Movies Seen in 2010

Discussion in 'TV & Media' started by Starbreaker, Jan 1, 2010.

  1. Kegg

    Kegg Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2009
    Location:
    Ireland.
    Honestly I think you hit the nail on the head.
    It has great rewatchability value (I've seen it a dozen times at this point), but I think most of that is due to Ronald Reagan as the villain and Lee Marvin's cool attitude. The rapport between the killers is just rather dryly funny to me in a way I guess many of Tarantino's films are seen now.
    The fatalism of the movie - everyone's screwed up, and everyone must die - is a nicely dark angle, too. It's unpleasant people being unpleasant to each other and then they die.
    Very entertaining.
     
  2. zakkrusz

    zakkrusz Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2002
    Location:
    United States
    Updates:
    Armored Trooper Votoms: Big Battle (7)
    Armored Trooper Votoms: Roots of Ambition (8)
    Armored Trooper Votoms: The Last Red Shoulder (8)
    Boondock Saints (10)
    The Book of Eli (8)
    Cencoroll (8)
    District 9 (8)
    The Edge of Darkness (9)
    G-9 (6)
    Inglorious Bastards (7)
    Oldboy (9)
    Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-hen (8)
     
  3. SpeedRacer

    SpeedRacer Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    May 5, 2007
    Location:
    Dallas, PA
    So far I've seen

    At MAGFest:

    Frag (documentary about professional gamers)
    Korkusuz (aka Rampage or "Turkish Rambo")
    Mega Man (fan-made film)

    In theaters:

    The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
    The Road
    Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
    Sherlock Holmes
    Up in the Air

    On DVD:

    Dragonball Evolution
    Gamer
    The Hurt Locker
    Rollerball (2002 remake)
    Smokin' Aces 2: Assassin's Ball
     
  4. JacksonArcher

    JacksonArcher Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2001
    Saw From Paris With Love. A very entertaining action thriller. Not as serious as Taken but I enjoyed the more lighthearted tone. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers was pretty bad in the film, though. He's usually a capable actor but addled with an embarrassing American accent he was just passably mediocre.
     
  5. Wynterhawk

    Wynterhawk Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Just saw Inglorious Basterds and was very surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
     
  6. CaptainCanada

    CaptainCanada Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2004
    Location:
    Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
    Crazy Heart [A-] - went to see this with my aunt and cousin; been planning to see it for a while, given all the buzz around Jeff Bridges' performance, which seems like a lock for the Oscar (I've now seen all five nominated performances in that category; all fine, Bridges one of the best). I quite liked the movie overall, firstly because it's rare to see a movie with this much original music these days.
    I liked how it didn't go the expected way with things; Blake's got a way forward, but he doesn't succeed in mending past problems like his son or with Jean; and his comeback isn't a return to megastar status, just sobering up and writing songs again. I did think the part where Buddy gets lost was unconvincingly presented: he takes a couple of sips of liquor, in real-time, and somehow the kid has completely vanished from view in the course of a minute.
     
  7. tomalak301

    tomalak301 Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2003
    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Movies Seen in 2010
    Duplicity - C-
    The Hurt Locker - A
    Moon - A
    The Princess and the Frog - B
    Crazy Heart - B+
    Julie & Julia - A-

    I've finally seen a film with a best actress nominee. Not sure why, but whenever the nominations come out, the Best Actress category tends to be the one in which I haven't seen any of the 5 films. It's happened the last couple of years, and this year I'm going to make an attempt to see at least 3 of them.

    Anyway, I loved this movie. It was deliciously charming, funny, and Streep once again was great. I also liked Adams, giving a more modern flare to this story and I didn't mind the interchanging between the scenes in Queens, and the scenes in New York. Streep though, seemed to really enjoy this movie. I mean when was there not a time where she was all giggly and smiling and just didn't seem like she was having a good time. Even in the scenes were Julia was down (Such as not getting book published at first or when her sister was pregnant), it seemed like she still had a bright smile on her face. It was charming, and extremely pleasant.
     
  8. Kelso

    Kelso Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 3, 2001
    Location:
    On the destruct button until the last minute!
    Avatar: An absolute blast.

    ZombieLand: Fun.

    Universal Soldier Regeneration: Better than it had any right to be.
     
