Let's Talk Movies #33: Star Wars: Jabba Rising...Captain America Trumps China...and MORE!

[Artistic Skaters]

I watched Indignation with Logan Lerman & Tracy Letts. It's about a Jewish student (Marcus) from Newark, NJ in the 1950s who gets a service deferment from the Korean War when he attends Winesburg College (a Christian school in OH with a wink to Sherwood Anderson) on a scholarship. This movie has various themes about independence & related boundaries when assimilation is the expectation. Marcus is a good student but his independent intellectual views are not encouraged at his school. He is an atheist from a Jewish family/community who now must attend chapel to meet graduation requirements. He begins dating another student (Olivia played by Sarah Gadon) who has her own array of problems & doesn't fit in. Tracy Letts plays the dean of the college & there is a good extended scene with an interesting discussion he has in his office with Marcus. Scenes like that one are not seen much in movies these days. I liked the beginning & ending, as well as the sets & costumes. Good movie.

 

[Buzz]

Went to the movies today to see saw John Wick 2 and loved it. The movie did not have the charm of the first movie but still really good even if the excessive violence had me squirming in my seat sometimes. It also seems like there will be a chapter 3 in this franchise. 7 out of 10

 

[DannyCurry]

Among the movies I've seen in the past few weeks :

• Rogue One : Waited a long time to see it because I can't stand crowded sessions. Even though I liked the lead roles, I didn't get into the movie at all and found it boring overall. Of course it's a sci-fi movie, but I'd need details to be more plausible to find it interesting.

• Arrival : Loved it. I will always despise Amy Adams because she does not deserve to be Cavill's Lois Lane lol (I'm just being jealous), but here she's perfect (and she was perfect in Julie & Julia as well).

• Jackie : Overall, it was quite good. Couldn't quite forget it was Portman playing Jackie's character. (To me, an actor's performance is more impressive when we forget they're actors and just see the characters). In this regard, I thought Peter Sarsgaard and Greta Gerwig's performances were really good. I also liked the parts with John Hurt. Very good editing job.

• Little Gems : A documentary about an incredibly generous French couple who helped children in Cambodia. A truly moving story. Really good sountrack too.

• Your Name : Japanese anime. Some will find it cheesy and there were some bits that could've been cut IMO but I absolutely loved it. A few people clapped at the end of the movie (I was not one of them, though I did find it great.)

I really want to see La la land, but knowing that I'd have to cope with noisy and disrespectful audiences deter me from going now. (Why do people have to make so much noise when they eat their popcorn and sweets?!!!)

 

[watchthis!!]

Dave Bautista joins Jodie Foster in 'Hotel Artemis'
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/english/hollywood/news/dave-bautista-joins-jodie-foster-in-hotel-artemis/articleshow/57110078.cms

Looks like Jodie Foster’s retirement from acting has ended. That was short-lived, but I’m fine with that because the silver screen without Foster ever being on it again is definitely less-silvery than it should be. Here’s a bit about the movie:

The film will mark the directorial debut of Drew Pearce, who has co-written the script of 'Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation'. In the film, also co-written by Pearce, Foster plays a nurse in the near future who runs an underground hospital for sinister criminals in LA.

 

[Allskate]

I saw Lego Batman last night, it was good. Loads of fun and Batman had more emotional development in the 1:45 run time than he did in the entire Christopher Nolan trilogy. There's loads of callbacks to the previous Batman movies as well which are loads of fun. It was a good time

What do you think would be an appropriate age for the movie? My nephew is 4 and a half years old and loves all things Lego and Batman. But the movie is rated PG. Any insight on what causes that rating? Violence? Language?

 

[Jay42]

I really want to see La la land, but knowing that I'd have to cope with noisy and disrespectful audiences deter me from going now. (Why do people have to make so much noise when they eat their popcorn and sweets?!!!)

There were 2 women sitting behind my mom and I talking at the beginning of the movie. I really wanted to turn around and ask them to stop. We had to wait a month after the movie went wide for it to come here so I was really excited and if they hadn't stopped talking I would have said something. Fortunately they stopped talking after the first 10 minutes.

