2023 Movies

 

I keep a list of the movies that I watch since I do so many... Between the library, Prime and my own collection I try to watch at least one movie a day. It was more than that before I started working again. The challenge now is trying to remember what the movies were about. Some stand out and others not so much. I am going to work my way backwards according to the slips from the library and see what I can remember and give a rating and you can judge for yourself. I don't like giving away stories or saying something is bad, but I will say if something is really good. I love films and movies in general. It takes a lot of work to get a project done let alone trying to get distribution. There are many movies that never see the light of day for many reasons. I keep hoping with the Internet things would pop up and then again maybe its best they stay hidden.

 Actor David Tennant

The Guilt Trip stars Seth Rogen and Barbra Striesand, I had seen part of it on television and I decided to see if the library had it since there were some things bleeped out on tv. Sometimes actors just want to work together so they put a project together that sounds good and reads good on paper, but then doesn't always work out. I guess I was expecting it to be funnier. It is an interesting movie and depending on the connection you had with your parents you can definitely relate to the story. Its worth a look.

Nowhere Boy is the story of John Lennon and how the Quarreymen eventually became the Beatles, but the movie doesn't take us that far because it is about John Lennon's up bringing. If you love any of the Beatles you will love this move. The only Beattle we don't get to see if Ringo Starr.

Beast stars Idris Elba, who just seems to be everywhere these days. There had been a lot of people that wanted him to play Bond, but I just feel they can just turn The Take into a franchise and just keep it original. Daniel Craig made Bond rogue and that's Idris' character in The Take. It's full of excitement, but back to the Beast. I was recommending this to someone and it's like Cujo, but better. Idris Elba has to protect his girls and a friend from a lion. The scenes are so realistic. I am hoping the DVD has some special features to explain how they pulled off the sequences. I have seen it twice and now I will watch it a third time since I had put the DVD on hold with the library and had forgotten. It's rare that I watch a movie 3 times is such a short period of time. If you are a fan of Idris Elba I highly recommend the film and that you check out The Take.

The Following is one of the scariest series I had ever seen. It stars Kevin Bacon as an FBI agent trying to put an escaped serial killer back behind bars. Some of the sequences when the series first aired were actually happening. I always worry about how people process what they are seeing, but if a person doesn't know they have a mental health issue they don't really think they are doing anything wrong. I watched all 3 seasons. When it was on television I didn't see every episode probably because of the work schedule or there was something else I was watching and since it was on FOX I don't always remember. If you are a fan of Kevin Bacon you will enjoy the series. If you like psychological thrillers this will keep you interested.

The Mountain Between US, this is part love story, part survival story as Idris Elba stars opposite Kate Winslet. Every actor wants a chance to shine and doing a film or movie with minimal characters allows them to show just how good of an actor they are. I think Tom Hanks did it best in Castaway and James Franco pulled it off in 127 Hours and Leonardo DeCaprio in The Revenant. In The Mountain Between Us Idris and Kate must work together to survive the elements and whatever else comes there way in hopes that they will be rescued after the plane they are on, with Beau Bridges at the wheel crashes. If you love stories of people against the odds or people falling in love, this is definitely the film for you. The camera shots are really great and there are some action moments.

The Power of The Dog, after a comment supposedly made my Sam Elliot I wanted to see the movie for myself, but first I decided I would read the book by Thomas Savage. This book is supposed to be award winning, etc. I wonder sometimes if there is something wrong when I don't see what everyone else sees. I found the book boring. Maybe it was my moof, but I normally read before I go to bed. Perhaps now that I am older I need to try a different approach. When the DVD was ready at the library I just decided to go for it and see if it would be different. The movie is no different. The cinematography is excellent with a lot of wide angle shots, but the characters all who are flawed don't say much. It's all in their demeanor and the way the look at each other. I love many of the actors in the movie and so that made it watchable. It's rare that I will turn something off or walk out of a movie theater. Benedict Cumberbatch, Kristen Dunst, and Jesse Plemons who is her real life husband play opposite each other as husband and wife and Benedict is his smart over masculine brother, who may or may not be hiding a secret. I am curious now to go back and read the book just to see how it deals with certain things. If you like Jane Campion this is different for her as the men are the main focus and the women are in the background. She exploits the men somewhat, but its in a normal way as men would bath and frolic in the lakes and rivers. Kodi-Smith McPhee the tall actor who has been in the industry since age nine gives an interesting performance, but his androgynous features add to that.

