[sdedalus]

This is a thread that I've seen and participated in on other boards, and is always interesting (at least to me).  My memory is really, really bad (thanks to college), so something like this I find really useful.  I keep a record like this at my blog (linked below), but it's only updated every couple of weeks (usually a dozen movies at a time) and I'd be interested in seeing what the rest of you filmspotters are watching.  So, hopefully, this catches on.


I've watched two movies so far today.

The Hurricane - Part of the 6 movie John Ford marathon on TCM today, 5 I've which I hadn't seen and tivo'd.  It's hurt by weak, ethnically inappropriate, and mediocre, lead actors (Jon Hall and Dorthy Lamour), but gets fine supporting performances from Thomas Mitchell and Raymond Massey.  Massey plays the French colonial administrator of a small South Seas Island who unbendingly enforces the law against an unjustly convicted native (a hero to his people, played by Jon Hall).  After repeated attmpts at escaoe from prison, Hall finally makes his way home, only to see the entire island wiped away by a massive hurricane.  The special effects in the final sequence are amazing for any time, but especially for 1937.  There are even echoes of themes Ford would develop fully in The Searchers (and certainly the mileu is something he'd return to in his late light classic Donovan's Reef).  Mary Astor (from The Maltese Falcon) is largely wasted in a supporting role as Massey's wife.

Short Cuts - Watched in honor of Robert Altman, a DVD I bought months ago (used, at Hollywood Video of all places, for about $6).  I hadn't seen it since it was released when I was in high school, and frankly, I'm still not a big fan of it.  The scale of it is impressive, the sheer volume of characters and the creation of an entire world is something Altman did as well as anyone in film history.  But the world he creates is truly hellish, lacking anything close to the redemption and meaningfulness I find in the film's most obvious descendent, Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia.  Maybe it's just the romantic optimist in me, but I love Magnolia and can only respect Short Cuts.  I have it as the 17th best film of 1993.

[Junior]

I just watched The Chronicles of Narnia: TLTWATW. I liked it a lot, but I also liked the book a lot, so I might be biased. There were a few pluses and minuses though. The bad: I didn't much like the child actors. I'm sorry to be mean, but whoever played Lucy really got on my nerves. Also, I didn't like that they started with (to me) the second story. The order my set was in started with The Magician's Nephew. While I agree that Wardrobe is probably the better introduction to the series for non-readers, I prefer it the way I read it. Now on to the good: I really liked the way that the filmmakers captured the feeling and look of Narnia. This is exactly how I pictured it as a kid. It was awesome seeing Aslan being the big boss lion. I liked the choice of Liam Neeson as Aslan, I think his voice suited the role perfectly. Ditto with Tilda Swinton as the evil White Witch. I knew from the moment I saw her that she was the perfect embodiment of evil in Narnia. And finally, the battle scene. While it was a different kind of battle than the ones in LOTR, I liked it just as much, and possibly better. This was the kind of thing that you can't quite get from a book. It was the kind of battle that I always wanted to see, with all the animals and creatures fighting each other. It was awesome. That's about it for my review. I give it an A-.

[alexarch]

Watership Down It starts with an introduction that gives a mythology to rabbits, a mythology that says a rabbit's life is a hard one because is always on the run from predators.  The introduction, for me, was very engaging, and it prepared me for both a story of hardship and an animation style that reminded that I was watching a 70s movie.  A story of hardship: good; a 70s movie: bad.  On the whole, I thought the voice talent was wonderful, and I really loved that the story had a backstory, a grounding foundation of myth like Tolkein's Middle Earth.  I didn't like that the story, like The Lord of the Rings, was rambling. C+

[winrit]

Am I allowed to comment?  I got stuck watching Short Cuts about a month ago.  I just turned on the TV for some background noise while I was cleaning and four hours later I'm hanging off the couch and just finishing Short Cuts.  It was the first Altman movie I ever watched (years ago) so it is how I got to know him as a director.  Maybe because it was my first Altman it means the most to me.  When I watch Altman films I do spend a lot of time asking myself, "What is going on?"  Should I stop doing that and just let it wash over me?

I have a question about Narnia.  I didn't read the books, but in the film the kids get presents that are weapons.  I think the little girl gets a knife or something, but she never uses it.  Why introduce a plot device that won't be used.  What I was wondering is if it is used in the book?  Also, you didn't think the CGI in the battle scenes was too much?

Watership Down - we all know that movie scares the crap out of me.

[karlwinslow]

I really liked Watership Down.  I didn't find it rambling at all.  Engaging from start to finish.

[Junior]

I have a question about Narnia.  I didn't read the books, but in the film the kids get presents that are weapons.  I think the little girl gets a knife or something, but she never uses it.  Why introduce a plot device that won't be used.  What I was wondering is if it is used in the book?  Also, you didn't think the CGI in the battle scenes was too much?

Well, the last time I read these books was over 10 years ago, so I cannot answer your question about the knife at this time. The CGI was just enough for me. It didn't change the way I saw the movie, and there is pretty much no other way to do it.

[karlwinslow]

She does use it in the book.  I'm about 90% sure, though I haven't read the book in years so I couldn't tell you where.  She fights something or other.

[EddieBarzoon]

Princess Mononoke Brushing up on Miyazaki in anticipation for the animation marathon. Stunning visuals and incredibly imaginative, as expected from Miyazaki. A little bloodier than I was expecting. I must admit, the storyline gets very confusing, and although it was entertaining, through the last 15 minutes I coudnt wait for it to end.

[Matt Singer]

Duck Soup - Funnier than I remembered it.  The last ten minutes could not be improved by the contributions of any comedian or filmmaker from any time period ever.

[etslee]

For Your Consideration- I was disappointed, but Christopher Guest's new comedy still has some very funny moments. Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard are wonderful (as usual).

Snow Walker - I'm glad I netflixed this small Canadian film after Barry Pepper's interview. It reminded me alot of 3 Burials for some reason. Some of the most beautiful visuals of any film. The last shot is incredibly moving, I had to watch it twice.