What do you think would be an appropriate age for the movie? My nephew is 4 and a half years old and loves all things Lego and Batman. But the movie is rated PG. Any insight on what causes that rating? Violence? Language?

There is violence but I don't think it was excessive. Has he seen The Lego Movie because it's very much in the vein. IMDb says it's rated PG for rude humour and some action. I don't remember anything overly rude though. I'm not super great with what movies are good for 4 and a half year olds I'm sorry. There were loads of kids around the age of 5 at the showing my brother and I went too (all of which were more polite and better behaved than most adults I end up at theatres with lol). There's no language issues to speak of though. Like I said, if he's seen The Lego Movie then Lego Batman should be fine. It's very similar.

 

[PeterG]

Trailers For Movies Released 2017-02-17th


Feb. 17th - The Great Wall (Wide) - Sci-fi with Matt Damon and Willem Dafoe

Feb. 17th - Fist Fight (Wide) – Comedy with Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan, Dean Norris, Christina Hendricks and Dennis Haysbert

Feb. 17th - A Cure for Wellness (Wide) – Mystery thriller with Jason Isaacs and Dane DeHaan

Feb. 17th - In Dubious Battle (Limited) - Drama with Nat Wolff, James Franco, Vincent D'Onofrio, Selena Gomez, Sam Shepard, John Savage, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Ashley Greene, Josh Hutcherson, Zach Braff and Bryan Cranston

Feb. 17th - Lovesong (Limited) – Drama with Riley Keough [Mad Max: Fury Road], Jena Malone, Ryan Eggold [The Blacklist] and Brooklyn Decker

Feb. 17th - American Fable (Limited) – Thriller with Peyton Kennedy, Richard Schiff and Kip Pardue

Feb. 17th - XX (Limited) – Horror with Melanie Lynskey [Two And A Half Men] and Mike Doyle [Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]

Feb. 17th - My Name Is Emily (Limited) - Comedy from Ireland, new cast. From imdb.com: “A teenage girl runs away from a foster home with the boy who loves her. She searches for her visionary writer father who is locked up in a psychiatric institution. It is a story of redemption.”

Feb. 17th - You’re Killing Me Susana (Limited) – Romantic comedy from Mexico with Gael García Bernal

Feb. 17th - Land of Mine (Limited) – Danish war drama. From imdb.com: “A young group of German POWs are made the enemy of a nation, where they are now forced to dig up 2 million land-mines with their bare hands.”

Feb. 17th - Everybody Loves Somebody (Limited) – Romantic comedy, new cast. From imdb.com: “On the surface, Clara Barron seems to have it all: a job as an OB-GYN; a great house in LA; and a loving family. But, the one thing Clara doesn't have figured out is her love life…”

 

[PeterG]

Great week for movies, with the exception of those going into wide release. The Great Wall looks like pornography for people who get off on violence and murder and destruction. Fist Fight looks equally atrocious and irresponsible. A Cure For Wellness was a maybe for me, it has one of those trailers that when it's over, you're left wondering, "...what the heck is this movie supposed to be about"? If somebody else sees it and gives me reason enough to add it to my list, I will do so. And them blame you if I end up not liking it. :lol

In Dubious Battle looks really good, tough to go wrong with such a cast! It's based John Steinbeck's work, so that's a plus as well. Lovesong was a maybe for me as I wondered if it has a good trailer for a middling movie, but after reading about it at imdb.com and Wikipedia, it sounds like it's good, one mentioned that it might do well at next year's Independent Spirit Awards. American Fable looks wild and weird (in a good way) and I have no idea what the movie is really about, but the trailer makes me want to know. So I'm in for that one.

XX is an anthology of four short films by women directors and the direction looks spot-on, so I'm eager to see this one. My Name Is Emily also looks to be really well directed as are the other two foreign films that really caught my eye, Land of Mine looks really powerful and the trailer for Everybody Loves Somebody just got stronger and stronger as it progressed, until I was laughing out loud. And You're Killing Me Susana looks okay, but it paled in comparison to some of the other trailers. Just seemed a bit dry for me to want to add it to my list.

