Movies, Movies Summer 2019

As most of you know I have been getting the majority of my movies from the library to watch. It allows me to see movies I wouldn't go to the theater to see and it gives me something to write about.
There are just so many movies being made; it's hard to keep up. Every time I look at a movie and I see the previews I make notes of what I would like to see. I try to decipher what might be a film or a movie under my standards.

Most foreign movies I consider films. There is an artistic element in the way that it is shot and there are more realistic portrayals of life than what we see in American movies. From a very early age I related to foreign films. I know some people don't like them because they have to read the subtitles if they don't speak the language. I probably felt that way until I took the time to actually watch one.
I remember when I was really young watching the film Two Women with Sophia Loren with my mother's mother on TV. It had a profound effect on me. It's probably the first movie set in Italy and it probably put the idea in my head that I would like to go there some day.

I'm going to start with the most recent film I watched and work my way backwards. There was a film called Mother directed by Darren Aronofsky with Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfieffer. I wasn't sure where the story was going and that was the intent of the director. There are lots of twists and turns which makes it interesting. I thought it was another story within a story like the film Nocturnal Animals.
The special effects in the film are great. All of the actors give incredible performances.
I am working on some ideas for a novella and like Mother which starts at the end, I use this to open my story. (Some stories start at the beginning, some start in the middle and others at the end.)


That film stars Jake Gyllenhall, Amy Adams and Michael Shannon. This one is a story within a story with a lot of surprises. I just didn't like the ending, but it was revealed through one of the art pieces that appears in the film. It's okay, but I was left wanting more. Perhaps its a good thing, but there is no need for a sequel.
I don't think I will add either to my collection unless I find them at a reduced price.
I had been talking about Michael Shannon after seeing The Shape Of Water. He has played many roles, but he's rarely the lead. Perhaps its his appearance. He is a very tall guy and he's usually the bad guy. Although his character draws you in, he does have a violent side as well. We see how people change when they experience a traumatic experience. In the case of Jake Gyllenhall it's all about revenge.

There were some movies that didn't make a big impact and I was sort of disappointed. I was thinking of something else to write. Big name stars that do bad movies and unknown stars that do good movies and those in between.
Reading the words on a page is one thing. You sort of visualize what you can bring to the role or the part you would like to play. It really depends on the story. I watched a movie called Collision Earth and the special effects were not the best, but the premise was interesting. Actors come from various areas - stage, small screen aka television. So I wonder if that has a lot to do with the transition when things don't seem to work as well. Kirk Acevedo stars in Collision Earth, but it seems as if he's over acting at times. I remembered him from the television series Oz. Then he did some other TV work. Of course actors have to work and they have bills that need to be paid like everyone else.

I saw a movie called Sleepless that starred Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monahan, Tip (T.I.) Harris, Dermott Mulroney, David Harbour, Scott Newbury and Gabrielle Union. This was a surprise. I don't recall ever seeing a promo for this movie, but it wouldn't have made a difference. I wouldn't have gone to see it at the theater. It did have an interesting premise and there was a lot of action. It kept me interested and guessing as to what was really going on. It was quite entertaining.

Another movie that was a surprise was The Commuter which starred Liam Neeson,Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Sam Neill, Johnathan Banks, Patrick Wilson and Elizabeth McGovern. It's sort of in the style of Hitchcock's Strangers on the train. It's sort of psychological, thriller and action which really makes it a good movie. I've never seen any of Liam Neeson's action movies. I remember Nell and Suspect, but I don't recall anything else. I've not seen the Taken movies all the way through. I don't even know which one I saw on regular television. Perhaps I will look for them on my next trip to the library.

Friday night I watched a movie called Bomb City. I just picked it up because the cover was interesting and the premise was a little disturbing, but it wasn't what I was expecting. First it is based on a true story that happened in Amarillo Texas. It's about a group of misfits (Punks) that the rich kids have an issue with. The Punks are trying to make their own rules and the other kids don't like the way they dress and there is a clash. It made me think of this club I used to hang out in NOLA called De Ja Vue in the French Quarter. The experience was truly so different than my usual surroundings.
There are several altercations in this movie that result in a death. The movie goes back and forth from in its story telling. I liked it in the way that it does show a different side of people of the same race not getting along. The misinterpretation that people get when they see someone that looks different than they do. I was surprised that no one did any jail time.

Thanks for stopping by; do come back again. If any movies of are interest, check out your library or your source for movie watching and give them a viewing.