Recently Watched Movies 2021 | Page 4 | The Boneyard

Recently Watched Movies 2021

Barbarians at the Gate (1993) - True story about the leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco starring James Garner as RJR CEO Ross Johnson and Jonathan Pryce as LBO legend Henry Kravis. It is a really well-done and entertaining morality play that may have gotten the hero and villain backwards, and to the movie's credit, it is not sure itself. It is set in an era of excess that in some ways seems quaint by today's standards, such as Johnson's severance between only $53 million, and seems ridiculously over the top in other ways, such as the RJR "Air Force" of company jets that were frequently used for executives' personal travel.

James Garner was perfect for the role of Ross Johnson, a charismatic and charming is a bit tone deaf CEO nearing the end of an era, like a dinosaur who doesn't see the asteroid is about to hit. In fact, all the casting was perfect. I particularly liked Peter Riegert's portrayal of the Lehman investment banker Peter Cohen who was in over his head and refuses to admit it.

I have two relatively minor complaints. One is that the character of Charles Hugel, played by Tom Adredge (Carmelo's father in the Sopranos), was a really important character in the actual LBO whose motives are very unclear even to this day, and the movie makes him somewhat one-dimensional cranky grandpa. Secondly, the name of the book "Barbarians at the Gate" was actually a quote by Kravis' rival Teddy Forstmann, and the movie never really explains what is meant by it. I know what is meant by it, but to a casual viewer, it might seem like a throwaway line that is used as the name of the movie because it sounds cool. In fact, the Forstmann character just yells a lot in his limited screen time.

Overall, I recommend it.

This movie is available for free on Youtube.
 
Set It Up - A made-for-Netflix rom-com that did not suck. This is one to keep in your back pocket for when the SO wants to watch something easy.
 
Waquoit said:
Set It Up - A made-for-Netflix rom-com that did not suck. This is one to keep in your back pocket for when the SO wants to watch something easy.
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Yup, agreed. It wasn't entirely terrible. Perfectly cromulent.
 
storrsroars said:
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.
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I taught the scarlet letter for the first time in a few years back in the fall, so I watched Easy A. Going into it, I wanted to see if there were any clips I could show to my class lol it was very cringe, but it was still pretty funny.
 
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Lady Bird (2017) - I did not like it. It felt like a mud hut of serious teen movie gimmicks and cliches, and never really decided what it was trying to say. Is this movie about Lady Bird developing into a young woman? She does not seem to change much from the beginning to the end of the movie. Is it about her relationship with her crazy mother? The mother was an interesting character, but they were like two marbles bouncing off each other in the movie.

I thought the letters at the end felt like a gimmick to show that mom and daughter were really close, even though at no point during the movie did they seem particularly close. She was actually closer with her dad. The mom is basically emotionally abusive to her entire family.

I thought the two boyfriend characters, both of whom were interesting, were wasted. What did she learn from either relationship? The Timothee Chalamet never pretended to be anything other than what he was, and Lady Bird is the one that freaks out on him irrationally. Did Lady Bird regret going after the shallow, hot guy? I don't know. The movie just moved on from him. The other boyfriend's character surprise was interesting, but then the movie doesn't do anything with it. She just moved on from him too.

Even her relationship with her friends was off. I get that Julie was her best friend and they would remain best friends forever, but she treats Julie badly and Julie doesn't seem to care. What is the basis of the friendship? Jenna was not that bad, yet Lady Bird lies to her, and then essentially dumps her as a friend even though Jenna has forgiven Lady Bird and been nothing but nice to Lady Bird the whole time they were friends.

I end up really disliking the Lady Bird character by the end of the movie. She is a shallow brat who is mean and manipulative to her friends, family and teachers, treats men as objects, and never has to face any consequences for her actions. The ending is trite, and basically is just Lady Bird homesick at the end of the movie because she is not as daring or adventurous as she thinks she is, and realizes that she is over her head in New York and should return to Sacramento.

Acting was great by everyone, as you would expect from this cast. Laurie Metcalf should have gotten an Oscar. I think it was particularly impressive acting considering the script's problems and that there was a lot of weirdness in the Directing. For example, there are a lot of scenes where characters have their backs to the camera or are walking away from the camera. There is limited connection between one scene and the next, and the characters are all a little too quirky. Greta Gerwig doesn't even get the basics right as a director, and this movie is really overrated.

