Good Movies Lately...

[Mtnjim]

Just heard this morning that the

guy who does "Lost" is going to be doing the next "Star Treck" movie. This one is supposed to be about Kirk and

Spock's first mission. A "prequel" to the original series.

[Holmes]

Just heard this

morning that the guy who does "Lost" is going to be doing the next "Star Treck" movie. This one is supposed to be

about Kirk and Spock's first mission. A "prequel" to the original series.

This should be killer.

J.J. Abrams is the man.

Though, as someone pointed out, if the Trekkies don't like this one, they'll end

his career.

[Holmes]

Thats pretty much

how I felt about the father-son relationship.
With regards to the movie as a whole, my uneasiness centered

around the question, Is this movie a hard hitting lampoon of business ¥ethics? (eg. Being good at what you do is

more important than doing good. And Sam Eliots great line, ÐI was good at killing Viet Cong, but I didnt try to

make a living out of it.Ó) Or is it a convenient rationalization for our cultures ethical breakdown? (eg. Since

when did paying the mortgage become a valid moral argument?)

Both, I'm afraid.

That "paying

the mortgage" bit was one of the hardest moments to stomach. Surely there are more ethical ways to make them

payments.

Serenity was extraordinary - in every way. Whedon outdid himself, IMO. Here's hoping

WW is half as good.

Haven't seen Secuestro Express (shot in DV?) or Dot The I yet, but

really want to check out both.

[SwingerMD]

Both, I'm

afraid.

That "paying the mortgage" bit was one of the hardest moments to stomach. Surely there are more

ethical ways to make them payments.

Serenity was extraordinary - in every way. Whedon outdid himself,

IMO. Here's hoping WW is half as good.

Haven't seen Secuestro Express (shot in DV?) or Dot

The I yet, but really want to check out both.

Holmes,

Shiny! I didn't know that you're

a Browncoat.

-SwingerMD

[Holmes]

Swinger,

I'm not. War's

long done - we're all just folk now.

"Fruity Oaty Bars..."

[InternationalPlayboy]

Just finished a foriegn language DVD called Lagaan: Once Upon

A Time In India. I think I must have been Indian in at least one of my past lives. I've been attracted to

their music since I heard George Harrison's album, "Wonderwall Music," and their images since a friend in high

school gave me a copy of the Baghavad Ghita that he bought off a Hare Krishna follower in an airport in the 1970s.

My meditation teacher once told a group I was in that were were all monks at one time who had taken vows of poverty.

With my financial situation, I believe it. And with my relationship history, I think there was a vow of celibacy

that I'm still burning off karma for too.

Anyway, I've been interested in seeing some Bollywood movies but

not knowing Hindi, was hesitant to pick one at random. "Bride and Prejudice" was my first one, which was by the

director of "Bend it like Beckham" and is all in English.

Lagaan is set in drought stricken India in 1893.

The arrogant British captain in charge of the area tells the villagers that they have to pay double tax (lagaan)

since he had let them slide with just half the tax the year before. The villagers protest and he decides that if

they beat the British soldiers in cricket that they won't have to pay tax for three years. If they lose, they owe

triple tax.

The main drawback with the movie is it's almost four hours long. The story really drew me

in though, rooting for the motley bunch of villagers and hating the priviledged frat boy like British team,

especially the captain. The photography is great and so is the soundtrack. Lots of dramatic drumming.

Other

than the legnth, the other thing that might put viewers off is that it's mainly in Hindi, though the Brits speak

English to each other. But to me, subtitles help me pay more attention to the film. I find that when watching movies

at home, I often start to lose attention and just half listen, while I surf the web or do other things. Can't do

that when you have to read to understand the dialogue.

I'm not one for sports movies and the last 1.75 hours

or so of this one is the cricket match. But I had never watched cricket before so that was interesting, and like I

said, the drama (and also the unrequited love of the captain's sister toward the main Indian character) drew me in.

My favorite character though, was Guran, who reminded me of Rupert from "Survivor."

[InternationalPlayboy]

I wanted to add,

that the scene where the whole willage gasped when the main protaganist touched an "untouchable" reminded me of "The

Beverly Hillibillies." A con man under the guise of a guru had his hooks in Mrs. Drysdale to get her money. She was

going on a trip to India with him and he told her that while there, she would touch an untouchable. Whe Mrs.

Drysdale said she didn't want to touch one, he told ther that would cost extra as "they're very touchy."

