Let's Talk Movies #36 - 2020 - Yep it is a new decade

[PeterG]

So the 1993 film “Dazed and Confused” is set on May 28, 1976—45 yrs ago today—-the last day of school. As someone who lived in that era I thought Richard Linklater captured that era with both wryness and affection.

I watched that recently, either last year or the year before. One of those movies that gets talked about so much, I had to add it to my To See list just so that I could say that I had seen it. The best part of it for me was waiting for another famous person's face to pop up on the screen every two minutes. Jason London, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Cole Hauser, Parker Posey, Adam Goldberg, Matthew McConaughey, Joey Lauren Adams, Anthony Rapp and Renée Zellweger.

And the soundtrack had some songs I really like as well:

Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo
Fox On The Run
Cherry Bomb
Low Rider
Right Place, Wrong Time
Summer Breeze
Show Me The Way

 

[Cachoo]

I watched that recently, either last year or the year before. One of those movies that gets talked about so much, I had to add it to my To See list just so that I could say that I had seen it. The best part of it for me was waiting for another famous person's face to pop up on the screen every two minutes. Jason London, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Cole Hauser, Parker Posey, Adam Goldberg, Matthew McConaughey, Joey Lauren Adams, Anthony Rapp and Renée Zellweger.

And the soundtrack had some songs I really like as well:

Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo
Fox On The Run
Cherry Bomb
Low Rider
Right Place, Wrong Time
Summer Breeze
Show Me The Way

As Matthew said then and so many times since: All right, all right, all right!

 

[Aussie Willy]

I saw Cruella last night. I really loved this movie for so many reasons:

• Both Emmas were really good. Best thing Emma Thompson has done in a while.
• Great supporting cast of characters
• The dogs - all of them and they were characters in themselves
• The fashion was fabulous
• Excellent soundtrack with great mix of songs of the time
• Had some really good plot twists

The trailer got me interested but I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I think I could see it again.

 

[Jay42]

I saw Cruella last night. I really loved this movie for so many reasons:

• Both Emmas were really good. Best thing Emma Thompson has done in a while.
• Great supporting cast of characters
• The dogs - all of them and they were characters in themselves
• The fashion was fabulous
• Excellent soundtrack with great mix of songs of the time
• Had some really good plot twists

The trailer got me interested but I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I think I could see it again.

It's such a fun movie. I enjoyed it so much.

 

[watchthis!!]

Restless was a nice surprise, it’s a 2011 romantic drama that stars Mia Wasikowska as a young woman who meets a young man who goes to the funerals of people he doesn’t know. She figures this out and goes to a funeral of someone she doesn’t know and runs into him there. They start up a friendship which blossoms into a romance. In case this might sound too rom-com-ish, it’s not. It’s quirky and proof of that is that Gus Van Zant is the director. But he is not the writer, so it’s not REALLY quirky like a lot of his work. The two leads are both sweet and wonderful in their roles and the script is very strong. Bryce Dallas Howard and Ron Howard are producers on this movie, so there’s a nice balance between weird and accessible in the overall scheme of things with this movie. I liked it.

 

[vgerdes]

I saw Cruella last night. I really loved this movie for so many reasons:

• Both Emmas were really good. Best thing Emma Thompson has done in a while.
• Great supporting cast of characters
• The dogs - all of them and they were characters in themselves
• The fashion was fabulous
• Excellent soundtrack with great mix of songs of the time
• Had some really good plot twists

The trailer got me interested but I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I think I could see it again.

Cruella was the best movie I've seen in a while. So much fun. Emma Thompson really chewed the scenery as a full-on, irredeemable villain, while Emma Stone was deliciously wicked but still very relatable. And I loved, loved, loved the dogs.

 

[Cachoo]

I’m watching “Movie 43”—it is like a 70’s era sketch/sex B movie satire except this has an A list cast. It is really not my type of movie and yet I can’t stop watching it. The first sketch was Kate Winslet and Hugh Jackman. At the moment I am watching Halle Berry and Stephen Merchant.

 

[VGThuy]

I saw that Almost Famous was free on YouTube and decided to watch it again for the first time in many years. I forgot how much I truly loved this movie and soundtrack. The Beach Boys’ “Feel Flows” is truly one of the greatest songs ever. Also, I wish Kate Hudson’s career ended up better. She really chose some truly bad scripts because this movie reminded me that she could indeed act. Frances McDormand is even better upon rewatch. I fear I might end up like her character as a mother.

 

[Vash01]

Saw the movie The Conspirator last night. Very interesting and very sad. Top notch acting, screen play, and direction (by Robert Redford). Plan on watching it again because I watched it late at night, so I may not have caught all the nuances.

 

[Integrity]

I watched A Quiet Place Part II last week at a theater. It was my first time back since winter 2020. There were nearly 20 minutes of trailers, lot of catching up to do I suppose!

