Y Tu Mama Tambien has some of the most interesting cinematography of any non-Paul Thomas Anderson film I've seen made in the last ten years. The story is somewhere between Kids and On The Road, with less nihilism than Kids, but just as much hedonism. Where Kids tries to disgust the viewer by showing the perversity of that lifestyle, and On The Road illustrates its emptiness, Y Tu Mama Tambien juxtaposes it with images of Mexico's poverty, so as to never let the film become a silly, optimistic coming of age story. The film's frank depictions of sexuality are also very refreshing.
I've found myself suddenly very interested in Mexican cinema, and Spanish language films in general. My introduction to Mexican cinema was with Luis Bunuel, but the handful of modern films I've seen (all of which are considered "Nuevo Cine Mexicano") are on the opposite end of the spectrum. Where Bunuel's films are clean, clever, and surreal, informed by bourgeoisie culture, people like Cuaron and Alejandro González Iñárritu are making gritty, realistic films that depict the harsh realities of their country.
Prince of Persia was just like the games (which in this case is a good thing) and anyone who liked the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie would like it.
Sex and the City 2 was god-awful and was as bad as Avatar. It was also incredibly offensive, and not in a funny South Park way.
Sex and the City 2 was god-awful and was as bad as Avatar. It was also incredibly offensive, and not in a funny South Park way.
I also saw this. My initial comment isn't exactly for delicate eyes, but the more reasoned version is "The series and the first movie was one step forward, ten steps back for women and feminisim. This movie is a full tilt run followed by a half-drunk swan-dive off a cliff, while screaming "FUCK YOU, VAGINA-OWNERS AND THE MIDDLE EAST!""
In the last three days: National Lampoon's Vacation, King of Kong, Man on Wire, Patton, Blues Brothers. All of my friends are out of town so I went on a bit of a binge.
On Hansu - It looks like some writers got together and had this conversation: Writer 1: Hey you know what would be really scary and weird? Writer 2: Everything? Writer 1: Yeah. Awesome. Writer 2: Maybe some boobs for good measure? Writer 1: Doubleawesome. :brofist:
I thought Crank was a great one-off movie watching experience. It's the kind of movie I only need to watch once. Not once each of each of that kind of movie, but one example of that kind of movie watched just once. I thought that was the point of the movie, as what happens at the end of the movie happens (non-spoiler speak). That Crank 2 exists means that the producers kind of missed the point of their own movie.
I watched indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull. It's still an indy movie, but it's not one of the best. Decent enough that I enjoyed watching it, but I wouldn't watch it again.
Over the weekend I sat through "Edge of Darkness" [1] with my GF's family and I was commandeered into being one of the four straight guys in the theater for a showing of Sex & The City 2.
I wasn't all that impressed with either of them.
I think the concept behind Edge of Darkness was a good one and that it might be better if I hunted down the original British miniseries from '85. The casting of Gibson as the lead seemed a bit jarring for me as he seemed to slip in and out of an obviously fake Boston accent, which just pulled me right out of the movie. Also, the plot seemed a bit rushed, but you'll have that when you condense a multiple-hour miniseries down into a two hour film. Other than that, not a bad story hinging around potential eco-terrorism and evil corporations, but not one I'm likely to watch a second time.
As for S&TC... I want that two and a half hours of my life and the $8.50 for my ticket back. I'll preface this by saying I'm not a fan of the show. I don't hate it, but if there's something else on TV, I'll gladly watch the "Something Else" instead. The movie had a few bits here and there that were funny, a few bits that were there solely to catch the interest of the males in the audience [2], and the rest of it was just dragging the dead horse from point A to point B [3]. I fail to see how this movie did anything to further develop the characters as they all still seemed to be stuck in their same niches, with only a change in venue for the events to unfold. I highly suspect that this was just a vehicle for SJP to get a new wardrobe [4].
Oh well, I just chalk it up to the things we do for our significant others. Besides, this just means I get to drag her to see A-Team, Jonah Hex, Sorcerer's Apprentice, or Scott Pilgrim when they come out.
[1] Starring Mel Gibson & a very attractive Bojana Novakovic as his daughter [2] Primarily those involving the hot nanny that didn't wear a bra. Those scenes just plain screamed, "HEY GUYS!! WAKE UP!!! BARELY COVERED BOOBS ON THE SCREEN!!!" [3] and, oddly enough, I'm not talking about Sarah Jessica Parker in that sentence [4] As I seem to recall there being something in her contract that she gets to keep all the dresses & costumes that are used in the filming of the show. I'm sure she wouldn't let that slide when it comes to the movies.
