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

[VGThuy]

I found Badlands to be a very interesting and involving movie…in an unsettling way. It came out in 1973 and is based on the life of Charles Starkweather, who some have said is America’s first serial killer. Martin Sheen plays the lead character and Sissy Spacek plays his girlfriend. The story is told in a kind of simple way, but I found myself pulled into the story quite strongly. The DVD extras mentioned that Starkweather was quite a captivating man, with many law enforcement officers being quite captivated by him, even though he had killed police officers. Side note: Martin Sheen at 30 years old was a real hottie!! :swoom:

Terrence Malick’s first big film. He followed it up with 1978’s Days of Heaven, and then he took a 20-year break and came back with 1998’s The Thin Red Line.

If you’re an actor in one of his films, don’t expect to actually be in the Final Cut, even if you think you’re playing the lead character. Ask Adrien Brody, haha.

 

[Japanfan]

Terrence Malick’s first big film. He followed it up with 1978’s Days of Heaven

The prairies have never before and never since looked so beautiful on film. IMHO.

I love Malick's work. His 'The New World' is one of my all time favourites.

 

[PeterG]

Black Widow is my choice for best Marvel movie ever made. Better than Deadpool or Logan. The script is really strong, but a lot of what I like about the movie is the cast. Florence Pugh is a revelation. David Harbour is fantastic. And Scarlett Johansson might give the best performance of her career here. But maybe the best thing about this movie is the direction of Cate Shortland. She breathes life into a movie that is a part of the Marvel Universe, which usually shoots out cookie cutter regurgitations. Black Widow has an emotional impact not seen in (most) Marvel movies. And I kept thinking, why doesn’t Shortland take this movie in an even more emotional direction? She holds back, which is the right choice (which is why she directed this instead of me) and waits until the end of the movie to let things hit home. Smart decision. When the movie was over, I was left thinking about how much I would enjoy seeing it again at some point. I’ve never felt that way about any Marvel movie before.

 

[Davy88gtbwxyc]

"Clear & Present Danger" starring Harrison Ford initially struck me as a movie that might be a bit too lacking in originality for my liking, but this was mostly based on a reactional knee-jerk first impression, akin to judging a book by its cover I guess.

The movie turned out to be more of a classic in my opinion, not the greatest ever, but enough to keep me somewhat interested.

I'm not particularly drawn to Harrison Ford movies in general, not because I don't think that he is a good actor, I just don't find him all that interesting.

 

[manhn]

The Eternals is my favourite Marvel movie. Just finished, quite beautiful. This doesn’t mean a lot, I am impressed by myself when I can finish a Marvel movie. But not only did I just finished it all the way through, I am rewatching it right now.

 

[watchthis!!]

I was blown away by the movie Back Roads. It is based on the bestselling novel by Tawni O’Dell. It was picked by Oprah Winfrey as one of her book club selections back in the day. It took many years to be made into a movie, with an earlier cast composed of Andrew Garfield, Jennifer Garner, and Marcia Gay Harden. That would have been a great cast. But the version that made it to the screen is just as good: Alex Pettyfer, Jennifer Morrison and Juliette Lewis. Pettyfer does double-duty as a first time director and succeeds in making a great movie as well as directing himself to possibly his best performance to date. The movie is much darker than I expected. I thought it was going to be a sexy action thriller, but instead it’s a very serious family drama that had a strong impact on me. I think this is the type of movie that if it had been a big studio release, there would have been a lot of award nominations (if not wins).

 

[Kasey]

In this time there is to watch Academy Award nominated movies before the Oscars, I watched "TAR" tonight. Wow, Cate Blanchett is brilliant in a thoroughly unlikable role that somehow keeps you watching. She's amazing, and the movie was quite compelling.

 

[Buzz]

First reactions are in and they all praise Jonathan Majors!

'Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania' Early Reactions Call It the MCU's 'Star Wars'

Look out for the little guy!

collider.com

 

[Buzz]

Interesting!

Ant-Man 4 Talks Are Already Happening at Marvel With Kevin Feige

There may be more Ant-Man coming.

screenrant.com

 

[Kasey]

Just finished the "Banshees of Inisherim". Amazing performances from Brendan Gleeson, Barry Koegan and Colin Farrell, as well as the actress who played Farrell's sister in the movie. Kind of a depressing movie, but beautifully done.

 

[Vash01]

Finally watched my first of this year's Oscar nominees. 'Elvis' is nominated for best pic and best actor. Overall good, but I was not blown away by it.

