RA Movie Thread (Read 5918 times)

BeeRunB


    This is where I went to see most of the movies in the early part of my life.

    One of those old vaudeville theaters converted to a movie house with

    double features. Later became a concert theater. This is where I first saw

    It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. 

     

    http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5639

     

    The movie American Buffalo with Dustin Hoffman and Dennis Franz was shot in a an old storefront right next store..

    FSocks


    KillJoyFuckStick

       

      I could not disagree more with her critique.  For me, the first hour of the superhero movies, with the exposition and origin stories, is the main draw.  I tend to get bored during the last half, when the movies explode into CGI effects and (usually) underwhelming fight scenes.

       

      It's like, when I'm watching Iron Man, I love the exposition that shows Tony Stark's personality, and I love the origin story of how Tony Stark developed the suit.  At the end, when Tony Stark is Iron Man and he is fighting a villain dressed in a bigger armor suit, I tend to start looking at my watch, and I start thinking about what I'm going to eat for dinner or where I'm going to go for a trail run the next weekend.

       

      The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier are the only two contemporary superhero movies that have kept me engaged from beginning to end.

       

      X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past fared decently well with regard to this, but there's nothing in the massive grand finale CGI fight scenes that I have not seen before in other movies, and that I have not seen better in other movies.  I preferred the first half of both movies to the grand finale second half.

       

      So DW and I went to see X-MeanBig grinoFP yesterday on a whim.  I'll have to say that of all of the superhero movies, X-Men has held my interest the most along with Nolan's Batman Trilogy (and even that waned in the 3rd installment).  I agree with you RJR, the exposition is everything in my book.  Its one of the reasons I kind of like the latest Superman reboot.  I like all of the backstory to it.  Back to X-Men; good summer popcorn flick on par with Godzilla IMHO.  But every time they cut to the future scenes I kept thinking, don't do that, Magnetto and Xavier are looking too long in the tooth.  I honestly don't think they could have found a better actor than Michael Fassbender for the younger Magnetto.

       

      7/10 Socks.

      You people have issues 

      RunJasonRun


        Over the past few days...

         

        Blue Thunder (1983)

         

        Blue Thunder was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid, and, upon revisiting the movie for the first time in over 25 years, I'm happy to say that it still holds up quite well.  Roy Scheider, Malcolm McDowell, Warren Oates, and a young Daniel Stern are all superb in their roles.  The helicopter action scenes still blow me away.

         

        The Misfits (1961)

         

        John Huston's The Misfits, starring Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, and Montgomery Clift, was the final film for both Monroe and Gable before their tragic deaths, and it was one of the last films for Clift before his untimely demise.  This is one of those "forlorn lost souls" movies, in the vein of Leaving Las Vegas, where characters who are out of place in this world enjoy connections, if only for a brief time.

        If I had to describe The Misfits in one sentence, I would say that the experience of watching this film is like hanging out with a couple of argumentative drunk people while you are sober.  It's not the most cheerful film in the world, in other words, but the sheer star power makes it oddly engaging and memorable.

        Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.

        BeeRunB


          it's been decades since I've seen The Misfits. I remember enjoying Blue thunder way back. Always liked Roy Scheider.

           

          On the night of Clift's death from Wikipedia:

           

          "On July 22, 1966, Clift spent most of the hot summer day in his bedroom in his New York City townhouse, located at 217 East 61st Street. He and his live-in personal secretary, Lorenzo James, had not spoken much all day. Shortly before 1:00 a.m., James went up to say goodnight to Clift, who was still awake and sitting up in his bed. James asked Clift if he needed anything and Clift politely refused and then told James that he would stay up for a while either to read a book or watch some television. James then noted that The Misfits was on television that night airing as a late-night movie, and he asked Clift if he wanted to watch it with him. "Absolutely not!" was the firm reply. This was the last time Montgomery Clift spoke to anyone."

           

          Over the past few days...

