The Film Lovers Thread!

[ChrissyM]

pan's labyrinth was definitely a beautiful film..
from the acting to all the visual wonders and the story itself

also wanted to express my admiration for before sunset--I saw it after watching before sunrise and definitely preferred it..
in the first film some of the long rambling conversations sort of lost me, but i was much more captivated and entranced by the sequel... almost like the film matured with the characters..
i thought it was really well done

 

[Kawari]

i wanted to see that film, but i was reluctant to see it because i might be disappointed again like when i saw Mystic River. perhaps it was all the hype around it and that i just expected more, but really that movie was the epitome of trying to hard and rushed surprises. they try to make you believe that it was the friend that killed her, then out of left field it was blahblah (just in case people haven't seen it). it wasn't a horrible film, just not as good as everyone said it was.

Oscar 07 movie that took my breath away by far was Pan's Labyrinth, check it out if you haven't yet.

The problem I had with Mystic River is the same problem I often have with Clint Eastwood movies-they are way too slow. I understand there needs to be build up and time taken out, especially considering the content of the movie, but I barely got through it.
Letters from Iwo Jima is much better than Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby IMO-the characters, pacing, and content just draws you in.

Pan's Labyrinth is just the movie I haven't gotten around to seeing yet-I can't figure out why, especially since I was desperate for it a few months ago. I'll buy it eventually...

 

[carioca]

The problem I had with Mystic River is the same problem I often have with Clint Eastwood movies-they are way too slow. I understand there needs to be build up and time taken out, especially considering the content of the movie, but I barely got through it.
Letters from Iwo Jima is much better than Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby IMO-the characters, pacing, and content just draws you in.

Pan's Labyrinth is just the movie I haven't gotten around to seeing yet-I can't figure out why, especially since I was desperate for it a few months ago. I'll buy it eventually...

yeah it is really slow. in Pan's Labyrinth, that wont be a problem. i actually felt like some parts were rushed. Netflix!!! it, the best movie system ever

 

[Kawari]

^ I swear, I'm working on it! I just tend to buy movies that are on sale at Wal-Mart and Best Buy. I just bought Gangs of New York yesterday, but I'm still on the documentaries-I'm hoping to watch it today.
My "to watch" list-
Pan's Labryinth!!!!
Notes on a Scandal
Little Miss Sunshine
Becoming Jane
The film Ryan Gosling got a Best Actor nomination for-can't remember the title now.

For fun I saw I Know Who Killed Me-the first half wasn't too bad, but the last was and the symbolism was so obvious I knew what happened after the first half hour.

 

[Beautiful Stranger]

i wanna see Notes on a scandal too.. I saw Lost In Transalation again two days ago, i still love it, but i can't figure out why. It's a very difficult picture to 'categorize', as it's not much of a story at all. I really adore it nevertheless. It's such a cute movie.

 

[Kawari]

Lost in Translation is one of those films I watch more for the visual images I get from it. Tokyo itself is a character and the fact that you have two "foreigners" visiting makes it stand out even more. Sometimes I like, other times I find it boring. Sofia's films have always been much more about seeing, for me, more than anything. Even the long Marie Antionette doesn't have much dialouge, epecially considering the length.

 

[carioca]

Little Miss Sunshine

that movie was more sad than insanely funny, but it's still really funny.

Lost In Translation. i really hate Sofia Coppola movies (minus the Virgin Suicides). i tried watching that film several times, and i fell asleep through them all. i'll try watching it again and see if my mind has changed, doubt it though.

 

[Beautiful Stranger]

i think it's a movie you need to be in a 'mood' to see, it has to be the right time. Virgin Suicides is also great, i have both on dvd's. I haven't seen Marie Antoinette, as i feel it's mostly a 'costume drama', which i'm not too fond of.

 

[carioca]

i'll NetFlix it again for the third time and see how it goes. i mean a lot of people love it, and then a lot of people hate. i just want to finish the movie lol. i only get halfway.
yeah i'm not even going to try and watch Marie Antoinette. Sofia is always pretty good at visuals and stuff, so i know it looks pretty but i heard it sucked as a movie.

