The Movie Reel

[Moxie]

^Ted was hilarious...equally offensive to everyone.

Agreed. I saw it at the drive-in and was a tad surprised. Normally the drive-in is PG-13 driven.

You still have a drive-in?!

 

[kskate2]

^^ Yes. It's the only one in the N or W suburbs here. It's family owned and well taken care of. They're open from April until November. During the summer, if I'm not at a music concert, I'm at the drive-in.

 

[the AntiPusher]

I just saw Captain Philips, what a phenomenonal movie and acting by Tom Hanks and the gentleman from Somalia, he deserved that academy ward nominatuon.Best action /drama ,great screen play and etc. " Irish, Everything will be ok, if you don't play no Games..":clap

 

[tented]

I just saw Captain Philips, what a phenomenonal movie and acting by Tom Hanks and the gentleman from Somalia, he deserved that academy ward nominatuon.Best action /drama ,great screen play and etc. " Irish, Everything will be ok, if you don't play no Games..":clap

Completely agree, AP. I just saw this recently myself, and enjoyed it a lot. I rented the Blu-Ray which has some cool extras, including interviews with the real Captain Philips, and most of the cast, a making-of documentary, etc. Did you see any of them?

 

[TsarMatt]

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Perhaps one of the best directed films of all time, but falls a bit short in the storytelling department. The Conversation is, by far, Coppola's most accomplished film IMO, but this is a nightmarish and technically adept depiction on one of America's most macabre wars.

 

[the AntiPusher]

I just saw Captain Philips, what a phenomenonal movie and acting by Tom Hanks and the gentleman from Somalia, he deserved that academy ward nominatuon.Best action /drama ,great screen play and etc. " Irish, Everything will be ok, if you don't play no Games..":clap

Completely agree, AP. I just saw this recently myself, and enjoyed it a lot. I rented the Blu-Ray which has some cool extras, including interviews with the real Captain Philips, and most of the cast, a making-of documentary, etc. Did you see any of them?

No, unfortunately I went the cheap route , red box before I was catching a flight.*However, I will take you advice and purchase the blue ray , as long as "you no play no games , captain"

 

[Moxie]

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Perhaps one of the best directed films of all time, but falls a bit short in the storytelling department. The Conversation is, by far, Coppola's most accomplished film IMO, but this is a nightmarish and technically adept depiction on one of America's most macabre wars.

I love The Conversation, but did you forget about The Godfather I and II? In any case, Apocalypse Now is, in my opinion, probably the greatest film about the Vietnam War, for facing it, not as a straight-on war film, but for giving the viewer the surreal experience that was that war.

 

[tented]

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Perhaps one of the best directed films of all time, but falls a bit short in the storytelling department. The Conversation is, by far, Coppola's most accomplished film IMO, but this is a nightmarish and technically adept depiction on one of America's most macabre wars.

"Apocalypse Now" is also an example of the director and editor getting it right the first time. The director's cut, "Apocalypse Now Redux", isn't nearly as good. Their instincts were correct in 1979.

 

[TsarMatt]

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Perhaps one of the best directed films of all time, but falls a bit short in the storytelling department. The Conversation is, by far, Coppola's most accomplished film IMO, but this is a nightmarish and technically adept depiction on one of America's most macabre wars.

I love The Conversation, but did you forget about The Godfather I and II? In any case, Apocalypse Now is, in my opinion, probably the greatest film about the Vietnam War, for facing it, not as a straight-on war film, but for giving the viewer the surreal experience that was that war.

The Godfather films are excellent, although I always preferred The Conversation which feels like a much more personalised and stylish piece. Coppola, alongside the other New Hollywood filmmakers, owe a lot of their work to European New Wave filmmaking, particularly the pieces from the French movement, and The Conversation seems to encapsulate a combination of prime Coppola and European cinema. It's also a remarkable exhibition of sound design, as you'd probably know, and is perhaps Hackman's greatest performance. Just brilliant stuff.

But yeah, I agree, AN is the best Vietnam film out there. So many others out there are drenched in political themes and often are set out to make a point or advance an argument. Coppola's film steered away from that and simply captured the nightmarish feel of 'Nam. There was no political agenda at play. It just made the viewers experience, and that's something more war films should do.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Perhaps one of the best directed films of all time, but falls a bit short in the storytelling department. The Conversation is, by far, Coppola's most accomplished film IMO, but this is a nightmarish and technically adept depiction on one of America's most macabre wars.

"Apocalypse Now" is also an example of the director and editor getting it right the first time. The director's cut, "Apocalypse Now Redux", isn't nearly as good. Their instincts were correct in 1979.

