Movies

[irishjayhawk]

Yeah, so I saw a lot of movies this weekend.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Mediocre, at best. Slow and dragged on. Shorten it to 2 hours and it's golden. It's not, so it fails.

Michael Clayton - Amazing. Everything about it is awesome. However, it's VERY complex and mind bending. You have to think, so be prepared. I still feel like I'm missing key details of exactly what happened. Gotta see it again.

Across the Universe - Perfect is one word that comes to mind. It just works. And, contrary to many people I bet, the movie is best viewed sober. Trust me.

[irishjayhawk]

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

Weren't those things vampires in the book or something?

Yes. Not zombie things that looked like a second rate CGI studio made them. And they spoke English.

[pikesome]

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

Weren't those things vampires in the book or something?

Kinda.

Here's the link to the wiki article on the book, it's got a rough plot outline. It ought to be easy to see the major differences.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_am_legend

[Sure-Oz]

ahh thanks for the link, def. differences

[Baby Lee]

I think I should clarify on NCFOM, when Bell quit, it was a realization that he couldn't 'see' this degree of evil. In the beginning soliloquoy, he said "to see this evil, you would have to be a part of it, sell your soul." Now Chigurh was in the room, and maybe Bell even realized in his gut that he was in the room, but he couldn't see him, he couldn't put together the disparate elements of what he had before him, the air conditioning grate and the coin, the presence in the room, so he came to a crossroads, sell his soul and track this down, or wake up and retire.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

I think I should clarify on NCFOM, when Bell quit, it was a realization that he couldn't 'see' this degree of evil. In the beginning soliloquoy, he said "to see this evil, you would have to be a part of it, sell your soul." Now Chigurh was in the room, and maybe Bell even realized in his gut that he was in the room, but he couldn't see him, he couldn't put together the disparate elements of what he had before him, the air conditioning grate and the coin, the presence in the room, so he came to a crossroads, sell his soul and track this down, or wake up and retire.

Maybe even simpler. And less heroic. Track it down and die or turn your back and live.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Maybe even simpler. And less heroic. Track it down and die or turn your back and live.

No, Bell has come to terms that he's gonna die, it's just a matter of when.
His decision then was whether to let into his soul what he needed to face this entity, or wake up retain his soul.
It's all about how one reacts to the knowledge that we're gonna die, and nobody knows how, and nobody knows when.
Moss is conflicted, he faces death to do good when he takes the water back out for the guy who asked for it. But then he gets chased, and when he faces as imminent death as is conceivable with a pit bull jumping jaws open at his face, he solidify's his decision that he's gonna be out for himself.
His wife refuses to be swayed by the potential for death, refuses to play the game.
Chigurh is out for his code, for him since everyone dies eventually, it really doesn't matter when, at least not in comparison to his code. Those who have to die for his code have to die, those who are peripheral can die or can live, doesn't matter to him.
Bell thinks if he upholds the law he can live a meaningful life, but those afoul of the law, it seems to him, are getting more and more evil and arbitrary [a notion his uncle dispells him of]. But he does know, that tackling the purest evil in upholding the law, he's eventually gonna lose more than the life he's gonna lose someday anyway, he's gonna lose his soul, and he's never gonna catch up with his father preparing a fire for him up ahead.

[DeepPurple]

I watched the DVD for "In the Valley of Elah" a couple of nights ago, I heard it was really good and I'll give it 8 Stars myself. What's amazing is, I watched NCFOM the night before, which I gave 8 Stars, and there are four actors in both films. Tommy Lee Jones is the main character in this one along with Charlize Theron, then in smaller roles are Josh Brolin this time as the sheriff and also Barry Corbin and the fat lady that played the desk clerk. It's also takes place in what appears to be Texas, only thing I could figure is maybe they had the same casting directors or producers?

"Valley of Elah" is about a retired Army MP sergeant, played by Tommy Lee Jones, whose son comes back from Iraq and then goes missing almost immediately. Jones travels down to the military base, to what appears to be Texas, where his son's unit is located and begins his own investigation. He tries to enlist the help of the local yokel police, Charlize is the local police detective and Brolin is the sheriff. Initially it's treated as just a missing person's case, but Tommy and Charlize eventually join forces after she sees how badly the military police are handling the case and more facts come to light, including the jurisdiction of certain events. It's not an anti-war film like some have accused "Rendition", it's more a case of what really goes on with the lower ranking soldiers that really do fight the battles both here and in Iraq.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by DeepPurple

I watched the DVD for "In the Valley of Elah" a couple of nights ago, I heard it was really good and I'll give it 8 Stars myself. What's amazing is, I watched NCFOM the night before, which I gave 8 Stars, and there are four actors in both films. Tommy Lee Jones is the main character in this one along with Charlize Theron, then in smaller roles are Josh Brolin this time as the sheriff and also Barry Corbin and the fat lady that played the desk clerk. It's also takes place in what appears to be Texas, only thing I could figure is maybe they had the same casting directors or producers?

