Back to the Movies!

[gilda_elise]

Managed to watch quite a few, actually, and not a bad apple in the bunch.

MOVIES WATCHED IN JANUARY

Jan 3 - Don’t look Up (2021)
Two low-level astronomers must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth.
Director: Adam McKay
Writers
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Ron Perlman

A biting satire about how the media hides, or distorts unpleasant facts from the public. And how the public happily goes along with it.

Jan 5 - The Starling (2021)
After Lilly suffers a loss, a combative Starling takes nest beside her quiet home. The feisty bird taunts and attacks the grief-stricken Lilly. On her journey to expel the Starling, she rediscovers her will to live and capacity for love.
Director: Theodore Melfi
Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, Kevin Kline

Tragic, yet uplifting at the same time. A quiet film that had a lot to say.

Jan 7 - The Tender Bar (2021)
A boy growing up on Long Island seeks out father figures among the patrons at his uncle's bar.
Director: George Clooney
Stars: Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri, Christopher Lloyd

Another film that quietly gets its message across. Affleck was quite good.

Jan 13 - The Father (2020)
A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.
Director: Florian Zeller
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss

Not what I was expecting. The story is told from the father’s point of view, so the viewer is never sure if what is being seen is real, or the imaginings of the father’s deteriorating mind.

Jan 19 - Being the Ricardos (2021)
Follows Lucy and Desi as they face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, J.K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Linda Lavin

Kidman is great as Lucy Ball, though I found the movie only entertaining, but not compelling. I did learn a few things about the couple, though.

Jan 20 - Burn After Reading (2008)
A disk containing mysterious information from a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous and daft gym employees who attempt to sell it.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Stars: Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, John Malkovich, Tinda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, J. K. Simmons

A very strange (what one expects from the Coen brothers,) but highly entertaining movie. Brad Pitt is especially funny.

Jan 21 - The Wind (2018)
A plains-woman faces the harshness and isolation of the untamed land in the Western frontier of the late 1800s.
Director: Emma Tammi
Stars: Caitlin Gerard, Julia Goldani Telles, Ashley Zukerman

The viewer is never sure if what is happening is true, or the fantasies of an unhinged woman.

Jan 22 - You Should Have Left (2020)
A former banker, his actress wife, and their spirited daughter book a vacation at an isolated modern home in the Welsh countryside where nothing is quite as it seems.
Director: David Koepp
Stars: Kevin Bacon, Amanda Seyfried, Avery Tiiu Essex

Interesting and creepy, though the ending wasn’t a huge surprise.

Jan 22 - The Electric Life of Louis Wein (2021)
English artist Louis Wain rises to prominence at the end of the 19th century for his surreal cat paintings that seemed to reflect his declining sanity.
Director: Will Sharpe
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough, Toby Jones

Funny, sad, and heartwarming, a startling look at a painter whose work I knew, though I wasn’t aware of the man. Cumberbatch is wonderful.

Jan 26 - The Last Duel (2021)
King Charles VI declares that Knight Jean de Carrouges settle his dispute with his squire by challenging him to a duel.
Director:Ridley Scott
Stars: Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck

Interesting movie, though somewhat slow at times. The story is told three times, from each person’s point of view. Worth watching.

Jan 27 - Power of the Dog (2021)
Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.
Director: Jane Campion
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee

The movie deserves all the awards it’s up for, especially Cumberbatch. Shows the power of love, though not how one would expect. A movie not to be missed.

Jan 28 - Unforgivable (2021)
A woman is released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime and re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past.
Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Richard Thomas

It was hard sometime to sympathize with the Bullock character, but she redeems herself in the end. Another good, though not great, movie.

Jan 29 - News of the World (2020)
A Civil War veteran agrees to deliver a girl, taken by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle, against her will. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.
Director: Paul Greengrass
Stars: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Tom Astor, Mare Winningham

A lovely story about how love can appear when you least expect it, and how it can change your life. I loved the Hanks character.

Comments

[severina2001.livejournal.com]

There's a few on your list that I'm contemplating watching. I did see "Don't Look Up" and thought it was absolutely brilliant.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

That seems to be the consensus about Don't Look Up. I certainly enjoyed it.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I'm really impressed with your movie going record as some of these haven't even come out here yet. I saw Kidman as Lucy Ball in a short clip and it was uncanny, especially as I've never rated Kidman as a great actress. Thanks for the recs.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I imagine it'll be a bit before many of them get over there, as they only came out here in the last six months or so. I was only able to watch several of them because they were added early to streaming services.

I've liked Kidman in other movies, especially Lion and Boy Erased. I think she's just gotten better with time, which, I guess, is the way it's supposed to be. 🤔

And you're very welcome.

[doylebaby.livejournal.com]

I did see Being the RIcardos and really thought it was very well done, both Nicole Kiman and Javier Bardem were brilliant.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I've seem Bardem in a few things. He was especially creepy in No Country for Old Men. He's a really good actor. And I think Kidman is getting there, too.

