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

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Has anyone seen "God's Own Country?" Thinking of watching it on demand this week.

I was kinda meh on Call Me By Your Name... so is this better?????

-ANL

 

[manhn]

I watched God's Own Country a few days ago. I didn't really enjoy it. Sombre, dark and depressing. I am kinda over it. Also, the lead is annoying.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

^^^ Brokeback Mountain depressing? Call Me By Your Name depressing?

Man the more I think of it all of our material including MOONLIGHT is down right f'ing depressing.

So was Love Simon to some degree. uggggg.

And The Imitation Game, Milk, I Am Michael, Boys Dont Cry, Monster, The Crying Game.... I should be a screenwriter....

 

[VGThuy]

^^^ Brokeback Mountain depressing? Call Me By Your Name depressing?

Man the more I think of it all of our material including MOONLIGHT is down right f'ing depressing.

So was Love Simon to some degree. uggggg.

And The Imitation Game, Milk, I Am Michael, Boys Dont Cry, Monster, The Crying Game.... I should be a screenwriter....

Try Big Eden. I caught it once on Netflix like ten years ago and I was shocked that it was a normal rom com with characters who happened to be gay with nobody mentioning treating it like how “other” or “different” that was.

 

[Tinami Amori]

well, looks like Summer 2018 film release list (in USA) is not getting any additions. what's listed so far... i don't know, not my cup of tea.. might see "Ocean's 8", but with "me too" stuff it might turn out to be not a comedy but an over the top "a kill bill/girl power" flick... hopefully not, and i hope the "ocean's series" continue to take place in italy or europe..

 

[jl22aries]

Sign me up for girl power flicks.

 

[PeterG]

@PeterG I saw Blockers yesterday too. I really enjoyed it! I won't remember it in a couple of months but it was certainly a really fun ride. Nice for a story to focus on empowered young high school girls and the sex positivity message, and also a focus on female friendship is always nice. The chemistry between the high schoolers was lovely, as was the chemistry between the parents.

Those are important parts of the movie to bring up, thank you for mentioning them. I also noticed that instead of the comedy being about making fun of other people for whatever reasons, the comedy tended to come from the characters realizing their own shortcomings by seeing anybody else as some kind of "other". That is a big switch, and very much welcomed!

 

[manhn]

We have our first Oscar winner, folks. I refuse to consider there will be a better candidate for Best Song than Ashes by Celine friggin Dion for DEADPOOL TWO.

 

[cocotaffy]

We have our first Oscar winner, folks. I refuse to consider there will be a better candidate for Best Song than Ashes by Celine friggin Dion for DEADPOOL TWO.

The video for this is all sorts of Imagine the stage performance at the Oscars with Deadpool sexy dance in full costume and high heels. Should also win for best videos at the VMAs imo. And Celine, love her sense of humor "this thing only goes to 11, so beat it Spiderman"

 

[watchthis!!]

Why the New Movie Tully Is Causing Controversy over Postpartum Depression Storyline
http://people.com/movies/tully-postpartum-depression-controversy-charlize-theron/

There were objections about the movie, I Feel Pretty, and now with Tully. Are movies which are about women only supposed to ALWAYS portray women in a positive light? Are the struggles women go through too harsh for a movie to shine a light on? I kind of don't understand the objections that come up, I don't remember the last time a movie about men's difficult experiences caused a big uproar. I'm also concerned that when objections about a new movie about women arise, the movie gets cast in a negative light, which might keep some people from going to see it, which means "women's movies" end up not doing as well as movies marketed at a male audience. Thoughts?

 

[Buzz]

Infinity war has reached the $1bn mark faster than any other movie meanwhile Solo: A Star Wars story pre-sales tickets are selling really well and the movie is expected to be a hit.

 

[made_in_canada]

The mommy world is a little up in arms about Tully. I’d imagine it may be somewhat triggering if a person was in the throes of a postpartum mental illness. But I don’t think it’s fair to ask a piece of fiction to be 100% accurate. If you have personal experience with firefighting Backdraft seems ridiculous. For figure skaters, Cutting Edge is completely unrealistic. But good stories don’t need everything to be completely accurate. It’s entertainment not necessarily education. There’s such a spectrum of experiences with mental illness anyway, what might ring true for one person may not for another.

