“To me there is no dishonor in being wrong and learning. There is dishonor in willful ignorance and there is dishonor in disrespect.” James Hatch, former Navy Seal and current Yale student.
We saw manchester by the sea over the weekend. Extremely powerfrul and emotionally draining. Would highly recommend it.
Here you go:
The most remarkable part of a mostly unremarkable movie year is that fine films continue to get made in spite of structural changes (like shunting independent features online) and the increasing popularity of quality TV. My choice of the year’s best film seemed to choose itself by simultaneously saluting and enhancing the movie medium. I’m talking about Damien Chazelle ’s “La La Land,” the sort of movie you either love or love.
Here are my other choices, in alphabetical order:
American Honey:
Andrea Arnold ’s sprawling road movie follows a teenage wanderer, Star ( Sasha Lane ), as she goes with the flow of a surrogate family—mostly runaways—who crisscross the Bible Belt in an old van selling magazine subscriptions as part of a pyramid scam they understand dimly if at all. Star is a chronically hopeful heroine, and the film serves as vivid video Instagrams of an America where rich and poor alike are generally good-hearted, irony-free and blandly besotted by pop culture.
Hell or High Water:
It’s a western automatically, since it takes place in West Texas and focuses on two brothers who rob small-town banks. More than that, though, David Mackenzie ’s feature, written by Taylor Sheridan, is the very model of a modern film that transcends the limits of its genre. Chris Pine and Ben Foster are superb as the brothers, while Jeff Bridges transcends a supporting role as a foxy old Texas Ranger coming up on retirement.
Loving:
Radical approaches to filmmaking come in many guises. The startling thing about this film, based on a landmark civil-rights case, is its calmness. The writer-director, Jeff Nichols, doesn’t raise anyone’s voice in dramatizing how the state of Virginia, in 1958, cited anti-miscegenation laws in refusing to recognize the marriage of an interracial couple named Loving—they’re played by Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga —and how, almost a decade later, the Supreme Court struck down the decision, ending all race-based restrictions on marriage in the U.S.
Manchester by the Sea:
Kenneth Lonergan ’s third feature is a drama of surpassing beauty, and Casey Affleck ’s portrayal of its hero is stripped-back perfection—understated, unaffected, yet stunning in depth and resonance. Lee Chandler works as a janitor near Boston, living alone in self-imposed emotional quarantine. His life opens up somewhat when his brother dies and leaves him in charge of his 16-year-old nephew, but Lee achieves only as much resolution—the film’s crucial point—as the steely grip of his past will allow.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-films-of-2016-from-all-over-cinemas-map-1481814001
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Review: Beneath the Bombast, ‘Fences’ Has an Aching Poetry
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/12/15...ww.google.com/
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"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Watched 'Suicide Squad'. Absolutely terrible.
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Watched a few videos over the weekend...
Pete's Dragon - Boring, fell asleep in the middle of it. No singing or light houses in it.
Finding Dory - It was ok. Not anywhere good as the first one. The seven legged octopus steals the show.
Burn After Reading - A Cohen bros movie with a great cast but the characters were just not interesting at all. Don't waste your time.
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"Rogue 1:" I gave in to my inner 18 year-old for this one, agreeing to watch it with my 19 year-old daughter. It's pretty good and worth seeing unless, like my wife, you dislike sci-fi. I ended up liking it a lot, and much more than I expected to. You don't need to know much about "Star Wars" to enjoy this movie (I am not a Star Wars geek and still "got" the story) but Star Wars fans will love it.
"Fences:" We couldn't see "La-La Land" because we were late and there were no seats left, so we slipped into the next theater over and saw this one. It's terrific. Because "Fences" is really a great stage play converted to the screen, the movie version takes a little getting used to -- much more dialogue than action -- and I think it's a bit long. But if you invest some energy into this one you'll be rewarded. You'll also be talking about this movie for a while, afterwards, with anyone you watch it with. It's that kind of art. Viola Davis is especially good and I predict an Oscar nomination for her.
Upcoming: La-La Land. (We'll get there early this time!)
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
watched "Lion" today. Stars Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel. Powerful movie, a must see. 9 out of 10
My turn to see this last night. Another dud from DC Comics.
Only one good action scene (maybe 1.5?). Very little humor, despite featuring Joker and Harley Quinn. A few completely superfluous characters (Boomerang? Katana?). Awful looking and uninteresting villains.
DC is pouring cash into these movies, and they just can't get one to work.
I will say that Jared Leto as Joker is less bad than Zuckerberg as Lex Luthor.
La La Land. I can understand how someone might enjoy this movie, but, the highlight for me was that I was able to hold my wife's hand for a couple of hours.
“Children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as Wall Street and the railroads.” -- Harry S. Truman
"You never soar so high as when you stoop down to help a child or an animal." -- Jewish Proverb
"Three-time Pro Bowler Eric Weddle the most versatile, and maybe most intelligent, safety in the game." -- SI, 9/7/15, p. 107.
The new xXx is exactly the movie you think it would be... awesome.
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We saw "A Dog's Purpose." It wasn't what I expected at all and it's great. No emotional manipulation, good story, light-hearted, funny, poignant at times, and directed by Lasse Hallström. A pleasant surprise. Highly recommended.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
We saw "Lion" this afternoon. Highly recommended. Emotional story told with confidence, no manipulation. Had a slow stretch for 5 minutes that made me think, "OK, OK, I get it," but that's a minor quibble.
Trailer:
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
another movie I thoroughly enjoyed and wasn't sure I would was "Hidden Figures"
great movie, inspiring
Ip Man 1-3. Kung fu good stuff.
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Watched Logan the other night. Definitely earned its R rating. Certainly not your typical X-Men movie, but overall a very good send off to Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine.
“It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”
Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
a couple movies I've watched recently that were decent:
Get Out - this thriller has already made $100 million. I'd give it 8 out of 10
Kong - Skull Island - (7 out of 10) - not bad for a monster movie, reminded me more of Jurassic Park than it did the last King Kong movie.
Last edited by Rocker Ute; 03-13-2017 at 04:12 PM.
I'm not a big fan of horror films, but this one intrigues me. Maybe, in part, because the haunted house built for and featured in the film is about ten minutes from my home in our little city. I've driven by it several times. The town where most of the filming is being done is a 30 minute drive to the east.
I remember watching that as a kid. Scariest dang movie I have ever seen.
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Last edited by Scorcho; 03-29-2017 at 07:59 PM.
I just hope Besson does the graphic novels justice. He's French and the books are very, very French so there is hope:
Valerian’s Biggest PR Problem: It Did Everything First:
https://www.wired.com/2017/03/valeri...rything-first/
Patriot's Day. Enjoyed it a lot, but, Hell or Highwater is still the best movie I've seen in the past 12 months.
“Children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as Wall Street and the railroads.” -- Harry S. Truman
"You never soar so high as when you stoop down to help a child or an animal." -- Jewish Proverb
"Three-time Pro Bowler Eric Weddle the most versatile, and maybe most intelligent, safety in the game." -- SI, 9/7/15, p. 107.