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| bartist |
 Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 1:29 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6967
Location: Black Hills
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Quote: Don't know if I'll see Captain Phillips. Those Somalian pirates scare me.
If you are already scared by them, then the movie may actually offer some perspective. The desperation of their lives, the control imposed by gangster-like bosses who send them out on such missions, you see how a failed state breeds pirates who see no other option in life. (all this is not to say the film isn't scary...if you don't like a naturalistic documentary approach to a horrendous ordeal, then it may not be for you....OTOH, it's ripped from the headlines, a news story widely publicized in 2009, so that may reduce the suspense somewhat)
Interesting that the immigrants Somalis, from a tropical climate, would view the Twin Cities as a popular destination. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 6:46 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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| Well.........I am all for perspective........ |
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Lost in my own private I dunno. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 7:47 pm |
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"Interesting that the immigrants Somalis, from a tropical climate, would view the Twin Cities as a popular destination."
There are Somali emigrants in Winnipeg too. I think there are 350 to 400 here. They must be in my neck of the woods because I see Somali women shopping in the super markets that I shop in. |
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| yambu |
| Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 11:40 am |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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marantzo wrote: "Interesting that the immigrants Somalis, from a tropical climate, would view the Twin Cities as a popular destination."
There are Somali emigrants in Winnipeg too. I think there are 350 to 400 here. They must be in my neck of the woods because I see Somali women shopping in the super markets that I shop in. |
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| knox |
| Posted: Thu Oct 24, 2013 8:57 am |
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Joined: 18 Mar 2010
Posts: 1246
Location: St. Louis
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| Moving the R&J chat over here....notice that Damian Lewis is Lord Capulet in this new production, and Paul Giamatti is Friar Lawrence. Might be worth checking out for the supporting roles. This one is actually filmed in Verona, btw, and the cinematography is reported to be luscious. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Thu Oct 24, 2013 11:19 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6967
Location: Black Hills
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I'd pay to watch Damian Lewis read the Verona phone directory.
ATTN ALEX PAYNE FANS: my man's got a big write-up in this week's New Yorker. Talks about various things, including his upcoming film, "Nebraska." Also learned that, were it not for anti-Greek rioting in Omaha in 1913, we would be calling him Alexander Papadopoulous. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Thu Oct 24, 2013 11:51 am |
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There was an anti-Greek riot? Considering the area, I'm guessing that the population was Germanic. Could be wrong of course. I'm sure it wasn't Turks.  |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Thu Oct 24, 2013 1:05 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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| Marc |
| Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 12:13 am |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
Posts: 8424
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Saw two films tonight at the Austin Film Festival.
Coffee, Kill The Boss is a forgettable attempt at screwball comedy with a cast of actors none of which I'm familiar with.
The Art Of The Steal is thoroughly entertaining Canadian heist flick with topnotch performances by Kurt Russell, Terence Stamp, Matt Dillon and Jay Baruchel. Highly recommended. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 2:21 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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Upstream Color (2013) is an odd film which I don't think will have much appeal here. It's an immersive film which tries to give you some of the disorientation and feelings the victims feel. It reminded me somewhat of Tree of Life in look and feel -- but with a lot less coherent story...
So ... victims of what? Well, there seems to be a type of worm that breeds in certain plants and needs a host -- any human or pig will do -- and produces some blue residue which seems to be a powerful mesmerizing drug. And there are at least two people manipulating this for their own purposes. One guy's motives are pretty clear -- he's a thief -- but I'm not sure what the pig farmer with the sound technician fascination is up to.
The film leaves a lot of questions unanswered and the basic plot has to be slowly pieced together. It's all rather vague and esoteric. There are some good scenes, and I quite liked the main actress Amy Seimetz. But the director Shane Carruth plays the second lead who enters mid-film, and he's not much of an actor and was kind of an annoying presence for me. It's a low budget film that took 9 years to make or whatever, and maybe he couldn't afford a real actor or find one who'd stick with the project so long (?) Despite being low budget indie, it has the traditional Hollywood ploy that not one of a dozen people contact either the police or a hospital, despite being clearly infected with a parasite and many (all?) of whom get heavily swindled.
