Topic: The Movie Thread

@LN78 I did think of that. Hopefully it will not become a trend.

@LN78 @JohnnyShoulde I went through a phase of mentioning celebs who’d immediately die. Killed Ken Dodd and Barry Chuckle that way. Had to stay away from 80s light entertainment for a while.

@LN78 Not entirely sure that the CruiseBot 9000 can actually die, think he’s running on sheer Thetan energy or whatever the hell Scientologists believe in.

At least it gives me the excuse to talk about that insane jazz album L Ron Hubbard made, with the most hilarious synth solo I’ve ever heard.

@RogerRoger That’s quite a variety there! Well done!

It’s been ages since I watched the first three on the list and it’s been just a few weeks since the final one. Agree with all your impressions on those four (although I’m fuzzy about Singin’ in the Rain. My memories of it are quite vague, but I do recall some impressive dancing). I also think I’ve seen Jurassic 3, but it left very few impressions on me and I hate to say it but that franchise has just burned out for me.

The other two are movies I only have a passing interest in but am glad to see I probably won’t be missing out on anything grand if I skip them.

@RogerRoger
I just remembered about that Spider-Man film earlier in and was wondering whether or not to watch it soon, I think your enthusiasm may have decided it for me. Glad to know you rate it so highly.

@RogerRoger Singin in the Rain isn’t thought of as much as it should be in terms of Hollywood satire, it’s brilliant. It’s just brilliant, even if poor Debbie Reynolds was terrorised on set. The 4K remaster’s great too, the Technicolour really lends itself to 4K with how much certain colours pop. I’d struggle to pick my favourite movie of that musical era, I totally grew up on all those movies.

Love the artwork on this. And the film is great too, a right hidden gem.

@RogerRoger There’s probably several different criteria I could recommend based on what you enjoyed most.

For dancing quality/choreography - 42nd Street is older and the talking bits aren’t as engrossing but the final number is fantastically choreographed, chances are you’ve seen pastiches of Busby Berkeley somewhere over the years. Anything Astaire/Rogers, especially Top Hat which also doubles as a great screwball comedy.

For breezy comedy - Anything Marilyn Monroe, criminally underrated for her actual comedic ability. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot are brilliant. On The Town is probably the funniest of that era of dance/song heavy musicals with a great cast.

For Marlon Brando being the original Pierce Brosnan - Guys and Dolls. Noticeably cannot hold a tune compared to the rest of the cast.

Make sure to watch the Fosse ones if you haven’t either, All That Jazz and Cabaret are amazing and Chicago might only have been made into a movie after he died but it’s a really well done adaptation of his style.

@RogerRoger @nessisonett Singin' in the Rain is truly spectacular! Meet Me in St. Louis is also one of the finest musicals of the technicolor era. It's a visual treat - particularly the exquisite, saturated colours. The whole thing thoroughly lovely, too. Judy Garland sparkles.
Although many other 1940s and '50s musicals have some problematic elements (a product of the attitudes of the era), I still love them. I watched a lot of classic musicals with my mum and sister growing up, and it kind of stuck.

Cabaret is quite dark. The setting gives provides an effective underlying menace, which builds to a crescendo by the end. Berlin was quite sexually liberated for its time and I like how the film taps into those themes, particularly given homosexuality was still taboo when the film was made. On the whole I like that it's not chipper and works very well as a satire, The use of shadows and light gives it a unique visual tone and it's also quite uniquely choreographed. It's a go-to favourite of mine, depending on mood.

@mookysam @RogerRoger @nessisonett I sometimes dabble in musicals, but here’s a few of the ones I’ve liked:

Modern:
Hamilton (excellent)
In the Heights (great)
The Hugh Jackman collection 😜 — Les Miserable and The Greatest Showman (very good)
Into the Woods (meh, okay. Has some catchy tunes)

Oldies:
Sound of Music (fantastic classic)
Fiddler on the Roof (really good)
7 Brides for 7 Brothers (outdated concept but really fun musically)
Music Man (mostly liked it)

And of course both West Side Story versions. Both probably a tad over-rated but really great music.

Those come to mind. Definitely I’d start with Hamilton if you have a passing interest in US History.

@RogerRoger I really really love Cabaret, it’s moody and totally captures the chaos of 30s Berlin while still being playful and having great songs. For a lighter watch then I would probably lean towards Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Both the Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend sequence and the ridiculous bit with the attempts to flirt with the entire US Olympic team are highlights!

