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What have you watched this week friends? (12/03-12/09)

posted 6 years ago by StoneKeeper (21836)
48 replies | jump to latest

Hi there, nice to see you again.

My week:

Dogma (1999 Blu-ray) : “An abortion clinic worker with a special heritage is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels trying to exploit a loop-hole and reenter Heaven.” I love the cast of this movie and I like the concept but some dialogues are too long so it slows the movie down. I did not remember the final act was so bloody, lots of fun. 7/10

Mallrats (1995 Netflix): “Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall.” Loved it then, still love it now. Major nostalgia factor but this film is pure entertainment on its simplest level. 7.5-8/10

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994 Netflix): “A goofy detective specializing in animals goes in search of the missing mascot of the Miami Dolphins.” 15 years ago I probably would’ve rate this 10/10 but now, realistically, it’s more a 7/10.

Machine gun Preacher (2011 Bluray): ‘’ Sam Childers is a former drug-dealing biker tough guy who found God and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children who've been forced to become soldiers.’’ This was a nice surprise for me. The story is powerful, gripping and touching and it was well executed by everyone involved. The scene where he goes to the bank for a loan especially got to me. My only complaint would be the editing. I know it’s on purpose but Im not the fan of the erratic style. 8/10

T2 Trainspotting (2017 Bluray):” After 20 years abroad, Mark Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud, and Begbie.” As a fan of the first film, I was really scared to watch this and had a bad feeling but I was proved wrong. I loved it. The getting back together, the reminiscing, Spud stories… I rejoiced in it all. The last act was surprising and well played.I remember Mina saying she didn’t feel Boyle’s touch but I did. I thought the directing was solid and the movie looked amazing. 8/10

[–] MinaVladimir (4077) 6 years ago

Loved Dogma. I even stayed up to watch the re-run when it aired in the middle on the night after the first time I saw it. Mallrats I enjoyed as well. I just like the whole interconnected universe of these movies. I know Kevin Smith catches a lot of flack, but I like the man and (most) of his movies.

I know I must have seen Ace Ventura as a kid, but I don't remember it. And as an adult I'll probably never watch it out of my own volition. I feel the opposite for Jim Carrey as I do for Smith. Everyone loves him, I just find him annoying and unfunny.

Now, show us on the doll where Boyle touched you. But seriously, I'm glad you enjoyed T2. I caught it again on TV this week, I couldn't bring myself to watch it again, but I think that I might re-watch it someday to see if my opinion changes. BTW, the train station at the end, in Bulgaria, is somewhat near where I live (I think I mentioned that before). So now you have a little insight into Mina's "home", for whatever that's worth (not much I imagine LOL). But it's neat to see a place you've actually been to in a movie, isn't it?

Anyway, I do go on. What I've seen this week:

Finished BoJack season 4. It was still fun _and_ depressing (even more depressing than previous seasons I'd argue), but it just felt a bit off. Like, it's the same show, but it's not the same show. Maybe it's the progression of the characters and their lives, idk, it just didn't feel the same. And it also just kind off ended.

Started Ozark season 1. A guy launders money for a Cartel, gets into trouble, has to uproot the whole family to someplace in the South (?) or where rednecks live (?). I don't know American geography... but it's very happening for tourism, so he can launder some more money. Not a "I can't wait to see what'll happen next" type of show, and not something we've not seen a million times with these "crime" shows, but it's alright. I might even finish it.

...

[–] MinaVladimir (4077) 6 years ago

...

Psych: The Movie (2017)
Not a movie by any stretch of the imagination, but I love the show, so it was nice to spend some time with the old gang again. I enjoyed it.

And what a waste of a whole other comment for just two sentences... This character limit is killing me!

[–] StoneKeeper (21836) 6 years ago

'Now, show us on the doll where Boyle touched you.' hahahaha, you cracked me up once again you little...

Yeah, it must be awesome to see your town in a movie. Especially one that is so good looking and well-directed. ;)

Cheers Mina

[–] MinaVladimir (4077) 6 years ago

You just had to tease me with that winky face, didn't you lol.

[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 6 years ago

Despicable Me (the original). This is a very funny film. I give it a 7.5/8. The Minions are hilarious!

😎

[–] StoneKeeper (21836) 6 years ago

Haven't seen it yet.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

loved the second Ace Ventura - the rhino scene was hilarious

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tDUwNjw7ms

[–] GlenEllyn (21144) 6 years ago

Manchester by the Sea (2016) - I’m not familiar enough with Casey Affleck’s work to really judge him in this role. I remember him from the “Ocean’s” movies, but that was a while ago. The reason I say this is because, for all I know, he could have been “playing himself.” It happens. But not knowing for sure, I still think he did well in this role. 7/10

The Deep End of the Ocean (1999) – Based on the book by Jacquelyn Mitchard, about a family’s emotional struggles following the kidnapping of their 3-year-old son. Nine years later, it’s discovered he is alive and living in the same neighborhood where the family has recently moved. Michelle Pfeiffer does well as the grieving mother, as does Jonathan Jackson as the guilt-ridden older brother. Due to the “happy Hollywood” ending I give it only 6/10.

I guess I inadvertently settled on a theme of “grief and guilt following a family tragedy.” Throughout the movies I kept thinking, “Why don’t these people get some professional help?”

[–] StoneKeeper (21836) 6 years ago

Manchester is on my watch list, but way down.