Elvis also features Kodi along side rising star Austin Butler who channels Elvis very well, but it is Tom Hanks' performance that really makes the movie. I have talked about this before. It's a long one, but I will watch it again.

Des is a series starring Dr. Who star David Tennant as a serial killer. If you like David Tennant, you will enjoy seeing him in this. Is definitely different then his other roles.

Thanks for stopping by and do come back again as I list more from my viewing experiences. Remember to keep an open mind.

Films and Movies 2023

 I continue to watch films and movies and I am trying to watch as many of the Oscar nominated films and movies before the awards. There will be several that I won't see only because I would like to see them on the big screen. Black Panther Wakanda Forever and Avatar, The Way of Water are two of them. I watched Elvis because it had done well at the Golden Globes. I wasn't sure about it when I first started watching. Tom Hanks is rather creepy as the Colonel, but it is as much a story of the Colonel as it is of Elvis. I am not a fan of films or movies that have narration, but it was getting better as the movie progressed. I am not sure if Tom Hanks is nominated for an Oscar, but he should be. The influences of Elvis are very interesting. I am not a big fan of Elvis, but his music was played in the house, and I did see some of his movies. The actress who plays Rosetta Tharpe has a powerhouse of a voice and this is her first movie. The only thing I don't like with Baz Luhrmann his is incorporation of hip hop music. With the exception of Mouline Rouge, it just doesn't work for me when you are doing a period piece. Other than that, the movie is quite entertaining.

Austin Butler embodies Elvis as does Tom Hanks as Colonel Peters. Alton Mason gives a great performance as Little Richard, I felt there could have been a better job done with the hair. Perhaps they didn't think black people would check out this movie. Kelvin Harrison, Jr plays B.B. King, Gary Clark, Jr is Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup"and Shonkra Dukureh plays Big Momma Thorton. For me it was just as important to see the things that were happening and the influences and those that encouraged Elvis to be himself. It's worth a look.

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind and do come back again.

Movies before the end of the year

 

I wanted to make an entry here just to what it is all about, my love of films and movies.

The Boy Behind The Door, It was the title that got me to pick up this DVD, but it should have been titled something else. I love horror and scary movies and I watch them throughout the year, but October is when I focus primarily on horror movies. I am always looking for something new, but I also want to watch something interesting. I don't like them to be too silly. The movie The Boy Behind The Door stars Lonnie Chevis and Ezra Dewey, but we see more of Lonnie and this kid really carries this story. It's very interesting. If you don't know the name you may recognize the face from This Is Us. He played a young Randall at the age of around 10 -12.

Once a year, usually on New Years Eve I will watch The Poseidon Adventure. It's been a tradition to make this the last movie of the year, but this year I watched the film last night. The reason is because a few weeks ago I found a copy of The Towering Inferno with a lot of special features. I added it to my collection and I wondered if there might have been a similar DVD on The Poseidon Adventure. I found out there was, but the price was too high so I decided to check out the copy from the Library.  I have been obsessed I guess you could say with the film since the first time I saw it. The name Irwin Allen for me had become a go to for disaster films. What I liked about The Poseidon Adventure was that I got to see actors I really didn't know much about. I had seen  Ernest Borgnine and I may have seen Stella Stevens in something, but this film introduced me to Shelly Winters. Up until now I never knew she gained weight for the film. I always enjoy hearing the back story and other stories that happened on the set. Most DVDs have special features, but not all. So A few weekends ago I spent just watching the little documentaries about working with Irwin Allen and things that were done on the set. I also liked hearing about the technique which was innovative at the time to create the visual effects. Because Pamela Sue Martin was in The Poseidon Adventure I watched Dynasty because she was the only name I recognized at the time. Later I would see films that starred Shelly Winters and see just how much of a sex symbol she really was. (Soon I will be watching King of the Gypsies).

I am still trying to remember if I saw The Poseidon Adventure on the Big Screen the first time or was it on Television? I had written about this before, I was working on a book report and I remember the movie coming on TV and I ended up doing the Book Report on that and many years later when I reread the book I was totally off the mark. The movie is not totally like the book. There are some crucial points in the book that do not appear in the movie.

There have been several remakes and even a sequel, but none of them really touch on the total story of the book. It's very intense and in some parts disturbing.

Soon I will be watching The Towering Inferno and all of its special features.

I also finally finished watching the 3rd Season of WestWorld. It took me a while because I really just couldn't get into it. I must say the 3rd season is better than the first two. I love movies about technology and the future, but it just took a long time and didn't always keep my interest as the same story was told several times in different areas of the park. It's also called WestWorld, but it could have easily been called Fantasy World. It was good to see Aaron Paul, but my reason for watching the series was also because of the casting of Thandie Newton and Jeffrey Wright. Everyone else was just a treat.

I watched the Upside with Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston and I really recommend this movie for anyone that has been a caregiver or is currently a caregiver. It's funny, it's sad and it's a great story which is actually based on a true story. I've become a fan of Bryan Cranston because of Breaking Bad and I've seen Kevin Hart in Jumanji and I really liked his performance.

I watched Hostile with Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi and Timothee Chalamet in a small role. It's quite intense as a solder is asked to protect an Indian and his family who have been imprisoned and are being let go to return to the land that is rightfully theirs. The soldier is not happy with this, but in fear of losing his pension he gives in. Along the way they learn to trust each other. This is loosely based on a true story. If you love historic movies, this would be one to catch and it will make you think.

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind and do come back again.

One entry 3 blogs again.

 A mural from Barton Springs Road near the Parmer Events Center.

 I am watching an episode of Making the Cut, I believe this is season 3. I wasn't sure how much of the season I would get on Prime. Last time I only got 3 episodes, but I am not sure if it's always been that a new episode posts on Friday. I enjoy fashion, it started at a young age. My mother and both of my grandmothers sewed. But I had heard a story that my mother was sewing one day and the needle went through her finger and that thought just stayed with me so I never really learned to use a machine. I can do things by hand, but it's not the same. Rafael Chaouiche had a similar thing happen to him and it just brought back those memories. Luckily having the support of my family my dad's mother ended up sewing two of my designs from a modified Willi Wear pattern.

There are several designers that I really like. Yannik Zamboni from Switzerland, Curtis Cassell, Rafael Chaouiche is from Brazil, Jeanette Limas lives in Pennsylvania and Markantoine Lynch Boisvert. Fashion like art now, is all about the story. If the artist has a great story people are more interested in investing in the artist. Of course you still want to make a good investment. Of all of the designers that I have had in my closet, Willi Wear by Willi Smith is my all time favorite. I had a closet of many of his pieces. It meant a lot knowing there was a black designer that designed mens clothing. I wanted to design clothes for men that was more ready to wear. I am glad I had the experience. Because I do some many things that I can incorporate my art into what I do on many different levels. Jeremy Scott makes me laugh, he is one of the judges on Making The Cut. Nicole Richie has some quirky lines. Seems like she has her own language she is creating. Sort of like Turner on Big Brother. I like watching several episodes Making the Cut without a break. Not sure I will bringe the entire season, but as I type this I continue to watch. I do need to get to the library to return a book. Normally I would go on Sunday, since I usually do stuff around the house on Saturday so I don't have to deal with traffic since things open later now, but the book is too large to go into the slot. 

I hate that stores are having a hard time getting employees and it's causing a shift in hours for stores like Dollar Tree. I don't go there as often, but still I like to go when the store first opens and now they open at noon which I don't find convenient. I don't like being in a store with a lot of people. Even before the pandemic I was that way. It was great when I didn't work 40 hours a week because I could go to the store when most people were working and pretty much have the store to myself. LOL.

I am still on the fence about retiring. I can't predict the future, but I don't want to work for something and may not utilize it. There is just so much I have to plan out with the house and maintaining the financial aspect of my life if I do retire. I can still work off and on to stay busy and if I need some extra cash. That's when I was happiest and that's what it's all about.

In the world of my film and movie watching there has been quite an assortment. From Rockaway about two brothers plotting to kill their abusive father to Samaritan with Sylvester Stallone. There are different movies I like with Sylvester Stallone, but there is something about the Rambo movies that I really like. I saw Rambo: Last Stand was just interesting to see all of the action stars to continue to bring the characters to life that I grew up on. As you age you don't have to change, but you have to know your bodies limits which is what I am learning as I get older. Samaritan was very interesting as Stallone as a superhero trying to stay in hiding because he is actually a villain, but he befriends a young boy. It definitely has some interesting moments.

I tried to watch Deadpool, but I must have been really tired. I will try again. It has some moments. 

I had ordered The Swarm from the library to watch and I decided to watch it last night. As I had mentioned in a previous post, disaster movies are something I really enjoy, but toward the end of the 70's they started to seem a bit over the top. It was great to see actors like Cicely Tyson in The Concorde as part of the air plane series, but it wasn't as exciting as Airport '75 or Airport '77. The Swarm is packed with stars and it just seems like they are adlibing their way through the movie. It was good to see stars that I remembered like Fred McMurray from My 3 Sons and Olivia DeHavilland from The Heiress, Henry Fonda, Ben Johnson, Richard Widmark, Jose Ferrer, Slim Pickens, Patty Duke Astin, Lee Grant, Katherine Ross, Michael Caine, Bradford Dillman and Richard Chamberlain. Based on scientific evidence the movie is about a swarm of African killer bees that manage to make their way to the US congregating on a small town. Irwin Allen was the master of the disaster film and I really liked the series Land of the Giants growing up. It was one of the first series with a black actor in a lead role.

Thanks for stopping by; keep and open mind and do come back again.

A mural from Barton Springs Road across from the Parmer Event Center.

A tribute to New York

One Entry 3 blogs

 

 Part of a drawing I did many years ago.

It has been a while and I keep trying to do better, but one blog takes more of the focus than the others. There's not a lot happening in my life other than work and watching films, movies and some old television. 

I am trying to figure out my finances because I need to get some much needed repairs done that I have put off far too long. With all of the heat, it seems, I can't be sure, but since I don't keep the central air on the fridge may have been working over time. This is what I heard, but I am not sure. The fridge of course has been here since I purchased the place and who knows how long before that? So it's been 15 years since I have been here and it'll be 17 years in a few weeks that I have been in Texas. I may have mentioned this many years ago. This was never my plan, but it just goes to show you there are things working along side of us that guide us where we are supposed to be even when we don't know it. It's when we try to go against those things that we get into trouble. That's my belief anyway.

So last week I stocked up on groceries because I didn't know how high the prices would be and now that may have been a waste of money as the freezer hasn't been freezing and that means its all going to go bad. I am going to check out Lowes, but I still have to wait to have it delivered when I will be home. So I am at least looking at another week. I don't want to take off from work just to spend the day waiting around. I will eat as much as I can this weekend and then I will go to can stuff if I think certain items have gone bad. If I weren't so afraid to be around people I would cook what I have and invite them over to eat it. At the same token if something has already gone bad, I don't want to be the cause of someone getting sick. 

This is what I get for putting things off. Now there are things that must be done and they are all happening at once.

I am going to start reading Film studies for Dummies as I am trying to see if I can create something. I also need to research film editing programs for my phone. The phone has some very cool features, but if I can't do voice over and editing on the phone with background music then its not going to be very entertaining. When I watch videos on youtube I don't like them to be longer that 12 or 15 mintues tops. Unless the person is very interesting I might tolerate it a little longer, but for the most part they are all amateurs that happen to find a following of people who like them because they come across as the average person and people want someone they can relate too. After all, that is why I subscribe to a few channels because of that. Most of the time I will skip to what I need to see and move on. That's the beauty of the Internet, you don't have to be bored if you don't want to be.

