OT: Movie rental suggestions

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:01 pm

JackDiggity wrote:If your a Bill Murry fan try "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou". I give it .

Probably my new favorite Wes Anderson flick, just edging out Rushmore. LOVE that soundtrack with all those acoustic Bowie tunes.

grtwhtsk · Post by **grtwhtsk** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:07 pm

Spooky wrote:
TheHiddenTrack wrote:One of the most disturbing and excellent movies I've ever seen.

Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

It's a documentary. I don't think this film will leave me for a little while.
VERY interesting flick for sure! So....do you think the kid was guilty or not?

Arnold Friedman taught at my High School (Bayside H.S. in NY) while I was a student there. (now that makes me feel even older!)

TheHiddenTrack · Post by **TheHiddenTrack** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:49 pm

Spooky wrote:
TheHiddenTrack wrote:One of the most disturbing and excellent movies I've ever seen.

Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

It's a documentary. I don't think this film will leave me for a little while.
VERY interesting flick for sure! So....do you think the kid was guilty or not?

My opinion changes more and more every time I think about it.

But here's some of my thoughts:

I think the dad and kid are both innocent of what they were accused of. I think the dad had the serious problem of being attracted to kids. He acted out on this twice and he admitted that. I think he realized that he had a problem and he probably was fine for awhile. He then probably started getting the same urges and that's why he started collecting child porn. That may be where it ended. I think the police after finding the stuff were disgusted and dismayed that this man had taught younger kids. Hysteria and outrage then caused them to tell some of the kids parents that they had a kid who had been abused. Then the parents along with the therapists and cops did whatever they could to get them to say they were molested. Kids can be VERY easily manipulated and intimidated. Then the cops started using false testimony that they got from one kid, and used that as reference for the next kid who they thought was abused. "This kid said this, and this, did this happen to you?"

The main kid who has now grown up, who was talking about in detail about all these incredibly sick things....said himself that he didn't remember any abuse when the police began. But only after they brought in someone to perform hypnosis did he start to recall anything. I think they brainwashed that kid, and I think it's obvious.

Other things: There was zero physical evidence. According to the stories, these SICK things took place an incredible amount of times according to the kids testimonies. I mean seriously, if a child is sodomized 30+ times, isn't his mother going to find out? I guess in this magic little world there is no pain.

Also, they took place over a number of years. Not one child said anything to their parents over this entire time.....only after the police found his child porn stash.

And there were kids that maintain NOTHING happened the entire time they were there.

It didn't happen, IMO.

But, it's hard to have sympathy for the guy. He was a pedophile who had abused two children. Possibly more, although I don't know. If he did it wasn't in his computer class.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 1:06 pm

TheHiddenTrack wrote:
Spooky wrote:
TheHiddenTrack wrote:One of the most disturbing and excellent movies I've ever seen.

Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

It's a documentary. I don't think this film will leave me for a little while.
VERY interesting flick for sure! So....do you think the kid was guilty or not?
My opinion changes more and more every time I think about it.

But here's some of my thoughts:

I think the dad and kid are both innocent of what they were accused of. I think the dad had the serious problem of being attracted to kids. He acted out on this twice and he admitted that. I think he realized that he had a problem and he probably was fine for awhile. He then probably started getting the same urges and that's why he started collecting child porn. That may be where it ended. I think the police after finding the stuff were disgusted and dismayed that this man had taught younger kids. Hysteria and outrage then caused them to tell some of the kids parents that they had a kid who had been abused. Then the parents along with the therapists and cops did whatever they could to get them to say they were molested. Kids can be VERY easily manipulated and intimidated. Then the cops started using false testimony that they got from one kid, and used that as reference for the next kid who they thought was abused. "This kid said this, and this, did this happen to you?"

The main kid who has now grown up, who was talking about in detail about all these incredibly sick things....said himself that he didn't remember any abuse when the police began. But only after they brought in someone to perform hypnosis did he start to recall anything. I think they brainwashed that kid, and I think it's obvious.

Other things: There was zero physical evidence. According to the stories, these SICK things took place an incredible amount of times according to the kids testimonies. I mean seriously, if a child is sodomized 30+ times, isn't his mother going to find out? I guess in this magic little world there is no pain.

Also, they took place over a number of years. Not one child said anything to their parents over this entire time.....only after the police found his child porn stash.

And there were kids that maintain NOTHING happened the entire time they were there.

It didn't happen, IMO.

But, it's hard to have sympathy for the guy. He was a pedophile who had abused two children. Possibly more, although I don't know. If he did it wasn't in his computer class.

