The Bookie Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 i can't think of many sequels that actually factor in the imaginary/presumed character growth/changes between movies like that, especially when you consider the depth of the emotions and "intellect" of the characters. the nuances are the same, but different. but on the other hand, I'm sure I read/saw an interview with Linklater (maybe it was an extra on the Sunset dvd that I used to own) that there was never a plan to make a sequel. It became a cult hit and people at Q&As kept asking him whether or not they met up 6 months later, so eventually they wrote another. it's become apparent to me that his whole directing oeuvre will be viewed retroactively as an examination of time. The Before... series, Boyhood, and the combo of Slacker/Waking Life (which I always see as unofficial sequels), even his commercial films like Dazed and Confused and School of Rock. The central theme running through is the passage of time and how people act/react towards it. I don't know if its some kind of genetic abnormality or whatever, my pupils always do this. They are extremely sensitive to light. If they are really big, all I have to do is shut my eyes really hard, open them again, and you can actually watch the pupils grow. When I was younger, people thought I was concussed. When I was older, people thought I was high. Could be same deal with Ethan Hawke. Maybe. One of the funny things about a movie like this, filmed quickly (and sequels alike as well) is you get a quick overall grip on the actors, and it's only in certain scenes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 (edited) p.s., i love american beauty People that don't are wrong. Rush - 8.5/10 Was a great movie to just sit down and watch. I'd say it's the best racing movie I've ever seen, but I don't know that there's any great ones to compare it to in the first place. Unlike a lot of "Based on a true story" films out there, I'd say this is possibly the least forced of them. I'm sure they bullted there way through some events and all, but it's a case where it's irrelevant just how true each relationship and emotion was. They built themselves a great narrative that slots in nicely to the way things played out, and it was rightly intense. The contrast between the two racers that they intended worked brilliantly, straight to the ending. They had them say and do all the right things. That all felt natural, and that they properly captured a lot of the adrenaline of F1 racing on the screen helped push the moments off the track. This movie was the shiz. Loved that movie! Same as Glass, I had no real interest in racing, or hence watching the film. But when I finally threw it on I was very, VERY pleasantly surprised to find a great movie. I still throw on the Japanese Grand Prix scene once in a while just to work my surround sound and make the hairs on my neck stand up. Edited September 15, 2014 by J.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 People that don't are wrong. I don't hate American Beauty, but I certainly don't love it. Not that I put any stock into the Oscars (I don't even know if I've ever watched one in its entirity), but The Insider was the better film, while Jonze was absolutely robbed for Best Director (Best Picture snub for Being John Malakovich was kinda absurd too, as was Magnolia snub for Picture and Director). Again, not that American Beauty is a bad film, but it was hardly the best of that year. Doesn't mean it's bad, just in my view, overrated. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLASSJAW Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 haven't seen Being John Malkovich for ages. Should give that one another go, because I remember thinking it was "interesting" but not at all that enjoyable. Maybe I could like it more now. But when I watched American Beauty recently, I thought it was a legitimately great movie anyway: Life During Wartime: 6.5/10 I have a big love/hate relationship with Todd Solondz's work. Welcome to the Dollhouse, and Happiness are both really good films.. but everything he has done since has just sorta been more or the same, just not as good. Life During Wartime is kind of a semi-sequal to Happiness, but not as good. One review on RT says the humour is so dark you'll forget to laugh, and maybe that sums it up. Another review of his work said Solondz uses incest as a theme to show "American Family" decay. So... if you can laugh at awkward scenes about incest, pedophilia, and just really idiotic people, maybe you'll enjoy this. Not Solondz's best work, but still "enjoyable" in its intelligent stupidity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 (edited) I don't hate American Beauty, but I certainly don't love it. Not that I put any stock into the Oscars (I don't even know if I've ever watched one in its entirity), but The Insider was the better film, while Jonze was absolutely robbed for Best Director (Best Picture snub for Being John Malakovich was kinda absurd too, as was Magnolia snub for Picture and Director). Again, not that American Beauty is a bad film, but it was hardly the best of that year. Doesn't mean it's bad, just in my view, overrated. All good movies but AB was better IMO. Holy, just looking on IMDB, there was a LOT of good movies that year, in multiple genres. Jebus WTF has happened to the movie industry? Edited September 15, 2014 by J.