Movie/TV recommendations

[Duncan]

If you liked the first season, you should watch the first eight, I think, episodes of season two, which more or less conclude the Laura Palmer story. That stuff is good. After that it is decent but passable.

[Wrestlevania]

  Moosferatu said:

I'm really curious to know if [Renaissance] is any good. I enjoyed the visuals in the trailer, but the plot seemed a little iffy. Let us know what you think of it.

Saw this last night and was quite disappointed.

The visuals are striking and quite spectacular for the most part, with just a few 'iffy' scenes where a lightsource couldn't possibly be projecting in the way it appears to be. (I'm a 3D whore though - and a former animation student - so I probably notice this stuff far more than is healthy.)

The script is the biggest disappointment. While the main characters do initially intrigue, their respective backstories are only probed to a very shallow level. As a consequence the main players feel flat and two-dimensional; this obviously isn't helped by the film's art style either. Furthermore, in one particular scene a previously-badass character instantly switches motivation and stance simple to further the plot. It's jarring and screams of amateurish screen writing. By 2/3's of the way through I really didn't care about any of them, which actually annoyed me, and I had already started guessing (accurately) at the film's conclusion.

Apart from its visual style, there's nothing to really recommend this film to serious cinema goers. Yes it's spectacular - there are a couple of really memorable scenes in there - but what you find underneath that glitzy exterior is very superficial and quite unsatisfying. The story is quintessentially linear and you can guess the approaching plot twists several minutes before they actually come into play.

Renaissance wants to be the French Akira, but turns out to be decidedly average comic pulp.

[Spaff]

Time Trumpet:

Looking back on the now from the year 2031. The natural successor to Brass Eye, and written / directed by Armando Iannucci - Chris Morris' collaborator / producer.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sMI0f4jCcvg

http://youtube.com/watch?v=IOApNKGzoiM

it also has some of the cast of "Dark Place" in it....

[Wrestlevania]

  Spaff said:

Time Trumpet

For some benign reason, I've always switched channels as this was about to start. I'll make sure I watch it this time.

[BigJKO]

"Noone was killed but a lot of people were surprised."

Loved it.

[n0wak]

OMG, I just saw "The Fountain"

It was... interesting. I think a lot of people are going to dislike it because they'll take it too literally. I think I liked it, but I don't have a massive boner over it. I'm undecided.

Great use of sound, though. Very nice Clint Mansell score (again). And some of the visuals are stunning.

(POSTEDIT: The more I think about it, the more I like it. Yes, it's one of those kinds of movies.)

[miffy495]

Film fest starts a week tomorrow. Although n0wak and other Torontonians are getting the first swipe at the best ones, I'll post on anything that really wows me. Although I'll probably only have a chance to see a couple of flicks. *Shudder* Man, for a projectionist, this is like a cashier looking forward to Black Friday.

[Moosferatu]

Anyone seen Hollywoodland or The Black Dahlia yet? I'm probably only going to be able to see one in theaters, so I'm trying to decide which to see. I'm currently leaning towards The Black Dahlia.

[miffy495]

Don't do it! Hollywoodland is really, really damn good. Black Dahlia, not bad but definitely more on the meh side of things. I've been screening Hollywoodland for a couple of weeks now and am really impressed. (saw it early in the run) Went to see Dahlia yesterday and it's not nearly as good.

[Moosferatu]

Awesome, thanks for the tip.

[Wrestlevania]

Hollywoodland wasn't on my radar until this thread, so thanks.

Anyone seen either Little Miss Sunshine or Half Nelson yet?

[Moosferatu]

Little Miss Sunshine is essentially the must see movie of the summer.

[MrHoatzin]

  Moosferatu said:

Little Miss Sunshine is essentially the must see movie of the summer.

Seconded.

[David]

I've seen Little Miss Sunshine twice in theatres. Voluntarily! :yep:

[miffy495]

Yeah, Little Miss Sunshine pwns. It pwns so hard I'm not even sure if I'm using that word mockingly or not this time.

[MrHoatzin]

I don't know what the hell's going on, but there is a surprisingly healthy assortment of movies coming out by people who know how to make movies with just a wee bit of time apart:

David Lynch - Inland Empire

Christopher Nolan - The Prestige

Darren Aronofsky - The Fountain

Michel Gondry - The Science of Sleep

Alfonso Cuaron - Children of Men

Jan Svankmajer - Lunacy (it is kinda coming out just now in the States)

That is one formidable list right there... :tup:

[Kolzig]

I have no idea about that Lunacy movie, I've never heard about it before, but HELL YES for the five other movies in your list.

Ever since I saw The Prestige, The Fountain and Children of Men trailers I've wanted to see those so much.

Wow, Lynch's movie is premiering in Finland on September 29th.

[miffy495]

Mmmm... the Science of Sleep. I've been waiting for that one for a while. Glee.

[brkl]

I need to see Children of Men. Not enough proper apocalyptic movies.

[n0wak]

SHAMELESS PLUGGING

Those mentioning "The Fountain" should read my above comments and my elaborated "review" of sorts here. Basically, from everyone else that I've talked to that have seen it, I'm in the minority for liking it... and even then, my liking of it is a bit tenuous. And the more ads I see for it (and trailers) the more I'm convinced that one of the major reasons for this is that it is being marketed all wrong.

[vimes]

I went to see A Scanner Darkly 3 days ago and it's clearly not the movie I was expecting. The dialogs are awesome though.

[Ben X]

Children Of Men - Amazing. Go see it now.

Little Miss Sunshine - good but typical indie fare.

Clerks II - Enjoyable middle-aged Smith, nothing more.

[brkl]

Did I read this somewhere already?

[DanJW]

Spaff showed my Lucky Number Sleven the other day. Liked it. Oddly theatrical, and while some twists were predictable, others were not.

[Roderick]

My roommate is shamefully downloading everything from House MD with Hugh Laurie, and it appears to kick ass. It's supremely strange to see Laurie with an unflinching American accent, but as a character he is most intruiging. I think I'll dig into this show.