Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

[Kepler]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

Steve Martin on the verge of his decline. Still good, but not at his greatest.

Is Martin in decline? Serious question -- I get the impression he dumpster dives to make $$$ (Father of the Bride, Cheaper by the Dozen) so he can afford his wine collection, and then makes great movies that lose money.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

Is Martin in decline? Serious question -- I get the impression he dumpster dives to make $$$ (Father of the Bride, Cheaper by the Dozen) so he can afford his wine collection, and then makes great movies that lose money.

For his comedic stuff? Yes, that's where my head was when I thought about this. His last few comedies aren't exactly The Jerk, My Blue Heaven or even Leap of Faith. I know he's moved on to doing dramas, and they've had good reviews, but I don't think I've ever seen any of them.

Thinking about it now, I'm watching fewer and fewer movies over the past ten years or so. Martin's pet project movies might be great, but not of a subject matter making me to go see them.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

Thinking about it now, I'm watching fewer and fewer movies over the past ten years or so. Martin's pet project movies might be great, but not of a subject matter making me to go see them.

Same here. The older I get the farther back I reach for movies. I'm just not very interested in what even the best filmmakers are doing now.

Built-in lifespan is a blessing. If at 50 almost everything in popular entertainment and art seems like a bad remake of what was initially uninspiring material, I can't imagine what it's like at 80. Old people are "out of it" on purpose. "It" gets monotonous.

 

[Handyman]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

I liked Father of the Bride, after that it got a little lame outside of Bowfinger. LA Story is still my personal favorite.

 

[rufus]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

I don't think I ever saw the entire thing, but I really liked A Simple twist of Fate, which is a modernized adaptation of Silas Marner. Thought Martin was really good in that.

I kinda like him better in serious roles than in his comedies. I never even thought The Jerk was all that.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

I never even thought The Jerk was all that.

I hated The Jerk when it came out; thought it was Jerry Lewis level stupid. I saw it a few years ago, and it's wonderful.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

Is Martin in decline? Serious question -- I get the impression he dumpster dives to make $$$ (Father of the Bride, Cheaper by the Dozen) so he can afford his wine collection, and then makes great movies that lose money.

There are a lot of "big name" (so to speak) actors that do really small/obscure indie movies in this current day that you will probably never hear of unless you happen to specifically look them up/get lucky on Netflix recommendations/etc. They might even be in foreign movies, too. I'm finding I watch a lot more of those types of movies nowadays, due to the crap Hollywood puts in the theaters.

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

My friends and I to this day still look for opportunities to break out, "He hates these cans!", or, "All I need is this remote control....".

 

[burd]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

It's true Hollywood is putting out a ton of really boring formula-driven films, but some old established names still produce good stuff. Eastwood directed films have been good for a while. I usually like Tarantino films, and I don't really know why--that dark side/light side thing, I guess. I know he is thought of as something of a ripoff artist, but there is some genius at work in the café scene where Buscemi's character is forced to defend his policy of not tipping. Against a bunch of thug killers.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

It's true Hollywood is putting out a ton of really boring formula-driven films, but some old established names still produce good stuff. Eastwood directed films have been good for a while. I usually like Tarantino films, and I don't really know why--that dark side/light side thing, I guess. I know he is thought of as something of a ripoff artist, but there is some genius at work in the café scene where Buscemi's character is forced to defend his policy of not tipping. Against a bunch of thug killers.

There are some good movies, sure. The majority falls under: sequels/franchises/remakes. It's horrible. Original ideas are pretty much dead in the major releases nowadays.

 

[Transplanted Tiger Fan]

...I usually like Tarantino films...

Well then, you (and many others) may enjoy...

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Watched this one last night, and I had to check IMDb a few minutes into it just to see if this was a Tarantino film! The action scenes are "Tarantino-esque", but without the over-the-top gore. Samuel L. Jackson was disturbingly-entertaining playing the rather 'unique' villain.

Good flick... maybe not a classic (unless it gains a 'cult classic' rep someday), but certainly entertaining.

Cheers,
~TTF

 

[Kepler]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

Eastwood directed films have been good for a while.

