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

[manhn]

I liked the first, fine. I didn't like the second. But there are are many films worse than the 50 Shades series. The first, in particular, has some prominent qualities.

 

[Vash01]

I liked the first, fine. I didn't like the second. But there are are many films worse than the 50 Shades series. The first, in particular, has some prominent qualities.

Do you think I will need to see the first two, to understand the third? Does the story continue or are they all independent?

 

[cygnus]

Do you think I will need to see the first two, to understand the third? Does the story continue or are they all independent?

It's a continuing story- I would think you need to see the whole series to "get it". The third isn't even out yet- not until February next year.

 

[manhn]

You have to care about the central couple. I think you would need to see the first two films. Plot wise, there is no need since there's really no plot to follow.

 

[smurfy]

Interesting discussion about The Last Jedi.
I rarely see movies again so soon, but have with TFA and Rogue One and will with The Last Jedi.
Amusing that so many of us will watch more than once in a short period of time - regardless of how much we like it.
Once on the train, you can not get off.

I have read lots of articles on line - it is fascinating to me all the angles and theories and what people see.
Seeing the movie then reading/discussing is part of the whole thing!

I have watched the Star War movies in the order they were released over the years and not paid much attention to the expanded universe.
Has anyone watched the movies in episode number order for the first viewing? A few things lose their impact - like 'Luke I am your father'. And I would think the technology difference would be noticeable between episodes 3 and 4.
The first triology is not the best, but some of the technical stuff is pretty impressive -especially the end of episode 3.

 

[Buzz]

I've already seen The Last Jedi twice and plan to see it again soon. And yes I saw all the movies in the order they came out including A New Hope.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Trailer for Ocean's 8 has been released. At the bottom of this article about it which talks about the rude and derogatory comments about it being a women's movie.

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/cel...why-we-need-it-right-now-20171219-h07mwd.html

Having had a look at the trailer, I think it looks interesting, might be good and has a good cast. Will give it a go.

 

[cocotaffy]

I watched the documentary Icarus which deals with doping and the cover-up in Russia. It's a very illuminating story which is very relevant with the recent banning of Russia to participate to the Pyeongchang Olympics. The documentary set-up by Bryan Fogel was quite surprising to me and then the story took a complete different turn a la Edward Snowden. Watching it, I just felt bad for all those athletes and their health. Are we spectators part of this pushing the records always to new heights come what may type system ? Would we not watch sports if records were rarely broken ? Is it just the innate need of humankind to always want to go higher and faster ? One thing is certain is big money and the media coverage are a big part of it.

 

[MacMadame]

I don't think the Russians were motivated by wanting to break records. They wanted their athletes to win / beat other athletes. If they did that without breaking records, they'd be fine. They think winning lots of athletic competitions is a way to show their country and way of life is superior.

 

[Buzz]

Star Wars: The Last Jedi's Rotten Tomates audience score may have been manipulated by fake bots.
http://comicbook.com/starwars/2017/...rotten-tomatoes-audience-score-impacted-by-f/

 

[watchthis!!]

I watched The Intern the other day. I was surprised by how old-fashioned it was. It seemed like a modern-day continuation of movies from the 40s and 50s about sweet people in their sweet day-to-day lives. Not that they don't have problems, but if more people on the planet were living lives like these people, we'd be in much better shape than we are right now. The movie is challenging at all really, but if you need some comfort food with zero calories, this is it. Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway are...sweet (as I've said, but it's too apt to not repeat it), but are not challenged with their roles in any way. Not that that's a bad thing. Maybe they wanted some variety from the more heavy roles they've had in the past and this definitely would have given them that. The supporting cast don't have a lot to do, but they're all very capable with their smaller roles. It's basically a two-person story with DeNiro and Hathaway happily taken mucho screen time. They're nice together. Great movie to watch if you're at home with a cold and have had some tea with honey and some chicken noodle soup and need some company for the afternoon until you're ready for some naptime.

 

[Vash01]

I had been looking forward to seeing Lady Bird, and I finally saw it today. I was so disappointed. I do not get the 99% Rotten Tomatoes score or all the award nominations. I generally like Laurie Metcalf and Saoirse Ronan, but I didn't like the script and directing, so I wasn't blow away by their acting either. It just seemed like a meandering and shifting, boring blah movie. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't good, either. I felt bad that I convinced my friend to go. I told her she could pick the next movie. As coming of age movies go, I thought last year's "Edge of Seventeen" was much, much better.

I was not blown away by Lady Bird either. I thought it was just ok. Ronan was very good, as usual, but there really wasn't much to the story. Just another teenager story.

