CinemaInternational

I think Once upon a Time is winning the whole deal.

Murder She Wrote is finally back.....

That film made its Blu-Ray debut last year. Interesting film for sure. https://www.amazon.com/They-Might-Giants-Special-Blu-ray/dp/B07Q9XZLT9/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1VR9QM7SQ0FZK&keywords=they+might+be+giants+dvd&qid=1578267527&sprefix=they+might+be+%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1

Yay!

Yes, Tarantino's films are legendary for the violence being almost operatically over the top. Jackie Brown is (relatively) the least violent of his films.... but it still had that infamous scene in the mall parking lot......

2019 studio standings in revenue.... in other words, Disney's constant parade of sequels and remakes won out big time....

True. Pugh did take a little while to get used to as Amy. They had her play Amy both as a child and as an adult, and while she was quite effortless as the older Amy (especially in later scenes, in which she was wonderful), the younger Amy was a bit of a stretch.

This whole year has been strange acting-wise in Actress. Zellweger's the front-runner (I admit I like her a lot but I have yet to see the film), but unless it gets up for makeup, she will likely be its only nomination. Her two main rivals are Charlize Theron (for a film with mixed reviews and low business) and Scarlett Johannson (for a much praised film, but one that's on a streaming service, and has not seemingly been as beloved in the industry [no SAG nomination for its A-list ensemble cast] as it has by critics). As such, its kind of weirdly blase, and a bit of a throwback to 2003, when they were all hot young actresses (and the first two won the Female acting prizes that year). i still don't know why the new Little Women hasn't picked up more momentum in this category, it is the third first-rate version of the tale (saw it last week, and its one of the best films of the year) and has exceptional reviews.... but its fighting for its life award-wise.

the first movie I saw in the new year and decade was 1987's Stakeout on HBO. Might seem like a strange choice, but it was there, it was late, and I was curious about it. It's a likable film, and Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez make a good comedy team, while Madeleine Stowe is just plain luminous. The camera loves her too. Maybe not a major film, but fun and entertaining. Plus i love that use of the one Pointer Sisters song almost in its entirety in the one scene.

It's no surprise to me that its not doing well. A large part of it is due to the political gulf in this country ( I should be the last to talk because I refuse to be associated with either political party, and I don't vote because of my utter distaste for politics) This is a type of film that some Democrats refuse to see because it takes a positive look at some anchors at Fox News, and many Republicans refuse to see because they feel it denigrates their views. It's a no win situation. It's just an example of who exactly was this film made for in this divided day and age syndrome.

That was my favorite scene in the film, but I liked so many little touches throughout it as well, all the old signs and movie posters and marquees, Pitt's performance (his best), all the references to movies and TV of the era, the sweet sun-baked rhythm of the early scenes. I really wanted to see many of the characters live on for hours just going about their ways, living their lives. Of course, August 9th was coming though, and that would naturally be the end of it all. Tarantino in a way made a very canny music choice when the film skips forward to that fateful August day. The song was The Rolling Stones' "Out of Time". At first I was pleasantly enjoying the song, reminding me as it did of the 1978 film Coming Home, and then it hit me that it was standing for a lot more: Tate, Old Hollywood, Peace in LA, almost anything. It became a very tragic song all of a sudden. Regarding Polanski, I nodded with recognition in the bookstore scene with Margot Robbie and Clu Gallagher where she is hoping to get her husband a copy of Tess of the D'ubervilles. That was one of the last books she read, and she insisted to her husband that it would make a great film. 10 years on from the tragedy, he made it as Tess and dedicated it to her.

Secondly., I apologize if I offended anyone with what i said about the book in this thread. I have nothing against some of the films that Ava has picked this year (I loved Claudine and Dsaughters of the Dust was strong and atmospheric), but I can't help but say that La Pointe-Courte was very dry in my opinion. And as for the book, maybe I just bristled seeing films that many people loved over the years replaced by titles like Touki-Bouki, which only had about a 197 word review. I didn't mean to sound racist or anything because i'm not, but I was just a bit stunned that so much was replaced. (Not to mention, some of the newest films put in seemed thin, like The Florida Project) If you want to judge the contents of this new edition to see how "essential" they are, go to Amazon to look at the look inside option (click over the book's cover and it will come up) ... https://www.amazon.com/New-York-Times-Book-Movies/dp/078933657X

I have this gut feeling that quite a few people who went to see Hollywood(knowing of the ahistorical twist ending), wanted to see the Masons get it in a savage way, the same way that they butchered Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, and the others in August of 1969. And yes, I do think that the fact that the DiCaprio and Pitt characters were drunk and stoned probably had some effect on the violence in the scene. But for me, that Sharon Tate survived (albeit only in the film) is what made the ending for me. the film has set up already what many in Hollywood in the 60s said was true; that Sharon Tate was a lovely woman, fully undeserving of what came her way. And as depicted in the film, she's kind of like the spirit of LA, shes like an angel, and we in the audience melt while watching her and are very protective toward her. That's the part of the ending that got me, just the few words she says through the PA at the end. Such ordinary words, but they made me weep. It's a very graceful moment, and while watching it I found myself saying Thank you to Tarantino for it.

