Last Film Watched?

[Tiki Torches]

Even though he was in the public spotlight for the majority of my adult life I never really knew a whole lot about Gore Vidal so I found this entry in PBS' American Masters series to be very informative. In lieu of his recent passing, PBS is making The Education of Gore Vidal available for online viewing up until this Thursday, August 9th. Click on the image above to watch.

[Tiki Torches]

This didn't turn me into a Joy Division fan but at least I know a little more about them than I did before which, admittedly, wasn't very much.

[Tiki Torches]

Enjoyed this much more than I anticipated, especially after it was so heavily hyped earlier this year. Looking very forward to the other films in the trilogy.

[Nighthawk]

Enjoyed this much more than I anticipated, especially after it was so heavily hyped earlier this year. Looking very forward to the other films in the trilogy.

just watched this one too..... Wasn't overly pleased with it.... seems like its been done before.

[VanillaGrl]

Had never seen this one, watched it last night. I liked it.

[Zebadiah]

In this year I am a little bit busy and could not watch so many movies. So far the last movie I watched is concern, I think this was X-man and Avenger. Thank you so much for posting a topic to know these interesting facts!

[Tiki Torches]

Another Cameron Crowe movie and it definitely shows his touch but Almost Famous will probably always remain my favorite of his. This movie has it's moments, quite a few of which are cringeworthy but overall I enjoyed it.



This was more my cup of tea as I'm a fan of black comedy. I also got turned onto a cool song because of it called "The Concept" by Teenage Fanclub.



This one takes seemingly forever to gain any steam and once it does, it's well worth watching. Not exactly Oscar worthy material or anything despite the cast (which includes the always delightful Alan Arkin) but definitely $1 rental worthy. However, it has a twist ending that I thought was unnecessary and confusing.

[Nighthawk]

[East Texas Parrothead]

THE MASTER.

Am still letting it percolate. Total sensory overload. Soundtrack should be nominated in Best Supporting Actor category ... seriously.

[Lightning Bolt]

This was more my cup of tea as I'm a fan of black comedy. I also got turned onto a cool song because of it called "The Concept" by Teenage Fanclub.

I dug this movie because Charlize Theron remains so "unlikable" throughout... script didn't patronize with an easy solution...
and I cheered a little for schlub Patton Oswalt.

...and you beat me to seeing The Master!
I think I may catch it tomorrow before Chargers-Saints game!

[sonofabeach]

Enjoyed this much more than I anticipated, especially after it was so heavily hyped earlier this year. Looking very forward to the other films in the trilogy.

just watched this one too..... Wasn't overly pleased with it.... seems like its been done before.

Yeah The Running Man with Arnold. To me it was a letdown. Kinda Twilight-esque.

[sonofabeach]

Get The Gringo was a pleasant surprise

[Tiki Torches]

Enjoyed this much more than I anticipated, especially after it was so heavily hyped earlier this year. Looking very forward to the other films in the trilogy.

just watched this one too..... Wasn't overly pleased with it.... seems like its been done before.

Yeah The Running Man with Arnold. To me it was a letdown. Kinda Twilight-esque.

I've never seen any of the Twilight movies and it's been forever since I've seen The Running Man so I didn't really enter into The Hunger Games with any other movies in mind. A piece I heard on NPR earlier this year compared The Hunger Games to a similar movie called Battle Royale that came out in 2000 in which kids wage war against one another but I haven't seen that one either.



Apparently this is based on a book by someone named Andrea Portes. I've never read the book so I don't really have anything to compare it to but I do feel like there's the basis for a good movie in here somewhere, the filmmakers just weren't successful in pulling it off. That said, there's a great soundtrack from Larry Campbell (who's worked with the Band and Bob Dylan) and an appearance from one of my favorite characters, Ray McKinnon (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Deadwood) but it's not enough to save the movie. The lead actress, Chloë Grace Moretz, who I thought did a great job in Kick-A$$, is also good here and shows tremendous potential but oftentimes her portrayal of Luli comes across as one-dimensional. Like I said, I think there's a great movie in here somewhere but there's just no cohesiveness to pull it all together. There's also some scenes that are left unexplained as well as some serious suspension of disbelief (which I can't go into without giving away the plot).

[Tiki Torches]

On the surface this probably isn't the type of movie that would have appealed to me but after reading a fairly favorable review of it recently I decided to give it a shot and I'm glad I did as it turned out to be a real treat. Yes, portions of it are contrived and it's pretty predictable but they never got in the way of my overall enjoyment of the film. I wasn't raised by hippies but I certainly grew up around that environment thanks to my older brothers and sister so that lifestyle is something I could strongly relate to in the film. Jane Fonda's portrayal of an aging hippie mother (and grandmother) may rely a bit too much on cliches to tell her story but it still works. I was also really surprised by the performance of Elizabeth Olsen (one of the younger sisters of the Olsen twins) who's very convincing here as the daughter of a conservative mother (played by Katherine Keener) who, along with her brother (Nat Wolff), places great stock in the wisdom of their grandmother. In the end I found it to be a very heartwarming film but not in a cheesy way, the emotions it stirred up were definitely genuine.

