Recently viewed movie thread - Rental, Streaming, Theater etc (42 Viewers)

[Yankee23Fan]

Mountainhead on HBO MAX was really good going to great in the first half. Didn't like the second half at all as it took a left turn from where I thought it was going.

 

[Ilov80s]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- kids choice, favorite of hers and I see why. Really good coming of age movie that didn’t hold back on the darkness and the humor of a group of social misfits. It was quite well done, great music, I loved it. I was very surprised to see the author of the novel also directed the movie. That has to be extremely rare. Any other examples of that?

The actor paying Patrick was so charismatic, I couldn’t believe that in the 13 years since it came out that I hadn’t seen him in more movies. Then I looked up his name and realized he’s the Ezra Miller guy who played The Flash but basically got blacklisted from Hollywood for his unruly personal lifestyle, lengthy list of arrests and potential break from reality. It’s a shame because he should have been a big star and had a significant career.

 

[Ilov80s]

Looks like Netflix put up several Hitchcock movies today. That’s pretty cool. Birds, Rear Window, Frenzy and more!

 

[foxco]

Mountainhead on HBO MAX was really good going to great in the first half. Didn't like the second half at all as it took a left turn from where I thought it was going.

Thought this was great, equally hilarious and terrifying.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

Indemnity haven't watched it but it made me think of you, @KarmaPolice . Really awful audience rating (4.8, IMD, 55% RT) but a glowing 88% critic score

 

[KarmaPolice]

I started watching Nightcrawler the other night as a refresher. I picked it because I remembered Paxton was in it, and it had a Sound of Metal tie-in with Riz Ahmed. I also watched The Fighter.

While I do focus much more on directors, there are a handful of actors who seem to find their way into my favorite movies as well - Gyllenhaal, Gosling, Amy Adams, PSH, J.Phoenix, Emma Stone, Michelle Williams, Bale, etc..

 

[KarmaPolice]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- kids choice, favorite of hers and I see why. Really good coming of age movie that didn’t hold back on the darkness and the humor of a group of social misfits. It was quite well done, great music, I loved it. I was very surprised to see the author of the novel also directed the movie. That has to be extremely rare. Any other examples of that?

The actor paying Patrick was so charismatic, I couldn’t believe that in the 13 years since it came out that I hadn’t seen him in more movies. Then I looked up his name and realized he’s the Ezra Miller guy who played The Flash but basically got blacklisted from Hollywood for his unruly personal lifestyle, lengthy list of arrests and potential break from reality. It’s a shame because he should have been a big star and had a significant career.

I was searching Prime for first of the month nee additions, and saw Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl. I thought of this post and remember really liking that movie. Might be one to try with the kid if you/her haven't seen it.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Sorry- it was on my Disney+/Hulu, not Prime.

 

[Tick]

Dark Star (Prime) blows.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Dark Star (Prime) blows.

The John Carpenter movie? It's unwatchable.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

The Sugarland Express

As a big fan of early Spielberg I can't explain why I haven't gotten around to watching this one. I'm glad I finally did because this night be the most underrated movie of all time. It features the best of Steven's techniques.

And the story is great - really great. If someone asks what a "tragicomedy" is, this is the movie to use as an example. The cause is just, the absurdity high, and the foreboding feeling of "this can't end well" is ever present.

So yeah, I really liked it.

 

[Tick]

Dark Star (Prime) blows.

The John Carpenter movie? It's unwatchable.

Yes. You can see some items that Dan O’Bannon reused in Alien, but this was a completely unfunny comedy. Its IMDB rating is something like 6.1 but it probably deserves around a 5.0.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- kids choice, favorite of hers and I see why. Really good coming of age movie that didn’t hold back on the darkness and the humor of a group of social misfits. It was quite well done, great music, I loved it. I was very surprised to see the author of the novel also directed the movie. That has to be extremely rare. Any other examples of that?