 

[jl22aries]

I LOVED Ladybird. From the first minute to the last. I enjoyed a visceral feeling of warmth as I watched, like a hug. Does that make sense? I think the story is wonderful, but I tend towards stories about complex women and complex relationships between women. While the coming of age experience of Ronan's character didn't mirror mine exactly (of course), there were so many moments in the movie that resonated so authentically, it shot straight to my heart. Moments between mother and daughter, displays of that teenage theatre of contradictions - feeling so angry and also so excited at the same time, much much more.

I also belly laughed, a lot. And cried.

 

[VGThuy]

I LOVED Ladybird. From the first minute to the last. I enjoyed a visceral feeling of warmth as I watched, like a hug. Does that make sense? I think the story is wonderful, but I tend towards stories about complex women and complex relationships between women. While the coming of age experience of Ronan's character didn't mirror mine exactly (of course), there were so many moments in the movie that resonated so authentically, it shot straight to my heart. Moments between mother and daughter, displays of that teenage theatre of contradictions - feeling so angry and also so excited at the same time, much much more.

I also belly laughed, a lot. And cried.

I'm totally with you on that. I believe it'll probably be a movie that resonates with me the most and is a lot more authentic than most stories that cover this well-worn ground. I think the most amazing thing about this movie is that it does not pretend to be anything it isn't. It's just a well-told, well-directed, and well-acted story that shows that there always new things to discover even if you think everything has been covered on a topic as long as you tell it in an honest, personal way. I'm glad Gerwig is getting recognized for her seamless directing here. I look forward to seeing more from her.

It kind of gave me a similar feeling that 20th Century Women gave me, except this was a much warmer film. Someone mentioned that if this movie was winning awards, then it must be a weak year, but I honestly felt this movie was better than most movies I've watched in the past 10 years. I thought this movie had a specific audience but surprisingly a few of my male friends and my husband (who usually loves super hero movies and action movies) loved it.

 

[jl22aries]

@VIETgrlTerifa YES! Yes Yes!

Also, I haven't seen 20th Century Women so thank you for the recommendation.

 

[Japanfan]

@VIETgrlTerifa YES! Yes Yes!

Also, I haven't seen 20th Century Women so thank you for the recommendation.

I saw that about a year ago, and TBH I don't remember anything about it except being a bit disappointed in it. But I adore Annette Bening and her being in a movie is reason enough for me to see it.

 

[VGThuy]

I saw that about a year ago, and TBH I don't remember anything about it except being a bit disappointed in it. But I adore Annette Bening and her being in a movie is reason enough for me to see it.

I loved her line delivery of "and what's Black Flag?" with Gerwig's character seriously and unironically explaining the punk band fandom's rivalries. It all sounded very V/M v. P/C.

 

[PeterG]

Trailers For Movies Released 2017-12-22nd
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipQiv9ssF1wEdoZ5DWUvRWnx

Some surprises this week. The trailer for The Greatest Showman makes the movie look more interesting than the TV spots that have been playing. And on the flip side, I expected to have Hostiles on my To See list, with that cast in a western. But the poor trailer made me de-select it for future viewing (which could change if y'all see it and recommend it!). It was a surpise to see a Will Smith/Joel Edgerton buddy cop possibly skipping theatres and going straight to Netflix. Has Will Smith's career fallen that quickly? Or is this one just a real stinker? A non-surpise was to see Al Pacino in a copy drama - tell me...just WHO was wanting this?? And lastly, can't wait to see Crooked House. Even with a so-so trailer, I'm happy that there's a renewed interest in Agatha Christie in the movie world. And what a cast! I'll just die if Glenn Close and Gillian Anderson have multiple scenes together!!


Dec. 22nd - Pitch Perfect 3 (Wide) – Musical comedy with Anna Kendrick, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld, Anna Kendrick and John Lithgow

Dec. 20th - Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Wide) – Adventure comedy with Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Bobby Cannavale and Nick Jonas

Dec. 22nd – Downsizing (Wide) - Sci-fi comedy drama with Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, Alec Baldwin, Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Sudeikis

Dec. 22nd – Father Figures aka Bastards (Wide) - Comedy with Owen Wilson, Ed Helms, J. K. Simmons, Terry Bradshaw, Ving Rhames, Retta, June Squibb and Glenn Close

Dec. 22nd – The Post aka The Papers (Limited, opens wide January 12th) - Drama with Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Bruce Greenwood, Bob Odenkirk, Alison Brie and Sarah Paulson

