Saw CW Park's vengeance trilogy and LOVED it! Mr. Vengeance was my favorite, I think. Just moving on all levels. This film really took me through all of the emotions and at the end I achieved just what the title seemed to suggest for all involved. Superb acting as well.
Oldboy was great as well, although Netflix had a dubbed version, which really took away from the experience for me for some reason. I don't mind a movie that is dubbed well (like the original One Missed Call), but the dubbing seemed off for some reason. Still, it did not ruin the film for me too much. This is def my second favorite of the three. I wonder if it would have been first had I seen a subtitled version. Very clever twist at the end that I was not expecting. I like how he experimented with a different style in this film and didn't just make it the same as SFMV. This almost reminded me of a live action anime.
My third favorite was Lady Vengeance. Not that I liked it much less than the others, but it didn't move me as much. Well, until the end. I have to say that the movie itself was a little less interesting for me throughout, but he vengeance scene was the most intense. It seemed to drag on a little long, but the scenes at the end were still necessary so I don't know what I would cut to make it shorter.
Def check these movies out.
What was the last movie you've seen?
Re: What was the last movie you've seen?
Europa (1991) by Lars von Trier - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101829/
"You will now listen to my voice. My voice will help you, and guide you still deeper into Europa. Every time you hear my voice, with every word and every number, you will enter a still deeper layer, open, relaxed and receptive. I shall now count from one to ten. On the count of ten, you will be in Europa. I say; One, and as you focus your attention entirely on my voice you will slowly begin to relax. Two, your hands and your fingers are getting warmer and heavier. Three, the warmth is spreading through your arms, to your shoulders and your neck. Four, your feet and your legs feel heavier. Five, the warmth is spreading to the whole of your body. On six I want you to go deeper. I say; Six, and the whole of your relaxed body is beginning to sink. Seven, you go deeper and deeper and deeper. Eight, on every breath you take, you go deeper. Nine, you are floating. On the mental count of ten, you will be in Europa. Be there at ten. I say; Ten."
And on the narrators command we are transported into Europa; Lars von Trier's dark and brooding film noir masterpiece that deals with themes of guilt and manipulation in post-war Germany. The protagonist is Leopold Kessler, an idealistic American of German descent who has come to Germany to work with his uncle as a first-class sleeping-car conductor. There he meets and is seduced by a strikingly beautiful young woman named Katharina, whose father owns the rail company Leopold now works for. As he is drawn into Katharina's world he encounters the problems Germany is trying to face; a sense of national guilt over their countries actions during the war, a dark depression settling on Germany's national psyche and the realities of living in an occupied and defeated country. The occupiers, meanwhile, concern themselves with administering tests to determine German citizens culpability in Nazi actions during the war, and dealing with the insurgence threat of the Werwolf (a group of commandos and Nazi sympathisers set on sabotaging Allied interests). But as Germany faces it's past, so must Katharina, admitting to the now smitten Leopold that she used to be a member of the dreaded Werwolf group.
In a way, the story is almost incidental in the face of the spectacle of Europa. The plot is a standard thriller affair wrapped in allegory, with characters, music and cinematography so deeply recalling film noir that you have to wonder whether von Trier is offering up a pastiche or a homage, but it's through his wonderful cinematic technique that Europa becomes something truly unique. Using all sorts of visual trickery such as double exposure, superimposition, aft and foreground projection, highly-choreographed, Hitchcock-esque camera movements and splashes of unexpected colour in the deep and oppressive high-contrast black and white world of Europa (a technique Spielberg would later ape to widespread acclaim in Schindler's List), von Trier presents a composite image that shows the films larger themes. Through the hypnotic presence of Max von Sydow's narrator who commands Leopold on his journey, the clever use of colour and interleaved images, the familiar plot and noir sensibilities, the way the occupying US forces manipulate the situation for their own gain and the way Katharina manipulates Leopold, the viewer is in turn expertly manipulated and taken along for the ride. The plot offers no surprises, everything is foreshadowed and hinted at via one method or another, but through von Trier's manipulation the scenes remarkably lose none of their impact. Undoubtedly Europa is a cinematic masterpiece, but more for von Trier's technique and than anything else.
"You will now listen to my voice. My voice will help you, and guide you still deeper into Europa. Every time you hear my voice, with every word and every number, you will enter a still deeper layer, open, relaxed and receptive. I shall now count from one to ten. On the count of ten, you will be in Europa. I say; One, and as you focus your attention entirely on my voice you will slowly begin to relax. Two, your hands and your fingers are getting warmer and heavier. Three, the warmth is spreading through your arms, to your shoulders and your neck. Four, your feet and your legs feel heavier. Five, the warmth is spreading to the whole of your body. On six I want you to go deeper. I say; Six, and the whole of your relaxed body is beginning to sink. Seven, you go deeper and deeper and deeper. Eight, on every breath you take, you go deeper. Nine, you are floating. On the mental count of ten, you will be in Europa. Be there at ten. I say; Ten."
