i had a strongly negative reaction to the post, more so than you. its heart was in the right place, clearly, but, more than in most of his recent movies, spielberg's obviousness was at his most obvious.
i had to think of the post when i caught up with another newspaper movie this weekend, spotlight. all of the things the post kinda flubbed imo, i feel spotlight got right, excluding perhaps one scene where mark ruffalo gets a bit worked up. it let the story unfold, and all the drama was understated - it came from the facts & the story, not from music swelling while people made speeches, or from secretaries yelling out verdicts, or from meryl gliding out of the courtroom in front of adoring women.
4.5/5 for spotlight.
I agree that Spotlight is the better movie.
Agreed, there was more drama and nuance, and fewer attempts to manipulate the audience, in Spotlight, making it the better movie.
Good night, sweet Prince | 7 June 1958 - 21 April 2016
Props will be withheld until the showing and proving has commenced. -- Aaron McGruder
Marshall (2017) - About a young Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases.
Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall--Chadwick Boseman sure knows his way around a biopic. 3.5/5
vivre sa vie (1962) 5/5 12 short episodes tell the story of a french woman's descent into prostitution. dipping my toes into the french new wave era continues to be incredibly rewarding.
thelma (2017) 4.5/5 paranormal thriller that sidesteps a lot of the moves you'd expect from such a film. i actually thought it was not a world apart from raw in its overall feel.
there's almost no 'carrie at the prom' explosive violence, and it avoids that self-serious verging on silly tone that i felt undercut personal shopper.
it does have creepy moments, & some some genuinely disturbing images, but they're presented with a real icy restraint.
bad day for the cut (2017) 3.5/5 hugely enjoyable & misanthropic revenge thriller. misses out on being all-time great due to a slightly overly complicated finish, but i think fans of blue ruin & coen-style violent revenge movies would like it quite a bit.
Academy Award-Nominated Documentary Short Films 2018:
Heroin(e) (2017) - Three women fight to break the cycle one life at a time.4/5
Knife Skills (2017) - What does it take to build a world-class French restaurant? What if the staff is almost entirely men and women just out of prison? What if most have never cooked or served before, and have barely two months to learn their trade?3.5/5
Traffic Stop (2017) - Traffic Stop tells the story of Breaion King, a 26-year-old African-American school teacher from Austin, Texas, who was stopped for a routine traffic violation that escalated into a dramatic arrest.3/5
Edith+Eddie (2017) - Edith and Eddie, ages 96 and 95, are America's oldest interracial newlyweds. Their love story is disrupted by a family feud that threatens to tear the couple apart.3.5/5
Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405 (2016) - 56 year old artist Mindy Alper, suffering from acute anxiety, mental disorder and devastating depression, emerges from darkness and isolation to a life that includes love, trust and support.4/5
....carrying on from my other thread about it....did anyone else feel that the sets, the space where all the action takes place, looked a lot like Unreal Tournament, and Quake II or Doom 3 or something?? I really felt that.....
Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) - Roman J. Israel, Esq., a driven, idealistic defense attorney, finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action.
It was a little hard to watch this savant attorney fumble his way through life after being unexpectedly thrust out on his own in this ultimately very sad story. 3/5
Mudbound - 4.5 /5 - What a film. The relationship between the sons of the respective families was extremely poignant without being sentimental, which is quite an accompishment. All the acting is wonderful. The film should have been nominated for Best Picture, but is likely being penalized for being a Netflix film. Apparently a couple of years back there was an excellent picture by Netflix that was even more overlooked by the academy, but I can't remember the name. Any way, well worth seeing but just be prepared for some extremely difficult scenes.
It's time for another exciting episode of Movies That Are Always On TNT But For Some Reason I Have Never Watched In Their Entirety! I'd call this by the acronym "MTAAOTBFSRIHNWIE" but I don't intend to ever type this again.
Today's movie is the engrossing story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. - "Catch Me If You Can"! SPOILER ALERT - He gets caught.
