Summer Movies What are you seeing

[olive]

I am looking forward to these 2 ( I'm in one of them!)

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[Dex]

Which film are you in, Olive?

Summer is actually kind of a dry time for me movie-wise. I'm just not in the demographic that seems to be targeted at that time of year. BUT:

Someone has to talk about how awesome Pixar's Monster University is going to be.

...

Right. OK. I have no idea how to post youtube videos. So just use your imagination and pretend the trailer is embedded here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onZe3gOhWkQ

Also, I'm curious about Joss Whedon's take on Much Ado About Nothing. Although Whedon hasn't done all that much of interest to me for the past few years. But, y'know, Shakespeare is Shakespeare. And it looks pretty neat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAMsDP_DMHE

[olive]

RIPD , they fim a lot in boston this will be number 6 for me 7 if i count that sandra bullok movie coming out but i don't care for her more so after working with her but not as bad as Ryan Reynolds we were told not to look at him jim carey was the same way except we were told if we looked at him and were not directly involved in the scene we'd be fired

Monsters University in on my list too

[Dex]

*highfives* for the Pixar love!

Yeesh, "don't even look at him."? Really!? I realize they probably need to do major creep-control on movie sets, but saying you'll be fired if you don't avert your gaze seems like a pretty dick move, and impossibly over-the-top. But what do I know? Totally not my industry, I guess.

[madeline]

I just got back from Iron Man 3 (Awesome movie) and they had a preview for Monster University. It looked pretty funny. I know I certainly loved Monsters Inc. I am also going to see Superman and Star Trek Into Darkness.

[Dex]

Ah yes! How long has it been since the first Star Trek film? I really enjoyed that one, but it feels like a long time ago, and my taste in movies has changed a lot in the past few years. I'll definitely be giving it a go either way, though.

[TrueFaith77]

All Pixar movies have the same stupid Finding Nemo plot. And they are all awful. Wall-E is probably my least favorite movie. of. all. time.

[Dex]

All Pixar movies have the same stupid Finding Nemo plot. And they are all awful. Wall-E is probably my least favorite movie. of. all. time.

Yikes! How many movies have you seen in your life? If Well-E is the one you like least, I'm inclined to think you've been pretty lucky in your exposure thus far. ;)

I totally get and respect disliking Pixar films. They're definitely not everyone's favourite flavour. But could you maybe go into a bit more detail on them all having the same plot? I just can't make sense of that comment at all, and I'm curious to hear more from you, as that's not a perspective I hear a lot. :)

[TrueFaith77]

Yikes! How many movies have you seen in your life? If Well-E is the one you like least, I'm inclined to think you've been pretty lucky in your exposure thus far. ;)

I totally get and respect disliking Pixar films. They're definitely not everyone's favourite flavour. But could you maybe go into a bit more detail on them all having the same plot? I just can't make sense of that comment at all, and I'm curious to hear more from you, as that's not a perspective I hear a lot. :)

Here were my comments from a thread in 2007 :laugh:



Yes. Wall-E is probably my worst movie-watching experience. Painful. It's all coming back to me like a wave of nausea:

1) the hype that the opening portion is a "silent film" (it's not a return to "silent" film aesthetics just because it's about "characters" that CAN'T talk--silent film is a medium without sound in a world where people CAN verbalize--so pantomime and images express their thoughts/feelings/voices/action/sound while the images in Wall-E EXPRESS nothing--just, literally, garbage; in fact, the movie RELIES--lazily, with no panache--on sound to provide exposition and to explain how/why the humans left Earth)

2) stealing the significance of the GREAT Hello, Dolly!--reducing it to just MORE garbage, cultural detritus, signifying nothing

3) the concept of "love" as programming/pathology rather than the complex progression of desire, projection, identification, selflessness, and spiritual longing in A.I.--in which Spielberg's visionary sci-fi milieu shows how this Desire is manifested in the culture (while Wall-E reduces culture to garbage)

4) the plant!!!! (for a movie whose entire plot hinges on the suitability of life on earth, how the f--- does that plant survive in cold, airless space?)

5) the little-boned fat future of man (the apocalyptic extension of the first half's emphasis on pathology)

6) the completely senseless narrative device of the contradictory directives that the space station computer receives from the same humans (it sends out plant probes but it also is directed to destroy any evidence that may lead to humans repopulating Earth--WTF!? who wrote this script?)

