[Claire Mclaughlin]

Since the last thread was closed, I thought I'd sort of rework the title and make a better introductory post like I was told to do. Basically just tell us the last few movies you've seen recently and hopefully we can get a good dialogue going about those movies. Also, feel free to to ask any questions and get other film dialogues started. I'll start:

Ocean's Eleven (Steven Soderbergh, 2001) A-
I love me a good heist film. Seeing a heist come together and get successfully pulled off is so cool. The film is very smart and the twists and turns in the heist are really cool to watch.

Platoon (Oliver Stone, 1986) A
This movie is dark, gritty, and realistic. It's a great film, albeit cheesy at times. The acting is fantastic, and the atmosphere is so great. The film really captures the horrors of war in an incredibly well-done fashion.

Saw (James Wan, 2004) C+
The movie is average at best. I like the concept (although the sequels really overdid it), and it was cool to see the psychological torment the characters were going through, but the whole backstory for Jigsaw was told in the most asinine way. The film has a nice little twist at the end, although once you think about it for more than five seconds, you realize how implausible it is and you wonder how the characters didn't see it coming from the beginning of the film.

The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2009) A+
Much like Platoon, The Hurt Locker is dark, gritty, and realistic. Unlike Platoon, there's not a cheesy moment in this film. It's one of the best war films ever made (the best since Apocalypse Now in 1979), and it does a fantastic job of bringing to life the quote at the beginning, which explains how war can act as a drug. It's truly a remarkable film.

It's Kind of a Funny Story (Anna Boden/Ryan Fleck, 2010) A-
This film really hit home for me. It's got witty humor, well-played drama, and solid performances. I'm impressed at how well Zach Galifianakis was able to balance comedy with drama. He's actually a talented actor when it comes down to it, and Emma Roberts shows that she truly is of the Roberts bloodline. She's got talent as well, and I really wish she would do movies other than crap like Nancy Drew and Hotel for Dogs. I've never seen Keir Gilchrist before, but he also did a solid job.

Edge of Darkness (Martin Campbell, 2010) C+
Mel Gibson gives a solid performance in this crime-thriller, but the film gets lost and ultimately loses quality as a result. The father-daughter relationship isn't well-developed, making the emotional impact of his daughter's murder minimal. The film soon delves into conspiracies, which I didn't like, and for a thriller, it's quite tame and there are few thrills.

I also have a question for anyone who has seen the Dollars Trilogy. I recorded The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on my DVR, but I haven't watched it yet because I'm not sure if I need to have seen A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More to understand it. Are they all related story-wise or is it an unofficial trilogy?

[Juanita Hernandez]

I also have a question for anyone who has seen the Dollars Trilogy. I recorded The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on my DVR, but I haven't watched it yet because I'm not sure if I need to have seen A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More to understand it. Are they all related story-wise or is it an unofficial trilogy?

They are separate and not related to eachother story-wise. And while Clint Eastwood play a similiar character in all 3 films, he's not playing the same person in them.

The latest film I've seen is http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056937/ from 1963. Good ol' epic film, although the high costs associated with the film pretty much made it the last epic film for quite some time. Making large epic films with lots of extras in them was cinemas way to fight the gaining popularity of television from the mid-50s to early 60s or so.

Anyway, the first half of Cleopatra is quite good, I like it a lot. But unfortunately after Julius Caesar die there isn't much more to see. Richard Burton, who play Mark Antony (Cleopatras love interest during the second half) is just plain uninteresting. And of course, the movie isn't particulary faithful to the real history, but it's not annoyingly inaccurate or anything, so that's good. But I'm sure there are plenty of history buffs who feel otherwise

[Anthony Rand]

Cowboys and Aliens C+

It's an action movie, and I got action. The story is ok, and I can't really think of anything else to say about it. Go see it for the action, and enjoy the story for what it is.

I've had my eye on 2001: A Space Odyssey for a while now, just haven't gotten around to watching it.

[SiLa]

I also have a question for anyone who has seen the Dollars Trilogy. I recorded The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on my DVR, but I haven't watched it yet because I'm not sure if I need to have seen A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More to understand it. Are they all related story-wise or is it an unofficial trilogy?

They are all independent stories and you can watch them in any order, though I would highly suggest you watch them all. I decided to watch the first one online one day and immediately after I started up the second and finally I watched The Good, the Bad and the Ugly all in one night. They are all extraordinary movies and I still can't decide which one I like more.

