Thread: Movie thread Board: Heaven / Ship of Fools.


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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
I decided not to put a year on this, since there's only a month left in 2016, but putting 2017 wouldn't have seemed proper.

Tonight I watched the original Total Recall for what I think was the first time beginning to end. It was entertaining enough, but I'd say "Give the people air" can be chalked up as another iconic line which, in addition to being misquoted(most water-cooler mimics add a definite article to "air"), seems not to have ever been intended as significant in the first place. Schwarzenegger delivers the line as part of a back and forth conversation, with no particular fanfare or urgency. The way people rendered it, I always thought it was delivered as a thundering ultimatum during a climactic scene.

"Consider that a divorce" seems to have been intended as comedically significant, though is different from how it usually gets quoted, which is "Consider it a divorce".
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Actually, looking at the clip again on You Tube, it's kinda hard to tell whether he says "it" or "that".
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
This evening I have watched The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel again - it really is a great movie: lighthearted, funny, poignant at times. Great entertainment.
 

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Posted by Teekeey Misha (# 18604) on :
 
An hotel theme perhaps develops..?

Last night I re-watched The Grand Budapest Hotel. I watch it every few months, partly because I think it amusing - not fall-down-laughing-out-loud-hysterically-hilariously-rib-achingly funny, but amusing. I also find it a beautiful film (aesthetically rather than morally) - I find the whole style of the piece is appealing. Like the other hotel movie mentioned, it's lighthearted, funny, poignant at times. I'm not sure it would (or should) ever rank among the "greats", but I find it a lovely film and it cheers me up.

My next re-viewing will probably be Edward Scissorhands, which I also think is lovely for all the reasons attributed to GBH above.
 

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Posted by Bene Gesserit (# 14718) on :
 
I've not seen SBEMH, but loved the first one - I'm always afraid that sequels just won't live up to the originals/firsts.

My Other Half and I were thrilled to discover today (oh, this is a fortuitous rebirth of a thread! Stetson) that Studio Ghibli are working on a new full-length film, Kemushi no Boro (Boro the Caterpillar).
 

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Posted by Latchkey Kid (# 12444) on :
 
Our local film club showed Pillow Talk last night. Interesting more for looking out for lines from/about "heart throb" Rock Hudson where the significance would not be understood until it came out at the end of his life that he was gay. Doris Day never married either, but I do not know about her orientation.

Actually, Pillow Talk was a replacement for The God's must be Crazy, which for some distribution reasons could not be shown. It was a cult classic in Brisbane and prevented the closure of (The Crystal) cinema for several years. I would have preferred that film.
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Bene Gesserit:
I've not seen SBEMH, but loved the first one - I'm always afraid that sequels just won't live up to the originals/firsts...

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quote:

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Originally posted by Latchkey Kid:
Doris Day never married either, but I do not know about her orientation.

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Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
Whereas Addams Family Values is a sequel that far surpasses the original.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Stetson:
The Purge: Election Year

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quote:

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Originally posted by Teekeey Misha:

quote:

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Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
Whereas Addams Family Values is a sequel that far surpasses the original.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Stetson:
The Purge: Election Year

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I'd put the Purge into Woderick's "surpass the original" bracket. I thought The Purge was ok - interesting concept but a bit *meh*, but I thought The Purge: Anarchy much better; far more easy to engage with and quite exciting. I look forward to seeing number 3.

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Originally posted by Sir Kevin:
Sully was quite the tour-de-force: I found myself on the edge of tears ver non-existent love ones.

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Originally posted by bib:
I tend to only watch films on tv because I can't stand the stink of the popcorn most people consume in vast quantities in the cinema.

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I tend to only watch films on tv because I can't stand the talking, the cell phones, and the crunching (rather than the smell) of the popcorn.
 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
There are some films that really must be seen on a huge screen. I saw Interstellar on a six-story high Imax screen in 3-D, and also Dr. Strange. There is no way you can get the impact of films like that on a small screen.
The current trend in the US is high-end food in movie theaters -- beer, gourmet hot dogs and so on. There are even theaters with waiter service.
 

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Posted by Athrawes (# 9594) on :
 
Not if you have vertigo! I saw about half of Dr Strange at our local cinema - the other half was spent with my eyes closed, trying to recover from the dizzy spells! Loved the movie, but it is definitely the small screen for me.
 

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Posted by Trudy Scrumptious (# 5647) on :
 
I find my 2D glasses are a nice fix for when my husband and daughter really want to see a film in 3D and I want to go with them without being assaulted by things flying out of the screen towards me. Real life is already in 3d; isn't that bad enough?
 

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Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
Daughter-Unit took me to see Dr. Strange yesterday. I really enjoyed it, but warned some of my friends who suffer from vertigo that it would not be a good movie for them to see.

Thursday, I will be going with D-U and her dear hubby to see Rogue One!!!!! Yay!
 

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Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Latchkey Kid:
Our local film club showed Pillow Talk last night. Interesting more for looking out for lines from/about "heart throb" Rock Hudson where the significance would not be understood until it came out at the end of his life that he was gay.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
We just came back from seeing Arrival. A truly intelligent science fiction film, excellently put together and magnificently acted. For once, the special effects take a back seat to intelligence, hard work and concept. It's been years since I've seen a movie so well put together.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Twilight:
Turner Classic Movies is really getting started on its Christmas films today with "Holiday Affair," at noon. Robert Mitchum in a romantic comedy is a rare treat.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Trudy Scrumptious:
I find my 2D glasses are a nice fix for when my husband and daughter really want to see a film in 3D.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
It also magnificently passes the Bechdel test. And deeply romantic. The bravery of the heroine amazes me -- she is more courageous than the hunky Ian.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Latchkey Kid:
Does anyone have recommendations for Christmas movies. I will probably take another look at A Christmas Without Snow and I still like the short A Charlie Brown Christmas for the kids. Our film club regularly precedes the December film with the Tom and Jerry Christmas short.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Teekeey Misha:

quote:

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Originally posted by Trudy Scrumptious:
I find my 2D glasses are a nice fix for when my husband and daughter really want to see a film in 3D.

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I can't see 3D films at all*. If I wear 3D specs, I just see an uncomfortable double image (whether I have my normal specs on or not.) Don't know why.

*ETA I don't mean I can't see them at all - obviously I can see the film, hence why it's a double image. I just can't see the 3D effect!

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One explanation A quick and dirty test.
 

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Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
I just saw Rogue One with Daughter-Unit and her Dear Hubby.

I don't think I'm giving away any spoilers here.

The story was good, but confusing sometimes. I guess I'll just have to go again to catch those details I missed tonight! There were some pretty funny lines (you must be kidding), and the obligatory "I've got a bad feeling about this", and some old (very old!) friends and enemies included.

We, of course, have space battles with X-wings and B-wings against TIE fighters and star destroyers. (I really liked the X-wing flying better in The Force Awakens, however!)

The very end of the film had a moment of cheers and clapping, along with loud comments of "How did they do that?" which was pretty fun.

It was quite a romp, and this Star Wars fan had a great time tonight!

Hmmm, I was in my early twenties when the very first film came out. It wasn't called A New Hope then, you know! I think it was Star Wars from the Adventures of Luke Skywalker, but then again, there's always the possibility that my memory isn't what it used to be!

[Should have preview posted three times!]

[ 16. December 2016, 03:05: Message edited by: jedijudy ]
 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
I too saw it tonight, courtesy of a friend who had an extra pair of tickets! I am writing a review over on my blog, and if there is interest I can post a link.
 

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Posted by Eigon (# 4917) on :
 
I'm hoping Rogue One will be on at our local cinema, though they tend to quite arty films with the occasional crowd pleaser (I saw The Hobbit and Ghostbusters there, and also a live streamed stage production of Jane Eyre, which was awesome, and much more the usual thing they put on there).
In the meantime, thanks to the local Co-op, I caught up with the Marvel Universe Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War.
I enjoyed both of them, but when the national governments of the world were talking about the need for oversight of the Avengers, I did wonder why nobody mentioned the fact that the Council that was in charge during the Chitauri invasion was prepared to nuke New York, which would have caused rather more damage than the Avengers did.
It was nice to see a glimpse of Wakanda and Black Panther, too. I even liked Scarlet Witch, and I didn't think I was going to (not sure why).
For the record, I'm definately Team Cap on this one, though I can see Tony Stark's point of view.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
FINALLY got around to watching Cruising(on YouTube), 36 years after it was released, and 30 after I became old enough to see it legally.

I guess I can kinda see why gay activists didn't like the film, since it was made at a time when anti-gay bigotry was still pretty widespread and acceptable(worse than now, trust me, kids), and it basically portrays every gay character as a popper-snorting, sexually promiscuous S/M leather dude, with of course a deranged serial killer thrown in.

Granted, the leather scene might have had its upsides as well but probably wasn't quite the image that the gay rights movement wanted to project to the viewing public in 1980.

Overall, a pretty servicabe thriller, exploring a side of society not usually given front-and-centre cinematic treatment, and even less so in the era when it was made.
 

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Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
Daughter-Unit and I went to see Collateral Beauty yesterday.

It started pretty slowly, and one of the dynamic points of the film was pretty well telegraphed from the beginning. There was a second huge point that I didn't catch on to until just before it appeared on the screen. Not giving any spoilers here!

All in all, it was a very good movie. I had tears rolling down my face several times because I was sucked into the story so strongly.

I recommend this for anyone needing a good cry.
 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
We went to see Arrival, which was excellent -- a true science fiction movie. Highly intelligent, and far better than Rogue One.
 

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Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
I saw Manchester by the Sea this weekend. It is beautifully filmed, and dramatic without being melodramatic. The characters are sympathetic even if at times when you want to shake them and say, "Listen to each other, fell for each other fer gosh sake!" I think this movie will get a boatload of nominations.
 

