Tag: three sentence movies

Overall an interesting, well acted movie that illuminates the terrible trials* Mr. Robinson was put through in order to play baseball.  Harrison Ford manages not to be annoying.**  I felt like it could have been 20 minutes shorter.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home.

*One of the terrible trials involved the Phillies’s manager repeatedly saying horribly racist things as Jackie Robinson was at bat. I recognized the actor, but couldn’t place him. It turned out to be Alan Tudyk, who I most identify as Wash in the tragically cancelled Serenity series.
**This movie is packed with where-have-I-seen-that-guy? white men.  Some of which include the guy who played Billy Riggins on Friday Night Lights (Derek Phillips) and the not-Paul-Walker guy from Fast & Furious Tokyo Drift (Lucas Black)

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2013/forty_two.html

This is a slow-burn love story with people who are crusty and have problems.*  It’s also a very good teacher movie and written for smart people.  Mark this down for the Very Good Grown-up Movie category.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home, after a tough day when there was nothing to do but collapse on the couch with a good movie.

*Overall, I loved this movie.  I didn’t, however, love the ending.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2014/words_and_pictures.html

I think this movie was probably pretty cool in pushing boundaries in 1986 with its depiction of hook-up culture.  The dialogue seems very Mamet-esque, much more so than the 2014 version, though that might just be because it was my second time through in two days.  Still, it is a 1986 movie, and is completely male focused and the women come off as shriller than I think they should.*

Cost:  $2.99 via Google Play (I called Videorama first to see if they had a copy and they didn’t, so I streamed it.)
Where watched: at home on the bed in front of the desktop computer because the TV doesn’t stream movies.

*One of the reasons I want to read the play is because I’m quite certain the ending is different and I suspect I would like the ending of the play better.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/1986/about_last_night.html

This movie vacillates from being funny (most of the Kevin Hart scenes) to uncomfortable, as the point of the original play (as best I can tell*) seems to be how relationships don’t work when things start off–and continue–in a certain way.  However, this movie got even better once I watched the original.  The friend relationships were better fleshed out and the women weren’t nearly as shrill.

Cost: free from library. (I got this because the director of Sleeping With Other People wrote this version of the movie.)
Where watched: at home.

*I managed to find a critical essay about Sexual Perversity in Chicago at the library but they did not have the text of the play.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2014/about_last_night_ver6.html
Kevin Hart in the third photo is dressed as Channing Tatum for his costume.  “Channing Tatum never gets cold!” he said and I laughed.

All around, a well-crafted movie, from the opening (mostly silent) sequence, to the end, which managed to not get caught up in being too overwrought about anything.  This is the kind of movie which is pleasurable, even if in post-movie conversation you find many flaws to the overall story.  Mark Rylance was fun to watch as arrested Russian spy Rudolf Abel.

Cost: free to me, because Matt treated me for my birthday
Where watched: McMenamin’s St. Johns Theater

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2015/bridge_of_spies.html
I dislike this poster and was not isolated in my thoughts.  I copy for you an IMP Awards comment interchange that made me laugh:

wrost poster iv see for steven spielberg film!!!
Like · Reply · 4 · Jun 4, 2015 2:03pm

Andrew Korcsmaros · Actor/Writer/Director at Teatro Surreal
Agree!
Like · Reply · Jun 4, 2015 3:14pm

Curtiss Lopez · Los Angeles, California
I’m way more interested in how you managed to spell Spielberg right and nothing else.
Like · Reply · 6 · Jun 4, 2015 5:01pm

This is a Hollywood movie’s movie, meaning that the people are perfect looking, the clothing is yummy, the sets are fantastic, it’s amusing and the plot just hums right along.  There were very few moments that were not enjoyable.*  Let’s have three cheers for everyone involved!

Cost: $5.00
Where watched: at the Jubitz Cinema, where a woman who won big at Keno cut in front of me in line.

*No one told me about the torture.  I don’t do torture, even the kind of torture that can appear in a PG-13 movie.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2015/man_from_uncle.html

Matt Damon brought his get-er-done attitude and sardonic sense of humor to this role, and he excelled in it.  The supporting cast was great and the movie was engaging on all levels. Between this and Gravity,  I feel the need to quote Kristen Meinzer from the Movie Date podcast as she accurately sums up my feelings, “Space is a horrible place, let’s never go.”

Cost: $8.00
Where watched: McMenamins Baghdad Theater in celebration of the completion of my first week of work.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2015/martian.html
I feel like they could have done more with this poster, no?