Dec. 25th - The Greatest Showman (Wide) - Musical drama with Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams and Zendaya

Dec. 22nd - Hostiles (Limited, opens wide January 19th) – Western adventure drama with Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, West Studi, Timothée Chalamet [Call Me By Your Name], Adam Beach and Ben Foster

Dec. 22nd - Bright (Limited) – Action fantasy with Will Smith, Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace and Jay Hernandez

Dec. 22nd - Crooked House (Limited) – Mystery crime drama with Christina Hendricks, Gillian Anderson, Max Irons, Terence Stamp, Julian Sands and Glenn Close

Dec. 22nd - Hangman (Limited) – Thriller with Al Pacino, Karl Urban and Brittany Snow

Dec. 22nd - Happy End (Limited) – French drama with Isabelle Huppert. From imdb.com: “A drama about a family set in Calais with the European refugee crisis as the backdrop.”

Dec. 22nd - Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds (Limited) – Chinese fantasy drama. From imdb.com: “Having died unexpectedly, firefighter Ja-hong is taken to the afterlife by 3 afterlife guardians. Only when he passes 7 trials over 49 days and proves he was innocent in human life, he's able to reincarnate, and his 3 afterlife guardians are by his side to defend him in trial.”

 

[Allskate]

I LOVED Ladybird. From the first minute to the last. I enjoyed a visceral feeling of warmth as I watched, like a hug. Does that make sense? I think the story is wonderful, but I tend towards stories about complex women and complex relationships between women. While the coming of age experience of Ronan's character didn't mirror mine exactly (of course), there were so many moments in the movie that resonated so authentically, it shot straight to my heart. Moments between mother and daughter, displays of that teenage theatre of contradictions - feeling so angry and also so excited at the same time, much much more.

I think we saw two different movies. It did not seem like a hug to me at all. A feeling of warmth is definitely not what I got. But, I didn't think that it was supposed to give me a sense of warmth, so that didn't bother me at all. This is a movie that should have resonated with me, but it did not seem authentic to me. And it seemed to oversimplify complex issues. It almost seemed like they gratuitously threw in common issues without really exploring them. The gay Catholic. Mental health. There seemed like no nuance to me. It just didn't draw me in. The movie jumped and meandered and had me looking at my watch. I'm glad you loved it, though.

 

[manhn]

I quite liked 20th Century Women. I especially loved Gerwig in it, better than all of the supporting actress nominees last year. The movie kinda ends poorly but otherwise, a terrific movie.

 

[VGThuy]

I think I'm on some sort of kick because I've been doing a list of my personal picks for Best Film, Director, Actress/Actor, etc. out of the films I've seen (and thus I can amend my lists when I watch more films from a particular year) since I was a teenager and I'm starting to notice a theme for the last few choices I've made. I noticed that my picks tend to be movies about female growth in the last few years. Maybe I need to challenge my tastes a bit and open myself up to more masculine or male-oriented films.

On another note, I think I really like movies that don't resolve everything but leave it up to the viewer to fill in the blanks. I think I grew up on and have been watching a lot of Asian slice-of-life type of series/films and they tend to go into issues that hit the characters in a plausible way but aren't afraid to leave things unresolved. Rather, the writers/directors trust that they develop the characters in a way were the audience can infer how those unresolved threads may affect the characters moving forward after the story ends or just accept that some things will just always be left outside the power of the main story/character.

 

[jl22aries]

I saw that about a year ago, and TBH I don't remember anything about it except being a bit disappointed in it. But I adore Annette Bening and her being in a movie is reason enough for me to see it.

Are you excited about Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool?!

 

[Jay42]

@PeterG Bright was made by Netflix, the limited theatre release is probably so they can do an awards campaign since in order to be eligible for the Oscars a movie has to show in a theatre in LA before the end of the year. But it is a Netflix production. I'm pretty stoked for it personally, it looks like my kind of weird sci-fi. I won't have time to watch it until after Christmas because of my work schedule and Doctor Who though.

Jumanji and Pitch Perfect 3 are why my brother and I might not be able to go to TLJ again in theatre. PP3 for me and Jumanji for both of us. Normally a Dwayne Johnson movie wouldn't be something my brother and I would see in theatre but Karen Gillan from seasons 5-7 of Doctor Who got cast as the female lead and we're both fans of hers. Plus the movie looks properly funny.

I will flat out admit that as much as I like the first 2 Pitch Perfect movies my expectations for the 3rd are super low. It's like the least necessary trilogy ever. But it's there and I will watch it because I can't leave a story uncompleted. Seriously, my need to know what happens next carried me through 2 Hobbit movies I only sort of wanted to see and several seasons of The Big Bang Theory. But I like most of the actresses from Pitch Perfect and it'll probably be amusing enough to distract me from how insanely brutal this Christmas season has been work-wise.