And on the narrators command we are transported into Europa; Lars von Trier's dark and brooding film noir masterpiece that deals with themes of guilt and manipulation in post-war Germany. The protagonist is Leopold Kessler, an idealistic American of German descent who has come to Germany to work with his uncle as a first-class sleeping-car conductor. There he meets and is seduced by a strikingly beautiful young woman named Katharina, whose father owns the rail company Leopold now works for. As he is drawn into Katharina's world he encounters the problems Germany is trying to face; a sense of national guilt over their countries actions during the war, a dark depression settling on Germany's national psyche and the realities of living in an occupied and defeated country. The occupiers, meanwhile, concern themselves with administering tests to determine German citizens culpability in Nazi actions during the war, and dealing with the insurgence threat of the Werwolf (a group of commandos and Nazi sympathisers set on sabotaging Allied interests). But as Germany faces it's past, so must Katharina, admitting to the now smitten Leopold that she used to be a member of the dreaded Werwolf group.
In a way, the story is almost incidental in the face of the spectacle of Europa. The plot is a standard thriller affair wrapped in allegory, with characters, music and cinematography so deeply recalling film noir that you have to wonder whether von Trier is offering up a pastiche or a homage, but it's through his wonderful cinematic technique that Europa becomes something truly unique. Using all sorts of visual trickery such as double exposure, superimposition, aft and foreground projection, highly-choreographed, Hitchcock-esque camera movements and splashes of unexpected colour in the deep and oppressive high-contrast black and white world of Europa (a technique Spielberg would later ape to widespread acclaim in Schindler's List), von Trier presents a composite image that shows the films larger themes. Through the hypnotic presence of Max von Sydow's narrator who commands Leopold on his journey, the clever use of colour and interleaved images, the familiar plot and noir sensibilities, the way the occupying US forces manipulate the situation for their own gain and the way Katharina manipulates Leopold, the viewer is in turn expertly manipulated and taken along for the ride. The plot offers no surprises, everything is foreshadowed and hinted at via one method or another, but through von Trier's manipulation the scenes remarkably lose none of their impact. Undoubtedly Europa is a cinematic masterpiece, but more for von Trier's technique and than anything else.
PSN; Bootaaay ---------------------------------------------------------------- XBL; B007444Y
Re: What was the last movie you've seen?
I haven't posted in this thread in a while.
Smiley Face: Decent, not great, comedy about smoking too much pot. Anna Faris is fun to watch, as usual. This movie is probably more effective at curbing marijuana use than those horribly lame anti-drug commercials we see on television.
Orphan: Kind of predictable, but Isabelle Fuhrman, the girl who played Esther, the titular orphan, was incredible. I think it's worth watching just for her performance. Why does Peter Sarsgaard keep getting roles? There was a pro-adoption PSA on the DVD before the movie.
Ninja Assassin: About what you'd expect. Fun and dumb.
Rescue Dawn: Two hours of Werner Herzog sucking Dieter Dengler's, well, dengler. I thought it was a pretty effective POW/Escape film, though the director really let his her-worship shine. I thought it was one of Christian Bale's weaker performances. Also, the last ten minutes of the film were completely superfluous, in my opinion. As one would expect, this is a highly fictionalized account of actual events, and of course a few people were pissed off about it. Still, overall, I'm glad I watched it.
David Cross: Bigger and Blackerer: This is what happens when a comic needs to do an hour of stand-up but only has ten minutes of material. I thought the first ten minutes were pretty good, but after that he just goes off on a rant about politics and religion the rest of the time. This wouldn't be so bad if he had something original or even humorous to say, but it pretty much just consisted of "those people who don't agree with me are idiots! Ha ha!" It was on par with Keith Olbermann or a talk radio show host, comedy-wise, and those guys are performing every day. I like David Cross, but this just sucked.
Smiley Face: Decent, not great, comedy about smoking too much pot. Anna Faris is fun to watch, as usual. This movie is probably more effective at curbing marijuana use than those horribly lame anti-drug commercials we see on television.
Orphan: Kind of predictable, but Isabelle Fuhrman, the girl who played Esther, the titular orphan, was incredible. I think it's worth watching just for her performance. Why does Peter Sarsgaard keep getting roles? There was a pro-adoption PSA on the DVD before the movie.
Ninja Assassin: About what you'd expect. Fun and dumb.
Rescue Dawn: Two hours of Werner Herzog sucking Dieter Dengler's, well, dengler. I thought it was a pretty effective POW/Escape film, though the director really let his her-worship shine. I thought it was one of Christian Bale's weaker performances. Also, the last ten minutes of the film were completely superfluous, in my opinion. As one would expect, this is a highly fictionalized account of actual events, and of course a few people were pissed off about it. Still, overall, I'm glad I watched it.
