i saw Grindhouse again. these two movies are inseperable. 4.0/4.0
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i saw Grindhouse again. these two movies are inseperable. 4.0/4.0
The counterfeiters - Die Fälscher
2007
Based on the true events surrounding the biggest counterfeiting operation that has ever taken place. Set during the second World War, the best counterfeiter of the time (1936), Salomon Sorowitsch, is arrested and sent to a concentration camp, where his talent for sketching lead him to become 'favoured' and he is then sent to Sachsenhausen. Here, he becomes one of the more priviledges prisoners due to the fact that his gift at forging banknotes is acknowledged and put to practice in a makeshift lab, separate from the rest of the concentration camp.
Salomon is a very closed off man: he rarely shows any emotion for anyone else and doesn't care if his assistance as a counterfeiter is helping Germany during the war. He lives for the day, without worrying about the tomorrow.
In the end of course, things change.
What I particularly like about this film is that it showed, even slightly, some aspects of what went through people's minds at the time.
9/10
I'll have to check that one out, vheissu. Not too long ago, I saw a show on the History Channel about this very story.
The Golden Bowl ~ Merchant Ivory production; I liked it very much, have seen it before, but it was great on my new HD TV. I just love the castles and the grand estates figured in this film. One shot of the American tycoon's home, was totally stunning cinematography, with it shown in silouette against a magnificent deep blue sky. The interiors are so sumptuous and such a feast for the eyes! I love all the art and sculpture and that series of staircases is absolutely breath-taking to view. I don't know if it won an Oscar for set design that year, but it certainly would have deserved one. I like the casting and the acting very much. I have heard quibbles about various actors in this film in reviews; usually no one agrees, but I felt everyone did a fine admirable job. Sometimes, I wonder what critics want these actors to do - stand on their heads and recite their lines? I don't quibble that much with the performances. I really did not see anything very amiss and I thoroughly enjoyed this film, as I have done so in the past. I adore Nick Nolte and I also like very much Jeremy Northam. He was great in "The Winslow Boy" and "Gosford Park" and others; Nick Nolte is always good in my film, even in so-so films. He is a real pro.
Prince Caspian
9/10
I just saw it today. It was pretty good. Not as good as "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", but then again, I like the story of TLTWATW much more than PC, anyway. So I really didn't expect this film to live up to that one.
I will say that this is the first movie that I have seen in a LONG time where the audience applauded afterwards. So, that is always a good sign that a film is pretty good. :)
Next on the list of Summer movies:
Indiana Jones
(yes, only 4 1/2 days for me to wait now. :thumbs_up I can't believe it is here already! Oh, I hope it is worth the 19 year wait! :D )
I watched An American Crime last night with Ellen Page and Catherine Keener. This movie was disturbing because it was based on a true story and I couldn't tear myself away. The story is about two sisters, Sylvia and Jenny, who have lived their lives on the go while their parents work carnivals all over the U.S., up until they make one last stop in Indiana.
The constant moving around and lack of money puts a strain on their parents both financially and emotionally, and they separate, but not for long. The girls and their mother hadn't had time to settle in to their new town in Indiana before Dad was back, talking up a new carnival circuit and a new opportunity to make money. Their parents wanted to work out their marriage and they didn't feel they could do it on the road with the girls.
Meanwhile the sisters are attending Church and hoping to make friends in their new town while their parents discuss their options about what to do with the girls. On the Church bus, the sisters begin a conversation with two girls who are interested in Jenny's leg - Jenny had polio and wears a leg brace. Before long, Sylvia and Jenny are invited over to the girls' house. There they find a house full of children, mostly girls, two of which are teenagers and closer to Syvlia and Jenny's ages. This family is run by a single mother, Gertrude, who has a no-good husband (boyfriend) who fathered her youngest child, but none of the others.
The story progesses, taking us to the conversation between the girls' father and Gertrude, who seems kind and understanding. Upon hearing of their situation, she offers to keep Sylvia and Jenny for $20 a week -- afterall, she needs the money too, having no husband, and having no income other than housework and ironing jobs. Additionally, she is sick, with some kind of chronic cough, which she treats by taking swigs from a large medicine bottle.
The first two weeks seem to go well. Sylvia and Jenny are elated to be going to school and hanging out with kids their own age for once and they seem to be getting along well with Paula, Gertrude's oldest, precocious child who is forced to work after school to supplement the family income.
Paula's afterschool job affords her other opportunities to socialize, namely with a married coworker, and Paula finds herself pregnant. She confides in Sylvia and makes her promise not to tell.
