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

[VGThuy]

I related a bit too much with the main character in Ladybird warts and all, except she actually said and did things I was feeling in high school. I saved all of that for college. Seriously one of the best movies I’ve seen and I loved that they allowed her to not always be rootable.

 

[manhn]

She was never rootable. She is racist (not just the attack on her brother, but I will take darkest interpretation of the hospital scene because I just hated this movie by the end of it), leaves behind her best friend (How did she know she would still be at home, anyway?), and what happened to financing her education herself? Her parents refinanced their house, just a few years before the housing crash. HATE!

 

[VGThuy]

That really is a dark interpretation.

 

[jl22aries]

I loved Ladybird too, and also felt like I was 17 again watching the movie. I remembered that blundering bundle of rage, joy, hope, and meanness, making so much mess. Here's to female characters who are complex. I don't need another manic pixie dream girl, some dude's fantasy of likability, on screen.

 

[Japanfan]

I just watched Ladybird. Eh, this got a bunch of Oscar nods? I found the central character annoying and not remotely rootable. How did she get into the school she wanted, again? She skipped classes, cheated, and stopped doing drama club. Ugh, the magical SAT scores! HATE!!!!

I didn't mind the central character but found the movie underwhelming and largely forgettable.

IMO Rohan is a likeable actress, but rather lacking in terms of screen presence.

 

[PeterG]

I read an article about the Oscars and how the academy announced that it was aiming to double the number of women and minorities by 2020. And that last year, "a whopping 774 new members were inducted, 39 percent female and 30 percent people of color".

Umm...if I'm doing my math correctly, 61 percent of the new members would be male. And 70 percent of the new members would be white. So isn't this a step BACKWARDS, away from diversity? Shouldn't the numbers be flipped, with 61 percent of the new members being female and 70 percent people of colour?

 

[peibeck]

I read an article about the Oscars and how the academy announced that it was aiming to double the number of women and minorities by 2020. And that last year, "a whopping 774 new members were inducted, 39 percent female and 30 percent people of color".

Umm...if I'm doing my math correctly, 61 percent of the new members would be male. And 70 percent of the new members would be white. So isn't this a step BACKWARDS, away from diversity? Shouldn't the numbers be flipped, with 61 percent of the new members being female and 70 percent people of colour?

I think in order to know if it was a step away from diversity you'd have to know what the percentage of Academy members were in the previous years and see how the 39% of women and 30% people of color raises/lowers the total percentage of those minorities within the Academy.

Per this article linked below, females are now 28% of the total Academy and minority members rose from 11% to 13%, so it is an increase. https://www.dailynews.com/2018/03/0...-academy-of-motion-picture-arts-and-sciences/

Most of the film industry's technical branches are male oriented (editors, mixers, composers, cinematographers). The biggest increase in minority membership seems to be coming mainly in the acting and executive branches.

If you looked at a list of all 7000+ members, you'd probably be surprised at some people who members and think "HTF did that person get an invite to be an Academy member?"

And Harvey Weinstein got the so there is one less white male in the ranks.

 

[Wyliefan]

I have Ladybird in my Netflix queue, and I hope it's not going to bug me (no pun intended). There's a certain kind of teenage character I just can't stand. Self-absorption I can deal with, and confusion, and naivete, and being a mess, but cruelty just makes me mad. Especially when the person never grows out of it. (I just finished reading "Miss Kopp's Midnight Confessions," and Fleurette made me all stabby.)

 

[manhn]

I am certainly an anomaly when it came to Lady Bird. Most people who saw it liked or loved it.

 

[Kasey]

I am certainly an anomaly when it came to Lady Bird. Most people who saw it liked or loved it.

I liked it ok, but didn't love it. I like Saoirse Ronin and Laurie Metcalfe in it. But of the 8 Best Pic Oscar nominated movies, I think I ranked it 5th, close to 6th (it was a toss-up between Lady Bird and The Post).

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I just watched the movie "The Snowman".... ummmmmm... has anyone seen this? I have so many questions.....