Compare this to Booksmart, another coming of age movie about teenage girls that also starred Beanie Feldstein. Booksmart went for more of the comedy angle, and nailed it, but at the same time I thought it had more of an emotional connection to its lead characters and the plot actually made sense.
 
nelsonmuntz said:
Lady Bird (2017) - I did not like it. It felt like a mud hut of serious teen movie gimmicks and cliches, and never really decided what it was trying to say. Is this movie about Lady Bird developing into a young woman? She does not seem to change much from the beginning to the end of the movie. Is it about her relationship with her crazy mother? The mother was an interesting character, but they were like two marbles bouncing off each other in the movie.

I thought the letters at the end felt like a gimmick to show that mom and daughter were really close, even though at no point during the movie did they seem particularly close. She was actually closer with her dad. The mom is basically emotionally abusive to her entire family.

I thought the two boyfriend characters, both of whom were interesting, were wasted. What did she learn from either relationship? The Timothee Chalamet never pretended to be anything other than what he was, and Lady Bird is the one that freaks out on him irrationally. Did Lady Bird regret going after the shallow, hot guy? I don't know. The movie just moved on from him. The other boyfriend's character surprise was interesting, but then the movie doesn't do anything with it. She just moved on from him too.

Even her relationship with her friends was off. I get that Julie was her best friend and they would remain best friends forever, but she treats Julie badly and Julie doesn't seem to care. What is the basis of the friendship? Jenna was not that bad, yet Lady Bird lies to her, and then essentially dumps her as a friend even though Jenna has forgiven Lady Bird and been nothing but nice to Lady Bird the whole time they were friends.

I end up really disliking the Lady Bird character by the end of the movie. She is a shallow brat who is mean and manipulative to her friends, family and teachers, treats men as objects, and never has to face any consequences for her actions. The ending is trite, and basically is just Lady Bird homesick at the end of the movie because she is not as daring or adventurous as she thinks she is, and realizes that she is over her head in New York and should return to Sacramento.

Acting was great by everyone, as you would expect from this cast. Laurie Metcalf should have gotten an Oscar. I think it was particularly impressive acting considering the script's problems and that there was a lot of weirdness in the Directing. For example, there are a lot of scenes where characters have their backs to the camera or are walking away from the camera. There is limited connection between one scene and the next, and the characters are all a little too quirky. Greta Gerwig doesn't even get the basics right as a director, and this movie is really overrated.

Compare this to Booksmart, another coming of age movie about teenage girls that also starred Beanie Feldstein. Booksmart went for more of the comedy angle, and nailed it, but at the same time I thought it had more of an emotional connection to its lead characters and the plot actually made sense.
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I really liked Lady Bird, and especially Ronan's performance.

I obviously disagree with your take, which appears to contradict itself. How can it both be trite and not make sense? I don't think either is true.

I think you missed one of the central themes, i.e., whether attention is the same as caring.

I don't remember your child situation or ages, but having had two daughters already go through high school and one who is currently a high school freshman, I think it very accurately captures the essence of a lot of what many of them go through. One of mine in particular was/is more similar to the Lady Bird character, including the frequently dysfunctional relationship with her mother, and the frustratingly ambiguous, sometimes toxic, and almost always confusing relationships with friends of both genders (and all points in between).

I have watched it twice and probably picked up more on the second viewing. I would definitely watch it again.
 
Up In Smoke (1978) - Cheech and Chong's debut in the movies and each of their performances are epically funny. We were lol-ing a ton. The scene at the beginning where Cheech picks up Chong...Jesus!! And the pot made of Maui Wowie and Labrador. :O

Then the scene with the Borax girl. Kills me!!
 
8893 said:
I really liked Lady Bird, and especially Ronan's performance.

I obviously disagree with your take, which appears to contradict itself. How can it both be trite and not make sense? I don't think either is true.

I think you missed one of the central themes, i.e., whether attention is the same as caring.

I don't remember your child situation or ages, but having had two daughters already go through high school and one who is currently a high school freshman, I think it very accurately captures the essence of a lot of what many of them go through. One of mine in particular was/is more similar to the Lady Bird character, including the frequently dysfunctional relationship with her mother, and the frustratingly ambiguous, sometimes toxic, and almost always confusing relationships with friends of both genders (and all points in between).

I have watched it twice and probably picked up more on the second viewing. I would definitely watch it again.
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I saw Lady Bird once a few years ago, and I recall giving it a very positive mention on one of these movie threads. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing it again sometime, as I thought it was very good. I recall it was a film that really grew on me as I was watching it.
 
The Silencing (2020) - Nicolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister - GOT) plays an intense former hunter/trapper now turned preservationist after his daughter disappears.

