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

[jl22aries]

Won't You Be My Neighbor. 10/10

 

[PeterG]

So what do you think is the most radical movie you have ever seen? I mean in terms of the theme of the movie itself, rather than a movie which documents something radical which happened in the past. I tried thinking of movies with radical themes after a recent viewing. Two that came to mind:

A Clockwork Orange, and Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. And going back further, maybe Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator? (Or Modern Times, also by Chaplin.) Well, I haven't mentioned the movie that brought up this topic because this film series I think is overlooked because of the horror genre it belongs to. My viewing? The First Purge. The previous three movies in this series are radical in my opinion in that the topic of classism and how those living in poverty are seen as less human than those who happen to make more money. The First Purge takes things even further and zeroes in on race issues. I swear this is possibly the most radical movie I've ever seen. It's presented as a mainstream horror/thriller movie, but MAN does it have BITE. This one is written by Gerard McMurray, who wrote the first three as well. For The First Purge, director of the critically acclaimed movies Fruitvale Station, Creed and Black Panther, Ryan Coogler, directs. I would say The First Purge doesn't have the finesse of something like Fruitvale Station, instead it's like a powerful speaker behind a megaphone who has turned the volume up to ten. Coogler uses his place as director to loudly blast out that there is something wrong in America and if action is not taken...well, he's giving you a fictional version of what might happen. I would say the First Purge is actually an allegory for how people of colour and poor people are currently being treated in America. And that maybe they might band together, stand up...and fight back. I wondered if one of the messages of the movie was meant to be, "you're either with us...or you are against us". I hope this movie can be a message to those who will work to bring about change...rather than filmmaking foreshadowing.

 

[Kasey]

To answer your question of a recent film that could be seen as radical: Sorry to bother you. The film and the themes are bizarre and somewhat radical.

 

[PeterG]

To answer your question of a recent film that could be seen as radical: Sorry to bother you. The film and the themes are bizarre and somewhat radical.

Thank you for mentioning this. I was iffy about the trailer, so it wasn't added to my list, but I keep hearing about this one so I've added it to my list now. It's only playing in one theatre here, over an hour away. Hopefully my local library will be getting it when it comes out on DVD.

 

[watchthis!!]

Yesterday I saw Solo: A Star Wars Story. It was loooong. Wish I had waited for the DVD so I could have done housework or something while the movie played in the background. It's a wonderful looking movie, the technical people did a top-notch job (and the costumers and all the behind the scenes people). I just thought the movie was pretty much like every Star Wars movie we've seen so far. Not much set-up for the characters before the flying and the battles start, so I didn't really care for anybody. Come to think of it, I can't remember what happened to Woody Harrelson's characer in the end. I could google an answer. But I probably have something to dust...

 

[PeterG]

Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom : Disappointing as well. I only liked the easter eggs (and of course, I can't dislike Chris Pratt). It seems that each new installment only makes the original Jurassic Park (which I adore) seem better.

Jurassic World was such a powerful movie! I loved it.

I saw Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom today and...felt more in agreement with @savchenkoboss. I thought the movie was real strong. The only problem I had was certain plots points that didn't make sense...but happened because they needed to for the movie to go in the direction the screenwriter wanted it to. But with this kind of movie, you just have to let go of what makes sense sometimes and go along for the ride. And what a great ride it is! Many great action scenes and good performances from everyone in the cast. And the cinematographer looooooves Chris Pratt. Numerous close-ups of his glorious chiseled face. Made me think of the golden age of cinema and how women were showcased in all their glorious close-ups. But now Pratt's the pretty one. Can't disagree for a second.

 

[misskarne]

Finally got around to watching Iron Man. I liked it very much. Probably, if I was to compare the two, I'd say Captain America was more lighthearted (or as lighthearted as a movie set in WW2 can get), whereas while Iron Man had more overt humour, the themes underpinning it were a lot darker and heavier.

I loved Robert Downey Jr in this movie. He had me laughing five seconds in. So far of the two Marvel movies I have seen, I have to say most of the casting is spot on. Chris Evans is Captain America, and Robert Downey Jr absolutely is Iron Man. His Tony Stark is arrogant to the point of unlikeability but stops just short of you not being on his side by giving him some extremely human moments. The character arcs of the two stories are completely different; we're introduced to Cap exactly as he is: a good, pure human being, and that doesn't really change. But the Tony Stark we're introduced to and the Tony Stark at the end of the film are not exactly the same. On the outside they might appear the same, but you can see the changes the character has gone through in terms of personality and values.

