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Post by dvdjunkie on Feb 23, 2008 11:02:08 GMT -6
Didn't see one for this year, and the Awards are tomorrow (Sunday, February 24) night! Here are my choices:
Best Picture: No Country For Old Men
Best Director: The Coen Brothers
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Best Actress: Julie Christie (Away From Her)
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men)
Best Supporting Actress: Ruby Dee (American Gangster)
Best Animated Feature: Ratatouille
Best Song: Any one of the three songs nominated from "Enchanted"
What are your favorites this year - please don't wait until after the awards to voice your choice.
By the way, this is the first year that I can say I have seen all five of the movies nominated for Best Picture. My personal favorite is "There Will Be Blood", but I think "No Country" will win.
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Post by Midge on Feb 23, 2008 18:55:00 GMT -6
Gulp, I haven't seen any of the nominees, so I can't vote. The only new movie I saw this year was The Kite Runner.
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Post by Larry's 66 Diner on Feb 24, 2008 17:55:51 GMT -6
I've seen none of the above either, but would like to see Away From Her.
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Post by Kimmer on Feb 25, 2008 10:38:28 GMT -6
I haven't seen any of the movies either. None of them really interested me. (yes, I might be missing out on some good ones, but....)
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Post by dvdjunkie on Feb 25, 2008 11:42:46 GMT -6
I was really surprised at how many of you don't get out and see a movie once in a while. Surely there has to be at least one date-night a week for you.
I was surprised at a couple of the winners. Tilda Swinton seemed to be the most surprised of all the winners, and gave a very gracious speech. I am going to have to go watch "Michael Clayton" again, to see exactly what it was the Academy saw in her performance. I thought it was pretty lackluster compared to the others that were nominated.
"No Country For Old Me" has to be one of the best ,movies I have seen in the last 10 years. Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Academy-Award-winning Javier Bardem, take this movie to a special place. Yes, it is violent, yes it is disturbing, but it is story that needs to be told, and the Coen Brothers did just that. If you liked "Fargo", then this movie needs to be seen.
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Post by Midge on Feb 25, 2008 15:19:51 GMT -6
I was really surprised at how many of you don't get out and see a movie once in a while. Surely there has to be at least one date-night a week for you. "Date night?" That's a good one. :uhuh: Listen, I'm too busy catching up with classic movies to bother much with the newer ones.
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Post by Larry's 66 Diner on Feb 25, 2008 22:41:59 GMT -6
Well, Bill, what makes it difficult for us is two things: 1) TC and I don't often share the same types of movie interests; and 2) TC and I don't share the same work schedule. In our area, there is not very often a decent movie that seems to be playing which captivates the two of us. If we both finally agree that it sounds like one both of us would enjoy viewing, then it's hard to find the time because she works days and I generally work evenings, and we don't always have the same day off. Then, if both of the above criteria are somehow met, we sometimes default into another situation: $$$! ;D If the timing falls between pay periods, that creates another little teeny, tiny, itty, bitty problem!
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Post by diane on Feb 26, 2008 0:56:58 GMT -6
"No Country for Old Men" and also "There Will be Blood" were the two that appealed to me. I think last year I saw 2 films at the movies - I know one of them was "Dreamgirls". At the moment I have started to go more often with my daughter. I saw "Enchanted" which I adored and last Sunday we saw "Dan in Real Life" which I didn't like that much. It was a film were the best bits were in the trailers (or so I thought). I agree with tc over here unless you go on a particular mid week morning going to the cinema is an expensive treat. I also agree with Midge - I made a resolution to myself that I want to catch up with old films I haven't seen and to see some films that I can remember loving as a child (like "The Cocoanuts" for example) as I am not getting any younger.
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Post by dvdjunkie on Feb 26, 2008 12:04:38 GMT -6
While I can appreciate the fact that we are all people who love our classic movies, and we all work for a living, there has to be some time 'made' for seeing what else is out there. I find it hard to believe that the guys here can't find time to have a 'date night' with their significant other, or the ladies would put up with not getting out once in a while. Most theaters, especially those in San Francisco and here in Wichita, have very low matinee prices, and that is the best time to go see a good movie. I can't remember when I went to a movie after 6 pm, with the prices escalating beyond most people's budgets. I agree that a $10 admission fee and another $20 at the snack bar can put a dent in anyone's budget, even mine. Here's my secret. We try to go to a movie during the week, rather than on a weekend. It is less crowded, and the popcorn is fresher. Now for us senior citizens, the theaters here in Wichita offer free popcorn with a ticket purchase, and the only purchase we make at the snack bar is a bottle of water or something to wash down the popcorn. Matinee prices here are $6 during the day until 6 pm and $9 after six pm, so that is one of the reasons we go to the matinee showings. If I didn't 'make' time for a 'date night' with my darling wife of almost 40 years, I would be hearing about it real soon. She and I both understand the importance of a day away from the house even if it is just for a couple of hours to see a movie. And we make the movie choice together, most of the time. Once in a while I will drag Beverly to a 'guy' flick, but she knows that I more than make up for it by going with her 'willingly' to see a 'chick' flick. Not trying to tell others what to do, but it just makes sense to me that we all need to get out once in a while and do something different. Even if it just to go for a nice drive or go down to the local "malt shop" for a burger and a rootbeer float. Getting out and away from the mundane things in life is good for us, and I can't imagine my life without that one day a week for time with my special lady. By the way, Thursdays is our special day. I don't think we have missed a Thursday date in several years. When Thursday isn't convenient, we always make it another day, and it is rare that we go two weeks without a date night.