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

I watched 'Don't Look Up' at Christmas. I went into it blind because it was someone else's pick — but it was weirdly funny in a darkly satirical way. A sort of modern day Dr Strangelove.

I especially liked the Trumpian under-theme that the rest of the world, irrespective of politics, was going with the accepted science — and the end was kind of redemptive in a nihilistic sort of way.

In RL, we tend to get two types of reporting on America over here — the 'Leader of the Free World' (although in latter years Angela Merkle quite often got that title) type of reporting, and the rich but basket-case type we often get about China. So, for example, today we've got the statesmanlike 'let's not go hasty into war' stuff from the Whitehouse over the Ukraine — and the 'America is a barely functioning democracy' type in three stories reflecting abortion bans, locking up parents whose partners have abused their children, and the whole Maus thing is still up there. In the UK abortion is a healthcare issue (and there are now moves to pass specific legislation to stop disruptive protests, rather than simply relying on 'breech of the peace' type laws, over concerns about the effects on woman accessing the services — and Northern Ireland, an abortion hold-out, was finally made to step into line with the rest of the country and has been put on warning about dragging its feet); we put parents deemed to have allowed harm to come to their children on trial as co-accused, although they are often given lighter sentences, and if they are also victims they may not be tried at all; and we don't really 'ban' books anymore — the last attempts were in the 80s — the debate has kind of moved on. So it's more about criminal publications — like how to make a bomb or groom a child for sex. But that sort of stuff isn't likely to be in a book — it'd be online.

America does operate very differently to Europe, for example, there's no explicit human rights charter and famously no universal health care, but then America didn't have gas chambers either, which is why Europe has an explicit human rights charter — and now we've left Europe the Govt is talking about doing away with the human rights charter. I thought the film was wickedly skewering, and you could make a 'Don't Look Up' about UK stupidities — just look at 'The Thick of It' or 'Yes Minister' — not to mention the original 'House of Cards'. So I wish our reporting was more even-handed and less either/or, I also wish they spent more time reporting on UK injustices. Of which there are many.

I'm not sure when I'll get round to seeing 'Power of the Dog' - and, apart from Desilu famously giving us Star Trek 🙂, I agree Lucille Ball was an extraordinary woman — I think there should be more about her.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

We've got a lot of things going very wrong right now, but I think the worst is how the Republicans are trying to keep people from voting. Sort of going back to Jim Crow. It's actually quite scary, how they're setting it up that they won't ever lose again. I just hope Biden can get those two *%&$^# democratic senators, Manchen and Sinema, to get their heads out of their asses, so we can get the two voting rights bills through Congress.

I agree, a movie about Ball's life, before, during, and after her time with Arnez, would be highly interesting.

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

The Govt says there'll be voter ID here next time we vote — but I don't know if it'll last. If studies show it depresses the vote for a particular segment of the electorate it may well go — but they'd have to be disenfranchised for enough elections first. Our opposition is unelectable at the moment — I think that is more of a present danger to our democracy, we're effectively a one party state.

Churchill, whose mother was American, said words to the effect of, you can always rely on America to do the right thing, but it will try every wrong thing first.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I don'y think it's changed, but we show an ID, though you can just leave your signature if you don't have one. That's been in place for years. As long as we have a Democratic governor, I think we'll be okay. They can't get enough votes to override her veto on these voter disenfranchise bills.

We can only hope that what Churchill said still holds!

[honor-reid.livejournal.com]

I've been meaning to watch the Ricardo's movie, it sounded very interesting.

It sounds like you have been watching a lot of good movies!

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I actually have! There were so many that normally would have gone to the theatre first but that ended up on streaming services. Otherwise, I doubt so many would have been available. Unfortunately, that seems to be changing. I might have to chance going to the theatre in order to see Cyrano.

[tinny]

those all sound very interesting! now i want to watch them all... :D

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

And you should. *g* I was sort of amazed that all the movies I had set aside to watch were either good or excellent.

[justjo2u]

Ohh some good ones there. I watched Louis Wain the other night. Really enjoyed it. Agree with everything you said — funny, sad and heartwarming. Beautifully shot and I adore Benedict with Claire Foy working together. They could sit together and read the phone book and I would watch.

Watched the Power of the Dog last night. So good. Beautifully shot but in a totally different way to Louis Wain of course. Thought all the cast did really well. Particularly impressed with Kodi Smit-McPhee. He was mesmerising.

The Lasy Duel is on my list too. Need to see that one.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I really loved both The Electric Life of Louis Wein and Power of the Dog. Benedict was, as always, fantastic in both. I try to watch everything he's in, but he's in so much it's hard to keep up. Truthfully, though, this month I was able to watch several really great movies.

[justjo2u]

He does seem to go through phases of being in everything. There was a time when I complained about that. Not any more.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Certainly not! The more the merrier, especially since the run the gamut.

[justjo2u]

They really do. He likes to keep it interesting.