Let's Talk Movies #35 – Sparrows and Panthers and Dinosaurs…Oh My!

[watchthis!!]

I saw Call Me By Your Name on the weekend. I liked it, but wasn't into it as much as I thought I might...it got such raves. Entertaining, but a little slow. Timothee Chalamet seemed to get all the attention, but I liked Armie Hammer's performance better. That's partly because I disliked his character at first, then I liked him through the middle of the movie and then at the end,

Spoiler

I felt sorry for him

. For a performance to make me feel all these different ways over the course of just two hours...to me that is a strong performance.

 

[PeterG]

Waterloo Bridge (1940) stars Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor, I quite liked this one. You'll definitely need some Kleenex as it's a real weeper about how wrong things can go while a man and woman are separated while he is away at war...and in this one, hardship upon hardship is the fate of these two and even their love can't necessarily stand up to what fate has in store for them. This is the first movie Leigh made after Gone With The Wind and according to Wikipedia, it was a favourite of both hers and of Robert Taylor's.

Spoiler

Did you cry at the end? Because Ginger definitely made me cry.

I'm going through my list of movies seen by year, some have been on my list for a while so with this one I just sort of remember the ending. I don't think I reacted the way you did. And I like doing what you did, so I'm surprised the ending didn't seem to affect me the same as you.

 

[Japanfan]

All the Money in the World - It was a huge chore to sit through

I enjoyed it, actually. But, I heart Christopher Plummer.

 

[annie720]

I enjoyed it, actually. But, I heart Christopher Plummer.

Plummer was great! I have a hard time imagining Spacey in that role. My main problem with the movie was probably that it wasn't my choice and I wanted to see something more upbeat at that time.

 

[watchthis!!]

David Tennant is the star of the crime thriller Bad Samaritan which came out earlier this year. I thought it was really good, lots of chills and thrills with the action continually moving on to a new part of the story. All the cast were good, so watch this with some friends and some snacks and have a good time!

Trailer for Bad Samaritan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef4bYRfwgQ0

 

[PeterG]

Trailers For Movies Released 2018-10-19th
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipQaftZ2oTWEAnF747BiONIW


Oct. 19th - Halloween (Wide) – Horror thriller with Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer and Will Patton

Oct. 19th - Serenity (Wide) – Thriller with Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Diane Lane, Djimon Hounsou and Jason Clarke

Oct. 19th - Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Limited) – Comedy drama with Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant and Jane Curtin

Oct. 19th - Sharkwater Extinction – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Discovering that sharks are being hunted to extinction, and with them the destruction of our life support system - activist and filmmaker Rob Stewart embarks on a dangerous quest to stop the slaughter.”

Oct. 19th - What They Had (Limited) – Drama with Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Blythe Danner, Robert Forster, Taissa Farmiga and Josh Lucas

Oct. 19th - Galveston (Limited) – Action crime drama with Elle Fanning, Ben Foster, Lili Reinhart [Riverdale] and Beau Bridges

Oct. 19th - American Deep State (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “For the first time in History, American People See the Possibility That Elected U.S Governments Must Follow The Rules Set By Washington Bureaucratic Institutions.”
…no trailer at youtube…

Oct. 19th - An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn (Limited) – Comedy with Aubrey Plaza, Jemaine Clement, Emile Hirsch and Craig Robinson

Oct. 19th - Wildlife (Limited) – Drama with Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan

Oct. 19th - Cuba (Limited – IMAX) – Documentary. From Denver.org: “Experience a land of spectacular beauty that's home to people renowned for their passion in the film Cuba. The island nation is preserved in time yet poised on the cusp of dramatic change.”
…no trailer at youtube…

Oct. 19th - Mid90s (Limited) – Comedy drama with Lucas Hedges and Katherine Waterston [Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them]

Oct. 19th - The Advocates (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “…a sweeping look at the history and causes of Los Angeles current homeless crisis and an intimate view of the tireless work of advocates who strive to create better lives for their homeless clients.”

Oct. 19th - The Super (Limited) – Thriller with Patrick Val Kilmer and John Flueger [Chicago P.D.]

