Movie Week - A Late Quartet

I’ve already mentioned how I’ve been seeking out Philip Seymour Hoffman films.  I very rarely use the search function in Netflix, but when I put his name in, A Late Quartet popped up. 

It’s always a gamble when you try out a film that you’ve never heard of.  It may be a hidden gem or perhaps you haven’t heard of it for good reason.  I happen to dig that gamble. 

So which one is A Late Quartet? 

Movie Week - The Savages

Like I said earlier in the week, I was completely blown by the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman.  He impressed me whenever he’d pop up in Paul Thomas Anderson films, which made me a fan of his.   He’s probably the best part of Mission Impossible III and I’m sad that he’s gone. 

If there’s a silver lining it’s that I haven’t seen everything he’s done.  I’m still discovering his roles and films. 

The Savages is one of those films. 

Movie Week - Beginners

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I tend to enjoy a good personal movie.  There’s something about a person really investing, emotionally, in a project that makes me want to at least give it a go.  I mean if they put that much into it, the least I can do is to try it our, right? 

Beginners is one of those types of films. 

Movie Week - In A World

I love films that offer a peek into a world that I don’t really know that much about.  I like that into of something that I don’t really understand.  Those films can be a bunch of fun.

I’m also very interested in writing and directing debuts.  I often find inspiration in see how these artists brought their vision to fruition. 

In A World is one such film. 

Movie Week - Escape From Tomorrow

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Part of the joy of Movie Week is checking out a film that I probably wouldn’t have ordinarily have watched.  Sometimes it’s because I wouldn’t have had access to it in theaters or because it’s not a huge movie and it flew under the radar. 

It’s a fun opportunity to venture outside of my normal comfort zone as a viewer.  Of course sometimes it’s not so fun. 

And so we have Escape from Tomorrow. 

Movie Week - World War Z

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I remember reading stories about how World War Z was doomed.  It was over-budget and had to do extensive reshoots.  Those are never good things and the film sounded like a mess.

Still, it ended up being successful enough to have a sequel announced.  World War Z was a hit, despite all of the things that apparently went wrong behind the scenes. 

I was kind of looking forward to watching it. 

Movie Week - Cold Mountain

I am not much of a reader.  I purchase maybe one book a year and I usually don’t read it.  Case in point; I picked up Jay-Z’s Decoded when it was released and never got around to reading it. 

So the whole idea of a film being based on a book, isn’t really a selling point for me.  Maybe if it’s based on a comic book, I might check it out.  But I guess I’m not the biggest fan of adaptations. 

Cold Mountain is an adaptation. 

Movie Week - Lovelace

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Movie Week - Fruitvale Station

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I kind of put off watching Fruitvale Station.  I think I was worried about what sort of mindset it would put me in, especially given the current climate. 

But I’m always rooting for alums of The Wire.  And especially for “Wallace.”

Watching Fruitvale Station was inevitable.

Movie Week - Filth

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I have an Apple TV.   I’m a fan.  It’s crazy convenient and given the other Apple products that I own, it fits right in.

I also have the screensaver set up to the movie poster option.  So, whenever things have been idle for five minutes, up comes a parade of movie posters.  Some are upcoming movies while others have come and flopped.  Some are new to iTunes, while others are apparently available on other services. 

It’s some great advertising.  And it’s how I first came across Filth. 

Movie Week - Pineapple Express

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Seth Rogen and James Franco.  A decade ago you’d never have guessed that in 2014 those two actors would have one foot firmly planted in pretentious.  I don’t think it’s a scenario that many people would have expected, yet it’s totally true.

Franco’s attempt at achieving polymath status has turned his critics into haters.  I’m fine with dude, because for every book of poetry you get a doc on Saturday Night Live.  He knows how to mix things up. 

Rogen on the other hand, not content to be famous as both a writer and comic actor, has recently ventured into social criticism via twitter.  It’s annoying and shows that he takes himself more seriously than anyone else does. 

Which brings us to Pineapple Express.

Movie Week - Lawless

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I remember being intrigued by Lawless.  Two-thirds of the brothers in this film were portrayed by actors that I first became acquainted with via Showtime shows. 

