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

So I finally watched Frozen II thanks to Disney+ (I didn't really want it, but my husband said we have kid(s) now and should get for reasons). Anyway, wasn't the movie a bit aimless with a confused message/plot?

Spoilers below.

Also Olaf seems like a different character and way more annoying in this one, and Kristoff was just there to make the audience laugh at his whatever period music video song that I'm sure was only written to kill time and play on some vague nostalgia adults watching it would have because nostalgia is profitable and Disney knows that more than anyone with all those bad live action recreations.

I actually liked the first part, but then it got into spirit world and I'm still not sure what the point of all of that was. It seems Elsa's ice powers were a curse, not a gift for a bunch of reasons and I'm still not sure what she gets out of it or what she's supposed to do with them. I will say the scene with Elsa alone in the sea was probably the best part of the whole movie, though I don't know why it was so hard for her go there if they kept calling to her and why they froze her and could have deterred her from accomplishing what they wanted her to accomplish.

Another criticism is that I don't remember any of the songs honestly, and the only one that seemed worth the paycheck from the composers was the tribespeople one with the chanting. Also, a lot of the angst was OTT. I also think the trolls caused more harm than anyone else in this whole storyline except for Elsa's parents for being bad parents.
 
VGThuy said:
So I finally watched Frozen II thanks to Disney+ (I didn't really want it, but my husband said we have kid(s) now and should get for reasons). Anyway, wasn't the movie a bit aimless with a confused message/plot?

Spoilers below.

Also Olaf seems like a different character and way more annoying in this one, and Kristoff was just there to make the audience laugh at his whatever period music video song that I'm sure was only written to kill time and play on some vague nostalgia adults watching it would have because nostalgia is profitable and Disney knows that more than anyone with all those bad live action recreations.

I actually liked the first part, but then it got into spirit world and I'm still not sure what the point of all of that was. It seems Elsa's ice powers were a curse, not a gift for a bunch of reasons and I'm still not sure what she gets out of it or what she's supposed to do with them. I will say the scene with Elsa alone in the sea was probably the best part of the whole movie, though I don't know why it was so hard for her go there if they kept calling to her and why they froze her and could have deterred her from accomplishing what they wanted her to accomplish.

Another criticism is that I don't remember any of the songs honestly, and the only one that seemed worth the paycheck from the composers was the tribespeople one with the chanting. Also, a lot of the angst was OTT. I also think the trolls caused more harm than anyone else in this whole storyline except for Elsa's parents for being bad parents.
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I loved this movie more than the first one, and I loved the first one. I thought it was very good. I don't watch movies critically, so I'll try to explain my take.
Olaf is growing, so he's more of a teenager/adolescent in this movie. I get why he seems more annoying. I love Olaf, so he didn't really bother me. I loved Kristoff, too. I loved the 80's music video in the middle of the movie. I thought it showed relationship insecurity that is usually reserved for the female character. I loved it and the backup reindeer, and really, don't all Disney movies contain at least one unnecessary musical number? I can see it being filler but I'm glad it was there to flesh out Kristoff a bit more.

Elsa is the link between the spirits and the mortals. I don't think an ordinary human would be able to be that link, thus Elsa and her powers. I believe the whole journey was a test for both sisters. Would they do the right thing? Would they make hard, but necessary, choice? That's why it was such a difficult path for Elsa. She persevered and sacrificed herself for the truth and sent the message to her sister. Then, it was Anna's decision to make the hard choice. The sisters proved they were worthy rulers, and thus, they and Arendelle were saved.

I agree that the music isn't as catchy as the first movie but I think it is better than the first movie. On repeat viewings, I've seen Frozen 2 a lot, I've grown familiar with the music. I love "Show Yourself" (it brings tears to my eyes) and "Into the Unknown." "Lost in the Woods" makes me laugh (love the backup reindeer!). I thought the music was deeper and more emotional than in the first movie. I also love the Northuldra lullaby.

I didn't think the angst was that over the top, though I think Anna was a bit too overprotective. Olaf's angst I can understand because he's getting older and having to grapple with the feelings that come with that.

