Movie Hindsight 2020 | Page 13 | The Boneyard
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Movie Hindsight 2020

I've had "Stuck in Love" on my watch list on Kanopy for a while, finally watched it. I'm not sure if it ever hit theaters. It's got a good cast but I don't remember hearing anything about it. It was at least halfway decent. A bit over the top melodrama. Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Connelly are divorced. She's remarried, but he refuses to move on. Lily Collins and Nat Wolff are their teenage children. Everybody has issues they're dealing with (or not dealing with). Kristen Bell unfortunately has a throwaway role in it. Logan Lerman and Liana Liberato play love interests of the kids. I thought most of the performances were good.
 
Superstar was on last night. I have seen it a few times. Almost 50 years later, this looks like what a bunch of Woodstock hippies would come up with if they were going to put on a musical about Jesus. The whole movie is a jumbled mess, with moments of brilliance but a lot of filler. Carl Anderson (Judas) and Yvonne Elliman carried the movie, because other than maybe Josh Mostel (Herod), the rest of the cast sucked. The actor that played Peter ended up doing porm later in his career, and he wasn't even the worst actor of the major characters. I did not like Ted Neeley at all as Jesus.

I was surprised that Norman Jewison directed this. I would have guessed it was some random first time/last time director that I had never heard of. The sets make Life of Brian look big budget, and the constant zooming in and out was silly.
 
nelsonmuntz said:
Superstar was on last night. I have seen it a few times. Almost 50 years later, this looks like what a bunch of Woodstock hippies would come up with if they were going to put on a musical about Jesus. The whole movie is a jumbled mess, with moments of brilliance but a lot of filler. Carl Anderson (Judas) and Yvonne Elliman carried the movie, because other than maybe Josh Mostel (Herod), the rest of the cast sucked. The actor that played Peter ended up doing porm later in his career, and he wasn't even the worst actor of the major characters. I did not like Ted Neeley at all as Jesus.

I was surprised that Norman Jewison directed this. I would have guessed it was some random first time/last time director that I had never heard of. The sets make Life of Brian look big budget, and the constant zooming in and out was silly.
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Whether someone likes or dislikes a movie is always a matter of taste and opinion. There are a bunch of movies that my wife and I will watch any time we find them when we turn on the television. " Superstar" is one of those movies for us. I like it quite a bit and my wife just loves it, we find it to be a very entertaining film. While I am not what I call a big movie musical fan, there are a number of movie musicals I like quite a bit, and this is one of them. We find the music to be terrific, and together with a wonderfully charismatic performance by Carl Anderson as well as Yvonne Elliman, it just carries the film. Many of the actors in this film had been in various successful versions of the play that had been staged prior to the making of the film. Norman Jewison was certainly a well established film director at this point. He had directed the film version of "Fiddler on the Roof" prior to this film, so there is certainly a contrast in musical styles if one were to compare the two. Personally, while it can be a bit jarring judging from the traditional Hollywood movie look, I have no problem with the different look to this film. But the play certainly had its roots in the hippy subculture of the time, and Jewison had no problem going along with that vibe that had been on stage in making this movie.
 
nelsonmuntz said:
Superstar was on last night. I have seen it a few times. Almost 50 years later, this looks like what a bunch of Woodstock hippies would come up with if they were going to put on a musical about Jesus. The whole movie is a jumbled mess, with moments of brilliance but a lot of filler. Carl Anderson (Judas) and Yvonne Elliman carried the movie, because other than maybe Josh Mostel (Herod), the rest of the cast sucked. The actor that played Peter ended up doing porm later in his career, and he wasn't even the worst actor of the major characters. I did not like Ted Neeley at all as Jesus.

