Nightmare Alley (2021) This remake of a 1947 classic stars Bradley Cooper as Stanton Carlisle, a drifter who connects with a traveling carnival, learns the ropes of grifting, and rises to become a "mentalist" with plenty of money and a following. He meets his match in Dr. Lilith Ritter (Kate Blanchette), a sinister psychiatrist who's intent on ruining him. Cooper is excellent, and so is the rest of the cast, which includes Willem Dafoe, Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, David Strathairn and Mark Povinelli. The filming in the second half shows some of the most gorgeous Art Deco I've ever seen.
I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I was going to. I am not a fan of Guillermo del Toro at all but I think this is his best film (and I'm not a fan of the noir genre either). Great film that I can't wait to see again!
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: Irishman12]
#1031951 03/26/2201:32 PM03/26/2201:32 PM
.This is the hands-down best of all the many Pearl Harbor movies, mainly because it shows how the Japanese and American sides slid inevitably into war--the Japanese cock-sure, arrogant and full of hubris; the Americans sluggish and asleep at the wheel. The movie is meticulously made, with tremendous attention to detail, and the attack scenes are breath-takingly realistic--this at the dawn of the CGI era. Martin Balsam, one of Hollywood's most versatile actors, plays Adm. Kimmel, the smug commander of the Pacific Fleet, and Jason Robards is Lt. Gen. Short, the out-of-it Army Air Corps commander at Hickam Field. But the two best roles go to E.G. Marshall and Wesley Addey, respectively the Army and Navy intelligence officers in Washington who vainly try to get the attention of higher-ups as they read decoded Japanese messages. The excellent cast includes Joseph Cotton, Neville Brand, Richard Anderson and the ever-detestable George Macready.
Ntra la porta tua lu sangu � sparsu, E nun me mporta si ce muoru accisu... E s'iddu muoru e vaju mparadisu Si nun ce truovo a ttia, mancu ce trasu.
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: J Geoff]
#1032326 03/31/2207:39 PM03/31/2207:39 PM
Morbius, the living vampire, gets his live-action treatment with Academy Award Winner Jared Leto staring as Dr. Michael Morbius. Suffering from a rare blood disease, the doctor hopes the cure for his ailment lies within the blood of vampire bats he's recently brought back to New York from Costa Rica. Believing he's successfully found his cure and with the disease quickly winning the fight, like any good comic book storyline, the good doctor becomes the first human test subject. Upon waking up from the experiment, Michael wakes up as a vampire, starving for victims to feed his insatiable appetite. However, he's soon faced with the difficult conundrum: continue killing innocents to stay alive until he can figure out and fix his current state of affairs, or destroy his life's work and in the process, die himself. Coming from Sony, we once again have a safe, going through the motions comic book adaptation. Leto is entertaining as Dr. Morbius but doesn't bring his usual bravado to the film. The special effects need to be credited, especially the facial expressions when Morbius and his friend/villain Milo (played by Matt Smith) are constantly changing between human and vampire. Other than that, I found this at times to be a slow paced and boring offering, with a then rushed third act to compensate that quickly ties up loose ends before the credits role. Not a bad film, but not great either. Still waiting for Sony to give us a great comic book adaptation and after watching this, I'm still waiting. 6/10
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: Irishman12]
#1032329 03/31/2210:12 PM03/31/2210:12 PM
This highly touted remake qualifies for a Dubious Achievement Award: Spends zillions on special effects, produces an unbelievably dull movie. Yeah, it's great looking in places, but it moves at a snail's pace. The acting is wooden, the script leaden. All I got out of it was noise and sand.
Ntra la porta tua lu sangu � sparsu, E nun me mporta si ce muoru accisu... E s'iddu muoru e vaju mparadisu Si nun ce truovo a ttia, mancu ce trasu.
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: Turnbull]
#1032413 04/02/2205:33 PM04/02/2205:33 PM
This highly touted remake qualifies for a Dubious Achievement Award: Spends zillions on special effects, produces an unbelievably dull movie. Yeah, it's great looking in places, but it moves at a snail's pace. The acting is wooden, the script leaden. All I got out of it was noise and sand.
I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it Turnbull. I really enjoyed it and it was probably in my top 10 last year. Never read the book or saw the original film, but I did enjoy this version of it.
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: J Geoff]
#1032567 04/06/2204:49 PM04/06/2204:49 PM
Michael Bay is back to his usual tricks with a new toy to provide him with new camera angles. Equipped with a drone, Bay is able to scale and descend buildings and heights previously unimaginable to him. The story opens with veteran Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who's wife needs an experimental surgery but his benefits will not cover due to it being experimental. Needing over $200,000 for the surgery, he quickly turns to his brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal), who's a career criminal. In desperate need of money and Danny quickly on his way to another score, Will grudgingly agrees to tag along for a claim at the $32 million prize. However, things go awry when they take a LAPD officer as a hostage, who attacks Danny, and Will has to shoot in order to fend him off. Holding up an ambulance as hostage, the pair quickly make their getaway with LAPD, the FBI, and others hot on their trail. Gyllenhaal is the star here as psychopath, career criminal Danny, who's father was also a bank robber and who he learned at the knee from. He's suave, seductive, charming, crazy, and maniacal all at once, depending on if he's on the offense or playing defense. Meanwhile, Will wears many hats as the former veteran/triage specialist/driver, who has a conscience and doesn't want to further injury the police officer he's shot or the paramedic Cam (Eiza González), who just happened to be in the ambulance upon their hijacking. A story that quickly brings the audience in but then soon drags along as the film becomes bloated and overstays its welcome with a 136 minute run time. Plenty of Bay style camera shots with an ending that feels cheated to those who have stuck with it. However, and with the exception of one scene, a fun, popcorn film that the audience can escape into without the over-politicized or agenda driven woke cultural cramming their narcissism down the audiences throat. 6/10
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: Irishman12]
#1032738 04/12/2201:29 AM04/12/2201:29 AM
BOB LE FLAMBEUR (1955) The French excel at film noir, and this is one of the better ones from the Fifties. Bob the Gambler (Roger Duchesne) is a middle-aged seemingly former gangster who served a stretch in prison for a bank robbery and still has plenty of clout among the crooks and shady men and women of his Parisian neighborhood. The cops respect him, too. But after a big gambling loss, he's persuaded to mastermind a heist of Deauville casino. As usual, there's no honor among thieves, and director Jean-Pierre Melville supplies a typically cynical and ironic French ending. It's less about a heist and much more about rich character development and brilliant photography on Parisian streets and bistros. Very good,
Ntra la porta tua lu sangu � sparsu, E nun me mporta si ce muoru accisu... E s'iddu muoru e vaju mparadisu Si nun ce truovo a ttia, mancu ce trasu.
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: J Geoff]
#1033122 04/19/2207:07 PM04/19/2207:07 PM
A documentary about appeal maker Abercrombie & Fitch, their meteoric rise during the 1990's/2000's, and their previously self-inflicted PR scandals from T-shirts featuring offensive language to their racial hiring practices. I grew up during this time period and went to a school where A&F gear was very prominent, although I never wore the style then. The documentary features former store employees, models, and execs who give all of the behind-the-scenes details about what was really going on. The first half is interesting, as many are afforded the opportunity to tell their story and talk about their experiences. In addition a brief history of the company is given before transitioning to the second half that deals with how exclusive, racial, and sexist the company was. I understood that's where this was ultimately going, as that's what the point of this documentary was; however, director Alison Klayman makes it so heavy handed that before the credits even roll, the audience is left with this thought of, "Ok, we get it, they were racist." A small portion is dedicated to the efforts the company has made since changing CEO's from Mike Jeffries, who is credited with the company's success and racially insensitive culture, to current CEO Fran Horowitz. And I find this shameful as at the end of the day, this is a hit piece directed squarely towards the brand and little is done to show the new direction the company has taken in the 5 years under Horowitz. Granted, more time is going to be needed as well as additional efforts on the part of the company to put their past behind them. But I believe they're well on their way by having a female CEO, in addition to their efforts of being more inclusive through offering plus sizes, as well as charities they raise money for. 5/10
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: J Geoff]
#1033133 04/19/2208:24 PM04/19/2208:24 PM
I remember in the 80's how hot the "Members Only" gear was. I never bought it myself, but saw many who did. My childhood had no designer clothing to speak of, so it's all bleeeh to me.
I remember in the 80's how hot the "Members Only" gear was. I never bought it myself, but saw many who did. My childhood had no designer clothing to speak of, so it's all bleeeh to me.
Looking back on it, it means you were racist and not inclusive.
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: J Geoff]
#1033303 04/22/2202:31 PM04/22/2202:31 PM
A wonderful viking tale from director Roger Eggers, this film tells the story of Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) a savage who takes on a crusade of revenge to honor his slain father King Aurvandil War-Raven (Ethan Hawke) and to free his mother, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman). He's supported by up-and-comer Anya Taylor-Joy (Olga) and veteran Willem Dafoe (Heimir The Fool). Beautiful scenery, a poetic and at times, brutal tale, the film is very enjoyable. I wanted to love it, but wound up only liking it. There's a few battle scenes early on and in the final act but outside of that, the film at times comes to a screeching halt and is troubled by pacing problems. Skarsgård gives a very powerful performance as does Taylor-Joy as his oracle. Themes of religion, magic, and fate are ultimately what this is about. Definitely worth checking out and I am looking forward to viewing this again as this is one film where the audience will pick up more a second time around. 7.5/10
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: Irishman12]
#1033347 04/23/2203:20 AM04/23/2203:20 AM
A wonderful viking tale from director Roger Eggers, this film tells the story of Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) a savage who takes on a crusade of revenge to honor his slain father King Aurvandil War-Raven (Ethan Hawke) and to free his mother, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman). He's supported by up-and-comer Anya Taylor-Joy (Olga) and veteran Willem Dafoe (Heimir The Fool). Beautiful scenery, a poetic and at times, brutal tale, the film is very enjoyable. I wanted to love it, but wound up only liking it. There's a few battle scenes early on and in the final act but outside of that, the film at times comes to a screeching halt and is troubled by pacing problems. Skarsgård gives a very powerful performance as does Taylor-Joy as his oracle. Themes of religion, magic, and fate are ultimately what this is about. Definitely worth checking out and I am looking forward to viewing this again as this is one film where the audience will pick up more a second time around. 7.5/10
i love medieval movies, and ancient times movies but this is something that made me worry about weather it's going to be fun watching or not ''religion, magic, and fate''
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: MeyerLansky]
#1033363 04/23/2209:01 AM04/23/2209:01 AM
A wonderful viking tale from director Roger Eggers, this film tells the story of Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) a savage who takes on a crusade of revenge to honor his slain father King Aurvandil War-Raven (Ethan Hawke) and to free his mother, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman). He's supported by up-and-comer Anya Taylor-Joy (Olga) and veteran Willem Dafoe (Heimir The Fool). Beautiful scenery, a poetic and at times, brutal tale, the film is very enjoyable. I wanted to love it, but wound up only liking it. There's a few battle scenes early on and in the final act but outside of that, the film at times comes to a screeching halt and is troubled by pacing problems. Skarsgård gives a very powerful performance as does Taylor-Joy as his oracle. Themes of religion, magic, and fate are ultimately what this is about. Definitely worth checking out and I am looking forward to viewing this again as this is one film where the audience will pick up more a second time around. 7.5/10
i love medieval movies, and ancient times movies but this is something that made me worry about weather it's going to be fun watching or not ''religion, magic, and fate''
I like director Roger Eggers (loved THE WITCH) and I love Anya Taylor-Joy so I was in when it was announced. Again, while I was hoping to love it, I do recommend seeing it. Just my two cents anyway.
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: J Geoff]
#1033448 04/24/2203:33 AM04/24/2203:33 AM
Just rewatched Mad Max Fury Road after not having seen it since it's premiere. What an incredible movie!! I completely forgot how good it was
I just rewatched THE BATMAN now that it's on HBO Max and still a great movie. Still a little bit long but very enjoyable. My favorite movie of the year thus far.
