What are the best films you have seen this year? Why did you like them so much?

I agree. Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence are the best actresses out there in my opinion and did you catch Louis CK as Bradley Cooper's boss? Brilliant, as was Renner as the mayor .
Deserved The Golden Globes award as best movie.

I thought Louie CK was great, his exasperation over the operation was epic. I agree Amy Adams and Jennifer Laurence were fantastic. You have to give Christian Bale props as well, I was halfway thru the movie before I recognized him.

STAR-TREK: Modern Man in Search of A Soul1

You can read about the documentary Star-Trek: The True Story, at the following link. This doco was originally televised in the US on the Discovery Channel on 5 January 2013. Go to:http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_True_Story. I will not give you, therefore, the details of this program that I watched last night,2 as my cocktail of anti-psychotic and anti-depressant medication began to take effect and produce its sleepy-euphoric state. I have enjoyed many of the Star-Trek episodes over the years since its inception in 1964 when I was a student at university in a four-year honours history and philosophy course in Ontario Canada.1 -Ron Price with thanks to: 1 Carl Jung, 1933, and 2 ABC TV, 10:55 to 11:40 p.m. 28 July 2013.

The Star Trek franchise created by Roddenberry has produced story material for five decades, all of my adult-life. It resulted in six television series consisting of 726 episodes, and twelve feature films. The popularity of the Star Trek universe and films inspired the parody, homage, and cult film Galaxy Quest in 1999 which was released as I was retiring from a 50 year student-working life: 1949-1999. Star-Trek also inspired many books, video games and fan films set in the various "eras" of the Star Trek universe which readers can read about in detail at Wikipedia.

I watched many episodes of Star-Trek
back in the 1980s and 1990s while my
son was growing-up….I never became
the enthusiast both he and his mother,
my wife, were and still are, as this TV
series continues its life beyond its first
5 decades toward the century ‘64-2064.

I found it interesting, somewhat surprising,
to hear about Roddenbery’s shortcomings
and failings as a human being. So often we
know so little about the real person in life,
even if they run-the-gauntlet of the TV in-
depth interview. Perhaps that is why Freud
said a true biography can never be written.

Still, writers will keep trying to unearth the
inside story of some human being. And so
it is that biographies and autobiographies
will continue on their merry-way into the
future as we try to understand ourselves!!1

1 “A man like me,” wrote Freud, “cannot live without a hobby-horse, a consuming passion,” in Schiller's words---a tyrant.”Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller(1759-1805) was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. “I have found my tyrant,” continued Freud,“and in his service I know no limits. My tyrant is psychology. It has always been my distant, beckoning goal and now… it has come so much the nearer.”

Perhaps sci-fi was Roddenberry’s ‘tyrant’. I certainly know mine, a tyrant which I slowly became accustomed to in the 1950s and 1960s before working within its administrative Order from the far north of Canada to the far-south of Tasmania.

1.1 “The life-work of Freud had been devoted to understanding as fully as possible the world of man’s soul.To Freud psyche and soul were the same, conscious and unconscious mental life. Psychoanalysis is the science of the soul.”--Erich Fromm, The Art of Listening, Constable, London, 1994, p.75.

1.2 Dreams are the result of the activity of our own soul. -Sigmund Freud in Freud and Man’s Soul, Bruno Bettleheim, A.A. Knopf, NY, 1983, p.71. The goal of psychanalysis is to integrate the emotional life and the intellectual life. idem. Your unconsciousness is your companion. Persona is a protection. In my case, my dreams seem to be the result of my medications.

1.3 “I am actually not at all a man of science, not an observer, not an experimenter, not a thinker. I am by temperament nothing but a conquistador, an adventurer, if you want it translated, with all the curiosity, daring, and tenacity characteristic of a man of this sort.”–Freud in a Letter to Wilhelm Fliess, Feb. 1, 1900. The Complete Letters of Sigmund Freud to Wilhelm Fliess 1887-1904 (1985).

1.4 “The voice of the intellect is a soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing. Ultimately, after endlessly repeated rebuffs, it succeeds. This is one of the few points in which it may be optimistic about the future of mankind, but in itself it signifies not a little.”

Ron Price
29/7/’13

Saw this Coen brothers movie recently and though I found it fascinating for its musical history, a lot of viewers who aren't familiar with the Greenwich Village music scene in the early 60's would be at a loss.

Although the protagonist is loosely based on the real folkie Dave Van Ronk, they are very unalike.
Llewyn is a shallow, selfish self-absorbed folk singer(with a beautiful voice and a smooth guitar style) whose reluctance to be loyal to anybody eventually leaves him looking in as Bob Dylan takes over the folk world.

The musical production overseen by T Bone Burnett is superb as usual(He did a similar job on Brother Where Art Thou )

In the end, there's not much to the lead character, not much to like, not much to root for. If you're ok with not being led by the Hollywood hand...you'll enjoy this.

was interested in this when I heard a little bit about it on "Fresh Air". Glad we got one of our own to review it. Gonna get it as a stream

YI noticed the pants worn by all the men in "Her." The movie is supposed to take place in the near future. I really don't look forward to seeing men in those.

I thought MUD was good; American Hustle good, Her - the best.

What was it about Her you liked?

The acting in Her was incredible. The chemistry between Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson was perfect. The science fiction side of things was subtle and didn't overwhelm the intimate story.

I thought Jonze was going to take the story in all sorts of wild and dangerous directions but he resisted that Hollywood urge.

If one thing Spike Jonze isn't ... , he isn't a typical Hollywood director.

Yup

This was a nice sleeper hit for me, too.

Michael.... Caine. Michael... Caine.

a lot of talk is being made about American hustle, yeah yeah
but I liked wolf of wall street a lot better

Recent popular films I've seen, Oscarwise or otherwise. In order of preference:

"Her" is the most intelligent film I have seen in years.
"Gravity" is amazing, the joy of going to the cinema revitalized. Weak script, though.
"Blue Jasmine" is one of the better Allen films, and that means it's good, funny and deep. Great acting.
"12 Years a Slave" is very strong, hits the guts. I don't understand why African-Americans seem to consider healthy to pour acid into the old open wound, but I guess it may be my problem, not theirs.
"The Wolf of Wall Street" is an excessive film about American excesses. Excessively excessive, to my taste.

Good news! There is a sequel!
The Trip to Italy (2014)!!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2967006/combined
Though no release dates yet!

This is the only one I mildly disagree with you on. I was pretty disappointed by how not funny it was.


It's the nature of our current class system here in the US. The movie is supposed to be a massive kick in the head. Not really meant to be enjoyed.


You definitely understand what Scorsese was going for then. The film made me want to jump in an hour long hot shower. Felt so disgusted afterwards. Not a likable character in the lot. Still very surprisingly watchable.

Thanks for the rundown fb. I love reading opinions about films I want to see.

The Butler. I'll leave it to the usual suspects to say I liked it because of white guilt. It was superbly acted, directed and operated successfully on more than one level.

I watched 'U-Turn' (1997) on Brit TV the other day and it blew my socks off..
Sean Penn is stranded in a small Arizona town full of oddball characters when his car breaks down. Nick Nolte co-stars, and Jon Voight and Joaquim Phoenix have support roles.
It's not a comedy but has the same kind of refreshing quirkiness that 'Inglorious Basterds' has.

I'll take your recommendation...and see it.