OT: Movie rental suggestions

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 12:59 pm

Definitely rent "The King of Kong," a documentary about competitive arcade videogaming. It's like a classic videogame version of "Trekkies."

vader29 · Post by **vader29** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 6:12 pm

Slumberland wrote:I finally watched The Wrestler on Bluray this weekend... that hardcore match was tough to watch. Marisa Tomei... yow.

Party like a fireman!

I ended up adding a few of her movies to my netflix queue after watching The Wrestler.

Gran Torino started out slow but then ended up being pretty good.
Taken is on my queue also but has been listed as a very long wait since it's release.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 7:13 pm

Guess I was one of the few who thought "Gran Torino" was overrated. Good flick, not great. Predictable and a bit cliched.

"The Wrestler," on the other hand, was excellent from top to bottom. The Academy hosed Rourke with a fire pumper truck this year when it didn't award him with Best Actor.

Take care,
PK

jondiehl · Post by **jondiehl** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 7:34 pm

Zeppo wrote:Speaking of French films, if any of you hasn't seen Tell No One (Ne le dis a personne), you would probably enjoy it.

Got that one from Netflix last month, I liked it alot. The wife and I went on a movie watching binge after network TV wrapped up their seasons... here's the good and the bad from what I've watched the last few weekends:

Seven Pounds - very slow, didn't really care about the characters. Skip it.

The International - one good gunfight in the middle of it, but otherwise very forgettable and not very well written

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - VERY long movie (close to 3hrs) but you'd never know it... kept me interested the entire time. Reminded me a little of Forrest Gump, but not as good (still, I liked it alot).

What Doesn't Kill You - mob flick, didn't feel myself rooting for the characters at all, nearly fell asleep. skip it

Twilight - I love vampire movies, and this one was good and had a unique angle on the genre.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - see above. Nice prequel, could stand alone without seeing the other two movies.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop - just awful. Full length sitcom movie basically, stopped being funny after 15 minutes.

Doubt - slow, but well acted... that's about it. Fell asleep and had to rewind to see what happened. It was that slow.

The Wrestler - not a fan of wrestling at all, but I liked the movie anyway. It was a decent movie, very well acted, and I wanted to see what all of the hoopla was about.... That said, I think it was slightly overrated.

Frozen River - good character study, really sad though. Makes you appreciate what you have.

EZSnappin · Post by **EZSnappin** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 7:35 pm

I thought The Wrestler was good, but not great, though Rourke and Tomei were both really good. My favorite bit was the "backstage at the deli counter" bit - absolutely note perfect in music, presentation and performance.

Probably would have liked it more if I wasn't a huge fan of the documentary Beyond The Mat; it seems the best stuff in The Wrestler was taken from it and the accompanying commentaries by Terry Funk and Mick Foley.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:24 pm

vader29 wrote:I ended up adding a few of her movies to my netflix queue after watching The Wrestler.

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead is another quality naked-Tomei joint from the last couple years.

LAking · Post by **LAking** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:38 pm

EZSnappin wrote:I thought The Wrestler was good, but not great, though Rourke and Tomei were both really good. My favorite bit was the "backstage at the deli counter" bit - absolutely note perfect in music, presentation and performance.

Probably would have liked it more if I wasn't a huge fan of the documentary Beyond The Mat; it seems the best stuff in The Wrestler was taken from it and the accompanying commentaries by Terry Funk and Mick Foley.

Yup, Rourke's character is basically a combination of Funk and Jake the Snake. I'm not even a wrestling fan and I absolutely love Beyond the Mat.

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:05 am

Zeppo wrote:Also I've heard good things about the weird Swedish vampire movie called Let the Right One In, but I haven't seen it yet. It's on my queue at the Netflix in the BD format.

Got around to watching this one tonight and really enjoyed it. The two child leads were excellent and the mood of the film was exceptional.

vader29 · Post by **vader29** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:36 pm

Brando70 wrote:Definitely rent "The King of Kong," a documentary about competitive arcade videogaming. It's like a classic videogame version of "Trekkies."

