VGF's Most Watched Movies of July 2012-June 2013

Bomby · #61

Giant - I've never really been a big fan of 1950's Hollywood, and the style initially turned me off, but this film won me over by the end. This was the first James Dean movie I've ever seen.

Bomby · #62

Dog Day Afternoon was spectacular. Another great performance from Al Pacino. Sidney Lumet might not have been a very visual director, but he certainly knew how to control mood and atmosphere.

#63

Let's see. We enjoyed Inglourious Basterds and The Watchmen again (although, as usual, I fell asleep part way through both; this just happens when we watch things in the evening!), and finally saw The Expendables 2. I can't remember taking the time to watch any other movies recently/since the last time AI posted. ;)

Wait, no, also saw The Dark Knight Rises sometime.

Deepfake · #64

^ Just mark me down for Everything SD just mentioned.

Bomby · #65

The People vs. George Lucas - For someone who grew up obsessed for Star Wars (well, really for only about two years of my life, but when you're a kid, two years seems like an eternity), this was a spectacular documentary. The people interviewed in the film are way more obsessed with it than I've ever really been with anything (most of them are old enough to have seen the original trilogy when it first came out in theaters), but that makes it all the more interesting. I can remember just about one interviewee who had pretty much the same experience I had: so disappointed with the first two prequels that he never bothered at all to see Episode III. The best remarks come from an old interview with Francis Ford Coppola, discussing the impact the success of Star Wars had on George Lucas as a filmmaker, and how he didn't go on to make the smaller, more personal films he had been intending to make afterward. Maybe it did rob us of a man that could have been one of the great film directors, had he kept going and making more films instead of having to devote his life to one project which became so successful it just got wildly out of hand.

I can't recommend this documentary highly enough. For those with Netflix, it is available to stream.

YouTube · #66

I caught Date Night on TV the other day & was reminded why I need to buy that movie. It's like couples counseling mixed with The Maltese Falcon. Love the performances (especially all the cameo parts), love the plot, love the car chase.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Deepfake · #67

Watched Transformers last night. It's amazing how much better the first one is than the second one. It's been long enough that I could almost get that horrible sequel out of my head. The Section 7 stuff still doesn't make sense, though. I mean, the Hoover Dam is the best place to stick a huge robot that might unfreeze and go on a rampage thanks to his energy signature? Like, a mountain with a reactor powering it wouldn't be a better option? Because the US has those.

I suppose you can't be too critical of the robot side, but the human side barely makes sense.

#68

Saw The Cat Returns...

YouTube · #69

Went to The Campaign Friday night. It was funny, not brilliant, but better than the reviews had made it out to be. It could've used a better wrap-up though; the finale they went with was just cheesy & didn't fit the tone of the rest of the film at all. It's totally possible--especially in a movie like this--to have a happy ending without being toothless & sappy.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Nomyt · #70

Watched the The Avengers with my Girlfriend on Friday night, love this film.

Bomby · #71

I've failed to mention that I recently watched Seven Samurai (****ing amazing) and A Touch of Spice (eh) recently.

Calamity Panfan · #72

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. I think it's officially my favorite movie ever now.

Bomby · #73

The Master - Best new movie I've seen in years. I still can't really put it into words. Everything was just so... magnificent.

A Moment to Remember - A Korean melodrama about a young woman who gets Alzheimer's! Age 60 is considered early onset for Alzheimer's, but this character is 27. So yeah... My friend and I were expecting this to be entertaining in a so-bad-it's-good way. Cut to two and a half hours later and we're both practically in tears. Not tears of laughter, either, legitimate tears of sadness. Someone forgot to tell South Korea that a melodrama with as ridiculous of a premise as this is supposed to be unintentionally hilarious.

YouTube · #74

Tonight I watched my new DVD of The Avengers.
Last night I watched my new DVD of Joss Whedon's commentary on The Avengers.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Bomby · #75

Caught the 1948 Italian masterpiece The Bicycle Thieves at the local art museum this afternoon. It's not one of my favorites, but I like it quite well.

Bomby · #76

I've now seen all of James Dean's major movies, and I have to say, I think he was a pretty cool guy. Eh was a giant Rebel Without a Cause who lived East of Eden and didn't afraid of anything.

#77

Rewatched The Lion in Winter yet again earlier today. You know, I don't think it'll ever not be my favourite movie in the world. It's kind of perfect in every way---I never thought I'd say that about a movie with so few kung-fu battles and car chases, and yet here we are.

YouTube · #78

My nearby theater had free admission tonight as part of a thing, so I made up my own double feature :) :

Trouble with the Curve had a strong story, good dialogue, & great acting, but I still found myself bored at several points. If I had to guess why, I'd chalk it up to mediocre coverage, weak editing, & crappy music. Also, Timberlake was introduced in a way that made me initially think he was gonna be the Bernard-from-Watchmen of the story. It's been a while since a good baseball-y baseball movie. (Moneyball is a business-y baseball movie.)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, on the other hand, was exciting the whole way through. The characters were great twists of the cliche types (especially the teachers; the mean-shop-teacher turned out to be more just strict-but-reasonable, & the cool-English-teacher didn't try to be hip or be a hippie but actually used realistic teaching methods), & the same could be said of the plot twists. The weird thing for me was that they must've shot in continuity, 'cause Emma Watson's accent got consistently better throughout the movie.

The worst part of Perks was being subjected to the Twilight: Breaking Dawn 2 trailer beforehand, but luckily everyone else in the theater burst into laughter along with me. ;)

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Calamity Panfan · #79

The Cabin in the Woods, twice.

#80

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure some time ago, because the subject came up, and we needed to enjoy some righteous viewing in answer.

And today, Looper. I wasn't expecting quite so much of the crime syndicate theme (I really don't pay any attention to what movies are meant to be about before I see them anymore), but that wasn't a bad surprise. It fit the movie very well, and I will definitely be getting this one on DVD.