           

          Blue Thunder (1983)

           

          Blue Thunder was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid, and, upon revisiting the movie for the first time in over 25 years, I'm happy to say that it still holds up quite well.  Roy Scheider, Malcolm McDowell, Warren Oates, and a young Daniel Stern are all superb in their roles.  The helicopter action scenes still blow me away.

           

          The Misfits (1961)

           

          John Huston's The Misfits, starring Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, and Montgomery Clift, was the final film for both Monroe and Gable before their tragic deaths, and it was one of the last films for Clift before his untimely demise.  This is one of those "forlorn lost souls" movies, in the vein of Leaving Las Vegas, where characters who are out of place in this world enjoy connections, if only for a brief time.

          If I had to describe The Misfits in one sentence, I would say that the experience of watching this film is like hanging out with a couple of argumentative drunk people while you are sober.  It's not the most cheerful film in the world, in other words, but the sheer star power makes it oddly engaging and memorable.


          god hates us all

            it's been decades since I've seen The Misfits. I remember enjoying Blue thunder way back. Always liked Roy Scheider.

             

            On the night of Clift's death from Wikipedia:

             

            "On July 22, 1966, Clift spent most of the hot summer day in his bedroom in his New York City townhouse, located at 217 East 61st Street. He and his live-in personal secretary, Lorenzo James, had not spoken much all day. Shortly before 1:00 a.m., James went up to say goodnight to Clift, who was still awake and sitting up in his bed. James asked Clift if he needed anything and Clift politely refused and then told James that he would stay up for a while either to read a book or watch some television. James then noted that The Misfits was on television that night airing as a late-night movie, and he asked Clift if he wanted to watch it with him. "Absolutely not!" was the firm reply. This was the last time Montgomery Clift spoke to anyone."

             

            i can't hear his name without thinking of the Clash Right Profile which I can't seem to copy a link from my gd phone right now.

            RunJasonRun


              i can't hear his name without thinking of the Clash Right Profile which I can't seem to copy a link from my gd phone right now.

               

              I think about that Clash song every time I hear Montgomery Clift's name as well.

               

              Montgomery Clift starred in several other great flicks in addition to The Misfits...

               

              Red River 

              One of my favorite westerns.  It's one of John Wayne's best roles, and Clift is right there to step up to the plate as well.

               

              From Here to Eternity

              Pearl Harbor on the eve of the Japanese bombings.  This is a wonderful flick starring Clift, along with Burt Lancaster and the amazing Deborah Kerr.  Donna Reed is surprisingly sexy in this one, and fans of her role in It's a Wonderful Life will be surprised by how steamy she is in this film by comparison.

               

              Wild River

              This is one of the most underrated films out there.  Montgomery Clift stars as a Tennessee Valley Authority administrator who becomes embroiled in a romance when he tried to evict a family from their longtime riverside home before a dam is built.  Lee Remick was a total babe in her early films, and, if you don't believe me, then listen to this song...  The Go-Betweens - "Lee Remick"

              Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.

              RunJasonRun


                 

                Cold in July, which takes place in Texas in 1989, stars Michael C. Hall (Dexter, Six Feet Under) as a mild-mannered husband and father who kills an intruder in self-defense after being awakened at home in the middle of the night. The quiet lives of this father and his family take a nightmarish turn when the intruder's vengeful father, played by Sam Shepard (The Right Stuff, Black Hawk Down), begins to stalk them after he is paroled from prison. From there, this pulpy southern thriller veers sharply in an unexpected direction with intense and grisly results. A flashy private investigator, played by none other than Don Johnson (Miami Vice), steals the show once he appears in his cherry-red convertible. Cold in July benefits from an impressive attention to detail with respect to its 1980s setting, and the pulsating synthesizer music score conjures memories of the 1984 Coen Brothers film, Blood Simple, and of the early John Carpenter horror movies. 

                Cold in July is based on a novel by one of my favorite writers, Joe R. Lansdale, and, when I read the novel a few years ago, I imagined that it would make an outstanding movie. My hopes have been rewarded at long last, and I am happy to say that Cold in July is the best movie that I have seen so far in 2014. 

