Guess I need to watch Lost in America now, given all the love from people who enjoyed Defending Your Life. Certainly need a rewatch of the latter.

After the recent discussion of Albert Brooks (that I'll take credit for starting ), I tried out one of the other movies that was recommended

Broadcast News

This is a 1980's rom-com/dramedy that deals with 3 people who are in a love triangle, and are much better at their jobs than they are at love. It doesn't help them, that they are also much more interested in their jobs than they are in falling (or staying) in love.

William Hurt plays Tom, a new local anchor, who has a pretty face and a good voice but doesn't understand exactly what he's doing, other than that he really wants to make it. Albert Brooks plays Aaron, a well qualified reporter who wants to make it big as Network Anchor, but just doesn't have the look or stage presence to make it to the big leagues. Holly Hunter plays Jane, a producer at the top of her game, but that lets her professional life interfere with her personal life.

Aaron has unrequited feelings towards Jane. Jane and Tom have more chemistry between them, despite the fact that Tom stands for everything that Jane is against. There's a lot of 'he knows that I know that he knows that I'm after his girlfriend' type of interactions, and they are all wonderfully awkward.

The actual news scenes are expertly crafted. There are a few sequences that stand out. There's the backroom piecing together of a video clip 2 minutes before it needs to air with Joan Cusack that was a ball. Then there's the earpiece scene where Jane feeds Tom a bunch of lines live on air, and it's a magnificent showcase of how a good script can elevate a scene into something truly special. Tom tells Jane that having her in his ear was better than sex. Her facial reaction tells us everything we need to know about her feelings.

The battle of wits and sexes is fantastic. Hunter is especially terrific. She gets her crying out in the morning before the work day starts, and then she's all business. There's a little girl just screaming from inside and needing to be loved. At one point, Jane confronts Tom and says that something he did that was unethical is what gets people fired. He responds that it's what got him promoted. They are both right. At another point, Jane is told by one of the more senior executives that it must feel great to always be the smartest person in the room and to always be right. She tells him it's actually awful. We see the pain in her face, but she won't compromise her values for what she truly believes is right.

Brooks and Hurt are fantastic as rivals in both business and love, and there's no need for a cliche physical confrontation. Hurt has a terrific scene where he sits back in his chair and relishes a failure of Brooks, without sounding too condescending. Brooks is fantastic as the sad puppy-dog who just wants to have his feelings returned by the woman who he knows is right for him.

I was honestly unsure how this movie was going to end, and was not disappointed at all with the direction they went. I honestly could've seen them going in one of any of the 3 different directions, and would probably have been satisfied.

This is going in my top 5 rom-com's along with Defending Your Life, so I guess it's time for me to just watch everything that Albert Brooks has ever done.

Great review! I'm glad that you thoroughly enjoyed the movie. FWIW, this was my pick in the other thread for favorite movie from 1987. (And Lost in America was my pick from its year as well, so you can tell that I'm a big Albert Brooks fan.)

it comes at night very good movie albeit not one i want to really sit through for a while. i don't have the answers to any of the spoiler questions and don't really care about the answers as i don't think there are any. definitely worth a watch for anyone who likes suspenseful movies. that director is one to watch out for for sure. would recommend going in not really knowing anything about the plot and just go for the ride

Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic (dubbed)

Dubbing: annoying at first, but then I got snapped in and enjoyed it.

Passenger liner crashes into an iceberg: Not an original plot device, but it works here -- there's a word for putting in an element that the audience will be familiar with, but I have no idea what it is.

Zombies: Yeah, they're in here, and I'm sick of them, but they were different and amusing, especially when they were bobbing around the iceberg <I guess I should have put that as a spoiler, but wtf, I already mentioned the iceberg>, so I'm OK with the zombies.

Titanic: Played by The Campania.

Miyamoto Musashi: played by 13 year-old, green-eyed, blonde twin-tailed, blue-blooded Lizzy, to great and lethal effect.

Grim Reaper(s): Not as amusing as Disc World's Death, but still innovative and fun.

If Kurosawa had lived long enough to animate a British Steampunk Zombie Samurai movie, it may have ended up something like this. If you're not familiar with the Black Butler franchise, no worry, they pause the action after an hour or so and do a ton of exposition. Besides, if you can sit through an Albert Brooks movie, you can sit through anything, so...

Check it out!

Really not interested in seeing It Comes at Night after how depressing and awful you're all making it sound.

The music from Moana (and La La Land to a lesser extent) has stuck in my craw in the good way, after listening to the soundtracks. It's rare for me that a song hits me on the first time. Are other people like that?

ha

Thanks for mentioning that this was currently on HBO. I've been watching some old classics on my laptop in bed on TCM.com late at night, but last night I switched to HBOGO and re-watched Defending Your Life. There's not a bad scene or a missed opportunity in the entire movie. The two hours just flew by.

I think I need to change my pick for favorite movie of 1991. I somehow went with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country over Defending Your Life. Even after having just watched it last night, I think I'd still rather watch Defending Your Life again this morning rather than Star Trek VI.

