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Friends In Your Head | Forums → Posts by TechNoir
I didn't really think about it but in 95 this would have been pretty mindblowing I guess. 
Recently I've seen Dennis Miller in both Murder at 1600 and The Net, and he's been the most sane, calm person in both movies. I'm not sure if he was on too much drugs, or not enough.
(I don't know if Dennis Miller has ever taken drugs, he always just struck me as that nervous, twitchy character...)
Rush (2013) - 8/10
Bio-pic depicting the rivalry of race drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt in the 70s F1 circuit. The movie is most times inappropriately glamorous-looking considering the subject, in a Michael Bay sort of way, slathered in a Blockbuster-y teal and orange color palette which makes the 70s time period perhaps look inauthentically "modern", the acting in general feels a bit stagey, especially Hemsworth who feels like he is line-reading and projecting all the way to the back row in a norse god kind of way, and it somehow at times feels both a bit too focused on one small aspect of the world it presents, yet also doesn't really delve deep enough into it, feels slightly superficial and quick to skip large swaths of time.
And I'll be damned if I wasn't on the verge of tears by the end of it. Damn you Ron Howard, damn you. Hans Zimmers score sounds familar yet for this purpose, with fragile cars roaring through pouring rain, it perfectly meshes.
Special mention for the actor who plays Niki Lauda who really does an exceptional job, he also played the German soldier/sniper in Inglorious Bastards.
The Net (1995 - 5/10
90s thriller. Sandra Bullock comes over some computer floppy disk and becomes the center of attention of some bad people. Actually better than I remembered it, cheesy and corny, but it's actually the most realistic depiction of computers and hacking I've seen in a while, which is kind of sad. Some heavyhanded commentary on our digital identities and how easily manipulated the can be.
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) - 6/10
Not as good as the first one. There are slightly too many instances of characters mugging for the camera and acknowledging the jokes, rather than continuing the style of the first film and playing the jokes almost completely obliviously. Still plenty of jokes land just right and compared to most spoof comedies, it's great fun.
The Frozen Ground (2013) - 6/10
Pretty decent thriller with Cage and John Cusack. Definitely a breakout role for Vanessa Hudgens, who is almost unrecognizable as a prostitute who just escapes the clutches of a serial killer. She has great timing and reactions most of the time, and is just really convincing in her portrayal of situations and emotions.
Kiss The Girls (1997) - 6/10
Overall very good 90s thriller with Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross pursuing a serial killer and kidnapper, in the process teaming up with Ashley Judd who manages to escape before becoming a victim herself.
Definitely watchable and it doesn't really offend. It feels very 90s, but in a good, comfortable sort of way.
Along Came A Spider (2001) - 5/10
Decent sequel to "Kiss The Girls", following Morgan Freeman's Alex Cross as he gets involved with a kidnapping. Some horrendous 90s CGI, and Monica Potter to rest the eyes on. OK waste of 90 minutes.
Jennifer Eight (1992) - 7/10
Andy Garcia as a cop getting caught up in a criminal case after relocating to a sleepy smaller town.
If you ever need verification that Uma Thurman is beautiful, this is the movie to watch.
The ending is unfortunately rushed, but a great atmospheric thriller. Mostly classy and character-driven.
Spies Like Us (1985) - 6/10
Is this a good movie? Not really.
Charmingly 80s? Yes.
Up in the Air (2009) - 7/10
Entertaining drama sprinkled with comedy, George Clooney plays a man who travels across the US firing people for a living. Has a pleasantly hazy message and resolution, which feels like a breath of fresh air and allows for a more contemplentative style.
Prisoners (2013) - 8/10
The best film David Fincher never made. Stylistically feels like a cross between "Zodiac" and "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", even using the same bleak-blue or orange-green color palette and general look as them.
Simply superb film, one of the best this year. Hugh Jackman is phenomenal as the father of a kidnapped daughter, and everyone else are superb aswell, Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, everyone.
