I recently saw "Better Luck Tomorrow," the first film I've seen in a long time with a mostly Asian-American cast. Justin Lin was the director, and it's a 2002 or 2003 Sundance selection.

"Better Luck Tomorrow" is a fascinating, strange and tragic film; I'm not sure it succeeds but I enjoyed it, and I especially enjoyed the hot lead, Parry Shen!

Better Luck Tomorrow

I saw Better Luck Tomorrow at the Toronto Film Festival, and it's refreshing to see an American film with an Asian cast, about contemporary Asian-American life.

Supposedly it caused some controversy at Sundance last year (or the year before?)... the director was dissed by some Asian reporters who criticized him for presenting Asians in a negative light. The film portrays affluent Asian teens in a Bret Easton Ellis kind of world--sex, drugs, violence, people with all the advantages but who don't take responsibilities for their actions.

But hey, we Asians can be just as bad as the rest of y'all.

L'auberge espagnole. Great movie about a young Frenchman who goes to Barcelona for a year to take an economics course in Spanish. He shares a house with a polyglot group of similarly aged Europeans in a relatively small apartment.

Some lesbian content and a scene in which a guy plays gay.

Nice setting. Though it's filmed with a (good) handheld camera, it doesn't look tacky, just not artificially professional.

My favorite movie so far has been X2. I loved it even better than the first one. The guy who plays Colussus is pretty hot too. God, I hope they expand his storyline in the next movie. I can't wait for the Return of the King. I've been a big LOTR fan since it came out in 2001. I know there's a lot of critics in the gay community who panned it because of its Biblical references but who cares? I loved FOTR and LOVED The Two Towers!!! Someone on this thread said they thought the storyline wasn't cohesive. Of course its writen that way, it's part of a trilogy! As far as I'm concerned, LOTR ROCKS!!!!!!!!

Bend it like Beckham is excellent!!!! Very much enjoyed it and the coach in the movie, is a very sexy guy. X Men 2 is very good. Im very much looking forward to Lord of the Rings too, excellent movie.

Anybody seen A Might Wind yet? Oh. My. God. f**king Hilarious. I thought I was going to hyperventilate from laughing so hard. Harry Shearer is one of the big scene-stealers, and the very last scene with him is priceless. And Jennifer Coolidge - the overly-made-up, big-lipped lesbian from Best In Show - Thank goodness she wasn't in too many scenes, because she would have stolen the whole movie.

[ June 02, 2003, 10:59 AM: Message edited by: maxallen ]

Another mockumentary that I haven't seen, but am looking forward to, is C.S.A. (as in Confederate States of America), which is based on the premise that the Confederacy won the Civil War, and the resulting C.S.A. is an isolated Christian nation. The above link will expire on June 5, so here are a couple excerpts:

I missed the showing at the "KAN Film Festival", but hope to see it at the local art theaters.

from maxallen:

Anybody seen "A Mighty Wind" yet? Oh. My. God. f**king Hilarious.

Agreed. Loved the new folk songs created for the movie. They were dead-on, pitchperfect re-creations of the kinds of things sung by the Lettermen, Peter Paul & Mary, New Christy Minstrels, or the Lamplighters during the early 60's--and I have many albums by all of those groups!

With "Mighty Wind," "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show," & "This is Spinal Tap," Chris Guest and company have given us some of the funniest--and smartest--films of the last few years.

~Adam

Spellbound. Terrific, Academy Award-nominated documentary about the National Spelling Bee. The kids and their families are so funny...you couldn't invent characters like these. And the drama and suspense created as you see these kids spell words you've never even heard of... you could feel the tension in the audience of the theatre, hear the sighs of disappointment as someone got the bell (signalling an incorrectly spelled word). Very enjoyable film.

Matrix Reloaded (5th viewing [will update, as/if I view another time), Bruce Almighty, and Bend It Like Beckham, Finding Nemo

[ June 18, 2003, 06:02 AM: Message edited by: bluebird48234 ]

We went and saw "Finding Nemo." It was really cute and sad and happy. It was a really good movie...Pixar has made some really good movies...Now I am ready for Shrek 2 :cool: ...not by Pixar but a good movie.

Jason

Thanks for the "Finding Nemo" recommendation. I've been waiting for an opportunity to come out of the closet and admit I'm a real fan of Disney's animated product. I think these films are clever, funny and colorful. There's often some song and dance as well. These are among the few movies that can actually draw me into the cinema. Almost everything else I see on video. I think I went to see "Titanic" in the theater because it was billed as this big epic spectacle. I was disappointed. Of course, I was disappointed when I saw Niagara Falls. Just wasn't as big as I expected. I also saw "The Talented Mr. Ripley" in the theater because a co-worker had given me a gift certificate I had to use up. I find that when I wait 'til films are released on tape/DVD, I'm also more selective. Several months after the theatrical release, the hype has faded, I've lost interest, and don't necessarily bother seeing the film unless I still have a genuine desire to see it. Over time I've just got turned off on the movie experience: people are noisy, the food stinks (lit & fig), it's overpriced. All in all, I have a much higher quality experience at my home or someone else's.

