There are what Quentin Tarantino calls "Hangout movies" - films you watch just because you like spending time with the characters. His own Jackie Brown is one of those. But honestly, I don't really care enough about these characters to want to spend time with them. Gary is kind of annoying, as is Alana. Gary's friends are basically generic kids, Jon Peters is a monster without being charismatic. Benny Safdie's Doug Wachs was sympathetic as a closeted gay politician, but I don't know if there's enough there to make a film about him. To some extent, this film is like trying to tell someone about a dream. Your own dreams are endlessly fascinating, and it all seems to make sense at the time, but you can't really relate it to somebody else.
I don't think I'm the target demographic. But I might give it a shot if it's on Netflix or Amazon prime for free. Fewer and fewer movies really work for me these days. I'm going, more and more, for documentaries. Maybe it's just a phase. I thought Don't Look UP was awesome, but maybe that's because there is so little "good" stuff out there these days. This one may be another gem.
My wife and I used to enjoy flying in from Seattle to Burbank, on a 5:00 am flight, rent a convertible, drive around the area, visit Sunset Blvd, Laurel canyon, etc., and then fly back that evening (she worked for Alaska so the flight was free). But eventually we just viewed the area as mostly asphalt, concrete and graffiti. A few years later after moving to our acreage in rural Kentucky we flew there again for my daughter's wedding. She lived in Studio City. One fun part of the trip was that we were able to find Ennis house and a couple of other Frank Lloyd Wright homes (my wife and I are huge fans). But man, the roads and driveways just north of sunset are brutal. We have a 1/4 mile long driveway with an 80 foot climb in the first hundred yards. Those driveways make ours look like a walk in the park. And the closeness of neighbors, for multi-million dollar homes, is insane. But then, some people value privacy more than others. We'd hate where we live if the amenities of those homes were also important to us. But you're right about getting out - when the traffic is good - I lived in Aneheim back in the mid-60's. There was an orange orchard a block from my house. It's changed.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood definitely qualifies. That scene where Cliff and Rick are drinking beers, eating pizza and watching Rick's episode of "The FBI," give me that stuff all day.
I am struggling with this, too. I caught 5 or 6 of the big new movies this fall and didn't really like a single one of them. I don't know if it's the movies or me, honestly.
Well, Amazon Prime now has the first four Mission Impossible movies up for free. I watched the first one and really enjoyed it. But the second one was insulting. It's like a cartoon. I turned it off in the "playtime" between the two characters in sports cars. It was deadly stupid, but we were just supposed to see it as fun physical sexual banter. I went back to it a day later and the same thing happened in a later scene, and again at a subsequent viewing. I did finally finish it, but it was just dumb. It's really more for kids, I think. By "kids", I mean people under 25 who's brains are not fully developed. They are looking for different things in movies than us older guys are. When you've reached a point where you really enjoy movies like "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society", you've reached a different phase in your life. BTW, I think it's still on Netflix...
Yet another movie where everyone is obviously wearing really bad wigs and tacky retro gear to create that truly authentic 'vibe'. In Bohemian Rhapsody the wigs were the best actors on set...
If you like L.A. architecture, this book goes deep into the nearby Silver Lake neighborhood. Some really kooky but creative and innovative people there whose talent was projected on their home renovations and updates. They would seemingly try anything, anywhere, anyhow. The book is more than 15 years old and more recent zoning restrictions may preclude such approaches now. https://www.amazon.com/Bohemian-Modern-Living-Silver-Lake/dp/0060792159
Book is ordered! BTW, around the turn of the century I sold residential real estate on Mercer Island, WA. I actually lived two blocks from Paul Allen's "compound". \ Talk about your weird houses (and horrible driveways). One of my favorites was a five story house with one room on each floor with a central "atrium/ staircase" just off east mercer way. Not a home for people over 40. But my tastes are very eclectic. I'm looking forward to the book. Thanks!
This arrived in town this weekend. I'm certainly not an Anderson devotee, even though I love There Will Be Blood, but this is the best 2021 film I've seen yet, and I've watched all ten being bandied about as likely Oscar Best Picture nominees. Great movie. Shalom, y'all! L. Bangs
I saw a screener of this yesterday and knew little about it aside from seeing the trailer which as people said here features scenes not in the movie. Had no idea about the Haim sisters of Hoffman's son as the actors starring starring in it. Mainly saw it as it got nominated for Best Picture. Anyways, they did a great job capturing the times and LA I think. The movie was entertaining. I don't think it was boring at all. I liked the drunk and/or coked out scenes from Bradley and Sean. The soundtrack was just a random playlist of songs. Haim and Hoffman were great. Haim should really just focus on acting. Their music is terrible I think. The casting overall was great. A mix of vets and up and comers. There was no specific plot as it was just a coming of age film. Haim looks so young despite her being 30. However, they should've made her a couple years younger as that would've made the romance a bit more believable. Would I have gone to the movie theatre to see this? No, but watching this On Demand I would recommend.
You should see the list of artists that pops up searching for "Licorice Pizza" soundtrack on Amazon. I was up to near 4AM last night from sampling all the actual artists on the soundtrack but also other quirky style related suggestions of new music artists I'm hearing for the first time and bookmarked to later buy the CD. Check out Phantom Thread soundtrack. I just bought the CD last night. Amazon.com : licorice pizza soundtrack
I finally saw this tonight, here: CinemaTour - Cinemas Around the World - Glenwood Arts Theatre, Overland Park KS I thought that movie was beautifully made, and was definitely an evocative "ode to the era," but I think it was a little too disjointed, and like almost all movies that I see these days, I think that it could have benefited from a tightening up in terms of editing. I walked in thinking I would love it. I merely liked it. Great soundtrack!
Expecting anything other than wandering, circuitous character studies from PTA is a recipe for disappointment. The man sticks to what he does best. This was great.
I've kinda' felt like that with the new movies I've seen in the past 3 years. I just watched 1980's Brubaker for the upteenth time Saturday and was just as riveted as when I saw it in the theater at first release and all the other times on TV reruns where I my entire afternoon was shot to hell. There's something about the look of authenticity in the dialog, lead and supporting actor's nuanced mannerisms and the extras that played the prisoners I no longer see in today's movies. Brubaker just seems to be made by people who have a well honed vision of how movies like this should come across to grip you and keep you in your seat.