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Post by Mighty Jack on May 23, 2012 2:49:34 GMT -5
Because I am desperately board to tears – here are a few general movie questions to discuss.
1. How often do you… a) go to the cinema? b) rent DVD/BDs? c) buy DVD/BDss? d) watch films on TV? And what was the last movie you saw/bought for each
2. What film have you seen the most and how many times have you seen it?
3. What genre(s) of films do you… a) love b) hate and why? 4. Who is your favorite… a) actress b) actor c) director? Why? And what are your 3 favorite films from each?
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Post by Mighty Jack on May 23, 2012 3:05:32 GMT -5
1. How often do you...a) go to the cinema – on average once a month, once a week at peak seasons. Last movie I saw in theaters was the Avengers (twice, once in the IMAX) b) rent DVD/BDs – I get a stack every weekend from the Library, and watch some online. Last movie I watched on DVD was Scorsese's Age of Innocence. c) buy DVD/BDs – not as often as I used to. If I find something on sale or it's a must have type of thing. Last purchase was the Blu-ray for Last Tango in Paris because my VHS copy finally bit the dust. d) watch films on TV? – I hardly watch TV anymore. Boy the last one I saw, might have been No Country For Old Men about 6 months ago. 2. What film have you seen the most and how many times have you seen it? I can’t remember how many times I've seen them but I know I've seen Jaws a bunch, 3 times at the theater over the years. On the Waterfront, Seven Samurai, my favorite Hitchcock, my favorite Superhero flicks get a lot of replay. 3. What genre(s) of films do you... a) love – I generally don't care what a movie is, as long as it’s good. I am fond of imagination and craftsmanship in any genre. Comedy, romance, drama, westerns, superflicks… love ‘em all. b) hate – Hate is a strong word, the horror sub-genre of torture film is one that brings out a lot of hate in me. Stuff like Saw and the like… hate it - hate seeing people brutalized and tortured. 4. Who is your favorite... a) Actress – Cate Blanchett, she has that old school Hollywood look and style, she's pure class and always brings great depth to her characters. I think she was especially brilliant in Elizabeth where we saw this challenging arc of character development: From young innocent to tough as nails leader. As Dylan in I'm Not There, she simply stole the show. The film lit up every time she was on screen. And going toe to toe with Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal. There is something wonderful watching two of the best actresses around work their magic. (also I thought she was brilliant in her small part playing dual roles in Coffee and Cigarettes)b) Actor – Marlon Brando – Method acting at its finest. On The Waterfront is pure genius as Brando disappears and becomes this broken down fighter who slowly discovers his conscious. In Last Tango in Paris he was brutally honest and raw, what a seering, naturalized performance. And his work on Streetcar was a blast furnace of animal sexuality. c) Director – Alfred Hitchcock. He's a master technician, the camera work is stunning – they way he makes every detail, every part of film –from sound to edits to color – an integral part of the story. He's known as the master of suspense. He shows patience and allows his movies to build and build. He also has a twisted sense of humor (an aspect his imitators forget) – My top 3 are Vertigo, North by Northwest and Rear Window.
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Post by TheNewMads on May 23, 2012 9:43:59 GMT -5
Because I am desperately board to tears – here are a few general movie questions to discuss. 1. How often do you… a) go to the cinema? very irregularly. i've gone twice in the last month ("avengers" and "battleship") but i've literally gone more than a year without going to the cinema once recently. in high school and college that would have been unthinkable; i went once a week or at the very least twice a month. i have a 4-disk-at-a-time netflix plan and the disks circulate regularly. a lot of times i use the movies as background noise or stop watching a crap movie halfway through though. i order quite a bit through amazon, i'd say around three to five per month. virtually never. i have no cable and broadcast now is a weird mix of al jazeera/russia today and retro TV that's hard to get a good reception. And what was the last movie you saw/bought for each 2. What film have you seen the most and how many times have you seen it? after all these years it's still probably "star wars," but it's front-loaded since i saw it probably thirty times before i even hit the age of 25. i watched Taxi Driver and 2001 a ton of times when i was researching them for a college project but i'm not sure that counts. 3. What genre(s) of films do you… a) love b) hate and why? sci-fi and horror are probably my top. westerns, i'm embarrassingly weak on. i would never say i "hate" a genre though, but certain genres are unlikely to make a lot of movies i'll like.