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Post by Hedvig on Feb 26, 2008 13:04:53 GMT -6
Well, different couples will make different rules for themselves. If some are more interested in older movies than the newer ones, they can easily watch them at home and make a night of it. Or take a weekend off and attend an annual film festival in another state. I don't dislike today's films, and a lot of good ones seem to be premiering right now. The reason why I haven't seen them yet is partly because I don't have much cash at the moment, and partly because our local movie theaters are a bit nasty. They're not unbearable, but sometimes I just think I might just as well wait for the DVD, rent it and watch it somewhere clean and popcorn free. To each is his/her own. I do want to see Sweeney Todd, I'm Not There and possibly Juno. And I'm a fan of the Coen Brothers, so we shall see!
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Post by annavandenhazel on Feb 26, 2008 13:19:57 GMT -6
I can tell you why we don't go out to movies. (1) We can watch movies we know and like at home, and (2) the few movies I've seen ads for all looked like "trash". And I'm only talking about movies I've actually seen or read advertisements for; there are tons of movies in recent years which have won awards and I never even HEARD of them, other than wondering what kind of idiot titles those are on the sign outside a theatre and forgetting most of them 5 minutes later.
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Post by Hedvig on Feb 26, 2008 13:39:20 GMT -6
They're not all bad, I can usually figure out from reviews which I will like and which I should avoid. Tastes differ though. I don't always agree with the reviewers either.
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Post by Midge on Feb 26, 2008 16:17:36 GMT -6
I agree with Hedvig that the movie theatre experience can be "nasty." It seems that a lot of people these days don't understand that going out in public demands a different sort of behavior that involves being sensitive to the needs of others. They behave as if the entire world is their living room. Unruly children, audience members talking during the show, trash on the floor, cell phones going off, feet up on the seat backs . . .yecch.
It's not like the good old days when people dressed up to go to the movies and were greeted by ushers with flashlights who would lead them to their seats and stand by during the show to help late comets or eject unruly patrons. Projectors are automated now, so if the movie is out of focus or the speakers are set too loud, there's no one around to notice or to fix it.
Another reason that I don't enjoy going to movies is that, after paying a ridiculously high ticket price, we are subjected to 10 or 15 minutes of previews before the feature starts. These previews are invariably set to a painfully loud level and/or edited with a hatchet, MTV style.
I have also noticed that contemporary movies seem to be photographed with the home TV screen in mind. Everything on the screen looks H-U-G-E. Giant faces, giant credits, giant everything. To me it feels like sensory overload. At home on a smaller screen those same proportions look just right. I am convinced that producers do this on purpose because their movies will be have a much longer life on TV or DVD than in theaters.
On the other hand, classic movies, which were made to be seen only on the big screen, look much better in theaters than at home. In fact it's better to see them that way because (as someone pointed out in the Kansas Silent Film Festival thread) you miss a lot of detail on the home screen.
Of course I realize that some new movies are much better in a theatre environment, but for the most part I would just as soon see them in the comfort of my own home, on my own schedule.
I have a personal reason as well for not liking to go to theaters. For over a quarter of a century, I worked nights in the broadcasting industry. In a TV control room, there are no windows. You sit in your chair in a dark room wearing headsets. You are assaulted by loud TV program sound plus the constant chatter of a director in your ears. In front of you is a wall of TV monitors. When I am not working, the last thing I want to do is sit in a chair in a dark windowless room and look at a bright screen while being subjected to loud noise. I am retired now and only work one night a week, but being able to enjoy a home-cooked dinner and spend the evening in my own home is still a real treat for me.
Whenever I do go out to a movie, I try to attend an afternoon showing. Then I sit far back in the theater in order to minimize the effect of being assaulted by loud noise and supersized images.
