Miscellaneous Film/TV Discussion

[Disney's Divinity]

I'm defining this as more a place to discuss films that are "old"--that have already left theaters without having being given their own thread in that time--and you don't think many people would respond if you made a thread solely for the film. I'm saying that because I like that Sotiris makes threads for new things, and I don't want this topic to take away from that. And if ever Sotiris feels things posted here could be moved to a new topic they want to create, that's good, too.

I'm thinking this could also be a place to talk about actors or directors--rumors of what they might be in, or what your favorite films of theirs are, or just simply who your favorite actors/directors are. Or favorite films, period. As well as non-Disney awards show discussion, unless there's already a thread for that? Just as a note, some studios have their own threads, too, like Laika and Dreamworks, which is where discussion about those individual films might should go.

So, sort of like a Random Thoughts for movies and television.

[Disney's Divinity]

Was anyone disappointed in Joker as much as I was? I love Joaquin Phoenix, which is probably the only reason I was looking forward to seeing it (although discovering De Niro and that great actress from American Horror Story were in this was a very pleasant surprise), and then the film got so much buzz and awards attention. I can see why the awards went crazy over it though. Anytime an actor goes above and beyond to change their actual body and appearance for a role, they go nuts even if the film isn't really that great.

Anyway, the film was just... Not what I thought really? I figured he'd have fully transformed into a villain halfway through and then the second half would be him glorying in violence and all that. But it was really only the last 20 minutes that he was the Joker. Still, it was worth watching alone for the scene on the talkshow with De Niro's character; when he pointed out how De Niro's character was just like everyone else in the world, spitting on someone pathetic who should be shown mercy and inviting them on to laugh and mock them some more, and then ended by going up to the camera and saying, "That's life." It was a perfect moment, the only thing I'll take from this movie. And, from that point on really, what little of the movie that was left was an improvement over everything that had come before, in part because it tapped into a feeling that feels a little too real in the world right now, a breakdown in civility and male rage... It's why I think it should've been the midpoint, with him escalating into being in charge of the mob in the second half, but I guess how to decide where the ending point should be in the case? And I did like the ending they went with--the last shot was almost like a cartoon cat-and-mouse chase.

Anyway, he wasn't as good as Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, but maybe if we'd got to see more of him as the Joker it would've been closer.

[DVDBuff1]

As a DC fan that’s tired of Batman characters, I personally would’ve preferred a movie about Superman‘s doppelganger Bizarro instead. However I am glad though that there now exists a DC movie that makes real life people look like moronic political tools. Entertainment does not condone violence, it only reflects the violence and apathy that already exists in our world.

[UmbrellaFish]

WARNING: POTENTIAL JOKER SPOILERS


I wasn’t super impressed with The Joker, either. I thought it was a pretty middling movie. The use of “Send in the Clowns” was so bizarre and misplaced, as if who everyone wrote the script googled “clown songs” and that one was the first hit. I thought the way they tried to tie the Joker into Batman’s backstory was a little strained, too. Overall, it wasn’t a movie which left much impression on me other than Joaquin Phoenix. Every Joker will forever be compared to Heath Ledger’s iconic and masterful performance, but I felt Phoenix was going for something completely different. This was a softer character, a maniac, but not a megalomaniac. This Joker is a small man who is merely a symbol for something much bigger than himself. He’s a terrifying, unsettling character just on the edge. I think Phoenix nails that, but this Joker cannot ever possibly become the criminal mastermind that Gotham’s Joker is usually portrayed as— he cannot become Heath Ledger.

So I wonder, if there is a sequel, if Phoenix’s character could be knocked off to make room for the Joker as we truly know him. Because Arthur Fleck isn’t and I don’t think ever could be that.

I just watched Parasite, which really was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. Riveting, interesting, masterfully made. The director made only one choice which struck me as... not quite right. But man, what a great movie.

[Disney's Divinity]

Well, I disagree. I do think films can glorify violence in a way that encourages violence. I do think Joker verges on that to a degree, but it's not an argument I really care to go off on.

UmbrellaFish, do you mean the 2019 film or the 1982 film? I haven't seen either; I'm assuming the former, but you never know. I read the synopsis for the 2019 film and it does sound very interesting.

