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Mike Wilder (20 KP) rated The Descendants (2011) in Movies
May 30, 2018
It's a good movie for a quiet afternoon.
Contains spoilers, click to show
I wanted to see this mainly to see if George Clooney was truly deserving of the best actor nomination. I'm a fan of his but he usually always plays the same kind of characters, a flawed and/or ruthless person who has an experience and realises the error of his ways. And this is no different.
George Clooney plays Matt King who along with his family owns a large piece of land on a Hawaiian island. His wife is in a boating accident and is left in a coma. Matt has to put his professional life on hold to take care of his two daughters. He also discovers his wife was seeing another man and wanted to leave him.
This is a good film with every cast member, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard and Judy Greer, doing an excellent job. But it is the performance of Nick Krause as Sid who steals the scene every time he speaks. He adds a needed element of comedy in an otherwise serious film.
So does George Clooney's performance deserve the Oscar nomination and the Golden Globe win? Having not yet watched all the nominated films I can't say. But he is great in this film. He is better than usual showing more emotion and vulnerability than he normally does. But it is the cast as a whole that makes this film work so well. Even though he is in pretty much every scene and it is his story, the cast brings this film to life and helps give his character added dimension.
The film itself is one of those that doesn't really go anywhere. It tells the story that takes place over a few days well. There is no need for character development and no one really learns a life lesson. But the story is good and the characters realistic and interesting.
This is a good film and I enjoyed watching it. It's a good movie for a quiet afternoon.
George Clooney plays Matt King who along with his family owns a large piece of land on a Hawaiian island. His wife is in a boating accident and is left in a coma. Matt has to put his professional life on hold to take care of his two daughters. He also discovers his wife was seeing another man and wanted to leave him.
This is a good film with every cast member, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard and Judy Greer, doing an excellent job. But it is the performance of Nick Krause as Sid who steals the scene every time he speaks. He adds a needed element of comedy in an otherwise serious film.
So does George Clooney's performance deserve the Oscar nomination and the Golden Globe win? Having not yet watched all the nominated films I can't say. But he is great in this film. He is better than usual showing more emotion and vulnerability than he normally does. But it is the cast as a whole that makes this film work so well. Even though he is in pretty much every scene and it is his story, the cast brings this film to life and helps give his character added dimension.
The film itself is one of those that doesn't really go anywhere. It tells the story that takes place over a few days well. There is no need for character development and no one really learns a life lesson. But the story is good and the characters realistic and interesting.
This is a good film and I enjoyed watching it. It's a good movie for a quiet afternoon.
Heathere' (25 KP) rated Busted Jukebox Volume 2 by Shovels & Rope in Music
Mar 17, 2018 (Updated Mar 17, 2018)
Shovels & Rope-Cover Songs
I don't usually like cover songs. I feel that if you are going to do a cover of someone's song, you should make it 'your own'. I love that Shovels & Rope made each track unique and had so many great singers help them out.
Tracks:
~Cleanup Hitter (feat. Brandi Carlile)
-original artist: Bill Carson
~Joey (feat. Nicole Atkins)
-original artist: Concrete Blonde
~Do You Love Me Now (feat. Rhett Miller)
-original artist: The Breeders
~Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain (feat. John Moreland)
-original artist: Willie Nelson
~Untitled 1 (feat. Matthew Logan Vasquez)
-original artist: Sigur Rós
~The Air That I Breathe (feat. Indianola)
-original artist: The Hollies
~I’m Your Man (feat. John Fullbright)
-original artist: Leonard Cohen
~Death Or Glory (feat. Hayes Carll)
-original artist: The Clash
~Epic (feat. Lera Lynn)
-original artist: Faith No More
~You Never Can Tell
-original artist: Chuck Berry
My favorite track is 'Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain'. I heard this song when I asked my Amazon Alexa to shuffle songs by Shovels & Rope. I put the song on repeat and purchased the album without hearing any of the other songs and I picked up Busted Jukebox Volume 1, as well. I'm a fan of Shovels & Rope and was surprised that I hadn't heard of these albums.
Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain, is a Willie Nelson song and this version, featuring John Moreland, is absolutely beautiful. My father, a Willie Nelson fan would have approved of this version. It's a song that makes it very hard to hold back the tears. If I'm being honest, I haven't been able to that, yet.
The most surprising track is Epic, a Faith No More song. It is so different from the original and I really like the different flow that Lera Lynn gave it. The song in it's cover form has given a slightly different meaning to the lyrics. The original was powerful and in your face while this version is powerful and haunting.
Other songs are originally by
I am so happy that I stumbled upon this and I can't wait to see what this amazing duo will bring us next!
Tracks:
~Cleanup Hitter (feat. Brandi Carlile)
-original artist: Bill Carson
~Joey (feat. Nicole Atkins)
-original artist: Concrete Blonde
~Do You Love Me Now (feat. Rhett Miller)
-original artist: The Breeders
~Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain (feat. John Moreland)
-original artist: Willie Nelson
~Untitled 1 (feat. Matthew Logan Vasquez)
-original artist: Sigur Rós
~The Air That I Breathe (feat. Indianola)
-original artist: The Hollies
~I’m Your Man (feat. John Fullbright)
-original artist: Leonard Cohen
~Death Or Glory (feat. Hayes Carll)
-original artist: The Clash
~Epic (feat. Lera Lynn)
-original artist: Faith No More
~You Never Can Tell
-original artist: Chuck Berry
My favorite track is 'Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain'. I heard this song when I asked my Amazon Alexa to shuffle songs by Shovels & Rope. I put the song on repeat and purchased the album without hearing any of the other songs and I picked up Busted Jukebox Volume 1, as well. I'm a fan of Shovels & Rope and was surprised that I hadn't heard of these albums.
Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain, is a Willie Nelson song and this version, featuring John Moreland, is absolutely beautiful. My father, a Willie Nelson fan would have approved of this version. It's a song that makes it very hard to hold back the tears. If I'm being honest, I haven't been able to that, yet.
The most surprising track is Epic, a Faith No More song. It is so different from the original and I really like the different flow that Lera Lynn gave it. The song in it's cover form has given a slightly different meaning to the lyrics. The original was powerful and in your face while this version is powerful and haunting.
Other songs are originally by
I am so happy that I stumbled upon this and I can't wait to see what this amazing duo will bring us next!
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated 21 Bridges (2019) in Movies
Sep 22, 2020
Direction and Lead Performances elevate a "so-so" script
The world lost a tremendous talent when 44 year old Chadwick Boseman lost his battle with cancer. Whether it was as Jackie Robinson in 42, Thurgood Marshall in THURGOOD or as T'Challa/Black Panther in the Marvel movies, Boseman's charm and charisma lept off the screen and drew you into whatever project he is in.
This charm and charisma is very much in evidence in the by-the-book cops chasing robbers action flick 21 BRIDGES. As the cop chasing "the fugitive", Boseman elevates the proceedings to a level above what this average script had to offer.
Set in NYC, 21 BRIDGES tells the tale of Detective Andre Davis (Bozeman) who must chase down a couple of thieves - and cop killers - before they can escape New York. Told in one night, Davis makes the call to close the "21 Bridges" of the island of Manhattan so the bad guys are stuck on the island.
And...that's the first disappointment with this film, it doesn't do anything with that premise. Do the bad guys try to escape on one of those "21 Bridges"? Nope. The bridges are never really mentioned again...so why call this film "21 Bridges"?
What does work is Boseman's performance. His Davis is competent, honest, smart and earnest and you are drawn into his work. As is the work of the person who is thrust into the action as his partner, Vice Cop Frankie Burns (Sienna Miller). You might roll your eyes when you hear Miller's name for her early career was more about being on the tabloid pages than it was about being on the screen, but she has morphed herself - and her career - into something quite interesting through turns in films like FOXCATCHER and AMERICAN SNIPER and she is as equally interesting as Bozeman in this film. The 2 make a good pair.
The rest of the supporting cast - Taylor Kitsch, Keith David and the great J.K. Simmons - are solid, if not spectacular. But there are 2 standouts. Alexander Siddig (Dr. Bashir in STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE 9) is interesting as the "money launderer" and Stephan James (IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK) is just as charming and charismatic as Bozeman as one of the the thieves on the run. If you are looking for a young, charismatic actor to fill the hole created by Bozeman's death, James could very well fit the bill.
I've mentioned that the script by Adam Mervis and Matthew Michael Carnahan is nothing special, but what is special is the Direction by Brian Kirk (a TV Director of such shows as GAME OF THRONES and LUTHER). This is his Major Motion Picture debut (as far as I could tell) and there were some VERY interesting shots and some taught, tense moments. He'll be a director to watch in the future.
While nothing too special, 21 BRIDGES is better than "good enough" - a cops 'n robbers film that will hold your interest for the relatively quick 1 hour and 39 minute running time.
Letter Grade: B
7 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
This charm and charisma is very much in evidence in the by-the-book cops chasing robbers action flick 21 BRIDGES. As the cop chasing "the fugitive", Boseman elevates the proceedings to a level above what this average script had to offer.
Set in NYC, 21 BRIDGES tells the tale of Detective Andre Davis (Bozeman) who must chase down a couple of thieves - and cop killers - before they can escape New York. Told in one night, Davis makes the call to close the "21 Bridges" of the island of Manhattan so the bad guys are stuck on the island.
And...that's the first disappointment with this film, it doesn't do anything with that premise. Do the bad guys try to escape on one of those "21 Bridges"? Nope. The bridges are never really mentioned again...so why call this film "21 Bridges"?
What does work is Boseman's performance. His Davis is competent, honest, smart and earnest and you are drawn into his work. As is the work of the person who is thrust into the action as his partner, Vice Cop Frankie Burns (Sienna Miller). You might roll your eyes when you hear Miller's name for her early career was more about being on the tabloid pages than it was about being on the screen, but she has morphed herself - and her career - into something quite interesting through turns in films like FOXCATCHER and AMERICAN SNIPER and she is as equally interesting as Bozeman in this film. The 2 make a good pair.
The rest of the supporting cast - Taylor Kitsch, Keith David and the great J.K. Simmons - are solid, if not spectacular. But there are 2 standouts. Alexander Siddig (Dr. Bashir in STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE 9) is interesting as the "money launderer" and Stephan James (IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK) is just as charming and charismatic as Bozeman as one of the the thieves on the run. If you are looking for a young, charismatic actor to fill the hole created by Bozeman's death, James could very well fit the bill.
I've mentioned that the script by Adam Mervis and Matthew Michael Carnahan is nothing special, but what is special is the Direction by Brian Kirk (a TV Director of such shows as GAME OF THRONES and LUTHER). This is his Major Motion Picture debut (as far as I could tell) and there were some VERY interesting shots and some taught, tense moments. He'll be a director to watch in the future.
While nothing too special, 21 BRIDGES is better than "good enough" - a cops 'n robbers film that will hold your interest for the relatively quick 1 hour and 39 minute running time.
Letter Grade: B
7 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)