EWB Film Club

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

1 hour ago, GoGo Yubari said:

For my pick, I'm leaning towards Elvis and Nixon right now because I think I want to watch something really ridiculous. The Nixon comedy I actually want to watch is probably Dick but I don't think that's streaming anywhere.

Though I just realized that Amistad qualifies and John Quincy Adams' role in that trial has always fascinated me, so now I'm gonna have to think about it.

 

I was thinking about watching Amistad (though mostly because it's one of the few movies on Canadian Netflix that fit the category). 

[MDK]

14 minutes ago, The Canadian Destroyer said:

I was thinking about watching Amistad (though mostly because it's one of the few movies on Canadian Netflix that fit the category). 

Amistad is great. Altho the first time I couldn't get past the beginning because I was super stoned and it freaked me out.

[GoGo Yubari]

I went Elvis and Nixon (2016) after all, because it's shorter than Amistad and I wasn't really up for a super-serious movie this week. It's... an odd one, particularly because Kevin Spacey as Nixon really works and Michael Shannon as Elvis doesn't so much, and so naturally it's the latter we spend way more time with than the former. Shannon's a great actor and he plays everything super-straight and earnest, which is funny given how bugfuck insane Elvis' ambitions in the movie (he goes to the White House to be appointed a Federal Agent At Large who can go "undercover" and disrupt the drug culture that he thinks is ruining the youth of America), but he looks straight-up nothing like Elvis and the main upside of that is that it's hilarious watching all of these minor characters act completely starstruck by him in a way that I don't think is quite intentional. It's like the Chicken Boo segments from Animaniacs where everyone has somehow not caught on that the rock star they're fawning over is actually just a chicken in a black suit and scarf.

Once they finally get Elvis and Nixon into the same scene, the movie really takes off (Elvis explaining his ridiculous secret agent plan to Nixon is amazing) but it takes longer than it probably should and involves a painfully boring subplot about a guy in Elvis' entourage needing to make a flight back to California to meet his girlfriend's parents for the first time. Not really an essential watch, but you could spend an hour and a half in worse ways.

[Your Mom]

Last night I watched The Special Relationship and much to my surprise it wasn't about a secret love affair between Bill Clinton and Tony Blair but instead about politics and them being bros! I thought Dennis Quaid was great as Clinton and Michael Sheen also did a really good job. I don't know enough about Tony Blair to say how accurate he was in the role but he was an engaging character. My only gripe is it made Blair look like this really sharp politician and Clinton look like a hapless douche. I wasn't really following that kind of stuff back then but I felt like this wasn't a completely fair portrayal. Anyway good movie. 

[Benjamin]

7 hours ago, GoGo Yubari said:

I went Elvis and Nixon (2016) after all, because it's shorter than Amistad and I wasn't really up for a super-serious movie this week. It's... an odd one, particularly because Kevin Spacey as Nixon really works and Michael Shannon as Elvis doesn't so much, and so naturally it's the latter we spend way more time with than the former. Shannon's a great actor and he plays everything super-straight and earnest, which is funny given how bugfuck insane Elvis' ambitions in the movie (he goes to the White House to be appointed a Federal Agent At Large who can go "undercover" and disrupt the drug culture that he thinks is ruining the youth of America), but he looks straight-up nothing like Elvis and the main upside of that is that it's hilarious watching all of these minor characters act completely starstruck by him in a way that I don't think is quite intentional. It's like the Chicken Boo segments from Animaniacs where everyone has somehow not caught on that the rock star they're fawning over is actually just a chicken in a black suit and scarf.

Once they finally get Elvis and Nixon into the same scene, the movie really takes off (Elvis explaining his ridiculous secret agent plan to Nixon is amazing) but it takes longer than it probably should and involves a painfully boring subplot about a guy in Elvis' entourage needing to make a flight back to California to meet his girlfriend's parents for the first time. Not really an essential watch, but you could spend an hour and a half in worse ways.

