What Movie Did You Just Watch? ... And Robin

[dvdjunkie]

Little Fuzzy - There is not a giant catheter joke in "Young Doctors in Love". The main joke in this movie is Michael Richards playing a hit man and getting mistaken for a patient in the hospital.

[Disney's Divinity]

Showtime’s had a free weekend, so I’ve seen several movies:

Places in the Heart ~ Loved this. Sally Field and Danny Glover were both incredible. And, my, Ed Harris was hot (and Glover, too).

Prince of Persia ~ Horrible movie. To be honest, I only watched it because it was Disney, and because of Gyllenhaal. Surprised it was this bad though. I’ve never played the game, and I know it’s probably a lot different from the film, but I have no desire to ever play that now.

Stand and Deliver ~ I’ve seen this one before, but I enjoyed it this time, too. I viewed it a little differently from the perspective of a future teacher though. I still remember the South Park episode that made fun of this.

Legion ~ Wow, what a bad movie. Well, I knew that, but I kept watching anyway. It kind of plays on the cheap ploy of making the harmless (old lady, little kid, etc.) into monsters. Still, the kid was kind of creepy--"I just wanna play with the baby." Looking for something good to say…I did like how it showed another side to the Christian apocalypse myth, by questioning God’s benevolence. I liked the last line though, when the girl’s talking about how she used to ask her mother why God would do something like the apocalypse--”Guess God just got tired of all the bullshit.” And I guess the homoerotic angels were a plus, too.

Tuck Everlasting ~ I haven’t read the novel in around a decade, but…this movie was really bad for me. The only bright spot: Jesse’s actor was excellent. And Winnie basically took a background role in the movie, to the point that I really didn’t care about her by the end.

There’ll be more movies playing on Sunday, so I might be back. They’ve been playing Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs several times, but I just don’t have any desire to see it. Is it better than I’m thinking?

I plan to see For Colored Girls some time in the next few days. I’ve heard most people don’t like it, but most people don’t like Tyler Perry’s films in general while I’ve enjoyed several of them (they're often unbalanced though--especially Medea Goes to Jail). Regardless, there’s a lot of incredible actors (including Anika Noni Rose!) in that movie, so I’m looking forward to it.

[carolinakid]

I just watched Another Gay Sequel:Gays Gone Wild (2008) and Priest (1994).

[jpanimation]

Showtime’s had a free weekend

We're getting Starz/Encore free this week on DirecTV.

I just watched Another Gay Sequel:Gays Gone Wild (2008)

Sounds gay.

[JiminyCrick91]

I just watched Another Gay Sequel:Gays Gone Wild (2008)

Sounds gay.

It's not very good. Aside from the adorable gay porn star, Brent Corrigan playing a merman, it is a rather idiotic waste of time and money. Don't waste your life on it.

-Skyler

[Goliath]

Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951)

I hadn't seen this one in about 12 or 13 years --and that was my first viewing. I remembered it was a boring, dull film that felt twice its lenght. I was surprised at how much I liked it now! I definitly appreciate the absurd humor more and the design (look of the movie) is beautiful and imaginative. The Queen of Hearts has instantly gotten to be one of my favorite Disney characters. But, it has its good and its lesser parts. I didn't care for Tweedledee and Tweedledum and their lame story at all, and the part with the talking flowers wasn't that good either. Absurd humor is refreshing for a while, but the lack of story hurts the movie. Oh, and Alice has to be the dullest Disney-character ever!

Well, generally I'd agree if the movie explored the background of the war – then yes, a historical distance would be a necessity. However, since the movie is a small, intimate tale that uses certain war events as a backbone for its main topic, there is no need for beating around the bush in identifying the guilty party (which is pretty easy in a case like this), no matter how one-sided that might be. I really like your thoughts on the subject, btw.

Thanks, I take that as a big compliment, though I would never pretend to know what the wars were like for the people who lived through them. I'm sure victims on either side of the conflict couldn't care less about what 'history' has to say about it, because it wouldn't make their pain any less. You say it's pretty easy to appoint a guilty party and from an 'objective' point of view that would be true, but I don't doubt that you would hear very different versions of history depending on whom you would ask. Let's not forget the 'guilty party' also has its large share of innocent victims. It's always the political elites who wage the wars and the people who suffer them.

Anyway, I'm getting offtopic again. I agree with you that the movie (Sarajevo, my love!) uses themes that are universally recognizable. Though it also uses some nationalistic themes, like the fact that the daughter insists on being the child of a certain ethnic group, which gives her status among her classmates.

[Disney's Divinity]

It's not very good. Aside from the adorable gay porn star, Brent Corrigan playing a merman, it is a rather idiotic waste of time and money.

Brent Corrigan adorable? Bleh.

We're getting Starz/Encore free this week on DirecTV.

Oh, yeah. I can't keep track of names.

Anyway, didn't have time to see much today. Was going to watch Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra, but...it was really long. Maybe some other time.

