|
Post by claudius on Jun 15, 2024 9:56:14 GMT
You’re so weird! You have no idea.
|
|
|
Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Jun 15, 2024 13:54:34 GMT
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023). The Ballad of Flower-eaters & Rebels... I never read the books the original films, or this one, were adapted from. Consequently, I was somewhat lost at times and it almost felt as though this prequel needed its own prequel since characters acted like/referred to things as if we should know WHY they acted that way/what they were talking about. This is where book-readers will have an advantage over non-book-readers, as they’ll *know* why certain characters are acting the way they do with others, etc. Of course, the downside to being a book-reader is that you’ll no doubt be overly critical about every little detail, things you imagined differently, changes made, and things left out or added in. The benefit I had was judging this movie solely based on its own merits, coming into it fresh and with little idea of what would be happening (other than seeing the origin of how Snow turned evil). The movie’s broken up into three parts titled ‘The Mentor’, ‘The Prize’ and ‘The Peacekeeper’. Tom Blyth as a pre-Donald Sutherland version of Coriolanus Snow proves himself a capable leading man, as his character goes through quite the journey in the film and he rises to every occasion, playing all the different facets of Snow’s personality in his early life. He starts out as someone whose main motivation is a monetary prize, but then this 'rebel' (who's referred to as such on more than one occasion) becomes invested for more personal reasons in the survival of the tribute he’s selected to play mentor to: Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler). I feel some have been unfairly critical of Zegler’s performance, letting the things she’s said in interviews (that’ve rattled some feathers...but have absolutely nothing to do with how she plays her character here) colour their judgement. I personally thought she held her own against Blyth’s Snow admirably. As Lucy Gray describes herself, she’s ‘not made of sugar’, and this becomes abundantly clear during her introduction when she drops a snake down the back of a girl’s dress. Then later, during Lucy Gray's first meeting with Coriolanus, she eats a petal off the white rose he presents her with (which definitely leaves an impression). People have complained about ‘too much singing’ in the movie (but it's RIGHT THERE in the title: ‘The BALLAD of SONGbirds & Snakes’), but don't be scared of the singing...the movie's not a 'musical' like some have made it out to be. While Zegler certainly puts the ‘song’ in ‘songbird’ by providing the majority of the film’s soundtrack, it’s part of her character (and actually an important plot point). Plus, she can really hold a tune...so why the complaining? It’d be one thing if she sang BADLY, but she gives the songs her all, putting emotion/feeling into every one (and it’s not over-polished, which is appreciated). The film rests mainly on these two actors’ shoulders, and I personally found their scenes together to be the most compelling parts of the movie. Lucy Gray starts out not trusting Coriolanus, but he shows her on more than one occasion that he isn’t without heart and gradually she grows to trust him, as they work together to ensure her survival in the Hunger Games. Another stand-out in the cast is Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman, weatherman and aspiring magician (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Stanley Tucci’s Caesar Flickerman from the original films), as his reporting the weather while kids are dying in the arena provides some morbid humour at one point (really, he’s the only source of ‘humour’ in the film). Head Gamemaker, Dr. Volumnia Gaul is a frightful sight (her makeup’s seriously unnerving) and you can’t help but wonder if the reason everyone’s so hungry is because Viola Davis keeps devouring all the scenery. Her rainbow of snake muttations are a colourful way to take out the stragglers when there is only a handful left. Speaking of, I remember the acting for the tributes who weren’t Katniss (whose name I was surprised to learn the origin of in this film) or Peeta in the original films was pretty sketchy...and it hasn’t really improved this time around. Other than one or two who make the most of their limited screentime (that we either feel sorry for, as they're practically Dead Meat Walking, or are shown to be more three-dimensional than