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December 30, 2017 9:37 pm  #801


Re: Recently watched movies.

Has anyone here seen Darkest Hour with Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill? I saw it yesterday with my parents. I didn't know much about it, but I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. The makeup to make Gary Oldman look like Churchill was good (I won't be surprised if it gets a Best Makeup nomination at the Oscars this year) and I liked the different aspects of his life that we saw. I also really liked the cinematography.



Clueing for looks.
 

January 31, 2018 4:51 am  #802


Re: Recently watched movies.

Has anyone seen the film Phantom Thread?  I saw it last week and I really liked it though the relationship between the two main characters was quite bizarre.  So, it was a rather odd but intriguing film.  I found myself conflicted over some of the character's actions, but couldn't stop thinking about the film afterwards.
Would like to hear other's impressions of the movie if you've seen it.

Yitzok, I also saw Darkest Hour and thought Gary Oldman was excellent.  I also enjoyed it far more than I expected!
Would recommend both movies.


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September 10, 2018 10:22 pm  #803


Re: Recently watched movies.

I believe I meant to respond to your post and say that I have not seen Phantom Thread, but I have listened to some of the soundtrack and the music is rather good!

This weekend I saw what I think must be the worst film (or one of the worst films) I have seen this year: Chappaquiddick.  I'm honestly surprised to see that it's Certified Fresh (81%) on Rotten Tomatoes. I thought it had pretty bad pacing, since the beginning was so drawn out for no apparent reason (I get that we're supposed to see how long Ted Kennedy waited before reporting the accident, but even so I thought it wasn't done well). Even after it gets reported, there's a little bit of what goes on behind the scenes of how the public is informed about what happened, but a lot is glossed over, including the entire hearing that takes place in the courtroom. So there was hardly any tension or intrigue to speak of and overall was quite disappointing.



Clueing for looks.
 

September 11, 2018 5:06 pm  #804


Re: Recently watched movies.

I haven't seen Chappaquiddick, but I have seen Phantom Thread!  I had much the same feelings about it as you, NoShipSherlock.  Is it really Daniel Day Lewis's last film?  I thought the three main actors were fantastic, all so watchable and compelling, but particularly Lesley Manville who I just kept wanting more of!  It's nice to see such an original film, and such a different sort of relationship. And it was unexpectedly funny at times!  I watched and read a bit more about it as I too found I kept thinking about it afterwards, and found that some  parts were improvised - kudos to the actors for doing that so brilliantly.  And that DDL prepared for the part by amongst other things, studying fashion designers and practicing dressmaking, and that some of the "actors" were actually seamstresses!  It was uncomfortable to watch at times.  I was torn between rooting for the characters and being horrified by them! 

Last edited by Liberty (September 11, 2018 5:08 pm)

 

December 12, 2018 3:19 pm  #805


Re: Recently watched movies.

Recently I watched Doctor Strange and I like this new role from Benedict

Last edited by halste (December 12, 2018 3:19 pm)

 

December 12, 2018 4:36 pm  #806


Re: Recently watched movies.

Not so new for some of us!
We've also seen him in Infinity Wars.
We are now looking forward to Dr Strange 2.


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December 16, 2018 12:17 am  #807


Re: Recently watched movies.

This might be too niche for a lot of you here, but my most-recently watched movies was this Thursday when I watched Ghost in the Shell (the original one from 1995, not the 2017 remake), which I have wanted to see for years but only found the Blu-ray at the library last week by chance. It wasn't always the easiest film to understand, but I found myself fascinated by its world and the main characters. And now I can't get this film out of my mind. And even though it's from 1995 and could have looked dated, the animation, I found, was so impressive.



Clueing for looks.
 

December 16, 2018 8:29 am  #808


Re: Recently watched movies.

That film has been on my to-see list for many years!  I'm glad to hear it's worth it.  Have you seen Akira?  I had similar thoughts about that.  Was yours a dubbed version or subtitled?  (Or do you speak Japanese?)   Would you recommend one over the other?  I'm never sure which is best when it's a language I don't know.  I usually prefer the original language, rather than dubbing, but it can be distracting reading the subtitles.  The trouble I've found recently is that sometimes I've watched in the original language, but the only version available here is dubbed, and it just feels wrong for the characters to have completely different voices!

One film I saw in the cinema recently was 2001:A Space Odyssey.  I saw that first in the cinema many, many years ago and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's still astounding!  One film that I probably really needs the big screen. 

 

December 16, 2018 2:37 pm  #809


Re: Recently watched movies.

I have not yet seen Akira, but it's another one I would like to see (preferably before the Tokyo olympics, since apparently the Tokyo Olympics feature in that movie even though nobody would have known at the time that it would have been in 2020). I have listened to some of the soundtrack, though, and it's quite good!

I watched the dubbed version of Ghost (though the disc had both English dub and Japaneese audio with English subtitles on it), though I might watch some scenes with subtitles before I return it just out of curiosity to see if the translations are different. I tend to choose the dubbed option for animated films and shows if I have the choice. I like to just watch the animation instead of missing some of it because I'm looking down at the subtitles.

