The Big Stupid Movie Talk Thread

Andy · February 10, 2006

Honey and I just back from "Goodnight and Good Luck," the brilliant story of Edward R. Murrow taking on Joe McCarthey, and making a statement on how the media can, should, and will affect society.

David Strathairn was brilliant as Edward R. Murrow. George Clooney, Robert Downey, Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels, Patricia Clarkson, they were all amazing.

The music by Diane Reeves, as the 50s Jazz Singer, was outstanding.

It's no wonder this is up for a mess of Oscars, including the Actors, but also in Best Cinematography and Art Direction. It was stunning. Shot on Color film, on a "greyscale set" and converted in post. I love that. The toning on the film was tasty, really.

I felt like I was there.

David_S85 · February 10, 2006

I might just go see that one. I don't generally get out to many movies, unless they're on free TV or Mrs. DS85 has a rental.

I know what I won't waste money on, is the new Steve Martin Pink Panther remake. I've seen just two promos and even those stink.

There's a huge difference between Peter Sellers doing a funny role as seriously as he can, and Martin just acting funny, which doesn't work in the Clouseau role.

Haven't seen Breakback yet. Don't know if I'll ever see that. :uhoh

rahmonster · February 10, 2006

I have seen Walk the Line twice now and I just love it. Excellent stuff.

Haven't seen Goodnight and Goodluck but will give it a look.

Oh and I loved the cinematography in Memoirs of a Geisha which is my favourite book and I thought the movie was excellent too.

DavidTO · February 10, 2006

Andy wrote:

Honey and I just back from "Goodnight and Good Luck," .....

See any good trailers?

Andy · February 10, 2006

David_S85 wrote:

Haven't seen Breakback yet. Don't know if I'll ever see that. :uhoh

Saw Munich, Brokeback Mountain is hopefully tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to that one.

Andy · February 10, 2006

DavidTO wrote:

See any good trailers?

Yes - DaVinci code

Except I only saw the first 8 seconds, I don't watch the trailers.. I don't like spoilage. I read the book even!

ian408 · February 10, 2006

Speaking of movie trailers...how much of it do you get to make the trailer
from?

As for movies, I recently saw The Matador. And even though I am not a
Pierce Brosnan fan, I liked it. Of course the beer and pizza they served
prolly helped

System · February 10, 2006

Andy wrote:

Brokeback Mountain is hopefully tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to that one.

You mean "Backdoor Mountain"?

Wedding Crashers FTW!!!

DavidTO · February 10, 2006

ian408 wrote:

Speaking of movie trailers...how much of it do you get to make the trailer
from?

As for movies, I recently saw The Matador. And even though I am not a
Pierce Brosnan fan, I liked it. Of course the beer and pizza they served
prolly helped

Everything from nothing to all the dailies that were shot to a cut movie, to only very few select scenes. Every which way.

wxwax · February 11, 2006

Jeez, why didn't I think of this?

I'm glad you started a movie review thread.

I see a lot of 'em and am tempted to cut-n-paste my reviews from the other site.

In brief, I'm glad to read your review of Good Night, a fillum for which I did not care. I thought it was thin and obvious. It took a well known story and didn't add anything to it. The 'climax' came up short, for me. David Strathairn as Edward R. Murrow didn't strain himself to cover much emotional range. Overall, I felt like it played like what it was - a small movie with an awkwardly obvious political message.

I think it garnered Oscar nominations not because of how it was made, but because of what it was about. Same as Brokeback Mountain (which I thought was awfully good,) Crash (which was as subtle as a sledgehammer to the temple) and Munich (let down by a tiresome third act and lip-service to the Palestinians.) Can you spot the political thread running through these nominations?

Anyway, good to see why someone would like it. And thanks for starting the movie review thread.

wxwax · February 11, 2006

DavidTO wrote:

See any good trailers?

After the first third (which meanders a bit), I think the trailer for Fastest Indian becomes one of the best I've seen in a while. I'm a sucker for things that build to a climax, and this one does quite nicely. Whatever the final music is, it rocks.

ian408 · February 11, 2006

DavidTO wrote:

Everything from nothing to all the dailies that were shot to a cut movie, to only very few select scenes. Every which way.