I have watched many movies this week along with episodes of Dallas and The Leftovers. Dallas is a series from the 70's and The Leftover is something from 2014. When I picked up the DVD I saw Christopher Eccelston on the back cover and I hadn't seen him in a lot of stuff, but when I saw his face I figured I would give it a look see. It has religious over tones and Eccelston plays a minister. The first time I ever saw him was  when Dr Who returned after many years, he was the first doctor. I had no idea he would only do one season. It took me a while too get used to the next doctor, but I managed and I was hooked as long as PBS was running it.

 Justin Theroux is the star of the series The Leftovers as the lead cop in the small town as the residents try to wrap their heads around the people that have gone missing. It's interesting, but it is rather slow in getting me to really care for any of the characters. They all have their issues, but they are over the top. Those that have disappeared are being celebrated as heroes when their pasts was very questionable and it doesn't set right with some of the community members.

There are many films and movies as I've mentioned including Triple 9 and The Take. Triple 9 has an all star cast including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Casey Affleck, Clifton Collins, Jr, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, Michael Kenneth Williams, Gal Gadot, but the surprise performance comes from Woody Harrelson and Kate Winslet, they are really really good. Kate's role was very different from those she has played in the past.

Here are some other films and movies I've watched. I apologize in advance if I have mentioned some of them before. I have like Crispin Glover ever since I saw The Rivers Edge and then I have seen most of what he has done. I've never read any of his books, but I was interested in trying to see if his publishing company would publish some of mine. Crispin stars in Drop Dead Sexy along side Jason Lee. Crispin always seems to play those unusual characters.

Independence Day Resurrgence was okay, it was good to see some of the original faces pop up, Vivica A. Fox, Jeff Goldblum, Judd Hirsh and Pill Pullman to name a few.

TAG was a fun movie based on an article about friends who continued to play the game of tag throughout their adult life.

Life Like was interesting about a woman who is trying to embrace the future of technology as she tries to adjust to having a life like male robot doing the work around the house among other things.

The Purge: Anarchy. I am not sure how many Purge movies there are, but I have now become obsessed with seeing them. I just pick them up as I see them when I go to the library. They don't really have to be watched in any particular order after you see the original first. Anarchy touches on Donald Talbot being president as the Government has declared The Purge a holiday to get rid of certain people.

The Escape Artist stars David Tennant who was the next Dr Who that I saw and he just grew on me. In this series he plays a Barrister that is very good at what he does. It's interesting with some good moments.

The Take, forget about Idris Elba playing James Bond. Turn The Take into a franchise. The character is much more of a badass than Bond anyway. He plays a CIA agent that plays by his own rules in Paris. Richard Madden costars who is also very good.

Unchartered was quite the suprise. Ever since I saw Tom Holland in Impossible I knew he would be a start, but I wasn't anticipating him becoming Spiderman, but he has the knack for comedic timing. Unchartered in a non stop action packed film with a great cast that includes Mark Whalberg, Tati Gabriel and Sophie Ali and Antonio Banderas. If you like any of the stars mentioned you are definitely going to enjoy this one. If you love action and adventure this has that and so much more.

Wolf was a bit of a disturbing movie starring George MacKay as a young man who believes he is a wolf. His family sends him to a facility that tries to break him of his habits. It makes a statement of how society always needs to put people into a box that they feel comfortable with. Paddy Considine plays the Zoo keeper as the facility is called.

Boot Camp was something I watched on Prime starring Mila Kunis, Regine Nehy and Gregory Edward Smith. In this gritty drama based on a true story during a time when parents were sending their wayward teens to tough love camps to put them on the right track. The kids are brought to an island and in a cult like fashion taught to get rid of their old ways and conform to what the leader feels is the appropriate behavior. It's quite good.

