Return Of The Film Corner Thread

[duaneiac]

2 hours ago, BillF said:

Saw it on its release many years ago, but still have very positive memories of it. Is that the one where archaelogists discover a beautiful Roman mural which fades to nothing before their eyes as the air reaches it?

Yes, exactly -- one of several memorable scenes.

I first saw it as part of a film class I had maybe 26 years ago.  I wondered at the time why the instructor was showing this film instead of some of the more "classic" Fellini films like 8 1/2 or La Dolce Vita.  I recall some of the class even snuck out before the end of the film, they found it so boring or confusing.  I did not fully appreciate it at the time, I think, but it is really a compelling work of art.  Would any one even be able to get financing to make a movie like this nowadays?

[BillF]

3 hours ago, duaneiac said:

Yes, exactly -- one of several memorable scenes.

I first saw it as part of a film class I had maybe 26 years ago.  I wondered at the time why the instructor was showing this film instead of some of the more "classic" Fellini films like 8 1/2 or La Dolce Vita.  I recall some of the class even snuck out before the end of the film, they found it so boring or confusing.  I did not fully appreciate it at the time, I think, but it is really a compelling work of art.  Would any one even be able to get financing to make a movie like this nowadays?

I don't know about Italy, but state funding for French cinema would certainly get a film like that made in France nowadays.

[kinuta]

Jackie - Pablo Larraín (2016)

 

Sombre portrait set in and around the assassination, framed as an interview with flashbacks.

Natalie Portman is excellent  in a complex, multi faced, chainsmoking performance.

The wife and I both had a little trouble catching her throaty, breathy diction.

Great music that reminded me of There Will Be Blood.

A must see.

[BillF]

3 hours ago, kinuta said:

Jackie - Pablo Larraín (2016)

 

Sombre portrait set in and around the assassination, framed as an interview with flashbacks.

Natalie Portman is excellent  in a complex, multi faced, chainsmoking performance.

The wife and I both had a little trouble catching her throaty, breathy diction.

Great music that reminded me of There Will Be Blood.

A must see.

Intend to see it on Thursday.

[Milestones]

Anybody with opinions on the Oscars nominations?   I don't think we live in a  golden age of cinema (especially when it comes tot what Hollywood honors), and I don't go to the movies very often.  

I did see Hidden Figures, and that was pretty good.

La La Land?  Well I'm skeptical of modern musicals, and I would nominate this thing for a Razzie for worst title (if there is no such category, there ought to be).  Fourteen (14) noms???  Does ANY film deserve this, including the previous ones that did it?

 

[BillF]

Recommended.

[kinuta]

5 hours ago, Milestones said:

Anybody with opinions on the Oscars nominations?   I don't think we live in a  golden age of cinema (especially when it comes tot what Hollywood honors), and I don't go to the movies very often.  

I did see Hidden Figures, and that was pretty good.

La La Land?  Well I'm skeptical of modern musicals, and I would nominate this thing for a Razzie for worst title (if there is no such category, there ought to be).  Fourteen (14) noms???  Does ANY film deserve this, including the previous ones that did it?

 

Anything but bloody La La Land !

Overpraised, over rated mediocrity, this years ' Crash'. Should be a total shoo-in to sweep the board.

Of the contenders that I've seen, Moonlight was the most impressive. Direction, acting, screenplay all superb plus that indefinable quality of connecting on a deeper level that makes a film a classic.  That would be my pick for best film.

However, the way Brokeback Mountain was snubbed suggests films about gay people are not likely winners, even though his sexuality was not the focus of the film.

I liked  Hidden Figures too but it has no chance of winning.

Hacksaw Ridge was superb , visually, technically as good as it gets with a very strong message, well executed about the value of life and ones convictions.  Still Hollywood hates Gibson so it has no chance.

Manchester By The Sea was very good but will end up ignored as was his previous gem, Margaret.

Arrival was great but they never give best film award to SF.

[JSngry]

7 hours ago, Milestones said:

 I don't think we live in a  golden age of cinema (especially when it comes tot what Hollywood honors), and I don't go to the movies very often.  

I think I share this basic opinion, I I used to kinda feel bad about it, but you know, I've started going to bed really early lately, and have discovered old Bud Collyer-era To Tell The Truth shows on Buzzr, replete with the supposedly original commercials left in. It's taken me 61 years to notice how fucking BIZARRE Bud Collyer could be, he'd be all normal bowtie politeman and then all of a sudden - OUT OF NOWHERE - just drop a phrase or two that make NO logical sense whatsoever, NONE, and then be right back in it, not one microsecond break in his reality, just everybody else's, and between that and thinking about Tom Poston ending up married to Suzanne Plushette and being asleep by 9 PM, I figure I should probably just stay away from movies right now, probably forever. I had lost interest a while ago anyway, and now I have this, you know, quit while I'm ahead.

