Recently Seen in 2019 | Page 13 | The Boneyard

Recently Seen in 2019

"Paradise Hills" must have been influenced by "The Stepford Wives." It's not a remake but covers some similar territory. Emma Roberts awakens to find herself in some kind of plush island finishing school/reprogramming center after refusing a marriage proposal that her mother felt was too god of an offer to pass up. She befriends several of the other young women who are there for various reasons, but all sent by their families. I didn't guess quite where the story was going. I found the conclusion to be satisfying.
 
Just got back from "Richard Jewell". Too bad that it's dying at the box office (we were one of 9 watching in the small 55-seat theatre at our local multiplex) as most of the acting is excellent, especially the lead (Paul Walter Hauser) and his lawyer (Sam Rockwell).

While I get that advance publicity cites the movie as being "Trump Republican" in attitude and viewpoint and that the AJC reporter who broke the story is depicted as a s.lut, which the AJC denies, it's a good story, and IMO, done fairly, at least as far as the Jewell characterization. The acting makes it worthwhile regardless of one's political slant. My wife and I both agreed that the only major character who came off as cartoonish was Jon Hamm's FBI agent.

The film also got me wondering what the market is for fat guy leads. There aren't many opportunities for guys with Hauser's size, but the dude killed it in this role.
 
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storrsroars said:
The film also got me wondering what the market is for fat guy leads. There aren't many opportunities for guys with Hauser's size, but the dude killed it in this role.
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Outside of comedy, nearly nonexistent I would think. Guys like John Candy and Chris Farley certainly had their heyday.

And then you have the bizarre Hollywood yo yo dieting, where a normal sized actor will balloon up 50 pounds or more for a role, or go the opposite way. So even when there is a fat guy role, it might not go to a fat guy. Fat suits and CGI as a means to add bulk to an actor's appearance, too.
 
nwhoopfan said:
Outside of comedy, nearly nonexistent I would think. Guys like John Candy and Chris Farley certainly had their heyday.

And then you have the bizarre Hollywood yo yo dieting, where a normal sized actor will balloon up 50 pounds or more for a role, or go the opposite way. So even when there is a fat guy role, it might not go to a fat guy. Fat suits and CGI as a means to add bulk to an actor's appearance, too.
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Good point. Crowe and Lithgow stole Roger Ailes. Bale stole Dick Cheney.
 
My folks have Amazon Prime temporarily, got to stream a couple I've been curious to see. "Brittany Runs a Marathon" was rough and awkward in places, but overall decent. Jillian Bell has been good in several supporting roles but I don't think I've ever seen her take the lead before. Or try to be dramatic. She plays a woman concerned about her health who starts exercising and trying to take care of herself for the first time in her life. Turns out to be about a lot more than just losing some weight though.

"Ladies in Black" was a nice family friendly slice of life/coming of age story set in Sydney, Australia in the 50s. I think Angourie Rice is terrific, I've seen her in several films. She's more or less the main character but it delves into the lives of several other characters as well. About the staff at a department store, Rice is the new/temporary help during the holiday rush. A lot of unfamiliar faces but I've seen Rachael Taylor and Julia Ormond before.
 
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Waquoit said:
Does Tom Brokaw get any grief in Jewell?
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If you really want to know, click below.
He's featured, as Jewell's mom watches him regularly, and scenes include Brokaw essentially naming Jewell as the bomber. But the media's comeuppance is pretty much confined to the AJC reporter played by Olivia Wilde.
 
Watched A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood last night. Yet another movie that was very different from what I was expecting. I loved the recent documentary film about Mr. Rogers so much that I was hesitant to see a movie about him, with Tom Hanks no less, because I feared it would fall so far short of the execellent documentary. I had no idea that it is not a biopic, but rather a movie based on the true story of an Esquire journalist who was sent to write a feature on him. Very cleverly done, and very well executed imo. Hanks is very good and the movie does an excellent job with restraint imo. I don't think it's Oscar worthy for Hanks or anyone else, but it is a very good watch that does a great job of conveying the essence of the man through this story. Cool that there was a cameo by the real Joanne Rogers, too. I'm sure she would not have been involved if she didn't believe in the movie.
 
Just watched "Peanut Butter Falcon". While not a great film, this is a solidly entertaining road movie which mixes a Mark Twain like adventure with more than a dash of interest in professional wrestling. Two guys (one with Downs Syndrome, the other a troubled fisherman) who don't know each other are both attempting to escape their current life situations. By quirk of movie fate they end up meeting and traveling together, and over time a solid friendship develops. Meanwhile, there are people looking for both of them looking to interrupt their journey, so the two friends tend to stick to the road less traveled. I really enjoyed this feel good film.
 
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nwhoopfan said:
Finally saw "Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey." I was curious about it when it was playing the festival circuit but it took a long time to come out on DVD and I kinda forgot about it. Netflix doesn't have it, but my library does.

Like most documentaries I found it a little bit dry and meandering. It was still interesting though. Beckey was an extremely prolific climber/mountaineer who put up first ascents all over the world, for decade after decade. He was born in Germany but lived the majority of his life in Seattle. He wrote the definitive climbing guide books for his home range, the Cascades. He was known as a bit of a salty character. I kind of think of him as the Northwest's version of Ed Abbey, although he isn't as well known to the general public.
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I also saw this and really enjoyed it. I agree it dragged in spots, but he was enough of a character to carry the entire movie. And to see him doing it at a high level into his 80's was incredible. Glad I spent the time learning about his life.
 
Watched Hustlers last night, because, well, JLo. I wasn't expecting much, but she was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Supporting Actress, so I figured it was worth a watch. I was wrong. Aside from her first stripper pole performance, it was a total waste of time and a really poor film.
 
Saw Ford v. Ferrari last night. Very good, very traditional movie. Well acted all around, really good pace. Bale is excellent.
 
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Today is the last day for the 2019 Recently Seen Thread, so everyone get your submissions in!! @8893 you seem to be making up for lost time these last few days.

New thread tomorrow!
 
Mano said:
Today is the last day for the 2019 Recently Seen Thread, so everyone get your submissions in!! @8893 you seem to be making up for lost time these last few days.

New thread tomorrow!
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My brother is a member of one of the industry guilds, so he gets screeners for voting on the awards. Every Christmas we get to borrow that year's screeners, so we do a lot of catching up. It's also usually a slower time for work, and the kids are home and one of our daughters likes to watch movies, too, so we're more motivated now also.
 
It's still 2019 where I am. Just finishing up "Red Dog," about a unique and very independent minded dog in Western Australia, and all the characters that call the place home (remote mining town). A bit slow to start but enjoyable once I got into it.

edited--based on a true story. Apparently he's legendary in Australia. A noted wanderer who hitch hiked all over Western Australia.
 
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Frozen 2 - It tried its best to live up to the original and it was fine. Fine. Just fine. Left a whole lot open for an inevitable 3rd.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 - Bleh, meh, schmeh.

Hobbs & Shaw - I really can't stand Idris Elba for some reason. The over the top action was entertaining enough I guess but don't ask me what actually happened. I could stare at Vanessa Kirby for hours tho.

It Chapter Two - The first was a super effective and entertaining horror movie. While still good, CH. 2 couldn't maintain the momentum.

Good Boys - Don't think I laughed but for a couple times. The kids tried their best but I couldn't buy into their performances.

Instant Family - Isabela Moner was out of her depth trying to be the dramatic lynchpin in this otherwise ok flick.
 
nwhoopfan said:
It's still 2019 where I am. Just finishing up "Red Dog," about a unique and very independent minded dog in Western Australia, and all the characters that call the place home (remote mining town). A bit slow to start but enjoyable once I got into it.

edited--based on a true story. Apparently he's legendary in Australia. A noted wanderer who hitch hiked all over Western Australia.
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Great movie. Hachi is excellent too, even more of a tear jerker. Also a true story.
 
I started out with a gusto. Petered out with the recs.
 
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For the record, I only put new movies or first time views in the thread. I see things like Jaws. I watched Jaws 4 times this year. I watched Rocky maybe 6 times. I didn't think that counted though...
 
Jay-Bone said:
Great movie. Hachi is excellent too, even more of a tear jerker. Also a true story.
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Tom Rinaldi had a feature during Wimbledon a few years back about a kid and his dog Haatchi. Quite a few tears are jerked in that one, too.
 
I'm home sick so watching some more movies because not much else I can do. Last night saw Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and then watched Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, a documentary film that was in theaters last year and was shown on CNN last night.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was interesting and entertaining enough, definitely worth a watch, and Pitt and DiCaprio were fine (as was Robbie, but moreso to look at than anything else, as she didn't have a ton of lines). And with Tarantino you know you are getting the gruesome violence at some point. I don't see it as extraordinary or award-worthy in any sense though, except maybe the soundtrack. Definitely could have been a half hour shorter, too. I thought it meandered a bit. Good watch, but that's about it imo. Don't see myself re-watching.

I thought the Linda Ronstadt documentary was terrific, primarily because her talent and career were so varied and terrific. I had forgotten some of the background, for example that Don Henley and Glenn Frey were her backing band before they formed Eagles, or that she starred in Pirates of Penzance with Kevin Kline. Very good watch and recommended for any music fans in particular.



 
8893 said:
I thought the Linda Ronstadt documentary was terrific, primarily because her talent and career were so varied and terrific.
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She had that memorable commercial for Plow King.
 
8893 said:
Watched Hustlers last night, because, well, JLo. I wasn't expecting much, but she was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Supporting Actress, so I figured it was worth a watch. I was wrong. Aside from her first stripper pole performance, it was a total waste of time and a really poor film.
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Haven't even considered watching this because that was my exact expectation. I read some review that said "J-Lo's best performance". Yeah, pretty low bar to cross there.
 
Just for kicks and giggles I watched "Her Alibi" (1989) w/ Tom Selleck and Paulina Porizkova. Kinda silly and fluffy, but entertaining enough. I have to admit I kinda forgot what Paulina looked like at time. Now I remember! :rolleyes:
 
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My bad. I thought I was in the new thread.
 
Marriage Story.

Very good. Amazing that Driver and Scarlett bother with Marvel and Star Wars. Really good actors. I hope this movie wins lots of awards.
 
Pokémon movie.

Pikachu is so complex. Maybe the best anti hero since Deadpool and Wolverine.
 
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