The Movie Reel

[MargaretMcAleer]

I'll have to watch this now it's back on the radar with the Oscar win. Like Viggo... thought he was good in Lord of the Rings and The Road (the latter being a pretty despairing tale)

I am certain you will enjoy the film,it is based on a true story,has a great dialogue,a good cast of actors.

 

[tented]

I watched Bohemian Rhapsody last night. Malek did a great job as Freddie. A lesser actor would have turned it into a campy drag show, but Malek didn’t just impersonate Mercury — he became him. And how he could even speak intelligibly with those prosthetic teeth is beyond me.

Also, it was wise to begin and end with their legendary Live AID concert — one of the greatest performances in the history of rock. I remember at the time Elton John didn’t want to go onstage later that day, because he knew Queen had stolen the show.

 

[tented]

And for big screen I saw Rocket Man today. I thought it was pretty good too.

How did it compare to Bohemian Rhapsody? I think it’s a little odd Hollywood decided to release two rock-star bio-pics so close together.

 

[Moxie]

How did it compare to Bohemian Rhapsody? I think it’s a little odd Hollywood decided to release two rock-star bio-pics so close together.

Oh, you don't really...do you? Hollywood loves to copy itself. Something works, they do it again. Also, same director, essentially. (Dexter Fletcher finished Bohemian Rhapsody, after Bryan Singer was fired for misconduct.) I read one reviewer of RM who said "standby for the biopic of Bowie." I'm also interested to hear if Darth saw BH, and the comparison, though. What did you think of Bohemian Rhapsody, @tented? PS, I'm really keen to see Rocketman, if only for the music.

 

[tented]

Oh, you don't really...do you? Hollywood loves to copy itself. Something works, they do it again. Also, same director, essentially. (Dexter Fletcher finished Bohemian Rhapsody, after Bryan Singer was fired for misconduct.) I read one reviewer of RM who said "standby for the biopic of Bowie." I'm also interested to hear if Darth saw BH, and the comparison, though. What did you think of Bohemian Rhapsody, @tented? PS, I'm really keen to see Rocketman, if only for the music.

Sure, Hollywood copies itself, but this just seems to be too obvious a grab at another Oscar, and I don’t see the Academy going for back-to-back rockstars.

I thought BH was OK, and Malik was great, but I’m getting tired of handing out Oscars for portraying real people. Take a look at the list of winners during the last few decades, and you’ll see an extraordinary number of them: Oldman/Churchill, Streep/Thatcher, Redmayne/Hawking, Mirren/QEII, DDL/Lincoln, Firth/King George, Penn/Milk are only some from just the last decade. There’s too much of a feel for rewarding imitations, not acting.

 

[DarthFed]

I didn't see Bohemian but given it's success as well as A Star is Born (also didn't see) it's not surprising there is a big music movie kick

 

[Moxie]

Sure, Hollywood copies itself, but this just seems to be too obvious a grab at another Oscar, and I don’t see the Academy going for back-to-back rockstars.

I thought BH was OK, and Malik was great, but I’m getting tired of handing out Oscars for portraying real people. Take a look at the list of winners during the last few decades, and you’ll see an extraordinary number of them: Oldman/Churchill, Streep/Thatcher, Redmayne/Hawking, Mirren/QEII, DDL/Lincoln, Firth/King George, Penn/Milk are only some from just the last decade. There’s too much of a feel for rewarding imitations, not acting.

I don't think it's a grab at another Oscar as much as grab at an audience. Oscars only reap so much money, and they're not guaranteed. But I hear you about acting Oscars going to actors portraying real people. It does get old. As if puling off a good imitation is better than creating an original character.

 

[Moxie]

I didn't see Bohemian but given it's success as well as A Star is Born (also didn't see) it's not surprising there is a big music movie kick

I also want to see "Echo in the Canyon." All of this is a huge grab for baby boomers +, of which I am one. I think a lot of movie consumers are willing to pay money to sit in the theatre and let the music of our childhood wash over us. Especially when the other options coming out of Hollywood are The Avengers and another Toy Story and otherwise franchises that are more geared towards kids. Almost the only thing that the studios are offering grown-ups right now is music nostalgia. When was the last time that Hollywood made a grown-up film?

 

[DarthFed]

I also want to see "Echo in the Canyon." All of this is a huge grab for baby boomers +, of which I am one. I think a lot of movie consumers are willing to pay money to sit in the theatre and let the music of our childhood wash over us. Especially when the other options coming out of Hollywood are The Avengers and another Toy Story and otherwise franchises that are more geared towards kids. Almost the only thing that the studios are offering grown-ups right now is music nostalgia. When was the last time that Hollywood made a grown-up film?

Wolf of Wall Street baby I do want to see "Yesterday" too. Could be interesting. I am no baby boomer but I grew up listening to all the music from that era. Elton John is/was far greater than most people realize, I came to find that out the last handful of years in a "wow, Elton John sang that song?" type of way.

I am looking forward to Tarantino's new one Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Looks to be a grown up movie for you!

 

[Moxie]

Wolf of Wall Street baby I do want to see "Yesterday" too. Could be interesting. I am no baby boomer but I grew up listening to all the music from that era. Elton John is/was far greater than most people realize, I came to find that out the last handful of years in a "wow, Elton John sang that song?" type of way.

