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

[Aussie Willy]

The last scene had to do with the focus group. It is hilarious. hope you can find it on you tube.

If that is the one before the rolling credits, I did see that. It was very funny.

 

[Vash01]

If that is the one before the rolling credits, I did see that. It was very funny.

It was after the end credits started rolling. Half the audience had left by that time. Then the credits continued to roll. The scene showed a fist fight within the focus group.

I searched for it on the internet but couldnt find the clip. I did see a lot of criticism of it. One article called it - it made a bad movie even worse.

 

[Aussie Willy]

It was after the end credits started rolling. Half the audience had left by that time. Then the credits continued to roll. The scene showed a fist fight within the focus group.

I searched for it on the internet but couldnt find the clip. I did see a lot of criticism of it. One article called it - it made a bad movie even worse.

Yep that is the one. Very funny.

 

[mrr50]

Saw Mary Poppins Returns yesterday and I can’t make my mind about it. I think for kids/people who have never seen the original it’s a good musical. But I felt it lacked something (that I can’t pinpoint).

I saw Mary Poppins Returns. If I had not seen Mary Poppins(when it was released in 1964 and then with my children when it was released on VHS) I would have said it was a fantastic movie, but I agree that Mary Poppins Returns lacks something that I cannot pinpoint either. Emily Blunt was excellent. Maybe a few songs seemed to be forced into spots, I just don't know.

I would still recommend seeing it. It is an extension, not a replacement.

 

[Vash01]

I have added the first Mary Poppins to my netflix queue. I want to see it before i see the Return. I had seen the first one on VHS i think, but I don't remember much of it.

 

[watchthis!!]

I enjoyed Truth or Dare, a thriller/horror movie that was in the theatres this spring. Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars) and Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) are two members of a group of friends who go to Mexico for a vacation and find themselves caught up in a game which turns deadly. Then it's all about how to cheat the game in order to save their lives. I thought the script was quite strong, it had few "why don't they just..." moments. It was nice to see the group try to keep thinking through their situation instead of just stupidly freaking out.

Trailer for Truth or Dare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhSPDqqgO3Y

 

[VGThuy]

I enjoyed Truth or Dare, a thriller/horror movie that was in the theatres this spring. Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars) and Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) are two members of a group of friends who go to Mexico for a vacation and find themselves caught up in a game which turns deadly. Then it's all about how to cheat the game in order to save their lives. I thought the script was quite strong, it had few "why don't they just..." moments. It was nice to see the group try to keep thinking through their situation instead of just stupidly freaking out.

Trailer for Truth or Dare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhSPDqqgO3Y

I read the first clause of your first sentence and I thought you were going to talk about the early 90s Madonna documentary and I got excited for a second.

 

[Simone411]

I just found the neatest app that shows all the film trailers. After you open the app, you just scroll to the right to see all of them including upcoming trailers for 2019. The film trailers are from YouTube, and what I like is that you don't have to go to YouTube to hunt for all of them. They're all in the app.

I found it in my Windows Store app. I also found it online at the Microsoft Store, and here's the link to download if anyone is interested.

Film Trailers

There is a movie that I really want to see and I've been seeing the trailer on the DirecTV Cinema free previews Screening Room. I love what I've seen of the trailer, and it stars Jack Black whom I totally love.

The House with a Clock in its Walls

I realize that some of you may have seen this movie. Since I'm no longer able to go see the movies because of my disability, I have to wait until they show up on STARZ (STARZ ENCORE is included in my package) or purchase the movie to watch on DirecTV Pay Per View. That's actually a lot cheaper for me than going to the movies plus I'm no longer able to drive to Shreveport which is 40 miles from where I live. That's the closest city that has movie theatres. There are no movie theatres where I live.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Yesterday I saw Colette. Stars Keira Knightley and Domenic West. Biopic about the French author and her relationship with her husband who was also her mentor.

I thought it was pretty good. I do like Keira and she was good in this. Domenic West is one of those actors who comes up on the screen and you know you have seen him before but can't quick pick him (I didn't check the cast list before seeing).

 

[vgerdes]

There is a movie that I really want to see and I've been seeing the trailer on the DirecTV Cinema free previews Screening Room. I love what I've seen of the trailer, and it stars Jack Black whom I totally love.

The House with a Clock in its Walls

I enjoyed this movie very much. I would recommend it.