David Cross: Bigger and Blackerer: This is what happens when a comic needs to do an hour of stand-up but only has ten minutes of material. I thought the first ten minutes were pretty good, but after that he just goes off on a rant about politics and religion the rest of the time. This wouldn't be so bad if he had something original or even humorous to say, but it pretty much just consisted of "those people who don't agree with me are idiots! Ha ha!" It was on par with Keith Olbermann or a talk radio show host, comedy-wise, and those guys are performing every day. I like David Cross, but this just sucked.
Systems: TI-99/4a, Commodore Vic-20, Atari 2600, NES, SMS, GB, Neo Geo MVS (Big Red 4-slot), Genesis, SNES, 3DO, PS1, N64, DC, PS2, GBA, GCN, NDSi, Wii
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noiseredux
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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?
Limewater wrote:
David Cross: Bigger and Blackerer: This is what happens when a comic needs to do an hour of stand-up but only has ten minutes of material. I thought the first ten minutes were pretty good, but after that he just goes off on a rant about politics and religion the rest of the time. This wouldn't be so bad if he had something original or even humorous to say, but it pretty much just consisted of "those people who don't agree with me are idiots! Ha ha!" It was on par with Keith Olbermann or a talk radio show host, comedy-wise, and those guys are performing every day. I like David Cross, but this just sucked.
I agree totally. When he's on, he's really on. But when he's out of material, he just goes off on long ass rants about how religion is for idiots and politicians "just don't get it." Which sucks, because he falls into this trap often.
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Gamerforlife
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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?
I never liked David Cross. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. He seems like the kind of person who thinks he's a lot smarter than he actually isnoiseredux wrote:Limewater wrote:
David Cross: Bigger and Blackerer: This is what happens when a comic needs to do an hour of stand-up but only has ten minutes of material. I thought the first ten minutes were pretty good, but after that he just goes off on a rant about politics and religion the rest of the time. This wouldn't be so bad if he had something original or even humorous to say, but it pretty much just consisted of "those people who don't agree with me are idiots! Ha ha!" It was on par with Keith Olbermann or a talk radio show host, comedy-wise, and those guys are performing every day. I like David Cross, but this just sucked.
I agree totally. When he's on, he's really on. But when he's out of material, he just goes off on long ass rants about how religion is for idiots and politicians "just don't get it." Which sucks, because he falls into this trap often.
RyaNtheSlayA wrote:
Seriously. Screw you Shao Kahn I'm gonna play Animal Crossing.
Re: What was the last movie you've seen?
Red Beard - Too bad this was the last film Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune made together before their falling out, as it is a masterpiece of Japanese cinema...then again, so are most of the films Kurosawa directed and Mifune appeared in. Anyway, Mifune plays a doctor known for his red beard who treats the poor and shows them dignity and respect. A new doctor arrives who plans to become the shogunate's personal doctor and views Red Beard's clinic as beneath him, along with its patients, but over time grows to love the place and the people who visit there. There are a few graphic images related to medical conditions, but they're not too terrible, and Mifune has some great moments.
Mongol - I started watching this expecting to be entertained by the rise of Genghis Khan and instead found myself quite bored as I spent the time wondering when things were going to get moving. Apparently it's only the first in a trilogy on Khan, with the first solely focusing on his aligning his fellow Mongols behind him, but it just didn't feel like it got off the ground.
Dragonslayer - I so love 1980s B fantasy films, and this one was definitely a fun experience, even if there were times where the plot took leaps I didn't understand, particularly with the I-guess-he's-evil guard captain. Anyway, Peter MacNicol loses his wizard master, helps slay a dragon, and gets the girl in a film I'd hold on par with Krull or Hawk the Slayer...both of which I liked, hush. Even with its plot issues, low budget, sudden ending, and poor musical choices, it's infinitely better than some of the 80s fantasy schlock, like Wizards of the Lost Kingdom
Raw Deal - I've done it! Not counting the few made-for-TV films he did(mostly with only minor roles), I've seen every Arnold Schwarzenegger film released between 1980-2000! And Raw Deal is easily one of the most forgettable, even if it does resolve in a massive gun battle. Arnold plays a small-town sheriff who resigned from the FBI for brutalizing a child murderer, but is given a chance to return if he goes undercover to take down a crime syndicate in Chicago. And he does, by eventually blowing everyone away. While I'd say it's nowhere near the best of Schwarzenegger's films, which is dominated by the likes of Terminator and T2, Predator, and Conan the Barbarian, it's infinitely better than stuff like Hercules Goes to New York and Jingle All the Way. Heck, I'd stick it somewhere near Red Heat or Eraser...toward the bottom, but still far better than his worst stuff.