Yep, I agree with you. Redux really fractured the pacing of the film and the new scenes added didn't really contribute much to either the story or mood. I can see why Coppola initially left them out.

I've seen the film about 4 times now and it still improves with every viewing. Man, what a run for Coppola in the 70s. It's such a shame that the film industry changed in the 80s. No longer could Coppola, nor any other American filmmaker for that matter have the freedom to make such personal pieces. I blame Heaven's Gate for that.

 

[nehmeth]

I just got done watching, "The Island" (2005), with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. Had a huge impact on me. Did anyone else see it? Like it?

 

[TsarMatt]

I just finished watching The Terminator for the 100th time. 2014 marks its 30th anniversary, so hence the viewing.

This is just a perfect example of a young, exuberant filmmaker utilising a fairly minimalist budget to deliver a masterwork in the sci-fi genre. This film has always had such a moody undercurrent -- the techno-like score, the gritty, rough-looking aesthetics. Very atmospheric. At its core, it has a very compelling story, too, unlike most of its imitators that brainlessly focus on the action rather than the details.

This is just a perfect film in my books. Cameron peaked a bit too early in his career. I think if this film was a large-scale project with a considerably high budget, it wouldn't have been as memorable or distinctive IMO. There was so much evocative imagery that only could have came through the challenge of not having the dough to dish up something so seamlessly. It really is a film where the directors' vision came through.

I've always had a soft spot for this film, so I may be over-praising it a bit, but it didn't get a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes for nothing.

 

[the AntiPusher]

I just got done watching, "The Island" (2005), with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. Had a huge impact on me. Did anyone else see it? Like it?

Yes. I thought it was a clever Movie. BTw.. I :heart: the thought of being on an island with Scarlett Johansson..

 

[shawnbm]

I re-watched Scorsese's Age of Innocence last night, and it was as good as I remembered it being. The attention to detail with the camera and voice-over by Joanne Woodward, the focusing on a piece of linen and the face of Daniel Day Lewis and Winona Ryder during narrative parts was very moving. The story itself is superb. Just a wonderful film that transports one to another time, with different manners, manner of speech, societal norms and gilded age necessities.

 

[britbox]

I just got done watching, "The Island" (2005), with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. Had a huge impact on me. Did anyone else see it? Like it?

I've downloaded to watch at the weekend. Sounds good.

Do any of you guys refer to imdb much? I generally look up a lot films on there and later watch ones with good ratings.

 

[DarthFed]

^ I go almost solely off IMDB for movies that I am on the fence about. I usually find it to be pretty in line with how I'd rate movies but there are some exceptions. A recent one is Godzilla. Excellent reviews by critics and users on IMDB but just not my cup of tea I think. It wasn't bad by any means but just didn't think it was great either.

 

[Kieran]

I always refer to imdb, to see who's in it, what's the ratings, trivia, etc. I don't know what imdb-pro offers, maybe it's more for the industry or something, I don't know.

The other night I was bored so I watched Olympus has Fallen, an action flick with Leonidas out of 300 saving POTUS from the yellow menace. It was okay, once you accept that it's an action flick and no more.

Watched Reservoir Dogs last night, first time this millennium, it's still iconic, cool, hilarious, tough, snappy, great cast, great suits, great story...

 

[tented]

Rotten Tomatoes is another good source. It generates a "freshness" number for each film, based on an aggregate of reviews from various newspapers and magazines. You can see which publications are used, and even read an excerpt from the reviews, with links to the full reviews on the other websites.

I'll use Darth's example of Godzilla:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/godzilla_2014/

It has a freshness percentage of 73% (this may have changed by the time you take the link). About halfway down the page, there's a link to Top Critics. On that page, you can easily skim down and see who liked it, and who didn't.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/godzilla_2014/reviews/?type=top_critics

 

[TsarMatt]

Before I watch a film, I usually check its IMDb and RT score out of curiosity. They usually give a vaguely accurate indication as to whether the film is going to be good or bad.

I always laugh at Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill rating though. Hilarious.

 

[Kieran]

Probably funnier than the film, is it?

On imdb, I take any score over 8 to be a great recommendation, over 7 to be good, but below 7 can be like shopping in the Sunday market...

 

[tented]

Before I watch a film, I usually check its IMDb and RT score out of curiosity. They usually give a vaguely accurate indication as to whether the film is going to be good or bad.

I always laugh at Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill rating though. Hilarious.

The vast majority of his filmography is "rotten":

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam_sandler/