Let’s Talk Movies! #31: Pandas, Zombies, Male Models, Superheroes, Greeks and…Caesar!

[PeterG]

Watched two movie musicals recently, I preferred 1955's Oklahoma! to 1948's Easter Parade (in spite of the latter starring the glorious Judy Garland). I was all prepared to have Oklahoma! be one of my all-time favourite movies. The beginning was perfect, Gordon MacRae at his most handsome, the Oklahoma scenery utterly stunning and the incredible, "Oh What A Beautiful Morning" being musical perfection. There is so much to like about this movie. The soundtrack is probably the star and the cinematography is amazing. Lots of great performances. But then the story crashes with not seeing any of the back story around Jud for us to be able to root for everyone isolating and bullying him over and over again. Until sh** happens and then everyone moving quickly past

Spoiler

Jud's death because he was a meany and not nearly as pretty as the rest of us!

Ugh! So that part of the story really wrecked this movie for me, but I will put up blinders to enjoy pieces of the movie as separate acts of a story. I've heard a lot of the songs before, but they work much better within the context of the (whole) movie, so I enjoyed "I Cain't Say No" and "People Will Say We're In Love" much more than I have in the past.

Easter Parade I enjoyed, but again I enjoyed Fred's leading ladies to Mr. Astaire himself. I kind of wanted him to be off screen so I could get another Judy Garland fix. And Ann Miller, man was she fantastic! Makes me think she's another one I have to start looking for more movies from. And I enjoyed Peter Lawford more than Fred Astaire, wanted to see more of him and wanted him to win whichever lady he wanted to be with. But I do have to applaud Astaire for taking this role after Gene Kelly dropped out after throwing a hissyfit and stomping his ankle until it broke after losing a volleyball game! I think with Astaire, he was looking more older than usual (49 or so at this point) and Garland was only 26. So the age difference was too great. Although I might have read that Astaire had basically retired at that time and wanted to focus on race car driving if my memory is serving me right. So kudos to him for being a champ!

Quentin Tarantino Talks Being A "Cheerleader" For Violence, 'Kill Bill 3'& Does Surprise 'Hateful Eight' Q&A At Alamo Drafthouse
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/quentin-tarantino-talks-being-a-cheerleader-for-violence-kill-bill-3-does-surprise-hateful-eight-q-a-at-alamo-drafthouse-20151231?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed

"I’m so unapologetic about it," he told MTV about the carnage in his films. "I’m a cheerleader towards violence in cinema. I have no problem with saying I like violent movies, and I respond to violent movies, and I actually think violence is…in some ways cinema reaching one of its fullest potentials. I have absolutely no hypocrisy or contradiction whatsoever. I abhor violence in real life, and I can love it in genre, and I can love it in stories, and I can love it in novels, I love violent anime, and I always have.”

He is such a pig. Why is it said that people aren't influenced by violence (in movies)? We are all influenced by things we see. Whether it's real life or sports or entertainment or video games. We look for examples of what is right and wrong. We look to see what is acceptable behaviour and what is not. And for some of us who have led lives where we have experienced difficult experiences over and over...and had little successful lessons about how to live our lives well, then seeing horrible things means we are more likely to think those things are maybe an option for us.

People who play sports, create video games and make and star in movies and TV shows will all talk at some point about what influenced them in life. People who end up committing horrible crimes will also have influences. Tarantino's flippant way of looking at film violence influences young people. Most will never think that acting on this violent behaviour is acceptable...but even if a handful do, isn't that a handful too many? I'm not saying there should never be violence shown on TV or in movies, but it has to be done in a thoughtful and responsible way. Not because you think the sight of someone's head being shot into pieces looks cool.

Tarantino is such an A*****E!!!

 

[Cachoo]

I have to admit that I liked "Pulp Fiction" and the campy vampire movie (can't remember the name.) I haven't been able to stomach the other films. What if Tarantino is a reflection of what is already out there?
At the basketball site I like some of the posters were talking about some awful video of a man being killed with a hammer. And this wasn't fiction. The reaction of those who watched it was to warn everyone else off from watching it. I wondered why people even consider looking at it in the first place. I suppose it is a snuff film based on murder without rape. But it's all so awful. And it's out there.

 

[Jay42]

I saw Stallone's GG award as sort of a Lifetime achievement award. I don't see him get an Oscar nomination, although I have not seen his movie this year. I have just not heard any buzz about him- not enough to get an Oscar nom.

