The General Movie Thread

[Looney]

I agree with you on Idaho Transfer (1973). I would love to hear how this one got made. As it is it seems like someone had a script they wrote late one night, some locations, a little bit of money, and a group of friends to be in it. Thinking on that scenario I would love to see a decent Blu-Ray release with special features that tell some of the stories on this one. Plus I would love to see a decently treated transfer. I've got a couple of different DVDs, both were extremely cheap and are very poor quality. Plus they are very matted - I hate it when things are matted, especially when it is done wrong. I think one of the DVDs I have is not only matted, they used the other DVD as a source so you can see both mattes. Okay I could go on and on about that subject, the main point is that I would like someone who has The Idaho Transfer's original negative to do a decent Blu-Ray release with no mattes. Just give me the image that was filmed every time. (I don't buy the argument that tons of Directors shot movies thinking of mattes the whole time. I've seen too many movies on DVD that there is no way the Director intended the image presented be framed in that manner. Yes there are probably some who intended to use a matte. What I can't believe is all the times I've seen a movie on DVD where the framing doesn't look quite right and someone tells me the matte is there because the that is how the Director intended it to look. I don't believe it. And yes I said I could go on and on and now I've started to. Sorry.) '

[Ubik]

I agree with you on Idaho Transfer (1973). I would love to hear how this one got made. As it is it seems like someone had a script they wrote late one night, some locations, a little bit of money, and a group of friends to be in it. Thinking on that scenario I would love to see a decent Blu-Ray release with special features that tell some of the stories on this one. Plus I would love to see a decently treated transfer.

I've got a couple of different DVDs, both were extremely cheap and are very poor quality. Plus they are very matted - I hate it when things are matted, especially when it is done wrong. I think one of the DVDs I have is not only matted, they used the other DVD as a source so you can see both mattes. Okay I could go on and on about that subject, the main point is that I would like someone who has The Idaho Transfer's original negative to do a decent Blu-Ray release with no mattes. Just give me the image that was filmed every time. (I don't buy the argument that tons of Directors shot movies thinking of mattes the whole time. I've seen too many movies on DVD that there is no way the Director intended the image presented be framed in that manner. Yes there are probably some who intended to use a matte.

What I can't believe is all the times I've seen a movie on DVD where the framing doesn't look quite right and someone tells me the matte is there because the that is how the Director intended it to look. I don't believe it. And yes I said I could go on and on and now I've started to. Sorry.) '

So cool you're even aware of the film, let alone have some thoughts on it. I can’t speak for the matte on the DVD releases, as my copy looks to be a VCR rip at best! I found it in some B-Movie film archive online. I think it’s got a really unique atmosphere, even though I find the closing scene to be a bit heavy handed in hammering its message home. The rest of it, however, has a nice dreamlike atmosphere, which is only improved by the excellent score.

Tell me, do you like Werner Herzog’s films? If you dig this, you should definitely see ‘Aguirre, the Wrath of God’. Comparing the two is like comparing a Nissan Micra to a Porsche, but I expect Fonda had taken influence from European film makers like Herzog. Aguirre is very slow and stately, but its utterly superb and captivating in a way that few modern films are. Plus, Popol Vuh do the music, which absolutely seals the deal for me.

[Looney]

So cool you're even aware of the film, let alone have some thoughts on it. I can’t speak for the matte on the DVD releases, as my copy looks to be a VCR rip at best! I found it in some B-Movie film archive online. I think it’s got a really unique atmosphere, even though I find the closing scene to be a bit heavy handed in hammering its message home. The rest of it, however, has a nice dreamlike atmosphere, which is only improved by the excellent score.

Tell me, do you like Werner Herzog’s films? If you dig this, you should definitely see ‘Aguirre, the Wrath of God’. Comparing the two is like comparing a Nissan Micra to a Porsche, but I expect Fonda had taken influence from European film makers like Herzog. Aguirre is very slow and stately, but its utterly superb and captivating in a way that few modern films are. Plus, Popol Vuh do the music, which absolutely seals the deal for me.

