Saw Eternal Sunshine. Lots of clever stuff going on, but the core was missing for me, in that Jim Carrey's character was a cipher, and Kate Winslet's was just an annoying dipshit. I wasn't really interested in either of them, so the only thing worth paying attention to was all the Charlie Kaufman razzle dazzle.

Saw Connie and Carla. Not as bad as the reviews would tell you, but strictly sitcom material. Still, drag queens, show tunes, and David Duchovny. How can you go wrong?

How can you go wrong? with that combo?

Oh... Let me count the ways... wink

Kill Bill, vol. 2.

The Verdict: Not nearly as good as vol. 1. Some decent editing would've made this a great single film. As it is, the second movie drags in places. It doesn't have the energy and zip that vol. 1 had.

Kalabro, I agree. The movie dragged a bit, especially in the beginning. The fight scene between Thurman and Hannah made it worth it though. I won't say what happened in case anyone hasn't seen it yet but that little move she did to end their fight blew me away! I felt sorry for Elle(well, almost!). I was a little disappointed at the final fight she had with Bill. I expected a bit more, something in the same range she had with Lucy Liu. It was okay but not as good as the first one.

Rented a French movie called Porn Theatre, set in an adult movie house. The theatre shows straight f**k flicks but the patrons are all there to hook up with each other. Very explicit (one scene leaves no doubt what a she-male is packing down there), and although I admit to being aroused, I wouldn't call the film itself pornographic (but where does one draw the line?).

Kill Bill Vol 2 Sucks!!!!!

I loved the first Kill Bill. The fight scenes were incredible.

But the second half is nothing but 2.5 hours of talk talk and more talk. I kept asking myself, "when's some action gonna happen?"

I mean.... I love movies where people just sit around and talk about feelings and problems. But when I go see an action movie, I expect to see ... ACTION!!! and that did not happen.

This movie is a snoozer.

I agree. Watching Kill Bill vol. 2, I kept thinking: Let's have less talk and more action!

Read some positive reviews for 13 going on 30, but it's really quite an average, formulaic romantic comedy. I did like the retro 80's soundtrack, and was singing along with the likes of Rick Springfield's Jessie's Girl, The Go-Go's Head Over Heels, Belinda Carlisle's Mad About You, Madonna's Crazy For You, Billy Joel's Vienna and Pat Benatar's Love is a Battlefield. The audience was filled with teenagers, but only people in their 30's could appreciate those gems from our teenage years.

I thought the plot and acting were amateurish and I usually LIKE time travel movies. It was kind of a fun fantasy - don't expect too much & you won't be disappointed.

I agree with your assessment. We went to see it in Key West this past weekend...Kinda cute, but not anything I would rush off to see....Thank God we went to the matinee....

Matinee? What's a matinee? Oh wait, I seem to remember something about that... it's cheaper to go to the movies in the afternoon than in the evening. Something that doesn't happen here in NYC. Full price all the time.

Saw Bon Voyage last week at the Paris in NYC, film en francais, and we so enjoyed this movie--very entertaining, lots of twists, funny, absolutely worth going out of your way to see.

Isabel Adjani plays an actress in the 40s before the war hits Paris, Depardieu is her lover-politician, and the cutest man is her childhood crush who later comes to her rescue. Just a delightful film--something you could take your Mom to see without a worry, if she can read subtitles.

I thought Kill Bill Vol 2 was great. Not as good or action packed as the first, but still terrific.

Connie and Carla had a couple of laughs int he first half hour. The rest of the flick was awful and pretty insulting to gays. When David Duchovney was on screen, I could swear my watch started moving backwards. All the gay characters were stereotypically witty, sensitive, kind hearted and feminine. Ugh!

Last night I saw Man on Fire. I thought it had a great plot and story line. However, I did not care for a lot of the graphics. Sometimes it was very difficult to focus on the screen.

Overall though, I enjoyed the movie..

Josh

KIll Bill 2 sucked. and one of the many reasons is because of the totally illogical lapses in the movie.

I mean.... Like with Budd, he can sense someone standing outside his trailer per his "6th sense" But he can't sense a poisonous snake in the suitcase? and he couldn't have thought Elle would doublecross him?

and like I said, talk talk talk... blah blah blah!

