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

[dvdjunkie]

High Anxiety (1977) Blu-ray

From the creative mind of Mel Brooks and a lot of love and respect for the master Alfred Hitchcock, comes this laugh-a-minute hilarious film. Starring Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Harvey Corman, and many, many more of Brooks' favorite people, this is a great sendup of some of Hitchcock's favorite films (Spellbound, Psycho, The Birds, and Vertigo). Highly recommended watching.

[Goliath]

Overall, everything about Taxi Driver is excellent, and it’s without a doubt the best film to come out of the 1970’s. It’s an atmospheric and often thrilling slice of era-based drama, and both Scorsese and DeNiro’s finest hour.

I agree that Taxi Driver is a good movie, but is it Scorsese's best? And is it his best collaboration with De Niro? Shouldn't both honors go to Raging Bull? I think so. And the best movie of the 1970's? Better than both Godfathers?

Anyway, last film I watched:

Defiance (2008)

Exceeded my expectations completely! I thought this was going to be a very standard, average WWII drama. Boy, was I wrong! It's the true story of a group of some hundreds of Russian jews who hide in the woods of Belarus to escape the Germans. They form their own community, but they are under constant attack, from outside and from within. As if the story wasn't compelling enough, we also get stunningly beautiful cinematography (you've never seen a winter forest like this); perfect and effective editing (as when a jewish wedding is intercut with the slaughter of a dozen nazi's); and most of all strong acting, mostly by Daniel Craig. I didn't think 'James Bond' could pull this off; but if you had told me this was an actual Russian jew from the farm, I would've believed you as well.

[Dr Frankenollie]

I agree that Taxi Driver is a good movie, but is it Scorsese's best? And is it his best collaboration with De Niro? Shouldn't both honors go to Raging Bull? I think so. And the best movie of the 1970's? Better than both Godfathers?

You have a point there. The Godfather movies are admittedly better than Taxi Driver; I just forgot about them in my enthusiasm for the movie I reviewed. However, Taxi Driver is a little bit superior to Raging Bull in my opinion; don't get me wrong, both of them are excellent, but Taxi Driver is better and is the definitive Scorsese/DeNiro collaboration.

[ajmrowland]

I saw the movie on Saturday. <snip> The 3D was okay, considering it wasnt shot 3D

I'm actually 100% positive it was shot in 3D, but you're right, it was decent. Honestly, the IMAX 3D presentation of Thor was much better, and that was a conversion.

well, that'd be a first. I was thinking it wasnt shot in 3D because it wasnt really spectacular. In fact, there were a few scenes which I could safely take the glasses off(though I didnt)

[dvdjunkie]

Don't Look Back (1967)

Director D.A. Pennebaker's great documentary about Dylan's 1965 tour of England features some great moments in film. Joan Baez and Donovan are also there. Pennebaker follows Dylan on the train, in his hotel and the making of "Subterranian Homesick Blues" with Dylan holding up the cue cards with the words on them. Wish there was a day to update this movie to some of his current music to show how much he has grown.

Happy Birthday, Bob Dylan, he is 70 years young today!!!!

[Goliath]

Don't Look Back (1967)

Happy Birthday, Bob Dylan, he is 70 years young today!!!!

He is 'Forever Young'!

I watched the same movie this night! I find it to be endlessly fascinating. Is it the 'real' Dylan we see here? Or is he just putting up a show; a facade to distance himself from everything that's happening around him? The madness surrounding him is monumental. You can clearly see how much the concert tours had worn him out, but at the same time you can also see and feel the moments of fun, like when he's playing songs for Donovan and the others at his hotel room. Memorable scenes include his encounters with the press, most notably the guy from 'Time'. I like how Dylan toys around with these middle-aged reporters who had never listened to his songs or seen him perform, yet tried to put all kinds of labels on him. Bob handled them well, in a funny way only he can pull off.

But the real highlight? 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue' played for Donovan in his hotel room.

