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

[Vash01]

Oh I can't wait for this movie, I absolutely love Matthias Schoenaerts since I've seen him in Rust and Bone. He is as you said so brilliant at expressing a lot though saying nothing. Very powerful and physical presence. I also advise you to watch Disorder if you haven't. It's an amazing take on PTSD affecting an ex soldier. The story is a bit secondary and goes haywire tbh but it doesn't matter much in the end.

It is not running here yet. Sounds like a must see.

 

[millyskate]

Has anyone seen Red Joan? It seems I just missed here, which is a shame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3V9w_92dkU

 

[SandraMGfan]

Has anyone seen Red Joan? It seems I just missed here, which is a shame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3V9w_92dkU

It thought that was not out yet in the UK? I really wanted to see it

Saw RocketMan yesterday. Really liked it. It’s not a biography in the same style as Bohemian Rhapsody (since they will most likely be compared) but the acting (Taron Egerton especially) was really good and overall a good movie.

 

[Vash01]

It thought that was not out yet in the UK? I really wanted to see it

Saw RocketMan yesterday. Really liked it. It’s not a biography in the same style as Bohemian Rhapsody (since they will most likely be compared) but the acting (Taron Egerton especially) was really good and overall a good movie.

It will be released here on May 31st. I plan to see it soon.

 

[millyskate]

It thought that was not out yet in the UK? I really wanted to see it

Saw RocketMan yesterday. Really liked it. It’s not a biography in the same style as Bohemian Rhapsody (since they will most likely be compared) but the acting (Taron Egerton especially) was really good and overall a good movie.

It seems like it came and went in april It didn't get much promotion which is a shame, I would have gone.

 

[watchthis!!]

0 out of 10 for John Wick 3. I was invited to see it with friends and wanted a reason to get out of the house, so spending time with some friends seemed like a good idea. I did consider checking to see what else was playing at the theatre and seeing something different, but then getting to have dinner with them. But the John Wick series seems to be a phenomenon, so I thought I'd see it to be able to say that I had seen at least one of them. Mistake. It's just an excuse for sadists to watch human life drained out of bodies in ways that the world of film has never depicted ever before. Vile. I have lost SO much respect for Angelica Huston and Halle Barry for choosing to be part of something so disgusting.

 

[millyskate]

0 out of 10 for John Wick 3. I was invited to see it with friends and wanted a reason to get out of the house, so spending time with some friends seemed like a good idea. I did consider checking to see what else was playing at the theatre and seeing something different, but then getting to have dinner with them. But the John Wick series seems to be a phenomenon, so I thought I'd see it to be able to say that I had seen at least one of them. Mistake. It's just an excuse for sadists to watch human life drained out of bodies in ways that the world of film has never depicted ever before. Vile. I have lost SO much respect for Angelica Huston and Halle Barry for choosing to be part of something so disgusting.

Thanks for the honest review. As the world becomes a dark place, I've noticed a race to the bottom in terms of making everything as dark as possible - everything that gets any credit, that is.
I've seen a couple of films in recent years that were incredibly well made and deep, but full of positive human spirit at the same time - only to see them trailed through the mud for sentimentalism (when they were anything but).
On the other hand, some absolutely vile productions get applauded, as if this embrace of ultimate depravity was a sign of intellectual enlightenment

Anyway, saw RocketMan tonight and enjoyed it. Taron Egerton's voice is weaker than Elton John's which is a bit frustrating at times but the acting is great and it was interesting to discover Elton's background as I've always enjoyed his music without knowing much about the man.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I saw John Wick 2 and found it quite a pointless exercise. I was thinking of going to see No 3 just for the hell of it knowing that it was going to be crap.

 

[watchthis!!]

I saw John Wick 2 and found it quite a pointless exercise. I was thinking of going to see No 3 just for the hell of it knowing that it was going to be crap.

