Re: Good (or bad) Movies PART 2

[jimv]

Lenny, if you want to see a terrific Scorcese movie, watch "Silence."

[T200]

Thanks for those great reviews, Len! I have a few of them on my list to watch as well.

[philo43]

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

[LennG]

Good synopsis of the movie.

[philo43]

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.

[LennG]

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

[LennG]

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.

[philo43]

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.

[LennG]

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.

[LennG]

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).

[philo43]

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

[LennG]

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.

[jimv]

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!

[LennG]

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.

[LennG]

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.