Positives -

Austin Butler as Elvis was the highlight for me.
Sets, costumes, make up - all good.
I didn't know about Elvis's childhood and how he was influenced by black culture. It was educational for me.
Lots of good singing, my favorite songs.

Question-

I couldn't tell if the last song Unchained melody in Vegas showed real life Elvis or the actor Austin Butler?

Negatives

Tom Hanks - he is my favorite actor but I felt that he was miscast in the role of the villain Colonel Parker. The prosthetics seemed to kind of drown him.

Priscilla Presley looked too old - same age as Elvis. I had read that she was much younger.

Too many fragments of songs. I realize they can't play all the complete songs. They could have been more selective. I had enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody a lot more because it didn't feel fragmented (Neither songs nor the story).

My biggest problem with this movie was that it was narrated by Colonel Parker, as if to tell his side of the story. IMO it would have been much better to tell the story as it happened, without the narration by the unpopular character.

7/10

 

[vgerdes]

Tom Hanks - he is my favorite actor but I felt that he was miscast in the role of the villain Colonel Parker. The prosthetics seemed to kind of drown him.

I agree with you on this. He was miscast. I saw what he was trying to do with the character but he just wasn't believable -- I think it was because of the prosthetics. They made him seem like more of a caricature than a real person.

 

[PeterG]

A Matter Of Life And Death is a fantsy-romance film released in 1946. David Niven and Kim Hunter play the two lead characters. Hunter became famous (again) decades later for playing Zira in The Planet Of The Apes movies. Nothing about her in this movie makes me think that it could be the same person playing these two roles. The movie is about a British pilot whose plane is shot down in action but survives his plane crashing into the ocean. But a mistake has been made in the afterlife (he was not supposed to have survived) and someone from above comes to fetch him. Niven’s character has met and fallen in love with the radio operator who tried to help him survive his plane crash. And because of that, he refuses to give up his time on Earth and has to argue to those above about why he should stay.

I liked this movie all right. It has a whimsical tone which is appealing. And great performances from everyone in the cast. While it received very little in terms of awards when it was released, in later years it made many important “best movies of all time” lists.

Trailer for A Matter Of Life And Death: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0veuSLLWZ0

 

[emason]

A Matter of Life and Death is the original British title. Some of us know it as Stairway to Heaven, the title US distributors used. If I recall correctly, I saw it under this title many years ago.

 

[Kasey]

i watched the "Elvis" movie tonight. Meh. Austin butler was good, but didn't become Elvis like Jamie Foxx did with Ray, or like Joaquin Phoenix did with Johnny Cash. Tom Hanks was indeed miscast. I don't know how much of what was shown was true or "based on a true story" made up. Elvis was indeed a challenged individual. The last 45 minutes to hour of the movie was very well done. Just a "meh" from me.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

This YouTube video is actually a really good breakdown of why I hate so many romance story lines in movies. One of the guys is a licensed therapist and the other is a filmmaker. They do a lot of movie discussions and this one was on romcoms specifically. I don't think it's a coincidence that the romcoms that went against trope are the ones I actually liked.

 

[MacMadame]

This YouTube video is actually a really good breakdown of why I hate so many romance story lines in movies. One of the guys is a licensed therapist and the other is a filmmaker. They do a lot of movie discussions and this one was on romcoms specifically. I don't think it's a coincidence that the romcoms that went against trope are the ones I actually liked.

Their recent takedown of The Kissing Booth was classic.

 

[Kasey]

I watched "All quiet on the western front" today (the new one nominated for the best picture at the Oscars). It's a war film, which makes it gruesome, brutal and depressing. It's told from the point of view of the German soldiers of WWI. Several prep school boys join the German army; how many will come home? As I said, it's a war film, so.....

Well done and well acted. I'm just not a fan of war movies. Off to watch something a bit more cheerful!

 

[Parsley Sage]

Just finished the "Banshees of Inisherim". Amazing performances from Brendan Gleeson, Barry Koegan and Colin Farrell, as well as the actress who played Farrell's sister in the movie. Kind of a depressing movie, but beautifully done.

I watched "Banshees" tonight and completely agree with this.

 

[emason]

The only times I really understood the incredible Day-Lewis praise was for Lincoln and The Phantom Thread and then he decided to retire. Go figure.

Have you looked at his earlier work, like My Beautiful Laundrette, A Room with a View, or My Left Foot?

