Let's Talk Movies #34 - Kingsmen, Murder, Blade Runners and...IT!

[Vash01]

Back on topic.

I really want to see Battle of the sexes. Has anyone seen it? I plan to see it in the next few days.

 

[DannyCurry]

I saw Blade Runner 2049 today. Loved the beautiful imagery and the soundtrack. Ryan Gosling and Jared Leto are perfect in their roles. Harrison Ford was good. The themes had potential but I felt the storyline was lacking creativity. Also, even though it didn't bother me, the movie was quite long and slow-paced.
So, overall, with a mastery of visual and sound aesthetics, I think Denis Villeneuve did a great job (again !).
Now I guess I should watch Ridley Scott's 1982 film.

 

[watchthis!!]

I watched Snowden the other day and enjoyed it much more than expected. Oliver Stone is the director and probably the writer as well, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Edward Snowden. I thought he was really good, I'm impressed with him each time I see him in something. I saw at imdb.com that the movie got very little recognition for any major awards or critics association. Is Edward Snowden too hot a topic for anyone to suggest any kind of praise for this movie? Surely some critic somewhere liked it. And Gordon-Levitt deserved at least a Golden Globe consideration. It's really his movie, he shares the screen with Zachary Quinto, Melissa Leo, Nicolas Cage and Shailene Woodley (and there's at least a handful more of famous actors you'll recognize inthe movie). Woodley's role is not worthy of her talent, she doesn't get to do much here unfortunately. Cage did get a Razzie nod for worst supporting actor, but he's just fine here, so I think that Razzie nomination was unwarranted. Overall, I found the movie to be as enjoyable as it was informative. Worth seeing if political dramas are something that grab your interest.

 

[MacMadame]

Now I guess I should watch Ridley Scott's 1982 film.

One of the top 10 movies of all time. (IMO, of course)

 

[smurfy]

I watched Snowden the other day and enjoyed it much more than expected. Oliver Stone is the director and probably the writer as well, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Edward Snowden. I thought he was really good, I'm impressed with him each time I see him in something. I saw at imdb.com that the movie got very little recognition for any major awards or critics association. Is Edward Snowden too hot a topic for anyone to suggest any kind of praise for this movie? Surely some critic somewhere liked it. And Gordon-Levitt deserved at least a Golden Globe consideration. It's really his movie, he shares the screen with Zachary Quinto, Melissa Leo, Nicolas Cage and Shailene Woodley (and there's at least a handful more of famous actors you'll recognize inthe movie). Woodley's role is not worthy of her talent, she doesn't get to do much here unfortunately. Cage did get a Razzie nod for worst supporting actor, but he's just fine here, so I think that Razzie nomination was unwarranted. Overall, I found the movie to be as enjoyable as it was informative. Worth seeing if political dramas are something that grab your interest.

Snowden as hot topic ? - the documentary 'Citizenfour' - which is an interview with Snowden won best documentary oscar. I saw that documentary - it was very interesting. Is it Oliver Stone? or finding a distributor type of issue?

 

[smurfy]

I saw Blade Runner 2049 today. Loved the beautiful imagery and the soundtrack. Ryan Gosling and Jared Leto are perfect in their roles. Harrison Ford was good. The themes had potential but I felt the storyline was lacking creativity. Also, even though it didn't bother me, the movie was quite long and slow-paced.
So, overall, with a mastery of visual and sound aesthetics, I think Denis Villeneuve did a great job (again !).
Now I guess I should watch Ridley Scott's 1982 film.

I have never seen the original. Do I need to see it before seeing 2049? Thanks.

 

[DannyCurry]

I have never seen the original. Do I need to see it before seeing 2049? Thanks.

No, there's no need to see the original. I want to watch it out of curiosity but the plot in 2049 was pretty clear and self-sufficient, IMO.

 

[Vash01]

I saw the trailer of Bladerunner 2049. Not really my kind of movie.

Saw Battle of the Sexes tonight. It was a strange experience because -1) I was the only one in the big theatre, and 2) with 15 minutes left in the movie, the screen went dark, emergency lights started flashing and there was an announcement to find the closest exit out of the theatre. There was chaos but after the fire truck arrived and checked the building we were allowed back in to finish the movie.

