Tonights fare at our 'ouse was: The Way" "THE WAY is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an irascible American doctor who comes to France to deal with the tragic loss of his son (played by Emilio Estevez). Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage "The Way of St. James" to honor his son's desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn't plan on is the profound impact this trip will have on him. Through unexpected and oftentimes amusing experiences along "The Way," Tom discovers the difference between "the life we live and the life we choose.” Pretty enjoyable movie that never really hit the 'big time' I wanted to see it because the walk is on my bucket list. People take the walk for all kinds of reasons, odd really, it's a pilgrimage and I hate religions, the organised ones that is. The ones resonsible for bringing hate into the world. I do like people though and from all walks of life and their spirituality, this would be a good way to meet some of them. I like to walk as well but my knees after playing and coaching football for all these years have had a hard life. It takes a couple of months on the trail . "The Camino de Santiago de Compostela." Depending on where you start. I doubt I'd start from Paris (That's in France ) though. When I was in the Airborne, I walked, quicktime once for 100 miles, 25 miles a day for 4 days as part of a team. Then did a 50 mile cross country hike in 24 hours over the Welsh mountains, with a 60lb pack and a rifle without a sling Ah, the good old days..... So yeh, I'd still like to do it, abet slower... Worth watching, even if there isn't a gunfight!!!
I watched The Way a few weeks ago and it has stuck with me. I enjoyed everything about it and was happy to see there wasn't too much sentimentality. Estevez does a great job of balancing the sentimental aspects and not crossing the line into being cheesy. El Camino is also on my bucket list. I may try it with my father next year if everything works out.
Ozu's "Good Morning" (1959) Ozu's movies crack me up, even the unfunny ones. This one had some nice humor and some very solid fart and shart jokes. Time just slows when you watch his stuff and this was the first one I really enjoyed. My daughter laughed at this little guy as she walked out the door to see The Avengers.
I watched Thor last night for the first time and found it to be a bore. It felt incomplete and the ending was anti-climatic.
Un heureux événement (2011) Dir. Rémi Bezançon Dramedy that gives a surprisingly honest view of pregnancy and new parenthood from the perspective of the mother. It's not often in movies like this where we have the mother equating (from a psychological standpoint) the baby growing in her belly with the xenomorph in alien, has (half-mocking) fantasies about killing her difficult baby after its birth, muses in some detail about how all the messing around with her reproductive organs post-birth has left her disgusted with sex, ... Some of the cliches of the genre are present (like the insufferable mother in law and the inevitable scene where daddy gets his fresh shirt burped upon) but overall they kept it original enough to keep me interested throughout. The conclusion wasn't as much disappointing as it was sudden. And something slightly less pleasing to the audience might have been more brave and consistent with what came before. Though - to be fair - it would be a stretch to call it a true "happy" ending. Had not seen Pio Marmaï in anything else, but I liked his performance here. He's a leading man with an instantly likable quality about him. My favorite moment of the movie might be his facial expression after his wife calls him a momma's boy.
Couple of movies I've liked but never mentioned here, they never really hit the bigtime. One was a Matt Damon movie. The ordinary guy who is a 'reluctant' medium, makes it hard for him to have a real relationship. Freaks the girls out after they just have to know all. I liked the cast especially Cécile De France Directed by Clint Eastwood. The New York Times | A.O. ScottOne of the reasons that Hereafter works as well as it does - it has the power to haunt the skeptical, to mystify the credulous and to fascinate everyone in between.
For you foreign movie buffs this is one of my favorites. "Kontroll" Ticket inspectors on the Budapest Metro. "In the dismal world of the Budapest subway system, ticket inspector Bulcsú (Sándor Csányi) and his crew cope with everything from freeloaders to a hooded killer, while reaffirming their ability to survive each day by engaging in competitions with other crews"Murder story or love story. It's definitely different.
I was actually planning to post about this one soon as I just recently re-watched it. Very interesting movie, I highly recommend it.
