The Movie Thread

[verticalhorizon]

And why not a movie thread to add to the book and music threads?

Let's hear what your movies you love, hate, or are anticipating to see.

We can make up a diamond rating system. Maybe 1 to 5 diamonds?

 

[Matata]

Loved Dogma, Eyes Wide Shut, all of the Lord of the Rings series and Harry Potter series;
I like anything that makes me laugh;
Don't like movies with gratuitous violence unless they're science fiction.

I wish I could remember more that left an impression on me but I've got this odd quirk and I forget the names of movies and books as soon as I'm done viewing/reading them.

 

[verticalhorizon]

I do have to agree that The Lord of the Rings IS this generations Star Wars (original, not new).

I've never more greatly anticipated going to the movies since Empire Strikes Back.

I can't have imagined anyone else doing those films but Peter Jackson. Not b/c of his great directorial history certainly. It's easy to dismiss him and say he had great material to work with, but it could just have easily been a disaster. He knew enough to surround himself with experts in the fields in which he did not know and delegated them to do their job. His personal love for the trilogy didn't hurt either.

In contrast, George Lucas should have his Director's Membership Card taken away from him. He got over-involved in every aspect of his new Star Wars trilogy and crushed a perfectly good franchise, b/c he felt he could do a better job writing, directing, art directing, name creation, etc. Instead he should have focused on vision and story (and he shouldn't have been involved in the actual writing either).

 

[moremoremore]

LOL Matata...we can SO not go to the movies together!

...you'll probably hate mine!

I LOVED DodgeBall, VanWylder, Bridget Jones' Diary, The Milagro Beanfield War, Amadeus, Old School, ET, and my all-time favorite, The Red Violin.....5 diamonds for them all!!!

 

[moremoremore]

Oh dear g*d, I forgot the Bridges of Madison County.

 

[Matata]

Awww MMM, we're compatible..I liked Bridget Jones' Diary, Milagro, & ET. There are a lot of foreign films (subtitled in English) and films by foreign directors (some in English, some not) that I've ejoyed but as I've said before, I can't remember any of the titles. Oh, yeath, I remember another one -- Hamlet with Kenneth Brannagh because he looked soooo fab in black tights

 

[verticalhorizon]

Post-post. (Sorry, inside joke.)

Anyway, here's a movie example that's SO BAD... it becomes funny:

Freddy Got Fingered - featuring Tom Green

There's no real story. The series of events have nothing to really do with each other. You continue to watch, hoping something will happen and before you know it the movie's over. 2 Diamonds.

I've never seen Ken Branaugh's Hamlet, but Mel's version wasn't bad. Darker than Ken's. 3 Diamonds.

A film I didn't think I'd LOVE as much as I did... Amelie! Go RENT it if you haven't seen it. 5 Diamonds.

 

[Matata]

Yes, yes, Amelie. It's on my ever growing list of things to do along with the one about the artist, name of movie begins with an "H", female lead was also a minor character in Dogma, heavy Spanish accent. Help me out here.

I liked Gibson's Hamlet better than Ken Bs but the enduring image of Kenneth standing on a hill in black tights and cape backlit by the setting sun is one that endures. Gibson, in his Road Warrior days, is a whole 'nother conversation.

 

[moremoremore]

Bite

 

[moremoremore]

me

 

[moremoremore]

VerticalHorizon....LOL....

And Matata...I saw your other post re: dogeball...so we're all good! P-Corn is my treat!

 

[winyan]

As an aside, anyone see F9-11 yet? I saw both of M.Moore's other endeavors, I think I'll see this one this weekend.

win

 

[Lauren523]

Ok, my favorite movies of all time are:

Shawshank Redemption (love Morgan Freeman)
Good Fellas
Beaches
Grumpy Old Men
Pretty Woman
Joe vs. the Volcano
Forest Gump
Kill Bill

That's a pretty weird variety,but I love all kinds of movies. Unfortunately I don't like Sci-Fi. I try to watch them so many times (my fiance absolutely LOVES them)but I just can't get into them! Oh well! Fun thread, by the way

 

[Lauren523]

By the way, if you like Sci-Fi, go see "The Chronicles of Ridick" My fiance and I went to go see it and he LOVED it! I wasn't too thrilled. I try!

 

[Judi W]

We saw the new Tom Hanks movie "The Terminal" this past weekend and we LOVED IT!!! Very different....great movie! Also okay for kids....very mild language and that's it! I'd recommend it to anyone.

 

[verticalhorizon]

You know the Terminal is based on a real story?

http://www.snopes.com/travel/airline/airport.htm

 

[rms]

moremoremore, big 5 diamonds for the Red Violin, I agree. It was funny to see you write that because my fiance got sucked into watching it on HBO last night and said he was pleasantly surprised.

Matata, the H actress you mentioned is Salma Hayak, and the artist movie is Freida (sp?!?). Both Frieda and The Red Violin are great movies, but I definitely think slow at some points, so you have to be patient. Salma is cool!

We saw Van Helsing last weekend. That easily had to be one of the WORST movies I've seen. So bad that I wanted to leave after the first 30 min.

