Movie Reviews
Mar. 1st, 2009 09:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwendolyngraceOkay, gakked from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jdsgirlbev:
motion captured "Watchmen" review
Looking really good, gang. the video clips are awesome.
Second, Iron Man is still fun. Silly at times but very fun.
Third, this is an old one, but one I hadn't caught up with yet: "The Prestige."
Back in 2006, two films about rival magicians hit theatres around the same time (ever notice how this happens in films and on TV? Suddenly everyone runs the same plot. Anyway): The Illusionist, and The Prestige. This was further complicated by the fact that Hugh Jackman was in a second weird-ass movie right at the same time, too: "The Fountain."
I've now seen all three, but IMO, I saved the best for last. I Netflick'd "The Illusionist" about, oh, six months ago? Andetakyma and I watched it and found it marginally okay but mostly forgettable. Nice twist at the end, I recall, but I couldn't actually tell you what that twist was. Not like, "Kaiser Sose doesn't exist" or anything simple like that.
"The Fountain" was really, really weird and I'm still not sure I understand it. It was really thinky. Probably more thinky than I was able to be when we watched it.
But "The Prestige" was mind-bendingly good science fiction. Yes, science fiction - dressed up as a turn-of-the-century suspense thriller. Hugh Jackman and Cristian Bale play rivals who become obsessed with stealing and improving on each others' stage illusions. At one point, they each play their own doubles, hired to help create the central illusion of contention between the two of them: the transported man. Their consuming desire to one-up each other leads to murderous results. Michael Caine is also fabulous as their sometime mentor and manager, whose loyalties seem to shift a couple times, and David Bowie (looking subdued and pretty much his age) and Andy Serkis have small roles.
Now. Full disclosure, there's some violence and it involves amputation. I really don't know what Hollywood's fascination is with losing limbs, especially (SORRY, AMY!) fingers. Despite that, the payoff of this film is SOOOO GOOD it's worth having to look away a few times. This film will be with me for a while, I suspect. (It was directed by Christopher Nolan, btw, who directed Bale in "Batman Begins.")
In other news: We accepted about 100 hours of programming for Azkatraz and should be sending out the notices for the presenters this week. We were blessed with hardly any proposals that were completely unacceptable - and quite a few that could be reworked or combined - and a large number of new topics that are different from anything I think we've ever had before at an HPEF event. So go us!
Unfortunately it looks like the hotel hasn't kept up with the demand for rooms, so they're going to have to expand our block (again) tomorrow. But it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
It's snowing again. And it's supposed to drop about 6 inches tomorrow. Oy.
jdsgirlbev:motion captured "Watchmen" review
Looking really good, gang. the video clips are awesome.
Second, Iron Man is still fun. Silly at times but very fun.
Third, this is an old one, but one I hadn't caught up with yet: "The Prestige."
Back in 2006, two films about rival magicians hit theatres around the same time (ever notice how this happens in films and on TV? Suddenly everyone runs the same plot. Anyway): The Illusionist, and The Prestige. This was further complicated by the fact that Hugh Jackman was in a second weird-ass movie right at the same time, too: "The Fountain."
I've now seen all three, but IMO, I saved the best for last. I Netflick'd "The Illusionist" about, oh, six months ago? And
etakyma and I watched it and found it marginally okay but mostly forgettable. Nice twist at the end, I recall, but I couldn't actually tell you what that twist was. Not like, "Kaiser Sose doesn't exist" or anything simple like that."The Fountain" was really, really weird and I'm still not sure I understand it. It was really thinky. Probably more thinky than I was able to be when we watched it.
But "The Prestige" was mind-bendingly good science fiction. Yes, science fiction - dressed up as a turn-of-the-century suspense thriller. Hugh Jackman and Cristian Bale play rivals who become obsessed with stealing and improving on each others' stage illusions. At one point, they each play their own doubles, hired to help create the central illusion of contention between the two of them: the transported man. Their consuming desire to one-up each other leads to murderous results. Michael Caine is also fabulous as their sometime mentor and manager, whose loyalties seem to shift a couple times, and David Bowie (looking subdued and pretty much his age) and Andy Serkis have small roles.
Now. Full disclosure, there's some violence and it involves amputation. I really don't know what Hollywood's fascination is with losing limbs, especially (SORRY, AMY!) fingers. Despite that, the payoff of this film is SOOOO GOOD it's worth having to look away a few times. This film will be with me for a while, I suspect. (It was directed by Christopher Nolan, btw, who directed Bale in "Batman Begins.")
In other news: We accepted about 100 hours of programming for Azkatraz and should be sending out the notices for the presenters this week. We were blessed with hardly any proposals that were completely unacceptable - and quite a few that could be reworked or combined - and a large number of new topics that are different from anything I think we've ever had before at an HPEF event. So go us!
Unfortunately it looks like the hotel hasn't kept up with the demand for rooms, so they're going to have to expand our block (again) tomorrow. But it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
It's snowing again. And it's supposed to drop about 6 inches tomorrow. Oy.
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no subject
Date: 2009-03-02 10:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-03 12:16 am (UTC)Yeah, I agree with you about the Prestige. Very clever idea. I don't understand why there wasn't more made of it at the time.
We seem to have similar taste in films, so what are your must see films? (if you don't mind)
no subject
Date: 2009-03-03 12:43 am (UTC)You'd have to narrow it down to genre and then I could give you some top choices.
For Superhero films, I'm sure Watchmen will immediately go on the list, but currently Batman Begins, the Tim Burton Batman, the first two Superman (Christopher Reeve) films, Ironman, Hellboy, and Mystery Men, and V for Vendetta are on the list.
For straight-up action, Indiana Jones (1 and 3), Terminator 2, Aliens, Sin City, Hunt for Red October, The Great Escape, Buckaroo Banzai, Big Trouble in Little China, and (much as I hate to admit it) Die Hard.
For suspense / drama, Apollo 13, Stalag 17, Rear Window, Sleeping with the Enemy, Sneakers, Memento, umm....
Then I can break down Sci-Fi, Fantasy, courtroom drama, tear-jerkers, romantic comedy, comedy, animated features, Disney films (live or animated)....
I can just keep going.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-03 01:21 am (UTC)Buckaroo Banzai I've never heard of. Big Trouble in Little China I would consider a guilty pleasure.
Stalag 17 I don't think I've seen.
Memento just blows me away every time I watch it.
Great choices, thanks