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Post by Aedh on Apr 12, 2010 7:47:47 GMT -5
Now I have seen Scanners, back when it first came out. Terrific movie.
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Post by invisiblescientist on Apr 14, 2010 21:44:18 GMT -5
Some of us may have forgotten the 1971 movie about the end of civilization in WW III: The Omega Man . This was probably the best Charlton Heston movie, and can be a good candidate for the origin of Libria! www.rottentomatoes.com/m/omega_man/ |
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Post by clericjay on Apr 15, 2010 2:01:41 GMT -5
It happend by accident that I saw "The Omega Man" on TV, because the scene at the beginning, where he drives through the empty city, caught my attention. The image was fascinating and so was the film somehow. This film is better then "I am Legend" to me as well, because that one relies too much on its special effects, but "Omega Man" works psychological much better, because it's more subtile. But "I am Legend" wasn't a bad movie to me, "Omega Man"'s just better in dealing with the topic. (And the mutants weren't nearly-brainless monsters, but another way around.  ) Recently I saw a pretty unique film: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". www.imdb.com/title/tt1054606/It' s a very strange film about an eternal duel between a human man, who was once haughty enough to bet against a misterious man, and the devil, who is the mysterous man and loves to bet with him. During his first bet he won immortality, which becomes a curse more and more, because this way the bets don't end. Over times he got a daughter and started to wander with some other comrades to present a mystical show, where the spectator may enter a mirror and get into the world of the doctor's fantasy. One day a bet about his daughter takes place and the only hope for him to save her is to trust a very shifty young man, they've found and saved hanging on his neck under a London bridge. It's the bridge with the red piers, where I was walking along with Mira, she'll recognize it. ;D This film by ex-Monty-Phyton Terry Gilliam (you will recognise it, though the film is pretty serious, that some influences of his humor can't be denied) has a formidable Heath Ledger in his last role. In many parts of his acting you will recognize a gust of Joker, which doesn't match so badly . He died during the shootings, so other stars took his role in the fantasy sequences behind the mirror. (Johnny Depp and Collin Farrel do their short appearance impressively well, while Jude Law doesn't really match somehow.) Everyone who wishes to see a truly unusual film filled with strange fantasy and some silly humor, but which doesn't lack of suspence as well, is absolutely right to watch this film. I guess that especially Aedh will like it... I liked it, because it was something very different to what you usually see in cinema or on TV. |
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Post by invisiblescientist on Apr 15, 2010 23:38:53 GMT -5
I am glad to hear that you appreciated the Omega Man movie. In fact, the Jonathan Matthias character in the Omega Man movie (Anthony Zerbe) was a prototype for the Father in Equilibrium.    And believe it or not, Los Angeles still looks the same.  Understandably I have seen this movie many times, and I can tell you that at the beginning of the movie, the Los Angeles police meticulously evacuated all the streets so that the city looks deserted, but accidentally, one or two distant pedestrians could be seen in the background... ![]() grumpyguypo.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/charlton-heston-2j-webpg.jpg[/img] Like you said, Matthias and his religous group were much more convincing and the plot was great. Matthias spoke in a very convincing manner, just like Father.Also this movie in 1971 was far ahead of its time, and it was the first time in Hollywood movies that an interracial romance between a white man and a black woman was shown. |
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Post by invisiblescientist on Apr 18, 2010 14:55:38 GMT -5
I noted on the BBC News website yesterday that the remake of The Prisoner TV mini-series was due to be premiered in the UK. I had no idea that there had even been a TV remake until I checked out the trailer today and saw it was premiered here in the US in November!  I'm hoping I'll be able to catch this online...it will be interesting to compare the original cult 60's series - which I loved - with this new version.  www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi644220185/The Original Prisoner series made a major impact during my childhood, and deeply influenced my way of thinking. I don't think that the new version will have the same depth and creativity as the original. Many movies plagiarized the original Prisoner series, and even the highly esteemed Truman Show movie happens to be inspired (or plagiarized, to be more exact) by the original Prisoner series. (In fact, even that old bicycle in the control room of the Prisoner movie, is also in the control room of Truman Show!!!) www.rottentomatoes.com/m/truman_show/ |
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Post by invisiblescientist on May 9, 2010 8:15:15 GMT -5
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Post by invisiblescientist on May 24, 2010 22:17:12 GMT -5
