What was the last movie you watched?

[Thrifty Version II]

My favorite part of This is the End

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Franco is on his way to heavan, and starts screaming: "Fuck you, McBride!" and then doesn't get to go to heaven


Channing Tatum

You can't be a sore winner.

The ending, I think, marked the best use of Whitney Houston's "I will always love you" song that I've ever seen.

[Thrifty Version II]

I'm looking forward to Rapturepalooza.  It's not getting good critical reviews like This Is The End is getting, but I'm really into apocalyptic fiction based on The Bible, so I'll see it as soon as it comes to a theater near me.  It's in limited release right now.  I'm guessing the studio didn't want to put two apocalyptic movies starring Craig Robinson up against each other.  Probably a good call.

[Tripe]

Thelma and Louise: Kinda, never actually seen it all the way through so it was an interesting way to do that for the first time.

Much Ado About Nothing: Lovely, absolutely lovely. Was a little worried about how it would be having listened to some of the audio during radio interviews but it turns out those mostly came from what I suspect might have been the first scene filmed, following that the cast really get into the swing of things. I liked the gender swap of one of the secondary characters as well as a nice visual commentary on Shakespeare's turn of phrase (one that specifically is not in anyway on these days but likely caused not a single eyelid to bat during Shake's life) near the end of the film.

I think I preferred a couple of the scenes here to the ones in the Branagh version (and not just the ones featuring Don John).

[doggans]

as well as a nice visual commentary on Shakespeare's turn of phrase (one that specifically is not in anyway on these days but likely caused not a single eyelid to bat during Shake's life) near the end of the film.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

That moment made me laugh out loud. I guess Whedon figured, since the slutshaming was unavoidable if we're staying true to the text, why not go all out and play up the ignorant side of Claudio?

[lassieface]

Much Ado About Nothing: Lovely, absolutely lovely. Was a little worried about how it would be having listened to some of the audio during radio interviews but it turns out those mostly came from what I suspect might have been the first scene filmed, following that the cast really get into the swing of things. I liked the gender swap of one of the secondary characters as well as a nice visual commentary on Shakespeare's turn of phrase (one that specifically is not in anyway on these days but likely caused not a single eyelid to bat during Shake's life) near the end of the film.

I saw this today as well. It's a testament to both Whedon's filmmaking ability, and the genius of Shakespeare. I was impressed that despite the modern, black and white setting it didn't feel gimmicky in the least. Hopefully this will start a trend and we'll get some more updated Shakespeare from other directors. I highly recommend it.

I also watched Pitch Perfect, which is a great comedy. Kind of a spiritual successor to School of Rock. That Rebel Wilson is really funny! Also John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks were great too.

[Nunyerbiz]

This is The End

Similar to other Rogen / Goldberg scripts like Pineapple Express and Superbad, this one might have started to drag a bit towards the end... going more over the top but not necessarily getting any funnier... But a minor complaint, as there are a lot of laughs in this one. Basically just an excuse for these guys to ad-lib, poke fun at themselves and fuck around on a set for six weeks or whatever... Of course with the added bonus of a 7 digit CGI budget slapped onto the final act.... It's too late for you, you're already in the hole!!!

[Relaxing Dragon]

as well as a nice visual commentary on Shakespeare's turn of phrase (one that specifically is not in anyway on these days but likely caused not a single eyelid to bat during Shake's life) near the end of the film.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

That moment made me laugh out loud. I guess Whedon figured, since the slutshaming was unavoidable if we're staying true to the text, why not go all out and play up the ignorant side of Claudio?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Apparently the only real change they had to make was the Act 2, Scene 3 line in which Benedick says "if I do not / love her, I am a Jew." It was changed to "if I do not love her, I am a fool." Though imdb had to tell me that, as I had no prior interaction with the play before I watched the movie. And I like to think it was a good intro, as I quite liked it. It was definitely very funny, and I loved pretty much everyone involved (it was weird seeing Fran Kranz like this, since I'm only familiar with him from Cabin in the Woods).

Monsters University - Funny, charming, but ultimately unnecessary. It has a good amount of heart, but since you know how it ends, there is a bittersweet aftertaste all through it that just made me wonder why they chose to tell this story. That, and it was sadly SQUEEKY clean for a college fraternity movie. Not that I would have wanted it to be full of CGI monster boobs or something, but it just seems poorly thought out to tell a story in the part of character's lives where they would be experimenting and truly going crazy at the first time of true independence.
As a person who (by my own choice) had a very uneventful college experience, and regrets it every day of my life, I feel an odd and uncomfortable connection to it that the filmmakers clearly did not intend.

I think Pixar was more concerned with the self-discovery period that one finds in college (by which I mean the director has stated as much). The movie is more about Mike and Sully (well, mostly Mike) figuring out who they are and what they're actually good at, despite what he really wanted to be. In fact, the movie's message of "sometimes you just can't win at some things in life, no matter how hard you try, so learn to adapt yourself to what you can" is pretty aces for real-world application (and also more than a little ballsy for a family movie). There were still plenty of party stuff too (complete with those little red cups), but I think Pixar feels that they can leave the drug and sexual experimentation to the fan fic writers for this. Not every college experience needs to be raunchy, after all (despite what decades of comedies have taught us).

In the meantime, I am glad to see everyone is loving This is the End (I feel the need to see it again, in fact).

