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| billyweeds |
 Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 9:55 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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gromit wrote: Has anyone seen The Skeleton Twins or Laggies.
Two less heralded filmsI've heard a few good things about.
I reviewed The Skeleton Twins a long time ago. Liked it very much. Never heard of Laggies. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 12:19 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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Searching a bit, Ghulam also liked Skeleton Twins though found it a sad comedy. I hope it turns up here.
Laggies was directed by Lynn Shelton, but I haven't seen any of her earlier films either. No idea if this is any good, but one friend who likes young people dramedies liked it a good deal. Her 2013 film was Touch Feely (never heard of that, but it sounds quirky). |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 11:17 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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| Hope Skeleton Twins turns up there. We saw it recently and found it sad and sweet and funny. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 11:31 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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Glad folks rec it.
The cover looks pretty indie-generic, and I'd likely skip it otherwise.
It seems like one of those smaller lesser known films that will turn up here in a few more months. It's almost 6 months out from the release date, so might get here soon(sih). |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 12:11 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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Big Eyes, as a project, dates back to 2007-08.
And was originally cast in 2008 with Kate Hudson and Thomas Haden Church as the Keanes. In late 2010, it was announced that Tim Burton became involved as producer and it was scheduled to start filming in April 2012 with Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Reynolds. By 2013, Burton became the director and filming started in Summer of 2013 with Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz starring.
Christoph Waltz plays Walter Keane in a rather manic cartoonish manner.
For some scenes it worked well, but it was also decidedly hammy and a bit distracting at times. THC would have been an interesting choice. I'm not really familiar with Reynolds.
I can picture Witherspoon in the role, but not really Hudson. Witherspoon can appear vulnerable, while Hudson usually seems stronger and smarter.
The film portrays Margaret Keane as weak, a bit flaky and susceptible to questionable ideas (Walter's fraud, numerology, Jehovah's Witnesses).
I liked Amy Adams in the part. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 12:41 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Skeleton Twins and Laggies are both here.
But I decided to wait until my cheaper dvd store gets them.
Here's a whole mess of other '14 films that looked potentially interesting.
Let me know if anyone has seen any of them or has any comment/info about them:
Frank -- a guy joins an avant garde rock band and the leader wears a large costume head over his noggin. But even though it's Frank, it's not a giant rabbit. Looked quirky and maybe interesting.
Wish I Was Here - By Zach (Garden State) Braff. Actually this is his followup feature to GS. 10 years later. A mid 30's father finds himself homeschooling his two kids -- and family drama ensues.
White Bird in a Blizzard -- a young woman's mysterious mom mysteriously disappears.
I Origins -- been meaning to ask folks about this one for months now. Entirely forget what it's about by now. Something about the origins of the human eye and the conflict between evolution and creationism. This could be interesting or complete garbage ...
What If? -- I think the dvd cover said it's the best rom-com since 500 Days of Summer, which was entirely okay but i can barely recall.
Begin Again -- Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo. The music biz in NYC. I was thinking it sounded like Once (Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová), but set in NYC. Just looked it up and indeed it was written and directed by the same guy, John Carney.
Turks & Caicos -- Written and directed by David Hare with Bill Nighy. And I can already imagine the whole film about ex-spy's and secret bank accounts and a reserved Brit approach to it all. Probably well done and relatively polished an dnot my kind of thing.
Get on Up -- The James Brown Story. I'm looking forward to this even if it's not good. The Godfather was a pretty amazing musical force.
The One I Love -- I think a few people here have recced this married relationship film.
Any thoughts on any of those? |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 12:55 pm |
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| The One I Love is low-budget, very independent, and fun. It's a fantasy in the same way some of Woody Allen's films are. I'm thinking Midnight in Paris and The Purple Rose of Cairo, where you have one fantastic situation and run with it. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 3:12 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Gromit.... I get the cute Japanese phenomena...Hello Kitty...the Chinese version is not so cute. Cute but vulnerable sounds like puppies. I was interested in the backgrounds of the paintings when watching the movie...there's a lot of variation. Your take on them is interesting but it doesn't completely explain the popularity to me. They certainly had no lasting merit. Andy Warhol's stuff had a completely different emotional resonance.
I didn't like The One I Love....and I like Elisabeth Moss a lot, Mark Dupless, too. I kept wondering if the film was trying to show some very significant insights into relationship troubles. But keeping the characters straight and hoping for some big meaningful moment got in the way. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 3:50 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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gromit wrote: Any thoughts on any of those?
Saw Frank, White Bird in a Blizzard, Begin Again, and The One I Love. Recommend the latter two highly, WBiaB not at all, and Frank for the twee in you. Begin Again is an underrated charmer, with a marvelous performance by Mark Ruffalo, and The One I Love is a unique love story, enough said. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 8:44 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: NYC
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| "Turks & Caicos" was on PBS here, and it was interesting, but not very exciting, until the suspenseful ending. Besides Bill Nighy and Helena BC, there's Christopher Walken in a shifty kind of role (most of them are pretty shifty, actually) and a few other familiar faces, all of them mingled in spy and former spy relationships in the lovely islands. It has a sequel but I can't think of the title offhand--also with Nighy and HBC. (Looking over this description, I realize it doesn't sound very appealing, but I liked it. And the sequel.) |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 3:21 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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I saw Page 8, which was entirely fine in its mannered reserved spy thriller way. T&C is the sequel.
And the next in the trilogy is Salting the Battlefield.
Probably one is enough for me, though it would be easy enough to watch them all and mostly forget them afterwards. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 3:24 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Billy, what went wrong with White Bird in a Blizzard?
For some reason, I usually like books and films about shadowy or charlatan parents. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 5:21 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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gromit wrote: Billy, what went wrong with White Bird in a Blizzard?
For some reason, I usually like books and films about shadowy or charlatan parents.
I generally like that kind of story too, but Gregg Araki, who can be a very good director (Mysterious Skin, Smiley Face) allowed his flamboyant story ideas to get the better of him, and the story hops the track, jumps the shark, however you want to phrase it. Some people like this movie, so you might want to give it a go, but I was very disappointed--in the story and the waste of actors I like. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 6:58 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Okay, thanks.
And I'm not too keen on Araki, so will likely pass.
I hadn't heard one thing about the film until I saw the DVd and it looked mildly promising. |
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| knox |
| Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 7:41 pm |
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Joined: 18 Mar 2010
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bartist wrote: Big Eyes on my list, ditto MW&C. Am confused by the multiply derivative aspects of The Lazarus Effect, now playing and starring Mark Duplass and Olivia Wilde.
1. Isn't that a Frank Herbert novel, with a completely different plot?
2. Did they combine Flatliners and Pet Sematary? Sounds like it.
3. Is this all just a means to turn Olivia Wilde into the world's sexiest zombie?
After Safety Not Guaranteed and The One I Love, I'd watch Duplass in most any film, but....
1 thru 3: yes. Wilde's character is "Zoe" which is the first two letters, and last letter, of zombie. They're spelling it out for you. I am proposing "ZILF" as a new Net acronym for Olivia Wilde.
T1IL is the best film about bacon, ever. Moss was outstanding. |
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