It's Back: Exceelent Movies I've Seen Lately

[overkill94]

Finally got around to watching a pretty great documentary - Queen of Versailles - about a guy named David Siegel who got rich selling timeshares, his trophy wife, and their family who all get shit on when the economy goes in the crapper. The filmmakers lucked into starting the documentary before the collapse when the Siegels had decided to build a 90,000 square foot home in Florida. They'd already built the structure when everything fell apart so they were left with a shell of a palace as well as all the gaudy furnishings they had planned to decorate it with. The tone of the film isn't exactly snarky but the subjects themselves exemplify the stereotypes of spoiled rich people on their own. Overall a very fascinating and rewarding documentary, the best I've seen in a while.

[johnnya24]

Finally got around to watching a pretty great documentary - Queen of Versailles - about a guy named David Siegel who got rich selling timeshares, his trophy wife, and their family who all get shit on when the economy goes in the crapper. The filmmakers lucked into starting the documentary before the collapse when the Siegels had decided to build a 90,000 square foot home in Florida. They'd already built the structure when everything fell apart so they were left with a shell of a palace as well as all the gaudy furnishings they had planned to decorate it with. The tone of the film isn't exactly snarky but the subjects themselves exemplify the stereotypes of spoiled rich people on their own. Overall a very fascinating and rewarding documentary, the best I've seen in a while.

I saw this advertised ... is it a film or a series ... I thought the later.

[DMT]

Agree that Star Trek was very good.

[Controller Jacobs]

Broke down and spent some money on myself this week - got DVDs of the three movies I could watch on an endless loop - Blade Runner, Kung Fu Hustle and The Princess Bride.

[onejayhawk]

Sundance channel ran the Swedish mini series Millenium. Everyone knows the first book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The Daniel Craig movie is pretty good, with excellent production values. The Swedish version is more realistic. It also covers all three books, though the treatment of the last book is weaker than the other two, this is worth watching for.

J

[bryanbutler]

Sundance channel ran the Swedish mini series Millenium. Everyone knows the first book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The Daniel Craig movie is pretty good, with excellent production values. The Swedish version is more realistic. It also covers all three books, though the treatment of the last book is weaker than the other two, this is worth watching for.

J

i've been watching these on netflix. most exceelent.

[overkill94]

I saw this advertised ... is it a film or a series ... I thought the later.

It's a film although there was talk about the wife getting her own show on Bravo or something.

[Erik]

Finally got around to watching a pretty great documentary - Queen of Versailles - about a guy named David Siegel who got rich selling timeshares, his trophy wife, and their family who all get shit on when the economy goes in the crapper. The filmmakers lucked into starting the documentary before the collapse when the Siegels had decided to build a 90,000 square foot home in Florida. They'd already built the structure when everything fell apart so they were left with a shell of a palace as well as all the gaudy furnishings they had planned to decorate it with. The tone of the film isn't exactly snarky but the subjects themselves exemplify the stereotypes of spoiled rich people on their own. Overall a very fascinating and rewarding documentary, the best I've seen in a while.

This is the same guy who told his employees that there would be layoffs if Obama were re-elected.

[overkill94]

This is the same guy who told his employees that there would be layoffs if Obama were re-elected.

He claims to have gotten W. elected also by finding out which of his employees were going to vote for him, then making sure they registered to vote. Anyone who works in the timeshare business is probably going to be a slimeball and this guy is no exception.

[Erik]

He makes Trump look like Mother Teresa.

[johnnya24]

Recently saw The Great Gatsby ... didn't really like it. It wasn't awful or anything, but I would not recommend it unless you like overacting or Braoadway-style productions. I thought I would at least like it visually, but when that got tired, all that was left was a lame comic book aesthetic, Tobey Maguire and a tired story.

I didn't watch it in 3D though ... if you like 3D that might make a difference.

[overkill94]

Went and saw This Is the End at the theaters last night. Hell of a good time and very funny although not in the way that sticks with you for all that long. Like usual for improvised comedies like this, it starts out with a bang before having a hard time figuring out how to end it. Overall highly recommended if you're looking for a good laugh.

[johnnya24]

Watched a couple of "older" movies over the weekend, both with De Niro Copland and The Score. Seen them both before, but still more than decent (if not quite exceelent).

"... you blew it!"

[revo]

Saw Jack Reacher last night. It was like an elongated "Law & Order" episode, which doesn't necessarily mean that it was bad, just that it was a run-of-the-mill crime pic. I'm not sure how Reacher, who was an army MP in Iraq, suddenly became a superhero, but if anyone can make that work, it was Tommy Boy Cruise.

Speaking of Cruise, has anyone noticed that his brother, William Mapother, is suddenly getting more work? He's not a bad actor, but he's like a Tom Cruise who got beat with the ugly stick, but yet there's still some remnants of Cruise sticking around. Like Tom Cruise missing a chromosome.


Some other recent views:

Gangster Squad -- I liked this movie, even if they felt the need to make it like a very 1940s noirish TV show. Ryan Gosling even calls Emma Stone a "tomato." Great cast though.
Silver Linings Playbook -- it was OK, but Jennifer Lawrence's amazing ass bumps it up a notch.
The Impossible -- the 2004 tsunami hits Thailand and washes away Ewan McGregor's and Naomi Watts' family. A great pic, highly recommended.

[overkill94]

Ha, Cloak and Dagger was one of my favorites back in the day. It comes on cable once in a while and I watch bits and pieces for nostalgia, but it's definitely not objectively exceelent.

Saw Jack Reacher with my parents a while back and thought it was pretty good. Considering that was a month ago and I don't really remember what happens, I wouldn't call it exceelent, but it seemed fine at the time.

Just got HBO so that the gf can watch True Blood and they keep showing advertisements with Life of Pi and Les Mis, so I guess I'll be seeing those soon enough.