There were about 60 people in attendance, at the first showing of the day. It was a rainy Memorial Day, but I think it's a positive sign for our cinemas.

I enjoyed the movie, maybe as much as the first AQP. I would not recommend seeing Part II if you have not seen Part 1.

 

[Buzz]

Not sure why but I just remembered a little movie from Iran called Children of Heaven that I saw eons ago and loved! It is one of the very few sappy dramas I have ever watched and highly recommend it. So if you are at a loss of what to watch and this movie is available check it out.

Children of Heaven - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Buzz]

Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta has reportedly been cast as Nemor.

Black Panther 2 Actor Tenoch Huerta Reportedly Playing Namor

Has the MCU cast its Namor at last?

screenrant.com

 

[watchthis!!]

Wild Metropolis is a wonderful three-part series about how (and why) wild animals are moving into cities, even very large ones. It's a beautiful series and just as interesting to learn from as it is to view. Highly recommended! It originally aired on PBS, the trailer below makes it sound a little corny, but the narration of the series is less hyper and more informative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb5Anci7h9U

 

[Cachoo]

Tick, Tick....Boom! I like the look of this and Andrew Garfield too.

https://youtu.be/hrFaf2QiU1w

and with Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye (God help us)

https://youtu.be/nDO2oXAgQbI

 

[PeterG]

I Am Vengeance is a really funny 2018 British film. My friend and I watched it yesterday and we both laughed quite a bit. Wikpedia says it is an action film, as does imdb.com. But they just didn't understand that the director MUST have been going for a comedic parody of a low-budget action film. Especially when you have some of your actors treating your script like a comedy, while other actors are going for serious drama and yet more actors are going for farce. It's one of those movies that go from bad to worse...enjoyably so. Multiple moments when you and your friend turn to each other and say, "did that just happen?"...."did he really just say that?!?!" PLUS...they made a sequel to this steaming pile of...

Trailer for I Am Vengeance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTSA2bHZjeE

 

[VGThuy]

Tick, Tick....Boom! I like the look of this and Andrew Garfield too.

https://youtu.be/hrFaf2QiU1w

and with Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye (God help us)

https://youtu.be/nDO2oXAgQbI

Chaistain looks really good there though the extra prosthetic flab on her jaw line is a bit distracting. She's playing a role far different from what her detractors have been saying she usually plays. If she does win an Oscar for this, I will both be happy because I thought she should have won a long time ago, but also sad because she had to play a domestic wife kind of role and couldn't win it for one of the many top independent female roles. Yes, I know it's Tammy Faye and it's about her coming onto her own...and she's kind of a complicated personality who truly used religion and gullibility to exploit millions of people out of their money - so that makes her interesting - AND even later in life when she forged her own independent identity - the way she spoke about the LGBTQ community though full of supposed love was still from a position of them as sinners who are actively sinning.

 

[PeterG]

I watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs a while back. I'm not sure if I ever saw it all the way through, but watching it it seemed like every scene was familiar. Maybe I've seen bits and pieces over the years so it felt like I had seen it, but this movie is one to be watched from start to finish. No wonder it's a classic, the music is especially strong. But everything about this movie is wonderful. Great information about the movie at the wikipedia page, these two things in particular I found of interest:

It was a critical and commercial success and, with international earnings of more than $8 million during its initial release, (compared to its $1.5 million budget), it briefly held the record of highest-grossing sound film at the time. The popularity of the film has led to its being re-released theatrically many times, until its home video release in the 1990s. Adjusted for inflation, it is one of the top-ten performers at the North American box office and the highest-grossing animated film.

The soundtrack was first issued as a collection (Victor J-8) of three 78rpm singles. Each of the singles became a Top 10 hit simultaneously in February 1938.

I'm guessing the three songs that were most popular were Heigh Ho, Someday My Prince Will Come and Whistle While You Work.

Trailer for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMiabfS2Lis

 

[Cachoo]

I think it was the recent CNN series about film??? that talked about these adult audiences weeping at Snow White as they were so taken by the characters, story and the animation. I can’t imagine what Bambi did to them.

 

[PeterG]

In The House is a 2012 French drama that includes Kristin Scott Thomas in the cast. She plays the wife of one of the two lead characters, a high school teacher who forms a bond with a promising 16 year old who he tutors with his writing. The movie is difficult to explain. Which others might agree with as imdb.com sees the movies as a dramatic mystery thriller, yet wikipedia classifies the movie as a comedy drama. Not sure I disagree with either categorization. The movie has a cat and mouse theme. Who is the smarter one, the one in charge? The teacher or the student? The movie is highly rated, 89% by critics at rotten tomatoes and 7.4 by viewers on imdb.com. (Anything that gets over a seven at imdb is a high rating.)

