The Movie Thread

[RGMike]

Mike's Weekend movie roundup: 3 flicks (would've been 4, but the Embarcadero had a "projector malfunction" and so I'll have to see The History Boys another time.

The Fountain. This has gotten some bad reviews, and it's a tad pretentious (your basic sci-fi art film), but once I got into the rhythm of it, I kinda liked it.

Happy Feet. Beautifully animated, but too much singing of too many arbitrarily chosen "hits"... and WAY too much Robin Williams -- he voices 2 characters himself, and even Hugh Jackman sounds like he's imitating Williams.

Bobby.  Not as awful as some of the reviews I'd read, but a wildly uneven (if heartfelt) hodgepodge. Some of the archival footage is used quite affectingly, and some just seems shameless. Nice work by Lawrence Fishburne, Freddy Rodriguez, William H Macy and even Sharon Stone. But also some awful stuff: any scene involving Demi Moore, and her hubby Ashton Kutcher is the least-believable hippie drug-dealer in the history of cinema.

[mshray]

Happy Feet. Beautifully animated, but too much singing of too many arbitrarily chosen "hits"... and WAY too much Robin Williams -- he voices 2 characters himself, and even Hugh Jackman sounds like he's imitating Williams.

I didn't mind Robin Williams so much as the overt 'racial profiling' of his & several other characters.  The animation was awesome & I liked the first 2/3 quite a lot.  But that whole last act was just preposterous.  Of course if I stop being a movie critic and think like a dad & environmentalist, it was a good message to get across & if even a tiny fraction of the kids take it to heart then some good has been done.  But man did they whack you upside the head with it.  The anti-fundamentalism message was a bit more subliminal, I wonder if the fundie's will notice it and begin a boycott.  

I was glad to see "The Message" get used as one of the tunes.

[Alicat]

I log barely any movie time at all but made it to Casino Royale yesterday.
Two thumbs up. Craig is a good Bond. Lots of action, blood, death and a few laughs. Things I did not expect.
I enjoyed the opening animation/art. In the older Bond flicks, the women all seem to be more exotic and beguiling.

[princessofcairo]

just came from borat. quite amusing, if pointless.

[RGMike]

just came from borat. quite amusing, if pointless.

Pointless?

Most critics have praised it as Swiftian satire... :wink:

[Alicat]

Two movies in one long weekend.
Saw Deck the Halls today. Stupid but fun. I'd see it again as a rental. Took kids to it and they didn't "get" half the humor. One part had me laughing so hard I cried.

[princessofcairo]

just came from borat. quite amusing, if pointless.

Pointless?

Most critics have praised it as Swiftian satire... :wink:

hmmm....don't know if i would go that far. there's no grand message. it's not as in-your-face as team america, though it's aims are similar. anyway, it's a great laugh, and it doesn't have to have a point.

[RGMike]

in case you wondered about this stuff... here's the official list of eligble songs for this year's Best Song Academy Award. There's 56 of 'em, including the 3 "new" songs that've been added to Dreamgirls. If I were a betting man, I'd be looking at Melissa Etheridge's song from Inconvenient Truth, Prince's Happy Feet ditty, and that fabulous gospel-y anthem from Bobby, sung by Aretha. Of course,  Jack Johnson and the James Bond theme are in there too...

“Believe It” from “The Heart of the Game”
“The Best” from “Everyone’s Hero”
“The Book I Write” from “Stranger than Fiction”
“Broken Bridges” from “Broken Bridges”
“Chan Chan” from “Water”
“Circle in the Sand” from “Friends with Money”
“Coming Back to You” from “Deja Vu”
“Definition of Love” from “Akeelah and the Bee”
“Dreamz with a Z” from “American Dreamz”
“Encarnacion” from “Nacho Libre”
“Every Word” from “Wordplay”
“Family of Me” from “Over the Hedge”
“A Father’s Way” from “The Pursuit of Happyness”
“The Girl in Byakkoya - White Tiger Field” from “Paprika”
“Heist” from “Over the Hedge”
“Hillbilly Holla” from “Barnyard”
“Hollywood Familia” from “Hollywood Familia”
“I Belong” from “Open Season”
“I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth”
“In Rosa Vernat Lilium” from “The Nativity Story”
“It’s a Fight” from “Rocky Balboa”
“Ju Hua Tai” from “Curse of the Golden Flower”
“Keep Holding On” from “Eragon”
“Khalbali” from “Rang de Basanti”
“Kingdom of Love” from “One Night with the King”
“Listen” from “Dreamgirls”
“A Lonely Man” from “Don’t Come Knocking”
“Love You I Do” from “Dreamgirls”
“Luka Chuppi” from “Rang de Basanti”
“The Motion” from “3 Needles”
“My Little Girl” from “Flicka”
“Never Gonna Break My Faith” from “Bobby”
“Never Let Go” from “The Guardian”
“O Kazakhstan” from “Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”
“Open Your Heart” from “Saving Shiloh”
“Ordinary Miracle” from “Charlotte’s Web”
“Our Town” from “Cars”
“Patience” from “Dreamgirls”
“Philosophy” from “Step Up”
“PJ & Rooster” from “Idlewild”
“Quest for Love” from “Arthur and the Invisibles”
“Real Gone” from “Cars”
“Really Nice Day” from “The Wild”
“Shine on ‘Em” from “Blood Diamond”
“The Song of the Heart” from “Happy Feet”
“Star Mile” from “The Last Kiss”
“Still” from “Over the Hedge”
“Suenos” from “Hollywood Familia”
“Sweet Music” from “Glory Road”
“Til the End of Time” from “Little Miss Sunshine”
“Tonight” from “Night at the Museum”
“Try Not to Remember” from “Home of the Brave”
“Upside Down” from “Curious George”
“When You Taught Me How to Dance” from “Miss Potter”
“Won’t Let You Fall” from “Poseidon”
“You Know My Name” from “Casino Royale”

