Connery’s and Moore’s, do you mean? If so, then I think you will find a couple of good films in his canon, even if I don’t think his era was among the best. His and Brosnan’s were the weakest, in my opinion.
I’ve never seen a James Bond movie. What makes them so great?
We’ll, I didn’t say they’re “so great”. In my opinion, they aren’t.
But it’s undeniably a film phenomenon. A series of 23 films, spawning for 50 years, and still going, is something quite amazing.
I actually kind of wanted to see this film!
A big part of it is that James Bond, the character in the books and films, have made such a grand impression in modern Western culture. Like a Luke Skywalker or Sherlock Holmes or Indiana Jones.
I totes agree! I’m crossing my fingers that it’s one of the films that we’ll see in my Film Appreciation class this Spring. I’d be interested in whatever lecture my professor would prepare for it.
Like TDIT, I too saw Rise of the Guardians. I was pleasantly surprised. I adored it artistically, but the film did leave something to be desired. I’ll write more about it in its respective thread.
Spirit: Gaaahhh, I meant Moore! 
If you were referring to Moore’s era not being among the best, then yeah, I agree. I find him the goofy, “fat” Bond, although he’s still got some charm.
theoutsider: Haha, you gotta watch one to find out! But I’ll tell ya: If you like escapist adventures, beautiful women, diabolical villains, fast cars, and cool gadgets, then you’ll love Bond films! Plus, they take you to exotic locations and are time capsules of the prevailing fears during the periods when they were made.
Yeah, I meant the Moore era. I don’t dislike it because of him, but the films that weredone during that time were mostly bland, tough there are a couple of good ones too.
Today I watched one of favourite comedies: To Be or Not to Be starring Jack Benny and Carol Lombard from 1942. Great satire, and my favourite of Benny’s films.
I really want to watch Roman Holiday, but I can’t find it anywhere. 
Life is Beautiful: This is a very good film. The chemistry between Benigni and Braschi, who is Benigni’s real-life wife, is excellent. The cinematography, the direction, and the pacing are all nicely done, except for this one scene where [spoil]Guido gets lost at a concentration camp (which isn’t big) and stumbles across a pile of decaying bodies that have been in the gas showers.[/spoil] It’s quite a jarring scene that doesn’t really fit in well with the rest of the film.
The movie has been criticized for being an exercise in Holocaust revisionism. This fantasy Benigni creates is done primarily to enable us to laugh at one of the most terrible atrocities to happen in history. You have to give the film credit though to address a heavy subject like this in the manner done here, which is a lighthearted tone. That’s a big risk, and it pays off well for the most part. A
Roman Holiday is awesome, Leirin. It makes me laugh a lot.
And I agree with most of what you say, Ballboi, except that I don’t think the scene you mention is out of place.
Bummer. Keep an eye for it on TCM, the station most likely to play Audrey Hepburn films.
I watched M last night. While I did enjoy it, and thought how it was filmed was very clever and provided a great commentary on human nature, I thought it was overrated. It was great, but I’ve heard roaring reviews about it, and I didn’t think it was over the top fantastic. But I stilled liked it.
I think the most glaring problems with M were on the sound department. But I do think it’s a great film.
Looper: Great concept, executed well and overall a very enjoyable film! I’d definitely recommend it. 7.5/10.
^I actually really liked Looper too, I was pleasantly surprised.
Yeah, I think it’s a great film too, but I guess I was told a lot of hype about it before seeing it. I like Metropolis better.
Yes, I also think Metropolis is the best Fritz Lang.
I also recommend his later noirs, like Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.
^Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll have to see it then!
J. Edgar: I kind of liked this film, but it felt like a big mess to me. DiCaprio’s performance carries the film, but I feel was a great film trying to get out amidst all the clutter. It works best as a biopic centering on the personal life of Hoover, but unfortunately there are simply too many weird edits cutting to either present time, the kidnapping, or the development of the FBI in general. A better film would of resulted if the film focused on the personal life, but was complemented by the other subjects. Instead, it was really uneven and broke up its own momentum countless times. Clyde’s makeup job was absolutely brutal. He looked like something out of an 80’s monster film. C+
ParaNorman: It has some of the same problems that were present in Coraline. The plot is somewhat randomly constructed and it doesn’t really come together at the film’s climax. It keeps the same visual appeal and sense of wonder. It’s quite brave in the way that it confronts themes of death and bullying head-on, and it never uses its jokes to undermine those themes. It’s one of the best animated films from last year. A-
One of my favourite actors, Bruce Willis, and newcomer of 2012 James Gordon-Levitt in the best time-travel movie since The Terminator (and maybe Back To The Future).
I wouldn’t say JGL is a newcomer this year.
He’s been enjoying some time of well deserved fame.
Super 8: On re-watch I still believe this film is somewhat overrated. It’s not bad, but I don’t find it great either. The effects are good, but feel overdone at times (to me).