Movies

[brian]

David Chase has earned a shot. He’s turned down tens of millions he could have made in any number of prequels, sequels or spin-offs.

You make one of the best three or so TV shows of all-time seems fair to get a shot at re-visiting the universe. Anyway it’s part of my HBOMax subscription.

It’ll probably be like Godfather III - nowhere near as good as the original but better than 90 percent of the crap out there.

[Pruitt]

Luca by Pixar is really enjoyable.

A very slight story, but my God it is beautiful.

[sancarlos]

Just re-watched one of my favorite old movies, containing one my favorite quotes.

The Third Man (1949) starring Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard.

Don’t be so gloomy. After all, it’s not that awful. You know what the fellow said. – In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance.

In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.

(Screenplay by the great British writer, Graham Greene.)

[bfj]

Luca by Pixar is really enjoyable.

A very slight story, but my God it is beautiful.

I turned it off half way through and I love Pixar movies. I may have to go back and try and finish it, but I found it really dull. It seemed like a cross between Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo.

[DaveInSeattle]

We watched the 'Summer of Soul' documentary last night. Great movie, with long forgotten footage of the Harlem Culture concert series from the summer of 1969. Clips of Stevie Wonder, Staples Singers, BB King, Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson, and lots more. Directed by QuestLove. Really great movie. Highly recommended. Its currently on Hulu (and in theaters).



And oh my god...the outfits are awesome.

[Shirley]

Luca by Pixar is really enjoyable.

A very slight story, but my God it is beautiful.

I turned it off half way through and I love Pixar movies. I may have to go back and try and finish it, but I found it really dull. It seemed like a cross between Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo.

Yeah, it was good, but ultimately pretty forgettable. Not Pixar’s best work. I still haven’t seen Soul, because it also just doesn’t look that good.

[tennbengal]

Oh, hey there. Prob going to want to see this:

[brian]

Luca by Pixar is really enjoyable.

A very slight story, but my God it is beautiful.

I turned it off half way through and I love Pixar movies. I may have to go back and try and finish it, but I found it really dull. It seemed like a cross between Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo.

Yeah, it was good, but ultimately pretty forgettable. Not Pixar’s best work. I still haven’t seen Soul, because it also just doesn’t look that good.

I liked Soul more than I thought I was going to (saw it on a plane a few months ago), but it is a second-tier Pixar joint.

[L-Jam3]

I finally got around to watching Rush, the Formula One movie about the Hunt-Lauda rivalry. Very well done all around, and I've always been a sucker to chicks dressed in the 70s style. Very recommended. Now I'm definitely going to check out that Netflix series on F1.

[Nonlinear FC]

I finally got around to watching Rush, the Formula One movie about the Hunt-Lauda rivalry. Very well done all around, and I've always been a sucker to chicks dressed in the 70s style. Very recommended. Now I'm definitely going to check out that Netflix series on F1.

Another candidate to join F1 Fantasy 2022!!!

(I went the other direction, watching the series and then watching the movie because of that newfound interest. Agree with your strong recommendation. You will appreciate how they handle Niki Lauda's impact on the current teams/drivers.)

[DaveInSeattle]

...I've always been a sucker to chicks dressed in the 70s style.

"Summer Of Soul" is a must-watch for you then...

[EdRomero]

[Reaper]

I had never heard of Sparks before, but now I've gone down a rabbit hole and have gotten no work done this afternoon after watching the previews for their documentary and the movie they are screenwriters and composers for. It's completely weird stuff that seems right up my alley.

[govmentchedda]

Luca by Pixar is really enjoyable.

A very slight story, but my God it is beautiful.

I really enjoy the main song.

[Shirley]

Is that Sparks thing for real? [checks Wikipedia ...] Wow, I have never heard of that band. I'm not even sure how that's possible.

[DaveInSeattle]

Is that Sparks thing for real? [checks Wikipedia ...] Wow, I have never heard of that band. I'm not even sure how that's possible.

Never heard this song they did with Jane Weidlin (from the Go-Go's)?

[EnochRoot]

Is that Sparks thing for real? [checks Wikipedia ...] Wow, I have never heard of that band. I'm not even sure how that's possible.

Sparks is easily a top 10 band of all time for me.

[sancarlos]

They were never my thing. A little too weird. But they’ve been a known quantity out there for many, many years.

[rass]

Yeah, I feel like I missed them too (though I guess should listen to some of their bigger songs to be sure it's a full blank spot). I follow the director of the doc on twitter so I've been well aware of the film, but I somehow just assumed they were some lost 60s folk act or something. I did finally hear one of their songs over the weekend (SXM First Wave, didn't recognize it) and was like, oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense given Edgar Wright's age and filmed proclivities.