Overall it's the kind of film where you're pretty sure the writer/director doesn't know the answers, because there are none. It's sort of Tree of Life meets Keane with some sort of skewed Side Effects plot grafted on. I guess I more or less like the open-ended vaguery involved, but think this plot/storyline either isn't interesting enough or not developed enough. Shane Carruth also wrote and directed Primer (2004), which I've not seen. Any thoughts on Primer? Maybe I'll track it down. |
Last edited by gromit on Fri Oct 25, 2013 8:46 am; edited 1 time in total
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| gromit |
| Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 4:05 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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As far as I can tell tell I've ten 2013 films so far.
I liked:
Ginger & Rosa, mostly for Elle Fanning,
Mud except for the feeble conclusion and
What Maisie Knew despite not really believing in any of the characters.
NO was okay but not terribly interesting
Side Effects was interesting, but the main plot seemed pointless/stupid.
The Great Gatsby had its moments and nice cars and some good music.
Upstream Color was kind of a nebulous Huh?
while 42 was too straightforward.
Stories We Tell was a prolonged So what?
Disliked the vapid The Bling Ring.
My To See list:
Gravity
Capt. Phillips
Frances Ha
Nebraska
Blue Jasmine
maybe Room 237, a film geek obsession with The Shining
maybe The Place Beyond the Pines
What am I missing?
I know Billy has touted some small films over the past few months.
The Spectacular Now?
What else? |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 5:34 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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gromit--My "best films of the year so far" list includes--in additiion to your aforementioned Captain Phillips, Gravity, What Maisie Knew, The Place Beyond the Pines, Side Effects, and The Spectacular Now--the overlooked gems Disconnect and The Sapphires and the less-overlooked Enough Said and Rush.
Pointedly missing from my list are such wildly oversold items as Prisoners, Blue Jasmine, and Blue is the Warmest Color.
You should also be aware that--despite a silly, snobbish negative reaction from some "highbrow" critics--We're the Millers is a full-blown laff riot.
Upcoming, reportedly mind-blowing, and missing from your list is the Coen Brothers' newest Inside Llewyn Davis. If my current luck holds out (my "book" video has netted over 40,000 hits on line to date), I am apparently viewable in one scene and didn't get cut. I have it on good authority that Joel Coen likes my look, so here's hoping...
Cannot fucking wait for Nebraska, in which one of my top-five-favorite living film actors, Bruce Dern, finally gets a role worthy of his supremely underrated talent. He won the Cannes award as Best Actor but seems unlikely to repeat at the Oscars with such heavy competition as Chiwetel Ejiofor in the apparently amazing 12 Years a Slave and the "it's his turn" spoiler Robert Redford (All is Lost). |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:04 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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Thanks, I remember the recent Disconnect praise around here.
Completely unfamiliar with The Sapphires, Enough Said and Rush.
Will look them up.
Inside Llewyn Davis I heard about about a year a and a half ago it seems. Forgot about it.
But they'll be more coming out in December.
Right now I'm trying to get a grip on what has already been released.
Has anyone seen Spring Breakers?
It's getting some praise in various circles, but sounds fairly iffy. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:18 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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gromit wrote:
Completely unfamiliar with The Sapphires, Enough Said and Rush.
Will look them up.
Enough Said is the newest dramedy from brilliant writer-director Nicole Holofcener. It features a stellar lead performance by Julia Louis-Dreyfus and a supporting turn by the late James Gandolfini which is being touted for the Oscar, only partially because of Gandolfini's passing. The performance is magnificent.
Rush is IMO Ron Howard's best movie since the 1986 comedy Gung Ho. It's a true story about two race car drivers, and it's an emotional story which has a lot of humor as well. Wonderful film.
The Sapphires is likewise a true story about a group of Australian aborigine women who form a singing group. It's a beauty.
See them all without fail. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 8:23 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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I might skip Rush, but 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
I'll probably give Lone ranger a spin, though hope it gets here soon, cause it's a good film to pass a long to my nieces and I have Xmas packages going out next week (slow boat from China). |
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