Oct. 19th - TVTV: Video Revolutionaries (Limited – New York) – Documentary. From kanopy.com: “…about Top Value Television (TVTV), a band of merry video makers who, from 1972 to 1977, took the then brand-new portable video camera and went out to document the world.”
…no trailer at youtube…

Oct. 19th - Reach (Limited) – Comedy drama with Corbin Bernsen and Garrett Clayton [Hairspray Live!]

Oct. 19th - Transformer (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “…former US Marine and world record weightlifter Matt "Kroc" Kroczaleski was publicly outed as being transgender. The reaction was universal: her sponsors abandoned her, she was disowned by her parents, banned from competing, and she changed her name to "Janae". This film follows Janae as she attempts to find her place in society.”

Oct. 19th - Change in the Air (Limited) – Drama with Rachel Brosnahan [The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel], Olympia Dukakis, Aidan Quinn, Mary Beth Hurt, Macy Gray, Seth Gilliam [The Walking Dead] and M. Emmet Walsh

Oct. 19th - The Lost Village (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “In Greenwich Village there is Debt Slavery and prostitution at NYU due to high tuition and fees for students. NYU and other Land Lords are changing the character of the Bohemian Village due to outrageous rents and pass along real estate taxes.”

Oct. 19th - Brampton’s Own (Limited) – Drama with Rose McIver [iZombie], Jean Smart and Scott Porter [Friday Night Lights]

Oct. 19th - On Her Shoulders (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Nadia Murad, a 23-year-old Yazidi, survived genocide and sexual slavery committed by ISIS. Repeating her story to the world, this ordinary girl finds herself thrust onto the international stage as the voice of her people.”

Oct. 19th - Viral Beauty (Limited) – Romantic comedy with a new cast & Perez Hilton. From imdb.com: “She wanted a date. She got a million subscribers instead.”

Oct. 19th - Caniba (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “…a film that reflects on the discomforting significance of cannibalistic desire in human existence through the prism of one Japanese man, Issei Sagawa, and his mysterious relationship with his brother, Jun Sagawa.”

Oct. 19th - The Guilty (Limited) – Danish crime drama thriller. From imdb.com: “A police officer assigned alarm dispatch duty enters a race against time when he answers an emergency call from a kidnapped woman.”

 

[Aussie Willy]

I just got home from seeing a fundraising session of "A Star is Born". Really enjoyed it. Cooper was sensational in it and is my Oscar pick for next year. Lady Gaga was also very good. I thought the chemistry was believable and it worked.

 

[skatesindreams]

Waterloo Bridge (1940) stars Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor, I quite liked this one. You'll definitely need some Kleenex as it's a real weeper about how wrong things can go while a man and woman are separated while he is away at war...and in this one, hardship upon hardship is the fate of these two and even their love can't necessarily stand up to what fate has in store for them. This is the first movie Leigh made after Gone With The Wind and according to Wikipedia, it was a favourite of both hers and of Robert Taylor's.

It's also a favorite of mine.
Without the great skill and appeal of Leigh and Taylor, it wouldn't be so affecting.

 

[VGThuy]

Gotham Awards Announced their nominees:

https://www.indiewire.com/2018/10/2018-gotham-awards-nominations-1202012918/

The 28th IFP Gotham Awards will take place Monday, November 26 in New York City.

Best Feature
“First Reformed”
“The Favorite”
“Madeline’s Madeline”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“The Rider”

Best Documentary
“Bisbee ‘17”
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening”
“Minding the Gap”
“Shirkers”
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
Bo Burnham, “Eighth Grade”
Ari Aster, “Hereditary”
Boots Riley, “Sorry to Bother You”
Crystal Moselle, “Skate Kitchen”
Jennifer Fox, “The Tale”

Best Screenplay
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, “The Favorite”
Cory Finley, “Thoroughbreds”
Paul Schrader, “First Reformed”
Tamara Jenkins, “Private Life”
Andrew Bujalski, “Support the Girls”

Best Actor
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Ben Foster, “Leave No Trace”
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Ethan Hawke, “First Reformed”
Lakeith Stanfield, “Sorry to Bother You”

Best Actress
Glenn Close, “The Wife”
Toni Collette, “Hereditary”
Kathryn Hahn, “Private Life”
Regina Hall, “Support the Girls”
Michelle Pfeiffer, “Where is Kyra?”

