What was the last film you watched?

[Mel O'Drama]

I never forgot that they were acting. Meryl Streep is undeniably technically proficient, but too studied for my liking,

It's refreshing to read this, and I've had this experience with Streep a few times before now. Most recently when I watched The Iron Lady:

While the performances in The Iron Lady are great, many of them do nonetheless feel like performances.

This is a Streep vehicle, so one is naturally expected to marvel at how she embodies yet another persona so very different from anything she's done before. It is a great performance, of course, and it's impossible not to see this. And that's the thing: with The Iron Lady, I never quite felt I was permitted to forget this is a Meryl Streep performance. It felt as though it was expected that I should always be mindful of this in order to appreciate it.

I do feel she can be quite overrated, not through anything she's done, but because her name has become so synonymous with greatness that it raises expectations, often to an unrealistic degree. The greatness can almost always be found - and people from critics to casual viewers invariably seem to want to find it, which is nice. But it seems to have become sacrilegious to question whether other actresses could play "x" role as well as Meryl did. And sometimes I can't help feeling not only that they could, but that a less over-hyped actress would be preferable.

 

[Angela Channing]

I do feel she can be quite overrated, not through anything she's done, but because her name has become so synonymous with greatness that it raises expectations, often to an unrealistic degree. The greatness can almost always be found - and people from critics to casual viewers invariably seem to want to find it, which is nice. But it seems to have become sacrilegious to question whether other actresses could play "x" role as well as Meryl did. And sometimes I can't help feeling not only that they could, but that a less over-hyped actress would be preferable.

I broadly agree with a lot of this although I probably rate Meryl Streep more highly than you do. I think she is a great combination of being both a great film star and a great film actress. Someone like Glen Close or Susan Sarandon, maybe great actresses but not really great stars in the sense that she doesn't have a profile as high as some of their peers nor have as large a fan base. By contrast, someone like Sandra Bullock or Julia Roberts have big followings, and are good actresses, but are not really the very best in their field. You can put Meryl Streep in a wide range of roles and know she is going to deliver an accomplished performance and attract an audience. Cate Blanchette is another actress I would say shares those characteristics.

The Iron Lady is an interesting example. I have no doubt that many actresses could have played that role better but part of the Meryl Streep appeal is seeing how she would play the role.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Ask a Policeman starring Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffat.

Very funny film. I watched it last week on one of my days off work, thanks to a boxset I got off eBay.

Anybody else like Will Hay's films?

 

[Willie Oleson]

actually discussed what cinematographers might have done to make it look less sharp and the use of coloured filters, etc.

Oh the schadenfreude.
For what it's worth, I make these kind of mistakes more often than you do.

if the ratios had been reversed and we got 78 minutes of CGI cars and cows flying noisily through the air

Dante's Peak! The disaster sequence felt like the 250 missing hours from Apocalypse Now.

And sometimes I can't help feeling not only that they could, but that a less over-hyped actress would be preferable.

But I don't know if Meryl Streep asked to be over-hyped or overrated and I wouldn't expect her to pass on a role like this.

In this day and age of social media wherein over-hyping and over-profiling seems to be THE thing to get ahead I've become a bit a wary of attributing a similar "quality" to those who have earned their fame by natural talent or professionalism.
That being said, variety is always welcome and when it comes my entertainment there is very little room for loyalty. I think what I'm trying to say is that we all have good reasons to be selfish. And on that optimistic note I'm going to end this day on tellytalk.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I think she is a great combination of being both a great film star and a great film actress.

Oh, I completely agree.

The Iron Lady is an interesting example. I have no doubt that many actresses could have played that role better but part of the Meryl Streep appeal is seeing how she would play the role.

Yes, that's it really. She did it, and it's not that she was wrong for the role, but it could be a tad indulgent of someone, somewhere to possibly pass over an actress who would have been just that bit more "right" in order to see this huge star put their spin on it. That's showbiz, and of course she's one of the biggest names which is going to add pedigree to any vehicle, as well as pretty much guaranteeing a great performance. Logic says they're going to opt for that kind of security.

As you say, there's a novel kind of appeal in seeing someone take on a new persona in this way. But, as I commented when watching The Iron Lady, I never forgot it was Meryl, and so she never completely became Thatcher for me, and I have to accept that this is a different experience from watching someone I don't know as well inhabit the role. It may not have been a better experience, but equally there's a possibility it would have been.

But I don't know if Meryl Streep asked to be over-hyped or overrated and I wouldn't expect her to pass on a role like this.

Oh, absolutely. Like I said, it's nothing she did. It's the reputation. She may not want it, and it probably makes her challenges even more daunting because of the way expectations raise when her name becomes attached to something.

