Writer/director Christopher Nolan weaves his usual time travel into this historical story by jumping around various years of the life of Robert Oppenheimer.
Starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Florence Pugh
Very creative way to take a 1000 page nonfiction book, American Prometheus, and turn it into something very different for the mass market.
There are 3 distinct acts - first, the introductory years which is where Albert Einstein comes in, then the Building process which is the classic training academy, and finally an interesting twist in act 3. Almost like a final courtroom scene, reminiscent of Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
Interesting use of black and white photography as well as the Anti-Semitism of the day.
Not too early to say that this is already the top box office hit for the year 2023. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling star as Barbie and Ken in this Generation X nostalgia movie version of Barbie's dream doll world.
Directed by Greta Gerwig (Little Women, Lady Bird) it's got a common Coming-Of-Age theme along with the lighthearted aspects of a toy world.
Amazing set and costume design to evoke a dream world based on Barbie's dream house, dream car, dream jobs and so forth. Plus great original music and dancing.
Supporting cast of America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Will Ferrell add some nice plot layering. Basically it's a back and forth between two world, one the dream world of the doll, and the other, the "reality" of suburban life.
I'll give it 5 stars for the originality that comes from a story/concept that already existed.
The third in a line of Agatha Christie murder mystery movie (Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile), it's a closed-door ("actual and literal") mystery starring Kenneth Branaugh as Hercules Piorot, the analytical detective.
The supporting cast makes the movie: good performances by Tina Fey, Michelle Yeou and Jamie Dorman.
After the death of a young woman, her mother Rowena (Kelly Reilly) calls a medium (Michelle Yeou) to discern how the house in Venice is haunted. Of course it is a former orphanage. Adrian (Tina Fey) a mystery writer is invited and she bring Piorot along, mainly to get content for a new book, her 28th.
About 12 people attend the event and they are all various suspects.
Art imitates life, and there are nods both to the real books and movies as well as the classic spoof of the genre Clue (1985) .
It's the 40th anniversary so it was a great opportunity to see this classic on the Big Screen. While I was somewhat familiar with the concept, I had never seen it.
Arnie (Keith Gordon) and Dennis (John Stockwell) are California teenagers in 1979. Dennis has a cool car but Arnie has none. In fact, Arnie is kind of a schlub. But when he discovers a 1957 red Plymouth, which he names Christine, his life starts to change.
In short order Arnie, with the help of his new "friend" Christine, takes on a whole new assertive personality. He takes no guff from his parents or the local bullies, and starts to date Leigh, the pretty new girl (Alexandra Paul).
But Christine has a mine of her own, including jealously and rage, and the Machine comes alive, and terrorizes her enemies.
Based on an early Stephen King book, it follows the playbook well. We don't know how things are working but that helps keep our attention.
Directed by John Carpenter, and very similar to his earlier movie the original Halloween (1978) including the music for both which he also did.
One of the first R-rated movies that I saw when I was only 14. I recall going to the theater with my mother. I had told her the plan was that I was going to see another movie, which she was OK with.
In the lobby, I cased out another couple that could stand for my parents and followed closely behind to get in.It was worth it because the jokes and gags have provided many laughs over the years.
For example:
"He hates the cans"
"I was born a poor black child"
"He's got rhythm!"
"Two hundred and fifty big ones"
"The new phone book is here!"
"All I need is this chair"
Not politically correct by modern standards, but it was a spoof in the Mel Brooks/Richard Pryor style of the 70s.
First movie for Steve Martin, who was a stand-up comic up to that point before becoming a big movie star for decades.
In the Hawkeye Disney + series, there is a scene where Jeremy Renner goes to see Rogers the Musical and sees an over the top Broadway number based on Captain America.
Truth imitates fiction as now there is a 30 minute one act Rogers the Musical playing at Disneyland California Adventure.
This, plus a recent discovery of mine that Hayley Atwell, the new star of Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning, and also starred in several Captain America movies.
Have I been living under a rock? Or have there just been so many movies since then? I like Captain America when I first saw it - in 2011! Even before I started this blog. A rewatch was in order.
Chris Evans stars as Steve Rogers in this origin story set in the early 1940s as the USA enters World War II. Steve is a scrawny fellow and is declared medically unfit for service, much to his disappointment. He demonstrates his earnestness and courage in such ways that he is approved to serve in a special capacity by Dr. Erskine (Stanley Tucci). Steve is put in a special machine which turns this 98 pound weakling into a big strong man. Just like the Charles Atlas ads in the old comic books that Captain America started in. Interesting how they use the camera and audio tricks to show the physical transition.
In the beginning Captain America is used in a propaganda/USO capacity. So there is actually a Broadway style number with singing and dancing, called Captain America, the Star Spangled Man with a Plan. But Cap has bigger plans and when in Europe doing a show, he finds out about his old friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan) being a prisoner of war, he and Agent Carter (Hayley Atwell) head behind enemy lines to Kill Some Nazis.
Yes there are a lot of parallels between this movie and Inglourious Basterds. That is a very good thing.
There is also a lot of foreshadowing of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that seems very ahead of its time, even in the early stages. Hats off to the creatives who mapped out so much in the beginning.