I'm boycotting this in protest of Hollywood remaking '80s movies. Manhunter was remade as Red Dragon. Can't Buy Me Love was turned into Love Don't Cost a Thing. Dirty Dancing was "re-imagined," and we got yet another incarnation of Big this week. And now this one, which has the same title and plot of a perfectly forgettable Scott Glenn movie from 1987.

Remaking '70s movies is bad enough (Solaris, Texas Chainsaw, Dawn of the Dead, Freaky Friday), but these movies aren't even a generation old. Jeez, enough with the recycling already.

An older movie we just saw on DVD (Gotta love Netflix!) was Happy, Texas. Cute and very funny movie if you have not seen it...

I like Happy, Texas too. Love the Sheriff, funny stuff.

I'm taking a chance and hauling my BF out to see Connie and Carla tonight, hope I don't regret it, I'll go in with the mindset that this is supposed to be silly.

We saw Kill Bill Vol. 2 last night. I thought it was another good movie (from a totally self-important-but-not-untalented hack), and a satisfying follow-up to the first installment. It'll be interesting to watch the whole saga from start to finish in one sitting, though - both films have a very different tone and momentum to them. Anyhoo, most of the loose ends are tied up (some hilarious bits of exposition in this one), and the performances are all very good. Daryl Hannah, in particular, kicks ass (and is my personal favorite of the Deady Viper Assassination Squad).

I'll admit there were moments where my patience was tried - there were a few plot devices that seemed almost lazily convenient and disbelief stretching. But then I realized, well, that wasn't a problem when Uma Thurman single-handedly wiped out an army of sword-weilding yakzuas, and went back to enjoying the movie. I didn't find it too talky, myself - at least QT kept his trademark clever-clever, ultra-referential dialogue tricks to a bare minimum.

Saw "Time Out" yesterday, a french film about an average Joe who loses his job so he invents a better one and cons his wife, kids, parents, friends for months. It's not a comedy though. It was one of the most depressing films Ive seen.

It makes you reflect on how bleak adulthood is.

I saw both Laws of Attraction and 13 Going On 30 tonight. I liked the first one better. Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore have good chemistry. I hope Julianne does more comedy because she is quite good at it. Just one more reason why I think she's probably the best actress out there today.

13 Going On 30 had a good cast which deserved better material. Mark Ruffalo is as adorable as ever, and I like Jennifer Garner more and more. The hockey player/boyfriend striptease was pretty enjoyable, too! Too bad they didn't have a better script to work with.

[ April 30, 2004, 10:26 PM: Message edited by: Just4Kxx ]

Saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind last night, which I thought was just wonderful, and really touching. I was weeping for a good chunk of the last third, even. The boyfriend ruined it for me, of course - on the way out of the screening room I was avoiding looking at him (he's not exactly the sentimental type, one of the multitude of things we don't have in common), which he noticed. "Are you crying?"

(half-smile at getting caught, and trying to defuse any potential embarassment) "Yeah..."

"Oh, get over it, already."

Yeah, well, f**k you too.

But that's the point of the movie, isn't it? If you had to start all over, knowing what you know now--all the ups and downs, all the happiness and the sorrow--would you do it all over again?

Yeah, well...lucky for him Lacuna Inc. isn't real.

Lacuna, btw, means "the missing part". In the context of the movie, that's pretty freaky -- in fact, the movie itself sounds kind of creepy, but I'll see it on your and Roger Ebert's recommendation. (Spoliers!)

Redsoxbreath, earlier in this thread a few of us also praised "Eternal Sunshine..." It's one of the better films I've seen this year; liked it's take on the natural desire to forget ugly memories, especially as it applies to a romance gone bad. Hope you like it.

~Adam

there's an interesting movie playing downtown called "bulgarian lovers", almost saw it tonight but would up getting detained in Chelsea.

Will try to get my friends to wake up, eat brunch and not go to Splash so that they can see the matinee tomorrow. It's gotten very good write ups. and God only knows... I don't see a movie about an older spanish man and his married young, hunky bulgarian lover getting wide play outside of NYC.

Shows you how much attention I pay to first-run movies, Adam... But this one sounds somewhat intriguing. I must say, I didn't particularly enjoy "Being John Malkovich".

I recently saw "Dirty Pretty Things" and it's definitely worth catching. I want to see the lead actor, Chiwetel Ojiofor, in the new Spike Lee film, "She Hate Me." I found him incredibly sexy, even with his fake fro. (Those black British actors tend to be sooooo sexy--Idris Elba, Adrian Lester, and now Ojiofor.) Audrey Tautou was decent in her role. She's one of my least favorite French actresses, though.