The actor paying Patrick was so charismatic, I couldn’t believe that in the 13 years since it came out that I hadn’t seen him in more movies. Then I looked up his name and realized he’s the Ezra Miller guy who played The Flash but basically got blacklisted from Hollywood for his unruly personal lifestyle, lengthy list of arrests and potential break from reality. It’s a shame because he should have been a big star and had a significant career.

I was searching Prime for first of the month nee additions, and saw Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl. I thought of this post and remember really liking that movie. Might be one to try with the kid if you/her haven't seen it.

Thanks, I'll watch it. I have hulu and was going down the list of movies they added this month and they too added this movie and I remembered this post. Here's some other movies that also caught my attention


Hitchcock-haven't seen it
Before Midnight-seen it but I like the whole "Before" trilogy
The Namesake-seen it and remember liking it

 

[jdoggydogg]

I started watching Nightcrawler the other night as a refresher. I picked it because I remembered Paxton was in it, and it had a Sound of Metal tie-in with Riz Ahmed. I also watched The Fighter.

While I do focus much more on directors, there are a handful of actors who seem to find their way into my favorite movies as well - Gyllenhaal, Gosling, Amy Adams, PSH, J.Phoenix, Emma Stone, Michelle Williams, Bale, etc..

One of the more underrated movies of the last 20 years. I think it's amazing. Here's a fun game: rewatch the movie with the belief that everything Gyllenhaal's character says is memorized from Wikipedia. Pretty wild.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I started watching Nightcrawler the other night as a refresher. I picked it because I remembered Paxton was in it, and it had a Sound of Metal tie-in with Riz Ahmed. I also watched The Fighter.

While I do focus much more on directors, there are a handful of actors who seem to find their way into my favorite movies as well - Gyllenhaal, Gosling, Amy Adams, PSH, J.Phoenix, Emma Stone, Michelle Williams, Bale, etc..

One of the more underrated movies of the last 20 years. I think it's amazing. Here's a fun game: rewatch the movie with the belief that everything Gyllenhaal's character says is memorized from Wikipedia. Pretty wild.

That is about how I interpret his character.

 

[KarmaPolice]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- kids choice, favorite of hers and I see why. Really good coming of age movie that didn’t hold back on the darkness and the humor of a group of social misfits. It was quite well done, great music, I loved it. I was very surprised to see the author of the novel also directed the movie. That has to be extremely rare. Any other examples of that?

The actor paying Patrick was so charismatic, I couldn’t believe that in the 13 years since it came out that I hadn’t seen him in more movies. Then I looked up his name and realized he’s the Ezra Miller guy who played The Flash but basically got blacklisted from Hollywood for his unruly personal lifestyle, lengthy list of arrests and potential break from reality. It’s a shame because he should have been a big star and had a significant career.

I was searching Prime for first of the month nee additions, and saw Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl. I thought of this post and remember really liking that movie. Might be one to try with the kid if you/her haven't seen it.

Thanks, I'll watch it. I have hulu and was going down the list of movies they added this month and they too added this movie and I remembered this post. Here's some other movies that also caught my attention


Hitchcock-haven't seen it
Before Midnight-seen it but I like the whole "Before" trilogy
The Namesake-seen it and remember liking it

My answer for best movie trilogy. The middle entry is one of my favorite movies.

Peacock had a few from the 00s that I remember liking and recommending a bit at the store pop up on the "new this month": Up In the Air, Take This Waltz, The Grey, and Force Majure. They also have the Cornetto Trilogy of: Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End.

I am pretty sure Prime or Peacock also had Blue Ruin - my type of "action" movie. What happens when average Joe like me seeks revenge vs. a Liam Neeson or Keanu type of character?

Prime had in their recent adds: The Way Way Back, which is a recent summer movie I dug, but I am a sucker for Sam Rockwell. Steve Carrel plays a good a-hole too.

Not sure if they were new, but I am pretty sure I saw Paramount+ had Martha Marcy May Marlene and Mud when I was poking through last night.