 

[Aussie Willy]

In this time there is to watch Academy Award nominated movies before the Oscars, I watched "TAR" tonight. Wow, Cate Blanchett is brilliant in a thoroughly unlikable role that somehow keeps you watching. She's amazing, and the movie was quite compelling.

I saw it today. I thought it was really good and was really engrossed it. And any time Elgar's Cello Concerto is played is going to suck me in. But I loved the whole musical discussions aspect of it. I am doing a music talk to skaters so there was some very relevant stuff in there that I can use.

 

[Kasey]

Today's movie was "Triangle of Sadness" which, in spite of its name, is actually a satire. Apparently, when a yacht of self-important filthy rich people runs into trouble, they tend to realize that they are not all that worthwhile when it comes to basic survival skills. Add in a little "Lord of the flies" for flavor. Not enough Woody Harrelson for me (because for me, if he's in the movie, he needs to be in every scene), but a well-acted and well-done film. That's #6 of the best picture nominees for me so far.

 

[manhn]

Saw Waves. A bit messy but so emotionally compelling too. Great acting, I will always favour movies that try to express humanity and forgiveness, even if their structure doesn’t always work.

 

[Buzz]

Super Bowl trailers:

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 - Official Trailer (2023) Chris Pratt, Will Poulter

Get ready for one last ride. Watch the brand-new trailer for Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, written and directed by James Gunn. Only in thea...

www.youtube.com

The Flash – Official Trailer

On June 16, worlds collide. Watch the official trailer now for The Flash – only in theaters. #TheFlashMovie Warner Bros. Pictures presents “The Flash,” direc...

www.youtube.com

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Official Teaser Trailer (2023) Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback

The name’s Mirage. A new Autobot makes his debut as a legendary Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.8 in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, in theatres June 9.Returning ...

www.youtube.com

 

[watchthis!!]

Cruella was a WAY better movie than I was expecting. The cast seemed to love diving into the deliciousness of the script and had a LOT of fun with it. Emma Stone and Emma Thompson seemed born to play these parts. Surprising to see neither got much recognition for their work. Maybe the movie was seen to be as a silly movie and not considered by critics or award ceremonies as worthy to consider? That was a mistake. Both were so fantastic. Everything about this movie was so well done. The script and direction, the costumes of course (the only part of this movie to nab an Oscar win) and the fantastic soundtrack of lost nuggets and forgotten favourites. Cruella is a must-see.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Cruella was a WAY better movie than I was expecting. The cast seemed to love diving into the deliciousness of the script and had a LOT of fun with it. Emma Stone and Emma Thompson seemed born to play these parts. Surprising to see neither got much recognition for their work. Maybe the movie was seen to be as a silly movie and not considered by critics or award ceremonies as worthy to consider? That was a mistake. Both were so fantastic. Everything about this movie was so well done. The script and direction, the costumes of course (the only part of this movie to nab an Oscar win) and the fantastic soundtrack of lost nuggets and forgotten favourites. Cruella is a must-see.

I thoroughly enjoyed that movie and surpassed my expectations. Agree with you about the performances too. One of the better things Emma Thompson has done recently.

 

[sk8pics]

I saw that EO is supposed to be released in my area in mid-March, according to Fandango. I want to see it, but I may wait until it’s on streaming because I expect to be bawling my eyes out at some point.

 

[Yehudi]

First reactions are in and they all praise Jonathan Majors!

'Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania' Early Reactions Call It the MCU's 'Star Wars'

Look out for the little guy!

collider.com

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope's parents Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Scott's daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the...

www.rottentomatoes.com

 

[Kasey]

I watched "The Fablemans" last night. Sweet coming-of-age movie, and for me, the most easily watchable and accessible of the Oscar nominated Best Pictures I've seen so far. It's not without it's flaws (Michelle Williams being one of them for me), but a nicely done movie. I don't know that it's necessarily "Oscar" caliber, but it's a well-made movie.

 

[Kasey]

Sorry to double post, my last day off from work so I went to see "Women Talking" today. Really beautifully done movie, and you don't know for sure what's going to happen at the end until you actually get there. The movie is very gentle and calm, slow-paced, but just wonderful.

That's all of the Best Picture nominations I'm going to watch. I don't see the need to watch either of the blockbusters, since the original Top Gun I hated, and the original Avatar bored me (and I've heard if you've seen the original Avatar, you have the plot for the reboot).