I read the original "Catch Me If You Can" book way before there was either a movie, or MTAAOTBFSRIHNWIE (thank goodness for Copy and Paste). I read it in high school, which means I read it more than 40 years ago. Therefore, I had to so some of my patented scientific research to see if my memory has held up over the last four decades.
Pretty much, yeah! But don't ask me what I had for breakfast because I have NO idea.
Frank Abagnale, Jr. was a con man. But what a con man! He impersonated a pilot; a doctor; a policeman; and he was the leading check counterfeiter of all time. In real life, he started by swindling his dad; in the movie, his dad got swindled by The Man i.e. Chase Manhattan Bank, who refused to lend him some business-saving money. Frank's dad goes from being rich to being broke but since his dad is played by Christopher Walken, he is cool at all times.
I'm tempted to talk about the real Frank Abagnale, Jr. because he is so much more interesting than the movie Frank Abagnale, Jr. But this thread is not titled "Rate The Last Real Person On Whom A Movie Was Based" so I can't do that.
Movie Frank Abagnale, Jr. is played by Leonardio DiCaprio, a very cool guy. The FBI agent is played by Tom Hanks, another cool guy. But of the two, only DiCaprio gives a performance worthy of mention in some future Rate The Last Real Person On Whom A Movie Was Based" thread. It pains me to say this but Tom Hanks's performance was not Tom Hanksian. Part of the blame...well, most of the blame falls on whoever wrote the script, because even though they tried to make Hanks's character as much of a sad sack as possible, he was impossible to root for.
Oh! I just remembered! There is an episode in the movie where DiCaprio screws a model. Art imitates real life! Although wikipedia doesn't mention this, I remember that VERY CLEARLY the model was Cheryl Tiegs. Yep - that was one scene in the movie that apparently is 100% accurate.
Speaking of Cheryl Tiegs, did you know the Bob Seger hit "Hollywood Nights" is about her? It could be about her and Frank Abagnale, Jr., I'm not sure. But it's about her, for some reason or other.
And also speaking of Cheryl Tiegs, she used to hang out in Dallas. One day she was watching some young son of a friend or relative or something playing a soccer match. One of my frat brothers noticed her and put his best shot on her. He never got a date, but he did have a nice conversation. This guy soon graduated from college and spent a year following The Grateful Dead around Europe. If there ever was a college guy that had a shot with Cheryl Tiegs, he was probably the guy.
Leonardo DiCaprio spends 1.5 movie hours, or 3.5 TNT cable TV hours, having a grand old time and escaping from the clutches of sad sack Tom Hanks. In an ending that varies WILDLY from real life Hanks tracks him down in France and puts the kibosh on him. In a scene that is EXACTLY like real life, DiCaprio escapes through the plane's toilet as the plane is landing. In a scene NOT AT ALL like real life, DiCaprio goes to his mom's home where, of course, Tom Hanks shows up and arrests him.
Slowly but surely I am working my way through MTAAOTBFSRIHNWIE. I see about one every two years but I think all I have left are "Con Air" and "The Rock". And also the first half of "Zoolander".
I'll give "Catch Me If You Can" 2 Swinging 60's Sexy Parties out of 5 Swinging 60's Sexy Parties. The book is way better.
It's time for another exciting episode of Movies That Are Always On TNT But For Some Reason I Have Never Watched In Their Entirety! I'd call this by the acronym "MTAAOTBFSRIHNWIE" but I don't intend to ever type this again.
Today's movie is the engrossing story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. - "Catch Me If You Can"! SPOILER ALERT - He gets caught.
I read the original "Catch Me If You Can" book way before there was either a movie, or MTAAOTBFSRIHNWIE (thank goodness for Copy and Paste). I read it in high school, which means I read it more than 40 years ago. Therefore, I had to so some of my patented scientific research to see if my memory has held up over the last four decades.
