Oh I'm sorry, Did I Break Your Conversation........Well Allow Me A Movie Thread by S&T

Thank You for Smoking is a great movie. Reitman is always solid to me.

While on the subject of Skyfall, it feels like every movie Sam Mendes has done since American Beauty (outside of Road to Perdition, a great film) has been two things: beautiful & boring. 
 
Dave Bautista lands role of Drax the Destroyer for Guardians of the Galaxy

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sauce
 
Mitchellicious said:
I'm watching Thank You For Smoking. I forgot how good it was
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love this movie
lawdog1 said:
Watched Men In Black III last night. Pretty much exactly what I expected, but I was entertained. Josh Brolin definitely did his thing as the young K. Jemaine Clement, who I generally am a fan of, was enjoyable as Boris the Animal. Solid B, IMO.
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feel the same.. had real low expectations, but it was on and nothing else good was.. surprisingly entertaining
 
'Kids' is so wack, man.

One of the MANY examples of why I don't trust public opinion.
 
I had never sat down and watched it, so today I finally did. Robin Hood (Kevin Costner version)

It was good. Nothing that ruined me for not ever watching, but decent enough. Sort of bothered by Alan Rickman, I prefer him as Die Hard so much more. :lol:

Crazy that at the time, Morgan was still very much unknown for where he would go someday. So weird to me.

As for Costner, I'm interested.
He is not what I would think of in terms of "elite" actor, but he is a "movie star". You all get that I'm sure.

But his run, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, Dances/Wolves, Robin Hood, JFK, then The Bodyguard. Did a few lesser movies, then Waterworld happened, and he seemed to fall off. Yet after that, he did probably my 2 favorite of him, 3000 Miles to Graceland and Mr. Brooks.

Now he has Man of Steel and Jack Ryan this year as supporting roles.

Costner is known as the "bigger" star, but he's essentially Kurt Russell. Am I crazy? No franchise that is there's with sequels and such, just steady work, good movies on the resume, some summer blockbusterish stuff, just a mixed bag of roles overall tho. Costner just has Dances over Russ in terms of Academy acclaim.
 
I've never been a Costner fan. I respect his hustle but perhaps if I was older when he was popular I would feel differently.

He's a better actor than Russell to me, even if you ignore the absurd Academy Awards for Dances with Wolves.
 
CP1708 said:
I had never sat down and watched it, so today I finally did. Robin Hood (Kevin Costner version)

It was good. Nothing that ruined me for not ever watching, but decent enough. Sort of bothered by Alan Rickman, I prefer him as Die Hard so much more.
laugh.gif


Crazy that at the time, Morgan was still very much unknown for where he would go someday. So weird to me.

As for Costner, I'm interested.
He is not what I would think of in terms of "elite" actor, but he is a "movie star". You all get that I'm sure.

But his run, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, Dances/Wolves, Robin Hood, JFK, then The Bodyguard. Did a few lesser movies, then Waterworld happened, and he seemed to fall off. Yet after that, he did probably my 2 favorite of him, 3000 Miles to Graceland and Mr. Brooks.

Now he has Man of Steel and Jack Ryan this year as supporting roles.

Costner is known as the "bigger" star, but he's essentially Kurt Russell. Am I crazy? No franchise that is there's with sequels and such, just steady work, good movies on the resume, some summer blockbusterish stuff, just a mixed bag of roles overall tho. Costner just has Dances over Russ in terms of Academy acclaim.
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1) his "run" started with one of his best movies, 'the untouchables'

2) even though it technically came after 'waterworld', 'tin cup' should be on that list

but yea, this:
Big J 33 said:
I've never been a Costner fan. I respect his hustle but perhaps if I was older when he was popular I would feel differently.

He's a better actor than Russell to me, even if you ignore the absurd Academy Awards for Dances with Wolves.
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he made some entertaining movies, but dude should not have been given any awards..

and i assume this doesnt need to be said, but since we're talking costner and russell.. tombstone > wyatt earp

as much as i enjoy russell's movies.. i dont think he's on costner's level (talking at their respective career peaks.. or at least the way they were perceived)..

it hurts me to admit this about captain ron
 
One of those feel good nostalgic movies are on for me right now on one of the HBO channels, actually fits with the old title of this thread.