 

[Aussie Willy]

@VIETgrlTerifa YES! Yes Yes!

Also, I haven't seen 20th Century Women so thank you for the recommendation.

I saw it as well and quite enjoyed it.

 

[mrr50]

Saw The Bronze on DVD. Seriously wish I had not bought this unpleasant movie for $3. The plot concerns a badly injured gymnast(Melissa Rauch) who managed to win a bronze at an Olympics by sticking a landing while injured. Ten years later she is a nasty, vindictive *itch with no redeeming features.

It is suppose to be a comedy. She does have some redemption. BUT it is vulgar(I am old and am known for having a bit of a potty mouth)within the first two minutes and goes downhill from there. Oh, there is a nude sex/gymastic scene which is suppose to be funny.

The only interesting feature is hearing Melissa Rauch's voice(she is Bernadette on Big Bang Theory).

 

[Vash01]

I quite liked 20th Century Women. I especially loved Gerwig in it, better than all of the supporting actress nominees last year. The movie kinda ends poorly but otherwise, a terrific movie.

I had seen this in a theater but I was disappointed. Annette Bening was good as usual but I didn't like the movie (story, screenplay). So it's not surprising hthat I didn't care for a Lady Bird either. It was just ok, IMO. Couldn't understand the rave reviews.

 

[Vash01]

On my must see list:

The Post- have to wait till Jan. 12
The darkest hour
Shape of water
Molly's game
All the foreign language films nominated for GG and the Oscars

Would like to see-

The greatest showman
Call me by your name
Disaster artist
Florida project
Thor Ragnarok
Happy end

I am sure these lists will grow very soon.

 

[watchthis!!]

DC's Shazam movie casts a fan-favourite Walking Dead star
http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/shazam/news/a845889/shazam-movie-casts-walking-dead-star-cooper-andrews/

Cooper Andrews — aka Jerry, Ezekiel's right-hand man and the muscle of The Kingdom — is the latest to join the cast of Lights Out director David F Sandberg's Shazam movie, according to Deadline.

The 32-year-old has been cast as the leader of a children's group home and surrogate father to young Billy Batson (Asher Angel), the boy able to transform himself into the adult superhero Shazam (Zachary Levi).

Shazam! isn't set to hit theatres until 2019. Alongside Zachary Levi, Mark Strong is rumoured to be cast as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana. The entry at imdb.com looks somewhat "in process", so I'm wondering if a lot more famous people will be cast in the future.

 

[cocotaffy]

Watched Restless Creature Wendy Whelan, very moving documentary about the end of her career and how hard it is for her to cope with the idea of not being part of a company, not being able to dance to the fullest because her body has started to give up on her. I'm always so impressed with the passion and dedication of ballet dancers to their art. They're such amazing athletes, what they can achieve with their bodies is for me above anything else.

 

[VGThuy]

So I just got back from seeing Downsizing. I know a lot of critics were mixed about it (though it seems a lot of the top critics loved it) and it only has like a 53% on Rotten Tomatoes. But I really liked it and I think a lot of the mixed-to-negative reactions were more due to it being ambitious and tackling on a lot of themes rather than sticking with one or even two. However, I really enjoyed that aspect of this film because I felt like it really touched upon a lot of things that resonated with me which I will explain a bit further. Because it tackled on a lot of things, I'm still stewing over it. My review below is LONG and full of spoilers so read at your own risk.

Spoiler

I have to say this is one of Alexander Payne's more successful ventures. I liked it a whole lot more than Nebraska, About Schmidt, and Sideways (which I thought was overrated though I recognized the qualities that people loved). It may not be on the level of Election or The Descendants, and it certainly isn't the most entertaining film, but I think it gave me more to think about.

This movie certainly tackles on a lot of things. Financial struggles in the beginning, the monotony of every day living, leaving everything behind, experiencing a new world alone, finding out the new world isn't really what it's cracked up to be...not that it's bad but it's just like everywhere else, inequality existing anyway, new political issues when introduced with a new population, ignored environmental issues that come back to bite, deciding whether to stay or hide, having a passion reignited, falling in love, creating something for peace but having it be used as a weapon, etc.

