Nothing new to recommend but it’s been a good week for trailers, teasers, and buzz about upcoming movies. I’m looking forward to these:
“Beautiful Boy,” starring Steve Carrell and Timothy Chalamet, based on David Sheff’s wonderful memoir; out in October.
”Bohemian Rhapsody,” starring Remi Malek as Freddie Mercury. The trailer looks great. Due out in early November.
“The Seagull,” starring Annette Bening, Saoirse Ronan, and Elizabeth Moss. It’s already out but good luck to me finding someplace to see it around here. The performers are getting rave reviews, especially Bening. She should have an Oscar already - maybe this will be her year.
A long time to wait for this one (September 2019) - “You Are My Friend” starring Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers.
Saw RBG last night and really enjoyed it. I had no idea she worked so hard for women’s rights for years before her nomination to the SC. H really enjoyed it too, much more than he expected.
D saw RBG last week in Nashville and texted me to say it was best documentary she has ever seen. It comes to my town on June 1. I am SO looking forward to it!
I just saw Pope Francis: A Man of His Word - if you get a chance to see the film I highly recommend it.
I’ve admired this spiritual leader since I first learned of him in 2013.
After seeing this documentary I’m struck by how similar his words are to the Buddha.
Pope Francis is a humanitarian first and foremost. He is passionate about the earth we all share. Do everything we can to preserve it and do nothing to spoil it. I could swear I heard the Dalai Lama say that too when I saw him.
HBO- “Runaway Jury” riveting and relevant about current gun control issues. Performances, especially John Cusack, Rachel Weiz, Gene Hackman are solid. Dustin Hoffman lead attorney. you can’t watch this 2003 movie without reflecting on all that has happened in the last 15 years.
I have MoviePass now, so I’m seeing films as they were designed to be seen, on a large screen, with little distraction.
I love films, so MoviePass was a no-brainer for me, and I have 2 art theaters (11 screens in total) within 5 minutes of where I live, one is walking distance.
This weekend I saw The Seagull. I really liked it a lot (I had seen a staging of it many years ago). It’s a beautiful production of a not very beautiful subject…jealousy and animosity. Dark, Russian literature.
Last night I saw On Chesil Beach - I’m still processing it - I think I liked it. Certainly Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle were perfectly cast. (they played together in The Seagull as well)
Today I may slip over to see the documentary, Always at The Carlyle - written and directed by Matthew Miele, who also wrote/directed Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s (which I adored!).
Just got home from seeing RBG. I had high expectations, but the film exceeded them. I will own a copy of this in some format in the future. D told me I would cry and I did multiple times. She & Marty had one of the greatest love stories that I know of and it shows throughout the film in touching ways. To see her laugh watching Kate McKinnon imitate her is alone worth the price of admission.
Another vote for RBG. My H also enjoyed it. Like @2VU0609 I cried. It is a lovely story of her love of her H and his for her. I also did not know anything about her early career. I recommended it to both my daughters.
I wanted to like On Chesil Beach. The acting and cinematography are superb, but the story really falls apart for me. I see that reviewers had the same problem with the book. The NYT was particularly harsh about the book, and since Ian McEwan also wrote the movie’s screenplay the issues with plot move from page to screen.
The random wonderfulness of watching whatever movies you find on what I’ll call “regular” TV: I was thinking about Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” and the line where the young girl who died wants to spend a few hours with the people she loves, and she’s cautioned to choose a regular day, then I remembered they used a similar term in the scifi movie “AI” (Spielberg and Kubrick), and I’m cruising channels on Saturday and what should be on but AI! A very very long 2nd act but the payoff was worth it. Plus always fun to see Jude Law’s Joe (echoes of the main character in Midnight Cowboy).
I have now seen 2 excellent documentaries this week. The first, mentioned upthread, RBG still showing in theaters. The second was HBO’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, an excellent reflection on the life of John McCain. While I don’t share all of his values, I do have common ground with him on several (campaign finance reform, for one) and significant respect for his service to our country. He owns his flaws and his strengths and the film shows him for the class act and patriot he is.
TAG-thin script. One joke movie.
Hereditary-superb casting.
Toni Colette has the ugliest of ugly cry face.
Nice to see Gabriel Byrne.
Alex Wolff and GB get to play father son again… In Treatment was their first go around.
Milly Shapiro is intense.