Just saw Finding Nemo last night and I loved it. But I also loved both Toy Storys and A Bug's Life! And I think the best animated flick of all time is South Park-Bigger Longer Uncut. So take my recommendation for whatever its worth!

Wanna see this one.

- - - - -

The Italian Job was OK; nevertheless, the choice of songs for it was excellent.

[ June 04, 2003, 04:09 PM: Message edited by: bluebird48234 ]

Saw all 5 parts of Matthew Barney's CREMASTER cycle at the Castro over the course of the last week. Odd, wildly uneven, but never less than intriguing and mind-blowing at its best. #5 was my favorite -- really exquisite (and Ursula Andress was magnificent; who'da thunk?). Barney himself is pretty hot, but I think Jonathan Bepler, the composer, is the real unsung hero of the whole cycle. His work really helps hold all the disparate strands together. Hoping to go see Guy Maddin's DRACULA this week.

What Torgauer wrote about going to movies. I just got an all-region PAL-friendly DVD player, so I'll go to even fewer theatrical releases than I do now.

Went with Jim @ Outsports and our pal Brent to see what we all agreed was an excellent movie, Marooned in Iraq. It's about the plight of the Kurds post-Gulf War I but it's not as grim as it sounds. There's some truly hilarious moments. Beautifully filmed and I enjoyed the music (the two musical philistines I went with did not). Complaint: the subtitles only translated roughly 2/3 of what was being said. There were large stretches where characters were talking and no subtitles were forthcoming. Very frustrating.

Jim Allen as Nitpicker, Example 4,872: Pleasantville. It's set in 1958. So why are they using excerpts from Miles' extraordinary Kind of Blue and Dave Brubeck's Time Out, both released in mid-to-late 1959? That kind of stuff bugs the crap out of me as it's such a stupid error that a lot of people have picked up on. Hel-LO? Continuity anyone? Anyone home there?

Seriously, see Marooned in Iraq if you have the chance.

[ June 04, 2003, 10:18 PM: Message edited by: Jim Allen ]

Saw The Italian Job on Saturday. Loved it!

Mark Wahlberg is no longer Marky Mark! The boy can act! And he still looks fine as hell!

Hey t-daddy, what about Jason Statham? I actually went to a theater to see "The Transporter" just to see him. The movie stank, but what a manly man........

I loved the South Park movie...VERY FUNNY!

We went a saw Bruce Almighty last week! It was okay, I guess better than average, but not GREAT!

L'Auberge espagnole is a funny movie. Very reminiscent of the current reality-TV hit in france, "Nice people" (don't ask)

Raising Victor Vargas. Lovely, sweet, funny, real. A total delight.

Whale Rider. Nice film. About a Maori girl and her grandfather, the tribal leader.

[ July 23, 2003, 06:34 PM: Message edited by: canmark ]

Thought I'd revive this old thread to report on a movie a saw last night that is completely unworthy of its own thread! My friend won a pair of tickets to see "Gigli", the movie starring J Lo and Ben Affleck. After seeing it, I can only imagine that second prize was 2 pair of tickets! Ugh! This may possibly be the worst movie I've ever seen! J Lo and B Aff are just bloody awful. There accents are a joke. I had no idea seeing the trailer that J Lo's character was a lesbian. But of course Ben is just so damned irresistable that there has a romantic undercurrent!

Run, don't walk, away from any theater showing this turkey!

Saw the horror zombie movie, "28 Days Later" over the weekend. I liked it. It's very scary and gory, which may not be to everyone's liking. But I love that kind of movie, and this one was fairly original.

Oops, forgot to add that there's full frontal male nudity.

[ August 01, 2003, 08:35 AM: Message edited by: swimmer ]

eek! You're admitting that you saw that turkey!

Some critic said that they had to watch "Glitter" just to get the taste of Gigli out of their system.

Razzie members are you listening? This is the worst onscreen pair since Mariah's boobs.

I have absolutely loved some of the comments about "Gigli" in the reviews today. The Wall Street Journal called it the worst movie of the century (thus far), the NY Times predicted that it will kill JLo's career (see, there IS a bright side), and Jeffrey Lyons said the worst part was that he had a problem with his seat - it faced the screen!! Also saw that Miramax has pushed the release date of "Jersey Girl" - their own Bennifer flick, back to 2004 (it had been scheduled for October) because they felt the fallout from "Gigli" was so bad they wanted to give people enough time to forget about it before inflicting this duo on us again.

he's a definate hottie and he did a good job.

