Movie Thread

[clean]

SuperBowl Movie Commercials are back!

A Sandra Bullock movie
Jurassic Something

Both look great (as any preview should make it look!)

[saffie]

Recently saw Belfast, Licorice Pizza, and The Tragedy of MacBeth in the (sparsely populated) theater.  Previews have included the 2022 version of Death on the Nile, with Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot. Looks to be interesting!

We've been eyeing the Macbeth movie.  It seems to have received fairly good reviews.  What did you think of it?

I thought the performances were well done -- I see Denzel Washington was just nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as MacBeth. Kathryn Hunter was excellent as the three witches. The black and white film and sparse sets make for a desolate, spooky atmosphere.

Belle, a Japanese animated film was enjoyable. The characters escape their real world stress in an online social media game world, but the two worlds eventually collide. Shades of Beauty and the Beast.

Death on the Nile was entertaining and had a good ensemble cast. Branagh seems to want to show Poirot's sensitive side, including background on why he grew the mustache.

Parallel Mothers had some interesting plot twists, with a great performance from Penelope Cruz as one of the mothers. Also ties in the repercussions of the Spanish civil war still being felt by families in the country. Dealing with loss, secrets, and a reckoning with the truth on multiple fronts.

[ab_grp]

Thanks for the Macbeth info, Saffie! We will keep an eye out for more about Death on the Nile, as well.

For Christmas, I got my husband the Skywalker Saga, so 9 Star Wars movies.  We had planned to watch them I-IX since we had initially seen some of them in the order in which they came out (IV-VI, I-III).  I think I saw part of III but hadn't seen any of the later ones in this saga (I did see Rogue One).  We decided to just skip to VII (The Force Awakens), which he had seen when it first came out, so we could just watch the final three.  I thought it was pretty entertaining in the usual Star Wars sort of way.  One problem I have is that not only am I not a huge SW fan (it's okay, just not something I jump to go see), but I can't remember the details about who/which groups is/are good or bad.  I mean I know the original folks are good (Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie), or at least they were at some point.  But who is First Order (which I forgot the name of since last night and had to look up), or Empire, or Jedis, or which planet is which, or who flies which ships (I couldn't even remember who flies the Millennium Falcon and which side it's on!) or what the ships or ship types are called, I have no idea.  So I wasn't sure whether the new-to-me stuff in the movie was stuff I was supposed to know (and should ask my husband, which he is very gracious about), or if it was something new in this movie.  Like am I supposed to know who that guy is? Or at least guess who he works for because of his outfit or what planet he's on? If I'm supposed to know from previous movies, I figure I better ask because it might be important to the movie's plot in some way.  I might just go read up more on the earlier movies before we watch the next one.  Or maybe now I'm pretty up to date? When we were kids, my brother and I liked the movies quite a lot and had the Ewok castle and a bunch of ships.  I should probably know every ship in the SW and Star Trek franchises, as some of my husband's many such adorn our Christmas tree each year.  But it is so hard to keep track of!  I'm the same with Harry Potter too, though.  Well, I'm sure there are couple million fan sites that explain everything.   The movie was good, though, even to an uninformed viewer. 

[Anselm]

Has anyone seen Over the Edge from 1979?  I saw it on cable TV in the early 80's and could not think of the title for the longest time.  I finally found the title and then found out that it was low budget, in theaters for just two weeks and then went on to become a cult classic.  They used teenagers who were mostly inexperienced at acting and were actual teenagers.   Nowadays they get a 30 year old to play a sophomore.  This was Matt Dillon's first movie.

[ab_grp]

We watched Hereditary last night, a very creepy horror/drama starring Toni Collette.  I think the reviews that I read afterward are correct that it's best not to say too much about it, as a lot of the dread comes from not being sure exactly what's going on with all the unsettling (sometimes horrifying) events.  Still, I can't say I feel less dread now that I have a better sense of the goings on.  I haven't really watched a horror movie in a while, except for Get Out, and this movie has been compared to that type of horror.  Another reviewer noted that it was the first movie in a long time that made him want to turn around and look behind him to make sure nothing was there, and that is exactly what I was trying to fight off while watching (though I did give in once just to check).  I am extremely glad that I was able to shut my mind up about it in the middle of the night, because I think I would have been up for a long while.  I will also agree with a reviewer who noted that the movie is not nearly as gory or violent as it might be remembered to have been after the fact.  It just seems to have that effect of being really brutal in ways that linger.  Not a favorite genre of mine anymore, but I think it was pretty successful at what it was trying to do. 

[Hegemony]

I seem to be unusual in that I didn't like Hereditary at all. It reminded me of cheesy horror movies of the 1970s, and I found it hard to take seriously.

For my money, the most effective horror movies of recent years are It Follows and 10 Cloverfield Lane. Both imaginative and full of surprises. However, certainly a lot of people found Hereditary effective.

