The Movie Thread

[RGMike]

I couldn't remember where Gaz posted about Wild in the Streets recently, so I'll put this here.

TANC1: WITS is available free on my Comcast On-Demand thingy -- just watched it, first time in years. Still an entertaining '60s B-movie, and events in it presage Woodstock and Kent State. The Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil songs are quite good, if a bit all-over-the-place (one minute Max Frost is Jim Morrison, the next he's Tommy James), and of course Shelley Winters RULES -- "I'm sure my son has a VERY good reason for paralyzing the country!". LSD for everyone!

TANC2: Privilege, which I recommended to Gaz in that same post, has just been released on DVD! Highly recommended.

[RGMike]

VHM the Xanadu commercial. Worst. Musical. EVAH (even with stiff competion from Can't Stop the Music and Mamma Mia!). But the song itself woulda been cheezy fun.

Jon & Vangelis? BOS4!

And don't forget Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.  It's up there.

Oh my yes.  (and Gaz will chime in with The Apple, also a contendah)

importing this from KFOG 1980 thread from yesterday, to add this TANC -- "6 Movies That Killed Disco" :

http://www.avclub.com/content/node/49874

[mshray]

So Mike, you mentioned having seen Pineapple Express, what did you think?

I liked it a lot, parts were pants-wettingly funny, but I supect it won't hold up to multiple viewings (which I have found to be true of Borat, f'rinstance).

[RGMike]

So Mike, you mentioned having seen Pineapple Express, what did you think?

I liked it a lot, parts were pants-wettingly funny, but I supect it won't hold up to multiple viewings (which I have found to be true of Borat, f'rinstance).

I thought it was very funny, and (as a non-user) stoner humor is not my favorite kind.  I place it somewhere below Superbad  but a few notches above Forgetting Sarah Marshall in the Apatow ouvre.

But I can't *wait* to see Tropic Thunder.

[RGMike]

OK Mark -- here's yer big chance:

http://www.scarlettjohansson.com/

[princessofcairo]

just rented "death of a president" (i think that's the title in english) the other day. it was in the theatres here last year. did anyone else catch it? i think it was only playing at the red vic. it was enjoyable as a mockumentary, mostly because of all the angles they covered. and the mixing of real and fake footage was great, too.

[RGMike]

just rented "death of a president" (i think that's the title in english) the other day. it was in the theatres here last year. did anyone else catch it? i think it was only playing at the red vic. it was enjoyable as a mockumentary, mostly because of all the angles they covered. and the mixing of real and fake footage was great, too.

indeed, it barely played theaters here -- the right-wing blogosphere was outraged by it and made a big stink.

But last week I saw a terrific French suspense thriller, Tell No One. And last night: Elegy, with Ben Kingsley having hot sex with Penelope Cruz and Patricia Clarkson! Not as icky as it sounds -- quite a good film, actually, based on a Philip Roth novel. Dennis Hopper's in it too -- is that him on your avatar, princess? I was astounded to hear he's a big right-winger now.

[princessofcairo]

just rented "death of a president" (i think that's the title in english) the other day. it was in the theatres here last year. did anyone else catch it? i think it was only playing at the red vic. it was enjoyable as a mockumentary, mostly because of all the angles they covered. and the mixing of real and fake footage was great, too.

indeed, it barely played theaters here -- the right-wing blogosphere was outraged by it and made a big stink.

But last week I saw a terrific French suspense thriller, Tell No One. And last night: Elegy, with Ben Kingsley having hot sex with Penelope Cruz and Patricia Clarkson! Not as icky as it sounds -- quite a good film, actually, based on a Philip Roth novel. Dennis Hopper's in it too -- is that him on your avatar, princess? I was astounded to hear he's a big right-winger now.

well, "death of a president" is def worth the rental.

yes, it's hopper on the avatar. "the american way" was the second part of my double feature rental the other night. it starts off as a trippy post-war drama, but quickly descends into wannabe camp comedy. even still, it's hard to hear of hopper as...well, just exactly how *big* of a right-winger could he be?

"elegy" was ok. the sex scenes weren't at all icky (i'm hot for kingsley! what a sexy beast!), but the plot...puh-lease...dragge quite a bit. maybe i don't understand because i'm not an old man. maybe i'd get it if i'd read roth's novel.

[RGMike]

it's hard to hear of hopper as...well, just exactly how *big* of a right-winger could he be?

there's a group in Hollywood called "Friends of Abe" that's a collection of right-wing Repubs -- its membership includes Hopper, Jon Voight, Kelsey Grammer, Gary Sinise.

