Recent films and recommendations

[McQ]

I got to see four movies this week, which is a real rarity. Slumdog Millionaire, The Uninvited, Gran Torino, and Taken. My very quick thoughts and recommendations (keeping in mind it's just opinions and feelings for the most part, and a little bit of critique):

Slumdog Millionaire: Excellent. A good story, well told. Very eye opening and very touching.

The Uninvited: This was my wild card pick for the week. I tend to really dislike the current horror flicks. No imagination, no real horror. But this was pretty good. Well shot, well acted, seemed more "grown up". Definitely not a slasher film or sub-par film. However, the twist was, for me, a really huge let down, and not very convincing. But it was unexpected, which is good.

Gran Torino: Really liked it. Clint Eastwood was great. This was the best of the lot for me. Very moving, and sometimes extremely funny.

Taken: When I was done watching, I found myself thinking, "Who would win in a fight? Jason Bourne, Liam Neeson's character, Brian, or Daniel Craig's Bond." It was pretty good. It takes suspension of disbelief to new heights though, even compared to the Bourne and Bond flicks. So it lost me a bit with its over-the-top action and violence. But Liam Neeson is still great, and I really liked that he can still pull this off.

The only one I wouldn't see again is The Uninvited. Just not that compelling.

What have you all seen lately and what are your thoughts?

[Will]

Frost/Nixon: AWESOME. Langella's Nixon isn't a copy, but rather a representation, and that makes the character a lot more engaging. This isn't just for politicophiles.

Doubt: Have you ever found yourself pissed in a movie theater? In a good way? That's Doubt. Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman are fantastic, but as the story goes along you're going to get pissed.

I want to go see Milk some time in the next few weeks.

[curiosityandthecat]

I want to go see Milk some time in the next few weeks.

Psst... I have it! I'll give it to you!



Anybody seen Tokyo Gore Police? I'm really, really curious.

[Ihateyoumike]

I definitely recommend Slumdog Millionaire and Gran Torino as well. Both are great movies. Another one I've seen recently is The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke. Great movie about an ex pro wrestler who has fallen on hard times in his old age. I think Rourke is definitely Oscar worthy for this film.

[McQ]

Frost/Nixon: AWESOME. Langella's Nixon isn't a copy, but rather a representation, and that makes the character a lot more engaging. This isn't just for politicophiles.

Doubt: Have you ever found yourself pissed in a movie theater? In a good way? That's Doubt. Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman are fantastic, but as the story goes along you're going to get pissed.

I want to go see Milk some time in the next few weeks.

All three of those are on my must-see list. I am especially intrigued about "Doubt" now, after your description of the feeling it evoked.

[Nazzer]

Defiance was amazing. I love Daniel Craig, and he gave an excellent performance. I liked it a lot more than Valkyrie.

I also liked Bedtime Stories a lot. It did have some pointless characters that didn't fit in and seemed "dragged along" just to be there for comical relief. Almost literally. (I'm looking at you, Bugsy)

[Kyuuketsuki]

"The Reader" is a very good film, not my typical fare either (I tend to prefer science fiction & action/adventure) and whilst it falls into that strange class of films that I will never want to own ("Films I will only ever watch once and please don't EVER buy them for me on DVD") there is no denying that it is a poignant story, exceptionally well written, directed and acted ... most definitely worth seeing.

Kyu

[Will]

Gran Torino: Racism has never been so funny or so endearing. There's this actor called "Clint Eastwood". He kinda came out of nowhere in this movie. Fantastic performance. I hope he continues to act and direct.

Push (this is going to be a bit longer because I don't think many have heard of this movie): I was ready for this to be another "Jumper", but it wasn't that bad. The story is a little derivative, the acting is over the top, of course, but the film has a few gems. First, it's probably one of the best vehicles for real Hong Kong I've ever seen. A lot of the movie takes place in the "slums" of Hong Kong, which are noticeably missing from other movies that take place in Hong Kong. It brought an air of realism to a movie about telekinesis, which was refreshing. Second, the directing is phenomenal. The story isn't original, and the acting can be a bit flat, but I could tell right off the bat that the director (Paul McGuigan, best known for Lucky Number Slevin) knew exactly what he wanted and he was able to present it really well. There really weren't the shaky cameras and stupid slow-motion shots one might expect from an action-packed superhero movie. There's no green-screen either. If you want to spend a few hours being entertained, and you're a fan of the super-hero/telekenesis genre, this might be for you.