Special Jury Award For Ensemble Performance
“The Favourite”: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz

Breakthrough Actor
Thomasin Harcourt, “Leave No Trace”
Helena Howard, “Madeline’s Madeline”
Kiki Layne, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Elsie Fisher, “Eighth Grade”
Yalitza Aparicio, “Roma”

Breakthrough Series – Long Form
“Alias Grace”
“Big Mouth”
“The End of the F***ing World”
“Killing Eve”
“Pose”
“Sharp Objects”

Breakthrough Series – Short Form
“195 Lewis”
“Cleaner Daze”
“Distance”
“The F Word”
“She’s the Ticket”

Nominees for the 2018 Gotham Awards were selected by committees made up of film critics, journalists, festival programmers, and film curators. This year’s nomination jury included IndieWire’s own Eric Kohn, David Ehrlich, Liz Shannon Miller, and Jude Dry. The Gotham winners are decided by a separate jury of filmmakers, writers, producers, and other crew members directly involved in making films. The Audience Award is selected by IFP members through online voting.

 

[puglover]

My husband works late Monday and Tuesday evenings so I have been going to movies that I doubt he would enjoy but appeal to me. I also really liked "A Star is Born". If you are not a fan of Lady Gaga, don't let that put you off, she is very believable in her role. Also, the music is really good.

 

[DannyCurry]

Ok I failed to raise up to your dare. It was more enjoyable than mother (in that I didn't fall asleep at least ) but it did run for far too long and we forwarded a bit at the end. I don't know what people are going on about this movie being so scary. I've seen much scarier than this. It was more gross at times than anything else and went down the ridiculous and laughable road at the end The first part was enjoyable enough till

Spoiler

the horrendous girl's death

because I found the teenage girl character intriguing. But after that, it just went downhill quickly and frankly Tony Collette was overacting. Maybe she was trying to live up to the ridicule of the scenario.

I spent a few days in the UAE this week so on my flights I finally got to watch Hereditary. I didn't get into it easily but eventually I couldn't stop watching. Actually, I even really liked Toni Collette's performance.

I also watched Farenheit 451 (HBO's 2018 version). Although Ray Bradbury's novel isn't one of my faves, I still wanted to see this (but I also picked it because I was too tired to watch infinitely long Infinity War !). Unfortunately, I found it quite underwheming (or even bad). Michael Shannon was convincing as Captain Beatty, but I wasn't too fond of Michael B. Jordan (Montag) and Sofia Boutella (Clarisse)'s parts. Now, I want to see François Truffaut's 1966 version even more. A teacher told me about that movie when I was in primary school and I still haven't seen it ! Hopefully in that version, they didn't cut out Millie's character !
So, yeah, Mother ! remains the top of the worst

 

[smurfy]

I have seen 3 movies in the last few days...

'Free Solo' - National Geographic documentary of Alex Honnold and his attempt to 'free solo' El Capitan at Yosemite National Park (abt 3200 feet). Free Solo is rock climbing without ropes.
The movie was very cool. Alex is cool, endearing, man child and crazy (IMHO). Free Solo is scary, you slip, you most likely are dead. In one scene another free solo climber is telling Alex that he knows at least 40 people that have died climbing. But Alex is so likeable and I know intellectually we need people like Alex in the world that do such crazy things. And it was fun to learn about the climbing life.

'The Old Man and the Gun' - said to be Robert Redford's last acting job. He was wonderful and had fun playing an aging bank robber (based on a true story). Nice performances by the cast - Sissy Spacek, Casey Affleck and others, including a nice cameo by a younger great actress - one scene - but well done. Nice enjoyable movie and worth seeing. In one part when they list the crimes committed over the characters life - they had clips of Redford from some of his earlier films. I am 57 and was probably the youngest person in the audience.

'Collette' - with Keira Knightly and Dominic West - nice period piece. Knightly was very good as was West. They maybe could have edited the movie a big, felt long near the end - and how many times do we want to see what an ass Willy was to Collette. I enjoyed the movie, but I saw it today, and I have a feeling in a week from now I may not remember a lot of it. Well done, but not overly great.

