The Video Rental Thread

[samsong]

wow, that was good.  i just watched Sweet Smell of Success and it was really good.  these two characters were so despicable it was hard to watch.  and yet, felt totally realistic.  some of the subject matter, i'm shocked that they even got away with in the 50's.  it seemed way ahead of its time, very dark and cynical. has anyone else seen this?

One of my very favorite films.  I love Burt Lancaster in this movie.  It's such a sharp and unconventional noir (a genre that I love), and like you mentioned both very dark and very cynical... it's an unpleasant movie but so ridiculously entertaining for a film of that nature.  I really liked the cinematography too.  Understated perhaps but is strangely vertie, which in itself is ahead of its time (i like that you said that about the film).  Glad you liked it, since some people on this board seem to have issues with watching (and appreciating) classics.... willingly anyway.

Since you liked Sweet Smell of Success try out All About Eve...and if you've seen it already, what did you think?

[modage]

Since you liked Sweet Smell of Success try out All About Eve...and if you've seen it already, what did you think?

yeah i saw that about 6 months ago and really liked that too.  another kind of dark, not really conventional noir, but with elements of it.  bette davis was great.

[Weak2ndAct]

Some scraps:

MEMORIES: Tryptich of anime stories by 3 masters of the form.  Sadly, I couldn't get all the way through, was bored senseless.
LETHAL WEAPON 2: Call me a chump, but I have a special place in my heart for this series.  Part two certainly has the biggest stones of the three (the protagonist body count is surprisingly high), and delivers on both comedy and action fronts.  I forgot how great the toilet scene was.
WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN: Love that Pedro!  Damn, what a fun flick.  The first half hour of the flick is incredibly stylized and put together, slowly revealing the relationships, but once we get the goods, the farce sets in, the style receeds, and it works even better.  Can't recommend it enough.
MY LIFE WITHOUT ME: I was iffy about getting this one, but seeing after seeing that Almodovar was a producer on it, I conceeded.  Sadly, the movie's a disappointment.  My problems lie w/ Polley's character, specifically that it's pretty difficult to feel sorry for her, considering some of the (dare I say) selfish choices she makes.  Ruffalo and Speedman should have switched parts IMHO.  Yet again, Ruffalo is just great in every scene.  I could watch this guy read the phone book.  It's a shame he's not in better flicks.

[Weak2ndAct]

Reviewum vomitus:

CHERISH: I hate movies that try to throw in cool pop songs just for the sake of it, it drives me batty.  This flick even advertises it on the dvd cover!  Needless to say, my expectations were nil.  But geez Louise, did this movie work.  Kitschy pop/love songs play a crucial part in this flick, and it seriously takes its usage to a whole new level.  Robin Tunney plays a nerdy chick accused of murdering a cop, which was really caused by her stalker/almost-abductor, and is forced to wear a electronice ankle bracelet while she's under house arrest and awaiting trial.  Tim Blake Nelson plays the deputy in charge of said bracelet and turns out to be a quite fascinating leading man (whoda thunk it after seeing his turn in 'O Brother Where Art Thou?').  The film is a blend of genres... comedy, drama, romance, suspense... you name it.  The scene where the villain dances to 'Private Eyes' is one of the most wonderful things I've seen in ages.  Going to have to track down what else director Finn Taylor has done.
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS: The movie's marketing campaign is misleading.  It's certainly not an Audrey Tautou vehicle, and it's certainly not a Hitchcockian thriller.  What this flick really reveals itself to be is a compelling drama about immigrants forced to do drastic things to survive in a foreign land.  Frears proves once again that he's a force to be reckoned with, capable of tackling any genre and suceeding.  
THE MAGDALENE SISTERS: God bless Peter Mullan.  Not only is he a terrific actor, but also a splendidly talented director.  And what a first feature!  A compelling work and also proof positive why I loathe the religion I was raised with.  The movie was terrifying/creepy enough just as a standalone story, but even more so by the fact that the shit happened less than 50 years ago!  
VERONICA GUERIN: I'm all about sticking up for yourself and stories of sticking it to 'the man' and doing what's right, but dammit if I didn't spend a lot of this movie wondering why Veronica just didn't get some goddamned sense and back off.  I mean, how could she have not seen her fate coming?  Perhaps my quibbles are with the real life-story and not the actual film, but after seeing Cate get the shit beat out of her to the tune of multiple uses of the 'see you next tuesday' word, I couldn't honestly give a shit what happened next.  There's a line between bravery and flat-out stupidity, and it was crossed.  Blanchett was compelling as always, but I just couldn't give 2 craps how it all wrapped up.  As bizarre as it all sounds, I can't blame Schumacher or Bruckheimer for what happens, moreso the real-life Guerin for her acts

[Jeremy Blackman]

I got this from Netflix on Friday (and I'm assuming others did):

We hope you're enjoying the convenience and selection of Netflix. Our goal has always been to offer a great service at a great price, and we're dedicated to bringing you the largest library of films delivered quickly to your home.
 
