speed208
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The Avengers and life of Pie is nice movies in 2012.
The Movies I Liked
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sam9s
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71 : Into the fire ....... Saving private Ryan raised the level picturizing war scenes so much that after that any movie that has to succeed in terms of atleast war scene depiction has to surpass it .......Korea and Hong Kong seem to understand and have given few of my top war movies, that can easily compete Hollywood movies any given day. Prior to this, I was already totally and truly impressed by Assembly, Brother hood of war and City of life and death ..... along comes another master piece, 71:In to the fire. Plot is based on actual story and is as simple as it can be ..... "A group of 71 students who fight hundreds of North Korean soldiers in front of a middle school on June 25, 1950 during the Korean War. ".......In comparison I still would rate this one the lowest of the 3, I mentioned above, but as a stand alone movie this is a beauty. Why less, simply because ....
First ..... though the war scenes are framed perfectly with stunning war choreography, its been glorified to an extent, to dramatize it, for more adrenaline pump, (which works BTW), so its not as realistic as say Assembly or the amazing City of life and death where the director actually deglamorizes war to show true horror and terrible events.
Second..... the music score, it too loud, I personally feel war tense moments and scenes should be filmed with absolute no background score, giving it an as authentic feel as it can.
And lastly..... too much use of slow-motion, again that actually comes under dramatizing so its somewhat covered in the first point ...
Apart from that the war shots, sound, performances, emotions everything is top notch. The movie grips you right from the first scene, and never lets you go ...... another worthy war offering from the Koreans
First ..... though the war scenes are framed perfectly with stunning war choreography, its been glorified to an extent, to dramatize it, for more adrenaline pump, (which works BTW), so its not as realistic as say Assembly or the amazing City of life and death where the director actually deglamorizes war to show true horror and terrible events.
Second..... the music score, it too loud, I personally feel war tense moments and scenes should be filmed with absolute no background score, giving it an as authentic feel as it can.
And lastly..... too much use of slow-motion, again that actually comes under dramatizing so its somewhat covered in the first point ...
Apart from that the war shots, sound, performances, emotions everything is top notch. The movie grips you right from the first scene, and never lets you go ...... another worthy war offering from the Koreans
Rupam
Well-Known Member
Some good World War 2 Movies : Of course these are not from hollywood
Winter in Wartime / Oorlogswinter (original title)
Oorlogswinter (2008) - IMDb
Downfall / Der Untergang (original title)
The Lives of Others Das Leben der Anderen (original title)
The Lives of Others (2006) - IMDb
Black Book Zwartboek ( this is my personal fav)
Black Book (2006) - IMDb
The Tunnel
Der Tunnel (2001) - IMDb
Amen. (2002)
Amen. (2002) - IMDb
The Counterfeiters Die Flscher (original title)
The Counterfeiters (2007) - IMDb
Europa Europa
Europa Europa (1990) - IMDb
Zelary (2003)
Zelary (2003) - IMDb
All these movies worth watching, if you like them let me know.
If you like any particular genre of films, please ask me, If I have seen any good movie of that genre, I will share names.
Winter in Wartime / Oorlogswinter (original title)
Oorlogswinter (2008) - IMDb
Downfall / Der Untergang (original title)
The Lives of Others Das Leben der Anderen (original title)
The Lives of Others (2006) - IMDb
Black Book Zwartboek ( this is my personal fav)
Black Book (2006) - IMDb
The Tunnel
Der Tunnel (2001) - IMDb
Amen. (2002)
Amen. (2002) - IMDb
The Counterfeiters Die Flscher (original title)
The Counterfeiters (2007) - IMDb
Europa Europa
Europa Europa (1990) - IMDb
Zelary (2003)
Zelary (2003) - IMDb
All these movies worth watching, if you like them let me know.
If you like any particular genre of films, please ask me, If I have seen any good movie of that genre, I will share names.
Thanks a lot...hydra..But I have no idea how to set up VPN..can you plz guide me for it..Can we add those VPN settings in router itself so that we can play content on every device like WD live Or Laptop etc..?
I haven't set this up myself. But a good friend has, exactly as you described. He's set up the VPN on the router itself, so he can access Hulu in his theater, bedroom and living room via 3 different devices. He can watch through his iPad too. Very very handy!
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technobhatt
Well-Known Member
I think one can use the method described at below link.
The same settings can be used for accessing Netflix, Hulu or other streaming sites as well.
