What’s the last movie you watched?


Connie
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On 12/10/2016 at 8:24 AM, Vort said:

"Bated". I almost always see it written as "baited breath", as if they just ate sushi.

The main reason is that second languages are often taught/learned via written language.  We don't put together homonyms until we reach fluency later on.  In French, there are three words we learn in the first month (et, es, est) that are pronounced the same.  I was in year three in French class before someone pointed out that they were homonyms that I even noticed it.  To me they were as similar as their written words only, not the sounds.

Anatess has probably reached the level of fluency where she recognizes homonyms.  But she first learned some of these words in the written form or had to go look them up to find out what was meant by the phrase.

That and the fact that most Americans don't know how to write anymore.

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1 hour ago, Carborendum said:

The main reason is that second languages are often taught/learned via written language.  We don't put together homonyms until we reach fluency later on.  In French, there are three words we learn in the first month (et, es, est) that are pronounced the same.  I was in year three in French class before someone pointed out that they were homonyms that I even noticed it.  To me they were as similar as their written words only, not the sounds.

Anatess has probably reached the level of fluency where she recognizes homonyms.  But she first learned some of these words in the written form or had to go look them up to find out what was meant by the phrase.

That and the fact that most Americans don't know how to write anymore.

English is the medium of instruction in the Philippines, so we are taught English starting from Kindergarten - before we learned to read.  We start with the alphabet and their sounds.  I remember this very clearly because I moved schools between K and 1 and my previous school treated Kindergarten like nursery - we just play all day long - whereas the new school treated Kindergarten like 1st grade where they start learning letters and sounds.  So, I had to cram to learn my letters because on the first day of 1st grade in the new school, the teacher quizzed us on spelling.  4 2-letter words (at, on, an, etc.), and one 3-letter word (and).  I only knew 1 letter - the letter T.  So I got zero.  My dad gave me a crash course on the alphabet and so I go to school and sure enough, we go through the alphabet and their sounds again and I stood up and vehemently argued with the teacher because I insisted she is wrong because she said A is Ah as in Apple and B is Buh as in Ball and so she lied about A because there's an A in Ball and it sure doesn't say Ah.  Anyway, this kind of craziness continued all the way through college and all the way through to my time going through the San Francisco airport with all these English speakers all around me and I had no idea what they were saying.

Edited by anatess2
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I just saw Suicide Squad. 3 out of 5 stars.

Great action sequences and special effects.  Viola Davis did an excellent Amanda Waller.  Absolutely dead on.  Unfortunately, I always found the character to be over the top anyway.  So, as much as I appreciate her acting talent, I didn't like the character anyway.

The premise of the squad was fine.  I liked the idea from the graphic novels and many animated and live action versions.  But this particular storyline was... difficult to suspend my disbelief over.  Basically this squad of mere mortals were going to battle a god & goddess.  Sorry, I just couldn't do it.  Ghostbusters got away with it because it was a comedy and because they had positron gliders powered by nuclear powered backpacks.  That was more palatable.

Other above average performances by Jay Hernandez, Margo Robbie, and Jared Leto.  Some people have given Leto a hard time.  My take is that I didn't care for the particular take on the Joker.  But as it was, he did a good job.  Margo Robbie... I feel so sorry for her.  She really is a talented actress.  But they put her in these eye candy roles.  She wore even less than any version of Harley I've ever seen.  Even so, she did an above average Harley.

I like Will Smith.  But he basically plays the same action hero in all the action hero roles.  This one was no different.  This didn't really ask him to stretch at all.  And that's unfortunate.  One viewing of Pursuit of Happyness will let you know that he can stretch and do other things.  The character of Floyd Lawton is deeper than this telling really allowed.  I suppose it was enough to get the story going, and it was a long enough movie as it was, and an ensemble movie at that.  But I really like the character.  And I personally would have liked a little deeper backstory for those who are unfamiliar with the character.

As a "joker" comparison: The thing that keeps coming up in my mind is that there's "the character" and "how well the actor did in portraying the character".  Heath ledger's joker was an 8.5 out of 10.  But his portrayal was a perfect 10.  Leto's joker was a 4.  But his portrayal was about a 7.  Mark Hamil's joker was a 7.  His portrayal was about a 9.  Kevin Michael Richardson did the best joker.  The character was a 10.  That's exactly what the joker should be (although it was somewhat different than what they portray in the graphic novels).  And his portrayal was a 10 as well.

