What Movie Did You Just Watch?: The Just-Us League (Vol. 11)

[DVDBuff1]

Pacific Rim (Guillermo Del Toro)

I knew that from the trailers I was getting a straight up Giant Robot movie, directed by one of my favorite filmmakers Guillermo Del Toro who has made a career of taking bizarre concepts and making them feel organic with a sense of panache, and it was exactly that. Great visuals, a captivating score, and characters I really liked played by great actors. If you're looking for the best action movie of this summer, GO SEE THIS MOVIE. It’s definitely 1 of my top 10 Favorite movies so far this year.

[TheValentineBros]

Despicable Me 2.

Surprisingly just as good as the first.

[dvdjunkie]

Turbo (2013)

At last we now have a totally family-friendly film out there to take all the 4-9 year old kids to see.

This Dreamworks Animation film is a welcome addition to their library, and I have been totally "Madagascar" and "Shrek-ed" out! It is so nice to hear some new voices, for one I really enjoy Ryan Reynolds doing the voice of Turbo, our little garden snail, who wants to be fast enough to race in the Indianapolis 500.

A freak accident gives him his wish and then the fun starts. This is a wonderfully animated film, and at just a little over 90 minutes is perfect matinee fodder for the kids.

Read a review where they said it was like a mixture of "A Bug's Life" and "Cars". I don't really agree with that for the most part, but I can see where he was coming from.

The DVD Junkie Meter will give this movie an 8 out of 10 stars, and I do plan on seeing this again before it comes to Blu-ray.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Summer with Monika - I've lost count of how many Bergman films I've watched, but I really enjoyed Summer with Monika. I quite like that it's in a contemporary setting (well, for the 50s in Sweden), and even though the story is relatively simple, I found it to be pretty interesting and fun. There are great performances by the two leads (Harriet Andersson and Lars Ekborg), and some iconic Bergman shots are nice to see.

Peeping Tom - Going in, I knew that this film, by Michael Powell, was really hated upon its initial release, but that it's become a masterpiece since it was released in 1960 (just a few months before Hitch's Psycho). And, as the documentary on it suggests, it is a very British Psycho. Karlheinz Böhm plays Mark, a focus puller, who finds it fun to kill women while trying to document their fear as they die. Although it has similarities with Hitch's film, it really is quite different in tone. While you sympathize (more like commanded to) with Norman Bates once Marion is killed off by Mother, you sort of instinctively sympathize with Mark because of his haunting past. Yes, Norman has a haunting past, too, but his father wasn't performing psychological experiments on his child (as Mark's father did). It's an interesting film, and I hope I have time to watch the film with the commentary provided on Criterion's DVD. Oh, and Anna Massey's pretty great in this, too.

I Know Where I’m Going! - A rather fun romantic-comedy set in Scotland. Roger Livesey returns after his stint in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp as Torquil, and Wendy Hiller is great as Joan. It might not be as memorable as some of the other Powell/Pressburger films, but it's a nice little film.

Django Unchained - I've been meaning to see this (since I missed it in theaters) and I was kind of blown away. I've seen a fair amount of Tarantino films, and this one is just as good as the others. Sure, it's a little bloody here and there, but the acting is great and and the production value is really high. The script might not be as snappy and witty as some of his other films (though, Christoph Waltz has some great lines), but everything else about it makes it pretty epic. I prefer it much more so than the wondrously boring (Best Picture winner) Argo.

Silver Linings Playbook - Just like Django, I've been meaning to see this film, and I absolutely fell in love with it. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are remarkable in their roles. It takes a meaningful look at mental illness while still being able to have the characters relate-able. Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver are quite fantastic, too. All around, this is a great film, and, just like Django, I much prefer this film than Argo.

House - The most bizarre film I have ever seen in all of my life. I read that you have to be in a certain kind of mood to watch this film, and I don't think I was in that mood. I think one has to be high to really, really enjoy this film. It was amazing to watch the making-of feature on Criterion's DVD because it helps the viewer understand a bit better how and why the film was made, but I'm still just not a fan of it. It was an interesting experience--I don't regret it--but I probably won't ever watch this film again (unless I'm high, which hasn't happened yet). It's pretty incomprehensible.

Naked Lunch - Another incredibly odd film, and my first from David Cronenberg. The premise is weird, though I've never read the novel in which it is based. It's not as bizarre as House, but it's pretty far out there. Was bug powder actually a thing in the 50s? And why would anyone try and get high off of it. And what's the obsession with the bugs? And typewriters? And bug typewriters? I'm not really a fan of this one, but, like House, I don't regret watching it. Maybe I should try another Cronenberg film and see how I like it...

[dvdjunkie]

Red 2 (2013) Warren Theaters

All right now. If you saw "Red" then this movie will fit right into your wheelhouse. It is actually better in most cases than the first one, and for sure has a real good story.

