Film and Episodic Content Discussion Thread

Last night I rewatched MICHAEL CLAYTON (2007) & enjoyed it more on 4th viewing than any previous ones, including when it opened in theaters. This film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and three Best Actor (George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton, who won). IMHO it deserved all the nominations and probably should also have been nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

My movie watching friend last night was a longtime local lawyer & judge. My 1st job after college was with a big downtown law firm in lower Manhattan, similar in size and complexity of office politics/dynamics to Kenner, Bach & Leeden, this film's fictional law firm. We had much to discuss about the role of both legal & extra-legal tactics in the story.

Tony Gilroy wrote the screenplay and directed. As great as the acting and direction are here, it's the screenplay that really dazzles, using flashforwards and multiple parallel plot lines to create tension & complexity. In the film's final 1/4 the plot lines finally start intersecting, and all hell breaks loose; it's exceptional screenwriting. The film also features one quotable line after another. The final showdown between Clooney's and Swinton's character is priceless, with Clooney's lines dropping like bombs.

This inspired me to research Tony Gilroy. He wrote the screenplays for some of my favorite Hollywood films, including all four Matt Damon/Jason Bourne films; DOLORES CLAIBORNE, and THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE. The latter has some of the most often quoted dialogue, with Al Pacino as The Devil spewing dark, witty lines throughout.

Judging by Gilroy's list of screenplays, he writes high-level action w/minimal dialogue just as effectively as dialogue-heavy films like MICHAEL CLAYTON and THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE. I plan to rewatch a number of these films.

Gilroy was raised in Washingtonville, New York, about 8 miles from my home. The famously scenic Moodna viaduct, a very tall, long railroad trestle crossing a steep valley near Washingtonville, appears in MICHAEL CLAYTON, as does a supermarket in the village.

 

I had high hopes for this movie. I made the trek to the theater to see it tonight because I don't have a netflix account, but also because I'm a huge Bradley Cooper fan, and adored his rendition of A Star Is Born... a brilliant directorial debut... and prefer to see his new works at the cinema, as they were meant to be seen.

So it came as a shock when I witnessed this.... very empty and boring film. Have you ever stumbled upon two or more people in the middle of a conversation, and had little to no idea what was going on, or what the basis for the conversation was? That's what watching this movie was like for me. There is lots of STUFF happening, but I often hadn't the foggiest idea why it was important. The film comes across as a patchwork of random scenes that don't seem to have much relationship with each other.

For a movie about Leonard Bernstein (huge fan), I felt that I had learned very little about the man when the credits rolled. It felt like a cliff's notes version of his life... with alot of the pages torn out.

On the plus side the movie looks gorgeous. The acting is phenomenal (Cooper's transformation into Bernstein is often shocking). There are some VERY powerful scenes in isolation. But the connective tissue that makes a movie engaging was missing for me. This was originally set to be directed by Steven Spielberg starring Cooper, but he had to go and direct West Side Story, so Cooper asked if he could do it and Spielberg gave his blessing. I can't help but long for what Spielberg's more experienced story focused hand would've done with the material.

I do get the feeling that it might be a film that demands a rewatch and might work better after its seeped into your subconscious. Maybe. But I can't help but feel disappointed. Oh well.

 

Based on @ColtMrFire's recommendation I watched The Pelican Brief and really enjoyed it. I had not seen this before. The methodical, deliberate pacing and clarity in the storytelling was refreshing.

On top of that, there are some *incredible* 90s-era looks on display throughout. Most notable are some of the costumes Julia Roberts appears in. They are incredible. Here are a few examples:

Julia going "incognito" in an ill-fitting Knicks hat (also of note: that's Cynthia Nixon of Sex In The City in the foreground):



Julia making a discovery in the law library in a cockatoo t-shirt and (offscreen) khaki shorts:



Julia in closeup in shades, braids, and a denim button down:



And if that wasn't enough, in the full-body shot we can see the rest of the outfit – *untucked* denim button-down, loose-fitting khakis and a fanny pack worn over the shirt!

 

I made it through the first hour of Rebel Moon and it's comically terrible. I have no idea why anybody would have spent money to make this.

 

Soooooooo.... Last Jedi or this, if you could only watch one more movie FOREVER!!

 

I IMDB'd that title a couple times; just read a couple press stories about it. Had no idea what the deal was, didn't feel interested. Now your post.

You're doing us all a public service here...

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the movie. It's always a bit disappointing when a film doesn't live up to our expectations, especially when it involves a talented actor like Bradley Cooper. Sometimes, movies can leave us feeling like there's something missing in the storytelling or connection between scenes.
It's interesting to hear that the film had some visually stunning moments and impressive acting, which can often be redeeming qualities even if the overall narrative falls short. And who knows, you might be right that it's the type of movie that reveals more upon a second viewing.
If you're looking for recommendations on what to watch next, checking out the *spam link removed; NoLinky4U* can be a good way to discover some hidden gems.

 

Effin bot. Skynet in effect

 

You Dirty Dog...

