General Movie Thread

[fonpr]

Do you think I'd enjoy Pan's Labyrinth?

Did you?

[Sarah]

I have no idea whether you would like it.  I didn't precisely enjoy it, but it held my attention.  It was quite brutal at times and pretty sad and had some neat, creepy imagery.  I don't regret watching it, unlike some of the others on the list (there were a number of duds).

[fonpr]

It was quite brutal at times and pretty sad and had some neat, creepy imagery. 

Thanks for the input, Sarah.

Sounds too much like the Republican debate for me.

[Steve of Bloomington]

This is what I watched during the week I was computerless (in order):

Requiem
Duplicity
Terminator Salvation
Adam's Apples
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Pan's Labyrinth
The Band Visits
The Visitor
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Boys and Girl from County Clare
Day Watch
Days of Darkness
Naturally Native
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Joe's Palace
Capturing Mary
Roadkill
Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?
Schultze Gets the Blues
The Memory of a Killer
The Best of Youth
Confetti
Volver
Hot Fuzz

Yes, almost all my time is spare.

Standouts? Especially bad ones? You had mentioned The Memory of a Killer on Twitter, and it sounds like something worth tracking down.

[Sarah]

BAD

Duplicity
Terminator Salvation
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (manipulative tripe)

BLAH

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (not awful but so twee)
The Visitor (well-intentioned and -acted but somehow tiresome)
Naturally Native (points for good intentions but heavy-handed, cluttered, and badly acted)
Joe's Palace (some charm and lovely Michael Gambon but tedious)
Capturing Mary (some decent acting but even more tedious than the last, to which it is the sequel)

FAVORITES (which is not to say without flaw)

Adam's Apples
Pan's Labyrinth 
The Band Visits
Day Watch
Days of Darkness
Roadkill
Schultze Gets the Blues
The Memory of a Killer

BEST BY A WIDE MARGIN

The Best of Youth

ALL RIGHT/PLEASANT ENOUGH/ENTERTAINING

Requiem
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (it hit the spot at the moment; I might have found it too dumb in another mood)
Boys and Girl from County Clare
Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?
Confetti
Volver
Hot Fuzz

[Big Plastic Head]

BLAH

The Visitor (well-intentioned and -acted but somehow tiresome)

I agree with you on this one. Many REALLY loved it but boy was I luke-warm on it.

And, I know there many people on here who do not like Del Toro but I too liked Pan's Labyrinth.

[Sarah]

Yeah, it and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas annoyed me the most, because I knew so many had gone gaga for them.

[Paul DeLouisiana]

Melancholia was pretty uneventful. I've never been into either of the female leads. I don't really even have much to say about it. Can't see it meaning a whole lot to anyone.

[wood and iron]

BLAH

The Visitor (well-intentioned and -acted but somehow tiresome)

I agree with you on this one. Many REALLY loved it but boy was I luke-warm on it.

And, I know there many people on here who do not like Del Toro but I too liked Pan's Labyrinth.

I really like Del Toro. Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone are modern horror masterpieces in my opinion. I didn't like Cronos but that might have been due to the really shitty herky jerky version (every other frame seemed to have been removed) on Netflix streaming. The Hellboy movies are fun. I really wished he could have gotten the HP Lovecraft movie off the ground.

[Sarah]

Question: Why do people think Kat Dennings is a good actress?

[buffcoat]

Question: Why do people think Kat Dennings is a good actress?

I think there's a thread elsewhere on your favorites list that will answer this question.  Not for me, of course, I'm a gentleman.

[Sarah]

So it really is the bazoombas?  That's what I was wondering.  To me, she seems merely a more wooden and more pneumatic Lizzy Caplan (another I think is overrated).

[masterofsparks]

Just watched Source Code. It was a lot better than the name would suggest.

I don't know if you listen to the Doug Loves Movies podcast, but Paul F. Tompkins did a thing about Jeffrey Wright's performance in the movie that ruined both the movie and Jeffrey Wright for me forever (both are things I like, BTW).

[Yannick]

Question: Why do people think Kat Dennings is a good actress?

She's fine. I think she can be both sympathetic and being that more acidic-type character. And she's good at being those.

[Pregnant Pause]

BEST BY A WIDE MARGIN

The Best of Youth

Yes!  The Best of Youth is one of my favorite movies/mini-series ever, and I know very few people who have seen it.