I saw the second half of Thoroughly Modern Millie last night. I'll have to wait for a chance to see it again to judge fully; my only impression from what I did see was what a weird movie. I love Carol Channing, not simply for her talent but for a lot of great things she did as a person, too, but have always found her somewhat strange to watch. It's especially odd to see her as a young woman. Anyway, I don't know why I keep seeing films for the first time partway through lately, it just means I'll have to watch them again. It's happened to me all month. First I saw Cabaret after missing the first 30 minutes, then All About Eve same thing, and now Thorougly Modern Millie halfway through. I had no expectations for TMM at all, but Cabaret and AAE I'd both heard things about over the years and they were very different than I imagined. Cabaret was much less boring for one thing. I went back and forth with Liza Minnelli. She's very pretty at certain moments, but then she tries to be a diva / sex icon and loses me. I don't think she had the talent to pull off everything she was going for, personally... I found the movie depressing mostly. The poly affair thing that went on with Maximillian was the most interesting part of it for me. AAE was definitely my favorite of these three. The dialogue and performances were all perfect.

At least I did see Empire of the Sun from the beginning. I saw that one a few weeks ago. I only decided to check it out because it was Spielberg, but what an amazing, heartbreaking film it was. I didn't even know Christian Bale had started acting when he was a child. And he was fantastic, too.

[UmbrellaFish]

Parasite

Oh I mean the 2019 movie. It’s really just such a great movie— so many movies with depth are unentertaining, and so many entertaining movies have no depth, but this is wonderful movie making which manages to have substance and thrills. I’m trying to get my parents to watch it because I know they’ll like it but they are afraid of subtitles, I guess...


Thoroughly Modern Millie

Thoroughly Modern Millie is a strange movie— I didn’t appreciate just how strange until a recent rewatch. I don’t know who’s idea it was to do a musical comedy pastiche of 1920’s films in 1967, but there we are— surely it was meant to evoke Julie’s very first Broadway role in the 1920’s set musical “The Boyfriend,” by which point in 1967 she had aged out of.

The depictions of the Asian characters and Asian cultures are definitely cringey. I’ve wondered if that’s what held it back from getting a Blu-ray release, since it’s a fairly well remembered title, it is an important part of Universal’s history (it was briefly, once upon a time, their highest grossing film), and it has a very popular recent Broadway musical.

The roles given to Julie Andrews and Mary Tyler Moore are uneasy fits for both of them. In a way, you almost expect them to be switched— but of course the moral of the story is that the characters aren’t being true to themselves. Millie Dillmount isn’t really this exuberant, care free modern flapper, but an old fashioned girl, so maybe it’s appropriate that it feels like she’s putting on a show. It kind of felt anti-feminist on my last rewatch, sort of knit from the same cloth as Mrs Banks where the ultimate moral is: stay home and be a good little woman to your husband and children. My heart pangs every time she puts the suffragette sash on that kite...

The director and Julie Andrews actually advocated for a shorter cut of the movie, but the studio wanted a longer, prestige roadshow film instead. I tend to agree with them that it’s overlong and could ideally be shaved down to a brisk 90 minutes or so. “SOY SAUCE!” is one of my favorite quotes from the movie— I don’t know if you saw that part.


All About Eve

I actually just bought this movie on Blu-ray. I never liked it as a kid, but I could never understand why it turned me off because it seemed so appealing on paper- a bitchy, funny showbiz movie with Bette Davis in the lead role, what’s not to like?

Here’s hoping I like it better now, or at least can understand why it leaves me cold.


Pain and Glory

Prior to this I’ve only seen one other Almodóvar movie, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. I’d heard about it for years, and I’d listened to some songs from the American musical adaptation out of context, but when I bought it from the BN Criterion sale this summer, I knew next to nothing about the movie. And it blew me away because it fit me like a glove, it reminded of my own creative sensibilities— it reminded me of my own writing. The movie is a madcap, old fashioned screwball comedy. Lots of elements are kitsch and maybe have an air of “bad taste.” The titular women have so much agency and freedom to behave badly. Even though no LGBT characters appear in the movie, there is such a palpable queer spirit beating at its heart. The movie doesn’t take itself seriously but it really spoke to me and it felt so personal. Like this movie is how I view the world, and I never see that represented anywhere else.

