Current movie thread

[Lady Marmalade]

The kids went and saw The Greatest Showman today with friends.  All four of them came out with huge eyeballs.  DS had a look on his face and said to me "That. Was the best movie I've ever seen.  And that's saying a lot."  And as I drove the other girls home, they just kept saying over and over "That was SO good.  SO GOOD!"

 

DD's report was that "Troy from HS Musical is all grown up and WOW, I'm SO glad he didn't stop singing!" 

 

I'll be going with my kids on Tuesday, so I'll report back my thoughts, but both of mine give it a spectacular two thumbs up. 

 

Well, my kids did not lie.  The Greatest Showman was spectacular for sure!  Honestly, I didn't know much going into it other than that it was a musical based on PT Barnum, but that factually it really was nothing like the real life of PT Barnum.  

 

I surely do not care if it is factual or not.  It was a GREAT story.  Completely family friendly.  I think there was one D-word in one of the early songs, but that was it.  No other cussing or inappropriate anything.  The cast was great, the music was very fun, the costuming made me smile and want to see more, and the choreography was delightful.   

 

AND, I feel I have to add that I have never been a fan of the circus in general.  I have always been squicked out by the whole idea.  Clowns totally creep me out, and the treatment of the animals historically is pretty awful.  But there wasn't anything about this movie that tripped my icky circus button.  

[alisoncooks]

My girls and I saw The Greatest Showman today. We all left saying we 1) wanted the soundtrack and 2) wanted to see it again. It was visually stunning and the music was great.

 

And I've got to stop watching things like this when it's TTOTM because I cried at least twice during the movie. (Not that it was sad.)

[Lady Marmalade]

My girls and I saw The Greatest Showman today. We all left saying we 1) wanted the soundtrack and 2) wanted to see it again. It was visually stunning and the music was great.

 

And I've got to stop watching things like this when it's TTOTM because I cried at least twice during the movie. (Not that it was sad.)

 

I am not one who cries much at movies, but this one got me at least half a dozen times!   And it's not TTOTM!  They were happy cries, sappy cries, the "oh my gosh mommy is crying cries".   :glare:

[alisoncooks]

I am not one who cries much at movies, but this one got me at least half a dozen times! And it's not TTOTM! They were happy cries, sappy cries, the "oh my gosh mommy is crying cries". :glare:

LOL, I'm glad it wasn't just me. :p

I tried to tell DH about one of the more moving scenes when we got home, and nearly cried then, too. Good movie.

[Garga]

The local theaters near me have $5 Tuesday.  Tickets to all shows/all times is $5.00.  And one of the theaters also has $2.50 medium popcorn.

 

In September of 2016, I started going to the movies every Tuesday night.  It's the only time in my life where I can do something uninterrupted.  

 

Today I created a list of all the movies I've seen since Sept 2016.  There are 66 movies on my list.  That means I've eaten 66 bags of popcorn since Sept 2016, though I usually split the bag with the friend who goes to the movies with me. :)

 

Here's what I saw most recently:

 

The Greatest Showman.  I took my kids, DS12 and DS15 last night.  In the car on the way home all three of us said, "We need to see that again!"  We all loved it.  I think it helped my sons to see a few bunches of college students there.  The students adored the movie and as soon as the credits started rolling, they all started talking loudly to each other about how much they loved it.  They raved and raved and when a group of girls left the theater, they danced their way across the floor.  They were cute.  

 

It was such a pretty movie.  The scenery was a treat.  I liked how the music was modern, though the story takes place in the mid-1800s:  The movie tells us how opera singer Jenny Lind traveled with Barnum for a bit.  In real life she sang opera, obviously.  For the movie, though, they had her singing a modern day song.  Now, back in the 1800s, the people of that day would have heard her sing the opera and they'd have gotten goosebumps at it and would have loved it.  I liked it that they didn't use opera in the movie.  If she had burst into opera, the actual living audience in the theater wouldn't have really understood it.  They wouldn't have had the emotional impact of hearing her sing and loving it.  But since it was a modern day song in a style we're familiar with and most of us generally enjoy, we got to experience the same emotional impact of hearing her sing as the audiences in the 1800s would have felt.  So, I like how in the movie they had all the dancing and singing be something that our modern day ears would appreciate.  When the Jenny Lind character started singing, it brought tears to my eyes.  If it had been opera, it wouldn't have.  I enjoyed experiencing the emotional impact of using music that I could relate to.

