It's been a long time since I reviewed a movie for you. Because I've seen quite a few movies, I'll give you "snippet" reviews.
I saw all of these movies on DVDs sent to me by my friends at Netflix.
Lion Carol and I watched this one together. We loved it! Dev Patel is great, and he is a sexy man.
Paterson Paterson's last name is Paterson. He lives in Paterson, New Jersey. He drives a bus. He goes home every night and eats the dinner cooked by his wife. Then he takes her dog for a walk. The dog sits outside while Paterson goes in a bar and drinks one beer. Then he goes home. But into Paterson's mundane existence we insert the fact that he writes poetry--beautiful poetry. His wife expresses her artistry by painting everything in sight and deciding she wants to be a country singer. She also loves her husband's poetry. I love this movie. Art can be where we least expect it. By the way, Paterson's favorite poet is William Carlos Williams, who was from Paterson, New Jersey.
Jackie Dull, breathy-voiced debutante grieves after her husband's assassination. How could Natalie Portman be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award? Watching this movie led me to Google more info about Jackie Kennedy, though. I didn't realize that Caroline Kennedy allowed her mother's oral history recorded for the JFK Library to be released much earlier than Jackie Kennedy had decreed. Did you know Jackie called Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson "Colonel Cornpone and His Little Porch Chop"? Now, that made me laugh.
La La Land I thought I didn't like this movie because my expectations were too high. Then I discovered that some other bloggers didn't like it, and Favorite Young Man said he knows a lot of people who didn't think it was that great. This movie won Best Director and Best Actress at the Academy Awards? Not okay. I realize that the actor who looks so much like Willy Dunne Wooters is in this movie. He's fine. He's always fine. He rises above the material.
Deepwater Horizon Big disaster.
The Light Between Oceans Sweet and sad.
The Infiltrator Dull character study that only gets interesting at the end.
Demolition Love, love, love, love it! Go, Jake Gyllenhaal! His character's strange reaction to his wife's death in a car accident makes for a great movie. Give Jake an Academy Award already.
You'll learn more about two nine-year-old boys on Tuesday. Tomorrow is The Cephalopod Coffeehouse, so I have to tell you about the best book I read this month. Monday is Memorial Day, so I have to memorialize my favorite vet. Oh, wait! Tuesday is TIP TUESDAY. The boys might not be back until Wednesday.
Infinities of love,
Janie Junebug
Hi Janie - Lion was excellent, Jackie I found interesting and La La Land I didn't enjoy at all ... the others I don't know ... have a good weekend - and hope those kids stay quiet - and give you some peace -cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteWe have a three-day weekend coming up, and I think the kids will be done with school on Friday. Maybe the boys will run away from home.
DeleteI didn't see Lion but I love Dev Patel. I had wanted to see Jackie. Jackie Kennedy has always intrigued me.
ReplyDeletePaterson sounds, well, odd and maybe boring. Was it?
I'm not much into musicals so I really didn't have a desire to see LaLa Land but then it kept getting all those nominations and awards. Not sure if I'll break down and see it.
Last week I went to see A Dog's Purpose. Oh I loved that movie! Did you see it Janie? For dog lovers, it's a must see. I did hear there was some controversy and boycott regarding a water scene involving a German Shepherd that was quite disturbing though and I sure wasn't happy to read about that!
I recorded the special TV event tonight: the remake of Dirty Dancing. I caught some of the press tour interviews so I'm looking forward to watching that. Maybe this weekend.
Right now I'm getting caught up on some Lifetime thrillers...
Michele at Angels Bark
Paterson is odd, but I think it's great. I haven't seen A Dog's Purpose and don't intend to see it because I watched the footage with the German Shepherd. It was horrifying. I also read a long article about the way animals are treated on movie sets and learned that having a representative onset to guarantee the safety of the animals doesn't mean much. I forgot about the remake of Dirty Dancing, but it will probably turn up on Netflix one of these days.
Delete"Big disaster" made me giggle. I am fully on board the "give Jake Gyllenhaal an Academy Award already," bandwagon. Ever since I saw him in Nightcrawler (a movie I never have to watch again), I've admired his work more and more. One of the few A-list actors who can make me forget who he is and get lost in his character. I too didn't like La La Land. My hypothesis is that it won so many awards because it was about Hollywood and there's nothing award givers like more than having their industry stroked.
ReplyDeleteNightcrawler is great. Having their industry stroked is the same as having their manhood stroked, right?
DeleteThe only one of these I've seen is Light Between Oceans. Both the movie and the book were excellent. Sweet and sad is a good sum-up.
ReplyDeleteAlicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender are excellent. I want to read the book.
DeleteThanks for letting me know about "Paterson." I saw it on my on-demand lineup and thought about renting it but wasn't sure what it was about! I agree with you about "Jackie." It was underwhelming.
ReplyDeletePaterson is unusual, which makes me like it more. Jackie is dull.
DeleteI have seen Deep Water Horizon-It's a fun flick but not much more. I have to see La-La but I don't get how everyone was criticizing Russell Crowe's singing in Les Mis but no one talked about Ryan's singing...or very lack there of. I'm not saying Crowe has a great singing voice but it is a hell of a lot better than Ryan's. I still have to see all the others. I see so many movies every week that i need to mark them down. I have to watch La La when hubby is not around as he won't watch musicals.
ReplyDeleteOh, Birgit! Criticizing Ryan Gosling? It's too much to be borne.
DeleteOddly (or maybe not, since I'm rarely up on what's current), I only recognized one or two movie names. However, I really do like Jake Gyllenhaal, so I will most likely look up that one. I don't get to sit to watch anything very often, so I don't want to waste time on something that's going to stink.
ReplyDeleteDemolition is weird and great, but it has a happy ending. Happy endings get me every time.
DeleteI haven't seen any of these but I have read the books for 'Lion' and 'The Light Between Oceans', and I loved both of them! Those two I will definitely have to see, the others I'll have to check out. Thanks for sharing these!
ReplyDeleteI want to read The Light Between Oceans and about a million other books.
DeleteGlad to see someone else like Paterson!
ReplyDeleteI think it's lovely. My favorite character is the dog. I laughed when I found out why Paterson always came home to find the mailbox leaning over.
DeleteAh that's why you recommended Paterson. :)
ReplyDeleteBut I also like it that Paterson is a poet. And I like knowing that he admires Wiliam Carlos Williams. And I like it that his wife loves Paterson's poetry. And I like his zany wife's artistry.
DeleteAs a child, Jackie was like a our american princess. When I read that Caroline did that, it really changed my view on her- going against her own Mom's wishes. Not cool. I don't like Caroline for that reason now.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Caroline got sick of being asked what her mother really thought about certain parts of her life. Releasing the recordings might have been her answer to those questions.
DeleteI used to go to the movies once a week with the "girls" but it got too difficult. I haven't been to a theater for about a year now & I miss it!!
ReplyDeleteI went to a theater once last year. It was the first time in a long time.
DeleteI liked Lion and Paterson. Was no impressed by La La Land or The Infiltrator, despite good actors. Haven't seen the rest. As usual, we pretty much agree. :)
ReplyDeleteThe sun can rise again tomorrow now that I know we agree.
DeleteI liked Lion and Paterson. Was not impressed by La La Land or The Infiltrator, despite good actors. Haven't seen the rest. As usual, we pretty much agree. :)
ReplyDelete