Anyway, I’ve been meaning to see more of Almodóvar’s catalogue. He has two more titles in the Criterion Collection which I will pick up at the next sale and then a few of his recent movies in the last 20 years are easily available in the US market. But I’ve been slow to purchase any of them because I was afraid I wouldn’t like them as much as “Women.” I’m not sure, but I don’t think he’s ever made another screwball like “Women,” but nevertheless I was tempted to explore his oeuvre. Enter “Pain and Glory” which is his new 2019 film and which recently netted Antonio Banderas an Oscar nomination.

I thought it was a very effecting film, a meditation on growing older and facing the history that makes up one’s life— it seems quite autobiographical. It was slow moving, of course, but this movie had explicit gay love stories (old flames reunited kind of stuff) and a story about a gay son’s relationship with his mother, and an artist’s relationship with his art. It’s kind of interesting, but I don’t know that I’ve seen a film about an older gay man before— I know others exist, there’s The Beginners with Christopher Plummer for one. But it was interesting to see a movie about a gay man who was able to live a mostly “out” life— and yet the stresses and pressures of a homophobic society still had a grinding impact on him.

It’s kind of startling because Antonio Banderas looks like an old man. I mean, he’s not decrepit but he has lots of wrinkles and his hair is gray and his character is physically ill and weak. It’s a far cry from Zorro. I mean there’s this long, long section about all the character’s ailments and it just seemed crushing. But Banderas fit his role like a glove— he’s had a long working relationship with Almodóvar so I assume he used that history and knowledge of the director because the character felt so real and lived in.

Another note— The cave that is his childhood home is kind of magical, with the vibrant white washed walls and the open ceiling living room (although I wondered, what exactly did they do when it rained?). Made me want to visit one of these cave homes, even stay inside one. It seemed very cosy, although for his family it was a mark of poverty— there is a slight twist at the end of the movie which may hint that the beautiful cave home was lensed through rose colored glasses.

Very good, very layered film. I’ll be thinking about this one for awhile. And now I’m certainly more encouraged to explore the rest of Almodóvar’s films.

[Disney's Divinity]

It kind of felt anti-feminist on my last rewatch, sort of knit from the same cloth as Mrs Banks where the ultimate moral is: stay home and be a good little woman to your husband and children. My heart pangs every time she puts the suffragette sash on that kite...

I thought I was the only one who felt that way. I believe I made a post in a MP thread a long, long time ago--probably pre-'07--about how the film seemed to be painting the suffragette position of Mrs. Banks' as being equivalent to Mr. Banks' obsession with money, something that was harming the family and needed to be set aside for everyone's well-being... TMM did feel a little bit that way, but I just took it mostly as a romance more than anything else; and Andrews does end up rescuing everyone at the end of the film. No, I must've missed the part with the soy sauce. I read the first part of the story online just to have a slightly clearer picture of the film until I can see it again though.

About AAE: another thing I wanted to say is that I liked Davis' love interest in the movie. I guess the chemistry was real, since I read they got married in real life after meeting on AAE. I don't want to give spoilers before you watch it again, so skip this if you want: I believe one of the things that could've left you cold is that the movie does a big jump with things happening offscreen after the scene at the restaurant where the titular phrase is spoken. Eve's seduction of/affair with Lloyd, to the point he plans to leave his wife and marry her, all happen offscreen other than Eve calling the house asking him to come over one night. And then it jumps again later to when she's become a big star on her way to Hollywood with little interaction between the characters during all of that; all we really get is to see their expressions during her award speech at the end.

I wish I could comment on the other films, but I haven't seen them. Hopefully someone else here might read this thread and have thoughts about them, too.

[Escapay]

Don't have much to add beyond some quick soundbytes:

Empire of the Sun is my absolute favorite Steven Spielberg film, I honestly am surprised it didn't get a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards despite getting six other nominations.

While I do, absolutely love All About Eve, I still can't believe it won Best Picture over Sunset Blvd. at the Academy Awards.

Parasite better with Best Picture at the Academy Awards next week. It's pretty much a lock for Best International Feature Film, but imagine if it won both.

