The Cinema Thread

[Vrede too]

Republicans and Democrats agree on one thing: The Afghan war wasn't worth it, AP-NORC poll shows

bush still says it was a success and that he has no regrets.

Makes one wonder what the goal was.

Black Widow
PG-13, 2021, Action/Adventure, 2h 13m

Tomatometer 79%
Audience Score 91%

Critics Consensus
Black Widow's deeper themes are drowned out in all the action, but it remains a solidly entertaining standalone adventure that's rounded out by a stellar supporting cast.

Audience Says
Black Widow serves up another savory helping of the blockbuster Marvel formula, with a fun family dynamic adding extra character development in the midst of all the action.

I'm not a huge Marvel fan, but this is a rollicking good women-driven film. Florence Pugh is a good one for Scarlett Johansson to pass the torch to.

[Vrede too]

Oldie but goodie:

The Dead Zone (film)

Reception

The Dead Zone received very positive reviews on release. It holds an approval rating of 88% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on 50 reviews, with an average score of 7.7/10. The site's consensus reads, "The Dead Zone combines taut direction from David Cronenberg and a rich performance from Christopher Walken to create one of the strongest Stephen King adaptations." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 69 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three-and-a-half stars, describing The Dead Zone as by far the best of the half-a-dozen cinematic adaptations of King's novels to that date. He praised Cronenberg's direction for successfully weaving the supernatural into the everyday, and noted believable performances by the entire cast, especially Walken: "Walken does such a good job of portraying Johnny Smith, the man with the strange gift, that we forget this is science fiction or fantasy or whatever and just accept it as this guy's story." Janet Maslin of The New York Times referred to the film as "a well-acted drama more eerie than terrifying, more rooted in the occult than in sheer horror." ...

I agree. Many Stephen King adaptations are pure crap. It's also refreshing to see Christopher Walken playing it straight rather than chewing the scenery.

[Vrede too]

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a 2021 American supernatural comedy film directed by Jason Reitman, who co-wrote it with Gil Kenan. It is the sequel to Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), and the fourth film in the Ghostbusters franchise. The film stars Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd, alongside Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and Sigourney Weaver reprising their characters from the earlier films. Set 32 years after the events of Ghostbusters II, it follows a single mother and her children who move to an Oklahoma farm they inherited from her estranged father Egon Spengler, a member of the original Ghostbusters.

... The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the cast's performances, Reitman's direction, nostalgic tone, and its respectful tribute to Ramis, with criticism mostly being directed towards its screenplay and fan service. It grossed $204.4 million worldwide against a production budget of $75 million.

A sequel, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, is set to be released on March 29, 2024....

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 63% of 306 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife crosses the streams between franchise revival and exercise in nostalgia -- and this time around, the bustin' mostly feels good". Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 45 out of 100 based on 47 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an 82% positive score, and 69% said they would definitely recommend it....

Accolades

(multi)

Not bad.

Mckenna Grace, just 17, has been slaying Hollywood. Gifted, The Bad Seed, etc.

... For playing an abused teenager in The Handmaid's Tale (2021–2022), Grace was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, making her the first child recognized for a guest acting Emmy. She appeared in the supernatural comedy Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), earning critical praise and a Critics' Choice Super Award nomination. In 2022, Grace wrote, executive produced, and starred in The Bad Seed Returns, and portrayed Jan Broberg in A Friend of the Family....

[Vrede too]

30th anniversary year I rewatched:

Jurassic Park (film)

It holds up well

[Vrede too]

Greatest xmas movies of all time?

My opinion:

Spoiler:

Die Hard
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Elf

My house, not necessarily my picks, but I do like
Elf,
It's a Wonderful Life,
Bad Santa,
A Christmas Story and
Die Hard.

More from the family and some of my occasionals

Miracle on 34th St (1947)
Scrooged
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
A Christmas Carol (1951)

I just watched 20 year old Elf for the first time in forever. As sweet as the syrup Buddy loves, and as irresistible

... It became a major critical and commercial success, grossing $220 million worldwide against a $33 million budget. Ferrell's performance as Buddy was praised by critics and audiences alike, with many calling it one of his best performances.... It has been hailed by many as a modern classic, and is often listed as one of the best Christmas films of all time.

I'd forgotten that 23 year old Zooey Deschanel stars. Helluva career since. Kickass rest of the cast:
Will Ferrell
James Caan
Bob Newhart
Ed Asner
Mary Steenburgen
Peter Dinklage
Amy Sedaris
Andy Richter
Jon Favreau, etc

[billy.pilgrim]

Did you know that Jim Carey was first choice as Buddy?
Or so I read somewhere.

[Vrede too]

Did you know that Jim Carey was first choice as Buddy?
Or so I read somewhere.

I didn't know. Wiki agrees with you, somewhat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf_(film)#Development

David Berenbaum initially wrote the script in 1993, with Chris Farley and Jim Carrey being early candidates to play Buddy.

Both have done good work, as well as trash. They would have been very different Buddys from Ferrell.

Berenbaum's screenplay underwent uncredited rewrites by Scot Armstrong, Chris Henchy, and the writing team of Adam McKay and Will Ferrell. Garry Shandling was offered the role of Walter Hobbs but declined.

I never liked him much, and I'll bet he really really regrets his choice. I'm glad Caan got it, instead.

Wanda Sykes was originally cast as the Gimbels manager Wanda but later dropped out.

I like her. I'll bet she really really regrets her choice.

Terry Zwigoff was offered to direct the film, but he turned it down in favor of Bad Santa (2003).

Not as lucrative as it turns out, but understandable. Maybe his Elf would not have been as good

According to Favreau, the script was initially "much darker" and did not interest him, although he was interested in working with Ferrell's first post-SNL movie. Asked to rewrite it, a turning point came when he realized he could make Buddy's world an homage to the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials. This allowed him to conceive of a movie that could be PG rated as opposed to the original script, which he guessed would have been rated PG-13.

Good choice.

[Vrede too]

Dean Martin: King of Cool
2021, Documentary/Biography, 1h 30m

Tomatometer 100%
Audience Score 88%

This in-depth biography explores Dean Martin's varied career, including his complicated relationships with Jerry Lewis, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and others.

Very well made.

I was never a huge fan, but his variety show was a weekly household staple through my childhood.