Let's Talk Movies #36 - 2020 - Yep it is a new decade

[clairecloutier]

Little Women competed against Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction, not Schindler’s List.

That Best Actress category was quite weak, no? Only Wynona’s perf has stood the test of time.

You're right, @manhn; I updated the link.

And yeah, that was a hella weak year for Best Actress. I think Jessica Lange wound up winning that year, essentially getting an Oscar Lifetime Achievement award (which was overdue, based on some amazing past roles for her).

I do kind of wish Winona could have won, though. I wonder if it would have made a difference at all in the downward spiral that her career went into soon after Little Women. (Part of the emotional impact of 1994 LW for me is loving her so much in it, and mourning the lost years that came after that, before she finally righted the ship recently.)

 

[canbelto]

I just saw Little Women. There are things I loved about this version and also things I really disliked. Here is what I liked:

- I loved the flashback structure. I thought that it solved one of the biggest problems of the Little Women -- the warm, charming, but slow-moving first "childhood" half with the somewhat depressing, adult second half. By tying the two together constantly in flashback we see how childhood dreams dissolve into harsh realities.

- I loved Saoirse Ronan as Jo. I love Winona Ryder but she wasn't strong enough as Jo. Ronan does have the fierceness and tomboyish-ness.

- I LOVED Jo's bittersweet reaction to Laurie marrying Amy. Love is not always romantic and it's possible to be absolutely heartbroken that a childhood friend has now moved on.

- The development of the Amy/Laurie romance. Thought it was well-done and believable.

- I liked how Beth was portrayed as genuinely sickly from the beginning. It made her early demise believable.

- I loved the really physical fight between Jo and Amy. There was nothing ladylike about it. In general I enjoyed the rough-and-tumble of this Little Women compared to the previous versions.

Now with that being said, there's some things that didn't work for me:

- Florence Pugh as 12 year old Amy: NO. She was a great adult/Europe Amy but as a 12 year old? No. Her voice is the deepest and huskiest of the sisters.

- The very modern vocal inflections during the movie were jarring.

- The scene with Meg at the ball cut one of my favorite scenes from the book: when Meg overhears the other girls making fun of her dress and socioeconomic status.

- Professor Bhaer. I know Gerwig wanted it to deliberately be ambiguous if the ending was fiction or reality. But in this version the seem like they barely know each other and there's nothing to suggest Jo really likes him.

- Meryl Streep as Aunt March. Yes yes I know Meryl is a goddess but sometimes I feel like her acting is now a collection of tics and mannerisms and this is exhibit A.

But overall I enjoyed this version. I think it's a great supplement to the 1994 version. Both have their virtues and flaws.

 

[Kasey]

I went and saw "Uncut Gems" today, because I thought that Adam Sandler in a dramatic role would be interesting. It was. It was a very dark movie, with a lot of cursing if that isn't your thing. The ending was as I had already expected, although it was very abrupt. He was REALLY good in the film, which I think surprised me. Not brilliant like Joaquin Phoenix in "Joker", but a thoroughly solid performance.

 

[canbelto]

So ... I've seen Little Women and Knives Out and Frozen 2. What else is a must-see? Parasite? 1917?

 

[annie720]

So ... I've seen Little Women and Knives Out and Frozen 2. What else is a must-see? Parasite? 1917?

I would say both, though I haven’t seen 1917 yet. Seeing it this week.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I am going to see 1917 with a friend tonight. I will let you know what I think.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Billie Eilish has done the latest James Bond theme song

She's the Bond guy — Billie Eilish has recorded the new 007 song

Producers announce 18-year-old alternative pop singer Billie Eilish is the youngest artist to record a song for the James Bond film franchise, quashing fan theory about Beyonce.

www.abc.net.au

This will be interesting.

 

[Maofan7]

The 2019 version of Little Women needed to make $107 million dollars worldwide to match the success of the 1994 film in box office terms to deliver a proportionately equivalent profit when adjusted for inflation, and when factoring in its $40 million budget. It has now surpassed that to reach $108.2 million

Little Women Has Quietly Passed A Box Office Milestone

Little women, big money.

www.cinemablend.com

I still think the 1994 film is a better film, although I could not be viewed as an impartial observer as I am a Winona Ryder mega fan!

 

[Aussie Willy]

Saw 1917 tonight. Quite brilliant. To say much might give things away. What I can say is that it is incredibly tense and fantastically directed. The Oscar nominations it has received are well deserved and I wouldn't mind betting it stands a good chance of winning a few. I am disappointed George McKay was not nominated for best actor because he really did an incredible performance.

 

[Buzz]

Disney closed off 2019 with 7 out of the year’s 9 billion dollar earners!

The Rise of Skywalker just became Disney’s seventh billion-dollar hit of 2019

It’s a record that probably won’t be matched soon

www.polygon.com

 

[Cachoo]

So there is this town at the western edge of Kansas called Goodland that seems to get the worst weather in the state (coming off of the Rockies.) I found a film called "Goodland." I watched it....it wasn't good but I like seeing an authentic setting.

 

[manhn]

I finished Hustlers, which I enjoyed so much. A wonderful and fun cast, with truly great work by Lopez and Wu. I generally can’t stand movies about Wall Street, do I will say it. Hustlers is the best movie about Wall Street.