It is hard for me to make an objective evaluation of the movie, with the distraction. Going back to the movie before the alarm, I thought it was just ok. It felt forced, and it dragged at times. The alarm sounded just when the final match between King and Riggs started.

The acting by the two main characters portrayed by Emma Stone and Steve Carrel was very good and it is the biggest positive about the movie. They even looked like the real life characters. Margaret Court's character was not well developed. I know very little about her, except that she has won 24 grand slam championships. IMO Steve Carrel is an underrated actor. He played Bobby Riggs perfectly. I would give this movie around 6/10 or 6.5/10.

Clearly the world has come a long way since the King-Riggs match (I didn't see it but heard/read about it). I had read that Billie Jean fought for equal money for women. It seems the attitude toward women was far worse back then. Male chauvinistic pigs were mistreating women. They openly put down women. Sadly sexism is still present, and women are still fighting for equal pay, but at least in pro Tennis they do get respect, thanks to Billie Jean's work.

They did address the sexuality and how much things have changed (Billie Jean had to hide her sexuality those days, it seems).

ETA- When they repeatedly announced an emergency and asked us to find the nearest exit, I was shaking a bit. The first thought in my mind was - is this about someone with a gun? Not surprising, considering the recent events.

 

[NeilJLeonard]

Jenifer Lawrence movie quiz
http://entertainment.ie/cinema/news/entertainmenties-Weekly-Movie-Quiz-Week-31/397333.htm

I only got four out of ten! I thought I knew Lawrence's career pretty well. Apparently not. Anyone dare to take on my 40% correct record?

10 / 10....

NJL (To be expected from Jen's septuagenarian uber-fan.....)

 

[Seerek]

Saw Battle of the Sexes tonight. It was a strange experience because -1) I was the only one in the big theatre, and 2) with 15 minutes left in the movie, the screen went dark, emergency lights started flashing and there was an announcement to find the closest exit out of the theatre. There was chaos but after the fire truck arrived and checked the building we were allowed back in to finish the movie.

Unless you're a huge tennis follower (i.e. myself), Battle of the Sexes ends up not being that accessible of a film for general audiences (at least, imo), though it is reasonably well produced with a good performance by Emma Stone.
Battle of the Sexes tries to take on a "personal lives" approach (with respect to Billie Jean and to a lesser extent Bobby) when compared to the 2001 Holly Hunter ABC TV movie When Billie beat Bobby (which focused more on the overreaching cultural impact of the event).

For tennis followers, they should be reasonably pleased that the historical facts behind the King/Riggs match and formation of the women's tennis association (WTA) are effectively accurate (the actual years of events slightly altered to help with the narrative). The choreography of the tennis points during the match is also quite good, matching the playing styles of both Billie Jean (net rushing, serve/volley) and Bobby (lots of slice, lobs and drop shots).

General viewers will be perhaps disappointed in learning that "King vs Riggs" itself really wasn't that contentious (most of it was tongue in cheek b/t Bobby and Billie Jean). In fact, the real battles were King vs. tennis establishment (such as former top player turned promoter Jack Kramer) and King vs. herself (her self-identity only starting to take shape at age 30). Unless younger viewers are real sports/historian buffs, there isn't much to latch onto, as the film keeps within its 1972-73 bubble quite well (for better or for worse).


Perhaps a more revealing post-script to this movie would be to Google how Marilyn Barnett/Billie Jean ended (not good), and Margaret Court's post-retirement activities and comments (eye-opening to say the least).

 

[made_in_canada]

I watched The Big Sick last night. I absolutely loved it. It felt very genuine (as it should, I suppose) and had the perfect amount of comedy to balance out the serious stuff.

 

[DannyCurry]

I watched Seven Sisters today and didn't really like it. Despite some good ideas, it was disappointing overall, because there are too many ridiculous moments. Actions scenes were the worst. I prefer dystopian movies when you believe it could actually happen and not those with characters who fight, fall, get up, run and die just for the sake of action.

 

[jl22aries]

I saw Loving Vincent - a movie about Vincent Van Gogh, done entirely in oil paints in his style - something like 100 artists worked on the film. Beautiful to look at.

Also saw The Departure, a documentary a zen monk in Japan who counsels suicidal people. I found his story highly problematic. The movie doesn't touch on whether he's received any formal training or if his practice is anchored in any particular framework...and so it seems altogether reckless that he seems to be the one lifeline for so many at risk individuals. I won't say any more as it could enter true spoiler territory.