In the meantime, Gertrude's on-again off-again husband comes over, slaps her around, apologizes, kisses her and then asks her for money. She says she doesn't have any to spare, and he says he's noticed her two new tenants. She gives him the money she received to care for Sylvia and Jenny.
This is where things begin going south for Sylvia and Jenny. Gertrude is not happy with her husband's treatment of her and takes her aggression out on Sylvia and Jenny, when she says her next $20 payment is late. She takes them to the basement and beats them. Sylvia offers to takes Jenny's lashes, since Jenny has the leg brace.
Their social life begins deteriorating as well. Paula's married boyfriend tries to break it off with her. Sylvia, aware of Paula's predicament, watches the interaction between Paula and her boyfriend. When he begins to hit Paula, Sylvia blurts out that she (Paula) is pregnant. This angers the boyfriend and Paula vows to make Sylvia pay.
From that point forward, with Paula fueling her anger, Gertrude routinely tortures Sylvia in horrific ways for perceived and made-up transgressions, while Jenny looks on scared. She is burned, tied up, kicked, hosed off, and branded. Gertrudes children become punishers as well, inviting neighborhood children to the basement to take part. The official story is that Sylvia is in juvenile hall.
I would recommend that anyone watch this at least once. I can't believe it really happened.
As far as the movie goes, I'll give it an 8/10 for the performances Keener and Page put in. The movie may not be a masterpiece as far as that goes, but you likely won't notice as you watch all 92 mintues of this fact-based movie.
Bram Stoker's Dracula from F.F. Coppola
Very good film, excelent actors, Oldman cleaning razor, 5/5
The 1937 version of Lost Horizons with Ronald Colman and Jane Wyatt. Excellent in every way.
OswaldTheOsprey
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p.../AIAP10/lh.jpg
Hi OswaldTheOsprey,Quote:
Originally Posted by OswaldTheOsprey
Oh, I think I saw this film version years ago and it was great. I love the book! I will have to track down this old film. Thanks for posting this cool movie poster, too. Hope you don't mind; I will copy that to my own file. It is so neat - the artwork. I might be able to print it out.
Thank you very much. Help yourself to the poster. Recently I bought a dvd of the film and my dad and I watched it. Dad saw it in 1937 in one of the old Birmingham movie palaces and he loved seeing it again. Check out the dvd.Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
OswaldTheOsprey
The Terminal. I just love this movie. That was the second time for me to watch it and the more I watch it the more I'm convinced that Tom Hanks is just a great actor. 10/10
OswaldTheOsprey, thanks so much! How interesting, that your father saw it in a old Birmingham movie palace, in 1937. I love those old theaters! Recently, they demolished this really old theater near my town. I used to go there, when they showed older films and only charged a low fee. It was sad; the inside of the theater must have been beautiful at one time, but it had fallen into decay. The outside was amazing, with these really beautiful architectural details running around the border of the top of the building, just below the roof. I did notice, before demolition (to build a new CVS and 'put up a parking lot' :bawling: ), they did manage to remove these very interesting details of sculpture and decorative mosiac brickwork. I would hope someone would make use of them, in some creative way. 'Achitectural salvage' is a big business these days, so I was hoping they would save something of the building. However, I did see another grand threater with wrecking ball, taking it down savagely and it made me cry. Then they built an Echard's Drugs there and a year later it was closed (too expensive I guess). What a waste it is, to do away with American's iconic images; those old theaters were one our national culture, that should have been preserved, in my opinion. This reminds me, did you or anyone ever see the film "The Majestic"? It is about just that - reviving an old theater. I just love that film, although it is not too realistic. Still it is very entertaining and I liked the idea of saving an old theater from destruction.Quote:
Originally Posted by OswaldTheOsprey
Quote by Nossa:
Nossa, I like that film. I thought the concept of the film was quite unique. I saw it awhile ago, few years back maybe. Yes, I agree that Tom Hanks did an excellent job in that film. He is a very good actor in my opinion and quite consistent; has he ever had a bad performance?Quote:
The Terminal. I just love this movie. That was the second time for me to watch it and the more I watch it the more I'm convinced that Tom Hanks is just a great actor. 10/10
Agree with LadyWentworth that Prince Caspian (Narnia-C.S.Lewis) was daw-gawn good. Be sure to see it on a big screen. Does it follow the book, or did they take all sorts of liberties?
