Recent theatrical viewings

[316zombie]

i'm sure, lol! iggy has a great face.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Aladdin the live action version. As much as I enjoyed the animated version, seeing it several times, the live action version worked better for me.

The action
The characters
--especially the sultan
The emotions
The music
--especially liked "Prince Ali" in the live action version.
The scenes that were in both films.
--note that in both films we see the genie in a role other than that of the genie.
The ending.
--whoever you are. Wherever you are. There is always time for a dance party.
And overall it worked better for me.

Also more
--interesting I found the live action.
--for a film that was fantastical, the live action was still more realistic.
--and it had a more modern take with . . .
----an interracial marriage
----empowerment of women
----and Jafar channeling Trump.

I use to pay attention who was also in an audience for a film I was seeing, but, I got away from that, and I should get back to it, as this was one of the few films, I have seen where the audience members were composed both of Afro-Americans and Caucasians.

And I was surprised, but I should not have been, at how well Will Smith could sing.

Next time: since Spider-man : Far from Home is to be released on July 2 in this area, then that is my film for the 4th of July with Toy Story 4, then this coming weekend.

[Rev. Powell]

Aladdin the live action version. As much as I enjoyed the animated version, seeing it several times, the live action version worked better for me.

Haven't seen it, but I'm guessing you're in the minority there. You like what you like.

TOY STORY 4 (2019): Woody, now with a new owner and no longer the favorite toy, tutors a newcomer, finds a lost friend, and tries to defend himself against a broken antique doll who wants his voice box. Old favorites return but this one focuses more on new toys like two stuffed carnival prizes, a Canadian motorcycle daredevil, and of course, Forky. It features some surprisingly complex moral choices, for a toy. Animation, comedy and action are all of the usual high quality for the series. 4.5/5.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Toy Story 4

I have plans to see it this weekend.

What with a voice cast that includes . . .
Alan Oppenheimer -- Betty White -- Carl Reiner -- Carl Weathers -- Carol Burnett -- Keanu Reeves -- and Mel Brooks.
I have died and gone to animation heaven.

[Rev. Powell]

MIDSOMMAR (2019): Four grad students go to a remote Swedish village above the Arctic Circle to observe a festival celebrating ancient pagan beliefs held during the midnight sun; things go predictably bad for them. Ari Aster's sophomore feature has the same icky feel as his hit HEREDITARY---slow-build occult horror built on a background of grief---and although it won't surprise you like his first film, it doesn't disappoint.  4.5/5.

[mutant stargoat]

MIDSOMMAR (2019): Four grad students go to a remote Swedish village above the Arctic Circle to observe a festival celebrating ancient pagan beliefs held during the midnight sun; things go predictably bad for them. Ari Aster's sophomore feature has the same icky feel as his hit HEREDITARY---slow-build occult horror built on a background of grief---and although it won't surprise you like his first film, it doesn't disappoint.  4.5/5.

Hi, I'm new here.  I just saw Midsommar last night and I'd like to offer an alternate viewpoint, if I may.  It was bad.  Really quite bad.  Unfortunately, it wasn't bad in the sort of way that can often be enjoyable.  It was bad in the way that can cause intense mental pain.  It was very pretty, I'll give it that.  Great cinematography.  Other than that, it has no redeeming qualities.  The story is extremely boring. Yes, the pacing is slow but that's not necessarily a bad thing unless you have a story like this. Then its a bad thing.  It's filled with underdeveloped characters who we have no reason to care about making stupid decisions. The only character I cared about was the bear and it didn't even have any lines.  Actually, that may be why I liked the bear.

I could keep going but this movie was so bad that it isn't worth the effort the keystrokes to describe its badness would require.  I'll try to summarize my disdain. I would sooner watch Ed Wood and Coleman Francis mud-wrestling than see this movie again.  I wish I could unsee it.  I would like my 2.5 hours and my $20 back.  On the other hand, I have a new #1 on my list of Worst Movies I've Ever Seen.  It displaced The Blair Witch Project which had held the title for 20 years.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Welcome Mutant Stargoat, I for one hope you stick around and continue to post your thoughts on the films you see, as we welcome all opinions.

As for Toy Story 4, here are my thoughts.

Mr. Potato Head was not the only one for whom the filmmakers had to raid the sound archives. They also had to do it for Slinky Dog, as well.

Darn! Some of those scenes were creepy, as bad or as good as some horror films.

A good-bad villain is one for whom the audience has some empathy. There is one like that in this film.

There is a Hollywood truism, that the longer performs as a character, the better the performance. Again, I think we see that here.

Of course, the opposite is also seen in Hollywood. An actor can step up to the role for the 1st time and just knock it out of the park. Here I am thinking about Keanu Reeves as Duke Caboom. I was not expecting much from him, so I was surprised at how well he did in the role.

And Marvel Studios has been after Keanu Reeves for years, but, he has--apparently--always turned them down, till--if the rumor is true, and whie he has not listed yet as being a member of the cast, he is suppose to appear in next year's The Eternals from Marvel Studios.

I was also surprised the film got a G rating. There seemingly was enough violence in it and had scenes in it, that'd you think would push it into a PG rating.

And Forky did well enough that he has his own limited series on Disney+ Forky Asks a Question.

I saw more humanity in the human characters than in most humans, and more humanity in the toys than in the humans.

Trailers
We know they TAL, or, Trailers Always Lie, but looking at the trailers for the upcoming animated films, why Disney-Pixar is light years ahead of the competition. Most of the others were just a string of gags strung together unlike this one, which did have the gags, but was far more than a string of gags strung together.It is also more memorable than most of the other films advertised before the film was shown. The only trailer I can still remember is the one for Angry Birds 2, which is a sequel to Angry Birds 1, which did well enough to spawn a sequel.

Sometimes you have to bite the hand that feeds you. Among all the statements made in the film, one that stands out for me is that toys seldom perform as well in all actuality as they do in the ads you see on TV.

Maybe, because Woody has increasingly become the most dominant character in the film, there will be a Toy Story 5. You just can't leave it, where you left it, without a follow-up film. Of course, a 5th film depends upon a script of which Tom Hanks approves.

Next time: Spider-man : Far from Home

[Rev. Powell]

ECHO IN THE CANYON (2019): Documentary on the folk-rock sound, exemplified by the Byrds, the Mamas and the Papas, and Buffalo Springfield, emanating from Los Angeles' Laurel Canyon between 1965 and 1967. Jakob Dylan is a fine and respectful host and the movie breaks up the (famous) talking heads with scenes from a tribute concert with him, Beck, Regina Spektor and Cat Power. Must see for fans of the named bands, and a pretty entertaining tribute for just about anyone. 3/5.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Spider-man : Far from Home

I don't know when I have been so conflicted about a film. Both liking and disliking it and often the same things.

What I liked.

The opening
It started out--apparently--as one thing, then morphed into something else.

Happy
A character I did not particularly like till this film. And what do Happy and Batman's Alfired have in common? Some medical training, at least, they know how to sew up wounds.

Locations
Venice - not been there.
Prague - not been there.
London - been there.
Berlin? - it looked like part of the film was shot at Berlin Templehof Airport, where I have been.
Spain? - was that the Spanish Pyrenees standing in for the Austrian Alps? I have been to Spain--Barcelona--but not that part of Spain.

Peter Parker
I like him better when he is played as a high school nerd, then when he is played as someone older, as he has been elsewhere.,

the SFX
the SFX in the film today will be in your home tomorrow.

What I disliked.

the Lack of realism.
Not that I expected a film that was totally realistic, but, this one came across--to me--as being less realistic than some of the previous films.

the Needless mistakes
The drones were supposedly attacking the Tower of London, but, from the uniforms the "men with guns had," you'd have thought they were attacking Buckingham Palace

Both like and dislike

the Action
If they kept the CGI down to a minimum. If they slowed down the action, so one knew what was happening. Then I liked the action sequences.
But, if they ramped up the CGI. If they seemingly sped up the action. Then I disliked the action.

End credit scenes
The 1st one, the one that everyone seems to like, I disliked it, but, the 2nd one, I liked that one, for a couple of reasons. 1st How much cooperation is there between the 2 races? 2nd Where do we go from there?

the Villain
which--for me--can be divided into 3 parts.
1st When I did not know who the villain was. I liked that scene.
2nd But, when I did know who the villain was, I did not like that scene.
3rd I went from liking the villain's portrayal to disliking the villain's portrayal back to liking the villain's portrayal.

What the audience liked.
The humor. While I did not find the film to be particularly funny, the audience I was with, sure did.

And it is the little things that count.

The pilot that flew the plane that took our heroes from the U.S. to Europe. A woman. While there are more female commercial airline pilots, they still make up a small minority of pilots.

The insults of Tump and his supporters.
1st "Europeans love Americans." Not so much now that Trump has been elected President.
2nd "The news always tells the truth." Fox News? Yeah, right.
3rd "People see what they want to see." They got that right.

The doll that Spider-man picked up, when Tower Bridge was being attacked by the drones. Recognize it?

Fury's missing eye. Not only the eyepatch, but also the claw marks on his face. Those date back to his appearance in Captain Marvel.

What the future may hold.

the Villain
Since the only one of Spider-man's Sinister Six not to appear in a film as of yet, there is some talk in the Marvel Universe of the next villain being Kraven the Hunter with the character being played by Jason "Aquaman" Momoa.

In the film, we saw a group of students that were racially diverse, religiously diverse, but maybe not sexually diverse. Which is leading some of the people at Marvel. including Tom Holland,  of wanting an openly non-heterosexual character in the next Spider-man film. If so, then the films are behind TV, where we have seen non-heterosexual characters on Jessica Jones and the Runaways, and the comic books, where we have the two teenage lovers Wiccan and Hulking.

