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The Pit's Film Discussion Thread

I just saw Martha Marcy May Marlene. Definitely an "indie" film but I thought it was well done. Subtle, slow and ambiguous but very tense throughout. Some might dislike the non-linear storytelling but I thought it was a put to use well and not gimmicky. Reminded a little of one of the creepier movies I've seen in Funny Games.
 
Martha Marcy May Marlene Producer Antonio Campos is someone to watch as an up and comer as a writer/producer/director. His recent feature Simon Killer was nominated at Sundance and was one of the picture purchased at the event.
 
Saw Midnight in Paris tonight.

I'm not a huge Woody Allen fan as I find him a too pessimistic and neurotic in general. I really, really liked Midnight in Paris though. The movie itself was almost a love poem to Paris, not just 1920s Paris, but Paris throughout history. I loved the warmth with which the film was shot and it furthered that love for Paris.

Owen Wilson did a remarkable job channeling Woody Allen. At times, I could almost see a young Allen saying the lines that Wilson said. Every time I see an Owen Wilson movie, I can't stand him for the first five minutes or so but steadily grow to appreciate him by the time the movie is over. He has both an awful, everyman "bro" thing going on, but at the same time manages to convey vulnerability and doubt.

I haven't seen much of her work, but has there ever been a movie Marion Cotillard hasn't stolen the show in? Quite simply, she's great.
 
Just finished The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Thought it was excellent. Brilliant narrative technique and just a great cast and crew. I very much enjoyed it, though it was very sad.
 
Rewatched Hanna last night on HBO. It reminded me to quit forgetting it when I talk about favorite films of 2011. The Chemical Brothers are awesome.
 
The Skin I Live In is a fantastic and disturbing film from Pedro Almodovar. Antonio Banderas is so much better in his original language.
The Perfect Sense is a contrived science fiction / love story set at the beginning of the end of civilization, as mankind loses his senses one by one. On the plus side, Eva Green.
Melancholia is one of those intense films where you don't like anyone in it but it leaves you thinking for a long while after. Beautifully shot.
A Separation, the Iranian film that won the Best Foreign Oscar, is one of those films that has amazing, understated, true acting from all performers. Its a very nuanced look at family and relationships. Very frustrating to someone with American sensibilities because it refuses to give you someone to really dislike in the conflicts and leaves with an unsatisfying ending--much like life. Well, you don't have someone to dislike--all the adults are complex and flawed, and the children and elderly are honest and without blame.
 
The Skin I Live in was awesome

A Separation is on my list, really want to see that
 
The Skin I Live in was great. Love Pedro Almodovar. Melancholia was one of Lars von Trier's better efforts, but I'm not much of a fan of his films. Haven't seen A Separation yet, really need to.
 
I saw Tinker Tailor last night.

I liked the way the film was done quite a bit, but, I'm not sure if it's because I'm bad with facial recognition, it seemed a bit too either fast paced or crammed. I felt like I couldn't keep track of who the characters were other than Smiley and his assistant. With 10 more minutes and a bit more exposition, I thought it would have been great. As it is, I'm glad I watched it but a bit disappointed.
 
WFU03 said:
I saw Tinker Tailor last night.

I liked the way the film was done quite a bit, but, I'm not sure if it's because I'm bad with facial recognition, it seemed a bit too either fast paced or crammed. I felt like I couldn't keep track of who the characters were other than Smiley and his assistant. With 10 more minutes and a bit more exposition, I thought it would have been great. As it is, I'm glad I watched it but a bit disappointed.
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I felt the same. It was a major let down for me, because I had really high expectations. The storytelling was clumsy. For a conversation heavy movie, the screenplay did a shit job of translating the plot. Even when I did know what was going on, I wasn't interested or invested in any of the characters.
 
Diane Lane is still smoking hot as Pat Loud in Cinema Verite. The film is decent. I thought James Gandolfini was surprisingly bad. Gave more than a few clunky deliveries.

Great cast though. I enjoyed it.
 
Melancholia was exactly what I thought it would be: a superbly acted, beautifully shot character study of the two most insufferable female characters of at least the last 5 years. I don't regret seeing it, but there wasn't really enough to make me recommend it (Kirsten Dunst's breasts notwithstanding).
 
DreaminDeacon said:
Melancholia was exactly what I thought it would be: a superbly acted, beautifully shot character study of the two most insufferable female characters of at least the last 5 years. I don't regret seeing it, but there wasn't really enough to make me recommend it (Kirsten Dunst's breasts notwithstanding).
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I felt similarly about it. During the wedding, Dunst's character made me want to reach through the screen and slap her, but her role was clearly reversed with Gainesbourg's halfway through to where Dunst became almost likeable, while Gainesbourg's Claire became insufferable. It was very interesting to see how a severely depressed person could lose their shit at a cliche wedding, but could calmly handle the end of the world. I think the 10 minutes of the slow-mo arthouse crap could be cut from the beginning of the film and it would have been a much tighter, gripping narrative.
 
Ready for this pretentious douche alert?

Last night I saw what may have been my favorite movie of 2011: The Muppets. Laughed a lot, the story and jokes were great for both kids and adults and it made me feel like a kid again.
 
Stumbled upon this today: James Cameron's responses to Aliens critics, from 1992. I enjoyed reading it.

Briggs' next problem was "Why do the colonists not pick up the derelict SOS?" by which I assume he is referring to the acoustic beacon broadcasting a "warning." As some readers may know, scenes were filmed but cut from the final release version of the film which depicted the discovery of the derelict by a mom-and-pop geological survey (i.e.: prospecting) team. As scripted, they were given the general coordinates of its position by the manager of the colony, on orders from Carter Burke. It is not directly stated, but presumed, that Burke could only have gotten that information from Ripley or from the black-box flight recorder aboard the shuttle Narcissus, which accessed the Nostromo's on-board computer. When the Jorden family, including young Newt, reach the coordinates, they discover the derelict ship. Since we and the Nostromo crew last saw it, it has been damaged by volcanic activity, a lava flow having crushed it against a rock outcropping and ripped open its hull. Aside from considerations of visual interest, this serves as a justification for the acoustic beacon being non-operational.

Briggs' idea that the company had already discovered the derelict is therefore unnecessary and would invalidate Carter Burke's motives for attempting to bring back a sample of the organism for study, and using such drastic means to do it.
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By the way, it's not in the goddamed cat and it's not in Newt, either. I would never be that cruel.
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:geek:
 
the great gatsby movie comes out on christmas. cast is led by leo (as gatsby) and tobey maguire (as nick carraway). i'm not a "go see a movie on christmas day" guy, but with enough folks in town to babysit my daughter, i may have to check it out.
 
bmoneydeac said:
the great gatsby movie comes out on christmas. cast is led by leo (as gatsby) and tobey maguire (as nick carraway). i'm not a "go see a movie on christmas day" guy, but with enough folks in town to babysit my daughter, i may have to check it out.
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Tarantino's Django Unchained is also coming out this Christmas.
 
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