Direct Dean Parisot, known mainly for his television work -Justified, Good Wife, Monk, and a couple of movies you might have seen - Home Fries, Galaxy Quest, and Fun With Dick & Jane, brings all the surviving cast members from the first movie into this one with an addition of some real fine actors. Anthony Hopkins is the villain in this film, Catherine Zeta-Jones is a Russian KGB agent, and, new-comer Byung-hun-Lee is the pain in Frank Mose's (Bruce Willis) ass. Mary Louis Parker is back, but now she and Willis are a definite couple, and Helen Mirren and John Malcovich are back and so are the laughs.

Others featured in the film are Neal McDonough, David Thewlis, and Brian Cox. The plot of the film revolves around a 'mobile nuclear device' that was planted in the Kremlin 30 years ago. The team is assembled to get the location of this device and lots of action ensues along the way.

Written by the same people who did the first movie, this one zips right along and you don't even notice that it is 1 hr. 55 min. long. You almost want to turn around and get another ticket and watch it again. This will make it to my Blu-ray collection when it comes out.

This film gets a strong 3 1/2 stars out of 5 and is well worth a matinee ticket price.


R.I.P.D. (2013) Warren Theaters

How often have you enjoyed a "popcorn" movie just because you like the stars? Well, this is one of those movies and it is a real hoot to just sit back and be entertained by some of Hollywood's finest actors.

First, the film is directed by "RED" head man Robert Schwenke, who literally takes charge from the opening scene to the final scenes 96 minutes later.

"R.I.P.D.", the Rest In Peace Department, is where Ryan Renolds ends after being killed by his best friend, and partner, Kevin Bacon, who chews up the screen with his wickedness. Jeff Bridges is an old cowboy who is still set in his ways and is reluctant to take on Reynolds as his partner. Mary Louis Parker is again on the screen, this time as Proctor, the person in charge of the Eternal Investigation Affairs department of the company. The 'Avatars' for Reynolds and Bridges are an old chinese man for Reynolds, and a voluptuous female for Bridges, so the inside joke is the 'cat calls' that you hear when they are on the street.

This is an over-the-top action film and, like I said before, a great popcorn action flick. Check your brain at the door and sit down and enjoy this film. It is a real fun ride.

The DVD Junkie meter gives this one a hard 3 out of 5, and recommends it highly to those who just want to have fun at the movies once again. This film is not Academy Award material, but it is a whole lot of action and thrills put together very well by a competent director.


www.warrentheaters.com (for those who want to see what a real movie theater is like.)

[dvdjunkie]

Turbo 2-D Warren Theaters

Just got back from an afternoon excursion with my two grandkids, Zach,9, and Tymber, 5, along with Grandma, from watching Turbo and we are still talking about it.

What a great animation from Dreamworks, with voice-overs from Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Snoop Dog, Michael Pena, and Samuel L. Jackson. This is the story of a garden snail who dreams of winning the Indianapolis 500 and finally finds a way, through no fault of his own, to get the attention of a taco stand attendant, who believes in him. Dos Bros Tacos joins with other owners of stores in their little strip mall to come up with the entry fee, and Theo (Turbo)'s dream is born.

With some very good humor thrown in, and some great one-liners that even the grand kids will be repeating, this film has something for everyone.

It isn't performing up to the expectations of Dreamworks (just over $20 million opening weekend) but word of mouth should spread and keep it in the theaters for a while longer. Our theater today was almost full.

On the Junkie Meter I will give this a strong 3 out of 5 stars. Definitely worth a look-see.


http://www.warrentheaters.com (check this out for a great cinema experience.)

[Dr Frankenollie]

Black Narcissus (1947)

*SPOILERS*

This is a layered, complex film, a feature demanding more than a single viewing, a feature demanding deep thought and dissection. In terms of sheer symbolism and depth, it is a wondrous movie, impressively progressive for its era. From this first viewing, I've inferred that it's a movie about indulgence and growing up: the close proximity to nature, the "clear air" and the high altitudes the nuns experience are excess to them, consequentially leading them to an evasion of their duties, nostalgia and, worst of all, insanity (then again, the psychotic Sister Ruth was probably a bit unstable from the very beginning). Nature understandably becomes synonymous with sensual pleasure, and through this connection, childhood. Ruth, the most affected character, is an unpleasantly infantile one, latching onto the slightest compliment Mr Dean pays her, and generally being an envious, impatient, febrile monster. Moreover, after her transformation, she resembles the young Clodagh. Sister Clodagh's memories of lost love - when she was young and immature - prey upon her when she comes close to the intense sensual pleasures her new home brings; these ideas are reinforced by the Young General's dubious decision to try and be more modest and mature by the film's end.

The death of Ruth ought to symbolically be the death of childishness, the death of the past and the death of old desires. However, in the epilogue, Clodagh tells Mr Dean that she "can't change in a minute", and by the film's end hasn't fully grown up, remaining attracted to the latter. The final moments seem to subvert what Ruth's death should represent: the rainfall is, on a shallow level, like holy water washing away the nuns' sins. But underlying all this is the fact that they have not repented, they have not changed in a minute, old desires still remain and the cause of the conflict - the natural surroundings - clearly remain intact, almost static in time, as though they are nothing but a symbol. Mr Dean looks longingly towards the departing Clodagh, and the rain sexualises him - the mutual infatuation has not died. Thematically, the story isn't resolved, because it cannot be resolved. After all, as Clodagh says, "...we're all human, aren't we?"