Pretty much, yeah! But don't ask me what I had for breakfast because I have NO idea.
Frank Abagnale, Jr. was a con man. But what a con man! He impersonated a pilot; a doctor; a policeman; and he was the leading check counterfeiter of all time. In real life, he started by swindling his dad; in the movie, his dad got swindled by The Man i.e. Chase Manhattan Bank, who refused to lend him some business-saving money. Frank's dad goes from being rich to being broke but since his dad is played by Christopher Walken, he is cool at all times.
I'm tempted to talk about the real Frank Abagnale, Jr. because he is so much more interesting than the movie Frank Abagnale, Jr. But this thread is not titled "Rate The Last Real Person On Whom A Movie Was Based" so I can't do that.
Movie Frank Abagnale, Jr. is played by Leonardio DiCaprio, a very cool guy. The FBI agent is played by Tom Hanks, another cool guy. But of the two, only DiCaprio gives a performance worthy of mention in some future Rate The Last Real Person On Whom A Movie Was Based" thread. It pains me to say this but Tom Hanks's performance was not Tom Hanksian. Part of the blame...well, most of the blame falls on whoever wrote the script, because even though they tried to make Hanks's character as much of a sad sack as possible, he was impossible to root for.
Oh! I just remembered! There is an episode in the movie where DiCaprio screws a model. Art imitates real life! Although wikipedia doesn't mention this, I remember that VERY CLEARLY the model was Cheryl Tiegs. Yep - that was one scene in the movie that apparently is 100% accurate.
Speaking of Cheryl Tiegs, did you know the Bob Seger hit "Hollywood Nights" is about her? It could be about her and Frank Abagnale, Jr., I'm not sure. But it's about her, for some reason or other.
And also speaking of Cheryl Tiegs, she used to hang out in Dallas. One day she was watching some young son of a friend or relative or something playing a soccer match. One of my frat brothers noticed her and put his best shot on her. He never got a date, but he did have a nice conversation. This guy soon graduated from college and spent a year following The Grateful Dead around Europe. If there ever was a college guy that had a shot with Cheryl Tiegs, he was probably the guy.
Leonardo DiCaprio spends 1.5 movie hours, or 3.5 TNT cable TV hours, having a grand old time and escaping from the clutches of sad sack Tom Hanks. In an ending that varies WILDLY from real life Hanks tracks him down in France and puts the kibosh on him. In a scene that is EXACTLY like real life, DiCaprio escapes through the plane's toilet as the plane is landing. In a scene NOT AT ALL like real life, DiCaprio goes to his mom's home where, of course, Tom Hanks shows up and arrests him.
Slowly but surely I am working my way through MTAAOTBFSRIHNWIE. I see about one every two years but I think all I have left are "Con Air" and "The Rock". And also the first half of "Zoolander".
I'll give "Catch Me If You Can" 2 Swinging 60's Sexy Parties out of 5 Swinging 60's Sexy Parties. The book is way better.
Don't know about the book but I have to say I fuckin loved the film.
Baby, The Rain Must Fall (1965) One of Steve Mcqueen's best film performances (even though his singing was dubbed by Billy Strange). Its a moving drama about a very troubled man who cannot escape his past. I give it a 4 out of 5
It's time for another exciting episode of Movies That Are Always On TNT But For Some Reason I Have Never Watched In Their Entirety! I'd call this by the acronym "MTAAOTBFSRIHNWIE" but I don't intend to ever type this again.
Today's movie is the engrossing story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. - "Catch Me If You Can"! SPOILER ALERT - He gets caught.
I read the original "Catch Me If You Can" book way before there was either a movie, or MTAAOTBFSRIHNWIE (thank goodness for Copy and Paste). I read it in high school, which means I read it more than 40 years ago. Therefore, I had to so some of my patented scientific research to see if my memory has held up over the last four decades.
Pretty much, yeah! But don't ask me what I had for breakfast because I have NO idea.