Alby

[Disney's Divinity]

I feel bad that I haven't seen Sunset Boulevard. I've heard they're making a new version of the film with Glenn Close, aren't they? I need to keep the look out so I can catch the original next time it's airing.

I haven't seen everything Spielberg's done by any means, but I do love many of his films. I'm looking at his filmography now, and I didn't realize he made The BFG and that he's the one making the new West Side Story. I saw Ready Player One early last year and it was better than I expected. I wouldn't say it was his best by any means, but it was worth seeing once at least. Same with The Post. Super 8 is probably my favorite thing he's done recently; I liked Tintin, too.

[UmbrellaFish]

All About Eve

I rewatched it all the day before yesterday. I think my issue is, well, the entire crux of the movie. It presents the ageism and sexism women face in the entertainment industry and lays the blame for those ills squarely at women’s feet. The movie says there is a vicious cycle of steely-eyed ambitious women out to manipulate the men in their lives and throw other women under the bus to get what they want which is a particularly vain brand of stardom. To break the cycle, a woman must leave her profession and become a “real woman”— a wife, a homemaker, ultimately kept. But this is, well, bullocks then and now. “All About Eve” is about the theatre, but in the movie world which the film is just as much about, women were bullied and pitted against one another by and for the benefit of the movie moguls who were men. But in this film, men are the real victims, like sailors drawn in by sirens, like Adam to Eve, they cannot be held responsible for succumbing to the wiles of women. Unless they are gay men— over which women can hold no power and may assume a sort of omnipresent puppet master status and could almost be revered if they weren’t otherwise so contemptible. And I still don’t think the script is very funny.

Bette Davis gets lost in the movie, which is a shame. I haven’t watched a Davis movie in awhile so I almost forgot that her staccato way of speaking was a thing she actually did— not just an over exaggeration by later female impersonators. I wish we still had movie stars like her— unique, authentic, original personalities. Bette Davis in particular was a force of nature.

I don’t care for Anne Baxter much— I remember her from The Ten Commandments and I always thought that Cecil B. DeMille had directed everyone to act as though the movie was being made in the 1920’s, with a big sort of over dramatic acting style which is perfect for a biblical epic. But she plays Eve Harrington the same way— she is going at 100% all the time which makes some of her later scenes confusing. If she’s such a capable person, such a smart, manipulative wit— she never loses her cool acting as Davis’ puppy dog— how can she make so many strategic mistakes that unravel her in the end? I think it would have been a lot more interesting to have seen an Eve Harrington who actually was an unassuming doe, a character who never had some ultimate plan, but instead gradually became intoxicated with the stardom surrounding her and became more manipulative as the plot progressed. Obviously, this wouldn’t have fixed the inherent sexism of the character but it would have at least been an actual character arc— but that is more on Mankiewicz’s head than Baxter’s.

George Sanders is very good in a role which is uncomfortably gay coded. Celeste Holm’s character seems very stupid for a person we are told is very smart, or at least sophisticated— but at least she and her husband appear to deserve one another. I agree that Davis and her onscreen and apparently offscreen (thanks for that info, I didn’t know that, Divinity) husband have pretty wonderful chemistry. I didn’t mind Eve messing around with the playwright, but I was going to be heartbroken if she succeeded in splitting up the actress and the director.

Thelma Ritter is delightful and her presence is missed when her character disappears. I always forget Marilyn is in the movie until she’s onscreen and... I don’t know why, but I’m always struck by just how much of “Marilyn” she already is at this point, starring in one of her first movie roles.

Unfortunately, All About Eve is still not for me but I am eager to hear what people think of my take. It’s such a beloved and revered film I’m convinced I’m missing something or not understanding something about the movie. Maybe in another 10 years I’ll at least get the jokes.

Parasite better with Best Picture at the Academy Awards next week. It's pretty much a lock for Best International Feature Film, but imagine if it won both.

Ever since IMDb shuttered their message boards, I no longer closely follow the Oscar race. I’ve tried Gold Derby a few times, but their online community didn’t impress me compared to the posters I used to read on Oscar Buzz/Movie Awards. So nowadays I just let the nominees and winners surprise me.

This is all just to say: I don’t know who is likely to win, and because I haven’t seen most of the films nominated for the top prize, I can’t really say which one I think most deserves it. But Parasite would definitely be a worthy winner.

