Schoolio's Movie Corner

[wmgaretjax]

haha.

that laugh was for courtney's avatar. I keep seeing that wonderful t-shirt.

[schoolofruckus]

Masculin Feminin was pretty damn good. It's about the courtship between a young man who just got out of the military and a young woman who's attempting to become a pop singer. I dug the way that the film juggled multiple thematic directions, playing an ongoing game of keep-away with its ideas from the viewer. I'm becoming more and more of a fan of Godard's impressionistic, finger-flipping aesthetic. This one didn't floor me the way that Week-End did, but it was highly enjoyable and fascinating.

Then I decided to watch Zentropa anyway. It was pretty much awesome as well. This one's about a young American who travels to Germany shortly after the conclusion of WWII to - in his mind - "show some kindness" to the country. His primary method of doing so is to work with his uncle as a sleeping-car conductor on the nation's primary railroad line. The film is an early example of the template for much of von Trier's work - self-consciously stylized, with an idealistic American showing benevolence to others until the frustration boils over into violence and retribution. It's odd to think of the godfather of Dogme 95 as one of film's foremost purveyors of artificiality, but when you look at von Trier's stuff outside of Breaking the Waves and Dancer in the Dark (and - though I haven't seen it yet - I assume Idioterne), he is consistently finding ways to keep the audience at a distance from the story by any technique available. Here, the character interactions with rear projection images, the flashes of color that interrupt the stark black-and-white photography (a trick that Spielberg, who was rebuffed in his attempts to bring von Trier to Hollywood after this, would later borrow for Schindler's List), the recurring narration attempting to lure one into hypnosis (another early von Trier preoccupation) - all harshly underscoring the uniquely cinematic nature of the piece. And yet, the farther he pushes me away, the closer I get.

[wmgaretjax]

You should see "Idiots" and "Element of a Crime" Gabe, Von Trier is great.

I saw "The New World." Beautiful, great characters, but felt rushed in the last half hour. Seems to me that's where he cut the 17 minutes from. Does it exist in full form anywhere? One of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. Loved it, with despite the reservations about the end.

[bmack86]

I watched about 30 minutes of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians last night.
Holy Hell. It's so BAD. Like, impressively bad. I bought it for 1 dollar, and it's worth it for the pain it can impart on others.

[rage patton]

I watched about 30 minutes of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians last night.
Holy Hell. It's so BAD. Like, impressively bad. I bought it for 1 dollar, and it's worth it for the pain it can impart on others.

Worse than Pootie-Tang?

[bmack86]

Most likely.

[schoolofruckus]

Pootie Tang was one of the most enjoyable stoned movies I've ever seen.

Jared, I've seen The Element of Crime. That one's awesome as well. Von Trier is one of my top 5 current directors.

[iv3rdawG]

4 Luni, 3 Saptamini Si 2 Zile aka 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days will be showing for one week at Lammle's Sunset 5 on December 21st. It will then re-open on January 25th and February 1st.

Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/4months3weeks2days/trailer/

[schoolofruckus]

Everyone in LA can either see this, or turn in your cinephile card. No Door #3.

[ruetheday]

Von Trier is a bitch.

[keriann]

Everyone in LA can either see this, or turn in your cinephile card. No Door #3.

ABORTION!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!

[schoolofruckus]

There's rape too.

Best film of the year, in other words.

[suprefan]

Worse than Pootie-Tang?

Watch ''Cool as Ice'' and get back to me.

[wmgaretjax]

Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" was adapted for screenplay by Joe Penhall and will be directed by John Hillcoat (The Proposition). Guy Pearce and Viggo Mortenson are in talks to play the lead role.

I did not like this book. However, a film adaptation is promising, as it'll hopefully weed out a lot of the heavy handed language that made the book so trite.

[miscorrections]

What in the world do you have against Cormac McCarthy? You always complain about his writing.

[wmgaretjax]

I have only complained about this book. I have done so twice.

I have nothing against Cormac McCarthy. I did not like this book. I liked "No Country for Old Men" though. I have not read anything other than those two.

[roberto73]

I hate to be the lone dissenting voice on I'm Not There, but I saw it today and was bored out of my mind. I understand the conceit of the movie, and the cast is great, but I found it to be a pretty empty exercise in technique that left me completely unattached to the characters and totally unconcerned with anything that happened to them. I'm a big fan of Todd Haynes (and of Dylan), but this was a major disappointment. I don't walk out of movies, but this was the closest I've been in a long while.

[rage patton]

Watch ''Cool as Ice'' and get back to me.

http://xs222.xs.to/xs222/07501/cool_as_ice.jpg (http://xs.to)

Hmmm... I think I am gonna have to pass. Thanks for the offer though.

Anyways, I doubt even that movie is as bad as...

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x224/joshmusic88/rollerball_poster.jpg

this movie.

[wmgaretjax]

I hate to be the lone dissenting voice on I'm Not There, but I saw it today and was bored out of my mind. I understand the conceit of the movie, and the cast is great, but I found it to be a pretty empty exercise in technique that left me completely unattached to the characters and totally unconcerned with anything that happened to them. I'm a big fan of Todd Haynes (and of Dylan), but this was a major disappointment. I don't walk out of movies, but this was the closest I've been in a long while.

about a 1/3rd of the audience walked out when I saw it. I'm not sure I cared a whole lot about the characters either, but I definitely cared about they alternative histories fit together.

[bmack86]

I watched El Topo.

Holy Fuck. First off, the cinematography was awesome. There were some amazing shots there. I can't believe some of the areas they filmed in. It's also a supremely surreal film. I felt like I was watching a nightmare many times, and I'm sure some of the imagery will wind up in my dreams tonight, for better or worse. There are some really disturbing/depressing scenes, like the rape and the dead bunnies. Apparently they really shot the crows, and the rabbits died from the heat. And the dead horse was a real dead horse. Suffice to say, this one could not be made today. The story is much too surreal and left to interpretation for me to attempt any sort of meaningful description. The DVD transfer is absolutely pristine. I expected it to be washed out and grainy, but it looked beautiful. The colors were extremely bright and vivid, and the picture was crystal clear.

I'll watch it again, so I guess that's the best support I can give to it. A film that makes you think.

[wmgaretjax]

I'll watch it again, so I guess that's the best support I can give to it. A film that makes you think.

God I love this film, as far as surreal cinema goes, it's only challenged by Holy Mountain and Un Chien Andalou.

[rage patton]

Woh... just found something out. Did anyone know Mike Patton is the voice of the creatures in "I Am Legend"?

[gunfoo]

Woh... just found something out. Did anyone know Mike Patton is the voice of the creatures in "I Am Legend"?

I didn't know that. cool!

Have you seen Firecracker? I wanted to see this a while ago, but sort of forgot about it. Thought it looked really good. I'm interested if anyone has seen it and can offer up a review?
http://www.dikenga.com/films/firecracker/trailer/video/FCT-high.htm

[ThomThom]

Looks like "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" are sweeping the critic's awards, who didn't see that one coming?... Gabe, since you have seen both, I need your pick between the two.

[schoolofruckus]

The best movie of 2007 is There Will Be Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Old Men. Hands down.

[suprefan]

http://xs222.xs.to/xs222/07501/cool_as_ice.jpg (http://xs.to)

Hmmm... I think I am gonna have to pass. Thanks for the offer though.

]

this movie.

Trust me, its bad, keep in mind its early 90's so that carries more weight on it than it being a movie from a coupel of years ago. See us old folk have seen some s**t movies, ask Gabe.

[wmgaretjax]

Gabe, I fixed the title: The best movie of 2007 is There Will Be Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Old Men Not There. Hands down.

[roberto73]

There Will Be No Country for the Assassination of Jesse James by Good Luck Chuck.

[ThomThom]

But of course The Academy will choose "Charlie Wilson's War on The Kite Running American Gangster" instead of "There Will Be Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Old Men Not There."

[wmgaretjax]

I'm seeing Sweeney Todd and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly next week.

[mountmccabe]

I saw Juno at UCLA. I hadn't heard of it until last night. At first I was worried about it being painfully quirky, and it was at times, but there was actually an impressive human heart beating beneath all the quirk. Like I said, I left very pleasantly surprised. And, I got one of the jogging shirts that Michael Cera wears in it.

I have seen Juno:

The movie annoyed the hell out of me for the first half hour or so, what with the pop culture references and snark and self-impressed writing and etc., etc., etc. I was prepared to write the film off. But then a funny thing happened on the way to the forum, so to speak: there's this scene where Jennifer Garner feels the baby kick for the first time and has this kind of beatific look on her face, and I had this feeling in my stomach, a feeling that I later realized was warmth. All of the labored attempts at being witty and hip were annoying and unnecessary, but there's a sweet movie hidden underneath it all, and that movie made me smile. Cera and Garner are a huge part of what makes this work, their characters have this kind of innocence that remains untouched by the self-conscious sarcasm of the rest of the film. So, I can't give this a bad review, it actually made me feel goodwill of all things.

PS: It would have been a much better movie without her cheerleader friend, man was that character fucking annoying.

I will third most everything here. The story was good but the dialogue was annoying as often as not. It was played neither confidently enough nor naturalistically enough to work.

The movie supports/presents a sort of traditionalism but it is a broad and mostly accepting traditionalism. It does not support aging wanna be hipsters having mid-life crises.

I disagree with NMH's PS; Olivia wasn't the greatest character but she provided both a good friend for Juno and an interesting contrast. She was supposed to be a bit annoying; she was there to remind us how young Juno is and how young she could be acting.

Jennifer Garner, Ellen Page and Allison Janney carried the movie. Michael Cera and Jason Batemen and J.K Simmons all played much more simple characters; Batemen was a little rough with what he had to work with but the other two did well.