Some movies released this year to consider instead:


Wild Nights With Emily (Molly Shannon, a humorous drama that contradicts the dour persona popularized in recent years about Emily Dickinson)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNumHrY9dHg


Giant Little Ones (Canadian drama starring Kyle MacLachlan and Maria Bello as the parents of a teenage boy whose lives are upended after their son and a friend are involved in an incident at a party.)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxLBTRcDVfU


The Gospel of Eureka (documentary about the lives of LGBT individuals and evangelical Christians in Eureka Springs, Arkansas)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3bMqOo0owc


Greta - From Wikipedia: "...psychological thriller film directed by Neil Jordan...stars Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Colm Feore, and Stephen Rea, and follows a young woman as she befriends a lonely widow who becomes disturbingly obsessed with her.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwSr1KnGPTo


Teen Spirit (musical drama starring Elle Fanning)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Sqi-ashvU


Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People (From google.com: "Hungarian immigrant Joseph Pulitzer becomes one of America's most feared and admired newspaper moguls and a crusader for freedom of the press.")

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKL06rRAWFY


The Hummingbird Project (thriller starring Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Salma Hayek)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_JcTg5mrEY


Gloria Bell (English re-make of the Spanish language drama Gloria, this re-make starring Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Michael Cera, Brad Garrett, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Rita Wilson, Sean Astin, and Holland Taylor)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPq4zW9QZSg


Everybody Knows (psychological thriller mystery starring starring Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU3xV9ZRYlk

 

[jl22aries]

I enjoyed a super fun time at John Wick 3. The movie is all camp and fantasy. A fun nod to classic Hong Kong kung fu movies, with great respect to the legacy of the work of stunt people and talented fight choreographers. The set pieces are gorgeous. The fights are choreographed with a dance-like precision and grace. The camera gave us beautiful sequences with very steady, confidant long shots (because everyone on set had clearly practiced their choreography to the hilt, the camera didn't have to zoom in and out with a gazillion cuts to hack inadequacies or hide mistakes). Surprising moments of humour. It certainly is a violent movie but the violence is not like torture porn, and it's not sadistic, nor hyper real. My 2 hours at the theatre felt like a fantastical escape, and my date and I both came out like, yah, that was $13 of really well made entertainment that we felt was made with a lot of care and enthusiasm.

 

[Vash01]

I saw ‘Poms’ yesterday. It was pretty good. A bit slow and boring initially but it picked up when they started their ‘club’. It should have started a little earlier, IMO. That gathering of men in Martha’s home was a bit unnecessary. The movie was entertaining and well attended, considering it was a Tuesday afternoon. The end was a bit surprising and I am not entirely sure it needed to be that way. Overall enjoyed the movie though. 8/10

 

[watchthis!!]

Total number of John Wick kills in all 3 movies revealed
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/ente...john-wick-kills-in-all-3-movies-revealed.html

John Wick has now killed a total of 299 people on-screen.

That's more than the combined total of Jason Voorhees in all the Friday the 13th movies and Michael Myers in all of the Halloween movies.

In comparison, "Serial killers with the highest known victim count"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...l_killers_with_the_highest_known_victim_count

Luis Garavito has 138 proven victims, with the possible victim number at 172–300+

Also from the John Wick article:

Chad Stahelski, the trilogy's director who will also be directing a fourth movie, says he'll keep making them until the audience doesn't want any more.

"I enjoy making these movies because there's no limit," Stahelski told Entertainment Weekly.

There's a lot more information about film serial killers in this article, each with their own specific body counts. No specifics about children killed, or women. Zero information about the killing of animals either.

 

[vgerdes]

I enjoyed a super fun time at John Wick 3. The movie is all camp and fantasy. A fun nod to classic Hong Kong kung fu movies, with great respect to the legacy of the work of stunt people and talented fight choreographers. The set pieces are gorgeous. The fights are choreographed with a dance-like precision and grace. The camera gave us beautiful sequences with very steady, confidant long shots (because everyone on set had clearly practiced their choreography to the hilt, the camera didn't have to zoom in and out with a gazillion cuts to hack inadequacies or hide mistakes). Surprising moments of humour. It certainly is a violent movie but the violence is not like torture porn, and it's not sadistic, nor hyper real. My 2 hours at the theatre felt like a fantastical escape, and my date and I both came out like, yah, that was $13 of really well made entertainment that we felt was made with a lot of care and enthusiasm.