Since launching our service almost four years ago, the subscription rate for the 3-at-a-time program has never changed. We've added more than 20 distribution centers in order to provide one business day delivery to most of our members. We've also expanded our library by thousands of titles and now offer more than 18,000 to choose from. During the four years, improvements such as these, as well as postal rate changes, have increased the cost of doing business.
 
Beginning June 15, 2004, we will be raising the prices of all our subscription programs. Your plan, the Netflix 3-at-a-time program, will change from $19.95 per month to $21.99 per month.
 
We believe our service offers an exceptional value and hope you'll continue to enjoy the benefits of Netflix at the new price. We realize that you have many home entertainment choices, and we appreciate your business.

Yours Truly,
The Netflix Team

[El Duderino]

i didnt get that....yet

[modage]

i got mine.  except i'm on the 5 out at a time.

[El Duderino]

i got mine.  except i'm on the 5 out at a time.

how much is that?

oh, and i did get mine

[bonanzataz]

i need somebody to answer within the next 10 minutes or i have to choose myself.

do i watch the virgin suicides, blue, the sweet hereafter, or it's all about love?

[NEON MERCURY]

i need somebody to answer within the next 10 minutes or i have to choose myself.

do i watch the virgin suicides, blue, the sweet hereafter, or it's all about love?

TVS.....i haven't seen it yet either....and i would like your opinion if dunst can actually act.....

[bonanzataz]

thanks. good choice neon. i can't believe i didn't like this movie the first time i saw it. it was rill good! dunst i always like, i'm a bit partial. it didn't really seem like anybody had a part in this movie. it just seemed to go. so dunst was in it for very little, even thought she was in it a lot. i don't know, i guess sophia successfully captured that feeling of remembering an old memory (which she also did in lost in translation. which i think i liked better).

[NEON MERCURY]

thanks. good choice neon. i can't believe i didn't like this movie the first time i saw it. it was rill good! dunst i always like, i'm a bit partial. it didn't really seem like anybody had a part in this movie. it just seemed to go. so dunst was in it for very little, even thought she was in it a lot. i don't know, i guess sophia successfully captured that feeling of remembering an old memory (which she also did in lost in translation. which i think i liked better).

...well i need to paly fair ball and give this a shot .......... ...........LIT was good enough for me to think that this is worthy of a shot.......

[modage]

'from the producer of...' makes me want to PUKE my guts out.  who fucking cares about a producer?  a producer means shit.

your stock price just went way down. i HAD some respect for you, and now, well, you're just a FUCKING IDIOT. you have much to learn bucko. learn what a producer does before you open your mouth -- next time chap,next time.

very ironically i just finished watching this movie....



and learned a lot more about what a producer actually does.  (so on a personal level i have more respect for what they do, but that would NEVER EVER change my mind about whether or not i would go see a movie.)  this film was pretty good.  reminded me of Citizen Kane but about Hollywood instead.  kirk douglas was good and gave a few whacked out speeches.  the main reason i was interested in this is that i had seen a few clips on the Martin Scorsese Journy Through American Movies and it looked really interesting.  a little melodramatic, but interesting story of a producer and his attempts at putting a film together with the people he's screwed over.  i imagine the Cat Men thing, was directly inspired from the film Cat People which was a big hit for how suspenseful it was while creatively finding ways around ever showing you anything.  i havent seen that yet, but will in the next few months.

also:


this was my first Bertolucci film and it was pretty terrible.  just.....awful.

[MacGuffin]

very ironically i just finished [Bad And The Beautiful] and learned a lot more about what a producer actually does.  (so on a personal level i have more respect for what they do, but that would NEVER EVER change my mind about whether or not i would go see a movie.)  this film was pretty good.  reminded me of Citizen Kane but about Hollywood instead.  kirk douglas was good and gave a few whacked out speeches.  the main reason i was interested in this is that i had seen a few clips on the Martin Scorsese Journy Through American Movies and it looked really interesting.  a little melodramatic, but interesting story of a producer and his attempts at putting a film together with the people he's screwed over.  i imagine the Cat Men thing, was directly inspired from the film Cat People which was a big hit for how suspenseful it was while creatively finding ways around ever showing you anything.  i havent seen that yet, but will in the next few months.

That film within the film is supposed to be Cat People, and Douglas's character is loosely based on David O Selznick. Dick Powell's author character is based on Margaret Mitchell when her and Selznick were making Gone With The Wind, and Lana Turner's character is based on John Barrymore's daughter.

I love that film.

[ono]

[Last Tango in Paris]

this was my first Bertolucci film and it was pretty terrible.  just.....awful.

You must expound on this, like, in the Bertolucci thread.  Because, while I thought the ending was a bit weak, I can't deny the greatness of the film as a whole, and the excellent performance by Brando.  So yes.  And see The Dreamers.  Or, wait, don't, because if you didn't like Last Tango, you'll probably LOATHE The Dreamers.