Just saw The Florida Project on Netflix. I loved it and as @MaryBarbara58 said back in April, the child actors were amazing. They were so natural. My D20 had already seen it in her film class this year and liked it so much she was happy to see it again with me. I was fascinated at the fact that some of the actors were first-timers.
I love “Midnight Special.” I’m watching it AGAIN on HBO right now.
Saw two Ang Lee movies this weekend, neither of which I’d seen when they first came out.
The first was Lust, Caution about a young woman roped in to be a spy by seducing a Chinese collaborator during the Japanese occupation of China. There’s a lot of violent sex, so it’s not exactly pleasant to watch, but it’s an interesting if slim story about a woman who finds that seduction is a two-way street and her voyage to some sort of self-discovery. Tony Leung is perfectly cast. He’s both very sexy and yet you know he’s rotten to the core. It’s very long, and in Chinese, but I enjoyed seeing bits of Hong Kong and Shanghai and was mesmerized throughout.
The second was Hulk, which as I recall got somewhat mixed reviews and bombed at the box office. It also is in no hurry to tell its story. Here we get two characters with Daddy issues and repressed memories. I loved the way it was filmed switching frequently to comic book like panels, zooming in and out. I almost expect to see dialogue boxes! I thought the ending went a little off the deep end, but it’s a gorgeous movie with just the right mix of comic book weirdness and believability.
If you enjoyed Florida Project, you might enjoy “American Honey”, too. The lead actress is also a first timer and she is brilliant for the role.
We just watched “The Lighthouse”. Amazing acting by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson and incredible cinematography. However, I don’t want to watch it ever again. It was horrifying.
Also watched 4-part mini series “Unorthodox”. Very very good.
@HiToWaMom Thanks and you’re right, I did enjoy American Honey - posted about it somewhere on this thread but I know it’s hard to keep up with! I agree the lead in that was super. Haven’t seen the Lighthouse yet but it’s on our list. But I didn’t know it was horrifying - I’ve stayed completely away from reviews or even knowing what it’s about. Hmmm. I’ve heard of Unorthodox and thought it sounded interesting so thanks for the recommendation.
We’ve been trying to show our aspiring filmmaker daughter some classic war movies - she loved 1917 - so we watched Platoon and Saving Private Ryan two nights in a row. I like Private Ryan better. Hadn’t seen it since it first came out and had forgotten most of it so it was almost new to me! Still great.
A family member I trust told me not to bother with Lighthouse so I’m taking their word for it.
I watched Just Mercy (free on Prime). Cried through half the movie.
I wasn’t paying attention in the beginning and really thought it was about the 1960’s, but finally realized it was 1989 through the 1990s. Really unbelievable.
^ I felt the same way about the time period and the film, in general.
Saw “Barefoot Contessa,” with Humphrey Bogart—it was interminable. Mom fell asleep. I didn’t blame her. It was free but not worth seeing.
Watched a movie on Amazon Prime about the Obamas and really enjoyed it. It was about an hour.
I rewatched Just Mercy with DS18 and still cried. I thought that the performances were phenomenal especially the actor who played fellow death row inmate Herbert.
Just heard that Selma is also streaming free this month. I missed in theaters and plan to watch it soon.
Actually there is a long list of movies streaming free this month in support of BLM. I can also recommend Brian Banks, a biopic about a NFL player who was imprisoned after high school after he was falsely accused of rape.
Hahaha, yeah, The Lighthouse is not for everyone. If you trust your source, you shouldn’t watch it.
It’s worth it if you are into great acting and cinematography. (I usually don’t care about lighting or cinematography, but even I noticed how superb it was!)
Just Mercy. All around a good movie and a very meaningful one for this moment. Great for white folks who are honestly trying to understand systemic racism in the US.
I watched POMS last night, sweet movie and I loved watching Diane Keaton in it. Then watched I Feel Pretty, which was just okay. I was the only one home so that explains the “light” content, haha.
“The Good Liar” with Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen. Good movie.
“I am not your Negro”, even more powerful because the issues Balwin raises date back 50 years an they still, alas, resonate, echoing our present.
I really enjoyed “First Wives Club.” It really showed off the talent of the three main actresses–good synergy between them. Pocketful of miracles was rather plodding.
We watched Knives Out last night. Very fun, well done murder mystery. Bonus - seeing Daniel Craig with a southern accent. Amazon Prime.
We also recently watched What Men Want. The reverse of the Mel Gibson movie from years ago. Taraji P. Henson is great. Aldis Hodge also stars (Voodoo from Friday Night Lights) and seems to be everywhere these days. I’ve liked him in everything I’ve seen so far. Amazon Prime.
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A few weeks ago, my spouse and I watched and thoroughly enjoyed a recent Netflix teen not-quite-rom-not-quite-com called The Half of It, about a nerdy first-gen Chinese-American teenager in a small town in Washington State. Just as she is beginning to realize that she is a lesbian, she winds up playing Cyrano to a sweetly goofy jock who has a crush on an alpha-girl to whom the heroine also feels attracted. It’s a unique take on a cliched idea that avoids easy answers, and the acting, writing, and filmmaking are all first rate. Definitely worth 90 minutes of your time.
Then, last week, noodling around Amazon Prime, my wife wound up choosing a film from 2004 called Saving Face, that happens to be the only other film written and directed by the auteur of The Half of It, Alice Wu. (We didn’t realize that until the end.) It’s a great companion to The Half of It, because the main character is essentially the main character of The Half of It 10 years older and transposed to the Chinese-American community in Flushing, Queens. (And, while the new film’s central character is the child of a depressed widower, the older film provides its heroine both a narcissistic mother played sensationally well by Joan Chen, a stereotypically dominant grandfather, and a grandmother who knows how to manipulate everyone.) Saving Face is a little more conventional and less believable than The Half of It, but still really original and enjoyable.
Alice Wu turns out to be a kind of College Confidential dream: enrolled at MIT at 16, ultimately two CS degrees from Stanford and a career at Microsoft before becoming a filmmaker. She clearly knows nerdy Chinese young women who like girls!
My wife would also recommend the disability rights documentary, Crip Camp, which she watched while I was working.
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Turner Classic Movies showed Cabaret this morning. Released in 1972 and does it ever hold up! As a kid, I thought of it as a great Liza Minnelli vehicle, obviously missing the point of the entire film. (Her solo numbers do skew it a bit that way, though.) Today it’s on my top 10 favorite movie list. Extraordinary movie, spectacular cast. Not just Minnelli and Joel Grey, who won Oscars, but Michael York, Marisa Berenson, and Helmut Griem - outstanding. Bob Fosse’s direction was genius. This was only the second film he directed. Makes me wonder again about all the great movies he didn’t make because he died too young.
I’m happy to overlook the one glaring inconsistency, which is that Sally Bowles is not supposed to be a fabulous singer-dancer and Minnelli clearly is.
The Kitchen (HBO)–essentially about 3 housewives who start their own business. Interesting management techniques.
The Chi (Showtime series). Third season begins Sunday evening (6/21/2020).
Marathon showing (10 hours) of complete Season 2 (10 shows) of The Chi starts early Sunday morning (6/21/2020).
The Chi = Southside of Chicago
Has anyone seen The Counselor (2013) with Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Michael Fessbender, Penelope Cruz, & Cameron Diaz ?