Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2

[Jolly Blue Giant]

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.

[jimv]

Sorry, Jolly, but I can't call that movie as any form of comedy.  It's just plain ugly.

[LennG]

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.

[Ed Vette]

My 17 year old Nieces just saw Dunkirk and gave it high reviews and said I should see it. Has anyone here seen it?

[LennG]

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

[jimv]

I will be going.

[Ed Vette]

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.

[LennG]

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.

[LennG]

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.

[jimv]

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."

[LennG]

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???????

[jimv]

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.

[LennG]

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.

[LennG]

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.

[jimv]

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.