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

[Aussie Willy]

I found "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" to be the type of kids movie that works well for all ages. Jennifer Garner and Steve Carell play the parents of Alexander, who has had such a bad day that his birthday wish is for everyone else in his family to have as bad a day as he has just had. But soon after the next day begins, he wishes he had chosen a different birthday wish. Things go from bad to worse, but the tone of the movie is kept light, so things don't become bogged down regardless of what is about to happen to the family next. I recommend this one for everybody who wants some light and fun entertainment. Dylan Minnette from 13 Reasons Why plays Alexander's older brother.

Trailer for Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_dideF5qvk

I really enjoyed this one when I saw it.

I saw Wonder today. It was pretty good and you certainly needed some tissues while watching. It actually took different turns from what I thought it would be (to do with the surrounding characters). I think Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts kind of were themselves but they were really nice as the parents.

 

[Vash01]

Saw the trailer of 'I, Tonya' yesterday when I went to see 'Three billboards....'. I am definitely going to see this movie even though I am sick of the Nancy-Tonya obsession.

ETA- I Saw 'Wonder' this morning and liked it. I needed a feel good movie without violence after seeing 'Three billboards...' yesterday. I could have watched a DVD of another movie at home, but chose to go to the theatre. I am glad that I did. Acting was good, and the kids were cute. The actress who plays the sister is very pretty but looks a bit old for that role. I think she is supposed to be 13-14, but looks more like 15-16. I assume little Auggie is supposed to be around 9 years old. However, it's not that important. Good movie. I enjoyed it.

 

[Buzz]

Some Star Wars fans are starting to line up already.
http://variety.com/2017/film/news/star-wars-fans-lining-up-chinese-theatre-last-jedi-1202634490/

 

[annie720]

I saw Three Billboards today and liked it a lot. Had no idea what to expect going in and found myself mesmerized by the performances, especially those of Frances and Sam.

 

[Vash01]

Some Star Wars fans are starting to line up already.
http://variety.com/2017/film/news/star-wars-fans-lining-up-chinese-theatre-last-jedi-1202634490/

I looked for ticket at our nearest theatre and one seat was available on 12/15 at 6 pm but my ipad was not showing the full screen. So I couldn't buy it. I may still be able to get one.

Bought my ticket for the 8 pm show on Dec. 15. YAY!

 

[watchthis!!]

‘Lady Macbeth’ Leads British Independent Film Awards Nominations – Full List
http://deadline.com/2017/11/british...ist-lady-macbeth-three-billboards-1202199080/

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Best British Independent Film
THE DEATH OF STALIN
GOD’S OWN COUNTRY
I AM NOT A WITCH
LADY MACBETH
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

Best International Independent Film
THE FLORIDA PROJECT
GET OUT
I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO
LOVELESS
THE SQUARE

Best Director
ARMANDO IANNUCCI, The Death of Stalin
FRANCIS LEE, God’s Own Country
MARTIN McDONAGH, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
RUNGANO NYONI, I Am Not a Witch
WILLIAM OLDROYD, Lady Macbeth

Best Screenplay
ALICE BIRCH Lady Macbeth
ARMANDO IANNUCCI, DAVID SCHNEIDER, IAN MARTIN The Death of Stalin
FRANCIS LEE God’s Own Country
MARTIN McDONAGH Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
RUNGANO NYONI I Am Not a Witch

Best Actress
EMILY BEECHAM Daphne
FRANCES McDORMAND Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
MARGARET MULUBWA I Am Not a Witch
FLORENCE PUGH Lady Macbeth
RUTH WILSON Dark River

Best Actor
JAMIE BELL Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
PADDY CONSIDINE Journeyman
JOHNNY HARRIS Jawbone
JOSH O’CONNOR God’s Own Country
ALEC SECAREANU God’s Own Country

Best Supporting Actress
NAOMI ACKIE Lady Macbeth
PATRICIA CLARKSON The Party
KELLY MACDONALD Goodbye Christopher Robin
ANDREA RISEBOROUGH The Death of Stalin
JULIE WALTERS Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool

Best Supporting Actor
SIMON RUSSELL BEALE The Death of Stalin
STEVE BUSCEMI The Death of Stalin
WOODY HARRELSON Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
IAN HART God’s Own Country
SAM ROCKWELL Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Most Promising Newcomer
NAOMI ACKIE Lady Macbeth
HARRY GILBY Just Charlie
COSMO JARVIS Lady Macbeth
HARRY MICHELL Chubby Funny
LILY NEWMARK Pin Cushion