It can be weird to pin down the joker since different authors had different takes on him in the graphic novels.  It's worth noting that the Joker is one of the few characters to break the fourth wall in DC.  But the only film/video version that did that (that I'm aware of) was Hamil's joker.  However, Richardson's joker made some comments that it was difficult to tell whether he was talking to himself or the fourth wall.

Edited by Guest
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Last week: Patriot's Day

Doesn't shy away from the shock and gore, so it's not for the sensitive. 

 

This week: xXX - Return of Xander Cage

Still not entirely sure about this one. 

Edited by Ironhold
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One Piece.

It's a feature length anime my kids' friends dragged me out to the theaters to see.  I wanted to watch Lala Land (my kids think it is chick flick and so they didn't want to see it) while they watch One Piece but the boys begged and pleaded and cajoled and pouted and promised I'll enjoy it until I capitulated.

So One Piece was actually pretty good.  If you like anime.  And it's overdubbed so I didn't have to read the conversation.  It has the obligatory femme fatale shots with the barely dressed, assets emphasized rendering which made me squirm as these group of teen-aged boys snickered next to me. 

So I extracted a promise from them to watch Lala Land with me for a y'owe me.

 

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9 hours ago, anatess2 said:

One Piece.

It's a feature length anime my kids' friends dragged me out to the theaters to see.  I wanted to watch Lala Land (my kids think it is chick flick and so they didn't want to see it) while they watch One Piece but the boys begged and pleaded and cajoled and pouted and promised I'll enjoy it until I capitulated.

So One Piece was actually pretty good.  If you like anime.  And it's overdubbed so I didn't have to read the conversation.  It has the obligatory femme fatale shots with the barely dressed, assets emphasized rendering which made me squirm as these group of teen-aged boys snickered next to me. 

So I extracted a promise from them to watch Lala Land with me for a y'owe me.

 

The actual One Piece anime is airing on Cartoon Network's "Toonami" block here in the US; depending upon where you live, it's either late night Saturday or early morning Sunday. 

At some point in the past, the World Government captured and executed Gold Roger, the world's richest pirate. What they didn't realize, however, is that Roger knew he was going to be captured and so he hid all of his treasure in a single place. As he was to be executed, he announced that it was all located in one spot and that whoever wanted it could have it... if they could find it. As Roger figured, instead of his death being a mortal blow to piracy, his announcement spurred more pirates to the seas in search of his haul.

Among these pirates was Shanks, a "good" pirate whose opposition to the World Government was based on moral philosophy rather than any desire to break the law; if anything, Shanks is actually more moral and upright than many top World Government officials. While he and his crew were at shore one day, Shanks ended up sacrificing his arm to save a young boy named Monkey D. Luffy from a shark. This act so impressed Luffy that he wanted to grow up to become just like Shanks.

Luffy is one of dozens of people the world over who have consumed what is known as a "Devil Fruit", a powerful item that gives whoever consumes it incredible power in exchange for depriving them of their ability to float; in Luffy's case, the fruit he consumed turned his body into a rubbery organic substance he can stretch and manipulate at his leisure. Now a teenager, Luffy decides to set out on his own and be like Shanks, in the process assembling a crew of oddballs and irregulars.

Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, spend most of their time fighting against evil wherever they find it. While they do spend a fair amount of time fighting against other pirates and various crime syndicates, they also end up fighting against the World Government. It turns out that the World Government is, indeed, shot through with corrupt and even hideous individuals, with some of the worst being more than willing to kill innocents if it means getting the job done; there are people in the government who do want to do good in the world, but their efforts are muted by the corruption around them.

This becomes most apparent in the Ennis Lobby story arc (which takes place several years into the franchise's existence), which involves a World Government official named Spandam trying to force researcher Nico Robin and shipwright Cyborg Frankie to realize a warship design so powerful the original architect tried to destroy the blueprints out of guilt for what he almost unleashed; Spandam and his men aren't above torturing the pair to force their compliance, nor are they above treating their own subordinates as pawns to be sacrificed if it means slowing the Straw Hats. When Spandam realizes that he can't stop the Straw Hats, he initiates a "Buster Call", a nightmarish last-ditch protocol that calls for all Navy vessels in the area to assemble on a location and bomb it until there are no survivors; he's willing to see hundreds of bureaucrats and soldiers killed if it means stopping the Straw Hats. (For obvious reasons, the Straw Hats show no mercy during the final showdown; it's heavily implied that Spandam, several lieutenants, and Chief Justice Baskerville are either crippled or killed.)

