Last Movie You Watched

[George]

Grosse Pointe Blank

(In my best Boston accent) Wicked sick!!!

[Karl Henning]

(In my best Boston accent) Wicked sick!!!

Don't tease me. You know what I do for a living.

[Wakefield]

Thanks SO MUCH for posting this, I had missed it entirely and love stuff like this. Did you see the talk that Seinfeld did with Chris Rock, Gervais and Louie CK?

Thanks to you, George. It's available on YouTube, so for sure I will be watching it some of these days.

Last night:



A good idea, but finally a failed attempt. It wasn't an obstacle to win 7 Goya Awards; a sort of certificate of Spanishness (of a movie in English). 

[Mirror Image]

My wife and I got lucky with a large price drop after black friday on Amazon, we got it, but a few weeks later it went down farther to 114 thereabouts, sheeesh!

Damn, if I had only known about it. Anyway, I'll be getting it at some point.

[Octave]

Re: that sweet Hitchcock Blu-Ray box set, Fingerhut was selling it for less than $100 on pre-release, but I think that deal ended before long.  Perhaps worth checking there? 

[mc ukrneal]

Watched "UP" on the BBC I-Player last night. Laughed, cried, it had everything... oh and squirrel...

I just love that movie. The opening is just so well done, but then so is pretty much everything else that follows.

[George]

I just love that movie. The opening is just so well done, but then so is pretty much everything else that follows.

I should see that with the woman I am dating. It seems like a fun idea.

[DavidRoss]

A good idea, but finally a failed attempt. It wasn't an obstacle to win 7 Goya Awards; a sort of certificate of Spanishness (of a movie in English). 

A good idea, perhaps, but a dreadful implementation too burdened by idiotic political correctness (apologies for the redundancy) to be good even for laughs -- though the MST3K approach might make it tolerably amusing. As bad as it is, however, it's not quite bad enough to contend for the Plan 9 award.

But the movie I watched nearly half of last night IS that bad, probably a shoo-in for the title of worst Big Money Movie since Titantic, and inexplicably so:

(Ass-numbing tedium)^∞

[Daverz]

A good idea, perhaps, but a dreadful implementation too burdened by idiotic political correctness (apologies for the redundancy) to be good even for laughs -- though the MST3K approach might make it tolerably amusing. As bad as it is, however, it's not quite bad enough to contend for the Plan 9 award.

I think the film is quite enjoyable if you're not looking for historical accuracy (or, in this case, you're not a right wing ideologue who uses tired phrases like "polictical correctness"). 

[DavidRoss]

I think the film is quite enjoyable if you're not looking for historical accuracy (or, in this case, you're not a right wing ideologue who uses tired phrases like "polictical correctness"). 

Well, I'm neither right wing nor an ideologue, as you would no doubt recognize very quickly if you were to meet me with your mind unfettered by prejudice.

However, I am just as offended by hateful bigotry toward Conservatives as I am by hateful bigotry toward Hispanics, Africans, Scandinavians, Anglos, Koreans, Women, Gays, Christians, Jews, Atheists, Veterans, Pacifists, The Rich, The Poor, SUV drivers, Prius drivers, Classical Musicians, Plumbers, Bankers, Truck Drivers, Southerners, Northerners, City Dwellers, Country Folk, or any other category that bigots use to dehumanize people so they can feel hatefully superior.

As a lifelong leftist who has long despaired of liberals as the primary guardians and beneficiaries of the status quo, over the past couple of decades my heart has been broken by the mainstream left's moral descent into bigotry, making REAL diversity of opinion in substantive discussion of issues as impossible as discussing race with George Wallace or Judaism with Richard Wagner.  How sad that so many today are incapable of giving fair consideration to diverse points of view! And how tragic that they feel so threatened by diversity that they try to dehumanize others by labeling them as something they and other bigots believe is a deserving target for their ignorant, unthinking hatred!

If only the bigots of the left -- so quick to recognize bigotry's foulness in some other quarters -- were not so blinded by fear and self-righteous hypocrisy that they could see themselves honestly ... and then have sufficient courage and moral integrity to purge bigotry's disfiguring influence from their characters! Unfortunately, such bigotry is horribly widespread in our society today. Even here at GMG it sometimes seems as rampant as racism at a KKK rally. Its prevalence turns my stomach and makes the site as unappealing as if its membership included substantial numbers of outspoken racists or sexists.

I have stood up here several times in the past for non-English speakers who've been ridiculed for their imperfect command of the language, for women when reprehensible sexist comments have been posted, for Americans and others when their national characters have been slandered, for Christians and other theists when they have been attacked, and for political conservatives when they've been the targets of similar hateful bigotry. Some people -- usually the perpetrators of such nastiness -- have subsequently turned their hatred on me, and justified it by demonizing me as a member of whatever class they think it's acceptable to hate, just as you do here and as you have made a habit of doing elsewhere on the forum.

