Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

I hate the poster too but what does that have to do with the movie? They can give away Patel toys in happy meals for all I care.

The first act is the strongest but I don't think it loses as much going forward as you do. I gave it a 3.5.

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I didn't ding it for the post or even for the Google stuff. What was just my rant. During the first act I thought it might be a 4 or even a 4.5 movie but the second act took it down. And the third act was done well but just too short. I wanted to see him searching for awhile longer in India.

Come on guys, Dev Patel has a rare condition called Googleface. Don't be mean.

I definitely agree with that. I was pretty shocked at how well it was shot though. I really liked the score as well.

Now that you mention it, the score was powerful. It gave me goose bumps during the first act. I don't have the words to describe what the sound was like, but it felt ominous and foreboding.

Yeah, it was shot quite nicely too. Oh and I was touched by the end scene of course. I just thought he might be in India struggling to find his family for a few minutes more, even 5 minutes more, would have made the final scene all the more sweetly rewarding. But I did like the film, it's one of the better 2016 films I've seen.

Yeah, I was thinking after I watched it that they didn't give us a good sense of how consuming his research was. Mara mentions it a couple times but I never felt the weight of it. I think that goes along with what you are saying about it being rushed in the last third.

Yup, we're on the same wave length

I tried to watch Silence before voting in the 2016 MoFo Film Awards and I just couldn't sit through it. I don't recall how far into the film I made it, but when I saw how much was still left, I turned it off. It joins Cell (2016) and Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter as being the only three movies (in recent memory) that I didn't manage to finish.

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Thanks for the warning. I'll probably avoid it. Dario Argento is a brilliant stylist but once he shows a heart being stabbed in close-up, it's all over for me. So, showing a google bar on the poster and throughout a film is huge no-no for me, too.

I thought about shutting off Silence, but I had waited such a long time to watch it, that I finished it. I was bored though.

Joel, I wasn't trashing the movie, there's a lot to like about it. I just wished the second and third act could have been as strong as the first act. The Google bar on the poster is just a pet peeve, like I told Sean, I didn't ding the movie for that. It's basically a pretty decent film, that could have been really great.

Boy that is a terrible look on Kidman. I'll be watching Lion in the next couple of weeks anyway.

Have a feeling that Blanchett might make this one worth checking out.

He has a unique take on the old fairy tale. I think you would like it. I also think you would really like Lion (2016).

I will probably get to Lion at some point, despite my Dev Patel issues...something about him bothers me.

The entire first part of the story focuses on the 5 year old boy, that's the best part of the film.

Director: John Lee Hancock
Writer: Robert D. Siegel (as Robert Siegel)
Cast: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch
Genre: Biography, Drama, History

About: The founder of McDonalds fast food restaurants, Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) and his less than ethical business practices that allowed him to build a hamburger empire.


Review: Persistence! that's what Ray Kroc has got! McDonalds franchise is what he wants! Oh, he gets it all right! every one knows what the Golden Arches is and that's thanks to Ray.

The Founder (2016)...shows us just how Ray connived his way into a successful but small hamburger stand ran by two simple brothers, The McDonalds...and in the process built an empire and the worlds most recognized restaurant chain.


Trivia:
The original McDonalds, as depicted in the film, is actually located at 1398 North E St., San Bernardino, CA 92405 and is now a McDonalds museum. The oldest remaining Golden Arches-styled McDonalds (1953) is still in operation at 10207 Lakewood Blvd., Downey, California 90241.

I dug this movie! It was done in biography-documentary style and gave us a good look at that start of McDonalds. Michael Keaton is perfect as the fast talking, will not take no for an answer, milk shake salesman who stumbles upon an idea and strikes a bargain with Mac and Dick McDonald. He then precedes to take advantage of them at every turn, until he finally has stolen, legally of course, their very idea for a fast food restaurant and of course the name.

I loved all the vintage 1950s McDonalds restaurants that were special constructed for the movie. It was a sweet treat to see the inner workings of these early forerunners of today, McDonalds and how the assembly line strategy first took hold.


The movie gripped me and held my attention from the get go. I felt like I was there back in the mid 1950's and along for the ride as Ray Kroc does his thing....Fries anyone?

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Wow, no responses to The Founder? Haven't you guys ever ate at McDonald's...I'd call The Founder one of the best films I've seen from 2016 and I've seen 32 movies from 2016 so far....anyway if you get a chance to watch it, you might be surprised.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: John Michael Hayes(screenplay), David Dodge(novel)
Cast: Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Romance

About: A retired jewelry thief is accused of a string of daring jewelry robberies in Nice, France. To prove his innocence he must capture the real cat burglar.

Review: This is a more straight forward, mystery-romance-drama story than is usual for Hitch in his later American made movie years. Its strength is the beautiful cinematography, shot on location in Nice France and at Monte Carlo. It doesn't get as much notice as some of his Hitch's masterpieces, but none the less...this is a well made, enjoyable film...that's interesting at every turn of the winding road.


Cary Grant came out of retirement to make one more movie, To Catch A Thief. He had felt his acting style was no longer relevant with the new batch of method actors like Marlon Brando and James Dean. Cary was wrong, even today his unique acting style is appreciated. The American Film Institute list him as the second greatest actor of all time. Not to shabby for someone who wanted to hang up his acting shoes.

Luckily for us Cary Grant went on to make 11 more movies, finally retiring in 1966. Cary made four films with Hitchcock: Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955), North by Northwest (1959).

Here in To Catch a Thief, Cary plays a much different role than we're use to seeing. He's more subdued, more serious. Gone are the lighter comic moments and the self deprecating humor that he was famous for. It might be the script, or maybe Cary made a conscious decision to play this more serious. What ever the case, it's nice to see Cary Grant carousing with the beauties in the south of France.


Grace Kelly, made only 11 feature films before retiring to marry Prince Rainer in 1956, becoming the Princess of Monaco. This was Hollywood's loss as Grace was quite popular at the time that she quit acting. Hitch had wanted her to take the lead in Marnie (1964). In a personal letter to Hitch, Grace spoke of how much she missed acting and wanted to do Marnie, but couldn't because of her responsibilities to her family and her new country. One gets the sense that her fairy tale life in Monaco was somewhat lonely and she longed to work in movies.

Grace made three films with Hitchcock: Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955).

Grace Kelly was Hitchcock's favorite 'cool blonde' leading actress. Both Hitch and his wife adored her and spent time with Grace on and off the set. Had she not left acting, no doubt she would have made more films with Hitch.



To Catch A Thief, is not my favorite Hitch film, nor is it my favorite movie with Cary Grant or Grace Kelly...but it's a solid film, that's a visual treat and a joy to watch.

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I haven't seen The Founder yet, but I've eaten at McD's more times than I can remember. In fact, we ate there last night, and once again, they screwed up our order. I don't know how they stay in business when they can't get a simple cheeseburger and chocolate shake right.

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How did they screw up the order? Did you make a special request?