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I've Been Going to the...MOOOOvies

bigstickbonzo

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Strider

Strider

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^^^

Yeah, the El Capitan Theatre shows "Nightmare Before Christmas" every year the week of Halloween and this year they advertised some special 4D edition of the movie.

I've got tons of films to recommend, many from the recent German and Spanish film festivals, and there are plenty of new and upcoming films I need to see. But tonight is all about seeing the new Christopher Nolan movie "Interstellar" in 70mm IMAX at midnight!

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Strider

Strider

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Two of the best music "documentaries" I have seen in the past year...or ever! Engrossing and illuminating musings on the creative process and the dangers inherent in that process. One (Nick Cave) is a survivor...the other (Rowland S. Howard) sadly succumbed. Coincidentally, the two subjects are linked both musically and geographically...both being in the band The Birthday Party and from Australia. And when you see the Nick Cave one you'll understand why I put the word 'documentaries' in quotations.

The Nick Cave one: "20,000 Days On Earth"

The Rowland S. Howard one: "Autoluminescent"

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Patrycja

Patrycja

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Watched "Interstellar" recently. Really interesting movie. Reminds me a bit of Alan Lightman's book Einstein's Dreams, not for plot but for the weaving of science and what is essential and timeless about humanity and love. I heard that it was to be made into a movie, but so far, just dark matter...

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Ddladner

Ddladner

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Can't wait to see this!

http://youtu.be/C2OBbb8h988

Saw this recently, highly recommend it. The filming is beautiful, and the actors did an outstanding job. It is a remarkable story, very emotional. As an added bonus, the producer, who was in town for the holidays, held a Q&A after the show (which was advertised as a premier). Interesting to learn that Stephen Hawking's computer generated voice is patented, and he offered to record the lines so that his voice could be used in the film. Cool!

Wow. Wow. Triple WOW!

Man, the trailer doesn't even come close to preparing you for the trip that is "Interstellar".

On my list to see!
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Strider

Strider

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In the 3d theater now, 45 min early for an advance showing of the new Lord of the Rings. The screen is 3 stories high by 4 stories wide.... Its huge!!!

You mean the new "Hobbit"? I'm in the theatre myself right now...5 minutes away from "The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies". Not sure if I am excited or just glad this whole drawn out affair is finally reaching its conclusion. I haven't really enjoyed these Hobbit movies as much as I liked Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies.

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zepscoda

zepscoda

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You mean the new "Hobbit"? I'm in the theatre myself right now...5 minutes away from "The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies". Not sure if I am excited or just glad this whole drawn out affair is finally reaching its conclusion. I haven't really enjoyed these Hobbit movies as much as I liked Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies.

Yes, the new Hobbit film. The 3D was stunning. The film was okay, I liked the second Hobbit movie better.

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TypeO

TypeO

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OK, every so often, one of these movies comes along.

I remember when I saw Avatar, and IIRC, I actually said something to this effect in this very thread back when I saw it.

Which is, basically, that 3D and CGI had reached a point where it truly allows an incredible vision to be realized.

This is the type of movie I was talking about.

I regret not seeing this in 3D IMAX at the theater, but I am fortunate to have a good friend with an incredible home theater system - one of those new 4K UHD Curved screen TVs with 3D, and an incredible sound system.

He also had some awesome Golden Goat medical bud, which put the whole viewing experience into hyperdrive, LOL.

Honestly, this may be one of the best movies I have ever seen.

The thought that kept popping into my head was, "I can't get over how well this is done."

The CGI is so realistic that suspension of disbelief is effortless.

You are swept up and taken on such an incredible journey, it was disappointing when it was over.

Just when you think you can't possibly be wowed any more, it takes it to yet another whole new level.

And it has everything.

There are parts that will make you want to cry, parts that are literally hysterically funny, as well as intensely dark, creepy scenes and characters.

It has awesomely jarring transitions that leave you reeling.

And the whole thing is grounded with an absolutely incredible soundtrack that is integral to the entire story.

I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a movie this much.

You don't have to like Science Fiction or Fantasy in order to thoroughly enjoy this movie.

I cannot give any higher recommendation than I have for this movie.

If you like an entertaining, exciting movie that will make you laugh, as well, you have to see this movie.

It'll be the best $2 you ever spent at Redbox.

Oh, and like a lot of movies these days, there are a couple extra scenes after the credits roll - keep watching all the way to the end (FF through if you want, LOL).

Guardians-of-the-Galaxy-Poster-High-Res-

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Patrycja

Patrycja

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I saw the final "Hobbit" movie today. Because of the schedule, I watched the 3D version which I don't prefer, but the format was actually all right.