Mongol - I started watching this expecting to be entertained by the rise of Genghis Khan and instead found myself quite bored as I spent the time wondering when things were going to get moving. Apparently it's only the first in a trilogy on Khan, with the first solely focusing on his aligning his fellow Mongols behind him, but it just didn't feel like it got off the ground.
Dragonslayer - I so love 1980s B fantasy films, and this one was definitely a fun experience, even if there were times where the plot took leaps I didn't understand, particularly with the I-guess-he's-evil guard captain. Anyway, Peter MacNicol loses his wizard master, helps slay a dragon, and gets the girl in a film I'd hold on par with Krull or Hawk the Slayer...both of which I liked, hush. Even with its plot issues, low budget, sudden ending, and poor musical choices, it's infinitely better than some of the 80s fantasy schlock, like Wizards of the Lost Kingdom
Raw Deal - I've done it! Not counting the few made-for-TV films he did(mostly with only minor roles), I've seen every Arnold Schwarzenegger film released between 1980-2000! And Raw Deal is easily one of the most forgettable, even if it does resolve in a massive gun battle. Arnold plays a small-town sheriff who resigned from the FBI for brutalizing a child murderer, but is given a chance to return if he goes undercover to take down a crime syndicate in Chicago. And he does, by eventually blowing everyone away. While I'd say it's nowhere near the best of Schwarzenegger's films, which is dominated by the likes of Terminator and T2, Predator, and Conan the Barbarian, it's infinitely better than stuff like Hercules Goes to New York and Jingle All the Way. Heck, I'd stick it somewhere near Red Heat or Eraser...toward the bottom, but still far better than his worst stuff.
Re: What was the last movie you've seen?
I couldn't agree more, the two a perfect matched pair. Sanjuro, Yojimbo, Rashomon and the great Hidden Fortress! The connotation of a typical Samurai movie don't apply here. A homage to old Japanese traditions, and honor portrayed with fine stories and acting. Even simple things as in visual body gestures. Mifune had a habit of twisting his shoulder to straighten out the kimono much as one pulls at a tight suit. The hidden hand symbolizing a cat's claw at bay.Ack wrote:Red Beard - Too bad this was the last film Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune made together before their falling out, as it is a masterpiece of Japanese cinema...then again, so are most of the films Kurosawa directed and Mifune appeared in. Anyway, Mifune plays a doctor known for his red beard who treats the poor and shows them dignity and respect. A new doctor arrives who plans to become the shogunate's personal doctor and views Red Beard's clinic as beneath him, along with its patients, but over time grows to love the place and the people who visit there. There are a few graphic images related to medical conditions, but they're not too terrible, and Mifune has some great moments.
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hashiriya1
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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?
Yeah, Kurosawa movies are friggan great. My dad got me into them when I was a kid. I got him the Kurosawa Criterion collection a few years ago, but I always snagged it from him. I'm an Indian giver, I guess. The American remakes of Kurosawa films are also great, thanks to Clint Eastwood.
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Gamerforlife
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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?
The only Kurosawa movie I've seen was the seven samurai, but I really enjoyed it. I certainly would like to check out his other masterpieces
RyaNtheSlayA wrote:
Seriously. Screw you Shao Kahn I'm gonna play Animal Crossing.
Re: What was the last movie you've seen?
Orphan was a very predictable, mainstream horror film, but Fuhrman made it all worth it for me. She was fantastic. By the end, I was convinced she was an adult actress with that condition that keeps you from aging. Very mature performance. I like that there is a PSA about adoption before the movie. Sort of like, "despite what you are about to see, please consider adoption."Limewater wrote:
Orphan: Kind of predictable, but Isabelle Fuhrman, the girl who played Esther, the titular orphan, was incredible. I think it's worth watching just for her performance. Why does Peter Sarsgaard keep getting roles? There was a pro-adoption PSA on the DVD before the movie.
David Cross: Bigger and Blackerer: This is what happens when a comic needs to do an hour of stand-up but only has ten minutes of material. I thought the first ten minutes were pretty good, but after that he just goes off on a rant about politics and religion the rest of the time. This wouldn't be so bad if he had something original or even humorous to say, but it pretty much just consisted of "those people who don't agree with me are idiots! Ha ha!" It was on par with Keith Olbermann or a talk radio show host, comedy-wise, and those guys are performing every day. I like David Cross, but this just sucked.
I just recently got done listening to Cross's Bigger and Blackerer. I was really excited as Shut Up you Effing Baby was hilarious. My wife and I got into Cross because of that album. I was pretty disappointed and agree with all of your points. I don't mind politics in comedy, but he sort of forgot the comedy and was just giving a speech. I want to be sure to recommend Shut Up to anyone who listens to Bigger and is turned off.