What you watchin' tonight?

The Devil and Mr. Webster - A- (thanks to Shawn for recommending this gem!)

Rush: Live in Rio - A

The Devil and Daniel Webster is a trip, isn't it?!  It's really experimental for the time.  The jury of the damned is something that really sticks in my memory...and the whole sequence with them appearing in the house.  It's funny and creepy at the same time.

Tonight I watched:

The Station Agent (2003) - I had somehow missed this one. Really enjoyed it, fine character study/drama, very likable cast and realistic situations. It's really funny too, in a laid-back kinda way. I've always been a train freak so that part appealed to me as well.

Quote :

The Station Agent (2003) - I had somehow missed this one. Really enjoyed it, fine character study/drama, very likable cast and realistic situations. It's really funny too, in a laid-back kinda way. I've always been a train freak so that part appealed to me as well.

Cool flick. They filmed that in my neck of the woods, I pass the two old train cars and the station building seen in the movie on my way to & from work every day. When my oldest was very small and obsessed with trains, sometimes I'd drive him over there just so he could look at the train cars.

Last night I watched the first episode of SyFy's new "Walking Dead" wanna-be, "Z Nation" - it was pretty "meh." I probably won't be bothering with future episodes.

S.D. wrote:

The Devil and Daniel Webster is a trip, isn't it?!  It's really experimental for the time.  The jury of the damned is something that really sticks in my memory...and the whole sequence with them appearing in the house.  It's funny and creepy at the same time.

That sequence was like and LSD inspired dream, I loved it. My favorite sequence had to be the dance with Scratch fiddling. I loved how it got more and more frantic with the unnerving Pop Goes the Weasel rendition, and the abrupt cut to black. Really ahead of its time!

The only downfall is the movie's message is forced and trite. Also the only standout for acting was Ma, Simon Simone, and Scratch, the latter giving one of the best performances I've seen from that era. Other than those minor quibbles, the movie's aesthetics and layering of disturbance really kept me in and kept me saying "woah!" Great stuff, really rewarding.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Quote :

The Station Agent (2003) - I had somehow missed this one. Really enjoyed it, fine character study/drama, very likable cast and realistic situations. It's really funny too, in a laid-back kinda way. I've always been a train freak so that part appealed to me as well.

Cool flick. They filmed that in my neck of the woods, I pass the two old train cars and the station building seen in the movie on my way to & from work every day. When my oldest was very small and obsessed with trains, sometimes I'd drive him over there just so he could look at the train cars.

Last night I watched the first episode of SyFy's new "Walking Dead" wanna-be, "Z Nation" - it was pretty "meh." I probably won't be bothering with future episodes.

I remembered you mentioning The Station Agent a few years ago, I had intended to watch it at the time but it slipped my mind amidst the plethora of movies I watch every year. Was browsing around Amazon Prime last night and there it was...

The guy that plays the "goombah" that owns the little ice cream truck was so great, he was like a stock "Joisey" character, very entertaining.

Orson Welles' The Stranger - B+

corplhicks wrote:

Orson Welles' The Stranger - B+

You have seen "The Third Man", correct?

Oh yes, has been on my top ten forever.

Fighting off a cold today so I took it easy & revisited two movies I haven't seen in awhile - "Captain America: the First Avenger" and "Goldeneye."
When I'm not stoned out of my gourd on cold meds, I'll post some ramblings about "GoldenEye" in the James Bond Thread.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Fighting off a cold today so I took it easy & revisited two movies I haven't seen in awhile - "Captain America: the First Avenger" and "Goldeneye."
When I'm not stoned out of my gourd on cold meds, I'll post some ramblings about "GoldenEye" in the James Bond Thread.

It's too bad none of the other Brosnan titles are up to the level of Goldeneye. I remember being really excited about that series, but then each movie afterward got worse...and worse...and worse...

Was watching Orson Welles' The Trial last night but I was so dog tired I fell asleep after the first act. And it was a rental that expired that night. Will have to pick it up again because I really enjoyed what I saw.

Porcupine Tree - Arriving Somewhere (Deadwing tour)

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

This concert was the reason I became a Porcupine Tree fan in the first place. As soon as I heard the song "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here" I was hooked. By an odd coincidence I discovered both Porcupine Tree and Opeth by watching concert DVDs. The setlist is great, focusing mostly on material from Stupid Dream thru Deadwing.

The Anesthetize blu-ray from the Fear Of A Blank Planet tour is even better.