Spike Lee's latest Joint is called She Hate Me? Is it a companion piece to He Got Game? Didn't he once say he thought "Ebonics be stupid"?

Lee has made more good films than bad ones. 25th Hour--my latest obsession--was his best since Clockers, and Summer of Sam remains a favorite. I also think Bamboozled is underrated. His only movies I didn't like were Girl 6 and He Got Game, though I've yet to see She's Gotta Have It, Mo Better Blues, or Jungle Fever.

Maybe it's a play on "He Hate Me" from the XFL. wink

I saw Mean Girls TWICE this weekend. It was funny and smart! I never laughed so hard and cringed at parts that were a little too close to home when I was in high school.

Definitely go out and see it. It was great!!

I have quirky tastes in movies, and recently saw 'HAPPY ACCIDENTS' on either sundance or IFC. It's an independent film, and I really enjoyed watching it. Vincent D'Onofrio and Marissa Tomei was in it, and the movie kept you guessing, is he just out of his mind or is everything for real...

"Bulgarian Lovers" (los novios bulgaros) was awesome!!

It was so funny and had many scenes that were very very hot! It actually made me think of some people I know who found themselves in similiar situations. you know.... getting caught up in a relationship with someone who maintains his "hetero" status complete with girlfriend.

Go see it if it comes to your town!

Back when it was in theaters, I saw The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and over the weekend I bought the 2-disc special edition on DVD. If you are an Eddie Balfour fan (which I'm not), you will want this special edition. He strips totally naked in one behind-the-scenes moment and then at another point on the disc, he is floating belly-down naked on an innertube.

I highly recommend Kill Bill v.2. Clever comedy, unpredictable script, good acting. Every moment with the Master is funny. The film never forgets it's a "film" using typical QT touches of sound, projections, and angles that underscore the comedy or drama without taking you out of the moment while noting it - great style - his best since Pulp Fiction.

Also saw The Alamo. Yawn. Big disappointment. Typical Ron Howard project - always one level and never quite breaking through to a higher plain of emotion. See it for the history and as a counter-point to John Wayne's version (which is actually a much more fun movie in it's over the top patriotism), but nothing more - take some coffee with you.

Just watched Romper-Stomper. Yow. If you don't understand Russell Crowe's star power (it's hard to understand now with that greasy hair and extra 200 lbs), this movie explains it all. Ranks up there with Tigerland (Colin Farrell) in my book.

[ May 06, 2004, 08:34 AM: Message edited by: Chi-townfan ]

Ron Howard didn't direct "The Alamo", though he was initially slated to. He decided to make "The Missing" instead. Not sure anybody was the winner there. Howard is still listed as a producer on "The Alamo", but I think that has more to do with him being the one who brought the project to Disney rather than any actual involvement in the final project. Stinker either way.

13 Going on 30 was kind of cute fluff. Jennifer Garner is quite charming in that Julia Roberts/ Sandra Bullock sort of way. From what I've seen of Garner's dramatic work (TV's Alias), she'll be around for a while. Jim Allen would tear the movie up for the inaccurate use of certain songs. The movie takes place in the late 80's but many of the songs are early '80s. Were any 13 year old girls still crushing over Rick Springfield in 1987?

I was thrilled when a friend called and told me he had a couple of passes for the Tribeca Film Festival. Imagine how thrilled I was to find out that the passes were for New York Minute, the new Mary Kate and Ashley (Don't Call Us the Olsen Twins) Olsen. I don't want to spoil the plot for those of you who plan on seeing it (admit it there are many of you!), but suffice to say that the girls should start preparing their accepatnce speeches. It's going to be a very busy awards season for both of them!

Somebody please make Robert DeNiro stop! Saw an advanced screening of "Godsend" last week before it opened. There are no words to describe the awfulness of this load of tripe. DeNiro gives what may be the worst performance of his career, especially if you are willing to chalk up "Rocky and Bullwinkle" to temporary insanity or the studio possibly having photos of DeNiro walking Kevin Spacey's dog at 4:30 am (wink, wink).

"City By the Sea", "Analyze That", "Showtime", "15 Minutes", "The Score", "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle", "Flawless" all since 1999! And people thought Derek Jeter was in a slump! IMDB.com has him listed as having 6 more releases in 2004! What, are he and Ben Stiller in some kind of Crap Off?