I also thought the way the character development was done was in an actually quite realistic way.

Spoiler

Someone like Tony Stark in real life probably wouldn't think much of his weapons getting into the wrong hands - it would be something he would need to experience himself to truly grasp how bad things had got. The nice little relationship with Yinsen and then his desire to save Yinsen's village come from such a pure place in his heart. So from there, Tony realising that he wanted to change the course of his life is an extremely understandable reaction.

One thing I did take from this movie is that Tony has some serious trauma going on in his life and I feel like that's gonna come back to bite in the later movies. We'll see. I'll pinch some more off my mum this weekend.

 

[Japanfan]

So what do you think is the most radical movie you have ever seen? I mean in terms of the theme of the movie itself, rather than a movie which documents something radical which happened in the past. I tried thinking of movies with radical themes after a recent viewing. Two that came to mind:

A Clockwork Orange, and Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. And going back further, maybe Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator? (Or Modern Times, also by Chaplin.)

To me, 'radical' means to challenge the status quo. I don't think I would use the word to describe either 'A Clockwork Orange' or Dr. Strangelove. I would use the word 'satire' for those.

A few feminist-oriented films come to mind: Nicolas Roeg's 'Bad Timing, A Sensual Obsession' (1980), John Dahl's 'The Last Seduction' (1994), and Sally Potter's 'Yes' (2004), all the dialogue spoken in iambic tentamater). Those films comes to mind because feminism invariably challenges the status quote (leaving the question of libertarian feminism aside).

I'm really on the fence about 'Bad Timing'. On one day I think it is feminist, on another day, I think it is misogynist.

And there are some anti-war films that come to mind. But anti-war films are a genre, so not necessarily status quo. I don't think that "Apocalypse Now' was radical, but did think so at the time.

Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987) is perhaps the most radical anti-war film I can think of.

Perhaps 'Five Easy Pieces' (an all-time favorite) was radical. But given that it expressed the sentiments of the time, maybe not.

 

[vgerdes]

One thing I did take from this movie is that Tony has some serious trauma going on in his life and I feel like that's gonna come back to bite in the later movies.

I don't think Tony's fairly obvious PTSD is ever overtly addressed (we see it manifesting in all kinds of ways, but no one really talks about it, except in a roundabout way). It's the elephant in the room. A certain character has inspired a pretty intense dislike from me for showing endless empathy and consideration toward just about everyone EXCEPT Tony - who has survived more trauma than any 10 people should ever have to experience.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

I just watched Sassy Pants on Amazon Prime. It's quite the different look for Haley Joel Osment from his "I see dead people" days.

It wasn't a great movie but it's watchable enough when you have nothing better to do. Cute seems to be the word to sum it all up. I did like the main character. I thought Ashley Rickards did a great job with the role given the writing and overall storyline. I felt that her reaction to things felt pretty authentic even if the actual events felt over the top or cliche. I also thought Bethany, her brother and her potential Marine boyfriend felt the most realistic of all the characters. I would put the mother as next most authentic. I thought the rest of the characters were either over the top or too cliche.

 

[watchthis!!]

Pride seems like an old-fashioned underdog sports drama (Kleenex recommended), but avoids almost all of the hokey-ness that can come with this kind of movie. Terrence Howard plays a man whose own swimming career was sidelined due to the intense racism he faced in 1964. Ten years later, he is scrambling to find any work at all, in spite of now having a university degree. He finds work closing up an almost abandoned recreation centre in a poor neighbourhood. The centre still has a pool that the janitor has managed to keep in good enough shape for Howard to take a swim. When the teenage boys playing basketball out in front of the centre have their basketball court hoops taken away, they make their way inside the centre and into the pool. Howard eventually trains them to be good enough swimmers that they ask to be entered into a swimming competition. Howard is good in his role, as is Bernie Mac as the janitor and Kimberly Elise as the older sister of one of the swimmers, who is also a city councillor. This one hit all the right spots.

Trailer for Pride: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJRTDl3z87E

 

[Artistic Skaters]

This is the last week Leave No Trace plays at our indie theatre, so we went to see it today. What an excellent movie (just as I expected) & the great reviews are well deserved. Both of the leads gave terrific performances in an atmospheric but simple story about complex issues. The movie says a whole lot without much conversation. It's beautifully filmed, saturated with color & visually breathtaking, with the settings in the OR & WA forests.

I added this movie to my must see list because of Winter's Bone. However, I liked this movie more & it has no violence. I'll definitely watch it multiple times.

