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Note from end: So finishing this post took about 5 hours to do.... I'm reminded why I stopped adding posters, cast info and trailers. Takes a long time and nobody reads my blog anyway. If you do, please comment.
The Lady in the Van (2015)
PG-13
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Biography,
Comedy,
Drama
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13 November 2015 (UK)
A man forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her van that's parked in his driveway.
A man forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her van that's parked in his driveway.
TRAILER:
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Jurassic World (2015)
PG-13 | | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | 12 June 2015 (USA)
A new theme park is built on the original site of
Jurassic Park. Everything is going well until the park's newest
attraction--a genetically modified giant stealth killing
machine--escapes containment and goes on a killing spree.
TRAILER:
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The Distinguished Gentleman (1992)
R | | Comedy, Crime | 4 December 1992 (USA)
A Florida con man uses the passing of the long time
Congressman from his district who he just happens to share a name with,
to get elected to his version of paradise, Congress, where the ...
See full summary »
Director:
Jonathan Lynn
Jonathan Lynn
Watched with S.O. on DVD or VHS? - Such a timely movie, especially in the midst of election season. I gotta say, it's actually an essential movie! It explains how corporations lobby and bribe our elected officials, and how Capitol Hill is all a nasty game. It can be disheartening, but they throw in an honest senator or two so we know there are some people who are interested in making a positive difference for the people they represent. It also shows how some of the elected officials are completely clueless and unqualified when it comes to holding public office. This should almost be a required movie, it is so biting. But it still manages to be funny. A con man gets elected to be a congressman and is going to cheat the system, but first he has to understand the system...then he develops a set of morals and fights back his way. I really liked this film and would watch it again, if only to fire me up before contacting my state's elected officials... Also, reading the IMDB info - I forgot, I was so excited to see writer Daniel Petrie Jr. in the film. He is "a producer and writer, known for Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and Turner and Hooch (1989)". And I met him years ago, along with his equally-well-known brother Donald Petrie. Fun fact, I've also worked on an Eddie Murphy movie too. Can you guess which one? I'll give you a hint: I worked on it in Denver. P.S. Just watching the trailer and saw a parody of the gun lobbyists using semi-automatic weapons to go duck-hunting... yup, still very relevant!
TRAILER:
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Sisters (2015)
R
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Comedy
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18 December 2015 (USA)
Two sisters decide to throw one last house party before their parents sell their family home.
Watched from Redbox with one of MY sisters...and my brother-in-law. :) - You can tell Tina and Amy just love working with each other. Kudos to them for finding ways to do so. It was a fun movie. I'd probably watch it again. There were some great cameos in this. Of course it is absurd, but it's fun and that's what counts, right? I don't feel I need to say much about this because I feel it got plenty of notice/was well-marketed.
TRAILER:
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Connie and Carla (2004)
PG-13 | | Comedy, Crime, Music | 16 April 2004 (USA)
A mob mix-up in Chicago sends two chanteuses
screaming for L.A., where they score a perfect gig: posing as drag
queens on the dinner theater/cabaret circuit. Things get extra-weird
when a guy falls for one of the girls.
TRAILER:
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Straight Talk (1992)
A woman ditches her small town life for big city
Chicago, where she becomes a sensation as a radio show host.
Director:
Barnet Kellman
Watched on DVD sola - Dolly Parton is awesome and this was a fun movie. It deals with simplifying, truth-telling and honesty. It also touches on being true to yourself and doing the right thing. I feel like with Dolly, one knows what kind of film it's going to be. She had original music in it, as expected. Fun note from IMDb: Ron Livingston's feature film debut.
TRAILER:
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Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
R | | Comedy, Drama | 6 January 2006 (USA)
In the 1970s, a young trans woman, Patrick "Kitten"
Braden, comes of age by leaving her Irish town for London, in part to
look for her mother and in part because her gender identity is beyond
the town's understanding.
Watched on DVD, sola. - I picked up this movie thinking I might have seen it before because I like gender-bending/queer movies, but when I got to watching it, it was evident I hadn't seen it before. I enjoyed it. It takes place in Ireland and London in the 70s, so there is a lot of history that isn't altogether familiar, but quite interesting - turmoil politically alongside with poor treatment of non-conforming persons. It's actually based on a book (I mistakenly thought it was memoirs, but it is fiction), and it is set in chapters, which contributes to the serial feeling of the film. As writers, we are warned, all action must be cause and effect. Since some of this was life-based, it had moments of "this happened, then this happened", which is supposed to be a no-no. It more or less ties in so we see the life of the character and understand his/her development. There is, however, the underlying thread that drives the story forward: the desire to meet his/her mother. While watching the film, I thought it was based on a real person's memoirs, since the author of the film and the main character both share the same first name, but I see I'm incorrect, as the wiki page for the author lists him as married to a woman with 2 children. Of course, not impossible for a transgender woman to be married to a woman and have children, this doesn't seem to be the case here. No matter; it is a gripping story that makes you feel for the characters. I enjoyed seeing an errant priest (played by Liam Neeson) take under his wing a transgender woman and an unwed mother and be judged by the town, when in fact, that kind of compassion is really what being a priest is supposed to be about, in my opinion. Anywho, I enjoyed the film and its nuances - cartoon birds that came at the beginning and end to explain things.
TRAILER:
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Bound (1996)
R | | Crime, Drama, Romance | 4 October 1996 (USA)
Corky, a tough female ex con and her lover Violet
concoct a scheme to steal millions of stashed mob money and pin the
blame on Violet's crooked boyfriend Caesar.