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: J Geoff]
#1033492 04/24/2204:09 PM04/24/2204:09 PM
Based on the novel of the same name, the film takes place in 2014 in Vienna, Austria that follows a group of CIA agents stationed there. Turkish Airlines flight 127 has been hijacked and is on the tarmac as the terrorists are threatening to kill everyone onboard unless their demands are met. Henry Pelham (Chris Pine) and Celia Harrison (Thandiwe Newton) professionally are coworkers within the group and unprofessionally, lovers. The terrorists follow through with their plans and the story fast forwards to 8 years later, where the terrorist leader has been captured and claims there was a mole within their Vienna CIA group who aided him to carry out the attack. Henry is assigned to investigate, reuniting with Celia, who's since married with 2 children. They meet at a fancy but secluded California restaurant where Henry has to semi-interrogate Celia to rule her out as a suspect. Henry has unanswered questions that could make Celia a suspect while Celia has unanswered questions of her own that could make Henry a suspect. The story does enough to hold the audiences attention throughout and Pine and Newton have passable onscreen chemistry; however, once the mole is revealed and their reasoning for doing so, it comes off limp and doesn't hold the shock value the writer or cast I'm sure where hoping for. A decent film that will quickly be forgotten for not bringing much to the table and once again, Amazon Prime offers their audience mediocre entertainment. 5/10
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: J Geoff]
#1033931 04/30/2208:19 PM04/30/2208:19 PM
A new Netflix documentary goes back to the extenuating circumstances surrounding Marilyn Monroe's death. The documentary follows journalist Anthony Summers findings, with previously unreleased recordings from former directors, costars, and cast all commentating about their experiences with Marilyn. Much of the documentary is fluff with her history of growing up as an orphan, her failed marriages, and depression/mental instability before finally revealing her relationship with both John and Bobby Kennedy. This documentary hinges itself on the fact that many of these conversations have never been heard before and while that in itself is rather revealing to hear what her peers thought about her, the conclusion around her mysterious death does nothing to shine a new light on it. An ample film that brings Marilyn back into the forefront with titillating, recorded conversations, but again, does nothing in the end to close the book on her demise. 5.5/10
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: J Geoff]
#1034145 05/05/2207:47 PM05/05/2207:47 PM
Following the events of SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, DOCTOR STRANGE picks right up where we left off, with our fearless hero plagued by nightmares of multiverse travel and the death of a young girl he's never met before. He attends the wedding of his ex-girlfriend Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) before being sucked into the story and attempting to find what darkness is floating through the multiverse and causing chaos along its way. Being a lover of these films, but not much of a reader of the comics, I was a little concerned about the multiverse when it was announced. I was afraid the multiple timelines may be difficult to keep up with; however, if anyone else shares those same concerns let me put your mind at ease that the story is very ease to follow. In addition, one of, if not the biggest benefit of the multiverse in my opinion, are the easter eggs and cameo's Marvel's able to have fun and play around with (and yes, there are a few of them). Cumberbatch continues to make it rain as the arrogant but yet suave Dr. Stephen Strange, who I cannot honestly see anyone else playing. I'm thoroughly enjoying the development of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) post-WANDAVISION. She seems primed to be the next baddie our hero's will need to take down, which makes it all the more tragic as she's a former team member. Finally, it's so wonderful to have director Sam Raimi back directing superheros! This is by far the most scary/horror like film of the MCU but still light enough for the family to enjoy. Overall, this is another solid film from Marvel and although not a tier 1 film, definitely a strong tier 2. 7/10
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: Irishman12]
#1034236 05/07/2201:14 PM05/07/2201:14 PM
I can't believe as I'm typing this it's been 10 years since Batman's last solo film with the conclusion of Christopher Nolan's trilogy, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Right off the bat, THE BATMAN is the most gritty, edgy, and dirty I've ever seen Gotham (and I LOVE it!). Sporting a PG-13 rating, this film does push the envelope up against a R without crossing that line. The film follows the Riddler (played marvelously once again by Paul Dano, of who's work I'm a huge fan of), who goes on a killing spree amongst Gotham's most powerful figures. It's a cat-and-mouse game of the Riddler leading Batman on a path of corpses and clues before revealing his grand plan and reasoning behind the chaos in the finale. Director Matt Reeves gives the audience a new take on Batman as this is very much a crime film, much in the same way of David Fincher's 2007 masterpiece ZODIAC (Reeves has also publicly stated the mask of the Riddler was inspired by the Zodiac killer). Robert Pattinson takes a shot as Bruce Wayne/Batman and once again, the naysayers have been proven wrong, as Pattinson is excellent as the caped crusader with his interpretation of the character. The rest of the cast is equally as hard hitting and well rounded with Zoë Kravitz, who also exceeds expectations as iconic villain Catwoman, Jeffrey Wright as Lt. James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, and unrecognizable Collin Farrell as the Penguin. The script is equally solid and smart and I applaud Reeves' use of Nirvana's Something In The Way to open and close the film, as again, it brings home the alternate aspect of the film compared to previous Batman films. This is perhaps the best Batman of all-time or right up there with THE DARK KNIGHT! My only knock against it is you do feel the 2 hours and 55 minute runtime and much like the LORD OF THE RINGS, the film seemed to have multiple endings before it finally does. If maybe 15-20 minutes were cut out, I'd have given this a perfect score. Between this and SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, comic book fans are getting spoiled lately with these groundbreaking films that are going to become harder and harder to top! 9/10
We got it to stream High Rez today, made for a great rainy day.
I agree 100% i12 , great movie…wife enjoyed it too and she a not a huge Marvel. / DC fan, super hero’s in general but their is no denying this movie is well made with a great story line and love how dark it is.
