Talk About Movies: Part 4

Is schlitz some sort of bot that only posts clips of war movies?

Tintin 2011

started autoplaying and like the cut of the jib of the intro sequence so i was onboard to give it a go

surprisingly good for a film that i don't recall ever hearing much about

was like indiana jones but pg rated and the main character is manboy who's a relatable kid but also a distinguished and responsible adult at the same time - weird

plot doesn't make sense - the ending is horribly stupid

the pacing is off - there was no real setup for anything in the 2nd half, which surprising because the first half is so well orchestrated with setups and payoffs that it just feels so weird and forced to just stuff the 2nd half into a blender and see what came out - my guess is they ran out of money

looked into it - apparently there are talks of making a sequel that would come out in 2027 - something that you know was intended right off the bat given that it ends on a cliffhanger

idk what to think of it - it's all kind of a mess, but well put together and i enjoyed the animation style, kind of like the 90s batman but 3d and cgi

worth watching casually while you do something else

The Holdovers, Alexander Payne, 2023

The closest approximation to Payne as a filmmaker that I can think of is Jim Jarmusch. They both make movies about people talking, for the most part, and being just, well, human. With all the wonder and frailty that that implies.

The Holdovers is an absolute gem of a movie. The three main performances are just magical. Giamatti is the Giamatti I love - an irascible loser who just keeps trying. Dominic (great name) Sessa - in his motion picture debut - is wonderful as Angus, a student at the boarding school Giamatti's character teaches at. And maybe my performance of the year goes to Da'Vine Joy Randolph as the school cook who is mourning her son, killed in Vietnam.

Randolph has such a strong presence that she can command the screen just by sitting and watching TV. Such humor and kindness and grief all in one. A seriously great performance.

The Holdovers is about how everyone is deserving of, if not love, then at least understanding. And that every man, in his own way, is his own hero, no matter the sad circumstances of his lonely life.

What a marvelous movie. Payne has done it again.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Holdovers and my only nitpick is the lead kid, at least at the start. I know this is his first role and it seems like he learned how to act while filming in that he’s weak at the beginning and comes into his own by the end.

really depends on the director, some like the coens shoot basically exactly what is on the page and others love to shoot what's on the page then let the actors have some takes to play around and see what they come up with but there are def tons of movies with lots of improvisation (esp comedies such as the apatow films and he's a big part of that improvisation shouting out ideas and lines to the actors etc).

I'm sure there are lots of articles online about famous improvised bits and I know there are some great ones I'm forgetting about but I'm exhausted and can't think straight.

also in regards to the holdovers payne is such a wonderful filmmaker and giamatti is a joy in every single performance.

just saw this and i second that review.

This is a hilarious anecdote told by Matt Damon about how Jack Nicholson suggested changes to The Departed, made better by his imitation of Jack's voice.

French people all around the world grow up reading Tintin so you can say that it has an international cult following... Either way, it needed no introduction for many folks, could get away with being loose with the plot and just focussing more on the beloved (childish) characters.

What might of actually appeared weird to the non-initiated, is that Spielberg introduced the Tintin universe without trying to perhaps making it exhaustive story in a vacuum...

This was awesome... THE SEARCH FOR WENG WENG

Hair Took me a while to get through this one. The first number (Age of Aquarius) was great. Went downhill from there. I like most musicals, but this wasn't one of them. A couple of songs that most have heard were fine, but a lot weren't very memorable. The plot was goofy as well. Didn't age well imo.

Are there ANY vintage 'musicals/dance' Film experts in the tread?

I have been looking for musical/dance film that I saw many years ago and for the life of me I can not place it, and I have been looking for a couple years now. I have scoured IMDB also. In technicolor.

I can't even accurately remember the actress that was doing the dance sequence, but I do remember what was happening. It was a film based in and around late 1940's to mid 1950's and she was doing an EXTREMELY sultry dance routine with a male partner on a inner city loading dock... probably new york or similar.

what made it stand out for me was that it didnt seem period correct because the dance was very erotic and grinding in nature... out of character for a movie made during that time. The music was a Steamy slow burn jazz piece... sexy music and not 'two step' or 'syncopated'.

I kind of remember it being an actress that was WELL known to me... some like like Mrs. Brady or perhaps Mrs. Partridge... maybe even Princess Leia's real life Mother. Someone well known like that.

HELP!

Shirley Jones (the mom on the Partridge Family) won an Oscar in 1960 for playing a prostitute in Elmer Gantry. I've never seen it, but I don't think it's a musical.

trivia!

Only 4 performers have ever won an acting Oscar AND had a no. 1 hit on the Billboard top 100...who are they?

welp

Moved my guesses to spoiler sorry

yep

no
yep yep yep

no

one more and it's the toughest one

no

no

no