Recently Watched Movies 2021

[Kolumbo]

Netflix has their own studios. They've been producing original content TV shows and movies for years, long before covid changed the movie industry so drastically.

Thanks. I kind of got that. I just didn't know movies with these big name actors were being shown on Netflix rather than theaters.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Spencer Confidential (2020)
Mark Wahlberg as usual. It is considered an Action-Comedy-Drama and fits the bill. I found it on Netflix which is new to me but if I understand this correctly, these movies are being produced for Netflix and not movie theaters. or perhaps this is a of covid.
The interaction between Mark Wahlberg and the other characters is always pretty good, but his girlfriend is really . . . unique.

I enjoyed it. Good fun. Do you mean his ex girlfriend Cissy? That’s Iliza Shlesinger. She’s a comedian. Definitely kind of hot too. That seems to be a trend lately with female comediennes.

 

[dbmill]

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) - This is a screwball comedy directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and it stars Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery. It is probably the least typical movie directed by Hitchcock after he made the move to Hollywood and America, as it really doesn’t touch on any of the themes or subject matter that he is associated with. Most Hitchcock films are pretty identifiable as his, but if I had stumbled upon this one while channel surfing I would have never have guessed that he had anything to do with it. Basic plot is that a couple that have been married for a few years discover that their marriage is not legal. This being a screwball comedy from the heyday of the genre, complications and misunderstandings ensue. While Hitchcock's films often contain comedic elements, he is not usually thought of in the genre of screwball comedy. While this film usually doesn’t come up in discussion of the top screwball comedies of the era, it is still a good and funny film. While I may not go on a search to seek it out again, I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing it again if and when I come across it while channel surfing.

 

[dbmill]

Netflix has their own studios. They've been producing original content TV shows and movies for years, long before covid changed the movie industry so drastically.

Very true. Netflix has also been acquiring the distribution rights to a goodly number of films that were initially intended to start out in movie theaters, but the makers of these films and the studios involved had to change their distribution plans for these films due to the ongoing pandemic.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Thanks. I kind of got that. I just didn't know movies with these big name actors were being shown on Netflix rather than theaters.

They've certainly attracted some big name actors for their projects, but as @dbmill pointed out they are also acquiring some movies from other studios that never were released in theaters. I'm not sure how you figure out which is which.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Very true. Netflix has also been acquiring the distribution rights to a goodly number of films that were initially intended to start out in movie theaters, but the makers of these films and the studios involved had to change their distribution plans for these films due to the ongoing pandemic.

Both they and Amazon also just fund and produce their own movies and series that are never intended for the movie theatre. Remember Bird Box was a big hit? That was pre-covid and never hit big screens.

It will be interesting to see what happens with movie theaters after this. Some will come back, but how many movies will be made available at home same day? It seems pretty clear that Time Warner is banking on that model for HBOMax. Netflix and Amazon certainly as well. Disney with Disney+? That may leave very few films that are Cinema only.

 

[Bliss]

Unfaithful: Diane Lane is sooooo hot in this film. I watch it just to see her.

 

[Kolumbo]

Both they and Amazon also just fund and produce their own movies and series that are never intended for the movie theatre. Remember Bird Box was a big hit? That was pre-covid and never hit big screens.

It will be interesting to see what happens with movie theaters after this. Some will come back, but how many movies will be made available at home same day? It seems pretty clear that Time Warner is banking on that model for HBOMax. Netflix and Amazon certainly as well. Disney with Disney+? That may leave very few films that are Cinema only.

Huge screen tv's are so cheap these days it's easy to get a nice home theater set up, and I think a lot of people will be very hesitant to go sit in a dark movie theater with strangers for a while.

 

[Mano]

Both they and Amazon also just fund and produce their own movies and series that are never intended for the movie theatre. Remember Bird Box was a big hit? That was pre-covid and never hit big screens.

It will be interesting to see what happens with movie theaters after this. Some will come back, but how many movies will be made available at home same day? It seems pretty clear that Time Warner is banking on that model for HBOMax. Netflix and Amazon certainly as well. Disney with Disney+? That may leave very few films that are Cinema only.

Speaking of which:

Netflix’s Massive 2021 Film Slate Will Deliver New Movies Every Week This Year

New Netflix releases from Dwayne Johnson, Jennifer Lawrence, Lin-Manuel Miranda and more will populate a robust slate.

variety.com

 

[storrsroars]

Speaking of which:

Netflix’s Massive 2021 Film Slate Will Deliver New Movies Every Week This Year

New Netflix releases from Dwayne Johnson, Jennifer Lawrence, Lin-Manuel Miranda and more will populate a robust slate.

variety.com

There was nothing in there that compelled me to see any of them as so little time was spent on each, I have zero clue what any of them are about. Not sure what they were trying to achieve there.