Trailer for In The House: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxbWP_oYLGQ

 

[Vash01]

I saw the Woody Allen movie 'A rainy day in New York', on recommendation by a Facebook friend. I felt it was somewhat like Midnight in Paris. Similar theme. I like Timothee Chalamet a lot and he was good. So was Elle Channing. A lot of big name actors in smaller roles - Liev Schreiber, Jude Law, Rebecca Hall. Selena Go ez (never saw her before) in a not so minor role. A fair amount of humor throughout. The jokes about Arizona were extra special to those of us living in it.
I thought it was good entertainment but not much to rave about.
7/10

 

[MacMadame]

We went to see In the Heights. I am not a big fan of films of musicals but I loved all the dancing and how it was staged. It was fun overall. Predictable plot though.

 

[PeterG]

We went to see In the Heights. I am not a big fan of films of musicals but I loved all the dancing and how it was staged. It was fun overall. Predictable plot though.

I saw a live version of In The Heights a few years ago. Didn't think it was that great. None of the songs seemed memorable. But the scenes I have seen of the movie look very exuberant. So please tell me if I should see the movie...or NOT see the movie.

 

[MacMadame]

So please tell me if I should see the movie...or NOT see the movie.

It depends on how much it costs you. Mr. Mac and I saw it in the theater with Dolby sound and bought our tickets online so we paid almost $50 for them in total. It was definitely not worth that much money.

Unless you really love extravagant dance numbers in the Busby Berkeley tradition, I'd wait until it streams for free on HBO Max (assuming you have it).

 

[annie720]

I saw a live version of In The Heights a few years ago. Didn't think it was that great. None of the songs seemed memorable. But the scenes I have seen of the movie look very exuberant. So please tell me if I should see the movie...or NOT see the movie.

Same here and had the same impression, but I was also not familiar with Lin Manuel's style at the time and was probably expecting something different. Looking forward to it!

 

[skatemomaz]

It depends on how much it costs you. Mr. Mac and I saw it in the theater with Dolby sound and bought our tickets online so we paid almost $50 for them in total. It was definitely not worth that much money.

Unless you really love extravagant dance numbers in the Busby Berkeley tradition, I'd wait until it streams for free on HBO Max (assuming you have it).

It's already streaming on HBO Max. We saw it yesterday in a theater with reserved seats and lots of social distancing, bonus senior tickets before 5pm only $4. I'd say this is one that calls for a big screen given all the big dance numbers.

I enjoyed it but wasn't fully engaged, it was somewhat predictable.

I thought most of the characters were well cast, although it's obvious that Leslie Grace (Nina) is not a dancer. This wouldn't necessarily bother me, but it was obvious in her big dance number with Benny performed on the side of a building ala Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding. I kept wanting to scream point your toes, extend your arms, stretch! Clearly she was cast for her singing ability.

 

[MacMadame]

We saw it yesterday in a theater with reserved seats and lots of social distancing, bonus senior tickets before 5pm only $4. I'd say this is one that calls for a big screen given all the big dance numbers.

I had a Senior ticket too. It was almost $19!!

It's definitely worth it for $4 and even maybe the regular price.

I thought the streaming on HBO Max still cost money ala Wonder Woman: 1984 where it was in theaters a bit before you could watch it on HBO Max without paying extra.

I enjoyed it but wasn't fully engaged, it was somewhat predictable.

That about sums it up for me.

 

[skatemomaz]

I had a Senior ticket too. It was almost $19!!

It's definitely worth it for $4 and even maybe the regular price.

I thought the streaming on HBO Max still cost money ala Wonder Woman: 1984 where it was in theaters a bit before you could watch it on HBO Max without paying extra.


That about sums it up for me.

are there different levels of HBO Max? Because I didn't pay anything extra to watch Wonder Woman: 1984

 

[MacMadame]

are there different levels of HBO Max? Because I didn't pay anything extra to watch Wonder Woman: 1984

There might be but I remember that we had to wait for it to be free. So it was free eventually but when WW:84 came out in theaters it wasn't.

Though it might be a different movie I am thinking of on a totally different service.

 

[skatemomaz]

There might be but I remember that we had to wait for it to be free. So it was free eventually but when WW:84 came out in theaters it wasn't.

Though it might be a different movie I am thinking of on a totally different service.

I can't keep them straight, although I think I have it right that Disney charges for their first releases. I know I watched WW on Dec 26 the day after it was released.

 

[Cachoo]

I saw a live version of In The Heights a few years ago. Didn't think it was that great. None of the songs seemed memorable. But the scenes I have seen of the movie look very exuberant. So please tell me if I should see the movie...or NOT see the movie.

I saw it on HBO-Max and had previously seen the PBS staged version and was kind of "meh." Maybe it is because of the pandemic or maybe it is because there are far more people in these scenes that could ever fit on a stage but there is a spirit there that I didn't notice on stage and I thought it was an improvement.