what is the last movie you have watched? (Billy Crystal, filmed, theater)
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Another disappointing week at the movies in Belmar Sq.
We saw Hitchcock. Anthony Hopkins is great at inhabiting another persona... his Nixon was just brilliant... I don't know what the real Hitchcock was like to be able to compare, but of the few clips I've seen, he did a great job. The other actors were all fine, as well. The problem was the bloody boring script. No suspense, no intrigue, no interesting cinematography/wardrobing/makeup (I'm stretching here to find something redeemable) & of course, Hitchcock is so rolly-polly, it's not like there were going to be any action scenes.
A couple of interesting characters were introduced & then not developed... so, what was the point of bringing them into the plot? Was it just bad editing? I don't know & I don't care... I was bored by the entire slow-moving movie, which told me nothing I couldn't have found by reading wonky Wikipedia. Wait for Netflix free streaming.
1* out of 5, only as Hopkins did a decent impersonation of a fat, famous man who was a virtual statue.
Saw half of Silver LiningsPlaybook. Again, I was bored. I don't know if I'm the problem lately in that nothing holds my attention, but this is only the 2nd movie ever where I fell asleep. I just didn't care about these characters, at all, particularly the 2 leads, Bradley Cooper (who I normally like) & the horrifically annoying & plain Jennifer Lawrence. Interestingly, it's the 1st movie I've seen in awhile where De Niro isn't calling in his performance, but, he's still an unlikable, selfish character.
My assessment is this movie tried to be cleverly comical in a Woody Allen type way, but couldn't pull it off. So, basically, the movie is dad wants his son, who had a mental breakdown, to be around him because he brings favorable gambling luck. The girl wants him to be around to win a dance contest. How old are these leads? 17?! And, Brad's regressed to a dorky teen. The plot is just plain stupid.
After a loud sound in the movie, I woke up as the 30-somethings were headed to the local football game & oh, the wacky antics that ensued with crazy, batty Brad. Again, they're not 17, so it was far too silly, uninteresting & unbelievable. Not that it couldn't be great with the right script or perhaps director... this just wasn't it.
I didn't ask the SO, 'What did I miss?'... I merely said, 'Can we leave or did you really want to see the ending?' Since the SO was also falling asleep, I guess one could say Bradley Cooper chased us out of the theatre. As an insomniac, however, I do thank him for a good night's sleep. I hated this movie & have no idea why it's up for any awards.
1* out of 5, only because De Niro wasn't playing his usual late-life boring role. Since Casino, I don't think I've seen him care about many his roles.
We saw Hitchcock. Anthony Hopkins is great at inhabiting another persona... his Nixon was just brilliant... I don't know what the real Hitchcock was like to be able to compare, but of the few clips I've seen, he did a great job. The other actors were all fine, as well. The problem was the bloody boring script. No suspense, no intrigue, no interesting cinematography/wardrobing/makeup (I'm stretching here to find something redeemable) & of course, Hitchcock is so rolly-polly, it's not like there were going to be any action scenes.
I was curious about this movie. Thanks for your review.
Did you watch "The Girl" that aired on HBO a month or so ago? It was about Hitchcock's obsession with icy blond actresses like Tippy Hedrin. I've heard this was a really good movie about the dark side of Hitchcock. I hope to see it when it's available on DVD.
I managed to watch a number of films today, all on TCM: Rome Adventure ~ with future husband-and-wife (for one year) Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette, plus Angie Dickinson as the temptress from his past Ghosts~Italian Style ~ The only time I laughed was when Sophia Loren was mistaken for a spirit near the end of the film. The rest just wasn't amusing to me. Cry Danger ~ This film noir with Dick Powell and Rhonda Fleming has great dialogue! I hadn't heard of this or the other noir films TCM aired. 99 River Street ~ Evelyn Keyes stole the film from John Payne! The scene where Keyes' character, an actress, turns herself into a supervamp with Brad Dexter is especially notable. Wow! They have it on YouTube!
Evelyn Keyes in 99 Rivers Street (1953) - YouTube Tomorrow Is Another Day ~ It reminds me of John Garfield's "They Made Me a Criminal". I'd seen Steve Cochran in tough roles; his kiddish, vulnerable ex-con was really a big change. Ruth Roman starts out blonde dancehall hostess then finds her inner good girl. The Breaking Point ~ Starring John Garfield, this is a second version of Ernest Hemingway's "To Have and Have Not". I have a hard time buying Patricia Neal as a floozy. She is great as Alma in "Hud", but as the flirty drifter in this film... Nah! Of course, I also don't believe her wild, bad, rich girl in "The Fountainhead". She's at her best in "A Face in the Crowd" opposite Andy Griffith as few people would imagine him~only those who have seen this powerhouse film. BTW: I like "TH&HN" more though I am a Garfield fan. The Prowler ~ This starts out feeling a bit like "Unawful Entry" but ends up resembling "Double Indemnity", with Evelyn Keyes as another femme fatale and Van Heflin as the cop gone bad.
Last edited by MystMoonstruck; 01-18-2013 at 12:56 AM..