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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by jedijudy:

Hmmm, I was in my early twenties when the very first film came out. It wasn't called A New Hope then, you know! I think it was Star Wars from the Adventures of Luke Skywalker, but then again, there's always the possibility that my memory isn't what it used to be!

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quote:

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The film was titled Adventures of Luke Starkiller, as taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars. During production, Lucas changed Luke's name to Skywalker and altered the title to simply The Star Wars and finally Star Wars

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Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
We went to see Arrival, which was excellent -- a true science fiction movie. Highly intelligent, and far better than Rogue One.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Latchkey Kid:

quote:

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Originally posted by Twilight:
Turner Classic Movies is really getting started on its Christmas films today with "Holiday Affair," at noon. Robert Mitchum in a romantic comedy is a rare treat.

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I don't know this one and will look out for it.

Does anyone have recommendations for Christmas movies. I will probably take another look at A Christmas Without Snow and I still like the short A Charlie Brown Christmas for the kids. Our film club regularly precedes the December film with the Tom and Jerry Christmas short.

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A Christmas film I always watch for (and usually fail to find
) is 'Come to the Stable'. Made I believe around 1948, it stars Loretta Young and Celeste Holm as French nuns who come to the US to re-found their monastery destroyed in WW2. It's a fairly complicated plot/sub-plot combo, but made with great charm (in B&W).
 

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Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
I have seen both Arrival and Sully in the last week and concur absolutely with the posts above.

Arrival was intelligent and thought provoking. It took a different angle on the multiple first contact question, no massive spaceships appearing simultaneously over our major cities provoking screaming crowds, panicking drivers and spectacular crashes. Also a much more believable take on first contact . . . . simply how do we communicate at all?

I saw Sully yesterday and came out smiling and uplifted. An optimistic and life affirming film. Sometimes we humans get it right .... and sometimes, as the Doctor once said ... "Everybody lives!"
 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
IMO you need put no worry into it. There will never be a sequel to Arrival. Although you might enjoy seeking out the novella it was based on, by Ted Chiang. It was titled "The Story of My Life," which the movie people rightly rejected as a title unlikely to attract the right audience to the film.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Demolition.

You can pretty much guess what it's gonna be like via the plot synopses on IMDB. Sort of like if Fight Club were re-envisioned by Andrew Payne, with a Magic Pixie Dream Girl thrown in. Well, actually, a Magic Pixie mother-son tag-team.

I'd give it about a 6/10, and that's mostly because I generally like that sort of film, however predictable this one may be. If you're a fellow fan, you might wanna check it out, but don't expect to be blown by the originality.

[ 23. December 2016, 15:24: Message edited by: Stetson ]
 

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Posted by Pancho (# 13533) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Twilight:
Turner Classic Movies is really getting started on its Christmas films today with "Holiday Affair," at noon. Robert Mitchum in a romantic comedy is a rare treat.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Pancho:

quote:

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Originally posted by Twilight:
Turner Classic Movies is really getting started on its Christmas films today with "Holiday Affair," at noon. Robert Mitchum in a romantic comedy is a rare treat.

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It's a good movie, worth watching. Robert Mitchum could do romantic comedy. He and Janet Leigh had good chemistry.

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You know, Pancho, I watched it again last night and decided that, for my taste, I would choose Carl (Wendell Corey.) His dry wit and good nature through the whole thing made me ready to volunteer to be his "frowzy blonde."
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Phil Spector.

Not so much about his trials(he had two, but the film only shows a tiny sliver of the first, and none of the second), but about his relationship with his high-powered defense lawyer. Al Pacino and Helen Mirren play the leads.

Basically, about as much insight and entertainment as you can milk from an inconsequential celebrity trial involving a figure whose profile is long past it's best-before date. The script actually seems to acknowedge the questionable relevance of Phil Spector, in one memorable scene involving Mirren and one of her flunkies, right near the beginning.

Pretty solid performances from Mirren and especially Pacino, though it could be said that they're both just giving the umpteenth renditions of their trademark personas(yes, Al has a yelling monologue). But this might just be one of the times when phoning it in really can work.

Since Phil Spector was never much of a public figure to begin with, it's hard to know what to make of Pacino's interpretation, save to say that he comes off as highly eccentric but rather likable. I kind of wanted him to be innocent, to be perfectly honest(though given his past history, I kind of doubt that he was).
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
And hey, if THIS doesn't whet your appetite...

[ 15. January 2017, 15:24: Message edited by: Stetson ]
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Oh, and the other night, I watched We're The Millers, about a drug dealer who recruits three unrelated social-misfits to impersonate his wife and kids for a smuggling operation.

Somewhat disappointing, in that it started off looking like it might be sort of a slacker/stoner film, but ended up being more of a raucnhy bromance, minus the "bro" part. Nothing against bromances, but I'd rather watch a slacker flick, and that's where it seemed to be going in the first fifteen minutes or so, before all the cheap sex and ethnic jokes kicked in.

A few well-exectuted scenes and characterizations, nevertheless. If you liked the Hangover series, and you're in the mood, this might be worth a look.
 

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Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :
 
OMG, Stetson, have you seen "Maggie's Plan"?

Synopsis: Greta Gerwig gets involved with a married man (Ethan Hawke),then three years later falls out of love with him and tries to hand him back to his ex wife (Julianne Moore, rocking a painfully phony German accent. But hey, it's a comedy )

I thought of this because of your just professed love of slacker films and this one is like Jim Jarmusch meets Woody Allen. And I love Greta Gerwig. She is such an adorable schlemiel.

Anyhow, it really has that old school golden era of indie film feel, complete with ska soundtrack.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Thanks for the recom. I'll keep a lookout.
 

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Posted by Nicolemr (# 28) on :
 
Finally got a chance to see Rogue One yesterday. Excellent movie, I enjoyed it immensely. The CGI was amazing.
 

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Posted by Mamacita (# 3659) on :
 

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Originally posted by lilBuddha:

Moana is typical of PIXAR/Disney in all the good ways. Beautifully animated, well acted and solid story.

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Originally posted by Mamacita:
This weekend I saw "Hidden Figures" and I can't recommend it strongly enough.

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Originally posted by jedijudy:

quote:

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Originally posted by Mamacita:
This weekend I saw "Hidden Figures" and I can't recommend it strongly enough.

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Daughter-Unit and I saw it Saturday and feel the same as Mamacita. Hidden Figures was one of the best movies I've ever seen.

It's shocking to be aware of how recently people were treated so unequally. Being forced to use the bathroom that's a half mile away because there were no "colored" bathrooms anywhere except that one building is enough to get my blood boiling!

See this movie. It is beyond good!

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Originally posted by Eigon:
Some time ago, someone told me I should look out for the TV series The Librarians, and I finally got round to getting the first season on DVD.
It was so much fun I immediately sent off for the three TV films, starring Noah Wyle, which had preceded the series.
The premise is that there is a magical Library, underneath the New York Metropolitan Library, which collects and makes safe magical artefacts. In the first film the Serpent Brotherhood are looking for the scattered pieces of the Spear of Longinus, in the usual quest for world domination, and only the new, clueless, Librarian and his Guardian can stop them. It's part Indiana Jones and part Doctor Who (without the time travel but with a main character who solves problems by cleverness rather than shooting at stuff). Great escapism, and the TV series is fun as well.

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Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
I saw La La Land and enjoyed it very much. A true original movie musical that isn't animated -- those are rare. Emma Stone is luminous, truly beautiful in it.

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Originally posted by leo:
The Grand Budapest Hotel a parable about the fading glories of Europe.

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Originally posted by leo:
The Cider House Rules about how abortion can help people.

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This is a good film. I run a semi-regular film club at church, and this is one of the films I'm showing in Lent, to illustrate choices between good & evil, not-so-good & not-so-evil, and shades in between. Not convinced by Michael Caine's American accent though
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Snowden.

Pretty much what I could have expected, having recently read the book. Fairly standard bio-pic, with only the occassional flash of the patented Oliver Stone style. More Wall Street than Natural Born Killers.

As someone who holds to the idea that Snowden acted out of moral impulse, my own views align with those taken by the film, so not much to take issue with there. Some of the technical stuff was a little above my head, as is usually the case with stuff like this.
 

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Posted by Mr Clingford (# 7961) on :
 

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Originally posted by Stetson:
Snowden.
...

As someone who holds to the idea that Snowden acted out of moral impulse, my own views align with those taken by the film, so not much to take issue with there.....

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quote:

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Originally posted by Mr Clingford:

quote:

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Originally posted by Stetson:
Snowden.
...

As someone who holds to the idea that Snowden acted out of moral impulse, my own views align with those taken by the film, so not much to take issue with there.....

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Have you seen his interview with John Oliver? He comes across as having tried to make a right moral choice.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Mr Clingford:

quote:

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Originally posted by leo:
The Grand Budapest Hotel a parable about the fading glories of Europe.

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And really rather a funny film with a great cast.

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Originally posted by jedijudy:

quote:

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Originally posted by Mamacita:
This weekend I saw "Hidden Figures" and I can't recommend it strongly enough.

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Daughter-Unit and I saw it Saturday and feel the same as Mamacita. Hidden Figures was one of the best movies I've ever seen.

It's shocking to be aware of how recently people were treated so unequally. Being forced to use the bathroom that's a half mile away because there were no "colored" bathrooms anywhere except that one building is enough to get my blood boiling!

See this movie. It is beyond good!

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Originally posted by Latchkey Kid:
Escaped the 40C+ weather last week to see Lion in an air-conditioned cinema. An amazing true story. At least I think it is pretty faithful to the story.

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Originally posted by Trudy Scrumptious:
[QUOTE].... I'm also reading the book on which the movie was based now, to get more of the story (I usually want to do that when I watch "based on a true story" movies).

