Recently watched movies!

[lhb412]

Watched another disc of my Laurel and Hardy box set. The Bohemian Girl is one of the lesser feature films the boys made in their heyday, but thankfully the short films here were them at their peak, including Tit For Tat, which is one of my favorite shorts and the first thing of theirs I ever saw (I still think it might be TCM's "go to" L&H short).

[Ernesth100]

Kick Ass 2
Frozen
Polgasari(half of it atleast)

I reccomend them all.

[eabaker]

Taken me awhile to write this, because it's been a busy week at work, and it might take me a few minutes to get it all down, so let's take ourselves back in time a few days...

This one may run a little long, because I have a lot of history with the movie, but, on Sunday, I did something I (surprising as this fact is, even to myself) hadn't done in over ten years... I watched Clerks, one of my favorite movies of all time, one of the movies that convinced me I could make movies myself (though, in proper Dante Hicks fashion, I am still held back by my own lack of initiative).

Why had it been so long? I mean, we're talking about one of the small handful of movies I've watched more times than any others. The only movies I can say for certain I've seen more times are the original Star Wars trilogy (not inappropriate), although Return of the Living Dead, Halloween and Planet of the Apes all rank right up there as well.

But, of course, some of those movies pre-date my life, and none of them were released later than 1985 - the year I turned 6. Clerks didn't come out until 1994, and I didn't see it until 1996 (sometime before my 17th birthday). Add in the fact that, as I said, I went over ten years without watching it prior to last weekend, and that means that I managed to watch it that huge number of times in a span of just about n8 years, and, honestly, the majority of those viewings were within about the first year and a half after I intitially saw it.

You see, Clerks is a movie that I used to binge watch. Seriously. Hard-core. For the first few weeks after I initially saw it, I estimate that I watched it, on average, 5 times every three days (about 1 2/3 times per day). I'd wake up and watch a bit of it as I ate breakfast and got ready for school, then I'd come home for lunch and watch some more, then I'd get home and watch it until my parents got home, and then, when they went to bed, I'd watch it until I was ready to go to sleep myself. Every time I got to the end, I'd rewind it and start again. This was almost constant. For weeks.

Eventually I slowed down. It became more like once every few days, maybe once a week, then once a month or so, and finally it just became a movie in my usual rotation in college, something I'd watch roughly as often as any of my other favorites. But I'd banked a LOT of viewings in those early weeks and months. I knew that movie inside out, and my best friends in high school were the same way; among me and my friends Scott and Chuck, we could perform the whole movie, word for word, off the tops of our heads.

So, college ended, and I ended up living with roommates who were fellow film school grads and movie fanatics. We all had massive DVD collections (and, at the time, still a halfway decent amount of stuff on VHS), and that meant we all had many, many things that the others had never seen (neither of them would even have any Godzilla movies in their collections if it weren't for my audience, and one of them ended up a big ol' Hedorah fanatic), so any time we were gonna watch a movie (which was probably about 15 times a week), it was a process of whittling down from dozens of possibilities to find one thing that everybody was interested in, and almost always something that at least one of us hadn't seen - we were a resource to each other, a means of discovering new avenues. And we were all pretty well versed in Kevin Smith's body of work, naturally, so what reason was there to ever even suggest watching Clerks? And when I was watching movies on my own, well, jeez, as I was now earning pretty good money, my movie collection was constantly growing; there were always new discs I hadn't watched yet, movies I either hadn't seen, or had only seen years earlier, or new obsessions that I could indulge. My first priority was just about anything besides watching a movie I knew so well I could quote whole scenes verbatim off the top of my head.

Then, of course, along came Jenn, the love of my life. And she's a movie fanatic, too. And it's been the same deal: she wants to show me things I've never seen, and I want to show her things she's never seen (including, as many of you know, working our way through Toho's kaiju history - at this point, the only three she hasn't seen are the three most recent ones, and we're gonna get through those before LPG comes out). And when we do watch something we're both already familiar with, it's generally something that is a huge favorite of both of ours (such as a Star Wars movie). Jenn likes Kevin Smith's early stuff alright, but Clerks was never anything especially special to her, so it just hasn't been something we've bothered to put in together. I only really watch movies without her on weekends when she has school, which is only 6 weekends per semester, which means that I basically only watch 3 or 4 movies a month without her, so that time is almost always dedicated to stuff I either haven't seen before, or haven't seen very many times.

