Let's Talk Movies #36 - 2020 - Yep it is a new decade

[watchthis!!]

I remember reading posts here about the recent version of Dune, I think most people really enoyed it. I did as well, but was surprised at how slight the story was. Can’t believe that with such a threadbare plot that the movie lasted two and a half hours. I have a vague memory of Frank Herbert’s books being quite thick, much like most of Stephen King’s novels. So I was expecting more depth to the movie. Luckily the effects, cinematography and cast made this watchable. I’m surprised by how enamored the world is with Timothee Chalamet. Just like the movie, I found his performance (and physical presence) to be equally slight. Zendaya only has a few lines in this movie, but I longer for more of her and much less of Chalamet. It might have been cool to swap the gender of Chalamet’s character and have Zendaya in the lead role. And Chalamat could by the wispy mysterious stranger who isn’t required to do much but look pretty. I think he could handle that much. Probably.

 

[VGThuy]

I remember reading posts here about the recent version of Dune, I think most people really enoyed it. I did as well, but was surprised at how slight the story was. Can’t believe that with such a threadbare plot that the movie lasted two and a half hours. I have a vague memory of Frank Herbert’s books being quite thick, much like most of Stephen King’s novels. So I was expecting more depth to the movie. Luckily the effects, cinematography and cast made this watchable. I’m surprised by how enamored the world is with Timothee Chalamet. Just like the movie, I found his performance (and physical presence) to be equally slight. Zendaya only has a few lines in this movie, but I longer for more of her and much less of Chalamet. It might have been cool to swap the gender of Chalamet’s character and have Zendaya in the lead role. And Chalamat could by the wispy mysterious stranger who isn’t required to do much but look pretty. I think he could handle that much. Probably.

You must not have seen a lot of Chalamet’s movies.

 

[clairecloutier]

I’m surprised by how enamored the world is with Timothee Chalamet. Just like the movie, I found his performance (and physical presence) to be equally slight. Zendaya only has a few lines in this movie, but I longer for more of her and much less of Chalamet. It might have been cool to swap the gender of Chalamet’s character and have Zendaya in the lead role. And Chalamat could by the wispy mysterious stranger who isn’t required to do much but look pretty. I think he could handle that much. Probably.

I’ve only seen Chalamet in 2 films as yet, but so far my reaction is the same as yours.

 

[Jay42]

I thought Chalamet was good in Little Women but the part of French Dispatch the he was in was more interesting because of Frances McDormand and I expected that going in. Of course in both movies he's really not doing a lot and the heavy lifting is done by the women he shares most of his screen time with. In the case of Little Women that makes sense because of how the story is structured and who he was playing. In the case of French Dispatch I'm not sure if that was intentional or just my expectations because I've seen more Frances McDormand movies than I have Chalamet. I should probably watch Dune.

 

[watchthis!!]

You must not have seen a lot of Chalamet’s movies.

He was good in Call Me By Your Name. And in Little Women, but barely remember him for the reasons that @Jay42 stated. Maybe if I re-watch Lady Bird again, I might re-examine how I see him. I don't remember anything bad about that movie, so maybe I liked him them...but there's been so much Chalamet butt-kissing in the media over the last few years, that I expected more of him from Dune. He was mis-cast here, I think. And perhaps mis-directed. I'm glad that Dune won so many Oscars for the technical aspects of the film, but nobody in the talented cast got an acting nomination.

Which movies that I did not mention do you recommend I consider watching to re-think my Chalamet distaste?

 

[clairecloutier]

I forgot Chalamet was in Lady Bird. LOL.

 

[Spikefan]

We just watched Cha Cha Real Smooth on Apple and enjoyed it. The younger characters were the best. It didn’t deal with bipolar disorder in a realistic way but clearly didn’t want to be a complete downer movie. Worth a watch if you have Apple.

 

[Cachoo]

I remember watching the “60 Minutes” story about this couple so I wanted to see “Jerry and Marge Go Large” on Paramount. Bryan Cranston and Annette Benning were well cast (are they ever bad?) and the story of how they shared their good fortune to help their small town is a nice way to spend a few hours.

 

[Seerek]

I’ve only seen Chalamet in 2 films as yet, but so far my reaction is the same as yours.

I don't think quantity has anything to do with it. I've watched 6 films with Chalamet in either lead/supporting (the last being "Don't Look Up"), yet my impression is the same as you two.

I'll reserve final judgement after seeing what kind of performances and roles he takes on once he gets into his 30s.

 

[Davy88gtbwxyc]

"No Place On Earth" was a harrowing documentary of the survival of a group of Jewish people during the peak of Nazi predation.

