New Thread #1: SOME MOVIES I'VE WATCHED RECENTLY

[Micah Cohen]

I went back thru my calendar to see what I've watched in the last month, and it's a pretty impressive list of DVDs I own and some I've rented. I obviously have a lot of time on my hands. But maybe it'll inspire you to watch some stuff, and post your lists to this thread. Exciting, huh?

- THE HANDMAID'S TALE -- Some hokey sci-fi, rented because Natasia Richardson is so cute and cuddly (and because it held the promise of loads of sex and nudity... But it didn't have either). I should have read the book, I'm sure. Nice anamorphic print, tho.
- THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER -- Sometimes you just need a little Connery. And how stupid was Alec Baldwin for throwing away this franchise? He makes a GREAT Jack Ryan, filling the character with great little foibles that make him real. He blew his whole career giving up this role. "We'll lay off their biggest cities and listen to their ROCK AND ROLL." Indeed! I just wish this was a better print (and anamorphic), but the sound is great.
- INDEPENDANCE DAY -- Can you believe this flick? It's like a liberal wet dream of idiotic sci-fi cliches. As if all these characters exist in a world where there is no sci-fi; so they are totally clueless. "How many cliches can we cram into every minute?" asked director R. Emmerich. Too many, says I. Watched it on my friend's new home theater, in a tiny apartment with her new RM6000 System that is really going to piss off her neighbors!
- DEAD PRESIDENTS -- Thought this was gonna be a heist movie. But it turned out to be a nothing at all movie. A horrible second try from the guys who did MENACE II SOCIETY, which is a killer powerful film. Rent that one, not this one. Crapola.
- RAT RACE -- Funny, but don't miss the extras on this disc: the bloopers and the "cast calls" (wherein the producer and director actually call the cast on the phone and have some funniness with them). Jon Lovitz is funny, I don't care what you say.
- BEVERLY HILLS COP -- The new DVD of the first movie. A nice print, flat 5.1 sound, but really: a funny funny movie. I'm not ashamed to admit that I laughed out loud. And I was watching it alone. Is it me, or did Eddie Murphy have, what?, three movies before he bombed? (BHC, 48 HOURS and TRADING PLACES... Where's that DVD?) Oh well. Worth a rental, definitely!
- ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE -- Some say it's the best Bond film, but I say not. I had never ever seen it, so I rented it in the great MGM "Bond Special Edition" version, with all the cool documentaries and extras on it. The movie... Really was too long and not good at all. Lazenby (who I think lives here in Baltimore, actually... If you're reading this George: I like you, you just aren't BOND) as Bond was tedious and wimpy. He cried. He got married. Blah. Afterwards, I needed some REAL Bond, so I watched...
- THUNDERBALL -- You can't go wrong with Connery as Bond. And the MGM "Special Edition" of the Bond films are superior widescreen prints. Ah, Domino...
- HARD EIGHT -- The first film by PT (BOOGIE NIGHTS) Anderson. I was really impressed with its style. Well acted by Anderson's usual cast of regulars (plus a slutted out Gweneth Paltrow getting slapped around), an interesting little film about the underside of life, losers and the way of the gun.
- GREAT EXPECTATIONS -- Not the David Lean one, the recent one with Ethan Hawke (who gets out-acted by the child who plays his character as a young boy). Rented this one because Gweneth looks so glorious and beautiful in the trailers that I just had to see her. She's exactly that beautiful in this film. But the rest of it is horrible and difficult to sit thru.
- OCEAN'S 11 -- The original one, rented just to actually see it and get myself out of seeing the new version of it. (I'm OVER George Clooney and Steven Soderberg.) This one does really suck, tho. It's nothing but the "rat pack" walking around in Vegas acting like... Well, acting like themselves. Which is kinda cool. Definitely way cooler than George Clooney.
- EXISTENZ -- Another in a long line of I-know-it's-going-to-suck David Cronenberg horror movies. Who thinks this guy is a good director? He's been using the same squishy sound effect since VIDEODROME. And in fact, this is exactly the same movie as VIDEODROME. Hmmm. Not worth even a rental.
- DOG DAY AFTERNOON -- Wanna see an actor ACT his brains out? This is the movie that made Pacino, and it's plain why. A botched bank robbery becomes a media event, and turns into a nightmare for the confused but well-intentioned robber. Poor non-anamorphic print of this old film, but worth seeing anyway. It's a no-brainer.
- ANIMAL HOUSE -- Sometimes you just need a little Blutarsky, too. I happen to have the OOP "Special Edition" version, which boasts not only a documentary on the disc but a superior anamorphic print of the film. And it's funny, man. Plus, it could be the last time that Peter Reigert was funny. And that Karen Allen was cute.
- BULLITT -- Wow, it's incredible how movies change since you were a little kid. I remember watching this cool Steve McQueen flick on the WPIX "Million Dollar Movie" and it was COOL! Now... It's sort of slow and lame. The opening credit sequence is very cool. And the car chase is the coolest. But this poor print and mono soundtrack disc is really boring. I'm glad McQueen did other cool stuff, cause this one isn't.
- BUCKAROO BONSAI -- The extensive new DVD of this cult classic is nice for an 80s "B" movie, but unfortunately that's all this sci-fi movie is (a "B"). Cool extras do not a lame movie make up for. You know what I mean. But if you're a fan of this movie you will dig this disc.
- BLACK ROBE -- The anti-DANCES WITH WOLVES. Bruce Beresford's beautifully filmed tale of French missionaries in the fronter of 17th Century North America. A harrowing lifelike glimpse at "real" Indian life and their struggles to keep their culture free of the grasp of the all powerful and corrupting church. A great film, and nice MGM DVD.
- CLOCKWATCHERS -- A tedious female version of OFFICE SPACE (but nowhere near as funny or insightful). Saved by the great and funny and talented Parker Posey as an angry temp.
- STARDUST MEMORIES, ZELIG & ANNIE HALL -- I went on a Woody Allen binge. It's funny to watch ZELIG and think about how the rest of Hollywood STOLE Woody's trick (inserting himself realistically into newsreel footage and old photos) for lame movies like "Forrest Gump." The anamorphic MGM DVDs of these films are really a godsend for fans of his great films. A pleasure, every one.

