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

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

I'm not a huge Quentin Tarrantino fan, but Once Upon A Time In Hollywood was crazy. The film really sucks you in and the tension keeps building, until a wild conclusion only QT would have the nerve to consider.

 

[annie720]

I'm not a huge Quentin Tarrantino fan, but Once Upon A Time In Hollywood was crazy. The film really sucks you in and the tension keeps building, until a wild conclusion only QT would have the nerve to consider.

I had to almost be dragged to see this movie, but ended up liking it a lot.

I saw Farewell. Nice movie, but Akwafina bothered me. IMO she came across as too much of a caricature and I couldn't help wondering how the movie would have been with someone else in that role.

 

[Vash01]

I saw ‘Once upon a time in Hollywood’. It was booooring! I normally avoid Tarantino films because of his penchant for violence, but violence is the least of the problem here. There is no story. The movie moves at snail’s pace. The acting by DiCaprio and Pitt were the only positives. I considered walking out because the story never started. I somehow stuck through 2.75 hours of boredom. I don’t understand the raves and 10/10 reviews. I gave it 1/10 on imdb only because zero was not an option.

 

[Vash01]

Has anyone seen The Lion King (2019)? I was planning to see it but the reviews were so bad that I am very reluctant to see it.

I don’t see the point in making a live action film based on an animated film. Too repetitive. I know TLK is not the first to do that, but I just don’t care for movies based on children’s stories.

However, I would love to see a live performance of TLK in a theatre. The Boston OperaHouse is going to show it in October but I can’t go back there so soon.

 

[annie720]

Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened is a great documentary about the flop Stephen Sondheim musical, "Merrily We Roll Along". The show had 44 previews and then only 16 regular performances before the show was closed. One of the stars of the show, Lonny Price, has since gone on to become a Broadway director. He directs this documentary as well, finding footage from the rehearsals and additional footage from around the time of the making of Merrily We Roll Along. I found this movie to be the type that you can't stop watching. Very well put together and great interviews from various cast members, as well as Sondheim and producer Harold Prince. Jason is one of the original cast members, who features prominently in this documentary. No sign of other original cast member Giancarlo Esposito, who is not referred to, but is seen in old footage.

Trailer for Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCwqEdQykJU

Thanks! Watched the film on Amazon last night and enjoyed it. I've never seen a performance of the show but my husband has and likes it. I was a little surprised that Liz Calloway wasn't mentioned at all in the film. She's one of my favorite stage performers.

 

[aftershocks]

Since this book is about film noir, I'll post about it here. It's very worthwhile checking out:
Into the Dark: The Hidden World of Film Noir, 1941-1950

The book is a pictorial history of "the big studio melodramas that characterized film noir" during those years. The author goes further to provide quotes and information he gleaned from archival documents, letters, conference transcripts, interviews, film reviews, production notes, marketing campaigns, exhibitor feedback, etc.

From the foreword and preface of the book:
In the 1940s, "... films noir--a scholarly appellation that wouldn't be applied for another twenty or so years--were originally labeled 'crime thrillers' or 'murder dramas' ... This book tells the story of film noir in its own voice. Filmmakers, journalists, and exhibitors tell how the trend evolved. Unheard voices and unseen images from eighty-two films transport you to the '40s. This is time travel, a ticket to the smoky, glamorous world of film noir..."

There are some fascinating films from the genre that I've recently come across: I Wake Up Screaming (1941), starring Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Carole Landis, et al., is included in this book on p. 30. Another film that is not included in the book, The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950), starring Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt, John Dall, and Lisa Howard, has some unexpected casting (including Jane Wyatt of Father Knows Best fame as a noir femme fatale ). But this is a really interesting film and it's very enjoyable watching. The back story on the production, location shots, actor biographies, etc., is intriguing:

The Man Who Cheated Himself - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Some of the film's SF location shots were famously later used by Alfred Hitchcock in Vertigo:

Filming Locations for Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958) around San Francisco and Northern California.

