What have you watched recently? (Please use the hide function for spoilers or plot lines)

[Brandon]

Finished watching Thief. I won't grade it but simply say I didn't like it. Can was great, but the story was too linear and straight forward. There just wasn't much to the plot or story. There was minimal action and the heist scenes were bland. Mix in no character development or the irrelevant emotional scenes (the random Willie Nelson scenes, the adopted kid on the bach scene, etc.) and I just didn't care or feel attached to anyone. There was just nothing intriguing or exciting about the movie.

[Lhalo]

I cried when he named his illegally purchased baby after Okla.

[Lhalo]

BTW Tuesday Weld (Detective Prendergast's wife in Falling Down) was smoking hot back in the day.

[Brandon]

Yeah, even seeing it now she was banging.

I saw what they did with the baby name, in a Chinese restaurant no less, but it didn't have the feel because they only showed Willie twice...in jail and on his death bed. "David good name"

[mrwicked]

threw on angel-a with a friend last night.

french flick by luc besson.

love that movie.

and rie rasmussen... om nom nom.

 

[Brandon]

I remember that flick. Nice.

[nate]

Luc Besson is the man.  The Messenger is one of my favorite movies.  Also any of his work with Jean Reno is very good.

[ELEVEN]

Kind of off topic, but I have been looking for a DVD of a french film "The 8th Day" for a long time. Any suggestions?

[Sam Sanchez]

Assuming I found the right movie, it seems like it's not available in the U.S.

 

 

It is released in Canada though which you could order through Amazon.ca: http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00358XO1Q/dvdaficiona05-20

 

 

A little pricey though at $19.99 but seems like that's your only option if you're looking to actually buy a copy.

[cysomeawfulpitcher]

BTW Tuesday Weld (Detective Prendergast's wife in Falling Down) was smoking hot back in the day.

Especially in Once Upon A Time In America.

[DowningRules]

Finished watching Thief. I won't grade it but simply say I didn't like it. Can was great, but the story was too linear and straight forward. There just wasn't much to the plot or story. There was minimal action and the heist scenes were bland. Mix in no character development or the irrelevant emotional scenes (the random Willie Nelson scenes, the adopted kid on the bach scene, etc.) and I just didn't care or feel attached to anyone. There was just nothing intriguing or exciting about the movie.

 

I can't say I disagree with your assesment, but I have an entirely different appreciation for the movie.  I would have to disagree on the character development part, however.  Caan's character is all about development.  Also, I think the pacing would now be considered too old fashioned for modern tastes, but that's one of the things I like about it. 

 

My favorite part of the movie might be the theme:  One man against the world in an effort to re-build his life into something meaningful.  That gets me. 

 

And the music by Tangerine Dream is great.  Youtube probably isn't the best way to watch anything by Michael Mann.  But that won't save the story if you're not buying it.

[Brandon]

I wrote it right after finishing as I was there on the computer. I may have been hasty as I'm still trying to find ways to like it or understand its high marks.

I'll give you Caan's character as that was a bright spot for me. I also get that sense more that I think about it. I didn't appreciate how he just laid his cards out in the car and at the coffee shop....I really watched with context and time frame, but did dudes really come off this desperate and try to coax someone into being together or marriage? That rash behavior didn't make sense to me for a methodical thief. However he did nail when his mentor died even though they didn't hammer the connection enough for me to care. And now looking back, the adoption office scene was wonderful in adding this type of change he wants.

Agreed with the pacing, but all the movies back then were like this. It actually had a familiar nostalgia. As for the soundtrack, it was bad ass and not just for '81 standards. I thought it was well done for how the movie played out.

I think I was harsh in stating I didn't like it, more disappointed because of my expectations and hope that something would engage me like Heat, The Town, or as many correlate, Drive.....since we talked about heist movies. I know when I paused it and wasn't sure if I wanted to finish that the next day I thought about it all day and it made an impression on me of being good up to where I stopped. So yeah, good movie that was worth the viewing. I may have just had lofty expectations for a perceived classic.

[ELEVEN]

Assuming I found the right movie, it seems like it's not available in the U.S.

It is released in Canada though which you could order through Amazon.ca: http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00358XO1Q/dvdaficiona05-20

A little pricey though at $19.99 but seems like that's your only option if you're looking to actually buy a copy.

That's the one. I can't recommend this film enough. Easily in my top 10 all time. The problem is I haven't seen it in region 1 DVD release with english subtitles. Only french language with or without spanish subtitles. I don't speak either well enough to enjoys it in that format. The link to Amazon Canada doesn't specify what type od release, or I would snap it up, even at $30 with shipping. The site doesn't have enough info unfortunately, but thanks for looking!