I think you’re right @watchthis!! that women’s stories get criticized more. You could probably write a thesis or dissertation or two about why that is. I do think moms, especially new moms, are a little sensitive to portrayals about being “crazy” (which is a criticism I’ve seen of Tully) And there’s still quite a bit of stigma around postpartum depression so maybe the extreme-ness of the portrayal bordering on psychosis is striking a nerve. I think there is probably some that don’t want women stereotyped as hysterical. FWIW, on the mommy fb pages and forums I follow most of the objections I’ve seen aren’t from anyone who has seen the movie and seem to be based mostly in discomfort from their own personal experiences.

 

[PeterG]

Due to other plans not working out last night, I went and saw Tomb Raider. Vikander is great, of course, and the action was well done, but a bit more violence than I was expecting. I guess I'm more into the anti-gun thing right now. I liked the "mystery" part of it, and it was a great "rah rah girl power" movie (so much moreso than Wonder Woman was). Overall, a positive experience, and a good use of my monthly free movie ticket

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.

Black Panther - saw it twice, both well -produced and important to see. Also saw Tomb Raider, for fun.

I saw Tomb Raider the other day. I ended up enjoying it a fair bit more than I expected because the feedback seemed to be mixed. But I think I liked it better than the Angelina Jolie versions, and I'm a big Jolie fan. I was prepared for it to be uber-violent (like The Dark Knight) because of the post by @Kasey so I ended up being happy with what I saw as I don't like excessive violence. I thought the action scenes were really great. And one problem I have with movies like this is when too many scenes are (literally) DARK...either everything is happening at night, or in a warehouse with just a random lightbulb hanging from the ceiling here and there, etc. But the two sections where the location was dark were actually well lit enough that I could see everything clearly (or clear enough). So I was glad not to be disappointed with these parts of the movie either. Tomb Raider cost 90 million to make, but has only made 56 million in North America. Where were all the Wonder Woman fans in supporting a female-led action movie? Luckily Tomb Raider has made 214 million internationally, bringing the box office to 271 million. So double the production budget to 180 million for publicity costs and the movie has made a profit of 90 million. Hopefully this means there will be a sequel.

 

[VGThuy]

I’m impressed that the Tomb Raider film franchise was able to get not one but two freshly minted Best Supporting Actress winners to play Lara Croftz

 

[Aussie Willy]

The video for this is all sorts of Imagine the stage performance at the Oscars with Deadpool sexy dance in full costume and high heels. Should also win for best videos at the VMAs imo. And Celine, love her sense of humor "this thing only goes to 11, so beat it Spiderman"

That was all kinds of hilarious. I agree it kind of has Oscar written all over it.

 

[watchthis!!]

King Charles III looked like a movie that was a bit too high-brow for me, but something about the idea of when Prince Charles takes over as King seemed like it could be interesting. This is a British TV movie (which aired on PBS on our side of the pond) and is based on a stage play. Nobody famous is in it, but I think I've heard the name before of Tim Pigott-Smith, who plays Prince/King Charles. The movie has a bit of a slow start, but after about half an hour, things kick into gear and the whole rest of the movie is a pretty wild ride as far as dramas go. So I definitely recommend it, a very well-written movie, performed quite well by the cast.

Trailer for King Charles III: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrldHMTJ_pM

 

[Vash01]

Saw 'The finest hours' on DVD. I wish I had seen it in a theatre. I had seen the trailer but just didn't have the time to see the movie. It was pretty good. It is a thriller. he storm scenes were fantastic. Acting was good but not a lot of scope for anyone except Holliday Grainger who plays the female lead Miriam. This is based on a true story, so after the movie ends they show the real life characters alongside the actors.

 

[PeterG]

Trailers For Movies Released 2018-05-11th
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipTbnOaD2j3cNuKqmbzPKQwT

Which movie do you think will do better this week, Life of the Party or Breaking In? I'm going with Life of the Party, but it will be interesting to see if audiences are more drawn to an action movie with a woman as the lead, which is also of interest to the African-American audience and might draw in some #metoo moviegoers. If that last point is the case, the same viewers might be interested in Revenge, which might be a better movie that's in the same vein, theme-wise. Revenge came as a surprise to me, I probably would have put it up higher on the playlist if I had known the trailer was going to be so good.