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[PeterPanfan]

I haven't posted in this thread in a while, but I recently watched the French film Queen Margot and I absolutely loved it, so I wanted to recommend it to everyone here. Isabelle Adjani stars as the title character, Queen Marguerite, also known as Margo. She is breath-breathtakingly gorgeous, and despite being in around her late thirties she doesn't look a day above 18. The film is almost horror-like, in that it has horror movie elements, yet it is definitely a tragedy and romance. I really liked the character Asia Argento played too, Charlotte.

[Goliath]

Isabelle Adjani stars as the title character, Queen Marguerite, also known as Margo. She is breath-breathtakingly gorgeous, and despite being in around her late thirties she doesn't look a day above 18.

*checks Google images*

Yep! Good call!

[dvdjunkie]

The Towering Inferno (1974)

Haven't watched my Special Edition 2-Disc set of Irwin Allen's spectacular special-effects-laden movie in several years. This is one heck of a film and needs to be releaed on Blu-ray yesterday!!! Featuring an all-star cast including Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Richard Chamberlain, Jennifer Jones, Fred Astaire, Susan Blakely, Robert Vaughn and Robert Wagner. Directed by John Guillerman with Irwin Allen directing all the action sequences, this nearly three hour long disaster film is the cream of the crop. Paul Newman arrives at his newest creation the world's tallest building in the middle of San Francisco, only to find his best friend and contractor, William Holden, has cut corners during construction. A smile fire breaks out in a storeroom that eventually spreads to the whole floor and then all chaos breaks loose. What a marvelous movie to see all these box-office stars in a brilliantly directed disaster film. If you have not ever seen this film, I urge you to see it. If you haven't watched it in a couple of years watch it again. Highly recommended. They don't make movies like this any more!!!

[Goliath]

You have a point there. The Godfather movies are admittedly better than Taxi Driver; I just forgot about them in my enthusiasm for the movie I reviewed. However, Taxi Driver is a little bit superior to Raging Bull in my opinion; don't get me wrong, both of them are excellent, but Taxi Driver is better and is the definitive Scorsese/DeNiro collaboration.

I always liked Raging Bull best of all of Scorsese's movies. Admittedly, I haven't seen all of them --by far. I still think he was cheated out of the Academy Award for Best Director for a lot of movies. They just have him one for The Departed because it was long overdue, but that's one of his weakest ones, I think. At least it doesn't hold up against the original.

[Chernabog_Rocks]

Was in the mood for Jason Voorhees and promptly watched Friday the 13th Parts 2, 3 and 4.

[pap64]

Along with Pirates 4, I went to see Kung Fu Panda 2. Now, I am a BIG fan of the first movie. Even if people thought it was mediocre, I really enjoyed the story and the character of Po. I could easily identify with him and the story at large.

Admittedly, I was worried about the sequel. Dreamworks does have the tendency of running a good to decent franchise to the ground, and considering how much I loved the first movie, I thought the sequel would ruin that.

I was wrong. BOY WAS I WRONG.

It is actually BETTER than the first one in nearly every way. The element of danger was very high thanks to the Peacock villain. Tai Lung was a great villain, don't get me wrong, but he only wanted the scroll. The Peacock, however, I felt was deeper in his motivations. He found a destructive power in fireworks, and realized that he can build weapons that could destroy whole cities and even veteran kung fu masters. But on top of this, add that he has a lot of anger and resentment towards his parents.

He was also tied MUCH better to Po than Tai Lung. Tai Lung was more or less a part of Master Shifu's story than Po's, Po just ended it for him. The Peacock felt more like a true villain to Po (I won't explain why, though, since it's a spoiler).

Speaking of Po, he is better developed in this movie. Again, I felt the movie was more about him discovering these great secrets than him making a personal journey. He does discover his talents and learns a valuable lesson about self worth, but his development is far stronger in the sequel. He learns where he came from, and the information he gains help him become stronger. Again, I won't spoil it, but the message is that regardless of where you came from and how your origins came to be, you still have control over your destiny, and the people that surround you help you gain that realization.

It also ties into the first movie so well. In that movie, Master Oogway the turtle, points at Po and names him the dragon warrior. Oogway was a very mystical being with a lot of great knowledge, but he never explained why he chose Po and had so much trust and faith with him. Kung Fu Panda 2's story pretty much tells us why Oogway chose him if you pay attention and figure out.

