Dracula
CS! Gold
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 26,028
Likes: 5,687
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 21:48:04 GMT -5
|
Post by Dracula on Jan 14, 2018 21:16:45 GMT -5
The Quiet Earth (1985)
The Quiet Earth is a movie I hadn’t heard of before it was recommended for me recently. It was made by a guy named Geoff Murphy, who seems to have had a bit of a Lee Tamahori-like career trajectory of having made some interesting movies while working in New Zealand before coming to Hollywood and doing a lot of lame gun-for-hire work for teenagers like Young Guns II and Under Siege 2. He did eventually work as the second unit director on the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, so it’s hard to feel too bad for him. The “reception” section of the film’s Wikipedia page included a quote which read “it's easy to watch most of the time and never positively painful,” which probably isn’t something you want to put on a poster, so I wasn’t expecting a whole lot but the movie I got was mostly a pretty interesting little movie. This is a “last man on earth” type scenario that picks up after some kind of electrical experiment goes wrong killing most of the world’s population. Our protagonist has nearly gone mad from boredom and isolation as the movie begins but he does eventually find two other people, but the movie ultimately has a fairly bleak view of humanity so that isn’t exactly the good news you might think. Will Forte’s TV show “The Last Man on Earth” covers similar ground to this film’s more comedic elements and probably does it a little better, but for a small genre movie from the 80s this is not half bad.
*** out of Five
|
|
Neverending
CS! Platinum
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 65,262
Likes: 8,555
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 1:46:11 GMT -5
|
Post by Neverending on Jan 19, 2018 17:29:43 GMT -5
Ugh, I also forgot I don't get Netflix DVDs anymore and for the life of me I can't figure out how to search movies at Netflix to see which are streaming. Seriously, someone go online and find the search tab, it isn't there. flixable.co
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Jan 19, 2018 19:44:52 GMT -5
I got my Netflix account in order.
|
|
Wyldstaar
Producer
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 4,885
Likes: 1,260
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 20:28:44 GMT -5
|
Post by Wyldstaar on Jan 21, 2018 1:49:04 GMT -5
My review of the all-star Fail-Safe (1964) may be another week or so. I'm doing a deep dive on this one. In addition to watching the film, I'm also reading the original novel and watching the all-star Fail_Safe (2000).
|
|
Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,147
Likes: 6,686
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 1:06:13 GMT -5
|
Post by Doomsday on Feb 6, 2018 19:46:13 GMT -5
Free Enterprise (1998)
How do you define a 90s movie? I'm not talking about Forrest Gump or Titanic movies, I'm talking about movies that exist in that particular decade. It's hard to really peg what makes the 90s stand out compared to any other decade aside from their music and wardrobe that lands all over the place. It was also a time where rom-com/high school relationship type movies were coming into focus yet again. While Free Enterprise isn't exactly that, it's still very much a 90s movie in its feel despite the fact that there's an over-reliance on 60s pop culture references. Free Enterprise features Mark and Robert, two friends approaching 30 who talk life and love while always comparing their lives to Star Trek and anything else the filmmakers deemed geek-worthy. They ultimately have to come face to face with their own fears and shortcomings in order to mature into the next phase of their lives. Much of the movie features reference-heavy dialogue that covers pretty much all the bases from classic cinema to comic books with Star Trek filling any additional gaps.
I'm not sure what the writing/production timeline was for Free Enterprise but it shared some strong similarities another Doomsday favorite from a couple years previous; Swingers. Both movies feature two friends, both pursuing careers in the 'industry,' and how they traverse their love lives in Los Angeles. The main difference with Free Enterprise is that those two friends, Mark and Robert, are both very geeky, Star Trek-obsessed nerds. Also, they become friends with William Shatner who's actually kind of a strange guy and wants to make Shakespeare's Julius Caesar into a musical. In a way I guess I should admire that the movie doesn't fall into the stereotype of casting them as unattractive dweebs. Instead it goes in the opposite direction, they're both good looking guys who don't lack in the lady department in any way. Right there is the foundation of why the whole feel of the movie doesn't really work. It tries to hit on several different points and while it delves into some, others are pushed by the wayside. One of the main storylines involves Robert meeting a fellow nerd in a comic book store, they fall in love but she realizes he's a financial disaster who's obsessed with his laser discs (I told you it was a 90s movie). Every so often Mark reminds us that he's 30 so essentially his life is over and there's one scene dedicated to him being afraid of true love. That's really about all we see before we go back to Robert and his pursuit of his true love while not really fixing himself at the same time. I think the downfall of Free Enterprise is that it wanted to be some sort of commentary on dating and women and sex and love and the writer had these conversations play out in his/her head. To make it stand out Star Trek and the universe of nerddom is inserted but feels so forced, just like much of the dialogue and sex scenes/talk. Like I said, for people who are deemed unlovable due to their geekiness they sure have a lot of sex with amazingly hot women. And while William Shatner is always fun to watch I don't think we needed a 5 minute scene of him rapping Julius Caesar. Maybe this would be better appreciated by Star Trek fans or people who would appreciate the intricate references but outside of those this felt like something I've seen already.