Loved the movie itself, probably the most of the three Hobbit offerings. Making a quality third movie is quite a feat, and Jackson has done justice to deeply loved books (The Hobbit and LOTR).

I felt kind of sad that this epic cinematic journey had come to and end. When Jackson was here in Toronto for the premiere, he pretty much put to rest adapting any more Tolkien books (at least for now?). Part of it is that he needs a break after such a long commitment; part of is that the movie rights to The Silmarillion belong to the Tolkien estate and they don't seem to like the LOTR movies -- what?! So even after Jackson gets much needed rest in his New Zealand Hobbit hole, there are still legal issues to be ironed out -- hopefully they do it!

In the meantime, a revisit of The Silmarillion and The Children of Húrin in the original form, then. After journeying to Middle Earth again, I still long to wander about in this wondrous world.

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ebk

ebk

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We revived our Christmas Night movie going and saw Into the Woods. I loved it. I need to see it again because we were in the 3rd row and I had a massive headache by the time it was over. This was my first experience in a theatre with reserved seating and those comfy leather recliners. Good thing the seat reclined or I wouldn't have been able to see any of the film.

But, it's a lovely, relatively faithful adaptation of the show. The cast was flawless. I can't wait to see it again, when I can actually see it.

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Strider

Strider

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We revived our Christmas Night movie going and saw Into the Woods. I loved it. I need to see it again because we were in the 3rd row and I had a massive headache by the time it was over. This was my first experience in a theatre with reserved seating and those comfy leather recliners. Good thing the seat reclined or I wouldn't have been able to see any of the film.

But, it's a lovely, relatively faithful adaptation of the show. The cast was flawless. I can't wait to see it again, when I can actually see it.

I enjoyed it for the most part...especially the first two-thirds. Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt, and Chris Pine were top-notch. The "Agony Song" duet by Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen was the comic highlight of the film. Christine Baranski and Tracey Ullman lended their usual talents. But Director Rob Marshall made some crucial cuts to the musical that I feel hurt the film in the long run, sapping the ending and the point of the musical. His directing style needs to settle down...it is too busy and distracting. According to the credits, here are the songs from Sondheim's original musical that were cut for the film adaptation:

  • "I Guess This Is Goodbye"
  • "Maybe They're Magic"
  • "Our Little World"
  • "Maybe They're Magic (Reprise)"
  • "First Midnight"
  • "A Very Nice Prince (Reprise)"
  • "Second Midnight"
  • "Act One Finale (Part 3)"
  • "Act 1 Finale (Part 4)Ever After"(Instrumental heard in film)
  • "Act Two Opening (So Happy)"
  • "Agony" (Reprise)
  • "Any Moment (Part 2)"
  • "No More" (Instrumental heard in film)
  • "Act Two Finale (Part 1)"

It doesn't wreck the movie completely, but it could have been so much better, in my opinion, if he had trusted the source material more...and given us more Chris Pine and less Johnny Depp.

It seems I am not alone...this was in the Washington Post yesterday:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2014/12/26/how-disney-wrecked-into-the-woods/

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Ddladner

Ddladner

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Saw my #199 ("Inherent Vice") and #200 ("Into the Woods") movies of the year this past week. Going to see "American Sniper" tonight and "Big Eyes" and "The Interview" sometime this weekend or next week.

WOW! That's 100 times more movies than I saw this year! Which movie was your favorite?

It doesn't wreck the movie completely, but it could have been so much better, in my opinion, if he had trusted the source material more...and given us more Chris Pine and less Johnny Depp.

'...less Johnny Depp' ??!! No way!
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Strider

Strider

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WOW! That's 100 times more movies than I saw this year! Which movie was your favorite?

An absolute favourite is kind of hard to pick off the top of my head...plus, there are still some films from this year I have yet to see: "American Sniper", "Big Eyes", "The Gambler", "Foxcatcher".

But a quick Top 10 list of movies from this past year would look like this: "Only Lovers Left Alive", "Interstellar", "Fury", "Locke", "Under the Skin", "The Theory of Everything", "We Are the Best!", "Birdman", "Gone Girl", "Boyhood". "Wild", "Whiplash", "Nightcrawler", "The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies", and "Guardians of the Galaxy" are all bubbling under the top 10...and might have even made the list if I had made it another day.

'...less Johnny Depp' ??!! No way!

