Ddladner Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Boyhood...brilliant! I'm really impressed with the perseverance it took to make this movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TypeO Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Saw Boyhood, really enjoyed it. This was a pleasant surprise - very funny and touching, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redrum Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 And a big FUCK YOU! to Michael Moore. Amen. We just watched 'The Way' with Martin Sheen. One of the best movies I've seen in a while. Tried to watch 'The Interview' and it just got more annoying as it went along. EJECT! Those two idiots should go to North Korea and stay there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 ^^^ Amen. Not that I was expecting The Interview to be any good. I smelled a Sony publicity stunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi_Zep_Fan87 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi_Zep_Fan87 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrybonzo Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Whiplash tonight Anyone else seen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Whiplash tonight Anyone else seen? Hell yes! It's a fascinating little movie. I alternately found myself loving it and then at times going "WTF?" It gets a little preposterous at times, especially towards the end. J.K. Simmons is terrific in his role, but afterwards you are thinking it doesn't seem possible he could really get away with doing the things he does to his students at the Shaffer Music Conservatory. But he deserves his nomination, because realistic or not, he is riveting. Lots of drumming scenes of course, and if you are a drummer, you'll probably be compelled and repelled by certain scenes. Are you going with friends henrybonzo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apantherfrommd Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 ^^ It is indeed ridiculous how expensive movies have gotten. We had to pay about $45 for two tickets, two small cokes, and a small popcorn. Pagefan55, That's outrageous!Predestination (2014) Rated R 97 min - Action | Drama | Mystery - 9 January 2015 (USA) 7.5 Ratings: 7.5/10 from 80,689 users The life of a time-traveling Temporal Agent. On his final assignment, he must pursue the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time. Stars: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor One of the strangest character scenarios I've seen in a long time. In a way it's similar to the movie '12 Monkeys' with Bruce Willis. The acting is pretty decent. The storyline will leave you with one or a couple of different thoughts. It's not your classic predictable movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TypeO Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Predestination (2014) Rated R 97 min - Action | Drama | Mystery - 9 January 2015 (USA) 7.5 Ratings: 7.5/10 from 80,689 users The life of a time-traveling Temporal Agent. On his final assignment, he must pursue the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time. Stars: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor One of the strangest character scenarios I've seen in a long time. In a way it's similar to the movie '12 Monkeys' with Bruce Willis. The acting is pretty decent. The storyline will leave you with one or a couple of different thoughts. It's not your classic predictable movie. Yes, definitely one I'm wanting to see. I set a reminder on my Redbox app to let me know when it becomes available. I'm a big Ethan Hawke fan. Did you see Gattaca? One of my favorites. Have I mentioned how much I love Redbox? LOL It's so convenient. And I can search the movie I want on the app and find what location has it, then reserve it so it'll be there when I go to pick it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrycja Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 I thought these SUNDANCE SHORTS might be of interest: http://www2.sundance.org/anotheryou/ Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 (edited) I thought these SUNDANCE SHORTS might be of interest: http://www2.sundance.org/anotheryou/ Enjoy Thanks for that, Patrycja. I love catching up on the many short films that make the rounds when I can...there are so many, it is difficult. One of my favourite weekends of the year is coming up in a couple of weeks, when the American Cinematheque will screen all the Oscar nominated documentary, live-action, and animated shorts at the Egyptian Theatre. Now, on to a couple of films that I saw many months ago but wanted to wait until they were finally released to the country/world at large before recommending them...and both of these films I do recommend, one more highly than the other. One thing I have taken note of at this Forum is the large number of people here that 1) live with a great deal of chronic pain/illness, whether it be back pain or rheumatoid arthritis or something else; and 2) people that have had to deal with someone they know committing suicide. There are two films out now that are of particular interest if you fall in either