Gripping, tense as hell, and one of the best edited films I've seen in a long time, this thing is 2h30m, but there is not one moment where you aren't on the edge of your seat for one reason or another. The narrative flow of it just needs to be seen for that reason alone.
Mr. Nobody (2009) - 7/10
Cloud Atlas-like storytelling, weaving together and jumping between different storylines where characters made different decisions at key moments in life.
The structure prevented me from being fully emotionally drawn in, since you are putting a mental puzzle together as you are watching it. I'd imagine repeat viewings will be rewarding though.
Feels a bit Malick-ian in a way that reminds me of Tree Of Life.
Beautiful cinematography, shot on Fuji filmstock which gives it a slightly different color look and contrast curve.
Jared Leto is good, but the actor who plays Leto as a teenager is the highlight of the film, he is superb.
From Hell (2001) - 7/10
Excellent thriller, I watched it simply because I knew of it and the storyline of Depp chasing Jack The Ripper.
Excellent film in its own right though, which was understandable when I saw that it's based on a Alan Moore graphic novel. Really stylish, with some nighmarish visuals and hallucinatory sequences, the overall look of the film really has a deep red-orange hell-like quality to it.
Most of it looks shot in natural light and there isn't that 3-point "lit" quality to most scenes, which makes the world seem more authentic and raw. Definitely recommended if you want something that dares to occasionally step outside the boundaries of the standard mainstream thriller.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - 6/10
My least favourite PTA film, but it's charming and very intelligently put together. I feels more like a small side project almost, compared to his other films. I think that was the idea for it though, to not be Boogie Nights or Magnolia but different.
Buying a ton of really bad movies for very little money is about the only thing Walmart is good for. It's especially nice because they have a separate queue in their electronics department for buying things from that department. The queues in the front of the store are depressingly jam-packed with people 24 hours a day. I got 57 movies for $50. That'll keep me busy for a week or two.
...that's alot of movies... Nice!
I like Elysium. I was watching it thinking 'people think this is bad?' It's not fantastic or anything but I had fun with it.
Well, I have it at 5/10 on IMDb, so basically middle of the road, slightly on the bad side of average. But considering the talent involved I expected something alot more inspired and passionate. It felt like Blomkamp just did a director-for-hire project. I don't care if it exists or not, which is pretty much the worst case of "average" movie there is.
I'm surprised by the reaction to Elysium. I saw it for the first time this weekend. Seemed pretty watchable to me. Despicable Me 2 was pretty good too. As far as my top five, I'm gonna wait til I see the films that get released Christmas Day. I've already seen the Hobbit 2 and fell asleep at the beginning because it was so boring... I'd really love to get a WAYDM commentary of Elysium once the potter flicks are done.
To be honest I was hoping for so much with Elysium. I loved District 9, along with most other people I guess.
Elysium seems like someone took District 9 and Oblivion and just mashed them together. It just so happens to also be the director who actually made District 9.
Every visual element looks familiar, the story contains so few elements and as a result the movie seems really empty to me. The relationship of the two protagonists is not explored at all, yet the emotional core and resolution of the movie hinges on it. They just give us the framing device of them having known each other as kids, as if that automatically adds another dimension to their current-time interactions.
The villain is basically just written as an over-the-top villain, in a derivative, "we-gotta-have-one-of-these" way (reminds me of Die Hard 5 where the villain eats carrots and does a little dance at one point, they don't even care enough about the character to give them a proper character foundation, a la Hans Gruber, but instead just quickly throw a few distinct/eccentric traits at them and call it a day).
I may have reached a point where most movies that come out remind me of others I've seen, and so the novelty has worn off and it needs to work harder to impress.
Ewing wrote:I saw Prisoners last night. It's the most engaging thriller I've seen since Se7en. The performances are stellar and while Gyllenhaal is getting most of the awards hype, I honestly think Jackman was better as the unhinged father. Paul Dano was also tremendous as the main suspect character. And as always, Roger Deakins shows why he's the best cinematographer on the planet. That guy is so good at his job it's almost fucking unfair.
