Big Blue Huddle

General Category => The Front Porch => Topic started by: LennG on January 23, 2017, 07:44:24 PM

Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 23, 2017, 07:44:24 PM
Saw a couple of movies this weekend, first time in a while we watched some of the newer releases. On looking at the list of newer releases, I see we are way behind, so hopefully, we'll be doing some watching, and reporting.

First of our watches was the latest in the Bridget Jones saga, "Bridget Jone's Baby' starring Renee Zellweiger as Bridget, as she did in the other two movies about her. Myself and my DW are fans of this series and we loved the first tow movies in the set. This one fell a bit short and really had to revert to to sex and 4 letter words to get some laughs. Overall, it was OK, but if you ARE a fan of Ms Zellweiger and her portrayal of Bridget Jones, then add a star as they say. We enjoyed it, but if we had to rate the 3 movies, this one would be last.
Story wise, Bridget is out in the dating field, goes to a sort of rock concert and sleeps with a guy.  A few days later, she sleeps with the lost love of her life and low and \behold, she's pregnant and isn't sure who the father is. The rest is a complication of her pregnancy and how she deals with the two possible fathers.

Again, a decent enough watch if you are a fan of the series, you will enjoy it more. Ms Zellweiger has this part down to a tee.


The second watch is a brand new release, "The Accountant' starring Ben Affleck as an accountant who minors in Jason Borne areas. The subtitle should be Jason Bourne gets a calculator.
Let's start out slow here. Affleck,a s a child, has autism and is a lot weird. He grows up, becomes an accountant for many of the world's riches men (legal and illegal), and when he is not saving people money on their taxes, he is secretly Jason Bourne's alter ego (not literally) but he is a kick ass hero who rids the world of many bad people. Funny, but as I'm watching this movie and Affleck, I just don't know why but I kept picturing John Travolta in that part).

Story wise, like many of these action movies is not the main part, it is the character and the action. Affleck surprised me and was pretty good in his role as meek accountant, turning Jason Bourne when needed to be. Action was good and I enjoyed the movie. Not to the point where I would even pout it in Bourne's class, but for this genre, it wasn't bad. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes these sort of movies. It isn't deep and the actors won't win any awards, but it was entertaining.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 28, 2017, 02:08:49 PM
WE are trying to get back to our regular Friday nite movie routine, at least for the time being. I'm not sure if this movie has been reviewed already, the latest installment in the Jason Bourne collection, 'Jason Bourne'. First of all, I have to say that I am a HUGE fan of the series, at least the Matt Damon--Bourne movies. The Bourne Legacy was drivel, just to try and capitalize on the Bourne name. That said, I went into this movie, knowing I would like it at the least, or love it at the best. For me, it was some where in between. Iver all, I feel this was the weakest of the now 4 Bourne movies, but it is still good.

The plot, who really cares, but it has been 10 years since we last saw Bourne and now, this movie is about a lot of modern technology that probably wasn't even round when we last saw Jason. It also stars Tommy Lee Jones as the 'evil' CIA director. For me, this was one aspect of the movie I didn't like. Not that Mr. Lee isn't great in everything he is in, but that is the point, he had too much screen time, which, IMVHO took time away from who we want to see, Jason Bourne. Again, just my opinion, but this 'older' Bourne was missing some of the 'charm' if we can call it that, that made his character so enjoyable in the other movies. The way he played with the CIA and assorted other operatives, just made us root for him even more. This time, that 'charm' if you know what I mean, is not to be seen.

The action is still great, the car chases are very exciting, though the one in Vegas (at the end) was a bit over the top. In past Bourne movies, you really believed the car chases, this time, it really looked staged, just to have as many vehicles crashing at the the time.

So, to wrap it up, I've included some negatives, but if you are a fan of these type of movies, and of Bourne movies in general, this movie is a must see. . It was an enjoyable ride and I liked it a lot. It also leaves the door wide open for more Bourne stories, if that is what they desire.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 29, 2017, 08:02:45 PM
Last night we had another movie that I was anticipating watching, 'Deepwater Horizon' starring a great cast of Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell and John Malkovich. This movie was billed as a tremendous action thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat throughout. That was their opinion, now I'll give you mine. As with my last review, if this has been reviewed already, my apologies.

Deepwater Horizon is the true story of the oil rig/platform that exploded and sank killing 11 men and injuring many more. It is still the cause of the largest oil spill EVER, in the Gulf. The movie tries hard to explain the causes and effects of the story, but I was a bit disappointed in it. It got decent enough reviews but after it was over, I felt I missed something.

The movie is basically a 2 parter, the first part shows us many of the crew and tries very hard to explain what was going wrong and it just got too technical for me. After a while, I didn't understand about pressure, mud, spinning things and concrete connectors. Maybe if I worked on an oil rig, I would understand, but since I don't, I was completely lost. I just figured they were setting the scene for something, but it just went on and on until the darn thing exploded, which brings us to the second part. This part is where all the 'action' is and it is truly spectacular. But after a while, I was sort of immune to it. How many times can you watch parts of the Horizon explode. There was no great acting, just to regular movie stuff when you are faced with an exploding oil platform.

So, to sum this all up, it's not that I didn't like it, I d id, but maybe I expected a lot more and was disappointed. How much of this story is true to life, I have no idea. I remembered the explosion and fire and men dying on it,m but I just didn't remember how many. The platform held 128 men and when they said 11 dies, it sure seemed like a lot more than that to me. At the end when the head guy is calling a roll for who has escaped and who isn't there, most of the names he calls out don't answer so they sure give the impression many more died then actually did.

Would I recommend this movie, if you like these type of movies, action, thrillers, based on true stories, then this would be a decent enough watch. If you like love stories, forget it.  :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Definitely not for young children, or even very young teens.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on January 29, 2017, 11:43:14 PM
Last Wednesday, I went to see "Patriots Day."  (Mark Wahlberg was in this one too.)  For those who might not remember, it's the story of the bombing of the Patriots Day Race a few years ago in Boston.  It's very much a two part story like Lenny described "Deepwater Horizon."   The first part slowly describes the lead up to the explosions.  Once the explosions occur, the picture really takes off.  And, it's a little gory; made more so by the fact that these things DID happen.  Even though you know how the whole thing comes out, it's suspenseful & exciting.  I recommend it. :yes:
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 30, 2017, 10:55:09 AM
Thanks Jim.
I was looking forward to seeing that movie.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 31, 2017, 12:27:20 PM
Had some time to watch a movie yesterday, so I went thru the DVD's that I won to see what I haven't seen in many a year. There it was, one of Jim's favorites, Ben Hur (the real Ben Hur with Charlten Heston). I have been trying to relive my youth in watching many of Hollywood's classics this past year and realized it has probably been 20 years since I really sat down and watched this great movie. Since tomorrow will start Oscar month on TCM, I said, let me watch this truly great movie while I have 3 1/2 hours to do it in. To this day no other movie has won more Oscars than Ben Hur, 11 (some have tied it--Titanic and LOTR- The King Returns.)

I really don't think we have to delve into the story, as most know it, but to be honest, there were minor stories that I had forgotten. I d id think parts were a bit dated as movie making has improved so much since this epic hit the big screen, but story wise, it is still just a great watch, and Charlten Heston is at his best. I would think, in today's movie making they would have probably cut out about 60 minutes worth of this movie, and maybe they could have shortened it just a tad, but one thing is for sure, they sure don't make movies like this anymore, and we are poorer because of that. Just a magnificent movie, Hollywood at it's finest.  =D> =D> =D> =D> =D>
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 04, 2017, 12:19:35 PM
Last night we got to watch a movie that I knew, before going in, I would like. 'Star Trek--Beyond' the latest movie in an endless series of movies about one of the great TV series of all time. So, without saying it, I am a huge fan of Star Trek, basically the older one, Captain Kirk and Picard days, so any movie that features a Captain Kirk and a Spock etc., is OK on my watch.

So, obviously, we liked this movie a lot (my DW has seen every episode of the 'old' Star Trek, so many times, she can recite passages by heart). Overall, it is a longer version of of the TV show, with LOTS of action, a decent enough story line and just great special effects. The 'bad' guys weren't terrible and, of course, Captain Kirk and his crew and ship are in mortal danger at different points in the movie. My take, if you are a trekkie or just liked the Star Trek series or any or all of the other movies about Star Trek, you will easily like this one, as I feel it is one of the better ones.

Again, it is sort of a prequel to the Captain Kirk we know from the TV series, but all the characters are there and all play good parts.

For trekkies, I highly recommend this movie, for all others it is an enjoyable watch and you don't have to know who is who in order to enjoy it.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 04, 2017, 08:06:55 PM
I'm on a roll so here goes nothing.

First I have to climb on my soap box for a moment---------------------
Why do the morons who run motion picture studios think that it is a good idea to remake movies--not just regular movies, but classic ones? They have tried it so many times and really never succeeded, yet they keep doing it. Lately with The 10 Commandments, Ben Hur just to name a few and to no avail, the remakes ultimately stink, so why do they feel the need to throw money away when you simply can never duplicate a classic?

OK, now that I am off my soap box, here's the point. Today, I watched the remake of 'The Magnificent Seven' starring Denzel Washington and a bunch of other names, some I have heard of, and others I have never heard of. The original Magnificent Seven has become a Hollywood classic. I don't think there are too many people who go to movies, or who watch movies, that have not seen that movie. And then there is the Elmer Bernstein score, where EVERYONE alive has heard that music and loved it. The original movie was loaded with stars, some superstars and it all melded together. The story was simple, the action heavy and again, the music made it all a classic. So how can they think of remaking it. Well they did. Denzel can hold his own with anyone and his name adds immediate super star power to any movie. I really couldn't picture him as a gun slinging cowboy, but he pulls it off, if not a bit over the top. The rest of the Seven are just that, a bunch of guys playing cowboys, and the villain, some dude named Peter Sarsgaard sure was no Eli Wallach. But I went in with a very opened mind. I simply LOVE westerns. There are hardly enough westerns being made to satisfy me, so even if this was a remake, with Denzel in the lead, and a great story, how bad could it be?

Overall, it wasn't terrible. The story, of course (???) had to be updated and Mexico is out and some where out West is in. The 'Seven' have to be updated to include Asians and Indians, and a woman has to have a prominent role, I guess to attract the 'new' generation of movie watchers.
But the basic plot is the same----town needs help against the villainous bad buys and have to hire a group of men to save them.  Enter our 'good guys' and the plot is set. The first hour is dedicated to rounding the 'Seven' up as each needs their own 10 minutes to get to join the group. The second half is the action and there is no shortage of it. Nothing graphic but plenty of killing, and believe it or not, they even get to have things blown up (wonder of wonders).
Sure there are no Yul Brenners,  Steve McQueens, James Colburns, Charles Bronsons, Robert Vaughns among others, but the new cast played together fairly well. AND the score, IMVHO was not very good. The original score became one of the greatest movie soundtracks ever, so they had to have a different score (????). The only time the old score was used was after the movie, for about 10 seconds during the credits.

So, what did I think--it wasn't too bad. As I said, I love westerns, so I was hooked \right from the get go. I love Denzel and he was good--no Academy Awards here, but there is no need for great acting and great dialogue. There was enough there to hold my interest. Of course you are always comparing the new to the old, but this one wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Again, I still don't understand why you need to remake a classic and without that magnificent score, for another generation, but they did. and this movie probably fared better than many of the other remakes.

I would recommend it.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on February 04, 2017, 09:52:02 PM
So, Lenny, who are you recommending it to?  Re-read your post.  Aside from the fact that you love westerns, you basically said that this film is just so-so.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 05, 2017, 03:34:42 PM
Jim

I recommend it to anyone looking to watch a decent enough movie. As I DID say, the movie wasn't terrible, so if you want to spend a couple of hours movie watching, you could do worse than this one.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 09, 2017, 12:47:31 PM
Last night we sat down to watch a movie ( yes we watch movies on other nites also  :yes:) that we had on the DVR for a couple of months. I have been waiting for the right time to watch this movie, as I eager wanted to see it. This movie 'The Woman in Gold'  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404425/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404425/)  was not a highly released movie, made on a lower budget but it is one powerful movie. It is the TRUE story of Maria Altman, played magnificently by Helen Mirren, who escaped Nazi occupied Austria right after the Germans marched in.  Now an older lady, she wants to regain a certain painting that was stolen from her family by the Nazis and is now in possession of the Austrian government. Her family was very well to do when the Nazis took over and her family was decimated by them and all their possessio0ns confiscated. After the war, this painting of her aunt, by a very famous painter is worth many, many millions of dollars and is now hanging in a Vienna Museum and to make matters worse, it is basically like Austria's national painting, as the Mona Lisa is to France. So Ms Mirren, goes on a quest to get back what was rightfully hers, through many trials and tribulations. She has to return to Austria, where she had so many horrible memories and she refuses to go, but regaining that painting is paramount and  takes her on a journey to help her overcome many of her past fears.


I will not go into the ending, if anyone wants to see this movie, but it is well worth the watch. It wasn't highly praised when it opened, but this is a remarkable movie and Ms. Mirren is just magnificent in it (as she is in all her roles). I enjoyed this movie immensely and will very highly recommend it to anyone who wants a wonderful movie and true story to watch.

There are several flashbacks to Nazi atrocities so the movie is not for younger folks, but overall this is an adult movie made on an adult level and a wonderful watch.

Just on a personal note. Several years ago, we did a cruise to St Petersburg, Russia. There, we went to their national museum, the Hermitage, where they have hundreds, if not thousands of works of art that, just lets say, are not theirs. They ask you NOT to take pictures of many of the works, as, I believe, like in this movie, it would make it harder and harder for them to retain these artworks if original owners started to try and get them back. I'm sure there have been many attempts, but dealing with Russia is not like dealing with Austria, so these paintings remain on display in the Hermitage, but the theory is the same. Screw the rightful owner, prove it is yours or wait for the original owners to die off so no claim can be made.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on February 09, 2017, 04:04:12 PM
I ABSOLUTELY AGREE, Lenny! :yes:  I bought this movie when it first came out in Blu-ray (I don't know exactly where it is).  The actor who plays the lawyer is also excellent.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 09, 2017, 06:59:03 PM
Jim

The actor is Ryan Reynolds and if you read many of the reviews when the movie opened, he got destroyed. So I have no idea who reviews these movies, because, like you, I thought he was great, from a bumbling sort of lawyer to the high court in Austria and he did it wonderfully.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 11, 2017, 11:24:41 AM
We're on a roll with Friday nite movies once again. Last night we saw an excellent movie, 'Sully' starring the always great Tom Hanks. I believe my friend Jim also wrote a review about this and I also believe he feels the same way as I do, just a great watch. Even though we all know the outcome (or else the movie would not have been made), to me, it offered some different perspectives on the entire event.

The movie is told in a sort of flashback, as the 'event' has already taken place. It follows Captain 'Sully' thru an arduous hearing as to whether or hot he did the right thing or could have made it back to a local airport. (I did not know about this and found the insights into this part fascinating). I t shows how he tries to deal with all this sudden fame and several other things that delve into this man's life.

As I said, Hanks is always great as he really assumes the role of Captain 'Sully'.

Just a good watch all around.

I think this movie can be for the entire family, though there are several curse words thrown in along the way. Younger children just will never be able to follow the story line.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on February 11, 2017, 12:18:59 PM
I've seen several movies lately and enjoyed them all. I highly recommend Hidden Figures for it's historical significance, acting and story line. The Founder was enjoyable and interesting. Contrary to the critics I loved Passengers and can see a sequel coming out of it. We also saw the Big Screen Version of the original Singing In The Rain with my aspiring actress Niece Jennifer. The local AMC theater is doing a series of these. The Theater was packed! Everyone loved it and applauded. We're going to see Fences today. 
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 11, 2017, 04:03:56 PM
Thanks for the heads up Ed. We don't get to the 'real' movies a lot lately, so I will watch for them on DVD.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on February 11, 2017, 07:08:03 PM
"Affair to Remember" is in theaters tomorrow (Feb 12) & Feb 15,
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: GiantFan67 on February 11, 2017, 07:52:24 PM
Sully was a good flick. I recommend "The Lion"-we really enjoyed it. We also saw La La Land-a musical but not like old time musicals. The music and dancing was very enjoyable.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 23, 2017, 02:31:50 PM
While we were away, we had HBO on our TV. Really not much to watch but I did tune in to watch the latest remake of Tarzan, 'The Legend Of Tarzan' starring a bunch of people I had never heard of, except for Samuel L Jackson.

OK, over all my years of watching movies, I have seen many, many, many Tarzan movies, from the very beginning to Walt Disney versions and now to a 3D version. There have been so many Tarzan's, from Buster Crabbe, to the 'REAL' Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller, to so many others, it just seems like anyone could do it, some very good, others very bad. After watching this 'new' version of Tarzan,  Edgar Rice Burroughs is probably turning over in his grave.

Let's get to it. This is a more updated Tarzan. He  has left the Jungle, married Jane and they live as Gentleman and wife in England. Tarzan/John Clayton is a Lord or something like that. Plot wise, he is goaded into going back to the Jungle to stop some man from taking over the entire continent. At first he refuses to go, but hey, how can you have a Tarzan movie without a Jungle and wild animals. They spend some time in flashback mode to how John/Tarzan became Tarzan, all really unnecessary stuff. Samuel Jackson is now his side kick buddy, =really there for absolutely no reason except maybe to have an educated Black man in the movie. At some point Jane gets kidnapped and, of course, Tarzan stops at nothing to rescue her. There you have it and you don't have to watch it.

So let's say what  we really think here. Overall, this may be the worst Tarzan movie I have ever seen. AND, we never even hear one good Tarzan yell. He swings thru the jungle as though he were Spiderman, he fights as if he were Batman, at points he is also Rambo like, so he is several superhero's rolled into one. Even the villain wasn't that villainous if that is a word. When I thought Lex Barker was the worst Tarzan I had ever saw, Hollywood comes along to establish new guidelines and a new low.
Oh, and yes, they also manage to blow things up along the way. After all what would a movie in the deepest Jungles of Africa be without explosions and rampaging wild beasts.

Edgar Rice Burroughs, rest easy, if you can, hopefully there won't be a sequel.   UGH
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on February 23, 2017, 04:06:30 PM
Lenny, I NEVER heard of this movie.  So, I guess a lot of people agree with you on how bad it is.

An interesting point - In the actual Tarzan books (which I've read), Tarzan DID become an English gentleman & still continue his adventures.  My favorite book was "Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar."
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 23, 2017, 04:51:13 PM
Only if you want to see--

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_legend_of_tarzan (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_legend_of_tarzan)

I've read several reviews where people actually liked this movie. I guess if you blow things up, people will watch.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on February 23, 2017, 07:08:18 PM
Quote from: LennG on February 23, 2017, 04:51:13 PM
Only if you want to see--

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_legend_of_tarzan (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_legend_of_tarzan)

I've read several reviews where people actually liked this movie. I guess if you blow things up, people will watch.


"Stupid is as stupid does."
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 06, 2017, 12:55:32 PM
Jim

I think you did a quick review of this movie, a while ago, so I hope you don't mind if I expand on it a bit.

Yesterday we, or I should say I, watched 'Hacksaw Ridge', another of a few movies that I have been wanting to see. My DW wouldn't even give it a try once she saw what it was about, so I braved it alone. AND, I wasn't disappointed one bit. The movie was GREAT.
I guess you can say it starred a cast of unknowns as they truly were unknown to me. The star, a fellow by the name of Andrew Garfield, played Desmond Doss, the true story of a man who joined the Army during WWII but he refused to even hold a rifle. He wanted to be a battlefield medic, to save lives, rather than take them. He was a conscientious objector, but wanted to serve rather than stay at home.
The story follows Doss thru his childhood, into the Army and thru flashbacks we learn why he refuses to even hold a gun. It takes us thru his treatment among his fellow soldiers and his subsequent Court Marshall trial.

No need to go into the who's and hows, but Doss and his platoon are now on Okinawa and are ordered to take this mountain top, Hacksaw Ridge. The Army has been trying to secure this for many tries and now it was our turn. Again, I won't go into detail about the ensuing battle, as you really have to see it for yourself, but to cut to the chase. After they retreat off the summit. Doss is behind, trying to care for the many wounded. In one night, amid swarms of Japanese, he goes about saving 75 men, lowering them to safety below. For this act of heroism, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the only conscientious objector, in the history of our Armed Services, to receive this honor.
Myself, I never heard of hacksaw Ridge, but it was supposed to be one of the bloodiest battles in the entire war, I never heard of Desmond Doss, but I can truly say I will never forget this story.

So bottom line, this movie is a war movie. Spielberg set the tone with Saving Private Ryan, for what war is REALLY like, and this movie spares nothing. There is blood, there is gore, there is everything that one would see in a battle like this, or any battle in a war, for that matter. It is NOT for anyone squeamish, not for any children or young adults. It is VERY realistic of war, so be prepared for that.

I just have to add my own opinion here. I have watched movies my entire life. I would say Westerns are still my favs, and then come war movies. I have seen them all. As I said in my review of Lawrence of Arabia, the need, in today's movies, to show EVERYTHING, well, I sometimes wonder about that. In every war themed movie, basically up to Saving Private Ryan, war was war, people died--good people, but they were never shown with their guts hanging out. We knew war was rough but now the need to show war as it truly is, I don't know if that is a good thing or not. Myself, I have been to Viet Nam in wartime. I never saw a lot action, but saw some of the devastation from it. Movies like this show you everything any soldier would see in an actual battle. Is it a movie to try and prevent wars and their terrible effect? I don't know. Would I have liked this movie more if it weren't so graphic, Maybe. My point is, do they have to show all this graphic gore to make you feel that you understand what is happening? Myself, I think less is better. We all get the point.

I highly recommend this movie, but be prepared.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 18, 2017, 12:21:36 PM
Yesterday we watched another movie that has gotten rave reviews and was nominated for several Academy Awards, "Arrival" a real thinking mans SciFi movie. It stars Amy Adams as a linguist who is called upon to help decipher what Aliens have been saying after they arrived on Earth.

Wait, I am getting too ahead of myself here. As I said this movie got rave reviews as a real modern day, thinking mans science fiction movie. AND, to be honest, it was all of that. The entire movie consists of basically the relationship between Ms Adams and Abbott and Costello, what the two Aliens were named. There are NO explosions, no Earth Vs the Flying Sauces mentality here, just talk, more talk and even more talk. So, what did I think, I wasn't thrilled with it. Why, because it was slow. did I say slow, that might be putting it mildly. You do have plenty of time to think during the movie. PLUS, IMVHO there are so many things that just didn't make sense. Seems the Army was in full control here, making decisions without even consulting Washington. Ms. Adams seems to have learned their language, which is a mish mash of circular drawings, in a very short time. Plus she is teamed with a physicist who does basically nothing at all. Some parts are almost laughable, as Ms Adams, in order to make contact, takes along a sort of small chalkboard and writes things on it. has she not ever seen Close Encounters. I couldn't read what was on the board let alone the aliens.

A quick synopsis, 12 alien ships land (or sort of land) all over the world.  We are trying to make contact with the aliens, each country doing their own thing, and all are sharing their discoveries with each other. But China and Russia are getting inpatient and are threatening to attack the space ship since no real progress is being made. They all have no idea why these ships are even there. But wait, Ms Adams is making progress and finds they are here to help humanity, or maybe to make war, no one really knows. 

Closing, the movie was OK. It does have a real twist ending, but overall, it was a combination of the Day the Earth Stood Still (just a much better movie than this), Contact, which wasn't that great either. Where they should have/could have done much better, was watch Close Encounters and used inspiration of how they made contact with aliens. I know they didn't want to be a clone, but really, a chalk board??

Overall, it was OK, but very slow and dull for a real SciFi movie, at least for my taste. Don't know what the Academy was thinking when nominating this movie for awards.

Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 19, 2017, 01:19:35 PM
This has turned into SciFi weekend. Last night we watched 'Passengers' a very new release of a 2016 SciFi adventure. It stars Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt.
If you haven't heard much about this movie here is a trailer.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=passengers&view=detail&mid=E95A71EF9D21F1579FBFE95A71EF9D21F1579FBF&FORM=VIRE0&mmscn=tpvh&ru=%2fsearch%3fpc%3dCOSP%26ptag%3dD061616-AA0769CF3FB%26form%3dCONBDF%26conlogo%3dCT3335584%26q%3dpassengers (http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=passengers&view=detail&mid=E95A71EF9D21F1579FBFE95A71EF9D21F1579FBF&FORM=VIRE0&mmscn=tpvh&ru=%2fsearch%3fpc%3dCOSP%26ptag%3dD061616-AA0769CF3FB%26form%3dCONBDF%26conlogo%3dCT3335584%26q%3dpassengers)

Let's see if I can relate some of this movie. We are in the future. This space ship is carrying 5000paying people to a far off planet which will take 120 years to reach. Everyone is in hibernation but about 30 years into the flight, the ship hits an asteroid and one pod is damaged and the man wakes up (Chris Pine). He is now alone on a voyage where the rest of the people won't wake up for another 90 years. He can only talk to the android bar keeper. About a year into his being awake, he sees a beautiful girl, in one of the pods, who he basically falls in love with. He wrestles with the dilemma of waking her up to have company, but that will basically doom her to never getting to their destination and spending the rest of their lives just traveling to the destination. He can't bear to be alone anymore and awakens her, pretending to have also been awakens by accident.
They exhaust every effort to be re-podded, if you know what I mean, to no avail, so they are to spend the next 90 years together on this ship.

I won't go into any more detail, as you should see it for yourself. My take on it, the special effects are just dazzling. You really feel you are on this ship and when troubles happen along the way, they are fantastic. Overall, it is basically a love story. Boy is alone. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, they fall out of love, danger brings them back together, but for good????????????

The movie is basically a 4 person cast. There a few extras for a few seconds along the way, but it's 4 people and that's it, but I found it a pretty good movie. It does bog down a bit in the middle,a s it just turns into a real love story and everything else is secondary, but overall, it is a good watch and a very interesting premise. What would you do if you were going to be alone for the rest of your life and you have to power to raise some one to spend that time with. You are basically dooming them to also spend the rest of their lives, not fulfilling their dream. Can you call that murder.

This one was much better than Friday nights movie,a t least for me. it wasn't a super movie and not a must see, but entertaining and if you are a scifi person you will like this one. There are a couple of bare butts, and a sort of mild sex scene, but overall it can be good for teens and an older child.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 25, 2017, 11:44:08 AM
Quote from: jimv on January 29, 2017, 11:43:14 PM
Last Wednesday, I went to see "Patriots Day."  (Mark Wahlberg was in this one too.)  For those who might not remember, it's the story of the bombing of the Patriots Day Race a few years ago in Boston.  It's very much a two part story like Lenny described "Deepwater Horizon."   The first part slowly describes the lead up to the explosions.  Once the explosions occur, the picture really takes off.  And, it's a little gory; made more so by the fact that these things DID happen.  Even though you know how the whole thing comes out, it's suspenseful & exciting.  I recommend it. :yes:

To follow up on what Jim said, which I hardily concur, I watched "Patriot 's Day' last nite and thought it was excellent. Jim hit the nail right on. The first half basically sets up the bombing, showing some of the people who were 'main' participants, including the two bombers, telling us what they were doing right up until the bombs went off. That takes place not yet half into the movie, but after that, the movie does take off. Kevin Bacon plays the FBI agent who is overseeing the investigation and the pursuit of the bombers and he is good, as usual. It takes us to the hospitals, the families of those involved, the police and how they started the investigation, thru the FBI involvement, to ID the bombers and then the pursuit and capture of one and killing of the other.  Just good stuff and Mark Wahlberg is excellent. Like he was born to play this role.

Like movie that tell a story that you already know the outcome (Titanic, for example) it is still gripping movie telling and,a s I said, I enjoyed it very much. It is definitely not for kids, maybe not even young teens as there is graphic displays of what the bombs did to some of the people and there is a lot of cursing (they are cops, after all).
I would recommend this movie.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on March 26, 2017, 10:25:35 AM
We saw the Shack last week. I liked it very much but Linda thought it was just ok. Not for everyone.

We saw The Lion King in 3D Imax surround sound. It was delightful. I don't know if it would be better or worse at home or on the regular screen theater.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 26, 2017, 12:58:09 PM
Thanks Ed. I never even heard of The Shack, but looking it up, sounds like something that I would most definitely be interested in.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on March 26, 2017, 01:07:21 PM
It's relates to the Holy Trinity but think new age, not Christianity.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 01, 2017, 11:18:02 AM
Last night we sat down and watched 'Jackie', the story of Jacqueline Kennedy following the assassination of JFK. It stars Natalie Portman in a role, I feel she played very well, in fact, I feel she was excellent.

Let's see, where to start. First of all we (my DW and I) both felt that people who lived thru the tragedy of losing JFK and remembering Jackie, would relate to the movie more than say a younger audience, who really never saw Jackie  Kennedy and really knew nothing about her.

The movie itself was a bit of a surprise to me. I don't know if it was supposed to be sort of true to life or they took 'poetic license' with many points, you will just never know as we have no way of ever knowing what really went on behind closed doors after the assassination. That said, I never knew Jackie was so really into herself, never knew she was basically a chain smoker (only in private) and, TO ME, sort of a 'cold fish'. Others may feel differently, but she did come across as a lot more than just a grieving widow.

The movie itself opens a week after the assassination and Jackie is doing an interview with an unnamed reporter. It goes, thru flashback, the murder of JFK and a lot of the events that followed, including the induction of LBJ as the next president on Air Force One, the funeral arrangements, and the funeral itself. Myself, I always thought that the funeral was sort of tradition, the horse drawn casket, the long march to the church, but that was all Jackie's doing. She wanted it to be spectacular. That's what I mean, she comes off as caring more about appearances than her actual grief.

A couple of things I have to mention because it bothered me to no end. Jackie is the main character and she dominates the movie. Along with the actor who plays Bobby Kennedy (who looks nothing like him) sort of dominate the other parts.Ted Kennedy is never even mentioned, I think you may catch a glimpse of him at the funeral, but why they basically eliminated him when he should have been right there with the family, I just don't know. Also eliminated was JFK's mother, Rose Kennedy. I know she was old, but I'm sure she had to be at the funeral and other functions and we never see her at all, never even mentioned either. I found that very strange.

So, to sum up, we sort of enjoyed the movie as I said at the beginning because we lived thru this part of history. I would recommend it, if only to see Ms Portman's excellent portray of this remarkable woman, There is minor cursing and the assassination is show with a couple of very quick gory parts. Would I recommend this to kids, no, but teens should see it, just to know and learn some parts of American history if they can weed out the soap opera parts that interject.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on April 01, 2017, 03:58:58 PM
Well, Lenny, I never saw the movie but your review tells me not to try & watch it.  I did know about the chain smoking but none of the other stuff.  If you remember, in the "The Man Whot Shot Liberty  Vanance," the reporter says, "When reality differs with legend, print the legand."  For those of us who lived in those days, I think most of us prefer the legend.

I can rememberr, as most of us can, exactly what I was doing wwhen the assassination took place.  It was followed by a terribly sad weekend.  BTW, it is tradition tobury the President the way JFK was buried.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 01, 2017, 04:42:50 PM
Jim

Not to give parts of the movie away, but Jackie wanted the whole possession to march down, from the Capital, to the church. The Secret Service was vehemently against this as they didn't know if JFK's assassination was a plot and there were others out there. Plus there were about 100 figures of state from all over the world attending the funeral, and they feared for their safety. They also feared for Johnson, and anyone else who would be marching those 8 blocks from the Capital to the church. Jackie wanted it this way as this was what they did when Lincoln was assassinated and buried.  Jackie changed her mind several times on this, but ultimately it went the way SHE wanted, not because of any tradition. She insisted on certain bagpipe players among other things in the possession. 

Don't get me wrong here, I think you might enjoy the movie, if just for the details they put in it. They had many clips, of when Jackie did her TV tour of the White House. I am glad I watched it, and I think, if you can, you should give it a shot and see what you think. It really got mixed reviews, from boring and slow to outstanding drama and it gives us a peek into an area that we know completely nothing about--what happened behind closed doors from the assassination to when he was buried. As I said, no one really knows the absolute truth but this gives you a pretty good detail.

I know one part, when they asked Jackie if she wanted to change her clothes, the one outfit she wore with all the blood on it. She replied, 'No, let them all see what they have done" and I know that is a true statement. She did say that.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 08, 2017, 12:03:36 PM
Last night we watched a very interesting movie, "Lion" starring an entire Indian cast except for  Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara and a couple of other sort of unknowns. As I said, it was a very interesting movie, that I am still wondering about.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3741834/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3741834/)

It is an Australian made movie about a 5 year old Indian boy who goes off with his brother and gets lost on a train that takes him 1500 miles away from home. Thru a series of events he goes to an orphanage and is adopted by Kidman and husband in Australia. He grows up and 25 years later, and after some prodding, he wants to find his family in India. BTW it is a true story.

Myself, I found the movie a bit boring at the beginning, but it does pick up steam in the second half. You have to understand there is NO action, no fights, nothing being blown up, just a sort of human interest story that sort of grabs you and doesn't let go. In the end, I liked it and my DW more than me. It is a bit slow and sort of depressing in parts, but if you hand in there you will be rewarded with a real heartwarming movie.

I would recommend this movie to all, but young children just will not understand what is going on. It is suitable for older children and up. A good watch especially for adults.

PS  It is named Lion as that is what the main characters name translates to.

Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on April 15, 2017, 08:33:39 AM
Quote from: LennG on April 08, 2017, 12:03:36 PM
Last night we watched a very interesting movie, "Lion" starring an entire Indian cast except for  Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara and a couple of other sort of unknowns. As I said, it was a very interesting movie, that I am still wondering about.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3741834/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3741834/)

It is an Australian made movie about a 5 year old Indian boy who goes off with his brother and gets lost on a train that takes him 1500 miles away from home. Thru a series of events he goes to an orphanage and is adopted by Kidman and husband in Australia. He grows up and 25 years later, and after some prodding, he wants to find his family in India. BTW it is a true story.

Myself, I found the movie a bit boring at the beginning, but it does pick up steam in the second half. You have to understand there is NO action, no fights, nothing being blown up, just a sort of human interest story that sort of grabs you and doesn't let go. In the end, I liked it and my DW more than me. It is a bit slow and sort of depressing in parts, but if you hand in there you will be rewarded with a real heartwarming movie.

I would recommend this movie to all, but young children just will not understand what is going on. It is suitable for older children and up. A good watch especially for adults.

PS  It is named Lion as that is what the main characters name translates to.

I saw this too. I enjoyed it and yes it is slow moving.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on April 15, 2017, 11:23:35 PM
This evening I watched "U.S.S. Indianapolis,,,"  I knew about the tragic story of the ship & its crew but not the details.  I'm not  a fan of Nicolas Cage who's the star but he did OK.  The true story is compelling.   And, not knowing the entire story, the ending was shocking to me.  I recommend it.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on April 17, 2017, 10:26:45 AM
Quote from: jimv on April 15, 2017, 11:23:35 PM
This evening I watched "U.S.S. Indianapolis,,,"  I knew about the tragic story of the ship & its crew but not the details.  I'm not  a fan of Nicolas Cage who's the star but he did OK.  The true story is compelling.   And, not knowing the entire story, the ending was shocking to me.  I recommend it.
How can a ship be out of touch with communications for four days?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on April 17, 2017, 10:43:31 AM
Quote from: Vette on April 17, 2017, 10:26:45 AM
How can a ship be out of touch with communications for four days?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You have to watch to understand how it happened.  It's a really sad story.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: squibber on April 17, 2017, 11:51:56 AM
I saw a quirky movie called Paterson.  It was filmed in Paterson, NJ and the lead character's name is also Paterson.  I thought I would mention it because some BBH members may be from there and also because there are a lot of thinking men on this site.  If you like poetry and a thinking man movie, you might like this slice of life movie.  It's about a bus driver who deals with the daily drudgery of his job and life by writing poems.  His wife is flaky and loveable but directionless.  A slow moving movie but after it was over, I thought about things a lot.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 22, 2017, 12:56:45 PM
Last night we watched an interesting movie, "The Founder" starring Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, the supposedly founder of McDonald s.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4276820/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4276820/)

This is the true story of how Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a struggling salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers' speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. It details how Kroc maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire. The film also stars Laura Dern as Ray Kroc's first wife Ethel;

My take, I found the movie pretty good. Can't say exactly how true to detail it was, but I did learn a lot about Kroc and how he became the head honcho of McDonald's. Micheal Keaton was excellent in this role. I really thought it was Oscar worthy. One thing I did learn was that Kroc was not a very nice man overall, as many become once power and money enter their lives. I see that this movie wasn't a huge box office success, but I would recommend it. Obviously this movie didn't appeal to kids and teens, but it could be a decent enough family movie, but I would say it is more of an adult type movie.

see it just for the extraordinary performance by Keaton.

Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on April 23, 2017, 08:56:09 PM
Quote from: LennG on April 22, 2017, 12:56:45 PM
Last night we watched an interesting movie, "The Founder" starring Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, the supposedly founder of McDonald s.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4276820/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4276820/)

This is the true story of how Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a struggling salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers' speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. It details how Kroc maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire. The film also stars Laura Dern as Ray Kroc's first wife Ethel;

My take, I found the movie pretty good. Can't say exactly how true to detail it was, but I did learn a lot about Kroc and how he became the head honcho of McDonald's. Micheal Keaton was excellent in this role. I really thought it was Oscar worthy. One thing I did learn was that Kroc was not a very nice man overall, as many become once power and money enter their lives. I see that this movie wasn't a huge box office success, but I would recommend it. Obviously this movie didn't appeal to kids and teens, but it could be a decent enough family movie, but I would say it is more of an adult type movie.

see it just for the extraordinary performance by Keaton.
I saw this movie. Very good and Linda liked it more than I did.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 24, 2017, 01:22:12 PM
I watched another very new release yesterday, 'Life' another in a seemingly endless trend of modern SciFi movies. Personally, I like SciFi movies very much,a s long as they are well done and not just trying to capitalize on this 'new' trend.

Anyway, Life  stars Jake Gyllenhaal and a bunch of others that I never heard of. Overall Life is just another in a long line of 'Alien' remakes with just a few different twists to it. Gosh, you could even go back to 'The Thing' and the plot is still about the same. -- Space craft in outer space, comes across a form of Alien life, tries to manage it. it escapes and gets the crew one by one until there is either no one left or they get the alien.
IMVHO Alien and Aliens was done much better, but if you don't mind the repetitions and like SciFi flixs, you should like this one also.

In this movie, the space craft has a bunch of scientists who are trying to find life on Mars. They recover a capsule which contains a microscopic organism from mars and the world celebrates the first time finding of an alien life form. But, you know, all cannot be rosy, and soon the alien life form needs food--you guessed it--humans are it's specialty. 

Again, if this isn't your cup of tea, don't bother, but if you like things like this, give it a watch. It isn't gory with very little blood and even the 'alien' isn't bad to look at.

But, for the life of me, when 'scientists' (smart people) know that they must keep something like this quarantined, why does some one always feel the need to open something up to let it out. OK, if not there would be no movie.

Overall, for everyone, but young kids may be scared of the alien form and very eerie music.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 29, 2017, 04:44:17 PM
Last night we sat down to watch 'Hidden Figures' starring Kevin Costner and 3 lovely African American women who I really never heard of before.

This is the 'true' story of 3 African American women who work at NASA and each, in their own way helped the United States Space program get off the ground. Each are superior minds (maybe even genius's) and the movie goes into great detail their trials and everyday working environment in the early 60's. Since NASA was based at Langley AFB at that time which is in Hampton, Virginia, the 'Negro' is still a second class citizen. My own personal take on this is that they sort of went a bit over the top basically making every white person in the movie, a racist, who did whatever they could to make Blacks feel inferior. But, I'm sure much was true,a s for the conditions these young ladies had to endure, being Black in a 1960's southern area.

Each woman, in their own right, did ground breaking work for NASA and to improve the racial conditions where they worked. How much of this is really true to life, we won't know, but the woman handled whatever was thrown at them with class and with dedication to their job despite overwhelming odds.

We did enjoy the movie, but again, we were very disappointed that they made EVERY white person a basic racist. Myself, I really can't believe that could be the case. But beside that, I would recommend this movie to one and all. It is a great story of the courage of these women and how they helped our space program get off the ground. It is for all to see,. Children might be bored but even on an educational level, it should be seen by young and old alike.

A good watch

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4846340/

PS--I have to add a followup. I did a bit of research to see if some of the 'facts' in the movie were what really was. In the movie, one of the ladies was shown to have to run 1/4 of a mile, from where she worked, to use a colored only bathroom. I found an interview with Ms Johnson on UTube who said this was just not so. It never happened like that. She was basically accepted into her work environment as the space mission was more important than racial differences. Leave it to Hollywood to take a great story and make a racial issue out of it, for sympathy towards one race. I understand there were many problems, but why make stuff up when you advertise a movie as 'TRUE'.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on April 29, 2017, 05:03:11 PM
I never heard of the movie, Lenny.  Thanks for the review AND comments.  I think I'll skip it.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 29, 2017, 06:57:47 PM
Jim

This was one of the 'big' movies of 2016 and knowing you, I believe you would like this movie. Do try and see it. It got great reviews and it is very entertaining.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on April 29, 2017, 07:30:20 PM
I liked that movie a lot. Lenn, I'm sure they took liberties in the script but think of where the setting was. You grew up in NY. Much different down there in that decade. Now they just whisper.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on April 29, 2017, 07:48:37 PM
Lenny, it's just that I'm tired of all this "social commentary" BS.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 30, 2017, 12:42:37 PM
Quote from: Vette on April 29, 2017, 07:30:20 PM
I liked that movie a lot. Lenn, I'm sure they took liberties in the script but think of where the setting was. You grew up in NY. Much different down there in that decade. Now they just whisper.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ed

Don't get me wrong here, I wasn't trying to make light of the time and problems. We all know about the 2 sets of bathrooms, the back of the bus and many problems we probably never even thought of. BUT, I just found that they over did some of the 'facts'. As I said, I did some research and if you want to see a great interview with Ms Johnson, go to YouTube and put her name in. You will see she admits that some of what was portrayed 9in the movie was, well, not very accurate. AGAIN, not making light of any civil rights problems.

That was my only fault to a very good movie.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on April 30, 2017, 02:12:14 PM
I'm in the process of watching "Silence."  Tough movie!!!!!
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on May 01, 2017, 08:15:19 AM
Quote from: LennG on April 30, 2017, 12:42:37 PM
Ed

Don't get me wrong here, I wasn't trying to make light of the time and problems. We all know about the 2 sets of bathrooms, the back of the bus and many problems we probably never even thought of. BUT, I just found that they over did some of the 'facts'. As I said, I did some research and if you want to see a great interview with Ms Johnson, go to YouTube and put her name in. You will see she admits that some of what was portrayed 9in the movie was, well, not very accurate. AGAIN, not making light of any civil rights problems.

That was my only fault to a very good movie.

I spent some time working in Atlanta and Texas and that was in the 80's and 90's. I can't tell you how many times I heard someone make a comment off to the side about Yankee Jews and Niggers. I can imagine what went on in the workplace in the south before the Civil Rights Movement. I don't think they overdid it at all but I think they softened it. That's just my perspective. I certainly understand how it may have distracted you from what you enjoyed about the movie. You make a good point.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 01, 2017, 11:55:45 AM
Quote from: jimv on April 30, 2017, 02:12:14 PM
I'm in the process of watching "Silence."  Tough movie!!!!!


I finished it.  I don't recommend it to anyone who is not a Catholic of strong faith; combination of Scorcese & the Jesuits. ~X(  (Outstanding acting,)
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on May 01, 2017, 12:12:55 PM
Quote from: jimv on May 01, 2017, 11:55:45 AM

I finished it.  I don't recommend it to anyone who is not a Catholic of strong faith; combination of Scorcese & the Jesuits. ~X(  (Outstanding acting,)

What's it about?
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 01, 2017, 01:06:28 PM
It's about the Japanese persecution of Christians in the 17th Century.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on May 01, 2017, 01:24:52 PM
Quote from: jimv on May 01, 2017, 01:06:28 PM
It's about the Japanese persecution of Christians in the 17th Century.

Why would not be recommended to someone not of strong catholic faith?
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 01, 2017, 05:04:58 PM
Quote from: Vette on May 01, 2017, 01:24:52 PM
Why would not be recommended to someone not of strong catholic faith?


Just my opinion.  I just don't trust Scorcese with an interpretation of the Catholic Faith.  And, I'm less than happy with the current day Jesuits.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 07, 2017, 11:10:52 AM
So we finally sat down to watch what most people thought should have been the best picture of the year, 'La La Land', staring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. No need to go into too much detail as if you never heard of this movie, the rest may not be interesting.

La La Land is a movie made to sort of reminisce about the older days of Hollywood musicals in the 50's, where there is some sort of story but they break into song and dance at the drop of a hat.

So, my take. We liked the movie, but to say this was the bet picture of the year, WOW. As I just said, it was good, enjoyable (if you don't like Hollywood musicals, really don't bother) but it was just a bit of fluff, with no substance, not very good songs and just no where worthy of all the hype it has received.  Most of the Hollywood musicals of days gone by, usually had a big son or two in it, to help the movie along, this didn't. It just tried to capitalize on the fact that no one makes musicals anymore, and it succeeded in that.

Story wise, Gosling is 'old school' jazz musician, Stone is a wannabee actress. They meet, after some wrangling around, they date, fall in love. Careers separate them and do they end up back together, I'll leave that to you to watch the movie. Again, was it a bad movie, no way. We enjoyed it, but maybe after all the hype, I expected a bit more. I have seen movies worthy of Best Picture, which weren't even nominated. This one had all the hype and just didn't live up to it all.

It is for everyone. One or two curse words, but after that, it was like Hollywood in the 50's where the entire family goes to the movies to enjoy the show.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 13, 2017, 12:59:56 PM
Where to begin for this one???????????

As you all must know, myself (and Jim) are sort of movie purists, in that many times we find it hard to even like a movie that has been a remake of any sort of Hollywood classic. Many times i have written, just wondering why Hollywood would even think of remaking movies, that have become such classics, knowing they can never measure up to the 'real thing'.

So last night we sat down to watch the latest in a long line of movies titled King Kong. This one is the latest, "Kong: Skull Island"  
http://www.imdb.co/title/tt3731562/  starring, I guess, the most well know, was Samuel L. Jackson and several others who I might know, or might not.

As I said before, where to begin. The write up for this movie were good. My daughter saw it in the theater, and in 3-D, and she said it really needed that for it to really be effective. (I thought if a movie needs 3D to be effective, how good can it really be?) We saw it on our regular TV, so this review is based on that. Since I am so biased and to me nothing can match the original 1933 version. That is the REAL King Kong and no mater how hard Hollywood tries, it can never even come close to that masterpiece.

So this version. It takes place right after the Viet Nam War. They discover this uncharted Island (Skull Island) and they send the army and some scientists to scout it out. Of course there is the lady photographer (Fay Wray part). It is really hard to get into a story as the story is really does nothing towards the movie. It is the action, the special effects etc. But some parts are so silly it needs to be mentioned without giving too much away. Right for the beginning when they are going to Skull Island with a swarm of Helicopter, they encounter Kong. So instead of staying away and trying to do whatever they want to do from a distance, no they swarm all around his head so he can have his way with them. Even as they are trying to shoot him, they do so in close range so he can swat them away at will. Ridiculous.

Kong, as usual, is fascinated by the 'lady' but never really interacts with her. The action scenes are great, the evil creatures are stunning, and the battle Kong has with some of them are not to missed. I would assume in 3D it would be so much better, but for us it wasn't to be.

The movie itself is nothing like any of the other Kong movies made, storyline is completely different as they never have a desire to capture Kong and take him away. For me, the best character is a WWII pilot (John C Reilly) who has been on the island since he was shot down in 1944 and didn't even know who won the war. His scenes are just great.

OK, so overall, this movie wasn't made as a homage to King Kong, it was made for younger folks, who have no idea who or what King Kong was, and to capitalize on the many, many explosions and super great special effects. If I had to rate this movie, maybe a B-, or a C+ because it did have some super special effects and Jackson's and Reilly's performances were great. I would recommend this movie, even for 'purists' just to see what they can do to a real Hollywood classic. It can be for the entire family, but Kong can be scary for young children and the other creatures are scary also.

I did enjoy watching this movie as it was thrilling in many parts, but I also couldn't help always thinking of what Hollywood has done to a true Hollywood classic. Give me the 1933 version anytime overr any remake
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 20, 2017, 05:50:55 PM
We are on a roll right now. WE wanted to watch the new release of Guardians of the Galaxy II, but we never saw the first one, so last night we sat down to watch 'Guardians of the Galaxy'  starring Chris Pratt and a bunch of known people who have minor roles.   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2015381/I know I've said this several times over time, but I am usually not a big fan of Super hero type movies, and these type of comic book features. In fact, I usually avoid them as I feel they are more 'bubble gum' type of movies, if you know what I mean.

So, my son said he saw this flix and it wasn't too bad, so, as I said, we sat down to watch. There is simply now way I can describe the plot as in most movies like this, the plot is the least of the movie. Several people are after this orb and do spectacular things to get it and it's amazing power. I know this movie, when it came out, was a 3D movie, as most action movies are these days and you can see, watching it, how many things are sort of thrown around to give a good 3D effect. So, my opinion, it was fluff. I enjoyed it somewhat as a light amusing movie. I am a huge wrestling fan, and one of the main characters is Batista, from the WWE. AND, if you can get behind this fox/racoon (or whatever he was) as a super hero type, you will like it a lot more. In fact, I found his character to be the best in the movie (and the tree also). (You have to see it to understand this)

There is plenty of action, great special effects and very colorful. I would recommend this movie to anyone who has interest in these type of movies and, of course, it is really for any age. (there are a few references to curse words, but that is all)

So, overall, I did enjoy the movie, but if I never sw it, I probably wouldn't miss not seeing it. But, we now will watch Part 2 of this saga.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 20, 2017, 09:21:57 PM
Lenny, I just read your review of the latest "King Kong" movie.  I don't know how I missed it until today!  Anyway, your review  will certainly keep me away from it!

The trouble with that movie is the BIG trouble with most movies these days; they're all about computer special effects, blowing up things, etc. :boooo: :boooo: :boooo:  Special Effects masters like Willis O'Brien (who DID the '33 version) were GREAT!!!  The new guys should just sop meddling with the Classics.  The original KK WAS interested with the lady.  It WAS "...beauty who killed the beast."
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 21, 2017, 11:10:52 AM
Jim

We were watching some movie on TCM and Ben Mancowitz (SP) came on afterwards and said something I really thought was great. He said that in Hollywood's 'Golden Age' movies had to  have a great story,great writing and great acting as they didn't have anything to blow up.

So really true.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on May 21, 2017, 11:48:47 AM
Quote from: LennG on May 21, 2017, 11:10:52 AM
Jim

We were watching some movie on TCM and Ben Mancowitz (SP) came on afterwards and said something I really thought was great. He said that in Hollywood's 'Golden Age' movies had to  have a great story,great writing and great acting as they didn't have anything to blow up.

So really true.

That made me laugh because it's so true. Today all you need is - near death experience, car chase, hot woman shows up, fist fight with overwhelming odds, car chase, something blows up, motorcycle chase, hot woman shows some serious skin, another near death experience, car chase....
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 21, 2017, 09:11:58 PM
Glad to have you join us here. Are you a movie aficionado also?
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on May 21, 2017, 10:00:34 PM
Quote from: LennG on May 21, 2017, 09:11:58 PM
Glad to have you join us here. Are you a movie aficionado also?

I guess you are addressing me seeing I wrote the previous post.

I like a good movie, but seldom find one anymore. I like a good plot that makes me actually think and I like surprises. I'm more of a reader than a movie buff. I'm a readaholic and read mystery/thrillers as well as a lot of history books.

A good comedy is really hard to find in movies anymore. They can't really compete with half hour sitcoms where personalities get well established. Although, Christmas Vacation still kills me with laughter even though I can probably quote half the movie from heart. And I'm still waiting for a western that can hold my attention as well as Tombstone although Purgatory came close. I don't even mind romance movies as long as they have a good plot and move me like Return to Me, or mixed with adventure like The Thomas Crown Affair (although, it might have more to do with the fact that I have the hots for Renee Russo). I watch a fair share of movies on TV and sometimes I get a good chuckle. For whatever reason, when I'm channel surfing if I come across My Cousin Vinnie I have to stay on that channel no matter how many times I've seen it (again, I also have the hots for Marisa Tomei and she was especially hot in that movie). I also seem to land on Meet the Millers a lot and that makes me laugh.

I guess the answer to your question is that I don't consider myself an expert in movies at all. I don't keep up with the latest movie that's being released and supposed to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. I read Jurassic Park and couldn't put the book down. I was so enthralled with it that I actually waited in line at the theater for the first showing and was really disappointed that they had turned the entire story into chase scenes and barely escaping with their lives. Huge disappointment. Haven't gone to an early showing of a movie since.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 21, 2017, 11:09:06 PM
JBG, I'm really glad to hear that you love a GOOD movie.  Lenny & I  are definitely movie buffs; not afficianados (I don't like that term).  If you're not one of those guys who can't watch a B&W movie, we'll have to introduce you to the REAL Hollywood of filmmaking; the 1930s!  Especially, 1939, the GREATEST year in Hollywood history (although 1967 comes up at # 2).  I can give a list of movies that I think will meet your requirements.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 22, 2017, 01:09:03 PM
JBG

I fully agree with Jim. We love to talk movies, so jump right in.

If you read thru some of the pages, I usually try to see one fairly recent movie a week and write w review of it. I won't go into how many other movies I watch during he weeks. Like yourself, I love to flip thru the stations and see a movie that I just cannot turn off. I agree about My Cousin Vinny, I always seem to say, I'll watch a piece I enjoy and end up staying for the entire movie. So many other movies like that for me. The other day I found Gladiator, and I just love that movie. I had to stay till it ended, same for movies like Braveheart, and the oldies like Casablanca, High Noon, and my favorite all time movie, The Maltese Falcon (Bogie is my fav actor).
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on May 26, 2017, 10:17:10 AM
Quote from: jimv on May 21, 2017, 11:09:06 PM
JBG, I'm really glad to hear that you love a GOOD movie.  Lenny & I  are definitely movie buffs; not afficianados (I don't like that term).  If you're not one of those guys who can't watch a B&W movie, we'll have to introduce you to the REAL Hollywood of filmmaking; the 1930s!  Especially, 1939, the GREATEST year in Hollywood history (although 1967 comes up at # 2).  I can give a list of movies that I think will meet your requirements.

My biggest problem with watching movies is that if there is a Yankee game on, or a Syracuse Orange game on, or a football game, or pretty much any sport - I choose to watch the sports. My DVR gets loaded during the baseball season because I end up checking the score of the Yankee game and find I can't stop watching.

Regardless, I've watched quite a few B&W movies and don't miss the color. Casablanca, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Roman Holiday, It's a Wonderful Life, etc., are all good and I've watched them multiple times.

I can't remember a movie released in the last couple of years that I would rewatch. And as much as I like dramas, I find it hard to rewatch an intense movie that I've already watched and know the outcome (Django, the Hateful Eight [or any Tarantino film for that matter, although I've watched Pulp Fiction more than once],  Taken, etc.). I will rewatch adventure films, comedies, and romance flicks. Comedies because it doesn't require a whole lot of attention and makes me laugh. Adventure the same way - I've rewatched "Red" and "Red II" several times, usually as I'm channel surfing. "Red" and it's sequel combine all three elements: adventure, comedy, and romance. Maybe that's the key for me.

I'm a big time reader and like thrillers, mysteries, etc. I was extremely disappointed in "Reacher" having read all the Lee Child's books and I understand why Hollywood chose Tom Cruise to portray Jack Reacher, but he is NOT Jack Reacher. I'm excited to see the upcoming movie "American Assassin" based on my favorite author Vince Flynn, but I doubt they can cast the movie in such a way as to capture the essence of Mitch Rapp. Dittos with the new series based on Daniel Silva's books and hero Gabriel Allon. Maybe they'll nail it, but I doubt it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on May 26, 2017, 10:36:46 AM
Quote from: LennG on May 22, 2017, 01:09:03 PM
JBG

I fully agree with Jim. We love to talk movies, so jump right in.

If you read thru some of the pages, I usually try to see one fairly recent movie a week and write w review of it. I won't go into how many other movies I watch during he weeks. Like yourself, I love to flip thru the stations and see a movie that I just cannot turn off. I agree about My Cousin Vinny, I always seem to say, I'll watch a piece I enjoy and end up staying for the entire movie. So many other movies like that for me. The other day I found Gladiator, and I just love that movie. I had to stay till it ended, same for movies like Braveheart, and the oldies like Casablanca, High Noon, and my favorite all time movie, The Maltese Falcon (Bogie is my fav actor).

That's funny that I've never watched "The Maltese Falcon". If it's your favorite, I must give it a shot. I too love Bogie and because I'm a genealogist, I know that him and I are distant cousins (8th cousin, once removed). My parents also loved Bogie so as a kid growing up in the 50's-60's I can't tell you how many times I watched "The African Queen" (which took priority over all other shows when it was on TV) and I still hear Katharine Hepburn's heavy accent saying, "are ve goin to shoot the rapids?" and I have a permanent memory of leeches that I wish I could erase from my memory when there are so many good memories that no longer exist in my brain. Also, the whistling soldiers from "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (my Dad's favorite movie) is forever burned into my brain. I enjoyed those movies and they must be pretty good as I can still remember parts that I haven't seen in over 40 years. I guess any movie in which scenes and words remain in your memory bank atop your shoulders must be good or the memories wouldn't be there.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 26, 2017, 02:42:44 PM
OK, JBG, you said you like Adventure films.  Here are 50 that provide outstanding adventure ( a couple are even comedies):

The Mark of Zorro (1920)
Don Juan (1926
The General (1926)
Wings (1927)
Tarzan and his Mate (1934)
Treasure Island (1934)
The Count of Monte Cristo (1934)
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)
The Crusades (1935)
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Call of the Wild (1935)
The Lives of  Bengal Lancer (1935)
The Last of the Mohicans (1936)
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Four Feathers (1939)
Gunga Din (1939)
Beau Geste (1939)
The Sea Hawk (1940)
The 49th Parallel (1941)
The Jungle Book (1942)
Henry V (1944)
Captain from Castile (1947)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1947)
Scott of the Antarctic (1948)

Rest of the 50 to follow...

Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 26, 2017, 05:28:06 PM
Here are the rest:

Captain Horatio Hornblower (1950)
King Solomon's Mines (1950)
The Flame and the Arrow (1950)
The African Queen (1951)
Ivanhoe (1952)
Robinson Crusoe (1952)
Scaramouche (1952)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
The Court Jester (1956)
Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
War and Peace (1956)
The Naked Prey (1956)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
The Sundowners (1960)
Magnificent Seven (1960)
El Cid (1961)
Ride the High Country (1962)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
The Great Escape (1963)
Zulu (1964)
The Professionals (1966)
The Man Who Would be King (1975)



Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on May 26, 2017, 07:20:48 PM
I've seen a few of those movies in your list. It would take me a few years to get through them.

Out of curiosity, are there any streaming sites that actually make those older movies available? I have Hulu and Amazon to compliment my DirectTV.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 27, 2017, 12:35:15 AM
To be honest, I know nothing about streaming sites.  I do know that, very occasionally, Netflex shows an older movie; I think Amazon might too.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 27, 2017, 10:15:26 PM
It's funny. We all have our fav actors  nd actresses. For some reason Kate Hepburn was never a fav of mine. Some times I even go out of my way to avoid watching her movies. I know she was a great actress, but there was just something about her that I never liked. So the African Queen, though a great movie and I've seen it many times, just isn't my fav Bogie movie.

If you are a fan of Bogie, have you ever seen The Treasure of the Sierra Madre? Maybe Bogies best role EVER. Just a wonderful movie and has one of the best lines in movie history towards he end.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 28, 2017, 12:32:55 AM
Quote from: LennG on May 27, 2017, 10:15:26 PM
It's funny. We all have our fav actors  nd actresses. For some reason Kate Hepburn was never a fav of mine. Some times I even go out of my way to avoid watching her movies. I know she was a great actress, but there was just something about her that I never liked. So the African Queen, though a great movie and I've seen it many times, just isn't my fav Bogie movie.

If you are a fan of Bogie, have you ever seen The Treasure of the Sierra Madre? Maybe Bogies best role EVER. Just a wonderful movie and has one of the best lines in movie history towards he end.


In my opinion, one of the GREAT movies of all time.  There's a story about Bogie.  He always played down his movies & made light of them.  Then someone mentioned "Treasure of the Sierra Madre."  He rubbed his chin & said, "Yeah.  That was a pretty good one,"
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on May 28, 2017, 10:20:00 AM
Quote from: LennG on May 27, 2017, 10:15:26 PM
It's funny. We all have our fav actors  nd actresses. For some reason Kate Hepburn was never a fav of mine. Some times I even go out of my way to avoid watching her movies. I know she was a great actress, but there was just something about her that I never liked. So the African Queen, though a great movie and I've seen it many times, just isn't my fav Bogie movie.

If you are a fan of Bogie, have you ever seen The Treasure of the Sierra Madre? Maybe Bogies best role EVER. Just a wonderful movie and has one of the best lines in movie history towards he end.

I never cared for Katharine Hepburn either - she seemed stuffy to me with an air of faux superiority. Now Audrey Hepburn, that's a whole other story. Loved her.

So, besides the "Big List", a couple of movies that I should put on my watch list early on are: "The Maltese Falcon" and "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" - got it. The two biggest challenges for me will be to find them (without buying a DVD on Amazon or eBay) and then finding the time to watch them. With Direct TV I can search for the movies and if they are listed at some point in the future, I can tag them to be DVR'd. A lot of stuff that I'd like to watch is broadcast at 1:00 in the morning or some other strange time when I won't be awake or around. Love the DVR.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on June 11, 2017, 05:11:30 PM
Last night we decided to watch a movie that Ed sort of recommended, "The Shack' starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer. I didn't decide to watch it based on what Ed said, but I did look at the trailer and the plot line and it did seem fairly interesting, so we said, let's do it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2872518/

Not to rain on Ed's parade, but I did not care for this movie one bit. Not that it was a bad movie, as my DW did enjoy it, but for me, it just seemed like an hour and a half infomercial about God, and what it's all about, etc, etc. It just wasn't my thing. I can see maybe some one like Jim, who may be more into something like this, really enjoying it, but I found it slow, boring, and in many ways, just plain silly.,

Not sure if Ed did any synopsis, but a nice family goes camping and thru no fault of anyone, their youngest daughter goes missing and presumed dead. The father, while doing some snow removal, finds a letter from God in his mailbox, asking him to meet at the shack where they think the little girl was killed. What comes next, as the father goes, meets God and his journey to try and understand the terrible tragedy and maybe find some peace. What follows, as I said--FOR ME, was the rest of the movie as an infomercial about God. I just didn't get into it and all the sort of preachiness about it. Again, some may find it fascinating the way they had Ms Spencer portray God, I just didn't.

Just my take, the father blamed God for the tragedy, basically saying if God was real how can she let this happen to an innocent child, and God's side is that she cannot stop every bad thing that happens in the world, but she was with the child every step of the way and thr4 child was indeed happy now. I guess it depends on how you want to view the debated.

Anyway, I can see the entire family watching this movie and maybe having a good discussion about certain aspects of it afterwards. It is not for young children as the plot is just too deep. As I said, some may find it a very good movie, I just didn't.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on June 13, 2017, 10:45:45 AM
I haven't seen the movie, but I read "The Shack". The story reminded me of Bunyon's "Pilgrim's Progress", which is basically an allegorical story of the personal life of a Christian who deals with all the unfair trials of life and the mental struggles of trying to live a Godly life. "The Shack" is just as you say, a tragedy in the family causes the father to lose faith in God and in fact, blames God. I can relate to this somewhat as I too have lost a child and my sister lost three of her children and husband when hit head on by a drunk driver. My sister's husband was the pastor of a Baptist Church and Christian Academy. I watched my sister go through a terrible ideal questioning God as to why if He was a loving God, He would allow such a thing to happen to innocent children and a devoted Christian father.

I think this movie (if it follows the book) is meant for a target audience of Christians who understand the everyday trials and tribulations they face during their path through life. The Shack is a feel-good story because it actually allows a fictional individual to finally have the opportunity to get answers to questions with no logical answers. I am going to watch it at some point and more than likely, compare it to the book (in my mind anyway) as that's what I always do when a movie is based on a book that I've read. Spoiler alert: the movie is NEVER as good as the book - LOL
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on June 13, 2017, 11:12:21 AM
Really sorry for your lose JBB and that of your sister. One should never know such tragedies, but in cases like that, I can see how one would question the existence of GOD, even devout believers.

Thanks for the heads up on the book. Myself, I didn't care for the movie, and I'm sure I wouldn't care for the book either, but, I'm sure it could b e a good read for others.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on June 17, 2017, 12:30:04 PM
Last night we watched the latest in an never ending list of super heroes movies, 'Wonder Woman". The movie  just opened and was doing great at the box office and I can see why. It should appeal to just about every teenager in the world who loves these type of movies. Lots of action, lot s of things blown up and a real looker as Wonder Woman. So what did I think--- I could have lived an entire life and never missed this movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451279/

My take, as I have said many times, I am usually not a fan of these type of super hero type movies. It really has to be something special to make me like it and this one wasn't. I don't know if there have been other Wonder Woman movies, but I certainly remember Lynda Carter as Wonder woman on TV. She was a God to many of us growing up. Myself, I don't know if there is a particular story of how Wonder Woman started, like superman or Batman, there is a specific story as to how they became their characters. In this case there is a story of how she became Wonder Woman so I'll leave it at that. Story wise, (????) we are in the final stages of WWI, Germans are about to sign the armistice, but wait, certain Germans are developing a new weapon that can save German and win the war. So Wonder Women, believing that this 'mad' German is really the God of war--Ares, who she has vowed to slay, figures if she kills him, the German will surrender and the war will be over. Got all that. Obviously, you know how it will end, so now half the kids in America will believe Wonder Woman actually won WWI. (as they did believe Captain America won WWII). And we wonder why kids know nothing about history.