  9. LitmusDragon

    LitmusDragon Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2002
    Location:
    The Barmuda Triangle
    Starship Troopers - C+
    District 9 - A
    Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - B+
    The Wrestler - B
    V for Vendetta - C+
    Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone - C
    Corpse Bride - C
    Battlefield Earth - F
    There Will Be Blood - A
    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - B
    The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - B

    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Much better than the first movie in my opinion. Just lots of fun all around. B

    The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - B. Was up for Cinematography / Direction oscar in 2007, and easy to see why. Imaginative depiction of someone living with locked-in syndrome. I had to run to wikipedia afterwards to see if events really played out like they did in the movie, and apparently they did for the most part. Tragic.
     
  10. Cmndr J Crichton

    Cmndr J Crichton Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2004
    Location:
    Moya
    Film:
    Sherlock Holmes x2
    The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
    Edge of Darkness

    I Plan to see From Paris with Love next Week. Followed by The Wolf Man.

    On Blu Ray:
    Moon
    Pandorum
    Micheal Jackson's This is It!
    Gamer
     
  11. CaptainCanada

    CaptainCanada Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2004
    Location:
    Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
    Theatre:

    Avatar [ B]
    Precious [A-]
    Invictus [ B]
    A Single Man [B-]
    Crazy Heart [A-]

    DVD:

    Adventureland [B+]
    Samaritan Girl [N/A]
    3-Iron [A]
    The Hurt Locker [A-]
    Citizen Kane [A]
    Planet Hulk [B+]
    High Society [B-]
    The Philadelphia Story [A-]
    The Pianist [A-]
    Murder By Decree [A-]
    A Man For All Seasons [B+]

    The Best Picture winner for 1966, this is the story of the fall of Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield, Academy Award-winner for the part) for refusing to sign off on the whole Anne Boleyn debacle. It's, in a lot of ways, a film that Hollywood wouldn't make anymore, in anything like its present form: it's extremely cerebral, often very languid in pace, and stagey to a fault (as it was, indeed, a stage play originally).

    There's moreover the question of the lead character, who is written as such a saint (well, he is an official Saint, at that) that he has no angst or real internal conflict most of the time (he opens up a bit in the final two scenes, which are easily the most affecting ones). Even aside from Hollywood's oft-dismissive attitude toward faith these days, a modern version of this would probably place a lot more emphasis on his doubts (not necessarily a bad idea). An appropriate comparison would be to John Proctor in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, a near-contemporary of Robert Bolt's play, which has much the same theme; the difference between Proctor and More is Proctor's guilty consicence about his affair (and Proctor's dealbreaker is different from More's; he's willing to damn himself in writing, but not others). Scofield, incidentaly, was on the other side of the question in that film, playing the ruthless persecutor in the early 90s film adaptation. This sort of principles-thing still resonates with people; you admire that sort of conviction but suspect you yourself wouldn't have it in similar circumstances.

    Very well-cast apart from Scofield (who I first remember from Branagh's Henry V, where he gave a lot of gravity to the French King's few scenes), including the famous cameo by a now alarmingly-fat Orson Welles. Robert Shaw (Henry VIII) got most of the supporting actor nominations, but the standout for me is Leo McKern as Cromwell, the king's lead bloodhound. Also here in a rather strange cameo is a young (and very attractive) Vanessa Redgrave as Anne, who is basically an extra (no lines, just singing a few snatches of song with Henry), but gets an "and Vanessa Redgrave" in the end credits (her now less-famous brother Corin has a larger part as More's son-in-law).

    Somewhat old-fashioned, but worth seeing.
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2010
  12. Harvey

    Harvey Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2005
    Sherlock Holmes [B-]
    Men in Black [A]
    Up in the Air [A]
    Star Trek: The Motion Picture [D+]
    I'm Not There [A]
    Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) [D-]
    American Violet [B ]
    Inglourious Basterds [A]
    Death at a Funeral [B ]
    A Serious Man [A]
    The Hurt Locker [A-]
    Mad Max 2 (AKA The Road Warrior) [C]
    The Book of Eli [C-]
    Elegy [B+]
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind [A]
    The Invention of Lying [B-]
    Gamer [C]
    Timecrimes [A]
    Metropolis [A]
    Pandorum [B ]
    Raiders of the Lost Ark [A]
    Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [A]
    Moon [A]
    Fun with Dick and Jane [C]
    Sunshine [C]
    Stanley Kubrick's The Killing [B+]
    Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (1964) [A-]
    Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (1946) [B+]
    Glengarry Glen Ross [B-]
    Gattaca [A]

    The 1946 version of The Killers is probably superior to the later version in every technical way. It's pretty faithful to the original source material (reportedly it's the only film based on his work that Hemingway actually liked). Yet I still like Don Siegel's take on the material more. That said, this version is still very good, and Ava Gardner is a terrific femme fatale (her final scene, where she selfishly tries to get her dying husband to lie and say she's innocent, is delicious).