The movie revolves around the search for solving the disappearances/murders of young girls. There are twists.

Annabelle Wallis (Peaker Blinders) also stars.

I liked it quite a bit and think you may find it worth a watch.
 
I watched a bunch of stuff over last couple days.

Below Zero. Spanish film about a prison transfer gone wrong. Nothing special. I did like the lead and the one criminal who survived. Wouldn't watch again, but it held my interest for the most part.

American Assassin. I liked the Mitch Rapp character as written by Vince Flynn and read all the books. When I saw who was playing Rapp, I didn't understand the choice, and I still think it could've been cast better, but Dylan O' Brien did grow on me as the movie went on. Michael Keaton was great as Stan Hurley, the grizzled mentor of both Rapp and the main villain. Standard rogue operative goes bad, new operative has to catch him stuff, and Keaton is the key to making it all work.

The Bank Job/Homefront/Redemption. I can't explain why, but I like Jason Statham as an action character (except that I can't watch &F franchise because of Vin Diesel and its overall silliness). If you're not a Statham fan, you probably can sit these out. But, I think the guy actually has enough acting chops to sell the characters and create empathy.
The Bank Job is based on a true story about a robbery of safe deposit vault that contains lots of money, but unknown to the robbers, also contains some photos being used for blackmail and some Mob accounting info. Plot twists ensue leading to an interesting outcome.
Homefront is more the standard cop wants to retire and be with family but his past catches up to him and you kinda know how it's going to end, but it's a fun ride anyway. In fact, I was about 45 minutes into it when I remember I'd actually seen this movie before, but stuck around anyway.
Redemption is a different spin on the returning soldier with PTSD trope. Without giving too much away, Statham, as he acknowledges at the end of the film, is a killing machine when sober, and needs to drink to not kill. It becomes a love story between him and a nun. At some point they end up screwing. Now, you don't get that in a movie every day. This is actually a fairly well-acted film I enjoyed.

Ava. Jessica Chastain takes on all comers as an alcoholic CIA operative with massive killing skills and a history of family problems. If that plot summary sounds ludicrous, it's actually an understatement. However ridiculous its action sequences were, they were more believable than...

6 Underground. OMG, what a POS. I can't even tell you what it's about. It's just one unbelievable Michael Bay action sequence after another with Ryan Reynolds playing his usual tired deadpan schtick throughout. I imagine there's a storyline here that tries to tie things together, but let's not kid ourselves, this is all about car crashes and explosions. If you are severely ADD, this film might keep you interested. If you're normal, you'll likely just get a headache.
 
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We saw Ava, too. Literally forgot about it and you now know why.

I also like Statham. A likeable tough guy.
 
Watched a new offering from Netflix last night "Space Sweepers." I believe it's a Korean production, sci fi. A bit silly, but entertaining. Fairly good special effects. Mostly dubbed into English, with a little bit of subtitles. Fairly basic set up of Earth being ruined and becoming uninhabitable, some of the population has moved to stations orbiting the planet, Mars is being terraformed, the haves and have nots being further divided, and most are just trying to scrape by doing whatever they can. It mostly centers around a scruffy crew of space junk salvagers.
 
storrsroars said:
American Assassin. I liked the Mitch Rapp character as written by Vince Flynn and read all the books. When I saw who was playing Rapp, I didn't understand the choice, and I still think it could've been cast better, but Dylan O' Brien did grow on me as the movie went on. Michael Keaton was great as Stan Hurley, the grizzled mentor of both Rapp and the main villain. Standard rogue operative goes bad, new operative has to catch him stuff, and Keaton is the key to making it all work.
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I saw it a while ago, thought it was decent, but the opening scene of the shooting at a popular tourist hangout in Spain was really jarring. Seemed way more realistic than typical movie violence. Maybe there had been a mass shooting recently when I saw it, I can't remember for sure now.
 
8893 said:
I really liked Lady Bird, and especially Ronan's performance.

I obviously disagree with your take, which appears to contradict itself. How can it both be trite and not make sense? I don't think either is true.

I think you missed one of the central themes, i.e., whether attention is the same as caring.

I don't remember your child situation or ages, but having had two daughters already go through high school and one who is currently a high school freshman, I think it very accurately captures the essence of a lot of what many of them go through. One of mine in particular was/is more similar to the Lady Bird character, including the frequently dysfunctional relationship with her mother, and the frustratingly ambiguous, sometimes toxic, and almost always confusing relationships with friends of both genders (and all points in between).