[CATPYCO]

Just wondering if anybody on

here ever seen the movie called The Warriors (1979)? That movie still kicks butt man!!!!!! CAN U DIG IT?



LOL

[Lor]

Just wondering if

anybody on here ever seen the movie called The Warriors (1979)? That movie still kicks butt man!!!!!! CAN U DIG

IT?

LOL

whos in it?

[live4themusic]

I enjoyed Click a lot

, but am REALLY looking forward to "Scanner Darkly", a movie based on a Philip K. Dick book. Other P.K.

Dick adaptations include Minority Report and Blade Runner. Also, Scanner Darkly is directed by my favorite director,

Richard Linklater (known for Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Waking Life)

Scanner Darkly

will also employ the same rotoscoping techniques of Waking Life, which helped make that movie one of my all-time

favorites, and just look plain cool!

[InternationalPlayboy]

Just

wondering if anybody on here ever seen the movie called The Warriors (1979)? That movie still kicks butt man!!!!!!

CAN U DIG IT?

LOL

Warriors, come out and play-ay.
Warriors, come out and

play-aay!
Warriors, come out and plaay-aay!

Great movie, I was a projectionist in a movie

theatre when it first came out and have since seen it several times on cable. Funny to see it mentioned here as I

have been thinking recently of getting it on DVD.

[Holmes]

I got out to a screening of

Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out a couple of weeks back. Remarkable film...really gives you a sense of

what it must have been like to be in the band. Most highly recommended!

Stewart Copeland was at the

screening, incidentally. It's always gratifying to find out that one of your childhood heroes is a nice

guy.

Has anyone seen Lady In The Water?

[Bruce]

Finally saw Broken Flowers with one

of my fav actors Bill Murray. Very good but if you are used to movies totally resolving at the end, you can get

disappointed.

Just saw Howl's Moving Castle last night (Japanese anime by Miyazaki). My wife is Japanese so we

watch a lot of them. They seem to be getting better and better, the translation and overdub acting are definitely

improving.

[Bruce]

Also saw Robin Williams in RV

recently. It looked like a bomb in the previews, but we have a good laugh; good family/feel-good movie.

[Whitehall]

Bought a copy of "Bad Timing: a

Sexual Obsession" by Nickolas Roeg recently.

One scary good movie!

"The Devil Wears Prada" wasn't bad

and had some decent messages for young women.

"Serenity" was better than the latest Star Wars franchise but

still predictably unpredictable. Like those nonconformists who all look alike. A "pass the popcorn"

movie.

"Pirates" was a waste of money except for the air conditioning.

[Holmes]

So what do you think, Bruce? Was the kid (at the end) or wasn't he?




Whitehall,

"Serenity" was better than the latest Star Wars franchise but still

predictably unpredictable.

Agreed. No Natalie Portman, either (another plus).

Have you seen

either of the first two Pirates movies? How did this one compare?

Bad Timing is on my list. Are

there any extras on the DVD?

[Bruce]

Check out the director featurette on

the making of the movie. That says it all. He says his goal is to make movies with no clear explanation and

everybody writes his/her own plot. Sort of a "Roarshock Movie" (you know, where you look at an ink blot and figure

out what you see there). Me? I figure the whole thing was a hoax perpetrated by the ex gf who was vacating at the

beginning of the movie.

My wife and I watched the first half of Memoirs of a Geisha last night; enjoying it more

than I thought I would.

[Holmes]

Yeah, I was asking half in jest.

It had to have been the ex; Jim Jarmusch's universe ain't exactly Disneyland.

Check out the director

featurette on the making of the movie. That says it all. He says his goal is to make movies with no clear

explanation and everybody writes his/her own plot.

Yep, that's Jarmusch for ya. I'd have

considered the ending to be a total copout if it hadn't worked as well as it did.

Great soundtrack, too,

huh?

[Bruce]

I usually like to see everything

spelled out by the end, but I have to make an exception for this one. Good movie; yeah, music was great.

[SwingerMD]

Hi All,

Just saw Perfume:

The Story of a Murderer. Very interesting movie. I'm thinking about reading the book later. Interesting how the

main character was drawn to the scent of two redheads.

-SwingerMD

[Holmes]

Haven't seen that one yet,

Swinger, but it's been on my list.

On a completely different note, I just saw this one called The

Secret. It's based on the teachings/writings of Jerry and Esther Hicks. The concensus seemed to be, "see this

movie; it'll change your life!" So I checked it out.

