At Trallyus' suggestion, I am making this thread.

First order of business is Slumdog Millionaire. I saw this tonight and I absolutely loved it. I won't say it didn't deserve Best Picture because I haven't seen any of the other nominees, but it was very good. It is a love story, but it's not your typical chick-flick by any means. I loved the originality of the plot and I loved the music behind it as well. It's also a great window into the poverty in India and what many of its people have to do to survive. Go see it or rent it when you can. I'd give it **** (4) stars (for what my opinion is worth).

Instead of Who Wants To Be A Millionare in India they should've called it "Who Wants To Eat?!"

I forgot to mention that I really want to go to India now. I'm strange, I know.

As long as you don't drink the water and you seal up every orifice you should be fine.

He's talking about visiting India, not your house!

Doh!

I needed comedy today, and simple comedy at that. That's why I love Tyler Perry's Madea. So far I've only seen the plays. I saw Madea Goes to Jail a while back in stage form, and today I saw the movie. They're quite different as far as the character's and the sequence of the plot. But, essentially, the meat of it all is still the same. A young couple goes through some turmoil, and through the miracle of African American Southern Baptist ethics some resolution is found. In the mean time, bits of Madea are interspersed to break up the seriousness of the whole thing.

I didn't enjoy it as much as the play. The Madea character is way more over-the-top and has far fewer words of wisdom to share with her audience. If Tyler Perry had just done a strict remake of the play for his film audiences, we would have had a better product. However, it was still funny and I did get what I went for: light-hearted laughs.

I am very sick of movies like this. In Clarksville here they have a commercial that rips off the Medea character and it's for some bail bond company. Some white guy dressed up as a black woman gets all rowdy and causes problems, gets arrested and gets bailed out. It's very stupid and very irritating.

Movies and shows like this just promote the idea that acting like this is acceptable. Just look at the way so many of the people that watch these kinds of shows act. Act like a rowdy ass and you'll be the life of the party.

I like her because she is a caricature of some women that I know. No one really acts that badly, Wesley. Some may come close, but remember that it's overdone a bit for the movies to get a laugh.

I saw Milk via Netflix the other night. It's a biopic about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California. Sean Penn has never really been a favorite of mine, but he gave a great performance playing Harvey. It was equal to Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of Truman Capote. Penn's speech, his movements, and his mannerisms made me forget that I wasn't watching real footage of the real Milk.

Movies always lose something on the television to me, but it was beautifully shot, particularly the scene where Harvey is sitting in the balcony watching a performance of Tosca. The fluidity of Harvey's death was also quite beautiful.

American Beauty was just one TNT. I never get tired of seeing it.

I own that movie and I still haven't watched it. I don't know why. We just never got around to it.

Mr. Milk attended the State University at Albany in the 60's prior to moving to California; I guess he was quite the rable-rouser, frequently getting into trouble for protesting and such. The stories were that no one knew he was gay; not even his roommate. All his friends were quite loyal and very complementary when talking about the years he was here.

Dupicity was good fun. It might've been a tad bit long for some, but it made for a good night out.

but it's got Julia Roberts in it. Her and her gigantic mouth leads me to believe that she has a flip-top head. If that were the case she'd be able to clean her teeth very efficiently. Maybe that's why her mouth is so big. Really clean back teeth.

It is astonishingly large isn't it?

So large that I unsuccessfully tried to find Julia Roberts Mouth's website.

It doesn't even have its own Myspace page? Hell, it has its own gravitational pull!

Hot Fuzz was most amusing. A friend told me to netflix it. The first hour was bland and bordering on silly, but the last hour had me ranging from giggling to wetting myself. If gore and offbeat humor isn't your thing, beware. Otherwise, you'll die laughing.

Sounds like somethng on latenight Cinemax

Yeah, I thought the same thing.

I watched that a while back and thought it was good as well

Imagine my surprise when I found out the movie was about a cop

State of Play, with Russel Crowe, Helen Mirren, and Ben Affleck, premiered tonight. I love Helen, so I went to see it. I generally hate Ben Affleck for no real reason other than he rubs me the wrong way. But my love of Ms. Mirren outweighed my dislike for Mr. Affleck. Anyway... The handful of suspenseful moments and a few twists and turns made it enjoyable. The end left me, and I think most of the theater, going, "Huh? What's the point?" I could be an idiot who missed something critical in the plot development, but I doubt that.

If you don't have the disposable cash, weight for it to hit HBO or Netflix.

maybe you should tell Mr. Ben Affleck to quit touching you.

Who doesn't like Ben Affleck touching them?

Besides me, you mean? I'm like that. Some people I like or dislike for no reason whatsoever.

I'm with you Joseph I do not want him to touch me either, yuck!

But you want Kristopher to touch you, eh? We'll have to get his approval first.

You always have my approval. Just don't tell anyone (Trallyus), or they may get jealous.

I always have it, or Bruce?

Was I not responding to you?

You were, but Bruce was the one needing permission. Therefore, I...nevermind.

I am flattered, and Trally will never know.

His last post was at 10:07 AM yesterday. He's probably still flustered by all your flattery.

