All Things Movie/Documentary Reviews/Recommendations Thread

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Ope3 said:
If Sinners had not been nominated for Best Picture, I doubt I would have watched it.

I get the nominations, but the mult-genre film just isn't my cup of corn whiskey. I wasn't up for the 2nd act big shift.

It's well acted and shot, as I would expect Coogler/Jordan joint to be. I'm glad Delroy Lindo's efforts are recognized.

The highlight of the film for me, was actually the extended post-credit scene by using a real life Blues Legend to play one of the characters as an older version in the sunset of their life.

Great touch.
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While I was not very big on Sinners as a film, I can't deny how deserving Michael B Jordan was for what was really 3 different performances. Quite a talent.

I probably would have voted Ethan Hawke though. His trick was to act as though he was a foot shorter in Blue Moon.
 


Ope3 said:
Hamnet.

Oscar bait. Multiple categories, probably most of all Costumes & Set Design.
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Jessie Buckley brings home Best Actress in the least surprising win of the night from Hamnet, relative to the field.
 


Ope3 said:
I was able to take in all 10 Best Picture Oscar nominees. Here is my ranking:


One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Train Dreams
The Secret Agent
Hamnet
F1
Frankenstein
Bugonia
Marty Supreme
Sinners
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Nailed it.

It's a rare occurrence in which my favorite film also aligns with what I think is the Best Picture and the Academy agrees.

One Battle After Another is such a film. Kind of knew it walking out of the theater.
 



Not yet mentioned here, but really well deserved win for Amy Madigan as Best Supporting Actress in Weapons. She was creepy AF in it and when the credits rolled, my jaw dropped to see the wife in Field of Dreams playing the role. She took an intriguing scary movie and elevated it into another level.
 

coolhandgopher said:
Not yet mentioned here, but really well deserved win for Amy Madigan as Best Supporting Actress in Weapons. She was creepy AF in it and when the credits rolled, my jaw dropped to see the wife in Field of Dreams playing the role. She took an intriguing scary movie and elevated it into another level.
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The win escaped my radar for a couple of reasons. Weapons was one of the very few nominees I did not see. The only other from the major categories was Rose Byrne (Best Actress) from If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, which I hope to see shortly as it is on HBO-MAX.

Also the Academy Awards ceremony started a half hour earlier than I thought, so I missed that presentation. E - me.

I will trust the voters on this, since I did not see the film and the other nominees were fantastic. Of the 4 other films I did see, I would have given the nod to Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas from Sentimental Value.
 

coolhandgopher said:
Not yet mentioned here, but really well deserved win for Amy Madigan as Best Supporting Actress in Weapons. She was creepy AF in it and when the credits rolled, my jaw dropped to see the wife in Field of Dreams playing the role. She took an intriguing scary movie and elevated it into another level.
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I just watched Amy Madigan's acceptance speech, while not consise it was wonderful. Such joy.

I'm glad she did not forget to mention her husband John Glenn who was sitting next to her.
 



Ope3 said:
I just watched Amy Madigan's acceptance speech, while not consise it was wonderful. Such joy.

I'm glad she did not forget to mention her husband John Glenn who was sitting next to her.
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Yea, never knew they were married (much less 40 some years).
 

Ope3 said:
I just watched Amy Madigan's acceptance speech, while not consise it was wonderful. Such joy.

I'm glad she did not forget to mention her husband John Glenn who was sitting next to her.
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Ed Harris, not John Glenn.

Saw on X the joy and pride on his face when she won. What a great marriage and partnership
 


Ope3 said:
One Battle After Another won the Best Casting Oscar. That's only surprising because I didn't even know was a thing, just added this year.

Tough category, but it would have gotten my vote.

Buddy Guy in Sinners and George Gervin in Marty Supreme not enough to sway me otherwise. One would think a film in which the Harlem Globetrotters appear, The Ice Man would would have gotten one of those roles. Instead he played a Ping Pong Parlor proprietor.
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Legend. Buddy Guy.


Age 90! Wow.
 



Checked out OBAA finally and it just wasn’t for me. Felt like most characters were a little bit like caricatures but perhaps that was the point. Lot of really good scenes, but it felt more like discrete scenes than as well flowing as I was expecting.

I will say both OBAA and Sinners felt distinctly original, which I did appreciate.

Did also take the time to watch All the Empty Rooms. Really powerful short film. These are always hard to watch (similar to If Anything Happens I Love You) and have a hard time in the using the material for source, but also appreciate the point of the film.
 

Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
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I disagree with Carolla. I would only rate 3 of QT's films as better than PTA's One Battle After Another:

Pulp Fiction
Inglorious Bastards
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

PTA's Boogie Nights is the best work either has ever done though, in my opinion.

Back to Adam Carolla. I do recommend the film he wrote and starred in, The Hammer. Quite underrated.
 


The Peaky Blinders movie was disappointing. As a movie by itself it was ok but if you’re a fan of the show, it wasn’t very good IMO.
 

Watched Project Hail Mary. It kind of pulled me in. Thought it got better and better as it went along.
 
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fan of Ray Williams said:
Watched Project Hail Mary. It kind of pulled me in. Thought it got better and better as it went along.
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WilliamsArenaGuy said:
Loved it. Stays with you after too. We need more movies like this.
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I saw Project Hail Mary today, it's quite good. I agree on how it builds interest as it progresses.

