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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 29, 2020 14:39:52 GMT
Crime in the Streets-1956-John Cassavetes, Sal Mineo, James Whitmore Trying to save the leader of a street gang Other than 27 yr. old Cassavetes playing an 18 year old gang leader, not horrible with a good cast Four Lions-2010-Will Adamsdale, Riz Ahmed Very dark comedy about 4 bumbling Brits who want to do their part for the jihad ![https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2010/11/02/four-lions-cast_wide-e3e06d204025c608ea09145c211770797afb1073-s800-c85.jpg](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2010/11/02/four-lions-cast_wide-e3e06d204025c608ea09145c211770797afb1073-s800-c85.jpg) Crime in the Streets - Good point about JC, but he still turns in a jumping bean perf, though the pic as a whole is only just about average - www.imdb.com/review/rw2738809/?ref_=tt_urv 6/10Four Lions - not seen but I do have it recorded on one of my older DVB Boxes, so I really should get to it. Pretty much all my friends found it hilarious!
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 29, 2020 14:46:48 GMT
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom(18)(3D) ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/xh1y0gc61/glasses.gif) Venom(18)(3D) ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/xh1y0gc61/glasses.gif) Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - Hugely disappointing for me, it's just another franchise cover version Cover Version 2It was 1993 when Jurassic Park was unleashed upon the film loving public, spawning a blockbuster franchise and pop culture thunders in the process. Sadly we now find ourselves suffering cover versions of what was once a great and thought provoking premise with high octane thrills into the bargain. I guess once they started personalising the Velociraptors, making one of them a friend of man, it was the beginning of the end. But we accepted it - sort of - jumping into 2015's Jurassic World with carefree abandon. More dino carnage we wanted, a bright cast fronted by the ever likable Chris Pratt and Bryce Howard drew us in, but it was merely ok, a franchise entry that was just a quick fix but nothing more. But of course box office talks and the franchise lumbers on to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom... Plot returns to Isla Nublar which along with all the dinosaur inhabitants is about to be vanished from the planet by the mother of all volcanoes. Cue mankind jostling over whether to save a species that was once extinct whilst others have nefarious motives for financial gain. Off we go then, stock characters that are over familiar are performed by different actors but go through motions we have witnessed before, whilst the writing strains for a sort of human empathy factor that never hits the mark. There is nothing remotely fresh (well Howard has at least changed her footwear to something more credible) or exciting on offer here, it's a tired cash cow that's in dire need of extinction itself. Naturally another instalment will come along, and naturally it will make money, with myself and the other millions of Jurassic zombies filing in to view what we hope will be a return to the heady days back in 1993. But it's most likely a forlorn hope, so maybe, just maybe, it should be enough now, enough? 5/10 Venom - Not reviewed yet but I was pleasantly surprised, really enjoyed it and look forward to the next one.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 29, 2020 15:12:51 GMT
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Post by wmcclain on Mar 29, 2020 15:17:23 GMT
Four Lions - not seen but I do have it recorded on one of my older DVB Boxes, so I really should get to it. Pretty much all my friends found it hilarious! Very dark! Wince while you laugh. If you see this I would be interested in your reflections on the evolution of "accents" in UK film over time. I've been watching movies all my longish life and only recently have I struggled with understanding English dialogue, which may be my hearing but I think also because of the use of more authentic regional accents. In Four Lions I understood about one word in three. The DVD did not have subtitles; if I could get the Blu-ray I'd try it again. Northern English accents seem to have come on strong in recent years.
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Post by OldAussie on Mar 29, 2020 20:47:45 GMT
It - both were O.k. other than MUCH too long inside the house in both movies. First one a little better. Mulholland Falls - could have been a classic but poorly paced and most of that cast was simply wasted. Troy - yeah, the long version is really good....but you have to get over the enormous changes from the original story. Took me a couple of viewings. The one positive of quarantine is watching 12 movies and 3 Columbos in one week, a record I think for me.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 29, 2020 20:55:17 GMT
You are doing a mighty fine job hitchcockthelegend ![](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kR2NEQKfABw/WxusAO03bUI/AAAAAAAAW2g/7kYX2DWR2RYy6nRMr_MBJARs9UadIWQ3gCLcBGAs/s1600/Brighton%2BStrangler2.jpeg) Much better story than I thought it would have. Star actor gets a bump on his head during the London Blitz, loses memory, thinks he is the character of the play he has been a success with, trouble is he played a strangler who goes to Brighton to revenge who did him wrong... A capable cast keeps this moving on for it's 65 minutes or so, and as morbid as it may sound the strangles a very well staged. It's my pleasure to step in if required. The Brighton Strangler - How nice to see this one crop up, a little treat for sure > You shall not see in the New year. During WW II as one of the Luftwafte air raids hits London, Reginald Parker, a successful actor, is knocked out and heavily concussed. Upon awaking he believes himself to be Edward Grey, the notorious Brighton Strangler he has been portraying on the stage! Clocking in at just 67 minutes, The Brighton Strangler just about has enough time to get in and do it's job excellently. Something of an under seen gem, it's a film that has enough creepy menace about it to reward the black and white thriller film fan. Boasting excellent sets, some very neat camera work from director Max Nosseck, and a fabulous lead performance from John Loder, I personally feel that it deserves to be seen by more people. Typically it's a picture that rarely gets aired on British TV, and when it does it's sadly tucked away on BBC 2 at some ungodly hour in the AM. Until films like this get decent exposure from our TV schedulers then they are going to remain criminally under seen. So keep your eyes out for this one, the formula may now be seen as old hat, but transport yourself back to 1945, get out in the London smog and be wary of that hatted man coming towards you... 8/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 29, 2020 21:03:06 GMT
Framed / Richard Wallace (1947). Columbia Pictures. Cinematography by Burnett Guffey. I have become interested recently with a 1940s character actress named Janis Carter. You probably don’t recognize the name. She appeared mostly in support of “B” films that are largely forgotten today and couldn’t distinguish herself from the many other pretty blonde starlets that over ran the studios. Except, that is, for a handful of noir and noir-ish crime films, of which “Framed” is one. I first noticed here several months ago in “Night Editor” as William Gargan’s ice pick wielding rich bitch extra-marital affair, maybe in the top 5 most blatantly evil film fatales. She is just as calculating and deadly in “Framed” but her character here is more capable of putting on a soft, caring front. When out-of-work mining engineer Mike Lambert (Glenn Ford) arrives in town in a runaway truck, getting himself in trouble with the law, waitress Paula Craig (Carter) quickly defends him and loans him money. Late that night, however, she meets her real love, married bank vice-president Steve Price (Barry Sullivan). They are planning a theft of a quarter of a mil from Price’s bank but need a fall guy so they get away with it. Paula thinks Mike may be that guy. The script takes us down a road as twisty as the one where a fatal accident is planned. Around the one hour mark, three enjoyable shocks hit us within a few minutes of each other. All three principles acquit themselves well but Janis Carter comes out looking the best. Edgar Buchanan also has an important role. ![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zkFB9mLUuZs/hqdefault.jpg) ![](https://twentyfourframes.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/framed3.jpg) Glenn Ford’s White WA-Series truck hits Edgar Buchanan’s 1930 Ford Model A pickup. The Midnight Story / Joseph Pevney (1957). Universal International Pictures. Cinematography by Russell Metty. In the pre-credit sequence, we see a priest walking through a dark alley. A voice calls his name, then, in shadow, he is stabbed to death. This was Father Tomasino, a hero to rookie cop Joe Martini (Tony Curtis) who had grown up in an orphanage. He wants to help with the investigation but the seasoned homicide cops won’t consider using a greenhorn. At Father Tomasino’s funeral, Martini notices a man, Sylvio Malatesta (Gilbert Roland), in a very disturbed state. Resigning from his job, Martini tries to get close to Malatesta to find out whether or not Sylvio is racked with guilt. He does too good a job of it. Malatesta makes Martini part of his family. Martini even falls in love with Slyvio’s niece Anna (Marisa Pavan). In this cat-and-mouse game between the two men, it is Gilbert Roland who really drives the movie in an excellent performance. Although not Italian (but at least from a Latin language speaking heritage – Tony Curtis’ immigrant background is Eastern Europe), Roland gives a vivid albeit somewhat stereotypical, performance as an outgoing, life-affirming Italian-American. Your feelings about Malatesta’s guilt or innocence will fluctuate by the minute. A recommended film. ![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/The_Midnight_Story_-_1957_-_Poster.png) ![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0729/0023/products/movie-buffs-forever-dvd-midnight-story-1957-dvd-19509342728_grande.png?v=1563082196) Framed - Hopefully you were influenced by Leb and myself last week - IMDB2.freeforums.net/post/3797108The Midnight Story - I agree with you about Roland and will back up your recommendation > This Martini is shaken but not stirred. The Midnight Story (AKA: Appointment With A Shadow) is directed by Joseph Pevney and written by Edwin Blum and John Robinson. It stars Tony Curtis, Marisa Pavan, Gilbert Roland and Jay C. Flippen. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and CinemaScope cinematography is by Russell Metty. When a San Francisco priest is murdered, friend of the priest, Joe Martini (Curtis), a traffic cop, gets a hunch and ingratiates himself into the family of the man he thinks is responsible. Somehow it has become one of those 1950s black and white crime movies entered into film noir publications. It doesn't belong in that particular filmic chest, but it does ask to be sought out by fans of such 1950s fare. In actuality it's a whodunit? Thrusting a handsome and restrained Curtis into a murder mystery while his emotions get whacked from all sides. Filmed (joyously so) and set in Frisco, the makers never once play their hand to reveal what the finale will bring. The everyday life of a working and loving Italian-American family is vividly brought to life, luring us in to their world as intrigued but concerned observers - the North Beach District a sweaty backdrop just waiting to spill its secrets. Pevney keeps things brisk, never letting things sag, even as the inevitable romantic thread dangles (it's 1950s Tony Curtis after all), there's always an air of suspicion and mystery pulsing away in the narrative. Curtis fronts up for dressage, but delivers promise on an interesting role, but it's Roland's movie all the way. A damn fine turn that only comes to being in the final quarter. In support there is the sturdy presence of Flippen and Ted de Corsia, both of whom leave a telling mark. Each and all building to a finale, which may not contain the wallop one had hoped, but strikes a positive note and rounds it out as a film to seek out. 7/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 29, 2020 21:10:48 GMT
hitchcockthelegend The Sniper. Violence comes suddenly and explicitly (an example of the Production Code slipping?). Adolph Menjou (clean shaven without his familiar mustache) is the police detective on the killer’s trail and Richard Kiley is a psychiatrist who helps with a psychological profile – something new in law enforcement and movies. As the pressure mounts on the authorities, there is a nice scene that shows the pettiness of local government influence. Commando. Swarzenegger: “A man I’ve known for 10 years wants me dead.” Rae Dawn Chong: “Understandable. I’ve known you 10 minutes and I want you dead.” (Or something like that.) One of Arnie’s most popular films full of his patented one-liners (sometimes as in the quote above he let’s someone else have a good one). The violence is, indeed, gruesome and I sometimes felt bad about being so entertained. But I got over it. Zodiac. I’ve never felt any love for a David Fincher film. Hey, I’m a rebel. He knows how to make people feel bad. He can put a “feel bad” sequence on the screen (e.g. the knifing by the lake) like no one else in the business. He slams the audience with three of these in the early going of “Zodiac” before switching to Mark Ruffalo doing a Columbo impression as a police detective. Later, the story again switches focus to Jake Gyllenhaal as an editorial cartoonist who becomes obsessed with the Zodiac killings. I figure I must for some reason be outside of the target audience that Fincher wants to reach because not a one of his movies has reached me yet. The Sniper- Yes good observations Commando - Yes that's pretty much what she says. I really like that she gets to be a strong side-kick and not merely token fodder. With the violence, I had to purchase my DVD from America because the British edition has some cuts. It may not be the case now I imagine, but certainly many years ago when I bought it there was cuts to the Brit edition. Fincher - I love him. So you don't like Se7en or Fight Club as well then. Well I never, I would have thought Se7en with its Neo-Noir pulse beats would have been right up your street.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 29, 2020 21:30:44 GMT
Hi all,I hope everyone is having a good weekend. March the 11th was the first anniversary of Guy's passing. One thing he always used to jokingly say was "You've watched every French New Wave film,but have not seen Rocky!" As a tribute on the 11th,I finally caught Rocky. ![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/18/Rocky_poster.jpg) Rocky (1976) 10. Never having seen a boxing match or boxing film before entering a ring he would return to for the later underdog Sports title The Karate Kid (1984), director John G. Avildsen & his regular cinematographer James Crabe land killer combos, from the left hand long takes hitting a gritty indie atmosphere strike, by the wide-shots being held on Rocky building mutual respect between himself and trainer Mickey,and rolling to the cute awkward romance with Adrian. Backed by a hero pose score from Bill Conti, Avildsen pairs the indie left hits with killer knockout right hand thrills, rolling with the punches in early use of Stedicam breathing in the Philadelphia air, and handing out body blows in tightly held panning hits across the in-ring action. Famously writing the first draft in 3 days whilst penniless, the screenplay by Sylvester Stallone strongly leans towards the autobiographical, but refreshingly avoids tipping into indulgence, thanks to the working class sincerity