What I've Been Watching: The Catch-All Film Thread

Well....if you actually liked Transformers and King Kong, then you probably would like District 9. It's got the same over-produced, glitzy, effects-heavy style as those movies.

Well, I wouldn't place Transformers and King Kong on the same level. Transformers was awesome mindless action with great CG, while I found King Kong to have a bit more substance. Not a lot, but definitely more than Transformers, which was mostly an excuse to have cool looking robots fighting each other. King Kong did have Jack Black and Adrian Brody, the latter of which I'm a big fan (loved The Pianist and The Jacket).

EDIT: Oh, and regarding District 9, I'm actually quite pumped to see it. It's got great reviews so far, and 9.0/10 on imdb. I've also talked to some guy who shares my taste in movies and he said it's quite different and interesting. So I'll go see and see if he's right.
 
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EDIT: Oh, and regarding District 9, I'm actually quite pumped to see it. It's got great reviews so far, and 9.0/10 on imdb. I've also talked to some guy who shares my taste in movies and he said it's quite different and interesting. So I'll go see and see if he's right.

I was pumped as well... before I actually saw it. I have to wonder what your friend thought was so "different" about it. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it.
 
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Anybody seen a zombie-esque horror flick called Quarantine? Also a slasher film called Zodiac? I've been off this thread so long I'm too lazy to go back through it, but I've talked my ever-accomodating husband into letting me have Netflix back and saw these two which piqued my interest.
 
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I thought Quarantine was a great show. Tons of suspense, a bit of gore, and a touch of mystery. It's one of those "hand cam" movies like Blair Witch and Cloverdale, so if those movies bother you (motion sickness), you'll want to give it a pass. Otherwise, grab it and enjoy! Haven't seen Zodiac.
 
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Is the motion constant, i.e., the whole movie shot that way or just occasional? I can close my eyes for the shaky parts if necessary.
 
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Most of the shots are pretty stable, even though in theory it's all handcam. When they run around or get into a fight, it gets pretty jerky. Mrs dte, who tends to get motion sickness at the drop of a hat, had no troubles, but I hate to make you any promises.
 
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Most of the shots are pretty stable, even though in theory it's all handcam. When they run around or get into a fight, it gets pretty jerky. Mrs dte, who tends to get motion sickness at the drop of a hat, had no troubles, but I hate to make you any promises.

Thanks, dte. It actually sounds doable. I seldom have problems with movies, though I have to admit some of the clips I've seen from Blair Witch did make me a bit queasy around the edges. Apparently Quarantine is a remake of some Spanish horror flick called REC that won many indie kudos. I will most likely check it out.
 
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Anybody seen a zombie-esque horror flick called Quarantine? Also a slasher film called Zodiac? I've been off this thread so long I'm too lazy to go back through it, but I've talked my ever-accomodating husband into letting me have Netflix back and saw these two which piqued my interest.

Zodiac was nice, though I sometimes felt it dragged on slowly. It was one long movie.
 
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I found Zodiac dull, but I'm the wrong man to judge the movie as I dont really enjoy the genre...
 
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Thanks, dte. It actually sounds doable. I seldom have problems with movies, though I have to admit some of the clips I've seen from Blair Witch did make me a bit queasy around the edges. Apparently Quarantine is a remake of some Spanish horror flick called REC that won many indie kudos. I will most likely check it out.
Well, I rented it and started watching. It's more wobbly than I remember, but I don't know that it will cause you problems. I'm finding the second viewing nearly as tense as the first, even though I know what's coming. Kudos to the film for that, me thinks.
 
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I liked Quarantine as well, it's definitely worth seeing at least once, as long as the camera work doesn't bother you.

Apparently Quarantine is a remake of some Spanish horror flick called REC that won many indie kudos. I will most likely check it out.

I never knew it was based off another movie, I wonder how close it stuck to the original.

A sequel is currently in post-production. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REC_2
 
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I liked Quarantine as well, it's definitely worth seeing at least once, as long as the camera work doesn't bother you.

I never knew it was based off another movie, I wonder how close it stuck to the original.

A sequel is currently in post-production. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REC_2

I googled a few reviews and apparently, it's a straight-up knock-off almost scene for scene.
Thanks for the input, all. Quarantine is in the queue. Zodiac I'll probably pass on. I also signed up for the first season disc of The Wire as we saw something about it when Anthony Bourdain did Baltimore the other day on his food show and it looked interesting.
 
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Inglourious Basterds

Just saw the new Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds, in the cinema and I was impressed.

Fewer action scenes than in his preceding ones, but in particular the non-action scenes were extremly intense, even more intense than the violent scenes alone could be..

For example the beginning, which starts as a long dialogue and ends in violence like most of these seemingly slow scenes.

This beginning reminded me very much of spaghetti westerns, which also often start very slow but intense, and I read in the internet afterwards, that this was intentional.

All actors except Brad Pitt were very good, in particular the supporting actors. Every person expressed something.

I loved the many twists of the story, especially in the end.

You should see it, of course it is much better in a theater than on video,because every single detail in every scene gets a meaning.

Only the "mindless action and violance" fans may be disappointed, though it is still enough violence in there to shock people, who don't know Tarantino.

I am still under the intense impression of the movie, may be I find something to criticise later, but not now.
 
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First trailer for James Cameron's movie 'Avatar' was released earlier today. It doesn't reveal much, but it looks interesting.

(You have to scroll down through the article and click on the link to get to the trailer, btw).

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...railer-for-new-James-Cameron-film-Avatar.html

James Cameron gets infinite passes from me based on Terminator and Aliens - but ever since he went family/mainstream (T2 and beyond), he's lost my attention.

Avatar strikes me as yet another family film - although with amazing production values. Basically, it looks kinda like the Gungan fight from EP1 in an extended version. Probably with a lot better humor and better acting, but I doubt it'll be up to his old standards.

He HAS to appeal to the entire world with that kind of budget - so there's no way he'll do anything that might shock or provoke any significant thoughts. All it'll be is an amazing spectacle and probably the best CGI yet - but that's not the same as a good film in my mind.

Look to Titanic for the kind of content you'll see. I'm not saying Titanic is bad, and I actually think it's a decent film - but compared with his old stuff, it's like it's not even there.
 
@bkreugar: I'm looking forward to seeing this one and I'm not a big Tarentino fan. What was wrong with Brad Pitt's acting?
 
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My Bloody Valentine 3D
A poorly-used gimmick to prop up an uninspiring slasher flick. I'm always up for a decent horror flick, so I'm willing to try some "long shots" in hopes of finding a diamond, but that also means that I end up with some duds. Chalk one up for the duds, although it wasn't a horribly, horribly awful movie like a few I've watched.
 
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I went and saw Inglourious Basterds as well, and wow. It was everything I had hoped for and more, very Tarantino-like, great acting etc etc, too much to list. I loved it!
 
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I went and saw Inglourious Basterds as well, and wow. It was everything I had hoped for and more, very Tarantino-like, great acting etc etc, too much to list. I loved it!


I'm gonna try to see it this week.

I've never seen a Tarantino movie I didn't like, and some of his films (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs) are among my all time favorites.
 
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I look forward to seeing it as well - I find his stuff uneven in terms of quality and pacing, but in the past that has actually added to the charm.

Bedtime Stories - *very* uneven ... but the kids absolutely loved it. For my wife and I ... 2/5 at most.
 
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