I LOVED the work by Kimya Dawson. She did a very good job with the music even if she was mostly amping.

Also the shirt I got has the comic book cover on the front.

[iv3rdawG]

Persepolis was amazing. Definitely my favorite animated and foreign language film this year.

[Bosco]

eSpCWJnnWVI

[schoolofruckus]

Gabe, I fixed the title: The best movie of 2007 is There Will Be Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Old Men Not There. Hands down.



There Will Be No Country For The Assassination of Jesse James By the Zodiac Not There and the Butterfly.

Okay, this is just getting ridiculous. But if you're making a single combo title for the year's best movies and you can't stop adding to it....good problem to have.

[bug on your lip]

the trend lately has been that Academy voters love themselves so much that they will always vote for a movie set in Hollywood or at least California...
with that said, it probably makes "There Will Be Blood" the favorite

[Yablonowitz]

Just on paper not having seen it, The Diving Bell and Butterfly sounds like Oscar lap up material. Personal triumph and self-growth through adversity, etc. Maybe it's dicier than that, but that's my guess. No Country will get nominated, probably, but won't win. The ending just won't work for the voters.

Is Charlie Wilson's War supposed to be good? I hope so. As Gabe can attest, I love movies with Tom Hanks playing a noble man.

Are there any sassy Queen Latifah movies coming up?

[bug on your lip]

Are there any sassy Queen Latifah movies coming up?

intolerable.

[schoolofruckus]

There's some truth to that - Million Dollar Baby and Crash were recent examples - but it's more true in the critics' awards. This year, the L.A. critics went for Blood, the Beantown critics showered Gone Baby Gone, the NYC critics voted for NYU alum Joel Coen's No Country, etc.

There Will Be Blood could benefit from its relevant prophetic qualities - taking an early look at the ills brought on by big oil and religion - as well as its California history roots, and it would absolutely deserve any award it received. But it's a fucking difficult film - dark as the night is long, with one of the most black-hearted lead characters in film history and an ending that makes No Country For Old Men look like a comfort blanket - that I can't imagine will sit well with older Academy members. It may be getting compared to Citizen Kane and Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but it's like the seriously deranged cousin of those kinds of films, and it's anything but a classic Hollywood historical epic.

Fuck I can't wait to see it again.

[mountmccabe]

The story was good but the dialogue was annoying as often as not. It was played neither confidently enough nor naturalistically enough to work.

The more I think about this the more I think I misinterpreted a few things about Juno.

The movie - other than maybe the dialogue and not much more than Ellen Page's wardrobe - does not try to be hip. It is not concerned with cool and the few characters that are are not painted flatteringly. I would have to see it again to see but I think that sort of dialogue - at least from Ellen Page - dies off as the movie progresses. Thus I am starting to feel that it's at least possible that the awkwardness of the attempt at hip and slang-laden dialogue is purposeful; that it's attempting to demonstrate how ridiculous such attempts at being cool are.

Also at first I thought the Alice in Chains shirt that Jennifer Garner was wearing was Jason Batemen's old shirt and was a symbol of emasculation. Since the movie as a whole does seem to be well informed about the music world (except for a Stooges fan talking about their "raw power" with a straight face) I don't buy that anymore. I don't want to go into it too much but now I'm pretty sure it was her shirt and is a symbol of how she has grown up and how her priorities have shifted.

So my estimation of this movie is growing with time. My moment by moment enjoyment of the movie was such that it won't jump too far - clumsy dialogue is still clumsy dialogue - but I am still becoming more impressed by it.

Also it was fairly funny, even beyond the hit and miss dialogue.

[mountmccabe]

Is Charlie Wilson's War supposed to be good? I hope so.

Of course it is supposed to be good. Why would they make it and release it and advertise it if it wasn't supposed to be good?

[Yablonowitz]

Of course it is supposed to be good. Why would they make it and release it and advertise it if it wasn't supposed to be good?

Don't shoot the lip at me, mac.

[schoolofruckus]

Just on paper not having seen it, The Diving Bell and Butterfly sounds like Oscar lap up material. Personal triumph and self-growth through adversity, etc. Maybe it's dicier than that, but that's my guess. No Country will get nominated, probably, but won't win. The ending just won't work for the voters.

Is Charlie Wilson's War supposed to be good? I hope so. As Gabe can attest, I love movies with Tom Hanks playing a noble man.

Are there any sassy Queen Latifah movies coming up?

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly would make a GREAT Oscar winner. It's a storyline in the vein of....no, I won't say it. But on the surface, it's a similar story to other Oscar babies of the past in that it is a celebration of the human spirit. There are a couple problems: A) it's in French, B) it's veeeeery experimental. I mean, it's an ART film in capital letters. The first half-hour of the film is almost entirely seen through Jean-Do Bauby's eye, and there's a lot of visual poetry that isn't easily digestible. Do I think it should be in the conversation? Most definitely. But while it's not as big of a long-shot as it seems (I think there's a better chance of this making it than There Will Be Blood), it's definitely not typical Academy fare.

This year, my money is on No Country For Old Men, Atonement, Juno, and Sweeney Todd. After that, it could be something like Charlie Wilson's War or The Great Debaters (both of which seem to be typical Oscar films), or maybe the Academy will show some progressive thought and put Blood or Butterfly in the mix.

Speaking of Charlie Wilson - I've heard it's a decent, light-hearted, quasi-political but mostly entertaining story. Not as heavy-handed as Sorkin's usual stuff. Good performances. You know the drill. I doubt I'll end up seeing it, but it sounds inoffensive.

[downingthief]

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly would make a GREAT Oscar winner. It's a storyline in the vein of....no, I won't say it. But on the surface, it's a similar story to other Oscar babies of the past in that it is a celebration of the human spirit. There are a couple problems: A) it's in French, B) it's veeeeery experimental. I mean, it's an ART film in capital letters. The first half-hour of the film is almost entirely seen through Jean-Do Bauby's eye, and there's a lot of visual poetry that isn't easily digestible. Do I think it should be in the conversation? Most definitely. But while it's not as big of a long-shot as it seems (I think there's a better chance of this making it than There Will Be Blood), it's definitely not typical Academy fare.

This year, my money is on No Country For Old Men, Atonement, Juno, and Sweeney Todd. After that, it could be something like Charlie Wilson's War or The Great Debaters (both of which seem to be typical Oscar films), or maybe the Academy will show some progressive thought and put Blood or Butterfly in the mix.

Speaking of Charlie Wilson - I've heard it's a decent, light-hearted, quasi-political but mostly entertaining story. Not as heavy-handed as Sorkin's usual stuff. Good performances. You know the drill. I doubt I'll end up seeing it, but it sounds inoffensive.

I STILL haven't seen Old Country...been driving my batty. Really need to soon.
I'll see Sweeney opening weekend, I am sure.

Gabe, don't you see Day-Lewis at least getting a nod for Blood?

[schoolofruckus]

I'm sure that Day-Lewis will get nominated for Best Actor, but I doubt he'll win because his character is going to be one that a lot of people find impenetrable. It's a work of staggering genius, but he's also an embodiment of some of the worst impulses found in people.

I see Robert Elswit getting nominated for Best Cinematography as well, as an acknowledgment to the film's technical prowess. Perhaps production design and/or editing as well.

Any nods for PTA would be a major (and majorly victorious) surprise. And Jonny Greenwood getting nominated is sadly out of the question, in my mind.

[wmgaretjax]

when are nominations announced?

I hate the Oscars. I always just end up angry when they are over.

I go to my parents to watch it with my dad, and he and I have a little competition where we guess the winners. I always lose.

[ThomThom]

I'm wondering who the Academy will lean towards when attempting to pick a cast member from No Country For Old Men to nominate for supporting actor. I love Brolin, Jones, and Bardem all the same in that film.

[wmgaretjax]

I'm wondering who the Academy will lean towards when attempting to pick a cast member from No Country For Old Men to nominate for supporting actor. I love Brolin, Jones, and Bardem all the same in that film.

it would be interesting if Bardem were picked... especially if Daniel Day Lewis gets a nod... Two really fucked up characters/performances up for Oscars.

[ThomThom]

when are nominations announced?

I hate the Oscars. I always just end up angry when they are over.

I go to my parents to watch it with my dad, and he and I have a little competition where we guess the winners. I always lose.


This has been my tradition since I was a kid and my Dad has swept just about every year except for '05, he like many predicted Broke Back Mountain, I predicted Crash. His mindset that year was "If Traffic couldn't win than Crash cannot win."

[ThomThom]

it would be interesting if Bardem were picked... especially if Daniel Day Lewis gets a nod... Two really fucked up characters/performances up for Oscars.

Something tells me the Academy would go with Jones. He is a safe nomination for them. It's a comfortable and quirky role for a vet in quite a mind fuck of a film.

[schoolofruckus]

I always join in Oscar pools and do fairly well. They're fairly predictable in their choices.

I think Bardem would get chosen for No Country because his character makes the easiest impact. But Jones and Brolin have both had big years, so they could get in on those merits.

I could see Bardem and Jones both getting nodded at.

Nominations are announced on January 22 or so.

[ThomThom]

No matter who they nominate from that cast or any cast for Supporting Actor, the actual award would have to go to Casey Affleck for Jesse James

[downingthief]

when are nominations announced?

I hate the Oscars. I always just end up angry when they are over.

I go to my parents to watch it with my dad, and he and I have a little competition where we guess the winners. I always lose.

It's the only award show I watch, pretty much. Hasn't beceome a total joke yet like the Grammy's, etc.

