Almost any English gangster movie starting with Michael Cain in "The Italian Job" and "Get Carter". |
I recently saw "Eight Below" and the "The Pink Panther" and enjoyed both of them. Also liked "Stealth" (eventhough the critics shot it down). |
Downfall. When I was growing up, everyone and especially Hollywood speculated on, hyperbolized about, and mythologized events surrounding the end of the Reich and in particular Hitler's 'mysterious' death. This movie, which has as one of its sources the woman who was Hitler's secretary, presents us with (what I now believe) is the true story of that time and events in almost documentary fashion and for me closes the door on the big question, "How did Hitler meet his end?"
Wedding Crashers for comedy - And I don't know if Vince Vaughn is a bettor actor than funshine bear but he beats Papa Smurf all to hell. |
A Very Long engagement and Downfall. Both foreign and both amazing. |
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Boa2, just saw Sympathy for Lady Vengeance yesterday, the third and last of the trilogy. Very good again. The twist that occurs 3/4 into the movie is brilliant and explores the emotion and idea of real vengeance in all of us most effectively. |
Henry,
"Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" was outstanding. Just when I thought it was a simple film, it went deep!
I really liked "Swimming Pool" as well. |
"Syriana" was very good. Better than "Traffic" in my opinion. Personally, I can't wait to see "The New World" and "Miami Vice," as Terrence Malick and Michael Mann are two of my favorite directors. |
The best films I've see in the last two years were both on video and they date back to 1944 and 1947.
"The Curse of the Cat People" (1944). Don't be fooled by the cheesy title. This is one of the masterpieces from the originator of the psychological horror film, Val Lewton. Co-directed by Robert Wise (his first directorial effort), this is a sensitive story of a lonely child and her imaginary friend in the world of uncomprehending adults.
"Black Narcissus" (1947). By the great British director, Michael Powell, this early Technicolor drama is still considered by many to be the ultimate in color photography.
A melodrama about a group of Anglican nuns sent to a remote mountain area in India where the mysterious locale and native population prove too exotic; resulting in an unraveling of mission and morality. Great performances by all: especially Deborah Kerr as the Mother Superiore fighting back passion and memory and Kathleen Byron as the insane Sister Ruth who succumbs to it.
Also, seen as a metaphor for the British experience in India where customs and expectations collided with a wholly different culture. Perhaps, the American experience in Iraq will prove similiar?
Anyway, these are both a must-see. Newly remastered "Curse..." is available as a single disc or in the terrific Val Lewton box set. "Black Narcissus" is a Criterion disc which guarantees the highest quality. |
I say Oldboy, thanks to all the above speak of it, it was definitely worth watching!!! A little unbeleivable, and a generally sick plot with loads of good violence... I highly enjoyed it and can see why Quentin wouldn't produce it! It would likely have been banned in the states. |
By the way Boa2...if want, DVDs available on all cited...see DVDAsian.com |
Sure Boa2. Any time. There has been a revolution Korean film over recent years...not all great but some really worth seeing. The same director Kang also had a huge hit with film called "JSA" ...not revenge but more of a human drama regarding the North-South Korea divide. Its basically some soldiers bonding despite their differences but politics come in ruin the warming....other Korean films worth checking out are
Shiri- love story, North-South Korea divide, terrorism, tear jerker...the one that started the whole movement
Silmido - based on a real event, a massacre motivated by political cover up
Oasis - tear jerker love story about one who is physically challenged and a criminal...awared best actress in 02 Venice Film Festival
Memories of Murder - mystery based in Korea in the 70s: also about new Western "scientific" method investigating vs old tradtinal Korean bully-style
RPoint: a horror story based in the Vietnam war
Friend : a story about friendship from childhood to death among gangsters in the 70s |
'Hotel Rwanda' is a great movie also.
Watched 'Polar Express' a couple of days ago, another great film, destined to become a family classic.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned 'Life Aquatic,' again not your average comedy. A great story with some of the best characters to grace any movie in years.
Boa2, I will definately watch 'How to Get Ahead in Advertising.' If it's half as good as 'Withnail' I'll enjoy it immensely.
