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

[VGThuy]

Wait until you read her autobiography. She really sounds no different in it. She's talented and a great, fun personality. However, she's also a bit batshit crazy and seriously thinks she deserves a lot more than she's received so far. I remember before she finally got to do Rose in Gypsy and when the Bernadette Peters' revival was still fresh on people's memories, she kept going on about how she would forever be robbed of doing the role she felt entitled to because of her feud with Arthur Laurents and it rubbed people the wrong way because she does she think she's more deserving than an equally legendary Bernadette Peters? Of course, maybe it's that attitude that has made her successful in securing roles, including Rose.

 

[Buzz]

It would seem that the late ticket sales is the fault of WB and not Cineplex. And along with increased visibility, the opening weekend projections are also in some minds increasing. The movie is now expected to make around $80m or more.

 

[Jay42]

It would seem that the late ticket sales is the fault of WB and not Cineplex. And along with increased visibility, the opening weekend projections are also in some minds increasing. The is now expected to make around $80m or more.

Yeah there had been some talk on Tumblr a week or so ago that WB wasn't marketing the movie very well, especially compared to Batman VS. Superman, so people on Tumblr who are excited about the movie were going to market it themselves to make sure people go to it. I definitely plan on going opening weekend. There's no dates where I am yet but the Cineplex here tends to be a little slower to get these things going.

 

[Buzz]

At first I was sceptical about the movie but now I am so excited! I LOVED the TV show as a kid. Now I got tickets for the Thursday night showings at the new adult only screens! Worth every penny to have no kids around to kick the seats! Just wish I knew what on earth is going on at WB and why they are not promoting this movie more.

 

[Tesla]

Just wish I knew what on earth is going on at WB and why they are not promoting this movie more.

Because it's Wonder Woman? Who's going to want to see a movie starring a female superhero? /sarcasm I hope it kicks ass and outdoes other WB movies.

 

[Jay42]

Because it's Wonder Woman? Who's going to want to see a movie starring a female superhero? /sarcasm I hope it kicks ass and outdoes other WB movies.

That's pretty much the reasoning I was seeing I'm definitely getting tickets for opening weekend as soon as they are up for my city.

 

[Buzz]

Looks like WB has given us this year's first box office bomb. GOTG2 was first again with $63m, Snatched was next with $17.5m while Arthur came third with less than $15m on a budget of $175m. It has also made only $29m internationally so those receipts aren't gonna help it much. Maybe now WB will start to promote Wonder Woman more because this is the sort of movie that can potentially make the studio a lot of money in merchandising.

 

[cygnus]

Today I saw the film Their Finest. Starred Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin. Richard E Grant, Jeremy Irons and Bill Nighy. I really enjoyed it. It is about movie making in England during the second world war. Particularly creating movies that would generate support for the war effort. I really like Arterton as an actress and she does a great job in this one.

Saw this one tonight. I loved it too. I'm glad a friend recommended it, as otherwise I would have missed it.

 

[PeterG]

Trailers For Movies Released 2017-05-19th
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipRFWkXClUG43XvV6WafeLRD


May 19th - Alien: Covenant (Wide) – Sci-fi with Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride and Demián Bichir

May 19th - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (Wide) – Family comedy with Alicia Silverstone and Tom Everett Scott,

May 19th - Everything, Everything (Wide) – Romantic drama with Amandla Stenberg [The Hunger Games], Nick Robinson [Jurassic World] and Anika Noni Rose

May 19th - Wakefield (Limited) – Drama with Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Garner, Beverly D'Angelo and Jason O’Mara

May 19th - Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (Limited – New York) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “A small financial institution called Abacus becomes the only company criminally indicted in the wake of the United States' 2008 mortgage crisis.”

May 19th - Paint It Black (Limited) - Drama with a new cast and Alfred Molina & Janet McTeer

May 19th - The Survivalist (Limited) – Sci-fi thriller, new cast. From imdb.com: “In a time of starvation, a survivalist lives off a small plot of land hidden deep in forest. When two women seeking food and shelter discover his farm, he finds his existence threatened.”

