No escape at the movies.

September 15, 2001 1:41 PM

No escape at the movies. I made the mistake of going to see "Rush Hour 2" yesterday. Now, granted, I knew that there'd be violence, but I thought Jackie Chan violence would be stomachable. How wrong I was. In fact, the very first scene involves the top of a building exploding. And that's repeated throughout the movie. So, for those of you escaping at the movies, what have you been seeing?
posted by adrober (57 comments total)

we rented Mediterraneo last night, and we have sense and sensibility on reserve.

I was thinking of the manchurian candidate, but our video store didn't have it in stock....
posted by rebeccablood at 1:54 PM on September 15, 2001

Mostly movies about pancakes.
posted by jpoulos at 1:59 PM on September 15, 2001

I just watched Scary Movie on DVD again, just for dumb fun and laughs.

Next up, The Naked Gun or a Monty Python.

I enjoy dumb fun movies at a time like this, it lightens the mood.
posted by BarneyFifesBullet at 2:07 PM on September 15, 2001

Cheap Kung-fu movies.
Earlier today: Buddist Fist
Later today: Return of the ninja
posted by fuq at 2:15 PM on September 15, 2001

Saw Requiem for a Dream last night. We steeled ourselves for tragedy, since everyone said it was so sad. Somehow, a partially self-inflicted amputated arm, a jail-sentence, prostitution and electrical shock treatment just don't quite cut it as "deeply tragic" this week. We came out going "was that all"?
posted by jill at 2:23 PM on September 15, 2001

We just saw Ghost World, which was depressing, but more in a extracting-high-school-memories kind of way.
posted by kittyloop at 2:23 PM on September 15, 2001

Top Gun, Karate Kid and Dead Poets' Society.
posted by dagny at 2:23 PM on September 15, 2001

Rented Memento last night.
posted by jenwells at 2:29 PM on September 15, 2001

Just watched the entire first season of The Sopranos...it did the trick. It was nice to see a familar, human set of rules, and people getting wacked for personal reasons instead of mass, random destruction. When Tony is offended, he knows exactly who to go after, and how to do it. There is balance and a certain kind of justice.

Who would have thought a week ago that I was longing for my life to be more like Tony Sopranos?
posted by thebigpoop at 2:36 PM on September 15, 2001

I'm watching Pulp Fiction on BBC2 right now.
posted by knutmo at 2:37 PM on September 15, 2001

The Jay and Silent Bob movie. Told myself before that I didn't care to see it. But. It was light, silly, and what I needed. Watched "Harold and Maude" last night too. That film never fails to cheer me up a bit.
posted by Windigo at 2:38 PM on September 15, 2001

"Solaris", i'm fully enjoying TCM's Tarkovsky month.
posted by cheesebot at 2:38 PM on September 15, 2001

Thursday night I saw Saving Private Ryan on DVD.
posted by tamim at 2:51 PM on September 15, 2001

Oddly enough, a showing of "Groundhog Day" on cable the other day was the best laugh I'd had in days. A goofy, fun movie. What a nice esape it was.
posted by kokogiak at 2:57 PM on September 15, 2001

Getting prepared to leave for National Guard drill this weekend, my brother rented the movie 3 Kings.
posted by bkdelong at 3:05 PM on September 15, 2001

I've been waiting all summer to see "Apocalypse Now Redux." Week after week they'd roll out the normal crapfest and I'd scan the paper for it, but no luck.

And what came to Austin this week? Absolutely the last movie I'd want to see after a week like this.

*sigh* I'm gonna watch "A Christmas Story."

"Daddy's gonna kill Ralphie!" "Your daddy's not going to kill Ralphie." "Leave me alone...I'm thinking..."
posted by ColdChef at 3:19 PM on September 15, 2001

I saw Apocalypse Now Redux last night. Really, a sobering reminder (as if I needed it) of what we're about to do. No second thoughts here, but feeling a bit more realistic today. I recommend it.
posted by MrMoonPie at 3:24 PM on September 15, 2001

we watched memento the other night. going to watch goodfellas right now ... I really dont like going to the cinema
posted by foxbasealpha at 3:26 PM on September 15, 2001

I saw The Musketeer, which was only enjoyable due to unintentional humor and unfortunate parallels to other, better movies (The Princess Bride, The Wrong Trousers, and the vastly superior 1973 The Three Musketeers). The Salon review said it all: “a useful primer of filmic derring-don’ts.”

It was great to see Apocalypse Now on the big screen again, but I though most of the added material was crap. I own Saving Private Ryan, but I’m reluctant to watch it because I’m afraid we'll be seeing that kind of thing on the news. Seeing Three Kings again would be an interesting reminder of some of the political issues behind this week’s events.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:28 PM on September 15, 2001

Ladies, Ladies, Ladies....Jay and Silent Bob are in the hizouse!!!
posted by rorycberger at 3:30 PM on September 15, 2001

Yeah, a couple scenes from Three Kings kept popping into my head over the past few days, but I've been sticking to Rushmore, over and over again.
posted by jga at 3:33 PM on September 15, 2001

Dr. Dolittle 2 a few nights ago. Very cute and lighthearted; much needed.

