EL the Famous Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 It was entertaining enough I guess, but the ending left me a little cold. I actually enjoyed the DVD featurette 'Number 4' where Spike and Denzel have a conversation about this and the other three films they've made together, more than the flick itself...kind of cool. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted August 21, 2006 Author Share Posted August 21, 2006 It was entertaining enough I guess, but the ending left me a little cold. I actually enjoyed the DVD featurette 'Number 4' where Spike and Denzel have a conversation about this and the other three films they've made together, more than the flick itself...kind of cool.I remember really enjoying the movie, but for the life of me I can't recall how it ended... so I guess the ending left me a little cold, too. Eventually I'll pick up a used copy of the DVD--I'm a bit of a Spike Lee completist--so I'll be sure to check out that featurette. Since we don't have HBO any longer, I've got to find someone to tape When the Levees Broke, Lee's new doc about Katrina, tonight and tomorrow. He's a pretty skillful documentarian; I really liked 4 Little Girls and thought Jim Brown: All American was decent. Link to post Share on other sites
EL the Famous Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 I remember really enjoying the movie, but for the life of me I can't recall how it ended... so I guess the ending left me a little cold, too. Eventually I'll pick up a used copy of the DVD--I'm a bit of a Spike Lee completist--so I'll be sure to check out that featurette. Since we don't have HBO any longer, I've got to find someone to tape When the Levees Broke, Lee's new doc about Katrina, tonight and tomorrow. He's a pretty skillful documentarian; I really liked 4 Little Girls and thought Jim Brown: All American was decent. That's the thing, E. I just saw it and don't really 'get' the ending. Maybe it was too abrupt or that I was expecting some clever, complex explanation for the caper that wasn't there. It just seemed too simple. I love Spike's earlier works (DTRT, School Daze, Mo' Better, The Mars Blackman Nike commercials) and some other occasional things he's put out since here and there (He Got Game)...i'm not really to sure what that Katrina doc will show me that I didn't see while glued to the TV. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted August 21, 2006 Author Share Posted August 21, 2006 i'm not really to sure what that Katrina doc will show me that I didn't see while glued to the TV.Fair enough... four hours, too, is a big investment if the interest isn't quite there. To be honest, my main interest rests less with New Orleans than in the fact that it's a Spike Lee movie. I also really dig his earlier stuff like DTRT, but I'm probably most keen on Clockers and Malcolm X (which is one of my favorite movies ever). Link to post Share on other sites
EL the Famous Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Fair enough... four hours, too, is a big investment if the interest isn't quite there. To be honest, my main interest rests less with New Orleans than in the fact that it's a Spike Lee movie. I also really dig his earlier stuff like DTRT, but I'm probably most keen on Clockers and Malcolm X (which is one of my favorite movies ever). I hear you and totally forgot to put down Malcom X...that film was incredible. I don't think i ever saw Clockers, but will have to remedy that. To completely backtrack to a previous conversation, I had no idea Jet Li was or maybe still is going to retire...he brought up that movie w/ Jackie in a little sidebar interview I saw in some magazine. Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Huge Spike fan, never seen Clockers. It's that good, eh Eric? Link to post Share on other sites
EL the Famous Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Also, I don't know i'm a completist, but I do own a copy of this and still have never read it: Link to post Share on other sites
oatmealblizzard Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 My 2 cents: I really liked Inside Man. My favorite Spike flicks are Do the Right Thing and Clockers (nice to see it getting some love here...I feel it is oft overlooked). And I will probably watch this documentary thing tonight...or atleast DVR it and watch it later.... Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted August 21, 2006 Author Share Posted August 21, 2006 Huge Spike fan, never seen Clockers. It's that good, eh Eric?Well, I like it a lot. It seemed to kind of get lost in the glut of "urban dramas" that came out in the early Nineties. On the surface it resembles a whodunit, but its main concern is how drugs and violence contaminate entire communities, dramatized in the collapse of one African-American youth's life. (He chokes up blood the way some of us sweat.) This process is observed by a predominantly white police force that makes hollow attempts to keep order, and refuses to intervene with the community's gradual decline. Instead of characters with overt prejudices and plain racial allegiances, Lee gives us characters mostly guilty of casual racism. Harvey Keitel plays a white detective introduced at the scene of a homicide, where the police handle the gruesome death with a clinical sense of detachment, cracking bad jokes and asking the corpse questions. Is it just a job, or is it racism? What's most fascinating about Clockers (besides its greasy, impressionistic cinematography) is Lee's willingness to present Keitel's character, despite his prejudices, as the film's hero. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted August 21, 2006 Author Share Posted August 21, 2006 To completely backtrack to a previous conversation, I had no idea Jet Li was or maybe still is going to retire...he brought up that movie w/ Jackie in a little sidebar interview I saw in some magazine.I read something like that somewhere, too. I know he's been threatening to stop making martial arts films for awhile now, but does that mean no more acting, period? (I'm not sure I'd be too interested in Jet Li, thespian, anyway.) Link to post Share on other sites
EL the Famous Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 I read something like that somewhere, too. I know he's been threatening to stop making martial arts films for awhile now, but does that mean no more acting, period? (I'm not sure I'd be too interested in Jet Li, thespian, anyway.) Yeah, martial arts...not acting in general. I guess his body has taken some major damage over the years and he's hit a limit. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted August 21, 2006 Author Share Posted August 21, 2006 Yeah, martial arts...not acting in general. I guess his body has taken some major damage over the years and he's hit a limit.Bound to happen, I guess. Jackie Chan, too, has clearly lost a great deal of agility and strength over the last decade. 'Course, Chan is 52. Li is only a spry 43, so he's obviously a big wuss. Link to post Share on other sites
WildMercurySound Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Just finished watching Withnail and I. Been a long time since I've seen it. Link to post Share on other sites
MrRain422 Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Now suffering through Hawk and DJ, as I am getting a rare opportunity to see my Tigers on TV. Link to post Share on other sites
jahilia Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I'm really looking forward to The Science Of Sleep (Michel Gondry - Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg). The soundtrack (from what I heard during the trailer) should be amazing. Link to post Share on other sites
Welsh Rich Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I'm really looking forward to The Science Of Sleep (Michel Gondry - Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg). The soundtrack (from what I heard during the trailer) should be amazing. I saw it at the Cambridge Film Festival last month - it was brilliant! Best film of the festival for me. It's in equal measures laugh out loud and tears in your eye... great film! Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 A lot funnier and more enjoyable than I expected. People at work told me I should just see it because some stuff would seem familiar/amusing. I was surprised at the quality of the humor. Not brilliant, mind you, but a step above, say Grandma's Boy, which was recommended to me, and which sucked ass. Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 People at work told me I should just see it because some stuff would seem familiar/amusing. Please tell me there's a shit-holding scene. Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Please tell me there's a shit-holding scene.You'll have to wait for my movie. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted August 22, 2006 Author Share Posted August 22, 2006 Please tell me there's a shit-holding scene. One of my all-time favorite VC stories. Link to post Share on other sites
EL the Famous Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Beltmann, the next pick coming from Netflix is my wife's...did you see 'RV' and, if so, will I burst into flames if I watch it? I'd rather get drunk w/ WITHIK and go whoop it up at Snakes on a Plane than watch it...but I may not have a choice. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted August 22, 2006 Author Share Posted August 22, 2006 I haven't seen it, but it sure looks like Robin Williams in his insufferably maudlin mode, coupled with some pretty lame slapstick. Good luck. Tomorrow is "movie with the wife" day, and her pick was Little Miss Sunshine, so that's cool. Her tastes are a little unpredictable: Typically her preference is for stuff like The Family Stone or Shopgirl, but at the same time, she's almost always game for documentaries or even foreign flicks. Link to post Share on other sites
gogo Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I don't know which I hate more, "funny" Robin Williams, or "dramatic" Robin Williams. Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I have actually watched the following movies in the last 3 days: VLife AquaticThe Time Machine (the most recent version) Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts