Sunday
Aug102014
Open Thread: what's the last thing you instant watched?
Sunday, August 10, 2014 at 12:27AM What's on your cinematic mind? Do share in the comments. (The site seems to be running smoothly again after the problems the last few days with loading times... but say something if you have a problem).
Reader Comments (29)
Just re-watched "Closer" and loved it again. Such a strong quartet of actors doing performances that really went against the grain of their personas. Portman and Owen just really stand above Law and Roberts, though.
Enemies: A Love Story
The height of Guardians of the Galaxy is when they all, minus Drax, meet on Xandar. The only purpose of this movie is to make money. I see no other point or any real big positive to grasp on to. I liked Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan in it, but hate what Chris Pratt has done to Chris Pratt. I've heard it referred to as the best Marvel movie. Vomit.
I kept looking at my watch during A Most Wanted Man. And there was way too many gratuitous ass shots of Rachel McAdams.
I just finished up the last of Kathryn Bigelow's filmography with Strange Days, Weight of Water, and K19. Nothing she made prior to The Hurt Locker really looks like it at all. Some of her films had a definable style but her career has been remarkably inconsistent. Until these past two films when she has found a stride. I'm excited for whatever she does next and hope she can bring the verve of her current films to something a little lighter.
The Cider House Rules. As a fan of Tobey Maguire, I was quite disappointed this time around. I probably haven't watched the film for a good five or six years. (One of my former roommates was pro-life and would have had a fit.) Anyway, I found the film quite murky and dull. Can't believe it was nominated for best picture!
Im doing Best Actress 74 and after seeing Lenny Wow!!! Valerie Perrine i always thought Rowlands would own 1974 but Perrine must've been an Elisabeth Shue type revelation,i have no idea who let Rowlands indulge in this unbelievable woman.
My Bestfriend's Wedding. Would it be too early for a remake?
Just watched the first two episodes of series 3 of "Luther." It took a lot of willpower not to watch the other two. I also finally finished "Orange is the New Black," season 2, earlier this afternoon. Kind of a letdown.
Little Dorrit from 1988. Little Dorrit, Little Dorrit, Little Dooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooorrit. For heaven's sake, watching this film for six hours felt like spending a whole lifetime. I've made it through Cleopatra, Gettysburg and 1900 (for Peggy Sue: Novecento), but after Little Dorrit, they all seem like short films to me. And that's why I swear that I'll never again watch anything that's longer than Chaplin's The Kid.
I do however appreciate that Little Dorrit provided Alec Guinness with the last great role of his screen career. Unfortunately, it's not until almost three hours into the movie that he gets the opportunity to fully unfold and to dominate several scenes of the film's second part.
I had a rewatch of Barton Fink yesterday and it still remains one of my favorite films from the Coen Brothers. I'm a sucker for that typical Coen character of the decent man who watches his life go completely off the rails. Turturro and Goodman are great, but Lerner and Shalhoub kill it in their limited roles.
Also, the day before I watched Almodovar's Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! for the first time. I was completely shocked at the outcome and it was beautifully designed in typical Almodovar fashion. I'm trying to find a way to catch up with Bad Education sometime soon.
Begin Again. The Ruffalosity remains intact. Love that guy!
Funny! I also saw Barton Fink last night, but the copy was so bad I've decided not to comment.
Paper Moon! Saw it on the last day that it was available on Netflix after the cool discussion you guys had about it during Smackdown.
As per technical difficulties; I could swear that I saw one of your link articles with something about Gamora action figure and how some actress would be a good girlfriend, but I do not see it anymore. I usually access through an ipad, and although downloading times are better, sometimes a page takes longer.
"The to do list" with Aubray Plaza. Highly entertainment. Perfect movie to see on a Saturday night.
Audition. That one goes straight to my do not ever watch again list, even as I admired certain things about the film making, particularly how patient it was, something more directors could use in their films. Genuinely horrifying, and may fulfill my horror quota for the year.
Very Soderbergh:
Watched the Knick premiere (about 4 times) and King of the Hill this weekend
"I just finished up the last of Kathryn Bigelow's filmography with Strange Days, Weight of Water, and K19. Nothing she made prior to The Hurt Locker really looks like it at all. Some of her films had a definable style but her career has been remarkably inconsistent. Until these past two films when she has found a stride. I'm excited for whatever she does next and hope she can bring the verve of her current films to something a little lighter."
I can abide by saying The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty were career highlights but I think she has always been gifted. Near Dark, Point Break, and Strange Days are great genre films that would only look the way they look with her directing them. She had her stumbles and financial difficulties butt she always had a Peckinpah-ian skill that would inevitably gets her out of 'director jail' without sacrificing her integrity. She's proven with The Hurt Locker she can make the most out of some hellish conditions and also excel in a lot of artistic freedom, quite frankly the opposite of the constraints she had during K-19 that caused her to get blackballed for having that financial failure.
CMG: Add also the underrated 'Blue Steel' to that list!
Watched It Felt Like Love. It was occasionally engaging,occasionally frustrating.
Rewatched Boyhood. I'm still confused by so many people placing Arquette in Actress - she's clearly supporting and doesn't appear in around half of the years filmed. Still, I'll take attention for this movie wherever I can get it. I really think it has a shot at Director and Best Picture nods, but that's easy to say in August.
Finally got around to watching The English Patient; I finally know what Elaine was talking about all those years ago.
Last films I've seen were Ratatouille and Entchanted.
I love them both so much. Sadly Amy Adams was not nominated for an Oscar that year. She was so great! <3
(but roles like that hardly get nominated)
The last thing I instant watched was Contracted. It's 50 minutes of a strong body/medical horror film followed by 30 minutes of mediocre slasher.
I've been watching Season 2 of LOUIE and it's so funny and real. Echoes of Woody Allen's so-awkward-it's-funny style. Louis C K is spot-on.
Last night I started watching the 6-hour Italian epic The Best of Youth. It seems pretty interesting. Right before that I watched the wonderful and beautifully crafted Ernest et Celestine.
Watched Boyhood. I quite liked it but didn't love it. I'm considering the Before Trilogy the masterpiece of Linklater, those movies are simply magnificent. The standout for me was Patricia Arquette, who I think is the frontrunner for Best Supporting Actress so far. At least until we start watching the Moores and Chastains vehicles in a couple of months. I do think though this may be Arquette's lucky year to grab a nomination.
The Road. Haven't finished it. It really stressed me out, lol.
Also, how is everyone watching Boyhood instantly? Or do you y'all mean in the theatre? I wanna see it so bad ;(
Just about to Netflix ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE for work. We'll see how this goes...
I'm finally working my way through Battlestar Gallactica from start to finish. I think I understand where the show is headed because I caught some scattered episodes during their first run. As for movies... the last thing I instant-watched was Disney's Treasure Planet, which was even weirder and worse than I remembered.