Recently Watched Movies 2021

[dbmill]

Blithe Spirit (2021). Wife was in the mood for something light and funny, this seemed to fit the bill. It's not laugh out loud funny, more just pleasantly entertaining and amusing. It's based on a play by Noel Coward. Set in 1937 in southeast England, and Dan Stevens is an author with writer's block. His first wife (Leslie Mann) is dead. Isla Fisher is his attractive current wife, and her father is a movie director. They attend a theater performance by a medium, played by Judi Dench. From there, stuff starts to happen. It's a pleasant bit of distraction, but isn't truly funny. You aren't missing anything if you miss this, but it certainly isn't bad either. 2.5/4 stars.

I have on my long list of movies to see the 1945 version of "Blithe Spirit", directed by David Lean and starring Rex Harrison. It's supposed to be a classic. Sooner or later I'll get around to seeing it.

 

[storrsroars]

Angel Heart (1987). Just resurfaced on Prime. Hadn't seen it in 30 years, but remembered it being interesting, different, spooky and erotic. And it was still all of the above after a rewatch. Mickey Roarke still had promise as an up-and-comer, DeNiro had another two decades before becoming a punchline, and of course, this was the role that got Lisa Bonet fired from The Cosby Show for her sex scenes. Alan Parker directed and did so rather exuberantly. Even knowing the outcome, a rewatch allowed me to see more of the details and clues dropped along the way that pointed to the obvious conclusion. Roarke and Bonet were excellent, bit parts by Charlotte Rampling and bluesman Brownie McGhee were compelling, and even DeNiro's over the top demon (which supposedly was an ode to Martin Scorcese) held interest and fit the proceedings well.

It was controversial when it came out, with Bonet and all the blood and the voodoo stuff, and it became a cult film. But it's held up very well IMHO and is worth a watch, especially if you hadn't seen it before, but even if you have.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Things Heard and Seen (2021). Netflix. Stars Amanda Seyfried and James Norton. This is set in the Hudson Valley and is filmed there. It is a psychological thriller, with a mild supernatural element. Cant say much without giving too much away. It’s well acted and executed and my wife and I both enjoyed it. It isn’t deep or meaningful. If you are looking for something you haven’t seen in the psych thriller genre, it’s worth a watch. 3/5 stars.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Angel Heart (1987). Just resurfaced on Prime. Hadn't seen it in 30 years, but remembered it being interesting, different, spooky and erotic. And it was still all of the above after a rewatch. Mickey Roarke still had promise as an up-and-comer, DeNiro had another two decades before becoming a punchline, and of course, this was the role that got Lisa Bonet fired from The Cosby Show for her sex scenes. Alan Parker directed and did so rather exuberantly. Even knowing the outcome, a rewatch allowed me to see more of the details and clues dropped along the way that pointed to the obvious conclusion. Roarke and Bonet were excellent, bit parts by Charlotte Rampling and bluesman Brownie McGhee were compelling, and even DeNiro's over the top demon (which supposedly was an ode to Martin Scorcese) held interest and fit the proceedings well.

It was controversial when it came out, with Bonet and all the blood and the voodoo stuff, and it became a cult film. But it's held up very well IMHO and is worth a watch, especially if you hadn't seen it before, but even if you have.

Parker all but bludgeons us over the head with clues. I still don’t know how it too me so long to figure it out when I watched it the first time. Great movie. Agree it still holds up and there are many “how did I miss that clue“ moments. Nice to see the young handsome Mickey Rourke, before he became an abomination of steroids and plastic surgery. He never should have made The Wrestler.

 

[dbmill]

The Secret Garden (1993) - This film is based on a fantasy children’s book written in 1911. It have been a number of film adaptations done over the years. The most recent version was released last year. The 1993 release is the first film version of this book that I have seen.