 

[watchthis!!]

On the weekend I went and saw First Man with some friends. Wow. Possibly the most boring movie I have ever seen. It was bad and then it got worse. If you're older, do you remember watching documentaries in school that were so boring that everyone started yawning and if you were lucky, you fell asleep? Well, First Man was not this good. I started thinking during the movie that I should leave and sneak into another movie. But I was with friends, so I thought I should not abandon them. So if you insist on going to see First Man, go alone so you can sneak into Venom or A Star Is Born instead!!

 

[annie720]

'The Old Man and the Gun' - said to be Robert Redford's last acting job. He was wonderful and had fun playing an aging bank robber (based on a true story). Nice performances by the cast - Sissy Spacek, Casey Affleck and others, including a nice cameo by a younger great actress - one scene - but well done. Nice enjoyable movie and worth seeing. In one part when they list the crimes committed over the characters life - they had clips of Redford from some of his earlier films. I am 57 and was probably the youngest person in the audience.

I'm a couple of years older than you and I'm positive dh and I were the youngest ones in the theater for this film. And it was a decent-sized crowd! That's what happens when you see movies early afternoons on weekdays.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

I watched Tag. It is based on a real life story written in the Wall Street Journal. The movie even has the journalist following them around. A group of high school friends play a game of tag for 30 years. The purpose of the game is not the game itself but to have a reason to stay in each other's lives. They get together and pre-plan their attack. They have to know about each other's lives so they know where to find them to tag each other. They make a point of traveling to each other and staying in contact.

Of course there was a lot of stupid humor but they also had a lot of really funny parts. I thought the sequences where they were playing tag were the best. They did a lot of voice overs speaking their inner thoughts and it was filmed like a lot of action movie shots. Jeremy Renner was spectacular in those scenes.

If you're looking for goofy fun, this movie would be a good choice. The great parts make up for the purely stupid parts.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I saw The Seagull last weekend. Film production of the Checkov play. Stars Annette Bening, Saoirise Ronan, Elisabeth Moss and Brian Dennehy (didn't realise he was still alive).

Not sure what to make of it. I didn't hate it and I thought the performances were good, particularly Bening. But it was disconcerting watching a film set in Russia with totally American accents. And I think Chekov is just a dry script so regardless of how it is done, it is never going to be spectacular, just alright. However give kudos to making a movie based on a classic play so that people can see them.

 

[annie720]

Just saw A Star is Born. The performances were very good but that's all I could appreciate. I felt the script was weak and there was no continuity of time or space. I remember liking the Kristofferson/Streisand version a lot more. Hubby said if we had just come from a Gaga concert, he would have liked it more, but didn't think it it made a good film.

 

[Japanfan]

Just saw A Star is Born. The performances were very good but that's all I could appreciate. I felt the script was weak and there was no continuity of time or space. I remember liking the Kristofferson/Streisand version a lot more. Hubby said if we had just come from a Gaga concert, he would have liked it more, but didn't think it it made a good film.

I think people may tend to prefer whatever version of a film or TV series they see first, especially if they really like that version.

I couldn't watch the recent remake of 'Poldark', having seen the 70s series and gotten very attached to the actors. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing those parts - which the mark of a successful series.

 

[PeterG]

Trailers For Movies Released 2018-10-26th
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipRUlQckNIg6nJwaecl_JelA

Three notes about this week's trailers:

1. "Border" is Sweden's official entry for best foreign language film for the 2019 Oscars. And it looks very interesting!
2. If you're into sports documentaries, then "Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story" looks really good.
3. Is Bruce Willis trying to break a Guinness world record for actor with the largest number of bad movies to his credit??