Anyway, for ME, the movie was just plain silly. Lot's of Special effects, some are dazzling, but just too many explosions and no substance. After all, it was made for kids and teens and it is a summer blockbuster, so of that's what they want to see, give it to them. It surely is made for the entire family, even for young kids. No scary creatures, just a silly plot and good looking people..
If I had to rate it, 2 stars, just for some real great special effects. If there is ever a Part II, I pass.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on June 17, 2017, 07:17:33 PM
THANKS for the review, Lenny!  I wouldn't have seen it anyway but this is just another sign that everything in the movies today is "special effects." :boooo:

For a change of pace from this crap, this past week I watched "Treasure of Sierra Madre," "Magnificent Seven," "Man for all Seasons," "High Noon" & "Singin' in the Rain;" REAL MOVIES!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on June 17, 2017, 10:22:14 PM
Jim

I watched a movie the other day, 'Truth', starring Robert Redford as Dan Rather and Cate Blanchett as a producer on 60 Minutes. It is the true story of how 60 Minutes ran a story about George Bush and how he apparently got out of his military duties. Turns out some of the facts weren't right and it ultimately led to the retirement of Rather and the firing of this producer. Redford was terrific as Rather, even looked something like him. For me, I just love these true to life stories that I really remember, but have forgotten many of the subplots. If you haven't seen this movie, get it and watch it. Just a very entertaining watch.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3859076/

BTW, I am rewatching 'A Man For All Seasons', and I just recorded 'Z', which I haven't seen in many, many years.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on June 18, 2017, 10:13:52 AM
Quote from: LennG on June 17, 2017, 12:30:04 PM
Last night we watched the latest in an never ending list of super heroes movies, 'Wonder Woman". The movie  just opened and was doing great at the box office and I can see why. It should appeal to just about every teenager in the world who loves these type of movies. Lots of action, lot s of things blown up and a real looker as Wonder Woman. So what did I think--- I could have lived an entire life and never missed this movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451279/

My take, as I have said many times, I am usually not a fan of these type of super hero type movies. It really has to be something special to make me like it and this one wasn't. I don't know if there have been other Wonder Woman movies, but I certainly remember Lynda Carter as Wonder woman on TV. She was a God to many of us growing up. Myself, I don't know if there is a particular story of how Wonder Woman started, like superman or Batman, there is a specific story as to how they became their characters. In this case there is a story of how she became Wonder Woman so I'll leave it at that. Story wise, (????) we are in the final stages of WWI, Germans are about to sign the armistice, but wait, certain Germans are developing a new weapon that can save German and win the war. So Wonder Women, believing that this 'mad' German is really the God of war--Ares, who she has vowed to slay, figures if she kills him, the German will surrender and the war will be over. Got all that. Obviously, you know how it will end, so now half the kids in America will believe Wonder Woman actually won WWI. (as they did believe Captain America won WWII). And we wonder why kids know nothing about history.

Anyway, for ME, the movie was just plain silly. Lot's of Special effects, some are dazzling, but just too many explosions and no substance. After all, it was made for kids and teens and it is a summer blockbuster, so of that's what they want to see, give it to them. It surely is made for the entire family, even for young kids. No scary creatures, just a silly plot and good looking people..
If I had to rate it, 2 stars, just for some real great special effects. If there is ever a Part II, I pass.

I haven't seen it (and won't unless it's on TV someday and my grandkids want to watch it), but I read an interesting tidbit on the movie concerning Gal Gadot, the Israeli actress who played Wonder Woman. She was 5 months pregnant with her second child while doing some of the most intense battle scenes. She had quite a baby bump so the producers put a green triangular cloth on her protruding belly so they could doctor the scenes via computer trickery after the shoot was done.

Having had a wife who gave birth to my four children, I can honestly say that I think that is amazing in itself. I don't think I could watch the movie without thinking about that every time she was in a scene.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on June 19, 2017, 08:37:23 PM
How times have changed    :what: :what: :what: :what:

Remember when my wife was pregnant, she didn't it around and knit little booties, but she sure wouldn't go around doing acrobatics. I really surprised a women that far pregnant would risk doing stunts like that, but, as I said, different world today.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on June 20, 2017, 09:35:13 AM
Quote from: LennG on June 19, 2017, 08:37:23 PM
How times have changed    :what: :what: :what: :what:

Remember when my wife was pregnant, she didn't it around and knit little booties, but she sure wouldn't go around doing acrobatics. I really surprised a women that far pregnant would risk doing stunts like that, but, as I said, different world today.

LOL - neither did mine. When my wife was 9 months pregnant with our first, she went down to the local park where they have really high swing sets and would swing quite high and then leap out of the seat and fall about 10 feet. I told her not to do that because she was going to get hurt, but she refused to listen. She was tired of waiting for the baby to come out and thought maybe that would make it start. It didn't. She was extremely active (still is), very athletic, and young. She weighed 116 lbs before getting pregnant, put on less than 10 lbs during the pregnancy, had a 9 lb baby boy, and left the hospital at 116 lbs in the same tight jeans she was wearing before she became pregnant. One poor nurse who was helping with the delivery was 6 months pregnant and bigger than a barn having retained gallons of water. When my wife gave birth, he stomach went down to nothing and without a single stretch mark. The nurse kept looking at her and said, "I simply hate you...", lol. But I should note that with each subsequent pregnancy, she became less careless and by the fourth one, she was pretty much idle through most of the later stages. Lucky for me, she never gained weight from any of the kids and never got a single stretch mark. She was a rare kind of baby maker! I suspect Gal Gadot has a similar set of genes to be able to do what she did in the movie.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on July 03, 2017, 04:35:59 PM
Been away for a couple of weeks but did get a chance to watch one new movie, 'Berlin Syndrome'. This is an Australian movie so I knew no one as stars.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3335606/

So let's see if I can describe some of it without giving too much away. It is supposed to be a thriller type movie, which I found a bit less than thrilling.
A young girl meets handsome guy. They hook up start a relationship and then sleep together. He goes off to work the next day and she tidies up and then wants to leave, but she can't. All ways of leaving the apartment are blocked. he comes home and the4y fight and she ends up sort of becoming his sort of slave. He ties her up, he unties her, they seem to have a stupid type of relationship even as she tries every which way of escaping.
Personally, I found the movie to be less than thrilling, and \this plot line ahs been done several other times, last in "The Collector'. I won't say what happens at the end, but I really think she could have found a way to escape, or at least, if it were me, I would have tried a bit harder. The young girl did look pretty good naked, and that might add an extra star, but alas, even that didn't help me enjoy this that much. I did stick it pout to the end though, just to see what does happen.

Again, 2 stars and definitely not for young teens.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on July 15, 2017, 12:40:40 PM
We have been a fan of animated movies from my childhood days watching classics from the Disney collection. We continued while our kids were growing up and now with our grandchildren. That said, when they aren't around, we still enjoy many of the movies of this genre being made today. Companies like PIXAR and what they produce, are a joy to watch and enjoy. You don't have to be a child to enjoy these types of movies.

So, yesterday we got to watch the latest in the Despicable Me series,' Despicable Me 3"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3469046/. I have been a fan of this now trilogy since it started several years ago. It is cute, smart and funny and for the most part, endearing to all. And, of course, the Minions are back and cute as ever.
Story wise, Gru is fired from his anti villain job and learns he has a long lost twin brother. They get together to 'fight' the new villain, who is also, sort of cute. Who really cares, the kids are as cute as can be and, for me, it still remains an enjoyable watch. I still say the first in the series was the best, and this one and the last, were beneath the original, but that is not to say they are bad. They are very enjoyable. So if your kids want to see it, your grandchildren want to see it, anyone you know wants to see it, or if YOU just want to see it, go for it. The kids will love it and so will you. Highly recommended as a family outing.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on July 15, 2017, 07:10:47 PM
 This month, TCM is running a series of Alfred Hitchcock movies.  One of them is his personal favorite; "Shadow of a Doubt," made in 1943.  I watched it on my DVR this afternoon.  It's been a number of years since I've watched it.  Joseph Cotten plays the villain, a killer known as the "Merry Widow Killer."  Since it's been so long since I've watched it, I forgot what the killer's name is.  It's Charles Oakley!  Sound familiar???????? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on July 16, 2017, 12:06:32 PM
It is also one of my fav Hitchcock movies. I saw it on TCM but forgot to copy it. I have a copy around the house some where, so I'll try and dig it out.

Joseph cotton was one of my favorite actors. Didn't know much about him until I saw 'The Third Man' which is one of my all time favorite movies (just love that Zither score). After that I made a point of watching as many of his movies as I could. Just a great actor who could play any sort of role.
Also did scores of TV work from the 50's till the early 80's.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on July 16, 2017, 12:42:48 PM
Who is the wise guy who changed the name of Alfred Hitchcock? :suspious:  And, I can't modify my own post to put it back right again. ~X(
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on July 16, 2017, 02:33:16 PM
I see that also??????????????/

I guess some one doesn't like Hitch's name or movies.    :boooo: :boooo: :boooo: :boooo: :boooo:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on July 20, 2017, 12:34:22 AM
I had never seen the movie "Deliverance."  But, I had much about it including the dueling banjos.  Well I just watched it for the first & last time Wednesday afternoon.  I found it to be an ugly movie with ugly characters and not a shred of redeeming virtue.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on July 20, 2017, 03:59:29 PM
WOW Jim. Personally, I have always liked that movie and have seen it several times. I know the missus also doesn't like it, but as we say, to each his own.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on July 21, 2017, 02:20:24 PM
Quote from: jimv on July 20, 2017, 12:34:22 AM
I had never seen the movie "Deliverance."  But, I had much about it including the dueling banjos.  Well I just watched it for the first & last time Wednesday afternoon.  I found it to be an ugly movie with ugly characters and not a shred of redeeming virtue.

LMAO - hard to see Ned Beatty in a different light after that flick. Not sure any movie as "redeeming virtue". I think Deliverance has to be categorized as "dark comedy". Whatever the case, you'll never ever catch me canoeing in the deep rural south - ever! The movie "Southern Comfort" was also disturbing and leaves the lesson, "don't go into the bayou". That movie creeped me out worse than Deliverance.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on July 21, 2017, 02:35:42 PM
Sorry, Jolly, but I can't call that movie as any form of comedy.  It's just plain ugly.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on July 21, 2017, 05:34:03 PM
I agree, Deliverance is far from funny. Sad maybe but I do agree, it sure will prevent many people from, going canoeing in those areas.

Southern Comfort was, as you say, very creepy. More of a Friday the 13th type of movie than akin to Deliverance.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on July 22, 2017, 07:52:17 AM
My 17 year old Nieces just saw Dunkirk and gave it high reviews and said I should see it. Has anyone here seen it?
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on July 22, 2017, 10:51:05 AM
Quote from: Vette on July 22, 2017, 07:52:17 AM
My 17 year old Nieces just saw Dunkirk and gave it high reviews and said I should see it. Has anyone here seen it?

Not yet. I believe it just opened yesterday
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on July 22, 2017, 11:01:19 AM
I will be going.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on July 23, 2017, 08:06:19 AM
I saw it yesterday. It was intense and graphic. The story was poignant and powerful but there was no intimacy between the viewer and the characters albeit though a connection.

I don't know why I viewed two war movies in one day as it's not my thing but Hacksaw Ridge was a very good movie in my opinion.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on July 29, 2017, 12:23:22 PM
So we weren't able to watch Dunkirk yet, but  we were able to get the new Spider-Man move, 'Spider-Man: Homecoming". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2250912/

As I have said so many times, I am usually not a big fan of these Marvel Superhero's type movies but  there have been exceptions as in Superman, batman and Spider-Man. I enjoyed most of the Spider-Man movies (wasn't really a fan of Spidey III, but that is another story).
So now we have the 'NEW' version of the ongoing series of Spider-Man. Like with Superman, batman and even King Kong, they sort of run out of new premises for them so them have to try and find new venues for these 'hero's; to perform in. Now we have a very young Peter Parker aka Spider-Man, sort of a nerd in High School. He is a sort of member of the Avengers now, under the direction of Iron Man (Robert Downey). Peter tells people he is in an internship for being an Avenger.

I really won't go into too much of the entire plot, as parts do get a bit confusing but it is all in great fun. As I said, Peter is sort of a nerd and he acts and performs as if he was never aware of being Spider-Man. He is clumsy at first but gets the hang of things. Special effects are great, fantastic cast with Michael Keaton as the main villain, with Downey as Iron Man, Marisa Toomei, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jon Favreau and many others. Chris Evans, who plays Captain America had a couple of hilarious quick bits as he lectures kids on things. You can see the movie was aimed at the teen audience, with Peter's problems in High School where many kids can relate, but the movie is not just for kids, as we can attest to.
Overall, a lot of fun and I liked it very much. I would recommend this movie to everyone as good family fun and a very fun way to spend a couple of hours.

Maybe it's me, but like all the other characters mentioned, I have always liked the originals the best, but this one does justice to the ongoing Spider-Man legend.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on July 30, 2017, 03:58:02 PM
A good friend of ours recommended a movie to us, telling us that they saw it and HIGHLY recommend it, so we sat down last night and watched, "The Zookeepers Wife" starring several decent enough actors and actresses that I never heard of.

To be brief, this is the true story of a couple who ran the Warsaw Zoo when the Germans invaded Poland. It tells their struggle to try and keep the zoo operational, to no avail and then using the zoo to raise pigs as a cover to try and smuggle Jews out of the Warsaw Ghetto and get them freed. I enjoyed the movie more than my DW as she is just not into Holocaust movies or any that relate to them. That said, I liked it, but not very much. I am a huge devotee of anything to do with the Holocaust and try and read or see anything related. This movie fit into that category so I was looking forward to it. Now MOST movies about Jews in a ghetto, about holocaust related things, you know, isn't going to be pleasant and they are usually depressing. This one was all of that and a bit more. At times, it was a hard watch, not because of gruesome activities, just it was very slow in making any points and it didn't make many. I guess the acting was good, but the slowness of the pace, the dread surrounding the zoo and their inhabitants, just made the movie, shall I say, boring, if a movie about something like this (and true) could go there. But it did. I sort of wanted it to end about 45 minutes before it did, but it kept going.

Now it is an adult movie. There are scenes of shooting people, animals, scenes of death in the ghetto, but you could watch this with teens, just as a history lesson as to what actually happened in the Warsaw Ghetto. As I said, I sort of liked it, more for the subject matter than the actual film, but there were parts that were gripping and others that just dragged on forever. As I said, cut about 45 minutes from the movie and it might have been a bit crisper.

If you are into a subject like this, watch it, if for nothing else, the historical content.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on July 30, 2017, 04:05:12 PM
I liked it!  Jessica Chastain starred in it as the wfe.  I like her work very much.  I've also seen her in "Zero Dark Thirty" & "Interstellar."
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 01, 2017, 03:54:31 PM
We are in the 'dog days' of summer and I just don't have the oomph to do too much, so I am trying to rewatch some classic movies that I haven't seen in quite a while.

The other day I rewatched The Birds, one of my all time fav Hitchcock movies.  Even though you knew exactly what was going to happen and when, it still hasn't lost any of it's 'punch' and still grabs you and doesn't let go.

Last night I watched another of my all time favs, Twelve O'clock High. Once I started watching it, I realized how long it has been since I've seen it last, but again, it is still a great watch.

Let's see what's up next???????
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on August 01, 2017, 08:28:55 PM
Quote from: LennG on August 01, 2017, 03:54:31 PM
We are in the 'dog days' of summer and I just don't have the oomph to do too much, so I am trying to rewatch some classic movies that I haven't seen in quite a while.

The other day I rewatched The Birds, one of my all time fav Hitchcock movies.  Even though you knew exactly what was going to happen and when, it still hasn't lost any of it's 'punch' and still grabs you and doesn't let go.

Last night I watched another of my all time favs, Twelve O'clock High. Once I started watching it, I realized how long it has been since I've seen it last, but again, it is still a great watch.

Let's see what's up next???????


It's funny, Lenny; I just recently re-watched "Twelve O'clock High."    It's one of my favorite Greg Peck movies.  The ensemble cast's acting is absolutely flawless.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 03, 2017, 12:36:38 PM
Last nite, I, once again, sat down to rewatch a real fav that I haven't seen in maybe 10 year, 'The Caine Mutiny'. Gosh what a great movie with a tremendous cast and a role, you might not have thought Bogie would be good in, but he was GREAT with a capital G. Should have won an Oscar for his role as Captain Queeg. The scene with the metal ball and the Strawberry caper are classic Hollywood and will always be remembered. So glad I decided to rewatch it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 05, 2017, 11:18:25 AM
M<y DW wanted something light for our Friday Nite Movie, so we watched, I guess you would call it, a children's animated movie, "Sing". We have always tried to keep up with all types of movies and we usually like the 'better' animated movies, especially the ones from PIXAR.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3470600/

Anyway, this movie wasn't from PIXAR, but it was done very well. Story wise, it is about a koala bear--well it sounds sillier than it was so here is the brief storyline from the web site

In a city of humanoid animals, a hustling theater impresario's attempt to save his theater with a singing competition becomes grander than he anticipates even as its finalists' find that their lives will never be the same. In a town with no humans, just animals, a koala named Buster Moon realizes he will soon lose his theater if he cannot turn his luck around. He comes up with a plan to host a singing competition, where the winner will receive $100,000. Will this be enough to return his theater to glory?

Again silly, yes, but it S geared for children and we are young at heart and we really liked it. I found it similar to the old Muppet show where Kermit was running a theater and all the loonies had to perform.

Anyway, we liked it and would recommend it to any children, parents or even grandparents (and great grandparents). It is charming, very funny and well animated. I don't think it is in the movies anymore, but buy them the DVD, they will love it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on August 06, 2017, 10:30:47 PM
I just finished watching "Pete Kelly's Blues."  I still think this is a terrific movie about the 20s; great jazz and a good story.  Ella Fitzgerald is worth it alone.  Jack Webb was a very good director but his personal acting style was like watching a statue talk.  Janet Leigh was beautiful.  Peggy Lee was actually nominated for an Academy Award.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 12, 2017, 11:32:22 AM
Last night we sat down to watch 'The Lost City of Z", starring another group of people I have never heard of, but that really shouldn't matter if a movie is good. To me, this one wasn't.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1212428/

This is the true story (aren't they all lately) of a British explorer who is sent to South America to sort of map out a boundary between two countries about to go to war over it. On his journey in the Amazon, he discovers what could be the remains of a lost civilization. On his return to England and after presenting his findings, he is ridiculed and he has to return to try and prove it. This repeated journey is at the expense of his family as these treks take several years. In the end, he returns with his son to try and prove the existence of this civilization which he calls 'Z'.

My take, this movie was almost 2 1/2 hours and it felt as if it were 4 hours long. Second, to me, even the description of the movie doesn't make it sound that appealing, as I thought it would be something like Indiana Jones, with lots of action etc. There was basically no action at all, just talk, talk and more talk. AND, for a movie about this man's journeys thru the jungles of the Amazon, there was more footage of him in England and other places then there was of him in the jungle. Overall, I'm sure this man led a very courageous and interesting life, but to make a 2 1/2 hour movie about it, when a 30 minute documentary would have sufficed. My DW left after the first 45 minutes, but I stuck it out thinking it HAS to get better, but it didn't.

If you are interested in things like this, true stories about this explorer, you might enjoy the movie. Really, I don't know how I stayed awake for the entire thing?
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on August 12, 2017, 11:40:28 AM
Lenny, I had an experience like that myself.  I sat watching what I consider the worst picture I've ever seen, "Quest for Fire," saying to myself, "This has got to better."  Well, it never did. ~X(
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 12, 2017, 12:02:43 PM
Quote from: jimv on August 12, 2017, 11:40:28 AM
Lenny, I had an experience like that myself.  I sat watching what I consider the worst picture I've ever seen, "Quest for Fire," saying to myself, "This has got to better."  Well, it never did. ~X(

Had that same experience with that movie also.   :yes: :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 14, 2017, 10:50:02 AM
I am a sucker for a good sci-fi movie and add a bit of 'horror' to that, well, I love it, unless, of course, it is made just for the sake of making a movie about nonsense. Take the 'Alien' movie group. 'Alien'  was great, 'Aliens' (the second one) was truly great, and then it started sliding downhill. 'Aliens 3' was only watchable, 'Alien Resurrection' was terrible and it ended. But not for long, as director Ridley Scott resurrected the series with 'Prometheus' (not bad) and the latest 'Alien: Coventent' which is what all this is leading to, the movie I watched yesterday.

So the next in a long line of sci-fi horror and I'm surprised it took me this long to watch it. Maybe I was soured on some of the previous movies into this class, but I sat down with great anticipation as this movie got pretty good ratings.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2316204/

Plot wise, space ship is out to colonize a new planet with 2000 colonists and a crew on board in hibernation. Just an android is taking care of business. Like other movies, something happens that wakens the crew and the rest is sort of Hollywood sci-fi. The Alien movies are not about just sci fi, there has to be a real ugly alien creature who just destroys the crew in all sorts of ways and this one was no exception. I saw many similarities to past 'Alien' movies and to several other sci-fi movies, but overall, it wasn't silly, wasn't stupid and did offer a few chills. As a fan, I liked it but it wasn't anywhere near the first two movies in this regiment, so if you are not a fan of these sort of movies, you probably won't like it, but it is worth a look see. If you are a fan, you WILL like it, which, as I said, I did.

There are killings, but not a lot of gore, things don't 'pop out' as a scare tactic very much. The alien creature is very similar to the original alien but they had to make some differences and they are as menacing as ever. 'Aliens' was still the best of the bunch and it would be very hard to top that one, this doesn't come close.

The movie is definitely not for children but young teens could watch it, if they don't scare easily.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on August 14, 2017, 11:21:45 AM
Thanks for the write-up, Lenny.  I stopped with the series after "Aliens."  As far as I was concerned, I liked the ending of that one & felt it would be all downhill after that.  Sigourney Weaver was GREAT as Ripley!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: squibber on September 07, 2017, 03:12:09 PM
I saw three movies lately.

The Magnificent Seven (Denzel Washington) - If you like westerns with high body counts, this is up your alley.  A group of farmers pool their money to hire seven gunfighters to take out a cruel land baron and his men.  It dragged in parts but I would give it a 7 out of 10.

Train to Busan (Netflix) - If you are going through zombie withdrawal, you might enjoy this movie.  It is a Korean movie subtitled in English.  It was still watchable though.  Although not great, it held my interest.  These zombies were not like the slow moving zombies in The Walking Dead.  They were a little too twitchy for me.  Their heads jerking around reminded me of chickens.

Alien Covenant - It was an OK movie, definitely not one of the better Alien movies.  It took too long for the aliens to appear in the story.  One interesting aspect of the story was the two identical looking cyborgs.  You can see a bit of the Adam & Eve story here.  Walter, the good cyborg, is like an Adam before he ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Walter is a good, loyal and smart servant who does what he is told.   David, the bad cyborg, was the post eat from the tree Adam, having free will and knowing good and evil but chose evil.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on September 07, 2017, 03:37:41 PM
Thanks for info, squib!  But, you just gave me good reason to never watch any of them.  The Original "Mag Seven"  is a GREAT classic.  There was absolutely no reason for anyone to re-make it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 16, 2017, 05:18:51 PM
My son told us we have to watch this movie, that we would positively enjoy. So last night we watched, a comedy starring a great cast of Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin as 3 'older' gentlemen, who are sort of low on funds so they decide to rob a bank. My quick opinion, it was great.
Now, not to say it was a great movie, it won't win many Academy Awards, but for an 'older' coup[le like we are, this movie was perfect. Not that we could associate with the 3 men, but it was just a pleasant watch, and easy movie with no sex, no explosions, not blood and guts, just an enjoyable watch of 3 veteran actors, all stars in their own right, having some fun at life's expense.
Quickly, Michael Caine is in this bank when it is actually robbed. The bank is trying to take his home away from him for lack of payments, so he talks his buddies into a daring plan to rob this bank, get enough money to pay off all their bills and leave the rest. Christopher Lloyd is hilarious as Milton. As you would expect, things don't go exactly as planned, but ............... well I won't spoil the fun as you see what happens next.

Now, I'm not saying this movie is just for us 'old timers', it isn't. As I said, my son saw it and loved it also. I'm sure it didn't do well at the box office with the teen crowd, but if you want to just sit back and enjoy an enjoyable movie that will make you laugh, give it a watch.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2568862/
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 27, 2017, 08:07:49 PM
Wasn't feeling well today so I kind of stayed in and caught up on some of my TV  and movie time. I did get to watch one movie that I was anticipating, the new Steven King movie "IT". (The remake, as I refer to it). There are NO stars of note in this movie, at least to my knowledge.
For those that want a preview----  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396484/

Let me start out by saying I LOVE Steven King novels. I haven't read all of them but they are on my bucket list. I have never read IT but I did see the previous mini series when it was on TV and it was OK.  Usually King's novels do not play well in the movies and rarely do they get good reviews, but this one did. Maybe it is the hunger for this type of movie, part horror, part suspense even part comedy, but over all I liked it. I was prepared to get scared out of my wits, but it wasn't like that at all. There were a couple of parts that were scary, and a few suspenseful moments, but overall, it was pretty mild--for a Steven King movie.

Quickly, as usual, Maine is the setting and the particular town has had problems with missing people, mostly children every 27 years. The movie gives us a good scare almost from the get go as Pennywise (IT) tries to lure a little boy into his realm. As the movie moves on, it really follows a group of young teens who are all sort of nerdy, but all good friend. They are joined along the way by a young girl and then a Black kid, as they all try and battle their own demons and then Pennywise. All comes to a big conclusion where you will have to see as I won't even go there.

As I said, I liked the movie, just not as scary as I was led to believe. It is definitely not for children, kids even young teens as there is a lot of cursing, some killings, some blood and lots of suspense and scary images.
If Steven King is your cup of tea, then SEE THIS MOVIE, it is better than most of Kings other movies. I would recommend it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on September 27, 2017, 10:16:27 PM
Stephen King is, of course, very popular up here.  I've read most of his early books.  I really enjoyed them.  One, in particular, was a favorite of mine.  I forget the name (& will probably remember it when I sign of).  It was about vampires & it mentioned many local places, even one here in Gorham.  The movies made from the books are not usually as good as the books they come from.  One, in my opinion, that was a gfairly good translation was "Needful Things."
a little story about King.  I know the lady who taught him English in high School.  During one class she each student why would someone want to be a writer.  His answer was, "To make money."  I guess he did that. :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jim143 on September 28, 2017, 07:13:59 AM
Jim

The book you are thinking of is Salem's Lot.  That is the first Stephen King Book that I have read (I have read all of them up to the Dark Tower Series).

Thanks Lenn - I wanted to see it, but have been let down with most of the Book-to-Movie translations of King Books.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: terrymeisner on September 28, 2017, 09:45:15 AM
"It" was filmed about 10 miles from me in Port Hope and I was able to get to town on multiple occasions to watch them film and one day I was able to get inside the ropes and was standing about 10 feet from the director while they shot a scene. It was very cool seeing them transform this sleepy little Canadian town into Derry, Maine.

I was walking in Port Hope one day during filming and I ran into an American couple who weren't aware of the movie being filmed and they asked me why we flew so many American flags in town. We got quite a chuckle when I told them why.

They are already planning the second installment when the kids get back together 27 years later to fight Pennywise once again. There is talk they will be filming back in Port Hope next summer.

I didn't really care for the original tv movie but this is a big budget film and imo is very well done.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on September 28, 2017, 10:31:12 AM
Quote from: Jim143 on September 28, 2017, 07:13:59 AM
Jim

The book you are thinking of is Salem's Lot.  That is the first Stephen King Book that I have read (I have read all of them up to the Dark Tower Series).

Thanks Lenn - I wanted to see it, but have been let down with most of the Book-to-Movie translations of King Books.


THANKS, Jim!!  At the end of the book, they were going back to kill the vampires.  At the end of the movie, they were running away. ~X( ~X(
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 28, 2017, 11:44:24 AM
Quote from: terrymeisner on September 28, 2017, 09:45:15 AM
"It" was filmed about 10 miles from me in Port Hope and I was able to get to town on multiple occasions to watch them film and one day I was able to get inside the ropes and was standing about 10 feet from the director while they shot a scene. It was very cool seeing them transform this sleepy little Canadian town into Derry, Maine.

I was walking in Port Hope one day during filming and I ran into an American couple who weren't aware of the movie being filmed and they asked me why we flew so many American flags in town. We got quite a chuckle when I told them why.

They are already planning the second installment when the kids get back together 27 years later to fight Pennywise once again. There is talk they will be filming back in Port Hope next summer.

I didn't really care for the original tv movie but this is a big budget film and imo is very well done.

Good job terry.

I did forget to mention in my review, that at the very end, it did say Chapter One.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: terrymeisner on September 29, 2017, 10:56:20 AM
the old haunted house in "it" was pretty cool....they built it in Oshawa on an empty lot but it was only the front of the house held up by supports

they used brand new siding and burnt it to make it look aged....imo they did a great job on it

https://addictedtohorrormovies.com/2016/08/22/want-to-see-the-house-on-neibolt-street-from-the-remake-of-stephen-kings-it/
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on October 07, 2017, 12:11:25 PM

It's been a while since we sat and watched our usual Friday Night movie, but last night we had a chance to continue tradition and we watched the latest in a seemingly endless parade of 'Ape' movies, this one 'War For the Planet of the Apes'.
So where to begin. I was always a fan of the first few 'Ape' movies, with the original Planet of the Apes, just a true classic now. Then they really started getting silly with it, so I just couldn't watch anymore. Later on they redid the original with Mark Wahlberg which really didn't amount to much. Later still, they thought to revive it once again, because now, with computer graphics they could do wonders with these apes and special effect. Which now brings us to the latest chapter and by my voice, hopefully to the Hollywood higher ups, the last in this series. There is nothing more you can do.

So, here we are Apes vs Humans. Caesar is still in charge of the Apes, and a military colonel, played wonderfully by Woody Harrelson is in charge of the humans, now an Army. Caesar is all for peace but the Colonel is not and wants them eliminated. So the over 2 hour movie is just that, only instead of battles, get talk, and more talk and still more talk. I understand that this movie got pretty good reviews, which leads me to think that the series may not be dead, but I didn't find this movie all that interesting. They tried to make it more intellectual, I guess, by prodding into the minds of Caesar and the Colonel, which did come down to one dramatic battle towards the end, but FOR ME, I was dissatisfied with the movie overall. 

If you are into these 'Ape' movies and cannot get enough of them, see it, you probably will like it. Going in, I fully expected to like it and it's not that I disliked it, it was OK, but I found it slow and a bit boring. The Apes talk in such a slow, drawn out process where I almost nodded off a couple of time.

I would recommend it if you 'LOVE' the Ape movies. I would not recommend it for young children as there is violence, several 'nice' character do get killed, but no cursing and no sex, not even monkey style.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: The Chief on October 07, 2017, 03:14:16 PM
In as few words as possible, what exactly is "monkey style"?
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on October 07, 2017, 06:41:34 PM
Quote from: The Chief on October 07, 2017, 03:14:16 PM
In as few words as possible, what exactly is "monkey style"?

come on Chief, your old enough to figure that one out.   :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on October 07, 2017, 11:36:30 PM
Lenny, you remarked that the first on is a real classic.  I'll leave it at that.  I have seen NONE of them after that.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on October 14, 2017, 11:58:16 AM

last night my DW was playing with my grandchildren, so myself and my son wanted to watch a movie. Several we wanted to watch weren't available then, so we settled on a sort of low budget, mystery type movie, 'Wind River' starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen  and another cast of people I've never heard of. But that didn't make too much difference.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5362988/plotsummary?ref_=tt_stry_pl

Jeremy Renee is a hunter for the Fish & Game commission in a remote area near Lander, WY. His main job is to control wildlife encroachment into populated areas. He's called on by the tribal chief from the local reservation, to which he has family ties, to help solve the death of the daughter of one of his Native American friends. We learn that his own 16 year old daughter was raped and left to die in the wilderness a few years before. That case was never solved. He blames himself because he and his wife were gone for a weekend get-a-way when she disappeared from an unchaperoned party at his house. The FBI sends only one agent to investigate, so he agrees to help her and the chief find out who caused the death of the girl.

I liked this movie. It had a very quiet undertone, and Renner was quite good in his role. It held my interest most of the way, just with a few slow spots. There isn't a whole lot of action and NOTHING get blown up, so I would call this a sort of Adult type mystery. There is some shooting, some killings, but overall, it is very well done and I would recommend it to anyone.

I would not let children see this as you can see thru the storyline it is more for adults and, as I said, there are killings and blood.

If you want an enjoyable couple of hours spent in the high mountains of a very cold Wyoming, see it, I think you'll like it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on December 20, 2017, 07:58:20 PM
Yesterday I got "Victoria and Abdul" and today I watched it.  Judi Dench gave her second great impersonation of Queen Victoria.    I found it to be an extremely interesting movie & it held my attention throughout.  Acting was excellent!  But, I'd only recommend it to History buffs or Anglophiles.  It doesn't fit into today's  type of sensational blow-em-up type movies.  Let's put it this way; if you enjoyed "Mrs. Brown," you'd enjoy this film.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on December 23, 2017, 11:47:41 AM
Gosh, we haven't watched any recently releases in quite some time, but that doesn't mean we have stopped watching movies. So many 'older' movies have been viewed the past few months, some good, some bad some I just marvel at 'old school Hollywood'.. Anyway, being it the Holiday season, we have started watching the big 4 of holiday movies that we watch every year.

Miracle on 34th St (old version)--one of my all time favorite movies. Edmund Gwenn is just perfect in the part of Kris Kringle and add to that the remarkable supporting cast, well, I would watch this movie even it if weren't the holiday season. I remember when this was on every Thanksgiving Day and now before Christmas. I know many of the lines by heart, but once it starts we are hooked for the next couple of hours.