Frank Abagnale, Jr. was a con man. But what a con man! He impersonated a pilot; a doctor; a policeman; and he was the leading check counterfeiter of all time. In real life, he started by swindling his dad; in the movie, his dad got swindled by The Man i.e. Chase Manhattan Bank, who refused to lend him some business-saving money. Frank's dad goes from being rich to being broke but since his dad is played by Christopher Walken, he is cool at all times.
I'm tempted to talk about the real Frank Abagnale, Jr. because he is so much more interesting than the movie Frank Abagnale, Jr. But this thread is not titled "Rate The Last Real Person On Whom A Movie Was Based" so I can't do that.
Movie Frank Abagnale, Jr. is played by Leonardio DiCaprio, a very cool guy. The FBI agent is played by Tom Hanks, another cool guy. But of the two, only DiCaprio gives a performance worthy of mention in some future Rate The Last Real Person On Whom A Movie Was Based" thread. It pains me to say this but Tom Hanks's performance was not Tom Hanksian. Part of the blame...well, most of the blame falls on whoever wrote the script, because even though they tried to make Hanks's character as much of a sad sack as possible, he was impossible to root for.
Oh! I just remembered! There is an episode in the movie where DiCaprio screws a model. Art imitates real life! Although wikipedia doesn't mention this, I remember that VERY CLEARLY the model was Cheryl Tiegs. Yep - that was one scene in the movie that apparently is 100% accurate.
Speaking of Cheryl Tiegs, did you know the Bob Seger hit "Hollywood Nights" is about her? It could be about her and Frank Abagnale, Jr., I'm not sure. But it's about her, for some reason or other.
And also speaking of Cheryl Tiegs, she used to hang out in Dallas. One day she was watching some young son of a friend or relative or something playing a soccer match. One of my frat brothers noticed her and put his best shot on her. He never got a date, but he did have a nice conversation. This guy soon graduated from college and spent a year following The Grateful Dead around Europe. If there ever was a college guy that had a shot with Cheryl Tiegs, he was probably the guy.
Leonardo DiCaprio spends 1.5 movie hours, or 3.5 TNT cable TV hours, having a grand old time and escaping from the clutches of sad sack Tom Hanks. In an ending that varies WILDLY from real life Hanks tracks him down in France and puts the kibosh on him. In a scene that is EXACTLY like real life, DiCaprio escapes through the plane's toilet as the plane is landing. In a scene NOT AT ALL like real life, DiCaprio goes to his mom's home where, of course, Tom Hanks shows up and arrests him.
Slowly but surely I am working my way through MTAAOTBFSRIHNWIE. I see about one every two years but I think all I have left are "Con Air" and "The Rock". And also the first half of "Zoolander".
I'll give "Catch Me If You Can" 2 Swinging 60's Sexy Parties out of 5 Swinging 60's Sexy Parties. The book is way better.
Don't know about the book but I have to say I fuckin loved the film.
I think it's a problem when I see a movie and have read the book too, because I've never seen a movie that followed the book. And usually, the book is better than the movie.
So if I'd never read this book, I probably would have liked the movie better. But as I watched it I kept saying, "No, that didn't happen. No, that's not right".
Fortunately, there are no Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone movies that are based on books; at least, not on any books that have more words than pictures.
The Academy Award-Nominated (and other highly commended) Animated Short Films 2018:
Dear Basketball (2017) - An animated telling of Kobe Bryant's poem 'Dear Basketball'.4/5
Negative Space (2017) - Even though Sam's father is hardly ever home because he is often away on business trips, he is able to connect with his son by teaching him how to pack a suitcase.3.5/5
Lou (2017) - A Pixar short about a lost-and-found box and the unseen monster within.3.5/5
Revolting Rhymes Part One (2016) - Based on the much-loved rhymes written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake.4.5/5
Garden Party (2017) - In a deserted rich house, a couple of amphibians explore their surroundings and follow their primal instincts.3/5
Lost Property Office (2017) - Sometimes people can get lost in their work.3.5/5
Weeds (2017) - A film about empathy, and the struggle and distance someone may have to travel--against all odds--to find a better life.3/5
Achoo (2018) - The story of the dragon who created fireworks.2.5/5
I watched the first ten minutes or so - to have a gander at the editing and some of the acting. At least one critic said what I thought when I heard about this ('Feature-length music video'). I generally love movies with lots of well-used tracks, but I'm not a fan of the action genre, so this doesn't hold any appeal for me as far as I can see.
