Movies

[silver]

Gattaca was an amazing movie.

I enjoyed Fifth Element as well -- fun.

[onehandclapping]

Jan 28, 2014 11:36:02 GMT -5 stardustpilgrim said:

Oh yea, Beautiful Mind, a great movie. Why is Rudy total BS? It's based on a true story.....the team really did carry him off the field......

Anybody else see The Thirteenth Floor? Excellent....sort of Inception-like.....

sdp

Joe Montana was on that team. Listen to what he says in interviews about Rudy and how it didn't go anything like that in real life......

[onehandclapping]

Jan 28, 2014 8:58:04 GMT -5 Beingist said:

Jan 28, 2014 4:08:29 GMT -5 onehandclapping said:

And Dude....no comment on the Dude's movie?? Dude......seriously dude.....if you haven't seen the dude, you need to see it ASAP. Mr Lebowski requests your presence dude.....

It really ties the whole room together. Man.

Not the rug man. Don't pee on the rug man. What? Like aren't you house broken or something man....

[Deleted]

OMG Cool Hand Luke!



"What we've got here is, failure to c'myounicate."

If there were ever to be words etched on the tombstone of humanity, those would be a good candidate.

[laughter]

So imagine Woody Allen sitting around the brunch table with a few dozen of his closest friends in Caanes or Aspen or Monaco or some such place. During a lull in the conversation he chimes in with that high-pitched, inquisitive-day-dreamy brain-storm voice he has: “… so just what was it that Blanche Dubois was running from anyway? I meeeeannn – we know it’s some sort of scandal and there’s a hint that she’s no stranger to a straight jacket … but … it’s so mysterious! … know what I mean? What if … what if - what if the story actually revolved around that? Huh?”

So yank Streetcar into the 21st century, replace the Southern Belle with a neurotic Upper-Eastside socialite, back-fill-in a whole bunch of story, and we have … Blue Jasmine.



Now you might think that Cate Blanchette – an actress that Peter Jackson had literally radiating power as Galadriel in Rings – that she might be a surprising choice for the main character, but she really works in the modernized context. It's amazing how Allen invites you into contempt, admiration, sympathy, respect and a host of other completely conflicting impressions of and emotions toward Jasmine, all the while preserving and most definitely paying homage to T.W's original work.

There is this one scene near the end that’s the classic, “reality is not what you thought it was”, “rug-out-from-under-you” that is really just not to be missed. Cate and Woody conspire to a masterpiece in that moment, I must say.

[Deleted]

Jan 21, 2014 9:10:32 GMT -5 zendancer said:

1. The Razor's Edge (Bill Murray version): a great story of a man who becomes disillusioned after WW1, goes in search of the truth, and eventually finds it (becoming transformed in the process).
2. Groundhog Day: a comedy about a self-centered cynical guy who has to repeat the same day, again and again, until he loses his self-centeredness
3. American Beauty: a dark comedy/satire about a man who realizes that he lost something important on the journey from youth to middle age. He tries to regain his youthful enthusiasm for life, but eventually realizes that there is something deeper and more important than sex or youthful vigor. By the end of the movie he sees life from a far more cosmic perspective.
4. Monster's Ball: a drama about two damaged people who discover love despite hugely different cultural backgrounds
5. Pushing Tin: a comedy about living in the moment
6. Enchanted April: a film about slowing down, letting go of ideas, and discovering love
7. Who's Driving the Dreambus? Interviews with several Neo-Advaita teachers
8. Regarding Henry: a high powered self-centered lawyer discovers that there are more important things in life than wealth and power.
9. Once Around: A touching story about a guy who is way over the top, but knows how to enjoy life in the moment.
10. Baghdad Cafe: Offbeat comedy about people who find paradise off the beaten track.
11. Casablanca: This is not an overtly spiritual movie, but it's a classic, and it shows that true love transcends the purely personal.
12. I Heart Huckabees: an existential comedy with a lot of humorous lines and scenes
13. Her: see review on a separate thread
14. The Great Beauty: see review on a separate thread

Ya left out what may be the best 'spiritual' movie of all time, ironically its a war flick called "The Thin Red Line"

Its a movie adapted from a famous book of the same name, the book is really really well written, but the movie is one of the rare instances when the movie totally eclipses the book in both depth and beauty. 

Its a very honest movie in a way....it looks at the very worst of our nature right next to the very best of our nature....so beautiful. ...and the dialogue is second to none regarding existential stuff in a movie....


The main character, Private Witt....is a seeker seeking in the juxtaposition of the natural beauty of the South Pacific, and atrocities of War.  

I think its the greatest movie ever made that has an existential component meeself ;-)

Here is the script, not a lot of words, great sound track, and the director left many long moments of 'space':

www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/t/thin-red-line-script-transcript.html



Here are some quotes from the movie, check out minute 1:13 to 2:55 :-)

[Deleted]

Feb 1, 2014 23:52:16 GMT -5 laughter said:

So imagine Woody Allen sitting around the brunch table with a few dozen of his closest friends in Caanes or Aspen or Monaco or some such place. During a lull in the conversation he chimes in with that high-pitched, inquisitive-day-dreamy brain-storm voice he has: “… so just what was it that Blanche Dubois was running from anyway? I meeeeannn – we know it’s some sort of scandal and there’s a hint that she’s no stranger to a straight jacket … but … it’s so mysterious! … know what I mean? What if … what if - what if the story actually revolved around that? Huh?”