Grateful for film fests.

Seeing Columbus next. So freaking excited. John Cho is TITAN.

 

[PeterG]

Trailers for Movies Released 2017-10-06th
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipQtI-CR1px8MfjA6DaQMGED

Thirty five new movies coming out this week. As long as you watch five of these each day, you will be keeping up with the new releases.


Oct. 6th – Blade Runner 2049 (Wide) – Sci-fi with Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Robin Wright, Dave Bautista and Jared Leto

Oct. 6th - The Mountain Between Us (Wide) - Romance, Disaster with Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Dermot Mulroney and Beau Bridges

Oct. 6th - My Little Pony: The Movie (Wide) – Animated musical with Kristin Chenoweth, Emily Blunt, Michael Peña, Uzo Aduba, Liev Schreiber, Taye Diggs, Sia and Zoe Saldana

Oct. 4th - Walking Out (Limited) – Adventure drama with Matt Bomer and Bill Pullman

Oct. 6th – Una aka Blackbird (New York) - Drama with Rooney Mara, Ben Mendelsohn and Riz Ahmed

Oct. 6th - Barracuda (Limited) – Thriller with Allison Tolman [Downward Dog] and JoBeth Williams

Oct. 6th - Better Watch Out (Limited) – Comedy thriller with Virginia Madsen and Patrick Warburton

Oct. 6th - Earth: One Amazing Day (Limited) – Documentary narrated by Robert Redford. From imdb.com: “Over the course of one single day, we track the sun from the highest mountains to the remotest islands to exotic jungles. Breakthroughs in filmmaking technology bring you up close with a cast of unforgettable characters.”

Oct. 6th - Overdrive (Limited) – Action thriller with Scott Eastwood and Ana de Armas [Blade Runner 2049]

Oct. 6th - Brawl in Cell Block 99 (New York and Los Angeles) – Crime drama with Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Marc Blucas and Don Johnson

Oct. 6th - Take My Nose…Please! (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “A seriously-funny and wickedly-subversive look at the role of comedy in examining the pressures on women to be attractive and society's desire and shame relationship with plastic surgery.”

Oct. 6th - The Polka King (Netflix) Comedy drama with Jack Black, Jason Schwartzman, Jacki Weaver and Jenny Slate
…no trailer at youtube…

Oct. 6th - The Florida Project (Limited) - Drama with Willem Dafoe. From imdb.com: “Set over one summer, the film follows precocious 6-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Disney World”

Oct. 6th - Dina (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “An eccentric suburban woman and a Walmart door greeter navigate their evolving relationship in this unconventional love story.”

Oct. 6th - Abundant Acreage Available (Limited) – Drama with Terry Kinney, Max Gail [Barney Miller] and Amy Ryan

Oct. 6th - Maineland (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Stella and Harry are affluent, cosmopolitan teenagers who are part of the enormous wave of "parachute students" from Mainland China enrolling in U.S. private schools…a multi-layered coming-of-age tale…”
…no trailer at youtube…

Oct. 6th - Bad Grandmas (Limited) – Action comedy with Pam Grier, Judge Reinhold and Florence Henderson

Oct. 3rd - Mully (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “A man revered as "Father to the Fatherless," Mully is a one time Kenyan business tycoon turned founder of Mully Children's Family, the largest children's rescue, rehabilitation and development organization in Africa.”

Oct. 6th - Dementia 13 (Limited) – Horror, new cast. From imdb.com: “A vengeful ghost, a mysterious killer, and a family where everyone has a secret converge in one night of terror in this remake of Francis Ford Coppola's first feature film.”

Oct. 4th - Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Charged with 2400 volts of electricity, Eduardo Garcia lost an arm, ribs, muscle mass and nearly his life, but more important than what he lost is what he found.”

Oct. 6th - Cold Moon (Limited) – Crime drama horror with Christopher Lloyd, Frank Whaley and Candy Clark [American Graffiti, Zodiac]

Oct. 6th - Bobbi Jene (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “…a love story, portraying the dilemmas and inevitable consequences of ambition. It is a film about a woman's fight for independence, a woman trying to succeed with her own art in the extremely competitive world of dance.”