Gosling's performance was stellar. In a career defined by award worthy work one after another, chalk up yet another which which is sure to get nominations.

I'm always amazed when one can pull that off when being the only performer in frame for such large stretches of time. Equally as difficult to do it with a muppet of sorts, "Rocky."

I felt like a dope for not getting the planet "Adrian" connection.

I tried to keep up with science of it all but in the end just had to roll with it. More thought provoking are ethical, policy, personal sacrifice choices made with the fate of humanity on the line.

Some good dark humor throughout to balance the seriousness of the Project.
 
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I had never heard this before until very recently. What a cool trivial tidbit for what was such a fantastic movie

"Studios were initially unwilling to finance the film. The film’s initial budget of approximately $319,000 was raised by convincing 10 separate investors to pitch in.

It was funded by a coalition of rock stars and record labels such as George Harrison, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Jethro Tull, Island Records, Chrysalis Records and Michael White."

 

Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
I had never heard this before until very recently. What a cool trivial tidbit for what was such a fantastic movie

"Studios were initially unwilling to finance the film. The film’s initial budget of approximately $319,000 was raised by convincing 10 separate investors to pitch in.

It was funded by a coalition of rock stars and record labels such as George Harrison, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Jethro Tull, Island Records, Chrysalis Records and Michael White."

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George Harrison was honored at the Oscars after he passed away for the In Memoriam segment as a performer and Producer, with a Monty Python image.

Also was behind the The Rutles, which spoofed Beatlemania.
 


My wife decided we were going to go to a family movie for Mother's Day so went to Sheep Detectives yesterday. The kids loved it of course with the talking sheep but so did the grown ups. Very well done.
 

Ope3 said:
I am pretty sure I saw the same interview as that is what prompted me to DVR this version of the Bad News Bears in the first place, it just took me a while to watch it.

Additional side note on baseball, that all knowing Google sent me an article last night about "7 Essential" Richard Linklater scenes (freaky that it was after my original post on this). One was the Dazed & Confused baseball scene. The studio wanted him to cut it from the filming schedule, due to expenses. Even though it was his first studio film, he went to the mat to keep it in. Had to be super frustrating for the director to find out the actor (Wiley Wiggins) playing Mitch completely lied about having any athletic ability. Anyway he made it work.

I totally admire his career arc, staying pretty much in Austin and essentially staying away from cash grabs. Ironic that Bad News Bears was one of those few, but I am guessing his reverence for the original and the sport swayed him to take a swing at this one.

In baseball vernacular for Bad News Bears, I would say he reached base on a fielder's choice while driving in a runner from 3rd.
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Poor Wiley Wiggins' obvious lack of pitching prowess in Dazed and Confused tops Bill Simmons list of "Horrible On-screen Athleticism".

Agree in spades. As my HS Coach would say, Mitch has a "puss arm".

D'Annunzio in Caddyshack also a no brainier.

youtube.com

The least athletic movie moments of all time

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RINGER CHANNELSThe Ringer-Verse YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ringerverseThe Bill Simmons YouTube channel: youtube.com/billsimmo...
youtube.com youtube.com
 
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Ope3 said:
Poor Wiley Wiggins' obvious lack of pitching prowess in Dazed and Confused tops Bill Simmons list of "Horrible On-screen Athleticism".

Agree in spades. As my HS Coach would say, Mitch has a "puss arm".

D'Annunzio in Caddyshack also a no brainier.

youtube.com

The least athletic movie moments of all time

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RINGER CHANNELSThe Ringer-Verse YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ringerverseThe Bill Simmons YouTube channel: youtube.com/billsimmo...
youtube.com youtube.com
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Tim Robbins in Bull Durham was not great. Costner was very believable though.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Tim Robbins in Bull Durham was not great. Costner was very believable though.
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Agree on both parts. Hard to pull off believability for a big time pitcher, same goes for Eddie Ross character in Major League, though as an old timer hanging on by any means necessary made it passable. David Strathairn, an otherwise really good character acter struggled as Eddie Cicotte in Eight Men Out.

Otherwise in Eight Men Out, I thought the other actors really pulled off the numerous baseball scenes. Charlie Sheen is link both of those movies. Believable as both Hap Felsch (OF) and Wild Thing (P).
 

Miracle essentially did a hockey tryout much more than an acting tryout. All the skaters played hockey in college and/or juniors. The guy that played Jim Craig wasn't a hockey guy but that was easy to hide with a stunt double when he has a mask on.
 

Ope3 said:
Agree on both parts. Hard to pull off believability for a big time pitcher, same goes for Eddie Ross character in Major League, though as an old timer hanging on by any means necessary made it passable. David Strathairn, an otherwise really good character acter struggled as Eddie Cicotte in Eight Men Out.

Otherwise in Eight Men Out, I thought the other actors really pulled off the numerous baseball scenes. Charlie Sheen is link both of those movies. Believable as both Hap Felsch (OF) and Wild Thing (P).
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I thought I read somewhere he was drafted. But this is still pretty impressive (Per Google) -

Charlie Sheen played organized baseball at the high school level. He was a standout pitcher and shortstop at Santa Monica High School, where he was offered a college scholarship to the University of Kansas. However, his disciplinary issues and poor academic grades led to his expulsion just weeks before graduation, ending his baseball career before it could reach the collegiate level
 


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