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Thread: What is the last movie you saw? and rate it.

  1. #7126
    Ecurb Ecurb's Avatar
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    "A Star is Born" (the new one) is written by, directed by, and stars Bradley Cooper. Cooper plays a handsome (he's good at that part) country rock star who "discovers" Lady Gaga vamping up "La Vie en Rose" in a drag night club. He spots her talent and nurtures both it and their budding romance. Unfortunately, he is also an alcoholic and drug addict, and as her career skyrockets, his plummets. IN one scene, he desires Gaga to find her own authentic voice,and sing the songs she has written herself. "You must tell YOUR story," he pontificates.

    This seems strange,considering that in Cooper's first attempt at directing and screenwriting, he is trotting out a movie that has been made at least four times previously. The first two were non-musicals back in the '30s -- and then none less than Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand took on the Gaga role. Lady Gaga is an excellent actress -- unsurprising, since all of her pop songs involve her performing a "role". However, none of the songs are memorable; Cooper's pop star is typically untalented; and the movie is (like it's predecessors) a downer. Gaga's "La Vie en Rose" reminds the viewer of the difference between real talent (thank you Edith Piaf) and over-the-top vamping at a drag club. In addition, I missed the Harold Arlen / Ira Gershwin songs of the Garland version, including "The Man that Got Away".

    ON the positive side, Lady Gaga is believable as a pop star -- and she looks so ordinary in blue jeans that her transformation to pop star is very well done. Bradley Cooper lacks the edginess of James Mason in the Garland version -- his addictions are portrayed as a sort of victimhood from an unhappy childhood, as if his alcoholism resembled lung cancer developed from his parents' second hand smoke. The first hour of the film is good -- as Gaga's star ascends. The descent, not so much.

    I also saw "The Green Book" last night. It stars Vigo Mortensen and and Mahershala Ali, and recounts the story of a pianist who hires an Italian goodfella to drive him on a concert tour through the South (it's 1962). Predictably, they end up liking each other, and Mortenson ends up being horrified by segregation. The movie cheats, a bit. Just as Sidney Portier was an M.D. in "The Man who Came to Dinner", Ali's character is a world-class pianist, a PhD., talks without the hint of any African-American accent, and, to boot, is gay. So much for white fear about black men molesting (or attracting) their women!

    Nonetheless, the movie is good fun. Such films live or die by the charisma of the two stars, and Mortensen and Ali pull off their somewhat hackneyed roles very well.
    Last edited by Ecurb; 11-28-2018 at 10:06 PM.

  2. #7127
    Ecurb Ecurb's Avatar
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    Barry Jenkins new movie suffers from some of the same flaws that “Moonlight” did, but lacks the virtues. It also suffers from my notion that if Beal Street could talk, it would say, “I support a ban on studded tires.”

    The movie revolves around a romance between a beautiful young black girl and her equally beautiful lover who is languishing in prison for a crime he didn't commit. The problem: as in “Moonlight”, the lovers aren't particularly interesting. They seldom even speak, preferring to stare moon-eyed at each other.

    In addition, the movie “cheats”. The cop whose lies put Fonnie in jail is a more evil version of Joffery from “Game of Thrones” (I'll grant it's a minor role, but still).

    The minor characters are fun: the girl's mother is loving and feisty; the boy's mother is a wicked and judgmental church-lady When she's on screen, hackneyed as her role is, at least the movie comes alive. Her scene is the most enjoyable in the movie.

    The movie is well-filmed: the leads are beautiful, the scenes well-shot. But it drags. At one point, Fonnie's trial got delayed, and I turned to my friend and whispered, “Uh oh. This might take forever.”

  3. #7128
    All are at the crossroads qimissung's Avatar
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    Those are good reviews, Ecurb.

    I saw "Cold War" recently and loved it. The two leads are good, particularly the female, although I cannot remember her name. It takes place in Poland after WWII and is a good depiction of life in eastern Europe after the war. The male lead finally tires of life under the Soviets and leaves. His love is able to join him later, but finds she cannot adapt to the diminishment of their lives and talents in a foreign land (in this case, France). She returns home, but as we all know, you can't go home again.
    "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its' own reason for existing." ~ Albert Einstein
    "Remember, no matter where you go, there you are." Buckaroo Bonzai
    "Some people say I done alright for a girl." Melanie Safka

  4. #7129
    Ecurb Ecurb's Avatar
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    I liked "Cold War", too, gimissung. It's a little like "A Star is Born", in that it's a "downer" musical. Still, the photography (in black and white) is gorgeous, as are the two lead actors. I liked the songs better than "Star's", too. In some of the reviews I read, the relationship of the two stars was called "steamy". I think this is mere shorthand, meaning the stars are beautiful. The relationship is actually underdeveloped and it's a bit difficult to understand the obsession (other than on a physical level).

    I also saw the 5 Oscar Nominated short live action films recently. It would be difficult to imagine a more unpleasant evening. The first movie -- "Fauve" -- is about two boys who go into an open pit mine. One of them gets caught in a sink hole and dies. The visuals are very well done, but the story is manipulative and silly. The relationship between the boys is established with them competing with each other. It's supposed to be youthful and masculine, but it made me think that these kids are jerks. Also, the surviving boy's reaction to the tragedy is not credible.

