Well, since there is a book thread and a music thread, I figure a movie thread wouldn't hurt.

What movies have you seen lately? What kind of movies are you into? What's the worst movie you've ever seen?

Lately I've been into "classic" movies, mainly pre-1970's, lots of black and white stuff.

One of the best movies I've seen, well, ever, but I watched it for the first time recently is The Treasure of Sierra Madre from 1948, with Humphrey Bogart, although he was no where near the best actor in that film. I really didn't expect much before I watched it, I figured it to be a standard western type movie from the era, but it just blew me away and proved itself to be anything but standard, or of the western genre - great acting, nice message, and very good action. It reminded me a little bit of There Will Be Blood, if you're familiar with that more recent movie - the main characters in both movies are pretty rotten and remain unredeemed, and the message of the movies are pretty much the same.

I've also watched the first two movies from the Thin Man series, and I've enjoyed them both. These are early detective/murder mysteries where the mystery part of the story is ultimately secondary to the characters, particularly the main characters of the Thin Man - Nick, and his wife Nora. Plus their dog Asta. The humour is fantastic, and the relationship between Nick and Nora is wonderful - although they are both lushes and the characters are pretty much drunk through the entirety of the movies - which is where some of the humour is derived.

I have to admit, too that I have a crush on the character Nora. If she isn't the perfect woman, then I have no idea about...well...I'm not sure what I have no idea about, but it's probably something really important.

The last 2 movies I saw were "Gran Torino" and "Into the Wild". They were both really good too. Both dealt with life and death and meaning. So... perfect for an INFP.

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"Into the Wild." Yes, I've seen that. Saying I cried is an understatement. I cried, sobbed, wept until I threw up. But let me tell you the circumstances in which I saw it.

It was last year, finally the END of tax season (April 15th). I left here on April 17th, flying to CA to see my son and his family, after 4-1/2 months of pretty much 7 days/week crazy work. I'd had very little sleep the last 2 nights before I left, as I was madly trying to get all the stuff done at work that I had to get done so I could leave. My flight left unreasonably early and I was beyond exhausted when I arrived in CA, having not seen my son, his SO and my grandson since Christmas. So, yeah, I was a tad emotional.

That night, my son insisted that we watch the movie. He'd told me a lot about how great and deep and insightful it was (he's an INFP, too). I tried to tell him I was just too tired, but no, he insisted. So by the end, I was sobbing uncontrollably telling him I was sorry that I'd done such a bad job of raising him, but I was young and I'd done the best I could, etc., and I guess because he's male he just didn't get why I was so upset......My feelings weren't validated until I got back home and told my therapist, and he was like, no, tell me he didn't have you watch it the night you got there....

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We must be the change we wish to see in the world. -Ghandi

I forgot what else I was going to say.

What I am going to watch today when I leave here and go home, is Seaon 2 of the Tudors. And I am going to leave at 6 p.m. I'm not staying a minute later. I'm tired, I'm ill, I'm sick of work (no weekends anymore) and I need some Jonathan Rhys-Myers to cheer me up. Don't get me wrong, I love medieval history, and authentic this show isn't, but sometimes you just NEED, you know, to be swept away into another time and place.....

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We must be the change we wish to see in the world. -Ghandi

I've been catching up on a lot of films lately, usually I don't watch that many.

Yesterday I watched Get Smart, which I actually really enjoyed and found quite funny. The other day I saw City of Ember, which I also enjoyed. It's one of those kid's book-into-film deals that never seems to be that popular so they don't bother with a sequel, despite the fact I absolutely loved it, which only means I have to hunt down the books!

Today I watched Bee Movie as well. I had been meaning to for quite a while, and I also enjoyed it. Man, I can never think of a bad thing to say about films I like

The best film I have seen in ages though was Yes Man at the cinema. Really awesome film and it had a great philosophical message in there that wasn't overpowering enough to be obnoxious. I like Jim Carrey when he has semi-serious roles with comedy on the side. I also liked him in 23, despite the fact I thought the film itself was pretty boring.

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I haven't watched movies in a while, but one current cinema release has me excited.

Watchmen - anyone else excited about this? It's an adaptation of a classic comic book story about "superheroes", that is to say, people who for various reason choose to mask themselves and fight for justice. Only one character has actual superpowers, and it's very well implemented.

I have actually yet to read the whole thing, but I'm especially really fascinated by Jon's role and what he represents.

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I've been watching tons of films recently. Let's see, I think the last few were Brief Encounter (pretty good, if a little slow. I did like the ambiguity introduced by the last line of the movie, which I won't spoil for anyone who hasn't seen it), There Will Be Blood (not bad. Great performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, but the ending just didn't make any sense to me), and Once Upon a Time in America (which I really liked, even if Leone overdid it with the sexual stuff).

