I went with my son to see War Of The Planet Of The Apes. I'd love to say that I liked this latest installment of this venerable franchise, but I found it to be quite the plodder for the first two acts. Andy Serkis was fine as Caesar, but the pacing just wasn't there for me. Add to that some pretty dull dialogue, even for apes, and just about every cliché possible. Karen Konoval shines as Maurice, but Woody Harrelson phoned in his crazy as the Colonel. In the final act, the pace does pick up as the various forces collide against each other, but by then I was praying for the whole business to end. 3/5 stars out of 5.
One hot afternoon the wife and myself decided to go to the movies . The show we picked was the Fate of the Fast and Furious . Normally this is a pretty good franchise but not really this go around . The fate was watching a two hour movie that seemed poorly put together . The furious was the price I paid at the concession stand .The fast was leaving the parking of the theatre . The computer generated scenes just felt out of sync and too far fetched .There was not a lot of comedy this time around , more of why is everyone so serious . 2 1/2 out of 5.
"Kicking and Screaming", a silly soccer movie from several years back. I give it a 5 out of 10.
I am debating about seeing Dunkirk, I have read books about it and cannot see how a story line can be made about the confusion and mayhem that was really a Miracle for the Allies, Greater for the British. Last movie I saw was Hacksaw Ridge, had read the book some time back, debated about seeing it as War movies unsettles me as I get older, it was well made. In my opinion TV is better than Movies now, seeing big names jump in TV.
Forgot , that's the road when you get old, Streamed a movie with Amazon for the wife, Allied, with Brad Pitt, not a big fan, liked Legends of the Fall, but it was an interesting era that Allied portrayed, was satisfied, it was a good movie, wife liked it, tear jerker at the end. Had a story, that's what Hollywood has forgotten.
Cars 3...great movie..the first one was great but the second one really sucked..the third one was great because for me it continued the story that the first one started.
"Smoke" - 2 stars, was just really boring , and like most movies, only has a few good scenes that they use in the trailer to entice you to watch it.
Great movie that would have been great in black and white! It had that "Noir" feel about it!
You didn't say when, besides that's the last time I went to a theater, and drive ins..........well, let's just say I don't remember the movies and, that was still a long time ago.
I couldn't agree more. I struggled to stay awake.
I do enjoy Tom Hanks's movies, I've never seen a bad one....although I have to wait till they come on TV or I buy the VHS or DVD.
That's right, I still have a VHS and a wall of tapes. Got reel to reel and 8 Tracks too.
Wow Ron, you make me less of a Luddite! I can't think of the last movie I watched, but a while ago we watched Deadpool and it was better than I expected, in fact it's one of the best movies I've seen lately. Ryan Reynolds... words fail me. Yeah, I'm in my 70s, but still like this stuff!
The pipe smoker formerly know as Agnosticpipe.
I try not to purchase anything I don't really need in the way of electronics and such. It really peeves me off that I had to purchase a HD TV recently because I couldn't see the channel line up/menu on my old CRT TV (blurry) but, there wasn't anything wrong with it, just lack of technology. But, there's NO way I'm buying a cell phone, I lived my whole life without one and see no reason to own one now, or any of those other silly contraptions some carry around with them.
Saw Dunkirk yesterday, very little dialogue, a lot of action...petty good but I cannot assign stars, as I rarely go to the movies.
Rottentomatoes gives it high marks.
I saw Dunkirk last night. Nolan is a first rate director, the production values are as high as it gets, the visual effects are about as well interwoven and seamless as one could want. There is much to admire in this film, from the breathtaking views of the Channel, the graceful and deadly choreography of dogfights, the faithful recreation of events at Dunkirk, the naturalism of all of the actors, and more.
Nolan seems to be trying very hard to present an objective portrayal of events, eschewing glamorizing, casting actors who look, and act, like average people. The heroism is never presented with a frame of marquee lights blinking around it. Hans Zimmer's score is more a pulsing cadence than a rousing fanfare, except for one moment when the flotilla of small boats reaches Dunkirk, and even there it is a subdued fanfare, just enough to signal an important change in the sequence of events.
The story is told through the experiences of several different characters, and the film intercuts between their stories to tell the larger story. The central character is the British private who has made it to the beach against all odds, only to find himself trapped on it, there is the story of one civilian who, with his son, sets out on his boat to join in the rescue effort, there are two RAF pilots who sacrifice their ability to return home to continue to harass the Heinkel bombers and Messerschmidt fighters even though their fuel is running out.
But for all my admiration of the film's technical prowess and objective point of view, I felt unmoved by it. It is a chilly film, an onslaught of impersonal and often faceless violence that ceaselessly continues for most of the film's length. Perhaps this is what the soldiers at Dunkirk experienced. There is something matter-of-fact in the way events are portrayed. Perhaps in his decision to avoid being too "Hollywood" about this story, Nolan veered too far the other way. Despite this, I still recommend this film to anyone curious about Dunkirk. It may be a little bloodless as a storytelling, but in many other ways it is a fine and compelling film. 4 out of 5 stars.
After a decade, I re-watched Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby. Eastwood craftsmanship, deft and unhurried. Morgan & Clint are so sympatico and supportive of each other. Only 2nd viewing of Baby and appreciated even more. Have watched Unforgiven, several times and never tire of it and what an acting turn by Gene Hackman.
Not a new movie but I rewatched Gangs of New York early this morning. A really solid movie with a great cast and plot. Don't know if I'd rate it 5/5 but it's up there in quality of plot, cast, directing and detail.
No senior discounts where you are? The Laemmle theaters here have quite a deal for seniors on Wednesdays. I'm enjoying some of the perks of being a senior, like 10% discounts for bread at my favorite bakery, discounts on movie tickets, and other nice schnides.
the last movie we watched was Logan. I liked it, but my wife was disappointed in some of the story. 4/5 before that I had watch Ip Man 1-3 with Donnie Yen. those get a 5/5 and anxiously awaiting the 4th to come out on DVD.
There is a difference between pride and arrogance. Which do you hold in your heart?
I just watched a moving Documentry about the children England took in before Hilter started the ovens, America had a chance to get in on it but as usual Congress whimped out saying Children had to be with Mom and Dad so Bill to take them in failed. Over 1.2 million children didn't make it. Nothing changes, no political rant just sad facts.
I gather that you're referring to the kindertransport. One of my closest friend's mother got out of Austria on one of the last trains to leave. Her story was told in the book The Children Of Willesden Lane, a wonderful book about love, sacrifice, faith, and survival.
Interstellar. Long movie. Decent special effects. The science was ok at times and pure fairy dust magic at others. The plot relied heavily on pulling at your heart strings with the loss of years that happens with time travel. I wanted it to be a better movie than it was, being a science fiction buff. In summary, it was worth watching, but a bit of a let-down to me. I give it a 7.5 out of 10.
I have been delving into a DVD set: Humphrey Bogart: The Essential Collection. 24 films on 6 discs. Essential is used a bit broadly, as half the movies included were not Bogie movies per se. Enjoyable nonetheless, but does not have my favorite HB film: In A Lonely Place (1950) directed by Nicholas Ray and costarring: Gloria Grahame.