The Movie Thread

[RGMike]

I saw 6 of the best pix noms, and at least 3 in every acting category.  Maybe Beasts... will change my mind when I eventually see it, but I really did think Argo was the best picture that I saw this year.  Hard to argue with DDL for actor, although I actually thought that was only the 4th or 5th best role in his career, whereas I thought Denzel gave the best perfomance of his life in Flight.  I would have taken Naomi Watts over Jennifer Lawrence, but over-acting oftens wins.  I was most surprised and pleased by Ang Lee's win.

I am still waiting to hear what RGMike thought of the host.

I thought McFarlane was good, actually. (I don't hate *him* I just think Family Guy is dreadful) . Were some of his jokes tasteless? Yes. That's why they hired him -- to be "edgy" and attract a younger demo. But most of his one-liners would have not sounded out-of-place coming from Crystal or Carson ("it's Sunday and we're all dressed up -- it's like church, only with more people praying" is a line Bob Hope could've used in 1968). The opening bit should've been a lot shorter.  The show itself was the usual hot mess. If you're gonna salute musicals, don't confine yourself to the last 10 years fer cryin' out loud.  Paul Rudd & Melissa McCarthy together probably looked great on paper but boy they were not funny. The Bond salute was a cheap clip compilation -- Ms Bassey was great but a round robin of Bond themes (Macca surely woulda showed up, Duran Duran, Carly etc)  would've been sweet.

[RGMike]

The 2nd Hobbit movie in the trilogy is titled The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  Seriously.

(yes, I know Smaug is a dragon -- to be voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, BTW)

[Lightnin' Rod]

Joss Whedon does Shakespeare?  Count me in!

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/03/07/watch_the_trailer_for_joss_whedon_s_much_ado_about_nothing_video.html

[RGMike]

Y'know those historical/biopic films where someone turns to the main character early on and says something like "You're gonna go down in history!" and you just *cringe* because it's so thuddingly obvious?  Well... that's how the Jackie Robinson movie 42 looks to me.  From the TV spots it looks like Every. Single. Line of Dialogue is like that.  I hope that's not the case, but it opens Friday and there are still no reviews on the internet -- if they haven't shown it to anyone that is NOT a good sign.

Spike Lee tried for 10 years to get a Robinson biopic made but couldn't get it off the ground (even with Denzel attached), so here comes 42, directed by a white guy -- Spike must be very pissed. Of course, he's always pissed, but still.

[Lightnin' Rod]

Y'know those historical/biopic films where someone turns to the main character early on and says something like "You're gonna go down in history!" and you just *cringe* because it's so thuddingly obvious?  Well... that's how the Jackie Robinson movie 42 looks to me.  From the TV spots it looks like Every. Single. Line of Dialogue is like that.  I hope that's not the case, but it opens Friday and there are still no reviews on the internet -- if they haven't shown it to anyone that is NOT a good sign.

Spike Lee tried for 10 years to get a Robinson biopic made but couldn't get it off the ground (even with Denzel attached), so here comes 42, directed by a white guy -- Spike must be very pissed. Of course, he's always pissed, but still.

Even the title feels cliche (it reminds me too much of the Roger Maris biopic, 61*).

[RGMike]

Y'know those historical/biopic films where someone turns to the main character early on and says something like "You're gonna go down in history!" and you just *cringe* because it's so thuddingly obvious?  Well... that's how the Jackie Robinson movie 42 looks to me.  From the TV spots it looks like Every. Single. Line of Dialogue is like that.  I hope that's not the case, but it opens Friday and there are still no reviews on the internet -- if they haven't shown it to anyone that is NOT a good sign.

Spike Lee tried for 10 years to get a Robinson biopic made but couldn't get it off the ground (even with Denzel attached), so here comes 42, directed by a white guy -- Spike must be very pissed. Of course, he's always pissed, but still.

Even the title feels cliche (it reminds me too much of the Roger Maris biopic, 61*).

online critic Phil Villarreal on 42: "Chadwick Boseman, as Robinson, does an excellent job of playing a man with a female name"  Oh, SNAP!  Maybe I spend too much time with bitchy queens, but did  Villrreal just try to "out" Boseman? (FWIW I couldn't find anything on the interwebs about Boseman's, er, personal life)

[Tinka Cat]

Y'know those historical/biopic films where someone turns to the main character early on and says something like "You're gonna go down in history!" and you just *cringe* because it's so thuddingly obvious?  Well... that's how the Jackie Robinson movie 42 looks to me.  From the TV spots it looks like Every. Single. Line of Dialogue is like that.  I hope that's not the case, but it opens Friday and there are still no reviews on the internet -- if they haven't shown it to anyone that is NOT a good sign.

Spike Lee tried for 10 years to get a Robinson biopic made but couldn't get it off the ground (even with Denzel attached), so here comes 42, directed by a white guy -- Spike must be very pissed. Of course, he's always pissed, but still.

Even the title feels cliche (it reminds me too much of the Roger Maris biopic, 61*).

online critic Phil Villarreal on 42: "Chadwick Boseman, as Robinson, does an excellent job of playing a man with a female name"  Oh, SNAP!  Maybe I spend too much time with bitchy queens, but did  Villrreal just try to "out" Boseman? (FWIW I couldn't find anything on the interwebs about Boseman's, er, personal life)

The movie has Hallmark Channel written all over it.  Maybe Boseman does , too.... dunno.