Oct. 6th - 2307: Winter’s Dream (Limited) – Sci-fi, new cast. From imdb.com: “In 2307, a soldier is sent on a mission to hunt down the leader of the humanoid rebellion.”

Oct. 4th - Chavela (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Through its lyrical structure, Chavela will take viewers on an evocative, thought-provoking journey through the iconoclastic life of game-changing artist Chavela Vargas.”

Oct. 6th - The Stray (Limited) – Family drama, new cast. From imdb.com: “A young father takes his nine year old son, the family dog, and two of his son's friends backpacking in the mountains of Colorado only for all five of them to be struck by lightning.”

Oct. 6th - Generational Sins (Limited) – Drama, new cast. From imdb.com: “A dying mother, Sarah, tells her last wish to her eldest son, Drew, that he take his younger brother, Will, to the place they were born. Despite tragic family history, hope gives promise to the future.”

Oct. 6th - A*sholes (Limited) – Romantic comedy drama, new cast. From imdb.com: “Adah and Aaron are literally Assholes.”

Oct. 6th - Architects of Denial (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Though both the historical and modern-day persecution of Armenians and other Christians is relatively uncovered in the mainstream media and not on the radar of many average Americans, it is a subject that has gotten far more attention in recent years…”

Oct. 3rd - Demon Hole (Limited) – Horror, new cast. From imdb.com: “A fracking crew drills on sacred Native American land unleashing an ancient demon. There are only two ways out of the woods, succumb to the demon or die.”

Oct. 6th - Bending the Arc (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “The extraordinary doctors and activists whose work 30 years ago to save lives in a rural Haitian village grew into a global battle in the halls of power for the right to health for all.”

Oct. 6th - Faces, Places (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Director Agnes Varda and photographer/muralist J.R. journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.”

Oct. 6th - Trafficked (Limited) – Thriller with Elisabeth Röhm, Ashley Judd, Sean Patrick Flanery, Anne Archer, Patrick Duffy and Jason London

Oct. 6th - City of Rock (Limited) – Chinese musical comedy. From imdb.com: “A young musician from a small town in China tries to save his town's treasured Rock Park by organizing a charity rock concert.”

Oct. 6th - Paradise (Limited) – Russian war drama. From imdb.com: “Follows three people whose paths cross during a terrible time of war: Olga, a Russian aristocratic emigrant and member of the French Resistance; Jules, a French collaborator; and Helmut, a high-ranking German SS officer.”

Oct. 6th - Chef (Limited) – Indian comedy. From imdb.com: “Chef Roshan Kalra sets out to find the true source of happiness and reignite his passion for food while being more present in his son's life.”

 

[PeterG]

Trailers for Movies Released 2017-10-06th
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipQtI-CR1px8MfjA6DaQMGED

Oct. 6th - Bobbi Jene (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “…a love story, portraying the dilemmas and inevitable consequences of ambition. It is a film about a woman's fight for independence, a woman trying to succeed with her own art in the extremely competitive world of dance.”

Dance documentary alert.

@Artistic Skaters
@cocotaffy
@kwanfan1818

 

[watchthis!!]

The UnPopular Opinion: Wonder Woman
http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/the-unpopular-opinion-wonder-woman-288-02

Interesting article. While I enjoyed the movie, I agree with the writer's points about the movie being most interesting at the beginning on Themiscyra and that the writers basically just flipped the genders of the two leads and made Chris Pine the damsel in distress. This article's author wonders if this was all that the screenwriters could come up with?

Snowden as hot topic ? - the documentary 'Citizenfour' - which is an interview with Snowden won best documentary oscar. I saw that documentary - it was very interesting. Is it Oliver Stone? or finding a distributor type of issue?

Snowden overload then? I can see the Oscars feeling that the topic of Edward Snowden had alread been covered, but maybe a nod for screenplay, direction or best actor? And if not the Oscars, then the Golden Globes or SAG or BAFTA or...any critic's association acknowledgement? My interest in the movie never waned at any point, just think it deserved more credit than it got.

