DVDizzy Forum

Goliath wrote:Nightwatch (1994)

Also known as Nattevagten in its original Danish. A very morbid thriller, which takes place for a large part in a morgue, where the main character Martin, a student, has a job on the side. After a while, a serial killer who targets prostitutes, tries to frame Martin. Just at the same time when his best friend has introduced him to a hooker who happens to be friends with one of the murdered prostitutes...

All the way through the film. I thought I had figured out the murdered, then I started to doubt and suspect someone else, and then it turned out to be somebody else entirely! This film kept me on the edge of my seat until the end, and I expected a very different ending (though I would have preferred my version because it's darker)..

I've only seen the American remake. Which has a scene in it that you'd better believe I say Saw ripped off. Not to mention the entire look of the movie is very Saw-like. Only with actual camerawork instead of everything being shook for wannabe edgy, dramatic / realistic effect. Maybe not a great thriller, but very stylish and easily better than any of the Saw's. Alix Koromzay gives an excellent performance, though. Kinda shocked to find out she was Cindy in Kindergarten Cop.

jpanimation wrote:Edward Everett Horton, on the other hand, is a character actor (so he's probably played bit parts in a lot of movies you've seen). I mainly remember Horton being teamed up with Eric Blore in some Astaire/Rogers musicals (The Gay Divorcee, Top Hat, Shall We Dance), lending to some of the more comedic moments.

I've seen Top Hat, but not the other two. I must recognize him from that film. (I find it a funny thought that some people nowadays would avoid the movie The Gay Divorcee because of its title.)

@ Lazario: I've never seen any of the 'Saw'-films (and I intend on keeping it that way), so I can't comment on that. Maybe you should try to catch the original Danish film, if you don't mind reading subtitles. Although I don't know how much it would impress someone who has seen as many horror-movies as you have.

ajmrowland wrote:y'know, you can actually buy *them* in reality.

Well, the director keeps using that BS excuse to justify "it's" inclusion in this film. He recognizes the large backlash but refuses to admit how out of place it is and how it goes against what the movie set up. He just tells people to "look it up on the internet, it's real." Well I did. The one that they used as a model, the T-73 (best model currently available anywhere), is hardly practical. It can fly for 9 minutes, a distance of 11 miles, 83 mph, with a max height 250ft, and a max pilot weight of 180 lbs. It looked like he was flying a little more than 250ft in the air; between Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl and the gatling guns, I'll venture to guess he was carrying over the 180 lbs. weight limit; not to mention it would've flipped over when carrying Hit-Girl from being front heavy and their would've been some kind of kick back from the guns.

This was a low budget ($25mil) movie that didn't handle the effect well and it didn't jive with movie goers. We bought it up to that point and then called BS. The fact that people don't buy it and are being told to look it up to believe it, is a bad sign. I personally don't buy it even after looking it up. It was a bad call on the director's part to change the comic to include it.

Goliath wrote:I've seen Top Hat, but not the other two. I must recognize him from that film. (I find it a funny thought that some people nowadays would avoid the movie The Gay Divorcee because of its title.)

I like Top Hat but not the other two as much. Although, I like Erik Rhodes more in The Gay Divorcee than in Top Hat. He plays an Italian stereotype who is always saying "scusi". His character is so innocent you can't help but love him.

As for the title The Gay Divorcee, it actually got a lot of flack back when it came out. It was originally titled The Gay Divorce but the censors didn't want to promote the idea that a divorce could be happy, so they changed it to The Gay Divorcee. Of course, now gay has a different meaning.

