Let's Talk Movies v.20! (Period Dramas, Skating Movies, Underrated Films...& More!)

[Cyn]

I haven't been keeping up to date on recent releases, but this past Tuesday (9/18), I was in sheer heaven watching TCM - September 18th was Greta Garbo's birthday (she would have been 107), and the entire day was devoted to some of her best movies.

I was laid up in bed with a virus, and was treated to watching Flesh and the Devil, A Woman of Affairs, Love, Anna Christie, Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise, and Queen Christina, plus a wonderful documentary from 2005. I would have pouted about their not airing Ninotchka and Anna Karenina, but both were on in the past two weeks.

[PeterG]

Not a lot of new stuff coming out this week (as far as smaller films go). That said, I'm quite interested in seeing "Hellbound?" when it comes out on DVD.

Sep 28 Bringing Up Bobby (Comedy drama with Milla Jovovich, Bill Pullman and Marcia Cross)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1MfReTtHew

Sep 30 Hellbound? (Documentary. From imdb.com: “If God is our pure, all-loving creator, can he really turn his back on sinners and allow them to suffer for eternity in hell? Where did this vision of hell come from? Is it possible we've got hell wrong?”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGfY_LyYYUg

Sep 30 The Iran Job (Documentary. From imdb.com: “At the height of international tension between America and Iran, Kevin Sheppard, a charismatic African-American basketball player accepts an offer to play professional basketball in Iran. What begins as a desire to 'explore the unknown' ends in an emotional roller-coaster as he forms an unlikely alliance with three young Iranian women against the backdrop of revolutionary social upheaval in Iran.”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCXGKhb_VVQ

[immoimeme]

free redbox film was "Hysteria"--it was cute and funny but I wished it had been more serious and given more historical/cultural background info.

Rob Pattinson mini-film fest continues: "Remember Me" is a sweet, sad, wonderful film; I'm ready for viewing number 4 mainly because I've gotten all hung up on how *sculptural* the camera here is making Rob look. well, and I always like Lena Olin too-she's quite sculptural in her own right

Speaking of sculpture, I caught Ken Russell's "Savage Messiah" and highly recommend it if you want a glimpse into the hell that is a very intense life of an very intense artist.

I had never seen a Harold and Kumar movie, so I got the Christmas one and not ashamed to say I enjoyed every single minute of its reeeeeeeally low-(no?)brow humor.

I curently have a funny Romanian film-"Tales of The Golden Age"- and I highly recommend it even if you feel you have zero interest in things Romanian. The stories are quite universal and very fun to watch.

[Vash01]

I had planned on watching the Best exotic Marigold hotel, but I just finished reading the book, and discovered that the movie is completely different from the book (I read the synopsis on IMDB). That's a huge demotivator for me.

I have not seen a movie in ages; it's time to go see one.

[Artemis@BC]

I watched Cabin in the Woods last night. I'm not a fan of horror films in general, or slasher movies in particular ... but this was such a clever twist on the genre. Highly enjoyable. Not that I should be surprised, coming from Joss Whedon.

[Vash01]

I watched Cabin in the Woods last night. I'm not a fan of horror films in general, or slasher movies in particular ... but this was such a clever twist on the genre. Highly enjoyable. Not that I should be surprised, coming from Joss Whedon.

Just goes to show how different people have different tastes. I actually walked out of this movie after about one hour and got my ticket cost refunded to me.

[Allen]

Just goes to show how different people have different tastes. I actually walked out of this movie after about one hour and got my ticket cost refunded to me.

And I had the opposite reaction, I laughed my ass off during that movie! I love it!

[Buzz]

Just goes to show how different people have different tastes. I actually walked out of this movie after about one hour and got my ticket cost refunded to me.

I agree with you about this movie. It was one of the worse movies I have ever seen.

[PeterG]

I watched Cabin in the Woods last night. I'm not a fan of horror films in general, or slasher movies in particular ... but this was such a clever twist on the genre. Highly enjoyable. Not that I should be surprised, coming from Joss Whedon.

I've been checking our library's website every few days to see when this appears in the catalogue. I want to see it NOW!!! (But not enough to pay $$$ for it.... )

[Artemis@BC]

I watched 2 Quebecois films last night. Didn't plan it that way, just how the library holds worked out.

The first was Monsieur Lazhar, which was nominated for a best foreign language Oscar last year. I thought it was good, even very good in places, but not Oscar-worthy. (But then, I felt that way about the winner ... ) There are lots of nice moments and images, and some great acting esp. by the kids, but I thought it shied away from or glossed over some of the really important themes. Still worthwhile though, probably 7/10.

The second was Starbuck. I tried to see this at VIFF last year but couldn't -- worth waiting for though. What a delight! Completely unbelievable, but I didn't care a bit. It's a dramedy about a 40-something guy with not much to show for his life who finds out that, due to a colossal clinic screw up and his "remarkably high-quality sperm" () he is the biological father of hundreds of 20-somethings. Lots of poignancy mixed with black comedy, and a very French-Canadian feel. (Throughout I couldn't help but think how different the film would have been if it had been made by Hollywood. And not in a good way.) 9/10

[Artemis@BC]

Just goes to show how different people have different tastes. I actually walked out of this movie after about one hour and got my ticket cost refunded to me.

