I wanted to vomit in Armageddon when Bruce Willis blurted out "Take care of my daughter"
and I love Bruce Willis.
S
Billie's Movie Thread
So Fozz and I rent movies pretty reguarly. I figure this is enough of an excuse to have a thread where I talk about what we're watching - not so much reviews as just reactions to the movie. Maybe on Saturdays I will select a pick of the week or something.
Soo...
Monday, April 17th
I <3 Huckabees
In which some crazy greenie hires existential detectives to help solve an odd coincidence in the midst of his struggles to free the trees through poetry.
Yes, this movie was bizarre. It did, however, get a few chuckles out of me, and several 'wtfs' from the both of us. I don't think the film is going to teach you the meaning of life, but it was rather well balanced in that it had its understated funny moments, a few profound scenes, a little that made me think, and a little that made me laugh. I think the key is to not take it too seriously.
Mark Wallburg (sp? you know, Marky Mark) was actually quite good and while I'm not a huge Jude Law fan I enjoyed him in this movie. I generally like Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman and this was no exception.
And...
Tuesday, April 18th
The Wonder Boys
In which a writer and teacher figures out, with the help of his student and his publisher, not to mention a wife, a girlfriend, a dog, Marilyn Monroe's jacket, and liberal amounts of weed, what is really important.
This one has been out for a bit but I missed it on its go around in the New Releases. It's based on the book by Michel Chabon (which I have not read, but will now!) and I liked the one book by him that I did read, so I figured we should give it a shot. I wish I had watched it sooner; it was truly delightful.
Tobey Macguire was -adorable-, even portraying a very odd character (there was one scene where he was in his little jammies and I just wanted to pinch his cheeks). Michel Douglas, who I don't really have any opinions about in general, played the leading role quite nicely and seemed a good casting choice. Charlie Sheen, the publisher, kind of stole the show in places. Oh! and Wash from Firefly plays a minor role. Also had Katie Holmes, who was cute as usual, and that lady who played the pregnant cop in Fargo. She was quite good. She played these very tough women in Fargo and North County (the latter of which, by the way, in my opinion, -sucked-) and it was cool to see her playing someone with a little more vulnerability.
So far, The Wonder Boys is going to be the film to beat for my special happy pick of the week, though if you're renting a movie you could certainly do a lot worse than Huckabees.
PS Yes, I realize this is terribly egotistical of me, claiming a thread of my own as if my opinion on movies matters :D. Do feel free to discuss, and of course recommend what I should pick up next time I go to the video store.
PPS Wednesday night is pool night (in which Fozz plays pool and I slide on the kitchen floor in my socks and other crazy things) but we'll most likely be back in the Blockbusters on Thursday so look forward to more happy fun!
Sergon
19 years ago
ROzbeans
19 years ago
Serg...you and I could never be. I loved that movie too!!!
Verileah
19 years ago
Hmmph. Haven’t updated in a while mostly because the movies I’ve seen lately have been kind of middle of the road. Because I’m a lazy bastard, I’ll just make a note of what I’ve seen lately.
Pi – Pretty good, migraine sufferers will appreciate :D. I think this is one you will either love or you’ll hate so it might be a gamble. I personally dug but I like the weird. Fit well with my crazy imagination. And math is cool!
Hildago – I am not burdened with extensive knowledge about horses, Arabic customs/language, Sioux customs/language, or the battle of wounded knee, and so was able to tolerably enjoy this movie. I tend to feel movies should make you care about the conflict happening and I…sorta cared? I mean…mustangs vs. purebreds, ooooh! Was a little silly in parts. Guess you have to take it for what it is.
The Producers – Charming cast. Pretty much just the play on film though. I guess that’s cool and all but I kind of like it when they do a little more…adapting when they bring a play to film. It was funny though.
We also blew some time watching silly 80s movie. The Karate Kid, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Back to the Future. Good times, good times.
Pi – Pretty good, migraine sufferers will appreciate :D. I think this is one you will either love or you’ll hate so it might be a gamble. I personally dug but I like the weird. Fit well with my crazy imagination. And math is cool!
Hildago – I am not burdened with extensive knowledge about horses, Arabic customs/language, Sioux customs/language, or the battle of wounded knee, and so was able to tolerably enjoy this movie. I tend to feel movies should make you care about the conflict happening and I…sorta cared? I mean…mustangs vs. purebreds, ooooh! Was a little silly in parts. Guess you have to take it for what it is.
The Producers – Charming cast. Pretty much just the play on film though. I guess that’s cool and all but I kind of like it when they do a little more…adapting when they bring a play to film. It was funny though.
We also blew some time watching silly 80s movie. The Karate Kid, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Back to the Future. Good times, good times.
Verileah
19 years ago
The Last Castle
Military prison movie. Could have been good but…wasn’t. It didn’t completely suck either though! Mediocrity ftw!