of these groups of people. The first is "Cake", starring Jennifer Aniston in by far her best performance ever as an accident victim who suffers chronic pain. The movie opens with the people in her chronic pain support group finding out another of their group has just killed herself. Jennifer Aniston becomes intrigued by this woman's suicide...what drove her to do it and how is her surviving family handling the loss. One refreshing thing about the film was that Jennifer's character is not played "cute" or for sympathy...she is short-tempered, angry, hostile, addicted to her pain pills that she gobbles down with alcohol...basically, a mess. But you really get a sense of the constant nerve-wracking pain that people like her have to deal with and the physical and mental toll it takes on them. And maybe, just why suicide would seem like a way out. After years of "Friends" and rom-coms, some good, most of them drivel, you might come away with a new appreciation for Jennfer Aniston. Even if the Oscars ignored her. Alas, the movie as a whole doesn't quite sustain the heights of Aniston's performance...there are some clunky moments and some scenes that seem underwritten or poorly thought-out. Overall though, I still found "Cake" to be above-average and the scenes involving Jennifer Aniston and Anna Kendrick well worth the money. Props also to Adriana Barraza as Jennifer's caretaker/maid. The film I really can't recommend highly enough though is "Still Alice". Julianne Moore is a professor of linguistics at Columbia University..a smart, loving mom and wife who is diagnosed with early Alzheimer's at age 50. The movie tracks her slow decline and the repercussions on her and those around her. Julianne Moore has long been one of our best actors and she plays this part perfectly...there is not one false note or wrong step. Every scene rings true and hits you emotionally. She absolutely deserved her Best Actress nomination. There is one scene, in particular, that is gut-wrenching in that you are anticipating the worse and then, in fine black-humour fashion...well, I'll let you discover it for yourself. The rest of the cast, Alec Baldwin, Kate Bosworth, even Kristen Stewart (who I have a low tolerance for), are good in their roles and the movie, as a whole, is better than "Cake" in my estimation. One word of advice...when you go see "Still Alice", make sure you bring plenty of tissues. Edited February 9, 2015 by Strider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepscoda Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 So....I get to the kids school Friday afternoon... and the greeting was not hello so happy to see you dad...but it was "can you take us to see Sponge Bob...please, please, please ...ect." So Friday night I sat through the Sponge Bob movie.... I was with the kids, so no drinking or other things that would have made the movie seem more tolerable and less like slow torture. Although I must say, the time travel sequence and the keeper of the universe character was somewhat psychedelic, and worth looking for on YouTube next time Im in Colorado and very stoned...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrycja Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Thanks for that, Patrycja. I love catching up on the many short films that make the rounds when I can...there are so many, it is difficult. One of my favourite weekends of the year is coming up in a couple of weeks, when the American Cinematheque will screen all the Oscar nominated documentary, live-action, and animated shorts at the Egyptian Theatre. Cheers, Strider, I hope you get a chance to check them out. I've watched a few and have been moved by several. And thanks for the recommendations. I definitely want to watch JM's film. If you or others have some time, there's also Toronto's Bell Lightbox which has programs outside of its use for TIFF (incidentally, I saw Scorsese there this year for an interview after the screening of "The 50 Year Argument" - he really is a Rolodex of information! Brilliant mind - a pleasure to listen to). It has has screenings, interviews, and exhibitions: http://www.tiff.net/ Also, the National Film Board of Canada has some interesting content: https://www.nfb.ca/channels/ I've been into stop animation shorts of late, and there are a couple of great ones I've seen so far. Happy viewing, eight days a week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrybonzo Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) why is there so much love for American Sniper? isnt it just another propaganda exercise in convincing everyone that the west knows best? Iraq had sod all to do with 9/11 which by all accounts, is why Kyle went to war Edited February 10, 2015 by henrybonzo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul carruthers Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 An oldie, but a goodie that I have not watched in quite some time--so I need to watch it again to grasp how good it is. Don't know if I'll enjoy it as much as I did The Raven--which Lugosi dominated--but it should be a good time nonetheless.