(Random side note: in the years since I watched the movie last, I've had two sitings of cast members. I was waiting for a plane at Burbank Airport with producer/editor/various-part-player Scott Mosier one time, and let him know I recognized him and was a fan; and I saw Marilyn Ghigliotti [Veronica] working as a photoghrapher at an event a couple of years back, but didn't want to bother her while she was doing her job.)

But then, last Saturday night, Jenn brought up the fact that we hadn't watched our blu-ray of Dazed and Confused yet, and she was a little nervous, because she'd loved the movie so much when she was younger, and she was afraid that, revisiting it as an adult, it might not have the same impact on her. And I mentioned that I'd had the same concern about Clerks. My tastes have changed. I've changed.

The next day, while she was at school, I was getting ready to do the dishes, and decided to throw on the Clerks soundtrack while I did so. And, after listening to it, I had to watch the movie. HAD to. There was no fighting the impulse.

And I am pleased to say that my love of the movie had not faded. Nothing in it came back as a surprise, nor was there anything I hadn't seen before. It was almost as if the ten year gap hadn't even happened. I was just hanging out with my buddies Dante and Randal again. Okay, when I first saw the movie, they were "adults" and I was a "kid," and now they look and sound shockingly young, but, still, it's Dante and Randal. And Jay and Bob. I talked along with parts of it, but at key emotional moments, I went silent, I took it in. It was as familiar as ever, and it was as engaging as ever.

And then it ended. And I was on cloud nine. And I wanted to watch it again.

I couldn't. I didn't have time, and I had stuff to do. But the urge... oh, the urge... It was like being 17 again, and feeling like I could just watch that movie - hang out with my friends Dante, Randal, Jay, Bob, Veronica, and Willam - all day long, until I passed out.

Why? I'd never asked myself that before. Why is this a movie that I would compulsively watch and then start over again, and again, and again?

I mean, there are a lot of clear reasons why I took to it so much. Seeing people in a movie who talked obsessively about Star Wars the way that my friends and I did - back before geek chic made it acceptable to do so with anybody, anytime, anywhere - was a revelation. Seeing a character who suffered the same paralyzing fear of taking risks, to the point of letting his intelligence and talents completely go to waste, deeply spoke to me (though, as I alluded above, I still haven’t managed to actually fix that problem in myself). But, honestly, there are other movies that have had a comparable impact on me, and none of them inspire that same very specific urge to watch it again right away almost every single time.

So, what is it that makes me want to watch it again without taking so much as a breath?

I think I’ve finally nailed it down.

It’s about the last five seconds of the movie. (There be spoilers in these waters.) After Randal has walked out the door, he pops back in, throws the “I assure you we’re open” sign at Dante and says, “You’re closed,” Dante smiles and starts to walk away, the music comes up, cut to credits… and I am on such a high, like at no other point in the movie, right there. The last 90 minutes have built up so much, and it all peaks right there, and the feeling of connection, joy, and possibility is fantastic… for five seconds… and it’s all over.

And I need it back. I need to sustain that feeling. I need to get there.

I’m chasing the dragon. I’m addicted to the feeling that the last five seconds of Clerks inspires in me. And it’s a true addiction. I can quit it for years, but when I taste it again, just once, it’s as strong as it ever was.

My name is Evan, and I’m a Clerksaholic.

[lhb412]

[jellydonut25]

I get that with music especially myself. There are certain songs that I so strongly associate with a moment, I can transport myself to that time with a listen.

[eabaker]

[lhb412]

Zatoichi's Vengeance

Ichi meets a dying guy on the road with a last request for Ichi. This happens to him a lot.

This series was a well oiled machine at this point, and they know the importance of sticking to the a satisfying formula while making each movie distinctive. The two distinctive factors here are: 1) a completely awesome plan by the bad guys to fight Ichi with sound, leading to a fight where they use both swords and drums to battle Ichi (in my opinion one of the enduring images of the series), and 2) Ichi's reluctance to use violence against the bad guys because of a little boy who idolizes him. A blind priest becomes Ichi's conscience and they discuss the very real struggle between doing what has to be done and perpetuating the cycle of violence. No easy answers are given: as always, Ichi walks into the sunset at the end victorious but conflicted and melancholy.