 

Of course, if you look online, you can see where the movie took a lot of liberties from the true facts of Barnum's life.  At the end of the credits where movies all have the line about "any resemblance to someone living or dead is purely coincidental..." they still had that line in there.  It was changed up to read something like this: "While this is based on the lives of actual people, liberties have been taken...any resemblance to someone living..."

 

 

Downsizing.  This was rated R because there was one particular exchange with the f-word used a number of time for humor and there is full frontal male nudity when the people are going through the medical procedure to be downsized.  I don't think there was really anything else that made it more than PG13 except for those parts.  Maybe a few more F-bombs throughout, but not like a movie with Samuel L Jackson in it or something.  There were no s*x scenes.    

 

I liked this movie.  But then again, I like most movies (see above about the 66 movies I've seen recently...). The premise was interesting.  It's not like you see movies every day about people being shrunken down, other than a kid's cartoon perhaps.  I wasn't quite sure which way the very ending would go, so it was fun to let it unfold.

 

 

Star Wars:  I love all things Star Wars, so I loved this one.  I even loved Eps 1, 2, and 3, and everyone knows how bad they are.  :)  (Though I hated Jar Jar.)  I can't really talk rationally about Star Wars.  I just love everything about it, so I was happy with this one.  I saw it twice, actually.  Once at my $5 theater and once at a historic theater an hour away, just for the fun of seeing it in a 740-seat theater.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2018 by Garga

[wintermom]

Has anyone seen the Swedish version of A Man Called Ove?  I saw it a couple of months ago with a book club I was thinking of joining (that is the book we read and we watched the movie after the discussion.)  I didn't think I would like the movie, but I loved it.  I went to watch it with dh, but I was there weren't any subtitles when it first started.  I can't remember when the subtitles started or if it switched over to English.  I was so involved with the movie that I don't remember.  I did hear that they are making an American version with Tom Hanks, but I just don't think it will have the charm of the book or the Swedish movie.  

 

Yes, I watched the Swedish version on Canadian Netflix. It was great! I doubt Hollywood will do the story justice. There will be "beautiful people" cast and have a million more fake dramatic situations added in. Perhaps if the people who did "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" did it, it would be good. It could be called, "A Man Called Nick." ;)

[Joyofsixreboot]

my 10 yo wants to see The Greatest Showman. I guess we'll go tomorrow. Twilight movies are $4.50. One of my (not resolutions but ideas) is to take myself to the movies more often. I want to see Coco and no kid will come do I hope to see it next Tuesday. I need to look at Movie Pass and see if I can buy 2 and then pass them among our family or if they are specific.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[Rachel]

 

Has anyone seen the Swedish version of A Man Called Ove? I saw it a couple of months ago with a book club I was thinking of joining (that is the book we read and we watched the movie after the discussion.) I didn't think I would like the movie, but I loved it. I went to watch it with dh, but I was there weren't any subtitles when it first started. I can't remember when the subtitles started or if it switched over to English. I was so involved with the movie that I don't remember. I did hear that they are making an American version with Tom Hanks, but I just don't think it will have the charm of the book or the Swedish movie.

It’s on Amazon Prime and very good. Normally I would avoid movies with subtitles, but I really liked the book so I gave the movie a shot. Even my husband enjoyed it. I love Tom Hanks, but I can’t picture this movie with him in it.

[Garga]

 I need to look at Movie Pass and see if I can buy 2 and then pass them among our family or if they are specific.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

I have movie pass, even though the Tuesday movies are only $5.  Since I go four times a month, my movie pass still saves me $10 a month.

 

For movie pass, you'll need a phone, the movie pass card, and the movie pass app. 

 

When you're within 100 yards of the theater, you go to the app and click on the movie you want to get.  Then you hand the ticket seller the movie pass card.  The card will show the movie that you clicked on on the app.  You have the option to change the movie or cancel the movie if it turns out it's sold out or you change your mind.  

