Last Movie Watched.... The Xenforo Edition

The Mechanic (2012)
Dir. Simon West


Jason Statham action vehicle in which he plays an elite hitman (called a "Mechanic") who specializes in the most difficult assignments. After his mentor dies, he takes on the man's estranged son (Ben Foster) as an apprentice. Pretty much does what it says on the tin, 90 minutes of mindless fun.

Two points. First, I really need to know why this wasn't posted in the thread dedicated to Prometheus where it could be discussed without interruption by posts not related to it. Why does this constantly happen around here? What's so difficult?

Second, I prefer Fincher's Alien3 as long as you're talking about the extended "assembly cut" of the film, which is 30 minutes longer and massively improves it. You can forget about the shorter theatrical version.

This thread is devoted to movies you have "just" watched. Why wouldn't Prometheus qualify for this topic? I also linked to the post in the thread you speak of, so I don't really see the issue here...

Two points: First. We have enough people trying to control our lives...

Second: The last Alien, was "the" first. The rest were just silly spin offs trying to catch some fall out money without any work.

What is life without order? Oh sorry I meant Freedom..

This is a thread for recently watched movies, if someone recently watched a movie, it is fine to post it in here whether it has it's own thread or not. People read this thread but may not be reading the movie specific one.

This is one of those movies that I will stop and watch anytime it is one regardless what point in the movie it is.

Brave

It wasnt quite up to Pixar's standard but Pixar's average effort is still better than 90% of the crap being put out. It was enjoyable and the main character's hair was just amazing. Animation has come a long way.

Also, I saw this in Dolby's new Atmos 3D audio and I do not recommend it. It was just really loud and it gave me a headache.

That's their problem. I don't expect to bounce around to different threads to read about a specific major release film which has been given its own thread because it will generate lots of commentary.

Stop defending your silly position on foolish grounds. If a film has a thread, let's keep the discussion of it there.

(If the moderators actually did their jobs, they'd be moving these threads where they belong. I guess I'm just going to have to become one so at least somebody will be doing something useful around here. Geez.)

The only silly position here is yours. What if a person is not even interested in taking part in the debate in the dedicated thread, and just briefly want to mention the movie they just watched in here?

If it's that much of a nuisance, you should have any trouble finding a couple of other people who object to the notion. So is there anyone else who is disgusted by my mention of Prometheus in this thread?

The Raid (2011)
Dir. Gareth Evans



Terrific martial arts-based action flick. A SWAT team gets stuck in a criminal-infested apartment building during a raid gone terribly wrong. The handful of survivors have to fight tooth and nail to get out of the building alive. It's pretty much 90+ minutes of non-stop action. If not the best action movie in "decades", I certainly have trouble of thinking of a better one made in the past ten years.

People have mentioned in the past that they only were interested in a brief comment about a film and that's why they posted here instead of in a dedicated thread. Fine.

Your opinion was elaborate and thoughtful. Why get into that here if we care to discuss the picture. That's my point. Your post will end up getting lost over here.

Does it really matter...?!
I didn't come here for an argument, just to see what's going on in the movies. Get over it.

Which is why I linked to my post in the dedicated thread.

Fish Tank (2009)

I blindly picked this up knowing nothing about it for my film project. It was Criterion Collection and from England and recent, so I went for it. Holy crap, this movie got weird. Full write-up here.

I dunno, I found it completely easy to turn of the TV on this one. Am I the only person in the world not in love with Michael Fassbender or who doesn't get all weak-kneed at how gorgeous he is? I found the movie ham handed and overdone and I, for one, am really, really, really surprised with all the great English cinema to chose from that you'd pick this one. Weird choice, but maybe that's the point...

As I said, I picked it solely based on the fact that it was put out by Criterion Collection. I have no idea how many Criterion Collection films I've seen (it's a lot though), but I can only think of 1-2 that I didn't like, so I went for it. Part of this project is also watching things I haven't seen before. I didn't even read the synopsis before watching it. I didn't even know Fassbender was in it until I started watching it. I could come up with a "world cinema's greatest hits project" rather easily, but that's not what I'm after. For some countries I'm doing a lot of research deciding what to watch, but in the case of incredibly prolific countries, I'm choosing rather arbitrarily. This is one of those cases.

I married a Witch! (1942)
Dir. Rene Clair



Romantic comedy with a young Veronica Lake as a witch who falls in love with senatorial candidate Wallace Wooley (Fredric March) the day before his wedding. More than a bit dated, but still fascinating to see if you are at all intrigued by the figure of Lake. Here's someone who almost instantly became the most bankable female star at the age of 20 and whose Hollywood career was all but over by the time she turned 26... Her lack of intellect and talent were the source of jokes amongst collaborators at the time, but I believe both were overstated. She certainly was more conscious about her own limitations as an actress than many of her peers.

The Illusionist (2006)
Dir. Neil Burger



I found this surprisingly enjoyable, bar a few minor quibbles. Giamatti and Norton do a great job at keeping the audience's attention, even though the "twist" at the end can be seen coming from a mile away. Rufus Sewell makes a great antagonist. The two false notes that bothered me most were the stupid accents (you're not doing the movie in German, so what authenticity do you add by having all your actors put on a silly accent?) and the fact that Jessica Biel isn't much of an actress (and has the added obstacle here of looking slightly out of place in a period piece). I feel like this movie is instantly 20% better just by replacing her with say, Emily Blunt.

I'm not sure how much I would dare to recommend this to anyone else, since this feature combines a few of my cinematic weaknesses (classical magic, Ed Norton and turn of the century Vienna). I do suspect you'd enjoy this if you liked "The Prestige".

• Are you a control freak? Check all that apply to you or that you agree with.
• It's difficult for you to trust people.
• You make lists for everything in your life.
• You can't stand it when you're in a car but not driving.
• You would like all movies in their correct thread.
• You rarely think that you're wrong.

• You love to be the center of attention.
• When it comes to social gatherings, you prefer to do the planning.
• You get bored when you have to listen to other people talk.
• Your vacations tend to be structured and active.
• You tend to think that you know what's best for other people.

• You don't like people touching your stuff.
• When you're in a relationship, you like to know where your significant other is at all times.
• You are definitely a perfectionist - and your own worst critic.
• It's hard for you to get used to a new hair style or new pair of jeans.

• You can't stand to wait for people who are running a few minutes late.
• You are a completely stubborn person.
• You tend to interrupt people a lot.
• You don't like taking orders.
• You don't take it lightly when people disagree with you.

• Other people's messes really bother you.
• When you're watching TV with other people, you always have to have the remote.
• You are easily irritated.
• You generally don't trust people.
• You are insulted when people don't take your advice.

A Separation


Challenges you emotionally every minute of the movie. Incredible.

The Bank Job (2008)
Dir. Roger Donaldson



A mostly entertaining fictionalized account of the real-life Baker Street robbery. Statham has been in so many of these flicks by now that he could probably do them in his sleep. The first half of the movie - which covers the planning and execution of the bank robbery - is by far the best part. It gets a tad bit too silly towards the end, though detailing why would spoil too much of the plot. The production design is terrific and does a good job at recreating the feel of early 1970s London.

One minor quibble: Saffron Burrows is striking to look at and she can be a very interesting actress, but I found it a bit hard to believe that her character would have associated with the band of misfits and ruffians Statham's character had gathered around him. They probably should have cast an actress who doesn't exude quite as much "poshness". By contrast, it was nice to see David Suchet in something other than the umpteenth Poirot.

I have that to view tonight, looking forward to it now! Thanks.