Recently Seen in 2019

[Dove]

I haven't seen Free Solo. For those that enjoyed it, here's the star Honnold breaking down some climbing scenes from various Hollywood movies over the years. Just stumbled onto this, thought it was interesting.

That was great.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Crazy Rich Asians - watched on the plane (United) - was WAY better than I expected it to be and not at all what I thought it was going to be about. Some great acting, and while I wouldn't tell you it is a MUST watch, you definitely would enjoy it.

Saw it on HBO. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. It was a romcom, so like you I was not expecting much out of it.

1) It wasn't funny. Other than Ken Jeong, the guy that plays Jian Yang from Silicon Valley, and maybe a couple of other amusing lines here and there, the movie wasn't remotely funny.

2) This Henry Golding guy that played Nick Young is just a terrible actor. It is Ok to cast models in supporting roles, but you can't put one in the lead of a comedy. He was stiff, fumbled several attempts at humor, and isn't credible as the son of the super rich.

3) Nick's sister Astrid was certainly easy on the eyes, but halfway through the movie her plotline starts to take up a lot of screen time even though it is never tied back to the main story. Why do we care about her failing marriage?

4) It wasn't big enough. This is a story about a caste of people that live a life that we can only imagine. The whole movie should have been bigger and more extravagant.

5) My biggest issue is how unoriginal it was. I am not just talking about the plot, because there are only so many ways to slice and dice the Cinderella story. I thought the dialogue was boring and felt recycled. It was like the movie used mediocre sitcom writers.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Finally saw A Star is Born (the latest version...although I never saw any of the earlier versions). I really liked the first half, then it got difficult to watch. Impressive directorial debut by Cooper. Gaga pulled off acting and Cooper pulled off singing seamlessly. Good chemistry between them as well. The career arc that Gaga's character went thru didn't ring true to me. Went from a nobody, blue collar person to an overnight sensation because of her authentic, soulful singing. So a producer turned her into a generic pop singer w/ backup dancers? And she went right along with it? That didn't feel right to me. (I realize this probably happens all the time in reality but it just didn't seem like Ally would be down with it)

Did not expect Dave Chappelle and Eddie Griffin to pop up in this movie. It was like an Undercover Brother reunion with those two.

Nice cameo by Brandi Carlile singing during the Roy Orbison tribute. One of a kind voice.

Right at the end Gaga was standing in a hallway with a bunch of framed posters. The camera was focused on one that said Washington State Fair Puyallup 2011. Not far from my neck of the woods. Try saying that name.

 

[J187Money]

Saw it on HBO. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. It was a romcom, so like you I was not expecting much out of it.

1) It wasn't funny. Other than Ken Jeong, the guy that plays Jian Yang from Silicon Valley, and maybe a couple of other amusing lines here and there, the movie wasn't remotely funny.

2) This Henry Golding guy that played Nick Young is just a terrible actor. It is Ok to cast models in supporting roles, but you can't put one in the lead of a comedy. He was stiff, fumbled several attempts at humor, and isn't credible as the son of the super rich.

3) Nick's sister Astrid was certainly easy on the eyes, but halfway through the movie her plotline starts to take up a lot of screen time even though it is never tied back to the main story. Why do we care about her failing marriage?

4) It wasn't big enough. This is a story about a caste of people that live a life that we can only imagine. The whole movie should have been bigger and more extravagant.

5) My biggest issue is how unoriginal it was. I am not just talking about the plot, because there are only so many ways to slice and dice the Cinderella story. I thought the dialogue was boring and felt recycled. It was like the movie used mediocre sitcom writers.

Maybe I liked it better than you because I was on a plane and my other options were limited. And I was drinking Buffalo Trace.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Saw Avengers End Game last night. Cheesy at times, but in a good way. Definitely a real crowd pleaser with lost of great moments.

 

[dbmill]

Saw a couple movies I have been waiting to see on plane trips for work this week.

Free Solo - A very unlikeable main character but fascinating story and footage. Three parts I loved were:

1) seeing the parts where he literally was gripping spots 2,000 ft up by a nickel sized indentation.