 

[Vash01]

Yesterday I saw the documentary ‘Won’t you be my neighbor?’ About Fred Rogers/ Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood’. I used to watch it but not every week. I loved it though.

The documentary tells a lot more about Mr. Rogers. He was an ordained minister but he chose to create programs for children to educate them. He dealt with serious issues like the RFK assassination, diversity, and others. I really liked his philosophy of acceptance - “ I love you just the way you are”.

He was a great man. I still miss him. I would watch his show now if it was running.

 

[Buzz]

Aquaman made $51.6m this past weekend which a drop of only 23.5% from it’s opening weekend! That is extremely rare and exceptional! Aquaman is shaping up to be the DCEU’s most successful movie ever.
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=4471&p=.htm

 

[Vash01]

Aquaman made $51.6m this past weekend which a drop of only 23.5% from it’s opening weekend! That is extremely rare and exceptional! Aquaman is shaping up to be the DCEU’s most successful movie ever.
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=4471&p=.htm

I might see it this week. I was in Honolulu last week and there was a buzz (front page article in the local newspaper) about the lead actor Mamoa because he was born in Honolulu.

ETA- I saw 'BlackKlansman ' last night (to stay awake till midnight). It was really good. Somehow it slipped by me when it was in theatres. Very interesting story, and it is true. It is based on the book by Ron Stallworth, the main character. I may need to look it up.

 

[avivadawn]

Saw “The Favourite” last night. I don’t think that I’d like to see it again for a while, but holy crap were the lead three actresses on fire. I especially liked the portrayal of Queen Anne... so multifaceted that was...

 

[Japanfan]

I don't normally watch foreign language movies, but I had heard good things about The Handmaiden, so I gave it a go. I was blown away! It's a period piece drama from Korea and it's one of those movies you can't really talk about it, or risk the experience for those you hope will see it. I consider it a must-see movie. All I will say is that it's about two people who try to dupe a young woman out of her inheritance. Things do not go according to plan. The three lead actors are all amazing and deserve tons of recognition for their performances.

This film won Best Film at the Vancouver Film Festival, and that in addition to the recommendation above motivated me to watch it.

Not a 'must-see' for me - more like 2 hours and 25 minutes of my life I'll not get back.

The best description of the film I've read is:

Spoiler

Male wet dream. If watching erotica between two barely post-pubescent Asian girls turns your crank, this film is for you.

I do see the value of the theme.

Spoiler

Two young women turn the patriarchy on its head in a very patriarchal time and place.

But I was not invested in the characters and didn't care about them. That was the most important thing lacking for me.

The film was indeed visually beautiful. It was never boring to look at - which is what got me through the two hours and 25 minutes.

 

[emason]

The Handmaiden is an adaptation of the novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. It’s set in Victorian England, not Korea, and there has previously been a tv adaptation. It’s not a male wet dream; it’s queer literature written by a Lesbian who said she started writing the stories she wants to read because no one else was writing them.

 

[MacMadame]

It’s not a male wet dream; it’s queer literature written by a Lesbian

Except many male wet dreams involve two lesbians having sex with each other.

 

[Vash01]

Got back from seeing Aquaman (3D). Not really my kind of movie , but I wanted to see it because of its popularity.....It was fight after fight after fight..... You have to leave common sense at home. However, the special effects were fantastic. It was interesting at first but slowly I lost my interest and just waited for the next fantasy or next fight to be over. It was sensory overload.

Toward the end it became interesting again, but it was predictable. It did have a story but it could have been shorter by at least 15-20 minutes. Not really my type but I did enjoy the visuals. It was quite entertaining but at places I wished that they had not tried so o hard to ‘entertain’. Jason Momoa deserves all the praise. It was nice to see Nicole Kidman too. 7/10.

 

[jenny12]

I saw Mary Poppins Returns tonight, and while I thought it was not terrible or anything, it felt rather uninspired overall. It’s definitely difficult to do another version of something so beloved but everything just seemed like a lesser version of the original. The only part I really enjoyed was seeing Colin Firth as the bad guy and thought he brought a lot of charisma to the role. Emily Blunt is gorgeous and obviously very talented but her Mary Poppins didn’t “pop” ? for me. Yes, it is unfair to compare her to Julia Andrews but seeing Mary Poppins Returns just made me see again how brilliant Julie Andrews was in the original. It was just a balance of timing, wit, and warmth that is very difficult to recapture.