[johnnyamerika]

Good list, Micah! I've been wanting to see Dog Day Afternoon for a really long time. Ill have to be sure to rent it ;)

Clive Barker's Lord of Illusions - ...that was an amazing movie. Solid acting, great story, creepy premise, and pretty good special effects (lots of gore!) really made this horror movie shine. One of the few 90's horror flicks that remain true to form, and aren'y cheesy teenage romps. Try this or In the Mouth of Madness, and you'll have some messed up dreams!

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlines - the second in this classic anime line is totally action packed with fantastic animation, and a really great soundtrack for an anime. The only better sounding anime out there is Akira.

Princess Diaries - I wasn't expecting too much from this one...and well I didn't get to much. I was more or less forced to watch it as I spent time with my girlfriend's family. Underneath the stupid plot, there was almost something mildly entertaining. I said almost, right?

Godfather I & II - I never bothered to watch these films before, well I guess I never had the opportunity. I don't need to say much on these either, they're two of the most involving films ever.

Made - John Favreau and Vince Vaughn together again. This time Fav's wrote and directed it, and while suprisingly good, it's really just a short slice of pie in a regular guy's life, who finds himself in an odd position. A good rent.

Don't Be a Menace to South Central... - Heh heh, I've watched this movie a thousand times probably, I love it. Really stupid, funny stuff before the Wayne's got Farrelly brother's sindrome, and just tried to gross out rather than make you laugh.

brain cramp....can't think of any more right now :p

[trubluluc]

...you created some kind of movie review/poll where people could rate films out on dvd.
It'd be an ongoing thing where people could add a comment or two, but mostly it would be chart like.
Too many times the thread gets way too long, or off the point, and then dies long before many of us have seen the film.
It could be on a point system, rate the film 1-10
****s for soundtrack, effects, whatever deemed important.

-luc

[Micah Cohen]

Hmmm. I don't know how it would work. I think movie-dedicated threads is still the best idea. Interesting. Let's see what Justin thinks when he sees this idea.