Finally got around to watching this streamed from netflix tonight, was very good.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:21 am

Recorded a bunch of HD movies when Direct TV was having free previews on Cinemax, Starz and other channels.

One that had me riveted was 3:10 to Yuma. Elmore Leonard wasn't happy with the twist they put in at the end, compared to the original.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 11:08 am

Slumberland wrote: Before The Devil Knows You're Dead is another quality naked-Tomei joint from the last couple years.

^^^^^^^^^

great movie!

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 2:01 pm

JackB1 wrote:
Slumberland wrote: Before The Devil Knows You're Dead is another quality naked-Tomei joint from the last couple years.
^^^^^^^^^

great movie!

Other than Tomei I really didn't care for this movie too much.

Finally saw Gran Torino, and that one I really liked.

A little off-topic, but I would reccommend Flight 666 to anyone that remotely likes Iron Maiden. One disc is a concert (spliced from various stops along the way), and the other is a documentary on the tour. Seeing how they modified a 747(?) for thier own use was really cool. The reactions to people in places like India and Brazil to a band actually coming to their area to play was humbling. We have it so good and so spoiled compared to some of these places.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 9:14 am

Watched the new DVD release of the "Tyson" documentary last night. Excellent. Highly recommended, especially at a Red Box price of 1 dollar.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 9:19 am

sportdan30 wrote:Watched the new DVD release of the "Tyson" documentary last night. Excellent. Highly recommended, especially at a Red Box price of 1 dollar.

Agreed. Saw this in June, and it was compelling as hell. Like Brian Kenny said last Friday on ESPN's "Friday Night Fights," you thought you knew everything about the Tyson story, but this film still can be jaw-dropping at times.

I'm a boxing fanatic, but I think anyone who remembers Tyson's reign of terror and error in the mid-80s through the mid-90s will enjoy this movie. A fascinating look at a twisted, yet somewhat sympathetic character through his own eyes. The depth of his relationship with Cus D'Amato never was more apparent than through the lens of this movie.

Take care,
PK

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 9:29 am

There were definitely quite a few things that I was unaware of as a casual observer of his. After watching it, I have mixed emotions. Part of me feels a lot of sadness for him, while another part of me feels kind of angry or I suppose frustrated. He could have been the best ever if only he had remained dedicated, and not given in to the pressures around him. He had unbelieveable potential, and unfortunately without Cus at his side, he tail spinned fairly quickly. You do get a sense that he has many regrets and lives with that every day.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 9:29 am

It's a shame he didn't have a replacement mentor when Cus passed away. That I believe would have made all the difference in the world.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 10:15 am

sportdan30 wrote:It's a shame he didn't have a replacement mentor when Cus passed away. That I believe would have made all the difference in the world.

Well, he did: Jim Jacobs and Bill Cayton. But they only were mentors to his money, which is all they cared about.

Kevin Rooney tried to step into that role after Cus died, but there was only one Cus.

One of Tyson's bigger mistakes was to fire Rooney and fill his camp with "yes" men, which led to his undoing in the Douglas fight. His corner was incompetent as hell in that fight. Hell, Tyson's eye started swelling in the second round, from what I recall, and his cornermen didn't even put an enswell on it until around Round 5. Idiots.

OK, I'm veering this thread toward a threadjack. Sorry!

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 10:19 am

sportdan30 wrote:There were definitely quite a few things that I was unaware of as a casual observer of his. After watching it, I have mixed emotions. Part of me feels a lot of sadness for him, while another part of me feels kind of angry or I suppose frustrated. He could have been the best ever if only he had remained dedicated, and not given in to the pressures around him. He had unbelieveable potential, and unfortunately without Cus at his side, he tail spinned fairly quickly. You do get a sense that he has many regrets and lives with that every day.

Indeed. The most tragic thing about this film for me was that Tyson's young daughter died in that tragic accident at her mother's home about a week after I saw this movie. It was apparent in this film that Tyson really loves his children very much, so it was heartbreaking to hear about this little girl's passing.

On another note, I never tire of seeing Tyson's destruction of Trevor Berbick in the second round of that fight, which was featured prominently in the opening scenes of this film. I don't think I've ever seen a more wobbly, rubber-legged guy try to rise from a knockdown than Berbick in that fight. It was Tyson at his best.

