Let's Talk Movies #34 - Kingsmen, Murder, Blade Runners and...IT!

[watchthis!!]

Movie news.

The Surprising Actor The IT Movie Wanted To Play Pennywise
http://www.cinemablend.com/news/1686549/the-surprising-actor-the-it-movie-wanted-to-play-pennywise

What I've seen of this movie looks scary. But if they had been able to get TILDA SWINTON to play Pennywise... Well, I think seeing that might have made me poop myself!!


‘The Simpsons Movie 2’ Is in ‘Earliest Stages of Development,’ According to Director David Silverman
http://www.indiewire.com/2017/07/the-simpsons-movie-2-in-earliest-stages-1201861483/

I had no idea the first one made over 500 million. Interesting that the same director of the first one is in line to direct the new one. Often it seems like producers or studios want a bigger name once a project takes off.


Could Harry Styles become Hollywood's next big movie star?
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.../harry-styles-dunkirk-one-direction--13400815

Well...he IS in the #1 movie right now. For those of you who have Seen Dunkirk, what did you think of Harry's performance?

 

[Seerek]

Thank you Sam Shepard for all your contributions. Enjoyed watching your works in live theatre and film/television. Quite a body of work that will certainly stand the test of time, imo.

 

[mrr50]

For those of you who have Seen Dunkirk, what did you think of Harry's performance?

He did very well. I didn't think about Harry Styles until I saw his name in the credits.

 

[watchthis!!]

A movie I forgot to post about that I'm finding I appreciate the more time passes is called Goat. It's a 2016 drama about two brothers, one already in a fraternity and the other one about to pledge. The movie is about hazing, but it's about a lot more than that. It's about what life is like for young men in our age and it's also about the relationship between the two brothers. And as far as I'm concerned, it's a major success on all three levels. Ben Schnetzer and Nick Jones (yup, the pop star) play the two brothers and they, along with the entire cast, are all perfect in their roles. It looks like the movie never made it to the theatres, which is a shame because there are some performances here that are worthy of acting nominations, specifically Schnetzer and the extremely handsome Jake Picking who plays the very ugly (in spirit) character Dixon. This movie was nominated for a grand jury prize at Sundance, but that's where the accolades stopped. Which is a shame, because this movie deserves way more attention than it got.

Trailer for Goat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS8pgKoibx0

 

[Artistic Skaters]

Jeannette Walls discussed The Glass Castle (my summer must see movie) on CBS Sunday Morning. The Vanity Fair article also says she likes the film adaptation.

*** Author Jeannette Walls on "The Glass Castle" :
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/author-jeannette-walls-on-the-glass-castle/

*** The Moment in the Glass Castle Movie That Made Jeannette Walls Cry :
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/07/the-glass-castle-book-movie-jeannette-walls-interview

Like the memoir, the movie dramatizes how the author and her siblings—sisters Lori and Maureen and brother Brian—grew up dirt poor, spending much of their childhood and teen years living in a run-down shack without regular access to water or electricity in the coal-mining town of Welch, West Virginia. Their parents, Rex and Rose Mary Walls, were eccentric dreamers and wonderfully creative; the engineering-minded Rex, who in 1994, had a vision of a glass castle he wanted to build for his family, and Rose Mary was a prolific painter. But they were incapable of providing any sense of normalcy or stability for their kids.

 

[PeterG]

Often when I watch big Hollywood movies, I wonder, "but what would it REALLY be like" (in regards to people who experience some big, life-shattering planetary occurrence. Well, I got my wish granted with Bokeh. It's a 2017 sci-fi movie, but really it's just a drama between a man and a woman on vacation in Iceland. One night the woman wakes up in the middle of the night and briefly looks out the window. Something happens with the sun (or is that what's happening) and she notices it, but she wants to get back to sleep and figures it's just the way the sun rises here or something like that. In the morning when they wake up, no one staff person is at the desk when they start their day. So they decide to go out for breakfast and as they walk along the streets, they notice...that nobody is there. They wonder if a festival is happening in another part of town, but as they continue walking....nobody. And that's what this movie is about. Nothing big or splashy happens as far as aliens or tornadoes or erupting volcanos. It's just how do you deal with a situation that is unlike anything you (or anybody else) has ever experienced. I loved it. The lead couple are unknown enough actors to not distract us from the story. The writer/directors have only done a few short films, but nothing about this movie looks like the work of a newcomer to film. Response to the movie online has been mixed at best, but I think that's because people expect big, flashy movies at this point and this movie instead looks at the relationship of two people in an extraordinary situation...and how do they cope? LOVED IT!

 

[watchthis!!]

