Also, Brokeback Mtn. with the subtitles on ;-p How this movie continues to breaks my heart.

Next on my list is Transamerica...

I liked Proof very much also. Could not stand the bossy, interferring sister, though.

We watched 'Shaun of the Dead' last night, brilliant little movie. Very very funny (esp if you're English, or something similar), and extremely well made.

'North by Northwest' and 'Silent Movie' are our current rentals waiting to be watched - mainly because we just can't get the 'Brothers Grimm' which has been no 1 on my rental wishlist since it's come out.

Pat

So this weekend I unwittingly watched a parade of atrocities:

"Turtles Can Fly"- Very powerful film about children attempting to survive in Iraq during the war but definitely not in any way uplifting like the title and cover art would have you believe. Brutal and disturbing enough to make Japan's brilliant, recent "Nobody Knows" seem like a walk in the park by comparison.

"The Machinist"- A real sleeper, this was actually a beautifully made movie. Two of our best actors, Bale and Leigh are assisted by a great supporting cast of virtual unknowns and the direction, script and cinematography are all first rate. Haunting and thought-provoking, be prepared for just how much of a skeleton Christian made himself into for this role: it's alarming. The film itself though is even moreso. Not for the squeemish but everyone else who loves a compelling character study will find it unforgettable.

"Red Eye"- Murphy and McAdams chemistry and artistry make for a truly riveting first two acts but once they get off the plane the story got waaay too by the numbers silly for my taste. Even so, it's still expertly directed for maximum Hitchcockian suspense by modern day master, Wes Craven and well worth seeing on cable.

If you like Terry Gilliam's work, you'll love 'Brothers Grimm'! I saw it this weekend, not knowing it was a Terry Gilliam film, and thought it was great. Of course, when the credits rolled, all was revealed. ;-)

By the way, I also loved 'Shaun of the Dead'. That sequence when they were chucking old records at the zombie in their backyard was priceless!

Depending on how this week goes (and it's not looking good AT ALL), I may see X-Men III this weekend. Oh, and maybe 'Memento'. (Yes, I own a copy that's still sealed -- never been watched since a friend gave it to me a few years ago!)

I saw "Proof" a while ago. I thought the timing, direction, acting, or something was way off between Paltrow and Gyllenhaal. I was cringing at some scenes. Suprised me especially since I really like both actors. Guess it didn't bother anyone else.

I saw "The Machinist" last month too (really good) and wow, yes, did Bale drop some pounds for that role! Funny especially since I had just recently seen him somewhat bulked up in "Am. Psycho".

Well I didn't want to say too much about that since it was obviously Jake's role that I had played. However, despite really liking his career work overall, I have to agree that I thought he barely scratched the surface of Hal. So much of the awkward humor of him was lost (partially perhaps because they bafflingly cut out the entire first scene of the second act) as well as the layers of conflicting emotion he's torn by.

I love Shaun of the Dead - bloody brilliant!

I must be boring. I haven't really caught anything new lately. Oh, except for a Korean film DH brought home at the recommendation of friends. It's called Old Boy. It's also not for the squeamish but it was beautifully filmed and wildly intriguing. It was like Saw. A guy wakes up in a room where he is being held captive and he has to figure who and why...but it takes on an entirely different plot twist than Saw.

We all know the story but the way the movie was edited made it choppy. IMO it would have flowed better if the events at Munich had been showed in its entirety at the beginning of the movie rather that occasional scenes throughout the movie-but maybe that is why I am not a famous Hollywood Director/Producer!

Pat

I went to see the third X-Men in theaters. I suppose the rest of this paragraph might contain spoliers. I don't know how I feel about it. As I was watching it, I could not help but notice the occasionally dismal dialogue. But I did end up crying a few times, so obviously it had some effect on me. I just feel that it could have reached a higher plane. Though it doesn't feel like a waste of an afternoon. So I am right smack in the middle on this one.

I've seen so many movies in the past couple of weeks (having not seen very many while in my first year of law school--which, I suppose, could serve as an excuse for my extended absence from this site--I've been trying to catch up), but not very many that merit mention.

Oh, Flightplan. I really liked this one. I'm partial to both Foster and Saarsgard, and I think they both pulled off what they were supposed to. Yes, the ending was contrived and really hard to believe, but as I was watching it, I was pretty much enthralled. The movie accomplished what it wanted to, at least in my case, so I'll have to give it that.