I was surprised that Norman Jewison directed this. I would have guessed it was some random first time/last time director that I had never heard of. The sets make Life of Brian look big budget, and the constant zooming in and out was silly.
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dbmill said:
Whether someone likes or dislikes a movie is always a matter of taste and opinion. There are a bunch of movies that my wife and I will watch any time we find them when we turn on the television. " Superstar" is one of those movies for us. I like it quite a bit and my wife just loves it, we find it to be a very entertaining film. While I am not what I call a big movie musical fan, there are a number of movie musicals I like quite a bit, and this is one of them. We find the music to be terrific, and together with a wonderfully charismatic performance by Carl Anderson as well as Yvonne Elliman, it just carries the film. Many of the actors in this film had been in various successful versions of the play that had been staged prior to the making of the film. Norman Jewison was certainly a well established film director at this point. He had directed the film version of "Fiddler on the Roof" prior to this film, so there is certainly a contrast in musical styles if one were to compare the two. Personally, while it can be a bit jarring judging from the traditional Hollywood movie look, I have no problem with the different look to this film. But the play certainly had its roots in the hippy subculture of the time, and Jewison had no problem going along with that vibe that had been on stage in making this movie.
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I think that the craziest thing about Superstar is that it was a rock album before it was anything else.
 
I've watched it several times, it remains quite amusing each time. "A Good Old Fashioned ****" is a bit less titillating than the title suggests. Great ensemble cast--Jason Sudeikis, Nick Kroll, Marin Starr, Tyler Labine, Leslie Bibb, Lake Bell, Lindsay Sloane, Michelle Borth, Angela Sarafyan, Will Forte, Lucy Punch w/ cameos by David Koechner and Don Johnson.

A group of arrested development 30 somethings party every weekend in the Hamptons at Sudeikis' family home. Dad (Johnson) decides to sell it. So they plan the bash to end all bashes Labor Day weekend, exactly what the title implies. Good chemistry among the cast, some awkward situations, not uproariously funny but some good gags throughout. A group of friends I wish I had.
 
I followed that up w/ another starring Leslie Bibb--"Take Care." I think it was billed as a comedy, and it really wasn't. Leslie is hit by a car and seriously injured--one leg in a big brace and the opposite arm in a sling. She pretty much can't do anything by herself. Family and friends quickly prove to be inadequate in helping her (she stubbornly insists on staying in her own 4th floor apartment rather than moving in with her annoying sister). Eventually she guilts her ex-boyfriend, who she took care of for 2 years while he was battling cancer, to look after her. The ex's current girlfriend (played by Betty Gilpin before anybody knew who she was) is the irrational and extremely jealous type, so it doesn't go over well. It's kind of slow paced but I found it enjoyable and charming.
 
Arkansas (2020) - I liked this film. I am not a Vince Vaughn fane but thought he was pretty decent as a drug dealer here. This movie was produced and directed by Clark Duke (chubby nerd comic in I'm Dying Up Here). He and Liam Hemsworth are young drug dealers working for Vaughn without knowing who he is.

John Malkovich, Vivica Fox and Edin Brolin also star.
 
"Wild River"-Elia Kazan-1960

Kazan thought about making a film about the TVA for over 25 Years. He first visited the area in 1933. This was just about the time when the TVA was buying up land and constructing the first dams. He returned 4 years later as part of a crew filming a documentary. He worked on a possible script for a decade and a half. He self produced this film. Obviously, this was a project he was personally invested in making. Paul Osborn is credited with the screen play. There were nine drafts and considerable input from Kazan. The Director of Photography was Ellsworth Fredericks (a name unfamiliar to me). This is a beautifully photographed film.

Kazan wanted Brando to play the lead. He had to accept Montgomery Clift. Clift was problematic. He had serious problems with alcohol. Kazan with the help of Lee Remick and Jo Van Fleet kept him sober. Clift has residual problems from a serious auto accident. He experienced pain on and off. Lee Remick's husband was in an auto accident during shooting. When she returned Clift was very helpful. Remick and Van Fleet had both appeared in one previous Kazan film. They were the first choices for their respective parts. Despite other possibilities including June Carter Cash for the role of Carol, Remick was always the first choice. This was her favorite role. This is an excellent performance. Carol is well written, she is a character of strength who has the ability to be her own advocate . The most memorable performance is that of Jo Van Fleet. She is an 80 year old great grandmother living with her family and a group of black family retainers on an island settled by her husband decades before. This is the Garth family home in the deepest sense of the word. It takes a while, but
Chuck Glover (Clift) understands her and even comes to empathize with her. It is Glover's responsibility to convince her to leave the island. The federal government has the right of eminent domain. Everyone else has sold their land; she is the lone holdout.

