Need New Movie + Video Suggestions

[Roy Hersh]

Last night I saw a strange one that was unique on IFC: Sorry, Haters with Robin Wright-Penn. Very well done and the majority of the movie kept me searching for answers.

[Eric Menchen]

Invictus - Watched this one this weekend. It's amazing that Clint Eastwood can keep cranking out movies of this quality with the variety he has made in recent years.

[Roy Hersh]

Loved Invictus. Great performances by Damon and especially the perfect pick look-alike, as Mandela: Morgan Freeman

[Roy Hersh]

Salt on your popcorn ... good
Salt in your wound ... not good
Salt on the big screen ... save your money!

[Roy Hersh]

Entre Nos - a fine and touching film ... that's not for everybody's tastes. But solid writing, acting, directing and plot lines. Rewarding too.

[Roy Hersh]

Has everyone given up on movies?

[Eric Menchen]

Has everyone given up on movies?

For the summer, yes. Too many evenings spent on the deck, out walking around, or flying to catch the sunset. But soon the fireplace will be aglow, a bottle of Port will be open, and we'll curl up on the couch for a movie.

My Netflix queue has been empty for at least a month. I really should have suspended it.

[Peter W. Meek]

We're still showing a movie every Monday evening (with a second "late show" for someone who is trying to catch up on classic movies that he has never seen). I wouldn't mind some suggestions from adults on classic movie lists. All the lists I have found are heavily biased by the fact that young people heavily outweigh adults on the internet. I mean -- is Toy Story the greatest movie of all time? It seems to be at the top of a lot of "Best 100" lists.

Trouble is, there haven't been any titles that really stood out in our Monday Night At The Movies schedule. We just watched Ocean's Eleven and will watch Ocean's Thirteen next Monday. During the week, Eva and I also watched Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's 11 (the original, with the Rat Pack). You asked for recommendations, and these don't really fall into that category. They are fun enough, and the contrast between "Eleven" and "11" is interesting, but recommend or suggest? Not really.

I have the second of the "Girl who..." movies coming in next week, plus Iron Man 2; Toy Story 3 comes out soon. Recent arrivals include a couple of Shaw Brothers Chinese martial arts/comedies: My Young Auntie and Come Drink With Me which are definitely an acquired taste -- Eva won't watch them with me, so they are my own late show after Eva has retired. I'll be able to review any of these for anyone interested.

[Roy Hersh]

I hadn't seen Meet Joe Black since it arrived on screen a dozen years ago. Whether you like the film or not, there is nothing as entrancing as the beauty of Claire Forlani as Susan Parrish, Anthony Hopkins' daughter in the film.

[Derek T.]

there is nothing as entrancing as the beauty of Claire Forlani as Susan Parrish, Anthony Hopkins' daughter in the film.

[John M.]

If you have an artistic bent and like movies that you can talk about go see Catfish (if you can find it--very limited release). Don't see/read any trailers so you can enjoy how it unfolds.

It's a documentary style movie.

[Roy Hersh]

Although a bit depressing, the bad choices in life made by the character portrayed by Michael Douglas in SOLITARY MAN, made for an interesting viewing last night.

[Roy Hersh]

Little Children = solid A

[Jay Powers]

The classic samurai films have been covered already (Seven Samurai, Cushingura, etc.), but here are a one older one and newer one that I have really enjoyed. Watch everything below in the original language with subtitles (my wife hates that, but it’s so much better)!

Genre: Foreign, Japanese, Samurai
Title: Harikiri (kobayashi, 1964)
Comment: Recently re-released as a part of the Criteria Collection, it’s a tale of both honor and it’s opposite, with great acting by the lead and a climactic ending to rival anything out there. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.

Genre: Foreign, Japanese, Samurai
Title: Love and Honor (Yamada, 2008?)
Comment: A love story, which happens to have samurai in it. Beautifully filmed.

Then on a less serious note:

Genre: Foreign, Japanese
Title: Lady Snowblood
Comment: Watch it just for Meiko Kaji…nothing more need be said!

Moving away from samurai then:

Genre: Foreign, French, Horror
Title: Frontiers
Comment: As wacked out and intense a horror movie ever made. The recent horror put out by the French puts anything made in the US to shame.

Genre: Foreign, French, Horror/suspense
Title: Martyrs
Comment: More of a psychological thriller, very intense

Moving on to Korea

Genre: Drama, Korea
Title: Park Chan-Wook’s vengeance trilogy (Sympathy for Ms. Vengeance, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Oldboy)
Comment: Intense drama from Korea, extremely violent, but extremely good. I would put Park as one of the best directors anywhere in the past decade, period.

Genre: French, drama/gangster
Title: A Prophet
Comment: Chronicles a street punks rise to power, taking place mostly in a prison. Lots of dialogue, less action, but powerful.

And one more:

Genre: hard to say
Title: Love Exposure (Sono Sion)
Comment: At it's heart this is a love story, four hours of Sion's unusual take on life.

Jay

[Andy Velebil]

Jay,
How have you been? Hope all is well and you've been getting in at least a little Port drinking these days.

[Jay Powers]

Hi Andy, hope all is well with you!

I get some port drinking in now and then. Right now I have a 2000 Quinta do Canais open, and last night opened a couple of Douro reds (2005 Qunita do Crasto Reserva and 2006 Quinta do Vale Donna Maria) for Halloween guests. But the world of wine is big, and as I get older and more experienced I keep finding new types of wine to drink that I never knew I liked.

Like Roy, I have almost as many films as bottles, and a big stack of films still waiting to watch for the first time. So I do get a chance to drink some port (while I'm watching said films), but not much time to write about it!

Jay

[Peter W. Meek]

I am reloading my system. Out of about 1400 movies, nearly 1000 got erased when two hard disks failed simultaneously. Since then I have probably bought at least 100 more DVDs.

I have begun reloading all the "lost" films (2 at a time; 20-40 minutes to load) so I will be taking a good look at my collection (or at least most of it). If I come across any that I recall as being especially good, I will mention them here.

[Eric Menchen]

I am reloading my system.

What are you using to serve all those up? If a PC, with what software? I rejected Windows Media Center a long time ago. I recently tried XBMC and Media Portal, and didn't find them as configurable as I wanted. I'm trying Meedios now, as I used to be a pretty happy Meedio user, but corresponding to being configurable, it also is more complicated.

[Peter W. Meek]

I am reloading my system.

What are you using to serve all those up? If a PC, with what software? I rejected Windows Media Center a long time ago. I recently tried XBMC and Media Portal, and didn't find them as configurable as I wanted. I'm trying Meedios now, as I used to be a pretty happy Meedio user, but corresponding to being configurable, it also is more complicated.

I have a system called Kaleidescape. It is integrated with my smart-house system and can deliver any movie DVD or music CD to any room in the house and as many as five different movies at a time. It has about 15 TeraBytes of mirrored hard drives and a fancy indexing system.

Downside is that it's fairly pricey. (For instance, nearly $1k for for a single TB replacement drive - specially formatted and in a proprietary mount - that you could buy for $100 elsewhere. Also requires expensive technicians for any major changes.)

[Roy Hersh]

Peter,

I was hoping you were still around and would post again. I realize you are not as active anymore here but it is very good to still see you with us. Any chance for another offline this coming Dec? I would enjoy being with your group again and of course, seeing you and Eva. I might even convince my wife to join us as she loved the restaurant! Hope all is well with you.