C so says Doomsday
|
|
Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,147
Likes: 6,686
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 1:06:13 GMT -5
|
Post by Doomsday on Feb 6, 2018 19:52:33 GMT -5
I got my Netflix account in order. Are you and PG Cooper going to have a go? I think time limits for watching went out the window long ago.
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 22:54:45 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on Feb 6, 2018 20:22:37 GMT -5
I was under the impression Jibbs was taking the round off and I would too. I'm down to play still if he is.
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Feb 7, 2018 18:09:44 GMT -5
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Feb 7, 2018 18:13:35 GMT -5
I'll go with Days of Wine and Roses.
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 22:54:45 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on Feb 7, 2018 19:13:33 GMT -5
Seen em all, TiMER on your recommendation.
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Feb 8, 2018 17:37:07 GMT -5
Passengers?
This is the only part I don't like about the Film Club. I really don't have much to offer. How about Alphaville.
I found this in my notes for you. Any of this still accurate?
Life Aquatic, Thank You for Smoking, Cast Away, Frequency, Lady Vengence, Hudsucker Proxy, Bullets Over Broadway, Perfect Blue – PG Cooper
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 22:54:45 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on Feb 9, 2018 6:16:17 GMT -5
Passengers? This is the only part I don't like about the Film Club. I really don't have much to offer. How about Alphaville. I found this in my notes for you. Any of this still accurate? Life Aquatic, Thank You for Smoking, Cast Away, Frequency, Lady Vengence, Hudsucker Proxy, Bullets Over Broadway, Perfect Blue – PG Cooper I can do Passengers. I also still haven't Life Aquatic, Bullets Over Broadway, or Perfect Blue, so you can store those away for me later. Also, don't sell yourself short. I've watched some neat stuff thanks to you.
|
|
Deexan
CS! Silver
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 18,196
Likes: 2,995
Location:
Last Online Nov 13, 2021 19:23:59 GMT -5
|
Post by Deexan on Apr 11, 2018 3:44:13 GMT -5
So...
|
|
Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,147
Likes: 6,686
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 1:06:13 GMT -5
|
Post by Doomsday on Apr 11, 2018 17:22:26 GMT -5
I think about half our guys never reviewed their movie from the last round. We can start a clean slate I guess but it doesn’t give me hope for future rounds.
|
|
Dracula
CS! Gold
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 26,028
Likes: 5,687
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 21:48:04 GMT -5
|
Post by Dracula on Apr 11, 2018 17:30:57 GMT -5
Guys, this really shouldn't be such a struggle. It takes two hours to watch a movie and fifteen minutes to write a single paragraph review. It's not that much of a time commitment.
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 22:54:45 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on Apr 11, 2018 21:30:58 GMT -5
I've got Life Aquatic and will watch in the next few days. Maybe even tonight. Sorry for the mass lateness. A combination of school and personal issues had really pushed this to the backburner.
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 22:54:45 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on Apr 12, 2018 10:42:04 GMT -5
First off, my apologies again for how long it's taken me to get around to this. There are a lot of reasons why, but ultimately it is my fault and I'm sorry for grinding things to halt.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Life Aquatic is an interesting film within Wes Anderson's filmography. Following The Royal Tenenbaums, it's Andersons second film in a row to directly confront the fear of failure as a major theme. I've read a theory from Filmspotting co-host Josh Larsen who basically has argued that this stems from fear following the break-out success of Rushmore and Anderson's doubts of living up to his own reputation. It makes sense. When your second feature film is baffling the likes of Pauline Kael and being praised by Martin Scorsese, that's a lot to live up to. Additionally, it's with Life Aquatic that Anderson started to really double down on building these meticulous little worlds that resemble a doll house. It's easy to see the film as a stepping stone towards stuff like Fantastic Mr. Fox and the Grand Budapest Hotel.
So the film is really looking at Wes Anderson as an auteur, but is it actually any good? Well, yes, but it's also a pretty mixed bag. While the world construction here feels really precise and a lot of fun can be had exploring Zissou's ship, the style has some drawbacks in terms of story and character. Simply put, the stylized world the film takes place is so extremely stylized that I have a hard time embracing the story and characters as genuine. This is a problem, as the crux of the film really centers on the relationship between Sizzou and his estranged son. Even beyond the film's visual style, I had a hard time buying the relationship between these two. The characters just feel so distant and Anderson lets the quirks overtake everything else. Compare this to something like The Royal Tenenbaums, which yes, does feature a host of eccentric and quirky people, but who always feel like real people. About the only moment that felt truly genuine to me is the beginning of the film, with Sizzou presenting his documentary and mourning the loss of his friend, and the film's climax.
