I was actually expecting it to be WAY off, but peter jackson did a good job (in my opinion) a sticking as close to the book as possible. from what I understand, it was actually made so that even if you had never read the books, you would get the story. many off the basic necessary parts are in the movie (though I was dissapointed that jackson left out the old forest) and they did a good job with the ents. I understand that they need to cut somethings due to time constraints. (both thfirst 2 were already like 2 hours long)

I'm shocked that everyone here was disappointed with Once Upon a Time in Mexico, I thought it was brilliant.

Then again... I actually liked Very Bad Things.

Recently, I saw two movies:

Matchstick Men: It was good, but the ending was kind of lame.....

(Nicholas Cage was exceptional)


Lost in Translation: Excellent movie!!!

(gives the viewer a bird's eye view of Japan, too)

Very Bad Things actually was brilliant. I trust you're not comparing the two films.

I thought the best part was when Gandalf was held prisoner at the top of the tower. He jumps off, and all of the sudden an eagle comes and flys away with him.

A person who didn't know who the lord of the eagles was might find Gandalfs escape a confusing concept.

My biggest problem with Once Upon A Time in Mexico: No Salmita!!

Her character in Desperado was fantastic and incredibly sexy, but you only get to see her once in all of the movie. And Wertz is right on about Depp being wasted (although I love that he actually shoots the cook). Plus, the movie was so scattered I gave up on trying to follow the plot and tried to enjoy the eye candy, but even that got to be repetitive.

You must go see...

Return of the King!

I loved this movie.

Peter Jackson and his team have created three of the greatest cohesive epic films in cinema history. The Lord of the Rings will stand the test of time because it focuses on the craft of filmmaking without compromising the strength of story and character.

Of course The Lord of the Rings has its flaws, but that is what makes it so perfect. I only hope that the popularity of these films does not dishonor their legacy. It makes me sad when inspired movies like Star Wars, Forrest Gump, or Titanic suffer the consequences of their celebrity.

It should be known for the rest of film history that The Lord of the Rings was a film trilogy that was conceived, created, cared for, and received with passion by its filmmaking team and millions of adoring fans.

I went and saw Return of the King on Thursday, and it was great! They really did do a beautiful job.

I haven't seen Return of the King yet ( I don't get my discount till it's been open for ten days ), but I'm very much looking forward to it - I thoroughly enjoyed both Fellowship and Towers. But I hope goonie is not putting Jackson's trilogy in the same league as the other films mentioned:


Star Wars, Forrest Gump, and Titanic did not suffer the consequences of their inexplicable popularity, but the consequences of being indescribably awful movies.

Wertz,

Star Wars was a great movie for its time.

Sure the acting was hokey and the script was really heavy-handed, but you have to credit George Lucas and his team for a truly innovating motion picture. The special effects in the original were ground-breaking, Harrison Ford turned in a great performance as Han Solo, and Darth Vader became one of the few classic movie villains. The ending is as visually rewarding as it is emotionally satisfying. We get to see Luke Skywalker take hold of his destiny and destroy the Death Star using the force! My heart goes out to you if your imagination did not soar during this film.

Forrest Gump is more than just catch-phrases.

I can't think of anything I didn't enjoy about this movie. The film did go a little long...and it was a little over-the-top to make Forrest responsible for every pop-culture reference of the 80s. Forrest's undying love for Jenny regardless of her flaws was tragically layered and never became too sweet. A great movie with a lot of character and emotional depth, Forrest Gump rarely hit a sour note for me. Take away the catch-phrases and it is still a moving story that entertains me every time I see it.

Titanic was so big in theaters, nobody wanted it to leave.

I will admit that Titanic loses something on the small screen. However, I'm not ashamed to say that I cried like a baby when I first saw this movie in the theater. As the ship is sinking and the inevitable is upon the passengers, you can't help but feel you are on board as well. James Cameron captured with such authenticity the feeling of being on the Titanic.

I think that Peter Jackson would consider it an honor to be in the same league as these legendary films. Unfortunately, as time passes, these films have been examined, and copied, and re-examined, and re-copied until they are overrated and subsequently regarded as "indescribably awful movies". Whether you like them or not, these films raised the bar when it comes to making films and are far from being awful.

i have my best and worst. I'll leav eit up to you to figure out which is which.

after mocking movies that play 'catch phrases' to death untill you want to beat your TV in with a 9-iron, i was persuaded to give one of them a chance. Scary Movie 2...i watched it. i watched it...i kept watching it untill the very end. I'm quite positive my IQ went down a good 15 points...either from the poisoning of it, or from the embodiments of intellect just individually choosing to kill themselves. I gave it a shot, and it ended up being the worst thing i've seen...ever...........ever.

also, last week, a friend of mine and I watched 'The Crow', with Brandon Lee. I'd hav eto say that goes on the list of all-time favorites, along with Memento, Salton Sea, Brotherhood of the Wolf, and then the pure action ones..Resident Evil (i know it doesn't belong witht eh rest, but hey, sometimes you just feel like watching zombies explode ) and Kill Bill (part hilarity, part excellent cinematography, part just good-old-fashioned good times)

No it wasn't. It was totally (if self-consciously) derivitive and - for its time - the effects weren't all that special (Kubrick's 2001 - made ten years earlier - makes Star Wars look like Plan 9 from Outer Space). Worse, it was imperialist garbage in the guise of popular entertainment. Despicable.


Yeah - like maudlin, manipulative tripe. It had nothing to recommend it except for a conceit stolen from Woody Allen's vastly superior Zelig.


I sure as hell did - along with every sane person I know. I'm not ashamed to admit that I, too, cried like a baby during this film - over the fifteen bucks I wasted on it.

This isn't really the place for this discussion, but if you'd like to take any of this up in either the Worst Films: The Bottom Five thread (where two of these made my worst films of all time list - and the third got an honorable mention) or the Popular Movies That I HATED thread (where all three again made my list), I'll be more than willing to go on at great length as to why I loathed all three of these execrable turkeys from the instant they were released.

I heartily recommend Mystic River for anyone sick of computer generated special effects, mindless schlock that emphasizes fancy camera angles and blowing stuff up over characterization, plotting, and story development.

Being a Clint Eastwood-directed film, it's a bit deliberate in it's pacing, but I enjoyed it after being hammered into submission by the two Matrix sequels.

Not to mention along with fine perfomances by Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins and Marcia Gay Harden, Laurence Fishburne does a good job too and unlike the Matrix movies, his pot belly doesn't look so out of place.

I saw Big Fish last night - and it was wonderful! This is Tim Burton's new film and, though it lacks the darker edge of many of his movies, has a lot of the fantastical elements which are a bit of a trademark. It is also very good-natured and sweet. The cast - Albert Finney, Ewan McGregor, Jessica Lange, Billy Crudup, Alison Lohman, Danny DeVito, Robert Guillaume, Steve Buscemi - is uniformly excellent. I even found Helena Bonham Carter tolerable.

The story, primarily examining the line between fantasy and reality through a strained father-son relationship, is a tribute to the life of the imagination and is ultimately very touching. I may be easier than many, but I found myself crying through about the last five minutes of the film - with what was probably a seriously goofy grin on my face - all the way to the end of the credits and out to the parking lot.

Recommended.

That sounds like my kind of movie, Wertz.
I will go and see it!!

Last night I caught a great movie on cable, that I had
not seen in years. Midnight Run, with Robert DeNiro.
For those of you who haven't seen it - it's really good!!

I want to see that movie Wertz. I rarely want to go to the theater to see a movie, but I do this one. Thank you in advance for the rated TJ (tear jerker) warning. I'll take kleenex!

Speaking of movies (and this isn't a new one) but I finally saw Bruce Almighty last night on DVD. There was a scene where the character Bruce is making the news anchor make these funny faces and speak with a high pitched voice, etc. I thought I would bust a gut it was SO FUNNY!!! I laughed, uncontrollably until I was in tears.

Wow, Wertz! That is quite an endorsement. I'll definitely go and see that while I'm here visiting the in-laws.
I saw Return of the King last week and recommend it highly. It is three and a half hours long, so be prepared and don't drink any large cokes or you might have to get up to relieve yourself during an exciting moment.

I'm more interested in the extended cut of that film... apparently it is going to clock in at around 5 hours.

I went and saw Big Fish last night, and I loved it! It was fantastical and profound, and I should have brought a big box of tissues with me, because I cried several times throughout the film, especially through the ending...very heartwarming, and I would really like to see it again, because of all of the little nuances that I know I missed the first time around.

I know it's not in theaters yet, but I'm looking forward to The Passion of Christ. I think it comes out in the Spring sometime. Mel Gibson seems to have made a piece of art with this. I'm really excited to see if it lives up to the expectations, controversy and hype.

oh no, no....
Freddy got fingered (Tom Green)
was by far
the worst movie EVER made
in the history of movies, plays, and theatre.

If you have not seen this movie, you must. It is the standard, the bar, the lowest rung on the ladders of hell - this movie is the hallmark of terrible movies. I MADE my parents watch this movie and I made them watch it all the way to the end - because just when you think it can't get any worse, it does. You won't get the full affect of how terrible a movie it really is unless you watch the whole thing. So awful - it will make you cry.


But on a postive note - one of my favorite funny movies is Supertroopers.

Great quotable movie!

What do you'' think of Lost in Translation? I though it was a nice little film..

Big Fish get two thumbs up from this guy. I only wish I had more thumbs. It isn't often that a film comes out that can make you smile while crying.

I went to see Lost in Translation when it was playing around here. I don't know what it was about that movie but all the subliminal imagery of Japan struck me as hilarious. I laughed almost all the way through that movie.

Big Fish was very well done and a great score by Danny Elfman.

I'm really looking forward to The Passion of Christ as well. Mel Gibson is a very good director and the controversy made this a more important film than if noone had said anything.

Well this movie ain't in theaters any more, but I thought it was a very good. It's called "Secondhand Lions." It's about the kid from the sixth sense getting raised by his two eccentric uncles.

Hoping to see Big Fish tonite babysitter willing.
WARNING DO NOT rent Cabin Fever. It is the absolute worst horror movie ever.
the story makes No sense and they never explain the disease that kills everybody. The attempts at humor are lame. Even the gratuitous nudity and sex scene are limp.


Rentals.
Lion in Winter with Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn *****stars long time favorite of mine.
and of course Big Trouble in Little China with Kurt Russell

Went and saw Mystic River, with Sean Penn and Tim Robbins.
It was very compelling for the first 3/4 of the movie. Then,
unfortunately, the plot took an unrealistic and Clint Eastwood-ish
kind of twist. I do not want to give it away, for those of you
who plan on seeing it. I'll just say this: Tim Robbins was
excellent, but save your money.....

christopher: I'd have to agree with your assessment of The Lion in Winter - it's one of my favorites, too (and one of the best screenplays ever written).

doomed_planet: And I'd agree with your assessment of Mystic River. For all the gritty realism of the bulk of the film, the resolution was very unrealistic. But, yeah, Tim Robbins was quite good - as were Sean Penn, Marcia Gay Harden, and Kevin Bacon. But Laurence Fishburne was wasted and Laura Linney was just awful. I'd recommend waiting for the video as well.

Love Actually is a joy. Its one of those quiet movies that just sneaks up on you.

Miracle

Pretty good overall, if a little over the top with the patriotism. I know the political landscape was a lot different in 1980, but the "I play for America" line was just too much...

Pretty good, though, if you liked The Rookie. Same type of film (from the same people).

I just finished watching Capturing the Friedmans (and about half of the supplementary material on the DVD) - which is excellent. Unsettling, depressingly thought-provoking, and troubling on about five different levels, but excellent. The film has been nominated for an Academy Award as Best Feature Documentary - which it should win hands down. Regardless of how it does at the Hollywood lovefest, though, it is definitely worth watching by anyone interested in the justice system, human sexuality, police procedure, criminal (or child) psychology, family dysfunction, the mutability of truth, or cinéma vérité - though the themes may be a bit challenging for some viewers. Now I have to go watch the rest of of the additional material...

Just watched "Monster".

Due to the subject of his film it is hard to watch at times, but is very well done.

Not for everybody, it's one that I don't wish to see again but I'm glad I saw it once.

BTW, Charlize Theron had better win the Oscar for this role, she is so good that you forget it's her on the screen about 10 minutes into the film!

Wertz,

I've seen it at the DVD store, but hesitated to pick it up
for fear that it would be too much for me to take. Since
I had my boys, I have a tremendously difficult time watching
anything that involves abuse of children. With that in mind,
would you suggest I stay away from it?

