Author Topic: The Movie Thread  (Read 552962 times)

RGMike

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1530 on: March 12, 2010, 06:30:24 PM »
woo hoo! it's '50s sci-fi nite on TCM: Beast From 20,000 Fathoms just ended; It Came From Beneath the Sea (giant octopus attacks SF!) is about to start. And later, at 9:30, one of my all-time faves, the giant ants thriller Them!
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urth

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1531 on: March 13, 2010, 09:54:42 PM »
Saw the latest Tim Burton flick tonight, for lack of anything better in the nearby movie houses, and am, not surprisingly, nonplussed. Typical Burton fare--Visually interesting at times, but the story was weakweakWEAK, and at times I had to keep reminding myself that Alice's last name wasn't Baggins and this wasn't the distaff version of Lord of the Rings. If you must see it, you can wait for the DVD.
Let's get right to it.

RGMike

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1532 on: March 13, 2010, 10:24:07 PM »
Saw the latest Tim Burton flick tonight, for lack of anything better in the nearby movie houses, and am, not surprisingly, nonplussed. Typical Burton fare--Visually interesting at times, but the story was weakweakWEAK, and at times I had to keep reminding myself that Alice's last name wasn't Baggins and this wasn't the distaff version of Lord of the Rings. If you must see it, you can wait for the DVD.

Thanks. I've been on the fence about this one. It's at the Castro in 3-D, but when I saw Nine there in January, their digital projection system was all screwed up -- the color was awful, making everyone look like they had jaundice. But Alice is making a mint; looks like all those millions who saw 3-D for the first time with Avatar are now rushing out to see anything that's 3-D.
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urth

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1533 on: March 13, 2010, 10:47:47 PM »
Saw the latest Tim Burton flick tonight, for lack of anything better in the nearby movie houses, and am, not surprisingly, nonplussed. Typical Burton fare--Visually interesting at times, but the story was weakweakWEAK, and at times I had to keep reminding myself that Alice's last name wasn't Baggins and this wasn't the distaff version of Lord of the Rings. If you must see it, you can wait for the DVD.

Thanks. I've been on the fence about this one. It's at the Castro in 3-D, but when I saw Nine there in January, their digital projection system was all screwed up -- the color was awful, making everyone look like they had jaundice. But Alice is making a mint; looks like all those millions who saw 3-D for the first time with Avatar are now rushing out to see anything that's 3-D.

My personal take on 3D is that it's a lot of smoke and mirrors, and not worth the extra $ they're charging for 3D versions. I saw Avatar first in 2D and was pretty damn impressed by the visuals. A few weeks later we had some time to kill and nothing else of interest was playing within a 20 minute drive, so we went to a theater that had the 3D Avatar and saw it again. There were a few times when something would pop out of the screen, but generally they were small details, not huge fireballs coming right at me. And I really didn't feel I got that much more from the 3D than I did the first time around. Not to mention the glasses a distraction--they were uncomfortable and hurt my ears.

I think a lot of people are hesitant to say anything bad about it--who wants to say the emperor has no clothes? But seems like the movie industry is determined to push everything they can into the format, so we may be seeing it for awhile, until there's a significant number of 3D busts.  (Actually I can think of a few busts I'd like to see in 3D--paging ScarlettJo...;) )
Let's get right to it.

RGMike

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1534 on: March 14, 2010, 09:05:27 AM »
I think a lot of people are hesitant to say anything bad about it--who wants to say the emperor has no clothes? But seems like the movie industry is determined to push everything they can into the format, so we may be seeing it for awhile, until there's a significant number of 3D busts.  (Actually I can think of a few busts I'd like to see in 3D--paging ScarlettJo...;) )

Porn is a natural for 3-D if anyone is willing to go there. Remember the last 3-D boomlet in the mid-'80s, with stuff like Jaws 3-D?  When that movie opened, it was full of those jump-out-at-you moments, and one critic said "this director has a future in porn!"
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Tinka Cat

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1535 on: March 14, 2010, 12:54:14 PM »
Saw the latest Tim Burton flick tonight, for lack of anything better in the nearby movie houses, and am, not surprisingly, nonplussed. Typical Burton fare--Visually interesting at times, but the story was weakweakWEAK, and at times I had to keep reminding myself that Alice's last name wasn't Baggins and this wasn't the distaff version of Lord of the Rings. If you must see it, you can wait for the DVD.

Thanks. I've been on the fence about this one. It's at the Castro in 3-D, but when I saw Nine there in January, their digital projection system was all screwed up -- the color was awful, making everyone look like they had jaundice. But Alice is making a mint; looks like all those millions who saw 3-D for the first time with Avatar are now rushing out to see anything that's 3-D.

