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Post by Beatrice on Oct 5, 2008 20:50:43 GMT -5
It's pretty self explanatory. Talk about the last movie you saw. Yesterday I saw "Religulous" at BAM. It was pretty hilarious, although the end was kind of dark and preachy... in an ironic twist. It would be interesting to see the movie in the bible belt or anywhere where the entire audience doesn't consist of liberal artsy fartsies. It was pretty much preaching to the choir. Your turn!
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Post by alexvolkov on Oct 10, 2008 17:27:23 GMT -5
Want to see that still.
I saw Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist . Gotta say it was pretty engaging. Cheesy sometimes (a lot, maybe), but a good-feel-uplifting-i-wish-i-can-fall-in-love-that-way story. And Michael Cera wasn't annoying with his usual same character acting.
Smart script, a bit obvious at times. Not worth seen in a theater, but a DVD would do...
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Marissa
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Post by Marissa on Oct 14, 2008 20:14:43 GMT -5
I haven't seen "Religulous" That last movie I saw in the theaters was The Dark Knight and that was so amazing I proceeded to see it again for a grand total of six times!
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Sal
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Post by Sal on Oct 14, 2008 20:27:04 GMT -5
i'm looking forward to the bill mahr flick. i'll wait to see it before posting about it.
what i have seen recently at ifc center was "wild combination: a portrait of arthur russell". the movie, i thought, was great. instead of trying to sum up russells life in 70 minutes, the film instead tried to capture the essence of russell's life, time, and place. basically, instead of failing at the impossible, the filmmakers did their best to excel at what they COULD do.
the film was made up of a lot of found footage, including super-8, and VHS. yet, these clips were woven in with grace, instead of "here, this is all we could find. let's stick this footage in wherever..."
the way the film was assembled seems to me, to mirror the way russell assembled his music. it's interesting hoe such things come across in movies, and allow us, as the audience to get lost in the movie, and get a feel for what the filmmaker is trying to do. ultimately, we all process information however we want to anyway, and when the filmmaker allows us to do so, i think the experience is often more fulfilling. of course, we are manipulated to some degree by the artist's subjectivity, but in "wild combination", i felt much less of a barrier than i sometimes do when watching docs.
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oz
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Post by oz on Oct 15, 2008 17:30:23 GMT -5
I just saw Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd in Hirsch's Politics in Film class. It was pretty intense.
As the lead, Andy Griffith is way more booming and powerful than I ever imagined him being knowing only Matlock or The Andy Griffith show. Apparently he wasn't very comfortable playing such a menacing part and actually had to get drunk for a huge rant he goes on at the end of the film. He's got this crazy laugh that kind of sounds like Lee Marvin or Tom Waits. It pretty much ruled.
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Post by thereelcritic on Oct 15, 2008 19:13:51 GMT -5
Last movie I saw was Burn After Reading. Got to say, I thought it was excellent. Those Coen brothers really know how to create dynamic characters. Fact: Most of the characters were written for the actors who played them. Fact: Most of the movie was shot in Brooklyn Heights and Westchester. Fact: The Coen brothers wrote Burn After Reading while they were also working on No Country For Old Men. Quite a feat. The two movies are so opposite - not just the stories but the cinematography too.
They said they wanted to make a fun movie and thats exactly what this is - a really fun satire.
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Post by Beatrice on Oct 15, 2008 19:40:18 GMT -5
Oh snap, Burn After Reading was filmed in New York? Now that makes me even sadder that it's not playing anywhere near me now. I wanted to see that.
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Post by drsalsa on Oct 16, 2008 16:10:59 GMT -5
Hi all, I'm a friend of Sal's and he invited me to jump in on this discussion board. I lived in Jersey for the last 5 years, but now I teach philosophy in Missoula, Montana. I love movies and I also love running my mouth so I'm glad to have the opportunity to run my mouth about movies.
