Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2

[Jolly Blue Giant]

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.

[Ed Vette]

We saw Longshot last weekend and we both liked it. Funny movie and much better than expected.

[LennG]

I just watched "Green Book."  Terrific movie, great acting & incredible story.   I recommend it highly!!!!!

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.

[jimv]

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!!!

[jimv]

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.

[Jim143]

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.

[LennG]

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.

[LennG]

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.

[bobalobabingbong]

I have been meaning to watch that. Guess I should get on that.

[bobalobabingbong]

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.

[jimv]

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.

[bobalobabingbong]

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.

[LennG]

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.

[LennG]

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/

[jimv]

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.