Sly holds Rocky in, capturing a warm roughness in his clashes with trainer Mickey and the slow-burn romance of Adrian. Working up from his roots, Sly punches up with delightful wish fulfillment of local hero Rocky grabbing the chance to enter the spotlight against mega-star Creed. Having the flu whilst filming,Talia Shire wonderfully works this into her performance as Adrian,with Shire concerned she might give Sly her flu, leading to sweet nervous excitement over falling in love with Rocky. On one side having Burgess Meredith barking orders as Mickey,and on the other having Carl Weathers's slick cool Creed, Sly gives a excellent performance, pulling at the determined underdog heart of Rocky. ![](http://img.moviepostershop.com/betty-blue-movie-poster-1986-1020238154.jpg) Betty Blue (1986) 9 Thrusting towards Zorg and Betty's embrace in the opening shot, writer/directing auteur Jean-Jacques Beineix & cinematographer Jean-Francois Robin build upon the Cinéma Du Look stylisation Beineix had brushed with on Diva (1981),by drawing it towards a thoughtful, melancholy tone, dripping in mellow yellow swirling round Betty and Zorg's romance with dabs of blue, which increasingly becomes colder and the dominating colour, as Betty's outlook turns blue. Laying the foundation fellow Cinéma Du Look auteur Leos Carax would build on for his epic The Lovers on the Bridge, (1991-also reviewed) Beineix paints a sprawling romance atmosphere. Framing the rough-edged,troubled alienated youth (a major theme of the movement) of Betty and Zorg, Beineix closes in on the couple in long gliding panning shots, stopping on Betty and Zorg being naked, both physically and mentally. Making her screen debut entwined with Zorg (played with a wonderful brittleness by Jean-Hugues Anglade) Beatrice Dalle gives a hypnotic performance, thanks to the erotic sensuality she initial displays being chipped away gradually by Dalle across the 3 hours until her sanity is left strapped to the bed,and Betty feels kind of blue. Rocky - Great review buddy, how great as well that it didn't let you down, it's deservedly a much loved film, while the fact that he doesn't win gives it added kudos. Guy would have approved for sure, ticked your review whilst finding out I have not reviewed it myself! Betty Blue - Not reviewed either so thanks for your astute writings (ticked of course), but I also have it at 9/10 and the ending left me shattered ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/py0f8ura1/sad.gif) Catching up with The Favourite from last week. Thanks for the review, you liked it much more than myself. I'm not keen on the director, the overuse of schlock sex got tiresome to me. If that had of been Von Trier or Verhoeven the critics would have gone to town on it. It's saved by the quality acting. So pleased for Colman, I been shouting from the rooftops about her for years because of her TV work over here. Then she finally got noticed with Tyrannosaur and she hasn't looked back since. Thanks for the link in the PM, now I'm in isolation I will have some time to get to your films ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/s8tffwvq1/cheers.gif)
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Post by mikef6 on Mar 29, 2020 21:33:03 GMT
hitchcockthelegendIt could very well have been you and Leb that recommend Framed. Most weeks result in my taking notes on future movies to watch. I think I will start jotting down who gave me the title so I can make the acknowledgement.
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Mar 29, 2020 21:38:11 GMT
The Philadelphia story (1940)
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 29, 2020 23:48:27 GMT
hitchcockthelegend It could very well have been you and Leb that recommend Framed. Most weeks result in my taking notes on future movies to watch. I think I will start jotting down who gave me the title so I can make the acknowledgement. Oh I wasn't getting at that my good man, I do try and send a thanks if I remember myself, but often I forget as well. But I do have a list and save post links with films on that take my fancy. We are here to learn and share, it's all good ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/s8tffwvq1/cheers.gif)
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cschultz2
Freshman
@cschultz2
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Post by cschultz2 on Mar 30, 2020 13:10:32 GMT
“Spenser Confidential” Distributed by Netflix, 111 Minutes, Rated R, Released March 06, 2020, streaming now on Netflix:
Author Robert B. Parker wrote some 40 mystery novels featuring the fictional Boston private detective known as Spenser (no first name was ever officially revealed). A tough-as-nails, smart-mouthed ex-boxer with the requisite heart of gold, Spenser developed such a loyal fan base that following Parker’s 2010 death of a heart attack at age 77, the author’s estate elected to continue the Spenser series with another writer, and chose Florida-based former newspaper investigative journalist Ace Atkins to carry on the legacy.
Published in 2013, the second of Atkins’ Spenser novels, officially titled “Robert B. Parker’s Wonderland,” provides the foundation for the new Netflix movie “Spenser Confidential.” Not that you’d ever know it from the picture’s plot.
Adapted by movie freshman Sean O’Keefe with an assist from veteran screenwriter Brian Helgeland, in “Spenser Confidential,” former Boston police sergeant Spenser is released from prison after serving a five-year stretch for beating up his captain, and suddenly finds himself a suspect in the captain’s murder by machete that same day. But when a former colleague also turns up dead and is conveniently framed for the captain’s messy demise, Spenser’s police instincts are aroused, and he begins to seek answers in the case...in the process ruffling all the wrong feathers.
Bearing little more than a superficial resemblance to author Robert B. Parker’s Spenser character, and even less of a resemblance to the story’s credited source novel, ”Spenser Confidential” is obviously deliberately tailored to the narrow sensibilities of its star (and co-producer) Mark Wahlberg. At age 48, Wahlberg is getting a bit long in the tooth for the wall-to-wall non-stop fight scenes and action sequences required of this sort of thing. And he seems to know it.
Luckily, director Peter Berg in his fifth motion picture collaboration with Wahlberg (after 2013’s “Lone Survivor,” 2016’s “Deepwater Horizon” and “Patriot’s Day,” and “Mile 22” in 2018) is on hand, and knows from experience how to set up a scene in a way to allow the star to breeze in with minimal effort and do what he does best--alternately seem either driven and obsessed or as naive and innocent as a choirboy, deliver a punch or a quip, and then get out of the way as quickly as possible and let the stuntman step in and take over.
Still, “Spenser Confidential” is fun in a mindless and undemanding kind of way, mostly resembling 1980s comedy action fare such as the “Lethal Weapon” pictures...particularly the later films in the series, when plots took a backseat to personalities and the pictures became little more than elaborate home movies for its stars. “Spenser Confidential” is entertaining enough--just don’t expect too much logic or reason, especially during the preposterous final half hour, when the last remains of any viable credibility go out the window in favor of a big, splashy wrap-up.
“Spenser Confidential” contains performances from a solid Winson Duke as Spenser’s perennial sidekick Hawk, Iliza Shlesinger as Spenser’s foul-mouthed and abrasive girlfriend Cissy, Bokeem Woodbine as a former colleague on the force, Michael Gaston in flashback sequences as the late Captain Boylan, and 86-year-old Alan Arkin as Spenser’s landlord Henry Cimoli. Arkin seems to be performing an Alan Arkin imitation, kvetching and complaining and occasionally delivering addled homespun wisdom. That’s tattooed rap artist Post Malone, incidentally, as Spenser’s tattooed Aryan nation prison nemesis.