Hope you'll comment on any of these trailers that caught your attention.

 

[Integrity]

Apologies if this has been discussed. I'm very disappointed that the IMDB message section will be shut down in a few days. Unfortunately, as with comment sections on the internet everywhere, many of the posts have nothing to do with the movie, but people's political agenda. Apparently, IMDB will have a Facebook page for comments, but it won't be the same for me. I like being able to visit a separate page for a movie or show to read discussions.

 

[Vash01]

Apologies if this has been discussed. I'm very disappointed that the IMDB message section will be shut down in a few days. Unfortunately, as with comment sections on the internet everywhere, many of the posts have nothing to do with the movie, but people's political agenda. Apparently, IMDB will have a Facebook page for comments, but it won't be the same for me. I like being able to visit a separate page for a movie or show to read discussions.

I am with you on this. We did discuss it earlier but I don't mind repeating that the alternatives (Facebook, Reddit, etc.) are nowhere as good as the message board to discuss the separate topics related to a movie.

 

[PeterG]

I used to use allmovie.com before imdb.com. I quite liked it, but I think the message board feature of imdb.com swayed me away from allmovie.com. Now I wish allmovie.com started message boards to get back the users they lost...like me!

 

[watchthis!!]

Two Night Stand was a pleasant surprise. Very good script and an understated performance from Miles Teller, which I didn't think was possible. He stars opposite Analeigh Tipton who is kind of annoying (but not unbearably so) as two young adults whose hook-up ends with...well, it doesn't end because New York is bombarbed with a horrible blizzard and they literally can't get out of his apartment, so they're forced to spend two days together. Which gives them time to explore things that people don't usually get into because one is doing the walk of shame the next morning. Instead, they have breakfast together followed by lots of time to learn about themselves and each other (but not without struggles along the way). I'd say the script for this movie is the real star, but I liked seeing Teller play a straight-forward nice guy after many roles that leaned towards him being a smarmy kind of character.

Trailer for Two Night Stand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcSosCe0B-A

 

[Wyliefan]

This site has a few forums, though not on the scale that IMDb did. If they beef it up -- I don't know whether they will, but IF they do -- it might eventually turn out to be a good replacement.

https://www.themoviedb.org/

 

[PeterG]

Video: John Wick 2 - Keanu Reeves attempts the movie quotes quickfire quiz

Keanu got two out of five correct, as did I. And we both got the same two correct. We're twins!!

 

[Allskate]

This Sunday is the Day of Remembrance for Japanese internment. George Takei's play about the internment, "Allegiance" was made into a movie and it will be playing in theaters this Sunday:

http://allegiancemusical.com/article/allegiance-film-encore/#cpgx8II6r3DDXcSY.97

I'm going to go.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Tonight I saw T2 Trainspotting. Really enjoyed it. Even though it was 20 years from the original Trainspotting it works. And again it had another kickar$e soundtrack.

 

[all_empty]

I screened "The Great Wall" and "Logan" this week.

"The Great Wall" was exactly what you'd expect from a Chinese blockbuster -- basic plot with derivative battle sequences lifted from "Lord of the Rings," wrapped up in elaborate trimmings.

The "white savior" argument is diminished by the fact that his character (a European mercenary) could've been anyone and played by anyone, Asian or not.

It was generic but also generically entertaining.

"Logan," on the other hand, was amazing. Better than "Deadpool."

Be advised that this is an R-rated film with gruesome violence, including decapitations and graphic head wounds. Definitely NOT for kids.

The plot was simple but tight, and Patrick Stewart is brilliant.

 

[watchthis!!]

I am loving that Lego Batman, a children's movie, beat out 50 Shades for the top spot at the box office this weekend. LOL

They both had pretty much the same per-theatre average. But Lego Batman played at 400 more theatres than Fifty Shades Darker. And if you look at international box office, Lego Batman has made just over 100 million while Fifty Shades Darker has made almost 170 million. So globally, Lego Batman came in second. Plus Lego Batman cost 80 million to make and Fifty Shades Darker cost only 55 million. So the profit margin is bigger for Fifty Shades Darker. To sum it up, Fifty Shades Darker definitely spanked Lego Batman.