they first appeared), the majority feel barely above CW teen drama levels in the acting department. Much better are other supporting characters such as Dean Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage, continuing to play characters who drink and know things…that is until the end when he doesn’t know something, which proves fatal), Sejanus Plinth (Josh Andrés Rivera, playing a friend of Coriolanus and a fellow mentor who won’t stand for the Games’ barbarity...which also proves fatal) and Tigris (Hunter Schafer, playing cousin to Coriolanus...or ‘Coryo’ as she calls him, who I found particularly interesting to watch and really enjoyed her scenes with Blyth’s Snow). Something this movie has definitely stepped up from the previous films is the brutality of the Games, as there’s no shortage of death (so don’t get too attached to anyone). I also found the themes explored in the movie felt more ‘mature’ and there was a complexity that you might miss the intricacies of if you’re not paying attention. Although it may seem like the film loses some steam in its third part, it’s necessary to show that things aren’t all fine and dandy after the Games are over with. The relationship between Coriolanus and Lucy Gray is not one that’s wrapped up in a nice neat little bow. There’s an open-endedness that may frustrate some people, but the important thing is that by the film’s end...The President Snow of the future has been born/created. On the whole, I found the movie held my attention throughout (not a small feat considering its runtime) and I liked it better than the first, third and fourth previous films. Only the second film, Catching Fire, would I rank higher than this one. ![](https://i.imgur.com/sggVH39.jpg) ![](https://i.imgur.com/fiQvFDQ.jpg) ![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/3d32e2d268641b535d38211d0a32cb22/17733d0db67b4ee1-17/s540x810/0c93f695983ae2a60cb20c1cecb726b1dfa342fe.gif) ![](https://i.imgur.com/d5StmdE.jpeg) ![](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/boss-unit-221103-00205-r-65567f2d24741.jpg) ![](https://i.imgur.com/bqfehhY.png) ![](https://media.tenor.com/wI-GvbKzlYgAAAAd/tom-blyth-coriolanus-snow.gif) ![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/c0c285c83b65d805eaef211805f85d80/ce6938ca73ef95d3-ed/s400x600/053f5981b8ffdd3abd9fba2d96e1953f3c415bca.gifv) ![](https://i.imgur.com/jBZYXEy.jpg) ![](https://media.tenor.com/aawFFWx7O-0AAAAd/don%27t-cry-lucy-gray-baird.gif) ![](https://media.tenor.com/RcEzUDCFhWMAAAAC/tigris-tigris-snow.gif) ![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/b4f7236f6006f50efff2fcc7f77a0022/24dc5854c78ab457-d6/s500x750/ecf05d15418fbf1f735993c4f2886e181d8bc0c0.gifv) ![](https://i.imgur.com/cJeaeGL.jpg) ![](https://i.imgur.com/Ms2d5OB.jpg) ![](https://media.tenor.com/gyNRIUDnWTwAAAAC/be-gentle-with-him-lucy-gray-baird.gif) ![](https://media.tenor.com/0g__3Je_wS4AAAAC/snowbaird-the-ballad-of-songbirds-and-snakes.gif) ![](https://i.imgur.com/alSThXV.jpg) ![](https://media.tenor.com/0W8mN8CGB88AAAAd/did-you-see-that-lucy-gray-baird.gif) ![](https://i.ibb.co/PtcnN7c/mentallystablesnow.gif) ![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/8a0242731df0629c662153b58c1c6472/e324ee812f982b4e-46/s540x810/f615cccb3807a4a713b463b476f011c8b3a25a3f.gifv) The Girl on the Train (2016). The Wolfman (2010) - Extended Cut. ![](https://i.imgur.com/gd5L3Ht.jpeg) Arf... Gory, gory hallelujah! This remake of a classic, after being in development hell forever, finally arrived! Admittedly, I became aware of this remake rather late in the game and was unaware of all the troubles surrounding it till close to its release date. I think that if I'd been anxiously awaiting the film’s release as long as others had, I'd have been quite disappointed with the final result. As it stands, this film isn't at all 'bad', it's just that it's not up to the standard I'm sure a lot of people were hoping for. The performances are all good, though not "outstanding". Benicio Del Toro as Lawrence Talbot is thankfully less mumble-y than he usually is (his accent is questionable, however). He portrays the character well enough, but really comes to life when he gets to let loose the monster within. Whilst not having a lot of character development, he still manages to make Lawrence someone who you can feel sympathy for. The character of Gwen Conliffe is rescued from simply being a damsel in distress by Emily Blunt, who gives the character some real depth/emotion with her performance as the heroine of the story. The scenes between her and Lawerence