Janine, it is indeed sad when old movie palaces are destroyed. One that has been preserved and still shows films on weekends is The Alabama in Birmingham. This picture shows it circa 1932. (Birmingham Public Library)
OswaldTheOsprey
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...amatheatre.jpg
I don't think he ever had a bad performance indeed. It's like you think of movies like Cast Away, Forest Gump, Big, You've Got Mail, The Green Mile, Saving Private Ryan...oh and Road to Perdition, now that was an awesome movie. I can go on forever, I'm a huge fan as you can see :D But yeah, he's a great actor.Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
Does watching yourself kill Terrorists on Counter Strike count?
Oh this photo is marvelous! OswaldTheOsprey, what does it look like today? It's good to know they have kept it from being demolished. I live in a historic town on the Delaware River and it is sad that so many of our national treasures have been so ruthlessly torn down. I did find a book at Barnes and Noble on all the old theaters that existed in my area. I don't think a one is left standing although now that I think of it one was actually converted into a church further south of here. I like to see things preserved and restored. I love antiques to it tears me up to see these grand old threaters embodying so much history being replaced by more drugstores - it always seems it is some drugstore or a Wallmark...truly sickening!Quote:
Originally Posted by OswaldTheOsprey
Nossa, My friend is still complaining to me about "Cast Away" and how dumb she thought it was. I actually did like it and I even liked 'Wilson'. I just thought that part was hilarious! My favorites you have up there are actually; The Green Mile. Big, You've Got Mail, many more including "Sleepless in Seatle". I actually have not yet brought myself to see "Saving Private Ryan" but my library has the whole set so I will watch that soon. I know it is great. I did not care for "Road to Perdition" but that is just me. I hate blantant mobster movies although I did like the parts about the child. I just could not take it after awhile - too much violence and blood. The ending was incredible but I could never say I truly enjoyed that film. It was so disturbing to me, but each his own. Did you see Hanks in "The Da Vinci Code"...I thought he seemed old for the part at first but I think he did an admirable job. The movie is never discussed much but I think it worked as a thriller, just not totally feasible as a theory. I just saw another film - documentary which was quite good "Breaking the "Da Vinci Code". But the point is, no matter what I have seen Hanks in, I thought his acting was always good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nossa
Hey Grandma Janine and Nossa - since you are talking about Tom Hanks, did you like the movie Philadelphia ? I though he was excellent in that movie. I personally didn't care too much for Castaway but my husband liked it. I have to admit I never watched Green Mile or You've Got Mail even though it has been on cable quite a few times.
Not really a movie, I guess, but I watched Ricky Gervais' stand-up, "Animals," last night. Absolute brilliance, 10/10. Mr. Gervais is surely one of the funniest people on the planet.
It is well preserved thanks to a very dedicated group. The biggest difference is that one of the large marquees has been removed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
OswaldTheOsprey
Heh. I guess not.
pussnboots, yes it is me - the very proud and happy grandma. Tonight we go see my precious Brooke. I can't wait; I must send you a photo in email.Quote:
Originally Posted by pussnboots
I loved, no adored, the film "Philadelphia"! I thought it was his all-time best performance, hands down. I loved the part when he is listening to the opera and really fells it 'body and soul' and then Denzeil Washington understands. It was just such an amazing scene.
That is good to know. I hope it survives the test of time. A shame about the marquee - those are always so interesting and sometimes beautiful, too.Quote:
Originally Posted by OswaldTheOsprey
I am that way with some actors; even if I know them to be truly fine actors, I just can't connect with them or don't feel they are personally appealing to me. Tom Hanks is not handsome, I don't think; but he has some appeal, more so when he was younger I think.Quote:
Originally Posted by Antiquarian
That was sad:( ...I liked Wilson, too.Quote:
I thought "Cast Away" was a terrific movie, though, and really very sad. It was so sad when "Wilson" drifted away from him.
I used to love seeing Elizabeth Perkins in films. She was just great and they were good together in this film, I thought. It was hilarious. I actually have that film here somewhere - I think on DVD; my son gave it to us a long time back. I should watch it tonight - been years.Quote:
I loved him in "Big" and thought that was hilarious.
Yes, I thought so also but then he did seem like a professor type and older seemed ok. I thought the book really unrealistic and corny at times. I saw the film out of curiosity and wanted to see the locations most of all. Those I found interesting; not many can actually film in the Louvre. In fact, the extras on the DVD were better than the movie itself. I did like that other film I bought,which discounted all the theories in the Dan Brown's novel & the film. It was so interesting; now that I will watch again many times; especially,the features which are like full length films on Da Vinci's life and work and a tour of Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland. The locations were the interesting things in the film; the film was way below par.Quote:
I'm one who thought he was too old for "The Da Vinci Code," but I hate that film (and book) so much the less I say about it, the better.