And The Yes Men. Essentially a fun little movie, until the end, the final stunt, which, well, made me cry. Just the reaction of the audience members, and knowing that it was all a hoax. Not exactly a searing indictment of the WTO, but it did give me something else to think about, while keeping me entertained (the hopes I have for when I see An Inconvenient Truth).

Well, that was long. :p

Staying with Gilliam, my 16 year old daughter has found both 'Brazil' and '12 Monkeys' in a bargain bin - two of my top favourites - and shared them with me; she was a bit flummoxed by 'Brazil' though...

Mary

Pat

Pat

Night needs to stop trying to outdo his big "Sixth Sense" surprise (which I'm honestly baffled as to why the majority of people didn't see about 10 minutes into that movie and, for all its claims of 'never cheating' the audience, cannot stand up to even the most cursory calcualation and application of the established physical laws created by the filmmaker) because with the exception of "Unbreakable" which actually enhances the emotional impact of the whole story, he always ends up sabotaging his rare skill at creating truly haunting, and often even poignant, atmosphere.

That was admittedly vague but I'd be happy to start a whole other spoiler heavy thread about exactly why Night's thriller screenplays are fatally flawed if anyone wants me to elaborate further with specific examples.

Katnip,

I take it you aren't too familiar with Malick's 3 other films then, eh? He's always been more interested in the existential question of environment and our relationship to it than with plot itself.

I am a big fan of Mel Gibson & Phoenix too and found it an 'entertaining' piece of fiction-much like most movies-not to be taken seriously!

As has been mentioned many times-we each have our own tastes and can't all be expected to enjoy "all" the same things!

Pat

Recently I've watched "Rabbit Proof Fence" (really, really good!), and "Orlando" (almost fell alsleep).

I also saw "Cars" at the Theater. It's not up to par with "Toy Story" or "The Incredibles", IMHO. Cute - in a way- but I wouldn't rush out to see it.

On a lighter note, may I also recommend Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? with Robert Downey Jr.and Val Kilmer. I second doriann's comments. It's witty, it's punchy, it's hilarious! Quite the comedic timing between the 2 protagonists and the lead female (always thought RDJr was a master of timing... just not in his private life). I rarely watch movies more than once (in one sitting) but I did this one. Even the music was good. Quite the sleeper, imho.

I'd bet a dollar that Spamlet wrote this on the IMDB site:

"Aliens who are able to travel through interstellar space who could use some type of electronic beacon or global mapping system beacons, rely on carving patterns into grass instead! The star-traveling aliens have no advanced weaponry such as neutron bombs or viruses, and must instead rely on hand-to-hand combat to subdue earthlings! Incredibly, the aliens choose Earth -a water planet to colonize/subdue, but the aliens are unable to deal with water, which is apparently toxic to them! Whoops! Big strategic planning error for the aliens. Yeah, right! The mood evoked by Shyamalan was spooky and oppressive, so I give him credit for that, but the plot problems really interfered with my enjoyment of this film."

I try not to think too hard when watching... it just spoils the fun. You could tear apart a lot of classics doing that. What fun would it be to pick apart Forrest Gump's adventures with accusations that he's too retarded to be able to do that, etc. etc. That's for another thread though ;-D

I really liked Joaquin, but wonder what Ruffalo could have brought to it.

We watched Four Brothers over the weekend. It was okay. We've also started watching the Sharpe's Rifles series with Sean Bean. I really enjoyed the first one. There are a total of 14 discs in all, so it will probably take us through the end of this year to get around to renting and watching the rest of the series. Something to look forward to!

As for Sharpe - I only recently discovered that we get BBC America-and on Saturdays they are showing 2-hour episodes which we are watching-said it before and will probably say it many times LOL-what great character actors the English have!

Pat

Pat

(I haven't seen the stage production so have no comparison).

Pat

I had a Jonathan Rhys-Davies movie day. In the morning, Match Point, which I enjoyed immensely. In the evening, Mission Impossible: III. Phillip Seymour Hoffman--I don't know, he's just great to watch, no matter what he's doing. When it comes to popcorn entertainment, it was worth the trip, IMO.