 

Found one of a few unopened Blu-Rays in my collection and so rewatched The Intouchables last night for the first time in roughly 10 years. I really like this uplifting French drama (currently streaming on Amazon Prime), and never watched the Cranston/Hart American remake (The Upside).

I'm conflicted about The Departed, compared to the original Infernal Affairs both of which I also rewatched recently. Love them both, but maybe I'm biased towards the Hong Kong version because I have the Criterion trilogy set that expands the story.

Not having watched it, my sense is that the American remake of Oldboy couldn't hold a candle to the Korean original, which blew me away the first time I experienced a story like that.

The Killing on Netflix was great, haven't watched the Danish original.

My feeling is that Hollywood remakes generally lose the subtleties and cultural/geographic charm that make the foreign originals so good, obviously with exceptions.

Any recommendations for remakes that are better than the foreign original or at least a worthy alternative interpretation? (Other than The Office.)

 

For better than the original, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Noomi Rapace delivers a good performance in the original, but Fincher’s version is far superior.

For different but also good, Insomnia. I like both versions. I prefer Stellan Skaarsgard’s take for its complexity and nuance over Pacino. But both versions are worth watching.

 

I liked THE DEPARTED pretty well -- some real acting firepower there -- but totally forgot it was an American remake of the Hong Kong based film. I really need to see that 2002 film.

Question: what relationship do both films have to do with the 1990 film of the same name that starred Richard Gere, Andy Garcia, many others? I liked that film pretty well, especially for the opportunity to hate on Richard Gere a bit (he seems despicable even in his "good guy" roles, so he's great as a villain).

IMO you're absolutely right about OLDBOY. The Korean original (which I saw in theaters) blew me away. I couldn't believe the ferocity and perverse persistence of the main character. Way better than the US remake, way better.

Hard to suggest a US remake that's equivalent to the the original, much less better. SOLARIS comes to mind...this dreamy, creepy 2002 remakes starring George Clooney and Natascha McElhone really stayed in my head awhile. By comparison the original seemed imaginative but somewhat primitive (though in truth I barely remember it in any detail).

Another interesting remake is INSOMNIA (2002), made more interesting than the average remake by the presence of Al Pacino and especially Robin Williams, who is extremely creepy and effective. I started watching the 1997 Danish original INSOMNIA and really wasn't impressed. Maybe that's just me: I find Stellan Skargard a rather diffident, unexciting screen presence, at least when he's not a villain (see his great villain work in RONIN and THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO)..

One of the more disappointing remakes for me was LET ME IN (2010) starring Chloe Grace Moritz. It came just 2 years after the very fine Swedish original of 2008, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, and IMO had nothing to add. By contrast, the original was haunting and original.

 

I didn't think it was possible for me to be angry at a Christmas movie, but CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS somehow managed to swoop in and ruin my pre Christmas mood.

What an absolutely ABYSMALL film.

The production itself is mostly fine, and besides the unfunny sight gags and humor, there's little offense happening on the surface.

What disturbed me was the hideous thematic element. Basically an older married couple decides to skip Christmas and take a trip to the Bahamas when their daughter goes off to the Peace Corps. for the holidays. They live in one of those Christmas obsessed neighborhoods where everyone decorates and celebrates every year... so they are lambasted, harassed, stalked and nearly ostracized entirely by their angry neighbors. Tim Allen refuses at every turn to give into the hive mind and is dead set on spending the holiday on a beach. Even his wife is excited by it. Until the daughter phones with a surprise visit and a surprise fiancé, and suddenly they have to cancel. Kind of understandable, but now the mother becomes obsessed with planning the perfect party and Tim Allen has to give in and quickly decorate and suddenly the neighbors are sympathetic and lend a hand. Allen is even gaslit into believing he's an asshole for wanting to skip the whole thing in the first place and that the true meaning of Christmas is staring him in the face.... in form of his psycho neighbors who wanted to practically burn him at the stake for disrespecting their precious holiday but who are now his best friends because he's returned to the hive.

Sounds like a theme ripe for a satire, but the the movie plays it straight and seems completely unaware of how revolting this message is. I couldn't believe what I was watching. I need to watch IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE as a palette cleanser.

 

Never saw this film, and that was very much on purpose.

Another palette cleanser I can suggest is MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS.

Another palette cleanser is the original 1950s DRAGNET, Season 3, Episode 17, "The Big Little Jesus." It's priceless to watch the perennially dour, monotone Jack Webb solve a Christmas crime to help a small child. IMO Webb was a pretty bizarre actor, but often a gifted writer/director.

 

So I just got a fascinating email from Amazon. They will start showing ads on Prime content starting in January, and want $3 extra dollars a month for me to go ad free.

A trillion dollar (yes, TRILLION DOLLAR) valuated company needs a helping hand ya'll. Can't we cut 'em a break and hand over even more of out hard earned money?

And they wonder why piracy is so popular.

 

I got the same email. Mixed reactions here, for sure, but a perception you might not expect.