Travel guide to filming locations for Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958) around San Francisco and Northern California.

movie-locations.com

A Carefully Plotted, Totally Stalky Map of Hitchcock's 'Vertigo'

Considering the many movies shot in San Francisco—hey there, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Rock, and the rest of you—we have to hand it to Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo for truly getting around San Francisco...

sf.curbed.com

 

[aftershocks]

I'm not a huge Quentin Tarrantino fan, but Once Upon A Time In Hollywood was crazy. The film really sucks you in and the tension keeps building, until a wild conclusion only QT would have the nerve to consider.

But did you like it? I haven't seen it, and I'm a bit put-off by the real-life tragic episode the film revolves around, according to what I've heard. I like and respect Tarantino's genius, but it is visually sometimes hard to take the OTT violence, despite his creativity and the stealthy messages he's sending.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

But did you like it? I haven't seen it, and I'm a bit put-off by the real-life tragic episode the film revolves around, according to what I've heard. I like and respect Tarantino's genius, but it is visually sometimes hard to take the OTT violence, despite his creativity and the stealthy messages he's sending.

It's long, but I like films that take time to explore character and plot development.

Granted, the subject matter is notorious, and Tarantino's handling of this violent episode is explicit and over the top.

Having said all of this, yes, I liked the movie a lot.

 

[annie720]

Saw Where'd You Go, Bernadette last night. Enjoyed it and thought they did a good job conveying the tone of the book.

 

[Vash01]

It's long, but I like films that take time to explore character and plot development.

Granted, the subject matter is notorious, and Tarantino's handling of this violent episode is explicit and over the top.

Having said all of this, yes, I liked the movie a lot.

Did we see the same movie? That notorious episode was not even in the movie. There was OTT violence but not what I was afraid of seeing- what happened in real life.

Someone explained to me as “once upon a time” is the starting point of fairy tales. So this is a what if....”

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Did we see the same movie? That notorious episode was not even in the movie. There was OTT violence but not what I was afraid of seeing- what happened in real life.

Someone explained to me as “once upon a time” is the starting point of fairy tales. So this is a what if....”

Correct.

SPOILER ALERT














Without giving the entire movie away, QT blends fictional characters with a real event and fuses the two together as a re-imagining.

 

[Vash01]

A movie not on the Oscar list but recommended: peanut butter falcon. Apparently the movie was written for zack, the character with Down’s syndrome though there are several bigger name actors in it. I loved that they skipped most of the maudlin and essentially made it a road movie with a sweet feel. And Shia Laboef’s accent was sexy AF.

I saw this movie today and I really enjoyed it. Definitely the feel good movie of the year.

 

[watchthis!!]

I was enjoying Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood, thinking it was a good step after Tarantino's successful movie, The Hateful Eight. An involving movie about male friendship and with a talented and engaging cast way too big to name. And then Tarantino has to f*** it up in the last twenty minutes. The whole mood changes and the movie becomes NOTHING like anything that preceded it...and NOT done in a good way. It's like Tarantino watched

Spoiler

John Wick 3

and thought, "let's put in as much

Spoiler

unnecessary, gratuitous violence as is humanly possible

. So that wrecked the movie for me, which was such a letdown after enjoying the first two hours. Which leads to a minor problem in comparison, the editing...or lack of it. 160 minutes in length, the movie ran too long, which made it too obvious that this was a big ego-stroke for both Tarantinto and DiCaprio. A movie scene (within this movie) is acted out, which seemed to last as long as a half hour TV pilot. DiCaprio did the scene well, but it just kept going on and on and on... So tough to say whether I recommend it or not. If you like directors who over-indulge themselves, you'll love this.

 

[MacMadame]

Shouldn't people expect unnecessary, gratuitous violence from a Tarantino movie?

 

[watchthis!!]

Shouldn't people expect unnecessary, gratuitous violence from a Tarantino movie?