I was chatting with a buddy about this. And I was wondering because
every once and a while (frequently), you see a trailer that makes you want
to see the flick. Then you do and you realize the two good scenes in the
trailer were the only ones

ian

Justiceiro · February 11, 2006

Saw "Best in Show" Last night at the Loew's Jersey City- and old vaudeville house/cinema being reconstructed by a community group.

The building is unbelievable, and they are photog friendly. Also, the tickets only cost $6- so if you are in the NYC area, you ought to take a look.
Loew's Theater Website

Here is what the interior looks like:

and here is the exterior:

Today at 1 PM they are showing Old Yeller from 1957, as well as The Misfits at 8 PM.

Not exactly a movie review, but I thought it might be interesting regardless.

Angelo · February 11, 2006

Hey Andy - great idea for a thread.

I saw "Good Night..." and also liked it very much. I do have to agree with Sid in part that I didn't come away knowing anything new about the men or the circumstances. I did however come away wondering "where is our Morrow today?"

Brokeback is a really good movie. Fantastic story telling, great acting. A thing or two I didn't like but certainly very moving. The score is beautiful.

I too will pass on Panther. I recently purchased the box set of DVDs of the Sellers' movies and will enjoy all of them instead. Like Mantle's jersey, they should have retired that franchise forever.

"Munich" was just okay for me. What I did like was Spielberg's filming approach. The pre-steadycam posturing of the camera really lent a sense of watching archival footage.

ginger_55 · February 11, 2006

I can't see first run movies at the theaters, and it pisses me off greatly. To the Nth degree, as there are captioned first run movies avail for the hearing impaired, and there is another way they can run the movie with the captions being at the person's seat, so that it does not bother others.

None of our theaters are doing this. I am not going into the reasons why, but it makes me livid, especially since the movie industry is whining about people not going to the movies. Well, I would if I could. It used to be a fun cheap evening out, but frustrating due to my inability to translate the "sound" I hear.

So, anyone want to talk about DVDs.................they are usually captioned, but the extras are often not.

But I have the aristocats here, or crats, I don't know which. I have a chick flick, and I have The Gospel (that was a TV trailor a while back that made me want to see that movie).

I am aching to see George Clooney's "Good Night.......". I watch the TV shows that plug the movies. It really makes me angry!

ginger

DanielB · February 11, 2006

went and saw "the Ringer" last weekend. very good movie

i'm also looking forward to "The Clicker" with Adam Sandler

wxwax · February 11, 2006

You have "The Aristrocrats"?

wxwax · February 11, 2006

Last night TCM ran one of my favorites, Dr. Stranglove. For the first time, some of the humor struck me as heavy handed.

"Listen, Colonel Bat Guano, if that really is your name..."

Still a favorite, tho.

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the War Room."

Mike Lane · February 11, 2006

wxwax wrote:

Last night TCM ran one of my favorites, Dr. Stranglove. For the first time, some of the humor struck me as heavy handed.

"Listen, Colonel Bat Guano, if that really is your name..."

Still a favorite, tho.

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the War Room."

Dr. Strangelove is an absolute favorite of people who are sitting nuclear aleart. We couldn't get enough of it in the alert shack for exercises.

David_S85 · February 11, 2006

Strangelove
And speaking of Peter Sellers.

Best.... movie....ever. Period.

... that Coca-Cola machine. I want you to shoot the lock off it. There may be some change in there. That's private property. Colonel! Can you possibly imagine what is going to happen to you, your frame, outlook, way of life, and everything, when they learn that you have obstructed a telephone call to the President of the United States? Can you imagine? Shoot it off! Shoot! With a gun! That's what the bullets are for, you twit!

Okay. I'm gonna get your money for ya. But if you don't get the President of the United States on that phone, you know what's gonna happen to you? What? You're gonna have to answer to the Coca-Cola company.

There are details in that movie that you normally can't see unless you have a very clean copy. Check out the title on the report in front of General Turgidson (George C. Scott) in the War Room. I believe it is titled World Targets in MegaDeaths. A heavy metal band later took its name from that scene. MegaDeath.

The real Pentagon investigated Kubrick due to the all-too-real scenes inside the B-52 bomber that Major T. J. "King" Kong (Slim Pickens) was flying.

