Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2

[jimv]

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.

[LennG]

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.

[LennG]

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.

[jimv]

THANKS, Lenny.  I'll skip it.

[LennG]

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/

Christine "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.

[Ed Vette]

Did anyone ever see the movie Predestination with Ethan Hawke? Curious on someone Else

[Ed Vette]

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.

[LennG]

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.

[jimv]

I'll get it when it comes out on Blu-ray,  THANKS for the write-up, Lenny!

[LennG]

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.

[LennG]

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.

[LennG]

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.

[jimv]

UGH!!!!!!

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

[LennG]

UGH!!!!!!

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.

[Ed Vette]

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.