Author Topic: Movies you've been watching  (Read 11543 times)

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Movies you've been watching
« Reply #10 on: August 12, 2008, 12:16:04 am »



Heya Flashframe!!!  It's so great to see you back at BetterMost! 8)

Yep, I recognized Heath pretty quickly at the beginning of TDK too.  I really enjoyed that movie and have seen it twice recently (and twice is probably enough for me... it certainly won't become a BBM, which obviously I can watch an infinite number of times).

Other than TDK, I went and saw Brideshead Revisited last weekend, which the more I think about it the more mediocre I think it was.  I had really high expectations for it. 


So, those are the two films I've seen recently.

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Offline Penthesilea

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Re: Movies you've been watching
« Reply #11 on: August 12, 2008, 05:40:31 am »
I have been watching "Shelter" (2007) over and over and over again, just like another film I watch all the time.  It's a small film, but a very good story, and with a nice little ending.

 :)
We EuroBrokies had a gathering last weekend to see TDK, and the night before TDK our group watched Shelter together. Agreed with what you said about it. Nice little feel-good movie.


Amores Perros - amazing film (I liked 21 grams and Babel too - cinematography in all three films was by Rodrigo Prieto) but this was the best of the three. Some difficult dog fighting scenes, but Gael Garcia Bernal was great in this. If you like this, try Motorcycle Diaries, Bad Education and Y Tu Mama Tambien, all with GGB too.

Whoo, I also saw Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel and the Motorcycle Diaries :). I liked them all, but of those The Motorcycle Diaries was my favorite. Fine collection of movies that you listed here. Guess I gotta check out the other two I haven't seen yet.


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My Own Private Idaho - my joint favourite film of all time (along with BBM of course). The bleakness of this film, along with the sadness that the late River Phoenix is no longer with us (such an amazing actor  :'() get me every time. Lots of people don't like Gus Van Sant's films, but I like everything he's done so far (with the exception of a couple). Watch it and see what you think. See Nancy Savoca's Dogfight too for another underrated gem, another incredible RP performance.
...
Other honourable mentions -  ..... Running on Empty,

Seems there's another River fan. :) Well, I'm not a fan, but I really like him. And I also liked Dogfight, a totally overlooked movie, barely anyone has seen it. STB and MOPI are my favorite movies with River.
Check out The Thing Called Love if you haven't seen it. In I Love You to Death River has only a small role, but the movie is good.


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Absolute rubbish/hugely overrated (IMHO  :P) ... Requiem for a Dream, ...

LOL, Requiem for a Dream also didn't fit with me. There's so much praise about it, but I just didn't get it.

Offline seadragon16

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Re: Movies you've been watching
« Reply #12 on: August 12, 2008, 04:47:52 pm »
Seems there's another River fan. :) Well, I'm not a fan, but I really like him. And I also liked Dogfight, a totally overlooked movie, barely anyone has seen it. STB and MOPI are my favorite movies with River.
Check out The Thing Called Love if you haven't seen it. In I Love You to Death River has only a small role, but the movie is good.

Afraid so, ever since I was old enough to watch films. I was in my early teens when he died and I was really upset about it. My friend and I had been fans for ages and had to persuade our local video shop owner to buy in MOPI when we were 14 and then let us borrow it because it was an 18 cert at the time! When we returned it, I remember it being put on the very top shelf along with all the adult films and that annoyed me, because it's a story about love, finding your family and a place to belong which just so happens to feature a gay hustler  ::) I have all of RP's films, even those that weren't so great. TTCL makes me sad though, because it seems so obvious to me that he was in serious trouble by that point.  :(

I've been trying to get into Pedro Almodóvar, he seems very interesting.

Rebel - I love Almodóvar films, hence recommending Bad Education and I've also got Volver, Live Flesh and Talk to Her on DVD that I haven't watched yet. Some of the films I recommended I had a hard time finding on DVD for a reasonable price, but they were all worth it. I've got over 300 DVD's (I always buy films rather than renting - costs the same if you look around enough) and very few that I haven't enjoyed so far - most from recommendations or because I liked what I read about them.