go a ways towards making you actually *care* what happens with them. While some may think their scenes "slow", I thought they were important, as they helped us get a better understanding of their characters. Anthony Hopkins, meanwhile, seems a tad bored in his role as Lawrence’s father, Sir John Talbot. While he does give good underlying menace, he doesn't seem to have much 'life' in him (considering he describes himself as “quite dead”, I guess this is fitting). The "secret" regarding his character and the mystery surrounding his wife/Lawrence's mother isn't exactly hard to solve (even if you hadn't already seen the trailers). It's pretty clear early on how this film will play out. I can't say there were too many surprises story-wise (although there's quite a few surprises in the 'jump-scare' sense). Inspector Aberline (portrayed by Hugo Weaving and his muttonchops), sounding rather Agent Smith-esque in his line deliveries, is the only character in the film to provide anything approaching 'humour'. Suffice to say, this movie is virtually ALL seriousness. This brings me to one of the film's flaws: the use of CGI. Although everybody was probably mostly concerned with how the transformations from man to wolf looked (they're not too bad), the misuse of CGI mainly comes in the form of ordinary animals. There's a dodgy-looking CGI bear (who I felt sorry for, since it unfairly receives blame for all the grisly deaths) and deer (that is used as bait, but thankfully appears to escape…though the humans who tied it up aren’t so lucky. HA! That’ll teach ‘em for trying to serve the werewolf venison!), and given what lengths this movie went to in conveying a sense of 'realism' (as much as a werewolf movie can have, anyway), it's a shame to see rather laughable CGI’d animals used in place of real ones. Then there’s 'Wolf Boy' from the trailers who looks like a poor-man’s Gollum. The werewolf transformations themselves are well-done, and Rick Baker's excellent makeup does a good job of turning Del Toro into a monster (Anthony Hopkins, on the other hand, kind of just looks like an excessively hairy old man). As for the violence, gorehounds should be satisfied, as all manner of torn limbs and guts are on display. The film’s opening attack sets the mood, the one at the gypsy camp shows just how frightfully effective a killing machine such a beast is, there’s some nice build-up during a scene at a mental asylum (with at least one very satisfying kill) and a chase scene across rooftops makes for some nice visuals. When Wolfy gets hungry, it’s quite exhilarating, and once the attacks are over, you’re left with a sense of uneasiness, as you don't quite know when something's going to suddenly lash out (whether it be in dream sequences or for real). Thanks to the directing, the mood/atmosphere goes a long way towards lifting this film from mediocre. It *looks* great with good use of shadows (although it could have done with a little less blowing out/lighting of candles). The end credits were visually interesting and the music used throughout added a LOT to the film’s overall feel. Where it's let down, I feel, is in the script. A quick word on the 'Director's Cut' of the film which I bought on DVD: I feel this is the 'better' version of the movie, as it feels like it gives things more time to 'breathe'. There's a different introduction to the characters of Lawrence and Gwen (who meet earlier in this version of the film when she actually goes to visit him when he's performing onstage. I liked this first meeting between them and getting to see Lawrence in 'actor' mode. The only problem it creates is with continuity as later Lawrence refers to a letter she sent him...which, I guess, she still could've done, but it's made redundant by her visit in person). There's also a nice cameo by Max von Sydow who gifts Lawrence with the infamous silver wolf-headed cane. Some other extra moments scattered throughout were welcome additions, I thought. I also wouldn't have been opposed to some of the deleted scenes included on the DVD extras being restored (especially the one involving a blind opera singer and Lawrence's wolf-y self walking amongst the audience, being enchanted by her and not attacking until some bozo makes the mistake of touching him and winds up having his head become a chew toy). This 'Collector's Edition' of the movie is the best version to watch if you get the chance, in my opinion. While the 'Theatrical Version' is by no means a terrible, it could've been better with a few changes made. Still, despite its