I recently saw The Secret Lives of Dentists, with Campbell
Scott, Hope Davis and Dennis Leary. I would recommend it,
especially to those with kids. It's a pretty honest take on family
issues and such, IMO.

I recently bought American Splendor . It's easily the best movie I've seen this year. Possibly the best movie I've ever seen. That may be a bold statement but it's just such an incredibly honest depicition of humanity and American life. The blend of doucmentary, drama, comedy and comic is amazing.

Hmmn... possibly. There's nothing graphic in the film - it's entirely a documentary after the fact - but child sex abuse and pedophilia are a major part of the subject matter. What I found more harrowing, though, was the impact that even the accusation of child abuse has, with or without proof - especially on other members of the family of the accused. The further abuse of alleged victims by the police was also pretty troublesome. If you're in doubt, I'd avoid it.

Rancid: I wouldn't go quite as far as you have, but American Splendor was pretty good (in fact, I picked it up on your prior recommendation). It's a pity that, apart from Hope Davis' nomination as Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes, all the major awards ceremonies have overlooked it. Davis was excellent, as was Paul Giamatti - not to mention the direction or the screenplay. I guess it just wasn't commercial enough.

Thanks for the advice. I guess I'll refrain from renting it,
though I'm sure it is something to be seen.

We rented American Spledor, and it sat on our entertainment
center for 4 days. So, not only did we not get around to viewing
it, we also had to pay late charges.

Spinal Tap is a good movie, for anyone who hasn't seen it.
It has some of the same actors that were in Best in Show.
A funny take on a "rock and roll" band.

Tonight I saw the controversial movie The Passion of the Christ.
Without going into the bloody details I'll just say this:

I didn't care for the movie......You know a movie has gone on
too long when you are saying to the main character,
"Would you just die already, so I can go home."
(no blaspheme intended)

I saw it at the beginning of last week, and had a similar feeling about it. Now, I'm a sucker for a good Jesus movie/book/whathaveyou, but this one didn't really resonate with me. Probably because it was, indeed, a Passion play, concentrating on the suffering and death of Christ, rather than the message, which is what tends to engage me.

I did have a few moments where I was looking at the screen, thinking, what theheck?!?!?

1. The one tiny bit of comedy in the movie - Jesus invents the dining table. What's that, you say? One word: HOLLYWOOD! That moment of levity was SO out of place!

2. The bald Goth devil dude wandering around. Cheesy - but topped exponentially by:

3. The little midget devils. I kid you not! Little midget demons! Yep, just as it was written, Chapter 3, verse 4, of the book of BALONEY!!!

I felt most of the performances were good. The cinematography ranged from brilliant to pedantic.

Highlight? Watching the luscious Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene!!!

I saw "The Passion" last weekend and I think I can safely recommend it.

Certainly not for the squeamish, but I you're okay with violence and not easily frightened (the Satan character was easily the most disturbing thing to me...)

it is an very interesting movie, great acting. A bit of humor (I noticed more than that one instance quarkhead but the bits were short lived and mostly dark humor)

Direction, effects, great film in general one can respect the work that went into it with no background in scripture whatsoever.

That said, I would strongly recommend familiarity with the basics of the Gospels before viewing. There is focus on the message of Jesus, but it only makes sense with foreknowledge of his message.

I have some theological issues and the table thing was cheesy if well acted (I thought kid demons thing was a good touch).

Go see it!!
Better than wasting time with some idiotic teen movie

Many of the reviews are unadulterated crap...

I saw Hidalgo last weekend. It was pretty good. I don't know if I would reccommend paying $9.50 to go see it, but it's a good renter. Especially if you enjoy watching Viggo (which I do), the chicks in this movie aren't particularly hot, and even Viggo - with his teeth when he smiles - ew. But the story is kinda interesting - a little bit of American history in the beginning - but then just sand everywhere. The horse isn't particularly endearing like other movie animals (Old Yeller, Free Willy, Horsewhisperer), but the chetah effects are awesome.

The story was interesting but predictable. Overall two thumbs up, but maybe only 3-1/2 out of 5 stars.

