What movies did you watch this weekend?
- Thread starter deej
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entmaiden
Super Moderator
I wasn't planning to see this movie, but it was the only movie at my favorite theater. I was really glad I saw it. As a bit of background, I was raised in the cusp of Vatican II Catholicism, which was approximately the same time as this movie was set.
"Doubt" is the story of a struggle between a priest and a nun over authority within a Catholic grammar school. The nun, played by Meryl Streep, is the principal and is accustomed to ruling within an iron hand. The priest, Philip Seymour Hoffman, is one of the more "modern" priests who thinks that the Church needs to be more open and friendly in order to connect with the parishoners. Sister Aloysius is fiercely resistant, and her resistance is the result of many factors - the need for control, her personal disdain for the priest, and her desire to stay within the bounds of the Church she is accustomed to. Father Flynn is equally fierce in his assertion of the authority of a priest and his desire to make the Church more approachable. Father Flynn, however, quickly realizes that Sister Aloysius is a force to be reckoned with and she is willing to go to any length to win.
What's fascinating about this movie is the perspective can change based on the viewer's background and history with the Catholic Church. The screenplay is brilliant in choosing the possible sexual abuse of a student to be the focus of the disagreement between Sister and Father. In today's times, priests have been headline-makers with stories of past and present abuse, but in 1964 it was not nearly so apparent. For non-Catholics, this movie is about the possible abuse, but for many Catholics, it's about the power struggle between the two key players and the portents of change that is about to overtake the Church.
My sisters and I. who attended Catholic grammar schools and know many versions of both Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn, are certain that the abuse never happened and we think the movie is about the power struggle between the priest and the principal, and the struggle for the Church to adopt the ideals of Vatican II. However, some members of the audience who aren't Catholic thought that Father Flynn was guilty of something that he wanted to hide (one person suggested he had a previous affair) and the movie was about the struggle to break the silence of the Church toward abusive behaviour. They saw Sister Aloysius as the heroine, and we saw her as the villain.
One thing I loved about the movie is how right it felt. It was so much like my experience with Catholic schools and the Church as a child, although one of the early scenes was all wrong. Early in the movie, Sister Aloysius was pacing the aisles during Sunday Mass, correcting several students with a whack on the head or an onimous clearing of the throat. There's no way so many students would misbehave in one Mass - we were all too afraid of our parents and of Sister! But I can see how the movie needed to condense several months of bad behavour into one scene. [
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"Doubt" is the story of a struggle between a priest and a nun over authority within a Catholic grammar school. The nun, played by Meryl Streep, is the principal and is accustomed to ruling within an iron hand. The priest, Philip Seymour Hoffman, is one of the more "modern" priests who thinks that the Church needs to be more open and friendly in order to connect with the parishoners. Sister Aloysius is fiercely resistant, and her resistance is the result of many factors - the need for control, her personal disdain for the priest, and her desire to stay within the bounds of the Church she is accustomed to. Father Flynn is equally fierce in his assertion of the authority of a priest and his desire to make the Church more approachable. Father Flynn, however, quickly realizes that Sister Aloysius is a force to be reckoned with and she is willing to go to any length to win.
What's fascinating about this movie is the perspective can change based on the viewer's background and history with the Catholic Church. The screenplay is brilliant in choosing the possible sexual abuse of a student to be the focus of the disagreement between Sister and Father. In today's times, priests have been headline-makers with stories of past and present abuse, but in 1964 it was not nearly so apparent. For non-Catholics, this movie is about the possible abuse, but for many Catholics, it's about the power struggle between the two key players and the portents of change that is about to overtake the Church.
My sisters and I. who attended Catholic grammar schools and know many versions of both Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn, are certain that the abuse never happened and we think the movie is about the power struggle between the priest and the principal, and the struggle for the Church to adopt the ideals of Vatican II. However, some members of the audience who aren't Catholic thought that Father Flynn was guilty of something that he wanted to hide (one person suggested he had a previous affair) and the movie was about the struggle to break the silence of the Church toward abusive behaviour. They saw Sister Aloysius as the heroine, and we saw her as the villain.
One thing I loved about the movie is how right it felt. It was so much like my experience with Catholic schools and the Church as a child, although one of the early scenes was all wrong. Early in the movie, Sister Aloysius was pacing the aisles during Sunday Mass, correcting several students with a whack on the head or an onimous clearing of the throat. There's no way so many students would misbehave in one Mass - we were all too afraid of our parents and of Sister! But I can see how the movie needed to condense several months of bad behavour into one scene. [
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Magpie
Immortal
The movie described as a biographical film about Bob Dylan.