All but 2 of those I have seen at least twice and all I would have rated a 7/10. Take This Waltz is one I am least confident on.


ETA: oops, I forgot the one on Peacock: The One I Love with Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss.

 

[KarmaPolice]

After all that searching for ideas last night and being fried from graduation weekend, I instead watched The 'Burbs for the umpteenth time last night. Also on Peacock.

 

[massraider]

Prime is streaming a bunch of personal favorites of mine, all kind of 90's noir-ish anti-hero cult classics.

King of New York
The Getaway
Out of Sight
The Last Seduction
Bad Company---Fishburne and Barkin, not the Chris Rock one
To Live and Die in LA--- this wasn't streaming anywhere for years and years. Check it out

 

[KarmaPolice]

A couple there I haven't seen - thanks! If anybody hasn't seen Out of Sight, I can't second that suggestion enough. Just don't accidently click on the Val Kilmer classic At First Sight.

 

[Ilov80s]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- kids choice, favorite of hers and I see why. Really good coming of age movie that didn’t hold back on the darkness and the humor of a group of social misfits. It was quite well done, great music, I loved it. I was very surprised to see the author of the novel also directed the movie. That has to be extremely rare. Any other examples of that?

The actor paying Patrick was so charismatic, I couldn’t believe that in the 13 years since it came out that I hadn’t seen him in more movies. Then I looked up his name and realized he’s the Ezra Miller guy who played The Flash but basically got blacklisted from Hollywood for his unruly personal lifestyle, lengthy list of arrests and potential break from reality. It’s a shame because he should have been a big star and had a significant career.

I was searching Prime for first of the month nee additions, and saw Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl. I thought of this post and remember really liking that movie. Might be one to try with the kid if you/her haven't seen it.

Thanks for the suggestion. Looks like exactly the kind of movie she enjoy. Lady Bird is another one I have slotted in.

 

[Joey Wright]

Watched The Color of Money last night. It is this rare crossroads movie for me where I'd put it in my top five favorite movies of Tom Cruise, Paul Newman, and Martin Scorsese. It is an absolutely delight and a rarely mentioned great sports movie.

 

[KarmaPolice]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- kids choice, favorite of hers and I see why. Really good coming of age movie that didn’t hold back on the darkness and the humor of a group of social misfits. It was quite well done, great music, I loved it. I was very surprised to see the author of the novel also directed the movie. That has to be extremely rare. Any other examples of that?

The actor paying Patrick was so charismatic, I couldn’t believe that in the 13 years since it came out that I hadn’t seen him in more movies. Then I looked up his name and realized he’s the Ezra Miller guy who played The Flash but basically got blacklisted from Hollywood for his unruly personal lifestyle, lengthy list of arrests and potential break from reality. It’s a shame because he should have been a big star and had a significant career.

I was searching Prime for first of the month nee additions, and saw Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl. I thought of this post and remember really liking that movie. Might be one to try with the kid if you/her haven't seen it.

Thanks for the suggestion. Looks like exactly the kind of movie she enjoy. Lady Bird is another one I have slotted in.

I don't remember a ton about it - mostly that i liked it and i laughed and cried.

 

[beer 30]

Heavy Andor week/weekend for me. Plowed through Andor season 2 followed by Rogue One. Third watch of Rogue One but after watching the Andor watch felt like I had to one more time. It all flows very nicely.

Because I was burnt on Star Wars after the above I switched to Marvel and watched Captain America: Brave New World. Overall, liked it but I'll say this, Harrison Ford needs to hang it up. He hasn't been believable in any of the more recent roles he's played, just stop dude. You're worth $300 million, ride off into the sunset already. Anyhow, the cast is kinda weird to me. It seems like they tried to encompass every ethnicity. It works, Anthony Mackie as Captain America is fine, his sidekick Joaquin works. The one I struggled with is the actress who portrayed Sabre (Shira Haas). She's 4 foot nothing and kicking everybody's *** all over the place. Didn't work for me. Tim Blake Nelson playing Sam Sterns also didn't work for me. He is and will forever be Delmar to me. All that said, the movie makes it work and it's an enjoyable Marvel experience. I think the whole Marvel thing is getting stale and if this is the swansong, it ends on a good note. It won't but it probably should.