 

[PeterG]

Trailers For Movies Released 2018-08-03rd
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipRe4JNIOxsCLUBn8hA3xdRq

Like Father was a maybe for me (mainly because of Kristen Bell) - if anybody sees it, I'd be interesting in hearing what you have to say. Plus...what the f*?! about "Death Of A Nation"? Watching it would be like witnessing some kind of psychedelic trainwreck. Please, please, please...somebody see this mess of a movie (so I don't have to) and tell us what you thought (and who was there...were you scared to be in that theatre)?


August 3rd - The Spy Who Dumped Me (Wide) – Action comedy with Mila Kunis, Kate MacKinnon, Justin Theroux, Jane Curtin, Paul Reiser, Hasan Minhaj, Sam Heughan [Outlander] and Gillian Anderson

August 3rd - The Darkest Minds (Wide) – Sci-fi thriller with Amandla Stenberg, Mandy Moore, Gwendoline Christie [Game of Thrones] and Bradley Whitford

August 3rd - Christopher Robin (Wide) – Animated comedy with Ewan McGregor and Hayley Atwell

August 3rd - Death of a Nation (Wide) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “This documentary draws parallels between Abraham Lincoln's presidency and the presidency of Donald Trump.”

August 3rd - Like Father (Limited – Netflix) – Comedy with Kristen Bell, Seth Rogen, Kelsey Grammer

August 3rd - The Miseducation of Cameron Post (Limited) – Romance with Chloë Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., [The Newsroom] and Jennifer Ehle

August 3rd - Urban Country (Limited) – Family comedy drama with Lou Diamond Phillips, Jason London and C. Thomas Howell

August 3rd - Night Comes On (Limited) – Drama with a new cast. From imdb.com: “Angel LaMere is released from juvenile detention on the eve of her 18th birthday. Haunted by her past, she embarks on a journey with her 10 year-old sister that could destroy their future.”

August 3rd - Never Goin’ Back (Limited) – Drama with a new cast. From imdb.com: “Jessie and Angela, high school dropouts, are taking a week off to chill at the beach. Too bad their house got robbed, rent's due, they're about to get fired, and they're broke.”

August 3rd - 40 Years in the Making: The Magic Music Movie (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “TV writer/producer Lee Aronsohn tracks down the scattered members of a beloved early 1970s band with the hope that, 40 years after they broke up, he can get them to play ONE LAST SHOW.”

Aug. 1st - No Date, No Signature (Limited) – Drama from Iran. From imdb.com: “Kaveh Nariman is a coroner in the medical examiner's office. One day at his work he meets a corpse which is very familiar to him.”

August 3rd - The Forest of Lost Souls (Limited) – Horror mystery from Portugal. From imdb.com: “The Forest of the Lost Souls is a dense and remote forest, Portugal's most popular place for suicide. On a summer morning, two strangers meet within the woods.”

August 1st - Nico, 1988 (Limited) – Musical drama from Italy. From imdb.com: “The last year of singer Nico's life, as she tours and grapples with addiction and personal demons.”

August 3rd - Milla (Limited) – Drama from France. From google.com: “A 17-year-old girl's youthful romance seems ready to cross the threshold into teen parenthood.”

August 1st - Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days (Limited) – Action fantasy from South Korea. From imdb.com: “The fantasy epic that smashed box office records in Korea reaches its thrilling climax. As the deceased soul Su-hong and his three afterlife guardians face the remaining trials to obtain their reincarnation, the guardians come face to face with the buried truth of their tragic time on earth a thousand years ago, culminating in a final battle with a rogue god.”

 

[watchthis!!]

Nicole Kidman to Play Gretchen Carlson in Fox News Movie (EXCLUSIVE)
https://variety.com/2018/film/news/nicole-kidman-gretchen-carlson-roger-ailes-movie-1202858792/

Kidman will join Charlize Theron, who will portray former network host Megyn Kelly. Jay Roach is directing, with “The Big Short” scribe Charles Randolph penning the script.

Jay Roach has directed mainly comedy films, but most recently directed Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren in Trumbo. He has also won four Emmy awards. Other movies written by Randolph include Love & Other Drugs (Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway) as well as The Interpreter (Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn).

The article also mentions that Margot Robbie is eyeing a role in the movie.

 

[Wyliefan]

I can see it.