Windows 7 ? playmoTV
Last night I tried it with "hotspot shield" Download Free VPN for iPhone, Mac and Windows to Access Blocked Sites & Surf Anonymously and I was able to stream hulu, Netflix and Pandora radio also..
:clapping::clapping:Still looking for some VPN solution because I can stream it on my laptop only.For streaming it on my HT set up I will have to go for a VPN way..or I can connect me laptop to HT set up..
esanthosh
Well-Known Member
Usually, when I watch movies, I do so with a theme. Most often, I group movies based on the director. Have done so in the past with Bergman, Kurosawa, Kubrick and so on. This time, I wanted to be truly random, but as far as possible watch a different language film each day.
2046 (2004) - IMDb
I have all but forgotten about 'Days of being Wild'. I have faint recollection of certain shots from 'In the mood for Love'. I did not watch '2046' earlier thinking that it was set in the future. If I had known it was set to continue 'In the Mood for Love', I would have watched it way back when
While '2046' does have links to ITMFL (Frankly, I didn't remember the connection to DOBW until I read the wiki), it can be watched stand alone. This film is, as Chow comments is "as bizarre and erotic as possible without crossing the line". It is a non-linear, colorful saga of romance, heart breaks and relationships set in the 1960's that carries on WKW's style from 'In the mood...'. While I did like the film, I thought I liked ITMFL even more. I would need to watch the trilogy in a row sometime to know why.
Zhang Ziyi stood out for me. I thought of her as "yet another Chinese 'fly with an invisible wire' star cast in Hollywood to attract the revenue from China". She looks good in this film, but it's good to know that she can act too!
Un condamn mort s'est chapp ou Le vent souffle o il veut (1956) - IMDb
If not for iCheckMovies, I would have never come across Robert Bresson. Most of the posts on HFV mentioning Bresson belong to ajay124. I thought I'd watch his recommendation 'Diary of a Country Priest' from my other thread, but 'A Man Escaped' came after '2046' on XBMC library, so decided to watch it instead.
What do you think when you hear a title like 'A Man Escaped' and know that it relates to Nazis, prison and escape? This film managed to break every one of my expectations built prior to watching it.
How do I describe it? 'Matter of fact' might be a good description.
In the beginning, Bresson gives an opening statement stating that "This is a true story. I give it as it is" and proceeds to do just the same. The narrator's tone is detached. Even though I do not know French, I felt that even the lines uttered by the characters seemed unemotional (exchange between Fontaine and the one in the next cell). What happens on the screen feels more like a documentary than a movie most of the time.
It does not show much outside of the prison cell. You might think it would show the German atrocities as we are used to in many WWII films, but you hardly see anyone's face or hear beyond the occasional gun shots during execution or commands like 'No Talking'. None of the violence is caught on camera. We are never shown what Fontaine looks through the window beyond the first few minutes. Lot of it left to imagination and there are many questions left hanging in the air. There is no back story, no cause for us to identify with any of the characters beyond what they exchange during washing. Despite all this, the film manages to build interest and tension. But the end too signs off without any dramatic overtones.
I am not sure many would like it, leave alone be impressed by it. The above opinion might read like this film is the antithesis of how such a subject should be handled. But, for someone who likes different flavors of film making, would be worth a try. Just keep an open mind...
All the President's Men (1976) - IMDb
Considering we seem to be caught in an endless array of 'gates', it was interesting to watch the story about Watergate scandal. Since this is a well known movie, I have nothing more to say other than - if you haven't watched it yet, you should.
2046 (2004) - IMDb
I have all but forgotten about 'Days of being Wild'. I have faint recollection of certain shots from 'In the mood for Love'. I did not watch '2046' earlier thinking that it was set in the future. If I had known it was set to continue 'In the Mood for Love', I would have watched it way back when
While '2046' does have links to ITMFL (Frankly, I didn't remember the connection to DOBW until I read the wiki), it can be watched stand alone. This film is, as Chow comments is "as bizarre and erotic as possible without crossing the line". It is a non-linear, colorful saga of romance, heart breaks and relationships set in the 1960's that carries on WKW's style from 'In the mood...'. While I did like the film, I thought I liked ITMFL even more. I would need to watch the trilogy in a row sometime to know why.
Zhang Ziyi stood out for me. I thought of her as "yet another Chinese 'fly with an invisible wire' star cast in Hollywood to attract the revenue from China". She looks good in this film, but it's good to know that she can act too!
