saoirse

I loved Grizzly Man. It was one of those rents for Blockbuster that I chose to keep. I also enjoy Werner Herzog. Great documentary. I just lent our copy to some friends and they loved it too.

X

Well, what did you think of it?

I watched it last night too.

NatrlBornThrllr

I actually had some unexpected plans come up last night, so I didn't get around to watching it. I just finished it, though, and hmm...

The Weatherman:
As a film, I think it had a lot of potential. However, the one word that came to mind as the end credits began to role was "uneven." The pacing seemed a bit off, and I think the film didn't know what exactly it wanted to concentrate on. There were too many conflicts, and even though the focus often remained on Spritz and his attempts to deal with the rut his life was in, I felt it meandered a bit too much for it's own good. That seems like an odd complaint paired with this notion: I think the movie could've used another fifteen to twenty minutes.

The laughs were good when they came. I'm a huge fan of dark comedy, so he humor here was right up my alley. And visually, the film was breathtaking. The landscapes, color schemes...I love what the filmmakers did visually, given the material. Um, acting. I'm a huge fan of Nic Cage when he's not acting for a paycheck. Adaptation is one of my five or so favorite films. Matchstick Men was enjoyable enough, and Raising Arizona is just classic Coen Brothers. I expected this film to fall in line with those, and I suppose to some extent it did...but too often I saw Nicolas Cage and not Nicolas Cage's character (a sharp contrast to, say, the aforementioned Adaptation).

I think perhaps this film will grow on me with subsequent viewings, or even if I let it settle for a while. Perhaps it was the horrid marketing that had me expecting an entirely different pace, but even though I enjoyed the film well enough (from time to time I saw flashes of "The Squid and the Whale" in it), I still feel somewhat...unsatisfied. I'll give it another shot, though, and until I do so these comments remain tentative at best.

7/10

-JP

NatrlBornThrllr

Also, I'm going to watch one more movie before bed, so...recommendation time.

NatrlBornThrllr

No response yet, but I'm finished with the internet and I feel like watching a movie. Since it's so late, I'll choose by watching the shortest movie that's left on my list. So, I'm going to post this and then go check the backs of the cases to see what film I'm watching. I'll post my thoughts on, erm, whatever movie sometime tomorrow.

-JP

Filmmaker

Um, you know you're gonna have to really like at least one of these movies or we're all just gonna get bored and leave, right?

NatrlBornThrllr

Perfect timing on that post.

You gave me a nice segue because you see, after watching tonight's movie, I wondered how in the world I was going to come in here and explain why I'm giving the title a 10/10. Then I realized, if you people are movie fans, you'll understand. You may not see it with this title, but you know the feeling. I'm talking about the feeling you get when you connect with a movie in a way that nobody else can understand. When you just become so wrapped up in the characters that you feel what they feel. When a movie makes you step back and evaluate your own life...brings forth a rush of nostalgia and memories, emotions...

Well, Say Anything... had that effect on me. I don't expect anybody to agree with the following statement, but the movie that I just watched was perfect. Absolutely perfect. That experience that I described earlier...the one about discovering a new personal favorite that you can't wait to watch over and over again? Done.

I don't want to go into the fundamentals...the acting, the music, the direction and cinematography. Even if I did want to go into all of that, I couldn't. I was so wrapped up in the characters and what would happen next that I didn't even notice those things...it was almost as if I forgot that I was watching a movie. There may have been flaws. I know that it wasn't the smartest film ever written...I've seen Chris Nolan and Charlie Kaufman screenplays. I know that it wasn't the most brilliantly crafted film. I've seen the classics. None of that matters, though, because I also know this much:

I absolutely adored it.

-JP

Filmmaker

Most Gen Xers I know worship the film; it has inspired moments, but I am one of the few Gen Xers who have just never connected to it for some reason* (the fact that I think Ione Skye is fugly doesn't help, but I promise my overall reasons run much less shallow than that). Of course, my favorite Cameron Crowe film is VANILLA SKY, which is most Crowe fans' least, so if that puts my criticisms in any context, there you go...

* Of course even I have to give it up for the "bought, sold or processed" speech...

NatrlBornThrllr

Heh, I very rarely gush about movies. Like I said earlier, the last one was Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Before that was probably...Layer Cake and Ong-Bak, which I saw on the same night back in December of '04. I say this only for anybody who might be thinking, "oh, he's one of those...every movie he likes is a perfect 10/10." Totally not the case.

That said, I think my love for this movie comes as much from John Cusack as it does Cameron Crowe. I like most of Crowe's films, but I've never loved one. In fact, Almost Perfect was one of my more disappointing blind-buys, simply because I didn't connect with it on the same level that most seemed to. High Fidelity, on the other hand, I loved. I just think Cusack is perfect in the "guy looking for love" role...and I thought Ione Skye's character were pure perfection.

I'm tempted to watch it again, but I have such a backlog over my collection that I feel obligated to clear out the rest of these new blind-buys before revisiting any of them. Hence my next post...

-JP

NatrlBornThrllr

Pick a movie for me!

Dan1boy

I just watched "The Matador" last night...now my favorite new film since 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'...just a sweet, well-acted, well-written comedy/thriller.

Bareit

Walk The Line

I'm interested to hear your opinion of it.

NatrlBornThrllr

Walk the Line:
Absolutely magnificent. I've long been a big fan of Johnny Cash, and Joaquin Phoenix embodies him so perfectly for this role. Reese Witherspoon wasn't as impressive as Phoenix, and she deserved her Oscar...if that puts my opinion on their respective performances into any sort of perspective.

Speaking of the Oscars; when they aired, I'd only seen one of the movies that got a Best Actor nomination (Hustle & Flow). I thought Howard was brilliant, and that if anybody else won it'd be a shame. Shortly after the Oscars I saw both "Good Night and Good Luck" and "Brokeback Mountain." The performances of Strathairn and Ledger both impressed me, but I stood by my notion that Howard deserved the win. Well, Phoenix changed my mind, and I can't wait to see "Capote" so I can finally decide who truly deserved the award: Phoenix or Hoffman.

Anyway, I don't really know what more to say about the film. It was just a masterfully done biopic that deserved every ounce of acclaim that it received. The film succeeds on so many levels. The acting is top-shelf. There's drama, laughs, and a story worth telling. And it's all wrapped in the shell of a perfectly done period piece with some of the best music (and most convincing vocals) ever. Oh, yes, it was everything I expected and hoped it would be.

-JP

NatrlBornThrllr

Next?

X

Several people already suggested Match Point.

NatrlBornThrllr

I'm just going with the first suggestion after each request I post, because if I went back in and watched everything that's been suggested thus far in the thread, I'd be late to work tomorrow evening (Match Point, Delicatessen, Crumb, Stay, Capote, Jarhead, Grizzly Man...and after I finished those, I'd have to run to the stores before they closed tomorrow night to buy copies of Secuestro Express, Eye of the Beholder, and The Matador). Hell, I think I'd have to call in sick.

So, Match Point it is.

-JP

NatrlBornThrllr

I have errands to run tomorrow afternoon, and it's nearly 7:00a here, so I need to get some sleep. So, no thoughts on Match Point right now. I will say this much, though: the acting was solid, and Woody Allen never fails to impress me on at least some level. Though, it was odd, seeing a Woody Allen film without Woody himself in some sort of role. And an unconventional thriller at that. Most of my experience with Woody Allen has led me to romantic comedies, featuring him in a lead role reciting neurotic dialogue. I enjoy the schtick, but this was a nice change of pace. Well done all around. One of my new favorites of '05.

-JP