                Highly recommended!

                Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.


                Cool Jump Suit

                  Rented Lone Survivor this weekend.  Pretty good war flick.  You really felt like you were in the hills of Afghanistan with them.  It was based on a true story, but it's hard to imagine the trauma that those guys endured and were still able to carry on.  Kinda reminded me of Black Hawk Down in spirit.

                  So bittersweet,
                  This tragedy
                  Won't ask for absolution;
                  This melody,
                  Inside of me,
                  Still searches for solution.
                  A twist of faith,
                  A change of heart
                  Cures my infatuation.
                  A broken heart, 
                  Provides the spark
                  For my determination.

                  galberras


                  fear the Col Sanders

                    Rented Lone Survivor this weekend.  Pretty good war flick.  You really felt like you were in the hills of Afghanistan with them.  It was based on a true story, but it's hard to imagine the trauma that those guys endured and were still able to carry on.  Kinda reminded me of Black Hawk Down in spirit.

                     

                    If you haven't, you should read the book.  At the risk of sounding like one of THOSE people... the book is so much better.

                     

                    Unfortunately, all I have seen lately is Maleficent (x2!) with the kids.  I am not sure why but I totally dig the movie.  I am normally not a big Angelina fan but I quite enjoyed it.  Was it because it is not your typical Disney?

                     

                    Okay, back to your adult movies discussion.  Errr, movies that are not for kids.

                    Just because I look dumb doesn't mean I'm not...

                    BeeRunB


                      Yesterday, I watched a documentary on Itunes called Stripped

                      about the history of comics. Great interviews with some of the greats, and some of the successful webcomic cartoonists.

                       

                       http://www.strippedfilm.com

                       

                      Enjoyed it. Interesting to see that some newspaper cartoonists are still hanging on to the idea that it was a much better medium. Personally, I think it was repressive with only a few ever getting syndicated, and the internet has opened up the medium so that all sorts of comics have a chance to develop an audience. No gatekeepers necessary. Check out the movie, if you like the comics! 

                      Birdwell


                        I'm trying to decide what movie I should see at the theater this weekend.

                        Choices are Godzilla, X-men or that new Tom Cruise one.

                         

                        I'm leaning Godzilla, because I think that would be the best to view on the big screen. The others will probably look o.k. at home.

                        The joys of having a newborn Smile

                          Enough said- was a good flick.

                          The way,way back -was another good movie. I watched both of these last week, got'em from Netflix. The way,way back has alot of really goos music in it.

                          RunJasonRun


                            I'm trying to decide what movie I should see at the theater this weekend.

                            Choices are Godzilla, X-men or that new Tom Cruise one.

                             

                            I'm leaning Godzilla, because I think that would be the best to view on the big screen. The others will probably look o.k. at home.

                            The joys of having a newborn Smile

                             

                            Godzilla was my favorite of those three by a long mile.  The filmmakers hold back on revealing the creatures for a while, so I had a real sense of awe when I saw them.

                             

                            I think that Edge of Tomorrow had one of the best Tom Cruise acting roles of his entire career, because the movie gave him room to display all of his cinematic strengths, but the special effects in that movie were desensitizing, and I just got bored with them during the final hour.

                            Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.

                            yeoldefatguy


                              I just discovered that I have IFC and Sundance on my cable. Just watched Riding Giants, a surf documentary about big wave riding and the pioneers of the sport. Incredible footage and if you're stuck inside on a cool damp day you can't help but get in a better mood watching this. Stacy Peralta of Dogtown and Z Boys documentary a few years back.

                                I'm trying to decide what movie I should see at the theater this weekend.

                                Choices are Godzilla, X-men or that new Tom Cruise one.

                                 

                                I'm leaning Godzilla, because I think that would be the best to view on the big screen. The others will probably look o.k. at home.

                                The joys of having a newborn Smile

                                 

                                Dude, X-Men. J-Law in blue bodypaint on the big screen, FTW.

                                Dave