Time to work on some art and to watch more films and movies.

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind and do come back again to see where the journey leads. 

www.dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com

www.artbyDlonzo.blogspot.com

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Movies, Films and More Movies

The Art is by Erte,

 The majority of my free time is spent watching movies. Even before the pandemic that was the case, but I did have other things going on that got me out of the house. Now I am very cautious about being around other people. There were some interesting things to see on Prime. Mostly movies I've never heard of, but now that I am back to going to the library for my movie selection I will get rid of Prime by the end of the year.

Sometimes I will watch a movie with an actor and then I will see if there was anything else they have done that I might wasnt to see. Ever since I had seen Justin Long in one of the Die Hard Movies I had been curious to see other movies. I had remembered him from a commercial. I then saw he was in Jeepers Creepers, but I had never seen the very first movie so that was quite interesting. Recently I saw him in a comedy Lady of the Manor which was okay. It stars Melanie Lynsky, Judy Greer, Ryan Phillippe who is almost unrecognizable and Patrick Duffy who is aging gracefully. There was another movie in which he starred with Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci. It was interesting, you really have to be a fan of the actors to enjoy this one. Serious Moonlight was a very interesting dark comedy that starred Meg Ryan, Tim Hutton and a small roll by Justin Long. Kristen Bell also appears in this one.

As I have mentioned before, I really like films and movies dealing with the fashion industry so I decided to watch The Neon Demon with Elle Fanning, Charles Baker, Desmond Harrington, Christina Hendricks and Keanu Reeves to name a few. It's sort of artsy, colorful film noir, but it really didn't work for me. The cinematography was different. The photo shoots were great, but it moved slow in parts and there just seemed to be a lot going on. I love all of the actors involved in the movie so I am glad I checked it out.

I had ordered two disaster movies from Prime that I had never seen. When Time Ran out and Flood. I never really saw movies because of a director when I was growing up. It was mostly because of the subject matter or a certain actor or actress. When it came to disaster movies the name Irwin Allen was the reason I wanted to see the movie, but after The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno, the disaster/ survival movies didn't seem as exciting, so I stopped going to see them. That is the reason I never saw these two movies. I think perhaps flood was a made for TV movie because if the numeroud fades that appear throughout. When Time Ran Out stars Paul Newman as an oil driller on an island where a dorman volcano suddenly erupts having everyone running for their lives, Wiliam Holden, Edward Albert, Jacqueline Bisset, Barbara Carrera, Veronica Hamel, Alex Karras, Burgess Meridith and James Franciscus star along with Red Buttons and Ernest Borgnine who both appeared in the original The Poseidon Aventure,  In the movie Flood the cast includes Roddy McDowall and Carol Lynley who both appeared in The Poseidon Adventure. The movie stars Robert Culp as a helicopter pilot who discovers the break in the damn with youngster Eric Olsen. Adman 12 actor Martin Milner stars along side Barbara Hershey, Richard Basehart, Cameron Mitchell, Teresa Wright and Francine York. It has its moments. Of course visual effects effects have come along way so younger movie viewers may not be as interested in the movie.

I also watched a movie called The Guardian with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher that I really enjoyed. Ashton has a serious role for a change which proves he can do more than comedy. It is based on a true story and definitely worth a look. Especially with the way things are today,  you can see what the coast guards training is like.

I have started watching movies with Halle Berry. So far it's movies in my collection, but I did get to see The Call about a month ago where she plays a 911 operator trying to save a young girl that has been kidnapped. I watched Catwoman and Die Another Day. I have quite the collection of her earlier work.

Since Halle Berry played Dorothy Dandridge I have really become facsinated with her. She was a beatiful woman and Hollywood really didn't know what to do with her. I have started collecting some of her scarce yet poignant films. The Deck Ran Red and Bright Road are the recent additions. An Island in the Sun remains my favorite so far. She plays opposite Harry Belafonte and James Mason.

A water color and drawing collage.

Thanks for stopping by; keep and open miind and do come back again.