"Valley of Elah" is about a retired Army MP sergeant, played by Tommy Lee Jones, whose son comes back from Iraq and then goes missing almost immediately. Jones travels down to the military base, to what appears to be Texas, where his son's unit is located and begins his own investigation. He tries to enlist the help of the local yokel police, Charlize is the local police detective and Brolin is the sheriff. Initially it's treated as just a missing person's case, but Tommy and Charlize eventually join forces after she sees how badly the military police are handling the case and more facts come to light, including the jurisdiction of certain events. It's not an anti-war film like some have accused "Rendition", it's more a case of what really goes on with the lower ranking soldiers that really do fight the battles both here and in Iraq.

Wasn't a bad movie, the flag thing seemed to be a political type statement. The very end kinda sucked seeing that picture, the dedication.

[Delano]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

I think I should clarify on NCFOM, when Bell quit, it was a realization that he couldn't 'see' this degree of evil. In the beginning soliloquoy, he said "to see this evil, you would have to be a part of it, sell your soul." Now Chigurh was in the room, and maybe Bell even realized in his gut that he was in the room, but he couldn't see him, he couldn't put together the disparate elements of what he had before him, the air conditioning grate and the coin, the presence in the room, so he came to a crossroads, sell his soul and track this down, or wake up and retire.

Right on. In his previous discussion with the old, fat lawman, Bell realized that Chigurh had most likely returned to the hotel room, since he did the same thing before. He walked in that room knowing Chigurh was waiting.

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Maybe even simpler. And less heroic. Track it down and die or turn your back and live.

IMO, that's why Ed Tom hung up his gun belt in the novel (he ran away from his boys during the war, so this really wasn't his first anti-heroic act), but Baby Lee's description is dead on for the Coen's intepretation.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by DeepPurple

I watched the DVD for "In the Valley of Elah" a couple of nights ago, I heard it was really good and I'll give it 8 Stars myself. What's amazing is, I watched NCFOM the night before, which I gave 8 Stars, and there are four actors in both films. Tommy Lee Jones is the main character in this one along with Charlize Theron, then in smaller roles are Josh Brolin this time as the sheriff and also Barry Corbin and the fat lady that played the desk clerk. It's also takes place in what appears to be Texas, only thing I could figure is maybe they had the same casting directors or producers?

"Valley of Elah" is about a retired Army MP sergeant, played by Tommy Lee Jones, whose son comes back from Iraq and then goes missing almost immediately. Jones travels down to the military base, to what appears to be Texas, where his son's unit is located and begins his own investigation. He tries to enlist the help of the local yokel police, Charlize is the local police detective and Brolin is the sheriff. Initially it's treated as just a missing person's case, but Tommy and Charlize eventually join forces after she sees how badly the military police are handling the case and more facts come to light, including the jurisdiction of certain events. It's not an anti-war film like some have accused "Rendition", it's more a case of what really goes on with the lower ranking soldiers that really do fight the battles both here and in Iraq.

I actually read that its based on a true story. A magazine article in Esquire or New Yorker a few years back.

I cant bring myself to watch it because i hated the directors last flick "Crash"

[KevB]

I'm no film critic, but I watched NCFOM last night and was engrossed. At times I found myself slowing my breath just to be sure I didn't miss any nuanced sounds (creaks on the old wood floor of the hotel, rustle of a curtain in hotel room at the end, etc.). The only two "flaws" that I'm having difficulty reconciling:

1) Woody Harrelson is supposed to be a grisled vet in the bounty hunter business, but is easily found and taken by Chigurh. That was a letdown, and somewhat hard to believe.

2) How did the Mexicans continue to track Moss? I get how they found his wife and MIL, but how did they find him at the first Motel (the Regal I believe?)?

[JBucc]

Originally Posted by KevB

2) How did the Mexicans continue to track Moss? I get how they found his wife and MIL, but how did they find him at the first Motel (the Regal I believe?)?

Remember when the Mexican in the suit asks his MIL where they're staying?

[KevB]

Originally Posted by JBucc

Remember when the Mexican in the suit asks his MIL where they're staying?

I get that one....I'm talking about the first hotel Moss goes to and hides the money in the vent. Eventually he rents an adjoining room because the Mexicans are staked out in his room (Chirgurh takes care of the three of them). How did they find him there?

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by KevB

I get that one....I'm talking about the first hotel Moss goes to and hides the money in the vent. Eventually he rents an adjoining room because the Mexicans are staked out in his room (Chirgurh takes care of the three of them). How did they find him there?

Second transponder in the case?

[pikesome]

Originally Posted by KevB

I get that one....I'm talking about the first hotel Moss goes to and hides the money in the vent. Eventually he rents an adjoining room because the Mexicans are staked out in his room (Chirgurh takes care of the three of them). How did they find him there?

They knew about the tracking device too?