Just finished Prisoners myself and, yeah, it's pretty damn good. Everyone in the movie is giving a tour de force performance. It raises some intriguing moral questions, but never for the sake of "WHAT WOULD YOU DO"-style exploitation.
I really appreciated how little time the movie spent on the details of the case. Presented in another way, this film could have been a really pulpy murder mystery. Actually, the fact that the case was so complex ended up working against the movie in parts. Reveals and answers are flying fast and furious in that last 45 minutes or so. But that's not really what the movie was about, so they kind of muddle the narrative. Still, the movie's focus on ethics sets it apart from most other modern thrillers. Not sure if it'll fit on my list, but man did it surprise me.
I also found the different emphasis of the film really nice. For those who have seen Asian films like "The Chaser" and "I Saw The Devil", Prisoners has a similar feel to it, almost as if from another culture of filmmaking.
Looking at my IMDb ratings, my top 5 were:
1. Prisoners
2. Gravity
3. Only God Forgives
4. The Wolverine
5. Trance
Those were pretty much the only ones that made it to 7 or above for me. Some days free ahead and lots of movies to catch up on so it may change.
EDIT: Sometimes I think IMDb is randomly forgetting ratings. I'd probably tie Trance with Side Effects which I also enjoyed as a solid piece of storytelling.
EDIT 2: Yeah, so... Prisoners is fucking great. Fincher meets some recent Asian thriller sensibilities.
I used to like Deep Blue Sea quite a bit, but seeing it again a few months ago made me realize I personally don't think it holds up as well as I thought it did. I guess if you look at it as more of an expensive B-movie it works better. Still I think it's kind of empty in a way. Familiar story beats but not enough personality. I think Deep Rising is a better example of that kind of film, it's more playful and I think it suits it better.
Deep Blue Sea has Tom Jane though which it definitely has going for it.
TechNoir wrote:The thing is, after the fact, or looking at it structurally, it's hard to say what it is about, or whether or not there really is an overarching theme, and how diffuse it may or may not be.
That's for sure. Magnolia itself states different intentions at different times. The opening montage is this little essay on life's dumb luck. And there's plenty of chance and randomness in the movie. So someone can say it's about that and not be off-base. But then the movie seems just as interested in the ripple effects of childhood trauma. So one can say it's about that and not be wrong. Late in the movie someone says (something like) "We're done with the past, but the past isn't done with us." And since nearly every major character has a past that is screwing up their present, you'd be justified in saying the movie's about that. I'd bet there's a half-dozen clear themes that Magnolia spends substantial time exploring if not stating outright. But yeah, I've happily seen it a few times and am still puzzled as to whether there is a central one, or whether there's supposed to be.
Well put. I feel a somewhat pressing need to forget everything about this film so I can watch it again soon and experience it properly one more time.
Yeah, Magnolia is a fantastic movie.
I was expecting it to easily be in the top 25 IMDb list. It's currently at 8.0 and I think that is severely underrating it. I put off seeing it for quite a long time. I suspected the kind of movie it would be (the somewhat diffuse mesh of character relations that is often hard to get a good feel for through trailers or reading about the movie, and I know I have to be in a certain mood to emotionally enjoy those kinds of movies), so I just had to find the right time to go "I want to see this now".
Murder at 1600 (1997) - 6/10
Pretty solid thriller, albeit not particularly distinctive in style or execution. Quite laid back which I enjoy, Dennis Miller is one of the more calm and natural people here which is refreshing, most other movies would just have him play the Rob Schneider character by default.
Nothing spectacular, but competently made and devoid of any artificially heightened drama.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) - 8/10
Yep, it's still hilarious. It may be 25 years old, but smart rarely goes out of style.
