Watched the 2cnd Kingsmen movie last night. A disappointing sequel , lacking the spark of the first one.
Watched the 2cnd Kingsmen movie last night. A disappointing sequel , lacking the spark of the first one.
I forgot about Magnolia, which actually might be Cruise's best acting.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
Count me as a non-fan of Cruise, altho I don't dislike him. A couple you guys have forgotten are Eyes Wide Shut and Vanilla Sky. VS in particular is one I remember as Cruise giving a very good performance.
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
Eyes Wide Shut is the only Kubrick film I have never seen. It has never appealed to me.Originally Posted by Hal...
I only clicked on it because I thought it was going to be something more interesting...
I am in the same boat, but for some reason I really like, and think it's his best, Born on the 4th of July
Ready Player One - Absolutely loved this, much better than I was expecting. Probably fair to say it will appeal to video game fans more than anyone else, and also those who get the various movie references. But it's still a great ride for everyone. There are times when it moves so quickly it can be difficult to follow, but not to the detriment of the overall enjoyment. Fundamentally, it's more than just a total CGI fest and does have a reasonably good story.
I only clicked on it because I thought it was going to be something more interesting...
Just saw Red Sparrow w/Jennifer Lawrence (I know it's been mentioned previously). I didn't go back & read any posts, but I came away not only impressed with JL's erotic scenes, but even more with the fact that a storyline with that many twists & double & triple crosses manages to leave at least this viewer really surprised that there were no unresolved plot holes or red herrings. Definitely the exception & not the rule in international espionage films.
And they even give you an ending open to interpretation. 8.5 out of 10 for me.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
I saw this, too. I thought it was okay. It deviated greatly from the book, in some ways for the better, in other ways not so much. It was definitely sanitized, as they seemed to get rid of anything that was too "dark."
I thought that the CGI was pretty well-done, and while it had the potential to be "too much all at once," they seemed to let it breathe. I saw it on a 3D IMAX screen, which I highly recommend. The acting performances were decent, but no one will win any awards.
I was expected more 80s Easter eggs throughout the film, and a much more robust soundtrack. And I was really hoping for a cameo from at least one of the members of Rush, if not all three - almost an entire chapter is devoted to them in the book. But I understand that the licensing to capture everything from the book was very prohibitive.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
I saw it, but it did not really work for me. Kubrick did much better stuff.
I'm not a novel reader, so I don't bring any preconceptions or expectations when I watch movies.
I did spot a Rush poster in there somewhere. But as you say the possibility of getting the rights and co operation from all of the various entities in the novel would probably be vastly expensive, even for Spielberg.
I only clicked on it because I thought it was going to be something more interesting...
Unsafe
Sawyer is a young woman who just moved to Pennsylvania from Boston to take on a lucrative job. She is
also trying to leave behind the terror of a stalker that was obsessed with her. Still mentally troubled by it,
she seeks some relief by scheduling an initial consult with a psychiatrist in order to get things off her chest.
She is subsequently deemed a threat to herself and others, and is held against her will at a mental hospital.
Past and present intertwine beautifully in this psychological thriller. I enjoyed it.
A Comfort Zone is not a Life Sentence
sounds vaguely similar to the Classic called Snake Pit... an excellent B&W film
Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
I saw it. Wish to hell I hadn't.
The most un-sexy nudity since 1984.
Just watched an indie from last year called Chuck, about Chuck "The Bayonne Bleeder" Wepner, the "palooka" that came within 19 seconds of going 15 rounds with Ali. Liev Schreiber is Wepner and Naomi Watts, Elizabeth Moss & Ron Perlman are also in it.
Surprisingly good. I didn't know how f^^^^d up Wepner was.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
^ Wasn't he the inspiration for the Rocky character?
So you haven't seen 50 Shades Of Boredom?
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Watched Mute on Netflix the other night, pretty aimless but just about held the attention, a mute barman searching for his missing girlfriend with a unknown past in a BladeRunner stylistic near future. Not as satisfying as it should have been.
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
The Rush poster was seen in Halladay's childhood bedroom and also the character "H" had a Rush shirt on towards the very end when she got out of the USPS truck. Ironically no Rush was played, nor any Marillion. I didn't read the book but enjoyed "Ready Player One". Wonderful visuals throughout.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
Yes
A Comfort Zone is not a Life Sentence
Yup, and they had some no-name Stallone look-alike in the film. Stallone actually wanted to give Wepner a part in Rocky 2, but he tanked the audition and that further fueled his descent.
I won't spoil anything, but the movie, including the ending, seems to be quite factual.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
Strangers 2 Prey at Night
OK horror film about a family stalked and terrorized by three masked homicidal maniacs. Nothing new
here. Adequately tense at times. Not worth paying for. Better off on cable or Netflix. First one was much
better.
A Comfort Zone is not a Life Sentence
No. No plans to either.
Can I recommend a standup comedy special?
Actually four of them. James Acaster: Repertoire. Netflix standup routine unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Four one hour routines, interlinked, with numerous cross-references and recurring themes. Some of it is silly, some surreal, some kinda stupid, but some of it is freaking brilliant. All in all it’s a journey well worth taking IMO. Elevates standup to the level of, say, a symphony.
I watched the whole 4-hour show a second time the next night (yes, it's that dense - unheard of for a comedy routine). There are a lot of bizarre transitions -- almost dream logic stuff -- and the pacing is like a symphony, gradually oscillating between manic fast and exhausted slow, back and forth (adagios and prestos). The reuse/recycling of elements, sometimes tiny sometimes large, is masterful.
Not all of the bits work, not all of the bits are funny. Maybe they're not meant to be? Afterall it's a "performance piece" as much as a standup routine(s).
Immediately afterward we watched Chris Rock's new standup, and the contrast couldn't have been more stark. Rock dropped the f-bomb in every sentence, and talked about sex non-stop. This is what passes for comedy in most acts these days.
Wife reminded me that Whoopi Goldberg used to spin long elaborate routines with a variety of characters that only gradually pulled together into a coherent narrative toward the end. Acaster is a throwback to the golden age of stand-up, before it became just scatological.
I love it!
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