The Secret Garden - I think there are several versions of this, so I should probably specify that this is the one with Margaret O'Brian. I loved it! So cute! The scenes with Mary and Collin screaming at each other were kind of annoying, but I thought they were kind of funny. I liked this book a lot when I was a kid, and the movie really captured the essence of it, I thought. I saw it when it aired on TCM and John Lithgow, who introduced it, simply said, "There's a visual effect partway through. I'm not going to tell you what it is, just that the same thing happened in the Wizard of Oz." They also showed no shots from these scenes, so I had no idea it was going to happen, they really kept it a surprise. So when the garden in bloom was revealed in technicolor, I remember actually gasping. It was just so beautiful! And the fact that every scene in the restored garden was done that way... it added an extra layer of magic to the film. Very nice. And the child actors were all very good. Wow, I wasn't aware that Margaret O'Brian could be so bitchy! And the kid who played Dicken was so funny, too. I really liked the kid who played Collin, he was very convincing in the role.

jpanimation wrote:

ajmrowland wrote:y'know, you can actually buy *them* in reality.

Well, the director keeps using that BS excuse to justify "it's" inclusion in this film. He recognizes the large backlash but refuses to admit how out of place it is and how it goes against what the movie set up. He just tells people to "look it up on the internet, it's real." Well I did. The one that they used as a model, the T-73 (best model currently available anywhere), is hardly practical. It can fly for 9 minutes, a distance of 11 miles, 83 mph, with a max height 250ft, and a max pilot weight of 180 lbs. It looked like he was flying a little more than 250ft in the air; between Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl and the gatling guns, I'll venture to guess he was carrying over the 180 lbs. weight limit; not to mention it would've flipped over when carrying Hit-Girl from being front heavy and their would've been some kind of kick back from the guns.

There was a TV show back in the 70s called "Ark II" that used a real one, although the footage was mostly reused from the first episode. Movies always have a bit of suspension of disbelief, and using something like that which is grounded in reality is a far cry from using something like a "ring of levitation" or anti-gravity belt. Sure, some of the specs might have been fudged, but that always happens in movies. Plus, it is an over-the-top film, set in a world close to ours but probably not quite ours. I don't know if the movie was very near future, or supposed to be set in "today."

Also, regarding the guns, they wouldn't push back that much. Of course, I haven't seen this scene, and I'm not sure exactly how big the guns were or how rapidly they were firing. I do know it's a common misconception that people go flying across the room when they get shot, but in real life a bullet weighing a couple of ounces can't move a body weighing a couple of hundred pounds.

EDIT:

I just watched these two bits on youtube, and considering he's a skinny teenager and Hit Girl is a 12 year old girl, they probably aren't even over the weight limit, or if they are it's by 15-20 pounds...

The guns were little mini guns, attached to the top frame of the thing, and I doubt they were even firing 9MM rounds. They aren't going to be pushing it very far, and concievably there could be some forward thrust being applied as they shoot to keep that from happening.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. All I can say is it definitely lived up to it's tagline of "an epic of epic epicness". I've already seen it twice and I can't wait to see it again. Even if you don't like the story much, you have got to appreciate the direction, it's absolutely fantastic. Edgar Wright is a genius.

Do short films count? If so, I just watched Byron Phillips: Found (http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/c247d1 ... chary-levi). It was funny, heartwarming, and very cute.

I'd definitely recommend either to anyone.

jpanimation wrote:

ajmrowland wrote:y'know, you can actually buy *them* in reality.

Well, the director keeps using that BS excuse to justify "it's" inclusion in this film. He recognizes the large backlash but refuses to admit how out of place it is and how it goes against what the movie set up. He just tells people to "look it up on the internet, it's real." Well I did. The one that they used as a model, the T-73 (best model currently available anywhere), is hardly practical. It can fly for 9 minutes, a distance of 11 miles, 83 mph, with a max height 250ft, and a max pilot weight of 180 lbs. It looked like he was flying a little more than 250ft in the air; between Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl and the gatling guns, I'll venture to guess he was carrying over the 180 lbs. weight limit; not to mention it would've flipped over when carrying Hit-Girl from being front heavy and their would've been some kind of kick back from the guns.

This was a low budget ($25mil) movie that didn't handle the effect well and it didn't jive with movie goers. We bought it up to that point and then called BS. The fact that people don't buy it and are being told to look it up to believe it, is a bad sign. I personally don't buy it even after looking it up. It was a bad call on the director's part to change the comic to include it.

whoa, easy there man. I agree, the effect is cheap, but I think that only adds to the cheap nature of the film. You can still buy one that reaches 8000. it's the first available commercially from Martin. the one in the movie was bought of an individual more likely. and since commercial availability wasnt until this year, you cant blame them for cheating a little.

still, mostly an enjoyable film.