As for myself,
the next film is likely to be The Lion King, next weekend. A film that is expected to have an opening weekend of something north of $170M at the domestic boxoffice, and a film that seems to be attracting a greater share of adults than what is typical.

[Rev. Powell]

THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO: A young black man, in San Francisco, dreams of relocating to his family's old home, now a multi-million dollar estate in a trendy part of town. Debuting director Joe Talbot livens interest in this somewhat dry and gentrified premise with a good deal of street-poetry style, causally dropping in unexpected daydreams like a mutant fish and naked men at the bus stop. Great Frsico-centric soundtrack. 4/5.

[BoyScoutKevin]

The Lion King

Either this weekend or next weekend, as it should be around for a while. Predicted to make $170 million opening weekend, it has actually made $185 million, and the cinema, where I normally go is running it on 4 or 5 screens, including 1 in 3-D, to meet demand.

[BoyScoutKevin]

The Lion King (2019)

Critics
Fact #1. And some will even admit to this. That they have little or no influence on what audiences see. If they did, the film would not have done as well, as it did.

Fact #2. This is more questionable, but they are herd animals. If you look at their criticisms, the one that stands out across most criticisms is the lack of emotional pull in the film.

Fact #3. They are looking at it wrong. They are looking at the animals as being solely animals, when they should be looking at them as humans. (IHHO) that is where the emotional pull rides. Actually, he sees more humanity in the animals than he sees in some humans in other films.

Works better than the 1994 film (IHHO)
1. The hyenas. And note that the leader of the hyenas is not a male, but, apparently a female.

2. The stampede. For a 2nd film in a row, the other being Aladdin, much to his surprise, the action sequences appear to be better here than in the animated versions.

3. The songs. For the 1st time, he actually liked "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," which is his least favorite of the songs in the film.

Works worst than the 1994 film.
The voice talent. While they brought in more black actors to voice characters in a film set in Africa, he thinks the voice talent was stronger in the 1994 film.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Favorite characters
In most of these type of films, people go for whoever is the ruler. He goes for the "hired help," or those who make the government run, which is why he so likes Zazu so much in this film.

Mistakes corrected
The baboon's tail. Much more anatomically correct here than in the 1994 film

Mistakes made
1. The elephant graveyard. No such thing. People only think such, because they are apparently unaware how quickly, even a full grown elephant, is devoured once it is dead. Though, this is not the only film set in Africa to use this mistake as part of the film. It also occurs in 1932's Tarzan the Ape Man.

2. Lion versus hyena. Hyenas may have a bad reputation, but they are vicious fighters and have been known to take on lions and win, so don't bet against them.

Inside joke
Recognize the inside joke towards the end of the film.

Shakespeare
Of course, the film is based to some extent upon Hamlet, but, if one knows one's Shakespeare, there is also a bit of Henry IV, part ii in it, as well.

Next time: since Artemis Fowl's release has been pushed back till next year, he was going to say Jungle Cruise, but that has also apparently been pushed back till next year as well, so he doesn't know what film will be the next one he sees.

And next time: we will be vulgar and talk about money.

[Rev. Powell]

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD: Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski move next door to an aging cowboy star and his stunt double turned valet. It makes complete sense for Quentin Tarantino to make a movie about the mythology of making movies; it hums along pretty well until the end, when it ends with a sadistic climax that suggests that Tarantino's unhealthy obsession with violence is getting weird and uncomfortable---to him, skull crushing is both sexual and sacred. Great performances all around, though, and it recreates the late 60s so that you feel you're there. 3.5/5.

[Rev. Powell]

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME: Peter Parker goes on a school field trip to Europe and must save the universe while trying to keep his Spider-Man identity secret from his school chums. The after dinner mint of Marvel's latest extended arc; light, sweet, refreshing, but you won't miss out on anything if you skip it. 3/5.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Okay. Let's get vulgar and talk about money.

The Lion King (1994)
Expected to earn: $21M
Earned: $42M


The Lion King
Expected to earn: $150M to $170M
Earned: $185M
Thus, unlike Toy Story 4, it was not considered a failure at the box office, because it earned more money than was expected.

Wk1
Domestically $185M
Internationally $342M
Total $521M

Wk2
Domestically $75.5M
Internationally $142.8M
Total $218.3

Cost to make it
$400M
Thus, while it may have yet to earn a profit, it earned, in 2 wks, the cost to make it and then some. But, when all is said and done, it is expected to earn $1B at the box office.

And Aladdin has surpassed $1B at the box office. There will be a sequel.

Next time: maybe something ere this, but the 1st one scheduled is Maleficent : Mistress of Evil, which has a release date of October 18, 2019 in the U.S.