Movies at Home

I didn't actually really like War Horse that much, but it made me cry three separate times - I actually was angry about it, like, "I don't even LIKE this movie, and I am sobbing so hard I have a headache. DAMN YOU SPIELBERG!" (I've never even touched a horse in my life, so I wasn't coming in with my own personal experiences of horse ownership - though I read "Saddle Club" and "Thoroughbred" in elementary school and was slightly obsessed with the idea of horses.) It was a gorgeous movie to look at, with a pretty (though overwrought) score, and I really cared about the horses. But the movie overall? Meh.

The horses were lovely. But the early parts of the film were so hokey with stuff like all the villagers coming out to see the horse plow a field and the alcoholic dad and the long-suffering mom - it reminded me of the really bad live action 60s Disney films. To be honest I didn't make it much past the death of Hiddleston.

Speaking of the aforementioned Tom Hiddleston, I've been watching what's largely responsible for him becoming famous. And technically, it's not a "movie", but since each episode is an hour and a half, each episode of Wallander practically is a movie. It's a BBC crime drama/mystery show starring Kenneth Branagh as Inspector Kurt Wallander, and Tom Hiddleston is one of the junior detectives who he works with. (Hiddleston was able to audition for Thor because Kenneth Branagh convinced the Marvel people he was worth seeing.) Anyhoo, the show is really good, although it could almost be called "Terrible Things Happen Every Time Wallander's Phone Rings". Seriously, after about the fifth episode you just DREAD that phone ringing. Watching it has really reminded me what a good actor Branagh is. Too bad he doesn't get to do it more often. Oh and I also learned from watching this show that Sweden is ridiculously gorgeous. They actually shoot the episodes on location there, and now I am dying to go visit. So so pretty. And I don't just mean Hiddleston's cheekbones.

Another good BBC crime show that's available streaming is The Fall. It's set in Belfast, and Gillian Anderson plays a detective superintendent from London who has been sent there to review a young woman's murder investigation to make sure the local PD didn't screw it up. And while she's investigating it becomes very clear a serial killer is at work. The show doesn't hide the identity of the killer (he's played by the actor who was the Huntsman/Sheriff on Once Upon a Time) so the show really revolves around catching him. Gillian Anderson is great, and her character is really interesting. The first season is only five hour long episodes, so it doesn't take that long to burn through all of them.

Adventures in Amazon Prime led my husband and I to a truly dreadful rom-com called Happy Accidents. We only made it twenty minutes in. Bottom line: Vincent D'Onofrio should never play the lead in a rom-com. All the behaviors that were supposed to be quirky/endearing (in rom-com land, anyway) came across as off-putting and creepy (just like in real life!).

We moved on to Benny and Joon, which was much better, despite it being of the oh-so-90s "severe mental illness can be solved with the love of a hot guy" genre. I was reminded why so many women (myself included) had a massive crush on Johnny Depp back in the day.

Agent Sculder wrote:Speaking of the aforementioned Tom Hiddleston, I've been watching what's largely responsible for him becoming famous.  And technically, it's not a "movie", but since each episode is an hour and a half, each episode of Wallander practically is a movie.  It's a BBC crime drama/mystery show starring Kenneth Branagh as Inspector Kurt Wallander, and Tom Hiddleston is one of the junior detectives who he works with.  (Hiddleston was able to audition for Thor because Kenneth Branagh convinced the Marvel people he was worth seeing.)  Anyhoo, the show is really good, although it could almost be called "Terrible Things Happen Every Time Wallander's Phone Rings".  Seriously, after about the fifth episode you just DREAD that phone ringing.  Watching it has really reminded me what a good actor Branagh is.  Too bad he doesn't get to do it more often.  Oh and I also learned from watching this show that Sweden is ridiculously gorgeous.  They actually shoot the episodes on location there, and now I am dying to go visit.  So so pretty.  And I don't just mean Hiddleston's cheekbones.

That show is such a major downer that my husband and I always swear we won't watch it. And we don't, unless we flip past. Then we inevitably pause, and Branagh sucks us in for another depressing round of viewing. Kind of pisses us off, but we're helpless to resist.