Diversity in Movies Largely Unchanged Despite Increased Awareness, Study Finds
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne...largely-unchanged-increased-awareness-1025336

For nine years since 2007, USC has analyzed the demographic makeup of every speaking or named character from each year's 100 highest-grossing films at the domestic box office (with the exception of 2011), as well as behind-the-camera employment for those films including directors, producers and composers.

But in spite of more awareness...the numbers have not changed.

Women remain vastly underrepresented when it comes to both speaking roles and lead or co-leading parts in films. Of the 4,583 speaking characters analyzed from 2016's top 100 films, 31.4 percent were female, a number that is basically unchanged since 2007. Also, only 34 of the films depicted a female lead or co-lead — and only three of those were from underrepresented groups.

The article mentions that the U.S. is 17.8 percent Hispanic, but they only represent 3.1 percent in the world of film.

 

[mrr50]

Saw Atomic Blonde. I found it disappointing, in some ways it was as if the story was directed toward a 13 year old boy. Way too much 1989 ladies lingerie and it was very violent. Oddly enough, James Bond films never bothered me in either category.

 

[PeterG]

Trailers for Movies Released 2017-08-04th
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipSK-CkzmxkXbBwxnXUMpMpa


August 4th - The Dark Tower (Wide) - Fantasy with Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Jackie Earle Haley and Dennis Haysbert

August 4th - Kidnap (Wide) - Thriller with Halle Barry

August 4th - Detroit - Drama with John Boyega, Anthony Mackie and John Krasinski

August 4th - Columbus (Limited) - Romantic comedy with John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson [Edge of Seventeen], Parker Posey and Rory Culkin

August 4th - Wind River (Limited) - Mystery with Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen and Graham Greene

August 4th - Armed Response (Limited) - Sci-Fi thriller with Anne Heche, Wesley Snipes, Gene Simmons and Dave Annable [Brothers and Sisters]

August 4th - Brave New Jersey (Limited) - Sci-fi comedy with Anna Camp [Pitch Perfect], Sam Jaeger [Parenthood] and Tony Hale [Veep]

August 4th - Fun Mom Dinner (Limited) - Comedy with Katie Aselton [The League], Toni Collette and Molly Shannon

August 4th - Some Freaks (Limited) - Romantic comedy with Thomas Mann and Marin Ireland [Hell or High Water]

August 4th - Step (Limited) - Documentary. From imdb.com: “…documents the senior year of a girls' high-school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore.”

August 4th - We Love You, Sally Carmichael (Limited) - Comedy with Elizabeth Tulloch [Grimm] and Jack McBrayer [30 Rock]

August 5th - Paradise Club (Limited) - Drama with Elizabeth Rice, [Mad Men] and Eric Roberts

August 4th - Lycan (Limited) - Horror, new cast. From imdb.com: “When six college kids in a sleepy Southern town are assigned a group project to rediscover a moment in history, one of them sets in motion a horrific fate when he proposes they head into the Georgia backwoods to tackle the legend of Emily Burt, the Talbot County werewolf.”

August 1st - S.W.A.T.: Under Siege (Limited) - Action with Sam Jaeger [Parenthood], Adrianne Palicki [Agents of SHIELD] and Michael Jai White [The Dark Knight]

August 4th - The Ghoul (Limited) - British thriller, new cast. From imdb.com: “A homicide detective goes undercover as a patient to investigate a psychotherapist he believes is linked to a strange double murder. As his therapy sessions continue the line between fantasy and reality begins to blur.”

August 4th - Savage Dog (Limited) - Action drama, new cast. From imdb.com: “A story set in Indochina in 1959, a land beyond rule and a time without mercy and the birth of a legend.”

August 4th - The Battleship Island (Limited) - South Korean action fantasy. From imdb.com: “During the Japanese colonial era, roughly 400 Korean people, who were forced onto Battleship Island ("Hashima Island") to mine for coal, attempt to escape.”

August 4th - Jab Harry met Sejal (Limited) - Indian romantic comedy. From imdb.com: “The story revolves around Harry and Sejal's journey across Europe. A search for Sejal's engagement ring makes Harry understand love and relationships better.”

 

[smurfy]

Saw Atomic Blonde. I found it disappointing, in some ways it was as if the story was directed toward a 13 year old boy. Way too much 1989 ladies lingerie and it was very violent. Oddly enough, James Bond films never bothered me in either category.

I saw it too (for free). It was entertaining, but not a movie I will probably remember in awhile.
I found the beginning almost too stylish, they were trying too hard. Oh look a scene with Charlize posing and looking cool. And after watching Baby Driver, the music was good, but pales in comparison. The the real big action scene - has no music, and is so gritty compared to the rest of the movie. Like parts of 2 different movies. I really enjoyed McAvoy.

I was in Berlin in 1990 -so I enjoyed the time/space of the movie. But were high heels that high then?