Overall, I thought it was a great movie and has become one of my favorites.

I tried, so while I may not have changed your mind, I hope I provided maybe some insight into the movie. :)
 
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I enjoyed Frozen 2 more than Frozen 1 but neither movie is anywhere near my list of favourite Disney movies.

As a fan of sister relationships I do very much enjoy the relationship between Anna and Elsa and the growth there. I really love The Next Right Thing but it's the only song from the movie that really stuck with me. Admittedly that is at least in part because I can relate it to a character in one of my favourite shows with freakishly good accuracy.But ultimately, there's still other Disney movies I would rather watch.
 
I noticed tonight that there's getting to be quite a lineup of recent releases under the "Theater at Home" banner. In addition to Emma, The Invisible Man, The Hunt and Onward, which were added last week, Vudu and Prime just added Birds of Prey (with Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn), Call of the Wild (with Harrison Ford), Downhill (Julia Louis Dreyfuss/Will Ferrell), Bloodshot (Vin Diesel), The Way Back (Ben Affleck) and I Still Believe. Unfortunately, some of them still cost $19.99 just to rent, while the rest are for purchase at full price, with no rental option. There are a couple of these I wouldn't mind seeing, but that price still seems a bit steep.
 
For some reason I have now seen 3 different movie versions of Murder on the Orient Express. I just watched the 2017 one, admittedly largely because Olivia Colman is in it and I will watch her in pretty much anything, but I was also kind of curious about it because my dad is a huge Hercule Poirot fan and has very strong opinions about his Poirot actors.

He has not seen the 2017 MOTE and if he asks I'll tell him not to because he will hate it so much. So as far as my dad in concerned the ultimate Poirot actor is David Suchet who played Poirot for 24 years on ITV in the UK. I am less picky. So my dad, preferring Suchet as Poirot, prefers his version of MOTE because that version of Poirot is better. I lean towards the 1974 version, sure Albert Finney is a weaker Poirot, but no matter how much I like Jessica Chastain, she's not enough to beat out a movie that has Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Vanessa Redgrave, Sean Connery, Michael York and a bunch of other people that I would have to look up to remember who they all are because it's been a while since I've seen the movie.

Which I think might be part of my problem with the 2017 version of Orient Express, it's very well cast, but no one can beat Ingrid Bergman winning an Oscar for one scene in the 1974 version. Kenneth Branagh is fine as Poirot and I love some of his directing choices, especially as it relates to some interactions between Michelle Pfeiffer and Johnny Depp's characters. But he really does go too hard on the mustache style and some of his characterizations seem a little over the top for a character who's supposed to be more restrained. I really should just read the book though, maybe then I'd get a better grasp on the character of Poirot as my dad sees him because I've always found both Albert Finney and Peter Ustinov's versions of the character to be fine.
 
Totally agree with you, @Nell411. The Finney version is my favorite too. That said, I hear Branagh is going to adapt Death on the Nile and I'll probably see it! But I hope I like it better than his last attempt.
 
Thanks for the run-down. I’ve been curious about the different versions. I will say that I did watch that one scene with Ingrid Bergman talking about the babies or whatever, and I did not understand how she won an Oscar for it. I’m not saying she was bad, quite the opposite but I don’t get how that performance won an award. IMO, it may have cost her a much more deserving Oscar for Autumn Sonata a few years later, though I think Liv Ullman gave a superior performance in that film.
 
Wyliefan said:
Totally agree with you, @Nell411. The Finney version is my favorite too. That said, I hear Branagh is going to adapt Death on the Nile and I'll probably see it! But I hope I like it better than his last attempt.
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I am low key excited for Death on the Nile because again, such a solid cast. I think I might like the Death on the Nile cast better than the Murder on the Orient Express cast, it includes Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders and as a huge fan of British comedy that hooks me immediately. I love Olivia Colman as an actress immensely but she's barely in MOTE and she served the story better in her small role in Hot Fuzz than she did in MOTE. DotN has way more people in it that I like from other things overall.