[Shirley]

Yeah, I feel like I missed them too (though I guess should listen to some of their bigger songs to be sure it's a full blank spot). I follow the director of the doc on twitter so I've been well aware of the film, but I somehow just assumed they were some lost 60s folk act or something. I did finally hear one of their songs over the weekend (SXM First Wave, didn't recognize it) and was like, oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense given Edgar Wright's age and filmed proclivities.

I went to Spotify and played their top songs there and nothing rang a bell. Odd.

[tennbengal]

But...I think that's the point, no? That they really never had "bigger songs" or top songs that folks knew. They never broke out. They were almost purely a cult favorite among those who knew them and stayed that way. For a long time. It's kinda remarkable.

[Shirley]

But...I think that's the point, no? That they really never had "bigger songs" or top songs that folks knew. They never broke out. They were almost purely a cult favorite among those who knew them and stayed that way. For a long time. It's kinda remarkable.

Right, but I'm 51 years old and like music. I listen to a lot of different music and like a lot of bands that never got big. I read those lists of greatest albums, songs, etc. Somehow they escaped me, but yet are big enough to warrant a documentary by a major film maker.

[Pruitt]

Yeah, I feel like I missed them too (though I guess should listen to some of their bigger songs to be sure it's a full blank spot). I follow the director of the doc on twitter so I've been well aware of the film, but I somehow just assumed they were some lost 60s folk act or something. I did finally hear one of their songs over the weekend (SXM First Wave, didn't recognize it) and was like, oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense given Edgar Wright's age and filmed proclivities.

I went to Spotify and played their top songs there and nothing rang a bell. Odd.

They've been around since I was a kid, and I knew one of their songs (from the 70s). I've tried to listen to Sparks, but just don't like them.

Having said that, the fact that they are brothers who've been plugging away for 5 decades is fascinating.

[L-Jam3]

...I've always been a sucker to chicks dressed in the 70s style.

"Summer Of Soul" is a must-watch for you then...

Amy Adams with the British accent in American Hustle.

[Pruitt]

"Summer of Soul" is really good. Maybe a bit too much of an effort to make it look like an epochal event, but some of the music was incredible.

The gospel day was a highlight.

[Sabo]

I finally got around to watching Rush, the Formula One movie about the Hunt-Lauda rivalry. Very well done all around, and I've always been a sucker to chicks dressed in the 70s style. Very recommended. Now I'm definitely going to check out that Netflix series on F1.

It also helps that Alexandra Maria Lara is very easy on the eyes.

[A_B]

I was a bit underwhelmed with Black Widow. Definitely a lower tier MCU.

[rass]

I really liked it. My wife, who fell asleep for most episodes of WV and tFatWS and who gave up on Loki 1/2 way through the first episode stayed awake and enjoyed it!

I liked having one of these where the stakes weren’t world ending.

[wlu_lax6]

Liked No Sudden Move. Solid acting, fun story. Perfect HBO Max premier type movie.

[Shirley]

Watched The Tomorrow War on Amazon Prime last night with the fam. Pretty fun sci-fi. It has pieces of lots of prior good alien attack movies in it (Edge of Tomorrow, Starship Troopers, Terminator, Alien, etc.)

[wlu_lax6]

Watched The Tomorrow War on Amazon Prime last night with the fam. Pretty fun sci-fi. It has pieces of lots of prior good alien attack movies in it (Edge of Tomorrow, Starship Troopers, Terminator, Alien, etc.)

I am not sure it is all that and a bag of chips. It was not terrible but am not going to find the need to watch it again. To be honest the thing it kept reminding me of is "hey let's make a movie using the same idea as the shooter video games you see at the arcade. You know the ones like Jurassic Park or Time Cop. Basically aliens pop up from all over and just hold down the trigger until you put another buck or two into the game"

[+] spoiler

No way that vial survives the drop..but I did like the cheesy graphic when the monster, daughter, and pratt where falling before the jump

[brian]

Watching that shit would just bum me out that Chris Pratt could have been an awesome character actor and decided to just do dumb "bang bang fuck" movies.

[wlu_lax6]

[+] spoiler

Also J.K. Simmons got Swol.

And Sam Richardson is just an actor I really like. I liked him Detroiters (bummed that did not have longer run).

[Pruitt]

[+] spoiler

Also J.K. Simmons got Swol.

And Sam Richardson is just an actor I really like. I liked him Detroiters (bummed that did not have longer run).

Perhaps his greatest role...

[tennbengal]

Good job, WarnerBros...just top shelf decision-making.

[DaveInSeattle]

Wow....not that there were high expectations, but the LeBronJam is getting really bad reviews...