A Christmas Story--On every year continually for 24 hours on Christmas Eve thru the next day and we ALWAYS manage to watch the entire movie, even if not on one sitting. Even before I got fixated on this movie, I was a huge Jean Sheppard fan (the author and storyteller). If you never read other things by him and you like stories like a Christmas Story, you will love the others. Anyway, I think everyone knows the story of Ralphie and his desire for that Red Ryder BB gun, and let's not forget that lamp. That has become an American icon all by itself. Funny though, the boy who stars in the movie, Peter Billingsly who was so great in that part, never really did another thin of note in Hollywood. But anyway, just a holiday tradition and I can't wait till Monday to watch it again.

A Christmas Carol--How many versions of this have been made and most are all pretty good. I happen to really like the one where George C Scott plays Scrooge, but the all time best was Allister Simms version as Scrooge. Again, we all know the story, probably all grew up on it, and there are parts that sort of drag a bit today, but once it gets going and just to marvel at Simm's Scrooge, especially after he wakes up Christmas morning, is just a joy. We have already watched it and still love to revisit it every year.

Last, but not least is my DW's favorite ALL TIME movie, It's a Wonderful Life. I'm sure there are people out there that do not like this movie, though I haven't met them. Just a wonderful story that grabs you and never lets go. When it came out it was a hit, nominated for 5 Oscars and only won one for the new way they made snow. Later fell out of favor, but when it started showing up on in the 60's, on basically every late night TV channel, people started watching again and it became maybe the best of all the holiday movies. To this day, when Harry comes in, at the end, and toast his brother, I still get a tear in my eye. It really gets to you.
On a side note, we went to a lecture on the making of It's a Wonderful Life, the other day and learned some great facts about how it was made, the cast and why they were selected and several very interesting trivia on the movie. Today only 2 cast members are still alive, ZuZu (who was named after a cookie, out at that time--Jimmy Stewart says when he returns and hugs her, ZuZu, my little Gingerbread cookie) and one of the boys who played one of the kids at the beginning.
Cary Grant was the original cast member for George Bailey, but the movie snagged before production and he couldn't do it. Frank Capra then insisted on Jimmy Stewart, who just returned form WWII and was in a deep depression after the war. Capra personally visited Stewart and basically conned him into doing it and, as we say, the rest is history.

Anyway, there are my Holiday movie watches and all, even knowing them so well, are still enjoyable and it wouldn't be a holiday season without all of them.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on December 23, 2017, 12:28:16 PM
Excellent list, Lenny!!!  Some comments:

I agree that Scott's "Christmas Carol" was top notch.  Still I prefer Sims' one more. 

"...Wonderful life" was a flop when it first came out.  As you said, it picked up it's appeal when its copyright ran out & it was shown on just about every TV channel in the country.  I love it!  An absolute fabulous cast!

Two Stanwyck movies are Christmas classics also - "A Night to Remember" & "Christmas in Connecticut."

Another one that I like very much is "I'll be Seeing You" with Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotten & Shirley Temple.

Then, of course, there's the worst named Christmas movie, "In the Good Old Summertime."
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on December 23, 2017, 04:03:16 PM
Some other great choices Jim.

So many people think of White Christmas when they think of holiday movies, but the only real redeeming thing about this dud of a movie was Bing singing t he title song.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on December 24, 2017, 12:12:51 PM

I know I ma very late to the party with this movie, but I finally got around to watching 'Dunkirk' in it's entirety last nite. I know there was a topic on this movie when it first came out, but I'm not sure it was ever really reviewed. So here goes just my take on it.

I am a huge fan of 'war' and military type movies, especially historical dramas that tell a story that many, many, too many Americans just never learned in school or really had no interest in learning. For my part, too many of these so called 'historical' dramas spend too much time on Hollywoodizing rather than on real facts.
Myself, I know of the story of Dunkirk but not really into all the details, which got me to look it up and read some things about the real events.

I feel the movie captured a small part of what Dunkirk was about. I do not know if the director wanted to tell the story of Dunkirk or just sort of follow a small group of the soldiers and have you feel what they felt and what they went thru? So, overall, the movie was good. Myself, I didn't get the feel that it was a superior type movie though. It told the story it wanted to tell, but if it was the intent to tell the story of Dunkirk, I felt it failed overall.
I know this movie got great reviews, picture of the year maybe, but overall, myself again, I really didn't get into the movie to feel part of the action and story.
Dunkirk was a huge success story for the British overall, and gave newly elected Winston Churchill something to try and build on. Overall Dunkirk was a huge disaster for the British and the French, but the Germans 'blew it big time' by not advancing on the trapped soldiers and wiping them all out. But that is a story for anot4her discussion.

So, I would recommend the movie, especially to anyone who knows nothing of the Dunkirk evacuation, how it was done etc. But overall, it will not be in any top 10 movies of mine, of the year and especially war genre movies.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on December 24, 2017, 02:19:28 PM
When it first came out, I "reviewed" it.  (I don't know how many pages back.)  But, I was disappointed just like Lenny.  I always felt the biggest part of the Dunkirk story was the British private boat owners who  too their boats across the Channel to pick up the soldiers. (It was a major part of "Mrs. Miniver.")  This movie gave it only token mention.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on December 24, 2017, 07:49:17 PM
Jim

Not to belabor this movie as there were some really good moments/ But, as I said, we just do not know if the director was trying to tell the story of the evacuation of Dunkirk or just tell the story of a few participants?

Myself, it seemed to jump just a but too much, from the Navy, to the Infantry, to the RAF. It was a sort of mish mash of events that were tried to be blended together.

I would have told the story another way.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on December 24, 2017, 11:12:35 PM
So would I.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jim143 on December 25, 2017, 02:37:24 PM
To touch on Christmas (time) movies that are always playing in our house this time of the year - 5 versions of A Christmas Carol.  I love both the Sims and Scott versions, We throw in the 1938 version for good luck.  My wife loves the Patrick Stewart & Kelsey Grammer versions.

Follow that up with a must in our house: Scrooged with Bill Murray and of course A Wonderful Life.

Other "honorable" mentions that we like to watch are Christmas Vacation, Grinch, and while not technically a Christmas movie, it does take place around Christmas time - Better off Dead (I usually watch that one alone or with the boy when he is home. But all know "I want my two dollars!)

I was floored the other night when we watched the Sims (1951? version) - On the info for the movie, under cast and crew, it listed the "Undertaker" being born in 1879.  Granted, the movie came out 66? years ago, and most of them have long since passed on, but sitting here in 2017 watching an individual that was born in 1879 just blew my mind.  I didnt have the heart to look at the birthdates of the actors from the 1938 movie.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on December 25, 2017, 07:13:47 PM
In the 1938 "Christmas Carol," Gene Lockhart played Bob Cratchit, his wife Kathleen played his wife and his daughter June played one of the children.  June later became famous for playing "Lassie's Mother."
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on December 26, 2017, 11:43:40 AM
My daughter Beth gave me a DVD Documentary titled, "The Lost City of Cecil B. deMille."  It was about the fact that deMille had buried his fabulous sets  of his 1923 "Ten Commandments" in the beaches of Guadalupe in northern California.  I was completely drawn into it.  It was a long time endeavor where they had to call in archeologists to help them.  Interspersed with the telling of story, they covered deMille's career.  A totally enjoyable one hour & 45 minutes!

My daughter Ursula gave me the blu-ray of "Holiday Inn."  It's a terrifically clean copy & I enjoyed it immensly.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on December 26, 2017, 05:18:14 PM

Christmas Day for Jews--what to do. So we went to our favorite Kosher Deli and then to a movie. I think this is the first time I have been to a movie theater in several years, but we wanted to see this movie 'on the big screen'. So we went and saw "Star Wars-- Episode VIII. The Last Jedi".

Where to begin. Overall, I am a huge Star Wars fan. Not as crazy as some fans, but basically loved 'most' of the movies and overall, they are all usually very entertaining. So we went in, just having seen some of the promo scenes and not really remembering how the last movie (Episode VII) ended, prepared to be 'WOWed'.      AND WE WERE.

Now this isn't anywhere near the epics of the original 3 movies but was so much better than the second 3. (We don't talk to much about those, as we don't talk much about that certain Giants HC who shall remain nameless). We enjoyed the movie very much.

Not to give anything away, the movie basically picks up almost exactly where the last one left off. As everything unfolded for us, I was thoroughly confused as I didn't do my homework as to what happened last time and where we were. But, as the movie went on, I picked up bits here and there and everything sort of fell into place. The stories are basically all the same, bad guys want to control the universe and the good guys, the rebels, are desperately trying to stop them. The joy is in the characters, the humor and the action. Myself, I still yearn for the original cast and the original set up, as we never saw anything like that before in the movies. But here we are still following the story of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and most of the cast that was in the last move, Poe, Rey, Finn and the bad dude Kylo Ren.
So if and when you see it, sit back and don't think too much, just enjoy. If you are a fan of these movies, you will love it as we did. Again, not the best but very good. There won't be any awards for acting here, but who cares, the action is great, watching characters who are basically 'old friends' is great. and just an enjoyable experience all around.

On a side note, I would say take the kids, but young children will not be able to follow along and the action will scare them. Also, be aware that there is a scene in the movie, where they cut all sound off. Many people thought there was something wrong with the viewing, but it was intentional, for effect.


Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on December 30, 2017, 12:47:57 PM
In our 'new' effort to try and see some of the movies that have recently come out and may be the 'hot' movie maybe even for the Oscars, last night we watched a very new release 'Downsizing' starring Matt Damon.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1389072/

Let's see, where to begin. The reviews were mixed basically saying this was a sort of comedy/drama. For us, there wasn't too much comedy and a lot of forced drama.    It has a terrific premise--the world is too crowded, we are running out of natural resources etc. etc. so some scientists have come up with a way to shrink people down to 5 inches and have them live normal lives in special communities, a lot more cheaply than any human being on the planet. For us, I had all these visions of Honey I shrunk the Kids, but it was nothing like that.
If you watch the clip and the trailer, it looks fantastic and thru maybe the first 1/3 it was. Special effects terrific, premise great, story right on, but then it gets complicated. OK, Matt Damon and wife want to do this. They sell the house, sign the contracts and prepare to 'get small'. Matt goes but wife chickens out. After that, the movie takes a turn, for us anyway, not for the better. About 1/2 way thru the movie it is like you are watching a regular movie with regular people having regular problems. If it weren't for a few things here and there, you wouldn't know they were small, just regular people and that is where the movie turned sour for us. They could have made this so charming, like with the husband small and the wife big, trying to decide if she really wanted to be small. They could have shown the good and the bad of 'being small' but instead they went off on this tangent with the Vietnamese lady (who was great BTW) and again, the movie just wasn't cute, funny or even exciting.

Overall, great premise, good cast but poor development and too many accents made it hard to understand people when they were talking. Even a very silly ending.

Would I recommend the movie, only if something like this interests you. I sure wouldn't spend $20 or whatever they charge for a movie for this. We were very disappointed. Can be good for children but there are several scenes with cursing, some very brief nudity, but special effects were cute, just not enough.  If I wwre giving out stars, I would give this one 2 stars.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on December 30, 2017, 06:32:30 PM
THANKS, Lenny.  I'll skip it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 02, 2018, 02:23:48 PM
On our continuing effort to try and watch some of the 'players' come Oscar time, we were able to get another movie we had been wanting to watch, 'Lady Bird' a sort of quirky comedy/drama about a high school girl and her dealings with some of life's problems.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4925292/

QuoteChristine "Lady Bird" MacPherson is a high school senior from the "wrong side of the tracks." She longs for adventure, sophistication, and opportunity, but finds none of that in her Sacramento Catholic high school. LADY BIRD follows the title character's senior year in high school, including her first romance, her participation in the school play, and most importantly, her applying for college.


It also received almost a perfect score on Rotten tomatoes.

So, anyway, the cast are complete unknowns, at least to me, but that didn't stop this from being a pretty good movie. We (my DW and I) both enjoyed it, she a bit more than me as I would assume most women would enjoy these type of movies more than men, but it was good. The synopsis says most of it, the movie follows ''Lady Bird' as the young lady likes to be referred to, thru her senior year in HS, her friends, her efforts to kind of 'move up' the social ladder in HS, her desperately wanting to go to NY for college and most of all her battles with Mom over everything a teenage girl would probably battle Mom about.

As said, we did enjoy the movie and thought the title role's acting was superb. Definitely a nod for best actress. I would recommend the movie to any teen, any parent with teens or younger children. There is some cursing (as teens would do) some drug use and some sex, but not shown. Pre teens will also enjoy the movie, but young children will be bored as nothing gets blown up.
aA
Rating Women 3 1/2 stars. men deduct a 1/2 a star. A very enjoyable couple of hours.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on January 05, 2018, 10:06:24 PM
Did anyone ever see the movie Predestination with Ethan Hawke? Curious on someone Else
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on January 14, 2018, 07:00:45 AM
Saw The Post yesterday. Loved it. Great acting and moving plot. The Rotten Tomatoes crowd didn't think as highly of it as I did or the critics.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 21, 2018, 10:35:27 AM
Since we were away for the past 2 weeks, our quest to see as many of the top movies before the Academy Awards, was put on hold, but last night we made it our business to continue this effort, and we were well rewarded. Last night we watched 'The Darkest Hour' the story of Winston Churchill from when he was appointed Prime Minister to right after Dunkirk. It stars Gary Oldman and if he doesn't win best actor there is something wrong.

OK, I'm getting ahead of myself here. This is a historical drama, how much is the exact truth and how much is Hollywood is anyone's guess, but it sure seemed real and true to me. So, over the objections of many, including the King of England, Churchill is appointed PM. As I thought I knew something about this time in history, I was basically wrong. I do not want to give away many of the intricacies of the movie, but Churchill had to battle every step of the way. It was a fascinating movie and we both LOVED it with a capital LOVE. I would make this mandatory watching for anyone who wants to learn something about the man and his part in WWII.
There has been buzz on this maybe being Best Picture. I haven't seen many of the others that have been touted, but if this wins, no one can say anything. It is a wonderful pix and, as I said, Oldman was simply magnificent. Hard to imagine him as Police Commissioner Gordon in all those Batman movies as he is simply a terrific actor.

If history is your thing, or just a good movie for adults, run, don't walk to see this movie.

No way kids will like this movie as it is ALL talk and NO ACTION. Teens may, if they can sit and understand the way the world was at the beginning of WWII and love historical dramas, they will like this movie.

my rating FIVE stars.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on January 21, 2018, 12:37:39 PM
I'll get it when it comes out on Blu-ray,  THANKS for the write-up, Lenny!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 22, 2018, 11:28:56 AM

And the quest continues.

I just could not take watching any more of the Eagles game, so I asked my DW if she wanted to watch another movie, something a bit 'quirky' this time. She, who also loves movies, said sure, so we scrolled down the list and came up with a potential longshot for an Academy award nomination, but it has been mentioned. So if you've never heard of this movie, neither did I until I started reading about it and the performance of a couple of it's stars.
So we watched "Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri" starring Frances McDormand ( the lady cop from Fargo who won best Actress for that role), Woody Harrelson and just a great performance by Sam Rockwell.
Take a look at the trailer   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5027774/.

So you also never heard of this movie, so let me fill you in. McDormand is a mother, whose daughter was raped and killed about 8 months prior. In her opinion, nothing has been done to catch the killers. so she sees 3 old billboards on a deserted road and buys them to put up a message to the local sheriff as to why nothing has been done. Well this causes all sorts of problems for everyone. If this sounds funny, it is not. This is a drama with a lot to say. McDormand is a hard ass lady who doesn't take crap from anyone and she is also great in her part. The movie just keeps going with many vibrant characters and an excellent story to tell.

So, my take. I liked it a lot more than my DW. She wasn't a fan. As I said, right away, it is a bit quirky, but I did enjoy it, as it was something different and the acting was superb. Like my last review, this is an adult movie, made for adults. There is not much action, nothing gets blown up and there is tons of cursing. If that will turn you off, then pass it by, but this is about rural America, everyday people, where cursing is just part of their everyday vocabulary. Be aware of this. There is no sex, no blood, just great acting and a very unusual story.

I would recommend this movie, if nothing more than to see McDormand and Rockwell's performances. I enjoyed it and my rating would be 3 stars and add 1/2 a star if you don't mind all the cussing.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 23, 2018, 11:32:35 AM
And the nominations are out for the Academy awards.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri got 9 nominations. Not bad for a pix no one really knows anything about.

Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 25, 2018, 04:11:52 PM

So the Academy Award nominations came out and this movie, 'The Shape of Water' was nominated for, I believe, 13 awards, in all sorts of categories. So, last night we decided to see what all the hoopla was about. I remember when the movie opened and I read the review, and really, it didn't seem to interest me that much. But as time has past, and this movie is gaining strength towards the Oscars, all I read is how great it is. That is THEIR opinion and I have mine.

Let's start, the movie is about a woman who is a mute (she cannot speak but can hear perfectly). She works as a cleaning girl in some sort of scientific lab. One day, under heavy guard, this capsule is brought in. In it contains a creature that was captured in the Amazon who lives under water. (Looks like a healthier Creature Form the Black Lagoon'). So our heroine develops a friendship with this creature, some how falls in love with him, and when the creature is going to be killed, she, along with several others, rescue him, and plan on setting him free. I'll just leave it at that as if you want to see the movie, you will not know the outcome. (Read more here and watch the trailer  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/ ).
It stars people I am not familiar with, Sally Hawkins and Michael Shannon, who I felt was the best part of this movie, as a very sadistic security officer. Throw in some Russians and some sort of ridiculous espionage plot and you have the movie. Octavia Spencer was very good as the best friend.

So, my take. I did not like this movie at all. I can't even see why all the fuss is being made over it. At times I found it very silly and unbelievable. This creature is in this lab under heavy guard and this lady sort of wanders in and out of his area feeding him hard boiled eggs. Then there is the sex, which I won't go into.
Again, I didn't like it, my DW didn't like it and I really wonder why or how this movie is garnering so many awards. Am I out of touch with modern movie making? To me, if this movie wins Beat Picture, it will be the biggest farce since The English Patient won, or even Shakespeare In Love (over Saving Pvt Ryan).

Be aware, there is nudity, sex, some cursing and some more sex. (it is quick shots but long enough to get the point) The creature is NOT scary and when I first went in to watch it, I was thinking more Beauty and the beast. It does have similarities, but they didn't have sex, at least not on screen. Would I recommend this movie, maybe, as many people seem to love it, but for me, NO THANKS. If I were rating it--2 stars, just because of some excellent performances by some of the actors. Definitely not for kids or even young teens.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on January 25, 2018, 07:01:41 PM
UGH!!!!!! ~X( :( :( :(

How far movies have fallen since 1939!!!  'Nuf said.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 25, 2018, 07:44:48 PM
Quote from: jimv on January 25, 2018, 07:01:41 PM
UGH!!!!!! ~X( :( :( :(

How far movies have fallen since 1939!!!  'Nuf said.

Jim

I simply cannot get over how people are raving about this movie. Every write up gives it 5 stars or an A rating. why, I simply do not know. Same for Dunkirk. If this movie doesn't win, Dunkirk probably will and both of us didn't think Dunkirk was anything special, at all. I have a few more movies to watch before the Oscars, so maybe I'll find a gem. The Three Billboards movie was good. have you seen that? You would like it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on January 29, 2018, 07:46:18 AM
Quote from: LennG on January 25, 2018, 04:11:52 PM
So the Academy Award nominations came out and this movie, 'The Shape of Water' was nominated for, I believe, 13 awards, in all sorts of categories. So, last night we decided to see what all the hoopla was about. I remember when the movie opened and I read the review, and really, it didn't seem to interest me that much. But as time has past, and this movie is gaining strength towards the Oscars, all I read is how great it is. That is THEIR opinion and I have mine.

Let's start, the movie is about a woman who is a mute (she cannot speak but can hear perfectly). She works as a cleaning girl in some sort of scientific lab. One day, under heavy guard, this capsule is brought in. In it contains a creature that was captured in the Amazon who lives under water. (Looks like a healthier Creature Form the Black Lagoon'). So our heroine develops a friendship with this creature, some how falls in love with him, and when the creature is going to be killed, she, along with several others, rescue him, and plan on setting him free. I'll just leave it at that as if you want to see the movie, you will not know the outcome. (Read more here and watch the trailer  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/ ).
It stars people I am not familiar with, Sally Hawkins and Michael Shannon, who I felt was the best part of this movie, as a very sadistic security officer. Throw in some Russians and some sort of ridiculous espionage plot and you have the movie. Octavia Spencer was very good as the best friend.

So, my take. I did not like this movie at all. I can't even see why all the fuss is being made over it. At times I found it very silly and unbelievable. This creature is in this lab under heavy guard and this lady sort of wanders in and out of his area feeding him hard boiled eggs. Then there is the sex, which I won't go into.
Again, I didn't like it, my DW didn't like it and I really wonder why or how this movie is garnering so many awards. Am I out of touch with modern movie making? To me, if this movie wins Beat Picture, it will be the biggest farce since The English Patient won, or even Shakespeare In Love (over Saving Pvt Ryan).

Be aware, there is nudity, sex, some cursing and some more sex. (it is quick shots but long enough to get the point) The creature is NOT scary and when I first went in to watch it, I was thinking more Beauty and the beast. It does have similarities, but they didn't have sex, at least not on screen. Would I recommend this movie, maybe, as many people seem to love it, but for me, NO THANKS. If I were rating it--2 stars, just because of some excellent performances by some of the actors. Definitely not for kids or even young teens.

Linda didn't like it and neither did my niece Jennifer which I was a bit embarrassed to be sitting next to in a couple of those scenes. I did like it for the underlying messages and symbolism. The movie is not for everyone, clearly.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on January 29, 2018, 07:48:17 AM
We saw I Tonya and although it's in documentary story mix, we both liked it. I got a better appreciation for what Tonya Harding went through and how she was effected by the people in her life. I always felt she was in on everything.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 29, 2018, 09:54:16 PM
That is my next one up. I am pretty sure I would like that movie, and now that you have given it a thumbs up, I'm looking forward to it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 29, 2018, 09:56:46 PM
Quote from: Ed Vette on January 29, 2018, 07:46:18 AM
Linda didn't like it and neither did my niece Jennifer which I was a bit embarrassed to be sitting next to in a couple of those scenes. I did like it for the underlying messages and symbolism. The movie is not for everyone, clearly.

You know we had the same feelings as you did with your niece. I even told Doris that we would be terribly embarrassed if we were watching it with even our grown kids.  I guess we are just too old fashioned.  :o :o :o :o :o
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on February 03, 2018, 12:17:43 PM
The other night I watched "Thank You for Your Service."  It's about three buddies returning to civilian life from Iraq in 2007.  All three are suffering from PTSD & it takes them time to admit it.   It's not an easy movie to watch but it is an interesting study in how each one handles it & how they try to help each other.  If you're someone who doesn't like to see the "F Word" tossed around all the time, don't watch it.  Definitely NOT for kids.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 03, 2018, 03:17:32 PM
Thanks Jim. I would be interested in something like that. I'll be sure to check it out.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 07, 2018, 12:59:48 PM
OLDIES

Had a couple of 'oldies but goodies' on the DVR for some time now, so we figured that it's time to take a break from the 'modern' class and watch movies that made Hollywood what it actually was.

#1- One of our favorite Hitchcock movie ( so many, it's hard to say) 'Vertigo'.. I don't think we have seen this one for going on 20 years, but had it recorded, just never found those over 2 hours to watch it again. Time was right and even though I remembered most of the movie, it is still a great watch. Kim Novak is drop dead gorgeous and Jimmy Stewart, well, when has he NOT been great in the movies. Great story, great acting, great direction and great twists and a great ending.

#2-- With my all time favorite actor, Humphrey Bogart, 'The Caine Mutiny' . Just a great story, more than a great cast and Bogart as Captain Queeg (and his case of the missing Strawberries). One of Bogarts best performances (again, like Stewart, weren't they all great). Bogey had a best actor nomination for this role, just didn't win.

Two, just wonderful movies. Time, very well spent.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on February 09, 2018, 12:30:00 AM
Years ago, i saw a 1936 David O. Selznick  movie titled "Garden of Allah."  It was obviously a well-worn copy, taking away all the attractiveness of the film.  But, what a cast; Marlene Dietrich, Charles Boyer, Basil Rathbone, C. Aubrey Smith, Joseph Schildkraut!  It's what today could be called a "Chick's Flick."  It's about a woman who is Convent trained and a Trappist Monk who abandons his vows & flees the Monastery.  They meet in the Sahara Desert.  Recently, it came out on Blu-ray.  I got it today & watched it immediately.  The three strip technicolor of that time is breathtaking!  It's worth watching for that alone.  But, it actually is a good story.  Worth a look.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 09, 2018, 11:43:29 AM
I have heard of that movie, but never saw it.

What we called 'Chick Flix' back then have so little meaning to what they are today. Back in the day, most Hollywood movies were made for the entire family. There were no movies for teens, pre teens, young adults etc. etc. Movies were, especially after 'The Code' were made for families and as just entertainment. Sure there were some, like, say, Gunga Din, which might appeal more to the male audience, and others like Dark Victory, which are tearjerkers and more made for the women in the audience, but overall, anyone could watch, including the kids.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 10, 2018, 12:18:27 PM
Last night we decided to watch a movie, that Ed has already commented on and liked, "I Tonya" the story of Tonya Harding, from very early childhood thru her eventual disbarment from figure skating because of 'The incident', as it was called.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580036/

As Ed had mentioned the movie is done in a sort of documentary style, but not really as a documentary. There are flashbacks, and flash-forwards. There are actors talking to us as the action is going on, and I felt, it was sort of played very 'tongue in cheek' almost like a black comedy.
Overall, we both liked it, but never anywhere as a best movie.
The movie stars Margot Robbie as Tonya and Sebastian Stan as her husband Jeff Gilhooly and maybe an Oscar winning performance by Allison Janney as Tonya's mother. We both felt she made the movie as good as it was.

As said, we both enjoyed learning about Tonya and her early struggles with Mom and life in general. Her basically wasted marriage to Gilhooly and her struggles to become an Olympic figure skater. All in all, we really learned a lot about her and her struggles thru life, and it was done in a very enjoyable way. I can see some not liking this type of docu-drama/black comedy, but we found it very entertaining. Overall, an enjoyable watch.

I would definitely recommend this movie, especially to those that remember Harding and 'The Incident". There is a lot of cursing in the movie, so I would only recommend it for teens and above.

Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on February 11, 2018, 10:57:36 AM
Quote from: LennG on February 10, 2018, 12:18:27 PM
Last night we decided to watch a movie, that Ed has already commented on and liked, "I Tonya" the story of Tonya Harding, from very early childhood thru her eventual disbarment from figure skating because of 'The incident', as it was called.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580036/

As Ed had mentioned the movie is done in a sort of documentary style, but not really as a documentary. There are flashbacks, and flash-forwards. There are actors talking to us as the action is going on, and I felt, it was sort of played very 'tongue in cheek' almost like a black comedy.
Overall, we both liked it, but never anywhere as a best movie.
The movie stars Margot Robbie as Tonya and Sebastian Stan as her husband Jeff Gilhooly and maybe an Oscar winning performance by Allison Janney as Tonya's mother. We both felt she made the movie as good as it was.

As said, we both enjoyed learning about Tonya and her early struggles with Mom and life in general. Her basically wasted marriage to Gilhooly and her struggles to become an Olympic figure skater. All in all, we really learned a lot about her and her struggles thru life, and it was done in a very enjoyable way. I can see some not liking this type of docu-drama/black comedy, but we found it very entertaining. Overall, an enjoyable watch.

I would definitely recommend this movie, especially to those that remember Harding and 'The Incident". There is a lot of cursing in the movie, so I would only recommend it for teens and above.

It's an example to watch who you surround yourself with. Her posse took her down and her mother shaped her to seek out turbulent abusive relationships as an expression of love. Ruined her life and her career.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 11, 2018, 02:14:03 PM
I just wonder how much was true and how much was 'Hollywoodized'?

I was very surprised not to see her Father at any of her skating venues. She seemed very close to him and when he left, it wasn't because of her. I would have expected him to try and retain some sort of relationship with her thru the years. he was never mentioned again after he left.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on February 12, 2018, 09:30:01 AM
We saw The Greatest Showman yesterday. Portions of it had musical score and I enjoyed them. Linda didn't care for them much. It was a good movie with a few underlying messages but not great. I wasn't disappointed but it lagged at the end.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 12, 2018, 03:43:21 PM
A rainy Sunday and we tired of the Olympics so we decided to try a movie, we THOUGHT would be entertaining. We settled on a movie called 'The Florida Project".

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5649144/

It wasn't a big movie when released but it did get a decent enough write up and one of it's stars, Willem Dafoe has been nominated for an Oscar in the best supporting actor category, (He was excellent) so we said, why not. The synopsis reads like this  Set over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World. . It sure sounded like a nice innocent movie, but once we saw it had an R rating, we started wondering.
So, on to the movie. As said, it is about a 6 year old girl and some of her assorted friends, running around this sort of welfare motel where she lives with her mother. It follows her on some adventures both good and bad. Her mother is basically a kid herself, who is into all sorts of things to try and pay the rent for this place. Mr. Dafoe is great as the manager of the hotel, always at odds with the kids and some of the assorted guests.

Doesn't sound very thrilling and innocent enough, but it wasn't. Here is where we may differ with others who may see this movie. There are parts that are very cute and other parts that, well, just didn't appeal to 'old timers' like us. The mother is a part time hustler, prostitute and doper and the child very often imitates the actions and words of the mother. Both cuss like a construction worker, and the child just runs loose, doing all sorts of mischievous things. I can see people watching this movie and thinking that the kids are just being kids and having a good old time, really not harming anyone. Maybe, except when we see a 6 year old girls cussing all the time, doing things that they shouldn't be doing, and the mother either ignores it or encourages it, well, we think it just isn't right. It may be 'cute' for some, but for us 'old timers' who were brought up differently, it appalled us.
Now, don't get me wrong, the kid is cute and all the kids must have had a ball making this movie, as they are always running around, just having fun. Maybe this is the way of today and the future, but it just didn't appeal to us.
Again, it's not a bad movie and I would recommend it, but definitely not for kids even though it is all about kids. I can see parents taking their kids to see this movie, but I wouldn't.

And the ending, well, I am still trying to figure it out. Maybe you can if you see this little movie.,
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 17, 2018, 12:24:25 PM
I watched a movie, last night, other than our quest to watch more Academy award nominees. It was another sort of oldie. One of our cable channels, is doing a tribute to the old Spaghetti westerns of the 60s and one movie stood out that I haven't seen in it's entirety. "Once Upon A Time In The West" starring one of my all time favorite actors, Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards and a host of great character actors. It is a very long movie, and I have seen most of the 'parts' just really never in one installment. Myself, as I have said many times, am a sucker for Westerns, and those old Spaghetti ones, were great. Technically not the best, but for action, music, and enjoyment, they were the best.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064116/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_39

I won't even go into the plot as there is no need. Either you like this sort of entertainment or not. If you do, it doesn't matter who does what to whom, it's all in great fun and this movie was good. I did not find it as good as the 3 Clint Eastward movies and it did drag a bit in spots, but it was still a good watch. The stars shone thru and the action was there. Also, being filmed in historic Monument Valley adds so much to these movies. You fully expect John Wayne to come riding into the next scene every time.

On a side note, this was the first, and only time Henry Fonda played a 'bad' guy in a movie. He has played characters who might not have been above the law, but here he played a really bad dude. You always picture Fonda as the good guy always doing the right thing, just not here.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on February 17, 2018, 01:34:12 PM
When Fonda decided to play a bad guy, he didn't fool around.  He was BAD!!!  People still talk about his gunning down a kid with a wry smile on his lips.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on February 18, 2018, 03:42:13 PM
This weekend, I have "Free" HBO & Cinemax.  Out of all the movies they're showing, the only one that sparked an interest in me was "Dead Calm" with Sam Neall & Nicole Kidman.  It's an 1989 movie that I'd never heard of before.  So, I DVRed it & watched it last night.  It's a really good, suspenseful movie.  If you haven't seen it, I'd highly recommend you do.  I won't give away the plot.  Just watch it if you can.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 18, 2018, 05:55:27 PM
We also have the same deal here on LI with Optimum. Don't know if you saw but they also have the original Birth of a Nation on one of those channels.
Again, don't know if you have seen some of the movies that you can watch, but Hidden Figures is very good. They also have Wonder Woman and a few others I can't recall at the moment.

I did see Dead Calm ( quite a while ago)(Doris wouldn't watch that) and I also thought it pretty good.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on February 18, 2018, 09:16:56 PM
I have "Birth of a Nation" in my collection.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on February 19, 2018, 08:44:26 AM
We saw Black Panther yesterday in IMAX 3D. Excellent Movie. Linda even enjoyed it and she doesn't care for this type of movie.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 19, 2018, 04:31:11 PM
Last night we sat down to watch one of the last movies we wanted to see before the Oscars. Our time is shortened to watch as we are cruising again in a couple of days. Anyway, we wanted to see this movie since it came out. Ed already gave this movie a 'Thumbs Up' a few pages back, and I do not doubt him, so even though we knew we would like it, along with Ed's review, we sat down to watch and knew we would be thoroughly entertained.
So, the movie, "The Post' , starring Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee and Meryl Streep as Kay graham (the owner of the Newspaper) and several other well played roles including a great performance by  Bob Odenkirk (Our friend Jimmy McGill from Better call Saul).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6294822/

Let's start out quickly, we LOVED this movie. We both felt it started out a bit slow and confusing, but it was setting the table, as they say, for what was to follow. Once it got rolling, it was excellent, exciting and even though we lived thru this, we didn't know all the inner details, and we were on the edge of our seats. How this didn't get 4 stars as a rating is beyond me. Are we so used to wonderful performances by Hanks and Streep that we are starting to take them for granted? We did notice that they didn't have a lot of scenes together, but both were good in their riles.

