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Of the clips they showed, the acting that stood out to me was Hoffman (the Truman Capote guy), but I forget what movie that was.
From: East Toledo | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Blockade, that was Charlie Wilson's War. The clip by P.S. Hoffman does look great. Again he is acting like a normal joe learning Finnish for apparently no reason.
I haven't seen any of the films either except for the one Viggo was nominated for (Eastern Promises). I talked about that one a few posts ago. I highly recommend it. Viggo does a great job.
Lots of those films are coming out soon on DVD. Can't wait.
From: Tampa | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: I also really want to see "There will be Blood" (the Oil movie). Daniel Day Lewis is just so extraordinary.
I haven't seen Michael Clayton (and want to) but I really like Tilda Swinton. She's been in some really off-beat stuff, and I hear her performance is masterful and really makes the movie.
A few thoughts. Upton Sinclair wrote the book that There Will Be Blood is based on. He called Oil. (which I think you may know that)
Tilda Swinton is pretty cool. I want to see the film Orlando by her. It's based on the hero Rolando switching genders.
No Country...is based on a book by Cormac McCarthy. His other book Blood Meridian is on my to read list. I hear it's awesome. I also hear his the latest one The Road is pretty good. Viggo M is set to play the lead character in the movie adaption.
From: Tampa | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Blood Meridian is the only Cormac McCarthy book I ever read (in college for American Lit). It's...interesting.
I have to say at first I didn't like it at all. But about two-thirds of the way through (and I may never have read the whole thing if not for it being college-related), I really started to get into it. McCarthy has such a ruthless, gritty style to his writing. I swear, reading a few chapters by him leaves you feeling like you just went ten rounds in the boxing ring and got the shit kicked out of you. Both because of the harsh, ruthless view he has of the world and because of his style of writing itself. But I'm not saying that's a bad thing--because I think that's what finally hooked me by the 2/3 point of his book.
Also, its just filled front to back with symbolism, allegory and very deep themes. Not all of them you'll quite get, but there is an excellent website on Blood Meridian (somewhere online) that will help you. I admit I wouldn't have gotten half of what I understood without the help of my American Lit professor.
I recommend it--but be prepared for something unlike you've ever read.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
I've never been able to get into McCarthy's stuff for some reason. He often gets compared to Faulkner, who is my absolute favorite writer, but while there's an obvious Southern Gothic influence on him, it just doesn't have the same appeal to me.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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EDE, you saw any of the Oscar related films? btw, I saw the 1990 Lord of Flies movie which I commented on a page back. What you think of that if you've seen it?
Last night I saw something...different. You know when you want to see something no one has heard of? Sigourney Weaver and Michael Caine star in Half Moon Street (1986). I read about it somewhere and got interested because it's a political-erotic thriller set in London dealing with the Middle East.
It was...different. Despite the horrible dated soundtrack it wasn't that bad. Good plot, good acting, a very sexy Sigourney (well when she isn't wearing the biggest shoulder pads I've ever seen). It was very professor by day HOOKER by night.
She actually became a high priced hooker and has no qualms about it. It's a bit Basic Instinct with politics instead of psychos.
From: Tampa | Registered: Mar 2004
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
You know... I don't think I've seen any movies released in 2007, Oscar-nominated or not. I've been so busy catching up on "classic" films lately, that I really just haven't been paying much attention to newer stuff.
I actually just watched On the Waterfront last night, which was pretty cool.
I think I saw the 1990 Lord of the Flies back in high school (when I was obsessed with the book), but I don't really remember much about it.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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My last visit to the libray brought home High Noon and Transporter II. I got Transporter one day, because I couldn't find anything else. Good stuff. A most underated action hero.
From: East Toledo | Registered: Jul 2003
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One the Water Front is one of my favorite movies of all time. Mainly because when I was a kid, it was so important to my Dad, who is a quintessential blue-collar guy. Its what I believe is Brando's finest performance on screen.
High Noon is also one of my favorites (I assume you mean the Gary Cooper western BB, b/c I don't know of any others). I watched it whe I was a kid, all by myself, at about 3:00 AM one night after sneaking back down to watch TV. I've watched it a dozen times since. The sense of being so alone in so strong in that movie, and so oddly liberating at the end.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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"alone" I got too but the "liberating" part, not so much. His wife is a Quaker and had to do what she had to do. That scene was very powerful with me.
No waste in that movie. Every scene seemed to have a play.
From: East Toledo | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I haven't seen anyone reference this one here, but yesterday I rented "Across the Universe", a recent musical which uses Beatles songs for all of its numbers (and to name all its characters). This movie has some absolutely gorgeous renditions of many of their classic songs (of course pretty much all their songs are classics!) sung by a very vocally-gifted cast!
Okay, the story won't blow anyone away...like the story in most musicals is really its selling point, but it gives a nice flavor of the '60s with an attractive, talented cast. And I really enjoyed the psychedelic imagery, particularly in the segments featuring "I want you/She's so heavy", "I am the walrus", "Dear Prudence", "Happiness is a warm gun" and "Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite".
At heart it's a fairly simple love story between two leads, Jude and Lucy, who have an involving entourage of friends they come to share their lives with. All of them are very interesting as well, particularly Lucy's brother Max.
My only caveat with the entourage is that one of the characters, Prudence, really seems to get the shortest shrift, and I've a feeling a lot of her story was left in the cutting room. If I read between the lines correctly, Prudence was struggling with her sexual identity, and that would've been a welcome storyline.
I absolutely love the Beatles and found this celebration of their work thoroughly entertaining! Not only are the voices of the main cast terrific, but we get a lot of terrific celebrity singing appearances by the likes of Bono, Joe Cocker and Eddie Izzard. I don't know if people who don't worship the Beatles will like it, but I feel confident that those who do will be in heaven while watching "Across the Universe"!
Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
Love the trailer for that one, I've been meaning to pick it up.
Library pick-up:
Black Snake Moan
Music aside, this just couldn't hold my attention. It just couldn't decide if it wanted to be dark, a feel good, what. Just not to my tastes.
Return to Oz When the chicken started talking, I switched out the dvd.
1408 What?
I'm not even going to bother putting in the "Simpson Movie." It's probably just a hard to please me weekend.
OTOH: "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" sounds great on this new laptop with all the speakers and woofer an such.
From: East Toledo | Registered: Jul 2003
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I saw the historical drama "The Other Boelyn Girl" at the theater. Natalie Portman (Anne Boelyn, doomed wife of King Henry VIII) and Scarlett Johanssen (Mary Boelyn, Anne's sister) both look lovely and give excellent performances. The movie is probably historically inaccurate and definitely a bit soap operatic, but I liked it.
quote:Originally posted by Blockade Boy: OTOH: "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" sounds great on this new laptop with all the speakers and woofer an such.
The Alan Parsons album BB? My favorite album of all time.
From: Utah | Registered: Jul 2003
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