The Clone Returns Home (2008) - 6/10
Slow, meditative, sometimes slightly empty-feeling Sci-Fi movie. Some good performances, but this is quite abstract about human cloning, and contemplations on life and death. Good, but I won't be seeing it again. Needs more connective tissue and a slightly more traditional plot for me to really get on board. Lots of static camera shots, and next to no music.
The Devil's Advocate (1997) - 6/10
Overall very good movie. Keanu Reeves best performance I've seen I think. One of those movies where it's kind of hard to summarize what it is actually about once it's over. Like "Rosemary's Baby" this is more about the mood and atmosphere than hitting big plot points. Al Pacino is great.
Beverly Hills Cop (1984) - 7/10
Surprised how good this first installment actually is. This first entry really is about the characters, and Eddie Murphy gives a very honest and toned-down performance. Axel Foley seems like a real person here. Feels a bit like a 70s Dirty Harry movie, the plot is fairly simple, the draw is the characters and the interactions between them.
Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) - 5/10
This sequel, however, is not a good movie at all. On the surface it looks like a good Lethal Weapon-type movie, but this is so devoid of any substance, and it completely changes the Axel Foley character, from a 3-dimensional human being to a caricature. It basically consists of actual scenes to move the plot forward, interspersed with 3-minute SNL sketches for Eddie Murphy to perform. It's just so inappropriate considering what the plot is about, finding the people who almost murdered a close friend of Axels. This should be a "let's get down to business" type film, but instead we have Axel one minute consoling the relative of the friend at the hospital, and the very next scene is Axel driving up to a random Hollywood villa, waving his badge around, "hilariously" messing with the construction workers there for a few minutes, before sending them away and proceeding to just take over the house and living in it like some common criminal. It's supposed to be charming and hilarious but to me it's just baffling. And this was also preceeded by a scene where Axel is driving around Hollywood and the camera zooming in on some woman's butt, and Axel smiling and chuckling to himself. And again, the scene right after he is at the hospital where his friend is at death's door.
You'd expect the series and the character to gradually move in the direction this movie takes it, but they didn't waste any time at all here.
Magnolia (1999) - 9/10
One of the best movies I've ever seen. I initially gave this a 10/10, but after some digesting I bumped it down one point. The thing is, after the fact, or looking at it structurally, it's hard to say what it is about, or whether or not there really is an overarching theme, and how diffuse it may or may not be.
But when you are watching it, it is such a powerful film. There are literally 10 scenes in here with performances that deserve an Oscar nod. The camera work and cinematography is at times breathtaking. The music is great, and sometimes a single musical piece runs across several of the various stories in the film to set the overall mood, as opposed to hitting a plot point or accentuating just one thing. The music is also the key to the emotional core of the film. Since the film doesn't necessarily hinge on a specific plot moving to a specific resolution, getting drawn in to the characters emotions really is what the movie is all about, and the music is really moving and engaging.
The runtime is 3h08m, basically the same as Titanic, but it's so worth it. Tom Cruise, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Julianne Moore are exceptional here. Possibly the best I've ever seen them.
My Cousin Vinny (1992) - 7/10
Hadn't seen this in a long time. Just a really pleasant, nice film. There's just enough content in here to create a movie that moves forward, but also is very airy and relaxed. I forgot Joe Pesci can act, I've only seen him in more light comedy roles, but he does a really good job here.
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) - 5/10
Does not reach the heights I feel the first installment did. This one is not as defined or wellmade. Could easily be skipped.
Gravity (2013) - 8/10
Who needs amusement park rollercoasters?
Some clunky dialogue, and I need to see it again once it hits bluray. But it's one hell of a ride.
Despicable Me 2 (2013) - 6/10
Passable sequel. It has a plot and does some light character development, but not as fresh as the first one. it sort of feel like more of the same, and there's only so much of the same food you can eat before you start to lose interest.
White House Down (2013) - 4/10
If you like to count tropes and cliches, you are in for a treat. Just watch Die Hard or Under Siege, because the filmmakers of this one certainly did. Over and over.