I loved it, I disliked it, I liked it, I disliked it...lol

Can you PM me? I have questions that I dont want to bog down the thread with...

And why would Chloe Sevigny and Val Kilmer take such tiny roles?

So then Fassbender was NOT the boy from the beginning of the movie? Im just way confused.....

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I liked it ok, but didn't love it. I like Saoirse Ronin and Laurie Metcalfe in it. But of the 8 Best Pic Oscar nominated movies, I think I ranked it 5th, close to 6th (it was a toss-up between Lady Bird and The Post).

I liked Lady Bird too the same way I liked Call Me By Your Name.. Thought I would love it, but I liked it.

The ending of Lady Bird was strange.. it just kinda ended... the credits rolled, and I was like, oh thats the end?

When the first boyfriend (forgot characters name) said to her when she wanted him to touch her, "No, I respect you too much." I thought, "Gay." Like me. Then 20 minutes later he was macking on a guy. So was kinda predictable for me. Maybe because I lived that too... I dunno....

I kinda didnt like the language she used with the nun, but thats just me.

Good movie, but not great.

I think of the 6 movies Ive most recently seen, Ladybird, The Snowman, Love, Simon, Call Me By Your Name, 3 Billboards and I, Tonya I think I like I, Tonya the most.....

 

[Bellanca]

Solo: A Star Wars Story

So, here’s the deal… We infiltrated the dine-in (good times, as always) and saw the show. Our entire group gave it two thumbs up because we kept our expectations in check and the movie plot in its proper perspective. In other words, this is Han Solo’s backstory and should not be considered or approached as part of the trilogies because it isn’t. It delivered what it was meant to – a Star Wars story.

Unanimously, we all felt that Alden Ehrenreich successfully captured Harrison Ford’s mannerisms and did a very nice job. Harrison Ford can be a little quirky (meant as a compliment), especially when playing space cowboy, Han.

It was also a pleasant surprise to see Woody Harrelson as part of the cast, and equally impressive to

Spoiler

watch Chewbacca kick some A$$!!

The entire cast did very well, and a round of applause for Ron Howard.

Die-hard Star Wars fans will go and see this movie, for sure, but for those on the fence - go see it! You won't be disappointed.

 

[watchthis!!]

And why would Chloe Sevigny and Val Kilmer take such tiny roles?

Val Kilmer is one of those people who often appears in those cheesy "Why No One In Hollywood Wants To Act With..." or "Why Hollywood Won't Hire..." Those articles are always pretty stupid. But I have heard that Kilmer is difficult to work with. Haven't heard anything about that with Sevigny. But neither of their careers are hot, and if they haven't worked in a will, taking anything means at least some kind of paycheque and at least a current entry onto their resume. Plus maybe a small role in a major production is better than a leading role in a movie that goes straight to DVD. And maybe the director and screenwriter, or people in the cast, are people they would like to work with in the future, so this gives them a chance to make a connection.

I'm at the library right now and I can hear a guy talking, but can't see him. He sounds a LOT like Steve Buscemi. I'm going to log off my computer and go see if it's him.

 

[smurfy]

Solo: A Star Wars Story

So, here’s the deal… We infiltrated the dine-in (good times, as always) and saw the show. Our entire group gave it two thumbs up because we kept our expectations in check and the movie plot in its proper perspective. In other words, this is Han Solo’s backstory and should not be considered or approached as part of the trilogies because it isn’t. It delivered what it was meant to – a Star Wars story.

Unanimously, we all felt that Alden Ehrenreich successfully captured Harrison Ford’s mannerisms and did a very nice job. Harrison Ford can be a little quirky (meant as a compliment), especially when playing space cowboy, Han.

It was also a pleasant surprise to see Woody Harrelson as part of the cast, and equally impressive to

Spoiler

watch Chewbacca kick some A$$!!

The entire cast did very well, and a round of applause for Ron Howard.

Die-hard Star Wars fans will go and see this movie, for sure, but for those on the fence - go see it! You won't be disappointed.

