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| bartist |
 Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 9:27 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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marantzo wrote: I saw Guardians of The Galaxy yesterday. It was well worth the price of the ticket and the popcorn was good. It was funny in many ways and it was action packed with excellent sci-fi smash ups. Very good movie. Not a dull moment. Marvel makes good movies.
Has anyone here seen it?
Not yet, but my son just applied for a job at a second run theater here in Rapid City, and they apparently liked him, so if that pans out one of the perks is that family members get in free. Its one of those old places that's been around nearly back to the gold rush, and showed the first movies to reach the Hills, ca. 1910. ] |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 9:40 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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marantzo wrote: I saw Guardians of The Galaxy yesterday. It was well worth the price of the ticket and the popcorn was good. It was funny in many ways and it was action packed with excellent sci-fi smash ups. Very good movie. Not a dull moment. Marvel makes good movies.
Has anyone here seen it?
I loved it, but then, I am Groot. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 9:56 pm |
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Syd wrote: marantzo wrote: I saw Guardians of The Galaxy yesterday. It was well worth the price of the ticket and the popcorn was good. It was funny in many ways and it was action packed with excellent sci-fi smash ups. Very good movie. Not a dull moment. Marvel makes good movies.
Has anyone here seen it?
I loved it, but then, I am Groot.
Groot was a terrific character. All through the film I was trying to find out who was Vin Diesel's character. Couldn't find any of them that were Diesel. I always watch the end credits and I found out that Vin Diesel was Groot.  |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 1:13 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 1:28 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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The only other review I've read is far from tepid. Variety gives it an all-out rave. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 11:49 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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billyweeds wrote:
The only other review I've read is far from tepid. Variety gives it an all-out rave.
Good to hear.
The review I linked to was kind of strange.
Saying it's not topical enough because other shit is going down in the ME.
Movies take years to make, so always lag daily news cycles.
And the idea of a prison interrogation and threats of violence and psychological abuse and such is pretty universal. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 9:19 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Boyhood was excellent and well worth the thirty mile trip. I found it amusing how Ellar Coltane looks more and more like Ethan Hawke toward the end of the movie. (Hawke plays his father.) Coltrane grows into a good actor during the movie, which was filmed over twelve years, as he and his character age from 6 to 18. Since Linklater keeps the same central cast we get to see Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater, and Hawke also age. There are also a couple of girls in the film that remind me of a young Julie Delpy.
Being a Linklater-written film, we get a number of great conversations, my favorites of which are Mason, Sr. talking to the kids about the facts of life, and another between Mason, Jr. and his girlfriend Sheena about the cyborgification of mankind. Most of the characters are likeable, with the big exception of the kid's first stepfather, who grows more tyrannical and abusive as alcoholism takes its toll.
This film has the best performances I've ever seen by Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette. I've seen recommendations that Arquette get a Supporting Actress nomination at the Oscars, but I think she's a lead, and is very good. I particularly like the late scene where she's planning to move to a smaller house now that her nestlings have flown, and it's time to perform triage on the family's belongings. And there's this photograph her son wants to dispose of as an early effort, but which means the world to her.
Hawke is great throughout. I can understand how Olivia would divorce Mason, Sr. as someone too immature to raise her kids, but her own choices aren't that great either. [His second marriage, on the other hand, looks delightful.] Though, as a child of a divorced mom, I can testify Olivia does a fine job despite her husbands. |
Last edited by Syd on Wed Jan 07, 2015 1:57 pm; edited 5 times in total
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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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| Syd |
| Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 9:28 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Cantinflas isn't as good, but has its moments. What's interesting to me is that the best scene is over the closing credits. A beautiful woman in a red dress is dancing to "Bolero," Cantinflas appears to left, she invites him to dance with her, and they complete it as a duet. Funny, charming and very good. I assume it's a routine the real Cantinflas made famous.
Subtitled all the way through. Spanish subtitled in English and vice versa. The movie, by the way, is a Mexican biography of his career up to Around the World in 80 Days, and a parallel thread is Mike Todd trying to produce that picture. The actor playing Mike Todd is Michael Imperioli from The Sopranos, which I've never seen. Actually, I didn't recognize any actors in the film.
