Now Playing: What did you see at the movies?

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scarlet said:

I just got back from seeing Lars And The Real Girl. Obviously, the whole idea of the movie lends itself to a lot of laughs, but it's actually very touching. The reasons behind Lars' relationship with Bianca just make you want to cry. And Ryan Gosling was fantastic. He really morphs himself into the character.

Yeah, ITA. I thought the concept was going to be played for laughs more, but it turned out really quiet and sweet.
I was surprised that a lot of the critics didn't like it, and one went so far as to call Lars a career-killing type of role.
I feel like 10 years ago or so when movies like "Fargo" and "Welcome to the Dollhouse" were indie hits that it would have been on everyone's "top 10" list.

[Binky]

Is Lars & the Real Girl a 'quirky = genius' film? I have very, very low tolerance for that kind of movie. My friend recommended it, but she liked Napoleon Dynamite, which is precisely the kind of quirkyness that makes me want to kill.

[satellite]

binky said:

Is Lars & the Real Girl a 'quirky = genius' film? I have very, very low tolerance for that kind of movie. My friend recommended it, but she liked Napoleon Dynamite, which is precisely the kind of quirkyness that makes me want to kill.

Not exactly. The film is quirky I guess, but Lars the character isn't presumed to be a genius of any sort. It gets into "feel good" territory though.

[Deleted]

I just saw No Country For Old Men, and I recommend it very highly. It's more like the style and mood of Blood Simple then anything else the Coen brothers have ever done. Josh Brolin was fantastic and Javier Bardem is officially the baddest motherfucker ever to be onscreen. Dude was scary in this. And I'm amazed at how well Kelly MacDonald was able to hide her thick Scottish accent. Tommy Lee Jones was great as always. I hope it gets a shitload of Oscar noms because it definitely deserves it.

[spider]

Is Lars & the Real Girl a 'quirky = genius' film?

No, not at all. I hate that shit too- Napolean Dynamtie made me want to find nerdy kids and slap them around. It did remind me a lot of Billy Elliott.

Review: Overall two thumbs up. It was a bit slow at times, but the acting was fantastic. Ryan Gosling did a great job with a role that easily could have turned into another version of Donnie Darko/ moody kid from American Beauty but didn't. Emily Mortimer should be in all movies and the guy who played the brother/husband was just perfect. Really, a very well done movie, funny and touching.

[magazinewhore]

I just saw "The Future is Unwritten" a documentary about Joe Strummer. I really enjoyed it. It told his story through interviews and film footage. He was such a cool guy. What bothered me was they didn't always identify who the people were in the film speaking to the camera about Joe, and so at times, that confused me a bit. But several celebrities (John Cusack, Matt Dillion, Johnny Depp) spoke about him. And Bono, of course. If you aren't familiar with The Clash, it's a good way to get up to speed on why they were so important. And he was speaking out against racism and injustice way before it was cool to do so. I didn't realize his brother had committed suicide.

[twodollars]

I saw "Martian Child" last night. I loved this movie. The kid in the movie just breaks your heart.

[Deleted]

roisin54 said:

I just saw No Country For Old Men, and I recommend it very highly. It's more like the style and mood of Blood Simple then anything else the Coen brothers have ever done

I'll have to see it. I'm a huge fan of the Coen Brothers.

I just saw Raising Arizona again the other night. I remembered it as being hilarious, but during this viewing I was struck by just how well-crafted every aspect of it was. And that, really, is the common thread of all of the Coen Brothers films -- they put so much care into every detail. I can watch almost every one of their films over and over, savoring the cinematography, set design, and dialogue.

[scarlet]

roisin54 said:

I just saw No Country For Old Men, and I recommend it very highly. It's more like the style and mood of Blood Simple then anything else the Coen brothers have ever done

I second the recommendation. I was tense throughout the whole movie, thanks to Javier Berdem's performance. He scared the shit out of me.

I think this will definitely be a Best Picture nominee.

[dwanollah]

So, late to the table with this, but before we left for NYC, my friend who worked on the flick took me to the red carpet premeire of Beowulf.

It was a huge, giant, stinking, CGI turd.