I just watched Screamers for 3rd time. it is a documental movie about Armenian Genocide made by Carla Garapedian and System Of A Down. and i have to give it 10/10 not only because i love SOAD and movie, but because it is really great movie. and everyone who is interested in things like these should see it.
There were five or six other movie palaces in downtown Birmingham that have, unfortunately, been demolished. The Alabama was the main one so it is a source of pride and is well preserved. Similar to the Fox Theater in Atlanta.Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
OswaldTheOsprey
I agree. I can't believe I had tears in my eyes over a volleyball when I was watching it drift and drown in the sea :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Antiquarian
I have to agree. I hated the movie even more than the book. And Tom Hanks did look old for the role. But even if it was someone younger, I'd still hate the movie. At least the book was slightly more interesting, the movie was just bad.Quote:
I'm one who thought he was too old for "The Da Vinci Code," but I hate that film (and book) so much the less I say about it, the better
And Janine, you gotta watch Saving Private Ryan, I'm sure you'll like it. It's, in my opinion, the best war movie I've ever seen. Very well done, amazing cast and outstanding direction (I think it was Steven Spielberg).
i saw Antonioni's Blow-Up. 4.0/4.0. This is great in every way: acting, soundtrack, COOL direction, a great looker too. Now I'm really sick of Austin Powers.
I think I saw this film when I was young and I would love to see it again. It was a great film, if my memory serves me right.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Bartholomew
The last film I saw was 'Apocalypse Now'. Really, really powerful stuff, and Brando and Sheen were excellent. I liked it so much, I d'loaded the extended version after.
I rate them both 5/5.
i just saw Iron Man...i'd give that a 15/10...it was pretty good...but i didn't like how he ended the movie..i mean come on! why would you give your secret identity away?!?
it makes you or your loved ones a target...he was a dumb***!
:lol: This is hysterical; someone should write a musical piece called 'Requiem for a Volleyball'.....we could all weep for poor Wilson. I did think he had personality. Was he up for an Oscar that year?Quote:
Originally Posted by Nossa
Yes, he did look a bit ragged I think, worn or something - guess that was suppose to be the professor look...the long scraggly hair was not my thing either. I basically was interested in the cool locations in that film. I was looking at all the interiors of the cathedrals and churches/chapels and the Louvre was amazing. I am an artist so I appreciated all the artwork also and the fact they could film inside the building; that is usually unheard of.Quote:
I have to agree. I hated the movie even more than the book. And Tom Hanks did look old for the role. But even if it was someone younger, I'd still hate the movie. At least the book was slightly more interesting, the movie was just bad.
OK, Nossa, I promise now that I wll and I will report back to you about it. I am sure it is a great movie. My son raved over it when it first came out in theaters.Quote:
And Janine, you gotta watch Saving Private Ryan, I'm sure you'll like it. It's, in my opinion, the best war movie I've ever seen. Very well done, amazing cast and outstanding direction (I think it was Steven Spielberg).
ei i am just new here am i welcome?
I watched The Life of David Gale last night on TV.Is it just me,or can Kevin Spacey turn even the most boring of premises into a very enjoyable movie?
I'm not necessarily referring to this film,but in general,it seems to me that a movie with him as a part of the cast simply can't be bad.Definitely my favourite actor.
I've just watched 'The Village' today. The movie's idea is a good one, but I didn't like the acting or direction. I'd give it 4/10.
:lol: Yeah, we should have a memorial service in the memory of the ball :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
And Tom Hanks was nominated for the Oscar, the Golden Globe, the BAFTA award, the SAG award...he was pretty much nominated for every award there is..lol...but he didn't get any.
Wasn't that the girl who played Ivy? She was good, but I totally hated the way the movie was presented. I mean, if it was supposed to be a thriller, it did a very poor job. And if it was supposed to give any sort of moral lesson or whatever, if also did a poor job, since I got bored and almost turned off the tv more than once.Quote:
Originally Posted by Antiquarian
And I agree that the idea is kind of a cliche, but it's not a bad one. I think I'm just trying to find one good reason as to why I kept watching it :lol:
You know what really made me anrgy, it's that I really like Joaquin Phoenix and he talked like what? three of four times since the movie started? I thought he was supposed to be a leading character in the movie. Most of the time he's just quite, and he spent the last 30 minutes or so, sick in bed?!
Yeah me too!!! Thank God someone agrees with me lol I liked the movie, but when I tell anyone that I knew Bruce Willis was dead, they tell me that I probably just googled the movie before I watched it :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Antiquarian
:lol: Yeah, if he wore the same shirt all movie long, he's either not clean, or dead :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Antiquarian