Movie reviews

[SteveCoscia]

The new John Waite documentary, The Hard Way, is worthwhile.  He is candid, open and approachable.  As artists go, his lyrics and music are among the best IMHO.  The documentary is on Amazon Prime, other outlets and on DVD. Website link below.

 

https://www.johnwaitefilm.com/

 

 

[Outkaster]

On 12/8/2022 at 8:47 PM, David Emm said:

During the making of the original "King Kong," animator Willis O'Brien used real flowers behind a painstakingly-rendered dinosaur scene. When they looked at the rushes a week later, the armatured dino was moving properly in real-time... but the flowers behind him were blooming at high speed. D'OH! 

 

Thereafter, plastic flowers were employed.

 It's too bad there was never interviews with him. His techniques were amazing.  Ray Harryhausen even told us that.

[David Emm]

49 minutes ago, Outkaster said:

 It's too bad there was never interviews with him. His techniques were amazing.  Ray Harryhausen even told us that.

 

There is a museum in Germany featuring a healthy collection of Harryhausen's original sculptures and armatures, as well as his extremely detailed renderings of scenes he animated. Wow. Stop-motion work is excruciating and demands a rare form of focus. I love CGI, but it can't reproduce the feel of human hands moving a figure 1/16th of an inch at a time for a week to get 30 seconds of movement. Its like an extended form of glass blowing.   

[Outkaster]

16 hours ago, David Emm said:

 

There is a museum in Germany featuring a healthy collection of Harryhausen's original sculptures and armatures, as well as his extremely detailed renderings of scenes he animated. Wow. Stop-motion work is excruciating and demands a rare form of focus. I love CGI, but it can't reproduce the feel of human hands moving a figure 1/16th of an inch at a time for a week to get 30 seconds of movement. Its like an extended form of glass blowing.   

Ray said that the skeletons in Jason and The Argonauts fight took 14 days to animate.  I have seen some of his armatures. 

[bill5]

Toy Story 4- A worthy successor to the franchise which is likely the last in the series. 

[o0Ampy0o]

On 12/14/2022 at 8:58 AM, Outkaster said:

Ray said that the skeletons in Jason and The Argonauts fight took 14 days to animate.  I have seen some of his armatures. 

I read it was a timeframe of 4.5 months. Some days he produced only a few frames comprising less than a single second of film time. He also had to wait for the film to be processed to see whether the animation was acceptable. 

[o0Ampy0o]

On 12/13/2022 at 7:04 AM, SteveCoscia said:

The new John Waite documentary, The Hard Way, is worthwhile.  He is candid, open and approachable.  As artists go, his lyrics and music are among the best IMHO.  The documentary is on Amazon Prime, other outlets and on DVD. Website link below.

 

https://www.johnwaitefilm.com/

 

 

 

It is interesting that he devoted so little time to Bad English in the documentary. He covered Jonathan Cain's entrance, impact and exit with The Babys. If you did not follow John's career you would not learn how significant Bad English was in his career. It definitely was worth a full chapter rather than a few words. He gave his all to that band. 

[Ivan May]

I have recently started getting into the biopic The End Of The Tour, about the life and legacy of noted author David Foster Wallace, whose life ended in suicide in 2008, and his interview with Rolling Stone journalist David Lipsky.

 

If you've never seen it in its entirety, I highly recommend it. Even though Jason Segel is usually known for his rather bland comedy films, both he and Jesse Eisenberg do a great job playing David Foster Wallace and David Lipsky, respectively, and James Ponsoldt does a soulful, professional job directing the film. Ponsoldt isn't very well known as a director, but he is very underappreciated in his field.

 

I might consider rewatching it, it's been a long time since I last saw it.

[bill5]

Re-watched the first Spiderman movie. It's good despite a glaring flaw or two, but MacGuire should have been ditched after the first one and Garfield used onward, since he's the only one who looks like an adult. The other two have this (spoiler alert, mini-rant follows) annoyingly freshed-faced, 10th-grade, "golly gee guys" little kid thing going. That isn't Spiderman but they have butchered that character in that way ever since. I'd love to see Garfield back.