I have been reading a lot of hype for him to win this one. More buzz for Stallone than I've read for anyone else. It will absolutely be a Lifetime achievement Oscar. But the Best Supporting Actor category was wide open before Creed came out and now all I'm seeing is Stallone. I'm not thrilled, honestly. I'm not a big fan of his. But the Academy does what the Academy does. No matter how weird it might seem.

I saw The Revenant last night. Had not been on my to see list because I didn't like the trailers. But it was the only movie that the person and I could see getting seats next to each other at a suitable time (we wanted to see Sisters).

Having said that, I thought it was excellent. Direction and production was amazing. You just wondered how they filmed some of the scenes (such as the bear attack). I am not giving anything away to mention the bear attack because it is in the trailer but the way it was filmed was incredible. I am not surprised that Di Caprio won the Golden Globe. He was excellent. Probably should also win it for all the shit his character goes through in the movie too. The make-up team should also win an Oscar for the wounds, scars and making everyone look dirty. One negative was I felt it was too long - could have been shorter. Overall I was very surprised and whilst not an enjoyable movie, it was very well done.

The bear was largely CGI I believe.

Watched two movie musicals recently, I preferred 1955's Oklahoma! to 1948's Easter Parade (in spite of the latter starring the glorious Judy Garland). I was all prepared to have Oklahoma! be one of my all-time favourite movies. The beginning was perfect, Gordon MacRae at his most handsome, the Oklahoma scenery utterly stunning and the incredible, "Oh What A Beautiful Morning" being musical perfection. There is so much to like about this movie. The soundtrack is probably the star and the cinematography is amazing. Lots of great performances. But then the story crashes with not seeing any of the back story around Jud for us to be able to root for everyone isolating and bullying him over and over again. Until sh** happens and then everyone moving quickly past

Spoiler

Jud's death because he was a meany and not nearly as pretty as the rest of us!

Ugh! So that part of the story really wrecked this movie for me, but I will put up blinders to enjoy pieces of the movie as separate acts of a story. I've heard a lot of the songs before, but they work much better within the context of the (whole) movie, so I enjoyed "I Cain't Say No" and "People Will Say We're In Love" much more than I have in the past.

Easter Parade I enjoyed, but again I enjoyed Fred's leading ladies to Mr. Astaire himself. I kind of wanted him to be off screen so I could get another Judy Garland fix. And Ann Miller, man was she fantastic! Makes me think she's another one I have to start looking for more movies from. And I enjoyed Peter Lawford more than Fred Astaire, wanted to see more of him and wanted him to win whichever lady he wanted to be with. But I do have to applaud Astaire for taking this role after Gene Kelly dropped out after throwing a hissyfit and stomping his ankle until it broke after losing a volleyball game! I think with Astaire, he was looking more older than usual (49 or so at this point) and Garland was only 26. So the age difference was too great. Although I might have read that Astaire had basically retired at that time and wanted to focus on race car driving if my memory is serving me right. So kudos to him for being a champ!

I have always had conflicting feelings about Oklahoma. I want to love it but the whole Jud plotline just takes me right out of the movie.

Fred Astaire tried to retire several times and got talked back into movies. I love the dance number with the drums that he does at the beginning of the movie. As far as Judy Garland movies go though, I prefer Meet Me In St. Louis.

If you're looking for Ann Miller movies, she's great in Kiss Me Kate. She's the supporting actress, Kathryn Grayson is lead. But Ann Miller is great in it. Her dance numbers are amazing.

 

[Japanfan]

He is such a pig. . . such an A*****E!!!

.
[/QUOTE]

ITA. I gave "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction" a chance, and will say that they were stylized in a way that was interesting to some film-goers. And that Tarantino can write some interesting dialogue. I also enjoyed Jackie Brown, which was not a violent movie. And there was some interesting martial artistry in the Kill Bills, with Uma Thurman having a few good scenes, including the wedding scene. But in total I probably watched 20 minutes of both films.

The supposed brilliance of Tarantino continues to elude me for the most part. I haven't watched anything he has done lately and doubt I'll ever actually watch another of his films.

Also I saw him once interviewed on a late night talk show and he came across as a completely arrogant creep.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Both Kill Bills are amongst my two favourite all-time movies. And I am a fan of Jackie Brown too.

I do agree that he is a prat though.