 

[VGThuy]

Nicole Kidman to Play Gretchen Carlson in Fox News Movie (EXCLUSIVE)
https://variety.com/2018/film/news/nicole-kidman-gretchen-carlson-roger-ailes-movie-1202858792/



Jay Roach has directed mainly comedy films, but most recently directed Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren in Trumbo. He has also won four Emmy awards. Other movies written by Randolph include Love & Other Drugs (Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway) as well as The Interpreter (Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn).

The article also mentions that Margot Robbie is eyeing a role in the movie.

And Roach is married to Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles!

 

[manhn]

I finished watching Wonder. I loved it a lot. A sentimental family drama that is well crafted, very well performed, and intriguingly edited with the different perspectives. With this and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chobsky is one of the few directors who can handle sensitive material in a successful mainstream manner without resorting to irony, cynicism, or edginess. I love his earnestness.

I need to read the book.

 

[PeterG]

Today I watched The More The Merrier, a 1943 romantic comedy directed by George Stevens (Woman of the Year, Giant and The Diary of Anne Frank). It stars Jean Arthur (Oscar-nominated for best actress) as a woman who rents out a room in her apartment due to a housing shortage in Washington, D.C. Charles Coburn (Oscar winner for best supporting actor) finagles his way ahead of a lineup of interested individuals and gets the room. He then proceeds to play matchmaker for Arthur, choosing the handsome Joel McCrea to share his room to see if sparks fly between him and Jean Arthur's character. The More The Merrier was also nominated for writing, directing and best picture. But I wasn't really enamored with this one. I wrote about The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) recently, which also starred Arthur and Coburn. It was much funnier and warmer and had a better story. I still enjoyed seeing Arthur and Coburn working together, they are both very talented. But this one is a much lesser film than The Devil and Miss Jones.

There are a few different (full version) copies of The More The Merrier on youtube if you are interested.

 

[smurfy]

I watched 'Jolene' on Amazon Prime. Jessica Chastain's first movie, with lots of small parts played by known actors (Dermot Mulroney, Theresa Russell, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Vartan, Frances Fisher). Movie is based on an E.L Doctorow story, which was based on the song. Jolene is a white trash/foster kid southern girl, ages from 15 to 25 and what happens to her.
Soap operish is some ways. But Chastain is amazing, as she always is. I can see how she got cast in 'The Help'. The roles I have seen her in have been stronger, proactive women. Jolene is smart, but victimized a lot.
I would recommend this movie for Chastain's performance alone. Not a perfect movie, but a star was born.

I also watched 'Meagan Leavey' on Prime - with Kate Mara in the lead role. Mara was very good. Nice movie, showed realities of war and the aftermatch. Leavey is a marine dog handler and story about the relationship with her dog.

 

[Cachoo]

Nicole Kidman to Play Gretchen Carlson in Fox News Movie (EXCLUSIVE)
https://variety.com/2018/film/news/nicole-kidman-gretchen-carlson-roger-ailes-movie-1202858792/



Jay Roach has directed mainly comedy films, but most recently directed Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren in Trumbo. He has also won four Emmy awards. Other movies written by Randolph include Love & Other Drugs (Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway) as well as The Interpreter (Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn).

The article also mentions that Margot Robbie is eyeing a role in the movie.

You know I (and probably most women) see Ailes as grotesque so I cannot imagine any actor playing him though I know there are a lot of very talented guys who would love stepping into that role. I know Russell Crowe is playing him in "Showtime" series and he can morph into anyone I suspect. I love that the focus of the film is on the women cast now and in the future (Robbie.)

 

[Cachoo]

I watched 'Jolene' on Amazon Prime. Jessica Chastain's first movie, with lots of small parts played by known actors (Dermot Mulroney, Theresa Russell, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Vartan, Frances Fisher). Movie is based on an E.L Doctorow story, which was based on the song. Jolene is a white trash/foster kid southern girl, ages from 15 to 25 and what happens to her.
Soap operish is some ways. But Chastain is amazing, as she always is. I can see how she got cast in 'The Help'. The roles I have seen her in have been stronger, proactive women. Jolene is smart, but victimized a lot.
I would recommend this movie for Chastain's performance alone. Not a perfect movie, but a star was born.

I also watched 'Meagan Leavey' on Prime - with Kate Mara in the lead role. Mara was very good. Nice movie, showed realities of war and the aftermatch. Leavey is a marine dog handler and story about the relationship with her dog.

I love "Zero Dark Thirty" partly because of Chastain's performance and also because of everything she went through to find Bin Laden. I understand they made some changes to the film but that this woman in our intelligence services, with help, had to cross so many bridges and fight so many battles just to keep the search alive. Chastain doesn't do anything to make her glamorous or mysterious or attractive. This is hard, relentless, controversial work. Oscar worthy...

