Movies!
I know how awesome it is to see a film on the big screen, but I just don't get to the cinema much anymore. I guess it would be different if I lived with someone who I could say "Let's go to a movie!" and just go, but that can't work for me. So, going to the cinema takes planning these days. I suppose I could get up and go by myself, (and I do, on occasion), but even then, I get lazy (or I just don't feel like spending the money it takes to go).
But Rachel and I did go see Allegiant at the cinema. It was good. Very different from the book, but I still enjoyed it. And Theo James is nice to look at. And I adore his character, Four. Tris is awesome, too, and Shailene Woodley has beautiful skin.
Don't know when I'll get to the cinema again.
Here's what I've gotten from Netflix recently:
Savage Grace - 2007 I got this because I saw an interview with Eddie Redmayne and he was talking about his role in this film. This is based on the true story of Barbara Daly Baekeland, a socialite who was murdered by her son. This was a very dysfunctional family. So many issues with all members that I won't even go into. Julianne Moore (who I always love) was great as Barbara. Sometimes difficult to watch, but intriguing at the same time.
8MM - 1999 I watched this because Norman Reedus had a *very* small role in the film. This was also a story that I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't be able to watch. A widow hires a private detective (played by Nicolas Cage) to find out if the snuff film she found in her late husbands possessions is real or not. How this case affects Tom Welles (the detective) is hard to watch. Joaquin Phoenix was also in this a did a good job.
I had a lot of 'hard to watch' films this past month, but as a film buff, I will give these a chance. Because I know I can always find some good in the story and/or performances.
Room - 2015 Yet another heavy story. Although a lot of the abuse is off screen. This movie is based on a book -- which I haven't read, but based on the perspective of the film, I wondered if the book was told from the viewpoint of the boy. This also comes down to the deep love a mother has for her son, I thought that about the film, too. Her determination to escape the room was admirable, I thought. Bree Larson totally deserved all the awards she won for the role. Jacob Tremblay was amazing as the boy, Jack.
The Hunger - 1983 I wanted to watch this again since David Bowie is in it. I'd forgotten how quickly his character exits the film. It's just a weird vampire story, and no one ends up happy. Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon are both very sexy in the film, though...
Steve Jobs - 2015 I wonder how much of this is true. If so, Steve Jobs was a jerk to a lot of people. I thought Michael Fassbender gave a great performance, though. So did Kate Winslet.
Talk to Her - 2002 I watched this because the guys of my current You Tube obsession mentioned it. I'd love to talk films with RJ, but I know I'll never meet him. This is the story of a friendship that develops between Marco and Benigno, two men who meet under tragic circumstances. Marco's girlfriend is in a bullfighting accident and falls into a coma. Benigno is a nurse, tending another coma patient, Alicia, a ballet dancer -- who he is very obsessed with. I really liked this movie - it won several awards - for Foreign Language film (it's in Spanish with subtitles), and won the Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars in 2003. Just an excellent film all around.
Carol - 2015 A relationship develops between a young store clerk, Therese (played by Rooney Mara) and Carol, a wealthy socialite (played by Care Blanchett).
Carol's ex husband wants her back, and a legal battle over custody of their daughter ensues. Therese is just trying to figure out who she is. This all takes place in the 1950's. A very interesting film.
Spotlight - 2015 This won the Oscar for Best Picture back in February. This is a brilliant film about the team of reporters for the Boston Globe newspaper whose expose about the Catholic church's history of priest child molestation and how it was all kept under wraps. It was amazing to watch the amount of research this team did before anything was published. (This was in 2001-2002. In depth journalism like that is become a thing of the past, and that's kind of sad). After their stories were published, so many other cases were uncovered. At the end of the film when it lists everywhere in the world that his abuse was kept hidden, I was shocked. This was a great film, totally deserved the Best Picture awards it won.