It really highlighted the human spirit amidst unimaginable hardship.

The horrors that many Jewish people had to endure during such an atrocious time period was truly humbling and remarkable.

 

[Buzz]

Bad news for Buzz Lightyear.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/article-pixars-lightyear-underwhelms-with-51-million-debut-as-jurassic-world/

 

[MacMadame]

We'll see if it has staying power and can catch up. Watched it yesterday and it was pretty good. I got all choked up at the end. But it started out kind of slow. Plus it was hard to imagine that this was Andy's favorite film. It seemed more geared to grown ups.

 

[Vash01]

I want to see this new Elvis movie, with Tom Hanks playing the villain.

Tom Hanks Explains It All (Published 2022)

The iconic actor on his wild new Elvis movie, his faith in America, and why his Oscar-winning movies might not get made today.

www.nytimes.com

 

[canbelto]

I saw Lightyear and actually really enjoyed it. It wasn't as great as some of the top tier Pixar, but it was a very enjoyable, touching film.

 

[annie720]

Just watched the Indian film RRR that is getting a fair amount of attention. Honestly, it’s a hoot! It’s like a mix of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ben Hur, and George of the Jungle, with some pretty good Bollywood style dancing. We watched on Netflix but hubby now wants to see it on the big screen since it’s come back to theaters in many locations.

 

[clairecloutier]

So we finally saw Dune last night ... I really liked it. For me, the movie caught and evoked the whole mood and tone of the book very well. The oppressive sense of destiny that you can't escape; the cold fearfulness of a universe ruled through dynasty, blood feuds, and scheming secret societies; the extreme strangeness of Arrakis itself; the empty yet defining feudal ceremony around everything. The film caught all of this for me. The pacing was indeed leisurely and yet this produced an interesting sense of dread--as everyone is aware that menacing events are happening all around them, yet they are not immediately apparent. I liked this sense. I'm actually glad that they didn't try to cram the whole first book into this movie, as it is just too much narrative to cover.

In terms of casting, I thought most of the actors were good. The guy who played Duke Leto seemed perfect for the role. A little bit of mixed feelings about Rebecca Ferguson as Jessica. I liked her fierceness and awareness but felt she didn't capture the charm and seductiveness of Jessica. I kept thinking how Ruth Wilson would have been interesting in this role.

As for Chalamet ... I have not been a big fan of his to this point. Didn't really like him as Laurie in Little Women (although he kind of fit in with that cast overall), and I don't even remember him in Lady Bird or Don't Look Now. That said, for me, he works as Paul, at least in this opening movie. Because he feels like the right age. (Kyle MacLachlan was clearly too old in the 1984 film.) Paul is not a man yet--he is a boy, or a very young man--and he's both tremendously gifted and not yet sure of himself. Chalamet's physical slightness helped convey this boyish quality, but he is a good enough actor that he was also able to show the ability and intelligence underneath the youth. So, in this role, I thought he was good.

 

[vgerdes]

I want to see this new Elvis movie, with Tom Hanks playing the villain.

Tom Hanks Explains It All (Published 2022)

The iconic actor on his wild new Elvis movie, his faith in America, and why his Oscar-winning movies might not get made today.

www.nytimes.com

I don't know if I would call Col. Tom Parker a "villain" in the conventional sense.

 

[Vash01]

Finally watched the new West side story. Pluses and minuses

Pluses:

It felt More authentic because the Puertorican characters spoke Spanish with each other. I would have liked to see the English translation in the subtitles though.

Rachel felt like real Maria rather than Natalie Wood, who acted great but felt like a transplanted one.

The dances and fights were choreographed well.

Not sure if Rachel sang her own song. The singing was good.

i liked Ansel E. Better than the actor in the older WSS.

Tony's death and Maria's grief was well done.

Minuses:

Was it really necessary to create Valentina- Rita Moreno's character (just to give her a role in this movie) and even make her sing 'Somewhere'? It was so much better when Tony and Maria sang it!

Too many songs. Particularly the duet by Anita and Maria seemed too long and unnecessary. I would have preferred a dialogue. The prolonged singing took away the emotion created By the tragic event.

The two gangs carried Tony's body together. It was touching, but Aren't they supposed to leave the body at the murder scene for the police? Instead Valentina walked with Chino behind them. That didn't seem right.

Overall, I give a slight edge to the older version. I enjoyed my favorite songs in both.

Maria
Tonight
I feel pretty
Somewhere (didn't like how it was presented in the new version)
America

 

[Jay42]

Not sure if Rachel sang her own song. The singing was good.

She did, I follow her YouTube channel, she's very good.

I still really need to watch the WSS remake.

