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MOVIE THREAD

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by daniel, Dec 14, 2005.

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  1. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    I'm not really much of a movie fan, but I rent DVDs from NetFlix to watch on the projector, and I always need something to watch while exercising on the treadmill, but it's getting harder and harder to find anything I want to watch. So I thought I'd start this thread for folks to recommend good movies.

    I'll start by listing a few off the top of my head that I've seen and thought were worth recommending:

    Frida. A very good movie, in my opinion, about an absolutely remarkable woman. If I watched it again I'd skip over the bus accident scene. But being the seminal event that shaped her life, it has historical relevance. Marvelous music.

    The Widow of St. Pierre. French Canadian film with English subtitles. A man commits a senseless and brutal murder in a drunken stupor and is sentenced to die. But in the days of sailing ships it takes a very long time for a guillotine to be sent over from France. Absolutely first-rate film.

    Pirates of the Caribbean. I don't really like ghost stories, but Johnny Depp is at his best in this movie.

    Rocky Horror Picture Show. What can I say? A classic. Dr. Frank-N-Furter's drag show near the beginning makes the entire film worth watching.

    The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course. Steve Irwin tangles with the CIA and wins. A comedy of errors as the CIA chases a lost satellite that's been eaten by a crocodile, and Steve thinks they are poachers after the croc. Hilarious!

    Whale Rider. A Maori girl struggles to establish her birthright in a sexist culture. Very moving, and an excellent film.

    Strictly Ballroom. Beautiful dancing and true love. Worth watching for the dancing even if you don't care for romance movies.

    Okay, that's just a few off the top of my head. How about your recommendations? They can be new or old, still in theaters or available on DVD. (Or even old movies only on VHS, if you really must, though those won't do me any good because I don't have a VHS.)
     
    #1 daniel, Dec 14, 2005
  2. bookrats

    bookrats New Member

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    Based on the films you listed, Daniel, I have a handful of films to recommend:
    • Good Night and Good Luck: Very well done rendition of Edward R. Murrow's confrontation with Senator Joe McCarthy in the 50s. Not a documentary (there's an extranious "personal interest" thread that seems sort of slapped in there), but a very nicely done drama about the events that took place.
    • Mephisto: Subtitled. The great Klaus Maria Brandaeur as an actor on the rise in Germany when the Nazi party takes over. To allow his star to rise, he comprimises his political and moral beliefs to a greater and greater extent as Hitler's hold pervades German society. An amazing performance, and an excellent film.
    • Office Space and South Park: The Movie. Probably the two funniest films I've seen in the last couple of years. (I would also argue that South Park is the best movie musical in the last 10 years, but we'll stop there.)
    I spent much of the 80s watching films at the Seattle Film Festival, and I suspect many of the small independent and/or foreign films I saw there you'd enjoy. My collected reviews might steer you to a few you hadn't heard of before. (And yes, I panned Gone With the Wind. I've gotten hate mail for years about that. From little old ladies. In Australia.)
     
    #2 bookrats, Dec 15, 2005
  3. tag

    tag Senior Member

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    If you like Depp, rent The Ninth Gate, Donnie Brasco, and/or Blow.
     
    #3 tag, Dec 15, 2005
  4. tag

    tag Senior Member

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    Also, if you enjoy REALLY weird films, The Tenant (Le Locataire (1976)) is way up there on the list (it's even weird by Polanski standards).
     
    #4 tag, Dec 15, 2005
  5. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    Thanks for all the recommendations, Keep 'em coming folks!

    I've seen both The Ninth Gate and Blow. I didn't like Blow: Depp made the coke dealer too sympathetic! The Ninth Gate is an adaptation of the novel El club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte, one of my favorite authors. The book is (as so often is the case) a thousand times better than the movie, even with a great actor like Depp. Too much is (necessarily) left out of the movie. Perez-Reverte is Spanish, and the book is in Spanish. I cannot say anything about the English translation, except that my general experience is that translations are often dreadful. Some other wonderful books by Perez-Reverte are La piel del tambor and El maestro de esgrima.
     
    #5 daniel, Dec 15, 2005
  6. Mystery Squid

    Mystery Squid Junior Member

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    The Wicker Man
     
    #6 Mystery Squid, Dec 15, 2005
  7. San_Carlos_Jeff

    San_Carlos_Jeff Active Member

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    The Castle : Comedy from Australia, some great characters
     
    #7 San_Carlos_Jeff, Dec 15, 2005
  8. GreenMachine

    GreenMachine New Member

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    Tampopo -- A japanese "eastern" where the quest to make a perfect noodle is a metaphor for life and perhaps even the perfect hybrid car design.
     
    #8 GreenMachine, Dec 15, 2005
  9. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    Movies I've seen recently that I would suggest anyone see:

    Maria Full of Grace
    DARE TO DREAM: THE STORY OF THE U.S. WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM (stumbled upon this one by accident on HBO the other night - excellent documentary)
    Walk the Line - It's scary how good Joaquin is in this movie. I see why he had to go to alcohol rehab after making it.
    Collateral - I don't care if you are/aren't a Tom Cruise/Jamie Foxx fan, this movie is grainy, dirty, and excellent. Cruise should've been up for an Oscar for it.
    Sin City - my girlfriend, who isn't a big fan of violence, ranks this movie up there as one of her favorites of all time. And she's a Media Arts grad, so supposedly she knows what she's talking about. It's simply wonderful.
    Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2 - again, the girlfriend who hates violence loved these 2. Vol 2 is better than 1 in my opinion, but watch them at the same time for the full effect. If Tarantino didn't make them, they probably would've been up for Oscars.
    American Psycho - if you haven't checked out Batman Begins, do. But before you check it out, watch Christian Bale play Patrick Bateman in one of the more underrated films of recent memory. It's especially good if you like 80s music :)
    Wedding Crashers - one of those few summer comedies that comes out and you'll enjoy no matter if you're 18 or 80. From what I understand, most of the return business to the theaters was 50+ year olds coming to see it 2 or 3 times. I saw it 3 times and can't wait to get it on DVD.

