Help me with my Netflix... part 2,978
- Thread starter goosehorn
- Start date
et moi aussi...
Uncommon Faves--
Ikiru
The Third Man
Le Grand Chemin
Hao zhe (To live)
Trainspotting
Hobson's Choice
Blue Collar
Patti Rocks
Alphaville
Local Hero
Of the last 8 months of viewing thru netflix, I've really enjoyed--
City of God
Heart of the Game
Freaks and Geeks
With a Friend Like Harry
24 Hour Party People
The Battle of Algiers
And not so much...
Tristam Shandy
A History of Violence
End of the Century: Ramones
Lars and the Real Girl
Uncommon Faves--
Ikiru
The Third Man
Le Grand Chemin
Hao zhe (To live)
Trainspotting
Hobson's Choice
Blue Collar
Patti Rocks
Alphaville
Local Hero
Of the last 8 months of viewing thru netflix, I've really enjoyed--
City of God
Heart of the Game
Freaks and Geeks
With a Friend Like Harry
24 Hour Party People
The Battle of Algiers
And not so much...
Tristam Shandy
A History of Violence
End of the Century: Ramones
Lars and the Real Girl
I'll mention four that I liked a lot:
1. "The Brotherhood of the Wolf"
The Link
2. "The Cooler"
The Link
3. "The Painted Veil"
The Link
4. "Hairspray"
The Link
These are movies which I knew very little to nothing about WHEN I SAW THEM and they all turned out to be excellent, IMHO.
Different genres, but all were as good in their genre as any comparable movie I'd ever seen.
Here are the four reviews I posted after seeing them, if anyone cares to read what I had to say.
1. "The Brotherhood of the Wolf"
If you marveled at the cool martial arts sequences in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," but also decided that in the end there was way, way too much ado about nothing since absolutely no tigers or dragons ever even showed up....
If you liked the promising premise of "The 13th Warrior," where Antonio Banderas and his Scandinavian buddies slew all those clan of the cave bear dudes, but were visually frustrated because it was always just a little bit too dark on screen to see exactly what in the hell was going on....
If you dug all that delicious, sexual intrigue in "Dangerous Liaisons," but noticed those folks were only playing at silly love games instead of risking their lives ....
If you thought the vivid, bloody carnage in "From Hell" satisfyingly depicted your understanding of exactly what the handiwork of Jack the Ripper entailed....
If you could have handled a more sexually explicit accounting of the decadence only hinted at in "Moulin Rouge," to include generous portions of soft-core porn....
If you found pleasure in the final vengeance which Chingachgook and Natty Bumpo, in "The Last of the Mohicans," brought down upon Magua on behalf of Cora and Uncas....
If you admired the spooky style in which "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" began, but soon came to realize that a lot more needed to be going on in that drowsy flick to keep you from yawning....
And if you shared my opinion that Tom Cruise was unimposing and cartoonish, coming up short in both performance and physical stature, in his movie portrayal of Anne Rice's vampire Lestat....
....then you might find yourself enjoying this movie as much as I did.
One suggestion though, because it's partially subtitled, sitting about half-way back in the stadium seating will give you the best opportunity to read the words across the bottom of the screen and catch the action above them without constantly bobbing your head up and down.
2. "The Cooler"
Think of a sad sack character like Joe Btfsplk, the Li'l Abner cartoon strip dude whom Al Capp always drew with a dark rain cloud forever stuck right above his head, being wonderfully portrayed by actor William H. Macy.
Macy is Bernie Lootz, who works as a “cooler” for the house in a Las Vegas casino, because his mere presence at any gaming table will immediately spread his own chronic bad luck (which covers everything in his life) onto any gambler who’s on a current hot streak.
Actually, he wanders around in this movie a little bit like TV’s Mr. Rogers, but Lootz’s neighborhood has roulette wheels, craps shooters, mobsters, dealers, a cheap buffet, coffee shops and bars, cocktail waitresses, lounge singers and blackjack.