Clift is not Brando. If Brando had played Glover; this would have been a very different picture. I really liked this performance. Glover is a knowledgeable man devoted to the TVA. He is convinced that tens of thousands of lives of people will be made substantially better. The film opens with newsreel footage of the flooding including one man telling how he lost most of his family. 98% of the population along the river was without electricity. When he arrives he finds the TVA land purchasing office housed in a building vacated by a business which failed. Remember this is set in the depths of the Depression. He faces a major deadline. When a dam is completed, the Garth island will be flooded. Opposition by several senators in Washington precludes the use of force to remove Ella Garth. Glover has to try persuasion. He isn't physically strong; he laments that he wishes he could win one fight in his life. What he does have is commitment and a belief in the TVA being a huge benefit.

Things get messy quickly. The banks of the river must be cleared quickly. It would help if he could hire Blacks at $5 a day. This is rural Tennessee in the '30's; this was going to create a huge problem. Locals believed that they should only make $2 a day. Glover representing the Roosevelt administration was committed to equal pay for equal work. He was beaten for his interference with local customs.

Then there is the attraction between Glover and Carol, Alma Garth's widowed grand daughter. Surprisingly, Carol has to take the lead role. Carol is planning to marry, Walter Clark, a decent hard working man whom she doesn't love. Chuck is faced with a dilemma; he tries to resolve this ethically He is leaving, and Carol and her two children will be remaining. He must not complicate and perhaps ruin their future.

Disgruntled locals try to force Chuck to leave. Chuck stands up to them and takes another bearing. Carol rushes to his defense. Chuck finally realizes that Carol is who hw needs. He still isn't sure that they will succeed as a couple, but he proposes marriage. They are quickly married before a justice of the peace. There is a good bit where the wife of the Justice of the Peace makes sure to get the $5 dollars for services rendered.

Finally, Mrs. Garth is removed from the island. She refuses help from the U.S. Marshall and her granddaughter, Carol. She is taken to her new home. Chuck worked very hard to find her a house with a porch. He favorite rocker awaits her, but she disdains it and sits on a bench. There is a scene where we glimpse Sam the one devoted Negro who stayed with her when all the other families left. Inerestingly, the actor who played Sam, was Robert Earl Jones the father of James Earl Jones.

The third emotional conclusion comes when Carol and her children fly away with Chuck. We see for the first time from the plane a view of the dam in question. Kazan spent six months editing the film. Fox gave it a very limited release. It was more recognized in France where it made the top ten list of the prestigious "Cahiers de Cinema" in 1962. It was buried for many years. Kazan tried to buy the rights from Fox, but the $300,000 they wanted was more than he could afford. The DVD has a solid commentary by Richard Schckel.
Fortunately, it is available at archive.org. This was better than I remembered. This is one of Kazan's very best films. You should not miss this triumph of filmmaking.
 
"Buffaloed" was a bit uneven but fairly entertaining. Zoey Deutch was a hoot. She came from a down on their luck family and was obsessed from a young age with getting ahead in life financially. Of course the best laid plans...

She found herself in some legal trouble and then had a criminal record. Kinda limited her options. She was a born hustler, and stumbled her way into the debt collections racket, which she excelled at. Buffalo itself was kind of a character in the movie, and the whole thing was meant as an expose of the collections industry. Jai Courtney was also great as a hardcore jerk/scumbag.
 
"Little Birds" (2011; apparently there's a 2020 miniseries w/ the same title coming out, w/ the same lead actress, but totally unrelated?) was a tough watch. I really like Juno Temple, I've seen her in a bunch of flicks. Her movies aren't always particularly good, but she always gives a good performance. Some of her characters aren't very sympathetic or likeable. Definitely the case here. She plays a wild teenager desperate to get away from her mom and the trailer park she lives in on the Salton Sea. She convinces her best friend (Kay Panabaker) to steal a truck and head off to LA with her to chase after a boy she met briefly. Much of the movie is a slow motion train wreck as the teens make dumber and dumber decisions and keep getting themselves deeper into trouble. Panabaker tries to be the voice of reason, but nobody listens to her, they only make fun of her. I'd only recommend it if you are a fan of Temple. Some other notable actors in small roles--Leslie Mann, Kate Bosworth, Neal McDonough.
 