The Dish last night. Warm and funny, another good break.

On tap for tonight, His Girl Friday, caught on the ReplayTV. [Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell; dir. Howard Hawks 1940]
posted by sbgrove at 3:34 PM on September 15, 2001

ghost world. i'm all about steve buscemi.
posted by bluishorange at 3:37 PM on September 15, 2001

My girlfriend and I went to see "Bread & Tulips" - it's a beautiful, happy, and uplifting story of love and independence. If you're looking for something to bolster your spirits, this is the film.

It's in Italian, and might be a bit difficult to find at a theater near you. Here in Chicago, it's playing at the Music Box on Southport.
posted by aladfar at 3:39 PM on September 15, 2001

Pulp Fiction rocks.. I've got Episode I lined up next.. With fast forward for the JJB bits :)
posted by Mossy at 3:39 PM on September 15, 2001

About 15 of us went to see Jay and Silent Bob last night.

I did not think about current events once during the movie.

It was a horrible and yet horribly funny movie. My sides ached from laughter and today, I am terribly ashamed for it.
posted by fooljay at 3:39 PM on September 15, 2001

Actually some nice cartoon violence did the trick for me. Coyote/Roadrunner or maybe anime. Boy am I glad that Cartoon Network did not follow suit with HGTV and FoodTV and stop everything Tuesday.
posted by ilsa at 3:44 PM on September 15, 2001

Goodness me. "Ghost World" was a welcome escape... Though the other night I rented "Naked Lunch" and decided right then I never want to get high on bug powder in Tanzania. Though the "Fletch" DVD lightened the mood considerably. Now I want to be an investigative reporter.
posted by crunchybird at 3:45 PM on September 15, 2001

Did'nt see any movies, but we are hitting old reruns of the Simpsons pretty regularly......
posted by bunnyfire at 3:50 PM on September 15, 2001

Made was a good one. Vince Vaughn annoys the hell out of you long enough to make you forget your troubles.

And I have to go with Jay and Silent Bob as well; I saw it before anything happened, but it's shameless self-parody, and there's not a lot of that going around this week.
posted by iamrobotandproud at 3:55 PM on September 15, 2001

I saw Jeepers Creepers last night, did not think once about current events. Although the last half of the movie was... well... odd, the first half was very tense and well-done (maybe because it involved all of the things that scare me on a good day). My friend and I could not believe the end.
posted by elf_baby at 4:07 PM on September 15, 2001

last night: "just visiting" -- a very stupid, very funny movie. i laughed for the first time since tuesday, and it felt good.

tonight: sliding doors. maybe a subconscious choice -- a longing to go back and do things over, to experience the possibility of a different outcome. or maybe i just like gwyneth.
posted by damn yankee at 4:09 PM on September 15, 2001

The night it happened, my girlfriend and I went to get a light movie, so we settled on European Vacation for some good ol' Chevy Chase/80s fun.

Here's the last scene: Chevy Chase is on the plane back to America and trying to find the bathroom. He can't get the bathroom door open, so he throws his shoulder into it.

The door pops open.
It's the cockpit.
He falls onto the pilots.
The plane goes into a nose dive.
Towards Manhattan.
And hits the Statue of Liberty.

The credits rolled.
posted by jragon at 4:14 PM on September 15, 2001

The only thing compelling enough to tear my eyes away from the news for the past few days?

Porn.
posted by hipstertrash at 4:17 PM on September 15, 2001

Rat Race. It's very funny. I haven't laughed that hard in a theater, um, ever. And I didn't think about the WTC once....
posted by fraying at 4:18 PM on September 15, 2001

Saw Ghost World (after 0.81). Could someone who saw it tell what that movie was about?! Of course I laughed while watching, but it was pretty bad. I have no idea how that got the green lights for production, nevermind theaters picking it up.
posted by HoldenCaulfield at 4:23 PM on September 15, 2001

lots of people were renting "blow" from me last night. also got a few "hannibals," and lots of "exit wounds".

i went to put some dvds back on the shelf and saw that "independence day" had been rented.

as for me... i saw "girl, interrupted" on hbo today. seen it before, but it was almost enough to take my mind off things. going to troll the directv listings for movies tonight.
posted by sugarfish at 4:28 PM on September 15, 2001

Poped in the oringinal version of Disney's Parent Trap last night. Good break form TV.
posted by bjgeiger at 4:30 PM on September 15, 2001

Moulin Rouge and A Knights Tale...
posted by feelinglistless at 4:36 PM on September 15, 2001

The only thing compelling enough to tear my eyes away from the news for the past few days?

