Let’s Talk Movies! #31: Pandas, Zombies, Male Models, Superheroes, Greeks and…Caesar!

[PeterG]

The old thread has almost maxed out at 1,000 posts and since my computer is being wonky, I thought I should start the new thread while I can! (Darn you, Windows 10!) Anyway, below is info and trailers for the 10 movies in the poll. It's your choice whether you want to watch all ten trailers before voting in the poll. But I am watching you.......! (P.S. You should be able to change your vote in this poll if you wish.)


Jan. 15th - The 5th Wave - Sci-fi with Chloë Grace Moretz, Liev Schreiber, Maria Bello and Ron Livingston
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmxLybfGNC4

Jan. 29th - Kung Fu Panda 3 - Animated action comedy with Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Bryan Cranston, Kate Hudson and J. K. Simmons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGPPfZIvtCw

Feb. 5th - Hail, Caesar! - Comedy with George Clooney, Josh Brolin, Channing Tatum, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson, Jonah Hill, Dolph Lundgren, Clancy Brown, Frances McDormand, Christopher Lambert and Fisher Stevens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMqeoW3XRa0

Feb. 5th - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – Horror comedy with Lily James, Sam Riley, Matt Smith, Lena Headey, Charles Dance, Jack Huston and Douglas Booth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Foo3Vx_ULMg

Feb. 12th - Zoolander 2 - Comedy with Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell, Penélope Cruz, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Olivia Munn, Billy Zane, Justin Bieber and Fred Armisen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CL4LNWHegk

March 18th - The Divergent Series: Allegiant – Action adventure with Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ansel Elgort, Naomi Watts, Jeff Daniels and Bill Skarsgard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G0C-vMHcQY

March 25th - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Action adventure with Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Laurence Fishburne, Jena Malone, Diane Lane, Michael Shannon, Jason Momoa and Jeffrey Dean Morgan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwfUnkBfdZ4

March 25th - My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 – Romantic comedy with Nia Vardalos, John Corbett and Ian Gomez
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ-1Ts3BChM

Apr. 15th - The Jungle Book – Family adventure fantasy with Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley, Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong'o, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Esposito and Bill Murray
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mkm22yO-bs

Apr. 22nd - The Huntsman: Winter's War - Fantasy with Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, Nick Frost and Rob Brydon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QZsXiGOOsU

 

[PeterG]

And more from the first four months of 2016:


Jan. 8th - The Forest – Horror with Natalie Dormer and Taylor Kinney

Jan. 15th - 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi – Action thriller with John Krasinski and David Giuntoli [TV's Grimm]

Jan. 15th - Norm of the North - Animated family with Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, Colm Meaney, Bill Nighy, Ken Jeong and Loretta Devine

Jan. 15th - Ride Along 2 Action comedy with Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Benjamin Bratt, Olivia Munn, Ken Jeong, Tyrese Gibson and T.I.

Jan. 22nd - The Boy - Horror thriller with Lauren Cohan [The Walking Dead] and Rupert Evans

Jan. 22nd - Dirty Grandpa - Comedy with Zac Efron, Robert De Niro, Julianne Hough, Aubrey Plaza and Dermot Mulroney
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOAn83vOZLk

Jan. 29th - Lights Out - Horror with Teresa Palmer and Gabriel Bateman

Jan. 29th - Jane Got a Gun - Action drama with Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, Ewan McGregor, Rodrigo Santoro, Noah Emmerich and Boyd Holbrook

Jan. 29th - Fifty Shades of Black - Comedy with Marlon Wayans, Jane Seymour, Fred Willard and Mike Epps

Jan. 29th - The Finest Hours – Action drama with Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster and Eric Bana

Feb. 5th - The Choice- Romantic drama with Maggie Grace, Tom Welling and Tom Wilkinson

Feb. 5th - Dad's Army – Wartime comedy with Toby Jones, Bill Nighy, Tom Courtenay, Daniel Mays and Michael Gambon

Feb. 5th – Regression - Thriller with Ethan Hawke, Emma Watson, David Thewlis

Feb. 12th – Deadpool – Superhero action comedy with Ryan Reynolds, Gina Carano, T. J. Miller, Morena Baccarin and Stan Lee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONHBaC-pfsk

Feb. 12th - How to Be Single - Romantic comedy with Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Rebel Wilson and Damon Wayans Jr.