Thanks and good comments.
I saw it today and I liked it.
Alden Ehrenreich was very good and seemed like H Ford -but also reminded me of Indiana Jones as much as Han Solo.
No complaints about the movie. The cast was very good, Donald Glover also reminded me of Billy Dee (why isn't he in the new trilogy?) I loved Chewbacca - and he and Han's back story was wonderful.

[/SPOILER] Han definitely has a type when it comes to women. Kira and Leia have similar strengths - handled in different way. [/Spoiler]

One thing: I have seen all Star Wars movies, some few times, but am not an uber fan, have not seen the tv show or read much.
There was something that made it seem not of the Star Wars universe - and it was the visuals. Rogue One looked like Star Wars.
But I would say the first third of the movie looked like a dystopian horrible future type sci fi movie. Overall more gritty looking than the other movies. The other movies looked more polished. Heck Leia's white outfit in 'A New Hope' - was still very clean after they were in the garbage/trash compactor. And near the end scene - the scene looked like somewhere on this planet, no cgi to make it look a bit otherworldly.
Maybe I am being nitpick - but Star Wars is another galaxy to me and I expected to be taken their visually.
I would recommend and it was setup for a sequel.

 

[Jay42]

I saw Solo tonight and really liked it, even though I had heard it was good my expectations were still pretty low for it so I enjoyed it a lot more than I anticipated. It's very space western, which having grown up watching westerns, I loved. The actors were all great, Alden Ehrenreich got Han down very well although the "I got kicked out of the academy for having a mind of my own" line is just as cringey in the movie as it was in the trailer.

The following references something super spoilery so I'm just going to hide it for everyone who would prefer to be surprised.

Spoiler

The Darth Maul cameo had my brother cackling from sheer joy. He doesn't often get that excited about things so he was definitely pretty thrilled. I think it excited him more than when I took his picture with the Star Wars cosplayers last week and he was very excited about that.

 

[Seerek]

Not to give away too many spoilers, but there's been much discussion concerning the ending of Paul Schrader's First Reformer. For myself, I tend to lead toward an implied ending rather than literal (even though the film's general sentiments towards megachurches is rather clear).

While Ethan Hawke's (and Amanda Seyfried's) personal dilemmas are the focus, honourable mention must be given to Cedric The Entertainer, who is able to portray a 'Megachurch Machine' of more real-world awareness (and beyond a stereotype).

 

[smurfy]

Obviously I can't do spoilers.
But do you think Nell's spoiler - is a set up for another Star Wars story - sans Han, but with the 2 people in the scene in the spoiler??

 

[Buzz]

IMHO Unfortunately no. The B.O. for Solo is too low, never mind how much the movie is beloved by most of those who saw it.

 

[watchthis!!]

I thought this article was interesting:

Latino movie producer opens theatres in rural, poor areas
https://www.news1130.com/2018/06/03/latino-movie-producer-opens-theatres-in-rural-poor-areas/

Delano, California is the location for the theatre in this article, where a third of the population live under the poverty line and used to have to drive over 40 miles if they wanted to see a new movie.

Moctesuma Esparza is the producer and the Delano theatre is a $20 million project. Esparza also producted Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (Halle Berry) and The Milagro Beanfield War (which Robert Redford directed). From the article:

Esparza, who produced the 1997 movie “Selena” and has opened up four identical theatres in poor areas in California, said poverty shouldn’t sentence residents to “movie deserts” where inexpensive leisure is limited. He has vowed to do his part to change the landscape in rural America.

The article also mentions that the Gates Foundation is awarding grants to other older theatres in communities that can't afford to do the upgrades necessary to show movies digitally.

Hats off to all of those who are using there wealth to think about those who are less fortunate.

 

[PeterG]

Trailers For Movies Released 2018-06-08th
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipQiuPVUdnNQIZJtAl6WRjQ3

None of the titles are in boldface (trailers that I liked enough to add the movie to my To See list) because I haven't watched the playlist yet. Going to spend a couple of days of volunteering with my friend's grade six/seven class, so will have limited time/internet access. So let me know which of the movies below you want to see!


