Movie Thread

[Sun_Worshiper]

The Peanut Butter Falcon


Tom Sawyer-esque adventure story about a friendship between a social worker, a depressed fisherman, and a young man with down syndrome who wants to be a wrestler.  This is a light and well acted crowd pleaser, and I really enjoyed it.  My only major critique is that the female character (the social worker) is unbelievable and underdeveloped.

Grade: A-



The Swamp


HBO documentary about the congresspeople who want to "drain the swamp" by rejecting the corporate money that runs Washington.  It follows Rep. Matt Gaetz (Republican from Florida), but also includes interviews with other Democratic and Republican congresspeople.  The documentary does a good job explaining how fundraising works in the House, and it makes a good case for Congress being systemically corrupt.  It is also an interesting look at Gaetz, who oscillates between railing against corporate money and executive overreach, and defending any and all corruption and overreach from the Trump Administration.  Overall, it is worth a watch, but too all over the place to rank with the best political documentaries.  Also inferior to Get Me Roger Stone, which was made by some of the same people.

Grade: B

[ab_grp]

We watched 21 Bridges the other night.  We had seen the preview in the theater, and it looked pretty good, so I was excited to finally watch it.  It's about a police officer (the son of a slain police officer) who lives by a "code" and who is trying to capture a couple criminals involved in some cop killings.  There is some intrigue going on, and the story is pretty interesting with some good actors on board.  I just found it very different from what I expected from the preview, and rewatching the preview on IMDB, I don't think I was misremembering.  It seemed to me that the movie would focus more than it did on the 21 bridges in and out of Manhattan and how hard it would be to shut them down and close the island off to find these killers.  It really wasn't about that aspect much at all.  Still, we enjoyed the story, and there was a particular scene that really stuck out so me.  Overall, it was dark and suspenseful and a fun watch.

[Sun_Worshiper]

Inception

Classes start today, so I decided that I should do something fun on the last day of summer.  I wish that something had been a visit to a real movie theater, perhaps to see Tenet, the new Christopher Nolan movie, but it has been pushed back due to Coronavirus, so instead, I spent yesterday afternoon re-watching Inception (an older Nolan movie).  I last saw this movie in 2010, in the theater, and I was absolutely blown away... and I wasn't alone - the whole theater erupted in applause after it ended.  So I had fond memories, and I was a little nervous that it wouldn't be as great as I remember.

Well, good news: This movie still rocks!  It is a complex, yet digestible, sci fi blockbuster that works on every level.  It is one of the best heist movies ever made, has incredible music and visuals, great emotional content, and that's not even to speak of the more subtle rewards for obsessive viewers.  Watching it is such a pleasure, because the puzzle fits together so perfectly!  This movie even makes the most of Nolan's shortcomings as a director: Yes there is a lot of exposition, but Ariadne needs it as much as we do!  Yes the female characters are underdeveloped, but Mol is in Cobb's head anyway, so of course she isn't a fully flushed out character!  Sure, it is long and convoluted and the whole corporate espionage thing is a mcguffin, but... ok well I don't care it is still great!

Grade: A+ (I love this movie)

[ab_grp]

Inception's a good one! I only saw it once, and many years ago, but I'd like to watch that one again.

We finally watched Hacksaw Ridge last night.  My FIL gave it to us a couple years ago, probably soon after it came out on DVD, but we hadn't gotten around to it.  It's a true story (though they changed a few details in the movie... some make sense for the pacing, but others I'm not sure why they did), and a very interesting one at that.  It's the story of Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who enlists at the time of WWII to become a combat medic.  He is a Seventh-day Adventist and refuses to even touch a gun, which doesn't go over very well with his training unit, but his goal is to become a combat medic and save lives, and he eventually earns the Medal of Honor without ever firing a shot (apparently the first CO to do so).  All that info is included in the basic movie summary, so I don't think there are any spoilers there, but I won't go more into how things develop.  I thought it was very engrossing overall, and though Andrew Garfield as Doss was a little hard to get used to at first, I thought he did a great job.  Vince Vaughn also plays a very good role and more humorously than I would have expected.  There were so many brave people involved.  It's tough to watch at times but is such a neat story.   Although the movie is centered around Okinawa, his full Medal of Honor citation shows how much he contributed well beyond that.

[writingprof]

Inception

Classes start today, so I decided that I should do something fun on the last day of summer.  I wish that something had been a visit to a real movie theater, perhaps to see Tenet, the new Christopher Nolan movie, but it has been pushed back due to Coronavirus, so instead, I spent yesterday afternoon re-watching Inception (an older Nolan movie).  I last saw this movie in 2010, in the theater, and I was absolutely blown away... and I wasn't alone - the whole theater erupted in applause after it ended.  So I had fond memories, and I was a little nervous that it wouldn't be as great as I remember.