That was all on TV though, the last film I saw in the cinema was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which I thought was really good. FWIW I'd definitely recommend seeing it if you get the chance.



I'm itching to see it myself. I managed to blag a couple of cinema tickets in a competition after Benjamin Button picked up a couple of Oscars, so I'll get to see it for free! (Yay for me! ). If you do get the chance to read the novel, do so. There's inevitably going to be a lot of stuff in it that won't make it to the movie (the black freighter story-line not-withstanding).

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What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet. - Gerard Manley Hopkins

I recently watched 8 1/2, which was pretty weird and yet strangely fascinating and relevant...and Knocked Up - which I thought was hilarious...one of the best comedies I've seen in awhile. I had several good, hearty laugh moments.

I watched Amelie this weekend, and all I can say is Wow. What a great movie. I've always heard good things about it and noticed it mentioned many times over at GC, but I kept hesitating to watch it for reasons that I can't quite figure out. I guess I always had the impression that it was a 'girly' movie, and although it kinda is--but not really--I thought it was pretty darn amazing. It's just so fuzzy and warm without being too saccharine...wonderful.

I think it captures the idealistic-introverted world very well. My favorite scene is where she "melted". That was just so perfect.

Highly recommend it, if you haven't seen it.

I watched Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li yesterday.

It's not as good as the original Street Fighter film

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~I'll think of a witty comment later, or not. Maybe something to do with clouds?!~

Which isn't saying much

I watched the documentary The Four Horseman (2008), and it was very good. It has the famous contemporary atheists Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens sit down for a two hour discussion over the current state of religion and atheism. I found it an interesting watch and a good use of time, because I walked away with a better understanding of the current status and interests of many of the well-educated atheists today and was given some things to think about--irregardless of the fact that I am not an atheist.

I also watched the film The Visitor (2008), and it was also very good. It is about a solitary economics professor in his late middle age whose life changes when he is forced to face issues relating to identity, immigration, and cross-cultural communication in the post-9/11 New York City.

I have two movies on hand which I will be watching sometime in the near future, Revanche (2008) and Waltz with Bashir (2008).

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I've seen The Visitor as well. I agree, it's very good.

really? yes man? i thought it was overdone and kind of depressing, but somehow i was still smiling at the end, LOL

the watchmen was AMAZING. anyone who hasn't seen it, do so!!!

the four horsemen of course, was great. though poor sam harris seemed a bit lost.

anyhow, logan, do you find hitchens as absurdly amusing as i do? chainsmoking, drinking, and being a douchebag through and through... and yet not an idiot. the man has balls.

i think dennett is probably my favorite of the four though. whenever i read him i come away with a mildly pleasant shock of new perspective.

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Isn't it pretty to think so?

Seconding this (even though the cinema screwed me on the free tickets thing, so I never got to see it for free after all. ).

As for other movies, this week I watched Infernal Affairs (good film, though I preferred Scorsese's remake), The Elephant Man (I really enjoyed this one, even if the ending did come a little bit out of nowhere), The Manchurian Candidate (well worth checking out if you like your espionage thrillers with a little bit more intellectual gristle) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (which I thought was really fun).

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What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet. - Gerard Manley Hopkins

I just re-watched Network last night.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074958/

For a movie that was made over 30 years ago, I have to say that it is probably even more relevant today than it was when it was made.

Have you been watching Charlie Brooker's Newswipe? (Link)

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What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet. - Gerard Manley Hopkins

Ok, so this week I watched The Deer Hunter (over-long, and I didn't like the very last part of the very last scene, but otherwise I thought it was a good movie), No Country For Old Men (I really liked this one, it was much more philosophical than I thought it would be), and Gertrud (which should probably be required watching for some INFPs ).

However, I also missed out on the chance to watch Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter........and Spring, which is a shame because it sounded like something I would have really enjoyed.

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What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet. - Gerard Manley Hopkins

I watched Dragonball Evolution a few days ago.

I liked it :O

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~I'll think of a witty comment later, or not. Maybe something to do with clouds?!~

Yeah I really liked No Country For Old Men too....and I recommend catching Spring, Summer...etc if you get the chance. It's very slow with little dialogue but I thought it was very good.



Thanks for the link! I hadn't heard of Charlie Brooker's Newswipe before, but that's pretty damn funny. I'll have to go through some of the other youtube videos.

You're welcome.

He also does a show called Screenwipe, which is all about TV stuff, and that's well worth checking out too.

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What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet. - Gerard Manley Hopkins