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Post by lostjockey on Feb 2, 2015 16:04:51 GMT
Saw Whiplash at the weekend. Totally blown away. Hard to see how JK Simmons would fail to get his best supporting Oscar.
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Post by simpleton01 on Feb 2, 2015 19:03:03 GMT
Ditto what the Jockey said. JK is from my hometown, so I can't be objective, but I thought he was incredible.
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Post by peggs on Feb 4, 2015 1:45:01 GMT
The previews for Whiplash look amazing. I'm looking forward to seeing it.
I saw 'Chef' over the weekend. A very good movie about food, family and finding your passion. And there's a cool road trip to boot. Jon Favreau wrote, directed and starred in the film and did a fine job all round. Thumbs up.
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Post by cicadashell on Feb 4, 2015 1:54:13 GMT
been meaning to see whiplash, may have to wait for it on demand. we did watch "chef" and enjoyed it, more than i thought i would. had to go out to frita batidos afterwards, though. permit me to highly recommend "inherent vice". i cannot ever remember looking forward to a movie's release this much, not to mention having it live up to my expectations so much.
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Post by longinglook on Feb 5, 2015 0:06:31 GMT
Oooh, I so want to see Inherent Vice, now even more so. I hope it's still playing after Carnival.
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Post by Dr Hugbine on Feb 10, 2015 18:03:23 GMT
Went to see Whiplash on Sunday. Glad to see JK Simmons won a Bafta at around the same time. See it in the cinema, pals, it needs big sound + big images.
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Post by chrisb on Feb 28, 2015 22:49:19 GMT
Peter Jackson's Bad Taste.
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Post by cicadashell on Mar 1, 2015 0:45:52 GMT
just saw whiplash. it was a very good film, i thought, although it raised a lot of issues concerning the direction and the future of jazz without doing them much justice, at least in my opinion. having a somewhat more than passing familiarity with the competitive big band scene, albeit not so recently, i think the general feel was authentic. but i found myself having to tell my viewing companions that "this is not what moves jazz forward". the filmmakers, perhaps deliberately, kept us inside this tiny, self-absorbed world with little to remind us of little it has to do with music as a whole. a sudden collision with a truck barely registers.
what rang false to me was jk simmons' speech about finding "the next louis armstrong, the next charlie parker". while some people probably think this way, i believe it is a misreading of the history of jazz. the circumstances under which the louis armstrongs and the charlie parkers of the world came to exist do not constitute a repeatable formula, where if followed will continue to produce more louis armstrongs and charlie parkers. it's not simple like that. the (possibly apocryphal) story about jo jones throwing a cymbal at charlie parker was used as an example. i couldn't really get behind his butterfly effect interpretation, that if the cymbal wasn't thrown that night there would be no charlie parker. i think something else would have happened. besides, if that's true, then there must be countless artists like charlie parker that we haven't heard simply because the perfect moment didn't arise to push them far enough.
well, i'd better shut up. the movie brought back some other bad memories, or at least some unresolved shit. i didn't really understand the ending. the guy tried to destroy him, was almost diabolical about it, but it didn't work so everything was good? good movie anyway, worth seeing and talking about.
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Post by nightotter on Mar 4, 2015 19:01:58 GMT
I rarely see movies anymore, but I did see GONE GIRL recently. When it was over, I like it and I thought it would be worth recommending. It poked fun at every corner of pop-culture and what-not. But a week later I thought about the movie and realized I could have done without it. But the latter is my feelings about movies in general, so who knows.
Seeing Inherent Vice posted above, I am reminded that I do want to see that. I do like the director, and, of course, Thomas Pynchon.
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Post by miles on Mar 8, 2015 23:43:04 GMT
I was finally able to see Mr. Turner, and loved it. Of course any film about my favorite painter would be of interest, but Mike Leigh is is not just any film maker. I think the film is more about the creative process than his personality, although Timothy Spall's shuffling and grunting performance may make more of an impression. The cinematography is fantastic, the sets and simulations of his paintings quite convincing. The downside is that with a slow, meandering plot that concerns the interior world more than dramatic events, it leaves some viewers disconnected. The duality of Turner is well captured, an industrious lower-middle class painter who is emotionally obtuse, yet gifted with an uncompromising genius, and Leigh has obvious affection for his ruffled, grimacing protagonist. For any art history fans, the varnishing day sequence is a must.
Looking forward to Inherent Vice too, nightotter!
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Post by nightotter on Mar 11, 2015 2:07:15 GMT
You are correct Miles, Mike Leigh is not just any film maker. I haven't seen Mr Turner yet, but I will. And Timothy Spall! Excellent actor. He may be too old now, but I have always wanted him to play Divine, in the story of his life. It would be marvelous!
Yeah, so Inherent Vice. Very good. But I expected no less. It can be a bit murky at times, but that's Pynchon, and after a few viewings all is clear. Anyway, it took me out of the "film is meh" mood, for a while - but then I sunk back in.
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Post by peggs on Jun 8, 2015 3:44:05 GMT
I just finished watching A Long Way Down, starring Peirce Brosnan, Toni Collette*, Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots. It's available on Netflix in the US, or look for it wherever you rent videos. Based on the Nick Hornby novel of the same name, it is a gem of a film that, at its base, is about the importance of family wherever you find it. It's humorous at times and unobtrusive, touching, thoughtful, and well acted. And it contains this beautiful song that plays during the credits. * I adore Toni Collette and think she is one of this generation's great actors. I hope she is a national treasure in the UK. If, not, shame on the UK.
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Post by donavan on Jun 8, 2015 8:15:38 GMT
Buried.
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Post by peggs on Jul 26, 2015 20:08:37 GMT
I haven't seen any movies lately but the Autumn lineup is looking promising. Labor Day weekend (Sept. 4-7) is the unofficial end of summer in the US and heralds the beginning of grownup movies. Here's one I'm looking forward to: If you aren't familiar with the title, the movie is based on Bill Bryson's best seller of the same name. What upcoming films are you looking forward to?
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Post by peggs on Aug 14, 2015 1:01:24 GMT
A good music documentary to seek out is, The Wrecking Crew. It's a wonderful, loving tribute to the master musicians who played on so many of the hits of the 60s and 70s. Click the link to watch the trailer.
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