Oh the schadenfreude.
For what it's worth, I make these kind of mistakes more often than you do.

Oh, thanks Willie. This mistake certainly added some different layers to my viewing experience.

Dante's Peak! The disaster sequence felt like the 250 missing hours from Apocalypse Now.

I've never seen either, but thanks to your warning I now know I can safely rule out Dante's Peak.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Horrible Bosses (2011)

I watched this one only because I had no idea what I was in the mood for and it was due to fall off Prime today.

I've never particularly felt inclined to watch any of these frat/lad type films. Fortunately, this one's at the milder end. There is some of the requisite insecure laddy stuff (a gay joke here. Trivialising sexual harassment on males there), but there's very little gross-out stuff, a reasonable (albeit uninspired) plot and some decent performances. The supporting cast is pretty impressive (Jennifer Aniston in particular is really funny). There are lots of little cameos from names like Ioan Gruffudd (as a sex worker specialising in pee fetishism) and Donald Sutherland. Oh, and there's also a tiny role from someone nobody would have heard of at the time... Princess Meghan (later accused of being a Horrible Boss herself).

On a shallower note, Jason Bateman was a childhood crush of mine and he's ageing well. There's something about the Ted Shackelford to him these days. Jason Sudeikis's delivery reminded me quite a bit of Doug Savant at times. And the third guy put me in mind of an American Andrew Lincoln. None of which are bad things.

​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)

Watching off the back of the first, I pretty much knew what to expect, and I got it.

The sequel's USP is that, rather than being inept murderers, the leads are now inept kidnappers. Focussing on just the one target means the plot is much simpler than before. This means it feels a little less twisty than the first, but the leaner plot works in its favour, giving the audience time to appreciate Sean Anders's sometimes deliberately showy direction. Subtle it's not, but there are some moments that really make one sit up and take notice... most notably the "fantasy" version of the perfect plot as the characters plan it out loud and we see how it's meant to play out. Christopher Lennertz's score is a great fit as well.

All the key faces from the first are back, from Jennifer Aniston to Kevin Spacey to Jamie Foxx. Chris Pine to all intents and purposes replaces Colin Farrell as the boss's sleazy son.

As mentioned, I got pretty much what was expected. A few cheap laughs and an entertaining, instantly forgettable film.

 

[Angela Channing]

A Good Person (2023)

My reason for watching this film was pretty weak. The main character is addicted to the prescription drug oxytocin, which was the subject the TV series Dopesick which I thought was one of the best limited TV dramas in recent years. For that reason alone, I thought this might be a good watch but I was wrong.

Florence Pugh plays Allison who survives a car accident in which two people are killed, including her fiancé's sister. She is driving one of the cars involved in the smash which occurs when she briefly looks at her phone to check Google Maps. The subsequent trauma and guilt that she feels leads to her getting addicted to oxytocin and the film follows how she deals with her problem. She meets Daniel (Morgan Freeman) at a Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous meeting (he's a reformed heavy drinking ex-cop) whose daughter was one of the passengers in the car she was driving when she got in the accident. He's also struggling to bring up his granddaughter alone after her mother was killed and he is also estranged from his son. Allison and Daniel develop an unlikely friendship even though he still holds deep resentment over Allison role in the car crash. The film to slow, meandering, too many sub-plots, overly sentimental, a bit preachy and a bit contrived. However, it's well made and the performances were good but overall, it wasn't really for me.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Usual Suspects (1995)

This has been on my viewing bucket list for well over twenty years... probably since X-Men came out. It's nicely shot, written and played, but I don't feel it was as clever as I'd imagined it would be.

However, the only thing I really knew about this film was the twist reveal from the very end (ruined by Will & Grace's Jack McFarland) which no doubt influenced the way I viewed the film. Had I not known, I'd possibly have looked forward to rewatching a with my newfound knowledge. As it is, I feel I can brush my hands, say I've watched it and leave it behind.​

 

[Angela Channing]

I don't feel it was as clever as I'd imagined it would be.

I completely agree. I first watched it shortly after if was first released and thought it was ok but nowhere a good as the hype around it suggested it would be. Over the years the film seems to have grown in reputation and is often featured in greatest films lists, so around 5 years ago I thought I would rewatch it thinking I must have missed something the first time around. My opinion didn't change. Yes, the twist is clever but that's about the best thing I can say about the film, the previous hour and a half before the surprise is decidedly very average. Sadly, because of the scandal around Kevin Spacey, the film currently isn't as highly regarded as it was 10 years ago.