Not a lot of movies have that subtle connection, and that's why I loved KFP 2 so much.

Funny enough, in the first movie Shifu had a far bigger presence than the Furious Five. Now, the Furious Five have a bigger role than Shifu and they did a good job with that. They provide a lot of humor and action to the movie while not being overbearing on the plot.

The action was amazing. I saw this in 3D and it was all stunning to look at. To me, it proved that animation can do all these classic film genres in an amazing manner, KFP 2 being the classic wire fu film genre.

I could say a lot about this movie, but I am somewhat tired. If you loved the first movie, I highly recommend the sequel as it improves on the story a lot.

[Disney's Divinity]

Saw Gnomeo and Juliet last night.

It was fluff, like I expected. I think the only entertaining part about it was the Dolly Parton scene. Although I did like the Ray-esque flamingo and Lady Blueberry. The frog could've been a little less hyperactive though--I usually always like the Nurse character (Miriam Margoyles in the Dicaprio version was the best thing about that adaptation, imo).

It wasn't a horrible film. It was more of a DTV or TV-made type of film. I wouldn't have released it theatrically, tbh.

Red Riding Hood, which I saw a week or so ago. I'm surprised it got bad reviews. I mean, it definitely wasn't great, but it was an okay, filler film.

Amanda Seyfried and the leading man (don't know who the actor is) were both beautiful though--I wonder why that guy didn't play the vampire in Twilight (my mom watches them, so I unfortunately catch bits and pieces of the franchise--Rob Pattison is hideous, or at least not worth the psycho vagina-frenzy he causes).

The only thing I was left confused by was the father. So he kills his mother because she found out about the fact that he's the Wolf, along with multiple miscellaneous people he grew up with in the village, but he doesn't kill his adulterous wife? I mean, I don't encourage murder, but I would think the adultery would be a dealbreaker for a psychopath.

Overall, the movie was more cliche than it needed to be, but it didn't feel like a complete waste for me. It was entertaining somewhat.

Also, glad to read your review of KFP2, pap64. I loved the first film, so I was worried the sequel wouldn't even be half as good as the original. I guess it's because I always expect mediocrity from Dreamworks, and didn't think they could keep up a good streak. So it's glad to see you liked it (though I know that's no guarantee of how I'll feel when I finally catch it).

[pap64]

Also, glad to read your review of KFP2, pap64. I loved the first film, so I was worried the sequel wouldn't even be half as good as the original. I guess it's because I always expect mediocrity from Dreamworks, and didn't think they could keep up a good streak. So it's glad to see you liked it (though I know that's no guarantee of how I'll feel when I finally catch it).

Well, I always say that my opinion isn't the law, and that there is no guarantee that you will enjoy something on the same level as me.

See, let me get personal for a moment...

The Kung Fu Panda story hits very close to home. I was the dumb fat kid at school, I was the one denied many opportunities because I was fat and lacking talent. But I became a far better person thanks to the compassion, patience and teachings of others. Po is pretty much an exaggerated version of me: a HUGE fanboy, very passionate about the things he likes, sees a lot of joy in small moments and, the biggest one of all, he was able to succeed by being himself. He didn't become far more serious after he defeated Tai Lung. He remained the same lovable Po we met in the first movie. I am like that. I've gotten all these degrees, job experiences and such, and while I gained a lot of knowledge I've always been myself first and foremost.

It's the idea of achieving success through self improvement while never losing your own personality that makes me enjoy the series so much.

The sequel is even more personal to me, to the point where I actually cried very hard TWICE while watching it.

This is a big spoiler, so watch out...

Near the end of the movie, Po comes back to his adoptive father, and tells him "I've found out where I came out and who my parents were. I know who I am now..." He pauses, looks at his father and says "...I am your son".

It was just one line. ONE. But it was enough to make me cry, because it home very hard for me.

I realize that the ideas presented on both movies are universal enough that everyone can appreciate and relate to them. But for me they are very, very strong as I've lived through them.

OK, enough rambling, don't take my word for it, but I do recommend watching it at least once and decide for them. I just thought you should know WHY the movie left such a deep impression on me.