May 19th - Elián (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “…the remarkable story of Elian Gonzalez, the 5-year-old Cuban boy plucked from the Florida Straits on Thanksgiving Day in 1999. After his mother and others perished at sea, the custody battle between Gonzalez's Cuban father and Miami-based relatives sparked a flash point for simmering post-Cold War U.S. and Cuban tensions.”

May 19th - Champion (Limited) – Christian sports drama, new cast. From imdb.com: “In the supercharged world of dirt track racing, a single mistake causes the lives of two men to change forever. One must fight for his family, the other must fight to forgive.”

May 19th - Fight for Space (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Fight for Space explores the past, present, and future state of the US Space Program, while making the argument that the exploration of space brings economic and cultural benefits to the nation.”

May 19th - The Commune (Limited) – Danish drama. From imdb.com: “A story about the clash between personal desires, solidarity and tolerance in a Danish commune in the 1970s.”

May 19th - Woman Who Left (Limited) – Philippino drama. From imdb.com: “After 30 years of wrongful imprisonment, a woman plans to take revenge on her former lover.”

May 19th - Icaros: A Vision (Limited) – Drama, new cast. From imdb.com: “A film shaped like a shamanic journey, steeped in a psychoactive brew, exploring fear and destiny in the jungle of the mind.”

 

[cocotaffy]

Saw Lion about the young indian boy who got lost and was adopted by an Australian family to later on find his mother thanks to google earth. It's not the greatest film but if I'm honest, I cried. Dev Patel pleasantly surprised me, he played with the necessary gravitas without overstepping the line. I can't wait to see him in more serious roles like this. The story is obviously a tearjerker but this is an incredible story to begin with.

 

[watchthis!!]

Edge of Seventeen is one of those movies that I kept hearing so much good stuff about that now after seeing it, I feel a bit disappointed. The first third was especially tough to get into because Hailee Steinfeld's character was just too obnoxious and self-involved for my liking. For the rest of the movie, that aspect of her character was either toned down or I just accepted her obnoxiousness. Pretty much every other character was written rather one-dimensionally. Only Woody Harrelson was given much to work with (other than Steinfeld). Emmy and Golden Globe winner Kyra Sedwick hopefully got a big paycheque for this because there wasn't much for her to sink her teeth into. Hayden Szeto as the "geek" Edwin was a nice surprise, he managed to make a lot out of his smaller part. I think I enjoyed him more than Steinfeld. Edwin stammers here and there, so he is the school's geek, but there's a pool scene where geeky Edwin comes out with this sculpted body and six pack abs. Nothing like the geeks I went to school with! I give this one a mild thumbs up, but if you're wanting to see it...I recommend you keep your expectations low.

 

[VGThuy]

Kyra Sedgwick's character was almost exactly like my mom so that added to my enjoyment. I also saw it with two 17 year olds and they loved it, especially my sister.

 

[PeterG]

Watched "Split" tonight. Interesting movie, but I felt a bit let down. Wanted there to be more to it than there was. I also thought that the almost 120 minute running time could have been edited down to around the 90 minute mark. The edited scenes were mostly Betty Buckley scenes, along with Sterling K. Brown [This Is Us]...with Brown's character not making any appearance in the final movie. Although I wanted to double-check to make sure I got his name correct and both imdb.com and Wikipedia make no mention of Brown having any part in this movie. (Normally a cut role gets a mention at imdb.com as uncredited at the very least.) So once again...missing the imdb.com message boards.

 

[smurfy]

I saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 yesterday. Fun! Totally silly at times. And certain lines had to be written by an 8 year old boy. Fun escapism. And I love, love, love Baby Groot!!! I like how everyone took care of him! His introduction was great at the beginning of the movie.
Even in the end credits, among the names it was sprinkled 'I am Groot' and then turn to a name. hee hee

 

[Seerek]

Interesting to read that 2016 Palme d'Or and 2017 BAFTA Best British Film winner I, Daniel Blake does not get an American theatrical release until next month (June 16).