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Post by Larry's 66 Diner on Feb 27, 2008 0:22:54 GMT -6
Unruly children, audience members talking during the show, trash on the floor, cell phones going off, feet up on the seat backs . . .yecch. Yes, we had an incident this weekend at the Festival, when the cell phone belonging to the woman two seats away from TC started ringing! During the next intermission, Denise (the film commentator) made a reference to please shut the cell phones off! But out of common courtesy, who should have to be told to do this anyway? Plus, a short film piece before the movies began even made the following statement: "In the old days we asked people to 'Please remove your hats'; now we ask 'Please shut off your cell phones'!" Another reason that I don't enjoy going to movies is that, after paying a ridiculously high ticket price, we are subjected to 10 or 15 minutes of previews before the feature starts. Oh, I know! I hate sitting through all those stupid previews too! Of course I realize that some new movies are much better in a theatre environment, but for the most part I would just as soon see them in the comfort of my own home, on my own schedule. Sometimes, it is nicer, isn't it? :jump: Then I sit far back in the theater in order to minimize the effect of being assaulted by loud noise and supersized images. I guess I can understand that! ;D
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Post by dvdjunkie on Feb 27, 2008 1:10:57 GMT -6
I guess that I live in a different world from the rest of you. Here in Wichita we have the Warren Theaters, and they have ushers to escort you to your seat. If a cell phone is caught by the ushers it is confiscated and can be picked up at the box office on the way out. The only persons allowed cell phones are doctors on call, and they must register at the box office, and they are told to keep the phone on vibrate and to leave the theater before answering it. We have lush theaters that are fully carpeted, and no one under the age of 17 is allowed after 7 pm in any of the theaters regardless of the rating of the feature film playing. We don't have loud, obtrusive music, and Kansas has a law about any advertisements played before the movie. They are not allowed in any way shape or form. Bill Warren also has a policy that I have noticed after six years here, he stands by, and that is no more than three trailers before a feature, and he always has a great Warner Bros. cartoon before all G, PG, and PG-13 features. The movies are always in focus, and never so loud that your ears ring afterwards. We don't have messy floors, and everyone that attends these theaters knows that the Warren employees don't put up with any obnoxious people acting like idiots. We also have theaters that have full service restaurants and bars in them, so those people always come dressed for an evening at the movies. All of our theaters are THX certified for the best sound and picture, and if you have a complaint there is always someone close by to sound off to, and it is taken care of right away. It is too bad that those of you who live in rural area, or even the big towns like San Francisco have to put up with all that garbage that ruins a night out at the movies. I will stand by what I believe, that there is nothing that replaces seeing a good movie on a large screen with great sound, and nice fresh barrel of popcorn to munch on. Sorry that I can't side with those of you who choose not to enjoy an evening or afternoon at your local cinema because it is nothing but a horror story of an experience. Maybe life in the big city isn't so cool after all. I feel very lucky that I now can call Wichita home, and call the Warren Theaters my theater of choice.
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Post by Hedvig on Feb 27, 2008 4:08:06 GMT -6
Dvdjunkie, you are indeed lucky!
I have visited three different movie theaters that have been something close to what you have described. One is the film house in Stockholm, where they sometimes show rare older films, or niched independent films. I always watch their schedule to see if there is something there that I might find interesting, but I can't afford to take the trip to Stockholm every time. It is 45 minutes by train and then a subway ride, and the tickets to the film showings are not exactly cheap. Still, it is worth it because of the respect the audience shows for the films. The theater is also clean, and the seats are comfy.
Another theater is the one in my town that has been restored to what it looked like in 1914, with the original wall paintings and lamps intact. The seats are hard, but there is enough leg room for a tall person like my dad to sit. Ingmar Bergman made sure of that when he oversaw the restoration. People show respect when they enter this building, partly I think because of how old and beautiful it is.
The third theater was a theater from the 40s where they showed Bergman movies at a Bergman festival I attended this summer. We also attended a showing of Kenneth Branagh's The Magic Flute there. The seats were so comfortable, I still have dreams about them! And people do seem to put on their best behavior at festivals.
One of the main problems our local theaters have, aside from the sticky soda on the floor, the poor ventilation and the rude audiences, is the sound quality. The sound often has the same echo-y quality of what you hear when you wear a headset on an airplane. This is especially true of one theater where they tend to show all the new musicals, for some reason!
All in all, dvdjunkie, I agree with you that nothing beats the kind of experience you describe. I just don't get to experience it very often. My experience with movie theaters tends to be closer to Midge's.
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Post by Midge on Feb 27, 2008 4:24:43 GMT -6
You are lucky, Bill. I would go to the movies a lot more often if there were Warren Theaters here. They sound charming and delightfully retro. I think I would visit Kansas just to have that experience. It would be just like the 1950's when I used to go to matinees for a quarter and see cartoons and a newsreel before the feature. What fun that used to be! We have some great theaters like the Castro in San Francisco, which is a 1921 movie palace with balconies, a chandelier, Art Deco murals, red velvet seats and a Wurlitzer organ. (No, it's not "restored" because it has never been anything but what it is.) All the vintage details are intact. There's also the Stanford Theater in Palo Alto which shows only classic film double features and is only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For a more intimate experience, there is a tiny boutique style theater called the Opera Plaza. Its four screening rooms seat 20 people or fewer, and the screen is much smaller. It's much like seeing a film in someone's home theater. Then there's the Kabuki Theater, a multiplex which was completely renovated last year at great expense. Instead of a ticket booth, there's a concierge in the lobby and reserved seating. One of the hosts shows you on a PC screen which seats are open. You select your location, and then they print out a ticket for you. The rocking chair style seats are larger than standard and very comfy. They don't have traditional ushers, but there are cafes and a bar on several levels and underground parking. You can have dinner and a show, then go for a drink or coffee afterward without ever leaving the building. As you might imagine, the ticket prices reflect all these perks. That said, I'll take an afternoon at a Warren Theater any day! Wichita sounds like a great place to live, and I envy you.
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