Last night I finally sat down and watched Alice in Wonderland I loved it even better the second time watching it. it's just so well made, I love the characters in Wonderland. it's one of Tim Burton's best that he's done recently.

Ketchup from way back on page 44....

lol! movies are pretty much my life. I love to learn about them and I love film so yes I have lots of favorites and little dislikes.

I wish I could be that way, but although I watch a lot of movies, my dislikes seem to be almost as numerous as my likes. But then, I'm pretty sure I was born with an opinion - or two or three.

*starts singing, "come with me, and you'll be in a wooooorld of pure imagination..."* Shhh...don't tell anyone.

Oh, Shadowlander, I've been meaning to tell you ... you know that commercial that's out now with "Pure Imagination" as background music? Well, my dad got all excited when it started playing - I'd forgotten how much he loved that movie, almost as much as you do. He refuses to watch the new film, mostly because he just has no interest in Burton as a director. (Neither do I, for the most part, although I want to see Corpse Bride again.)

I think after seeing those two I'll have seen most of the big 1980's fantasy films...

Have you seen Ladyhawke? That would probably be my favorite of the ones I've seen, unless one counts The Princess Bride, in which case, of course, there's no contest.

I myself am hopelessly sentimental

Oh, I'm pretty sentimental myself, but in a different way than I was eight years ago, when the movie came out. I'm quite sure I'd react differently to it now.

I don't hate Cars, but it's definitely one of the PIXAR movies I don't feel compelled to watch very often, along with A Bug's Life, Ratatouille, and (dare I say it?) Wall-E. Can't understand why anyone would have trouble getting through The Incredibles, though ... I love love LOVE that movie ... and unlike GB, I do not, in general, have a weakness for superhero films.

I like Gladiator, moreso every time I see it, but I've yet to jump on the "love" wagon. Everyone praises the sets, but for me it's painfully obvious that they're CGI, and as for the score - having seen Pirates of the Caribbean first, I have a difficult time taking that one theme seriously. I do like Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe, so I enjoy the film, but I don't see what separates it from all the other historical epics out there. And I think the critics only refer back to it now because it won the Oscar.

Lady_Liln, you have no idea how happy your post made me! The Princess and the Frog, Star Trek, Persuasion, Dial M, Notorious, The Young Victoria, and Julie and Julia are all good-to-great films. (Notorious is the best of them, but then, you knew that already. ) I also enjoy Rope and Strangers on a Train, but understand that they are acquired tastes. And to answer your question, I think it's the character/person of Julie Powell herself who is so irritating. I've read up to her, and that's the conclusion I've come up with. Amy Adams was doing the best of a bad job there.

Defiance: LOVED this Daniel Craig, Jamie Bell, and the actress-who-was-in-Alice-in-Wonderland were all excellent. It was just a reallyreally good all around film.

You forgot Liev Schreiber. In my opinion, he totally stole that movie.

Ryan, you found the songs in The Princess and the Frog unmemorable? Really? I mean, maybe they weren't quite at the level of some previous Disney hits, but I loved hearing the New Orleans jazz "sound". Best overall Disney score since The Hunchback of Notre Dame, in my opinion (though that's not saying much).

About Nicholas Nickelby,
Personally I didn't like the movie- Tried twice to see it. The only thing I did enjoy was Jamie Bell- he did his part well.

Oh, come on, he can't be the only thing you enjoyed. After all, that movie has Romola Garai in it, and how can one not enjoy Romola Garai? (For the record, I've yet to see the movie in question.)

A couple of nights ago I watched Cinderella Man with my parents. What a marvelous movie! If the idea of a boxing movie, or sports movie in general, is poison to your soul, don't worry. Like Seabiscuit, which shares its Depression-era setting, this is much more than a sports movie: it's really a movie about the people and the times (although, centering as it does on a single man, this is much more personal than Seabiscuit). Of course, there is still quite a bit of boxing in the second half of the movie, and very violent boxing at that, so let the squeamish be warned. Even though you know how it's going to end, the suspense is palpable. Still, I mostly respected the movie for the moving human story it told, and the high standards of writing, direction, cinematography, and acting. Russell Crowe has been great in everything I've seen him do, but in my opinion this is his very best performance; Renee Zellweger, who usually annoys me, is excellent as well, as is Paul Giamatti in his Oscar-nominated performance. For the most part, you just can't go wrong with Ron Howard as a director (although like PC, Willow did little-to-nothing for me, and the twenty minutes or so I saw of The Da Vinci Code were distinctly underwhelming).

^^ I don't much like Wall-E either. it creeped me out for some reason
and I agree with you about Cars! that one is definitly one of my least favorite PIXAR movies!

I watched Eagle Eye again last night. It was my younger sister's first time. The more I watch that movie, the less I like it. But Shia's acting is marvelous and that little kid (Sam was his name I think) is so dang cute .

my dislikes seem to be almost as numerous as my likes. But then, I'm pretty sure I was born with an opinion - or two or three.

lol my dislikes are more numerous than my likes I believe . I am very opinionated .