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Post by The Mad Plumber on May 23, 2012 11:27:11 GMT -5
1a. How often do you go to the cinema?
I guess once or twice a year. However, "go to the cinema" is grossly inaccurate as opposed to "involuntarily dragged to the cinema". My sister uses birthdays or holidays as an excuse to force me to see a movie with her which I would otherwise not watch or wait until it went to video to rent. I did used to voluntarily go to the dollar theater at North Towne Mall after my shifts at Target ten years ago. North Towne Mall, however, is out of business and I assume gone is the concept of dollar theaters as well. Also, my schedule is unfortunately too packed to incorporate theater going.
1b. How often do you rent DVDs?
I used to rent DVDs and video games probably once or twice a month. However, right now, I am again hit with that busy schedule and it presents the problem of: when would I have the opportunity to watch / play what I rented at the video store? So, unfortunately, I don't do rentals and probably won't until winter hits.
1c. How often do you buy DVDs?
Now that I have a better and more steady source of income, I buy DVDs typical every one or two weeks. I typically buy the video online as store-going is a near impossibility, record stores seem to be a thing of the past, and I have a certain sense of loyalty to the online site I buy from.
1d. How often do you watch films on TV?
I don't watch television anymore.
2. What film have you seen the most and how many times have you seen it?
Easily, the films of The Star Wars Trilogy have been watched by me the most, The Empire Strikes Back in particular. I could never count the ghastly number of times I've watched it in my life. It's to the point that I can recite the lines of the top of my head. "There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you. Luke, you do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun ..." You get my point.
3a. What genres of films do you love?
If we're to take a liberal interpretation of your word "film", I guess you could say that I have a particular affinity for ecchi or erotic anime. Aside from that, I can't say I've got an overwhelming love for a particular film genre.
3b. What genres of films do you hate?
This question, on the other hand, is pretty easy. I do not care for "found footage" movies, high school politics dramas, stoner comedies NOT made by Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, and anything that opens with "MTV Films".
4a. Who is your favorite actress?
Sigourney Weaver could easily rank as a favorite actress. I regard her the last of a dying breed: classy and attractive women with the ability to emote and dominate the screen. My favorite films of hers include Ghostbusters and Alien.
4b. Who is your favorite actor?
I really can't nail down a favorite actor. There is one actor I might have put in this category, but since he's associated with a hangman puzzle I'm managing right now, I'll pass on the question.
4c. Who is your favorite director?
Again, I can't nail down a single director. Any director I might name might have an equal number of turkeys to his or her number of hits.
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Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
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Posts: 15,420
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Post by Torgo on May 23, 2012 12:13:54 GMT -5
1. How often do you… a) go to the cinema? b) rent DVD/BDs? The answer to both of these is erratic. It depends if they're something I want to see and/or am with someone who wants to see something.' c) buy DVD/BDss? Whenever there's a movie I like. Usually I'm getting at least one per paycheck, I suppose, but it depends. d) watch films on TV? I don't have TV anymore, so never. 2. What film have you seen the most and how many times have you seen it? In a theater or overall? It's hard to say the latter because there were several movies I watched nonstop in my youth, usually Godzilla movies. Didn't keep track of how many times. In a theater narrows it down a bit. I've seen four different films three times: Lost in Space (the first time because my mother wanted to see it, and the other two because the family were going to see more adult fare, and it was pretty much the only thing playing that I could get into) Spider-Man (saw it twice opening weekend, and once several months down the road escorting my cousin) Star Trek (once with my then girlfriend, once because I was surprised how good it was, and a third with her again because IMAX finally released it into our area) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I (this one's kind of a cheat. I saw it once opening weekend, and since I usually watch a Potter movie twice in cinemas, I saw it again a few months later. Then I saw it a third time in a double feature with Part II) In the tradition of that last one, if there's a triple feature of Nolan's Batman films when Dark Knight Rises is released, Batman Begins and the Dark Knight will both make the cut as well. 3. What genre(s) of films do you… a) love Anything if the movie is good. I like stuff with imagination though, so science fiction, fantasy and the like is probably the frontrunner. b) hate If your movie is a theatrical concert (IN 3D!?!?!?!?), I wouldn't hesitate in punching anyone involved. And is Sascha Baron Cohen is a genre, I hate it too. 4. Who is your favorite… a) actress This is a tough one, because I don't really deal in terms of "favorite people" anymore. I have an admiration for the legacy of Lucille Ball, so she's probably the first one that would pop into my head. But there really one I'd watch anything that they're in just because they're in it. And then there's whatshername from Return of the Living Dead. The one who got naked and stayed naked the rest of the movie. Greatest performance of our time. b) actor Still a hard one. Most influential on my life was Curly Howard. I also find Tommy Lee Jones captivating in about everything I've seen him in. c) director? The one I grew up with is Ishiro Honda, so I have a soft spot for him. I grew to love the work of Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, and Clint Eastwood as an adult. Edgar Wright is becoming one of my all-time favorites, though I'm going to wait until he has more films under his belt to declare him one, though everything he's done has been genius thusfar. Brad Bird is another that has yet to have directed a movie I've hated.