Totally agree with your statements.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 1:35 pm

TheHiddenTrack wrote:One of the most disturbing and excellent movies I've ever seen.

Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

It's a documentary. I don't think this film will leave me for a little while.

Definitely going to check this out. Thanks.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 1:33 pm

Going off a suggestion from a friend, I rented Red Eye last weekend. Not bad not bad. A few scenes where I'm thinking to myself "no way that would happen", but a good action thriller movie nonetheless. I was entertained throughout. It goes without saying that Rachel McAdams is very very nice to look at. One beautiful Canadian cutie.

Think I'll stick with plane movies, and rent Flight Plan this evening unless others here have horrid things to say about it. The premise of the movie looks interesting and a bit out there though.

jondiehl · Post by **jondiehl** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 7:14 pm

We watched Red Eye last weekend, thought it was okay. Pretty good for your mindless action/suspense flick though.

We watched Flightplan the next night, very similar (action/suspense on an airplane) but it was a much better plot that you didn't see a mile away (like with Red Eye, you pretty much knew what was going on in the first 10min).

Watched Broken Flowers last night, zzzzzz. I love Bill Murray, and thought Lost in Translation was okay. This was similar, but much more artsy and pretentious. Very very slow, kinda boring. The only real highlight was the 20yr old chick from the "Invasion" TV show doing some full frontal and showing off the three B's.

..about to leave for Blockbuster now, looking to grab either Two for the Money (I heard it sucks, but I love Pacino), Constant Gardener, Dark Water (Jennifer Connelley, mmmm), or Four Brothers. Opinions?

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 7:27 pm

jon,

Constant Gardener was really good IMO, especially the acting, but it's definitely pretty liberal in its views of the pharmaceutical industry. Ray Fiennes is great in it, though.

jondiehl · Post by **jondiehl** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 7:41 pm

Brando70 wrote:jon,

Constant Gardener was really good IMO, especially the acting, but it's definitely pretty liberal in its views of the pharmaceutical industry. Ray Fiennes is great in it, though.

K, I'll give it a whirl. I'll be prepared for the heavy-handed liberal/preachy undertone now that you told me, that should make it more bearable.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 10:48 pm

Flight Plan surprisingly was sold out so I picked up Lord of War. The plot seems interesting, albeit probably not too realistic. After reading the synopsis of the movie to my wife, she quickly turned her soap back on.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 10:50 pm

jondiehl wrote:Watched Broken Flowers last night, zzzzzz. I love Bill Murray, and thought Lost in Translation was okay. This was similar, but much more artsy and pretentious. Very very slow, kinda boring. The only real highlight was the 20yr old chick from the "Invasion" TV show doing some full frontal and showing off the three B's.

Yeah, I wasn't blown away by Lost in Translation either. It was just too slow of a movie for me. I walked quickly past Broken Flowers at the video store. Really, none of the new releases looked all that appealing which is disappointing.

jondiehl · Post by **jondiehl** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:59 am

Brando70 wrote:jon,

Constant Gardener was really good IMO, especially the acting, but it's definitely pretty liberal in its views of the pharmaceutical industry. Ray Fiennes is great in it, though.

Well, I just got done watching it. I didn't think it was as good as you did. Decent flick, good acting, but nothing I'd recommend.

Zlax45 · Post by **Zlax45** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 4:18 pm

I would say give The Grizzly Man a rental it is well worth watching. You know me and my documentaries.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 4:26 pm

A semi-oldie but goodie if you haven't seen it: "Minority Report."

I can't stand Tom Cruise, and I can't stand sci-fi, yet I LOVED this movie. A gripping, powerful suspense flick with the Spielberg touch. I think it's Cruise's best movie.

Take care,
PK

Neckthai · Post by **Neckthai** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 7:48 pm

My Netflix viewing is way behind, and this thread is doing nothing to help me catch up. Some good recommendations

If you haven't seen it I recommend "Murderball." I'd seen the story of the men involved on "Real Sports" on HBO, but didn't get to see the film until recently. Good sports documentary.

If you're into MotoGP, I'd look into the two versions of "Faster," which details the 2003 and 2004 MotoGP seasons.

Other than that, I'm playing catchup from the last two months or so, so I can't really recommend anything.

kevinpars · Post by **kevinpars** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 4:37 pm

We just rented 'Fever Pitch' from Netflix and I liked it a lot. This is the original British version with Colin Firth and is about an obsession with Arsenal rather than the Red Sox. I don't think it was ever released in the states - probably because it was considered "too British."