[ab_grp]

I seem to be unusual in that I didn't like Hereditary at all. It reminded me of cheesy horror movies of the 1970s, and I found it hard to take seriously.

For my money, the most effective horror movies of recent years are It Follows and 10 Cloverfield Lane. Both imaginative and full of surprises. However, certainly a lot of people found Hereditary effective.

I can definitely see that.  I wasn't thrilled about the root story, but I think I also just haven't seen a horror movie in so long and have such a perilously overactive imagination that it worked on me.  I think part of that success was that there was a combination of jump scares, startling events, shocking stuff, creepy stuff, psycho stuff, etc.  Honestly, the daughter alone was disturbing and frightening enough for me.  I will have to check out the ones you mentioned! I think I have 10 Cloverfield Lane on our list already, actually.   

[ab_grp]

We watched A Quiet Place (Blunt, Krasinski) last night.  It's a post-apocalyptic story of a family living with creatures that basically kill anything that makes a sound, so they have to stay quiet at all times.  Obviously, this can be difficult to do even in normal circumstances, and they have to deal with some more unusual circumstances as well.  I expected it to be scarier but actually felt sad during quite a lot of it.  It was very intense at times and offers a different take on horror.  It was pretty well thought out, but I think it's one that you have to kind of take at face value, or you will have a few questions.

[Sun_Worshiper]

Turning Red (2022, streaming on Disney)

Coming of age movie about a Chinese girl in Toronto who turns into a red panda when her emotions get the best of her. This was a refreshing movie in many ways and overall worked for me, but it isn't quite up there with the best of the genre (e.g. Inside Out).

Grade: A-


Come True (2020, streaming on Hulu)

A troubled girl enters a secretive sleep study and things turn dark from there. If you can get past the initial slowness, this is a fun ride with a few very good twists and it is fun to dissect after viewing.

Grade: B+


Halloween Kills (2021, streaming on HBO)

Myers is a killing machine with no humanity, as he should be (the character is a "force of nature," according to the director of the original Halloween), but otherwise this movie is terrible.

Grade: C-


Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022, streaming on Netflix)

Some proper gore and a decent performance from the final girl, but otherwise garbage.

Grade: D-


Collateral (2004, steaming on HBO)

Michael Mann directs Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx as assassin and cab driver. This is fun, with good performances, but there are some head scratching decisions by main characters that seem to exist just to move the plot forward.

Grade: B+


The Godfather (1971, available on Amazon to rent)

Epic gangster movie about the Corleone family. I had seen this one in my teens, but watched it again recently because it is the 50th anniversary. I was worried it would feel to slow or out of date, but this movie slaps in every way - great performances, good pacing, great music, etc. It grabbed me from the opening scene ("I believe in America") and I was captivated till the end.

Grade: A+

[Sun_Worshiper]

We watched A Quiet Place (Blunt, Krasinski) last night.  It's a post-apocalyptic story of a family living with creatures that basically kill anything that makes a sound, so they have to stay quiet at all times.  Obviously, this can be difficult to do even in normal circumstances, and they have to deal with some more unusual circumstances as well.  I expected it to be scarier but actually felt sad during quite a lot of it.  It was very intense at times and offers a different take on horror.  It was pretty well thought out, but I think it's one that you have to kind of take at face value, or you will have a few questions.

Agree - this movie is great, as long as you don't think about it too much

[Vkw10]

I saw Everything Everywhere All At Once today. One minute I was laughing, the next I was totally confused, for two hours. The acting was good and the movie was well-executed, but multiverse movies with serious philosophical themes, comedy, and action are too taxing on my feeble constitution this late in the semester.

I'm debating between Guns of Navarone or Kind Hearts and Coronets to recover my equilibrium tonight.

[clean]

lots of BlockBusters are on the Horizon

top Gun  something, out soon
jurassic World something is out now!
Buzz Lightyear  next month

anyone planning to break Covid Quarantine and go?  (will you wear a mask, or trust in the anti viral properties of popcorn? 

[clean]

I rechecked....

Jurassic World opens next month, but TICKETS are on sale now!!

[Larimar]

Went to see Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them: the Secrets of Dumbledore last week, the first time I've been to a movie theater in ages. I wore a mask. The movie was enjoyable but had plot holes and left some things unexplained that I suspect were in deleted scenes. I'll be very glad when masks are no longer needed even for those of us who are immunocompromised.

[clean]

Top Gun is open.   I looked for yesterday too late, but the 11ish am show still had some decent seats, but the rest of the day was very busy.  Already for today most seats are gone.  Tomorrow is already 100% sold out (tomorrow being Memorial Day).


I may go see Bob's Burgers though. I admit that I record it each week and watch it at my leisure.  So I may visit the theater to see this one.

Im eager to see Jurassic World soon, but I doubt that I will be able to see it anytime soon!  Even before Covid, I was not a big fan of sitting in a crowded theater! 


What about you?  Going to see anything soon?  Anything on your wish list?  Are you feeling safe enough to go?