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Author Topic: Write about the last movie you watched (2006-2010)  (Read 5996170 times)

smirnoff

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #20840 on: October 13, 2009, 04:43:16 PM »

70's Marathon #5:Rosemary's Baby

Rosemary's Baby feels like an anomaly in this marathon. Sure we have the tracking shots and quick cuts, the destructive personalities of the wife and husband, but it's more like the those airport novels of Dan Brown, and not that it's schlocky, but that it's all about one thing. It's all about the conspiracy. Why are all these neighbours and doctors acting so strangely, why is Rosemary feeling awful, and what, what, is going on with this baby? Why do they want her?

Polanski's film is more reminiscent of the films of Von Trier then any of these counter-culture films that have come before in the marathon. The breakdown of Mia Farrow seems pulled straight out of Antichrist(Although, taking into account time and importance of the two films, it would seem more proper to say Antichrist is more reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby, but I digress)

Coming into Rosemary's Baby I had someone say that they were interested to hear my take on the movie and said "I wasn't really scared by it, more disturbed". But you have to go into Rosemary's Baby thinking that way. This is not a scary movie, but a movie that leaves an impression on you. I couldn't let that final moment out of my head.

Polanski's camera starts off flowing. When we first enter the house, it's moving through the house with elegance, floating through it like a dream scape. We later figure out this is more of a nightmare, but the cinematography never loses that dreamlike landscape. But the cinematography stays anonymous, it's never a factor that completely comes into play.

The acting is remarkable. Mia Farrow is so delicate at the start and she gets torn about by the events but never loses that delicate touch she has, which makes her performance all the more devastating. She feels like the exact opposite to Jeanne Morreau in Jules Et Jim, where that character is all personality, Farrow is all about situation, and how her innocent character is exploited. John Cassavetes is suitably strange as the husband, but it's Ruth Gordan who steals the show as the absolutely terrifying next door neighbour(and even Charles Grodin from Midnight Run has a small appearance!)

Verdict: Rosemary's Baby really worked for me. It's a devastating portrait of the disintegration of a woman and the people who exploit her for their own gains. when put like that, Rosemary's Baby can mean so many things.

Grade: A

I think you do the film justice. Good review. I'm confident that if I gave it a second chance, knowing what to expect of it, I would enjoy it much more.

CSSCHNEIDER

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #20841 on: October 13, 2009, 05:42:53 PM »
The Goonies
Dir Richard Donner

Watched an HD copy of this.  Holy God was this beautiful.  I do have a softspot for the rough looking VHS I remember from my childhood, but this was pristine.  Almost too pristine.  Either way I've never seen the Goonies look better.  One of my ten favorite films, and easily the greatest kids movie ever made, its a treasure to behold.  Fun, well scripted, paced within an inch of its life.  Tight, well crafter.  I can only say amazing things about this flick. 

Grade A+
Taste is discerning, not all encompassing.

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roujin

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #20842 on: October 13, 2009, 05:44:08 PM »
I'm waiting for the Latvian remake.

flieger

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #20843 on: October 13, 2009, 06:48:26 PM »
Fantastic, thoughtful review Mononoke! You gave a really good insight into how and why the movie worked for you, which I loved.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #20844 on: October 13, 2009, 08:01:17 PM »
30 Days of Night

I'm waiting for the sequel 40 Days and Nights where vampires kill a family of eight on a boat full of animals in the midst of a world ending storm.

smirnoff

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #20845 on: October 13, 2009, 08:12:23 PM »
2010: The Year We Made Contact

Oddly, this film didn't do it for me at all this go around. The style is so wildly different from the first that I'm thinking maybe it was a mistake to watch them in quick succession.

2001 is a grand, all-encompassing mystery that encourages a person to think deeply, and about many things. 2010 by contrast is highly focused. A conventional drama about men in space. There's nothing wrong with that per se, except that in this case I didn't find the drama to be compelling.

In my mind the stakes should be raised with a sequel, but here I didn't think that they were. I plan to read the books sometime down the road. I'll be interested to see how they compare to the movies, and also where they go with the story in 2061 and 3001.

2/4

Fugee

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #20846 on: October 13, 2009, 09:15:53 PM »
Year One - You know a movie is bad when the outtakes played during the credits are more amusing than the film itself. Cera caused me to chuckle a couple of times.. and he kissed a girl. Other than that, I wish I hadn't seen this movie.

Bill Thompson

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #20847 on: October 13, 2009, 10:26:09 PM »
Gwoemul (The Host, 2006) **1/2
http://billsmovieemporium.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/review-gwoemul-the-host-2006/

I was very disappointed by this one. The first hour was really good, consistently funny and off the wall in ways that I enjoyed. Then it tried to switch genres and tone, turning into four different movies in the final hour, four different movies that never came together for a cohesive experience. I was looking forward to this one, but after the first hour it's such a let down.

CSSCHNEIDER

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #20848 on: October 13, 2009, 10:29:44 PM »
I had a very similar feeling, though very little in the film worked for me.  I was disappointed pretty quickly when the awesome chase scene started pulling punches by having everyone killed off screen or behind obstructions.  When I realized the film was going to pull punches I couldn't connect with it since I never felt anyone important was really in danger, and that's the whole crux of the film.
Taste is discerning, not all encompassing.

It's Not What You're Like, It's What You Like

Know the Difference Between Arts and Crafts

"Pain is Temporary, Film is Forever..." --John Milius

Winner! BFCS Iconoclast Award 2007

smirnoff

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #20849 on: October 13, 2009, 10:34:34 PM »
I would certainly agree that it starts off much stronger than it finishes.

 

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