Rate The Last Movie You Saw.

[DoctorDodge]

Whiplash

This was a film that I had been anticipating for a long while due to both the trailers and word of mouth, so when it finally came out over here in the UK, my expectations were high, to say the least. And yet it more than lived up to them – Whiplash is one of the most intense and gloriously painful films I’ve seen for a while.

This is partly due to the performances and the writing, both of which are fantastic. I’ve never seen any films with Miles Teller in before, but he’s great as Andrew, who’s refreshingly far from perfect as the lead character, a man so driven by ambition that he comes across more and more as a total douche as the film goes on. Don’t get me wrong, he has some moments where he seems to be a nice guy, but overall, he cares a lot more about making himself great than other people. This really makes a rather refreshing change to films where the protagonist is designed to be as sympathetic to the audience as possible.

But the performance I love even more in this film is definitely J.K. Simmons as Fletcher, the most aggressive, foul mouthed, abusive, and politically incorrect as fuck character I’ve ever seen on screen that didn’t have a Scottish accent. It’s unsurprising that the guy who played the best J. Jonah Jameson ever, (easily the greatest thing about the Spider-Man movies, for that matter,) gives it his all in this role and is absolutely incredible to watch. At times, it was scary and shocking how much his character pushed his students to intolerable levels. At other times, his colourful vocabulary was, admittedly, hilarious to listen to. However, like Andrew, he does have his moments where he’s not so clear-cut, and shows he does care, in his own way. Like Andrew, his biggest problem is that he cares more about the music than about the people, and in some ways, him and Andrew are almost perfect for each other, as both are pushed so hard to either achieving or bringing out greatness, no matter what the cost.

One more thing that makes this film so great? The production. Everything about it, especially the way it’s shot and the editing, are absolutely fantastic, and really add to how intense this film gets. There are some great close-ups especially that really show how painful playing and practicing gets for Andrew. The final performance especially is one hell of an experience. I predict a lot of great things to come for writer and director Damien Chazelle, and if he ever gets to do an action thriller in the future that’s even half as intense as Whiplash, it could easily be one of the best of the genre. 10/10

[Still Servant]

Preach, brother! Preach! We need to continue to spread the word. Fantastic review!

[DoctorDodge]

Cheers, bro!

[fernandito]

Bah gawd that hype machine.

[DoctorDodge]

Fernando, that reminds me: while Mike was asking if Inherent Vice is similar to Fear & Loathing, from the sound of your review, it sounds a lot closer to the glorious randomness of The Big Lebowski. Would you say that's correct?

[Still Servant]

Fernando, that reminds me: while Mike was asking if Inherent Vice is similar to Fear & Loathing, from the sound of your review, it sounds a lot closer to the glorious randomness of The Big Lebowski. Would you say that's correct?

Yes!!! I wanted to mention that too in my post, but totally forgot. I'm glad we are on the same wave length. I've seen The Big Lebowski probably 2 dozen times and the story is still all over the place.

Also, yes, Feev the hype train is full steam ahead. Hop on!

[DoctorDodge]

I only watched it for the first time a few weeks ago, but I definitely think The Big Lebowski is one I'll come to enjoy more with time. Like the UK equivalent, at least in terms of cult impact and quotability, Withnail & I. Unlike Lebowski, the plot's not quite as random - in fact even the cast agree that it pretty much has no plot - but it's one of those films that I started out as kinda liking and ended up loving because of its characters and its endless hysterical quotes, and we don't get many films like that these days. I'm definitely curious to see if Inherent Vice is such a film.

(Oh, and for the record - found Fear & Loathing to be ok, but the best thing about it was the ending. That's not meant to be an insult - Jumpin' Jack Flash is a fucking amazing song, and I loved how it was used for the credits. But it really is fucking out there at times.)

[Mattrick]

I only saw Lebowsky once. I remember enjoying it but haven't watched it a second time yet. Later on tonight I'll post reviews for American Sniper and The Imitation Game.

[Ricky]

For all of the Taken discussion:



"This happens to me a lot."

[Shannon]

The Imitation Game: 4 out of 5

Spoiler:

Very good, very interesting movie. Something that bothered me was that I had already figured out the "key" to the code when the first message was signed off with "Heil Hitler" ... I was like, well, I bet they say that a lot so why don't they try looking for a four letter word and a six letter word (or however many letters these words are in German) starting with the same character? But then again, not to toot my own horn, but I DO have the highest score on the cryptological linguist admissions test for Nellis Air Force base. And I'm kind of incredibly intelligent. And I love cipher puzzles and codebreaking. With that being said, did anyone else have these thoughts? It just seemed too easy ... Anyway, moving on, the performances were good, nothing groundbreaking. I felt the scene where he finds out about the death of his childhood friend should have been stronger. I felt that the scene where we find out he has been chemically castrated was perfect. Such a punch in the stomach, after all he's done. Anyway, a very enjoyable movie.

