Buffista Movies 4: Straight to Video
A place to talk about movies--old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
Also, Peter Lorre is awesome.
Because it can never be said enough.
P-C, if you haven't, you should take your next opportunity and see M. Probably the definitive serious (as opposed to comedic) Peter Lorre role. Also not far from the top of Fritz Lang's work.
Already seen it, Frank. Hell, wrote a paper on the Elsie montage. I mean, it was a pass/fail class, so I didn't try very hard, but still. And yeah, can't think of Peter Lorre without thinking of him totally bugging out at the end of that one. Good movie.
We're having a documentary orgy this weekend. Last night we watched
Metallica:Some Kind of Monster.
I am not a metal fan in any way, but like all good docs this was about more than its subject and was fascinating. These guys have been working together for 21 years and their collective baggage, plus the departure of one member and the getting-sober of another, forces them to relearn how to work together. Watching all these inarticulate musicians with no way to really talk about their feelings working with a therapist and groping toward communication is sometimes
Spinal Tap
funny and and sometimes heartbreaking.
Tonight we see the Enron movie and
Mad Hot Ballroom!
Woo Hoo!
I loved Some Kind of Monster, for similar reasons as Robin. It was interesting to get a look into this world I'll never see, and I think the filmmakers did a good job of capturing different facets of the musicians.
(Also, what a crook their therapist was. He was probably well-intentioned, but a very hard person to dismiss.)
I saw Batman Begins for the second time today. It was even better the second time around. I went with my friend E who loved it as well.
We say the Serenity trailer and squeed over it. I've seen the trailer on my computer and it kicks ass on the screen. There weren't that many people in the theater, but I did here some positive sounds after the trailer.
I'm conflicted over War of the Worlds, I'd probably be dying to see it if it weren't for Tom Cruise, but I really didn't care for him before the Katie Holmes thing so I won't.
And speaking of Katie Holmes, I liked her better this time around.
I've lost all interest in seeing War of the Worlds. It's a pity, too, because I love alien movies. On another board, some people are planning to boycott the movie to show their displeasure with TC and donate the would-be ticket money to Spielberg's Shoah foundation.
Cool, sounds like a good alternative plan.
While the Katie Holmes thing is distasteful to me, it's also kind of entertaining in a train wreck sort of way. But Cruise's uncalled-for attacks on Brooke Shields, crackpot claims that may discourage gullible people from seeking medical help, and general arrogance when dealing with anyone that doesn't kiss his ass have moved him into Mel-Gibson-Never-See-Another-Dime-of-My-Money territory.
I loved Peter Lorre in M.
I loaned my tape of it to two of my co-workers, German twins born in the last year of WWII (one of the twins was lucky to survive since there were no working incubators at the hospital when they were born, due to Allied bombing). Since they grew up in post-war West Germany, I expected them to at least be familiar with the film, even if they hadn't seen it. But, they'd never even heard of it! When they finally got around to watching my tape, they were both blown away by it, especially Lorre's performance.
Another Peter Lorre fangirl here!
When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it!