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

A Crooked Somebody is an amazing movie. It's a thriller with many comedic parts to it. Rich Sommer is a psychic and author who tours to reach out to his audience with messages from their loved ones. His career is not going well, even with the help of his assistant (accomplice?) played by Joanne Froggatt. At one performance, the talented (and intense) Clifton Collins Jr. reaches out to the psychic and...basically holds him hostage. But Sommer thinks maybe he can take advantage of this situation to further his career. These three are all perfect in their roles, some of you will know Froggatt from Downton Abbey as Anna (for which he received three Emmy nominations). She's been great in a lot of other BBC stuff also. Ed Harris and Amy Madigan play the psychic's parents, so that's an extra bonus for those of you lucky enough to get to see this movie. :)

vgerdes said:
I actually liked that movie at the time it came out. But it hasn't aged well.
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One thing that surprised me about Innerspace is that as the movie progressed, it really seemed aimed towards eight year old boys. But in the beginning, Quaid's character is horribly drunk, agressive and a few scenes later we see him totally naked (from behind). Which in itself is fine as Quaid was at peak physical condition at this point. But considering how the movie became a silly chase scene of a movie, these earlier scenes seem inappropriate.
 
8/10 - The Prom (Netflix) - I wasn't really getting into this movie at the beginning. A bunch of self-absorbed Broadway stars being annoying. But once they left NYC to help a teenage lesbian with her prom in Edgewater, Indiana...well, I loved every moment of the movie from them on. Loved the music and the dance numbers were really great. Too many good performances to mention, I liked Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington, Tracey Ullman and Jo Ellen Pellman as the lead character.

Trailer for The Prom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ0jBNa6JUQ

6/10 - Michelle Wolf: Joke Show (Netflix) - This one has an angry edge to it similar to the Whitney Cummings special I posted about recently. Like Cummings, Wolf is very intelligent, talented and funny. But I don't really watch comedy to get smacked around psychologically. But that's just me... ;)

Trailer for Michelle Wolf, Joke Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Nfw75QASU
 
I saw something nasty in the woodshed. It's been years since I've watched "Cold Comfort Farm" and I think I appreciate it even more now than I did when it premiered. So good.
 
Cachoo said:
A man who loves historically immersive movies and has made a list---I'm curious about several though I think watching no 2 will be very difficult: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxHS3GGWIsc
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Often I skip these kinds of videos because I rarely agree with the person's list. But as I'm house-sitting, I decided to make some time and see what I thought of what some random stranger had to say. :lol: Here's his top ten:

10. Andrei Rublev (1966 Russian historical drama)
9. Das Boot
8. The Lighthouse (2019 fantasy horror with Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe)
7. Ran (1985 Japanese war drama)
6. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (Russell Crowe)
5. Rome (TV series)
4. Apocalypto (directed by Mel Gibson)
3. Quest For Fire
2. Come And See (1985 Russian war drama)
1. Barry Lyndon (1975 historical drama written and directed by Stanley Kubrick)
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I'm not one for old, foreign-language art films. Although any of those on their own are generally okay. So #10, #7, #2 and #1 won't be going on my To See list.

I did see #6 (pretty good), #4 (good, but violent) and I think I saw #3? Probably one I should see again some day. And I think I saw #9 and enjoyed it. But don't remember it, so maybe Das Boot and Quest For Fire are ones I should see again at some point.

Oh, and I tried to watch the tv series Rome. I know my Mom liked it a lot. But after two episodes, I just couldn't get into it. Depressing and violent. :(

Which leaves #8, The Lighthouse. The trailer looked bleak, so I was going to skip it. But in the video @Cachoo linked, the guy mentions that it has the same director as The Witch, which was such a good movie! So now I plan to see The Lighthouse. :D
 
PeterG said:
I'm not one for old, foreign-language art films. Although any of those on their own are generally okay. So #10, #7, #2 and #1 won't be going on my To See list.
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Barry Lyndon is not a foreign-language art film though. :huh:
 
Interesting take Peter: I have not seen “ Ran” and I think this guy’s review has stoked my interest in seeing it. And I DO wish Master & Commander had a sequel.
 
PeterG said:
I'm not one for old, foreign-language art films. Although any of those on their own are generally okay. So #10, #7, #2 and #1 won't be going on my To See list.

I did see #6 (pretty good), #4 (good, but violent) and I think I saw #3? Probably one I should see again some day. And I think I saw #9 and enjoyed it. But don't remember it, so maybe Das Boot and Quest For Fire are ones I should see again at some point.

