good movie suggestions

Steely

Active Member
Just wondering what good movies you guys have rented lately? I seem to always be at a loss when renting movies, so I thought I would poll the audience. :smile:
 

jamrobmic

New Member
We rented "Wild Hogs," which we had been told was very funny, but we didn't think it was all that good. It was okay, but we were glad we didn't go to the movies to see it. We also rented "Bridge to Terabithia," and we both (husband and I) thought it was depressing, but I didn't really see the end of it, thanks to difficult child having an "issue" that needed my immediate attention. We also watched the "Chronicles of Narnia" (we had seen it before, but enjoyed watching it again).

Two movies that weren't very good, and one old movie everyone's probably already seen. I guess I'm not the person to consult about what movie to see :thumbsdown:
 

tinamarie1

Member
We rented "Hot Fuzz" (its not an x movie i promise, lol). It is a brittish comedy that was really cute. I usually don't like those, but I really liked this one. Its made by the same person who made "Shawn of the Dead".
We also rented "Vacancy" with Luke Wilson, scary...but I thought it was good.
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
I just posted on Marcie Mac's Docu... thread about this movie.

The bridge... here is the link. It is pretty sad it covers the not so talked about high percentage rate of suicides on the Golden Gate Bridge... they filmed in 2004 there were 24 jumps!!! That they know of. They interview jumpers, family as well as people who were on the bridge... it is actually really good despite being a very intense subject. Lot's of Mental Illness. I had a curiousity because I grew up looking at the bridge. I also come from a family with suicide and mental illness, intruiging topic always to me...

http://www.thebridge-themovie.com/

The Last King of Scotland... excellant

Running With Scissors... OK ,not as good as the book. Disappointed

Blood Diamond... Loved it, very brutal. Great acting!!!
 

klmno

Active Member
If you're looking for family type, we liked RV ( funny) and Pursuit of Happiness (struggle raising a child).
 

mstang67chic

Going Green
I'm way behind on the newer movies but I've always liked Second Hand Lions, Tremors (probably 10 years old maybe and verrry cheesy but somehow hooks you in), if you like the humor......Mel Brooks movies are great, particularly Young Frankenstein, classics......To Kill a Mockingbird.
 
Ah! Young Frankenstein! A classic!!

Blazing Saddles (not very easy child, but funny nonetheless)

A movie that never got much headlines but that I found pretty funny (a few years old) is "My Fellow Americans". Jack Lemmon, James Garner, Dan Aykroyd, and the oatmeal guy. What's his name. Wilford something.
 

SRL

Active Member
I just rewatched the Indiana Jones films and that was still good fun after all these years. There's a 4th film coming out next May so I thought it was my duty to watch in order to make an accurate comparison of Harrison Ford...

Secondhand Lions is a great flick and I absolutely adore Cars.

If you're into chick flicks, I recently saw Sweet Home Alabama and it was light fun.

Last month I watched Shackelton and thought highly of that.

Rewatching the old musicals is something we do every now and then around here.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
BBK- "Blazing Saddles (not very easy child, but funny nonetheless)"

husband & I were talking about that (from our Aussie point of view) - the use of what I now know has to be called "the n word" could perhaps still be considered easy child, because those in the film using the word are the ones clearly, obviously depicted as racist.
Unless you're referring to the Lily von Shtupp bit, or the governor and his secretary?
We love it, anyway.

We don't hire films, we buy them. Hiring rates here are sometimes a bit steep, because we're so geographically isolated, our local video hire shop is small and we've already seen most of what they have.
But some of our favourites have been hard to acquire, with the various different regions (grrr...).

Family favourites - the classics, including "Arsenic & Old Lace", classic Hitchcock such as "The Birds", anything by Mel Brooks, most musicals ("Chicago", "The Producers", Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, "Oklahoma", anything by Lloyd Webber). "Flying High" and sequels.

Other favourites - anything with Johnny Depp in it (easy child 2/difficult child 2 especially) such as "From Hell", "Finding Neverland", "Edward Scissorhands" and of course "Pirates of the Caribbean". "Ed Wood" is fabulously surreal - watch it as a double with "Plan 9 From Outer Space".

Science fiction - "The Andromeda Strain" and other films based on Michael Crichton's books such as "Jurassic Park", "2001" and the subsequent films, "Apollo 13", classics such as "Forbidden Planet", "Metropolis" (very old - German silent film), "Flash Gordon" (the one with the Queen soundtrack).

Mini-series - "From the Earth to the Moon" should be compulsory watching for every US citizen and every world citizen with ANY interest in the space race, which should be everybody; "I, Claudius" (British mini-series from mid-70s about the Caesars of Rome, from the young days of Augustus to just before Nero - brilliant cast, fabulous acting, very detailed and machiavellian); and documentaries by David Suzuki, David Attenborough, anything by Robert Winston.

There's lots of other stuff too, that's just a start. A mini-series great for a touch of the horrors at politics would be "House of Cards" - another British mini-series, like a British version of West Wing only much darker, the twisted, seamy side of politics. The closest you can get to a horror version of West Wing. But absolutely brilliant - mesmerising, like watching a cobra sneak up on a mongoose.

That should keep you going for a while.

Marg
 

Marguerite

Active Member
BBK, you and easy child 2/difficult child 2 would get on great!

I also forgot to mention - some recent movie remakes simply didn't work, but the originals were fabulous. Two examples - "Fun With Dick and Jane" (Jane Fonda and George Segal) - we managed to track down a copy. And "The Italian Job" with Michael Caine and a cast of famous cameos (including the incomparable Noël Coward as the criminal mastermind, Mr Bridger; Rossano Brazzi, who was the French planter in the original film of "South Pacific" - another good film - doesn't survive the opening credits and is killed spectacularly). A British film but one of their best, absolutely. The remake was ghastly by comparison.

Something you can always do with the kids on a rainy day - hire remakes and their originals, then compare. Sometimes the remake is better, sometimes it's not.

Another brilliant film or two, but both hard to get - "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (definitely NOT easy child) and "Murder by Death", especially if you're a fan of old detective movies - it's got even more cameos than Italian Job plus a brilliant script. Also noted for Truman Capote playing an evil megalomaniac - type casting, I've been told. A lot of fun! Definitely worth buying a popcorn machine and inviting the neighbourhood around. Maybe save them for a Friday 13th party? Or Halloween? Alec Guiness playing a blind butler, trying to communicate with a deaf-mute maid - inspired. Think about it.

Marg
 

Marguerite

Active Member
"Priscilla - Queen of the Desert", the "Crocodile Dundee" films (first is best), "Gallipoli" (dir. by Peter Weir), "The Odd Angry Shot" (about Vietnam - about Australia's SAS, like a non-medical M*A*S*H - there's a really fun scene with a competition between this particular SAS unit and a US Marines unit) and for the slightly more chick-flicky stuff (but not so much the boys don't enjoy it) - "Travelling North" with Julia Blake and Leo McKern. All Aussie films but all very watchable.

I also love anything with Tom Hanks - I can take or leave Meg Ryan, but I do like both the two films you mentioned with Tom Hanks, Nomad. Most stuff with Dustin Hoffman, although "Rain Man" is a bit close to the bone. A lot of stuff with Robin Williams, where he's not playing himself too much.

"Shawshank Redemption" was even set as a film to study, with our high school students a few years ago - and "Truman Show" (Peter Weir again). Both brilliant.

I'm curious about "Evan Almighty" - it could be great, or it could be kitsch. But on the subject of 'religious' films, "Oh, God" was amazing. I remember a film awards night for sci-fi/fantasy films, Charlton Heston was on the podium when George Burns was announced. As he came to the podium George Burns pushed Heston aside. "Move over," he said. "You only got to play Moses."

"Hairspray" is big in our cinemas right now, what I've seen looks good. Can't wait until it comes out on DVD.

Marg
 
Marg,

I did not see Evan almighty, but I laughed body parts off at Bruce Almighty.

From what I understand, you either Love Jim Carrey or you hate him.

I remember Oh God. I remember a line when he took the stand in a courtroom and says "so help me Me."

There was another movie that was out about the same time, with George Burns, an old Art carney, and another actor who I can't remember, called Going My Way. 3 old guys rob a bank and get away with it. Hilarious.

Nomad, I thought I was the only one who thought "SIS" and "YGM" were one in the same.

Other funny movies off the top of my head:

The Birdcage (Nathan Lane is hilarious, Robin Williams is brilliant)

The Full Monte (I bet only Marg could understand the dialect the first time through. Heavy accent)

Austin Powers (only the 2nd one)

the best (and underrated) Disney movie: Emperor's New Groove.
 

KFld

New Member
I absolutley loved wild hogs. I saw it twice in the movies, then I bought it and I have watched it twice since then. There is just something about that movie that I found absolutley hysterical.
 

Sunlight

Active Member
Hot fuzz was one I would not recommend with any kids around at all due to the gore.

I saw it this weekend and found it to be bizarre, bloody, graphic and strange and yes, like Shaun of the Dead...not my style.
 
Ok, I'm going to show my slapstick preferences here :smile: :

"Horsefeathers" by the Marx brothers (I'm just crazy about Harpo)
"The Gods Must Be Crazy I & II" ( I have never laughed so much!)
Anything, but anything by Mel Brooks (esp. "High Anxiety")
"Brazil" by Terry Gilliam (scary, weird, and funny all at once)
"The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (twisted SF)

You didn't ask about TV shows but" Dr.Who "is just the greatest. Highly recommended if you are a SF fan like myself.
 
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