What movies have you been watching?

[slackmax]

I'm 15 minutes into 'The Goldfinch', about a boy whose mother is killed in an explosion in an art museum. Interesting so far. And nothing annoying yet.

I just hope my dvd player still works next time I turn it on. It has been flaking out intermittently  lately. Or more likely the VCR it feeds into is flaking out, lol.

The Goldfinch was such a wonderful novel for me, I refuse to watch the film. Even tho  one of my friends said the film is really pretty good, I don’t know. The novel was epic.

The novel was really great, but I couldn't see how they could do a good adaptation at film length. And then reviews for the film were TERRIBLE.  Astonishingly terrible, given the source material. So that was a definite skip for me.  Too bad.

Terrible reviews, eh?  Hmmm.   

Well,  I am now about 45 minutes into the movie and it's actually getting better. It has tons of flashbacks, which I usually don't like, but which for some reason make sense to me in this film.         

Maybe the ending is what the critics don't like, but so far it looks to me like the type of movie critics rave about, but doesn't get nominated for anything. 


     
 

[wenchsenior]

I'm 15 minutes into 'The Goldfinch', about a boy whose mother is killed in an explosion in an art museum. Interesting so far. And nothing annoying yet.

I just hope my dvd player still works next time I turn it on. It has been flaking out intermittently  lately. Or more likely the VCR it feeds into is flaking out, lol.

The Goldfinch was such a wonderful novel for me, I refuse to watch the film. Even tho  one of my friends said the film is really pretty good, I don’t know. The novel was epic.

The novel was really great, but I couldn't see how they could do a good adaptation at film length. And then reviews for the film were TERRIBLE.  Astonishingly terrible, given the source material. So that was a definite skip for me.  Too bad.

Terrible reviews, eh?  Hmmm.   

Well,  I am now about 45 minutes into the movie and it's actually getting better. It has tons of flashbacks, which I usually don't like, but which for some reason make sense to me in this film.         

Maybe the ending is what the critics don't like, but so far it looks to me like the type of movie critics rave about, but doesn't get nominated for anything. 


   

It is ironic how much critics disliked it...before anyone actually SAW it, it has a lot of Oscar buzz (b/c of the source material).  They had all kinds of complaints, but most related to the lead performance and the 'unfilmable' nature of the novel (adaptation missing all the richness and character complexity). A lot of them also objected to its structure.  So when it actually came out, the Oscar buzz stopped like a switch turned off. And then it bombed at the box office, too, though audiences seemed to respond to it better than critics.

ETA: I was skeptical that I would like any adaptation of it b/c I couldn't fathom how they could do justice to the INCREDIBLE character of Boris, but I was excited when Ralph Fiennes was initially cast as the art dealer (later replaced by Jeff Wright, I believe).  I'll probably watch some of this if I ever happen across it on cable, just as a matter of curiosity.

[slackmax]

Wenchsenior wrote :
<<   It is ironic how much critics disliked it...before anyone actually SAW it, it has a lot of Oscar buzz (b/c of the source material).  They had all kinds of complaints, but most related to the lead performance and the 'unfilmable' nature of the novel (adaptation missing all the richness and character complexity). A lot of them also objected to its structure.  So when it actually came out, the Oscar buzz stopped like a switch turned off. And then it bombed at the box office, too, though audiences seemed to respond to it better than critics.

ETA: I was skeptical that I would like any adaptation of it b/c I couldn't fathom how they could do justice to the INCREDIBLE character of Boris, but I was excited when Ralph Fiennes was initially cast as the art dealer (later replaced by Jeff Wright, I believe).  I'll probably watch some of this if I ever happen across it on cable, just as a matter of curiosity.    >> 

I plugged my DVD player into my other VCR and it now works properly!

I watched the rest of The Goldfinch.  I still liked it.  I must say there were some unbelievable scenes where the good guys escape from the Russian Mafia in NYC.
Other than that, no big complaints.

You mention the character Boris.  In the movie he is portrayed as  a selfish but intelligent lout when young, then a caring and guilt-ridden person a few years later, when he meets the main character again unexpectedly, after having stolen the painting.  I found him to be unlikable throughout.   

One of the reasons I liked it is that it tied together all the flashbacks logically. Things made sense.

I thought the acting was very good,  but there weren't any memorable scenes, any 'terrific' scenes, for me.   