 

[cocotaffy]

I watch District 9 again the other day. I had watched it at the time, back in 2009 and didn't think much about it. But this time around, it stroke a chord mainly because it resonates so much with the immigrants crisis all over the world. The way they deal with those aliens, parking them in ghettos, treating them like trash, acting as if they're doing good by them moving them to a far way place ... And, the irony of it all being set in South Africa where they know so well the horror of segregation. I probably read too much into it, but it really made me think this time around. The lead actor is also great at playing this irritating perfect little pawn for the administration yet experiencing this huge transformation. I also quite enjoy the format, a kind of fake-documentary drama, quite original and well thought out, denouncing maybe how everything has to be part of a media experience, exposing people's life even when living in the worst conditions.
I probably read to much into all of this though, must have been in an analytical mood that day

 

[DannyCurry]

I watched 2 okay movies today :

• It : Even though I hadn't seen the miniseries, I already found most clowns rather creepy. Plus, I'm not into horror movies at all. Well, let's just admit it, I'm a pussy. Thus, I didn't let myself be surprised, constantly expecting the worst/scary parts to come up. There weren't that many though, and most were telegraphed so I didn't find it very scary. Yet I enjoyed the movie. I think it must work well on teenagers and some young adults.

• She's fat, she's white and she can rap : Patti Cake$ ! Not innovative, but not awful either.

 

[floridaice]

Saw a double feature of Blade Runner (the 2007 cut) and Blade Runner 2049 on Thursday -- thought 2049 was very good. I want to see 2049 again, so many questions (good ones) on what all happened. The original looked great on the big screen.

 

[smurfy]

cocotaffy - I loved District 9. Good idea to rewatch.

I saw 'American Made' last night. It was so entertaining. It packs alot in and you have go for the ride.
I know it is based on a true story, with Hollywood storytelling (changes) - but it is so insane - it has to be based on some truth. I am not a fan of Tom Cruise as a person, but he consistently is in/makes good movies and is not afraid to have great acting around him. I appreciate how at times you could guess what would happen next, and something different happened. Great popcorn movie.

 

[cocotaffy]

I watched Snowden the other day and enjoyed it much more than expected. Oliver Stone is the director and probably the writer as well, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Edward Snowden. I thought he was really good, I'm impressed with him each time I see him in something. I saw at imdb.com that the movie got very little recognition for any major awards or critics association. Is Edward Snowden too hot a topic for anyone to suggest any kind of praise for this movie? Surely some critic somewhere liked it.

I wasn't intending to watch this movie expecting it to be heavy-handed being an Oliver Stone project but you convinced me otherwise and I agree, it was much better than I thought. I was impressed with Gordon-Levitt works on his voice, really got the intonation right. However, I have to say Citizenfour was much more compelling mainly because as good a job as Gordon-Levitt did, I think Edward Snowden is more compelling. He is quite charismatic in the way he explains his train of thoughts and his motivations. What always strikes me when I hear him in an interview is how well-spoken and articulate he is, making any of those tedious programs understandable. On a complete shallow note, it's the first time in a biopic I find the real person being somewhat more handsome than the actor, not that Edward Snowden is handsome per say but still, Gordon-Levitt has too much of a baby face, cute like a little brother.

I watched Seven Sisters today and didn't really like it. Despite some good ideas, it was disappointing overall, because there are too many ridiculous moments. Actions scenes were the worst. I prefer dystopian movies when you believe it could actually happen and not those with characters who fight, fall, get up, run and die just for the sake of action.

This was so disappointing indeed, I must have had way too many expectations esp. because I'm a sucker for sci-fi/dystopian dramas but this was laughable at best. As you said those preposterous actions scenes, so bad I was in complete disbelief.

 

[Buzz]

Looks like it's going to be another disappointing weekend at the box office. Blade Runner 2049 is set to make only $31+ in it's opening weekend far below expectations.
http://deadline.com/2017/10/ryan-go...n-ford-opening-weekend-box-office-1202183063/

 

[Buzz]

Newest Justice League trailer and it looks AWESOME!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r9-DM9uBtVI

 

[Vash01]

A miracle happened last night. My tv was able to play a DVD. I watched The Dressmaker which was sitting on the table for several weeks. I was very tired and a bit sleepy so I can't make a fair assessment of the movie, but I thought it was quite good. Couldn't figure out what happened to Liam Helmswirth's character (that's how sleepy I was). Will have to watch it again. Hopefully the DVD will still work. I am going to return Sophie Scholl without watching though because I want to get to the next two movies in my Netflix queue.

 

[PeterG]

Saw Battle of the Sexes tonight.

