Cinemexperience: part deux., Some more filums you saw. Options

[maian]

The guy with the ponytail seems surprisingly unfazed seeing that he appears to have been shot through the heart.

Four Little Girls (1997)

Spike Lee's documentary about an incident in 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. On a regular Sunday afternoon, a bomb planted in the basement of a church detonated, killing the four young girls who were getting changed for the services at the time. Using archive footage and photos, but most importantly the testimony of friends and family of the girls, as well as prominent figures in the Civil Rights movement, Lee passionately tells the terrible and tragic story, starting with background about the community in Birmingham, the girls and their lives, the day of the bombing itself, and the fall out and quest for justice.

It's a horrifying story of reprensible violence, but Lee tells it in a way which does not let the emotions over-ride the story, letting the facts - and the people - speak for themselves rather than putting words in their mouths. He finds the humanity amidst the horror, and in doing so delivers a very powerful film that, whilst deeply sad, has a bruised and battered hope at its heart.

[Zoe]

Catfish (2010)

OK, so it inspired debate and the two people I watched it with had completely differing opinions on it.

Surprisingly I'm torn, which is odd as I expected to be more cynical. There's a couple of key points which lead me heavily one way, and then the other.

It's interesting and even absorbing in places and we could all agree the guys making the film are complete douchebags.

Does anyone think Andrew Jarecki really thought 'Capturing the Friedmans' was going to be a documentary about clowns?

[logger]

Does anyone think Andrew Jarecki really thought 'Capturing the Friedmans' was going to be a documentary about clowns?

I wish it had been.

[Serafina_Pekkala]

Hard Ticket to Hawaii,

That looks hilarious. And it has Ridge from The Bold and The Beautiful.

Only in the 80s - the hair is bigger than the norks.

[PrincessKate]

Scrooged, and I still cried at the end.
Bill Murray playing seventeen year old Bill Murray, though...

[jem]

Tangled!

So much fun!
Not quite on par with Despicable Me or The Sword in the Stone, but it was good.

[maian]

Pineapple Express (2008)

I watched it hungover so I probably wasn't in quite the right frame of mind for it. It was good, I thought that David Gordon Green took to directing action with an aplomb that I wouldn't have expected, based on his previous films. I thought that Seth Rogen and James Franco had some really terrific chemistry, and their increasingly paranoid reactions to the gang war plot that they stumbled into was one of the funniest things in the film - aside from Ed Begley, Jr. shouting "I will fuck you both in the street" - but I also found it a little too ramshackle. They clearly improvised a lot, and the film feels more like a collection of out-takes thrown together rather than a story. Pretty funny out-takes, but it's a hit and miss approach that, for me, was more miss than hit. Danny McBride was the only actor who hit the mark every time. Then again, I did start violently throwing up at one point when my meagre lunch decided it didn't get on with my stomach, so the experience probably soured me on a film that I'd like more if I didn't feel so wretched.


It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

The scene in the graveyard never fails to bring a tear ro my eye.

This post has been edited by maian: Dec 23 2010, 08:44 PM

[logger]

Black Swan

It starts out looking like it could have been a good idea, using the themes of Swan Lake to look at the traditionally female cliches such as the duality of the virgin and the whore, jealousy, lust, obsession and just all round bitchiness (they wouldn't be cliches if there wasn't any truth to them), but the film lacks the grace and subtlety to pull it off and feels more like a 70s psycho-horror crossed with an exploitation flick rather than the grandeur of the ballet it's going for. And then it gets really silly.

That said, Aronofsky hasn't become a bad director over night. It looks fantastic and there are still great moments, the club scene being a particular favourite of mine. It's also full of Wrestler-esque looks at the behind the scenes world of ballet with people who I presume are from there. I can't fault the performances, Portman does what's required of her in a role that's hard to like but I can't help feel it would have been better with a real dancer who we can see more of than just their torso upwards. And even though the much talked about lesbian scene has been really over hyped and is hardly shocking, I am now totally in love with Mila Kunis who oozes personality and looks gorgeous.

In all, it was disappointing and felt like it would have been better if they'd cut out all the silliness, cast a dancer in the lead and maybe had a woman direct it.

[Atara]

Tron Legacy was good fun.

Michael Sheen was ridiculous, as was his bulge. Soundtrack was fantastic. I fancy Clu.

[sweetbutinsane]

Juno

I don't like Juno herself, but the film is good.

[Rebus]

Silent Night, Deadly Night

Thought we'd go for something a bit different to kick off out Christmas movie-viewing bonanza. The premise, of a child so traumatised by seeing his parents murdered by a man dressed as Santa Claus and the later treatment he suffers at the hands of a Mother Superior, which all induce a deadly fear of almost all things Christmassy could have turned out a good film but it's all handled so haphazardly that it becomes an unintentional comedy for the most part.

There are relatively good death scenes, some marginally passable acting, but there is also some really terrible dialogue, such as about ten minutes of "Punish!" as he axes a poor bugger to death. Still, I enjoyed it for its schlock value, and I think I might move on to Black Christmas.

[logger]

The original Black Christmas is a good film and is genuinely creepy. I'd avoid the remake.

[maian]

Pineapple Express (2008)

I watched it hungover so I probably wasn't in quite the right frame of mind for it. It was good, I thought that David Gordon Green took to directing action with an aplomb that I wouldn't have expected, based on his previous films. I thought that Seth Rogen and James Franco had some really terrific chemistry, and their increasingly paranoid reactions to the gang war plot that they stumbled into was one of the funniest things in the film - aside from Ed Begley, Jr. shouting "I will fuck you both in the street" - but I also found it a little too ramshackle. They clearly improvised a lot, and the film feels more like a collection of out-takes thrown together rather than a story. Pretty funny out-takes, but it's a hit and miss approach that, for me, was more miss than hit. Danny McBride was the only actor who hit the mark every time. Then again, I did start violently throwing up at one point when my meagre lunch decided it didn't get on with my stomach, so the experience probably soured me on a film that I'd like more if I didn't feel so wretched.

Watched it again, this time with a clearer head and calmer stomach, and I enjoyed it a lot. I still think it's a little too-ramshackle for its own good, the subplot involving Rogen and his girlfriend (Amber Heard) could be completely removed from the movie without causing any problems, but that same quality is what allows the film to go off on little tangents without it majorly upsetting the story. I also really, really loved the relationship between Kevin Corrigan and Craig Robinson's characters, and how unhinged Gary Cole is willing to be.

[logger]

I still think it's a little too-ramshackle for its own good, the subplot involving Rogen and his girlfriend (Amber Heard) could be completely removed from the movie without causing any problems,

He was right about her becoming a lesbian, though.

[maian]

Bad Santa (2003)

I had somehow never seen this before. Solidly hilarious throughout thanks to a gleefully misnathropic turn from Billy Bob Thornton which was matched by the equally bleak and arch tone. Where else would the big emotional moment when the main character decides to turn his life around and not kill himself revolve around going to beat up a bunch of kids? The boxing ring scene had me in stitches.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

I think I undervalued this the first time around but I still think that Anderson would have been better served if he either tried to make it for one audience, either adults or children, rather than trying to cover both, because I think that children miss out a lot when the gags are so squarely aimed at their parents.