And from the Defector:

[tennbengal]

Heh, I was just coming to post an excerpt from Chris Thompson's review at Defector. I mean...this review is art:

More to the point, I had already mostly held back my disgust when Speedy Gonzalez said, “Neo ain’t got nothin’ on me, bro,” and when Granny said, “Game, blouses,” and when the dead-eyed teen at the ticket counter cocked an eyebrow after I all but whispered, “One for Space Jam.” I’m not sure whether it was the “one” or the “Space Jam” that pained me worse. I tried very sincerely to slip in and out of this experience as discreetly as humanly possible, but I reached something of a breaking point at the How big are these butts moment. My hands were mashed up against my cheeks to the point of pain. Those fuckin’ characters came charging over the hill, for no purpose other than to slow the movie down and cram it even more full of the dreaded IP, and I sobbed aloud the words, “I don’t know, man.”

There were three other people in the movie theater. Two were children, and the other was their mom, or grandmother, or babysitter. They weren’t even sitting especially close, but my wail of despair must’ve been pretty loud. Plus I’d already whimpered and sighed a dozen times or more. The mom shushed me. I absolutely deserved it. I forgave her in my heart for the shush. I’m not sure I will ever forgive her for not firing a harpoon through my brain.

[tennbengal]

Holy scathing fuck. More from that review:

A certain type of reader is going to form a certain sharply negative impression of what sort of person I am when I say the things I am about to say. I will admit that’s normally something that would bother me very much, but I think I am too tormented and unclean by the experience of having done this to muster up much more than a grim shrug. (Though I do want to note that I was assigned this blog and told it was not optional.) Here goes: It’s a bad thing—meaningfully bad, bad at a cultural and societal level, urgently bad—that Dumb and Bad are now viable genres of motion picture. It’s bad that people give dumb and bad movies credit for their pandering, mocking performances of art, and it’s especially bad when that credit is given to movies that are the cinematic equivalent of a Pine Sol tweet with just the word “bae” atop a photo of like Kevin Love scrubbing a countertop. It’s alarming and sincerely bad that we seem to have thrown ourselves so willingly into some sort of bizarro world where studios ever more boldly express contempt for their audiences by exploiting an earnest, incomplete, and possibly premature 21st-century critical reassessment of pop entertainment, while simultaneously exploiting a Gen-X–powered tidal wave of nostalgia for cultural artifacts that should’ve been left where they died. That the resulting pap—that’s what all of this is, pap, in the very literal sense of the word—is so often cynically fortified against criticism by broadly liberal-seeming bonafides and by the psychotic Gamergate-esque militance of diehards is all the more frustrating and dispiriting.

It used to be that shitty movies won by getting you to buy the ticket, and would just accept the critical pounding to follow. That was the trade, and it was a fair one: We got to call garbage garbage, and from time to time we would admit to ourselves that sometimes this or that hunk of garbage was our particular flavor of garbage. But now, I think, in the era of online, an unredeemably beshitted movie industry wins by getting us suckers to dig and fortify rhetorical battle trenches around some new derivative horror show, out of pure tribal loyalty and near-religious sentimentality. My hating this movie and writing about it is the prize, because I am providing it with a vector into some fresh corner of The Discourse. I haven’t worked out the more intricate mechanisms whereby this improves the Q Score or whatever of quite literally the most famous basketball player on the planet, but I know in my ruined soul that ticket sales are no longer the point. The long con is to get you to believe as deeply as possible that attaching your one infinitely precious self to these endlessly mass-produced mockeries of art and forming up a human shield around them is in fact a moral act.

[tennbengal]

straight fire:

I have never repeated any word or words as often in such a short period of time as I groaned the words “oh my god” during this movie’s 115 minutes, and I have performed the Hallelujah Chorus before. Porky Pig’s dreaded rap battle is punctuated by Ernie Johnson saying, “He was spitting hot fire.” Who wants this? Who is this for? But I have the feeling that I am supposed to root for it, somehow, because LeBron is firmly established in the culture as A Good Dude, and because it can’t be very harmful to have a little fun with nostalgia, and what kind of asshole evaluates Space Jam: A New Legacy on its merits as a movie? Have some fun! But this trend is ruining us equally: I am becoming like the crew of the Event Horizon, tearing my eyeballs out and hissing scary Latin phrases, and you are twirling in a field like the poor teen from the Matheson story. We’re both fucked.

There is a moment toward the very end of the movie where it appears very much like the filmmakers have killed off Bugs Bunny. To heck with all spoiler sensitivities! As an audience member you are supposed to feel Feelings about this, because of course you love Bugs Bunny and do not wish him dead. I grew up watching Bugs Bunny, I do love Bugs Bunny, and I did feel something. I felt regret that I had not been given the opportunity to choke the blasphemous unlife out of this reanimated corpse of Bugs Bunny with my own quivering hands. Alas, you will not be surprised to learn that it was all misdirection. Bugs returns moments later, with no explanation whatsoever, and is fine. Once again you are invited to feel Feelings. I felt bad, after all that suffering, that neither of us had been allowed to simply die.

[DaveInSeattle]

Reviews of bad movies are where some movie critics really shine. The Ebert review of Rob Reiner's "North" is an all-timer:

I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it.