Sweet Home Alabama ~ I like Reese Witherspoon, but this movie was very blah. I especially found it annoying how they treated Witherspoon's character like a stuck up, northern bitch--when the whole movie feels like a southern put down of the north. They obviously feel they're better than the north, so I don't get where they get off feeling superior to her for looking down on them. Patrick Dempsey's in this...never liked him. The guy who played her cousin was pretty good though.

[JiminyCrick91]

Brent Corrigan adorable? Bleh.

Meh. I like the guy. He seems nice and quite funny from his appearances on the podcast of Kevin Smith's friend Malcolm Ingram. I'm not too familiar with his main form of work however.

-Skyler

[BelleGirl]

Fantasia 2000

On my new dvd. Unfortunately only one bonus feature "Musicana" and no 'Destino" - I have to go blu-ray for that. (why don't you simply buy a blu ray player". some Ud'ers wil ask now. "they're not that expensive" Well, duh, I think I will buy one in time, but I won't let Disney deside that for me. By the time I have a player I can rent Disney blu-ray discs just for the bonus features)
Favourite segments: Rhapsody in blue, The steadfast tin soldier (forgot the name of composer/composition), Donald Duck on Noah's arc in "Pomp and circumstances" from Edward Elgar.


Freaks-1932

This controversial movie (at the time) and cult classic is quite fascinating. You can also call it "revenge of the freaks" for that's what the story comes down to. I bet lots of present-day horror movies are modelled after this story. However I'm not a horror-expert, that's Lazario's speciality.

[carolinakid]

Sounds gay.

It's not very good. Aside from the adorable gay porn star, Brent Corrigan playing a merman, it is a rather idiotic waste of time and money. Don't waste your life on it.

-Skyler

The original had its moments but the sequal was pretty lame. There is a bonus featurette of the adorable Brent Corrigan's transformation into the merman that shows a lot of skin (even his bits) that was better than the feature!

[Disney's Divinity]

Finally saw For Colored Girls.

I believe this movie is probably Perry’s most depressing yet--even more than Precious. The movie seems to go from one dramatic crying scene to another. Don’t get me wrong, I mostly enjoyed the film, but it seemed that if you’ve seen one crying scene, you’ve seen them all. Still, the movie felt better without the huge shifts between dramatic and comedic tone found in a couple of his other films.

I think the only real problem is that there were too many characters and way too much going on. I know this is adapted from a play, but not everything needed to stay. Anika Noni Rose, Janet Jackson, and Loretta Devine could probably have all been cut from the film without too much difference, and it would’ve gave everything else room to breathe. In a lot of ways, Janet Jackson seems to be playing the same character from Why Did I Get Married Too, so she especially was irrelevant. Regardless, all the actors were incredible--Devine, Rose, and Rashad especially. The only one I kind of felt disappointed with was Whoopi Goldberg. For some reason, she didn’t quite bring her character out; maybe they just needed someone else for that role. I dunno, I just wasn’t feeling it.

Overall, I'd probably give it a 6.5/10.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Blue Velvet

Holy freaking crap! Freakiest movie I've ever seen. I was scared to even go back to my dorm room, alone and at night, because I thought Frank would pop out of the bushes or from behind one of the buildings. But seriously, it was rather freaky. It was good, and creepy, but I doubt I'll ever watch it again. I'll probably have a nightmare about it tonight. On the plus side, a few things did make me chuckle: 1) the woman dancing on top of the car when Frank and Jeffrey were having their conversation out in nowhere; 2) Sandy's wonderful facial expressions (especially when she's crying); 3) and the ambulance that came to pick up Dorothy (someone was like "What the f*ck is that?!"). Overall it was a good movie, but freaky/creepy nonetheless. Don't let your children see it!

[Goliath]

2) Sandy's wonderful facial expressions (especially when she's crying)

Heh... yeah, I remember watching this with a cinema room full of film students and there were many laughs about the over-acting of this child. Kinda ruined the intended effect, but we had a good time. Have you seen other films by David Lynch? Because freaky and disturbing, that's what he does.


The Pixar Story (2007)

Much, much better than Waking Sleeping Beauty. It's an incredible story, which begins with Lasseters days at Cal-Arts and his years at Disney (including some footage that was also used in WSB) and then tells the succes story up until the point they're making Ratatouille. It's a lot different from WSB, because there's no (mention of) conflict in it. WSB was mostly about fighting executives, but this film is mostly about the films and the creative process. It was great to see so many of the early footage of Pixar's first short subjects and the early version of Toy Story. If anybody still wonders whether Lasseter is the right guy yo head Disney's Animation department, watch this movie, and you'll be forever convinced!

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Heh... yeah, I remember watching this with a cinema room full of film students and there were many laughs about the over-acting of this child. Kinda ruined the intended effect, but we had a good time. Have you seen other films by David Lynch? Because freaky and disturbing, that's what he does.

