Hey Jaime,

Those are both great movies. I watched State and Main only the one time, but the script was wonderful and quite the eclectic  cast. And I really enjoy Bringing Out The Dead. It's not a film that Scorcese got a lot of notice for, because people were still trying to figure out why he did a film about the Dalai Lama with no known actors. The best part about Dead is the trio of supporting actors, Rhames, Goodman and Sizemore compliment Cage beautifully. I am not the biggest Patricia Arquette fan, but I do think it is one of her better performances. That is all for now.       

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

Chinatown

I've always wanted to see this film.  I bought a VHS copy online for $1 just over two years ago and finally got around to watching it.  I was not disappointed.

Little Miss Sunshine.  Ho hum.  I was disappointed.  But $60,000,000 worth of box office tells me others were not.  Good quality acting.  Great casting.  Story = predictable.  The end = lame.  There are four alternate endings on the DVD but I didn't even have the curiosity to flip the DVD in order to see them.  Yawn. Maybe later. 

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Beauty is momentary in the mind -
The fitful tracing of a portal;
But in the flesh it is immortal.
The body dies; the body's beauty lives.
So evenings die, in their green going,
A wave, interminably flowing.
So gardens die, their meek breath scenting
the cowl of winter, done repenting.
So maidens die, to the auroral
Celebration of a maiden's choral.
Susanna's music touched the bawdy strings
Of those white elders; but, escaping,
Left only Death's ironic scraping.
Now in its immortality, it plays
On the clear viol of her memory,
And makes a constant sacrement of praise.

('Peter Quince at the Clavier' by Wallace Stevens)

I like to buy Coppola wine.  But then I'm a sucker for nice labels.

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Apocalypse Now, and Redux

Instead of Godfather 3, I end up watching an example of Coppola with all of his juices still intact (thank you for that lovely metaphor/image, Booth).
A great film to experience on even the most modest of home theater systems. Redux is a curiosity, but ultimately it destroys the consistency of Martin Sheen's character. For example, how to reconcile a Sheen that wastes time and fuel on Playboy playmates with a Sheen that, a single scene later, murders a woman in cold blood to avoid delaying his mission? In the original cut the scene is chilling, here it's merely head-scratching.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

A different take on the origin story, this time told in the style of Bruce Timm's excellent animated series. Clearly aimed at kids (or, at least, toned down for them), but still affecting. Mark "Luke Skywalker" Hamill is still the best Joker.

The X-Files: Fight the Future

The intial big screen outing for Scolder and Mully. The story takes place at a point right before the television show's mythology became unwatchable, but here it's still interesting.
One-off theatrical X-Files movies have been announced, but plans have stagnated. Here's hoping Chris Carter can get his act together.

Logic Hat Online- logichat.org

Carrying that movie watching masochism trend into the new year, huh, Booth?

But seriously...

I DID like Three Amigos!  In fact, I thought it was hilarious though I haven't seen it in years.  Most comedies don't hold up from beginning to end and if I recall, this one hold fast to that rule of thumb.  But there were some really funny parts which is about all you can expect from a comedy.  

Steve Martin had a good long run of such comedies from The Jerk through to Bowfinger before he went all serious and literary.

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Yep, spending time with the dregs makes you appreciate the beautiful much more.

The Three Amigos is a standup comedy movie with that Mencia guy and Pablo Francisco, and some other guy.
The funny Steve Martin movie is simply Three Amigos.

Oh. 

Who knew?

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

The Short Films of David Lynch

no comment! I enjoyed "The cowboy and the frenchman" and "The Alphabet" very much. The Grandmother was extremely interesting and good in the aesthetics, but if I have to pick among the b/w shorts, I enjoy the animations and synthetic things such as THE ALPHABET more. Anyway, very good product.

Proof

Interesting and catchy movie, even though I don't give a damn about mathematics and their world. Hope Davis is getting better and better in each movie I see her, while I don't know what to say exactly about Gwyneth Paltrow. Her roles are never deep enough for my taste. Gyllenhaal gives his best only in more unusual films. Hopkins, in his latest movies, has never really mangaed to be the acting god he's been in the Hannibal saga, Elephant man and The Remains of the Day. 3 stars out of 5.

