Resurrecting the Movies thread...

[belbbmfan]

As far as I can see, noone has mentioned "Little Miss Sunshine". Saw it yesterday and it is a truly wonderful film! All the cast is exceptional and there's lots of poetry!

j. U. d. E.

Yes! i saw it too last week and loved it. It was funny and very moving. Great film.

hey Jude! Good to see you again! Happy New Year! 

[Front-Ranger]

I also saw it recently, but I guess I missed the poetry?? Can you refresh my memory??

Maybe join us for the full moon chat later on and discuss it??

[MaineWriter]

I saw Little Miss Sunshine a week or two ago on DVD and enjoyed it.

As for the overrated movies list, I would take The Red Shoes off. I have always loved that movie and the dancing is spectacular.

Some of the others...Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind...seem overexposed to us now, but we have to remember the time and context in which they were made.

I definitely agree on American Beauty and Monster's Ball, though.

L

[ednbarby]

I didn't think Moonstruck was all that overrated.  Not a *great* movie, but then it wasn't touted to be.

TOTALLY agree on A Beautiful Mind.  That was SO not even a good movie.  What a bunch of crap.  And of course it won the Oscar.   

I really enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine.  At the time I saw it in the middle of last year, I thought it was overrated.  But now I look back on the year and realize it was one of the best five or so movies I saw in the theater.

Was it a crap movie year, or is it just me?

Of all the movies I saw, these are the ones I liked the best, in order, with my Barb-O-Meter rating following:

The Departed - 8 1/2
The Queen - 8
Little Miss Sunshine - 8
Casino Royale - 8
The Illusionist - 7 1/2
The Fountain - 7

Crap.  I can't think of any other good ones.  I haven't seen The Pursuit of Happyness, Dreamgirls, or Babel yet, though.  And I'm hoping Notes on a Scandal will be good.  I'm sure Judi Dench's performance alone will be worth the price of admission.  That opens here this weekend.

[MaineWriter]

I posted on another thread that I thought it was a lousy year for movies, so you are not alone, Barb.

I saw the first three on your list and would agree with your ratings, although I think The Departed is a consolation prize for Scorcese. I liked GoodFellas better and thought it was a better movie.

Other things I saw this year: Prairie Home Companion (yawn); The Devil Wears Prada (good for a few laughs but I felt like Anne Hathaway was reprising her role from The Princess Diaries); Candy (Heath is great, the movie is depressing). I liked The Prestige ALOT. I'd give it an 8.5. I am surprised more people aren't talking about it.

L

[ednbarby]

I liked The Prestige, but Christian Bale leaves me cold as an actor.  He's another one like Mark Wahlberg that has little to no light in his eyes.  I feel like he's always behind a curtain, you know?  The only thing I've ever liked Wahlberg in was The Departed, and he wasn't only good, he stole the damned thing.  It's like someone turned on the light inside of him.  Scorsese, maybe?  I don't know, but he was brilliant.  Couldn't stand him in Invincible - I spent the entire movie imagining how much better it would be with someone - ANYONE - else playing Vince Papale.  When they showed the real Vince at the end, he blew Wahlberg off the screen.

But I digress.  The Prestige was very good, but again, I'd have liked it better with someone with a tad more (or some) charisma playing Bale's part.  Sorry, Christian fans.

[MaineWriter]

Ha ha, I guess I was too busy be mesmerized by Hugh in The Prestige to pay too much attention to Christian. I am not all that familiar with him, anyway (but isn't he going to be Batman to Heath's Joker?)

As for Mark Wahlberg, I agree...I have never cared for him, since Boogie Nights (another overrated movie, IMO). But he absolutely stole the show in The Departed. I didn't realize who the actor was until the credits rolled and my jaw dropped open.

Leslie

[ednbarby]

Yep, Christian Bale was Batman in "Batman Begins" and will be again opposite Heath.  Didn't much like the former in that one, either.  I think what bugs me about him is that he played Laurie in "Little Women" and didn't live up to the decades-long vision I'd had (and carried close in my heart) of that character.  He looked the part, but again there was no light in his eyes.  And don't even get me started about Winona Ryder playing Jo.   

[ednbarby]

I have *got* to see United 93.  Just put it on the top of my Netflix queue.  Dammit.

Of all the ones I've seen, I liked The Departed the most, but I haven't seen the above, Little Children, or Letters From Iwo Jima yet.  I think those are gonna be great.

[Lynne]

I have *got* to see United 93.  Just put it on the top of my Netflix queue.  Dammit.

Of all the ones I've seen, I liked The Departed the most, but I haven't seen the above, Little Children, or Letters From Iwo Jima yet.  I think those are gonna be great.

I've missed The Departed in the theatre and I really wanted to see it, thanks in large part to the good things you had to say about it, Barb.  See Babel if you get a chance - it's highly decent and nice to watch/hear Rodrigo and Prieto together.