OT: Movie rental suggestions

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 5:54 pm

EDIT: Add-ons to my previous posting on page 8

Two others I failed to mention I recently watched:

Rescue Dawn - Inspired by a true story I believe. I just didn't feel the emotion of this movie. It might have been the way in which the filmaker shot it, or maybe the character development was rather blah. It was decent, but I was let down which I suppose isn't fair to say.

Live Free Die Hard - Action packed and full of no f'n way that could ever happen. But still, just below Bourne Ultimatum for the most entertaining movie of the year that I've seen. Not as good as the first two Die Hards IMO though.

Peaceful Warrior - Pure crap. Ugh Nick Nolte, whatever happened to your fame of 48 hours?

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 6:02 pm

Caught a couple movies on satellite that I really liked:

"The Prestige" -- it's a little affected and a bit too fantastic, but it had a pretty intriguing plot with a lot of good twists and turns. You may need to turn subtitles on for Michael Caine's character.

"Lone Star" -- an older movie I saw in the mid-90s, but one we decided to catch again. Absolutely stellar bit of noir, with a structure that uses flashbacks flawlessly. Worth catching if you haven't seen it.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 7:28 pm

sportdan30 wrote:Superbad....or SuperCRAP. Honestly, I don't get the hype and praise for this movie. Now, I loved Knocked Up and 40 Year Old Virgin but this movie bordered on the ridiculous. Yes, I could kind of relate to the two main characters, but the storyline was just.....too off the wall. It had so much more potential in my opinion to be more than just what it was. Maybe if I was in my teens or 20s I might of had a different opinion.

I totally disagree. I thought Superbad was great. Both Hill and Cera have a way with line delivery that remind me of Chevy Chase in his prime. More Cera than Hill but Hill was great too. I'll agree to disagree on this one.

I saw Apocalypto recently too and had no idea what to expect. I thought it was very good and looked amazing on Blu-ray.

LAking · Post by **LAking** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 7:44 pm

I'll second the thumbs up for Superbad. Saw it in the theaters twice, it was that funny. Although the plot was off the wall I felt the characters were very believable and I could actually relate to them. Funniest movie in years.

Rescue Dawn: Yes, it's based on a true story and Werner Herzog made a documentary about the real life Dieter called "Little Dieter Needs to Fly". I thought Bale did a superb job of capturing Dieter's always positive attitude in the face of extreme suffering. I think it definitely enhances the experience if you see the documentary first. Great film.

La Vie en Rose: Superb! Can't recommend it enough. About the life of Edith Piaf, the great French singer who was most popular in the 30's and 40's. Acting doesn't get much better than this. This is a far superior music biopic than both Walk the Line and Ray (i thought Ray stunk actually). Not formulaic at all.

Sweeney Todd: Not on DVD but who cares. It was just alright. Bloody as hell. Songs were OK but I can't remember the tune to a single one. Very predictable plot. You could see all the twists coming a mile away.

spooky157 · Post by **spooky157** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:18 pm

I rented "Idiocracy" on a recommendation over the weekend and I can't believe I hadn't heard of this one before. It's a Mike Judge movie so, like Office Space, expect a lot of not-so-subtle satire mixed with low-brow humor. It feels really unfinished in lots of areas but there are some really good laughs to be had for sure.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:22 pm

Finally caught Michael Clayton (thank you for finally sending the Blu-Ray, Netflix) this weekend and it was excellent. When that movie came out I could not care less. The buzz finally worked, and I'm glad it did.

GTHobbes · Post by **GTHobbes** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:50 pm

Finally got a chance to catch Into the Wild on dvd...and liked it quite a bit.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:53 pm

I watched three movies recently that I thought were good enough to recommend. You guys nailed the first two.

The third is Gone, Baby, Gone, which, while not as good as Clayton or Into the Wild, was pleasantly surprising.

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:04 pm

Brando70 wrote:Caught a couple movies on satellite that I really liked:

"The Prestige" -- it's a little affected and a bit too fantastic, but it had a pretty intriguing plot with a lot of good twists and turns. You may need to turn subtitles on for Michael Caine's character.

"Lone Star" -- an older movie I saw in the mid-90s, but one we decided to catch again. Absolutely stellar bit of noir, with a structure that uses flashbacks flawlessly. Worth catching if you haven't seen it.

Prestige was great.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:17 pm

I just saw "Kingdom" and thought it was a damn fine movie. Anyone else catch it?

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:02 pm

I just saw Kingdom as well and though it was excellent. I also saw Blood Diamond and like it as well. Finally for the trifecta and I preface this by saying I have 2 girls (5 &3) I saw enchanted which was also very good.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:18 pm

sportdan30 wrote: Actually, next up in my queue is 3:10 to Yuma. Can't recall ever seeing the previews for this movie, but the storyline sounds interesting. I love westerns. Anyone seen it?

.

I also love Westerns...The Good, The Bad and the Ugly...High Noon, Tombstone and Unforgiven are 4 of My all timers in any genre.

I thought Yuma (My first Blu Ray ever rental) was okay but not great...I expected an all time classic cause of Crowe and Bale...Dont get Me wrong they were both very good in it.

jondiehl · Post by **jondiehl** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 11:53 pm

I hate westerns but we got Yuma from Netflix and actually liked it pretty well.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:18 am

For small and big kids alike nothing beats 'Ratatouille' and 'The Bee movie'. Really enjoyed them.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:01 pm

I'm on a streak of watching consecutive depressing movies. Last week it was Into the Wild, and tonight I watched No Country for Old Men. I don't know what to make of either of them really. Both well acted, but damn if both didn't leave me feeling rather empty.