    Glengarry Glen Ross...I don't know, I kind of expected more from this film. Considering it has just about every famous old white guy of 1992 in it, and the acclaim it has earned over the years, I wanted more. I have to say that I'm more of a fan of Mamet in theory than in practice. His dialogue wears you down. I do wonder what the film would have been like had he directed it. Probably 75 minutes long with credits, knowing how he likes to cut out every possible bit of fat.

    Gattaca is one of my favorite science fiction films. It looks incredible (even better on Blu-Ray), and has a wonderfully designed future which has several nice subtle flourishes. Not much else to say at this point.
     
  13. CaptainCanada

    CaptainCanada Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2004
    Location:
    Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
    A Patch of Blue (1965) (aka Precious with white people [and Sidney Poitier]) [B+]

    One of Poitier's lesser-known films, but I'd have to say this is one of my favourites. Poitier's character is out walking in the park one day and runs across a young blind girl named Selina, who he ends up befriending. Selina, he discovers, lives with her mom and grandfather; the latter is a drunk and indifferent to her most of the time, the former is a test-run for Mary from Precious (she blames her daughter for being blind despite that she's the one who caused it, and basically treats her like a servant, and has never bothered to get her any kind of help for her condition (she can't read Braille, doesn't have a dog or even a cane, etc.), and almost never leaves the apartment they lived in). Poitier's character tries to help her, and she starts to fall in love with him, though Poitier isn't sure a) if this is a good idea, socially, since he's black and b) if Selina, with her limited life experience is really ready for that sort of thing. This could easily be maudlin melodrama (the miseries piled on Selina at home just never seem to stop), but the leads carry it and make it relatable; Elizabeth Hartman as Selina has a Jack Lemmon-level sympathy-generating voice.
     
  14. Harvey

    Harvey Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2005
    Sherlock Holmes [B-]
    Men in Black [A]
    Up in the Air [A]
    Star Trek: The Motion Picture [D+]
    I'm Not There [A]
    Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) [D-]
    American Violet [B ]
    Inglourious Basterds [A]
    Death at a Funeral [B ]
    A Serious Man [A]
    The Hurt Locker [A-]
    Mad Max 2 (AKA The Road Warrior) [C]
    The Book of Eli [C-]
    Elegy [B+]
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind [A]
    The Invention of Lying [B-]
    Gamer [C]
    Timecrimes [A]
    Metropolis [A]
    Pandorum [B ]
    Raiders of the Lost Ark [A]
    Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [A]
    Moon [A]
    Fun with Dick and Jane [C]
    Sunshine [C]
    Stanley Kubrick's The Killing [B+]
    Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (1964) [A-]
    Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (1946) [B+]
    Glengarry Glen Ross [B-]
    Gattaca [A]
    The Big Chill

    I caught this on TCM last night. Not as good as Kasdan's other big ensemble movie with Keven Kline (Grand Canyon) and at times very dated, the film is nevertheless pretty enjoyable. Certainly the cast, which is excellent, is watchable from beginning to end. Tom Berenger's character, a dead ringer for Tom Selleck at the time, brings particular amusement.
     
  15. JacksonArcher

    JacksonArcher Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2001
    I saw The Informant! and what a great year (2009) for Steven Soderbrough. He is a fantastic versatile director with a lot of range. Contrast The Informant! to The Girlfriend Experience and you have two wildly different films. The Informant! owes a lot to Matt Damon for his incredibly chameleon-like performance. The voiceovers reminded me of Patrick Bateman and American Psycho.

    Also kudos to Soderbrough for casting normally comedic actors (Joel McHale, etc) in serious dramatic roles. Scott Bakula also did a marvelous performance. He was so stern and restrained. It was terrific to see him in top form.
     