...and DGrinner's rejoice, a "Weegee" connection...

Peter Sellers based Dr. Strangelove's strangled accent on the voice of Arthur 'Weegee' Fellig, the famous German-born crime photographer of the 1950s whose was given that nickname by New York police due to his uncanny ability to show up at murder scenes before they did. Sellers heard Weegee talking during an on-set visit and adopted his strange German accent for the title character.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/trivia

Andy · February 11, 2006

ginger_55 wrote:

and it pisses me off greatly.

Ginge,

Ugh - this really sucks!

CalfeeRider · February 13, 2006

I'll pass on the Pink Panther too... Sellers rules and as much as I've enjoyed Steve Martin in other roles, this one shouldn't have made it out of the studio.

I recently saw Memoirs of a Geisha. Haven't read the book, so I can't address some of the critics claims that is wasn't what it could've been. As an objective viewer, I found the story rich in cultural representation of Japan in that era and the cinematography/costumes/sets were wonderful. A great date flick if you can't bring yourself to go see it alone.

Saw the Wedding Crashers on DVD - loved it! Good, light entertainment.

Jack

DavidTO · February 13, 2006

CalfeeRider wrote:

I'll pass on the Pink Panther too... Sellers rules and as much as I've enjoyed Steve Martin in other roles,

Aside from the dreadful score, Roxanne is still a good time. Watched it with the kids the other night. They were cracking up.

"Get out!"

"Get out? I am out! You get in!"

gus · February 13, 2006

DavidTO wrote:

Aside from the dreadful score, Roxanne is still a good time. Watched it with the kids the other night. They were cracking up.

"Get out!"

"Get out? I am out! You get in!"

i cant walk into a room with a steve martin film on. Him or whoopie goldberg...imagine a film with them of both in it :uhoh

DavidTO · February 13, 2006

Humungus wrote:

i cant walk into a room with a steve martin film on. Him or whoopie goldberg...imagine a film with them of both in it :uhoh

Yet, you like David Hasselhoff.

Go figure.

gus · February 13, 2006

DavidTO wrote:

Yet, you like David Hasselhoff.

Go figure.

Not so much like 'him'...carefull there

but more the Hoff fornon...fornonimum...the whole maddness in that no one will let him go.

Andy · February 13, 2006

Humungus wrote:

Not so much like 'him'...carefull there but more the Hoff fornon...fornonimum...the whole maddness in that no one will let him go.

Liking David Hasselhoff is a non-US thing. He's WAY popular all 'round the world. But Gus - seriously, I thougth you were more au courant, really.

SCS_Photo · February 14, 2006

DavidTO wrote:

See any good trailers?

Brick looks good... Its an Indy production, its the only way a movie gets good, original writing these days.

Oh, and another vote for The Matador. F'ing hilarious... Pierce Brosnan as a washed up Portugese Assasin. Hell yeah.

Disclaimer: I was sober at the time of viewing.

gus · February 14, 2006

Andy wrote:

Liking David Hasselhoff is a non-US thing. He's WAY popular all 'round the world. But Gus - seriously, I thougth you were more au courant, really.

I also bait heavily mate...i though you would be au courant.

System · February 14, 2006

David_S85 wrote:

And speaking of Peter Sellers.

Best.... movie....ever. Period.

There are details in that movie that you normally can't see unless you have a very clean copy. Check out the title on the report in front of General Turgidson (George C. Scott) in the War Room. I believe it is titled World Targets in MegaDeaths. A heavy metal band later took its name from that scene. MegaDeath.

The real Pentagon investigated Kubrick due to the all-too-real scenes inside the B-52 bomber that Major T. J. "King" Kong (Slim Pickens) was flying.

...and DGrinner's rejoice, a "Weegee" connection...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/trivia

David-

thanks for the post-

hard to believe it was made over 40 years ago-

george

NHBubba · February 15, 2006

rahmonster wrote:

I have seen Walk the Line twice now and I just love it. Excellent stuff.

Yes, I was going to mention this one. I got dragged to it not expecting to like it.. in the end I thought it was fantastic though. Can't believe that's not Johnny singing! I figured they dubbed him over the actors for sure.. Highly recommended!

The Big Stupid Movie Talk Thread

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