Let's Talk Movies #35 – Sparrows and Panthers and Dinosaurs…Oh My!

[watchthis!!]

Wes Anderson movie quiz (ten questions)

http://entertainment.ie/cinema/news/entertainmenties-Weekly-Movie-Quiz-Week-49/403501.htm

I got five right out of ten. But I haven't seen most of Anderson's movies! I actually went through a few other quizzes and they were not worth posting about here for one reason or another. So Wes Anderson was the best of the day.

 

[Vash01]

Wes Anderson movie quiz (ten questions)

http://entertainment.ie/cinema/news/entertainmenties-Weekly-Movie-Quiz-Week-49/403501.htm

I got five right out of ten. But I haven't seen most of Anderson's movies! I actually went through a few other quizzes and they were not worth posting about here for one reason or another. So Wes Anderson was the best of the day.

I got 4/10. I am not familiar with his movies, except the Grand Budapest hotel (and i missed the question on that)

 

[PeterG]

Trailers For Movies Released 2018-04-06th
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipSGtsQxPSjyi65tjq2Jv7cL

April 6th - Blockers (Wide) – Comedy with John Cena, Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz

April 6th - Chappaquiddick (Wide) – Thriller with Kate Mara, Clancy Brown, Olivia Thirlby, Ed Helms, Jason Clarke, Bruce Dern and Jim Gaffigan

April 6th - The Miracle Season (Wide) – Sports drama with Helen Hunt and William Hurt

April 6th - A Quiet Place (Wide) – Horror thriller with Emily Blunt and John Krasinski

April 6th - Spinning Man (Limited) – Mystery thriller with Guy Pearce, Pierce Brosnan, Jamie Kennedy and Minnie Driver

April 6th – Sun Dogs (Netflix) – Comedy drama with Allison Janney, Michael Angarano, Melissa Benoist [Supergirl], Jennifer Morrison [Once Upon A Time], Xzibit and Ed O’Neill

April 6th - Where is Kyra? (Limited) – Drama with Michelle Pfeiffer and Kiefer Sutherland

April 6th - Pandas (IMAX) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “In the mountains of Sichuan, China, a researcher forms a bond with Qian Qian, a panda who is about to experience nature for the first time.”

April 6th - You Were Never Really Here (Limited) – Mystery thriller with Joaquin Phoenix

April 6th - The Humanity Bureau (Limited) – Sci-fi action with Nicolas Cage

April 6th - Trek: The Movie (Limited) – Family comedy drama. From imdb.com: “Trek follows a young Mormon teenager named Tom and his friends on their handcart journey…when they encounter unexpected trouble, their faith is tested much like their pioneer ancestors.”

April 6th - The Heart of Nuba (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Welcome to the war-torn Nuba Mountains of Sudan, where American Doctor Tom Catena selflessly and courageously serves the needs of a forgotten people, as the region is bombed relentlessly by an indicted war criminal, Omar Al-Bashir. Two things remain constant: Dr. Tom's faith and his enduring love for the Nuba people.”

April 6th - Seven Years of Night (Limited) – Thriller from South Korea. From imdb.com: “The story of a man taking revenge for the hit-and-run death of his daughter.”

April 6th - Big Fish & Begonia (Limited) – Chinese animation. From imdb.com: “It is a world within our world, yet unseen by any human, and the beings here control time and tide and the changing of the seasons. On the day Chun turns sixteen, she is transformed into a dolphin to explore the human world…”

 

[Jay42]

Wes Anderson movie quiz (ten questions)

http://entertainment.ie/cinema/news/entertainmenties-Weekly-Movie-Quiz-Week-49/403501.htm

I got five right out of ten. But I haven't seen most of Anderson's movies! I actually went through a few other quizzes and they were not worth posting about here for one reason or another. So Wes Anderson was the best of the day.

I got 7 out of 10. Although I really should have known the Bill Murray one. I'm a big fan of Wes Anderson's movies. I really hope Isle of Dogs makes it this far north. Grand Budapest Hotel did although it took a month.

 

[PeterG]

I really hope Isle of Dogs makes it this far north. Grand Budapest Hotel did although it took a month.