A 10 year old British girl named Mary has been living in India with her mom and dad, but when her parents are suddenly killed, she is sent to live with relatives back in Great Britain. The death of her parents has put Mary into something of a depression, and she is quite self centered and moody. Her general attitude initially is not helped out at all by her new surroundings. The country estate where she has been sent to live has its own depression and degradation surrounding it, as the death of a loved one has put that place into a downward spiral of its own. Happy well adjusted people are few and far between in her new surroundings. The house and the surrounding landscape are are certainly affected by the mood of despair as well. As time goes along, Mary encounters a couple of other children who she shares time with, as well as the magical secret garden, the title of the piece, where many of the fantasy elements are found in this story. As a foil to the children, Maggie Smith plays a housekeeper who in keeping with the depressed surroundings of the household, has taken pretty much an instant dislike to Mary upon her arrival. Still, the three child actors are the main focus of this film, and they carry off this movie pretty well. For a movie where everyone seems to start off with something of a depressed attitude, in the end this ends up being a fairly entertaining and uplifting film.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Hoopla is good for movies I've never heard of and never would've stumbled onto otherwise. Hit and miss, but some turn out decent.

Just watched "Dirt Music" w/ Kelly Macdonald and Garrett Hedlund. Slow and kinda depressing, yet compelling enough to keep me interested. I've seen him in a number of movies, haven't seen as much of her. There's something intriguing about her. It's about people deeply hurt by their past. Set in Western Australia. Some beautiful, although harsh looking scenery.

A few days ago saw one called "Her Best Move." High school drama, w/ a bit of comedy, but not the cheesy sort. The main character was a soccer player. The soccer action seemed somewhat believable. Starred a young Leah Pipes. I watched part of the series "The Orginals" before I got sick of it, she's in that, but this was from 2007. I enjoyed it. Thought it was earnest and avoided some of the pitfalls of typical high school set movies.

 

[CL82]

Things Heard and Seen (2021). Netflix. Stars Amanda Seyfried and James Norton. This is set in the Hudson Valley and is filmed there. It is a psychological thriller, with a mild supernatural element. Cant say much without giving too much away. It’s well acted and executed and my wife and I both enjoyed it. It isn’t deep or meaningful. If you are looking for something you haven’t seen in the psych thriller genre, it’s worth a watch. 3/5 stars.

I like Amanda Seyfried. It’s not so much that she’s a great actress, but it seems like everything she makes is eminently watchable.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Apparently I've been having a Canadian film festival thanks to Amazon Prime. Yesterday watched "Mary Goes Round." That was a tough watch. I almost quit a couple times. In the end glad I stuck w/ it. Not an easy film to watch. Alcoholism, failed marriages, dysfunctional people. Aya Cash plays a train wreck of a woman. When she's close to bottoming out she goes to see her estranged father, who she finds out is dying of cancer, and meet her half sister for the first time, who doesn't know her dad is dying. Some strong performances. Characters interesting enough to make it worth while. The father and younger daughter were played by John Ralston and Sara Waisglass, who I found out have worked together a lot. They were previously father and daughter in one of the various iterations of DeGrassi (never saw it). They were also in my second movie, although not related in that one.

"Tainted" tread some familiar ground. A man trying to put his violent past behind him, but he just can't escape. He was hired muscle for Russian mobsters, ran afoul of them, did 15 years in prison, then gets roped back into the life again. Ralston is one of the Russians. Waisglass is his neighbor in a crappy apartment building. She's barely scraping by singing folksy/bluesy songs in a local bar. She does her own singing in the film, sounded quite good. That always impresses me. I can't find any clips on you tube of it though. Anyway the film is fairly cliched, nothing you haven't seen before, it was okay but nothing special.

Anyway, I knew I'd seen Sara in something before, but couldn't remember what. Had to check IMDB. I tried 2 or 3 episodes of "Ginny & Georgia" on Netflix before I gave up, that's where I'd seen her. Seems like a promising young actress.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Just finished "The Laundromat". Ostensibly this movie was supposed to do for offshore shell companies what "The Big Short" did for mortgage-backed securities. But it didn't have nearly the impact. While TBS had a plot line and a fairly linear story so you got to know the characters, TL was a series of vignettes with a chorus/narrative supplied by the wonderfully hammy duo of Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas. Those two are the only reason to spend time with this film. I've always been a Banderas fan and his charisma makes the otherwise slimeball character work. And in Oldman's case, while him hamming it up took away from "Leon: The Professional", in this case it's put to perfect use. That he's playing a German con man just adds to the fun.