No, I haven't seen any other David Lynch film. I think Blue Velvet will probably be the only one I see because I'm not too thrilled with freaky/disturbing films. Let's just say that I'll never think of the song Blue Velvet the same way ever again.

Oh, scratch that. We're watching Mulholland Drive later this semester. I hope it isn't as freaky as Blue Velvet.

[jpanimation]

My library needs to stop calling to tell me the new Blus are in, as it's getting to be a pain trying to squeeze them in-between my jobs and my personal life.

The Godfather: Part II (1974) 8/10 - While not as good as the first, it's still a well made movie worthy of all the attention the academy gave it. What I like most about it is how it actually adds to the overarching story and characters, acting as both a prequel and sequel to the first one, and doesn't just try to replicate the original (unlike all the crap nowadays made solely to cash-in). Much of the story actually stems from things set up in the original and it just feels natural that this was made. What it does take from the original is the great characters, acting, score, and fantastic direction, it's all there. What I really love in this series is the quieter moments with nothing but ambient noises, as they just feel soo personal (Michael and Vito sitting in the backyard discussing how they have a traitor in the original is a great example of that). BTW, the PQ on the Blu-Ray is just as weak for this one as it was for the first.

Gladiator (2000) 8/10 - While not very original (no denying it borrowed heavily from Wyler's Ben-Hur, Kubrick's Spartacus and Roddy Mcdowall's performance in Cleopatra), it is still very entertaining. The casting was great and they all deliver. This was really the first time I ever noticed Russel Crowe's star potential and Joaquin Phoenix really nails the loathsome villain. The direction can be great at times, hitting all the right marks and really engrossing you in Maximus' tale. Unfortunately, it also comes across as pretentious when the director constantly uses imagery (usually slow motion) and music (usually overblown and saccharin) to force an emotional response instead of utilizing the characters and events for something genuine (this is a BIG problem with directors today). There is also a few spots where the editing seems out of place, almost as if from a music video. Still, I enjoy the heck of of this movie. BTW, the PQ on the Blu-Ray was fantastic, so they've must've gotten the corrected copy.

Unstoppable (2010) 6.5/10 - very standard action pic but that pretty much sums up Tony Scott's entire filmography. While older brother Ridley branches out and tries different things, Tony just stays in his comfort zone of making standard action movies that underuse Denzel. My whining out of the way, I still enjoyed it.

You Again (2010) 6.5/10 - Not nearly as bad a people are letting on. Of course the bulling stuff at the beginning is so incredible ridiculous that it makes The Karate Kid look like a documentary on actual bullying, but once you get past all that cringeworthy stuff, it's pretty enjoyable (for the most part). I guess you can call it wholesome Disney fun, with lots of corny Disney Channel-esque moments sprinkled throughout. Not everyone will enjoy it as much as I did, as my mind often wandered off - to my enjoyment - trying to determine if I'd bang Kristen Bell or Odette Yustman first if presented the chance (they hint at a pillow fight but it never happens). By the end of the movie I came to the conclusion that God created the threesome for a reason. Thank you God.

[littlefuzzy]

Little Fuzzy - There is not a giant catheter joke in "Young Doctors in Love". The main joke in this movie is Michael Richards playing a hit man and getting mistaken for a patient in the hospital.

Hmm, sounds kind of familiar...

How about this part? A group of people (2 guys 2 girls?) is on the run from hitmen, mafia thugs, whatever, and some of them hide in the morgue as corpses. The morgue attendant twists on a toe tag on one of the men.

[Goliath]

Oh, scratch that. We're watching Mulholland Drive later this semester. I hope it isn't as freaky as Blue Velvet.

It's definitly not as freaky. In fact, for much of its screentime, it's a fairly conventional tale... but later on, of course some strange and unexpected twists follow, which makes you look at everything you saw before in a whole different light. That's what makes the movie special. And the lesbian scene. So if you don't like the film, at least don't walk out prematurely.

[jpanimation]

Yeah, I saw the movie nearly a decade ago and all I remember about it was a twist part way through and the lesbian scene.

[Goliath]

Yeah, I saw the movie nearly a decade ago and all I remember about it was a twist part way through and the lesbian scene.

That are the things that stay with you!

[Goliath]

Vincere (2009)

About a young Benito Mussolini and his hidden mistress and son. I had really anticipated watching this movie, as almost every review was raving about it. But upon seeing it, disappointment quickly set in. It was pompous, overblown, overly dramatic, over-acted and over the top.

Invictus (2009)

Definitly Eastwood's weakest thus far. Morgan Freeman portrays Nelson Mandela in an impressive way, but the rest was just... meh. Nothing stood out. It was a very standard, very conventional, unsurprising feel good movie. In this movie, Mandela and the rugby team didn't even face any obstacles, which eliminated every sense of tension there could be. Even the actual rugby match at the end, which *should* count as the ultimate obstacle, didn't feel anything like that. You know they were gonna win. And I hate the melodramatic music, the close-ups and the slow-motion images in the final moments in the game... Come on, Eastwood, you can do better than these cliches!