I hope you'll post if you end up seeing Isle of Dogs. The trailer looked much better than I expected as I find Wes Anderson's movies way too far left of centre for my liking. But Isle of Dogs looked accessible to me. I feel like I've been burned by Anderson and his too-quirky-for-me direction, so I'm going to avoid this one (like all Anderson films) unless someone sees it and finds the tone more audience-friendly than his previous work. I want to like Anderson...really!!

 

[Jay42]

I hope you'll post if you end up seeing Isle of Dogs. The trailer looked much better than I expected as I find Wes Anderson's movies way too far left of centre for my liking. But Isle of Dogs looked accessible to me. I feel like I've been burned by Anderson and his too-quirky-for-me direction, so I'm going to avoid this one (like all Anderson films) unless someone sees it and finds the tone more audience-friendly than his previous work. I want to like Anderson...really!!

I probably should. I've neglected posting about the last 3 movies I saw in theatre so I need to get back into it .

 

[jl22aries]

Saw Love, Simon. LOVED it. A very sweet story with beautiful performances, and strongly realized characters, main and supporting. May this open the door to more and more diverse storytelling. I hope teens find this movie and find some resonance with it.

 

[smurfy]

I saw documentary at Yale School of Medicine - sponsored by History of Medicine dept. - not sure how others can see the movie
'Thank You for Coming' - by Sara Lamm - she finds out in her late 20s that her parents used a sperm donor.
Film starts about 11 years later on her journey of doing dna testing and searching for her 'scientific father'.
It was excellent - it was filmed by her or another - not fancy camera work.
The story is very compelling. It shows her journey, the work she does, conversations with her father (who raised her), other relatives, learning about the process of donation. Her donor father was a med student in N Carolina.
Also a great part of how via online with the donor children registry - she becomes friends with a lady named Jennifer that may be her half sister. That whole part of the film is so fun and lovely. Jennifer's mother is a hoot - especially her memory of her insemination.
Afterwards there a chat with Sara, and her donor father.
Great conversation about how the donation is handled, and how as a med student, her donor father, said everything was treated as scienece/specimen and no discussion of humans and life.

I do genealogy as a hobby, and have tested my dna along with several relatives. I feel fortunate that so far no suprises - everyone matches as they should. And I have matched many others that once we work our family trees - everything again is as expected.
I have been contacted twice by adoptees - but they are like 4th cousins - and I know the branch - but not details to help.
I have learned it is such a sensitive area. I try to help where I can.
Also I originally did the test more for fun and to fill out my tree. But as I learn more, there are is a responsibility.
Also if someone else in the family does not want to be tested, my testing and others have already let the cat out of the bag so to say.
I really enjoyed seeing this movie - to see the human side and to learn more about the science.

 

[PeterG]

I probably should. I've neglected posting about the last 3 movies I saw in theatre so I need to get back into it .

I've been wondering about your MIA status. Thought to myself, "she's not even watching old movies for me to hear about and add to my To See list"???

Saw Love, Simon. LOVED it. A very sweet story with beautiful performances, and strongly realized characters, main and supporting. May this open the door to more and more diverse storytelling. I hope teens find this movie and find some resonance with it.

I was thinking about this movie this morning. Was thinking of seeing it tomorrow when I drive to the next city over where gas is cheaper. But unfortunately it's not playing there... So maybe I'll go see A Quiet Place instead...

I saw documentary at Yale School of Medicine - sponsored by History of Medicine dept. - not sure how others can see the movie
'Thank You for Coming' - by Sara Lamm...

My mind went blurry after reading Yale School of Medicine and my only thought was "no". Was too quick to judge. You write so well about the movie that I've added it to my list.

I do genealogy as a hobby, and have tested my dna along with several relatives.

...

Also if someone else in the family does not want to be tested, my testing and others have already let the cat out of the bag so to say.

This is on my to do list. I thought I had a link to a company I was going to do this with on my favourites list on my computer. Just looked to see the company's name...and the link isn't there anymore. Do you mind sharing which company you used? Sounds like you're happy with their work. My family didn't seem interested when I mentioned I was going to do this. They think these companies are accessible to "Big Brother" and that my DNA will be on file in some lab somewhere for them to do all kinds of things with. I don't think I'm that important enough out of the seven billion people on the planet for anyone to care about my DNA other than me!

