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Midweek Movie Free Talk
Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.
Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.
Last night I watch Mastermind (2025) from Kelly Reichardt, one of my favorite writer/directors.
Interesting movie, overall, but kind of frustrating. In a lot of ways it felt like it could have been an older Wes Anderson film, but Reichardt was good at keeping it from getting too goofy.
edit 26-01-16: I was just thinking that you could make a decent quadrility (?) out of The Hustler (1961), The Sting (1973), The Color of Money (1986), Cocktail (1988) -- basically, Newman is hustling away and has that drive, increases the stakes, sees himself in a younger guy and decides to mentor him, MURDERS THE GIRLFRIEND, then his mentee goes on to make good money and open a bar, using 'Uncle Pat' as a way to hide the fact that he paid for the bar with income not reported to the IRS.
Does anybody want to talk about:
The Apartment (1960): ★★★ (rewatch)
Ben-Hur (1959): ★★☆
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024): ★★☆ (rewatch)
You Can't Take It With You (1938): ★★★
Marty Supreme (2025): ★☆☆
I liked Marty (1955) better :/
The Apartment is a very good movie. Bittersweet and poignant. It has one of my favorite performances from Jack Lemmon... the common man turned into an exploited cog in the corporate machine, until the day he can take no more abuse. If you haven't seen it, Lemmon is also great in Mr. Roberts.
As for Marty Supreme, it is one of those well-made movies that feature good performances, but have very little appeal for me. I disliked the main character so much, I'll never rewatch it.
I hadn't heard of Mr. Roberts. The blu-ray looks a bit expensive, so I might have to wait for a sale. Thanks for the recommendation!
I have the same issue with Marty Supreme, and kinda with certain types of movies in general. The protagonist is such a jerk that I wasn't rooting for him at the end, even though that's clearly the writer's intent to make the ending land.
Is This Thing On?
The first movie I’ve seen in theaters this year. Thought this was okay. Cooper hit it out of the park with A Star is Born but his follow ups leave a lot to be desired. The way it’s shot makes it clear he’s going for a claustrophobic/anxiety vibe, but the material just doesn’t lend itself to being shot like this. I will say Arnett is really really good in this. And Cooper’s small role is incredibly funny, reminded me of his part in Licorice Pizza he’s an underrated comedic actor.
Finally got around to watching The Life of Chuck. It has an unusual structure, and while it was interesting, I don't think it will ever rank among my favorites. There were scenes that made the movie worth watching, especially the dances. This is one I'll revisit in the future, if only to see those dance scenes once more.