Closed out 2019 with Planet of the Apes, a first time view..... Few little notes: Kim Hunter really gives a remarkably affecting and warm performance despite the very unflattering ape makeup. I think it has to do with the quality of her voice. Anyway, film's best performance, though Roddy McDowell was fun too. The film holds up as a very strong sci-fi. I knew about the ending beforehand, but its still effective, and the film carefully sprinkles in some hints along the way. For a G rated film in 1968, this is an extremely ...fleshy.... display. You see the behinds of the three astronauts, Charlton Heston's "blanket" covering keeps getting smaller as the film goes on, Linda Harrison is in the bare minimum of clothing, Heston exposes his backside again, and I could swear that there was a split second shot of his naked front (definitely his p-ubic hair was seen) once or twice. Makes you wonder how this ever got a G.....

The Cabinet of Dr Caligeri All Quiet on the Western Front His girl Friday Sunset Boulevard Wild River The Ballad of Cable hogue The Last Metro Cyrano De Bergerac In the Mood for Love True Grit

Since the Universal experiment went over well, here is the "as badly reviewed or worse than Cats" club from Paramount....

As if this year couldn't get anymore offbeat, Sacheen Littlefeather might be returning to the Oscars, per Deadline......

Radio Days closes on New Year's Eve/Day with a lovely, bittersweet ending. Old Acquaintance (and its remake Rich and Famous) ends with a reconciliation as the clock hits midnight. In When harry Met Sally, the reunion happens at a New Year's party.

#331 - A Free Soul (1931) #332 - Dive Bomber (1941) #333 - Criss Cross (1949) #334 - Kind Lady (1951) #335 - The Pajama Game (1957) #336 - Our Man Flint (1966) #337 - Klute (1971) #338 - Harry & Tonto (1974) #339 - When Harry Met Sally... (1989) #340 - A River Runs Through It (1992) (Thanks, lawrence for these....)

it's hard to pick just one....

Back to the movie theatre I went.... The new Little Women is a glorious film. Saoirse Ronan is a perfect Jo, and the film itself is a wonderful blur of warmth and love. The His Girl Friday/Altman style delivery of some lines early on takes a little getting used to, but once you get past that, this is vibrant and alive, completely wonderful, and expertly performed, written, directed, and conceived.

Performances of the Decade (Top 10) Actor Daniel Day-Lewis/Phantom Thread Bruce Dern/Nebraska Michael Fassbender/Steve Jobs Ralph Fiennes/The Grand Budapest Hotel Domhnall Gleeson/About Time Hugh Grant/Florence Foster Jenkins Ewan McGregor/Beginners Charlie Plummer/Lean on Pete John C. Reilly/Stan and Ollie Denzel Washington/Roman J. Israel Esq. Actress Gemma Arterton/Their Finest Annette Bening/20th Century Women Glenn Close/The Wife Kiki Laine/If Beale Street Could Talk Carey Mulligan/Never Let Me Go Natalie Portman/Jackie Charlotte Rampling/45 Years Saoirse Ronan/Brooklyn Hailee Steinfeld/True Grit Alicia Vikander/Testament of Youth Supporting Actor Alan Arkin/Argo Jeff Bridges/Bad Times at the El Royale Tom Courtenay/45 Years Lawrence Fishburne/Last Flag Flying Richard E Grant/Can You Ever Forgive Me? Ethan Hawke/Boyhood Michael Keaton/Spotlight Bill Nighy/About Time Patton Oswalt/Young Adult Brad Pitt/Once upon a Time in Hollywood Supporting Actress Ana De Armas/Blade Runner 2049 Cynthia Erivo/Bad Times at the El Royale Greta Gerwig/20th Century Women Laurie Metcalf/Lady Bird Lupita Nyongo/12 Years a Slave Miranda Richardson/Made in Dagenham Margot Robbie/Once upon a time in Hollywood Octavia Spencer/The Help Julie Walters/Brooklyn Shuzhen Zhao/The Farewell Steinfeld wins Juvenile Performance for True Grit.

BTW, Anna Karina was added to the tribute.