Edited by Ironhold
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Lala Land.

Collected a y'owe me from my teen-aged sons so they'll watch it with me.  My eldest exclaimed it was the best movie he's ever seen.  Ever!  His brother argued that it was awesome but Star Wars is still the best.  The eldest said he'll concede that it's on par as Empire Srrikes Back but not Rogue One.  His brother said yes Rogue One but maybe not Phantom Menace.

When you got 2 teens comparing the merits of a musical to Star Wars you know you got an outstanding movie.  I personally loved the movie but didn't like how it ended.  The actors didn't quite rise to the level of Gene Kelly et. al. but what my kids loved about the movie was the ode to jazz and the life lesson portrayed.

 

 

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Kubo of the Two Strings.

We ordered it from Netflix for my 3 year old's birthday.  I looked at it for 30 seconds and thought: ok animated kid with a magic bang that does origami and hangs out with a talking monkey and beetle.  I was SO wrong!  Not a kid movie!!!!  In the first 60 seconds: mom is fleeing her evil sisters and dad cause they want to kill her little baby and take his other eye (they already got one).  Themes include death, value of mortality, memory, etc.  Overall it's actually a really good movie, just not for kids.

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1 hour ago, Jane_Doe said:

Kubo of the Two Strings.

We ordered it from Netflix for my 3 year old's birthday.  I looked at it for 30 seconds and thought: ok animated kid with a magic bang that does origami and hangs out with a talking monkey and beetle.  I was SO wrong!  Not a kid movie!!!!  In the first 60 seconds: mom is fleeing her evil sisters and dad cause they want to kill her little baby and take his other eye (they already got one).  Themes include death, value of mortality, memory, etc.  Overall it's actually a really good movie, just not for kids.

You know, my brother's family loved this movie, I didn't.  I just felt such a disconnect between the fantastical banjo, paper, and talking animals with the heavy theme.  On top of that, Charlize Theron's voice just didn't connect with the monkey to me.  But yeah, it had a great storyline with excellent characters.

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3 hours ago, Jane_Doe said:

Anyone have any suggestions for a birthday movie for a 3 y.o.?   (Since Kubo and the Two Strings didn't work)

"Sing" may still be in some theaters. 

But at 3 years old, I don't know how well they'd adapt to being in a theater. 

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DH and I have been to three movies in the last week. 

The Discovery - Sci fi, kind of. A scientist played by Robert Redford finds proof of an afterlife, which triggers an avalanche of suicides of people who want to "get there". He then is working on where "there" is.  It was ok, but slow in the middle, where I fell asleep. Not entirely the film's fault as I was super tired to start with.

Rebel in the Rye - Story of JD Salinger, how he first published and the events surrounding the writing of Catcher in the Rye and his subsequent reclusiveness.

Pop Aye - film from Thailand, in Thai, with English subtitles. It is a road trip film, with man in midlife crisis and an elephant named Popeye. Ok, as road trip films go. Could have used more time on the editing table.

All were at Sundance Film fest. Of the three I liked Rebel in the Rye the most. Cinematography was beautiful. Story well told. Acting and directing all top notch.

Edited by Blueskye2
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Split

McAvoy made this movie great.  Still have the super slow pacing of M. Night Shyamalan movies which can grate on my nerves (I wanna shake the theater screen to just get on with it already!) but overall it was still good.  Surprise post-ending twist points to a sequel in the works.

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Just watched Double Indemnity.  I personally believe that the best movies of all time were released between 1940 and 1970, and I am kind of discovering classic film noir.  Not bad, and I would certainly rather watch this kind of stuff than yet another superhero movie...  

Edited by DoctorLemon
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12 hours ago, DoctorLemon said:

Just watched Double Indemnity.  I personally believe that the best movies of all time were released between 1940 and 1970, and I am kind of discovering classic film noir.  Not bad, and I would certainly rather watch this kind of stuff than yet another superhero movie...  

What is your opinion of Citizen Kane? I watched it in college after hearing all the hype and found it kind of boring, although I was very impressed that Orson Welles did it while so young.

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