Author Topic: Resurrecting the Movies thread...  (Read 1025787 times)

Offline delalluvia

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Re: Resurrecting the Movies thread...
« Reply #1150 on: November 30, 2008, 03:59:01 pm »
I remember seeing a short interview with Rob Morrow over something he was either directing or co-starring in - I forget what, but it wasn't Quiz Show - and they asked him about Northern Exposure and asked about his relationship with Janine Turner.  Rumor had it she had become angry with him when he abandoned the show for the movie career that didn't exactly pan out.  The interviewer didn't mention any of that, but asked him about his relationship with her and Morrow was very gracious, saying how caring she was in particular and even at the last turned to the camera and said, "I miss you.  Call me."

I loved Northern Exposure.  I even have pictures of "Cicely, Alaska".  A friend of my sister traveled to the northwestern town where it was filmed and took pictures of the street, the cafe and Dr. Fleischman's office front.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Resurrecting the Movies thread...
« Reply #1151 on: November 30, 2008, 04:28:36 pm »
Thanks for that anecdote, Del. I'm glad to hear it, because somewhere along the way I read that Rob Morrow was kind of a jerk, and that idea stuck with me, perhaps even as an explanation of why his career went downhill. I can't remember the source, and it might not have been particularly reliable. Damn entertainment press! Thankfully, now I have a better impression of Rob Morrow as an actor and a human being.


Offline Monika

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Re: Resurrecting the Movies thread...
« Reply #1152 on: November 30, 2008, 06:37:52 pm »
:laugh:

I felt similarly about TWILIGHT the book, unreadable!  (And no sex!  ;))


No?  damn, that´s the only reason I started reading the second book. Hoping.... ;D

Offline oilgun

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Re: Resurrecting the Movies thread...
« Reply #1153 on: November 30, 2008, 07:45:31 pm »
:laugh: :laugh:

Thank the goddess.  If those two had had sex, I would have had to leave the theatre!

I think 10 Things is the perfect teen movie.

10 Things is a great teen film, I love Ms. Perky! ("Now scoot!")

Today I saw an absolutely wonderful French film:  Un conte de Noël (A Christmas Tale)
Man, I love French films!  It was such a relief to watch a 'Xmas movie' that's completely devoid of sentimentality!
It has a wonderfully intelligent and almost poetic screenplay.  The big name cast is fabulous:  Catherine Deneuve, Melvil Poupaud, Mathieu Almaric (he's been busy lately!), Emmanuelle Devos & Chiara Mastroianni.



Here are a couple of comments from some IMDb happy campers that share my feelings about this brilliant film:

From Michael Fargo -SF: It just doesn't get much better than this for fans of movie-making…or fans of music, art, literature, philosophy…even algebra? Arnaud Desplechin uses Robert Altman's impressionistic approach to film-making taking multiple characters, plots lines then adding Altman's playfulness with cinematic technique to dazzle the viewer with a rich mix of ideas and allusions. Watching, you just don't want it to end.

The actors here—as in Altman—take center stage. Catherine Deneuve is the reluctant matriarch of some pretty messed-up siblings. We aren't ever clued in on the exact details of the rifts and jealousies. We just recognize them from our own family experiences. During an introduction to the cast of characters at the beginning of the film, the death of a young infant early in the family's history suggests that interpersonal problems will result, but it can't be the sole reason for the pathologies represented. As in life, it's never a simple thing to find the "reason" for conflict, unhappiness or even joy. We simply have to accept it and make the best of the situations before us. And this film is a wonderful demonstration of making the best of a real mess.

There's not a weak link in the cast. And as the bizarre begin to assemble for a very strange Christmas homecoming the delight we feel for being onlookers instead of participants is palpable in the audience.