Oct. 26th - Johnny English Strikes Again (Wide) – Action comedy with Rowan Atkinson, Emma Thompson, Charles Dance and Michael Gambon [Harry Potter movies]

Oct. 26th - Hunter Killer (Wide) – Action thriller with Gary Oldman, Gerard Butler, Common and Linda Cardellini

Oct. 26th - Indivisible (Wide) – Christian drama with cast members of Grey's Anatomy: Justin Bruening, Sarah Drew, Jason George and also Eric Close [Nashville]

Oct. 26th - Suspiria (Limited) – Fantasy horror mystery with Tilda Swinton, Chloë Grace Moretz and Dakota Johnson

Oct. 26th - Viper Club (Limited) – Drama with Susan Sarandon, Matt Bomer and Edie Falco

Oct. 26th - London Fields (Limited) – Mystery thriller with Amber Heard, Cara Delevingne, Theo James, Billy Bob Thornton and Jim Sturgess

Oct. 26th - 1985 (Limited) – Drama with Virginia Madsen, Cory Michael Smith [Gotham] and Michael Chiklis [The Shield]

Oct. 26th - Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “…explores the evolution of cryptocurrency, blockchain and decentralization, including the technology's role in addressing important real-world problems, such as world hunger and income inequality.”

Oct. 26th - Air Strike (Limited) – Adventure drama with a Chinese cast and Bruce Willis, Adrien Brody, Bingbing Fan and Rumer Willis

Oct. 26th - Killer Kate! (Limited) – Horror with a new cast. From imdb.com: “Kate attends her estranged sister's bachelorette party at the request of their dying father. The weekend, held at a remote cabin booked on a home sharing app, turns into a savage life-or-death struggle that pits family against family, and past against present.”

Oct. 26th - Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story (Limited) – Sports documentary. From imdb.com: “The first and only Taiwanese player for the New York Yankees, Chien-Ming Wang held many titles: American League Wins Leader, World Series Champion, Olympian, Time 100 Most Influential, and The Pride of Taiwan.”

Oct. 24th - Life & Nothing More (Limited) – Drama with a new cast. From imdb.com: “Standing on the edge of adulthood, Andrew yearns to find his purpose as a young African-American in today's America. With his mother longing to find more to her life then parenting, Andrew is forced to take on the mounting pressure of family responsibility. His search for connection with an absent father, leads him to a dangerous crossroads.”

Oct. 26th - Solis (Limited) – Action sci-fi with a new cast. From imdb.com: “When Troy Holloway wakes up to find himself trapped aboard a drifting escape pod shooting towards the Sun he quickly realises the true terror of his situation. With rapid oxygen depletion and a burn- up rate of 90 minutes, Commander Roberts leads a rescue party to save Holloway before time runs out.”

Oct. 26th - Monrovia, Indiana (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “…documents the day-to-day experiences of living and working in the farming community of Monrovia, Ind.”

Oct. 26th - The School (Limited) – Horror thriller from Australia with a new cast. From imdb.com: “When a doctor looking for her missing child awakens to find herself in an abandoned school, she must survive the supernatural terror and face her own demons if she is to find the truth about where her son is.”

Oct. 26th - Glass Jaw (Limited) – Thriller with a new cast. From imdb.com: “Glass Jaw is the redemption story of Travis Austin, a one time champion boxer who goes to prison and loses everything. After his release, he experiences the trials and tribulations of redeeming his reputation, his belt, and his true love.”

Oct. 26th - Maria by Callas (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “An intimate look at the life and work of Greek-American opera singer, Maria Callas, as told in her own words.”

Oct. 26th - Border (Limited) – Fantasy romance thriller from Sweden. From imdb.com: “A customs officer who can smell fear develops an unusual attraction to a strange traveler while aiding a police investigation which will call into question her entire existence.”

Oct. 26th - Burning (Limited – New York) – Mystery from South Korea with Steven Yuen [The Walking Dead]. From imdb.com: “Jong-su, a part-time worker, bumps into Hae-mi while delivering, who used to live in the same neighborhood. Hae-mi asks him to look after her cat while she's on a trip to Africa. When Hae-mi comes back, she introduces Ben, a mysterious guy she met in Africa, to Jong-su. One day, Ben visits Jong-su's with Hae-mi and confesses his own secret hobby.”

 

[watchthis!!]

A few articles about possible nominations for best song at next year's Oscars:

Lady Gaga could be a three-time Oscar nominee
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2018/10/23/lady-gaga-could-three-time-oscar-nominee/

A movie can not have more than two songs per film nominated, but the producers of A Star Is Born are submitting three songs so they have options.