It's time for another exciting episode of Movies That Are Always On TNT But For Some Reason I Have Never Watched In Their Entirety! I'd call this by the acronym "MTAAOTBFSRIHNWIE" but I don't intend to ever type this again.
Today's movie is the engrossing story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. - "Catch Me If You Can"! SPOILER ALERT - He gets caught.
I read the original "Catch Me If You Can" book way before there was either a movie, or MTAAOTBFSRIHNWIE (thank goodness for Copy and Paste). I read it in high school, which means I read it more than 40 years ago. Therefore, I had to so some of my patented scientific research to see if my memory has held up over the last four decades.
Pretty much, yeah! But don't ask me what I had for breakfast because I have NO idea.
Frank Abagnale, Jr. was a con man. But what a con man! He impersonated a pilot; a doctor; a policeman; and he was the leading check counterfeiter of all time. In real life, he started by swindling his dad; in the movie, his dad got swindled by The Man i.e. Chase Manhattan Bank, who refused to lend him some business-saving money. Frank's dad goes from being rich to being broke but since his dad is played by Christopher Walken, he is cool at all times.
I'm tempted to talk about the real Frank Abagnale, Jr. because he is so much more interesting than the movie Frank Abagnale, Jr. But this thread is not titled "Rate The Last Real Person On Whom A Movie Was Based" so I can't do that.
Movie Frank Abagnale, Jr. is played by Leonardio DiCaprio, a very cool guy. The FBI agent is played by Tom Hanks, another cool guy. But of the two, only DiCaprio gives a performance worthy of mention in some future Rate The Last Real Person On Whom A Movie Was Based" thread. It pains me to say this but Tom Hanks's performance was not Tom Hanksian. Part of the blame...well, most of the blame falls on whoever wrote the script, because even though they tried to make Hanks's character as much of a sad sack as possible, he was impossible to root for.
Oh! I just remembered! There is an episode in the movie where DiCaprio screws a model. Art imitates real life! Although wikipedia doesn't mention this, I remember that VERY CLEARLY the model was Cheryl Tiegs. Yep - that was one scene in the movie that apparently is 100% accurate.
Speaking of Cheryl Tiegs, did you know the Bob Seger hit "Hollywood Nights" is about her? It could be about her and Frank Abagnale, Jr., I'm not sure. But it's about her, for some reason or other.
And also speaking of Cheryl Tiegs, she used to hang out in Dallas. One day she was watching some young son of a friend or relative or something playing a soccer match. One of my frat brothers noticed her and put his best shot on her. He never got a date, but he did have a nice conversation. This guy soon graduated from college and spent a year following The Grateful Dead around Europe. If there ever was a college guy that had a shot with Cheryl Tiegs, he was probably the guy.
Leonardo DiCaprio spends 1.5 movie hours, or 3.5 TNT cable TV hours, having a grand old time and escaping from the clutches of sad sack Tom Hanks. In an ending that varies WILDLY from real life Hanks tracks him down in France and puts the kibosh on him. In a scene that is EXACTLY like real life, DiCaprio escapes through the plane's toilet as the plane is landing. In a scene NOT AT ALL like real life, DiCaprio goes to his mom's home where, of course, Tom Hanks shows up and arrests him.