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Post by Mr. Atari on May 23, 2012 12:58:33 GMT -5
Okay, I'll bite.
1. How often do you… a) go to the cinema?
About 3 or 4 times a year. Now that the little Ataris are hitting pre-teen ages, I'll take them to see something they're interested in. Thankfully, it's movies like "The Muppets" and not dreck like "Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 (IN 3-D!)".
b) rent DVD/BDs? c) buy DVD/BDss?
It's all streaming for me now. I can't remember the last time I physically put a disc in a player. 6 months, at least. I'll purchase films for download, but then stream it from my laptop to the TV. The last one I bought this way was Moneyball.
d) watch films on TV? And what was the last movie you saw
All the time. AMC or TCM will have a movie that interests me on a regular basis. Last night I flipped over to Groundhog Day because the Rockies and Cubs were both losing.
2. What film have you seen the most and how many times have you seen it?
Gotta be Back to the Future. I saw it at least 5 times in the theater in 1985, and easily over 500 times on VHS, cable, DVD, and Blu-Ray. In the early days of VCRs, we had a couple of tapes with TV versions of movies like The Blues Brothers, Police Academy, Fletch, Blazing Saddles, and Vacation. So any of those might be a close second just from the repeat viewings in my childhood.
3. What genre(s) of films do you… a) love b) hate and why?
I'll go with the famous Roger Ebert quote here: "It's not what the movie is about that's important, it's how it is about it." In other words, any movie that is interesting, creative, or different is one that will get my attention. Any movie that is by-the-numbers or cookie-cutter is one I will hate. This applies to all genres, be they romantic comedies, Oscar-baiting dramas, gross-out comedies, or (especially lately) comic book popcorn. Also, there is a special hell for shaky cam movies. And torture horror needs to go away and never come back. 4. Who is your favorite… a) actress b) actor c) director? Why? And what are your 3 favorite films from each?
Actress? I don't think I could improve on Mad Plumber's pick of Sigourney Weaver. In classic cinema, Ingrid Bergman always did it for me. Currently, I'm usually glad to see Amy Adams on screen, and she seems to have the chops.
Actor is tougher because I tend to prefer character actors to movie stars. Guys like Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, and Ben Kingsley come to mind. But even the lesser known character actors like Steven Tobolowsky, Kevin Pollak, Jon Polito, Stephen Root, or the late, great J.T. Walsh fascinate me. In old Hollywood, I can't remember ever being disappointed in a Cary Grant or Humphrey Bogart performance. The one actor today who I would pay money just to see him act would be Sam Rockwell. Although I love that Martin Freeman is finally getting his due.
Director is a slam dunk: the Coen Brothers. They're the most interesting directors out there. Even their rare duds are compelling. All-time, it might be Kurosawa. 3 favorites from the Coens: Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, and A Serious Man. From Kurosawa: Ikiru, Seven Samurai, and Ran.
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Post by caucasoididiot on May 23, 2012 16:06:11 GMT -5
1. How often do you… a) go to the cinema?
Never, essentially. The last time I saw something on the big screen was Wallace and Gromit when it hit Japan.
b) rent DVD/BDs?
Slightly less than never. I caught a disc of some JTV horror anthology show at Blockbuster several months ago.
c) buy DVD/BDss?
>a ^ <b. Oddly, it too was the Wallace and Gromit movie, which I spotted on clearance at Big Lots. They have to be cheap.
d) watch films on TV?
Never if interpreted narrowly, but if one considers streaming movies in this category then almost daily. The last was Shinoda Masahiro's Ansatsu, which was an instant hit.