I have nothing against Johnny Depp, Debbie...he has been great in the past from "Edward Scissorhands" to "Benny & Joon" to "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" to "Ed Wood" to "Dead Man" to "Nick of Time" to "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" to "Finding Neverland".

But starting with "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels he has shown a distressing trend of portraying the same Tim Burton-esque freaks. "Dark Shadows"..."Lone Ranger"...the Mad Hatter in "Alice in Wonderland". It is like he won't do a role if he can't put on make-up and wear a weird hat, and his performances are all full of the same tics and mannerisms so that one role bleeds into the other so it is like he is doing the same schtick over and over. Bring back the old Johnny Depp and I'll be happy to watch him. But sad to say, while he wasn't bad as The Wolf in "Into the Woods", it still was too much of the 'same old, same old' that he has been doing lately...the two Princes were far more interesting as characters and their songs were better.

I would rather have had Rob Marshall restore the missing scenes involving the Princes that were in the original musical.

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Strider

Strider

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I really liked Imitation Game. Being into all things WWII , I had some knowledge of this going into this film. But really didn't know the background in much detail. I found this film fascinating .

The movie is alright but the book is far better. The movie spends far too much time on red herrings (is he a spy? his being gay) and not enough on the nuts and bolts of how they cracked the code and the far-reaching implications of the machine he created. Good cast for sure...Cumberbatch good as always, and Kiera Knightly hasn't been this good in ages. But Matthew Goode stole the show for me...he was outstanding.

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ebk

ebk

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I enjoyed it for the most part...especially the first two-thirds. Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt, and Chris Pine were top-notch. The "Agony Song" duet by Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen was the comic highlight of the film. Christine Baranski and Tracey Ullman lended their usual talents. But Director Rob Marshall made some crucial cuts to the musical that I feel hurt the film in the long run, sapping the ending and the point of the musical. His directing style needs to settle down...it is too busy and distracting. According to the credits, here are the songs from Sondheim's original musical that were cut for the film adaptation:

  • "I Guess This Is Goodbye"
  • "Maybe They're Magic"
  • "Our Little World"
  • "Maybe They're Magic (Reprise)"
  • "First Midnight"
  • "A Very Nice Prince (Reprise)"
  • "Second Midnight"
  • "Act One Finale (Part 3)"
  • "Act 1 Finale (Part 4)Ever After"(Instrumental heard in film)
  • "Act Two Opening (So Happy)"
  • "Agony" (Reprise)
  • "Any Moment (Part 2)"
  • "No More" (Instrumental heard in film)
  • "Act Two Finale (Part 1)"

It doesn't wreck the movie completely, but it could have been so much better, in my opinion, if he had trusted the source material more...and given us more Chris Pine and less Johnny Depp.

It seems I am not alone...this was in the Washington Post yesterday:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2014/12/26/how-disney-wrecked-into-the-woods/

I saw the show when it opened about 30 years ago. I may have seen it once or twice since then, but it's never been one of my favorite Sondheim shows. So I must admit up front that I don't remember much detail about it at all. I envy your memory, Sean. I really do.

That said, I really don't think transferring the entire show as it to the screen would have worked. I agree that Act II was a bit rushed, but as some people were getting fidgety, I'm not sure adding all of the songs back is the answer. I don't pretend to know what the answer is, but I felt the ending got the point across. They could have included No More, but I think the dialogue worked as is.

Here'a s link to an interview with James Lapine about the cuts and changes. I would tend to go with the author as opposed to a pop culture columnist at the WaPo (who doesn't even write very well - although I'm not one to throw stones in that arena :) ).

http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/behind-the-changes-that-brought-into-the-woods-from-stage-to#.wlXrKMBw0

All in all, I thought the film was a good adaptation of the show. And as I said, I will go see it again soon so that I can actually see it. Hopefully, there won't be a woman singing along with the movie at that showing...

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Patrycja

Patrycja

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I also watched "Imitation Game" and liked it overall. Obviously about cracking Enigma, but also about the burden of national and private secrets.

The beginning was similar to "Inside Man" what with the main character telling the audience to listen carefully because he would not repeat himself. Interesting choice to keep cutting through three time periods to establish and reveal the relationship with 'Christopher.'

The singular obsession to keep that relationship alive through the machine was very moving, but frankly seeing all the commercials about how this was 'one of the greatest movies of the year' and other superlatives set up unrealistic expectations. I felt it was maybe a bit disjointed or flat... just not quite the sum of its parts. Hard to put my finger on it, but it left me wanting and not in a good way.

Very fine performances by Cumberbatch, Goode and Knightly, and also the young actors as well.

Edited by Patrycja
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