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Also saw Zodiac all the way through yesterday - was so distracted by the glorious Ms. Jones I spaced :D. A little too long, but very good. Mark Ruffalo was fantastic (that was the first film I've seen Mark in beyond The Avengers, so it was great to see him in something else.)
 

I like Ruffalo, too.

Since you're the Giallo expert here: if you don't know Cruising you maybe should give it a try/look. I saw it mentioned as an American Giallo - and if you disagree, it's an excellent movie nonetheless. :D

Just got me a copy of Phenomena and will watch it within the next days. I know it's not the best of Argento but I had a little teenage crush on Jennifer Connelly, so that's a good reason and excuse for me!
 
I like Ruffalo, too.

Since you're the Giallo expert here: if you don't know Cruising you maybe should give it a try/look. I saw it mentioned as an American Giallo - and if you disagree, it's an excellent movie nonetheless. :D

Just got me a copy of Phenomena and will watch it within the next days. I know it's not the best of Argento but I had a little teenage crush on Jennifer Connelly, so that's a good reason and excuse for me!

Cruising sounds vaguely familiar. I will have to look into when I stop looking at the new MBPs :D - seriously I will give it a peek.

Phenomena has some really interesting ideas, I liked Jennifer in the lead role. And Donald Pleasance had a nice role. The one thing that tanks Phenomena for me is the actual killer. They are a bit of a letdown. Outside of this and some misplaced heavy metal in the soundtrack, it is an entertaining film. If you wind up loving it, Synapse Films are supposed to be releasing a special edition soon (some time next year, along with my beloved Tenebre.)

Back to Jennifer for a moment:

It is a shame Argento did not reuse Jennifer for Opera, he was thinking about it but cast some Spanish model who was rather lifeless (Opera is particularly graphic. I still have a hard time getting through this one, the murders are brutal.). Had Jennifer been the lead in Opera, the film would have been much better. I am in the minority as I prefer Phenomena to Opera.

Oops... sonic Argento ramble cannon....

Enjoy the film and thanks for the tip about Cruising.
 
Just finished Pacific Rim, which I guess is Del Toro's latest. Some parts were slow and some cheesy but otherwise I enjoyed it. It wasn't as good as Pan's Labyrinth but the animation, action and creature effects were amazing.
 
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World- not great, a romantic story, some humorous moments, but not a comedy, not the usual Steve Carell fare. Worth giving it a shot. It won me over in the end. :)

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Spoiler> The end of the world happens...
 
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Phenomena has some really interesting ideas, I liked Jennifer in the lead role. And Donald Pleasance had a nice role. The one thing that tanks Phenomena for me is the actual killer. They are a bit of a letdown. Outside of this and some misplaced heavy metal in the soundtrack, it is an entertaining film. If you wind up loving it, Synapse Films are supposed to be releasing a special edition soon (some time next year, along with my beloved Tenebre.)

Watched it yesterday and really liked it! Far from Profondo Rosso (imho) but a great experience nonetheless. Brought back memories about my time spent in a Swiss academy...:D

<3 Connelly (and Pleasance).

Spot on re your comment upon the killer and misplaced music, although it had some really good moments. If Opera is even more bloody though I think I'll give it a pass. Thanks about the info about the Tenebrea special edition!
 
Watched it yesterday and really liked it! Far from Profondo Rosso (imho) but a great experience nonetheless. Brought back memories about my time spent in a Swiss academy...:D

<3 Connelly (and Pleasance).

Spot on re your comment upon the killer and misplaced music, although it had some really good moments. If Opera is even more bloody though I think I'll give it a pass. Thanks about the info about the Tenebrea special edition!

Glad you enjoyed it. I hope your time at the Swiss Academy was far more fun.

Opera, to me, is Dario's most violent and disturbing film.
 
Glad you enjoyed it. I hope your time at the Swiss Academy was far more fun.

Opera, to me, is Dario's most violent and disturbing film.

Yes, slightly more fun. One thing I really dig about his movies (as little as I know them) is the usage of buildings or locations - not just as a background or pittoresque staffage but as an incremental part of the story. Even more so in Profondo Rosso. I love that, probably one of the most intriguing aspects for me right now. Music would be the another. But I'm an architect so that could be the reason why. If I'm ever to write a book about architecture within movies Argento surely deserves a chapter. :D

Bte. I loved that it was situated in Switzerland. Really liked that! lol
 
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Yes, slightly more fun. One thing I really dig about his movies (as little as I know them) is the usage of buildings or locations - not just as a background or pittoresque staffage but as an incremental part of the story. Even more so in Profondo Rosso. I love that, probably one of the most intriguing aspects for me right now. Music would be the another. But I'm an architect so that could be the reason why. If I'm ever to write a book about architecture within movies Argento surely deserves a chapter. :D

Bte. I loved that it was situated in Switzerland. Really liked that! lol

I love the building, art and color myself. How wonderful that you're an architect and can appreciate this unique Argento fetish. There are some great moments with architecture in Tenebre, Suspiria, Inferno and Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Other giallo directors copied this, but none linger about the lines, curves and angles of buildings like Dario did.