So, story wide. And I won't be giving anything away as this was history, and is so pertinent to today it is almost too close for comfort. Some one breaks into to Sect of Defense Robert McNamara's secret files on the Viet Nam war. The NY Times gets a hold of some of the documents and publishes them, to the chagrin of now President Nixon. Nixon threatens to sue them for releasing these documents that basically tell everyone that the Viet Nam war is a complete sham, and helped along by Presidents from Eisenhower right up to Nixon. The Times is on the clock, but in the meantime Bradlese's, the editor of the Washington Post, gets another copy of these documents, (The Pentagon papers) from Daniel Ellsworth and they want to publish them with the same threat from the President, he will sue and have them thrown in jail for giving out classified secrets. Bradlee, the editor, obviously wants to publish, but Streep, as the new owner has doubts and you'll just have to watch to see the how's and whys.

As I said, we loved it. It is another in a recent amount of historical movies, that, being old, we have lived thru. How much is precisely accurate, well, I haven't done my research yet, but I will, but the way I remember it was about the way it played out on screen. I would recommend this movie to EVERYONE. It is part of our history, and, as I said before, so many similarities to what is happening in our country today, which I won't go into. Young children will not understand this movie, neither will older children, but for teens, it should be a must see.
My rating 5 stars and I don't care what Rotten tomatoes says, it was great.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on February 27, 2018, 06:22:29 PM
Today I got the Blu-ray version of "Darkest Hour."  Naturally, I watched it immediately.  It is a TERRIFIC film!  The acting is GREAT!!!  I recommend it to everyone, especially history buffs.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 05, 2018, 11:33:29 AM
So I go away for a couple of weeks and no one watches movies.     :boooo: :boooo: :boooo: :boooo: :boooo:

Let's go people. Movies are grossing record numbers, some one has to be going or watching.

Give me a chance to catch up on many things on the DVR, especially TWD, and we'll be back in action.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 05, 2018, 11:46:07 AM
Welcome back, Lenny.  Hope you had a good time!  My watching "Darkest Hour" doesn't count?
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 05, 2018, 03:14:43 PM
Jim

Had a great time, wonderful weather and gained about 5 pounds (Didn't need that)

YOu watched that over a week ago--and I knew you would like it. 10X better than Dunkirk.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 05, 2018, 04:55:40 PM
It sure WAS better than "Dunkirk!"  I was REALLY disappointed in that movie.  I didn't see any of the other movies, but It looked to me that Gary Oldman deserved ther Oscar.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 05, 2018, 10:28:11 PM
Quote from: jimv on March 05, 2018, 04:55:40 PM
It sure WAS better than "Dunkirk!"  I was REALLY disappointed in that movie.  I didn't see any of the other movies, but It looked to me that Gary Oldman deserved ther Oscar.

As I said in my review, Oldman was absolutely terrific. He was Churchill just as good as Daniel Day Lewis was Lincoln, only this was a much better movie than Lincoln.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 19, 2018, 07:32:12 PM
I finally got "U-571."  Terrific movie!!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 24, 2018, 01:10:55 PM

So, it has been a while since we have sat down to watch any new movies, after an intense period of watching pre Academy Awards.
So we looked over the list of movies and decided to watch the hottest movie for the past 5 or so weeks, 'Black Panther'.

Over all we knew nothing of this movie except it got very good reviews, has been the top grossing moving for the past month and Ed also gave it a good thumbs up. So we sat down to enjoy what we felt would be a good watch.

As I have said many times, I am not a fan of the Super hero type movies. Except for a few Superman's, Batman's, and Spiderman's, I do not go out of my way to watch these movies. When I saw this was a Marvel movie, I expected another Super hero type movie. But it really wasn't. We were very surprised at the entire plot of the movie.

I understood the plot to most extents, but to try and explain it would be trouble so here is  the basic storyline from my movie web site

After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T'Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country's new leader. However, T'Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two foes conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must team up with C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakandan special forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war. If you want to read more, see the trailer or whatever try this   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683/

So, here is MY take (and for the most part my DW's also). We really weren't impressed. With all the hoopela that has surrounded this movie, I fully expected to be blown away and we weren't even moved, well, maybe just a tiny bit. I loved the special effects, and some of the action, but overall, I found many other movies, in this genre, to be much better. Again, because of all the hype, we were really dissappointed.
First of all, it really wasn't like a true super hero movie. It basically takes place in the fictional Africa, the villians weren't that villanous and I really didn't care if they won, lost or whatever. To anyone else that has seen this movie, please explain to me what was so special? I watched this movie with an open mind, prepared to be dazzled, and we both weren't. Maybe there wasn't enough 'super hero' things to amaze us, maybe there was too much ''social content' maybe the action scenes weren't quite enough--Whatever. If I had paid what people are paying to go to movies these days, I would have been dissappointed.

So, would I recommend the movie--if you are a fan of this type of movie making, go see it. It has been left open for a sequel or 2 or 3 and I probably wouldn't see themn. The movie is for all ages, though young children will not understand anything that is going on, and there might be enough action to suit them, but I feel it is for young teens and up.

Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: weeze on March 27, 2018, 08:19:30 AM
 Well its Easter time and as every year, and JIM knows this that means its time for BEN HUR!!!!! RAMMING SPEED! wont get into where it is on the best movie list but its a contender but hands down it is number one in the BIGGEST movie ever made. I mean the characters are big, the scenes are all big, the music is big, this freaking movie is B-I-G !!!!!
Sunday , 1 pm. 256 which is  TCM.
Chariot race is better then any NASCAR race, that's for sure. Wonder if that movie is based on the story of JOB in the bible? it IS the same story pretty much.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 27, 2018, 10:33:00 AM
Last night I watched "Hidden Figures."  It's about a group of black ladies who worked as mathematicians for NASA in the early 60s.  It's a true story.  It's an outstanding film!  I recommend it to everybody.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jim143 on March 27, 2018, 01:53:38 PM
Hidden Figures is good. 

Weeze - it is almost Easter, that means The Ten Commandments.  Short of when I was out of the country, I don't think I missed watching at least a part of it since I was in elementary school. 

Funny thing: Holy Saturday about 4 years or so ago there was a Pet Expo at an insurance company property here in town.  Wife and I were having lunch at one of our favorite restaurants across the street.  After lunch, we wandered around and ended up coming home with a 3 year old German Shepard.  Poor thing didn't have a name and we spend all afternoon trying to figure out a good name for him.  Wasn't until that night - I was watching The Ten Commandments - when my wife said Moses!  The shep looked up and wagged his tail.  From then on, he is Moses.  The first of two pets named after a character in a show we were watching the night we rescued them. . . .
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 27, 2018, 02:58:05 PM
GREAT true story, Jim!

But, remember, before Easter there's Good Friday.  That means "The Passion of the Christ."
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 27, 2018, 03:01:32 PM
Sorry Ed.  You reported on "Hidden Figures" back in February.  I just had forgotten about it.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jim143 on March 28, 2018, 06:59:39 AM
Thanks for the reminder Jim.  Love Passion.  Might have to find it to watch it after we walk the Stations of the Cross Friday Afternoon.

Havent seen Paul, Apostle of Christ yet, but big fan of Jim Caviezel so I am looking forward to it.  Maybe I'll check out the local theater to see if a) they are showing it and b) can I see it before the Stations.

On a side note but still Good Friday related. . . .when did they start marketing it as "Spring Black Friday"?  I saw a commercial stating that the other night and it didn't sit well with me.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 28, 2018, 09:46:35 AM
Quote from: Jim143 on March 28, 2018, 06:59:39 AM
Thanks for the reminder Jim.  Love Passion.  Might have to find it to watch it after we walk the Stations of the Cross Friday Afternoon.

Havent seen Paul, Apostle of Christ yet, but big fan of Jim Caviezel so I am looking forward to it.  Maybe I'll check out the local theater to see if a) they are showing it and b) can I see it before the Stations.

On a side note but still Good Friday related. . . .when did they start marketing it as "Spring Black Friday"?  I saw a commercial stating that the other night and it didn't sit well with me.


This is the first I heard about such a thing.  It's probably another anti-Christian thrust by the media.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on March 28, 2018, 10:29:32 AM
Quote from: jimv on March 28, 2018, 09:46:35 AM

This is the first I heard about such a thing.  It's probably another anti-Christian thrust by the media.

Looks like Lowes and Home Depot are the culprits there. 75% of American adults call themselves Christians so apparently it doesn't bother the majority of the masses. The almighty Dollar.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jim143 on March 28, 2018, 02:36:39 PM
I think I saw an add for Rooms 2 Go.

But - to get the thread back on track (sorry for derailing it) - I don't watch very many movies, but I did see Megan Leavey.  Really good movie about a "misfit" for lack of a better word who join the Marines and thanks to a punishment, she got involved with the K9 Units. 

The story follows her and her K9 to the sandbox and her struggles afterward.  I was pleasantly surprised I liked the movie.

Another movie I recorded this weekend and need to watch (at least I hope it's the right Movie) is Star Wars - The Force Awakens.  I am not a Star Wars fan, but I recorded this for one reason:  the last seen where the girl finds Luke Skywalker.  I will probably fast forward to that part of the movie.  The only reason I want to see it is because it was filmed in probably the most northern inhabited town in Ireland - Malin Head, County Donegal.  That is the town where my great-grandparents came from when they came to American in 1913.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 02, 2018, 12:35:31 PM
Jim

Have seen the movie and yes, you will need to fast forward to about the middle of the movie. Very picturesque and they do spend some quality time there and in surrounding areas (I think they are surrounding).
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: squibber on April 09, 2018, 09:28:09 AM
I saw The Last Movie Star with Burt Reynolds.  It was filmed in 2016 when Burt was 80 years old.

It's about a cranky aging movie star who feels sorry for his aging self and lives with regrets.  He accepts an invitation to a Nashville film festival to accept an award but it turns out to be a pathetic festival of less than 100 and in the back of a dive bar.  Burt is aghast when the organizers put him up in an Econolodge.

He becomes sentimental and takes a drive to Knoxville to see the house he grew up in, the college stadium  he played is and visits his ex-wife in a nursing home.

There are a couple of scenes where the old Burt is superimposed into scenes from Smokey and the Bandit and Deliverance where he talks to his younger self.

A sentimental movie for sure.  I'd give it a 7 out of 10.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on April 16, 2018, 07:09:06 PM
I just finished watching "Hudson's Bay."  It's a 1941 movie with Paul Muni, Laird Cregar, John Sutton, Vincent Price & Gene Tierney.  It's a fictionalized story about the founding of the Hudson's Bay Company.,  It's a fun movie to watch & Paul Muni overplays his role as Pierre Radisson.  I ,loved it!  But, of major interest is the fact that the background music through the whole film is "O, Canada!"  which is now the Canadian National Anthem!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on April 22, 2018, 10:47:31 PM
I'm just finished watching "The Commuter."  Typical Liam Niessen thriller.  But, I like them all.  It's a good two hours of enjoyment.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 21, 2018, 08:52:37 PM
It has been a while since we watched any sort of 'newer' movies, but that doesn't mean I have stopped watching any movies. I have faithfully watched movie after movie, some seen before, while others are new to me. Some very good, while others, well, let's say they should have thought twice about making them.

One movie I watched the other day, one which I thought I had seen, but on watching, realized I had never seen it and was very surprised about that. It was 'The FBI Story' with Jimmy Stewart. It wasn't Mr. Stewarts finest work, but he is so good at what he does, it just makes watching that much more enjoyable.
The story, I found very ironic, with todays climate of suspicion of the FBI, here it told the story of it's onset and how it progressed over the year s to become America's finest law enforcement bureau. Just a very enjoyable watch, and I couldn't help feeling the old J. Edgar must be rolling over in his grave listening to how our political leaders make the FBI like a low cost spy bureau. We really have lost something over the last few years.

The next thing I watched was 'Streets of Laredo' with James Garner. This is the next chapter of the people from the famous Lonesome Dove mini series. With Garner playing an older Woodrow Call and other supporting characters, many from the original Lonesome Dove. It was a 3 part series and I enjoyed it very much. So much so, that I wanted more, so I then watched the sort of prequel to Lonesome Dove, 'Comanche Moon' which tells us of a young Woodrow Call. Another 3 parter and again, I enjoyed this very much. So, what was I left with, I had to go back and watch the original Lonesome Dove, which I just finished. All in all, just a tremendous watch and feel for the 'old west'. All the stories were adaptions from Larry McMurtry's great novels.
Many hours but a most enjoyable time watching these great mini series.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 22, 2018, 10:25:11 PM
I just finished watching "The 17:15 to Paris."  Except for the few minutes about the suppression of the attack on the train, it was just plain BLAH  The background story leading up it had nothing to hold my interest,  It would being that these three guys just happened to be there when the attack happened.  Not at all up to Eastwood's standards.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on July 13, 2018, 08:49:02 PM
A few days ago, I got the Blu-ray version of "A Quiet Place."  If you like scary movies, this is for you!!!!  WOW!!  It starts right at the beginning & lasts until the end (I think).  I recommend it highly. :ok:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on July 16, 2018, 12:09:02 PM
Won't you be my neighbor. Highly recommend!

Jurassic World. Good in 3D.

Oceans 8. It was just ok. I was waiting for it to end.

Hereditary. STAY AWAY from this POS.

Adrift. Good movie

Quiet Place. Just Ok but it will get your heart jumping.

I want to see Three Identical Strangers. Did anyone see it yet?
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on July 16, 2018, 04:09:56 PM
I have to get back to watching newer releases. I have been watching so many 'older' movies, some I've seen many times, others not in a long time and discovering some new ones along the way.

Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on July 22, 2018, 11:47:30 AM

Still haven't really been watching any 'new' releases but have been watching many movies.

I guess the latest movie I saw was something called 'Baby Driver'. It is about a young kid who drives get a way cars for his team of bank robbers et al. He is supposed to be a fantastic driver and what he does with the cars he drives will make you scratch your head. I remember when this was released and got pretty good writ ups, but overall, it really wasn't in my 'good' movie category. Now it was OK, with a lot of hard driving music as that's all this 'kid' listened to. It just seemed as if the movie was made for teens, lot's of action but low on plot and script.
If you enjoy movies with many car chases, cars doing all sorts of funky things with a teen driving it, you should enjoy this. My take it was OK, but not if I had to spend any money on it.

Now the other movie, which we watched last night, was and is, one of my all time favorites. One that I haven't really sat down to watch in quite a while, but doing it, we fell in love with it all over again, 'The African Queen' with my favorite actor Bogey and one of my least favs, Ms. Hepburn, but she is great in this and Bogey wins his one and only Oscar. What an enjoyable couple of hours spent with 2 classy actors who just know how to act. Never thought this was d have won)Bogeys best acting (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre was where he should have won) but he is still fantastic.
If you have never seen this movie and I really can't see anyone who loves movies and hasn't, go online, go to the library, whatever, sit down with a nice bag of popcorn  and spend 2 hours with one of the top movies of all time.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on July 23, 2018, 03:13:38 PM
Yesterday we saw, Leave No Trace. We liked it but I really can't say why it kept me engaged. It's not an action movie. It's about a War Veteran with PTSD who is raising his teenage daughter on his own in a State Park in the Wilderness and it takes off from there. We wanted to see 3 Identical Strangers but it was sold out. The odd thing is that both these movies are not playing at very many theaters. Both were playing at the Palisades Mall in Nanuet NY. They we showing in small theaters that seat about 50 or less people. I've never been in one of those theaters. Nice comfortable reclining seats.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on July 29, 2018, 03:22:21 PM

I have been reviewing movies here for so lon g now, but most have been movies made for adults and some for kids. For the past 8 days and 2 more to go, my DW and I have had our 3 young grandchildren staying with us as Mommy and Daddy are off on vacation for 10 days celebrating their 10 anniversary. It is the first time these kids have been away from them ever and we have the job og occupying them and entertaining them, so movies are a great thing.
So I got to watch childrens movies that I may have seen before and some I have not.

Incredibles 2
It took a while for the second installment of this series to get to the screen, but it was worth it. Don't know how many saw 'The Incredibles', the original movie, but even as adults, we liked it. I think Incredibles 2 is more for a younger audience, but if you liked the original, you will like this one. I know the kids loved it.

Coco
This movie was the big hit last year, but we never got around to seeing it. Now we have and it was pretty good, as adults see it. As grandchildren see it, it was GREAT with a capital G.
We love animated movies, aimed at children, this one just didn't 'ring our bell, but who are we to say what is good for children. As I just said, the kids loved it.


'Who framed Roger Rabbit'
An oldie, but our grandkids had never seen it so we banded together and watched it, and you guessed it, they loved it. Now, we have an almost 5 year old and a 2 3/4 year old and I don't know if they fully understood it, but they loved the mix between animation and live action. I happen to love this movie also, just makes you feel like a kid again. Good watch

Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 05, 2018, 03:14:29 PM
Yesterday,

TMC had one of their days where all films were with one particular actor. Yesterdays was Clint Eastwood. So I laid down for my Saturday afternoon nap, and on came 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly', another, on my list of all time favorite movies. So, I figured I'd watch just the beginning and then doze off. Boy was I wrong. I got hooked once again in this just terrific movie. No acting awards given out here, but for just sheer enjoyment, great action and that memorable sound track, a well spent 3 hours and I'll have to nap another day.
Clint is great, but even better is Eli Wallach as Tuco and a decent enough performance by Lee Van Cleef as Angle Eyes. And that haunting soundtrack that just stays with you even when the movie is over. Just superb all around. If you've never seen this movie, and I can't image people at least not seeing most of the movie, get a copy and settle in.
Interesting point made after the movie. Eastwood made 3 'Spaghetti' Westerns with Sergio Leone, 'Fistful of Dollars' 'For a Few Dollars More" and this last one.
He made $15G for movie 1, $50G for movie 2 and $250 for the last one. he became a true star and then returned to Hollywood to become a bigger star. Leone wanted him to stay for one more movie, "Once Upon a Time In The West' but Clint wanted Hollywood. The part went to Charles Bronson. 
Clint made a few more westerns and then the 'Dirty Harry' series made him  a true Hollywood superstar.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: drakew on August 09, 2018, 06:12:06 PM
Rampage was an awesome movie, with great special effects and a few quirky tricks of the tale, I found it great as an action and destruction movie, of which it is great escapism!!!!!(watched the thing three times)

Avengers was confusing, I liked the movie, but the ending was not what I had understood had happened. Whew, like the first third of a movie hung out to dry and not finished for three years (thank you LOTR...
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 29, 2018, 08:37:44 PM
I watched a couple of excellent movies over the weekend thru yesterday. Both weren't 'new' movies, but both aren't oldies either.

first one was "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi",  the story of the Benghazi deaths of our Ambassafor there, along with some of his staff. The secret soldiers department is that there was a 'secret' CIA base about 1 mile from our embassy and it had many ex soldiers who were there to basically protect our interests in Lybia. Really, as a cast of unknowns, but directed by Michael Bay and I will recommend this movie in a heartbeat. It was excellent. Obviously it was based on the true story but how much of it was true and how much was Hollywoodized, that I don't know. It will be hard to detract too much from the facts.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4172430/

Quickly, our guys are in Benghazi for support. It is a secret base and even our government won't admit it is there. When the embassy comes under attack, the secret guys aren't allowed to deploy until after t's are dotted etc. When they get there, they it's too late to save the ambassador, and they have to hit the road back to their base that isn't there. They come under severe attack thru this one night with no one to help as again, they really aren't there.
So, I was riveted to this story. I knew the basics, but not about their base being under attack and the fire fights are thrilling.
I would recommend this movie to all, but it is no where near fit for anyone under 14 as there is multiple deaths, shootings, etc. it isn't gory but it is war. This is defiantly a male orientated movie, geared for men. Unless woman like war movies, battle scenes, they should pass on it. But do try and see it, you will like it.

Second move,'In the Heart of the Sea' directed by Ron Howard. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1390411/ . another movie, basically with a cast of unknowns but I do recognize a name or two.
Lets see where to start on this one. IN the Heart of the Sea was a non fiction book written about a whaling ship, the Essex, which went out one fine day and along the way, encountered a huge white whale, that basically destroyed the ship, and hounded the remaining survivors for months. This story inspired Herman Melville to write the classic Moby Dick,as a work of fiction, but based on this true story.
So, our movie opened with a young and not quite famous Melville going to the house of one of the survivors of the Essex, wanting him to tell the story. After a lot of bribery and drinks, the ex whaler was persuaded to tell the story and we begin in flashback. I didn't know the Essex was a true story until I looked it up, but what the movie tells is basically what happened to the ship and crew of the Essex. I won't go into too much detail about the events, but this movie was excellent. I was hooked right from the get go, and it never relented. What happens to the ship, the survivors, how they survived for over 3 months at sea, well you really need to watch this movie.
I would recommend this movie to one and all, but children will not understand anything. Just great special effects for the whales, the 'great' whale, the whaling scenes. Just a terrific watch all around. I will say, like the first movie, I can see this being more of a male dominated movie as there isn't a female in it, except for a wife here and there, but all the action is on the ship and no women allowed. Try and see this one, you will not be disappointed.

Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: squibber on December 07, 2018, 02:27:24 PM
I really enjoyed the movie "The Green Book".  It kept me interested all the way to the end.  The driver is quite the character and very believable.  I give it a 9.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on December 29, 2018, 08:05:25 PM
It's been so long since I posted anything here, so I thought I would add something.

Today we watched a movie 'Denial' with Rachel Weisz  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4645330/'n This may not be a movie for everyone, but it should be. It is based on the true story of an American who was sued for libel by a person who toured the world denying the existence of the Holocaust. Stories, and movies, like this ring a bell for me as it is very scary that people actually believe this and go about preaching this to as many people who want to listen. While we were away, we were able to get the BBC on the TV and during that time, they were doing surveys about who believes and doesn't believe that the Holocaust ever happened. The results are extremely scary. In a question to 1000 European teens, had they even heard of the Holocaust, 30% said NO. That is even heard of it, let alone know anything about it.

anyway, back to the movie. We found the movie intriguing and well done. It sure wasn't a hit at the box office, but we liked it a lot. It is basically about the trial and the outcome and it is well done all around. I would highly recommend this movie to all, just a s a reminder that things like this are actually happening all over the world and people, like the man portrayed in the movie, actually believe this.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 02, 2019, 12:41:46 AM
I just finished watching "First Man" on Blu-ray.  I think it was up for this year's Oscars (maybe not).  It's the story of Neil Armstrong.  I expected it to be an uplifting picture about our Space Program much like "Apollo 13."  Instead, it was mainly about his private which, psychologically speaking, I found quite depressing  I immediately re-watched "Apollo 13."  Regarding Space adventure, I'd compare it to "Apollo 13," as I previously compared "Mrs. Miniver" & "Darkest Hour" to "Dunkirk."
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 02, 2019, 07:46:42 PM
This afternoon, for the first time, I watched the 1958 movie "Separate Tables."  WHAT A CAST!!!!! <:-P <:-P   Deborah Kerr (who subdued her beauty),David Niven, Burt Lancaster, Rita Hayworth (still a beauty), the British actress Wendy Hiller. Felix Aylmer, and the superb character actress Gladys George!  Plus a young Rod Taylor & Audrey Dalton.

They don't make them like that anymore. :yes: :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 14, 2019, 07:22:25 PM

It seems that it has been so long since I posted here and this is still about an 'older' movie. Yesterday I had the good fortune to rewatch 'Goodfellas' and every time I see this movie, I keep reminding myself how truly great this movie is. I didn't plan on watching, but just scrolling thru the channels, there it was and right from the beginning. As with many movies, I have seen, I thought I would watch some and then move on. NEVER with this movie. Once I started, I was hooked all over again. It is non stop. from the beginning to the end and without a doubt Martin Scorsese's best movie EVER.
It's funny, with the Mafia back in the spotlight with the murder of one of their head guys yesterday, just makes this movie all the more relevant.
Great acting, great story and wonderful direction all makes for just a terrific watch.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on March 23, 2019, 12:24:50 PM
Quote from: squibber on December 07, 2018, 02:27:24 PM
I really enjoyed the movie "The Green Book".  It kept me interested all the way to the end.  The driver is quite the character and very believable.  I give it a 9.

It was an excellent movie.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 31, 2019, 07:19:08 PM
Still not time to watch any6 real new releases, but we did sit down last night to watch a movie/documentary that was on PBS recently, "Won't You Be My Neighbor" a story about Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers to all others). As I said, it is considered a movie, but it is still a very telling documentary and very well done.
I'm not sure if this has been reviewed when it came out a couple of years ago. If so, my apologies.

Here's my take. I, myself, was never a fan of Mr. Rogers. In all the years his show was on, and thru my 3 children, I don't think I have even watched one of his shows. Sure, I have seen parts and know some of the characters, but this was a story of the man himself and from watching this, I really came away very enlightened about a very good man. As they say, often imitated, but in reality, it was hard to duplicate him and his attitude towards children. After the movie was over, I was very impressed.

I asked my wife is his show would go over in todays culture and we just don't know. Maybe for very young children, to be talked to very slowly, softly and interest held with hand held puppets, I can see that, but for any child over 6-7, they would find his spiel very boring. He did tackle many social issues on his show sort of disguised in children's form, things like death, divorce, racial bias, gays and several others and did it in a way that would hold a child's interest.

I would recommend this movie to anyone. Children will get bored as it is mostly talking (isn't that what Mr. Rogers did anyway). I came away with a better understanding of some one I really didn't know too much about. PLUS, and I already knew this, he was NOT an Army Ranger, not a Navy SEAL and did not kill any number of men in any war--all fiction from the internet.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 15, 2019, 06:36:49 PM
I just watched "Green Book."  Terrific movie, great acting & incredible story. =D> =D>  I recommend it highly!!!!! :yes: :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on May 15, 2019, 06:53:27 PM
Dittos on "Green Book". I picked it up at a Redbox because it was a new release. Expectations were very low because I've rented a lot of new releases that absolutely sucked. Boy was I surprised and so was my girlfriend. We loved it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on May 17, 2019, 03:22:41 PM
We saw Longshot last weekend and we both liked it. Funny movie and much better than expected.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 19, 2019, 07:08:10 PM
Quote from: jimv on May 15, 2019, 06:36:49 PM
I just watched "Green Book."  Terrific movie, great acting & incredible story. =D> =D>  I recommend it highly!!!!! :yes: :yes: :yes:

I have been so lax in watching newer releases, but, after reading your comments, we decided to watch this movie last nite, and, you know what, I fully agree, it was a wonderful watch.

So, if anyone else is interested, and I haven't done my usual reviews in quite a while, this movie  "Green Book" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6966692/
stars Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali as the main two characters. I fully enjoyed both characters very much. I haven't seen much of Mr. Ali's work but the more and more I see from Mr. Mortensen, I truly like him as an actor. he has come a very long way from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

So, my review--story line, Mr. Ali is a classical pianist and is going to tour the country, especially the South. Oh, did I mention Mr. Ali is Black. He needs a driver and sort of helper and body guard and Mr. Mortensen is a small time Italian bouncer at the old Copa night club. Anyway, he is hired and off they go on this 'tour'. The movie is mostly about the interaction between a sophisticated and sort of 'high brow'
Ali and the cruder, more average Joe,  Mortensen. They start out as boss and worker, but end up a lot more than friends.

Again, a great watch, if, for nothing else, than the performances of the two starring actors, but throw in an excellent story about life in the mid 60's for Blacks in the South and the relationship between a sort of bigot and a snobby pianist and you have what amounts to a great movie.
Highly recommended for all ages though children will just not get it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 20, 2019, 11:13:49 PM
I just finished  watching a terrific movie; it's a 1964 "Fate is the Hunter."  I'm ashamed to say it, but I just don't remember it.  I watched off Fox Movie Channel.  And, what a cast - Glenn Ford, Rod Taylor, Suzanne Pleshette, Nehemiah Persoff, Constance Towers, Mark Stevens, Nancy Kwan & Wally Cox.

Ford plays the head pilot of an Airlines and his friend, Rod Taylor, has just crashed a plane killing all but one person aboard.  Everyone wants to put the blame on Taylor & Ford works to try & clear him.  I know it sounds like schmaltz, but, it's so well done!!!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on June 07, 2019, 10:08:40 PM
I just watched the 1958 British film "Dunkirk."  In describing the event, it was a 1,000 times better than that piece of crap that came out two years ago.  ("Mrs. Miniver" & "Darkest Hour" also did better jobs.)

I DVRed it off TCM.  the DVD & Blu Ray editions are useless because they're Region 2 discs.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jim143 on June 11, 2019, 07:37:34 AM
Sunday night, I watched "Please Don't Eat the Daisies". . . I honestly thought I saw it before, but nothing was triggering any memories.  I wasn't born when the movie originally came out, but I had to look at my wife and ask "how did husbands survive in the 50's?" with the way David Niven was treating Doris Day.  All in all, it was a good movie to watch for the acting and conversations.  It was nice to watch a movie with no violence (although Doris Day would have been justified. . . . ) no chases and no CGI.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 08, 2019, 04:18:42 PM

My first report in quite a long time.

Yesterday we saw 'Stan and Ollie' a movie about the iconic comedy team Laurel and Hardy. If there has been a review of this movie previously, I apologize.

I really enjoyed this movie. With Steve Coogan playing Stan Laurel and John C Reilly playing Oliver Hardy, at time, I thought I was watching the real duo. I felt they were great, and had the famous routines and mannerisms, that were typical to Laurel and Hardy, down pat.
So the movie isn't really a bio of their career, more of a movie about when time has sort of past them by. Stan and Ollie are older now and far from being the great stars they once were. They signed on to do a tour thru Europe in a prep to making another movie. Well things don't go according to plan and most of their shows are in front of sparse houses, but, like troupers, they do what is necessary to help the act.
The movie is also about their off stage relationship, much of which I knew but there were fascinating insights to things that I didn't know.

To say I am a huge fan of the Laurel and Hardy comedy, even from the real early days, is just putting it mildly. This movie would have to be utter nonsense for me not to enjoy it and I am happy to say, it was very far from utter nonsense. it was good.
If you've even seen Laurel and Hardy, you probably will like this movie, if you're a fan, you will definitely like this movie, if you are a huge fan, you will love this movie. I loved it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 18, 2019, 12:20:05 PM

So last nite we decided to watch a movie that I had heard so many good things about, Bohemian Rhapsody, a movie nominated for Best Picture and whose star, Rami Malek won the Oscar for best actor. This movie is the sort of bio of Freddie Mercury and the group they founded, Queen, from really onset to when Freddie's last performance at Live Aid.
So, where to begin, Malek's performance was excellent, as a sort of 'odd ball', to star, to gay man, to his break up with Queen and then knowing he was dying, eventual come back with Queen and their performance at Live Aid. First off, I really was not, and still am not, a big fan of Queen, thought hey did make 2 of the biggest songs that are continually played at sporting events (We are the Champions and We Will Rock You), so many of the songs that were played, even the title track, Bohemian Rhapsody were unknown to me. Even with that, my wife and I still liked the movie. I wouldn't go so far as to say we loved it, but it was a good watch and I would recommend it to anyone. If you were a fan of the group Queen, then this is a MUST watch.
But the movie's best thing is the wonderful performance of Malek as Freddie Mercury.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: bobalobabingbong on August 18, 2019, 05:33:05 PM
I have been meaning to watch that. Guess I should get on that.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: bobalobabingbong on August 18, 2019, 11:34:36 PM
I have a movie recommendation.

I am Mother on Netflix.

A Sci-Fi movie, I was pleasantly surprised. For some reason I didn't have high hopes but was pleasantly surprised. It follows a teenage girl raised by A robot in a post apocalyptic world. It does let you in on a secret a bit early, but that doesn't really detract from it. It kept the suspense up really well throughout the movie. I would give it a solid 7 out of 10.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on August 19, 2019, 12:03:47 AM
Yesterday I watched "Unplanned."  It's an intense movie and I liked it.  But, I don't that most people on BBH would like to see it.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: bobalobabingbong on August 19, 2019, 07:46:36 PM
I was thinking of watching that. Haven't decided though.

Last night I watched a couple of things.

First, The Great Hack on Netflix. It's a documentary, and a good one at that. It attempts to give the viewer and idea as to the extent of the Cambridge Analytics data mining on millions of the people in the US, and others all over the world. It is not a documentary about Donald Trump as some believed. They talk about a few campaigns. It's scary stuff, really.

After that, I watched a TED talk from Carole Cadwalladr on Facebook's role in Brexit. Really crazy stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=OQSMr-3GGvQ

I recommend both to everyone.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 22, 2019, 10:05:13 AM
Quote from: jimv on August 19, 2019, 12:03:47 AM
Yesterday I watched "Unplanned."  It's an intense movie and I liked it.  But, I don't that most people on BBH would like to see it.

