EnMasse

6079_Smith_W · Fulltime enMasse Member Joined: 15 Nov 2011 Posts: 571

As for good flicks though, we saw "Arthur Christmas" with the kids. It was hilarious, and I recommend it for anyone.

As well, the latest Sherlock Holmes movie gave me a good opportunity to explain war profiteering to my eldest. The movie was a fun romp, though the kind that made me wish they didn't have the sound turned up so high in theatres.

ronb · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 5:52 pm Post subject:

Yeah. Prince appears to have turned into a bible-thumping, raving lunatic. I don't care. I like his music. I once met Chuck Berry at an airport. He was an abrasive asshole. I don't care. Those Chess records are amazing. Etc.

That said, I do think Elvis did somehow lose his melodic sense entirely after Punch the Clock, so I'm not sure you're missing much musically. Lyrically, there were moments, but Veronica was as close as he ever came again, and it took Macca to get that out of him. Even reforming the Attractions didn't really help much. After that I stopped bothering too. I never quite believed that story, even though it appears to have been true. Was it Bonnie Raitt who slugged him? Bonnie Bramlett?

Took the girl to see The Artist on the weekend. It was a very enjoyable piece of fluff. A lot more like Mel Brooks' Silent Movie than I was expecting somehow. She loved it. I wasn't sure she'd be into a silent movie, even though I have inflicted hours of Buster Keaton on her from an early age. There is a great dog in the film - stroke of genius - so she was thoroughly entertained.

6079_Smith_W · Fulltime enMasse Member Joined: 15 Nov 2011 Posts: 571

Re: Prince

He's a Jehovah's Witness.
Also, he's a litigious copyright-crazy freak who claims he owns pictures his fans take of him at concerts.

Love his music, even so.

F. · Fulltime enMasse Member Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 2578

Interesting, no-holds-barred review of the Thatcher film over at The Quietus:

anne cameron · Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:38 am Post subject:

For Solstice the blonde daughter gave me the trilogy of the "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" series, done in Scandinavia. Incredible. I have watched all three films several times, I'm almost ready to start talking Swedish. I understand North Americans don't like reading sub titles but I had no problem, didn't find them distracting.

There's a North American version being released and I truly do doubt they can do as good a job , and certainly can't do a better job. It was SO different from the more usual North American "crime" type films...no guns, bullets, explosions, or wild car chases, not even a real punch-up! But gripping, all three of them.

Raos · Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:30 am Post subject:

Svenska! Det där språket är mycket bra!

I've seen the first of the three, and quite enjoyed it. Interestingly (for the book and the movie) there was quite a bit of editing done to title in the translation of the first book. The original Swedish title, "Män som hatar kvinnor", is (much like it looks in English): "Men who hate women". The other two are rather closer translations.

anne cameron · Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:38 pm Post subject:

The books blew me away. My brother sent me the first one and we made jokes about it being so big and so heavy it could serve as a doorstop. Then I started reading it and knew it would be in the book case, not in the doorway at all. I have convinced myself that the author, who had his own magazine, had huge files on neo-Nazi activity, on human trafficking, on government duplicity, but couldn't get proof to take anyone to court so sat down and started typing "fiction". There is an air of authenticity to much of the content and, you know me, I'm up for a good conspiracy theory any old time of day.

The final film of the three had me going in circles the first time I watched it and only started to "make sense" the second time...so many people!

ronb · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:07 pm Post subject:

If you live in a city where Pina is playing in 3D, go right now and see it!

It's the only really appropriate artistic use of 3D so far. Magic.

Raos · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 9:32 pm Post subject:

That looks fantastic. Unfortunately, the only Canadian city it seems to be running in that I could find is Ottawa. Sad

ronb · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 10:58 pm Post subject:

I saw it in Toronto at the Bell Light Box on Saturday, so it's in more than just Ottawa for sure. I saw a poster for it at my local cineplex too, with a coming soon sticker, so hopefully it's about to get a wider release. See it in 3D if you can.

Sibjyn · Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 3:02 am Post subject:

Saw Kevin Smith's Red State last week. Not bad, not a great film but one that's stuck in my mind. Incredible acting by John Goodman as the ATF agent and Michael Parks as the Westboro Baptist style minister are what saved it. Worth checking out if you like his stuff.

al-Qa'bong · Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 5:27 pm Post subject:

About Schmidt was on TV the other day. I remember thinking after seeing it years ago that it was purt'near a perfect movie.

