I mean, “slave escapes while achieving vengeance” was my basic takeaway.
The Jazz Singer (1980), starring Neil Diamond and Lawrence Olivier. Hoo boy. What a stinker. But in a train wreck on the other side of the road sort of way. Neil Diamond has all the range of a sling-shot and Olivier (who took the job for the money) overcompensates, hamming it up like he’s getting paid by the number of times he rubs his forehead.
And the story makes little sense. I mean, it’s a rehash of the old story - nice Jewish boy wants to be a pop singer and rabbi dad doesn’t want him to be but he does anyway and they all live happily every after - but essentially it’s a bare skeleton of a story that exists to prop up some decent Neil Diamond live performances.
It’s really bad, but I kind of recommend it.
I’m not sure the Al Jolson version of The Jazz Singer is any better. But you may find the SCTV version amusing: a father wants his son to follow in his footsteps and be a jazz singer, but the son wants to be a cantor in a synagogue.
It’s rather forced but works because they got Al Jarreau to play the son.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (Director’s Cut). What a slog. three+ hours of watching superheroes mostly move in slow motion. Snyder managed to make a movie with 5 interesting heroes (and Aquaman, who had no reason to be there, and apparently can fly out of the water) boring. Oof. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was the best character, imo.
I fully agree. The point of the film didn’t sink in until well after I saw it. I saw Caleb as sympathetic so it was shocking to me. I now recognize him as symbolic of the archetypical Nice Guy and she owed him nothing.
Really a brilliant film.
Old Henry (2021) Tim Blake Nelson is just outstanding as the title character in this fantastic western. The rest of the cast are also wonderful (especially c/w singer Trace Adkins). A “small” story, but really well done.
I think “Men” is even better from the same director. What a film.
What Eyebrows said. You cannot unwatch The Nightingale so know that going into it.
Agree with you both. Not at all what I was expecting based on a trailer that just looked boring. Dreamy and atmospheric, this is a movie about life, death, loss, and grieving. Highly recommended.
Train Dreams is probably the strangest movie ever nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. It was also a hard movie to see in movie theaters. I had to search carefully to find anywhere near me that it was showing there, despite the fact that there are lots of movie theaters near me.
And I am currently watching Train Ride To Hollywood from 1975, an African-American musical comedy-fantasy involving a man who hits his head and dreams that he is transported back to a train full of stars (and sometimes the characters they portray) during Hollywood’s Golden Age. This could have been a disastrous mockery of a movie, but instead it is a delightful musical with great sets, great singing and spot on impersonators of Hollywood’s greatest at the time.
Tree of Life would like a word.
This looks like something I might enjoy, but alas, it doesn’t appear to be streaming (without an add-on) on any of the platforms I subscribe to. How did you see it? Did you pay?
Paramount+ subscription on (Amazon) Prime Video [My wife has Amazon Prime because of all the stuff she orders for work.].
The recommendation was from my mobile mechanic who also said The Revenant was a kick-ass fantastic movie — next on my list.
Enjoy!
It’s also for free on Kanopy if your library participates.
I saw Old Henry a month ago or so. I loved it. It’s a bit plodding at points, and it’s a little perplexing why Henry is so fucking mean to his son, but great action, great performances. Cool twist.
Oh, sweet. That should work.
I loved The Revenant. Saw it i theaters when it first came out and own the Blu-ray.
The Perfect Host
Very much recommended.
I think it is probably better not to tell you anything about the movie other than the fact that it is apparently, beyond what I would expect, David Hyde Pierce’s very first lead in a film.
Anyway, a great little thriller and I really think if you are interested in a great performance, you need to see it. No joke, Pierce should have been nominated for an Oscar.
Check it out.
:giggle:
(what a movie!)
The Revenant is great. One of the few times as an adult where I had to cover my eyes during a scene.
And then when you finally open them, it happens again! Brutal.