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| Befade |
 Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 1:29 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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I loved American Hustle. I'd recommend seeing just for the hair. The best hair comedy ever.
The actors created unique and interesting characters and it was fun to see people responding to ringing phones in the days before cell phones.
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence gave large doses of looney.
Christian Bale went from totally uncomposed to clever and unbeatable. His pairing with Amy Adams was poignant. I cared about what happened to them.
Long ago.........in the 70s or 80s I guess Burt Reynolds was my idea of the total American Hunk. Did you notice his magazine cover in the background? What was the name of that woman's magazine with center folds of guys? |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 5:42 pm |
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Cosmopolitan was Reynolds' centerfold. I don't know if they had others after him.
"What was the name of that woman's magazine with center folds of guys?"
I think that would be Playgirl. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 10:40 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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On my last day of my Christmas visit to South Carolina, my mother and my sister and I went to see "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." And we all enjoyed it--a lovely story with humor and heart, with nice performances from all concerned. I might give it five stars if not for a stupid plot twist, one of those details that is hard to believe and should be easy to fix, but pushes the drama and suspense. Otherwise I liked it a lot--and a bonus for me was the fact that he worked in the Time-Life Building, where I've spent nine of the past twelve years. It's a bit surreal that the plot revolves around the final issue of Life magazine, which died years ago, but it sort of has its own version of reality. That wasn't the detail that bugged me. And in fact, the constant threat of magazine closures and staff cuts is quite real enough. Funny that I had no idea the scenes had been shot there--though they always seem to be shooting some kind of film or TV show in the area.
P.S. TCM showed the Danny Kaye version a few days ago, and I watched it for the first time. It's pretty bad, and I can't blame James Thurber for hating it. I think he'd like Stiller's film. Nobody sings in it (except Kristen Wiig, in one of Mitty's fantasies, and that's a pleasure). |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:45 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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The Wolf of Wall Street was a huge surprise to me. Somehow it was getting lost in the shuffle of Oscar-baiting blockbusters, but--it being a Scorsese movie--it had to be seen. And wow. Just wow. It's Scorsese's best since GoodFellas. And Leonardo DiCaprio, never a favorite of mine, gives an absolutely spectacular performance in the title role, a charismatic, over-the-top Wall Street entrepeneur. It's a true story and a wildly rococo one, with mucho sex, constant drugs, and a little rock-and-roll thrown in too. DiCaprio's brilliant turn is supported by the great Jonah Hill and the new-to-me Margot Robbie, who is not only great but also is to eye candy what Godiva chocolate is to Kit Kat. It's long--very long--but doesn't feel it. The pace is fast and furious. It's a blast.
Some are saying this is not as good as American Hustle, an assessment that makes me ill. Russell is not fit to shine Scorsese's shoes this year. And DiCaprio--sorry, Dern and McConaughey--is the best actor of 2013.
DiCaprio's range is enormous. The quaalude scene with the car is worthy of Buster Keaton, and scenes with McConaughey in a restaurant and Kyle Chandler on a yacht, as well as everything with Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie, are sheer genius. Leo is king! |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 8:59 am |
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Carrobin, I would go to all the Danny Kaye movies.He was a favourite of mine. Of course I went to see Walter Mitty. I was very disappointed. When I saw the previews of the current Walter Mitty movie, it looked good to me and the first thing that I thought was, "Looks a lot better than the Danny Kaye Walter Mitty movie."
After your review, Billy, I'll be seeing The Wolf of Wall Street. I was planning to see it anyway, but was worried about its length. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 9:14 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Totally agree about Kaye being a favorite, but he did made some pretty lousy movies along with the good ones, and Mitty was one of the worst. My top Kaye films are The Court Jester and Knock on Wood. They both provide instant intros to the Kaye magic and master classes in comedy.
I have heard from various sources that Kaye was horrible to work with. I believe it, but I still think he's great when he's great.
And then there's Hans Christian Andersen, in which a superb Frank Loesser score is wasted amidst a sappy script and sanctimonious Kaye acting (in his most sentimental UNICEF style). |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 9:57 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Um...this thread should be in Couch. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 11:03 am |
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The Court Jester and Knock on Wood are my favourites also.
I just read Wikipedia's Danny Kaye page. Very interesting. He had a very full life. Seems he never relaxed.
When I was in Paris I had a friend from the States who was a Pharmacist and taking some extra courses in Paris. Danny Kaye was an uncle of his. He told me a lot of funny stories about him. He did look somewhat like Danny Kaye, red hair and all. He was a Kaminsky.  |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 11:35 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| I loved Danny Kaye too--and according to the TCM host, his Mitty was a big hit. But it doesn't hold up well at all. Stiller's is well suited to modern tastes and humor, and I think it will still be a charmer decades from now. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 10:24 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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Gary. What's the secret to your remarkable memory? Wish I had it..... I don't think I ever did....
My granddaughter .loved, loved, loved Mitty. She's almost 11. |
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Lost in my own private I dunno. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2013 7:22 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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I resisted seeing Saving Mr. Banks even though it was a necessity if I wanted to be complete with the SAG nominations (Emma Thompson is up for the award). I was afraid I was in for a couple of hours of unadulterated smarm glorifying the Disney studios and advertising Mary Poppins, which has never been one of my favorite movies. But I wound up enjoying it immensely--much more than the original Poppins. For those of you who don't know, it tells the (probably largely fictionalized) story of how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) charmed P.L. Travers (Thompson) into giving him the rights to the story she had been holding onto for decades.
It's a culture clash movie and a personality clash movie with a slightly specious back story about how Travers had to resolve some long-standing family issues in order to let go of the rights. But it's beautifully acted by all, including Paul Giamatti as Travers's chauffeur at Disney, Bradley Whitford as a screenplay writer, and Colin Farrell and Annie Rose Buckley in the back story. I'm not sure I'll vote for Thompson as Best Actress in the SAG balloting, but the fact that it's an open question is an indication of how much I liked this movie. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2013 4:59 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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Alexander Payne's Nebraska is contrived and unconvincing. Even the travelogue aspect does not match up to Hawaii or the California's wine country.
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2013 5:17 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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marantzo wrote: The Court Jester and Knock on Wood are my favourites also.
Don't forget The Inspector General.
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2013 7:13 pm |
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Right, that one too. I looked up the movies that Kaye was in and The Inspector General was another of my favourites and when I posted I forgot to include it.
Which one of the movies had the scene where he goes on stage and keeps having to duck when the ballerina twirls and her long heavy braid keeps swinging at his head. |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2013 8:04 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 6916
Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
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billyweeds wrote: I resisted seeing Saving Mr. Banks even though it was a necessity if I wanted to be complete with the SAG nominations (Emma Thompson is up for the award). I was afraid I was in for a couple of hours of unadulterated smarm glorifying the Disney studios and advertising Mary Poppins, which has never been one of my favorite movies. But I wound up enjoying it immensely--much more than the original Poppins. For those of you who don't know, it tells the (probably largely fictionalized) story of how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) charmed P.L. Travers (Thompson) into giving him the rights to the story she had been holding onto for decades.
It's a culture clash movie and a personality clash movie with a slightly specious back story about how Travers had to resolve some long-standing family issues in order to let go of the rights. But it's beautifully acted by all, including Paul Giamatti as Travers's chauffeur at Disney, Bradley Whitford as a screenplay writer, and Colin Farrell and Annie Rose Buckley in the back story. I'm not sure I'll vote for Thompson as Best Actress in the SAG balloting, but the fact that it's an open question is an indication of how much I liked this movie. |
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