Movies!

[Oddball]

Most of that was filmed near where my (now deceased *sniff*) Grandad lived Umber.  He could hear the gun fire going on at all times of day and night. It was filmed on the site of the old DeHaviland aircraft factory/airfield.

[CrystalDragonSpaceMarine]

Band of Brothers is more properly called a "miniseries". 

[Kanazaka]

I saw Up in the Air this past Wednesday, and it was pretty good.  I missed the first nine minutes because I got mixed up on the showing time, and the bus was late, but I don't think I missed very much.  It started off slow, as straight comedy, but picked up the pace and the depth as it progressed.  By the end, it's an above average social commentary on the need to connect with people.  It didn't feel like a Best Picture to me, though, probably because the film is rather light with some heavier, darker moments at the climax and conclusion.  The film features very good acting and writing, but only occasionally shows dynamic cinematography.  So, I'd recommend renting it, but you don't absolutely need to see it in the theater.

[akashayi]

Somehow, over the holidays, I watched Avatar (for free) a full three times. Two times in an imax theater and all three in 3d.

[RoninAngel]

It's called stealing dear. 

So I saw a single man, and as it turns out, it's quite good, actually. I liked it because I like good movies with a good heart. When you summarize the plot thusly; It's about a gay man whose lover dies and he decides that he cannot handle it anymore and decides to kill himself. Then he spends the rest of the movie on the last day of he life trying to squeeze some pleasure and beauty out of it all before he offs himself. You may come off sounding kind of depressing. But- well it is kind of depressing but it's totally worth it because it's gorgeously filmed and acted and has a great message. I suggest you guys all see it.

[CrystalDragonSpaceMarine]

He's gay AND suicidal!?!?!?

I cannot exist in the same vicinity as such a blasphemy against a MAN'S SPIRIT.



Actually that's just the suicidal. Unless we commits seppuku to recover honor, or kills himself via enemy army.

Homosexuality is cool though. MANLY COMBINING can be VERY MANLY.

[RoninAngel]

Actually it's all pretty stereotyped. Between the frequent alcoholism and the having to lie to your parents (and perhaps not having a woman around to smooth your rough edges, who knows,) gay men have a reputation for being pretty trigger-happy when comes to the whole suicide thing. Gary and I are lucky because neither of us really drink, so we're not quite as likely to be that be self destructive, but it seems as if some gay men aren't really happy unless we are trying ever so hard to be this archetypal tortured-artist character in the "play of our own life". I find it silly in the extreme. 

[CrystalDragonSpaceMarine]

I hate tortured artists.

The only reason I don't torture artists is because that'd make them tortured artists, and I hate that!

Besides, I'm the villain of someone else's life. I just know it.

[Foof]

Just saw District 9.  Amazing, amazing movie.  I was blown away.

[Stardreamer]

Just saw District 9.  Amazing, amazing movie.  I was blown away.

I wanted to see that too, everyone told me great about that moovie. Anyway I saw Avatar yesterday and it was sooooo amazing, the best money-spent-on-cinema since star wars III 

[Oddball]

Just watched District 9 and The Hurt Locker both fantastic films.

*SPOILER ALERT**SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*
Laghed when a mercenary got taken out by a flying pig, reminded me of something discussed in another thread in here 

[UmberIsSexy]

I wanted to see that too, everyone told me great about that moovie. Anyway I saw Avatar yesterday and it was sooooo amazing, the best money-spent-on-cinema since star wars III 

yeah I liked Avatar quite a bit.  More fun than I've had going to the movies in years.

edit: I really like Stardreamer's sig.

[UmberIsSexy]

Most of that was filmed near where my (now deceased *sniff*) Grandad lived Umber.  He could hear the gun fire going on at all times of day and night. It was filmed on the site of the old DeHaviland aircraft factory/airfield.

What do you mean?  They reconstructed cities there?  Or what?  Which scenes were filmed there?  The Bastogne stuff? 

[Oddball]

most of the urban scenes and country side stuff was done on the old airfield there while the Bastogne winter scenes was done in a freezer with  exploding trees, Amazing what you find out with the specail DVD version (not the one with the dog tags though)

[parameciumkid]

I'm about to go to bed but before I do I must cry to the world that Avatar was awesome.