Is that the one you showed me on Facebook? They sure put on a fascinating show.

Last night: I'm No Angel (Mae West) - B

Godzilla 2014...

...C+.

I'd give it a B-.  C for the non-monster sequences, but when the critters are on the screen add a half-letter grade to my review.

I was over at a friend's house on Friday night after work and he played a pirated copy of the latest Transformers movie (I didn't stay for the whole thing, it's 2 hours and 45 minutes for fucks sake), I can tell you right now that Godzilla is Citizen Kane compared to that pile of shit.

2 hours and 45 minutes? Seriously? Who the hell makes an action figure movie aimed at 12 year olds nearly three hours long? All the Ritalin in the world isnt enough to make that target audience sit still for that long!

Fat Freddy wrote:

2 hours and 45 minutes? Seriously? Who the hell makes an action figure movie aimed at 12 year olds nearly three hours long? All the Ritalin in the world isnt enough to make that target audience sit still for that long!

I've figured out one of the reasons why Bay's movies suck so bad. That Transformers movie is basically made out of epic, finale-quality action sequences, dozens of them. Take any 2 or 3 of those action scenes and stick them into a standard movie with actual characters, dialogue, etc, it could be cool. But, what happens when that's all the film is? When every action sequence blows a big wad, when they happen every 12 minutes or so like clockwork, after an hour it's fucking boring. It's like, he doesn't know how to build a film, how to create tension, to slowly ramp up the action so that the final sequence really seems like something.

But no, like a bad shred metal guitarist that starts out a solo at 100 miles per hour and then has nothing left to do but repeat himself, Bay just keeps on spewing CGI jizz all over the screen for 2 FUCKING HOURS AND 45 MINUTES.

There isn't enough script in this movie for an hour long episode of a TV show, let alone an epic 3 hour film.

Watching this movie would be like taking all the action sequences from say, 6 James Bond movies and editing them all together into one continuous blur. It's not entertaining, it's not actually a movie, it's a fucking video game that I can't control...

...well, I can turn it the fuck off, which is what all of Bay's movies deserve.

I remember a day when a good escapist action blockbuster was under two hours. There was no need to pad such a film, the whole point was to be taut. This Lord of the Rings shit with Bay has to stop. Yet there are people who complain about overlong movies yet adore stuff like this. I just can't understand.

As for Godzilla, my previous fears of a weak script were beyond met. That screenplay had nothing at all to offer. Everyone was so paper thin that I couldn't shake the constant apprehension I felt toward them, especially the listless lead. Dude did so great in Kick Ass and here is reduced to constantly giving annoying Frodo-esque gestures at every small thing. That and no one seems to really regard all the surrounding mayhem with more than a terrified shrug.

The plus in my grade is for the effects, but even then they were so dimly lit that I found myself squinting constantly; the theater must've been the place to see this. Too much time was given to the bloated exposition when what I really wanted was more monster battles. I felt the matchups were fairly stunted and left me wanting way more (although the final "finish him!" moment was cheer inducing). The whole movie just kind of happened. I also hate to say it but Gareth was both uncharacteristic in certain scenes and fairly uneven compared to Monsters. He was at his best when evoking a Spielberg influence, other times he was just conventional. Not enough risks were taken in this reboot (where the hell are all the bodies??) and it was one of the great cinematic disappointments I've experienced. Nearly fell asleep in several spots.

Godzilla and the MUTO looked pretty rad, though haha.

Both the good elements...and the flaws...make it feel even more realistically like a 1950s monster movie.

Think about it.

50s sci-fi scripts are almost all exposition, very little character development. Many of the lead actors in those films are wooden and lifeless. There is usually a romance angle thrown in, but underwritten and unexplored enough to have any real weight in the film. The Toho films are chock full of characters we don't give a shit about and wish they would just shut up...or get stomped. In the Toho films (after the first Godzilla) there are very few deaths, lots of people running...but few ever get squished. The bad monsters always get more screen time, etc.

All of those elements listed above are present and accounted for in Godzilla. Look at it one way and it's the ultimate in frustration, cause since everyone knows this, why would you gear a modern update the exact same way? But...those flaws, create an almost subconscious association with my childhood, watching bad sci-fi like Zontar: The Thing From Venus on Saturday mornings. The flaws become almost comforting.

I think the film has several cracking set pieces, paced slowly enough that you can really capture it in your mind (the film is thankfully lacking in split-second cutting, Gareth prefers long sweeps).

