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

watchthis!!

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Such a good movie... The Entitled mixes thriller, mystery, action together and then there's a whole lot of small-time hostage drama. Kevin Zegers plays a poor college student who hatches a plan to abduct three (very rich) fellow students. He makes friends with two other people on campus who he convinces to help him with his plan. The three kidnapped students are taken to a lake house close to their summer homes. So much happens in this movie that it’s tough to say more. The story here is very strong, made even better by such a strong cast. Playing the fathers of the rich students are Victor Garber, Ray Liotta and Stephen McHattie (who you’ve probably seen in a billion things). The two students who help Zegers are played by Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) and Devon Bostick (The 100). This is a good movie to pay attention to as you are watching as the story is detailed in ways you might not expect. If you like dramatic thrillers, this is a must-see.
 

PeterG

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6/10 – Dream Boat is a 2017 documentary about an annual boat cruise for gay men. Five men from various countries in Europe and the Middle East tell the story of what their life is like at this moment in time. I was expecting this film to be more celebratory...and even frivolous. While there are a few moments of levity, the majority of the movie is about these men’s struggles and sadness. So it’s a gay film definitely that is lacking in much gaiety.

Trailer for Dream Boat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UACdMZZWTw
 

MacMadame

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I'm unsurprised. I'm wondering how long Warner Bros. is going to continue releasing its movies simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. I'm thinking that arrangement probably won't continue into 2022.
It will depend on how much money they think they can make. Time from theatrical release to streaming/video release have gotten shorter and shorter over time so it's not unreasonable that same-day simultaneous release will be the norm.
 

PeterG

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It will depend on how much money they think they can make. Time from theatrical release to streaming/video release have gotten shorter and shorter over time so it's not unreasonable that same-day simultaneous release will be the norm.

My library already has The Free Guy on order. It's still the #2 movie in theatres.
 

watchthis!!

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Little Birds is a dark drama about two teenagers (Juno Temple and Kay Panabaker) living in a dead-end town in an isolated southern California town. They have an opportunity to escape to Los Angeles, but their hopes for an exciting new life in the big city does not materialize. Like I mentioned, this movie is quite dark, so I found it tough to watch. It’s a well made movie and the cast are all very talented (Leslie Mann, Kate Bosworth and Neal McDonough are also in the cast). I recommend this movie, but only if you enjoy movies with a darker storyline.
 

PeterG

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I saw Promising Young Woman the other evening. I found it good but disturbing.

I saw 'Promising young woman' last week. Interesting storyline And ending. Revenge without guns. However the whole idea of why she does it seems unrealistic to me. Carey Mulligan is considered the favorite for Best actress, by Goldderby. This year's award is unpredictable IMO and I like that.

I wrote this in the movie thread but Promising Young Woman was amazing. It's not a perfect movie by any means and I had some issues with a few things, and I could tell it was a first-time director/writer, but the second half was incredible. It'll stay with me for a while. I can see Carey Mulligan winning an Oscar for it if the men of the Academy embrace this film. They may not given the subject matter.

10/10 - Promising Young Woman – Holy crap. What a movie. Just freakin’ incredible. To me, this is what the future of movies should be like. What a brilliant script and direction by Emerald Fennell. Can I please have ten new movies by her ASAP??? Carey Mulligan has the role of a lifetime and steals the show. And this is in a movie that has great performances by many, specifically Alison Brie and Bo Burnham. Hats off to Mulligan for being so gracious with Frances McDormand flat-out stealing her Oscar. :lol: In comparison, McDormand was coasting with Nomadland. Maybe I feel that way because we've seen McDorman in flashier and more demanding roles.

