Resurrecting the Movies thread...

[Kd5000]

Okay I heard from a fellow BROKIE who just bought The Ice Storm - Criterion Collection .  He said the audio commentary featuring Ang Lee and producer-screenwriter James Schamus was excellent and he thoroughly enjoyed listening to what they had to say.  Well at least we know Lee is a talker. I didn't know if he did audio commentary.  Has anyone else see the Criterion version?  It was released on 3/18 so maybe not too many have seen it yet. 

Maybe I should have started a separate thread. I could order it from Amazon.com as I don't think WALMART  carries Criterion stuff.

Maybe there is hope that one day BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN will gets the same high quality treatment that THE ICE STORM received courtesy of Criterion. I'm quite a fan of THE ICE STORM and saw it twice at the theaters.  Probably Criterion released it on account of it's 10th anniversary. Hope we don't have to wait so long. That would mean 2015.

[MaineWriter]

You can also order it direct from Criterion:

http://www.criterion.com/asp/new_releases.asp

It is actually $3 less than the price at amazon.com right now.

L

[oilgun]

You can also order it direct from Criterion:

http://www.criterion.com/asp/new_releases.asp

It is actually $3 less than the price at amazon.com right now.

L

I'm anxiously waiting for my copy from Amazon, another item in my order has delayed the delivery.  Ang Lee also did a commentary for HULK but I haven't listened to it.

[MaineWriter]

Oh wow, I have been waiting for this...the Criterion Edition of "The Landlord" starring Will Ferrell.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/3db471fcea

[serious crayons]

Over the weekend, I re-watched two movies I had liked the first time around.

Juno was still good; I developed even greater appreciation for the secondary performances. Ellen Page is amazing, of course. But Allison Janney, R.K. Simmons and Michael Cera are all great, too. And you know whose performance I found the most touching? Jennifer Garner's! Who knew??

Michael Clayton was even better the second time -- I picked up on a couple of details I'd missed the first time. One thing I really like about that movie is that it's just the right amount of complexity. That is, it's tough enough to keep up with that it exercises your brain (well, mine anyway) but it's never so complex that you can't actually get it. It's one of those movies that unfolds gradually and makes more sense as it goes along, so seeing it a second time, knowing what's to come, was helpful. And there's a key scene involving horses that seemed like kind of a poetic throwaway the first time I saw it. Now I realized that it's actually quite a nice metaphor for the turning point in Michael Clayton's understanding of the situation.

Then we rented August Rush. My 16-year-old niece had wanted to see it, and she seemed to like it pretty well, so it wasn't a total waste of time and money. We were roaming around the video store trying to decide what to get when a lady who worked there just spontaneously burst out with a recommendation of August Rush, saying it's one of her favorite movies of all time. Put it this way: I wouldn't be taking any more recommendations from her. In fact, I'd probably try to find out her least favorite movies of all time, and then rent those.

[oilgun]

Last night I watched ENCHANTED, and actually enjoyed it!
==Spoilers==
I thought James Marsden, as The Prince, stole the show, he was hilarious.  I fast forwarded through a couple of the songs even though they didn't sound as awful as they did at the oscars.  Patrick Dempsey was rather...bland, especially compared to everyone else, and the character of little girl was not well written, she didn't seem to know what to do half the time.   I also thought the ending with the Evil Stepmother turning into a CGI dragon was pretty lame and superfluous. 

[Kd5000]

I like James Marsden and look forward to seeing him work with Jake G in NAILED.   

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1137470/

Last night, (I got it from the library) I watched  THE LAST MAN ON EARTH.   They finally have it on a nice DVD which came out in 2007. No doubt to coincide with the release of I AM LEGEND.    I think  THE OMEGA MAN as the best of the three interpretations of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel I AM LEGEND.   

This version is suppose to be set in Los Angeles, but it was filmed in Rome. I recognized a few of the landmarks as NOT being Southern California so I guess production costs were cheaper in Italy back in 1965.  Many of the actors and actresses were Italian.  Vincent Price is the only star I recognized.  I thought it was a bit silly when he's burying his dog with a stake thru it. He doesn't want his dog to turn into a vampire! Also, some of the voices seem to have been dubbed. Apparently, the actors and actresses spoke English with an Italian accent.  The dubbing isn't terribly apprent, but still noticeable. Other then that, it's a good free rental.

By the way, I really like the DVD cover for THE ICE STORM. So abstract.  I'd like to get another movie poster and don't know if this would go with BBM poster in my room.   I like the movie poster for THE FOUNTAIN as well, but don't know if it would be too out there after awhile.

http://justevolvin.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/the_fountain-poster.jpg

[MaineWriter]

Man, I've been making some really good choices lately! 

Just saw the Romanian film 4 Month, 3 Weeks & 2 Days and I have to agree with the Cannes  jury who awarded it the Palme D'or.  Wow!  It's the type of realist drama that I absolutely love. If you like the work of the Dardennes brothers than this powerful and emotionally complex film is a must. Oustanding! 10/10

I went and saw this yesterday, solely on your recommendation, Gil! I agree with your assessment: "powerful and emotionally complex." It was excellent.

I remember reading your comment and not knowing anything about the movie. Obviously it played in Canada months before it came to the US (Roger Ebert wrote his review on February 7, 2008). I hadn't really thought about it  but in yesterday's paper I saw it was playing at the Nickelodeon. My daughter and I like to go to movies on Friday afternoon, so we chose this.

I went in with very little knowledge of the movie other than it was Romanian and won the Palme d'Or. This is unusual for me as I usually read reviews obsessively beforehand. Not knowing what to expect, I was rather blown away. So much so that I have been actually posting on IMDb this morning! LOL.

I did find myself racking my brain, trying to remember the details of the Cecescau regime (the movie takes place in 1987). The dark, dirty, and grimy feel to everything certainly reinforces the mental image that I have always had about the old Soviet bloc countries. According to some of the Romanians who are posting on IMDb, things have not really changed, despite the fact that the Communists are gone.

I definitely suggest folks seek this out. It is worth seeing and you need to see it in a theater (imo). Many scenes are very dark and on a TV screen they would just look black.

If anyone does want to read I review, I would suggest Ebert's. He wrote the review I would have written, if I was a critic.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080207/REVIEWS/802070302/1023

L

[oilgun]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the film, Leslie!  (Hope that makes up for Lars! ) And thanks for the Ebert link, I hadn't read his review.  It's true what he says about Anamarinca's performance being masterful, she really was amazing!  One of the best performances I've seen in quite some time.

It's another weak new movie weekend.  The only opening film that has received good reviews here is the Australian comedy Kenny, a mockumentary about a porta-potty maintenance guy.  It looks like great fun.  I assume it's opening in the US as well. 

[MaineWriter]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the film, Leslie!  (Hope that makes up for Lars! ) And thanks for the Ebert link, I hadn't read his review.  It's true what he says about Anamarinca's performance being masterful, she really was amazing!  One of the best performances I've seen in quite some time.

It's another weak new movie weekend.  The only opening film that has received good reviews here is the Australian comedy Kenny, a mockumentary about a porta-potty maintenance guy.  It looks like great fun.  I assume it's opening in the US as well. 

Yes, Lars is definitely made up for! LOL.

No mention of Kenny anywhere that I can find...

One of the previews yesterday was for Snow Angels. Do you know anything about that one? It is getting moderately good reviews on rottentomatoes (67% right now). In the preview, there was a familiar face but I couldn't quite place him. Turns out it is Michael Angarano, who played Sid in Lords of Dogtown, which I just watched last Saturday for the Heath Ledger film festival. Duh!

L