Tom Hardy played Jack Donnelly on Meadowlands, arguably the most compelling character on that show.  And Jason Clarke portrayed Tommy Caffee on Brotherhood, a show that’s easily one of my top ten all time favorites. 

So, how did I feel about Lawless? 

Movie Week - Step Brothers

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I used to be a fan of Will Ferrell.  I can remember when he was the funniest guy on SNL.  I remember watching the Don’t Fear the Reaper sketch live.

I even went along with Will when he ventured to the movies.  At least in the beginning.  Old School was dope and the first Anchorman felt fresh.  But something happened and Will Ferrell movies stopped being “must see.” 

And that’s how I missed Step Brothers the first time around. 

Movie Week - Stoker

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I’m really trying to remember how I first encountered the trailer for Stoker.  I want to say maybe it was in the theater?  Maybe The Charles?  I genuinely can’t recall. 

But I do remember being very intrigued.  It was a very well done trailer that gave the briefest hint of what the film was about  but completely captured the tone and mood of the film.  I liked what I saw and I’ve wanted to check out Stoker ever since. 

I’d missed it on HBO Go a couple times, but thankfully the stars aligned for Movie Week. 

Movie Week - Oldboy

The second part of our “remake double feature” is Oldboy. 

I dig Spike Lee.  I’ve basically been down with Spike from the beginning, though I was clearly too young to be watching She’s Gotta Have It.  I’ve grown to appreciate the type of filmmaker that he is.

He can make a studio picture.  He can also make a personal film.  He’s also made a few “message” films.  But the beauty of Spike Lee is that you know what your in for, depending on the hat that he’s wearing. 

So where does Oldboy fit? 

Movie Week – The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

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I’m a longtime fan of Ben Stiller.  I can’t tell you how happy I was when The Ben Stiller Show was released on dvd.  That was like the one show that really defined my sense of comedy. 

I haven’t been overly thrilled with Ben Stiller’s work in film.  More often than not Ben Stiller’s been playing variations of the same character for most of this millennium.  He hasn’t been a “must see” draw for me for a while. 

Still, I was interested in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. 

Movie Week - Let The Right One In

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The final offering for Movie Week is Let The Right One In.  It’s sort of a departure for me because I’m not really the biggest fan of the horror genre.   I don’t care for monsters or demons and I’m not interested in slasher flicks. 

But this film had a few things going for it.  First off it was foreign.  Secondly, the word of mouth has been nothing but glowing.  And lastly, I was genuinely curious about it. 

So did Movie Week end on a high note or a low note?

Movie Week - Jack Reacher

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After the dismal movie that was Oblivion, I was reluctant to watch other Tom Cruise movie.  I really didn’t know if I could deal with being disappointed twice in a row.  But then I remember something Un Gajje said to me about Jack Reacher. 

Actually that’s not quite right, I remember that Un Gajje had said something to me about Jack Reacher, or rather the female lead, but I didn’t remember what he said.  “The female lead in that…” Tried as I did, I couldn’t remember what he said. 

Spoiler alert: I eventually did.

Movie Week - Oblivion

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Ok, so the actual final double feature for Movie Week is a Tom Cruise double feature.  As my fellow Bronx resident Un Gajje likes to point out to me every chance he gets, Tom Cruise is the greatest living movie star around.  So Oblivion should be a great, right? 

As an added bonus, the film also stars Morgan Freeman, which means if I’m lucky Morgan Freeman’s Dead Hand will be front and center during much of the action.  I think it’s fair to say that I’m the world’s biggest fan of Morgan Freeman’s Dead Hand. 

And so we have Oblivion.

Movie Week - Mud

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Everyone has their own theory about when exactly the McConaissance began.  Clearly we’re still experiencing it, though a loss at the Emmys could possibly signal its decline.  Still you can’t argue that Matthew McConaughey is in full swing. 

But did the McConaissance begin with McConaughey selecting different roles and turning in performances with nuance or did it begin when the critics noticed that he’d begun doing that?  If it’s the latter, then Mud is when it began.