And yes, I agree 100% that 2001 is best on a big cinema screen! 



Clueing for looks.
 

November 25, 2019 4:04 pm  #810


Re: Recently watched movies.

I saw Jojo Rabbit yesterday and really liked it. I thought the movie did a good job of showing how the Nazis tried to create or affect youth culture to get young kids interested in working for them, even though the protagonist of the film is only 10 and doesn't completely get why what he's been taught to believe is so bad, because he feels like he's part of something. Even though there's quite a bit about this film that's satirical, it's still a serious story and was still moving. 



Clueing for looks.
 

July 13, 2022 2:49 pm  #811


Re: Recently watched movies.

Have any of you seen the new Elvis movie? I went to see it this past weekend. I found the stylistic flourishes in the first half were way too heavy-handed so I thought the movie didn't have a lot of nuance. I also found the sound design aggravating a lot of the time. But I thought the second half of the film was kind of enjoyable and the guy playing Elvis did a good job. Even though he doesn't look a lot like Elvis in general, there were moments where he looked like him. And in interviews I think he's charming. It's a pretty sad story, though, definitely not as hopeful or uplifting as some other films I've seen about famous musicians.

Last edited by Yitzock (July 13, 2022 2:50 pm)



Clueing for looks.
 

July 13, 2022 6:26 pm  #812


Re: Recently watched movies.

No, I haven't seen it yet.  I will probably watch it when it's streaming.  Elvis's story always makes me feel sad.  I know not everybody is a fan, but he really was outrageously talented, and some of his views were quite progressive for the time (and some weren't!!!).  I clearly remember hearing the news that he died. I suppose it would be difficult to make a really uplifting film about him, given how things went.  He did have some glorious moments, though.

I suppose it's always a difficult call how closely the actor needs to look like the person in biopics.  I watched the Sex Pistols series recently (the Danny Boyle one based on Steve Jones' biography, can't remember what it's called!), and it was a bit distracting that the actors didn't look too much like the real people, although they all did a great job ... and I think as it went on I bought into it more.  I'm sure it's better to have the best actor who can capture the essence of the character, rather than the closest match. 

 

July 13, 2022 7:31 pm  #813


Re: Recently watched movies.

Yes, definitely a mixed bag on his views, though I'm only now discovering that. But he was also transgressive in the 50s with his fashion and performance style. I went through quite an Elvis phase as a child and have heard his music off and on since then, so he was definitely an artist I grew up listening to. My maternal grandmother absolutely loved him in the 60s, when he was making movies that weren't necessarily good but were the kind of thing my grandmother liked. My mom has told me before about how sad my grandmother was when he died. We have mutliple Elvis CDs of hers in the house, as well as a book packed away somewhere full of pictures.

I think that as long as you can at some point believe that that actor is the person they are playing, then it's successful. Rami Malek didn't really look like Freddie Mercury, but he didn't look so much unlike him that I couldn't believe it. And Gwilym Lee looked so much like Brian May I would forget it wasn't him! Paul Dano looks quite a bit like Brian Wilson, but I don't think I knew that well what he looked like when I watched Love & Mercy, so I didn't have a lot to compare to. Jamie Foxx is a bit different looking from Ray Charles, but I thought he looked enough like him (though the sunglasses might have helped). I haven't seen Walk the Line, but as far as looks go Joaquin Phoenix seems like good casting for Johnny Cash. 

In movies where I know very well what the real person looked like, I think I notice the differences more. I'm not very familiar with the Sex Pistols, so I don't know if it would have that distracting effect for me if I watched the series, though looking up a picture I can see that some of the actors don't really look like the real people in the band that much. I had forgotten about it until you mentioned it, but I had considered watching that series when it came out, since one of the actors from Sing Street is in it.
 

Last edited by Yitzock (July 13, 2022 7:32 pm)



Clueing for looks.
 

July 14, 2022 2:56 pm  #814


Re: Recently watched movies.

Oh you had an Elvis phase as child?  That's great!  Did you ever see the Disney film Lilo and Stitch?  It's one of my favourite Disneys, and the Elvis music was fun in that.  I feel I grew up with Elvis too to some extent as he was one of the very few pop/rock/rock'n'roll artists my mother liked.  It's fun that a new generation are listening.  The original generation of young teenagers are in their 80s now!  It's nice to see Kate Bush become more popular again recently: I loved her as teen.

I watched a bit of an interview with the Elvis actor (have forgotten his name).  I thought his natural speaking voice had an "Elvis" quality: quite rich and warm.  He said one of the key things was that he was very close to his mother and lost her at the same age as Elvis lost his mother, so felt a connection.  I'm very keen to see him in the role. 
 

 

July 14, 2022 6:45 pm  #815


Re: Recently watched movies.