Rookie of the Year.

:smokin

As for that Costner talk, him, Richard Gere ,etc. all the same person and career....
 
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WhoShotCha said:
Thank You for Smoking is a great movie.
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Loved it.

Just watched Ali... the Michael Mann flick starring Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, etc.

Will Smith was tremendous. Really demonstrated to me his ability to play somebody, and not just "cool guy Will Smith". There were times when the "confident Will Smith" crept in and not Ali, but all in all it was overly impressive. His Ali speeches, rants, and even voice tone were on par, and I was just extremely engaged by his entire performance. Anyone think he sounded like Charles Barkley a bit though? :lol: The guy that played Howard Cosell was great. *Just checked* HOLY ****. Had zero idea that was Jon Voight. Amazing.... I'm wow'd.

Loved the boxing scenes, didn't think there were really enough though. Saw both Sonny Liston's, Frazier, Foreman, that one white dude, but that was it right? The first Liston, and Foreman were really the only one's with much length to them. And yes, I know the second Liston fight had to be quick. :lol: Another thing, the movie could have been cut a bit. 2 hours and 45 minutes was far too long. I'm not one to cut out the story aspect in films like this because it adds depth and substance, but there were too many love scenes and they really hardly contributed to the film at all. The scenes with him dancing with his first girl, banging her, banging her again, second girl in the shop, holding hands with her, banging her. Like c'mon :lol: Show us more Malcolm X, show us more boxing scenes, show us more turmoil around the Rumble In The Jungle, etc.

Thought it was a movie worth your time, and probably then some.
 
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Big J 33 said:
I've never been a Costner fan. I respect his hustle but perhaps if I was older when he was popular I would feel differently.

He's a better actor than Russell to me, even if you ignore the absurd Academy Awards for Dances with Wolves.
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I'm with you 100% on Costner. Although I have to admit I've only seen a few of his films (there are quite a few that I'm ashamed to say I haven't seen, like Dances with Wolves, and more sad, The Untouchables), but I feel like he's just not that good of an actor.

I'll always remember him as the Elvis impersonator from 3000 Miles to Graceland.. :lol:

I am uber-stoked for Bates Motel tomorrow. :pimp:
 
xBuddha Blessx said:
One of those feel good nostalgic movies are on for me right now on one of the HBO channels, actually fits with the old title of this thread.

Rookie of the Year.

:smokin

As for that Costner talk, him, Richard Gere ,etc. all the same person and career....
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I saw A Kid in King Arthur's Court a couple weeks on HBO, also starring the same kid as Rookie of the Year, and its strange to see Kate Winslet and Daniel Craig in it. Both came a long way.

As for the comparison btw Costner and Russell, Costner is the better actor but I much rather watch a film starring Russell like The Thing, Escape from NY, Big Trouble, Tombstone, Tango & Cash, and Death Proof over the Costner movies already mentioned. Plus no movie should be as long and drag like Dances With Wolves. Kurt does have an Emmy too
 
I know I'm a lil late but adding my 2 cents to the mention of Badlands, True Romance, & Tarantino...

It's a funny coincidence that some of you guys were talking about True Romance & others about Badlands. Tony Scott lifted Sissy Spacek's voice over ending & had Patricia Arquette's Alabama do a voice over ending to his True Romance.

Also, don't forget that Scott had Tarantino rewrite some of the dialogue & narrative of Crimson Tide. He had the sub name changed to the Alabama (linked to True Romance) & one of the Tarantino scenes was the Silver Surfer argument...
 
Review: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
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The reason I love magic is simple: the feeling of amazement never gets old. The gasp and wonder of “how did they do that” will always make me feel like a little kid. It’s what I look for in any interaction; entertainment and the ability to hold my attention, thus magic has always been a great friend of mine.

Over the last decade or so we have seen magic go from slight of hand and card tricks to illusions of grand proportion like levitating or showcasing endurance. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is essentially old school vs. new school and how old magic has to compete with the up and coming shock factor of modern illusionists.

