General Movie Thread

[Chris L]

Terry Crews is cool and all but how did President Comancho/Chris Rock's dad end up in this bunch?

I believe a combination of being really huge for an actor/having appeared in a Schwarzenegger movie/Snipes, Forrest Whitaker and 50 Cent dropping out led to his casting. Also, Stallone was a huge fan of Battle Dome.

I thank you for not questioning his being awarded the Machine role in the Glengarry remake. His TV work has proven that he has the goods to make that store-bought crumb cake scene work.

I was going to question why Keith David wasn't cast in The Expendables, but I don't really see him fitting into the Glengarry Glen Ross template.  Would a guy with a voice like that really have trouble selling real estate?

[Wes]

My guess is that Keith David was disqualified from contention for The Expendables due to his obvious connections to Vin Diesel and the Riddick franchise. Schwarzenegger specifically chose to pass his torch to The Rock and snub The Deez, so it would have taken some intercession from Kurt Russell to get Arnold to sign off on letting David into the movie.

I think you're right, that David's voice would probably overqualify him for everything but the Blake role in Glengarry 2.0, which could only go to Arnold. That said, I would be in favor of a competing Glengarry remake project that had Keith David in the Blake role and David Keith in the Moss role. The two of them finally facing off would be like Heat times a million.

[JonFromMaplewood]

Hmmmmm....

Inception Music Comparison

[jbissell]

Piranha 3D was a lot of fun (except Steve McQueen's grandkid is dull).

[Chris L]

Jan Troell's Everlasting Moments. Man oh man, see this one if you have the chance. Maybe the most beautifully shot film I've ever had the pleasure of seeing in a cinema. So many unforgettable images.

Great acting and a heartbreaking story which teeters on the edge of schmaltz, but the director has such a light touch he never lets it go there.

I'd love to hear Martin's take on this one as it takes place primarily in Malmo.

I had some problems with it, nothing major - the best/worst thing I can say about it is that it's "worthy"; serene and beautiful, but also sometimes dull, overlong and kind of repetetive (how many times do we need to see the father of the family come home drunk and beat up a random member of the family?). That said, Troell is a master, and his attention to detail is superb, he really has an eye for catching the everlasting moments, as it were (he shot the film too).

Definitely "CINEMA" of the old school variety - need to be seen in a theatre, for sure. Too bad he didn't have a bigger budget, you can definitely see the restrictions he had to put on the production, as far as sets and so on is concerned. Because of this we almost never get to see (for example) crane shots of an entire neighborhood - there just wasn't enough money to dress up an entire street to make it look like the early 1900's.

Malmö is well-presented in the film, although ironically, most of the working class hoods in the film are long gone - demolished in a big clean-up of the city in the 60s - so most of it had to be shot in other cities.

Watched this yesterday.  I agree it's overlong and the domestic blowups get a little repetitive, but the scenes involving photography are often genuinely affecting and always beautifully shot.   The Criterion blu-ray is strikingly grainy at times but never less than gorgeous.  They've alluded that they're doing The Emigrants and maybe The New World (Troell, not Malick) next.  Definitely a worthy film.

I was reminded I saw Coppola's TETRO recently too.  It's a pretty good watch if you want something unabashedly nostalgic for 60's European cinema, although it wouldn't be mistaken for any lost classic from that era.  The kid who stars with Gallo seems like he could be a future star. 

Oh, and A PROPHET is out on disc now too.  That's a riveting film. 

[JonFromMaplewood]

Piranha 3D was a lot of fun (except Steve McQueen's grandkid is dull).

Agreed. Lots of fun.  Good laughs, and Elizabeth Shue (from Maplewood btw) was in it!

However, bummed that Paul Scheer's character inexplicably disappears from the film.

[Christina]

However, bummed that Paul Scheer's character inexplicably disappears from the film.

I had forgotten till I heard this week's Gems that Paul Scheer said something about what a hard R this was & that there was more nudity than he had ever seen in his life -- there are a LOT of naked ladies in this movie.

[jbissell]

Piranha 3D was a lot of fun (except Steve McQueen's grandkid is dull).

Agreed. Lots of fun.  Good laughs, and Elizabeth Shue (from Maplewood btw) was in it!

However, bummed that Paul Scheer's character inexplicably disappears from the film.

Me too. He addressed this on his tumblr.

[Bryan]

I just watched Nightmare Alley this weekend. Amazing! It's a portrait of a man working his way up through a carnival sideshow, and has lots of nice details about grifts and scams - especially mentalist acts.

[cavorting with nudists]

The book is pretty good too, if you like that old-school hard-boiled pulp.  It seems to me it was reprinted not long ago with a foreword by Nick Tosches.  Or something.

[Chris L]

I just watched Nightmare Alley this weekend. Amazing! It's a portrait of a man working his way up through a carnival sideshow, and has lots of nice details about grifts and scams - especially mentalist acts.

This movie is stone classic noir and has a line so great I hate to even allude to it.  One of the most defeated quotes I've ever heard. 

[JonFromMaplewood]

Just watched an old Mike Leigh comedy called Nuts In May.  Its main gag is poking fun at university-educated, urban, rather well-heeled know-it-all's by placing them into situations where they must "deal" with working class people in the British countryside.   Decent movie.  Funny at times. 

[Chris L]

Man, Herzog's MY SON MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE is utterly wretched.  It plays like the most clueless attempt to ape David Lynch since that miniseries Wild Palms.  There's even an inexplicable midget cameo.  Very disappointing.

[Martin]

Did you take into consideration the fact that Lynch exec-produced it (though he apparently had a very hands-off approach)? I haven't seen it myself.

[masterofsparks]

I just watched Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, which I had inexplicably never seen. I know it basically tanked upon release, but I really enjoyed it. Brooks plays a schlubby(er) version of himself ala Real Life and gets shown around India by the Zodiac Killer!

I still haven't seen The Muse, which I've heard nothing but bad things about. Anyone have anything to say?