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Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
A must watch..... especially if you lived through this time & news.
No Spoilers......
Having been in high school and very aware when the heartbreakingly shocking "Tate murders" occurred, watching this movie had me concerned and I put off watching it for a long time. There are things you just don't want to relive, like vids of the Challenger explosion or planes crashing into the WTC. It's not that I keep my head in a bag, it's just that some events cause memories I don't particularly want to relive.
QT's films generally contain a lot of violence.....
Having said that, I'm so glad now that I finally gave in and decided to watch this film. It's as good as they say and the last 20 min or so .....well...you'll just have to watch it yourself.
I highly recommend it. Brad Pitt is at his best 'most beautiful' here.
LP😌
Matilda: The Musical (2022)
Matilda the musical, Def 9/10 !
Well, I'm stunned at the ratings. This version of Matilda is the absolute best yet! Emma Thompson is just great as the horrible 'Miss Trenchbull'. Scary for sure! The role of Matilda is played by an adorable actress, Alisha Weir, who fits the role of the unwanted/unloved child genius perfect. I actually loved her singing voice. I know this was a West End & Broadway musical (won tons of awards!) but kid actors tend to grow up, so there have been many actresses playing this part. Personally, I really liked this Matilda (which is not in any way to downgrade Mara Wilson in the last Matilda I saw).
The parents (ahem) & MissTrunchbull are decidedly unlikeable, as is canon.
The songs/music were written by Tim Minchin, who won a bunch of awards for it, deservedly! They are brilliant.
My personal opinion: I can't get enough of this film. I mean, Tim Minchin's songs/lyrics are marvelous! (I'm wishing that the "Wonka" producers maybe should've talked to him to do the songs for the new Wonka movie, (also a Roald Dahl story), which I had been very much looking forward to, but was basically & sadly, underwhelmed. )
The choreography is pretty much freaking mind blowing. I can't imagine teaching 10 kids to do very creative moves in unison, much less the hundred or so kids in this version. I love Roald Dahl's stories, but Matilda wasn't one of my favorites, until I watched this. I even have the soundtrack in my Apple Music library.
E v e r y o n e plays (dances & sings) their parts beautifully!
It's sitting on Netflix at the moment and I hope it stays there.
I've seen YT vids with Tim and some of the 'Matilda's' singing (Naughty) and even they are enjoyable to watch. He has such a quirky and entertaining way with lyrics.
Looking for a fun way to spend 2 hrs? Watch this, enjoy it, then watch it again....and again ;)
(WHEN you watch it, put the captions on for at least one viewing to catch all the lovely, sneaky, clever lyrics.)
Some are a riot!
Highly recommended!
LP:)
Upright (2019)
UPRIGHT 2019-2022, 9/10 !
I just now finished watching the last episode of season 2. Seasons 1 & 2 are about 3 yrs apart, literally filmed in 2019 & 2022, which actually suits the story. (Although, it's stated in the story that it's 4 yrs.) I'm guessing that the pandemic had something to do with that.
The first season is pretty good.. 'Lucky' (Tim Minchin) is attempting to transport an upright piano across the outback of Australia for a very good & personal reason. Milly Aycock (House of Thrones) is 'Meg' and causes all kinds of trouble for poor Lucky , she basically hijacks him & his piano to help her find her absent mum
After all the hijinx, etc, of the first seasons episodes, I wasn't expecting the second season to affect me the way it did. I don't cry at series or movies, as a rule. So I was shocked that by this last episode I found that I had tears in my eyes.
It was a long road to get here, literally bumpy as there is a whole lot of driving on difficult back roads in the second season. The first season, I seem to recall mostly highway driving....but not always smooth.
Not going to give any spoilers beyond that. I enjoyed every episode, YES, I'm a huge Tim Minchin fan, he has so much more to show than just his singing, piano & talent at song writing, he's a really good actor too.. (And he's a babe to boot ;) Milly Aycock is wonderful & perfect casting as Meg.
If you can locate this series, I highly encourage you to watch it from the start. It's an Australian production, but def worth watching .... if you can find it.
Jesus Christ Superstar: Live Arena Tour (2012)
The rock opera in the rock arena which was intended when originally written !
Ok, to be totally frank, NOT ONLY am I a huge Tim Minchin fan, I've watched all of his concerts & shows I could find and some of series AND I've been listening to the original JCSuperstar album since the early 70's. All of my kids, who are full grown adults now, love the album. When I heard about this UK arena tour video, WOW! I was so excited to watch it, but then I saw that Tim had been cast as Judas, that just added to my delight.
Now, I get that not everyone likes Tim's act, he can be fairly caustic to a gentle mind. But I just love his stuff. Swearing & all. You cannot deny the guy is super talented.
This production was placed in a rock arena, as creators ALW & TR had originally planned while writing it. With a huge flatscreen at top of the steps which lets the audience see better close-ups.