[dvdjunkie]

Point Break (1991) Blu-ray

Decided to watch one of my favorite Kathryn Bigelow directed films yesterday. "Point Break" is a combination of two genres of films, a great surfing film and a pretty good heist film. Starring Keanu Reeves as Johnny Utah, a federal agent, and Gary Busey as his mentor, this movie moves at a break-neck clip and has some very well photographed surfing scenes shot in and around Hawaii, but were supposed to be Santa Monica. Anyone who lives or lived near Santa Monica knows the surf never gets that big even on a great day. John C. McGinley is the FBI director who Reeves and Busey answer to, and provides some unexpected laughs along the way. Lori Petty is the female lead in the movie and does a great job. The story revolves around the fact that Los Angeles is the 'bank robbery' capital of the world. This movie shows us a gang who dress with masks as the ex-Presidents, led by Patrick Swayze, and how they complete there task in 90 seconds. Good action film, as I said before, and good performances by all. Recommended viewing for those who enjoy a good action film, but beware, the language is the reason for the R-rating, and the F-bombs fly at a break-neck pace. I think they could have toned that down to get a PG-13 rating, but who knows.

[Goliath]

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

First time I saw it. The first half hour, it was very hard to 'get into' the movie. Only once Hiccups starts to befriend the dragon, things start to get interesting. After that, it became progressively interesting and engaging and at the end, I was totally living through the end battle with the characters and I really cared for the characters. I think the scene where his father tells him he's proud of him is very well-done. I also think it's daring they had Hiccups permanently injured, losing his foot. I'm sure Disney wouldn't have approved of this.

There are a few problems I have with HTTYD, though. First of all, the voicework. Jay Baruchel provided Hiccups with an incredibly annoying voice. He sounds older than the character looks and his whiney voice doesn't seem to match Hiccups either. Craig Ferguson (whom I didn't know was in this, but I recognized immediately) was horribly mis-cast. Just because someone has a Scottish accent doesn't mean he belongs in this movie! (Stupid celebrity-based voice casting!)

Then, I thought the animation was lacking. Not that it was bad, but you could definitly tell this was no match to Disney's refinement in Rapunzel. Disney's (and Pixar's) CGI characters have the feeling or 'real' (though caricaturized) humans; in HTTYD, in a lot of scenes the characters look more like plastic puppets. Last point: I don't see the appeal of Astrid at all. Why did Hiccups want to be with her? She has nothing that makes her desirable. We only want Hiccups to end up with her, because the plot dictates it.

But other than that, this was an entertaining little movie --better than most of Disney's output in the pasr decade.

[pap64]

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

First time I saw it. The first half hour, it was very hard to 'get into' the movie. Only once Hiccups starts to befriend the dragon, things start to get interesting. After that, it became progressively interesting and engaging and at the end, I was totally living through the end battle with the characters and I really cared for the characters. I think the scene where his father tells him he's proud of him is very well-done. I also think it's daring they had Hiccups permanently injured, losing his foot. I'm sure Disney wouldn't have approved of this.

There are a few problems I have with HTTYD, though. First of all, the voicework. Jay Baruchel provided Hiccups with an incredibly annoying voice. He sounds older than the character looks and his whiney voice doesn't seem to match Hiccups either. Craig Ferguson (whom I didn't know was in this, but I recognized immediately) was horribly mis-cast. Just because someone has a Scottish accent doesn't mean he belongs in this movie! (Stupid celebrity-based voice casting!)

Then, I thought the animation was lacking. Not that it was bad, but you could definitly tell this was no match to Disney's refinement in Rapunzel. Disney's (and Pixar's) CGI characters have the feeling or 'real' (though caricaturized) humans; in HTTYD, in a lot of scenes the characters look more like plastic puppets. Last point: I don't see the appeal of Astrid at all. Why did Hiccups want to be with her? She has nothing that makes her desirable. We only want Hiccups to end up with her, because the plot dictates it.

But other than that, this was an entertaining little movie --better than most of Disney's output in the pasr decade.