The prestige  

 As already said in the apposite thread, this movie would have been good if Nolan had made it clearer since the beginning (or at least, soon as possible throughout the movie lenght) that it's all about a Sci-fi tale set in the British Victorian age where two friend illusionists take on a truce rivarly in order to become magicians with otherworldly powers rather than simple illusionists, which could have made the film a little masterpiece within the new noir strand of films. Like this, it's just another dampened example of movie-making attempt where the director doesn't precisely know where to stand... Out of 5 stars, I give it a generous 2 and a half!

Memento

I rewatched this, hoping to understand the process of Nolan in film-making. I liked it mostly because of the structure of it, but now I realize that it is very weak. A film like this, to pick my interest, has got to have more than just a twisted structure. If Lynch had made this, he would have done a lot better just with the character development, rather than twisting and squeezing the substance of the movie structure. 3 stars. (I still remain of the opinion that Insomnia , for now, is his best - even though flawed - project. But I have to see Following yet... which I have got, but had no time to watch it yet ).

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

A double bill of The Lost Boys and Big Trouble in Little China.  Should I be worried that I spoke the dialogue along with both films...

Also watched the gentlemen ep of Buffy entitled, I believe, Hush.

~ 'I will give you my finest hour, the one I spent watching you shower' ~

Wow!  I'm convinced.  Maybe I can convince my husband to actually venture out into a theater to see this one, Smokey.  I have loved Clive Owen since I discovered him in that fabulous film, Croupier.  Hey, I even like him in those automobile ads -- what were they advertisng?  BMWs?  I like him as I like David Thewlis (Naked, Prime Suspect) whose work, for some reason, reminds me of Clive Owen. Dark, attractive, edgy and intelligent.

Julianne Moore -- well, I'm not smitten.  She's interchangable with many actresses for me.  The freckles are hers alone. 

Michael Caine is usually good.

I have my suspicions that the premise of the film is way far akilter of a realistic future too, but that's okay.  Fertility abounds in the most implausible of situations such as refugee camps filled with starving, dying people.  As a side note, I recall and still have here in my collection, a wonderful duo of Playboy magazines from the early 60s where a panel of science fiction writers were asked to predict what the world would be like in 1984.  Among them were Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein.  It's really hilarious to read and then to chuckle over how WRONG they were!  Ah, well, it doesn't matter.  The subject matter is interesting.  It made me think of The Handmaiden's Tale.

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Bleep you, & bleep the establishment, and bleep all of you who are trying to make me part of the unestablished establishment.

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

Love, love, love Julianne Moore! I once heard her performances in general described a "neuraesthenic," and thought that was a beautiful compliment. The Hours particularly.

Just watched the Wicker Man remake with the "shocking alternate ending." I'm embarrassed that I never saw the original and I can't imagine it ending any other way. I did find it to be a nice commentary on feminism, gave it 3 stars on netflix.

My wife and I have had a bit of a movie festival the past week or so, so here's the last few we watched:

- World Trade Center.  A very different perspective on 9/11.  Very pro-American also - I didn't realise the screen actors guild would allow such a film.  It was a bit cliched in parts, but not too bad.  7/10.

- Babel.  This was a very nice surprise, a movie with a bit of depth to it with 4 different stories getting woven together nicely.  There were a couple of minor plot holes, but otherwise a quality production.  8.5/10.

- The Departed.  Another surprise - I hadn't heard anything about this one...just started watching.  DiCaprio, Nicholson, Damon, Baldwin...the list of decent actors kept going.  I like the story, and the directing kept good pace with action.  Well worth a watch.  9/10.

- Crank.  I'm a sucker for the occasional high-action movies with good directing.  Particularly those that are different to the US-prefabricated action style.  eg. Lock, Stock was a good flick imho, as are some of the higher quality Hong Kong releases.  Like many a Bond flick, if you can suspend your disbelief at the door and just enjoy the action, then this is a flick for you.  I also like the lead who starred in The Transporter.  8/10.

- Howl's Moving Castle.  Watched this one with the kids, and they were totally captivated.  I love this Japanese style animation because you literally have no idea where the plot could go.  They're so imaginative and a good form of escapism.  This is the best example I've seen since Spirited Away.  8.5/10.

Overall I've been happy with the flicks so far - most have been decent.  I also went to the theatre and watched:

- Borat.  If not the funniest movie I've ever seen, it must be damn close.  Not just for the obvious level of humour, but for the attitudes it exposes in a variety of different people.  A work of sheer genius, and Sasha Cohen truly deserves the money he brings in from this one.  10/10.