Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with cinema

Is there a good website that reviews movie theaters, extra points for Massachusetts theaters,

jeremias — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:27:51 -0800

Is there a good website that reviews movie *theaters*, extra points for Massachusetts theaters, Please don't recommend simplemoviereview.com, which is the right idea but I only see two theaters in my state. Preferably all the reviews would be consolidated and categorized by digital projection or not, etc. There are scattered reviews in sites like yelp and insider pages but they are light on substance . . . .

Getting out of character?

jrb223 — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:31:52 -0800

What are some famous/infamous examples of actors getting so into character that they either have trouble getting out of character or the experience does some long-term psychological damage? I'm actually posting this for a friend who is working on a project where answers to this question will be useful. I was stumped by it -- I could certainly imagine instances of physical damage from weight loss/gain for films, but psychological damage I was not so sure. Any ideas?

Please, not another boy-meets-girl story with over the top acting.

invisible ink — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:34:59 -0800

I'm looking for good Filipino movies (in Tagalog, with English subtitles) that are not cheesy soap operas. Bonus points if available through Netflix. I'm of Filipino descent, and would like to explore the better side of Filipino cinema. So far, the only Filipino movies I've seen are corny romance stories, with the exception of Kidlat Tahimik's Turumba. Any other recommendations? Thanks in advance:-)

Best movies of 2008 so far

extrabox — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:56:58 -0800

Amazing movies of 2008? Has there been any? What have I missed? Most years I am a fairly big movie fan, seeing 3-4 a month in theaters, but this year, haven't been able to do that. Here it is, five months into the year, and I haven't seen ANYTHING.

What did I miss? Have you seen anything this year that really blew you away? I'm dying to see a great new movie (Doesn't have to be in movie theaters right now, I will rent DVD's, but I am only interested in 2008 releases).

As a guide to my taste, flicks i really enjoyed in 2007 included:
Inland Empire / Grindhouse / Into The Wild / No Country For Old Men / Juno / The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
I like documentaries too. Not into the big blockbusters.

If something is coming out this summer that's getting high raves already or generating tons of interest, let me know about that too! I have no idea what's generating the critical excitement in movies this year.

Was he a victim of typecasting?

shortfuse — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:06:12 -0800

What is the font used for the title in this poster for Being John Malkovich? Details are welcome - light, bold, etc. Thanks.

What Are The "Classic" Movies That Modern Kids Will Love?

amyms — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 01:10:54 -0800

Give me some suggestions for classic movies that my kids (ages 19 and 15) will enjoy. I have tried so hard [insert martyrdom here] to get them to appreciate the classics, but they mostly seem to react with "meh"... My son (the 15-year-old) enjoyed "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "A Patch of Blue." He also loved "The Birds" and "Psycho," which we saw in an actual movie theater (during a "classic horror" week). His taste is very eclectic, so I never know what's going to strike his fancy...

My daughter (the 19-year-old) pretty much reacts with "meh" to almost everything classic-movie-related even though she's a major fan of movies in general...

Each of them LOVE the classic rock that I've introduced them to, but I feel like I'm striking out on the movie side of things. Any suggestions/tips/strategies would be greatly appreciated.

Where can I get the best subtitles for My Neighbour Totoro?

snarfois — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:37:56 -0800

Where can I get the best subtitles for My Neighbour Totoro? I have the Studio Ghibli Japanese DVD, which is ruined by dubtitles. (The translators felt the need to fill all the silent bits with chatter.)

I've ripped the DVD to AVI, and can use VLC or Perian to play it with any .SRT subtitle file. I've downloaded these, which seem to be very closely based on this translation.

Unfortunately, the timings are full of mistakes -- too many to rectify -- and the translation of the opening theme is rather weak -- not as good as the version at the end of the above file.

Does anyone know of better .SRT subtitles for My Neighbour Totoro?

Bonus question: Lately I've been spoiled by the excellent subtitles on fansubbed anime, including surtitles, attractive fonts, translation notes, and music lyrics in both English and Romaji. (Will *official* foreign-language releases ever approach this kind of quality?) Is there any subtitle format and media player that can do that with standalone subtitle files?

Help me find this mysterious (possibly non-US made) film!

littlerobothead — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:27:35 -0800

Old Movie Filter: This is the question I joined MeFi to ask. I remember seeing a movie, on actual reels, when I was about seven at school. It has haunted me for the last twenty-two years. The plot involved a school full of children who either a) could not go out in the sun or, b) it rained all the time in some post-apocalyptic scenario. I remember some images of black umbrellas, and the children having to wear dark Lennon-style glasses to protect them when they did go out. I vaguely remember a kindly teacher figure, and it might have been sub-titled. I also seem to remember a narrator, who may have been describing the onscreen action since it wasn't in English in lieu of actual sub-titles.

The film itself may not have been scary or eerie at all, but some of these images--no matter how fragmented--have been with me for ages. Hell, tupperware commercials can be scary when you're seven. I'd love to know. I hope I've given enough to go on.

Where can I buy L'Etranger?

zenja72 — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 04:38:10 -0800

I know there is a movie version of The Stranger (l'Etranger), where can I order it online? Also, is it any good, if you've seen it?

Apple Cinema Display cords vs. Office Chair I: Chair won in TKO. Help me win the rematch!

joemax — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:52:06 -0800

Apple Cinema Display cords vs. Office Chair I: Chair won in TKO. Help me win the rematch! The end user ran over the DC plug of her Cinema Display monitor. How can I fix this? This monitor has its own power brick that sits on the floor under a desk. The male DC plug which goes into said brick was apparently run over by the wheel of the office chair. This plug is similar to all the other Mac plugs: white plastic sheath (now cracked in half) and the metal connection is almost broken in two. The brick, its connection to the wall outlet, and all the other connections from the monitor are fine.

So I need a new cord / DC plug; the monitor itself is fine. Unfortunately, the cord doesn't unplug from the monitor. Help me find a way to fix this!?

some more details:

The monitor is out of warranty.

I have dealt with a couple folks on the 1-800-MY-APPLE phone support and they have all said all I can do is walk this unit into an apple store and see what they can do. My store is in Chicago's loop, and this monitor is on the extremely bulky side, too big to ride in on the el.

So my question is: can I find a replacement-type cord available for sale that contains the DC plug, then snip it and splice it in place of the crushed plug? Am I crazy to think this DC plug is attached to any cords for sale by Apple? I've scanned their online store but had problems finding conclusive evidence of its absence.

Genre flick factory!

mwhybark — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:43:16 -0800

Has anyone ever attempted to estimate the total number of films made in Hollywood that we today consider film noir? What about other long-lived genres of the high era of the silver screen? In particular, I am curious about the output within genres over the period beginning with sound and ending with the transition to color around 1955 to 1960. I have been on a film noir kick and the perfection of the genre look and plot is simply fascinating to me. The films I'm really interested in are mid-budget studio-system films that were probably shot within a 30-day or less timeframe.

Specific, spoiler filled questions about the movie "Cloverfield

Brandon Blatcher — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:09:09 -0800

SPECIFIC, SPOILER FILLED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MOVIE "Cloverfield". If you haven't seen it and don't want to know details, ignore this thread. At the party, there was a passed out girl on the couch. Do you recall anything special about that shot? I heard there was and I remember the shot and wondering why they were lingering on it, but didn't catch anything special.

What happened to Marlena, the girl who was bit, at the army hospital? Did she explode or her body fall apart or what? It happened so quick, I'm not sure.

The monster that ate Hud, was it THE monster or was it some other, smaller version of the monster (perhaps the little creatures implant eggs or some such)? I ask becaue the scale in Hud's video camera seems off, like it's a much smaller verion of THE monster, which seemed at least 15 stories tall.

Lilly (the non anglo looking girl) was the only one to escape, yes? She was put in a helicopter ahead of the other three and that seemed to take off and make it.

The final scene of Rob and Beth on the ferris wheel, did you notice anything in the background? Supposedly something is there, but I didn't catch it.

If you stayed till after the credits, what was in the audio transmission?

Physics majors: Could something as large as THE monster was portrayed actually move that fast? Granted it was running sprints, but from sheer size, it seems as though it would incredibly slow.

I need Dr. Who watching advice.

tractorfeed — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 20:18:00 -0800

Help me order my queue. Embarrassing confession: I'm a Dr. Who virgin. I realize that this is a situation I should rectify, and I'm definitely pre-disposed to like the series, but I'm also a person who much prefers to consume media in as tabula rasa a state as possible -- I never read reviews before having seen/read/listened to whatever, and so I know very little about the series except that people who have similar taste to mine have enjoyed Dr. Who. Which brings me to my current problem: I thought it would be easy to just start with episode 1 or whatever and then move on from there, but when I search for Dr. Who on Netflix, I'm overwhelmed by the options: Dr. Who: The Beginning, the First and Second series, the modern remake, etc. Movies! Series! It's overwhelming! And since I've waited this long, I want to watch things in the order that makes the most of the experience. But this is difficult to do without doing some research, which would probably expose me to spoilers (and I've judiciously avoided this). I've been told I should just read the wikipedia entry, but again I really love experiencing things with few preconceptions and I suspect that wikipedia would be overkill for what I want. So my question is this: what should I add to my Netflix queue, and in which order? Bonus points for exact titles so that I know which discs are which. Thanks, hive mind, and be gentle: like I said, it's my first time!

(Do I even need to state here that it would be great if you didn't give away details about the series in your answers?)

Best Cinematic Prologues?

roger ackroyd — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 21:15:11 -0800

What films have the best prologues? • "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...."
• 2001's "Dawn of Man" sequence
• Battlestar Galactica's "The Cylons were created by man..."

What are other examples of prologues that set up necessary backstory while kick starting a film in style? Bonus points for fantasy or sci-fi examples.

If French is a character, that dude smokes and eats cheese.

SassHat — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:25:21 -0800

I seek recommendations for foreign language films which feature extensive narration or otherwise crisp, clear, lovely dialogue. I love foreign-language films in which the beauty of the language being spoken washes over you, to the point where it practically becomes a character itself, and by the end of the movie you almost want to stop reading the subtitles and just listen.

The only examples I can think of off the top of my head are Amelie, Pan's Labyrinth, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Europa Europa, The Seventh Seal, and The Taste of Tea. Several of these movies were originally intended for worldwide distribution, and I think that's why they have such perfect, deliberate use of language (for example, in Amelie the narrator speaks in very careful, 'coffee commercial' French).

I'd love some suggestions for movies with similarly strong use of language as a key element. Any country of origin/language is fine. I'm a recovering film snob, so if you're going to suggest any French New Wave, Italian Neorealist or other similar subgenre classics, I've likely seen them - as such, contemporary films would be preferable. Obviously it would be great if the movie's good, too.

Two practical questions about North Korea.

bubukaba — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:26:16 -0800

Two related questions about North Korea: (1) Can anyone point me to a distributor, collector, or other source of North Korean films, either on DVD/VHS or (ideally) on film? (2) How would I go about directing a letter there? I am looking into programming a series of North Korea films for my University film society.

Though I know of at least one source of North Korean movies on video, it would be vastly preferable to find some on film - part of our mission is to present things on film whenever possible. If anyone has any ideas on where to find some, I'd be tremendously grateful.

Information about any other DVD/video sources would also be really helpful.

As part of my attempt, I'd also like to try writing a letter to the North Korean government (or maybe some other entity - I need to do some research) asking about any films they might be willing to let us show. Kim Jong-il is said to be a big cinephile (he even wrote a treatise - pdf on cinema and directing), so it seems worth a shot at the very least (plus, our film society started out back in the '30's showing nothing but socialist documentaries, so we've got some common ground).

The problem with this plan: I have no idea how to get a letter delivered North Korea. My sister is in Japan with some regularity, so mailing it from there could be an option - though geographic proximity probably doesn't translate directly into easier access...

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

What is the Sky Without the Stars?

a_green_man — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 22:37:58 -0800

Who are some people in the film industry I should be looking for in regards to Director of Photography vs. Film Editor? I've already watched movies specifically for the actors and directors. I'm looking to expand my understanding of moviemaking at least as far as an end-watcher goes. Basically, I'd like to pursue more movies that have common editors and/or photographers and will lead me to understand movies in a more informed way by seeing how their particular style is evidenced on the screen.

But who is the "best"? Who gets major kudos for their work (I'm trying to look beyond actors and directors) one or two levels below the threshhold of public consumerism? Dare I ask why also? Yes, I know it's very subjective, I'm just relying on the meta in metafilter. and I know they give some people awards, but that won't tell me as much as asking questions.

Where are the best cinemas in Paris?

ascullion — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 12:32:57 -0800

Where are the best cinemas in Paris? I'm spending a couple of days in Paris next week and want to go to see some of the cities best cinemas. I'm a fan of independent and arthouse movies, but I'm not so bothered about what film is on - I'm more interested in the cinema itself, the architecture, the facilites, the other people, the setting, the experience - something out of the ordinary, and hopefully, quintessentially Paris.

I speak a bit of French, so am not that bothered about whether the movies are in English. I'm not fluent, but I can usually get by reading a French newspaper or watching French TV. And, as I said, I'm more keen on having a good experience than seeing a great movie (though both is obviously a bonus!)

The Little Traveling Shot

mwhybark — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 10:05:30 -0800

What is the earliest generally-accepted use in commercial cinema of the following three shots: a lens-based zoom, in or out; a traveling shot using a dolly to follow a scene's protagonist (as in moving from room to room laterally); and a traveling shot using a dolly to effectively create a zoom, in which the framing of the protagonist becomes tighter as a result of a shorter distance to the subject? I am interested in citations, if possible, and with regard to the dolly shots, it doesn't matter to me if the dolly cart is on tracks or not (although the history of dollying per se, tracked or otherwise, is of interest to me).

My question is prompted by the startling observation of an apparent dolly-based zoom in a Chaplin Mutual short, The Count, dating to 1916. The frame-tightening can be seen beginning at 15:28. It ends just as the scene cuts away at 15:42.

Apple Cinema Display + Macbook + 360

sneakin — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 18:30:56 -0800

I have an old 17" Apple Cinema Display, a first generation Macbook and an Xbox 360. Explain to me as though I were a small child how I can use my ACD (if at all) 1) with my Macbook and 2) with my Xbox 360. I know that there are probably all kinds of adapters involved but I read some past threads and being not at all savvy couldn't really make heads or tails of any of it. Inside there are photos of the port on my computer and the plug on the ACD. Photo of Macbook port. Photo of Apple Cinema Display. Sorry the second one is blurry-- I was totally focusing on the wrong part of the display. If any addition info is needed, I can be emailed or I can respond in the thread.

Thanks a million.

Help me see a web page that's blocked in the U.S.

Chinese Jet Pilot — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 16:46:42 -0800

May I trouble someone in the U.K. to search the BFI download page and store, and tell me if they offer Project Apollo: Manned Flight to the Moon for sale or download? The site doesn't permit access to those pages from the U.S. I'm not looking to commit some kind of international copyright conspiracy; I just really want to see that movie. I'll expand on this question by mentioning that the film's director, Ed Emshwiller, was a noted science fiction illustrator and experimental animator.

French film

levijk — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:45:46 -0800

Can anyone identify this French film? Maybe three years ago I saw a trailer for a French film about (if memory serves) a group of young people who remain friends as they grow up. The impression I got from the trailer was of a rivalry or a tradition of practical jokes that get out of hand. The one scene that sticks in my mind is of a wedding in a church and someone rolling a cylindrical canister down the aisle.

What is this movie and is it any good?

Social Justice Films

charmston — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:15:33 -0800

Recommend me a film with a theme centering around a social justice issue. Preferably fictitious, or at least not a documentary (sorry Michael Moore fans). I realize that "social justice" is a loosely-defined term; basically, if the screenwriter is trying to make a point about a social justice issue, it's fair game. An archetypal example would be The Constant Gardener, but also acceptable would be movies along the lines of American History X, Crash, Children of Men or Gattaca. Thanks, green!

Help me figure out the name of this 60s movie

AnyGuelmann — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 05:56:06 -0800

60's movie: Robert Swan? I think this movie was from the 60's: a young girl marries a photographer and is constantly jealous of the models that pose for him. Following her mother's advice, she attempts to cause some jealousy on him by sending herself flowers signed by an imaginary admirer named "Robert Swan". One night, Robert Swan shows up for dinner.

Maybe I don't remember the name right, or it was spelled differently. Can you help me figure out the name of this movie?

Is there life after 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry'?

Ash3000 — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:17:08 -0800

In light of the horrendously awful "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry," are there any GOOD (i.e. both funny and non-homophobic) comedies about straight people either having to pretend they're gay or, more generally, about straight people slowly but surely letting go of their prejudices towards LGBT people? I saw an advanced screening of INPYCAL recently, and am still in disbelief of just how awful it is, and in disbelief that post-Brokeback Hollywood still seems to believe that a. all gay people prance about and/or wear leather and feather boa's, and b. that we're supposed to be grateful that Adam Sandler will lecture his fanbase about how the word "faggot" is hurtful. I'm no pc fuddy-duddy, but this movie's totally non-ironic depiction of gay people as all being silly, silly people sets us back about 20 years - is there any movie that's both funny and progressive that I could recommend to a friend in its place? It can totally poke fun at gay culture, again, it need not be super-p.c., but it better be defensible. (I've heard of Happy, Texas, but some reviews say they basically portray gay people as helpful comic foils in that film as opposed to actual people - any thoughts?)