Watched the last 3/4 of Toy Story 2. I must say, the movie's growing on me. I can appreciate more scenes now, mainly the ones that subtly hint at the original and the third film. It's also 10 times more hilarious. But I still consider that scene with Al and the Cheetos disgusting. Maybe it's just me and my hygiene issues.

Recently got and have been watching for the past few nights now: Clash of the Titans..


I have not seen the original in years, but i remember the owl, Bubo. Was disappointed that it didn't appear much in the movie, but it was cool seeing Bubo make a cameo

I honestly thought the movie was great! Hades was very.. Voldemort-ish and it was funny seeing Jake Sully(Forgot his name) from Avatar. ^_^Medusa and the Kraken were awesome in the movie!

Kraken Guard wrote:Recently got and have been watching for the past few nights now: Clash of the Titans..


I have not seen the original in years, but i remember the owl, Bubo. Was disappointed that it didn't appear much in the movie, but it was cool seeing Bubo make a cameo

I honestly thought the movie was great! Hades was very.. Voldemort-ish and it was funny seeing Jake Sully(Forgot his name) from Avatar. ^_^Medusa and the Kraken were awesome in the movie!

My brother and dad think that the new one is the worst movie they've ever seen in their lives, and my teacher thinks that the old one is the best worst movie ever.

To keep the thread from going off-topic, I took this from the Sleeping Beauty discussion:

Khonnor wrote:4. Sliver

That's a really fun bad movie. Tom Berenger is so awful and over the hill in that role. I wish I could remember the line he said that was so painful. In that scene where he breaks into her apartment and tries to convince her of the other guy's past.

littlefuzzy wrote:I just watched these two bits on youtube, and considering he's a skinny teenager and Hit Girl is a 12 year old girl, they probably aren't even over the weight limit, or if they are it's by 15-20 pounds...

Here's a pic of Aaron Johnson:

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l1luf ... o1_400.jpg

Since he's 5' 11" (like me) and appears (from the picture) to have the same build as me, I'll guess he's 175-180 lbs. I know this is ridiculously geeky but I'm calling BS on that whole sequence (as did the creator of the comic). I never read the comic but I heard it was just a flamethrower in that one, way more believable than some impractical James Bond gadget (what's next, a hover car?). Doesn't belong in the movie but I still enjoy it as a whole (I just ignore that sequence).

ajmrowland wrote:whoa, easy there man. I agree, the effect is cheap, but I think that only adds to the cheap nature of the film. You can still buy one that reaches 8000. it's the first available commercially from Martin. the one in the movie was bought of an individual more likely. and since commercial availability wasnt until this year, you cant blame them for cheating a little.

Martin? You can't even walk with that giant POS on your back. No one would ever buy something THAT impractical and it's definitely not the one they used as a basis for the one found in the movie.

The whole sequence was just Matthew Vaughn being self-indulgent as neither the fans or comic creator wanted it. We're now supposed to believe that the item in question exists, that no one in the city sees it (I'm sure New York has some kind of Air Defense that would be all over that), and that no one notices the bazooka being fired (keep in mind, none of this was in the original comic). They had me until the end, then my BS detector went crazy.

Also, Matthew Vaughn's desire to make Kick-Ass a hero at the end kind of goes against everything the movie was about. Kick-Ass is just a dorky wannabe superhero with good intentions, but at the end of the day, he's only a geek. To change the story so that he gets the girl and saves the day, effectively making him the unrealistic comic book hero this movie satirized just seemed wrong. So the end kind of ruins more then just the realism set up at the beginning.

I've read the list of changes and the rest seemed for the better, just not what he did at the end.

How to Steal a Million (1966) Just watched it again and I believe it is one of the least appreciated movies ever. It even beats Charade in my opinion and that movie has Cary Grant in it. In my opinion it is probably one of the most realistic films that is based on unrealistic situations. Understand?