[wmgaretjax]

It's the only award show I watch, pretty much. Hasn't beceome a total joke yet like the Grammy's, etc.

I think "Crash" winning best film solidified the whole process being a hack.

[ThomThom]

Although I absolutely hated Crash, I knew that piece of shit excuse for a film was going to win. Paul Haggis makes my stomach hurt.

[Somewhat Damaged]

I don't see how Javier Bardem doesn't win Best Supporting Actor. I know awards aren't always given to the most deserving nominee (Roberto Benigni, anyone?) but he was just so insanely awesome as Anton Chigurh. I haven't kept up on the Oscar films this year like I have since '98 -- Coachella predictions are more fun and less aggravating, so I don't even know who are the other actors in potential contention, but I highly doubt any of them come close to Bardem in No Country for Old Men.

[ThomThom]

(Roberto Benigni, anyone?)

Oh God don't remind me. That was one of the last times I was actually angered by something pertaining to the Oscars. Ian McKellan and Edward Norton both gave phenomenal performances that year and they turn around and give the statue to that fucking shmuck.

[downingthief]

Oh God don't remind me. That was one of the last times I was actually angered by something pertaining to the Oscars. Ian McKellan and Edward Norton both gave phenomenal performances that year and they turn around and give the statue to that fucking shmuck.

True, that and Crash winning was pretty pathetic. But, overall I think it tends to be more "accurate" than other major award shows. Definitely not perfect by any stretch.

[anti-square]

Alright, so I have been aching for good movie lately, and the closest theater showing No Country For Old Men is a solid hour drive away. Is this movie worth the drive? I have a gas guzzling Tahoe, so I usually hesitate when I have to take longer than usual trips.

[ThomThom]

anti-square, you will not regret it

[Somewhat Damaged]

Alright, so I have been aching for good movie lately, and the closest theater showing No Country For Old Men is a solid hour drive away. Is this movie worth the drive? I have a gas guzzling Tahoe, so I usually hesitate when I have to take longer than usual trips.

An hour? Pfft. I drove two hours to see No Country in Phoenix. Of course, I was up there that weekend to visit my girlfriend anyway, but still.

[Down Rodeo]

What deserved to win instead of Crash in 2005? Surely not Brokeback Mountain.

[thelastgreatman]

I find all the Crash hatred funny. Of all the pathetic Best Pictures of the last decade, Crash is definitely one of the minor ones, although I understand why it gets some backlash as it is definitely an Oscar ploy of a movie. But seriously, Crash is far less insulting to the intelligence than Forrest Gump.

[roberto73]

I find all the Crash hatred funny. Of all the pathetic Best Pictures of the last decade, Crash is definitely one of the minor ones, although I understand why it gets some backlash as it is definitely an Oscar ploy of a movie. But seriously, Crash is far less insulting to the intelligence than Forrest Gump.

I agree.

See also: Dances With Wolves, Chicago, The English Patient, and A Beautiful Mind.

Among the losing pictures in those years? Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, Fargo, and In the Bedroom.

[ThomThom]

Since 1990 the only movies that have won Best Picture that I have hated more than Crash are as follows...

Dances with Wolves, Forrest Gump, The English Patient, Chicago, and Shakespeare in Love

[thelastgreatman]

And although there was no decent competition, LOTR is much less deserving than Crash, as was Gladiator and Braveheart come to think of it. Sorry, but I'll take a contrivedly coincidental multiple storylines bullshit tale of racial prejudice that at least has some decent story arcs (although terribly convenient) over any horseshit easily loved epic any day.

[thelastgreatman]

Since 1990 the only movies that have won Best Picture that I have hated more than Crash are as follows...

Dances with Wolves, Forrest Gump, The English Patient, Chicago, and Shakespeare in Love

Okay, why?

[iv3rdawG]

If Crash was going to lose it should have been to Munich. Fucking Eric Bana, man! 2004 should have gone to Sideways and 2003 should have gone to The Pianist.

[thelastgreatman]

The Pianist? Seriously? Ugh.

[iv3rdawG]

Sure it isn't the greatest film but compared to everything else in the category (yes, even LOTR) it should have gotten it.

[ThomThom]

Jesus, I am starting to think whether or not I liked any of the films nominated against Crash in '05, that was a fairly weak year.

[ThomThom]

Okay, why?

Every single one of the films I listed beat out at least two pictures that were far superior overall in the Best Picture category, and you know this...Man

EDIT: I just noticed Roberto pretty much said the same thing aside from Shakespeare in Love right before me...You stud you

[wmgaretjax]

The Pianist? Seriously? Ugh.

stupid.

and fuck comparing it to the other nominees. the point is the whole system is fucked. here are American movies that were FAR more deserving than crash:

Mysterious Skin
Good Night and Good Luck
A History of Violence
The Constant Gardener
Grizzly Man
Junebug
Me You and Everyone We Know
Last Days
The New World
Brokeback Mountain

I won't even get into foreign films (Cache)... It's ridiculous. Despite the mediocrity of the Lord of The Rings movies as film beyond entertainment, I would pick them over Crash in a heartbeat.

[thelastgreatman]

The Constant Gardener was not an American movie. Or if it was it was strangely absent of the involvement of any Americans in the big jobs in its production. And I still don't think I'd give it to any of those movies over Crash, and I don't even like Crash that much.

[wmgaretjax]

And I still don't think I'd give it to any of those movies over Crash, and I don't even like Crash that much.

But see, when it comes to film, you are wrong about as often as the Academy. "Pianist" anyone?

[thelastgreatman]

Oh fuck the fucking Pianist. Adrian Brody can suck my big-nosed cock.

[Down Rodeo]

I could maybe see Good Night and Good Luck or A History of Violence over Crash, but that's about it.

I guess I'm definitely in the minority on this board in that I really liked Crash. The Pianist is also a great movie, no question. And the Lord of the Rings movies were defining moments in my film-going life; it pains me to see them insulted so freely.

[schoolofruckus]

stupid.

and fuck comparing it to the other nominees. the point is the whole system is fucked. here are American movies that were FAR more deserving than crash:

Mysterious Skin
Good Night and Good Luck
A History of Violence
The Constant Gardener
Grizzly Man
Junebug
Me You and Everyone We Know
Last Days
The New World
Brokeback Mountain

I won't even get into foreign films (Cache)... It's ridiculous. Despite the mediocrity of the Lord of The Rings movies as film beyond entertainment, I would pick them over Crash in a heartbeat.

Grizzly Man wouldn't have been up since it's a documentary, and I didn't see Junebug. But the rest of this list reads as the best of 2005 (not counting foreign shit like 2046). I'd also add Syriana.

Good Night, and Good Luck. was a damn good "Oscar" film that was nominated and then shut out. And yes, Brokeback should have absolutely won over Crash. It's a fine film in spite of any easy jokes you can make about it.

As for the rest:

I think Dances With Wolves, Forrest Gump, The English Patient, and Shakespeare in Love are all good enough in their own right. Deserving of the awards they won? Not at all. But I enjoy them all to varying degrees.

Chicago, though, cracks my bottom 10 of all time.

[schoolofruckus]

And The Pianist is a great movie. I get the hatred towards the other ones listed, but why on that one, Randy?

[schoolofruckus]

I just saw Atonement. It's definitely for real.

I'm going to preface my review with Stef's because I'm tired and lazy:


The first ten minutes were pretty much exactly what I expected. A period drama set in 1930s England with a bunch of up-tight rich people living in a mansion with servants but somehow still managing to be totally miserable all the time, and Keira Knightley looking moody and vacuous. I was sat in my seat feeling pretty pissed off, resigned to the fact that the next two hours of my life were going to be wasted seeing a movie that I would hate, but that I had at least made my girlfriend happy.

Then, something happened. The story unfolding on the screen in front of me began to suck me in. It was engaging, dramatic, intriguing and thrilling. The camerawork was gorgeous, and the directing was great. Every scene was cleverly thought-out and shot, and was highlighted by an equally intelligent score and soundtrack. All of the acting was phenomenal - even Keira's acting seemed to not be awful; I actually empathised with her character, and was moved by the events on screen.

The next two hours suddenly flew by. The second half of the movie was set during the Second World War, and the cinematography was utterly breathtaking. The whole movie is visually stunning, but one scene in particular, a ten-minute steadicam shot filmed on a beach, which you can read all about here, (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/live/live.html?in_article_id=474550&in_page_id=1889) was quite simply one of the most astonishing pieces of cinema I had ever witnessed. By the time the film had ended, against all the odds and all my stupid preconceptions, I had just seen one of the best films of 2007, and one which surely deserves to win a number of awards.

Seriously, I cannot stress how good this film was. It was the most well-crafted, stylish and engaging film I have seen in a long time. A lot of people in the cinema were visibly moved by it, many people crying and applauding at the end. It was really, really good. See it.

As I said in my initial response - I also tend to fucking hate English period romances, particularly when they involve royalty/the upper class. This film is being marketed with heavy overtones of that, so I had a degree of hesitance in seeing it. But it absolutely bears stating that Atonement - like most of the best films this year - has also got something wonderfully genre-subversive going on which - like most of the best films this year - doesn't become fully clear until the end.

I'm not going to go into plot particulars, as this movie definitely banks on its sense of surprise. What I can say is that it's both a genuinely excellent romance and a sound tale of regret, infused with hard-hitting emotional currents, an erotic dimension that I found shocking (and shockingly good), and an aversion to the kind of histrionics that could have been the fucking iceberg to a film of this type. I've never thought much of Keira Knightley as an actress, and I never have seen James McAvoy in anything that I can recall, but holy FUCK do they have chemistry and depth and humanity here that I was pretty bowled over by. The other actors are also strong - especially the three who play Knightley's younger sister Briony - but it's hard to take your eyes/mind off of the leads. As Stef said, the movie at first seems like it could be rather dry, but it becomes clear early on that there's going to be quite a bit more vitality to this picture than expected. The photography is high-class (and there is, in fact, a Steadicam shot in the middle of the film that is absolutely stunning); the editing is energetic, deftly negotiating a variety of chronology shifts that never feel like a gimmick. The war scenes recall A Very Long Engagement, although they're a little less chaotic.

