Talk About Movies: Part 4
Somehow threads merged, so here's part 4 of our ongoing movie discussion.
What, are you talking about
I watched Glengarry Glen Ross a couple nights ago. Sucked.
Spoiler
It's not visually appealing at all. None of the characters are attractive. None of the characters are likeable—they're all scummy jerks. So you're never pulling for any of them. The scenes with Alan Arkin and Ed Harris were awful—the script was like some 1940s patter, and Alan acted like he was lobotomized during much of it, which contrasted with him being supposedly a decent salesman. The dynamic between Spacey and the salesmen was not credible—no workplace would allow the employees to verbally abuse their boss to that degree. And then the stupid gimmick the movie uses to peg Jack Lemmon with stealing the leads wasn't credible either—that he knew Spacey was lying about the check being cashed and that allowed Spacey to piece it all together? Jack's supposed to be this legendary bullshitter, yet he couldn't come up with one of a million ways to deny it? Just say, "I assume you were lying; maybe you weren't. Either way you're an idiot for telling that to the client." Instead he just crumbles and begs and pleads and bribes? Give me a break. And then the movie just ends with no satisfying resolution. It felt like they ran out of film. So yeah, the acting was good, except for Arkin; otherwise, there was really nothing redeeming about this movie. The famous scene with Alec Baldwin was over the top.
Don't be shy and hide your personality dilemma... you have an opinion, and it is solely your own.
I watched Glengarry Glen Ross a couple nights ago. Sucked.
It's not visually appealing at all. None of the characters are attractive. None of the characters are likeable—they're all scummy jerks. So you're never pulling for any of them. The scenes with Alan Arkin and Ed Harris were awful—the script was like some 1940s patter, and Alan acted like he was lobotomized during much of it, which contrasted with him being supposedly a decent salesman. The dynamic between Spacey and the salesm
However, it was at least in color...
Johnnie To's The Heroic Trio is an insane martial arts movie, which is a departure for To from his usual crime films.
The Heroic Trio would be better left in the hands of Phat Mack. It's about someone using an invisible cloak to steal babies in order to select an emperor from the nineteen babies. It makes no sense, especially since the film is a contemporary superhero, kung-fu movie.
Don't pay attention to the plot. Pay attention to Maggie Cheung and Michelle Yeoh as two third of the heroic trio. Both are alarmingly beautiful.
Available on Criterion.
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Johnnie To's The Heroic Trio is an insane martial arts movie, which is a departure for To from his usual crime films.
The Heroic Trio would be better left in the hands of Phat Mack. It's about someone using an invisible cloak to steal babies in order to select an emperor from the nineteen babies. It makes no sense, especially since the film is a contemporary superhero, kung-fu movie.
Don't pay attention to the plot. Pay attention to Maggie Cheung and Michelle Yeoh as two third of the heroic trio
You get to see Maggie outplay Arnold as The Terminator 2--motorcycle, shotgun and all. And please don't forget Anita Mui, one of the most interesting actresses to come out of Hong Kong. Her time among us was far too short.
Spoiler
To has a bunch of stuff like this, but it doesn't get shown a lot on my local streamer. He has one with Maggie flying around like Superman, except in Irma's cat suit.
I consider Election (1 and 2) among the greatest films of this century, but Johnie To has filmed *everything*--a bewildering array of movies.
You get to see Maggie outplay Arnold as The Terminator 2--motorcycle, shotgun and all. And please don't forget Anita Mui, one of the most interesting actresses to come out of Hong Kong. Her time among us was far too short.
See, I knew you would do this film justice. I defy anyone, though, to have any idea what this film is about given our descriptions.
That plotline about the emperor is poorly developed, which isn't a criticism, because not developing a plotline makes the film even crazier.
Also on Criterion is The Eagle Shooting Heroes, another kung-fu comedy.
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Wow that is a fun blast from the past. I saw that in one of the last drive-in theaters in my area. Most drive-in theaters were gone by then, but this one installed a whole bunch of barbecue grills and it was a night time outdoor food fest. Remember double or even triple features at drive-in? We were all outside eating and drinking, but this movie was one of movies where we would stop talking and just stare at the screen thinking this is crazy done right.
Johnnie To is a name I haven’t heard in awhile.