Oh, and I tried to watch the tv series Rome. I know my Mom liked it a lot. But after two episodes, I just couldn't get into it. Depressing and violent. :(

Which leaves #8, The Lighthouse. The trailer looked bleak, so I was going to skip it. But in the video @Cachoo linked, the guy mentions that it has the same director as The Witch, which was such a good movie! So now I plan to see The Lighthouse. :D
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Barry Lyndon #1? :confused: That film was a flop, and I say that as a huge Stanley Kubrick fan?

Quest for Fire? There was one seriously misogynistic moment in that film. I still remember it and saw it maybe 30 years ago? Probably more than one?

I loved the series 'Rome'.
 
Ran is not a "Japanese war movie"; it is a Japanese version of King Lear. (Personally, I was disappointed in it; it certainly was a grand epic of a film, but it never reached me emotionally. Others felt very differently.)
 
We just got back from seeing Free Guy. We loved it. I laughed so much. It was really fun and sweet too. Lots of character growth along with the fun video game action. They didn't annoy me as much with the computer stuff as a lot of film & tv do. There are a lot of nods to pop culture done in a fun way.

I don' think you have to be a video gamer to get into it either.
 
emason said:
Ran is not a "Japanese war movie"; it is a Japanese version of King Lear. (Personally, I was disappointed in it; it certainly was a grand epic of a film, but it never reached me emotionally. Others felt very differently.)
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Ran Plot (from imdb.com):

Japanese warlord Hidetori Ichimonji decides the time has come to retire and divide his fiefdom among his three sons. His eldest and middle sons - Taro and Jiro - agree with his decision and promise to support him for his remaining days. The youngest son Saburo disagrees with all of them arguing that there is little likelihood the three brothers will remain united. Insulted by his son's brashness, the warlord banishes Saburo. As the warlord begins his retirement, he quickly realizes that his two eldest sons selfish and have no intention of keeping their promises. It leads to war and only banished Saburo can possibly save him.
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King Lear plot (from shakespeare.org.uk):

King Lear divides his kingdom among the two daughters who flatter him and banishes the third one who loves him. His eldest daughters both then reject him at their homes, so Lear goes mad and wanders through a storm. His banished daughter returns with an army, but they lose the battle and Lear, all his daughters and more, die.
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@PeterG: of course there are battles in Ran, because there are battles in King Lear. The point I was trying to make is that "Japanese war movie" is a rather silly, dismissive way to describe Shakespeare. This is not the only Kurosawa adaptation of Shakespeare by the way; for me, his masterpiece is Throne of Blood, a Macbeth to end all Macbeths. It's decades since I've seen it, and I still get chills thinking of the scene where "Lady Macbeth" comes down the hallway and you hear her silk kimono rustling before you see her; that sound was more frightening than anything else in the movie.
 
We went to see “The Courier” last night and thought it was great. I’d been watching the releases for ages hoping so something I actually wanted to see and since I wasn’t able to convince mr millyskate to watch “Respect” this was a good alternative. We both really enjoyed it, and mr millyskate and I normally have 0 crossover in terms of movie taste.
 
millyskate said:
We went to see “The Courier” last night and thought it was great. I’d been watching the releases for ages hoping so something I actually wanted to see and since I wasn’t able to convince mr millyskate to watch “Respect” this was a good alternative. We both really enjoyed it, and mr millyskate and I normally have 0 crossover in terms of movie taste.
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I really enjoyed this movie too.
 
Marvel released 2 new promo clips within a single hour for Shang Chi! :lol: Here they are.
www.youtube.com

Next Level Action Featurette | Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

3 – 2 - 1 – Action! ? Here's a behind-the-scenes look at Marvel Studios’ "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" and experience it in theaters September...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
www.youtube.com

“Run It” | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

In less than two weeks, Marvel Legend will rise. ? Experience Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” in theaters September 3. Get ticke...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
 
6/10 - Captive (DVD) - This 2015 drama is based on a true story about an prisoner on the run (David Oyelowo) after killing people in a courtroom. He forces himself into the home of a woman returning home from work. While trying to figure out what he should do next, he has Kate Mara's character read from the book left on the kitchen table that was given to her. It has a profound effect on him. On the plus side for this movie, Oyelowo and Mara give fantastic performances. On the negative side, the movie is one big informercial for the book The Purpose Driven Life by Christian pastor Rick Warren. Plus, watching this movie in 2021 makes the miraculous message of this white guy's book (read by this white lady) managing to calm that savage beast that is a black man...stand out like a sore thumb.

