Now Watching

[napoleon]

The experience was made a little more surreal by the long butt-rock (I just looked it up...3 Doors Down) music video recruiting for the National Guard during the previews. Here: http://www.1800goguard.com/movie/index2.php Wasn't there a Simpsons episode like this?

 

haha, i work at a theater and we have two giant tvs in our lobby, and i have to put up with that video every 10 minutes.

[hollow]

Last night was Pan's Labyrinth -- an excellent movie with amazing visuals. The director/writer directed The Devil's Backbone and Hellboy, but this one was far above either of those movies. It's been referred to as a "fairy tale for adults" and I would agree that it's not appropriate for children (it is rated R) due to some sinister real-world violence, but the labyrinth and the fantasy world are full of some of the most creative and haunting images I've seen in film in a long time. Definitely one of the best films (and this deserves the designation of "film") I've seen in years. Highly recommended!

 

 

[tapmyglass]

Last night was Pan's Labyrinth -- an excellent movie with amazing visuals. The director/writer directed The Devil's Backbone and Hellboy, but this one was far above either of those movies. It's been referred to as a "fairy tale for adults" and I would agree that it's not appropriate for children (it is rated R) due to some sinister real-world violence, but the labyrinth and the fantasy world are full of some of the most creative and haunting images I've seen in film in a long time. Definitely one of the best films (and this deserves the designation of "film") I've seen in years. Highly recommended!

 

 

man I loved that movie

I think I will re-watch it soon

[Beltmann]

 

I haven't seen the first Election--apparently it's unnecessary to grasp this standalone sequel--but I have seen other Johnnie To films, and this solid gangster flick trumps them all, even 1999's The Mission. (And it's certainly in a different category than some of To's earlier, goofier successes, such as The Heroic Trio.) Despite the barbarous violence, the tone is one of resigned fortitude, and it's serious about suggesting how the machinery of commerce often depends upon controlled corruption.

[napoleon]

i watched hot fuzz tonight and absolutely loved it.

 

:thumbup

[GtrPlyr]

[Sir Stewart]

Tom Noonan!

[Beltmann]

I haven't seen Manhunter in years. I should revisit that one.

[tapmyglass]

 

 

I haven't seen Manhunter in years. I should revisit that one.

 

I just got it on netflix, never seen it before but I really enjoyed red dragon. I am very excited to see it.

[hollow]

man I loved that movie

I think I will re-watch it soon

I actually watched Pan's Labyrinth again the next day before I mailed it back to NetFlix. It was that good! I'm sure I'll have it sent again, such a beautiful film.

[GtrPlyr]

I haven't seen Manhunter in years. I should revisit that one.

If you haven't seen this version it would definitely be worth revisiting. Mann calls it his "directors preferred cut." The extra footage helps to give more depth to the William Petersen character in particular.

 

Everyone talks about Hopkins, but Cox was a real good Lecter too I thought.

 

Tom Noonan!

You gotta love the guy. Apparently he stalked a few of the cast folk on the set. I guess he really got into the role.

 

I just got it on netflix, never seen it before but I really enjoyed red dragon. I am very excited to see it.

You're in for a treat. I haven't seen Red Dragon, but I'll go out on a limb and say you'll probably like this one a bit better .

[froggie]

the other side of the mirroe - bob dylan

 

great stuff from his newport fest shows

[Oil Can Boyd]

Now watching? Nothing, because I think my DVR is broken, and there is a lot of stuff that I haven't watched yet.

[EL the Famous]

finally watched 'death proof' over the weekend and walked away pretty dissapointed. i think that Q tried a little too hard to capture the exlpoitation cinematic vibe in this and it just ended up painfully contrived to me. the tail end of the movie was kind of fun and, well, kurt russell rules. the rest of it just kind of dragged for me.

 

i think part of the fun of the genre of movies grindhouse waa trying to pay hommage to, is that (in a lot of cases) they weren't purposely trying to be funny and that made them all the more entertaining. 'trying really good at being so bad it's good' seems hard to do...right now, for me, i only see rob zombie doing that really well.

[aricandover]

[ZenLunatic]

finally watched 'death proof' over the weekend and walked away pretty dissapointed. i think that Q tried a little too hard to capture the exlpoitation cinematic vibe in this and it just ended up painfully contrived to me. the tail end of the movie was kind of fun and, well, kurt russell rules. the rest of it just kind of dragged for me.

 

i think part of the fun of the genre of movies grindhouse waa trying to pay hommage to, is that (in a lot of cases) they weren't purposely trying to be funny and that made them all the more entertaining. 'trying really good at being so bad it's good' seems hard to do...right now, for me, i only see rob zombie doing that really well.