Oh yeah, Meryl Streep stars. But you're not watching this for her.

This is one of those movies where you spend the whole time you are watching it wondering why the movie is not a lot better. It is an interesting topic that has the benefit of being true, the cast is awesome and I think does a good job with mediocre material, but there is no thread holding it together. This should have been a 4 part miniseries rather than a movie, and have spent more time with each of the scattered subjects to bring them all home.

 

[CL82]

I just watched the movie/documentary knuckleball. It was mostly about Tim Wakefield and R A Dickey. Definitely good watch, especially if you’re a Sox fan.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Streamed "The Transporter Refueled" on Amazon. Pretty much in name only sequel. Besson didn't direct, although maybe he was involved in another way (writing and/or producing?). The main character is still Frank Martin but they replaced Jason Statham w/ Ed Skrein. I like Skrein, and he can certainly pull off action movies, but he's not Statham. Anyway, it was entertaining, and immediately forgettable. Probably true of all the movies in the series, although I have a soft spot for the original. I literally remember nothing about #2 or #3, apparently I have watched them according to my Netflix history. The scene w/ Statham fighting a boatload of goons at the bus depot has stuck with me. In this one they incorporate some of the same elements, fighting w/ unexpected props and also fighting in tight spaces. The plot...eh, who cares. The cast were almost entirely unknown to me, other than Skrein and Ray Stevenson. You could do worse for 90 minutes, you could do better.

 

[Dove]

Been away from the boob tube for a while...

Instant Family (2018) - Cute movie. Rose Byrne and Marky Mark star in this movie about a couple who try to adopt 3 Latino siblings. Definitely loled a few times.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Streamed "The Transporter Refueled" on Amazon. Pretty much in name only sequel. Besson didn't direct, although maybe he was involved in another way (writing and/or producing?). The main character is still Frank Martin but they replaced Jason Statham w/ Ed Skrein. I like Skrein, and he can certainly pull off action movies, but he's not Statham. Anyway, it was entertaining, and immediately forgettable. Probably true of all the movies in the series, although I have a soft spot for the original. I literally remember nothing about #2 or #3, apparently I have watched them according to my Netflix history. The scene w/ Statham fighting a boatload of goons at the bus depot has stuck with me. In this one they incorporate some of the same elements, fighting w/ unexpected props and also fighting in tight spaces. The plot...eh, who cares. The cast were almost entirely unknown to me, other than Skrein and Ray Stevenson. You could do worse for 90 minutes, you could do better.

The original is an underrated gem. There is just something about the way Statham is such a precise, calculating person with an insane attention to detail...and finds himself shifting and changing based on emotion. Qi Shu is lovely and vulnerable. You can just see Frank fighting and losing to his emotional desire to protect her.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I had mild expectations for "Chaos Walking." Another much delayed release, which is almost never a good sign. Fairly strong cast, Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Mads Mikkelsen, Demian Bichir, David Oyelowo. It was even an original idea. Didn't love it though. Kinda drawn out and slow, lost interest in the middle. Too many characters were one note as well. And the original part of it, that all the men have their thoughts projected out loud, got really tiresome rather than being interesting.

 

[CL82]

Boss Level. Ever just want something light but entertaining just to occupy your time? Well this is your baby then. It is a Hulu movie and lives up to that level of production values, but I have to say that I enjoyed it.

Frank Grillo stars as Roy. A guy who wakes up with an apparent one night stand. In short order all break loose and Roy has pretty much everyone trying to kill him.

Spoiler

Eventually they succeed only to have him wake up back in bed. From that point forward you can guess it is Roy waking up and dying only to wake up again with foreknowledge of what went wrong. It pretty much is real life video game in that sometimes he gets the sequence right, sometimes he doesn't, sometimes he dead ends.

Eventually a semi-plausible reason for what is happening to him comes to light.

Boss Level isn't going to make anyone's top ten list but it is entertaining. Naomi Watts, Ken Yeong, Michelle Yeoh and Mel Gibson are also in it.