flaws, it is one of the 'better' werewolf movies in quite a while. ![](https://i.imgur.com/LiqGyOm.jpeg) ![](https://i.imgur.com/c81qtk3.jpeg) ![](https://i.imgur.com/Ewrsr7x.jpeg) ![](https://i.imgur.com/Bl56pzp.jpeg) ![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/661a10f7c2ea6fb182daf11ccae28fab/ad5dc30bffb0361a-be/s540x810/4c0c593106e9f5a7532f47f496736372fa217bd2.gifv) ![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTI2Nzc3NjU3Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjc3OTUxMw@@._V1_.jpg) ![](https://i.imgur.com/8XyMPSw.jpeg) ![](https://66.media.tumblr.com/9c6f56660985db14e1ceed763f05f911/tumblr_oz5z8jA3nk1syptjoo6_1280.png) ![](https://i.makeagif.com/media/5-01-2018/4zLmtx.gif) ![](https://s10.gifyu.com/images/SYfx7.gif) ![](https://i0.wp.com/www.heyuguys.com/images/2010/01/the_wolfman_58.jpg) ![](https://i.imgur.com/QW6jGNW.png) ![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGUyOGU0MjQtYzAzZi00YWVkLTgzM2YtMGUwMzI0YWMxYmMwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDg0NjA4NTY@._V1_.jpg) ![](https://i.imgur.com/dSGa49q.jpeg) ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EZiI2nQWAAMdnTZ?format=jpg) ![](https://i.makeagif.com/media/6-19-2016/iHSOSe.gif) ![](https://i.imgur.com/U75lNOs.jpeg) ![](https://66.media.tumblr.com/beac171783fdd57125bd2c081a830a28/tumblr_oz5z8jA3nk1syptjoo7_1280.png) ![](https://i.imgur.com/FLo1cL5.jpeg) ![](https://i.imgur.com/APq4txw.png) ![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/8ffa777d3ccf1cb619a436c8dfde3dad/tumblr_pswk2jjb8B1tdkro1o1_540.gif)
|
|
Reynard
Sophomore
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_yellow.png)
@reynard
Posts: 700
Likes: 375
![](http://storage.proboards.com/6692551/images/CTEdkGf0wmfSETIzYiXk.gif)
|
Post by Reynard on Jun 15, 2024 14:18:03 GMT
|
|
spiderwort
Junior Member
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_yellow.png) ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_yellow.png)
@spiderwort
Posts: 2,097
Likes: 9,420
|
Post by spiderwort on Jun 15, 2024 16:00:22 GMT
Ballad of a Soldier / Grigoriy Chukhray (1959). A young Russian soldier earns a medal, but instead of receiving it, he asks to visit his mother and is given a pass to do so. His journey home recounts various love and anti-war themes. A beautiful film with fine performances, superb direction, great cinematography and a wonderful, Oscar nominated script. Highly recommended. (Available on YouTube) Finding Vivian Maier / John Maloof & Charlie Siskal (2013). A documentary about the late Vivian Maier, a nanny whose previously unknown cache of 100,000 photographs earned her a posthumous reputation as one of the most accomplished street photographers. A fascinating, moving, haunting film. Highly recommended. (Available on Paramount+ with Showtime) God Is the Bigger Elvis / Rebecca Cammisa (2012). An interesting short documentary about Delores Hart, who at the height of her film career left Hollywood — and her fiancé, Donald Robinson, whom she loved — to become a nun at the Abbey of Regina Laudis monastery in Connecticut, where she is now Mother Prioress. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it in the end, but it’s definitely worth a view for those interested in Hart and her journey of faith (though unfortunately much is left unexplained, given the film’s brevity). It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary, Short Subjects, and Rev. Mother Delores Hart attended the Academy Awards that year, her first red-carpet Oscar event since 1959. (Available on MAX and YouTube.) ![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BY2JiYzg1M2MtNzZhNS00ODJhLWE5OTctMzBjNTFhODNlNzA4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzE5NDU3NjQ@._V1_.jpg) Re-watches: I’ll See You in My Dreams / Bret Haley (2015). A beautiful contemporary film about a woman dealing with aging amidst a series of losses. A thoughtful, life-affirming script with fine performances by all the cast, especially Blythe Danner. Wonderful direction by Haley, who wisely left a lot of the story unspoken, revealing so much in subtext instead. If only there were more films like this made today. Highly recommended. ![](https://occ-0-2706-2705.1.nflxso.net/dnm/api/v6/X194eJsgWBDE2aQbaNdmCXGUP-Y/AAAABacElNwHRbwggzoUrBv3l2ZQC9aZIsOQJ7NmgnqrJkaOvtH-BtoNYjCa8dmt4Pb-f_-raaek45O_UHPx5bpqc3lrY10m.jpg?r=29e) ![“](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTYzMzc5OTkyOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzc3OTMyNTE@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg)
|
|
|
