The Last Movie You Saw...

[Cannon]

Catch-22


More disturbing than funny, the film is well done and has some incredible shots of military planes. The film has an overall bright desert look and captures that baking-in-the-middle-of-nowhere feeling from the story and its pilots who keep getting sent on extended mission counts. It starts out with a depiction of the rough long service on in the base, but towards the latter half it starts to get very dark and disturbing, beginning to feel like Hell is a place on Earth.


I can see why it has become a cult hit since release and it is definitely worth a unique watch.

[Cannon]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


Watched it on Blu-Ray (second time seeing it overall), which by the way has perhaps the best designed standard packaging for a Blu-Ray release that I have seen. There is no blue on the packaging, and in fact it is mostly blacks and silvers with little color.


You can see it unboxed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t743Bg-uTD8


I still really loved it and it looked gorgeous on Blu Ray. Fantastic movie and you should all buy it!


Where The Wild Things Are


Easily one of my favorite films visually, it chooses some unforgettable locations that are tied in well with the strangeness of the world. It is by no means a kids' or even family movie as it pulls some very frightening and dark ideas out. The Wild Things themselves are one of the most intriguing effects due to the mix of live-action costumes (created beautifully by Jim Henson's Creature Shop) worn by performers, voice acting from some greats, and CGI facial work to capture real emotions on the costume faces modeled after the emotion captures of the voice actors. It looks beautiful in so many scenes with sweet colors and sweeping vistas. Max fit right in as well, delivering on the expanded story created from the 10-sentence book that the film is based on.


The film feels like a pit of nostalgia and imagination that you might imagine in your depths as an adult looking back. I enjoyed the plot as well, which seemed to most importantly show that there are characteristics we all possess and needs we all wish can lead to a bit of happiness.


I'd say watch it if you like taking looks at the twists of the mind, great filmmaking, or can take a sweetly wild interpretation of the book that feels tailored to the adult in you that is curiously interested in the depths of childhood adventure and imagination.


Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFk7kYa_i0s&hd=1

[EngineerJoel]

Watched 'Porco Rosso' this past weekend... you can't go wrong with a Miyazaki film. Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, they're all beautifully written and illustrated.

[Wahoo_Fitted]

Martha Marcy May Marlene, interesting nonetheless.

[ChrisW]

I just watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi a documentary about an 85 year old sushi master. The guy has been making sushi since he was 19 years old, and is constantly trying to improve. His two sons are worried about living up to his legacy when he can no longer work.


Great film, the camera work is excellent but not flashy. It is the best film I have seen for quite a while.

[Deke]

I'm about to blow up this trend of classy/informative/thought provoking films


30 Minutes or Less

Hilarious. It sort of falls into that same category of Grandma's Boy, where you realize what you're watching isn't "good" cinema, but you're laughing the whole time so it doesn't really matter.

[Cannon]

A Dangerous Method


I love the cast of the film, which starred Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, and Viggo Mortensen. The film centers on the early spread of Dr. Freud's psychoanalytics. It has plenty of interesting dialogues and some sweet EuroPean character in its pre-WW1 setting. Knightley, who is perhaps my favorite actress thanks to her growing count of period piece films, does a great job developing a set of mannerisms and pronunciations for her nervous and breaking down portrayal of Sabina Spielrein as a patient and lover of Fassbender's Jong.


It is great to see a glimpse at the relationships and work that came of the encounters between these renowned doctors.

[Cannon]

EDIT: Can somebody clean up the tags? I don't think tagging with individual movie titles is a good idea here, no offense.


Looper


Very stylish sci-fi / psychological thriller. It feels like whoever was behind it really liked The Matrix, Inception, and Star Trek (2009). There's a great sense of humor, an intriguing near-future setting, and a whole twist of time travel paths. I thought the whole main cast was great and they had many well-placed jokes to keep it from feeling like it took itself too seriously.


Plenty of lens flare, colors, and distant cities beyond the cane fields serving as the scenery for the ride. It held my attention and was well worth the watch.

[thmage]

Perks of Being a Wallflower.


It's honestly among the better movies I've seen. It was the closest I'd been to crying in a movie (or otherwise, for that matter) for some time. Not necessarily cause it's sad (although some of it is), it's just very emotionally intense with a lot of good acting. Plus, Emma Watson.


P.S. Thanks for resurrecting this thread! I like it a lot.

[Lib]

<blockquote>

Looper</blockquote>


I just saw this. Director/writer is a big fan of detective stories and film noir. The DP was the same guy from 'Brick'. I think it would have been a much better movie if the 'sci-fi' aspect had taken even more of a backseat in what was obviously a very character-driven story.


Still worth the watch.

[Cannon]

@Lib - (Yeah, I still don't understand how to do the quote thing)


I hadn't thought about it before, but it probably could have been taken as a deeper decision & character-driven film with more of a message at the core had it scaled back the sci-fi. As I think about it, it really didn't need much of its sci-fi setting or props besides the time travel and they may have pulled attention away from the thoughts and struggles going on in the scenes with the characters. It sort of stuck one leg in the future but the rest of the body in the winding character roller coaster.


It could have taken place just a few years from now and still woven in the glimpses of the future in those flash-forward scenes of Willis' character, and still allowed the curiosity from Gordon-Levitt's character in a less tampered-with semi-relatable life.


Hopefully, that isn't the alternate path that would have lead to it being a potential award-winning classic.

[Cannon]

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid


I had never watched this classic before. I'm a fan of some of the better westerns, and I think this is one of them. The leads made it a great buddy film, but there was tension throughout the film due to their on-the-run and seemingly unsolvable attempt to escape. Katherine Ross was lovable as usual, but also had a bit of adult sensibility to weigh in on the banter of Butch and Sundance. I enjoyed the musical interludes and the overall style of the film, with many great shots both indoors and out. The sepia sequences felt like self-contained stories and were coolly laid into the relationship and skills of the stars.


Definitely worth watching and deservedly high-ranking entertainment western.

[Cannon]

Can someone please remove the individual film titles in the tags section? Thanks.


Eastern Promises


Cronenberg is a graphic director, but it isn't distractingly so. The film was nicely surprising in that in retrospect, it didn't feel like it was insistent on being a 'dark' film that you would get out of most directors with a story like this one. It felt like is strove to be realistic. It is about a Russian crime family in London and a normal family's entanglement with them by mistake.


Viggo Mortensen does well and is the most memorable. Tatted up and frightening in a quietly capable, sinister way. Naomi Watts is an actress I tend to enjoy, and she fine here, but it wasn't as notable as some roles. There's some violence, but mostly a sort of intimidation drama going between the characters as they try hard to untangle themselves.


I'd say this one is worth a watch.

[chicubs1908]

Argo.


Sensational.


Definitely worth the price of admission.

[scrambledpotato]

6 Days to Air


It's about how they make South Park in a week, essentially. Interesting to see the tension that builds as they know the deadline is approaching.


If you love South Park (like me), it's brilliant to see episodes come together with the jokes and scenes being brainstormed. Watching them feel unsure about a gag or idea when you've seen how great the final product is - it really makes the documentary awesome.


If you don't love South Park (like a stupid person who is a dumb-head), then you may enjoy watching the interplay of the rest of the crew around Matt and Trey. The show is essentially done by those two, and the rest of the people working there are supporting them in the best way they can. However, if South Park is a bit raunchy for you, or you don't like the humor, than this may be a tough watch; it'd be like a vegan seeing how sausage is made.


Recommended.