What did you watch today? v 5.0

Tell everyone what you watched, what you thought of it, and what is up next for you.

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Permalink Reply by The Professor on April 11, 2008 at 1:53pm: I watched Sweeny Todd and There Will Be Blood. (Watched Blood 2X)

Liked them both very much, though I thought PTA's use of music in Blood was a bit jarring. (Beyond his intentions)

DDL's extraordinary performance eclipsed the film for me. The major drawback was that I thought Paul Dano was incredibly miscast -- for me a profound mistake in the film. My personal connection with NCfOM was much stronger.

Permalink Reply by Opinionated-Gal on April 13, 2008 at 9:46am: Prof, prof! I disagree completely! My husband. however, agreed with you about the music. But I loved the music! Enjoyed it immensely, and found it to really augment the visuals, being "jarring" enough to bring another emphasis each time...just loved it! I also thought Paul Dano was exceptional, playing Nerdy, Outmanned Coward as Wanna Be Elmer Gantry, which played against the cinema cliche of charismatic charlatan. I certainly believed his portrayal, and was impressed by how well he held up in the pas de deux scenes with DDL. I don't think he was supposed to be equal to our hero-villain ... who I also believe was supposed to "eclipse" the film. The film was above all a portrait of a man, complex and unfathomable as he remained. As you can guess, my personal connection with TWBB was much stronger than with NCfOM. I only connected therein once -- during Tommy Lee Jones' confession of being "outmatched."

Permalink Reply by The Professor on April 13, 2008 at 11:21am: I think what bothered me the most about Dano was how poorly he aged compared to DDL. The final scene didn't ring true for me, because Dano looking exactly the same reminded me I was watching a movie. Don't get me wrong though -- still a fine film.

Permalink Reply by joeoftexas on April 11, 2008 at 2:03pm: Last night I watched Ivan Passer's "Cutter's Way (a.k.a., Cutter and Bone)" (1981)
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Cutter_s_Way/60020690?trkid=226870

It's a latter-day film noir that adequately captures the zeitgeist of the late 1970's / early 1980's in America.
Part- "Chinatown" and part- "Shampoo",
it features an unforgettable over-the-top performance by John Heard.

Next up is Uli Edel's "Last Exit to Brooklyn" (1989) on VHS.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097714/

Permalink Reply by mattjacks on April 11, 2008 at 3:02pm: AMERICAN HISTORY X

I somehow thought when this movie came out 1998 that it was a kind of closing chapter on racism and nationalism (fascism et al). WOW was I wrong. Its even more relevant after 9/11 and the current debate over illegal immigration.

Its kind of hard to talk about this movie without getting controversial - but I can do it!

Many of the issues in AHX discuss the relationship between Man, Culture, and Government. The film not only points out people's culturally justified hatred for each other but also throws light on the the media, mob mentality, and graphic propaganda which cause people to judge and mis-judge each other.

In terms of the government; AHX points a lot of fingers at all government's inability to solve cultural misconduct and hate related crime . It does this by brilliantly weaving the inept American public school system and rehabilitation system (jail) in black and white contrast to Nazism which sought to eradicate all social ills by basically exterminating anyone who didn't fit into the mainstream's view of a perfect community.

This movie is superb on many levels. It sparks great discussion, it's very well made and acted, never under or over stated, and its what film is about to me; combining as many visual and intellectual elements and layers without making the viewer have to work. Movies like this stand the test of time because regardless of one's maturity, social vantage or mores at any given time, you will always walk away with something different than the person beside you or the person that was you when you saw it last.

MATT!

great movie get it! or get it again!

Permalink Reply by Aces on April 11, 2008 at 6:26pm: I agree Matt. AHX is one of the most powerful films I've ever seen. I've watched it numberous times and every time is like new. Good review of it!

Permalink Reply by NIkki on April 15, 2008 at 10:59pm: I think the reason these movie will stand the test of time, is simple, movies like this GRAB you consume you, and scare the living heck out of most....it's one of those movies where you wish you could say "it's just a movie, it's not real". but the fact of the whole thing is, it is REAL, it is to real......or one of those where you can say" this didn't really happen like that did it? it's the un-be-leav-able, no way it's true, is it? movies......more power toanyone who can walk way from this movie with his/her wits about them

Permalink Reply by Kitty on April 22, 2008 at 8:46pm: I have to agree! I watched it about a year after it's release, then again a few months ago. Just an overall fantastic movie that I've told my friends about for years. Edward Norton is one the greatest actors of our time, and due to some unfortunate choices in movies he's made, maybe one of our most overlooked.

Glad to still see some appreciation for this movie even after 10 years!

Permalink Reply by Danny on April 23, 2008 at 10:29pm: I watched this last night as well, it was on TNT...or something. What a great movie.

Permalink Reply by Firewater on April 11, 2008 at 3:36pm: There Will Be Blood, early this morning before work. Astonishing movie, but unremittingly bleak in outlook. Day-Lewis was Bill the Butcher on steroids.

Permalink Reply by trowerboy on April 11, 2008 at 4:37pm: I watched about one quarter of this piece of garbage GoreGoyles: Mutant Edition ...I didn't realize it was made by Brain Damage studios when I put it in my queue...they have some of the lowest budget crap out there....

Permalink Reply by mattjacks on April 11, 2008 at 7:29pm: Testament or The Last Testament.

This movie is depressing as hell. This movie is about hell essentially. Set in an 80's post Nuclear Holocaust United States this mostly undramatic but very emotional look at how one family copes with death in an unquestioning manner makes little sense in the beginning but when the fatality sets in it all makes sense.

Without getting into the politics of war Testament certainly paints a riveting picture of the end of war.

matj