Great review again i12, thank you,
Be Loyal, Be Loving, Be Quiet.
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: J Geoff]
#1034275 05/07/2208:23 PM05/07/2208:23 PM
A remake of the 1984 film that's based upon the Stephen King novel, FIRESTARTER finds the McGee family (Andy, Vicky, and Charlie) on the run from The Shop, a government agency who ran experiments on Andy and Vicky and who also posse telekinetic powers. Adolescent Charlie is beginning to learn while struggling to control her pyrokinetic powers. The Shop tracks them down via a hired hand, and while Andy and Charlie manage to get away, Vicky is not so lucky. The rest of the story is the duo on the run, with Andy attempting to train Charlie on how to control her gift. Having never read the novel and only recently seeing the original, I preferred the 1984 version over this. I did find the pacing of this superior to the original as this comes in at 94 minutes, while the original dragged in parts and registered with a 114 minute runtime. Other than that, the original still beats this out as this is nothing more than an average film. Nothing stands out after watching this: no performance, special FX, costumes, makeup, directing, etc. The performances of the original are much better as well as 9-year-old Drew Barrymore spins together a terrific performance for an actress her age, over 12-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong. Similarly, David Keith is much more warm and loving father to Charlie than Zac Efron, who comes off very cold and callous. And finally, Art Carney is more likeable as Irv Manders than the alcoholic and "overreacting" John Beasley. I didn't enjoy the original too much to be quite honest, but this remake is even worse. Once again, I don't understand the reasoning for even green lighting this project? I will sign off with a final note this is chock full of identity politics and representation points if you're keeping score at home. 5/10
Re: Movies You Just Watched Discussion, Part III
[Re: J Geoff]
#1034733 05/19/2208:20 AM05/19/2208:20 AM
Tom Cruise touched down in Cannes on Wednesday to launch "Top Gun: Maverick", making his first appearance in three decades at the world's premier film festival and cementing his status as a champion of the big screen.
Cannes waited 30 years for Tom Cruise to return – so a 12-hour wait in the Riviera’s scorching sun was no hassle for Tania Lopez-Palayo, first in line to catch a glimpse of Hollywood’s last great superstar as he hit the red carpet.
When Cruise was last in Cannes for the premiere of the ill-fated "Far and Away" with his then-wife Nicole Kidman, he was just one among many in the Hollywood star system. Thirty years on, he is the only one who can compete with the superhero franchises that now dominate the studios.
In the words of IndieWire, he is “the last Hollywood movie star of his kind – short as ever but still larger-than-life in an age where most famous actors are only as big as their action figures.”
“Tom Cruise has one of the highest success rates in the history of cinema,” Cannes director Thierry Fremaux told reporters. “This is someone that we haven't seen on streaming platforms, TV series, or doing adverts (…). He is someone who is devoted to cinema. To see Tom Cruise, you have to see a feature film in a cinema theatre.”
Full disclosure, I was against the idea of this movie when it was announced. Sequels to movies 30+ years later have bad track records of being quality and nothing more than a cash grab by the studio. I'm happy to announce that is not the case with TOP GUN: MAVERICK. Taking place 36 years after the original, we find Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell stuck in his career. Too stubborn to retire as this is all he's ever known, yet unpromoted over the decades due to his antics and apathy towards authority. The film opens with Maverick testing a new plane before the funding for his project is pulled. After a successful test, he's called back to Top Gun to train a new generation of fighter pilots, who are undertaking a dangerous mission on foreign land, one with a low probability of success. One of the students is Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, son of Maverick's best friend Goose, who doesn't show Maverick the same love and respect his parents did. Maverick has only 3 weeks to train these pilots and in the process, attempts to mend bridges with Rooster. The film does a fantastic job at mixing nostalgia for the older audience members, while still keeping it fresh for the newer ones. Breath-taking aerial footage that puts the audience right into the cockpit and action. Cruise doesn't skip a beat as Maverick, as he's clearly having fun again stepping back into his shoes and cutting up whenever possible. Jennifer Connelly plays a character who's mentioned in the original but never shown as a nice tie-in. Her and Cruise's chemistry steam up the screen and is a healthier one than Maverick's and Charlie's in the original. Looking back, that relationship seemed at times a little unhealthy by today's standards, although it wasn't viewed that way then. Finally, I was very happy to see Val Kilmer brought in and very satisfied with the respect they showed him and accommodated his current limitations. Long live The Iceman! If you loved the original, you're going to love this one as well! 8/10
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