The 1973 movie was very good (8/10), but as talented as Ted Neely was, I would've preferred to have seen Ian Gillian in the Jesus role (he does Jesus on the original soundtrack). In this version, Ben Forster is pretty good as Jesus. The way the arena is set up, if you're familiar with the original Norman Jewison film from 1973, you'll know where each scene & character is 'supposed' to be. Tim is excellent as Judas. MelC ,as Mary, is easy to watch. I love her gothy/punk look.
So, maybe I'm not unbiased, I've watched this movie so many times since buying it. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes JCS or Tim Minchin or rock operas or just a good show to spend some time on.
PS: Another Tim Minchin achievement is "Matilda, the Musical", he wrote all the songs and they are brilliant! (Watch Matilda at least once with the captions on so as not to miss any of his sharp lyrics!).
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
Mrs Valerian?
I was SO looking forward to this one. I'm going to list my personal opinion 'gripes' first.
Gripes: The romance. OMG, Luc, WHAT were you thinking? We know you can write a script where there's a 'meet cute', a little teasing here, a little flirting there, as we watch a blossoming romance between two people. We've seen it before from you......but a MARRIAGE PROPOSAL within the first 20min (actually within the first 7 min of the introduction of the two main characters). Not real or believable. We hadn't even had a chance to get to know these miscast characters. I hate, absolutely hate comparing this to Fifth Element, which is on my favorite list. That romance took its time, a little teasing here & flirting there and then at the very end...bang. (fortunately, there's only maybe 6 or 7 min total of the marriage proposal stuff, but I haven't clocked it). Luc Besson is an amazing director. The French comics of "Valerian & Lauraline" are wonderful and have inspired some fantastic scripts (i.e. Star Wars).
Like a lot of people, I wasn't thrilled with the casting. Nuf said.
Big Likes: The sets are pretty cool. The "Pearls" are absolutely perfect! As movie goers, we see a whole lot of goofy looking aliens...but the Pearls look like they could actually exist out there somewhere and learn the technology required to create what was necessary.
Luc Besson said this film required so much more digital work than 5th Element did and man, does it show, believably!
Opening, mind blowing. One of the best openings of any movie I've seen. Pure brilliance using Bowie's "Space Oddity" as the ISS becomes Alpha, City of a Thousand Planets. Each of the captains greeting new astronauts/Species is a director friend of the director. Gives hope for the future!
And I loved "Alex", the ship. I want one!
Rihanna was beautiful & played her imaginative role quite well. Clive Owen is almost always a good choice for the villain, no offense, but he really does have the chops to make an evil villain.
Ethan Hawkes short appearance was somewhat based on Dennis Hopper, not bad, not bad.
All in all, I tolerate the romance crap (Don't get me wrong, I love a good rom-com. This wasn't one) & continue to watch 'Valerian' frequently.
Yes, I gave it an 8, because if you can ignore the romance stuff, it's a pretty good film.
Personally, I guess I'd recommend this to anyone who's a 5th El fan but can pick the 'marriage' crap out of their teeth.
Moon Knight (2022)
'MoonKnight" 🌔 Def worth watching!
I'm an MCU fan (& DC, Star Trek, Star Wars, et al) and have watched the majority of their productions multiple times. Of the D+ series, "MoonKnight" has been my favorite. Aside from seeing every cent on the screen, the casting, acting & locations are fantastic. Oscar Isaac does such an amazing job of making you believe he actually IS 2+ people. And May Calamawy is a wonderful delight to watch, I look forward to seeing other projects she does . Mohamed Diab (& his wife, producer Sarah Goher) did an excellent job with their 200 page treatment and then finding locations that make you feel like you're actually IN Cairo & ancient pyramids. Not to ignore the luscious Ethan Hawke nor the brilliance of F Murray Abraham as the antagonists of the plot.
Personally, I didn't see any flaws that caused any issues. It's a FANTASY, you must suspend your disbelief as you should with any cinema production.
Moonknight has the absolute best & coolest superhero outfit, period! Mr Moon's is pretty cool too, both pretty good reps of the costumes in the comics.
The character ID's were flipped a bit, but, my opinion, I think they fit very well.
I have watched the entire series at least 7 times, and I'll watch it many more.
I hope the same directors, producers & writers will continue the adventure and do another treatment for a second season. I had read somewhere that MK was scheduled for a second season in late '24 or '25.......(( update edit: Just saw the vids showing that season 2 is being filmed. I'll be waiting on pins & needles ;))
WandaVision, as the very first MCU D+ series, was also excellent, and really set a standard, and I tend to agree that it is an excellent starter series. (Elizabeth Olson, Paul Bettany & Katherine Hahn... actually, the entire cast is brilliant!)
Marvel on D+ does a magnificent job on 90% of their productions.
The basic plot swivels around IDD. Not spoiling beyond that, watch it to discover how deftly it's dealt with.
If you're looking for an adventure that takes you places you never imagined, give MoonKnight a look, all 6 episodes and the little bit after the end credits of ep6.