Un condamn mort s'est chapp ou Le vent souffle o il veut (1956) - IMDb
If not for iCheckMovies, I would have never come across Robert Bresson. Most of the posts on HFV mentioning Bresson belong to ajay124. I thought I'd watch his recommendation 'Diary of a Country Priest' from my other thread, but 'A Man Escaped' came after '2046' on XBMC library, so decided to watch it instead.
What do you think when you hear a title like 'A Man Escaped' and know that it relates to Nazis, prison and escape? This film managed to break every one of my expectations built prior to watching it.
How do I describe it? 'Matter of fact' might be a good description.
In the beginning, Bresson gives an opening statement stating that "This is a true story. I give it as it is" and proceeds to do just the same. The narrator's tone is detached. Even though I do not know French, I felt that even the lines uttered by the characters seemed unemotional (exchange between Fontaine and the one in the next cell). What happens on the screen feels more like a documentary than a movie most of the time.
It does not show much outside of the prison cell. You might think it would show the German atrocities as we are used to in many WWII films, but you hardly see anyone's face or hear beyond the occasional gun shots during execution or commands like 'No Talking'. None of the violence is caught on camera. We are never shown what Fontaine looks through the window beyond the first few minutes. Lot of it left to imagination and there are many questions left hanging in the air. There is no back story, no cause for us to identify with any of the characters beyond what they exchange during washing. Despite all this, the film manages to build interest and tension. But the end too signs off without any dramatic overtones.
I am not sure many would like it, leave alone be impressed by it. The above opinion might read like this film is the antithesis of how such a subject should be handled. But, for someone who likes different flavors of film making, would be worth a try. Just keep an open mind...
All the President's Men (1976) - IMDb
Considering we seem to be caught in an endless array of 'gates', it was interesting to watch the story about Watergate scandal. Since this is a well known movie, I have nothing more to say other than - if you haven't watched it yet, you should.
Last edited:
Rupam
Well-Known Member
sam9s
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What's Eating Gilbert Grape ....... man what an emotional roller coaster ride this movie was......Its a movie about Gilbert (jonny depp) who has to take care for his Autistic/retard brother Arnie (leonardo di caprio) and his obese mother and what difficulties he faces in life..........let me tell you..... I seriously believed during the movie, Leonardi di cap must have been really retard at the time this movie was made......he was that good........almost too good to believe he is acting. The movie as I said is full of character intricacies and drama, I usually avoid this kinda cinema.......not because I do not enjoy them......rather they are so disturbing that it leaves you numb for couple of hours
As they're held for ransom, a husband and wife's predicament grows more dire amid the discovery of betrayal and deception.
Trespass (2011) - IMDb
V.
Rupam
Well-Known Member
Watched Lincoln
A fantastic movie about a very important time period in History.
Lincoln (2012) - IMDb
If only Indians politicians watch this...... but they are so busy with their acting....hyeah:
A fantastic movie about a very important time period in History.
Lincoln (2012) - IMDb
If only Indians politicians watch this...... but they are so busy with their acting....
hyeah:
A tough cop is dispatched to take down a serial killer who has been targeting police officers.
Blitz (2011) - IMDb
V.
Rupam
Well-Known Member
The White Ribbon
The White Ribbon (2009) - IMDb
A Protestant village in northern Germany on the eve of the First World War (1913/1914). The history of children and teenagers of a choir run by the village schoolteacher and their families: the baron, the steward of the estate, the pastor, the doctor, the midwife, the peasants .. . Strange accidents occur and gradually take on the character of a punishment ritual. Who is behind all this?
A Shivering tale..... a must watch..
The White Ribbon (2009) - IMDb
A Protestant village in northern Germany on the eve of the First World War (1913/1914). The history of children and teenagers of a choir run by the village schoolteacher and their families: the baron, the steward of the estate, the pastor, the doctor, the midwife, the peasants .. . Strange accidents occur and gradually take on the character of a punishment ritual. Who is behind all this?
A Shivering tale..... a must watch..
sam9s
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- Joined
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- Points
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esanthosh
Well-Known Member
Movies I really liked
Talk to Her (2002)
I really liked Pedro Almodovar's All About My Mother (1999) in which weirdness comes in all shapes and sizes through unusual characters and circumstances, but in a package that is somehow easier to digest and like. I happened to catch up his earlier film, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) and didn't like it as much. Perhaps if I had reversed the order, I might have liked Women on the verge... a bit more. While both these films were heavily centered on women, Talk to her features men at the center stage.
