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Sounds like something I might like. I saw a few of his Dutch movies, and had this on my watch-list.. Are the two in the car the friends? Or are the friends in the military? The not much action part draws me to war films.
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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret(2023)
This is a cute, witty, delightful and touching picture that will likely make a star out of the actress who played the title character Margaret, 15-year-old Abby Ryder Forston. Margaret is a young lass who, along with a few of her school friends, is facing the start of the transition to puberty, with all of its angst, excitement, and physical changes that occur with these 11 or 12 year-old girls.
Margaret is crushed when her family decides to move from Manhattan to a New Jersey suburb because she’ll lose all of her friends at that critical age. But at the new suburban high school she soon falls in with a trio of female classmates, all of whom are full of wonderment and anxiety about the physical transformation that they are about to undergo, along with their attraction to, but shyness around boys.
At one point Margaret criticizes Laura (Isol Young) --an unusually taller and physically more developed classmate-- for reportedly letting boys “feel her up”. This shames the girl, who later tells Margaret that Margaret couldn’t possibly understand how awkward and embarrassing it is for Laura to be shunned because she’s so different physically than most of the other girls. Margaret later realizes how wrong she was to criticize Laura, and that she can relate to Laura’s isolation. Margaret searches her out and pulls her into Margaret’s group.
The important subtext is Margaret’s tendency to pray to God for relief and guidance despite her confusion about what God is, all the while trying to decide to which if any religion she wants to adhere. Her father is Jewish and her mother is lightly Christian, but from strong and determined Christian parents. Margaret tries them all, even though she’s seriously pressed by her father’s (Benny Safdie) mother (Kathy Bates) to become Jewish.
Her mother (Rachel McAdams) does not encourage Margaret towards any religion at all, and she and her husband are still miffed that her mother’s folks more or less cut off relations with her because she married a Jewish man. That circumstance later comes to a head when they all squabble over which religion Margaret should follow. In the end, Margaret goes her own way.
The standout performance of course is Abby Ryder Forston’s portrayal of Margaret. Her friend Nancy (Elle Graham) is likewise enjoyable. Rachel McAdams as the mother is almost too strong a presence, both in beauty and allure. One not quite so beautiful would have been a little more fitting. Benny Safdie is almost a tack-on as the father. Possibly selected because they needed someone who looks stereotypically Jewish (Salfdie is Jewish). There isn’t a lot of chemistry between McAdams and Safdie, but their relationship is only an incidental part of the story. Kathy Bates turns in another perfect performance as Margaret’s attractive and fun grandmother.
It’s refreshing to see a successful and well done picture made like they used to be. Despite the subject matter, they avoid low humor along with sexual displays and foul language. The screenplay by director/writer Kelly Craig perfectly relates all the travails, excitement and wonderment typically experienced by 11 or 12 year-old girls as they start the journey into sexual maturity.
Doc’s rating: 9/10
Doc’s rating: 9/10
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Fury (2014)
Maybe I watched Commando too much as a kid, but this was some awesome baddassery, at least the first 2/3 until it went the way of corny cliches. Great tank fighting and nice to see Brad Pitt fighting Nazis again.
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Source Code (2011)
That was an awesome movie, not the computer hacker film I thought it was going to be.
9/10
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By [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1419282
Heaven - (2002)
Here's another Cate Blanchett film made after her arrival on the scene that I'd never heard of - and I kind of expect these films to be of middling quality. Heaven is decidedly above average though, and is an interesting mix of American and European filmmaking. As a straight thriller, it would be good enough to pass with flying colours - but this film adds a real kind of introspective examination of the nature of love and fate. Philippa (Cate Blanchett) plants a bomb at the office of a certain bigwig's corporate headquarters in Italy, but before it goes off, the cleaning lady accidentally puts it on her cart. It ends up exploding and killing a father with two young daughters and the cleaner. When Philippa is arrested, she's devastated to hear of what's happened - and in on the interrogation is a young Carabinieri acting as a translator, Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi) who falls madly in love with the prisoner. He decides to help her any way he can, which leads to an incredible series of events. Heaven features many of the things I love - beautiful cinematography which enhances the story and themes, a great screenplay, and two incredibly interesting leads. The story is quite exciting and dramatic, and written by the great Krzysztof Kieślowski, who intended it to be the start of a trilogy before he died (the next to films would have been Hell and Purgatory.) The only small quibble I have is that Blanchett and Ribisi's chemistry could have been better. I don't see the hot spark between them that should be there. In any event - I recommend this film to any that is interested thus far. I really enjoyed it.
7/10
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The last movie I watched was from 1980 titled "ALTERED STATES" with John Hurt and Blair Brown and Bob Ballaban.. Very trippy movie that involves Hurt as basically a mad scientist trying to unlock the secret to Evolution through taking Psychedelic Drugs and in the process, morphs into an Ape.. It's the kind of movie I enjoy watching after smoking some herb and I enjoy the Soundtrack like The DOORS in one segment.. I'd rate it 4.5 out of 5 Stars.. I feel no movie is perfect, but this is close
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.
Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.
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I have witnessed an excess of cinematic representations of the Shoah and this is unequivocally an abysmal one. It is not only utterly implausible and historically fallacious in its depiction of the Lager and its prisoners, but it also has this nauseating Hollywood-esque plotline whose sole objective is to ensnare its viewers into a spurious sense of complacency before shattering it with the ending, thereby relegating the value of the film entirely to its shock factor. It feels like exploitation and trivialization of the Holocaust - a book adaptation produced strictly for lucre, and not one that furnishes anything of value to Holocaust remembrance.
