Talk About Movies: Part 4

The Death of Stalin I feel like I need to shame you guys a little since I got this rec off of the politics forum 😮

I had never heard of it. It is frickin' hilarious. Must see imo.

WTF, Dude. Get with the program.

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showp...

You should also watch In the Loop by the same writer and director and Veep on HBO.

https://youtu.be/5ootNMaQiPM?si=jAOIB6VG...

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i talked about death of stalin quite a bit here, absolutely loved that film so much that i didn't mind at all the actual parts of history they got wrong - would have been a much worse story if it were told with greater accuracy

My missus was born in the Soviet Union and absolutely loves it for how on-the-nose it is about communism.

Veep was a lot funnier when it was aired, compared to 2017 and after.

I finally saw Godzilla Minus One 2023 in a theater on large screen . The Godzilla creature is really terrifying especially in a front row seat which I was forced to take. Godzilla's roar is one of the most memorable sounds in the history of movies. Very entertaining. I don't know how it could be made so good on only a $15m dollar budget. US producers, take notice. The surprising ending scene made the movie much better for me. I was grateful for that, even though it was a bit hokey. Artistically, the emergence of the giant Godzilla creature could represent Japan's strong feeling of failure and loss after nuclear destruction and surrender after WW2. The Japanese needed to overcome that despondency in order to re-build a new society. Like a lot of 2023 films, it was very good but it had some glitches that I will skip over. Grade A- for me.

Absence of Malice Sally Field and Paul Newman star in this film about the consequences of people "doing their jobs". You have to suspend a bit of belief with this one, but overall it's a pretty good story. Kinda hard to buy the romance angle but I guess it was fine. Wilford Brimley steals the movie in the next to last scene. Worth watching just for that.

Village of the Giants Oh........my........God...... Beach Blanket Bingo meets Them! meets Footloose.

Ronnie Howard as a boy genius who won't eat ice cream because of the cholesterol! Beau Bridges is the leader of giant teenagers that move very slowly! Giant dancing ducks!!! Lots and lots and lots and lots (and lots) of teenagers dancing.

I can't even do this movie justice. It is definitely in my top 10 of "so bad it's good" movies. Maybe top 3. If you like that sort of thing this is a MUST WATCH.

I saw this on Prime. Worth watching. I liked the depiction of family life at an old rich family at the large Saltburn estate in England with a wait staff and all. Their view of the rest of society and their behavior was so divergent from the average person's. The Oliver Quick character is a mysterious one throughout the movie which was a drawback for the story. His unusual psycho-sexual activities were baffling. The last minute flashback explanations was so short. Grade B for me. Some issues for me that are spoilers:

Performances were all pretty good but I didn’t like it and wouldn’t recommend it.

COBWEB (2023)

Director: Samuel Bodin

Anticipation Level: Medium-to-Low

Where to Watch: Hulu

Thoughts:

For the first two-thirds of this movie, I was perplexed how the ratings were so low across the board, and then that last act completely tanked the film. I don’t mind a complete tonal switch in a movie (see: Barbarian), but it’s not just the tone that shifts here, it’s the overall quality of the film that falls off a cliff. The first two parts of the movie are a creepy thriller about people and the last act is a monster movie with cringy CGI and a creature that looks more laughable than scary. There are also lots of unanswered questions and plot holes in the script that make very little sense.

That being said, for most of the run time, I was enjoying the experience. Lizzy Caplan and Antony Starr give some excellent creepy performances, the kid is solid, and Cleopatra Coleman is solid in a supporting role. I was all in on the mystery until it’s actually revealed. My girlfriend was legit scared watching this for the first hour. There is some creative and spooky camera work in the first two acts. It was fun.

But the ending ruined it. Just awful. I went from thinking this was a solid 7/10 to having trouble keeping it as high as a 6. I think the more distance I have from it, the more it will be a 5/10 in my memory. But it was mostly fun. I would still recommend it to genre fans but I’m going to go ahead and warn you to prepare for disappointment by the end of it.

Rating: 6- (Very Light Recommendation)

Replay Value: I won’t be watching it again any time soon, but I’m curious if the actions of the parents matchup with the ultimate reveal (I suspect they don’t).

Sequel Potential: They certainly left the door open for one.

Oscar Potential: None.

Criterion has a bunch of post apocalypse movies this month. Last night I watched This Quiet Earth, a New Zealand film. A man wakes up to find he's alone on earth, but after time spent alone almost going crazy (at one point he's wearing a woman's slip), he meets another survivor, a woman. Soon they will meet another man.

Seems all three lived because they were at the moment of death that enabled them to survive. The man worked in a secret lab that was part of some world-wide plan to do something.

Great performance by the lead actor. At one point he enters a church with a shotgun, demanding God to appear. When God fails to appear he threatens to shoot the kid, Christ on a crucifix.

Great ending to the film. I loved it.

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for the exact opposite experience (horrible first two thirds/amazing last third), try Malignant.

Watched a couple of "newish" movies this week.

Barbie
I didn't hate it. Obviously I am not the target audience but it was okay. Very bright and colorful which I like. Margot Robbie seems to get hotter every time I see her. I like that too 😀 I actually thought it was pretty enetertaining.

The Sound of Freedom
True story about a Homeland Security agent going undercover battling child trafficking. Depressing subject matter but well done and thoroughly engaging. The story seems too wild to be true but it is. Pulling off what he did in South America seems impossible not to mention a "good guy" cartel member.

Asteroid City
Bright and colorful like Barbie and totally absurdist. I like bright and colorful and love absurdist. But ... but meh. Wes Anderson just never seems to deliver for me. Part of it is probably that I despise that Schwatzman dude who seems to be the focal point of every Anderson movie. But I found this to be a total waste of time

sound of freedom is not true

various ngos all critique that guy as either outright lying or going to brothels and "freeing" adult voluntary prostitutes who just go back to the brothel the next day

he's largely considered a scam artist just trying to get money to his ngo for him to skim out of and of course he meets all criticism with "they are all in on it"

Don't know what ngos are? But its a damn good movie fact or fiction. Engaging story, well done. Entertaining, engrossing and well acted which are all I look for in a movie.

ngo = non governmental organization

stuff like the red cross - at best that guy is not actually rescuing trafficked children, at worst he's aware of it and a scam artist

he only was able to make that film because qanon groups got behind funding it

One critic said that Claviezel played Jesus. Now he thinks he is Jesus.

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6 months until we can see 'The Day the Clown Cryed'

really sad he went out into the deep end

really loved him in thin red line and frequency - thought he was going to become the next big actor

I liked Sound of Freedom too, found it pretty compelling. Very troubling subject matter but handled it very well

Looks fairly accurate from what I’ve read. The last part was more of a composite of events than one real event. No different than most based on true events movies. The story can be true and he can also be a POS scam artist.

I doubt we will ever see it. And I'm not sure I would want to.

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The Holdovers (2023) was charming Alexander Payne. I never saw Downsizing but Holdovers resonates nicely with the rest of his stuff. Giamatti and the actress who played Mary were both excellent. 3/5

If I were to contrast Payne positively against another director it would be Wes Anderson. Both of them have their own distinct style (and I do think exude some similarities), but Payne's works do way more for me.