What was the last movie you've seen?

[dsheinem]

Just like Birdman and Hurt Locker before it, The Reverent is pure Oscar bait.. But it's a nepotistic extravaganza that doesn't concern me even though I try to attend film festivals whenever I could (mostly lesser known films). The Academy's foreign nominees do grab my attention however.

What's nepotistic about it?

[ElkinFencer10]

I watched Fantastic Four last night. That movie was a piece of shit.

[Pulsar_t]

Just like Birdman and Hurt Locker before it, The Reverent is pure Oscar bait.. But it's a nepotistic extravaganza that doesn't concern me even though I try to attend film festivals whenever I could (mostly lesser known films). The Academy's foreign nominees do grab my attention however.

What's nepotistic about it?

I didn't mean nepotist in the classical sense.. More like, it's a big event and Hollywood politics play a significant role in picking nominations, as for the winners that procedure is beyond my humble means of conjecture. Luke isn't here to either back me up or refute me

[Thierry Henry]

The supernatural element aside, this is a generic and clichéd serial killer chase.
The great Sir Anthony Hopkins should have given this one a miss, and so should you.

[jp1]

Just like Birdman and Hurt Locker before it, The Reverent is pure Oscar bait.. But it's a nepotistic extravaganza that doesn't concern me even though I try to attend film festivals whenever I could (mostly lesser known films). The Academy's foreign nominees do grab my attention however.

What's nepotistic about it?

I didn't mean nepotist in the classical sense.. More like, it's a big event and Hollywood politics play a significant role in picking nominations, as for the winners that procedure is beyond my humble means of conjecture. Luke isn't here to either back me up or refute me

I tend to like independent and foreign films better as a general rule as well, but it seems kind of lame to discredit a movie just because it has a large budget. If you didn't like The Reverent, well that's understandable, but why not just state the actual reason why?

On cinematography alone it deserved an Oscar nod in my opinion. It wasn't my favorite film of the year, that nod probably goes to Beasts of No Nation, but it was pretty damn good. Of course that is all conjecture as well. I'll give you this, it did feel a little drawn out, perhaps even to an extant that it was pushing the envelope in order to seem more important than it really was. On the other hand...it was still good enough to keep me engaged from start to finish. From a pure entertainment and eye candy standpoint the movie was great. Content is more open to debate, assuming it was meant to make any statement at all.

The dream sequences with the wife were a bit much, if I have to give a criticism. It may have been an even better movie if they had a slightly lighter touch with those.

[Pulsar_t]

Hey I didn't say I didn't it, just not watched it yet. I enjoyed Birdman, whilst my fellow moviegoers groaned throughout the movie. Art is highly subjective.

[Ack]

Just like Birdman and Hurt Locker before it, The Reverent is pure Oscar bait.. But it's a nepotistic extravaganza that doesn't concern me even though I try to attend film festivals whenever I could (mostly lesser known films). The Academy's foreign nominees do grab my attention however.

What's nepotistic about it?

I didn't mean nepotist in the classical sense.. More like, it's a big event and Hollywood politics play a significant role in picking nominations, as for the winners that procedure is beyond my humble means of conjecture. Luke isn't here to either back me up or refute me

There are other people on this forum with a relationship with the Academy. They just don't talk about it.

[dsheinem]

Saw Spotlight last night. That one is a tough watch in many ways, but a well crafted and acted film all around. Well worth your time...

[Ack]

An American in Paris

Now that we're in the midst of Hollywood's award season, I figured I would go back to watch an award-winning classic An American in Paris is a musical masterpiece from Gene Kelly and Vincente Minnelli that stars Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guetary, and Nina Foch. The plot focuses on Kelly, an American painter living in Paris, whom is taken under the patronage of Nina Foch's character while falling in love with Leslie Caron. Unfortunately, Caron is already engaged to Guetary, whom Kelly knows but is unaware of the connection. The movie culminates in a 17 minute ballet, which is arguably the most recognizable component of the film. An American in Paris is beautifully choreographed(with Caron's ballet technique and ability absolutely stunning) and, while dated in some aspects, is still quite playful and modern in many others.

Of particular note to me in the movie was the banter between Kelly, Levant, and Guetary, a few friends who share laughs and advice, but it is Levant's comic performance that really shines the most to me. The emotion and attitudes he manages to convey in the background of one scene using only coffee and cigarettes is genius, and even if you were to dislike musicals, I would recommend the movie solely based on him.

That said, the film isn't without problems, perhaps most notably in how we view flirting versus how it was viewed in the 1950s. At the time, Kelly's actions were likely considered ok. Nowadays we'd call him a stalker. This is the only real criticism I have of the film, and I realize it's one that is the product of changing times and evolving culture. But it is definitely something to notice.

Still, I found I enjoyed the movie significantly more than I expected myself to. If you like classic musicals, dance numbers, combinations of tap dancing and ballet, and marvelous comedic performances...check it out.

[fastbilly1]

I watched A*P*E over the weekend. You know the one:

Or better yet:

Minus the Dan Gi

I wanted to see if the movie was better than the helicopter scene. Nope that is the best part. It is an average monster movie at best, and will forever be known for that one scene.