Latest movie you watched (1-10 scale)

[guardianoftheblind]

yeah, tucker and dale is more like an enjoyable 6

[White Like Jesus]

Heathers (w/commentary) - 9/10

SPOILERSPOILER_SHOW

I'm sure many have seen this so a spoiler may not be necessary, mainly just for "I'm not reading all that" purposes.

Everything but the 80's hair holds up really well. After Columbine, I don't see too many movies like this being made. Love the atmosphere, soundtrack, bright colors...works in a similar way as the opening scene of Blue Velvet in depicting the ugliness underneath a pretty surface. The commentary also pointed out a few things I was too stupid to catch on to the first few times. For instance, croquet fits the theme perfectly in that it is a seemingly regal, civilized game, but to get ahead you have to bump out the other person. Also when J.D. lights his cigarette on Veronica's hand, the flipside at the end where she lights hers on him exploding. Great acting. Ebert's review always bothered me, especially when he says "For a long time, we're not even sure of the point of view: Is this a black comedy about murder or just a cynical morality play?" I mean, why can't it be both? "Life was simpler when I was in high school." Clearly not a movie made for sensitive, sheltered, guilty white people.

[The Pope of Chili Town]

hanna: 5/10
Win Win: 6/10 (ending really seemed like they just gave up on the script)
Red State: 2/10 (two points for hot young churchy chick)

[spacehamster]

Groundhog Day - 7/10

Yeah, I hadn't seen this yet. It's got these moments where it's totally awesome because of the way it's structured, but then there's Andie MacDowell's "acting" and the whole "city people are shallow and evil" ideology at the core of it, so I dunno.

[\m/Johnny\m/]

Groundhog Day - 7/10

Yeah, I hadn't seen this yet. It's got these moments where it's totally awesome because of the way it's structured, but then there's Andie MacDowell's "acting" and the whole "city people are shallow and evil" ideology at the core of it, so I dunno.

Wasn't Bill Murray's character the only city person who was evil and shallow?

[spacehamster]

Wasn't Bill Murray's character the only city person who was evil and shallow?

Yeah, and prolonged exposure to the wonderful, warm, honest hicks turns him into a wonderful, warm, honest person, and that's kinda the point of the movie. In other words, barf.

[\m/Johnny\m/]

Wasn't Bill Murray's character the only city person who was evil and shallow?

Yeah, and prolonged exposure to the wonderful, warm, honest hicks turns him into a wonderful, warm, honest person, and that's kinda the point of the movie. In other words, barf.

I see your point, but I always thought it was being trapped in a small place, with limited options, where he had to do the same things every day, that made him examine and eventually change his life. But then, I have American basic cable, which means I've sat through that movie 85727 times. I still like it though.

[Mendicant]

new Sherlock Holmes movie 8.5 / 10

SPOILERSPOILER_SHOW

Loved the whole Holmes v Moriarty scene at the end - the fact they didn't even need the chess board & the whole fight thinking was awesome - glad to see they had the proper ending over the falls too

[spacehamster]

I see your point, but I always thought it was being trapped in a small place, with limited options, where he had to do the same things every day, that made him examine and eventually change his life.

The problem for me is that the larger point the movie makes is that to "change your life" means to become more like the wonderful, warm, honest hicks. On the other hand, the movie really takes its premise and runs with it at times, like when he decides to learn how to play the piano, and five minutes later, you see him making ice sculptures, and it's never explained because you get it by now. Those kinds of scenes are pretty cool, and you don't see stuff like that anymore now in big movies because all the scripts are so safe, boring and formulaic. So I really have to give it credit for that. Plus I'm the small-town kid who moved to the big city first chance he got, so obviously I'm not going to respond well to this sort of thing. Whenever I see the small-town mayor in the movie about how great small-town life is, I wonder if he's a wifebeater like ours was.

[EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO]

You seem a little overly-sensitive about this. I guess you can interpret it that way, but you can also see it as him being trapped in his own personal hell, forcing him to overcome his own personality flaws. If anything I'm more bothered that the key to unlocking the reality-defying loop in the time-space continuum is finding true love or whatever.

[spacehamster]

You seem a little overly-sensitive about this.

Yeah, well, I just admitted as much. This is something that I have a personal reaction to because where I'm from, it's part of a right-wing ideology that includes all kinds of other fun stuff about how God needs to set Sodom on fire again.