I'm not a Dylan expert but I was completely obsessed (as this magpie often is) with him for about 2-3 years and he's from Minnesota and spent some time in Minneapolis so I know a little bit about him and his life. (and if I wanted to embarrass myself I'd tell you about the time I stumbled across his photo in a wedding photographer's portfolio album at the bridal store I worked for and how I completely spazzed out in fangirl adoration)
I think calling this 'biographical' is pushing it. Maybe in some artistic way the essence of his life is depicted in this film. But the facts aren't.
I often say I enjoy a movie that takes risks and I sometimes enjoy a movie that takes some risks and fails more than one that follows a more familiar, comfortable formula and does not fail. This movie took risks. I basically hated it. I watched an hour, earnestly priming myself to relax and let the film do it's work (since it was clear, almost immediately, that it was not a standard, 'Bound for Glory' type bio pic). I then slept fell asleep for a half an hour... woke up and got all earnest again and then thought, dang... I'm not enjoying this. Do I care how it ends? Does it deserve my attention for another 45 minutes? No.
My husband who is also a big Dylan fan thought better (I sensed only slightly) of it than I. I rated it two stars at Netflix (Didn't Like It) and then changed it to a one star (Hated It). There have only been a handful of movies I would rate this low. I think the film did capture some of the essence of Dylan but it bored me so much in its delivery that I didn't care. And although I was perfectly fine to see Dylan portrayed by different people including a woman and a black child, I think the more analytical, literal minded side of me couldn't accept the fact that they basically made up whole new characters to portray Dylan. So Cate doesn't portray Dylan at a certain age or a certain facet of Dylan ... she portrays Jude Quinn who experiences things that Dylan never experienced. And Richard Gere portrays Billy the Kid who lives in a place and time that Dylan never lived.
I watched the movie Domino (a few years back) which took a creative, artistic approach to telling the story of Domino Harvey. Although I didn't think it was completely successful, I was fascinated by the story and the storytelling style. After watching a little documentary on the story of Domino Harvey, I had an even higher appreciation for how the unconventional style of storytelling had actually conveyed a facet of Domino's personality. I was even moved to defend the film at IMDB's forums by pointing out how the style of the film paid homage to the life and personality of Domino.
I think that's what I'm Not There was trying to do. And I think they succeeded for some people. But for me it all just fell flat. Really, really flat. I'd watch Domino again. I walked away from I'm Not There.
I'm not a Dylan expert but I was completely obsessed (as this magpie often is) with him for about 2-3 years and he's from Minnesota and spent some time in Minneapolis so I know a little bit about him and his life. (and if I wanted to embarrass myself I'd tell you about the time I stumbled across his photo in a wedding photographer's portfolio album at the bridal store I worked for and how I completely spazzed out in fangirl adoration)
I think calling this 'biographical' is pushing it. Maybe in some artistic way the essence of his life is depicted in this film. But the facts aren't.
I often say I enjoy a movie that takes risks and I sometimes enjoy a movie that takes some risks and fails more than one that follows a more familiar, comfortable formula and does not fail. This movie took risks. I basically hated it. I watched an hour, earnestly priming myself to relax and let the film do it's work (since it was clear, almost immediately, that it was not a standard, 'Bound for Glory' type bio pic). I then slept fell asleep for a half an hour... woke up and got all earnest again and then thought, dang... I'm not enjoying this. Do I care how it ends? Does it deserve my attention for another 45 minutes? No.
My husband who is also a big Dylan fan thought better (I sensed only slightly) of it than I. I rated it two stars at Netflix (Didn't Like It) and then changed it to a one star (Hated It). There have only been a handful of movies I would rate this low. I think the film did capture some of the essence of Dylan but it bored me so much in its delivery that I didn't care. And although I was perfectly fine to see Dylan portrayed by different people including a woman and a black child, I think the more analytical, literal minded side of me couldn't accept the fact that they basically made up whole new characters to portray Dylan. So Cate doesn't portray Dylan at a certain age or a certain facet of Dylan ... she portrays Jude Quinn who experiences things that Dylan never experienced. And Richard Gere portrays Billy the Kid who lives in a place and time that Dylan never lived.
I watched the movie Domino (a few years back) which took a creative, artistic approach to telling the story of Domino Harvey. Although I didn't think it was completely successful, I was fascinated by the story and the storytelling style. After watching a little documentary on the story of Domino Harvey, I had an even higher appreciation for how the unconventional style of storytelling had actually conveyed a facet of Domino's personality. I was even moved to defend the film at IMDB's forums by pointing out how the style of the film paid homage to the life and personality of Domino.