Feb. 19th – Race – Sports drama with Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons and William Hurt

Feb. 19th - Shut In - Thriller with Naomi Watts, Oliver Platt and Jacob Tremblay

Feb. 19th – Viral - Sci-Fi, Horror with Analeigh Tipton and Michael Kelly

Feb. 19th – Risen - Drama with Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton and Cliff Curtis

Feb. 26th - Gods of Egypt - Action, fantasy with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Geoffrey Rush, Gerard Butler, Brenton Thwaites and Chadwick Boseman

Feb. 26th - The Other Side of the Door - Horror with Jeremy Sisto and Sarah Wayne Callies [The Walking Dead]

Feb. 26th - Triple 9 – Crime drama with Kate Winslet, Woody Harrelson, Gal Gadot, Anthony Mackie, Teresa Palmer, Casey Affleck, Clifton Collins, Jr., Chiwetel Ejiofor, Aaron Paul and Norman Reedus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfeiINSMU1I

Feb. 26th - The Witch – Horror with a new cast

March 4th - Knight of Cups - Fantasy drama with Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman

March 4th - London Has Fallen - Action with Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Jackie Earle Haley, Melissa Leo and Robert Forster
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMbyPhQo75A

March 4th - Me Before You – Romantic drama with Charles Dance, Sam Claflin and Janet McTeer

March 4th - Whiskey Tango Foxtrot - Biographical comedy drama with Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina and Billy Bob Thornton

March 4th – Zootopia - Animated comedy with Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Shakira, Idris Elba and J.K. Simmons

March 11th - The Brothers Grimsby - Comedy with Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Isla Fisher, Rebel Wilson, Ian McShane, Gabourey Sidibe, Derek Jeter and Penélope Cruz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmgVDLjSk-s

March 11th - Christ the Lord – Biblical drama with Sean Bean

March 18th - Midnight Special - Sci-fi with Michael Shannon, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, Joel Edgerton and Sam Shepard

March 18th - Miracles from Heaven – Biblical drama with Jennifer Garner, Martin Henderson and Queen Latifah

March 25th - The Disappointments Room - Horror with Kate Beckinsale and Lucas Till

March 25th - I Saw the Light – Biographical drama with Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen

Apr. 1st – Collide - Action with Felicity Jones, Nicholas Hoult, Anthony Hopkins and Ben Kingsley

Apr. 1st - God's Not Dead 2 - Drama with Ray Wise, Robin Givens, Ernie Hudson and Jesse Metcalfe

Apr. 1st - Keeping Up with the Joneses - Comedy with Jon Hamm, Zach Galifianakis, Gal Gadot and Isla Fisher

Apr. 1st – Rings – Horror thriller with Johnny Galecki and Alex Roe

Apr. 1st - Green Room - Crime thriller with Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots and Patrick Stewart

Apr. 8th - Before I Wake - Horror with Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, Jacob Tremblay and Annabeth Gish

Apr. 8th - The Boss - Comedy with Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage, Tyler Labine, Kristen Schaal, Margo Martindale and Kathy Bates

Apr. 8th – Demolition - Drama with Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts and Chris Cooper

Apr. 8th - Money Monster - Drama with George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O'Connell and Dominic West

Apr. 15th - Barbershop: The Next Cut - Comed with Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Nicki Minaj, Regina Hall, Eve and Common

Apr. 15th - The Best Man Wedding - Comedy with Taye Diggs, Terrence Howard, Harold Perrineau, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long and Regina Hall

Apr. 15th – Criminal – Action thriller with Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, Alice Eve, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds

Apr. 15th - Everybody Wants Some – Comedy drama with Blake Jenner amd Ryan Guzman

Apr. 15th - Amityville: The Awakening - Supernatural horror with Jennifer Jason Leigh and Thomas Mann

