Last Movies You Have Rented

Well, we didn't rent these DVD's...we borrowed one and bought the others. Anyhoo:

Sweet Home Alabama - This is the one we borrowed. It was no Sophie's Choice, but I enjoyed it. I didn't dislike it like John did, but, again, there's really not a whole lot of substance to the movie. And, yes, Reese Witherspoon looks great in this movie. :up :up

Oz: The Complete First Season - We don't have HBO, and I'd heard a lot about the show, so we bit the bullet and bought the DVDs (8 episodes on 3 DVDs). Wow...what an intense show. Very well-written and very well-acted. We'll be buying the second-season DVDs in the next few days. A word of warning, though: If you're easily offended by crude language, nudity, or violence, this show may not appeal to you. I mean, it is set in a men's prison, after all.:up :up :up :up

Far From Heaven - Again, I have to say...wow. What an incredible movie. It was nominated for 4 Oscars, and, after seeing the movie, I'm surprised it wasn't nominated for more (and didn't win any). Now, I haven't seen "The Hours", so I can't comment on Nicole Kidman's performance, but I have to agree with the critics who say that Julianne Moore should have won the Oscar for this performance. I already knew she was a great and talented actress, but she is incredible in this movie. I also haven't seen "Adaptation" and can't comment on Chris Cooper's performance in that, but how Dennis Quaid was not nominated for Best Supporting Actor (and, therefore, didn't win) is beyond me. Both Moore's and Quaid's performances are absolutely brilliant. The sets/costumes are exquisitely done, and the music selections are perfect for the mood of the film. I cannot recommend this one highly enough. :up :up :up :up :up

Following was a very enjoyable film, SG! :nod I just wish it was a little longer. It was strange to have it end before the 70-minute mark.

Our last movies to rent were "Bourne Identity"....LOVED it, and was really surprised that I did, as I expected it to be too much of a "guy" movie for my tastes, and we bought "Chamber of Secrets", which I also thought was really cute. I don't know who is the bigger Harry Potter fan, me or my kids. lol

Chamber of Secrets is out on DVD already? Didn't know that. I really enjoy the books, and the movies have been very faithful so far.

yup. Chamber of Secrets is on DVD. It has a lot of deleted scenes, and most of them IMO should have been kept in it to understand it better for those who haven't read the books. But it is a long movie. There is this cool car-driving game on the special features that made me really dizzy but it was fun hehe. just thought i'd let you know.:D

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Originally posted by lobeck
Far From Heaven - Again, I have to say...wow. What an incredible movie. It was nominated for 4 Oscars, and, after seeing the movie, I'm surprised it wasn't nominated for more (and didn't win any). Now, I haven't seen "The Hours", so I can't comment on Nicole Kidman's performance, but I have to agree with the critics who say that Julianne Moore should have won the Oscar for this performance. I already knew she was a great and talented actress, but she is incredible in this movie. I also haven't seen "Adaptation" and can't comment on Chris Cooper's performance in that, but how Dennis Quaid was not nominated for Best Supporting Actor (and, therefore, didn't win) is beyond me. Both Moore's and Quaid's performances are absolutely brilliant. The sets/costumes are exquisitely done, and the music selections are perfect for the mood of the film.

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I just saw Far from Heaven myself, and I have to agree with Lobeck. I thought it was outstanding, a truly remarkable achievement in direction, cinematography, and performance. It was just a beautiful film, that moved me emotionally more than any other film I've seen of late.

I also think it was overlooked in many categories at this year's Academy Awards, perhaps because it suffered from the bane of all Oscar contenders: an early release date (Academy voters need Gingko Biloba for anything released more than a month from voting season).

I happen to love Todd Haynes, and also believe that he's one of the most underrated of the young directors in cinema today. Poison, Safe (also w/ Julianne Moore), and Velvet Goldmine if any of you haven't seen the rest of his repertoire. Still, I think FFH is his finest, most accomplished film of the bunch. What I'm saying is, art-film-phobes beware the early stuff.

I also rented another film by a young director named Todd whose work I admire--Storytelling by Todd Solondz. Although I didn't like this film as much as Solondz's Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness, it is still a prime example of his unflinching, acerbic, jaundiced, and darkly humorous critiques of American society. In this movie, he takes a bracing look at the hypocrisy of political correctness on a college campus, and a totally unsentimental look at the black heart that beats in the chest of Suburbia.

If you want to see something visually stunning, bizarre and exotically cold (Brrrr...) take out Atanarjuat: the Fast Runner (2001) - surprised not an Oscar Nominee for best foreign language (inuit).

I took out The Astronaut's Wife. It was okay. For me the mood was too linear--the same for most of the movie until the end. I made myself watch it until the end. However, it was better than that horrible Blair Witch II or whatever it is called.

Heat was on TBS last night. And, although I'd already seen it years ago, I was drawn in and watched it all the way through, which for me meant that I was up until after 3AM. :eek

Good movie. Really strong characterization for almost all of the characters.

Anna and the King of Siam (Jodi Foster). The acting was good, but nothing moved or jarred me. The acting was okay, but the King did not have much "bite" to him in their relationship. The costumes and scenery were beautiful. Although, there are two story lines that moved the movie along, the plot points were not dynamic. The violence might be too much for little kids, but overall, it was a good and steady movie. (No pizazz like the Yule Brenner version and I liked it more than the older, black and white version).