 

[Xela M]

Di Caprio is a superb actor and only politics kept him from getting an Oscar for The Aviator and/or Wolf of Wall Street. He even stole the show in his tiny role in Django Unchained. He grew so much as an actor with Martin Scorcese. He could have gone down the unremarkable pretty boy/comedy root after Titanic, but he bacame a real superstar. It would be a complete travesty (of Ralph Fiennes proportions) if he didn't receive an Oscar for a leading role, but it probably won't br for his best work - like Al Pacino got an Oscar for the rubbish Scent of a Woman of all films.

 

[Vash01]

Di Caprio is a superb actor and only politics kept him from getting an Oscar for The Aviator and/or Wolf of Wall Street. He even stole the show in his tiny role in Django Unchained. He grew so much as an actor with Martin Scorcese. He could have gone down the unremarkable pretty boy/comedy root after Titanic, but he bacame a real superstar. It would be a complete travesty (of Ralph Fiennes proportions) if he didn't receive an Oscar for a leading role, but it probably won't br for his best work - like Al Pacino got an Oscar for the rubbish Scent of a Woman of all films.

He was always up against tough competition. I didn't see it as politics, but this year I think they will just give it to him, deserved or not. They have done it for others, as you pointed out.

 

[jenny12]

I love several of Tarentino's films, especially Resevoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Great dialogue and stylistic choices. I didn't love The Hateful Eight because it was too long but there were elements of it I enjoyed.

 

[PeterG]

In the latest Cineplex magazine, they have a small article about an upcoming "Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology Film". The date at this time is May 25th, 2018. The prequel "delves into the life of that young Han Solo before he met up with Luke and Leia". The article suggest Anthony Ingruber for the role, he's the one who made a youtube video doing impersonations of many famous leading men, including Harrison Ford. Which ultimately led to him being cast in The Age of Adaline as Harrison Ford's younger self in that movie. This Han Solo prequel will be written by Jon Kasdan and his Dad Lawrence who co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. The director will be the duo behind The LEGO Movie, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

‘Star Wars’ Han Solo Spinoff: Actor Shortlist Revealed

I don't see Miles Teller in the role. And Dave Franco? No way! Scott Eastwood? (Don't even think about it...) And 5'9" Logan Lerman to fill the 6'1" Harrison Ford role? I think not. I like a few of the other choices, but I'm hoping that Anthony Ingruber isn't out of the running. He's way at the top of the list as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Buzz]

Jack Reynor gets my vote.

 

[Xela M]

He was always up against tough competition. I didn't see it as politics, but this year I think they will just give it to him, deserved or not. They have done it for others, as you pointed out.

I never thought the competition deserved it over him. Hollywood would not let him get an Oscar so long as Scorsese was the director. Now that Leo played for another director, he may just get it.

The thing is I loved him in the "Sarah, Plain and Tall" and "Skylark" films with Glenn Close. But there were many who thought he was miscast. I thought he pulled if off though. But compared to the films you have mentioned these movies are sweet and sugary. He scared me in "At Close Range" and broke my heart in "The Deer Hunter" which is one of my all-time fave films.

Ok... I have binged on Christopher Walken movies in the last few days. Amongst others, I watched Sarah, Plain and Tall (and the 2 sequels ) and I thought it was fine, but a bit too sweet and sugary for my taste. No one is THAT nice and no one has such perfect kids and nothing even remotely bad ever happens throughout the 3 films and no one so much as raises their voice. Those are really feel good films.

Anyway... My favourite of his films so far is Dead Zone based on the Stephen King novel. I'm not a Stephen King fan at all, but I thought the film was great, Christopher Walken superb (and beautiful) and the story Stephen King's best. I really recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it. It's not a horror film, more of an intense drama.

 

[Artemis@BC]

There is so much to like about this movie. The soundtrack is probably the star and the cinematography is amazing. Lots of great performances. But then the story crashes with not seeing any of the back story around Jud for us to be able to root for everyone isolating and bullying him over and over again. Until sh** happens and then everyone moving quickly past

Spoiler

Jud's death because he was a meany and not nearly as pretty as the rest of us!

Ugh! So that part of the story really wrecked this movie for me, but I will put up blinders to enjoy pieces of the movie as separate acts of a story.

The movie version really glossed over the darker elements of the story, and doesn't clearly depict some key plot points (particularly involving Jud and Laurey). If you see the stage version -- and particularly a modern production that isn't afraid of dealing with those parts -- it hangs together a lot better and makes a lot more sense.

 

[Seerek]

Some usual suspects in this year's Razzie nominations, but also some very recent Oscar winners too

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/13/razzies-nominations-2016-list

 

[watchthis!!]

Movie news.