Dolly Parton Performs 'Girl in the Movies' From 'Dumplin'' Before Rapt Industry Crowd
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8481378/dolly-parton-performs-girl-in-the-movies-dumplin-linda-perry

Parton has been nominated twice before, but has not won. In 1981 she was nominated for 9 to 5 and in 2006 was nominated for Travellin' Thru from Transamerica.

Any other thoughts about best song? Black Panther has a few to choose from and then there's "Ashes" by Celine Dion from Deadpool 2. Another article mentioned that there might be song nominations from Mary Poppins Returns and The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Saw Bad times at the El Royale yesterday. I enjoyed it and I think the performances were very good. I do think there was a degree of unpredictability about it so it kept you waiting to see what would happen next. There was quite a Tarantino influence about it, particularly with the chapter style of storytelling. It did kind of come across as a 60s version of The Hateful Eight.

 

[Vash01]

I just got home from seeing a fundraising session of "A Star is Born". Really enjoyed it. Cooper was sensational in it and is my Oscar pick for next year. Lady Gaga was also very good. I thought the chemistry was believable and it worked.

I saw an issue of People today, while I was getting my hair done by my stylist. There was an article about the special friendship between Cooper and Lady Gaga. It was instantaneous and they supported each other, from the word go. Apparently Cooper went to her home and recorded a duet on his cell phone, and sent it to Warner Bros (not sure if I got this right).

Cooper sang and Lady Gaga (real name Stefani, with a tough to remember last name) told him - You are a musician. He told her - You are an actress. My stylist told me that she has watched some of their interviews and Cooper seems to really admire her.

 

[Vash01]

AMC cinema has introduced the A-list for movies. For $20 (plus tax) per month, one can see up to three movies per week. So if you maximize the opportunities, you can see 12 movies per month, for $21.60 total. That is less than $2 per movie.

So I bought the A-list ticket today, and used it to see 'Beautiful Boy'. The acting is very strong by Steve Carrell and Timothee Chalamet as father and son. The step mother acted well too. This is a rather depressing movie, because it is impactful.

The problem I had was with the intertwining flashbacks which confused me a lot. I don't know if the fault belonged to the screenplay or the editing. I think it is the editing, but may be it was the screenplay. I would have liked a smoother flow of the story. Many times I didn't know if I was seeing the past or the present.

Drugs used by young people/teenagers have killed many due to OD. It is a societal problem. The movie is based on books written by the father (David Sheff) and son (Nick Cheff), so we get to see both perspectives.

Overall, a pretty good movie. Powerful performances and a very relevant topic in today's society. It could have been better. I would give it 7 or 7.5 out of 10.

 

[Vash01]

On the weekend I went and saw First Man with some friends. Wow. Possibly the most boring movie I have ever seen. It was bad and then it got worse. If you're older, do you remember watching documentaries in school that were so boring that everyone started yawning and if you were lucky, you fell asleep? Well, First Man was not this good. I started thinking during the movie that I should leave and sneak into another movie. But I was with friends, so I thought I should not abandon them. So if you insist on going to see First Man, go alone so you can sneak into Venom or A Star Is Born instead!!

I too was bored to death, watching First Man. As I wrote in my post, the moon shots were awesome, and without those, this is a 3/10 movie.BTW I saw it alone, and I may have caught a little nap. I wouldn't have walked out though, because I really wanted to see the moon landing and the first moon walk, but they totally screwed up that too (other than the lunar photos).

I was bored in A Star is Born also. I am Hearing a lot of positives and even raves about it, but I didn't think it was that good. The acting was excellent, but the story development.....?

 

[watchthis!!]

Broken English is a romantic comedy drama which stars Parker Posey as a woman who struggles with relationships - while it seems like everyone around her is having success. At a co-worker's party she meets a man from France who maybe could play a part in a change to her story. I've seen Posey in a few movies and she seems to play somewhat sarcastic, somewhat unlikeable characters. At first she seems a bit unlikeable in this, but the script is strong enough we get to see past that and start to warm up to her. The movie co-stars Drea de Matteo, Justin Theroux and as Posey's parents, Peter Bogdanovich and Gena Rowlands.

Trailer for Broken English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OKTeyJnDp8

 

[Allskate]

I was bored in A Star is Born also. I am Hearing a lot of positives and even raves about it, but I didn't think it was that good. The acting was excellent, but the story development.....?