I have watched it twice and probably picked up more on the second viewing. I would definitely watch it again.
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I have thought about it over the weekend, and I don't like the movie any more than I did after I watched it. There are a lot of really good movies about girls going through high school. This is not one of them. I think it is overrated and overly cute while simultaneously being overly dramatic. Gerwig did not tie the story together, and so we are left with a bunch of really good actors acting really well, without a particularly interesting plot or emotional connection with the main character. There are a few cool scene setups, but she does not bring it home. This movie is the Crash of 2017. It will not age well.
 
The Command (Kursk) - I dig a good submarine flick. I was familiar with the Kursk tragedy going in. It was well acted but kind of a bore. Firth seemed wasted in the role.

Wolf Walkers - If you are familiar with the movies Song of the Sea or The Secret of Kells then Wolf Walkers animation and style will be instantly recognizable. I could go on with a long lamentation about the death of hand drawn 2D animation in movies but I'll spare you. Instead I'll just ask you to watch this beautifully animated, moving and wonderful story.

Greyhound - This had a breakneck relentless pace but didn't overtly feel like an action movie somehow. It was completely gripping and one of the better movies I've seen recently. Hanks was tremendous and I hope is in line for some nominations. The only letdowns were some less than convincing CGI at times and one of the English captain's accents sounded like the terrible Seth MacFarlane accent from Logan Lucky, and his part (and accent) was easily the worst part of the movie. Greyhound will probably go down as one of my favorites of the year.

Austenland - The wife and I love Flight of the Conchords so we were excited to see Bret McKenzie in something else. It had its silly moments, not terrible but not particularly exciting either. Makes use of the Austen material well enough I suppose.

The Little Things - I read a review blurb from the Little Things RT page that pretty much perfectly sums it up, "Is that it?" I was pretty thoroughly underwhelmed. Trying not to spill any spoilers.

Cowboys & Aliens - Wanted to throw on something brainless one night, this fit the bill. Its kind of funny the ideas that sometimes get such big budget treatment. At no time did a single exec think this thing would bomb? It might've actually benefitted if it had been much darker and had a smaller scope to it.

I, Tonya - Really, really enjoyed this one. Makes Harding a completely sympathetic character. Robbie, Stan and Janney were all excellent and the guy who plays Harding's bodyguard almost steals the show. I gotta see Richard Jewell now just because of how good he was in this. I'm kind of surprised looking at the best picture noms from 2017 that this didn't get chosen as one. Certainly better than the idiotic The Shape of Water.

The Art of Self Defense - Sometimes a movie will present a character(s) that just doesn't really exist in reality but plays it straight and hopes you'll go along with it. I had trouble going along with it. The whole premise could've maybe worked with an ounce less quirkiness but I just couldn't buy it.
 
The Dig. 2021, Netflix. Tells the story of an archeological dig in eastern England (Sutton Hoo). It's based on a true story. Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes are the leads. Both are quite good. Lily James appears in a supporting role. This is really a personal story, little romance worked in, and simply people finding people they need that help fill some holes in their lives. The backdrop is that England is on the cusp of being in a state of war with Germany, so WWII looms and begins during the course of the film. Wife and I both enjoyed it. It's not fast paced and has little action, but it's just a good story. 3/4 stars from me.

Here is some info on what was recovered, it's a bit of a spoiler, but unlikely to ruin the story. Sutton Hoo | National Trust
 
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Mortal (2020) - Norwegian film. I have to say my wife and I liked it but I can many turning it off.

A kid living on a farm ends up burning down the house and his family. Since then he's on the lam with Godly powers of fire and brimstone wherever he goes. Turns out the farm land was where Thor and his sons made temple and the farm was built over it.

Interesting.
 
Dove said:
Polar (2019) - This movie was pretty damned good. Mads Mikkelson pulls it off as a retired hitman who is owed an $8M pension in two weeks. Well, his boss doesn't want to pay. So, Mads has to survive for two weeks.

Lots of action and there is a moment. Maybe not for kids here.
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Watchable, but wasn't crazy about it. The head gangster who was supposed to pay the pension was neither threatening nor believable, just a clown. That detracted from the film for me as who would risk their life for that genius.

Seems I'm on the dregs of what Netflix has for action films at this point. Been watching Bruce Willis paycheck movies (Acts of Violence, First Kill, Marauders) last couple days, with a Travolta paycheck thrown in (I Am Wrath). All are based on silly and wafer-thin premises, but I did enjoy Marauders and Wrath because of Christopher Meloni who was solid in both.

