Last Movie You Watched

[Philoctetes]

I guess we'd have to get into a definition of "manly," which is something I'd rather not do in detail, but for me it goes beyond fisticuffs.  There needs to be a sense of menace and intensity, if not on the surface, then just below.  In The Departed he just never came across as anything other than a snitch, and not a good one at that.  The "I'm not a rat" spiel was not good at all, for instance.  In Gangs he was just plain weak.  In Inception he was too mushy.  His wife was tormenting him.  Oh, Boo-hoo.  I saw no torment at what he'd done (or did he?).  I saw no relentlessness in pursuing a line of work that strikes me as needing at least of bit of relentlessness.  Now someone who can pull off dark and good at once, like Clive Owen, could have done better in such a role in my estimation.  DiCaprio, he comes off as someone you can pimp slap at will with no repurcussions.

I do confess that I have not seen, nor do I plan to see, Blood Diamond or Body of Lies, but I've seen plenty of comments that make the same complaints I've made.

I get exactly where you're coming from, and I agree that Leo cannot really pull off menacing or intensity, or at least not for a sustained period.

Well in The Departed, I wouldn't blame it all on him, the story was not held together all that well, but I thought he had sufficient rage in the role to at least pass for an undercover. I'm thinking here, in his secret meetings with Sheen and Wahlberg, where he was struggling with staying under for so long, and their inability to make a case. I felt it there, above and below the surface. And to add one more unrelated point, I did enjoy the flatness of the story.

In Gangs, I agree with you there, but I don't attribute it directly to him. I felt the whole movie was weak, and he did what he could. His accent was just ridiculous in that role, and that made me take him less seriously.

And I agree with you on Inception, but I thought that mushy was the right emotion to protray. For me, I felt like he hit that role pretty good. I mean some of it was a bit over-the-top, but I wasn't expecting the story to really play out otherwise. I mean it was a melodrama with great special effects and a pretty neat concept.

And I don't know if I would like Owen in Inception, I actually think he's perhaps too manly for it. I think the backstory requires someone who can play the drama-queen, and Leo can play that well.

And as to Body, I saw it because it had Crowe and Leo, and it was a spy story, which is one of my favorite genres of films, and it was madly disappointing.

And Blood Diamonds just looked stupid.

[drogulus]

There Will be Blood was just on TV. I don't get it - why was the guy such a jerk?

     No, no, no, that is not how to understand this film. Is Mahler's 6th too "tragic"? No, the story is about a man who is a monster of hatred and ambition (no, you can't make a novel or play or film about such persons ), who destroys what he loves in himself, but does not kill the love in those he has protected. Watch it again, and this time watch the girl.

     Oh, I like Leo, too. It isn't his fault that his youthful cuteness has decayed in recent years. In fact it might help him a little.

[karlhenning]

Last night, All of Me, and Parts II & III of "A Man Called Smart."

[DavidRoss]

A small movie with a big heart.

Edit:  Sorry guys, I screwed up and inserted the link instead of the jpg.  Corrected!

[Bogey]

A small movie with a big heart.

Cannot see image, David.  What is the film?

[karlhenning]

Ditto, thanks for asking, Bill. And good morning, gents!

[DavidRoss]

And a jolly good morn to you both!  It's far from a great movie, but it's a good one, the type of film I like, more akin to Rachel's Wedding than to the special effects extravaganzas that dominate box office receipts.

[Drasko]

[Bogey]

A small movie with a big heart.

Edit:  Sorry guys, I screwed up and inserted the link instead of the jpg.  Corrected!

Would my Mrs. enjoy this one, David?

[DavidRoss]

Would my Mrs. enjoy this one, David?

Hmmm...perhaps.  Broderick's character is quite a sad sack whose clear vision of life's petty cruelties blinds him to the possibility of joy.  Slowly (and somewhat painfully) he comes to understand that our thoughts about the world determine our experience in it, and after witnessing a minor miracle (a natural phenomenon the cause of which is unknown), his formerly crushed spirit begins to blossom again.

It's a very small movie, Bill, personal and intimate and (now that I think of it) rather similar in several respects to The Visitor with Richard Jenkins a couple of years ago.  Did she like that?  Or I've Loved You So Long, with Kristin Scott Thomas?

[Saul]

Hmmm...perhaps.  Broderick's character is quite a sad sack whose clear vision of life's petty cruelties blinds him to the possibility of joy.  Slowly (and somewhat painfully) he comes to understand that our thoughts about the world determine our experience in it, and after witnessing a minor miracle (a natural phenomenon the cause of which is unknown), his formerly crushed spirit begins to blossom again.

It's a very small movie, Bill, personal and intimate and (now that I think of it) rather similar in several respects to The Visitor with Richard Jenkins a couple of years ago.  Did she like that?  Or I've Loved You So Long, with Kristin Scott Thomas?

Salt


What's next for Jolie? Pepper?

[Drasko]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxxNh93TjEU

[karlhenning]

Last night I at last finished the commentary track for Cleopatra (a serial affair with Landau, two of director Mankiewicz's sons, and a publicist for the movie whose name escapes me at the moment)

[George]

A small movie with a big heart.

Saw it tonight and I agree.

[Drasko]

[DavidRoss]

Recommended.

[Brian]

I just decided to watch a clip from "Darkwing Duck" to see if it is as funny as the 6-year-old me thought it was. So I clicked the first link on YouTube and the bad guy's name is Taras Bulba! Holy crap.

Worth watching if you want to see the best breakfast setup ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHyBL_t_Rh0

[Todd]

Watched The Ghost Writer, the latest from Rape King Polanski, and it's a mixed bag.  It's a bit slow and very talky, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the end result of the mysterious plot is more than a bit hokey.  I was hoping for something more, well, more sophisticated.  Visuals are good and the movie is credibly tense at times.  Some of the acting is good.  Pierce Brosnan as the former British PM is quite good.  Olivia Williams is superb as his wife.  Ewan McGregor is good enough in his role as the ghost writer.  It was nice to see the now ancient Eli Wallach again, too.  Timothy Hutton is in good, if brief, form.  Even James Belushi (!) is good in his small role.  But Kim Cattrall is horrid.  Is she British or American?  It seems to change from scene to scene, and her accent is awful, though not as awful as her acting.  Sorry, but she peaked with Porky's.  She drags down the film whenever she is on screen.

Not vintage Polanski – hell, it doesn't match up to Frantic – but it was good for one viewing.

[DavidRoss]

Thanks for the heads up.  I love McGregor, have come to respect Brosnan for his recent work in films like The Matador and The Tailor of Panama, and think Polanski is about as uneven as they come but admire his best (Chinatown, Tess) immensely.  I added this to my netflix queue.  Low expectations might help.

By the way, the netflix blurb reads as follows:

A writer (Ewan McGregor) stumbles upon a long-hidden secret when he agrees to help former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) complete his memoirs on a remote island after the politician's assistant drowns in a mysterious accident.

Is this story based on Teddy Kennedy?


Edit: screwed up quote box corrected 

[Saul]

The Two Towers