Same goes for best picture and director with Nomadland winning over Promising Young Woman. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I think Nomadland won because enough of a voting block of old white men in the Academy were comforted by the dulcet tones of Nomadland after having sh** themselves after seeing Promising Young Woman. :rofl: Not just because Promising Young Woman is such a challenging movie. But also because I’m sure that voting block of aged men saw some of themselves in the male characters of Promising Young Woman. Or knew of men who behaved on some level like these men towards women...and often probably WAY worse. So I don't think the old-school voters in the Academy would reward Promising Young Woman for making them actually acknowledge how their generation was part of this societal problem in such a big way. But I’m sure in time Promising Young Woman will be acknowledged as a far superior film to Nomadland. The world’s not ready now, but the current is moving in the right direction.

Trailer for Promising Young Woman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSP1BEDIOiU
 

VGThuy

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I thought Nomadland was more deserving and really touched upon issues that will affect us in the future as gig economies become normalized, factory towns keep disappearing, and automation takes over more industry. I also would have voted for McDormand among the group (I actually think I’d rank Mulligan third or fourth) and think Zhao was a more skilled director than Fennell. I enjoyed PYW immensely, but I do think it’s a very flawed or at least uneven movie that could have used more rewrites and some of the acting scenes were awkward and not well-done while others were excellent. Not all of those who critiqued PYW were old men. Some of the biggest critics were feminists and sexual assault survivors who hated that film and felt the message was completely wrong on a multitude of levels. I don’t particular agree with all the critiques and I still find that the second act lifted the movie into a higher level where I felt amazed by it, and has stayed with me for a long time, but I understand their issues with it.
 
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Cachoo

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10/10 - Promising Young Woman – Holy crap. What a movie. Just freakin’ incredible. To me, this is what the future of movies should be like. What a brilliant script and direction by Emerald Fennell. Can I please have ten new movies by her ASAP??? Carey Mulligan has the role of a lifetime and steals the show. And this is in a movie that has great performances by many, specifically Alison Brie and Bo Burnham. Hats off to Mulligan for being so gracious with Frances McDormand flat-out stealing her Oscar. :lol: In comparison, McDormand was coasting with Nomadland. Maybe I feel that way because we've seen McDorman in flashier and more demanding roles.

Same goes for best picture and director with Nomadland winning over Promising Young Woman. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I think Nomadland won because enough of a voting block of old white men in the Academy were comforted by the dulcet tones of Nomadland after having sh** themselves after seeing Promising Young Woman. :rofl: Not just because Promising Young Woman is such a challenging movie. But also because I’m sure that voting block of aged men saw some of themselves in the male characters of Promising Young Woman. Or knew of men who behaved on some level like these men towards women...and often probably WAY worse. So I don't think the old-school voters in the Academy would reward Promising Young Woman for making them actually acknowledge how their generation was part of this societal problem in such a big way. But I’m sure in time Promising Young Woman will be acknowledged as a far superior film to Nomadland. The world’s not ready now, but the current is moving in the right direction.

Trailer for Promising Young Woman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSP1BEDIOiU
Hhhmmm wonder if "Promising Young Woman" looks promising for future Criterion Collection consideration.
 

watchthis!!

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Into The Storm is a disaster film where a town in Oklahoma has multiple tornadoes hitting it at once. Storm trackers, thrill seekers and everyday people are all caught up in the drama and the movie is both stupid (which is bad) and fun (which is good), making it a stupid fun movie to watch with a bunch of friends! The movie made 160 million, surprised that it didn’t get a sequel. Nobody really famous in this one, but Richard Armitage was in The Hobbit movies and Sarah Wayne Callies played Lori Grimes on The Walking Dead.
 

PeterG

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Here starts my "it's about damned time that the Academy recognizes Timothy Spall for the superb actor he is" campaign:


:cheer:

I remember watching two British TV series at the same time: The drama The Syndicate (about a group of co-workers who win the lottery) and Blandings, a wonderfully written comedy set in the 1920s. And I knew that the same actor was in both series, but I had to check to be sure on imdb.com because the roles were SO different. And being amazed that these two drastically different characters were both played by Spall.

Spall has been nominated five times for a BAFTA, but has never won. Roles in Secrets & Lies and Topsy-Turvy were two of his nominations. He's been nominated three times for the British Independent Film Awards, but has never won. But he did win best actor at the Cannes Film Fesitval in 2014 for Mr. Turner.