 

[watchthis!!]

I watched Scream 4 yesterday and enjoyed it much more than I expected to. The script was quite good, making fun of the horror/thriller genre and coming up with something new and interesting while being part of that same genre. The originality of the story is the main feature of this movie, so the performers basically take a back seat, although Courtney Cox is pretty sharp in this. "Give me something to work with!" she seems to be screaming and then just takes what she's been given and makes the most out of it. Nice to see Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell in cameos, but Mary McDonnell is wasted unfortunately. Is this all that the world of movies has to offer her?

Trailer for Scream 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaCvEwm3SXs

 

[Vash01]

I watched 'A Royal Affair' and really liked it. It was in Danish, with subtitles. I knew nothing about the history of Denmark, so I enjoyed learning a little about it. The acting by the three main characters was superb. I knew only Alicia Vikander of the three; didn't know the two Danish actors but I have already added to my Netflix list two Danish movies - 'After the wedding', with Mads Mikkelsen, and 'The hunt' which was nominated for BFLP Oscar a couple years ago. A Royal Affair was also nominated (2012) I think.

 

[PeterG]

I watched Calendar Girls the other day, I thought maybe I had seen it already. It seems like I should have! I'm glad that I didn't skip it thinking I had seen it already because it was even better than I expected. It's from 2003, so that's been long enough for my expectations to have grown unrealistically high, but it did not let me down. Just such a wonderful story/script. A joy to watch from start to finish. Wonderful cast of course, including Helen Mirren and Julie Walters as the two leads, but also Celia Imrie (who I know best from Absolutely Fabulous, but she has a VERY long resume at imdb.com) and Ciarán Hinds, who has also done a ton of things including The Woman In Black, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Game of Thrones. If this has been on your To See list for as long has it's been on mine, I definitely recommend you bump it up to the top of your list.

 

[mrr50]

I agree with all that thought Lego Batman was loads of fun. Loved the 'British robots'.

Have a young aquaintance who wanted to view Fifty Shades with her parents and siblings. I told her she might want to rethink that, but at least tell everyone before they got to the cinema.

 

[Buzz]

Rumour has it that Marvel is now working on a Namor movie and actor Brian Tee is campaigning for the role already. LOL

http://screenrant.com/tmnt-brian-tee-marvel-namor/

 

[Vash01]

Finally saw Rogue One. I enjoyed it. Nicely tied to the original Starwars. The fighting was a bit excessive for me but the story was good and the visuals were stunning. One surprise for me was to see Mads Mikkelsen in the opening sequence, as Jyn's father. I had never heard of him until just a few days ago when I saw A Royal Affair. Felicity Jones and Diego Luna were good in the lead roles. The winner really was Starwars, with familiar music and several familiar characters from the original series. Mon Mothma and Princess Leia were acceptable, but it always amazes me that the actor who played Tarkin looks so much like the original.

I am likely to see this movie again. Great entertainment.

 

[Vash01]

Saw 'A Cry in the Dark' last night. I had seen it years ago but the only scene I remembered was when Meryl Streep says in the court - " it's my baby daughter we are talking about, not some object!" She and Sam Neill were great. The movie was well made. It was gut wrenching to see what had happened to the real life family on that camping trip and what followed.

 

[watchthis!!]

This quiz doesn't let you pick of fill in an answer (so you can't get a score), but some of these are pretty funny!

Can you guess these movies based on their terrible pitches?

A struggling artist and a rich chick fight over a door. Answer:

Spoiler

Titanic

Lost girl kills the first person she meets, then teams up with others to kill again. Answer:

Spoiler

The Wizard of Oz

Older sister ruins younger sister's chance to be on a televised game show. Answer:

Spoiler

The Hunger Games

 

[made_in_canada]

I watched Finding Dory today. I realize that it's a kid's movie and not meant to be taken seriously but seriously, a whale shark and a beluga sharing the same temperature of water??? It quickly became a bit of a game between my husband and I, who could point out the most inaccuracies. Which probably points to the lack of investment I felt in the story. Normally I don't have a hard time suspending my disbelief with movies like that, but this one just didn't do it for me. The animation was pretty though.