2) watching him scamper over the guy in a unicorn onesie

3) listening to him recite all his moves in preparation for his climb.

Also saw Green Book. I was glad I really didn’t know much about it other than the really basic plot. Was blown away by the performances. So friggin good. To use a pun, I thought they hit all the notes on this one.

We just watched Green Book. A very solid film, we really enjoyed it. In addition to the friendship that builds between Don Shirley and Tony Lip, I liked the essentially quiet meditation on race relationships in America. One thing that bugs me is the that Mahershala Ali got nominated in the Supporting Actor category. Don't get me wrong, I thought both he and Viggo Mortensen were very good in their parts. No question in my mind that both the Tony Lip and Don Shirley roles in this film are Leading Actor roles. They both play off of each other very well.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Saw Avengers End Game last night. Cheesy at times, but in a good way. Definitely a real crowd pleaser with lost of great moments.

Will probably see it during the week. It took in about $350 million domestic over the weekend. Already over a billion worldwide. That is just mind numbing to me. Next closest movie was $8 mil (Captain Marvel surprisingly, seems like it got a decent boost from Avengers opening). I don't know if there's ever been that big of a disparity between #1 and #2 at the box office for a given weekend before.

 

[Mano]

Aquaman - I think I would've preferred the fictional James Cameron version from Entourage. Not terrible, just utterly ridiculous.

The A-Team - Stupid crap to have on in the background. It's incredible the schlock that gets released.

Predators - See above for description - plus Adrien Brody is a badass merc lol. Right.

 

[Mano]

Forgot one more:

Upgrade - Inventive little flick with a couple well done fight scenes. Wasn't over the top with its use of gore and body horror. Struck a good balance. I appreciated the dark turn in the climax as well.

 

[Mano]

The Death of Stalin - I would urge anyone who's a fan of Veep (it's creator wrote and directed), history, or laughing to watch this one. I'm sure it's not all that historically accurate but it's a great send up of an unlikely topic and features Iannucci's trademark rapid fire sardonic wit. Great cast and performances as well. Gotta track down the graphic novel now.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I was going to skip it, but changed my mind and watched "Free Solo." I have mixed feelings after seeing it. What he did is an incredible feat, both physically and mentally. And yet utterly pointless really. At some point in the film they went thru a tick list of great free solo climbers...all dead. And then there's Peter Croft, still alive and acting as a voice of reason during his brief time on camera. Honnold is an interesting character. I hope he doesn't meet tragedy. There was a very telling moment somewhere in the middle, where he basically said being happy and cozy is the enemy of ambition.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Just watched Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile on Netflix. Impressive. I really didn't know the details behind the Ted Bundy story. Quite an interesting character, even if he clearly was what the title says. Lily Collins is decent, but (I can't believe I'm saying this) Zac Efron is superb. Like, holy crap, this guy is going to be a capital M and S "Movie Star". John Malcovitch is terrific as the judge who utters the title to the movie.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Just watched Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile on Netflix. Impressive. I really didn't know the details behind the Ted Bundy story. Quite an interesting character, even if he clearly was what the title says. Lily Collins is decent, but (I can't believe I'm saying this) Zac Efron is superb. Like, holy crap, this guy is going to be a capital M and S "Movie Star". John Malcovitch is terrific as the judge who utters the title to the movie.

If you liked that you need watch the Bundy documentary on Netflix. About 4901569 times better.

 

[nwhoopfan]

but (I can't believe I'm saying this) Zac Efron is superb. Like, holy crap, this guy is going to be a capital M and S "Movie Star".

