Cinema

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Comment by DebinSC on July 13, 2009 at 4:33pm

I have gotten so far behind here, guys! Haven't had much time for watching movies, or reviewing, or reading everyone's comments. Hope to start catchin up, though.

Just wanted to add, I did get to watch "Doubt" and agree more or less with what y'all had said. That said, the ending was completely fitting, I thgught, if just a bit frustrating.

Rok, glad you emjoyed Children of Men - not a terribly profound film, but I enjoyed the amazing direction and the performances - along with a few real surprises.

Only other I've had time to see was the 2nd Daniel Craig Bond film. "Quantum of Solace". Started out promisingly, but developed into a muddle of chases and fights. Not nearly as taut as Casino Royale. Daniel Craig was still wayyyy up therre on the intensity meter, but either they had no idea w3hat they were going for, or ruined it with editing. Just IMO. :)

Hope now to catchup and read some more of your reviews. Sorry to be so neglectful!

Comment by roknrolhrt on June 19, 2009 at 7:39am

We're been watching movie and movie, but I haven't had a chance to write any reviews or thoughts. So, I'll try to catch up this morning:

Gran Torino(2008) stars Clint Eastwood as a grumpy, prejudiced veteran of the Korean War. His character seems to embody more than a few men of a certain generation who many of us have known. This is a remarkably well-told tale of the cultural clashes brought about by the change taking place all around us. I highly recommend it. Eastwood is superb. Four-and-a-half stars.

Revolutionary Road (2009) Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet portray a young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. I found it fairly predictable, fairly boring, and quite disappointing. Winlet's typically fine performance could not save this movie for me. Two-and-a-half stars.

The Verdict (1982) is directed by Sidney Lumet and stars Paul Newman as a broken down, drunken attorney who takes on a large Catholic hospital in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Newman is wonderful in this role; pithy, gritty, flawed yet wonderful in some ways. Newman's character is pitted against a slick, well-heeled law firm and relies on his own wits and the able assistance of his former law professor played by Jack Warden. The mystery is not solved until very near the end of the movie and it was not, at least for me, obvious prior to that moment. Four-out-of-five-stars.

Comment by Bebop on June 6, 2009 at 12:24pm

Keet, we rented Last Chance Harvey and really liked it. There was something so poignant about these two sad, lonely people connecting.

Comment by Keith on June 6, 2009 at 11:46am

As new members of Netflix, we will probably have more input here. The first Netflix rental, Last Chance Harvey is greatly enhanced by the acting prowess of Oscar winners Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. If you are like DeeDee and I and were fortunate to find love at a later stage in life, this is a wonderfully told tale. It has just enough conflict and unique circumstance to make the viewer get caught up in the unfolding story. Clearly both are not having, nor have had a very good time experiencing life until their chance encounter, also gets a second chance.

Also take the time to view the extras on the making of the movie, as it turns out, while this was the product of great effort by the writer and director Joel Hopkins who freely admits working with these two acting legends was very humbling, and richly rewarding. I like Dustin Hoffman. I like Emma Thompson, and I liked (as did DeeDee) Last Chance Harvey.

Comment by roknrolhrt on May 27, 2009 at 12:27pm

Angels & Demons (2009)

This sequel to The DaVinci Code stars Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, and Vittoria Vetra. Directed by Ron Howard, Angels & Demons is set in Rome, which we lovers of Italy find very attractive. Ms. Vetra steals the show in my opinion and the other two stars are hampered by fairly predictable characters and eventualities. The special effects are great, but the storyline is, at best, mediocre. There are some interesting characters within the Swiss Guard, the Vatican Police and the College of Cardinals, but, otherwise, not so great. It's a sort of fun movie, but not much else. I'd give Angels & Demons two-and-three-quarter stars out of a possible five.

Comment by roknrolhrt on May 27, 2009 at 12:13pm

Past Due Recommendations: Well, I've been a bit derelict in providing timely movies reviews of late--preoccupied don't you know. To begin with, we watched two marvelous movies recommended in this group; I've Loved You So Long and The Winter Guest. Of the two, I favor The Winter Guest for it's cinematography, the use of winter as a featured character, and the relationships flawed yet real. However, I concur with the previous recommendations and heartily applaud both films.

Comment by roknrolhrt on May 16, 2009 at 8:59am

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Directed by David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club)

Starring: Brad Pitt in the title role, Taraji P. Henson as Queenie-his step mother, and Cate Blanchett as Daisy-his love interest.

The special effects in the film are wonderful and truly enable the telling of the story, but they are not intrusive or overdone. It would be difficult to find fault with any of the acting in this film and the makeup magic employed to age the characters is most impressive--in fact, the acting and the effects compliment each other in a most pleasant way. After all is said and done about the make-up and effects, however, this is a love story and, like many love stories, it is bittersweet.

Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's story and adapted for the screen by Eric Roth, it has an expansive geographical scope and lengthy time period similar to Roth's earlier effort, Forrest Gump. Benjamin is born old and "ages" in reverse while Daisy is born young and ages in the usual fashion. This circumstance, of course, challenges their relationship throughout the film. The characters are rich, pithy, and believable--and the settings in New Orleans and elsewhere evoke a real sense of being there. This is a visual appealing film that dances before your eyes in what seems to be a much shorter period of time than the actual running time of two hours and 40 minutes. This is one we will want to see again.

Comment by GTO on May 1, 2009 at 8:24pm

we also watched Doubt a few days ago and lately watched Slumdog Millionaire and Twilight...we liked both...found the girl in Twilight very mesmerizing...

Comment by Bebop on May 1, 2009 at 8:11am

I agree that all the actors were excellent. I was left feeling uneasy after it was over and I think it was because of the "doubt" factor. Nothing got wrapped up in a tidy package. We'll never know what did happen.

Comment by roknrolhrt on May 1, 2009 at 7:59am

DOUBT (2008) is the intriguing story of a nun who accuses a priest of having an inappropriate relationship.

The tale takes place at a Catholic elementary school in the Bronx and focuses on a nun (Meryl Streep) who grows suspicious when a priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) begins taking an interest in the life of a young black student. Amy Adams is excellent as the young nun who fans the flames of suspicion and Viola Davis is memorable as the mother of the student. Both Ms. Adams and Ms. Davis were Oscar nominees for their supporting roles in this film. Not surprisingly, Meryl Streep received the Oscar nomination for Best Actress and Philip Seymour Hoffman got the nod for a Best Actor nomination. In short, while the performances in this film are splendid, the storyline doesn't consistently hit the mark. This film is worth seeing, but it does not live up to the hype in my view.

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