I disagree with you on some points. I think the animation is the best Dreamworks has ever done. Unlike Pixar, they tend to have a lot of problems with human characters. In Shrek they try to make them look realistic, which makes them creepy. Then in stuff like Monsters vs. Aliens, they go for a stylized, caricature look which is very ugly, in my honest opinion. HTTYD, however, goes for an "Incredibles" like look that is very cartoony and thus easy on the eyes. Some designs are off, yes, but I find the whole look of the movie to be pleasing.

Astrid I thought was going to be the movie's extreme ice queen, and while in the end she kind of is she was better. Not exactly a memorable character, I agree, but not as bad I thought she would be.

I LOVED Craig Ferguson as Gobber. I think the role fit him well. I think Ferguson has this bubbly, crazy uncle vibe to him, and Gobber is pretty much like that. He is easily my favorite character in the movie.

Finally, I also liked Jay Baruchal. He looks to be like a big, dorky guy, and the movie demands Hiccup to be like that. I think the voice fits him well.

But yes, HTTYD is a great movie despite its flaws.

[Elladorine]

It was just one line. ONE. But it was enough to make me cry, because it home very hard for me.

I realize that the ideas presented on both movies are universal enough that everyone can appreciate and relate to them. But for me they are very, very strong as I've lived through them.

Not to change the subject here, but this is a reminder of why the latest Shrek movie got to me; I've lived though some of those lines they've given, especially the whole "saving" aspect.

But to get back to Kung Fu Panda 2 (so glad they dropped the subtitle ), I think I enjoyed it better than the first. And I loved the first. I think what got to me the most was the whole message about how the past doesn't matter, something I still struggle with.

[Goliath]

Nothing Is Private (Towelhead, 2007)

The story of Jasira, a 13-year old Lebanese-American girl who goes through a transformative phase in her life, trying to find her path to adulthood. This could have easily been an interesting movie. It has all the ingredients you would want: a girl caught between two conflicting cultures; sexual awakening; forbidden relationships etc. Instead of developing these themes in a convincing, believable manner, the filmmakers chose instead to treat us to empty cardboard characters, contrived dialogue, wooden performances, lazy stereotypes (Lebanse father is suppressive and controlling; American mother is a selfish slut who dates white trash types of guys; the black teenager pretends to care for Jasira only to get into her pants; the neighbor army reservist is prejudiced against Arabs; and the feminist pregnant neighbor thinks all men are evil) and a moral that ultimately doesn't ring true.

The main theme in the movie is Jasira's sexual awakening. Part of this plotline is the supposed ‘rape’ of Jasira by her neighbor. One day, she lets him in while her father is away. He starts to grab her breasts and sticks his finger in her panties. She exclaims he’s hurting her, but he doesn’t immediately stop. When he looks at his finger, he sees the blood on it, is shocked by it and leaves immediately. In a scene much later in the movie, he comes over to Jasira’s house and they have sex. At the end of the film, he’s being arrested by the police for rape, but gets out on bail. The movie dictates that we are ‘supposed to’ feel sorry for Jasira; and we are ‘supposed to’ hate and loathe this ‘despicable’ man. The problem is that he didn’t rape her at all, and that she isn’t a victim at all. Hear me out on this before you react in anger and amazement.

One day, Jasira discovers a stack of Playboy magazines in her neighbours' home (she's babysitting his son), starts to look at the photo's and starts to wiggle in her chair with her legs crossed. Just from doing this, she gets her first orgasm. From that point on, we see her do this in all kinds of different locations. She’s even getting orgasms in the middle of her class and on the school’s playground. She even asks her neighbor flat-out if she can have some of his Playboy magazines. When he asks her why, she says: “They give me orgasms”. Upon hearing this, the neighbor angrily chases her off his lawn. When he’s alone with Jasira for the first time, he grabs her breasts and starts to fondle them, while he puts his hands in her pants. Up until that point, she is not resisting one bit, and not because she’s too frightened to do so, but because her facial expression and her sounds reveal that she likes it. She does feel pain after he puts his finger inside her and asks him to stop.