I enjoyed the movie much more than a lot of people. It was a throw back to the old buddy action movies of the 60s. I also really liked Ocean 11 with George Clooney and Brad Pitt. I like ensamble casts.

My partner and I saw Tomb Raider last weekend. The eye candy is definately worth seeing it but other than that, it's a rental.

That is classic! I nearly wet myself when I read it!

It's fun reading the reviews of Gigli!

In this review, my favorite quote is, "While you're trying to tie yourself a noose out of Twizzlers..."

From this review which gave the movie an F:

If Jersey Girl is as bad as "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back " Kevin Smith should release the film as soon, and as wide as possible to ensure the stake goes through the heart of J-Lo's movie career.

Ebert gives Gigli 2½ stars, summarizing his thoughts with:

"So the movie doesn't work. The ending especially doesn't work, and what's worse, it doesn't work for a long time, because it fails to work for minute after minute, and includes dialogue which is almost entirely unnecessary. But there is good stuff here. Affleck and Lopez create lovely characters, even if they're not the ones they're allegedly playing, and the supporting performances and a lot of the dialogue is wonderful. It's just that there's too much time between the good scenes. Too much repetitive dialogue. Too many soulful looks. Behavior we can't believe. I wonder what would happen if you sweated 15 minutes out of this movie. Maybe it would work. The materials are there."

Not quite a good review, but the most positive one I've come across. Ebert also didn't completely hate Showgirls, either, so maybe he's got a soft spot (no fat jokes, please) for these campy stink bombs (recall his involvement with BVD).

Hey, that movie wasn't all bad. It was mainly a tribute to the characters that put him on the Hollywood map, and a thank you to his fans by making the ultimate fanboy flick. It's not a great movie, but I'm glad Smith retired J&SB to move on to other things.

Anyway, the last movie I saw was The Fighting Temptations. A waay advance screening, since it's not due to open until September. Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Beyoncé Knowles and, in a small part, Rue McClanahan, it's not a particularly funny movie, but the musical sequences are rousing. Think Sister Act.

I am glad that somebody else noticed that Jason Statham is attractive. I have watched Snatch multiple times because of him.

Now, I like Jesse Bradford because he is really cute, but the guy is a terrible actor. I tried to watch all of his movies and see if he acted well in any of them. Not a one.

Gigli's reviews have been way harsh. There have been some crappier movies out there. Try Mars Attacks.

Okay guys, I think J.Lo has been bashed enough. I agree that Gigli is possibly the worst movie ever made right after.... Hmmm. Wait a minute, this is one of the worst movies ever made. Nothing even comes close. Showgirls was so horrible that it's a fun movie. But at least it was good for laughs. This one is just plain awful. As for Jason Statham, he was one of the reasons I saw Snatch and the Transporter. He is soooooo hot! Maybe he and Vin Diesel can do a movie together. I don't know. Maybe the story takes place in prison and they're cellmates!

It's amazing what you can do with a little selective editing though. A friend of mine sent me these quotes about Gigli:


"...movies rarely get better."
"One to be savoured, marvelled over, shared with friends and generally
appreciated in a state of awestruck wonder."
--Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

"Pacino's turn is wildly entertaining"
--Bruce Newman, San Jose Mercury News

"...provocative...triumphant...."
--Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

"...the jokes keep coming."
"...Lopez proves her big-screen worth...fabulous."
--Manohla Dargis, L.A. Times

"...spectacular...."
--Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"...different, thoughtful, and a little daring...really very good."
"It is so rare to find dialogue of such originality and wit...."
--Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

"...a beautiful thing."
--Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Bombs away!!! "Gigli" made just $3.8 million in 2215 theaters. "Finding Nemo," which has been out for 10 weeks, made the same amount in only 1777 theaters.

American Wedding. Despite myself, I find that Stiffler character to be so funny...

For the arthouse crowd, I recommend the darkly funny Italian homoerotic noir "The Embalmer" (dwarf taxidermist falls for diffident 20-year-old hunk!), and the many splendid documentaries that are making the circuit, most recently "Capturing the Friedmans" (sure to start many guilt / innocence arguments) and "Spellbound."

Lyons: a TV hack who deserves no credit for lifting an old Groucho Marx line.

The only Hollywood studio release I've seen all year is the remake of "Willard"! (C Glover can do no wrong.)

I've only seen one decent movie in the last year. And it was more than decent ... probably in my all-time Top Five: the DVD of "Mulholland Drive".

I didn't see "Mulholland Drive" in the theater because I thought I was over David Lynch. I had stopped paying attention to him. But "Mulholland Drive" is incredible. I don't think I would've enjoyed it in the theater as much, because there are so many times that you just need to back up the DVD to re-watch a scene to see if you just saw what you thought you saw. (So if you've seen it in a theater and were underwhelmed - or not - rent or buy the DVD.) I've watched it three times and it was a different movie each time.