I guess I need to rent the Clive Barker flicks, huh? Cool. Thanks for the tip.

MC

[TroyD]

Connery is THE man. period. Alec Baldwin should get a shrine built to honor his stupidity.

Ocean's 11, of course it sucked. That isn't the point though. Sinatra is the epitome of cool. Plus, he just got to make a movie with his posse for yuks and grins. How cool is that?

Great Expectations, this movie sucked SO bad that not even DeNiro and tease shots of Gweneth could save it. Ethan Hawke is a ZERO.

Troy

[goingganzo]

i can find to rent the one is ws on dvd by me this sucks i dodent spend my hole years ht buget on my tv for nothing

[Strong Bad]

One thing that always made me giggle about this movie is how the alien computer systems were magically MacIntosh compatable.

Then again, they could have taken a laptop loaded with the first generation of Windows and it would have most likely locked up on them. Then the aliens would have scorched us all!!!

Like they say...it's in the script!

John

[shack]

I've watched....

Atlantis - Put me in the "I really liked this one" group. One of Disney's best. A wonderful soundtrack. Plus it is a theme I like.

The Muskateer - Yawn...another Muskateer movie where the good guy fights off 5 bad guys at one time with blazing swordsmanship and spectacular moves. Where do they get these stupid bad guys? There was one time where the villian pulls out a pistol and blows his adversary away when challenged to a swordfight (much like Raiders). Not a bad rental but not to buy.

Tomorrow Never Dies - It's a bond flick with the 2nd best James Bond and Terri Hatcher is a Babe. Thats enough for me.

Goldeneye - See above and insert Izabella Scorupco. Plus you gotta love Xenia Onatopp.

Vertical Limit - Good visuals - predictable - I maybe liked Cliffhanger better (Yo..its got Sly). Not a bad movie at all.

Seven Years In Tibet - OK my 17 year old likes (no she LOVES Brad Pitt) and I watched this with her. In all honesty I like the movie. A nice period piece with some good historical stuff ( I asume it is close to reality). It's not much of a workout for the HT but I recommend you give this one a look if you haven't seen it.

The Perfect Storm - I hadn't seen it in a while. I think is is a good visual movie with nice cinematography.

Sphere - This movie is awful. This was a "I'm going to watch this again because it can't be as bad as I remember". I was right. It was worse. What a waste of good actors. This was one of Michael Crichton's weakest books. The only one of Crichton's book adaptions worse than this was Congo.... No....maybe this one was worse....no maybe not.....whatever....they both are awful! Don't buy this one and maybe don't even rent it.

Planet Of The Apes - (Original) - This movie was ahead of its time or at least a groundbreaker in the genre. It is still a great movie and loses little in comparason with the "high tech" movies of today. A true Sci-Fi classic.

Micah - Bullitt is still cool. Best car chase scene IMHO. Is it dated?...sure...but I still think it is a good movie for its time and a good watch. I would like to see a remastered version with a good upgrade of the soundtrack.

[avelanchefan]

I think Bullitt has the best car chase scene but Ronin would have to be a close second.

[spawn1031]

You happened to mention two speakers I am considering purchasing, the LSi/7 and the CS 245i. I just picked up a pair of RT1000i's. My receiver's THX certified so I'm working toward a 6.1 setup. How do you rate the speakers' performance?

[avelanchefan]

Well I take it that you are looking at adding the LSi7's for your rear speakers. If so, you are going to soil yourself when hearing them.:) The 7's are very very crisp. I put them through a very tough workout the first week I had them and they only get better as time goes on. Musically they are great, playing anything from classical to metal is just amazing. I really debated between the 7's and the LSi9's and could notice very little difference between the two. The 9's were a bit more clearer, and the sound range a little larger. I think that is due to the extra 5 1/4 speaker. Playing movies on the 7's is just fantastic. No distortion whatsoever. I have had it cranked up to 25db and had to turn them down because it was just to loud.....but it was still very clear at that level. Nothing was lost.