I think my favorite character in the movie was the main character's fiancee. She is duplicitous, but I liked her character anyway, since she is believable, and well acted.
 
My next movie, this one on videotape, will be 'The Clearing' with Robert Redford and Willem Dafoe, which I have seen before. I know there are some great scenes in that movie!

[sui generis]

Count me as another Goldfinch reader who couldn't imagine that dear book working on the screen.  I read the book so long ago, it just may be that I've forgotten enough of it to give it a go....but I was still worried about the movie just leaving a bad taste in my mouth about it as opposed to the fond memories I have from the book.  Maybe I'll add it to my list and consider it at some point.

We still have no streaming service, and Netflix is really throttling our DVD deliveries, so we have taken to looking more through options on Kanopy, which is free through the library.  They have a handful of mainstream movies (most of which we've seen already, unfortunately), and then lots that I've never heard of.

I learned my lesson about doing some independent review of whether a movie is worth watching, as we watched the bizarre "Morvern Callar" the other day, which may not have been quite as bizarre if the description of the movie hadn't been almost completely inaccurate.

We also watched "Skeleton Twins" on Kanopy, which has Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader (SNL alums) and LUke Wilson, so I guess you'd call it pretty mainstream. Though I don't remember hearing about it when it came out.  It was a good enough watch, capitalizing on that tiny niche I feel like there was for a while where big comedy stars did dark dramas?

Have not had good movie luck recently.  Starting to feel like there just aren't a ton of good movies out there.

[slackmax]

I may have to check out the book 'The Goldfinch', since you guys like it so much.

I noticed online that my library had the DVD 'The Marriage Story' in stock, so I went down to get it, and...... 'someone else just checked it out' announced a clerk, when I asked them to retrieve it. (Patrons aren't allowed into the stacks).

So,  I asked for my backup DVD idea, which was 'Pain and Glory' by director Almodar.
It's about movie producers and script writers in Spain who are into drugs. The language is Spanish. English subtitles.  Looks good so far.  20 minutes in.   

[sparkytheop]

Another "what the hell did I just watch" movie: High-Rise

[slackmax]

Finished watching "Pain and Glory". It was OK. More like a documentary than an actual drama. There wasn't much drama going on.

Acting was good. Believable scenes.

Just no tension. No identifying with a character, or hoping good things or bad things happen to a character.   

My summation:  a movie about elite movie people, made by movie people, of course, for elite movie people. An homage to an elite circle of friends in the  Spanish film industry, who lived the story, and who already know how it ends.

And for some reason they released it to the public.   

Like I said, it was OK, but never got me emotionally involved, almost as though it wasn't meant for me and the general public movie fans. 

[LaineyAZ]

"The Magic of Ordinary Days" - a TV movie from 2005 that appears as a re-run.  It's set in the early 1940s in a farm town in Colorado.  Keri Russell, Skeet Ulrich and Mare Winningham are all wonderful. 
I don't usually ever watch a movie twice, but this one grabs me.

[wenchsenior]

Finished watching "Pain and Glory". It was OK. More like a documentary than an actual drama. There wasn't much drama going on.

Acting was good. Believable scenes.

Just no tension. No identifying with a character, or hoping good things or bad things happen to a character.   

My summation:  a movie about elite movie people, made by movie people, of course, for elite movie people. An homage to an elite circle of friends in the  Spanish film industry, who lived the story, and who already know how it ends.

And for some reason they released it to the public.   

Like I said, it was OK, but never got me emotionally involved, almost as though it wasn't meant for me and the general public movie fans.

I could see that.  It's a roughly autobiographical movie about its director, who is a critical darling.  As one would expect, it got critical raves from the media crowd (and an Oscar nod for Banderas). Not sure how the general audience took it, but Almodovar has a niche audience for his movies anyway.  I haven't seen it yet, though certainly plan to.

[wenchsenior]

Another "what the hell did I just watch" movie: High-Rise

Yeah LOL.  I'd forgotten about that one.  I keep meaning to read the book, but haven't gotten around to it.  That director is adapting a new version of Rebecca that I'm intrigued by.

[Warlord1986]

'Don't Be Bad' which is about Italian drug addicts in the 1990s. Starred Luca Marinelli who continues to impress me and redeem 2020.

'Far From the Madding Crowd'. I don't normally like Thomas Hardy, but I do like Matthias Schoenaerts. I like him quite a bit.

