Last movie impressions

[crackajack]

Ararat
Similar way of storytelling as seen in Caché (Hidden).
But here it was a mess for me, just too much for the run time. (4 or 5 time layers with a lot of jumping back and forth and a dozen characters with some importance to the topic of questioning, accepting, being influenced or just ignoring history) Maybe an extra hour would have helped to get a better understanding of the actual center point of the movie: the Armenian genozide (which is disputed in history books if it actually happened, can be called so). That was sort of lost in the complex metaphoric style. Cache was more direct and didn't make such a convoluted distracting drama of its approach.

Dumb and Dumber
Awesome nonsense. Every time.

Groundhog Day
Murray is great in it, the flow is perfect and it is even a bit philosophical. As good as comedies can get, i guess.

Bedazzled
Enjoyable jokes and a nice looking devilish Hurley.

Margarete Steiff
Surprisingly good movie about the life of Margarete Steiff, one of the first teddy bear makers.
Her childhood with polio, only her left hand worked, and her mind. Becoming a good sewer despite her handicap, her first love and her close relationship with her brother who never let her down in all personal and financial crysis.

[RandomRob]

Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Collection [Bluray]



Easily the best these films have ever looked. Not the strongest films for detail, but definitely alot more detail is visible now, colors are nicely saturated, and the sound is a super clear lossless DTS.

What I noticed this time around: That the town of Hill Valley is the central character of all 3 films, in that we get to see all the different iterations of the same neighborhoods and people. And that these films do fit well together as a simple narrative about aspects of time travel. One looks at family & the generation gap, two looks at the dangers of using time travel for self-interest and how quickly the tangles can pile up, and three suggests that no matter what time we're in, the problems and people are still the same.

When I first saw the sequels back in the 80s, I felt that the creators were just milking a franchise, but looking at the films now, I think they're all charming genre films, for different reasons, and that the relationship between the Doc and Marty holds it all together.

Timeless

[JLB1987]

Originally Posted by RandomRob

When I first saw the sequels back in the 80s, I felt that the creators were just milking a franchise, but looking at the films now, I think they're all charming genre films, for different reasons, and that the relationship between the Doc and Marty holds it all together.

Timeless

I saw all three films for the first time a few years back, when I bought one of the (from what I understand, many) boxsets availiable. And it's only recently, the last few months perhaps, that I've heard people say they either didn't or don't like the sequals. Number three seems to get the worst of it, although that one is easily my favorite.

But hey, what do I know... my favorite of the Alien films is also 3.

[Li-Ion]

@JLB1987: Alien 3 your favourite? Ewwww... you're weird

All this talking about Back to the Future made me just impulse-buy the trilogy on blu-ray... oh damn you "one-click-buy"!

[JLB1987]

[quote=Li-Ion;189169]@JLB1987: Alien 3 your favourite? Ewwww... you're weird [quote]

That's the EXACT reacton I get off people! The 3rd one I would put in my top ten of all time. I wouldnt put any of the others up there, although Aliens was also great.

Good buy on the box-set buy, did it cost a lot? I havn't bought into blu-ray yet, but I'd imagine that the Back To The Future films would, as Rob said, benefit from the new technology. I remember the whole trilogy looking pretty dated to me even on DVD, especially the first two.

[crackajack]

the best aliens film is avp!
Seriously, i like the aliens movies not much and can enjoy this action bullshit more.

O'Horten
The pictures of the Norwegian landscape were wonderful and it had some funny moments, but the melancholy story, with Odd Horten growing into his new live as a retired train driver, was odd, which can be entertaining, but in this case overall boring.

Son of Rambow
Bridge to Terabithia was better. That movie left reality to enter fantasy world, but here the story of two very different boys, which are sort of "sweding" First Blood/ Rambo, work off cliches of religion, family, friendship, bullies. It all felt too constructed/forced to me.

99 Francs
I don't like the main actor since i suffered through the first half of Brice de Nice, so that was definitely no good start, and he proved to be dislikable as a somewhat artificial figure, more than his supposed to be an asshole role should, and while the movie had some really good ideas to get to its point and the visuals were well done, it missed somehow to do its consumerism/manipulation statement on a Fight Club level.

Jersey Girl
not really superb, but ok

Waltz with Bashir
perfect animation style.
Like above mentioned Ararat it deals with the memory on a war. In the course of the movie the character regains his lost memories of his youth in this war and reveals his participation on massacres.

Enchanted
A Disney movie that takes itself and also Disney history not serious. That was fine, but nevertheless it should have had more singing scenes or more fairy tale moments in reality to entertain more.

