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[Christian Knudsen]

I definitely don't think the movie is poor or misses its mark. I think it is highly nuanced and forces the viewers to think for themselves instead of just absorbing the obvious opinions they are fed. But if one was to just absorb mindlessly what the narration shows then I think he would hold Belfort in admiration for his genius, charisma and humour, because this is what the narration strongly focuses on. This and his indulgent lifestyle which many people envy.

I agree with this. I guess what I've being arguing against is the opinion that somehow the movie is at fault for expecting the audience to not just absorb it mindlessly.

[Alec S.]

Wolf of Wall Street vilifies it's main character more than just about anything I've seen in a while.  I mean, compare it to Scorcese's standard crime films, or most Mobster films for that matter.  You're watching hardened criminals doing horrible things, but he makes you sympathize with them, makes you want to see them get out of the shitty situation they've gotten themselves in to.  Wolf of Wallstreet is the opposite:  I felt no sympathy for Belfort, and wanted to see him go down, but he never really does in any sort of substantial way, because society doesn't punish these sorts of people.  The characters in Goodfellas and Mean Streets are Anti-heroes.  Belfort is a flat out villain.

The movie is probably one of the best condemnations of the "Alpha Male" archtype, and paints it as being primitive (that chest-beating humming that Matthew McConaughey's character introduces and later is spread to Belfort's entire office) and animalistic, and id driven (Jonah Hill's character furiously masturbating in the middle of a party [in fact, Jonah Hill's character can be seen to externalize the grossness that Belfort hides behind his charisma]).

And, the final shot is a powerful indictment of society for giving these sorts of people any platform.  An audience of people looking to this horrible man for "life advice".

[heisenbergman]

All Is Lost - Surprisingly very watchable despite it having only one actor and barely any dialogue. Robert Redford is not a great actor though. He's serviceable at best in most scenes, but that scene around 70-minutes into the film when he finally shows an emotional outburt of despair is cringeworthy. Overall, a fascinating piece of work. It piques my interest about the ins and outs of sailing. It's gorgeous to look at and relaxing to listen to during the daytime scenes when the weather is calm, but is riveting to watch during the man-vs-nature sequences where our man is fighting for his life.

The Spectacular Now - Miles Teller reminds me of a young John Cusack: That boyish look and charm, the calm and cool manner, the loose and relaxed way he delivers his lines. Though one thing that Teller has over Cusack is that he can turn it up so effectively when the scene calls for proper drama. And through that, the film succeeds in hitting all the right notes. It's not exactly a spectacular coming-of-age story, but a lot it feels authentic and comes from a place of genuine truth.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - It's feels really odd when you have two films featuring the same actress: American Hustle & Catching Fire - one a critical success with a chance at winning Best Picture and the other a mainstream commercial blockbuster - and it's the latter that reminds you that Jennifer Lawrence is a talented and versatile actress with incredible potential. I'll leave that at that. As for the other aspects of this sequel, it improves on almost every way from the original: The narrative becomes more compelling as plot thickens and the stakes get higher. The shooting style is less chaotic, yet you get a better sense of the danger all of the tributes are in. And the production design + visual effects make it obvious that more money was thrown towards the budget this time around.

[Tazi]

Watched The Toxic Avenger at the first time, I had some laughts, it was ridicolous. 
I could watch a trash-movie like this anytime over a boring hollywood blockbuster.

[heisenbergman]

First film in my Michael Mann marathon (to be followed by Manhunter then The Last of the Mohicans, Heat and finally The Insider):

Thief (1981)



Thief at times functions almost like a documentary in terms of its authenticity in capturing the ins and outs of a heist. It drills down to the details such as testing the voltage of wires to know what to tap and running an extinguisher under a burning bar to make sure nothing catches fire. These are the kinds of intricacies that other heist films would gloss over and in its place the viewer would find the entire process condensed into a quick, snappy montage.

At the same time Thief is also a compelling story of a tragic hero who's determined to live his life and follow his plans on his terms. At the heart of it is James Caan infusing his innate tough-guy bravado into the main character so naturally in what is one of his finest performances.

My only significant problem with the film is the progressive electronic score by Tangerine Dream. The music seems more apt for a tech-noir or cyberpunk or sci-fi film like Blade Runner or The Terminator. That said the score wouldn't be such a big issue if it wasn't so loud and present. In almost every big scene there it was. A huge wall of sound created by what seemed like a hundred roaring synthesizers. The atmosphere it created for Thief just seemed odd which was unfortunate because the film works great visually.

Right from the 10-minute opening scene the cinematography and lighting gives the film a sense of thrill and danger. It sets the stage for the rest of the story in such an efficient way that most other films are rarely able to do. Two thieves go about their business during a dark and rainy night. Each move they make is carefully followed. It's precise, detailed and intricately planned. In fact it's the perfect metaphor for the film as that's where the strength of the film ultimately lies. It's such a meticulously made film in that every shot every edit every scene and line of dialogue seems like it's all been painstakingly plotted on a detailed map by Michael Mann.

7/10

[heisenbergman]

Philip Seymour Hoffman dead a 46 from a drug overdose.

One of my favorite actors and I'm not just saying that he's one among the many that I like... I mean he's truly one of the very few working actors that I consider to be among the best. When pressed to name my favorite actor he's often the first name that comes to mind.