Best Debut Director
DEBORAH HAYWOOD Pin Cushion
FRANCIS LEE God’s Own Country
THOMAS NAPPER Jawbone
RUNGANO NYONI I Am Not a Witch
WILLIAM OLDROYD Lady Macbeth

Debut Screenwriter
ALICE BIRCH Lady Macbeth
GABY CHIAPPE Their Finest
JOHNNY HARRIS Jawbone
FRANCIS LEE God’s Own Country
RUNGANO NYONI I Am Not a Witch

Breakthrough Producer
GAVIN HUMPHRIES Pin Cushion
EMILY MORGAN I Am Not a Witch
BRENDAN MULLIN, KATY JACKSON Bad Day for the Cut
FODHLA CRONIN O’REILLY Lady Macbeth
JACK TARLING, MANON ARDISSON God’s Own Country

The Discovery Award
EVEN WHEN I FALL Sky Neal, Kate McLarnon, Elhum Shakerifar
HALFWAY Ben Caird, Jonny Paterson
IN ANOTHER LIFE Jason Wingard, Hannah Stevenson, Rebecca Clare Evans
ISOLANI R Paul Wilson, Lisa Hague
MY PURE LAND Sarmad Masud, Bill Kenwright

Best Documentary
ALMOST HEAVEN Carol Salter
HALF WAY Daisy-May Hudson
KINGDOM OF US Lucy Cohen, Julia Nottingham, Lucas Ochoa, Thomas Benski, Bill Rudgard
UNCLE HOWARD Aaron Brookner, Paula Vaccaro
WILLIAMS Morgan Matthews, Hayley Reynolds, Sarah Hamilton

Best British Short Film
1745 Gordon Napier, Morayo Akandé, John McKay
FISH STORY Charlie Lyne, Catherine Bray, Anthony Ing
THE ENTERTAINER Jonathan Schey, Jodie Brown, Jun Bung Lee
WORK Aneil Karia, Scott O’Donnell
WREN BOYS Harry Lighton, John Fitzpatrick, Sorcha Bacon

Best Cinematography
BEN DAVIS Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
DAVID GALLEGO I Am Not a Witch
TAT RADCLIFFE Jawbone
THOMAS RIEDELSHEIMER Leaning Into the Wind
ARI WEGNER Lady Macbeth

Best Casting
SHAHEEN BAIG Lady Macbeth
SHAHEEN BAIG, LAYLA MERRICK-WOLF God’s Own Country
SARAH CROWE The Death of Stalin
SARAH HALLEY FINN Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
DEBBIE McWILLIAMS Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool

Best Costume Design
DINAH COLLIN My Cousin Rachel
SUZIE HARMAN The Death of Stalin
SANDY POWELL How to Talk to Girls at Parties
HOLLY REBECCA I Am Not a Witch
HOLLY WADDINGTON Lady Macbeth

Best Editing
JOHNNY BURKE Williams
DAVID CHARAP Jawbone
JON GREGORY Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
PETER LAMBERT The Death of Stalin
JOE MARTIN Us and Them

Best Effects
NICK ALLDER, BEN WHITE The Ritual
LUKE DODD Journeyman
EFFECTS TEAM The Death of Stalin
DAN MARTIN Double Date
CHRIS REYNOLDS Their Finest

Best Make Up & Hair Design
JULENE PATON I Am Not a Witch
JAN SEWELL Breathe
NADIA STACEY Journeyman
NICOLE STAFFORD The Death of Stalin
SIAN WILSON Lady Macbeth

Best Music
CARTER BURWELL Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
FRED FRITH Leaning into the Wind
MATT KELLY I Am Not a Witch
PAUL WELLER Jawbone
CHRISTOPHER WILLIS The Death of Stalin

Best Production Design
JACQUELINE ABRAHAMS Lady Macbeth
CRISTINA CASALI The Death of Stalin
JAMES MERIFIELD Final Portrait
NATHAN PARKER I Am Not a Witch
EVE STEWART Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool

Best Sound
ANNA BERTMARK God’s Own Country
MAIKEN HANSEN I Am Not a Witch
ANDY SHELLEY, STEVE GRIFFITHS Jawbone
JOAKIM SUNDSTRÖM Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
SOUND TEAM Breathe
 

And the winners:

British Independent Film Awards: ‘God’s Own Country’ Takes Top Honor – Full List
http://deadline.com/2017/12/british-independent-film-awards-2017-winners-full-list-1202223838/


BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
God’s Own Country, Francis Lee, Jack Tarling, Manon Ardisson