[wenchsenior]

'Don't Be Bad' which is about Italian drug addicts in the 1990s. Starred Luca Marinelli who continues to impress me and redeem 2020.

'Far From the Madding Crowd'. I don't normally like Thomas Hardy, but I do like Matthias Schoenaerts. I like him quite a bit.

I echo this sentiment.  Although to be honest, this is the only Hardy I do like. And I liked this version.  I liked the old BBC version with Nathanial Parker also.

[EscapeVelocity2020]

Another "what the hell did I just watch" movie: High-Rise

That movie was made in 2015?  And the fact that it starts - literally the first 3 minutes - in a most unlikable and off-putting way.  Also so many big actors, definitely unique and quirky - I'm surprised it doesn't have a cult following...  Making my way through it slowly, but I can't look away...

[Warlord1986]

'Don't Be Bad' which is about Italian drug addicts in the 1990s. Starred Luca Marinelli who continues to impress me and redeem 2020.

'Far From the Madding Crowd'. I don't normally like Thomas Hardy, but I do like Matthias Schoenaerts. I like him quite a bit.

I echo this sentiment.  Although to be honest, this is the only Hardy I do like. And I liked this version.  I liked the old BBC version with Nathanial Parker also.

I usually find Hardy tedious, but I might be willing to read this book. If only for more Gabriel Oak.

[mspym]

The Good Liar - a bit of a mess. Mirren and McKellen are very good actors but since most of the film is them being bland old codgers together and then the underlying plot lands squarely in WTF territory, it never really turns into a cohesive story.

[Noodle]

Just finished watching W.E. on Netflix, which is about a young woman who distracts herself from her abusive marriage by immersing herself in the story of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, down to imagining herself in conversations with the Duchess. The movie jumps back and forth from modern day to the 1930s. The cast is really solid--it includes a young Oscar Isaac and one of my favorites (James D'Arcy, who played Howard Stark's butler Jarvis in the Marvel superhero movies) as the Prince of Wales. I realized that every time I have seen that story on-screen it's been told from the point of view of the current Royal Family, which of course had strong feelings about being left holding the bag when Edward went off to pursue his love story for the ages. I don't know that I've every seen a version where the Duchess is centered. The movie does kind of hand-wave the Windsors' sympathy for the Nazi party, which the framing device allows them to do (someone imagining the love story would naturally leave out embarrassing details).

Overall I really enjoyed it. Unsurprisingly the costumes, and the recreations of the Duchess' jewelry, are top-notch.

[wenchsenior]

Just finished watching W.E. on Netflix, which is about a young woman who distracts herself from her abusive marriage by immersing herself in the story of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, down to imagining herself in conversations with the Duchess. The movie jumps back and forth from modern day to the 1930s. The cast is really solid--it includes a young Oscar Isaac and one of my favorites (James D'Arcy, who played Howard Stark's butler Jarvis in the Marvel superhero movies) as the Prince of Wales. I realized that every time I have seen that story on-screen it's been told from the point of view of the current Royal Family, which of course had strong feelings about being left holding the bag when Edward went off to pursue his love story for the ages. I don't know that I've every seen a version where the Duchess is centered. The movie does kind of hand-wave the Windsors' sympathy for the Nazi party, which the framing device allows them to do (someone imagining the love story would naturally leave out embarrassing details).

Overall I really enjoyed it. Unsurprisingly the costumes, and the recreations of the Duchess' jewelry, are top-notch.

Interesting. That's another film that got absolutely atrocious reviews, but it has always intrigued me b/c of the set-up and cast.  I always wondered if the critical bile was actually directed at Madonna, and not the material so much.

[slackmax]

Another "what the hell did I just watch" movie: High-Rise

That movie was made in 2015?  And the fact that it starts - literally the first 3 minutes - in a most unlikable and off-putting way.  Also so many big actors, definitely unique and quirky - I'm surprised it doesn't have a cult following...  Making my way through it slowly, but I can't look away...

Just finished watching it.

 Interesting. There's a quote at the end, of Margaret Thatcher, Conservative Party in England, about capitalism. 

Makes me think the film was an allegory about capitalism.

Whatever it was, I found the film interesting.  I'm glad I checked it out from the library. 

My usual criticism, though. Unbelievable, unrealistic stuff going on. Not enough explanation of why the power goes out, and can't ever be fixed.       