 

[smurfy]

Saturday - saw 4 of the best picture nominees - 2 day marathon at AMC theatres - next 5 is this coming Sat.

LaLa Land - 2nd time seeing it - still not getting the love - enjoyed it, definitely well made and they did a lot of work -but it was slow and I got bored. And several people I know have said the same thing - all not getting the great raves about it.

The other 3 I had not seen:
Manchester by the Sea - really loved the movie - everyone was very good, and Casey Affleck did a great job - deserves all the kudos. Lucas Hedges was wonderful. I liked how the story unfolded and Affleck's character - wounded, trying to do the right thing, but knowing what he could not do.

Fences - very good acting - but if I did not already know it was from a play, I would have guessed. So many times when a play goes to a movie - there is something confining about it. The movie is good, but I wish 'Loving' was nominated for best picture over this one. Viola and Denzel - amazing - did not disappoint. I can see Denzel upsetting Affleck (due to the controversy in his past) - and it would be cool for him to win 3 times.

Hell or High Water - loved it. Great movie, acting and story - wasn't sure where it was going. Good for Chris Pine to do something so different from Star Trek. Ben Foster is always very good. Jeff Bridges was great. I had seen Nocturnal Animals - and neither of these 2 movies makes me want to to move to West Texas. It is cool for a movie like Hell or High Water that was released earlier in the year to get this notice - well deserved.

 

[Seerek]

I watched Calendar Girls the other day, I thought maybe I had seen it already. It seems like I should have! I'm glad that I didn't skip it thinking I had seen it already because it was even better than I expected. It's from 2003, so that's been long enough for my expectations to have grown unrealistically high, but it did not let me down. Just such a wonderful story/script. A joy to watch from start to finish. Wonderful cast of course, including Helen Mirren and Julie Walters as the two leads, but also Celia Imrie (who I know best from Absolutely Fabulous, but she has a VERY long resume at imdb.com) and Ciarán Hinds, who has also done a ton of things including The Woman In Black, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Game of Thrones. If this has been on your To See list for as long has it's been on mine, I definitely recommend you bump it up to the top of your list.

One of the few films I've seen where the live stage version is just as good (and faithful to the film's core).

 

[peibeck]

Saturday - saw 4 of the best picture nominees - 2 day marathon at AMC theatres - next 5 is this coming Sat.

I am doing this 2 day movie marathon also.

I enjoyed "La La Land" the best of the four, though it definitely took me a long while to open myself up to it. I am sad to think this may be what a lot of skaters decided to base Olympic programs on, however, as neither Emma Stone or Ryan Gosling - as talented as they are as actors - are remotely compelling as singers. The complete construction of the piece (story arc, cinematography, editing, sets, costumes, etc.) are definitely what make it stand out for me among these four movies though.

I thought the acting in "Fences" made it completely compelling, but I concur it is hard to open up plays to movies often times, and that is the case here. Still, Viola Davis was brilliant (as always), and Denzel Washington was very good. I also really loved Stephen Henderson as Bono.

I also thought the acting in "Manchester By the Sea" was incredible, but I just could not get into the movie at all. Maybe because I found everything and everyone in the movie horribly depressing, but the film for me just completely lacked a pulse or any sort of dramatic tension. And don't get me wrong, I love a good weeper, I just didn't think this was one, amazing acting aside. I still think Affleck will prevail to win the Oscar, based on his BAFTA win.

"Hell or High Water" was better than I was expecting, but completely fell apart for me in the last ten minutes. The whole scene with Jeff Bridges returning to the Rangers office and then his visit to Chris Pine left me thinking "WTH?" Talk about needing to suspend disbelief. Oh well, at least one of these movies had a "happy" ending.