    The second movie was "Madre". It's an excellent idea for a tense story. A mother gets a phone call from her 6-year-old boy. He's on a beach. His father (from whom the mother is separated) has disappeared, and the boy is all alone, and doesn't know where he is. Nice set up. Eventually, a man shows up who (what are the odds?) turns out to be a child molester. What a way to ruin a nice idea, by trying to manipulate the audience into an emotional response!

    The third movie is "Marguerite", about an old woman who receives in home nursing care from a woman who turns out to be married to a woman. This prompts the lady to regret that she had never explored her own sexuality. OK -- nothing wrong with that -- but the movie is a snooze.

    The next, "Detainment", is about the famous case in England (I forget where) in which two 10-year-old boys kidnap a two-year-old and murder him. It's reasonably well done, and at least has the excuse of recounting a true story, but it's not much fun.

    The finale, "Skin", is about a racist, skinhead family. Its set-up is well done. The father and son like each other. The obese mother seems realistic. Then the father gets offended when a black man smiles at his son, and (with his buddies) beats the man senseless. So far, so good. Seeking vengeance, the black man and his friends kidnap the father, take him to a tattoo parlor and (get this!) dye his skin black. When he tries to return home, his panicked son shoots him. This has to be the stupidest ending of an Oscar nominated film in the history of these misguided awards. Yuck!!!!
    Last edited by Ecurb; 02-20-2019 at 08:55 PM.

  5. #7130
    Ecurb Ecurb's Avatar
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    The other Oscar favorite that I was unfortunate enough to see recently is "The Favorite". It's the story of a love triangle between Queen Anne, the Duchess of Marlborough, and Emma Stone (whose name in the movie I can't remember). Apparently, Oscar voters like it because it's irreverent and the sexual politicking is homosexual. Sexual politicking can make for good movies ("Dangerous Liaisons", etc.). However, such movies need to involve some wit and humor to entertain. The supposedly funny scenes in "The Favorite" include Emma Stone getting pushed out of a carriage into the mud (ha! ha! She's wearing beautiful period clothing and she gets all muddy!). The audience with which I saw the movie also laughed when characters used the word "c*nt". HA! HO! HE! Old fashioned society women talking dirty. What could be more funny? Well, in my opinion, practically anything. None of this offended me -- it just wasn't funny or entertaining.

  6. #7131
    Ecurb Ecurb's Avatar
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    "Never Look Away" is a new film directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. You know he's a great director as soon as you see his name, redolent of Germanic nobility. Also, his previous film, "The Lives of Others" was one of the best movies I've seen in the last ten years.

    "Never Look Away" is more sprawling and less tense (except in places) than "The Lives of Others", but that merely means it's still one of the best movies of the year. The movie is set in East Germany, beginning in 1937 and moving until 1961 (by which time the characters have moved to the West). It involves an artist, his family, his love interest and a Nazi doctor who moves adroitly from his SS membership to ingratiating himself with the Communists to running hospitals in West Germany. He has a talent for self-interest.

    The first half of the movie (in which the main character is first a young boy and then a teenager) is tense and dramatic (wartime, after all). The second half is more focused on art and the protagonist's career. Some scenes stick in the viewer's mind --like the start of part three with our hero climbing a tree surrounded by long, golden grass. The plot is convoluted and occasionally a bit much to take, but it doesn't ruin the movie because it is so well done. Each scene is shot with care and precision. The actor who played the stage director in "Loves of Others" plays the eugenically inclined doctor in this movie, and he's superb. Highly recommended.

  7. #7132
    Ecurb Ecurb's Avatar
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    "Ash is the Purest White" is a Chinese film directed by Jia Zhanngke, a director admired by film fans,but with whom I was unfamiliar. It's the story of a woman from a remote town who lives on the fringes of legality with her boyfriend Jin. When Jin is attacked by thugs, Quiao (the woman) takes his illegal gun out of the car and fires it in the air, scaring away the assailants, but ending up in prison for 5 years (because she refuses to rat out her boyfriend).

    When she gets out, Jin has moved on and has a new girlfriend, Quiao moves back to her hometown. Later, Jin shows up. He has had a stroke and is disabled.
    Jin's pride, and Quiao's strength comprise the essence of the movie. Jin asks Quiao if she hates him. "No." Do you love me? "No. I have no feelings for you one way or another."

    "Then why are you helping me?"

    "You have left the (some Chinese word I can't remember,meaning the minor league mafia). In it, we talk about righteousness."

    The movie is about the crowded, ambitious, fast-paced yet old-fashioned life of a huge, diverse country, as well as about two people. Very good.

  8. #7133
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    Hi,
    the last movie I saw: Homeless to Harvard
    I loved it so much it's 10/10.










    Dafont 192.168.l.l FileHippo
    Last edited by shiba28; 04-16-2019 at 03:37 PM.