2. What film have you seen the most and how many times have you seen it?
It would probably be 2001. I imagine a lot of people my age had a similar experience when VHS players became common. The idea of being able to see a favourite film whenever one liked was so exciting that we would buy it and watch it to death, sometimes to the point of burnout. I couldn't begin to estimate the number of viewings, and it got to where I really didn't need to actually roll the tape anymore. But a few years ago I splurged for the DVD, and seeing the film not in pan'n'scan brought back some of the magic.
3. What genre(s) of films do you… a) love
This is difficult, and, indeed, many of my favourite films are such precisely because they are difficult to pigeonhole. Calling, say, City of Lost Children a fantasy is accurate yet hardly seems complete, and what section of Blockbuster should Zentropa occupy? Looking at a list, one might have to say "foreign," but that's a cop out. Growing up I always liked the science fiction genre and still do, but many of the films I love lately would pigeonhole into genres which traditionally I have never particularly cared for, like horror or cop movies. But again, few of them would be typical representatives of their stables.
b) hate
This too is wishy-washy, but I am often irritated by historical films. Generally speaking, if I'm interested enough in the period to see the film it's because I know something of the era, and almost uniformly this means having shoved in my face that if the movie-makers did, they didn't care. Well done, though, they can hit my favourite list easily, as does the historical/musical/absurdist-dark-comedy Oh! What a Lovely War!
4. Who is your favorite… a) actress
Siân Phillips, for her portrayal of Livia in I, Claudius and Anne Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Technically these are TV productions, true, but both of a scale to rank with the cinematic. Can't place her in a third role, offhand, but those two were enough.
b) actor
At the moment, anyway, Asano Tadanobu. He's probably best know in the US for Ichi the Killer (which I've never seen and am not sure I want to). I've seen him working in a range of different roles with different directors, everything from the elder Guitar Brother in the chaotically comic Naisu no Mori: The First Contact to the lonely expat in Last Life in the Universe. I especially like his portrayal of men haunted by something in their past, most memorably in Tsukamoto Shinya's Vital, in which he plays an amnesiac medical student doing his first human dissection.
c) director?
Kitano "Beat" Takeshi, but again, perhaps he edges some others partially through being fresh in my mind. Why? He just makes damned fine movies. I could list various specifics, but that's what it all boils down to. He usually acts in his own films, something I've heard other directors compare to a lawyer defending himself (meaning that he has a fool for a client), but in Kitano's case it works. One thing that may be an ironic plus is that he is terribly typecast in the Japanese mind as a tough guy actor, generally playing either cops or yakuza. But there is the school of thought that limitation leads to inspiration, and Kitano takes what they expect of him and serves it up in ingenious ways.
My top three would be:
Hana-bi, "Fireworks": A Dirty Harry type cop who is unbeatable in the realm of physical violence is thrust into a world where he is responsible for the pain of all those around him, none of the roots of which can be fought with violence. His terminally ill wife has only a single line of dialogue, a nice example of the importance of silence in most Japanese film-making, but especially Kitano's. His silences are eloquent.
Kikujiro's Summer: Beat is a failed ex-yakuza in this one, ordered by his dominant wife to take a neighbor boy who lives with his grandmother to visit the mother he hasn't met in conscious memory. Thus begins a hand-to-mouth odyssey across Japan that is variously comic, sad, touching and magical.
Dolls: The only one of my top three in which Beat doesn't appear, Dolls is another story of a journey, but a very different one from Kikujiro. It opens with a young man's wedding, and from the conversation of his friends we find that he has jilted his longtime girlfriend to marry the boss's daughter. But when told that the girlfriend has attempted suicide and been left a vegetable by the attempt, he unceremoniously leaves to collect her. Tied together with a red cord (a proverbial symbol of being "made for each other" in Japanese) they wander the countryside through all of Japan's marvelously visual seasons, wonderfully captured by Kitano's camera. Along the way their path crosses those of others similarly cast adrift by love, such as an aging yakuza boss seeking the love of his youth and a maimed pop star and her most devoted fan. A movie of aching beauty.
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Post by BJ on May 23, 2012 16:11:33 GMT -5
I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading everyone's responses, so here goes. Side note, I half expected one of the questions to be "What... is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?"
