Watching Turning Point: 9/11 and the War and Terror on Netflix. My son is old enough to learn about this day more in-depth and it’s excellent so far. Will definitely finish, it has lots of great interviews and footage I’ve never seen and is very informative and gripping. That day is burned into my memory.
Malignant- 5/10
Really thought this would be better than it was but again most modern horror falls flat with me.
James Brown - Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown. 9/10
Originally Posted by Sting
Just watched what might be the worst movie made in the last ten years. Malignant on HBO Max I give it a 1/10. The 1 is because I think there is a possibility that this was made to be horrible on purpose.
The Plan at the moment:
Draft: Trade a 3rd and 6th this year to a team to move up and get a 2nd next year (this will happen).
Players I want:
Jake Ferguson (Jake Butt) or Jelani Woods or Jeremy Ruckert or Cade Otten (owen daniels) at TE- All 4th rd or later.
Troy Anderson LB 3rd/4th rd (yay Timmy!)
Neil Farrell, JR DL- run stuffer- bye purcell
I’m late to this thread, but love movies, so I’ll start out with a post I made in the beginning of this year in one of my soc media acts. I hope you enjoy, and give a movie you haven’t seen, a try.
Top 10 movies that I saw in 2020. Might not have been made in 2020, but I saw it for 1st time in 2020. I tried my best to combine mainstream movies with “hidden gems”.
Honorable mentions to follow in another post. Let me know your thoughts, and if you would exchange another in top 10 for one of mine.
1. Ford vs Ferrari. Clear best movie for me. Based on fact, tells the story of how Ford and Carrol Shelby got together to change car racing history. You do not have to be a fan of racing to like it, as I am not. Just appreciate American exceptionalism & spirit. Not a big fan of Matt Damien, but he excels as Shelby. And Christian Bale is superb as usual. Works best when seen with great sound system like surround sound or a stereo.
2. 1917. Historical WW1 drama who’s accuracy is not confirmed, but doesn’t matter. Great story telling that gets your attention early, and holds it throughout.
3. Knives Out. Dark comedy and “who done it”? All star cast is superb and mixes twists and turns well with dark comedy. Once you get past Daniel Craig’s awkward southern accent, it’s easy to like/love the movie.
4. Free State of Jones. Mathew McConaughey plays Newton Knight in Jones County, Miss. during the Civil War. Based on historical fact, Knight leads a group of escaped slaves and poor farmers in Mississippi that rebel against the confederate army. Knight sees the absolute hypocrisy of the southern military and elite plantation owners that benefitted from the war, leaving the poor farmers holding the bag and shedding the blood for a cause they didn’t benefit from. Should be taught in schools, but probably never will.
5. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Once you figure out that Quentin Tarantino isn’t making another Pulp Fiction again, it’s a lot easier to like some of his others. OUATIH is a retelling of real life events from the 60’s. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a washed up movie star, and Brad Pitt plays his real tough stunt man who can beat up Bruce Lee(hey, it’s Tarantino)! And only Tarantino can completely retell/revise the Charlie Manson / Sharon Tate story, and make it enjoyable.
6. Guilty. Danish movie so you need subtitles. Almost a one man show, but excellent storytelling that pits a disgraced ex-cop demoted to dispatch duty against his superiors and time. A woman has been kidnapped and he has to try to help her solely by sitting at his desk and gathering scant clues. Believe me when I tell you the suspense is superb, and Alfred Hitchcock would be proud. If you are a Hitchcock fan, think Rear Window. Not the same story, but similarities between structure and effectiveness.
7. Richard Jewell. Clint Eastwood directed. The old man still has it. Based on the true story of the Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta in 1996. When you combine an overzealous FBI and sensationalistic “get a story at any cost” “journalist”, you get the tragic story of how the two combined can be dangerous for the victim. And Mr Jewell is certainly a victim. Also tragic is that this same kind of thing is still going on.
8. Harriet. The not told enough tale of real life Harriet Tubman. An escaped slave that makes it to Philly and becomes a free woman. However, she risks her freedom & life to go back several times to her hometown to save her family and friends still in bondage. Cynthia Erivo is excellent as Harriet. Great story, and another that should be required reading in HS.