[princessofcairo]

finally saw shadowboxer over the weekend. it was much more interesting than i thought. i learned i'm much more attracted to cuba when he's in a suit (rather than out of one). helen is still the hottest brit since dame judi.

i also watched darwin's nightmare - verrrrrrry impressive.

[RGMike]

Worst-reviewed flick of the week: the flying-dragon LOTR-wannabe Eragon.  Check out this hilarious description from the LA Weekly:

"In a time of darkness, under the evil reign of John Malkovich -- who sits upon a throne in a different sound stage from the rest of the cast -- a hero shall rise. But lo, there will be little rejoicing, for this dragon rider is but a nancy boy, about as imposing as Lance Bass, and somehow in possession of the only soap and clean clothes in all the land."

[Gazoo]

Worst-reviewed flick of the week: the flying-dragon LOTR-wannabe Eragon.  Check out this hilarious description from the LA Weekly:

"In a time of darkness, under the evil reign of John Malkovich -- who sits upon a throne in a different sound stage from the rest of the cast -- a hero shall rise. But lo, there will be little rejoicing, for this dragon rider is but a nancy boy, about as imposing as Lance Bass, and somehow in possession of the only soap and clean clothes in all the land."

Oh shit, guess what: The Voice is running that very same review this week.

I fucking hate syndication sometimes.

[RGMike]

Worst-reviewed flick of the week: the flying-dragon LOTR-wannabe Eragon.  Check out this hilarious description from the LA Weekly:

"In a time of darkness, under the evil reign of John Malkovich -- who sits upon a throne in a different sound stage from the rest of the cast -- a hero shall rise. But lo, there will be little rejoicing, for this dragon rider is but a nancy boy, about as imposing as Lance Bass, and somehow in possession of the only soap and clean clothes in all the land."

Oh shit, guess what: The Voice is running that very same review this week.

I fucking hate syndication sometimes.

on the other hand: folks in SF & LA now get to read J. Hoberman.

[RGMike]

helen is still the hottest brit since dame judi.

There is nothing like those dames... nothing in the world.  In fact, there is nothing you can name that is anything like those dames.

[princessofcairo]

Worst-reviewed flick of the week: the flying-dragon LOTR-wannabe Eragon.  Check out this hilarious description from the LA Weekly:

"In a time of darkness, under the evil reign of John Malkovich -- who sits upon a throne in a different sound stage from the rest of the cast -- a hero shall rise. But lo, there will be little rejoicing, for this dragon rider is but a nancy boy, about as imposing as Lance Bass, and somehow in possession of the only soap and clean clothes in all the land."

Oh shit, guess what: The Voice is running that very same review this week.

I fucking hate syndication sometimes.

ha! i'd convinced myself it was only titled "eragon" here in spain, since "aragon" wouldn't sound correct if pronounced in castellaño. but, nay. i find it must be printed that way in the states, too? and i've been singing, " i shot my ole man back in....don't take me alive" for a week, too.

[princessofcairo]

helen is still the hottest brit since dame judi.

There is nothing like those dames... nothing in the world.  In fact, there is nothing you can name that is anything like those dames.

tis true, tis true. on a side note, i think my avatar is hot. an attainable hot, perhaps. i'm going to do 60 sit-ups tomorrow. and maybe straighten my hair.