1. How often do you…
a) go to the cinema? - I go over Thanksgiving with my dad if there's a new 007 film, and that's about it. I once drove an hour down to Sarasota to see the Good German, and I walked to the theater once to see V for Vendetta when I wasn't able to drive, so my habits have definitely changed over the years. I think it's a combination of me growing older/bitter/angrier, overpriced tickets, annoying patrons, lousy picture quality and terrible movies that are usually remakes, sequels, prequels, or reboots.
b) rent DVD/BDs? -Never, I always buy. The last time I rented a movie was in the 90s, it was a 99 cent rental and I had to pay four dollars for a one day late fee. Never again. Also, I watch movies based on mood, and that fluctuates too much to rent. I might see a Mustang driving home and suddenly want to watch Bullitt, but by the time I'm on the couch, I want something different. And I rarely watch a film just once, so I like to have it on hand.
c) buy DVD/BDss? - I'm not sure, maybe 25-50 a year. I don't keep count and it depends on how I'm spending my money. Right now, I've got about 30 on my shelf I've never seen and I keep buying blu-rays that I already own on dvd, so I've made an effort not to buy anything new.
d) watch films on TV? - I don't have cable/satellite, so almost never. If I pass something I've heard of, I'll watch a few minutes to see if it's something I might want to buy. Last winter, I caught most of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on a lazy Sunday.
And what was the last movie you saw/bought for each - The last disc I bought was For a Few Dollars More on blu to replace the dvd. I think the last movie I saw was Anaconda on dvd. I think the last "new" movie I watched was Once Upon a Time in the West, also on dvd.
2. What film have you seen the most and how many times have you seen it? - This is hard since I don't keep track and my memory is terrible. If I had to guess, it would be one of Jaws, Back to the Future, Goonies, or Airplane!. They're all films I watched many times as a kid, and I've kept watching them as an adult.
3. What genre(s) of films do you… and why?
a) love - I took a film genre class in high school, so I used to really care about genres. However, as I've gotten older, I've realized that almost nothing after the collapse of the studio system neatly fits in a genre. I tend to like noir, and hard sci-fi, but there are many exceptions to that.
b) hate - I was going to leave this blank until I read MJ's and Mad Plumber's choices. I can't stand found footage or torture porn. Saw and Blair Witch didn't even feel like films, but some sort of terrible high school art project.
4. Who is your favorite…Why? And what are your 3 favorite films from each?
a) actress - Uhh, I can never answer these. It seems to change on a daily basis. I'll also see an actress once, love her performance, and never see her again. I guess maybe Natalie Portman might be the one. From childhood roles in Beautiful Girls and Leon, to a starring role in V For Vendetta, she seems to give life to a character. There's also Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welch, Jennifer Connelly... I'll readily admit that I'm a guy and it affects my favorite actresses.
b) actor - Let's keep it simple and go with Kurt Russell, particularly with John Carpenter. The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China, and Escape from NY are three of my favorite films. He really owns a character, usually with a sarcastic and/or comedic edge. With the Thing, Dark Blue, Breakdown, etc., he's proved his worth on the serious side of things. Also, he was a professional baseball player and he does a great Elvis, so there's that.
c) director? - Like Mad Plumber, I feel like most directors are either inconsistent, or they run out of creativity but keep directing. I feel like saying Kubrick, but that's primarily because he made so few movies and was given plenty of time on each one. So, I'll just name someone who might not get enough attention, John Huston. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Maltese Falcon and African Queen are three of the finest films I've seen. Although, that might have as much to do with Humphrey Bogart as the director.