American Sniper: 4 out of 5

Spoiler:

Another very enjoyable movie. Chris Kyle came off as a genuinely good guy who just wanted to use his gifts to help his fellow soldiers/marines. While this may or may not be the true story, that's another discussion for another day. The line "I only regret not killing more ..." or something like that reminded me of Schindler's List. While he was an amazing sniper, he was a shitty husband and father. Even after his war ended, he was still more focused on helping his fellow veterans than spending time with his family, as shown in the "Play video games with his son or go to the shooting range with the guy that later kills him" scene. I get it, and I also get the PTSD/baggage most veterans bring back with them, but that still doesn't excuse the fact that he was finally home and he should have been a better father and husband. Great action scenes, very well choreographed and shot.

Movies/TV Specials I've Seen Since 12/17/14 Ranked From Favorite To Least Favorite:

5 out of 5
1. Whiplash
4 out of 5
2. Boyhood
3. The Imitation Game
4. Gone Girl
5. Birdman
6. American Sniper
7. Fury
8. Lucy
3 out of 5
9. Foxcatcher
10. Sabotage (2014)
11. The Interview
12. Big Driver
13. The Babadook
14. Citadel
15. Doctor Who (2005): Last Christmas
16. How To Be A Man
2 out of 5
17. Into The Woods
18. Bad Johnson
19. Dumb And Dumber To
20. Tusk
1 out of 5
21. Peter Pan Live!

What's next Mattrick? Have you seen The Theory of Everything and/or Unbroken yet?

[webstar1000]

The Imitation Game: 4 out of 5

Spoiler:

Very good, very interesting movie. Something that bothered me was that I had already figured out the "key" to the code when the first message was signed off with "Heil Hitler" ... I was like, well, I bet they say that a lot so why don't they try looking for a four letter word and a six letter word (or however many letters these words are in German) starting with the same character? But then again, not to toot my own horn, but I DO have the highest score on the cryptological linguist admissions test for Nellis Air Force base. And I'm kind of incredibly intelligent. And I love cipher puzzles and codebreaking. With that being said, did anyone else have these thoughts? It just seemed too easy ... Anyway, moving on, the performances were good, nothing groundbreaking. I felt the scene where he finds out about the death of his childhood friend should have been stronger. I felt that the scene where we find out he has been chemically castrated was perfect. Such a punch in the stomach, after all he's done. Anyway, a very enjoyable movie.

American Sniper: 4 out of 5

Spoiler:

Another very enjoyable movie. Chris Kyle came off as a genuinely good guy who just wanted to use his gifts to help his fellow soldiers/marines. While this may or may not be the true story, that's another discussion for another day. The line "I only regret not killing more ..." or something like that reminded me of Schindler's List. While he was an amazing sniper, he was a shitty husband and father. Even after his war ended, he was still more focused on helping his fellow veterans than spending time with his family, as shown in the "Play video games with his son or go to the shooting range with the guy that later kills him" scene. I get it, and I also get the PTSD/baggage most veterans bring back with them, but that still doesn't excuse the fact that he was finally home and he should have been a better father and husband. Great action scenes, very well choreographed and shot.

Movies/TV Specials I've Seen Since 12/17/14 Ranked From Favorite To Least Favorite:

5 out of 5
1. Whiplash
4 out of 5
2. Boyhood
3. The Imitation Game
4. Gone Girl
5. Birdman
6. American Sniper
7. Fury
8. Lucy
3 out of 5
9. Foxcatcher
10. Sabotage (2014)
11. The Interview
12. Big Driver
13. The Babadook
14. Citadel
15. Doctor Who (2005): Last Christmas
16. How To Be A Man
2 out of 5
17. Into The Woods
18. Bad Johnson
19. Dumb And Dumber To
20. Tusk
1 out of 5
21. Peter Pan Live!

What's next Mattrick? Have you seen The Theory of Everything and/or Unbroken yet?

This is pretty bang on!

