[Aerial Wave]

Lincoln
9 - 10 (if you like history) 

 

[doublea71]

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Hi everyone, Long time movie freak who just rediscovered headphones and this absolutely fascinating thread of movie reviews and comments.  I see lots of  love  for NoCountry For Old Men and the Coen brothers. I share your enthusiasm but usually come away feeling somewhat empty and wondering just what the human condition really is.  I haven't seen many films bleaker than NCFOM.  Live or die on the flip of a coin--just how random and uncaring can this planet be?  The final scene with Tommy Lee Jones--arresting and so sad.  Bardem is great in all his films--he actually plays a good guy in most of his prior roles. In the vein of No Country and the Coens, check out Sean Penn's work as a director--eg The Crossing Guard, The Pledge and Into the Wild.  The Pledge had me head-shaking for days on end.  Those who liked The Killer and Hardboiled served with just a touch of Dredd, might try The Raid--Redemption--non-stop hand to hand fighting, very well choreographed.  I sense many of you like the offbeat and bizare--David Lynch has always been one of my faves.  If anyone can expalin "Inland Empire" so it makes sense, you are a genius. One think Lynch does do is make you  think.  I suspect he throws in some total red-herring crap just cause he's a bit quirky himself and likes to play with you.  For the "lets think this through crowd" wanting a cut above the usual, try Primer--then watch it again...and again.  Same with Momento, check the final images--it turns the whole movie on its head.  For a gold star, for those who saw The Pledge, do we ever see the killer? This is going too long--I'll check-in with the cognoscenti soon...

NCFOM is just a movie, but nobody can deny that we are an insanely violent species.  I think the gist of it is that things are getting worse generationally and we're faced with a type of criminal that doesn't operate in the realm of sanity. Just look at the carnage left by the Mexican drug gangs or the MS-13...
 
I thought Inland Empire was a work of genius, but there's no way I'd be able to explain all of the symbolism and surrealism. Lynch is operating on a completely different frequency imo. 

 

[5aces]

For a gold star, for those who saw The Pledge, do we ever see the killer?

The Pledge (2001) 7/10


Had to re watch this one,to fill in some blanks.
One of those sobering films that you’ve probably never seen…but should.
This film relies on implied tension rather than action in order to entertain its audience, which won't suit every viewer.
That goes for the killer too,it became enough to completely unravel the main character - don't let it happen to you too...

 

[WhiteCrow]

more off topic here but I'm going to re-watch Evil Dead this weekend. anyone else phsyced for the remake? So far I have heard nothing but good things, shooting for an R rating but getting an NC-17, then clipping out some stuff for theaters but will be released when it's sold, Not relying no gratuitous nudity, gory gritty horror. I'm down.

 

[MorbidToaster]

I am so hyped for the remake. It looks horrendously good. Sad I missed the recent SXSW premiere.
 
It's going to be magical.
 
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more off topic here but I'm going to re-watch Evil Dead this weekend. anyone else phsyced for the remake? So far I have heard nothing but good things, shooting for an R rating but getting an NC-17, then clipping out some stuff for theaters but will be released when it's sold, Not relying no gratuitous nudity, gory gritty horror. I'm down.

 

[WhiteCrow]

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I am so hyped for the remake. It looks horrendously good. Sad I missed the recent SXSW premiere.
 
It's going to be magical.
 

I was supposed to go to portland comicon...sadfully I couldent, but a friend of mine talked to Bruce after he was done with...what ever it was he was doing. it seemes that even he was super excited for people to see it.

 

[Tsujigiri]

I watched Irreversible a couple nights back. It could be considered trashy in that they spare no details, but it does have some artistic strengths. I liked how the camera kind of floats through the story without seeming to take any cuts.

 

[wakeride74]

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I watched Irreversible a couple nights back. It could be considered trashy in that they spare no details, but it does have some artistic strengths. I liked how the camera kind of floats through the story without seeming to take any cuts.

That one was pretty brutal. As far as cameral wrok I agree and also enjoyed the continuous shot work done in The Silent House (La Casa Muda). Never saw the US version but it looked poor as are most remakes of foreign films.
 
Watched Zero Dark Thirty today and found it pretty enjoyable although I think I liked the characters and pacing better in Hurt Locker it was still a solid film. 

 

[Tsujigiri]

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That one was pretty brutal. As far as cameral wrok I agree and also enjoyed the continuous shot work done in The Silent House (La Casa Muda). Never saw the US version but it looked poor as are most remakes of foreign films.
 
Watched Zero Dark Thirty today and found it pretty enjoyable although I think I liked the characters and pacing better in Hurt Locker it was still a solid film. 