Well, good news: This movie still rocks!  It is a complex, yet digestible, sci fi blockbuster that works on every level.  It is one of the best heist movies ever made, has incredible music and visuals, great emotional content, and that's not even to speak of the more subtle rewards for obsessive viewers.  Watching it is such a pleasure, because the puzzle fits together so perfectly!  This movie even makes the most of Nolan's shortcomings as a director: Yes there is a lot of exposition, but Ariadne needs it as much as we do!  Yes the female characters are underdeveloped, but Mol is in Cobb's head anyway, so of course she isn't a fully flushed out character!  Sure, it is long and convoluted and the whole corporate espionage thing is a mcguffin, but... ok well I don't care it is still great!

Grade: A+ (I love this movie)

My understanding is that Inception actually has a nationwide re-release in theaters to celebrate its tenth anniversary. 

[clean]

One of the theaters opened last week with 15 cent tickets and $5 large popcorn.
Im not sure how many attended.

My preferred theater is Alamo Drafthouse. I think that my local one is set to open by the end of the month.  I wont be there, though. Im not sure that there are any shows Im particulalry eager to see, even without adding the phrase, "what are willing to die to see in the theater?"

Are YOU thinking of going to a theater in the next few weeks? 
What conditions have you set before you would be wiling to see a flick?

[Hegemony]

We're having a bike-to-the-movies outdoor theatre showing here.  You bike to the spot, and they seat you on a big lawn in pre-marked socially-distanced spots on the grass.  You can pre-order food from several restaurants, or buy popcorn on the spot. They're showing an Oscar-nominated animated film. It sold out right away, so I can't report back on the experience.

You can also rent the whole of our arts cinema, invite ten people of your choice (to be seated socially distanced if they're not already members of the same pod), and ask them to screen the film of your choice — they promise they can get almost any film. They also cater the event, and have a full kitchen (not just popcorn). I believe it costs something like $250. I would do it, for instance for my oncoming landmark birthday, just to help keep them in business, except that I am in full lockdown and am not going to chance it just for a fun movie experience.

[Vkw10]

My favorite theatre is renting several screens for socially distanced group gaming sessions. Partner and several friends rented a screen for five hours, took their gaming consoles, and had a blast. The theatre has in seat delivery from the kitchen, so they would have happily stayed all day and night if bookings weren't limited to five hours. Partner called for a ride home, since the theatre also has an excellent bar.

The theatre is showing some relatively new movies now, but they're also doing a fair number of anniversary showings for short runs. I enjoyed Best Little Whorehouse in Texas recently, with just a dozen people in the theatre, but with the students back in town I won't go out for a movie again.

[mamselle]

Online Jennifer Ehle/Colin Firth in Austen's "Pride and Prejudice"

I sampled a few scenes from the 2005 version, and they're ok, but...the earlier one won.

M.

[hmaria1609]

Online Jennifer Ehle/Colin Firth in Austen's "Pride and Prejudice"

I sampled a few scenes from the 2005 version, and they're ok, but...the earlier one won.

M.

I enjoyed both versions. A&E showed the 1995 version sometime in the 2000s so I got to see it. Fast forward to now, I found the soundtrack on Youtube! 
I checked out and watched the 2005 version from the library and own the soundtrack CD.

[mamselle]

I actually saw the K.Knightly version first, when it first appeared. There were indeed good moments in it, but it just seemed like Ehle worked more a being the character.

I'm also so smitten with the earlier (Romola G.) "Emma" that I daren't see the new one. I think I'd just get mad, having noted things I already don't like in the advances.

M.

[hmaria1609]

I'm also so smitten with the earlier (Romola G.) "Emma" that I daren't see the new one. I think I'd just get mad, having noted things I already don't like in the advances.

M.

I watched that version of Emma (2009) when it broadcasted PBS's "Masterpiece."  There are two older versions, both from 1996. Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Beckinsale starred in the movie and TV adaptations, respectively.

[Parasaurolophus]

I'm also so smitten with the earlier (Romola G.) "Emma" that I daren't see the new one. I think I'd just get mad, having noted things I already don't like in the advances.

M.

I watched that version of Emma (2009) when it broadcasted PBS's "Masterpiece."  There are two older versions, both from 1996. Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Beckinsale starred in the movie and TV adaptations, respectively.

Beckinsale Emma is far and away my favourite.



We saw Bombshell and Anita last night. Bombshell is a surprisingly well-done and effective film, and a great lesson on sexual harassment. Anita was passable qua documentary, but pretty interesting for its content (which I didn't know in any detail), and for its insight into Hill's (exceptional) character and fortitude.

[kaysixteen]

anyone here actually see a movie in an actual theater since the pandemic exploded in March?  Indeed, are such theatres in your area open?

[sprout]

anyone here actually see a movie in an actual theater since the pandemic exploded in March?  Indeed, are such theatres in your area open?

Ours just reopened, to some degree.  Nothing I want to see is playing, though.