Now for the CS245i. I personally love it. I would have gone with the CS400i but the shear bulkyness of the 400 just turned me off because of the size of my room that I am using. My HT setup is in a small area. I have a large basement (1500 sq feet) but my setup is a nook type area of about 12x15. The reason I am going into all this is that the CS245i is more than adequate for the area I am using (that is why my entire setup is on the small side) But if your HT setup is in a larger area I would recommend the cs400i. Sound wise on the cs245i is very good. The voice production in movies is very crisp and clear. Again nothing is lost at high db levels of play. I also use the 245i in 5 channel stereo mode, and quite frankly am amazed at how well it plays music. The bass production is actually quite astonishing. I did not think that a center could produce that deep of bass. But this does. I listened and compared both the 245i and the 400i. There was a difference between the two, but for me.......again it was a personal thing. I do not regret going with it.

So overall I would highly recommend both speakers. Especially the LSi7's. I don't know what you have had them priced at but I got them for 700 dollars for the pair. (110 dollars off what polk has them listed at) And I got the cs245i for 250. A little more than what other people have paid for that model. I have seen it as low as 175, but I am 2+ hour away from CC and BB, so I kind of wanted give my local audio store the business. Plus they set up my HT for free. Cannot ask for more than that.

Hope this helps you. Sorry it got a bit wordy.

[Micah Cohen]

>> you are going to soil yourself when hearing them. <<

THAT'S IT! PAUL! PAUL, HERE'S OUR NEW LSi AD CAMPAIGN!

GREAT!

(Paul says: "Keep thinking, Micah. Keep thinking.")

Damn.

MC :D

[avelanchefan]

:) :)

I had to think of something creative.....and that was the first thing that came to mind.

[Billm57]

Movies from the last 2 weeks

The Great Silence - Best non Eastwood spaghetti western

Used Cars - Thought it would be dated but it still cracked me up as much as the first time I saw it

Saving Private Ryan - just to test out my new RM6600's and PSW350

Across 110th Street - Blaxploitation at its finest-Violent and tough-Huggy Bear is in it too!!!!!

Manhunter-the prequel of sorts to Silence Of The Lambs-a far better film IMO too-One of Michael Manns early efforts

[Billm57]

IM gonna try and keep this thread going Micah-its too good to get buried...

IRON MONKEY-beats the hell out of Crouching Tiger-pure kung fu action

GLORY-my kid had to watch it for school(how come our movies in school were never this good?)..so i used that as an excuse to watch it for the 10th time-Excellent Civil War depiction..the final assault on Fort Wagner is great!

SLAPSHOT - One of the best sports comedies made-just re-released on DVD for the 25th anniversary-The Hansen Brothers rule!!!

[Micah Cohen]

Cool bump, Billm57. I'll try to compile my "recent" list tonight and extend my record tomorrow. Anyone else?

MC

[Ron-P]

Training Day - Boring, cookie cutter bad cop / good cop movie. Great preformance by Ethan Hawke. Ending was stupid. Free rental at best.

The Last Castle - Better, little slow in parts, last 1/3rd is great. Decent preformance by Robert Redford. Good one time rental.

Next up, Moulin Rouge.....again.

[spawn1031]

Are you sure you're not talking about the Lethal Weapon movies? Training Day was outstanding!
You're going to watch Moulin Rouge one more time???
I certainly hope you're talking about the original Moulin Rouge, and not that over-hyped mess with Kidman!

[johnnyamerika]

ooooooo, it's on now :D

[shack]

OK Ron....Take a DEEP breath......He is new.....He just doesn't understand.....He probably doesn't even know about the Green Fairy.....Don't kill him this time.....Give him another chance.

spawn1031 - Ron-P has killed men he likes a whole lot more than you for a whole lot less than this! Be careful! Don't be dissin the Green Fairy!

[Micah Cohen]

Here's a selection of some films I've watched since I started this thread... I am getting more and more frustrated with RENTMYDVD.com, as my rental queue keeps getting longer, and they really haven't been sending me anything lately. I can't believe that their service has suddenly "gone bad," but I'm really getting peeved. If they'd send me more movies, I'd have a much longer list here. (And if I had a life, I'd have a much shorter list I'm sure.)