  16. LitmusDragon

    LitmusDragon Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2002
    Location:
    The Barmuda Triangle
    Starship Troopers - C+
    District 9 - A
    Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - B+
    The Wrestler - B
    V for Vendetta - C+
    Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone - C
    Corpse Bride - C
    Battlefield Earth - F
    There Will Be Blood - A
    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - B
    The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - B
    Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - A
    Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - B-

    I remembered the third Harry Potter movie as being the best of the series, and this assertion holds up on my second viewing of the film. The cinematography and direction in this movie are first-rate. Visual flourishes abound, like the Whomping Willow which somehow comes across as a real creature, to the pinhole fade they used to transition between scenes (love that effect, wonder why it was ditched after this film?). The Sirius Black reversal and the time-travel solution at the end are probably the two best plot devices in the entire (movie) series in my opinion. A

    Goblet of Fire is a good film but seems like fluff compared to the more serious themes explored in the previous movie. It's basically about sporting events and a dance. :shifty: The Voldemort stuff at the end was suitably creepy. B-
     
  17. Harvey

    Harvey Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2005
    Sherlock Holmes [B-]
    Men in Black [A]
    Up in the Air [A]
    Star Trek: The Motion Picture [D+]
    I'm Not There [A]
    Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) [D-]
    American Violet [B ]
    Inglourious Basterds [A]
    Death at a Funeral [B ]
    A Serious Man [A]
    The Hurt Locker [A-]
    Mad Max 2 (AKA The Road Warrior) [C]
    The Book of Eli [C-]
    Elegy [B+]
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind [A]
    The Invention of Lying [B-]
    Gamer [C]
    Timecrimes [A]
    Metropolis [A]
    Pandorum [B ]
    Raiders of the Lost Ark [A]
    Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [A]
    Moon [A]
    Fun with Dick and Jane [C]
    Sunshine [C]
    Stanley Kubrick's The Killing [B+]
    Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (1964) [A-]
    Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (1946) [B+]
    Glengarry Glen Ross [B-]
    Gattaca [A]
    The Big Chill
    The Producers [A]

    Mel Brook's original. I've seen it many times. It's one of his finest comedies, and I still enjoy it a great deal. I saw it earlier in January--for some reason I forgot to add it to the list. So, there it is.
     
  18. Harvey

    Harvey Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2005
    Sherlock Holmes [B-]
    Men in Black [A]
    Up in the Air [A]
    Star Trek: The Motion Picture [D+]
    I'm Not There [A]
    Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) [D-]
    American Violet [B ]
    Inglourious Basterds [A]
    Death at a Funeral [B ]
    A Serious Man [A]
    The Hurt Locker [A-]
    Mad Max 2 (AKA The Road Warrior) [C]
    The Book of Eli [C-]
    Elegy [B+]
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind [A]
    The Invention of Lying [B-]
    Gamer [C]
    Timecrimes [A]
    Metropolis [A]
    Pandorum [B ]
    Raiders of the Lost Ark [A]
    Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [A]
    Moon [A]
    Fun with Dick and Jane [C]
    Sunshine [C]
    Stanley Kubrick's The Killing [B+]
    Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (1964) [A-]
    Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (1946) [B+]
    Glengarry Glen Ross [B-]
    Gattaca [A]
    The Big Chill
    The Producers [A]
    Rent [C+]
    Blade Runner [A]

    Rent was an okay, at times annoying take on the apparently popular musical. Some of the numbers are brilliant, and some of them are downright grating. Surprisingly tame given the subject matter, no doubt director Chris Columbus' doing.

    Blade Runner is my favorite film. Still holds up. Looks great in HD. I'll probably see it again this year, so I'll keep it at that for now.
     
  19. Starbreaker

    Starbreaker Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2001
    Location:
    Birmingham, AL
    The Road [B-]

    The book is about a trillion times better.
     
  20. CaptainCanada

    CaptainCanada Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2004
    Location:
    Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
    Broadway Danny Rose [B+]

    My latest DVD acquisition is a box set of 80s Woody Allen films; great deal, given that I don’t own any of them (the first Woody Allen film I saw was Match Point, one of my top 10 of the 2000s). This is one of Allen’s early 1980s comedies, a period in his filmography dominated by his then-muse Mia Farrow, though pretty much all these movies are coloured a bit by the rather acrimonious end of that relationship. Allen’s films have a lot of autobiography, in this case the subject being the New York club entertainment scene, with Allen himself playing a theatre agent who represents the bottom of the barrel. It’s an effective little story, with a strong lead performance (Woody Allen’s manner has become such a comic caricature that it’s easy to forget that he can be a really good actor in the midst of his standard schtick), as well as from Farrow and the various real-life figures from the entertainment scene. It’s filmed in black-and-white, which is kind of random.