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| jeremy |
 Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 5:21 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 6794
Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)
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| Nice Syd. |
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I am angry, I am ill, and I'm as ugly as sin.
My irritability keeps me alive and kicking.
I know the meaning of life, it doesn't help me a bit.
I know beauty and I know a good thing when I see it. |
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| jeremy |
| Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 5:23 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 6794
Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)
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The latest installment in the X-Men franchise, the clunkily titled, “X-Men: Days of Future Past” manages to be both a sequel and a prequel at the same time. The film borrows heavily from other genre films, including elements from “The Matrix”, “Terminator”, “Star Trek” and maybe even a timey-wimey “Doctor Who”, and, when not engaging in some Olympic standard shark jumping, it is often just plain silly. However, it is also fun, thrilling and poignant. Amongst its savings are a cast littered with heavyweights whose superpower is the ability to induce gravitas however light the material; a set of characters who must rank as the most recognisably human in comic books (which is somewhat ironic until you think about it); a story that’s been worked until it is nicely toned, albeit not entirely fat free; and a playful, but thoughtful screenplay.
Though the superfast, "Quicksilver" and the cgi empowered, Blink are fun new additions to the X-men rosta, it is Mystique, sexy and deadly, yet vulnerable, who remains the most fascinating character. If Magneto and Xavier represent the duality of our natures - thought and action, love and hate, they are manifest in Mystique. I remain unconvinced by much of praise heaped on Jennifer Lawrence, but she here manages to imbue the scaly, blue shape-changer, with genuine pathos. She might be playing a wounded leopard, but you still want to reach out to her.
Despite my waning interest in comic book adaptations, I thought “X-Men: Days of Future Past” was pretty good fun. That said, I am less confident in the filmmakers ability to succeed with the proposed further episodes, especially given the seeming finality of the ending of “Days of Future Past”. I shudder at the thought of the convolutions that will be required to craft these stories.
***½ (out of five) |
Last edited by jeremy on Sun May 25, 2014 1:16 pm; edited 1 time in total
_________________
I am angry, I am ill, and I'm as ugly as sin.
My irritability keeps me alive and kicking.
I know the meaning of life, it doesn't help me a bit.
I know beauty and I know a good thing when I see it. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 9:26 am |
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| Saw Only Lovers Left Alive, yesterday. It is a Jim Jarmusch film, so wanted to see it. As usual it is strange. It moves along slowly and after a while you find out what the major characters are. The acting is good all around and Tilda Swinton is excellent. The photography is very good and there is a creepiness to it. I didn't dislike the film. I enjoyed it, but wished it wasn't that slow. I wasn't squirming in my seat though. Not a favourite Jarmusch of mine, but worthwhile seeing. ***1/2 out of *****. (unusual) |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 5:31 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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Catching up.
Bart: Quote: In Squawks, I mention "God's Pocket" another current film with a MM regular, Cristina Hendricks, and directed by a MM regular, John Slattery. Radically different in theme and tone from MDA, however.
I liked this film for a lot of reasons: seeing P.S. Hoffman again and realizing what a loss. Seeing Christina Hendricks looking beautiful and sumptuous in a different way from Mad Men. (It made me think of how hollow the beauty of Kim Kardashian is in comparison to this fine, fine actress.) John Turturro (who I just saw in Fading Gigolo which he directed and performed in SO well as a foil to the vociferous Woody Allen). A film with an unattractive setting that had a reality that complemented the plot. And a plot that like a dream went one way then another and just unexpected. And Richard .............. so well defined and necessary to this great group of actors. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 5:32 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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| Jeremy.........I liked W.E. a lot and particularly Andrea Riseborough who played the Duchess of Windsor. |
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Lost in my own private I dunno. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 6:41 pm |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 6:51 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| W. E. was that film directed by Madonna about a woman who's obsessed with the Windsors. SO is the word "so" (I think). |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 8:35 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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| nice translation, Syd. |
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Lost in my own private I dunno. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 8:24 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
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Thanks for the Railway Man comments, Syd - was on the fence about seeing it; probably will now.