Slowly but surely I am working my way through MTAAOTBFSRIHNWIE. I see about one every two years but I think all I have left are "Con Air" and "The Rock". And also the first half of "Zoolander".
I'll give "Catch Me If You Can" 2 Swinging 60's Sexy Parties out of 5 Swinging 60's Sexy Parties. The book is way better.
Fortunately, there are no Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone movies that are based on books; at least, not on any books that have more words than pictures.
Don't know about the book but I have to say I fuckin loved the film.
I think it's a problem when I see a movie and have read the book too, because I've never seen a movie that followed the book. And usually, the book is better than the movie.
So if I'd never read this book, I probably would have liked the movie better. But as I watched it I kept saying, "No, that didn't happen. No, that's not right".
Fortunately, there are no Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone movies that are based on books; at least, not on any books that have more words than pictures.
It happens all the time, a film can only reflect so much of the source material. It happened to me when I saw years ago The Perfume which is of course based on a novel that is filled with details that the film was not able to translate to the big screen, regardless of being based on a novel, a novel by the way, that is a masterpiece, it's just not a good film.
New to Netflix (at least up here in ). I saw this in the theatre when it came out:
I know there are some fans here of Once and Sing Street. Personally (although there were things I liked about it), I didn't really care for the latter. And while Once is more "real", I enjoyed this one far more.
First of all, the music's by Gregg Alexander and he's one of my favorite hook-writers. I enjoy lookin' at Keira Knightley, I enjoy watching Mark Ruffalo...Adam Levine acquits himself nicely for a first-timer... And there's some dialogue in it I really like. To wit:
RUFFALO: Okay, babe... "Authenticity"... Gimme the name of one artist that you think passes your authenticity test...
KNIGHTLEY: Dylan.
RUFFALO: Dylan... That is the most cultivated artist you could've thought of! Look at... His hair...his sunglasses... He changes his look every decade...
And I love Dylan (but - of course - this is absolutely correct).
They go on to agree that Randy Newman is "authentic". I like some of Newman's stuff, but there's no such thing as a totallly authentic performer. Hell, you'd be hard-pressed to come across an authentic human being.
Below is a clip with the dialogue above.
P.S. There's no way in hell Knightley's character wouldn't know what a splitter is - and the flick's a little sanctimonious ('Hey - we're cool 'cause we're, like, "indie") - but you can't have everything.
i'm one of those people that absolutely loves sing street. it's definitely one of my favourite movies of the century to date. i saw that begin again popped up on netflix. never seen it, but i will definitely give it a watch fairly soon. i saw once years ago, and thought it was fine but didn't love it. i think that's part of the reason why sing street was such a wonderful surprise for me. that film just hit me right in the feels in a way once never got close to.
there have been a few great little additions to netflix recently: beach rats, princess cyd, good time - some of the best of 2017 imo.
annihilation 3.5/5 there's been a great deal of talk over how this film is heavily influenced by tarkovsky's stalker, and that's definitely there, but i think there's a heavy dose of solaris in here as well, in how it addresses individuality, what constitutes a person, etc... i'm a bit on the fence on it currently. i liked it quite a bit, & think it's the kind of bizarre, leap into the unknown movie we need to see in theatres more often, but i also found it a bit too glossy & slick in its look, not weird & psychedelic enough. and if i'm being honest, i thought the cast was far too good looking. the guys in stalker weren't pretty.
i'm a little puzzled by some of the discussion of the imagery in this film, by those who say they're disturbed by it, because i didn't find it to be unsettling in the least. i found the look of this film disappointingly similar to most blockbusters. i've even heard people describe elements of it as body horror. there was nothing in this that approached anything like videodrome for example, something that could have provoked a gut-level revulsion. it all had this sheen of digital prettiness that i found a bit underwhelming.
not to sound too negative, because i'm generally positive on this, & absolutely think it ought to be seen, but i think it's much less than what it could have been. it ought to have been much uglier, more tactile.
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). I saw this in the theatre when it came out:
