What was the last movie you've seen?

[Rurouni_Fencer]

I was away at camp for 2 weeks the summer this came out. I remember seeing the standees and trailers and thinking with this other kid that it looked like a stupid movie. Oh how wrong we were.

By far one of my favorite films. The death scenes are just shockingly hilarious, and I quote it whenever I get the chance. And at Amazon you can get the movie for almost $1.........someone please say it......

[the7k]

sounds like you don't really care for it. i love it. i'm sad i missed it

I'll second that. Hook's great. Liked it even rewatching it in my latter years. Dustin Hoffman is a phenomenal actor. His Hook is one of those roles that you forget you're watching someone act - it wasn't Hoffman playing Hook, it was Cpt. James Hook.

Yeah, I personally loved Hook. It was one of those defining movies of my childhood.

[Luke]

Now that's pizazz!

[Limewater]

Almost everything in that movie is symbolic, and although I believe I know the "message" of the movie and its symbolism I hope the writer never clearly states what that message truly is. Hitchcock perfected the art of less is more, and BLACK SWAN follows in his footsteps.

I don't think it's about much more than acting/performing. I think that's a big part of its popularity with the academy.

[Limewater]

I liked Crash, it wasn't subtle at all. Still, I thought it was emotionally powerful and I liked its anti-racism message. I enjoy seeing a movie with a positive message, even if it's just there to try and win some awards

Given the film's message, I thought it was pretty funny that so few of the characters were anything more than shallow cultural stereotypes.

[Luke]

I don't think it's about much more than acting/performing. I think that's a big part of its popularity with the academy.

What do you mean by "it's"? The entire movie, the symbolism, the plot?

And yes, a big part of the academy award process involves reviewing acting performances. I thought that goes unsaid as there job is to review acting performances.

Sorry man, I just don't see your point.

[Limewater]

What do you mean by "it's"? The entire movie, the symbolism, the plot?

And yes, a big part of the academy award process involves reviewing acting performances. I thought that goes unsaid as there job is to review acting performances.

Sorry man, I just don't see your point.

I mean that the film, and Natalie Portman's performance is a meta-performance. It's about as meta as possible. The only film I've ever seen that is more meta is probably My Dinner with Andre.

The film is about a performance, in this case, a ballet.
It focuses on Natalie Portman's character-- a performer attempting to secure a role and then preparing to perform it.
Alot (most?) of the symbolism in the film is about the internal struggles, personality, transformations, and identity issues/problems/experiences/et cetera that a performer (specifically, someone playing a character in some capacity) goes through (and inflicts on others) in becoming his or her character.

I called it oscar bait because the academy is made up of people in the film industry. A lot of them are actors, but I don't know the real breakdown or who is in it except for Gary Busey (as far as I'm concerned, nobody else could possibly matter). These folks would naturally be drawn to Black Swan. I don't blame them; I'm an engineer and I love movies and books about engineers.

I could do a much more thorough amateur analysis/crappy-wall-of-text-nobody-will-read of the film, but hopefully I have more effectively conveyed what I intended to say in my previous post.

[Luke]

The film is about a performance, in this case, a ballet.

I agree and believe you did an excellent job at conveying your points and I actually enjoy sitting on the opposite side of the desk, I just don't agree with all of your points. Yeah it is meta to an extent, but it's definitely not the most meta performance as Portman doesn't even break the 4th wall. And at least from my perspective, the film is not about one performance, but life...so we disagree there.

And I mean no offense by this, none whatsoever, but comparing an engineer to a director/actor/screenwriter etc. is not fair. I get your point and completely understand that people are drawn to subjects dealing with their craft but engineering isn't as subjective as film is, and I would bet dollars to donuts that the best Oscar judge has a better grasp on subjectivity than the worst engineer. There is no slide rule for performances. And I appreciate the fact you didn't go with the "Natalie is just getting her dues" approach. This is just an issue we may not see eye to eye on, but I did want to share my opinions on the film as I find it to be just a little short of a masterpiece.

But hey, in movie related news Hangover 2 will rake in 300+ million, but so far has received an awful review from Ebert, who I trust:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbc ... /110529989

[CRTGAMER]

A Family Thing


Discovered this movie by accident, always liked any movie with Robert Duvall. A story about a white man who discovers his real mother who is black. Even though he does not like the thought of being partial black, he sets off to discover his lost family. He finds his half brother (played by James Earl Jones) and both realize family is more important then bigotry. The real star of the show is Irma P. Hall who plays wise old Aunt T who pulls the brothers together.

There is great dialog and a refreshing learning experience to see. Not necessarily just the racial issues. For me, a true respect of my elders in raising of their children in tougher times.

[Bootaaay]

Wild Grass (2009) by Alain Resnais



Beautifully shot and wonderfully quirky, I enjoyed watching this film, but only once I'd stopped trying to look for the narrative and let Resnais work his magic. He drip-feeds you the neccesary information slowly and because of this my opinion of the characters changed dramatically over the course of the film. This was especially true of Georges, a wistful and bewildered old man at first who takes a sinister turn in his pursuit of unconventional dentist and part-time pilot Marguerite, becomes an old man searching for a cinematic romance and then a man tired of life who, unknowingly, is courting his own death, whom I felt the character of Marguerite was allegorical of. This is a very playful film, from the way the director uses techniques such as shooting the flight of a bag as it trails slowly in the air in the wake of a purse-snatcher, to the often whimsical dialogue, the bright and vivid cinematography that brings to life in impressionistic fashion the streets of Paris and the way Resnais plays with the viewers expectations throughout. Underpinned by a wonderful performance from André Dussollier, Wild Grass is a joyful experience that while at times may leave some as bewildered as Georges' character, repays the viewer in kind via the excellent direction and a warm and surreal approach to a narrative that, in different hands, could easily have been as equally dark.