I will disagree with one part of Stef's review - the musical score here was a definite weakness at certain parts. There's a neat little motif of percussive typewriter chatter that's used effectively in the early scenes, but much of the score elsewhere does little to enhance anything, and in many cases (especially the end) it holds the film back notably (but not fatally). I guess I could also see some people disapproving of the critical sequence that the conflict of the movie pivots on, but it never felt unbelievable to me because it's well-rendered enough that it feels organic.

I'm fucking tired, but this movie is pretty awesome, and as good as a mainstream holiday film is going to get. It's not "the year's best picture", but if it wins awards, I will not be furious.

[wmgaretjax]

fuck. another movie i have to see... i'm watching Days of Heaven right now, and absolutely loving it.

[schoolofruckus]

Was it you who had never seen it before? I see that one making a serious bid for your list of favorites.

[wmgaretjax]

Visually, it's easily one of my favorites.

The story is great, and the sense of poetry and ebb and flow to the piece is fantastic.

I just wish the narration wasn't so heavy handed. He does some interesting things with it, but it definitely falls flat at some pretty key moments for me. It's definitely the biggest flaw in the film. I tend to hate narration, but what he did in New World was amazing in that regards, and it's really clear now how that evolved.

[schoolofruckus]

I actually liked the roughneck girl's voice-overs in Days of Heaven. I also hate narration as a general rule of thumb (like anyone with a brain) , but I find Malick's usage of it in all 4 films to work beautifully, particularly because they always feel like the character is speaking from the afterlife. It goes well with the spiritual qualities that are conveyed by his imagery.

[wmgaretjax]

I actually liked the roughneck girl's voice-overs in Days of Heaven. I also hate narration as a general rule of thumb (like anyone with a brain) , but I find Malick's usage of it in all 4 films to work beautifully, particularly because they always feel like the character is speaking from the afterlife. It goes well with the spiritual qualities that are conveyed by his imagery.

Yeah I agree, there is just a few moments where it all feels a little much in this film. The last 30 minutes are perfect, and her voice is almost completely absent. It also worked in the beginning where we barely saw the little girl, and her voice was a kind of vaguely familiar, involved observer. I just felt like she became a little to present in the middle portion.

This is nit-picking though. The film is astounding. I'm excited to see how "Tree of Life" turns out.

[Abe Lincoln]

I hope Sam Riley's great performance as Ian Curtis gets some sort of nod.And also Sienna Miller in Interview.

[kitt kat]

Saw <i>Persepolis</i> the other night. AMAZING. Beautiful, moving, captivating, etc etc etc. This is how animated films SHOULD be. Plus, I got Marjane Satrapi to sign my copy of "Persepolis."

Saw <i>Sweeney Todd</i> the other night. Decently entertaining. Nothing special, but nice, fluffy fun. Depp and Bonham Carter CAN sing!!

[kitt kat]

Junebug
Me You and Everyone We Know


oh fuck you. you just picked those to be "indie" and "cool."

those movies were BOTH horrible. HORRIBLE. they were weird for the sake of being weird, and nothing else.

[KungFuJoe]

oh fuck you. you just picked those to be "indie" and "cool."

those movies were BOTH horrible. HORRIBLE. they were weird for the sake of being weird, and nothing else.

I strongly disagree here. Well, not on Junebug so much. I mean it wasn't terrible, but nothing great. Me and You and Everyone We know was quite original. I never felt it was being weird for the sake of being weird. That was Napolean Dynamite. Me and You and Everyone We know is delightful! Definately one of the best films of that year and most likely the best original screenplay of that year. Truly inspired and wonderful film making.

Last Days on the other hand. Don't get me started. I absolutely hated that!

I also saw Atonement the other day. Read Gabe & Stef's reviews. It truly was a remarkable film. What impressed me most about it was the editing. Yes the acting was top notch. James Macavoy is definately a star in the making. Yes the photography is beautiful. That steadicam shot Gabe mentioned is one of the films triumphs. If it were not for the brilliant way in which the film was constructed though it may have easily been a bore. Most people don't look at the editing, but being as this is what I'm currently aiming to do, I noticed it immediately. Should be up for an award for at least that category.

[thelastgreatman]

If Jared likes them I have to assume that Kitt Kat might be right about them being horrible. Gee, this is hard... who has worse taste... Kitt Kat... or Jared... weighing weighing weighing...

Oh and Gabe, to tell the truth I've never seen The Pianist. Moving Holocaust dramas piss me the fuck off. I have no urge to see it whatsoever. I will hate it, promise.

[roberto73]

If Jared likes them I have to assume that Kitt Kat might be right about them being horrible. Gee, this is hard... who has worse taste... Kitt Kat... or Jared... weighing weighing weighing...

I find myself disagreeing with Jared about, oh, 95% of the time, but I definitely think Me and You and Everyone We Know is worth a look. It gets a little twee at times, but I also think parts of it are extremely clever and borderline profound.

I like Junebug less, but Amy Adams' performance in it is really great.

I'm seeing Atonement this weekend. I suspected it would be great, based solely on its source material. Ian McEwan is one of my favorite writers, and he's a lot darker than people realize. Has anyone here seen Enduring Love? It's based on his book of the same name and is incredibly creepy.

[thelastgreatman]

What is "twee?"

[roberto73]

twee [twee]
–adjective Chiefly British.
affectedly dainty or quaint: twee writing about furry little creatures.

Think the cinematic equivalent of Belle & Sebastian.

[thelastgreatman]

Ooo... I love British slang.

[schoolofruckus]

I haven't seen Junebug, but Me and You and Everyone We Know is an excellent little film. It's more than a little off the wall, to be sure, but it's not just for the sake of being mannered. There's a great deal of warmth and empathy for people who feel as though their perspective is ignored and misunderstood by those around them - which is everyone at some point or another. I thought it was really good and I want to see it again.

Kitt Kat - If you're going to crusade for female filmmakers, you need to reckonize when one of them brings it!

Randy - You should probably not even try watching it.

Randy - I wouldn't really call The Pianist a "moving Holocaust drama". It's kind of shocking and singularly focused and very light on conventional reassurance - unless I'm forgetting a great deal about its ending, but I feel like I would have remembered it going to shit because I also can't stand feel-good films about genocide. It was good, not classic. But there's no reason to seek this out - you should spend your film-searching time on finding a John Cassavetes movie like A Woman Under the Influence :).

Joe - You are dead right about Atonement - the editing was terrific. The way the film is told could have derailed it alone, but they handled the cutting with serious skill.

Everyone hates Last Days......except, of course, those who know what they're talking about!

[iv3rdawG]

Golden Globe nominations with Atonement grabbing the most:

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie- Away from Her
Jodie Foster - The Brave One
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley - Atonement

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington - American Gangster

BEST MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Across the Universe
Charlie Wilson’s War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Amy Adams - Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Helena-Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Ellen Page - Juno :)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ryan Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks - Charlie Wilson’s War
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Savages
John C. Reilly - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Kite Runner
Lust, Caution
Persepolis :)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

Amy Adams - Charlie Wilson’s War
Cate Blanchett - I’m Not There
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson’s War
John Travolta - Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE

Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Ridley Scott - American Gangster
Joe Wright - Atonement

BEST SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE

Diablo Cody -Juno
Ethan Coen and Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton - Atonement
Ronald Harwood - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Aaron Sorkin - Charlie Wilson’s War

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE

Atonement
Eastern Promises
Grace is Gone
Into the Wild
The Kite Runner

BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MOTION PICTURE

"Despidida" - Love in the Time of Cholera

"Grace is Gone" - Grace is Gone

"Guaranteed" - Into the Wild

"That's How You Know" - Enchanted

Walk Hard - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

[Somewhat Damaged]

What a cop out by the Globes to nominate 7 films for Best Drama. C'mon, they already put the spotlight on 10 fucking films with Best Picture aspirations, now even that isn't enough? I haven't seen most of the Drama nominees (just No Country and Eastern Promises, which feels like a make-good nomination for missing out on A History of Violence) but this just smacks of the HFPA whoring themselves out even more conspicuously than normal.

RE: Me and You and Everyone We Know was my favorite movie of '05. The script's terrific, the oddball flourishes felt sincere, not contrived, and while I generally dislike child actors in movies, Miranda July elicited strong performances from all the kids here without one of them seeming cutesy or obnoxiously precocious. ))<>((, indeed.

[amyzzz]

I saw Control last night. Oh. My. God. It was incredible watching Joy Division come alive on the screen. Sam Riley was brilliant as Ian Curtis, and he has undeniable brooding sex appeal. I LOVED this movie, and I dreamt about it all night. The music sounded so brilliant and ALIVE on the silver screen. Too bad today is the last day it's showing here in Phoenix.

[thelastgreatman]

I haven't seen Junebug, but Me and You and Everyone We Know is an excellent little film. It's more than a little off the wall, to be sure, but it's not just for the sake of being mannered. There's a great deal of warmth and empathy for people who feel as though their perspective is ignored and misunderstood by those around them - which is everyone at some point or another. I thought it was really good and I want to see it again.

Kitt Kat - If you're going to crusade for female filmmakers, you need to reckonize when one of them brings it!