For some mindless fun, there's The Debt Collector and Debt Collectors 2. Solid buddy movies with believable action and good humor. The first was better by a tad, but the sequel is still enjoyable (although if you watch the first till the end, you'll find the idea of a sequel a stretch). The major annoyance I had with the sequel was that Louis Mandylor's "dese, dose" NY accent kept getting heavier throughout to the point where it was distracting. But I'd happily watch a third installment.
 
Coraline (2009) - Every once in a while I feel the need to view relatively recent animated features. I’ve mentioned before that I have found that you can generally find some interesting stuff by sampling lesser known films that were nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar. It also helps to check out @Mano's recommendations on animated films that he has made in these threads.

Coraline is a stop action animated feature film about a little girl who is the title character whose family has just moved into a rather old and creepy old house. Coraline is unhappy with her parents and her present surroundings. She discovers a passage way to an alternate reality that also contains many versions of people she knows from the reality that she just came from. Initially she just loves the place, but she discovers that everything isn’t quite as rosy as it all seems, including her Other Mother in this alternate reality. As in the "Wizard of Oz”, she finds it isn’t all that easy to get back home. This film is filled to the brim with colorful sights and enough imagination to fill up several other fantasy movies. For anyone with an interest in animated films, while it may be overly packed with a bit too much going on at times, it is still definitely worth seeing. It is a film that certainly can be enjoyed by adults, we quite enjoyed it. You also might end up viewing sewing buttons in a different light after viewing this film.
 
dbmill said:
Coraline (2009) - Every once in a while I feel the need to view relatively recent animated features. I’ve mentioned before that I have found that you can generally find some interesting stuff by sampling lesser known films that were nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar. It also helps to check out @Mano's recommendations on animated films that he has made in these threads.

Coraline is a stop action animated feature film about a little girl who is the title character whose family has just moved into a rather old and creepy old house. Coraline is unhappy with her parents and her present surroundings. She discovers a passage way to an alternate reality that also contains many versions of people she knows from the reality that she just came from. Initially she just loves the place, but she discovers that everything isn’t quite as rosy as it all seems, including her Other Mother in this alternate reality. As in the "Wizard of Oz”, she finds it isn’t all that easy to get back home. This film is filled to the brim with colorful sights and enough imagination to fill up several other fantasy movies. For anyone with an interest in animated films, while it may be overly packed with a bit too much going on at times, it is still definitely worth seeing. It is a film that certainly can be enjoyed by adults, we quite enjoyed it. You also might end up viewing sewing buttons in a different light after viewing this film.
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That’s another from a novella by Neil Gaimen.
 
Let Him Go (2020) - Diane Lane and Kevin Costner do a great job in this 1950s era Montana setting.

Definitely worth a watch.
 
Slight OT. Wife and daughter are in DC, so I need a non wife friendly movie to watch tonight. She loves period pieces, war movies, historical dramas etc. So Sci-Fi would perhaps fit the bill.
 
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HuskyHawk said:
Slight OT. Wife and daughter are in DC, so I need a non wife friendly movie to watch tonight. She loves period pieces, war movies, historical dramas etc. So Sci-Fi would perhaps fit the bill.
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Spaceballs?
 
HuskyHawk said:
Slight OT. Wife and daughter are in DC, so I need a non wife friendly movie to watch tonight. She loves period pieces, war movies, historical dramas etc. So Sci-Fi would perhaps fit the bill.
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The original Oldboy (Korean). It's a hell of a movie.
 
Waquoit said:
The original Oldboy (Korean). It's a hell of a movie.
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So not the Spike Lee one with Elizabeth Olsen, Josh Brolin etc.?

Edit: Didn't know about that movie, but has a big cast. Lots of Marvel movie folks. Thanos, Scarlet Witch, Nick Fury and Mantis (Guardians of the Galaxy).
 
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A couple older, lesser known movies with my daughter.

Inside Man (2006) - Bank heist film with Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer and Clive Owen. My daughter (16) said she didn't know who Denzel Washington was (?!) and I always thought this movie was smart and slick and underrated. Well worth a watch/rewatch and has held up well.

That Thing You Do (1996) - Written and directed by Tom Hanks. We watched The Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show last week, talked about music back then, how records and the radio influenced music and that performance reminded me (obviously) of That Thing You Do. 30 minutes in, she had downloaded the song and thought the movie was great. I have to admit. Really great movie that, again, I think people have forgotten about.

Bonus: The Wonders were on a Zoom call recently talking about filming the movie and practicing the song on their own before filming and on weekends. Super cool discussion.
 
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