The last movie I saw was the new Indiana Jones movie. Whatever. Who gives a shit. I didn't hate it. That's the most interesting thing I can say about it. The George Lucas CGI gopher bullshit pissed me off though.
Before that I saw The Ballad of Jack and Rose, by Rebecca Miller. I liked it quite a bit. It's about a dying recluse/hippie (Daniel Day-Lewis) living on an island in a former 70's era commune alone with his teenage daughter, who he's kept cloistered from the world. He invites his new mainland girlfriend (Catherine Keener) and her two sons to move into the commune, in part to help care for him as his illness worsens, and hijinx ensue.
There is some terrible dialogue and the outsiders vs. the world themes are maybe a little trite but the acting rocks (especially the teenage daughter) and the movie develops some definite emotional weight.
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Post by cal on Oct 16, 2008 21:24:59 GMT -5
DId anyone go see Persona playing at IFC center?
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Post by phill on Oct 21, 2008 13:40:32 GMT -5
I saw Everything For Sale (Wszystko Na Sprzedaz), a Polish film by Andrzej Wajda, on Saturday night. It was at the Walter Reade theater and the director and lead actress were there for a Q&A. They had a translator present, it was quite an experience.
The film was about the trouble of making a film when the lead actor dies in the middle of the production. I found it funny and true to life. It was slow at some parts but it was shot quite well and the story was, for the most part, engaging. They have a whole Wajda retrospective going on at the Walter Reade through November.
A Face in the Crowd is a great flick. I enjoyed seeing Walter Matthau in it. Much like Griffith, he played a different type of role in this film.
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Marissa
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Post by Marissa on Oct 21, 2008 20:02:28 GMT -5
I'm going to see "Saw V" on Friday! It's gonna be soooo good! I can't wait!
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Post by hollywood on Oct 21, 2008 20:17:36 GMT -5
Just got back from a screening of "I've loved you so long" starring Kristen Scott Thomas. Didn't know she speaks french and speaks it very well.
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oz
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Post by oz on Oct 22, 2008 1:29:01 GMT -5
A Face in the Crowd is a great flick. I enjoyed seeing Walter Matthau in it. Much like Griffith, he played a different type of role in this film. Very true! Matthau has kind of a sleeper role that creeps in slowly and ends powerfully.
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Sal
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Post by Sal on Oct 22, 2008 18:21:02 GMT -5
A Face in the Crowd- sweet, though i wanted griffith to be even more "waitish", though that is probably only because i already had that reference. also, later when he is wealthy, griffith wears a lot of double breasted suits. i could never get into double breasted suits.
obviously, Kazan's career has been defined by his decision to cooperate with the assholes on capitol hill, but it is disappointing that he doesn't get more credit for all of the wonderful films he directed.
i've only see three of his films - on the waterfront, a streetcar named desire, and a face in the crowd. all three, in my opinion, are essential. clearly, kazan has to be given a great deal of credit for the performances he gets out of his actors, brando being the most obvious of examples.
what other films of his have you all seen by kazan? what do you folks think of his work in general? maybe we should start a kazan thread, but it seems like people don't care to talk about him. i'm wondering why.
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Post by phill on Oct 22, 2008 19:20:13 GMT -5
The only other Kazan film I've seen is On The Waterfront. I just saw it recently and loved it, especially the opening. It starts right off and gets you hooked. I love the cast in that film too, of course Brando, but also Karl Malden, Eva Marie Saint, and Lee J. Cobb. Cobb is a lot like Kazan as well where he doesn't ever get much credit, partly due to the McCarthy era. That film is awesome start to finish.
I've also seen two films that Kazan acted in, before his directorial career I believe. Blues In The Night (1941) and City for Conquest (1940). Blues is kinda of a crazy film, especially for the 40's. Conquest is pretty sick, starring James Cagney. Both films are great to see and Kazans side roles are quite memorable. I'm sure his start in acting aided in the great performances he out of the actors he directed.
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