RA Movie Thread (Read 5918 times)

    Coming back to the 21st century.

    Finally saw Inside Llewyn Davis. I had been wanting to see it ever since the first previews came out. When it came to the theaters it was on very limited release for a long time, nothing too close to me. Went to wider release & didn't get around to it, then before long it showed up on On Demand.

    Overall I enjoyed it, although probably does not rank among the Coen Bros best. My wife did not like it too much as it was very depressing, and the story didn't really seem to go anywhere. John Goodman was the highlight of the film.

    The music side of it was really cool. Oscar Isaac did a really nice job, he did all his own music. The main song "Fare Thee Well" got really stuck in my head. I had heard it in the trailers, but didn't realize it was actually a duet between Isaac and Marcus Mumford (of Mumford & Sons), who is the voice of Llewyn's former partner (on the song, but nowhere else in the movie).

    Dave

    BeeRunB


      After someone brought it up here, I revisited Harry and Tonto. It's been so long, I think I saw it on TV when I was a teenager. I really enjoyed it. Art Carney knocks it out of the ballpark (won the Oscar for this role). I left this film really having a feeling for what it's like growing old and how it's a continuing process of losing everything you love, and having to let go (if you're to remain sane and vital). They don't make movies with this feel anymore. The scenes breathe and take their time. No fast bing-bam-boom editing. It feels odd at first, but once into it, it draws you in. Stellar cast.

       

      Check out Carney winning the Oscar

      Charles G


        Not impressed with American Hustle. It follows the same tired Scorsese formula as The Departed. Although I'm not a fan of Woody Allen's recent work, Blue Jasmine was great mostly due to Kate Blanchett's performance. And the plot is cribbed from A Streetcar Named Desire so the success of the movie had little to do with Allen.

          Not impressed with American Hustle. It follows the same tired Scorsese formula as The Departed. Although I'm not a fan of Woody Allen's recent work, Blue Jasmine was great mostly due to Kate Blanchett's performance. And the plot is cribbed from A Streetcar Named Desire so the success of the movie had little to do with Allen.

           

          Just watched them on successive nights this weekend, and I had the opposite opinion. Thought American Hustle was the best movie I've seen in a while. Loved the storyline & performances, all 4 of the main characters could've won Oscars.

          I do agree Woody Allen has become very tiresome lately, and Blue Jasmine is probably his best in a while. But I thought nowhere near as good as AH. Blanchett's performance was very good, but IMHO kind of over the top.

          Dave

          mab411


          Proboscis Colossus

            Not impressed with American Hustle. It follows the same tired Scorsese formula as The Departed. 

             

            You don't mean Wolf of Wall Street, do you?  That's the one Scorsese directed.

             

            Haven't seen either, so I'm not arguing.  The quoted sentence just made me wonder.

            "God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people

            Charles G


               

              You don't mean Wolf of Wall Street, do you?  That's the one Scorsese directed.

               

              Haven't seen either, so I'm not arguing.  The quoted sentence just made me wonder.

               

              Your right. David Russell directed American Hustle. My mistake.

              BeeRunB


                Watched Anger Management. What were those guys thinking? I hate it in movies when something is so plainly obvious and everyone is written too stupid or unaware to see it. Like when  Adam Sandler is on the plane and everyone think he's getting out of control about a movie, when he's calm and as nice as can be. They arrest him and throw him in anger management, when he was never angry. Dumb. The movie lost me right there. I went into laptop mode with the movie in the background. At some point Jack Nicholson starts living with him. I love comedy, and absurdity, but this film was just bad and so implausible, even in the universe it seemingly sets up. The laptop ended up being fun.

                  Watched Anger Management. What were those guys thinking? I hate it in movies when something is so plainly obvious and everyone is written too stupid or unaware to see it. Like when  Adam Sandler is on the plane and everyone think he's getting out of control about a movie, when he's calm and as nice as can be. They arrest him and throw him in anger management, when he was never angry. Dumb. The movie lost me right there. I went into laptop mode with the movie in the background. At some point Jack Nicholson starts living with him. I love comedy, and absurdity, but this film was just bad and so implausible, even in the universe it seemingly sets up. The laptop ended up being fun.

                   

                  Um, you knew going in this was an Adam Sandler movie, right? And you expected it NOT to be dumb?

                  Dave

                  BeeRunB


                     

                    Um, you knew going in this was an Adam Sandler movie, right? And you expected it NOT to be dumb?

                     

                    Actually, I enjoyed some of his other movies, dumb as they were, they were funny. This one...

                    stadjak


                    Interval Junkie --Nobby

                       Um, you knew going in this was an Adam Sandler movie, right? And you expected it NOT to be dumb?