Not sure if The Last Bus is the role/movie to get him more recognition or even an Oscar nomination, but it will be interesting to see what happens this year. :)
 

Cachoo

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:cheer:

I remember watching two British TV series at the same time: The drama The Syndicate (about a group of co-workers who win the lottery) and Blandings, a wonderfully written comedy set in the 1920s. And I knew that the same actor was in both series, but I had to check to be sure on imdb.com because the roles were SO different. And being amazed that these two drastically different characters were both played by Spall.

Spall has been nominated five times for a BAFTA, but has never won. Roles in Secrets & Lies and Topsy-Turvy were two of his nominations. He's been nominated three times for the British Independent Film Awards, but has never won. But he did win best actor at the Cannes Film Fesitval in 2014 for Mr. Turner.

Not sure if The Last Bus is the role/movie to get him more recognition or even an Oscar nomination, but it will be interesting to see what happens this year. :)
I became familiar with him through the films of Mike Leigh. He has a lifetime of stellar work. "The Paper Chase" was on recently. I am sure there is more diversity in law school now but I wonder if the teaching methods are so different: https://youtu.be/wGUfvZU4wiE
 

LeafOnTheWind

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Saw Alita Battle Angel and loved it! It was a fun but bitter sweet movie.
I love the world they created. The story is kind of standard for this type of movie but the world building :swoon:. I was raving about it when I first saw it in theaters.
 

PeterG

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8/10 – The Free World is a 2016 drama starring Elisabeth Moss and Boyd Holbrook. This movie really drew me in…in spite of the difficult situation these two characters find themselves in. Holbrook’s character has recently been released from prison thanks to the work of the Innocence Project. He works at an animal shelter and one day Moss’ character brings her beloved pet dog in for help. It appears her police officer husband has beaten the dog…and unfortunately there is nothing than can be done for her dog. The drama builds and the two form a bond that looks like it could be headed for disaster. I liked that this movie often went in a direction that I did not expect. And the two leads are both fantastic in their roles. But I’d be okay if somebody cast Moss in a role where she is not being victimized by a man. Octavia Spencer is fantastic as Holbrook’s boss, even though her role is way too small for her talents.

Trailer for The Free World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brg5me-5_uA
 

watchthis!!

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2022 Oscars Predictions

This is an article published by Variety.

Best picture contenders:

Being the Ricardos” (Amazon Studios)
Belfast” (Focus Features)
C’mon C’mon” (A24)
CODA” (Apple TV Plus)
Dune” (Warner Bros.)
“King Richard” (Warner Bros.)
Parallel Mothers” (Sony Pictures Classics)
The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)
Tick, Tick…Boom!” (Netflix)
The Tragedy of Macbeth” (A24/Apple TV Plus)

I have heard of Being The Ricardos, Dune, King Richard and The Power of the Dog. Don't think I've heard anything about the other six. Glad to see that streaming services are being consider for award recognition. Will this be standard for all future Oscar ceremonies?

Best director:

Pedro Almodóvar
“Parallel Mothers” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Kenneth Branagh
“Belfast” (Focus Features)
Jane Campion
“The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)
Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Tick, Tick…Boom!” (Netflix)
Denis Villeneuve
“Dune” (Warner Bros.)

Again, only The Power of the Dog and Dune are movies I have heard anything about. I'm surprised this is the first I've heard of a new Lin-Manuel Miranda project. Normally he is everywhere about his work, kind of like John Legend and Christy Tiegen being everywhere always.

Best actor:

Benedict Cumberbatch
“The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)
Peter Dinklage
“Cyrano” (United Artists Releasing)
Andrew Garfield
“Tick, Tick…Boom!” (Netflix)
Will Smith
“King Richard” (Warner Bros)
Denzel Washington
“The Tragedy of Macbeth” (A24/Apple TV Plus)

Nice to see Peter Dinklage being considered. He's a great actor, even if he seems so depressingly sullen during interviews.

