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The Movies Thread!

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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby SnowAngel » May 16, 2019 4:48 pm

Thank you for posting about Apollo 11, Jo. I had checked the library catalog for it a few weeks ago and it wasn't listed yet. Check again after seeing your post, it's on order and I was able to put hold on it, fourth in the queue. :)

My mom, sisters, and I have been enjoying the newest mysteries on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. We are really liking the development in Hailey Dean series, as with the previous movies in the series Nancy Grace has had terrific cameos. :) And can't go wrong with more Fincher in movies. :D

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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby starkat » Jun 06, 2019 1:09 pm

I absolutely adore Apollo 11. This is a huge leap forward in documentary style movies.

Just got back from Aladdin. They did a nice job making it it's own movie. It has nice touches of the original, but just enough of an alteration that it stands as a nice movie on it's own legs.
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby fantasia » Jun 06, 2019 4:11 pm

Normally I don't care much for sequels. In fact, I've pretty much stopped watching them as 90% of the time, they make me dislike an original that I did like. :P ;)) However, the trailer for The Lego Movie 2 drew me in, and I know I'm in the minority on this, but I actually liked it better than the original Lego Movie. (I didn't care much for the Batman Lego movie and most everybody seems to have loved that one.) Maybe it's because I'm a mom, it was nice seeing the children go from fighting over toys and not sharing, to figuring out how to play together in a way that makes everybody happy.

On a totally different note, I ran across this short 15 min. movie the other day called 'In My Seat.' I know the people featured in this movie (not personally sadly) because they've turned up in homeschool conventions, and I've started watching/listening to a lot of their talks.
I don't want to spoil it for you, but I will say that it has to do with the fact that he's a pilot and it centers around 9-11. Definitely worth a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLj4akmncsA
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby stargazer » Jun 07, 2019 11:04 am

Thanks for sharing that link, fantasia. I'd heard the story but not in such detail.

I was finally able to see this spring's Apollo 11. I wasn't able to see it in the theater but had to settle for the Blu-ray on a respectable-size TV. It brought back so many memories of that summer 50 years ago, and it was also awesome to see so much high-quality footage that until now had been unreleased. (There's nothing quite like a high-quality view of a Saturn V launch).
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby Ryadian » Jun 10, 2019 3:22 pm

I'm going to quiz you a bit about The LEGO Movie 2, as I doubt I'm going to see it in theaters but I might like to watch it on DVD sometime. :P I also didn't care for The LEGO Batman Movie (Batman was my least favorite part of the first movie, a whole movie about him didn't help), and I have a love/hate relationship with the first movie (I loved everything RIGHT until the ending - the ending left a sour taste in my mouth).

Soo... what I liked about the first movie was that it was genuinely very imaginative and it was about what a LEGO would would be like, not just "Let's tell a story where all the characters happen to be LEGO". I did not like how they shoehorned in a cliched message at the end that, frankly, I thought undercut the message they actually had going for them in the movie (namely, how to have independence/imagination while ALSO having cooperation/structure). Not to mention the whole "It's okay that the kid was messing with the project his dad had been working really hard on, his dad shouldn't have been finding his own creative way to use a kid's toy" thing (um, what?).

I didn't read your spoiler tag, so did you (or anyone else who's seen it) think they did a better job of it this time around? Or did they go in another direction entirely?
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby fantasia » Jun 10, 2019 4:25 pm

I'm going to do the best I can at replying to your questions without spoiling everything, but I am going to include stuff from the trailer, so hopefully you've seen that at least.

In regards to what you liked about the first movie, this one is the same artistically and stylistically and expands into Duplos and the new style of legos you can buy in stores.

As far as Batman is concerned, he was nothing to me in Lego Movie 1 other than a couple amusing lines. But he comes into his own in this movie and he was one of my favorite characters.

Now.... I'm not quite sure how to reply to your not liking the theme bit because I'm not clear on what you didn't like about it.
The following spoiler is only for people who haven't seen the FIRST movie.
Was it that you didn't like bringing the real life father and son in? I feel like the theme you described was the message of the movie. Not sure what you're referring to cliched message.

...did you (or anyone else who's seen it) think they did a better job of it this time around? Or did they go in another direction entirely?
Going to try to be as non-spoiler as possible. There is a different theme, but it is a similar style of theme as the first movie.
To give you a very minor spoiler that you can choose to read or not, the second movie picks up exactly where the first movie leaves off. In fact, the first scene of the second movie is the last scene of the first movie. And that might give you some idea of the direction this movie goes.
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby Ryadian » Jun 10, 2019 7:02 pm

fantasia wrote:Now.... I'm not quite sure how to reply to your not liking the theme bit because I'm not clear on what you didn't like about it.
The following spoiler is only for people who haven't seen the FIRST movie.
Was it that you didn't like bringing the real life father and son in? I feel like the theme you described was the message of the movie. Not sure what you're referring to cliched message.