True, but I felt that the message was mostly peripheral. Of course, as I said before, this movie is not pretending to be anything other than a Passion play, in which the focus really is the suffering and death of Jesus, so I won't pan it for that fact. What I have a hard time believing is some peoples' opinion that the reason we "secularists" panned the movie was due to a fear that people would see it and get some religion. As you said, gleaning the message of Jesus from this movie is possible mainly if you are already familiar with it. I think "Jesus Christ, Superstar" is much more likely to win converts than "The Passion of the Christ." That said, I can see how this could be a moving film for some Christians.

Well, this isn't exactly "current" cinema, but I recently bought the DVD of "Kung Pow: Enter the Fist." I haven't laughed that hard since "Super Troopers." Anyone who is a fan of Hong Kong kung fu movies will appreciate this film. My favorite line? Our hero: "Killing is bad. Killing is also wrong. There should be a new word for killing - like... badong. Yes. Killing is badong." And our hero speaking to the master of the Crane School: "May I stay here and train with you?" "No. It is not possible." "Won't you please reconsider?" "mmm... OK."

I saw Hidago this past weekend also. Good Movie, but not nearly as good as the hype. I agree with perspective that it could wait until it becomes a rental or on TV. However, If you like a movie with sweeping landscapes you might want to go see it on the Big Screen.

It is funny that Perspective also pointed out one impression I took from the Movie. If the Movie was named for the Horse, shouldn't the Horse have played a bigger part?

Also saw Passion and to a point I have to agree with both sides. Yes the drama was great, but a bit overdone, but it added absolutely nothing to what I already knew.

Maybe religious teaching has changed, but what happened in the movie was really kinda what I expected.

The acting was excellent though.

Certainly. I wouldn't want to under-emphasize the periphery, however, it was an essential part of the film. I believe that was this thing that struck me most (remember I had read many of those horrid reviews beforehand and was searching for the things they complain about). It is not simply a "snuff flick" and a couple hours of torture, it is not vindictive in the least.

I have no earthly idea where they got the whole "revenge" nonsense from!


Definitely. I don't know what the reason was for many of the highly unfair reviews, and downright ridiculous commentary was, but I doubt fear of conversion was it.

I did have a place to debate just that...
"The Passion"- "Martyrdom Complex"?

Shameless plug over...

Did I mention just how much I condemn "Bad Santa"?

I swear I caught a glimpse of a cue card.

I saw the Passion and it filled me with gratitude, but it also left a permanent image on my heart, mind and soul. To me, it was the most accurate, brutally accurate portrayal of the cruxifiction. Just like the movies Shindler's List and Boy's don't cry, I recommend EVERYONE to see this movie, but it's one that I'll only see the one time.

Bad Santa wasn't that bad. I admit it was totally carried by Billy Bob Thorton but he's an amazing actor. If you're going to see a movie with Billy Bob Thorton movie you should see Sling Blade or the Man Who Wasn't There but not comparing it to his other work I don't see what was so bad about it.

For all you horror fans, has anybody seen May?. Very well done.

Just recently saw Hidalgo.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

While it will not win no awards, if you are looking for a fun movie to see with a good story I would recommend this movie.

Another good movie is a German import called;

Nowhere In Africa

It's a movie about Jewish refugees that flee from Nazi Germany to start a new life in Africa.

I set out to see The Passion of the Christ this evening, but ended up going to The Secret Window instead. Somehow the choice between Johhny Depp and the buckets of blood in Good Friday the Thirteenth didn't seem that difficult.

Anyway, I'd wait for the video release of this one. Depp is very good and as watchable as ever, but the movie was ridiculously predictable and, while well-paced and reasonably well-shot, with decent supporting performances, it remained - well, ridiculously predictable. One point in its favor, though: it didn't opt for the standard Hollywood ending for this type of thriller thing. No major plot twist in the denoument or anything, just a more likely, if less tidy resolution.

I saw Nowhere in Africa several months ago.
I thought it was an excellent movie. FYI: It's subtitled.

I saw Babette's Feast last night which is not a new movie, but it is now one of my favourites. It was heartwarming, and I laughed out loud and cried at the ending. This is one of those fantastic "food as it relates to human relationships" movies (ie. Like Water for Chocolate, Chocolat..) and also in this case "food as it relates to piety/sensuality". I like to call it food porn I don't recommend watching it on an empty stomach unless you have munchies. It will make you hungry.