Befade - yeah, it's a good portrait of a neighborhood, and it made me think of Blood Simple, in the way the plot allows poorly thought-out plans to go forward in a plausible way. It was an interesting way to show how the guy who is from someplace else never quite gets the rhythm right - the scene where PSH bets on the horse, and Turturro is telling him not to. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 12:00 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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| Bart.........should have mentioned.......I saw the film because of your recommendation........Thanks |
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Lost in my own private I dunno. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 8:26 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
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YW. Anyone seen "Belle" ? Looks like 12 Yr. a Slave, if it were written by Jane Austen. Or that's what the trailer looked like. Looked like some lush period photography, from the bits I saw.
Breathing a lot of paint fumes here - knew it was time to stop when I couldn't remember the name of Tom Petty. I was saying things like, "...you know, that guy who sang about running down a dream. Tom Clancy and the Heart Murmurs? Ted Perry and the Heart Beats? Acccchhh, I almost had it there...." Your house never looks better than right before you sell it. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| jeremy |
| Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 2:16 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 6794
Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)
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| Saw "Belle". Might write a review. Yes it was jane Austen meets "Saving Grace" in a Merchant Ivory production. It was pleasant enough, but I don't think the director or screenwriter were up to realising the full potential of the (true) story. I think the film tried to be too many things - courtroom drama, Austen-esque romance, feminist and anti-slavery tract - and ended up missing all its targets. It lacked heft and grit. |
_________________
I am angry, I am ill, and I'm as ugly as sin.
My irritability keeps me alive and kicking.
I know the meaning of life, it doesn't help me a bit.
I know beauty and I know a good thing when I see it. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 8:15 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
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Thanks, might WFV, then.
Saw Million Dollar Arm. If you can accept Jon Hamm as a debonair WASP playing sports promoter J.B. Bernstein, then the film has its charms and a warm heart. But I get the strong feeling that the "true life" aspects have been scrubbed and polished to a Disney sheen. It offers fun and fluff, but I can't really recommend this bland and predictable story of slumdog fastballs. The photography of India might be worth seeing on a large screen, in spite of the characters' annoying habit of pointing out to us how amazing it is. India is different from LA, and it looks different and it smells different - who knew?
Agree with BW that supporting roles were good, and there is some wit to be found in the writing. No movie with Lake Bell is a total waste of a ticket. I can't speak to anyone's having a "mancrush" on Jon Hamm, but I didn't really see the edge I had hoped for. Hamm is a good actor, but my copain and I couldn't shake the feeling he had been miscast in the de-Judeification of Mr. Bernstein. What, they got no Jews in Hollywood? |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 9:00 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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I found The Railway Man fairly disappointing.
The opening is fine and somewhat stylish, but then they rush through a romance idyll montage and 20 seconds after their second meeting they are married. And then their marriage is all crappy because he has night frights and walls her off.
Really, they wouldn't have had to rush through parts so much if they excised the romance, which is cursory anyway. Plus, I'm not sure what the point of casting Nicole Kidman and then having her look frumpy and Mia Farrowish anyway. Kidman does fine enough with an empty role.
When Skarsgard pops in as the aged platoon leader (and then pops out), things get a bit silly I thought, and I mentally checked out. Towards the end, when the roles are reversed, the screenwriter seemed to think he was clever by using the same words in the other character's mouth, but it came off as forced. I also didn't like how suddenly the inward/brooding/fearful somewhat nerdy Firth becomes this in-command confident character at the end.
A good deal of the film felt rather familiar. It rushes through a few parts, and the romance was useless. I'd say a reasonable film to catch on cable. The first 20 minutes or so are the best. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 12:41 pm |
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"What, they got no Jews in Hollywood?"
All the Jews are playing WASPs now. |
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