The World's End (2013) - 6/10
Decent flick, but not at all as delightful or detailed as Shaun Of The Dead or Hot Fuzz. The story seems slapdash and a bit thin, and the execution is good, but that's it. The story is too similar to every other "invasion of the body snatchers" type film, and it feels like a 20 minute short stretched way too thin. Plus some of the plot movements come pretty much untelegraphed, the movie as a whole never feels like it builds up to something, it's just moving along and suddenly it's somewhere else. Feels like a first draft executed better than it really deserves by a skilled director and actors.
The Wolverine (2013) - 7/10
Quite good actually. I was expecting same-old Hollywood action, but this one is actually quite toned down and contains some character work. Didn't realize until after that it was directed by James Mangold who certainly knows how to put together a good and well-balanced movie. Focus on character rather than spectacle. Simple plot but that is a relief after all the big sci-fi messes as of late. Has alot of nuance for this kind of film.
Elysium (2013) - 5/10
Neill Blomkamp made this? This feels like something he'd slap together over 3 months just to get his next "real" film financed. Flat story, pretty horrible editing which skips from scene to scene with no care for dramatic pauses or introspection. Looks great. No emotional core whatsoever, the 2 main characters and their relationship with one another is apparently the heart of the film, but aside from a flashback to childhood at the beginning we know nothing of them or how they relate to eachother. Caring about them at all is difficult at best. This one also feels like a first draft, it contains some of the ideas and the characters of an actual film, but it barely holds together and it's very thin and underdeveloped.
Some action scenes work pretty well, some don't work at all and again suffer from bad editing.
Even Sharlto Copleys character is "meh". The recent "Oblivion" to me seems more thought-provoking and original, and that is saying something.
TechNoir wrote:The plot is pretty bland, and the acting aswell.
Sounds like a typical, oldschool kung fu flick to me
Yeah, pretty much. It's basically just an excuse for the fight scenes, which obviously is what we want to get to.
The plot is pretty bland, and the acting aswell. It feels pretty cheesy overall. But, I still came out with more "yeh" than "meh" once it was over.
Listening to this again, I still cannot fathom how anyone would watch this film for the first time with the sound off. If I could go back and enjoy this movie for the first time again...
Plus this film has some of the best sound design and sound mixing ever.
Also about the difference in hair style in the photos of the 84 police station siege shown in this film; in T1 Arnold does have shorter hair in the later part of the movie. He also has no eyebrows, since he was seared after jumping through the fire after Reese and Sarah escape the club shooting.
Love this film, definitely one of, if not my favourite scary movie.
I don't really think any "horror" movie released after this one is quite as successful in combining all aspects of cinema into a very natural feeling, scary, and intimate package.
Most scary movies of recent are just dull, clichéd and monotone. Poltergeist has a great contrast between the scary parts and the intimate drama, which makes it all the more effective when they snap back and forth. I would personally definitely not trim the film in any way.
A recent scary movie I really liked was "Insidious". Yet, even that immediately fails to generate this contrast by having creepy violin score over an ominous title card, immediately telling you in no uncertain terms what the film is going to be.
"They don't make them like they used to" is my main feeling with Poltergeist.
Plus all the effects are absolutely gorgeous here. The optical light effects are stunning and any modern CG would look completely different from it. The practical puppet effects are beautiful aswell.
Pontypool
9/10
Canadian film is an interesting beast. Some of the worst stuff I've ever seen has been Canadian, but also some of the very best. Certainly as of late, it's becoming increasingly more nuanced, high quality and daring. And when it comes to dramas with interesting characters, you're in good hands with Bruce McDonald.
The movie is ostensibly about a viral outbreak that affects a small Ontario town, as experienced from the perspective of the local radio DJ and his producers. Through news wires, call-ins and eye witness accounts, we slowly learn the nature of the deadly virus that is turning friends, neighbours and loved ones into mindless viral attack cells. What's actually spreading the infection is the central mystery.