Here is a remarkable Swedish film: "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (2010). www.rottentomatoes.com/m/millenium_le_film/This is a very complex, long and intricate movie. The punk girl from Stockholm is a private detective, who is also a professional hacker, with a photographic memory and uncommon intelligence. She brings down an international crime syndicate, solves cult murders, etc, and all aspects of the movie are connected in a very surprising and intricate way. The punk girl connects all the dots and she leaves no stone unturned to solve the mystery. The film is 2 hours and 34 minutes long, but it is impossible to get bored. For a Swedish movie, this film is surprisingly full of action and extreme violence, but at the same time it has tremendous realism and European depth. The high reviews that the movie has received are well deserved. I have never seen so many nasty and corrupt people in a movie. (Actually I did, but the realism of this movie makes it more unusual.) |
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Post by clericjay on Jun 12, 2010 12:37:20 GMT -5
I thought someone had posted something about "Pandorum" somewhere, but if so I can't find it, so I'll note here that we watched it last night. Good movie visually and the action moved well. I have to say it was quite bewildering to watch. It's hard to explain without giving massive spoilers, suffice it to say that there was MASSIVE backstory which was not touched upon in the movie, which would have gone far to explain much that was going on. That and people whispering half the time, making it hard to hear. I can enjoy a movie more when I don't have to turn on subtitles and don't have to go to the internet afterward for a plot explanation. I thought Antje Traue was rather Milla-esque--to be expected from the people who made the 'Resident Evil' movies I guess--and good performances all around. I also thought the music was quite good. I am looking forward to a Director's Cut which will hopefully restore some of the lost backstory, as happened with "Ultraviolet." Good to hear that you liked it as well. To me it was kind of the best mix between Alien and Aliens, like I already wrote, here's the "Pandorum" thread: equilibrium.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Pub&action=display&thread=4662The German dubbed version is actually better, they leveled up the volume of the whispered dialogues much compared to the English version, which I also did not like that much. But I thought it wouldn't be a problem to "native"-English-speakers. It's true that you can't really tell or discuss anything of the plot without spoilering it to others, but I think we could try in the Pandorum board, marking Spoilers (nearly the whole text ). I'd like to... Do you? What do you think of the ending? I must admit that it really wasn't, what I expected, at all. I haven't heared of a directors cut yet, but I'll keep my eyes and ears open. By the way, my father was once working with the director on another movie, which will be remade by him in America. No, my father isn't in the movie business, he was just a person running through the background. |
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Post by clericjay on Jun 30, 2010 3:45:34 GMT -5
After I've seen "Splice" last week I wasn't quite sure, what to think of this movie.
The first half was pretty interesting and much about the relations between two amoral scientists, who want to reach new scientific territory, whithout thinking about any consequences and create a new kind of artificial beeing, which is quickly developing from a small animal to a kind of little girl, until it becomes a woman/animal mix, acting like a badly brought up teenager, but being equipt with many special features like a poisened sting in the tail.
Of course problems accure with such a dangerous thing, being emotionally instable.
Both main actors do a good job, especially Adrien Brody matches.
The actress of Dren (the artificial being) is doing a very good job playing the creature human-like, but also very alien. She creates a fascinating mixture.
But the film lacks of suspence to me, because most of the story and scenes are very forseeable and only a few are really surprising. Especially that Dren always dies, before she changes/transforms/gets a new feature becomes somehow... normal during the film.
And at the end it flatenes to an average monster movie.
I must say that I'm a little disappointed of this, but probably I expected too much suspence, because Cube created so much.
But the scenario of Splice is also interesting and the film shows some ethical questionable actions, which matches to a film about scientists, who don't act responsible, but are driven by curiosity instead. They cross limits, which shouldn't be crossed in reality and the film shows why.
All in all I think that the film is dealing quite well with the topic, but isn't very surprising and entertaining.
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Post by Aedh on Jul 5, 2010 12:28:41 GMT -5
We saw "Ginger Snaps Back" the other night, the prequel. It did NOT look like Part 3 of a low-budget horror flick series, which is--literally--what it is in fact. The acting was very good, and the locations, costumes, effects, etc., were all extremely well-done, and comparable to the "Twilight" films, though "Ginger Snaps Back" preceded the first "Twilight" movie by four years.