The character of Spenser was also the basis for “Spenser: For Hire,” a popular television series starring actor Robert Urich as Spenser and Avery Brooks as Hawk, which ran on the ABC network from 1985 until 1988. After its cancellation, “Spenser: For Hire” spawned four follow-up television movies, as well as a short-lived spinoff series, “A Man Called Hawk,” also starring Brooks, which ran for thirteen episodes in early 1989.
Filmed on location in Spenser’s (and Wahlberg’s) home turf in Boston and containing a distracting soundtrack of peripheral grunge-rock music, “Spenser Confidential” is rated R for constant violence and language concerns, and one “funny” sex scene in a restaurant lavatory.
“Silver Linings Playbook” Distributed by The Weinstein Company, 122 Minutes, Rated R, Released November 16, 2012:
Sharp and insightful writing, sensitive and intelligent direction, three-dimensional characters, a perfect cast, and a thoroughly unlikely subject for comedy combine to produce one of the most original and heartwarming motion pictures of recent times in “Silver Linings Playbook.” This modestly-budgeted little gem of a picture was released without fanfare in 2012 just in time for the holiday season, and is available for viewing on DVD or Bluray, or streaming on a computer or television.
Set in Philadelphia--the City of Brotherly Love is practically another character in the picture--in “Silver Linings Playbook” Pat Solitano is released into the custody of his middle-aged parents from involuntary commitment to a Baltimore mental health facility after receiving eight months’ clinical treatment for his bipolar disorder. The young man was sentenced to hospital confinement after savagely attacking his wife’s lover when discovering them together in the shower of their suburban home.
Obsessed with a desire to contact his estranged wife and attempt a reconciliation despite a restraining order preventing him from doing just that, Pat finds emotional support from an unexpected source--Tiffany Maxwell, a tough-talking young widow recovering from a nervous breakdown following the death of her husband in a traffic accident. Tiffany promises to deliver a personal note from Pat to his estranged wife through her older sister, the wife’s best friend.
The catch? Before delivering the letter, Tiffany requires Pat to agree to perform as her partner in a prestigious annual dance competition--an event requiring weeks of physical conditioning, choreography, and rehearsal together until achieving perfection in their performance routine. And that’s just the beginning of the complications.
Adapted with obvious affection from Matthew Quick’s premiere 2008 novel and directed with skill and heart by filmmaker David O. Russell, “Silver Linings Playbook” seemingly came out of nowhere and became 2012’s most unexpected hit. The picture boosted actor Bradley Cooper to major Hollywood stardom from his popularity as a light presence in action films and comedies...and caused the entire country to fall in love with 22-year-old Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany, the wounded and fragile but single-minded and determined young widow who challenges Pat to aspire to a more fulfilling life.
As the bipolar Pat, Bradley Cooper seems to find the key to his performance in playing the role with clinical accuracy, but never asking for sympathy from the audience. The talented Cooper climbs inside his sometimes-unsympathetic character and allows a sort of natural empathy and affectionate laughter to flow freely from the contrived situations in which the troubled Pat is placed, as well as his outrageous--and outrageously honest--reactions. Despite the frequently exaggerated circumstances the character inhabits, the sum total of the performance feels a lot like real life...and a better understanding of the challenges faced by those of us who endure mental health difficulties.
And as the troubled young widow, young Jennifer Lawrence, then on the cusp of stardom as a result of her appearance as heroine Katniss Everdeen in the high-profile 2012 motion picture adaptation of the best-selling science fiction allegory “The Hunger Games,” delivers in “Silver Linings Playbook” a performance with strong parallels to then-24-year-old Shirley MacLaine’s endearing (and star-making) Academy Award-nominated appearance as the self-destructive young elevator operator in 1960’s “The Apartment.”
Like MacLaine--and Cooper--Lawrence never asks sympathy from the audience...but breaks the viewer’s heart anyway. Funny, human, vulnerable, warm, and sexy, the young actress’ naturally indomitable spirit shines through in the picture and its often maudlin situations, and Lawrence steals every scene in which she appears...no mean feat when playing off the old pros and professional scene stealers populating the picture’s supporting cast. The audience’s eye is naturally drawn to the actress--the very definition of a movie star. And Jennifer Lawrence’s every line of dialogue in “Silver Lining’s Playbook” becomes a highlight of the picture.
The stellar supporting cast of “Silver Linings Playbook” includes such formidable talents as standup comic Chris Tucker in a surprisingly adept performance as Pat’s friend and fellow patient at the Baltimore mental health facility, Julia Stiles as Tiffany’s controlling older sister, and the wonderfully sympathetic John Ortiz as her put-upon husband. Veteran actress Jacki Weaver earned an Academy Award nomination for her role as Pat’s loving, patient, and understanding mother. And in a cast of stars, Indian superstar Anupam Kher is a real standout as Pat’s wise and unflappable psychiatrist.
The legendary Robert De Niro in a rare comedy appearance as Pat’s sports-obsessed illegal bookmaker father works harder than he has in years just to keep up with the rest of the picture’s talented young players. With his character’s eccentricities, foibles, superstitions, and compulsive behavior, De Niro as Pat Senior ironically--and hilariously--often seems even more manic and obsessive than his bipolar son. The seasoned actor’s real highlight in the picture--his almost unbearably funny face off with Lawrence’s Tiffany on the subject of “juju.”
Released November 16, 2012 with very little advance publicity or advertising to only 16 theaters in major cities across the United States, “Silver Linings Playbook” earned impressive box office amounts despite strong competition from heavyweights like Steven Spielberg’s historical epic “Lincoln” and the James Bond picture “Skyfall.” And unusually strong word-of-mouth began to build.
Throughout the following month, the distributor continually expanded the picture’s release pattern until by January 18 “Silver Linings Playbook” was in a full wide release in 2523 North American venues. By mid-February, box office earnings passed the $100 million mark, the definition of a hit picture, and eventually topped out at over $236 million.
A genuine sleeper hit, “Silver Linings Playbook” has become a comedy classic, and a rare R-rated holiday favorite. As dysfunctional, flawed, and confused as the movie’s Solitano family and their friends appear, you might catch yourself wishing your own family and friends could be more like them--the distinction is the obvious love and support its members express for each other. Tough love is still love, and with each word and gesture, the sometimes addled and short-tempered Solitano clan demonstrates an unbreakable emotional bond...no matter that their affection is sometimes bellowed in rage.
As all the plots and all the characters come together for the dance competition which provides the setting of the picture’s climactic thirty-minute set piece, “Silver Linings Playbook” successfully creates the sustained lunacy of a Marx Bros. classic, and the bipolar Pat becomes the family’s solitary source of stability. Despite the delighted laughter which results from the scene, you might well find yourself also wiping a tear from your eye. And boy, can Cooper and Lawrence dance!
Nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning one in the Best Actress category for the wonderfully funny performance of Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook” is rated R for language concerns and adult situations, including brief nudity. The picture is currently streaming on Netflix.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Mar 31, 2020 0:50:25 GMT
I hope you are having a good weekend Bell,and how did you find JPM's feature film debut to be?From when I saw it in Aug 2016. 9. "It pains me to offend anyone,even if he is my enemy." Saying just a handful of words over 90 minutes,the alluring Nicole Stéphane gives an incredible performance as the niece, drawing in the most subtle change of facial and body language,from looking down at the floor like a statue,to longing close-ups letting Stéphane crack the ice from the niece's eyes. Bringing attention to detail in his smoke- hued performance, Jean-Marie Robain gives a haunting performance as the uncle,whose low shoulders and endless pipe smoking gives the uncle an unassuming appearance,which Robain cleverly uses to give the uncle's pragmatic mind-set a left-field mood. Holding his head high on the first night in the house, Howard Vernon gives a delicate performance as Ebrennac,whose Nazi uniform Vernon peels away to reveal the thoughtful,considerate man hidden under the beast. Made when feelings on the Occupation were still raw, Jean-Pierre Melville's adaptation of "Vercors" (real name Jean Bruller,who based the story on real events) underground short story delivers a message of understanding the individual,but finely not understanding/reasoning with the enemy. Sitting in silence, Melville takes advantage of the situation by giving the uncle a poetic narration expressing how deep his understanding of Ebrennac goes,and giving Ebrennac a blank canvas,which gets painted with the discovery that all of his optimistic beliefs are fatally wrong. Unafraid to open up feelings on the Occupation, Melville presents the uncle and nieces rebellion in a detached, passive manner,with neither of them looking outside the window for a Hollywood (in terms of heroics) resistance. Going French New Wave almost a decade before the movement existed, Melville went in an indie mode made visible by two non-union cinematographers quitting over his style,the production taking a year due to Melville's cash limits,and most of the movie being shot at Vercors own house. Largely keeping the screen limited to the three in the house, Melville breaks the theatrical trappings of the real location with deep,rich shadows and charcoal (natural) low- lighting casting a ghostly atmosphere over the title. Making his debut, Melville displays signs of the auteur vision that was to arrive with beautiful close-ups capturing the moment when the restrained emotion silently pours out. I was impressed, even more so as I read somewhere that it was filmed in 35 days only at a low budget. I agree Bell about it being impressed they made this with such a short production time. JPM later said he found the ending "Melodramatic",I felt that the intimate relationship between the trio actually made the ending work. Out of the ones you've seen,how would you rank JPM's credits? Thanks.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Mar 31, 2020 2:51:43 GMT
Hi all,I hope everyone is having a good weekend. March the 11th was the first anniversary of Guy's passing. One thing he always used to jokingly say was "You've watched every French New Wave film,but have not seen Rocky!" As a tribute on the 11th,I finally caught Rocky. ![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/18/Rocky_poster.jpg) Rocky (1976) 10. Never having seen a boxing match or boxing film before entering a ring he would return to for the later underdog Sports title The Karate Kid (1984), director John G. Avildsen & his regular cinematographer James Crabe land killer combos, from the left hand long takes hitting a gritty indie atmosphere strike, by the wide-shots being held on Rocky building mutual respect between himself and trainer Mickey,and rolling to the cute awkward romance with Adrian. Backed by a hero pose score from Bill Conti, Avildsen pairs the indie left hits with killer knockout right hand thrills, rolling with the punches in early use of Stedicam breathing in the Philadelphia air, and handing out body blows in tightly held panning hits across the in-ring action. Famously writing the first draft in 3 days whilst penniless, the screenplay by Sylvester Stallone strongly leans towards the autobiographical, but refreshingly avoids tipping into indulgence, thanks to the working class sincerity Sly holds Rocky in, capturing a warm roughness in his clashes with trainer Mickey and the slow-burn romance of Adrian. Working up from his roots, Sly punches up with delightful wish fulfillment of local hero Rocky grabbing the chance to enter the spotlight against mega-star Creed. Having the flu whilst filming,Talia Shire wonderfully works this into her performance as Adrian,with Shire concerned she might give Sly her flu, leading to sweet nervous excitement over falling in love with Rocky. On one side having Burgess Meredith barking orders as Mickey,and on the other having Carl Weathers's slick cool Creed, Sly gives a excellent performance, pulling at the determined underdog heart of Rocky. ![](http://img.moviepostershop.com/betty-blue-movie-poster-1986-1020238154.jpg) Betty Blue (1986) 9 Thrusting towards Zorg and Betty's embrace in the opening shot, writer/directing auteur Jean-Jacques Beineix & cinematographer Jean-Francois Robin build upon the Cinéma Du Look stylisation Beineix had brushed with on Diva (1981),by drawing it towards a thoughtful, melancholy tone, dripping in mellow yellow swirling round Betty and Zorg's romance with dabs of blue, which increasingly becomes colder and the dominating colour, as Betty's outlook turns blue. Laying the foundation fellow Cinéma Du Look auteur Leos Carax would build on for his epic The Lovers on the Bridge, (1991-also reviewed) Beineix paints a sprawling romance atmosphere. Framing the rough-edged,troubled alienated youth (a major theme of the movement) of Betty and Zorg, Beineix closes in on the couple in long gliding panning shots, stopping on Betty and Zorg being naked, both physically and mentally. Making her screen debut entwined with Zorg (played with a wonderful brittleness by Jean-Hugues Anglade) Beatrice Dalle gives a hypnotic performance, thanks to the erotic sensuality she initial displays being chipped away gradually by Dalle across the 3 hours until her sanity is left strapped to the bed,and Betty feels kind of blue. Rocky - Great review buddy, how great as well that it didn't let you down, it's deservedly a much loved film, while the fact that he doesn't win gives it added kudos. Guy would have approved for sure, ticked your review whilst finding out I have not reviewed it myself! Betty Blue - Not reviewed either so thanks for your astute writings (ticked of course), but I also have it at 9/10 and the ending left me shattered ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/py0f8ura1/sad.gif) Catching up with The Favourite from last week. Thanks for the review, you liked it much more than myself. I'm not keen on the director, the overuse of schlock sex got tiresome to me. If that had of been Von Trier or Verhoeven the critics would have gone to town on it. It's saved by the quality acting. So pleased for Colman, I been shouting from the rooftops about her for years because of her TV work over here. Then she finally got noticed with Tyrannosaur and she hasn't looked back since. Thanks for the link in the PM, now I'm in isolation I will have some time to get to your films ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/s8tffwvq1/cheers.gif) Thanks for the ticks Spike! Having seen plenty of clips of the Rocky series, I was surprised by how un-glossy the first one was. On The Favourite, one thing that I helped was that when I went in the only thing I knew about it was the poster,so was caught off-guard by how much of a send-up of the Costume Drama it turned out to be. Spoilers: On Favourite ending, with the rabbits representing to Anne her dead children, my take is that with Abigail having rid what few morals she had to be at the feet of power, Anne digging her hand into Abigail's hair,and the overlapping images/noises of the rabbits,represent that Abigail's "victory", has led to her being seen as utterly dead to Anne. I hope you enjoy the links Spike, I'm aiming to dig into my downloads during this lockdown!