He's got the charisma and ridiculous looks like a young Brad Pitt, he's just mostly been in really crappy movies. Glad to see him do something other than party/stoner/frat boy for once.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I don’t really watch movies but I saw Bohemian Rhapsody on a flight and it was incredibly weak. It was essentially a 2 hour music video and just completely lacked any grit or personality. I know there were a lot of issues pre-release and losing Sacha Baron Cohen was probably the biggest. I think it’s really lazy that none of the band outside of Freddie seemed to change their clothes much less age or get a haircut over the course of 15 years.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Watched Den of Thieves with Gerard Butler and Pablo Schreiber. I was entertained while I watched it, and then realized how bad it sucked as I was thinking about it afterward. Interesting premise for a heist movie that comes off the rails with multiple ridiculous plot twists and gratuitous violence.

There will apparently be a sequel.

 

[Deadrody]

He's got the charisma and ridiculous looks like a young Brad Pitt, he's just mostly been in really crappy movies. Glad to see him do something other than party/stoner/frat boy for once.

I thought he was pretty decent as the comic relief, so to speak, in the Baywatch remake. I mean, the movie was mostly stupid, but he pulls off those kinds of roles. Same thing for the Set Rogen movie Neighbors.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I thought he was pretty decent as the comic relief, so to speak, in the Baywatch remake. I mean, the movie was mostly stupid, but he pulls off those kinds of roles. Same thing for the Set Rogen movie Neighbors.

Yeah he's definitely got that dialed in. He's often the most enjoyable part of not particularly good movies. Finding a niche is fine but trying to expand can be good too. Speaking of Seth Rogen, he's been the same character in almost all of his film appearances.

 

[Deadrody]

Yeah he's definitely got that dialed in. He's often the most enjoyable part of not particularly good movies. Finding a niche is fine but trying to expand can be good too. Speaking of Seth Rogen, he's been the same character in almost all of his film appearances.

Yeah, I think Rogen basically plays himself in every movie.

 

[Dove]

My Cousin Rachel

Can't believe I watched a black and white 1950s Richard Burton/Olivia de Haviland movie this morning. But, I did. And it was good. I think it was up for Oscars back in its day.

Young Richard stares at the ocean all day. Falls in love. People ask if he's nuts. He says maybe. Olivia dies.

 

[Mano]

The Predator - Why do I keep watching Predator movies? I guess I'm part of the problem. I was hoping for more out of Shane Black.

50/50 - Missed this one way back when. Should've left it that way. JGL is this generation's Keanu Reeves. They are both wooden and expressionless yet somehow keep getting part after part because they seem like good guys.

Fun Mom Dinner - For the wife. Make sure your phone is charged.

Wine Country - See above, although a bit more palatable.

 

[dbmill]

The Favourite - I don't think I've ever seen a period costume drama quite like this one. In the year 1708, two cousins vie with each other for influence over Queen Anne of England. While at times you may feel a little sympathy for for the three female leads of the movie, all three behave very badly as they attempt to either improve or retain their position in their various relationships with each other. You certainly wouldn't say any of them are exactly positive role models. This attitude reaches down into virtually every supporting character in the film. Throughout you get doses of very black humor. Still, the movie does keep your attention and is entertaining as you wonder who is going to make the next crazy move.

 

[Tommyboy]

Cold Pursuit - Been a while since I fell asleep watching a movie. Thought this was awful. I think I may have hit my limit of Liam Neeson revenge type movies.

Fighting with My Family - Actually liked this. Story of WWE wrestler Paige and her family. Thought it was entertaining and fun. Thought the original documentary on youtube was entertaining as well:

 

[nwhoopfan]

Got a free trial of Netflix streaming so I've been checking out some of their original movies. I get the feeling they are consistently mediocre.

"Close" was decent but at the end one character did a 180 that made no sense. Almost the whole movie was a red herring. Noomi Rapace was a security expert tasked with guarding a spoiled brat rich heiress who's dad just died. It took quite a while for her to have an redeeming qualities, but she kinda came around eventually. I like the actress though--Sophie Nelisse. She was the little girl in "The Book Thief" but she's not a little girl anymore.

"Polar" starring Mads MIkkelsen and Vanessa Hudgens was pretty gonzo. It's sort of a bloodier, raunchier, kinkier "John Wick." Again, okay but not great.