Yeah, that's what I get for not re-reading my writing before posting it. ;)) I didn't inherently dislike the idea of the scene with
SHOW SPOILER "First movie"
the real life father and son at the end, more just that the lesson that basically seemed to come out of that was "the father was wrong and it was okay for the son to destroy his work because he was having fun". Admittedly, I also thought it was more fun when it wasn't clear whether the whole story was in the kid's imagination or if it was real in a Toy Story way.

I also didn't like that the message Emmet gives - explicitly - to Lord Business at the end of the movie is basically an "everyone's special" message. I understand why that message is so prevalent, but when it's not earned (as I didn't think it was in this movie), I think it's counterproductive.
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby mm1991 » Jun 13, 2019 9:40 pm

I saw Aladdin around the time it first came out but didn't think to post here until now.

Quick non-spoilery review: It was very good! It tries to stay true to the original in the important aspects but definitely puts its own spin on things. Worth a watch if you are an Aladdin or a Disney fan.

Spoilery Review:
The beginning of the film immediately captured my interest because it is so different from the original. This is a positive to me because I am in the camp that while it should stay pretty faithful to the original, I do not want a word-for-word, scene-by-scene cardboard remake of the films. It starts off by distinguishing itself as its own adaptation!

I was initially very worried about Mena Massoud as Aladdin. The trailers made him seem very serious and stoic. The original Aladdin is goofy and optimistic! Thankfully, it was simply trailer-editing tricks. Mena was fantastic as Aladdin and really shone as the star.

Before I say what I want to say, I want to be fair. I will note that many reviews absolutely praise Naomi Scott's portrayal of Jasmine, so obviously that is a good-sized faction of people that will disagree with me.

That being said, for me personally, Naomi Scott simply did a passable job as Jasmine. It has bothered me ever since her casting announcement that the studio did not cast a Jordanian (or other Middle Eastern) actress as Jasmine. This was really a Middle Eastern actress's time to shine. I know there are many talented, beautiful actresses out there who would make a better Jasmine and I feel like they were completely robbed of this once-in-a-lifetime casting opportunity that would have blasted them into worldwide fame. I simply feel it is a big shame. While I think Naomi Scott is of course beautiful, she is not the type of beauty that Jasmine evokes in the original animated film. As a final complaint to the character of Jasmine, the filmmakers thought it a good idea to give her new songs (or interludes, or whatever, I'm not sure what you call them...."mini songs" lol). The lyrics to the songs were great, Naomi's voice is good and strong, but the actual music to the lyrics is very out of place. Alan Menken's orchestrations are very Broadway-esque, an essence that he still keeps in the new versions of the songs. Jasmine's new songs sound more like pop songs and do not flow at all with the rest of the film. They feel very out of place, and if they had simply adjusted the music to fit in more with the style of the other songs, it could have worked very well.

Onto the Genie! I was always pretty confident that Will Smith could pull this off and he did! He was excellent and wonderful. He did not try to fill Robin Williams' shoes, instead he put his own spin and flare onto the Genie, and it works for this version. His plot is also expanded and it adds a lot to the overall film.

The costumes are very amazing. When I saw the trailers, I initially didn't like them. They seemed kitsch and anachronistic, but in the final film, it works and looks much better (maybe in the trailers, the final light adjustments or something weren't quite finished; this actually seems to be a theme with a lot of the Disney remakes).

There was one element that legitimately disappointed me and I do feel bad about saying this but I want to be honest. The actor who played Jafar, Marwan Kenzari, was miscast. He seemed monotone with no emotion or feeling behind what he was saying. There's always the fear in these Disney remakes of the villain coming across way too cartoonishly villainous and it's almost weird saying he came off this way considering he was so.....stale....but he still managed to pull it off. Maybe it's because his garb seemed to be wearing him instead of the other way around! Or he attempted to pull off the evil Jafar voice but simply couldn't and it seemed ridiculous with his monotone-ness added in. I'm not sure but Jafar was a mess.

I also feel they kind of ruined the character of the Sultan. He seems like simply another old man in this film, whereas in the original he was the short, silly, quirky character. But he does not have such a commanding presence in this film for me to be too much bothered by this.

Overall, it was still very good. The two main actors were great (Aladdin and Genie), and the new versions of all the songs were great. All the added plot points really added to the story and did not take away anything. It's visually appealing and respects the original content.
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby MoonlightDancer » Jun 15, 2019 12:05 pm

mm1991, I completely agree with you about Aladdin, pretty much all you've said. I really enjoyed the movie regardless, but I think it could have been much better. I didn't care for the Jasmine pop songs too much. I don't have a problem with their adding to Jasmine's character and making her a "political figure" and a "strong independent woman," but for some reason the way they did it just seemed WAY too forced, as if it didn't flow with the plot at all and seemed to just be thrown in there to be politically correct. Her songs also seemed in sharp contrast to the rest of the movie. Kind of pulled me from the moment. Other than that I enjoyed the movie and was pleasantly surprised with Will Smith as the genie. He did a great job making it his own and not copying or competing with Robin Williams.
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby TrickyWY » Jun 21, 2019 7:18 am

Are there any Neverending Story fans here? I just love that movie. When I was a kid I dreamed about a book like there. The world is amazing and there is the kindest dragon ever there :)
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby mm1991 » Jun 21, 2019 1:26 pm

TrickyWY wrote:Are there any Neverending Story fans here? I just love that movie. When I was a kid I dreamed about a book like there. The world is amazing and there is the kindest dragon ever there :)


Welcome to the board, Tricky! :) Hope you are enjoying yourself so far.