Randy - You should probably not even try watching it.

Randy - I wouldn't really call The Pianist a "moving Holocaust drama". It's kind of shocking and singularly focused and very light on conventional reassurance - unless I'm forgetting a great deal about its ending, but I feel like I would have remembered it going to shit because I also can't stand feel-good films about genocide. It was good, not classic. But there's no reason to seek this out - you should spend your film-searching time on finding a John Cassavetes movie like A Woman Under the Influence :).

Joe - You are dead right about Atonement - the editing was terrific. The way the film is told could have derailed it alone, but they handled the cutting with serious skill.

Everyone hates Last Days......except, of course, those who know what they're talking about!

it's not the feel-good that pisses me off about them, it's the maudlin. The basic plot outline is that he's some virtuoso who's struggling under the Nazi regime or something, right? If there's a twist on the mood I don't see from that do tell, but it looks like an ovewhelming effort to break our little hearts with the Holocaust and I can't stand that crap.

Does Me And Your And Everyone We Know have a story, Gabe? It's been on On Demand quite a bit, I always skipped it. Anything to compare it to as a barometer?

[schoolofruckus]

My memory of The Pianist is that it's basically Adrian Brody hiding from the Nazis by himself after the people around him have all been killed. I don't remember it that well, so I'm probably simplifying/ignoring certain aspects of it. I remember it feeling like something of a hollow pursuit on his part given shit that happens early in the movie. I also remember the Nazi atrocities being particularly cold-blooded.

Honestly, the closest thing I can think of to Me and You and Everyone We Know is that it's like a Todd Solondz movie (Happiness, Storytelling, etc.) with a positive-leaning worldview. It's got a few different storylines, one of them involving an artist who's trying to forge a connection with someone, and another one about kids who accidentally get involved with a child molestor. It's another one I need to see again in order to properly discuss. But I remember distinctly digging it. As far as the Story (which I'm still working on, for the record) definition of story, I would probably have to say no.

I saw Control last night. Oh. My. God. It was incredible watching Joy Division come alive on the screen. Sam Riley was brilliant as Ian Curtis, and he has undeniable brooding sex appeal. I LOVED this movie, and I dreamt about it all night. The music sounded so brilliant and ALIVE on the silver screen. Too bad today is the last day it's showing here in Phoenix.

Fuckin' A.

[schoolofruckus]

Also:

You can forget any notion of Charlie Wilson's War being worth a god damn if this story is true. (http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2007/12/12/2007-12-12_socialite_joanne_herring_wins_war.html)

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Movie Corner-ites, what movie should I go see tonight?

These are theaters in my zipcode:

http://www.imdb.com/showtimes/location/91325

But most anything in Los Angeles is doable.

[schoolofruckus]

The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford at the Beverly Center, if you haven't already. There's no other right answer. It needs to be seen in a theater (even a shitty one).

If you have seen it, your choice should be the highest one on this list that you haven't already caught (in the following order):

No Country For Old Men
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
I’m Not There
Control
Atonement

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

I haven't seen Jesse James, but I did really want to see Control as well. Hmm...

[amyzzz]

See Control! It's awesome. You won't regret it.

BTW the trailer for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is annoying as fuck--perhaps because the sound was too loud. I hope the movie is 1,000 times better. I also saw the trailer for There Will Be Blood. Looked interesting. And the trailer for Blade Runner: The Final Cut used music from The Fountain sndtrk.

[schoolofruckus]

Are you kidding? The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's trailer is one of the best in recent memory. Try watching it on www.apple.com where you can adjust the sound levels.

The trailers for There Will Be Blood are so deliciously sinister.

The trailers for I Am Legend also swiped the score from The Fountain. I'm fucking sick of lazy trailer cutters taking iconic music from Aronofsky's films for other spots (the Lord of the Rings trailers utilized the Requiem For a Dream music as well). It rankles me particularly in the case of I Am Legend, though, because Warner Bros. showed insufficient commercial support for The Fountain, but now they're using a piece of it to market some fucking lame Will Smith horror movie?

[ThomThom]

I love how there are 7 nominees for Best Picture-Drama this year, what a fucking joke.

[Benis23]

See Control! It's awesome. You won't regret it.

BTW the trailer for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is annoying as fuck--perhaps because the sound was too loud. I hope the movie is 1,000 times better. I also saw the trailer for There Will Be Blood. Looked interesting. And the trailer for Blade Runner: The Final Cut used music from The Fountain sndtrk.

Yeah, I've been noticing that trailers swipe music from Aronofsky films all the time. I think they played "Death is the Road to Awe" from The Fountain during one of the I am Legend trailers, and they used the song from Requiem during the Sunshine trailer. I've heard that Requiem for a Dream song used a few times before sporting events too - right before they introduce the players.

[amyzzz]

I haven't seen those particular trailers, or I would've noticed that too. Clint Mansell's music is very memorable.

[mountmccabe]

It rankles me particularly in the case of I Am Legend, though, because Warner Bros. showed insufficient commercial support for The Fountain, but now they're using a piece of it to market some fucking lame Will Smith horror movie?

Hahahaha.


Me You And Everyone We Know is sitting on the DVD rack with my roommates other DVDs. Now I want to watch it more so as to see what the discussion is about. Kinda like I wanted to see Knocked Up to know what y'all were talking about then. I still haven't seen that one, though.

[Yablonowitz]

The trailers for I Am Legend also swiped the score from The Fountain. I'm fucking sick of lazy trailer cutters taking iconic music from Aronofsky's films for other spots (the Lord of the Rings trailers utilized the Requiem For a Dream music as well). It rankles me particularly in the case of I Am Legend, though, because Warner Bros. showed insufficient commercial support for The Fountain, but now they're using a piece of it to market some fucking lame Will Smith horror movie?

Gabe - your bosses are watching you.

Also - am I not mistaken that I Am Legend seems to be a none too subtle rip off of 28 Days Later? I mean, what the fuck? I hate America!

[amyzzz]

If it's a zombie movie, I'm gonna see it.

[wmgaretjax]

what the hell was weird about Junebug kitt katt? it was a simple southern drama with some phenomenal performances. Great characters and a simple, yet rich, story. Did you even see the fucking film?

Me, You and Everyone We Know was simply one of the sweetest, most charming films to come out last year. Not to mentioned a piece done by one of the few "quirky" artists worth giving a damn about. Not only is Miranda July not "weird," she's an extraordinarily level-headed person that knows exactly what she is doing.

Just the fact that you think those were films made for the sake of being weird and "nothing else" paints you as either simply hostile, hyperbolic, or clueless. I can vibe with hyperbole form time to time, and I can understand why you wouldn't like either of those films, but there is value in both whether you enjoyed 'em or not. Regardless, they were both better than Crash.

I hate holocaust movies too Randy, you should see The Pianist though. I honestly think you would like it. It's definitely richer and more honest than Schindler's List or any of that crap. You actually see people looking out for themselves, none of that pie in the sky, altruistic bullshit that almost every detainee was painted as in Spielberg's film.

[Yablonowitz]

I like holocaust movies.

[keriann]

Also:

You can forget any notion of Charlie Wilson's War being worth a god damn if this story is true. (http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2007/12/12/2007-12-12_socialite_joanne_herring_wins_war.html)

This is disappointing/annoying.

[wmgaretjax]

I'm seeing Atonement this weekend. I suspected it would be great, based solely on its source material. Ian McEwan is one of my favorite writers, and he's a lot darker than people realize. Has anyone here seen Enduring Love? It's based on his book of the same name and is incredibly creepy.

I saw Enduring Love, and it was indeed crappy. I haven't read any of McEwan's books though, is there one you would recommend above the others?

[PotVsKtl]

I watched Irma la Douce last night. Billy Wilder, Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine - 3 years after The Apartment. MacLaine is a hooker in Paris (the hookers are nice people you shouldn't look down on apparently, at risk of being branded petit bourgeois). Lemmon is the only honest cop in Paris. He raids the Hotel Casanova and gets fired for his efforts. Subsequently he beats up MacLaine's pimp and takes over the position. He's so uncomfortable with her hooker job that he devises a plan to keep her to himself without actually telling her to quit - he dresses up as an old English lord and pays her 500 francs twice a week to play double solitaire with him while he devises a back story that is a moment to moment mishmash of old British war movies (River Kwai, etc). Lemmon is FUCKING AMAZING in this part, he's totally unrecognizable. Anyway he has to take up a job during the day to afford the 500 francs to keep MacLaine in style and still play the pimp at night. He gets tired, she loses interest, she falls in love with the old British character, there's a murder trial, everything works out, etc. Good movie.

Me, You and Everyone We Know can go to hell.

[wmgaretjax]

Shirley MacLaine was so hot. I remember seeing that movie with my dad when I was a kid. Double feature with James Cagney in "White Heat."

[KungFuJoe]

I love how there are 7 nominees for Best Picture-Drama this year, what a fucking joke.

Seriously!! And not one of them is Assassination of Jesse James! WTF? At least 3:10 To Yuma is not in the mix though. And snubbing PTA in favor of Ridley Scott? Bullshit! Although I haven't seen There Will Be Blood yet, I'm pretty positive he is more deserving. The acting category seems right, although I'd replace John Travolta in the supporting category with either Steve Zahn or Jeremy Davies from Rescue Dawn. Is Charlie Wilson's War supposed to be a comedy or a musical? Foreign film is a tight category.


To respond on Enduring Love. The opening sequence is greater than the whole of the movie, but it was ok.

also, to quote Gabe: Everyone hates Last Days......except, of course, those who know what they're talking about!

I concede that you are much more intelligent than I am and am glad you have the knowledge to enjoy such a prentiously boring film, but seriously what did I miss in that one?