I just saw The Big Lebowski last night. Hilarious! I heard that a second watching makes the experience even better, so I'll have to come back to it again later.
I just saw The Big Lebowski last night. Hilarious! I heard that a second watching makes the experience even better, so I'll have to come back to it again later.
I did not like TBL at all when I first saw it. The stuttering, the endless unfinished sentences and thoughts, the hippie slacker mindset -- all these combined to drive me away. Repeat viewings got me past that and I now place it in my top 10. Learning to love flawed characters can be difficult because often you want to punish them as much as identify with them.
I just saw The Big Lebowski last night. Hilarious! I heard that a second watching makes the experience even better, so I'll have to come back to it again later.
I can definitely attest to that. The first time I saw it, I wondered what the big deal was. The second time (and every time thereafter) it looked like pure genuis.
I watched Synecdoche, New York and it was one of the best films I've seen in a while... completely weird and totally what you would think Charlie Kaufman would have running through his head. Highly recommended. The trailer can't really capture the strange that is this film but it gives a good glimpse..
Charlie Kaufman is a genius. He is a screenwriter that I believe is completely original.
Nothing is completely original, dude. Everything is influenced by something else, to the point where we can boil the plot of every movie down to common archetypes. I'm sure the guy has a very unique style, but hearing the words "completely original" usually makes me want to smack a mothersucker.
Comments
I've found myself suddenly very interested in Mexican cinema, and Spanish language films in general. My introduction to Mexican cinema was with Luis Bunuel, but the handful of modern films I've seen (all of which are considered "Nuevo Cine Mexicano") are on the opposite end of the spectrum. Where Bunuel's films are clean, clever, and surreal, informed by bourgeoisie culture, people like Cuaron and Alejandro González Iñárritu are making gritty, realistic films that depict the harsh realities of their country.
Sex and the City 2 was god-awful and was as bad as Avatar. It was also incredibly offensive, and not in a funny South Park way.
I gotta say, man,
It looks like some writers got together and had this conversation:
Writer 1: Hey you know what would be really scary and weird?
Writer 2: Everything?
Writer 1: Yeah. Awesome.
Writer 2: Maybe some boobs for good measure?
Writer 1: Doubleawesome.
:brofist:
I wasn't all that impressed with either of them.
I think the concept behind Edge of Darkness was a good one and that it might be better if I hunted down the original British miniseries from '85. The casting of Gibson as the lead seemed a bit jarring for me as he seemed to slip in and out of an obviously fake Boston accent, which just pulled me right out of the movie. Also, the plot seemed a bit rushed, but you'll have that when you condense a multiple-hour miniseries down into a two hour film. Other than that, not a bad story hinging around potential eco-terrorism and evil corporations, but not one I'm likely to watch a second time.
As for S&TC... I want that two and a half hours of my life and the $8.50 for my ticket back. I'll preface this by saying I'm not a fan of the show. I don't hate it, but if there's something else on TV, I'll gladly watch the "Something Else" instead. The movie had a few bits here and there that were funny, a few bits that were there solely to catch the interest of the males in the audience [2], and the rest of it was just dragging the dead horse from point A to point B [3]. I fail to see how this movie did anything to further develop the characters as they all still seemed to be stuck in their same niches, with only a change in venue for the events to unfold. I highly suspect that this was just a vehicle for SJP to get a new wardrobe [4].
Oh well, I just chalk it up to the things we do for our significant others. Besides, this just means I get to drag her to see A-Team, Jonah Hex, Sorcerer's Apprentice, or Scott Pilgrim when they come out.
[1] Starring Mel Gibson & a very attractive Bojana Novakovic as his daughter
[2] Primarily those involving the hot nanny that didn't wear a bra. Those scenes just plain screamed, "HEY GUYS!! WAKE UP!!! BARELY COVERED BOOBS ON THE SCREEN!!!"
[3] and, oddly enough, I'm not talking about Sarah Jessica Parker in that sentence
[4] As I seem to recall there being something in her contract that she gets to keep all the dresses & costumes that are used in the filming of the show. I'm sure she wouldn't let that slide when it comes to the movies.