It has some advantages over the American version - in particular the fact that Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon are not in it.

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 5:47 pm

pk500 wrote:A semi-oldie but goodie if you haven't seen it: "Minority Report."

I can't stand Tom Cruise, and I can't stand sci-fi, yet I LOVED this movie. A gripping, powerful suspense flick with the Spielberg touch. I think it's Cruise's best movie.

Take care,
PK

Agreed pk, I liked Minority Report a lot. I also liked Vanilla Sky as well. It's funny, I'm not a big Cruise fan myself, but I've liked almost all of his movies.

War of the Worlds
Collateral
A Few Good Men
The Firm
The Color of Money
Eyes Wide Shut
Days of Thunder
Jerry McGuire

And for some twisted reason, I even liked Last Samurai.

I wouldn't put Cruise in the category of my favorite actors, but I guess I should.

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 5:59 pm

I've seen quite a few movies lately so I thought I'd offer up my suggestions.

Four Brothers - Great movie. Not very believable, but I loved the story and the way it played out.

Lord of War - Same as Four Brothers...kind of a wacky story, yet it's was hard not to get caught up in it.

Two For the Money - Loved this movie. Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey, and Rene Russo are all fantastic in this movie about a ex-athlete's rise and fall in the world of gambling betting tip services. The movie is based on a true story and there is a really good interview with the real guy in the special features.

The Man - Neat little comedy with Eugene Levy and Samuel L. Jackson. Not a great movie, but there are some real funny moments and it's definitely worth a rental.

Broken Flowers - ZZZZZZ...what in the hell is wrong with Bill Murray? Here's a guy that's probably the funniest dry comedy guy alive and he continues to put out crap like this and Lost In Translation. Somebody please tell him to go back to doing comedies...he sucks as a straight actor.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 6:09 pm

Saw two decent movies on a flight. A History of Violence and Constant Gardener.

They had a bunch of other choices but for some strange reason, most of the others were edited. These two weren't.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 10:42 am

With the wife and kids in Chicago until Friday, I made it a goal to rent a movie or two that for whatever reason I've never gotten around to watching. Now, don't laugh but for the first time I watched "The Godfather". It goes without saying what a fabulous movie it is. I have heard the second one is even better. Is that true?

I forgot to mention that a few weeks ago I had rented "Walk the Line". This was my favorite movie of the year by far. I became an instant Johnny Cash fan. IMO, this movie was better than "Ray", "Cinderella Man" and "Crash", the three most recent released movies I've seen.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:37 am

sportdan30 wrote: Now, don't laugh but for the first time I watched "The Godfather". It goes without saying what a fabulous movie it is. I have heard the second one is even better. Is that true?

Welcome aboard.

....

I wouldnt say the second is better . I would say it is on par with.

The Godfather and Godfather II are My two favorite movies all time.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:57 am

Godfather II is one of the few sequels widely considered to be better than the original.

Scorcese took on the original as a quick way to make bucks to finance his more artistically ambitious films (Apocalyse Now and One from the Heart).

The source was a pulp novel and Scorcese reportedly thought of it as a director-for-hire project.

But he did more justice than Puzo deserved and on the second one, he really expanded the scope, especially with the De Niro prologue.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 12:52 pm

wco81 wrote:Godfather II is one of the few sequels widely considered to be better than the original.

Scorcese took on the original as a quick way to make bucks to finance his more artistically ambitious films (Apocalyse Now and One from the Heart).

The source was a pulp novel and Scorcese reportedly thought of it as a director-for-hire project.

But he did more justice than Puzo deserved and on the second one, he really expanded the scope, especially with the De Niro prologue.

You do mean Coppola

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 2:41 pm

Er, right.

jondiehl · Post by **jondiehl** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 2:46 pm

Recently watched DVD's:

A History of Violence - a little slow in parts, but overall I would recommend it for a rental. Decent movie, maybe 3/5 stars.

The Ice Harvest - very predicable, not funny, not suspenseful. Overall pretty much a waste of time. Thankfully it was short. 1.5/5 stars.

Derailed - I had low expectations for this one (or any movie with a former "Friends" cast member). It was surprisingly good and I'd recommend it. Good action/suspense. Aniston can do something more than act as Rachel. 3.5/5 stars.

The Squid and the Whale - We rented it because of all of the Sundance awards it got, but both my wife and I thought that it was pretentious and too artsy fartsy. Very overrated and some parts were downright vulgar. Slow, with a stupid ending. You've been warned. 1/5 stars.