Pontypool is a real small town about an hour and a half from where I live. It's in the middle of the Kawartha Lakes, a beautiful and picturesque parcel of central Canada, just outside of Peterborough. Whenever a movie is set in an area I recognize or have been to, I tend to be leery of its quality and worry it'll try to be too Canadiana. Well, this movie could be set on the moon because you never leave its main location. You could call it a gimmick, but I call it an exercise in engineering tension and scares.
That single location and the movie's absolute refusal to stray away from it are part of what I love about this movie. It could be a stage play in many ways, but what sells the world is the excellent sound design work by Steve Munro and music by Claude Foisy. So much of the horror is left up to you to imagine as you listen to the events play out.
Stephen McHattie as radio DJ Grant Mazzie steals the show, but his chemistry with Lisa Houle, who plays his producer Sydney, is also very good.
This is what I want from a horror story. Good characters, good acting, cool premise and well done execution. It shouldn't be about the scares; it should be about the people experiencing the horror that unfolds around them.
I kind of want to watch it again, now.
Really enjoy this one aswell. So much is left for your brain to imagine that you end up imagining different things every time you watch it. If you've got an imagination, this movie will deliver every time.
Pacific Rim (2013) - 7/10
The best dumb action movie in a long time. I was wary going in since I've more and more hated the big CGI fests of recent (Man of Steel, Transformers, etc). However, where the aforementioned films in my eyes fall flat due to an extremely overblown sense of self-importance, Pacific Rim is just a big dumb action film, and it knows it and runs with it.
Also the CGI and animation here is pretty fantastic. Where a stupid Michael Bay-film just throws CGI at you with little sense of proportion or coordination or dramatic structure, the fights here are slow and massive, you can anticipate every blow, every throw, every crash. The movie actually wants you to participate and anticipate, not just sit and be blasted with sound and bright flashing.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't a mindblowing movie, but just 10 minutes in I was already grinning from ear to ear, knowing I was in for an enjoyable CGI movie. That realization alone was so nice.
The Lone Ranger (2013) - 5/10
It feels very thin. Where as Pirates Of The Caribbean has a great structure what has the movie almost always firing on multiple cylinders, both with plot, action and emotion, The Lone Ranger just doesn't hold together very well at all. Also there are so many scenes where you end up with a chuckle stuck in your throat. Something seems to maybe have been played for a laugh, yet the music doesn't do anything to accentuate it. Other times the music wants to inform you that something is quirky, but it just falls kind of flat.
Even though it probably isn't, this feels very much like a rushed product. It's well shot, well made, mostly well acted. But it still feels empty and incoherent in tone and execution. On a shot by shot basis it's any big movie you've seen, but strung together there just seems to be something missing, that layer of polish and attention that properly makes the movie stimulate you emotionally.
A spectacle it is, but I just don't remember alot of it. Meh.
Little Big Man (1970) - 8/10
Old western that chronicles the life of Dustin Hoffman's character as he goes through various phases of his life, and meeting various people that influences his path. Feels slightly like a western Forrest Gump, with the main character looking back on events in his life, filled with colorful characters and sometimes dubious facts.
Classic storytelling, and this may be a movie you only see once. Still, highly recommended. A surprisingly funny movie, bordering on historical satire.
Rosemary's Baby (1968) - 8/10
Great thriller. The best thing about this film is the very natural direction and acting. Many times it feels like someone left a camera on a table and filmed real interactions.
The story evolves very naturally. Very minimalist. A few great moments of surreal dream visions with superb editing, staging and scoring.
Crap, I cannot think of anything... I like the idea of a thread though.
EDIT: OK, how about this feeling I've had for a while: Hans Zimmer is the worst thing to happen to film music in recent years.
