(Rushmore - 1998)
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast - Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams and Bryan Cox
Writers: Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson
I've been waiting 12 years to see this and it was well worth the wait. A very funny yet dark and twisted movie. It has great and colourful characters played by a good ensemble cast. Max Fischer is easily a very likeable and very hatable character, he's an ambitious lazy person, he's a cold-hearted softie and any other oxymoron you can think of. Herman, played by Murray, was the character of the movie. His relationship with Max shows the void in his life with his own sons who he wishes were different and his lust for Miss Cross stems from his selfish needs in a listless marriage, his desire to see Max grow and learn lessons of life but it was obvious he was craving competition most of all, after years of living a comfortable life. Olivia Williams is charming as Miss Cross who finds herself looking for a friend and getting much more. Brian Cox was a great addition and his scene in the hospital was pricelss.
My friend lent me his Wes Anderson collection as all I'd seen (and loved) was Royal Tenenbaums. Bottle Rocket is next.
8/10
(Primal Fear - 1996)
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Starring: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton, John Mahoney and Terry O'Quinn
Writers: Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman
Been years since I'd seen it and since it's not new, I'll be breif. Mahoney/Norton steal this movie, Gere shows he's a capable actor, Linney shows how good and for how long she's been good. Gregory Hoblits usage of wood throughout the hole movie is interesting.I wonder if it's just to give that courtroom look to the whole movie or if there is some symbolism there. This movie is how 'twist' endings should be.
Hey Mattrick ? Could you please put the names of the movies in your actual write-ups? Not all the pictures of the movies posters are coming through for me ( probably because of hosting issues and firewalls at work ) ... thanks, man.
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
Remember, Remember, The Fifth of November, The Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot.
Yeah, we took a charter out and it's one of those buses meant for long-distance travel (TVs, bathroom, etc.)
Originally Posted by Yeah Sure Whatever
It felt like the whole movie was tugging on your heartstrings and had little to do with telling a story (that wasnt all emotional and predictable) sure you dont go into kids movies looking for a plot, but the whole movie was about them leaving. I get it lets move on.
I agree with you there. Way too much time was spent on the "emotional" aspect (as far as animation can be emotional) of the film, rather than story/plot. For me, it was just a re-hash of Toy Story 2, but with a new antagonist and other toys. Same formula, imo.
recently I've seen a handful of movies, including one called cashback(2006) EXCELLENT brittish film about a struggling art student who breaks up with his girlfriend and gets a job at a grocery store, only to find out he has the ability to stop time. id give it a 9.5/10 and recommend it to anyone into good story telling movies.
that sounds really interesting, and its one i haven't heard of. i shall look out for that one
cheers
you are completely right sir, i was 6 when toy story came out, i remember the first time i watched it like it was yesterday.(i was totally the asshole kid from down the block that blew up army soldiers with firecrackers.) never has an animated movie(TS3) brought me so close to the brink of crying.
It's okay, you're not alone man. (holds back manly tears)
I think you're all getting too emotional about the toy story movies. I think they're all equal, they all deal with different things. All were funny and true to the series.
Hey Mattrick ? Could you please put the names of the movies in your actual write-ups? Not all the pictures of the movies posters are coming through for me ( probably because of hosting issues and firewalls at work ) ... thanks, man.
Hey Mattrick ? Could you please put the names of the movies in your actual write-ups? Not all the pictures of the movies posters are coming through for me ( probably because of hosting issues and firewalls at work ) ... thanks, man.
Fixed.
Thanks, man. My firewall at work blocks the stupidest stuff ... so sometimes I have to try and figure out what movie you were talking about by your desciption!
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
Remember, Remember, The Fifth of November, The Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot.
Watched Stargate: ARk or Truth
And I love that it continues after the end of SG-1 so if your a Stargate fan it is defently a most see I give it a 20/20
I think you're all getting too emotional about the toy story movies.
NO SUCH THING.
lol. I guess for some people it embodies the child inside all of us and while I loved my toys as a kid, I never really had an emotional connection to them. To be honest, I was rooting for
Spoiler:
the incinerator to get them.
that would have been a dark and traumatizing ending for kids haha.