I think that's what I'm Not There was trying to do. And I think they succeeded for some people. But for me it all just fell flat. Really, really flat. I'd watch Domino again. I walked away from I'm Not There.
Annael
Immortal
not in 3-D alas, my theater doesn't have the capability. A delightful stop-action animated film. It is very dark at times and feels a lot like a Tim Burton film, but has more humor and a lot more joy. Not for the youngest of kids but those 9 and up would probably love it. The message that your parents love you even when it doesn't always seem like it is sweet.
Magpie
Immortal
I had talked the film up to her which might have been a mistake since preconceptions can sometimes bite you in the butt. Then, it starts out with the sewing which enchanted her instantly since she's a seamstress and loves to sew. But then, in her eyes, the mother who sews... the mother who cares for her child, is there for her, and tends to her needs... is the evil mother. The mother who neglects her child is the good mother.
This coworker was actually quite bothered and offended by this notion. I have to say that we are, in some respects similar (we both like fantasy and science fiction - we both like movies) but in other ways we're quite different (and we can, if we're not careful, have some icky clashes with work duties because of our different styles of communication). So I was instantly trying to be as tactful and respectful as possible so as not to get in one of our cross communication moments. I did see her point and I certainly saw how she was kind of tricked into thinking this was a story that would honor her love of sewing only to find that sewing was a metaphor for... bland conformity?
I tried to offer my take on it (similar to yours in the quote above). I think she saw how that could be the point but I don't think she'll ever accept this 'metaphor'.
Elberbeth
Tol Eressea
of Robin Hood, starring himself, and Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian. I somehow can't see Crowe as Robin, at least not in his current shape, unless this is a mid-life movie, as "Robin and Marian" was with Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn. That one I liked. It might be interesting, depending on the story line, but I haven't heard any more about it.
entmaiden
Super Moderator
My sisers and I had a leisurely lunch on Saturday and the restaurant had "Attack of the Monsters" going in the background. While planning the upcoming wedding for one sister, we were often distracted by the events on-screen. Once, while deep in conversation about where to house our large extended family for the weekend of the wedding, one sister broke off mid-sentence to admire Gamera swing on a bar, achieving multiple turns on the bar. Of course, this was just before Gamera saved the day by driving the evil Guiron head-first (or blade-first) into the ground. Gamera celebrated with a dance that looked remarkably like the same dance he did while trying to extract the star-shaped blade driven into his chest by Guiron. I still can't figure out why Gamera couldn't reach the blade and take it out while dancing, but he was able to accomplish it once he went under water.
I absolutely love the Japanese monster movies, and this was one of the best. I think it was funnier without the audio.
Here's the plot summary from IMDB:
Three children, two boys and a girl, stumble upon a flying saucer. The boys both step in without hesitating, and are whisked away to a planet in Earth's orbit but on the exact opposite side of the Sun. Inhabiting this planet are two women with Midwestern accents, who hypnotize the children to find they fantasize about milk, donuts, and Gamera, our favorite hero turtle. The women simply want to eat their brains. Back home, no one will believe the little girl's story of alien abduction, not even Officer Concha (pronounced "Cornjob"). Finally, Gamera rescues the children while fighting Guiron, a monster with a giant knife for a nose. Gamera kills Guiron while doing gymnastics on a parallel bar and takes the kids home, where the kids hope for peace, understanding, and the end of traffic accidents.
And from Amazon.com
This fourth entry in the Gamera series found the titanic turtle paralleling the cuddly direction of his competitor Godzilla. When two young, star-gazing children investigate a spaceship that has practically landed in their backyard, they are whisked away to Terra, our undiscovered tenth planet whose two "groovy spacegirls" are all that remain of a once-superior alien civilization. But the boys soon discover that their seemingly friendly hosts have sinister plans in mind for them. Never fear, for Gamera comes to save them, flying through space to battle the spacegirls' guardian Guiron, a giant, rhino-like beast possessing a razor-sharp steel blade for a snout. This movie is truly suited for young children, for older kids, and especially for adults will chortle at the unintentional humor arising from the cheesy effects, underplayed roles, and possibly the worst dubbing job in Japanese monster history. Taken as comedy, adults will find this a real camp gem--when the two boys witness Guiron slice 'n' dice a laser-spewing Gaos, one of them proclaims: "What a monster!" --Bryan Reesman
I absolutely love the Japanese monster movies, and this was one of the best. I think it was funnier without the audio.
Here's the plot summary from IMDB:
Three children, two boys and a girl, stumble upon a flying saucer. The boys both step in without hesitating, and are whisked away to a planet in Earth's orbit but on the exact opposite side of the Sun. Inhabiting this planet are two women with Midwestern accents, who hypnotize the children to find they fantasize about milk, donuts, and Gamera, our favorite hero turtle. The women simply want to eat their brains. Back home, no one will believe the little girl's story of alien abduction, not even Officer Concha (pronounced "Cornjob"). Finally, Gamera rescues the children while fighting Guiron, a monster with a giant knife for a nose. Gamera kills Guiron while doing gymnastics on a parallel bar and takes the kids home, where the kids hope for peace, understanding, and the end of traffic accidents.
And from Amazon.com
This fourth entry in the Gamera series found the titanic turtle paralleling the cuddly direction of his competitor Godzilla. When two young, star-gazing children investigate a spaceship that has practically landed in their backyard, they are whisked away to Terra, our undiscovered tenth planet whose two "groovy spacegirls" are all that remain of a once-superior alien civilization. But the boys soon discover that their seemingly friendly hosts have sinister plans in mind for them. Never fear, for Gamera comes to save them, flying through space to battle the spacegirls' guardian Guiron, a giant, rhino-like beast possessing a razor-sharp steel blade for a snout. This movie is truly suited for young children, for older kids, and especially for adults will chortle at the unintentional humor arising from the cheesy effects, underplayed roles, and possibly the worst dubbing job in Japanese monster history. Taken as comedy, adults will find this a real camp gem--when the two boys witness Guiron slice 'n' dice a laser-spewing Gaos, one of them proclaims: "What a monster!" --Bryan Reesman
Magpie
Immortal
It's Korean not Japanese. And it's not as campy as the great Japanese monster movies. And it plays out on a much more personal scale. But I thought it was a terrific movie.
http://www.hostmovie.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Host_(film)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468492/
http://www.hostmovie.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Host_(film)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468492/
Ainu Laire
Tol Eressea
The mother who "cared" for her gave her whatever she wanted- delicious cooked meals, lots of sweets, etc. There is a backstory behind the normal mom that we do not see- she is obviously stressed out with quite a few things (we assume part of it is the dad getting the deal or not), and at the end of the film the stress is gone and she is normal again. The evil mother was not loving Coraline for being Coraline, but rather trying to trick her all along. The "neglectful" one is human; the girl is around 10-11 and can take care of herself when need be, and the mom shows her human, imperfect self in the film. There was also, of course, the lovely little tidbit of her buying the gloves she wanted- thinking about her in a small way, when Coraline is going through a tough move. In the end, the evil mother just reminded me of those horror stories of adults luring children away with candy, puppies, and other nicities. Certainly doesn't mean they care for them. And the sewing thing- well, why would she be angry about an evil character that sews? I've seen a couple evil film characters that paint, but I'm not angry at the film because I love to do art and the villian is an artist.
Kyriel
Grey Havens
And I loved it, though I'm not sure how many movie-firsters will feel the same. This is very definitely a movie made by fans of the graphic novel, for fans of the graphic novel. And while the LotR movies were also made by fans, for fans, PJ took much greater pains than Zack Snyder to make his adaption accessible to the unwashed masses.
At this point I must admit that, while I did love LotR, I am enough of a purist to appreciate the care Snyder took to preserve Alan Moore's vision - and to wish PJ had taken just a bit more care in certain places. For instance, I still haven't completely forgiven him for having Frodo send Sam away on the stairs.
But anyway, back to Watchmen. Malin Akerman and Matthew Goode were woefully miscast, but everyone and everything else were just as wonderful as I'd hoped they would be. I am definitely getting the extended edition DVD the moment it goes on sale!
At this point I must admit that, while I did love LotR, I am enough of a purist to appreciate the care Snyder took to preserve Alan Moore's vision - and to wish PJ had taken just a bit more care in certain places. For instance, I still haven't completely forgiven him for having Frodo send Sam away on the stairs.
But anyway, back to Watchmen. Malin Akerman and Matthew Goode were woefully miscast, but everyone and everything else were just as wonderful as I'd hoped they would be. I am definitely getting the extended edition DVD the moment it goes on sale!
Magpie
Immortal
(I find this really amusing to be 'defending' her because, honestly, she has really ticked me off quite a few times and we maintain a cordial truce of sorts in the workplace)
I think her issue with the sewing was that the act of sewing was almost an evil deed - the doll was a vehicle for evil intentions and sewing the button eyes on would have been the 'death' of Coraline as a vibrant, real person. And I also think it was harder to take because she felt the film was going to treat sewing with some affection - much as she does. So the realization that that's not what was happening came as kind of a blind side.
She did see how one (me) could view the story differently. She didn't argue her point with me (thank goodness, like I said, communication is our big bugaboo). I just found it interesting that she had perceived the story in a much different way than I (and perhaps most of us) did. It's a good example as to how the viewer is not entirely an passive participant in the film experience.