I feel bad that I haven't seen Sunset Boulevard. I've heard they're making a new version of the film with Glenn Close, aren't they? I need to keep the look out so I can catch the original next time it's airing.

It is meant to be a movie version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical adaptation of the movie. But the movie was announced a year ago before Glenn Close surprisingly lost the Oscar to Olivia Colman and before Lloyd Webber’s Cats bombed, so I doubt we will ever see it come to fruition. There hasn’t been any announcements since then.

But the original Sunset Boulevard is an excellent movie. There’s a great story about the director Billy Wilder initially wanting Mary Pickford for the main role and going to her home to pitch the film. Over the course of their conversation, Pickford complained about the degeneracy of contemporary filmmaking and he then knew then she’d never agree to the role so he ended up just not pitching it to her. But with Gloria Swanson ultimately landing the role, it is hard to imagine anyone else being quite so perfect. I like the musical, too, my favorite Norma onstage is Patti LuPone.

Do you watch these movies on TCM, Divinity?

The Princess Diaries series

I rewatched the Princess Diaries and part of its sequel yesterday. The first film has actually aged pretty well, I think, or it could be my nostalgia speaking. So far, PD2 isn’t quite as bad as I remember but it’s still a lackluster follow up to its predecessor.

Mary Poppins

I want to come back to the Mary Poppins discussion because I have a lot of thoughts on that and it will take some time to write out.

[Disney's Divinity]

Mostly TCM, AMC, or wherever the movies might show up. Sometimes there's a free weekend on HBO or whatever, that's how I saw Empire of the Sun and several other newer films. That's the same way I watched The Slipper and the Rose and The Glass Slipper the first time. I'm sure I'll see AAE again; they're always showing Bette Davis movies. And Cabaret will probably get played during Pride Month. I'll have to keep your thoughts about All About Eve in mind next time I see it. I actually thought it was interesting that Bette Davis' character ended up justified in her thoughts about Eve, since it would be so simple to see the older female character as the villain, as simply having an ego problem and being unreasonable (and I admit that's how I thought this movie was going to go, actually, with Eve being an innocent victim of Margo's ire). Margo's character can be all those things and also be right at the same time. As I was typing this, I thought of that line of the Witch's from Into the Woods when they all try to lay the blame at her doorstep because she's the easy target (and represents the figure usually scapegoated by the World for all its problems): "I'm not good, I'm not nice, I'm just right."

I've been trying to seek out more older films/classics lately anyway. And that includes TV series like Maude and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I tried to watch some of the older, live-action Disney films via Netflix when I had it, but I think a lot of those older films had broken discs and were unavailable. The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band was a nice discovery at least. EDIT: I realize now I said ACM when it's AMC.

[blackcauldron85]

And that includes TV series like Maude and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

I highly recommend The Dick Van Dyke show if you're watching older comedies- I think it has some really funny moments! (And it has Mary Tyler Moore in it, too!)

[DVDBuff1]

And that includes TV series like Maude and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

I highly recommend The Dick Van Dyke show if you're watching older comedies- I think it has some really funny moments! (And it has Mary Tyler Moore in it, too!)

Ditto! And because you mentioned Maude, I also highly recommend Norman Lear's other sitcoms (All in the Family, Sanford & Son, etc.) if you haven't watched those already.

[Disney's Divinity]

Yeah, I've seen nearly all of All in the Family. I've always liked Jean Stapleton, she's the reason I enjoy the show and she's so funny, but O'Connor is great, too. My father was always a fan of Sanford & Son, but I haven't sat down and watched too much of it myself. I remember once reading about another show of Redd Foxx's called The Royal Family, where he played the father and Della Reese the mother. I've never seen it, unfortunately. I always think of how great a shame it is that the show didn't get to last longer before he passed. I love Della Reese, thanks to growing up watching Touched by An Angel. I can only guess she was fantastic in a role like that one.

Speaking of Norman Lear, I hope if they do another Live show, they'll include Maude next time. Either an episode of the show or one of her appearances on All in the Family. The thing is I checked out the first season of Maude a long time ago, because I love The Golden Girls and especially Bea Arthur's character, and I have to say I didn't care for it. It was only the past year or so that I saw episodes from later seasons when Hermione Baddeley is there, and I definitely enjoyed those much more than I did that first season. The funny thing is seeing Baddeley in the show lead me to reading her Wikipedia page and that's when I realized she played Madame Adelaide from The Aristocats. I had never known that. Before that, Mary Poppins and Little House On the Prairie were the only places I'd ever seen the actress (that I'd known of).

