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Film Thread.
I thought a trio of themed threads about other entertainment media might be good. If you're not interested, please just ignore the thread and pick some threads that interest you from here: http://celephais.net/board/view_all_threads.php

Anyway, discuss films...
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Warning: Nitin Material (Viewer Discretion Advised) 
The Artist (2011)
Excellently done homage to the silent film era with many charming scenes and some meta stuff. Unique in these times of constant blockbuster BS. Well deserved Oscar. The only other new production in this style would be the Call of Cthulhu short movie.

Love (2011)
A somewhat indie-like exploration into the theme of isolation, lonliness and the value of human experiences. An astronaut gets stranded on the ISS for years and slowly gets crazy over it. Then some 2001ish abtract ending resolves the dilemma.

The Mill & The Cross (2011)
A movie based on and taking place inside the painting "The Way to Calvary". Picturesque scenes and imagery which I found to be quite Kurosawarish at times. It's basically an imagination of how the artist (played by Rutger Hauer) envisioned and realized his work within the context of his time and the belief system.

This Must Be The Place (2011)
Only adding this because Spirit mentioned it in GA. It's a comedy/drama about an excentric aging rock star (think Ozzy), played by Sean Penn, who goes on a journey through the USA in order to come to terms with his problematic relationship to his late father and his own belated coming to age, some of which remotely reminded me of The Straight Story. I thought it was funny in parts and overall light watching, that's why I recommended it to Spirit - knowing about his very own problematic relationship to movies and taste - but he rejected it for some preposterous reasons and had the audacity to call me out on it here, the little cumstain. 
TDKR 
didn't disappoint. not quite as dark as its predecessor but satisfying nonetheless; bale summed it up best when he said it was like a cross between the first two movies. hathaway certainly adds to the fun factor (which may not be to everyone's taste admittedly)

i guess a few ideas felt borrowed from elsewhere, nothing to the detriment of the story though 
 
Just watched it today as well, I think I liked it the best of the 3? TDKR, BB then TDK. I really liked Bane, [spoiler] wish they gave him a better death scene though.

The problem with TDK was that Joker was too much of a main character, whereas Batman/BW was kind of dull and not that likable. TDKR has BM/BW as the main character as he should be - it's about him again. Not about Heath Ledger as the Joker.

Bane's stupid accent was the only downside. Why in the fuck would you base your characters voice on an Irishman when that's got absolutely nothing to do with the characters past? 
 
Despicable Me was a fantastic movie so I thought The Lorax might be similar (same creators). Well, no. It is a terrible piece of protect-mother-earth-hipster wank. 
with lots of singing and cutesy animals and fully predictable story. It is a kids movie really and not a good one at that imo. 
TDKR 
loved it. like BB it moved the focus back to Wayne, but like TDK every side character had their moment and was well used. Some very satisfying references back to the previous two movies including cameos, and every aspect of the story is wrapped up properly. more issues in terms of logic/believability sacrificed for the sake of a fast moving complex script with dramatic moments, much more than BB TDK or Inception, but overall suspension of disbelief totally worked due to the movie's sheer emotional force. Lots of awesome twists at the end that I did not see coming and am so glad I was not spoiled for!

SPOILER!!

And, humanizing Bane was surprisingly effective. And, Nolan overcame his female-casting curse. Cotillard and Hatheway were both great. Especially Hatheway. Oh and one last spoiler, Wayne at the start in Howard Hughes mode was sooo enjoyable.

THE FIRE RISES!!! 
Cotillard 
was great in Inception too though. 
TDKR = TDK 
IMHO. Go watch it. 
Well There We Go. 
The voice of wisdom has spoken! 
TDKR = TDK + BB - Own Character. 
It was very much a mixture of the first and the second films, and whilst that means on it's own merits it was pretty much as great as they were, I did find it didn't quite have the distinctiveness nor the power to triumph as the finale. Nevertheless, all the hallmarks of grittiness, layers and depth, strong characters, action and spectacle, and well put together enough to be gripping for 2.44 hours.