 

[Vash01]

The only movie I may consider seeing us Kidnap, if the reviews are good.

 

[PeterG]

I have less than a week of house-sitting left and instead of watching individual titles to clean up to To See list some, I binged on the eight episodes of season one of The OA. I loved it. Brit Marling is such a sci-fi geek in a pretty blonde package. I wonder if Marling has gone to comic-con and if so, how often. Or is comic-con more for superhero movies. Marling's work is a lot more thoughtful tan fights and explosions. Hardly any of that happens in her work, it's more about the personal experiences in strange circumstances. I love everything she's done and The OA is another great piece of work from her. Unfortunately, to talk too much about it would give things away that deserve to be experienced without having been spoiled. All I'll say is that this series was DEFINITELY worth my time. I'd base whether you see it or not on the other work she's done. If you've enjoyed her movies, then I think you will love this one as well. The basic storyline is about a blind woman who reappears after having gone missing seven years ago. And now she can see. The show covers what happened to her, how her childhood affects her adult life and all the things she needs to do that is related to her missing years. This is one of those shows that make me ache a little having to wait who knows long until season two comes out. It's supposed to happen this year, though.

The only movie I may consider seeing us Kidnap, if the reviews are good.

Kidnap has a 6.1 at imdb.com (decent, but not great) and a 43% approval rating at rotten tomatoes from viewers (not enough critics have responded yet for a rating from them). It looks to me like it's going to be a somewhat trashy, splashy Hollywood revenge flick. But with a chick in the guy's role. I'm just going to take it as escapist watching from the heavier dramas that are on my To See list.

 

[manhn]

Just finished Lion. Good movie, but my condo is all dusty, causing my eyes to water continuously. I would write a longer review but I cannot see the screen too well.

One thing: I really really really hope Real Life Mantosh is doing well for himself.

 

[Vash01]

Just finished Lion. Good movie, but my condo is all dusty, causing my eyes to water continuously. I would write a longer review but I cannot see the screen too well.

One thing: I really really really hope Real Life Mantosh is doing well for himself.

I read the book after seeing the movie. Saroo did not write negative stuff about Mantosh. He is very sympathetic tI his adopted brother because he had seen first hand how horrible the conditions in the orphanages were Saroo was lucky to escape in six months. It took Mantosh a couple of years due to rule changes (I think). He had serious psychological problems due to the abuse at the orphanage.

According to Saroo's book Mantosh is working for his father. It does not sound like there were serious problems between the brothers (may be they dramatized it to make the movie more interesting). I will look up the book again to see how good my memory is.

There were other differences between the screenplay and the book. I think they did a good job with the screenplay but some things were not consistent with the book. For example, in the movie Saroo suddenly remembers his home in India when he sees the dessert (Jilebi) at the party. In the book he thinks of it every day, from the time he arrived in Australia and his Australian mother encouraged him to remember.

 

[manhn]

I think the movie was sympathetic to Mantosh. I certainly understand why he is the way he is. But there was no real resolution for him, except for Saroo's acceptance of him as his brother. I just hope he can find peace.

 

[Vash01]

I think the movie was sympathetic to Mantosh. I certainly understand why he is the way he is. But there was no real resolution for him, except for Saroo's acceptance of him as his brother. I just hope he can find peace.

I am sure that some of his psychological scars are permanent but I have no doubt that the love he received from his adopted family healed some of his wounds.

 

[watchthis!!]

Saw a cheesy horror flick the other day called Preservation. It had the really tall skeezy guard from Orange Is The New Black in it. Pretty standard story of three campers going to an off-limits area to hike and hang out. Then they're hunted down by three masked strangers. It was okay at best, but enjoyable stupidness to have on in the background while I did other stuff around home.

Trailer for Preservation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XcEo7aL67I

 

[PeterG]

Some stand-up comedy shows I've seen this last week or two (thank you Netflix):

Iliza Shlesinger: Freezing Hot - I thought I had already seen this, so I started watching it until I remember the bits she was doing, but that didn't happen because I stopped whatever I was doing and focussed on how great this was. Guess it was something I meant to watch the last time I house-sat but didn't get around to. Glad I didn't skip this as something I had already seen because she's wonderful.

Anthony Jeselnik Thoughts And Prayers - He has such an amazing mind, so smart. But he loves doing the off-colour kind of stuff, things that would push a lot of people's buttons. While he pushed mine a few times, I appreciated how he was able to come up with things that continually made me think, "how did his mind ever get there"?? Plus he's funny as hell. And kinda cute. As for pushing buttons, this one-minute bit about people who post "My thoughts and prayers..." after any (every) disaster strikes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ODeKJdhff0

Trevor Noah: You Laugh But It's True - This is actually a documentary about Noah's journey to staging the first-ever major comedy concert show in South Africa by an African comedian. There's bits and pieces of his stand-up, but lots of interviews with his fellow comedians (not all favourable) and some family members as well. One highlight from this was his joking around with his teenage brother and his seven (ish) year old brother. Both cute and funny!