A super weird movie to note...have you all seen Vanilla Sky? I have not, but by accident recently rented Abre Los Ojos, which is the original Spanish version of the same movie (made before the American version). Penelope Cruz is in both. Man, that movie was disturbing.

Of course, one of the best movies of all times...Office Space. My current manager reminds me of the manager dude in that movie, and we work in cubes so it makes it so funny to think about it.

 

[moremoremore]

OFFICE SPACE!!!! That's a HUGE favorite of a lot of people I know..the sad thing is I've never seen it. I know it's a must....

and winyan...I know I should see 9-11...but I'm a very emotional gal and I constantly worry...I even worry about my husband taking the subway into nyc everyday...and I can't let disturbing images "go"... so if you see it, please let me know how graphic it is...!

 

[verticalhorizon]

Office Space definitely gets a 5 diamond rating. It's like a real-life Dilbert movie.

Another 5 diamond rating, one that I watch over and over, and one that further proves I'm a bit metrosexual: Good Will Hunting.

Growing up hard (as an orphan), adoption story (Robin Williams becomes like a father to him), dealing with expectations (odd 'parental' struggle b/w math professor and Robin), learning to open up (to Minnie Driver), learning to look inside and take chances (leaving the only home he's known to drive across country for love and life). There's a sadness all throughout this film and the music provided by Elliot Smith just drives it home even more.

 

[moremoremore]

u got a tissue man?

 

[verticalhorizon]

Don't get me started, EmEmEm.

You want to cry, watch My Life featuring Michael Keaton and Nichole Kidman. Mikey finds out he has terminal cancer the same time he finds out his wife is pregnant. He only has a year or less to live and he begins to discover what it really means to be alive.

Even though I know right away how the movie ends, I still cry like a little girl with a skinned knee. In fact, if you CAN'T cry at the end of this movie, you're dead inside, man.

5 big weepy diamonds.

 

[moremoremore]

I'm a cold heartless bizatch VH......and quite dead inside

, plus Nicole Kidman and Michael Keaton...UGH. Two of my least favorite actors.

I do love GoodWill Hunting...."it's not your fault, it's not your fault"...that one makes me a MESS....

My VerticalHorizon is wicked smaa't.

 

[Matata]

Well if the two of you dueling movie critics want to cry how about a Disney cartoon movie or even a Hallmark commercial. Both send my tear ducts into overdrive. The opening scene to The Lion King made me blubber and a few days ago I saw a Hallmark card commercial about a bride and her dad and I went into weepy mode. Heck, when I was a kid, the opening shot on Lassie tore me up. As a teenager, watched a movie called Brian's Song and had to miss 2 days of school. I'm waaaay too susceptible to that assault on the heartstrings stuff.

 

[verticalhorizon]

Oooh Brian's Song IS a good one.

And to add, regarding Mikey and Nichole. I hate them both! But the movie sucks you in. Really it does. Try it, if you don't agree I will refund your price of admission to PriceScope!

Is it obvious that we love movies? Maybe we should have our own movie review tv show. "More Movies with MMM and VH, airing every 5 minutes or so on PS.com!"

 

[rms]

If you liked Good Will Hunting, how about Finding Forrester with Sean Connery. And A Beautiful Mind with Russell Crowe.

Lots of very deep meaning themes in these movies. How about some other light hearted ones? White Chicks, School of Rock...

 

[verticalhorizon]

Drama is easy, it's comedy that's hard!

I thought Road Trip was hi-larious and I'm looking forward to renting Eurotrip and the Perfect Score.

A bit more highbrow are the greats: Rushmore, Royal Tannenbaums, Election, and my favorite Coen Bros film, The Big Lebowski- trippy goodness.

Rushmore and Royal T are both Wes Anderson films. You either love him or hate him.

Election was Alex Payne who also did About Schmidt which was quirky at best.

Coen Bros brought you films such as Raising Arizona, Fargo, Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, and The Big B among others.

And lest we forget Spike Jones/Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) and High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, but not sure what else he's done).

PS: I can't believe you mentioned "White Chicks"? It looks as bad as Soul Plane.

 

[moremoremore]

how could I forget braveheart...it's on right now...the little girl handed him a flower at his father's funeral...I look like I've been battered my face is so red and swollen!

 

[Matata]

Braveheart?! Ewwww, I cried more during Ace Venture: Pet Detective. Time to give homage to oldies but goodies like Psycho or anything starring Tracey and Hepburn. Oh, oh, and the ultimate classic Knife in the Water directed by Roman Polanski and Das Boot, starring Jurgen Prochnow, who (hold on to your hat MMM) makes Chris Walken looklikealessthanaveragehomelywhiteboywhocan'tact.

 

[moremoremore]

LOL...thems is fightin words!!!

 

[verticalhorizon]

One of the best movies of all time: Roman Holiday

A story shot on-location about flirtation, love, responsibility, history, and just about living life to its fullest, loving each minute. A movie that subtly tells you it's the journey that counts, not the destination.

The end is particularly excellent, esp. for when it was made. No syrupy ending. No wide angle panorama. They both go back to their lives with the fond memory of their Roman Holiday.

This movie can challenge and smack-down about 95% of all modern romantic comedies. Werd.