The reactor sequence.
The MUTO escape (which reminded me of the baby Gorgo escaping in that film)
The airport sequence.
The Golden Gate bridge sequence - probably the best in the film, Gareth handled it beautifully

and of course the final fights. Both Muto deaths were rousing and brought cheers from the audience.

I think Godzilla was rendered beautifully and unlike many CGI creations he seemed like an actual creature and even had a personality. The expression on his face after crushing the first MUTO with his tail is beautiful, my favorite moment by the big guy.

Like most Hollywood blockbusters I think "G" was a movie by committee. At some point the higher ups at Legendary made some decisions like: Godzilla isn't the bad guy, he needs to be the white hat (just like the 60s Toho films), it can't be too grim, no bodies (PG-13) and I also think it was probably the studios ideas to focus the film around a young male lead as opposed to focusing on the scientists, ya know...they have to attract females into the theater somehow...unfortunately they picked an actor made out of plywood.

The main structural flaw with this film is NOT having the story revolve around the scientific team. EVERY 1950s monster movie was told from the point of view of the scientists trying to figure out what was going on. They were the surrogate for the audience, we learned as they learned. By centering the Godzilla film around a peripheral character who isn't even directly involved with the overall plot you effectively disengage your audience...we never feel like we're REALLY involved with the lead...he doesn't even know what's going on, why should we give a shit about him?

Now, good news/bad news about the sequel.

Bad news - they've hired the same screenwriter for the sequel.
Good news/bad news - Legendary will take all the audience feedback from the first feature and use that to tweak the second film. Pretty much all the internet talked about was the lack of screen time for the monsters, so expect the sequel to be wall-to-wall action from beginning to end.

One more thing: I wouldn't put all the script blame on Max Borenstein's shoulders, he was the 5th writer hired to come in and re-tweak the script, one that had already been written and rewritten several times before. That's indicative of major studio interference and it's not easy being the last guy hired to come in and tweak an already subpar script at the last minute so a film can start production. Ask Damon Lindleoff what it was like having to re-tweak the World War Z script after several people had already re-written it before him.

I think that's where perspective is such a heavy factor in the enjoyment of this remake. I've never been much of a Godzilla fan. When I was a kid I brushed it off as low-fi camp and didn't come to appreciate it until my 20's thanks to Godzilla 2000 (I thought that was a pretty decent film). After that I started watching Gojira and most of the ones that followed it. And I enjoyed them to some degree, but when it came to this remake--well, it's hard to put into words but I've always been someone who desires a remake or homage of something originally camp or cornball to be a %100 turnaround into something poignant and hard-edged at the same time (I think I got that from Burton's Batman, which isn't poignant but sure the hell was when I saw it at ten years old). With Godzilla 2014 I got "partially" hard-edged but not poignant. Anyway point being I didn't get those flurries that a lot of former Gojira fans--especially those who lived that time--probably got.

What you've awakened me to is that the movie did achieve its purpose, and for that I'll ease up and give it props. But man that script was bad. I don't fault Borenstein necessarily; my initial thinking was that they were utilizing a rookie to polish a script that's gone through the hands of several very different writers. I would think this sort of movie would have fared better in Frank Darabont's hands alone, or someone similar. And you're dead on about not centering around the scientists. That would have brought so much fascinating premise to a movie which lacks one. I'd also love something along the lines of the creatures' biology, more backstory (read: creative and engaging exposition relating to the centerpieces i.e. not the characters), and a less convoluted and rushed plotline. Most of all, yes, more screen time for the monsters. Anyway, I'll be at the theater for the sequel (I believe I really missed out not seeing this one on the big screen) with moderate expectations and perhaps be blown away.

Oh, and...

Jezebel (Bette Davis, Henry Fonda) - A
Sidney Lumet's Fail Safe - A+
Enchanted - B+. The + is for the great Amy Adams. Even here she has my heart haha.

All three of those movies are great. Fucking Fail Safe is perfect, I like to watch it back to back with Dr. Strangelove, it's the exact same story, one played straight, one as black comedy...both movies released the same year!!!

Amy Adams, as far as I'm concerned, is a bona-fide MOVIE STAR. She's that old school Hollywood combination of great acting chops and also that magnetic, impossible to completely put your finger on "it factor", she's electric, you can't take your eyes off her. I have yet to see her give a bad performance, in anything.

Here's a few more thoughts on Godzilla...