I’m seriously starting to get grumpy about the quality of movies I’ve been seeing. I mean, I have a pretty good attitude going into these things and –want- to like the film. I’m a good audience. Stop sucking so much!
Anyway. Um, even if you’re not a nitpicker you’re going to have issues with this. They got the military stuff mostly right (which is more than you can say for some movies; god, how hard is it to do just a little bit of very basic research…anyway) but their prison revolt was the most ridiculous thing I have seen in quite a while.
Acting wasn’t bad; Robert Redford is usually a safe bet, or so Fozz seems to think (he picked this one, not that I hold it against him as I have picked a few duds myself). Apparently there’s someone from the Sopranos in the movie, though I haven’t seen the show and have no clue who it might be.
Meh. *goes back to movie queue to see if we can expect anything that doesn’t make me ornery.*
Military prison movie. Could have been good but…wasn’t. It didn’t completely suck either though! Mediocrity ftw!
I’m seriously starting to get grumpy about the quality of movies I’ve been seeing. I mean, I have a pretty good attitude going into these things and –want- to like the film. I’m a good audience. Stop sucking so much!
Anyway. Um, even if you’re not a nitpicker you’re going to have issues with this. They got the military stuff mostly right (which is more than you can say for some movies; god, how hard is it to do just a little bit of very basic research…anyway) but their prison revolt was the most ridiculous thing I have seen in quite a while.
Acting wasn’t bad; Robert Redford is usually a safe bet, or so Fozz seems to think (he picked this one, not that I hold it against him as I have picked a few duds myself). Apparently there’s someone from the Sopranos in the movie, though I haven’t seen the show and have no clue who it might be.
Meh. *goes back to movie queue to see if we can expect anything that doesn’t make me ornery.*
Den
19 years ago
Steve Burton was in that...he's hot.
Verileah
19 years ago
ROFL I didn't recognize him!
That's -funny-!
/end inside joke
That's -funny-!
/end inside joke
Verileah
18 years ago
Wow, I haven't updated this in forever! How have y'all survived without my brilliant insights? Here's a few I've seen lately. More to come!
Mirror Mask –
I’ve been crushing on Neil Gaiman lately and thought his movie would be a good choice despite its lack of commercial success. This was meant to be this generation’s Labyrinth and Dark Crystal and I think in many ways it succeeds. A wonderful standalone fantasy with a brilliantly crafted world and Jim Henson Studio’s peerless creatures as well as some fantastic art and direction from Dave McKean. It’s strength lies in its visuals – the characterizations and story are just fine but they don’t carry the movie. That’s not to say it’s all eye candy; there’s definitely some wonderful substance here, it’s just that the visuals go above and beyond.
It’s PG and more weird than scary for the most part. I think it would be fine for the family, though I don’t want to give the impression it’s just for kids either. I’m all grown and stuff and I enjoyed it greatly.
The Good Shepard
I like Matt Damon, and I like spy movies – you’d think this movie about the birth of the CIA would hold great appeal. Really, I think I’ve discovered that I like –Hollywood- spy movies. Give me Will Smith running from the NSA over this movie any day. Give me back my shiny American Heroes…or even cool dark anti heroes.
I don’t think there was anything –wrong- with the movie. It was different, in pacing, story telling, and characterization, and isn’t that what everyone is screaming for? Stop giving us the same one dimensional characters, we say! Stop spoon feeding us plots – complexity is okay! Do something original, for heaven’s sake! Give us some believable realism! I guess when you do that, though, you end up with something relentlessly depressing – a depressing story, depressing visuals, depressing characters…all leading up to a horribly depressing theme. I don’t remember even –one- ray of hope in this movie.
There were absolutely some ‘cool’ factors – I love that cloak and dagger spy shit and the movie had plenty of that. And there was something chilling and infectious about the movie overall – I still have bits of dialogue stuck in my head. It was a good movie – maybe even an excellent movie, but I would never watch it again and it’s not one I would recommend unless you want to get incredibly depressed.
Children of Men
Okay I have to get all my pervy Clive Owen drooling out of the way before I say anything else about this movie. Clive Owen is sex on a stick. From that gritty voice to those sexy eyebrows to those little curls on his neck…mmm.
At any rate, obviously I think Clive Owen was brilliant in this movie – all sexual harassment aside, I think he’s a good actor. The supporting acting was equally brilliant. What really got my attention, though, was the directing. A mix of slick, sexy noir and surprising video game cinematography, this film really got my attention. We went seamlessly from smoke filled, shadow-ridden scenes to bumpy almost-first-person action shots – every scene was compelling and beautiful.