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Post by afriendlychicken on May 23, 2012 17:51:25 GMT -5
1. How often do you… a) go to the cinema? Never. The last film through general release that I watched in the theater was "FEELING MINNESOTA" in 1996 and the last movie I watched was "IKIRU" at the Honolulu Film Festival in 1997, presented by Roger Ebert. b) rent DVD/BDs? I don't think I've rented a film since the 1980's. c) buy DVD/BDss? I average around one DVD/BD a week. The last film I bought was the blu-ray of the original "PLANET OF THE APES." It was selling for $9.96 at Wal-Mart and I just couldn't pass that up. d) watch films on TV? Only TCM. I seem to live and breathe on TCM. 2. What film have you seen the most and how many times have you seen it? Wow, this is a tough question because it really has nothing to do with a film I may love, but more to do with "I never meant to see this film so many times, it just happened that way..." The film I saw the most in the theater was, gulp, "STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK." You see, one friend wanted to see it, then another, then my family, then it ended up at a dollar theater... The film I've seen the most is Terry Gilliam's "ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN." My nephew's seemed to adore that movie when they were younger and I must have watched it with them 30+ times. 3. What genre(s) of films do you… a) love I agree with a few others above on this question. I seem to like films that don't fit into easy categories. I guess they would be drama's with fantastical, dream-like qualities. Films like "A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH," "VERTIGO," "THE SEVENTH SEAL" and "PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC" are the types of films I adore. And quality Westerns. I just love a good myth. b) hate and why? I really don't like horror films. I don't think there's a genre which caters to stupid more than the horror film genre. And this may come as a surprise to many but I really don't care much for SF films. I mean, there are definitely much more quality films in the SF genre; mostly Hard SF; than the horror genre but over all, bad film-making and idiotic plots tend to be rampant in the genre. And with the exception of "ALIEN," there's almost nothing worse than a SF/horror hybrid film. 4. Who is your favorite… a) actress I love Barbara Stanwyck. She could do any role thrown at her and was so darn likeable. b) actor I love, love, love Takashi Shimura. From MIzuguchi to Kurosawa to Honda to Kobayashi, he could play it all. There's no better scene in a movie than Takashi Shimura in "IKIRU" swinging on a swing in 'his' park and singing his sappy, wonderful song. c) director? Why? And what are your 3 favorite films from each? Man, every great director has his/hers strengths and faults. The most consistent directors were probably Hitchcock and Kurosawa and I love them both, but I'm going to go with the two that I have in my profile, Jacques Tati and Andrei Tarkovsky. I've chosen these two because both directors made less than 10 films each and have left us with a wish for more. The three films from Tati would be the first three with his M. Hulot character, "M. HULOT'S HOLIDAY, "MON ONCLE" and "PLAYTIME." Beautiful, wonderful, sweet and funny films that I'll always love. My three from Tarkovsky would be "ANDREI RUBLEV," "SOLARIS" and "STALKER," although "MIRROR" may arguably be his best film. Tarkosky's weakness is being the only art film director with films that have a lack of a sense of humor, but he makes up for it with intelligence and one of the best, most original visual styles in cinema history.
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Post by crowschmo on May 23, 2012 22:18:48 GMT -5
It's funny that I enjoy going to the movies, but if asked about a "favorite" I really couldn't think of one.
The movie I've seen most recently is "The Avengers" (it was just okay).
The movie I've seen most in theaters is definitely "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Not because it was my favorite movie of all time, though I did enjoy it's goofiness, it's just that it was something to do on a Friday night. I've seen it at least 30 times in the theater. And it was more than just a movie - it was an "experience". I saw "Grease" a lot as a kid, but when I look at it now, it's kind of lame.
I really can't think of a favorite movie; I can't remember going into a theater, watching something, and then coming away thinking it was a life altering experience or anything. I enjoyed "Star Wars" when it first came out, but I was a kid at the time, and now, I still like it, but I don't consider it great cinema, and if it were on TV I wouldn't sit through it again, I'm kind of sick of it. And all the sequels and ESPECIALLY the prequels really ruined it for me. (Ewoks and Jar-Jar Binks - UGH!!)
I guess the movie that's given me the most enjoyment would be "Young Frankenstein". I mean, it was funny, but not brilliant art or anything.
I'm pretty critical, and a lot of what other people think are great, I just think are so-so. I wasn't that impressed with stuff like "Citizen Kane", "It's a Wonderful Life", "Casablanca", or "Gone With the Wind". I liked "The Sound of Music" and "The Wizard of Oz" when I was younger, but I don't think much of them now, I'm bored with them. It's hard to judge something that you've seen a few times and are bored with, I guess.
I did kind of like "Sunset Boulevard", that was pretty good. And I must admit, I love "Harold and Maude" - quirky - maybe that's my favorite.
Favorite director? Mmmmm - don't know.
Actor and actress? Don't know that, either. I do enjoy Alan Rickman in stuff, and I like Robert Downey, Jr. Meryl Streep is okay on occasion, as is Glenn Close. Cate Blanchett is good.
I liked "Stand By Me", "A Christmas Story".
I go to the movies maybe a couple of times a month, on average, it depends on what's out, sometimes I'll go for a few months and not see anything. I don't generally rent movies anymore. If I see something I think I'll like, I'll just buy it - kind of a waste of money, I know.