Whenever someone at a gaming table gets going on a winning streak, Bernie is quickly paged over the casino’s PA system to rush over and “cool off” that specific location: “Lootz party, table for five” or eighteen or twelve.....
So his is a strange gig.
I’ve always enjoyed visiting Las Vegas, both on personal trips and in movie fantasy.
I dig the whole vibe of the place.
But this somewhat noir-like film has a little different schematic than flicks like “Casino” or “Leaving Las Vegas,” which I think makes it noteworthy.
IMHO, the recent home small screen offering of “Las Vegas” disappointed by lacking depth in its stories, even to the point of strongly suggesting that TV’s venerable “The Love Boat” had resumed its mundane voyages with a fresh crew of go-fers and matchmakers, only to have now run aground on The Strip in the shallows of Nevada.
On the other hand, “The Cooler” made me flash on epic Greek mythology, if such stories could ever be set in a seedy, outdated, mobbed-up casino/hotel, with Alec Baldwin very comfortably cast in a managerial role as bossy and belligerent as lofty Zeus ever was, while poor Macy and his excellent co-star Maria Bello are continually cast about and upon as the lowly pawns of the gods.
Baldwin was very convincing and his character, with its self-centered, non-compromising, somber demeanor, punctuated by sudden and even shocking thunderbolts of rage, was indeed Olympian.
Not for the squeamish, because there's plenty of tragedy, violence and vengeance, mixed with a little comedy and lots of nudity and realistic sex, making this entertaining story just the way, I'm imagining, the bloodthirsty, Oracle-seeking, hedonistic folks in Athens and Sparta (and myself) liked ‘em.
If Tennessee Williams had done Las Vegas instead of Mississippi and New Orleans, it might have come out something like this.
3. "The Painted Veil"
This unhyped flick features well known stars Edward Norton and Naomi Watts.
I read Edward and Naomi produced this story of colonial China too, so they’ve got that going for them.
I found it beautiful, interesting, intelligently written and well acted.
If beautiful, interesting, intelligently written and well acted aren’t enough, look elsewhere, moviegoer.
I thought it was really good.
After reading the NETFLIX blurb, I feared it might be like “The English Patient” or “The Constant Gardener”…..a young couple grows apart in a foreign land, there’s an adulterous affair, followed by “Big Trouble in Little China” and, later, possible redemption, yada, yada, yada…..and that certainly wouldn’t have rated a favorable recommendation from me, because those first two movies I cited just above were overblown and boring, in my final assessment, rather than patient or constant, even though I found them sufficiently interesting to sit through completely.....once.
“Big Trouble in Little China” is, of course, a great movie deserving multiple viewings.
Instead, think of “The Mosquito Coast” with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren or “The African Queen” with Bogart and Hepburn, “The Sand Pebbles” with Steve McBullit and Murphy Brown or even that 1937 classic, “The Good Earth.”
The builders of that bridge over the River Kwai would have identified with the folks in this flick.
Imagine Rudyard Kipling keeping his usual British Empire setting, but then writing a screen play that complicates a mostly male tale about duty, trial and sacrifice by giving us a memorable, major female character and all the sexuality, stubbornness, sensitivity and spunk she exudes.
The novel upon which this movie’s based was actually written by W. Somerset Maugham.
In his almost epic story of 1920’s China, the surroundings are exotic, scenic and feudal, but nationalism is on the rise and there’s a cholera epidemic going on.
If any of that piques your interest, maybe you’d enjoy it.
4. "Hairspray"
I went to see this movie on a whim right when it opened.
I have nothing but praise for this surprisingly entertaining movie and give it my highest recommendation as a mostly lighthearted, tongue in cheek, romantic, musical comedy.
I thought “Hairspray” was very, very, very good with excellent entertainment value throughout.
The near capacity audience in our local multiplex was continuously laughing out loud at the funny parts and grooving to the music.
I found John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah and Allison Janney wonderful in the adult roles.
And Nikki Blonsky, Amanda Bynes, Brittany Snow and Zac Efron were great as the teenagers.
It was very well-paced film and there was a multitude of really funny, quotable lines.