I agree on all points. It was an enjoyable afternoon for me as well.

 

[VGThuy]

My husband forced me to watch the first John Wick film as that movie is more his style, and I really enjoyed it. I also appreciate Keanu Reeves these days as well. I haven't seen the others yet but it seems to have ramped up on the violence and action. It seemed to be inspired by Hong Kong style action films where there's a real art to the action sequences.

 

[Vash01]

Saw ‘Rocketman ‘ today. Very disappointing. I had really looked forward to this movie. I didn’t know it was a musical, with song and dance numbers. Wasn’t Elton John’s music enough to make the movie? The beginning and the end were good but I can’t say that about the middle. After the first 20-30 minutes I started losing interest. The movie is all over the place, uninspiring, and boring. Taron Egerton is very good as Elton John, and Jamie Bell as his true friend Bernie was good. Egerton should receive an Oscar nomination for best actor.

I would have liked to see more positives about Elton’s life. The movie is about his addictions and his group therapy. I would have liked to see the recovered Elton instead of the crazy and prolonged coverage of his problems. Two women walked out of the theatre. I took a bathroom break, something that is extremely rare for me.

6/10.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I saw Rocketman today and really liked it. It will probably be turned into a musical after this as that is how it was structured. I was a bit surprised by it but I thought the musical arrangements were really good. I was a fan particularly of his early music (not so much his later stuff). Taron Egerton was really good. Having seen Elton John interviewed about it, he wanted it to be a bit warts and all in the depiction of his early life.

 

[skatesindreams]

My nephew, too young to know much about Elton, enjoyed Rocketman.

 

[annie720]

I also saw Rocketman yesterday. I liked the film and loved Taron's performance. Unsure about the musical dance numbers because they were hard for me to follow. Maybe it had to do with watching it in a Dolby theater, but everything looked washed out and blurry in the outdoor numbers. I have a feeling this might be a film that I'll forget about pretty quickly. Odd, because I'd been looking forward to it.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I also think we have to talk about the costumes too. The costume department must have had a field day coming up with those.

 

[watchthis!!]

Another two movies that look good...which I had never heard of until noticing a trailer for it on youtube.


An Ordinary Man - A war criminal in hiding forms a relationship with his only connection to the outside world, his maid. Starring Ben Kingsley.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQhJy_28PbI


Tell It To The Bees - From google.com: "In 1952 Dr. Jean Markham returns to her Scottish hometown to take over her late father's medical practice. She soon becomes ostracized by the community when she begins a passionate romance with a woman who has a young son." Stars Anna Paquin.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chy5sjUQ8pc

 

[Vash01]

Finally finished the nearly 4 hours video ‘Obama - All access’, by CBS’s Steve Craft. It has footage from 60 minutes and other events, plus some of President Obama’s famous speeches, including his inaugural speech. Took me back by 10-12 years.

 

[misskarne]

I wanted to see Top End Wedding but I appear to have missed it in the cinema so DVD it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoDBvGF9pPU

I also want to see Tolkien but haven't got round to it yet.

And somehow, I just stumbled on a trailer for a film called Yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uqvgPm8U4c the premise is that the lead character, a failed musician, wakes up in a world where nobody knows The Beatles. The band doesn't exist. The songs never existed. He starts singing a few of their songs and ends up becoming a megastar because everyone thinks he wrote them. It looks very funny and very good. I think I might go see this one.

 

[Vash01]

I wanted to see Top End Wedding but I appear to have missed it in the cinema so DVD it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoDBvGF9pPU

I also want to see Tolkien but haven't got round to it yet.

And somehow, I just stumbled on a trailer for a film called Yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uqvgPm8U4c the premise is that the lead character, a failed musician, wakes up in a world where nobody knows The Beatles. The band doesn't exist. The songs never existed. He starts singing a few of their songs and ends up becoming a megastar because everyone thinks he wrote them. It looks very funny and very good. I think I might go see this one.