Still, I'd probably recommend both.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:03 pm

sportdan30 wrote:I'm on a streak of watching consecutive depressing movies. Last week it was Into the Wild, and tonight I was No Country for Old Men. I don't know what to make of either of them really. Both well acted, but damn if both didn't leave me feeling rather empty.

Still, I'd probably recommend both.

King of Kong:Fistfull of Quarters - rental of the year!!!

LAking · Post by **LAking** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:24 pm

greggsand wrote:
sportdan30 wrote:I'm on a streak of watching consecutive depressing movies. Last week it was Into the Wild, and tonight I was No Country for Old Men. I don't know what to make of either of them really. Both well acted, but damn if both didn't leave me feeling rather empty.

Still, I'd probably recommend both.
King of Kong:Fistfull of Quarters - rental of the year!!!

Indeed. Should have been nominated for best doc. For some reason political content is more important than great film making in the best doc category these days.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 12:24 am

LAking wrote:
greggsand wrote:
sportdan30 wrote:I'm on a streak of watching consecutive depressing movies. Last week it was Into the Wild, and tonight I was No Country for Old Men. I don't know what to make of either of them really. Both well acted, but damn if both didn't leave me feeling rather empty.

Still, I'd probably recommend both.
King of Kong:Fistfull of Quarters - rental of the year!!!
Indeed. Should have been nominated for best doc. For some reason political content is more important than great film making in the best doc category these days.

I figured it wasn't even eligible for some reason. Otherwise, it would have been a lock for a nomination. It did make A LOT of critics' "best of" lists.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:12 am

I enjoy good westerns too. Open Range was a really good recent one. The worst western I ever saw was The Quick and the Dead.

A depressing movie that I will watch multiple times is Legends of the Fall. Most others I'll watch once and then want to move on.

We saw 30 Days of Night a couple of weeks ago, and I really liked it. It was a great twist on vampires.

fanatic · Post by **fanatic** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:36 am

Two thumbs up for "Into the Wild". Movies about spiritual awakenings and figuring out "what life is all about" are right up my alley. Throw in some amazing scenery, acting and soundtrack, and you have a recipe for success. I also liked the strength of the side characters - the two hippies, the old guy, etc...all served a big purpose in the overall plot. I might go out and buy this one!

I wasn't so impressed with "Michael Clayton" on the other hand. The whole story seemed like it had been done a thousand times before (without the lawyer slant, but still). And what was with that near to final scene where they re-visit the car bombing? It was exactly the same as the first time they showed it, except that this time, they partially followed the hitmen leading up to the explosion. Kind of anti-climactic considering it was extremely obvious by then who was behind the bomb...Anways, it felt like a long drawn out episode of law and order, and not an oscar nominee. Have no idea how he got nominated for best actor either!

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 1:44 pm

fanatic wrote:Two thumbs up for "Into the Wild". Movies about spiritual awakenings and figuring out "what life is all about" are right up my alley. Throw in some amazing scenery, acting and soundtrack, and you have a recipe for success. I also liked the strength of the side characters - the two hippies, the old guy, etc...all served a big purpose in the overall plot. I might go out and buy this one!

I wasn't so impressed with "Michael Clayton" on the other hand. The whole story seemed like it had been done a thousand times before (without the lawyer slant, but still). And what was with that near to final scene where they re-visit the car bombing? It was exactly the same as the first time they showed it, except that this time, they partially followed the hitmen leading up to the explosion. Kind of anti-climactic considering it was extremely obvious by then who was behind the bomb...Anways, it felt like a long drawn out episode of law and order, and not an oscar nominee. Have no idea how he got nominated for best actor either!

I had major issues with Into the Wild, esp the lead character. I found it interesting, but not enjoyable in the least. I guess it depends on whether you believe he was enlightened or mentally ill.

Most shocking thing about Michael Clayton was Tilda Swinton's role winning her an Oscar??? She was barely in the movie. Tom Wilkinson ruled (as usual).

fanatic · Post by **fanatic** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:38 pm

greggsand wrote:I had major issues with Into the Wild, esp the lead character. I found it interesting, but not enjoyable in the least. I guess it depends on whether you believe he was enlightened or mentally ill.

Spoilers for those that haven't seen Into the Wild...

I don't think that he found many answers until the very end of the movie. All of the experiences and conversations (i.e. with the hippie woman about her lost son or the old guy and his life) led him to his realization that being in isolation wasn't the way to go. I'm not sure where you got mentally ill from though - he was certainly not big on social conventions, but I think that's the whole point...that maybe we are all the ones with the problem.

Anyways, I really identified with him.

Gangrel · Post by **Gangrel** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:38 pm

I finally got around to renting Pan's Labyrinth over the weekend. Firstly, I didn't realize it was in Spanish with subtitles..... plus I thought it was going to be a high fantasy, a la LOTR or something..... but the R rating should have been my first clue.

In any event, I really liked it, as a tale of fantasy, and escapism from a war for a child..... Makes me wonder if the fantasy was "real", or if the little girl just dreamed it all up to escape the Spanish war......

Stardust is good too, if you're into Neil Gaiman at all. The girlfriend watched that with me, and in her own words "I didn't think I'd like it at all, but I actually did!"

Airdog · Post by **Airdog** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:57 pm

I watched "The Mist" last night, mostly at the urging of my girlfriend because of the ending, and it was actually a lot better than I thought it'd be. It's really overtly a metaphor for the reaction to 9/11, but if you can get past that and not be bothered by it, it's pretty decent. A good rental.

Also watched "The Hours" and was pretty impressed with that one. Just about every actor did a great job, and the story was well written as well. Probably one to watch with the wife/girlfriend, though.

TheGamer · Post by **TheGamer** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:27 pm

I don't know if its out for rental yet, but I was able to "obtain" a copy of The Great Debaters. Excellent movie that I highly recommend.