 

[allezfred]

It was fight after fight after fight.....

So just like every other Marvel super hero film. Shocked, I tell you. Shocked.

 

[Vash01]

I don't usually watch Superhero movies.

 

[cocotaffy]

Aquaman, well nice visuals and up to now I didn't know I needed Nicole Kidman kicking ass in my life but apparently I do. Unfortunately she isn't present enough imo. The first half was fun but the movie lost me up until the end. This could have been a good 20 min shorter. Also, Amber Heard is just not a good actress and was way too present in this, Momoa and her had zero chemistry. All in all I got a bit bored even though I'm a good client of superhero movies. It seems I can easily leave my brain at home for those kind of movies

 

[Wyliefan]

I've seen a lot of superhero movies (I think I've mentioned before that one of my best friends is really into them), and Aquaman is probably the dumbest. Maybe it ties with Batman vs. Superman for dumbest. Most of them at least have a handful of quips or an ethical dilemma or something to make them marginally interesting. This one had a script like a college freshman's writing exercise on the first day of Basics of Storytelling 101. With a bunch of really loud explosions.

But some nice lady who was doing a "pay it forward" thing paid for my ticket, so at least I didn't waste any money on it!

 

[Vash01]

I expect there will be sequels to this Aquaman movie since this has done so well at the box office. I can easily skip those. I give credit to the stunning visuals but they won't be enough to attract me next time. I think the only superhero movie I have seen is Superman and its sequels. I am about a century behind everyone else here.

 

[Kruss]

So just like every other Marvel super hero film. Shocked, I tell you. Shocked.

*coughDCcough*

 

[allezfred]

*coughDCcough*

That just goes to show how much attention I pay to those sorts of films.

 

[ToFarAwayTimes]

I heard SpiderVerse was really good, but I don't think I will ever see a super hero movie. They have all been universally dumb as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Jay42]

Into the Spider-Verse is very good. The animation is fantastic, the story is solid. It's an excellent origin story. I didn't figure out who did the voice for Doc Ock until the end credits and was very disappointed in myself because I've seen that person in a bunch of things.

I can't oversell how good the animation is though. It's such a gorgeous movie and I wish I had time to see it in theatre again. I'm definitely more than a little exhausted of the barrage of superhero movies but I never felt that while watching Spider-Verse.

 

[Vash01]

Into the Spider-Verse is very good. The animation is fantastic, the story is solid. It's an excellent origin story. I didn't figure out who did the voice for Doc Ock until the end credits and was very disappointed in myself because I've seen that person in a bunch of things.

I can't oversell how good the animation is though. It's such a gorgeous movie and I wish I had time to see it in theatre again. I'm definitely more than a little exhausted of the barrage of superhero movies but I never felt that while watching Spider-Verse.

That sounds interesting. I hardly ever see Superhero movies so everything about them is new to me. I may check this one out.

 

[Vash01]

(Copied my post from the Movie awards thread)

I saw ‘If Beale street could talk’ today. Awful movie. One of the most boring movies I have seen this year. Do they have to make it sloooooow to make it appear artistic? I couldn’t wait to get out of the theatre when it ended. My immediate reaction was 1/10. I may change it to 2/10 just because the topic is good and the acting was good.

The topic is very relevant to our time. Racism is a big social issue and it is good that movies are addressing it but it needs to be done the right way. Beale Street is a patchwork of different scenes (many of them are too long) where the pieces often don't fit. It feels broken in many places and it completely lacks any kind of flow.

The movie moves at snail's pace. Perhaps I could tolerate that to some extent, but I cannot tolerate cutting up the story into pieces that don't fit and the story does not move as a result. I have not read the book it was based on (there is a quote from the book at the start of the movie, but it did not quite fit the movie- JMO).

I am very surprised that Regina King is receiving awards for this. She acted well but the role does not require much acting except for two emotional scenes toward the end. When you compare with others nominated for supporting actress, she should not come at the top, IMO. No disrespect, but it is a matter of how much scope the role offers.

I actually paid the full price at another theatre because it was not running where I see movies for an average of $2-$3 per movie. I did it because this movie is getting so many award nominations. I decided to pay the high price instead of waiting for it to come to 'my theatre' . I am so disappointed to see what could have been an excellent movie, made into a terrible bore.



Last edited: Today at 7:59 PM