 

[El Floppo]

Harrison Ford

He's been great in Shrinking. So I'll vote "no" to hanging it up.

 

[beer 30]

Harrison Ford

He's been great in Shrinking. So I'll vote "no" to hanging it up.

That's Apple, right? I haven't watched it. If he's killing it great, stop with the action movies then. He just looks like an 80 year old dude trying to cash a check in Captain America.

I'm a Ford fan, have always enjoyed his movies, just the last few movies have really missed for me.

 

[El Floppo]

Harrison Ford

He's been great in Shrinking. So I'll vote "no" to hanging it up.

That's Apple, right? I haven't watched it. If he's killing it great, stop with the action movies then. He just looks like an 80 year old dude trying to cash a check in Captain America.

I'm a Ford fan, have always enjoyed his movies, just the last few movies have really missed for me.

Yeah, the apple show. I think he's been fantastic in this.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Harrison Ford

He's been great in Shrinking. So I'll vote "no" to hanging it up.

That's Apple, right? I haven't watched it. If he's killing it great, stop with the action movies then. He just looks like an 80 year old dude trying to cash a check in Captain America.

I'm a Ford fan, have always enjoyed his movies, just the last few movies have really missed for me.

Yeah, the apple show. I think he's been fantastic in this.

Woof

 

[Ilov80s]

Harrison Ford

He's been great in Shrinking. So I'll vote "no" to hanging it up.

That's Apple, right? I haven't watched it. If he's killing it great, stop with the action movies then. He just looks like an 80 year old dude trying to cash a check in Captain America.

I'm a Ford fan, have always enjoyed his movies, just the last few movies have really missed for me.

Yeah, the apple show. I think he's been fantastic in this.

I only saw the first season and liked it a lot. Good show, he’s pretty funny in it playing an old crotchety guy. But I agree his days of doing anything else are likely behind him.

 

[beer 30]

Finished up Mickey 17 yesterday. Your favorite vampire plays an expendable on a long space journey. Novel idea, some hijinks given the way the expendable is used but the I don't know that the movie ever really gets to where it seems to be going? Mark Ruffalo plays the goofy heavy so there is name talent but the movie just kinda meh's out at the end. Wouldn't watch again and can't really recommend.

Adapted from the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, this stars Robert Pattinson as an "expendable" - a disposable crew member on a space mission, selected for dangerous tasks because his body can be reprinted if he dies, with his memories largely intact. With one regeneration, though, things go very wrong.

 

[jamny]

The Girl With All The Gifts

A not very interesting mashup of Last of Us and I Am Legend where the plot is resolved by yelling. One review I read nailed it with the quote "ended one scene too late". I'd say two scenes but tomato/potato.

A tepid recommend if you need a low commitment watch. But it doesn't have as much to say as some reviews let on. Pretty good "post apocalypse on a budget' production value though

Hmmm, I really liked that one. Thought it was a unique take on the genre.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Prime is streaming a bunch of personal favorites of mine, all kind of 90's noir-ish anti-hero cult classics.

King of New York

I could watch this movie every month for the rest of my life and still love it.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

Mission Impossible was an incredible popcorn flick. Wow. Most fun I’ve had in theaters in years. Sub and plane stunts were A+++. Little too much talking early on but that’s fine.

Kind of got chills in the opening credits when the theme song kicked in and they showed clips from the old movies.

Agree with this take, saw it Sunday morning and thought it was a lot of fun.