Post by wmcclain on Jun 15, 2024 19:29:58 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Old Aussie on Jun 15, 2024 23:35:47 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Rufus-T on Jun 16, 2024 4:07:27 GMT
The Worlds of Philip K. Dick (2016) Documentary about the man wrote the books that movies Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall among others were based on. You do get a overview of his life here, and recommendation of his books if you are into Science Fiction. Available on YouTube in the Mihail Tunaru channel. ![https://images.mubicdn.net/images/film/286305/cache-613962-1606492814/image-w1280.jpg?size=800x](https://images.mubicdn.net/images/film/286305/cache-613962-1606492814/image-w1280.jpg?size=800x) "Frontline" Crisis on Campus (2024) Recounting back story of the Oct 17, 2023 Hama attack on Israel that generated the campus protest and the resignation of the Presidents of major university. Less bias than I anticipated. I say worth a watch and is available on YouTube in the Frontline PBS channel. ![https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/FL_CrisisonCampus_2.jpeg](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/FL_CrisisonCampus_2.jpeg) The Spanish Prisoner (1997) Slow build up mystery. The movie may not be flashy, and one may criticize certain credibility. This movie was captivating, especially if you watch it for the first time. It still hold up for me, and I still enjoyed it a lot. This is the first movie I remembered seeing that Steve Martin was not in a comedy role, a villain no less. ![https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dNDME2wSnOE/TURtJ9jdTjI/AAAAAAAAAJY/h2TD4Ieg4UM/s1600/spanish-prisoner.jpg](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dNDME2wSnOE/TURtJ9jdTjI/AAAAAAAAAJY/h2TD4Ieg4UM/s1600/spanish-prisoner.jpg)
|
|
|
Post by claudius on Jun 16, 2024 9:56:50 GMT
MGM 100TH ANNIVERSARY SARATOGA (1936) Jean Harlow’s final film with Clark Gable, Frank Morgan, Walter Pidgeon, and Lionel Barrymore. ok.ru
MAISIE WAS A LADY (1941) The second MAISIE film starring Ann Southern, with Lew Ayres, Maureen O Sullivan, and C Aubrey Smith. ok.ru
CAMILLE (1936) One of Irving Thalberg’s Last films (he died midway shooting) with Greta Garbo, Robert Taylor, Laurie Hope Crews, Henry Daniell, Jessie Ralph, Lionel Barrymore. Has been shown twice in films anachronistically: in WORDS AND MUSIC (set in the 1920s) and ANNIE (set in 1933). Warner DVD
ROYAL WEDDING (1951) Fred Astaire and Jane Powell go to London for the Elizabeth-Philip Wedding. Warner DVD
THE LAST OF MRS CHENESY (1929) Early talkie drama with Norma Shearer and Basil Rathbone stands with ROSE MARIE and THE MERRY WIDOW as MGM’s Trifecta Remake films. ok.ru
DROOPY’S DOUBLE TROUBLE (1951) Finally got to MGM Animation, with this one by Tex Avery. From the ROYAL WEDDING DVD
CAR OF TOMORROW (1951) Tex Avery Cartoon. From the ROYAL WEDDING DVD
30TH ANNIVERSARY GREAT BOOKS (1994) “The War of the Worlds” Documentary on H G Wells SciFi Novel, focusing on the plot (using actors & CGI) and the author’s life and complex views. The 1938 Radio Broadcast gets noted, as well as the 1953 film (with a less complimentary view). Interviews include David Smith, Michael Coren (equally praising the man for his genius while damning him for his cruelty & racism), Howard Koch (writer of the Radio adaptation), and Leonard Nimoy who talks humorously about playing a Martian in ZOMBIES IN THE STRATOSPHERE- the only levity in this docu). I first saw this Docu on its premiere on June 11 1994 on The Learning Channel. Still gives me the shivers. YouTube.
The OP quote: THE LION KING (1994) Nuff Said. First saw clips of this film from previews in VHS Releases of ALADDIN (October 1993), THE FOX AND THE HOUND (WInter 1994), and THE RETURN OF JAFAR (May 1994). I also saw the Making Of Special on the Disney Channel (hosted by Robert Guillaume). Looked at the Serialized Trading Cards and learned the entire plot. Saw the film in theaters on June 24 1994 (my sister’s birthday; she got a whole lot of LK Metchandise; I got WAR AND PEACE (1956)). Disney DVD
50TH ANNIVERSARY THE PALLISERS (1974) “Episode Twenty One” YouTube
100TH ANNIVERSARY THE SEA HAWK (1924) Silent film adaptation of Sabatini’s BEN-HUR-esque novel (betrayed noble gets thrown into galley slavery, escapes with the enemy, goes native for revenge). Starring Milton Sills, Enid Bennett, and Wallace Beery. First saw this on Turner Classic Movies in April 2001. YouTube
|
|
|
Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Jun 16, 2024 13:12:15 GMT
|
|