The screen time of the monsters is almost identical to every Toho film released between 1954 and 1973. Godzilla also gets more screen time than the shark in Jaws and about even to the Alien in the movie Alien. I was actually fine with the way that was structured, I think maybe a few more minutes overall would have done the trick.

I thought the best joke in the movie was when they cut from the fight at the airport...to the little kid watching it on TV trying to get his mom to come and look. Very Spielberg. Unfortunately, I think Edwards should have stayed on the fight for like...maybe a minute...or even 30 seconds...prior to cutting to that joke. Timing in films is a learned skill though, the masters almost never get it early in their careers, it comes with practice.

I like the buildup and the slow reveal, if the leads had been more engaging and the script more interesting I don't think as many people would have complained about the amount of monster action.

A couple more random notes:

Yes, I agree it would have been interesting to find out a little bit more about the history and biological makeup of the creatures. They did have a long time to study the MUTO, but they never reveal anything they learned to the audience. Not having any information on Godzilla is understandable, since they are just discovering him in the present. By the way, that scene in the beginning where they go to the collapsed mine, that was a killer...again, not unlike Spielberg.

They either needed more scenes or they should have just cut the wife & kid from the script entirely. They aren't explored enough to make any kind of impact, how are we supposed to care about a family dynamic when that family is only together on screen in a single 3 minute sequence? The wife only exists to answer the phone in the movie, that is literally all they gave her to do. Why waste the money on the actress? All they needed to do was give the lead a rumpled old photograph to pull out of his wallet and look at occasionally, that would have been more effective. Nothing pisses me off more than half-assed, unexplored characters in a movie, either make them 3-dimensional characters and give them a chance to develop...or cut them.

What is the least interesting thing in every Japanese Godzilla movie? The military. In the original Toho films it was mostly just fleets of tanks and ray cannons massing together...then Godzilla (or whoever) wipes them all out in 45 seconds. SO WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU MAKE THE LEAD A BOMB DISPOSAL OFFICER??!! Good grief, fucking morons, 5 scriptwriters couldn't figure out that the lead needed to be a fucking scientist?

and here's the thing...even with all my complaining...I still liked the movie. Not as good as I was hoping, but respectful of the character and it made enough money to launch a new franchise, so bravo Gareth, you got that right.

Jezebel was fantastic and moving; I've only seen Ms. Davis in her later roles, and the way she invoked so much animosity from me made her end redemption successfully cathartic. I loved Wyler's direction as well, it really feels like the 19th century South. Fail Safe has always been a favorite of mine as well, still chills me and the relevance will never fade--watching it back to back with Strangelove is a cool idea, I should try that sometime. And Enchanted was a pretty predictable and spotty pic with a rushed ending, but yeah, Adams. You're spot on about not taking eyes off her, and not just because she's beautiful, but also because of her skill. She conveys emotion (even here as a character lacking irony and sex appeal!) thoroughly in a way I've never seen before. Because of her work in American Hustle, she's replaced Naomi Watts as my favorite modern actress.

Anyway, as for Godzilla, that's amazing that the fights were comparable in time! My guess is that the stodgy human bits dragged the pic down so much that, not only were we happy to see the monsters appear, but we hated to cut away and back to the human element (or lack thereof). So if they really layer some complexity about the characters in the next film, I wonder if it would really be a problem.

Good point about the military! And not only was the wife throwaway, but the kid should've just been nonexistent the way his dad never gave two fucks about him. From a parent's angle, there were all sorts of wrong moves on the parents' part here. I cringed quite a bit.

Gareth did so much Spielberg goodness in here. I'm glad because we really need a new Spielberg, what with the man getting older and shifting tone. Especially for the script given to Gareth, he deserves much applause (another Spielberg thing I noticed was the parental angle, but unfortunately it was rather bland and stunted thanks to the writing). Timing seems to be his weaknesses right now, but I believe he'll easily overcome that. I also hope the lighting is a little better in the fight scenes--it was really hard to see what was going on. Again, maybe that's only on the small screen.

And Godzilla was seen by some as overweight?? The hell??

I've heard some people complaining about the blu-ray transfer of Godzilla being a little too dark, though I haven't seen it yet. The film was dark in the theater, but not too dark, I never had any issues seeing anything, they did a better job overall than Pacific Rim in that area.

I've been slacking on the movie watchin' this past week. On a whim last night I tried to get back into the groove with Tobe Hooper's "Invaders From Mars" remake, but I chose poorly, cuz BOY did that suck, hahaha!