 

[HuskyHawk]

There was nothing in there that compelled me to see any of them as so little time was spent on each, I have zero clue what any of them are about. Not sure what they were trying to achieve there.

Netflix throws a lot of spaghetti at the wall. They also re-use the same formula over and over again. Much of what they put out is low budget with lousy writing. Sometimes they hit the mark.

 

[Mano]

There was nothing in there that compelled me to see any of them as so little time was spent on each, I have zero clue what any of them are about. Not sure what they were trying to achieve there.

It’s just a sizzle reel, and yea, a pretty lame one. Kate and Don’t Look Up (and only after googling them) sound most interesting to me.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Being There (1979) ended up in the 2020 thread, but technically I watched it in 2021. It is on HBOMAX. It is one of the greatest movies ever made. Watch it if you haven't seen it yet.

 

[Fishy]

Being There (1979) ended up in the 2020 thread, but technically I watched it in 2021. It is on HBOMAX. It is one of the greatest movies ever made. Watch it if you haven't seen it yet.

Wow...forgot all about that movie.

Yes, by all means, watch it.

 

[Deepster]

Unfaithful: Diane Lane is sooooo hot in this film. I watch it just to see her.

#hallwayscene

 

[HuskyHawk]

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Netflix. Watched last night. Stars Viola David and Chadwick Boseman in his final role. Good turns by several others. Set in 1927, this is the story of Ma Rainey (Davis) and her band, recording a record in Chicago. There is considerable tension among the band members, especially Levee (Boseman) on Trumpet, who aspires to bigger things. There is tension between Ma and the recording studio owner and her manger, both white. Ma is rather feisty and demanding, and over time the story reveals why. We get more information on Boseman's character a well, and his motivations. The music is quite good, created by Brandon Marsalis. This was based on a Pulitzer prize winning play, and does feel like a filmed stage show. Virtually all of it takes place in two rooms.

Highly recommended. 3.5/4. It isn't always pleasant, and I wouldn't call it fun. But I think they achieved what they attempted to achieve with this.

 

[8893]

Being There (1979) ended up in the 2020 thread, but technically I watched it in 2021. It is on HBOMAX. It is one of the greatest movies ever made. Watch it if you haven't seen it yet.

One of my favorite movies of all time. Sellers's performance is a top ten for me.

 

[Dove]

Goin' South (1978) - Wow. Really need the time back from watching this one. A western directed by, and starring Jack Nicholson. He was funny but way overacted and was in too many scenes. He plays an outlaw who escapes the gallows because of some ordinance where landowner Civil War widows can claim an about-be-strung outlaw. So here comes a young Mary Steenbergen to claim him so he can help her with her gold mine.

Other stars in this movie:

Christopher Lloyd
Danny DeVito
Ed Begley, Jr
John Belushi
Veronica Cartright


I was bored

 

[nwhoopfan]

I had low expectations for "The New Mutants," but was still curious enough to watch it. How bad can it be? Well, it certainly wasn't good. Mostly just kinda dull, and kinda confusing. But it had Anya Taylor-Joy in it, so at least it has that going for it. As someone on this board likes to say, she's mesmerizing.

 

[nwhoopfan]

"Outside the Wire" is a new offering from Netflix. Slightly futuristic, the US is in a policing situation in the middle of a civil war in the Ukraine. Robotic troops have been deployed to supplement human soldiers. Anthony Mackie portrays a prototype android. His actions and motivations are enigmatic throughout. I found it reasonably entertaining. Read some reviews after I watched it that were fairly savage, I think largely unwarranted. It's not great, but I've seen much worse, and I always enjoy Mackie.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Those previous 2 were over the weekend. Tonight I watched "Bill & Ted Face the Music." Another I had low expectations for. It was kind of a big 'ol mess. Keanu and Alex Winter trying to recreate their same slacker dude personas from 30 years ago doesn't really work. The saving grace was the 2 actresses playing their daughters--Brigette Lundy-Paine and Samara Weaving. Lundy-Paine in particular did a good job of channeling the "whoa, dude" vibe from the original film. I've recently become a fan of her after watching the Netflix series "Atypical." I also enjoyed Kristen Schaal and Jayma Mays in their small roles.


Man, Hollywood and math, it's pretty funky. Obviously Keanu and Winter are playing the same characters, but the actresses playing the princesses/their wives from the original were jettisoned, and replaced by actresses 15+ years younger. Which created a problem because Jayma Mays is only 13 years older than Samara Weaving, who was supposed to be her daughter. So dumb.



On a side note, it's been so long since I've seen the original, I either never knew or totally forgot that one of the princesses is the actress who played the French foreign exchange student in "Better Off Dead."

