What did you watch today? v 22.0

Tell everyone what you watched, what you thought, and what's up next.

The first post in this thread is # 6460

And as ever, link your films please.

Replies are closed for this discussion.

Permalink Reply by Aces on July 2, 2009 at 7:22pm: I, also, just returned from seeing Public Enemies and it was a big disappointment. Bad audio, mumbled dialog, bad accents and while hand held cameras usually put me more into the story, they turned me off in this one. I got sick of being right up in Depp's face - geezz pull the camera back. I agree with Guy that Marion Cotillard was great and the supporting actors were too but the only scenes I really liked were those in the banks. During the rest of the film I knew I was watching a movie. Things looked set up, too clean, too precise. I didn't like much of this movie although I was really looking forward to it. I kept comparing it to Warren Oates portrayal too. Johnny Depp is a great actor but Warren Oates is Dillinger. I gave Public Enemies 3 stars because I'm glad I saw it but Dillinger is 5 stars and I came out of the theater wanting to see Oates' Dillinger again.

Permalink Reply by Spindaddydad on July 3, 2009 at 9:51am: Bad audio
yes, poor sound design. I couldn't hear large segments of the dialogue. I initially thought it was my theater, but I talked to others who experienced the same at different theaters.

Permalink Reply by Sevorin on July 3, 2009 at 11:32am: I liked Public Enemies. It's no masterwork, but it it's better than I expected. At first I was put off by the sharp, un-atmospheric hand-held digital camera-work. After a while I was grateful for it. The production design is marvelous -- when you turn a corner you don't have to fear that you'll lose the flavor of 1934.

The cast is strong, too. I was especially happy to see Stephen Lang again.

I think it pays to have some prior knowledge of Dillinger and the others -- like, say, Purvis, "Baby Face" Nelson, Alvin Karpis -- before you see it, since everything starts in medias res and there's not a lot of linear background to rely on.

There are disappointments. One of the most famous Dillinger anecdotes -- the phony gun -- is not set up to have the impact on screen that it had in real life.

But over all, I'm glad I saw it and wouldn't object to seeing it again.

Permalink Reply by Guy on July 3, 2009 at 8:15pm: But over all, I'm glad I saw it and wouldn't object to seeing it again.

In retrospect I agree with you. It's a pretty radical movie in a lot of respects.

Permalink Reply by The Continental on July 17, 2009 at 10:56am: Public Enemies At first I was put off by the sharp, un-atmospheric hand-held digital camera-work. After a while I was grateful for it.
My wife and I were planning on going to see this this weekend , I just read a user reveiw on yahoo movies commenting on ,Why someone doesn't introduce Mann to a Dolly , complaining that the hand held style was so jerky it is unwatchable ??

Permalink Reply by Guy on July 17, 2009 at 11:42am: Rest assured there is some absolutely stunning cinematography in the movie. I saw it weeks ago, but there's one shot of Marion Cotillard standing in a hallway talking on phone that has stuck with me. It looks a lot like an Edward Hopper painting.

The video look is disconcerting because we associate it with contemporary times. But there are contemporary themes in the movie despite it being set 70 years ago. For example: the banks are ripping people off, the feds are using torture, the gangsters are going corporate and everybody, Dillinger included, is trying trying to spin the media.

I definitely want to see this movie again.

Permalink Reply by The Continental on July 18, 2009 at 4:00pm: Public Enemies
Thanks for the heads up!, My wife and I went to see this today. I 've been a fan of Mann ever since I watched a movie of the week from 1979, Starring Peter Strauss called The Jericho Mile, since then I pretty much watched all his films, and own Heat, Thief , Collateral , Man hunter. I did not like His movie version of Miami Vice.
He's back on track with this new one and I will be adding it to my collection when it comes out on Blu-Ray . Loved the Retro looking HD cinematography, I give it a B plus

Permalink Reply by Aces on July 2, 2009 at 7:35pm: Also this week:
The Gold Rush - 5 stars - This is the first time I've watched a whole movie with Charlie Chaplin and I see why people love the guy. This isn't the silent version. Chaplin narrates the movie on this DVD but the silent version is on the bonus disc and I've queued that one too. This has the "dancing dinner rolls" scene that Johnny Depp copied in Benny & Joon. I really liked that.

Fur - hated it.

I saw a couple on Instant Watch that are now expired:
The Criminal - 5 stars - Not for everyone obviously since it's rated so low but I really liked it.
Bright Future - 3.5 stars
I watched Bad Girls From Mars on HULU.com but NF has it on Instant Watch. lots of people hate this but I thought it was great for a cheesy low budget raunchy comedy. 3 stars.

Next up is the first disc of Death Note and I'm looking forward to it.

Permalink Reply by Guy on July 4, 2009 at 8:42pm: I watched Petulia (1968), which was filmed in San Francisco during the Summer of Love. Julie Christie is almost impossibly beautiful playing an eccentric naif having an affair with a square George C Scott while married to sadistic rich kid/closet case Richard Chamberlain. The movie has a cynical despairing point of view that prevents it from seeming dated, sadly enough. Directed by Richard Lester, with cinematography by Nicholas Roeg. Fragmented timeline and a prismatic point of view make an ordinary plot intriguing. Utterly strange when one realizes that some nameless peripheral characters like a couple of older women made another appearance in Roeg's Don't Look Now. With cameos by Jerry Garcia and Janis Joplin.

Permalink Reply by Pihk on July 7, 2009 at 8:02am: You had me at Nicholas Roeg. Q'd.

Permalink Reply by Guy on July 7, 2009 at 8:20am: I've mentioned it before, but Joseph Lanza's Fragile geometry: the films, philosophy, and misadventures of Nicol... is a fascinating book that increases the enjoyment of Roeg's films many fold. Lanza also wrote a book called Phallic Frenzy: Ken Russell and his Films, which I haven't read yet...

Permalink Reply by Pihk on July 7, 2009 at 9:02am: Thanks for reminding me about that book, Guy. Interlibrary loans kick ass!

As for the other book, I will now (sadly) have to brainstorm a new title for my forthcoming autobiography. :(