General Movie Thread

[Martin]

I just found out about Coraline. It's directed by Henry Selick, the director of a Nightmare before Christmas. Ka-razy flash website but the film looks good.

...and it's got Hodgman in it.

I watched the Coraline trailer in 3D, it was shown as a preview before U2 3D (don't judge, went along as a friend/tech-geek). Needless to say, the Coraline preview looked much cooler than Bono sitting in your lap.

[samir]

just made it through frost/nixon - pretty okay. frank langella is great. nice flourish of 'i feel love' in there towards the end which was, at best, unexpected.

[ben]

not sure if 'let the right one in' is gone from everywhere across the country, but i liked that movie a lot.

[Fido]

What was that movie that came out a year or two or three ago that took place entirely within an airport? I never saw it, and wondering if it sucked like I suspect it did.

Anyway, my thoughts turned to that movie since I have had so much drama and bullshit in conjunction with air travel during the last week. I won't bore anyone with it now, even though you could probably wind me up and listen to me bitch for the next day and a half if you so desired. I'm biting my tongue for now, but thinking of selling UAL short. I'll just say that I'm now thinking about airports as places where psychodramas unfold. I'm thinking it's an untapped area.

[masterofsparks]

I'm curious about both Frost/Nixon and Milk but I also have my reservations. Milk, in particular, is a tough decision. On the plus side, I'm interested in the subject matter and I loved the Harvey Milk documentary from the 80s, but on the other side are the facts that I don't generally like biopics, I don't generally like Gus Van Sant films, and the fact that Penn (who I generally like as an actor) seems to be unnecessarily "gaying it up" (for lack of a better term) based on the clips in the previews.

The Wrestler is the one movie I'm unabashedly looking forward to.

[Martin]

Speaking of winter movies, I watched My Winnipeg today. Nothing but ice and snow. Predictably, I loved it (but it took about 20 minutes to really kick into gear).

[Omar]

I'm curious about both Frost/Nixon and Milk but I also have my reservations. Milk, in particular, is a tough decision. On the plus side, I'm interested in the subject matter and I loved the Harvey Milk documentary from the 80s, but on the other side are the facts that I don't generally like biopics, I don't generally like Gus Van Sant films, and the fact that Penn (who I generally like as an actor) seems to be unnecessarily "gaying it up" (for lack of a better term) based on the clips in the previews.

"Sean Penn’s performance in Milk managed to totally reverse my seething contempt for him after he directed that movie about how brave it is to cut up your credit cards and demonize your parents and the college education they paid for in order to be an amateur camper and accidentally poison yourself. His star turn in Milk was humanely dorky, affecting and egoless, and the whole movie made me blubber like a fat girl on prom night." -- J. Klausner

[Bryan]

Really enjoyed Slumdog Millionaire. It's a lot of fun, although it's kind of minor, I think. I loved Old Joy and am looking forward to Wendy and Lucy. I  liked The Wrestler a lot. I've got a weakness for Mickey Rourke, pro wrestling and Todd Barry, so it was a natural fit. There's some schmaltzy stuff in it, but it's played pretty well. And Marisa Tomei! So persistently (and pleasingly) naked!

[jbissell]

Speaking of winter movies, I watched My Winnipeg today. Nothing but ice and snow. Predictably, I loved it (but it took about 20 minutes to really kick into gear).

Definitely one of my favorites from this year.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

ive got My Winnipeg/Wendy & Lucy/The Wrestler/Slumdog Millionaire waiting in the wings, plus, about a year ago i watched the harvey milk documentary from decades long gone and enjoyed it.  im assuming ill like the movie, but fear it will remind me of The Assassination of Richard Nixon. 

[crumbum]

I'm curious about both Frost/Nixon and Milk but I also have my reservations. Milk, in particular, is a tough decision. On the plus side, I'm interested in the subject matter and I loved the Harvey Milk documentary from the 80s, but on the other side are the facts that I don't generally like biopics, I don't generally like Gus Van Sant films, and the fact that Penn (who I generally like as an actor) seems to be unnecessarily "gaying it up" (for lack of a better term) based on the clips in the previews.

"Sean Penn’s performance in Milk managed to totally reverse my seething contempt for him after he directed that movie about how brave it is to cut up your credit cards and demonize your parents and the college education they paid for in order to be an amateur camper and accidentally poison yourself. His star turn in Milk was humanely dorky, affecting and egoless, and the whole movie made me blubber like a fat girl on prom night." -- J. Klausner

My closest gay friend, who is also the most insightful movie-watcher I know, was highly irritated by Sean Penn in 'Milk'. He thought Penn approached it like an anthropologist, building the character out of a thousand stereotypical gay gestures and speech affectations with no real center. Personally I found Penn soulful and unselfconscious, in addition to his 'gaying it up', but it makes me wonder. Can anyone who's also seen the documentary comment on how close Penn came to Milk's real character in terms of the voice and mannerisms?

I thought the real performance of the film, probably of the whole year for me, was Josh Brolin as Dan White. The way he very, very quietly and subtly projected that man's coiled up rage and feelings of humiliation was incredible, and reminded me in some ways of Sean Penn in 'Casualties of War'.

[Big Plastic Head]

...about a year ago i watched the harvey milk documentary from decades long gone and enjoyed it.

Here it is on HULU if anyone is interested...

Code: [Select]

http://www.hulu.com/watch/49577/the-times-of-harvey-milk(Sorry about the code link. It tries to embed that which can't be embedded.)

[TheMush]

Thanks for the HULU link, I've been wanting to check that out and didn't realize it was on there.

Milk was excellent, I thought Brolin stole the show. And, I normally don't like him, but I thought Franco did a pretty good job too.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

i havent seen Milk, but ive seen The Times of Harvery Milk and i already know that i think adrien brody or javier bardem (with a lot of work) would have been a much better candidate to cast as Harvey Milk.

[Julie Klausner]

I don't know if Sean Penn "gayed it up" as much as he "gayed it around."