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Grex > Cinema > #21: The Summer Movie Critique Item |  |
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| 25 new of 290 responses total. |
omni
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response 125 of 290:
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Jul 25 14:58 UTC 1998 |
The greatest director may be Martin Scorsese.
It's not Speilberg.
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hhsrat
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response 126 of 290:
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Jul 25 18:39 UTC 1998 |
Christopher Potter? Isnt't that the Ann Arbor News guy who hates
everything? I've never seen him give something a good review.
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senna
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response 127 of 290:
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Jul 25 19:58 UTC 1998 |
He gets one or two reviews right a year. This would seem to be it. Every
review I've seen raves about it.
You sure it's not Spielberg? Not only is he capable of brillant films, but
he's incredibly variable. He's not just a blockbuster filmmaker. He
accomplishes practically everything he sets out to do. Martin Scorsese is
brilliant, but he hasn't impressed me as much. I've always thought Alphred
Hitchcock.
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richard
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response 128 of 290:
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Jul 25 20:31 UTC 1998 |
Actually the AFI voted Spielberg the greatest American director of the century.
Spielberg said he didnt deserve it, that Martin Scorcese is the greatest. I'd
agree. I watch Scorcese's films over and over and see different things in them
every time.
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richard
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response 129 of 290:
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Jul 25 20:57 UTC 1998 |
"SAVING PRIVATE RYAN"-- This is a movie that I have to see again, because
the battle scenes are so detailed that one cant possibly appreciate them in
just one viewing. The opening sequence, showing the D-day invasion, is just
staggering. Spielberg has said noone under the age of 15 should see this, and
certianly it is NOT for anyone who is squeamish. It is as brutal and explicit
a portrayal of war that I think is possible to put on film. The battle scene
at the end where Tom Hanks and crew fight the Germans over a bridge is if
anything just as explicit as the opening.
The movie basically portrays D-Day as the last good battle, the end of
innocence. One moment Hanks and co. are fighting the Germans on the beach, and
the next day they are detailed to risk their lives on a public relations
mission to go into Germany and locate Private Ryan, whose three brothers have
been killed and get him home. One day war is for the grand purpose, and the
next war is to make politicians and pentagon brass look good. The reality of
this mission makes cynics out of Hanks entire outfit.
The movie opens and closes in the present, with Private Ryan standing in
the D-Day military cemetary in France, now an old man who has spent much
of his life tormented over the sacrifices Hanks and his men made for him.
This is a movie that clearly spells out the uselessness of war and the fact
that although many died in WW II for what were not the best reasons, mostly
they died with honor.
D-Day was the pivotal moment of this century. Had it not happened when
it happened, or if anything went wrong, Hitler could have had the time to
divert more troops to Normandy and might have defeated the Allied forces.
Hitler may well have ended up in control of Europe and no doubt would have
eventually taken the war over to our shores. "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN" is
a movie that needed to be made, because so many people dont understand
the history behind this event, the sacrifices that were made, and the intense
brutality of what went on.
A great movie. I rank it right up there with "All Quiet on the Western
Front", and
"Platoon" as the greatest war movies I've ever seen. ***** (five stars)
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maeve
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response 130 of 290:
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Jul 25 21:42 UTC 1998 |
henry fool was very good, at being very bad..we'll put it this way..I got out
of the theater and had to run around the block to get all my annoyed energy
out..
(it's not danny's fault)
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aaron
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response 131 of 290:
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Jul 25 22:29 UTC 1998 |
Christopher Potter's biggest flaw is that he confuses summarizing a movie
with "reviewing" a movie. His second biggest flaw is that he generally has
bad taste.
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i
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response 132 of 290:
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Jul 26 03:05 UTC 1998 |
Re: #129
You've very little knowledge of how Overlord played out if you think that
nothing went wrong. Hitler didn't need more time to sent troops to
Normandy (he'd done that in May '44, moving the 21st Panzer division, 91st
Infantry, and loads of smaller units into near-perfect positions to
oppose the invasion), he needed a transportation network that the Allied
air forces weren't bombing into rubble. And what he could have diverted
of the 59 divisions in the West on 6/4/44 after a victory in Normandy would
not have changed the 163 divisions being vanquished in Italy and the East
into winners.
The horrible carnage of D-Day (on the Allied side) was mostly due to
General Omar Bradley & Co.'s refusal to learn from the horrible carnage
of the Dieppe raid. The British weren't that stupid (well, it was *their*
guys who got butchered at Dieppe), and went ashore prepared in Normandy -
enjoying an easy victory and minimal losses as a result.