Looked it up as I never heard of it, and you are correct, it would not be our type of movie.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 22, 2019, 10:18:31 AM
I watched this 'older' movie yesterday, 'Infamous' a story that is supposed to be true, about Truman Capote and the how's and whys of his writing his book, In Cold Blood. It stars Toby Jones in just a wonderful portrayal of Truman Capote, along with Sandra Bullock his close friend Nelle Harper Lee (yes the lady who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird), Sigourney Weaver, Gwyneth Paltrow, Isabella Rossellini along with several others, and just a tremendous performance by Daniel Craig (yes, before Bond) as Perry Smith, one of the murderers of In Cold Blood.

So Capote wants to write this book about the horrendous killings of the family in Kansas. He is already famous and he is 'on the case' of these murders. When they capture the killers, he sort of worms his way into the life of Perry smith, and befriends him into telling his story. It may sound contrived, but it all works. I have to say I LOVED the book, In Cold Blood. I remember reading it and I used to say afterwards, after hearing the confession of the two murderers, that if they needed someone to pull the lever, when they hung them, I would have volunteered.
Mr. Jones gave such a masterful performance as Capote, I was in awe of him whenever he was on screen.
I really liked this movie. I would recommend it to anyone, but it is definitely not for children as they do show the murders, but for anyone older than say 14, this would be a wonderful watch. Some minor cursing, and the murders which they do NOT show in graphic, but overall, a wonderful movie. I was pleasantly surprised.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420609/
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on August 22, 2019, 10:23:25 AM
I have to say I never heard of "Infamous" or, at least, I don't remember its release.  I'll have to check into it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on August 31, 2019, 07:55:43 PM
Today I got a blu ray version of an almost forgotten Gary Cooper silent movie; "Children of Divorce."  The featured players above the title were Esther Ralston & Clara Bow.  It's a real weepy Soap Opera.  But, it's fun to see a very young Gary Cooper cavorting around.  It's another film in my Cooper Collection.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on September 22, 2019, 12:33:51 PM
Yesterday I got a bl ray version of the 1924 "Thief of Bagdad" with Douglas Fairbanks.  WOW!  What they were able to do with sets & graphic effects; it ws 95 years ago & there were no computers!

The picture was really overly long.  I like the 1940 version with Sabu much better.

Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 23, 2019, 01:21:39 PM
Saturday night we got to sit down and watch a movie we have been trying to see for a while now. I'm not sure, but I sort of remember some one mentioning this movie a while ago, but I didn't see it listed here, so here is my review of 'Yesterday'.   
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8079248/

Looking over the cast, I do NOT recognize one name on it and assume that this was a real low budget movie to make. For those that do not know the premise, the movie is about a struggling musician, who gets hit by a truck while riding his bike. During that time, seems there is a 12 second blackout all over the entire world. When he awakes, in the hospital, he is banged up but fine. On seeing his friends and sort of girlfriend, he plays the song Yesterday to them and they love it but have never heard it before. So he tells them it's from the Beatles, who they also have never heard of. Let's cut to the chase, he googles The Beatles, and nothing comes up, the world has never heard of The Beatles.(among other famous things) So our hero, the struggling songwriter, starts playing Beatle songs and soon becomes a huge hit from these songs. Since no one has ever heard them before, he has struck gold. Not to give away more of the movie, and it's conclusion, myself and my darling wife, just loved this movie. In fact one of the best movies we have seen in quite a while. Maybe it's because we relate to the Beatles so much, and of their music, and always wondered if the Beatles would be just as popular today if they started out now? who really knows, but this movie, especially if you were a Beatles fan, is a must see. It is sort of a comedy with some romance thrown in and a great story to be told. I HIGHLY recommend this movie to one and all. Gather the family together and watch it as a unit, you won't be sorry.

(PS if you don't like the Beatles, maybe you should skip it, but it is still a great movie watch).
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on November 01, 2019, 02:38:09 PM
Quote from: LennG on September 23, 2019, 01:21:39 PM
Saturday night we got to sit down and watch a movie we have been trying to see for a while now. I'm not sure, but I sort of remember some one mentioning this movie a while ago, but I didn't see it listed here, so here is my review of 'Yesterday'.   
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8079248/

Looking over the cast, I do NOT recognize one name on it and assume that this was a real low budget movie to make. For those that do not know the premise, the movie is about a struggling musician, who gets hit by a truck while riding his bike. During that time, seems there is a 12 second blackout all over the entire world. When he awakes, in the hospital, he is banged up but fine. On seeing his friends and sort of girlfriend, he plays the song Yesterday to them and they love it but have never heard it before. So he tells them it's from the Beatles, who they also have never heard of. Let's cut to the chase, he googles The Beatles, and nothing comes up, the world has never heard of The Beatles.(among other famous things) So our hero, the struggling songwriter, starts playing Beatle songs and soon becomes a huge hit from these songs. Since no one has ever heard them before, he has struck gold. Not to give away more of the movie, and it's conclusion, myself and my darling wife, just loved this movie. In fact one of the best movies we have seen in quite a while. Maybe it's because we relate to the Beatles so much, and of their music, and always wondered if the Beatles would be just as popular today if they started out now? who really knows, but this movie, especially if you were a Beatles fan, is a must see. It is sort of a comedy with some romance thrown in and a great story to be told. I HIGHLY recommend this movie to one and all. Gather the family together and watch it as a unit, you won't be sorry.

(PS if you don't like the Beatles, maybe you should skip it, but it is still a great movie watch).

I also really enjoyed the movie as I grew up on the Beatles. My girlfriend (literally half my age) did not and thought the movie was so-so and just "didn't get it", which I suspect might be the response of a lot of people who grew up on Spice Girls, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink 182, etc. That age group doesn't understand the love for the Beatles the way I did - similarly, I never understood my parents' love for Elvis.

Anyway...one of the main cast members in this movie is very well known, Ed Sheeran (which I wouldn't even know if not for my girlfriend pointing it out - LOL)!

I thought Jack (Himesh Patel") was superb in his singing - in fact, I was never a huge fan of the song "Yesterday", but when he sang it, I was deeply moved - dittos with "Long and Winding Road" (a song I hated by the Beatlers). He seemed to be able to match the feelings meant by the words to such a degree that it could either cause one to tear up or at the least, get a lump in their throats. As great as the Beatles were, they did not (IMHO) put that same level of "feeling" into their songs that emphasized the actual astounding lyrics. Patel really masters that part in the movie - to such a degree that you want to hear him sing more of the Beatles' songs that weren't so well known.

Anyway, great movie - especially if you were a Beatles' fan
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on November 02, 2019, 08:43:19 AM
I watched "Primal Fear" last night for the first time in 20 years. A truly great movie. Edward Norton scares the crap out of me. Great acting, great plot, great movie.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: MightyGiants on December 28, 2019, 07:38:26 AM
I watched the 2 Popes on Netflix last night.  Excellent movie, I highly recommend it
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: eilasidogruoy on January 13, 2020, 03:42:19 PM
I
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on January 30, 2020, 12:09:56 AM
A couple of weeks ago I was looking for movies to buy on Amazon.  I found one I never heard of before; "Harriet."  It is, of course, about Harriet Tubman.  I thought it would be interesting, so I ordered it.  It came today & I watched it tonight.  IMO, it's a terrific film!  I learned a lot about slavery, the Underground Railway & the important part Harriet played in its success.  I recommend it highly! =D> =D> =D>
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: T200 on January 30, 2020, 09:55:37 AM
Quote from: eilasidogruoy on January 13, 2020, 03:42:19 PM
I
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on January 31, 2020, 11:08:42 AM
Quote from: T200 on January 30, 2020, 09:55:37 AM
He is ridiculously busy! Directing and starring in 'Ozark', directed a couple of episodes for 'The Outsider', and has directing and starring credits for the 2020 movie 'Clueless'.
Bateman is an interesting character that I've learned to appreciate. The first time I saw him was in "Fargo" (the TV Series) - the first season. He was fantastic in Fargo and he's great in "Ozark". I laughed my ass off in "Ozark" when his wife asked him how he can sleep at night and he responds that he gets a warm cozy feeling recalling the thud sound of her lover being thrown off a 14 story building and landing near him. She slaps him of course, but what a great response, LMAO  :laugh:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on January 31, 2020, 11:35:42 AM
I don't have a problem with you guys wanting to talk about TV (or other type) series.  But, this thread  is & has always been about MOVIES.  Can we just leave it like that & have another one for the series?  Thanks. :greetings: :greetings:
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: T200 on January 31, 2020, 11:36:00 AM
Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on January 31, 2020, 11:08:42 AM
Bateman is an interesting character that I've learned to appreciate. The first time I saw him was in "Fargo" (the TV Series) - the first season. He was fantastic in Fargo and he's great in "Ozark". I laughed my ass off in "Ozark" when his wife asked him how he can sleep at night and he responds that he gets a warm cozy feeling recalling the thud sound of her lover being thrown off a 14 story building and landing near him. She slaps him of course, but what a great response, LMAO  :laugh:
That was a great line! I've always been a fan of his. I just finished Season 1 and will start Season 2 on Monday morning when I hit the treadmill.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 24, 2020, 12:58:43 PM
No one has posted here is several months, so since many people are going to be shut ins for a while and want to be entertained, let me give you some write ups on movies we have seen, most prior to the Academy Awards. I believe all these movies were nominated for best pix.

The Joker

I simply LOVED this movie. It may not be for everyone's taste as my darling wife wanted nothing to do with it. (She missed out)
When I first watched the movie, I liked it but wasn't that thrilled with maybe the first 2/3 of the movie. As some parts where a bit hard to get into to. But, as the movie went on and the Jokers character became more and more into a psychotic mess, I really got into it. In fact, I re watched most of the first half and saw how intense this was. The one thing I came away with, even before the Oscars, was if Joaquin Phoenix didn't win an Academy Award as best actor, the thing was rigged. He was just phenomenal as Arthur Fleck, who alto persona was a Joker. He starts out as just a sort of party clown, just looking to make people laugh. But he is dealt bad hands and has this laugh that can't be controlled, And his transformation into what we remember of the Joker from the Batman movie (not the Jack Nicholson Joker) was remarkable. Out of all the movies I watched prior to the Oscars, this one was my favorite. As I said, it is NOT for everyone, but it is truly fascinating and spellbinding.
A big 5 stars here.

Ford Vs. Ferrari      https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1950186/

I really didn't know much about this movie, but heard recommendations from friends that it was pretty good, so I watched it. Once again, I found a movie I really liked. With Matt Damon and Christian Bale as the two main stars, I thoroughly got into this movie. Maybe it was more of a 'guy' type movie about Grand Prix style auto racing, but again, my DW didn't think this was for her and she passed, but she would have liked it.
To be brief, For anyone that doesn't know, the LeMans is a 24 hour endurance race that has always been owned by the Europeans and Ferrari in particular. Ferrari dominated the Lemans race for more years than one would want to count. They portrayed Mr. Ferrari as a sort of ultra snob and when Ford decided to take a crack at getting into this race, they were laughed at. (And rightly so). But Ford, and Damon persisted and eventually had a car that could compete against the  all powerful Ferrari. The Shelby Mustang was the 'it' car and for most guys, always dream car and was constructed specifically to compete in this race.
Anyway, very good acting, writing and great action for the racing scenes. I believe it was a long movie, but you never felt it was drawn out. I would recommend this movie to anyone. An enjoyable, unexpected watch.
I give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Judy    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7549996/

We have always been a huge fan of Judy Garland. So when this movie came out we had to wait a bit to see it on TV. I guess one of the main reasons we wanted to see it was the nominated performance of Renee Zellweger and we were not disappointed. She was terrific  and deserved the Oscar for this performance. She WAS Judy Garland.
If you are a fan of Ms. Garland you know of her story, child star, Wizard of Oz and the studio's pushing her into drugs and her final decline into decay that finally killed her. We enjoyed this movie very much. It is not a family movie, but much an adult story about a tragic person who should have had life a lot better, considering her talent. Ms. Zellweger was incredible. Not sure if she did her own singing, but you couldn't tell one way or another, it was perfect. If you were, or still are a fan of Judy Garland, this is what one would call, a MUST see movie.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars


1917     https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8579674/

This movie was the favorite to win the Oscar for best pix this past year, but lost our to a much inferior movie. anyway, politics aside, I really liked this movie also. Since it is a war movie, once again, I had to watch by myself. I knew my DW wouldn't like this movie--but I did. I was hoping, when I sat down to watch, that it wouldn't be another 'Dunkirk' where it got rave reviews but most common people hated it. This one WAS different and a very good watch. Myself, I don't think it should have been an Oscar winning movie as I felt there were a couple of movie that were better, but it was just an excellent watch. Think of it as a WWI version of Saving Pvt Ryan, only with a lot less intensity. It stars a lot of people I really never heard of, but to a man, they were all good.
So, story wise, two guys are sent out to warn a British Army company who was planning an attack on a German position, that it was a trap and NOT to attack. It follows their 'mission' thru obstacles and to help it resemble Ryan, one of the guys brothers is with this company and he needs to be warned of impending doom. So, not to give anything away, it is a very good watch. Since it is a war movie, there is killing, but nothing on a scale of Pvt Ryan. Just a good watch and would defiantly recommend.
I give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5.


The Irishman     https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1302006/

This movie, made by Netflix may be the wave of the future. It was basically made for a TV outfit, put into theaters for a very short time and then shown on Netflix for free (If you are a subscriber).
So lets get the formalities out of the way, another movie I just loved. Yes it is as long as Ben Hur, or the Ten Commandments, and many of those other Hollywood spectacles of the past) but I never felt it too long. I got into this movie from the get go, and it never let go of me. Maybe I have always been a  sucker for Gangster movies, Mafia movies and anything that deals with topics like this, but. to me, this was just as good as Goodfellas and maybe Scorsese's best work.
So, where to begin, the stars. When I have been thinking for years now, that Robert De Niro's career was over a while ago, he comes back with this. He was made for movies like this and he just shines in it. Al Pacino was remarkable also, and then Joe Pecsi, another guy who was just made for these roles. With Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale  and several others, just great cast, great writing and just great performances by everyone.
So, where to start. Basically it is the story of 'The Irishman' a hitman for the mob and his life as such, into the timely or untimely disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa.
Have to note that this was the first time that actors were made to look a lot older than they were, by computer technology and not make up. It was truly amazing.
So, this movie may not be for everyone. If you are not a fan of 'Mob' related movies, what can I tell you. Another movie I had to watch alone, but, I can't say this enough times, this movie is as good as Goodfella's and defiantly Scorsese's best work in decades.
5 out of 5 stars. . This should have won best pix.


Once Upon A Time In Hollywood     https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7131622/

We are really on a roll here. I watched this movie, mainly because I usually enjoy Quentin Tarantino's movies. From  Reservoir Dogs to Pulp Fiction, to Kill Bill, to Django Unchained. I know what to expect from him. I really didn't know that much about the plot of this movie, only the two stars were two of my favorites, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, so how bad could it be. What I got was a very pleasant surprise, as it was a very light sort of comedy and spoof of 1950's TV and movies. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from start to finish.
So, story wise, Mr. DiCaprio is an aging TV western hero with Mr. Pitt as his stunt double. They are good friends and have been together for years. Mr. DiCaprio is trying to sort of resserect his career and not with a lot of luck, but he is getting by. I guess it is more about their relationship that is the real focus of the movie. Pitt really steals the show as he is constantly getting into tiffs with 'well known' people, from the 50's,a s that is the time frame of the movie. I loved his fight with an unknown Bruce Lee when Lee was in The Green Lantern TV show. It gets into The Charles Manson thing, but not in as serious a way as one might think from Mr. Tarantino, but, of course, you can't have a Quentin Tarantino movie without some blood being spilled at the end. For this movie, compared to most of his movies, this was very mild.
So, let's say I really like this movie and it sort of fit right into my groove for movies--light comedy, with a great story, great acting and writing and a big ending. Not for the family.
I give it 4 stars out of 5

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3224458/

This movie wasn't nominated for best pix, but I had to mention it anyway. I would think most people would know that this is Tom Hanks portraying Fred Rodgers, Mr. Rodgers from TV and doing a remarkable job at it. I enjoyed this movie, but not as much as many others. I need to start out by saying I was never a big fan of Mr Rodgers. Raising 3 kids and them watching this all the time, I think I can truly say I never saw one complete show of his. He sort of made me ill listening to him. Now this is nothing against him as he was truly an American icon and what he did for a particular generation will be cherished
So, I found this movie to be a bit silly, found scenes on the movie, like him riding the train and people burst into song singing Mr. Rodgers theme song, a bit over the top. Story wise, this reporter, who specialty is sort of bashing well know figures, is sent on an assignment (to be good this time) to interview Mr Rodgers and write a short op piece on him. Against others wishes Mr Rodgers gives him full access to himself and they sort of become friends.
Tom Hanks, as usual was great, he WAS Mr Rodgers and this was an decent enough watch and would be for the entire family.
I give it 3 out of 5 stars.


There are several others that I have seen in parts but not completely. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to review them and others in the coming future. Movies are a great way to pass the time, take us out of what has become a horrible world these days. Like in the days of the depression, people went to movies, not  for a reality check, but to be taken away form reality, to worlds that Hollywood made up to escape, even for a few hours, the real world. IN all the movies I have reviewed, I can say, all will entertain you and put you in a better place than listening to the news.
Enjoy them all.







Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 24, 2020, 01:56:35 PM
GREAT reviews, Lenny!!!! =D> =D> =D> =D>

The only two I care to comment on are "1917" & the Mr. Rogers movie  I expect to receive the blu ray copy of "1917" today & am looking forward to watching it.  Hanks does a terrific job as Mr. Rogers as he usually does in all his roles.  I enjoyed the movie but it did become a little sugary at times.

I don't have Netflix, so I can't follow up on the Mafia movie.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 24, 2020, 04:15:36 PM
Jim

You are, like me, a movie fiend, and you must try and see some of these other movies. You will like most of them.

I have heard that The Irishman will be coming out on Blu Ray and DVD. However you do it, see this movie. Simply one word, ---great.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 24, 2020, 10:44:21 PM
Lenny, if you want to see a terrific Scorcese movie, watch "Silence."
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: T200 on March 25, 2020, 06:32:48 AM
Thanks for those great reviews, Len! I have a few of them on my list to watch as well.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: philo43 on March 25, 2020, 08:40:49 AM
RE: The Irishman

Have not seen it yet, but am going to watch this week.  Turns out the "Irishman" met his future employer in my local area.

http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_273.html


Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 25, 2020, 03:08:21 PM
Good synopsis of the movie.

Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: philo43 on March 25, 2020, 04:22:00 PM
Quote from: LennG on March 25, 2020, 03:08:21 PM
Good synopsis of the movie.

Not sure what you meant, The SUNY Professor's take on the Irishman? As I said, haven't watched it yet, this week  sometime- to busy helping out people.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 25, 2020, 04:38:39 PM
A couple of other movies I forgot to mention, that I saw on my plane ride back from Spain.

Bombshell      https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6394270/

This movie is the true story about 3 main women (there were lots of others), who worked for Fox News and filed sexual harassment charges against the head of Fox News at the time, Roger Ailes. To me, I knew about the case and the harassment allegations, but I never knew the details, and watching this movie, I really felt as if I was there and being a part of it. I found the movie riveting and a very intriguing watch. It has a great cast with Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and just a terrific performance by John Lithgow as Roger Ailes. I felt the acting was superb, great script and a real life story, all made this an excellent watch. The names we all know but to see the full extent of this was new to me. I would recommend this movie to all. It just shows that no matter how powerful one is, and thinks they are, there are just certain lines they cannot cross.
4 out of 5 stars


12 Strong    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1413492/

This is a bit of an (older movie 2018) but it is another true story of  the first Special Forces (Green Berets) team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down the Taliban. I am a sucker for a good war movie and this one did not disappoint. Many of these so called 'true' stories have been Hollywoodized to the point that the truth may be hard to find. Not ever hearing about this mission, it is really hard to determine truth from Hollywood, but this movie held my attention and grip from start to finish and it is well worth the effort to watch. Watching the credits at the end, tells a lot about why this military action was so necessary. Not really a great cast, and movies like this won't win many awards for acting etc., but good action, good writing and a terrific story made this a very good watch. More of a 'man' movie' but it does have several good 'teary' parts as these men have to leave their families to go to war and for me, these scenes really struck' me to the heart.
Rating 4 out of 5

Parasite   https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6751668/

This is the movie that won the Oscar for best picture and it is very highly rated. Lets just say this quickly, I watched maybe 40 minutes of it and that's all I was able to take, I disliked it immensely.  Can't really put my finger on it. Maybe I went in, thinking I wouldn't like it, as a foreign film, (not my favorite genre), subtitled (also, not my favorite), but I really never could get into the story, and to put it mildly, I disliked it very much. Maybe it's Hollywood highbrows telling us that they can be quirky, but, having seen a good many of the movies nominated for the best picture, and knowing some of them were really great, to have this trash win the best pix, well, to me, is a travesty. If others watch this movie and love it, so be it, If watching it brings a few hours of happiness to your life, again, so be it. I may be a lone wolf here, but my rating is 1 out of 5. Just not my type of movie.

Happy watching



Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 25, 2020, 04:40:07 PM
Quote from: philo43 on March 25, 2020, 04:22:00 PM
Not sure what you meant, The SUNY Professor's take on the Irishman? As I said, haven't watched it yet, this week  sometime- to busy helping out people.

What you wrote, or whoever wrote it, was a good indication of the storyline and theme of much of the movie.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: philo43 on March 25, 2020, 05:02:40 PM
Quote from: LennG on March 25, 2020, 04:40:07 PM
What you wrote, or whoever wrote it, was a good indication of the storyline and theme of much of the movie.

What I quoted and linked the reference to was written by Mike La Sorte, a Professor Emeritus (of SUNY)  written in 2004.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 25, 2020, 07:45:22 PM
Quote from: philo43 on March 25, 2020, 05:02:40 PM
What I quoted and linked the reference to was written by Mike La Sorte, a Professor Emeritus (of SUNY)  written in 2004.

Wow. could have been written yesterday.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 26, 2020, 12:19:21 PM

So I have reviewed many of the 'newer' movies that have come out this year and last, but I still have that soft spot in my heart for those 'older' movies that I just cannot help but watch over and over again.

So between yesterday and today, I have watched some great movies, that I haven't seen in quite a while

The Razor's Edge  (1946)   https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038873/

I never thought I would like this movie, and I can't say it would ever be on my list of favorites, but with a cast of Hollywood greats and a terrific story. I fully enjoyed watching this movie once again. Details, well, I won't go into much, but it is about one man's search for the meaning of life and his distaining the world of the rich and famous top seek his own way. How can any movie be bad when you can look at Gene Tierney for 2 1/2 hours, and for myself, I just loved Clifton Webb's performance. (One of my favorite character actors).


The Hunchback of Notre Dame ( one of the 1939 great movies)  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031455/

What can be said about this classic movie. One I really haven't watched in maybe 20 years or so. I usually pass when it comes on as I have seen it so many times as a youth (the old Million Dollar Movie), but while I was channel surfing, there it was, so I set the DVR and watched it this AM. Parts of the movie are a bit dated and a bit preachy in spots, but just to watch Charles Laughton shout 'Sanctuary" from the top of Notre Dame is worth the admission all alone. Just a great watch and I'm glad I sat down to watch it again.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060196/

I have seen this movie more times than I can count on my fingers and toes, but why waste a good Sunday afternoon and not sit down and enjoy maybe one of the best westerns ever made, once again. It has it all, great action, great story, great production and that musical score, just gets you tapping away. Maybe not the best acting, but who cares. By this time, Clint was a known star after the other two Spaghetti westerns, and even though if was good when it came out, it has turned into a true classic.
No way we need to go into the story, as it really doesn't matter. Just watching Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef duke it out for 3 hours. well, I would recommend this movie to one and all. And it shows what a great music score can do to enhance an already great movie. Just 3 full hours of fun.

And last move, another great watch, just for fun

Mad Max 2, The Road Warrior     https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082694/

Movies like this are almost a must watch for me. Can't really say how many times I've seen this sequel to the original Mad Max, but when they say sequels don't measure up to the originals, this one shows them they are wrong. Just an action packed movie from start to finish, with nary a letdown anywhere. Sure it won't win any awards for acting or writing, but for just pure fun and escapism, this hits the mark, Bullseye. Stars a very young Mel Gipson. I can watch this movie over and over again and never really tire of the action. Who cares about the plot, it's good verse evil and we all root for the good (at least I hope we do).
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: philo43 on March 26, 2020, 07:10:44 PM
Quote from: LennG on March 26, 2020, 12:19:21 PM
So I have reviewed many of the 'newer' movies that have come out this year and last, but I still have that soft spot in my heart for those 'older' movies that I just cannot help but watch over and over again.


About 20 years ago I bought the Thin Man DVD collection (7 total).  Watched them all when we first got them, then about 10 years ago, now with the her and I home 5 days a week, started again.  Love them
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 26, 2020, 08:28:23 PM
Quote from: philo43 on March 26, 2020, 07:10:44 PM
About 20 years ago I bought the Thin Man DVD collection (7 total).  Watched them all when we first got them, then about 10 years ago, now with the her and I home 5 days a week, started again.  Love them

GREAT series of movies. I need to rewatch some of them myself. Thanks for the reminder.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 27, 2020, 12:28:37 AM
Well, Lenny, you know how I like OLD movies.  So, since I've been hunkered down, some of them I've watched are:  "The General," "Treasure Island" (1934), "Adventures of Robin Hood," "Beau Geste," "Stagecoach," "Mr. deeds Goes to Town," "Our Town."  I'll be watching a lot more!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 27, 2020, 12:46:03 PM

A couple more that I saw yesterday and today

Von Ryan's Express   https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059885/

I have had this movie on my DVR for quite a while but never really felt the urge to watch it. I haven't seen this movie in probably 20 some odd years and did like it, just had other things to watch instead. So, now was the chance to watch it once again, and it was a most enjoyable watch. I would have to say, Frank Sinatra isn't my favorite actor. he does an adequate job in most of his movies, but he will never win any acting awards for great acting. That said, this was and still is, a most enjoyable watch. Never mind the story line when you watch these 'older' WWII movies. It is filled with just a terrific cast of Hollywood character actors and action most of the way. a great way to tune out the real world for a couple of hours, sit back and watch.


The Little Foxes     https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033836/

Another movie that has been buried in my DVR for who knows how long. On watching this movie, I realized that I had never seen it before, considering my admiration and liking of Ms. Bette Davis, I was surprised. She is really a master in roles like this, as she has made quite a few. I can't say it would be one of my favorites, but it was a good watch and I just enjoy watching Ms. Davis in her hey day, basically dominating the screen every time she is on it. She was nominate for best actress for her role here, just didn't win. In fact this movie was nominated for 9 Oscars and didn't win nary a one. That doesn't mean it was a bad movie, just losing out to Citizen Cane among others. A decent enough watch and if you area fan of Ms. Davis, you will be in heaven.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 27, 2020, 12:53:48 PM
Quote from: jimv on March 27, 2020, 12:28:37 AM
Well, Lenny, you know how I like OLD movies.  So, since I've been hunkered down, some of them I've watched are:  "The General," "Treasure Island" (1934), "Adventures of Robin Hood," "Beau Geste," "Stagecoach," "Mr. deeds Goes to Town," "Our Town."  I'll be watching a lot more!

Great list Jim. You know I also love those 'older' movies and they just don't make them like that anymore. You know, l I think it is more about the stars of yesteryear than the axtual movies themselves. The stars of today are great (at least some of them) but they really don't make the movie anymore. Very rare people will say that they are going to the movies to see Brad Pitts latest movie, just to see him. But we do remember when we did go to movies just to see our favorite actors or actresses, really not caring if the movie was great or not. Bogey comes out with a new movie and people would flock to see it, they had that much star power.

But I have opened my horizons and try to watch as many of the 'better' movies from the past years. As I wrote in my post the other day, I was very pleasantly surprised at many of the newer movies that I reviewed that I really liked. Usually there are a few that I like very much, but this year, there was a very good crop.

Don't get me wrong, I love the old movies, but still yearn for a good adult type movie that really holds my interest and do not know the outcome before I sit down to watch.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 27, 2020, 03:40:47 PM
Somehow, I just got into "President" movies.  Last night I watched "American President" and I just finished "Dave."  Both are enjoyable movies. 

Speaking of the Great Bette Davis, I consider her absolute best movie to be "All About Eve."  There's another one I really like; from 1940, "The Bride Came C.O.D., a comedy with Jimmy Cagney.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 28, 2020, 12:26:27 AM
I just finished watching "1917."  I agree completely with your review Lenny.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 28, 2020, 12:27:13 PM
Quote from: jimv on March 28, 2020, 12:26:27 AM
I just finished watching "1917."  I agree completely with your review Lenny.

Kind of knew you would like that one.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 29, 2020, 12:49:38 PM

Saturday has come and gone with us watching a few more movies. As One might guess, I love movies. If something interests me, I'll give it a shot. Many movies, when I read the synopsis, don't do a darn thing for me, or have actors or actresses that don't appeal to me, so I'll pass. I will indulge a few hours a day to movies and hope I find those gems amid all the mediocre stuff out there. As like Jim, knowing I can watch an 'older' movie, or even a recent movie that I have already seen, and spend a few hours enjoying it once again, is a boon in these dire times.
Saturday is our Sabbath and we usually don't do much that day except relax and catch up on things, so an a rainy Saturday it is especially a good time to watch Hollywood in action with some movies--some new and some old.

The Caine Mutiny   https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046816/

Since I am just a huge Bogart fan and he is my favorite all time actor, rewatching this movie just made my day. A completely different type of role for Bogart, playing a sort of meek type of character instead of him usually being the 'big' guy on campus, if you know what I mean. That said, with just a tremendous supporting cast, Bogart was great in the role of Capt. Queeg, the Captain of the USS Caine during WWII. If you've never seen this movie, now is the time to do it. Most know the story of a sort of mentally ill captain who takes over, and makes bad decisions, which make the others force him to step down as captain in a mutiny aboard a naval ship during WWII, and it's aftermath and trial. It all works to perfection, Bogie and the strawberries, almost as good as some of his lines in Casablanca.
Just a great movie all around and really not that dated for an 'older' movie.

The Blob   https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094761/

I never knew they made a remake of this classic movie, but there it was on my TV schedule, so why not take a shot at it. I can't imagine anyone not knowing the original movie, The Blob, which was maybe the first, in a long line of these so called 'horror' movies from the 50's, that were more laughable than scary. They were really more of drive in specials, but when we were younger, these WERE the movies to see.
Anyway, they did make a remake of it, and I can't say one way or another if it was better than the original. It was done sort of tongue in cheek, not looking to redo what John Carpenter did with The Thing. Overall, the original The Blob was a low budget movie that just started a craze. I really wasn't a good movie and neither was this remake. That said, it was fun to watch and relive some memories from 'back in the day' when we were young and carefree. If you liked the original, this one will entertain you also. If you've seen enough of the Blob to last you a lifetime, then skip it.

My last watch of yesterday was a new one  Midway    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6924650/

This is the latest in a series of remakes about battles from WWII.  It tells the story of our WWII experiences, from pre Pearl Harbor, thru the attack on Pearl Harbor, getting into our response and Doolittle's raid on Japan, and then onto Midway, which was basically the real turning point for our Navy in WWII. If one doesn't know about the battle of Midway, watch the movie and you will learn snippets of it as it does touch on most of the main points, but some really too briefly. Historically I would say it was accurate, but since it isn't a documentary and meant to entertain rather than inform, take it for what it is, Hollywood.
So, my take on this movie. When I first saw the previews for the movie, I really thought it could be more of a video game than a war movie. The CGI effects are dramatic, almost trying to put you in the seat of one of the fighters or bombers during the battles. Many times, I just sensed it was all faked as times it just didn't look real. Maybe in the movies theaters it might have looked different, but on TV, on a small screen, well it did look too many times as it was all computer generated. I know it was, but in other great special effects movies, like Star Wars, you never really feel you are watching computer generated effects, here you do. They tried to make you feel you were part of the action, and IMVHO it just didn't work. You can see it was made for a younger audience, as I said, it dwelled on the highlights of the battle, but went more for the special effects than story line.
So, I did enjoy watching this movie, as I am a complete sucker for anything WWII related. The original movie version of the battle of Midway was also a so so movie, a bit too long and too much time spent of other things and not the battle itself. If I didn't know many of the key points of this historic battle, like how they broke the code and knew Midway was the target, I wouldn't have know from this movie. They did mention things, but more in passing than detail.
The cast was OK, even some veteran performers like Woody Harrelson looked out of sorts in this movie.
The actions scenes were good and there was enough action to satisfy most watchers. This will never win any awards for acting, for writing,  screenplay, maybe only for sound and special effects, I felt that the way they portrayed several of the main characters, being very cocky, bold, insubordinate and reckless as a bit over the top, maybe how we would want these guys to be, facing our enemy in a war, but I just don't see guy's from that time frame, acting this way. Could very well be, but I felt it was more to appeal to our new generation than it's older 'greatest generation'. They also portrayed the Japanese as always yelling at everyone, always yelling whenever they had anything to say. Just typical stereotype of what we thought the Japanese were like back in WWII. They did try and show how and why the Japanese did what they did, but I just never got into 'their' side.
So wrapping this thing up. I did enjoy the movie overall, as any story of a huge American victory is a good story. I would recommend this movie to one and all as even though this is a war movie and people die, there isn't much blood and no gore. It could be a very good history lesson for parent to their children.
If I had to rate it, 2 1/2 star and if you enjoy war movies add a 1/2 a star. .
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 30, 2020, 08:00:37 PM
So you thought I was off those 'golden oldies', well you were wrong.