 

[HuskyHawk]

One Night in Miami (2020). Fitting movie for MLK day I suppose. This is a fictionalized account of an actual meeting of Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke in a room at the Hampton House in February 1964, celebrating Ali's surprise title win over Sonny Liston. Ali was still Cassius Clay at the time, but the film explores how that change occurred the next morning. This was a stage play, and like Ma Rainey, feels like it, if less so. Each character has a short prequel before this fateful evening, that lends a bit to their unique situation. It was a pivotal time for each, Clay, just became champion and would soon announce his conversion and start his civil rights efforts. Brown had just made his first movie and would soon retire from the NFL and make more movies. He'd become an activist in his own ways. Cooke was very successful, and would soon channel that success a bit differently, before being killed in suspicious circumstances less than a year later. Malcolm X of course would also be killed a year later by the Nation of Islam. Ali, the youngest by far would live to 2016. Jim Brown is still with us.

The discussion is frank, impassioned and touches on so many issues that remain relevant today. It's so very interesting to see how each of these men, famous and successful in different ways, approaches issues of racism differently. Some within the system, using leverage they have gained. Others fighting to destroy the system. Others, quietly seething, waiting, cool on the surface, angry below. The movie doesn't take sides, but simply lays it out for us to consider. It is extremely well done.

The acting is phenomenal. Each of the four co-leads does an astonishing job becoming these very famous real men. It's not an easy task. All four are award worthy in my view. This rates 3.5/4 for me, but it's pretty close to 4/4.

 

[storrsroars]

One Night in Miami (2020). Fitting movie for MLK day I suppose. This is a fictionalized account of an actual meeting of Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke in a room at the Hampton House in February 1964, celebrating Ali's surprise title win over Sonny Liston. Ali was still Cassius Clay at the time, but the film explores how that change occurred the next morning. This was a stage play, and like Ma Rainey, feels like it, if less so. Each character has a short prequel before this fateful evening, that lends a bit to their unique situation. It was a pivotal time for each, Clay, just became champion and would soon announce his conversion and start his civil rights efforts. Brown had just made his first movie and would soon retire from the NFL and make more movies. He'd become an activist in his own ways. Cooke was very successful, and would soon channel that success a bit differently, before being killed in suspicious circumstances less than a year later. Malcolm X of course would also be killed a year later by the Nation of Islam. Ali, the youngest by far would live to 2016. Jim Brown is still with us.

The discussion is frank, impassioned and touches on so many issues that remain relevant today. It's so very interesting to see how each of these men, famous and successful in different ways, approaches issues of racism differently. Some within the system, using leverage they have gained. Others fighting to destroy the system. Others, quietly seething, waiting, cool on the surface, angry below. The movie doesn't take sides, but simply lays it out for us to consider. It is extremely well done.

The acting is phenomenal. Each of the four co-leads does an astonishing job becoming these very famous real men. It's not an easy task. All four are award worthy in my view. This rates 3.5/4 for me, but it's pretty close to 4/4.

On my "to do list" today.

 

[storrsroars]

I actually watched a movie last weekend because of memes. I'm not the demographic for "Easy A" and from the description I felt it would be rather stupid, so avoided it for years. But as more and more memes with Emma Stone holding up various messages kept appearing in sites I visit, I finally succumbed.

It was stupid, although Stone was good and it had its moments. The adult cast (Tucci, Clarkson, Haden-Church, Kudrow) played their ridiculous stereotypical parts with aplomb.

 

[dbmill]

One Night in Miami (2020). Fitting movie for MLK day I suppose. This is a fictionalized account of an actual meeting of Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke in a room at the Hampton House in February 1964, celebrating Ali's surprise title win over Sonny Liston. Ali was still Cassius Clay at the time, but the film explores how that change occurred the next morning. This was a stage play, and like Ma Rainey, feels like it, if less so. Each character has a short prequel before this fateful evening, that lends a bit to their unique situation. It was a pivotal time for each, Clay, just became champion and would soon announce his conversion and start his civil rights efforts. Brown had just made his first movie and would soon retire from the NFL and make more movies. He'd become an activist in his own ways. Cooke was very successful, and would soon channel that success a bit differently, before being killed in suspicious circumstances less than a year later. Malcolm X of course would also be killed a year later by the Nation of Islam. Ali, the youngest by far would live to 2016. Jim Brown is still with us.

The discussion is frank, impassioned and touches on so many issues that remain relevant today. It's so very interesting to see how each of these men, famous and successful in different ways, approaches issues of racism differently. Some within the system, using leverage they have gained. Others fighting to destroy the system. Others, quietly seething, waiting, cool on the surface, angry below. The movie doesn't take sides, but simply lays it out for us to consider. It is extremely well done.

The acting is phenomenal. Each of the four co-leads does an astonishing job becoming these very famous real men. It's not an easy task. All four are award worthy in my view. This rates 3.5/4 for me, but it's pretty close to 4/4.

On my "to do list" today.

I added it to my long list of movies to see a couple of weeks ago.