However, this does not stop her from going over to his house to flirt with him some more. She accepts his invitation to go to dinner together, where she secretly switches his martini with her non-alcoholic drink. It’s clearly shown in a couple of scenes that this guy is struggling with himself and his feelings. He clearly knows it’s wrong what he’s doing. He’s not shown as a creep, but as a flawed man who makes bad mistakes. When he notices she took his martini and she tells him she’s drunk, he drives her home, yet nothing happens. Jasira starts a relationship with Thomas, a black boy, which is solely based on sex. She lets him feel her up on their first date until she gets an orgasm and watches him masturbate. After that, they have sex several times. In the meantime, she keeps flirting with her neighbor. While doing an interview about the pending war for the school’s newspaper, she suddenly starts to ask about the condoms she found at his house in his suitcase. Later in the movie, he comes by Jasira’s house and asks if he can come in. At first she says ‘no’ and he turns around to leave. Then she changes her mind and lets him in. He asks her to undress and without any threat of violence or any indication that she’s frightened, she does it. They also have sex.

Now, I’m not saying anything of this is right. I’m not saying it’s the right thing to do for a (married) 30-something guy to go after very young, underage girls and have sex with them. Obviously, it’s not something I would ever advocate. However, the most important part has yet to come. During all this time, Jasira isn’t shown as a young girl who is a troubled soul; she is not shown as a victim; she is not shown as someone who’s been taken advantage of. She has been shown as someone who’s in control of the sexual situations she finds herself in; she’s actually shown as someone who actively seeks out those situations. Not because she has an abusive, oppressive father and a selfish, loathing mother and no real friends. I think that’s what the movie had wanted to have us believe (that she’s a troubled girl who flees into this world of sex as a tragic escape), but we can’t see it that way because they’re all stereotypes and cardboard characters. If the filmmakers wanted to make this connection, they failed in showing it to us. More importantly, Jasira never *feels* like a victim until her feminist neighbor tells her she *should* feel like a victim. She talks her into believing her neighbor raped her and that she should feel traumatized by it. When Jasira is staying over at her house, because her father hit her, and she has sex with Thomas, the feminist neighbor goes into a rage and wants Jasira to feel bad about having consensual sex. And when her father visits, sees Thomas there and discovers his used condom in her bedroom, he goes into a rage about how the feminist has allowed Thomas to take his faughter’s virginity. Then, and *only then*, in an attempt to protect herself and Thomas, Jasira says it wasn’t Thomas who took away her virginity, but her neighbor, who ‘raped’ her.

Is it wrong for a 30-something guy to go after a 13 year old girl? Obviously. Should he have stopped when Jasira said he was hurting her the first time? Absolutely. According to the law, is what he did (the fingering and the sex) ‘statutory rape’? You betcha. But do I think he did actually rape her and that he deserved being arrested? No, I don’t. Because what he did is only considered ‘rape’ because of a technicality in the law, based on her age. Had she not been a minor, none of this would be considered rape, because she obviously enjoyed it and participated willingly in all of it. Even the incident with the bloody fingering started out as something she didn’t object to, but which turned out wrong. Believe me, I’m *never* saying “she asked for it” whenever a girl *really* gets raped, and I don’t believe it’s only rape when a man uses force -e.g. a girl can be too frightened to resist, or she can be drugged- but none of that happened here. Yes, she’s only 13 and yes, she may not be able to make all the right choices. But the movie fails to show her as a confused or troubled girl and it also fails to portray her as a victim. The movie shows her getting talked into a position of victimhood. Even when she was just talking to her neighbor, for the schoolpaper interview, alone with him in his house, the feminist neighbor came to his door, being hysteric, threatening to call the police… just because he was alone talking to her? There was nothing sexual about it, and Jasira was very angry with her for doing so. She talked Jasira into a trauma which she did not have, and therefore loathe the character that the script dictates we see as a hero and protector of the girl, while I felt sorry for the neighbor who was arrested, whim the script dictates we despise.

And this is why this is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.

[dvdjunkie]

Beverly Hills Cop Blu-ray

Just had to watch this one because I just got it and it is among my favorite Eddie Murphy films. Great cast, and good story and in Blu-ray it really looks good and the lossless audio is really chest-pounding.

Some great supporting cast members including Bronson Pinchot. And I do hope that they do put the other two installments on blu-ray in the future. Neither one is as good the original, but I would buy them in a second.