The Movie Thread

[Tinka Cat]

I smell Oscar! 

that's what Felix said!

[RGMike]

I smell Oscar! 

that's what Felix said!

http://www.instantrimshot.com/

[RGMike]

Quote-of-the-Week, from the Boston Globe regarding the new (and apparently godawful) Sandra Bullock comedy All About Steve:

"Easily the worst movie of the week, month, year, and Bullock’s entire career. It is to comedy what leprosy once was to the island of Molokai: a plague best contemplated from many miles away."

I gotta admit, when i saw the title, I assumed it was a gay parody of All About Eve. Then I saw the commercials -- yikes! It currently has a score of 13 on Metacritic.

[RGMike]

Saw the new Mike Judge comedy, Extract and I'm pleased to report it's much better (and smarter) than the awful TV spots make it look. It's very funny, and like much of Judge's stuff (esp Idiocracy) it's a movie about stupidity.

And speaking of, KOFY TV-20 is showing the very first ep of All in the Family -- amazing how little has changed in 38 years, re: the ignorant right-wing.

[Gazoo]

I saw Inglourious Basterds over the long weekend.  Fantastic.  I got squeamish at the violent scenes but thought the acting and pacing were marvelous.

[RGMike]

This is the first I've heard of this, but it's right up my alley:  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/21/PK9118TNQ9.DTL&type=movies

I'm certainly interested in seeing this.

I've seen the trailer a bunch of times, it really does look great.  Nice to see the Edge get the spotlight instead of Bono for a change! 

Opens today, and -- of course! -- Mick LaSalle says it like, TOTALLY SUCKS, dude!  Which means it must be great.

Finally saw It Might Get Loud last nite -- it's really terrific (LaSalle shows himself to be a musical idiot yet again). The vintage clips alone are worth the price of admission, but it's fascinating to hear these guys talk about music. Highly recommmended.

Minor quibble: Jack White, talented as he is, is a bit too self-consciously hipster-weird (everything he wears seems to be a carefully-chosen costume, the tie matches the hat etc, while Page and Edge are wearing T-shirts and jeans), and not once but twice he refers to Meg as his "sister" -- wasn't that charade buried years ago? Did the filmmakers not know?

[mshray]

I saw District 9 & highly recommend it. It's one of those films that just keeps getting better as it goes.

[Tinka Cat]

I saw District 9 & highly recommend it. It's one of those films that just keeps getting better as it goes.

Yes!  I liked it, too.  Creepy, scary at times, and very poignant, but not given the schlocky treatment you would expect in certain parts if "Hollywood" did it.  I told a South African friend I saw it and she said she was "proud of me...!"  It's got a certain and obvious resonance with the injustices of Apartheid.   

[RGMike]

Coen Bros fans take heart --this missive from the Toronto Film Fest from hollywood-elsewhere.com about their new one, A Serious Man:

I was knocked flat in the best way imaginable and have put it right at the top of my Coen-best list. God, it's such a pleasure to take in something this acidic and well-scalpeled. The Coens are fearless at this kind of artful diamond-cutting.

The wickedly acidic and funereal tone and lack of stars means it isn't going to make a dime, but it's a high-calibre achievement by the most gifted filmmaking brothers of our time, and it absolutely must rank as one of the year's ten Best Picture nominees when all is said and done. The Academy fudgies will not be permitted to brush this one aside, and if they do there will be torches and pitchforks such as James Whale never imagined at the corner of Wilshire and La Peer.

and apparently lots of Jefferson Airplane on the sndtk!

[Tinka Cat]

Coen Bros fans take heart --this missive from the Toronto Film Fest from hollywood-elsewhere.com about their new one, A Serious Man:

I was knocked flat in the best way imaginable and have put it right at the top of my Coen-best list. God, it's such a pleasure to take in something this acidic and well-scalpeled. The Coens are fearless at this kind of artful diamond-cutting.

The wickedly acidic and funereal tone and lack of stars means it isn't going to make a dime, but it's a high-calibre achievement by the most gifted filmmaking brothers of our time, and it absolutely must rank as one of the year's ten Best Picture nominees when all is said and done. The Academy fudgies will not be permitted to brush this one aside, and if they do there will be torches and pitchforks such as James Whale never imagined at the corner of Wilshire and La Peer.

and apparently lots of Jefferson Airplane on the sndtk!

TANC: speaking of Joel Coen, I heard he and his wife (Frnces McDormand) live in Bolinas -- which is where the Jefferson Airplanes used to hang out, too.

[RGMike]

I saw Inglourious Basterds over the long weekend.  Fantastic.  I got squeamish at the violent scenes but thought the acting and pacing were marvelous.

This was inevitable, but it's still funny:

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/next_tarantino_movie_an_homage_to

[princessofcairo]

I saw "Fistful of Dynamite" ("Duck, You Sucker," "Giù la testa," "Agachate, maldito") last week. I'd never seen such a political western. Rod Steiger gives a damn fine performance. A bit long, but worth a watch.

[mshray]

This was inevitable, but it's still funny:

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/next_tarantino_movie_an_homage_to

Brilliant.  Yay the Onion!

[RGMike]

I saw "Fistful of Dynamite" ("Duck, You Sucker," "Giù la testa," "Agachate, maldito") last week. I'd never seen such a political western. Rod Steiger gives a damn fine performance. A bit long, but worth a watch.

one of my cinematic blind spots is that I've never seen ANY of the spaghetti westerns. Bits and pieces here and there, but none of them all the way thru. I need to remedy that, I suppose.

[princessofcairo]

I saw "Fistful of Dynamite" ("Duck, You Sucker," "Giù la testa," "Agachate, maldito") last week. I'd never seen such a political western. Rod Steiger gives a damn fine performance. A bit long, but worth a watch.

one of my cinematic blind spots is that I've never seen ANY of the spaghetti westerns. Bits and pieces here and there, but none of them all the way thru. I need to remedy that, I suppose.

Whaaat?! You need to get to work!