Elvis: That's The Way It Is (1970) This 1970 concert documentary captures Elvis Presley midway through a fateful transition, seeking to reclaim his musical primacy after a decade of self-imposed exile from concert stages. Sidelined by his big-screen career, eclipsed by rock’s mid-’60s transformations, the King had begun his return two years earlier with the relatively lean attack of his fabled network television appearance, ’68 Comeback Special. Now the Memphis legend was poised to reposition his performing profile by pursuing the top rungs of headliner status in Las Vegas, a career choice that seems even more ephemeral in hindsight than it already did at the time. Elvis: That’s the Way It Is follows the show’s genesis from rehearsal to stage, with the performance footage that provides its inevitable climax shot over six nights. The rehearsal footage, expanded for this special edition, offers further proof that Presley’s band was simply superb. I've never been a huge Elvis guy but this concert film had me hype. I was literally dancing in my living room listening to The King.
such a good movie. It’s a marathon to watch but worth it. It also made the scene in Beerfest(Super Trooper guys) where the Germans go to America to try and get the beer recipe 100x more hilarious when you realise the father is the captain in Das Boot and they sneak into the beer hall via submarine.
I wish they made more World War 2 movies focused on the European war. I mean we did get Dunkirk and 1917 (not WW2) which had 0 Americans. But I would like some more films focused on Germany. There are a few out there for those interested but they are more Low Budget.
Land of Mine(English title) 1944 Stalingrad (1993) Come and See
From IMDb: "A superstar singer and her overworked personal assistant are presented with a choice that could alter the course of their respective careers." Oh my godddd this movie is exactly my kind of guilty pleasure! It's cheesy and fluffy (albeit with a little bit of satisfying social conscience), and I've already listened to the soundtrack about three times since Monday. Tracee Ellis Ross playing a singing diva superstar is delicious given her parentage, and she's flipping awesome, an absolute queen!
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) Following a childhood tragedy, Dewey Cox follows a long and winding road to music stardom. Dewey perseveres through changing musical styles, an addiction to nearly every drug known and bouts of uncontrollable rage. Lots of laughs. Loaded cast. A little too cute to be great. Netflix
Cabaret (1972) Inside the Kit Kat Club of 1931 Berlin, starry-eyed singer Sally Bowles and an impish emcee sound the clarion call to decadent fun, while outside a certain political party grows into a brutal force. Liza Minelli is a star on stage. Joel Grey is absolutely fantastic. Not "Give him and Oscar over James Caan, Robert Duval and Al Pacino in The Godfather" fantastic but fantastic all the same.
It's a bit of a weird, scary watch in 2020 United States. The creeping rise of Nazism in the film hangs like a cloud over all the joyous and rollicking performances.
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) It’s the hope that sustains the spirit of every GI: the dream of the day when he will finally return home. For three WWII veterans, the day has arrived. But for each man, the dream is about to become a nightmare. Captain Fred Derry is returning to a loveless marriage; Sergeant Al Stephenson is a stranger to a family that’s grown up without him; and young sailor Homer Parrish is tormented by the loss of his hands. Can these three men find the courage to rebuild their world? Or are the best years of their lives a thing of the past?
I can see that this film was culturally important when it came out in 1946 and that's why it won Best Picture at the 1947 Oscars. However, history seems to want to tell us that It's a Wonderful Life was the superior film and holds ore cultural significance.
I think this movie is a bit overrated. The movie overall is stiff and some of the performances are quite wooden. Too often it feels like a government produced educational film on how to treat soldiers returning from war.
The film is worth seeing for its message but the overall quality doesn't live up to the hype.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) Following a childhood tragedy, Dewey Cox follows a long and winding road to music stardom. Dewey perseveres through changing musical styles, an addiction to nearly every drug known and bouts of uncontrollable rage. Lots of laughs. Loaded cast. A little too cute to be great. Netflix
The soundtrack of this movie is what makes it for me.
Cabaret (1972) Inside the Kit Kat Club of 1931 Berlin, starry-eyed singer Sally Bowles and an impish emcee sound the clarion call to decadent fun, while outside a certain political party grows into a brutal force. Liza Minelli is a star on stage. Joel Grey is absolutely fantastic. Not "Give him and Oscar over James Caan, Robert Duval and Al Pacino in The Godfather" fantastic but fantastic all the same.
It's a bit of a weird, scary watch in 2020 United States. The creeping rise of Nazism in the film hangs like a cloud over all the joyous and rollicking performances.
HBO Max
This is such a good movie and a genuine classic, but I hardly ever hear anyone talk about it. The scene of the boy singing and then it pans down to show his uniform is so effectively sinister.
Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist (1979) This Academy Award-winning documentary short Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist, narrated by Sidney Poitier, traces the career of Paul Robeson through his activism and his socially charged performances of his signature song, “Ol’ Man River.” Such a sad story that unfortunately is one of many lives and livelihoods that have been crushed by systemic racism in the US.
The Billy Bragg & Wilco song lyrics by Woody Guthrie "My Thirty Thousand" is about the violence and atrocities that happened when Robeson sang at the Civil Rights concert.
such a good movie. It’s a marathon to watch but worth it. It also made the scene in Beerfest(Super Trooper guys) where the Germans go to America to try and get the beer recipe 100x more hilarious when you realise the father is the captain in Das Boot and they sneak into the beer hall via submarine.
I wish they made more World War 2 movies focused on the European war. I mean we did get Dunkirk and 1917 (not WW2) which had 0 Americans. But I would like some more films focused on Germany. There are a few out there for those interested but they are more Low Budget.
Land of Mine(English title) 1944 Stalingrad (1993) Come and See
All highly recommend.
You should add Downfall to the list. If you haven't seen it yet check it out. I thought it was extremely well done and acted.
Doctor Sleep - I don't know if I would even call this a good movie but I loved watching it. It has a lot of very silly elements but it really worked for me. Way more of a revenge story than I was expecting and it was very fun.
such a good movie. It’s a marathon to watch but worth it. It also made the scene in Beerfest(Super Trooper guys) where the Germans go to America to try and get the beer recipe 100x more hilarious when you realise the father is the captain in Das Boot and they sneak into the beer hall via submarine.
I wish they made more World War 2 movies focused on the European war. I mean we did get Dunkirk and 1917 (not WW2) which had 0 Americans. But I would like some more films focused on Germany. There are a few out there for those interested but they are more Low Budget.
Land of Mine(English title) 1944 Stalingrad (1993) Come and See
All highly recommend.
You should add Downfall to the list. If you haven't seen it yet check it out. I thought it was extremely well done and acted.
Yea I missed that. Really good movie and the Hitler tirade at the end is awesome and has been used hundreds of times for comedic videos.
such a good movie. It’s a marathon to watch but worth it. It also made the scene in Beerfest(Super Trooper guys) where the Germans go to America to try and get the beer recipe 100x more hilarious when you realise the father is the captain in Das Boot and they sneak into the beer hall via submarine.
I wish they made more World War 2 movies focused on the European war. I mean we did get Dunkirk and 1917 (not WW2) which had 0 Americans. But I would like some more films focused on Germany. There are a few out there for those interested but they are more Low Budget.
Land of Mine(English title) 1944 Stalingrad (1993) Come and See
All highly recommend.
You should add Downfall to the list. If you haven't seen it yet check it out. I thought it was extremely well done and acted.
Yea I missed that. Really good movie and the Hitler tirade at the end is awesome and has been used hundreds of times for comedic videos.
I posted on twitter/FB the other day that the internet has failed us all by not giving us the Downfall deep fake we all deserve of Trump in the bunker during the protests the other night.
Free Solo (2018) Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite’s 3,000 foot high El Capitan wall. With no ropes or safety gear, this would arguably be the greatest feat in rock climbing history. That was the most nerve-wracking movie watching experience I've had in a long while. I wouldn't normally say this but I'm glad I didn't see this in a theater. Hulu
Free Solo (2018) Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite’s 3,000 foot high El Capitan wall. With no ropes or safety gear, this would arguably be the greatest feat in rock climbing history. That was the most nerve-wracking movie watching experience I've had in a long while. I wouldn't normally say this but I'm glad I didn't see this in a theater. Hulu
oof! agree 100%. flick was terrifying and had me clinching my butt for a good portion of the time!
Just rewatched 1997’s My Best Friends Wedding starring Julia Roberts. It’s still cute and generally holds up as a romcom. But here’s the most important part - @A_Ron_Hubbard And Jim’s best buddy Paul Giamati plays a bellhop! He’s so young (weren’t we all) and gives a “keep your chin up” speech. Made the rewatch so worth it.
Just rewatched 1997’s My Best Friends Wedding starring Julia Roberts. It’s still cute and generally holds up as a romcom. But here’s the most important part - @A_Ron_Hubbard And Jim’s best buddy Paul Giamati plays a bellhop! He’s so young (weren’t we all) and gives a “keep your chin up” speech. Made the rewatch so worth it.
Having never seen the movie, I'm assuming the speech goes something like this: "What are you bitching about, Julia Roberts!? I mean, look at me! I'm a bell hop, for christ's sake. And I look like Paul Giamatti! You dont hear me complaining! Now give me a bad tip, and continue on with your overinflated suburban privilege, you fuck!"