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLASSJAW Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Jebus WTF has happened to the movie industry? among geeks who discuss this sort of thing, 1999 is considered one of the best movie years, ever. it's not like that sort of thing was happening in 1998, 1997, etc. i think 2001-2011 was better than the 90s, personally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 among geeks who discuss this sort of thing, 1999 is considered one of the best movie years, ever. it's not like that sort of thing was happening in 1998, 1997, etc. i think 2001-2011 was better than the 90s, personally Fair enough but WTF has happened the last few years? It's like anyone creative in Hollywood simply vanished. Someone should make a movie about THAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLASSJAW Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Fair enough but WTF has happened the last few years? It's like anyone creative in Hollywood simply vanished. Someone should make a movie about THAT last few years? Boyhood 12 years a slave (these 2 alone are better than 99% of the stuff from the 90s) inside llewyn davis her all is lost philomena before midnight django tree of life drive the artist hugo midnight in paris kings speech how to train your dragon life of pi wes anderson stuff the master (totally underrated imo) take shelter moneyball idk, i could probably go on. but i think the last 4 years has produced quite a number of really excellent movies with a pretty big range. and this isn't even including ones i didn't enjoy or see that everyone else did, like the Avengers, Gravity, Lincoln, zero dark thirty, wolf of wall street honestly, when you peel back all the comic book trash, i think the movie industry produces a lot of fantastic stuff. it's just whether or not people go see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bookie Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Fair enough but WTF has happened the last few years? It's like anyone creative in Hollywood simply vanished. Someone should make a movie about THAT Barton Fink is pretty much this movie, just substitute any mention of a 'wrestling picture' with 'superhero picture' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Alright, alright, I concede I guess you may be right in that I'm just used to seeing ads for the next mindless, rebooted, spandex, CGI-fest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bookie Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 ...and to add to Glassjaw's list above, just a few of the movies I'm excited about coming out in the next two months Gone Girl (Oct 3) Whiplash (Oct 10) Birdman (Oct 17) Nightcrawler (Oct 31) Foxcatcher (Nov 14) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down by the River Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 (edited) ...and to add to Glassjaw's list above, just a few of the movies I'm excited about coming out in the next two months Gone Girl (Oct 3) Don't read the youtube comments unless you want to know the ending. Some teenage twit just ruined it for me. Edited September 16, 2014 by Down by the River Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bookie Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 ^If it helps, I read the book and guessed the big 'twist' really early, but it still didn't ruin it. It's not a conventional twist, it comes about halfway t hrough the story, and in a way it improves the second half. Assuming the movie sticks to the same storytelling narrative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down by the River Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 ^If it helps, I read the book and guessed the big 'twist' really early, but it still didn't ruin it. It's not a conventional twist, it comes about halfway t hrough the story, and in a way it improves the second half. Assuming the movie sticks to the same storytelling narrative. Thanks for this. Will be able to watch with more optimism. Looking forward to this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLASSJAW Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 i had Foxcatcher spoiled too. but I guess that's bound to happen, given how it's a true story based on a pretty dramatic thing. but still, I had no idea until I read the comments. can't wait for that movie, all the same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El_Capitan Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Just watched Edge of Tomorrow/Live.Die.Repeat/All You Need is Kill/Call of Duty. Really enjoyed it, I found it very entertaining. Not going to call it a good popcorn flick because I don't really know what in the fuck that means. 7.5/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El_Capitan Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Whiplash is at VIFF this year! Already have my tickets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoderman Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 I'm really interested in Birdman tbh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLASSJAW Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 yeah, i just watched that trailer for the first time. looks really great actually. but i've never really enjoyed any of Inarittu's movies, to be honest... Biutiful was my favourite of the lot, but I wouldn't say I loved it. Didn't like 21 Grams at all, and recently re-watched Amores Perros and didn't care for it much either. Don't remember anything about Babel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bookie Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Detention - 7/10 Has anyone else seen this? I'd never even heard of it. Came out three years ago and already has some cult following. Was described as The Breakfast Club meets Scream meets The Fly meets Back to the Future, which... didn't really sound appealing to me, but made me curious. It's also a total love letter to all that was great and terrible about 90s pop culture. Almost turned it off 15 minutes in but it surprised me with one of the better one-liners I've heard recently ("Did you know more babies are conceived to Oasis than any other Beatles cover band?"). I'm glad I stuck it out. But fair warning, it's a complete bombardment of colour and imagery and dialogue and cinematic tropes and a Canadian exchange student in a Flames jersey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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