Best actress:

Jessica Chastain
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Searchlight Pictures)
Penélope Cruz
“Parallel Mothers” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Lady Gaga
“House of Gucci” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
Olivia Colman
“The Lost Daughter” (Netflix)
Kristen Stewart
“Spencer” (Neon)

Commercials for The Eyes of Tammy Faye are on high circulation. I've heard a bit about House of Gucci. Is Lady Gaga really that good of an actress (yet)? And Kristen Stewart for Spencer seems to be getting a LOOOOT of buzz at this time.

Best supporting actor:

Ciarán Hinds
“Belfast” (Focus Features)
Andrew Garfield
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Searchlight Pictures)
Corey Hawkins
“The Tragedy of Macbeth” (A24)
J.K. Simmons
“Being the Ricardos” (Amazon Studios)
Jeffrey Wright
“The French Dispatch” (Searchlight Pictures)

I'm most looking forward to seeing J.K. Simmons in Being The Ricardos. I'm assuming he is playing Fred, the neighbour of the Ricardos. It would be easy to go wrong with this role, so he has his work cut out for him. Haven't heard ANYTHING about any of these other movies, except for The Eyes Of Tammy Faye. Garfield is so physically wrong for the role of Jim Bakker.... :yikes:

Best supporting actress:

Nina Arianda
“Being the Ricardos” (Amazon Studios)
Caitriona Balfe
“Belfast” (Focus Features)
Judi Dench
“Belfast” (Focus Features)
Ann Dowd
“Mass” (Bleecker Street)
Kirsten Dunst
“The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)

LOVE that Ann Dowd's name is in the mix. She has been brilliant in so many things. I've never even heard of Nina Arianda or Caitriona Balfe. I assume they are real people, though.

All of the other categories can bee seen in this article. The only other category that stands out to me is Best Song:

“Unknown possible song” from “Dear Evan Hansen” (Universal Pictures)
“Unknown possible song” from “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Unknown possible song” from “House of Gucci” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
“No Time to Die” from “No Time to Die” (United Artists Releasing)
“Unknown possible song” from “Tick, Tick…Boom!” (Netflix)

Weird that four different movies have "Unknown possible song" as the song's title.
 

VGThuy

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Stewart got a lot of buzz at the Venice Film Festival for Spencer but Best Actress went to Penelope Cruz. The Oscar race could be very similar. For the past decade, if the Best Actress winner at Venice is an Oscar contender, there’s a good chance she’ll win Oscar. Of course, that didn’t work out for Vanessa Kirby last year but she lost to British actress killer, Frances McDormand.
 

PeterG

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I feel out of the loop (much like last year) looking over the nominees. But film companies usually keep their Oscar hopefuls for late in the year. Still, I wish they publicized some of these movies a bit more. Surprised to see a Kenneth Branagh movie in the mix as his Death On The Nile remake has been pushed back from theatrical release multiple times because of COVID. Wonder if he made "Belfast" before or after Death On The Nile? The article says that this list will be updated as information keeps coming in. Right now I don't find the list all that exciting, but I felt the same last year. But as I'm seeing the films that were nominated, I'm liking what I see from last year's nominees.

Will be interesting to see how Dune performs at the box office. If it flops, I don't know if many nominations will stand. Same thing for King Richard (and Will Smith). And I'm wondering if the mentions of Pedro Almodóvar and Parallel Mothers are just place-holders for other movies to get more buzz later on. He seems like he gets mentioned when his movies come out, but as time proceeds, he (and his work) are left in the dust.

The best actress category is the most interesting to me (as it usually is). Looking forward to all the films in that category. Especially when one of the potential nominees is Olivia Colman.

