General Movie Thread

[crumbum]

Saw the latest Harry Potter last night. I've liked the last three or four films in the series quite a bit despite having tried and given up quickly on the books, but this movie was a total snooze. It has little narrative structure and is full of bizarre elisions. For example (spoiler), a CGI elf gets a very protracted melodramatic hero's-death-and-burial scene, but Brendan Gleeson's (fairly prominent) character apparently dies just off-screen while saving Harry's life and is barely mentioned.

There are a million other things that seem completely arbitrary and free of the rules of narrative logic, to the point where I stopped caring about anything. Why is the sword in that particular pond? Why does Harry seem able to speak and understand the snake language? What are the rules of teleportation? What gave Ron that injury to his arm (explained, I think, but much too quickly for me)? How much did they pay John Hurt to show up for a five second background role? And finally, deathly hallows and horcruxes? How many more goddamned trinkets do we have to watch them search for?

[masterofsparks]

Why is the sword in that particular pond? Why does Harry seem able to speak and understand the snake language? What are the rules of teleportation?

I'm pretty sure these were all answered in previous movies. It sounds like the movie doesn't go out of its way to fill in back story, which I suppose can be either good or bad, depending on your level of familiarity with the other stories.

[Sarah]

I haven't watched this one yet, but I know I thought the last one must have been very difficult to follow for anyone who had not read the book.  Deathly Hallows the book contains a lot of miserable trudging around outdoors, so I would have expected it to make more sense to nonreaders.  Guess I was wrong.

[effecT]

I watched "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger"
It's comparable to the following scenario:
You are a little boy/girl and run up to your old uncle Woody and you say:"Tell me a story, unc!"
So he tells you a story for about two hours, then suddenly stops, cuts a fart and leaves.

[Pidgeon]

I'm going to check out Two-Lane Blacktop. Dennis Wilson and James Taylor as leads intrigues me very much.

[Chris L]

I'm going to check out Two-Lane Blacktop. Dennis Wilson and James Taylor as leads intrigues me very much.

The brilliance of Warren Oates quickly leaves those two mannequins in the dust.

[cavorting with nudists]

I'm going to check out Two-Lane Blacktop. Dennis Wilson and James Taylor as leads intrigues me very much.

The brilliance of Warren Oates quickly leaves those two mannequins in the dust.

Agreed.  I like that movie a lot, but the only good things about James Taylor's presence in it are: (1) the hilarity of seeing him get tough with a challenger whom he calls "motherfucker;" and (2) seeing him get cock-blocked by Dennis -- who's a lot cooler but really doesn't have much else to do, and if you can't cock-block James Taylor, what good are you really?.

So why do I like it, you ask?

OATES.

[Pidgeon]

I tried watching The Wild and Wonderful Whites but I couldn't get past the twenty minute mark when they kept showing a close-up of that old woman's feet.

[Chris L]

Kinda conflicted about Black Swan.  Portman is really good, but it never feels crazy enough; or trashy, sexy, gross, or original enough.  Or surprising at all.  Yet I would still say it's worth seeing.

[wood and iron]

I just watched a movie called Below. It had Zach Galifianakis in it. It's about a haunted submarine in WWII. It was written by Darren Aronofsky.

This movie was surprisingly good, I must say. I'm not a huge ghost story fan but this one had some good tension and at least "haunted submarine" is sort of original.

[Paul DeLouisiana]

Kinda conflicted about Black Swan.  Portman is really good, but it never feels crazy enough; or trashy, sexy, gross, or original enough.  Or surprising at all.  Yet I would still say it's worth seeing.

I'm okay with Portman but alot of people I know just despise her. I do really want to see this because the Wrestler was so good. Can't make much of the film from the trailer, which I like. Metamorphosis?

Somewhere looks promising, if you like Sofia Coppola.
and
WHEN THE F IS TREE OF LIFE COMING? I want IMAX! It's been a year since last year's predicted Christmas release.

[Steve of Bloomington]

I just watched a movie called Below. It had Zach Galifianakis in it. It's about a haunted submarine in WWII. It was written by Darren Aronofsky.

This movie was surprisingly good, I must say. I'm not a huge ghost story fan but this one had some good tension and at least "haunted submarine" is sort of original.

Das Ghost?

[Pidgeon]

Any opinions on good baseball documentaries? Maybe something the equivalent of Hoop Dreams for basketball?

[jbissell]

It's not a documentary but I really enjoyed Sugar from last year.

[masterofsparks]

Any opinions on good baseball documentaries? Maybe something the equivalent of Hoop Dreams for basketball?

I don't think Netflix has it but the Brooklyn Dodgers HBO documentary Ghosts of Flatbush is really good. Even though it's focused on one team, you don't have to be a Dodgers fan to enjoy it.