Great post -it proves there is life beyond audio... |
Henry,
I've just put "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" (#1) in my Netflix queue, and the next one (coming soon) in the trilogy is "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance." Can't wait! Thanks for letting us know. |
Henry,
Thanks so much for letting us in on the trilogy info. I'll have to see the others. And to answer your question, I'm an awful dancer.
Fotis_k, I've seen "Withnail and I" many times. Fantastic movie, in my opinion. Richard Grant, the lead actor, was also in another excellent movie called "How to Get Ahead in Advertising". Off the wall story about an advertising exec who grows a cyst that starts talking to him.
Another memorable film from the past two years was "Nowhere in Africa", a German film about a Jewish couple who move with their daughter to Africa to wait out the holocaust. |
Ok, it's not a new movie, but one of the best movies I believe I'll ever watch and certainly have watched in the last two years is 'Withnail and I.' Darker British humour, and an absolute favorite. It's about two starving, substance abusing actors who go to the English country for a weekend of quiet. It's not slapstick, but rather intelligent humor. An absoluts classic and also on the Criterion list.
If anyone else has heard of it, I'd be curious as to your thoughts. |
Yes indeed BOA2...by the way did you know a vry popular (in Korea, Japan and increasingly rest of Asia) Korean singer (I think she is about 19) in the Brittney Spears mold...her name is also BOA? Can u dance?
Old Boy is middle movie of a trilogy of revenge theme movies by the same director: its the best one of the lot but the other two are pretty good too...the first was Sympathy for the Devil (but has nothing to do w/ the Stones) and the other I think was titled the Revenge of Ms Lee or something. Saw the first one which was quite good. |
Doug,
If you don't mention Sponge Bob, your daughter's gonna make you pay! |
Dora the Explorer's Halloween Special
Robots
Bambi
The Care Bears Movie
oh, and my wife and I saw Wedding Crashers. Vince Vaughn is a much better actor than funshine bear. |
Henry,
We just saw "Old Boy" yesterday. What a fantastic film! A little gruesome at times, but that's what the MUTE button is for, right? |
not sure if it was 2 or 3 yrs ago but Waking Life and Old Boy...u have to see them'
Waking Life by Richard Linklater: animation over real "life" images: philosophy, humor, nonesense, curious
Old Boy: A Korean movie that Quentin Tarantino loves and would not have the guts to make. brillian revenge story |
Wow, no votes for Crash? In terms of ensemble acting and intensity, I rate it more highly than any other film I've seen this year. Cheadle, Bullock, Dillon and Fraser all gave stellar performances (a first for Fraser), and the actor that played the Mexican repairman (don't recalll his name) was fabulous. My wife left finger-nail marks on the armrest she was gripping it so hard during parts.
We also liked Million Dollar Baby, but man, the ending was brutal.
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1. LOTR: Return of the King. Totally awesome.
2. Hero. Beautiful visuals, story, & action sequences. Maybe kind of hard to understand for some westerner's POV, tho.
3. House of Flying Daggers. What a beautiful movie. Absolute eye candy.
4. Infernal Affairs 1 & 2: gritty story & great directing. Part 2 especially reminds me a lot of Michael Mann's Heat. Still waiting for the 3rd from NetFlix.
5. Batman Begins: this is the best Batman movie ever made. Christian Bale made a good Bruce Wayne AND Batman. Unlike George Clooney (WTF was up with that???).
6. The Incredibles.
7. Finding Nemo. I know it's > 2 years, but still watch it again and again on DVD. Very beautiful and funny.
8. Kungfu Hustler. Side-splitting funny and totally made no sense, only Stephen Chow could come up w/ sth like this.
9. 13 Going on 30. The only chick movie I like so far. |
Some of my favorites:
A Very Long Engagement (French. Texture and beauty off the charts)
Station Agent (Excellent film)
Me and You and Everyone We Know (Outstanding script, etc.)
Vera Drake (Best actress maybe ever, dark, brooding film)
Paper Clips (documentary about the power of humanity)
Maria Full of Grace (Columbian - a must see)
Hero (Jet Li - like a pastel ballet)
Finding Neverland (Once again, Johnny Depp reigns)
City of God (Brazilian masterpiece)
Lost in Translation (Perfect acting, pacing, direction...)
