What is the latest movie you watched and what did you think of it?

[mjmacky]

Here's a Rorschach test for you...
The Fall
Oldboy

Have you seen them and if so, reactions?

Seen and loved Oldboy, never heard of the Fall. Though it has been awhile since I've seen Oldboy, I remember loving the violence, dialogue, storyline and the twist, especially the twist. Seeing his movie also prompted me to see another film by the same director called Lady Vengeance, which I remember just enjoying. Speaking of Korean movies... Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring is another one I really enjoyed.

Should I watch a preview of the Fall and give my thoughts, will it help with your test?

[clocker]

It's not a test...there are no correct or expected answers.
By all means, watch The Fall- preferably without reading about it first.

[Quarterquack]

Here's a Rorschach test for you...
The Fall
Oldboy

Have you seen them and if so, reactions?

Watched both last year.

The Fall was fantastic by all measures. Ye olde tale of a hero's troubles, except it's carried out from a sick and broken man from the confines of nothing than his bed. The cinematography and settings were beyond stellar. The juxtaposition of roles and perceived important/significance in real life also proved some great insight into human perspectives that few other settings could perform without going first-person-view, or overly focusing on one central character.

Oldboy, I believe lost a lot of credibility with me after I could see through the plot before it ended. The idea that people could be brainwashed, the idea that someone could learn techniques and fighting in a room with no actual practice in 15 years is surreal. I guess Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance spoiled me, as I saw the pain, the connections and the plot as a lot more "human" as opposed to robotic or monstrous. However, the roof drop scene apathy on its own makes the movie worth it. If anything was extended beyond being a farce, I felt like it was balanced by the extents we saw Oh Dae Su's turmoil brew.

Macky: Lady Vengeance is part of a fantastic trilogy, along with Oldboy. You might want to look up "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," as mentioned before, which completes the trio.

[mjmacky]

Macky: Lady Vengeance is part of a fantastic trilogy, along with Oldboy. You might want to look up "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," as mentioned before, which completes the trio.

Heard of, but never caught. Didn't realize it was all part of some connected thread.

It's not a test...there are no correct or expected answers.

What??? It confounds me that you would have any other reason, other than purely fucking with me, to explain that.

By all means, watch The Fall- preferably without reading about it first.

If and when I happen to catch it (might be a good one for the weekend), might you remember its purpose recommendation? There's a good chance I could slightly delay it and watch it sometime in 2013. Or earlier. Or later. If I remember at all that is. I'm terribly unreliable.

[clocker]

It's not a test...there are no correct or expected answers.

What??? It confounds me that you would have any other reason, other than purely fucking with me, to explain that.

Oldboy and The Fall are both what I would consider to be "extreme" movies, and thus, useful as examples of what moviemaking can do/be.

Oldboy is straight up surreal, not only does the protagonist have no idea what's going on, neither does the audience.
Add in the cultural weirdnesses and the viewer struggles to create a framework in which to feel comfortable.
People think Inception fucked with their minds, IMO, Oldboy did it better.

The Fall has a conventional story structure (very similar to The Princess Bride, in fact) and emphasizes the visual...it ravishes the eye.
There is NO CGI/digital trickery in The Fall, what you see was all actually filmed on location(s).
The Fall is psychedelic in a way that the execrable Yellow Submarine could never be, it's a painting come to life.
Two other examples would be Barry Lyndon and Elvira Madigan, both of which are simply beautiful to watch.

Both movies wildly exaggerate one aspect of the moviemaking craft (to the detriment of others, admittedly) but leave an indelible impression despite the lopsided approach.
Neither are films that I would have expected to enjoy and could easily have missed.
Hence my interest in your reaction (or anybody else's, for that matter).

[megabyteme]

Oldboy is straight up surreal, not only does the protagonist have no idea what's going on, neither does the audience.
Add in the cultural weirdnesses and the viewer struggles to create a framework in which to feel comfortable.
People think Inception fucked with their minds, IMO, Oldboy did it better.

Oldboy is among my all-time favorite films. One element I particularly appreciate is the fact that he is Hell-bent on seeking revenge- yet he is NOT a killer. He has learned, and grown from the experience, but all the years of loneliness, and imprisonment have NOT turned him into something evil. He even lets the overly-injured go to the hospital.

Brilliant, twisted, enjoyable film. I place it up there with Usual Suspects.

[Artemis]

My most recent watch was Unknown http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1401152/

This movie was a pleasant surprise, it reminded me of the Bourne Identity in it's structure and feel, and it is a theme plot we have seen before, but the action was tight fast and gripping with a good believable cast. An action movie with nary a robot/alien/cgi baddie in sight I was deeply heartened by this simple fact, and the plot relied on the good old build up of suspense.
The twist as well is clever, and a surprise (everything a plot twist should be) and leaves you re-evaluating the emotion you have invested into the characters. I may be biased I enjoy Liam Neeson's action films because he is an understated and believable action hero, he does not do superhuman wire moves in slo-mo he is just slightly better than the opposing force and for me the movies are more enjoyable for it. I also enjoyed his previous action adventure Taken http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/ . He plays the underdog, or at least the 'ordinary' man in extraordinary circumstances very well.
For me this movie was a good solid couch gripper, and an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours, I do recommend it.

[mjmacky]

The Fall has a conventional story structure (very similar to The Princess Bride, in fact) and emphasizes the visual...it ravishes the eye.
There is NO CGI/digital trickery in The Fall, what you see was all actually filmed on location(s).
The Fall is psychedelic in a way that the execrable Yellow Submarine could never be, it's a painting come to life.
Two other examples would be Barry Lyndon and Elvira Madigan, both of which are simply beautiful to watch.

I know you mentioned to avoid reading about it, but I now have accidentally acted against that recommendation. I have never been swept away by visual effects or visual artistry, but it in fact tends to illicit a net zero response from me. Movies like Yellow Submarine and Fantasia, are ones I prefer to leave alone, I feel nothing in response to them. Speaking of which, I did watch and manage to enjoy listening to Across the Universe, the story was shite but at least it demonstrates I'm not a complete enemy to music/musicals (visualizations ignored, as usual). Basically, I feel like my potential interest in The Fall just vaporized on account of the visual sale.

It seems your reply went to address my original question, thanks for that, though I still think you were making a dig at me by wording out the point to a Rorschach test.

[IdolEyes787]

The Fall is psychedelic in a way that the execrable Yellow Submarine could never be, it's a painting come to life.
Two other examples would be Barry Lyndon ....... are simply beautiful to watch.

Yes but then you still have to factor in Ryan O'Neal so it's more like a painting come to life with a bland halfwit running around in the foreground.

[clocker]

Beauty comes at a price.