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Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
We went with a family with a 6-year-old to see Lego Batman. It was fun, especially if you know a great deal about the comic book character. But not a tour-de-force like the first Lego movie, which was spectacular.

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Originally posted by ArachnidinElmet:
I saw Logan last night. It really is very good; it's unlike any of the other Marvel films and, I suspect, what DC would like their films to look like.

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Be warned, it's extremely violent, though in a believable way. I find violence with real consequences infinitely preferable to the many films where the characters are beating the crap out of each other without leaving bruises or taking out unwitting police officers.

The actor playing the girl, Laura, stands up against Stewart and Jackman and there's an unexpected and non-comedic turn by Stephen Merchant.

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quote:

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Originally posted by lilBuddha:

quote:

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Originally posted by ArachnidinElmet:
I saw Logan last night. It really is very good; it's unlike any of the other Marvel films and, I suspect, what DC would like their films to look like.

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They need to hire, and listen to, writers more than they need fancy directors. Seriously. This is why PIXAR was kicking Disney's arse until they merged. Story is king.

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You're not wrong. That would explain why the most logical and consistent superhero film is The Incredibles.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Indignation.

Based on a Philip Roth novel about a young, New York-area Jewish man attending college in smalltown Ohio in the early 1950s.

If it's not too much of a SPOILER...

One thing I liked about the film is that after the first ten minutes, you pretty much know how it's all gonna end up, and so you can have fun ticking off the list of things that the main character does to make that eventuality come true.

[ 18. March 2017, 14:39: Message edited by: Stetson ]
 

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Posted by Mr Clingford (# 7961) on :
 
Get Out.

A young white woman takes her black boyfriend to meet her family for the first time, and they don't know he's black.

Best seen knowing as little as possible.

It was great. Thrilling, scary, funny. Well performed. Both my wife and I enjoyed it.
 

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Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
I went to see "A United Kingdom" where a black man brings his white wife home to Africa and his relatives and the highest level of the British government tells them to "Get out!"
 

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Posted by Mr Clingford (# 7961) on :
 

 

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Posted by Al Eluia (# 864) on :
 

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Originally posted by Bene Gesserit:
We watched Doctor Strange yesterday, and loved every moment. It's certainly different from other Marvel films.

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Originally posted by Mere Nick:
My wife and I were invited by a group to see The Shack. We have heard from some folks that the book was good and that's about all we knew about it. We found it far more intense than we expected.

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Originally posted by Mr Clingford:

quote:

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Originally posted by Mere Nick:
My wife and I were invited by a group to see The Shack. We have heard from some folks that the book was good and that's about all we knew about it. We found it far more intense than we expected.

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Was the film good/ bad? How?

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Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
OMG, Stetson, have you seen "Maggie's Plan"?

Synopsis: Greta Gerwig gets involved with a married man (Ethan Hawke),then three years later falls out of love with him and tries to hand him back to his ex wife (Julianne Moore, rocking a painfully phony German accent. But hey, it's a comedy )

I thought of this because of your just professed love of slacker films and this one is like Jim Jarmusch meets Woody Allen. And I love Greta Gerwig. She is such an adorable schlemiel.

Anyhow, it really has that old school golden era of indie film feel, complete with ska soundtrack.

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• I am not in charge.
• I am not the judge of anyone.

Not a bad takeaway from a movie, I would say.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
The Founder. Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, long-time CEO of McDonalds.

Manages to transcend the usual parameters of the quickie biopic, ending up as a lightly cynical takedown of the rags-to-riches mythos. You can think of it as another entrant into the Dark Side Of The American Dream genre, but not caustic enough to deeply offend any true believers who happen to have wandered into the theatre.

Interesting that in the "Where They All Ended Up" section at the end, it it stated that Kroc's last wife donated a lot of money to National Public Radio. NPR being the sort of thing generally beloved by people who would agree with the script's negative assessment of dog-eat-dog capitalism.

[ 23. April 2017, 09:31: Message edited by: Stetson ]
 

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Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
The Imitation Game about how Alan Turing saved us from an extra 2 years of war.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Jersey Boys.

Clint Eastwood-directed biopic about the Four Seasons. Made me remember that I never really liked most of their songs. That lead singer's falsetto kinda grates on my nerves.

But interesting as kind of a light-gangster flick. Those guys were apparently mixed up with the mob, largely via the legal and financial problems of one of their members. That aspect kept the story going at a tolerable pace.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Nocturnal Animals.

Story-within-a-story plot about a woman reading her ex-husband's violent-crime manuscript, and her reaction to it.

As is often the case with dual-narratives or stories-within-stories, you get the impression that neither plot line would be interesting on its own(even though one of them is supposed to be a stand-alone novel), but the writers figured that putting them together would somehow redeem the banality of both.

As well, the overall effect works by that annoying trick(which Hitchcock once publicaly criticized) of with-holding information from the viewer that is available to the characters. We KNOW there must be a reason why the woman seems so disturbed by her husband's otherwise generic crime writing, something related to her past, but since she is never shown talking about it, we have to spend the whole film wondering what it might be. Until the script makes the arbitrary decision to show it to us in a flashback near the end.

Those complaints aside, if you are willing to accept the manipulative nature of the set-up, it's a fairly entertaining, and at times rather eerie, ride. Probably most effective when it veers into horror territory a few times.

[ 15. May 2017, 16:10: Message edited by: Stetson ]
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Get Out.

I'd say it's the best horror-film I've seen in years, but that would be from the perspective of someone who more-or-less gave up on the genre a long time ago. But even with that caveat, I'd still rate it pretty high.

Quick synopsis: Black guy goes to visit the family of his white liberal girlfriend, only to find that they are not quite as welcoming and tolerant as they might appear(to put it mildly). The acerbic social satire deftly manages to avoid blunting the pleasingly eerie atmosphere.

One issue I have with the execution of the story...

In a horror film where unreal things are happening, the explanation is inevitably going to involve either a) science-fiction, or b) the supernatural. Without giving away which route this particular films takes, I will say that I think they'd have done better to go with the other one. YMMV.

[ 22. May 2017, 15:50: Message edited by: Stetson ]
 

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Posted by louis crandall (# 18781) on :
 
watched The red turtle on dvd over the weekend excellent film. Highly recommended. French/dutch/japanese but as it is a silent film no worry about subtitles.
 

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Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
Welcome to the Ship of Fools, louis crandall! Heaven is a great place for a first post and I hope you'll check out all the other boards!

Be sure to check out The Ten Commandments and if you'd like to introduce yourself we have a dedicated Welcome thread here.

I hope you enjoy your voyage with us.


jedijudy
One of the helpful Heaven Hosts
 

---

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
The Book Thief about a girl who steals books to read to a Jew she is hiding in Nazi Germany.
 

---

Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by jedijudy:
Be sure to check out The Ten Commandments

---

Very appropriate for a film thread
 

---

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 

So true!
 

---

Posted by louis crandall (# 18781) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
I saw La La Land and enjoyed it very much. A true original movie musical that isn't animated -- those are rare. Emma Stone is luminous, truly beautiful in it.

I also saw The Magnificent Seven, the remake starring Denzel Washington. Awful. That's ninety minutes of my life gone; thank goodness I had my knitting.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by jedijudy:
Welcome to the Ship, aizen! I'm glad you stuck your toe in here! Heaven's a great place to get your feet wet!

You may wish to go to the Welcome Aboard thread in All Saints to let other Shipmates know that you are aboard.

I hope you enjoy the voyage with us!

jedijudy
One of the helpful Heaven Hosts

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Nicolemr:
Guardians of the Galaxy 2. A lot of fun, non-stop excitement, not much in the way of anything deeper (though it does sort of delve into the meaning of family), but a lot of fun.

---

I would add the caveat that one thing that made the original such a delight was the surprise of how it worked. This is not such a novelty in the sequel. Still well worth the watch.
 

---

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
A bit out of date here as I don't really go to the cinema and generally only watch DVDs - this week I splurged on the DVD of the Ab-Fab movie which really is pretty terrible but there were some fun moments - and June Whitfield is still the best of the bunch!
 

---

Posted by Trudy Scrumptious (# 5647) on :
 
Who has seen Wonder Woman? Thoughts?

I saw it with my daughter and some friends last night and really enjoyed it although, as always with superhero movies, the action scenes bored me (not the filmmakers' fault; it's just how my brain is wired). It's a very well-done version of the superhero movie genre that really does right by its main character -- making her as fully rounded and complex as a demigod/superhero can be, keeping the focus on her own character development rather than on her male love interest. Quite enjoyable.
 

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Posted by Pine Marten (# 11068) on :
 
Yes, we saw Wonder Woman yesterday. I liked the action scenes (must be how *my* brain is wired ) and I thought that Gal Gadot did an extremely good job - as well as being hugely beautiful she made the character very believable and rounded. I stayed interested in the character, and I could also understand every word she said, which I certainly can't do with some other actor superheroes - Iron Man, for example.

I believe there is a sequel planned. I look forward to it
 

---

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
I saw Wonder Woman, too. It was very enjoyable! The fight scenes were amazing, and WW's development as a very innocent person outside of her native environment was believable and entertaining. ("Oh! A baby!!") The moment she realized she couldn't be a bully was very satisfying.

Looking forward to the next movie!
 

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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
I saw Wonder Woman as well. I very much enjoyed the film, so take the comments below with this in mind.
For the most part, I liked most of the action scenes. The exception being the climactic battle. Way OTT. But, considering superhero films lately, the action was understated.
Some of the physics were just plain wrong. Not the worst I have ever seen, but noticeably not correct.
There were a few pieces of the story that didn't fit.
I have one stronger criticism that I will not detail, because spoilers are evil.
 

