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You mean that lead actress isn't as insufferably precocious as it seems (to me) from the ads?

I didn't think so, but others might feel differently. It probably helped that my conception of Ellen Page was not limited to the Juno ads--I know her well from other movies, especially Hard Candy, where she was very memorable.

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"The Wire" season 4 -- finally got disc 2, which was lost in the mail over the xmas holiday. Netflix sent out a new copy, and it arrived today, so we can resume watching.

 

Watched Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain" last night. It has amazing visual imagery, but both "Pi" and "Requiem for a Dream" were much better films.

 

Saw "The Hoax" the night before last. Enjoyable way to spend some time, but nothing I'd watch twice.

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Watched Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain" last night. It has amazing visual imagery, but both "Pi" and "Requiem for a Dream" were much better films.

I've had a DVD of The Fountain here for months, but I haven't watched it yet. I don't really mind movies that downplay narrative, but this one looks more like What Dreams May Come than, say, Mulholland Drive, and that's not a good vibe. Hopefully my preconceptions are off base.

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I've had a DVD of The Fountain here for months, but I haven't watched it yet. I don't really mind movies that downplay narrative, but this one looks more like What Dreams May Come than, say, Mulholland Drive, and that's not a good vibe. Hopefully my preconceptions are off base.

I wouldn't say it goes the route of "What Dreams May Come" - but I can't say for sure, as I haven't seen that particular movie. It seemed like a really sappy movie, and I don't care for those types of movies. I wouldn't say "The Fountain" is sappy, but there is an underlying tragic love story. "The Fountain" is definitely no "Mulholland Drive" though. We mostly watched it because we had it on HD-DVD, and could directly compare it to the regular DVD version, which was on the same disc.

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"The Wire" season 4 -- finally got disc 2, which was lost in the mail over the xmas holiday. Netflix sent out a new copy, and it arrived today, so we can resume watching.

 

Watched Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain" last night. It has amazing visual imagery, but both "Pi" and "Requiem for a Dream" were much better films.

 

Saw "The Hoax" the night before last. Enjoyable way to spend some time, but nothing I'd watch twice.

I would go in this order from top to bottom:

Requiem

The Fountain

Pi

 

"The Fountain" makes everyone cry. Everyone I've talked to at least. It's crazy well-acted.

(All Aronofsky is good Aronofsky.)

 

Now watching:

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I don't think I've seen a worse movie this year than Captivity--although we might say it does a creditable job (unintentionally) parodying the "torture porn" genre.

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Not my favorite Melville--that would be Le Samourai or maybe Bob le Flambeur--but this wartime epic about the French Resistance is still pretty great. The movie is structured as a series of self-contained episodes that connect primarily on thematic grounds, particularly about how the meanings of morality and sacrifice shift during extraordinary circumstances.

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With a day off between Jon Brion's New Year's Eve show and his no-longer-secret secret club show, we decided to go see Atonement today. I normally am a bit put off these days by epic costume dramas, especially if they have Keira Knightley in them, but the book was so magnificent, and the reviews so glowing, that I decided to give it a try. I could not have enjoyed it more.

 

My favorite compliment for Ian McEwan is that he knows how to create an incident -- you really sink into his scenes and experience them profoundly, whether it's a bunch of skinheads ready to jump you, or a hot air balloon crash, or a broken vase at a fountain. How on earth this movie managed to create that same intense experience off the page, I don't know. I loved the acting, and the soundtrack (the meshing of the typewriter sound with the music was masterful), and the long long unbroken camera takes.

 

I don't usually re-read books these days -- life's short and there are so many great books to read -- but I'll be re-reading Atonement the minute I get home to grab it off my shelf.

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Firstly:

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DVR'd a bunch of these episodes New Years Eve and viewed a few yesterday.

This is sketch comedy at it's finest. Can't recall the last time I saw something off broadcast television that made me laugh so much.

 

Secondly:

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Loved it. Adored it really.

Very little dialog, lots of physical humor. A little melancholy, a little fanciful and overall joyful. A neat little flick that is very reminiscent of a silent film.

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61SrHoDH6-L._AA240_.jpg

 

Finally caught up for the start of season 5, but it will be another year or so before I get to see new episodes. Season 4 was an addicting blur of watching all the discs in the course of one weekend. I felt like a junkie at the end.

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With a day off between Jon Brion's New Year's Eve show and his no-longer-secret secret club show, we decided to go see Atonement today. I normally am a bit put off these days by epic costume dramas, especially if they have Keira Knightley in them, but the book was so magnificent, and the reviews so glowing, that I decided to give it a try. I could not have enjoyed it more.

Good to know! I've been avoiding it, because I figured it couldn't possibly live up to the book. But Mom wants to go, so with this glowing recommendation, now I'm willing to take her. :yes

 

And with that, this thread is officially closed. Start a new one for the new year, somebody!

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