What movies did you see recently?

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ERinVA
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Re: What movies did you see recently?

Post by ERinVA »

Yesterday I went to see "The BFG." What a lovely, lovely movie! The BFG, if you haven't heard, is a Big Friendly Giant, played (I assume in motion-capture) by Mark Rylance, and he is simply wonderful. His motion-capture self is a gangly, lanky, big-eared, supposedly 24-foot version of himself, while, Sophie, the little girl BFG kidnaps and then befriends, is played by a normal-size, real-life, Ruby Barnhill, whose character has a lot in common with Matilda from another famous Dahl story: bright, resourceful, lonely little girl that she is. Just as Matilda finds her way thanks to Miss Honey, so Sophie has the BFG, catcher and deliverer of dreams, to help her achieve her best self. I won't go on, except to say see the movie, if for no other reason for the hilarious breakfast scene at Buckingham Palace. :lol: By the way, this time, QEII is played by Penelope Wilton, otherwise recognizable as Isabelle Crawley from Downton Abbey.

See and enjoy! :D
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angelenroute
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Re: What movies did you see recently?

Post by angelenroute »

I hadn't heard anything about this until now, so I just watched the first two trailers. Looks wonderful!

I have to agree (without knowing any more about the original book or movie) that 3 AM is indeed "the witching hour". In all the books I've read on spiritual matters, near-death experiences, and more, 3 AM is a universally agreed-upon time for magic! The late, great Wayne Dyer always spoke of how he'd wake up naturally around 3 AM to write.

Thank you for the recommendation! Hope to go see this soon!

Sean

"Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it." -Edward Albee
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Re: What movies did you see recently?

Post by Todd »

I saw the new film "Captain Fantastic" tonight. And no, it's not a movie version of the classic Elton John album of the same name . . . although I think that would have made for a much more enjoyable film.

I thought the premise sounded interesting: a father of 6 moves his family into the rural, woodsy Pacific Northwest to provide a less stressful environment for his ailing wife. He runs a regimented home life for his kids, as they are home-schooled and put through military-like fitness training. They're expected to learn how to survive in the wild using their guile, athleticism, and a hunting knife. While they're extremely book smart, they lack any social skills and understanding of American culture, which becomes painfully obvious when the family makes an occasional visit to any town or city.

I guess I was expecting more of a light-hearted, hippie version of the Swiss Family Robinson, based on the trailer. Instead, the father - in spite of his misguided, best intentions - exercises a form of child abuse on his family by: failing to provide them with any moral compass, allowing them to casually drop f-bombs in their conversation, make fun of people who have different beliefs than them (Christians seem to be a frequent target), disrespect the rules of people's homes they visit, and even fake a seizure at a grocery store to create a diversion while the kids shop-lift all the food they can and make a run for it. Any character who dares to tell him that what he's doing might not be in the kids' best interest is portrayed as a villain or a buffoon.

While it held my interest, I found it maddening how the message of the film seemed to be, "Wouldn't it be great if all families were raised this way?" Ignored were the long-term negative consequences that would eventually occur by not preparing your children to be able to function in a world with people who might have different views of how to live their lives.
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patc
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Re: What movies did you see recently?

Post by patc »

muck912 wrote:I saw a movie today with great original music that was set in the British Empire in the mid 1980s, with a heavily accented young star who sings and dances, who comes from a dysfunctional family, with an unsupportive Dad, and has a oddball brother in his 20s who still lives at home. No, I didn't see Billy Elliot again. I saw "Sing Street", and what a great movie it is. It was written and directed by John Carney who also is responsible for "Once". See Todd's review up above as I agree with everything he writes. I'd be shocked if this movie wasn't soon a Broadway musical.
British Empire??? ROFL. It is set in Dublin, Ireland which is an entirely separate island country from Britain. In fact, that school (Synge Street CBS - the title is a play on words) is my alma mater and scenes were filmed there. Director John Carney also attended it as did a great many icons of the Arts, Politics and Sport.

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angelenroute
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Re: What movies did you see recently?

Post by angelenroute »

I saw Sing Street last month, and really enjoyed it. Everyone kept telling me it was like Billy Elliot (it's not), and in fact, a lot of it was kind of rushed and contrived, but I thought it was still a pretty good movie. I got the sense it needed more slow bits, but instead, the director tried to cut it together into a quick, fun piece. There's probably a different cut of the movie that would have worked much better.

My dad was taught by the Christian Brothers in Dublin (though at a different school and some 50 years prior to the setting for this movie), so I enjoyed a lot of that aspect, too.