So yank Streetcar into the 21st century, replace the Southern Belle with a neurotic Upper-Eastside socialite, back-fill-in a whole bunch of story, and we have … Blue Jasmine.



Now you might think that Cate Blanchette – an actress that Peter Jackson had literally radiating power as Galadriel in Rings – that she might be a surprising choice for the main character, but she really works in the modernized context. It's amazing how Allen invites you into contempt, admiration, sympathy, respect and a host of other completely conflicting impressions of and emotions toward Jasmine, all the while preserving and most definitely paying homage to T.W's original work.

There is this one scene near the end that’s the classic, “reality is not what you thought it was”, “rug-out-from-under-you” that is really just not to be missed. Cate and Woody conspire to a masterpiece in that moment, I must say.

yep, it is a bit quirky though (Allen .. duh) but I do bet Cate gets the Oscar nod for this performance.

and I love Louis CK! well, not so much in this, or even as an actor per se, but still...

haha, and those quotes you posted .. I missed them. I mean, no doubt I heard them, cuz I gave this flick attention while viewing, but I guess I didn't make any mental notes about the dialog during or after.

[laughter]

Feb 2, 2014 8:32:36 GMT -5 @popee said:

Feb 1, 2014 23:52:16 GMT -5 laughter said:

So imagine Woody Allen sitting around the brunch table with a few dozen of his closest friends in Caanes or Aspen or Monaco or some such place. During a lull in the conversation he chimes in with that high-pitched, inquisitive-day-dreamy brain-storm voice he has: “… so just what was it that Blanche Dubois was running from anyway? I meeeeannn – we know it’s some sort of scandal and there’s a hint that she’s no stranger to a straight jacket … but … it’s so mysterious! … know what I mean? What if … what if - what if the story actually revolved around that? Huh?”

So yank Streetcar into the 21st century, replace the Southern Belle with a neurotic Upper-Eastside socialite, back-fill-in a whole bunch of story, and we have … Blue Jasmine.



Now you might think that Cate Blanchette – an actress that Peter Jackson had literally radiating power as Galadriel in Rings – that she might be a surprising choice for the main character, but she really works in the modernized context. It's amazing how Allen invites you into contempt, admiration, sympathy, respect and a host of other completely conflicting impressions of and emotions toward Jasmine, all the while preserving and most definitely paying homage to T.W's original work.

There is this one scene near the end that’s the classic, “reality is not what you thought it was”, “rug-out-from-under-you” that is really just not to be missed. Cate and Woody conspire to a masterpiece in that moment, I must say.

yep, it is a bit quirky though (Allen .. duh) but I do bet Cate gets the Oscar nod for this performance.

and I love Louis CK! well, not so much in this, or even as an actor per se, but still...

haha, and those quotes you posted .. I missed them. I mean, no doubt I heard them, cuz I gave this flick attention while viewing, but I guess I didn't make any mental notes about the dialog during or after.

nah I made that Woody dialog up .... it's just how I imagine the inception of the project ...

[Deleted]

Feb 1, 2014 23:52:16 GMT -5 laughter said:

There is this one scene near the end that’s the classic, “reality is not what you thought it was”, “rug-out-from-under-you” that is really just not to be missed. Cate and Woody conspire to a masterpiece in that moment, I must say.

hmmm, so these are not quotes from the movie then?

ok ic, nevermind, quotation misuse then

[laughter]

Feb 2, 2014 12:53:54 GMT -5 @popee said:

Feb 1, 2014 23:52:16 GMT -5 laughter said:

There is this one scene near the end that’s the classic, “reality is not what you thought it was”, “rug-out-from-under-you” that is really just not to be missed. Cate and Woody conspire to a masterpiece in that moment, I must say.

hmmm, so these are not quotes from the movie then?

ok ic, nevermind, quotation misuse then

yes

[Deleted]

[zendancer]

Feb 2, 2014 2:33:07 GMT -5 @empty said:

Jan 21, 2014 9:10:32 GMT -5 zendancer said:

1. The Razor's Edge (Bill Murray version): a great story of a man who becomes disillusioned after WW1, goes in search of the truth, and eventually finds it (becoming transformed in the process).
2. Groundhog Day: a comedy about a self-centered cynical guy who has to repeat the same day, again and again, until he loses his self-centeredness
3. American Beauty: a dark comedy/satire about a man who realizes that he lost something important on the journey from youth to middle age. He tries to regain his youthful enthusiasm for life, but eventually realizes that there is something deeper and more important than sex or youthful vigor. By the end of the movie he sees life from a far more cosmic perspective.
4. Monster's Ball: a drama about two damaged people who discover love despite hugely different cultural backgrounds
5. Pushing Tin: a comedy about living in the moment
6. Enchanted April: a film about slowing down, letting go of ideas, and discovering love
7. Who's Driving the Dreambus? Interviews with several Neo-Advaita teachers
8. Regarding Henry: a high powered self-centered lawyer discovers that there are more important things in life than wealth and power.
9. Once Around: A touching story about a guy who is way over the top, but knows how to enjoy life in the moment.
10. Baghdad Cafe: Offbeat comedy about people who find paradise off the beaten track.
11. Casablanca: This is not an overtly spiritual movie, but it's a classic, and it shows that true love transcends the purely personal.
12. I Heart Huckabees: an existential comedy with a lot of humorous lines and scenes
13. Her: see review on a separate thread
14. The Great Beauty: see review on a separate thread