@Th3solution I adore Fiddler on the Roof. It's really quite funny, and I like how it contextually integrates background historical events without it being the focus of the story. That said, it never fails to make me tear up, particularly at the end.
Another favourite is Oliver! My mum used to deliberately embarrass me by randomly singing “It’s a Fine Life” (in the vocal styling of Nancy) when we were in Waitrose. Especially if I misbehaved. 😅

The Sound of Music has truly exquisite cinematography. It's beautifully shot and takes full advantage of the location filming. The last time I watched it I hadn't seen it for quite a few years and was quite taken aback by how great it looked on Blu-Ray.

I'm not a huge fan of some modern adaptations of West End/Broadway musicals, such as Into the Woods or Sweeney Todd, as I can't help but compare them to the original recordings and concerts.Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd is painful viewing, particularly given the feeble vocal performances of the leads. I don't blame studios for wanting to attach big names to them, but if they're not great singers it does the material a disservice. The Les Misérables film gave me a bit of a headache. I didn't think it was bad per se, it was more a full on barrage on my senses, which is odd because I love the absolutely chaotic Moulin Rouge. I still need to see Hamilton. I think it's on Disney Plus?

@mookysam Yes, in the US it’s on Disney+. It helps to know some of the historical characters, which I’m not sure how detailed UK and European courses get into it, but even just for those who like musical theater and dancing, I think it’s quite good.

@RogerRoger I'm surprised to hear In the Heights has been on your watchlist for so long after admitting you're not usually into musicals! That's a very sing-songy adaptation, so seems like a hard sell normally if it's not your cup of tea. I loved the movie myself though, so I'm not advocating for you not to watch it. Definitely do if it interests you! Is it the Lin-Manuel Miranda connection that changes things? I'm personally not a big fan of his work in acting or songwriting generally (though I have not seen Hamilton), but that movie is the exception to the rule. Breathe in particular is an incredible song, but Carnival Del Barrio, 96,000 and No Me Diga in particular are great numbers too.

Finished watching Venom: Let there be Carnage on Netflix. It's not a mind-blowing movie in the slightest but it was rather enjoyable! It was cool to see Woody Harrelson as the villain in this movie, I think he did a great job. I do enjoy watching stories that star villains as the protagonist and I can say that I've definitely become a fan of Venom, which is fitting considering he'll be in the game Spider-Man 2. Very much looking forward to playing the game now.

@Th3solution I didn’t know who Hamilton was, but we were taught a bit about the Bill of Rights and the early US at school and university. I liked Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs in Encanto, so will probably enjoy that aspect.

@LN78 And miss the dance scene from Spider-man 3? Dear God, what were they thinking?! 😂

Jesus, Barbie was legitimately one of the worst films I've seen in years.

@LN78 I thought it was fine for what it was: a joyful Easter Egg hunt for Mario fans, and otherwise a fun 'turn off your brain' sort of movie.

Although even if I was of the opinion that it was "good," and you disapproved of this, it still wouldn't invalidate my judgment of the Barbie movie lol.

I'll say this: The Super Mario Bros. movie script is high art compared to the one in Barbie.

@Kidfried The concept of the film is muddled and confused. It's filled with themes and ideas that conflict and never really cohere around anything meaningful. Character arcs feel forced and inorganic. The film is filled with weird, dumb humor that doesn't work. And, without getting too far into it, the film's gender politics are, I'm sorry, abominable. It's a feminist message film that seems to think women are inherently stupid and likes to ridicule several of its male characters for no particularly good reason. The scriptwriter clearly didn't understand how to imbed themes within the context of a plot and character development, so characters just obnoxiously have to state the themes of the movie ham-fistedly within the dialogue.

And it's all the script, because it's not like this movie has nothing good about it: the actors are fine as far as they go, and the set design and visual aesthetic overall is frequently delightful. Even more frustrating is that you can see echoes of really good movies in here: Pleasantville, Enchanted, and The Lego Movie in particular. But those films were focused and well-written, whereas this one can't decide what it wants to say or do, and when it tries to, it just ends up feeling insulting.

It's not like you can't write a feminist message film and have it be decent, either. Don't Worry Darling, for example, is a recent example that works in that regard. But that film, whether you liked it or not (and a lot of people didn't; look at the RT score lol), had something concrete to say. The Barbie movie feels like it was written by someone fresh out of a single gender studies class who has never written a script before.

Unfortunately, right-wing troglodytes seem to have declared war on this movie for the usual reasons, so, like with that one Ghostbusters movie, it's gonna be a while before people are willing to go back and admit that it was kinda bad.