Movie Thread

[ciao_yall]

From a recent trans-Atlantic flight . . .

Barbie: Gave up at the 50 minute mark. Was not going to waste a second hour on a movie with 20 minutes' worth of actual content.

How far did you get? No, it wasn't Oscar-worthy but there are some really great scenes.

A car chase had started, involving Mattel executives (Will Farrell) if I remember correctly.

The Nissan G.I. Joe + Barbie commercial had a much better content-to-time ratio.

Ah. You see a bit more of Ken in the next part of the movie.

[ab_grp]

This weekend's Prime movies were both pretty dark.  Dark and darker.  The first one was Along Came a Spider (2001) with Morgan Freeman as Detective Alex Cross.  I am pretty sure I've seen this before (and the previous such movie, Kiss the Girls) and have read most of the relevant novels, but it was still entertaining.  A Senator's daughter is abducted from her school (protected by Secret Service), and the abductor wants Cross brought onto the case.  Psychology and action ensue.

Last night was one I have wanted to see for a while, Battle Royale (2000).  This version was dubbed (maybe that is the most common version).  The dubbing definitely added something extra to the dark humor.  I found myself laughing a lot more than I thought I would.  In this happy tale, Japan has gone to hell in a handbasket, and now by law there is an annual lottery system by which one lucky classroom of students is chosen to fight to the death until one student remains.  It's sometimes hard to tell what exactly is going on and who is doing what and why, but I think it's easy enough to follow.  I might listen to the book it's based on to find out more about the individual students.  The movie goes somewhat into the backgrounds and personalities of a few but not many.  It took me a while to figure out who was who.  If you have seen or read the Hunger Games, there is quite a bit that might seem familiar.  The trivia notes that this is one reason an American version was shelved, as people would think it was a knock off (even though the original came out beforehand).  I wasn't totally surprised to find out that the student I was rooting for most (Chigusa) also played my favorite character (Gogo) in the Kill Bill movies.  This is a very violent and bloody movie, so I would avoid if you are sensitive to that.  According to the IMDB page, it looks like we saw the "Special" version that has some additional scenes and features. 

[ab_grp]

We watched Chinatown (1974) and Escape from New York (1981) last weekend and This Is the End (2013) and A Million Miles Away (2023) this past weekend.  I don't have a lot to say about any of them, but they were each good in their own way.  Chinatown (Jack Nicholson) was an intriguing noir detective movie about a chief water engineer opposed to a dam project in a California valley.  Nicholson is hired by the engineer's wife to investigate his adultery, but things take a turn (of course). 

Escape from New York (Kurt Russell) is an action/sci-fi/thriller about a prisoner's quest to free the President of the US from New York, which is at this time a maximum security prison.  It's apparently a cult favorite and definitely has that 80's feel.  I feel like those characters and the characters from The Warriors might buy their clothes from the same shops. 

This Is the End (Seth Rogen) probably surprised us the most.  It looks like an extremely dumb comedy about a bunch of celebs having a party and experiencing the apocalypse, and it was.  But it was so zany and took so many unexpected turns that it was just wildly entertaining and pretty funny at times.  I'm sure it would have been even better if we were as high as the actors probably were.  The main group is Rogen, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, and Jonah Hill.  The humor is so juvenile, but there's just something about the movie that kept us in stitches and on the edge of our seats.  Apparently, a fair portion was improvised, and that makes me appreciate it even more. 

Finally, A Million Miles Away (Michael Pena) is based on the true story of the first Hispanic migrant farm worker to become an astronaut.  It's definitely inspiring and sweet, funny, and sad.  I realized after that I didn't love it.  I think that's because it never really fully came together for me.  I mean, this is the kind of movie that I would be going through boxes of tissues on, normally.  It's a great story! But I guess I didn't really come to feel that strongly about the characters, and I really wish that they had gone a bit more into the actual space program training and his hard work there to overcome a lot of obstacles.  It was definitely good, but it could have been even better.

[kaysixteen]

Anyone see 'Civil War' yet?   Worth seeing?

[downer]

I saw Wim Wender's latest movie, Perfect Days. It was impressive.

I saw at a movie theatre. Could be the only time I visit one this year, but maybe in the summer I will be tempted again.

[FishProf]

Anyone see 'Civil War' yet?   Worth seeing?

The Captain America one?  Yes, it is excellent.

[Myword]

Mythbuster, you can watch Oppenheimer on Amazon Prime or on YouTube for $5.99. Worth doing.

The DVD is awful Very small 2:40 aspect screen. bad lighting. I couldn't watch. I hATE watching small screens

[RatGuy]

Anyone see 'Civil War' yet?   Worth seeing?

I saw it, and I wouldn't have known it was an Alex Garland movie without being told. Feels quite different from Ex Machina, Men, Annihilation -- it has more in common with 28 Days Later tbh.

It's also quite different from what the advertising campaign would have you believe. Outside of the whole "what sort of American are you" scene, there's not much that's partisan in the way that people seem to think it is. After all, it's not The Hunt. It's quite episodic, and sometimes suffers for it. It also has some incredibly lyrical moments which resonate effectively. I don't think I'll need to revisit it anytime soon, as there are other war movies that speak to similar themes. But if you're a fan of Garland's writing (Men excluded, maybe) I think you'll enjoy this one. If you're interested in a commentary on American politics or a metaphor for the 2020 election, then you'll likely be disappointed.

[spork]

Relative, a documentary by Tracey Arcabasso Smith on Amazon Prime. Multigenerational sexual abuse within her family. Really good film. Here is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXpsCAWIw6M&ab_channel=GravitasVentures

[FishProf]

Pixar's Elemental. A story of a fire-girl, who falls in love with a water-boy in a world where the elements don't mix.  Well, the other three mix but not fire.

It was good.  I enjoyed it.  I can't see watching it again (no catchy tunes, the jokes won't be funny next time), but it was fine.

The animation was impressive.

[ab_grp]

We watched more Prime movies this past weekend.  Friday was Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles (2023).  I was googling after to see whatever happened with some of the other characters who weren't featured and found that there is quite a bit of dirt out there! I had no idea.  I guess there have been other docs as well.  Anyway, as a parent of a kid who watched them extensively, I also watched them extensively.  I really enjoyed it and felt a lot of nostalgia.  I still know all the songs! It was interesting to see how they started out in early childhood education, how they applied that theory in designing everything about the group and shows.  I am way out of date and hadn't realized they have a much more diverse cast now, which is great.  I'm sure just including a female Wiggle was a big deal at first.  Just neat to see some behind the scenes info.  Too bad they couldn't or didn't want to include the most awesome mashup that shows just how much of an impact they have made on culture: https://youtu.be/Wtxm8HdmJBw?si=M2wDX2WagIDBJFC2

Saturday was The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974).  This one has been remade a few times but is about a group of guys who take some folks hostage on the NYC subway in order to get a million dollars.  There are plenty of tense scenes, as the transit police, police, and government figure out whether to pay and how to make that happen within the timeline provided by the thugs (one hour, before the executions begin).  Most recognizable to me were Walter Matthau and Jerry Stiller.  It was pretty good, though definitely dated!

[Hegemony]

That last moment of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a classic.

[ab_grp]

That last moment of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a classic.

So true! They nailed it.  Have you seen either of the remakes?

[Hegemony]

So true! They nailed it.  Have you seen either of the remakes?

No — one version is enough for me.

[spork]

Cold War (2018), a multinational European production now available on Amazon Prime. A torturous love story set in the first two decades of the Cold War in Poland, East Berlin, Paris, and Yugoslavia. Shot in black and white. Great cinematography and set design. Really evokes the period.