The Medusa Fora

Just watched Sicario: Day of the Soldado. It is... meh. Drones! Special ops! Torture! Drug cartels! Double-crosses! But not especially engaging or interesting.

I enjoyed that film. Not as good as the first one though

Niall wrote:I enjoyed that film. Not as good as the first one though

It's a sequel? I was thinking that maybe it was. There were periods where it was implied some kind of long back story that characters had and I felt like, maybe, there was a movie that preceded it. But I also didn't spend any energy at all investigating whether that was true, so that's on me.

We watched "A Fish Called Wanda" last night. Kevin Kline's Otto in that is legend, his "DISAPPOINTED!" is a thing we say in this family... but i realized our youngest had never actually seen it! It's held up pretty well, in that it's still crazily embarrassing and hard to watch. Some of John Cleese's best meditation on the awkwardness of being British, as played out in interactions with Americans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2kgjilRSOg

Platoon. A classic

Kill Bill Vol. 2

Makes sense of Vol. 1 and explains how and why the events of that movie came to be. Brilliant. Better than Vol.1

A couple movies that show you can turn the existing cultural paradigm on it's head while still creating great art.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020, Netflix)

Based on the play by August Wilson. starring Viola Davis & Chadwick Boseman (his final film), bringing to life a fictional account of a recording session by the great Ma Rainey in 1927 Chicago. Yes it feels like it began life as a play, think like 'Glengary Glenn Ross' - which was a triumph, and so is this. If you like music, you will want to watch this. If you are interested in Black culture and resistance and history in America, you will want to watch this. If you like a great goddamn movie telling a small but big story with a committed and passionate group of actors, you will want to watch this.

The Invisible Man (2020)

Well it just makes sense that as soon as this technology existed, a white man would use it to become a stalker, wouldn't it? Elizabeth Moss is amazing as a woman driven to the edge of sanity in this "psychological thriller" all the more terrifying with it's grounding in the very real culture of abuse and misogyny and of not believing women in which we live.

Over the weekend re-watched two totally different classics..Snatch..Forrest Gump..both films are brilliant, both have memorable, quotable dialogue.

Low D wrote:August Wilson.

A master.
Fences is an amazing play.
http://azactorsacademy.com/uploads/play ... 30-YZw5yro

Frances wrote:

Low D wrote:August Wilson.

A master.
Fences is an amazing play.
http://azactorsacademy.com/uploads/play ... 30-YZw5yro

Apparantly this 'Ma Rainey's' film started life with producer Denzel Washington doing all 10 of August Wilson's 'Philedelphia Cycle' with HBO... but what he got was just this, on Netflix. Which I guess is how movies work.

Low D wrote:
Apparantly this 'Ma Rainey's' film started life with producer Denzel Washington doing all 10 of August Wilson's 'Philedelphia Cycle' with HBO... but what he got was just this, on Netflix. Which I guess is how movies work.

Pittsburgh Cycle methinks.

Not a fan of Denzel!!! really. He once directed a Navy themed movie across from my apartment and I was as entranced as when Veronica Mars did the same.

It’s #1 on Netflix in America today so that’s something.





No Direction Home

Denzel is actually just the producer. The director is George C. Wolfe, who mostly does theatre but also film, most famously 'Devil Wears Prada'.

Not mad at the film poster hanging in the shower approach.

Cat Glover is awesome is the concert film.

The Midnight Sky. Saving Ma Rainey's Black Bottom for tonight!