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

I love Last Days as well. It's a hard movie to explain to people who don't like it though.

I might actually end up seeing I Am Legend on IMAX. By which I mean see the first 10 minutes of The Dark Knight on IMAX, with I Am Legend as a bonus.

[wmgaretjax]

I concede that you are much more intelligent than I am and am glad you have the knowledge to enjoy such a prentiously boring film, but seriously what did I miss in that one?

a great film. and a biopic that doesn't resign to fandom or obsession. the film is fucking gorgeous, and it seems a perfect picture of a hollow, shell of a person. Michael Pitt's performance is unreal, and the dreamlike trance that the movie pulled me into was incredible. Somehow the film manages to be frustrating, manipulative, sincere, and poignant all at the same time. The film is saturated with desolation, and I was enthralled from beginning to end. I have to admit, that he relies on minimalism pretty heavily. But Van Sant has done that since the beginning, and if you've seen Elephant or Gerry, you probably knew what you were getting into. I can't imagine going into this film thinking it would simply be a film about Cobain, I would come out incredibly frustrated.

[full on idle]

The Pianist was great.

Me and You and Everyone We Know was great.

Munich was not great.

Gladiator was not great.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Munich was great.

Otherwise you're correct.

[full on idle]

I don't subscribe to your opinions, mostly.

ps Yablo, Queen Latifah's latest film is called "The Perfect Holiday" and she plays Mrs. Christmas. Other than that, she's got two films in post-production, "Mad Money" and "What Happens in Vegas." According to IMDB, they'll be released in 2008.

[PotVsKtl]

Ridley Scott can pretty much go to hell after Blade Runner. Maybe Legend if I'm feeling nostalgic.

[wmgaretjax]

The Pianist was great.

Me and You and Everyone We Know was great.

Munich was not great.

Gladiator was not great.

yes.

[schoolofruckus]

Seriously!! And not one of them is Assassination of Jesse James! WTF? At least 3:10 To Yuma is not in the mix though. And snubbing PTA in favor of Ridley Scott? Bullshit! Although I haven't seen There Will Be Blood yet, I'm pretty positive he is more deserving. The acting category seems right, although I'd replace John Travolta in the supporting category with either Steve Zahn or Jeremy Davies from Rescue Dawn. Is Charlie Wilson's War supposed to be a comedy or a musical? Foreign film is a tight category.


To respond on Enduring Love. The opening sequence is greater than the whole of the movie, but it was ok.

also, to quote Gabe:

I concede that you are much more intelligent than I am and am glad you have the knowledge to enjoy such a prentiously boring film, but seriously what did I miss in that one?

I was kidding about Last Days. I just loved the shit out of it and I think it's one of the best recent minimalist films. The photography was terrific, I loved the way that his character was unable to communicate with people other than when he was playing music, the haunting evocation of loneliness....everything about that was a kind of cinematic purity to me. I'm also kind of a Van Sant fanboy (Finding Forrester aside) as well as a Michael Pitt fanboy, so there's that.

I'm glad There Will Be Blood got nominated for Best Picture and Julian Schnabel is up for Best Director. Other than that, I refuse to acknowledge the Golden Globes.

[PotVsKtl]

I don't understand how people can get past that interminable goldfish scene in MYAEYK.

[wmgaretjax]

I don't understand how people can get past that interminable goldfish scene in MYAEYK.

that scene was pretty bad.

[full on idle]

I can't even remember if the goldfish lives or dies. I must have blocked it out.

[PotVsKtl]

Good for you, it ruined the movie for me in the first few minutes. I'll concede that parts were decent but it was so fucking twee.

[full on idle]

There's nothing wrong with twee.

[KungFuJoe]

I knew you were kidding a bit Gabe. Just felt like throwing some sass back at you. I guess a large part of the reason why I hated Last Days was due to the group I went with. Not to say I'd like any better either way, but we all went after a long day of work. All my coworkers were hating it and began making fun of it midway through, where as I remember being somewhat interested in it. When the ridiculing began though I got seriously tired and even remember maybe passing out for a couple of minutes. I wasn't expecting a film so much about Cobain by any stretch, because I read some reviews & knew what I was getting into. I was however hoping for a lot more from Asia Argento. I'm a big fan of hers and the fact that she was in it was one of the main reasons for me wanting to see it. Needless to say she had an extremely week character. I did take acting classes with the blonde girl in the pic though a while back, so it was neat to see her up on the big screen. That has nothing to do with the film though. One of my major gripes though about this film and Elephant (i do enjoy the minimalism of these films) is the homesexual motif Van Sant seems to throw in randomly for no purpose.

[schoolofruckus]

I don't even remember there being a goldfish scene. I just remember there being all sorts of fighting robots and a dude riding an elephant and talking trees and Russell Crowe kicking every ass in sight.

But yeah, beautiful movie about the loner persuasion.

[PotVsKtl]

I don't even remember there being a goldfish scene. I just remember there being all sorts of fighting robots and a dude riding an elephant and talking trees and Russell Crowe kicking every ass in sight.

But yeah, beautiful movie about the loner persuasion.

Uh.

[schoolofruckus]

I knew you were kidding a bit Gabe. Just felt like throwing some sass back at you. I guess a large part of the reason why I hated Last Days was due to the group I went with. Not to say I'd like any better either way, but we all went after a long day of work. All my coworkers were hating it and began making fun of it midway through, where as I remember being somewhat interested in it. When the ridiculing began though I got seriously tired and even remember maybe passing out for a couple of minutes. I wasn't expecting a film so much about Cobain by any stretch, because I read some reviews & knew what I was getting into. I was however hoping for a lot more from Asia Argento. I'm a big fan of hers and the fact that she was in it was one of the main reasons for me wanting to see it. Needless to say she had an extremely week character. I did take acting classes with the blonde girl in the pic though a while back, so it was neat to see her up on the big screen. That has nothing to do with the film though. One of my major gripes though about this film and Elephant (i do enjoy the minimalism of these films) is the homesexual motif Van Sant seems to throw in randomly for no purpose.

The boy kiss in Last Days was gratuitous for sure.

But in Elephant - no way!!! Oh man....that's one of the most beautiful, heartbreaking scenes in any movie ever. It's easy to read as Gus being Gus, but the point wasn't that they were gay - it was that these two guys were realizing they would never achieve intimacy with another human being, if not with each other at that very moment. That's an incredibly tragic, desperate dimension for the story, and it humanized the killers in ways that little else ever could.

[full on idle]

Elephant was shocking and great.

[schoolofruckus]

Munich was great.

Otherwise you're correct.

You seem to have a good grasp of what's quality and what's not. Therefore, this boggles the mind.

[KungFuJoe]

I agree with your point on Elephant. It belonged there. Not in Last Days though.

[kitt kat]

Kitt Kat - If you're going to crusade for female filmmakers, you need to reckonize when one of them brings it!

Bitch didn't bring it. Bitch flew her plane into the ground. Typical first attempt by a female indie filmmaker: "ZOMG LET ME MAKE EVERYTHING WEIRD AND QUIRKY AND CUTE LOLOLLZZZZ"

Honestly. I thought it was trying too hard at times. Kinda like Juno on steroids.

The more I think about it, the more I realized how hard Juno sucked.

I saw Control last night. Oh. My. God. It was incredible watching Joy Division come alive on the screen. Sam Riley was brilliant as Ian Curtis, and he has undeniable brooding sex appeal. I LOVED this movie, and I dreamt about it all night. The music sounded so brilliant and ALIVE on the silver screen. Too bad today is the last day it's showing here in Phoenix.

CONTROL IS AMAZING. I danced in my seat the whole time.

As for the Globes......

FUCK THAT SHIT with The Savages only getting one nod. WTF? That film blows most of those out of the water. And furthermore, if American Gangster gets nominated for ANYTHING one more time, I'm gonna scream.

That was a huge cop out on their part for also placing Persepolis in foreign film and not animated. Looks like someone wanted to pad Disney's award vault a little tighter.

[PotVsKtl]

Oh yeah, Ratatouille was annoying. It was novel for Toy Story in 1995 but I'm fucking tired of Pixar telling me how to be a good person. Just make a movie.

[Yablonowitz]

Ridley Scott can pretty much go to hell after Blade Runner. Maybe Legend if I'm feeling nostalgic.

Legend.

[Yablonowitz]

Oh yeah, Ratatouille was annoying. It was novel for Toy Story in 1995 but I'm fucking tired of Pixar telling me how to be a good person. Just make a movie.

Finding Nemo was better than you are. Go put some more apricot facial scrub on and get some kids.

[mountmccabe]

Also - am I not mistaken that I Am Legend seems to be a none too subtle rip off of 28 Days Later? I mean, what the fuck? I hate America!

It is from an old script by Mark Protosevich which is an update of The Omega Man. Then there were screenplay contributions from Akiva Goldsman. Also it was going to be R but they (recently) cut it to PG-13.

That counts as like 8 strikes against it.

[amyzzz]

Holy shit. I was going to bring up Finding Nemo too.

[gunfoo]

It is from an old script by Mark Protosevich which is an update of The Omega Man. Then there were screenplay contributions from Akiva Goldsman. Also it was going to be R but they (recently) cut it to PG-13.

That counts as like 8 strikes against it.

Actually it all spawned from a Sci Fi novel from 1954 by Richard Matheson. 28 Days Later is more of a riff on this old story than anything else. Even Night of the Living Dead owes much of it's existence to this novel.

[amyzzz]

Cool beans. I will look that book up.