Favourite bits: Bane (really came across as a dehumanized psychopathic thug), the human drama with BW / Albert / Blake etc, the action of Bane isolating the city.

Least favourite: Some other action not as gripping as the bigger picture, Bane's demise quite weak, some of the plot wasn't as tense as it could be. 
Lawrence Of Arabia 
Watched Lawrence of Arabia. Pretty good, kept me amused for all of 4 hours! Kind of just faded away at the end without a finale of sorts.

Only problem with the movie was Peter O'Toole I thought. The amount of foundation and eye shadow made him look like a transvestite, and his acting seemed a nervous over-emotion wreck or he delivered his lines like a yuppie homosexual robot. I suppose at least he wasn't bland.

Gonna watch Casablanca next. 
Kona: 
It might be he was "acting"? 
Kona 
Google the real Lawrence 
 
If that's what the real Lawrence was like, then that makes sense. Even if it was a bit exaggerated. Wikipedia suggests he was possibly asexual and a masochist.

Got 1 minute into Casablanca and decided to play Fallout3 instead, lol. 
H+ 
A digital survival-themed series about a world where everyone has an implanted internet port and suddenly some computer virus kills most of the population. Premise sounds interesting; the episodes are very short.

Started this month on YT, so far six episodes are live. http://www.youtube.com/user/HplusDigitalSeries

Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, probably some American Licensing Fuckfest, it's not available in my country without proxy. 
 
Forced my way through Casablanca. Good dialogue throughout, good lead character, but if released today, this would be nothing but a indie film imo.

It was a bit too long and boring for me. I liked the idea of the settings and people trying to get out of Casablanca, but 90% of the movie was filmed in darkly lit rooms and the restaurant, so that entire setting was wasted, visually.

DRIVE, however, was fantastic. Very well directed with the perfect music and lingering camera shots. I'll have to check out more of this directors work. Shame about the unrealistic ending. I'm glad it wasn't a car chase movie as well, which is what I was assuming with the misleading title. They're a small gimmick. 
Drive 
Hmm, I liked it, but then it didn't really work all that well as a GREAT movie. It's just something nice that's fun for two hours and then has no impact on your life whatsoever, which is a bit sad, because it has the potential to be great.

It is also the only movie (ever!) that I totally forgot about and didn't notice immediately when I rewatched it (I only realized half-way in that I already had recognized more scenes than they could ever put into the shittiest movie trailer conceivable) 
Drive 
Oh Fnap! 
 
Pathetic... 
.. I will certainly hate this movie.. :( 
 
Yeah in terms of dialogue, he was the most boring main character in the history of cinema. Even Charlie Chaplin has more to say.

If it were real, she'd tap and gap him. 
 
The Grey
Pretty bad. Ugly CGI. Clichee-ridden. Unrealistic. Nice nature. Won't watch again.

Snow White and the Huntsman
Fantasy Fluff. Has some dark bits and some silly humour. Generic soundtrack, weird illogical story (yes, it is based on fairytales but come on...). If you are a thinker, you probably won't enjoy it too much. Best part was being surprised by Avpx Sebfg, but then in my opinion that dwarfen humour did not do the movie any good. Snow White is some ugly girl with bunny teeth. Thor is the Huntsman. Some super cheap ugly CGI, some very beautiful nature. The movie si extremely cheap and silly at times, but dark and disturbing at others. I would have prefer one XOR the other. Okish popcorn movie overall. Won't watch again nor recommend it to sophisticated monocle wielderse. 
 
In terms of numeric ratings those were a 3/10 and a 4/10 for me. 
Lamers 
CGI, is bullshit. OK, Nolan is getting a bit ridiculous these days but trying to avoid CGI on principle is nothing but admirable. Also, even if your entire movie is computer rendered, please avoid cliches. Or if it's live action just avoid cliches for the love of god. 
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