Several weeks after I first watched it: I'm still thinking about what it all meant.

Another (but milder) video recommend: "Abre Los Ojos," or "Open Your Eyes," the Spanish movie that was bowdlerized into the execrable "Vanilla Sky". It's amazing how good that story is when the actors can actually act. The storytelling also is tighter and better focused.

Sounds like a re-doing of "Sugarbaby," but with a gay dwarf in the Marianne Sagebrecht role.

rented spellbound and the deep end this weekend.

spellbound was a happy surprise! sure, the reviews were great, but i was prepped to hate a bunch of overbearing parents who were driving their kids to an early psychiatrist's couch in pursuit of spelling glory. the parents, however, came off as rather mundane, though in some instances quite involved. the kids' ambition all seemed to be internal. (of course, i had to spell along, and i'd have been out in round one of the national bee!)

the deep end was one of those wonderful and frustrating movies. great writing, plot, good acting, visually beautiful, but an ending that leaves you wanting one of those ridiculous interactive dvd's that lets you choose the ending you like best. instead, all you can do is moan over and over, "no, no, no"!

I went to a sold out show of American Wedding. I loved it!! There many grossed out scene in the movie, but the story is really sweet. Stiffler stoled the whole movie.

Has anyone seen the new movie CAMP? If so, what did you think?

I saw a terrific film this weekend called "The Magdalene Sisters". It's the real life telling of young women who are forced into an asylum and servitude for Catholic nuns, paying for their sins by slaving in a laundry. The Catholic Church, which protested the release of the film, comes off looking very badly, as it should. Its amazing this kind of thing was still going on in 1960's Ireland. A really moving, disturbing and wonderful film.

yesterday's CBS Sunday Morning News program dealt with this issue and film. Did anyone catch it?

The film is not a true story, exactly. It's a fictitious account of the Magdalene Laundries that really did exist all over Ireland. and these operated until fairly recently. Can't remember until which year actually. But it was more recent than the 60s.

The tragedy is that many (too many) girls and women were deemed morally corrupt for reasons like being sexually active, out of wedlock pregnancy or even simple flirting. These girls were sent by the highest authority in the land, The Catholic Church, to what is called a nunnery. but in reality, it was a prison.

From sun-up to sundown, the women were doing laundry while loudly repeating prayers for God to "wash away their sins". 7 days a week. 364 days a year. Only christmas was a holiday.

The CBS segment had two ex-inmates go back to their "convent" in Cork Ireland. They recounted their tales of horror and that no one was released until someone came to claim them.
Few escaped. The high walls were topped with jagged glass. if caught, the police brought them back. When family members asked about a prisoner's whereabouts, they were not told.

One of the women interviewed, freed by her brother after 3 years, was given an envelope when leaving. In it was her payment for her labour, $3.00!

This kind of random condemnation to a labour camp/prison based only on flimsy accusations is just another sign of how corrupt and immoral the catholic church is. A church that practices forced slave labour, a church that protects and (in)directly fosters child sexual abuse is not worthy to proclaim itself as a moral beacon.

That this church is now tripping over itself trying to issue anti-gay edicts would be laughable if it were not so tragic.

[ August 04, 2003, 12:25 PM: Message edited by: ung ]

Oh God, not yet another "dwarf taxidermist falls for diffident 20-year-old hunk" story line. Damn movies have become so predictable. wink

Best post of the day!

More bad news for Gigli: Sony Pictures has decided to cut their losses by no longer bothering to advertise the movie. They've asked anyone they had previous advertising arrangements with to switch the ads from Gigli to ads for Bad Boys II.

Hey George, at least we know who's a strong contender for the Razzies this year! Unbelievable. And just think, Jersey Girl is their next movie.

A friend of mine recently purchased the movie "Sordid Lives". He came over to our house the other night and we watched it and I swear I haven't laughed so much in my entire life. Maybe because I am Southern and saw so many of my relatives in there it was funny but you have to watch it.

Basically, a lady dies in a hotel room by tripping over the "wooden legs" of a guy with whom she is having an affair. It's hard to explain but you will be rolling over this.

It also has some pretty good people in in it, Beau Bridges, Delta Burke, Bonnie Badella...rent it!

Hey Aubie, "I am Trryyy-in to quit sssmokennnn!" SNAP!!!

he he he I love that show!

Sordid Lives Rocks!

[ August 05, 2003, 01:59 PM: Message edited by: MSUBobcat ]

MSU, "If I had known Sister was going to die, I'd never quit smoking"

"Sister, if you gonna have affairs in strange hotel rooms, you have got to turn on the light to go to the bathroom. Well, I guess that won't do you any good now."

LOL...so many good lines in that movie.