[Noodle]

Just finished watching W.E. on Netflix, which is about a young woman who distracts herself from her abusive marriage by immersing herself in the story of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, down to imagining herself in conversations with the Duchess. The movie jumps back and forth from modern day to the 1930s. The cast is really solid--it includes a young Oscar Isaac and one of my favorites (James D'Arcy, who played Howard Stark's butler Jarvis in the Marvel superhero movies) as the Prince of Wales. I realized that every time I have seen that story on-screen it's been told from the point of view of the current Royal Family, which of course had strong feelings about being left holding the bag when Edward went off to pursue his love story for the ages. I don't know that I've every seen a version where the Duchess is centered. The movie does kind of hand-wave the Windsors' sympathy for the Nazi party, which the framing device allows them to do (someone imagining the love story would naturally leave out embarrassing details).

Overall I really enjoyed it. Unsurprisingly the costumes, and the recreations of the Duchess' jewelry, are top-notch.

Interesting. That's another film that got absolutely atrocious reviews, but it has always intrigued me b/c of the set-up and cast.  I always wondered if the critical bile was actually directed at Madonna, and not the material so much.

The directing is definitely "artsy" and there is a certain amount of magical realism in some of the exchanges the main character imagines, so it wouldn't be for everyone, but I enjoyed it. Especially since you can get it streaming on Netflix I'd recommend it to people who tend to enjoy movies set in that period. The movie, through the Duchess, spends some time imagining what it was like to be in the constant and critical eye of worldwide fame, and if anyone would understand that, it would be Madonna. Honestly my least favorite part was that there were a couple of scenes of domestic violence (not gratuitous) and those were hard to watch.

[sui generis]

"Embers" was one of those artsy movies that are "meditations" on something or another.  This one was set a decade after a ....pandemic.  But this pandemic left survivors with profound memory loss, long or short-term, which is the main point of the movie and in that way was actually a little more "Memento" than "Walking Dead" or...our current lives.

It's interesting to contemplate what would happen if we were all basically living in the present moment at all times.  Both good and bad.  E.g., two characters: "we might be brother and sister."  "or maybe we're married." 

Yikes.

[soccerluvof4]

Lately I watched on Netflix the Documentary "The Social Dilemma" and thought it was outstanding.

Also Watched the Documentary "Real Genius" and found that to be very good as well.

[slackmax]

Since it's slim pickings at the library these days for movies, I checked out 'Zombieland: Double Tap' starring Woody Harrelson and Emma Stone, from 2019.

At first I thought about just ejecting it, but after 15 minutes, it sucked me in. The story line and the character development held my interest.

It was fun.

 

[MasterStache]

Watched the movie Greyhound. It was edge of your seat awesome! I love about every WWII movie with Tom Hanks. This one ranks right near the top.

[slackmax]

Just saw 'Captive State' starring John Goodman.  I liked it, but it was too fast for me. I guess they do that on purpose. You don't have time to see everything in the frame. A road sign. People in the background, etc.  And so later on, you don't know how a new scene relates to the previous scene. Why do they do that?

Even so, I liked it. Goodman was the best thing about the movie.

I think I might watch it again, this time I might make sense of it better.

It's about aliens taking over the earth and making humans into worker bees to mine the resources. An underground resistance fights the alien overlords.

John Goodman is working for the aliens as a cop monitoring the humans, but he is sympathetic to the humans.

I can't even remember how it ends. Jeez. Well, Goodman did some fine acting in it.

Oh wait, it ends with Goodman in a space suit, preparing being rocketed off the planet, I guess,  but I don't know why or where he is going.  No doubt I missed some fast paced clue many scenes back, lol.   
 

[bbqbonelesswing]

We just watched The Florida Project on Netflix. Very good!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5649144/

[lost_in_the_endless_aisle]

We just watched The Florida Project on Netflix. Very good!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5649144/

Yes, I loved it, and having mulled it over, I would say #1 movie of the last 5 years.

[slackmax]

Death Wish (remake).  With Bruce Willis as the main character who kills the bad guys, one by one.  I did not like Willis in Moonlighting, since I thought he didn't deserve Cybil Shepherd,  but I liked him in this movie.

I liked the pacing, and the clear story development. And the satisfying way the bad guys are taken out. 