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Post by marianne48 on Mar 31, 2020 12:13:36 GMT
This Land is Mine (1943)--One of Jean Renoir's U.S. films, this is a serviceable propaganda piece about the struggles of a European town occupied by Nazis. Some residents collaborate; some seethe in anger; some plot sabotage. Charles Laughton, a meek schoolteacher, quietly goes along with the situation and is branded a coward by his fellow teacher, Maureen O'Hara. Kent Smith and George Sanders are okay; Walter Slezak is an effective Nazi officer who uses twisted logic to explain why the Nazis will eventually win, which is more chilling than just the usual villainous snarling and being evil (although he's good at that, too). Laughton can get a bit hammy in his preaching at the end of the film, but it still works for the purposes of the film.
One Potato, Two Potato (1964)--Hollywood likes to pride itself on its social message films, sometimes even when they're made years, or decades, after the era being portrayed. This low-budget independent movie, made in Cleveland, Ohio, is at least as good as anything put out by Stanley Kramer in that era. A white divorcee with a young daughter marries an African-American man; her ex-husband sues her for custody of the child (in whom he had no interest until now). Barbara Barrie, Bernie Hamilton, and Richard Mulligan give great performances, and the ending is heartwrenchingly real; there are no contrived twists that make everything okay in the end, as sometimes seen in Hollywood films, because this film sticks to the real world of the time. This film and Roger Corman's 1962 movie The Intruder attempted to depict the racial issues of their time realistically, and maybe that's why neither film got the attention they deserved. At least Corman's film was released on DVD; this film hasn't been, and fully deserves more than just the occasional TV airing every few years.
Charley's Aunt (1941)--Two British college students expect one's elderly aunt to show up to chaperone while they entertain their dates. When the aunt is detained, they get their fellow student Jack Benny (!) to dress in drag as the aunt who's just come all the way from Brazil--"where the nuts come from." The film is such a silly farce that it's almost possible to accept 47-year-old Benny as a college kid (twentysomething Laird Cregar successfully manages to pull off the role of the father of one of the college guys); also appearing are the wavishing Kay Fwancis as the not-so-decrepit aunt and Edmund Gwenn as a fussy college official who has the hots for Aunt Benny.
The Youngest Profession (1943)--Intermittently amusing MGM comedy about a gawky teenager (Virginia Weidler) obsessed with collecting the autographs of movie stars, whom she keeps meeting everywhere she goes (MGM stars who happen to be plugging a movie) and who are ever so gracious and eager to indulge Weidler and her friends. There's some subplot revolving around Weidler's blustering father, Edward Arnold, and the family nanny, a stereotypical old-maid Agnes Moorehead. Not too funny, but the movie provides a look at the innocent, cute lives of teenagers of the era (before the 1950s came along and they were portrayed as juvenile delinquents).
Without a Clue (1988)--Dr. Watson (Ben Kingsley) is a crime-solving genius, but unfortunately the magazine editors publishing his stories won't accept him as the "Crime Doctor" hero of them. So he invents the fictional character of Sherlock Holmes and hires a dimwitted stage actor (Michael Caine) to pose as Holmes; everyone thinks Holmes is a real person and comes to him with their cases. That's the one joke of the film that gets repeated--Caine acts like an idiot, and Kingsley does the real thinking. Some mildly amusing comedy, and it gets a little interesting at the end. Caine has some comic timing; Kingsley tries his best to be funny and sometimes succeeds. Mainly for Sherlock Holmes fans.
Boy Meets Girl (1938)--James Cagney and Pat O'Brien are a screenwriting duo for a series of formula films for cowboy actor Dick Foran; Ralph Bellamy is the head of the studio. To show their creativity, the writers run around, dance, endlessly joke; the producer screams and makes demands, and the star complains; Frank McHugh occasionally comes by to laugh. There's a pregnant studio waitress whose baby is signed up for a series of films with Foran; the baby becomes a big star. All this happens at such an antic pace that I suppose viewers are supposed to think something funny's going on, but it's more confusing than funny. Apparently they were going for another The Front Page; Warner Brothers is usually good at fast-paced and manic, but in this case, it doesn't work. Mainly for Cagney completists.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)--I liked this as a kid, and seeing it again, it still holds up. Danny Kaye is a milksop who is henpecked by everyone from his boss to his nagging mother to his annoying fiancee (and her little dog, too--a poodle who really knows how to perform a vicious snap). He escapes into various fantasies inspired by the pulp paperback stories produced at his job--he becomes a lifesaving surgeon; a riverboat gambler; a Western lawman; a flying ace; etc. Then he meets a mysterious blonde (Virginia Mayo) who gets him involved in a Hitchcockian spy adventure, and he can't figure out whether or not this is just another one of his fantasies; he winds up visiting a psychiatrist to help him with his delusions, but the psychiatrist is played by one of the sinister figures chasing him (Boris Karloff!) Lots of funny plot twists, and Kaye gets to perform a couple of wild musical numbers--"Symphony for Unstrung Tongue" and "Anatole of Paris," which makes fun of the ridiculous hat styles of the time. The look of the film is great to see--it seems to take full advantage of its garish Technicolor, in everything from the makeup and fashions, to the marble city buildings, to the taxicabs--did they really come in green and orange and pink back then?--everything is soaked in a comic-book kind of color. My favorite Kaye film.