All that said, I found the story a little weak. There were some bothersome plotholes and a lot they didn’t take the time to explain. It was enough to make me want to read the book to see if the questions they left hanging had answers. It’s actually pretty rare that acting and directing can make up for a poor story, but I couldn’t look away! There was one perfect scene that just blew me out of the water, but I don’t want to give major spoilers – I’ll just say it really is worth a watch. In spite of being a story about a dystopic future world, filled with violence and profoundly sad moments, it made some truly beautiful statements about the sanctity of life and humanity, and it was an essentially hopeful movie.
Mirror Mask –
I’ve been crushing on Neil Gaiman lately and thought his movie would be a good choice despite its lack of commercial success. This was meant to be this generation’s Labyrinth and Dark Crystal and I think in many ways it succeeds. A wonderful standalone fantasy with a brilliantly crafted world and Jim Henson Studio’s peerless creatures as well as some fantastic art and direction from Dave McKean. It’s strength lies in its visuals – the characterizations and story are just fine but they don’t carry the movie. That’s not to say it’s all eye candy; there’s definitely some wonderful substance here, it’s just that the visuals go above and beyond.
It’s PG and more weird than scary for the most part. I think it would be fine for the family, though I don’t want to give the impression it’s just for kids either. I’m all grown and stuff and I enjoyed it greatly.
The Good Shepard
I like Matt Damon, and I like spy movies – you’d think this movie about the birth of the CIA would hold great appeal. Really, I think I’ve discovered that I like –Hollywood- spy movies. Give me Will Smith running from the NSA over this movie any day. Give me back my shiny American Heroes…or even cool dark anti heroes.
I don’t think there was anything –wrong- with the movie. It was different, in pacing, story telling, and characterization, and isn’t that what everyone is screaming for? Stop giving us the same one dimensional characters, we say! Stop spoon feeding us plots – complexity is okay! Do something original, for heaven’s sake! Give us some believable realism! I guess when you do that, though, you end up with something relentlessly depressing – a depressing story, depressing visuals, depressing characters…all leading up to a horribly depressing theme. I don’t remember even –one- ray of hope in this movie.
There were absolutely some ‘cool’ factors – I love that cloak and dagger spy shit and the movie had plenty of that. And there was something chilling and infectious about the movie overall – I still have bits of dialogue stuck in my head. It was a good movie – maybe even an excellent movie, but I would never watch it again and it’s not one I would recommend unless you want to get incredibly depressed.
Children of Men
Okay I have to get all my pervy Clive Owen drooling out of the way before I say anything else about this movie. Clive Owen is sex on a stick. From that gritty voice to those sexy eyebrows to those little curls on his neck…mmm.
At any rate, obviously I think Clive Owen was brilliant in this movie – all sexual harassment aside, I think he’s a good actor. The supporting acting was equally brilliant. What really got my attention, though, was the directing. A mix of slick, sexy noir and surprising video game cinematography, this film really got my attention. We went seamlessly from smoke filled, shadow-ridden scenes to bumpy almost-first-person action shots – every scene was compelling and beautiful.
All that said, I found the story a little weak. There were some bothersome plotholes and a lot they didn’t take the time to explain. It was enough to make me want to read the book to see if the questions they left hanging had answers. It’s actually pretty rare that acting and directing can make up for a poor story, but I couldn’t look away! There was one perfect scene that just blew me out of the water, but I don’t want to give major spoilers – I’ll just say it really is worth a watch. In spite of being a story about a dystopic future world, filled with violence and profoundly sad moments, it made some truly beautiful statements about the sanctity of life and humanity, and it was an essentially hopeful movie.
Verileah
18 years ago
More of my promised spam! Watched these two on the plane:
Music and Lyrics
Drew Barrymore can crank out these fluffy romantic comedies like nobody’s business. While not exactly original, it was well done for its genre. Hugh Grant was charming, playing…well, the same sort of character he always seems to play…and Drew Barrymore was adorable…like…always. There was a lot of self deprecating humor all around, though, and plenty of parody; they obviously didn’t take themselves too seriously, thus avoiding an embarrassing scene. They also made a few clever insights into the music industry that brought a smile to my face.
Overall, it wasn’t a bad date movie and it was good for a few laughs. I preferred The Wedding Singer though.
Catch and Release
Nothing like the death of a loved one to get the laughs rolling in! Somehow, this dark comedy actually worked – maybe it was the quality actors or clever, believable characters. Maybe it was the grossly inappropriate humor, or the multiple trainwrecks.
I hadn’t heard of this one – they showed it on the plane during the six hour flight from San Francisco to DC. I’m glad I didn’t read through it; it’s a worthwhile movie full of very human characters. A problem I have with a lot of chick flicks is that they tend to make men out to be evil and women out to be long suffering but secretly strong or some such crap, unless they are a mother in which case they are the devil, only misunderstood. These people were all different, all human, all just trying to pull it together and find happiness. The different relationships were wonderfully done and the train wreck moments were believable and without cynicism. For being such a dark movie, in fact, it was –remarkably- lacking in cynicism, and that was refreshing.