Take care,
PK

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 11:26 am

matthewk wrote:A little off-topic, but I would reccommend Flight 666 to anyone that remotely likes Iron Maiden. One disc is a concert (spliced from various stops along the way), and the other is a documentary on the tour. Seeing how they modified a 747(?) for thier own use was really cool. The reactions to people in places like India and Brazil to a band actually coming to their area to play was humbling. We have it so good and so spoiled compared to some of these places.

I only saw the documentary part (on VH1) but it was pretty fascinating, a good look at an unusual tour and a nice job of spotlighting the places where they played. Although I wish they had subtitled Nicko McBrain

F308GTB · Post by **F308GTB** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 2:09 pm

Some flicks I've enjoyed over the last month:

Lady Vengeance - South Korean movie that was just awesome. Great directing and film work

Man on Wire - documentary about a wire walking who walked between the World Trade Center towers back in the 70s. Very riveting.

Fear and Trembling - a kind of a Lost in Translation movie. From the book of the same name about a Belgian born in Japan who goes back and tries to integrate with the officeworkers in a Japanese firm and the difficulties of a westerner in such a setting. Does a good job at capturing both east-west relations and the Japanese office environment/culture.

The Lives of Others - sorry I missed this one when it came out. Great film.

Macca00 · Post by **Macca00** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:50 pm

F308GTB wrote:Lady Vengeance - South Korean movie that was just awesome. Great directing and film work

If you haven't already, you should check out Old Boy. Absolutely crazy film and one hell of an ending.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 5:33 pm

Watched Adventureland this past weekend, which was marketed as a Superbad-style movie. Actually, it was not like that all -- still funny, but grittier and more serious. A college grad has to take a job at a crappy theme park to earn money, and love, heartbreak, and hilarity ensue. Good performances, some pretty funny dialog, and it's also an 80s movie that doesn't make a joke of the 80s. It has some of the coming-of-age cliches done in countless other movies, but like a good rock song, even though it may had things I've heard before, I still enjoyed it.

Sunshine Cleaning is another overlooked one I'm glad I saw, about a down-on-her luck single mom who starts a crime-scene cleaning service. Amy Adams is good as the mom, and Emily Blunt (from Devil Wears Prada) was quite entertaining as Adams' f***ed up sister. Alan Arkin plays their wacky dad with the oddity and pathos he does so well. It suffers a bit from indie-by-the-numbers syndrome, but the acting is really strong. Kind of like a more dramatic Little Miss Sunshine.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:07 pm

FINALLY got to see "The Wrestler" (I know, I know).
It was on HBO. Wow! What a powerful and also depressing movie.
Very sad and emotional. Mickey Rourke became that character 100% and
Marisa Tomei was also great and looks unbelievable. I wonder how many of these "has been" wrestlers are still doing these small town wrestling shows? It would be really sad if this is a reality for many still.

LAking · Post by **LAking** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:17 pm

JackB1 wrote:FINALLY got to see "The Wrestler" (I know, I know).
It was on HBO. Wow! What a powerful and also depressing movie.
Very sad and emotional. Mickey Rourke became that character 100% and
Marisa Tomei was also great and looks unbelievable. I wonder how many of these "has been" wrestlers are still doing these small town wrestling shows? It would be really sad if this is a reality for many still.

It is very much a reality. Rent "Beyond the Mat". Awesome documentary.

Gangrel · Post by **Gangrel** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:39 pm

As a wrestling fan, I can say this is a more common occurence then naught. Autograph booths in high schools, former "big time" stars wrestling in small indepedant shows, etc etc.

I'm sure some do it because they still love the business, but others do it because it's the only way they have to make a living.

Today's wrestlers seem to be a bit smarter and many have set up fallback poisitions...... Look at John Bradshaw Layfield.... a "Texas roughneck" who was a stock market expert featured on finanical shows and I believe now runs a few businesses........

But I'm sure it must be hard to go from 20,000 people cheering or booing your every move, to nothing...... Hence Ric Flair becoming unretired to face Hulk Hogan on his Austrailian tour.......