May 11th - Life of the Party (Wide) - Comedy with Melissa McCarthy, Julie Bowen, Chris Parnell, Christina Aguilera and Maya Rudolph

May 11th - Breaking In (Wide) - Suspense with Gabrielle Union, Billy Burke [Zoo] and Richard Cabral [American Crime]

May 11th - Terminal (Limited) – Crime drama thriller with Margot Robbie, Simon Pegg, Mike Myers and Max Irons

May 11th - The Seagull (Limited) – Drama with Saoirse Ronan, Annette Bening, Elisabeth Moss, Brian Dennehy, Corey Stoll and Mare Winningham

May 11th - Measure of a Man (Limited) – Comedy drama with Judy Greer, Donald Sutherland and Luke Wilson

May 11th - Another Kind of Wedding (Limited) – Comedy drama with Kevin Zegers, Jessica Paré, Kathleen Turner, Wallace Shawn, Luke Kirby [Rectify] and Frances Fisher

May 11th - Mountain (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “An experience about the highest peaks around the world.”

May 11th - Anything (Limited) – Romantic drama with Maura Tierney, Matt Bomer, Michael Boatman [The Good Wife] and John Carroll Lynch [Amerian Horror Story]

May 11th - Dark Crimes (Limited) – Crime drama with Jim Carrey, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Marton Csokas

May 11th - Class Rank (Limited) – Romantic comedy with Kristin Chenoweth, Eric Stoltz, Skyler Gisondo [The Amazing Spiderman] and Bruce Dern

May 11th - The Assassin’s Code (Limited) - Thriller with Justin Chatwin, Peter Stormare [Longmire] and Yancy Butler [Kick-Ass]

May 11th - Soller’s Point (Limited) – Drama with McCaul Lombardi [Patti Cake$] and Jim Belushi

May 11th - Higher Power (Limited) – Action sci-fi thriller with Ron Eldard and Colm Feore

May 11th - Filmworker (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “It's a rare person who would give up fame and fortune to toil in obscurity for someone else's creative vision. Yet, that's exactly what Leon Vitali…the young actor surrendered his thriving career to become Kubrick's loyal right-hand man…”

May 11th - Beast (Limited) – Drama, new cast. From imdb.com: “A troubled woman living in an isolated community finds herself pulled between the control of her oppressive family and the allure of a secretive outsider suspected of a series of brutal murders.”

May 11th - Goodland (Limited) – Crime thriller, new cast. From imdb.com: “When the body of a drifter is discovered the same day a photographer arrives in a small farming community, the local sheriff is left to piece together a string of events that don't quite add up.”

May 11th - Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Exploring the pre-fame years of the celebrated American artist and how New York City, its people, and tectonically shifting arts culture of the late 1970s and '80s shaped his vision.”

May 11th - Revenge (Limited) – Action thriller, new cast. From imdb.com: “Never take your mistress on an annual guys' getaway, especially one devoted to hunting - a violent lesson for three wealthy married men.”

May 11th - The Day After (Limited) – Romantic drama from South Korea. From imdb.com: “The married Bongwan sets off to work. The memories of the woman who left weigh down on him. That day Bongwan's wife finds a love note, bursts into the office, and mistakes Areum for the woman who left.”

May 11th - Lu Over The Wall (Limited) – Animated from Japan. From imdb.com: “The story centers on Kai, a gloomy middle school student whose life changes after meeting Lu, a mermaid.”

 

[Buzz]

Avengers Infinity War has become India's highest grossing Hollywood movie ever. Meanwhile advanced tickets sales are through the roof in China.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...ssing-hollywood-film/articleshow/64089881.cms

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ty-war-poised-to-smash-records-in-china-debut

 

[Buzz]

Just for laughs... Guess you can call this "lost in translation" the Marvel's Avengers edition!
https://quartzy.qz.com/1275660/marvels-avengers-infinity-war-set-to-smash-chinas-box-office-records/

 

[watchthis!!]

I saw a copy of Alive at the library, it's the 90's movie about the South American soccer team, whose airplane crashes in the Andes and whose survivors have to resort to cannibalism to stay alive. I was pretty sure I had seen it back when it came out, but thought I'd check it out anyway. I skimmed through it but found it interesting enough to watch again (it did look familiar). It's a bit cheesy in the direction and acting, but has plenty of good moments to make it worth recommending. And what a cast! Ethan Hawke, Josh Hamilton, Vincent Spano, Jack Noseworthy, Illeana Douglas, Josh Lucas. Okay, I admit that I had to look up most of these names, but when you're watching the movie, you can't help but think about how pretty much everyone you see is someone you recognize from later projects. And John Malkovich narrates the movie.