---

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
lilBuddha:

quote:

---

Some of the physics were just plain wrong. Not the worst I have ever seen, but noticeably not correct.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
lilBuddha:

quote:

---

Some of the physics were just plain wrong. Not the worst I have ever seen, but noticeably not correct.

---

Only some? The woman leaps hundreds of feet in a single bound! This is a scifi-fantasy after all. I don't know if I could enjoy any comic book movie without turning off my believeability meter. If I can believe the physics of the universe of the story, I'm a happy camper.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
The moment you start applying simple laws of physics to movies you become unhappy. (Why can you hear the explosions of space weaponry in STAR WARS? Sound waves do not carry in vacuum...) It is continual and there is no escape. (Why, when Superman or Iron Man picks up a car, does the metal not rip off in his hands?) Better to utterly suspend disbelief and just go with the flow.

---

This is not how it works for me, nor for most people, I expect. We suspend until something jars us. This will be different for everyone and likely not consistent for anyone.
Star Wars represents an anomaly. If the movement of space vehicles were anywhere near realistic, it would ruin the film.
 

---

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
You and the Night - poorly made film about dead people who hang on to life by having lots of sex - at its first screening, 90% of the audience walked out iothin thr first half hour.
 

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Posted by Nicolemr (# 28) on :
 
Just saw Wonder Woman! Loved it, it was exciting,and captivating, and although I'd be hard put to say just how, it was different than a movie directed by a man. Much less jiggle for one thing.
 

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Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
My Beloved Goddaughter persuaded me to take her to see A Dog's Purpose. It wasn't a film I'd have chosen to see myself, but I took her out of a sense of godmotherly duty.

What can I say? A Dog's Purpose is cliched, schmaltzy, cheesy and has a ridiculous plot. It was so bad that it was actually good. I cried. I laughed. I cried some more.
 

---

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
The Last Match about macho Cuban footballers and stray affections.
 

---

Posted by Trudy Scrumptious (# 5647) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Nicolemr:
Just saw Wonder Woman! Loved it, it was exciting,and captivating, and although I'd be hard put to say just how, it was different than a movie directed by a man. Much less jiggle for one thing.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
I enjoyed Hidden Figures - but I think that what I enjoy is a compelling story rather than "noteworthy film-making". (And now I want to read the book, so I can get all the details right.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Stetson:
The Circle. Techno-thriller about an evil Silicon Valley corporation bent on world domination.

Pretty much just a re-make of the 2001 internet-thriller Antitrust, updated for the social media era. Same general plot, setting, characters etc. As such, not particularly cutting edge, making the same basic point as the earlier film.

Fairly standard portrayal of tech-firm culture(officially non-hierarchical, but lots of idolization of the boss), which might have seemed like a novelty in 2001 but not so much now. If you're someone who explicitly thought it would be a good idea for one large corporation to control the whole world including governments, this might serve as a wake-up call.

Tom Hanks seemed to be slumming it a bit in this film. It's the sort of thing I'd more expect to see Nicholas Cage doing.

I'm still gonna give it 7/10, because it works okay within the standards of the middle-brow sociopolitical thriller, and if you don't go in expecting much, you'll probably find yourself suitable entertained for a couple of hours.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by RooK:
Wonder Woman, based on a woman and wonder.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by ArachnidinElmet:
I had a highly-successful horror dvd double bill at the weekend: Zombieland and It Follows.

Zombieland was a re-watch, but it bears repeat viewing. Silly and gory by turn, it has one of the best celeb cameos in film. Also a search for twinkies makes me wonder what I'd do for a Jaffa Cake in post-apocalyptic Britain.

It Follows was a whole other matter. There is a little on-screen violence, but it mostly relies on building tension and clever camera angles. It would have been better on a cinema screen as you want to keep an eye on the edges of the picture, but held up on dvd.

It was nice to see a bunch of young adults portrayed as able to cope with a rapidly changing situation without hysterical screaming, disbelief and general uselessness.

The Babadook is still waiting for me to crack the cellophane. Fingers crossed.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mr Clingford:
Zombieland is a fun romp which I look forward to seeing again as we have got hold of the DVD.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Prester John:
Tom Hanks also plays the villan role in Lady Killers which was directed by the Coen brothers. I loved it.

---

quote:

---

...and the ruminations on language and its relation to reality are along the lines of Eskimos Have Twenty Five Words For Snow.

---

quote:

---

I know too much about linguistics to really enjoy this film properly. The strong version of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (or, more accurately, linguistic determinism ) is now considered to be false, although linguistic relativity, the weaker version of the theory (=language influences thought and perception) is still under investigation.

---

quote:

---

Yes, we know it's not entirely accurate scientifically. But it was just too cool not to play with.

---

It's not even in the top seven deadly sins of SF (FTL travel, exoplanets with a survivable biosphere, noise in space, human-shaped aliens, monocultural aliens who always speak English...) And I did like the aliens.
 

---

Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on :
 
[NOT-SPOILER]
I was convinced the two hand-shaped aliens, always framed by the viewing window and surrounded by mist, were going to turn out to be limbs of a single creature.

I really enjoyed Arrival for many reasons, but clearly my brain just wanted to make up it's own twist (not the first time that's happened).
[/NOT SPOILER]
 

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Posted by RooK (# 1852) on :
 
Just re-watched Raiders Of The Lost Ark with my 8-year-old, in which an ark is found and raided.
 

---

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
Whoda thunk?
 

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Posted by cattyish (# 7829) on :
 
Did he enjoy it? And did you enjoy that he enjoyed it? I love it when children enjoy films I have loved.

I wanted to show our youth group an old low-budget Scottish film called 'Restless Natives' which I am certain they'd love, but unfortunately when I had a quick review of the DVD to make sure it was suitable I realised how much swearing there is in it.

Cattyish, sticking with the conventional options for now.
 

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Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :
 
Cattyish, A friend and I once showed the Aussie film The Castle at a residential conference for high school students. We remembered the typical humour. Neither of us remembered the copious swearing. No one said anything to us and there were no complaints later from aggrieved parents. We held our breath for a while though.

The organisation which held the conference was and still is, heavily supported by two very conservative groups in Sydney.
 

---

Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
Whoda thunk?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by cattyish:

I wanted to show our youth group an old low-budget Scottish film called 'Restless Natives' which I am certain they'd love, but unfortunately when I had a quick review of the DVD to make sure it was suitable I realised how much swearing there is in it.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Stetson:
But of course, neither of those words is in particularly common use, with "ark" being almost entirely confined to the Bible, where it describes two different objects that don't have all that much in common.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by RooK:
Just watched Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, the unlikely tale of a municipality connected to a large number of celestial bodies.

---

We're still hmm-ing and ha-ing about how much or whether we want to see that one. What did you think of it?
 

---

Posted by RooK (# 1852) on :
 
My posting on this thread is meant to be performance art. If you want actual discussion about movies... I should probably do that¹, too.

The basic truth is the Luc Besson makes Luc Besson movies. If you have enjoyed Luc Besson movies, you will probably enjoy this Luc Besson movie. It is beautiful visually, and benefits from being seen on a big screen. Thematically it is simple, which might come across as clumsy but is just how Luc Besson focusses attention. I personally enjoyed it rather a lot, because it basically kitchen-sinked a bunch of my favourite science fiction tropes as background details while maintaining the kind of center-stage spectacle that lights up my spatial cognition.

¹ I had a lovely bit of snark I would have normally said there, but the Heaven Hosts are scary in the employee lounge. Don't want to piss them off.
 

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Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 

 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
An admittedly demanding friend of mine assessed the film as 'a hot mess.' I do like reviews in one-syllable words.
 

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Posted by Tukai (# 12960) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lothlorien:
Cattyish, A friend and I once showed the Aussie film The Castle at a residential conference for high school students. We remembered the typical humour. Neither of us remembered the copious swearing. No one said anything to us and there were no complaints later from aggrieved parents. We held our breath for a while though.

The organisation which held the conference was and still is, heavily supported by two very conservative groups in Sydney.

---

quote:

---

and suspense is created by illogical, arbitrary time constraints -- even when dealing with aliens whose whole thing is "We don't do time."

---

It was especially awkward the way the subtitled dialogue struggled to convey the idea that the aliens have no concept of time.

"Abbot wellness body not." (Or something)

Whereas, if you're aware that someone who knows Abbot has to be informed that he's sick, it's because you know that there was a time in the past when he was healthy.

[ 29. July 2017, 16:54: Message edited by: Stetson ]
 

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Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
Orthodox about a haredi Jewish butcher turned boxer- it's really about seaching for a father-figure.
 

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Posted by RooK (# 1852) on :
 
Godzilla about a radioactive-fire-breathing dinosaur-like monster - it's really about the horror felt about others missing the point of things.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
I Spit On Your Grave, 1978

For anyone who thought that 1970s vigilante films couldn't sink any lower than Death Wish.

Actually, the politics of it aren't that bad, since we are meant to understand that the rationalizations that the rapists offer for their crimes(eg. she was asking for it because of how she dressed), are to be rejected, and we are clearly on the side of the female protagonist taking her revenge.

But, implausible scenarios(eg. castration by motorboat propeller), threadbare script, and bad acting(one guy supposed to be playing a mentally challenged character looks like he's doing "Retard" at a high school skit night) leave no question as to why most of the people associated with this have little in the way of linkage on IMDB.
 

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Posted by Tukai (# 12960) on :
 
"Salt Bridge", a new film about a [fictional] Indian migrant to Australia, who gets friendly with a local white woman -rather too much so for some of the local Indian community - and who is forced to move interstate. Since the writer/ director lives here in Canberra and loves the place, most of the film was shot here; indeed we saw one scene being shot in a local park about a year ago. So the wife and I enjoyed identifying many familiar locations, supposedly in the fictional town of Salt Bridge, but all obviously somewhere in Australia.