Intimate Strangers (French - No fuss drama, with characters you love)
The Closet (French - Very funny comedy)
Swimming Pool (Great story, and always superb Charlotte Rampling)
Garden State (Funny, moving, great music...)
Before Sunset (one of the best love stories ever)
Control Room (excellent pictorial on journalistic spin tactics)
School of Rock (want to have fun?)
Transporter 2 (Caught you! I saw it twice.) |
Weather Man was a dissapointment.
Capote was good but a little tedious at times.
Sin City was awesome.
Saw March of the Penguis and my boss said that "on a scale of 1-10 for cuteness, baby penguins are an eleven." |
I lost interest in "holleywood" - I used to have a HT setup and now it's just 2 channel music. I'm unimpressed with the lack of anything but the old cookie cutter story and special effects with political statements and advertising in the movie. I'd rather read a book, or see a classic (when they still had imagination). |
My votes are Ju-On and Fraility. LOTR also deserves a mention. |
While I can't and wouldn't disagree with anyone that is put off by the content, I would have to list Sin City as one of the best films of the last two years in regards to innovative visuals.
At the other end of the spectrum my wife and I loved March of the Penquins and Step into Liquid. |
Recently saw "The Weatherman" with Nick Cage. Serious waste of time & money. |
Bowbow,
One of the things I really like about Audiogon is the lack of POLITICAL discussion. We get enough of it everywhere else and it gets very tiresome. |
Both of these are foriegn and I don't want to come across as pretentious. They both are war movies that are amazing. The first, "A very Long Engagement", has WW1 as the backdrop. Killer story and great camera work. The second is a German film called "Downfall" which is about the last days of Hitler before Berlin fell to the Red Army. Chilling. I picked both of these up at my local video/dvd store. |
While Clooney is a little left of the left sometimes I think that defending the conservative monolith is beating a dead and half gimp pony to glue. The Republicans control damn near everything. There is such thing as a sore winner. Is victory as relished when taken without opposition? Do conservatives really want a single party state?
If "the conservative" feels a little persecuted at this point I am sorry. If you could please ask Rush not to chase me with a flaming stick I promise not to high-jack any more threads.
Politics aside I think we can all agree to dislike all things Pauly Shore. |
Is Capote good? I think the local theater is getting it soon. Has anyone seen the new Bill Murray movie (Broken Flowers, I think)? |
Good Night and Good Luck was very interesting.
McCarthy tried to criminalize political thought he did not agree with.
What is interesting about it, is this is exactly what liberals are trying to do the conservative today. And this time the media in on the wrong side. |
I agree with a lot of the above.
Lord of the Rings (the whole trilogy); Million Dollar Baby; Ray; Lost in Translation.
Also check out: Downfall; The third Harry Potter Movie; Fever Pitch; The Aviator; Seabiscuit.
I did not like Closer at all. Thought is was much to do about nothing. Did not care what happened to any of the characters. The story just went around in circles. Just some really good acting, except for Jude Law who is overrated. |
Have to agree with: Lord of the Rings - Return of the King
Didn't see any of the LOTR movies when originally released, but at urging of brother in law rented "return" and was just blown away. Was expecting some silly cartoonish children's movie, nothing could be further from the truth. Immediately went out and purchased extended wide screen versions of LOTR trilogy!
Besides 3 great movies loved watching the additional historical background, special effects, building sets etc featurettes on bonus DVD
This movie deserved the huge number of oscars it received, don't know how Peter Jackson will ever top this! (surely not his new Kong movie) |
Saw to exception films yesterday. "Good Night and Good Luck" and "Capote". |
Closer and Lost in Translation come to mind. |
Watched Turtles Can Fly this week. Filmed in Iraq, it follows a group of refugee children who live off of clearing and selling land mines. Tough movie to watch at times but very good.
Also saw Good Night and Good Luck this week. Quality flick from Clooney that will make you forgive him for Batman (almost). Black and white with lots of great original footage from the McCarthy years. Makes you want to string up McCarthy all over again. |
Lord of the Rings part 3 :-) |
The best movie that came out recently is "million dollar baby"
Normally I dislike Clint Eastwood flic's but he hit a true home run with this one!
Ray is another must see |
