Nitpick:
It’s the “Silver,” and it’s now AFI’s theatre.
At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi…at last, we will have our revenge.
Also to add …
Aldo : Hey, heroic lady! In my country there is a saying about women like you, “Hot as fuck!”
Susan Cooper : Oh God, not now, Aldo!
And, recalling from memory:
Aldo: I must not look at you, or I will fall in love. Oooh! Too late! 
Saw the new Civil War this afternoon. Really liked it. Was a similar “get from point a to b” road trip with the main character while running into a society in the midst of collapse. Reminded me in a lot of ways of Children of Men in that regard.
Didn’t know how I felt about it at the midpoint since you were kind of itching to see what was going on beyond their small field of view and get on the front lines.
When it eventually gets there the the payoff is satisfying and makes the movie.
I’m interested in seeing that movie. Perhaps weirdly the bit I have the most trouble with (throwing this in a spoiler box, in case someone wants to remain unspoiled) isn’t the idea of a second American Civil War in the present day (as that seems scarily possible) but the idea that the seceding states would be California and Texas (as it seems unlikely for those two to cooperate).
I thought we had to wait for November.
Silly you. It’s January. Pay attention!
IMHO, that was an intentional choice to stop anyone from drawing parallels to our current political climate.
The origins and details of the conflict are vague if nonexistent. No explanation of what either side stood for.
Done purposefully so the focus was more on how people reacted and treated each other when taking sides to the point of war.
Housekeeping fro Beginners- A Macedonian(!) film that was that country’s entry for nomination for the Best International Feature academy award. It’s a film about family rising out of tragedy and the painful process of life and growing up. The trailer makes it seem like the main focus is on the 5 year old child growing up in this ad hoc collection, but it is really more about her teenage sister and her relationship with her draftee “mother”. The ending is hopeful, but not stereotypically happy. A sign of the realism and quality is that at points in the movie I found myself wondering what the crappy American version would look like. Bottom line: this is a movie worth seeing.
Two rather disappointing entries:
Argylle - this one started out so well, with the premise of a spy novel writer whose novels predict real-world events, pursued by actual spies who want to know what she’ll write next. Brilliant! And then there’s a bunch of cool action sequences, and then a big family-related plot twist…and from that point on it all goes rapidly downhill, like a boy in a wheelchair with a broken handbrake. And when it’s revealed who the “real Argylle” is, it’s like that wheelchair plummeted off the edge of a cliff.
Unfortunately for this metaphor, there is no equivalent of a small ugly alien to save the plot, which just gets increasingly stupid, cliched and predictable as more and more of it is revealed. There is also a criminal misuse of Henry Cavill; most of his appearances are basically just there to go “Hey, look - it’s Henry Cavill with a stupid haircut!”. Also a criminal misuse of John Cena, who is always a delight but barely in this film.
Shirley - a biopic about Shirley Chisholm’s 1972 run for president. A story about a fascinating woman coming to the fore of US politics at a turbulent time in America, starring Regina King in her usual great form.
But they somehow managed to make it really dull, which is a crying shame, and the film assumes a level of familiarity with the political movers and shakers in 1972 that I suspect much of the audience will not have. There’s probably a decent documentary out there somewhere that would be a better watch, because everyone should know about Chisholm and I’m not sure this is the best way to learn.
I understand the negativity towards Argylle – objectively, the plot is silly and totally unbelievable and the action way over the top. And yet there’s something about it that I found entertaining. I think you just have to be in the right mindset and definitely not have the expectation of a serious film. Somewhat like a Bugs Bunny cartoon with a Bond-film super budget for SFX. The premise is silly but kinda cute, just like that ever-present stupid cat in the backpack. I think what I found almost endearing about it is that the film itself doesn’t take itself seriously – it’s like, “we know this is silly, but let’s have some fun!”. 
No, I get that. I just wanted it to be far less predictable for most of the second half of the film. And it really did misuse poor Henry.
“Oh look - here is a slippery surface and she is an ice skater - I wonder what will happen next? 
”
The Iron Claw (2023). This movie is proof of what I’ve always believed: that the most important factors that make a movie enjoyable are not so much the immediate subject matter but excellent overall production qualities in writing, directing, casting, acting, and cinematography. So even though I have zero interest in wrestling, this was an absorbing movie to watch because it’s basically a human story. It’s a true story replete with tragedy, but ultimately a bittersweet conclusion. Well worth a look, even if you’re not a wrestling fan, but all the more so if you are.
The trailer for Civil War looks good and I expect I’ll see it, since I’m a sucker for sf, political thrillers and near-future dystopias, but I suspect I’ll find it very depressing.
Dune Part 2
Recommended.
Much better than the first part, mainly because a lot of the best stuff in the book happens when Paul and Jessica go out into the desert. I still don’t know that I rave about this two-part adaptation of Dune even though I very much like it. I do think the 2000 Sci-fi Channel adaptation still deserves a look by anyone who likes the book or is interested in it. It’s actually close to the book, I think, too.
We get almost no sense of time passing in this movie. Jessica is still pregnant at the end?
I dunno, it was actually really good. I would have probably recommended a Dune TV-series adaptation more than a movie, though.
If they are making the next movie, why not film Dune Messiah and Children of Dune together? Children of Dune is a pretty good overall ending.
I saw that over the weekend and enjoyed it. I also saw and enjoyed Monkey Man, written, directed and starring Dev Patel.
I Saw The Devil
Essential. 10/10 movie.
Gist: Immediately see this movie. It is an incredible experience and one of the best movies I have seen recently.
I Saw The Devil is a movie about revenge. Oh, come on, saying that is like saying that Star Wars is about spaceships. The truth is that a movie like I Saw The Devil need to be seen to be understood. It isn’t just a movie; it’s a journey and an experience. By the time the screen goes dark and the credits come up, you find yourself…sitting there contemplating everything. Your life, what you would do if you were in this movie, why you watch things like this(ha ha).
ISTD is a movie about a man getting revenge for the murder of his fiance. By revenge, we don’t mean killing or capturing the criminal. We mean capturing and abusing the criminal, only to let him go and do it again. A very simple plot for a very well acted and filmed movie. I will not forget many sequences in this movie for some time to come. There were many cringe worthy moments, but also moments of cheering and fist-pumping. It is both exhilarating and exhausting.
This is definitely the kind of movie that sticks with you after you watch it. A great movie well worth the time of anyone. See it now.
This is intriguing. It’s also free on kanopy.
And Hoopla. And it is on Hulu if you have that service, or Disney + with a Hulu subscription.
And Tubi, if you don’t mind ads(also free). Countless other services, too. It’s actually widely available and absolutely essential, I think.