I didn’t notice a weak member in the cast and their singing and dancing was very entertaining.
The entire production was top notch, from the set decoration and costumes to the choreography and film editing.
The original music was very exemplary of the best songs from that time in the sixties and the lyrics were so clever that I will rank them up there with “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
With the specific exception of my seeing and hearing such icons as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and John Lee Hooker performing their hits and all the great players that backed up Jake and Elwood performing on the movie screen, I thought this film was better as a whole, more even in worthwhile content and certainly more well made than “The Blues Brothers.”
“High School Musical” was occasionally cute, but so inferior, IMO, as to not even be in the same league.
IMHO, “Little Shop of Horrors” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” don’t measure up either.
Some parts of “Grease” were as good, but I think other parts fall well short.
“Dreamgirls” was flashy, showy and quite entertaining, but more overwrought and forced in its presentation and definitely overly long.
For capturing the spirit of a specific time in America, both musically and socially, I’ll comfortably mention “Hairspray” alongside “Porgy and Bess” and “West Side Story.”
I really thought it was right on in its characterizations, its satire and a whole lot of fun.
In addition, having lived through and being able to remember when Black music and Black musicians received reduced or no credit for the songs and the dances they originated and when Black Americans were indeed segregated, I took some pride and satisfaction seeing such unfair treatment and the start of the end of those practices being both seriously and humorously skewered in this movie.
Take your kids, take your parents or take your significant other, this movie was a blast.
Here are some others I've seen recently that I enjoyed:
"No Country for Old Men"
"Michael Clayton"
"In the Valley of Elah"
"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"
"Away from Her"
"Rambo"
"The Brave One"
"American Gangster"
"Once"
"The Mist"
"La Vie En Rose"
"There Will Be Blood"
"Lust, Caution"
"Once Were Warriors"
"Untraceable"
"Breach"
"Superbad"
"Knocked Up"
"Zodiac"
Those are some of the better movies I've seen in the last few years.
The list is quite varied and few viewers will like all of these flicks.
I've reviewed each of them on this forum, so check that out if you care to, or search for the IMDb site about each one to get more info.
1. "The Brotherhood of the Wolf"
The Link
2. "The Cooler"
The Link
3. "The Painted Veil"
The Link
4. "Hairspray"
The Link
These are movies which I knew very little to nothing about WHEN I SAW THEM and they all turned out to be excellent, IMHO.
Different genres, but all were as good in their genre as any comparable movie I'd ever seen.
Here are the four reviews I posted after seeing them, if anyone cares to read what I had to say.
1. "The Brotherhood of the Wolf"
If you marveled at the cool martial arts sequences in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," but also decided that in the end there was way, way too much ado about nothing since absolutely no tigers or dragons ever even showed up....
If you liked the promising premise of "The 13th Warrior," where Antonio Banderas and his Scandinavian buddies slew all those clan of the cave bear dudes, but were visually frustrated because it was always just a little bit too dark on screen to see exactly what in the hell was going on....
If you dug all that delicious, sexual intrigue in "Dangerous Liaisons," but noticed those folks were only playing at silly love games instead of risking their lives ....
If you thought the vivid, bloody carnage in "From Hell" satisfyingly depicted your understanding of exactly what the handiwork of Jack the Ripper entailed....
If you could have handled a more sexually explicit accounting of the decadence only hinted at in "Moulin Rouge," to include generous portions of soft-core porn....
If you found pleasure in the final vengeance which Chingachgook and Natty Bumpo, in "The Last of the Mohicans," brought down upon Magua on behalf of Cora and Uncas....
If you admired the spooky style in which "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" began, but soon came to realize that a lot more needed to be going on in that drowsy flick to keep you from yawning....
And if you shared my opinion that Tom Cruise was unimposing and cartoonish, coming up short in both performance and physical stature, in his movie portrayal of Anne Rice's vampire Lestat....
....then you might find yourself enjoying this movie as much as I did.