 

[Angela Channing]

Reality (2023)

This film is about a true story of which I hadn't previously heard. Reality Winner (yes that's her real name) is a USA Air Force translator who was convicted of leaking a classified report which showed that Russian hackers had accessed voter registration rolls and may have interfered in the USA Presidential election. The film is a verbatim retelling of her questioning by the FBI while they were searching her home. The film isn't showy, in fact it's quite stripped back in that the story is told in a straight-forward, non-gimmicky way with the entirety of the action taking place in one location and it's totally gripping. Sydney Sweeney gives an incredible performance in the lead role. She is on screen and is the focus of almost every frame of the film and completely holds your attention. The film poster uses a quote saying it's "a brilliant piece of work" and I would agree with that comment.

 

[Jessie]

The Influencer

Trailer

Creepy film but really good.

 

[Jessie]

Black Demon

Trailer

I liked it different shark film.

 

[Angela Channing]

Hypnotic (2023)

Well that was a load of old pony! The US government have a secret defence programme which trains people to hypnotise others in just a few second just by looking at them. From this ludicrous premise the screenwriters created a story in which a police officer (Ben Affleck) is trying to find his kidnapped daughter and in the process meets a woman who he later discovers is part of the programme. They team up to find the daughter while at the same time they are being pursued by a mysterious man who is able to give commands to people making them do things against their will, including killing people and killing themselves. He is thought to have also have been part of the secret government project. However, not everything is as it seems but even the twist in the film couldn't save this nonsense.

 

[Angela Channing]

Allelujah (2022)

Great cast, very average film. Set in the geriatric ward of a NHS hospital in the north of England which is managed by Sister Gillpin and the patients are treated by kindly Dr Valentine. The whole hospital is threatened with closure by the government that want to cut costs. The storyline was a bit meandering and at times it wasn't entirely clear what the film was about other than a series of different and unconnected events regarding life on the ward. At the end the film does come together and was far more interesting than what we had been watching up to that point. It's a pity they didn't focus more on this aspect of the story (I can't say what as it would be a huge spoiler) because it would have made for a far more interesting film.

 

[Biggie]

Night At The Museum 2.

One of the few occasions that I found the sequel better than the first.

The cast really didn't fail to deliver, even the cameos were excellent. The visual aesthetic was the icing on the cake.

Egyptian pharos, gangsters, giant octopus and Tuskegee airmen meeting Amelia Earhart in one movie, who could ask for more?

The star of the show...Amy Adams stealing every scene as Amelia.

 

[Angela Channing]

Blackberry (2023)

The rise and fall the the Blackberry handset that dominated the mobile phone market in the 1990s. Fascinating story how a small company, Research In Motion (RIM), headed by a couple of geeks, Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin, who were just as happy organising a movie night with their colleagues as they were cutting deals with the big players in the tech market. That's until they pitch their new messaging device to company executive Jim Balsillie, who initially rejects their product but later buys into the RIM and becomes joint CEO with Mike. This partnership leads to spectacular success and growth as Blackberries becomes highly desirable devices. Jim and Mike force co-founder Doug out of the company when they no longer think his lack of seriousness is an asset to the company. All is well until Apple launch the iPhone which causes Blackberry sales to plummet. What follows is turmoil at RIM including the government investigating illegal share dealings that Jim seems to have been involved with and the value of the company nosedives. The one person who comes out of it well is Doug Fregin who sold his 4% of the company when he was forced to leave. At that time RIM were at riding high in the stock market and it is thought that he made over $1 billion from the sale, making him one of the richest people in the world.

The story is told at a brisk pace with a lot of humour thrown in. A really interesting story made into a very good film.

 

[cijimccashin]

Baby face (1933) starring Barbara Stanwyck.

 

[Seaviewer]

Book Club (2018)
Another entry in the four-female-friends-talk-about-their-lives-for-two-hours genre.
This one could almost be a long lost episode of Love, American Style: "Love and the Older Women."
Four interconnected rom-coms with - spoiler alert! - everybody ending up with just who they're meant to be with.

 

[Angela Channing]

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (2023)

For some reason I have been aware of the book that his film is based on but I never read it so I was interested to see what it was all about. I quickly realised I probably wasn't the target audience for this film as I suspect it is more directed at teenage girls. However, I still found it to be a good watch. Margaret is a sixth-grade school student from New York (does that mean she's 11? It's not a terminology we used when I was at school). Her father is Jewish and her mother is from a Catholic background and although she doesn't have a faith herself, throughout the film she talks to God and this is used to show the audience what she is thinking and feeling. Her family move to New Jersey when her dad get a new job. She struggles to fit in with her new friends, to cope with her changing body and to find her own identity and along the way, she learns about boys, bras, periods and the meaning of friendship. The film didn't blow me away but it was a pleasant enough way to pass its one and three-quarter hours running time.