BEST DIRECTOR
Rungano Nyoni, I Am Not A Witch

BEST ACTOR
Josh O’Connor, God’s Own Country

BEST ACTRESS
Florence Pugh, Lady Macbeth

BEST SCREENPLAY
Alice Birch, Lady Macbeth

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Clarkson, The Party

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Simon Russell Beale, The Death Of Stalin

DEBUT SCREENWRITER
Francis Lee, God’s Own Country

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD (BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR)
Rungano Nyoni, I Am Not A Witch

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Almost Heaven, dir: Carol Salter

BREAKTHROUGH PRODUCER
Emily Morgan, I Am Not A Witch

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM
Get Out, dir: Jordan Peele

BEST BRITISH SHORT FILM
Fish Story

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Naomi Ackie, Lady Macbeth

THE DISCOVERY AWARD
In Another Life, Jason Wingard, Hannah Stevenson, Rebecca Clare Evans, Chris Bouckley

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ari Wegner, Lady Macbeth

BEST CASTING
Sarah Crowe, The Death Of Stalin

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Holly Waddington, Lady Macbeth

BEST EDITING
Jon Gregory, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

BEST EFFECTS
Nick Allder, Ben White, The Ritual

BEST MUSIC
Carter Burwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

BEST MAKE UP & HAIR DESIGN
Nicole Stafford, The Death of Stalin

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Cristina Casali, The Death of Stalin

BEST SOUND
Anna Bertmark, God’s Own Country

 

[cocotaffy]

I looked for ticket at our nearest theatre and one seat was available on 12/15 at 6 pm but my ipad was not showing the full screen. So I couldn't buy it. I may still be able to get one.

Bought my ticket for the 8 pm show on Dec. 15. YAY!

I bought our tickets for this Sunday in 4DX as a christmas advent calendar gift for my kids but it seems my husband might even be more excited

 

[Buzz]

Depending on who you believe Star Wars: The Last Jedi could make anything from 425m to 440m worldwide in it's opening weekend. And I have had my tickets for weeks!

 

[Vash01]

Depending on who you believe Star Wars: The Last Jedi could make anything from 425m to 440m worldwide in it's opening weekend. And I have had my tickets for weeks!

The review headline on CNN was not encouraging but I don't care. I am going to see it on Dec. 15th. I was lucky to get a ticket this late.

 

[Jay42]

My brother and I are going to The Last Jedi on Saturday. We've had the tickets since the beginning of November.

 

[PeterG]

Trailers For Movies Released 2017-12-15th
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipRcGn8p68LaKjSZbTB05oj9


Dec. 15th - Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Wide) – Sci-fi adventure with Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher

Dec. 15th – Ferdinand (Wide) – Animated comedy with John Cena, David Tennant, Anthony Anderson, Gabriel Iglesias, Kate McKinnon, Gina Rodriguez and Bobby Cannavale

Dec. 15th - The Ballad of Lefty Brown (Limited) – Western with Bill Pullman, Peter Fonda, Kathy Baker and Jim Caviezel

Dec. 15th - Permanent (Limited) – Comedy with Patricia Arquette and Rainn Wilson

Dec. 15th - Beyond Skyline (Limited) -Sci-fi action with a new cast & Frank Grillo. From imdb.com: “A tough-as-nails detective embarks on a relentless pursuit to free his son from a nightmarish alien warship.”

Dec. 15th – Hedgehogs (Limited) – Chinese animation. From imdb.com: “The prideful and arrogant Bobby is the strongest hedgehog as well as the exception and rebellion in the whole hedgehog tribe. However, During his fight with "Tie Tui", he accidently gets hurt, loses his memory and starts his mysterious journey.”

Dec. 13th - Miss Kiet’s Children (Limited) – Documentary from the Netherlands. From imdb.com: “Immigrant children have to find their way in a new classroom, with a new teacher and a language they don't understand. An ode to the teacher every child deserves.”

Dec. 12th - Apache Warrior (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Apache Warrior is a feature film made with 100% unprecedented real footage, actual attack pilot gun tapes, multiple cameras and interviews. This film takes the audience into the cockpit of a squadron of Apache Attack Helicopters during the opening salvo of what would be one of the largest invasions in US and World History.”

Dec. 15th – The Thousand Faces of Dunjia (Limited) – Chinese action fantasy. From imdb.com: “A group if misfit fighters with supernatural abilities battles an ancient evil bent on destroying mankind, and they are the only thing protecting us.”