Is ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Global Box Office Now Unlikely to Overtake ‘Avatar’?
http://collider.com/star-wars-the-force-awakens-box-office-record-avatar/

It looks like Star Wars doesn’t have as high a level of interest in other parts of the world than it does in North America. So this article predicts it will fall short of Avatar’s worldwide box office by a few hundred million dollars. But…in a way that doesn’t matter as Disney is already happy with how Star Wars has done and now they can make Star Wars an attraction at their theme parks, which will bring in mucho moola!


Discovering David Bowie Through Movies
http://filmschoolrejects.com/features/discovering-david-bowie-movies.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FilmSchoolRejects+%28Film+School+Rejects%29

The article mentions only a few film roles, but imdb.com lists Bowie as having been in approximately twenty different movies. Here’s a link to his imdb.com page:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000309/?ref_=nv_sr_1#actor


Michael Jackson Goes ‘Off the Wall’: Spike Lee’s Sundance Doc Debuts First Trailer
http://www.slashfilm.com/spike-lee-michael-jackson-documentary/

This isn’t the first time Spike Lee has delved into the career and life of Michael Jackson as he previously directed a documentary called Bad 25 in honor of the titular album’s 25th anniversary. This time the focus is put on Jackson’s early life right up through the release of Off the Wall, the album that turned him into a pop superstar around the world.

2016 Writers Guild Awards Nominees Include 'Trainwreck' & 'Trumbo'
http://www.firstshowing.net/2016/2016-writers-guild-awards-nominees-include-trainwreck-trumbo/

The author of this article was most surprised by the nominations for Trumbo and Trainwreck.

Original Screenplay:
Bridge of Spies - Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Sicario - Written by Taylor Sheridan
Spotlight - Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
Straight Outta Compton - Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff
Trainwreck - Written by Amy Schumer

Adapted Screenplay:
The Big Short - Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay; Based on the Book by Michael Lewis
Carol - Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy; Based on the Novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
The Martian - Screenplay by Drew Goddard; Based on the Novel by Andy Weir
Steve Jobs - Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the Book by Walter Isaacson
Trumbo - Written by John McNamara; Based on the Biography by Bruce Cook

Documentary Screenplay:
Being Canadian - Written by Robert Cohen
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief - Written by Alex Gibney
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck - Written by Brett Morgen
Prophet’s Prey - Written by Amy J. Berg

 

[Xela M]

Love this imdb review of Heaven's Gate (part of my Christopher Walken-binge and one of Hollywood's most famous disasters):
"Author: elhbee from Columbus, Ohio
27 April 2004
My friend brought this home to watch on a Sunday afternoon. We settled in and hit play. 10 hours later (how long was this movie? 32 hours?), I was ready to pontificate. I took a nap, and when I awoke, Heaven's Gate was just settling into the plot. The characters are loathsome. White upper-crust twits kill rape and pillage at will. At last count there were 7 plots and 42 subplots in this dreadful piece. It would have been more entertaining had the director simply shot page after page of the novel as opposed to acting this horrendous tripe out. American soldiers are using this movie on the enemy in Iraq as a method of torture. If you're into masochism, this is your kind of film."

That's how I felt about it and I only watched 1.5 hours (out of the 3.5 hours)

...and I'm not crazy (honest) but I also watched Roseland with Walken of course. It was so hard to find online I could only watch it in Russian. Anyway, it's one of those films that has three completely separate story lines, only they never ever meet, so the film as a whole makes no sense - it's three separate short films in one. Anyway, a very young Walken appears in one of those three parts playing a gigolo. Very beautiful, but that's the only redeeming feature of this film (aside from the fact that it's short).

 

[Cachoo]

Xela, that review of "Heaven's Gate" is hilarious. Mom remembered that she made Dad leave the cinema. He was going to stay there until the very end but she put her foot down. As much as I love the "Sarah" movies I admit they are terribly feel-good films.

I wanted to mention admiration for a woman name Irina Nistor that I saw on PBS in the documentary "Chuck Norris vs Communism." She dubbed entire films that were smuggled into Romania along with a few smuggled vcr players. I also admired the man that ran the operation that smuggled thousands of films into Bucharest to be dubbed, mostly by Irina and passed to groups of people who would gather together in an apartment on "movie nights." It was dangerous to smuggle, dub and dangerous to watch too. And the films could be cheap schlock like the Norris films to romances and Oscar caliber films. Plus Irina did all of the voices but the people watching were fascinated by every facet of the films: Even if they were unsure what was happening they would drink in the scenery. I remember Ceaucescu's austerity programs in the 1980's. As if life wasn't hard enough....