I think her issue with the sewing was that the act of sewing was almost an evil deed - the doll was a vehicle for evil intentions and sewing the button eyes on would have been the 'death' of Coraline as a vibrant, real person. And I also think it was harder to take because she felt the film was going to treat sewing with some affection - much as she does. So the realization that that's not what was happening came as kind of a blind side.
She did see how one (me) could view the story differently. She didn't argue her point with me (thank goodness, like I said, communication is our big bugaboo). I just found it interesting that she had perceived the story in a much different way than I (and perhaps most of us) did. It's a good example as to how the viewer is not entirely an passive participant in the film experience.
One Ringer
Tol Eressea
I watched DD DC with a ocuple of friends on Saturday night. I found it very interesting to watch. The new scenes were great, and a lot of questions were answered, and my eyes were opened to different things. Well enjoyed, that's for sure. [
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Magpie
Immortal
although perhaps it had it's moments, I can't quite remember. I think you cared a lot about the characters and I think it was well done. But it's not the same sort of campy lark to watch that Godzilla is. Can't say much more.
You can stream it on Netflix if you do that sort of thing (Love my streaming Netflix on XBox. When the son moves out, I might have to get me a machine like that.)
You can stream it on Netflix if you do that sort of thing (Love my streaming Netflix on XBox. When the son moves out, I might have to get me a machine like that.)
Donry
Tol Eressea
Clerks II - This is the second time I have seen this movie and I like it. I have to see Clerks and Mallrats, but I have seen Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. I've also seen Kevin Smith (writer, director and Silent Bob) doing a stand-up act. I really, really like his movies. I'm a 35-year old male, who loves Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and collected comics as a kid. I also spent several years as a teenager hanging out at 7-Eleven doing nothing but talking, playing video games, slurpees and Cool Ranch tortilla chips. This was of course what I did every waking minute I wasn't playing hockey, which was most of the time. But I tried to live 'that' life Smith seems to depict in his movies as a teenager, maybe even into my early 20's a bit. I relate quite well to his sound tracks and his stories, as I did grow up about the same time he did. My girlfriend was watching bits and pieces of Clerks II with me, and wasn't that fond of it. A little bit too much of the crass-guy-humour she thought. But she did really find some of it funny. I think she needs to see the whole thing. I'm a big fan of comedies and for years found that most of the comedies out were not good at all, with some exceptions. And I am very pleased the last few years with some of the comedies that are out these days...40-Year Old Virgin was great....and it seems that a few of these actors keep appearing in each other movies which is great imho (for instance, we just last week watched Zach & Miri Make A Porno and two of the actors from Clerks II are in that movie). Anyway, this 'troop' of actors that are making these types of comedies these days (realizing Clerks II has been out a few years now ), are finally making some good ones. I'm not a Ben Stillar fan, so it seemed like all that was out there for a while was Ben Stillar and Owen Wilson films that weren't funny to me at all.
Rush In Rio - We just purchased a nice new HD tv and entertainment system and this concert looks and sounds just amazing. It is RUSH in Rio for the first time in their careers as a band. And they open the show with Tom Sawyer.....!!!! Anyway, I've had it for a while now but had not seen it in HD, and it is just fantastic.
Tragically Hip - That Night in Toronto - Again, wanted to see this concert in fabulous HD. The RUSH disc is a newer concert and it is obviously better quality in HD. But the Hip show is still just brilliant! Filmed at the Air Canada Centre here in Toronto, it is a long, great show from not too many years ago now. With lead singer Gord Downie at his best. I've seen this band live many times and their live show is so much better than the studio product. So being able to watch this band again and again in such a great concert is just amazing.
), are finally making some good ones. I'm not a Ben Stillar fan, so it seemed like all that was out there for a while was Ben Stillar and Owen Wilson films that weren't funny to me at all. Rush In Rio - We just purchased a nice new HD tv and entertainment system and this concert looks and sounds just amazing. It is RUSH in Rio for the first time in their careers as a band. And they open the show with Tom Sawyer.....!!!! Anyway, I've had it for a while now but had not seen it in HD, and it is just fantastic.
Tragically Hip - That Night in Toronto - Again, wanted to see this concert in fabulous HD. The RUSH disc is a newer concert and it is obviously better quality in HD. But the Hip show is still just brilliant! Filmed at the Air Canada Centre here in Toronto, it is a long, great show from not too many years ago now. With lead singer Gord Downie at his best. I've seen this band live many times and their live show is so much better than the studio product. So being able to watch this band again and again in such a great concert is just amazing.