[Dr Kain]

Bunraku - A friend brought this over today and it was pretty good. It is a mix between spaghetti western and martial arts samurai films with a nice stylistic look and feel to it. The choreography was great and I really loved the music in the movie. Both Josh Hartnett and Gackt did a great job with their characters, but Ron Perlman and Woody Harrelson stole the show. Of course, my favorite character is Killer #2 as he was just down right bad ass with his British accent and all. If you are a fan of Kill Bill, I definitely recommend it as it kind of gave me a feel that was mixed between that and Kitamura's movies. Sure, it isn't as good as Kill Bill, but it has that sense of influence from it. Overall, I give it a 7/10.

[Destroysall]

So finally bit the bullet and saw the latest rendition of Robocop. The movie made a lot of the pre-production material we heard and saw much more clear, especially the concept of him having his hand retained. I actually loved the idea as the film went on. Now as for the film itself, I felt like it was too rushed. The character development was really done horribly. There just wasn't that same depth being conveyed as the original had done. I don't want to compare the two films, because they really are different in many aspects. I just felt like everything was so quick and nothing wasn't ever fully established. Maybe they did cut a lot, who knows? Maybe the DVD release will prove to be better? I hope so. As it is, I give it 3 stars out of 5. It's not bad; it touched a lot of great concepts; but I wish it took its time.

[Russzilla]

Watched How to Train Your Dragon with the wife and grandkids for the first time. I actually liked it so much, I'm looking forward to the sequel here in a few months.

[Ernesth100]

Palsagari- I did not at all get the ending to this movie but it was much better than I thought it'd be!

[lhb412]

Zatoichi's Pilgrimage

They wanted a shake things up with this one with a plot revolving around Ichi going on a religious pilgrimage to pray for the souls of those he killed. The studio put the kibosh on messing with the formula too much, so that ends up just being the opening of this movie - but what a cool opening!

Anyway, even with a mandate to not deviate from the traditional Zatoichi brand you can still tell there was an effort to spice things up by really polishing everything in the film: the characters, the script, the visuals, and direction are all especially sharp here. These films tend to have a pretty traditionally Japanese feel, but here you sense a more Western (as in Europe/America) influence, particularly from... Westerns (as in cowboy movies). Its obvious that some Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah have been watched, and the basic plot of the villagers taking advantage of Ichi to fight their battles for them while offering no help is lifted from High Noon.

Excellent entry into the series.

[MekaGojira3k]

Watched The Matrix Revolutions. I dunno, I don't really hate it as much as some people. Between this and Reloaded are still bits and pieces from the original that I like. There's some cool stuff, the problem is that there's not much else. I think The Matrix was at least partially as shallow in that it really was preoccupied with being cool, but I think the Wachowski's spent a lot of time preparing the Matrix, and so little time for the sequels. I think the worst parts are the scenes set in the real world,
the ladyfriend (who had only seen the first film) said she had been interested in seeing the resistance, at least until she watched Reloaded and saw that it was lame.

[lhb412]

Zatoichi's Cane Sword

I'm running out of superlatives here. The setup for this one is killer: turns out Zatoichi's cane sword was forged by a master swordsman (again, playing with backstory to suit the film, since we've had no inkling of this before and Ichi's actually been through a couple of swords at this point) and when said swordsman's protege takes a look at it he gives the sad diagnosis that it has a hairline crack and is only good for one more kill before shattering. Ichi decides that it's time to give up his wandering and get a straight job (he is a trained masseur, after all) but pretty soon it becomes evident that bad guys are on the cusp of completely crushing this town. Ichi knows it's time to unsheathe his sword - but if it's only good for one kill he'll have to use it wisely!

[Dr Kain]

The Wind Rises - Miyazaki has always been an oddball for me. His movies tend to be great, but at the same time, they have a habit of being to convoluted for my taste. Even my favorite movie, Princess Mononoke can get way to complicated for its own good in the long run. Sometimes it might just be that the movies do not translate well into English, or the lack of knowing everything in Japanese to culture to truly understand them. Either way, I sometimes find it hard to sit through his works if I am not in the right mood for them. Nevertheless, The Wind Rises is probably the finest work I have ever seen from Miyazaki. The movie sounds simple, as it is about a man who wants to create the greatest airplane Japan has ever seen, but its execution is done with finesse and radiant brilliance. There are so many complications to be found here as it shows the struggles of how difficult it was to make a plane that actually works well along with the suspense of knowing what is bound to become of these planes. The movie tells an incredible tale of a man who seems very serious on the outside, but the imaginations of a genius on the inside. One of the best things about this movie is that Miyazaki does not hold back and creates a serious realistic movie that not only feels different because it is set in the modern world, but also because there are moments where it seems to relate to Miyazaki's own career and his newly announced retirement. The only piece I can fault the movie for is in its pacing, as there are some moments when the movie did drag, but other than that, this gorgeous story is a fantastic send-off for the man that also showcases a side of Japan rarely seen before in cinema, if at all. Overall, I give this movie a 9/10 stars.

