The "No Dames" bit in Hail, Caesar was an inspired musical scene. Not as good as the ones in O Brother, but still pretty freaking funny.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Knives Out (2019).
Acclaimed writer and director Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) pays tribute to mystery mastermind Agatha Christie in KNIVES OUT, a fun, modern-day murder mystery where everyone is a suspect. When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan's dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan's untimely death. With an all-star ensemble cast including Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, and Michael Shannon, KNIVES OUT is a witty and stylish whodunit guaranteed to keep audiences guessing until the very end. (RottenTomatoes)
I made a mental note to see this when it was first released. I noticed recently that it was on Amazon Prime and finally watched it last night. It's not what I expected. I expected some sort of a classic mystery where the detective is shown questioning suspects and going through the process of determining the killer with a big reveal at the end. I also expected this to be a comedy, but not something silly like Murder by Death or Clue, something more literate like Gosford Park or something by the Coens.
The cons:
• It's not entirely what you'd expect. In fact, the comment "[a] whodunit guaranteed to keep audiences guessing until the very end", while true, is not what you think it means because long before the denouement... I think to say any more would be a spoiler.
• Daniel Craig's accent. He sounds like he's from the Carolinas or Louisiana. He actually does an admirable job at it. The problem is I know he's English and to hear him speak, repeatedly yanked me out of the immersion in the story. A bad choice by the director, imo.
• It felt like it took a little too long to draw me in.
The pros:
• Literally, everything else.
By the time I finished it, I thought, "that was a good movie." And the ending was pretty much perfect, I thought.
On RottenTomatoes, 97% of critics and 92% of the audience liked it. On IMdB its score is 7.9. That's way too low, imo.
As mentioned in the synopsis, Johnson also wrote and directed Brick (starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Looper (starring Bruce Willis and Gordon-Levitt). If you haven't seen either, do.
“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 wondered if any has watched Tales from the Loop' is a TV series based on the sci-fi artwork of Swede Simon Stålenhag.
Placing robots in rural landscapes, he creates spine-chillingly eerie images – 'like Polaroids from a childhood we never had in the future', one critic wrote. The series premieres in the UK and the US today, on Amazon Prime Video.
“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
We baled on it
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.
This looks quirky and in this world, I need some quirky.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
Korean comedy: My Sassy Girl (2001)
Pretty funny and (to me) unique twist on the romantic-comedy style. Boy befriends abusive girl, played for laughs. Very good acting by Tae-Hyun Cha and the beautiful Ji-Hyun Jun. During a time when Hollywood seems to have put a corona-hold on making new movies, my library has been obtaining some very entertaining foreign films to fill the void. This one was new to me.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
Knives Out. Whodunit reminisent of old Agatha Chrysty adaptations with ensemble cast of known actors. Nostalgic enough for me to be entertaining. Well done , I figured out the murderer early on. More suspension of disbelief at the end than Id like but over all satisfying. There was mention above of a dislike of Daniel Craig's southern accent. I wasnt bothered , I thought he was pretty good. He did southern in Logan Lucky, a Nascar hiest film. That one was pretty good to.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Just got the Bluray.
This one never gets old, and the Jerry Goldsmith score keeps getting better!
no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night - An Iranian vampire spaghetti western. Brilliant!
Special features on the DVD include the director interviewed by Roger Corman.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
Pulse (2001) - Japanese horror movie about ghosts inhabiting the internet and invading the human world. Not played for big jump scares, but for a continuous creepiness and dread, at which it succeeds. I liked it.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
revisited Almost Famous (2000).
It does hold up, although it's a little long per the last 3rd of the movie seems to drag a bit.
The biggest reason I watched this is a lot of cast and cameos. Jimmy Fallon, Jay Baruchel, Eric Stonestreet, Rainn Wilson and many others I honestly had no idea were in this when I 1st saw it almost 20 years ago.
Last edited by mnprogger; 06-29-2020 at 11:26 PM.
To Live and Die in LA (1985)
An 80s crime noir by William Friedkin rewatch, most notable for an excellent early Willem Dafoe role and a pretty amazing car chase.
Wang Chung provided the catchy title track, but should have left the rest of the soundtrack to someone else.
no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone
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