[Laura in CA]

 

Has anyone seen the Swedish version of A Man Called Ove?  I saw it a couple of months ago with a book club I was thinking of joining (that is the book we read and we watched the movie after the discussion.)  I didn't think I would like the movie, but I loved it.  I went to watch it with dh, but I was there weren't any subtitles when it first started.  I can't remember when the subtitles started or if it switched over to English.  I was so involved with the movie that I don't remember.  I did hear that they are making an American version with Tom Hanks, but I just don't think it will have the charm of the book or the Swedish movie.  

 

 

Yes, I borrowed the movie from our local library and loved it, and made my parents watch it. They then showed it to their friends (one of whom had already read the book). And no, I'm not expecting much from an American version (& would probably skip it), much as I like Tom Hanks.

[TechWife]

I have movie pass, even though the Tuesday movies are only $5. Since I go four times a month, my movie pass still saves me $10 a month.

 

For movie pass, you'll need a phone, the movie pass card, and the movie pass app.

 

When you're within 100 yards of the theater, you go to the app and click on the movie you want to get. Then you hand the ticket seller the movie pass card. The card will show the movie that you clicked on on the app. You have the option to change the movie or cancel the movie if it turns out it's sold out or you change your mind.

I don’t think I’d like giving up the advantage of buying tickets head of time and having them on my phone. I haven’t waited in line at a theater in a few years and I don’t miss that at all! I checked and it seems we have averaged 8 movies per year over the past few years.

[Garga]

I don’t think I’d like giving up the advantage of buying tickets head of time and having them on my phone. I haven’t waited in line at a theater in a few years and I don’t miss that at all! I checked and it seems we have averaged 8 movies per year over the past few years.

Movie pass only seems to be worth it for people who go to the movies a lot.  

 

I live in a mostly rural area and there is rarely more than 5 or 6 people ahead of me in line at a theater.  But I remember the days of living in a busy area and waiting for.ev.er in line--like 45 minutes--so I hear you!

[Garga]

My movie buddy has had surgery and she couldn’t go to the movies with me for the past month. But she was feeling better today, so I took her to see The Greatest Showman. Two other friends were able to come, too.

 

It was as delightful as I remember, and my three friends also said it was a wonderful movie. They loved it, too. I rarely see movies twice, and was worried I’d be bored and wishing I was seeing Jumanji instead (what I was going to see before my friend said she was feeling up to going out), but there were no regrets. I loved it just as much the 2nd time around.

[happypamama]

I really liked The Greatest Showman and wish I’d taken my 15yo daughter because she would have loved it. The soundtrack and sets were all beautiful! I cried and laughed at multiple times (which isn’t really much of a barometer because I cry at *everything* but still, it had just a nice balance). I really liked how it portrayed the circus performers.

[Manora]

DH and I just saw Gifted today. We liked it! The little girl is a fantastic little actress

[Laura in CA]

We just saw "Paddington 2" and I can highly recommend it! It was released in the UK in November, but opened here only this past Friday. I usually shy away from movies w/animated or CG characters, and those based on beloved children's stories, but this one is so well done. To quote the review in the (London) Times which I read while we were there, the movie is a "gorgeous love letter to kindness and [to] London," and "[Paddington 2] might just be the quirkiest, most quintessentially British film phenomenon of the decade." Yes, we were the only adults in the theater without kids in tow, but we didn't care, and I'm going again this week with my mother and some friends. ... It also stars one of my favorite actors, Brendan Gleeson. Hugh Grant is a crackup as a has-been.

 

We saw Darkest Hour again and I enjoyed it as much the second time. It felt like watching a documentary, the acting is so well done.

[Laura in CA]

aww. Glad to hear. Ds really wants to see it and we're planning on going next weekend. My sister lives in London and visited recently. She gave dd Paddington socks.

 

 

I must confess I haven't read the Paddington books (yet), but he was everywhere in London in November, and (after a bit of finagling – they were selling like hotcakes!) I brought home a stuffed bear and he is so cute. And I kind of wish I'd bought the Paddington slippers :) 

[Angie in VA]

Paddington was my dc's nursery theme.  :001_wub:

 

 

Dh and I each got a MoviePass. It hurt to spend so much money, but we're empty nesters now. A few months ago we went to a movie on a Friday night and the tickets cost us $25. I hope this works! 