EDIT: BTW...was anyone else reminded of the Three Fairies in Sleeping Beauty running around the tower, looking for Aurora, when the nuns were running around and looking for Sister Ruth?

[TheSequelOfDisney]

^ I absolutely love Black Narcissus; it's my favorite Powell and Pressburger film after The Red Shoes. The film just sucks you in, and Sister Ruth is so diabolically nasty and crazy, and I just love the dynamic between Sister Ruth and Sister Clodagh.


I've recently watched:

The Magician
The Double Life of Véronique
The Rocketeer
Howards End
The Graduate
Eyes Without a Face
Lars and the Real Girl
Days of Heaven
Inception
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The Tempest (2010)
The Princess Diaries
The Last Emperor
Following

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Bigger Than Life
Something Wild
The Matrix
Naked

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Fox and His Friends
Paths of Glory
La Jetée
A Woman Under the Influence
East of Eden
Rebel Without a Cause
Island of Lost Souls

[PeterPanfan]

East of Eden
Rebel Without a Cause

What did you think of these two? Are you planning to check out Giant?

[TheSequelOfDisney]

East of Eden
Rebel Without a Cause

What did you think of these two? Are you planning to check out Giant?

I actually really enjoyed them. I hadn't seen either of them (but have heard of them for some time), and knew them to be classics. I can definitely see why people find James Dean appealing; he reminds me quite a bit of Marlon Brando (which makes sense since he was kind of his progeny). I don't find them to be overly spectacular, but they certainly have replay value and are worth watching. I would like to watch Giant, but I'm going back to school soon and I don't think I'll have any time to watch it at the moment. I'm planning on getting the Ultimate Collector's Edition set, which includes Giant, so I might just have to wait until I get that to see it.

[TheValentineBros]

Pacific Rim.

I just came in my pants because it was THAT good.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

The Killing
Sans Soleil
Sleeping Beauty
WALL·E
Revanche

[PeterPanfan]

I watched The African Queen yesterday and really enjoyed it. Everything about it - acting, script, direction = solid.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

I watched The African Queen yesterday and really enjoyed it. Everything about it - acting, script, direction = solid.

I still need to see this! It's been on my radar for quite a while, but I just haven't gotten around to watching it yet. I pretty sure that, unfortunately, the only version of Katharine Hepburn that I've seen is Cate Blanchett in The Aviator.

[UmbrellaFish]

I watched The African Queen yesterday and really enjoyed it. Everything about it - acting, script, direction = solid.

I still need to see this! It's been on my radar for quite a while, but I just haven't gotten around to watching it yet. I pretty sure that, unfortunately, the only version of Katharine Hepburn that I've seen is Cate Blanchett in The Aviator.

Oh, you must get on it, then! May I recommend a few of her's?:

Bringing Up Baby- great classic screwball comedy with Kate and Cary Grant.
Adam's Rib- I haven't seen all of the Hepburn and Tracy films, but of the ones I've seen, it's my favorite. A courtroom dramedy.
The Lion in Winter- One of my favorites, but admittedly YMMV. A period drama with Peter O'Toole, Anthony Hopkins, and Kate as Eleanor of Aquitaine. The dialogue makes this movie, and some might argue, suffocates it.

There are so many more to pick from, of course, and The African Queen is a magnificent choice. Sometimes it astounds me that she made so many good pictures-- her filmography is filled with gems for the majority of her career, which I don't think can be said of many actors.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Cool, thanks for the suggestions! I love Cary Grant, so I definitely want to check out Bringing Up Baby. I haven't heard of Adam's Rib, but I have heard of The Lion in Winter (nothing about it, though). Thanks again!

[Disney's Divinity]

Adam's Rib- I haven't seen all of the Hepburn and Tracy films, but of the ones I've seen, it's my favorite. A courtroom dramedy.

I haven't seen all of Hepburn's films either, but, yeah, I really loved Adam's Rib. I didn't even watch it on purpose, tbh, I just had it on TV one day accidentally and couldn't stop watching. Really enjoy that one.

I don't post in this thread often, but I have seen a lot of new and old films/TV series the past year with Netflix. I believe the most recent film I saw though was Identity Thief. I didn't go into it expecting to enjoy anything but the main actress's performance, and I really loved her. I've never seen her in that Mike and Molly show she has, and the character she has in the Sandra Bullock movie that's new doesn't look interesting, but I loved her in this anyway.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

The Dark Knight Rises - A pretty good conclusion to the trilogy. I'm not the biggest fan of comic book films, but this series isn't too shabby.

Requiem for a Dream - Moral of the story kids: don't do drugs. Creepy and odd, a great start to his great career (so far).

Psycho - I watched this for Hitch's birthday today; it was the first Hitchcock film I ever saw and it is absolutely my most favorite. The shower scene is the definition of fantastic cinema.