He has done alot of great and moving work in the past, and glimpses of good work recently. But also recently, his dense orchestrations, repeating, epic ostinatos and thick mixes as heard in movies like The Dark Knight, Inception, Man Of Steel, have seen his soundtracks move in the direction of substituting intelligence and subtlety, and replacing it with nothing short of a repetitive, increasingly derivative, aureal assault. There simply isn't room for anything intelligent or interesting to compete with the onslaught of string and brass chords. Everything is structured in easily digested 4/4 meter with no rhythmic flair whatsoever. It's radio pop, now also in soundtrack form.
Now if it was just Zimmer though I'd be OK with it. But a consequence of this general style/approach still being sought after by studios and alot of moviegoers is that almost every major blockbuster is required to include elements of it. As a music lover and hobby composer I'm sick of it.
As much good music Zimmer has made over the years, a big part of me wishes he wouldn't have taken the mainstream soundtrack world with as much storm as he did.
I guess I'll avoid "The Bay". A bit like Renny Harlin doing the Dyatlov Pass Incident recently. If I had seen the movie without knowing anything I'd have guessed it was a student film. Nothing about it hinted that there was an experienced filmmaker behind it.
Jesus, you are a better man than I am. The Sean William Scott movie sounds kind of appealing, heist movies tend to be hard to completely botch since they always have that inherent appeal of how it's going to end. In my head I see Ocean's Eleven with SWS in Clooneys role. I'm intrigued.
@TechNoir: I haven't seen either of those flicks, but Basic Instinct is one that I am especially ashamed of never having seen. I had heard that The Talented Mr. Ripley wasn't that good, but I'll check it out. You're the second person recently who said it was really well made. I'm going to Ye Olde Used DVDs Shoppe later today, so I'll add those two to my list of things to pick up. I love that store. I'll probably be able to find them for a buck or two.
I'll probably also pick up a dozen or so completely random low-budget turds I've never heard of before, as is my general motivation for going there every other friday.
"Ripley" doesn't really let on to what movie it is, it's not really trying to push you in any direction with music or other tricks, so it can feel a bit understated, even uninteresting at first, but stick with it, it just goes deeper and deeper with plot and tension.
Feel free to let me know if anything strikes your fancy among the turds. Also remembered I have to watch Cosmopolis, I think I may like it.
Basic Instinct (1992) - 7/10
Shamefully hadn't seen this until just now, even though I really like Paul Verhoevens action outings.
Bill Hicks famously, and hilariously expressed comedic disdain for it, but it is actually a really good movie. The plot is basically a cat and mouse game between a cop, Michael Douglas, and a suspected murderer, Sharon Stone. The meat of the movie is basically relationships between characters, mostly with alot of sexual tension. There's alot of fairly explicit sex scenes, though it never felt gratuitous, it always felt extremely well directed and choreographed, and rather than feeling like simple exploitation, they contain alot of very subtle character work and great acting.
Really well shot by Jan de Bont, the famous Sharon Stone interview scene is shot in a very segmented, showy way with alot of push-ins, quick pans, and different techniques, but I still really liked that scene in particular. Feels like an old-style stand-off, the cops and the suspect. The rest of the film is also very attractive overall. The Blu-ray is in pretty great shape.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) - 8/10
So well directed. At first you have no idea where the film is going, if some odd stuff is happening the movie isn't acknowledging them most of the time. As it progresses the storyline becomes more and more clear, and the characters more and more intriguing.
Great character drama, lots and lots of tension is created with little means, just great editing, acting and direction to always maintain the perfect tone from scene to scene. The movie never really telegraphs itself through music or cliches, the story moves along so organically. By the end it is a pretty heartbreaking character study.
Sort of feels like a european, more sophisticated, riviera American Psycho. Highly recommended. Lots of subtlety, detail, texture and nuance.
Looks like a pretty nice day at the movies overall.
Had to check IMDb and looks like my brain was correct, those are the twins that played Lewis the security guard and his copy in the Pescadero hospital in T2, the guy who gets a finger through the head.
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