 

[Kawari]

Behold, I have seen Pan's Labryinth and I loved it! I'm going out to buy the special edition dvd sometime this month or the next. Visually stunning and it's def. not a children's fantasy, despite the main character being a young girl. She's a fabulous actress, as was everyone else's performances.

i'll NetFlix it again for the third time and see how it goes. i mean a lot of people love it, and then a lot of people hate. i just want to finish the movie lol. i only get halfway.
yeah i'm not even going to try and watch Marie Antoinette. Sofia is always pretty good at visuals and stuff, so i know it looks pretty but i heard it sucked as a movie.

You'll either like it or you won't-I've got friends who can't stand it because they find it boring and pretentious. I had one friend who said she found it "lacking" in certain ways-with the characters, dialouge (sp), etc...

If you're looking for a realistic drama with Marie Antoinette, you won't get it. Everyone uses their own "native accents" and the only people who speak French are the children! It's a sympathetic look at Marie, which is what intrigued me. It has some interesting things-the idea that Marie coped with her "failed" marriage, Austrian heritage, and lack of understanding of the French court, with indulging herself. It's like a "poor, rich teen girl" film, which I've heard many say is somewhat of a reflection of Sofia herself. It's a pretty film, with a great soundtrack that fits well, despite the obvious time period "wrongness" of it. It's a rental movie if you're not sure. Much of the info Sofia got from the film is from an historical non-fiction, which I read some of.

 

[Northern Star]

Yeah totally agree with you on the Clint Eastwood comments, his films are generally too slow and Million Dollar Baby was a huge let down.
Lost In Translation is miraculous in it's simplicity as you feel like you are seeing a new city through the eyes of the two main characters. Others I have spoken to about it have said that nothing really happens but I think that is the whole point. I have seen this move quite a few times and never got bored as Tokyo looks amazing and I tend to spot something interesting and different after each viewing.
Sofia's movies do tend to be more about visuals and mood settings and with Lost in Translation and The Virgin Suicides she achieved this remarkably.

 

[Kawari]

Yeah totally agree with you on the Clint Eastwood comments, his films are generally too slow and Million Dollar Baby was a huge let down.
Lost In Translation is miraculous in it's simplicity as you feel like you are seeing a new city through the eyes of the two main characters. Others I have spoken to about it have said that nothing really happens but I think that is the whole point. I have seen this move quite a few times and never got bored as Tokyo looks amazing and I tend to spot something interesting and different after each viewing.
Sofia's movies do tend to be more about visuals and mood settings and with Lost in Translation and The Virgin Suicides she achieved this remarkably.

Yep about the Sofia thing-she def leans more toward the visual than the dialouge. I think she'd be a great photographer full time. I enjoyed The Virgin Suicides much more than I did Lost in Translation. I think it was because I felt there was more of a plot in my head-plus the characters' and their situation kept me interested throughout the whole film. I will watch Lost in Translation though, because Tokyo is amazing.

I saw Notes on a Scandal and I thought it was great, though more so for the performances. Cate and Judi did very well, playing two characters that are actually quite unlikeable. Watching it, I felt no sympathy for either of the characters but their performances were so amazing I kept watching it.

Sheba (Cate) who cheats on her husband and has an affair with an underage student. I was expecting to see a woman who was lonely in her home life, with no love for her husband. Instead here was a woman with so many great advantages, who decides to take a chance to ruin it all with a teen boy. The idea of love is never said between the two and I honestly thought the only reason she went with him was because she felt desired.

Judi Dench plays the not so stereotypical "cat lady" who becomes obsessed with Sheba. Lesbian overtones? Maybe, but I felt like she needed companionship period. Not even that, but more along the lines of ownership. She seemed like one of those people who constantly wants someone at their beck and call for friendship.

Sorry that wasn't really a movie opinion but it's the performances that really stood out for me.

 

[LoveMyBoots]

is anybody looking forward to atonement??? with james mcavoy and kiera knightley and vanessa redgrave??? the trailer is absolutely stunning! it's based on the book by Ian McEwan.

trailer

 

[lollicandy]

I like Pan's Labyrinth as well. I thought it was a children's movie, as that's the way the commercials portrayed it. It is most definitely not.