Different tasted indeed.

I'm curious, though, what theatre gives a refund just because you didn't like a film. Especially after watching an hour of it. I've never heard of such a thing.

I've been checking our library's website every few days to see when this appears in the catalogue. I want to see it NOW!!! (But not enough to pay $$$ for it.... )

Peter, I got it from the Burnaby library. Doesn't Vancouver have it yet? ETA: just checked online, and VPL has 22 copies with a current queue of 104. But maybe you're not in Vancouver proper ...

[PeterG]

Eight smaller films coming out this week. Lots of stuff to interest me: two horror movies, Lucy Liu, Gillian Anderson and the dreamy Dermot Mulroney. Yet none of these are going on my To See list. Instead it's the three documentaries (in boldface):

October 05 Sister aka L'enfant d'en haut (drama with French cast and Gillian Anderson)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNpdwBlWmIY

October 05 Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You (dramatic comedy with Lucy Liu, Peter Gallagher, Marcia Gay Harden and Ellen Burstyn)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R69UoiefXyY

October 05 V/H/S (horror, new cast)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmLh4NUu6E4

October 5 Hold Your Breath (horror, new cast)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiBZWC-SwOw

October 5 The House I Live In (documentary: “From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, a penetrating look inside America's criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0atL1HSwi8

October 5 Trade of Innocents (dramatic thriller with Dermot Mulroney and Mira Sorvino)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGQAz2EBw9Y

October 5 Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare (documentary: “An investigative documentary that uncovers the U.S. healthcare system's true design.”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sp4Y_DNMYk

October 8 In My Mother's Arms (documentary that follows several children who live and study in the same room of a small rented house in Baghdad. These are forgotten children whose parents have been killed or kidnapped.”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT3eseQ9-Qg

[Vash01]

Different tasted indeed.

I'm curious, though, what theatre gives a refund just because you didn't like a film. Especially after watching an hour of it. I've never heard of such a thing.



...

It was Harkins Theaters complex here. I know that I am not the only one that walked out of a bad movie and got a refund. At least one other person has done it, to my knowledge. She and her husband had walked out of a bloody movie. May be they do this 'favor' to their customers if it's a horror movie.

I must have looked miserable enough for them to have pity on me.

[Vash01]

Eight smaller films coming out this week. Lots of stuff to interest me: two horror movies, Lucy Liu, Gillian Anderson and the dreamy Dermot Mulroney. Yet none of these are going on my To See list. Instead it's the three documentaries (in boldface):

October 05 Sister aka L'enfant d'en haut (drama with French cast and Gillian Anderson)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNpdwBlWmIY

October 05 Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You (dramatic comedy with Lucy Liu, Peter Gallagher, Marcia Gay Harden and Ellen Burstyn)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R69UoiefXyY

October 05 V/H/S (horror, new cast)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmLh4NUu6E4

October 5 Hold Your Breath (horror, new cast)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiBZWC-SwOw

October 5 The House I Live In (documentary: “From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, a penetrating look inside America's criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0atL1HSwi8

October 5 Trade of Innocents (dramatic thriller with Dermot Mulroney and Mira Sorvino)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGQAz2EBw9Y

October 5 Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare (documentary: “An investigative documentary that uncovers the U.S. healthcare system's true design.”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sp4Y_DNMYk

October 8 In My Mother's Arms (documentary that follows several children who live and study in the same room of a small rented house in Baghdad. These are forgotten children whose parents have been killed or kidnapped.”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT3eseQ9-Qg

The horror movies don't interest me, but the documentaries sound interesting.

[Artemis@BC]

Watched Angel's Crest last night. Despite the amateurish feel there was some nice stuff in it ... but holy carp is it depressing. I had to watch an episode of Big Bang Theory to recover.

[galaxygirl]

I think I have that in my queue but maybe I should remove it. I really haven't been in the mood for depressing lately.

[orbitz]

How many movies do you guys average per month? I don't seem to have the attention span to devote 2 hours to an entire film, LOL. The last film I paid for saw a film was "The Avengers" and the one prior to that was "Thor".

[Artemis@BC]

In the theatres, it's more like a per year average than a per month. Maybe 4-5 a year*. (*That's not counting special events -- like theatre or opera or concerts that are broadcast at the movie theatre, or film festivals.)

But on DVD? Probably 3-4 a week. The cost is part of it, but in general it's because I prefer the comfort of watching a film in my own home, with my feet up, a cat on my lap, snacks I don't have to mortgage the house to buy, and a beer or glass or wine.

Plus if the movie is subtitled, I need to be able to rewind to catch what I miss between reading the text and what's happening on the rest of the screen.

[Lacey]

Have you already talked elsewhere on this thread about Beasts of the Southern Wild. It was denied nominations at the SAG Awards because Quvenzhane Wallis, as Hushpuppy, and Dwight Henry, as Wink, are amateur actors, who are denied any chance of winning the SAGs.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/...?newsfeed=true

People are hoping that at least six year old Quvenzhane will be nominated and/or win an Oscar, and I believe that she is that good, she gave a stunning performance. The movie, filmed on a $1 million budget, holds its own tremendously.

Robot and Frank, starring Frank Langella, was a little zany, but entertaining.

[falling_dance]

Adele, "Skyfall".

I quite like it.