 

Of course, we ordered them on a weekend, and yesterday was a holiday, so it'll take even longer to receive the cards. I just hope the ones we want to see now are still in theaters when we receive them. It could take up to 2 weeks. 

[Garga]

Since I l last posted I’ve seen The Greatest Showman for a 3rd time, Jumanji, and Forever My Girl.

 

I think I *finally* have The Greatest Showman out of my system. I don’t need to see it a 4th time, though I loved it all three times I saw it. And the bizarre thing is that my boys are infatuated with the songs. They’ve been memorizing the words and will break into one of the songs randomly throughout the day. This is not normal for my boys, people! It’s been a lot of fun, but I’ve never heard either of them actually sing before.

 

Jumanji was a fun little movie. I often start to droop and doze in movies that are geared to kids, but I didn’t in this one. I took my ds12 and he liked it. Pacing was good, story was good, the humor was good. Overall, it was a fun movie to go to and we had a good time.

 

Forever My Girl. I dunno about this one. The male lead was sweaty—really, really sweaty—for about 1/3 of the movie and I found that super disgusting. He starts off singing in a concert and the sweat is pouring off of him. Later he is riding a bicycle in the souther heat and his shirt is drenched. All I could think was “gross.†It’s kinda hard to get into a romantic movie when you are completely disgusted by the male lead. And he was sort of slouchy and mumbly. He was the sort of guy that when a job has to be done, he doesn’t jump up and do it, but he’d sort of slide out of his chair and mosey over to do it. And that drives me a little nuts. I felt like I’d be saying, “Put some elbow grease into it!†to him all the time if I knew him.

 

The plot was overly contrived and it didn’t feel, to me, as if the characters were behaving how people would actually behave in their situations. Or maybe they would, because people do all sorts of odd things. I couldn’t decide if I wanted the movie to end the way it did or not.

 

Meanwhile, my son read The Great Gatsby for school and when he finished, we watched the most recent version with Leonardo Di Caprio in it. We finished it last night and it follows with the book quite a bit. It was one of those times where watching the movie after reading the book worked really well. The movie brought the story to life. My son kept saying, “That’s exactly how I imagined Tom!†“That’s exactly how I imagined X!†There were a couple of tweaks because books and film are different, but not enough to ruin the story.

[Angie in VA]

Our MoviePass cards came yesterday! I ordered on 1/13 (a Saturday on a holiday weekend). I went last night b/c Dh had a meeting. I saw I, Tonya. 

 

The Greatest Showman is still playing here. I could see it again. I paid for it last week b/c my MP card hadn't come yet, and it was a GNO. I at least got the reduced price tix a Costco. 

 

I think DH and I will see The Post this week. 

Edited January 23, 2018 by Angie in VA

[creekland]

We've been traveling and haven't watched a thing since Jumanji.  We offered to take my mom to see something, but she wasn't interested.  It will be the same for FIL.

 

Some of these movies we'll have to catch on Netflix later because we aren't home for long and hubby has to do on site work while we are.  Thanks for those continuing to add your thoughts to what you've seen!

[Annie G]

In our area they are having sing along versions of The Greatest Showman. A friend's 60th birthday is coming up and this weekend a ton of folks are going with him to the sing along show. What fun! (I haven't been able to convince dh to attend)

Are they doing the sing along thing in other places?

[Garga]

Ok—I posted above about Forever My Girl and how I didn’t like it. I’ve read a couple of reviews since then and found out it was written as a young adult novel.

 

That explains everything to me.

 

It felt like something a 16 year old girl might fantasize about. The leading man is sooo irresponsible, but I think we’re supposed to find him “free and wild†or something. I found him just awful. He runs off without telling anyone where he’s going, leaving 20,000 fans high and dry the day of a concert he’s supposed to perform in (twice) and just says, “We’ll pay them back.†His manager is all upset and is always yelling at him which is just how a 16 yo would view a role like that.

 

Everyone yells at the singer because he does some outlandishly irrespondible things, but when he singer then tells them, “My friend died!†they are immediately contrite and it no longer matters that the guy is totally wrecking not only his own career, but that of his manager, publicist, band, and anyone else who works with him to support him.