I am looking forward to Tarantino's new one Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Looks to be a grown up movie for you!

Wolf of Wall Street was a long time ago. Scorsese is an auteur and doesn't exactly count, but even his newest is a doc of old footage of Dylan. Same way that Tarantino is an auteur, but I am looking forward to that film. And to "Yesterday," but it's trading on Beatles music. All I'm saying is that there's a trend in music for grown up films, and I don't see it ending soon. Not that I mind.

 

[Horsa]

Oh, you don't really...do you? Hollywood loves to copy itself. Something works, they do it again. Also, same director, essentially. (Dexter Fletcher finished Bohemian Rhapsody, after Bryan Singer was fired for misconduct.) I read one reviewer of RM who said "standby for the biopic of Bowie." I'm also interested to hear if Darth saw BH, and the comparison, though. What did you think of Bohemian Rhapsody, @tented? PS, I'm really keen to see Rocketman, if only for the music.

I want to see both of those films if only to have a jolly good sing-along with the music. The big question is "did they choose actors who do a good job at singing like who they're supposed to sing like?". I ask that because they don't always. E.g. I was disappointed when I 1st saw "Walk the line" as I don't think Joaquin Phoenix sounds anything like Johnny Cash. My biggest musical film disappointment however was the 1st "Mama Mia" because other than Colin Firth, Meryl Streep & the young lady who looks like a younger version of Meryl Streep I didn't think any of them could sing except perhaps Pierce Brosnan if you're into opera.

 

[Horsa]

Wolf of Wall Street baby I do want to see "Yesterday" too. Could be interesting. I am no baby boomer but I grew up listening to all the music from that era. Elton John is/was far greater than most people realize, I came to find that out the last handful of years in a "wow, Elton John sang that song?" type of way.

I am looking forward to Tarantino's new one Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Looks to be a grown up movie for you!

Yesterday sounds good.

 

[Jelenafan]

I didn't think any of them could sing except perhaps Pierce Brosnan if you're into opera.

Maybe a horse opera With the equine lead dying on screen...

Pierce Brosnan’s excruciating version singing “SOS” so traumatized me.

 

[Horsa]

Maybe a horse opera With the equine lead dying on screen...

Pierce Brosnan’s excruciating version singing “SOS” so traumatized me.

Lol.

He sounded as though he really did need us to save his soul as he was in pain. There were a lot of good ABBA songs murdered in the 1st "Mama Mia". I could sing them better myself. I've heard the 2nd one is better & they've got Cher in that 1 so it might be. (I love Cher.) I'm considering watching it with my Sister.

 

[Moxie]

Since this summer is the 50th anniversary of the first man on the moon, I watched "A Walk on the Moon" again. It's sexy, well-acted, and has a great soundtrack.

 

[Moxie]

And in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall riots and Gay pride, I offer this lovely film, which is really not to be missed:

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Has anyone seen RocketMan it has had mixed views here in Sydney....I loved Bohemian Rhapsody.....maybe I should not try to compare,seeing Elton John and Queen are quite world's apart music wise.

 

[Horsa]

And in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall riots and Gay pride, I offer this lovely film, which is really not to be missed:

Please tell me more about the Stonewall riots. I saw a piece on them in an art exhibition but as I'd surprised him by telling him I knew who an untitled poem was about when he didn't think I'd know as he said I was too young to know & he bet I couldn't tell him who it was about & I'd translated a middle-English version of "Ilkley Moor baht 'at" which was part of a depiction of the rosetta stone by a Yorkshire man who translated the above-mentioned song into Greek, middle-English & Gujurati, he wouldn't tell me. He told me the picture depicted the Stonewall riots but wouldn't tell me anymore about them. (The poem was about Mohammed Ali. The poet wrote it as if it was about an Ancient Roman fighting in an arena whose name was Cassius Marcellanus when it was about Ali fighting in the Rome Olympics. Stanza 2 gave it away when it said "Clay became Ali.") Back on topic, thank you very much for the recommendation.

 

[Moxie]

Here is a link to the wikipedia entry for more info, but the quick answer is that, on the night of June 27-28, 1969, the police raided a known gay bar, the Stonewall Inn on Christopher St. in NYC. Rather than the usual running off, or going quietly in paddy wagons, the patrons fought back. It was 1am, it was hot, and people were drunk. Also, it was 1969, and a spirit of revolution was in the air. Objects were flung, the police and gay people faced off, notably a number of transexual patrons, then known as "street queens," or "drag queens." People had had enough, and it lasted the night. The next night a lot of gay people from around the city came to the Stonewall to protest, and face the cops again. This was seen as the beginning of the gay liberation movement. "The shot glass heard 'round the world," I've heard it called, which I think is excellent, and thought you'd appreciate.

But the really important thing happened on the anniversary, the next year. A commemorative march was organized, which has since become the Pride March or Pride Parade, and from there a movement really coalesced. So, this being the 50th Anniversary of those first nights of resistance in 1969, there's a big commemoration here in New York this weekend. This one is being called World Pride, and it's going to be massive.

 

[Moxie]

I saw "Maiden" today and really enjoyed it. Doc about the first all-female yacht crew to race the around-the-world Whitbread competition. Pretty thrilling.