2022 Oscars Predictions


All of the other categories can bee seen in this article. The only other category that stands out to me is Best Song:

“Unknown possible song” from “Dear Evan Hansen” (Universal Pictures)
“Unknown possible song” from “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Unknown possible song” from “House of Gucci” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
“No Time to Die” from “No Time to Die” (United Artists Releasing)
“Unknown possible song” from “Tick, Tick…Boom!” (Netflix)

Weird that four different movies have "Unknown possible song" as the song's title.

:rofl:
 

Cachoo

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Well the Gucci preview made me laugh. There is something to be said for over the top and I think Ridley Scott said "Let's go!":


Also there is an article in "The Ringer" today about TIFF and the response to the films there. Toronto is a good precursor to the Oscars. I don't know if "The Humans" qualifies for Oscar contention but it is getting good reviews: https://youtu.be/dp3Whb77eXc
 
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PeterG

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I HIGHLY doubt Dune will flop. Seriously, I haven't been this excited by a movie release in a long time, and I don't think I'm alone.

I was thinking that the producers/studio of the first version of Dune was going to be a hit. The cast included a lot of actors who were hot at the time: Kyle MacLachlan, Sean Young, Linda Hunt (fresh off an Oscar win), Virginia Madsen, Patrick Stewart, movie legend Max von Sydow, Dean Stockwell, Brad Dourif, Jose Ferrer and Sting who was arguably the biggest band in the world in 1984, The Police. My guess is that everybody was shocked when Dune ended up bombing.

I checked at wikipedia to see what the expectations of the movie were before release, looks like everyone was hopeful:

Dune premiered in Washington, D.C., on December 3, 1984, at the Kennedy Center and was released worldwide on December 14. Pre-release publicity was extensive, not only because it was based on a bestselling novel, but also because it was directed by Lynch, who had had success with Eraserhead and The Elephant Man. Several magazines followed the production and published articles praising the film before its release, all part of the advertising and merchandising of Dune, which also included a documentary for television, as well as items placed in toy stores.

And while the movie seemed to start off strong in theatres, I'm guessing that word of mouth was not good and it sank quickly on the box office charts. From wikipedia again:

The film opened on December 14, 1984, in 915 theaters and earned $6,025,091 in its opening weekend, ranking number two in the domestic box office behind Beverly Hills Cop. By the end of its run, Dune had grossed $30,925,690 ($76,827,000 in 2020 American dollars). On an estimated $40 million budget, the film was considered a box office disappointment. While the film later went on to see more success over time, it has been called the "Heaven's Gate of science fiction".

Dune (1984) made between 30 and 38 million on a 40 million budget. A movie needs to make double the budget to make a profit.

I almost want to watch the original now after thinking about it. Could it have been that bad? But I will wait for the new version instead. On the plus side, the new version has a more popular cast for 2021 than Dune did in 1984. The 2021 version has Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem. That's pretty much a dream cast. I'd be more hopeful if they had a Marvel movie director at the helm though. Blade Runner 2049 wasn't a flop, but lost movie. Arrival and Sicario performed well though. But before that, Enemy made only 3.5 at the box office. Dune 2021 has a 165 million budget. It's going to be tough to make 330 million at the box office in the days of Covid (FSU won't let me say the Pandemic C-word). Oh...I can't say pandemonium-emic either?? :(
 

MacMadame

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I was thinking that the producers/studio of the first version of Dune was going to be a hit.
Yes but a lot of people who saw the trailers were not as optimistic. That's my memory at the time. That people's reaction to the trailers was "that doesn't look too good."
 

MarieM

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Dune version 2021 sucks. Big time. 2/10 for me. 1 point for the actors, 1 for the photography.
Dune version 1984 had a better scenario.
Villeneuve with all he had managed to put a knife into the book by not understanding the bookS.
Jason Momoa isn't Duncan. Duncan is slender. Not like Momoa.
Liet Kynes. And I'll stop here. That's where he first got it wrong, and the whole movie falls apart from that point on. He has misunderstood the book. So if you do love the book ? You'll end up a bit like me. Hating it.

Actors are good, the photography is good albeit a bit too shiny.
 
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