 

In reality, if the character was acting the way he was, then a normal adult would pull him aside and say, “What’s wrong?†instead of just hollaring at him. But for a teenager, it feels like adults just randomly yell for no reason at all. So all the adult characters yell at the singer all the time, while he acts persecuted.

 

Anyway...I’m probably not being very clear and am typing this trying to beat the clock until my son is done his math....and now he’s done, so I have to go. My point is that the movie feels like something an immature 16 yo teenage girl would fantasize that adults are like and isn’t how actual adults behave at all.

[Annie G]

Ok—I posted above about Forever My Girl and how I didn’t like it. I’ve read a couple of reviews since then and found out it was written as a young adult novel.

 

That explains everything to me.

 

 

We kept seeing the movie advertised on the Hallmark Channel (don't judge, it was dh's escape during a stressful December at work) and we for real thought it was a Hallmark movie!  I'm not surprised by your review. g

[Penguin]

DH bought me and my mom a six month subscription to MoviePass for Christmas. I like to go to the movies more than anyone else I live with, and I don't mind going alone. I thought that getting it set up was a pain. I registered online, but there is no immediate confirmation email, so you don't know if you did it right. I got a Your Card Is On Its Way email several days later. My card took longer than two weeks to arrive - my mom's came much faster than mine.

 

But now that I am up and running, I am looking forward to using it! I have used it once so far. I saw Coco. The visuals were stunning, and I loved the storyline. I was not the only adult in the theater without kids :)

[Angie in VA]

DH bought me and my mom a six month subscription to MoviePass for Christmas. I like to go to the movies more than anyone else I live with, and I don't mind going alone. I thought that getting it set up was a pain. I registered online, but there is no immediate confirmation email, so you don't know if you did it right. I got a Your Card Is On Its Way email several days later. My card took longer than two weeks to arrive - my mom's came much faster than mine.

 

But now that I am up and running, I am looking forward to using it! I have used it once so far. I saw Coco. The visuals were stunning, and I loved the storyline. I was not the only adult in the theater without kids :)

 

 

DH and got our confirmation emails right after signing up. Then we got the "Your pass is on its way" email. Sorry you had to wait so long. 

 

I went alone last night. I have zero problem going alone! 

[Bluegoat]

Well, I've been a few times, which is rare for me, so I'll post.

 

Don't go on if you want no spoilers!

 

I took my dd13, who is a big Poirot fan, to see Murder on the Orient Express.  I am meh about it.  The best parts of the movie seemed to be the CGI train scenes where it was going up the mountain in the storm.  I could imagine it getting some awards for sound production.  There were some appearances by a few good British actors.  Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer played themselves I felt, though they weren't badly cast for all that.

 

What I really did not enjoy was Branagh's version of Poirot.  He just seemed far too broad, almost like a clown version at times.  There were a few scenes at the beginning meant to establish his methodical, eccentric personality and he came off more as rude and weird.  And I wasn't convinced by his brilliant deduction either.  They also made him much more physically active than I'd have liked.  They've him a sort of notional love interest too, which seemed like it added nothing - but it seems like in a lot of times it's obligatory to give these kinds of characters love interests as if we simply won't be able to relate to them on a human level otherwise.  Christie always managed to make Poirot very human and humane in other ways, so it seemed like a bit of a cop out - but really it was seeing this same trick used in so many films and television shows that made it very annoying.

 

 

I also went to see The Last Jedi.  I liked it more than I thought I would, mainly because I had low expectations - I'd heard bad things and I very much disliked The Force Awakens.  I felt that there was not so much reliance on action, fight scenes, and CGI for this movie.  There was more dialogue and I felt like they made some progress with ideas and character development.  There were fewer in-jokes directed to the audience which really bother me - totally break any immersion in the story I have.  I was really happy with a few of the actor's performances.  I liked that What's his face got called out on that stupid and useless helmet.

