Elizabeth and I went to Cinetopia with Tom to see Frank Miller’s 300 this weekend.
Wow!
The story of the Spartans refusal to bow to Xerxes and in fact, hold off an army of millions with just 300 men is very compelling and based in history. This is a beautifully shot movie and while it is very violent, the use of matrix-like bullet-time special effects really enhance the physical abilities and skills of these warriors.
You can read about the graphic novel, watch the movie trailer in HD or, if you are a fan of Frank Miller’s work (my brother will remember him from the Dark Knight, as well as Sin City) you can support Geeks R Us by shopping at Amazon:
yes my favorite movie, The Princess Bride, has been re-re-released. This marks the fourth time I have purchased it. Laserdisc, DVD, not-as-crappy Special Edition DVD, very nice DVD.
This new edition comes in two box covers, The Dread Pirate edition and The Princess Buttercup edition. I bought the latter because the art depicts them face to face, whereas the DPR edition depicts Wesley close with Buttercup in the distance on her horse, which just didn’t feel right.
I have not looked at much but I did watch the Battle of Wits scene, which on the previous two DVDs was horribly dirty with nasty film noise. This new DVD is very clean. I still don’t think it holds up to the Criterion laserdisc print, but it is acceptable.
Of course, once the HD wars are won I am sure I’ll be buying this movie yet again.
This is a two disc set and sells for the very reasonable $19.99.
I think I had seen bits and pieces of this Kubrick work but not fully through. At least I could not recall.
What intrigued me is how much the movie’s dialog has worked into American culture, such as “love you long time” or “Texas? Only Steers and Queers come from Texas”
This is one of those movies that, like or hate war, it is a must see to understand what our boys come home as, the hell they go through training to be killers, to actually become killers. No matter the cause, the justice of the cause or the support of others, that they have become different than most of us and what we need to know how to understand them. It is only human.
Violence begets violence, love begets love, tolerance bridges the two. Keep moving forward with a good heart, lift those around you up and wish for a better tomorrow so that our men and women don’t have to become killers for us.
Akira Kurosawa. What else can I say? What I enjoy about subtitled movies is that they require me to pay attention. I can’t tune out, or the entire thing is lost on me.
I loved how the characters played against each other, how small the set was for such a large piece on society as a whole.
It made me wonder if it is ok to use bad people when on the path to a better place. The movie made me think about decisions, consequences and helping others.
I’ve liked Paul Giamatti since I saw him in American Splendor, even though his career spans back to the early 90s.
I had a hard time getting past Thomas Hayden Church’s role in Wings.
The movie made me a little uneasy, but I think that is why I liked it. Tolerance, stupidity, love, deceit, joy, wine, cruelty - All aspects of being human whether we like it or not.
The movie reminded me that we have to make the best of where we’re at and keep aiming towards a better place.
I also learned I really don’t want to be a wine geek.
Alright, this was a dumb movie, but Liv, yowsa. I could tell where they thought this would be a really funny movie, but it just seemed to not live up to their plans. Great cast though!
Matt and I went to see Ying xiong (2002) (aka Hero) at the Marina Del Rey UA/Regal theater last night.
The story was great - The history of how China was formed through martial arts and fantasy. I highly suggest it.
The theater sucked. First, the god damned “20″ had perfect sound but the movie had a loud hum and the audio was quiet. This lasted about half the movie, with the occasional movie ad audio popping in as some moron flipped switches when he wasn’t spanking it to Angelina Jolie in Sky Captain playing in the next theater.
Then the hum stopped. Oh oh. Swords clashed and what had to be 120db plus blasted and crackled the speakers (or my ears) I literally had to plug my ears and I never do that. This then lasted for at least 5 minutes while Matt laughed at the stupidity of it all. Finally the audio level dropped to a normal level.
Of course, nobody was in the lobby when the movie let out. No UA heros that night.
Pam invited me to see Shaun of the Dead (2004) and am I glad I went. Aside from good company, this zombie flick is silly, bad, funny and even makes you jump a few times. I love cheesy movies and if you do also, be sure to check this one out. Just don’t let it bite you…
I’d never sat through Sound of Music, The (1965), but I am glad I have now. It was really great even if it was terribly long!
The political overtones were not too terrible, though they did not add too much to the movie, other than Nazi men will sell out their supposed loves, Austrian or not.
So it was good to hear so many wonderfully famous tunes again, even some I had sung in elementary school. And I could use the message too - Stay true to finding yourself and maybe, just maybe you’ll be lead on a road of happiness and crossing mountain ranges with nothing but a picnic basket and a song in your heart.
Sadly, I have not see the original version of Manchurian Candidate, The (2004). The remake was entertaining however, a bit predictable and since I have heard that the ending is different than the original, I won’t spoil it.
I have to think that this was created my liberals though. Just seems to have that “evil republican will do anything to rule the world” overtone, no?
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) was a fun throwback to a film noir-esque movie but with all sorts of fantastic futuristic robots and the cinematography, of which there was none, was gorgeous.
The movie was shot entirely on blue screen and had old photos and animated this and that layered in, along with a look that is reminiscent of old film. Very cool.
I suggest seeing this one in the theatre, simply to see how it looks being projected via film.
I like Kevin Smith, so i rented Jersey Girl (2004). Course after I started watching it, I realized I had seen it, within the last six month of course. I guess that does not say much for the movie?
Quirky, sad, funny, odd this movie is a fine departure from normal Hollywood Blockbuster crap. Check it out, I give this one 4 geeks. Ok I just made that up, I wonder what a Geek looks like. I’ll need little icons of my face hehe.
In Bend It Like Beckham (2002), a talented indian female footballer is confronted with her culture, authority and womanhood. Feel good wrapped up in sports. I kept seeing Nila and thinking she’d run off the field as “not good enough” for her position.
It took me 19 years to finally see Kurosawa’s Ran, an adaptation of Shakespear’s King Lear. It was fantastic. I only took 2 breaks during the 160 minute saga. The pace was good, the story of course was excellent and as hoped, by the end, we’re left wondering why we’re such a dumb, violent, insecure lot.
Siu lam juk kau (2001) (Shaolin Soccer) is a wonderfully campy kung fu movie that meets hokie sports and modern computer special effects.
The original chinese version is more serious, even without the subtitles, the actor’s voices are more serious than the stereotypical high pitched/whining voices used in the Americanized version. Both versions are enjoyable and the gags are just hilarious.
Chain Reaction (1996) was another action vehicle for Keanu Reeves. Even with Morgan Freeman, the bad guy with a soft spot, it was a horrible movie. As the movie did, twice, big bomb.
Avventura, L’ (1960) is an award winning Italian film from 1960. I’d seen this movie in the Criterion catalog since the first year I worked at Voyager in 1988 but never got around to seeing it.
it is a bit slow, but the scenery is great. The plot is not obvious as you are taken through getting to know the characters at a good pace so nothing becomes obvious too quickly, unlike today’s movies.
The Adventure, a story of life, the greatest adventure of all and how in short periods of time, life can change dramatically but in the end, when you least expect it or even deserve it, compassion may come your way.