Yes I have Aguirre somewhere. I haven't watched it in a very long time though. And I did check Idaho Transfer. The main DVD I have of it is Full Frame. I also have it in a few multi-movie collections. That might be where the matted versions are. So glad I have the Full Frame version. Just checking it reminded me of how crazy it is, though there really is a good basic story there. I like the twist at the end, but yes it is very heavy handed.

[Looney]

R.I.P. Richard Kiel, 74

An iconic villain from my childhood, Richard Kiel was Jaws to James Bond. He also starred in the classic Twilight Zone episode To Serve Man and many other TV shows and movies.

http://deadline.com/2014/09/richard-...s-dies-832811/

[Looney]

BODY HEAT (1981) – I love this movie. I’m not usually a fan of this type of movie unless it is really good and original. While this does share in many properties associated with this type of movie and does seem to be a modern re-telling of Double Indemnity (1944) I still feel that it has its own unique essence, particularly with William Hurt’s portrayal of Racine. Racine is a great example of an anti-hero. I don’t like him because he is a smug dirtbag, but I also don’t necessarily want to see him fail.

FANTASTIC VOYAGE (1966) – This movie was visually groundbreaking for its time. What I saw is a movie that gives a great example of a problem that still runs rampant through Hollywood today; filmmakers becoming too wrapped up in the effects and escalating drama while they ignore a really great story.

The ridiculous time element in the film really bugged me and then they exacerbate it by adding a crisis every ten minutes. It just pushed what could have been a great movie into the realm of the ridiculous. I was captivated by the visual effects forty eight years later so I can see why this film can be considered a classic, but they really dropped the ball on telling the story. They basically dropped the whole saboteur plot with no explanation. I mean it could be suggested that maybe it was Pleasance, but then again he may have only acted the way he acted because he wanted out.

Anyway, I loved the first half an hour or so, but once the sub was launched they started to lose me quick.

WEEDS (1987) – This is a crazy movie. Excellent acting, but the tone jumps all over the place and the story is kind of hard to follow. There are times when it feels like they want the movie to be comedy, but other times where they want it to be heavy drama. The dramatic moments just felt a little too heavy for me to consider it a dramedy and the comedic moments detract from the seriousness of the drama. I found the movie to be entertaining, but it is definitely lacking cohesion. It just really seemed like the actors were putting on a really good performance and the rest of the filmmakers couldn’t decide which way to turn.

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (2006) - This is a decent film, but it definitely falls short of greatness. The acting is good, but the structure holds it back. I felt like I didn’t get a good introduction to each of the characters, which meant I was lost later when they were talked about. Couple that with the non-chronological structure Eastwood chose and you get me on the edge of being annoyed at certain times while watching this. What we have here is an interesting story about a historical event that a filmmaker tried to jazz up by telling with a non-traditional structure and making sure the message of sacrifice is what really comes through. Like I said it isn’t a bad movie, but it just barely reaches the plateau of being a decent movie and that is mostly because some of the performances are really superb.

[Looney]

Sad reason to revive this thread. Actress Marcia Strassman passed away after a long battle with breast cancer; she was only 66. For me her best role was as the mother in Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. I also had hopes she would reprise her role in the Tremors franchise with the new addition to that series filming now, but fate had other dark plans.

https://deadline.com/2014/10/marcia-...e-kids-861946/

[Ubik]

I watched Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac Part 1 last night. It's kicking around Netflix, so figured I’d give it a go. Despite all the hype about it being very explicit, I found parts of the film to be quietly philosophical. Of course, this needs to be balanced against the fact that this is a Hollywood film that’s essentially a cross between arthouse cinema and softcore porn. There’s definitely no ‘cut to waves lapping on a beach’ here, it’s explicit, but I suppose that’s kinda central to the film’s premise. I have a lot of time for Von Trier’s past films, I thought both Dancer in the Dark and Antichrist were very strong efforts with spellbinding cinematography. He’s still pushing the envelope in a way few directors do.

I’m still very much undecided on Nymphomaniac. My main complaint would probably be that there seem to be too many different threads fighting against each other to be heard, and it all gets a bit side lined in favour of the sex. There were a few great moments where I was convinced the film has something intelligent to say about romantic love vs. sex, and how they interact, or in some cases exist in isolation from each other. These seemed too fleeting to me.