7) Then it turns into Finding Nemo--devolving into chase-scene mayhem, running around (from whom to where? wtf is going on??), without any of animation's (or silent film's!) legacy of chase-scene wit and legibility (see The Simpsons Movie or the films of Buster Keaton/Harold Lloyd, for a breadth of examples)

[Dex]

Thanks for that! You make a lot of good points here. Wall-E in particular is one of their films that did seem to tick off a lot of people. A lot you say about it is true. I still love it though.

Did that "silent film" hype come from within Pixar, or was that just a label that the media slapped on it? I wasn't aware of that when the movie came out. And I agree it's completely inaccurate here.

I do concede that Pixar does seem to go to the chase-scene-mayhem climax a lot in their films, and when I read your initial post, the chase scenes are what first came to my mind as something I can see as being repetitive. (Although I'm not sure Ratatouille and Up have any? I'll have to watch those again.) I still think that going from that point to suggesting that all their films have the same plot is a pretty big leap. But eh, ok. :)

And major kudos for the Hello Dolly love. Impeccable taste.

[TrueFaith77]

I haven't kept up on this summer's releases.

Here's a list:

21 Best Gay Films of the 21st Century (http://rateyourmusic.com/list/johndemetry/21_best_gay_films_of_the_21st_century/)
1. Raging Sun, Raging Sky (http://www.amazon.com/Raging-Sun-Sky-Javier-OlivÃ%C2%83¡n/dp/B0036FLDQG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1365730945&sr=8-2&keywords=raging+sun+raging+sky) (Julian Hernandez, 2009)
2. Broken Sky (http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Sky-Miguel-Angel-Hoppe/dp/B000KRN2KI/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365730971&sr=1-2&keywords=broken+sky) (Julian Hernandez, 2006)
3. The Witnesses (http://www.amazon.com/Witnesses-Emmanuelle-Béart/dp/B0016MXK9O/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365730994&sr=1-1&keywords=the+witnesses) (Andre Techine, 2008)
4. Son frere (http://www.amazon.com/Son-Frere-Bruno-Todeschini/dp/B000267776/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731031&sr=1-1&keywords=son+frere) (Patrice Chereau, 2004)
5. Unforgivable (http://www.amazon.com/Unforgivable-Andre-Dussollier/dp/B008XAT1A4/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731075&sr=1-1&keywords=unforgivable) (Andre Techine, 2012)
6. A Thousand Clouds of Peace (http://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Clouds-Peace-Carlos-Ortuño/dp/B0002VYOYK/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731055&sr=1-1&keywords=a+thousand+clouds+of+peace) (Julian Hernandez, 2004)
7. Yossi (http://www.amazon.com/Yossi/dp/B00B2DGYQS/ref=sr_1_4?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731098&sr=1-4&keywords=Yossi) (Eytan Fox, 2013)
8. Three Dancing Slaves (http://www.amazon.com/Three-Dancing-Slaves-Nicolas-Cazalé/dp/B000BR9RQK/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731185&sr=1-2&keywords=three+dancing+slaves) (Gael Morel, 2005)
9. My Life On Ice (http://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Ice-Ariane-Ascaride/dp/B0000CDL99/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731211&sr=1-1&keywords=my+life+on+ice) (Olivier Ducastel & Jacques Martineau, 2003)
10. Infamous (http://www.amazon.com/Infamous-Sigourney-Weaver/dp/B000M341SC/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731233&sr=1-2&keywords=infamous) (Douglas McGrath, 2006)
11. Garcon stupide (http://www.amazon.com/Garcon-Stupide-Pierre-Chatagny/dp/B000EMG93Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731251&sr=1-1&keywords=garcon+stupide) (Lionel Baier, 2005)
12. Time To Leave (http://www.amazon.com/Time-Leave-Melvil-Poupaud/dp/B000IHY9K2/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731271&sr=1-2&keywords=time+to+leave) (Francois Ozon, 2006)
13. Changing Times (http://www.amazon.com/Changing-Times-Catherine-Deneuve/dp/B000GNOH6O/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731296&sr=1-1&keywords=Changing+Times) (Andre Techine, 2005)
14. The Skinny (http://www.amazon.com/Skinny-Directors-Cut-Jussie-Smollett/dp/B00A3MBSPQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731315&sr=1-2&keywords=The+Skinny) (Patrik-Ian Polk, 2012)
15. Porn Theater (http://www.amazon.com/Porn-Theatre-Arben-Bajraktaraj/dp/B0001DCYGE/ref=sr_1_3?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731342&sr=1-3&keywords=porn+theater) (Jacques Nolot, 2003)
16. The Adventures of Felix (http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Felix-Sami-Bouajila/dp/B00005U2FI/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731366&sr=1-1&keywords=adventures+of+felix) (Olivier Ducastel & Jacques Martineau, 2001)
17. Bear Cub (http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Cub-Arno-Chevrier/dp/B0007XG0PO/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731392&sr=1-1&keywords=bear+cub) (Miguel Albaladejo, 2004)
18. I Love You Philip Morris (http://www.amazon.com/I-Love-You-Phillip-Morris/dp/B002ZG9800/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731415&sr=1-2&keywords=I+Love+You+Philip+Morris) (Glenn Ficcarra & John Requa, 2010)
19. Our Paradise (http://www.amazon.com/Our-Paradise-Stephane-Rideau/dp/B00AWQEK26/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731450&sr=1-1&keywords=Our+Paradise) (Gael Morel, 2013)
20. Of Time and the City (http://www.amazon.com/Time-City-Terence-Davies/dp/B001TH2DO4/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731475&sr=1-1&keywords=of+time+and+the+city) (Terence Davies, 2009)
21. Father and Son (http://www.amazon.com/Father-Son-Andrei-Shchetinin/dp/B0002V7OCE/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365731496&sr=1-1&keywords=Father+and+Son) (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2004)