 

[watchthis!!]

Decided to view something a bit more high-brow and picked Portrait Of A Lady, mainly because of the cast: Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, Barbara Hershey, Mary-Louise Parker, Christian Bale, Viggo Mortensen, John Gielgud and Shelley Winters. And a few others you'll probably recognize if you see this. I'm a bit unsure how I feel about this movie. Is it a tale about a complicated woman trying her best to survive through a time that wasn't made for strong, independent women? Or is it a (man's) tale about how if you are female and you don't fit into the mold that's been made for you...you will be punished? So the movie is challenging. And now I want to watch a superhero movie.

Trailer for Portrait Of A Lady: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9brMfU0OGU

 

[VGThuy]

Decided to view something a bit more high-brow and picked Portrait Of A Lady, mainly because of the cast: Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, Barbara Hershey, Mary-Louise Parker, Christian Bale, Viggo Mortensen, John Gielgud and Shelley Winters. And a few others you'll probably recognize if you see this. I'm a bit unsure how I feel about this movie. Is it a tale about a complicated woman trying her best to survive through a time that wasn't made for strong, independent women? Or is it a (man's) tale about how if you are female and you don't fit into the mold that's been made for you...you will be punished? So the movie is challenging. And now I want to watch a superhero movie.

Trailer for Portrait Of A Lady: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9brMfU0OGU

I love the Portrait of a Lady. It's very controversial among Henry James fans because Campion did less of a strict adaptation and more of a film critique adaptation of James' novel. I also love the opening sequence that is so anachronistic and so eye catching...capturing the portraits of modern day women:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mqomDnAMEk

I love "Zero Dark Thirty" partly because of Chastain's performance and also because of everything she went through to find Bin Laden. I understand they made some changes to the film but that this woman in our intelligence services, with help, had to cross so many bridges and fight so many battles just to keep the search alive. Chastain doesn't do anything to make her glamorous or mysterious or attractive. This is hard, relentless, controversial work. Oscar worthy...

I cosign. I know a lot of people criticize the film for promoting torture or promoting the war in Afghanistan, or that it was some American propaganda film, etc. but I did not see that film in that way at all and I think a lot of those criticisms stem from people who did not see it or misinterpreted what it was portraying. I think think this film suffered a big backlash led by rival studios creating false narratives to help their films' Oscar campaigns (namely Harvey Weinstein who had a big interest in seeing Jennifer Lawrence win the Oscar for his Silver Linings Playbook). ZDT went from having huge accolades and winning critics awards to being toxic and spoken about as if it was incredibly controversial during that season. I pay so much attention to Oscar season that I feel like I can recognize these political-like smear campaigning and so much of it is so stupid but people fall for that.

 

[PeterG]

I saw a Hong Kong film called "A Simple Life", about a servant who has served a family over generations. She suffers a stroke, and the boy she has helped raise takes on caregiving duties. Beautiful in its simplicity and elegance. It got me in the feels.

I got this from the library close to where I was house-sitting and started watching it the other day. The first half hour to me was slow and cool, almost cold. Luckily that was just to show the contrast with what we got to see from the two lead characters for the rest of the movie. Deannie Ip as the housekeeper deserves all the awards she got for her performance, pretty much sweeping all Asian awards, but winning as well for best actress at the Venice Film Festival and the Boston Society of Film Critics Awards. She has the most expressive eyes, if it wasn't for editing...if there were longer shots of what she can do in silence...with just her eyes... Well, I think my heart might have crumbled into a million different pieces. Andy Lau plays the man who looks after her, you might have seen him in the English language movies The Great Wall (with Matt Damon) or the Chinese language House of Flying Daggers. He also stars in Infernal Affairs (which Hollywood re-made as The Departed). Infernal Affairs happens to be #26 on my favourite movies of all time list.

A Simple Life trailer

 

[Jay42]

I cosign. I know a lot of people criticize the film for promoting torture or promoting the war in Afghanistan, or that it was some American propaganda film, etc. but I did not see that film in that way at all and I think a lot of those criticisms stem from people who did not see it or misinterpreted what it was portraying. I think think this film suffered a big backlash led by rival studios creating false narratives to help their films' Oscar campaigns (namely Harvey Weinstein who had a big interest in seeing Jennifer Lawrence win the Oscar for his Silver Linings Playbook). ZDT went from having huge accolades and winning critics awards to being toxic and spoken about as if it was incredibly controversial during that season. I pay so much attention to Oscar season that I feel like I can recognize these political-like smear campaigning and so much of it is so stupid but people fall for that.