[PotVsKtl]

The concept of the flesh-hungry undead dates back to mythology and folklore from prehistory, such as in the Epic of Gilgamesh, where the goddess Ishtar vows in rage:

"I will knock down the Gates of the Netherworld,
I will smash the door posts, and leave the doors flat down,
And will let the dead go up to eat the living!
And the dead will outnumber the living!"[1]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombies_in_popular_culture

[roberto73]

Actually it all spawned from a Sci Fi novel from 1954 by Richard Matheson. 28 Days Later is more of a riff on this old story than anything else. Even Night of the Living Dead owes much of it's existence to this novel.

True. I read Matheson's novella last month, and judging by the trailers, the only thing the movie shares with its source material is the fact that Will Smith's character is alone with monsters. In the book, it's vampires.

The book is cool. The movie looks like it will not be cool.

[Yablonowitz]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v682/yablonowitz/legend.jpg

[Mr.Nipples]

gnarly cutaneous horn condition...

[mountmccabe]

Actually it all spawned from a Sci Fi novel from 1954 by Richard Matheson. 28 Days Later is more of a riff on this old story than anything else. Even Night of the Living Dead owes much of it's existence to this novel.

I have not read the Matheson (or actually seen all of The Omega Man) but The Omega Man credits that book, too. And I am Legend credits both that book and the screenplay for The Omega Man.

At any rate it sounds like a fucking trainwreck.

Do I win the prize for Most Times Saying The Omega Man In A Paragraph?

[mountmccabe]

But to be fair there's little chance I'd like such a film anyway. I'm not the target audience.

[roberto73]

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/4793/ij4poster3thumbot2.jpg

[thelastgreatman]

I Am Legend was made into the interesting but divergent The Omega Man, and both of them are going to be fucked right in their little pooper by Will Smith's quippy bullshit. I'll be fucking amazed if this movie has a fraction of the actually cool shit from the book--namely flashbacks to when the virus was still spreading, the best part of the book with The Omega Man also fucked up.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

And, today I bought Time by Kim Ki-Duk, which I've been meaning to watch for awhile, so no going out to see a film tonight probably. Maybe tomorrow.

[xbnmx]

my roommates were shocked because i have this thing against magicians (who learns the art of deception for good, HONESTLY!??!?!).

Hahahahahaha

[thelastgreatman]

Also, I haven't seen Van Sant's Elephant but I'm pretty positive it's not as good as the original and that means it sucks some hard cock.

And Me and You is the movie with the fucking goldfish scene at the beginning? I remember turning the goldfish and turning it off. Shame on you all for tolerating that bullshit.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Bitch didn't bring it. Bitch flew her plane into the ground. Typical first attempt by a female indie filmmaker: "ZOMG LET ME MAKE EVERYTHING WEIRD AND QUIRKY AND CUTE LOLOLLZZZZ"

Honestly. I thought it was trying too hard at times. Kinda like Juno on steroids.

The more I think about it, the more I realized how hard Juno sucked.



CONTROL IS AMAZING. I danced in my seat the whole time.

As for the Globes......

FUCK THAT SHIT with The Savages only getting one nod. WTF? That film blows most of those out of the water. And furthermore, if American Gangster gets nominated for ANYTHING one more time, I'm gonna scream.

That was a huge cop out on their part for also placing Persepolis in foreign film and not animated. Looks like someone wanted to pad Disney's award vault a little tighter.

Someone's had a few too many Red Bulls.

[Cruel Runnings]

Bitch didn't bring it. Bitch flew her plane into the ground. Typical first attempt by a female indie filmmaker: "ZOMG LET ME MAKE EVERYTHING WEIRD AND QUIRKY AND CUTE LOLOLLZZZZ"

Honestly. I thought it was trying too hard at times. Kinda like Juno on steroids.

The more I think about it, the more I realized how hard Juno sucked.



CONTROL IS AMAZING. I danced in my seat the whole time.

As for the Globes......

FUCK THAT SHIT with The Savages only getting one nod. WTF? That film blows most of those out of the water. And furthermore, if American Gangster gets nominated for ANYTHING one more time, I'm gonna scream.

That was a huge cop out on their part for also placing Persepolis in foreign film and not animated. Looks like someone wanted to pad Disney's award vault a little tighter.

Man, for a huge bitch you sure are obnoxious. While I hate the Golden Globes, they don't matter so why complain? It's like complaining about the VMA's or the special olympics. Whats so wrong with quirky anyway? Why does quirky = bad now? "Typical first attempt by a female indie filmmaker" you know what your problem is? It is- wait, what the fuck? Aw man there is period blood all over my face. Fucking gross.

[kitt kat]

oh fuck off. i hate how people assume that when girls are angry, we're PMSing.

Look, quirky is only bad when it's forced. ("Quirky for Quirky's sake.") (ie: the scene in YM&EWK when the kids are looking at porn on a computer is only there to be quirky and weird. Lars and the Real Girl is another female writer trying so ahrd to get noticed, she's resorting to weirdness.)

There's a way to do quirky and awkward without delving into unrealistic, shock value, etc etc.

[kitt kat]

Someone's had a few too many Red Bulls.

Try again.
Can't drink them; they send my heart into palpatations.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Way to take me way too literally. Replace red bull with cocaine, or whatever inspired your outburst.

And as for your comments above, what does being female have to do with forced quirk? You seem to find a correlation.

[kitt kat]

nothing. just a lot of female filmmakers have been doing it lately. the only one who i think has succeeded (in recent months) in making a decidedly "indie" film without the forced quirk is Adrienne Shelly. Too bad she's dead :(

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

YOU KILLED HER

[schoolofruckus]

I saw Juno at UCLA. I hadn't heard of it until last night. At first I was worried about it being painfully quirky, and it was at times, but there was actually an impressive human heart beating beneath all the quirk. Like I said, I left very pleasantly surprised. And, I got one of the jogging shirts that Michael Cera wears in it.

I have seen Juno:

The movie annoyed the hell out of me for the first half hour or so, what with the pop culture references and snark and self-impressed writing and etc., etc., etc. I was prepared to write the film off. But then a funny thing happened on the way to the forum, so to speak: there's this scene where Jennifer Garner feels the baby kick for the first time and has this kind of beatific look on her face, and I had this feeling in my stomach, a feeling that I later realized was warmth. All of the labored attempts at being witty and hip were annoying and unnecessary, but there's a sweet movie hidden underneath it all, and that movie made me smile. Cera and Garner are a huge part of what makes this work, their characters have this kind of innocence that remains untouched by the self-conscious sarcasm of the rest of the film. So, I can't give this a bad review, it actually made me feel goodwill of all things.

PS: It would have been a much better movie without her cheerleader friend, man was that character fucking annoying.

I will third most everything here. The story was good but the dialogue was annoying as often as not. It was played neither confidently enough nor naturalistically enough to work.

The movie supports/presents a sort of traditionalism but it is a broad and mostly accepting traditionalism. It does not support aging wanna be hipsters having mid-life crises.

I disagree with NMH's PS; Olivia wasn't the greatest character but she provided both a good friend for Juno and an interesting contrast. She was supposed to be a bit annoying; she was there to remind us how young Juno is and how young she could be acting.

Jennifer Garner, Ellen Page and Allison Janney carried the movie. Michael Cera and Jason Batemen and J.K Simmons all played much more simple characters; Batemen was a little rough with what he had to work with but the other two did well.

I LOVED the work by Kimya Dawson. She did a very good job with the music even if she was mostly amping.

Also the shirt I got has the comic book cover on the front.

"Do you hear that, Mr. Anderson?..........That's the sound of inevitability...."

[schoolofruckus]

In other words, I just watched Juno. And now I have to write the review I've been afraid I was going to have to write ever since I saw the fucking trailer, and that I was really hoping to avoid when the lights went down tonight at The Landmark.

In my opinion, the hype here was all for naught. This is an empty, insincere film that - for all the verbal showmanship - is so poorly-written as to be stunning. There's a great deal of funny lines or exchanges that are entertaining as unto-themselves bon mots, but I didn't get any of the humanity or warmth or even grudging respect towards the characters that would be absolutely necessary to make a film this precious work. It's frustrating too, because you can tell that there's a lot of talent here both in the cast (obviously) but also in the pen of the infamous Diablo Cody. I was really hoping that she'd at least somehow justify all her relentless self-promotion, but all this film did was confirm that it exists to mask severe deficiencies in her work. The script shipwrecks and abandons some truly fine acting work on the parts of Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, Allison Janney, and especially Michael Cera (the only one whose character is written to be even remotely authentic) by foisting upon them characters that are one-dimensionally and irritatingly flip as often as they're funny (nevermind being endearing). This is amateur cinematic conversation at its complete and total nadir.

I'm sorry I have to be saying all this; part of the reason the movie angered me is that I found large bits of it to be funny (or at least amusing), but the pervasively-bloggy banter and half-hearted attempts at emotional resonance kept nagging at me that I was watching a film that should have been much, much better. Maybe if someone had pulled the wunderkind aside and told her that Tarantino she ain't....I don't know. I'm done talking about this because I'm not here to beat up on someone personally, and that's all too easy to do given the unfortunately predictable results.

[kitt kat]

YOU KILLED HER


that was really insulting and uncalled for

[schoolofruckus]

Next time someone tells me that British people are better than Americans....I'm going to have to think back to this list and say, "fuck it, I'll give you that".