I agree. But for a "based on a true story" film, Zero Dark Thirty is pretty damn good. Much better than Argo at least. I'm still amazed at how they were able to make the Hurt Locker on that limited of a budget and have it turn out so well. And there were so many well-written scenes, even the little ones like the cereal aisle in the supermarket.

 

[wakeride74]

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I agree. But for a "based on a true story" film, Zero Dark Thirty is pretty damn good. Much better than Argo at least. I'm still amazed at how they were able to make the Hurt Locker on that limited of a budget and have it turn out so well. And there were so many well-written scenes, even the little ones like the cereal aisle in the supermarket.

Indeed, what a picture that painted! This poor guy, put him in an isle full of hundreds of cereal types and it may as well be a stun grenade to his psyche that has been fed nothing but life or death in a hostile country for years. 
 
I really enjoyed the intel aspect of ZDT, the amount of work that goes into such things is no doubt lost on the general population so it was nice to see a true events film illustrate it so effectively. I too was lost on the hype on Argo, it was a good movie no doubt but after all I'd heard I expected to be floored and was somewhat letdown. ZDT was better for sure and I can think of other 2012 films that probably were as well.

 

[Tsujigiri]

Also, one thing I thought was really lacking in class with Argo was the part of the movie where they mentioned that the British and New Zealand embassies turned away and refused to help the Americans. Actually, they all contributed to getting them out of Iran; they just decided that the Canadian embassy would be the safest place to keep them. There was no reason to put that line in, and it was completely uncalled for considering what actually happened.
 
An article related to ZDT you might find interesting if you haven't seen it already: http://www.esquire.com/features/man-who-shot-osama-bin-laden-0313
Unfortunately, it looks like reintegrating into civilian life is as difficult as it was portrayed to be in Hurt Locker.
 
I think we might have similar entertainment tastes. Dexter is one of my favorite running shows, along with Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, and a couple others.

 

[mutabor]

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But for a "based on a true story" film, Zero Dark Thirty is pretty damn good. Much better than Argo at least.

 
Argo feels like an artistic attempt while ZDT feels like a semi-documentary movie with realistic scenes. I would say that documentary on the same subject can be even more disturbing. To shoot semi-documentary movies is not that difficult. For example, Russians shoot the same quality movies about war with even smaller budget.
 
 

 

[Tsujigiri]

Did you even see the film? ZDT makes the point that America's stance was self-contradicting and not as pure and clean as many would have you believe. Furthermore, it depicts the arduous effort and sacrifice needed for one moment of national pride, and raises questions about whether it was all worth it or not. It's not all smiles and celebrations for the victorious character at the end; it's a moment of unmooring as Maya's entire reason for existence disappears. Argo was a classic simplistic good guys vs. bad guys movie that worked well as a blockbuster action film but falls far short as a serious movie. There was nothing in it that makes the viewer think; it didn't pose any tough questions like an actual art piece does. ZDT was much more true to the events than Argo was, too. I mean, come on, that ridiculous airport chase scene? Pure Hollywood, no substance. I know some people thought ZDT was going to be propaganda before it was released, but if you actually watch it, you'll see that it's anything but that.

 

[mutabor]

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 There was nothing in it that makes the viewer think; it didn't pose any tough questions like an actual art piece does.

 
Documentary works better if you need a food for thought. Artistic movies shouldn't be close to blatant realism in my opinion. The same can be applied to any art. 

 

[wakeride74]

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Also, one thing I thought was really lacking in class with Argo was the part of the movie where they mentioned that the British and New Zealand embassies turned away and refused to help the Americans. Actually, they all contributed to getting them out of Iran; they just decided that the Canadian embassy would be the safest place to keep them. There was no reason to put that line in, and it was completely uncalled for considering what actually happened.
 
An article related to ZDT you might find interesting if you haven't seen it already: http://www.esquire.com/features/man-who-shot-osama-bin-laden-0313
Unfortunately, it looks like reintegrating into civilian life is as difficult as it was portrayed to be in Hurt Locker.
 
I think we might have similar entertainment tastes. Dexter is one of my favorite running shows, along with Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, and a couple others.

Yep, you just know when watching it that it is damn close to 100% accurate in the way life after war is so difficult. I thought that it was pretty balanced in handling the potentially skewing political agendas and stuck to the facts. Obama and Bush both had a couple well deserved digs but all in all they were good not to get preachy. 
 
We probably do have similar tastes, I'm a movie junkie but really a horror fanatic at heart. We watch a few TV shows, Dexter obviously, Walking Dead, True Blood, Duck Dynasty 

, Hell on Wheels, and just started Bates Motel which seems to have potential. That said I am really looking forward to Evil Dead and will be there opening night... they had me at no CG