Aimed mainly at the world-wide Indian diaspora, the film is mainly in Hindi with English subtitles, but there is also some English dialogue. It also includes many songs,some of which have lyrics significant for the plot, but (surprisingly) almost no dance. The three leads are professional actors, but some of the minor characters are much less so and it shows.

Nevertheless the film is worth a look, as it has some nice comic lines and the story has enough dramatic drive and home truths about people's behaviour to carry the film along.
 

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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
Atomic Blonde
I like the hell out of this film. Not an award winner, save for visuals perhaps, but definitely a fun and well made film.
I do have a few criticisms and do agree with the Rotten Tomatoes 75% rating from the critics.
It is a stylish, action-thriller with a terrific cast. Good fun action film with a tiny bit of mind candy. It gives you more than the trailer would imply, but if you do not like the trailers, don't go. Charlize Theron is badass and droolworthy, of course. But Sofia Boutella's performance is probably the best of the film.
The actions scenes are well done and a bit brutal.

Also, nudity and sex. It that offends, do not attend.

SPOILERS!


SPOILERS!


SPOILERS!


Well, mild spoilers.
I think Atomic Blonde succeeds where No Way Out failed. That is really saying too much, but I did warn.

On the nudity, I had mixed feelings. It wasn't completely gratuitous, but not completely essential either. And the sex scene. Well...Erm...I... ...hmmm. I liked it, yes, but mixed feelings as well. I think I would approve more if this genre was not so much a boys-club. What could be liberating also panders to that demographic.
Some critics, and viewers, complained the plot was too hard to follow or wasn't coherent. I don't agree. There were plenty of clues and it all made sense in the end. Not claiming it was perfect, but I though a decent job was done fitting things together. However, I can see how others might not agree.
 

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Posted by Nicolemr (# 28) on :
 
Just saw Spiderman: Homecoming. The best word I can think of to describe it is "cute". I liked it, it wasn't great, but it was fun and cute.
 

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Posted by Kaplan Corday (# 16119) on :
 
Saw The Big Sick yesterday, and if you are happy to make the effort to stay inside the imaginative world of romcom conventions, it is fantastic.

Dunkirk strives to be realistic, but nerds such as me will pick holes in it.

For example, everyone's hair is too long for 1940, when short back'n sides were de rigueur; there is hardly anyone smoking, despite its being in those days the universal panacea in highly stressful situations; people wander around the town and beach unquestioned and unsupervised by beach assembly officers or military field police; and all deaths from bomb blasts are immediate and silent, with no-one lingering for hours screaming and writhing with limbs missing, bowels hanging out and brains showing.
 

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Posted by simontoad (# 18096) on :
 
Dunkirk was the first film I have seen at the Cinema since running screaming from the theatre after the recent Star Wars reboot. I felt it was an excellent film, giving great encouragement to men with bald spots. Mark Rylance FTUW
 

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Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on :
 
Has anyone seen "Detroit"? I'm planning to go tomorrow night. I'm curious what anyone not from Detroit might think of it.

(I do wish they'd given it a better title, though.)
 

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Posted by Eigon (# 4917) on :
 
I happened to hear one of the Proms season, which started with Korngold's wonderful score for The Sea Hawk, so I curled up for a nostalgic re-watch. I was pleasantly surprised to see it pass the Bechdel Test (Queen Elizabeth talks to Donna Maria, and Donna Maria talks to her maid Miss Latham, and not always about Captain Thorpe), and Donna Maria (Brenda Marshall doing her best Olivia de Havilland impression) actively trying to warn Captain Thorpe that his secret plan has been discovered, and helping him get the secret dispatches to the Queen at the climax.
I also enjoyed the way that the climactic sword fight was cut so that it looked as if Henry Daniell had a clue about what he was doing!
 

---

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kaplan Corday:
Saw The Big Sick yesterday, and if you are happy to make the effort to stay inside the imaginative world of romcom conventions, it is fantastic.

Dunkirk strives to be realistic, but nerds such as me will pick holes in it.

For example, everyone's hair is too long for 1940, when short back'n sides were de rigueur; there is hardly anyone smoking, despite its being in those days the universal panacea in highly stressful situations; people wander around the town and beach unquestioned and unsupervised by beach assembly officers or military field police; and all deaths from bomb blasts are immediate and silent, with no-one lingering for hours screaming and writhing with limbs missing, bowels hanging out and brains showing.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by lilBuddha:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kaplan Corday:
Saw The Big Sick yesterday, and if you are happy to make the effort to stay inside the imaginative world of romcom conventions, it is fantastic.

Dunkirk strives to be realistic, but nerds such as me will pick holes in it.

For example, everyone's hair is too long for 1940, when short back'n sides were de rigueur; there is hardly anyone smoking, despite its being in those days the universal panacea in highly stressful situations; people wander around the town and beach unquestioned and unsupervised by beach assembly officers or military field police; and all deaths from bomb blasts are immediate and silent, with no-one lingering for hours screaming and writhing with limbs missing, bowels hanging out and brains showing.

---

No brown people...

---

quote:

---

all deaths from bomb blasts are immediate and silent, with no-one lingering for hours screaming and writhing with limbs missing, bowels hanging out and brains showing.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Twilight:

quote:

---

all deaths from bomb blasts are immediate and silent, with no-one lingering for hours screaming and writhing with limbs missing, bowels hanging out and brains showing.

---

Now I'm thinking I may be able to go see it after all.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bene Gesserit:

quote:

---

Originally posted by RooK:
Just watched Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, the unlikely tale of a municipality connected to a large number of celestial bodies.

---

We're still hmm-ing and ha-ing about how much or whether we want to see that one. What did you think of it?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariston:
If you go in with that mindset—ignore the plot, embrace the absurdity and imagination—it's great.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by RooK:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariston:
If you go in with that mindset—ignore the plot, embrace the absurdity and imagination—it's great.

---

Your description encapsulates the mind space well. If you love looking for visual detail and are amused by metaphorical puns, this movie delivers the genre goods. Otherwise, VATCOATP is going to seem like a mishmash with no compelling point.

On the topic of Atomic Blonde - holy shit the soundtrack. People who remember the 80's will either love it, or die miserable and lonely for lack of having a soul. And the fight scenes are considerably more effective than most action movies; a testament to Theron's raw talent and Leitch's compelling inclusion of entropy.

---

quote:

---

Alan Rickman

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cathscats:
I saw Dunkirk last week with my teenage son. I expected to have to shut my eyes a lot, but didn't. I didn't find it totally gripping, but it was certainly watchable. Actually, I think the teenage son was the best audience for it. He was entirely enthralled and full of reflective questions later.

---

We saw Dunkirk, today based on what everyone here has said. It was a good pick for the three of us. As with Cathscat, our son liked it best giving it a 10, husband a 9, and me an 8 which is high for me for anything not Howards End-ish.

I long to see Maudie, but it's not showing in a theatre near me; it not being animated, nor having any guns.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Wadd: The Life And Times Of John C. Holmes

1998 documentary about the rather squalid life of the American adult-film actor. I had read, years ago, Mike Sager's landmark article about Holmes in Rolling Stone, so knew the basic outline of his story, and thus the film didn't contain many fresh revelations, but I'm a sucker for 1970s nostalgia, so this worked for me.

One interesting thing about it, cinematically, is the way it uses footage from Holmes' movies to represent the actual events of his life, eg. when the real John Holmes is driving through the American southwest on the run from the law, film footage is shown of his character driving through what looks like a desert area.

No hardcore footage, but enough nudity to render it NSFW. Available on You Tube(as of two days ago, anyway).
 

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Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
I just watched Batman vs. Superman-Dawn of Justice for the second time today. I first watched it Saturday (the PG shortened version), and I had no clue what they were going on about. It seemed disjointed and didn't make a lot of sense. So, today, I watched the R rated version. That's the one with all the violence.

It did make more sense to me the second time through. Some of the scenes that were cut in the milder version really had explanations of some of the more confusing parts of the story.

Anyway, once I kind of followed what was going on, it was a mostly good story. There was one part where it seemed Batman had gone home and changed, because his mask was busted up during one scene, then was all nice and new looking in the next. I guess he had to go home to get the Bat Plane. Oh. The Bat Plane and Batmobile both sound like pod racers.

I like Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill playing our heroes, even though I'm not normally an Affleck fan. However, my favorite is Gal Godot! She is Wonder Woman, for real!

I'm glad I watched the movie a second time, and will probably watch a third time with the subtitles turned on. These youngsters mumble too much!
 

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Posted by Trudy Scrumptious (# 5647) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Twilight:
I long to see Maudie, but it's not showing in a theatre near me; it not being animated, nor having any guns.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Eigon:

And now I've been told that Peter Capaldi appeared in The Lair of the White Worm, which I remember only for Stratford Johns chewing the scenery and some young chap dashing around the ruins attempting to play bagpipes to calm the monster (I think). The young chap may have been Hugh Grant. So I've sent off for a DVD, which has arrived labelled in German - so this evening's viewing should be hilarious!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by jedijudy:

"Well, it's no Gone with the Wind is it?"

[ETA " ]

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Eigon:
Stetson - the character in Lair of the White Worm (or Der Biss Der Schlange Frau*, in this case) dashing around in a kilt with bagpipes was indeed Peter Capaldi! He looked so cute with his curls and round glasses! I do have questions, though - this may have been covered in the script, if I'd been watching in English, but where on earth did he get that mongoose from? And was it really up his kilt all that time?
Hugh Grant was the aristocratic RAF officer - Stratford Johns was his butler.

*The Kiss of the Snake Woman

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Stetson:
Saw The Beguiled, set in a Virginia girls school during the Civil War. You could probably say it qualifies as a Female Lord Of The Flies.