Steve Carell plays Burt Wonderstone who as a young boy gets a magic kit for his birthday. An outcast in school; the Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin) magic set promised that if he became a magician everyone would like him and thus he would become popular. Displaying a few tricks at school he partners up with a fellow geek who loves magic and together they became famous magicians who go to Las Vegas and headline shows as The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi.)

While the film at it’s core is a testament to the power of magic and the feeling you have putting smiles on other peoples faces, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone lacks consistency in the jokes department and shockingly enough doesn’t give the audience enough magic to leave us wanting more like a great act should.

Playing Bally’s casino for years the two become a mainstay performing the same shtick night after night but dazzling audiences with tricks like the hangman a bait and switch trick. As the act gets stale casino owner Doug Munny (James Gandolfini) says they need to freshen up their act to get the modern fans interested or else they’re going to get beat by the new Chris Angel-like magician named Steve Gray who is played by Jim Carrey.

Gray is a combination of Angel and David Blaine in terms of street magicians who do shock feats. For example Gray sleeps on a bed of hot coals or tells a big burly audience member to pick a card out and write his mother’s name on the card. He then asks the card picker to punch him in the face as hard as he can and pulls the card out from the inside of his face. It’s ridiculous, satirical and over the top, much of what Gray does is, and unfortunately for me it didn’t work in a comedy sense.

Needing to step their game up to try and secure the 21-45 age demographic Burt and Anton come up with the idea to go shock for shock with Gray and spend a week inside a cube above Las Vegas. When things go wrong the two partners have a falling out as Burt’s ego gets the best of him. Being together for so long Burt now must learn to adapt to being a single act something he struggles with and in turn spirals towards a disaster.

This role was tailor made for Carrel who plays a brash, full of himself flamboyant magician: think of it like his Michael Scott character from The Office with more make up and a lot more velvet. While some may like his character and jokes, I found most to be same old Carrel, offering nothing new even though his timing is impeccable and I can certainly see what many will still eat it all up.

Buscemi doesn’t get enough screen time; you can argue he plays fourth fiddle to Carrey, Carell, Gandolfini/Arkin, which is a shame because he really is funny when on screen. Olivia Wilde plays Jane the assistant to Burt and Anton who Burt always calls Nicole because all his assistants are blondes named Nicole. Her efforts are fairly wasted simply for the fact that she wasn’t utilized properly. The whole female magician thing comes to play at the end and what the film really could have used were some great tricks from her.

What the film could have really used in general were more magic tricks, it’s just that simple. I wanted to see more hilarious and awe inspiring tricks like when Arkin’s Holloway makes a dove appear out of a salt shaker or when Burt is entertaining Doug Munny’s son’s birthday party. If it’s a film about magic, show we magic, don’t give me one or two tricks and call it a day. I don’t want the sappiness and heartwarming story to overshadow the brilliance of illusions.

With great supporting work from the king of supporting roles lately: Alan Arkin as the old school magician who sort-of restores the love of magic in Burt, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone isn’t without positives. The rekindling between Anton and Burt, the fuel for a new act and the competitive spirit to beat the new comer and claim the territory of prime magicians is great. Also the major trick of making an entire audience disappear is really a fun gag that is done really well.

That being said the film simply isn’t memorable and doesn’t have enough tricks up it’s sleeve to captivate the audience for 90 minutes. It’s unfortunate because the cast you’d think would be aces yet Carrey comes off as annoying and Carell just didn’t do it for me. It seems like this won’t be the magic film of the year and we should just be looking forward to Now You See Me which comes out later this year.

Rating: C-
 
Also, don't forget that Scott had Tarantino rewrite some of the dialogue & narrative of Crimson Tide. He had the sub name changed to the Alabama (linked to True Romance) & one of the Tarantino scenes was the Silver Surfer argument
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I might as well type what I can about the movies Ska has already seen, and just dance around the couple he hasn't gotten to yet but will.