hmmm

I'm thinking Kaboom (http://www.amazon.com/Kaboom-Haley-Bennett/dp/B004OBQDCK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1367884727&sr=8-4&keywords=kaboom) (Gregg Araki, 2011) belongs on there.

[TrueFaith77]

It's been an unusually great year for movies already! Here's my running ranking of favorites:

http://rateyourmusic.com/list/johndemetry/ten_best_movies_of_2013

AND

Here's the Top Ten Most Anticipated Movies of 2013:

1. Yo soy la felicidad de este mundo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQeuD4ep1s0) (Julian Hernandez)
2. Goodbye to Language 3D (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2400275/?ref_=sr_1) (Jean-Luc Godard)
3. Io e te (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgBnMLhcpUE) (Bernardo Bertolucci)
4. Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQeBjctS7ww) (Stephen Chow)
5. The Grandmaster (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKWXnNfAXfM) (Wong Kar-Wai)
6. The Last Sentence (http://vimeo.com/50360150) (Jan Troell)
7. You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw0eKOUJKwc)(Alain Resnais)
8. The Gardener (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY757gVjOgU) (Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
9. She's Funny That Way (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1767372/) (Peter Bogdanovich)
10. Byzantium (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SpCptfnMqU) (Neil Jordan)

Also two documentaries:

A Whole Lott More (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlfeQn_s4Fg) (Victor Buhler)
Cape Spin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcBB73eF7RY) (John Kirby)

[Dex]

Kaboom is worth seeing, then? Netflix keeps pushing me to watch it, and I just ignore it, because Netflix gay movies are almost invariably disastrous. Good to know.

I'd forgotten about The Grandmaster coming out this year! Wong Kar Wai is a favourite director of mine, but I have an irrational dislike of Zhang Ziyi (although she was ok in 2046), and its labelled as a "martial arts" film, which definitely isn't my genre. So... I'm just not sure about the whole thing. Will see it anyway though.

Your list makes me miss living closer to more cinemas, TrueFaith. It's a lot harder for me to stay current with film releases these days, unless I want to resort to illegal internet streaming, which I suppose would be ok, but I always find that unsatisfying. Oh well. I'm sure my local cinema will delight me with part 8 of Twilight or something.

Ghibli's new(ish) romantic drama From Up on Poppy Hilly is (finally) due to come out over here this summer, actually. I didn't know if it'd really count as a "summer movie" as it was released last month in the US. But either way, I'm terribly excited for it. I'm in the minority that likes Ghibli when it tells more small-scale human stories. And this one looks like it'll hit the sweet spot for me.

[TrueFaith77]

Kaboom is worth seeing, then? Netflix keeps pushing me to watch it, and I just ignore it, because Netflix gay movies are almost invariably disastrous. Good to know.