 

[Deadrody]

I had mild expectations for "Chaos Walking." Another much delayed release, which is almost never a good sign. Fairly strong cast, Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Mads Mikkelsen, Demian Bichir, David Oyelowo. It was even an original idea. Didn't love it though. Kinda drawn out and slow, lost interest in the middle. Too many characters were one note as well. And the original part of it, that all the men have their thoughts projected out loud, got really tiresome rather than being interesting.

Agreed on all accounts. Also exquisitely dislike the conscious decision to make it clear Daisy Ridley is the heroine and she WILL NOT be a love interest. So predictably 2020. Worst part is, they could have just left the topic alone, but NO, they had to tease it just so they could make their precious little point.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Boys from County Hell (2020). This is a bit different. It’s a vampire tale of sorts, set in Ireland. Indeed set in a small town, where the local pub is called The Stoker, and an old legend tells of a vampire like creature buried in a field under a cairn that still attracts a few tourists. The locals say that tale inspired Bram Stoker. What makes this work is simply the brilliance of the Irish. It’s funny, it’s scary, its both at the same time. A bit like Sean of the Dead, if not quite that good. Well worth a watch.

 

[Dove]

Boys from County Hell (2020). This is a bit different. It’s a vampire tale of sorts, set in Ireland. Indeed set in a small town, where the local pub is called The Stoker, and an old legend tells of a vampire like creature buried in a field under a cairn that still attracts a few tourists. The locals say that tale inspired Bram Stoker. What makes this work is simply the brilliance of the Irish. It’s funny, it’s scary, its both at the same time. A bit like Sean of the Dead, if not quite that good. Well worth a watch.

Network?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Network?

Amazon Prime.

 

[Dove]

Blue Miracle (2021) - Another cute movie. Dennis Quaid getting a paycheck here as a charter boat captain with two big fishing tournament wins under his belt. Now he's down and out when he teams up with a local Mexican orphage to make another run...

Based on a true story.

 

[Waquoit]

The SO asks if I want to see "Dream Horse", about a Welsh barmaid in a working-class town who gets a bunch of customers to chip in for the breeding of a race horse. I said didn't we see that before? And she says, "With Toni Collette?" Turns out there was a documentary a few years ago called "Dark Horse" that covered the same story. Both are pretty good, it really is quite a story. I'd watch the drama first, then the doc to meet the real people and get the context not provided by the movie. BTW, all of the principles are still alive including the horse. Something I found refreshing.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I kinda vaguely remember the title "Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael." Pretty sure I never saw it. It's streaming on Amazon. It has Winona Ryder, why not. Interesting, I enjoyed it. 1990, but certainly has an 80s feel. Also stars Jeff Daniels. There were a few other actors who looked familiar, but I didn't know their names. It was more dramatic and less comedic than I was expecting it to be. The titular character is a girl who left her small town in Ohio and made it big. Rumor gets out she's returning home for the first time in 15 years, which sets the whole town abuzz. Winona is an oddball, adopted girl who gets picked on constantly and has no friends. It's really her story. She carries it well. Daniels is Roxy's ex, who never really got over her. Certainly worth a watch I thought.

 

[Dove]

Riders of Justice (2020) - Mads Mickelson stars in this foreign film unlike you've seen before.

lols abound in this comedy thriller. I don't know where to start but statistical nerds team up with a military guy to avenge a train bombing that kills Mads' wife.

This was a good one.

 

[nwhoopfan]

"Sea Fever" was a decent low budget claustrophobic thriller. You've seen similar movies. This kind of story is usually sci fi set in deep space. In this case it's a fishing trawler out at sea. They encounter something beyond their comprehension, and everything goes bad from there. A couple established actors in Dougray Scott and Connie Nielsen. Hermione Corfield is an up and comer I've enjoyed in several films. It's not really horror, although there is some body horror. Nothing great, but worth at least 1 viewing.

 

[zymurg]

"Legend" a very solid Sam Cooke bio is now available on Prime. You could couple that with "One Night in Miami" the story of a meeting of Jim Brown, Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, and Sam Cooke on the eve of a championship fight with Sonny Liston. Legend features Cooke performances and commentary by such luminaries as Aretha Franklin. It's written by Peter Guralnick. He is one of the great writers about popular music. My favorite is "Sweet Soul Music"; there is a DVD of the same name.