Speaking of that thread about favorite films from every year since you were born, when are we going to get your list rbenuck? (Not to mention the remainder of MSchu's list?)

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/63...-born-1660055/

I know, I've been putting it off because I know it's going to take some time that I don't really have right now. I'll get to it eventually though, I promise.

Sorry, I posted and then ditched.

Yeah, you'll like it. Nothing groundbreaking. Very similar type of documentary. Guy tries to set a record, another guy tries to set it, etc.

Billy Mitchell is a good guy in this one, though.

Train to Busan - Netflix

Korean horror/thriller. Sort of World War Z meets Snowpiercer.

Overworked divorced businessman has custody of his six-year old (or thereabouts) daughter, but isn't very involved in her life. She wants to visit her mom in Busan for her birthday because dad doesn't pay attention to her, so he takes her.

Infected person gets on the train as the doors close, all hell breaks loose. The country has gone to **** outside, too, so the uninfected passengers are stuck trying to figure out how to survive.

Very well done. Scary, emotional, and well-shot. Would watch again.

His brother is super-Dave Osborne/Marty Funkhauser. I had occasion to meet a 3rd brother, Cliff, who told me Albert turned down the Charles Grodin role in Midnight Run.

BTW, Cliff Einstein has one of the great private modern art collections in America. But that's for a different thread

Great scene here. I love "you gonna run broke?"

get out

Very, very good. Don't watch the trailer, don't read sypnosis. I can imagine its so much better that way.
Go watch it.

Kong Skull island I honestly wasn't expecting much more than shlocky action movie with some big names to bring in some dollars.

I have to admit I really enjoyed it. Samuel Jackson is great as usual. Goodman seemed a little flat as did some of the others. John c Reilly, though, was awesome.

This movie doesn't mess around with a lot if back story or character building. It dives head first into the action and never slows down.

The creatures are fantastic and Kong is big and bad. Really big.

I didn't love it as much as Jackson's version but it is a great popcorn movie.

Bridge of Spies - 8.5/10

Really enjoyable and informative movie about the Cold War and more specifically the numerous spies who lived undercover in enemy territory.

Tom Hanks plays a lawyer begrudgingly representing a man on trial for being a Russian spy. There's a reason he's been a movie star forever - he is such a compelling actor and he is perfectly cast here.

It is clear from the beginning that this movie is less about the alleged crime and more about the realities of war and the difficult legal and ethical dilemmas they can create. Especially in the Cold War where the goal is to ultimately avoid war without capitulating.

Mark Rylance plays the accused spy and won the Oscar for best supporting actor. He deserved it. This is a very well-made movie.

Mark Rylance was amazing in the miniseries Wolf Hall where he plays Thomas Cromwell, he really puts a sympathetic spin on a character that is historically portrayed as a callous, ambitious man.

Mark Rylance really stole the show. In a movie headlined by Tom Hanks he somehow managed to be the most likeable and sympathetic character.

Doesn't seem like this thread's cup of tea but anyone see Rough Night? I thought it was pretty funny, nothing special but Kate McKinnon is a comedy god.

I know that this isn't about a movie per se, but given that he's spoken of frequently in this thread for his incredible portrayals in whatever role he takes on (plus the fact that he is the only three-time winner for Best Actor and is considered perhaps the best actor of his generation), I thought it appropriate to discuss the following news here: Daniel Day-Lewis has announced that he is retiring from acting (both stage and screen).

He has a film in the can (Phantom Thread) due to be released December 25th. Phantom Thread is his first - - - and apparently final - - - film since Lincoln five years ago.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/enter...=.49a8b72aa4ff

Watched Gone Baby Gone last night, I liked it. Good solid mainstream entertainment, I'd say it even exceeded my somewhat measured expectations. Young Casey Affleck pre-Oscar does a fine job at the center, a credit to the nepotism that got him the part. Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Amy Madigan, McNulty's gf as a crack ho mother, Omar as a cop, etc. What's not to like!

Woke up just now at 5 am, fire up the TCM for some classic old B&W movie action, and what do I find but Pink Floyd - The Wall. I hadn't seen this since a midnight show in Boise, Idaho in 1982. It's wild and wacky, that's for sure. I couldn't take for than a few minutes of it this time around though. I did catch the Nazi-like rally where Bob Geldolf sans eyebrows is ordering minorities up against the wall, that was fun.

gone baby gone absolutely fantastic.

just another reason why 2007 was the GOAT year in film.

Watched The Town for like the third time last night. Think I enjoyed it much more this time around.

Some Kind of Wonderful
Angel Heart
Lethal Weapon
Evil Dead II
Raising Arizona
Beverly Hills Cop II
Predator
The Witches of Eastwick
Roxanne
Spaceballs
Adventures in Babysitting
Full Metal Jacket
RoboCop
The Lost Boys
Less Than Zero
The Running Man
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Throw Momma from the Train
Wall Street
Broadcast News
Good Morning, Vietnam
Fatal Attraction
The Untouchables
Near Dark
The Princess Bride


It may not be the best, but 1987 is still my favorite. Even with Superman 4, Jaws 4, Leonard Part 6, and of course Ishtar.