I will admit I did think Zero Dark Thirty came across a little US propagandaish to me. But it is still a very well done movie with some fantastic performances. Jessica Chastain should have won the Oscar for it.

 

[Seerek]

Best Actress: Thomasin McKenzie (18 Year Old Actress from New Zealand who played Astrid in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies)

...and yet the studio will likely slot McKenzie into supporting actress, when she is undoubtedly a lead (and then some, particularly as the movie nears its end).

Rachel McAdams will likely be slotted in supporting for "Disobedience" as well.

 

[VGThuy]

Teaser Trailer for Barry Jenkin's new film If Beale Street Could Talk, an adaptation of the James Baldwin novel:

https://youtu.be/k2zvPTGiJj4

 

[Cachoo]

I love the Portrait of a Lady. It's very controversial among Henry James fans because Campion did less of a strict adaptation and more of a film critique adaptation of James' novel. I also love the opening sequence that is so anachronistic and so eye catching...capturing the portraits of modern day women:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mqomDnAMEk



I cosign. I know a lot of people criticize the film for promoting torture or promoting the war in Afghanistan, or that it was some American propaganda film, etc. but I did not see that film in that way at all and I think a lot of those criticisms stem from people who did not see it or misinterpreted what it was portraying. I think think this film suffered a big backlash led by rival studios creating false narratives to help their films' Oscar campaigns (namely Harvey Weinstein who had a big interest in seeing Jennifer Lawrence win the Oscar for his Silver Linings Playbook). ZDT went from having huge accolades and winning critics awards to being toxic and spoken about as if it was incredibly controversial during that season. I pay so much attention to Oscar season that I feel like I can recognize these political-like smear campaigning and so much of it is so stupid but people fall for that.

Yes Harvey was a master at playing politics, among other things. And even with his banishment the politics won't stop. The scenes that are especially controversial are at the beginning and it is irresponsible to deny that black sites and torture didn't exist. The director and the actors don't sugarcoat it either. With this woman you get someone who is all in and laser-focused on finding Bin Laden. She had no life outside of her job. Maybe that it what it took.

 

[Cachoo]

I got this from the library close to where I was house-sitting and started watching it the other day. The first half hour to me was slow and cool, almost cold. Luckily that was just to show the contrast with what we got to see from the two lead characters for the rest of the movie. Deannie Ip as the housekeeper deserves all the awards she got for her performance, pretty much sweeping all Asian awards, but winning as well for best actress at the Venice Film Festival and the Boston Society of Film Critics Awards. She has the most expressive eyes, if it wasn't for editing...if there were longer shots of what she can do in silence...with just her eyes... Well, I think my heart might have crumbled into a million different pieces. Andy Lau plays the man who looks after her, you might have seen him in the English language movies The Great Wall (with Matt Damon) or the Chinese language House of Flying Daggers. He also stars in Infernal Affairs (which Hollywood re-made as The Departed). Infernal Affairs happens to be #26 on my favourite movies of all time list.
A Simple Life trailer

Peter,
Meryl Streep said one time that she thought the movies in the modern period (maybe when the studio system broke down and actors were free to choose roles---let's just say from "Bonnie and Clyde" forward) are generally better than the films that preceded them. What do you think? And then British actor Stephen Dillane said he enjoyed French films most of all. You have seen so many films and are such an enthusiast that I wondered what your opinion is on the subject. Too broad? And have you ever listed your fave films of all time here?

 

[watchthis!!]

Okay, this one looks so intense that I might have pooped myself just a little at some point!

Lizzie, historical drama starring Kristen Stewart, Chloë Sevigny
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zI-INcW2iw

I love the Portrait of a Lady. It's very controversial among Henry James fans because Campion did less of a strict adaptation and more of a film critique adaptation of James' novel. I also love the opening sequence that is so anachronistic and so eye catching...capturing the portraits of modern day women:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mqomDnAMEk

Did you see the movie on DVD? I forgot to mention that there's a DVD extra, a 50 minute "making of" featurette. A lot of that is moments when we see Campion off in a corner talking to the actors about the scenes they are about to do. It's fascinating to see when Campion is soft and gentle at times and then assuredly takes the reigns during other moments. Sometimes going from one to the other in the space of one minute. Wonderfully interesting behind the scenes footage.