Movies

Whoa whoa whoa whoa. Let's not say things we can't take back.

Thoroughly enjoyed the heck out of Soul.

I felt parts of it were decent enough, but as it went along I kept picturing the inimitable Graham Chapman as the Colonel in various Python skits and his "This is getting far too silly" line.

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My wife an I watched The Invisible Man (2020 release) on NYE. We enjoyed it. Interesting take as it focuses on the victim instead of the invisible man. Elizabeth Moss does a great job as the protagonist. Very solid thriller. I recommend it

It didn’t even occur to me until most of the way through that she was probably acting to nothing or someone in a blue suit. Either way she did a great job.

So... I have seen all the Harry Potter movies. Watching the last one right now.

What the yell is Voldemort’s deal? He wants to kill Harry for what reason? To take over a school? I mean this cannot be the real reason right? To rule all the people at a school?

Pretty much.

If someone at the school had said, "Hey Harry, this nutty dude is trying to kill you for some reason. If you need help come see us." the series would have been a pamphlet.

I mean, partly he wanted to kill Harry because his ultimate goal was to become immortal and (likely) wipe out muggles (normal people) in some sort of mass genocide.

Hogwarts was essentially the capital of the Wizarding world so him taking over Hogwarts would have essentially been akin to a hostile entity overhrowing the White House.

He was trying to kill Harry to gain immortality (the prophecy that neither can live while the other survives) and gain the power of the Deathly Hallows (he'd have the elder wand and the cloak of invisibility by killing Harry and probably would have been able to find the resurrection stone again if he really wanted it since Harry dropped it right outside where he went to meet Voldemort).

By killing Harry and taking Hogwarts he would have become unquestionably the most powerful wizard on earth. After that it likely would have expanded into some sort of genocide against non-magical beings (there are references in the books about how the killing of muggles basically becomes sport for the death eaters). JK Rowling has stated in interviews that she based some of his traits off of Hitler and Stalin, and the name Voldemort is very close to the German word for genocide (Volkermord). So that likely would have been his endgame had he succeeded.

Voldemort believed he needed to destroy Harry to maintain his immortality and also to overcome the prophecy that a boy would one day defeat him.

We watched the first Deathly Hallows last night with my daughter. It’s such a slow moving movie.

It really is. Part two definitely speeds it up a bit, but patience is again needed. They are also long, of course.

Prisoner of Azkaban (#3) will always be my favorite.

they are that too. My wife and I watched them over the summer after she reread the books, but we are watching them with our daughter now that she finished the last book

Sweet Land (Netflix disc):

In 1920, Inge, a German national, travels from Norway to rural Minnesota for her arranged marriage to Olaf, a Norwegian farmer; bureaucracy and prejudice cause major complications.

This is a nice little drama, with some comedic notes to it. Don't pay attention to the "foreign" languages they speak, apparently it's pretty much gibberish; however, it's not really important to the story at all. This is a story that plays to the heart of humanity, love, and community, minus the over-abundance of sap. I thought it moved along at a nice pace, was actually surprised they filled 110 minutes, but they did well with the time.

It's a decent watch, it won't move you to tears or make you guffaw or anything, but if you are a (media-driven rumored) Minnesotan, you'll probably say "Oh for cute!" a couple times.

Surprised you hadn't seen that one before. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

My disc queue list is actually down a bit, I only have about 75 movies waiting. I push and pull, moving around what I get next. Felt in the mood for it at this time.

Just checked. I'm at 1880 rated movies on disc for Netflix. Unfortunately they don't cross-reference for streaming. Guessing over 2K total (unique). Joined about 10 years ago?

Have you ever watched Gentleman Prefer Blondes? I rewatched that one just recently and forgot how damn funny it was. Sure it’s a little trifle of a film, Monroe’s first real starring role and she nails it. The snappy dialogue is great. Her one line, “I can be smart if I have to be, but most men don’t like it” cracks me up.

On the list.

You have way more free time than anybody I’ve ever known.

I'm a bachelor introvert, who doesn't watch many TV shows, and has a cable package that only gets CNN, those audio music channels, and some crappy channels that show reruns from the 70s/80s. *shrug*

Bill And Ted Face The Music:

Once told they'd save the universe during a time-traveling adventure, 2 would-be rockers from San Dimas, California find themselves as middle-aged dads still trying to crank out a hit song and fulfill their destiny.

Tons of plot holes due to time travel, duh. But a very fun movie. Really captures the spirit of the first one. Just sit back and enjoy it. It's not meant to be taken seriously at ALL. The daughters were perfect in their roles, basically being mirrors of their dads. It was fun to see Keanu revert back to his goofy persona, as his career has been all serious since then. 90 minutes of fun, if you ask me.

I've been hesitant to see this because I thought it would ruin one of my favorite movies as a junior high schooler.

Ditto, and I can say I'm glad I saw it.

Movies I watched over the weekend on Netflix:

The Take: Idris Elba plays a CIA operative who works with a pickpocket to help uncover a terrorist plot. Honestly I thought the story idea was a good one. The execution was not good. To many coincidences and implausibilities.

Homefront: Jason Statham plays an ex DEA agent who moves into the bayou. James Franco plays a back water drug manufacturer who finds out about Statham's DEA past and mayhem ensues. Honestly, I enjoyed this movie.

Unknown: Liam Neeson plays a Dr. who is involved in a car accident and forgets who he was. It doesn't help that the people he thought he knew now say they don't know him. He spends the rest of the movie trying to figure who he is with the help of Diane Kruger This was a pretty good movie too.

