chanman1128 Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 I just saw 'The Wrestler' and thought it was unbelievable. Great movie...I have yet to see Penn in Milk, but Mickey Rourke should seriously be considered for an Oscar here. I have also recently seen Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and think that both of these are grossly overrated. I liked Curious Case....just very long and somewhat boring. I don't see the fuss in Slumdog, a bit ridiculous and over the top. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Slumdog, a bit ridiculous and over the top.Of course it is. It's a fairy tale, after all. Link to post Share on other sites
chanman1128 Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Maybe I just don't like fairy tales... I really liked DOUBT too. Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 I just saw 'The Wrestler' and thought it was unbelievable. Great movie...I have yet to see Penn in Milk, but Mickey Rourke should seriously be considered for an Oscar here. Rourke would be my pick for the best actor award this year. His performance was pitch-perfect. Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Really funny. Robert Downey, Jr. was even better than I expected. The previews at the opening are hilarious too. Link to post Share on other sites
NightOfJoy Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 "Priceless" with Audrey Tautou. Decent comedy with the added bonus of Audrey being so incredibly sexy. Link to post Share on other sites
c.lo Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Really funny. Robert Downey, Jr. was even better than I expected. The previews at the opening are hilarious too. the previews were the best! yesterday watched "Finishing The Game", the intro to the "actors" was really funny, but I found it got really slow half way thru. Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Frost/Nixon. The bloke who pays Nixon was amazing. Should get an award. I still need to see The Wrestler, Milk, Slumdog, and Ben Button (hopefully get to those this week), but Frost/Nixon is my favorite of the year so far. I also saw Chungking Express this weekend. I liked it a lot. The only downside is the limited variation of the soundtrack so now I have the Cantonese version of that Cranberries song stuck in my head. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Nick Broomfield's Battle for Haditha. Link to post Share on other sites
RainDogToo Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Winona. Link to post Share on other sites
vulture19 Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 OK, a little late to the party on this one, and surprisingly VERY difficult to find for a rental. Good movie, not great, but much better than most schlock out there. Beautiful imagery early on, but it didn't completely draw me in, i.e. I was paying too much attention to the implausibilities. Underwhelming ending. I think I'll always be more critical of this one based on its potential. While it didn't completely misfire, it was agonizingly close to greatness, and that's what makes it most painful. BTW, to the Tropic Thunder fans, I agree with those who thought Robert Downey, Jr. was absolutely incredible. Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Hamlet 2. Stupid fun. Elisabeth Shue playing herself was pretty damn funny. Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Winona. What did you think of Wes Bentley in this? I've always been surprised by his lack-of-career following American Beauty. Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Slumdog is that good. Link to post Share on other sites
Moe_Syzlak Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 The Sundance Channel is doing 31 Days of Sundance this month, with a different Sundance feature each night. Take a look at the schedule and suggest some films. I've only seen No End In Sight and, while it is good, I thought the Frontline special on the same subject was better. Link to post Share on other sites
RainDogToo Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 What did you think of Wes Bentley in this? I've always been surprised by his lack-of-career following American Beauty.In the film, his character is kind of low key. Overall, I think he gives a solid performance, though not a good as American Beauty. The film was pretty good, shame it never made it to theaters... I miss going to see Winona at the movies. Just watched these two great films! Too bad the Ingrid Bergman/ Rossellini films were never released on DVD! Though, I am trying to get the people at Criterion to release all their film together in a box set. I am also (for the last 5 years) trying to get them to release Tom Waits' "Big Time' too. So, I don't expect much to come of either suggestion. Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. OK. Amy Adams will never win an award for subtlety. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Those Bergman/Rossellini films are really underappreciated. For the uninitiated, Stromboli concerns a woman stuck on a volcanic island, trapped in a hopeless marriage (which seems ironic since during the film's making Bergman left her own husband for Rossellini, leading to the same moral dilemmas and public condemnation that her character faces.) In Europa '51, Bergman plays a high-society woman who discovers a surprising compassion for the plight of the working class. Clearly advocating the principles of socialism, the movie also takes a sharp swipe at how the advantaged fear any kind of challenge to their system of exploitation: Bergman's desire to help others eventually lands her in an asylum. I was reminded of Dickinson's "Much Madness Is Divinest Sense": Much Madness is divinest Sense --To a discerning Eye --Much Sense -- the starkest Madness --'Tis the MajorityIn this, as All, prevail --Assent -- and you are sane --Demur -- you're straightway dangerous --And handled with a Chain -- Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Saw The Wrestler today, and it feels churlish to quibble when the movie has so many terrific qualities. Like everyone else, I found Rourke's great performance emotionally engaging, and I also very much enjoyed Aronofsky's visual style and light touch. Still, I couldn't help but feel that the script was merely a compendium of cliches. Stripper with a heart of gold? Alienated daughter who never wants to see him again? Missed dinner that reminds daughter why she hates dad? Washed-up athlete ignoring doctor's orders? And so on down the checklist. It felt like watching the Dardenne brothers tackle Rocky VII, and I'm not convinced that's a masterpiece. Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Great late period western. p.s. I agree with most of your points regarding The Wrestler Beltman. The stripper with a heart of gold was an irksome clich Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Pretty great footage, especially considering the age. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 I don't like Wendy & Lucy as much as Old Joy--Kelly Reichardt's last movie, and one of my favorites of 2006--but it's still pretty groovy. Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted January 11, 2009 Author Share Posted January 11, 2009 Pretty great footage, especially considering the age. The Kilburn footage should be - it was shot with multiple cameras on 35mm film. Too bad the actual performance is not so great. I am not sure why they finally decided to release it. I like the Coliseum show - but it was not professionally filmed. Speaking of the British - I got my hands on this recently: The Grinning Man (Jonathan Creek) "The Grinning Man" is a feature-length episode of the BBC crime drama series Jonathan Creek, first broadcast on 1 January 2009. The episode marked the series' return to television following a five year hiatus, and saw the return of Alan Davies as the show's titular sleuth. Stuart Milligan returned to the series as Jonathan's boss, magician Adam Klaus, while the episode also introduced Sheridan Smith as Joey Ross, Jonathan's crime-solving assistant. The episode was written and directed by series creator David Renwick, who chose to revive the show as a means of delaying his retirement. Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Let The Right One InSwedish horror flick that transcends the genre kind of like The Shining does (minus any over-the-top performances). Creepy, inventive, totally arresting. I will be seeing this again (and again). Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Let The Right One InSwedish horror flick that transcends the genre kind of like The Shining does (minus any over-the-top performances). Creepy, inventive, totally arresting. I will be seeing this again (and again). Oohhh, been wanting to see this one. It's the vampire one right? Good to here it's worth seeing. Link to post Share on other sites
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