Our film today was Champions with Woody Harrelson. It's down to one showing a day and there was us and one other couple in the theater. He plays a basketball coach with anger issues who gets drunk and rear-ends a police car. But he's allowed to do 90 days of community service, coaching a basketball team of developmentally disabled adults. It's about what you'd expect but is actually really funny and warm-hearted with a real group of developmentally disabled actors, several with Down Syndrome.
Saw the new "Dungeons and Dragons" movie today. "D&D" was entertaining - not as good as I hoped based on reviews, but enjoyable enough. And it comes with the most shocking cameo by a major celeb I've seen in years - maybe since "EuroTrip"!
Vickie and I just saw Air, a movie about Nike signing Michael Jordan. Neither of us has much interest in professional sports, and you wouldn't imagine a film about executives at a sporting goods company and engaging a negotiations with the parents of a high school athlete would be so fascinating. It's very early in the year, but Viola Davis as Michael's mother Doloris, is an absolute lock on a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. Reportedly, that was Michael's only requirement for his participation , that she play his mother. Interestingly, Jordan himself barely appears as a character in the film. You never see the face of the young man playing him, presumably because he is such a familiar face that you can't imagine that they could find someone with acting skills who was a dead ringer for someone who's appeared on so many magazines and cereal boxes. No, this was a story about a woman who knew the worth of the young man she'd raised.
I really wanna see this movie, but because it was only around here for a week I was unable to go, so I'll have to wait for the inevitable DVD release of it.
Well, it's really about a Nike employee who had faith that MJ was gonna be big. Deloris plays a significant role but there's nary a scene that doesn't involve Sonny - it's his movie.
We rarely go to the movies, maybe twice a year. But one of our local theaters was offering $5 Mondays this winter - $5 admission, $5 for a large popcorn, $5 for a large soda. $20 for the 2 of us got us in the door a couple times. Last one we saw was Cocaine Bear. I've always been a fan of big dumb movies. Had seen the trailer at a previous Monday night, it looked like it would fit the bill. I felt that it underdelivered. I came in thinking it would be funnier, kind of tongue in cheek. Personally I think this movie could have been a lot better if there was an element that the bear was in on the joke.
The Super Mario Movie. The first packed afternoon movie I've been to in over 4 years. Granted it was stuffed with parents and kids but still. My daughter enjoyed it.
Air This was definitely a feel good movie and Matt Damon, especially did, a great job. I though Ben Affleck was a little weak in the “trying to be goofy” department, although maybe the Nike CEO really was that goofy. It was fun to relive all the cultural touchstones of 1984! I enjoyed this film very much.
I saw Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves today. I have never played the game, but reviews I read said that didn’t matter. I think it did. A lot of stuff came out of nowhere that I was either expected to understand, or had a confusing explanation within the film. I went to see it because I love Chris Pine and Hugh Grant, and that guy who does the cameo. . Everyone was good in their roles, but this really isn’t my type of film at all and it never completely won me over. I thought it was okay. I enjoyed the actors and costumes and set design more than the story, which as I said was difficult for me to follow. One of my favorite things about it was the Tame Impala song over the end credits.
If you wound up confused, I think that's way more on the filmmakers than your lack of "D&D" knowledge. The movie really has little to do with "D&D" beyond the involvement of its sort of fantasy roles and some Easter eggs. It's just not an especially well-told story, and that's likely where your confusion entered.
Which is nice… Just got back from my local Regal (which are getting few and far between in the Denver area - 3 have closed in the last few weeks) - am trying to still hold on to my Unlimited plan for now— Oh, and I saw Air - very good film! Quite a few young kids there for Super Mario.
We saw it, thought it was silly fun. Not a good choice if you don't like seeing hilariously explosive gore. We're in a four film movie going day. The first film was Viduthalai (Freedom) - Part 1 a Tamil language Indian one, about an honest young policeman on his first assignment, trying to do border security in a very rural forested area of Tamil Nadal, while Tamil separatists are fighting with the government. Film opened with an absolutely amazing single shot. Second was Renfield. The third was Sweetwater, a movie about the first Black man to be signed to an NBA contract. Honestly, it's a little naive and cliched, but if you want to see an enjoyable sports movie, you could do a lot worse.
My apologies for posting this here after already writing about it in the "rate your latest movie" thread, but I'll try to vary the presentation a bit, at least, and link a different image. Apologies, too, to Chris, as I know he's not fond of anime; my daughter's a fan, so that's what we tend to see when we go to a theater. Yesterday she and I went to see Suzume at a second-string theater in Rochester, where we were on a college visit. A great improvement on our last venture to a theater, a month ago or so, the disappointing cash grab Demon Slayer: To the Swordsmith Village, which turned out to be just a few episodes from the TV series tacked together, starting in the middle of one story arc and leaving off after the first episode in what will be another. Suzume, by contrast, has an interesting plot, drama with a healthy admixture of humor, beautiful artwork, a satisfying conclusion--a winner all the way around. It weaves supernatural elements into conventional modern life in Japan, where earthquakes are an ever-present threat, and much of the drama and humor both derive from the resultant tension. It also has cats. In short, we enjoyed it without reservation. [edit] Oh, yes, should have mentioned: we saw it in Japanese with English subtitles. I haven't seen the dubbed version.
Saw Operation Fortune, the new Guy Ritchie film before this weekend when there will be a new Guy Ritchie film. Really enjoyed it, a film with a complete script. Much better than his last 2 films. Will have another review of a Guy Ritchie film next week
