BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?

Subject: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Jan 03 - 06:26 PM

Looking to see these films:

About Schmidt
Adaptation
Chicago
The Hours
Talk to Her
25th Hour

Anyone seen any of these?

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 24 Jan 03 - 06:45 PM

Wild horses couldn't drag me into Chicago...

I mean it's bad enough that Richard Gere is in it, but it's a frigg'n musical on top of that???

Pass...

The rest of yer list, I can wait for DVD...

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: Susanl
Date: 24 Jan 03 - 06:48 PM

I saw About Schmidt last week and I'd say it's worth seeing.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: RangerSteve
Date: 24 Jan 03 - 07:24 PM

I haven't seen Chicago, anything associated with Bob Fosse is usually to much of a downer for me, but I recommend the original which is available on video - its from the 30's or 40's called Roxie Hart with Ginger Rogers. No music. It's kind of a comic film-noir.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: Donuel
Date: 24 Jan 03 - 07:26 PM

No not in 6 years

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: kendall
Date: 24 Jan 03 - 07:47 PM

Saw the towers sequel to Lord of the Rings the other night, special effects were great, but, very noisy.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: John Hindsill
Date: 24 Jan 03 - 11:19 PM

Not if I had a choice in the matter. TCM was invented to show real movies at home.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 24 Jan 03 - 11:28 PM

My wife and I saw Two Towers last night and I loved it (she loves me, so she came along and watched me love the movie.) We sat through a half a dozen coming attractions, and every movie had at least one car explosion. You'd think they could have at least had one horse explosion in the Two Towers..

And I agree, Kendall. WAY TOO LOUD! That's because everyone under thirty has blown their ears away and can't hear anything below a roar.

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: mack/misophist
Date: 24 Jan 03 - 11:41 PM

I haven't been to a movie since I left Patton with a spliting head ache.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 24 Jan 03 - 11:48 PM

You people are such a pack of whiners and whimps...

Give me crowded movie theatres, with 7 story high screens and dolby that makes my ears bleed! I paid 12 bucks for the experience, I better get my $$'s worth...

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 12:00 AM

Most of here, don't even watch televison. You have the wrong audience.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Thank heaven there is still a little respect for website genre.

Then again perhaps they are all... out at the theatre

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: harpgirl
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 12:16 AM

...well I took myself to see The Hours last sunday evening. Actually, although seeing Nicole Kidman in the rubber nose was worth the price of admission, it was a busman's holiday for me. Too many depressed women, lots of emoting, overacted. I did enjoy having Virginia Woolf come alive on the big screen....




(yikes...under garg...gotta watch that)

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: GUEST,Kerryman
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 12:29 AM

I saw "The Gangs of new York" the other night; a weird, dark, unsettling movie and a tour de force by D. D. Lewis, who stole the whole show. And it featured some nice tunes: Maura O'Connell singing "Unconstant Lover"; Linda Thompson singing "Paddy's Lamentation" (I thought it was Deanta at first); and Finbar Furey doing "New York Girls." Plus some other folky stuff by groups I'd never heard of (Vittorio Schibom?).

It's definitely worth a look.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 01:05 AM

U2?

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 01:14 AM

They won the Golden Globe award for Best Song for "Hands that Built America".

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: The Walrus
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 05:23 AM

I've only seen the trailers for "Gangs of New York" but I have a question.
What is the accent that De Caprio is using? It's not his normal one, so it's deliberate, but I can't identify it?

Walrus

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: kendall
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 08:52 AM

CH, wimp? sure. When I'm 80, I will be able to hear what's being said without asking people to yell at me. As a musician, my hearing is vital, and I don't want to go the way of Beethoven.
Everywhere I go I am subjected to the hellish racket from and for empty headed noise worshippers. What in hell is wrong with people who cant stand silence? Is there nothing going on in their heads that they must fill it with decibels?
Portland just passed a noise reduction law aimed at those grease balls on their Harleys who go ripping through quiet neighborhoods at all hours with no regard for anyone but their own selfish need for a noise fix. One of those assholes complained "That's why we buy the Harley, the "sound". Yeah, the sound.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: *daylia*
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 09:42 AM

I've noticed that the movies have become so almost painfully noisy and so dizzingly fast-paced visually that it takes something really special to get me to the theatre these days. And even then I have to steel myself for the "assault" on my senses.

I think it's because of the 'Sesame Street' generation (and I'm not singling out Sesame Street here - it's really across the board with education methods imo). Seems kids don't have to concentrate much, to focus their attention quietly on anything for long periods of time anymore. Bright colors, fast-changing images, special effects and the constant changing noise/music keep their attention glued to the screen without any effort on their part, and they learn by repetition - 'programming' - rather than by any mental effort of their own.

The 'tougher' stuff to memorize - ie) spelling and math - have been made almost obsolete by computers. Entertainment has to be EASY -almost 'brain-dead' - to be appealing these days. If Hollywood went back to regular sound-levels and true-to-life 'imaging' speed, they probably wouldn't hold the attention of anyone under thirty or so. OR make any money.

But the worst is those car stereos that boom so deafeningly loud you can hear them coming from a mile away. I don't see how anyone in their right minds - or ears - could subject themselves to that kind of physical assault. Every bone in their bodies must be vibrating and even if they were screaming they probably couldn't be heard by the person sitting in the next seat.