I know I'm in the minority on this, but I think Eastwood's directed films have been either way overrated or downright bad. Dude doesn't play, he mashes his fists down on the keyboard. Self-important and maudlin, by turns.

Caveat: I have not seen J. Edgar or Million Dollar Baby, and those could change my opinion.

 

[SJHovey]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

I know I'm in the minority on this, but I think Eastwood's directed films have been either way overrated or downright bad. Dude doesn't play, he mashes his fists down on the keyboard. Self-important and maudlin, by turns.

Caveat: I have not seen J. Edgar or Million Dollar Baby, and those could change my opinion.

I loved Mystic River. I thought Letters From Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers were good films. I'll also admit that as I'm channel surfing and I stumble across Unforgiven, The Outlaw Josey Wales or Pale Rider, I always stop in for a few minutes. Most of the rest I thought were acceptable, but I don't go searching for them.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

Ex Machina: Very smart, well written, fairly well acted, visually beautiful. Solid A.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

I just got home from the Avengers 2, and it was a fun movie, as advertised. The most entertaining moment in the movie came

Spoiler

when the Vision had hold of Thor's hammer. This kid somewhere near the back of the theater yells out, "What?"

The entire theater busts out laughing. You could just hear the kid's pure wonder and awe and the what he'd just seen on screen.

Also, Joss Whedon is great at word play be it innuendo either dirty or innocent, snarky comments, and callbacks to jokes made earlier in the movie. It is long, though. My kidneys were screaming out for relief when the credits started rolling so I'll have to find the end credits surprise scenes somewhere on the web.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

Nightcrawler:

If "Gone Girl" is twisted, "Nightcrawler" is some sick f*ing sh*. Great character study as well as an indictment on current media (Gone Girl also covered the latter very well). I cannot recommend enough. Gyllenhaal was outstanding.

One nitpick, and I say this is an nth degree nitpick given my fandom, but Gyllenhaal's character is Patrick Bateman in a different line of work. The personal interactions, the mannerisms, everything. Doesn't take anything way, mind you, but that very specific comparison clicked in my head right away.

 

[Handyman]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

I found Nightcrawler boring. JG was amazing and the story is messed up, but the whole thing got old half way through. Glad I saw it but wont ever watch it again.

 

[jen]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

Your wife knows you better than I do, but I defy anybody not to love the first 120 minutes of GwtW. The last half is, I'll admit, just a pot boiler.

Finally watched Gone with the Wind last night. Agreed. Especially anything after Bonnie Belle arrives. Ugh. It's like they wanted to come up with stuff to make it longer. I talked to my mother at intermission (she's the one that talked me into watching it), and mentioned that I did not like one single person in the movie. She said I'd like at least one character by the end, but probably not a main one. She was right - Big Sam. Melanie grew on me in the second half, but she was a little too pathetic. Not as pathetic as Scarlett, though. All that being said, I still enjoyed the movie as a whole.

But I really think they should have ended after Rhett's line "frankly, I don't give a ****". I don't want to know that Scarlett goes on. I want her to keep suffering for being a terrible person.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

I talked to my mother at intermission (she's the one that talked me into watching it), and mentioned that I did not like one single person in the movie.

The more times I watch it the more I appreciate Scarlett. Not "like," but value. She's something like the witch in Into the Woods in the way she sees through everyone else:

You're so nice.
You're not good,
You're not bad,
You're just nice.
I'm not good,
I'm not nice,
I'm just right.
I'm the Witch.
You're the world.

IMHO Scarlett is the most fully-developed and multi-dimensional female character in an American film. She's the closest we ever came to Anna Karenina or Antigone. Everybody she meets in the film thinks they understand her and they're all just imposing their own projection onto her -- this is obvious with Melanie but just as true for Ashley and Rhett. Even Mammy, who ought to know given that she watched Scarlett grow up, doesn't.

Or to put it another way, if Atlanta was burning Scarlett is the only one I'd want to save, but I wouldn't need to.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Movie Thread: New, Rental, Streaming

Mad Max was awesome sauce.