[o0Ampy0o]

42 minutes ago, bill5 said:

Re-watched the first Spiderman movie. It's good despite a glaring flaw or two, but MacGuire should have been ditched after the first one and Garfield used onward, since he's the only one who looks like an adult. The other two have this (spoiler alert, mini-rant follows) annoyingly freshed-faced, 10th-grade, "golly gee guys" little kid thing going. That isn't Spiderman but they have butchered that character in that way ever since. I'd love to see Garfield back.

 

(Andrew Garfield is...) "the only one who looks like an adult." I only saw the first one with Katie Holmes. I don't know anything about the comic book story but I figured it was intentional that they cast people who looked like they were in their twenties but by Hollywood standards they could pass for high school students. He looks like a high school kid to me.

 

 

 

 

 

[bill5]

Trust me, compared to the other two, he's practically middle-aged.    I think he looks more 20something. 

[bill5]

Continuing my recent Marvel tour, watched the first two X-Men movies. Both well done IMO. I'm skipping the third in the series and going to the next two which are prequels...

[o0Ampy0o]

Ghost Town -Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Téa Leoni and Kristen Wiig. I found this to be well done on multiple levels. I think I may have seen it when it was first released for viewing at home. I did not know of Ricky Gervais at that time. As I watched it recently I only had a very faint memory of seeing at least some of it. I fully appreciated seeing it this time. They are not making films this good anymore. The approach to film making has changed. The timing and delivery of all the humor is perfect. The beautiful cinematography presents New York City in Autumn. You may or may not like Ricky Gervais but he is a versatile performer.

 

Watching Ghost town I was reminded of how films made for steaming seem to skip sufficient rehearsing. I don't know whether they do or don't but everything seems to be done in one take. There is a high percentage of empty acting, like the actor has not invested in the scene. They end up looking like they are making up for it by overacting.  Lots of scenes look like there is a mismatch between the continuity of the film and where that particular actor's mind was at when filming. The director would be partially to blame for not recognizing it. On the other hand, I have read how filming for streaming does not value such things because the typical viewer is distracted. I guess that will be enough for newer younger viewing audiences. I am accustomed to different standards of film making.

 

Gunless -You may only recognize Graham Greene but don't let that matter. It is worth watching. It is a classic western story with some humor. A gunslinger ends up in Canada and there is a culture clash. It might have been bigger if filled with more famous actors. That is really the only thing that weakens it. There are humorous takes on the Western genre. The film isn't meant to be a parody. It is not meant to be a serious Western either.

[Synthaholic]

I re-watched 'My Cousin Vinny' last night, and it's still as funny as ever. Marissa Tomei is just fantastic and looks even better. There was so much noise when she won Best Supporting Actress about how she didn't deserve it, but just watch her totally inhabit that character, from the facial expressions to the accent to the way she carries herself. Pesci looked a little ridiculous trying to look much younger than he is (He was a boyhood friend of Frankie Valli in the 1950s) and it's not believable that they would be a couple, but there are so many genuine laughs in this movie.

 

 

 

[bill5]

She was perfect in the movie, and so smokin hot. I saw her in something else later and went "? what happened?"  (She looked fine, it just wasn't that hot My Cousin Vinny babe) Fred Gwynne was great in a supporting role too; always love to see actors who were typecast get something else going. 

[David Emm]

"The Power" on Amazon Prime is based on the book by Naomi Alderman. I read it about two years ago and the film is true to the source. Its a story about women world-wide suddenly developing an electric-eel-like organ that allows them to administer shocks from small to fatal. It follows several very different women from varying social levels and how they come to terms with the ability. "Rapes down 75%" would seem like a welcome headline, but the dark aspects on the flip side make for a varied story whose narrative pulls you along steadily.

 

Its been renewed for a 2nd season and I hope they'll stop there rather than dilute things by trying to extend it further. Its a timely story that makes several points very well. The cast is excellent, but be forewarned; its not a family musical. 😬

[Bill H.]

On 6/2/2023 at 6:49 PM, bill5 said:

Continuing my recent Marvel tour, watched the first two X-Men movies. Both well done IMO. I'm skipping the third in the series and going to the next two which are prequels...

Days Of Future Past (no relation to the Moody Blues LP) is my favorite X-Men movie. If you are old enough to have lived through the Nixon administration, there's a dead-on Nixon impersonator confronting Magneto that's... well you have to see it to believe it!  IIRC Kissinger is scowling in the background as well. 

[o0Ampy0o]

The Power sounds like something I would rather read but I will give it a chance.