Last one. Star Wars VI: The Return of the Jedi (1983, Special Edition) I don't know how evil the Empire actually was. Ok, after dissolving the Senate they planned to keep order by threat of Death Star and they demonstrated their ability to carry out the threat by blowing up a planet. But the Senate (or rather the Jedi) struck first against the Separatists, killing many civilians on the droid factory planet. And the Empire wasn't brutal for the sake of butallity. They didn't do anything bad against the Ewoks, even limiting the environmental damage from their outpost. I'm not even sure why the Tatooinese were celebrating at the killing of the Emperor at the end - they weren't part of the Empire and the Troopers treated the locals with respect when they were looking for the droids in A New Hope. In fact, it was a Rebel group that assassinated their de-facto leader and his entire entourage. Why was Han made a general? Why was Lando made a general? And one that outranked professional generals and even the leader of the Mon Calamari, the race that provided the bulk of the Rebel's force? Well, we know why because I explained it all before. But it just makes a joke of the Rebel's structure. And even worse, the core of the Rebellion decided to conduct a dangerous rescue mission on their own time. Is the Rebellion a part-time job or hobby? Well, for some it is. I think this ties in with the Force power of manipulating weak minds, which was a plot point in this movie. The power always (with the exception of the cigarette dealer in Attack of the Clones) works on those who take orders and doesn't work on the independents and the ones giving orders. It's the class division of Star Wars, and you can't go having any of the heroes taking orders, so they are all generals. I question the movie morality of droid ownership. They are clearly sentient, intelligent, and independent, yet their slavery is no problem for anyone. Except the droids themselves. It's just callous.
I've watched it a couple of times now and I don't do that often. Just offbeat and different, His girlfriend in the bear suit is over the top....but it's not..
Old fart story, don't mean to thread jack but it fits. 2009 We were taking the train from Perpegnan, France to Barcelona, the ticket inspector wanted me to pay more money but refused to say why. Then he wanted my passport. So of course I complied...Called him a bandit and told him to get lost. That's the way to do it right.....not ! Couple of stops later the police get on in their SWAT gear, and bloody girt big mastives, so we're off the train with our bags. That's the way to have fun on a vacation. Ended up having coffee with the cops while we argued about the merits of Barca buying Ibrahimovic and for that price. Then they "gave us" a free tickets for the next train. Nice guys. Our Hotel was right by Nou Camp and the next day they opened the ground, free admission to welcome Zlatan. They had 75,000 people in there Amazing! I put it on my travel blog entitled "Throw Grandpa from the Train".......End of story
Is this really my 6th Pam Grier movie? The Arena (1974) Rome is expanding during the reign of Caesar and Pam Grier and Margaret Markov are captured from their respective homelands and sold into Roman slavery. They are bought by one of the wealthy owners of the gladiator games in the city of Brundusium and are pressed into serving the crowd while the contests take place. But the crowd grows weary of the sameness of the fights, so the master of the games, forever in the quest for something new, agrees to the idea of putting women in the games. At first it's just a joke, but the women's skills get better and the fighting gets brutal and women start dying. Grier and Markov see a short future, so they look for an escape. Margaret Markov absolutely flings herself into the most ridiculous roles and makes them real and affecting. I wish she made more movies, especially with Grier, but alas this was the second and last for the pair. Less blood and fewer boobs than I expected - it's pretty much on the respectable edge of women-in-prison exploitation films. An enjoyable movie, certainly helped by the outrageous overacting of bad guy games owner Daniele Vargas. And you won't doubt for a second that Grier could take out a Roman soldier with her trident. She is fast, skilled, and vicious. I have a suspicion stunt men were injured.
If I did not frequent BigSoccer, I would have no idea that the respectable edge of women-in-prison exploitation films even existed. Now I do, and I am the better man for it.
I HEART HUCKABEES (2004) I had my annual viewing of I Heart Huckabees last night. While it certainly isn't among the greatest films ever made, it holds a lot of value for me as a film that can be watched repeatedly. There are some great performances in the star-studded cast and for once it seems as if a film doesn't suffer under the weight of having more than 2 or 3 name actors in it. I think a lot of people try to read too much into the film and try to search for some grand philosophical statement being made, but I don't think that's the point of it at all. I find new things I like about it with every viewing. Last night I found myself particularly enjoying Naomi Watts' character's rejection of being "the pretty girl." I love the scene of her rejecting the modeling industry while wearing baggy overalls and a bonnet and screaming "You can't deal with my infinite nature, can you?"
I just spent over 2000 words discussing the philosophy of Star Wars. Of course I think I ♥ Huckabees has a grand philosophical statement.
Well, I for one, would be interested in hearing about it. I think the movie has a point, but I don't think it's trying to make a definitive statement on some sort of universal philosophy.
Best take this question to the makers of "Blade Runner" That's even an more morally bankrupt attitude. Freedom...!
Yes, but that attitude was questioned in the film. The humanness of the androids was the whole theme of the movie. It's utterly unquestioned in Star Wars. When C3PO's ownership is transferred or his mind wiped, he shows displeasure with what is being forced on him, but no one questions it at all. It's treated as a joke.
I reviewed it here 3.5 years ago where my complete comment was "It's a movie full of crap until the end when you realize how great it all was." I'll watch it again soon.