What Movie Did You Just Watch? - Forever

Discussion of non-Disney entertainment.
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Cordy_Biddle
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Post by Cordy_Biddle »

Stressful day yesterday so I wanted a movie which didn't require me to think too much. Dug out one of my feel-good staples, Amazon Women on the Moon. Fantastic! :D
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Post by ajmrowland »

Watchmen: Director's Cut-

First Impressions are that this movie is weird on a number of levels. Cool visuals, lots of male nudity(especially for a superhero movie), and almost none of the characters exhibit any real powers, and the film is a bloodbath in general, too.
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Post by Barbossa »

Watched Return of the King last night.
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Post by 2099net »

ajmrowland wrote:Watchmen: Director's Cut-

First Impressions are that this movie is weird on a number of levels. Cool visuals, lots of male nudity(especially for a superhero movie), and almost none of the characters exhibit any real powers, and the film is a bloodbath in general, too.
But of course Watchmen isn't a superhero story. Even with the graphic novel which people acclaimed as being "superheroes in the real world" I never quite agreed - despite the presence of a number of superhero archetypes in the story. What the film is primarily about is how society reacts to a creditable "End of the World" scenario and of course how the Watchmen individually react to the "threat" of nuclear war :

Spoilers (about the characters and what makes them "turn")


Dr Manhattan
Dr Manhattan represents "order" above everything else. He has all-but lost his humanity and views the upcoming apocalypse with cool emotional detachment and scientific analysis. To him the likelihood of the apocalypse is a formula - an equation with no emotional connection to the "superbeing".

Note that while Dr Manhattan is calm and logical about the future, he still has emotional ties to his past. It's when Ozymandias' plan to remove Dr Manhattan (something vital to Ozymandias' scheme to unite mankind in the film) by implying Manhattan is responsible for triggering cancer in people close to Manhattan in the past that the super-being shows his only real strong spontaneous emotion in the entire story.

The Comedian
The Comedian represents "chaos" - the total opposite view. He's recognised his own human failings - greed, aggression, jealousy, lust etc. and realised that all other human beings have the same failings too. To him, the apocalypse is inevitable and not worth stopping. It's just human nature. Long ago he realised man as a species was flawed and doomed to failure. Hence his ironic codename. You get the impression that he played along with the government as a "hero" simply so he could indulge his vices without major consequence.

But when he stumbles upon Ozymandias' plan by accident, it drives him to the verge of a breakdown. Even the comedian who as a so called "hero" who casually raped and killed for his own satisfaction and thinks mankind isn't worth saving, is shocked by the human cost of Ozymandias' plan.

Rorschach
Rorschach represents "morality" - a particular clear-cut form of morality - the old-school "an eye for an eye" kind. Considering he sees the world in simple black and white his mask and name is a fitting metaphor.

He couldn't care less about the potential upcoming nuclear war. He's deeply disturbed, almost fanatical - in his quest to punish the guilty (obviously an obsession ignited at an early age). To him every day; every minute is simply about his obsession. Issues such as nuclear war are beyond his self-imposed remit (or so he thinks).

When the reality of Ozymandias' plan is known to Rorschach he can only see it in his simple black/white and good/bad mentality. While it would undoubtedly be better to let mankind think Manhattan responsible for the destruction, he only thinks of telling the world Ozymandias is responsible; even though doing so would mean all those who died would have died in vain.

Nite-Owl
Nite-Owl represents "liberalism" - like Rorschach he became a hero to fight criminals, but he doesn't and never has believed in executing them. He is somebody who always had faith in the basic goodness of the human race, despite being a "superhero" once. And now, he's settled down into a comfortable non-hero role. He's worried about the potential for nuclear annihilation, but still, deep down, thinks mankind will sort itself out.