However, I don’t feel I can really draw any conclusions until I’ve seen Vol. II, which I’ll likely watch this weekend. More on that later, if anyone is interested.

[Looney]

I hate to bring bad news, but I doubt your opinion will change much after Volume II.

[DaveNarn]

Argo (2012)
Ben Affleck directs and stars in this flick based on a true story

Under the cover of a SciFi movie production, six Americans are spirited out of harms way as the 1980 Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point.
Rotten Tomatoes gives this movie 96%
http://youtu.be/w918Eh3fij0

The Commitments (1991)
A soul band in Dublin, Ireland.
I like this one because most of the cast performs their own songs - no lip-syncing.
Those who have played in a bar band knows this song to well.
http://youtu.be/9MN02oTCOT8

[Looney]

I enjoyed Argo, though I didn't think Affleck's performance was as great as others feel it was. IMO he should stay behind the camera. I think he is great, just not a great actor.

I have not seen The Commitments since it was released, so I don't recall much about it. I'll have to see if I can find it to watch sometime.

[Ubik]

I hate to bring bad news, but I doubt your opinion will change much after Volume II.

It did much more than that, it significantly swayed my opinion towards the negative. The concluding scene really, really grated and, character wise, came out of nowhere. The ending is lazy and appalling. It's the sort of ending a 15 year old would come up with if they were in a rush to finish their homework in a subject they couldn't care less about.

The less said about Shia Labouf's ever shifting accent the better.

A real shame. Always held Von Trier in high regard. Hopefully this is just a blip.

[Marsden]

I saw Wreck It Ralph. I really liked it, 9 out of 10. It had a lot of nice moments, funny, has real emotions, and the characters are well done. Also, a lot of nice refrences to video games that actually seemed to belong and nice use of established characters to go with the new ones. I was actually confused about Wreck It Ralph and Fix It Felix being new creations, they seem to fit into 1980s video games so well I thought it was an actual game that didn't catch on.

One thing that really struck me, though, was how this was a much better adherent to the notion of what Tron was based on than that awful Tron Legacy was. That notion being that these little programs in the games actually had some kind of life with their own emotions and difficulties.

I saw Big Hero 6 in the movies. 10 out of 10. I loved it, I had no expectations going into it but it was great. I just wish it were possible to get through some kind of Disney movie where they don't kill off almost every older memeber of the family. Stan Lee's cameo was one of the best so far. I read more up on it afterwards and this is one occasion where I'm happy they didn't try to follow the book more. These characters were much better in the movie than the ones I read about. It was also very nice to look at and I liked the blending of San Fran and Tokyo. It was original without being distracting.

[Looney]

Time to bring this thread back after Jan hijacked The Force Awakens discussion to its own threads.

I saw The Revenant (2015) today. I have to say that I was greatly impressed by most of it, but I was also disappointed by some of it. I point this out just moments after it won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama. The good is outstanding, but there are parts that seemed very lacking. I am wondering if it is just me or did politics just win this movie an award?

The reason I bring this up is because I haven't seen many of the films nominated for awards during this award's season, but I can't believe there were not better movies. Like I said the good is great, but overall I didn't feel the movie was great. So has anyone else seen this movie? Maybe I just need to see it again.

PS: I think the poster tagline "Blood Lost. Life Found" is awful.

[Ubik]

Time to bring this thread back after Jan hijacked The Force Awakens discussion to its own threads.

I saw The Revenant (2015) today. I have to say that I was greatly impressed by most of it, but I was also disappointed by some of it. I point this out just moments after it won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama. The good is outstanding, but there are parts that seemed very lacking. I am wondering if it is just me or did politics just win this movie an award?

The reason I bring this up is because I haven't seen many of the films nominated for awards during this award's season, but I can't believe there were not better movies. Like I said the good is great, but overall I didn't feel the movie was great. So has anyone else seen this movie? Maybe I just need to see it again.

PS: I think the poster tagline "Blood Lost. Life Found" is awful.

I definitely want to see see. Great casting and the trailer made it look suitably intense.

[Looney]

I definitely want to see see.

Well go see it and tell me what you think.