We have two camps at work: those like me who think the film is brilliant, and the Philistines who hate it.
_________________
"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi

"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl

sparqui · Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 6:10 pm Post subject:

I saw "Hugo" and "Paris at Midnight" yesterday. I didn't think I would like the former (3D) but it was brilliant. Scorcese did a fabulous job and the story is so touching. "Paris at Midnight" was clever and fun.
_________________
“If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a tractor.”

-- Gilles Duceppe

voice of the damned · Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 3:21 pm Post subject:

Meet John Doe

Lighter-toned political saga by Frank Capra, about plutocratic attempts to co-opt a populist social movement. Hard to categorize ideologically, since the John Doe movement has overtones of what we would now call libertarianism, but its enemies are definitely meant to be understood as wealthy and authoritarian(tycoon with his own private army busting up rallies etc).

Insofar as it was meant as a portrayal of potential American fascism, fairly daring for its time, given that it draws connections between fascism and capitalists(or at least some capitalists), rather than just the usual caricature of fascists as crazed madmen who came out of nowhere.

al-Qa'bong · Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 3:49 pm Post subject:

Helots!

We went to the movies last week, and saw a swell picture called "The Artist."

There wasn't a lot of complicated dialogue, but then the actors didn't need any, they had faces.
_________________
"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi

"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl

voice of the damned · Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 12:17 pm Post subject:

The Last Wave

I had been wanting to see this since I read a review of it when I was a kid. Australian supernatural thriller, directed by Peter Weir(of Dead Poets and Truman Show renown). A white Sydney lawyer takes a job defending some indigenous people charged with murder, and begins having strange, apocalyptic dreams.

Classic set-up of rationalist moderns vs. spiritual "primitives", with the latter wordview vindicated by subsequent events. In that sense, I suppose, open to charges of romantic orientalism.

All in all, though, interesting look at some cultural and legal issues in Australia, from a late 70s vantage point. I watched it on YouTube(definite last resort for the cinephile), but if you can get a good DVD of it, worth a look. Nice to recall a time when the horror and supernatural genre wasn't over-run with bombastic CGI.
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I hear words I never heard in the Bible.

Fidel · Fulltime enMasse Member Joined: 04 May 2006 Posts: 812

cco · Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 5:08 am Post subject:

Reading "apocalyptic dreams" made me remember how much I enjoyed Take Shelter.

voice of the damned · Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 6:04 am Post subject:

Chester · Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 2:16 pm Post subject:

The Three Stooges. Woo woo woo, come ear, why I otta.

6079_Smith_W · Fulltime enMasse Member Joined: 15 Nov 2011 Posts: 571

Orlando is playing at the Broadway on Sunday night for free - part of pride week.
I may be giving myself away as a peon for saying so, but I liked the movie better than the book. Something about the overly-florid writing just bugged me (and yes, I know it was satire).

The Evil Twin · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:29 am Post subject:

Obviously with a title like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, one doesn't expect high culture, but if anyone wants a good laugh, I recommend it. Totally over the top and silly, but all in good fun.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1611224/
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I can't support bike lanes. Roads are built for buses, cars, and trucks. My heart bleeds when someone gets killed, but it's their own fault at the end of the day. - Assclown Rob Ford

voice of the damned · Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:39 am Post subject:

I watched The Machinist over the weekend, and was pleasantly surprised. I'm not usually a fan of those films were everything turns out to hinge on epistomological or metaphysical plot twists(eg. Memento), but The Machinist manages to keep it fairly subdued on that score, instead focussing more on creating eerie atmospherics.

Which it does quite well. I was so enjoying the horror-but-not-quite ambience, that I didn't get bogged down in trying to figure out what was real and what was not(which I always find to be the Achilles Heel of that genre). Even the cheezy Route 666 scene worked well, given that it was supposed to be taking place in the protagonist's mind.
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I hear words I never heard in the Bible.

Vundo Draxon · Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 2:59 am Post subject:

Brave. It was entertaining on many of the same levels as How To Train Your Dragon. Definitely a better class of princess than we have come to expect from Disney. But I won't be talking about this years later, it was certainly not on the same level as Up.

al-Qa'bong · Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 5:39 am Post subject:

The Glenn Miller Story is on TV right now. They're showing that scene with the military parade of the "St. Louis Blues"

Anyway, earlier they showed Louis Armstrong, Cozy Cole and Gene Krupa, among others, playing "Basin Street Blues".