Oh, I'm pretty sentimental myself, but in a different way than I was eight years ago, when the movie came out. I'm quite sure I'd react differently to it now.

a different kind of sentimental . *is a tad confused*

I don't hate Cars, but it's definitely one of the PIXAR movies I don't feel compelled to watch very often, along with A Bug's Life, Ratatouille, and (dare I say it?) Wall-E. Can't understand why anyone would have trouble getting through The Incredibles, though ... I love love LOVE that movie ... and unlike GB, I do not, in general, have a weakness for superhero films.

ditto everything except you don't like Ratatouille?! I really liked that movie, although I'm kind of sick of it b/c my sister played it about 100 too many times . I don't like A Bug's Life either. Wall-E was ok. I watched that too many times too . I love The Incredibles as well, and I'm not partial to superhero movies either .

Oh, come on, he can't be the only thing you enjoyed. After all, that movie has Romola Garai in it, and how can one not enjoy Romola Garai? (For the record, I've yet to see the movie in question.)

lol I was thinking that but since I haven't seen the movie, I didn't post

he just has no interest in Burton as a director. (Neither do I, for the most part, although I want to see Corpse Bride again.)

what ! Ack, I love Burton!

I love Tim Burton too.
Every movie done by him I absolutely love it. In behind the scenes for his movies he looks sweet and laid back. He also seems to know his movies even when he doesn't want to do it he always thinks out the story and plot properly rather then other directors. I find that anyone is lucky to work with him.

Who's seen his Alice in Wonderland movie?

Pride and Prejudice (2005). I really liked the way they portrayed the characters, especially Mister Darcy and Miss Elizabeth. I really do hope that in this era we are leaving, there are still Mister Darcy/s out there waiting for his Elizabeth... sigh. (I can dream can I? ).

^I LOVE that movie! It's so beautiful, and the actors were perfect .

Every movie done by him I absolutely love it. In behind the scenes for his movies he looks sweet and laid back.

yes his movies are interesting and original/creative and he seems like a cool guy! I like every movie of his I've watched .

About Nicholas Nickelby,
Personally I didn't like the movie- Tried twice to see it. The only thing I did enjoy was Jamie Bell- he did his part well.

Oh, come on, he can't be the only thing you enjoyed. After all, that movie has Romola Garai in it, and how can one not enjoy Romola Garai? (For the record, I've yet to see the movie in question.)

In all honesty, that is the only thing I liked from the movie. Romola Garai I think is great, Amazing Grace and Atonement , but I can't say I enjoyed her or anyone else in this movie. A lot of talent and for me, it went nowhere.

I love Tim Burton too.
Every movie done by him I absolutely love it. Who's seen his Alice in Wonderland movie?

I'm not Burton's biggest fan. His movies aren't bad, they just aren't my favorite. As for Alice in Wonderland, I was highly anticipating it- and when I saw it I was letdown. I do plan on renting it because it might just have been my high expectations that ruined it for me.

TRON-
I just finished watching this movie for the first time. I liked it, yet I didn't like it. The story was interesting enough, but the visuals are so dated it hurt- dates visuals are rarely a problem for me btw. I still have high hopes for the upcoming Tron Legacy which looks much better.

Ryan, you found the songs in The Princess and the Frog unmemorable? Really? I mean, maybe they weren't quite at the level of some previous Disney hits, but I loved hearing the New Orleans jazz "sound". Best overall Disney score since The Hunchback of Notre Dame, in my opinion (though that's not saying much).

I did enjoy them, they just didn't really stick with me. I guess I'm not that into the whole New Orleans jazz "sound", though I did think it was cool how they set the whole thing in modern times in an area we've only really heard about recently for the bad things going on there (Hurricane Katrina-wise and such). It was nice getting a chance to see New Orleans as the citizens see it.

But yeah, I like jazz okay, but I guess it's not really my style. None of the songs really got to me and so that's why I say I found them unmemorable. Maybe after I see it another time I'll find a song or two that I really like.

EDIT: I saw The Road last night for the first time. It stars Viggo Mortensen as The Man and Kodi Smit-McPhee as The Boy (or The Father and The Son if you look at IMDb). It was a really dark and depressing movie, but just watching the boy gave me hope for the future, which I think is somewhat the point. It was a really good movie, if you can stand the dreariness of it. The messages in it are really good and cause you to really think. Really deep questions come up.

Though I'd caution people who want to see it. It's rated R for language and some violence and disturbing images. (I didn't see anything worse than I've seen on some episodes of Supernatural though.)

P.S."Brooklyn!"

I need to watch the first Tron. A lot of my friends are very excited to see the sequel and I want to see just how great it is myself.

I have yet to buy Alice in Wonderland. It was sort of hard seeing it in 3D while it was in theaters. There was something about the 3D glasses that made my eyes feel weird as if they were fogging up and I missed a couple of parts.