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kittie
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response 133 of 290:
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Jul 26 03:56 UTC 1998 |
For anyone who likes comedies will absolutely LOVE the movie "Mafia"
It was *very* funny
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omni
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response 134 of 290:
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Jul 26 04:30 UTC 1998 |
Scorsese will always be my favorite, that is, next to my all time favorite,
Barry Levinson.
Spielberg did a great job on Always.
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senna
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response 135 of 290:
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Jul 26 07:06 UTC 1998 |
I'd disagree with some of the interpretations richard took out of Private
Ryan, but that's a personal issue anyway. The ending review was on target.
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carolyn
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response 136 of 290:
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Jul 27 03:13 UTC 1998 |
Mr Potter seems to think that every movie has to be socially redeeming.
I usually disagree with him and have met very few people who agree with his
point of view on any film. How does that guy keep his job?
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fyber219
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response 137 of 290:
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Jul 27 05:26 UTC 1998 |
Hi everyone........ I'm new to this conf. I work at a local movie theatre,
doing pretty much everything. So if anyone has any questions about how
things work "behind the scenes" or maybe if a movie that is coming out is
anygood (I usually watch the new releases in special screenings for employee's
days before it comes out) leave a message for me here or e-mail me at
movieguy@fyber.fsn.net
-Neil aka. Fyber219 aka. movieguy
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kittie
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response 138 of 290:
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Jul 27 09:24 UTC 1998 |
Welcome, fyber219
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eieio
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response 139 of 290:
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Jul 27 13:55 UTC 1998 |
I thought that Potter wasn't that far off the mark in his review of
"Ponette". He's given me a couple of decent reviews, so I'm afraid I
qualify, at best, as a part-time Potter-basher.
But it's not for nothing that his annual awards are referred to as
"The Potties".
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remmers
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response 140 of 290:
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Jul 28 13:09 UTC 1998 |
"Henry Fool" A+
To hell with what some of the critics say. This is a wonderful
film. Funny, moving, satirical, complex, risk-taking, thought-
provoking epic about friendship, influence, responsibility, and
several other things. Brilliantly written, photographed, and
acted. I loved almost every minute of it, including a few distinctly
uncomfortable ones. It firmly establishes Hal Hartley as one of
today's great filmmakers.
The blurb in the Michigan Theater schedule asserts that the film
was inspired by Harold Bloom's _The Anxiety of Influence_. I shall
have to have a look at that book.
"Henry Fool" still has a couple more showings at the Michigan
Theater - Tuesday July 28 at 7:00 and Thursday July 30 at 9:00.
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toking
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response 141 of 290:
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Jul 28 13:58 UTC 1998 |
"Disturbing Behavior" has to be one of the worst movies I"ve seen in a
long time. The idea was kinda cool, but something went drastically wrong
when they tried to do something with it.
first half hour: too slow, too stupid
next 15 minutes: kinda cool
rest: too fast, too little
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eieio
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response 142 of 290:
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Jul 28 14:56 UTC 1998 |
The idea was kind of cool... when it was still called "The Stepford Wives".
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nsiddall
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response 143 of 290:
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Jul 28 15:12 UTC 1998 |
Quick question: What is the film that Jim Jarmusch made with soundtrack
based on Screaming Jay Hawkins "I Put a Spell on You"?
(I just watched "Down by Law" again; watched the mesmerizing intro over
and over, set to a perfect Tom Waits song...and now I want to see that
earlier film, but I forget the name of it.)
("Mystery Train" is very good, too.)
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remmers
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response 144 of 290:
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Jul 28 16:53 UTC 1998 |
If it's earlier than "Down by Law", which was Jarmusch's second
feature, then it must be "Stranger than Paradise", his first.
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maeve
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response 145 of 290:
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Jul 28 19:15 UTC 1998 |
ugh, I hated Henry Fool..granted it was well-made, but it was a well-made
bad-movie
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remmers
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response 146 of 290:
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Jul 29 01:49 UTC 1998 |
Well, as was said more than once in the movie itself, "You can't
argue about taste."
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maeve
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response 147 of 290:
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Jul 29 06:09 UTC 1998 |
oh..and why did all teh clothes, hairstyles etc stay exactly the same 10 or
so years later in the 'end' of teh film? that bothered me..
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remmers
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response 148 of 290:
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Jul 29 11:50 UTC 1998 |
I don't think Hartley was after naturalistic realism. If that
bothered you, how about this: Did you notice all the beer in the
film? People drinking from cans and carrying around six-packs.
Did you notice that it was always exactly the same brand?
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maeve
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response 149 of 290:
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Jul 29 15:30 UTC 1998 |
did you notice no one ever ate anythign except beer, the one bite of lasagna,
and some curdled milk?
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