 

I have yet to experience a book I have read made into a television series that has not make me cringe. The first book of Game of Thrones was amazing. I steered clear of a lot of fiction especially fantasy fiction because I considered it a waste of valuable time. But I had a discussion with a small group of people who read a lot and a few convinced me that George RR Martin is an incredible character writer and storyteller. That began a long enjoyable journey discovering so many authors in new-to-me genres. I started looking for books noted for character development and storytelling. (I know duh! ....it wasn't that I did not think of that but I was focused on other things instead of that specifically regardless of genre).  Even though Martin was directly involved in the television adaptation I could not watch more than the first episode. I saw so many things wrong with it.

 

Marissa Tomei is a woman who improved with age IMO. Some see bags under the eyes and that kills it. Not me. I see what shines through when the surface shows signs of aging. I have not seen My Cousin Vinny but I have seen clips and pictures from it. She was attractive but there have been lots of attractive actresses. I would not have put her on a top 10 list of the most attractive actresses when she was younger.

 

They are not all meaty roles showcasing of her great acting ability but check out Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, Crazy Stupid Love, The Wrestler and In The Bedroom.... (no it is not what it sounds like......instead it shows how good she is at acting, while she is clearly beautiful she really seems to be in love with the younger man, otherwise she could have anyone else).

 

[bill5]

Agreed!

 

Today was Nightmare Alley - A flick about the dark side of the 30/40s carnival circuit. This started out great but about half-way through took a "wth" left turn into melodrama and character/plot development which either didn't make sense or just plain sucked. From there it devolved into a rather predictable crime thriller and IMO a very predictable ending. Cate Blanchett has done some great stuff but was terrible in this - due mostly to bad directing I think. Shame.

[jazzpiano88]

1 hour ago, David Emm said:

"The Power" on Amazon Prime is based on the book by Naomi Alderman. I read it about two years ago and the film is true to the source. Its a story about women world-wide suddenly developing an electric-eel-like organ that allows them to administer shocks ....

 

Jesus!  Sounds extremely disturbing!   I'm definitely going to have to check it out!

[bill5]

Onward - Pixar does it again. Fun animated movie about a teenage elf and his big brother (don't let that throw you: they have a "modern" appearance and demeanor...Lord of the Rings this aint) who go on a journey to find a magic gem that can re-animate their deceased father one last time for 24 hrs. Well done

[CowboyNQ]

I watched “invitation to a murder” this week.

 

if you’re a fan of a classic whodunnit tale, this is aimed at you.  However you’d be far better served watching the vastly superior Knives Out and its sequel, or the recent Branagh Poirot adaptations.

 

The plot took a very well-worn path, acting was poor and the characters two-dimensional, bland and unlikable. Their motivations were often hard to understand or reconcile. So much so that I really didn’t care who died and who did it.  

There were a couple of red herrings that were unsatisfactorily resolved or not resolved at all.

 

The last scene was particularly jarring and wrapped everything up far too conveniently.

[Jose EB5AGV]

I don't like to go to the cinema, but lately, as my work at my electronics home lab lets me have some periods when I can watch something once I have found the fault and am doing mechanical things (assemble/disassemble, soldering, ...), I have watched a Prime Video series, Citadel, in part because it is partially localised on my hometown (Valencia, Spain) and I was curious about what was shown of it. Not too much, but some city icons are pictured 🤩

 

My opinion... Well, if you enjoy action-packed films, you will like it. An 8 out of 10 for me.

[bill5]

6 hours ago, Jose EB5AGV said:

I don't like to go to the cinema

I never do. 

[Bill H.]

^ For me it depends. I watched Avatar The Way Of Water last night at home, and wondered what all the fuss was about. But I know those who saw it in Imax 3D and were blown away. I remember watching one of the first screenings of Endgame in a packed house, and the theater's collective response to each surprise element was infectious. It heightened the experience IMO. 

 

I watched Guardians III in a theater, and was glad I did. Decent movie BTW. But for something like Asteroid City, I'll wait and watch it at home. 

[Stokely]

Yeah, Avatar 2 was a pretty ho-hum movie as far as plot and characters (as was the first) but holy cow it was absolutely mind-blowing in 3d.  I'd describe many of the scenes as appearing like I was hovering about 20 ft above and out front of actors in a play.   Hovering and often moving around. I've never experienced anything remotely close to it.  Avatar 1 in 3d which I also saw back then was nothing close.  The 3D was not the old stereotypical "things sticking out of the screen", it was literally bringing me onto a set as a floating actor.   I wish all movies could be like this but I imagine nobody but Cameron has the budget.

