pacaway

touché

shadokitty

I just finished a very hard hitting documentary, 'Claude Lanzmann: Spectres Of The Shoah', about the making of the 12 hour Holocaust flm Shoah, on HBO Go. I wanted to watch it last year for the Challenge, since at the time it was a current nominee, but at that time it wasn't available on HBO Go for some reason. Probably HBO wasn't currently airing the documentary at that time.

ntnon

Hail, Caesar! is a very enjoyable 'romp' through Communist-infused Hollywood. And the films-within-the-film are as good (better?) than the "Real" plot..!

ntnon

I wondered if that was your thinking, and I mostly agree. But I would contrast the "worth" of any film only nominated in "minor" categories - or the years where even Best Picture nominees seem far more varied in quality than others... Equally, a lot of early (or even recent) winners do seem notably more dated than others.

The Oscars is a guide, but it's a vague one. I found 8 Mile (and South Park) to be enjoyable, timely and have something to say - while still being escapism and fun.

lisadoris

I watched Being There with Peter Sellers last night. I had never seen it before and just read a vague description of the plot before streaming it and I wasn't sure what to expect. What an odd film. I think I need to read the book it is abased on.

I also started re-watching Happy Feet but I got too tired to finish it. Oh well, I can watch dancing penguins later today.

Mao

Whereas, I plunged into "The Lobster" last night.

I thought it was great. Granted, uneven...but talk about a movie with some brilliant, crushing, hysterical moments played so seriously!

Absolutely deserving of it's screenplay nomination.

shadokitty

I have insomnia tonight, so I thought I'd take advantage of it by doing a little work on the Challenge. I just finished a good documentary on YouTube, called 'Winning Your Wings'., about becoming a pilot in the Army during World War 2. As an extra added bonus, it was hosted by a young Jimmy Stewart, who was at the time, a Lieutenant in the Army.

pacaway

Plowed through the 5 90ish minute parts of OJ: Made In America over the last few days or so. It's definitely detailed and really takes you back to that time when it was in the news everyday. The 5 episodes divide up pretty well... his early life and rise to fame; the end of his football career up to the murders; the murders and the evidence; the trial; and the verdict and its aftermath through to now. Lots of good interviews with former friends, lawyers, police officers (including Mark Furman) and even jurors and the victims families. It does a really good job of setting the stage when it comes to how racially charged the situation was even though OJ had barely acknowledged his race at all up until that time but had little choice after the trial as he lost most of his white friends. The story is told as only a close to 8 hour documentary could do. At first I couldn't imagine how an audience could sit through the whole thing at once at Sundance or its short theatrical release after that, but then it really does grab your attention and keep you wanting more.

lisadoris

So I took a time-out to watch John Wick: Chapter 2 yesterday but came home and continued the violent streak with The Revenant. Now I Understand all the grizzly bear jokes being told last year.

This morning I was reading list of NAACP Image Award winners and noticed they had a category for voice-over work. I wonder why the Academy hasn't created a category for this. Between animated films and the crap ton of CG characters in live-action films these days there wouldn't be a shortage of nominees.

shadokitty

I'm looking forward to The Revenant, sometime, as it is on my Netflix queue. Hopefully I'll get to it before the month is out. I had planned to watch Deepwater Horizon sometime this month too, but it must be a popular movie, as soon after I put it on my queue, it already showed short wait

pacaway

I finally watched The Revenant about a month ago and really enjoyed it. It was shot right here in Alberta so I had the added fun of recognizing mountain peaks, etc. from the Rockies.

Also, a voice over award is a really cool idea. You're right about there being no lack of nominees. A person can do a good job even in a not so good movie. Finding Dory didn't make the cut this year (for some unknown weird reason) but imagine the potential there for nominations in such a category.

I squeezed in a double header at the theatre yesterday, seeing both Hidden Figures and La La Land back to back. LOVED them both! It's difficult to think that there was still such rampant segregation still around in the decade I was born. It's unbelievable that people could be so pigheaded and prejudice that entire states would continue to have pro-segregation laws in the face of the nation's anti-segregation policies. It's pretty heartbreaking to imagine. As for La La Land, it was NOT one long song and dance marathon at all. In fact I found myself wishing there was more, and I'm NOT a musical fan in the first place. It's also not hard to see why Emma Stone is the front runner in her category. She really is amazing. Watching her in some of those audition scenes was eye-opening as to her talent.

pacaway

I have an opportunity to see Fantastic Beasts today. Any recommendations, or should I not bother?

shadokitty

I received a copy of Smokey And The Bandit as an early Valentines Day gift, so looked it up in the database. Lo and behold I discovered it was eligible for this Challenge, so I didn't have to save it for next month. Just finished watching it right now. I always loved the trilogy, and especially loved both Sally Field in it, and Jerry Reed singing the song on the soundtrack, 'Eastbound And Down'. I used to want to be a truck driver when I was a kid just because of this movie.

BobO'Link

During all the BF sales I picked up a copy of Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014). While it didn't receive a Oscar nomination, 1956's The Ten Commandments did, and I have a BR upgrade I'd purchased some time back but never got around to viewing. Since both were unopened it gave me a excuse for a double-header.

The Ten Commandments BR is simply spectacular. It's a superb transfer and looks pristine. It still amazes me how well the sfx hold up over 60 years later. I've always loved this film and feel the story was told very well. Even if you've never read or heard the story told you know what's going on and why. Like with many older Hollywood films there are some questionable casting choices but, overall, the cast is very good with several stand-out performances.

