The Movie Topic (films recently watched, general discussion, etc)

[blixa]

what did you think of the ending of i'm still here? just those last few minutes.

[chick de la lynch]

It didn't really jive with the rest of the film, so it didn't make so much of an impact as it should have. However, the last ten minutes alone were beautifully shot.

[blixa]

the end made me cry because, i don't know, maybe it's because i've delved so far into the phoenix family because of river. i often kind of see them as my second family. they have encapsulated my life since i was eight and the end of that really hit me. it must have been something i'd read that river said about puerto rico; that it was essentially so important for him. i felt the end scene was just embodying what river had said. i don't think it was intentional, but it felt like that scene just completed something for me.

[one weak]

So I've seen a few films over the last two weeks. First one I saw was Middle of Nowhere. Your typical low-budget, indie film with some memorable characters. I now have a huge crush on Anton Yelchin.

I also saw Split Second that same evening. The film was all over the place and had no clear focus. I zoned out through most of the film.

I finally got to see I'm Still Here. I don't know what to really think of the film. As a mockumentary goes, it wasn't well put together. It felt spastic and jumped around way too much. However, I think this is Joaquin's best performance to date. Yeah,  there were a lot of people who thought it was a hoax, but somewhere in the back of their minds they also thought he was being serious. Not to mention this was out of character for Phoenix. I'd recommend it for fans of Phoenix because I think those are the only people who will truly appreciate the film.

I saw my first French New Wave film, or a subset of it--Cleo From 5 to 7. I'm supposed to watch it in my film studies class later in the semester, but I was in the mood to see it so I did. I thought it did a fantastic job of documenting Cleo's last two hours before she gets the test results. It's a nerve racking experience waiting for important medical results and the way Cleo acted as she was waiting was natural yet real and even expected. I was also impressed with how spot on it was revealing how women are expected to act no matter what the circumstance may be, and was the most memorable part of the film. .

are you in film school, or just taking a film class in school?

i

[chick de la lynch]

I'm taking a film studies class right now. I'm in community college at the moment. I hope I can transfer to a University next semester so I can major in film.

[blixa]

i'm so glad persepolis was a cartoon otherwise i don't think i would have survived it. not because it was bad, but because it really did break my heart. what a waste of a country and its people.

[blixa]

i watched shutter island yesterday night. it was very slow starting off, the first half hour was boring. leo was quite good in it, but i think the actors with the smaller roles steal the show like haley and clarkson's characters. i like scorsese's method of filming the quite ordinary things in a very scary way and filming the scary bits very ordinarily. it really makes it eerie.

it also took a while to get to the point.

[bright lights, big city]

sounds like you kind of liked it, but i still disagree with you for the most part. movie was near perfection, as was leo's performance. and you forgot to mention max von sydow.

[blixa]

i did like it. it was beautifully shot. i just found that the minor characters did more for me and there were a lot of them that were a stand out. and honestly, i can watch kingsley sitting on a toilet reading an avon catalogue and be transfixed.

the only movie i love leo in is romeo and juliet hahaha he is perfect in that.


he was good in shutter island too but the strength of the other actors performences sometimes outshined him, especially jackie earle haley.

[bright lights, big city]

i know what you're saying, i mostly just posted to screw with you, haha. i'll give you r&j, that movie was really good. i just wish that i appreciated it more at the time because since he was a heartthrob, i didn't really give dicaprio a chance. obviously, he's won me over in the last decade; he's one of my favorite actors.

shutter island just had a great cast all around. scorcese always manages to get the most out of his actors. i was really upset when the oscar nominations came out and saw that this movie was completely shut out. bullshit. i still say it's the 2nd best movie of 2010 after inception. even barely edges out black swan, in my opinion.

[blixa]

watched several films over the weekend with the big sis.

just wright was mostly very predictable. i'm a sucker for queen latifah though so i was semi-entertained. i wished they had done more with common's character.

spring breakdown was by no means a good movie in the sense of what a good movie is, but it was very funny. it was very weird seeing parker posey in it because i had gotten so used to watching her in 'serious' indie movies. i was still shocked that she was in the third blade movie.

whip it was awesome! i'm not a big ellen page fan. i think it developed when juno was on tv last year and i got six texts from people telling me that i was juno because i dress in jeans and flannel and have the same vernacular and facial expression as her. not true.

the wedding singer. the best movie. period.

[Crazylegs]

the only movie i love leo in is romeo and juliet

What?! He's been great in almost everything he's done the last 10 years at least.

[blixa]

i didn't meant to insinuate that he's only been good in romeo and juliet. i love his performance in that because it's the first leo movie i watched. i love everything he's done in the 90's. it's my favourite period.

[Crazylegs]

I can accept that.