Trevor Noah: African American - I believe this is pretty much the show he performed as mentioned in the above documentary, but after he had toured it a while around the world. Lots of good stuff here, but I liked his later shows a bit more.

 

[watchthis!!]

I thought Keeping Up With The Joneses was a lot of fun. Mostly due to Zach Galifanakis' lines, which so often come across as something wild and zany he just threw in at the moment. Makes me wonder how much of his work was scripted and how often they let him improvise and then just kept the funniest stuff. The second best thing about the movie is the beauty that is Jon Hamm. He's never looked more hot. Although I've read a few things that makes it sound like he's not a nice person. I thought by the time someone is well into their 40s they should have gotten over themselves. Who knows, maybe those things are just rumours. I enjoyed Isla Fischer and Gal Godot in this, but their roles aren't as good as the men's roles. Unfortuante because Fischer can be really funny, but she wasn't given anything really to work with. Which again makes me wonder how much improvisation happened during filming and if Galifanakis is a better improviser than Fischer. I have no idea if I'm spelling their names correctly.

Trailer for Keeping Up With The Joneses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGtVJ48GMAI

 

[Buzz]

Saw The Dark Tower and LOVED it! I wasn't expecting much but totally enjoyed it! Mind you, it was quite silly and will not win any awards but if you like fun movies this could be the flick for you. I hope they make more in the series.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I watched one of Trevor Noah's stand up shows from earlier this year. The guy is so funny and does the best accents I have ever heard.

Last night I saw The Fifth Element as it is the 20th anniversary. It was one of those films I didn't see when it came out but it was so good to see it on the big screen. Plus the good thing is the local cinema charge much less than the new releases for the older movies. Pretty full cinema too.

 

[Seerek]

My favourite part of Baby Driver: the brief appearance of Paul Williams. Oh, and the rather brief snippet of Barbara Lewis singing one of the many "Baby" songs.
(Pretty sure I'm quite weird that way ).

 

[Jay42]

I saw Atomic Blonde tonight and really liked it. It definitely drags a little towards the end, but I still found it enjoyable overall. Considering how many movies with a similar plot/style I've seen with men in the lead, it was nice to see it done with a woman. I did find some aspects of the violence a little overkill though. I won't get into detail, because it really was a bit much, but I did think it was unnecessary. I also wish the fight scene in front of the movie screen had all been shot in silhouette. It looked so cool when it was pulled out instead of in a close up.

I still enjoyed it a lot though and I will definitely be buying it when it comes out on DVD/bluray.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Saw The Big Sick this afternoon. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[PeterG]

I forgot to mention that The OA has a connection to Baby Driver. The movement to the music in Baby Driver was done with the help of choreographer Ryan Heffington, who did some similar work for The OA. He has also choreographed music videos, earning a Grammy nomination twice, for Arcade Fire and Sia. He's actually done five videos for Sia and four for Florence and the Machine. The work he did with Baby Driver, as good as it was, was definitely eclipsed with what he did for The OA.

Just finished Lion. Good movie, but my condo is all dusty, causing my eyes to water continuously. I would write a longer review but I cannot see the screen too well.

I always though you had been happy with your housekeeper. Shame she has to be replaced.

 

[Vash01]

Watched 'Eddie the Eagle' on DVD this weekend. Really enjoyed it. Very inspiring. I remember watching the 1988 Olympics on tv and the frequent talk about Eddie the Eagle. I was wondering then why he was getting so much publicity, when he was nowhere close to winning a medal of any color. The movie explained it very well at the end. The Olympics are not about winning. They are about participating,

 

[skatesindreams]

I meant to post this earlier; since many here enjoy following it, every August:
http://summer.tcm.com/

 

[watchthis!!]

Chris Pratt, Anna Faris separate after 8 years of marriage
http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/chris-pratt-anna-faris-1.4237787

Loved these two as a couple. Are there any super couples left? I'm not a big enough fan of Jessica Biel or Blake Lively to think of their couplings as a super couple. (Maybe in time....)

 

[VGThuy]

Just like non-celebs, I can't help but wonder about the future of a couple, who got together and married while on somewhat equal footing, when one of them becomes much more successful and has new avenues and opportunities opening up professionally and otherwise. I'm not saying Farris isn't a success in her own right, but Pratt has become a superstar.

 

[MacMadame]

Though usually, if that happens, it works better if the man is the more successful one. Because sexism.

I am actually a bit devastated by this news because they were such a cute couple and seemed to have a solid relationship. Not that it impacts me really but, hey, feelings are irrational.