Again, it seems that people just need about 10X the stimulation level in order to feel stimulated at all these days. Or is it just because if the noise was turned off they might be able to hear themselves think, and having an original thought might be such an unfamiliar experience it would scare them to death!

Sorry about the thread-drift -

daylia

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: kendall
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 11:24 AM

Right on Daylia.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: Peter T.
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 11:29 AM

Both "The Hours" and "Talk To Her" are excellent films. The music in "The Hours" is a bit intrusive (Harvey Weinstein was right, as usual), but otherwise it is perfect. "Talk To Her" is in a league all of its own. By far the best picture I have seen this year, but it is certainly not to everyone's taste, it is very, very, very unsettling.

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: michaelr
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 05:34 PM

I recommend "The Pianist", Roman Polanski's new film about the Warsaw Ghetto during the German occupation.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: Deda
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 06:08 PM

I just saw "The Pianist" and agree it's very good, although it was very hard for me to watch: painful, true, well done.

"About Schmidt" is both funny and dark. Nicholson is amazing in it, his acting is extraordinary -- in that he plays an extremely dull, unimaginative, sort of insipid guy, nothing at all like his larger-than-life public persona, and he makes it believable.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: Art Thieme
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 11:46 PM

dayliah,

You are absolutely correct. I, also, have said it in other threads here that it all started with SESAME STREET. The kids grew up watching that lightning-quick editing and splicing----and when it was shown that kids could learn their A,B,Cs using those techniques the ad agencies moved the concept along with the changing interests of the aging students. These dizzying cuts moved from Ses. St. to MTV and films then commercials until now the AARP magazine is glitzy in a quite unsettling similar manner. Even zoos and museums seem to be doing it---probably because they think we need it now if they are gonna get our attention. When I played a lot of schools in the 70s and 80s it became obvious thet the attention spans were decreasing at an alarming rate. Longer ballads were just about out of the question--even for older teens---although I tried to bring those songs in anyhow--usually losing the audience as a direct result.---I used to joke that five year olds and drunks had the same attention spans ;-) During the day I'd pick in schools and at night the gigs were in bars. It was fun---but things were changing. That's cool, I guess, but I will always prefer a less in-your-face style with lingering camera shots instead of machine-gun graphics.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Jan 03 - 11:59 PM

Well, I just got back from "Adaptation" and loved it--rate it 9 out of 10. The most brilliantly written script I've seen in forever. I wasn't a huge fan of "Being John Malkovich" but this film was so good.

And no decibels. Although I can't divulge anything, it gives too much away. Brilliant cast, direction, writing--nobody makes movies like this one.

I'm really looking forward to "Talk to Her". We had planned on going tonight, but it was sold out, so we saw this instead. It wasn't regretted for a minute. I'm a huge Almodavar fan though, so I'll just have to get there earlier!

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 12:37 AM

I saw Confessions of A Dangerous Mind the other night. Loved it! I doubt it this picture is everyone's cup of tea but the concept and execution of the plot was very interesting. The actor that played Chuck Barris does a great job.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: maire-aine
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 09:24 AM

Went to see the Pierce Brosnan movie "Evelyn" last night, and really enjoyed it. I think it is just about finished with its theater run, but I'd recommend the video when it comes out.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: *daylia*
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 11:15 AM

Right on Art. And since the mid 80's the video game industry has really made an impact too. Now the movies have to compete with the incredibly fast, violent, increasingly lifelike and often sexually explicit graphics of video games to get the kid's money.

Makes me shudder to think of what my grandkids will need to 'turn them on', if I ever have any ...

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: Larkin
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 11:47 AM

Saw Chicago yeaterday and I thought it was fantastic. Toure de force performances from Zwelleger and Zeta Jones wasn't quite so keen initially on Gere's performance but it grew on me . Obviously musicals are not everybodies cup of tea ( mine neither) but I loved it .

Martin

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 12:22 PM

It might be true that attention spans for children are not as great as they used to be, But Sesame Street was the first programme to be shown on British Commercial Television in an hour long format, with no breaks for adverts!
This was a requirement before 'Childrens Television Workshop' would sell the programme over here. Clearly it was a programme with little or no 'pester potential' to put parents off allowing their children access to it.
Putting up with children thinking the alphabet ends with "Zee" rather than "Zed" seems a small price to pay.

Nigel

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: kendall
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 01:01 PM

Noise and violence is like a drug, it takes more and more to get that "fix". Ever read the Decline & Fall of the Roman empire"?

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 02:40 PM

Hey... old people...

Lay off the kids...

It's their world now anyway... And they (we??) LIKE loud action packed movies, and violent vidoe games...

So either learn to like it, or step aside...

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: *daylia*
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 02:49 PM

Well, bully for you Clinton! ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: DougR
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 02:58 PM

I've seen Adaptation and About Schmidt, and enjoyed them both.

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone Been to the Movies?
From: Mudlark
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 04:40 PM

Saw About Schmidt and it was hilarious, marvelous underplayed parodies of conventional types, great direction, and both Nickelson and Kathy Bates demonstrated, yet again, that they have more than one role, one character, to play. The people sitting next to me thot it "slow" and not very funny...which says more about them than the movie, imo.

I've read reviews of this movie knocking it for age descrimination, and I take their point. I tried to not like the movie on this account, but was laughing too hard in most places to care....

And, Daylia and Art....I agree completely and find it alarming not for myself, as I'm not hooked into current media, and wont be around all THAT much longer anyway, but for current generations. Surely a reasonable attention span is a positive evolutionary component.