[lumi]

I saw Syriana today, and here are my thoughts:

The trailer gives a fairly good idea of what to expect in terms of subject matter, but the pacing is not the same. Think of Traffic, but more drawn out. It was boring, and at some points I felt like I paid to sit around doing nothing. I don't have anything against slow movies, but I didn't feel any connection to the characters, so I wasn't interested. I could never remember which of the old guys was which, and some of their dealings I didn't understand at all.

The movie was done the same way as Traffic, so there are different stories part of a larger whole. A couple of them I actually did like. The movie had a good ending, and some of the issues brought up were nice. But as a whole, it was too long and boring.

And if the trailers are the same for everyone, they suck ass. Don't see this at a theater. Renting it or watching it on TV would be good enough.

[lumi]

One thing I forgot to mention is that the parts in the Middle East are good. The two stories there that I liked were sad and gave a good perspective from their side. The movies worth watching for that and the ending, but like I said above, not in a theater.

[Kolzig]

I saw Turner & Hooch yesterday.

[Ninth]

I saw "Three Times", by Hou Hsio Hsien (taiwanese, I believe).

That's three love stories set at three different times, the first in 1966, the second in 1911, and the last in 2005. The lovers are the same each time, but apart from this, each story is completely different from the other, each of them reflecting its time's conception of love. Of course, the way each story is filmed differs a lot depending on the time, and each atmosphere is unique.

To make a long story short; it's a great movie, and Hou Hsiao Hsien didn't disappoint me, after the almost as great Cafe Lumière (sorry, don't know the english name, it was HHH's last movie, in homage to Ozu), the magnificient "Les fleurs de Shangai" ("The flowers of Shangai", I'd guess), and a bunch of other gems.

[Gknight]

I saw the movie March of the Penguins. They have one of the most unique rituals for having a baby in one of the harshest enviroments.

[Karmillo]

Just seen the "new" Harry Potter, mainly cause we turned up not knowing what was on and there wasnt anything else on for another hour...


Dam that ending was cruel

[RLacey]

I've just finished watching Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera on DVD (a Christmas present from my brother).

I have some mixed feelings. In some respects I loved it - I'm not a great fan of Lloyd Webber's music, and yet love the main themes from Phantom, while Joel Schumacher turned in some clever directing (!) and the acting is better than I'd been led to believe.

On the other hand, watching the film reminds me how useless the music at the end is - the sheer number of theme repetitions begins to wear after a while - and the direction seems to become less interesting as the film goes along. I also felt that there were about three too many black-and-white scenes.

I notice that the MetaCritic score for this is 40, but I wouldn't take too much notice of that. Essentially, and looking at the reviews listed there confirms this somewhat, people who liked the musical will like the film and people who didn't won't. I fall into the former category, and so enjoyed it, though it was feeling like a guilty pleasure by the end.

[Melanie68]

I saw Walk the Line yesterday with my Mom. Incredible film. Johnny Cash has always fascinated me and it looked at his life up until he married June Carter. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon (who looked fantastic as June Carter) both did their own singing which was superb.

I'll be seeing King Kong tonight with my Dad.

[RLacey]

My copy of Twelve Monkeys arrived today, so I might finally get around to watching it soon. I've heard good things, and it is by Mr Gilliam, but who knows...

[Ninth]

Aha, good to see this thread bumped...

So I saw...

Narnia. Not bad, even poetic in parts, but too mellow in others to warrant much enthousiasm on my part. And most of the kids can't play.

Where the truth lies. That's Atom Egoyan's last movie, and I'm a big fan of his (Exotica is one of my all time favorites).
Well, this one is closer to Exotica than to his other movies (the ones I've seen, that is : Felicia's journey and the one about the bus accident), so I loved it.
Not much of a story, but great characters, and a classy, warm, sexy, even steamy atmosphere.

[Dasilva]

I saw Narbia a week ago and you can count on me to get it on DVD, great film!

[AFGNCAAP]

Originally Posted by Ninth

the one about the bus accident

Sweet Hereafter, the only Egoyan's I've seen so far. Didn't captivate me at all, I'm afraid.


Recently seen: Pride and Prejudice. First Jane Austen adaptation I honestly liked. Mainly because quite a few very cinematic sequences were added (but just so many as not to spoil the old-fashioned-romance feel the novel's fan might expect) and the cast delivers their previctorian dialogues naturally and effortlessly. Especially Keira Knightley in the lead is charming beyond words. (almost as much as the person I've been to the cinema with )

[Sage]

@ Melanie68- I've heard that Ms. Witherspoon's portayal of June Carter (Cash) is a great deal more polished and glamourous than Ms. Carter ever was in real life from a number of people who were fans of the Carter Family gospel group way back when. Perhaps this was a conscious choice on the part of the director, as portraying Ms. Carter the way Mr. Cash saw her rather than the way she actually was would have served the story better. Either way, I want to see this film.

@ RLacey- You are gonna LOVE 12 Monkeys! I didn't take Brad Pitt seriously as an actor until I saw him in that movie...he plays crazy very well!

[Ninth]

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

Sweet Hereafter, the only Egoyan's I've seen so far. Didn't captivate me at all, I'm afraid.

What can I say... On one hand, Sweet Hereafter and Where the truth lies have almost nothing in common, but on the other hand, I loved Sweet Hereafter. So I can't really say: go and see this one, it's much better.
Egoyan has it's own style, and I know of many people who don't like it.

[Maquisard]

Originally Posted by Thrift Store Scott

@ RLacey- You are gonna LOVE 12 Monkeys! I didn't take Brad Pitt seriously as an actor until I saw him in that movie...he plays crazy very well!

I stopped taking him seriously after I saw Troy.

Most recently, I saw Munich in the theaters. Amazing movie.

Before that, my most notable recent rental was 28 days later, the best zombie flick ever made, imo.

[Maquisard]

Originally Posted by Spider Crusoe

I saw Syriana today, and here are my thoughts:

The trailer gives a fairly good idea of what to expect in terms of subject matter, but the pacing is not the same. Think of Traffic, but more drawn out. It was boring, and at some points I felt like I paid to sit around doing nothing.

On a more positive note, Dr. Bashir's in it.

[Lucien21]

Originally Posted by Mares

Before that, my most notable recent rental was 28 days later, the best zombie flick ever made, imo.

Hmmmm idea for a thread maybe

[Maquisard]

Glad I could be of service.

[pinkgothic]

Originally Posted by RLacey

My copy of Twelve Monkeys arrived today, so I might finally get around to watching it soon. I've heard good things, and it is by Mr Gilliam, but who knows...

Ooh. Twelve Monkeys is one of my favorite movies ever. I like gritty realism (well... as realistic as timetravel can be...).

[Tobbe]

I saw a great horror movie, The Creep..