It's when Nite-Owl's friend (the original Nite-Owl) is violently murdered, that Nite-Owl begins to doubt his faith in humanity, and begins to think that war is inevitable. I think the sub-text here is the world has become more violent since Nite-Owl's time as a "superhero". Note however that when Nite-Owl is attacking the gang-member in retaliation for the original Nite-Owl's murder, it is actually Rorschach who stops him.

Ozymandias
Finally there's Ozymandias who is reportedly the cleverest man on Earth. He represents "logic".

Like Dr Manhattan he's calculated that war is inevitable, but unlike Manhattan he wants to stop it. But he's all brains and little heart, so he see's that the ends justifies the means. I think Ozymandias simply sees a problem which must be solved - at whatever the cost. Because logically, the loss of a few outweighs the loss of everything.

He's not evil as such - nobody in Watchmen is "evil". Even Morloch the criminal when we see him is trying hard to reform and live the short remainder of his life in peace.

Silk Spectre
I must admit I'm thrown by the role the Silk Spectre plays. She seems to straddle lots of views of the other characters. Is this an acknowledgement that women are more emotional and have a greater ability to see other points of view? One thing about Silk Spectre is that she seems to be the glue which keeps connections with the other Watchmen open: She lives with Manhattan. The Comedian is her father. She seeks friendship and comfort with Nite-Owl (and through her connection with Nite-Owl pursuades him to bust out Rorschach). Perhaps that's the role she plays - an anchor.

However, it would be wrong to suggest this is because Moore can't write for woman - he's written excellent roles for women in his other works. So perhaps I'm just missing something with the Silk Spectre. [shrugs]


So there you have it. Watchmen is a astonishing piece of work (especially the graphic novel) which uses easily identifiable superhero archetypes to examine and explore reactions to (what at the time of its writing) was still a very real threat. All of the characters have views and personalities which not only play of each other, but mean that the reader/viewer can idendify/sympathise with one or more of the characters' viewpoints.

While commonly mis-labelled as a superhero work, there is in-fact no "good" and no "evil" in the story; no major fist fights and no happy "good triumphs over evil" ending. In fact, the ending (with Rorschach's journal) is open to interpretation, but on the face of it, it ends on a depressing note: Rorschach's Journal will be published and Ozymandias' plan will be revealed meaning not only will all the innocent deaths been in vain, but the suspicion between the two blocks of power will no doubt increase. Perhaps Ozymandias' actions won't prevent a war but cause it?

Finally, like all good works of fiction, repeated exposure only reveals more metaphors and more details you missed on earlier readings/viewings.

10/10 (book and film)
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Post by Barbossa »

Watched The Muppet Christmas Carol. Haven't seen it since it's theatrical release. Still a good movie. 8)
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Post by ajmrowland »

Wow, thanks Netty!:) that's very enlightening.
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Post by jpanimation »

ajmrowland wrote:Watchmen: Director's Cut-

First Impressions are that this movie is weird on a number of levels. Cool visuals, lots of male nudity(especially for a superhero movie), and almost none of the characters exhibit any real powers, and the film is a bloodbath in general, too.
Yeah, I was warned ahead of time that this was social commentary and not the next Spider-Man but that didn't help. I was bored to tears watching this movie. I've only seen the directors cut but it dragged and seemed to take forever to get to the point (you know, the plot). I never really connected with any of the characters and hadn't seen action this boring in years. Either way, I'm probably not watching this again any time soon.

Mulan (1998) 8/10 - underrated movie. Mulan as a character is strong and resourceful and the supporting characters are entertaining. Mushu is not as annoying as everyone claims and was actually quite funny ("dishonor on your cow!"). The music is also not bad like everyone says and I actually think Reflection is a great song and the others are pretty catchy. Its really nice to see a bad guy who's not a joke and actually quite serious. The art direction is great (look at the stylized smoke, very Zelda Wind Waker-y, very cool). I have to say, I really like this movie, and rank it up there with the best of the Disney Renaissance.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) 8.5/10 - very fun adventure movie. I walked into the theater expecting nothing and was surprised that I hadn't that much fun since watching the original Indian Jones. The characters and score are iconic, the story is fun, the acting is great and the special effect are great. The original is still the best by a long shot as it actually takes place in the caribbean and focuses on pirates stuff. I'm really glad they pulled this off as well as they did (too bad I can't say the same about the sequels).
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Post by Cordy_Biddle »