June 8th - Ocean's 8 – Action comedy with Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling, Dakota Fanning, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Margo Thomas, James Corden, Elliott Gould and Anne Hathaway

June 8th - Hereditary (Wide) – Mystery horror with Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff and Ann Dowd

June 8th - Hotel Artemis (Wide) – Action sci-fi with Jodie Foster, Sofia Boutella [Atomic Blonde, Star Trek: Beyond], Dave Bautista, Sterling K. Brown, Jeff Goldblum, Jenny Slate, Charlie Day and Zachary Quinto

June 8th - Nancy (Limited) – Thriller with Andrea Riseborough, Steve Buscemi, Ann Dowd and John Leguizamo

June 8th - Hearts Beat Loud (Limited) – Musical drama with Nick Offerman, Toni Collette, Ted Danson and Blythe Danner

June 8th - Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host, Fred Rogers”

June 8th - Zoo (Limited) – Historical family drama with Toby Jones. From imdb.com: “Young Tom and his misfit friends fight to save 'Buster' the baby elephant during the German air raid bombings of Belfast in 1941.”

June 8th - Half the Picture (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “…about the dismal number of women directors working in Hollywood, using the current EEOC investigation into discriminatory hiring practices as a framework to talk to successful women directors about their career paths, struggles, inspiration and hopes for the future.”

June 8th - 211 (Limited) – Action drama with Nicolas Cage. From imdb.com: “Bank heist movie in the vein of ‘End of Watch’ meets ‘Black Hawk Down’.”

June 8th - The Workers Cup (Limited – New York and L.A.) – Sports documentary from Norway. From imdb.com: “Inside Qatar's labor camps, African and Asian migrant workers building the facilities of the 2022 World Cup compete in a football tournament of their own.”

June 8th - The Valley (Limited) – Mystery with a new cast. From imdb.com: “Devastated by his daughter's suicide, an immigrant entrepreneur working in high-tech seeks answers to his lingering questions.”

June 8th - The Quest of Alain Ducasse (Limited) – Documentary from France. From imdb.com: “With 18 Michelin stars, Alain Ducasse creates restaurants for our times, builds schools and pushes the boundaries of his profession. This public, yet secretive man agreed to be followed for 2 years, thereby revealing his evolving universe.”

June 8th - 2036 Origin Unknown (Limited) – Sci-fi with a new cast. From imdb.com: “After the first manned mission to Mars ends in a deadly crash, mission controller 'Mack' Wilson assists an artificial intelligence system, A.R.T.I. Their investigation uncovers a mysterious object under the surface of Mars, that could change the future of our planet as we know it.”

June 7th - Nossa Chape (Limited) – Sports documentary from Brazil. From imdb.com: “tracks the rebuilding of the Chapecoense football club in Brazil after an airplane carrying the team crashed on November 28th, 2016, leaving all but three of the players dead.”

June 8th - On The Seventh Day (Limited) – Spanish language drama, new cast. From imdb.com: “A group of undocumented Mexican immigrants work long hours six days a week, and then savor their day of rest on Sundays on the soccer fields of Brooklyn.”

June 8th - Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “The first film to encompass the remarkable story of one of the true icons of our time (fashion designer Vivienne Westwood), as she fights to maintain her brand's integrity, her principles - and her legacy.”

June 8th - Guilty Men (Limited) – Western thriller from Colombia. From imdb.com: “Mariana, Willington's eternal love, is preparing her marriage with René, the cousin of her ex boyfriend. While Willington tries to get her back, the rumour of a thief in town and a series of violent deaths that remind them of a fearful past, will endanger Mariana's new family.”

June 8th - Believer (Limited) – Crime drama from South Korea. From imdb.com: “The story follows an investigator who, in an effort to bring down the boss of Asia's biggest drug cartel, conspires with a lowly member of the gang seeking revenge against the boss.”