 

[Vash01]

I watched Dances with wolves -3 hours long- in one evening. That's unusual for me. I don't like to watch long movies in one sitting, unless they are in movie theatres. I had seen this movie before but didn't have much memory of it. It was riveting. What made it special for me was that during my recent visit to South Dakota I took a Safari in Custer state park. We saw over 100 buffalos. We were told that they had filmed the scene with hundreds of buffalos there. Also the landscape in the movie reminded me of what I had seen. At the state park there was a 30 minute documentary about this movie, narrated by Kevin Costner. So after I got home, I rented this movie from Netflix.

Some scenes were hard for me to watch, so I had to cover my eyes. Other than that, it was really good. A bit slow moving but I didn't mind it because everything was done well. Direction, acting, cinematography, original score were excellent. It made me aware of what the white man destroyed, and not just in this place. Lt. John Dunbar (Kostner's character) was an exception. Loved the wolf, friend of John Dunbar. This is a 10/10 movie.

 

[VGThuy]

I still sing both parts of "A Boy Like That" and "I Have a Love". Not well, mind you, but those lyrics matching those melodies are simply gorgeous. Word craft and songwriting at its best.

 

[watchthis!!]

I watched Scream recently, the "requel" of the film series that started in the 1990's. If you don't know what a "requel" is...watch the movie! I enjoyed it more than I expected, thanks to the writers. They have injected a lot of originality into the story. So many horror movie cliche's were avoided, which was much appreciated. And it felt really good to see David Arquette, Courtney Cox and Neve Campbell. I didn't realize I had missed them so much. I see on wikipedia that the same writers and directors of this movie will be making Scream 6, which is set for release in 2023. I'm ready for it!

 

[Buzz]

Box Office: ‘Elvis’ Opening and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Battling for No. 1, ‘Black Phone’ Ringing Up $23 Million

It’s a 20th century showdown at the box office this weekend, with the baby boomer epic “Elvis” contending against Gen X revamp “Top Gun: Maverick” for the top spot on …

variety.com

 

[orbitz]

"Thor: Love and Thunder" has been getting very good first reactions. Can't wait until it opens.

 

[watchthis!!]

"Thor: Love and Thunder" has been getting very good first reactions. Can't wait until it opens.

Haven't heard of it. Anybody famous in it?

 

[watchthis!!]

Saw a pretty good crime thriller called Goldstone. It's a follow-up to Mystery Road, where an Australian Indigenous detective is looking for a missing woman and finds that there are much bigger obstacles to face than finding this one person. This is an example of a movie I started watching too late in the evening and then ended staying up much longer than I wanted because the movie was too good to stop and watch later. Aaron Pedersen plays the lead character and Jacki Weaver, David Wenham (Faramir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy) and Alex Russell (currently on the CBS TV show S.W.A.T.) also star in this movie. The minor characters in this movie are all very talented as well. And nice to see a good number of Indigenous people on screen.

 

[Tesla]

Saw a pretty good crime thriller called Goldstone. It's a follow-up to Mystery Road, where an Australian Indigenous detective is looking for a missing woman and finds that there are much bigger obstacles to face than finding this one person. This is an example of a movie I started watching too late in the evening and then ended staying up much longer than I wanted because the movie was too good to stop and watch later. Aaron Pedersen plays the lead character and Jacki Weaver, David Wenham (Faramir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy) and Alex Russell (currently on the CBS TV show S.W.A.T.) also star in this movie. The minor characters in this movie are all very talented as well. And nice to see a good number of Indigenous people on screen.

It also became a television series.

 

[puglover]

I went to "Elvis" last night by myself as I could not persuade anyone - family or friends to go. It is a long movie but I did really enjoy it. I am one of those freaks who is not a fan of Tom Hanks at all but I thought he did a good job here and Austin Butler really captured the very complicated man, entertainer, talented and tragic figure Elvis became. Worth seeing on the big screen with surround sound.

 

[Buzz]

Gru and his Minions are at it again!

Box Office: ‘Minions: Rise of Gru’ Takes Off With Huge $10.8M in Previews

The origin story is the fifth entry in Illumination and Universal's blockbuster 'Despicable Me' franchise.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[vgerdes]

Gru and his Minions are at it again!

Box Office: ‘Minions: Rise of Gru’ Takes Off With Huge $10.8M in Previews

The origin story is the fifth entry in Illumination and Universal's blockbuster 'Despicable Me' franchise.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Went to see this one tonight. Little Gru -- or "Mini-Boss" as his Minions call him, much to his dismay -- is very cute. Some light, fluffy fun to enjoy in a cool movie theater on a hot summer night.