I should warn that this is not a film in the tradition of Home Alone or A Christmas Story. You may wait a long time for the Baby Jesus to arrive here (as the children on the screen do). It's more a film about family life and the peculiar kind of fulfillment we get from the strife that results. As with the "ghost wolf" in this family's basement, we're haunted by the familiar and the strange: it's both fearful and thrilling to see. And that's a very admirable accomplishment for Arnaud Desplechin.




From: emeiserloh from United States - Another brilliant French film.  This one, however, is not for everyone. Most people will probably not only have trouble with its length, but its style, as well.  Both as wild as it is imaginative, this film is like a post-modern jazz score, mixing elements from a variety of cinematic styles that are jarring (at times), but always interesting to behold. And as long as the film is, it always keeps moving and changing before our very eyes. What makes its odd stylistic combinations work is the compelling depths of its explorations into family and the bonds the unite, or divide us. Like and The Royal Tennenbaums, with a nouvelle vague twist, the film is not only full of odd combinations of image and music, but seems to jump from one film to another from scene to scene, as if each character or emotional quality (from light comedy to serious drama) were each receiving its own rendering. At times, the characters turn and speak directly to the camera. The filmmaker also intercedes by providing chapter headings and keyhole views, but, somehow, what could have become a cacophony of chaos, turns into a wonderment of cinema that any real cinephile will be amazed to behold and want to experience again....

Easily 4 stars, maybe even 4-1/2 out of 5!





Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Resurrecting the Movies thread...
« Reply #1154 on: December 01, 2008, 12:24:53 am »

Today I saw an absolutely wonderful French film:  Un conte de Noël (A Christmas Tale)
Man, I love French films!  It was such a relief to watch a 'Xmas movie' that's completely devoid of sentimentality!
It has a wonderfully intelligent and almost poetic screenplay.  The big name cast is fabulous:  Catherine Deneuve, Melvil Poupaud, Mathieu Almaric (he's been busy lately!), Emmanuelle Devos & Chiara Mastroianni.










Oilgun: I loved it, too. Gorgeous. (And not a bad weekend, no? A Christmas Tale, Milk, and Slumdog Millionaire. Not shabby at all!)

Deneuve is--Deneuve. Brilliant. Daughter Chiara Mastroianni is getting better and better (and more and more beautiful) by the minute. Mathieu Almaric is wonderful, fantastic, even when in nonsense like La question humaine (2007).

And, oh yes--Melvil Poupaud.

WOOF!

I love French movies, too--even all those French Christmas movies that can be so silly (Except for La Bûche (1999), which was silly, but good).

Thanks for posting!
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Offline oilgun

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Re: Resurrecting the Movies thread...
« Reply #1155 on: December 01, 2008, 12:04:42 pm »

Oilgun: I loved it, too. Gorgeous. (And not a bad weekend, no? A Christmas Tale, Milk, and Slumdog Millionaire. Not shabby at all!)

Deneuve is--Deneuve. Brilliant. Daughter Chiara Mastroianni is getting better and better (and more and more beautiful) by the minute. Mathieu Almaric is wonderful, fantastic, even when in nonsense like La question humaine (2007).

And, oh yes--Melvil Poupaud.

WOOF!

I love French movies, too--even all those French Christmas movies that can be so silly (Except for La Bûche (1999), which was silly, but good).

Thanks for posting!

Then you must have seen LE TEMPS QUI RESTE (2005 ) (Time to Leave).  That's when I first noticed the gorgeous M. Poupaud.  It's an excellent Ozon film that also stars Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (the good Bruni  ;) ).  http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews24/time_to_leave.htm



Unlike you guys, I only had a two day weekend so I decided to hold off on  SLUMDOG MILLIONNAIRE, prefering to add my bum to the opening weekend tally of MILK and A CHRISTMAS TALE.  I'll catch it this weekend along with RACHEL GETTING MARRIED.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Resurrecting the Movies thread...
« Reply #1156 on: December 01, 2008, 12:47:32 pm »
I saw the trailer of Un conte de Noël and thought it looked good. Kind of like The Royal Tennenbaums, though maybe less self-consciously cutely quirky (the one flaw in TRT, which I otherwise love). I'm looking forward to it.

