Rented Movies Lately?
 

I am a Netflix DVD whore. I just wanted to have a little thread to let us know what you've been watching on home video. Feel free to discuss films peeps post on in greater detail.

Ratings:
* - hated it!
** - didn't like it
*** - liked it
**** - really liked it
***** - loved it!

here's some recent films I've seen:

Choking Man
****

The Fall
**

Outsourced
****

Snow Angels
***

Penelope
****

Son of Rambow
****

Children of Heaven
*****

The Color of Paradise
*****

El Bola
*****

Just recently rented:

Kingdom of Heaven....not groundbreaking, but entertaining

Last of the Mohicans...Renee had never seen. It's such a beautiful movie.

Short Circuit....Johnny 5 is alive! hahaha

The Last Samurai....ok, I dislike Tom Cruise, but this movie is great.

The Prodigy...without a doubt, one of the WORST movies ever made.

Sex & The City...Renee cried. Twice. I never liked the show, but the movie was ok.

I rented recently:

The Incredible Universe -- NOVA -- String Theory
A poor popular documentary on the advent of string theory among physicists, filled with a lot of tawdry graphics that clarify very little, & a lot of physicist sound bits that clarify even less. The narrator, Brian Greene, annoys within minutes.

Les Enfants Terribles
Melville's best film, in my opinion -- but maybe that's my idolatry of Cocteau showing.

Did you see 'The Dreamers' by Bernardo Bertolucci, which is a homage to Les Enfants Terribles?
Holy Terrors
Holy Innocents

I just joined NetFlix. We'll see how that works out. . .

As for Iranian films, if you enjoy them, I really recommend the movies of Mohsen Makhmalbaf. His best film is A Moment of Innocence -- one of the key films of the 90s. Lovers of music should also check out his movie The Silence. Anyway, I was totally obsessed with his stuff when I was in college back in the 20th Century, but he's held up compared with Abbas Kiorastami who just does nothing for me now.

I've been a member for a few years now, you'll love it.

I enjoy good films, regardless of the country of origin. Meaning, I don't seek out films based on a country.

Thanks for the recommendation! I have indeed seen 'A Moment of Innocence' and it was interesting, but a bit meandering. I have not seen 'The Silence' as I have heard such terrible things about it, so I keep hesitating. I will give it a go though and report back.

Majid Majidi is an amazing storyteller with so much heart. I just added 'Baran' to my Netflix queue.

Since you're a NewYorker and loved 'A Moment of Innocence', have you seen 'Choking Man' yet? I think you may like it.

It looks to me more an autobiographic homage to his youth and all the cinema that he loved, from Jules et Jim to Shock Corridor, from Blonde Venus to Bande à part. The lens he used though is too soft to leave much more than an exercise of style. Anyway, it was way better than Besieged.

Romy

One of the great "international" films I've ever seen was "Jinnah" about the leader of Pakistan. Christopher Lee was Oscar worthy.

I'm pretty sure Bertolucci said in his commentary on the DVD that it was indeed a homage to Les Enfants Terribles, but my memory is fuzzy as to his exact words. I'll have to listen again.



Recent Viewings:

Dan in Real Life
****

Miss Firecracker
***

The Bridges Of Madison County *****

Spriderwick Cronicles *****

Mimzy ***

Stardust *****

Those are the ones i can think of off hand , I watch more kid movies having a child .When i am alone , I'll watch an old romance move or a new one . ;)

I love this movie even though DeNiro was a complete miscast.

Ratings:
* - hated it!
** - didn't like it
*** - liked it
**** - really liked it
***** - loved it!

***** - Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains

***** - The Big Lebowski

**1/2 - Resident Evil (though I very much admire the director, Paul W.S. Anderson, and even LOVED his most recent movie Death Race)

The Visitor - (I enjoyed McCarthy's second film very much. I still prefer The Station Agent more.)
****

Mrs. Brown
***

No Reservations - (ugh, what crap. chick flick for sure, but I just wanted to see Zeta-Jones)
**

The Happening...disappointing at the end. Shamaylan (sp?) needs to give up his one trick pony.

Tortoise VS. Hare...Umm, well, visually entertaining; like Finding Nemo or Toy Story...but boring!

Clue...haha...I'd seen it years before. My favorite line is still when Michael McKean says "Mrs Peacock was a MAN?!" and then gets slapped. hahaha. Amazing.

Life As A House....i liked the idea of it, the followthru was just a bit of a letdown. Lots of stuff going on in the movie that in the end seemed pointless. Lots of unresolved buildup as well...but I guess thats how life really is isnt it?