Violence, yes. But he has (had) moved away from the violence of an unnecessary and gratuitous variety in his previous three films. Once Upon A Time... seemed to be moving further away from his violence obsession where he was actually telling a story rather than setting up a cinematic mass shooting.

 

[MacMadame]

Except there is also something about the Manson murders in there (or so I read) so I was expecting the movie to have violence and probably gratuitous violence.

 

[annie720]

Except there is also something about the Manson murders in there (or so I read) so I was expecting the movie to have violence and probably gratuitous violence.

I thought that scene had a comic-book quality to it. Not my cup of tea, but I laughed through it with my eyes closed.

 

[watchthis!!]

Went and saw Yesterday at the discount theatre. Wow, a lot of us saw it! Probably no need to do another post about it, but since I searched through and quoted everyone, let's see if I can include a bit from everybody else as I share my thoughts.

Just got back from seeing ‘Yesterday’. The trailer was great. Movie just ok. It has plenty of positives. Original idea, humor, good acting.

I think overall I felt pretty much the same about the movie that you did. I'd probably call it good rather than okay, but I think we agree that it won't win the Oscar for best picture.

Your take on Yesterday was completely different from mine. I absolutely loved it. We sat through the credits and sang Hey Jude along with several others in the audience. It was a feel good movie, and I admit I'm a sucker from those.

Yesterday has done very well. The budget was 26 million and it has made 131 million worldwide. So lots of people loved it.

Went and saw "Yesterday". It was cute, sweet, and a pleasant enough 2 hours at the movies. Nothing special and not a movie I'd go to see a second time, but decent enough.

The music was better than the movie.

Just saw Yesterday, it brought back nice memories, my husband and I visited Liverpool two months before he became ill.

Did you get to visit any of the places that the lead character in this movie visited? I liked that part of the movie.

I coincidentally saw both Bohemian Rhapsody and Yesterday this week-end. I thought Yesterday was the better movie and really enjoyed it despite not being a Beatles fan. The whole premise just sounded tacky to me but it was well put together, had a surprisingly sweet storyline, and people did the right thing! I would watch that movie again and I hardly ever feel that way.

Yes, it was nice to see people act in a proper way. One thing I wished the lead character had done:

Spoiler

given writing credits to "John, Paul, George and Ringo". When asked about who these people were, he could have said that the music came to him while he was sleeping and that these four people must be his musical muses.

I loved 'Yesterday' - and was skeptical. And as I was enjoying it in the middle - I thought how are they going to handle the ending and it was so good. There is one thing that is corny - but it is done well and warms my heart.

Which part did you find corny?

I just saw Yesterday and liked it more than I thought I would. It's a very nice movie that doesn't take itself seriously. I think I might like to see it again and focus more on Patel's singing.

I saw Yesterday with a friend and after the movie was over, he asked me if Himesh Patel was a musician who was cast in this role only because he could sing. Pretty good praise for someone with no previous musical recordings to his credit.

I went and saw Yesterday today with my mum. What a lovely movie! Reasonably lighthearted (with some sadder/quieter moments) on a funny concept. Quite funny in places. I absolutely loved Himesh Patel and couldn't believe I haven't seen him in more stuff!

I see that this is Patel's first movie role (he's done a lot of British television work). What a big break for him! His next movie role is The Aeronauts, a biographical drama starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. It's about the early days of gas ballons and those trying to make discoveries while using them. And Patel is currently filming an action thriller directed by Christopher Nolan. The movie also stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kenneth Branagh, John David Washington, Robert Pattinson and Michael Caine.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I thought the ending of OUATIH was really appropriate for Tarantino. Why not flip history on it's head? It is only a movie. I think that was the point of it.

 

[puglover]

We went to see "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" last night and even though I was a teenager in the sixties and remember lots of that time - last night was truly several hours of my life I will never get back. Great theatre - beautiful reclining seats, state of the art sound, buttered popcorn - and still we left begrudging the heck out of it. Also, did people actually say the "F" word 3 or 4 times per sentence in those days because I clearly do not remember that.

 

[watchthis!!]