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Post by Aedh on Jul 18, 2010 23:12:13 GMT -5
We recently re-watched Akira Kurosawa's "Ran." I have been wanting to see it again for 25 years and it was worth the wait. This is what moviemaking should be. "Ran" at IMDB, trailer and full movie |
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Post by Aedh on Jul 31, 2010 9:06:16 GMT -5
Saw "Pretty In Pink" last night, me for the first time. Fabulous, cute, funny. What's not to like about this movie unless you're still on the dose?
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Post by Aedh on Aug 7, 2010 9:31:55 GMT -5
Saw "Archangel" featuring Daniel Craig the other night. A very good mystery/action flick with gritty Russian settings ... and some gritty Russian actors as well. Nicely under-produced, at times you could be fooled into thinking you were not actually 'watching a movie;' it just looked, well, realistic. Recommended. "Archangel" at IMDb with trailer |
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Post by Aedh on Aug 19, 2010 8:57:17 GMT -5
Watched the Danish film "Prag" the other night, directed by Ole Christian Madsen. I usually don't care for this sort of movie but I quite liked "Prag.". Some very haunting moments. Recommended. "PRAG" at IMDb with trailer |
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Post by Aedh on Sept 19, 2010 7:41:49 GMT -5
Recently saw "Taken." Not a bad movie, but am I the only one who had any hesitations over the ease with which our (American) hero passed himself off as a French cop while speaking American English the whole time to a bunch of wily French gangsters? I also thought the final confrontation was rather anticlimactic. That being said, still a good flick, I think--although I think "Sherlock Holmes," which we saw the other night, was better.
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Post by Aedh on Sept 29, 2010 15:14:50 GMT -5
Recently watched "Alien 3" and "Alien Resurrection." I find the "Alien" movies oddly affecting for some reason, and the emotion isn't horror. I don't know what it is. But anyway.
1. There is much criticism about "Resurrection," mostly centred on Winona Ryder's wooden performance. Well, not to put out any spoilers here, but duh! Hello! There is a reason for the way she acts which should be obvious to anyone with a room-temperature IQ.
2. I don't see why Ripley has to be conflicted between human/alien love and affection just because she shares the DNA of both. There are plenty of brothers/sisters and parents/children who share DNA and not only don't love each other, but loathe each other.
3. You'd think by this time in the game, the scientists, who have been working with all the aliens' information for centuries now, would have figured out a miracle substance called rubber to foil the alien-drool acid.
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Post by Aedh on Oct 1, 2010 23:54:53 GMT -5
Just saw "Terminator Salvation." Pretty good I thought, and no glaring plot holes.
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Post by Aedh on Oct 4, 2010 11:19:49 GMT -5
Just saw "Birthright," a 1989 indie film by Lynn Wegenka, about a worker in a very EQ-esque society who conceives the criminal desire to ... have a child. She is helped to escape from her confined world (like Libria) by a "Resistance," to a Nethers-like 'Outside.' Very moody visuals and music and terrific acting. A solid recommend.
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Post by invisiblescientist on Oct 5, 2010 6:07:23 GMT -5
Birthright is a very good movie. Very nice atmosphere. Thanks for the information. By the way, "Let Me In", which is the American version of the Swedish movie "Let The Right One In" , is also very well made, and it just works well. It is almost 99 % the same as the original, but it is adapted to the United States. www.rottentomatoes.com/m/let_me_in/ |
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Post by clericjay on Oct 5, 2010 10:13:52 GMT -5
I've recently watched "Apocalypse Now" (Redux Version) by F. F. Coppola and I liked it, because it was showing the whole madness of this war very impressively and leaves enough silent passages for the viewer to think about it.
The only thing I did not like about the movie, was that the General Kurtz (Marlon Brando) disapointed me somehow...
The expectation about his "high philosophy" was very very high after all the positive things and comments of admiration I've heard about it and the tension increase of the plot as the movie went on did it's work as well, but then...
His thoughts did not astonish me, they did not make much sense to me at all.
I mean Brando is a charismatic and impressive person, but his acting was not special in this film and his character, uhm... well seemed to be just mad...
Only some sentences were brilliant, but most of it... did not reach me...
"They tell them to throw bombs on other peoples heads, but forbid to write "fuck" onto their planes, because it's obcene!" ;D
is a brilliant sentence!
The rest of the movie was quite good. Just the end is disappointing I think...
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Post by Mirabilis on Oct 5, 2010 12:36:31 GMT -5
By the way, "Let Me In", which is the American version of the Swedish movie "Let The Right One In" , is also very well made, and it just works well. It is almost 99 % the same as the original, but it is adapted to the United States. www.rottentomatoes.com/m/let_me_in/Having seen the original Swedish movie, which was excellent, I'm somewhat reluctant to see the US remake...I'm always rather skeptical about European movies remade for American audiences...they often tend to get the "Hollywood treatment" or dumbed down, which I loathe. Still, I may watch it if it appears on JTV. And Jay...I agree with your comments about Apocalypse Now...a powerful and disturbing descent into madness...and yes...Brando to me was just insane, plain and simple! ;D |
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Post by invisiblescientist on Oct 5, 2010 18:26:10 GMT -5
Having seen both the Swedish and the American versions of Let The Right One In / Let Me In, I can assure you that the American version is a 99 % verbatim adaptation of the original Swedish film. It is very unusual to see such a faithful adaptation. Hence the American version is surprisingly good, good enough to make the mainstream population bored.
The philosophy of Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now is that the enemy won at the spiritual level, by making us cruel like them. Basically, Marlon Brando adopts the methods of the enemy and inwardly admires the enemy.
But Birthright is a very good movie, very deep. The only question I have about the Birthright movie is why the doctor is allowed to smoke. Aren't cigarettes rated EC-10?
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Post by Aedh on Oct 5, 2010 20:42:28 GMT -5
To understand the character of Kurtz one must realise that the movie is in spirit a very faithful adaptation of Joseph Conrad's "Heart Of Darkness," one of my favourite novels. In the book it is made more clear that Kurtz, by bringing himself too close to the enemy, became like them, by crossing an invisible bridge. And became, well, mad is not a bad word. As far as the smoking doctor in "Birthright" goes, you must remember that the doctor is, like Dupont, a sense-offender on the side. If only Jacobs had had her Berettas along to GK him ...  |
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Post by Mirabilis on Oct 5, 2010 20:45:04 GMT -5
Having seen both the Swedish and the American versions of Let The Right One In / Let Me In, I can assure you that the American version is a 99 % verbatim adaptation of the original Swedish film. It is very unusual to see such a faithful adaptation. Hence the American version is surprisingly good, good enough to make the mainstream population bored. Okay...well Empire also gives it a pretty decent review... www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=136709...so I'll definitely watch it when I get the chance. |
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Post by clericjay on Oct 15, 2010 14:20:02 GMT -5
The philosophy of Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now is that the enemy won at the spiritual level, by making us cruel like them. Basically, Marlon Brando adopts the methods of the enemy and inwardly admires the enemy. Aha! Now that makes sense... in its own logic... ;D Thank you for bringing this closer to me! Probably I should have watched this movie a second time to recognise it. |
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Post by Aedh on Oct 16, 2010 12:36:12 GMT -5
Watching the movie is good, but reading the book is better. It is one of the greatest novels of the English language. Written, interestingly, by a man who did not begin to learn to speak English until after the age of 20.
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Post by Aedh on Nov 22, 2010 16:59:15 GMT -5
Recently saw "AngelA," the 2005 Luc Besson film, starring Jamel Debbouze, who will be known to English-speaking readers as Lucien from 'Amelie,' and to French-speaking ones as Numberobis from the Asterix & Obelix films, and also Rie Rasmussen, whom I doubt we'll hear from ever again. Very good, I thought. A recommend.
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Post by BlackDragon on Nov 24, 2010 6:29:41 GMT -5
Have you ever seen a movie called "The Fall"? By Tarsem Singh (the cell). It's so beautiful! A great metaphor of so many wrong and right things of life! It's a dreaming exercise with all those fantastic sceneries. Love can really destroy and save lifes...  |
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Post by invisiblescientist on Nov 25, 2010 7:41:53 GMT -5
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Post by Aedh on Dec 2, 2010 1:06:04 GMT -5
Have watched the first series (3 films) of the BBC edition of "Wallander" starring Kenneth Branagh. Though I find the "veddy British" cast to sometimes look and sound slightly out of sorts with the meticulously Swedish visuals, still, that is a small matter compared to how excellent these films are. I like the subtle but pervasive existentialist atmosphere.
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)
Understandably I have seen this movie many times, and I can tell you that at the beginning of the movie, the Los Angeles police meticulously evacuated all the streets so that the city looks deserted, but accidentally, one or two distant pedestrians could be seen in the background...
I'm hoping I'll be able to catch this online...it will be interesting to compare the original cult 60's series - which I loved - with this new version. 