A movie I saw recently was an Indie called "Another Earth". That wasn't too bad. About the discovery of a parallel Earth, though it was kind of slow moving and more of a character study than actual sci-fi.
Don't really care about genre. If it looks okay, I'll go see it. I, too, hate slasher and torture horror films - they really serve no purpose.
I haven't seen a whole lot of artsy films, or classics, I guess I should give them a chance, but I don't feel like spending all my time on stuff like that. I'm a TV person, I guess, I'll have to admit. I don't really like watching MOVIES on TV anymore, however. The commercials these days are just relentless. But we have some premium channels now, so if there are any on one of those I'll probably sit through it, though the temptation to surf is great. (And they do repeat the same movies ad naseum).
I guess what I'm saying is, I might need some robot pals to crack wise to help me get through them.
I do plan on checking out "Dark Shadows" some day soon. I'll probably see "Rock of Ages" even though I hate Tom Cruise. I saw the play and I'm just curious to see what they do with it. A movie is coming out, I think in June, that sounds intriguing - "Abraham Lincoln- Vampire Hunter". I may just have to shell out some dough for that puppy.
This is getting long and dull. Sorry.
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Post by Mighty Jack on May 23, 2012 23:18:54 GMT -5
I agree with a few others above on this question. I seem to like films that don't fit into easy categories. I guess they would be drama's with fantastical, dream-like qualities. Films like "A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH," "VERTIGO," "THE SEVENTH SEAL" and "PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC" are the types of films I adore. And quality Westerns. I just love a good myth. You are now officially crowned "greatest member of the forum" Looking these over, I really am a dinosaur. I still go to the theater and I still pop DVDs and BDs in the player. Most of my rentals are actually check outs, from the library. I've been slow on the streaming, download thing. Probably because I don't have net access at home. And while I agree that most directors have their ups and downs, and that includes Hitchcock. I still go with Alfred because even if the movies sub par, his technique is so exquisite that even a weak movie is a wonder to watch.
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Post by afriendlychicken on May 24, 2012 0:13:51 GMT -5
I agree with a few others above on this question. I seem to like films that don't fit into easy categories. I guess they would be drama's with fantastical, dream-like qualities. Films like "A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH," "VERTIGO," "THE SEVENTH SEAL" and "PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC" are the types of films I adore. And quality Westerns. I just love a good myth. You are now officially crowned "greatest member of the forum" Looking these over, I really am a dinosaur. I still go to the theater and I still pop DVDs and BDs in the player. Most of my rentals are actually check outs, from the library. I've been slow on the streaming, download thing. Probably because I don't have net access at home. And while I agree that most directors have their ups and downs, and that includes Hitchcock. I still go with Alfred because even if the movies sub par, his technique is so exquisite that even a weak movie is a wonder to watch. Heh heh heh, I think I'm half of your taste and half of Ijon's. Thanks for the nice compliment. And I agree on Hitchcock. I was re-watching "UNDER CAPRICORN" recently on TCM, and even though it really isn't one of his best, his style, along with Jack Cardiff's cinematography, still made it watchable.
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Post by caucasoididiot on May 24, 2012 9:42:51 GMT -5
Heh heh heh, I think I'm half of your taste and half of Ijon's. "The movie is over for me now, but it will always be there, for the rest of my days, as I'm sure MJ will be, fighting with Ijon for what Spackle called possession of my soul. There are times since . . . I've felt like the child born of those two fathers." (^_^) I realized last night that I was mistaken about my last DVD purchase, forgetting that I had picked up Kitano's Zatoichi on my recent Japan trip. Since even my viewing of Wallace & Gromit was in a Japanese theater, maybe I should change my favourite actress to make it a clean sweep. Make it Enami Kyouko for portraying the creepy mom in Love Complex. A point on directors generally, I see several people for whom consistency (perhaps reliability would be the better word) seems to be a fairly strong factor. I can understand that, but one thing I like about Kitano is how he will try some off the wall things, like the absurdist Getting Any? or the strangely contorted Takeshis'. Neither completely worked for me, but I like the idea of that sort of experimentation. Edit: Holy cow! I was just looking at Enami Kyouko's filmography and discovered that she's actually well known to most of us here. Circa 2000 (wish I could find a cap of her in character): Circa 1966:
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Post by Emperor Cupcake on May 25, 2012 9:16:55 GMT -5
1. How often do you… a) go to the cinema?
Rarely. It's too expensive. Also, I don't really keep up with what movies are coming out, and generally the only time I know when something I might be interested in is playing is if someone recommends it to me. That said, me and Tom went to see Dark Shadows last weekend, which was fairly enjoyable, though definitely not one of Burton's better films. Before that, the last movie we saw in the theater was the really quite good reboot/prequel of The Thing. As for upcoming stuff, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter looks pretty badass, so we'll probably go see that when it comes out. Also, Prometheus is on the to-see list...Tom is dying to see that one.
b) rent DVD/BDs?