I was a little disappointed to find out it was a remake of an earlier film, since I usually don't see the necessity of doing that, unless it's really different from the original. This one may be, for all I know, though I'd doubt it, since there's really only so many ways a story like that can be told.

Taken on its own terms, it's entertaining enough, with a slightly leering focus on feminine miscreancy. Probably not as profound as some might want to make it out to be.

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The original version of The Beguiled came out in 1971 and starred a certain Clint Eastwood and was directed by his friend Don Siegel.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Yep, Don Siegel of Body Snatchers and Dirty Harry fame. The latter being one of the more subtle and understated of the vigilante genre.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
WEEKEND ROUNDUP...

Saw American Made on Saturday. Sort of a political-procedural thriller, along the lines of Charlie Wllson's War or American Hustle(ie. political procedural), but with more action, violence and suspense. Entertaining enough, and heavy on the 80s trappings for all you nostalgia buffs. I actually remember watching Ronald Reagan's anti-Sandinista speech where he talks about the photograph that plays such a major role in the plot.

Directed by Doug Liman, son of Arthur Liman, who Iran-Contra buffs will recall as the Senate's chief counsel during the hearings. (This somewhat coincides with the plot.)

And on Sunday, I watched Wind River, about a white wildlife-control officer and a white FBI agent investigating a mysterious death on an Indian Reservation in Wyoming. It starts off promising enough, with expertly crafted atmosphere and cultural tension, but the resolution to the mystery seemed like kind of a letdown. Granted, I'm pretty tired off the too-clever-by-half plot twists that blight so many modern thrillers, but this one erred in the other direction: You can kind of guess, if not outright predict, that the crime in question was something like what it turns out to be.
 

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Posted by Tukai (# 12960) on :
 
Jedda. The first Australian film to be made in colour, by Claude Chauvel way back in 1955. It is now available in a beautifully remastered digital version, with the sunlit colours of the Northern Territory and no flicker.

It's the story of Jedda, an aboriginal girl brought up by the owner-managers of an outback cattle station, which in those days employed lots of aboriginal workers at pittance wages. Jedda falls for a visiting aboriginal worker called Marbuk, who runs away with her - or depending on your viewpoint, abducts her.

The story and cinematography weren't bad either, including the now vanished way of life on the old cattle stations, the various spectacular NT locations (though often not those implied by the story), and the aboriginal bushcraft and dancing. I even picked that the scenery in wide view in the last few scenes looked more like the Great Dividing Range than anywhere I remember in the Territory. (Turns out that the original "on location" last reel was lost in a fire, so they had to reshoot it elsewhere.)

Very remarkable for a film made in 1955 was the amount of dialogue that was only in aboriginal language with no subtitles. Presumably part of the point was that Jedda didn't understand what Marbuk was saying and vice versa.
 

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Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on :
 
Blade Runner fan reporting back here from Blade Runner 2049. You won't be disappointed if you enjoyed the first one. Avoid spoilers at all costs.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Holiday(Korean thanksgiving) update.

Damsels In Distress.

I'll start off by citing Kelly Alves' earlier characterization of Greta Gerwig as "an adorable schlemiel", a persona of full and delightful display in this Whit Stilman number from a few years back. I'm tempted to say she makes the film, but Stilman's witty dialogue certainly doesn't hurt either. The story falls back on his normal set-up of socially awkward privileged-class young people, engaged in the pursuit of love and fulfillment. The characters and situations come off as funny, even when they aren't actually saying or doing anything amusing.

My favorite exchange...

POSSIBLE SPOILER

The main character, an earnest Ivy Leaguish do-gooder portrayed by Gerwig, is listening to a left-wing campus firebrand explain why fraternities need to be shut down, a proposal that the Gerwig character thinks will somehow lead to the frat boys being left homeless.

GERWIG: And you call yourself a Christian!

FIREBRAND: Umm, no I don't.

[Okay, it probably works better in the film itself]

And back in Canada for a few days, I watched The Glass Castle, about a highly dysfunctional yet still loving family who live as squatters in a succession of abandoned homes and endure the mercurial tempermant and occassional violence of their father. Pretty good, especially with Woody Harrelson's performance as the unbalanced visionary who heads the clan, but probably doesn't transcend much above your typical messed-up family memoir flick(think of a darker, more rustic version of Slums Of Beverly Hills). Recommended, in any case.

On the plane back to Korea, I watched Wakefield, about a middle-class businessman who hides out in the attic of his garage and spies on his family for a few months(despite the fact that police are called and his disappearance is reported on the news, no one thinks to do a search of the property, but I guess we're supposed to suspend disbelief).

While the script doesn't explicitly frame the main characters actions as a mid-life crisis, that's pretty much what it ends up being, and we're more or less in American Beauty territory, thematicallly speaking, though minus the sex and drugs. Worth seeing for Bryan Cranston alone, but probably not gonna blow you away with strikingly original insights into suburban angst.
 

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Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
re spoilers in trailer for upcoming "Star Wars: The Last Jedi":

IMPORTANT: the trailer, evidently out now/soon, is known to have a major spoiler. Even someone from the film said so. I don't know what it is, and I haven't seen the trailer.

But I'm already having to avoid articles about the *trailer*, let alone the movie. NOT a happy camper.

Now I'll have to avoid the trailer, too.

Anyway, fair warning to all who don't want spoilers.

And to anyone who knows: PLEASE don't even think of posting the slightest whiff of a hint.

Thx.
 

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Posted by Sipech (# 16870) on :
 
Might it be worth having a new, separate thread for the new Star Wars film? I recall we did something like that for The Force Awakens.

Albeit, I also recall that in spite of it clearly being marked as a spoiler thread that contained spoilers, so that those not wanting anything to read anything that could possibly be construed as a spoiler should avoid reading the thread, someone still complained about it containing spoilers.
 

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Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
Daughter-Unit and I were discussing the two trailers yesterday. I'm not going to say what was in the trailer, and D-U and I didn't say it out loud, but we were both not happy. She, in her wisdom, is thinking that Disney does not want to make the huge number of SW fans hate them.

BTW, we have our tickets for the movie already!
 

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Posted by Jane R (# 331) on :
 
It's the title (of the new Star Wars film) that annoys me. There are so many 'last' Jedis.

Obi-Wan Kenobi? But then it turned out Luke was a Jedi as well. And he sent Luke to learn Jedi-ing from Yoda, so even when we thought he was the last Jedi he wasn't.

Then Yoda and Obi-Wan were both dead, so does that mean Luke was the last Jedi? Well, not exactly because it turns out Leia is his twin sister, although she doesn't go to knight school, presumably because everyone wants her to be a general instead.

Fast forward to the new films and we have Rey. Is she the last Jedi? Maybe not, because Luke is still alive.

What we have here is a series of Penultimate Jedis. I admit it doesn't make such a catchy title.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
I don't see what was so brilliantly witty about Mandy Rice-Davies saying "Well, he would, wouldn't he?" at the Profumo trial.

The lawyer had basically asked her opinion about Astor's denial that he had an affair with her, and she replied with what I would have assumed is a pretty logical counterpoint, ie. obviously Astor would have an interest in denying he commited adultery.

I guess it's maybe one of those "different time, different place" sorta things? In the early 60s, it was still somewhat shocking that an 18 year old womman would so casually dismiss the claims of a respected aristocrat? Still find it hard to believe that it would be THAT much of an eyebrow raiser, especially considering that she had already said they had an affair.

[ 12. October 2017, 16:24: Message edited by: Stetson ]
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
^ Umm, wrong thread. Really sorry about that. Promise to start using the preview button more consistently(not that it would likely make much difference if I don't even know what thread I'm in).
 

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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Jane R:
It's the title (of the new Star Wars film) that annoys me. There are so many 'last' Jedis.

Obi-Wan Kenobi? But then it turned out Luke was a Jedi as well. And he sent Luke to learn Jedi-ing from Yoda, so even when we thought he was the last Jedi he wasn't.

Then Yoda and Obi-Wan were both dead, so does that mean Luke was the last Jedi? Well, not exactly because it turns out Leia is his twin sister, although she doesn't go to knight school, presumably because everyone wants her to be a general instead.

Fast forward to the new films and we have Rey. Is she the last Jedi? Maybe not, because Luke is still alive.

What we have here is a series of Penultimate Jedis. I admit it doesn't make such a catchy title.

---

quote:

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Originally posted by Eutychus:
Blade Runner fan reporting back here from Blade Runner 2049. You won't be disappointed if you enjoyed the first one. Avoid spoilers at all costs.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Golden Key:
re spoilers in trailer for upcoming "Star Wars: The Last Jedi":

IMPORTANT: the trailer, evidently out now/soon, is known to have a major spoiler. Even someone from the film said so. I don't know what it is, and I haven't seen the trailer.

But I'm already having to avoid articles about the *trailer*, let alone the movie. NOT a happy camper.

Now I'll have to avoid the trailer, too.

Anyway, fair warning to all who don't want spoilers.

And to anyone who knows: PLEASE don't even think of posting the slightest whiff of a hint.

Thx.

---

I have started a thread here to address this issue. Golden Key, (and all others who would like to avoid spoilers,) you are excused from looking at it!

See, I told y'all that I was nice!
 

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Posted by Jane R (# 331) on :
 
lilbuddha:

quote:

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They are all Force sensitives, but that does not equal Jedi.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Jane R:
lilbuddha:

quote:

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They are all Force sensitives, but that does not equal Jedi.

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The meaning of the word has evidently changed since the 70s then, when Lucas certainly *seemed* to be using 'Jedi' to mean 'anyone who can manipulate the Force [who hasn't gone over to the Dark Side]' in the first three films: "He is our last hope... No. There is another".

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quote:

---

I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing for me here now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father

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quote:

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Originally posted by jedijudy:
[]I have started a thread here to address this issue. Golden Key, (and all others who would like to avoid spoilers,) you are excused from looking at it!