Enough Said (2013) - Dramedy about two middle age divorced people who meet at a party, become friends and have something that evolves into a relationship. Of course, there are always pitfalls to the romance, especially as one of the parties involved, while certainly nice, does not show good judgement in dealing with certain life issues. This stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Seinfeld fame, and James Gandolfini of Sopranos fame. Gandolfini died before the film was released. A watchable rom-com, it certainly has a certain quality to it. I liked it, but it didn't totally grab me. Still, I thought both of the stars did well with the the material that they were given. Also, it's good to see a serious movie about a romance between middle aged people still gets made every once in a while.
 
dbmill said:
Enough Said (2013) - Dramedy about two middle age divorced people who meet at a party, become friends and have something that evolves into a relationship. Of course, there are always pitfalls to the romance, especially as one of the parties involved, while certainly nice, does not show good judgement in dealing with certain life issues. This stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Seinfeld fame, and James Gandolfini of Sopranos fame. Gandolfini died before the film was released. A watchable rom-com, it certainly has a certain quality to it. I liked it, but it didn't totally grab me. Still, I thought both of the stars did well with the the material that they were given. Also, it's good to see a serious movie about a romance between middle aged people still gets made every once in a while.
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I enjoyed this. Was nice to see Gandolfini out of type. There was a bit of Ernie Borgnine's "Marty" in his portrayal. Louus-Dreyfuss held her own, but this was Gandolfini's movie.
 
"Our Blood is Wine" is an intriguing documentary about the revival of ancient wine making tradition in Georgia after their independence from the Soviet Union.
 
I didn't have high expectations for "Jumanji: The Next Level"...but it managed to underwhelm me even at that. Honestly got bored about halfway thru and quit paying much attention to it. Adding Danny DeVito and Danny Glover to the cast just didn't work at all. I think you can only see so much of Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, and I'm probably at my limit. If not for Karen Gillan it wouldn't have been remotely worth watching. I've become a fan of Madison Iseman, but she was barely in it.

edit--and a throwaway cameo by Lamorne Morris mid credits

another edit--it was too long, right at 2 hours, could have been edited more judiciously, w/ less gags about the old guys not being able to hear, or not understanding they were in a game after being told that umpteent times
 
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Blumhouse just released a few movies thru Amazon Prime for Halloween season. I'm a big fan of Joey King, so I checked out "The Lie." It's not a horror film at all, more of a psychological thriller. Mirielle Enos and Peter Sarsgsard are King's divorced parents. She accidentally or on purpose kills her best friend. The parents go to great lengths to protect her and cover it up, of course with serious consequences. There is a big twist at the end. The possibility of it occurred to me somewhere in the middle. I can't say I really enjoyed it. Slow paced, none of the characters were sympathetic. You just keep wanting to bang your ahead against something hard, thinking this can't continue to spiral further out of control. And then the ending...jeez.

My usual rant, King was playing a 15 year old girl. She's 21 currently. I read somewhere this was on the shelf for about 2 years, but even then I couldn't suspend my disbelief and buy her as being that young. Even better the best friend was played by an actress who is 27 now. Why does the movie industry keep insisting on doing this? They couldn't find anyone younger than mid 20s to cast as the friend? Seriously?


Cas Anvar from "The Expanse" played the best friend's dad, I hadn't seen him in anything else. He's the pilot of the Rocinante in the show.
 