Trailer for Captive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IKJFYegRJk

5/10 - Urban Cowboy (DVD) - I'm surprised that I had never seen this 1980 movie starring John Travolta and Debra Winger. I think maybe when it came out, it seemed like a western rip-off of Saturday Night Fever. But after forty years, I decided to give it a chance. :lol: It was a disappointment for two reasons. Travolta's and Winger's characters are whiny, vindictive infants. Both quite unlikable. Plus the violence Winger is subjected to by both Travolta and Scott Glenn's character is horrible. I'm guessing the director wanted something gritty, with an unpolished tone like Taxi Driver or Dog Day Afternoon. So there's a darkness to this that I wasn't expecting. On the plus side, there's a lot of great country music to listen to.

Trailer for Urban Cowboy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTknJpk3NwI
 
From Daniel Craig to Dwayne Johnson, Inside the Biggest Movie Stars’ Salaries


1. Daniel Craig, 100 million (Knives Out 2 & 3 for Netflix)
2. Dwayne Johnson, 50 million (Amazon Studios' "Red One")
3. Will Smith, 40 million (for King Richard, the biopic following Venus and Serena Williams' dad)
4. Denzel Washington, 40 million (for HBO Max's Pretty Little Things)
5. Leonardo DiCaprio, 30 million (Netflix's Don't Look Up)
6. Mark Wahlberg, 30 million (Spenser Confidential)
7. Jennifer Lawrence, 25 million (also for Netflix's Don't Look Up)
8. Julia Roberts, 25 million (Leave the World Behind)
9. Sandra Bullock, 20 million (The Lost City of D)
10. Ryan Gosling, 20 million (The Grey Man)
11. Chris Hemsworth, 20 million (Thor: Love and Thunder)
12. Brad Pitt, 20 million (Bullet Train)
13. Michael B. Jordan, 15 million (Without Remorse)
14. Tom Cruise, 13 million (Top Gun: Maverick)
15. Keanu Reeves, 12 to 14 million (The Matrix 4)
16. Chris Pine, 11.5 million (Dungeons and Dragons)
17. Robert Pattinson, 3 million (The Batman)

Some of these people will make much more than the number listed here. Tom Cruise is known for making big bucks on movies with back-end deals. The article mentions that he gets big payouts every time the movie box office crosses a specific threshold. And I would imagine CHris Hemsworth will make a LOOOOT more than 20 million for the upcoming Thor movie.
 
8/10 - The Liberator (DVD) - A 2013 Spanish-language historical drama...but don't let that put you off! This movie is so wonderfully directed, it pulls in the viewer with wondeful pacing, incredible performances and a great screenplay. The very handsome Edgar Ramirez stars as Simon Bolivar, who...well, let me quote imdb.com:

Simon Bolivar fought over 100 battles against the Spanish Empire in South America. He rode over 70,000 miles on horseback. His military campaigns covered twice the territory of Alexander the Great. His army never conquered -- it liberated.
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Venezuela selected The Liberator as it's choice for Best Foreign Language Film for the Oscars, where it made the January shortlist (but ultimately didn't make the final five nominations). Co-starring in The Liberator are Danny Huston, Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones) and Gary Lewis (wonderful as Colum MacKenzie in Outlander), the kind of actor you know you've seen before, but can't quite name. One other thing I didn't mention is that this movie is beautifully filmed (everything, not just Edgar Ramirez). ;)

Trailer for The Liberator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws0xmkOYYVk

6/10 - The Platform (Netflix) - Another Spanish-language film, a "social science-fiction horror" (aptly categorized at wikipedia). The Platform is a social experiment where people (sometimes criminals, often not) are roomed with one other person on one floor of a large, tower-style "Vertical Self-Management Center". Every day, a large platform is filled with enough food to feed everyone housed on the hundreds of floors within this center. If people take only their share, everyone eats. If some take more than their share, the lower floors end up with no food. Every 30 days, people are moved to a new (and random) floor/level.

I found the premise of this movie to be much more interesting than how it was ultimately presented to us. This movie was adapted from a theatrical play and the director and the writers struggled with how their work should be adapted to a film version. Maybe this is why I wasn't quite as captivated with the movie as I had hoped to be. But the movie is rated high at rottentomatoes.com. 80% fresh by critics and 72% fresh by audiences.

Trailer for The Platform: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfooqeZcdY
 
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