 

[Cachoo]

I watched two movies recently: "Furlough" stars Melissa Leo and Tessa Thompson as an inmate and a guard who travel to see the inmate's dying mother. It was both funny and touching with a fine supporting cast including Whoopi Goldberg, Edgar Ramirez and Anna Paquin.

"The Professor" stars a very down-to-earth Johnny Depp as a man who has found out he had a short time to live. It was not a great movie but it was nice to see Depp in a role that was not over the top for once. But whoever was in charge of continuity between scenes or editing dropped the ball when Depp is making a toast at first with red wine and then with champagne. The error is so obvious.

 

[lmarie086]

I just got back from Little Women and wow, my emotions such a well-done film. At first I was thrown off by the back and forth with the timeline, but by the end I really appreciated that.
I really can't believe Greta Gerwig wasn't nominated for Best Director

 

[jenny12]

I just got back from Little Women and wow, my emotions such a well-done film. At first I was thrown off by the back and forth with the timeline, but by the end I really appreciated that.
I really can't believe Greta Gerwig wasn't nominated for Best Director

Right? I don't remember feeling that moved by a film in a long time.

 

[snoopy]

We saw parasite. This movie is messed up. Go see it. It’s not something you’ve seen before.

 

[cocotaffy]

We saw parasite. This movie is messed up. Go see it. It’s not something you’ve seen before.

One of the best movies I've seen in the past couple of years tbh. It stays with you and watching it the second time with the family was even better. I noticed even more details. Nothing is left to chance. Brilliant take on the state of society and how complex human interactions can be. None of the character comes out intact from it, they are all really layered. I hope it would sweep the Oscars.

 

[SandraMGfan]

Saw 1917 yesterday. Very good movie.
Filmed to make it look like it’s a single shot from beginning to end gives it a special closeness
feeling (cinema also had amazing sound and it really adds to the experience) and it felt almost like a behind-closed-doors atmosphere - even if it's entirely outdoors!
Some of the destroyed village scenes rang close to home (I'm from central France where similar village burning happened, the village has remained as is to this day) and definitely had an impact on me.

George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman (Tommen Baratheon for the GoT fans) give great performance.

 

[Buzz]

I loved the Rise of Skywalker but it was IMHO the weakest of the new trilogy.

SPOILERS...
Here is an article that shares the same opinion of what I think is wrong with the movie.

 

[annie720]

I saw 1917 over the weekend and I hated it. It was not for me. I wanted out 5 minutes after it started.

 

[canbelto]

One of the best movies I've seen in the past couple of years tbh. It stays with you and watching it the second time with the family was even better. I noticed even more details. Nothing is left to chance. Brilliant take on the state of society and how complex human interactions can be. None of the character comes out intact from it, they are all really layered. I hope it would sweep the Oscars.

Another "I can't find anyone to see it with me" issue.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Another "I can't find anyone to see it with me" issue.

Why do you need to see a movie with anyone?

 

[Jay42]

Some people don't like going to movies solo. It took me years to get to the point where I could. I still prefer going with people but if it's something I really want to see and no one else I know is into it I go alone now but for many years the thought of doing that made me feel physically uncomfortable.

 

[SandraMGfan]

Finally managed to see Knives Out today. Enjoyed it. It took me a while to get into it but I did and it was a fun murder mystery.
i didn’t know Ana de Armas but she did a great job! (i kept thinking it was felicity jones even though I knew she wasn’t in the movie!)

Re: going to movies alone. I have no problems with this. I have an unlimited cinema card so I go often and don’t expect friends to pay to come every time (cinema tix are quite pricey here in London).
Around awards time, that unlimited card is really great to have!

 

[Kasey]

I saw my last three Oscar-nominated films in the last few days. Really appreciated that 1917 was more of an individual story, than a standard war movie. Ford v Ferrari was slow to begin, and I'm not a fan of auto racing, but the acting was great, and the movie wasn't a waste of my time or money. Parasite was just freaking brilliant, and should win, although it probably won't, since it's a foreign film. The less said about that movie in terms of plot the better, so no spoilers here!

 

[manhn]

Watched The Farewell this weekend. LOVED it. I am an emotional mess.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I saw Joker last night with some friends. We were catching up on the Oscar nominated films. One of those films I didn't want to see but glad I did. It really was excellent and Phoenix was pretty amazing in the role.

 

[Kasey]

The movie was disturbing, but Phoenix was indeed phenomenal.

 

[Integrity]

I saw my last three Oscar-nominated films in the last few days. Really appreciated that 1917 was more of an individual story, than a standard war movie. Ford v Ferrari was slow to begin, and I'm not a fan of auto racing, but the acting was great, and the movie wasn't a waste of my time or money. Parasite was just freaking brilliant, and should win, although it probably won't, since it's a foreign film. The less said about that movie in terms of plot the better, so no spoilers here!

I'm doing the same, I have two left. "Ford" and "Irishman". I cannot believe how uninterested I am in a Scorsese movie, I haven't seen many (any?) good reviews on it. I must be one of the few people on the planet who did not like "Parasite".

 

[Aussie Willy]

I haven't watched all of The Irishman. But a problem I had with it was that when they made De Niro character younger in appearance, his body in terms of look and movement looked like a guy in his 70s. Make up and CGI doesn't cover up that stuff.