'Allo 'Allo! season one (1982)--Wacky British comedy, sort of a "Hogan's Heroes Meets Benny Hill" sitcom about a French cafe owner who has to deal with Nazis, the Resistance, two dopey British airmen hiding in the cafe,and his relationships with his wife and his two mistresses, as well as anyone else who shows up. Lots of plotting that always goes wrong; silly disguises; and running gags that are endlessly repeated. How many times can the audience laugh uproariously when hearing the line "the fallen Madonna with the big boobies?" Every. Single. Time. Yet this weird show is very addictive and very funny. Looking forward to subsequent seasons. Listen carefully, I shall say this only once--this is a hilarious, enjoyable farce.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Apr 3, 2020 13:21:53 GMT
“Spenser Confidential” Distributed by Netflix, 111 Minutes, Rated R, Released March 06, 2020, streaming now on Netflix: Author Robert B. Parker wrote some 40 mystery novels featuring the fictional Boston private detective known as Spenser (no first name was ever officially revealed). A tough-as-nails, smart-mouthed ex-boxer with the requisite heart of gold, Spenser developed such a loyal fan base that following Parker’s 2010 death of a heart attack at age 77, the author’s estate elected to continue the Spenser series with another writer, and chose Florida-based former newspaper investigative journalist Ace Atkins to carry on the legacy. Published in 2013, the second of Atkins’ Spenser novels, officially titled “Robert B. Parker’s Wonderland,” provides the foundation for the new Netflix movie “Spenser Confidential.” Not that you’d ever know it from the picture’s plot. Adapted by movie freshman Sean O’Keefe with an assist from veteran screenwriter Brian Helgeland, in “Spenser Confidential,” former Boston police sergeant Spenser is released from prison after serving a five-year stretch for beating up his captain, and suddenly finds himself a suspect in the captain’s murder by machete that same day. But when a former colleague also turns up dead and is conveniently framed for the captain’s messy demise, Spenser’s police instincts are aroused, and he begins to seek answers in the case...in the process ruffling all the wrong feathers. Bearing little more than a superficial resemblance to author Robert B. Parker’s Spenser character, and even less of a resemblance to the story’s credited source novel, ”Spenser Confidential” is obviously deliberately tailored to the narrow sensibilities of its star (and co-producer) Mark Wahlberg. At age 48, Wahlberg is getting a bit long in the tooth for the wall-to-wall non-stop fight scenes and action sequences required of this sort of thing. And he seems to know it. Luckily, director Peter Berg in his fifth motion picture collaboration with Wahlberg (after 2013’s “Lone Survivor,” 2016’s “Deepwater Horizon” and “Patriot’s Day,” and “Mile 22” in 2018) is on hand, and knows from experience how to set up a scene in a way to allow the star to breeze in with minimal effort and do what he does best--alternately seem either driven and obsessed or as naive and innocent as a choirboy, deliver a punch or a quip, and then get out of the way as quickly as possible and let the stuntman step in and take over. Still, “Spenser Confidential” is fun in a mindless and undemanding kind of way, mostly resembling 1980s comedy action fare such as the “Lethal Weapon” pictures...particularly the later films in the series, when plots took a backseat to personalities and the pictures became little more than elaborate home movies for its stars. “Spenser Confidential” is entertaining enough--just don’t expect too much logic or reason, especially during the preposterous final half hour, when the last remains of any viable credibility go out the window in favor of a big, splashy wrap-up. “Spenser Confidential” contains performances from a solid Winson Duke as Spenser’s perennial sidekick Hawk, Iliza Shlesinger as Spenser’s foul-mouthed and abrasive girlfriend Cissy, Bokeem Woodbine as a former colleague on the force, Michael Gaston in flashback sequences as the late Captain Boylan, and 86-year-old Alan Arkin as Spenser’s landlord Henry Cimoli. Arkin seems to be performing an Alan Arkin imitation, kvetching and complaining and occasionally delivering addled homespun wisdom. That’s tattooed rap artist Post Malone, incidentally, as Spenser’s tattooed Aryan nation prison nemesis. The character of Spenser was also the basis for “Spenser: For Hire,” a popular television series starring actor Robert Urich as Spenser and Avery Brooks as Hawk, which ran on the ABC network from 1985 until 1988. After its cancellation, “Spenser: For Hire” spawned four follow-up television movies, as well as a short-lived spinoff series, “A Man Called Hawk,” also starring Brooks, which ran for thirteen episodes in early 1989. Filmed on location in Spenser’s (and Wahlberg’s) home turf in Boston and containing a distracting soundtrack of peripheral grunge-rock music, “Spenser Confidential” is rated R for constant violence and language concerns, and one “funny” sex scene in a restaurant lavatory. “Silver Linings Playbook” Distributed by The Weinstein Company, 122 Minutes, Rated R, Released November 16, 2012: Sharp and insightful writing, sensitive and intelligent direction, three-dimensional characters, a perfect cast, and a thoroughly unlikely subject for comedy combine to produce one of the most original and heartwarming motion pictures of recent times in “Silver Linings Playbook.” This modestly-budgeted little gem of a picture was released without fanfare in 2012 just in time for the holiday season, and is available for viewing on DVD or Bluray, or streaming on a computer or television. Set in Philadelphia--the City of Brotherly Love is practically another character in the picture--in “Silver Linings Playbook” Pat Solitano is released into the custody of his middle-aged parents from involuntary commitment to a Baltimore mental health facility after receiving eight months’ clinical treatment for his bipolar disorder. The young man was sentenced to hospital confinement after savagely attacking his wife’s lover when discovering them together in the shower of their suburban home. Obsessed with a desire to contact his estranged wife and attempt a reconciliation despite a restraining order preventing him from doing just that, Pat finds emotional support from an unexpected source--Tiffany Maxwell, a tough-talking young widow recovering from a nervous breakdown following the death of her husband in a traffic accident. Tiffany promises to deliver a personal note from Pat to his estranged wife through her older sister, the wife’s best friend. The catch? Before delivering the letter, Tiffany requires Pat to agree to perform as her partner in a prestigious annual dance competition--an event requiring weeks of physical conditioning, choreography, and rehearsal together until achieving perfection in their performance routine. And that’s just the beginning of the complications. Adapted with obvious affection from Matthew Quick’s premiere 2008 novel and directed with skill and heart by filmmaker David O. Russell, “Silver Linings Playbook” seemingly came out of nowhere and became 2012’s most unexpected hit. The picture boosted actor Bradley Cooper to major Hollywood stardom from his popularity as a light presence in action films and comedies...and caused the entire country to fall in love with 22-year-old Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany, the wounded and fragile but single-minded and determined young widow who challenges Pat to aspire to a more fulfilling life. As the bipolar Pat, Bradley Cooper seems to find the key to his performance in playing the role with clinical accuracy, but never asking for sympathy from the audience. The talented Cooper climbs inside his sometimes-unsympathetic character and allows a sort of natural empathy and affectionate laughter to flow freely from the contrived situations in which the troubled Pat is placed, as well as his outrageous--and outrageously honest--reactions. Despite the frequently exaggerated circumstances the character inhabits, the sum total of the performance feels a lot like real life...and a better understanding of the challenges faced by those of us who endure mental health difficulties. And as the troubled young widow, young Jennifer Lawrence, then on the cusp of stardom as a result of her appearance as heroine Katniss Everdeen in the high-profile 2012 motion picture adaptation of the best-selling science fiction allegory “The Hunger Games,” delivers in “Silver Linings Playbook” a performance with strong parallels to then-24-year-old Shirley MacLaine’s endearing (and star-making) Academy Award-nominated appearance as the self-destructive young elevator operator in 1960’s “The Apartment.” Like MacLaine--and