I do love Neverending Story! I actually forced my boyfriend to watch it a few months ago because he had never seen it!
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby coracle » Jun 22, 2019 2:30 am

I enjoyed the movie (first one) but loved the book. I read about half sitting on the floor between shelves in the library, okay perhaps less than half, but I got into the change of print colour!
I've got a copy of it, but haven't read it for years. I want to relive that moment when the colours become irrelevant (you know, if you have read it).
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby fantasia » Jun 23, 2019 9:51 pm

I watched Coco this weekend thanks to the Matthew Aldrich news. I have to admit, I wasn't quite as in love with it as many others have mentioned. It was just okay. I liked the animation, and I liked the portray of Miguel's family and Mexican culture, and that was about it.
The story was far too predictable. In fact, the only reason I didn't predict the whole entire thing was because I was thrown off by a statement someone made about the theme at the end. Had I not heard that I would have guessed the whole thing.
I might watch it again sometime to see if it grows on me like Finding Nemo did back in the day (really did not like that one the first time I saw it).
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby Col Klink » Jun 26, 2019 5:59 am

I watched the new Aladdin movie yesterday. Like mm1991, I thought it was a whole lot of fun especially the genie's musical numbers.

I've heard a good bit of cynicism about this movie on the internet but honestly I think that's mainly because of how many remakes the Disney Company makes nowadays. (I believe this is one of three being released this year.) They're really starting to lose their event factor. If this movie came out in another time, I don't think people would react negatively to it. Though maybe that's because I regard the 1993 Aladdin as a really enjoyable piece of fluff and I feel the 2019 one is the same. There are things each does better than the other but they're probably equal on the whole.

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I love the character of Dalia. She kind of reminds me of Nerissa from The Merchant of Venice. In my ideal world, she and the genie would get their own spinoff movie.
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby Reepicheep775 » Jun 26, 2019 6:15 pm

I saw Toy Story 4.

Oh, boy. I don't remember the last time I felt this mixed about a movie. I loved parts of it, but I just don't know how I feel about the ending.

First off, some of the things I loved. I wasn't sure there were any new avenues to explore, but this movie had a lot of really interesting ideas. I liked Forky more than I thought I would. I love the idea of an inanimate object suddenly becoming a toy and learning how to cope with that - wanting to return to the trash, wanting to be carried (because, of course, forks are always carried), and how Woody finally convinces Forky that Bonnie needs him.

I liked the settings. I don't know why, but a carnival and an antique store feel like they belong in a Toy Story movie even though we've never seen one in them before. Gabby Gabby stole the show for me. A defective toy isn't something these movies have dealt with before and seeing her being rejected and then finally finding a child to love her got to me emotionally. That whole subplot was wonderful. :x

...Now on to the main plot. Once again, I loved how things were set up. It makes total sense that Woody wouldn't magically become Bonnie's favourite toy like he was with Andy and it makes sense that Bonnie would like Jessie better. I wasn't sure how it would all end, but once Woody met Bo Peep, I began to have a sinking feeling that I knew where things were going. And I was right. Woody leaves behind Bonnie and the other toys to be with Bo Peep. On one hand, the shot of Woody running to Bo Peep at the end was delightful, but on the other... he just left them? Maybe it makes sense for Woody, but for me as an audience member, Bo was just a minor character until now. We never really saw her relationship with Woody in any detail. It was the relationship between Woody and Buzz that I am really invested in. The decision at the end felt too easy. Buzz's best friend is leaving possibly forever and he isn't at least a little conflicted? Even after Woody told Buzz they would be friends for "infinity and beyond" in 2? =((

I need to see this again and reassess it, but right now, I think I wish they would have left it at 3 because I think it was a better ending to the series. It feels weird saying that though because there's so much that I loved. My final verdict: I don't know. :-??
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Re: The Movies Thread!

Postby mm1991 » Jun 27, 2019 1:01 pm

Fantasia, although Coco is one of my new favorites, I agree that it was a bit predictable. In my humble opinion, I didn't think that detracted from the movie overall though. I can't say that about many other movies, but I thought all the elements were so good, I could forgive a little predictability.

Col Klink, I'm glad you also liked it! :D I see so much negativity about all the Disney remakes but when I investigate further, I don't see much substance to it. Some people don't like it because it's not an exact copy of the original. Then other people hate it because they feel it IS an exact copy of the original (???). Then other people don't even bother seeing it but still post negative stuff about it because "What's with all the remakes and movies based on books nowadays?! Can't they make something original?!" I hope these people never dive into the history of cinema because they would be sorely disappointed! :p You can't make everyone happy and some people will find anything to complain about!
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