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Conquest -
If this movie succeeds at anything, it's as a must-watch for anyone who has to travel to a strange place by themselves because it could reduce anxiety. That's the situation for our hero, Ilias (Occhipinti), who's bestowed a magical bow and arrows and dropped in a dangerous hinterland in a quest to prove himself. The land is ruled by Ocron (Siani), an evil goddess who can make the sun rise and set. Luckily, Ilias quickly happens upon the readiest guide to such a realm imaginable: Mace (Rivero), a loner and animal lover who could possibly intimidate Conan the Barbarian.
Like so much Italian genre cinema from this era, it shamelessly uses every means imaginable to target the pleasure center of your brain. When it's not the great Claudio Simonetti's synthy score doing this, it’s the superfluous nudity, and when it's not the battles with Ocron's minions - of which there are many - it's the foggy, dreamlike scenery. Speaking of the latter, Fulci and company make Sardinia out to be a real Stygian landscape, which has the added benefit of making the atmosphere as thick as all the fog. Also, while I expect much more candy than food for thought in movies like this one, I appreciate the ways it argues that if you're going to fight, it's most honorable to do it for the benefit of your companions, both human and animal, particularly the latter, especially for a rescue scene I dare not spoil). The majority of the movie is too predictable and familiar for me to consider it great (until it isn't - I will say no more - but my statement still stands). It also defines the "come for the X, stay for the Y" phrase because there are many times when it's not clear if the movie is telling Ilius's story or Mace's. With that said, if you also look to Italian genre movies when you're not sure what you want to watch or if you're simply in the mood for some brain candy, you could do much worse. Just a warning, though: you may never look at Chewbacca the same way again.
If this movie succeeds at anything, it's as a must-watch for anyone who has to travel to a strange place by themselves because it could reduce anxiety. That's the situation for our hero, Ilias (Occhipinti), who's bestowed a magical bow and arrows and dropped in a dangerous hinterland in a quest to prove himself. The land is ruled by Ocron (Siani), an evil goddess who can make the sun rise and set. Luckily, Ilias quickly happens upon the readiest guide to such a realm imaginable: Mace (Rivero), a loner and animal lover who could possibly intimidate Conan the Barbarian.
Like so much Italian genre cinema from this era, it shamelessly uses every means imaginable to target the pleasure center of your brain. When it's not the great Claudio Simonetti's synthy score doing this, it’s the superfluous nudity, and when it's not the battles with Ocron's minions - of which there are many - it's the foggy, dreamlike scenery. Speaking of the latter, Fulci and company make Sardinia out to be a real Stygian landscape, which has the added benefit of making the atmosphere as thick as all the fog. Also, while I expect much more candy than food for thought in movies like this one, I appreciate the ways it argues that if you're going to fight, it's most honorable to do it for the benefit of your companions, both human and animal, particularly the latter, especially for a rescue scene I dare not spoil). The majority of the movie is too predictable and familiar for me to consider it great (until it isn't - I will say no more - but my statement still stands). It also defines the "come for the X, stay for the Y" phrase because there are many times when it's not clear if the movie is telling Ilius's story or Mace's. With that said, if you also look to Italian genre movies when you're not sure what you want to watch or if you're simply in the mood for some brain candy, you could do much worse. Just a warning, though: you may never look at Chewbacca the same way again.
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People of the Mountains - 6.5/10
My first thought was, "This is very religious" and then realizing Hungary was under Nazi control, but even Goebbels said it was "Too Catholic". But, I've seen plenty of movies made in the USSR that dove into themes that some rich nerd said never happened.
My first thought was, "This is very religious" and then realizing Hungary was under Nazi control, but even Goebbels said it was "Too Catholic". But, I've seen plenty of movies made in the USSR that dove into themes that some rich nerd said never happened.
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Agree with most of that, it's a shame you didn't enjoy it as much as I did.
But, I've seen plenty of movies made in the USSR that dove into themes that some rich nerd said never happened.
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
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David Thewlis plays a Nazi bigwig with a wife (Vera Farmiga) and 2 children, an 8 year old boy and a 12 year old girl. He moves his family out of Berlin into a big house in the country. The children are forbidden to go exploring, but the boy sees what he thinks is a farm out in the distance through a window. He ends up sneaking over to what turns out to be a concentration camp and befriends a Jewish boy his age through the electrified barbed wire fence. There's some great messaging and perspective here, but I had some mixed feelings. Much of the time it feels like it's supposed to be a heartwarming child friendly film, and it is rated PG-13, but it's mixed with the horrors of a concentration camp, gas chambers, etc. I was able to get past the uneven tone until I got to the ending which left a big impression and I did not see coming.
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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.
Yeah, I actually watched it EONS ago and didn't mind it that much. It's just not as great as some people's ratings (including yours) make it seem. And if you add the issues I described (most of which you agree with!), I just don't see it as an acceptable film anymore.
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I hated this movie & bailed out. I didn’t believe a word of it.
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My ratings are more about how much I enjoy a film than how good it actually is. Remember, Basket Case and Beerfest are both in my book.
Sometimes you actually remind yourself that there are some high standards you should ideally hold.
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Same here, but that's just one of rating films, and maybe not the best way at that! I created a new rating scale that while not being objective (impossible!), actually promotes in movies what I find the most valuable. Sometimes you actually remind yourself that there are some high standards you should ideally hold.
Sometimes you actually remind yourself that there are some high standards you should ideally hold.
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I don't have standards but I can't wait to see you're new fancy rating scale!
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