Sixties girly double feature last night!:

Gidget Goes Hawaiian and Susan Slade
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Post by Margos »

Wow, Netty, that was a really deep and wonderful analysis. I've never seen or read Watchmen, though I've heard it's good.... Now I really want to check it out! It sound fascinating! (Though perhaps better in graphic novel form than in film form).
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Post by BelleGirl »

The 40 year old virgin
I've heard a lot about this movie that it was so funny and I wanted to watch it once. I suspected there would be gross jokes in it ( I'm not fond of that) and indeed there were some, but overall it was quite cute and touching in a comical way.



Immortal Beloved
A movie depicting the life of Ludwig van Beethoven. His life story is told through his assistant Schindler, who searches for Beethoven's "immortal beloved" to whom Ludwig has left his posessions after his death. Van Beethoven (played by Gary Oldman) is portayed as a troubled, sometimes nice but a mostly insufferable person who struggels with his increasing deafness. Also starring Jeroen Krabbe as Schindler, Johanna ter Steege and Isabelle Rosellini. Some gorgeous images and the succesful first performance of Beethoven's 9th symphony is memorable. As has often been told someone turned Ludwig's head to the audience to see them applaud.
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Post by Cordy_Biddle »

The Thin Man Goes Home
Daddy Long Legs (1955)
Victor/Victoria
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Post by PeterPanfan »

Deception - This drama/romance/erotic thriller was decent. It starred Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman as new friends, who are swept into this elitist club that has sex with each other. Michelle Williams gives the best performance as a girl who gets into a relationship with Ewan's character, which is a strictly forbidden rule in the club. It's so funny how only less than five years ago she was a teen star, and now she's a high-class Oscar-nominated actress. Not many stars of teen dramas are able to announce that so early on in their career.
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Post by Margos »

Bambi - You know, it seemed less somehow this time, but only because I had to watch it with my 5-year-old brother. Ah well. He loved the fight of Bambi vs. Ronno, and thought the whole "twitterpated" concept was hysterical.
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Post by jpanimation »

jpanimation wrote:After enjoying Star Trek (2009) 8/10 and some of the original series I caught on TV, I thought I'd give the original movies a spin:

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) 5/10 - this movie is just as bad as they say it is. How could Robert Wise, director of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) 8/10, screw up scifi when he seemingly perfected it years before? Easy, he took a page from Stanley Kubrick and tried to imitate his 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 6/10. The result, like 2001, long, boring and pointless with many unnecessary scenes. Unfortunately for Trek, nobody is overanalyzing it and getting meaning where there is none to make it into something its not (aka justify its mediocrity). In the end, the movie was hardly enough story for one episode, let alone a movie, so expect 20 min shots with no meaning and nothing happening (ie staring at a cloud or flying by one ship).

Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982) 7.5/10 - much, much better. This is the Trek I remember from the show and the new movie. Less Kubrick and more Lucas. The characters are no longer stale, humor has been injected back in, this time we actually have a bad guy, and lots more action. Two completely different movies, while the other got off to a bad start, this one regained my faith and any possibility of my watching any more of them. PS: Knowing this was based on the episode Space Seed, I did a quick google search, and watched it in HD on CBS.com prior to watching the movie.
I watched the first two Star Trek movies on HDNet Movies and they just now showed the next two (took them long enough):