What does largely save the film is the humour. While The Life Aquatic isn't as funny as the similarly stylized The Grand Budapest Hotel, the film does have a very clever wit. There's some very funny dialogue here as well as some well-constructed comedic set-pieces. I particularly liked Willem Dafoe's performance. The dude pretty consistently cracked me up but also brought a lot of heart to the proceedings. Otherwise, Anderson's style is still a sight to behold. While I was kept at a distance from the story and characters, the sheer craft and creativity in bringing this unique world to the screen is still fun to take in and the movie is not without its charms. Ultimately, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is tough to call. In many ways the film is Anderson at both his best and worst. His ability to create these meticulous little worlds is really unmatched, but the eccentric quirks are overpowering this go around and start to supplant genuine story and character. For those who don't like Wes Anderson, I imagine this film is something of an embodiment of every reason why. I, on the other hand, am a fan, and even in a mixed bag like this, I ultimately come away from the film feeling pretty positive.
B-
If Dooms is willing, I'm in for next round and promise I'll be way more diligent in keeping up.
|
|
Neverending
CS! Platinum
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 65,262
Likes: 8,555
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 1:46:11 GMT -5
|
Post by Neverending on Apr 12, 2018 23:02:43 GMT -5
As someone who was alive when Steve Zissou came out, I remember people saying it wasn't good because Owen Wilson didn't write it. lol.
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Apr 13, 2018 17:56:53 GMT -5
Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
A year before Blake Edwards directed a little movie called The Pink Panther, he did a film completely different in tone called Days of Wine and Roses. It follows Joe Clay (Jack Lemmon) and his wife Kirsten (Lee Rimick) from the day they meet and forward through their marriage. What starts as a simple enough "boy meets girl" story, turns into a dark one with booze as the villain.
It's considered an overused plot device now - a man gets into alcohol and drugs, finds help with AA, and goes on his path loosely based on the 12 Steps. The Alcoholic Anonymous side to this movie was a small part of it, but it was interesting to think that this was likely far from cliché at the time. (I was surprised to find AA was relevant back in 1962, looked it up, only to be more surprised it was founded in 1935). But what was most interesting about this movie was the back and forth ups and downs both Joe and Kirsten had as they both struggled to fight their addiction, never quite in sync with the other. The seed of the movie was actual planted in their very first date. We learned that Joe was a drinker, we saw him enable his future wife with a drink, but we also learned that she had a bit of a dark side, separate from any influence from Joe, whom she had just met.
I found the first half of the movie as this unfolds to be a bit average, but I was definitely invested as it went on. A film like this depends heavily on acting chops, and both leads were very impressive (Lee Rimick was nominated for an Oscar). Though I must point out there were some very questionable choices concerning both Jack Lemmon's benders and his acting. While Lemmon was most brilliant when he was distraught, but sober, his "drunk acting" was slapstick and a bit over the top at times. Concerning the script on this matter, I think the movie was confused on what alcohol can do, at times. In a scene almost out of Reefer Madness, Joe got so drunk that he was a raving loon and had to be restrained in a hospital with a straitjacket, and in a second separate incident, with straps. Maybe this is something they did with drunks back then? But still, he looked like he was having a bad LSD trip.
But these are minor complaints. This movie was very well directed, acted, and I was very engaged up until the bitter end.
***/****
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 22:54:45 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on Apr 13, 2018 18:06:41 GMT -5
The film does have some over the top scenes in terms of depicting alcoholism when viewed by a modern standard. I had a somewhat similar response to The Man with the Golden Arm, which was seven years prior to Days of Wine and Roses and starred Frank Sinatra as a heroin junkie.
|
|
Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,147
Likes: 6,686
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 1:06:13 GMT -5
|
Post by Doomsday on Apr 13, 2018 18:19:16 GMT -5
I like the sound of that. If Wyldstaar is around and wants to talk about Fail-Safe that would be cool but otherwise we can get a new round going. Who's all in?
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 22:54:45 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on Apr 13, 2018 22:33:14 GMT -5
I like the sound of that. If Wyldstaar is around and wants to talk about Fail-Safe that would be cool but otherwise we can get a new round going. Who's all in? I'm in.
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Apr 13, 2018 23:30:09 GMT -5
I'm in.
|
|
Deexan
CS! Silver
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 18,196
Likes: 2,995
Location:
Last Online Nov 13, 2021 19:23:59 GMT -5
|
Post by Deexan on Apr 14, 2018 1:20:05 GMT -5
Yep.
|
|
Dracula
CS! Gold
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 26,028
Likes: 5,687
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 21:48:04 GMT -5
|
Post by Dracula on Apr 14, 2018 4:09:40 GMT -5
in
|
|