I assumed (incorrectly) the street and school were named after John Millington Synge, one of my favorite playwrights, but it was actually named after his great-great-great granduncle, Bishop Edward Synge. More info: https://www.irelandsown.ie/the-real-synge-street/

Sean

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Re: What movies did you see recently?

Post by Todd »

Being a teacher of middle school-age students for over 30 years now, I couldn't help but be curious to see the film "Middle School: the Worst Years of My Life" based on the book of the same title. I found it to be a very enjoyable film and laughed frequently throughout. It's the story of a mischievous student named Rafe - played by Griffin Gluck - and his friend Leo, played by Thomas Barbusca (Peter Pan in the Geico commercial) who rebel against the extreme strictness of the school administration by setting out to break every rule in the school rule book. Both boys were very natural and did a fine job of acting. Animated scenes are inserted here and there which show Rafe's thoughts. This was the only part of the film I didn't care for, as I felt it was a distraction from the entertaining story at hand.

While the target audience is tweens, there's much fun to be had for adults as well. The broadly-played, villainous school principal (Andrew Daly) and the jerk boyfriend of Rafe's mother (Rob Riggle) are perfectly cast and have many funny lines. Teachers can appreciate the jabs taken at public education, specifically the current obsession with standardized testing. The film gives it an accurate and appropriate-sounding name: B.L.A.A.R. (Base Line Assessment of Academic Readiness). There's also several poignant scenes which had me wiping at my eyes, and a plot twist involving one of the characters towards the end that I didn't see coming.

It's not going to get any Best Picture nominations and several of the over-the-top situations are played for laughs rather than realism. But it's a crisply-paced (92 minutes) film that succeeds at the often-difficult task of being family-friendly while also being smart and creative as well.
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Re: What movies did you see recently?

Post by Todd »

Last night I saw "A Man Called Ove," a Swedish film with subtitles. It's the story of a recently-widowed man who deals with his mourning and lonliness by being mad at the world. He's the neighborhood rules enforcer, as he looks for even the slightest rules infraction so he can loudly point it out to the violator. Despite his negative and prickly demeanor, a new neighbor who has just moved in takes on the challenge of trying to break through his tough exterior.

Frequently funny, it's also a heartwarming story about the love Ove had for his wife. It also points out the importance of not giving up on people and learning to walk in another man's shoes. A very well-acted and well-written film that's definitely worth seeing.
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tzwicky
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I saw "Man Called Ove'

Post by tzwicky »

Because I live in LA where films get shown even if for only half a week at a tiny off the beaten track kind of theatre, we get everything.

I really liked 'A Man Called Ove'. It brightened up a day of chasing foreign films from theatre to theatre and was well worth the time and effort.

It's languid in its own way and before you know it, you're in love.

So, for sure go find somewhere 'Man Called Ove' is playing. It is sweetness and light and will surely brighten your day.

In London I have seen "Dr. Strange' which I liked a great deal. I think it was great for fans who've been fans from the 70s and new fans who never spent much time with Comics in their teen years or since. So because it's the first in a hopeful series there's a bit of history and context. But Benedict Cumberbach is such a strong actor, it works magnificently.

Nor so for 'Jack Reacher' which is horrible, horrible dreck. With Tom Cruise I'm always put off by his over-the-top Scientology thing which for me must be overcome with writing, characters or dialogue. There was nothing but Tom smashing through walls and windows and beating the snot out of bad guys. I know it takes years for a film to reach the screen especially as a blockbuster hopeful, but 'Reacher" has the feel of a film made to satisfy contractural imperatives. There's no soul. There's little dialogue. It's a video game masquerading as a film. Awful.
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Re: What movies did you see recently?

Post by kport »

I am sure I am not the first here to have seen - and loved - La La land.

This article is quite interesting:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/j ... stage-show
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Re: What movies did you see recently?

Post by cheltonian »

When I can I listen to Mark Kermode's film reviews on BBC radio 5. He warned anyone seeing A Monster Calls to take tissues.

The film is all about a young boy's struggle to come to terms with his mother's uncurable illness, and ultimately, her death. Whilst having to cope with this, the boy is bullied at school, suffering physical abuse, for not quite being "normal".

This is one of those films, like the original Billy Elliot and The Impossible, that depend entirely on the performance of a child. And Lewis MacDougall does not disappoint.

He may not dance or sing, but he will move you to your soul and you will need those tissues.
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