Been to a few movies this summer and since I use this place as a time filler at work and today is the first day back to school, so I come back to S2. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny- The first 45 minutes or so are get nostalgia of what Indy movies were with the original three. Probably one too many car chase scenes and about 20 minutes too long but overall a worthy closing chapter to the saga and much better than Crystal Skull. 7/10 Sound of Freedom- was hard to get a ticket to this one and figured the theater would be full of empty seats but it was packed. Heavy story and very important to watch as this stuff is happening every day, even more so down here on the border. 7.5/10 Barbie- It was fine and honestly thought Ryan Gosling stole the movie, though Margot Robbie is very good in it as well. Very preachy and I understand I'm not the target demo but will never watch this movie again. 6/10 Oppenheimer- Nolan continues to be a master filmmaker and don't be scarred off by the 3 hour runtime, it actually moves really quick, especially the first two hours. Overall it's been by far the best movie I've seen this summer. 8.5/10
Just watched Big George Foreman. All about the ups and downs of his life and boxing career. Good performance by Forest Whitaker as Foreman's trainer and mentor. Reminded me of the great heavy weight boxing matches of the 70's with Foreman, Frazier, Ali. Also reminded me of how obnoxious Howard Cosell was.
Killers of the Flower Moon- Yes it's long ... 3 1/2 hours long but as with just about every Marty movie, it's really well done. I knew a little about the story going into it but definitely made me want to read the book now. For a film with Leo and Bobby in it, crazy that a basically unknown actress steals the show with every scene she is in as Lily Gladstone should be up for all the major awards. The last hour or so really started to drag but some good cameos in there. 8.5/10 The Killer- Another one that supposedly will be up for awards as David Fincher focuses on an assassin and a job that goes wrong and the fall out from it all. Michael Fassbender does an excellent job in the lead role but the pacing is weird, as the pacing tends to be with Fincher. Really enjoyed this one as well and wouldn't be surprised to see Fassbender or Fincher up for some awards, especially with the SAG strike pushing other movies to later in 2024 and outside the awards window. 8/10 And a couple of new watches for Halloween of oldies: Nightmare on Elm Street- I'd never sat down and watched the original all the way through start to finish. I knew most of the kills and lines already along with Depp being sucked into the bed, but needed to go start to finish on it. Was fun and campy all at the same time, even if you know the sequels are going to get more and more over the top. Loved and hated the ending with her getting into the car and the convertible top in the color of Freddy's sweater, but then the mom (aka department store mannequin) getting sucked through the door was dumb. 7/10 Hocus Pocus- Another one from the childhood that me and the wife had never seen and she really wanted to watch. It wasn't bad, probably better than I was expecting and I can see why some of my friends a little younger than me had a big crush on SJP (though I'd take her from Honeymoon in Vegas). Fun story, decent acting from the witches and a good 95 minutes of background action that you don't have to pay super close attention to. 6.5/10
Downsizing with Matt Damon was great, just watched it. Also enjoyed the last Indiana Jones movie but it wasn't one of the best...just still a fun ride.
I watched Next Goal Wins and it was surprisingly good. Kinda glad that Magneto found something to do in his off time.
Watched Alexander Payne's latest movie ... THE HOLDOVERS ... this weekend and as usual another great Paul Giamatti performance while the young kid does a really good job opposite him. Not sure it's exactly a best picture type of movie (though it did get a nom) but felt like a throwback type of film, and not just because it's set in the early 70s, that doesn't get made often these days. I liked it but will probably never watch it again. 8/10
I enjoyed this as well. Never been a Decr Yes I thought it was good as well. I've never been a DiCapio fan but I thought he played his part well.
I watched A Million Miles Away last night. When I saw the preview several months ago I didn't think it would be very good but it turned out to be a pretty good show based on a true story. It brought back memories of space flight events of the past.
I watched Eric with Benedict Cumberbatch in a rare role and thought it was a great un-Hollywood type movie. Quirky and brilliantly acted.
Saw three old black & white movies this weekend. All with great acting and all disturbing. The Children's Hour, Audrey Hepburn and Shirley Maclaine, vicious rumor and prejudice destroy the lives of two young teachers. Suddenly, Last Summer, Katherine Hepburn as wealthy woman seeking to cover up family scandal by destroying her niece's (Elizabeth Taylor) mind. In a Quiet Place, effect of being falsely accused on screenwriter played by Humphrey Bogart.
Iron Claw. Thought it was great. I had to accept some tweaks to the true story (they merge a Von Erich brother) but once I was beyond that, it's a special performance by Zac Efron. I saw him in the overlooked Gold recently prior to this and he turned in a good performance there. If you look at him in the Iron Claw, and you're familiar with the brothers, you would assume that he's playing Kerry, based on his physique alone. By the end it became clear why they put that emotional weight on Zac and let Jeremy Allen White be the wild one. That being said, they picked the wrong guy to pretend to be Ric Flair in this movie man, he sucks ass. It's so jarring too after they briefly reanimate Harley Race in a prior scene. Other than those minor flaws it's one of the best films I've seen this decade.
Finally watched the entire Godfather trilogy (I watched the Coda version of III). It was really good! Three was a lot better than I expected it to be
I remember literally laughing out loud at that portrayal of Flair, it was SOOOOOO bad! Overall though I'd agree with you, it was a really good movie and Efron I thought should have gotten more love for the role. I know it's hard to break out of the type casting his career started with but he was very effective.