TWILIGHT Aging stars play a stylish noir directed by Robert Benton. And what stars they are: Paul Newman, Gene Hackman, Susan Sarandon and that annoying guy who was the original "Maverick." (Plus, a young Reese Witherspoon very naked!) Paul Newman is amazing.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA Hmmm. What can I say about this film? How about this: If you're at all confused about the current world situation and you wonder how it came about, this is the film you must watch. And as a bonus, it just happens to be the greatest film ever made. The DVD is incredible.

GROUNDHOG DAY I got the "Special Edition," and it has a great print of the film, an aggressive 5.1 music score, and lots of cool extras... But Andie MacDowell still sucks. Bill of course was so funny that I had to watch another one that same day:

GHOSTBUSTERS A really great DVD presentation of really great funny movie, in which Bill steals the show again. (Except for Rick Moranis, who in every single scene he's in is a RIOT.) But, why have Ernie Hudson there?

HEIST Hackman does Mamet. 'Nuff said unless you want I should plug ya.

EXOTICA This is just a weird movie. I rented it because some hottie does a striptease dressed as a Catholic schoolgirl (to an eerie Leonard Cohen song), but it's just too artsy for me. Beautifully filmed by Atom Egoyan, the director of THE ICE STORM. That was too artsy, too. Read the book.

HENRY V I hate Shakespeare, says the English Major. But I'll watch the movies. This one was highly recommended to me, but really put me right to sleep. Kenneth Braghnah is good, I guess. Not a very good DVD, either. (Dark, scratchy print, 2-channel stereo.)

SEXY BEAST A very cool, well-filmed English gangster-type flick wherein Ben Kingsley chews the scenery as the ANTI-GANDHI, before he gets his chest blown out by a bad double-barreled shotgun. His character totally deserves it, too. I had to use the English subtitles on the DVD, the cockney accents were so damned thick.

CONTACT A great, beautiful and surprising film. Surprising because it's so subversive for a mainstream film. Jodie Foster is SO beautiful in practically every shot. This time, I watched it with one of the commentary tracks and learned a bunch of cool insider-info. Chapter 11 is still a totally amazing 5.1 demo.

PALE RIDER Finally seeing this minor Western in widescreen DVD is a great thing. Altho it fails on many many levels -- story, character, etc. -- it's worth it just for The Preacher, a character so good that he's clearly reached all the way to evil. And the DVD is pristine; when he steps out of the shadows it's a truly chilling vision.

FLETCH Not as funny as I remember it. Chevy Chase has maybe three great moments in his career, and this may be one of them, but it's no CADDYSHACK. Instead, read the "Fletch" books. They really are funny. (Altho now I hate that I see Chase as the character when I read the books. Blah.)

THE ANNIVERSARY PARTY Really tedious Hollywood insider-type homemade film in the BIG CHILL mode. A bunch of recognizable stars hobnob and fake their way thru various neuroses while celebrating the anniversary of the main characters -- Alan Cummings and Jennifer Jason Leigh... Who also wrote and directed it. I'm making my Calvin & Hobbes yucky food face.

FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN Cool animation and some way cool surround effects, but I hate new agey spiritual earth/gia crapola so I didn't buy into this. Plus, once the animation gets this good, you start a] watching too closely for flaws and bad designs (and seeing them) and b] wondering why they just didn't use real human actors. Maybe the kids'll dig this. Definitely the best "acting" Alec "I gave up my career" Baldwin's done in a while.

Moulin what?

[Billm57]

Originally posted by shack
OK Ron....Take a DEEP breath......He is new.....He just doesn't understand.....He probably doesn't even know about the Green Fairy.....Don't kill him this time.....Give him another chance.

spawn1031 - Ron-P has killed men he likes a whole lot more than you for a whole lot less than this! Be careful! Don't be dissin the Green Fairy!

But he liked AI?????!!!!!!! Wasnt that the Blue Fairy

[johnnyamerika]

I'll rattle off my recent flicks as well...the opposite of renting on the net, I'm thinking about joining columbia house again. If for anything, they have the Saving Private Ryan and Jurassic Park DTS versions for 49 cents a piece.