One suggestion though, because it's partially subtitled, sitting about half-way back in the stadium seating will give you the best opportunity to read the words across the bottom of the screen and catch the action above them without constantly bobbing your head up and down.
2. "The Cooler"
Think of a sad sack character like Joe Btfsplk, the Li'l Abner cartoon strip dude whom Al Capp always drew with a dark rain cloud forever stuck right above his head, being wonderfully portrayed by actor William H. Macy.
Macy is Bernie Lootz, who works as a “cooler” for the house in a Las Vegas casino, because his mere presence at any gaming table will immediately spread his own chronic bad luck (which covers everything in his life) onto any gambler who’s on a current hot streak.
Actually, he wanders around in this movie a little bit like TV’s Mr. Rogers, but Lootz’s neighborhood has roulette wheels, craps shooters, mobsters, dealers, a cheap buffet, coffee shops and bars, cocktail waitresses, lounge singers and blackjack.
Whenever someone at a gaming table gets going on a winning streak, Bernie is quickly paged over the casino’s PA system to rush over and “cool off” that specific location: “Lootz party, table for five” or eighteen or twelve.....
So his is a strange gig.
I’ve always enjoyed visiting Las Vegas, both on personal trips and in movie fantasy.
I dig the whole vibe of the place.
But this somewhat noir-like film has a little different schematic than flicks like “Casino” or “Leaving Las Vegas,” which I think makes it noteworthy.
IMHO, the recent home small screen offering of “Las Vegas” disappointed by lacking depth in its stories, even to the point of strongly suggesting that TV’s venerable “The Love Boat” had resumed its mundane voyages with a fresh crew of go-fers and matchmakers, only to have now run aground on The Strip in the shallows of Nevada.
On the other hand, “The Cooler” made me flash on epic Greek mythology, if such stories could ever be set in a seedy, outdated, mobbed-up casino/hotel, with Alec Baldwin very comfortably cast in a managerial role as bossy and belligerent as lofty Zeus ever was, while poor Macy and his excellent co-star Maria Bello are continually cast about and upon as the lowly pawns of the gods.
Baldwin was very convincing and his character, with its self-centered, non-compromising, somber demeanor, punctuated by sudden and even shocking thunderbolts of rage, was indeed Olympian.
Not for the squeamish, because there's plenty of tragedy, violence and vengeance, mixed with a little comedy and lots of nudity and realistic sex, making this entertaining story just the way, I'm imagining, the bloodthirsty, Oracle-seeking, hedonistic folks in Athens and Sparta (and myself) liked ‘em.
If Tennessee Williams had done Las Vegas instead of Mississippi and New Orleans, it might have come out something like this.
3. "The Painted Veil"
This unhyped flick features well known stars Edward Norton and Naomi Watts.
I read Edward and Naomi produced this story of colonial China too, so they’ve got that going for them.
I found it beautiful, interesting, intelligently written and well acted.
If beautiful, interesting, intelligently written and well acted aren’t enough, look elsewhere, moviegoer.
I thought it was really good.
After reading the NETFLIX blurb, I feared it might be like “The English Patient” or “The Constant Gardener”…..a young couple grows apart in a foreign land, there’s an adulterous affair, followed by “Big Trouble in Little China” and, later, possible redemption, yada, yada, yada…..and that certainly wouldn’t have rated a favorable recommendation from me, because those first two movies I cited just above were overblown and boring, in my final assessment, rather than patient or constant, even though I found them sufficiently interesting to sit through completely.....once.
“Big Trouble in Little China” is, of course, a great movie deserving multiple viewings.
Instead, think of “The Mosquito Coast” with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren or “The African Queen” with Bogart and Hepburn, “The Sand Pebbles” with Steve McBullit and Murphy Brown or even that 1937 classic, “The Good Earth.”
The builders of that bridge over the River Kwai would have identified with the folks in this flick.
Imagine Rudyard Kipling keeping his usual British Empire setting, but then writing a screen play that complicates a mostly male tale about duty, trial and sacrifice by giving us a memorable, major female character and all the sexuality, stubbornness, sensitivity and spunk she exudes.