 

[Aussie Willy]

OMG I have just seen a couple of trailers for Hail Cesar. This one is a classic. Love Ralph Fiennes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--RXI7SOh44

I cannot wait to see this film.

 

[PeterG]

Movies coming out this weekend:

Jan. 15th - The 5th Wave - Sci-fi with Chloë Grace Moretz, Liev Schreiber, Maria Bello and Ron Livingston
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmxLybfGNC4

Jan. 15th - Ride Along 2 - Action comedy with Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Benjamin Bratt, Olivia Munn, Ken Jeong, Tyrese Gibson and T.I.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWfmmwdCHTg

Jan. 15th - 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi – Action thriller with John Krasinski and David Giuntoli [TV's Grimm]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGl2flB0Idk

Jan. 15th - The Lady In The Van (Limited) – Comedy drama with Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent and Dominic Cooper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47T0HORY9gs

Jan. 15th - Norm of the North - Animated family with Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, Colm Meaney, Bill Nighy, Ken Jeong and Loretta Devine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8A_F5oYJGI

Jan. 12th - 400 Days – Sci-Fi thriller with Brandon Routh, Dane Cook and Tom Cavanagh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL0388Pp2DA

Jan. 15th - Band of Robbers – Crime adventure comedy with Matthew Gray Gubler [Criminal Minds] and Kyle Gallner [Veronica Mars]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sftM3Hx98f4

Jan. 15th - A Perfect Day (Limited) – Drama with Benicio Del Toro and Tim Robbins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7-c66mbzXA

Jan. 15th - Moonwalkers (Limited) – Comedy with Rupert Grint and Ron Perlman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRoMpeUGZ9I

Jan. 15th - The Benefactor (Limited)- Drama with Richard Gere, Dakota Fanning, Theo James
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1990TMAF9I

Jan. 15th - Eisenstein In Guanajuato (Limited) – Biographical comedy romance about Russian filmmaker Sergei M. Eisenstein
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi2PqD4SR5s

 

[Cachoo]

OMG I have just seen a couple of trailers for Hail Cesar. This one is a classic. Love Ralph Fiennes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--RXI7SOh44

I cannot wait to see this film.

I want to see this as well. The person that made me laugh in the previews was Scarlett. I didn't know that she might have comedic chops. We'll see...

 

[Vash01]

OMG I have just seen a couple of trailers for Hail Cesar. This one is a classic. Love Ralph Fiennes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--RXI7SOh44

I cannot wait to see this film.

I want to see this as well. The person that made me laugh in the previews was Scarlett. I didn't know that she might have comedic chops. We'll see...

I saw the trailer a few times. I am not into comedies but I love Ralph Fiennes, and Scarlett J. looks ravishing in it. I plan to see this one.

 

[Artemis@BC]

Ralph Fiennes excels at that kind of dry wit (I'm still mad he wasn't recognized by the Academy for his brilliant performance in The Grand Budapest Hotel). I'd see that film just for him, but the rest of it looks glorious as well.

 

[skatesindreams]

I've been upset ever since "The English Patient".

 

[PeterG]

I mentioned earlier that the documentary "Amy" was one of my favourite movies of 2015, but I never did specifically post about it. It's a must-see if you have any interest in Amy Winehouse of a story like hers. In a way I kind of thing it should have been two movies. The first about her music and her creativity, luckily this movie shows enough of that to make me satisfied in getting to see how wonderfully creative she was. The second movie could be about her personal life and her downwall. Of course the movie covers this part of her life as well. If I had to pick something to critique the movie about, it would be that maybe the filmmaker tried a little too hard to make a few people look like "the bad guy". Everyone in her life cared for her, no one was wanting to see her crash and burn. And I'm sure pretty much everyone in her life would say that they wish they could have done something differently, that they erred in one way or another...and now she's gone. At the same time, Amy had opportunities to get help or to say no when she was asked to do something that wasn't a positive thing for her to take on at that time. And she could have just withdrawn from the scrutiny until she felt strong and healthy and ready to get back to being an entertainer. It's a crushing movie in a way, but also celebratory in seeing her do so many great things. And seeing her in awe in regards to being considered for a Grammy...and to be in the same room as Tony Bennett - let alone SING with him! It was wonderful to see this childlike wonder in her. +

I managed to squeeze in The Stanford Prison Experiment last night ..... excellent film, I recommend it.