Back to the Tim Burton discussion, he's sort of hit-or-miss for me, more miss than hit. I've seen most of his movies, and I like Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissorhands, Big Fish, and Batman quite a bit, but other than that I'm not much of a fan. I detest Beetlejuice, and I don't really like Sleepy Hollow, Batman Returns, the Corpse Bride, or his rendition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory either. I have no desire to see Alice in Wonderland.

He's a talented director, but I think its high time that he make an original movie again and cast someone other than Johnny Depp and his fiance. With the exception of Corpse Bride, his last 3 films have been remakes, and next on his plate is a remake of one of his own films, Frankenweenie. What Adam Quigley from slashfilm says about the director basically sums up my feelings towards him: "At this point he’s in sleepwalk mode, content to wear out the Burton brand until Hot Topic goes out of business or is burned to the ground."

--

The Road is an excellent film, rising_star, and I agree with everything you said about it. It had been near the top of my "must see" list since fall of 2008, when it was originally set to be released. When it got a limited release this past fall, it never played in a theater near me, but I finally got the chance to rent it last week, and I was not let down.

One of the best films I've seen in awhile, it is very depressing and haunting, but at the same time there is a beauty to it, and yes, that tiny glimmer of hope that keeps the narrative going. One thing that I thought particularly stood out was the cinematography. The whole look of the film really drew me into the dreary, post-apocalyptic world. Of course, Viggo Mortensen was very good as always, and delivered a very touching performance. I thought Kodi Smit-McPhee as the Boy was surprisingly good as well.

Glenstorm: What I was saying is that thing affect you differently at 20 than they do at 12, that's all. Things that I thought wonderfully tragic and moving at that age might strike me as rather sentimental and melodramatic these days, whereas now I can appreciate the tragedy in more everyday situations. Clear as mud?

I was kidding about Garai, narnia1. You don't have to like her in every single one of her roles - not even I do that. I don't like her as Emma, for instance, and even her Phoebe in As You Like It was a bit too slapstick (more the director's fault than hers), but I love love love her in Daniel Deronda, Amazing Grace, and Atonement (although I don't like the latter film in general).

Actually, I believe the effects in Tron were quite groundbreaking for their time. And the Christological overtones are very interesting. It's not one I'd watch again, though.

Last night, I rewatched Ang Lee's 1995 film Sense and Sensibility. What a wonderful movie! Definitely one of my favorites. The cinematography may not be as flashy as in other recent period dramas (*cough* new P&P *cough*), but there is a certain understated beauty to it that I find vastly appealing. And though there isn't much of it, Patrick Doyle's score is fantastic. As for the acting, what can you say? Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Greg Wise, Gemma Jones, Elizabeth Spriggs, Imelda Staunton, Hugh Laurie, Imogen Stubbs ... it just doesn't get any better. I even like Hugh Grant in this film!

I was kidding about Garai, narnia1. I love love love her in Atonement (although I don't like the latter film in general).

Actually, I believe the effects in Tron were quite groundbreaking for their time. And the Christological overtones are very interesting. It's not one I'd watch again, though.

Last night, I rewatched Ang Lee's 1995 film Sense and Sensibility. What a wonderful movie! As for the acting, what can you say? Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Greg Wise, Gemma Jones, Elizabeth Spriggs, Imelda Staunton, Hugh Laurie, Imogen Stubbs ... it just doesn't get any better. I even like Hugh Grant in this film!

I understand not liking Atonement, its really a love it or hate it movie, I loved it! The story is for an older audience for sure. I thought it was great all around, two scenes make me uncomfortable but otherwise no problem.

True, for its time TRON was no doubt groundbreaking and I did enjoy the movie a bit.

S&S,
beautiful movie I agree! My favorite in that movie are Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman, they stood out from the rest IMO. Kate Winslet would be third in line for me as far as acting goes.

Actually for its age Tron holds up very well, I think. If there's any one glaring weak spot it was the ho-hum line delivery. Jeff Bridges (Flynn) really carries the movie for a goodly portion of its duration, largely with his humor and charisma. Tron is the only movie of its type and apparently a gargantuan task upon its makers to produce, using elements of primitive CG and a lot of back lit animation. To me the best part of the film is the Light Cycles and I'm hoping for something extremely similar in the new film.

I'm looking forward to Tron Legacy myself and I can only hope they hold to the same basic formula as the original. Keep it simple and fun!

Last night, I rewatched Ang Lee's 1995 film Sense and Sensibility. What a wonderful movie!

I've seen S&S a couple time and it's pretty good. But personally if I was going to watch one of Ang Lee's films it would definitely be Ride With The Devil. Now, that is a great movie. And being filmed in KS and MO makes it all the better.

Not much movie watching going on here. However we did watch the first Hornblower movie, The Duel. I like movies that have a lot of action and one thing that makes the Hornblower movies that much better is being able to watch most of them with my younger siblings.

SnowAngel