This last one wasn't streaming. "Prospect." Low budget sci fi that was really more of a western. Slow paced, interesting enough but I had higher hopes for it.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Tried another Netflix original. Rather enjoyed this one. "Anon." Futuristic yet fairly noirish. Everybody is neurally linked up, everything you see and do is recorded. Except for a few that have detached themselves from the grid. Clive Owen is a detective and Amanda Seyfried (I really think she is underrated as an actress) is one of the off the grid people. There is a murder spree going on. But the murderer is covering their digital tracks so the police have to do actual police work like in the old days.

 

[Mano]

Tried another Netflix original. Rather enjoyed this one. "Anon." Futuristic yet fairly noirish. Everybody is neurally linked up, everything you see and do is recorded. Except for a few that have detached themselves from the grid. Clive Owen is a detective and Amanda Seyfried (I really think she is underrated as an actress) is one of the off the grid people. There is a murder spree going on. But the murderer is covering their digital tracks so the police have to do actual police work like in the old days.

@nelsonmuntz !!! Birds of a feather!!!

 

[Waquoit]

The Favourite ...

I loved The Favourite. Not so much love for Wine Country. To me this is the new normal for a Netflix movie. Just plain mediocre. Some good spots and basically likable characters but just flat overall. Probably due to being directed by a non-director. Reminded me of another made-for-Netflix turkey called Handsome. They both sucked but it's a win for Netflix and the algorithm because I watched. They don't care that I didn't like 'em.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I keep trying Netflix movies. IO (as in the moon of Jupiter). Familiar set up. Earth has been ruined, most of humanity has fled to somewhere else but there are a few stragglers. Another slow paced low budget sci fi. It seemed interesting throughout but the payoff...well there wasn't much of one. Essentially a cast of 2 (Danny Huston made a brief appearance to make it 3), luckily I liked both of them. I've seen Anthony Mackie in a few things including a bunch of Marvel movies as Falcon. I've only seen a little bit of Margaret Qualley. I've looked her up before, I keep forgetting she's Andie MacDowell's daughter.

 

[dbmill]

The Americanization of Emily - A 1964 World War II D-Day satire starring James Garner and Julie Andrews. This film combines romance with the absurdity of war, or what might happen when you cross public relations with a huge military event such as the invasion of Europe. This is not a movie where you are going to find the traditional view of war heroics. Instead Garner plays a character who is very good at what he does, being a scrounger who supplies his superior officers with all sorts of creature comforts behind the lines in wartime London. This suits Garner very well, as his character is also an admitted out and out coward who wants no part with actually being in combat. Garner starts up a romance with Andrews while his bosses start cooking up a scheme on getting the Navy more noticed in their involvement in the invasion of Normandy in which he tries his best to get untangled from, as he has absolutely no desire to get a close up view of Omaha Beach. While getting a very intelligently stated coward view of war from Garner, there is also a lot of give and take between Garner and Andrews, in terms of the the view of the world coming from an American, and another view of the world coming from the British Andrews. This is simply a terrific movie with a dark comic trenchant script written by Paddy Chayefsky, who among other things would go on to write the movie "Network". Excellent work from Garner, Andrews, and James Coburn, who plays another officer on the staff that Garner services.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I keep plowing thru streaming content. "Spectral" was kind of ridiculous but if you get past that a decent action thriller. U.S. troops in Moldova in a policing action after a recent regime change is not going very well. The soldiers start encountering some kind of non human hostiles that they are defenseless against. Some solid character actors leading the cast--James Badge Dale, Emily Mortimer, Bruce Greenwood.

I literally knew nothing about, had never even heard of, "People You May Know" but Halston Sage looked really good in the thumbnail so I was in. It turned out to be really good I thought. She wasn't the main character but had plenty of screen time. Lots going one, but basically looking at modern life in the age of social media saturation and how bizarre it is. Especially for people who grew up without it but now have it as a central part of their life. I would heartily recommend it. I didn't even know any of the rest of the cast but I thought they did well. And did I mention Halston Sage?