A Star Is Born (2018) Seasoned musician Jackson Maine discovers — and falls in love with — struggling artist Ally. She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer — until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jack fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons. Wow. This film is aggressively mediocre. Cooper's weird mumble southern drawl grows old real fast. Aly's songs are meh to bad throughout. Sam Elliot is pretty good. The best performance by far is by Charlie the dog.
I remember people being upset that it didn't win a bunch of Oscars. They should have celebrated being nominated for anything.
Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters (2012) A documentary following the acclaimed photographer on the construction of his collection Beneath the Roses and the behind-the-scenes explanation from Crewdson himself of his thought process and vision for his pieces.
Crewdson’s photographs have as much compositional direction, set dressing, and pre- and post-production as any film. He creates captivating, melancholy, and often haunting scenes of forgotten suburbia. His work was highly influential on the visual style of It Follows (2014).
I tried to rewatch Children of Men so I could listen to the podcast. I made it 30 minutes in. I just can't right now. A fantastic movie, but too much currently.
Jaws came out in 4K. I threw that on today. This goes up with other movies like Back to the Future, Raiders, etc. as just a perfectly crafted movie. Chief Brody might be one of my absolute favorite movie characters. The way Roy Scheider plays him, he just has the weight of the world on his shoulders.
@Hatorian I watched a documentary about the Indianapolis maybe 20 years ago - it was long enough ago that a lot of the men on it were still alive and interviewed. I’d never heard of it before and I am not normally interested in war history, but it really stuck with me. I remember the doctor talking about all these dying men asking him to pass their love on to their wives and families and he was getting choked up because he could no longer remember all their names. It was so sad.
@Hatorian I watched a documentary about the Indianapolis maybe 20 years ago - it was long enough ago that a lot of the men on it were still alive and interviewed. I’d never heard of it before and I am not normally interested in war history, but it really stuck with me. I remember the doctor talking about all these dying men asking him to pass their love on to their wives and families and he was getting choked up because he could no longer remember all their names. It was so sad.
I think Dan Carlin has a Hardcore History episode on the Indianapolis as well.
Comments
I've never been a huge Elvis guy but this concert film had me hype. I was literally dancing in my living room listening to The King.
HBO Max
such a good movie. It’s a marathon to watch but worth it. It also made the scene in Beerfest(Super Trooper guys) where the Germans go to America to try and get the beer recipe 100x more hilarious when you realise the father is the captain in Das Boot and they sneak into the beer hall via submarine.
1944
Stalingrad (1993)
Come and See
All highly recommend.
From IMDb: "A superstar singer and her overworked personal assistant are presented with a choice that could alter the course of their respective careers."
Oh my godddd this movie is exactly my kind of guilty pleasure! It's cheesy and fluffy (albeit with a little bit of satisfying social conscience), and I've already listened to the soundtrack about three times since Monday. Tracee Ellis Ross playing a singing diva superstar is delicious given her parentage, and she's flipping awesome, an absolute queen!
Lots of laughs. Loaded cast. A little too cute to be great.
Netflix
Liza Minelli is a star on stage. Joel Grey is absolutely fantastic. Not "Give him and Oscar over James Caan, Robert Duval and Al Pacino in The Godfather" fantastic but fantastic all the same.
HBO Max
I can see that this film was culturally important when it came out in 1946 and that's why it won Best Picture at the 1947 Oscars. However, history seems to want to tell us that It's a Wonderful Life was the superior film and holds ore cultural significance.
Hulu
This is such a good movie and a genuine classic, but I hardly ever hear anyone talk about it. The scene of the boy singing and then it pans down to show his uniform is so effectively sinister.
Such a sad story that unfortunately is one of many lives and livelihoods that have been crushed by systemic racism in the US.
The Billy Bragg & Wilco song lyrics by Woody Guthrie "My Thirty Thousand" is about the violence and atrocities that happened when Robeson sang at the Civil Rights concert.
Criterion Channel and HBO Max
That was the most nerve-wracking movie watching experience I've had in a long while. I wouldn't normally say this but I'm glad I didn't see this in a theater.
Hulu
Wow. This film is aggressively mediocre. Cooper's weird mumble southern drawl grows old real fast. Aly's songs are meh to bad throughout. Sam Elliot is pretty good. The best performance by far is by Charlie the dog.
HBO Max
Just a really good indie drama. Katie Jarvis really delivers the anger, naivete and confusion needed to carry this role.
Criterion Channel
Crewdson’s photographs have as much compositional direction, set dressing, and pre- and post-production as any film. He creates captivating, melancholy, and often haunting scenes of forgotten suburbia. His work was highly influential on the visual style of It Follows (2014).
My thoughts? Was the perfect time and yet also the worst time to watch those two movies.