I saw A Star is Born the other night. The best film of the year and one of the best of all time. Bradley Cooper takes the Norman Maine character and updates it, giving The Star Is Born story more depth and meaning. Lady Gaga may play the titular role, but it's the brooding, boozy Jackson who is at the film's center. The original soundtrack with contributions from country singers like Lucas Nelson and Jason Isbell and pop music by DJ White Shadow and Mark Ronson, is among the best of it's kind. This film is a classic, folks.
Just saw First Man and Bad Times at the El Royale. First Man was almost hypnotic with the repetitive music playing as they approached the moon and got closer and closer to landing. Cynthia Erivo is fantastic in Bad Times at the El Royale. You heard it here first. She is about to become a big time movie star. A Star is Born disappointed me. I maintain Crazy Rich Asians is the best movie of the year though I missed Black Panther. Other great movies were Searching and Juliet Naked.
Perhaps. Or.... Trading Places My Cousin Vinny South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut Notting Hill Waiting For Guffman Tootsie Bridesmaids
Saw First Man was in the Theater today. Thought it was a very authentic, coaxed set of performances by Damien Chazelle. If your thinking Apollo 13 or The Right Stuff, this isn't your movie. This is a film for the engineers, astrophysicists, mathematicians and test pilots who made up the space program. The jarring noises and inhuman conditions on lift off are offset by the impassive demeanor of Ryan Gosling's face as he tries to negotiate his regular life with a zen passivity. My father was a fighter pilot and engineer. The patterned behavior and "practice discipline" lifestyle is very much accurate. Critics deriding this fim for lack of emotional content have watched too much fucking Star Wars. "First Man" is about maybe the ultimate human achievement against a backdrop of inhuman tasks.
Everest - Expedition to ascend Mt. Everest. I think the movie did a good job showing the difficulties and terror the climbers faced in the harshest conditions imaginable. Passengers - simple story of a space colony ship with thousands of passengers and one is awakened 90 years too early. I was expecting more sci-fi, but I enjoyed it. The Conjuring 2 - It's a Supernatural thriller ranking up there with the first movie. I enjoyed the characters and the slow pace building up to the climax. I also found it interesting how they included the Amityville House. For the next movie, it'd be awesome if they can delve deeper into Amityville. Vengeance westerns - Dad and I enjoyed both of these and we are hoping for more western movies. 1. Forsaken (Western) - Donald and Kiefer Sutherland portray father and son in this movie as they try to repair their relationship. During that process we see a ruthless land-grabber hungry for farm land leading up to its climax. 2. The Ballad of Lefty Brown - Bill Pullman does some of his best acting in this movie as he's on the trail of his partner's murderers. I can't wait to see the character study with Joaquin Phoenix as Joker. I'm hoping they will do it well as they show us the origin of The Joker.
I enjoyed Everest and Passengers very much. Forsaken was entertaining but I think it paled in comparison to Shane and Unforgiven. Sorry, just don't care for supernaturals. I just don't recognize the title The Ballad of Lefty Brown but the plot sounds both so familiar and so intriguing as to be a must see even if it turns out to be a repeat.
I want to recommend two great Jim Belushi movies. 1. The only movie I've ever liked John Ritter in, "Real Men", hilarious; 2. Mr. Destiny. Real Men is probably the best of the two but both are great movies.
Reefer Madness Just got through watching it for the upteenth time. I remember in college they showed that movie at the Home Economics building at Oregon State. As soon as the lights dimmed for the movie joints lit up all over the place. You couldn't go a minute without someone passing you a lit joint. We all laughed our asses off. Afterward, I remember going home, opening my refrigerator and eating everything I could find. What a stupid yet hilarious movie.
Free YouTube movie Fort Graveyard, 1965, English subtitles. You will like or hate the creative storyline. I liked it. All acting, no special affects.