I wasn't bored, but I did think that one of the biggest problems with the movie was the pacing. Certain scenes and parts of the movie went too fast, and others were dragged out. And that time wasn't always used to develop the characters and some of the things Allie did were not making a lot of sense to me. I never quite got a good understanding of the relationship between the two main characters. But, I still thought it was a fairly good movie and did not dislike it. And I did think that GaGa's acting and Bradley Cooper's singing were better than most people would expect. The songs were good, and not just the GaGa ones.

 

[PeterG]

The Mortal Storm is a 1940 drama about a German family dealing with the rise of Nazism. It stars Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart as two young people who are opposed to what is happening in their country and as their opposition is questioned and they are attacked, they attempt to flee their country through a mountain pass. This movie has a 7.9 rating at imdb.com, and at rotten tomatoes, 86% audience approval and 100% critic approval. Wikipedia mentions that Film Daily (the main movie information magazine of the time) ranked this as the best movie of 1940. Yet it received no award recognition. I found it to be a pretty solid drama. Wikipedia mentions that it is one of the few Hollywood movies made that is clearly anti-Nazi. Frank Morgan (The Wizard of Oz) co-stars as Sullavan's father. Robert Stack and Robert Young (Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby) have small roles in the movie.

 

[SandraMGfan]

Saw First Man last week, and like most in the thread, I wasn't super impressed. I still enjoyed it to an extent because I always enjoy movies based on true stories but it was fairly slow and even if you know what happened I didn't feel the suspens or excitement of going to the moon.

Today I saw Bohemian Rhapsody - absolutely loved it. The music is obviously a big part of it, and it's mostly about Freddie Mercury's life but the storytelling was great and Rami Malek was phenomenal - hopefully he will be a contender during award season! Not sure how widely it will open outside of the UK, but if it's showing I highly recommend it!

Also stumbled on Barefoot, on Amazon Prime Videos, and while the synopsis might make it look like a light comedy, it was fairly serious and enjoyable. I liked how the characters where not cliché-d and quite sweet to the main character. Also, a bit of hot Scott Speedman never hurts!!

Next for November are Bad Times at El Royale, Fantastic Beasts, The Hate You Give, Widows, Peterloo and maybe a some French movies when I hop over to home!

 

[watchthis!!]

Jim Carrey and Cate Blanchett Get Political at the British Academy Britannia Awards
https://www.indiewire.com/2018/10/bafta-la-britannia-awards-2018-jim-carrey-politics-cate-blanchett-hugs-1202015861/

Blanchett talked more about self-worth than politics, but Carrey was much more political. From the article:

Carrey went much further with his outrage at the current political climate. “I’m glad it didn’t come in the mail,” he said, waving his Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy. “Without empathy, this character wouldn’t have existed, and without empathy, we won’t either.” He added, “Shamelessness is not and never will be a superpower” and thanked Christine Blasey Ford and Colin Kaepernick. “We have capitalism without a conscience…kidnapping children is not what great nations do!”

He seems to have squarely entered the IDGAF stage of his career!

I too was bored to death, watching First Man.

I remembered that you had mixed feelings about the movie. But one of my friends was celebrating his birthday, so I was hoping I would violently disagree with you. Guess I did, because while you rated it 3/10, I would have rated it -3/10.

 

[PeterG]

Night Train To Munich is a British war thriller from 1940. It stars Rex Harrison and Margaret Lockwood (The Lady Vanishes, The Wicked Lady). The plot of the movie is detailed enough (and I'm tired enough just before bedtime) for me to not try to say what it's about, but there are Nazi's and those who will do what it takes to out-manoeuver them. The movie got one Oscar nomination, a well-deserved one for the script. It was directed by Carol Reed, who was nominated three times for a best director Oscar (The Third Man, Oliver!). But for me the highlight was getting to see Rex Harrison play a straight dramatic role after seeing him only in movies like Doctor Dolittle and My Fair Lady. There's a trailer for the movie, labelled as a "modern" trailer which showcases the movie in a modern light, but very much changes the classic movie tone. So I have not included that trailer, but you can watch the whole movie on youtube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UN-75wzaAU