When I take a hiatus from this site, it's usually because I've seen as much of this hatred as I can stand, regardless of which class of persons are attacked. I usually return because I miss the camaraderie and the insights of the many wonderful people who post on this site and made it special ... in a good way!   But now, having only recently dipped my toes in the GMG waters again after my disgust at the shameful bigotry spewing here during the election season, I'm saddened and dismayed to see its ugly face again so soon after my return.

It's too bad we don't live nearby, Dave. If you were to meet me in person I think you would quickly discover that your ideas about me are horribly wrong. You would probably be quite dismayed to discover just how much your prejudices have conditioned your nasty opinion of me. And I suspect that you are smart enough that you would be shocked into wondering what else you might be so wrong about, and hopefully smart enough to work on opening your mind to find out.

As a kid I was fond of the slogan, "Question Authority." I still am. But today I'm wise enough to know that it's not just the authority of the State and the Church that must be questioned, but the authority of my own beliefs, for my own unexamined beliefs have enslaved, crippled, and exploited me far more than the authority of any social institution.

Re the film in question: its vile depiction of Christians sickened me and I would no more choose to ingest such evil nastiness than I would choose to ingest anti-Semitic propaganda depicting Jews as equally hateful stereotypes.

Addendum: Karl, it's Agora[/].

[Karl Henning]

I can't see the image, Dave, what movie is it under discussion? TIA : )

[TheGSMoeller]

All caught up now with Downton Abbey, including Sunday night's season 3 premiere. Addicted beyond belief. Regardless of the conflicts and how outrageous they may seem (we are talking about a very well-scripted and acted soap opera with a nice budget) this is a very good TV drama, some scenes are breathtaking and can stand up with some of films finest.

[Brian]

I can't see the image, Dave, what movie is it under discussion? TIA : )

Dark Knight Rises, although based on his description of it as the "worst big money movie since Titanic," I assumed it was Avatar, which I thought incredibly tedious.

[DavidRoss]

All caught up now with Downton Abbey, including Sunday night's season 3 premiere. Addicted beyond belief. Regardless of the conflicts and how outrageous they may seem (we are talking about a very well-scripted and acted soap opera with a nice budget) this is a very good TV drama, some scenes are breathtaking and can stand up with some of films finest.

Loved the first 2 seasons, look forward to this one but missed the Sunday premiere. Glad to hear the same high standard's been upheld.

[Fëanor]

Well, I'm neither right wing nor an ideologue, as you would no doubt recognize very quickly if you were to meet me with your mind unfettered by prejudice.

However, I am just as offended by hateful bigotry toward Conservatives as I am by hateful bigotry toward Hispanics, Africans, Scandinavians, Anglos, Koreans, Women, Gays, Christians, Jews, Atheists, Veterans, Pacifists, The Rich, The Poor, SUV drivers, Prius drivers, Classical Musicians, Plumbers, Bankers, Truck Drivers, Southerners, Northerners, City Dwellers, Country Folk, or any other category that bigots use to dehumanize people so they can feel hatefully superior.
...

Re the film in question: its vile depiction of Christians sickened me and I would no more choose to ingest such evil nastiness than I would choose to ingest anti-Semitic propaganda depicting Jews as equally hateful stereotypes.

Addendum: Karl, it's Agora[/].

It seems to me that people don't choose to be "Hispanics, Africans, Scandinavians, Anglos, Koreans, Women, Gays", etc.. But presumably they do choose to be Conservatives, so there's one difference at least.

As for Agora (which I enjoyed), was it so much a "vile depiction of Christians" or a depiction of vile Christians?? At the same time I think it did a good job of depicting vile Jews, and to be sure, vile Pagans.

[TheGSMoeller]

Loved the first 2 seasons, look forward to this one but missed the Sunday premiere. Glad to hear the same high standard's been upheld.

Hey, David, welcome back (I think, were you gone?)

Season 3 premiere picks up right where last years Christmas special left off, same look and feel. Such a good show, I just hope they bow out on top and not during a boring season 8 or 9.

[Bogey]

Linda and I are hooked back in again.  No let down in Season 3 so far.  Maybe even a better start than 2?

[TheGSMoeller]

Linda and I are hooked back in again.  No let down in Season 3 so far.  Maybe even a better start than 2?

I also love how the first and final episodes of each season are getting longer, two hours for a season premiere is bold, but they pulled it off no doubt.

[val]

PETER GREENAWAY:          "Prospero's Books"

A version of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" with a great plastic beauty. Reminds me of some movies of Fellini, but Greenaway is more cold, distant.

[Rinaldo]

Saw The Master. To quote Roger Ebert, fabulously well-acted and crafted, but when I reach for it, my hand closes on air. Spot on, I think, although it's definitely worth seeing on the basis of Phoenix's performance alone. And Jonny Greenwood's fantastic score.