There is something odd about the filming of the opening scenes in Hollywood. They seem almost deliberately artificial.
By the way, the only theatre in the Oklahoma City area that is showing either Boyhood or Cantinflas is Quail Springs AMC 24, which is thirty miles away. I wouldn't be surprised if Boyhood starts showing someplace else, since the theatre was pretty crowded and it's been out a while. |
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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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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 12:16 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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There's nothing like contemplating Cantinflas to stop a film forum in its tracks, I guess.
There was a preview of Into the Woods, in which Meryl Streep will play the Witch. I was hoping for Vanessa Williams, but Streep's fine. She can certainly sing. Emily Blunt is the Baker's Wife, and I don't know if she can sing or not, but I'm willing to find out.
I've seen this twice on stage and own the soundtrack, so I'm really looking forward to it. |
Last edited by Syd on Tue Aug 01, 2023 5:29 pm; edited 1 time in total
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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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| gromit |
| Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2014 7:13 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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Some Boyhood thoughts:
I liked how an air of menace and uncertainty popped up at various moments, as it does in a child's life. The step-fathers seem on the verge of physical violence a few times; random school bullies harass Mason in the john; older kids tease and taunt. As in real life, it usually doesn't amount too much, but it often comes out of nowhere and you have to think quickly how to deal with it.
I think the step-fathers try to be old-school, father-in-charge types, and the kids aren't putting up with much of it. So it's a generation gap playing out. We see this also when the father stops his kid from playing video games at the table.
The whole cast is quite good. Interesting that Linklater cast his own daughter, Lorelei, in the daughter part. I liked her look and understated style.
Lots of good stuff and things to ponder ... |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 10:14 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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| The first stepfather was, not coincidentally, a raging alcoholic. He was not "old school." He was out of control. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 1:02 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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He was trying to impose rules and chores and discipline on the kids.
And wanted to be in charge. As opposed to having a more equal relationship with his wife. Even the male dominance is inherent in the nature of their relationship -- the college prof bonking/marrying one of his students ...
College prof and a corrections officer -- these guys represented authority figures and are supposed to be responsible and disciplined but have trouble running their lives and families.
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Watched 10 Cents a Dance (1931).
Poor characters, a sloppy script, bad acting -- not recommended.
A few things didn't make any sense, such as why the couple kept their marriage a secret. Neither of them has any family we meet or even hear about. And it didn't seem necessary at all for the creaky plot, as even if the boss knew that one of his employees was married, there would be no reason he would have to know that it was Stanwyck, the dance girl he is so fond of.
The film isn't even racy for a pre-Code. A girl works in a dance hall, selling dances. She does get $5K from the boss guy and spends the night at his home. But it's depicted as her waiting for him for 3 hours alone until he comes home at 4:AM, and then after some talking he rings for his servant to prepare breakfast. Sure something could have happened, but it's presented as though nothing did and they are going to chastely wait for the banks to open.
I like Stanwyck a lot, but in her early days, her acting is uneven and her mannerisms at times cliched. She hasn't fully worked out her acting style and physical movements. This was her 6th film, and 1931 was her first big year, appearing in 5 films. Ten Cents was directed by Lionel Barrymore, famous for not being a director ... |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 2:02 pm |
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| She was pretty good in "Night Nurse" later that year, so she learned quickly. |
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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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| gromit |
| Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 2:50 pm |
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I would say she's good in Ten Cents as well.
But the poor script and weak character present a challenge.
And even in Night Nurse there are some scenes and some moments where her acting is somewhat weak.
By the time of Baby Face in 1933, 2 years and 6 pictures later, she really is assured and convincing. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 7:55 pm |
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Back to current films. I saw Sin City: A Dame to Kill For this afternoon. Only in 3D. The 3D was actually pretty good. I saw the original Sin City and it was very good. This one was also very good, but not quite as good as the first one, but close. Both movies strangely and visually interesting as hell. Good, famous cast and a few non-famous.
A movie well worth seeing. Has anyone on here seen it or the previous one? |
Last edited by marantzo on Tue Sep 09, 2014 7:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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