[RandomRob]

re BTTF 25th ANN:

It looks wayyy better than it's ever looked. Though the contrast is the most punched up in the first film. 2 & 3 look a little flatter, although- I remember 3 always had a overly orangey hazy look in past versions that's remarkably clearer, here. (And this may have been due to the egregious use of that godawful Macrovision anti-copying technology from years ago - it would always ass up the contrast values)

I like the 3rd film alot to, but only in context of having watched the first 2. When I sat down and watched them straight through I was impressed in particular that:

1 has held up as well as it has
2 is involving as it even though it's essentially a convoluted maze of set pieces (what a pain to plan & execute!)
3 has so much heart.

[crackajack]

Ghostbusters
Was a long time since i watched it and i was a bit surprised when i saw how bad the effects now looked.
The rest was very fine, but it aged hard.

The Presidents Man
Sometimes so bad it was really enjoyable.

Låt den rätte komma in
A story about a bullied boy, age 12, with divorced parents, who makes a friendship with his new neighbor, a 12 year old girl. But she has been a long time a 12 year old girl, cause she is a vampire and has to kill to survive...
Great music, bleak pictures and the serious theme of evil inside us and our decisions: Excellent movie.

[Li-Ion]

Due Date - road-trip-esque movie with Robert Downey Jr. and that other guy from the Hangover. Was surprisingly funny overall, even if it doesn't reach the comedic heights of movies like the Hangover or Hot Tub Time Machine. No must-see but a solid rental when you're having some friends and plenty of beer.

Sint - a Dutch horror-movie about Sinterklaas (roughly equals Santa, with white beard and stuff) coming every 5th december when there is full moon to go on a killing spree in the Netherlands, with a focus on Amsterdam. Nonsensical slasher with some comedic elements which you might or might not find funny if you're Dutch. Liked it.

I also re-watched the first two parts of Back To The Future of my glorious blu ray collection
Great movies!

[crackajack]

Charlie Wilson's War
Good fun and quite exactly commenting on how the States seem to screw up every intervention they did since WW2.

The Human Stain
The movie itself was a bit poorly done, but the idea of living a lie so accurate and the reasons why he did it were thought provoking.
The film should have used white actors instead of the actual black characters until the end and then make some short flash backs. The truth should have been hidden to the viewer since it was the view of his friend who didn't know the truth. The M. Night effect has been forgotten and would have helped to keep more tension.
That was lost a bit when only this rather weird violent Vietnam veteran, and the relationship with his ex wife, an insecure woman, who lost her children in a fire, story was told while the viewer already knew the human stain very early.

Echte Wiener - Die Sackbauer-Saga
Edmund Sackbauer is sort of the Al Bundy of Austria. This is the first movie ever and after the series had no new episodes since 30 years.
It tried hard to link to the series but it did it too sad to entertain as the series did.

Aaltra
Two neighbors that don't like each other get paraplegic after they have an accident after figthing. The rest is a supposed to be funny black comedy were both go on a road trip on their wheel chairs.
The style was very Aronofsky Pi like but the story was boring rubbish. Stopped after an hour because my eyes were falling down at lunch time.

Ghostbuster 2
better effects than in the first one, but it was not as fun as the first one.

P.S. I Love You
It lost itself too much in some details, but it worked better than e.g. Catch and Release.

[farfus]

Just got back from seeing Tourist, and it was fun. Great scenery, funny moments, and seeing Angelina Jolie in a very nice dress or two was just the right recipe. This is one of the few movies i didnt check the reviews for first, and i still havent, just want to remember it for my own impressions, which were favorable...

[crackajack]

Premonition
The big bang at the end was awkward but beside that it was an interesting movie.

Elementarteilchen / Atomised
The sort of similar Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (the princess and the warrior) was easier to like but i liked this rather unusual tragic romance also.

From Here to Eternity
For a fifties movie excellent.

The Holiday
Funny and with some depth. Very nice romantic comedy.

The Guardian
Follows the An Officer and a Gentleman formula and seeing another group of heroes was refreshing.

Ice Age
Story and art is not that good but Scrat is great and Otto as the german voice of Sid.

[RandomRob]

Tron: Legacy - flaming bag of digital dogshit.

[QXZ]

Tron: Legacy

Caught a 10:30p showing with my brother (for his birthday) and a friend of ours. I can't say I was incredibly wowed by it. I would have been nice to have seen the film explain how the virtual world of Tron came into existence, and the limited color palette -- full of black, white, and red -- was boring to look at.

Grade: C

[Li-Ion]

I saw the 25 years old Tron recently and ever since I wondered why
a) someone would think that's a great movie and
b) why someone would think this movie deserves a remake?

However, since a cousin of mine worked on the SFX in Tron Legacy I guess I have to watch it anyway in order to see his name in the credits