My personal take on 3D is that it's a lot of smoke and mirrors, and not worth the extra $ they're charging for 3D versions. I saw Avatar first in 2D and was pretty damn impressed by the visuals. A few weeks later we had some time to kill and nothing else of interest was playing within a 20 minute drive, so we went to a theater that had the 3D Avatar and saw it again. There were a few times when something would pop out of the screen, but generally they were small details, not huge fireballs coming right at me. And I really didn't feel I got that much more from the 3D than I did the first time around. Not to mention the glasses a distraction--they were uncomfortable and hurt my ears.

I think a lot of people are hesitant to say anything bad about it--who wants to say the emperor has no clothes? But seems like the movie industry is determined to push everything they can into the format, so we may be seeing it for awhile, until there's a significant number of 3D busts.  (Actually I can think of a few busts I'd like to see in 3D--paging ScarlettJo...;) )


yes, after the novelty of the 3D wears off, the movie still has to hold your interest on a storytelling level for the experience to be worthwhile.  (Maybe the lameness of Avatar's story line got in the way of you enjoying your second viewing...?)

I enjoy the 3D movies I've seen, but they cost a fair amount more: The Century Theater here (above Bloomingdale's) has two version of Alice in Wonderland 3d movie, on in "Real XD" 3D for $16 and one regular style for $14.. yikes...! 

I've also heard that 2D versions can be brighter -- in general.  so there's a trade off there.  Al in all, if the movie has a good story to tell, the 3D effect can help your experience.  But seeing that same good story in 2D will leave you with just as many good memories.  Hell, real life is in 3d for most binocular beings, so the movie ain't showing us we don't see every day.  I guess what I'm trying to say is, when I think of the moments that stick with me from a movie like Up, it's the touching sadness of the man losing his dear wife, the joy he and the kid found on their adventure, the comedic moments of the the talking dog.   But not so much the awesome 3D texturing of the mass of balloons, or an object poking my virtual eye out, for instance.
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Lightnin' Rod

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1536 on: March 15, 2010, 12:02:51 AM »
Saw the last hour or so of Marley and Me this afternoon.  Damned thing made me cry.  But who doesn't cry when the dog dies?  They were terrible owners, the movie was bad that way, but I love dogs.  And of course it made me think of my passed dogs.  And cats.  Next one I have I hope it out lives me!
and any fool knows
a dog needs a home
a shelter
from pigs on the wing

radical347

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1537 on: March 15, 2010, 10:36:40 AM »
The Asian American Movie Festival is showing a bunch of movies this week.  This weekend I saw Like You Know It All, a Korean Film about a film director who nonchalantly burns bridges.  Tried to see the Indonesian thriller The Forbidden Door but wasn't able to make it; but it's showing in San Jose next weekend, may head down there for that.

princessofcairo

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1538 on: March 16, 2010, 06:50:01 AM »
The new Death at a Funeral looks just awful:
http://www.myspace.com/trailerpark

RGMike

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1539 on: March 16, 2010, 07:33:34 AM »
The new Death at a Funeral looks just awful:
http://www.myspace.com/trailerpark

Indeed -- and I wasn't all that fond of the original. I went expecting highbrow British wit and there were a few too many poo-poo ca-ca jokes for my taste (but I thought the naked stoned guy was hilarious).
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princessofcairo

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1540 on: March 16, 2010, 11:05:35 AM »
The new Death at a Funeral looks just awful:
http://www.myspace.com/trailerpark

Indeed -- and I wasn't all that fond of the original. I went expecting highbrow British wit and there were a few too many poo-poo ca-ca jokes for my taste (but I thought the naked stoned guy was hilarious).

i loved the original. But Alan Tudyk (the naked guy) was the main reason, it's true.

RGMike

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1541 on: March 16, 2010, 12:22:37 PM »
last nite I saw the new Roman Polanski film, Ghost Writer, with Ewan MacGregor and Pierce Brosnan. A really good, grown-up political thriller, with fine supporting work by Tom Wilkinson and a de-glammed Kim Cattrall.  Whatever you may think of Polanski's legal issues (and i'm not exactly his biggest defender in that dept.) it's clear he can still make quality flicks.
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RGMike

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1542 on: March 16, 2010, 01:22:37 PM »
Anyone here with school-age kids familiar with the award-winning book The Invention of Hugo Cabret? apparently it's going to be Scorsese's next film.

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mshray

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1543 on: March 16, 2010, 01:58:30 PM »
"Music is the Earth, People are the Flowers, and I am the Hose."

--Carlos Santana, 2010

RGMike

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Re: The Movie Thread
« Reply #1544 on: March 16, 2010, 02:11:29 PM »
« Last Edit: March 23, 2010, 07:41:06 AM by RGMike »
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