Cooper--Lawrence never asks sympathy from the audience...but breaks the viewer’s heart anyway. Funny, human, vulnerable, warm, and sexy, the young actress’ naturally indomitable spirit shines through in the picture and its often maudlin situations, and Lawrence steals every scene in which she appears...no mean feat when playing off the old pros and professional scene stealers populating the picture’s supporting cast. The audience’s eye is naturally drawn to the actress--the very definition of a movie star. And Jennifer Lawrence’s every line of dialogue in “Silver Lining’s Playbook” becomes a highlight of the picture. The stellar supporting cast of “Silver Linings Playbook” includes such formidable talents as standup comic Chris Tucker in a surprisingly adept performance as Pat’s friend and fellow patient at the Baltimore mental health facility, Julia Stiles as Tiffany’s controlling older sister, and the wonderfully sympathetic John Ortiz as her put-upon husband. Veteran actress Jacki Weaver earned an Academy Award nomination for her role as Pat’s loving, patient, and understanding mother. And in a cast of stars, Indian superstar Anupam Kher is a real standout as Pat’s wise and unflappable psychiatrist. The legendary Robert De Niro in a rare comedy appearance as Pat’s sports-obsessed illegal bookmaker father works harder than he has in years just to keep up with the rest of the picture’s talented young players. With his character’s eccentricities, foibles, superstitions, and compulsive behavior, De Niro as Pat Senior ironically--and hilariously--often seems even more manic and obsessive than his bipolar son. The seasoned actor’s real highlight in the picture--his almost unbearably funny face off with Lawrence’s Tiffany on the subject of “juju.” Released November 16, 2012 with very little advance publicity or advertising to only 16 theaters in major cities across the United States, “Silver Linings Playbook” earned impressive box office amounts despite strong competition from heavyweights like Steven Spielberg’s historical epic “Lincoln” and the James Bond picture “Skyfall.” And unusually strong word-of-mouth began to build. Throughout the following month, the distributor continually expanded the picture’s release pattern until by January 18 “Silver Linings Playbook” was in a full wide release in 2523 North American venues. By mid-February, box office earnings passed the $100 million mark, the definition of a hit picture, and eventually topped out at over $236 million. A genuine sleeper hit, “Silver Linings Playbook” has become a comedy classic, and a rare R-rated holiday favorite. As dysfunctional, flawed, and confused as the movie’s Solitano family and their friends appear, you might catch yourself wishing your own family and friends could be more like them--the distinction is the obvious love and support its members express for each other. Tough love is still love, and with each word and gesture, the sometimes addled and short-tempered Solitano clan demonstrates an unbreakable emotional bond...no matter that their affection is sometimes bellowed in rage. As all the plots and all the characters come together for the dance competition which provides the setting of the picture’s climactic thirty-minute set piece, “Silver Linings Playbook” successfully creates the sustained lunacy of a Marx Bros. classic, and the bipolar Pat becomes the family’s solitary source of stability. Despite the delighted laughter which results from the scene, you might well find yourself also wiping a tear from your eye. And boy, can Cooper and Lawrence dance! Nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning one in the Best Actress category for the wonderfully funny performance of Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook” is rated R for language concerns and adult situations, including brief nudity. The picture is currently streaming on Netflix. I definitely need to seek out Silver Linings Playbook, I mean at worst who needs an excuse to watch Lawrence for a couple of hours... Thanks for the review, nice
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Apr 3, 2020 13:24:19 GMT
Rocky - Great review buddy, how great as well that it didn't let you down, it's deservedly a much loved film, while the fact that he doesn't win gives it added kudos. Guy would have approved for sure, ticked your review whilst finding out I have not reviewed it myself! Betty Blue - Not reviewed either so thanks for your astute writings (ticked of course), but I also have it at 9/10 and the ending left me shattered ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/py0f8ura1/sad.gif) Catching up with The Favourite from last week. Thanks for the review, you liked it much more than myself. I'm not keen on the director, the overuse of schlock sex got tiresome to me. If that had of been Von Trier or Verhoeven the critics would have gone to town on it. It's saved by the quality acting. So pleased for Colman, I been shouting from the rooftops about her for years because of her TV work over here. Then she finally got noticed with Tyrannosaur and she hasn't looked back since. Thanks for the link in the PM, now I'm in isolation I will have some time to get to your films ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/s8tffwvq1/cheers.gif) Thanks for the ticks Spike! Having seen plenty of clips of the Rocky series, I was surprised by how un-glossy the first one was. On The Favourite, one thing that I helped was that when I went in the only thing I knew about it was the poster,so was caught off-guard by how much of a send-up of the Costume Drama it turned out to be. Spoilers: On Favourite ending, with the rabbits representing to Anne her dead children, my take is that with Abigail having rid what few morals she had to be at the feet of power, Anne digging her hand into Abigail's hair,and the overlapping images/noises of the rabbits,represent that Abigail's "victory", has led to her being seen as utterly dead to Anne. I hope you enjoy the links Spike, I'm aiming to dig into my downloads during this lockdown! The Favourite - 100% in my mind it's Queen Anne redressing the balance of power, she's now in charge and will not be cajoled by femme forces
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Apr 3, 2020 13:36:27 GMT
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)--I liked this as a kid, and seeing it again, it still holds up. Danny Kaye is a milksop who is henpecked by everyone from his boss to his nagging mother to his annoying fiancee (and her little dog, too--a poodle who really knows how to perform a vicious snap). He escapes into various fantasies inspired by the pulp paperback stories produced at his job--he becomes a lifesaving surgeon; a riverboat gambler; a Western lawman; a flying ace; etc. Then he meets a mysterious blonde (Virginia Mayo) who gets him involved in a Hitchcockian spy adventure, and he can't figure out whether or not this is just another one of his fantasies; he winds up visiting a psychiatrist to help him with his delusions, but the psychiatrist is played by one of the sinister figures chasing him (Boris Karloff!) Lots of funny plot twists, and Kaye gets to perform a couple of wild musical numbers--"Symphony for Unstrung Tongue" and "Anatole of Paris," which makes fun of the ridiculous hat styles of the time. The look of the film is great to see--it seems to take full advantage of its garish Technicolor, in everything from the makeup and fashions, to the marble city buildings, to the taxicabs--did they really come in green and orange and pink back then?--everything is soaked in a comic-book kind of color. My favorite Kaye film. I wake up dreaming.The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is directed by Norman Z. McLeod and adapted loosely to screenplay by Ken Englund and Everett Freeman from the short story of the same name written by James Thurber. It stars Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Boris Karloff, Fay Bainter, Thurston Hall, Ann Rutherford, Konstantin Shayne and Gordon Jones. A Technicoor production with music by Sylvia Fine (songs) and David Raskin (score) and cinematography by Lee Garmes. Milquetoast Walter Mitty (Kaye) escapes the incessant needling of those around him by dreaming up exciting adventures for himself. Upon meeting gorgeous Rosalind van Hoorn (Mayo) he gets thrust into a real adventure involving Dutch treasure, but this is real stuff and his life is under threat! A lovely Danny Kaye vehicle full of neatly constructed comedy, pleasant tunes and Technicolor supreme. It's too long at ten minutes shy of two hours, and non Kaye fans are unlikely to be converted, but for the fans this is a delightful way to spend an afternoon as the spy plot unfolds in a whirl of energised malarkey. Karloff a bonus as well. 7/10
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