Winston Legthigh Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 "Blue Ruin" is the same league as "Winter's Bone". Excellent flick.Interesting. Hadn't thought of linking the two together. Been a long while since I viewed Winter's Bone... Link to post Share on other sites
u2roolz Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 After coming out of Hell Or High Water, I grabbed a piece of paper that was a ticket to an advanced screening of The Comedian with Robert DeNiro, Danny DeVito, & Harvey Keitel. Unfortunately, the demand was huge and I didn't get in. Director Taylor Hackford was there to do a Q & A. DeNiro plays an aging insult comic. It's due sometime in February. I'm upset that I missed it, but I hung around to check out Mike Birbiglia's Don't Think Twice set around the world of improv comedy. I'm assuming that the improv scenes weren't scripted. The chemistry between the improv group really raised the material. A few of them are attempting to get onto a SNL sketch comedy show. This sets up a lot of the conflict. Chris Gethard reminded me of a young Woody Allen looks wise. Gillian Jacobs & Keegan-Michael Key had an interesting relationship that we were allowed to peak into and caused lots of laughter and "aww" moments. It was interesting to see a fresh take on young comedians and would have been the complete opposite of The Comedian centered around an aging insult comic. I enjoyed it, but I felt that Kate Micucci was completely underused. Tami Sagher's character had more of a backstory which was used for a running joke. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AMSHs2adWk The Criterion Blu of Edward Yang's A Brighter Summer Day (1991) looks so good, so velvety, that I'm tempted to turn off the sound and simply luxuriate in the colors, the light, the composition. Nearly every shot functions as an isolated work of beauty--and yet the movie's greatest marvel is how Yang arranges those pieces into an even more compelling narrative whole. It concerns a teenager who gets caught up in the gangs of '60s Taiwan. That makes it sound like a crime movie, but it's really a detailed, far-reaching, novelistic portrait of a particular place at a particular time. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Tonight I'm watching Marguerite, a French movie from last year that was inspired by the life of Florence Foster Jenkins. I'm curious about how it will stack up against the new Meryl Streep movie, which was a serviceable crowdpleaser (the complicated relationship at its center was more interesting than the music subject matter). So far it is covering similar terrain but with a darker, less screwball touch. After coming out of Hell Or High Water, I'm very eager to see that. It arrives in Milwaukee on Friday, so I hope to see it soon! Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 I was able to see Hell or High Water tonight, and it's probably my favorite American movie of the year so far. I very much liked director David Mackenzie's previous films (especially Starred Up), but to my eyes this is his first masterpiece. The movie also supports my belief that, despite being criminally under-seen, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) has had an outsized influence on American cinema. Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 http://www.keeponkeepinon.com/Keep On Keepin' On. I watched this yesterday and really enjoyed it. Link to post Share on other sites
pavlovsfrog Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Started "Stranger Things" today. Two episodes in and I'm hooked. I might have watched the entire season in one day... Link to post Share on other sites
NoJ Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 "Midnight Special". That Michael Shannon is a national treasure. Link to post Share on other sites
Chez Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 Started both "The Night Of" and "Stranger Things" last night. I need two shows to keep me from watching the train wreck that the White Sox season has turned into. Link to post Share on other sites
Boss_Tweedy Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 Saw "Hell or High Water" yesterday. Excellent movie. I haven't seen a lot of movies this year, but from the ones I remember off the top of my head it's my favorite so far. Also watched "Elvis and Nixon" on DVD the other night. Pretty entertaining movie with some funny moments. Link to post Share on other sites
u2roolz Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 Born To Be Blue - I really enjoyed watching this film unfold and I had no idea about Chet Baker's life. I think that Ethan Hawke did a fine job carrying the film and it had me hooked the whole way. The problem is that they took some liberties on Chet's life, so I can't tell the difference between fact & fiction and a huge fan might have a totally different reaction to it. I found it interesting that Miles Davis & Dizzy Gillespie were somewhat prominent in the storytelling to show how Chet fit into the jazz scene. Miles Ahead - Don Cheadle was great as Miles Davis, but I truly felt that the Ewan McGregor (reporter) character was a plot device for Davis to tell his story to. Born To Be Blue was a lot more innovative in the storytelling aspect which I won't reveal, but it happens early. Both films weren't traditional music biopics that dealt with childhood etc. They focused on a few periods of their life. I felt more of an emotional connection to Chet because I felt bad for him. Miles Davis not so much. A Hologram For The King - an understated piece with Tom Hanks playing a role that is oh so familiar to him. As I was watching this, I realized how forgettable this one would become. I'm a big fan of Tom Tykwer and I'm surprised that he took this project on. The last 20 minutes dragged and the ending felt packaged. Don't Breathe - one of my favorite moviegoing experiences of this year. This isn't a supernatural horror film at all. It's a thriller and a thrill ride after a somewhat bumpy opening. I didn't buy Jack's son from Lost (aka Young Jimmy Kimmel) as a robber until the story moved along at a brisk pace. One of the best endings to watch in a packed theater. The best thing about this one was how the story shifted between feeling bad for the Iraqi war veteran & the 3 robbers. You definitely shift your allegiance quite a bit. Link to post Share on other sites
Oil Can Boyd Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Just started watching Freaks and Geeks with my daughter and we are both enjoying it. I don't think I've seen an episode since they first aired. I'm pretty much the exact age as the geek crowd (freshman in high school in 79-80) so much of it hits home. I remember the freak crowd walking around looking dazed when John Bonham died. It's a great show. Link to post Share on other sites
Boss_Tweedy Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Infinitely Polar Bear. It was OK. Link to post Share on other sites
Boss_Tweedy Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Born To Be Blue - I really enjoyed watching this film unfold and I had no idea about Chet Baker's life. I think that Ethan Hawke did a fine job carrying the film and it had me hooked the whole way. The problem is that they took some liberties on Chet's life, so I can't tell the difference between fact & fiction and a huge fan might have a totally different reaction to it. I found it interesting that Miles Davis & Dizzy Gillespie were somewhat prominent in the storytelling to show how Chet fit into the jazz scene. I really enjoyed this movie, too. Hawke was sensational. Link to post Share on other sites
kidsmoke Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 I'm closing this thread and starting a fresh one, since this has grown to an unweildy 69 pages and is 6 years old. Here's a link to the new thread: http://viachicago.org/topic/51910-now-watching-2016/ Link to post Share on other sites
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