  9. #7134
    Child's Play Reboot. It ditched the concept of a human using voodoo to transfer his soul to possess a doll for a high-tech doll that has malfunction. I think the whole movie was silly but good. The story is really stressful to watch and kept me on the edge of my seat. Although, it's not a nightmare inducing Chucky that I used to know.

  10. #7135
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    I went to watch "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" and I rate the movie 9 out of 10.

  11. #7136
    Ecurb Ecurb's Avatar
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    I also saw "Once Upon a Time In Hollywood". I agree with Secret. It's very good -- probably Tarantino's best since "Kill Bill". Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio are appropriately star-like; characters drive around in period cars (1969) and listen to period music (like Snoopy and The Red Baron"). In one excellent scene, fading TV star DiCaprio receives a lesson in method acting from an 8-year-old girl.

    I particularly liked the scene in which Brad Pitt laughs at someone playing Bruce Lee. I'm old enough to remember when a great many otherwise reasonable American citizens would argue that Bruce Lee was the world's most formidable fighter, despite my suggestion that they should, "Wait a minute, because he's an ACTOR?"

    I also saw "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?" directed by Richard Linklater. Remarkably, Linklater has directed a wide variety of movies (unlike Tarantino, who sticks to the basic theme of Hollywood). "Slacker", "Bernie", "School of Rock". "Dazed and Confused" the "Beore Midnight" trilogy of talk-fests, etc. All are different, but all share a sense of humor and good-natured fun. "Bernadette" stars Cate Blanchett in what is practically a one-woman show, and she's excellent in it. She's half crazy, but talented, witty, beautiful and zany in a sophisticated way. A very good movie.

  12. #7137
    Ecurb Ecurb's Avatar
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    "Dolor y Gloria" (Pain and Glory) is Pablo Almodolmvar's new movie. It's a colorful trip, exploring art, memory, and life. The movie opens with Antonio Banderas (who plays the Almodovar figure) sitting at the bottom of a swimming pool. Is he meditating? Drowning? The shot goes on and on and I began to worry about the poor man's lack of oxygen.

    Banderas (I forget his movie name) is a lost soul. He is afflicted with migraines, back pain, and a constriction of the throat that causes choking (hence the "pain"). He says he is too incapacitated to continue making movies. "What will you do?" asks a companion. "Live my life," says Banderas.

    Easier said than done, with all of that pain. Nonetheless, Banderas life resembles (surprise, surprise) a movie, filled with flashbacks, dramas, and melodramas. He lives in a house that looks like a movie set, filled with famous paintings (apparently the house is Almodovar's actual apartment). For a new showing of a 30-year-old Almodovar film, Banderas reunites with the film's star, who is a handsome, ne'er-do-well heroin addict. Banderas experiments with "chasing the dragon" himself, partly because heroin relieves his constant pain, both physical and psychic.

    IN heroin-induced flash backs, the child-version of Banderas hangs out with his mother, the luminous Penelope Cruz, and lusts after a young artist (the Banderas character, like the real-life Almodovar, is gay, and one of the melodramatic scenes involves him meeting his lover from 30 years ago). In another scene, life resembles and action-flick, as a knife-wielding hulk slashes his way through the streets near a heroin deal.

    The film is about the relationship between memory, life, and art. The dolor (pain) is inseparable from the gloria, however colorful the backgrounds. As the Greek tragedeans knew, you can' t have gloria without dolor.
    Last edited by Ecurb; 11-16-2019 at 01:36 PM.

  13. #7138
    A User, but Registered! tonywalt's Avatar
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    The Joker - 9.5/10 Loved it. Dark. Left and impression.

    The Master - 9.5 P. Seymour Hoffman and Phoenix Rivers are at their best. Plot lacks art, it's not for the masses. It's for me.

    Once upon a time in hollywood - 9.5/10 loved it.

  14. #7139
    Registered User kev67's Avatar
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    The last film I saw at the cinema was Joker, which was not bad, actually.
    The last film I saw was on YouTube was Dredd, the 2012 version. Not bad, not as good as Joker, but a lot better than the Stallone version.
    According to Aldous Huxley, D.H. Lawrence once said that Balzac was 'a gigantic dwarf', and in a sense the same is true of Dickens.
    Charles Dickens, by George Orwell

  15. #7140
    Ecurb Ecurb's Avatar
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    In Bong Joon-ho's new movie "Parasite", the Kim family represent the underclass. You can tell, because they live in a basement apartment, and get free wifi only by perching on the toilet. They are literally "lower" class, and later in the film they hide under beds and hang out in an underground bomb shelter.

    Fortune smiles on the Kims, though. The son gets a gig tutoring a rich girl in English, and manages to get his sister a job tutoring another child in the family. The father becomes the chauffeur, and his mother the housekeeper (the rich family doesn't know their employees are related). The movie is part social commentary, part con-game-action thriller,, and part horror movie. Each scene has literal and symbolic meaning.

    The rich family the Kims infiltrate is a bit nuts: the mother may be a drug addict and the young son likes playing American Indian --the toy arrows he shoots about the house forebode violence.

    The movie is a bit too long, but well worth seeing. Apparently the director is highly touted, but this is the first of his movies that I've seen. My mistake. It's excellent.

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