Thanks to TCM and other assorted things my kids gave me access to , today I watched one of my favorite all time comedy groups, the Marx Brothers in Monkey Business.
I just have to say, I have been a huge fan of the Marx Brothers for as long as I can remember. Way before the VCR was even a dream in some one's mind, I used to stay up till all hours if one of their movies was on the Late Show, The Late, Late Show, or even the Late, Late, Late Show. The VCR was a boom to my sleep as I never had to stay up all night to watch my favorite comediennes again.  Really doesn't make much difference which movie we are talking about, they are all basically the same. Yes, some are better than others, but if you enjoy this type of comedy, then you will love any movie that they made. When we were first married, my wife bought me a book to add to my collection of books about movies, 'Why A Duck' which ahs a frame by frame account of their first movie, The Coconuts' where Groucho is trying to sell Chico some land which can be reached by viaduct, (Why A Duck). Just hilarious stuff. Funny though I don't think I have seen this movie in maybe 30 years, as I didn't remember several parts, so as to enjoy it much more. The Marx Brothers, either you love them or you hate them. I happen to love them.


My other movie is another oldie with another of my all time favorite comediennes, WC Fields in 'You Can't Cheat An Honest Man'. Once again, you either hate this type of movie and do not like the comedy supplied by WC Fields or you just love it and cling to every aside uttered by this genius. I fall into the latter and it is just too bad, many of his movies just aren't shown on TV these days. Forget the plot, forget anything about the movie itself, it's just the joy of watching Mr. Fields in action and trying to stay with his ad libs which are never in the script. Anyone, watching these movies really brings back so many memories of past years, childhood memories.
Just a great day watching these classic comediennes in action.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 30, 2020, 10:27:40 PM
I'm another fan of the Marx Bros.  I have a number of their movies.  Their movies really fall into two sections:  the Paramount years & the MGM years.  The main ingredient in the MGM series is music & the lack of Zeppo who really added little to the.  Did you know there was a fifth Marx; Gummo?  He left the group before they entered the movies.

I never became a fan of Fields.  IMO, he was good but I never went out of my way to watch him.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 31, 2020, 10:16:25 AM
Since I'm stuck in the house, I've been picking out movies that I haven't watched in a while.  Last night it was "The Man Who Never Was."  GREAT movioe!

Last night I dreamed a deadly dream
Beyond the Isle of Skye
I saw a dead man win a fight
And I think that man was I.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: philo43 on March 31, 2020, 01:58:57 PM
My wife is working from home and on a Carey Grant kick - her least favorites are my most liked.  So I listen to her's while on the my computer and watch the ones I like (North by North West,To Catch a Thief, Father Goose and Operation Petticoat).

This morning was wide awake at 1 AM, came down stairs, and watched Bridge over River Kwai, that my brother gave to me a few months ago. Must be 30 years since I have seen it. Had forgotten most of it.

If you get bored, Start with Marion Morrison's  first movie,  The Big Trail, and go in sequence from there.  It would probably get most people through June, at least.  ;)
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 31, 2020, 03:20:06 PM
I've got "The Big Trail" & most of Wayne's short westerns before he made "Stagecoach."  Did you notice how sets repeated themselves in those westerns?
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: philo43 on April 01, 2020, 08:27:42 AM
Quote from: jimv on March 31, 2020, 03:20:06 PM
I've got "The Big Trail" & most of Wayne's short westerns before he made "Stagecoach."  Did you notice how sets repeated themselves in those westerns?

Yes I did, his early one were definitely serial movies, a staple of the time.  I knew the "old timers" would get the Marion Morris reference.  I was reminded of that from reading on a different board on this site about Gabes influencing Wayne's career.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 01, 2020, 02:14:21 PM
Since we are talking John Wayne, here are some interesting facts about Wayne and some of his missed movies

Director Robert Rossen offered the starring role in All the King's Men (1949) to Wayne. Wayne refused, believing the script to be un-American in many ways. Broderick Crawford, who was eventually cast in the role, won the 1949 Oscar for best male actor, ironically beating out Wayne, who had been nominated for Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
.
He lost the leading role of Jimmy Ringo in The Gunfighter (1950) to Gregory Peck due to his refusal to work for Columbia Pictures because its chief, Harry Cohn, had mistreated him years before when he was a young contract player. Cohn had bought the project for Wayne, but Wayne's grudge was too deep, and Cohn sold the script to Twentieth Century Fox, which cast Peck in the role Wayne badly wanted but for which he refused to bend.

Wayne rebuffed the lead role in the 1952 film High Noon because he felt the film's story was an allegory against blacklisting, which he actively supported. In a 1971 interview, Wayne said he considered High Noon "the most un-American thing I've ever seen in my whole life", and that he would "never regret having helped run screenwriter Carl Foreman, [who was later blacklisted] out of the country".


An urban legend has it that in 1955, Wayne turned down the role of Matt Dillon in the long-running television series Gunsmoke and recommended James Arness instead. While he did suggest Arness for the part and introduced him in a prologue to the first episode, no film star of Wayne's stature would have considered a television role at the time.

Terry Southern's biographer Lee Hill wrote that the role of Major T. J. "King" Kong in Dr. Strangelove (1964) was originally written with Wayne in mind, and that Stanley Kubrick offered him the part after Peter Sellers injured his ankle during filming; he immediately turned it down,

In 1966, Wayne accepted the role of Major Reisman in The Dirty Dozen (1967), and asked Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for some script changes, but eventually withdrew from the project to make The Green Berets. He was replaced by Lee Marvin.

Though Wayne actively campaigned for the title role in Dirty Harry (1971), Warner Bros. decided that at 63 he was too old, and cast the 41-year-old Clint Eastwood.

Director Peter Bogdanovich and screenwriter Larry McMurtry pitched a film in 1971 called Streets of Laredo that would co-star Wayne along with James Stewart and Henry Fonda. They conceived it as a Western that would bring the final curtain down on Hollywood Westerns. Stewart and Fonda both agreed to appear in it, but after long consideration, Wayne turned it down, citing his feeling that his character was more underdeveloped and uninteresting than those of his co-stars, which was largely based on John Ford's recommendation after perusing the script. The project was shelved for some twenty years, until McMurtry rewrote and expanded the original screenplay co-written with Bogdanovich to make the novel and subsequent TV miniseries Lonesome Dove, with Tommy Lee Jones in Wayne's role and Robert Duvall playing the part originally written for Stewart in the extremely popular miniseries.

Holds the record for the actor with the most leading parts - 142. In all but 11 films he played the leading part.

Of his many film roles, his personal favorite was that of Ethan Edwards from The Searchers (1956). Wayne even went so far as to name his son Ethan after that character.

The inscription on the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to him in 1979 reads, simply, "John Wayne, American."

Wore a toupee in every film from Wake of the Red Witch (1948) for the rest of his illustrious career. Wayne's hairpiece can be seen to fall off during a fight scene in North to Alaska (1960).
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 01, 2020, 03:08:03 PM

Just watched an old movie, shown on TCM because there is no baseball. The Winning Team, story of pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander, starring a good looking pre president, Ronald Reagan and the always charming Doris Day. I had never seen this movie before and thought it wasn't too bad. To be honest, Mr. Reagan wasn't a really good actor, but he did an adequate job here and, of course, they had to find a way for Ms. Day to sing a silly song, but overall, it was a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. What bothered me the most was the terrible way they edited this movie. In the scenes with the Yankees in the World Series, in one scene the players had no numbers on their uniforms, then in the next couple they did, and then no numbers once again. Same for the St Louis team. Also, the edited clips of the 'real action' were so different than the movie, it was almost comical. In the last scene, when Alexander strikes out the batter to win the WS, you see the catcher just start to trot off to the dugout and in the next scene, they are mobbing Alexander for winning.
Oh well, it was the only baseball we will see for a while.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 02, 2020, 01:37:43 PM
Been trying to watch some of the series that have been mentioned, like on Netflix, but still have tile to watch another 'oldie' last night.

The Fallen Sparrow with John Garfield. Another movie that I had high hopes for, but it was sort of just OK. I would say my main reason for watching was to see Mr. Garfield in action. He is one of my favorite actors from that generation and I just love the way he talks and his sort of macho image. This one didn't disappoint either. Story wise, it was the usual Hollywood stuff, with a bunch of uninteresting characters along the way. If not for Mr. Garfield, it would have been just a middling Hollywood movie, but he adds that extra oomph that makes it a worthwhile watch.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 05, 2020, 11:03:20 AM
So a fine Saturday has passed and having to stay inside, was the perfect opportunity for me to watch another couple of movies that I really haven't paid a lot of attention to in the last 25 years or so but just loved them anyway.
So my darling wife and I decided Saturday would be Hitchcock day, but not just thr regular Hitchcock that most people know and have seen and loved, but more early Hitchcock from his British days.

'The 39 Steps'  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026029/

With Robert Donat and Madelline Carroll, it is just a great watch. If you are a Hitchcock fan you will love this movie. granted it was 1935, so many of the later 'touches' that made Hitchcock, Hitchcock aren't there, but the suspense is as well as a wonderful story. Watching it again, took me away from today's world and back into a world that Hitchcock wanted us to live in, even for only a couple of hours.


Second movie was The Lady Vanishes   https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030341/ with Margaret  Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. Just another fascinating movie by the master of suspense, in his earlier years. Briefly, and this story ahs been told so many times since) people on a train. Me. Lockwood meets another lady, who then seems to have vanished from the train and all who are there either are in cahoots or just don't know. It is a wonderful story with all the Hitchcock touches to keep you on the edge of your seat. The 'aster' was still learning his craft, but you can plainly see he has it down pat. Just another great watch of a movie that is always out there but people seem to go to the more well know Hitchcock movies.

I can heartily recommend both these films as great entertainment and be taken to a world of Alfred Hitchcock and his films.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 10, 2020, 01:17:23 PM

So I took a short break from watching movies to watch some of the TV series that I like. I am starting the 3rd season of Ozark and will be ready to join the discussion on that very soon. Also, I finally started watching Better Call Saul, probably the best TV show on the tube these days. I saved up a bunch of the episodes from this new season but just wanted to rewatch much of the last season before endeavoring into this new season. I am almost caught up on that also, and will join that discussion hopefully tomorrow.

So where did I find time to watch a movie or two, I always have time for a movie.

Since it should have been the beginning of baseball season, I decided to rewatch a couple of my favorite baseball movies

Major League    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097815/

One of my all time favorite comedies and I just love this silly portrayal of a baseball team that is supposed to lose yet doesn't. It does for baseball what Slapshot did for hockey (another fantastic movie, that I need to rewatch). So in Major League, it has such a great cast of then unknown people or people who were sort of starting out and became household names, but of course, Charley Sheen steal the entire movie as Ricky 'Wild Thing' Vaughn'. I still laugh at Bob Ueckers announcing skills and use his now famous line, even when I umpire,--when a pitch is so bad, so far out of the strike zone--'Just a bit outside'.  Funny, funny, funny stuff.

My second baseball watch was 'A League of Their Own     https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104694/

Just another just terrific movie about Tom Hanks trying to assemble and then manage a woman's baseball team when all the men are away at war. Just another movie with a wonderful cast and Hanks at his best. I still smile to myself when I think back on this movie. Also, with another classic movie line--'There's no crying in baseball', which, like the other line from Major League, I use in games when I do umpire. (to spread a little humor into the game.

No need to do synopsis's of these two movies. They both have been around for a long time and both are just great watches for an afternoon when you might need some cheering up.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: philo43 on April 16, 2020, 06:51:44 PM
My wife and I just finished watching the 6th installment of the Thin Man series.  Holy Crap, Dean Stockwell was their 7-8 year old son in this one, I had forgotten. To me, one of the great things about watching old movies / shows - is seeing actors of the modern era, before they were names. Rowdy Yates anyone?
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: philo43 on April 18, 2020, 07:07:32 PM
I read Jim V's post about the "president" movies , led me and my wife to watching, Guarding Tess.  Then we went to Dave, Charles Grodin inspired a few others.  Taking Care of Business and Midnight Run.  Haven't seen them in years but enjoy the heck out of them.

edit to add: De Niro looks like a fireplace chimney in Midnight Run as many cigarettes as he smokes!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: philo43 on May 05, 2020, 07:51:45 AM
The past 2 weeks or so got us digging into our DVD collection (used to buy at Walmart from their $5 bin). 

Some of the ones we watched that we haven't seen in 5 or 10 years.

Silverado
My Fellow Americans
Last Boy Scout
Space Cowboys
Wild Hogs
Necessary Roughness
The Replacements
Both the whole 9/10 yards movies
Striking Distance
Mr Destiny
Hunt for Red October
and as Lenn mentioned all 3 Major League - I like 3 better than 2.


and a newer one on Amazon Prime - Going in Style - has Michael Caine, Alan Arkin, Morgan Freeman and Ann Margret (can't go wrong there IMO). 
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Sem on May 05, 2020, 10:01:17 AM
My wife and I finally watched Rocketman a couple weeks ago. We both really liked it, although the chronology of events and songs seemed out of place to me.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: eilasidogruoy on May 06, 2020, 10:06:37 PM
Has anyone seen After Hours (1985)? It's a comedy directed by Martin Scorsese starring Griffin Dunne with supporting roles and cameos by a bunch of well known actors and comedians. While Scorsese is not known for comedies this movie isnt terrible and it has its moments. Just curious if anyone has seen it and would like to share their opinion. 
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 16, 2020, 01:02:04 PM
 We have Optimum as our cable provider. We don't pay for any of the pay channels, but every soi often Optimum opens one or more for the weekend, or even longer and fails to tell anyone. I usually scan thru channels and see what's there and I was amazed that this weekend they have HBO and Cinemax for free. So, I went thru their lineup of movies and other things and set the DVR to copy several movies that I have never seen but wanted to, or some that just looked good.

So last night, I watched "The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford" (lucky they didn't have to put this title on a billboard), starring Brad Pitt as Jesse James, Casey Affleck as Bob Ford and Sam Sheppard as Frank James, with several other names thrown in for good measure.  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443680/

First I have to say I am a sucker for a western. I should have loved out west and I just love films filmed on location with all that magnificent scenery and action. I have copied about 6 movies so far to watch but my first choice was the western. Second, this movie is long also, a bit over 2 1/2 hours. I read the reviews and I figured any movie about Jesse James and all that, well how bad can it be. This is just my opinion and it sure seems as if it differs from many others, but I hated this movie. If I didn't DVR it and was able to fast forward to see some other parts, I would have left after the first hour. I found that the movie moved at less than a snails pace and scenes seemed like they were forever early on,
QuoteEarly on, director Andrew Dominik battled Warner Brothers over-editing. Warner didn't like the movie's length, and wanted more action. Dominik wanted to examine the relationship between the famous outlaw and his eventual assassin. In the end, Warner went with Dominik's version, partly because Brad Pitt, who produced the film, backed Dominik, even though Dominik didn't have final cut as part of his contract.
(from the write up of the movie)
I read the reviews afterward and people seemed to love this slow pace and the relationship formed between James and Ford, but not me. Maybe I have been Hollywoodized by normal westerns but I do not require shoot-em-ups every 15 minutes or chases every once in a while. What I would like is something that makes me want to stick around for the end of the movie and because we do know what happens, I was able to fast forward to the shooting of James in the back by Ford and be done with this once and for all.

Again, some may like this movie, supposedly to be very accurate to what was suppose to have transpired, I did not. I cannot say I wouldn't recommend this movie as others may find it well worht their time. Myself, I did not.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 16, 2020, 02:07:50 PM
I never heard of this movie, Lenny.  But, I just don't know how you can beat John Carradine shooting Tyrone Power in the back & then having Henry Fonda going after him in the next movie.

IMO, here are some classy Westerns:

The Magnificent Seven
The Searchers
The Westerner
The Big Country
High Noon
Red River
The Bravados
Stagecoach
The Hanging Tree
(not necessarily in that order - just as I thought of them))


Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: eilasidogruoy on May 16, 2020, 05:46:59 PM
Was always partial to True Grit and the spaghetti stuff with Clint Eastwood
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 16, 2020, 07:32:08 PM
So Saturday afternoon and not much to do since we don't go anywhere, so what better time to watch another movie I have seen advertised a year or so ago and never got the chance to see it. So today we watched 'Bad Times At The El Royale'.  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6628394/

It stars Jeff Bridges, John Hamm, and Chris Hemsworth. This movie, like the last one I saw got pretty good reviews and the plot interested me so when I saw it on this weekend, I had to copy it and watch it. SO, what did I think--that is hard to say. While I didn't enjoy the movie that much, I didn't hate it either. A brief synopsis, 5 people check into the El Royale hotel. It has seen better days but at one time was as elegant as any place on the Vegas Strip. The off thing about the hotel is it sits right on the border of California and Nevada. In fact the state line runs right thru the middle so you have a choice as to which state you would like to room in.
The movie has many subplots and it moves back and forth in time that I found a bit confusing. Overall, the main storyline wasn't that great. I read reviews that said the end makes it all worthwhile, but not for me. It was an OK watch, but nothing I would pay to see in a movie theater. The actors were good and a great performance by a Black actress (sorry I don't remember her name) as a singer who sings many Motown songs thru out the movie. Probably the best part--the music and soundtrack.
Another pretty long movie at 2 1/2 hours, which probably could have easily been cut to 2 hours.
Movie not for kids as there are shootings, killings, and cursing. If I would rate it 2 stars.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Sem on May 16, 2020, 10:55:35 PM
Quote from: jimv on May 16, 2020, 02:07:50 PM
I never heard of this movie, Lenny.  But, I just don't know how you can beat John Carradine shooting Tyrone Power in the back & then having Henry Fonda going after him in the next movie.

IMO, here are some classy Westerns:

The Magnificent Seven
The Searchers
The Westerner
The Big Country
High Noon
Red River
The Bravados
Stagecoach
The Hanging Tree
(not necessarily in that order - just as I thought of them))

I've always been partial to Rio Bravo, starring John Wayne Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, and Angie Dickenson. One of my favorite movies.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 17, 2020, 04:26:19 PM
So let's move on in our quest to find and watch a decent movie, from all that I DVRed over this weekend. So, last nite we sat down to watch another movie, that I heard good things about and wanted to see it very badly when it came out. The movie is 'First Man' and it is the story of Neil Armstrong and his quest or struggle to become the first man to walk on the moon.  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213641/  LIke westerns, SciFi is next on my favorite list and a good SciFi movie is, well, a blessing.

The movie stars Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong and most of the others I really don't know, but they did an adequate job with the acting, etc. So, story-wise, we start with Neil as a sort of test pilot, getting accepted into the space program and his trials, hits and misses in his year's of training, and then his selection to head the first mission to Mars.
What did I think, myself, I felt it missed on so many marks in what could have been an outstanding movie. I didn't dislike it, but there were so many things I would have done differently (and I am surely not a director, but as a movie fan, this missed many times). The movie wanted to show you, Armstrong, not just as an astronaut, but as a human, so they spent a lot of time with him at home, through family tragedies, BBQ's and interactions with his wife. Overall, I felt too much time to take away from the main theme of the movie, his mission to Mars. Also, whenever Armstrong was in a space capsule they used a handheld camera, I would assume to give you the feeling of how it might feel inside one of these things, but the action was so terribly jerky, dark and you just could not see anything. It almost made me sick with all the jerkiness. I understand the point that was trying to be made, but again, for me anyway, it was useless.
I would say the movie did get a bit better once they took off towards the moon, landing and doing whatever they had to do there. Just a point, that was NOT made in the movie, and we rewatched it and it still wasn't there. When Armstrong made his first steps on the moon and then both astronauts were doing whatever they were supposed to do there, I know from watching it live, the first thing they did was plant the flag there, not in this movie. There was NO flag planted and even when they departed, looking down on where they were, NO FLAG.
So, to wrap this up, for me it was another movie I was longing to see, finally did, and was disappointed again. This one was the best out of the three I recently watched, but nowhere near really good. Sorry folks. Another 2 rating.


.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 17, 2020, 04:40:34 PM
Don't be sorry, Lenny.  A lot of crap is being made today.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 18, 2020, 11:45:10 AM
Quote from: jimv on May 17, 2020, 04:40:34 PM
Don't be sorry, Lenny.  A lot of crap is being made today.

With these big budgets and stars making zillions, you would think that they might want to make some decent movies. Again, in my reviews, all three movies got pretty good reviews so maybe it's just me (and you) who seem to favor movies that are understandable and try to tell a story so people can understand it, not just for special effects and new wave film making. I fully understand we are the dinosaurs and usually prefer good acting, good storylines, and that are understandable. Again, maybe it's me, as these movies got good grades from critics and fans, but just not my type of movie. I just can't put my finger on it exactly, but each, in their own way disappointed me tremendously, especially when I read the reviews. I still wonder why?
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on May 18, 2020, 06:46:08 PM
I fully agree, Lenny.  I still remember 81 years ago when the "Stars Fell." 

Just today, I watched "Red River" & "Random Harvest."  They had actors & directors back then.  "Red River" has one of the greatest scenes I can remember:  It's dawn & thousands of cattle are peacefully lolling over the prairie with cowboys sitting on their horses waiting expectantly.  It's breathtaking!  Then John Wayne rides up to Montgomery Clift & says, "Take them to Missouri, Matt."  Matt let out a "Yee-Hah!" which every cowboy repeats & the cattle begin moving!  Directors today don't have the imagination to do a scene like that.  And, even if they could, we don't have the actors to pull it off.

"Random Harvest: is nothing but pure schmaltz.  But, MGM did it with such class That it's beautiful love story.  You'll never again see a movie with actors like Coleman & Garson.  When it came out in 1942, Bosley Crowther said, "Never before has the English language been spoken more beautifully than in this film."

We might be dinosaurs, Lenny, but we know good acting, directors & movies when we see them! :yes: :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on May 27, 2020, 11:41:48 AM

Over the weekend, my darling wife and I decided to watch a movie we had on the DVR for a couple of weeks. Since she doesn't always enjoy the type of movies I seem more to enjoy, I try to copy certain types of movies that are more 'family' orientated, you might say. Like she doesn't mind adult-type movies, she just won't watch all the killings, all the profane language and so many other things that seem to be what movie companies put out for the multitudes that do enjoy these type of movies.
So, moving off my soapbox, we watch a movie entitled. 'Blinded By The Light'
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8266310/

I won't even venture into a cst because it was a cast of unknowns unless you are Pakistani. Overall, I think the movie got average reviews. So a brief synopsis -- a Pakistani family is living outside London, in a neighborhood that still has a lot of bias and racial profiling against them. The main character, a teen boy who wants to be a writer, but he is from a sort of old school family with traditional Pakistani values, including a very domineering father who follows the 'old' ways to the hilt, so there is a lot of conflicts between the son and father. One of the boy's friends has similar problems and introduces our star to Bruce Springsteen and his music and it is love at first sight. The teen is smitten with Springsteen music and his life starts living around the music and the words that Springsteen puts forth in his songs. Myself, I have always been a decent enough fan of Springsteen, not huge, but enjoy some of it. Really makes no difference if you do or you don't, but this music helps the boy with future decisions and to sort of straighten out his life.
So, I went into this movie, thinking I wasn't going to like it, but surprise, surprise, I did. Again, not because of the great soundtrack, but it was a decent enough feel-good movie and I did enjoy it. I would recommend this movie, especially to families who might be shut in as most will enjoy it. There is some fighting, some racially motivated scenes but overall, a good movie to talk with teens and young adults about life and dreams.
I would rate this movie 3 out of 5 stars and if you like Bruce Springsteen up that star total to 3 1/2 or even 4. 
On a quick side note, the movie is set mid 80's and when our star was talking to some others about Springsteen, they reply that he is so out of it now--passe as they would say. And it is 1987.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on June 07, 2020, 08:30:34 PM

So, I've been watching a lot on Netflix and Prime these past several weeks, but TCM had on, one of my all-time favorite movies, a new age Western and maybe the best shoot 'em up ending ever filmed, 'The Wild Bunch' with a cast one could die form action like you never saw before in the movies. TCM showed the entire movie, about 2 1/2 hours of it, many scenes that were taken out to be shown in the movies, as it was feared too long.
I won't go into detail, because this is a movie classic and if you've never seen it and don't know much about it, well sit down and enjoy it. Mainly, past the turn of the century, aging outlaws want one last 'haul' sing on to deliver guns etc, to a Mexican general and the gunfight at the end, maybe 20-25 minutes long, at the time, was considered a bloodbath, with slow-mo and blood everywhere. By today's standards, it might be rated a soft R as it is so fake, but then, WOW. You can't watch an edited version of the movie, as so much would be cut out.
Just a great cast, great action and maybe how Quentin Tarantino learned about movies, from the master Sam Peckinpah.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on June 07, 2020, 09:50:00 PM
Agree completely, Lenny!!! :yes: :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on June 08, 2020, 11:55:24 AM
Jim

Maybe it's the 'classics' calling
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on June 08, 2020, 12:00:51 PM
Jim

Maybe it is my love of just good movies that has taken me the past few days, so I went to see what I had on my DVR that was there for a while and another 'golden oldie' was right there--'The French Connection'. Like most, I have seen this movie enough times to just appreciate the greatness of it. By now, it does look a bit dated, even with the car/train chase, the editing and the gunplay, but it is just still a wonderful watch and being forgetful, there was enough I didn't remember to make me enjoy it once again.
My wife grew up in the neighborhood where the car/train chase was filmed and remembered when they closed the street to film that scene.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on June 15, 2020, 01:00:56 PM

So, over the weekend, my son called and said that we MUST watch this movie on Amazon Prime. He just watched it, thought it very good and said we should like it also. So we sat down, with a large bowl of popcorn and proceeded to watch "Knives Out'    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8946378/
a sort of who-done- starring Daniel Craig.

"When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan's dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan's untimely death"

It could be several movies from Hollywoods past, you know, eccentric family, murder, and then 2 hours of trying to find who-done-it, a la Hercule Peroit, Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes and probably several others.

So, my take. (and this is just me), I never really got into the entire movie and could say I enjoyed it that much, but my darling wife loved it. Maybe it was Daniel Craig's character who had a huge Southern accent and I see him only as James Bond. Bit I did doze off midway for only a minute or two and after that, I was completely lost. So the movie got very good reviews and ratings, so maybe it's just me and my snooze. If you enjoy these types of movies, you will probably like this. It isn't heavy, very light entertainment and some funny moments. (Again, listening to Craig with his Southern drawl, that was funny enough, but not meant to be.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on June 17, 2020, 10:00:36 AM
Quote from: LennG on June 15, 2020, 01:00:56 PM
So, over the weekend, my son called and said that we MUST watch this movie on Amazon Prime. He just watched it, thought it very good and said we should like it also. So we sat down, with a large bowl of popcorn and proceeded to watch "Knives Out'    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8946378/
a sort of who-done- starring Daniel Craig.

"When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan's dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan's untimely death"

It could be several movies from Hollywoods past, you know, eccentric family, murder, and then 2 hours of trying to find who-done-it, a la Hercule Peroit, Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes and probably several others.

So, my take. (and this is just me), I never really got into the entire movie and could say I enjoyed it that much, but my darling wife loved it. Maybe it was Daniel Craig's character who had a huge Southern accent and I see him only as James Bond. Bit I did doze off midway for only a minute or two and after that, I was completely lost. So the movie got very good reviews and ratings, so maybe it's just me and my snooze. If you enjoy these types of movies, you will probably like this. It isn't heavy, very light entertainment and some funny moments. (Again, listening to Craig with his Southern drawl, that was funny enough, but not meant to be.

Funny, my reaction just the opposite - I really enjoyed it. My girlfriend didn't care for it and moseyed off to bed a little more than half way through. I personally like a good mystery and 9 times out of 10 I can figure out "whodunit" fairly early on. This one kept me baffled most of the way through.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on July 01, 2020, 03:38:25 PM
I'm using my library of films to pass much of the time I have to spend at home.  In the past couple of days, I watched classic Westerns; "Big Country" & "Magnificent Seven."  I switched & today I've been watching "Zer Dark Thirty."
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on July 01, 2020, 08:09:32 PM
We have a movie station here, on cable, that has night showings of a lot of the old 'film noir' movies and has one star a week that they headline. So this week was Bogart and I have been watching faithfully. From the 40's I would say 'film noir' was my favorite type of movie, even if they weren't great movies. Give me a Bogey film in that category, a John Garfield movie (just so many to choose from) and those women --WOW.

So I've seen
Two Mrs Carrolls
San Quentin
Conflict
Key Largo
And Dark Passage  (all Bogarts)

Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on July 10, 2020, 03:23:54 PM
I just finished re-watching "Fort Apache" for the first time in a loooong time.  It gave me new perspective & I think it's better than "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" which is considered the best of the three Ford Cavalry Trilogy movies (I just re-watched that last week).  Later today, I'll pull out "Rio Grande."  It was the first of the Wayne/O'Hara movies.  Republic Pictures required Ford to make it before the3y'd let him go to Ireland to make "The Quiet Man."
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on July 11, 2020, 02:30:38 PM
I watched "The Old Guard" last night. It was just released on Netflix (yesterday I think). I liked it and so did my girlfriend. I was always a fan of Charlize Theron anyway, especially in the movie comedy "Trial and Error" as well as one of my favorites, "The Italian Job"...but she was just so dang hot in Trial and Error.

Anyway, the gist of the move is that she and three guys are "immortals" and have been alive for centuries if not thousands of years fighting evils throughout the world. They get shot in the face or blown up and their body just rejuvenates as if nothing happened so they spend their lives as a mini-army trying to right the wrongs going on in the world. It ended in such a way that I think there will be a sequel.

I'd give it 3 1/2 stars, maybe 4. Not a bad way to spend the evening. And believe me, I've wasted many hours watching movies that I wished I had that time back, lol

Charlize in Trial and error
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI67atA3D2Y

The Old Guard trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP-IfMYhSX0
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: eilasidogruoy on August 09, 2020, 07:49:16 PM
Team America World Police

I'm very curious if anyone on the board has seen this movie and if so what your opinions of it are. I love it. It is unbelievably funny. I guess it's an acquired taste but I'm sure some of you will agree.  In typical Stone/Parker fashion nothing and nobody is spared.

You cannot leave this world without seeing this movie. If nothing else you have to respect the effort that was made to make it.

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0372588/
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: eilasidogruoy on August 11, 2020, 07:30:10 PM
If I had a soul I'd sell it to get a response.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on August 11, 2020, 08:35:51 PM
Here's response, elias:

I don't have Netflix & your description of the movie doesn't entice me to want to see it. :greetings:
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 11, 2020, 08:38:51 PM
Quote from: eilasidogruoy on August 11, 2020, 07:30:10 PM
If I had a soul I'd sell it to get a response.

What type of res[onse would you like

Never heard of it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: eilasidogruoy on August 11, 2020, 09:59:00 PM
Quote from: jimv on August 11, 2020, 08:35:51 PM
Here's response, elias:

I don't have Netflix & your description of the movie doesn't entice me to want to see it. :greetings:

My description  of it turns you off? Like the part where I said it was funny? Pretty much the only description I gave. And it's not on Netflix nor did I say it was. But thanks for the reply.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: eilasidogruoy on August 11, 2020, 10:03:27 PM
Quote from: LennG on August 11, 2020, 08:38:51 PM
What type of res[onse would you like

Never heard of it.

I was hoping somone has seen or heard of it and would like to engage in a conversation about it. That's the  type of response I was looking to get.  I mean, that's what we do here isnt it? At least I see others do it. So I had an idea that I'd like to do it too. I cant be the only one on this board to have seen it.  But thanks for the reply.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Jim143 on August 12, 2020, 07:08:32 AM
Quote from: eilasidogruoy on August 11, 2020, 10:03:27 PM
I was hoping somone has seen or heard of it and would like to engage in a conversation about it. That's the  type of response I was looking to get.  I mean, that's what we do here isnt it? At least I see others do it. So I had an idea that I'd like to do it too. I cant be the only one on this board to have seen it.  But thanks for the reply.

While I have heard of it, seen the trailers and snippets of parts of the movie, originally, it did not interest me at all.  Many of the guys I work with saw it and couldn't stop talking about it when it first came out.  I figured since we all have a similar warped, dark sense of humor, I would watch it. . . .

I think I made it 15 minutes before I turned it off.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 12, 2020, 05:25:53 PM

There you go, some one talked about it and watched it.   :ok: :ok: :ok: :ok: :ok:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on August 30, 2020, 03:19:44 PM
I just re-watched (for about the 100th time) "Twelve O'Clock High."  This is the movie that I first saw as a senior in High School/freshman in College.  It had a profound effect on me; so much so that when I was presented with the opportunity on joining the USAF in 1953, I grabbed it!  =D>  The rest is history!  And, I am proud of my 32 years of service on Active Duty & Active Reserve, serving now as a Retired USAF Officer.