28th London Critics’ Circle
Film Awards Nominations


Film of the Year
No Country For Old Men (Paramount)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Warner Bros)
There Will Be Blood (Miramax)
Zodiac (Warner Bros)
The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal)

The Attenborough Award for British Film of the Year
Once (Icon)
Control (Momentum Pictures)
Atonement (Universal)
Eastern Promises (Pathe)
This Is England (Optimum Releasing)

Director of the Year
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck - The Lives of Others (Lionsgate UK)
Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood (Miramax)
Joel and Ethan Coen – No Country For Old Men (Paramount)
David Fincher – Zodiac (Warner Bros)
Cristian Mungui – 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (Artificial Eye)

British Director of the Year
Anton Corbijn – Control (Momentum Pictures)
Paul Greengrass – The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal)
Shane Meadows – This Is England (Optimum Releasing)
Joe Wright – Atonement (Universal)
Danny Boyle – Sunshine (20th Century Fox)

Actor of the Year
Ulrich Muhe – The Lives of Others (Lionsgate UK)
Casey Affleck – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Warner Bros)
George Clooney – Michael Clayton(Pathe)
Tommy Lee Jones – In the Valley of Elah (Optimum Releasing)
Daniel Day Lewis – There Will Be Blood (Miramax)

Actress of the Year
Laura Linney – The Savages (20th Century Fox)
Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose (Icon)
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Sherry Baby (Metrodome)
Angelina Jolie – A Mighty Heart (Paramount)
Anamaria Marinca – 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (Artificial Eye)

British Actor of the Year
Sam Riley - Control (Momentum Pictures)
James McAvoy – Atonement (Universal)
Christian Bale – 3:10 to Yuma (Lionsgate UK)
Jim Broadbent - And When Did You Last See Your Father (Walt Disney)
Jonny Lee Miller – The Flying Scotsman (Verve Pictures)

British Actress of the Year
Samantha Morton – Control (Momentum Pictures)
Julie Christie – Away From Her (Metrodome)
Keira Knightley – Atonement (Universal)
Helena Bonham Carter – Sweeney Todd (Warner Bros)
Sienna Miller – Interview (The Works)

British Actor in a Supporting Role
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton (Pathe)
Toby Jones – The Painted Veil (Momentum Pictures)
Alfred Molina – The Hoax (Momentum Pictures)
Tobey Kebell – Control (Momentum Pictures)
Albert Finney – Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead (Entertainment)

British Actress in a Supporting Role
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement (Universal)
Imelda Staunton – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Bros)
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton (Pathe)
Kelly Macdonald – No Country for Old Men (Paramount)
Vanessa Redgrave – Atonement (Universal)

Screenwriter of the Year
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck – The Lives of Others (Lionsgate UK)
Joel and Ethan Coen – No Country for Old Men (Paramount)
Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood (Miramax)
Ronald Harwood – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Pathe)
Christopher Hampton – Atonement (Universal)

British Breakthrough – Acting
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement (Universal)
Sam Riley - Control – (Momentum Pictures)
Thomas Turgoose – This Is England (Optimum Releasing)
Benedict Cumberbatch – Amazing Grace (Momentum Pictures)
Dakota Blue Richards – The Golden Compass (Entertainment)

British Breakthrough – Film-making
John Carney, writer and director – Once (Icon)
Sarah Gavron, director – Brick Lane (Optimum Releasing)
Anton Corbijn, director – Control (Momentum Pictures)
Matt Greenhalgh, writer – Control (Momentum Pictures)
Stevan Riley, writer, director, producer – Blue Blood (Miracle/Warner Music)

Foreign Language Film of the Year
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Pathe)
4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (Artificial Eye)
The Lives of Others (Lionsgate UK)
Letters from Iwo Jima (Warner Bros)
Tell No One (Revolver Entertainment)

[amyzzz]

I, uhh, didn't know Samantha Morton was British. :/ I guess that shows how versatile an actress she is (or how uninformed I am). Great list.

[mountmccabe]

So I saw There Will Be Blood last night. I still haven't been able to collect my thoughts.

Though I think I agree that this is a good one to go into blind. It isn't a twist-type movie but P.T. Anderson goes places with the story (based on an Upton Sinclair book I'ven't read though from what I know it seems to be very loosely based/inspired by sort of situation) that I didn't see coming.

It is very dark and rather cold, but that's about all I'm gonna say.

[downingthief]

Tonight's the night...I finally see "No Country...". Cannot wait.

[thelastgreatman]

oh fuck off. i hate how people assume that when girls are angry, we're PMSing.

Look, quirky is only bad when it's forced. ("Quirky for Quirky's sake.") (ie: the scene in YM&EWK when the kids are looking at porn on a computer is only there to be quirky and weird. Lars and the Real Girl is another female writer trying so ahrd to get noticed, she's resorting to weirdness.)

There's a way to do quirky and awkward without delving into unrealistic, shock value, etc etc.

Kat, see my memo earlier in the thread re: "women can't write" for the answer to why they always seem to resort to quirky gimmicks.

[Yablonowitz]

Kat, see my memo earlier in the thread re: "women can't write" for the answer to why they always seem to resort to quirky gimmicks.

You know...you guys resort to fucking mean prickshit when you're arguing with kitt kat. What is the deal with that? That fucking prick up there at the top of the page about a period? Sometimes I want to fucking taze you assholes.

[schoolofruckus]

There are plenty of very good recent films written and directed by women that don't resort to being quirky and weird. Whale Rider, Thirteen, Boys Don't Cry, Monster - all excellent, gimmick-free films. The latter three are as hard-hitting as nearly anything out there.

Sofia Coppola isn't my idea of a skilled screenwriter, per se, but she has a personal, interesting vision and a great deal of talent as a filmmaker. Fuck the Oscar; Lost In Translation was good, but her best film is the one that was least acclaimed (Marie Antoinette).

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

The one that resonates with me the most is The Virgin Suicides, though I haven't seen Marie Antoinette.

Speaking of Coppola, did anyone else see that someone used digital audio processing to reveal what he whispered to her at the end of Lost in Translation? Bleh.

[J~$$$]

5 min of cloverfield.

http://www.slashfilm.com/2007/12/13/new-cloverfield-video-revealed-viral-contest-launched/

[Mr.Nipples]

Speaking of Coppola, did anyone else see that someone used digital audio processing to reveal what he whispered to her at the end of Lost in Translation? Bleh.

well...what did he say?

[schoolofruckus]

Please post a link here rather than a transcript. That dialogue was never intended to be heard by the audience.

[thelastgreatman]

You know...you guys resort to fucking mean prickshit when you're arguing with kitt kat. What is the deal with that? That fucking prick up there at the top of the page about a period? Sometimes I want to fucking taze you assholes.

What the hell is so mean about saying women can't write? I mean besides the fact that it's overwhelmingly true, lack of writing ability is far from a gut-wrenching attack.

Yabfeminitz

[miscorrections]

Some women can't write. Some men can't write. To generalize it over a whole gender is ridiculous.

[schoolofruckus]

What the hell is so mean about saying women can't write? I mean besides the fact that it's overwhelmingly true, lack of writing ability is far from a gut-wrenching attack.

Yabfeminitz

It's hard for me to get too passionate about this argument the day after watching the Great Girl Hope (last night's female-written film) amount to such diminishing returns. But again - did you ever see Whale Rider, Thirteen, Boys Don't Cry, or Monster? I know, I know - 4 movies isn't any kind of attention-getting defense. And I couldn't and wouldn't ever deny that about 95% of my favorite filmmakers are men. But saying that women can't write well isn't accurate.

[Yablonowitz]

Some women can't write. Some men can't write. To generalize it over a whole gender is ridiculous.

Well...I think Randy is joking purposefully. But at the same time, it's a joke he likes to make a little too much. The freak who made the period comment is who I was mainly referring to.

Here's the deal - kit katt is genuinely annoying with her self-promotion and ridiculous blanket arguments, etc. There's lots of material there to use to make fun of her. But using her gender as an insult weapon is kind of like validating her own black/white take on movies, etc. Be smarter and more creative Wang. You can do it.

[miscorrections]

I don't think he can.

[C DUB YA]

THE DARK KNIGHT - bootleg trailer

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2007/12/the_dark_knight_trailer_only_s.php

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

well...what did he say?

No idea. As schoolofruckus said, that dialogue was meant to be unknown. I really loved the fact that those two characters got to share a special moment like that, and it's pretty lame that someone had to go and spoil it, even if it turns out that Murray was just whispering some random joke or something that had nothing to do with the characters. That isn't the point.

For those of you who have to know everything about every secret in a very good movie:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lost_in_translation/news/1697243/

As ruckus said, please, DO NOT post what it is. There are a lot of us who don't want to know.

[schoolofruckus]

I heard about this a couple months ago and heard what the dialogue was. It's nothing remarkable, and definitely better left to the imagination.

[Yablonowitz]

I heard about this a couple months ago and heard what the dialogue was. It's nothing remarkable, and definitely better left to the imagination.

Well...why did you go seek it out then, mr cinema?

[Courtney]

I think it's less productive to try to think of names of great female authors or directors, and more productive to think about the socio-historical reasons why it might be so difficult for us to come up with those names.

Also I wish I didn't know what was said at the end of Lost In Translation.

[thelastgreatman]

It's hard for me to get too passionate about this argument the day after watching the Great Girl Hope (last night's female-written film) amount to such diminishing returns. But again - did you ever see Whale Rider, Thirteen, Boys Don't Cry, or Monster? I know, I know - 4 movies isn't any kind of attention-getting defense. And I couldn't and wouldn't ever deny that about 95% of my favorite filmmakers are men. But saying that women can't write well isn't accurate.

Haven't seen Boys Don't Cry or Whale Rider. Thirteen and Monster were both absolutely fucking intolerable crap. Are you being serious?

Look, I'm not saying that there's not a single woman on this planet who can't write well. I'm just saying I've never, ever, ever encountered one. Except Amy Hempel.

[kitt kat]

There are plenty of very good re