I found myself smiling throughout the whole scene.
_________________
"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi

"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl

al-Qa'bong · Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 6:11 pm Post subject:

I haven't seen Zero Dark Thirty and I doubt that I will, unless it's on TV some time.

al-Qa'bong · Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 12:06 am Post subject:

Since this is the cinema thread...

Best Propaganda Film (OSCAR 2013 SPOILER! LEAKED CLIP!!)
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"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi

"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl

sparqui · Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2013 4:59 pm Post subject:

Neil Armstrong, Actor. ROTFL

_________________
“If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a tractor.”

-- Gilles Duceppe

al-Qa'bong · Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:27 pm Post subject:

I watched "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" and "You Were Never Lovelier" on TCM last night.

What a couple of swell pictures.

I fell asleep during the one right after them, though. It was one I'd seen before, "All the King's Men,"about "The Kingfish." CCO can tell yas all about it.
_________________
"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi

"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl

al-Qa'bong · Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 4:09 am Post subject:

I haven't seen Zero Dark Thirty, and reviews like this are making it less likely that I shall.

al-Qa'bong · Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 4:01 pm Post subject:

voice of the damned · Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 5:09 pm Post subject:

On Friday night I stumbled across a copy of the 1984 film Streets Of Fire at the dvd rental place. It's a gang-themed action flick, set in a New Yorkish city in an alternative time-line 1980s, where the 1950s don't seem to have ended. To quote Roger Ebert's comments about another film, it "takes place in our memory of movies".

The plot is basically a maguffin for a lot of action sequences, retro imagery, and rockabilly music. Rick Moranis has a major role that seems a bit out of step with the other characters, not to mention the general milieu, or perhaps not. If you're a fan of The Wild One(and similar films), Happy Days or Grease, you might enjoy this.
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I hear words I never heard in the Bible.

Sibjyn · Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 8:26 pm Post subject:

I remember "Streets of Fire"! On my first trip to California as a kid they were filming it at Universal Studios when I took the tour, so I got to see all the sets. Not a great movie but cheesy fun. I read Rick Moranis getting the part caused some tension in the SCTV gang.

Just saw "Zero Dark Thirty", more like "One Shitty Movie" if you ask me.

voice of the damned · Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 1:43 pm Post subject:

voice of the damned · Posted: Tue May 07, 2013 3:48 pm Post subject:

Timebandit · Fulltime enMasse Member Joined: 11 Apr 2006 Posts: 854

I saw three feature docs at Hot Docs in Toronto last week - two I'd recommend (the third was awful).

If you're of an atheist bent, The Unbelievers, featuring Lawrence Krauss and Richard Dawkins, will be enjoyable, if not earth-shattering. Kind of a fanboy homage, but well made.

Blackfish, on the other hand, was really, really good. About the killer whale who killed the trainer at Sea World (and had killed twice before) and what captivity does to whales. See it if you get the chance.

al-Qa'bong · Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 4:33 pm Post subject:

sparqui · Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 1:06 am Post subject:

Never saw it or "Argo" - both seemed liked Rah Rah USA propaganda.
_________________
“If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a tractor.”

-- Gilles Duceppe

al-Qa'bong · Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 5:39 am Post subject:

Three vacuous bright young things review the latest The Great Gatsby abomination.

From everything I've read and heard about this picture, it isn't something I'd want to endure.
_________________
"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi

"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl

voice of the damned · Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 3:19 pm Post subject:

Finally saw Lincoln. I guess Spielberg's stature in Hollywood is now at the point where he can negotiate with the studios as follows...

STEVE: Hey guys, I wanna do an historical epic. Something about Lincoln, the Civil War and slavery.

STUDIO: Great! Lots of action-packed battle scenes and CGI pyrotechnics?

STEVE: Nah, I was thinking of focusing more on the political aspects of it.

STUDIO: Oh, okay. Thundering speeches and nail-biting votes?

STEVE: Bit of that. Mostly though, I just wanna show the back-room horse-trading that goes on in politics. I'm envisioning a plot strand about someone being offered Postmaster General Of Pennsylvania if he votes the right way.

STUDIO: Umm, sure. But we'll finish it all off with a big bloody gun-show at Ford Theater, right?

STEVE: Eh, I think I'll just have someone talk about that after the fact.

STUDIO: Sounds good, Steve. You're the boss!

That said, DDL's performance was certainly Oscar material. And the film itself is actually pretty good, if you like wonkish stuff.
_________________
I hear words I never heard in the Bible.