[ May 06, 2004, 11:17 AM: Message edited by: George_vikingfan ]

Just Pay-Per-Viewed 21 Grams. Very good, primarily because of the performances which were terrific across the board. The story itself was kinda slight, but the novel approach to editing the piece made it a lot more interesting than it probably should've been.

I have watched the movie "Camp" a couple of times now. I love the music, and watching all of the parts, from all the different shows, done by young people. It's got some great one liners, and some hot shirtless shots that make me feel like a petaphile sort of, but it's a great show.

I've wondered the same thing. There is a 3rd actor that's been in a ton of crap lately and has some upcoming releases that I would put in the Crap Off with Stiller and Deniro, but I can't think of who it is. If I see a preview that refreshes my mind I'll let you know.

George_vf and stinger -- for your Crap Off, we're gonna get both DeNiro and Stiller late in the year in the much delayed "Meet the Fokkers" (the sequel to "Meet the Parents").

I know a ton of people absolutely LOVED that movie (I thought it was just OK) -- but that long production delay on "Fokkers" can't be a good sign. Somewhere I read that Streisand and Dustin Hoffman will play Stiller's parents. What's the last good movie she's been in?

If I didn't know better I'd say someone kidnapped George for this section of his post....

And, with a friend like this, who needs enemies?

The last movie she starred in was THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES and that was 8 years ago. It was pretty good, but the real gem, for me, is THE PRINCE OF TIDES from 13 years ago.

Streisand . Hoffman. Two of the all time biggest divas in movie history. I'm sure that will be a fun, mellow, lowkey set to be on.

The only good part of The Mirror Has Two Faces was not actually in the movie; rather it was when Lauren Bacall was practically halfway to the stage for "her" Oscar when she realized Juliette Binoche had won. One of the best Oscar moments ever. Otherwise, paraphrasing Bart Simpson, I didn't know something could both suck and blow at the same time.

As for my take on the Olsen twins movie, I assumed people would figure I had my tongue planted firmly in my cheek with that paragraph. Though they might be more deserving of the Oscar than Bacall for TMHTF. Their movie was pretty dumb (though nowhere near as bad as I thought and much more enjoyable than the DeNiro trainwreck!), but I can certainly see the appeal they have to teenage girls and why every straight boy wants to bang them.

A petaphile? Is that someone who covets members of PETA? Sorry, I couldn't resist. wink

I love my kitty.....(said while stroking my white cat in my lap) wink

But sexy Ray Allen is in He Got Game! It's not a good movie, though--and personally, I am ready to VOMIT every time I see some movie advertised that features black men in conjunction with basketball! Memo to Hollywood: the vast majority of us do not spend all our time playing or thinking about basketball! But--if the movie has Ray Allen or some other sexy NBA star in it, well, I'll sit through it.

Yep, Spike's new movie is She Hate Me. The title makes me smile--I wonder if it's going to be a comedy? He hasn't done anything of Do the Right Thing quality in years, though I also liked Bamboozled and 25th Hour. She's Gotta Have It is a magical film--it was one of those movies I mark my youth by--but it has a very disturbing scene that sort of throws things off....

from George_vikingfan:

I was thrilled when a friend called and told me he had a couple of passes for the Tribeca Film Festival. Imagine how thrilled I was to find out the passes were for New York Minute, the new Mary Kate and Ashley (Don't Call Us the Olsen twins) Olsen....

Can we just call them Paris & Nicky Hilton...the Next Generation? wink

I'll see your New York Minute and raise it an Ella Enchanted, which I'll be seeing tomorrow as one of two adults taking fourteen pre-teens to the movies....

~Adam

George_vikingfan wrote:

Originally posted by Undercenter:
Also saw The Alamo. Yawn. Big disappointment. Typical Ron Howard project -

Ron Howard didn't direct "The Alamo", though he was initially slated to. He decided to make "The Missing" instead. Not sure anybody was the winner there. Howard is still listed as a producer on "The Alamo", but I think that has more to do with him being the one who brought the project to Disney rather than any actual involvement in the final project. Stinker either way.

I didn't write that Ron Howard Directed the film, I wrote that it was Ron Howard’s Project - and it was. Howard was originally slated to direct it, did all the pre-production planning, approved the first script drafts, produced it (along with Touchstone) through his company Imagine Entertainment, and even recommended the man who did direct it - John Lee Hancock. In my book, that makes it his project.