The Mule was typical Eastwood in the style of Gran Torino. His pacing is not for the MTV generation. Clint fans will enjoy it.
Aquaman compares favorably with Wonder Woman and Black Panther. It’s long but explains the history of the characters. Fun to watch Nicole Kidman kick butt. The amount of globe trotting was reminiscent of James Bond films.
Bird Box was based on a book written in 2015 so unfavorable comparisons to A Quiet Place are unfounded. It’s more thriller than horror but still entertaining. The author did admit to inspiration from M. Night Shyamalan’s the Happening in 2008 with Marky Mark.
Why were you disappointed in The Favourite? That’s on my must-see list right now – but I haven’t had a chance yet – but I’d be interested in knowing why it made you feel angry.
So far Green Book has been my favorite of the films to be nominated. For unknown reasons The Favorite doesn’t seem especially appealing to me but both of my d’s loved it. DH has zero interest in seeing it and we missed A Star is Born. Green Book was so well acted and I am a big fan of both actors. A serious historical film told with humor.
DH and I saw Vice and he didn’t care for it particularly. I enjoyed it more and it is a good history recap although told almost as a farce. Both Amy Adams and Christian Bale outstanding. I also enjoyed Mary Queen of Scots but apparently it didn’t get much love from the critics. Beautifully filmed, Margot Robbie outsanding as Elizabeth. Helps to have an understanding of British history and the schism and why Mary has a claim to the English throne.
It was on my must-see list as well! I was very disappointed in the screenplay (story). Based on the previews and praise of the acting, I thought it was going to be a great movie.
I think what triggered my anger was 1. The previews gave me the impression the movie was going to be a clever, witty court drama-comedy. The screenplay disappointed. 2. There were some stupid scenes which caused me to later rant about Hollywood needing more female directors.
I don’t want to say more as to avoid spoilers. And, as always, JMO. (And, my daughter’s!)
@bookworm I watched the entirety of You because I like Penn Badgley and the style of the show reminds me of one of my faves, Gossip Girl (sooo good). The ending leads into season 2 quite nicely.
+1 on on thinking The Favourite was a total miss. It stayed with me in a very negative way for days after. Given it’s historical inaccuracy I think the screenplay was irresponsible and misleading. I am sure many will walk away taking it as fact.
Having said that I thought Emma Stone was superb in her role and Rachel Weicsz wasn’t far behind her. The costumes were beautifully executed as well but for me none of that compensates for the license the writers took with that film.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Bird Box. I’m not a big fan of creepy/horror (couldn’t get into The Haunting of Hill House, for example) but this absorbed me. I loved the characters and the acting and that they threw in some dark humor. And I did not see that ending coming!
I thought Spider-Man; into the spider verse was a good movie - lots of fun. BUT, the best movie I saw this holiday is the documentary “FREE SOLO”. Oh man, fanstastic look at a fantastically interesting man as he decides to climb El Capitan in Yosemite solo and without any ropes, harnesses, or using any anchors. I could only watch since I knew A) that he succeeded and B) that he made it down alive. Go see it! I think it won best documentary for 2018. the cinematography was fabulous and it is a visual feast.
I finally just saw “Beautiful Boy” (free if you have Amazon Prime). Hard to watch, but a really good movie. Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet were really good. Hugged my sweet 13 year old boy a bit tighter after watching it.
I hate it when a movie annoys. Thanks for the further heads up on The Favourite. I can try some of it on Netflix, later.
My 27 and her 30 y.o. bf loved The Mule. He said, “A work of art. Imo, Eastwood at his best.” I think that’s a little hyperbole, but it’s well worth the ticket cost.
^ wasn’t Meru great- H and I enjoyed the drama of the storyline in addition to the stunning visuals- not just for mountain lovers - award winning movie
I had the immense pleasure of seeing Roma in a movie theater last night. We have a slew of art theaters surrounding us and one fought tooth and nail with Netflix to get to show this beautiful film. If you know anything about Alfonso Cuaron’s body of work (Gravity, Children of Men, Paris, Je T’aime) he is a master at visual artistry, and luxuriates the viewer with loooonnnggg takes that seem to go nowhere, but always leaves the audience wanting more. I had planned to see the movie through Netflix streaming and am so happy I got to see it on the big screen instead, I think some of the artistry would be lost on the home screen. The film is a complex simple sliver of life that takes place in Mexico City over a short 9 months in 1970/1971 and is based on real people in his life and stories during his own life as well.
If you have a chance to see it on a big screen, and you like “stories” (vs action) and visually stunning films, run, do not walk to see it.
Hailee Steinfeld stars in both Bumblebee and Spider-Verse. Each was better than expected. Bond with your children at these two.
The former is a prequel to the tedious Michael Bay Transformers series but has a pulse as opposed to excessive CGI. The latter gives a spin to the superhero from a teenager’s viewpoint.