Dec. 15th - Birdboy: The Forgotten Children (Limited) – French animated horror drama. From imdb.com: “…an obscure, disturbing and dismal story about Dinki and her friends and school partners Sandra and Zorrito, three children who live in an isolated island in the middle of the sea, ruined after a disaster in the nuclear power plant that devastated the most part of the island.”

 

[lmarie086]

Was able to get a ticket for Star Wars for tomorrow night!! I can't believe it's almost here, at last.

 

[watchthis!!]

I saw Murder On The Orient Express on the weekend and found it to be much better than I expected. It seems like most mentions of it gave it a lukewarm rating, so I was happy to be able to enjoy such a great movie. For some reason I wasn't wanting to be rooting for Kenneth Branagh as either a director or an actor in this, but I think he did really well with both. Maybe more successful as director rather than for his performance because I felt the movie overall was very strong, rather than any particular aspect of it standing out more than any other part. Branagh's performance as Poirot was more enjoyable than others I have seen because I found them too cartoony. As for the rest of the cast, I think Penelope Cruz was very strong. Quite an understated performance, but with a boiling intensity within her that made me wonder if that could burst into something explosive at some moment. Plus the actor who played the main staff person on the train - the one who helps get Poirot onto a sold-out train at the beginning of the movie. I thought he was really strong and then his character just faded into the background for the last half of the movie. That actor is very handsome as well, I'll have to check later to see who he is and what he's done. Lastly, the cinematography was really picturesque. Unfortunately most of the movie takes place inside the train, but luckily Branagh as director takes the action outside as much as he possibly can, so we get to see some beautifully shot scenery.

My friend rated this a movie 8.5 out of 10 and I gave it a 9 out of 10.

 

[Buzz]

Marvel's Avengers Infinity War trailer on YouTube now has over 100m views! :One of the most viewed movie trailers on YouTube of all time.

 

[Sylvia]

2017 selections to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress (press release): https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-17-178/

Selected for their cultural, historic and/or aesthetic importance, these 25 motion pictures range from an early film of the New York subway in 1905 and the musical biopic “La Bamba” to the holiday action thriller “Die Hard” and “The Goonies,” the adventure tale of a band of misfits.
...
Spanning the period 1905 to 2000, the films named to this year’s registry include Hollywood blockbusters, documentaries, silent movies, animation, shorts and independent and home movies. The 2017 selections bring the number of films in the registry to 725, which is a small fraction of the Library’s vast moving-image collection of 1.3 million items.

 

[Buzz]

It's official: Disney has purchased FOX movie business for $52.4bn. I am very happy they got the X-Men back but that price still sounds too high to me.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42353545

 

[cocotaffy]

I watched Victoria and Abdul. I didn't expect much but it felt flat. I like Dame Dench but she basically plays a grumpy old woman. There are some sweet moments but the portrayal of both the Brits and the Indians was rather cliché. I understand I shouldn't judge with my 21th century eyes but it still felt very one dimensional. Maybe spending a bit more time on Abdul's back story would have brought some layers to the film.

 

[Parsley Sage]

I saw Coco last week and I think I bawled for the last 10 minutes of the film.

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

It's official: Disney has purchased FOX movie business for $52.4bn. I am very happy they got the X-Men back but that price still sounds too high to me.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42353545

So the linked article answered the central question of the deal for me - Disney now has full control of all Star Wars films, including A New Hope, with this purchase.

 

[skatingguy]

So The Simpson's will now be seen walking around Disney Land? Weird

 

[watchthis!!]

‘Sweet Country,’ ‘Newton’ Share Top Honors at Asia Pacific Screen Awards
http://variety.com/2017/film/asia/sweet-country-newton-asia-pacific-screen-awards-1202622335/

Sweet Country is a historical action drama that stars Bryan Brown and Sam Neill. Didn't really look into any other movies other than The Seen and Unseen, which doesn't even have a cast list at imdb.com. If anybody knows anything about the other movies that won awards, please let us know.

The winners:

BEST FEATURE FILM
“Sweet Country” (Australia) Produced by Greer Simpkin, David Jowsey. Dir. Warwick Thornton

BEST YOUTH FEATURE FILM
“The Seen and Unseen” (“Sekala Niskala”) (Indonesia, Netherlands, Australia, Qatar) Dir. Kamila Andini

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
“Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming” (Canada) Dir. / prod. Ann Marie Fleming

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
Winner: “Last Men in Aleppo” (Syria, Denmark, Germany) Dir. Feras Fayyad
Special mention: “Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web” (New Zealand) Dir: Annie Goldson.