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 why is there so much love for American Sniper? isnt it just another propaganda exercise in convincing everyone that the west knows best? Iraq had sod all to do with 9/11 which by all accounts, is why Kyle went to war You sound like Michael Moore, Sean Hannity, and all the other partisan flacks that have to insert their politics into everything. "American Sniper" is a story about a man who wasn't happy with the direction his life was in, decided to join the Navy SEALS after 9/11 and found he had a particular skill that was very useful in war that made him a valuable member of his unit. It is also about the disconnect he faced after his rotation was up and the struggles he had reintegrating to home life. He felt more comfortable, more useful when he was in combat...which is one reason he kept volunteering to go back for more tours of duty in Iraq. Eventually he learns to want to be home again and shift back to civilian life. He donates his time to help his fellow vets that are suffering. SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! Eventually, he is murdered by one of the vets he was trying to help. The movie ends with actual news footage of Chris Kyle's funeral and memorial procession to Dallas Cowboy Stadium. Clint Eastwood purposely left politics out of the film because they had no place in the story. He wasn't making a movie about the entire history of the Iraq War...he was telling a story about Chris Kyle's life and his service to his country. The reason why we went to war wasn't germane to the story...nor the country. It could just as well have been about a German sniper or a Revolutionary War Minuteman. When I watch "Das Boot", I am gripped by the tenseness and action of the story. I am not thinking "fuck those Germans, they were bamboozled by Hitler". I know enough about history that I don't need to carry it around with me like an albatross. I don't understand people who have to have everything fit their world view, that only read books or see movies that follow their political doctrine. I don't like Ted Nugent's politics but that's not going to stop me from cranking "Double Live Gonzo" on a Saturday night. I abhore the Scientoligists, but I will still listen to Beck's music. It would be a boring life if I only listened, read, and watched people I agreed with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjin-san Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) Chris Kyle joined the Navy in 1999.Have a nice day. Edited February 10, 2015 by Anjin-san Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrybonzo Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 (edited) to liken me to a left wing documentary maker and loud mouth fox presenter is quite confusing. the film is called American Sniper not, the man who liked to shoot things or the story of Chris Kyle, the title itself is political, as is the films premise as is most of the run time. American foreign policy has pretty much ruined the 21st century for a lot of the world, mostly those 500,000 + Iraqis.making a film about someone who killed people in what can only and will ever be labelled an illegal invasion, is only going to evoke criticism on a political level, if it wasn't for the Iraq war, there'd be no book, there'd be no film, there'd be no Kyle Clint couldn't avoid the politics, that's impossible.are politics removed from Schindlers list or Braveheart? i see that you clearly enjoyed the film but its more than a film, its a false narrative about who is good and who is bad, would "Iraqi Insurgent" break the box office if it was film? Perhaps Clint would like to make that, like Letters from Iwo Jima there isn't any acknowledgement that this film reeks of jingoism and misplaces awareness of just how much damage has been done under the authority of the US military, i dont understand why you would argue against that, patriotism turns into hate pretty quickly these days Edited February 11, 2015 by henrybonzo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggie29 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Has there ever been a conflict that wasn't political? I watched American Sniper and as movies go it was quite good. Very thought provoking and sad that he and his friend (whom doesn't seem to be quite as important), lost their lives in tragic and ironic circumstances. I haven't read the book although I did read comparisons of both book to movie. According to one reviewer "The Butcher" and the opposing sniper were characters created specifically for the movie for dramatic effect. But hey, that's Hollywood and it's not the first nor the last time storytellers take licence to enhance "actual" events. I was very sceptical of those subplots when viewing and if it's true IMO Kyle's story was tainted by them. I will be watching the trial with great interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sathington Willoughby Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 why is there so much love for American Sniper? isnt it just another propaganda exercise in convincing everyone that the west knows best? Iraq had sod all to do with 9/11 which by all accounts, is why Kyle went to war Loved the