Talk About Movies: Part 4
Somehow threads merged, so here's part 4 of our ongoing movie discussion.
I showed them the beginning of The Maltese Falcon and told them to watch for eyeline matches. They immediately got that the woman is lying because the eyelines don't quite match.
When you wrote "eyelines" I immediately thought Rear Window.
In film noir, never trust the woman. Unless the woman is Thelma Ritter. You can trust her.
You then sealed the deal with a perfect one-two teddy post about Thelma Ritter.
I've been showing Looking for Richard to high school students since about 2000.
Drop - fun thriller that makes smart use of current technology as a tool for tension. I think it manages to maintain the tech-reliant concept better than Searching, where the always online plot device didn't always make sense.
Films like this struggle to stick the landing, and Drop is no exception. Enjoyable up to the final parts though.
They found him in a car park in Leicester in 2012.
The Amateur is an ok thriller...great cast...but when you have a nerdy guy bent on revenge, and his skill set is the intriguing ways he sets up his victims instead of guns and hand-to-hand combat, we need to see the HOW he does it all and not just the end result. How did he set the charges in a pool or set up navigating a ship from his computer, etc...and this film doesn't give us that...
The fact that The Amateur is rated PG-13 makes it an easy pass for me. Violent revenge movies should always be rated R.
You educators should challenge your students to out and watch Disney's latest cultural appropriation and get their unbridled honest opinions.
It should be eye opening... or should I say eyes wide shut.
You educators should challenge your students to out and watch Disney's latest cultural appropriation and get their unbridled honest opinions.
It should be eye opening... or should I say eyes wide shut.
What are you upset about specifically?
You educators should challenge your students to out and watch Disney's latest cultural appropriation and get their unbridled honest opinions.
It should be eye opening... or should I say eyes wide shut.
wat
You educators should challenge your students to out and watch Disney's latest cultural appropriation and get their unbridled honest opinions.
It should be eye opening... or should I say eyes wide shut.
Leading into April break, I think I'll stick with Lynch's The Straight Story this Friday.
I've never recovered from the death of Bambi's mother.
A couple of movies I've seen recently that I thought were well done:
FREAKY TALES (2024)
4-story anthology that takes place in 1987 Oakland. The stories are loosely connected. The stories are:
1. punk rockers vs. skinheads
2. battle rappers
3. collection guy (knuckle breaker) for a racist motorcycle gang doesn't have a great day from a personal standpoint. Also of note, this one stars two A-list actors.
4. Golden State Warriors All-Star guard Sleepy Floyd vs the racist motorcycle gang in 3. in a Crazy 88's type of fight.
This one was a lot of fun and moves at a high energy pace. if u like anthology movies and the 1980s, my guess is you will like this one.
WARFARE (2025)
Based on an actual incident during the Iraq war in 2006. A squad of Navy SEALS takes over a house from an Iraqi family, who were otherwise minding their own business, in advance of a Marines mission. The Iraqi insurgents know they're there and things go bad for the SEALS.
I wouldn't say I "enjoyed" watching this per se, but I was always interested in what was going on and was never bored. Plenty of tension. There is some nasty gore - bloody images of severely damaged body parts and blown apart bodies. If u are squeamish about stuff like that, definitely avoid this one.
Also of note, there is no rah-rah America flag waving and the Iraqi insurgents aren't idiot stormtroopers. I would describe this as a neutral portrayal of each side.
Are we 100% sure Goldblum didn't peak in The Big Chill? Or The Fly?
Spoiler
Or Death Wish?
Loved him in Igby Goes Down, which is generally underrated. I guess it’s been like 20 years so I should probably rewatch since I own it.
He’s good in a few Wes Anderson movies too. And Portlandia.
Watched Malick's The Tree of Life again, I think for only the second time.
I love it even if it's more tone poem than film, but those are the kinds of films that appeal to me. I'm not always sure what Malick is up to, but his films are visually arresting. There's a loose narrative; however, you won't mind if you can't quite follow it if you're watching the film for the first time.
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I’m with ya John, beautiful movie. Probably the one my wife and I disagree on the most. She thinks it meanders and doesn’t say much but I strongly connect with the feelings Malick is conveying. I don’t think I can really explain it beyond that.
I could listen to Coogler talk about film for hours. This is a great piece talking about the formatting of his upcoming film
Broken YouTube LinkSing Sing - Wow wow wow. I've always appreciated Colman Domingo. The choices he makes in this film are brave and so bloody naked. There's a bit where he's telling the parole board about his theater group. He's so proud and beaming, until one of the board members asks if his parole hearing is a performance for him. The wind gets taken out of his sails and it felt like a dagger went through my heart. Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin is a revelation. I guess he is a former inmate who spent time in Sing Sing's prison in the theater company. His performance is so raw and authentic. It's incredible watching the two of these actors share the screen and battle for that presence. The real winners are the audience. This is among my favorites of 2024. I'm blown away.
I could listen to Coogler talk about film for hours. This is a great piece talking about the formatting of his upcoming film
I don't know who this guy is, but it's rare for somebody to be able to explain things in a way that I can understand them. ;-)
According to Animation Obsessive, this was an inspiration for Satoshi Kon's Millennium Actress .
Broken YouTube Link
Watched a bit of Sunshine Cleaning last night. Amy Adams and Emily Blunt play a couple sisters who start, without any experience, a crime-scene cleaning company. Some dark comedy due to their inexperience, but it mostly didn't resonate.
Filmed in Albuquerque in 2008. The bits I watched showed them going to the vacuum cleaner store and Crossroads Motel from Breaking Bad.
Too bad it wasn't filmed just a few years later; they could've had a great tie-in. Maybe could've found a lawyer after the accident where a house was set on fire.
Switched over to Parrot Heads later. A documentary about Jimmy Buffett fan clubs. Mostly around the guy who started the first club years ago. Not a great film, but some bits of interest for those of us who are fans.
I have Anchorman on in the background and I swear this movie gets better with age. Just a line-o-rama in the opening 20 minutes. Almost every line is quotable. I'm going to sit down and watch soon but holy **** this is helping me get my week started.
Watched Malick's The Tree of Life again, I think for only the second time. I love it even if it's more tone poem than film, but those are the kinds of films that appeal to me. I'm not always sure what Malick is up to, but his films are visually arresting. There's a loose narrative; however, you won't mind if you can't quite follow it if you're watching the film for the first ti
I saw this when it came out, and thought, What a great movie! -- but have never had any desire to see it again.
A friend is watching Star Wars for the first time and while streaming on twitch she asked "whats the best order to watch it in?" I told her OG trilogy then the shitty Anakin movies, start there. A lot of ppl disagreed with me. Is there really any other way? Like they legit might give up after watching The Phantom Menace lol Plus there are story beats and reveals that will look absolutely goofy and silly if you watch the Anakin trilogy first. Anyway...dumb little rant but I'm not taking crazy pills am I?