True, the film does appear to have a rather specific and regional context, but I personally think the experiences of Daniel and the citizens of Newcastle greatly resemble those of many North American cities.

 

[PeterG]

Watched Hacksaw Ridge tonight. Glad it got six Oscar nominations because it is a really well-made film. I'm even (begrudgingly) happy that Mel Gibson got nominated for best director. The script was decent, but included too many cliché's for my liking, so I'm glad it didn't get nominated for best screenplay. Andrew Garfield carries the movie really well. It will be interesting in the future to be able to look back at Garfield's career. I hope it continues to go as well as it has been. I think he makes smart choices. Mind you, his options are greater than those of other actors his age because his talent warrants the many choices made available to him. One criticism I have for the movie is the filming of the war scenes. Some of it is kind of Quarantino-ish, as if those filming it are kind of getting off on it. Much of these scenes are filmed in a slo-mo balletic choreography way...and the effects include gorgeous (blood) reds and awesome (fire-blasting gun) oranges. So pretty! Who knew war is really just a beautiful palette of colours for us to splash across the screen. It crossed my mind that if a movie had one-third of it's running time filming young children at the beach in a similar way in which Hacksaw Ridge was filmed, there would be such an uproar of the child pornography on display for dirty old letches to get off on. So I found a good portion of Hacksaw Ridge to be....war porn.

 

[skatesindreams]

Some of it is kind of Quarantino-ish, as if those filming it are kind of getting off on it. Much of these scenes are filmed in a slo-mo balletic choreography way...and the effects include gorgeous (blood) reds and awesome (fire-blasting gun) oranges. So pretty! Who knew war is really just a beautiful palette of colours for us to splash across the screen

There are some who appear to view "War" in precisely that way.

 

[PeterG]

I always wonder about where I should post when I binge a TV series that's not airing on television currently. I don't have hulu or any of those services that are part of that particular thread. So I've decided this is the movie/DVD thread. Last week I watched American Crime Story: The People Vs. O.J. Simpson. It was amazing! I knew very little of the story as when it happened, I did anything I could to avoid the news as it just depressed me. Plus I found the whole situation to be horrible and just didn't want to know anything more than I already did. But this show just kept getting mentioned positively and kept getting awards, so I thought I'd watch an episode or two to see if I wanted to continue with it. So brilliantly written and directed. Pacing was just spot-on and so many of the actors give great performances. John Travolta has not been this good in quite a long time. David Schwimmer at times I thought could have been better, but at other times I thought he was the heart of the series and did so much when he was on screen...and didn't even have dialogue. I hope Schwimmer gets more chances to work with a good director and script to show us than he's more than Ross Geller. Nice to see Cheryl Ladd back on my TV screen, just wish she could have had a larger role. And what a hoot Connie Britton was as Faye Resnick! If you haven't seen this series, I definitely think you should give it a shot.

 

[Buzz]

Universal studios has announced it's line up for it's planned "Dark Universe" of monster movies. It kicks off next month with The Mummy reboot which will feature Russell Crowe of Dr. Jekyll.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/22/...ers-mummy-dark-universe-bride-of-frankenstein

 

[Buzz]

Director Zack Snyder is stepping down as director of the Justice League because of a family tragedy. His daughter Autumn died in March but her death is only now being made public. My heart goes out to him and his family. May she rest in peace.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he...wn-justice-league-deal-family-tragedy-1006455

 

[watchthis!!]

Rich man's world? How ageism caught up with middle-aged movie men
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/may/22/ageism-caught-up-with-middle-aged-movie-men

An article about how Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp (and Ben Affleck) are struggling these days while someone like Meryl Streep is on a roll.


