Choice, bro
I have been in the absolute filthiest mood lately - on the face of it, there's nothing to really justify it, but nevertheless. I blame hormones. Or the weather. Or something.
But hey, Thor: Ragnarok was fun! :D Bearing in mind that I am not intrinsically a Marvel fan, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I adored that it had a Kiwi director, and some of the humour had a very Australasian feel to it - I know in the broader sense funny is funny, but there's still a distinctive cultural element to it. It was also a joy seeing so many Aussies and Kiwis in a major movie (plus of course, Hiddles and Cumberbatch).
- Korg wins everything in my book. If a director's determined to muscle in on his own movie, at least he was bloody entertaining. The "bro" at the end just capped everything off. He should have his own movie.
- "Tell her she's dreaming." LOL. There's no way that wasn't a The Castle shout-out.
- Jeff Goldblum - where have you been?
- Chris Hemsworth - great in full-fledged comic mode. Also still amazing shirtless. Loved him habitually tossing things at Loki to see whether he's really there
- Tom Hiddleston - still weirdly gorgeous as Loki. It really is the role he's bestest at
- Benedict Cumberbatch - good job fitting in with the insanity, but still singularly unconvincing as an American
- Tessa Thompson - gorgeous and awesome in action
- Rachel House - loved her character - so very cutting, so very dry
Weirdly, I wasn't so keen on Cate Blanchett - while she looked and sounded amazing, in a way she gave the role too much gravitas. I think I just wanted someone a bit sillier and camper *g*
Anyway, fantastic cast (including Taika himself) and fun movie. Didn't even think of falling asleep.
Other things I've watched lately:
Kingsman: The Golden Circle - really enjoyed this, in some ways more than the first one. Julianne Moore was a delightful villain, and was great to see some familiar faces. I was worried this might be too "American" given its theme, but I thought it stayed true to its origins, and picked up all the existing plot threads - even minor ones - in a a very satisfying way.
LEGO Ninjago movie - hmm, having trouble remembering much about this one, but it was good for what it was. Lloyd and his group of mates are Ninjago warriors who must battle the evil Garmadon... who also happens to be Lloyd's dad. Bummer. I vaguely remember it being fun, and very much enjoyed the framing story featuring Jackie Chan (and his cat).
I am Not Your Negro - documentary on an unfinished project by James Baldwin about major figures in the civil rights struggle - Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers (who I'd never heard of). Obviously to me this is far less personal than it would be to Americans, especially African-Americans, but I found it very interesting and quite a startling reminder that segregation really wasn't that long ago. I was particularly struck by the young girl going to a "white school" for the first time, head held high, surrounded by police/guards, while white adults screamed abuse and spat at her. How low do you have to be to do that to a child? Anyway, I mainly went to see it because one of James Baldwin's short stories was in my English syllabus ("Previous Condition"), which I really liked.
Miracle City (Nick Enright, Max Lambert)- an unusual Australian musical, mainly because it's about a "day in the life" of an American televangelical family. It's true that when I was a kid, we did get a lot of the American "praise the lord" stuff in the early hours of the morning, so it's not unfamiliar to a generation of Australians. Anyway, Miracle City pretty much takes place over one episode of Reverend Truswell and his family's long-running TV show. This week they have a very special guest in the form of ageing-but-influential Reverend Sizemore, who they are honoured to have on. The Truswells are a picture-perfect Christian family - Ricky Truswell is charismatic and charming, as is his lovely "platinum blonde" wife, Lora Lee. They have two devout and equally attractive children in Loretta (sweet sixteen) and Billy Bob. The family's dream is to open their Christian theme park - Miracle City - but they're running dangerously low on funds. Reverend Sizemore offers to save their foundering dream - if he can have the hand of their teenage daughter in marriage.
Nick Enright is a beloved Australian playwright, and the story didn't disappoint - I really liked that for all intents and purposes the musical seems like it's going to be about one thing, but ends up being about something completely different. The music was not particularly memorable, but on-point and entertaining, and the cast was great. Well worth seeing.