[Disney's Divinity]

Speaking of Bette Davis, I saw another movie of hers that was pretty good: Now, Voyager. I think my favorite of her films I've seen are Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, The Virgin Queen, and The Little Foxes. AAE would probably be next. I enjoyed her in The Whales of August, too, but that movie was sort of dull, overall. I saw a play version of The Little Foxes years ago for a class requirement in college and loved it, and tried to see the Davis film back then, but it wasn't available through DVD Netflix. It finally did air on TV eventually and, while I didn't think the overall thing was as good as the play I saw, it was still pretty good and Bette Davis owned the role, imo. Her character was the best part of the play anyway, so I knew Davis would be amazing to watch in the film.

I saw Baby Jane partly because it got so much focus in that Feud miniseries.* I've lost some respect for Susan Sarandon even though she is a strong actress, but I watched the show anyway to learn a little more about those older actresses (even if a great deal of it might be fictional or exaggerated). One of the amazing factoids I found out from that series was how Crawford actually campaigned to accept the award that Davis was up for on behalf of the other actresses and campaigned behind the scenes to ensure Davis wouldn't win; how deliciously petty! I couldn't believe that was real. Anyway, Baby Jane was fantastic. It's one of the few films I might end up buying down the line, it was so much fun. As for the other, I think I just enjoy films about Queen Elizabeth (I loved the Cate Blanchett film years ago, too), which is probably why I enjoyed The Virgin Queen. On that point, off on a tangent here, but I thought the portrayal of Elizabeth in Mary, Queen of Scots was such a joke; that film was very disappointing for me. I thought the whole thing was unimpressive, but then Mary's speech at the end took me out of it completely; it felt like some present-day commentary that the characters would never say. I had looked forward to it for Saoirse Ronan, and had thought about seeing it in theaters instead of A Star Is Born. I'm really glad I didn't. The Seagull and Lady Bird were much better, imo, among her films. I hope I'll get to see Little Women soon.

I also saw Amy Adams' Arrival the other day. It was about what I expected. I've had plenty of opportunities to see it before now, but it's one of those movies I didn't really have much interest in checking out other than seeing Adams herself. And I was right that she was the only thing worth seeing it for.

* I wish this series had continued. I'd much rather see another season of it than American Horror Story at this point or American Crime Story either. Last I'd heard was the second season was going to be based on Princess Diana and then it kind of...ended. I think they had legal issues because of the first season and saw the series as too much of a risk. A shame.

[Disney Duster]

I saw All About Eve on Amazon Prime a few days ago just because I should see it sometime and you guys were discussing it. I really liked the film, I thought it had clever writing. I thought it was funny, not laugh out loud funny so much, but I think I chuckled a few times and I guess they were just thinking, clever lines to me. Entertaining and witty at least. I mean, "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night" is just iconic, since I had seen that, or I think I'v seen that, out of context in commercials about great cinema moments. 'Course, the main reason it's so good is because of Bette. But after reading your view on it, UmbrellaFish, you're absolutely right. A phemonenal stage actress, instead of having parts written for her that suit her age, and, generally, other actresses getting to play, and star, as older women, a woman decides to accept her fate of not being able to be star anymore and become a married woman. She even gives a speech about how you're not a woman until you have a man at home! What would Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchett say about this crap? I did not find the critic gay-coded, so I don't know if he really was. Maybe? I dunno. I wish I did know. I liked him, and as for Eve having an arc where she turns bad, I totally disagree with that idea. I like the way it was don in the film, because I liked, very thoroughly enjoyed, that realization where you find out Eve had planned the whole thing all along. How she really was a monster all along. It was just very dramatic and cool. I must say I hated her acting. I think reading the summary before I saw the film, about how a girl tries to take over a star's life, tipped me off, but, whether it did or didn't, Eve felt like a fake bitch to me as soon as she was talking in Eve's room. How could anyone be that humble? It was like she had the lowest self esteem in the world! So, I have no idea if the film was even better than I thought had I not known she was fake from the beginning. Curse reading anything about this film beforehand! But there is one thing I was confused about. It sounded like Eve made up that she was having an affair with and going to marry Lloyd, because Mr. DeWitt said something that sounded like what he told her was a lie. I admit I can be kinda stupid sometimes and not get what's going on. Any help? But you're right, we don't have one-of-a-kind personalities like Bette anymore. I didn't think Celeste Holm was stupid until I remembered what you said Umbrella! Unfortunately other people's opinions often infect my own, which is why I usually don't like to know too much about a film before I go into it. Films based on things I already love a lot like Cinderella or The Little Mermaid remakes are exceptions.