Bram Stoker's Dracula, Superbit: The superbit version of this great movie offers some pretty competent DTS sound as well as a crystal clear picture...but it doesn't really make up for Keanu's British accent. Still a great movie, nonetheless.

Jeremiah Johnson: One of my dad's favorite movies, and a Robert Redford classic, I just had to watch it. Great epic movie about a hairy, smelly mountain man. :)

Evil Dead, Book of the Dead: What a great horror movie. This DVD rocks too, providing the coolest packaging and great special features. I love the Bruce Campbell featurette!

Office Space: If you've ever worked for a living, and that's just about everyone, this movie is a must see. One of the funiest comedies of the 90's, with a great complimenting soundtrack and hilarious acting. Only the 100000000th time I've watched it, it's that good.

The Vanishing (original): Chilling, suspensful story about kidnapping. The film leaves you with a horrid feeling...which is what a good horror movie should do :)

Fritz the Cat: I was left mildly dissapointed by Bashki's classic animated film that really doesn't pull any punches. I think it may have showed how silly the self realization process can be...me, I just watch alot of movies.

American Werewolf in London: One of the best horror/comedy films ever. This proves that John Landis is pretty cool too, plus that British actress as the nurse.....mmmmmmm.....nuuuuurrrsseee..... (homer voice). Suprisingly good DTS track and pretty decent transfer.

that's all for now, folks..

[Micah Cohen]

AH! JEREMIAH JOHNSON! What a great flick! I gotta see it on DVD! I'm renting it now!

And can you believe that I have yet to view my CC: THE VANISHING disc?! I gotta get to it!

Thanks for the reminder!

Micah

[johnnyamerika]

heh heh, no problem :D

[Ron-P]

Shack, man, thanks for the laugh.....


Peace I've got a fairy addiction Out~:D

[woodyjacobs]

Okay, I'll get in on this; my recent viewings:
Hedwig and the Angry Inch - A great and totally twisted glam-punk musical extravaganza. Never caught the play but rented the DVD and had to go buy it the next day. What a great soundtrack...a rock muscial that actually rocks and that you don't have to get bombed to enjoy (unlike The Wall or Tommy)!
A.I. - Spielberg's homage to Kubrick is every bit as creepy as it should be...but wasn't really all that entertaining.
Ghost World - Kind of the anti-teen-girl movie. I have never read the comic book version (or any other comic book now that I think about it) but thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
Local Hero - Rewatched one of my all-time faves. If you've never seen this quietly hysterical movie check it out. It's good like "Being There" was good.
Life As a House - Kevin Kline and Hayden Christensen are great in this tearjerker. Note to self: keep kleenex in the HT.
Gladiator - Another rewatch...the only DTS ES DVD in my collection...had to watch it again to see if I could tell a difference with my new 6 channel receiver (yup). Still cool.
Chasing Amy/Clerks - The price of both of these DVDs just dropped from about $32 apiece to $15 apiece at BB and CC...they still both make me laugh out loud.

Micah - I re-watched Bullitt again recently...great flick, but just how many times does he pass that Green VW Bug in the chase scene? Seriously though, great recommendations!

[Micah Cohen]

THAT'S FUNNY! That green VW is such a mistake! Having it in every damn shot is so hilarious, like it's keeping up with the speeding cars -- it really gets in the way of that great chase. You have to really AVOID looking at it or it's ruined. Shoddy direction, big time. But I forgive anything with Steve McQueen.

HEDWIG, too, was a great flick. The chick who played the other singer is a hottie, too -- even made up like a guy! It's an excellent DVD and really explosive and dynamic music soundtrack.

And I loved GHOST WORLD.

Also: Is the CHASING AMY that had a price drop the really GREAT Criterion edition? I'd buy it for $15!

MC

[mantis]

awesome list guy's, what about Jay and Silent Bon Strikes Back!!
Super funny movie, if your a Kevin smith fan.
I am,I even visited the Quick Stop over in New Jersey.
Dan

[ted538]

Just got done watching Joy Ride with my bitch...GREAT flick!...I definitely recommend watching that one..well worth it.God if she only knew I called her my bitch..ha ha ha!