PRIME VIDEO

• When I signed up for Prime Video, I pointedly avoided signing up for Amazon Prime, the umbrella membership package that includes Prime Video + discounts on shipping. That deal was always of interest to people to send a lot of packages; in their case, Prime Video was just kinda thrown in.
• I found that I could get Prime Video by itself, apart from Amazon Prime. For ~5 years I've paid just under $9/month (about 2/3s the cost of Amazon Prime). Prime has raised the monthly rate modestly once or twice.
• Prime Video delivers 4K content for no additional charge. If you have a 4K or 8K TV, you'll see whatever they have that's 4K for no upcharge.
• Prime Video does a fraction of the marketing (all channels) that Netflix does. I mean, a fraction. I'm guessing 10%-15% of the marketing budget, which might explain why Prime hasn't been so aggressive with the price increases (until now).

NETFLIX

• With Netflix, my other subscription service, things were very different from the start: I had to pay the highest monthly rate (back in 2018 I believe it was 15.99/month) to get 4K content. That has gone up >10%/year every year. It's now $24.86/month, or roughly 3X what Prime costs me currently.

I watch Prime Video far more than Netflix FWIW.

So along comes this email, and of course, it's one of the most chickenshit moves I ever seen as a customer. They could have handled it a dozen better ways to land at the same price as with this idiotic adder, which of course will now go up relentlessly. This move makes Amazon look very bad, not that they care. They are too big to care about small fry like Prime Video customers...

So for me, the irony is that Prime, even with this moronic "ad-free" fee ("Here, we'll charge you more to get what you're already getting--and if you don't pay, we'll drop you into the basement with the other plebians"), is considerably cheaper than Netflix, Prime's biggest competitor.

Of course, the story is bigger than this. Netflix will doubtless very soon erect their own ad-free paywall. There are many reasons for that which I'm not equipped to discuss. Let's just say that the glory days of streaming are coming to an end. It was always known that they would. As cable TV declines, streaming content rules--and cannot stay cheap.

PS: I can't support this with fact. But I suspect Prime Video was a loss leader for Amazon the company since day-1, greatly accelerated by its inclusion in Amazon Prime membership. And now Amazon has simply decided it won't be a loss leader anymore...

 

It would be as if a Ferrari pulled up, a guy gets out wearing an expensive suit, shoes and a Rolex, and asks if you could spare come cash because times are tough. You'd laugh in his face, obviously.

That's what happens when you put a billion dollars into the hands of inexperienced show runners who have no credits, to make a failed RINGS OF POWER tv show. Streamers are the poster children for irresponsible corporate antics. Kind of like how Netflix just handed a director $50M for a TV show without even talking to the guy he used to work with, WHO ACTUALL WORKED AT NETFLIX, for a character reference. Said director went insane and blew the money on stocks, a fleet of Rolls Royces and dodgecoin. The show was scrapped. They literally just wired the money to his company's bank account, and didn't pop into the office of the guy down the hall who used to work with him to ask if it's a good idea! Consumers pay for the incompetence of these companies.

 

Headline from this morning on social media news site :
‘Parasite’ Actor Lee Sun-kyun Found Dead in Car

 

I saw THE BIG LEBOWSKI in 1998 when it came out in theaters. I had been greatly impressed by several of the Coen Brothers' previous films and definitely liked this one, so different from any other in their body of work. Somehow I failed to rewatch TBL in all the years that followed.

The other day I was listening to a podcast, "The Rewatchables," an unusually fervent & praise-filled episode about TBL. Until this podcast, I hadn't understood how far the film seeped into our culture, how many people endlessly quote its lines, and how many (usually youthful males) strive to live "the Dude life" in all its glory. It made me curious and eager to rewatch the film, which I just did.

This is one of the most likeable movies ever, a blast to rewatch, funny as hell at times (a number of LOL moments here). I've read about the Coen Brothers' influence by books/films of Raymond Chandler, and this time I noticed that more. Jeff Bridges' "the Dude" is the perfect inverse of Humphrey Bogard (a scheming, tactical man who walks into rooms and dominates people and situations); by contrast the Dude lives in a bliss-bubble. He walks into rooms and repeatedly gets fucked, literally or figuratively. There is a certain resemblance of the older Lebowski's wheelchair-bound character to THE BIG SLEEP's General Sternwood; and between TBL's Maude Lebowski (a wonderful Julianne Moore) and either/both of the General's daughters, Carmen and Vivian. This time I really noticed how Julianne Moore, during several hysterical scenes, channeled Mary Astor's rat-a-tat line delivery from THE MALTESE FALCON.

It has been said that after playing the Dude in this film, Jeff Bridges entire career swerved in the direction of Dude-like roles. I'm not so sure about that. Bridges later did memorable roles that didn't seem especially Dude-like in films like TRUE GRIT and HELL OR HIGH WATER. His excellent part in CRAZY HEART could be seen as a distant relative to the Dude, but the vibe of alcoholism and failure make the film feel deeper and sadder, qualities antithetical to the Dude.

I strongly recommend this film. Its shambolic, cheery essence lifted me up on second viewing. And it just struck me how weirdly parallel this film seems to THE WIZARD OF OZ, both with bedazzled naifs at the center of the story.