Adam Sandler earns raves at Cannes Film Fest (yes, really)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/celebrities/adam-sandler-earns-raves-at-cannes-film-fest-yes-really/2017/05/21/65bf5670-3e1a-11e7-b29f-f40ffced2ddb_story.html?utm_term=.f6573bf698b3

The article references Sandler’s performances in Punch Drunk Love and Spanglish. But I’m wondering if this new movie might have him just recycling the performances of those movies in this new one. We’ll see…

Director Zack Snyder is stepping down as director of the Justice League because of a family tragedy. His daughter Autumn died in March but her death is only now being made public. My heart goes out to him and his family. May she rest in peace.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he...wn-justice-league-deal-family-tragedy-1006455

So horrible...

 

[Artistic Skaters]

Highway to the Danger Zone ---

*** Tom Cruise confirms 'Top Gun' sequel is 'definitely happening' :
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life...op-gun-sequel-definitely-happening/102079876/

It's been over thirty years! Is Tom Cruise going to play the dad of a new recruit? Or an old timer pilot on the verge of aging out of his career? Did they court martial Val "Iceman" Kilmer for going AWOL & now he's still out for revenge? So many possible plot lines. At least Kenny Loggins will get a new concert tour.

 

[Buzz]

Spider-Man Homecoming trailer 3!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U0D3AOldjMU

 

[PeterG]

I watched Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai recently. Blech. Here goes the sacrilegious-ness... WAY too long. 207 minutes? Did they just take every single thing they filmed and splice it together and release it? Did film editors not exist in Japan in 1954? Plus I don't get the histrionics of some of the actors. In modern-day Japanese films, they don't have actors screaming at the top of their lungs and making wild facial gestures. So cartoon-ish. And irritating! I just don't get what...everybody it seems...sees in this movie. The re-make, 1960's Magnificent Seven did it right. Took only the basic premise and got rid of everything else while adding a strong script, brilliant director, great performances and an apt running time of 128 minutes.

 

[VGThuy]

Yep, sacrilegious. I won't go deeper than that.

 

[emason]

What @VIETgrlTerifa said!

 

[watchthis!!]

I was pleasantly surprised by Awake, a 2007 mystery thriller which stars Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba. Christensen plays an heir to a very wealthy family and Alba his bride-to-be. Christensen over the previous year has been dealing with heart problems and has been on a waiting list for a heart transplant. He has been dating Alba most of this time, who is the personal assistant for his mother, played by Lena Olin. The catch for this movie is that there are a small minority of people who don't react to anasthesia the way that most people do. So when Christensen is put under for this operation, his body is anathesized...but his mind (and hearing) are not. And as the operation begins, he realizes that his doctor friend (who is performing the operation) is in cahoots with his brand-new wife who very much want his fortune. It gets very scary for a while and then as bits and pieces of the story are filled in for us in various ways, the greater story unravels in quite an interesting way. I wasn't expecting this movie to be as good as it was, so I felt like I hit a minor jackpot in picking this one off the shelf at the library. Terrance Howard co-stars as Christensen's doctor friend.

 

[PeterG]

Trailers For Movies Released 2017-05-26th
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipQr2_jtU8UOFyh38sdKNQbn

None of the movies coming out this week are going on my To See list. Not because there isn't lots of good stuff here though. But movies with plots we've seen before. And movies that focus on the worst in human nature. An example of this is Berlin Syndrome, which I so wanted to be able to add to my list because the two leads are so talented. But another movie about a (mentally unstable) man abducting a woman for God knows what reasons...we just don't need to see this movie again. Same with Drone...such a talented cast, interesting premise, but it looks like it's just another revenge flick. Yuck. (At least it looks to be a quality revenge flick, unlike Black Butterfly which looks like it's a frontrunner for next year's Razzie awards.) Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan is worth a mention though, this dance documentary has a trailer full of movement which draws you in. Just wish it didn't consist of darkly dressed dancers performing in front of a pitch-black background. Weird staging choice! Interested to hear what people think of this one if you ending up seeing it. @kwanfan1818 - do you ever poke your head into this thread?