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Andrey Zvyagintsev for “Loveless” (“Nelyubov”) (Russia, Belgium, France, Germany)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Mayank Tewari, Amit V. Masurkar for “Newton” (India)

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Pyotr Dukhovskoy, Timofey Lobov for “The Bottomless Bag” (“Meshok Bez Dna”) (Russia)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
Nata Murvanidze for “Scary Mother” (“Sashishi Deda”) (Georgia, Estonia)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Winner: Rajkummar Rao for “Newton” (India)
Special mention: Navid Mohammadzadeh for “No Date, No Signature” (“Bedoune Tarikh, Bedoune Emza”) (Iran)

CULTURAL DIVERSITY AWARD UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF UNESCO
Winner: “Dede” (Georgia, Croatia, Netherlands, Qatar, U.K.) Dir. Mariam Khatchvani.
Special Mention: “Lady of the Lake” (“Loktak Lairembee”) (India) Dir. Haobam Paban Kumar

FIAPF AWARD
Bianca Balbuena (Philippines)
Determined by FIAPF–International Federation of Film Producers Associations for outstanding achievement in film in the Asia Pacific region.

YOUNG CINEMA AWARD
Ilgar Najaf for “Pomegranate Orchard” (“Nar Bagi”) (Azerbaijan)
Awarded by the NETPAC Jury, the Young Cinema Award presented by Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) and Griffith Film School, recognizes the abundant emerging talent of the Asia Pacific.

ARTISTIC ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Abbas Kiarostami for “24 Frames” (Iran, France)
The APSA 2017 International Nominations Council commends Abbas Kiarostami with a special artistic acknowledgement, and the APSA Academy confers posthumous Academy membership on him.

 

[Buzz]

Just saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi and LOVED it!!! The movie does have it's problems but overall it was fantastic and a 9 out of 10!

 

[smurfy]

Just saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi and LOVED it!!! The movie does have it's problems but overall it was fantastic and a 9 out of 10!

I just saw it too. Agree with this!
I have never gone the first night for a movie like this, good crowd, and it added to the enjoyment.

 

[PeterG]

Just saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi and LOVED it!!! The movie does have it's problems but overall it was fantastic and a 9 out of 10!

Because of this new movie, have you now become a fan of Star Wars?

 

[Buzz]

I have been a Star Wars fan since a kid!

 

[Aussie Willy]

I saw it tonight as well. Really enjoyed it. I agree it wasn't perfect but they did a good job. I did like how it didn't appear too CGI and had the same feel as the previous movie.

 

[lmarie086]

I'm disappointed to say that I didn't love The Last Jedi. There was a lot that I was intrigued by, and I like that Rian Johnson challenged what we thought we knew about the overall universe in these movies...but I don't think it was all done as well as it could have been. Lots of mixed feelings for me. :/
I'm going to see it again, though. Hopefully a second viewing will help me appreciate it more.

 

[Vash01]

I am going to see it tonight. Just 11 hours to go.

 

[Vash01]

In the theatre now. They were still cleaning after the last show. About 30 minutes before the previews begin. Some fans in costumes - Robes and light sabers. Some just wearing Star Wars T-shirts.

 

[Vash01]

There was so much excitement in the theatre before The last Jedi started! It was gone by the time the movie ended. I remember that when The force awakens ended, the audience applauded. There was no applause this time. I did shed a tear when I saw 'In loving memory if our princess Carrie Fisher' at the end.

I have never been bored in a Star Wars movie until tonight. I had looked forward to this so much, and it was a big disappointment. The story is a mess and the special effects were killing the movie. I had to sort through them to try to understand the story. The story gets jerked around. Loud music, jarring special effects (they were actually very good), and seemingly unending fights, created sensory overload. The very first fight/ battle was too long.

From time to time the dialogue drew laughter from the audience but I didn't find it funny at all (I am sure someone will tell me here that I have no sense of humor). IMO The humor was misplaced. In TFA the humor was forced at times, but the movie and the story were interesting. In Episode 8 I am trying to find the positives. I thought the director did a terrible job, or may be the screenplay was awful. Daisy Ridley was very good as Rey, and some of the scenes were wonderful. It was nice to see Carrie Fisher on the screen one last time.

I came out disappointed and confused. I may have to see it again to fully understand it but right now I have no appetite for it. I loved The force awakens. I even liked Rogue One. I couldn't wait for The last Jedi to end.

JMO of course. Sorry if I offended those who loved it.