(The question about beating QT for always doing the same work is grinding the back of my brain. :lol: )

In theory, I get what you are saying. I do. But there is a LOT more to it. It isn't JUST QT as the director, it's the total package.

As a director, yeah, he's no magician anymore than anyone else. Hell, I don't even know if he's GOOD as a Director. But what he is, is a great writer, a GREAT storyteller, smart, and probably some good directing as well. Clearly everyone knows that he "borrows" from movies he watched as a kid. Films that influenced him and made him who he is. See Django, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill all having scenes/storylines/images that came from other films. It would be simialr to me making a space movie and having name one of the main characters Falcon, or something like that, a nod to the Millineum Falcon of course. QT does that, ALOT.

But what he ALSO does, is put you right in the center of the movie. Think about Pulp Fiction, the story with Tony Rocky Horror. He has multiple characters discuss a story of that man being thrown out a window. Who did it, why he might have done, did he deserve it, etc. We never once, see, Tony Rocky Horror, in the movie. It's a story within the story that is told so much, you think you witness it in the movie.

The breakfast scene in Reservoir Dogs. The camera panning around a group of guys, they talk about Madonna, tips, a name in a little black book, NOTHING about the damn movie you're about to watch. Just random conversations you and I could be having right this second. But you listen to the words, it's all pop culture, viewed by Tarantino. Talking about Madonna!!!! :lol: And he could do that about small nothing convo's in every film.

Think of the start of Basterds. Every scene where in great detail, all the way down to pouring the milk, he makes everything seem a part of a bigger picture, even if they aren't. He keeps everything mystery, what's in the briefcase in Pulp Fiction, what's with the bandaid? Why will he only call her Bride in Kill Bill, never her real name? And on top of all that, he somehow does connect EVERY dot. Names in one movie, reappear in his others. Characters you never meet, like the grandfather that carries the watch in the war, that Christopher Walken gives to Bruce Willis. The name of that character is in another Tarantino movie. Like the quote I stated above, he named the ship in someone else's movie Alabama, from a script he wrote. He connects everything. Look at Uma talking to Travolta in Pulp Fiction, Fox Force Five, 5 deadly ladies, all lethal with different skillsets. Who plays in Kill Bill, Uma. The most random mention, and he can CREATE A MOVIE ABOUT IT. Imagine how smart one has to be to put that all together. And it works, not only works, is incredible to boot.

When you watch Jackie Brown, more great storytelling.
When you see Death Proof, history. Probably his greatest Directing performance. But for a reason a lot of people might miss.
True Romance, story. Absolute wonderful story. The Walken/Hopper scene is absurdly special. You can FEEL QT writing that. If I never told you he wrote the script, you'd probably figure it out off that scene alone.

The performances he gets. Mr. Wolf. Man had 10 minutes of screen time, coulda won an Oscar. Travolta come back. Writing in a dancing scene, something that everyone always loved about Travolta. Cameos everywhere. DeNiro wants in for Jackie Brown, using Michael Keaton. His discovery of Christoph Waltz. Leo wanting in, wanting to work with him. Samuel L obviously. Uma. Buschemi. Kurt Russell.

The female roles he has created over the years. Too many to name. No other director does what he does for them.


I knew this old school teacher that lived by me when I was a kid. She was a high school English teacher I think, she wanted to see Pulp Fiction off one preview alone, the dance. The whole hand past the eyes thing that Travolta and Uma made famous. That's it. She wanted to see that movie off that alone. Can you IMAGINE her horror hearing Sam talk, Mr. Wolf, the drugs, the needle in the heart, the gimp ( :wow: :rofl: ) the language, all of it? :lol: She probably never went to a movie ever again. All she wanted to see was the dance, nice little movie she thought. :lol:

He might stay in his lane, but he creates ALL THE LANES. He makes them. Around and around he goes, back and forth, story after story, things that he will never show you, but yet you know the story. The joke from Dogs. The foot massage. Ezekiel. The AK 47. (you aren't there yet, it's coming)

There are others that can speak better than I can about him, maybe they will come thru and give you more examples, but either way, it's not just the direction that makes QT a genius, it's the everything.
 
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