The movie starts off with two strangers seated next to each other watching a dance performance in a theater. One of them starts to cry while the other notices it. The movie follows the life of both these men - one working as a special nurse taking care of a patient in coma for the last four years and the other, a journalist - in a non-linear fashion that pieces together a beautiful tragedy. I wish I had the ability to write about this film without revealing anything about the plot. Since I don't, I'd just stop by saying I liked 'Talk to her' at least as much, if not more than 'All about my mother'. It may not have the complex range of characters and layers to the plot as AAMM, but it certainly was compelling to watch.
The Color of Paradise (1999)
While I already loved Children of Heaven for it's deceptively simple, yet brilliant narrative, I liked this almost as much.
First off, I immediately want to move to Iran and live where this film was shot. Seems like a perfect place with mountains, trees, snow, rain, fields, birds so much so that the direct translation of 'The Color of God' feels right. The real life blind boy who plays the lead role was perfect. We see and interact with nature and it's sounds along with him while still feasting our eyes on the visual beauty. It was refreshing to see most characters being good and caring about the blind boy. Of course, the contrast in this film is provided by the boy's father who acts more out of selfishness and likewise, reacts differently to the sounds throughout the film.
Movies I liked
Ballad of a Soldier (1959)
I actually almost didn't watch this movie. A title that has 'Soldier', is in Russian, starts off with a heavy toned narrative and cuts straight to a battle field? That didn't get my hopes up. Even after the 19 year old soldier gets permission to go home to fix the leaking roof and see his mother instead of a medal, I was not sure where this was going. It ended up being a heartwarming ride - mixing a bit of comedy, romance and the tragedies of war together without feeling moody, preachy or lagging. Though it is 'Russian', the story is very universal. So those who are not allergic to old films can try this.
Argo (2012)
I have nothing bad to say about Argo F*Y*. Granted few of the elements used to create tension are nothing new, I can't say they did not work. It was interesting, good, kept a tight leash on the narrative, just did not feel special, fresh or extra-ordinary. I wonder why it got the Best Picture nod at the Academy Awards. It's hard to believe that the other contenders (none of which I've watched) are weaker than Argo.
Considering both show entirely different Irans, it would be interesting to watch 'Color of Paradise' followed by 'Argo' some day
The Liked till Half way list
A Bittersweet Life (2005)
I liked Kim Jee-woon's excellent Tale of Two Sisters and the ultra-violent I saw the Devil. Bittersweet life had a promising start, an interesting first hour and was going somewhere until it started feeling more about style than substance.
Samurai Rebellion (1967)
While Kobayashi is not well known as Kurosawa or Ozu, I liked both the epic, 600 minute, three part 'Human Condition' and 'Harakiri' (which has been recently re-made by Takashi Miike).
Just like the direct translation of 'Condition of being human' fit the movie than 'Human Condition', the direct translation of "Rebellion: Result of the Wife Bestowed" is much more suitable than 'Samurai Rebellion'. If I had read this translation earlier (which I did not as I only read more about the film after watching it), I would have toned down my expectations of a Samurai uprising
. Though we keep hearing that Sasahara is this great, unparalleled swordsman, we hardly see him in action until very late into the film. Luckily, I didn't expect a samurai swashbuckler, so this didn't upset me.
I've always liked both Toshiro Mifune (the first image that comes to mind when I think of Samurai Films) and Tatsuya Nakadai (whose big open eyes in Human Condition reminded me of Sivaji Ganesan in Parasakthi), so not much to complain about either of them. The first half is well done - showing how the Lord forces his will upon the obedient vassal's family and how the political structure and family influence work together. This part was more believable and understandable. After the battle lines are drawn though, the movie became a bit predictable and fell short of my expectations in the end.
Didn't like as much
Ugetsu (1953)
Due to it's high rating and place in various lists in iCheckMovies (15 of them), I had high expectations going into the movie. Either I expected something different and/or I clearly fail to understand Western fascination with this moral tale. The story is about two peasant families during a time of war. One of them is a potter who gets greedy about using war time prices to his benefit. The other is a dreamer who wants to become a Samurai despite lack of skills. The film ( a book adaptation) is about how this greed affects the two families and what happens to each of them. While it was interesting in bits and pieces, I did not like it on par with other Japanese movies I have seen from that era.
Talk to Her (2002)
I really liked Pedro Almodovar's All About My Mother (1999) in which weirdness comes in all shapes and sizes through unusual characters and circumstances, but in a package that is somehow easier to digest and like. I happened to catch up his earlier film, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) and didn't like it as much. Perhaps if I had reversed the order, I might have liked Women on the verge... a bit more. While both these films were heavily centered on women, Talk to her features men at the center stage.