Trailer for Alive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52QwgY3SBcM

 

[watchthis!!]

The 2018 Cannes Film Festival Has Begun!
https://www.rogerebert.com/cannes/cannes-2018-video-2-the-2018-cannes-film-festival-has-begun

Robert Ebert article about the Cannes Film Festival, whose jury this year is being led by Cate Blanchett. The article mentions that Martin Scorses will receive the Golden Coach Award. And one of the films playing is by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who directed A Separation. His movie will star Javier Bardem and Penelpe Cruz.

 

[Seerek]

Why the New Movie Tully Is Causing Controversy over Postpartum Depression Storyline
http://people.com/movies/tully-postpartum-depression-controversy-charlize-theron/

There were objections about the movie, I Feel Pretty, and now with Tully. Are movies which are about women only supposed to ALWAYS portray women in a positive light? Are the struggles women go through too harsh for a movie to shine a light on?

Tully simply isn't long enough (90 mins) to properly examine Marlo's (Charlize Theron's) post-partum experience with more of a deft and sensitive approach.
Theron works well with what she's given, but the film wrapping the subject matter with 'quirky indie comedy' packaging made for a rather unfocused tone throughout.

I watched God's Own Country a few days ago. I didn't really enjoy it. Sombre, dark and depressing. I am kinda over it. Also, the lead is annoying.

I may have discussed this in a previous movie thread but given the timing of its release, I found God's Own Country worked better with its 'Brexit' undertones (subtle and not-so subtle) than it did in with Johnny's personal story. I also thought Johnny's father and grandmother were more compelling in smaller roles.

 

[cocotaffy]

It's not a movie but I thought it would interest some of you. I finished watching The terror. First off, the acting is great and they did a great job at respecting the Inuit culture and presenting their point of view in this adventure based on true events. There are a lot of gruesome imagery though so it's not for the fainthearted. However the human stories are extremely compelling and complex. I highly recommend it.

 

[Cachoo]

I watched "Wakefield" last night. Bryan Cranston was excellent as usual. I wonder how many fine actors are out there that have never had their "Breaking Bad" moment. I'm glad Cranston was given the chance. I don't want to give out spoilers about the film except to say there is a question at the end of the film. And I'm not sure the answer that I would come up with is the same answer the character would have hoped for. It was a good film and if anyone else has seen it I would love to know what you think the answer would be at the end.

 

[PeterG]

I saw Avengers last night. Personally I found it a bit unsatisfying. As with most of the big action movies these days, they just have massive fight scenes for the sake of massive fight scenes with loads of collateral damage. I think they are kind of losing edge because of it.

Having said that, I though Thanos (played by Josh Brolin) was a much more interesting villain and had more dimensions to him than most of the villains in movies these days.

And you need to stay to the very end for the spoiler.

We saw avengers yesterday. I enjoyed the fact they chose to instill more humor than in the last one which I thought was way too grim. You can feel the Thor Ragnarok and the Guardians of the Galaxy effect. The first half was quite calm with the bigger fights at the end. It was well paced out and not too overwhelming sound wise. There is supposed to be a 4th one right ?

At the end of the movie, the words, "Thanos Will Return" appears on the screen. My friend says that this movie will continue next March, when Captain Marvel (played by Brie Larson) will become part of the story. He said she is supposed to be the most powerful Avenger.

Which all means I just got back from seeing the movie. I was really pleasantly surprised. The movie is JAM-PACKED of...EVERYTHING. Stars, comedy, action, drama, favorite characters. I thought it worked on every level and I didn't find the violence as gratuitous as I have with other movies. Two thumbs up. WAY up! (But if the first two casualties are TRULY casualties, I will NOT BE HAPPY!!!)

 

[Jay42]

I'm fine with the first casualty. The second will almost definitely be undone. It makes sense to me, anyway.

 

[PeterG]

I'm fine with the first casualty. The second will almost definitely be undone. It makes sense to me, anyway.

How can you

Spoiler

not be in love with Loki???

 

[Jay42]

How can you

Spoiler

not be in love with Loki???

Never have been, sorry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. He's fine sometimes but I never cared enough about him to be heartbroken about what happens in Infinity War.

 

[cocotaffy]

How can you

Spoiler

not be in love with Loki???

I was very angry as well. He's my favorite character along with

Spoiler

his brother Thor, I love their special yet messed up bond

and I fear this is definitely over for this one, even the dialogue insists on no coming back