I don't understand why everyone makes a big deal over historical accuraccy in Marie Antoinette, that is not the objective of the movie nor would it even be in keeping with S. Coppola's aesthetic. I thought it was a beautiful, lyrical film. Not her best work, but several scenes, including Kirsten Dunst reciting Rousseau in a field, are very good.

Last movie I saw was Sleeping Dictionary last night on IFC. Starring Hugh Dancy and Jessica Alba, as a colonial officer who falls in love with a half English/half Malay girl. A real good cast, Bob Hoskins, Emily Mortimer, Noah Taylor etc. Was let down though. For me seeing Jessica Alba cast as a Malay girl was jarring. She just doesn't look Asian, especially native Malay. And her mannerisms/comportment was too over the top, cheeky 'South Pacific' for me to believe her. She looked uncomfortable in some scenes, and her accent was...stereotypical? I don't know, they couldn't have found a more believable Asian actress? With simple lines like "That why I speak the King English." It would appeal though for the curiousity value as this is based on historical fact, the rest of the cast are good, and if you loved 'L'amant'/The Lover by Marguerite Duras you might like this as well. However it just smacked too hard of a serious 'South Pacific.'

 

[Kawari]

I like Pan's Labyrinth as well. I thought it was a children's movie, as that's the way the commercials portrayed it. It is most definitely not.

I don't understand why everyone makes a big deal over historical accuraccy in Marie Antoinette, that is not the objective of the movie nor would it even be in keeping with S. Coppola's aesthetic. I thought it was a beautiful, lyrical film. Not her best work, but several scenes, including Kirsten Dunst reciting Rousseau in a field, are very good.

Last movie I saw was Sleeping Dictionary last night on IFC. Starring Hugh Dancy and Jessica Alba, as a colonial officer who falls in love with a half English/half Malay girl. A real good cast, Bob Hoskins, Emily Mortimer, Noah Taylor etc. Was let down though. For me seeing Jessica Alba cast as a Malay girl was jarring. She just doesn't look Asian, especially native Malay. And her mannerisms/comportment was too over the top, cheeky 'South Pacific' for me to believe her. She looked uncomfortable in some scenes, and her accent was...stereotypical? I don't know, they couldn't have found a more believable Asian actress? With simple lines like "That why I speak the King English." It would appeal though for the curiousity value as this is based on historical fact, the rest of the cast are good, and if you loved 'L'amant'/The Lover by Marguerite Duras you might like this as well. However it just smacked too hard of a serious 'South Pacific.'

Eh, I hate it when they sterotype races/ethnic groups. Especially when the world is so diverse and we shouldn't really be so ignorant of other cultures. Take Asia for example: It's a huge place, full of various countries besides Japan, China, Tawain, Korea, etc. but it's like they're the only ones that exist. Plus they aren't the same; they have different cultures-I hate it when they don't do their research, it's so disrespectful.
The same goes for "Tokenism"-having that one minority. Eh, it's just angers me so much. I just wish movies had more "blind casting" sometimes.

 

[so_like_a_rose]

well i saw Marie Antoinette and i must say i was not satisfied by the amount of dialogues, but i liked it ... i started loving colors cos of that movie the blues and the pinks. i love sophia's movies

 

[bc2006]

If you have a chance to see The Savages (2007) on the big screen, go see it. It's a very touching film with great acting performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney.

For me, without a doubt the best film of the year!

 

[Jessica18Toronto]

well i saw Marie Antoinette and i must say i was not satisfied by the amount of dialogues, but i liked it ... i started loving colors cos of that movie the blues and the pinks. i love sophia's movies

Marie Antoinette is one of my favorites. It's a movie I could honestly watch on mute. I love the outfits, the sets, the scenery, the beautiful people. Another one that I love for the visuals alone also is Memoirs of a Geisha

 

[Kawari]

Oh come on, I love this thread and we get it going but then the posts stop!

Let's talk movies-anyone?

 

[Jessica18Toronto]

^agreed!