That said the previews really show Hollywood's lack of new ideas: How to train your dragon reboot, another Jurassic world movie, Superman (I have high hopes with Gunn directing), Fantastic Four again, M3gan2, black phone2, 28 years, smurfs, I know what you did last summer again Jeebus I'm sure there are more that I can't think of

I do look forward to the Naked Gun reboot with Liam Neeson and hopefully they don't mess up Nobody 2

 

[General Malaise]

Mountainhead.

Made it halfway and hated the characters so much I just bailed. Pretty dumb.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Mountainhead.

Made it halfway and hated the characters so much I just bailed. Pretty dumb.

I've never heard of it, but it's rocking a 5.5 on imdb, so it looks like you aren't alone.

 

[General Malaise]

Mountainhead.

Made it halfway and hated the characters so much I just bailed. Pretty dumb.

I've never heard of it, but it's rocking a 5.5 on imdb, so it looks like you aren't alone.

It's on HBO Max and stars Steve Carrell and a guy who I thought was Luke Wilson until this morning. It's awful.

 

[Capella]

Mission Impossible was an incredible popcorn flick. Wow. Most fun I’ve had in theaters in years. Sub and plane stunts were A+++. Little too much talking early on but that’s fine.

Kind of got chills in the opening credits when the theme song kicked in and they showed clips from the old movies.

Agree with this take, saw it Sunday morning and thought it was a lot of fun.

That said the previews really show Hollywood's lack of new ideas: How to train your dragon reboot, another Jurassic world movie, Superman (I have high hopes with Gunn directing), Fantastic Four again, M3gan2, black phone2, 28 years, smurfs, I know what you did last summer again Jeebus I'm sure there are more that I can't think of

I do look forward to the Naked Gun reboot with Liam Neeson and hopefully they don't mess up Nobody 2

Sinners just came out and was incredible. The franchises help pay for movies like that imo.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I am mostly going to stop with my rewatches for a list and just roll with it. However, I have been slowly going through my physical discs and watching stuff I haven't gotten to since I bought them. Some I haven't seen yet, but most I just haven't gotten to watching since I bought them on Criterion or 4k. I was going to watch Amores Perros last night but I remembered the dog stuff and that my wife would kill me if I watched that in the room. So speaking of 90s movies and my list I just saw, I watched my #21 movie After Life instead. That is another that would probably move up my list if I redid my 90s list.

 

[Ilov80s]

There’s a few non franchise movies I’m very excited about coming out in June

1. The Phoenician Scheme- it’s Wes Anderson so your mileage may very but his last two movies have been a renaissance imo. It’s some kind of heist movie I believe.

2. Materialists- Celine Song’s follow-up to Past Lives. Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans in a rom love triangle about a NY matchmaker torn between her perfect match and her imperfect ex.

3. F1- the maker of Top Gun Maverick brings you Brad Pitt as a race car driver

 

[KarmaPolice]

There’s a few non franchise movies I’m very excited about

1. The Phoenician Scheme- it’s Wes Anderson so your mileage may very but his last two movies have been a renaissance imo. It’s some kind of heist movie I believe.

2. Materialists- Celine Song’s follow-up to Past Lives. Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans in a rom love triangle about a NY matchmaker torn between her perfect match and her imperfect ex.

3. F1- the maker of Top Gun Maverick brings you Brad Pitt as a race car driver

Cool, but you are still seeing Karate Kid: Legends too, right??

 

[Dan Lambskin]

There’s a few non franchise movies I’m very excited about coming out in June

1. The Phoenician Scheme- it’s Wes Anderson so your mileage may very but his last two movies have been a renaissance imo. It’s some kind of heist movie I believe.

2. Materialists- Celine Song’s follow-up to Past Lives. Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans in a rom love triangle about a NY matchmaker torn between her perfect match and her imperfect ex.

3. F1- the maker of Top Gun Maverick brings you Brad Pitt as a race car driver

None of these sound good to me

 

[Eephus]

There’s a few non franchise movies I’m very excited about coming out in June

1. The Phoenician Scheme- it’s Wes Anderson so your mileage may very but his last two movies have been a renaissance imo. It’s some kind of heist movie I believe.

2. Materialists- Celine Song’s follow-up to Past Lives. Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans in a rom love triangle about a NY matchmaker torn between her perfect match and her imperfect ex.

3. F1- the maker of Top Gun Maverick brings you Brad Pitt as a race car driver

None of these sound good to me

I'm in for all three

 

[Eephus]

Stuff I watched in May

The New Pope - series (2020 - P. Sorrentino)
Thunderbolts* (2025 - J. Schreier)
Tower of London (1962 - R. Corman)
Richard III (1995 - R. Loncraine)
Conclave (2024 - E. Berger)
Looking For Richard (1996 - A. Pacino)
Britain's Bloody Crown - series (2016 - N. Green)
Richard III (1955 - L. Olivier)
Speed (1994 - J. de Vont)
Things To Come (1936 - W.C. Menzies)
The English Civil Wars - series (2001 - C. Gormlie)
Hombre (1967 - M. Ritt)
Didi (2024 - S. Wang)
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One (2023 - C. McQuarrie)
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (2025 - C. McQuarrie)
September 5 (2025 - T. Fehlbaum)
Paddington In Peru (2024 - D. Wilson)

Only 17 last month because the series slowed me down. I've done write-ups of most already.

I enjoyed The New Pope and the timing was perfect; it wasn't as good as The Young Pope though because the most interesting character of both series (the Jude Law pope) wasn't around as much as in the first one. Conclave was a good rewatch because I wasn't so tied into the plot and could observe other things.

The Richard III side quest was interesting--I should try to watch more Shakespeare. The English Civil Wars series is part of my current historical project around Charles I/II and Oliver Cromwell.

Speed was dumb fun and a stark contrast to the identical plot device re-used in Bullet Train Explosion. Things To Come is a fascinating look from H.G. Wells into the far-off future (2024 :shock) circa the mid-1930s. The special effects were very effective for their time. Hombre is a solid 60s revisionist Western. The story based on an Elmore Leonard novel was a mish mash of elements from other movies but they mostly held together and the movie had a fine cast.

I've talked about Didi and September 5 already but I'll mention again that they were good coming of age and historical drama pictures respectively. I rewatched MI: Dead Reckoning with Mrs. Eephus because she'd never seen it and wanted to be prepared for MI: Final Reckoning. It really wasn't necessary because there was a lot of recursive exposition in the first half of the new one. They probably could have been combined in a single movie but the excess is part of what makes the series.

Finally, I was disappointed by Paddington In Peru. The first two movies in the series were absolute charmers but some of the magic was lost in taking my favorite CGI bear back to Peru. Everything about it seemed forced. The plot was overly complicated compared to Mission Impossible especially since Paddington is supposed to be a kids movie.

 

[Ilov80s]

Stuff I watched in May

The New Pope - series (2020 - P. Sorrentino)
Thunderbolts* (2025 - J. Schreier)
Tower of London (1962 - R. Corman)
Richard III (1995 - R. Loncraine)
Conclave (2024 - E. Berger)
Looking For Richard (1996 - A. Pacino)
Britain's Bloody Crown - series (2016 - N. Green)
Richard III (1955 - L. Olivier)
Speed (1994 - J. de Vont)
Things To Come (1936 - W.C. Menzies)
The English Civil Wars - series (2001 - C. Gormlie)
Hombre (1967 - M. Ritt)
Didi (2024 - S. Wang)
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One (2023 - C. McQuarrie)
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (2025 - C. McQuarrie)
September 5 (2025 - T. Fehlbaum)
Paddington In Peru (2024 - D. Wilson)

Only 17 last month because the series slowed me down. I've done write-ups of most already.

I enjoyed The New Pope and the timing was perfect; it wasn't as good as The Young Pope though because the most interesting character of both series (the Jude Law pope) wasn't around as much as in the first one. Conclave was a good rewatch because I wasn't so tied into the plot and could observe other things.

The Richard III side quest was interesting--I should try to watch more Shakespeare. The English Civil Wars series is part of my current historical project around Charles I/II and Oliver Cromwell.

Speed was dumb fun and a stark contrast to the identical plot device re-used in Bullet Train Explosion. Things To Come is a fascinating look from H.G. Wells into the far-off future (2024 :shock) circa the mid-1930s. The special effects were very effective for their time. Hombre is a solid 60s revisionist Western. The story based on an Elmore Leonard novel was a mish mash of elements from other movies but they mostly held together and the movie had a fine cast.

I've talked about Didi and September 5 already but I'll mention again that they were good coming of age and historical drama pictures respectively. I rewatched MI: Dead Reckoning with Mrs. Eephus because she'd never seen it and wanted to be prepared for MI: Final Reckoning. It really wasn't necessary because there was a lot of recursive exposition in the first half of the new one. They probably could have been combined in a single movie but the excess is part of what makes the series.

Finally, I was disappointed by Paddington In Peru. The first two movies in the series were absolute charmers but some of the magic was lost in taking my favorite CGI bear back to Peru. Everything about it seemed forced. The plot was overly complicated compared to Mission Impossible especially since Paddington is supposed to be a kids movie.

Any more specific thoughts on the two Richard III movies?

 

[Eephus]

Any more specific thoughts on the two Richard III movies?

I'm reading a book about Richard III which sent me down a cinematic rabbit hole. I came out the other side a week later having watched four movies about Richard plus a four-part BBC documentary about the Wars of the Roses.

I started off with Tower of Terror (1962), a Roger Corman exploitation film with Vincent Price as Richard III. It played like one of the Corman/Price adaptations of Poe; the history was just a pretext for a ghost story with a few torture scenes thrown in for good measure. Price hammed it up as usual with by far the most prominent hunchback of all the Richards. It was good fun but even less historically accurate than Shakespeare.

Richard III (1995) is a modern dress version of Shakespeare with Ian McKellen as the king of a 1930s fascist Britain. The screenplay omitted a bunch of scenes from the play in favor of a lean story focusing on Richard. Shakespeare's Richard is a great villain that gives the actor lots of room to slither, plot and rage. McKellen was excellent and definitely my favorite of the four Richards. This version but is about as accessible as movie Shakespeare gets and is probably the only one with a tank battle and dodgy 90s CGI in Act V.

Looking For Richard (1996) is an Al Pacino directed indie documentary about a production of Richard III starring Pacino. It's a weird little movie that intersperses scenes staged for film, rehearsal footage, interviews with company members, Shakespearean experts and random people on the street. Pacino is an energetic and slightly goofy presence at its center with a very 90s looking backwards baseball cap. He's there to educate and promote theater as much as he is to act. His performance as Richard is intense and non-traditional although the film jumps a lot so it's tough to get a read on his performance.

Richard III (1955) is Laurence Olivier's version. For better or worse, this movie is what most people think of when they think of Shakespeare. It's the most faithful to the bard with period dress and most of the text intact. The film was very theatrical with many scenes seemingly blocked for the stage. It only left the soundstage for the climactic battle outdoors which was a nice changed but slowed down the story.. Olivier's portrayal is strong but more mannered than the others. He also wears a prosthetic nose which I found distracting. In retrospect, I probably should have started with this one instead of saving it for last.

I'm looking forward to watching some trash after a week of culture.