I hope my library gets this, it has an amazing cast. A movie was made about this a few years back, called "The Experiment" which I see from my imdb.com profile, I rated as a 10 out of 10. That one starred Adrien Brody, Cam Gigandet, Forest Whitaker, Clifton Collins Jr., Fisher Stevens and Travis Fimmel (another great cast). I find the topic so fascinating that I'm now ready to see another version of the story.

I just finished watching "All the Way Down", a british dramedy about 4 individuals who turn up to the same place at the same time to commit suicide. Thus, a strange relationship is formed. Given the subject matter, tone is important. They weren't wholly successful here, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

The main thing i got out of the film was that Toni Colette is an amazing actress. One of those actresses who is not top of mind when listing a great actor, but you're constantly reminded of her greatness when you see her onscreen. She is brilliant here.

I agree that Toni Colette is phenomenal. She alone is reason I want to see this, but the movie has so many great people in it: Pierce Brosnan, Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots, Sam Neill and Rosamund Pike. Another movie I'm looking forward to!

 

[Artemis@BC]

I hope my library gets this, it has an amazing cast. A movie was made about this a few years back, called "The Experiment" which I see from my imdb.com profile, I rated as a 10 out of 10. That one starred Adrien Brody, Cam Gigandet, Forest Whitaker, Clifton Collins Jr., Fisher Stevens and Travis Fimmel (another great cast). I find the topic so fascinating that I'm now ready to see another version of the story.

Peter, I think The Stanford Prison Experiment is a much better movie. The Experiment exaggerated everything for shock value. Stanford is much closer to what actually happened (at least based on what I remember from when I studied it), and because of that has a more authentic emotional impact. IMO anyway.

There's also a German version from about 15 years ago, but I haven't managed to track that one down yet. Das Experiment.

 

[Xela M]

I forgot to mention, for any Christopher Walken fans - in the The Dogs of War he gives an incredible performance (and it's the best he has ever looked - even better than in The Deer Hunter). Some stills from the film...

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/97/d2/61/97d261149bdab86249aaa6b96d398d86.jpg

http://ilarge.lisimg.com/image/4056520/968full-christopher-walken.jpg

http://www.cageyfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/dogs-of-war_01.jpg

I think I have now officially overdosed on Christopher Walken.

 

[watchthis!!]

I watched a DVD called The Ascent of Money which looks through the beginnings of how money came about and how it's use has changed over history. I think it was a four-part TV documentary, but I hadn't heard of it before seeing it at the library. It's quite well done, but there's a lot of info there to absorb, so I kind of zoned out at times. I don't think that's because of how this documentary was made, just me getting overwhelmed with the topic. I should probably watch it again at some point to take in whatever I couldn't absorb at this time.

 

[DAngel]

I've finally watched all 7 movies of Star Wars... I find the whole franchise overrated. I don't understand people who love the original trilogy and hate the prequels... I think A New Hope is the weakest movie of the bunch.

Both Kill Bills are amongst my two favourite all-time movies. And I am a fan of Jackie Brown too.

I do agree that he is a prat though.

I like Kill Bills and Inglorious Basterds (even though I don't like army/war movies)...

I'm probably not going to watch Hateful Eight, though... I dislike western even more than war movies

OMG I have just seen a couple of trailers for Hail Cesar. This one is a classic. Love Ralph Fiennes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--RXI7SOh44

I cannot wait to see this film.

I'll definitely watch this one

 

[joeperryfan]

OMG I have just seen a couple of trailers for Hail Cesar. This one is a classic. Love Ralph Fiennes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--RXI7SOh44

I cannot wait to see this film.

I've watched this 6 or 7 times and always laugh! Ralph Fiennes is one of my favourite actors, but even if he weren't his dry humour is just so spot on! And I still haven't watched Grand Hotel Budapest... it's not up for rental here...

 

[Vash01]

I saw The Big Short yesterday. Thought the first 30 minutes were boring but it picked up and became very interesting. Great topic and humor plus seriousness. IMO Steve Carrell should have received an Oscar nomination for this. Christian Bale is a fantastic actor, in the flashy category. Sometimes the more understated ones get pushed away.

I would like to see the documentary on this topic. Somehow I think I may enjoy it better. I liked TBS, and it is deserving of its BP nomination.

 

[smurfy]

Re - Trailer for Hail, Cesar - so loved it.
Plus a brillant trailer - makes me want to see the movie, but did not give the story away.
And that scene with Fiennes - give him an oscar for that - too funny.

I was at the movies yesterday and saw the trailer for 'Miracles from Heaven' with Jennifer Garner. - I think it told the whole story!
I hate that.