The Danish Girl - 2015 This is about Danish painter Einar Wegener, who was the first person to receive gender-reassignment surgery. His wife completely supported him in obtaining the surgery. Excellent film. Alicia Vikander won every award for her portrayal of Einar's wife, Gerda, and she totally deserved it. Eddie Redmayne was amazing in this film, too.
That's it for this post!
But Rachel and I did go see Allegiant at the cinema. It was good. Very different from the book, but I still enjoyed it. And Theo James is nice to look at. And I adore his character, Four. Tris is awesome, too, and Shailene Woodley has beautiful skin.
Don't know when I'll get to the cinema again.
Here's what I've gotten from Netflix recently:
Savage Grace - 2007 I got this because I saw an interview with Eddie Redmayne and he was talking about his role in this film. This is based on the true story of Barbara Daly Baekeland, a socialite who was murdered by her son. This was a very dysfunctional family. So many issues with all members that I won't even go into. Julianne Moore (who I always love) was great as Barbara. Sometimes difficult to watch, but intriguing at the same time.
8MM - 1999 I watched this because Norman Reedus had a *very* small role in the film. This was also a story that I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't be able to watch. A widow hires a private detective (played by Nicolas Cage) to find out if the snuff film she found in her late husbands possessions is real or not. How this case affects Tom Welles (the detective) is hard to watch. Joaquin Phoenix was also in this a did a good job.
I had a lot of 'hard to watch' films this past month, but as a film buff, I will give these a chance. Because I know I can always find some good in the story and/or performances.
Room - 2015 Yet another heavy story. Although a lot of the abuse is off screen. This movie is based on a book -- which I haven't read, but based on the perspective of the film, I wondered if the book was told from the viewpoint of the boy. This also comes down to the deep love a mother has for her son, I thought that about the film, too. Her determination to escape the room was admirable, I thought. Bree Larson totally deserved all the awards she won for the role. Jacob Tremblay was amazing as the boy, Jack.
The Hunger - 1983 I wanted to watch this again since David Bowie is in it. I'd forgotten how quickly his character exits the film. It's just a weird vampire story, and no one ends up happy. Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon are both very sexy in the film, though...
Steve Jobs - 2015 I wonder how much of this is true. If so, Steve Jobs was a jerk to a lot of people. I thought Michael Fassbender gave a great performance, though. So did Kate Winslet.
Talk to Her - 2002 I watched this because the guys of my current You Tube obsession mentioned it. I'd love to talk films with RJ, but I know I'll never meet him. This is the story of a friendship that develops between Marco and Benigno, two men who meet under tragic circumstances. Marco's girlfriend is in a bullfighting accident and falls into a coma. Benigno is a nurse, tending another coma patient, Alicia, a ballet dancer -- who he is very obsessed with. I really liked this movie - it won several awards - for Foreign Language film (it's in Spanish with subtitles), and won the Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars in 2003. Just an excellent film all around.
Carol - 2015 A relationship develops between a young store clerk, Therese (played by Rooney Mara) and Carol, a wealthy socialite (played by Care Blanchett).
Carol's ex husband wants her back, and a legal battle over custody of their daughter ensues. Therese is just trying to figure out who she is. This all takes place in the 1950's. A very interesting film.
Spotlight - 2015 This won the Oscar for Best Picture back in February. This is a brilliant film about the team of reporters for the Boston Globe newspaper whose expose about the Catholic church's history of priest child molestation and how it was all kept under wraps. It was amazing to watch the amount of research this team did before anything was published. (This was in 2001-2002. In depth journalism like that is become a thing of the past, and that's kind of sad). After their stories were published, so many other cases were uncovered. At the end of the film when it lists everywhere in the world that his abuse was kept hidden, I was shocked. This was a great film, totally deserved the Best Picture awards it won.
The Danish Girl - 2015 This is about Danish painter Einar Wegener, who was the first person to receive gender-reassignment surgery. His wife completely supported him in obtaining the surgery. Excellent film. Alicia Vikander won every award for her portrayal of Einar's wife, Gerda, and she totally deserved it. Eddie Redmayne was amazing in this film, too.
That's it for this post!