Winston Legthigh Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Holy smokes - had no idea that Hulu Plus had almost the entire Criterion Collection online. Stumbled upon it when I was checking out the free week you get when you start up an account. And when I say "almost the entire collection", the ones I noticed missing were the "bigger" films: No Wes Anderson, no Spinal Tap, no John Woo, no Gimme Shelter. But still, plenty of Kurosawa, plenty of Truffaut, Goddard, and other New Wave directors. Looked like 200+ films. Nice library. Edit - ok, so now I know the entire Criterion collection is 800+ films, so Hulu Plus is only carrying around 25% of the collection, but supposedly the entire collection will be there by the end of the year, or so says Criterion. Great news for film buffs. Lots of rare items there. Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Saw this last night with my oldest. While I've never been an Elmo fan, watching this has made me appreciate the artistry that Clash puts into his creation. And, you know, I am still a Henson fan. So it was cool to get a little look behind the scenes there.It was well done and if you have 80 minutes to kill you could do a lot worse than this one. Link to post Share on other sites
Kim Bodnia Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Saw Drive this weekend. Don't understand the positive hype. All style and no substance. Too many cliches I've seen before: Silent noble criminal who plays by his own rules, fragile single mom he has a desire to protect. It was good, not great. Violent as hell. What else did you expect from a Winding Refn film? Have you seen Pusher III? I bought Drive, haven't got the time to see it however.. Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Watched Hugo last night - good flick. I guess it was a bit predictable, but the story was good. Watched it in 2D, though I have a 3D capable system, I haven't gotten around to get the glasses. It was beautifully shot. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I hear the "all-style-no-substance" complaint about Drive a lot, and cannot agree. First, I've always believed that style is substance--after all, a film's style is a window into the director's point-of-view--but I also believe that Drive offers quite a bit to chew on. At first the style suggests mere pastiche (early Michael Mann and the French New Wave are clearly referenced, and the opening sequence would make Hitchcock envious), but eventually that style gives way to something more deliberate, mesmerizing, and inquisitive. On a basic narrative level, I thought the characters were all carefully drawn with lived-in details, and I cared about them as they navigated the human desire for connection. Ultimately, though, what emerged for me is a deconstruction of the thriller genre that confronts the genre's usual assumptions about masculinity, violence, and the exoticism of the underworld. It gets us thinking about how we typically respond to those elements in such movies, and why Drive elicits a different response; in a way, it asks us to look in the mirror and recognize a hard truth about what often excites us at the movies. (In terms of screen time, Drive is actually far less violent than most thrillers, and in terms of its serious, de-glamorized, reflective attitude towards violence, far less offensive than, say, the Transformers movies.) I wish I had more time to elaborate at length about these points, as I have spent quite a bit of time thinking about them. Maybe I'll chime in with more later. I think it helps, though, to think of Drive as a Western that happens to be set in neon Los Angeles. Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Your reviews/comments/insights are always a pleasure to read, Beltmann. Link to post Share on other sites
Shakespeare In The Alley Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 How is this? Saw some unflattering Q-Tip comments about it, but I guess that could be a good sign. Lots of drama? Link to post Share on other sites
Kim Bodnia Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Two foreign movies that have been likened to The Godfather, the first is Mesto Vstrechi Izmenit Nelzya from 1979's Soviet Union and the second is Denmark's Pusher, whose trilogy was released between 1996 and 2005. Link to post Share on other sites
El Picador Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Nice to see some love for Mesto Vstrechi Izmenit Nelzya. Yet another one of my favorite Soviet films/miniseries. Gleb Zhiglov is a hero of mine. Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 While I'm in sick today, I'm gonna see if I can catch this one on Netflix:i loves me some Ian Dury. Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Had to learn the solo for Rock Around the Clock after watching this, always thought it was one of the great guitar solos of the era. Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 While I'm in sick today, I'm gonna see if I can catch this one on Netflix:i loves me some Ian Dury. Just watched (most of) it, and it is, sadly, a bit of a mess. Suppose that is somewhat reflective of the man, himself, but it still makes it a bit difficult to sit through all the way. Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Just watched (most of) it, and it is, sadly, a bit of a mess. Suppose that is somewhat reflective of the man, himself, but it still makes it a bit difficult to sit through all the way.The image isn't showing up for me, is it the "Sex & Drugs..." biopic by chance? Link to post Share on other sites
Oil Can Boyd Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Lars and the Real Girl. This was on my DVR for over a year and I never watched it until tonight. I thought it was great ... Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Lars and the Real Girl. This was on my DVR for over a year and I never watched it until tonight.I thought it was great ... I am expecting this one Monday, via Netflix - when it came out in the theaters, I thought the premise seemed odd, but interesting. Link to post Share on other sites
Plumplechook Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Was at this Pajama Club gig in Sydney last week which featured the whole Finn family on stage - Neil, Sharon on bass, Liam on guitar , and Elroy on drums. Awesome gig - including this terrific cover of Bowie's Moonage Daydream. Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 The image isn't showing up for me, is it the "Sex & Drugs..." biopic by chance?Yes it is. Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Lars and the Real Girl. This was on my DVR for over a year and I never watched it until tonight.I thought it was great ... Finished watching it last night - great flick. Story was incredibly well written and a Wisconsin town seemed to be the perfect backdrop - the weather, scenery, and the midwest people. Watching the extra of the screenwriter talk about the screenplay was well worth watching - the whole mental illness angle and how society deals with it. Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Re: Hunger Games. Two questions: Why is she steadying the arrow with her wrist, and why is she nocking the arrow way above the midpoint of the bowstring? Link to post Share on other sites
Kim Bodnia Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Lars and the Real Girl. This was on my DVR for over a year and I never watched it until tonight.I thought it was great ... this was fun! Link to post Share on other sites
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