"Lone Star State of Mind" is one of those movies, I distinctly remember seeing the cover all the time in the video store (remember those? :rolleyes:), I always meant to watch it, but I never did. Just streamed it on Amazon Prime. Fairly amusing. Lots of stupid people being stupid, with a few at least halfway smart ones sprinkled in. Joshua Jackson back when he was a name and Jaime King...I forgot how unbelievably pretty she was in her heyday (I'm sure she looks just fine now, but circa 2002, wow!). A few other names like John Mellencamp (throwaway role) and Thomas Haden Church, plus some people you recognize but don't remember their names. The linebacker from "Remember the Titans" is in it (he never did much else, but he was absolutely perfect in that one role). Oh and DJ Qualls, doing a typical DJ Qualls role. You could watch worse for 90 minutes. And did I mention Jaime King?
 
"Curse of the Demon"-Jacques Tourneur-1957

We know Tourneur from his '40's horror films like "Cat People" and "I Walked with a Zombie," but he also directed a top noir film, "Out of the Past." This was filmed in England, and there were two versions of the film released. The English version, "Night of the Demon" is 15 minutes or so longer. The US version, "Curse of the Demon" was screened as second on a bill with Hammer's "Frankenstein's Revenge." The script was somewhat based on a short story. The role of Satanic Cult leader. Julian Karswell, is based on Alaistair Crowley the English Satanist.

The story begins with an English researcher who was debunking Karswell's cult rushing to his country estate to plead with him to stop his impending curse from a curse. It is too late. As he arrives home, the demon comes into view. He panics and drives into a power line pole. He is electrocuted, but the body bares scars. We shift to a trans-Atlantic flight where we meet Dr, John Holden (Dana Andrews) an American parapsychology professor.
He is journeying to appear at a major symposium where Karswell's cult will be debunked. In the seat behind him is the English researcher's niece.

The two team up to try and defeat Karswell. Tourneur didn't want the audience to see the demon, but he was over ruled . This film holds up quite well. It is a Martin Scorsese favorite. This is readily available to stream for
for free. Andrews liked Tourneur and engaged him to direct his next film. This is a solid low budget effort, which is markedly better than most other 50's horror films. Andrews is fine and so is Peggy Cummins in the role of the niece. Well worth viewing.
 
zymurg said:
"Curse of the Demon"-Jacques Tourneur-1957

We know Tourneur from his '40's horror films like "Cat People" and "I Walked with a Zombie," but he also directed a top noir film, "Out of the Past." This was filmed in England, and there were two versions of the film released. The English version, "Night of the Demon" is 15 minutes or so longer. The US version, "Curse of the Demon" was screened as second on a bill with Hammer's "Frankenstein's Revenge." The script was somewhat based on a short story. The role of Satanic Cult leader. Julian Karswell, is based on Alaistair Crowley the English Satanist.

The story begins with an English researcher who was debunking Karswell's cult rushing to his country estate to plead with him to stop his impending curse from a curse. It is too late. As he arrives home, the demon comes into view. He panics and drives into a power line pole. He is electrocuted, but the body bares scars. We shift to a trans-Atlantic flight where we meet Dr, John Holden (Dana Andrews) an American parapsychology professor.
He is journeying to appear at a major symposium where Karswell's cult will be debunked. In the seat behind him is the English researcher's niece.

The two team up to try and defeat Karswell. Tourneur didn't want the audience to see the demon, but he was over ruled . This film holds up quite well. It is a Martin Scorsese favorite. This is readily available to stream for
for free. Andrews liked Tourneur and engaged him to direct his next film. This is a solid low budget effort, which is markedly better than most other 50's horror films. Andrews is fine and so is Peggy Cummins in the role of the niece. Well worth viewing.
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I have the DVD of this movie, which has both the 95 minute and 83 minute versions of this film. The British 95 minute version of this film (Night of the Demon) is a terrific movie. The 83 minute version, well, not so much. The 12 minutes that they cut matter to the building suspense and horror. Unfortunately, in the past Turner Classic Movies has shown the 83 minute version on the odd occasions when it shows up on their schedule.
 