I also watched The Spy Who Came In From The Cold today, and loved the hell out of it. Just the right sort of slow-burn Cold War spy drama that I can't really get enough of, and the tribunal sequence was as gripping as they come. I'm always fascinated by the lives and trials of these strange, quiet men who entered the spy world during that time period and seemed to live through a somewhat miserable life for the sake of their respective countries endless, childlike-yet-dangerous bickering. An excellent companion to the new Tinker Tailor movie (I still need to get to the old TV adaptation), and I can't wait for it to hit Criterion in September.

[Rainbow Dash]

Saw Monster's University.  It's not top pixar, but man, I'm surprised Disney Disney let it get by.

Movie's message in a nutshell....

"I can be anything I want to be"

"No you can't"

"I want it more than anyone else"

"Too bad"

"I'll work harder than anyone else!"

"Won't matter"

"Fine, I don't need College"

"Nope, you don't"

I loved it.  While it captures a lot of the normal cliches one find in college film, it twists a lot of them at the same time, particularly with the overall message.  It's a middle of the road Pixar film, but middle of the road for Pixar is still pretty darn good.

[Relaxing Dragon]

I've seen people toss around the "You don't need college!" lesson, which is technically true, all things considered. But then again, that's not exactly a bad thing, since it's something of a myth that you "need" college to succeed in life. Just depends on what you want to do and how much work you put into it.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Mike and Sully still put there time in. They just end up going a slightly different route to get there, what with working their way up from the mail room. It's not like the movie is giving the finger to higher education or anything.

Of course, it is still true that you can't always be anything you wanna be.

[RoninFox]

Saw This Is The End earlier today.  I thought it was disgusting, highly offensive, and incredibly self-indulgent.

In other words, exactly what I wanted it to be, and I absolutely freaking loved it.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

When James Franco's rapture-light went out and dropped him, I squeek-laughed loud enough to echo in the theater.

[Lembach]

Just got done watching Videodrome and I'm a little bit freaked out.

Was the Videodrome-induced tumor causing James Woods to hallucinate? Or was it really a new organ that allowed him to warp reality?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

And why did the main bad guy, Barry Convex erupt into tumors when shot??

[Thrifty Version II]

I also saw The Internship a few weeks ago, which is a bad idea and nobody should do that, ever.  I've been meaning to write an extended rant on how awful it is, but let me just say this: it almost became the second movie I ever walked out on in a theater.  This movie could be shown in film schools to define the term "formulaic film making".

[Johnny Unusual]

Just got done watching Videodrome and I'm a little bit freaked out.

Was the Videodrome-induced tumor causing James Woods to hallucinate? Or was it really a new organ that allowed him to warp reality?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

And why did the main bad guy, Barry Convex erupt into tumors when shot??

Videodrome is a pretty great movie.  Very unsettling.  As for whether it was real or not... perhaps a little of both.  The videodrome is a sort of battlefield of the mind, and it could be warping the perceptions of everyone who came into contact to it.  But, at the same time, perhaps what should have been hallucination is manifesting in reality and the lines between the two no longer exist.  Lot's going on in that movie.  I can never understand people who watch movies like this and complain that they don't get it because there's no definite answers (I'm not saying Lembach is one of them, just bringing it up because it seems relevant).  To me, in a lot of them, it's more than just being ambiguous, it's that, in a way, it doesn't matter and the reality of the story, fluid and inconsistent as it is, should be something you go along with.  Sometimes it's more about the feelings and the message rather than definite answers.

[MightyJack]

This is The End

Similar to other Rogen / Goldberg scripts like Pineapple Express and Superbad.

Ah, well now I know I can skip this one. 


(I didn't care for Superbad in the least, and only got through 30 minutes of Pineapple before I shut it off.  Not my cuppa)



I watched...

Paris, je t'aime (2006)
18 short films, each by a different director, each set in a different Paris district (arrondissements) each about the city and relationships (of various types and stages). The shorts run 5 to 7 minutes on average, and with some of the straight dramas that can be frustrating (because you want to see what happens to the relationship and there's just not enough time)

Some of my favorites include the piece by the Coen Brothers (very funny, stars Steve Buscemi as a guy who breaks a rule in his city guidebook... and pays the consequences). Alexander Payne's was amusing -- poking fun at his tourist protagonist, but also allowing for a touch of warmth when she has her epiphany at the end.

Tom Tykwer's bit employed an inventive use of time lapse photography, in recording the trajectory of a relationship between a blind Parisian and a struggling actress (Natalie Portman).

Despite a clunker here and there, I enjoyed it. It's too bad they couldn't find a way to integrate the two other arrondissements so the whole of Paris would have been represented (which reminds me, I need to see if the disc includes deleted scenes before I take it back)

[Nunyerbiz]

I also saw The Internship a few weeks ago, which is a bad idea and nobody should do that, ever.  I've been meaning to write an extended rant on how awful it is, but let me just say this: it almost became the second movie I ever walked out on in a theater.  This movie could be shown in film schools to define the term "formulaic film making".

I agree that it was horribly formulaic, but I knew that going in. I didn't think it was awful, and it's really hard for me to be too critical of something that screamed "silly root for the underdog comedy" from the get-go. If the execution is at least passable and you bring me a handful of decent chuckles / laughs... Then I'll probably not feel ripped off. Easily could have had 20 minutes left on the cutting room floor, but it met my "two stars out of four" expectations. I enjoy the standard schtick of both Vaughn and Wilson and they were given just barely enough to work with. It's been less than three weeks I think... and pretty much none of it really sticks with me... So not something I would ever recommend, but might be worth a Redbox grab at some point for fans of either of the leads.