For how much I like the casting potential for Branagh's Death on the Nile compared to Ustinov's cast, it's pretty comparable. Whereas for me personally, no version of MOTE has been able to beat Finney's cast on the whole.

VGThuy said:
Thanks for the run-down. I’ve been curious about the different versions. I will say that I did watch that one scene with Ingrid Bergman talking about the babies or whatever, and I did not understand how she won an Oscar for it. I’m not saying she was bad, quite the opposite but I don’t get how that performance won an award. IMO, it may have cost her a much more deserving Oscar for Autumn Sonata a few years later, though I think Liv Ullman gave a superior performance in that film.
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Ingrid Bergman pretty much agreed with you. She said in her acceptance speech that she thought Valentina Cortese should have won. I'm just a fan and I haven't seen any of the other movies that were nominated against hers that year. I will see Blazing Saddles eventually, Madeline Kahn was nominated that year for it. But my list of movies to watch is very long and I'm an essential worker so I don't have as much time to just watch movies as I would like.
 
I watched "This Beautiful Fantastic" with Jessica Brown Findlay and Tom Wilkinson: I wanted a quiet, somewhat whimsical film and that is what I watched. I enjoyed it.
 
I tried watching Justice League yesterday but gave up after an hour as I kept falling asleep! Very slow movie.
 
I just watched "Final Portrait", because I like Geoffrey Rush and Armie Hammer, and I like Stanley Tucci as a director (or writer, or actor). It's appropriate that watching a film about a famous painter is rather like watching paint dry. Rush is fabulous, Tony Shalhoub is very good, and the supporting cast are good actors, but wow, what a SLOWWWWW movie!
 
Wyliefan said:
Blazing Saddles is a must-see. And Madeline Kahn is a goddess. :)
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TOTALLY agree. I would also highly recommend Mel Brooks' other masterpiece, "Young Frankenstein" - in which Madeline Kahn also plays a small, but pivotal role.

jadingirl said:
I tried watching Justice League yesterday but gave up after an hour as I kept falling asleep! Very slow movie.
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The pace picks up quite a bit at the end, but I agree with you about the first hour or so being verrrryyyy sloooowwwwww. I think they could have cut out quite a bit of the stuff leading up to the final battle. (For instance, as much as I loved the Amazons in Wonder Woman, their presence here was ... superfluous.)
 
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Regal Theatres is streaming John Wick this Friday. I own the movie so there is no reason for me to watch it but I want to. I think I just miss going to a movie even though I really didn't go that often.
 
I watched their stream of La La Land last Friday. It was really fun. I enjoyed livetweeting with a bunch of other fans.
 
vgerdes said:
TOTALLY agree. I would also highly recommend Mel Brooks' other masterpiece, "Young Frankenstein" - in which Madeline Kahn also plays a small, but pivotal role.
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I am a Mel Brooks fan so I enjoy most of his movies. Young Frankenstein is my favourite with Blazing Saddles a close second. But also have to mention History of the World Part 1. "It's good to be the king". And I love watching Madeline Kahn. Her characters in all three of these movies is hilarious. Particularly the Empress choosing her eunuchs for the night.
 
Aussie Willy said:
I am a Mel Brooks fan so I enjoy most of his movies. Young Frankenstein is my favourite with Blazing Saddles a close second. But also have to mention History of the World Part 1. "It's good to be the king". And I love watching Madeline Kahn. Her characters in all three of these movies is hilarious. Particularly the Empress choosing her eunuchs for the night.
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I also loved High Anxiety. Madeline was just so good no matter what role she played.
 
Well the beer burden has put the kibosh on going to the movie theatre so what about revisiting films from favorite directors? The Coen brothers have compiled an impressive list:

1984 Blood Simple
1987 Raising Arizona
1990 Miller's Crossing
1991 Barton Fink
1994 The Hudsucker Proxy
1996 Fargo
1998 The Big Lebowski
2000 O Brother, Where Art Thou?
2001 The Man Who Wasn't There
2003 Intolerable Cruelty
2004 The Ladykillers
2007 No Country for Old Men
2008 Burn After Reading
2009 A Serious Man
2010 True Grit
2013 Inside Llewyn Davis
2016 Hail, Caesar!
2018 The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

What director sparks your interest?
 