Not for years and years. We have Netflix and stream pretty much everything. The only time we get the discs is if the movie is something not available to stream, like the Zatoichi movies, which we've seen a ton of. Oh, and we just saw the fantastic 1965 film The Loved One, and we got that on disc. And The Count of Monte Cristo, that was another recent disc we watched. Other than that we've been watching TV stuff or documentaries on streaming... old episodes of Heroes, TED talks about science and space exploration, a weird-ass documentary about the world's most ardent (and frankly most pathetic) Tiffany fans/stalkers, something about Japanese subcultures, and history channel docs about conquistadors, ancient Greece, myths and legends, and WWII (that's mainly Tom's bag, haha).
c) buy DVD/BDss?
Can't remember the last time I bought a DVD, frankly. If I did buy one it was likely music related (maybe Dresden Dolls Live at the Roundhouse) or comedy related (Eddie Izzard).
d) watch films on TV?
I don't have a TV, and even if I did I wouldn't watch movies on there. I don't wanna pay for premium channels, and why watch movies on cable when they're all cut up and full of commercials? Screw that.
2. What film have you seen the most and how many times have you seen it?
This is a hard one, because I saw SO many movies a million times growing up, just because I got sucked into watching them every time they were on. Probably Time After Time would be on that list, because HBO or Cinemax used to show it every five minutes back in the 80s, and I think I watched it every time. Other stuff I've seen to the point where I've memorized every line of dialogue? The Hunger, The Breakfast Club, Silence of the Lambs, Dangerous Liaisons, Wild At Heart. Also I used to go see Rocky Horror in the theater every weekend back in the day, so that would be up there too.
3. What genre(s) of films do you… a) love
Like many other posters thus far, I can't pin it down to one genre...anything can be a great film if done well. That said, I'm partial to horror films (even though a lot of people here seem to hate them), especially if they're subtle/psychologically disturbing. I love old-school ghost stories and haunted house movies. Also, I like dark comedies, weird foreign flicks, anything that's sort of unclassifiable.
b) hate
As I mentioned, I'll give any genre a whirl if the movie looks good. That said, in general I can't get that into westerns, chick flicks, or juvenile comedies.
4. Who is your favorite… a) actress
As I get older I find I don't really have preferences for particular people as much as I used to. But the first actress that popped into my head, who is actually great enough that I'll see anything she's in, is Isabelle Huppert. I also like Catherine Deneuve a lot.
b) actor
Since I don't keep up with a lot of newer movies and actors, I find this kind of hard as well. Back in the day I loved Jeremy Irons, Malcolm McDowell, and John Malkovich, though none of them have done anything fabulous lately that I know of. I like Benicio del Toro a lot, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Sam Rockwell. I really like Christopher Eccleston, though I know him from roles other than Doctor Who, haha. I love a lot of British actors.
c) director?
Easy, David Lynch. I love his movies because they're like nightmares or frustrating puzzles, and they compel me to watch them over and over to interpret and re-interpret them. The imagery from them sticks with me more than the imagery from anyone else's films. Three favorites would probably be Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire, and Wild At Heart. I also like Mike Leigh (particularly Naked, Life Is Sweet, and Meantime), and Hal Hartley (Amateur, Trust, The Unbelievable Truth). I love Roman Polanski (Repulsion and The Tenant are favorites). As far as horror films go I love Dario Argento (particularly Suspiria), Guillermo del Toro, David Cronenberg, Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, and George Romero.
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Post by caucasoididiot on May 26, 2012 8:10:46 GMT -5
Oh, and we just saw the fantastic 1965 film The Loved One, . . . A truly great film. I love Gielgud's line about how Americans are always talking, but you needn't listen. Have you seen Kitano's remake? I rewatched that just the other night, but it's been ages since I saw any of the Katsu ones. If so, any thoughts on it?
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