Glad your Swiss Academy experience was slightly more fun.
 
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I forgot about the colors, totally agree! I'm a huge fan of Antonioni so that works well for me.

It's such a pity that his movies are published in such a confusing way..could have easily picked up 2-3 more but those available seem to be flawed in some way.

Think Tenebrae will be the next for me.
 
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I forgot about the colors, totally agree! I'm a huge fan of Antonioni so that works well for me.

It's such a pity that his movies are published in such a confusing way..could have easily picked up 2-3 more but those available seem to be flawed in some way.

Think Tenebrae will be the next for me.

Tenebre is one of the best for a giallo and it is my favorite Argento film - one of his best concepts for the killer. Gory, but in an almost surreal and beautiful Jackson Pollack kind of way. And the architecture and colors (and lack thereof) are amazing too. Do not read/watch anything about it if you can help it.

I haven't seen much Antonioni (Blow Up and bits of others), but his colors and photographic eye are pretty amazing.
 
Watched Prisoners the other night

Very good thriller with top notch performances all round! Defo in my top 5 movies of the year
 
R.I.P.D. (Rest In Peace Department, fantasy comedy 2013) You're dead, go collect the rogue dead. A prime example of how outstanding actors and actresses (although I don't approve of what Mary-Louise Parker has done to her face) can land in a real, without redemption stinker.

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Saw Gravity the other night. Really good movie. Might not be 100% technically accurate as far as space and physics, but it portrays space in the same way you always saw and imagined growing up. I didn't think it would be such a gripping movie, but I was pretty much on the edge of my seat the entire time. Really great movie, I recommend everyone go to IMAX and see it in 3D. I usually am not a big fan of 3D, but this movie really does it well and IMAX is an experience that you will not be able to replicate at home on blu-ray.

Going to go to the cinema tomorrow, debating if I want to see Rush or check out the new release, The Counselor.
 
We watched Gravity last weekend - I really liked it (except for the stupid fetus scene, it proved that you cannot "kubrick on command"), embarrasingly enough it was the first 3D-movie I've ever seen (I hate going to the theater and being stuck in the seat for 2 hrs, but I'm slowly getting over it) and I loved it - while the effects in the trailers for Thor were questionable and "The Hobbit 2 - Smaugs whatever" looked brilliant.

After that we got back home and watched Man of Steel - what a huge pile of garbage. Polygons and senseless demolishing all over the place and people you wouldn't give a ****** about if they died.
 
Saw Gravity the other night. Really good movie. Might not be 100% technically accurate as far as space and physics, but it portrays space in the same way you always saw and imagined growing up. I didn't think it would be such a gripping movie, but I was pretty much on the edge of my seat the entire time. Really great movie, I recommend everyone go to IMAX and see it in 3D. I usually am not a big fan of 3D, but this movie really does it well and IMAX is an experience that you will not be able to replicate at home on blu-ray.
I saw Gravity as well, and despite my expectations, I think it was one of the better movies I've seen in quite some time. I'd also recommend others see it in IMAX and 3D... not really sure this movie will translate well into living rooms, so I'll probably skip the DVD. So see it in theaters while you can!

Even better, I read a few reviews by astronomers (Phil Plait, Neil deGrasse Tyson) and with the exception of a few scenes, it sounds like the writers and producers got the science mostly correct. Both of them couldn't recommend Gravity enough, so that was nice to read.
 
^^ glad you enjoyed gravity as well..

saw the counselor today, big disappointment. Really thought this was going to be a good movie and was excited for the cast. It was very slow developing, uninteresting to follow, just not a great movie.
 
I watched After Earth the other day with my son who wasn't feeling well. I'm glad I got it at RedBox as it really wasn't that good.
 
I recently watched Roman Polanski's Carnage. The movie has a great cast including Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, and John Reilly. I found the film to be really good and quite clever. It's a fun look at human nature, interpersonal interaction, conflict, relationships, authenticity, and social norms. There's a good bit of humor and all around great characters.
 
Watched Prisoners last night. It was weird and predictable, but suspenseful and engaging. And everything came together in the end, which was nice. I'd recommend it, but as a rental.

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Saw Liberace in the theater yesterday. Quite liked it - very strong performances by Douglas and Matt - although it still looked too tamed for my taste. Think I've expected more from it, especially since there were some controversities about it in the US :confused: (is that even true? after watching the movie it sounds like a PR stunt..)
But still nice movie with a strong cast. Rob Lowe as the plastic surgeon was hilarious!

mscriv: agreed upon Carnage
 
Olympus Has Fallen

It breaks the Family Guy rule of never mentioning the title of a movie as dialog in a movie, but otherwise it was a great way to blow two hours and eat some popcorn.

Think "Die Hard," in the White House.

mt
 
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