And as I thought of that, I realized I had seen the trailer when I saw Rachel Getting Married, which I forgot to report on here! I liked it. I thought Anne Hathaway was simply amazing, and of course everyone else in the cast was good, too. (I think Elle mentioned Anna Deveare Smith, whose part was too small -- I like her, too, and wish she'd get bigger roles.) It was an interesting glimpse into the dynamics of a complicated, confused, dysfunctional yet loving (and incredibly hip!) family.

My one quibble was that there were a few parts I thought were, well, boring. There are some Jonathan Demme-esque stretches of music and dancing that seemed way too long to me. Others might find them entertaining, though.



Offline MaineWriter

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Re: Resurrecting the Movies thread...
« Reply #1157 on: December 01, 2008, 01:05:52 pm »
I am looking forward to Milk but it is only on 36 screens at present and none of them are in Maine. A few more weeks til the wide release.

My holiday movie viewing was to go to the opening day of Australia, which I enjoyed very much. My non-spoiler review is on the Hugh, Hugh, Hugh thread along with pictures and lots of other info.

At Australia, they showed the trailer for Valkyrie which looks absolutely dreadful, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which looks good. I was curious about the latter so I downloaded the short story (by F. Scott Fitzgerald) and read it on my Kindle. If anyone else is interested, you can find it (for free) at www.feedbooks.com. You don't have to have a Kindle, either.


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Offline Ellemeno

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Re: Resurrecting the Movies thread...
« Reply #1158 on: December 01, 2008, 01:12:38 pm »
I love Northern Exposure too.  And I also have made the pilgrimage to Roslyn, Washington, where it was filmed.

Last night, I saw Rachel Getting Married.  Anne Hathaway WAS good, and her character Kym was so amazingly self-absorbed.  One moment of example.  They are all in the kitchen, and wedding food is all around.  A very large rectangular pan of some food is sitting on the counter.  Kym picks up a fork, and digs directly into the center of the pan to take a couple of bites.  :laugh:  I mean who would do that?

One of my favorite characters in that movie was the house.  It was perfect.  And the guy who played the best man was very enjoyable, Mather Zickel.  I looked him up on IMDb, and in his forum they are arguing over whether he looks like George Clooney or not.  So, as John said recently, WOOF!  Anna Deveare Smith and Debra Winger were at their most beautiful too.  Bill Irwin looked like his skin and hair needed some major moisturizing.  It was almost distasteful to look at him at times.  Wonderful actor, but why didn't they spruce him up a bit?

For those who saw the movie, a question.  Not much of a spoiler, but stop reading this post now if you already thought I gave too much away with the middle-of-the-pan anecdote:




























I thought the undiscussed multi-ethnicity of the movie was wonderful.  But did they ever explain why the wedding party was wearing saris and other Indian garb, and why the wedding cake was an enormous Indian elephant?  Did anybody else laugh at this incongruousness?



Offline serious crayons

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Re: Resurrecting the Movies thread...
« Reply #1159 on: December 01, 2008, 02:05:55 pm »
Debra Winger

How could I forget to mention Debra Winger?! She was my main reason for wanting to see the movie. And she was great, though not onscreen nearly enough.

Quote
I thought the undiscussed multi-ethnicity of the movie was wonderful.


Me too. In this family, it seemed almost expected that you marry outside your race.

Quote
But did they ever explain why the wedding party was wearing saris and other Indian garb, and why the wedding cake was an enormous Indian elephant?  Did anybody else laugh at this incongruousness?

I figured that was just Rachel's chosen decor theme, though it didn't really say why. A lot of questions were left unanswered, which was fine with me.

Oh, and Mather Zickel reminded me really strongly of someone, though I don't think it was George Clooney. Antonio Banderas? No, not quite. Hmm ... I'll get back to you.