OK, you had me at Jason Statham moves to the bayou. I’m assuming at some point he’s shirtless and sweaty? You know, just because it’s hot in the bayou, not for any ridiculous reason, just practical. :dup:

I found that Statham movie this weekend as well, and I too enjoyed it. I don't recall if his was shirtless but for some reason he was awfully found of a gray ballcap throughout the movie. Every time it would get knocked off his head he made sure to pick it back up. As a fellow ballcap wearer, as in 99% of my awake time I have one on my head, I can appreciate that move.

I stumbled on this movie a couple weeks back, there was some video on FB that had the scene in the school yard with the girl and the bully and then the ensuing parking lot between the Dads. I was intrigued and found the movie. Didn't realize it was as old as it was and then Friday I noticed it was trending on Netflix I think. I also liked the movie.

Yes, it came out in 2013. It was written by Sylvester Stallone. Apparently the original intent was to make it part of the Rambo franchise.

You had me at Neeson and Kruger. Love 'em both.

I saw Unknown in theaters and really liked it.

I did see The Take. It was okay I guess.

Rebecca (1940, Netflix disc)

A self-conscious woman juggles adjusting to her new role as an aristocrat's wife and avoiding being intimidated by his first wife's spectral presence.

Watched the Netflix remake a while ago, not knowing it was a remake (never got into HItchcock). This was a very intricate,delicate, nuanced movie, and I dare say the remake did it justice. The style of acting did get to me at times (the "stare off into nothing while the camera is focused on you, for dramatic effect") always bothered me. But, that's how it was done back then.

I said it before, and I'll say it again. About the only differences were the modern tweaks. The remake tried to keep true to the original as much as possible.

Loved both.

I liked the remake ok, but it was a bit flimsy overall and the ending overly convenient. I haven't seen the original.

Anna (Netflix disc):

Beneath Anna Poliatova's striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world's most feared government assassins.

Rather standard spy/action/twisty popcorn movie, told in a sort of flashback way. They show part of the story, then they go to the (x) amount of time earlier, and bring you up to speed on how it got to that moment. Helen Mirren is excellent in her role as a top KGB agent. Cillian Murphy plays the CIA counterpart, and is serviceable, but I think the role was a little beneath his talents. Sasha Luss, who plays Anna, is decent, but frankly any actress with marginal talent could have done the role.

A good weekend afternoon time-killer, but nothing better nor worse than that. I did get a chuckle reading the IMDB page stuff, and under "Body Count," it was listed as "At least 75."

I'm usually not into romance/love story movies but the other night I thought I'd give this one a try when I saw it got a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Maybe not 100%, but I really enjoyed it. Worth seeking out on HBO for sure.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/before_sunrise

Bee Gees documentary (HBO Max)

Very well done, I knew they weren't ALL disco, but surprised to learn some of the all time hits they wrote. Sad to think that they are forever linked to one style of music by a majority of the people.

The other thing that I like reminding people of, is that EDM is a fancy term for techno, and techno is a direct descendant of disco. You can't convince me that "A Fifth Of Beethoven" is NOT a techno song, in essence.

Just heading out the door to work, but a friend pinged me that Christopher Plummer has passed away.

Chris83 wrote:

Just heading out the door to work, but a friend pinged me that Christopher Plummer has passed away.

Yep.

The Rube wrote:

Chris83 wrote:

Just heading out the door to work, but a friend pinged me that Christopher Plummer has passed away.

Yep.

Edelweiss

Chris83 wrote:

Just heading out the door to work, but a friend pinged me that Christopher Plummer has passed away.

So long, farewell, Alf wiedersehen, adieu. He was pure class.

Kelly Red wrote:

Chris83 wrote:

Just heading out the door to work, but a friend pinged me that Christopher Plummer has passed away.

So long, farewell, Alf wiedersehen, adieu. He was pure class.

He had that subtle dignity and respect (characters and real life). It never appeared that he demanded it. He just got it.

I loved him in The Return of the Pink Panther.. that is one movie where I consistently burst our laughing even though I've seen it a hundred times.

Elysium (Netflix disc):

In the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.

Well, the message is about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face, but an enjoyable action/sci-fi movie. Great cast (with quite a few future stars, mostly in the Narcos/etc vein of things). Quite a bit of "thank goodness for the...whatever device..." to move the plot forward, as is expected in these movies. Not a bad way to waste an afternoon.

Love Sharlto in that one. Really turns his South African accent up to 11 in it.

Karlsson wrote:

Love Sharlto in that one. Really turns his South African accent up to 11 in it.

Yeah he does. Reading on imdb. they really did the research on the slang/lingo. There were 3 nationalities, apparently, to choose from, and they ran with South African. One of my buddy's old gfs was actually from South Africa, and that accent was dead on.

The Midnight Sky:

This post-apocalyptic tale follows Augustine, a lonely scientist in the Arctic, as he races to stop Sully and her fellow astronauts from returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe.

George Clooney stars as Augustine, so yeah I was gonna give this a whirl. Rather well-done drama, quite a few layers of the morals of the story and such. Probably better seen on the big screen, but, well, you know. I would definitely recommend it. The ending, while a little cliched, suits the story.

I am glad you enjoyed it. I wanted to and it had all the makings to be great but I found it dull and uninspiring on the whole, and at times the storytelling was muddling and clumsy. The [hide]sequence on the ice was one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen[/hide] and the ending was trite and overly convenient.

Agree with you on the hidden part of your post.

Walk outside right now even with good covering and think about how long you would last