I had a ton of fun with Elvis and Nixon. That subplot you mentioned was the only boring thing I had with it, but Spacey and Shannon were both magnificent. Also, Shannon's absolutely fucking ridiculous look added to hilarity of the entire thing, because my god, that was an amazingly ridiculous main plot. Just a magnificent, silly, film.

[C-MIL]

I googled for a list of movies that fit the advanced criteria. One of them matched a title that had been long and emphatically recommended to me by a friend. So I watched Bubba Hotep. I'm not sure it actually fit the advanced criteria. I'm also not sure I'm going to be friends with that friend anymore. I think I needed something more uplifting this go-round.

 

[Monkey D. Lars]

So I watched W. (2008), Josh Brolin was great and the scenes I liked the most were about Junior before he got to be president. Man, I wish he really boxed with his dad. George W. really fucked up didn't he?

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

Amistad felt really long. Took me two sittings to watch it. Enjoyable film, though. I don't know how I feel about Matthew McConaughey. I feel like I have a hard time enjoying him when he's playing a more serious role. Hopkins as John Quincy Adams was great and you can never go wrong with some Morgan Freeman!

What's next!? This is fun. 

[MDK]

58 minutes ago, The Canadian Destroyer said:

Amistad felt really long. Took me two sittings to watch it. Enjoyable film, though. I don't know how I feel about Matthew McConaughey. I feel like I have a hard time enjoying him when he's playing a more serious role. Hopkins as John Quincy Adams was great and you can never go wrong with some Morgan Freeman!

What's next!? This is fun. 

AND Chiwetel Ejiofor! I love that guy.

[King Ellis]

I watched 2014's A Million Ways to Die in the West, which is something I've been meaning to watch. After learning that it falls under this criteria and that it's readily available on Netflix, that sealed the deal. It can be a little overly crude and lays it on a little thick with it's whole modern thinking 'lol isn't this old fashioned shit we're doing really dumb?!' stuff but it's still good fun and has a number of pleasing cameos.

As for where this ties in to a President, well it's a blink and you'll miss it affair as Gilbert Gottfried makes a small cameo as Abraham Lincoln, possibly a new low for American history, boasting about his vast wealth. Hah, a President bragging about how rich they are, imagine that?!

[GoGo Yubari]

I remember that ended up coming to my movie theater and the only thing I remember from it now is the Django cameo at the end, which was pretty good.

[Your Mom]

Do we have a new theme yet? I was thinking about watching a movie tonight

[Benjamin]

Finally got around to watching Night at the Museum (2006), it wasn't completely horrible, but there's was literally just two moments I remember laughing at (the slapping scene and the roundhouse kick), and everything else ended up being "eurgh, how long more until this movie ends?". But holy cow, Dick Van Dyke can still move amazingly well despite being like 80 when this film was being made.

[Monkey D. Lars]

What will we watch next? Tune in hopefully later today!

[King Ellis]

@Jimmy

We're waiting :/

[MDK]

Bambi II: The Reckoning 

[Jimmy]

@Benkid Nada's choice! 

Sorry, managed to watch a bunch of stuff this week, but didn't find time for the President theme. Will do my best to catch up! Will get round to updating who has watched what shortly. 

Edited November 20, 2016 by Jimmy

[Benjamin]

Man, I really want to make it a Billy Wilder week, because there's something in there for everyone, in my opinion, from romance and comedy to film noir to almost psychological horror to slapstick comedy. The thing is, I have no idea how accessible his filmography is to someone like @Fly the W! and @GoGo Yubari 

I also really just want to punish someone here for saying something so sacrilegious and we all watch Christmas movies this week 

The third idea I had was to watch a documentary film from this century. Preferably not a wrestling one, I guess.

So yeah, guess it depends on which one everyone prefers the most?

[GoGo Yubari]

Documentaries sounds good to me.

[Your Mom]

They all would work for me. I only have 2 choices if we do Billy Wilder though. I mean they both look decent but that's all there is