Currently reading Sleeping Beauties by Stephen and Owen King. Not sure what to make of it yet - it's epic, and entertaining, but I'm not yet entirely on board.
But hey, Thor: Ragnarok was fun! :D Bearing in mind that I am not intrinsically a Marvel fan, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I adored that it had a Kiwi director, and some of the humour had a very Australasian feel to it - I know in the broader sense funny is funny, but there's still a distinctive cultural element to it. It was also a joy seeing so many Aussies and Kiwis in a major movie (plus of course, Hiddles and Cumberbatch).
- Korg wins everything in my book. If a director's determined to muscle in on his own movie, at least he was bloody entertaining. The "bro" at the end just capped everything off. He should have his own movie.
- "Tell her she's dreaming." LOL. There's no way that wasn't a The Castle shout-out.
- Jeff Goldblum - where have you been?
- Chris Hemsworth - great in full-fledged comic mode. Also still amazing shirtless. Loved him habitually tossing things at Loki to see whether he's really there
- Tom Hiddleston - still weirdly gorgeous as Loki. It really is the role he's bestest at
- Benedict Cumberbatch - good job fitting in with the insanity, but still singularly unconvincing as an American
- Tessa Thompson - gorgeous and awesome in action
- Rachel House - loved her character - so very cutting, so very dry
Weirdly, I wasn't so keen on Cate Blanchett - while she looked and sounded amazing, in a way she gave the role too much gravitas. I think I just wanted someone a bit sillier and camper *g*
Anyway, fantastic cast (including Taika himself) and fun movie. Didn't even think of falling asleep.
Other things I've watched lately:
Kingsman: The Golden Circle - really enjoyed this, in some ways more than the first one. Julianne Moore was a delightful villain, and was great to see some familiar faces. I was worried this might be too "American" given its theme, but I thought it stayed true to its origins, and picked up all the existing plot threads - even minor ones - in a a very satisfying way.
LEGO Ninjago movie - hmm, having trouble remembering much about this one, but it was good for what it was. Lloyd and his group of mates are Ninjago warriors who must battle the evil Garmadon... who also happens to be Lloyd's dad. Bummer. I vaguely remember it being fun, and very much enjoyed the framing story featuring Jackie Chan (and his cat).
I am Not Your Negro - documentary on an unfinished project by James Baldwin about major figures in the civil rights struggle - Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers (who I'd never heard of). Obviously to me this is far less personal than it would be to Americans, especially African-Americans, but I found it very interesting and quite a startling reminder that segregation really wasn't that long ago. I was particularly struck by the young girl going to a "white school" for the first time, head held high, surrounded by police/guards, while white adults screamed abuse and spat at her. How low do you have to be to do that to a child? Anyway, I mainly went to see it because one of James Baldwin's short stories was in my English syllabus ("Previous Condition"), which I really liked.
Miracle City (Nick Enright, Max Lambert)- an unusual Australian musical, mainly because it's about a "day in the life" of an American televangelical family. It's true that when I was a kid, we did get a lot of the American "praise the lord" stuff in the early hours of the morning, so it's not unfamiliar to a generation of Australians. Anyway, Miracle City pretty much takes place over one episode of Reverend Truswell and his family's long-running TV show. This week they have a very special guest in the form of ageing-but-influential Reverend Sizemore, who they are honoured to have on. The Truswells are a picture-perfect Christian family - Ricky Truswell is charismatic and charming, as is his lovely "platinum blonde" wife, Lora Lee. They have two devout and equally attractive children in Loretta (sweet sixteen) and Billy Bob. The family's dream is to open their Christian theme park - Miracle City - but they're running dangerously low on funds. Reverend Sizemore offers to save their foundering dream - if he can have the hand of their teenage daughter in marriage.
Nick Enright is a beloved Australian playwright, and the story didn't disappoint - I really liked that for all intents and purposes the musical seems like it's going to be about one thing, but ends up being about something completely different. The music was not particularly memorable, but on-point and entertaining, and the cast was great. Well worth seeing.
Currently reading Sleeping Beauties by Stephen and Owen King. Not sure what to make of it yet - it's epic, and entertaining, but I'm not yet entirely on board.