[mshray]

it's hard to hear of hopper as...well, just exactly how *big* of a right-winger could he be?

there's a group in Hollywood called "Friends of Abe" that's a collection of right-wing Repubs -- its membership includes Hopper, Jon Voight, Kelsey Grammer, Gary Sinise.

you're not making that up?

[RGMike]

it's hard to hear of hopper as...well, just exactly how *big* of a right-winger could he be?

there's a group in Hollywood called "Friends of Abe" that's a collection of right-wing Repubs -- its membership includes Hopper, Jon Voight, Kelsey Grammer, Gary Sinise.

you're not making that up?

Nope. Granted, this is from the Washington Times, not the Post, but it's legit:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/23/hollywoods-conservative-underground/

Voight wrote a scathing, fact-free attack on Obama for the Wash Times last week that got a lot of attention:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/28/voight/

I assume the "Abe" in the group's name refers to Lincoln, but at first I thought -- "Abe (Grandpa) Simpson? Oh, you mean because they're all old and cranky?"

[princessofcairo]

Nope. Granted, this is from the Washington Times, not the Post, but it's legit:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/23/hollywoods-conservative-underground/

Voight wrote a scathing, fact-free attack on Obama for the Wash Times last week that got a lot of attention:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/28/voight/

I assume the "Abe" in the group's name refers to Lincoln, but at first I thought -- "Abe (Grandpa) Simpson? Oh, you mean because they're all old and cranky?"

ok, aside from the let me voight my concerns rant (angie gotsta be angry with daddy), i don't think there's any reason to criticise friends of abe. (and it wouldn't really be so bad if chaka khan, jeffrey wright, roy ayers and michelle pfeiffer started demoralising the country). lincoln was a republican, and so were most democrats before world war II. the article is written from an angle that assumes that being liberal = wanting to poop on troops, and that being conservative = wanting to send high school students off to their death in a senseless war. not everything is black and white. not everything is one long episode of "cops".

as voight writes (parentheses mine): "If Mr. Obama (mr. bush) had his way, he would have pulled (kept) our troops from (in) Iraq (for) years ago (STRIKE) and initiated an unprecedented bloodbath, turning over that country to the barbarianism of our enemies."

you're gonna tell me there's no lines in between which to read?

(i'm gonna go have a long drink to soothe my disavoightment)

ETA: incedently, that article doesn't mention hopper.

[RGMike]

ETA: incedently, that article doesn't mention hopper.

Sorry, I got the link to that article from a piece on Hollywood-Elsewhere that metioned Hopper -- apparently a bunch of these folks, including Voight, Hopper and Grammer, are working on a right-wing version of AChristmas Carol, (I kid you not!) coming in November:

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2008/08/dust_settles.php

[Lightnin' Rod]

So Mike, you mentioned having seen Pineapple Express, what did you think?

I liked it a lot, parts were pants-wettingly funny, but I supect it won't hold up to multiple viewings (which I have found to be true of Borat, f'rinstance).

I thought it was very funny, and (as a non-user) stoner humor is not my favorite kind.  I place it somewhere below Superbad  but a few notches above Forgetting Sarah Marshall in the Apatow ouvre.

But I can't *wait* to see Tropic Thunder.

Tropic Thunder was awesome.  Laughed and laughed.

Also, watched In Bruges On Demand today (on my new hi-def tv).  Awesome, as well.  Laughed and cried. 

[Tinka Cat]

my Mummy-Mamma evening

Somehow I got my hands on two vouchers worth $7.50 toward the purchase of tickets to see the new Mummy movie, so I finally used them this past Friday.  It's pretty bad in a lot of ways.  I knew it wouldn't be in the AFI's Top 100 anytime, but the gf and I went.

But I'm not here to talk about that.  After The Mummy wrapped up    , we sneaked into see Mamma Mia.  And I really enjoyed it.  A lot of folks have mentioned how loose it seemed, but I actually appreciated that aspect.  Silly story, some amateurish singing (Pierce-ing might be an apt descrption, but warbly might be better), and the dancing sequences aren't going to make Busby Berkeley jealous (esp b/e he's been dead for decades), but it was pretty decent feel-good light-hearted and that's what I needed after laboring through Brendan Fraser and his cohorts' efforts in The Mummy.  The scenery is great, a lot of sexy bodies, and I can get into ABBA.  it worked for me.

I suppose if I had made a special date to see Mamma, paid full price and had high expectations, it might've felt more underwhelming, but as it played out, it was a good time.    My gf was dragged by her mother to see the stage production, and she thought the movie experience was several notches better.   (btw, the threater was pretty empty, so there wasn't a crowd of people singing along.  That would've been too much for me..)

Maybe we can talk about other musicals later (Dennis Potter's takes are so fantastic) but for now, just thought I'd chime in....