Amph What was the last movie you saw?

A Faster Horse, 2015. Documentary about the history of the Ford Mustang, emphasizing the new S550 redesign for 2015. I found it interesting, maybe because I have a 2017 S550 Mustang on order from the factory. It's more about the people who design cars and the pressure they're under than the car itself.

 

Jack Reacher is one of the most obnoxious characters ever created. His entire existence is ridiculous.

 

The Night Before [2015] - some very funny moments laugh out loud moments, but it felt very unstructured overall. Take Seth Rogan out of this movie and it falls apart. In essence, it's the debauchery of "The Hangover" meets the Christmas holiday where instead of searching for a missing friend, the movie is searching for meaning. Sadly, it doesn't find it, or more accurately, I'd say that it clumsily stumbles into one whether you like it or not.

 

Shaun the Sheep the Movie. We've watched the TV show many times, wasn't sure how it could be stretched out to movie length. Beautiful stop motion, Aardman are still the best in the business at the moment (Not sure if there are others) and it had some laugh out loud moments

I need to check out Aardman's Pirates movie now.

 

Caught up on two Oliver Stone movies this weekend: Any Given Sunday and Natural Born Killers. The results were nauseating.

 

ATM

 

Valkyrie

 

A Warrior's Tragedy (1993) the short version.

 

Spy surprisingly I enjoyed this one. Melissa McCarthy plays her usual Melissa McCarthy role, but it works as she's the bumbling, inexperienced but well meaning cia operative sent in to the field to track a nuclear device. Jude Law is her suave partner, but Jason Stath stole the show for me as the ridiculously macho field agent, he was very funny. The film veers from comedy to some graphic violence. But it's well worth a watch I thought for a half decent comedy spy thriller.

 

Where'd you get a suit?

I ******* made it, didn't I?

 

I just got back from seeing a screening of Klute at the Tyneside Cinema. I thought it was very good, but unfortunately the copy they showed was taken from a really scratchy film print. I didn't totally ruin my enjoyment, but it was annoying.

 

Sully

 

American Pie Presents: The Book of Love

 

Sully That was the real thing. I've been in several in-flight emergencies, and the film captured what it's like perfectly. It's one of those movies where the tension was killing me, even though I've read most of the accident reports and know perfectly well what happened. There was a lot of pilot jargon and acronyms which were crystal clear to me (and all used correctly too! Amazing!) which might be off-putting to the non-aviating viewer, but it worked fantastically for me. Two thumbs way up on Sarge's believable flying movie rating scale.

 

I just got in from that movie. I really enjoyed it and I can easily believe that he put a ton of research into his role. When he made Apollo 13, the astronauts were so impressed by the depth and scope of his knowledge of the Apollo program that they repeatedly told him that he missed his calling.

 

Oh my God, the one where those three idiots are trapped in the ATM booth by a psycho killer? That movie is ridiculous. It's fun in a kind of a goofy way and there are a couple of shocks that actually work in the moment even if they make no sense at all. It's a good premise. The characters could have been a little less stupid. I've never encountered anyone else who's seen it.



Southside With You (2016) – Richard Tanne

Southside With You has a premise that I freely admit made me roll my eyes: it’s based on the Obamas’ first date, the afternoon & evening that Barack and Michelle spent together on their first date. I’m no Obama hater, obviously, but you don’t have to be to think this is kind of a dumb idea for a movie. But the movie is, if not particularly great, better than it has any right to be. Tika Sumpter is really good as a youthful, but steely Michelle. Parker Stevenson, perhaps strangely or perhaps wisely, doesn’t even attempt a vocal impersonation of Barack, but he’s affable enough; a scene where he speaks at a community meeting pulls you out of the movie because he has none of Obama’s natural charisma as a public speaker. From certain angles, both Sumpter and Stevenson look incredibly like the Obamas, so that works. The script attempts to freight this first date with a lot of emotional weight by having the characters help each other come to realize big emotional truths about themselves, which I don’t doubt happened, but probably not on their first date. The script is at its best when its capturing the sometimes awkward, sometimes serious, sometimes funny dialogue of a really good first date; when Barack is helping Michelle realize that she’s subconsciously angry with herself because her job makes her feel like she’s sold out her ideals, it’s not very good, though a late scene in the movie where the characters discuss Barack’s father issues is surprisingly effective and features the best acting of both performers. The question, I suppose, is “What’s the point?” To the degree the movie has a point, it isn’t just to humanize the Obamas; it’s to completely deflate the “great man” theory of history. This film isn’t about two people who are destined for greatness; the Obamas in this movie aren’t destined for anything – they’re just people who don’t really know what they want to do in life. It’s a refreshing take on the biopic, not that this film really fits into that genre exactly; the idea of making a movie about people who end up in the White House and make the case that there isn’t a single thing really special about them . . . it’s bold. Ultimately, it’s not at all a bad movie, which it very easily could have been. The writing is patchy, the performances basically fine & occasionally quite good; it’s a decent movie, best viewed by Obama super-fans, if there are any of those left*. But even those, like me, who feel decidedly ambivalent about Obama’s term in office will find small pleasures, if not big ones. 2 ½ stars.