I'd seen a thumbnail for "Archive" quite a while ago on Redbox's coming soon list and was mildly curious. I lost track of it, I think it's been available from the Box for a while. Now it's streaming on Prime. Not exactly original, many movies have probed at similar material. Robotics, A.I., transferring consciousness/memory, the ethics of all above. When it comes to sci fi, of course you want a good story to be told, but I think the look of a movie is also important. That doesn't mean it needs to be big budget. This definitely succeeded with the look. As I mentioned it probably will evoke many other films, but the two that I kept thinking of (because of the visuals as much as the story) were "Ex Machina" and "I Am Mother." Stars Theo James, who I've seen in a few other movies, and Stacy Martin who I wasn't familiar with. Also Rhona Mitra and Toby Jones (never trust that guy!) in small roles. Slow paced, need to suspend disbelief, but I rather enjoyed it. YMMV. The stark beauty of the setting was almost it's own character, that aspect was quite similar to "Ex Machina."
 
"Enola Holmes" was a lot of fun. I've been aware of Millie Bobby Brown, but hadn't actually seen her in anything (yeah, yeah, never saw "Stranger Things"). I think she has a bright future. Strong cast among some of the supporting characters.
 
The Lighthouse (2019) - This film is director Robert Eggers follow up to “The Witch” (2015). This arty psychological thriller horror film done in black and white stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson as a lighthouse keeper and his newly arrived assistant in the very isolated setting of this particular lighthouse. Those two are the whole show in this one. Pretty much from the beginning the story is fueled by a growing insanity that is additionally fueled by alcoholism, leading to any number of hallucinatory visions. At times it is a difficult to separate the hallucinations from the apparent reality in this film, or to tell exactly what is going on, but that would seem to be all part of the telling of this tale in this film. Interesting bits in this film includes Dafoe’s character reciting various sea related ditties, including singing some songs that include a few sea chanteys, something that is definitely seen as a positive for me and my wife. While I don’t know if this was done intentionally, Dafoe’s bearded and grizzled lighthouse keeper together with how this black and white film is lit at times seems to resemble Lon Chaney Jr. in “The Wolfman”, at least to me. This film wasn’t totally my cup of tea, but it did hold my attention.
 
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The Color Out of Space (2019) - People may find it hard to believe, but Nicholas Cage used to be in well received quality films before the early part of this century. After years of wallowing in the muck of badly received movies, Nicholas Cage appears in this film, and it is quite watchable, and Cage does well with it. "The Color Out of Space" is a combo science fiction/horror film, based on a H. P. Lovecraft short story (of course, what else would you expect from something based on Lovecraft fiction). If it is based on Lovecraft, it seems that you have to expect various forms of madness and some form of tentacles. The other question in Lovecraft fiction is who or what will survive the tale.
 
I'm a big fan of Lily James. Watched the Netflix remake of "Rebecca." Fairly meh.

"Erased" was a decent middle of the road action/espionage/thriller. Stars Aaron Eckhart, Olga Kurylenko and Liana Liberato. Apparently it's alternately titled "The Expatriate."
 
Really enjoyed "Carrie Pilby." I'd seen a little bit of Bel Powley before, she was a treat in this one. She plays a misfit teenage genius who graduated from Harvard at 18 but is completely adrift in life a year later. Nathan Lane plays her shrink who is trying to get her to make an effort to step out of her shell. Gabriel Byrne and Jason Ritter are also in it.
 
Went to the theater for the first time in nearly 12 full months on Saturday and saw Let Him Go.

Wow? Not at all what I was expecting, but I wanted to see it based on the force of the lead actors. Costner and Lane were fantastic as expected, but I thought they lacked chemistry. Then again, they play Northern Midwestern grandparents in the mid-1960s who seemingly have been together for 50 years. I suppose it'd be tough to expect the emotional fires to still be raging between the two. The cinematography was top notch and I'll never be able to watch Burn Notice again without referring to the character Jeffrey Donovan played. Very well done.

I thought the lead up to the civil marriage ceremony was poor. It was actually non-existent. There needed to be more exposition, instead of just jumping four years. It was obvious that Lorna did not love Donnie Weboy and it was a marriage of necessity, but why was she marrying him, specifically? It didn't look he had money and there was no indication that she was wooed by his charm over the preceding four years. There was nothing there.
 

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