I recall having a blast watching Exiled at my first SXSW.
Past Lives (2023) is a Korean-English, what-if romance film documenting three different periods of a relationship between a young pair of Koreans.
Probably akin to a sin in this thread, I've never watched the Before trilogy, but this movie has to be the closest thing to a single-film condensed version of those movies.
It was okay. Well acted, thoughtful, relatable for anyone who has gone through a breakup or thought about the one that got away. But overall, not even close to a Best Picture winner or a movie that will stay with me any amount of time. Probably only enjoyed Maestro less of all the BP noms I've seen so far.
2.5/5
I'm seeing The Chosen tonight. Movie theater should be mostly empty. This is how the last one ended:
Pretty good, but nothing will top the 1977 version Jesus of Nazareth. One of the great scenes of all time.
Wow that is a fun blast from the past. I saw that in one of the last drive-in theaters in my area. Most drive-in theaters were gone by then, but this one installed a whole bunch of barbecue grills and it was a night time outdoor food fest. Remember double or even triple features at drive-in? We were all outside eating and drinking, but this movie was one of movies where we would stop talking and just stare at the screen thinking this is crazy done right.
Johnnie To is a name I haven’t heard in awhile.
I recall having a blast watching Exiled at my first SXSW.
LOL, I saw Heroic Trio at the Alamo on South Lamar.
The Iron Claw - the parents' dynamic with their children is missing from this story. The mother is a near cipher; we get little more than glimpses of her interaction with her sons and her reaction to the tragic events. The father-son dynamic is more fleshed out but it still feels like there are a lot of blanks.
Watched the sequel to The Heroic Trio a couple days ago, Executioners. It's a post-apocalyptic film about searching for a water source. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it's operatic, athletic, and balletic. Great fun.
Also, last night on Criterion I saw Jonathan Glazer's Birth. Strange film about a boy who appears and claims he is the husband of a man who died ten years earlier. No spoilers. Nice performance from Nicole Kidman as the wife. The film is beautifully shot, and the soundtrack by Alexander Desplat complements the film's creepiness.
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Lisa Frankenstein
This was watchable mostly because of a very solid and over-the-top performance from Kathryn Newton. Outside of her, I didn’t care much for this movie. I knew it was going to have a really silly tone going in, but I still thought it was pretty stupid overall. I wanted it to be more clever and have bigger laughs. It was an easy watch but I was disappointed with it. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone unless you’ve seen the trailer and think it looks like you’re kind of movie.
5/10 (Decent)
I’m four 2024 movies deep and THE BEEKEEPER is still tops.
Admittedly, I am a Jason Statham fanboy. Yes I am the person who pays to see all of those movies he has made since forever that people ask "What idiot would pay to see that"?
Ofc the background plot to THE BEEKEEPER makes no sense. But Statham annihilates a massive quantity of scumbags which is all anyone who enjoys his movies wants to see. 10/10!
THE TEACHERS LOUNGE (in German with English Subtitles)
I'm giving a review for this one because it is up for a Best International Picture Academy Award. So...
This movie combines school politics with how s***ty it must be to be a teacher at any lower division school in the West these days. The protagonist, idealist elementary school teacher Carla Nowak, gets dragged into a mess involving a bunch of unexplained thefts at the school. She has to deal with students, parents and other teachers who are either indifferent or have an agenda of their own to deal with the problem.
The movie held my interest the entire time but ultimately I did not walk out of the theater satisfied. My issues were:
Spoiler
tl;dr - Carla's morality issues were inconsistent thru out the movie and the ending didn't resolve anything.
6/10
American Fiction 2024 Recommended by a screen writer friend of mine and its a best pic Oscar nominee. Clever writing that makes fun of mass market books and movies about African American plight. Comedy. B+
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Aftersun was a nice movie, but slow and definitely not for everyone.
As I've said already, Aftersun might have been my favorite movie of 2022. It was slow, but it was one of those slow films that had me riveted. That ending dance scene, the whole ending, killed me.
There are times I want to feel the emotions, even pain, that film provided me. My favorite films are about time, memory, and love in all its forms. Aftersun captures all of those for me.
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I've started Killers Of the Flower Moon.
A half hour in and I'm wondering, is just a really good-looking but dour history lesson?