 

[Jazzmoose]

I have mixed emotions on this one.  The ending  was a bit too silly for me, and, perhaps it was my confusion, but the movie seemed to imply that time dilation would only be a problem if you landed on a planet-sounds like bullshit to me, as did frozen clouds that solid.  Still, it's been a long time since a movie had scenes tense enough to make me hold my breath.  And the lack of sound in the space scenes almost brought a tear to my eye.  How long did it take Hollywood to get that right?

[kinuta]

Loving - Jeff Nichols (2016)

True 1950's story of a couple victimized by Virginia's vile apartheid laws.

Too underpowered for me. I see what he director was aiming for but found it low key to the point of nonchalance.

 

 

[duaneiac]

Christopher Walken plays an aging, once popular crooner and womanizer angling for a comeback.  Amber Heard plays his daughter who is trying to create a musical acreer of her ow,n but has made a muck of her life.  Not a very good movie and I can't recommend any one take the time to watch it.  For me, it would have been better if they had had some one like -- hell, not just "like", but the real Steve Lawrence play the Walken role.  I think he'd have the dramatic chops to do it and he could sing a whole lot better than Mr. Walken, which is important if one is to believe that a comeback would be at all possible.

Be that as it may, I have lately taken to playing movies with the subtitles on, especially in a Christopher Walken movie as his is not always the easiest voice to understand when he speaks in hushed tones.  There was one scene where what he said was, "I shall return anon".  What the person doing the subtitles wrote was, "I shall return a nun".  The thought that the next time we would see Mr. Walken he would be robed in a full nun's habit gave me the biggest, longest laugh I have had in a long time.  I literally laughed till I cried.  So for that and that alone, I'm glad I saw this film.

[kinuta]

Miss Sloane - John Madden (2016)

 

Jessica Chastain does Olivia Pope.

Story of an obsessive Washington lobbyist was quite good, nowhere near as bad as some of the snooty reviews would have us believe.

[jlhoots]

4 hours ago, kinuta said:

Miss Sloane - John Madden (2016)

 

Jessica Chastain does Olivia Pope.

Story of an obsessive Washington lobbyist was quite good, nowhere near as bad as some of the snooty reviews would have us believe.

I liked Miss Sloane too.

Seeing Paterson tomorrow.

[medjuck]

1 hour ago, jlhoots said:

I liked Miss Sloane too.

Seeing Paterson tomorrow.

Curious to hear what you think of Paterson. 

[Dave Garrett]

On 1/26/2017 at 10:49 PM, duaneiac said:

Be that as it may, I have lately taken to playing movies with the subtitles on, especially in a Christopher Walken movie as his is not always the easiest voice to understand when he speaks in hushed tones.  There was one scene where what he said was, "I shall return anon".  What the person doing the subtitles wrote was, "I shall return a nun".  The thought that the next time we would see Mr. Walken he would be robed in a full nun's habit gave me the biggest, longest laugh I have had in a long time.  I literally laughed till I cried.  So for that and that alone, I'm glad I saw this film.

[duaneiac]

2 hours ago, Dave Garrett said:

!!!

[BillF]

So good to take a break from today's sophisticated movies!

Well made and thoroughly enjoyable.

[kinuta]

7 hours ago, BillF said:

So good to take a break from today's sophisticated movies!

Well made and thoroughly enjoyable.

I liked the two new ones as much, if not more. The original was a classic but things went downhill after that.

[jlhoots]

On 1/27/2017 at 3:47 PM, medjuck said:

Curious to hear what you think of Paterson. 

5 of us went to see it. Consensus was that everyone liked it. The bar scenes were great. Everyone liked the relationship of the main couple.

One person thought the stuff with the dog was a bit much.

[kinuta]

Allied - Robert Zemeckis (2016)

 

Thought the first part in France was interesting but it fell apart on return to UK. Devolved into a love story with implausibilities everywhere and  the twist spotted a mile off. Marion Cotillard is always good but Brapi ( his Japanese nickname) very wooden and by the numbers.

Underwhelming.

 

[kinuta]

Denial - Mick Jackson (2016)

A great cast working with a beautifully written script, I really liked this .

Recommended.

[BillF]

I guess by now this has reached the status of minor British classic.

[kinuta]

Paterson - Jim Marmusch (2016)

Quite and contemplative, I loved it. I could have happily watched it again.

Golshifteh Farahani is adorable.

The Edge Of Seventeen - Kelly Fremon Craig (2016)

Head and shoulders above the usual teenage angst stuff.

Watched it mainly for Hailee Steinfeld, who was brilliant in True Grit, and it exceeded expectations.

Reminded me a bit of Juno.

[kinuta]

Lion - Garth Davis (2016)

Here's a film that I'd suggest you see with no prior knowledge of the content.

The title gives no clue to the story, I initially had a vague idea that it was a film about lions.

I thought it was great and even forgave the ten kleenex ending, as everything that had gone before made it the only logical way to end the remarkable film of an even more remarkable true story.

Recommended.

[jlhoots]

The Salesman