Porn.

I second that.
posted by HoldenCaulfield at 4:42 PM on September 15, 2001

We went to see AI last night, and let me tell you, it's a sad thing to see that Spielberg used the Twin Towers to symbolize Manhattan two and three thousand years into the future.
posted by animoller at 5:58 PM on September 15, 2001

Somehow D and I just watched the goofy first Pokemon movie which was on pay TV tonight. At the end, with all the tears bringing the boy back to life, I wanted to cry myself. God do I wish the world worked that way right now.
posted by tranquileye at 6:18 PM on September 15, 2001

Er, uh, Deuce Bigalow. I think I'm the only person who not only thinks it's funny but who's seen it more than once. Right on, BarneyFife -- laughing at silly stuff like the "manwhore" really feels good right about now.
posted by jilly at 6:26 PM on September 15, 2001

I went to see Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back for the second time with some friends last night. I didn't think it was worth seeing twice, but I realized I had forgotten a lot of the scenes.

"And when it's all over, you say 'Oh, what a lovely tea party!'"
posted by CrayDrygu at 6:37 PM on September 15, 2001

A couple years ago I walked out of the first American Pie. Couldn't stand it. Thought it juvenile and not a very progressive thing to watch or possibly enjoy enjoying.

I watched the whole thing last night and loved every minute of it!

The problems we once had with the world eh!
posted by crasspastor at 6:37 PM on September 15, 2001

I watched Blow.
And it relieved me from watching
the News.
posted by Kodel at 6:41 PM on September 15, 2001

Oddly enough, the true stories cable channel showed an 80's TV movie, Sword of Gideon, this week. I stayed up half the night watching Mossad agents criss-cross Europe assasinating terrorists involved in the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre of Israeli athletes. An oddly sobbering. At one point the main character visits NYC, and the WTC towers loom in the backround...a strange ominous moment watching the film now.

Last night, I caught part of Viva Knievel!. Who would've thought Gene Kelly, Lauren Hutton, Red Buttons, Dabney Coleman and Leslie Nielsen were in an Evel Knievel movie together? Now that's America!
posted by curiousg at 6:50 PM on September 15, 2001

i watched "independence day" was kinda sick about it, but it did boost confidence in America
posted by sadie01221975 at 6:52 PM on September 15, 2001

I highly recommend both Together and Rock Star. Together is the story of a 'collective household' in mid 70s Sweden. Very funny, very real - a woman and her two children leave an abusive relationship and end up with her brother at his 'collective household'. I would say that chaos ensued except life at the commune was already chaotic. The story grows organically from one character to the next - my girlfriend and I have not stopped talking about it since seeing it last night. There are plenty of great lines in this movie about Legos, Pinochet and Meat.
Rock Star - even with a miscast Jennifer Aniston this was still a good mindless movie. Wahlberg was great and the music was as good as butt rock gets.
posted by TomSophieIvy at 7:10 PM on September 15, 2001

Also saw Solaris and The Mirror on TCM--the latter pretty accessible for Tarkovsky, very sweet. Rented The Tailor of Panama yesterday and it's a bit shaggy but Brosnan and Rush have a good time together and the first 45 mins. are snappy and fun. Brosnan makes a great creep. Kind of an anti-action/spy thriller, which seems appropriate in retrospect.
posted by aflakete at 7:44 PM on September 15, 2001

Got a copy of Princess Bride on DVD recently, and I saw Mallrats again last night.
posted by riffola at 8:06 PM on September 15, 2001

Hedwig and the Angry Inch - the best film in theatres right now (though probably only in art houses.)
posted by sixdifferentways at 9:47 PM on September 15, 2001

I rented Duets. Look, I know, it stank, but if you can watch Huey Lewis sing "this is not a one-night sta-and" to Gweneth Paltrow — who is playing his daughter — and not cheer right up, then you are made of sterner and sadder stuff than I.
posted by nicwolff at 12:04 AM on September 16, 2001

Haven't seen anything since 13 DAYS ....the day before YIKES
posted by johnny7 at 5:10 AM on September 16, 2001

Drunken Master is a much better Jackie Chan for comfort.... nothing blows up, and there is almost no gun play. And drunken boxing is great! Many of the old Jackie movies are horrible-- Miracles, Supercop, etc but Drunken Master has a plot and lots and lots of amazing fighting by a remarkably young Jackie. We watched it the night before last and it was perfect.
posted by christina at 9:19 AM on September 16, 2001

I watched 'Rat Race' last week.
posted by jetgrrl at 7:15 PM on September 16, 2001

Diamond Men. Who would have guessed that Donnie Wahlberg could be so good?
posted by jennak at 10:49 AM on September 17, 2001