We are thinking of doing a movie the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. After the passing of Debbie Reynolds I told H that I think La La Land is the one I want to see.
We saw Rogue One and everyone enjoyed it. It’s a piece of fluff, but a satisfying one.
I liked rogue one for the most part, but I am not a fan of the ending…
Another no vote for Manchester by the Sea, which I found unrelentingly bleak, if well acted. I liked Loving much better, even though it was a bit slow.
I’m going to Fences on Friday. I love Viola Davis, but I’m a little worried I’ll be seeing a filmed theater production rather than a more expansive movie.
I missed Moonlight. Anyone have thoughts on that one? (I may have missed something on it in skimming through the many pages in this topic.)
I want to see Hidden Figues
I saw Moonlight! I was motivated to see it after hearing this interview on Fresh Air:
I’m glad I saw it, and glad I had a little bit of background from the interview. Even with that, the movie was different than I had anticipated. Perhaps I was thinking it was going to be one of those uplifting kid makes it out of the projects and on to college movies. No, it’s a quieter, more subtle movie, about the main character, in three parts.
We saw Jackie a few days ago. It’s quite impressive; Natalie Portman is amazing and will certainly be in the Oscar running for it. My wife’s comment: “Well, that’s the third incredibly depressing movie in a row.” (The previous two being Manchester and La-La Land.") I think she expected more grrlpower-beats-adversity and less manipulative-b***h-wallows-in-self-pity-while-chain-smoking.
You can bet she won’t be coming to Silence with me. We’ll probably have to see Moana next. Maybe A Monster Calls.
Just watched The Devil and Daniel Johnston, and it was excellent.
Wow, I didn’t find La La Land depressing. Bittersweet, maybe, but mostly sweet.
We saw La La Land Christmas night; H didn’t care for it - didn’t ‘get’ it, which I found annoying because we have a daughter in Mia’s age bracket that is living in LA and trying to make it in the film industry. I know it was probably a difficult film for her to watch, especially given she is getting married in March (I’m not implying anything here, just noting the difficult nature of having long-lasting relationships when you pick very untraditional career paths). I know she enjoyed the movie, but parts of it I’m sure felt too close to home. Other D liked certain parts and didn’t like others. I enjoyed it and would see it again.
So I tried to make up to H for picking La La Land and suggested we go see Jackie the next night. I think he was more disappointed in it - he expected a story line about Jackie Onassis; he didn’t know what it was about, so was disappointed. I thought it was incredibly moving - how do you go about your life in the immediate days and weeks after your husband has been assassinated, while trying to honor him and be true to yourself? And I agree with those who think Natalie Portman will get an Oscar nomination.
@Barbalot , I read in our paper that Fences is filmed like a play, not a movie. Most of it takes place in one room.
I hadn’t known before seeing Moonlight that it is a film adaptation of a three-act play so when I learned that it helped me put the film in perspective. It is beautifully filmed and incredibly well acted. It went in a different direction than I had anticipated and was maybe a bit confusing but sadly it deals with so many issues that are part of so many people’s lives: violence, abuse, bullying, homophobia, drug abuse, parental neglect, exploitation and so on and so on.
haven’t been to the theater forever. thought maybe our family could go to The Arrival as a family outing. It’s hard to find movies we can all attend.
but i saw on Amazon Prime last night the strangest movie ever. The Lobster. Anyone seen it?
Saw Lion today - very well done and moving. I read the book it was based on and it stayed pretty true to the book, (especially important given that it’s a true story). As adoptive parents my husband and I were primed to find the subject matter compelling, but I heard lots of sniffles around us. Dev Patel was fabulous.
Also saw Jackie earlier this week. Was very good, a somewhat different take than I expected. I listened to the real Jackie on YouTube when I got home because her voice and vocal patterns annoyed me in the film; turns out Natalie Portman totally nailed it. Awesome work from her.
@musicprnt to be fair, Rogue One was basically forced to end the way it did, just based on what the original trilogy established!
My D, who is a Sr in film school, rushed to a pre screen of La La Land and has already seen it three times. They all love it.
@oneofthosemoms I will be seeing Lion next week and am adoptive parent as well. There was a good piece on the real life guy on 60 Minutes a couple weeks ago, which is inspiring me to see it. I think the piece is online.
I’m right there with @JHS with respect to La La Land. I thought the movie was clever and very well done, but why couldn’t they find leads that can sing?!? The downright bad singing and dancing – coupled with Emma Stone’s lisp – annoyed the heck out of me, but otherwise, I found the film to be generally and genuinely delightful.
bgbg4us, I thought The Lobster was original, darkly humorous and thought-provoking. Still looking for a chance to see it again and get the feedback of my son with quirky tastes.
Emma Stone was Sally Bowles in a recent revival of Cabaret. It’s not a stunning surprise that a filmmaker would tap someone who appeared in a starring role in a musical comedy on Broadway to play a starring role in his musical comedy.