And MOPI - you have to watch it, then watch it again! It's hard to appreciate everything about it on the first viewing. It's a bit like BBM in the respect that you see new things every time you see it. It's masterpiece and so far ahead of it's time (remember this was made in 1991) And watch Dogfight & Running on Empty too if you want to finish the circle!   :)

Optom - I love Breakfast at Tiffany's. I saw it years ago and then watched it again very recently and very much enjoyed it.

Going to get hold of a copy of Shelter now - that's the third time today I've seen the film mentioned and not just on here. A hint maybe?

you don't like Requiem for a Dream, Seadragon13? Why? It tries to pull too much from you, at an unrealistic rate and unrealistic events, but i was still floored by the movie and Ellen Burstyn. Its kinda one of my favorites, but i've been losing interest.

Just didn't like it at all. There are quite a few good 'drug' movies out there, but this didn't get to me at all. I admit I've only seen it once and maybe it needs another watch, but I didn't care about any of the characters and they didn't seem at all real to me and I doubt my view will change on that if I saw it again. There were quite a few bits where you were expected to suspend disbelief and that spoilt it for me. I didn't feel sorry for any of the characters and didn't get the sense that they were stuck in something they couldn't control. I thought it was very sensationalist and not at all realistic - it tried too hard to shock and therefore the impact was lost. Interestingly, my daughter (in her mid teens) has seen both Candy and Requiem and she wasn't bothered by Requiem at all, but after Candy she said that was enough to convince her not to use drugs. I've read all these reviews saying how amazing and shocking Requiem was, but I just didn't get that feeling I'm afraid. When it ended, I just had that 'Is that it?!' feeling. Maybe I read too much about it beforehand.

Thanks for all the recommendations everyone!


Offline RebelWithASmile

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Re: Movies you've been watching
« Reply #13 on: August 13, 2008, 10:53:57 am »
Sweet, i will definitely check out Shelter and My Own Private Idaho.

I just watched Lars and the Real Girl. That is a very good movie! Ryan Gosling doesn't seem to get enough credit, he was amazing in it. Very sad, yet comical. It could of been easily based on a true story.

Requiem for a Dream didn't shock me and i mainly felt bad for Ellen Burstyn. That's the only one, really.


I just got Talk to Her from my library, maybe gonna watch it today.



I'm not a huge fan of Candy. I really like it, and Heath's performance, but i think the movie is kinda unbalanced. Abbie Cornish impressed me more than Heath in it, actually. I already knew Heath was a good actor.


what about Candy vs Monster's Ball??? which displays the better Heath performance, and which one is the better movie? I love Monster's Ball- thats a great movie, very tragic, and Halle Berry gives a great performance. So much shit hit that movie when she won. I think she deserved it. Stupid how some thought that the only way for her to win an Oscar was to have a viscious sex scene with a white dude.  :laugh:

i don't recall Whoopi having one in Ghost, and she won
"He was very afraid of being hurt. He was afraid of opening up in case it was turned around and used against him."


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Re: Movies you've been watching
« Reply #14 on: August 13, 2008, 11:10:16 am »
My film society is showing a double feature with Manniquin and Lars and the Real Girl next Saturday so I am planning to attend on your recommendation...thank you for the reviews!

I bet you will enjoy Talk to Her! I did!

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Offline optom3

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Re: Movies you've been watching
« Reply #15 on: August 13, 2008, 02:38:37 pm »
Seadragon, the comment about your daughter and Candy, rang so true to me.My oldest son is plagued with so many problems as a result of a combination of Bipolar and Tourettes.He watched Candy with me, I had previously watched it.If he is to be believed, the portrayal of adiction was enough to convince him to stay well away.
I liked it ,because unlike trainspotters, which I hated, it was an even portrayal.It seemed centered in reality, and at a level anyone could relate to.The characters were "ordinary" and could have been your neighbour.That being the case it was a salient warning to anyone tempted to dabble in Heroin.It is not chic,it just slowly and insidiously destroys all it touches.
I loved the performances and my heart bled for Heaths' character at the end.
The death of the older character, was as shocking as was his addiction.It sent shivers down my spine, knowing that all the time Heath was surveying the lifeless body of Geoffrey Rush, in the not too distant future, he would be in the same position himself.the phrase, life imitating art was not far from my mind.