[DowningRules]

B: Too many good movies out there to talk yourself into liking 'Thief.'  The movie will stay with you a bit, I think.  But it def doesn't have the action and production of Heat or Drive. 

 

The coffee shop scene is totally out of character which to me, is why it works.  The dude has been a tough guy, lone-wolfing it through life and he's over it.  Just wants to settle down with this chick.  So he does it the only way he knows how since he's used to forcing things to get his way.

 

I don't know if you've seen the pilot episode for Miami Vice, and I'm not just throwing it on here to build in a Vice reference, but if you have the time, check out the pilot.  It was not directed by Michael Mann but there's alot of the same themes.  It's another one that's dated by time, but unlike so much tv today, the characters and stories are allowed to play out without some of the abruptness of today's television story telling and editing.

 

It's a good thing to watch in the middle of the day or 3am.

 

 

 

I wrote it right after finishing as I was there on the computer. I may have been hasty as I'm still trying to find ways to like it or understand its high marks.

I'll give you Caan's character as that was a bright spot for me. I also get that sense more that I think about it. I didn't appreciate how he just laid his cards out in the car and at the coffee shop....I really watched with context and time frame, but did dudes really come off this desperate and try to coax someone into being together or marriage? That rash behavior didn't make sense to me for a methodical thief. However he did nail when his mentor died even though they didn't hammer the connection enough for me to care. And now looking back, the adoption office scene was wonderful in adding this type of change he wants.

Agreed with the pacing, but all the movies back then were like this. It actually had a familiar nostalgia. As for the soundtrack, it was bad ass and not just for '81 standards. I thought it was well done for how the movie played out.

I think I was harsh in stating I didn't like it, more disappointed because of my expectations and hope that something would engage me like Heat, The Town, or as many correlate, Drive.....since we talked about heist movies. I know when I paused it and wasn't sure if I wanted to finish that the next day I thought about it all day and it made an impression on me of being good up to where I stopped. So yeah, good movie that was worth the viewing. I may have just had lofty expectations for a perceived classic.

[cysomeawfulpitcher]

Jack Reacher

 

Quite a few references to older Cruise movies and Cruise himself ("Doesn't matter what I believe!" from AFGM) in the dialogue.

[Adam]

A bunch of old chopped episodes. I had fallen behind. 

[nate]

A bunch of old chopped episodes. I had fallen behind. 

 

They were good until this last week when they had the amateurs on.

[Tank]

we watched "soul surfer" about the chick who lost her arm in a shark attack. quality movie.

 

i'm really loving my dvr. got a bunch of things still to see, but plenty of time to watch them this summer.

[Adam]

They were good until this last week when they had the amateurs on.

 

Yeah they were pretty weak.

[katie]

Last night we watched the pig one. I almost threw up at the tails.

[Brandon]

Finishing up season 2 of Hell on Wheels.

Good show, but kind of dragging because I want to finish and move on.

I think next up is either Deadwood, The Shield, or Game of Thrones simply because it's getting too much positive press the way Breaking Bad and Mad Men did when I was dismissive of both.

Hopefully can rattle through one because this summer has Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Magic City, Hell on Wheels, and House of Cards coming back on.

I never thought I'd be that TV nerd.

[Sam Sanchez]

The Iceman - 7/10

 

Flawed but entertaining and well acted telling of the Richard Kuklinski story. Though I did not like Winona Ryder in this much. Chris Evans and David Schwimmer are almost unrecognizable in this. Michael Shannon puts in a great performance as usual. 

[DowningRules]

Hopefully can rattle through one because this summer has Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Magic City, Hell on Wheels, and House of Cards coming back on.

I never thought I'd be that TV nerd.

 

It's not your fault.  TV is better than film these days. 

[Brandon]

The Iceman - 7/10

Flawed but entertaining and well acted telling of the Richard Kuklinski story. Though I did not like Winona Ryder in this much. Chris Evans and David Schwimmer are almost unrecognizable in this. Michael Shannon puts in a great performance as usual.

I came across this and was thinking about seeing it. Might do so. How was the story as a whole?

[Brandon]

It's not your fault. TV is better than film these days.

Very true. Grantland did a great piece on "The Golden Age of TV" and really goes in-depth from about the start of The Sopranos until what they deem the end of Mad Men, which is.looking to.be untrue (granted it was written last year around the season finale of Mad Men). The list of quality television is pretty insane.