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Author Topic: Respond to the last movie you watched (Jan 2011 - Nov 2013)  (Read 2532445 times)

Jared

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #8180 on: October 20, 2011, 06:40:29 PM »
I didnt catch it in the theatre. Just a couple years too young (27)

MP

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #8181 on: October 20, 2011, 07:05:46 PM »
We Are Poets
>>> My full review
Quote
Remarkably forthright, these teenagers are immediately likeable in their lack of pretension and the lyrical talent they display. As team captain Saju Ahmed notes in his introductory segment that his potential as a poet developed in spite of a troubled schooling, the film in general shows the importance of companies such as Leeds Young Authors, in – as LYA’s own website states – providing 'spaces in a socially and economically disadvantaged area to celebrate youth voices'.

keith71_98

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #8182 on: October 20, 2011, 07:35:01 PM »
“In a Better World” – 4 Stars

“In a Better World” is a Danish film from director Susanne Bier and the surprise Oscar winner for 2010′s Best Foreign Language Film. It’s a provocative and multi-layered picture that delves into such weighty subjects as bullying, divorce, the death of a parent, suicide, and even murder and violence in Sudan. It touches on many of these subjects with care and savvy but this is also where the film seems to lose it’s identity. It’s hard to tell what ”In a Better World” wants to be.

Mikael Persbrandt plays Anton, a Swedish doctor and father of two who has recently separated from his wife Marianne (Trine Dyrholm). Anton spends a lot of time away from home working at a refugee camp in Sudan. Here he treats all sorts of injuries, many inflicted by a ruthless local war lord. At home his son Elias (Markus Rygaard)  has been the victim of incessant bullying from a bigger kid at school. Upon witnessing Elias being ridiculed by the bully, a new student named Christian (William Juels Nielsen) intervenes kindling a new friendship with Elias. But Christian has problems of his own. He’s a disturbed and disconnected boy who is still unable to come to terms with his mother’s recent death due to cancer. Christian’s anger grows and grows despite the efforts of his father Claus (Ulrich Thomsen).

As I mentioned, “In a Better World” touches on a lot of themes but the film lacks a main focus. It’s most certainly a movie about bullying. It’s also a movie about the impact losing a parent has on a child and a film about the friendship of two struggling boys. But the word “violence” kept coming back to me. One consistent undercurrent flowing throughout the picture was violence, our propensity towards it, and our reaction to it. Whether it be the more savage and bloody violence that Anton witnessed in Sudan or the subtle and often overlooked violence in our own cozy neighborhoods, “In a Better World” presents it as something internal. The bigger question is how do we deal with it.

There’s a lot in the movie about revenge versus letting go. Anton is a passive man who would rather walk away than cause things to escalate. Christian convinces Elias this is a sign of his father’s weakness. Two different individuals reacting to violence in two very different ways. But such is violence that even Anton and his passivity fall victim to the impulse for vengeance. Everything in the film seems to be used as fuel for this one underlying theme.

While that’s what I took from the film I could be dead wrong. It just lacked the clarity needed to really impress it’s message upon me. But even though it goes into all sorts of difficult but real circumstances, it does so in a responsible and cohesive way. While several things could have used more attention, Bier makes it all flow together in a way that really kept me involved. The solid performances sold me on these characters and I genuinely cared about their situations. It’s also beautifully shot and features some polished camera work and great locations. So even with it’s flaws, I couldn’t take my eyes away from the screen.

“In a Better World” isn’t the perfect film and it surprised a lot of people when it won last year’s Oscar. But this is still a thoughtful and engaging picture that had my attention throughout. It deals with some weighty subjects and does so with sometimes brutal honesty. The performances are rich and pure and even when the script falls short in spots, the actors still manage to elevate the material. “In a Better World” may not have the depth and detail that some are looking for and that’s a valid argument. But I found it to be a moving experience that not only touched me but made me think. There’s a lot of movies out there that can’t accomplish that.

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verbALs

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #8183 on: October 20, 2011, 09:23:05 PM »
Have you read Remains of the Day, verbALs?  Just curious.

I've seen the film but have very little memory of it.  The book I caught up with - and absolutely adored - in the last year.  So I forget - does the film make it an unrequited love story, viz. the feelings go only one way?  Because in the book it is unconsummated love, not unrequited love.  The two definitely love each other - and each knows the other does.

Also, what are the stereotypes you see Merchant/Ivory dealing in?