 

[watchthis!!]

I thought Wild Oats was a lot of fun. Shirley MacLaine's husband has passed away and the life insurance cheque comes in the mail. But instead of it being for $50,000, the cheque she is holding is for five million dollars. After some struggling with what's right and what's wrong, MacLaine and best friend Jessica Lange decide to drop by the bank...where their struggle continues. Even with fifty thousand, there's enough to escape their world for a little while on go on vacation. They can see what happens with their cheque deposit when they get home. While on vacation, hijinks ensue, which include Billy Connolly, Howard Hesseman and Demi Moore. Wild Oats is a light comedy and hit just the right spot.

Trailer for Wild Oats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi-xUdocG3k

 

[smurfy]

PeterG lol on not reading after Yale. I found out about the meeting in a genealogy fac book group.
I sent a pm with my experience with dna testing. Not a movie yet.

 

[PeterG]

PeterG lol on not reading after Yale.

I did keep reading! Well, not the first time. I was at the library and wanted lunch, so I read the short posts and then went for food. Then read your whole post later. I checked the two sites that cover over ten libraries in my area and none of them have Thank You For Coming. Maybe it's not on DVD. I never give up on movies added to my list. I figure somehow, some way, in time I'll find them all some place.

 

[Jay42]

I've been wondering about your MIA status. Thought to myself, "she's not even watching old movies for me to hear about and add to my To See list"???

So my brother got me the complete series boxset for the 1960's Batman TV show and I've been making my way through that. Then there was the Olympics, then I got caught up on Legends of Tomorrow, then I was watching Jessica Jones but I stalled out partway through the season and then Worlds happened and now I'm back to watching Batman.

I am debating the merits of watching Sun Dogs on Netflix tomorrow night because Melissa Benoist is in it and I adore her. But I haven't 100% decided yet.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I haven't posted anything for a while but I just watched "What we do in the shadows". One of the funniest movies I have seen in a while.

It is a New Zealand film directed by Jermaine Clements and Taiki Waititi about vampires living in Wellington. Done in mockumentary style, they are flatmates and have the usual flatmate troubles such as who is going to do the dishes. Great combination of dry and black comedy and it had some genuinely laugh out loud moments. Who would have though that werewolves had to wear tracksuit pants to accommodate the leg growth when they turn into werewolves.

 

[VGThuy]

I already posted this in the movie scenes thread, but I felt this was important news to share in this thread as well.

One of my favorite directors (animated and non) died on Thursday. Isao Takahata was a director for Studio Ghibli and created some of the most breathtaking animated films I've seen and heart wrenching films I’ve ever seen. He took on some more adult fare compared to Miyazaki and animated films about subjects one wouldn’t think to make an animated film about.

Here are some clips from his filmography:

Here's the ending scene from Only Yesterday. I wanted to show you another scene but it's not available on YouTube, but I love how this scene plays out. The movie is about a 28-year-old Tokyo woman who uses her vacation to farm in the country side and keeps reminiscing about her childhood and how it's shaped her today. This scene is the ending (those kids throughout the scene are her imagined memories of her and her classmates at 8 years old who have been following her throughout her vacation) and she makes a decision about her future:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu7Dw4NJmY4

Then there's the absolutely stunning Tale of the Princess Kaguya. My favorite scenes are not on Youtube, but seeing this in the theatre was absolutely thrilling. Here are two scenes that I just thought were knock-outs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtc-PP2GWPo- Running Away

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cms9yW6aAH4 - Cherry Blossom scene

and of course, the heartbreaking classic film about a set of Japanese siblings trying to survive during the final months of World War II, Grave of the Fireflies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vPeTSRd580- trailer

 

[Jay42]

I haven't posted anything for a while but I just watched "What we do in the shadows". One of the funniest movies I have seen in a while.

It is a New Zealand film directed by Jermaine Clements and Taiki Waititi about vampires living in Wellington. Done in mockumentary style, they are flatmates and have the usual flatmate troubles such as who is going to do the dishes. Great combination of dry and black comedy and it had some genuinely laugh out loud moments. Who would have though that werewolves had to wear tracksuit pants to accommodate the leg growth when they turn into werewolves.

I loved this movie. It was so funny. Plus because my brother and I live in a world of movie references we keep doing the shame thing to each other whenever we do something dumb/ridiculous.