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) 6/10 - picks up right where Khan left off. It finishes the story but also makes Spock's sacrifice in the last movie less meaningful. This movie is just alright for me and no where near as good as its predecessor. This movie takes itself a little too seriously and doesn't have the interesting story Khan had (great villain returning with proper motivation, the concept of genesis, great character arc). One big redeeming factor of this movie was Christopher Lloyd. I was geeking out to see Doc Brown dressed up in alien wear, speaking some goofy made-up language with such seriousness.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) 6.5/10 - picks up right where the last one left off. This one is famous for its "save the whales" message and enterprise crew interaction with 1980's San Francisco. I will say one thing, at times this movie is hilarious with its absolute awkwardness. It was these funny moments that helps me forgive the absolutely ridiculous plot. I hate movies with time travel (Back to the Future and Terminator being exceptions) and this one has the dumbest time travel I've ever scene (really bad for a series constantly spewing its logic). I really think that futuristic space movies work best when they don't show Earth and this one shows a little too much. I also have to comment on the special effects, which at times, ILM is flawless and beautiful while other times, its horrible (CGI Enterprise anyone?). As funny as some parts were, the story and acting can be pretty bad (actually, the whole movie is not that great), and it doesn't even come close to Khan.

So far, Khan is the only real Trek movie out of the original movies that I actually like.

The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) 7/10 - better then I thought. Here's another book series adapted by Nickelodeon (the other being Lemony Snicket) that turned out better then I thought. Unfortunately Nickelodeon doesn't take advantage of franchises it starts. This movie featured more violence then you'd expect from Nick (hope they won't totally neuter Avatar) and a pretty decent story. The acting is also decent (I like how the main character played two characters) and the effect work is great. Tippet designed some great creatures and brought them to life wonderfully. I'm also happy to report that Seth Rogen was properly casted for once as a pig creature (after being miscast as a Mouse in Horton, Mantis in Panda, and Blob in Monsters), his voice finally works. Martin Short's character is also great, I really like the effects work done on this film.
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Post by Barbossa »

jpanimation wrote:One big redeeming factor of this movie was Christopher Lloyd. I was geeking out to see Doc Brown dressed up in alien wear, speaking some goofy made-up language with such seriousness.
At least he didn't yell "Beam me up on one point two one jigawatts!" :lol:

Tonight I watched:
King Solomon's Mines - The Hallmark Entertainment one that starred Patrick Swayze and Alison Doody (Elsa from Indiana Jones 3). It was alright. The ending was a little weak though.
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Post by UmbrellaFish »

For the first time ever I saw Chicago.

I DVR'd it out of curiousity and I've watched it three time already, and I want to buy the BD sometime. My review- it's awesome. Just awesome.
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Post by Mooky »

A Christmas Carol - the trailer made it look less serious than it was, but that whole grimness works to this movie's advantage. Comparing it to "The Polar Express", its thematic predecessor, "Carol" is less magical but there's a definite improvement in the mo-cap technique. Fantastic performance(s) by Jim Carrey. All in all, a good film.

Btw, was I the only one who thought the Ghost of Christmas Present was more creepy than the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?
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Post by Cordy_Biddle »

Return to Peyton Place
Song of the Thin Man
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
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Post by BelleGirl »

An unfinished life Movie starring Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez and Morgan Freeman. Woman (J. Lo) flees her abusive boyfriend with her daughter and goes to live as unwelcome guest at the ranch of het father-in-law (Robert Redford) who still blames her for the death of his son in a car accident 10 years before. Morgan Freeman is the neighbour crippled because he was once attacked by a bear. In the end everyone is reconsiled end the abusive boyfriend gets his due.

The White Masai Based on the true story of a blond Swiss woman who falls in love with a Masai warrior on a vacation and leaves everything behind to live with him and his tribe. They marry and get a daughter but their happiness cannot last because of the big differences between them and his obsessive jaleousy. In the end she returns with her daugther to Switzerland. Her husband tells her he knows she will not return.
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Post by ajmrowland »

Watchmen- overlong, and rather convoluted. It does, however, feature interesting characters, visuals, a cool shot of the smiley pin falling to the ground, and an awe-inspiring opening-titles sequence that emphasizes the "alternate 1985" aspect.
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