I say I don't like the 'all action'  bang bang movies, but I guess this  one is  an exception.     

[sui generis]

Out of Sight from 1998.  Sooo many famous people - Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney of course, but also Don Cheadle, Ving Rhames; Michael Keaton and Samuel L Jackson make appearances, and Viola Davis!  And yet....it was just mediocre in parts and actually bad in others.  Is this just because it's over 20 years old and didn't age well?  I thought I heard good reviews at the time...

[mspym]

The Long Kiss Goodnight - has not aged well
The Falling - chosen because it stars Florence Pugh and Maisie Williams as British schoolgirls in the 60s and it got good reviews. Let's file that under "interesting concept, uneven execution" I'd recommend Lady MacBeth instead.
The Master - an excellent Paul Thomas Anderson film about a drifter merchant navy dude who gets involved in a (Scientology but not because legal reasons) self actualisation movement. Excellent acting, just a lot better than I thought it would be.

[LaineyAZ]

Okay, here's an oddball question:
I was watching a TV movie today where I swear the characters were talking at warp speed.  I know there's a technology which will allow the video to be slightly sped up
- not so fast that it's comical, but definitely faster than anyone would normally talk.  I mean, I'm a native English speaker and at times I could barely keep up.

I recall reading that the Seinfeld TV show did this so they could squeeze in more commercials.  So is this a thing now?

[slackmax]

Okay, here's an oddball question:
I was watching a TV movie today where I swear the characters were talking at warp speed.  I know there's a technology which will allow the video to be slightly sped up - not so fast that it's comical, but definitely faster than anyone would normally talk.  I mean, I'm a native English speaker and at times I could barely keep up.

I recall reading that the Seinfeld TV show did this so they could squeeze in more commercials.  So is this a thing now?

I watch a lot of tv movies (old movies on tv) and have not noticed it. I have heard that they cut out a few minutes of the movie to make it fit around commercials, though.     

[Metalcat]

Out of Sight from 1998.  Sooo many famous people - Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney of course, but also Don Cheadle, Ving Rhames; Michael Keaton and Samuel L Jackson make appearances, and Viola Davis!  And yet....it was just mediocre in parts and actually bad in others.  Is this just because it's over 20 years old and didn't age well?  I thought I heard good reviews at the time...

Loved this movie 20 years ago, but then again, I loved Long Kiss Goodnight as well, and that's a trash heap of garbage...so who knows.

[wenchsenior]

Out of Sight from 1998.  Sooo many famous people - Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney of course, but also Don Cheadle, Ving Rhames; Michael Keaton and Samuel L Jackson make appearances, and Viola Davis!  And yet....it was just mediocre in parts and actually bad in others.  Is this just because it's over 20 years old and didn't age well?  I thought I heard good reviews at the time...

Loved this movie 20 years ago, but then again, I loved Long Kiss Goodnight as well, and that's a trash heap of garbage...so who knows.

That's interesting. I haven't seen Out of Sight in years, but I think it is still extremely critically well-regarded. 

[slackmax]

Bad Times at the El Royale. Starring Jeff Bridges. Noir. Lots of cash buried under  the floorboards of a motel room.

I liked this one a lot. Noir cinematography. Good acting.   

[mm1970]

We just watched The Florida Project on Netflix. Very good!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5649144/

Yes, I loved it, and having mulled it over, I would say #1 movie of the last 5 years.

Thanks for the tip.  I might have to watch this tonight

[BZB]

I just watched Last Christmas, a dvd from the library. I was something like #35 on the wait list so I had forgotten I had requested it. It was a little deeper than I expected from a rom com and Emma Thompson was awesome. Henry Golding was gorgeous as usual.

[Roadrunner53]

For those who need a zombie fix, Netflix has a movie called #Alive. It is slow moving, a bit lame but picks up towards the end. I need a zombie fix now and then and this one was just okay. It is a Korean movie but in English.

[slackmax]

'Mother' with Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem.  What a weird movie. I guess I liked it, and was entertained by it, but so disturbing. Poor Jennifer Lawrence has to endure the unbelievable stuff her husband Javier puts her through, when he allows lots of weird people into their house, who adulate him as a great poet and leader.

Maybe its an allegory of some type.  So bizarre.


View at your own risk, ha ha.     

[WhiteTrashCash]

I saw "Ava" and "Alone" at a drive-in theater over the weekend.