 

[Kasey]

I want to see the Mr. Rogers documentary if it ends up at a theater here; we have one theater that does more "arty" and limited release movies, so I may be in luck

 

[Buzz]

Actress Kelly Marie Tran has deleted all her Instagram posts after being the victim of months of racist and sexist comments.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44379473

 

[watchthis!!]

Watched Winchester last night. I thought the movie really drew me in and the acting (Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke) was very strong. The scares were spot on as well. The story was good, but the conclusion didn't fit with the rest of the story. I recommend it, but you've got to go into it willing to cut the conclusion of the movie a LOT of slack.

Actress Kelly Marie Tran has deleted all her Instagram posts after being the victim of months of racist and sexist comments.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44379473

A$$*01*$

 

[PeterG]

Tonight I watched a Netflix comedy special called Watch Your Neighbours starring Hari Kondabolu. We were in the mood for some comedy after having watched another Netflix special called No Offense, Theo Von's stand-up special. I thought both were good, but Kondabolu's was better. His claim to fame is being in the much maligned Sandra Bullock movie All About Steve. I had never heard of him before, so I was surprised to see that he sold out an 800 seat theatre in Seattle to film this special. Interesting that both straight male comics spend a fair bit of their sets dealing with subject matter around gay people and homophobia. How the world has changed! I have one more day with my friends, maybe we'll watch one more stand-up show before I go home.

 

[manhn]

Just finished The Shape of Water. LOVED IT! Everyone was great, but Michael Shannon was tops for me. Gorgeous.

 

[watchthis!!]

Cannes Film Festival 2018: Winners and Losers Inside the Perfect Storm
http://www.indiewire.com/2018/05/cannes-changing-film-industry-winners-sinners-1201963623/

A Japanese drama, Shoplifters, was one of the big winners. It's about a family living in poverty that must resort to shoplifting in order to survive. BlacKkKlansman, directed by Spike Lee, also fared well.

The above article also covers the restrictive rules of the festival, and how the industry is changing dramatically, while the festival is not. Netflix plays into this scenario in a big way. They decided to withdraw all of their (non-competition) movies, including the long-lost (and finally completed) final film by Orson Welles.

Jessica Chastian was there to promote an upcoming action thriller movie which co-stars Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Lupita Nyong’o (I almost spelled her name correctly before cutting and pasting it in correctly).

And Lars von Trier was there to promote his serial killer film starring Matt Dillon. From the article:

Matt Dillon’s rampaging attacker who mangles and mutilates a series of female victims struck a grotesque note at a festival that also tried to argue that it was becoming more welcoming to women.

 

[watchthis!!]

I was looking forward to Velvet Goldmine because it has a great cast: Christian Bale, Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Eddie Izzard and Toni Collette. And the movie was good, with an interesting premise of the fall of a glam rock star and his subsequent disappearance. Christian Bale plays a fan of the glam rock scene and is later seen as a reporter assigned to find out what happened to Meyers character. For me, a big part of the movie was the rise and fall of a musician and learning years later what happened to him. But I don't know...did the movie tell us what happened to him, or are we left to just wonder where he ended up? I thought there was a line in the movie that stated we were told what happened...but damned if I know. I ended up googling the movie to try and figure out what the heck happened. Couldn't find an answer.

Trailer for Velvet Goldmine: Don't both. SKIP IT!!

 

[Vash01]

I am certainly an anomaly when it came to Lady Bird. Most people who saw it liked or loved it.

I thought it was just OK. Couldn't understand the rave it was getting.

Saw 'Parmanu' couple weeks ago. Very well made and gripping. Liked John Abraham. I had seen him in 'Water'. Hated the wife's character though. Also I found it overly patriotic. Still, 9/10 for the entertainment value. It is 8.5 on IMDb.

 

[annie720]

I want to see the Mr. Rogers documentary if it ends up at a theater here; we have one theater that does more "arty" and limited release movies, so I may be in luck

It starts playing at an Alamo Drafthouse here this week. I'll definitely be seeing it next weekend.

Saw Hereditary yesterday. I am totally perplexed at the high rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Both hubby and I strongly disliked everything about it.