So... I then watched Exodus: Gods and Kings. I found myself wondering just what story the writers were attempting to tell. If you're not familiar with the original you would have a very difficult time understanding what's going on, much less why. Even if you do know what's going on you frequently find yourself wondering why certain changes were made? Changes that make absolutely no sense to the story and do not help in any way. God as a small boy? Moses doesn't directly confront Ramses to tell him to let the Israelites go? Moses training the Israelites to fight? It's a fairly good, although rather generic, modern "Biblical" action film with difficult to determine motives. It has some excellent sfx but doesn't tell the story of the Exodus well. I found myself feeling somewhat ambivalent towards the film. The casting is OK, but also suffers from some questionable choices. No one stood out, unlike DeMille's remake. Much like Noah, and the remake of Ben Hur, I found myself wondering just why this film was made as it certainly brought nothing new to the table.

shadokitty

I've always been tempted to watch Exodus: Gods And Kings, as I think I've seen it on HBO at times, or one of the other premium channels we have, since I've always loved The Ten Commandments, but now I wonder if it's worth watching at all, or would it just make me appreciate the original all the more? I know many times remakes are not nearly as good as the original, if it would truly be considered a remake.

pacaway

No one got back to me about Fantastic Beasts, and thank goodness! I went to see 20th Century Women instead and was blown away! Not being nominated for best picture is a shame! I think this is MY movie of the year! I guess it is a story mostly about Annette Benning's character as a 55 year old mother of a 15 year old. But for me, being that I was 14 in 1979, I really related to the son. It was, to me, a lot like Almost Famous (coincidentally also starring Billy Crudup), in that it also highlighted changes in the world and the music of the time. What a great movie! It really makes you think about your life and the lives of the people around you... Where did they come from? How did they get here? Where is their life story going? How will their time with you affect them in the future? What is life like now for your kids, in this time, or whatever was their definitive years? It also reminded me of Ice Storm, another movie about the 70s and the relationships of people in that time. I know I'm going to be thinking of this movie for a LONG time.

BobO'Link

I'd say give it a viewing but be aware it's not very faithful to the original text/story.

Moses reason for fleeing to Midian was altered so that instead of running from Pharaoh's wrath he was exiled.

One thing that especially bothered me was the series of plagues on Egypt. Not one single time in this film did Moses confront Ramses and tell him:
which is said before almost every plague which is announced to Ramses.

It also shows the Nile turning to blood starting with a group of giant crocodiles attacking a boat on the river. Totally against what is said:
Moses never once confronts Ramses with his staff. Aaron never changes the staff into a serpent which eats the snake/staffs of Ramses magicians. All the plagues run together, one into another, with no warning from Moses as to what's to come next. You totally miss the whole point that Ramses becomes more and more stubborn against the people of Israel and especially Moses, his "brother."

They also failed to mention Moses' first journey to the mountain where he was given the 10 Commandments, the Israelite's creation of the golden calf, Moses's destruction of the first set due to the calf, and his subsequent creation of the 2nd, self made, set. You see the calf in a very brief scene but it makes no sense to the narrative and doesn't explain the scene with Moses carving the stone himself. They also fail to show the Ark of the Covenant properly, either in design or transport.

So... lots of issues if you want a accurate Biblical story but it's still a fairly decent action/adventure story. Just be aware it's not Biblically correct in most of its depiction of events. That's not to say that The Ten Commandments is without narrative faults, but it's a far more accurate telling.

ntnon

I'm thinking "whimsical" is a good word for the Lobster and it's straight-faced absurdity.

...makes me want to watch the 100 Year-old Man... again..!

ntnon

I remember quite enjoying Noah as a sort of alt-history... alt-mythtory? take on a well-known but not often dramatised story. Weird, but interesting. New Ben Hur just sounded pointless and poorly done, so I've steered clear. Like nine-tenths of all people everywhere...

lisadoris

Watched a couple of animated films yesterday both of which were nominated for best song ironically enough. The Lego Movie was cute and it actually made me want to see the Lego Batman film that's out now. also watched Tarzan and it was okay. I remember being surprised when Phil Collins won for this film and now that I've actually seen the film and heard the song in it's entirety I'm even more surprised. "When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2 just feels like the better song though both tunes represented the plot quite well.

To round out the song category I re-watched Top Gun as well. It's such an 80s movie but it's still cool in a military propaganda kind of way.

shadokitty

Valentine's Day, and I kinda got some love on film in. Well, the psycho love that Harley Quinn had for the Joker, in Suicide Squad. I didn't particularly care for the portrayal of the Joker, but all in all, enjoyed the movie. Which was surprising, as after I had gotten it from Netflix, I had heard bad things about the movie.

lisadoris

I like Suicide Squad and will totally defend it as a cool comic book popcorn film. Whether it deserved a nom for makeup I can't say.

shadokitty

If he had been my first exposure to the Joker, I might have felt differently, but to me, the top Jokers will always be Cesar Romero, and Jack Nicholson. I agree with you about it being a very cool comic book popcorn film, however, and I loved Deadshot, especially the love he had for his daughter.

Trevor

I'll be a voice of dissent on Suicide Squad. I'm partial to love anything comic-related, and even enjoyed BvS (as an Elseworlds tale). I enjoy the Suicide Squad comics, all the actors in the film, and was expecting to love it. But it fell completley flat for me, but with potential with some better acting/direction. I own it since I buy every comic book film, but I could easily see myself never watching it again.

shadokitty

Maybe for me, it made a difference that I never read the Suicide Squad comic books, so this was my first exposure to the team.