[bright lights, big city]

Speaking of 90s DiCaprio, I saw The Quick and The Dead this weekend for like the fifth time. I know it gets panned everywhere, but fuck that, I love that movie and everyone's such a badass in it.

[blixa]

watched perfect romance with my mum. meaningless film with a storyline done to death. the only reason i liked it was because henry ian cusick was in it. hubba hubba.

[bright lights, big city]

yeah Desmond is pretty awesome.

[chick de la lynch]

So the past couple of weeks I have been watching some rather interesting films.

The Boys are Back - at times the film got melodramatic, but overall it was a good film. Clive Owen never disappoints and the fact that Australia was the backdrop made it that much better. The film reminded me of the times my mother was out of town and my dad would take care of me and my brother and always did the opposite of what my mother did.

Nosferatu - This film was scary, but I have to say I think The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was a lot scarier. Still, I wouldn't want Count Orlok coming into my room and sucking my neck. Nevertheless, it's a great film.

The 400 Blows - Anyone who has yet to see this film should really be ashamed of themselves. I think this is a film everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. It's beautifully made, and I think it's a great film for a teenager to watch. It depicts that awkward/painful/emotional phase that every adolescent goes through and does it in such a heartbreaking way with a damaged young man. I watched it four days ago and this film still hasn't left my mind.

La Strada - So I jumped from the French New Wave to Neorealism. Another film that was beautifully shot. I still think La Dolce Vita takes the cake for the best Fellini film, but this one isn't too far behind. This co-dependent relationship Zampano and Gelsomina is rough to watch at times, but realistic. I've been in relationships where the relationship isn't healthy for either party, but it's obvious both parties can't live without one another and the same goes for the bulk of this film. The ending almost made me cry because it was sweet in its own demented way.

Breathless - And then I jumped back into the French New Wave. You could totally tell Quentin Tarantino was heavily influenced by this film. My favorite scene is when Michel hides out at Patricia's place and tries desperately to get her to take her top off while Patricia tries to have a serious conversation with him. I think it depicts the relationship between men and women in such an absorbing way. I got lost in that scene of dialogue which was shot in such a straight forward and honest light. The relationship between Patricia and Michel is one that goes back and forth throughout the film and doesn't stop until the very end. It was sharp and classy, and another film I haven't stopped thinking about. And Michel was pretty hot. :p

I Am Sam - This film sucked and the only thing that made it worthy of watching was Sean Penn. I keep thinking of that one line in Tropic Thunder as to why Sean Penn didn't win an Academy Award for his performance and how he went "full retard". He was convincing but the film was trying too hard to be a tearjerker, although some parts did make me tear up. Still doesn't save a film from being horrible.

Charlie Bartlett - This film really started off strong and interesting, then I don't know what happened. I don't think the writer lost focus, but rather didn't know what to do with the movie after a certain point. That's when it started to grasp at stupid clichés seen in many high school movies, which is sad since I think this film had a really good chance of being great. However, I will say the characters were likable. I like Anton Yelchin. He's quirky, confident and charming which makes watching anything he's in an entertaining experience. In the end, the film wasn't a total loss.

His Girl Friday - This a sharp, astute and entertaining piece of work. It almost makes me sad because romantic comedies have gone down hill from what they used to be. Romantic comedies now end every thing in a nice, neat bow which is unrealistic and cornball. This film, however, displays romance but in an honest way where it's almost depressing. The dialogue was quick and realistic. Women in romantic comedies are shown in such a ditzy and embarrassing way these days--I wish it could go back to films like this one where a woman can be smart, independent, career oriented and good at her job. Essentially, Hildy was the one in charge just by her wit alone. A great film that anyone and everyone can enjoy.

[blixa]

hahaha heaven is watching all these awesome movies and i'm watching these really bad made for tv movies.

[from_musings]

I also saw Persona, which was better put together. At first I thought I was watching a David Lynch film. I didn't really think Bergman got experimental, but he did. It was blatantly obvious David Lynch was heavily influenced by this film. There was a shitload of symbolism, and I feel it's definitely worth a second watch. Elizabet and Alma's relationship was one of major interest. The fact that Elizabet barely says a word in this film, yet she conveys so much in her actions and her face. The one thing I love about Bergman's films is how stripped down they are. There is so much to his films, yet they are simplistic in plot. That, and Sven Nykvist. He was a brilliant cinematographer, and is probably my favorite cinematographer. Persona is brilliant and I would highly recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of Mulholland Drive.

Really cool and enjoyable movie! i'm a little surprised that they could come up with wierd shit like this in 1966.shows what i know about old films.
I hope that david lynch at some point has named Bergman and this movie as an influence, becuase no Persona - no Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive? my admiration for david lynch dropped a bit after seeing this movie when i realized that the basic idea from Persona, mixing and confusing identities between two girls, was Bergmans idea from the start