The novel upon which this movie’s based was actually written by W. Somerset Maugham.
In his almost epic story of 1920’s China, the surroundings are exotic, scenic and feudal, but nationalism is on the rise and there’s a cholera epidemic going on.
If any of that piques your interest, maybe you’d enjoy it.
4. "Hairspray"
I went to see this movie on a whim right when it opened.
I have nothing but praise for this surprisingly entertaining movie and give it my highest recommendation as a mostly lighthearted, tongue in cheek, romantic, musical comedy.
I thought “Hairspray” was very, very, very good with excellent entertainment value throughout.
The near capacity audience in our local multiplex was continuously laughing out loud at the funny parts and grooving to the music.
I found John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah and Allison Janney wonderful in the adult roles.
And Nikki Blonsky, Amanda Bynes, Brittany Snow and Zac Efron were great as the teenagers.
It was very well-paced film and there was a multitude of really funny, quotable lines.
I didn’t notice a weak member in the cast and their singing and dancing was very entertaining.
The entire production was top notch, from the set decoration and costumes to the choreography and film editing.
The original music was very exemplary of the best songs from that time in the sixties and the lyrics were so clever that I will rank them up there with “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
With the specific exception of my seeing and hearing such icons as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and John Lee Hooker performing their hits and all the great players that backed up Jake and Elwood performing on the movie screen, I thought this film was better as a whole, more even in worthwhile content and certainly more well made than “The Blues Brothers.”
“High School Musical” was occasionally cute, but so inferior, IMO, as to not even be in the same league.
IMHO, “Little Shop of Horrors” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” don’t measure up either.
Some parts of “Grease” were as good, but I think other parts fall well short.
“Dreamgirls” was flashy, showy and quite entertaining, but more overwrought and forced in its presentation and definitely overly long.
For capturing the spirit of a specific time in America, both musically and socially, I’ll comfortably mention “Hairspray” alongside “Porgy and Bess” and “West Side Story.”
I really thought it was right on in its characterizations, its satire and a whole lot of fun.
In addition, having lived through and being able to remember when Black music and Black musicians received reduced or no credit for the songs and the dances they originated and when Black Americans were indeed segregated, I took some pride and satisfaction seeing such unfair treatment and the start of the end of those practices being both seriously and humorously skewered in this movie.
Take your kids, take your parents or take your significant other, this movie was a blast.
Here are some others I've seen recently that I enjoyed:
"No Country for Old Men"
"Michael Clayton"
"In the Valley of Elah"
"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"
"Away from Her"
"Rambo"
"The Brave One"
"American Gangster"
"Once"
"The Mist"
"La Vie En Rose"
"There Will Be Blood"
"Lust, Caution"
"Once Were Warriors"
"Untraceable"
"Breach"
"Superbad"
"Knocked Up"
"Zodiac"
Those are some of the better movies I've seen in the last few years.
The list is quite varied and few viewers will like all of these flicks.
I've reviewed each of them on this forum, so check that out if you care to, or search for the IMDb site about each one to get more info.
HOOKMD
100+ Posts
Primer:
Two dudes from Richardson make a time travel machine in their garage and start running into trouble the more they use it.
King of Kong:
Abundance of dweebs with overinflated sense of self-worth
Holy Mountain:
Too weird for me to describe. Drop acid first if you are into that stuff.
For your height only:
Filipino midget secret agent saves the world with kung fu action and soft core porn = WIN
Two dudes from Richardson make a time travel machine in their garage and start running into trouble the more they use it.
King of Kong:
Abundance of dweebs with overinflated sense of self-worth
Holy Mountain:
Too weird for me to describe. Drop acid first if you are into that stuff.
For your height only:
Filipino midget secret agent saves the world with kung fu action and soft core porn = WIN
HOOKMD
100+ Posts
watched City of God last night and it was great. Also on the instant browsing, there is a documentary called "Fall from Grace" about Fred Phelps and 'church' he leads. I thought it was a pretty basic documentary, but was shocking to see because of the insight into their beliefs.
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