I have seen the trailer of Yesterday at least four times in the theatre. The movie is going to be released here on June 28.

 

[Icetalavista]

Saw Rocketman last weekend. The musical #s seemed to fit, for me - they were fantasies in line with his crazy stage persona & costuming. I didn't know anything about his life, so the biographical stuff interested me. So glad he kept his lifelong friendship. I hope he ditched the evil manager. Would have been enjoyable to see that scene. If the details about his musical training are even partly true, it's no wonder he accounted for 10% of worldwide record sales at one point in his career. Amazing talent.

 

[watchthis!!]

9/10 for Queen of the Desert. Nicole Kidman is radiant as explorer/writer Gertrude Bell. I had never heard of Bell before, but the world could certainly use more people like her today. Her respect of the people of the Middle East, along with her intelligence, tact and bravery was amazing to watch. If only there had been more people like her around during (and after) her lifetime. The movie has a good script, is well directed and has a surprising appearance by James Franco doing a straight-ahead (historical) dramatic role...and handling it surprisingly well. Damian Lewis and Robert Pattinson also give good performances.

Trailer for Queen of the Desert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwvymINJIAo


8/10 for Hope Springs. This one had a much greater impact on me than expected. I thought it was going to be a light comedy. It does have humour, but focusses more on a married couple (Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones) trying to save their marriage with the help of a counsellor (Steve Carrell). Streep manages to bring depth to a role that a lesser actress would have dropped the ball with in her performance. Carrell gives his most understated performance to date.

Trailer for Hope Springs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s22_Mvikl8

 

[Vash01]

I saw ‘Long shot’ today. It is a comedy. Although crude in places and unrealistic, I enjoyed it. Quite entertaining. Charlize Theron in the main role (Charlotte Field) looks fabulous and acts well as the Secretary of State, aspiring to become the first woman president. Some imitation of Hillary Clinton - white pantsuit, but not much more.

I had only heard the name Seth Rogan, and never saw him in a movie. He does a good job as Charlotte’s love interest. The audience gets a tour of the world as this duo and the staff go to various countries. It is a fun movie, so I am going to cut them some slack for some crudeness. 8/10.

 

[cocotaffy]

I watched The Mustang starring Matthias Schoenaerts and I loved it. A powerful yet complex story of redemption served by a superb performance from Matthias but also all the supporting cast. The cinematography is gorgeous and the movie well edited running at an astonishing, in this day and age, 1 hour and half. I had also loved The Rider and even if the stories are widely different, the fascinating landscapes, horses and how those two movies dive deep into complex emotions and life stories are quite similar in a way. It is also interesting to know both were directed by a woman. The Rider by a Chinese director, Chloe Zhao and the Mustang by a French one Laure de Clermont Tonnerre. Two foreign directors tackling very American story with a great sensitivity and understanding.

 

[Buzz]

Trailer for Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep.

STEPHEN KING'S DOCTOR SLEEP - Official Teaser Trailer [HD]

The World Will Shine Again. "Stephen King's Doctor Sleep" Only in Theaters November 8. ------- http://DoctorSleepMovie.com https://www.facebook.com/doctorsle...

m.youtube.com

 

[Aussie Willy]

Has anyone else seen The Chaperone? I saw it tonight and really enjoyed. Nice story. Based on true events around the actress Louise Brookes.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

I rewatched John Wick 1-2 before going to see John Wick 3.

I now have Think by Kaleida (Russian bathhouse scene) stuck in my brain. Just sharing with all of you so it can get stuck in your brains too.

I did appreciate the variety in the fight scenes in John Wick 3. I also have immense respect for the amount of training Keanu Reeves went through to be able to film those intact. I like that their fight scenes are not chopped up and mangled due to cutting around a stunt man. I guess I don't see it as violence for the sake of violence because of the amount of effort they had to put into them. Seeing choreography versus a fight changes the perspective for me.

Other action films do annoy me with the nonstop fights that all look the same and show more talent of the editors rather than the actors. So I can forgive the death toll in John Wick movies.