Artemis Fowl will be making its worldwide premiere on Disney+ next Friday. It was originally supposed to be a theatrical release. With the recent news about AMC's financial woes, I'm just wondering if we could be looking at the imminent demise of the movie theater. To me that would be unspeakably sad. I still love going to see movies in a theater. It's just not the same watching them at home, no matter how big your screen is.
 
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vgerdes said:
Artemis Fowl will be making its worldwide premiere on Disney+ next Friday. It was originally supposed to be a theatrical release. With the recent news about AMC's financial woes, I'm just wondering if we could be looking at the imminent demise of the movie theater. To me that would be unspeakably sad. I still love going to see movies in a theater. It's just not the same watching them at home, no matter how big your screen is.
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I still love going to the movies too! Hope they recover once this is over.
 
I love for some movies to see them in a theater first. But for others, I actually prefer to see them at home where it's more intimate and/or I can respond more freely.
 
I watched Contagion on dvd. Very good and prophetic. It was produced in 2011 and we are now living many of the things in this movie. Kudos to Steve Soderbergh for making this. Big name cast- Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Marion Cottilard, Jennifer Ehle, Lawrence Fishburn, etc. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt but I really liked this movie.
 
Saw Warcraft and still love it. I think I am probably the only one but i am still hoping for a sequel. I would mind a sequel in the form of a tv series. One can dream, can’t one?! :slinkaway
 
Saw 13th, the documentary by Ava DuVernay about the historical criminalization of African Americans. I found it good but not great. They had too many people talking and it just got confusing. Why is Gingrich in this movie?

The historical stuff was great, but when she started talking about the presidents, I zoned out. And when she does, she skips basically all of the presidents elected in the 2000s.

As a Canadian, I think I was wanting something beyond how government and corporations use racism and racist messaging to control the population. To me, that’s a big duh. But why is the US the way it is? Why is private prisons so massive? Why are judges and prosecuting attorneys elected in the first place? Canadians watch Cops. Our news focus on crime too. Our politicians are tough on crime too. Our racism takes a different form. But I was hoping to somehow examine the psyche of the American populace. Maybe I was expecting something that the movie never intended to provide. If there is a movie that tries to deal with it, please let me know.

The documentary does have me no longer want to listen about the supposed poor branding of Defund the Police.
 
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Watched The Horse Whisperer on dvd. I had seen it in a theatre in 1998 but I had forgotten most of it, except the main story and Scarlett Johansson ‘s amazing performance. Last night it really struck me how good she was at her young age (14). She should have received an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actress. Kristin Scott Thomas and Scarlett had some great scenes together as mother and daughter.

The cinematography was breathtaking. Really beautiful scenes of Montana. Robert Redford has always been a great director. He was excellent as director and lead actor. The horse scenes were great.

The movie has a very slow pace and it is almost three hours long but I still enjoyed it.

I heard that the book has a different ending but I thought the one used in the movie worked very well. I wouldn’t have liked the ending in the book (trying to avoid spoilers).
 
I enjoyed "The Good Liar" more than "Knives Out." I thought Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen played off of one another beautifully.

BLOCKBUSTERS!!! The movie that was considered the first summer blockbuster and ushered in summer after summer of fun films is "Jaws" and 45 years old this year. It seems odd that the beer burden will curtail that season for the first time....ever?
 
Put something in the Streaming services thread about this. Last night my friend and I watched Eurovision Song Contest: The story of Fire Saga on Netflix.

We loved it. There was one part where we could not stop laughing it was so funny. But it was one of those really great feel good movies like Pitch Perfect. The characters were really believable. You know you are watching Will Ferrell but he was really good and his character was so likeable. And Rachel McAdam was lovely. Plus it has a lot of surprises in terms of the cast. And it doesn't not take the p*ss out of Eurovision but rather is a really affectionate homage to it.

If you are a Eurovision tragic or Will Ferrell fan you will not be disappointed.
 
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