                       

                      Make sure you see Punch Drunk Love to change your mind about Sandler.  And incredibly emotional film.  Comedians must have powerful depression they fight off every day because when they play a movie straight, they end up some of the most emotionally grounded actors on the screen.  This is one of my favorite movies.

                      2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do

                      mab411


                      Proboscis Colossus

                        Watched Anger Management. What were those guys thinking? I hate it in movies when something is so plainly obvious and everyone is written too stupid or unaware to see it. Like when  Adam Sandler is on the plane and everyone think he's getting out of control about a movie, when he's calm and as nice as can be. They arrest him and throw him in anger management, when he was never angry. Dumb. The movie lost me right there. I went into laptop mode with the movie in the background. At some point Jack Nicholson starts living with him. I love comedy, and absurdity, but this film was just bad and so implausible, even in the universe it seemingly sets up. The laptop ended up being fun.

                         

                        It's been awhile, but didn't they give some kind of shaky justification...didn't it turn out that the whole time, it was a conspiracy between the girlfriend and Nicholson to get him to quit bottling up his feelings or something?

                         

                        But yes or no, I agree...very disappointing movie.  Except for the scene at the monastery.

                        "God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people

                           

                          Make sure you see Punch Drunk Love to change your mind about Sandler.  And incredibly emotional film.  Comedians must have powerful depression they fight off every day because when they play a movie straight, they end up some of the most emotionally grounded actors on the screen.  This is one of my favorite movies.

                           

                          I have not seen that one. I looked it up, and I guess I would not consider it an Adam Sandler movie per se, but rather a Paul Thomas Anderson movie (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood), that happens to have Sandler in it. As well as Emily Watson & the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. I am not saying he is a terrible actor when given the right roles (Funny People, Spanglish), just that anything billed as an Adam Sandler comedy will be dumb. And whether it is also funny depends on your sense of humor.

                          Dave

                          BeeRunB


                             

                            I have not seen that one. I looked it up, and I guess I would not consider it an Adam Sandler movie per se, but rather a Paul Thomas Anderson movie (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood), that happens to have Sandler in it. As well as Emily Watson & the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. I am not saying he is a terrible actor when given the right roles (Funny People, Spanglish), just that anything billed as an Adam Sandler comedy will be dumb. And whether it is also funny depends on your sense of humor.

                             

                            One of my favorite movies is Dumb and Dumber. In terms of comedy, it's almost high art! The guys are dumb, but they're consistent and completely true to their natures, and the universe is consistent. And they're freakin' funny.

                             

                            I just don't like getting thrown out of my trance.

                             

                            For example, I started watching this movie on Netflix called The English Teacher with Julianna Moore, whom I'm a big fan of. In the beginning, there's this scene where she's standing at a drive-thru ATM.  A guy comes walking up to her out of nowhere, and she maces him. He ends up being a former student and had just wanted to say hi. This is the middle of the night. I noticed the ATM drive-thru lane had been chained off, and her car was in the next lane. I had to stop the movie and figure out why the ATM lane was chained off. There's was no reason, EXCEPT to get her outside her car to contrive a meet-cute scene. The ATM was working, The tar was okay. I was thrown from my trance.  Perhaps, I'm getting older and I'm on the other side of the hill gaining speed towards my ultimate demise and feel there's no time to waste (no, this forum is NEVER wasted time). Not perhaps, that's true actually.   If a movie throws me out that abruptly, it's rare I stick with it now.

                             

                            I want to transcend ordinary reality when watching a movie. Leave it all behind.

                            BeeRunB


                               

                              It's been awhile, but didn't they give some kind of shaky justification...didn't it turn out that the whole time, it was a conspiracy between the girlfriend and Nicholson to get him to quit bottling up his feelings or something?

                               

                              But yes or no, I agree...very disappointing movie.  Except for the scene at the monastery.

                               

                              I dont know, I stopped paying attention. LOL. And if that was the reason, That was fricking elaborate! 

                               

                              I did laugh once, and that was when Nicholson was laughing uproariously on the plane. His laugh was infectious. Only the best actors can laugh for real like that.

                              mab411


                              Proboscis Colossus

                                 

                                I dont know, I stopped paying attention. LOL. And if that was the reason, That was fricking elaborate! 

                                 

                                 

                                 

                                Yeah, they stretched it pretty thin to explain a plot that really wasn't worth explaining!

                                 

                                Another example of a "dumb comedy" actor in a really interesting movie: Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction.  I won't say he turned in an Oscar-worthy performance (hard to say that when there are actual Oscar-winners in the movie), but parts of that movie - parts with him in it - really moved me.

                                "God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people