The 1995 McKellen version was the best film of the four but all were worth watching

 

[Ilov80s]

Interesting article I read in Variety:

Andor cost $650 million for 24 episodes. They said they had to fight really hard for that money as Disney told them streaming is dead. I don’t know how streamers ever justify those insane costs. Sure the new MI cost $400 million (strike and Covid delays really pushed up the cost) but at least MI can show it’s made $350 million in 2 weeks and is going earn its budget back in theaters and then still.make money and add value on streaming.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Interesting article I read in Variety:

Andor cost $650 million for 24 episodes. They said they had to fight really hard for that money as Disney told them streaming is dead. I don’t know how streamers ever justify those insane costs. Sure the new MI cost $400 million (strike and Covid delays really pushed up the cost) but at least MI can show it’s made $350 million in 2 weeks and is going earn its budget back in theaters and then still.make money and add value on streaming.

Why would Disney think streaming is dead?

I'll never understand the economics of streaming but to me Andor was worth every penny.

 

[Ilov80s]

Interesting article I read in Variety:

Andor cost $650 million for 24 episodes. They said they had to fight really hard for that money as Disney told them streaming is dead. I don’t know how streamers ever justify those insane costs. Sure the new MI cost $400 million (strike and Covid delays really pushed up the cost) but at least MI can show it’s made $350 million in 2 weeks and is going earn its budget back in theaters and then still.make money and add value on streaming.

Why would Disney think streaming is dead?

I'll never understand the economics of streaming but to me Andor was worth every penny.

I’m sure it was a good show but did it bring in $640 million worth of subscribers? They could have used that money to make 2 movies, made hundreds of millions or more at the theater and still been a huge boost for streaming.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Interesting article I read in Variety:

Andor cost $650 million for 24 episodes. They said they had to fight really hard for that money as Disney told them streaming is dead. I don’t know how streamers ever justify those insane costs. Sure the new MI cost $400 million (strike and Covid delays really pushed up the cost) but at least MI can show it’s made $350 million in 2 weeks and is going earn its budget back in theaters and then still.make money and add value on streaming.

Why would Disney think streaming is dead?

I'll never understand the economics of streaming but to me Andor was worth every penny.

I’m sure it was a good show but did it bring in $640 million worth of subscribers? They could have used that money to make 2 movies, made hundreds of millions or more at the theater and still been a huge boost for streaming.

That's what I mean about the economics. It was worth every penny to ME since they're not my pennies. Not sure about Disney.

As far as Disney making money on movie these days...

 

[CGRdrJoe]

Interesting article I read in Variety:

Andor cost $650 million for 24 episodes. They said they had to fight really hard for that money as Disney told them streaming is dead. I don’t know how streamers ever justify those insane costs. Sure the new MI cost $400 million (strike and Covid delays really pushed up the cost) but at least MI can show it’s made $350 million in 2 weeks and is going earn its budget back in theaters and then still.make money and add value on streaming.

Why would Disney think streaming is dead?

I'll never understand the economics of streaming but to me Andor was worth every penny.

I’m sure it was a good show but did it bring in $640 million worth of subscribers? They could have used that money to make 2 movies, made hundreds of millions or more at the theater and still been a huge boost for streaming.

Do you think Disney was truthful with their budget? Hollywood loves to inflate production cost and coincidentally their pre-tax loss is just about equal to the max tax credit they got from the UK.

 

[Ilov80s]

Interesting article I read in Variety:

Andor cost $650 million for 24 episodes. They said they had to fight really hard for that money as Disney told them streaming is dead. I don’t know how streamers ever justify those insane costs. Sure the new MI cost $400 million (strike and Covid delays really pushed up the cost) but at least MI can show it’s made $350 million in 2 weeks and is going earn its budget back in theaters and then still.make money and add value on streaming.

Why would Disney think streaming is dead?

I'll never understand the economics of streaming but to me Andor was worth every penny.

I’m sure it was a good show but did it bring in $640 million worth of subscribers? They could have used that money to make 2 movies, made hundreds of millions or more at the theater and still been a huge boost for streaming.

Do you think Disney was truthful with their budget? Hollywood loves to inflate production cost and coincidentally their pre-tax loss is just about equal to the max tax credit they got from the UK.

Certainly possible. It was the Andor creator who cited the number and Disney declined to comment on the piece so who knows for sure.