[radical347]

Saw "From Up on Poppy Hill" this weekend, the newest film from Studio Ghibli...but it was directed by Miyazaki's son, Goro.  Gorgeous animation and cute but pretty uninspired storyline.  Set in Yokohama 1963, it lacks the fantasy element that was prevalent in his father's work.

[RGMike]

Saw "From Up on Poppy Hill" this weekend, the newest film from Studio Ghibli...but it was directed by Miyazaki's son, Goro.  Gorgeous animation and cute but pretty uninspired storyline.  Set in Yokohama 1963, it lacks the fantasy element that was prevalent in his father's work.

And that (the fact it's realistic rather than fantasy-driven) is exactly why i want to see it -- I'm not a big Miyazaki fan overall. Ponyo was the longest 90 minutes I've spent in a theater in the last decade.  But this one looks interesting to me.

[RGMike]

People have been talking about a Man from U.N.C.L.E. movie for 20 years (at least!) ... well it's finally happening:

http://www.slashfilm.com/armie-hammer-joins-tom-cruise-in-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/

[RGMike]

If you love movies like I do you eat this kinda stuff up with a spoon: William Friedkin, in his new autobio, talking about The Exorcist:

The Exorcist was 340 pages. A 100-page screenplay, more or less, would result in a two-hour film. We worked for several months as David Salven assembled the crew and we started talks with Nessa Hyams, head of casting for Warner Bros. Ted Ashley told me he wanted Audrey Hepburn, Anne Bancroft, or Jane Fonda to play Chris MacNeil. Excellent choices. And with Blatty’s and my blessing, the studio offered the role first to Audrey Hepburn, who responded favorably, but said she would only do the film in Rome, as she was living there, married to an Italian doctor. I thought it was a request on her part, not a condition. No way did I want to film in Rome; it was impractical from every standpoint. All other actors would have to be imported from the United States, and I didn’t want a language barrier with the crew. In fact, I wanted my crew from The French Connection, starting with Owen Roizman and Ricky Bravo. We asked Ms.Hepburn to reconsider, but she declined.

Anne Bancroft was next. She said she’d love to play Chris, but she was pregnant; would we wait a year for her? We wished her mazel tov. Jane Fonda sent us a telegram after receiving the script: “Why would anyone want to make this piece of capitalist rip-off bullshit?” I never learned how she really felt.

At one point during these maneuverings, I had a phone call from Ellen Burstyn: “Do you know who I am?” she asked.

“Yes, of course,” I lied. She was considered a very good actress. She was in The Last Picture Show. But I frankly didn’t remember which role she’d played, and I tended to confuse her with Cloris Leachman.

and it goes on. and on. great stuff.

[Tinka Cat]

If you love movies like I do you eat this kinda stuff up with a spoon: William Friedkin, in his new autobio, talking about The Exorcist:

...

and it goes on. and on. great stuff.

he'll be at the SF Intl Film Fest next Wednesday, May 8, 4 PM

http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=54515~8781fb85-6bb2-474d-a97d-cec76d1b8c32&epguid=db9c7f13-edc8-489f-bc28-5aa111f9970e&

They'll also screen To Live And Die In LA during the fest, but it conflicts w another movie I want to see. It you haven't seen it, you should. it's really good. Awesome car chase sequence in the LA River.

[RGMike]

If you love movies like I do you eat this kinda stuff up with a spoon: William Friedkin, in his new autobio, talking about The Exorcist:

...

and it goes on. and on. great stuff.

he'll be at the SF Intl Film Fest next Wednesday, May 8, 4 PM

http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=54515~8781fb85-6bb2-474d-a97d-cec76d1b8c32&epguid=db9c7f13-edc8-489f-bc28-5aa111f9970e&

They'll also screen To Live And Die In LA during the fest, but it conflicts w another movie I want to see. It you haven't seen it, you should. it's really good. Awesome car chase sequence in the LA River.

yes, great flick (and a fave of mshray's iirc) Everybody will Wang Chung that nite.

[Tinka Cat]

If you love movies like I do you eat this kinda stuff up with a spoon: William Friedkin, in his new autobio, talking about The Exorcist:

...

and it goes on. and on. great stuff.

he'll be at the SF Intl Film Fest next Wednesday, May 8, 4 PM

http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=54515~8781fb85-6bb2-474d-a97d-cec76d1b8c32&epguid=db9c7f13-edc8-489f-bc28-5aa111f9970e&

They'll also screen To Live And Die In LA during the fest, but it conflicts w another movie I want to see. It you haven't seen it, you should. it's really good. Awesome car chase sequence in the LA River.

yes, great flick (and a fave of mshray's iirc) Everybody will Wang Chung that nite.

"Let the Wanging of the Chung begin!"
 -- Abraham Lincoln

[RGMike]

I love a good superhero movie as much as the next guy, but this is a (mostly) dead-on ananlysis:

http://m.guardiannews.com/film/2013/jun/11/man-steel-hollywood-break-superheroes