This stuff of you touching joseph better stop right now

Only problem of course is every time I touch him, he hits me with his cherry stick.

That may be just him tenderizing you before he eats you You know how he likes to eat human flesh

I will just be cautious when he sends me out to buy stuff from the store. Whether I would go well served with them.

He loves pain. It's makes the pleasure so much more intense for him. That's why I do it, because he enjoys it, not because I'm going to filet him.

A little bit of pleasure, a little bit of pain. Whole lot of fun!

Would you make a run to the store for me? I need fresh garlic.

I told you that in confidence. How could you say it out loud

I was whispering to you. But it's very hard to whisper in text. Sorry.

Garlic? Yummy! Can I eat it all up?

It's alright Bruce. I believe society has advanced enough to accept touching. We can hold hands proudly for the world to see. Though maybe not so much around Joseph. He's very emotional about such things.

I'll cut a b¡tch. Don't believe me? Touch what's mine and find out.

I've got something else planned for you. The meal I am planning wouldn't appeal to you, I promise.

Perfect! I serve at the pleasure of Mr. Joseph.

HAHA! I did not expect that.

I was a southern Black woman in my former life. A little bit of her DNA is in my current form as well, and it does show itself from time to time.

It shows when you wave your finger and weave your head back and forth.

I can't do the neck-weave yet. That's an art that I've not yet mastered.

How about the hip thrust? To show you really mean business.

I can do that. But it's when I take my earrings off that I mean business.

Obsessed started out pretty dull, like a Lifetime movie that didn't quite make the cut. But, in the end, it made for a fun revenge flick. Beyoncé was about the only person that could act well. The others weren't terrible (except for Jerry O'Connell), but better people could've probably been found.

I know it seems like I rate everything three stars, and I do. This one almost got a two-star rating out of me until the movie stopped focusing on the husband and his stupidity. But really, very few movies are bad enough to rate less than three stars and very few are good enough to get more.

This just seemed like yet another "People From Hell" kind of movie that has been over done in the 80's. What I call a cookie-cutter movie.

It was cookie-cutter. But considering I went in the theater pissed off at a particular person, the end fight scene was just what I needed. I pretended I was Beyoncé and the person that ticked me off was the evil secretary getting her butt kicked.

I sometimes pretend that I'm Beyonce too...only I lock myself in the bedroom and play with my jigglies.

TMI, Buffalo Bill.

TFB

KMA.

King your what?

OK

I think he was saying kick my ask Trying to be a tough guy in front of his nurses i bet

Really? Okay. I did say kiss my alligator you know. He hasn't had a big meal in a month, so you might not fair so well. But if you want Jenny to think you're so big and strong for wrestling that big ol' gator, go ahead.

I wrestle Jenni in bed all the time. A gator is nothing!

Yes, I actually gave something more than three stars. It's no masterpiece, and I hate anything with Owen Wilson in it, but I had to put a lot of energy into not crying over the ending. I had a Marley for sixteen years. So I guess that's why it got to me the way it did. If you love dogs, get it. If you don't love dogs, get it, and maybe you will love dogs.

I liked the book, Angels and Demons, fairly well up until the end. Robert Langdon falling from a helicopter to the river hundreds, or maybe even a thousand or so, feet below and living to tell about it was just a bit much. And when something is too dramatic and far-flung for Dan Brown, you know it's bad. They fixed that one glaring problem for the movie, though. It was nothing special, but it was a great pressure cooker just like the book. And the antimatter explosion scene was quite well done, I thought. If you like Dan Brown's novels and the movies they turned into, you'll like this.

I very much enjoyed Seven Pounds with Will Smith. The guilt he had over his wife's death, the guilt that drove him to commit suicide and donate his organs to needy people, made for a very touching story. I just find it highly coincidental that he knew, without checking, that his organs were the perfect match for his selected donors. And I also have a suspicion that the neurotoxins from the box jelly fish may have damaged his tissues to the point that he would be an unsuitable donor. If you overlook such technicalities, Seven Pounds makes a good rental choice.

No you don't! I would KYA!!

Great movie. You will rethink your definitions of poor, dysfunctional, and abused after you see Precious.

My Precious!!! Must have my precious!!!

I'm not a scifi person at all, but I did want to see Avatar after watching the 60 Minutes interview with James Cameron a few weeks ago. The visuals I saw in the teaser clips sucked me in, and the full show at the theater did not disappoint me. They were absolutely the most enthralling and gorgeous computer effects I have ever seen. But the plot is well-done as well; the effects aren't used to carry the whole film like I have seen before. So go see it, especially if there is an IMAX within an hour or so. It's a relatively long movie, but you won't ever find it tedious or boring.

I was planning on seeing it today, but with the bad weather here I will have to push that back to next week. If they are still showing it in imax.

I don't think there's an IMAX here. I am going home for Christmas tomorrow. I might just go see it again in IMAX.

They are airing avatar the last airbender on Imax? Which episodes?

The movie has nothing to do with the cartoon.

I was joking around with you Joseph Welcome back to the forum by the way

Sorry. I've been sleep deprived for two days.