The movie had an outstanding cast of almost all male actors (one actress was in one short scene as a nurse).  IMHO, anyone of those actors could outshine any actor on today's screen.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 02, 2020, 05:04:02 PM

I also rewatched one of my all time facorite movies the other day. Like I mentioned in my other thread, I've been trying to rewatch movies I haven't seen in a while, but the other night they had on the uncut version of Goodfella's and I just had to find a comfortable spot and enjoy every moment of this just terrific movie. With such an outstandiing cast--Deniro, Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Servino, Tony Darro and just so many more (including a great sort of cameo by Henny Youngman). Directed by Martin Scorsese, probably his best work EVER. Most people know the story, so why tell it again, but Pecsi really steals the show and wins his supporting Oscar for it. Don't know how Scorsese didn't win and that it a true farce. Movie always in the top 50 movies of all time and well deserved.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: philo43 on September 03, 2020, 07:48:21 AM
For some reason my wife wanted to change things last night.  We dusted off the DVD collection and watched 2 old Bruce Willis movies.  Striking Distance followed by The Last Boy Scout.  Hadn't seen them in years, but greatly enjoyed them.  Especially The Last Boy Scout.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 03, 2020, 10:22:40 AM
Quote from: philo43 on September 03, 2020, 07:48:21 AM
For some reason my wife wanted to change things last night.  We dusted off the DVD collection and watched 2 old Bruce Willis movies.  Striking Distance followed by The Last Boy Scout.  Hadn't seen them in years, but greatly enjoyed them.  Especially The Last Boy Scout.

Funny Philo, I always liked Willis as an actor. he made some great movies and some bombs along the way. Myself, I didn't care for 'Boy Scout' that much, but, as they say 'one man's trash is another man's treasure. Glad you enjoyed it again.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on September 03, 2020, 01:47:06 PM
I like Willis movies too.  Although I really like "Die Hard" & Die Hard 3" (#2 was a bummer), my two favorites are "Mercury Rising" & "Tears of the Sun."  His version of "Death Wish" isn't too bad.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on September 04, 2020, 12:26:49 PM
I just re-watched "Fiddler on the Roof."  It's one of my favorite musicals.  Topol is GREAT!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 04, 2020, 02:44:34 PM
Quote from: jimv on September 04, 2020, 12:26:49 PM
I just re-watched "Fiddler on the Roof."  It's one of my favorite musicals.  Topol is GREAT!

Us too Jim. Funny though, we both usually watch up until intermission, as the second half is depressing compared to the first half. Topol was great, but Ustinov was the best. Too he couldn't make the movie.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 04, 2020, 03:06:20 PM

Since there really aren't many 'new' movies these days, we are relegated to either rewatching some of our favorites or scouring around trying to find a movie that we haven't seen that is worthwhile.
Yesterday I DVRed a movie called 'Heist' from 2001 with Gene Hackman, Sam Rockwell and a GREAT performance by Danny DeVito as a true bad guy. Again, I never heard of this movie, but most things Gene Hackman are in, and Danny DeVito, how bad can it be. Plus it was a genre that I like, the big robbery et al. I watched it this AM and was pleasantly surprised as it was a very good watch Sure no one is going win any awards for this movie, but when the cast seems to be having a good there is some fun and some serious shoot-em-ups, plus the great 'Heist', it was well worth the 2 hours I put into it. If you see this anywhere, or try Netflix I would recommend it. Just for Danny's performance alone, it was worth it. He seems to do everything, comedy, drama--just a talented guy.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on September 04, 2020, 04:04:24 PM
I'll give it a try, Lenny!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on September 04, 2020, 07:21:48 PM
Quote from: LennG on September 04, 2020, 02:44:34 PM
Us too Jim. Funny though, we both usually watch up until intermission, as the second half is depressing compared to the first half. Topol was great, but Ustinov was the best. Too he couldn't make the movie.


Ustinov???????????????  I checked on Wikipedia & there was NO mention of his ever playing Tevye.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 05, 2020, 12:49:06 PM
Quote from: jimv on September 04, 2020, 07:21:48 PM

Ustinov???????????????  I checked on Wikipedia & there was NO mention of his ever playing Tevye.

Stupid, stupid me, I had a brain fart and meant to say Zero Mostel. Sorry
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: philo43 on September 05, 2020, 12:56:33 PM
Quote from: LennG on September 05, 2020, 12:49:06 PM
Stupid, stupid me, I had a brain fart and meant to say Zero Mostel. Sorry

:boooo: =)) =)) =)) =))

Getting old sucks at times doesn't it!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on September 05, 2020, 02:32:04 PM
Quote from: LennG on September 05, 2020, 12:49:06 PM
Stupid, stupid me, I had a brain fart and meant to say Zero Mostel. Sorry


I never saw Mostel; he was the original!  When I finally saw the play on Broadway, Topol was in it.  While Mostel was playing it in NY, Topol was playing it in London.  When they decided to make the movie, I guess the makers like Topol better.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 05, 2020, 07:42:53 PM
Quote from: jimv on September 05, 2020, 02:32:04 PM

I never saw Mostel; he was the original!  When I finally saw the play on Broadway, Topol was in it.  While Mostel was playing it in NY, Topol was playing it in London.  When they decided to make the movie, I guess the makers like Topol better.

From what I heard, they wanted Mostel but he had other engagements. I think he was touring with the play and wasn't available. AND, Topol already knew the part.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on September 05, 2020, 08:55:11 PM
Well, I only know Topol.  And, I'm  happy with him . :yes: :yes: :yes:

BTW, I just re-watched one of my favorite Greg Peck movies, "Night People."  It was made in '54 at the height of the Cold War.  Still a very good movie.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on November 22, 2020, 06:20:40 PM
The other day I DVRed a 1953  movie off TMC  I watched it yesterday.  I hadn't seen it in years.  It starred an aging Frederic March & was directed by Elia Kazan.  It's titled "Man on a Tightrope."  An excellent movie!  It's about a Circus in Communist Czechoslovakia trying to escape across the border into the American Zone of Austria.  If any of you can get your hands on a copy, I highly recommend it!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on November 23, 2020, 07:25:39 PM

Saw this many years ago and it was an excellent watch.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 08, 2021, 12:13:54 PM

It really has been a long time since anyone posted on this thread, as, I guess, newer movies (that was the original purpose, to review new movies) have been lost since there really haven't been many new movies.

As I mentioned in the 'What we are watching' thread, I had just finished watching The Crown on Netflix and just loved it. Gillian Anderson did such a remarkable job playing Margaret Thatcher, I really wanted to see other movies about her, so we found, an Oscar-winning role by Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher, 'The Iron Lady'
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1007029/
I know this movie is about 10 years old, but we had never seen it and what better time than now.
So myself and my darling wife watched this last night.

I can't say I really liked it a lot. It was good, and, as always, Ms. Streep just assumes the part and probably did deserve the Oscar for the role.
Briefly, it is about Ms. Thatcher after she was out of office, her husband had just died and she spends more time talking to an imaginary husband than anything else. That aside, her story was told thru flashbacks almost from childhood thru her time as PM of England. Maybe I expected more, but I was sort of disappointed as I felt more time was spent with her 'older' persona than with the story of her remarkable life and rise to become the first woman PM in England.

Again, just a remarkable performance by Ms. Streep, but overall, I was slightly disappointed in the movie as a whole.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on January 08, 2021, 07:55:53 PM
Sorry you are disappointed, Lenny.  I really enjoyed the movie & I own a Blu ray version of it.  I'm not a fan of Meryl Streep but she was terrific in the part,  She really became Margaret Thatcher.  And, it shows how she, Ronald Reagan & Pope john Paul II  took down the Soviet Empire.  I strongly recommend it!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 30, 2021, 04:58:26 PM

"News of the World" with Tom Hanks

See my review on the What are we watching thread


Excellent
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 06, 2021, 12:58:02 PM
We are starting to gear up for the Acadamy Awards. The Golden Globe nominations just came out and it gives me an idea of what were the 'better' movies from last year. This past year was something Hollywood has never experienced, when movies came out primarily for the TV and streaming markets.

So, one of the top movies, as far as nominations go, was a movie called 'Mank'. It is the story of Herman Mankiewicz, a sort of prolific screenwriter who basically wrote the screenplay for Citizen Kane (even though the official wording is he did with along with Orson Wells).

Anyway, 'Mank' is his nickname and he is played by Gary Oldman, who won the Oscar for portraying Churchill in The Darkest Hour, and always gives a riveting performance.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10618286/  The movie is free on Netflix

Just a side note,
if you watch TCM you know Ben Mankiewicz as one of their main hosts. He is the son of Joseph Mankiewicz, who was Herman Mankiewicz's younger brother.

So, on to the movie. As I said, it sort of follows Herman Mankiewicz's trials and stuff, trying to write the screenplay for Citizen Kane. It offers many flashbacks as to how the 'old' Hollywood was, with many characters from those days, LB Mayer, William Randolph Hearst, David O Selznick, among others. PLUS the movie is filmed in glorious Black and White. So why didn't I like it?

I really never got a handle on this movie. Herman is a drunkard and his struggles to write are all here, but the story was just way too talky, jumped around from past to present, to past to present just way too much, at least for me. I almost turned it off several times as I was so confused. The story was his effort to write Citizen Kane and the many subplots that went into his doing it the way he did, (he basically hated Hearst, who Kane was supposed to be based on).

I was so looking forward to this movie--anything about olden Hollywood, and done in Black and White, just begged for me to watch, but, as I said, I was very disappointed in it. I wouldn't say I wouldn't recommend it, but I won't as others may really get into it and love it. Again, I didn't.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: beaugestus on February 08, 2021, 08:38:56 PM
I haven't been on the "Porch" for a long time. So I dropped by and like Lenn and Jim I too am movie addict. When I noticed when you guys were talking about John Wayne movies I saw one of my favorites with him was not mentioned. I am sure you guys have seen it, Tall in the saddle. I was wondering what you thought of the film?
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on February 09, 2021, 12:31:14 AM
Quote from: beaugestus on February 08, 2021, 08:38:56 PM
I haven't been on the "Porch" for a long time. So I dropped by and like Lenn and Jim I too am movie addict. When I noticed when you guys were talking about John Wayne movies I saw one of my favorites with him was not mentioned. I am sure you guys have seen it, Tall in the saddle. I was wondering what you thought of the film?


"Tall in the Saddle" was made around 1944.  I have a copy of it but haven't watched it in years.  It co-starred Ella Raines.  As I recall, JW was some kind of Gov't agent.  I forget who played the villain.   I could go downstairs & look it up but, at this time, I'm too lazy.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 09, 2021, 11:38:47 AM
Quote from: beaugestus on February 08, 2021, 08:38:56 PM
I haven't been on the "Porch" for a long time. So I dropped by and like Lenn and Jim I too am movie addict. When I noticed when you guys were talking about John Wayne movies I saw one of my favorites with him was not mentioned. I am sure you guys have seen it, Tall in the saddle. I was wondering what you thought of the film?
Great, we2 need more movie people around here. We have several great threads here, like the one about quotes from movies (see how you d, that is something 60 pages long now. We also have a terrific thread about what you are watching now, which gives some of us feedback on some good shows on TV, be it regular, Prime, Netflix etc. I know I am always on the lookout for something worthwhile to watch.

As for Tall In The Saddle--like Jim, I have seen it, but not for quite a while. Wayne was good in it but it wasn't near his best work. If memory holds, it was a decent enough John Wayne movie and an enjoyable watch, but nowhere near some of his best work.

Please join in here.  :ok: :ok: :ok:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 14, 2021, 03:01:18 PM

It is coming to that time of year, where the so-called 'best' movies are nominated for Academy Awards. I looked at what was nominated for the Golden Globes and those are a pretty safe bet for most to be included in the Oscar nominations. So it is that time of year to start to catch up on some of these movies, at least the ones that might interest me.
That said, yesterday I watched 'Nomadland' a movie starring Frances McDormand as Fern who the entire movie is about.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9770150/

McDormand may well be America's best actress right about now, supplanting Meryl Streep. She has already won 2 best actresses awards and she is the favorite to win one again this year for her performance in this movie. She IS the movie.

So, Fern just lost her husband, and the town where she lived folded up so she is on the road, living out of her van, traveling across America. doing odd jobs for money and working where she can, meeting all sorts of people along the way. I read all the reviews of this movie and all were glowing. I guess, overall it was an amazing performance by Ms. McDormand, but the movie is very depressing. It is like watching a movie like Grapes of Wrath in a way, as just the entire overtone of the movie is dark and depressing. There are moments that are full of like, but, for me, I was expecting something more. Even the music score is bluesy (if that is a word) and depressing.
It is a slice of Americana that has been lost but it was an interesting watch.
I would recommend this movie, if not, just to watch Ms. McDormand's performance alone. Kids will definitely get bored with the movie, but it is suitable for everyone. Myself, I would recommend it to teens and above, but even teens will get bored as nothing gets blown up, not even close.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 04, 2021, 02:28:35 PM

See my review of Sound of Metal in the What are we watching thread.

2, maybe even 3, if I had an extra thumbs--DOWN.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 12, 2021, 07:18:35 PM

In my quest every year, to try and see as many of the movies that have been nominated for Best Picture, I watched another one in that category yesterday,
"Promising Young Woman'.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9620292/
With a cast of young actors and actresses, and another Oscar nomination for best actress for Carry Mulligen (the main character) I thought, well here is a movie I might really like. WRONG again. Well, let me say this one was better than some of the others I have seen, like Mank and the Sound of Metal, but I have to say IMVHO, they are really scraping the bottom of the barrel this year to even find 5 movies to nominate, let alone the 10, (or however many they did nominate).
I read the synopsis, a young woman pretends to be drunk at bars, etc. waits for guys to pick her up and sort of have their way with her until she 'wakes' up and releases vengeance on them for a friend who this happened to years ago. I sort of 'love' revenge-type movies, but this one was silly, not really a drama in that sense and not even a Black Comedy which I think, it was trying to be. I will say I liked it better than the other two movies I've mentioned, but, as of now Nomandland, which I didn't think that great, is, by far, the least of the bad ones.
This one was just silly, looks like it was made for young adults. Overall, for a movie like this, there was no sex, no blood, some cursing, but overall, a bunch of nothing. I have two more to go before the Oscars come on, so I'm hoping for something better.
As of now, Hollywood should be ashamed.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 24, 2021, 08:04:28 PM
 While we are away this week I have continued my search for a worthwhile movie that is nominated for Best Picture. While there are a couple of movies I have no desire to see, and one will probably win, I have seen another on he list for Best Picture, "Trial of the Chicago Seven".
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1070874/
To date this is the BEST one that I have seen and I totally enjoyed this movie from start to finish. Maybe because I lived thru this era and remember the trial itself and the people involved, but I really didn't remember the entire outcome so the movie was riveting for me. With several outstanding performances, one by Shasha Cohen or Borat fame he plays Abbie Hoffman and he stole ever scene he is in. He is totally unrecognizable as Hoffman but a terrific job of acting. Also the judge played by Frank Langella, with great performances in the roles of Tom Hayden, William Kunstler, Bobby Seale and several others, once again, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie nd if I had a vote, this 'long shot' would be my choice.
Movie is history and those that remember the 1968 riots in Chicago at the time of he Democratic Convention, will enjoy this recap of it and he ensuing trial of he 'leaders' of that 'revolt'. Lots of cursing, but no sex, no blood, just a great script and superior acting. I definitely would recommend this movie
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 07, 2021, 07:40:31 PM

It has been quite a while since I posted on this movie thread. I always considered this thread more of a 'newer release movie deal and to be honest it has been a while since I watched something new from the theater.

Today I was able to watch the new 'blockbuster?' Dwayne Johnson movie 'Jungle Cruise'.  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0870154/ 

I fully understand that this movie as well as most movies with Mr. Johnson as the lead are more fluff-type movies, made for just excitement, not much in the way of a story, and lots of action, and this movie was no exception. It had loads of action, most computer-generated and Mr. Johnson was his usual lovable self, if that is what you are looking for. It had its share of fun and, did I say this already, lots of action.

So, what was my take, it was OK, for me. I have seen several of Dwayne Johnson's movies, some pretty good, and some pretty bad, this one I would put somewhere in the middle. A very confusing storyline, but who really cares you are not watching these movies for Oscar-winning scripts and acting. I was hoping for something a bit better, but it was OK for it's 2 hour length.

I would say this is the summer family movie as this is nothing in the movie that would be offensive for anyone, even children. Some people get killed, but no blood, that's about it.

Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 14, 2021, 12:09:56 PM


The Siege of Jadotville

See my excellent review in the What we are watching thread.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3922798/
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 15, 2021, 04:55:32 PM

Another movie that I reviewed in the What are we watching thread.

The Highwaymen, with Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on August 15, 2021, 05:38:52 PM
Lenny, that was a GREAT description & review of the movie.  Sounds like a picture I'd like.  Of interest, I own a movie titled "Highwaymen," without the "The."  It stars Jim Caviezel.  It's been so long since I've watched it that I can't remember what it's about. ~X(  So, I'll check it it & get back to you.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 15, 2021, 07:15:45 PM
Quote from: jimv on August 15, 2021, 05:38:52 PM
Lenny, that was a GREAT description & review of the movie.  Sounds like a picture I'd like.  Of interest, I own a movie titled "Highwaymen," without the "The."  It stars Jim Caviezel.  It's been so long since I've watched it that I can't remember what it's about. ~X(  So, I'll check it it & get back to you.

Knowing you, I think you would like it.

For some reason, I have always liked Woody Harrelson. He sure isn't Oscar-worthy but he always does a good job and plays a wide assortment of roles. Glad he got away from his Woody character on Cheers into much more roles that challenge his talents.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on August 16, 2021, 12:28:02 AM
I watched the movie I mentioned, "Highwaymen."  It was made in 2003 & was about a crazed man who runs down women & makes it look like hit & run accidents & a man whose wife was killed who's tracking him down.  It's an OK movie but the only reason I have is that it's a Caviezel film.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on August 28, 2021, 08:48:04 PM

"The Outpost"            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3833480/

A fairly recent movie (2019) about an American detachment of soldiers trying to hold off an attack by overwhelming forces of the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2005. This is a true story and I would highly recommend this movie, especially in light of what is going on in Afghanistan today.

see my complete review in the What are we watching thread.           
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 05, 2021, 12:31:09 PM

A very new release on Netflix "SAS: Red Notice"   https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4479380/

A lower-level Die Hard-type movie. See my full review in the What are we watching thread.

If you like these type of movies, Die Hard--one guy up against all the baddies. then this one could be for you.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 09, 2021, 02:44:39 PM

I just wrote a review of 'The Marksman" with Liam Neesom in the 'What are you watching' thread.

Just another silly role for such a great actor, but if this is what he wants to do, fine. An average movie.


https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6902332/
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: ozzie on September 13, 2021, 01:37:30 PM
The Plaza is an old, small theater here in downtown Garland, used mostly for elementary and middle school productions, but about once a month they show a "Classic" film.
No charge for admission, just first come, first served seating, which holds about 300 people. Popcorn, candy and soft drinks $2 each.
Anyway, this is not a new movie by any means, but this past Friday night my daughter and I went to the Plaza to watch "Rear Window" starring Jimmy Stewart & Grace Kelly.
A fun night!
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 13, 2021, 02:20:01 PM

Was this the first time you are seeing this?

your daughter????

I would love to view certain 'older' movies in movie theaters.

Myself, I have always been a HUGE fan of the Marx Brothers movies, as well as Laurel and Hardy. I have watched their movies over and over again, and they are a delight, funny, and I may even laugh a few times. But several years ago, I was able to attend a theater that was showing a Marx Brothers marathon. Watching some of these movies, with a crowd, in a movie theater, well it was basically laugh out loud from start to finish. It is so different watching with others and laughter is infectious. I wish there were more of things like this.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on September 13, 2021, 02:30:20 PM
As usual, I'm with Lenny on this.  There are so many movies out there that people don't know about and are better than a lot of the crap being made today.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: ozzie on September 13, 2021, 05:19:26 PM
No, this was not the first time for either of us seeing it. We found out about the showing and just figured it would be worthwhile.
My daughter is an "Old Soul" when it come to movies. She loves TCM and was a fan of Robert Osborne when he hosted on that channel. She likes all kinds of stuff will give most anything a try.
She loves Jimmy Stewart and Hitchcock, so this was a perfect night for her.
I'm with you guys, I wish more theaters would show some of the older stuff. It takes on a completely different atmosphere when you can watch in a darkened theater with other folks and no interruptions.
I, too, am a HUGE fan of the Marx Brothers but have never had the pleasure of seeing them in a theater.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 13, 2021, 07:19:09 PM
Quote from: ozzie on September 13, 2021, 05:19:26 PM
No, this was not the first time for either of us seeing it. We found out about the showing and just figured it would be worthwhile.
My daughter is an "Old Soul" when it come to movies. She loves TCM and was a fan of Robert Osborne when he hosted on that channel. She likes all kinds of stuff will give most anything a try.
She loves Jimmy Stewart and Hitchcock, so this was a perfect night for her.
I'm with you guys, I wish more theaters would show some of the older stuff. It takes on a completely different atmosphere when you can watch in a darkened theater with other folks and no interruptions.
I, too, am a HUGE fan of the Marx Brothers but have never had the pleasure of seeing them in a theater.

Lou

If it ever happens again, you will be my guest.  Jim also    :yes: :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on September 13, 2021, 08:34:02 PM
ozzie, I have a Library of over 2,000 movies.  I'd be willing to lend some out to TRUE old movie lovers.

Yesterday I got the "In Harm's Way" blu-ray & watched after turning off the Giants game.  IMO, it was a really crappy movie.  It was filled with amoral characters, the Kirk Douglas character being the worst of all.  I had never seen it before & only got it to add to my John Wayne collection.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 13, 2021, 08:49:53 PM
Quote from: jimv on September 13, 2021, 08:34:02 PM
ozzie, I have a Library of over 2,500 movies.  I'd be willing to lend some out to TRUE old movie lovers.

Yesterday I got the "In Harm's Way" blu-ray & watched after turning off the Giants game.  IMO, it was a really crappy movie.  It was filled with amoral characters, the Kirk Douglas character being the worst of all.  I had never seen it before & only got it to add to my John Wayne collection.
Never cared for that movie either. Otto Preminger--phooey
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: ozzie on September 14, 2021, 08:52:20 AM
Here are a couple of pix of the Plaza.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on September 21, 2021, 12:37:30 PM
bump
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on September 27, 2021, 12:44:40 AM
I just watched "Paths of Glory" again.  It's my favorite Kirk Douglas movie.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on September 27, 2021, 02:21:09 PM

Here we go.

For some reason, our cable provider, Optimum gave us a free weekend of HBO, so I went thru the lineup and DVRed a few movies that I thought I would like to watch.

On Saturday night I watch a movie that I had heard wasn't as bad as it sounded, title-wise, and you know what, it wasn't.

Godzilla vs Kong    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5034838/

A fairly new release that I really felt was some stupid rip-off of trying to get another King Kong movie out there so people would spend money to watch. OK, it is something like that, but, you know what, I enjoyed it. It really had some silly story about a world below our own world. It seemed Godzilla, who hasn't bothered anyone for years suddenly appears and sort of levels Hong Kong. Now Kong is so cute and sympathetic, in captivity on his own island (Skull Island as we might have expected), they need him to fight Godzilla and get him back to being the nice Godzilla they have come to expect. So you know what, I still didn't understand a lot of what they were trying to say but who cared. The action scenes were great, the battles between Godzilla and Kong were great and there was plenty of action to go around.
Oh, did I mention the robo-Godzilla, where our friend Godzilla wasn't really bad it was the Robo one, so Kong and Godzilla have to team up to do away with this 'fake' Godzilla.

Again, I know it sounds silly and it is, but again, there was so much action, the fights were great, terrific special effects and Kong was so lovable, you will enjoy this one even as silly as it sounds. I know I did. I would recommend this to anyone, even children if they like big creatures duking it out. No blood, no one gets killed, no sex, and no cursing. Really a good family movie. REALLY.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on October 01, 2021, 12:54:15 PM

" In The Heart Of The Sea "     https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1390411/

A terrific movie by Ron Howard

See my review in the What are we watching thread.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on January 01, 2022, 01:39:07 PM
bump
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on January 01, 2022, 05:36:39 PM
Double Bump.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimmyz on January 20, 2022, 01:32:31 AM
The Last Duel.

Two French Knights (or were they squires?) in the 1300s have a bitter disagreement over a plot of land promised to one as a dowry but wrestled by the other as substitution for rent owed to a lord.  The wife of one then accuses the other of rape while the accused claims the wife wanted it.  It gets settled in a bloody duel to the death.

The bulk of the film is a telling from the three sides of the story surrounding all the insults and slights and about the alleged rape.  Brutal duel at the end.

True story about Knight Jean de Carrouges and his friend turned enemy Jacques Le Gris.

My wife thought it was gonna bore her to death but she wasn't feeling well tonight and we kind of just put it on not expecting much and we both ended up liking it a lot.  The film got NO attention at the box office and its a shame.  These are the kind of movies Hollywood abandoned.  A period film with practical affects (not CG) and a gripping and nuanced story. 
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 20, 2022, 04:59:20 PM
Quote from: jimmyz on January 20, 2022, 01:32:31 AM
The Last Duel.

Two French Knights (or were they squires?) in the 1300s have a bitter disagreement over a plot of land promised to one as a dowry but wrestled by the other as substitution for rent owed to a lord.  The wife of one then accuses the other of rape while the accused claims the wife wanted it.  It gets settled in a bloody duel to the death.

The bulk of the film is a telling from the three sides of the story surrounding all the insults and slights and about the alleged rape.  Brutal duel at the end.

True story about Knight Jean de Carrouges and his friend turned enemy Jacques Le Gris.

My wife thought it was gonna bore her to death but she wasn't feeling well tonight and we kind of just put it on not expecting much and we both ended up liking it a lot.  The film got NO attention at the box office and its a shame.  These are the kind of movies Hollywood abandoned.  A period film with practical affects (not CG) and a gripping and nuanced story.

Where is this movie on?
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimmyz on January 20, 2022, 06:02:14 PM
Lenn,

We streamed it on HBO Max but you can stream it on Hulu if you have a premium subscription as well as Amazon for rent.

The film stars Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Ben Affleck.  Directed by Ridley Scott.

I think I first heard it mentioned by Dan Carlin of the Hardcore History podcast as a very underrated and under appreciated film.

Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 20, 2022, 07:02:32 PM

We have Prime, Netflix and regular Hulu. Any good?
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimmyz on January 20, 2022, 08:57:14 PM
Quote from: LennG on January 20, 2022, 07:02:32 PM
We have Prime, Netflix and regular Hulu. Any good?

Out of those options it look like you
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 24, 2022, 09:36:19 AM
Quote from: jimmyz on January 20, 2022, 08:57:14 PM
Out of those options it look like you
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: babywhales on January 26, 2022, 11:25:42 PM
Tonight I went for a date with my bride for dinner and a movie.


Our favorite Laotian Restaurant followed up with the 80 Anniversary Showing of Casablanca .


After 40-50 viewings on vhs, dvd,and blue Ray; getting to see it on the big screen was exciting .


Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on January 27, 2022, 08:00:21 PM

You are so right Chris. One of our local libraries has a real theater and they show movies there. It doesn't have the dynamic sound that might go with a new movie in a theater today, but just seeing some 'older' movies, like Casablanca on this huge screen with an audience is really exciting.
We saw King Kong a month ago on this screen and it was like I was seeing it for the first time. When a giant ape fills up an entire movie screen and when he breaks thru that wall, just as exciting as seeing it for the first time.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: y_so_blu on February 22, 2022, 02:20:49 AM
Best movies I've seen: Rear Window, 12 Angry Men, Groundhog Day, Young Frankenstein, and Inside Out.

The worst: Zombiez, Dark Harvest II, Manos: The Hands of Fate, Hobgoblins, and Napoleon Dynamite.

So bad they were good: Pinocchio's Revenge.
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 22, 2022, 11:49:00 AM
Quote from: y_so_blu on February 22, 2022, 02:20:49 AM
Best movies I've seen: Rear Window, 12 Angry Men, Groundhog Day, Young Frankenstein, and Inside Out.

The worst: Zombiez, Dark Harvest II, Manos: The Hands of Fate, Hobgoblins, and Napoleon Dynamite.

So bad they were good: Pinocchio's Revenge.

Great choices both good and bad.   :yes: :yes: :yes:

There is a link somewhere about BAD movies that were so bad then have cult followings and people love them. I'll see if I can find it and post it.

A movie like 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' has long been considered the worst movie ever made. But it was so bad that people love to watch it and laugh, so it has become a popular movie throughout the years. If you or anyone has never seen it, it was Bela Lugosi's last movie and he died while making it. They used another person to take his place and every time you saw him he had his cape up over his face so you couldn't see it wasn't Lugosi. They used a shower curtain to separate the pilot from the crew in the spaceship and garbage can cover to show a flying saucer and these were the good points.

The Reanimator was another where a scientist wants to bring back his girlfriend(wife) from the dead. He dies or something but they keep his head alive and they a guy uses this head to --well you really have t o see it to beleive it. It has become a classic cult movie now.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: ozzie on February 22, 2022, 01:25:06 PM
Well, I can certainly add to the "Bad Movie" part of this list. Lenn's reference to "Plan 9 from Outer Space" and just how bad it was reminded me of another film starring a well known & respected actor toward the end of his career. I present to you:  "The Thing With Two Heads" starring Ray Milland & Rosie Grier.
Somewhat like Plan 9, this is so bad that it's fun to watch. All I can think is...How desperate was Ray Milland to have read this script and said "Yes"?
For those that haven't seen it, here is a summary from iMDb
Storyline
A rich but racist man is dying and hatches an elaborate scheme for transplanting his head onto another man's body. His health deteriorates rapidly, and doctors are forced to transplant his head onto the only available candidate: a black man from death row.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069372/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069372/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 22, 2022, 03:32:25 PM

Great choice Lou. I do remember that movie and I also remember, like you said, what the hell was Milland thinking when he agreed to make this one? Just a hoot to watch even if it was made to be serious.  :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on February 23, 2022, 05:05:52 PM

As I said, I found this link to just a few of those terrible movies that many think are watchable and funny.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/the-20-best-bad-movies-of-all-time/ss-BB1cFlrv?ocid=msedgntp
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on March 31, 2022, 10:04:03 AM
I saw Training Day last night. Thought it was good. Anyone ever see it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 31, 2022, 12:09:39 PM
Quote from: Ed Vette on March 31, 2022, 10:04:03 AM
I saw Training Day last night. Thought it was good. Anyone ever see it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I own the DVD version of it.  I bought it because4 I like Denzel Washington.   It was a departure role for him.  That I remember.  But it's been so long since I watched it that I don't remember his being a real bad guy.  I was not impressed with it.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 31, 2022, 01:14:17 PM
Quote from: Ed Vette on March 31, 2022, 10:04:03 AM
I saw Training Day last night. Thought it was good. Anyone ever see it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have seen it a couple of times. Denzel is way off character here as a real sleazy cop, but he is terrific in the part.
I enjoyed the movie very much and really should rewatch it.
Similar to Henry Fonda playing the real bad guy in Once Upon A Time In The West, here we have perennial good guy Denzel really going off character.

Again I liked it a lot.

What did you think?
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on March 31, 2022, 04:20:30 PM
Quote from: LennG on March 31, 2022, 01:14:17 PM
I have seen it a couple of times. Denzel is way off character here as a real sleazy cop, but he is terrific in the part.
I enjoyed the movie very much and really should rewatch it.
Similar to Henry Fonda playing the real bad guy in Once Upon A Time In The West, here we have perennial good guy Denzel really going off character.

Again I liked it a lot.

What did you think?


I guess I'll have to pull it out & rewatch.  I agree with you on Henry Fonda. 
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on March 31, 2022, 07:54:41 PM
Quote from: jimv on March 31, 2022, 04:20:30 PM

I guess I'll have to pull it out & rewatch.  I agree with you on Henry Fonda.

JIm

I know you so well, I can see why you may not have liked this movie, but it is great if not for Denzel's performance alone.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on March 31, 2022, 09:50:07 PM
Quote from: LennG on March 31, 2022, 01:14:17 PM
I have seen it a couple of times. Denzel is way off character here as a real sleazy cop, but he is terrific in the part.
I enjoyed the movie very much and really should rewatch it.
Similar to Henry Fonda playing the real bad guy in Once Upon A Time In The West, here we have perennial good guy Denzel really going off character.

Again I liked it a lot.

What did you think?
I liked it a lot too. I was surprised it was so under rated and below the radar. The last scene he went home walking to the door empty handed. He didn
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on April 01, 2022, 03:59:53 PM
For the first time I just watched "The Hustler."  I liked it a lot even though most of the characters were low lifes.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Bill Brown on April 01, 2022, 04:16:58 PM
Quote from: jimv on April 01, 2022, 03:59:53 PM
For the first time I just watched "The Hustler."  I liked it a lot even though most of the characters were low lifes.

I really liked The Hustler. George C Scott was great. A real bastard.

Bill
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: LennG on April 01, 2022, 06:37:20 PM

The 'Hustler' was a great movie and it was made better by a magnificent performance by Ralph Kramden--NO, only kidding, Jackie Gleason was the best and completely off character for him.
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Bill Brown on April 01, 2022, 09:08:00 PM
Both Gleason and Newman did a lot of the pool shots themselves. Gleason was a very good pool player and Newman bought a pool table and spent hours learning how to play.

Bill
Title: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: Ed Vette on June 13, 2022, 03:32:26 PM
bump
Title: Re: Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2
Post by: jimv on June 15, 2022, 12:00:31 AM
I just finished watching "Father Stu."  As a Catholic, I found this true story not only interesting but actually inspirational.  It's filled with cursing and continued use of the F word.  Mark Wahlberg is sensational as Stu.  And Mel Gibson does a good job as Stu's father.  It's definitely worth a watch.