 

As a HUGE fan of Tarantino, I was greatly anticipating this movie. Therefore I was disappointed also. I rank this at the bottom of his list of great movies. Still has some coolness to it and some exciting action at the end but expected more. I felt like I was waiting for something to keep happening. There was no story just cool girl dialog then some action. I like stories. I am unfamiliar with this genre but I thought that Taratino would make an enjoyable move regarless, maybe you had to have been part of the genre to understand this.

 

I liked Planet Terror much better even though it had no or really bad story also, it had more cool scenes.

[EL the Famous]

There was no story just cool girl dialog then some action....maybe you had to have been part of the genre to understand this.

 

yeah, that pretty much sums up the genre...there was a certain aesthetic though, that when it was done well, produced some pretty interesting films. i think Q has always had little elements of the genre in his work, but (again) the attempt at a full guns movie of similar ilk just fell flat.

[Beltmann]

Once I realized that Death Proof was not really trying to mimic a true grindhouse movie--unlike Planet Terror--I was able to enjoy its unique synthesis of genres. That makes it more of a Tarantino flick than a grindhouse flick, yes, but I'm not complaining. It might not be one of his best, but I still liked it a whole bunch.

[aricandover]

As a HUGE fan of Tarantino, I was greatly anticipating this movie. Therefore I was disappointed also. I rank this at the bottom of his list of great movies. Still has some coolness to it and some exciting action at the end but expected more. I felt like I was waiting for something to keep happening. There was no story just cool girl dialog then some action. I like stories. I am unfamiliar with this genre but I thought that Taratino would make an enjoyable move regarless, maybe you had to have been part of the genre to understand this.

 

I liked Planet Terror much better even though it had no or really bad story also, it had more cool scenes.

 

Death Proof would've been great if it was just the final 15 minutes of the film. The begining was painful to sit through. The fact that the DVD is even longer, filled with even more jibber jabber from those vapid women, pretty much guarantees that I'll never be picking it up.

 

On the other hand, I thought Planet Terror was excellent. i've said this before, but I think the casting of, Jeff Fahey and Michael Beihn as brothers, was pure genius.

[Sir Stewart]

I've never met a Tarantino (directed) flick I didn't like, so I'm still looking forward to Death Proof.

 

I think the casting of, Jeff Fahey and Michael Beihn as brothers, was pure genius.

Haa - wow, that is awesome.

[EL the Famous]

you really think he wasn't trying to mimic? seemed that way to me, but i may have been a little too bored, didn't pay that much attention and i'm always interested to hear your take, B.

[EL the Famous]

The begining was painful to sit through. The fact that the DVD is even longer, filled with even more jibber jabber from those vapid women, pretty much guarantees that I'll never be picking it up.

 

YES. I didn't see the edited version in the theatre, but if they added in more of that...jesus. I'm going to give Planet Terror a try, as a completist move I guess.

[Beltmann]

you really think he wasn't trying to mimic?

Not faithfully. It seemed to me that Tarantino started from that place, but used it largely as a springboard for his own unique blend of ideas--in the end, Death Proof feels more like an adoring comment on the genre, infused with a lot of other influences (including Godard). The final scene (the beat-down) is finally less exploitative than a witty observation about how audiences respond to exploitation. Maybe I'm reading beyond T.'s intentions, but I think it's there, intended or not--and I think that stuff makes it a lot more interesting, and a lot more amusing, than Planet Terror, which would have been better at half the length. That one runs out of ideas, and fast.

 

I haven't seen the full-length Death Proof, though... I'm just going on memory of the theatrical version. Maybe the full-length drags in a way the first cut didn't.

[ZenLunatic]

On the other hand, I thought Planet Terror was excellent. i've said this before, but I think the casting of, Jeff Fahey and Michael Beihn as brothers, was pure genius.

 

Planet Terror made the biggest mistake with the main guy, I think Freddy Rodrigez. Am I suppose to believe that little guy is the bigtime badass? Totally didnt get that feel from him. I like him as an actor, but not these roles. Also playing opposite of Rose McGowan didnt work.

[napoleon]

Planet Terror made the biggest mistake with the main guy, I think Freddy Rodrigez. Am I suppose to believe that little guy is the bigtime badass? Totally didnt get that feel from him. I like him as an actor, but not these roles. Also playing opposite of Rose McGowan didnt work.

 

DUDE, freddy was the person who made the film! he's supposed to be a cheesy badass, and he did a perfect job doing it.

 

p.s. death proof. i think alot of people took it too seriously, and were expecting nothing but action and violence, so they sat through all the dialogue not caring about the dialogue, but anxiously awaiting it to be over so they could see some action.

 

i enjoyed death proof even more on dvd. i had a double feature one night at midnight with planet terror/death proof. and at 3 in the morning, i still wasn't annoyed by the dialogue.

 

while we're on this subject, has anyone read rodriguez's book, rebel without a crew?