See, I told y'all that I was nice!

---

quote:

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Originally posted by jedijudy:
Consider it done, lilBuddha!

Looking back at my OP, I think the original paragraph will suffice. It has no spoilers, just a greeting, so to speak.

If someone finds it to not be sufficient, please let me know!

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Thank you! Just to be safe, I recommend not looking at the front page until after one sees the film.
 

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Posted by Mr Clingford (# 7961) on :
 
How long do we have to wait - is it December again? Cos that's a long way away to avoid trailers and everyfink.
 

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Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
Opening day is set for December 15, 2017. Unless, of course, you go to the early show on December 14!
 

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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
First, February cannot arrive soon enough, Black Panther!!!

Second Blade Runner spoiler


Spoiler


Spoiler


Spoiler


Spoiler


OK


I really liked the film, but
Fuck Ridley Scott and Hans Zimmer with a red hot and rusty farm implement!
The music need never be that loud and tense. The fucking idea is to underscore the film, not fucking compete with it.
 

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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Prester John:

quote:

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Originally posted by Eutychus:
Blade Runner fan reporting back here from Blade Runner 2049. You won't be disappointed if you enjoyed the first one. Avoid spoilers at all costs.

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Just saw it and throughly enjoyed it, although I felt some of the nudity was gratuitous.

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quote:

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One thing that struck me though was that the original did a much better job of capturing the grittiness of urban living, despite the fact it was created three decades ago.

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quote:

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Originally posted by jedijudy:
Opening day is set for December 15, 2017. Unless, of course, you go to the early show on December 14!

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quote:

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Originally posted by Alwyn:
expanding on the blurring of the distinction between natural and artificial people in the first film.

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quote:

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Originally posted by lilBuddha:
The music need never be that loud and tense. The fucking idea is to underscore the film, not fucking compete with it.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by lilBuddha:

I really liked the film, but
Fuck Ridley Scott and Hans Zimmer with a red hot and rusty farm implement!
The music need never be that loud and tense. The fucking idea is to underscore the film, not fucking compete with it.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Prester John:

quote:

---

Originally posted by lilBuddha:

I really liked the film, but
Fuck Ridley Scott and Hans Zimmer with a red hot and rusty farm implement!
The music need never be that loud and tense. The fucking idea is to underscore the film, not fucking compete with it.

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I hadn't made the connection before but Zimmer also directed Sicario. Same issue.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Stetson:

quote:

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Originally posted by Prester John:

quote:

---

Originally posted by lilBuddha:

I really liked the film, but
Fuck Ridley Scott and Hans Zimmer with a red hot and rusty farm implement!
The music need never be that loud and tense. The fucking idea is to underscore the film, not fucking compete with it.

---

I hadn't made the connection before but Zimmer also directed Sicario. Same issue.

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Sicario was directed by Denis Villeneuve, who also directed Blade Runner. I think buddha meant that Zimmer did the music for Blade Ronner 2049? He is a composer, I believe.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Trudy Scrumptious:

quote:

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Originally posted by Twilight:
I long to see Maudie, but it's not showing in a theatre near me; it not being animated, nor having any guns.

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Oh, Maudie is lovely, I hope you do get to see it somehow. I know what you mean about the lack of animation or guns ... we also live in the sort of place where smaller, artier movies either don't come at all, or are here so briefly that by the time you've made plans to get out of the house, the movie is gone. But Maudie had a good long run here because it was filmed here and lots of local people were involved (even though it's set in Nova Scotia, it was filmed in Newfoundland because [obscure thing about the Nova Scotia film industry that I don't understand but that lots of NS arts people are mad about but worked out to our benefit here in Nfld in this case]).

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I finally got to see it when my son bought the DVD for me. It was so beautiful! Just my kind of film, brilliantly acted and lovely to look at with the most inspiring story.

Maudie just went through life, quietly doing what was important to her, letting problems like zero money, a painful disability and a grouchy husband just roll off her back.

 

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Posted by Dark Knight (# 9415) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Pangolin Guerre:
I'm racking my brain for a film title:

Australian, around 2007-2010, about a group of high school graduates who conduct a home invasion of an ex-music teacher whom one of the grads accuses of having molested her.

I went to the Wikipedia list of Australian films and nothing jogged my memory.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ian Climacus:
I just saw Murder on the Orient Express. Even plumped for the Gold Class cinema* as I had a rough week and thought I deserved it.

I really enjoyed it. The moustache should really be in the credits as its own character, but from the scenery to the filming to the superb actors, I just loved being taken along for a ride on a good old-fashioned murder mystery. Good doses of humour too.


* larger-seats; fewer patrons; meals/drinks available

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Dark Knight:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pangolin Guerre:
I'm racking my brain for a film title:

Australian, around 2007-2010, about a group of high school graduates who conduct a home invasion of an ex-music teacher whom one of the grads accuses of having molested her.

I went to the Wikipedia list of Australian films and nothing jogged my memory.

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Hey PG, this description did not ring any bells for me, but I entered some of your terms into Google and Blame popped up. Is this the one?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Sparrow:
Has anyone seen Paddington 2 yet? I'm longing to see it.

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Yes - it's lovely, very funny, and Hugh Grant is wonderful. Go and see it
 

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Posted by Eigon (# 4917) on :
 
I've only just got to see the first Paddington film - it was on special offer, and I needed something comforting to watch.
It was quite lovely.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
The original Rocky is making the rounds in Korea again, and I watched it for the second time in my life(the first time being less than a decade ago). I guess it's engaging enough, in that 1970s gritty urban realism sort of a way.

Still mildly repulsed by the drinking raw eggs business, especially since it seems that the glass has used repeatedly for that purpose without washing. But I guesss that's the point.

And it has to be said that Talia Shire's dorky-wallflower-becomes-sexy-and-extroverted-just-by-taking-off-her-glasses was about as unconvinving as those things usually are.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Murder On The Orient Express.

I can't say I've been much impressed with Kenneth Branagh's directorial efforts(of those I've seen), and this one didn't do much to change that. Part of the problem, as some critics have argued, might be the script's over-emphasis on Poirot, but I think the lacklustre source material might be thhe bigger culprit.

I'm probably not the only person who thinks Agatha Christie is rather past her best-before date. I mean, how many stories do we need to read or see featurning a bunch of well-heeled socialites trapped in close quarters as murder suspects? Especially in a story like this, where you can pretty much figure out the big plot twist(or at least the general gist of it) halfway through the investigation.

The exact moment I decided to stop reading Agatha Christie's books was when I was maybe a few pages into a novel, and was able to figure out the culprit by reading the chapter headings in the table of contents. I did enjoy her before that, though, and I guess if you're a newbie and totally unfamiliar with her devices, something like Murder On The Orient Express might be interesting.

[ 03. December 2017, 14:50: Message edited by: Stetson ]
 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
We nipped out last night and caught The Man Who Invented Christmas, a movie about Charles Dickens. Delightful and pretty fairly accurate as far as I can tell. And it is never a hardship to look at Dan Stevens, having a grand time in the role of a 30-ish Dickens.
 

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Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
War Horse - somewhat sentimental
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by leo:
War Horse - somewhat sentimental

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quote:

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Question about War Horse (the book, not the film) - Would a horse eat a Cornish pasty? Meat, and all that.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Pine Marten:

quote:

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Originally posted by Sparrow:
Has anyone seen Paddington 2 yet? I'm longing to see it.

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Yes - it's lovely, very funny, and Hugh Grant is wonderful. Go and see it

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Paddington 2 opened in Australia this week - prime cinema season, since cinemas are air-conditioned and it's b--- hot outside. I saw it with 2 grandchildren and we all enjoyed it. It includes some laugh out loud slapstick, but is never too childish. At least as good as #1. HUgh Grant hams it beautifully, but my favourite [minor] character was the literary rubbish collector.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Best In Show.

Mockumentary from the year 2000, by Christopher Guest, who also did This Is Spinal Tap(which I've never seen), and featuring some of the actors who were involved with that.

I gather this got really good reviews, though for the most part, I found the targets of the satire to be pretty low-hanging fruit, even by the standards of 17 years ago. Preening dog show participants, avaracious yuppies, foppish gay couples etc. The kind of stuff that probably last seemed cutting-edge circa 1986 or so. Then again, the average age of the participants was probably about 55.

Fred Willard as the clueless sportscaster covering the dog-show was probably the funniest part. There are a few other well-put together jokes and tropes, but the whole thing never really comes together. (Again, I'm apparently a minority on this.)

[ 25. December 2017, 22:30: Message edited by: Stetson ]
 

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Posted by RuthW (# 13) on :
 
I have a friend whose mother is a big muckety-muck in the American dog show circuit -- he says "Best in Show" is pretty much a documentary. And I'm 55, dangit!

I saw "Ladybird" last week, and absolutely loved it. It's a coming of age film about a girl's senior year of high school as she's trying to navigate the ending of girlhood and the beginning of adulthood -- trying to figure out what makes someone a real friend, what she wants in a boyfriend, and how to deal with her mother, with whom she has a conflict-heavy though loving relationship. The performances are amazing, especially Laurie Metcalf's as the mother.
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 

quote:

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And I'm 55, dangit! [Paranoid]

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Stetson:
Best In Show.


Fred Willard as the clueless sportscaster covering the dog-show was probably the funniest part.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Twilight:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Stetson:
Best In Show.


Fred Willard as the clueless sportscaster covering the dog-show was probably the funniest part.