The movie starts off with two strangers seated next to each other watching a dance performance in a theater. One of them starts to cry while the other notices it. The movie follows the life of both these men - one working as a special nurse taking care of a patient in coma for the last four years and the other, a journalist - in a non-linear fashion that pieces together a beautiful tragedy. I wish I had the ability to write about this film without revealing anything about the plot. Since I don't, I'd just stop by saying I liked 'Talk to her' at least as much, if not more than 'All about my mother'. It may not have the complex range of characters and layers to the plot as AAMM, but it certainly was compelling to watch.
The Color of Paradise (1999)
While I already loved Children of Heaven for it's deceptively simple, yet brilliant narrative, I liked this almost as much.
First off, I immediately want to move to Iran and live where this film was shot. Seems like a perfect place with mountains, trees, snow, rain, fields, birds so much so that the direct translation of 'The Color of God' feels right. The real life blind boy who plays the lead role was perfect. We see and interact with nature and it's sounds along with him while still feasting our eyes on the visual beauty. It was refreshing to see most characters being good and caring about the blind boy. Of course, the contrast in this film is provided by the boy's father who acts more out of selfishness and likewise, reacts differently to the sounds throughout the film.
Movies I liked
Ballad of a Soldier (1959)
I actually almost didn't watch this movie. A title that has 'Soldier', is in Russian, starts off with a heavy toned narrative and cuts straight to a battle field? That didn't get my hopes up. Even after the 19 year old soldier gets permission to go home to fix the leaking roof and see his mother instead of a medal, I was not sure where this was going. It ended up being a heartwarming ride - mixing a bit of comedy, romance and the tragedies of war together without feeling moody, preachy or lagging. Though it is 'Russian', the story is very universal. So those who are not allergic to old films can try this.
Argo (2012)
I have nothing bad to say about Argo F*Y*. Granted few of the elements used to create tension are nothing new, I can't say they did not work. It was interesting, good, kept a tight leash on the narrative, just did not feel special, fresh or extra-ordinary. I wonder why it got the Best Picture nod at the Academy Awards. It's hard to believe that the other contenders (none of which I've watched) are weaker than Argo.
Considering both show entirely different Irans, it would be interesting to watch 'Color of Paradise' followed by 'Argo' some day
The Liked till Half way list
A Bittersweet Life (2005)
I liked Kim Jee-woon's excellent Tale of Two Sisters and the ultra-violent I saw the Devil. Bittersweet life had a promising start, an interesting first hour and was going somewhere until it started feeling more about style than substance.
Samurai Rebellion (1967)
While Kobayashi is not well known as Kurosawa or Ozu, I liked both the epic, 600 minute, three part 'Human Condition' and 'Harakiri' (which has been recently re-made by Takashi Miike).
Just like the direct translation of 'Condition of being human' fit the movie than 'Human Condition', the direct translation of "Rebellion: Result of the Wife Bestowed" is much more suitable than 'Samurai Rebellion'. If I had read this translation earlier (which I did not as I only read more about the film after watching it), I would have toned down my expectations of a Samurai uprising
. Though we keep hearing that Sasahara is this great, unparalleled swordsman, we hardly see him in action until very late into the film. Luckily, I didn't expect a samurai swashbuckler, so this didn't upset me.I've always liked both Toshiro Mifune (the first image that comes to mind when I think of Samurai Films) and Tatsuya Nakadai (whose big open eyes in Human Condition reminded me of Sivaji Ganesan in Parasakthi), so not much to complain about either of them. The first half is well done - showing how the Lord forces his will upon the obedient vassal's family and how the political structure and family influence work together. This part was more believable and understandable. After the battle lines are drawn though, the movie became a bit predictable and fell short of my expectations in the end.
Didn't like as much
Ugetsu (1953)
Due to it's high rating and place in various lists in iCheckMovies (15 of them), I had high expectations going into the movie. Either I expected something different and/or I clearly fail to understand Western fascination with this moral tale. The story is about two peasant families during a time of war. One of them is a potter who gets greedy about using war time prices to his benefit. The other is a dreamer who wants to become a Samurai despite lack of skills. The film ( a book adaptation) is about how this greed affects the two families and what happens to each of them. While it was interesting in bits and pieces, I did not like it on par with other Japanese movies I have seen from that era.
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