Ya left out what may be the best 'spiritual' movie of all time, ironically its a war flick called "The Thin Red Line"

Its a movie adapted from a famous book of the same name, the book is really really well written, but the movie is one of the rare instances when the movie totally eclipses the book in both depth and beauty. 

Its a very honest movie in a way....it looks at the very worst of our nature right next to the very best of our nature....so beautiful. ...and the dialogue is second to none regarding existential stuff in a movie....


The main character, Private Witt....is a seeker seeking in the juxtaposition of the natural beauty of the South Pacific, and atrocities of War.  

I think its the greatest movie ever made that has an existential component meeself ;-)

Here is the script, not a lot of words, great sound track, and the director left many long moments of 'space':

www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/t/thin-red-line-script-transcript.html



Here are some quotes from the movie, check out minute 1:13 to 2:55 :-)

Thanks, Steve. I'll check it out. I loved the music on the link you provided.

[zendancer]

Initially I was only considering movies with a spiritual theme, but this season we've been blessed with a lot of great movies, so the Academy Awards will be more interesting than usual. I would obviously select "The Great Beauty" as the best foreign film because it is the only film that powerfully evokes "yugen" (google the word for some excellent pointers to what the word represents), and because it is a cinematic masterpiece with layers and layers of existential depth. It also has a musical score that is amazing. It helps to see it several times to pick up all of the humor and the subtle nuances (even then, some are missed because of the translation from Italian to English). The five-second moment of recognition between the main character and a past love (they meet as he's walking up some steps and she's walking down) becomes more astonishing each time it's viewed and virtually no words are spoken. In Europe the movie took almost all of the major awards--best movie, best actor, best director, etc. Some of the interviews (on Google) given by Sorrentino (the director) and Servillo (the main character) are existentially fascinating, and it is clear that Servillo has a lot in common with the character he plays. He and the director are both very Zen without being Zen. In one interview Sorrentino expresses surprise that his movie is receiving so much worldwide attention because, in his words, "The movie is not simple." ha ha.

So far, "American Hustle" is the best American movie Carol and I have seen this season followed by "Her" and "Philomena." "Gravity" violated so many laws of physics, and was so unbelievable, that it wouldn't even be on my top twenty list. By the time the capsule splashed down, I was sure that it would sink, and that Sandra would have to somehow get out of her spacesuit and swim to the surface (lucky the water wasn't 300 feet deep!). As the capsule was sinking, I was wondering, "What next? Sharks?" Ha ha. When Sandra finally stumbled ashore, I wondered, "Okay, no sharks, so what next? Quicksand?"

From what I've seen I'm guessing that it will be a toss up between Amy Adams and Kate Blanchett for best actress (I'd probably give it to Adams because the range of emotion was a bigger stretch). I haven't yet seen "The Wolf of Wall Street" or "Nebraska" (can anyone here provide an opinion?), but DiCaprio or Dern would have to be great to surpass Christian Bale or Matthew McConaghy (sp?)for best actor. I'd pick "Americn Hustle" for best movie, but the Academy will probably pick "Gravity" because of the special effects and high dollar gross.

[Deleted]

Y?gen is a Japanese word pertaining to a profound awareness of the universe which evokes feelings that are inexplicably deep and too mysterious for words. The word itself is like an extension of awareness, the aesthetic perception which allows us to conceive of the vastness of the universe- but carries it beyond into an inconceivably mysterious realm. The feeling of Awareness is induced by confrontation to the brevity of life, and yugen is initiated from the awareness that even ‘aware’ itself is an ephemeral thing. Zeami Motokiyo’s description portrays a medium through which one may experience the unspeakably deep, stirring, feeling of yugen; “To watch the sun sink behind a flower clad hill. To wander on in a huge forest without thought of return. To stand upon the shore and gaze after a boat that disappears behind distant islands. To contemplate the flight of wild geese seen and lost among the clouds.”

[Deleted]

You're gunna love "The Thin Red Line" ZD....the director was brilliant at using cinematography, poetically profound dialogue, and that wonderful soundtrack to produce many moments of powerfully rich Y?gen



And the acting is amazing...many breathtaking moments of acting....here is scene that got deleted from the movie with mickey rourke, that is one of the best acting moments I've ever seen.:




Sean Penn, Adrian Brody, Nick Nolte, John Travolta, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, George Clooney, Elias Koteas, Jim Caviezel (Genius Leading Role) ....all giving some of the best performances of their careers.