Spoilers in reply:

No I haven't read it,it's not my kind of thing ;D (maybe in a few years like I mentioned before). Unrequited to the extent of a bizarre final bus stop scene in the rain. Hopkins expressing the depths of his admiration by raising his hat. It's m, I know, it's just me.

As for the stereotypes and what Sandy expanded upon with her usual style and panache; I am just sick of stuffy Englishmen at the mo. Yeah that's right class war man! I watched The Four Feathers & Blithe Spirit the other day so at the moment Noel Coward & Ralphie Richardson can stuff it right up their tight..... In Which We Serve or Brief Encounters won't be on my watch list soon.
« Last Edit: October 20, 2011, 10:24:13 PM by saltine »
I used to encourage everyone I knew to make art; I don't do that so much anymore. - Banksy

1SO

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #8184 on: October 20, 2011, 11:04:17 PM »
The Hangover Part II
On the plane Mrs. 1SO decided to rewatch Cars 2 while I picked the only film I hadn't seen. Here was a true test. On my right the film I claim is the year's worst. Directly in front of me, the film many claim is the year's worst. How often would I look to the right with reconsideration, and would I eventually decide to join my wife?

[NOTE: This review is of the airplane version of The Hangover Part II. The language was all still there, but other stuff may have been altered. The film was not letterboxed, and there is a moment of what I'm sure is meant to be shocking nudity that was framed out. But I got the gist of that scene and nothing else was obviously missing.]

I didn't like Hangover II, but I feel like this will be the most positive review from any of us because I didn't hate it either. It starts poorly, completely laughless until the hangover scene. I loved the first Hangover, where every line, scene and situation got at least a smile out of me. (* * * 1/2) This time, a lot of the comedy was forced into the situation instead of developng naturally from it. For example, Zach Galifianakis stole the first film but the writing this time often doesn't know what to do with the character. So they just have him make rude comments at inappropriate times. Sometimes though, Zach gets through with a solid comic bit, like when the guys are getting beat up by a monk for talking. Ed Helms tells the other to shut up, taking a whack every time he yells it. Then it goes quiet and Zach realizes "oh, I get it", which gets him knocked to the ground.

I thought the film would just get worse and more desperate, but by around Paul Giamatti's entrance I was kind of evenly trading laughs for groans. I loved the monkey as a drug pusher and how for Zach this adventure was all about getting the monkey back. (Monkey bike helmet got a laugh. Zach saying goodbye to monkey, a groan.) My favorite performance was Ken Jeong, who now harnesses his pimp daddy cockiness into a real performance. (Those acting lessons on "Community" are paying off.) I also enjoyed the car chase, and once again the solution to the big mystery eluded me even though it ended up being so simple. These are moments. Moments within a bad film. A bad film I enjoyed more than Cars 2.
RATING: * 1/2

MartinTeller

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #8185 on: October 20, 2011, 11:23:07 PM »
Night and Fog (rewatch) - I've seen an awful lot of Holocaust documentaries, this is the only one I've seen more than once.  My third time, actually.  And probably my last, because it's so terribly upsetting.  A mere 32 minutes, but Resnais concentrates so much sorrow, pain, and cruelty into it that it's almost unbearable.  You just don't get used to seeing this stuff.  I felt at times the musical score was a bit tacky, or at least unnecessary, but the overall package is very powerful and a haunting reminder of how evil humanity can be.  Rating: Very Good

oldkid

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #8186 on: October 21, 2011, 12:27:45 AM »
Wow...just read backward in the thread and saw that JRod Oldkid and JamesBrown also saw this in the theater.  Old guys rule

Yes, yes we do.
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

Lobby

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #8187 on: October 21, 2011, 12:41:25 AM »
Just want to take it to the record that I did too... Old gal you know!

I absolutely loved Time Bandits. But it's been a while since I watched it so I have no idea of if it would hold up today. Because of this I've refrained from saying anything in this discussion. Great to see some Terry Gilliam love though. I'm generally a fan of his.
http://thevelvetcafe.wordpress.com/  - where I think aloud about movies

oldkid

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #8188 on: October 21, 2011, 12:43:57 AM »
I'm sure ferris was using "guy" in the "American generic" form-- both sexes included.

The Lobster is automatically included in general statements on "cool".  (And others...)
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

oldkid

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Re: Write about the last movie you watched
« Reply #8189 on: October 21, 2011, 12:49:28 AM »
I'm doing a flieger!


Just a quick statement to say I saw Gaslight tonight (thank you library system!) and I can't wait for the Movie Club discussion to begin!  What a lot of creepy fun!  Great job by all the cast members especially Ingrid.
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky