Schoolio's Movie Corner

[Bug's Sister]

Let the record show that I was a vicious cunt to Kitt Kat long before I ever balled Ivy.

Let the record show that you have a flat penis.

[Bug's Sister]

Let the record show that you have a flat penis.

Like a cut bike tube that just sits there in the wind flapping back and forth.

[iv3rdawG]

Baz Luhrmann (Australia) has officially acquired rights to "The Great Gatsby," says The Hollywood Reporter. Luhrmann sees the pre-Depression story as a wake-up call as the economy comes crashing down and another gilded age, as he sees it, comes to an end.

"If you wanted to show a mirror to people that says, 'You've been drunk on money,' they're not going to want to see it. But if you reflected that mirror on another time they'd be willing to."

He added, "People will need an explanation of where we are and where we've been, and 'The Great Gatsby' can provide that explanation."

He said that he wants to move quickly on the "Gatsby" project. "I'm going to move faster than I have before. I'd be surprised if it's another seven years," he said, referring to the period between Moulin Rouge! and Australia. The project also might not be with Fox.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=51413

[MassiveChemicalPunk]

This has to be the most idiotic thing I have come across this month. For realz

According to THE SUN:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article2048300.ece

"FUNNYMAN EDDIE MURPHY will play The Riddler in the next Batman movie, The Sun can reveal.

The Beverly Hills Cop star, 47, has been signed up by British director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN to reprise the role played by JIM CARREY in 1995’s Batman Forever.

Execs have also signed up rising Transformers star SHIA LABEOUF, 22, to play Robin.

CHRISTIAN BALE will return as Bruce Wayne, while MICHAEL CAINE will again play Bruce’s assistant Alfred.

Meanwhile, Brit RACHEL WEISZ is said to be up for the Catwoman role. "

[Bug's Sister]

This has to be the most idiotic thing I have come across this month. For realz

According to THE SUN:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article2048300.ece

"FUNNYMAN EDDIE MURPHY will play The Riddler in the next Batman movie, The Sun can reveal.

The Beverly Hills Cop star, 47, has been signed up by British director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN to reprise the role played by JIM CARREY in 1995’s Batman Forever.

Execs have also signed up rising Transformers star SHIA LABEOUF, 22, to play Robin.

CHRISTIAN BALE will return as Bruce Wayne, while MICHAEL CAINE will again play Bruce’s assistant Alfred.

Meanwhile, Brit RACHEL WEISZ is said to be up for the Catwoman role. "

I didn't know the sun talked! lol.

Who's that in your picture? Kinda pretty.

[CalmerThanYou]

Kitt Katt hated Uffies set because she thought Uffie looked ugly, for the record.


I was there for about two songs...But then I saw she wasn't looking hot and that she had three more chins than I do. (?!?!!!) Thus, I left, saddened.

<-- just stoking the fire...

[bmack86]

This has to be the most idiotic thing I have come across this month. For realz

According to THE SUN:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article2048300.ece

"FUNNYMAN EDDIE MURPHY will play The Riddler in the next Batman movie, The Sun can reveal.

The Beverly Hills Cop star, 47, has been signed up by British director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN to reprise the role played by JIM CARREY in 1995’s Batman Forever.

Execs have also signed up rising Transformers star SHIA LABEOUF, 22, to play Robin.

CHRISTIAN BALE will return as Bruce Wayne, while MICHAEL CAINE will again play Bruce’s assistant Alfred.

Meanwhile, Brit RACHEL WEISZ is said to be up for the Catwoman role. "

Smokescreen is my guess.

[Bug's Sister]

Smokescreen is my guess.

Whats your pitcure about?

[kitt kat]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=51413

OH GOD NO. PLEASE.


Kitt Katt hated Uffies set because she thought Uffie looked ugly, for the record.



<-- just stoking the fire...

Hey hey hey. Of course I wasn't there for the music.

[shakermaker113]

This has to be the most idiotic thing I have come across this month. For realz

According to THE SUN:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article2048300.ece

"FUNNYMAN EDDIE MURPHY will play The Riddler in the next Batman movie, The Sun can reveal.

that's even more retarded than the rumor that will smith will play captain america in an upcoming movie.

the sun. I'm surprised they haven't picked up on the story that palin shot a bigfoot.

[ivankay]

Will Smith as Captain America? Stupid. Eddie Murphy as the Riddler also has problems primarily because Mr. Murphy can not get beyond the fact he is too big a personality and not a skilled enough actor for the role. That was the same problem for Jim Carrey and one of the things that turned that Batman movie into a joke. He was playing Jim Carrey in a Riddler costume (same thing he did in the atrocious Grinch piece of shit). Guy Pierce would be a cool choice for the Riddler. If the role has to be filled by someone of a darker complexion to reflect some enlightened view on the film makers' parts, then please go for Don Cheadle.

[ghettojournalist]

too bad Don Cheadle has replaced Terence Howard as War Machine for the Iron Man sequels.

I know paper are trying to sell, but I think that everyone who cares knows that Warner Bros. is letting Nolan take his time with the project at the moment. It'd be interesting to know if these names are actually coming from the actor lists studios usually come up with for big-budget films like this.

[ivankay]

The Jim Rhodes role change for Iron Man gives me mixed feelings. i like the job Howard did in the first movie and thought his expanded role as War Machine would be cool. i'm sure Cheadle will do a good job, but "replacements" always have a little obstacle of acceptance to overcome with the audience.

[MeowMixer]

Terrence Howard was pretty good. And Cheadle is more of a dramatic actor in my mind, not really the action type. Whalever...

[Somewhat Damaged]

Terrence Howard apparently got replaced because he's a primadonna and wanted to be paid way more for the sequel than the producers felt he was worth. Hence, Don Cheadle.

EDIT: http://io9.com/5073602/was-howard-replaced-on-iron-man-2-for-more-than-just-money

[Cpt. Funkaho]

Will Smith as Captain America? Stupid. Eddie Murphy as the Riddler also has problems primarily because Mr. Murphy can not get beyond the fact he is too big a personality and not a skilled enough actor for the role. That was the same problem for Jim Carrey and one of the things that turned that Batman movie into a joke. He was playing Jim Carrey in a Riddler costume (same thing he did in the atrocious Grinch piece of shit). Guy Pierce would be a cool choice for the Riddler. If the role has to be filled by someone of a darker complexion to reflect some enlightened view on the film makers' parts, then please go for Don Cheadle.

Guy Pearce for the Riddler is the best thing I've heard in months. I would never have thought of it myself, but it's perfect.

[Boourns]

So last night I saw Let the Right One In. Wow.

[real talk]

Terrence Howard apparently got replaced because he's a primadonna and wanted to be paid way more for the sequel than the producers felt he was worth. Hence, Don Cheadle.

EDIT: http://io9.com/5073602/was-howard-replaced-on-iron-man-2-for-more-than-just-money

It really doesn't seem like Don Cheadle would take a role that paid less than Terrence Howard would take. If that makes sense. I mean to say that I believe the link contains the correct scenario. I didn't make it through Iron Man though, I got bored.

[Blinken]

I bet they decided to pay what Terrence Howard wanted but just not to him.

[shakermaker113]

Will Smith as Captain America? Stupid. Eddie Murphy as the Riddler also has problems primarily because Mr. Murphy can not get beyond the fact he is too big a personality and not a skilled enough actor for the role. That was the same problem for Jim Carrey and one of the things that turned that Batman movie into a joke. He was playing Jim Carrey in a Riddler costume (same thing he did in the atrocious Grinch piece of shit). Guy Pierce would be a cool choice for the Riddler. If the role has to be filled by someone of a darker complexion to reflect some enlightened view on the film makers' parts, then please go for Don Cheadle.

I actually liked jim carrey as the riddler. but I seem to be a minority in that respect. guy pierce would be AWESOME. I wonder if that's slightly more likely since nolan has worked with him in the past. let the rumor begin. someone whip up a poster.

I have yet to see iron man. damn you netflix queue.

[schoolofruckus]

Fucking quit it...

But seriously. Please don't just drop words like that without providing some insight. They aren't meaningful descriptors on their own. At all... They are meaningless without context. Along the same lines as calling a film "good" and leaving it at that.

Not to mention your use of the word "but" is confusing, like somehow post-modernism guarantees to detract from entertainment. It's not an "icky word," it's just misused way too often, and just dropped into a vacuum the rest of the time.

Also, I'd like to simply hear more about the film. I'm on the fence about paying to see it in the theater and would like to know a little more about the film. A lot of people have been praising it without giving a whole lot of insight into what they enjoyed about it. I'm probably just frustrated by that... So please... Tell me more?

I thought Slumdog Millionaire was excellent. It's a crowd-pleaser, and it's possibly too sentimental for your taste, but it's an energetic, exciting film that doesn't hesitate to get ugly before it gets pretty. I had a couple problems with the resolution that would require massive spoilers....but they didn't derail the film overall because it was overall very satisfying.

[real talk]

We're going to see it tonight.

[roberto73]

I thought Slumdog Millionaire was excellent. It's a crowd-pleaser, and it's possibly too sentimental for your taste, but it's an energetic, exciting film that doesn't hesitate to get ugly before it gets pretty. I had a couple problems with the resolution that would require massive spoilers....but they didn't derail the film overall because it was overall very satisfying.

I think its optimism works precisely because it does go so dark so quickly at the beginning. The first few sequences I found myself thinking, "This is not the movie I thought I was going to see." A movie has to earn its sentimentality, and I think Slumdog absolutely does just that.

[schoolofruckus]

Guy Pearce for the Riddler is the best thing I've heard in months. I would never have thought of it myself, but it's perfect.

Daniel Day-Lewis for The Riddler was my favorite rumor.

None of this shit is even remotely true.

[schoolofruckus]

I think its optimism works precisely because it does go so dark so quickly at the beginning. The first few sequences I found myself thinking, "This is not the movie I thought I was going to see." A movie has to earn its sentimentality, and I think Slumdog absolutely does just that.

It's not my favorite movie of the year, but it's good enough that I won't be pissed if it does clean house during awards season.

[wmgaretjax]

I think its optimism works precisely because it does go so dark so quickly at the beginning. The first few sequences I found myself thinking, "This is not the movie I thought I was going to see." A movie has to earn its sentimentality, and I think Slumdog absolutely does just that.

I couldn't make it last night, but I'd really like to go tonight.

[real talk]

You can come with us if you want. We're going to Van Ness AMC.

[wmgaretjax]

You can come with us if you want. We're going to Van Ness AMC.

If I hop in the car right now I might be able to make it... Although with the snow up here maybe not...

[chairmenmeow47]

Daniel Day-Lewis for The Riddler was my favorite rumor.

None of this shit is even remotely true.

that would be fucking awesome if it were.

[Bug's Sister]

that would be fucking awesome if it were.

TOATATATLLLLLYYYYYY.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

Just got back from seeing a restored print of the Godfather at Valley Art here in Arizona.

What a great movie.

[chairmenmeow47]

Just got back from seeing a restored print of the Godfather at Valley Art here in Arizona.

What a great movie.

sweet, early christmas gift for my dad!

do you know if they intend on showing 2 as well at any point? i might actually get my mom out to tempe if they do, lol.

[Dr.Nipples]

was planning to see delgo but tickets for the showing i had planned are sold out

[indietron]

The rumor that Murphy is gonna be the riddler and Lebeouf as robin is ridiculous. Please please please no.

Daniel Day-Lewis is such a great idea. Wow that would be amazing

[coldstart]

Just watched Harakiri. I highly recommend this movie, very well done, awesome story. A true classic.

[wmgaretjax]

Saw Slumdog Millionaire. I enjoyed it a lot. For people that accuse it off essentially being Bollywood, I think that's a little bit true but mostly a load of crap. The film was clearly inspired by Bollywood and has moments of homage, but the reality is that it isn't stylistically like a Bollywood film at all. What it does draw most from Bollywood films is the story, and the sense of constant joy regardless of circumstance. But this is something that goes deeper than Bollywood and into the heart of Asian folklore, and I think the director(s) demonstrated a fairly clear understanding of that.

As far as the heavy stylistic elements go, I feel that they were probably my favorite part of the film. Anyone that's lived in a large Asian city knows that nothing feels aligned or symmetrical, and the camera language followed that to a tee. At times it got to be a little much, but for the most part I feel like it captured that energy and disorientation that comes along with living in those kinds of cities. The sound design was incredible. The music was good, but possibly a little much in places.

SPOILERISH

Man I fucking hated the montage at the end. I was totally fine with the optimism and sweetness until they had go and beat me over the head with how all the previous moments in the film lead up to that moment. Give the audience just a little bit of credit? That moment really bummed me out because I was totally with them until that point.

[RotationSlimWang]

How was the postmodernism? Non-discursive enough for you?

[wmgaretjax]

How was the postmodernism? Non-discursive enough for you?

It wasn't post-modern at all.

[schoolofruckus]

Slumdog Spoilers:

The thing I didn't like was that he won the 20 million. I know, I know.....I just feel like the movie would have been a little stronger if he'd gotten the last question wrong and all he had at the end of the whole ordeal was Latika.

[RotationSlimWang]

It wasn't post-modern at all.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE AESTHETIC?!!!

[Boourns]

The rumor that Murphy is gonna be the riddler and Lebeouf as robin is ridiculous. Please please please no.

Daniel Day-Lewis is such a great idea. Wow that would be amazing

I remember way back in 1999 after the first Batman, some tabloid claimed to already know the details for the sequel: Joker lived because he had his lucky deck of cards, and Fred Savage was to play Robin. Seriously.

[wmgaretjax]

Slumdog Spoilers:

The thing I didn't like was that he won the 20 million. I know, I know.....I just feel like the movie would have been a little stronger if he'd gotten the last question wrong and all he had at the end of the whole ordeal was Latika.

SPOILERS

I think that could have gone either way for me. I probably would have liked it more that way, but wasn't particularly upset that it didn't. For me, him winning indicated the hope that existed for everyone else. It consummated everyone else's joy in a way. Winning clearly didn't mean anything to him, but it clearly meant something to everyone else.

[schoolofruckus]

I saw Gomorra last night. It was pretty good. It's a new Italian release that episodically covers five different facets of the Comorra - the "new breed" of crime family that has taken over Naples and turned it into, apparently, a festering shithole of materialistic aggression. That's the most accurate way I can conjure to describe what the film is up to, because there's almost zero attempt to unite these stories - which have been chosen here to represent the various levels (corporate, artistic, familial, old breed, next generation) of societal impact - in any tangible way beyond geography. It was a bit of a drag for the first hour, seemingly content to depict brutality, machismo, loud music, vanity, and corruption as ends unto themselves. But it's a huge credit to the film's storytelling power that it holds its cards and reveals unexpected depth - and, shockingly, story momentum - as it progresses. It's not a masterpiece-level crime saga along the lines of City of God, but I would recommend that foreign film fans who have run out of things to see give it a shot.

[schoolofruckus]

SPOILERS

I think that could have gone either way for me. I probably would have liked it more that way, but wasn't particularly upset that it didn't. For me, him winning indicated the hope that existed for everyone else. It consummated everyone else's joy in a way. Winning clearly didn't mean anything to him, but it clearly meant something to everyone else.

I agree that it didn't ultimately mean much in the way of derailing my enjoyment or emotional investment. It's just something that occurred to me about 10 minutes before the end as a potentially perfect touch.

[shakermaker113]

I remember way back in 1999 after the first Batman, some tabloid claimed to already know the details for the sequel: Joker lived because he had his lucky deck of cards, and Fred Savage was to play Robin. Seriously.

you mean 1989, right? I would love to find an archived copy of that article somewhere. that's hilarious.

[RotationSlimWang]

Robin isn't non-discursive enough for my tastes, I dunno about you guys.

[shakermaker113]

Robin isn't non-discursive enough for my tastes, I dunno about you guys.

yeah he's a bit pre-modern.

[whynotsmile99]

i loved Slumdog Millionaire. What a fantastic film. Danny Boyle is easily one of my favorite directors and he really knocked it out of the park with this one.had the kinetic energy of "City of God" "Millions" and "Trainspotting" Superb sound, music and cinematography along with everything else. Very rewarding film, I was rooting for him the whole time.

Not much else to say except that I loved the shit out of it.

and Frida Pinto .... stunning

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0gsd4KF4Cr3Zt/340x.jpg

[schoolofruckus]

Synecdoche, New York is my new favorite film of the year. I'm hesitant to discuss it on one viewing, and I have a feeling I've missed a LOT of discussion on here from when it came out two months ago. But holy SHIT, was it great.

Wendy and Lucy is also going on my best of the year list. It's a minimalist drama about a young woman (Michelle Williams) whose car breaks down in a small Oregon town, and then her dog runs off. This is a beautiful film about desperation on the most basic, fundamentally human level, nearly perfect at every turn of the story.

[roberto73]

I finally saw Let the Right One In today. I found that the non-discursive nature of the film's narrative dovetailed nicely with its traditional visual aesthetic, where the director clearly eschewed the choice to be non-self-referential and instead adopted a decidedly non-postmodern take on the vampire tale. Indeed, one might even call it positively anti-Lyotardian in the way director Tomas Alfredson appears to abhor the adoption of any trace of a sublime grand narrative, instead focusing on the micro-narrative between the two pre-adolescents placed at the film's locus. Most interestingly, Alfredson's narrative technique seems to reinforce the Deleuzean notion of transcendental empiricism (while at the same time inverting both Kant and Schelling), where the anachronistic nature of the film's narrative structure forces the viewer to take into account the dichotomous relationship between his expectation and the film's reality, and in the process invent a new epistemology by which he can evaluate future cinematic works. THIS MOVIE WAS RADTASTIC!! LOL!

Okay, actually I loved it (except for some poorly animated feral cats). I always write much more intelligently about movies I hate, so I'll just say that it's one of the most unconventional vampire movies I've ever seen. In fact, you could probably make a convincing argument that it's got more in common with teenage romances than it does with other vampire flicks. It manages to successfully tread the line between the two genres so that I genuinely felt for the two characters, yet still found myself with an anxious knot in my stomach at all the right spots. One of the best foreign films of the year.

[wmgaretjax]

hahahahaha. I saw Let the Right One In as well. I enjoyed it a lot. It was definitely a teen romance film, but in the best possible way.

Gabe, yay at #1 and I really want to see #2. I think it comes here soon.

[miscorrections]

Thoughts on things I've recently seen:

Milk: thumbs up.

Inland Empire: thumbs down.

Slumdog Millionaire: thumbs up.

Dark Days: thumbs up.

[kitt kat]

I want to see Wendy and Lucy, but I've heard pretty terrible things about it. It seems up my alley, though...

And I FINALLY saw Wall-E. (Yeah, I know. I'm late.) I could have done without the fat people in hover chairs political message whatever...I basically wanted the whole movie to be robots in love/robots in love in space/robots in love in a garbage-filled world.

[faxman75]

I watched Milk and The Visitor. I liked them both. Performance wise Penn was a standout in Milk, he was really all in on this performance. I didn't know the story but it was damn compelling and Harvey was important and effective to the cause. Sean Penn was pretty damn great. Gonna be tough to top that performance.

The Visitor was interesting. Middle aged guy decides to start living. It told a nice story with a crappy ending but it was inevitable. If you love diversity like I do you will like The Visitor.

Next up...Frost/Nixon.

[kitt kat]

I have the Visitor here from Netflix, but I'm not sure my mom will dig it.

[RotationSlimWang]

What phase of modernity is it that she'll find distasteful about it?

[RotationSlimWang]

I hate pre-modern film most of all, incidentally. Like, movies from the 1800s really suck. I swear it's practically like they're not even moving pictures. So discursive.

[kitt kat]

Nice try. Except I don't use the word "incidentally."

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

I want to see Wendy and Lucy, but I've heard pretty terrible things about it. It seems up my alley, though...

*shrug* It's been getting really good reviews. I myself saw it at AFI Fest, and thought it was incredible. If it wasn't 1:12 AM I'd get into it more, but definitely see it if you have the chance.

[ivankay]

i can only add to the like of Slumdog Millionaire. Great destiny story. i glance over reviews before seeing a movie to avoid spoilers as much as possible. For some reason i was expecting a very "sunny" movie. i appreciated the darker elements that gave more romance to the protagonist's determination and hope. i look forward to seeing it again at some point. i like how consistent Boyle is as a filmmaker. Nice to see he is getting kudos all around.

[Dr.Nipples]

for those who have seen milk...are there twinkies*? please tell me there are twinkies*!






*the snack cake, im sure twinkie is some sort of gay slang

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Nope.

[Dr.Nipples]

what the fuck!

[schoolofruckus]

I want to see Wendy and Lucy, but I've heard pretty terrible things about it. It seems up my alley, though...


It's not. It was directed by a woman and it's better than you, so you subconsciously (or not) hate it.

[RotationSlimWang]

Nice try. Except I don't use the word "incidentally."

Do you not use it because it's a word you might actually use correctly?

Actually, nevermind. You wouldn't.

[bmack86]

1800s pictures are the bestest. All the cool kids are watching them.

[RotationSlimWang]

THEY'RE 1800sTASTIC!

[chairmenmeow47]

so i watched death becomes her on tv yesterday, and had to look up the scoring. this guy (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006293/) has done a lot of stuff i like apparently. i freaking love the score for back to the future too. i just think it's weird it took that movie to finally look him up.

[sbessiso]

YOU BLEW

A HOLE

IN MY STOMACH!!!!

[whynotsmile99]

death becomes her is a true classic. I loved that movie as a kid

[sbessiso]

death becomes her is a true classic. I loved that movie as a kid

Dude, seriously! I wish Robert Zemeckis would take a little break from this stop-motion binge he's been on and make another one of these sort of movies

[schoolofruckus]

I wish he would make something as good as Contact again.

[sbessiso]

I really enjoyed Cast-Away too, and I saw What Lies Beneath in the theater and it freaked me out (I was only 11 :)). Damn, can't forget Roger Rabbit either. I fucking love this guy

[ivankay]

I wish he would make something as good as Contact again.

ew. You is making fun i suspect.

[wmgaretjax]

Inland Empire: thumbs down.


ohhhh, don't do that... It's so much fun!

[SoulDischarge]

Do the locomotion.

[schoolofruckus]

ew. You is making fun i suspect.

Negative. Contact is one of my favorite movies.

[ivankay]

Negative. Contact is one of my favorite movies.

You make me wonder. So the next time i have a chance, a second viewing i will endure to see if my initial thoughts and feelings are incorrect. i was let down by the payoff, didn't buy into McConaughey and it played a little long.

[RedThom]

I dont know if anyone has posted on this but apparently Universal Home Video has had a terrible realization and they wanted to share it with the world.

http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/howard-the-duck2.html

[rage patton]

I saw Yes Man tonight. I quite enjoyed it. That is all.

[stuporfly]

I watched Milk and The Visitor. I liked them both. Performance wise Penn was a standout in Milk, he was really all in on this performance. I didn't know the story but it was damn compelling and Harvey was important and effective to the cause. Sean Penn was pretty damn great. Gonna be tough to top that performance.


I saw Milk yesterday, and was quite impressed. Penn deserves all the accolades, but the entire ensemble is wonderful. I think this is Gus Van Sant's finest work, and once I sit down and look at all the films I've seen in 2008, this may wind up my favorite of the year.

[indietron]

I'm seeing Slumdog Millionare tomorrow (today). I'm really excited, and its for me and my gf's one year anniversary too =)

[ghettojournalist]

I dont know if anyone has posted on this but apparently Universal Home Video has had a terrible realization and they wanted to share it with the world.

http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/howard-the-duck2.html

Holy balls, that is awesome. The worst comic film of all-time.

[RedThom]

I'm seeing Slumdog Millionare tomorrow (today). I'm really excited, and its for me and my gf's one year anniversary too =)

this is really high on my "too see" list. but Let the Right One In might take precedent due to the how long its been out.

Also I saw The Wrestler this week and Gran Torino.

I highly recommend The Wrestler

[thatfinkleygirl]

slumdog millionaire is AMAZING. movie of the year for me, hands down.

[RedThom]

slumdog millionaire is AMAZING. movie of the year for me, hands down.

as it stands? its still The Dark Knight for me.

but thats the general consensus

[roberto73]

as it stands? its still The Dark Knight for me.

but thats the general consensus

Define "general consensus." According to Metacritic, The Dark Knight is the 12th best-reviewed movie of the year. On Rotten Tomatoes, it's the 19th. The general consensus actually seems to be that it's not the best movie of the year.

[RedThom]

Define "general consensus." According to Metacritic, The Dark Knight is the 12th best-reviewed movie of the year. On Rotten Tomatoes, it's the 19th. The general consensus actually seems to be that it's not the best movie of the year.

I actually meant that the general buzz was for "Slumdog Millionaire"

so... yeah

[roberto73]

A-ha. Gotcha. Apologies.

[RedThom]

no worries. if anything I'm bummed that I haven't seen slumdog

Danny Boyle hasn't let me down once. (the beach DOES NOT count)

[LooseAtTheZoo]

I just got back from Slumdog Millionaire. What an aesthetic!

But in all seriousness, it was great. The part I liked the most was how the music and editing and general frantic atmosphere created a sense of authenticity. I felt like I was in India the entire time, never watching false emotions or actions.

Right now, in terms of Academy Award possibilities, the films I've seen rank

1. Milk
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. Wall-E
4. Doubt
5. The Wrestler
6. Dark Knight

I still need to see Gran Torino, Synecdoche, Rachel Getting Married, Happy Go Lucky, and I've Loved You So Long, and then I think I'll have a handle on all the Oscar probables. Any others to add to the list?

[psychoc&ndy]

just got back from slumdog and I must say it is my favorite movie of the year by far. i recommend this movie for everyone. danny boyle is a god!

[PotVsKtl]

Shrooms. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0492486/) Pretty good modern slasher, somewhere between the Chain Saw remake and the Descent. That's a broad range but your mother.

[wmgaretjax]

that sounds worth a watch....

[Dr.Nipples]

Shrooms. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0492486/) Pretty good modern slasher, somewhere between the Chain Saw remake and the Descent. That's a broad range but your mother.

that movie was fucking awful

[wmgaretjax]

or not...

[coldstart]

You can watch it instanly on NetFlix.

[SoulDischarge]

The trailer looked fucking awful.

[wmgaretjax]

Speaking of horror movies I watched From Beyond the other day and loved it. It got a little over the top towards the end, but what Lovecraft story is complete without that?

[SoulDischarge]

Greatest horror movie of all time: Frankenhooker.

[wmgaretjax]

My vote is for Sleepaway Camp.

[SoulDischarge]

Your just what I've been looking fooooooooooooor. No other boy could love you moooooooore.

[RedThom]

Greatest horror movie of all time: Frankenhooker.

"you wanna date!?"

[indietron]

Alright so we ended up not being able to see Slumdog last night, which was a bummer. So, we saw Seven Pounds instead. I absolutely loved it. Ive heard that it got some crap for being over-dramatic or whatnot, but I thought it was just magnificent. I couldn't hold back the tears. An excellent date movie IMO.

[roberto73]

Shrooms. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0492486/) Pretty good modern slasher, somewhere between the Chain Saw remake and the Descent. That's a broad range but your mother.

Here's a message board post on IMDB about this movie:

"This movie disregards all of the beauty, love and art that mushrooms have given birth to. This is a shame and a disgrace to film making and it's relevance as an artform.

Honestly if you have done shrooms you understand how beautiful the world can be. You understand the value of life. I don't understand how this production staff could have done this...associating murder and violence with shrooms...that is so far from what you feel....and tying the two together makes me think that this piece of s--t film was back by the f--king DEA to further spread propaganda about shrooms and pot."

I don't know. Historically, I think the DEA has been responsible for some pretty kick-ass movies.

[humanoid]

I personally feel that the experience on mushrooms can be incredibly beautiful or terribly evil and horrifying

[amyzzz]

Yeah...shrooms could go either way.

I saw Twilight last night--it was entertaining for what it was. Really great soundtrack and hot actors.

[Backwater]

Shrooms was seriously one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life.

[Tylerdurden31]

anyone seen this trailer yet?

http://www.apple.com/trailers/focus_features/9/

looks pretty awesome if you ask me.

Also, I'm currently watching Brick. Modern day Film Noir? I'm enjoying it so far.

[SoulDischarge]

Also, I'm currently watching Brick. Modern day Film Noir? I'm enjoying it so far.

I just watched that the other week. It's not bad or anything, but I just felt like it was kind of pointless after the novelty of the concept wore off. I've seen the plot a million times before, and it doesn't really have that atmosphere that makes film noir enjoyable.

[coldstart]

Agreed.

[sbessiso]

Plus everyone hardcore whispers/mumbles in that movie! Captions are your friend

[coldstart]

It's the best scene in the whole movie if you ask me.

(got the right thread this time)

jhfq7DAnoh4

[sbessiso]

Meg is just awful in the scene though

[Tylerdurden31]

and i'll be annoying and ask again

http://www.apple.com/trailers/focus_features/9/

It's a new animated Tim Burton movie. Looks really good.

[bmack86]

I'll add to the Slumdog love. I saw it two nights ago and thought it was brilliant. Well acted, well shot, great atmosphere, just an all around fantastic movie-going experience.

[ghettojournalist]

I don't know about the "9" trailer. I want to give it credit because of Burton and Timur, but I don't want to throw my full support behind it yet. And what's with the Hot Topic baiting by having a Coheed and Cambria track in the trailer?

[LooseAtTheZoo]

Watch the full 9 original short. It's brilliant. I watched it about 4 years ago at UCLA, forgot the name, and then was reminded of it by someone on this board. I'm very excited to see the full length (and you will be too after watching the short). It's on Youtube, get to it.

[amyzzz]

ohhh, that was that movie you were talking about before, Gonsh.

I saw a trailer for this movie Coraline when I watched Bolt a month or so ago, and I really want to see it (since we're talking about animated stuff).
http://heartofadream.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/coraline-comiccon.jpg

Oh, and it's not "in theatres 2008." I think it will be released in Feb 09.

[iv3rdawG]

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/8939/ggdc4.jpg

[LooseAtTheZoo]

ohhh, that was that movie you were talking about before, Gonsh.

I saw a trailer for this movie Coraline when I watched Bolt a month or so ago, and I really want to see it (since we're talking about animated stuff).
http://heartofadream.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/coraline-comiccon.jpg

Oh, and it's not "in theatres 2008." I think it will be released in Feb 09.

This one also looks quite good. I like the alternate universe concept, and so much can be done with that in animation

[canexplain]

I watched Crank on a movie channel last night ... yikes was that flick out there .... cr****

[patsfan5454]

Amy Smart is very hot in that movie! ^

[amyzzz]

My kids and I watched Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure last night. They loved it, especially the chase scenes.

Also, Jacob was watching Death Becomes Her (which he loves), and Ivy's right--the score for that is great. Actually the score for that movie and for Pee Wee are startingly similar in theme: overdramatic "scary" orchestral music that totally adds to the hilarity of the story.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

My kids and I watched Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure last night. They loved it, especially the chase scenes.

Also, Jacob was watching Death Becomes Her (which he loves), and Ivy's right--the score for that is great. Actually the score for that movie and for Pee Wee are startingly similar in theme: overdramatic "scary" orchestral music that totally adds to the hilarity of the story.

I love that beginning scene in Pee-Wee where he cooks this huge elaborate breakfast, then just pours a box of cereal over everything.

[amyzzz]

...and then he eats only a few pieces of Mr T cereal and doesn't even touch the pancakes, eggs, or bacon.

[ghettojournalist]

ohhh, that was that movie you were talking about before, Gonsh.

I saw a trailer for this movie Coraline when I watched Bolt a month or so ago, and I really want to see it (since we're talking about animated stuff).
http://heartofadream.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/coraline-comiccon.jpg

Oh, and it's not "in theatres 2008." I think it will be released in Feb 09.

yeah, Feb. 6
I like Neil Gaiman.
definitely interested.

[iv3rdawG]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/business/media/25fox.html?_r=1


LOS ANGELES — In a surprise ruling, a federal judge in Los Angeles said he intended to grant 20th Century Fox’s claim that it owns a copyright interest in the “Watchmen,” a movie shot by Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures and set for release in March.

The decision was disclosed in a five-page written order issued on Wednesday. Gary A. Feess, a judge in the United States District Court for Central California, said he would provide a more detailed order soon.

Fox has been seeking to prevent Warner from releasing the film. The superhero adventure, based on the “Watchmen” graphic novel, is being directed by Zack Snyder (who also directed “300”) and has shaped up as one of most eagerly anticipated releases for next year.

A Warner spokesman, Scott Rowe, declined to comment on the ruling and the studio’s plans.

At an earlier hearing, the judge said he believed that issues in the case could be settled only at a trial, which was scheduled for late January. On Wednesday, however, Judge Feess said he had reconsidered and concluded that Fox should prevail on crucial issues.

“Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the ‘Watchmen’ motion picture,” the ruling said.

Fox acquired rights to the “Watchmen” graphic novel in the late 1980s for the producer Lawrence Gordon, but eventually dropped its own plan to make a movie from its story, about the underside of life for superbeings.

Mr. Gordon later pursued the project with Universal Pictures, and then with Paramount Pictures, before shooting it with Warner and Legendary under an arrangement that allows Paramount to distribute the film abroad.

In ruling on Wednesday, Judge Feess advised both Fox and Warner to look toward a settlement or an appeal.

“The parties may wish to turn their efforts from preparing for trial to negotiating a resolution of this dispute or positioning the case for review,” he said.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Oh boy.

[shakermaker113]

I love that beginning scene in Pee-Wee where he cooks this huge elaborate breakfast, then just pours a box of cereal over everything.


...and then he eats only a few pieces of Mr T cereal and doesn't even touch the pancakes, eggs, or bacon.

dinosaurs!

[indietron]

Seeing Benjamin Button tommorow afternoon. Im super excited.

While im at it, I just want to say that I LOVE The Polar Express. Hands down my favorite Christmas movie. Its just... magical.

[faxman75]

I have Slumdog and Frost Nixon ready to watch and an HBO doc called Baghdad High.

[paulb]

anyone see The Spirit yet?

[LooseAtTheZoo]

I have Slumdog and Frost Nixon ready to watch and an HBO doc called Baghdad High.

Hope you didn't download Slumdog and Frost/Nixon. Not because I'm against downloading, because I download music all the time. But there are definitely some movies that have to be seen in a big screen atmosphere to fully appreciate, and I think Slumdog is one of those movies. On the other hand, Frost/Nixon isn't necessarily a movie that has to be viewed on the big screen but is so good I feel like the filmmakers deserve the nine dollars I'm shelling out, unlike Yes Man or Seven Pounds.

Bottom line is, movies aren't made with the intention that viewers watch them on a small computer screen (or a three inch iPod screen for that matter).

Enjoy the movies anyway, I watched Frost/Nixon today. I'm not old enough to appreciate how well rank Langella disappears into the role of Nixon, but it's damn fun to watch nonetheless. Right now my predictions for Best Actor are: Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke, Frank Langella, Leo Dicaprio, and Philip Seymour Hoffman (with Eastwood and Dev Patel as longshots).

[indietron]

Benjamin Button was a beautiful movie. It was expecting a bit more from it, and I think the ending couldve been better, but it was still great.

[wmgaretjax]

Benjamin Button was like a prettier Forrest Gump. It was gorgeous but lacked any real substance... Either Fincher needs to experiment a little more, or it needed to be a little more focused (like most of his movies are)... Instead it was kind of meandering. I enjoyed it, but it's nothing special...

[chairmenmeow47]

My kids and I watched Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure last night. They loved it, especially the chase scenes.

Also, Jacob was watching Death Becomes Her (which he loves), and Ivy's right--the score for that is great. Actually the score for that movie and for Pee Wee are startingly similar in theme: overdramatic "scary" orchestral music that totally adds to the hilarity of the story.

yes, both have great scores :)

one of my favourites from pee-wee's big adventure...

simone: do you have any dreams pee-wee?
pee-wee: yeah i'm all alone rolling this giant donut, and this snake in a vest...

i saw doubt yesterday with the family. i loved it. meryl streep could read the phone book and i'd probably be fascinated though.

*possible spoilers, i'm trying not to though*

what i loved most about the movie was all these people of faith demanding proof of sister aloysius' claims. also, i have known someone for about 15 years that we all suspect is a pedophile. of course none of us have actually seen anything blatant, it's all a series of various, small, inappropriate moments. i loved that this movie presented the story line to us in that manner as well. it wasn't a cut-and-dry case, which made it more realistic to me. i couldn't imagine being in a position of power and having to fight against something like that i had never actually seen.

i think the whole story line made my dad really uncomfortable though.

[Donaldj]

I saw The Wrestler yesterday with my parents. I am a pretty big Darren Aronofsky fan in general so I had high hopes going in. It was definitely his most straight forward film so far and that was not a bad thing. I was pretty impressed with both Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei. It was obvious that both of the leads put a lot of energy into working out for their roles. I thought Marisa Tomei was hot as hell. The movie is definitely a downer though.

I still like The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button the best so far from the holiday movie season.

[allyjoy]

i saw doubt yesterday with the family. i loved it. meryl streep could read the phone book and i'd probably be fascinated though.
i think the whole story line made my dad really uncomfortable though.

My mom wants to see that movie. I had to veto it yesterday on the grounds that I have no desire to be depressed on Christmas. We ended up not seeing a movie at all.

[amyzzz]

slumdog millionaire is AMAZING. movie of the year for me, hands down.
That one and In Bruges are my favorites so far.

[Somewhat Damaged]

i saw doubt yesterday with the family. i loved it. meryl streep could read the phone book and i'd probably be fascinated though.

*possible spoilers, i'm trying not to though*

what i loved most about the movie was all these people of faith demanding proof of sister aloysius' claims. also, i have known someone for about 15 years that we all suspect is a pedophile. of course none of us have actually seen anything blatant, it's all a series of various, small, inappropriate moments. i loved that this movie presented the story line to us in that manner as well. it wasn't a cut-and-dry case, which made it more realistic to me. i couldn't imagine being in a position of power and having to fight against something like that i had never actually seen.

i think the whole story line made my dad really uncomfortable though.

SPOILER-heavy discussion

Ivy, so do you think Father Flynn was guilty of pedophilia? Jennifer and I were pretty convinced of it. I thought what was especially indicative of that was the focus on his long fingernails, which I took to resemble predatory claws. (Among other things, like the panic-stricken look on his face when the subject was first broached, but this detail struck me in particular.)
I thought it was novel on John Patrick Shanley's behalf to have the identity of the protagonist and antagonist shrouded in such ambiguity over the course of the entire film. Sister Aloysius is presented as the villain, particularly in the trailers/TV spots, but if her conviction about his guilt is correct, then she's actually the protagonist. Operating under this interpretation, I took her final line -- "I have such doubts" -- to be in reference to her faith in the Catholic church. If a child molestor like Father Flynn can continue making his way up the ranks, what does that say about justice in the Church?
But then I read a review by David Poland that asserted that Father Flynn was simply gay, that Sister Aloysius was indeed the villain for persecuting him so, and that her final line was indicative of the victory Father Flynn achieved: though he may have been essentially run out of the parish, Sister Aloysius's heart was opened to the possibility that she may have been wrong. I haven't really sought out too many other reviews to see which opinion is the prevailing one, but I'm curious about your interpretation.

[chairmenmeow47]

SPOILER-heavy discussion

Ivy, so do you think Father Flynn was guilty of pedophilia? Jennifer and I were pretty convinced of it. I thought what was especially indicative of that was the focus on his long fingernails, which I took to resemble predatory claws.
I thought it was novel on John Patrick Shanley's behalf to have the identity of the protagonist and antagonist shrouded in such ambiguity over the course of the entire film. Sister Aloysius is presented as the villain, particularly in the trailers/TV spots, but if her conviction about his guilt is correct, then she's actually the protagonist. Operating under this interpretation, I took her final line -- "I have such doubts" -- to be in reference to her faith in the Catholic church. If a child molestor like Father Flynn can continue making his way up the ranks, what does that say about justice in the Church?
But then I read a review by David Poland that asserted that Father Flynn was simply gay, that Sister Aloysius was indeed the villain for persecuting him so, and that her final line was indicative of the victory Father Flynn achieved: though he may have been essentially run out of the parish, Sister Aloysius's heart was opened to the possibility that she may have been wrong. I haven't really sought out to many other reviews to see which opinion is the prevailing one, but I'm curious about your interpretation.

that's a very interesting interpretation. my feelings on pedophilia is that overt sexual activity is not the only inappropriate behavior. there is other inappropriate behavior that is not quite as bad as sexual activity, but is still a problem.

i personally believe that the father was engaged in inappropriate behavior. i just choose not to define what happened specifically. like i said, i know someone who i would believe is a pedophile. i've known him since i was a child and he's 3 years older than me. when i was like 11 or 12 and he was 14 or 15, he was always asking girls and boys younger than i was to sit on his lap and things like that. he was also in a teaching position at our theatre and it was inappropriate for him to do that. along with countless "alone time" with children younger than i was. he was also fired from this theatre when he closed down the box office one night and the next morning there was tons of kiddie porn found on the printer. and he's a happy hardcore dj and as he got older started taking 11 year old girls to parties with him saying they were people's sisters and the sisters knew the child was there, as though that made it alright. my point is that the behavior was inappropriate, regardless of whether or not actual sexual activity occured. it doesn't mean it's defined as pedophilia, but it's still inappropriate.

and that's how i felt about the father in this movie. i felt the father was engaged in some shady behavior with the child, and i feel his reactions to her questioning and the general way he acted are what tipped me towards believing this. it may have just been that he was gay. maybe he had no sexual interest in the child. he very well may have just been a mentor, but he was defensive and felt guilt for something regarding the child. he also felt he needed to hide his relationship with the child. and like the sister said, he was more concerned with being a friend than an authority, which is why i think it was appropriate for him to leave the church. this is a church that at that time would NOT have been ok with him being gay and influencing members of their congregation. this is also a religion that is really concerned with the "chain of command" and respecting authority. i think that's wrong, but a club has the right to say who's a member and who's not, so it was inappropriate that this man was working with these kids in this environment, bottom line.

had he gone to jail over this, i would have been disappointed as there was no proof. but this wasn't a jail, this was a church. and since when have churches ever cared for actual proof? it's about belief and her belief and sister james' intial suspicions that something was going on were enough to where they shouldn't have been working together. i know that if i had a kid, i would not want them around a man after seeing the things the sister's saw. i am a bit more paranoid than most people, but i also don't believe pedophilia starts with sexual activity, it starts with inappropriate relationships.

i also took her "doubt" to be a doubt of faith as well, but more importantly that this doubt finally made her human. she finally was able to relate to sister james as a, well, sister instead of a "mentor" or whatever. she was finally human.

good topic though, it is all about the interpretation :)

[thatfinkleygirl]

That one and In Bruges are my favorites so far.


i really regret not having seen in bruges; my friends are constantly raving about it and telling me i have to watch it. ima netflix that shit right now.

i saw benjamin button yesterday with my family and some friends. it was visually stunning and i enjoyed watching it, but i was a bit disappointed. i guess i expected something with a bit more substance from david fincher, or at least something more exciting.

[amyzzz]

In Bruges was astonishingly good.

[faxman75]

Hope you didn't download Slumdog and Frost/Nixon. Not because I'm against downloading, because I download music all the time. But there are definitely some movies that have to be seen in a big screen atmosphere to fully appreciate, and I think Slumdog is one of those movies. On the other hand, Frost/Nixon isn't necessarily a movie that has to be viewed on the big screen but is so good I feel like the filmmakers deserve the nine dollars I'm shelling out, unlike Yes Man or Seven Pounds.

Bottom line is, movies aren't made with the intention that viewers watch them on a small computer screen (or a three inch iPod screen for that matter).


The size of the screen isn't always the issue though. I could be watching on a 19" LCD monitor and be a foot away and have a pretty good perspective. It's not the movie theater but then again the Cine Capris which is the largest screen in AZ can be too big and annoying in certain seats so distance plays a role in optimal viewing as well. They are downloaded and I will be watching on my computer screen unfortunately.



Enjoy the movies anyway, I watched Frost/Nixon today. I'm not old enough to appreciate how well rank Langella disappears into the role of Nixon, but it's damn fun to watch nonetheless. Right now my predictions for Best Actor are: Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke, Frank Langella, Leo Dicaprio, and Philip Seymour Hoffman (with Eastwood and Dev Patel as longshots).

What's Leo in? I thought he did fine a few years ago in blood diamond but didn't deserve the praise he got as his accent was pretty terrible. I will see The Wrestler on the big screen though.

That Eastwood movie looks good but it made me chuckle...the preview made it look like they created a whole move with the "stay off my lawn" premise. heh.

[iv3rdawG]

Leo's in Revolutionary Road. I finally got around to seeing Happy-Go-Lucky. Sally Hawkins was fantastic in it.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

that's a very interesting interpretation. my feelings on pedophilia is that overt sexual activity is not the only inappropriate behavior. there is other inappropriate behavior that is not quite as bad as sexual activity, but is still a problem.

i personally believe that the father was engaged in inappropriate behavior. i just choose not to define what happened specifically. like i said, i know someone who i would believe is a pedophile. i've known him since i was a child and he's 3 years older than me. when i was like 11 or 12 and he was 14 or 15, he was always asking girls and boys younger than i was to sit on his lap and things like that. he was also in a teaching position at our theatre and it was inappropriate for him to do that. along with countless "alone time" with children younger than i was. he was also fired from this theatre when he closed down the box office one night and the next morning there was tons of kiddie porn found on the printer. and he's a happy hardcore dj and as he got older started taking 11 year old girls to parties with him saying they were people's sisters and the sisters knew the child was there, as though that made it alright. my point is that the behavior was inappropriate, regardless of whether or not actual sexual activity occured. it doesn't mean it's defined as pedophilia, but it's still inappropriate.

and that's how i felt about the father in this movie. i felt the father was engaged in some shady behavior with the child, and i feel his reactions to her questioning and the general way he acted are what tipped me towards believing this. it may have just been that he was gay. maybe he had no sexual interest in the child. he very well may have just been a mentor, but he was defensive and felt guilt for something regarding the child. he also felt he needed to hide his relationship with the child. and like the sister said, he was more concerned with being a friend than an authority, which is why i think it was appropriate for him to leave the church. this is a church that at that time would NOT have been ok with him being gay and influencing members of their congregation. this is also a religion that is really concerned with the "chain of command" and respecting authority. i think that's wrong, but a club has the right to say who's a member and who's not, so it was inappropriate that this man was working with these kids in this environment, bottom line.

had he gone to jail over this, i would have been disappointed as there was no proof. but this wasn't a jail, this was a church. and since when have churches ever cared for actual proof? it's about belief and her belief and sister james' intial suspicions that something was going on were enough to where they shouldn't have been working together. i know that if i had a kid, i would not want them around a man after seeing the things the sister's saw. i am a bit more paranoid than most people, but i also don't believe pedophilia starts with sexual activity, it starts with inappropriate relationships.

i also took her "doubt" to be a doubt of faith as well, but more importantly that this doubt finally made her human. she finally was able to relate to sister james as a, well, sister instead of a "mentor" or whatever. she was finally human.

good topic though, it is all about the interpretation :)

I wrote this a few pages back, but I'll recap some of my opinions

SPOILERS


When I saw the play I thought he was guilty. When I saw the movie I thought he was innocent. The main reason is the scene where he asks to see William Londons nails, and the boy pulls away. Sister Aloysius later cites that incident as the reason she suspects the priest of wrongdoing (even though she didn't see the context of the situation while watching from her office window. In addition, the scene where he hugs Donald Muller after William London knocks his books out was powerful as well. I got the sense that here was a man so committed to his position as comforter/protector to the boy he does not care how the situation would be perceived. A guilty man, in my opinion, would have surely seen the occurrence, weighed the risks of comforting the boy, and decided to just walk past rather than risk more suspicion.

I also think they played up the homosexuality as a main theme of the movie, whereas in the play it was only a peripheral issue about the boy. In the movie, there was Father Flynns comments about how if none of the girls say yes to dance with you, then you become a priest. In addition, the boy who had asked if it's okay to say no to the girl was later the one who was standing up for Donald. Interestingly enough, he was also the same boy watching Father Flynn and Donald after the opening service when we first see Flynns interactions with Donald. I interpreted that scene and the continual importance of that other boy to intimate a prior relationship with him and the priest, before Muller. But then again, you have to ask yourself, was that prior relationship wholesome or of a sinister nature. All in all, a great movie to spark discussion


(I'm interested what others have to say about my interpretation as well).

[Somewhat Damaged]

I wrote this a few pages back, but I'll recap some of my opinions

SPOILERS


When I saw the play I thought he was guilty. When I saw the movie I thought he was innocent. The main reason is the scene where he asks to see William Londons nails, and the boy pulls away. Sister Aloysius later cites that incident as the reason she suspects the priest of wrongdoing (even though she didn't see the context of the situation while watching from her office window. In addition, the scene where he hugs Donald Muller after William London knocks his books out was powerful as well. I got the sense that here was a man so committed to his position as comforter/protector to the boy he does not care how the situation would be perceived. A guilty man, in my opinion, would have surely seen the occurrence, weighed the risks of comforting the boy, and decided to just walk past rather than risk more suspicion.

I also think they played up the homosexuality as a main theme of the movie, whereas in the play it was only a peripheral issue about the boy. In the movie, there was Father Flynns comments about how if none of the girls say yes to dance with you, then you become a priest. In addition, the boy who had asked if it's okay to say no to the girl was later the one who was standing up for Donald. Interestingly enough, he was also the same boy watching Father Flynn and Donald after the opening service when we first see Flynns interactions with Donald. I interpreted that scene and the continual importance of that other boy to intimate a prior relationship with him and the priest, before Muller. But then again, you have to ask yourself, was that prior relationship wholesome or of a sinister nature. All in all, a great movie to spark discussion


(I'm interested what others have to say about my interpretation as well).

The scene where Father Flynn hugs Donald after his books get knocked to the ground was the primary citation of evidence that David Poland used in his review, and he argued your same point, that a person who was guilty of wrongdoing and who had been accused of impropriety would have avoided such a public act of intimacy.
The thing that sticks in my head is the scene when Father Flynn puts Donald's shirt in his locker. What was he doing with the boy's shirt? Under what pretenses would it have come into his possession? And the thing with the alcohol was curious, too, especially in light of the allegations against Michael Jackson and his "Jesus Juice." So Donald was in the rectory drinking wine, seen by the janitor (or whatever that guy happened to be), went to class and seemed normal, got called into Father Flynn's office where he was presumably given a stern talking to for having been caught drinking wine, returned to class upset and now feeling the effects of the alcohol, which Sister James then noticed? That just seems so much more complicated than Father Flynn calling him into his office, liquoring him up, then sending him back to class.
Another thing I noticed was which characters were shown first: the film opens on Jimmy Hurley (I believe that's his name, the kid who sits next to Donald in class), the next child we see is William London, and the last we see is Donald. In my interpretation, that order was significant in that those were the boys who Father Flynn had been involved with (in whatever way that happened to be). Starting with Jimmy (who seemed to share Donald's affinity for the Father), moving on to William (who clearly didn't like Father Flynn), and ending with Donald. (Just re-read what you wrote and see that we're essentially in agreement about there having been a prior relationship between Jimmy and Father Flynn.)
I perceived William's recoiling from Father Flynn when he's asked to show his nails the same way Sister Aloysius did, and felt that whatever improper relationship had been had (or attempted) between him and the Father was responsible for his acting up. Yeah, I know, he's a teenager and some kids start acting rebellious at that age, but he seemed so disdainful of Father Flynn, like in that scene you mention where the boys ask him about talking to girls. Everyone else looks at Father Flynn with respect but William would obviously rather be anywhere but in the man's presence.
The first shot of Father Flynn is also interesting: high angle from the top of the staircase as he paces before his sermon. This shot is returned to later on, when Father Flynn is doing something with Jimmy Hurley after church, and we then see that it's from Donald's perspective. Admittedly, this could also simply draw the parallel between their homosexuality, although the homosexuality is a given in Father Flynn's case if he is indeed molesting the boys.

Ivy: the irony of the demanding of proof didn't strike me during the movie but now that you mention it, it's pretty funny.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

The scene where Father Flynn hugs Donald after his books get knocked to the ground was the primary citation of evidence that David Poland used in his review, and he argued your same point, that a person who was guilty of wrongdoing and who had been accused of impropriety would have avoided such a public act of intimacy.
The thing that sticks in my head is the scene when Father Flynn puts Donald's shirt in his locker. What was he doing with the boy's shirt? Under what pretenses would it have come into his possession? And the thing with the alcohol was curious, too, especially in light of the allegations against Michael Jackson and his "Jesus Juice." So Donald was in the rectory drinking wine, seen by the janitor (or whatever that guy happened to be), went to class and seemed normal, got called into Father Flynn's office where he was presumably given a stern talking to for having been caught drinking wine, returned to class upset and now feeling the effects of the alcohol, which Sister James then noticed? That just seems so much more complicated than Father Flynn calling him into his office, liquoring him up, then sending him back to class.
Another thing I noticed was which characters were shown first: the film opens on Jimmy Hurley (I believe that's his name, the kid who sits next to Donald in class), the next child we see is William London, and the last we see is Donald. In my interpretation, that order was significant in that those were the boys who Father Flynn had been involved with (in whatever way that happened to be). Starting with Jimmy (who seemed to share Donald's affinity for the Father), moving on to William (who clearly didn't like Father Flynn), and ending with Donald. (Just re-read what you wrote and see that we're essentially in agreement about there having been a prior relationship between Jimmy and Father Flynn.)
I perceived William's recoiling from Father Flynn when he's asked to show his nails the same way Sister Aloysius did, and felt that whatever improper relationship had been had (or attempted) between him and the Father was responsible for his acting up. Yeah, I know, he's a teenager and some kids start acting rebellious at that age, but he seemed so disdainful of Father Flynn, like in that scene you mention where the boys ask him about talking to girls. Everyone else looks at Father Flynn with respect but William would obviously rather be anywhere but in the man's presence.
The first shot of Father Flynn is also interesting: high angle from the top of the staircase as he paces before his sermon. This shot is returned to later on, when Father Flynn is doing something with Jimmy Hurley after church, and we then see that it's from Donald's perspective. Admittedly, this could also simply draw the parallel between their homosexuality, although the homosexuality is a given in Father Flynn's case if he is indeed molesting the boys.

Ivy: the irony of the demanding of proof didn't strike me during the movie but now that you mention it, it's pretty funny.

Interesting comments about the angles, it makes sense. You can also notice that throughout the movie, whenever there is deception (or not letting on everything they know, holding their true words back) occurring in conversation between the three main characters the camera angles are shifted to be slightly slanted, and then corrected when their conversation become straightforward and unsheathed.

[Somewhat Damaged]

Interesting comments about the angles, it makes sense. You can also notice that throughout the movie, whenever there is deception (or not letting on everything they know, holding their true words back) occurring in conversation between the three main characters the camera angles are shifted to be slightly slanted, and then corrected when their conversation become straightforward and unsheathed.

I noticed that, too, and actually felt that maybe Shanley was overusing the device. What did you think about the light going out in Sister Aloysius's office? The first time it does is when Sister James is passionate in Father Flynn's defense. Sister Aloysius replaces the bulb before Donald's mother comes to talk with her; the bulb remains illuminated the whole time and by the end of the scene (though it moves to another location), Mrs. Miller is willing to accept whatever Father Flynn may be because he at least cares for her son. In the final confrontation between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius, the bulb again goes out, this time when Father Flynn is passionately defending himself. I think it's clear what my interpretation of the significance of that is, though after writing it out, I can see how Shanley could have also meant for that to indicate Sister Aloysius's resistance to being reasoned with. Guess it's one of those things one can have an opinion on but can never truly KNOW for sure (unless Shanley ever decides to reveal the answer).

[LooseAtTheZoo]

I noticed that, too, and actually felt that maybe Shanley was overusing the device. What did you think about the light going out in Sister Aloysius's office? The first time it does is when Sister James is passionate in Father Flynn's defense. Sister Aloysius replaces the bulb before Donald's mother comes to talk with her; the bulb remains illuminated the whole time and by the end of the scene (though it moves to another location), Mrs. Miller is willing to accept whatever Father Flynn may be because he at least cares for her son. In the final confrontation between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius, the bulb again goes out, this time when Father Flynn is passionately defending himself. I think it's clear what my interpretation of the significance of that is, though after writing it out, I can see how Shanley could have also meant for that to indicate Sister Aloysius's resistance to being reasoned with. Guess it's one of those things one can have an opinion on but can never truly KNOW for sure (unless Shanley ever decides to reveal the answer).

Yeah, he absolutely overused it. Some of the other symbolism was definitely heavy-handed as well, including the importance of the lightbulb. My approach to the lightbulb was more emotionally based than anything based on his defense. I felt the lightbulb was a representation of Sister Aloysius doubts. Every time she stubbornly continued to defend her views, another person would just as passionately try and refute them, continually putting chinks into her armor of invincibility, and chipping away at her strong convictions to create less and less certainty. I believe the last blown out lightbulb was right before he asks her if she had never sinned, and her response (I think) is really indicative of her tough veneer fading away.

Apparently, Hoffman told Shanley he wouldn't play the role unless he knew if the priest was guilty or not. So two people know (Maybe Brian F. O'Byrne as well).

[LooseAtTheZoo]

For more Doubt fans who want to read further more into symbolism and the priests guilt/innocence, here's a link to the climactic showdown between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius

http://www.apple.com/trailers/miramax/doubt/

[schoolofruckus]

Benjamin Button was like a prettier Forrest Gump. It was gorgeous but lacked any real substance... Either Fincher needs to experiment a little more, or it needed to be a little more focused (like most of his movies are)... Instead it was kind of meandering. I enjoyed it, but it's nothing special...

That's unfortunate, albeit right on board with everything else I've read about it so far. I'm bummed that this one will apparently be irrelevant in the race to be my favorite movie of this year.

[thatfinkleygirl]

Benjamin Button was like a prettier Forrest Gump. It was gorgeous but lacked any real substance... Either Fincher needs to experiment a little more, or it needed to be a little more focused (like most of his movies are)... Instead it was kind of meandering. I enjoyed it, but it's nothing special...


funny you should compare benjamin button and forrest gump ... eric roth wrote the screenplay for both! i'd like to read the short story bb's based on, it sounds pretty fascinating, more so than the movie was at least. perhaps fincher could have done something more interesting with it if he'd had a different screenwriter...

[indietron]

Yeah I didn't know Ben Button was based off of a story by F Scott Fitzgerald until i the credits at the end of the movie. That is really awesome though.

[paulb]

I enjoyed Benjamin Button...

[Donaldj]

Yea I loved Benjamin Button. I am quite surprised and a bit confused by the negative comments. I found it very magical and endearing.

[indietron]

Yea I loved Benjamin Button. I am quite surprised and a bit confused by the negative comments. I found it very magical and endearing.

I agree that it was a beautiful film and a fantastic story, I think I just expected more from it for some reason. I can't even say what it is, I just feel like something was missing in the movie.

[thatfinkleygirl]

it was a perfectly decent movie, but i felt somewhat let down by it. i thought it was ... well, boring. and a tad sappy. i expected something more from david fincher.

EDIT: for anyone who's interested in reading f. scott fitzgerald's short story the movie is based on, you can find the full text here:
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/Fitzgerald/jazz/benjamin/benjamin1.htm
i'm about to read it myself.

[indietron]

I kinda felt letdown too. I didn't get bored at all, and i don't think it was "sappy." I think it may have been the ending. It definitely could have been done alot better. I wish they would have ended it with baby benjamin closing his eyes and dying, or maybe after that piece with all of the movie's characters talking.

[Boourns]

My favorites so far are The Dark Knight and Let the Right One In. I haven't seen a lot of things yet, though. But I found both of those to be amazing.

[Backwater]

I finally just saw Dark Knight and I honestly thought it was a total piece of crap. That script was garbage. Easily the most overrated movie of the year. On the other hand, I just saw Slumdog Millonaire and it was great. I didn't realize it was directed by Danny Boyle until the end credits. It's no Trainspotting or anything but definitely worth seeing. I liked it better than the past few films I've seen of his. I can't wait to see The Wrestler.

[BlueDevil50]

I finally just saw Dark Knight and I honestly thought it was a total piece of crap. That script was garbage. Easily the most overrated movie of the year. On the other hand, I just saw Slumdog Millonaire and it was great. I didn't realize it was directed by Danny Boyle until the end credits. It's no Trainspotting or anything but definitely worth seeing. I liked it better than the past few films I've seen of his. I can't wait to see The Wrestler.

piece of crap? way to lose all credibility =)

[menikmati]

I agree, Dark Knight is WAY overrated, perhaps the most overrated film ever, and is generally pretty crappy overall.

[BlueDevil50]

sorry...it's one of the five best flicks from '08

[menikmati]

haha that's laughable

[ivankay]

i liked Dark Knight a lot. i'm wondering why it is a crappy film overall. It's a good looking movie, so it's not the photography. The action is pretty top notch. Good acting. The second time i saw it, appreciation for the dialogue and the script increased. Music worked. What am i not seeing here?

[menikmati]

The whole plot is pretty fucking stupid, and the film loses focus about 5,000 times....the whole Hong Kong part? Unnecessary. It just added to the length of the film which was at least a half hour too long....and the whole Two-Face section? Retarded. I know a lot of fanboys love it and hail it as the best ever, but really, look at the plot, look at the length...everything was just so over done....it's a horrible film. People just got excited over a "dirty punk pyscho" version of the Joker.

[amyzzz]

I agree. Overrated. Although I did like Heath Ledger. Christian Bale kinda sucked this time though.

[ivankay]

The HK part was part of the plot and made for something really excellent to look at (especially in Imax). The shot on top of the building was impressive and led to a nice action sequence. That part had a place in the film not only to retrieve something and get it back to the US, but to also inject some more kick ass in an action movie. The Two Face part did not live up to the rest of the film, but "retarded" it was not. This reminds me of people who say "Titanic" is the "worst movie ever". Is that opinion based on the actual merits of the film? Or is it a statement about how "different" the critic is from the "masses of idiots". It is fairly common for people to use "success" as a reason to dislike things. When you use extreme negatives to describe something that has some beauty and skill on display, it makes me wonder why you're being so harsh.

i saw the movie 2 times and had no problem with the time it played. Ledger's psycho depiction of the Joker was something that merited the excitement. The praise would have been smaller if he was alive, but it still would have been one of the most talked about performances of the year.

i'm still going with Spiderman 2 for best comic movie.

[rage patton]

Benjamin Button was amazing. Not only one of the best films of the year, but one of the best films I have ever seen. Not gonna lie, I cried.

[blakely]

I agree. Overrated. Although I did like Heath Ledger. Christian Bale kinda sucked this time though.

YES.

[menikmati]

The HK part was part of the plot and made for something really excellent to look at (especially in Imax). The shot on top of the building was impressive and led to a nice action sequence. That part had a place in the film not only to retrieve something and get it back to the US, but to also inject some more kick ass in an action movie. The Two Face part did not live up to the rest of the film, but "retarded" it was not. This reminds me of people who say "Titanic" is the "worst movie ever". Is that opinion based on the actual merits of the film? Or is it a statement about how "different" the critic is from the "masses of idiots". It is fairly common for people to use "success" as a reason to dislike things. When you use extreme negatives to describe something that has some beauty and skill on display, it makes me wonder why you're being so harsh.

i saw the movie 2 times and had no problem with the time it played. Ledger's psycho depiction of the Joker was something that merited the excitement. The praise would have been smaller if he was alive, but it still would have been one of the most talked about performances of the year.

i'm still going with Spiderman 2 for best comic movie.

I don't think Titanic is the worst movie ever, in fact I really like Titanic. But TDK? It's seriously just an example (a perfect example actually) of a film that is so overhyped and has so many fanboys, that most people are blind to how shitty it really is. I understand most fans are gonna overlook and ignore the length (in fact most will probably think the longer the better), and not care about the lack of focus and pointless parts (Hong Kong, Two-face etc...) as long as the Joker gets screen time and there are chase sequences and such....I mean it is an "action" film and all....but to blatantly ignore all the flaws and call it one of the best ever is just dumb. I'm not judging and calling this film shitty based on it's success.....the plot, acting, and other things take care of that already.

[bmack86]

I liked the movie. A lot. To my eyes and ears, that doesn't make it overrated, in my opinion. I thought it was fantastic, and I rate it accordingly. Seems like people tend to get very pissed off when something they don't like does well and gets critical recognition. I enjoyed the plot, I thought the acting was good to great and the film just looked good. Dizzamn y'all.

[Donaldj]

Anybody that says movies like Titanic and The Dark Knight are the worst movies ever have CLEARLY not seen many movies.

Take something like Southland Tales. That one is so bad on such a monumental level it's almost genius.

[ivankay]

I don't think Titanic is the worst movie ever, in fact I really like Titanic. But TDK? It's seriously just an example (a perfect example actually) of a film that is so overhyped and has so many fanboys, that most people are blind to how shitty it really is. I understand most fans are gonna overlook and ignore the length (in fact most will probably think the longer the better), and not care about the lack of focus and pointless parts (Hong Kong, Two-face etc...) as long as the Joker gets screen time and there are chase sequences and such....I mean it is an "action" film and all....but to blatantly ignore all the flaws and call it one of the best ever is just dumb. I'm not judging and calling this film shitty based on it's success.....the plot, acting, and other things take care of that already.

To be as negative in your criticism reminded me of the "Titanic" discussions where someone hates it a extra than if it was just playing in one art house and no one saw it. i also do not ascribe to TDK being the best ever, but i do place it in that really good range. i don't see the lack of focus you are mentioning. All the parts of the film are connected and push the story forward. The first time i saw the film, i might agree with the lack of focus happening in the interrogation piece, but changed my mind on the second viewing.

Personally i try to avoid using the critiques "overhyped" and "overrated". Those words alone mean the basis of the criticism is how other people are responding to it. i don't mind it so much in passing discussion (which these exchanges are), but it appears as if most people use these as a cornerstones for their feelings and "thoughts' on things.

[rage patton]

Mr fav movies of the year:

Bejamin Button
In Bruges
Wall-E
The Dark Night

[LooseAtTheZoo]

I just got back from Gran Torino, and it had some of the worst acting I've seen in movies this year. Clint Eastwood was great (expect a Best Actor nod), but he was essentially playing a parody of his Dirty Harry character, only without the irony. The Hmong girl was the only other good actor. Tao and the priest were just laughably bad, wooden and poor timing (which they clearly attempted to mask with equally-poorly timed cuts).

Apparently the movie was Eastwoods goodbye to movie acting, and he has said that it is his last onscreen role ever. If it's true, then he has done well personally. But the movie itself is weighed down by a slogging first 3/4 and repetitious devices. We get the point already, you don't need to show different variations of the same encounter five times!

Also, the entire thing is a blatant Christ allegory. Nothing wrong with that, but if you don't see it then you aren't looking very closely. This just continues Eastwoods heavy interest in religion that has been reflected in his most current movies.

[mountmccabe]

I just looked up and realized that while I have liked Danny Boyle's films I have only seen the ones with Andrew MacDonald producing. Granted, that only takes away Millions and Slumdog Millionare but hmm. But also I haven't seen anything else Andrew MacDonald has produced so I don't really have the information necessary to go anywhere with this.

And since it is the time of year for ranking things:


Sunshine
Trainspotting
Shallow Grave
28 Days Later
A Life Less Ordinary
The Beach

[mountmccabe]

Also wait what? They made a movie out of The Tesseract? I need to find out how to see this! [YAY Netflix!]

Also Alex Garland wrote a script for Halo? Whoah.


I love IMDb.

[paulb]

Benjamin Button was amazing. Not only one of the best films of the year, but one of the best films I have ever seen. Not gonna lie, I cried.

hehe, ya, it was a really emotion movie... I had to hold back... I expect to see Brad Pitt get a best actor nomination.

[garrett222]

I just looked up and realized that while I have liked Danny Boyle's films I have only seen the ones with Andrew MacDonald producing. Granted, that only takes away Millions and Slumdog Millionare but hmm. But also I haven't seen anything else Andrew MacDonald has produced so I don't really have the information necessary to go anywhere with this.

And since it is the time of year for ranking things:


Sunshine
Trainspotting
Shallow Grave
28 Days Later
A Life Less Ordinary
The Beach


i didn't like sunshine...is it worth a second viewing?

[amyzzz]

I just looked up and realized that while I have liked Danny Boyle's films I have only seen the ones with Andrew MacDonald producing. Granted, that only takes away Millions and Slumdog Millionare but hmm. But also I haven't seen anything else Andrew MacDonald has produced so I don't really have the information necessary to go anywhere with this.

And since it is the time of year for ranking things:


Sunshine
Trainspotting
Shallow Grave
28 Days Later
A Life Less Ordinary
The Beach

Oh man I forgot about A Life Less Ordinary. What a stinker.

[faxman75]

i liked The Beach.

[shakermaker113]

wow the dark knight arguments will never end. for the record I'm not a fan boy and I like it. I took some friends along who hadn't even seen the first christopher nolan batman until earlier the same afternoon. so they're pretty far from being fan boys. they didn't think it sucked, they really liked it. I think it has some merit beyond fanboy hard-ons. it's not perfect, but the anti-fanboy hate is a bit much.

[RotationSlimWang]

TDK was fucking preposterous. Lord knows I listed almost every single reason why when it came out, but I'm still surprised after all this time that nobody else is irked by its tremendous flaws.

[Boourns]

wow the dark knight arguments will never end. for the record I'm not a fan boy and I like it. I took some friends along who hadn't even seen the first christopher nolan batman until earlier the same afternoon. so they're pretty far from being fan boys. they didn't think it sucked, they really liked it. I think it has some merit beyond fanboy hard-ons. it's not perfect, but the anti-fanboy hate is a bit much.

Seriously. It's just always cool to hate on things that unite so many people in enjoyment.

[mountmccabe]

i didn't like sunshine...is it worth a second viewing?

I loved Sunshine nearly immediately. I found it visually rich; quite arresting, in fact. It has flaws - there are some standard sci-fi silly parts to the story and some overdone tropes - but it worked for me. I loved the music by Underworld, too.

So while I think it is worth many, many, many viewings if you did not enjoy it the first time I don't know what would be different the second, etc.



Oh man I forgot about A Life Less Ordinary. What a stinker.

I remember liking it but being disappointed that it wasn't near as good as Trainspotting. It isn't bad, though. Also I don't remember it, much. The music was still really good, though.



i liked The Beach.

I was let down. I really liked the book - and now really like Garland as a novelist - but the changes just struck me as bizarre and negative. Also I thought actually showing Apocalypse Now instead of just referring to it visually/stylistically was poor film making. I also thought DiCaprio gave a rather weak performance.

I wouldn't mind revisiting it, though. It is possible that after 8 years of looking down on it I would be pleasantly surprised.

[Somewhat Damaged]

Benjamin Button was amazing. Not only one of the best films of the year, but one of the best films I have ever seen. Not gonna lie, I cried.

If this is one of the best films you've ever seen, have you not watched very many movies then, Josh? I mean, the film is fine and all, has great photography and the performances are pretty strong, but it's probably the worst film David Fincher has made to date. I wanted to feel emotional about the relationship between Benjamin and...whatever Cate Blanchett's character's name is, but I couldn't. The closest I came was when he visited her in New York and she was dancing with her boyfriend. I almost wonder if it's because Fincher's heart wasn't in showing the emotion of their relationship (he's on record as saying he didn't want the film to be just a love story); I got the distinct impression that he was more interested in the relationship between Benjamin and his father. (Fincher's a lot like PT Anderson in that their best works revolve around characters who either had scumbag fathers or were abandoned by them.) The film is a marvel to look at and deserves every technical accolade it'll receive, I just find it very difficult for anyone to LOVE the story. One of cinema's great romances, this is not.

[RotationSlimWang]

Also, The Wrestler was awesome. First good movie I've seen in a theatre in 2008.

[wmgaretjax]

Also, The Wrestler was awesome. First good movie I've seen in a theatre in 2008.

Yay. Gonna watch it tonight.

[faxman75]

I wouldn't mind revisiting it, though. It is possible that after 8 years of looking down on it I would be pleasantly surprised.

I went in with really low expectations just watching it on cable. I never read the book either so that probably helped. I also like looking at pretty locations and loved the cinematography.

[tessalasset]

i just got back from seeing last chance harvey. don't go see it. it's not good. the only reason i bought tickets was cause dustin hoffman did a q&a afterwards which totally made up for the movie and made it worth my $12. he is a very thoughtful, articulate, down-to-earth guy. it was pretty much just a q&a between him and a film critic from USA Today, but towards the end they opened it up to a couple audience questions and he took a solid ten minutes to answer each one. the entire thing ended up being about an hour long, which i wasn't expecting at all. his handlers kept trying to tear him away to go to the next q&a and he kept answering more questions. what a great guy.

[Donaldj]

it's probably the worst film David Fincher has made to date.

Over Panic Room?

[Donaldj]

Also, The Wrestler was awesome. First good movie I've seen in a theatre in 2008.

Yea, I liked that one too.

[wmgaretjax]

Over Panic Room?

Panic Room wasn't great, but it was effective. Button wasn't.

[mountmccabe]

Panic Room wasn't great, but it was effective. Button wasn't.

ytoZhPsNsJA

[mountmccabe]

fWptXUblA4E

Iu4NcgQZucE

[mountmccabe]

I haven't seen Benjamin Button... but I am not sure what would be my least favorite Fincher.

[Backwater]

Panic Room and Benjamin Button are the worst Fincher films? Did Alien 3 never happen?

[indietron]

I just watched Young @ Heart and I really liked it. Granted, it probably wouldn't be a movie ill watch more than once, but it was still good. It was funny, cute, and sad. The narrator was awful and brought down the film alot though.

[chairmenmeow47]

i actually watched the end of the beach this weekend, weird. no matter how tough leo tries to be, he still looks like an angry little kid every time he gets mad, lol.

[humanoid]

i actually watched the end of the beach this weekend, weird. no matter how tough leo tries to be, he still looks like an angry little kid every time he gets mad, lol.

truthfully, I enjoy most of the movies Leo is in, but I chuckle a little bit almost every time I'm supposed to take him really seriously

[faxman75]

I would agree except in Basketball Diaries. His seriousness didn't make me chuckle at all in that one.

[Backwater]

This reminds me of people who say "Titanic" is the "worst movie ever". Is that opinion based on the actual merits of the film? Or is it a statement about how "different" the critic is from the "masses of idiots". It is fairly common for people to use "success" as a reason to dislike things. When you use extreme negatives to describe something that has some beauty and skill on display, it makes me wonder why you're being so harsh.


I see what you're saying and I agree. However, from an objective standpoint, I honestly just didn't enjoy TDK at all.

[wmgaretjax]

TDK was a fine movie. Didn't do very well on a second viewing (mostly just felt bloated, like Erik mentioned, the Hong Kong stuff was totally unnecessary).

Shouldn't be anywhere near the year-end top 10.

[RotationSlimWang]

Sorry, there are some fairly major parts of TDK that were just really hacky, and a movie with that much money, prestige, and talent behind it shouldn't have settled for writing with Michael Bay-esque suspensions of disbelief and forcefed exposition.

[ivankay]

If you cut out the HK stuff, you got a weird gap on your hands.

[humanoid]

I would agree except in Basketball Diaries. His seriousness didn't make me chuckle at all in that one.

true, but he was really a kid then too, so it was okay for him to act like a kid...but now that he's 30 something, he still seems that way, and it interferes with my ability to take him too seriously or think he's tough or intimidating

[RotationSlimWang]

Not really. The HK stuff is just a part of the absurdity though. All the Joker's plans are so ridiculously contrived that HK subplot doesn't even stick out that much, despite the unbelievably dumb "I've hidden all your money away for its safety and only I can know its location" horseshit.

Take the opening fucking scene. Let's even ignore the wholly unnecessary risk Joker takes by deciding to have the crew execute each other in such a carefully orchestrated order IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CRIME RATHER THAN AFTER GETTING AWAY WITH IT...

when he drives the bus out of the fucking bank wall he conveniently slides into a caravan of five other school buses. Are you kidding me? In addition to the precisely timed domino of murders, Joker somehow knew when those buses were going to be driving past?

The entire movie is full of gaps of probability like that. It's insulting.

[locachica73]

I watched Seven Pounds (depressing) and most of The Wrestler yesterday. I fell asleep at some point while watching The Wrestler, not sure if that was due to the movie or the fact I was exhausted and high. Either way, it was good to the point I crashed. The video wasn't that great but I am pretty sure Morissa Tome was a stripper and I saw her breasts. Not something I expected.

[humanoid]

I think I'm going to see The Wrestler tonight, I'm looking forward to it greatly

[faxman75]

Marisa Tomei is hot. I'm assuming I spelled her name wrong too.

I watched Baghdad High last night. If you want a real depiction of what life in Baghadad is like beyond any stereotypes this is the movie. They gave 4 video cameras to 4 high school kids around the time violence was escalating in Iraq. You don't see much carnage, instead you see normal kids paling around, dealing with friends leaving, reactions to Saddams execution and how people cope with curfews, religion and trying ot learn.

I was surprised to learn their lives aren't as different as ours.

[ivankay]

Not really. The HK stuff is just a part of the absurdity though. All the Joker's plans are so ridiculously contrived that HK subplot doesn't even stick out that much, despite the unbelievably dumb "I've hidden all your money away for its safety and only I can know its location" horseshit.

Take the opening fucking scene. Let's even ignore the wholly unnecessary risk Joker takes by deciding to have the crew execute each other in such a carefully orchestrated order IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CRIME RATHER THAN AFTER GETTING AWAY WITH IT...

when he drives the bus out of the fucking bank wall he conveniently slides into a caravan of five other school buses. Are you kidding me? In addition to the precisely timed domino of murders, Joker somehow knew when those buses were going to be driving past?

The entire movie is full of gaps of probability like that. It's insulting.

Batman needed to get the money man back to the US. The guy was in HK. To cut out the sequence means possibly cutting out the character, changing his hide out location (and essentially having the same action piece, just somewhere else) or writing out the whole mob money inclusion.

Joker's crazy. Everything he does is risky. Doing it in the middle of the crime is crazy. Did i mention the Joker is crazy? He's also a super villain with high intelligence. The heist may have been timed to happen when those throngs of school kids were being driven to a major field trip in Gotham. Super villains know these type of things.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

Not really. The HK stuff is just a part of the absurdity though. All the Joker's plans are so ridiculously contrived that HK subplot doesn't even stick out that much, despite the unbelievably dumb "I've hidden all your money away for its safety and only I can know its location" horseshit.

Take the opening fucking scene. Let's even ignore the wholly unnecessary risk Joker takes by deciding to have the crew execute each other in such a carefully orchestrated order IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CRIME RATHER THAN AFTER GETTING AWAY WITH IT...

when he drives the bus out of the fucking bank wall he conveniently slides into a caravan of five other school buses. Are you kidding me? In addition to the precisely timed domino of murders, Joker somehow knew when those buses were going to be driving past?

The entire movie is full of gaps of probability like that. It's insulting.

I think some "gaps of probability" are to be expected in hyper-fictionalized action movies like the Dark Knight. Few of the great action/thriller movies are really believable either (such as Seven, for instance). And really, there are plenty of other circumstances in the movie that lend credence to the fact that the Joker is, indeed, a master criminal who would have such things as the school bus escape route planned (i.e. the cell phone bomb in the guys chest).

However, I do think that these "gaps of probability" detract from all the people saying Dark Knight is some deep social commentary. If the movie is going to take itself so seriously, then admittedly, plausibility is an issue.

[Donaldj]

The video wasn't that great but I am pretty sure Morissa Tome was a stripper and I saw her breasts. Not something I expected.

Yep, that was her. She looks really good too.

[humanoid]

/\ I love watching things about places and people that we only get to see through the filter of the media... to find out that in reality, much of our lives are very similar

[locachica73]

Yep, that was her. She looks really good too.

Mickey Roark (sp?) on the other hand looks like his face is swollen from too much plastic surgery, he almost looks lionish. But damn, that old guy has a body on him.

[RotationSlimWang]

Making a superhero movie is one thing--making a movie about supposedly human characters who just happen to have the entire world align for whatever they plan to make them seem omniscient is another.

[faxman75]

Take the opening fucking scene. Let's even ignore the wholly unnecessary risk Joker takes by deciding to have the crew execute each other in such a carefully orchestrated order IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CRIME RATHER THAN AFTER GETTING AWAY WITH IT...

That doesn't seem like a big deal to me. It's a comic movie, it's about sequencing and smooth timing and clever tricks. It's less people to fuck up, give up a trail or figure out how to kill later. Do it in the midst of the chaos. It was more enjoyable than bothersome.




when he drives the bus out of the fucking bank wall he conveniently slides into a caravan of five other school buses. Are you kidding me?

School buses have routes. This was obviously a planned heist. The whole idea to use the school bus I would assume came from staking out the bank for weeks in advance anyway. Too clever? Maybe but again, this isn't something that should ruin the movie.

The end scene with the 2 boats was a bit more annoying than all of this. They basically used ESP as the two boats had no communication and trusted they would not blow eachother up. Again though it's a comic book so you suspend belief for comic movies.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

Making a superhero movie is one thing--making a movie about supposedly human characters who just happen to have the entire world align for whatever they plan to make them seem omniscient is another.

Can you explain this a little further, I'm not sure what you're responding to or trying to say.

As for the Wrestler love, go for Mickey Rourke and enjoy that part to the fullest. I thought some of the subplots were really weak, though, and they drag the movie down. Locachica, it's plastic surgery and getting punched in the face too many times during his boxing career.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

That doesn't seem like a big deal to me. It's a comic movie, it's about sequencing and smooth timing and clever tricks. It's less people to fuck up, give up a trail or figure out how to kill later. Do it in the midst of the chaos. It was more enjoyable than bothersome.




School buses have routes. This was obviously a planned heist. The whole idea to use the school bus I would assume came from staking out the bank for weeks in advance anyway. Too clever? Maybe but again, this isn't something that should ruin the movie.

The end scene with the 2 boats was a bit more annoying than all of this. They basically used ESP as the two boats had no communication and trusted they would not blow eachother up. Again though it's a comic book so you suspend belief for comic movies.

I think you misinterpreted the motives of the people on the boat in the final scene. Neither made the decision trusting the other wouldn't get blown up (and one boat was pretty damn close too).

[faxman75]

However, I do think that these "gaps of probability" detract from all the people saying Dark Knight is some deep social commentary. If the movie is going to take itself so seriously, then admittedly, plausibility is an issue.

I think the movie takes itself more seriously than the previous attempts but that doesn't mean it's meant to be some deep social commentary. I think it takes the characters seriously and makes them more human while maintaining the story and the super hero aspect with tricks, stunts and effects without making anyones costumes or gadgets look cheesy.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

I think the movie takes itself more seriously than the previous attempts but that doesn't mean it's meant to be some deep social commentary. I think it takes the characters seriously and makes them more human while maintaining the story and the super hero aspect with tricks, stunts and effects without making anyones costumes or gadgets look cheesy.

Maybe it wasn't meant to be deep social commentary, but it is being treated as such by many reviewers and Oscar prognosticators.

[RotationSlimWang]

Can you explain this a little further, I'm not sure what you're responding to or trying to say.

Sure. Let's take a look at someone actually trying to defend the plot of this horseshit:



School buses have routes. This was obviously a planned heist. The whole idea to use the school bus I would assume came from staking out the bank for weeks in advance anyway. Too clever? Maybe but again, this isn't something that should ruin the movie.

The end scene with the 2 boats was a bit more annoying than all of this. They basically used ESP as the two boats had no communication and trusted they would not blow eachother up. Again though it's a comic book so you suspend belief for comic movies.

A. The "school buses have routes" argument is about as stupid as one can get. So Joker plans a bank heist, and not only targets a mob bank--which would certainly lead to certain inherent unknown variables in the time and success of an already difficult crime--but ON TOP of such a difficult feat feels the need to put together a string of "then you shoot that guy at this precise moment" scenarios which he's just trusting will not go off without a hitch and not interfere with his escape in any way...

AND he times his exit down to a five second window of a fucking bus route in a major city? It's this level of completely unnecessary convolution that ruins the character. He's not just a psychopath or even a psychotic mastermind--he knows exactly how every sequence of events is going to play out. So either he sees into the future or he's just incredibly poorly written.

[faxman75]

I think you misinterpreted the motives of the people on the boat in the final scene. Neither made the decision trusting the other wouldn't get blown up (and one boat was pretty damn close too).

I don't think I did. They built up the scene quite well only to give it a hollywood scene where the big bad prisoner decides not to push the button. Do you think anyone in that theater thought he was gonna blow up that other boat? It had some suspense though.

[ivankay]

Maybe it wasn't meant to be deep social commentary, but it is being treated as such by many reviewers and Oscar prognosticators.

One thing i got out of film theory classes is all film can be viewed as social commentary (consciously or not). Sure it's theory and that gets an automatic bullshit label from most, but it did provoke interesting examinations and discussions of films and how they reflect the societies that produce them.

[Donaldj]

One thing i got out of film theory classes is all film can be viewed as social commentary (consciously or not).

QFT, I recall the discussions "Hellraiser" provoked in a gender and sexuality in horror films class I took.

[faxman75]

Can you explain this a little further, I'm not sure what you're responding to or trying to say.

As for the Wrestler love, go for Mickey Rourke and enjoy that part to the fullest. I thought some of the subplots were really weak, though, and they drag the movie down. Locachica, it's plastic surgery and getting punched in the face too many times during his boxing career.

Did no one see "Spun"? He's looked like this for years now.

[locachica73]

I haven't but we decided in chat last night that my movie watching is lacking since I never get to answer yes to the "have you seen" question. I tried to watch City of God and Trainspotting last night but they wouldn't load for whatever reason, but those two are on the list. I need to stay home more and spend less money at the bars so illegally watching movies is on my list of things to do.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

I don't think I did. They built up the scene quite well only to give it a hollywood scene where the big bad prisoner decides not to push the button. Do you think anyone in that theater thought he was gonna blow up that other boat? It had some suspense though.

I was just referring to your mention of ESP and how you said they "trusted they would not blow each other up," when it was in fact the opposite. They both thought the other was going to blow up the ship, and that is what guided their decisions.

[thestripe]

Benjamin Button was like a prettier Forrest Gump. It was gorgeous but lacked any real substance... Either Fincher needs to experiment a little more, or it needed to be a little more focused (like most of his movies are)... Instead it was kind of meandering. I enjoyed it, but it's nothing special...

I saw it a few nights ago and enjoyed it very much. The film was beautifully shot, right up there with Zodiac. I can see the Forrest Gump similarities, and maybe the length of the film will distract some viewers, but didn't bother me at all. I thought the female leads were strong, which is very refreshing. Brad Pitt was good, but not award worthy. I don't really have anything negative to say about it, and would recommend others to see it.

[ghettojournalist]

my take on the Joker is kinda informed by some comic takes. Joker can be considered one of the most intelligent beings on Earth, working on a plane of understanding that is far above a normal person. Anarchy is what it seems like to almost everyone watching what he does, but he has the instinct of a "dog chasing cars" with a master chess player's strategic thinking. He's able to go with the flow of whatever happens because he can think of all the probabilities available.

[Donaldj]

Jesus, I think everybody is reading way too much into a Batman movie. Both the people attacking and defending it.

[blakely]

my take on the Joker is kinda informed by some comic takes. Joker can be considered one of the most intelligent beings on Earth, working on a plane of understanding that is far above a normal person. Anarchy is what it seems like to almost everyone watching what he does, but he has the instinct of a "dog chasing cars" with a master chess player's strategic thinking. He's able to go with the flow of whatever happens because he can think of all the probabilities available.

wasco? are you fucking imprisoned?

[coldstart]

Wasco is a town, you know. The prison happens to be named after the town it's in.

[amyzzz]

I feel apathetic about TDK. There were many much better movies out this year IMO, but parts of it were fun. All the overanalyzing bores me.

[blakely]

Wasco is a town, you know. The prison happens to be named after the town it's in.

Sarcasm (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sarcasm)

[coldstart]

It's already been noted that sarcasm doesn't travel well on teh intertubez.

[blakely]

It's already been noted that sarcasm doesn't travel well on teh intertubez.

si.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

I feel apathetic about TDK. There were many much better movies out this year IMO, but parts of it were fun. All the overanalyzing bores me.

Well what movie should we discuss then zzz's?

[SoulDischarge]

I was willing to suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy The Dark Knight. It's a superhero/comic book movie, so implausibility is to be expected. I think most of what it actually had to say about human nature and the general theme was pretty interesting and holds true (especially considering the recent election; is Obama more Bruce Wayne or Harvey Dent?).

[stinkbutt]

I think most of what it actually had to say about human nature and the general theme was pretty interesting and holds true (especially considering the recent election; is Obama more Bruce Wayne or Harvey Dent?).

are you retarded

[SoulDischarge]

Yes.

[SoulDischarge]

And in all fairness, I don't think that's that bad of a comparison. Does our country need a corrupt leader that puts on a clean public face and instills hope in people, or do we need someone that people wouldn't necessarily trust but would make more noble choices? I think that's a very relevant question right now.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

And in all fairness, I don't think that's that bad of a comparison. Does our country need a corrupt leader that puts on a clean public face and instills hope in people, or do we need someone that people wouldn't necessarily trust but would make more noble choices? I think that's a very relevant question right now.

Was Harvey Dent corrupt? Not until the very end, and by then he wasn't a leader anymore, was he? Ehh, but it's an interesting argument.

[blakely]

And in all fairness, I don't think that's that bad of a comparison. Does our country need a corrupt leader that puts on a clean public face and instills hope in people, or do we need someone that people wouldn't necessarily trust but would make more noble choices? I think that's a very relevant question right now.

war is never a noble choice, and thats exactly where we would be headed with a president who has a military background. its may sound too simplistic, but most things are.

[blakely]

When was Harvey Dent corrupt?

just shut up while youre behind

did you not see the movie? he may not have been taking kick backs, but he did murder a few people. thats corrupt enough for me.

[stinkbutt]

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l240/robo848/not_this_shit_again.jpg

[blakely]

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c184/CHINKZILLA/gifs/kerry1782mw4cw51_3.gif