Lilo and Stitch definitely played a big role in starting my Elvis phase! I remember enjoying the songs in the movie and also watching all the bonus material on the DVD, learning about Elvis in Blue Hawaii, which my mom ended up buying for me on DVD. I still have it, though I'm not sure I could stand watching Blue Hawaii now. But I remember watching it multiple times. And then the next time we visited my grandmother that summer she gave me one of her Elvis CDs which I listened to over and over! I still have it and have been listening to some of it again this week. My grandmother also wasn't into rock and roll (although my mom was as a teenager in the 60s, especially the Beatles, she was definitely a Beatlemaniac), but she loved Elvis.

I thought it was quite moving hearing Austin Butler talk about that connection between him and Elvis. 23 seems so young to lose one's mother. I felt for him hearing that. But it also reminded me of how fortunate I am that my mum is still around. If things had gone differently at any point these past few years, I could have ended up in a similar situation. 

Last edited by Yitzock (July 14, 2022 6:56 pm)



Clueing for looks.
 

January 18, 2023 9:26 am  #816


Re: Recently watched movies.

I finally watched this film.  Really enjoyed it, and thought the actor did a great job, although as we discussed not being facially very similar to Elvis he really seemed to hit the voice and physicality.  It was very much a Baz Luhrman film in looks, and I'm still not sure about framing the story through the Colonel and how well that worked. I felt I should have got to know the Colonel better, even though it was really about Elvis, but by the end he was still a bit of an enigma.
It was Elvis's daughter Lisa Marie's sad death that reminded me to watch the film. It's odd that generations of that family have died at a young age, and does make you wonder if Elvis's death had a genetic component.  It was always a kind of morality tale when I was young, as if he died because he ate junk food.  I was glad that the film didn't go down that route.

 

January 22, 2023 3:35 pm  #817


Re: Recently watched movies.

My mum suspects it probably was genetic. Elvis died in his 40s of arrythmia, I believe, plus his body took abuse from drugs and such over the years so he was in his 40s. I believe Lisa Marie died of a heart attack as well. Elvis' mum also died of heart failure, I believe. Obviously, I don't know about any conditions they had or any diagnoses, but because of that pattern my mum thinks it's likely genetic.
This must be so hard for Priscilla. She and Elvis and a bit of a problematic relationship in some ways, but it's also clear that she loved him a lot, and it would have been tough to lose him so young, and now to lose her daughter... I can only imagine.



Clueing for looks.
 

January 22, 2023 5:13 pm  #818


Re: Recently watched movies.

Yes, and of course she lost a grandson as well.  And one of Lisa's ex-husbands also died young. They have been plagued by tragedy, but I think losing a child is particularly awful.

Interestingly it looks like Elvis's maternal grandmother also died young (as did her siblings, I think) so Lisa was the only one for generations to make it to her fifties. I had a look on the internet after I lasted posted and it turns out there are quite a few theories about this, and it seems like Elvis had quite a lot going on medically including a possibly inherited conditions.  He certainly doesn't look well in the videos close to his death - not just like somebody who overeats.
 

 

January 28, 2023 3:25 pm  #819


Re: Recently watched movies.

I was not aware of that, though I knew that one of Lisa Marie's sons had committed suicide, I think. So much sadness for one family, although I suppose there are others with similar stories who aren't famous.



Clueing for looks.
 

January 29, 2023 4:16 pm  #820


Re: Recently watched movies.

Yes, very true.

On a brigher note, I seem to have enjoyed quite a few films I've seen recently!

The Banshees of Inisherin: quite a different sort of film from the usual.  I thought the dialogue was very good.  It was interesting to me that the film was all set in a fairly small location and timeframe: it almost felt a bit a like a play. It was very dark but sometimes laugh out loud funny.  Warning for gore, violence, death and

suicide

.  And swearing, probably.

The Menu: another dark film, but very different, I won't say what type of film it is as it's almost a spoiler, so I'll just say it starts with a couple going for a meal at one of those incredibly famous, expensive and exclusive and top of the market restaurants, this one set on an island. Again, it was really funny at times, particularly the menu items coming up on the screen!  Warnings for all of the above as well. 

Everything Everywhere All At Once: very enjoyable film which references lots of other films and genres.  I can't think what to warn about now, there is definitely violence but I would say not as graphic as the above two.

Glass Onion: sequel to Knives Out, some violence but in the spirit of an Agatha Christie type murder mystery.  Yet another film set mainly on an island.  I seem to have had an island theme recently! Quite light viewing, again with some funny parts.

Swimming Pool (2003). A French language film, not set on an island this time, but again mostly taking place in a fairly closed environment of a mansion/chateau with a swimming pool in France. It starts off with a crime fiction writer going for break at her publisher's house in France, which has a swimming pool, but things take an unexpected turn or two.  Again would probably be a spoiler to give warnings, but there is some

violence and sex

.  Quite a lot of nudity, if that's an issue, but relevant to the plot.  Some swearing as well, if I remember.  I really enjoyed this one, and it's one of those films you want to rewatch as soon as it finishes!  And it was funny at times too! The two leads are very compelling to watch.

Last edited by Liberty (January 29, 2023 4:17 pm)

 

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