In the interest of getting back into talking about movies:

Black Panther was amazing, the cinematography was gorgeous, I love Shuri, and Nakia had the same ideas Killmonger did with less murdery stuff.

I liked Tomb Raider but I think it could have been better. Still a fun action movie. Worth a look but I'm not sure if I'll buy it when it comes out for home viewing. Or I'll wait until it's under $20.

I really liked Pacific Rim Uprising, it's not as good as Pacific Rim, but I liked it a lot. I'll definitely be picking it up when it comes out on bluRay. There wasn't enough Rinko Kikuchi though. She was my favourite character from the first movie so I was little disappointed she wasn't in this one more.

Let's be real, there is never enough Rinko Kikuchi. She is tragically underrated in North America.

 

[watchthis!!]

Central Intelligence is a much better Dwayne Johnson movie than Baywatch. It's pretty much a straight-ahead comedy, so the director wasn't distracted between making an action movie and a comedy. Plus Baywatch didn't have Kevin Hart, who is so funny. He's totally unafraid to make fun of himself, whether it's his size, his masculunity or...well, pretty much anything else! Another plus with this movie is the handful of unexpected cameos, which were each a treat. One edited scene in the extras is a part of the movie where Hart's character talks about nicknames and lists Sting and one other person who I forget (The Weeknd could be an example) and how famous people use silly names and how ridiculous it all is. Well, on the DVD extra, Hart improvs and adds "The Rock" to his list and then carries on with the scene to see whether he or Johnson is the first to break character and start laughing. There's a number of scenes where this happens which are quite enjoyable. Glad to see Johnson back in top form after the disappointing Baywatch.

 

[ilovepaydays]

Just saw Chappaquiddick. GREAT movie! It certainly didn’t do Teddy Kennedy any favors, but I was glad it didn’t get into the speculative/gossipy stuff. It was basically “matter of fact” in what they told.

I didn’t know that the incident happened the same weekend as the first moon landing.

 

[PeterG]

Back to 1939 for me, for a movie entitled, "Gone With The Wind". It is about two families in the south during the American Civil War. Specifically, one daughter of one of the two familes named Scarlett, who is the central character. She's kind of the Kim Kardashian of her time, perhaps. Maybe you've even heard of this film?



The casting of this movie is probably the part that stands out to me, but most surprising is that I realized that I had never actually seen this movie! I swore I must have seen it as a teen, or in my 20's. But while so many things were recognizable (famous scenes, famous lines, parts of the movie parodied by so many...), there were so many things that were new to me. I figured this movie was like The Way We Were, a movie I attempted to watch so many times but never finished. (With The Way We Were, I started watching it on late night TV and always fell asleep...so I knew the first half of the movie really well, but never had any idea how it ended.)

Okay, so back to casting. Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable are just perfectly cast. Both deserved to win an Oscar for their work, but only Leigh did. Gable had winning in 1934 for It Happened One Night. Olivia de Havilland and Hattie McDaniel are both perfect in their roles as well. Both were nominated for their performances, with McDaniel winning - the first Oscar win for an African-American, with a two-decade (plus) wait for the second African-American Oscar win, Sidney Poitier for 1963's Lilies of the Field.

Gone with the Wind also has an amazing script, written by Sidney Howard. He won one of the 10 Oscar awards for his work, which was won posthumously as he had died at 48 years of age in an accident on his farm when he was starting up a tractor, which lurched forward and pinned him against a wall in the barn. Sounds a little similar to how Anton Yelchin passed away. Half of Howard's selected works listed at Wikipedia appear to be for silent films. Other than Gone With The Wind, the only titles that ring a bell for me are Dodsworth and Paths of Glory.

So my recommendation for Gone With The Wind? Thumbs up. If you haven't heard of it, I recommend that you check it out.

 

[annie720]

Watched The Florida Project tonight, a movie for which Williem Dafoe received an Oscar nomination. Rather depressing movie.