9. Yesterday. Pure fantasy, but very interesting premise. Struggling musician in England comes home one night after a supernatural occurrence to find that the Beatles never existed. Seemingly, only he remembers them and their songs. Not to let a crisis go to waste, he submits their songs as his, and becomes a superstar. Fans of the Beatles should appreciate the nostalgia, and those not familiar with them will enjoy the story and rewrites of their songs.
10. The Boy who Harnessed the Wind. Found only on Netflix. True story of a poor farmer’s boy who is kicked out of school in Africa because dad can’t pay the fees(yes, really). The village is without any kind of power and is starving from famine. The corrupt government makes it worse, so the boy in this story finds an old American magazine that details how to make a windmill. Come to find out, the boy is a mechanical engineering genius, and the village has been thriving since. Movies like this make it hard to complain about American life, except we do any way. What a shame.
Here are the honorable mentions to the Top 10 above. Remember, many of these were not made in 2020, I just saw them for the first time in 2020.
These are not in any particular order:
Toy Story 4. Still loved the original TS & TS11 the best, but 3&4 are very worthy of the franchise’s lofty standards.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Not as good as the original, but good enough if you liked the original. If you haven’t seen the original, Kingsman: The Secret Service, then watch it first.
Shaun the Sheep Movie. Animated comedy from the same people who created Wallace & Gromit. Shaun, a sheep, was introduced in W&G A Close Shave, and eventually became its own franchise. Hilarious fun for the whole family.
IT: Chapter Two. The 2nd part of Steven King’s tale of Pennywise the supernatural clown and a bunch of now grownups determine to kill “It” before he kills them. Pretty creepy & gory, and you need to enjoy the genre. If you haven’t yet, see the the 1st one before you see this one as it contains info you need to know.
Arctic. Danish movie, so see it with subtitles, but really there is very little dialog. How could there be with the reality of the plot? Man gets stranded alone in the Arctic, and when there is finally a rescue helicopter, it crashes. The rest of the movie is the Mads Mikkellson character pulling a sled through the tundra with a badly injured woman. No time to talk. Compelling and suspenseful, it is really good acting and direction.
Miller’s Crossing. Made in the 1990, this is a Coen Bros pre-Fargo movie. A neo-noir tale of two rival gangs, and the protagonist, (Gabriel Byrne), is playing both sides. Has all the trademark Coen Bros movie scenes and twists that they have become famous for.
The Friends of Eddie Coyle. Made in 1973, the great Robert Mitchum is superb as a small-time gunrunner for bad guys. Considered neo-noir, it is a story that includes all the elements of film noir, except it is in color. Twists, turns, and double crossings are the staples of noir, and the one has it in spades.
Spies in disguise. Another animation that is suitable and enjoyable for the whole family. Will Smith is the conceited main spy that has an unlikely friendship with the nerdy inventor that has a knack for making very sophisticated, but useless gadgets. If you like animated comedies like I do, check this one out.
Vampires. Made in 1998 by John Carpenter, it’s in a genre that is narrow for many people. I am not all that crazy about the Vampire genre, but enjoyed it because it had enough comic moments to take the edge off the gore. Starring the always great James Woods as the lead vampire hunter. If you can tolerate the genre, check it out, but if you can’t, then pass on it.
Slave Trade: How Prince re-made the music industry- 10/10
Very good documentary on the musical artist Prince. Its actually very balanced in how they approach him as a person and musician as i actually found myself kind of criticizing him (will be on out next podcast in our discussion) yet also understanding how forward thinking he was back in the 90's before the internet boom. Obviously he was an exceptional musical genius who crossed over different types of genres over the years but also fell victim to an identity crisis as well. Its free on the Tubi app on the Roku for those who have it and well worth the watch.
I Am Wrath- 8/10
Actually enjoyed this despite not being very original but the banter between Eli Kolias (sp?) and Travolta was pretty funny and fun. Premise is Travolta's wife is killed in a mugging but has a much deeper connection and when the police fail to bring the men to justice Travolta who is an ex-military guy takes matters into his own hands.
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