Apr. 22nd – Keanu - Comedy with Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Method Man, Gabrielle Union and Will Forte

Apr. 29th - Eddie the Eagle – Biographical sports drama with Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman and Christopher Walken

Apr. 29th - Mother's Day – Comedy drama with Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Timothy Olyphant, Jason Sudeikis, Hilary Duff, Sarah Chalke, Jon Lovitz and Margo Martindale

Apr. 29th - Nine Lives - Comedy with Kevin Spacey, Robbie Amell, Jennifer Garner, Christopher Walken and Mark Consuelos

Apr. 29th - Ratchet & Clank - Animated sci-fi action comedy with Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, Rosario Dawson and Sylvester Stallone

Apr. 29th - Same Kind of Different as Me - Drama with Renée Zellweger, Djimon Hounsou, Olivia Holt, Jon Voight and Greg Kinnear

 

[Aussie Willy]

Thanks for the new thread Peter. I was anticipating it.

 

[Buzz]

Many many many thanks as always for your hard work Peter. I am most looking forward to The 5th Wave!

 

[PeterG]

Oh, I remembered the other movie coming out this weekend. Some sci-fi flick...

Dec. 18th - Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Sci-Fi with Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis, Max von Sydow, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Lupita Nyong'o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCc2v7izk8w

So maybe Tina and Amy will not own this weekend as I heard there's some buzz around this sci-fi flick. Anybody heard of it? Amy actually talks about it coming out the same weekend as her new movie, Sisters:

Filming Sisters Was Like an SNL Reunion for Amy Poehler

And this fake trailer starts out slow but gets hilarious by mid-point:

Sisters - The Farce Awakens (HD)

 

[Aussie Willy]

And this fake trailer starts out slow but gets hilarious by mid-point:

Sisters - The Farce Awakens (HD)

Love the British accents.

 

[watchthis!!]

Of the poll choices, the trailers I liked the best (so the ones I voted for) were:

Hail Caesar!
Zoolander 2
Allegient
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
Jungle Book
The Huntsman

Of the other upcoming movies, I'm interesting to see what these ones might be like:

Jan. 29th - Jane Got a Gun - Action drama with Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, Ewan McGregor, Rodrigo Santoro, Noah Emmerich and Boyd Holbrook

Feb. 5th – Regression - Thriller with Ethan Hawke, Emma Watson, David Thewlis

Feb. 19th - Shut In - Thriller with Naomi Watts, Oliver Platt and Jacob Tremblay

March 4th - Whiskey Tango Foxtrot - Biographical comedy drama with Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina and Billy Bob Thornton

Apr. 8th - The Boss - Comedy with Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage, Tyler Labine, Kristen Schaal, Margo Martindale and Kathy Bates

Apr. 8th – Demolition - Drama with Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts and Chris Cooper

Apr. 8th - Money Monster - Drama with George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O'Connell and Dominic West

Apr. 29th - Nine Lives - Comedy with Kevin Spacey, Robbie Amell, Jennifer Garner, Christopher Walken and Mark Consuelos

Apr. 29th - Same Kind of Different as Me - Drama with Renée Zellweger, Djimon Hounsou, Olivia Holt, Jon Voight and Greg Kinnear

 

[Vash01]

I liked the trailer of the Jungle Book. None of the other movies interested me. So after the Oscar season is over, I will have to depend on Netflix for old movies.

 

[Artemis@BC]

Love the British accents.

I'm totally copying that idea.

I also LOLed at "my boobs are members of SAG."

 

[Artemis@BC]

I hadn't had The Big Short on my radar at all but after catching a commercial for it by chance it's definitely on my list now. It looks like it will be both entertaining and a thinker.

And although I like all 4 male leads, I'm particularly interested to see Karen Gillan.

Full open on Dec 23.

 

[PeterG]

I'm totally copying that idea.

I also LOLed at "my boobs are members of SAG."

Looks like the studio behind Sisters understand the idea of counter-programming. Unlike the people behind The Revenant and The Hateful Eight, both of which are coming out on December 25th and are too similar to share the release date. Any predictions as to which of those two will do better? I'm thinking The Revenant as I think it's more of an action movie whereas The Hateful Eight is like a filmed stage play, with all the action taking place in basically one room.

 

[danceronice]

Looks like the studio behind Sisters understand the idea of counter-programming. .

I kind of understood that decision (there's still, apparently, a notion that girls don't like Star Wars. I mean, you would in fact need to pay me or I'd need to be somewhere a channel change isn't an option to watch "Sisters.") But apparently they moved the third Chipmunk movie TO this weekend. That speaks to me less of wanting to offer kid-safe fare than wanting it to not look as if it's getting trounced as badly as it will (because everything will have a weak open compared to Star Wars.)

And what caught my attention wasn't actually any of the trailers, but the poster and the movie-theater staff shirts advertising "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." I had totally forgot about that, and while I don't actually do zombie movies as a rule....

 

[Jay42]

Looks like the studio behind Sisters understand the idea of counter-programming. Unlike the people behind The Revenant and The Hateful Eight, both of which are coming out on December 25th and are too similar to share the release date. Any predictions as to which of those two will do better? I'm thinking The Revenant as I think it's more of an action movie whereas The Hateful Eight is like a filmed stage play, with all the action taking place in basically one room.

I don't know, people love Tarantino, but they also love Leonardo Dicaprio. It could go either way.

 

[Buzz]

I maybe the only one but I don't get the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler love at all. Their comedy act never really appealed to me. Then again I am also not much of a Saturday Night Live fan.

 

[Cachoo]

I'm a fan of David Thewlis so when I saw he was in "Regression" I had a peek at the trailer. I also like Emma Watson and Ethan Hawke and I think this looks like an interesting film. Is it horror? Is it suspense? Whatever it is I want to see it. https://youtu.be/-pBwIsVGaL4

 

[PeterG]

I saw Magic Mike XXL a while back. I found it skeevy! I think they tried to up the ante with the dancing and went super-sexual and it just felt like they went too far. Not pornographic-far, but just too overly-sexual far. And with all those stunning men, the best part of the movie was Elizabeth Banks and Jada Pinkett Smith. Such sparks to their scene, it made me wish the movie had been about the two of them instead!

I liked the trailer of the Jungle Book. None of the other movies interested me. So after the Oscar season is over, I will have to depend on Netflix for old movies.

I liked the trailer too. At first I thought it was strange that Scarlett Johansson was such a focal point of the trailer, but by the end I thought it was a very smart move.

I kind of understood that decision (there's still, apparently, a notion that girls don't like Star Wars. I mean, you would in fact need to pay me or I'd need to be somewhere a channel change isn't an option to watch "Sisters.") But apparently they moved the third Chipmunk movie TO this weekend. That speaks to me less of wanting to offer kid-safe fare than wanting it to not look as if it's getting trounced as badly as it will (because everything will have a weak open compared to Star Wars.)

I think Amy Poehler's been putting out the "you can see both!!" vibe pretty strongly. In the Fallon interview she (half?) joked that showings of Star Wars will sell out, so people can go see Sisters instead.

As for the Chipmunk movie, the three previous ones have done BIG box office. I'm sure Alvin is MUCH less scared of Star Wars than Fey and Poehler are. But it's counter-programming as well. Who knows, maybe Dads will go to Star Wars, Moms will go to Sisters and the kinds will go see Alvin and the Chipmunks!

 

[Jay42]

I can't deal with the Alvin and The Chipmunks movies. I worked at McDonald's when the last one came out and we had toys for the movie. When you pushed on the glasses ones belly he did the "I'm loving it thing". You do not know pain until you have heard child after child over an 8 hour day pushing that stupid button on a loop.

I feel like I may have posted this before. Oh well.

 

[vireo]

Amazon just sent a promo offering me a free digital download of Kung Fu Panda. I've never seen the movie. Is it worth the time?

 

[Artemis@BC]

Amazon just sent a promo offering me a free digital download of Kung Fu Panda. I've never seen the movie. Is it worth the time?