Dune 2, I'll be back in a theater but then I'm both a huge Denis and Frank Herbert fan, so the fact that it's a "big screen" epic movie is icing on the cake  

I'm averaging about a movie a year over the last five, and probably not much more than that at home (for new movies, I have been on a kick of pulling up old sci-fi and horror movies from the 50s lately on Prime and Youtube!).  I did enjoy Nope quite a bit.

[Bill H.]

5 minutes ago, Stokely said:

Dune 2, I'll be back in a theater but then I'm both a huge Denis and Frank Herbert fan, so the fact that it's a "big screen" epic movie is icing on the cake  
 

As will I. I was blown away by the cinematography of the last one, and will absolutely watch Dune 2 on the biggest screen in my area. 

[Stokely]

Cinematographer - I was a bit leery of Denis not using Roger Deacons as he has for most of his movies but Greg Fraser did a great job.  "Leery" is probably too strong a word, I'd seen some of Fraser's other work and knew that Denis wouldn't go with something substandard.

[D. Gauss]

"Blackberry"  is great fun.

[o0Ampy0o]

For a little while (after Avatar, time flies so 10 years back?) at least 2-3 films were done in 3D each year for maybe 2 years and the buzz was that they might be filming with 2D and 3D cameras simultaneously so they could offer both.

 

James Cameron will always push the envelope reaching beyond state of the art but most productions let someone else lead while they take a practical and proven approach.

 

 

Winter's Bone

 

Speaking of Jennifer Lawrence Endgames series    my introduction to her was in Winter's Bone which was sort of a hillbilly detective story in the Ozarks. She and the film were great IMO. Cannot recommend anything else she has done.

 

She is similar to Angelina Jolie, hugely popular because their fans are awestruck by their beauty and consequently attribute miracles to them. At least Jennifer Lawrence can be a great actress at least once. Jolie? I am still looking for the product which supports her perceived greatness. She caught on through Girl Interrupted. Jolie may have been pretty but Winona Rider was the actress.

 

 

Wind River

 

Another rural detective story, this starring Jeremy Renner.

 

 

The Hurt Locker

 

Speaking of Jeremy Renner, it's about addiction to danger and the risk of death.

 

 

A couple of documentaries to recommend on Netflix:

The one on Bernie Madoff.

The one on Jeffrey Epstein.

Skip the one on Epstein's assistant, Ghislaine Maxwell.

 

The Maxwell documentary is marketed as a part 2 in the documentary series but the case, including Maxwell's role, was thoroughly presented in the Jeffrey Epstein portion. The Maxwell portion is just a money grab riding on the interest in the story of Epstein covered in the first segment. The Maxwell documentary has nothing more to add to her role. Epstein committed suicide while in jail before he could be brought to trial. The Maxwell documentary focuses on her trial. Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom. The Maxwell documentary is mostly comprised of narrated courtroom sketches and conversation reenactment by the actual lawyers and victims, who are not even close to adequate as actors. Which brings up another issue.

 

The information has been what captured and held my interest in a documentary. I grew up when it was sacrilege to use reenactment in a documentary.  The Ken Burns documentary on the US Civil War was done using illustrations with carefully crafted multi-track audio landscapes and interspersed with interviews of historians. His later work has included staged reenactments. Nowadays many interviews in documentaries are coached to fit a one-two punch idea bite with a set time, rhythm and "sexy" setting including colorful lighting. Ex-football stars can get away with a stiff lack of charisma taken for granted in visual broadcasting. "Shac" especially would not have a chance if not for his accomplishments as a pro athlete. I rarely had a problem with some expert unaccustomed to being interviewed on camera. Carl Sagan seemed to be the way he would be giving a lecture in an auditorium. Now many of these people could be actors and stage performers posing as experts. Many participants in Reality TV shows are actors.

 

Both the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell documentaries have the actual lawyers who represented the victims reenacting conversations. The Epstein segment had a few but the Maxwell segment is almost entirely comprised of such reenactments and narrated courtroom sketches. Other than skipping it you would be better off listening rather than watching.