I guess you can interpret it that way, but you can also see it as him being trapped in his own personal hell, forcing him to overcome his own personality flaws.

I think ultimately it does both, and it just puts way too much emphasis on glorifying small-town life for my tastes. It's really good at those times when it plays out some of the other implications of its premise, like when he kills himself over and over, but since that's packaged in a bunch of right-wing ideological goop to make it palatable, I can't really appreciate it.

[Spooky Apparition]

i've seen groundhog day like a dozen times and i've never once thought it glorified small town life. if anything, i think we're supposed to view the town the same way bill murray does, which is that it's so cloyingly quaint it makes you initially dislike it despite having no real reason to do so. it's like a community analog for an overly-nice person who you don't want to be mean to but can't help inwardly hating (exemplified by the insurance salesman bill murray always runs into). the fact he's forced to repeat every day and find contentment in a place like that is where most of the film's comedy comes from, so i don't agree with the interpretation that the specifics of small-town life are what forces him to change, and definitely not that it's trying to put small town life above city life in any way.

[Spooky Apparition]

good neighbors - 7.5. a movie that's sort of like groundhog day in that time seems meaningless and everyone is stuck in their own inner worlds (and the whole movie basically takes place in one apartment building), but with a lot more gore and killing. ending is pretty crappy though.

[EEEOOOEEEOOOEEEOOO]

Contagion - 6.5/10

[spacehamster]

the fact he's forced to repeat every day and find contentment in a place like that is where most of the film's comedy comes from, so i don't agree with the interpretation that the specifics of small-town life are what forces him to change, and definitely not that it's trying to put small town life above city life in any way.

I really don't want to drive this debate into the ground, but there are several dialogue scenes where it's made clear that the Bill Murray character despises the town and everyone in it because it's a small town - like when Macdowell describes them in the most positive terms she can think of, and he responds with "yeah, they're hicks." And having to cover Groundhog Day every year is sort of emblematic for everything that's holding him back from his ambitions. Plus the movie may not paint the locals in an overly positive light, but certainly Macdowell's character, and she keeps saying how much she loves it there - while the Murray character is clearly meant to be the one who's at fault and has to change, resulting in the last ten minutes or so of the movie where he's going around helping everyone and they all love him.

But fine. I'll accept that not everyone sees what I'm seeing in it.

[Spooky Apparition]

sorry. just movie titles and numbers from here on out for this guy.

[\m/Johnny\m/]

You guys are debating Groundhog Day.

Why not? It's a fine piece of cinema.

[badgevvrecker]

But fine. I'll accept that not everyone sees what I'm seeing in it.

or, just possibly, accept that a Bill Murray vehicle might be a multidimensional beast that operates on multiple levels and is not as cut and dry of simpleton fare as, say, stripes.

[\m/Johnny\m/]

Any of you homos touch me... and I'll kill ya.

[spacehamster]

You guys are debating Groundhog Day.

Why not? It's a fine piece of cinema.

Honestly, I actually thought it's a movie worth talking about based on the fact alone that it's a fucksight more intelligent than 95% of what passes for comedy these days. But like I said, we don't have to drive the debate into the ground. I have a strong reaction to the small town vs big city stuff, and that's that.

[spacehamster]

The Fighter - I dunno. Ugh. Fine. 8/10.

I so want to take points off for the fucking training montage, though. Seriously.

[CoconutBackwards1]

Anyone see this: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0271445/

It's called Crust? A couple of friends and I have been looking and can't find it anywhere.

[Hotchka!]

44 Minutes - 2
Silent Movie - 1

[the awesome Assassin]

Imagine going on a date with spacehamster...
Girl - "How was your day"
SH - "The usual, did some paper work, broke a nail."
SH - "How did you spend your day off?"
Girl - "Did some dishes, cleaned a bit. Oh, I watched Groundhog Day, for some fun, haven't seen it in ages!"
SH - WHAT!!! Do you understand what you just did!!! The Bill Murray character?!?!? Fuck!!!

[doomeddisciple]

I bought the Planet of the Apes box set on blue ray -

Planet of the Apes (68) - 9
Planet of the Apes Tim Burton - 5 for the makeup
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - 8 - Waaaaay better than I expected it to be.

Onto the rest over the weekend.