[tbeean]

I'm about to go to bed but before I do I must cry to the world that Avatar was awesome.

dang. i must see avatar. everyone i know is singing its praises. D;

personally, i have to say i'm a little excited about Alice In Wonderland. 

[Churba]

I'm about to go to bed but before I do I must cry to the world that Avatar was awesome.

dang. i must see avatar. everyone i know is singing its praises. D;

Here's someone who isn't - it was distinctly meh. The visuals were very pretty, with great attention to detail, but frankly, it was a heavy-handed, predictable paint-by-numbers plot with shallow characters, and that beats you over the head with it's "Nature GOOD! Environment GOOD! Capitalism BAD! Hurting environment BAD! Military BAD!" Aesop.

[tbeean]

dang. i must see avatar. everyone i know is singing its praises. D;

Here's someone who isn't - it was distinctly meh. The visuals were very pretty, with great attention to detail, but frankly, it was a heavy-handed, predictable paint-by-numbers plot with shallow characters, and that beats you over the head with it's "Nature GOOD! Environment GOOD! Capitalism BAD! Hurting environment BAD! Military BAD!" Aesop.

paha. it doesn't sound so great now. just very cliché.

[Emp_Dragon]

Well, humanity as a species isn't going to hit you with anything unpredictable anytime soon...


Spoiler below:

But one thing about Avatar that I found very interesting in hindsight is that just about every land animal on pandora EXEPT the Na'vi had six limbs each... wich makes me think the Na'vi would probably be decendants of a failed alien colonisation effort of that moon and not as native as they belive themselves to be. And due to the nature of the planet-wide neural network, I'd say that the entire sattelite is terraformed to the state it has in the movie, possibly even beeing a huge alien experiment in it's entirety. And as usual, the homo-sapien viral strain contaminates the lot XD

[Churba]

dang. i must see avatar. everyone i know is singing its praises. D;

Here's someone who isn't - it was distinctly meh. The visuals were very pretty, with great attention to detail, but frankly, it was a heavy-handed, predictable paint-by-numbers plot with shallow characters, and that beats you over the head with it's "Nature GOOD! Environment GOOD! Capitalism BAD! Hurting environment BAD! Military BAD!" Aesop.

paha. it doesn't sound so great now. just very cliché.

It's worth a watch, but not as good as everyone says it is, which is roughly something along the lines of "This movie is so good that it actually feels like it's felating you while you watch it."

[Emp_Dragon]

Well, it's basically Braveheart in space

[Churba]

Well, it's basically Braveheart in space

Personally, I'd rather a ten thousand hairy scotsmen not felate me, thank you.

[Oddball]

  hated that film made a mockery of Scottish history. only thing they got right was the end.

[Emp_Dragon]

Well, churba, me neither, but, what did you think of my Avatar theory?

[Kanazaka]

I saw Alice In Wonderland last week, and it was okay.  Very nice to look at, but the plot was rather boring.  However, Helena Bonham Carter delivered a very entertaining performance, and some of the 3-D effects were cool.

[CrystalDragonSpaceMarine]

I saw Alice In Wonderland last week, and it was okay.  Very nice to look at, but the plot was rather boring.  However, Helena Bonham Carter delivered a very entertaining performance, and some of the 3-D effects were cool.

I thought Depp's performance was rather weak in that.
Among other things.

I also realized I'm sick of Burton's "Washed out and gray" aesthetic.

[parameciumkid]

So I saw Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds for the first time a few weeks ago, and I have to say it was pretty cool because I got to sample what anime was like way back in the 80s, not to mention that it was a good movie to begin with. I guess I sort of like the "be nice to insects" angle because that's exactly how I've always felt.

(BUG HATERS ARE RACISTS!)

[Kanazaka]

Nausicaa is a very good movie, but the manga is much better (much more depth, and overall a more interesting plot).

[parameciumkid]

WHAAAAAAAAT?
You shall tell me where I can access this manga!1!!

[Kanazaka]

You can probably get the Nausicaa manga from Borders, Amazon or any of the other big online booksellers, or directly from Viz.  It shouldn't yet be out of print.