I saw it last night and enjoyed it a fair bit more than you. I don't have any specific criticisms about the movie, maybe that it seemed to focus more than I expected on Billie Jean than Bobby instead of both stories getting an equal amount of time. But I found all aspects of the movie to be quite interesting. Billie Jean's husband apparently was a saint. Sounds like Bobby's wife might have been as well.

Unless you're a huge tennis follower (i.e. myself), Battle of the Sexes ends up not being that accessible of a film for general audiences (at least, imo), though it is reasonably well produced with a good performance by Emma Stone.

I've wanted very little tennis in my life (don't really understand the scoring at all) and I didn't find the movie at all inaccessible. I found very little of the movie to actually be about tennis, but I found the scenes from the final King vs. Riggs game to be quite captivating. I could barely manage to look to see if it was actually Stone and Carrell playing, if doubles were used and if faces were CGI'ed on top of pro athletes! I was too busy to watch the amazing playing.

General viewers will be perhaps disappointed in learning that "King vs Riggs" itself really wasn't that contentious (most of it was tongue in cheek b/t Bobby and Billie Jean). In fact, the real battles were King vs. tennis establishment (such as former top player turned promoter Jack Kramer) and King vs. herself (her self-identity only starting to take shape at age 30). Unless younger viewers are real sports/historian buffs, there isn't much to latch onto, as the film keeps within its 1972-73 bubble quite well (for better or for worse).

I figured people knew that it was both a serious scenario as well as a lot of silliness at the same time as both Riggs and King did so much press and other shenanigans that showed that the whole situation was both silly and important at the same time. The more I think about it, the more I like this contrast. To lampoon the situation you are in (that you made?) but yet care about the outcome so greatly as well.

Perhaps a more revealing post-script to this movie would be to Google how Marilyn Barnett/Billie Jean ended (not good), and Margaret Court's post-retirement activities and comments (eye-opening to say the least).

Yes, I would have liked to know about what happened between the two of them and also where Marilyn ended up. We got to find out what happened to everyone else, but not her. Marilyn was an important enough person in the real-lifestory (as well as the movie) for us to have been informed about what happened to her. I also agree about Margaret's part in the story. They set it up for Margaret to do something big...but then nothing happened. Maybe when King won, she was America's sweetheart in a way, so for Margaret to try to tear that down would have only made her look bad?

ETA- When they repeatedly announced an emergency and asked us to find the nearest exit, I was shaking a bit. The first thought in my mind was - is this about someone with a gun? Not surprising, considering the recent events.

Glad it was a false alarm and nothing more serious than that. (((Vash01)))

 

[Vash01]

I did watch Tennis in the 1980s and 1990s quite a lot. Now I watch it only when one of my faves is playing, but that too partially. I don't have the patience to sit through men's 5-set marathons. I do understand the scoring and even the game quite a lot. I would have liked to see more Tennis and the fight against sexism/inequality, and a little less about the personal lives, though I understand their inclusion. Just didn't want so much focus on it, at the cost of the Tennis. The match against Margaret Court was particularly poorly shot, imo. The King vs Riggs match was well done but interrupted by the alarm, so I couldn't really enjoy it.

 

[Vash01]

The final movie I saw with my eight-ticket summer movie pass was Stronger. And what a way to wrap things up. Brilliant movie! Like American Assassin, I hope this movie gets considered for multiple Oscar nominations:

Best Picture

Best Director - David Gordon Green, who has also directed the brilliant Snow Angels starring Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell as well as lighter far like Pineapple Express (James Franco and Seth Rogan)

Best Screenplay - John Pollono, who will probably be overlooked as this is his first big screenplay and has credits mainly for acting (biggest role as Tyler on the tv show This Is Us)

Best Actor - Jake Gyllenhaal

Best Actress - Tatiana Maslany

Best Supporting Actress - Miranda Richardson

That's six to start with.

Gyllenhaal is strong as always, but I've stated before that I think he's possibly the most under-rated/appreciated actor of his generation. And Maslany definitely shines in her first big movie role. Her role could have been a thankless one for other actresses, but she brings a slow-burn to her performance that elevates the movie. Gyllenhaal and Maslany are a brilliant and fascinating screen couple. I wish to suggest that they be cast in every movie made from this point forward. I will be disappointed if both aren't nominated for Oscars. But it looks like the movie is not being pushed by it's studio. It's played the last two weeks in a limited number of theatres, around the 500 to 600 mark. The top movies out now are playing in just over 4,000 theatres. So I'm wondering if this one is going to get lost in the shuffle or if the studio will wait a while for good word of mouth before they start pushing it. Plus Maslany's performance in other movies would get pushed into the supporting category, but Richardson is so good that I think Maslany will be considered (appropriately) for a lead performance. Time will tell.