[lhb412]

Zatoichi the Outlaw

One of the very, very best! And one of the biggest: what would usually be the ending of a Zatoichi film happens halfway through, and from that point on the movie opens up, making for a much more sprawling story than is usual. It's a more complex story, one with a greater cast of fleshed-out characters, they dig into the themes of the franchise and present them into a more raw and forceful way (especially the blue-collar political underpinnings), the violence is bloodier and rougher, there's twice the cool set pieces that are the series trademark - it feels like epic Zatoichi.

It's also the first film under star Shintaro Katsu's production company, taking charge behind the scenes from this point forward. I suppose there was an urgency to deliver a strong entry right out of the gate, and that's certainly the case.

Oh, and we finally get Ichi's theme song!

[Dr Kain]

Goodfellas - This movie is so good and is still Scorsese's best work. The characters are great, the acting is top notch, and the story is well done and extremely interesting. Joe Pesci does get annoying at times even though that is the point of his character. Deniro is great, but I definitely think Liotta is easily the best thing of the movie. I love the scene when Ray's character and his girlfriend are walking through the restaurant from the kitchen with the camera just following them as they god along. That might be my favorite moment in the movie. I also love the scene though when Deniro is interrogating people for buy a new car and a coat after the big heist. Overall, I give this movie a great 9/10.

[klen7]

[Dr Kain]

The Thing - There is nothing more to say about this movie I haven't said already. My favorite Carpenter movie. 9/10.

[lhb412]

The Wind Rises

Wonderful, beautiful film. We'll be unwrapping this one for ages to come: it's almost too perfect to read details of Miyazaki into this character. Should we condemn Jiro for creating implements of death when all he wanted to do was create 'beautiful dreams' ? To what extent are all of us complacent in the consequences of our actions?

... only somewhat dampened by the fact I seem to be catching a cold. I hate colds.

[Hybrid Gojira]

[jellydonut25]

American Hustle - great stuff. Everyone in the movie is awesome, and it's one of the few movies I've seen that really successfully blends comedy and drama. I'm pulling for this movie, personally.

Philomena - kinda meh. Dench is absolutely fantastic but honestly, I checked out/fell asleep twice before finally watching the whole thing, and it's not that long.

12 Years a Slave - it's good. Fassbender is stellar, and Egefor (sp?) is great, but it felt a touch anti-climactic, and I think it kinda needed to set up its historical context a little bit more. For example, it was only after the film when I started looking into it more that I realized that in the early 1800s the importation of new slaves was outlawed and so this whole notion of kidnapping free men and forcing them into the identity of runaways and/or dead individuals became a thing...and honestly, MAYBE I should have known my American History better, but come on, ask the average American if they knew that. So, ultimately, it's a well-acted movie, but I didn't think it was spectacularly MADE, if that makes sense.

Wolf of Wall Street - Good, but I think it falls short of being great. 3 hrs long and I feel like other than Jordan Belfort, the characters were ALL pretty one-dimensional...and you know, maybe that's fine for some of these people that Belfort knew and really were shallow people, but it's a 3 hr movie and I couldn't get more background into the FBI agent, who would have been the only really likable character in the movie? I dunno...I felt like this didn't need to be 3 hrs. Granted, it actually didn't feel like 3 hrs, but there were certainly parts that dragged, and for a 3 hr movie, they could EASILY have been cut with no detriment to the film itself.
Certainly was funny to watch this movie and laugh to myself thinking, "There were people out there who thought this movie was CONDONING this stuff?" It's a pretty obvious indictment of Belfort and his attitudes.

[XvGojira]

[Dr Kain]

[lhb412]

Zatoichi Challenged

A dying woman tells Ichi to take her child to meet his long lost father in another town (second time this has happened to Ichi!). The boy's father is an artist held captive and forced to make illegal erotic art to be put on extremely high-class pottery (yes, a luxury pornography ring). It ends with one of the most beautiful one-on-one battles in the series' history. Great Ifukube score, too.