I agree. Wallander is "good", I suppose, but so bleak I can't watch it. I first saw Hiddleston as the cheerful young Mr Buxton in Return to Cranford, really similar to actual Hiddleston. So glad Branagh gave him his big break as Loki. I love when actors play characters so different from type.

We watched a gorgeous French film from 2012 called Comme un chef (The Chef) with Jean Reno last night. It was a sweet, funny film about a famous chef and a younger chef who can't keep a job because he is such a perfectionist. I highly recommend it if you're ever after something light and fluffy!

eventide82 wrote:We watched a gorgeous French film from 2012 called Comme un chef (The Chef) with Jean Reno last night. It was a sweet, funny film about a famous chef and a younger chef who can't keep a job because he is such a perfectionist. I highly recommend it if you're ever after something light and fluffy!

Thank you for the recommendation! That sounds right up my alley. :)

wenchsenior wrote:

Agent Sculder wrote:Speaking of the aforementioned Tom Hiddleston, I've been watching what's largely responsible for him becoming famous.  And technically, it's not a "movie", but since each episode is an hour and a half, each episode of Wallander practically is a movie.  It's a BBC crime drama/mystery show starring Kenneth Branagh as Inspector Kurt Wallander, and Tom Hiddleston is one of the junior detectives who he works with.  (Hiddleston was able to audition for Thor because Kenneth Branagh convinced the Marvel people he was worth seeing.)  Anyhoo, the show is really good, although it could almost be called "Terrible Things Happen Every Time Wallander's Phone Rings".  Seriously, after about the fifth episode you just DREAD that phone ringing.  Watching it has really reminded me what a good actor Branagh is.  Too bad he doesn't get to do it more often.  Oh and I also learned from watching this show that Sweden is ridiculously gorgeous.  They actually shoot the episodes on location there, and now I am dying to go visit.  So so pretty.  And I don't just mean Hiddleston's cheekbones.

That show is such a major downer that my husband and I always swear we won't watch it. And we don't, unless we flip past. Then we inevitably pause, and Branagh sucks us in for another depressing round of viewing. Kind of pisses us off, but we're helpless to resist.

I shamelessly purchased that for Tom Hiddleston, and my sister and I watched several episodes together. We agree about Wallander's Ringtone Of Impending Doom, because that NEVER means anything good. Also, we thought the Hiddleston character probably needs to be mentored more than Wallander is capable of doing. And also that Kurt should get a dog or something, as long as he also arranged for a local kid to walk and feed him when Kurt was off dealing with the Terrible Things.

I like it a lot, but I've learned not to watch two episodes in a row because it gives me the urge to drink vodka (I don't drink) and sit in the dark.

Agent Sculder wrote:
Another good BBC crime show that's available streaming is The Fall.  (snip) The first season is only five hour long episodes, so it doesn't take that long to burn through all of them.

Thanks for that, I mainlined those yesterday. Just - well done all around.

Notes on a Scandal, which was so good, but I don't know why they completely changed the ending from the book. Both Dench and Blanchett fabulous, no surprise. The scenes with the 15 yr old were so uncomfortable (the actor was 16 or 17, but still). I wonder why it didn't get more attention when it came out. I half blame the title, which is think is terrible.

It was quite well recieved. Both Dench and Blanchett were nominated for oscars and I think Bill Nighy got some awards attention too.

You're right, they were nominated for a bunch of things, but didn't win much. Anyway, it was good, in spite of the ending.

I saw The A-Team today. It was terrible and kinda boring. But worst of all was Jessical Biel's performance. She was the least convincing Army officer I have ever seen (and in this movie especially, that is saying something). She was childish, smug, and totally unprofessional, and most of that is down to her performance. I can't really recall having seen her in anything else, so is she always this dreadful or was this movie just special?

I don't ever hate her but I don't ever notice her either. She is the definition of bland. Except in Easy Virtue and The Illusionist. She was surprisingly good in those.

I remember she looked really good in a suit in the A-Team, but the camera wouldn't focus on her long enough for me to really appreciate it. I'm shallow.

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