The trailer for the movie is horrible though. It basically shows nothing of the plot, except how sexy Audrey Hepburn is
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A few hours ago, i watched Rocketman. After that was Galaxy Quest.

I love those movies..

Animalia wrote:It basically shows nothing of the plot, except how sexy Audrey Hepburn is

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Kraken Guard wrote:A few hours ago, i watched Rocketman. After that was Galaxy Quest.

A lousy sci-fi comedy followed by a genius sci-fi comedy. Interesting choices, Kraken Guard.

Anyways, a few movies watched recently in the Scaps household...

Eagle Eye (2008 ) - a mindless two-hour action/thriller that did its job but doesn't have much else to show for it.

A Matter of Life and Death a.k.a. Stairway to Heaven (1946) - excellent WWII drama by Powell & Pressburger, featuring David Niven and Kim Hunter.

Morocco (1930) - Marlene Dietrich's second sound film, and one of my favorites from her filmography. Aside from this and Blonde Venus, I haven't had a chance to go through the rest of the films in "The Glamour Collection" DVD set, though I hope to get to them soon.

The Garden of Allah (1936) - another Dietrich film, I admit I didn't pay much attention to it and had it as background noise. But I plan on watching it again.

Singin' in the Rain (1952) - I only planned to watch the first 20 minutes of this (as I was doing the dishes, and I like having background noise), but ended up deciding to watch the whole thing.

albert

Escapay wrote:

Animalia wrote:It basically shows nothing of the plot, except how sexy Audrey Hepburn is

You say that like it's a bad thing.

I should have edited my post, I knew someone was going to say that! It's not a bad thing, but as a female I don't usually want to see a movie just because a person that is attractive has their body shown to full advantage in it. Maybe I'm an outcast, but I don't enjoy a movie just because an actor is hot in it. Yes, the trailer would get males to see the movie, but what about us females? I mean they barely show how cute Peter O'Toole is.

Animalia wrote:Yes, the trailer would get males to see the movie, but what about us females?

Speak for yourself.

I few movies I watched fairly recently:

Persepolis: I've been wanting to see this movie for a long time, and I was not dissapointed when I rented it. A haunting picture of the life of a girl growing up in Iran when the Islamic revolution breaks out. First she 'escapes' when she is send to a French school in Austria (with both funny and haertbreaking scenes) returns home again for a while, in the end to go to France for good. 9/10 (Quote: "It cannot get worse than under the Sjah" -yes it can!)

Toy Story 3 3D Finally saw it! A worthy finale of the series that almost brought tears to my eyes in the end. 9/10

Chopin, desire for love" A movie I donwloaded and saw on my computer. Was Chopin really such an annoying man as this movie suggests? 6/10

The Lovely Bones Actually wanted to rent "Precious" but the Video rental didn't have it. It was okay.

South Pacific- This is cheating a little bit. It wasn't a movie. It was a filmed installment of PBS's Live From Lincoln Center, but regardless, it was great!

I've seen SP before, but not in it's entirety. And of course I've heard many of the songs (A Cockeyed Optimist, There's Nothing Like a Dame, I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair, Some Enchanted Evening, You Have to Be Carefully Taught), but wow, was this a treat! I love finding a "new" R&H classic, and this was stunning. Especially what happened to Cable. I wasn't expecting that.

Now I'll be singing Some Enchanted Evening all day tomorrow.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Easily one of my favorite films this summer, and likely for the entire year. Yes, it's Michael Cera playing Michael Cera again, but the character fits perfectly in the setting of the film, and Edgar Wright's third motion picture is just as funny and visually striking as his first two features. It also shares the same flaws with his other films, as it could shave 10-15 minutes somewhere in the middle or speed up the pacing in those scenes, maybe shorten some of the battles with the evil exes. Trust me when I say, if you grew up in the late 80's or early 90's, you will love this film, and even some of you old-schoolers will get a kick out of it, too. B+

Cheers,
JM