I think all the Toy Story movies are great trough if I had to pick one I liked most, it would be number 2. Mostly due to Wayne Knight, Kelsey Grammar and the other Buzz/Zurg which I find hilarious
Bottle Rocket [1996]
Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson
Cast: Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Bob Musgrave, James Caan
This was an entertaining movie. The acting was by no means brilliant but it had a charm to it. The characters are all kind of parodies of themselves. I don't think any of the characters really grow. Hard to tell if Luke Wilson's character does because it seems all his growing took place before the movie even started. Considering this movie was made by unknowns that all came to be big hollywood players makes it such an interesting movie to watch. The movie feels like friends making a movie because that's what it was. A lot of the buddy stuff in the movie felt genuine, not as if they were playing themselves. Anderson and the Wilsons are not unlike the characters; though instead of being criminals for something to do, they made a movie about it.
7/10
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zizzou [2004]
Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach
Cast: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Anjelica Huston, Cate Blanchette, Jeff Goldblum
This was a wonderful movie. Lighthearted while being serious. Steve Zizzou is a charismatic man who lost his charisma, a star who lost it's appeal and man grasping at what he had. Murray portrays the character with low-key approach, he's morose and sully. Though when
Spoiler:
He starts a fire fight with some pirates
He springs to life as if the boredom is slapped out of him and he's suddenly alive. Owen Wilson was very good, playing a much different character than usual. Dafoe stood out for his comedic abilities, perfect casting for that role. The rest of the ensemble cast fit right in. And I don't care what anyone says, Jeff Goldblum fucking rules.
The marine life was done with stop motion and gave a nice effect. Wes Anderson is my favourite director for using colour and sets to tell a story, PT Anderson being second. Something about Andersons and that. I can't say enough about Anderson's skills as a filmmaker. Sadly my friend doesn't own Fantastic Mr. Fox so after Darjeeling my Anderson discovery is over for now.
Watched Other Guys last night and I really liked it but then I might be baised since I love anything with Marky Mark in it. But it was funny and had a good story to it. I give it a 10/10
Um... just a warning Path ... I found Life Aquatic to be about a 7/10. It's quirky for quirky-sake, it felt to me.
Yeah, that's the problem with a lot of Anderson's films, he injects quirkyness into certain scenes just for quirky-sake. I've found that there's no middle ground with his films - you either love them or hate em.
Yeah, as much as I love Wes Anderson, not all his movies are easily acceptable. They're presented in a certain style, acted a certain way but they have this charm I just love. His humour is pretty dry and you have to pay attention to the actors and their characters to understand some of it. He goes for the smart joke, not the big joke and I like like that.
Darjeeling Limited [2007]
Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman
Cast: Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody, Jason Schwartzman
This movie starts out with a cliche path that it doesn't take. It starts to be a movie about estranged brothers bonding at the command of Francis (Owen Wilson). His younger brothers Peter (Brody) and Jack (Schwartzman) humour his brother at first, because he was in a motorcycle accident that left him pretty beat up. The backdrop is India but they don't really explore India. India isn't simply a setting for the movie but a character. India gives them all a fresh place to start over with each other. They take everything India gives them like it's normal, not once reacting to the strangeland. Now, you expect the brothers to bond but they really don't. It's as if the movie plays they go deeper within the role they already play to each other. They try though, they do try. In the end, the three brothers, to me, simply realized their relationships were just fine how they were and they didn't need to change.
9/10
Really hard for me to pick between Tenenbaums and Darjeeling as my favourite Wes Anderson movie...will have to rewatch Darjeeling again to know.
I just watched Fire, Walk With Me, the prequel movie to Twin Peaks. It got horrible reviews. In fact, when it was initially shown many people walked out of the movie. The first 15 minutes were laughably horrible; however, when it got into the actual Twin Peaks scenes it was like I was teleported back to the first season of the show. It was very enjoyable, and there were many questions answered. It wasn't the best movie, but not nearly as bad as the reviews say.
Magnolia [1999]
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Tom Cruise, John C. Rielly, Phillip Baker Hall, Julianne Moore, Melora Walters, William H. Macy, Phillip Seymour Hoffman
I had to watch this movie a second time because it's so dense to really be able to comment on it. There is just so much to it. First off, Tom Cruise is fantastic in this movie and it was the role he was born to play. His entire character is amusing in figuring him out, his chauvanistic and belittling of women stems from his own father, whom he hates and is estranged, yet is more like him than he knows. John C. Reilly's character of Jim is interesting, he's the one character who is clean, open and honest; he doesn't curse (which is prominent in the film) he often prays to god and actually believes that he's making a difference, no matter how small.
The movie plays like a merry-go-round, swirling around these intersecting lives. At first the scenes are longer then they switch from person to person faster. First once it can almost hard to follow. It's interesting how the characters are connected to each other and how you can take any character in the movie and tie them into it all. Much like a flower and it's petals, they're all connected through the center of the flower and the stem. I won't reveal the centerpiece because it's very subtle and I don't want to spoil it for anyone.