I'd forgotten about The Grandmaster coming out this year! Wong Kar Wai is a favourite director of mine, but I have an irrational dislike of Zhang Ziyi (although she was ok in 2046), and its labelled as a "martial arts" film, which definitely isn't my genre. So... I'm just not sure about the whole thing. Will see it anyway though.


Oh Yes. By all means. See Kaboom. Are you familiar with Gregg Araki's work? I love all his movies--except the truly dreadful Mysterious Skin. Kaboom might be in his top 3 for me (along with Nowhere and The Living End).

Wong is a favorite of mine as well. Glad you know and admire 2046, which I thought was terribly underrated. Because of Crouching Tiger, I had an irrational dislike of Zhang Ziyi as well, but she has won me over many times since then in The Road Home, Hero, 2046, Forever Enthralled.

[Dex]

Oh Yes. By all means. See Kaboom. Are you familiar with Gregg Araki's work? I love all his movies--except the truly dreadful Mysterious Skin. Kaboom might be in his top 3 for me (along with Nowhere and The Living End).

Wong is a favorite of mine as well. Glad you know and admire 2046, which I thought was terribly underrated. Because of Crouching Tiger, I had an irrational dislike of Zhang Ziyi as well, but she has won me over many times since then in The Road Home, Hero, 2046, Forever Enthralled.

Haha. Now unfortunately Mysterious Skin is the only Araki film I've actually seen. I think I liked it. Maybe. I actually never really formed an opinion on it. Might need to go back.

And looking at his filmography, I have a lot of catching up to do. Delving into a new director isn't something I've had the pleasure of doing for a long while, so thanks for the recommendations.

2046 is possibly my favourite movie of all time. Glad to see it has another fan here, as it does seem to be a select taste (I've just given up on recommending it to friends). Zhang Ziyi was probably my least favourite of the women in it. Something about her screen presence just puts me off for absolutely no good reason. But she's a damn good actress whether I like it or not. I should try and watch The Road Home, as I'm a big fan of Zhang Yimou's non-martial-arts stuff.

[TrueFaith77]

2046 is possibly my favourite movie of all time. Glad to see it has another fan here, as it does seem to be a select taste (I've just given up on recommending it to friends). Zhang Ziyi was probably my least favourite of the women in it. Something about her screen presence just puts me off for absolutely no good reason. But she's a damn good actress whether I like it or not. I should try and watch The Road Home, as I'm a big fan of Zhang Yimou's non-martial-arts stuff.

To put 2046 in context, another list :sorry:

Ten Best Movies of the 2000s
1. A.I. - Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001)
2. Femme Fatale (Brian De Palma, 2002)
3. Raging Sun, Raging Sky (Julian Hernandez, 2009)
4. Together (Chen Kaige, 2003)
5. Hero (Zhang Yimou, 2004)
6. Rachel Getting Married (Jonathan Demme, 2008)
7. The Witnesses (Andre Techine, 2008)
8. Vera Drake (Mike Leigh, 2004)
9. Kung Fu Hustle (Stephen Chow, 2005)
10. (tie) Son frere (Patrice Chereau, 2004)
10. (tie) 2046 (Wong Kar-Wai, 2005)

[Dex]

:laugh: I really envy you your ability to create lists like this. I used to love making those sorts of lists, but these days I find my positions change far too quickly for any attempt at it to really be meaningful. 2046 seems to be pretty constant at the top, though, no matter how many times I view it.

You have some great choices on here. I love that Chen Kaige gets some representation! Though I mostly know him for his 90s output. I have to say, I hated Hero. That's when I really went off Zhang Yimou. I love Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung in anything they do, and particularly as a couple, and the whole production was absolutely gorgeous, but... Just... Ack. So boring to me. But that's not really fair, since I've discovered martial arts films just aren't my bag. No fault of the film itself, I guess.

[TrueFaith77]

Here is my review of Hero: http://www.cinedrama.de/LFNY/lfny1.htm

Which was republished in my book: http://communityofdesire.wordpress.com/

[Dex]

That review really brilliantly demonstrates how much Zhang Yimou takes advantage of cinema as a storytelling medium. Do you think that's something we're seeing less of in more recent films, generally speaking? I'm not sure if I'm genuinely finding that, or if I've just been out of university for too long and have started to miss things.

ETA: Sorry for hijacking your thread, olive! :( Please feel free to take it back whenever you like.