It is if you like that sort of thing. I remember enjoying it at the time, but I also found it pretty instantly forgettable. In terms of the other Dreamworks franchises I'd rank it better (significantly) than the Madagascar ones, not as good as the first 2 Shrek ones or the first Cars.

 

[PeterG]

I thought this was a good (and interesting) video:

African Men. Hollywood Stereotypes. [mamahope.org]

Joking about the Matthew McConaughey poster at the end was pretty funny, too!

I don't know, people love Tarantino, but they also love Leonardo Dicaprio. It could go either way.

Looks like both movies won't go into wide release until January, but I'm getting conflicting info about whether both open wide on January 8th or if one opens that weekend and the other the next. So maybe they won't be seeing head-to-head competition. But still, similar movies just one week apart? Not smart, Hollywood!

I'm a fan of David Thewlis so when I saw he was in "Regression" I had a peek at the trailer. I also like Emma Watson and Ethan Hawke and I think this looks like an interesting film. Is it horror? Is it suspense? Whatever it is I want to see it. https://youtu.be/-pBwIsVGaL4

According to imdb.com, it is a "Horror, Mystery, Thriller" movie.

 

[watchthis!!]

Watched the 2015 version of Poltergeist the other day and enjoyed it more than I thought it would. I had the impression that it was a bit of a bomb at the box office, so I figured it wouldn't be very good. But I wanted a popcorn movie to watch and this one more than fit the bill. Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt are the leads and they do very well with their roles, as does everyone in the cast. I really liked the story and it moved at a great pace from start to finish. And it looks like it maybe actually made a small profit, so who knows, maybe I'll get to tell you about the sequel in a couple of years!

 

[Cachoo]

I saw Magic Mike XXL a while back. I found it skeevy! I think they tried to up the ante with the dancing and went super-sexual and it just felt like they went too far. Not pornographic-far, but just too overly-sexual far. And with all those stunning men, the best part of the movie was Elizabeth Banks and Jada Pinkett Smith. Such sparks to their scene, it made me wish the movie had been about the two of them instead!



I liked the trailer too. At first I thought it was strange that Scarlett Johansson was such a focal point of the trailer, but by the end I thought it was a very smart move.



I think Amy Poehler's been putting out the "you can see both!!" vibe pretty strongly. In the Fallon interview she (half?) joked that showings of Star Wars will sell out, so people can go see Sisters instead.

As for the Chipmunk movie, the three previous ones have done BIG box office. I'm sure Alvin is MUCH less scared of Star Wars than Fey and Poehler are. But it's counter-programming as well. Who knows, maybe Dads will go to Star Wars, Moms will go to Sisters and the kinds will go see Alvin and the Chipmunks!

Someday we should have a discussion on what makes a man in film, tv or on stage sexy. Re Magic Mike: There was all of that skin in both films and yet I go back to an old stage version of "The Taming of the Shrew" and remember how incredibly sexy I thought this particular Petruchio was when he was trying to woo Katherine. His name was Marc Singer and he was in a few films and tv shows but on that night on that stage he was HOT--much more than any guy trying so hard to be sexy imho--like in Magic Mike. Or in the 80's when I saw a sexiest woman and sexiest man on tv contest. The top female voter getter was Cindy Crawford who had a show on MTV. No big surprise as she is stunning. And the man: Captain Jean-Luc Picard, aka Patrick Stewart---short, skinny and bald. And I totally agreed with the choice.

Wow---Sorry for going on so much about this. Carry on.

 

[Artemis@BC]

Someday we should have a discussion on what makes a man in film, tv or on stage sexy. ... And the man: Captain Jean-Luc Picard, aka Patrick Stewart---short, skinny and bald.

And English. It's the English accent that does it.

Well that ... and the fact that he commanded a star-ship. 25th century equivalent of a guy in a hot car ...

 

[beepbeep]

Zoolander? Zoolander what?

All I want is the AbFab movie

And I quite liked the first Zoolander.

 

[PeterG]

A few things to share...