All the characters in this movie are flawed. Many are victims to their own regrets and victims of burying their real feelings to the point when they come out, they no longer recognize themselves. The movie tackles many issues such as molestation, gold digging, chauvanism, child prodigies, exploitation and many other things. But it's all woven so well into the context of the characters that it doesn't feel heavy, despite it's density.
This is a fantastic movie. And while I think this movie is better, I still like Punch Drunk Love more.
9/10
Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her [1999]
Director: Rodrigo Garcia
Writer: Rodrigo Garcia
Cast: Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, Holly Hunter, Amy Brenneman, Calista Flockhart, Kathy Baker, Matt Craven
Rodgrigo Garcia is a very good writer. I watched his second movie, 'Nine Lives' recently as well. My friend says (and it's painfully obvious) that Garcia is obsessed with women and what makes them tick, so to speak. This movie portrays the lives of a handful of women, in separate short films. One is a children's book writer (Baker) who lives with her teenage son; another a blind woman (Diaz) who lives with her detective Sister Kathy (Brenneman); one is a psychic (Flockhart) who's lover is dying and Bank Manager (Hunter) whose taught lessons though a homeless woman.
These stories are losely connected, some characters cross over. All characters are tied together in the last story of the movie but again, losely. It closes with a segment that shows the results of the struggles of each woman's struggles and the possibilities that arise from it. "Only a fool would speculate about the life of a woman." Diaz's Carol says to her sister, nearly the closing line of the movie. Garcia definitely speculates and seems to enjoy it.
The actors all do their job and they get a great script to work with. Garcia isn't the greatest at using the camera. His shots are often basic and almost empty, relying on his actors to create each scene. This quality adds to his films, in my opinion. Some people may consider this movie boring or without point or plot. It doesn't contain any plot and even the individual stories are about the character they focus on. His movies are as if someone filmed a persons whole life and edited out one day and made a short film. Which, to me is wholely significant to the subject at hand.
8/10
Rodrigo Garcia is also the creator of In Treatment, which is an excellent television show. Yes, I'm plugging TV in a movie thread. WATCH IT.
Mattrick - It's funny. I can completely and utterly agree with you in one second and then wonder if we've seen the same movie in the next.
Magnolia - I loved it. LOVED IT. I might even give it a 10/10. Can I ask what made you give it a 9? I think Tom Cruise is just outstanding here. I am sure I've mentioned it elsewhere, but one of my all time favorite scenes - anywhere - is the interview scene with Tom just sitting there and when he's asked what he's doing, he says "What am I doing? I'm quietly judging you."
Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her - OMG. It was like a bad made for TV movie. I'd give it a 4/10, tops. And that's only because of some of the cast bringing so much to a horrible script. Can I ask why you happened to watch this one? ( it's kind of obscure )
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
Remember, Remember, The Fifth of November, The Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot.
Mattrick - It's funny. I can completely and utterly agree with you in one second and then wonder if we've seen the same movie in the next.
Magnolia - I loved it. LOVED IT. I might even give it a 10/10. Can I ask what made you give it a 9? I think Tom Cruise is just outstanding here. I am sure I've mentioned it elsewhere, but one of my all time favorite scenes - anywhere - is the interview scene with Tom just sitting there and when he's asked what he's doing, he says "What am I doing? I'm quietly judging you."
Funny enough, I was questioning my own rating as I dwelled on Magnolia some more and realized I should have given it ten of ten. It is a masterwork. I often save my 10 of 10s for movies that have a lot to consider and ponder and the visuals are excellent. That is why I gave Little Children 10 of 10 because.
Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her - OMG. It was like a bad made for TV movie. I'd give it a 4/10, tops. And that's only because of some of the cast bringing so much to a horrible script. Can I ask why you happened to watch this one? ( it's kind of obscure )
[/quote]
Rodrigo Garcia. I love In Treatment and my friend likes Rodrigo Garcia so I gave him In Treatment, he gave me his movies. 9 Lives by him is simply excellent. All his movies though are snipets, no over-arching plots, loosely connected. I'm a huge fan of Garcia as a writer because he gets people. He's fascinated with people, most notablely, women. Things You Can Tell is all about superficial qualities and how they related to personal, hidden qualities. It shows that strengths can also be a weakness. Garcia likes to show people during intense emotional times and he knows to direct his actors for it.