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When the movie first came out, Joe Garagiola had been the clueless color commentator along side the expert at the Westminster Dog Show for several years. Willard's parody of him was so spot on I laughed till I cried. I don't think it's a coincidence that Joe never did another show.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by lilBuddha:
Christopher Nolan stripped most of the carnage of the real Dunkirk in order to tell stories. The result is a war film for a broader audience.
Like most films of this nature, don't look to it as an history, but history adjacent.
A major negative for me was the score. Whilst Hans Zimmer didn't drive the viewers into shrieking madness as he did in Intersteller, the Sheppard tone is overused. Though this might be under Nolan's direction.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Stetson:

quote:

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And I'm 55, dangit! [Paranoid]

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No offense intended, as I am six years away from 55(and apparently being old enough to move into my mother's seniors residence).

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No offense taken! Just feeling a bit old. And

Today I saw "Call Me by Your Name" -- one of the most exquisite and moving films I've seen in a long time.
 

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Posted by Gill H (# 68) on :
 
Agree about the music in Dunkirk. However, I felt that it was deliberately being used almost as a character in the film. Every time Mark Rylance's little boat appeared, we would get a change of chord and I'd think "Oooh! That's pinched from 'Nimrod'!" And sure enough, at the right time, they used Nimrod in all its heart-swelling glory.

There was so little dialogue that I assumed the prominence of the music was a deliberate choice.

I found the telling of the story in different timeframes a little confusing until I realised what was happening (the initial captions hadn't made it clear for me).

However, my dad absolutely loved the whole thing. He's 85 and hasn't been to the cinema in years, so I had taken him as a treat. We'd managed to sort out a hearing aid loop but it didn't seem to work - but fortunately it wasn't really needed!
 

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Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Gill H:
Agree about the music in Dunkirk. However, I felt that it was deliberately being used almost as a character in the film. Every time Mark Rylance's little boat appeared, we would get a change of chord and I'd think "Oooh! That's pinched from 'Nimrod'!" And sure enough, at the right time, they used Nimrod in all its heart-swelling glory.

There was so little dialogue that I assumed the prominence of the music was a deliberate choice.

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Good point. The use of the music could well have been more subtle than I first realised. Might also have been the reason I was a touch watery-eyed throughout much of it
With former war movies/action films the music is used in a completely different way, normally for dramatic effect.

The whole production was an ambitious and intriguing experiment, one which I look forward to re-viewing in the future. The split time thing passed me by too so will take more care in looking out for that.
 

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Posted by Laurelin (# 17211) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by leo:
Call me by your Name - beautiful scenary but self-indulgent - and they cut the ending of the book.

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I've not read the book (although I intend to) but that ending was cinematic perfection.

Call Me By Your Name is the best film I've seen all year. Make that one of the best films I've ever seen, period.

quote:

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Originally posted by RuthW:
Today I saw "Call Me by Your Name" -- one of the most exquisite and moving films I've seen in a long time.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
The movie was also one of the earliest examples of a blog making the leap to the big screen. As I recall she was posting it on Slate.

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quote:

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Originally posted by leo:
Brilliant film - though the book is better.

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quote:

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Originally posted by leo:
The UFOs are from he author's real life and the book spells this out better.

Most interesting is the non-judgmentalism shows towards the abuser.

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SPOILERS

You mean the coach? The film(don't know about the book) seemed to be trying to be avoid the usual Hollywood melodrama approach to pedophilia, but I did think we were meant to understand that his actions inflicted serious harm upon the two boys.

And I noticed that the music changed to somewhat more sinister tones when the interactions with the coach progressed from playing to abuse.
 

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Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
Yes, the coach.

Today, I watched Stations of the Cross Kreuzweg (original title) about a dysfunctional RC family.
 

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Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
Saw "The Post" today. Worth seeing. And a nice little trip to the 70s.

 

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Posted by Trudy Scrumptious (# 5647) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Golden Key:
Saw "The Post" today. Worth seeing. And a nice little trip to the 70s.

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Yes, I loved The Post. Also great nostalgia trip for anyone who grew up around printshops and newspapers, as I did. The scenes of them setting type alone were worth the price of admission, although of course the story and acting were great as well.
 

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Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
Yes. Going in, I had forgotten they would've used hand-set type. That was fun--as were the rotary phones! I sometimes miss that rhythmic way of dialing, and finding just the right time to let go of one number, and go on to the next.


Trudy, you might like Terry Pratchett's novel "The Truth", about the first newspaper in Ankh-Morpork. Has much of the nitty-gritty of putting out a paper.
 

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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
Two film reviews that I feel mildly embarrassed about posting to follow the last one.
Jumanji:Welcome to the Jungle and Justice League

Mild spoilers for the perspicacious.

Annoying how this software eliminates returns, isn't it?

Necessitating these irrelevant lines of text.

As annoying for me as it is for you.


Trust me.

Anyway, Jumanji is a fun film. Not a great one, barely even good in some ways, but very fun. Which is all it pretends to be. An adventure film based on video games. It does poke fun at them, but not so much from an insiders POV that an outsider cannot enjoy. The action is fun and purposefully OTT. The plot is very predictable and nearly every scene is telegraphed. But, come on, that is what it is supposed to be. Is it a worthy sequel to the original? No, but please, Robin Williams, so it never could have been. It goes in a different direction. My one complaint is that some of the actors went too far into parody in attempting to portray teens. Too far over the top.
Was this film worth an attempt at a review? No.
Is it worth watching? Yes. Just do not expect too much.

Now Justice League. I wanted to love the film. No, not just because of Gal Godot . I actually like Affleck's Batman and the teasers of Momoa's Aquaman, Miller's Flash and Fisher's Cyborg. And there lay my biggest disappointment with this film. The actors were fine, Miller was adorable, and they felt as if they were walking on from completed origins. The writing, on the other hand, did not. It is difficult to convey a fully-fledged person and their conflicts without writing vignettes at least, but it can be done. Just not by anyone DC hires.
The exception is Affleck's Batman. He truly does carry is backstory through the film and Affleck is well suited to this role. I say this as someone who is not his biggest fan.
Worth watching, yes. And on a big screen, just not for full price.

Caveat: I expected little going in, so wasn't disappointed when that is what I received.
 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
It drives me mad because the writing is =easy= to fix=. You can do that with Word. No actors necessary! How can they go to shooting without a solid script? It's madness.
 

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Posted by Oscar the Grouch (# 1916) on :
 

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Originally posted by Jane R:
I have seen Paddington 2 and it is very nearly as good as the first film, something which you can't say of many sequels.

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Originally posted by Ian Climacus:
Just back from seeing "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri".

As a fan of Frances McDormand she did not disappoint: she was amazing. I also loved "In Bruges" so having Martin McDonagh as the director made me want to see it.

Flawed and damaged characters; over the top at times; dark, black humour: the film had it all and more for me. An interesting array of characters, pain and suffering interspersed with joy, great filming and locations -- I really enjoyed it.

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I didn't find the characters likeable, perhaps the point!

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Originally posted by Stetson:
Yes, in Bunuel, people above a certain income level are usually shown in a less than complimentary light.

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Will need to find more by Bunuel.

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You can probably find his early films with Dali on YouTube, L'age D'or and Un Chien Andalou(they're more Daliesque than Bunuel's later stuff).

I'm guessing you could find Simon Of The Desert as well, which if I recall correctly is a satrical metaphor for religion. It's only 45 minutes long, and has a pretty funny denoument.
 

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Posted by Pine Marten (# 11068) on :
 
Ooh no - that horrible eyeball scene gave me nightmares for years when I saw it when I was a child....
 

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Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 

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Originally posted by Pine Marten:
Ooh no - that horrible eyeball scene gave me nightmares for years when I saw it when I was a child....

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It was a visually dark film, rather overdoing the "atmosphere" in the way it was shot., and rather oppressive for it. The House of Commons looks like it was shot during a blackout.

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Originally posted by Gracious rebel:
Not exactly a movie, but a TV series I have just watched on DVD. It was shown last year on BBC 'Broken' starring Sean Bean as a Catholic priest in a gritty Northern setting.

Not an easy watch. There were days when I couldn't face watching another episode as I knew it would sting too much.

Realistic, messy, we see the priest, ministering to parishioners who find themselves in all sorts of tragic situations, while fighting his own demons. Absolutely amazing. As a portrayal of what it truly means (and costs) to try to offer genuine Christlike pastoral care in the real world, I don't think it has been bettered.

How did I manage to miss this when it was on TV last year? Anybody else seen it? What do the Catholics here think?

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Originally posted by Stetson:
Black Panther.

All the discussion of the cultural/political significance aside, It was nice to see a Marvel film that wasn't loaded with cross-references and in-jokes.

Though I gather the next installment is gonna have the hero teaming up with The Avengers, so I guess that was too good to last.

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Originally posted by Gill H:
Angela Lansbury is indeed amazing. Loved her small but effective role in the recent BBC version of 'Little Women' as Aunt March.

Back to 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' which really does look as if Disney wanted to do 'Mary Poppins 2 - now with added Nazis!'. I grew up with 'Disney Time' on TV every Easter and Christmas, so must have seen that football match dozens of times. But my favourite part is 'Portobello Road'. Who knew multiculturalism was so easy? Just ask the Sherman Brothers to write a catchy tune and get everyone to do a dance number. Sorted!

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Originally posted by jedijudy:


I also saw The Shape of Water. I liked the film, but it was very odd. I don't think it counts as a spoiler to mention that it's a bit disturbing that the cleaning women were cleaning and cleaning, but everything looked dark and filthy. Let's just say, I wouldn't get in that tub!!!

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Originally posted by Stetson:
Black Panther.

All the discussion of the cultural/political significance aside,

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Originally posted by jedijudy:
it's a bit disturbing that the cleaning women were cleaning and cleaning, but everything looked dark and filthy. Let's just say, I wouldn't get in that tub!!!

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Originally posted by louis crandall:
Just got back from seeing The shape of water.
I thought it was an excellent film. hoping to see Black panther next Saturday.

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