Matt Damon is very good in his role. I felt his character's meandering existence after the big shock of his wife (Kristen Wiig) deciding not to downsize at the last minute. This leaves him living in a whole new existence all alone. I felt his desperation to get out of the cycle of the blah existence he was living (some call it blah, some say get over it it's just life) and how downsizing offered him this great opportunity to restart and go on an adventure. Leisure Land sounds way too good to be true. His $150,000.00+ in equity translates to about over 12 million when downsized. He can live in a huge house. What's not to love? Downsizing also provides a superficial feeling that you're doing something great for the planet as people keep reinforcing. I thought the movie succeeded in making us believe that Matt Damon's character would be all in.

I really enjoyed how the movie portrayed his lost year after he's forced to live this new existence alone and ends up getting divorced. Leisure Land is just sort of there. Sure it's nice to have millions, but if everyone else you associate with also lives that life, it's nothing special. It beats starving sure, but humans have a way of never being satisfied once they reach a level of comfort. However, we soon discover that class, income inequality, and racial divides certainly do exist.

His turnaround once he meets Ngoc Lan (Hong Chau) has been seen by some as her teaching him and giving him a real new goal in life in helping those who aren't living the good life in Leisure Land. However, I did not see it that way. We've seen that his character was always a giving person who served the caretaker role, first to his mom and then to his wife. I think what Ngoc Lan exposed to him was that there are many people in need of dire help in Leisure Land and it reignited what already existed in him. She did get him out of his self-pitying existence.

This segues into another theme of Downsizing in that, maybe it was from my perspective and how I see the world, Matt Damon goes through a similar experience that many immigrants go through. He's in a new land, taken out of everything he was once familiar with, living a pretty isolated life, feels distant with his new community. I think the pre-Downsized scenes that showcased how downsizing became used as a tool that dictators and authoritative governments and other oppressors used to control dissidents and how some "normal sized" people started hating on those who chose to downsize because they end up being "scourges" of society by not paying into the economy, many of them not paying income taxes, and are seen as 1/10 of a human, etc. brings that theme home to me. It also explains why he connected with Ngoc Lan so well.

Now onto the highlight of the film. I hope Hong Chau receives an Oscar nomination for this. She breathed real life into this movie when the movie and Matt Damon was begging for it (intentionally I believe from the filmmaker's part). At first I was worried about Ngoc Lan having a thick accent with broken English. Growing up, me and other American born Asian-Americans worked really hard to distance ourselves from people who spoke like that and were embarrassed by our family members (some of us whose parents spoke that way) who spoke that way. We also know that it's often used for laughs. However, I watched an interview with Hong Chau who says that with all these positive progressive movement to get more Asian representation, she hopes that we don't erase the existence of people like our parents or recent immigrants and that our need to speak in an "acceptable" way comes from our embarrassment. That really made me think about my own feelings about it and I have to agree with her. There are times at first where it does seem the accent is played for laughs, but it doesn't do so maliciously. It's more of a shock to the senses because we go through the whole movie with nobody speaking in broken English because there are hardly any immigrants to be seen until Ngoc Lan exposes them to Matt Damon. Ngoc Lan certainly is a comedic character, but we feel so much affection and realness from her that the comedy isn't derived from her accent or broken English but just her direct, and at times rude, personality. If those who watch the movie still laugh at her accent by the end of the movie, then there is nothing that can be done for those type of people. She was the highlight of the movie for me.

The ending theme of the environment being destroyed by humans and humans finding a solution way too late for anything to be done to stop the extinction was a very heavy theme that I think many critics had issues with. It seemed to be another left turn after Ngoc Lan had already made the movie move in a wholly different direction than what most expected. I didn't find those turns to be bad in this movie. I actually think it made the film more poignant and thoughtful. I don't mind when a movie explores so many themes and doesn't really complete the threads. I think if filmmakers do it in a thoughtful way where they challenge the audience to really fill in the blanks and to interpret the themes and to think about what may lie ahead, then I think a film is successful. If a film fails to do that and only introduces half-baked ideas in a lazy, unthoughtful way, then I'd agree. I don't think this film did that. I think it was intended to be a parable and it certainly was that.

It also led to the film's real message. When Matt Damon at the last minute decides to not to go into the vault with that community who was going to rebuild humanity after the environment destroys humankind and instead lives life with Ngoc Lan in the real world where real people are still living (thriving and suffering and both as all humans do) no matter what may happen to them in the long-term, she essentially tells him that when faced with near certain death, it makes you want to look at things that are closest to you, that you can affect and help directly. I think Matt Damon's Paul realizing that he needed to stop finding this big, almost theoretical big mission in life because what really matters is the direct help you can give people as you are is message we all need to hear. Through that, we can make the most change.