Recently watched "Lucy" at the cinema, there was a moment in the first twenty minutes where I thought the film might actually turn out better than the trailer made it out to be, my hopes were quickly dashed. I didn't really like it, I think it tried too hard to be deep and interesting and action packed and it all just felt rather pointless.
Recently saw Snowpiercer. OMG. There were some very decent actors in this film (Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, John Hurt) and still it was the biggest dookie log I have seen in a very long time. I'm actually convinced that the train in the movie is a clever visual metaphor for bowel material passing on down the line and out into the world. And it is yet another film wherein an improbable premise gives rise to hyper-unrealistic social stratification and rooms/teams/sections/houses/families/districts/etc. This fixation on insular separation (forced or self imposed) is disturbing.
Just watched 'Frank', really sweet movie @Wreybies : Have you seen 'Grand Budapest Hotel'? Tilda Swindon is great in that.
I don't think I want to see gone girl. It's a truly twisted novel, and I strongly doubt any cinematic treatment could do it justice.
My favourite films are Pulp Fiction and 2001: A Space Odyssey. My favourite horror film is Dracula (1931). He becomes a starchild, at one with the universe, the final phase of evolution.
Final? There's a reason he became the star CHILD. Admittedly, the film is not clear about this. But read the novelization, and watch/read the sequels. No, it's more accurate to say he reached the next phase of evolution. The stage that those who placed the monoliths also reached, and surpassed.
Terrific film. Saw My Old Lady last night, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Maggie Smith reminds me of Jessica Tandy, an actress of timeless ability. Other films still on the short list include Magic and Moonlight, The Two Faces of January and Hector and the Search for Happiness. Soon-to-be-out films that look interesting include Whiplash and Men, Women and Children.
@Cogito , I saw Gone Girl today and I really liked it, have nothing but good things to say (except Neil Patrick Harris is not good). On the other hand, I haven't read the novel yet. But keep in mind that Gillian Flynn wrote also a screenplay, and she deliberately made a different ending (so book readers could also enjoy the movie). So considering the fact that screenwriter and author are the same person it will be worth your while.
I was worried about seeing Gone Girl, because I'd read they totally changed the ending, which pissed me off, since I thought the ending of the book was brilliant. I did see it, and they didn't really change the ending -- the stuff that was changed was really to make the movie work. I loved the movie -- as much as I loved the book. I think that in this case, you can read the book and still really enjoy the movie. But part of the intrigue of the book is that you really didn't know what was going to happen, so I suspect that if you see the movie, the book won't be as enjoyable. So I'd highly recommend reading the book and then still going to see the movie.
Two surprising movies and one not so bad as the reviews: "Snowpiercer": I wanted to see how they treated the class divide given it's one of the themes in my novel. But I expected the usual serious revolution with a less than credible setting. Instead I actually found the movie worth watching. And other people agree as evidenced by the excellent movie reviews. Each of the train cars were exaggerated surrealism, not intended to be realistic. There was an interesting twist in the end and up to there I found the movie more entertaining than I thought it would be. The very last scene wasn't credible despite the fact none of the movie was intended to be exactly credible. It made me think of our discussion, how much will the reader tolerate stretching reality. I won't say more than that so I don't spoil the movie. The second movie that turned out to be a surprise was a grade B sci-fi, "The Signal", with Lawrence Fishburne. It didn't get the best reviews, it was a little slow in parts and it wasn't completely original. But overall, I liked it. It was just different enough to make up for the alien invasion trope. And the ending was just creepy enough to make up for the 'you aren't where you think you are' trope. I also watched "The Monuments Men". It has poor reviews but I must have been in a good mood watching movies because I liked this one too. It wasn't your Dirty Dozen trope. There weren't battles for the art in the usual sense. Instead the setting was near the end of the war, so the only shooting was a straggling German soldier here and there. I think that's what I liked about it, it wasn't the war trope I expected.
I saw Dear White People last week, and while I loved the diversity of the black cast, and the issues it presented, I didn't think the plot was quite strong enough to really present a great story, and I wish some of the characters had been a little more explored and that we could have gotten to know them better. Overall, though, an important film that deserves a viewing.
Oh man, both Snowpiercer and Dear White People were awesome - Snowpiercer had the stronger plot, and IMO a more clear condemnation of what it was trying to get across, but movies like Dear White People are hugely important and need to be seen. I'm considering seeing Interstellar, considering it's Nolan's newest and everyone on my dorm floor won't stop talking about it, but I've heard iffy reviews. I like Nolan's films, but when every other film major names him their favorite director, it's a little annoying.
Why would anyone name Nolan as their favorite director? That last Batman movie he did was a steaming pile of poo.
Oh, absolutely. TDKR was awful in the extreme, but BB/TDK were good, and I did enjoy Memento, The Prestige, Inception, etc. I think his reputation for TDK precedes him somewhat, sometimes. Pre-TDK no one was saying he was a favorite. Most of the fellow film majors on my floor... I love them, and they have good taste, but there's an overwhelming tendency of everyone picking either Nolan or Tarantino as their favorite directors.
I saw Interstellar two days ago and I can say that you won't regret paying those 5€ for a ticket. It's a very good movie. The ending is a bit "meh", but otherwise it's a fine movie.
I want to see Interstellar because my story is about humans who have colonized a planet in the next star system over. The ship they use in Interstellar interests me even though the ship only mattered in my prequel and it doesn't matter in the book. They go through a wormhole which is rather unrealistic and I'm going for more realism, but I can overlook that.
The ending of American Hustle was excellent. But it's much better watching the movie not knowing the ending so make an effort not to try to find it out before you see the movie.
I've also heard there's a really realistic portrayal of a black hole in the movie - apparently the CGI rendering process took forever. I can believe it.
Realistic? Well, better than most. But some major liberties were taken in order to make the story work. I'll allow them that. Overall, an impressive, thought-provoking movie with fantastic visuals (and audio). I do think Christopher Nolan has a tendency to drag out his movies for added grandeur. But that's a stylistic choice.
Interstellar looked good. It had a pretty simplistic and highly predictable plot. I liked the music, and I had an enjoyable cinema experience, but it's pretty shallow and simplistic. If anyone starts spouting to you how 'deep' and 'philosophical' the film is, you may need to question what they think is deep or philosophical. It's just a by the numbers space epic with really cool robots.
Since I went to see Rigoletto last night, I watched the Pavarotti version before setting off. I'm not familiar with Verdi's operas, and I don't know the story of Rigoletto very well, but the film version was such a grand, bombastic feast for the eyes! And the ears, of course, it was Pavarotti. The story I still feel kind of loose on, but I guess that's my fault for not reading the booklet in the DVD case, or the programme while in the theatre. There is my one tip for watching an opera: read the story before sitting down!