"Ava" -- Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Colin Farrell, Common -- A recovering alcoholic ex-military special forces woman is now a killer-for-hire for a mysterious organization and starts questioning the jobs she is sent on, which puts her in trouble. It's kind of a cliche plot and kind of predictable, but the really interesting stuff is the main character's journey. Good drive-in movie stuff.

"Alone" -- A bunch of actors I had never heard of before -- An independent thriller film about a woman traveling alone through the Pacific Northwest who runs into trouble when she begins to be stalked by a psychopath in an SUV. Again, kind of a cliche plot, but the performances are strong from the small cast and the cinematography is excellent. The suspense had me gripping my steering wheel pretty hard while I was watching this at the drive-in. It reminded me a lot of the independent movies I used to watch at a local movie house when I was in college.

I recommend checking these movies out if you had a drive-in theater near you and you are looking for a fun night out during quarantine.

[sui generis]

Watched "Paterson" with Adam Driver.  Artsy movie, I guess, in that this would never fly in the mainstream.  Critics seem to adore it as a profound movie about overcoming personal setbacks and tragedies, but almost nothing happens in it and the personal setback/tragedy?

Spoiler: show

His dog ate his notebook of poems that he writes as a hobby.  Not to say that I wouldn't be upset about that, too, but this is the kind of stuff that happens to most of us like every week or month, so I just have a hard time seeing it as profound. And the way he deals with it (stares at wall for a while, takes a walk) also did not seem very profound.

  That said, I didn't dislike it or feel I wasted my time.  It was ok and it just basically felt like it might feel if you are staying with a friend for a week and nothing much happens, but you spend some quality time together doing a lot of nothing much.

[wenchsenior]

'Mother' with Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem.  What a weird movie. I guess I liked it, and was entertained by it, but so disturbing. Poor Jennifer Lawrence has to endure the unbelievable stuff her husband Javier puts her through, when he allows lots of weird people into their house, who adulate him as a great poet and leader.

Maybe its an allegory of some type.  So bizarre.


View at your own risk, ha ha.   

I also really liked it, but I love black comedy.

Most critics thought it was a really obvious religious allegory, and a smaller number assumed it was an allegory about  the director and his relationship with his first wife, but the director indicates that he meant it as a climate change allegory. ETA: no one ever figured out what the yellow stuff she's drinking was, and the director won't say.

[slackmax]

"Red Sparrow" with Jennifer Lawrence. Standard international espionage movie. Acting was OK. Everything was OK, not great. Not sorry I watched it.

[Noodle]

Watched Enola Holmes on Netflix, about Sherlock Holmes' much younger sister. My tween nieces loved it, and I liked it. Millie Bobbie Brown was excellent as the lead character, but Sherlock and Mycroft are very different from the Arthur Conan Doyle versions. Sherlock I didn't mind (I will watch Henry Cavill do pretty much anything, especially in period costume) but Mycroft bothered me a bit.

There's not much new right now, so I've been going back to some older movies. "Defiance," about Jewish partisans in Belarus, was a pretty standard WWII movie--it was interesting to see Daniel Craig play the "softer" character after having seen him so often as James Bond. "Everybody's All-American" is an 80s movie starring Dennis Quaid and Jessica Lange as a Louisiana college football star and his girlfriend, and what happens to them after college--it starts in the 1950s and ends in the 1980s. I liked it, but I like a good melodrama. I did not care much for "Like a Boss," which I thought was going to be a fun "female friendship" movie, especially since I like the cast. The characters were just too dumb.

[slackmax]

John Wick. A female acquaintance of mine recommended John Wick, since I said I liked the new Death Wish movie.

It was OK. But not nearly as good as the original Death Wish with Bronson, and the remake with Bruce Willis.

Keanu Reeves is the main character in John Wick. The reason it isn't as good, is that John Wick, the character, is a bad guy, not a good guy. He is a retired assassin, and decides to go around killing other bad guys since one of them killed his dog and stole his car.

There's just no way I can root for Keanu. So there's no 'good ending' to hope for (like a good guy winning and getting the girl).   

I watched the whole thing.  Like I said, it was OK. Barely. Lots of action, for sure.   

[Moonwaves]

John Wick. A female acquaintance of mine recommended John Wick, since I said I liked the new Death Wish movie.

It was OK. But not nearly as good as the original Death Wish with Bronson, and the remake with Bruce Willis.