Ashby is a totally under-rated comedy drama that stars Nat Wolff (The Fault In Our Stars, Grandma) as a teenager who has moved to a new town and ends up making friends with his much older next door neighbour, played by Mickey Rourke. I would argue that Rourke gives a better performance here than he did in the Wrestler, for which he won the BAFTA and Golden Globe for best actor (and was up for the Oscar in that role as well). This is the type of movie that makes you see how talented someone is when they've been given little opportunities to show that talent in the past. I guess you would call this movie of a coming of age story, but it's more than that.

Beautifully written by Tony McNamara (who also does a great job directing), who had previously only worked in television. This movie proved to be a great stepping stone for him, because his next screenplay (for The Favorite) won him a Oscar nomination (losing to Green Book). McNamara is now writing the screenplay for Cruella, a live version of the 101 Dalmations story, which will star Emma Stone and Emma Thompson. Back to Ashby - two great female performances by Sarah Silverman as Wolff's Mom and Emma Roberts (finally) playing a nice girl/nerd/brainiac as Wolff's love interest. Not surprising to see McNamara writing great roles for women here, knowing what he did with The Favorite and now writing for Stone and Thompson.

Trailer for Ashby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4QAQVWvFcE

 

[Vash01]

Just got back after seeing ‘Where’d you go Bernadett?’. Slow and boring at first. After it picked up, it became interesting. Unrealistic but entertaining. Cate Blanchet was very good. No surprise. Gorgeous scenes of Antarctica. It is worth seeing this movie just for those. 7/10

How many Emma’s do we have on the big screen? Thompson, Watson, Stone, Roberts, Nelson (girl in the Bernadett movie). We really need some new names. It is getting too confusing.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I saw The Kitchen yesterday. Hmmm started promising and then just kind of went nowhere.

Seeing Once Upon a Time again tonight with friends. They haven't seen it yet. Looking forward to seeing it again.

 

[watchthis!!]

Stonewall was much more enjoyable than I expected. A 2015 movie starring Jeremy Irvine, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Joey King, Matt Craven and Ron Perlman at the time of the riots in New York which brought about the modern day gay rights movement. What surprised me about the movie is that it was panned by critics when it came out, so I expected very little of it. Instead, I got to see a movie about a group of young outcasts who faced rejection everywhere they turned and were desperately trying to create a new family for themselves. All in the face of persecution by police and organized crime.

I think there might have been some homophobia which played a part in the movie not doing well. Plus the director, Roland Emmerich, had directed just summer blockbuster types of movies before (Godzilla, Independence Day, 10,000 BC). So maybe some wanted to see him fail trying to do a more serious movie. And the title of the movie is possibly mis-leading. This isn't a very heavy, serious drama specifically about the Stonewall riots. Instead, it's about the people rather than the events and while some characters are based on actual people, most characters are fictional. So anyone wanting to see some Oscar-bait and wanting to learn about this part of history would be disappointed.

The highlight of the movie is the young cast trying to make a new life for themselves after their own families and communities cast them out. Jonny Beauchamp as Ray/Ramona was a highlight. A number of others in the young cast are gay and this gave them their first chance of working in the film industry. Sad that this movie wasn't really given a chance.

Trailer for Stonewall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHdFIMKWi5g

 

[VGThuy]

Most of the criticisms of Stonewall was from the LGBTQ community itself, with a lot of it directed at what many perceived to be a whitewashing of the actual players in the riots. I didn’t watch it so I don’t know how true that criticism was.

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

Most of the criticisms of Stonewall was from the LGBTQ community itself, with a lot of it directed at what many perceived to be a whitewashing of the actual players in the riots. I didn’t watch it so I don’t know how true that criticism was.