I was curious about this movie. Thanks for your review.
Did you watch "The Girl" that aired on HBO a month or so ago? It was about Hitchcock's obsession with icy blond actresses like Tippy Hedrin. I've heard this was a really good movie about the dark side of Hitchcock. I hope to see it when it's available on DVD.
Hiya Ren... You're very welcome. Yes, I did see The Girl, too... wrote about it sometime back (not that I expect you to pour through my plethora of posts). I love Sienna Miller & she was great as Tippi. It was a much better movie than Hitchcock & honestly, Toby Jones (who played a wonderful Truman Capote some time ago) was a far more interesting Hitch than Hopkins. I could see layers of emotion behind Toby's eyes, important when Hitch is such a sedentary, thinking character with reserved movement... with Hopkins, I saw mostly melancholy. The Girl was far more suspenseful with better & more interesting acting & a much better script.
If I had to recommend seeing one (unless of course you can catch both for free), I'd say The Girl, by far. I don't need spraying bullets & umpteen car chases to remain interested, but I do need a plot which makes me want to stay in the room.
BTW, if you like Sienna Miller, see her in Layer Cake with Daniel Craig. Wonderful movie, I give it 5* & even bought the DVD.
I managed to watch a number of films today, all on TCM...
Wow, Myst, thanks for all your commentary & movie titles. Your descriptions have given me a few to look out for on DVD or video at the library. At times, I'm in the mood for an older film, but am not really familiar with many of the actors, save for Gable & Grant. I'll check out a few of these... nice to have some new material, via old school Hollywood.
Wow, Myst, thanks for all your commentary & movie titles. Your descriptions have given me a few to look out for on DVD or video at the library. At times, I'm in the mood for an older film, but am not really familiar with many of the actors, save for Gable & Grant. I'll check out a few of these... nice to have some new material, via old school Hollywood.
Thank you! It is nice to be able to share my movie-watching with people. I am unable to get out much; even then, I don't encounter fellow film buffs. Sharing at several sites on the Net is my limit, as I love 1) making lists, plus writing about the movies; and 2) solving people's movie mysteries. Films are a big part of my life, a truly major part, because they help keep my mind off pain.
It's also a lot of fun to put together movie marathons or even a mini-marathon of a couple of films. I thought about starting a thread to ask others what films they might like to fit together or perhaps contrast.
"Fingers at the Window" was my final film of the night, still on TCM. It's a very cute one, listed as drama on IMDb but actually a "dramedy" as they refer to the mixture now. It has lots of playful dialogue by Lew Ayres and Laraine Day (co-stars of the "Dr. Kildare" movie series), who plays a ditsy girl rescued by top hat-and-tails-clad Ayres. Oh! Basil Rathbone plays the villain, programming people as axe murderers. That's not a spoiler, as we're shown him doing this very early in the film. I vow that the next time I will tape this so that I can jot down some quotations. I'm such a quotes-addict, especially from films typically overlooked.
QUICK QUOTES!
Beautiful Wave (2011) ~ Response to 8-track album: "Dinosaur music!"
Bedazzled (1967) ~ "The magic words: Julie Andrews!" later... "The magic words: Jackie Kennedy!" (Nothing happens.) "Oh well! Julie Andrews!"
$ aka Dollars (1966) ~ "If we didn't have thieves, we wouldn't need banks."
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) ~ Questioning an earlier statement: "What's a conspiracy?" Eccentric writer answers: "Everything."
The Breaking Point (1950) ~ Boat captain: "Don't you like c*ck fights?" Femme fatale passenger: "Too much trouble for an egg."
The Locals (2003) ~ "You've been tryin' to hit on a coupla dead girls! That's nymphophilia!"
EDIT: I have to note that "The Prowler" took yet more turns as I watched it, veering away from "Double Indemnity" into ever more-surprising territory. This is really a standout in the film noir category.
Last edited by MystMoonstruck; 01-18-2013 at 04:43 PM..
I watched Zero Dark Thirty on Thursday. I was not overcome with feelings of patriotism as some described when seeing the film.
I don't buy Kathyrn Bigelow's "depiction is not endorsement" defense when it comes to the torture scenes, considering she only depicted it as being completely effective and consequence-free. However, the movie was surprising balanced overall, with several mistakes being portrayed accurately, no wonder the CIA is miffed at the agent (the one whom 'Maya is based on) who gave her input into the film.
I enjoyed the highly realistic portrayal of the final assault. Proof you don't need constant explosions for a combat sequence to be exciting. Overall, I enjoyed it but I don't think it's worth all the hype surrounding it.
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I love Sienna Miller & she was great as Tippi. It was a much better movie than Hitchcock & honestly, Toby Jones (who played a wonderful Truman Capote some time ago) was a far more interesting Hitch than Hopkins. I could see layers of emotion behind Toby's eyes, important when Hitch is such a sedentary, thinking character with reserved movement... with Hopkins, I saw mostly melancholy. The Girl was far more suspenseful with better & more interesting acting & a much better script.