[UmbrellaFish]

I saw “The Thing About Harry” trending on Twitter a few days ago, but when I clicked on the trend it was mostly teenage girls talking about a song by somebody from a boy group— so I thought maybe it was the title of an album and moved on. But I was up late scrolling Blu-ray.com and their forum had a topic about this title. It turns out it’s a television movie that aired on Freeform on Valentines Day about a gay couple and is now available on Hulu.

It’s not like any ABC Family movie I ever watched. The Freeform rebranding has allowed this movie to have scenes discussing sexual identity, party scenes where characters get drunk and it’s not moralized, even a TV appropriate sex scene. Au Pair and Holiday in Handcuffs this is not. I thought for sure it must have been an independent film which Freeform picked up, but it appears the network was involved before shooting— there’s a reference to “Up” which maybe should have made this obvious.

The love story itself is fairly pedestrian. The lead named Sam is likable and reminds me of some of my own friends. His love interest, the titular Harry, is not a very good actor but he’s handsome enough and the script isn’t particularly demanding. The timeline jumps all around the place which takes some getting used to.

Although the packaging is different, in its bones it’s still a TV movie romcom— if the subjects of the story weren’t so unique the movie would be completely forgettable, but that’s the point. We need our high brow explorations of gay romance like “Call Me By Your Name” but things like this movie and “Love, Simon” are important, too. Easily digested and hard to resist, like the box of chocolates I munched on while watching the movie.

[DVDBuff1]

Did anyone see Birds of Prey? I saw it yesterday, and I found it to be a blast! Margot Robbie excels again as Harley Quinn, this time in a quality movie that I greatly preferred over Suicide Squad. If there’s any big gripe I have with the movie, it should be re-tiled “Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey”, because the movie mainly focuses on Harley Quinn’s self-destructive hi-jinks, and how she meets the women who will form the Birds of Prey more so than being an ensemble piece about Gotham’s team of feminine vigilantes. However, the moments we got with the Birds of Prey who weren’t Harley left me happy with their performances wanting more of these characters in future projects than feeling disappointed. Jurnee Smollet-Bell is now my favorite live-action Black Canary, and I also really liked Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s take on Huntress. Ewan McGregor amused me as well with his irredeemably narcissistic-sadist take on Black Mask. I look forward to seeing more movies by director Cathy Yan after this.

[Disney's Divinity]

So did you enjoy Rosie Perez's performance, DVDBuff1? She was the main thing I had an interest in seeing it for. I didn't know Ewan McGregor was going to be in the film, too. Something else to look forward to.

I saw “The Thing About Harry” trending on Twitter a few days ago, but when I clicked on the trend it was mostly teenage girls talking about a song by somebody from a boy group— so I thought maybe it was the title of an album and moved on. But I was up late scrolling Blu-ray.com and their forum had a topic about this title. It turns out it’s a television movie that aired on Freeform on Valentines Day about a gay couple and is now available on Hulu.

The Thing About Harry was re-run a few days after you made this post and I had planned to watch it. Then I forgot it was on and missed it (which, in my defense, the airing was at one in the morning). Hopefully they'll air it on Freeform again. I'm really interested to see it.

Also, congrats to Parasite having won so much at the Oscars. I hadn't even heard of it yet before the discussion here.

[DVDBuff1]

^Regarding Rosie, she's very good in it as well, but she's kind of overshadowed by the rest of the cast which is why I forgot to mention her. I do hope she's in future projects as well, since I always felt Renee Montoya was one of the more underrated characters of the Batman universe.