May 26th - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (Wide) – Action adventure fantsy with Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, Paul McCartney [Give My Regards To Broad Street], Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley

May 25th - Baywatch (Wide) – Action comedy with Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Priyanka Chopra [Quantico], Hannibal Buress, David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson

May 26th - Black Butterfly (Limited) – Thriller with Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Piper Perabo, Antonio Banderas and Abel Ferrara

May 26th - War Machine (Streaming) – War comedy drama with Brad Pitt, Topher Grace, Ben Kingsley, Meg Tilly and Michael Anthony Hall

May 26th - Drone (Limited) – Thriller with Sean Bean and Mary McCormack

May 26th - Buena Vista Social Club - Adios (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Revisit with the remaining original members of the Buena Vista Social Club and explore their contribution to the unknown history of Cuba.”

May 26th - Berlin Syndrome (Limited) – Thriller with Teresa Palmer [Hacksaw Ridge, Warm Bodies]. From imdb.com: “.. Clare meets Andi…a night of passion ensues. But what initiallyappears to be the start of a romance suddenly takes an unexpected and sinister turn when Clare wakes the following morning to discover Andi has left for work and locked her in his apartment.”

May 23rd - In Our Hands: The Battle for Jerusalem (Special Engagement) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Produced by CBN Documentaries and Biblical Productions, "In Our Hands" tells the story of the Battle of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War through the eyes of the IDF's 55th Paratrooper Brigade, highlighting their role in the liberation of Jerusalem.”

May 26th - 96 Souls (Limited) – Sci-fi mystery, new cast. From imdb.com: “A university research scientist, about to lose funding and status, has a lab accident and discovers he can see people's true intentions -- making his situation even worse.”

May 26th - Spirit Game: Pride of a Nation (Limited) – From imdb.com: “The documentary follows The Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team on the road as they compete in the 2015 World Box Lacrosse Championships. For the first time ever, the Championship Games were held on an Indian Reservation, in Onondaga in upstate New York, the Capitol of the Iroquois Confederacy.”

May 26th - Hermia & Helena (Limited – New York) - Comedy drama, new cast. From imdb.com: “…a film of dead ends and new beginnings, navigating different hemispheres and languages with amorous detours, where the written words of Shakespeare clash with the entanglements of modern, digital life.”

May 24th - Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan (Limited) – From imdb.com: “Documentary on the great American ballerina Wendy Whelan.”

May 26th - Long Strange Trip (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “The tale of the Grateful Dead is inspiring, complicated, and downright messy. A tribe of contrarians, they made art out of open-ended chaos and inadvertently achieved success on their own terms. Never-before-seen footage and interviews offer this unprecedented and unvarnished look at the life of the Dead.”

May 26th - The Here After (Limited) – Polish drama. From imdb.com: “On returning home to his father and younger brother after serving time in prison, teenager John is looking forward to starting new life again…feeling abandoned by his former friends and the people he loves, John loses hope and the same aggression that previously sent him to prison starts building up again. Unable to leave the past behind, he decides to confront it.”

 

[emason]

A friend saw the Wendy Whelan film earlier this year, part of the Athena Festival at Barnard if I recall correctly. Friend gave it a rave review and wants to see it again. Haven't seen it myself yet so I can only give you that word of mouth rave.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan is worth a mention though, this dance documentary has a trailer full of movement which draws you in. Just wish it didn't consist of darkly dressed dancers performing in front of a pitch-black background. Weird staging choice! Interested to hear what people think of this one if you ending up seeing it. @kwanfan1818 - do you ever poke your head into this thread?

When summoned

I'm hoping to see it. I remember seeing Whelan when she first started at New York City Ballet, and there was something tadpole-like about her: there was stuff percolating around, but it hadn't quite formed yet. Then I saw her as the Novice in Jerome Robbins' "The Cage," and she was magnificent, like everything gelled at once. Or to paraphrase when Balanchine said to Stravinsky about Suzanne Farrell during rehearsals of "Movements for Orchestra," "Meet Wendy Whelan. Just been born."