My concensus: cringeworthy production - similar

in oh-so-many ways to What The Bleep... Very "Anthony Robbins Infomerical" at times (I repeatedly caught

myself wondering what they were selling). But I'm still on the fence about the validity of the message itself. I

have seen the process in action (mostly in other people's lives), but I'm still fighting the impulse to write it

all off as a either hidden opportunism or airy-fairy bullshit (as the universe is feeling pretty random to me these

days).

Doc would be a great one to talk to about this particular movie, but I'd also love to know what

anyone else thinks. Anyone? Anyone? Bruce?

[thirtyplus]

Children of Men.

everybody needs to see that film.

[KeepItReal]

V for Vendetta too !

[Bruce]

Holmes,

Just noticed your post

about the Secret. I watched it a few months back and my 2 cents says all that stuff is aboslutely for real and a

distant cousin to the disciplines that I am working with now, but (very big but in fact) my gut says those guys are

playing with a fire they have very little clue about. It's really a sort or religion based on the accumulation of

wealth. Check it out, most of those guys are bragging about how much money they got from the "secret." One guy is

even bragging about his 4million dollar house and in the same sentence his wife that "you would kill for." Um....

exqueeze me? If you cut that stuff out (which is 80% of the film), it's great. I loved that Texas "miracle man."

He is great. The Doctor tells him "you will be in bed on life support for the rest of your life", and he says

"Yeah? I say I'll be out of here by Christmas." I love that. That's what that is all about. Screw the money

and the $4 million house and supermodel wife. (figuratively speaking of course)
But I can tell you that stuff is

for real. If you believe something strongly enough, you can make it come true. Just depends how strong your mind

is. If you wish for lots of "stuff" and half the rest of the population is starving to death, um... I gotta feeling

there is gonna be a price to pay that those fellas hadn't bargained on.

My 2 1/2 cents.

Pray for Peace; then

go out and make it happen

[Holmes]

Glad to hear your thoughts on

this. I agree with just about every point you've made. The emphasis on money/materialism is kind of what turned me

off, too. Likewise, the saving grace (for me) was definitely the miracle man segment.

One of the questions

that keeps haunting me, though: could anybody have done what he did? Or was there something about his makeup,

something in his wiring, that made it easier for him to recover? (Or was it just luck?)

Thanks for the

reply. Off to check out Sam Mendes' new play with Bill Nighy and Julianne Moore...

[KeepItReal]

Your talking about the Law Of

Attraction right ?

I watched The Secret and have read a few books on the premise ..... and have concluded it

must be a crock !!

People starving to death cannot simply "believe" themselves into getting a better life

!!

People desperately in debt gamble their last few bucks away with more "belief" than any living soul .....

and still lose their money .....

I can't help thinking that there are simply winners and losers in life

..... the winners got their by sheer luck and coincidence ..... nothing more, nothing less .....

[belgareth]

Winning may in part be luck but

a lot of it is making your own luck. You have to believe then go out and make what you believe happen. There is no

luck associated with sitting and hoping something will happen but there is a lot of luck available to those who are

always trying.

[Bruce]

One of the

questions that keeps haunting me, though: could anybody have done what he did? Or was there something about

his makeup, something in his wiring, that made it easier for him to recover? (Or was it just luck?)


.

I think anybody could have done that and can do it. I just depends how much you want it and

perhaps if you happen to get the right "guidance" at the right time. You can call it "luck" if you want. That's

probably just semantics. Lucky enough to have the will to be healthy; lucky enough to believe in yourself; lucky

enough to believe in the power of your own thoughts and beliefs... You can call that "luck", but there is still

some very cool stuff buried away in there.

"What we think, we become."
--Buddha

"As a man thinks

in his heart, so is he."
--Proverbs 3:27

"It is what a man thinks of himself that really determines his

fate."
--Henry David Thoreau

[Holmes]

Thanks for that, Bruce. I

agree.

Btw, the materialistic sheen that made the movie so off-putting to you and me was all Rhonda Byrne.

She's a money-grubbing whore with intentions that extend far beyond "sharing 'the Secret' with the world." There

was some pretty ugly stuff going on with regard to the production of that film. Esther Hicks was completely

screwed.

Anyway, the movie presents a really dumbed-down, Oprahfied version of what seems to be a legitimate

concept. It's a shame, really.

[abductor]

Hi... ok i'm

suspect ..

But I think this is ones of best brazilians movies ever...

In my opnion even better than

"Training Day (2001)"..

Tropa de Elite - Elite Squad (2007)


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0861739/plotsummary

unofficial

trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqXsvbkD-Sw

[s]
duc