[Still Servant]

I actually didn't really like The Big Lebowski the first time I watched. It wasn't until I watched it again that I started to really "get" what they were going for. Also, there are so many jokes I missed the first time. Honestly, it's one of the most quoteable films I've ever seen. Not a day goes by that I don't reference The Big Lewbowski in some way.

For those that are interested. Here is a fantastic article on Chris Kyle, the soldier chronicled in American Sniper.

http://mpmacting.com/blog/2014/7/19/...-of-chris-kyle

I will be seeing the movie on Tuesday and learning this new information won't stop me from enjoying the film. Kyle was a human, and that's what this article is trying to say.

[Mattrick]

What's next Mattrick? Have you seen The Theory of Everything and/or Unbroken yet?

Theory of Everything, Selma, Inherent Vice and Mr. Turner are the next films I want to see i theatres...though I may have to settle for a screener for the last two films.

[Shannon]

Where's your reviews!? Your grade is going down every day that passes.

[fernandito]

Fernando, that reminds me: while Mike was asking if Inherent Vice is similar to Fear & Loathing, from the sound of your review, it sounds a lot closer to the glorious randomness of The Big Lebowski. Would you say that's correct?

Sure, I'd say that's an aprt comparison. Meandering protagonist, eccentric orbit of characters, random events.

[Ricky]

My reviews of The Guest and Foxcatcher.

[Still Servant]

My reviews of The Guest and Foxcatcher.

Very nice reviews, Ricky. I enjoyed both films better than you did, but I can see where you're coming from with both.

I loved how The Guest ends up paying homage to those 80's slasher films, but I can see why it might feel like it was just a generic slasher film.

As for Foxcatcher, I expected this type of reaction from a lot of people. The film really is deliberate in nature, but that didn't bother me. I liked seeing the world these people live in. You're right about the film not giving the viewer enough about what makes Du Pont tick, but I found more than enough there to get the big picture. You hit on most of it in your review. The one you didn't hit on was probably the strongest for me and the most important, and that is what happens to somebody who is the product of privilege. A guy like Du Pont has always gotten what he wants and he's not used to getting told no. He's also not used to people being honest with him. People just tell him what they want to hear in order to keep the peace. When something comes into Du Pont's life that he can't control, (Mark's brother) his life spirals out of control. This also coincides with the

Spoiler:

death of his mother, a person who was able to keep a tight leash on her son and keep him in check.

I also get what you're saying about the ending, but here's what I got out of it.

Spoiler:

I think the ending shows that senseless tragedy is sometimes just that - senseless tragedy.

I know that's kind of a cop-out, but that's kind of what I subscribed to.

[Ricky]

Thanks, Mike!

The one you didn't hit on was probably the strongest for me and the most important, and that is what happens to somebody who is the product of privilege. A guy like Du Pont has always gotten what he wants and he's not used to getting told no. He's also not used to people being honest with him. People just tell him what they want to hear in order to keep the peace. When something comes into Du Pont's life that he can't control, (Mark's brother) his life spirals out of control. This also coincides with the

Spoiler:

death of his mother, a person who was able to keep a tight leash on her son and keep him in check.

You're right. Du Pont's sense of privilege wasn't at the forefront for me. And now that you bring it up, it's even more frustrating because so much great material (character flaws, idiosyncrasies, insecurities) to make du Pont and the film as a whole compelling is right there. It just wasn't utilized well.

[mae]

Watched Leviathan and Wetlands. Two very different movies. The first clearly the better of the two (still don't think it'll win the Oscar over Ida, despite the Golden Globe) and the second was a very fun but at times queasy time-waster.

[fernandito]

What film would compare Leviathan to, tone wise?

[Mattrick]

My favourites parts of Foxcatcher were the very beginning. It was such a hollow life for an Olympic gold medal winner. The rest was good but didn't live up to the first ten minutes or so.

[Still Servant]

Here are some thoughts on some films I've seen recently: The Imitation Game, Taken 3, Jodorowsky's Dune, Life Itself, The Life Aquatic, Outland.

Quick Flicks Recent Movie Round-up

[mae]

What film would compare Leviathan to, tone wise?

That's hard to say. It's a beautifully-shot study of the hard and harsh life in rural Russia, so it's difficult to come up with a close Western counterpart. If you ever saw Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, the recent Turkish film, it's tonally similar. Great movie as well.

[Shannon]

Oh, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia! I love that movie!

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Just kidding, I have no idea what the words you just said were.

[webstar1000]

Saw Fury last night... it was REALLY good. I like well done WW2 movies.... and this was defiantly one of them.