Watched on VHS with my boyfriend, as research on film noir and female lovers - These days, VHS color is darker on playback, so that added to the film noir even more than was intended, I'm sure. The drama was high, and one didn't know what the characters would do. As Andy pointed out, it was basically all filmed in one location, so would be relatively cost-efficient to shoot. According to IMDb Trivia, it was shot in 38 days, it "was Joe Pantoliano's first leading role in a film. It's also his favourite role",; Likewise, Jennifer Tilly named Violet as the best role she ever had, and was originally set to play Corky. I liked the film, and how it portrayed female sexuality, which made the story that much more interesting.
TRAILER:
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Once in a Lew Moon (2015)
1h 15min | Documentary, Biography, Drama | 2015 (USA)
Lew Hunter came from a poor house hold and big
dreams to make it in Hollywood. We will give writers around the world
the applause they deserve. From rags to riches came this farm boy from
...
See full summary »
Watched in the theater with the star, director and many others; Lew Hunter is my screenwriting mentor, so it meant a lot to watch this film with him and many of our shared loved ones. There have been a few versions of this film as more footage is found or shot with each showing. It tells how Lew grew up in Nebraska and made a name for himself in the screenwriting world. It tells of those accomplishments, along with testimonies from those that worked with him and/or studied under him. It discusses several of his major accomplishments, both as a writer/producer/mentor, and as a person involved in fighting drug use in his homestate. I really recommend any version of this film that you may get to see.
TRAILER:
MY VIDEO - AFTER THE SCREENING:
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He Said, She Said (1991)
Dan and Lorie are journalists working in the same
office. More often than not they have opposing view of the issue in
question. Deciding that this is hot stuff, a television producer gives
...
See full summary »
Watched on VHS, sola, while S.O.; Once again, VHS quality turns the films a bit darker than they are supposed to be. Sad face. The film is intended to show two sides to the same story, which makes you wonder which is correct. I of course, am apt to believe the female version ;) juuuuuust kidding. As there are some things you find out in his story that also seem to be more accurate. But it's an interesting take on the romantic comedy because it's true that we often only see events from our own perspective, which is why we have altercations, hence the film.
TRAILER:
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Big Business (1988)
In the 1940s in the small town of Jupiter Hollow,
two sets of identical twins are born in the same hospital on the same
night. One set to a poor local family and the other to a rich family ...
See full summary »
Watched on DVD sola - One of the great things I love about getting hooked on Grace and Frankie is that I get excited to see some of their previous work. This was a crazy and fun idea for a movie. Misrecognition, dynamic personalities. Great comedic chops. Loved it and would watch it again of course.
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Gulaab Gang (2014)
A fearless woman fights social injustice; creating a
sanctuary for abused women and battling a crooked politician.
Watched on Youtube for research - I'm researching vigilante justice and this film is a Bollywood version of a real group of Indian women who fight back against injustice, especially in rural areas where cops are easily bribed. This film version is interesting because the antagonist is a female, which I appreciate because it's not about men versus women, but love of justice versus love of power. It's about how far does one go with violence to bring about justice.
FULL MOVIE:
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The Brave One (2007)
A woman struggles to recover from a brutal attack by setting out on a mission for revenge.
TRAILER:
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Turbo Kid (2015)
In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a comic book fan
dons the persona of his favourite hero to save his enthusiastic friend
and fight a tyrannical overlord.
Stars:
Munro Chambers,
Laurence Leboeuf,
Michael Ironside
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See full cast & crew »Watched on DVD with S.O. - I appreciated the homage to 80s films and it fit the bill. It was fun, creative and a nice modern throwback.
TRAILER:
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All of Me (1984)
A dying millionnaire has her soul transferred into a
younger, willing woman. But something goes wrong, and she finds herself
in her lawyer's body - together with the lawyer.
Stars:
Steve Martin,
Lily Tomlin,
Victoria Tennant
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See full cast & crew »Watched on DVD sola; I wasn't sure what the movie synopsis was when I picked it up; it wasn't clear when I read through it the first time, but I knew that with that star power, I was in. Steve Martin's body comedy is stellar in this film, which you'll see in the trailer. It was a good time. AND the title song was performed by Joe Williams, a favorite of my writing mentor, so that held a special part for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and would definitely watch it again.
TRAILER:
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Cooties (2014)
R | | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi | 18 September 2015 (USA)
A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary
school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An
unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their
lives.
Watched on Blu-ray with S.O. Andy - One of Andy's recent purchases I wanted to watch with him. Children can be terrifying so it was awesome to see them as the monster. Fun movie and cast, varying characters. Wonder what's next....
TRAILER:
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Nuts (1987)
R | | Drama, Thriller | 11 December 1987 (USA)
A high-class call girl accused of murder fights for
the right to stand trial rather than be declared mentally incompetent.
Watched on VHS with S.O. Andy - Another case of old VHS throwing off a bit of the brightness of the film. This was a great drama. Based on a play, it kept our attention. The stakes were always high for the characters. We are used to seeing films of full courtrooms, but this one was about even getting to a regular trial. A volatile woman had to proved that she wasn't crazy, with the help of a new lawyer, to show that other people's opinions aren't always correct. Really enjoyed it. Barbra had a stand-out performance. Leslie Nielsen had a crazy role too. Great film.
TRAILER:
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So finishing this post took about 5 hours to do.... I'm reminded why I stopped adding posters, cast info and trailers. Takes a long time and nobody reads my blog anyway. If you do, please comment. 