    Movies I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy to be forced to watch (ok, maybe not that bad, but I didn't enjoy them when the "critics" loved them):

    Corpse Bride - all I'll say is thank God it was only an hour and a half. It was the only thing keeping me from walking about of the theater. No redeeming qualities for me.
    Shopgirl - Ok, so Steve Martin is a main character AND the narrator of the story. But the Narrator is not the main character. Figure that one out. This movie was pretentious and blah.
    Ray - Ok, this one wasn't bad, but it wasn't all that great, either. It just dragged on and on and on and on. Watch this, then Walk the Line and you'll really appreciate WTL.

    And when you run out of movies to watch - start watching some TV shows on DVD. It's amazing how fast you can get through a season of TV!

    Some of my suggestions:

    24 - yes, it's cheesy at some points, but these days it's on purpose because it something the fans expect. Don't screw around with Jack Bauer
    Deadwood - Wow. That's all I'll say. It's worth dropping the $80 to buy it because you're going to want it for your collection. Al Swearengen is one of the baddest mo-fo's on TV.
    The Shield - I got into this one via DVD and am now on Season 3. Very well done, gritty, mean, and unrelenting.
    Arrested Development - Keep your remote handy, because you'll need it to restart several episodes after you laugh uncontrollably through the first 10 minutes.
    The Office (UK and US Versions) - Watch the British one first, (it's only like 18 episodes total) then watch the US one come into it's own. You'll see one of the greatest TV moments ever during the UK Christmas Special.

    That should keep you going for awhile.
     
    #9 Danny, Dec 15, 2005
  10. Wynder

    Wynder New Member

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    #10 Wynder, Dec 15, 2005
  11. jeneric

    jeneric New Member

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    And assign them to your co-workers as well.

    No mention of Extras? Looks like you have HBO. Seems like it should be required viewing if you like the British version.
     
    #11 jeneric, Dec 15, 2005
  12. imntacrook

    imntacrook New Member

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    The Sheltering Sky - with John Malkovitch
     
    #12 imntacrook, Dec 15, 2005
  13. tag

    tag Senior Member

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    Great film! Although American Psycho was released before Equilibrium, I saw the latter first. Really worth seeing as Bale is excellent......although American Psycho is superior in almost all other respects.
     
    #13 tag, Dec 15, 2005
  14. airportkid

    airportkid Will Fly For Food

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    In no particular order here are my top three comedies that never go stale:


    It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World

    Dr. Strangelove

    The Gods Must Be Crazy

    The Dinner Game

    The General

    Charade

    Some Like It Hot

    Dark Star



    I'm sure I could think of others but these are solidly in my top three comedies.

    Whaddaya mean WHICH three? ALL of them of course!

    Mark Baird
    Alameda CA
     
    #14 airportkid, Dec 15, 2005
  15. OUscarb

    OUscarb Member

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    How about:

    "Kicking and Screaming" with Will Ferrell.

    It has a cameo by a "PRIUS" :D

    1st movie I've heard of with one.
     
    #15 OUscarb, Dec 16, 2005
  16. OUscarb

    OUscarb Member

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    Here is a pic, Whats funny is he just got cut off from a parking spot by a Huge Black Hummer!
     

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    #16 OUscarb, Dec 16, 2005
  17. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    Ahhh, but of course! Extras was great - especially the season finale with Patrick Stewart. I think Stewart should be up for an Emmy just for that trailer scene! :)

    After posting my list last night, I had to rewatch the Christmas special of the UK Office and this year's Christmas episode of the US version.
     
    #17 Danny, Dec 16, 2005
  18. BrianTheDog

    BrianTheDog New Member

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    Remember Bale's brilliant performance as a pre-teen boy separated from his parents and sent to a WWII Japanese concentration camp? Empire of the Sun, dir. by Spielberg and released in 1987. Beautiful movie. Cast also included John Malkovich and a young Ben Stiller (his first movie role).

    And since others earlier mentioned TV and sci-fi, I have to recommend the new Battlestar Galactica series on SciFi. Dark, dramatic, edge-of-the-seat kind of show that has me completely addicted!!!!! TV Guide critic Matt Roush placed BSG #3 in his top-ten best TV series' of 2005, behind Lost and My Name Is Earl.
     
    #18 BrianTheDog, Dec 17, 2005
  19. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    Ah, yes. I forgot The Gods Must Be Crazy. A wonderful film. The Gods Must Be Crazy 2 is also a lot of fun.
     
    #19 daniel, Dec 17, 2005
  20. tag

    tag Senior Member

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    Yes!! The DP was Allen Daviau and the film was nominated for cinematography. I actually worked with that guy on some stuff he did years earlier.
     
    #20 tag, Dec 17, 2005
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