Latest Movie That You Watched!

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kingricefan

All-being, keeper of Space, Time & Dimension.
Jul 11, 2006
30,011
127,446
Spokane, WA
I watched Blue Jasmine and I think it's great. I am a fan of Cate Blancett; she is just as good as Meryl Streep. It's amazing how they can become characters.

I think and hope that Blancett will win the Oscar.

If you enjoy movies without special effects and enjoy good quality acting then I think this is something you'll enjoy.
Hey, MM, she IS going to take the Oscar this year!
 
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Neil W

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2008
1,203
2,592
Isle of Wight UK
Blue Jasmine

Jasmine (Cate Blanchett), a wealthy New York socialite, has fallen on hard times following the arrest and subsequent suicide of her financial scam con artist husband (Alec Baldwin) so she is reduced to staying with her divorced sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) in her modest San Francisco apartment. We find out much of what happened in flashback, as well as discovering how both women, but especially Jasmine, cope with their changed circumstances.

I am told that this (written and directed by) Woody Allen film is promoted as a comedy, which it certainly isn't: there is very little humour in it. What there is, however, is a towering performance by Cate Blanchett. Never, for an instant, do you think that you are watching Cate Blanchett acting: what you are watching is Jasmine.

Unfortunately, Jasmine is a horribly unsympathetic character. When things are going well for her, she is a shallow snob and, now that she is destitute, she is a self-pitying snob who continues to look down on the sister on whom she has no choice but to depend (the two sisters are adopted, although this appears to have no significance whatsoever other than, perhaps, reflecting the unusual family structure enjoyed by the writer). Even Jasmine's nervous breakdown attracts no sympathy: you feel that she deserves it.

I'm not a great fan of Woody Allen: I find his films variable. Thankfully, this one doesn't feature a "Woody Allen substitute" character, but it does feature another trait which has surfaced in his recent films: it just stops. There is no resolution to Jasmine's story, or how it impacts on Ginger's. Any investment one has made in these characters - and I admit that all the cast members are excellent, not just Blanchett - is wasted.

For all the quality of the acting, what really matters is your reaction on leaving the cinema, and I left thinking, "Oh. So what?" What could have been a very good film remains simply annoying.
 

fljoe0

Cantre Member
Apr 5, 2008
15,859
71,642
62
120 miles S of the Pancake/Waffle line
A Hijacking (2012) made in Denmark

An extremely tense flick about a cargo ship that is hijacked by Somalian pirates. The crew is held hostage for a long time and the movie shows the strain that both the crew and the owners of the cargo ship company are under as they negotiate to try and free the hostages. Highly recommended - this is available for streaming on Netflix.
 

MadamMack

M e m b e r
Apr 11, 2006
17,958
45,138
UnParked, UnParked U.S.A.
I watched Blue Jasmine and I think it's great. I am a fan of Cate Blancett; she is just as good as Meryl Streep. It's amazing how they can become characters.

I think and hope that Blancett will win the Oscar.

If you enjoy movies without special effects and enjoy good quality acting then I think this is something you'll enjoy.

I forgot to mention that it kind of reminded me of A Streetcar Named Desire.
 

MadamMack

M e m b e r
Apr 11, 2006
17,958
45,138
UnParked, UnParked U.S.A.
Watched Limitless last night with Bradley Cooper. Did the f/x people enhance the color of his eyes? Are they really that blue? I don't remember them being so shockingly bright blue like that. Anyhoo, the movie was good although abit predictable. Interesting storyline.....

I felt the same about his eyes. Pretty good flick. He is so cute.
 

Neil W

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2008
1,203
2,592
Isle of Wight UK
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa

On the imprisonment of his daughter, recently widowed octogenarian Irving has to take his grandson Billy cross-country to be reunited with his no-account father. Irving regards his newly changed marital status not so much as bereavement, more as an opportunity to resume skirt-chasing, so he is not pleased about having this errand imposed on him. And he does not initially appear to be the best role model a youngster could have...

Bad Grandpa is a series of hidden camera set ups strung on a loose plot. Apart from Johnny Knoxville (and some excellent prosthetics) as Irving, the wonderful 8-year old Jackson Nicholl as Billy, and a handful of other actors in minor supporting roles, this film stands on the routines themselves, the reactions of the public, and the ability shown by the two principals to extemporise around a predetermined scenario.

Let me say this: Bad Grandpa is tasteless, and contains a great deal of sexual material (verbally, at least), a distinct lavatorial bent, some bad language and, quite possibly the corruption of a minor. If you regard these as bad points - and as someone who is fairly old school, I have leanings towards disapproving of this kind of stuff - then it may be worth staying away.

Which might be a pity, because it is frequently laugh-out-loud funny, the bad language and dirty talking is beautifully florid, imaginative, picturesque, constructive, and very funny (as opposed to foul language for the sake of foul language, which I deplore), and the relationship between Irving and Billy, which is at the heart of the minimal plot, is charming and develops nicely through the film.

I enjoyed this hugely but, oh boy, did I feel guilty afterwards!
 

HollyGolightly

Well-Known Member
Sep 6, 2013
9,660
74,320
54
Heart of the South
Watched Limitless last night with Bradley Cooper. Did the f/x people enhance the color of his eyes? Are they really that blue? I don't remember them being so shockingly bright blue like that. Anyhoo, the movie was good although abit predictable. Interesting storyline.....
He's just hot and gorgeous and now I'm going to watch that movie too!
 

Neil W

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2008
1,203
2,592
Isle of Wight UK
@Neil W
It would be helpful if you would be considerate enough to use the spoiler button when giving complete details. It's what we do here out of respect for those who have not seen a movie.
I will happily do this - and I do try to remember to do it - when I post something which has a revelation in it: I felt the longish commentary pieces over the last couple of pages contained synopses but nothing hugely revelatory. Can you please let me know the bit/s which concern you so that I can do better at not upsetting people. I do not want to appear (or, indeed, be) inconsiderate.