 

[Buzz]

Black Panther has over taken Titanic as the 3rd highest grossing movie in NA of all time. Unadjusted for inflation of course.
http://ew.com/movies/2018/04/08/black-panther-overtakes-titanic-domestic-box-office/


ETA:
Stg. Stubby is an animated movie about a real life dog who was a war hero during WW1! I gotta see it when it opens next week!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ab0pd9oNf7Q

 

[PeterG]

Voice From The Stone is a mystery thriller which stars Emilia Clarke as a nurse who specializes in working with children suffering from psychological difficulties. I just noticed at imdb.com that the movie takes place in the 1950s, but while watching the movie I thought it was set much earlier in time than that. Anyway, Clarke's next job is in Tuscany where she is to help with a boy whose mother passed away six months earlier and hasn't spoken since. But is his mother speaking to him? The movie has a supernatural tone and has one of those endings which leaves it up to the audience to decide what exactly has happened. I am thinking I should start a list of movie which could fall under the "Choose Your Own Adventure" subject heading. Where a movie is left with an open-ended finale and the audience gets to fill in the blanks. If you think the mother is actually dead and Clarke's character has had a mental breakdown, turn to page 89. If you think the mother's spirit has taken over Clarke's body, turn to page 111. Figure it out for yourself, folks. The screenwriter could not! I did like how this movie was directed and everyone acts well, especially Clarke. But movies with these kind of endings...SUCK.

So my brother got me the complete series boxset for the 1960's Batman TV show and I've been making my way through that. Then there was the Olympics, then I got caught up on Legends of Tomorrow, then I was watching Jessica Jones but I stalled out partway through the season and then Worlds happened and now I'm back to watching Batman.

In the last couple of weeks, I binge-watched the final season of Bates Motel, season seven of The Walking Dead and am just finishing up season two of Preacher. Next up, season one of Fargo, which I have no idea whether I will like or not.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

Next up, season one of Fargo, which I have no idea whether I will like or not.

I loved season one of Fargo. It was the best one of three so far. Season two was ok but I didn't like it as much. It may have been due to Kirsten Dunst. She annoys me a lot for reasons I can't specify. I did think season three was better than two. Ewan McGregor was able to play two characters very well IMO.

 

[snoopy]

Thumbs up to Fargo. I liked both 1 and 2, haven’t seen 3 yet.

I just saw the quiet place. Dumb boring and scary.

 

[PeterG]

I just saw the quiet place. Dumb boring and scary.

I was going to see this today, but decided to stay home and be lazy. A question though...how could it be both boring AND scary?

 

[snoopy]

I was going to see this today, but decided to stay home and be lazy. A question though...how could it be both boring AND scary?

Because the movie is mostly in silence. So there is not a lot to attract your attention other than the scary parts. I suppose they might have been going for that. And I did have to face the fact I could never be that quiet.

 

[annie720]

I saw Isle of Dogs this afternoon and liked it a lot. So very creative!

 

[Vash01]

I saw Chappaquiddick today. It was very good. I had only heard of the event in relation to why Ted Kennedy would never become POTUS. The movie tells the story before and after the accident. It was good to know the details (I had read some of it on the internet). The accident takes place quite early in the movie, and is replayed a few times later.

The lead actor Jason Clarke is very good in his portrayal of Ted Kennedy and he resembles him too. I am sure part of it was makeup but he was superb in his portrayal of the agony, fear and guilt Kennedy must have felt. I hope he gets an Oscar nomination, even though the movie came out early this year. I read that he was born (in Australia) just the day before the Chappaquiddick accident.

Good job by the director and screenplay writer too.

Senator Ted Kennedy had just lost his brother Bobby. By that time he had lost all his brothers (and a sister). He and the group were sad and drinking, on that island. That bridge looked extremely dangerous, without guard rails. He should not have gotten behind the wheel, but this was 1969. May be they didn't have the DUI law those days?His crime was that he did not report the accident for 10 hours. They didn't have cell phones those days, but I assume 911 was still the emergency number. I suspect the depression, booze, and the shock of the accident got to him and he forgot what he had to do (call the police immediately). I am not trying to justify his actions, just trying to understand him. He served the country for many decades after that.

 

[Buzz]

New trailer for Solo: A Star Wars story!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jPEYpryMp2s

 

[watchthis!!]

New Toy Story movie finally gets a release date

Not much information in the article other than June 21, 2019 being the release date. And that Tom Hanks and Tim Allen will be back voicing their respective characters.