Children of Men A++
This is one of the absolute best movies I have ever seen, even better then the Dollars trilogy. I have never seen another film with svck gritty realism, if I didn't know otherwise I would have mistaken it for a biopic. Definitely Clive Owen's greatest performance. It's simply astounding that they managed to make something so shockingly real in this age of CGI and action. I cannot say enough good things about this movie. In the words of a critic for the New Yorker "you need to see this film".

[Chloé]

The Room (Tommy Wiseau, 2003) A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was bad, really bad, but that's why it was so good.

[Cedric Pearson]

Edge of Darkness (Martin Campbell, 2010) C+
Mel Gibson gives a solid performance in this crime-thriller, but the film gets lost and ultimately loses quality as a result. The father-daughter relationship isn't well-developed, making the emotional impact of his daughter's murder minimal. The film soon delves into conspiracies, which I didn't like, and for a thriller, it's quite tame and there are few thrills.

I suppose it doesn't help because I just can't take Mel Gibson seriously any more, but I found the film dissatisfying anyway because it was so anachronistic. It was based on a 1985 TV drama, and in that context it would have worked (I haven't seen it), but the story just does not fit into this day and age. I found myself yelling at the screen, "Just email it out!" - you know, the plot just doesn't work in the modern age because of the technology that we have at our disposal.

The film I saw last night was

The Eagle (Kevin Macdonald, 2011) C
It sounds like a nice idea on paper. In 120 AD, the Ninth Legion disappeared in (what is now) Scotland, along with the Roman eagle standard, and 20 years later soldier Channing Tatum crosses Hadrian's Wall in search of his lost father and the symbolic bird. He takes with him Jamie Bell - a slave whose courage impresses him - because native Bell speaks the language and can help him hide from the savage Seal People. Cue lots of slo-mo fights with painted, mohawked tribesmen - sort of like Doomsday without the car chases and rock soundtrack. It's not a good film by any stretch, but it's entertaining enough. If you enjoyed Pathfinder (and I don't just mean a shirtless Karl Urban), then you'll probably find this pleasantly diverting.

[Heather Stewart]

The Color of Money (Martin Scorsese, 1986) A
While the story isn't particularly unique, it is nice to see it applied to an often overlooked sport: pool. Paul Newman gives a fantastic performance and Tom Cruise isn't so bad either. I thought the plot got a little lost towards the end but I still really enjoyed it.

The Town (Ben Affleck, 2010) A
The Town is raw and gritty. Jeremy Renner is great in his supporting role. Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, and Pete Postlethwaite all do fine work as well. Affleck and Hall have a great chemistry. The action sequences are exhilarating and the dialogue is perfect. The Town is Oscar material that was criminally overlooked.

The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko, 2010) A-
The performances are great, and it's a crime that Julianne Moore was overlooked by the Academy. The script is smart and funny, and the plot is unique and unconventional. There's also plenty of drama thrown into the mix, which is also done well.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1966) A+
This is one of the best Western flicks I've ever seen, if not THE best. Clint Eastwood does great work as the iconic Man With No Name, whose badassery knows no bounds. The score is epic, and although it's repetitive, it doesn't get old. I love how the three characters' stories converge. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly both serves as a phenomenal Western and an exceptional epic. My only real complaint is that most of the dialogue is poorly dubbed, and I mean REALLY poorly dubbed.

I suppose it doesn't help because I just can't take Mel Gibson seriously any more

I still like him as an actor and director regardless of his controversies. The Lethal Weapon series is one of my favorites, and Braveheart is a damn fine movie. I've only seen a bit of the first Mad Max film, but I've only heard great things about the trilogy. I wonder how Tom Hardy will compare in the fourth and fifth films.

[patricia kris]

I still like him as an actor and director regardless of his controversies. The Lethal Weapon series is one of my favorites, and Braveheart is a damn fine movie. I've only seen a bit of the first Mad Max film, but I've only heard great things about the trilogy. I wonder how Tom Hardy will compare in the fourth and fifth films.

I agree, you don't have to like him as a person, but you can't deny that he's an amazing actor. The only Mad Max movie I've seen was the Road Warrior and it was amazing. It is one of the gems from my childhood and one of my all time favourites.