Well, here are a sampling of stories about the movie and the criticisms (starting with the story of a young gay Caucasian cis-male being a focal point rather than trans women of color as protagonists):

I was at the Stonewall riots. The movie 'Stonewall' gets everything wrong

I’m not sure who “Stonewall” was made for. It wasn’t made for young LGBT people seeking good LGBT history, nor for a community who wishes to see its history portrayed with dignity and respect, and without perpetuating stereotypes and old myths.

www.pbs.org

Did 'Stonewall' film really whitewash history? | CNN

Author Lillian Faderman writes that clearly, all segments of the LGBT community have some link to Stonewall. So why did the "Stonewall" movie cause such a stir?

www.cnn.com

5 Problems Besides Whitewashing in the Film “Stonewall”

Roland Emmerich’s Stonewall was a whitewashing is bad but here’s five other problems folks have overlooked (as well as one thing it has going for it).

hornet.com

Stonewall sparks boycott row after claims film 'whitewashes' gay struggle

Trailer for Roland Emmerich movie telling the story of New York protests that fuelled the gay liberation movement angers LGBT activists by leaving out key black and Latino transgender figures

www.theguardian.com

Film

Find all the latest film news, with features, interviews and more.

www.telegraph.co.uk

Stonewall 50 Voices: I was at Stonewall and have seen it whitewashed

We start our Stonewall 50 Voices series to mark 50 years since the Stonewall Riots with a guest article by Rev Irene Monroe, who was there.

www.gaystarnews.com

 

[smurfy]

Which part did you find corny?

Maybe not the right word - but when Jack visits you know who, I thought oh so weird/corny this is going to ruin the film - but it was done well. A cousin of mine loved that scene and seeing this older person warmed her heart.

And I totally love how the yellow submarine prop was used.

I have been to Liverpool and did the official tour of Paul and John's boyhood homes. Well worth it.
Not a perfect movie - but I think most walk out in a good mood and playing the music in their heads.

 

[watchthis!!]

Noble is a great movie about a great woman, Christina Noble. The movie covers her childhood when her mother passes away and her father is unable to keep his family together. All of his children are separated and put into different orphanages. The movie does a good job of showing her earlier struggles, which help to give her the strength to travel to Vietnam in her middle age and work to help the street children on Saigon. Deirdre O'Kane is perfect in the title role. This movie is highly rated at rotten tomatoes with 82% positive from critics and 72% positive from moviegoers.

Trailer for Noble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2DwaFKqKxQ

 

[Vash01]

I watched on dvd ‘A Tale of love and darkness’ (2016) directed and acted in by Natalie Portman. She also wrote the screenplay based on the autobiographical book by Amos Oz. His character is the narrator - as a young boy and an old man. Natalie plays his mother Fania. The movie is in Hebrew (with subtitles) and it is about the events leading to Israel becoming a nation and the aftermath, mostly in Jerusalem where the family lives. There are also scenes from Tel Aviv where Fania (the mother) grew up.

Interestingly, the movie weaves in a Buddhist tale about two monks crossing a river. I will avoid spoilers.

As the title suggests, the movie is depressing. To me the interesting part was historical. The focus of the movie is the mother, who is an example of how lives of the people there were affected at that time in history.

Natalie Portman was born in Israel. She must have felt strongly about making a movie about her country of birth. I thought she did a better job as director than as screen writer (though it is hard to separate the two). Her acting was very good.

 

[watchthis!!]

Kelly and Cal stars Juliette Lewis as Kelly, a a punk-rocker turned suburban mom, who is befriended by Cal (Jonny Weston), a high school senior who she discovers after an awkward first meeting, is now confined to a wheelchair after performing a daredevil act to impress his girlfriend. Cal has now been dumped by that girlfriend, who he tells Kelly is now going to prom with his ex-best friend. Kelly has her own struggles with a new baby who seems to take to everyone but herself. And so the two form an unexpected friendship. It's nice to see Lewis in a kinder role than we usually see her ply. And Weston is all charisma, so the two make a very watchable pair. Also starring in this movie is Cybill Shepard, Josh Hopkins (Cougar Town) and in a small role, Margaret Colin (Veep, Shades of Blue).

Trailer for Kelly and Cal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHQ_WImurh0