tl;dr – the Obamas’ first date is a weird subject, but the film is better than it has a right to be; solid performances with a variable script add up to a decent, if not particularly good, film. 2 ½ stars.

More Movie Reviews!

* Jabba-wocky ?

 

I always thought it was an odd idea too. Was there 'Hobbit' esque prequel foreshadowing during their first date? I like the idea of making a movie about the young Barack and Michelle Obama as they are interesting people. We're too close to the presidency though and he's too polarizing a figure at the moment.

Several,

'Mulan',

As far as Disney renaissance films go this one ranks pretty highly. It has just the right mixture of emotion and laughs.The wired Eddie Murphy gives Robin Williams Genie a run for his money with his insanely high energy Mushu. I think Mulan too is one of the more interesting of the Disney princesses. I was sort of disappointed by the tacked on ending implying Mulan will marry Li Shang. The whole story seems to build up on the basis of her finding an identity for herself not defined by her family or a future husband. The ending sort of bummed me out.

It isn't my favorite Disney film from this period but it is a very good one. The animation is colorful and has some of the most epic sequences Disney has ever done. Mostly though it is it's sense of humor and rich title character that makes this one worth remembering.

(I look forward to seeing what white actors appear in the live action remake Disney has planned.)

'House of Frankenstein' and 'Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man'

I've reviewed these movies so many times before. I love them. But alas Universal actually did something good to honor their monsters. The later Frankenstein films have all undergone extensive 4K restorations and have been released on Blu-Ray for this Halloween. They look just as amazing as the 2012 restorations Universal did for the more respected Monster fare. There are no new special features on the set but for the dedicated monster fan it is like seeing the films for the first time.

'Eye in the Sky'

It's highly contrived but still is an effective little thriller. Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Iain Glen, and the late Alan Rickman all give very intense performances. Maybe I'm too much of a cynic but I don't think the people in the war room would have this much moral conflict about drone warfare. And so some of the scenes of the little girl outside of the terrorist bunker come off as heavy handed. What the film does remarkably well is showcase how cold and impersonal drones are. It isn't a perfect movie but it has some great moments. I think it would have been a more effective film had it embraced the fact that to "pull the trigger" you have to be a little bit sociopathic.

'Grand Hotel'

I've been reading a lot about Thalberg and MGM. This is mentioned a great deal as one of the greatest MGM achievements.It marked the first time a film had an ensemble of big movie stars. It's an enjoyable little melodrama wrapped in a deceptively big package. The best moments are the more intimate ones. Ironically Garbo is the least interesting subplot of the film. I was far more drawn to Lionel Barrymore's character than anyone else.

 

What? You mean a bunch of high-level politicians, bureaucrats, and military officers don't have an hours-long debate over one drone strike that might kill one child and will go to great lengths to ensure said child's safety? You cynical, cynical person.

 

The Firm (1989), a British TV movie about football hooliganism. I've never had any interest in football (nothing wrong with it, just not my cup of tea), but this is an excellent look at some of the darker and more violent aspects of it's fans.

 

Double post, ignore

 

Sully
I caught this last night, beautifully shot and crafted, solid performances from Hanks and the rest of the cast - focuses on the human side of Sully and his co pilot as in the aftermath of landing an airliner in the Hudson River. eastwood really does shoot beautiful movies.

8/10

 

Alice (1988), a part live action-part stop motion adaptation of Alice in Wonderland from the Czech Republic. I enjoyed it over all, but at times I did find it a bit unsettling.

 

into the wild

caught it on netflix and remembered it was based on a true story and a book by jon krakauer (who i totally admire) do i gave it a shot. fantastic movie and i'm not ashamed to say it had me in tears.

 

Waffle Street