The parallels were almost too much to bear.


Offline seadragon16

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Re: Movies you've been watching
« Reply #16 on: August 13, 2008, 05:20:57 pm »
Optom, well put. That's exactly how it made me feel. You hit the nail on the head when you said they were just like your neighbour, just 'ordinary'. My sister has had a hard time with depression and low self esteem since she was in her teens (she's now in her late 20's and getting on ok now). Having been through with it with my sister, I think Candy showed really well how helpless the people surrounding those in the grip of something they can't control really are. The only person that can make you stop hurting yourself is yourself at the end of the day. I liked that Candy wasn't exaggerated and didn't try to use false shock tactics to get it's message across because the reality on it's own is more than shocking enough.

Rebel, I liked Monster's Ball a lot, although I honestly believe that Heath's part was the one that stood out. I don't much like either Halle Berry or Billy Bob Thornton. It would have to be Candy for me out of the two, hands down.

I haven't seen Lars and the Real Girl yet although it's on my list of films to see. Ryan Gosling is brilliant!

Two days off work now and then no kids for a whole week (at their grandparents!  ;D) so lots of time to watch things hopefully!




Offline RebelWithASmile

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Re: Movies you've been watching
« Reply #17 on: August 13, 2008, 06:47:08 pm »
Talk to Her wasn't bad. I was disapointed, but i enjoyed it. beautiful, as was All About My Mother. Pedro A. really has a keen eye, and i think that was very obvious in the movie.

A lot of people didn't like Halle Berry in Monster's Ball. I guess the tragedy in the movie pulled me in, it is a very sad movie. I watched it for the 2nd time during one of my Brokeback fits (which i advise not to do) because i died crying...it was horrible. I cried more during that one viewing than i ever did to any other movie. I guess i was vulnerable, PBS (Post-brokeback-syndrome) as they say.


I'm going to watch The Squid and the Whale! I've heard a lot of good things about this movie, and i'm excited. I also got Terms of Endearment (never saw it before). I'm officially a fan of Larry Mcmurtry- i'm reading The Last Picture Show (i had to after seeing the amazing movie). He also wrote Terms of Endearment, and of course the screenplay of Brokeback with Diana Ossana  8)


Lars and the Real Girl is very touching, very sad. It won't disappoint.
"He was very afraid of being hurt. He was afraid of opening up in case it was turned around and used against him."


Heaven holds a sense of wonder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0VVoScBd4k

Offline Shakesthecoffecan

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Re: Movies you've been watching
« Reply #18 on: August 13, 2008, 07:01:23 pm »

A lot of people didn't like Halle Berry in Monster's Ball. I guess the tragedy in the movie pulled me in, it is a very sad movie. I watched it for the 2nd time during one of my Brokeback fits (which i advise not to do) because i died crying...it was horrible. I cried more during that one viewing than i ever did to any other movie. I guess i was vulnerable, PBS (Post-brokeback-syndrome) as they say.


I really am floored by Sean Combs in the character Larence Musgrove, I think he has never received the attention he should have for that roll. He had to sit in an actual electric chair with the hood over his head and everything. I couldn't of done it.
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Offline delalluvia

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Re: Movies you've been watching
« Reply #19 on: August 13, 2008, 10:42:56 pm »
It's been a very stressful spring and summer for me, and I find myself turning to two DVDs over and over.  One is the History of Britain collection the first 3 DVDs of the collection.  I don't know, the historian's voice is very soothing and evocative of a place so far away in time and space that it relaxes me.  I also watch Fellowship of the Ring for the same reason.  The beginning, in the Shire, with its peaceful, lovely homes nestled amidst the rolling green hills and fields and copses and the only things going on are some pleasant drinking with friends in a small pub, outdoor parties on warm spring nights, complete with fireworks and reading books under a huge green trees on quiet mornings.

Bliss...