Overall, I found the movie enthralling. Often in the theatre, I look at my watch at some point to see how far along we are. I didn't do that once with Stronger. And I was peeved that I had to leave the theatre to go blow my nose as I had no Kleenex with me. So take that as a warning, load up on tissues before you see this wonderful movie! The large cast are all strong and all aspects of the movie are so well-done, it's only possible to loads heaps of praises on this one. Loved it!

I saw Stronger today. Liked it but didn't love it. I felt that the screenplay was a bit weak, or may be it was the editing, leaving too many unanswered questions. May be the book has the answers.

1. How did a gal he had just met once in a bar suddenly become his girl friend? He even invites her, a total stranger, to the bathroom while his parents are there to help?

2. When he was left alone a) in a bath tub, b) outside the door to his apartment building, how did he get out of that situation?

There were too many disconnects similar to these.

Still, it was a good movie overall. 8/10.

It was good that they showed the other people impacted by the bombing.

I got teary eyed only toward the end.

Jake Gyllenhaal should get the best actor Oscar nomination and may be even the win.

Tatiana Maslany will get a best supporting actress nomination and win at the Oscars, just like Alicia Vikander did (really a lead role but nominated for supporting role, creating almost a guarantee for a win).

So Miranda Richardson will not get a supporting nomination, though she was very good.

Director should get an Oscar nomination.

So here is my list for Oscar nominations:

Best picture
Best director
Best actor
Best supporting actress

There could be a few others, but the probable wins are best actor and director. JMO of course and I am not the best predictor.

 

[PeterG]

1. How did a gal he had just met once in a bar suddenly become his girl friend? He even invites her, a total stranger, to the bathroom while his parents are there to help?

That early scene had someone mention that they had already broken up three times (or so) before she came into the bar. They had dated on and off for a while, but each time she broke it off because he was either irresponsible or self-centred...basically wasn't there for her. So in this scene, he's trying really hard to show that he's there for her, unlike before.

2. When he was left alone a) in a bath tub, b) outside the door to his apartment building, how did he get out of that situation?

Outside his apartment building - I figured we were to assume his Mom came to and helped him up, or the neighbours did that job in order to get him to be quiet so they could all sleep. Or maybe somebody called the police, who helped him. As for that bathtub, was that the scene where Tatyana's character found him in a very messy state and that created an argument between her and his Mom? I remember her seeing Tatyana's character cleaning up a big mess (with Jake's character being a part of said mess).

 

[Vash01]

Outside his apartment building - I figured we were to assume his Mom came to and helped him up, or the neighbours did that job in order to get him to be quiet so they could all sleep. Or maybe somebody called the police, who helped him. As for that bathtub, was that the scene where Tatyana's character found him in a very messy state and that created an argument between her and his Mom? I remember her seeing Tatyana's character cleaning up a big mess (with Jake's character being a part of said mess).

I meant the first scene in the bathtub where he wants her to accompany him there, then he closes the curtain and says something like she can leave. She sits there for sometime, then goes outside. HOw did he get out of the tub? I am being nitpicky; may be it's not important.

 

[Vash01]

A miracle happened last night. My tv was able to play a DVD. I watched The Dressmaker which was sitting on the table for several weeks. I was very tired and a bit sleepy so I can't make a fair assessment of the movie, but I thought it was quite good. Couldn't figure out what happened to Liam Helmswirth's character (that's how sleepy I was). Will have to watch it again. Hopefully the DVD will still work. I am going to return Sophie Scholl without watching though because I want to get to the next two movies in my Netflix queue.

I watched The Dressmaker again tonight and it was a completely different experience. Just goes to show how terribly sleepy I was the first time I saw it. This time I was awake and understood the whole story (it answered my questions). I really liked the movie. Tragic, funny, dramatic, with good acting by Kate Winslet, Judy Davis and Liam Hemsworth (sp?) who looks very good.