He was one of the few that him being in a film was enough to make me want to see it.

I'm gutted. Did not realize he was struggling so much with drug addiction...

RIP, master

[ink.inc]

In Bruges is a great film.

[bsp]

In Bruges is a great film.

Totally. Have you seen Seven Psychopaths yet?

[ink.inc]

No, but I've already planned to watch it tomorrow.

[ink.inc]

Just watched 7 Psychopaths. Don't like it very much at all. Found it a lot less coherent than In Bruges, and a lot less funny.

[Rayiner]

I've just watched Short Term 12. Probably one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Psychological Drama with OST by Joel P. West. That combination rules.

[The_White_Mamba]

Just watched 12 yrs a slave.  Its like Django except a lot less funny

[biomechanic]

If you liked In Fucking Bruges, you might enjoy The Guard. Also with Brendan Gleeson, also great.

[mono]

todays movie ruview

[Tanner]

didn't hate the robocop remake

[Christian Knudsen]

I really liked what the first half of the movie was going for, but it completely fell apart in the second half and had a "climax" that was a wet fart.

[mono]

death race 2000

[Mittens]

I really liked what the first half of the movie was going for, but it completely fell apart in the second half and had a "climax" that was a wet fart.

I know right? It's like the first and second halves of the movie where made by separate people. After a good start it switched over to being Michael Bay childish action movie garbage

[Mittens]

Just watched 7 Psychopaths. Don't like it very much at all. Found it a lot less coherent than In Bruges, and a lot less funny.

Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
I don't understand you people!
That movie is hilarious

[Chainsawkitten]

Have fallen back on my movie viewing in 2014 but I opened the year with a rewatch of Morte a Venezia, so there's that.



惡の華 [Aku no Hana - The flowers of Evil]
Rotoscoping is lovely. Reminds me I should play The Last Express.

Shadow of a Doubt
Good but characters seem kinda clueless at times.

Casa privata per le SS [SS Girls]
I thought I had to see at least one Bruno Mattei nazisploitation movie in my life. I no longer find that a necessity. Had to skip through it since it's just so boring. That ending is something else, though.

وجدة [Wadjda]
Such a simple premise (main character just really wants a bicycle) done well.

The Act of Killing
Genuinely shocking/skin-crawling. I knew nothing about the Indonesian killings.

There Will Be Blood
Hilarious.



Der Untergang [Downfall]
The infamous scene is pretty much ruined by YouTube videos by now but the rest of this stands up quite well.

Crank: High Voltage [Crank 2]
Awful TV night #1. Didn't make it through.

There's Something About Mary
Awful TV night #2. Didn't make it through.

Mamma Roma
Couldn't figure out where I'd seen her before. She's from Roma, città aperta!

Good Will Hunting
Problematic but hey it's Gus van Sant.

The Plague Dogs
"The adventure of a lifetime!"

You lied to me, tagline. I love you.

ゆきゆきて、神軍 [The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On]
Wow. Such an intriguing (if perhaps insane) character.

The Pervert's Guide to Ideology
You'd think after watching a 90 minute movie about ideology, I'd know what he means by that word, but nope. Also, I don't find the ideas of a psychoanalyst particularly enlightening, news at 11. He did make me interested in watching They Live, though.

অপুর সংসার [The World of Apu]
Honestly didn't find it as strong as the other films but it's still really good. The wedding is... uncomfortable.

Cléo de 5 à 7 [Cléo From 5 to 7]
I like it but at some points I'm just like "couldn't you just have done another take?".

フミコの告白 [Fumiko's Confession]
Was about to watch Rain Town but then stumbled upon the director's previous work and now I no longer have any desire to watch Rain Town.

カフカ 田舎医者 [A Country Doctor]
I like Kafka and this is pretty cool. I'd say it does a good job of representing the short story.

Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam
Lovely visuals. I think it was a pretty long time ago that my opinions of a director has made that many 180-degree turns. "Oh man, this is pretty awesome. What a cool dude Paul Wegener must have been." "Wait, what?! He starred in Nazi propaganda films? What the heck? How can you go from making a movie about the hardships and discrimination facing the Jewish people and then go on to make Nazi propaganda? What an asshole!" "Oh, wait. He starred in propaganda films by day but then used that money to fund the resistance, harbored fugitives and spread anti-nazi propaganda by night? That's awesome! What a guy!"

The Thing From Another World
Had to watch it as I quite enjoyed John Carpenter's The Thing and had to see the original. I was positively surprised. I think it really managed to capture the intensity of the climate. It's really quite interesting for as long as we don't get to see the carrot monster.

Funny Games (German version)
It's funny (heh) but I like this more than the American version despite being the exact same film.

The Thing (remake)
This felt more like a hike in the mountains during winter than Antarctica. The cold never seems to be an enemy like it was in John Carpenter's version or even the original. The pacing is awful too and the CGI is the only dread-inducing thing in this. I'm not against the idea of remaking a horror classic (even though it could be seen as pointless, I think it can be interesting to see novel take on a classic) but in order to pull it off, you need a director of calibre. Someone with a lot of skill and experience. Not someone who has never directed a film before.