Music and Lyrics
Drew Barrymore can crank out these fluffy romantic comedies like nobody’s business. While not exactly original, it was well done for its genre. Hugh Grant was charming, playing…well, the same sort of character he always seems to play…and Drew Barrymore was adorable…like…always. There was a lot of self deprecating humor all around, though, and plenty of parody; they obviously didn’t take themselves too seriously, thus avoiding an embarrassing scene. They also made a few clever insights into the music industry that brought a smile to my face.
Overall, it wasn’t a bad date movie and it was good for a few laughs. I preferred The Wedding Singer though.
Catch and Release
Nothing like the death of a loved one to get the laughs rolling in! Somehow, this dark comedy actually worked – maybe it was the quality actors or clever, believable characters. Maybe it was the grossly inappropriate humor, or the multiple trainwrecks.
I hadn’t heard of this one – they showed it on the plane during the six hour flight from San Francisco to DC. I’m glad I didn’t read through it; it’s a worthwhile movie full of very human characters. A problem I have with a lot of chick flicks is that they tend to make men out to be evil and women out to be long suffering but secretly strong or some such crap, unless they are a mother in which case they are the devil, only misunderstood. These people were all different, all human, all just trying to pull it together and find happiness. The different relationships were wonderfully done and the train wreck moments were believable and without cynicism. For being such a dark movie, in fact, it was –remarkably- lacking in cynicism, and that was refreshing.
Den
18 years ago
Children of Men I found laughable and too predictable in spots...and had Clive not been in it I probably would have walked out, or at the very least slept through a lot more of it. I was very disappointed.
I liked Music and Lyrics for what it was, and much more so than the Wedding Singer because I can see why someone would be attracted to Hugh Grant - Adam Sandler, not so much.
Did you by any chance see Pan's Labyrinth, Billie?
I liked Music and Lyrics for what it was, and much more so than the Wedding Singer because I can see why someone would be attracted to Hugh Grant - Adam Sandler, not so much.
Did you by any chance see Pan's Labyrinth, Billie?
Mylec
18 years ago
I have been wanting to see The Good Shepard and Children of Men. Despite the "depressing" review, I am still going to give it a shot here one day soon. And I think Children of Men looks good too, even though Clive Owen just doesn't do it for me the way he does for you, Billie ;)
Verileah
18 years ago
I have Pan's Labyrinth rented but haven't watched it yet.
Verileah
18 years ago
*dusts off thread*
Once:
A musical about two musicians who manage to find a week - between other relationships and responsibilities - to make some really good music. Not one of those musicals where people randomly burst into song even though it makes no fucking sense to do so. The music they create -is- the story. This is seriously among the best movies I saw in 2007. Proof that you don't have to have a big budget or A list actors - talent and soul really can carry a movie.
Juno
Totally lived up to the hype. Loved loved loved the soundtrack, with pieces from Cat Power, Belle and Sebastian, Barry Polisar, Sonic Youth, and others that I'd have to look up :X. Darkly funny, gutwrenchingly sad, beautifully human. Lots of sniffles in the theater but a lot of chuckles too.
Evan Almighty
I was surprised to find that I could feel comfortable showing this to the kid. It was a nice movie with pretty clean humor, unlike a lot of what I see that's aimed at little kids :\. I don't think it really had a 'hook', though - that one witty line that you quote to your friends, or the little shenanigan you find yourself chuckling over weeks later.
Once:
A musical about two musicians who manage to find a week - between other relationships and responsibilities - to make some really good music. Not one of those musicals where people randomly burst into song even though it makes no fucking sense to do so. The music they create -is- the story. This is seriously among the best movies I saw in 2007. Proof that you don't have to have a big budget or A list actors - talent and soul really can carry a movie.
Juno
Totally lived up to the hype. Loved loved loved the soundtrack, with pieces from Cat Power, Belle and Sebastian, Barry Polisar, Sonic Youth, and others that I'd have to look up :X. Darkly funny, gutwrenchingly sad, beautifully human. Lots of sniffles in the theater but a lot of chuckles too.
Evan Almighty
I was surprised to find that I could feel comfortable showing this to the kid. It was a nice movie with pretty clean humor, unlike a lot of what I see that's aimed at little kids :\. I don't think it really had a 'hook', though - that one witty line that you quote to your friends, or the little shenanigan you find yourself chuckling over weeks later.
Den
18 years ago
Saw Juno...liked it okay, but thought it was more rental quality...no real need to see it at the theater, imo.
Verileah
18 years ago
Yeah - I had a good crowd but it is a 'talky' movie so it might be better at home.