[–] bravo_bravo (187) 6 years ago

Manchester by the Sea (2016) - I’m not familiar enough with Casey Affleck’s work to really judge him in this role. I remember him from the “Ocean’s” movies, but that was a while ago. The reason I say this is because, for all I know, he could have been “playing himself.” It happens. But not knowing for sure, I still think he did well in this role. 7/10

Besides this film, I've also seen Casey Affleck in "To Die For," The "Ocean's" movies, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," "Gone Baby Gone," "Out of the Furnace," and "Interstellar," and I'd say he does very well with this kind of role, where he plays wounded characters who internalize grief, anger or frustration, and keep things pent up because they don't know how to deal with their turmoil constructively or don't trust themselves to. They'd rather shut down, or deflect with dark humor or sarcasm.

I think his best single scene to date is in "The Assassination of Jesse James," but I love his work overall here. Since his character isn't one for talking, his performance hinders so much on his body language, and I think he conveyed a great deal with his eyes and face. Maybe he was more dynamic or overtly memorable in "Jesse James," but I think he's just as convincing here, and it's a more mature and empathetic role, as well.

(EDITED because I had referenced a scene from "Gone Baby Gone" thinking that it was in "Manchester." I don't know why I conflated the two performances. Maybe this does make a case that Affleck was playing himself! haha, man oh man...)

(continued)

[–] bravo_bravo (187) 6 years ago

The "playing him- or herself" question is so interesting to me when it comes to actors in general; it's something I've been debating my feelings about, because it feels like a choice between valuing technical difficulty or craft, versus authenticity or honesty (and for me, a performance has to feel honest, or nothing else matters. There have been actors I've seen transform on the outside, but not bring to life the interior of their characters, their "soul," so it doesn't feel honest to me, and so I'm not impressed by their technical work, and I would've preferred that they put more into the spirit of the character instead).

These days I'm also starting to think that every actor is recognizably themselves if we watch enough of their work. Whereas I used to think that that signaled a limitation, now I think an actor's ability to make their recognizable self thrive as their character is actually what makes good actors good. So maybe it's not that they crafted something out of nothing, it's that they crafted what's truly themselves to the role, and made the symbiosis work. I used to describe these actors as "disappearing into their roles," but now I'm thinking, they didn't disappear at all. They played themselves, in a way that made us believe them in the context of their character. They and their character are both there in front of us, but we buy it that it's one person. (Oh boy, just typing that, I just saw flashes of [spoiler]Liv Ullman/Bibi Andersson[/spoiler] in Ingmar Bergman's "Persona" popping up in my head—freaky!) I think where greatness comes in, is how alive that one person seems, how much of themselves an actor channels into the character, and through to us. That's my thinking, anyway...

So I've come to judge actors by how convincing and compelling I think they are within a given role, rather than how same or different they may be from their public persona or other roles. (This also saves me from feeling like I should watch a lot of an actor's other movies that maybe I don't want to. lol)

But yeah, the "playing themselves" question remains an interesting one to me!

[–] bravo_bravo (187) 6 years ago

> > I guess I inadvertently settled on a theme of “grief and guilt following a family tragedy.”

Funny, last week I inadvertently went down the "coming-of-age young woman with mother issues [spoiler]leaves home[/spoiler]" road with "Lady Bird" and "Columbus."

> > Throughout the movies I kept thinking, “Why don’t these people get some professional help?”

I know, right? I feel like we really want to see these people get back up, and part of me just wants to reach through the screen and go, "Argh, come on, man, you can do it!"

But maybe these characters (well, at least the one in "Manchester" as I haven't seen "The Deep End of the Ocean,") are very private, inward individuals who tend to keep things to themselves, and maybe they'd be even less inclined to talk about their issues with strangers than with the people they know. Also, just speaking from my own experience knowing people who've gone through rough times, maybe they don't believe that professional help will actually help (at least if we're talking therapy, not medications), because therapists seem to only offer help with process, when what people need is someone who can personally and specifically understand what they're going through, someone who understands more of the context, because they share some of the same experience. Only friends and family who know them and the people they'd lost can do that. That's why I think it's very fortunate for Lee in "Manchester" that he has George (played by C.J. Wilson).

I love this movie, though it is draining to watch in places.

[–] bravo_bravo (187) 6 years ago

Dogma! "All I'm sayin' here, is one of us might need a little nap."

Salma Hayek is a hoot, Alan Rickman as the "Voice of God" is as casting-appropriate as I could hope, Ben Affleck gives his best performance that I've seen so far, and the exchange between Bartleby and Loki in the parking garage is great. I love how Matt Damon takes us through the emotional beats in that scene.

And yes... wow, what did happen to [spoiler]"that guy's head?"[/spoiler]

7/10 for me, too.

[–] StoneKeeper (21836) 6 years ago

Cheers mate!

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Daisy Kenyon (1947) - 7/10

Falling Down (1993) - 10/10

Dick Tracy (1990) - 7/10

Anonymous (2011) - 3/10

[–] StoneKeeper (21836) 6 years ago

Falling Down 8/10

Dick Tracy haha this one I saw when I was like 11. But I still remember parts of it so it must be good.

[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 6 years ago

The Shape of Water: one of the stupidest films I've ever seen. Very artsy-fartsy, and the critics seem to love it. I hated it.
For details, see my post under that film title.

😎