Keanu Reeves is the main character in John Wick. The reason it isn't as good, is that John Wick, the character, is a bad guy, not a good guy. He is a retired assassin, and decides to go around killing other bad guys since one of them killed his dog and stole his car.

There's just no way I can root for Keanu. So there's no 'good ending' to hope for (like a good guy winning and getting the girl).   

I watched the whole thing.  Like I said, it was OK. Barely. Lots of action, for sure.

You have to watch John Wick Chapters 2, 3 and 4 first to understand them.*


* Not really. I'm not even sure Chapter 4 is out yet. But it gives you an idea of the type of thing you're dealing with.  :-)

[BikeFanatic]

Watched Dallas buyers club, really good movie, about a man who imported drugs to treat AIDS afflicted people In the early part of the epidemic. Based on a true story the lead character is not what you might think he was, if that makes sense, good acting.

[sui generis]

John Wick. A female acquaintance of mine recommended John Wick, since I said I liked the new Death Wish movie.

It was OK. But not nearly as good as the original Death Wish with Bronson, and the remake with Bruce Willis.

Keanu Reeves is the main character in John Wick. The reason it isn't as good, is that John Wick, the character, is a bad guy, not a good guy. He is a retired assassin, and decides to go around killing other bad guys since one of them killed his dog and stole his car.

There's just no way I can root for Keanu. So there's no 'good ending' to hope for (like a good guy winning and getting the girl).   

I watched the whole thing.  Like I said, it was OK. Barely. Lots of action, for sure.

Sounds sort of like the TV show Dexter where he was a serial killer of serial killers. And part of that whole trend of the Villain Hero thing that started(?) with Breaking Bad.


We watched "Last Flag Flying".  It's from 2017 with Steve Carrell, Laurence Fishburne and Bryan Cranston (speaking of Breaking Bad...).  With three such famous actors, I'm surprised it didn't get much attention.  I literally had not heard of it before DH insisted on watching it.  I don't think it was at all well done, but mostly I found it interesting to watch this movie with themes and dialogue that just *could not have been made* 15 years ago.  But now, everyone is on the side of that lonely mom protesting outside of the White House back in...2003, 2004? about the Iraq War, and everything in this movie is much more mainstream.  But it wouldn't have been mainstream *at that time* so I don't know, it didn't feel super authentic.

[bbqbonelesswing]

Watched Enola Holmes on Netflix, about Sherlock Holmes' much younger sister. My tween nieces loved it, and I liked it. Millie Bobbie Brown was excellent as the lead character, but Sherlock and Mycroft are very different from the Arthur Conan Doyle versions. Sherlock I didn't mind (I will watch Henry Cavill do pretty much anything, especially in period costume) but Mycroft bothered me a bit.

There's not much new right now, so I've been going back to some older movies. "Defiance," about Jewish partisans in Belarus, was a pretty standard WWII movie--it was interesting to see Daniel Craig play the "softer" character after having seen him so often as James Bond. "Everybody's All-American" is an 80s movie starring Dennis Quaid and Jessica Lange as a Louisiana college football star and his girlfriend, and what happens to them after college--it starts in the 1950s and ends in the 1980s. I liked it, but I like a good melodrama. I did not care much for "Like a Boss," which I thought was going to be a fun "female friendship" movie, especially since I like the cast. The characters were just too dumb.

Defiance was a good one. Both Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber (Wolverine) did a great job.

Yesterday I watched Trumbo on Netflix. What a great story. I'm definitely not an expert on the subject but from the reading I did afterward, it seems like the movie was a pretty accurate telling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalton_Trumbo

[slackmax]

Rewatched 'The Clearing' with Robert Redford and Willem Dafoe, on my VCR.  I was able to fill in the gaps I missed from the first viewing.

I liked it. It's about Redford getting  kidnapped   by Dafoe for a ransom. 

The interaction between Redford and  Dafoe as they walk through the woods is interesting.

I didn't like the ending though. Spoiler alert!  Redford gets killed, and Dafoe gets 10 million in cash. So the bad guy wins, which I don't like.

Finally, Dafoe gets caught and put in jail, which is better than nothing, I guess.   

[sui generis]

Friends With Kids.  So awful. Really just the worst. Also totally confused by Kristen Wiig even being in this movie where she only had like 3 lines and her talents were totally wasted.