[smiller]

We actually got to go to the movie theater this weekend. What did we see? Hotel Transylvannia. Yea, we had the kids with us. It was good. I liked it and the kids really enjoyed it.

[ParrotheadRPB]

[Tiki Torches]

Saw this at one of the local IMAX theatres last night (for those in the Triangle area of NC it plays again tonight at 7:30 at Regal Crossroads Stadium 20 in Cary). Due to circumstances beyond my control I missed the first 20 minutes or so ("Good Times, Bad Times", "Ramble On", "Black Dog" and the majority of "In My Time of Dying") but I did see the remainder of the film. Since I've stayed away from most of the YouTube clips and haven't heard any bootlegs from the 02, it was all pretty fresh to me. The film will be out in another month on DVD, CD, Blu-Ray, vinyl, etc. but I'm glad I opted for the IMAX experience as it was very much worth it not just visually but also from an audio standpoint. The way it's filmed puts you right in the middle of the action. The filmmaker (Dick Carruthers) is a fan of the quick cut, which doesn't allow the camera to stay focused on any one performer (or the audience) for very long. Oftentimes this proves to be annoying but it wasn't really the case here, at least for me. I enjoyed every last second of it but some of the highlights included "Trampled Underfoot", "No Quarter", "Dazed and Confused" (especially the bow section where the lasers form a pyramid around Page), "Stairway To Heaven" (yes, I've heard it a trillion times too but when you know this is probably the last time they'll ever perform it live it carries tremendous emotional impact, at least it did for me), "Whole Lotta Love" and the never performed live "For Your Life". I may be a bit off here but some of the songs seem to slightly rearranged but not radically. There was also an ample amount of improvisation (sometimes Zeppelin's downfall, sometimes their biggest strength as a live act) but they never veered too far from the norm. To my ears, it kept the songs fresh. There were no flubs (at least not that I picked up on) and everyone seemed to be playing at the top of their game. While Jason is no John Bonham he showed no signs of slacking (not that I expected him to) and was right on top of it the entire time. Apparently he is an avid student of every Zep bootleg ever released and his hard work and attention to detail shows here. While watching the film you can't help but have an underlying feeling of wishing they'd take this on the road. That sort of thing carries a lot of weight with it and has been bandied about in the press countless times since this reunion concert was held in 2007. It's pretty clear at this point that most likely will never happen. If not, that adds even more emotion to the film because what you're watching may well be the last ever performance by Led Zeppelin. Even it turns out not to be, it finally captures them in top form in full performance for the first time since John Bonham died in 1980. While myself and millions of others didn't get the privilege of experiencing the concert firsthand, the IMAX experience is at once breathtaking and at times bone chilling ("No Quarter"), which, short of a full fledged tour, is good enough for me.

[Tiki Torches]

It wasn't all that long ago that I last watched this but since I recently purchased the new CD/DVD reissue I thought I'd revisit it for ol' times sake. When I got to the last chapter of the film it suddenly stopped during the middle of it. I tried it again and it did the same thing. Thankfully, the folks at Omnivore Recordings are going to be kind enough to send me a replacement copy.

[Tiki Torches]

Rough hewn documentary from filmmaker Tony Gayton (Athens, GA Inside/Out, Southern Comfort) about guitarist, songwriter and singer, Dexter Romweber, perhaps best known as one half of NC's Flat Duo Jets. They began a rise to fame back in the 80's thanks in no small part to Dex's appearance in Athens, GA Inside/Out. Nationwide tours and TV appearances soon followed but it wasn't long before it all began to fall apart. Which, ironically enough, occurred around the time of their major label debut for Geffen Records subsidiary Outpost with an album called Lucky Eye. In the years since, Flat Duo Jets have been heralded as an influence by the likes of Neko Case, Chan Marshall (aka "Cat Power") and most prominently, Jack White, who says the White Stripes wouldn't have existed without Flat Duo Jets. While the lo-fi approach taken with Athens, GA Inside/Out lent that documentary a great deal of it's charm, it doesn't always work with Two Headed Cow. In fact, it lends it a great deal of unevenness that folks new to Dexter Romweber may find off putting. On the other hand, considering the circumstances (production stopped back in the 80's but didn't resume until recent years), it's a wonder the movie got made at all. Still, I can't help but think it would have made a much more compelling film in more competent hands, especially given it's subject matter, the oft troubled Dex Romweber himself.

For those that haven't seen it, look no further than YouTube:

[Tiki Torches]

I never thought I'd be saying this about a movie inspired by a board game but Battleship is mindless entertainment of the highest order, which is exactly what I'm looking for when it comes to movies of the summer blockbuster variety.