There was an interview with Allison Janney in a June issue of Entertainment Weekly, here's a bit of the online version. She mentioned being a figure skater when she was younger as well as being tall. Perhaps her height was a hindrance to becoming more known as a figure skater than an actress. She also mentions working with director Paul Feig in the Melissa McCarthy film, "Spy" and how she has practically begged him for a part of the female Ghostbusters movie. That she'd be willing to be anyting, including "...a slimy ghost. I don't care." Nothing in her imdb.com list for being in Ghostbusters...but maybe she'll be a surprise cameo?

Thought this was funny:

The Business Cards Jonah Hill Is Handing Instead of Autographs Are Hilarious



And speaking of imdb.com, check out Danny Trejo's list of current projects:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001803/?ref_=tt_cl_t10

I counted 49 projects from 2015 onwards. Sounds like a man who just can't say no!
One post from the old thread that I meant to reply to earlier:

Ok----As some know I am a caretaker for my Mom and this season it involves watching a lot of "dreck" aka made-for-tv holiday movies. Would that they all could be "It's a Wonderful Life" or "Love Actually" but many are not of that quality. HOWEVER we did run into a film that we both liked a lot. It is a few years old and stars the woman who played Winnie Cooper on "The Wonder Years." It is called "Love At the Christmas Table." We are also going to watch one with Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker and Andy Garcia called "Christmas In Conway."

Is there anything you can recommend? Even if I don't like it my Mom might and conversely if she doesn't like it I might like it. We are simply wired differently. Anyway happy holiday movie watching!

My Mom looooooved a short Christmas TV-movie called The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which starred Loretta Swit. Here's the imdb.com link for it:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085231/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_21

Hey, just checked youtube for a trailer after I posted this imdb.com link and someone has uploaded The Best Christmas Pageant Ever to youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icZwm6Aact8

 

[Allskate]

Well, I had a depressing weekend watching movies. First I watched "Calvary." Then I watched "Amy." But, at least they were good movies. So, it was better than last weekend when I watched "Ricki and the Flash." I'm guessing that Meryl Streep agreed to do that movie only because she got to work with her daughter and to sing.

 

[smurfy]

In my movie preview film club we saw 'The Lady in the Van' with Maggie Smith.
Based on play and events that happened to the writer Alan Bennett (The Madness of King George, History Boys among others).
Very good amusing movie. Maggie Smith is just wonderful as one would expect.
Alan let a lady in a van park it in his driveway for a few months that becomes 15 years - really did happen.
Also cameos of actors that have appeared in Alan Bennett's plays.

 

[Artemis@BC]

In my movie preview film club we saw 'The Lady in the Van' with Maggie Smith.
Based on play and events that happened to the writer Alan Bennett (The Madness of King George, History Boys among others).
Very good amusing movie. Maggie Smith is just wonderful as one would expect.
Alan let a lady in a van park it in his driveway for a few months that becomes 15 years - really did happen.
Also cameos of actors that have appeared in Alan Bennett's plays.

That sounds great! Bennett is one of my favourite playwrights and Maggie Smith is one of my favourite actors, so that's a fab combo.

Looks like it has limited release in December, then wider release mid-January.

ETA: currently at 92/78% on RT, and 60 on imdb. Further proof that the imdb ratings are useless ...

 

[Japanfan]

I saw Brooklyn and found it disappointing. The sets and costuming were wonderful, but the story didn't go anywhere interesting and I spent the second half of the film waiting for it to be over. And the male lead was neither compelling nor convincing. He was trying way to hard to channel a young Marlon Brando.

 

[Cachoo]

I watched the Michael Caine interview on "60 Minutes" and he didn't beat around the bush: He would like to win the best actor Oscar for "Youth." I love the guy and I wish him well though I know Academy voters can be a fickle lot.
Speaking of Mr Caine, I watched him tonight in the Muppets version of "The Christmas Carol." I would not have been interested but there was an interview with Brits involved with Dickens tours and memorabilia and they picked that version of CC as their favorite filmed version. I was shocked but when I watched the ghosts and Scrooge were very true to the book in their actions and dialogue. And the added Muppet stuff was kind of cute. I'm still shocked they picked the Muppets over dozens of other versions. That segment aired on the CBS Sunday Morning News.