Obviously Joseph is angry that he went and watched it thinking it had something to do with the cartoon. It's all your fault Trallyus!

As the Queeen would say "Joseph is not amused."

Sherlock Holmes was okay, I suppose. I'm not a big Robert Downey, Jr. fan and I couldn't really get into it all that much. But it's a decent way to pass time on a boring day.

I wanted to see Invictus because I love Morgan Freeman to death, and I thought having him play Nelson Mandela would be movie-going perfection. But, alas, it was not. The focus was on Mandela's use of the national rugby team to make amends with the whites of South Africa and to unify the country after apartheid ended. I quite enjoyed the first half when it was heavy with Mandela, but when we shifted to tedious rugby scenes, I found it hard to sit through. It was the equivalent to an American football movie where some social or personal obstacle is overcome through human goodness and the team spirit. Well, I don't like those kinds of movies. And had this not had Morgan Freeman in it--who could talk about toilet paper and exude a God-like wisdom--I wouldn't have enjoyed it at all. Had it focused on Mandela himself, I think it would've been far better. I usually like the film Clint Eastwood directs, but this isn't one of his shining accomplishments. It isn't bad. It just isn't my cup of tea.

Matt Damon plays the rugby team's captain, for those of you who like him. Personally, he doesn't do much for me. He is to vanilla and ordinary to me, but I know there are some who love him.

Brothers stars to of my favorites, Toby Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal. It's a remake of a 2004 Danish film that I haven't seen, though it is supposed to be better than the American remake. Still, I love this movie. Toby Maguire has blossomed into a great actor since I first saw him in The Cider House Rules. He did an amazing job playing Sam Cahill, a Marine captain shot down in his helicopter during a mission in Afghanistan. After being found by local militants and tortured, he is finally discovered and brought home where he sees that his wife (Natalie Portman). His family has moved on surprisingly quickly--almost unrealistically so in the case of the wife--and his brother has been replaced as the father figure by his daughters. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome-induced psychosis and paranoia ensues and makes for intense drama between Portman, Maguire, and Gyllenhaal.

My only complaint is that the grief experienced by Sam's wife just doesn't seem real. She all too quickly and easily accepts the death. After the funeral, she does admit that she doesn't feel like her husband is really dead. But her sometimes flat emotions don't make you think she is either grieving or holding onto some deep hope that he is really still alive somewhere. I can't tell if it's the writing's fault or Portman's. However, I don't think she was a wise casting choice. My choice would have been Jennifer Connelly. But they didn't ask me.

On another note, I loved the little actress that played Isabella. Her name is Bailee Madison, and she has the potential to be something serious when she matures some.

Check this out Jospeh
http://www.thelastairbendermovie.com/

Thanks, but all Shyamalan's stuff is so bad it makes me giggle.

Alice in Wonderland wasn't as much fun as I had wanted. Maybe it was the movie itself or the fact that I had trouble procuring a sufficient dose of acid to truly have fun with it. It was quite good, but I wasn't in love with it when I left the theater. Still, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen and the March Hare were my favorites. My dear Anne Hathaway was there as well as the ever-stunning goddess that she always is. I'm sure she's a work of art even when she first rolls out of bed.

James came home and declared it "crap" but said that I'd probably like it. I think I'll be singing the same song as you Joseph.
Although you called Anne Hathaway a goddess?! I am confused.

That means dizzy's real name is Anne Hathaway

It certainly was not crap but it wasn't perfect either. And Anne is the goddess--of the northern hemisphere.

Shutter Island was nearly crap. I can't believe that Mr. DiCaprio and Mr. Kingsley attached their names to it and I feel like Scorsese personally owes me something for the three hours of my life that I lost to his movie. Both men are good actors and several scenes were terribly cute for those who find humor in the macabre but the plot was too convoluted and crazy to ever be anything great. The ending was good and so were the few minutes we got to see Patricia Clarkson in the cave.

Don't spend your money on this one.

Be careful what you say about Anne Hathaway she could be the next x-Mrs. Bruce

OK I promised Kelly that we would go see Avatar if we had some money and it happened. We went to a Sun Showing and got there an hour early. We were the first in the room so we got the best seats. It was cool because a guy my age came in with his parents who were 85 yrs old and sat right behind us. The last movie that they saw in a theater was The Ten Commandments!

This was officially the first 3-D movie I can say that I have seen. I was impressed when the trailer for Alice came on. I mean as far as the effects go.

I think Avatar was a great film. I became engrossed in the visuals right away and was able to bond with the characters too. I totally left the thought that the Navi characters were CGI behind and just got into the story. There are so many levels that this movie effects you. If you have done any reading into things like past lives therapy, this brought that to life right there on the screen. The corporate raiders theme was carried out to perfection. The love theme was there but was just part of the plot. I think it was interesting how when the tree came down I felt so much remorse for all of the destruction that has taken place in the amazon. All in all I tried to forget about all of the hype that has been going on and let the movie move me. It did and I am glad I went.

I really wish I could have been able to talk to the 85 yr olds to see what they thought. It must have been just amazing for them.

I have only seen Avatar on the computer so far but I will be buying a copy of it when it gets to the stores