vid, thanks for sharing! to liken me to a left wing documentary maker and loud mouth fox presenter is quite confusing. the film is called American Sniper not, the man who liked to shoot things or the story of Chris Kyle, the title itself is political, as is the films premise as is most of the run time. American foreign policy has pretty much ruined the 21st century for a lot of the world, mostly those 500,000 + Iraqis.making a film about someone who killed people in what can only and will ever be labelled an illegal invasion, is only going to evoke criticism on a political level, if it wasn't for the Iraq war, there'd be no book, there'd be no film, there'd be no Kyle Clint couldn't avoid the politics, that's impossible.are politics removed from Schindlers list or Braveheart? i see that you clearly enjoyed the film but its more than a film, its a false narrative about who is good and who is bad, would "Iraqi Insurgent" break the box office if it was film? Perhaps Clint would like to make that, like Letters from Iwo Jima there isn't any acknowledgement that this film reeks of jingoism and misplaces awareness of just how much damage has been done under the authority of the US military, i dont understand why you would argue against that, patriotism turns into hate pretty quickly these days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Chris Kyle joined the Navy in 1999.Have a nice day. You're right, KB, he did. I totally forgot that fact. Which makes the need for some 9/11-truther section in "American Sniper" even more unnecessary. Did Sam Peckinpah feel the need to deliver a history lesson on the causes of WWII in "Cross of Iron"? Did Sam Fuller halt the story in "Big Red One" to deliver a civics lesson? No...and thank goodness they trusted their audience's intelligence to already know their history. I wonder if henrybonzo or Sathington have even seen "American Sniper"? Jingoistic? "The Green Berets" was jingoistic..."Heartbreak Ridge" was jingoistic. "American Sniper" didn't feel jingoistic at all to me. I had a feeling when the movie came out that the title "American Sniper" would attract negative response. There are those who react negatively to anything with the word 'American' or 'U.S.' They're the "America is always wrong" crowd...who are just as tiring and simple-minded as the "America is always right" yahoos. If you want to see a movie about the causes and blunders of the Iraq War, there are plenty of documentaries out there that deal with that subject. I can even provide you a list if you want. But "American Sniper" never pretends to be anything more than what it is...a fictional adaptation of a book. It is not a history of the Iraq War. If you needed it to be, you're projecting your own problems onto the film. People who demand that art meet some political purity standard are boring...and the art that results is generally stiff and boring too. All those dull Soviet Union "tractor movies" or the "uplifting worker movies" of Mao's Red China. Yawn. One thing this conversation illustrates...Harvey Weinstein's smear campaign against "American Sniper" is working. It's not enough for Weinstein to support his company's movies that are nominated, he has to tear down other people's movies in the process. It's been an Oscar tradition since his "Shakespeare in Love" beat out "Saving Private Ryan". I wouldn't be surprised if Weinstein paid Michael Moore to spout off and was behind that video above. I could tell it was coming and sure enough, the video broke the Godwin Rule. At which point I had had enough and hit stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 January and February are usually the dumping grounds for movies...movies that suck and aren't expected to make any money. If a movie's release date has been moved from summer to January or February, that is a sure warning sign it's a dog. A movie like "Boy Next Door" or "Project Almanac" are prime examples of the dog days of winter. But every once in a while, a gem slips through, an orphan of a film that gets lost in the shuffle, overlooked and underrated and most crucially, under-promoted. "Black Sea" is one such film. Starring Jude Law, "Black Sea" is a nice little throwback to the classic "guy's action/adventure" yarns. Jude Law plays a Scottish (or is it Irish? His accent is a little hazy) salvage ship captain who is fired after years of service. Many of his friends have also been sacked and cast adrift in the new world economy and are feeling betrayed. One of Jude Law's friends mentions a Nazi submarine full of gold sunk during World War II and lying at the bottom of the Russian Black Sea. They find a rich investor to bankroll their mission and round up a submarine crew from his old Navy friends and some Russians. Of course, a bunch of gold starts some of the men thinking...think of the film as a cross between "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "Das Boot". I'm not saying "Black Sea" is an out and out classic like those two movies, but it's a good action film to while away the afternoon or evening. It's just too bad Focus Features isn't doing much to promote the film. One friend of mine on the East Coast said the movie only played a week at their local theatre. Maybe it's because it's a small British production? The director is Kevin MacDonald, director of earlier fabulous films "Touching the Void", "Last King of Scotland" and "One Day in September". Try to seek it out at your local bijou. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrycja Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 (edited) This is a doc I've yet to see, but really want to: Oscar Nominee ‘Virunga’ Receives Support From Clintons, Church of England FEBRUARY 11, 2015 | 03:18PM PT Variety Staff In the past few weeks, the Oscar-nominated documentary “Virunga” has received some high-profile support. The film is set in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and focuses on the park rangers who literally risk their lives to protect the park and the mountain gorillas who live there. Threats include rebel groups and the U.K. oil company Soco, which seeks to exploit the park’s natural resources. SEE MORE: Awards: The Contenders On Jan. 31 Bill and Hillary Clinton were surprise guests at a screening in New York attended by Leonardo DiCaprio, one of the film’s executive producers. And Jane Goodall, a U.N. Messenger of Peace, recently saw the film and released a statement saying, “’Virunga’ is a wake-up call. Everyone who cares about the future of the planet must see this movie, and I would like to congratulate those responsible for its birth.” Perhaps most importantly, “Virunga” is helping to bring about actual change. “Virunga” director Orlando von Einsiedel received word on Feb. 7 that the Church of England, one of Soco’s major shareholders, was speaking out. Said von Einsiedel, “They made a very public announcement in the U.K. that unless the company made real assurances that they were never going to exploit oil in this park and to answer all the allegations, they were going to withdraw all of their shares.” Added von Einsiedel: “So it’s working. There’s a lot to hope for.” The filmmaker was speaking at a private screening hosted by Rashida Jones and moderated byVariety’s Jenelle Riley. In the post-film Q&A, he added that Soco threatened to sue him if “Virunga” was released. Asked if he ever feared for his safety during the two years he lived in Virunga Park and shot the film, he replied: “All the time. I was regularly very scared making this film. But whatever fear that I had as a filmmaker, the people in the film took way bigger risks.” In fact, 140 rangers have died protecting the park. And two days before the film premiered at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, one of the subjects of the film – chief warden Emmanuel de Merode – was shot. “He had turned over a dossier of evidence on this oil company and, on his way back to the park, he was ambushed by unknown gunmen and shot twice,” revealed von Einsiedel. “We weren’t sure if we should pull the film or not and he said, ‘No, the world needs to know what’s happening in this park. You have to screen it.’ He’s made from tough stuff. He was back working about 35 days later.” As is the case with many great documentaries, von Einsiedel originally set out to make a very different movie. “One day I read about the story of these park rangers trying to rebuild their country after 20 years of war. I was so inspired, and they were doing it in this magnificent place called Virunga I’d never even heard of,” he noted. “So I went out to tell that story, and when I got there, I learned about this oil company that was doing this illegal exploration and very quickly this civil war started. The story took this massive U-turn almost immediately. But we wanted to stay and follow what happened because we were so inspired by the rangers.” After shooting for two years, von Einsiedel had more than 300 hours of footage and realized there were many stories he could tell. “We almost had three separate films; a National Geographic nature documentary, an investigative film and a war movie,” he said. “We knew the key to making this film engaging and exciting and true to the real story was to combine these cinematic positions together. And the director is putting his money where his mouth is; profits from the sale of “Virunga” to Netflix were donated back to the park. “This was always about more than a film for me. We signed with Netflix because they have the biggest reach we wanted to get this film out to as many people as possible,” he said. “The money from the deal we gave back to the park.” “Virunga” is currently back in theaters and can be viewed on Netflix. SEE ALSO: Film Review: 'Virunga' http://variety.com/2015/film/news/oscar-nominee-virunga-receives-support-from-clintons-church-of-england-1201431474/ Edited February 14, 2015 by Patrycja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 ^^^ It is an amazing doc Patrycja! In fact, all of the nominated documentary feature films are great and worthy of winning...it is one of the strongest categories of this year's Oscars. Which makes it hard to figure out who is going to win for my Oscar Pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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