what Boris Vian is all about. And I mean especially for the English speaking countries, where Boris Vian is really not well known and most of the time poorly translated: by transcribing his style to a visual dimension, Gondry made it universal. 

 

 This over-eager approach will grow tiresome for many viewers but, in its defense, an overload of hand-made creativity feels a lot healthier than watching endless CGI or CGI + 3D assault one's retinas.

 

[Focker]

Have the French always been this creative? Last night I decided to do some research on popular foreign films of the last few years, and much to my surprise Netflix had most of the ones I found interesting. Probably a third of them were French, so I'm eager to give them a viewing. I think American movies are starting to feel too cookie cutter for me lately...seeing what other countries have to offer has been truly refreshing.