 

Things I did not like - there were some plotting things, quite a lot of them, that didn't make sense or were very contrived.  That is probably the major issue IMO - I see contrived plotting as a fundamental failure in movies and tv - the one thing that has to happen is that you believe it really could have unfolded that way. (Highlight for spoilers) The whole plot of trying to get onto the other ship, find the code-breaker, etc, was a hot mess from beginning to end.  What kind of military person doesn't realize that sending out a secret mission without telling the commander might be a serious problem?  Or that, wow, maybe he doesn't know everything?  

 

Kylo Ren is not a very good bad guy, which may be on purpose but none of the bad guys are very inspiring, they are all a little lame.  (highlight)And the thing with Leia being frozen was weird and again seemed kind of contrived to get her out of the way so other contrived things could happen.

 

And I am increasingly done with characters depicted with CGI - they do not blend in and look real.  I was rewatching some old Star Trek enterprise episodes the other day and was noticing how great the alien make-up was in the third season - it was so much more solid and real looking, and really biological looking too - much better than the CGI characters in movies like SW.  And that is a show 10 years old with a much smaller budget.  Maybe one day they will get to where they really are as good as real people, but they aren't there yet.  Overall though I felt the use of effects was better in this movie than TFA.  

 

I do have a question though - is it just me, or do movies in 3-D seem to have a few cool 3-D effects at the beginning and then not make much use of it?

 

Edited January 23, 2018 by Bluegoat

[Garga]

Saw The Shape of Water last night. It's rated R for full female nudity, images of someone pleasing themselves, and images of a man and woman having te@. You see the man unclothed from behind and moving during te@. There are also graphic images of injuries (blood) and scenes of people being hurt to get information out of them.

 

Sometimes with an R rating, they can add things that make the story seem more realistic--the story can better reflect how people actually talk, or what they actually do, etc. But sometimes I find the graphic images to be too much. I kinda felt like it was all too much for me in this particular film. I didn't want to see the nudity or the graphic injuries. For me, I felt that it distracted me from the story line, instead of adding to the story line.That's very subjective however. The next person might feel that it was necessary to make the story more realistic.

 

I did enjoy the story. People like to compare it to a beauty and the beast tale where the woman sees the good in the beast. That would be based off the actual fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast and not the cartoon. In the cartoon, the beast is cruel and mean. In the book, he's kind and gentle, but only looks like a beast.

 

I think I'd have loved this movie if it was PG13 and the nudity and blood was toned down. As it was, I liked it yet felt a bit bruised after watching it. It detracted from the beauty of the love story. I wish more time had been spent on showing how the woman and the water beast grew to love each other, rather than focusing on the more violent parts of the movie. It jumped too fast for me into their love and I didn’t feel like I got to see it grow. Those aren’t spoilers, because you can see that that is what the movie is about from the trailers.

 

I loved the settings and overall I did enjoy the movie and am glad that I watched it.

Edited January 24, 2018 by Garga

[Annie G]

We saw 12 Strong last night. I thought it was well done. 

[Garga]

Not really current, but I saw A Ghost Story on DVD the other night. It’s not scary at all.

It’s called a mood piece because some of the scenes are loooooooong. Like, really long. Like, minutes of a completely still screen. Minutes of a person sitting there alone eating a pie. There’s not a lot of action and pretty much no dialogue, but things do happen in the movie.

I was watching it on the couch and my dh was in the next room on the computer, but he could see the tv from where he was. I was sure that he’d make fun of it when it was done, because he doesn’t really like artistic mood movies, but when it was done he said, “I really liked that!â€

I liked it, too. Be ready to watch a slow movie, though. Enough happens that the story moves along, but it’s not all fireworks and guns. It’s slow and steady with a few of those super long scenes thrown in, to create mood.

I’m glad I watched that one. I’d like to see it again with the commentary on, but I had to return it before I had a chance to listen to the commentary. It’s the sort of movie that you think about the days after you watch it. Again—not scary at all.

Edited January 24, 2018 by Garga

[Garga]

Saw The Commuter last night.

 

There's a genre of movies and books about an everyman who gets caught up in some sort of danger.  The person is unable to extricate himself easily from the danger and he almost always looks horribly guilty of something and the police start coming after our everyman hero.  He now has to prove his innocence in addition to getting out of the initial danger.   

 

I don't know what you call that genre, but a number of books and movies follow this type of plot.  There's an element of action, suspense, and mystery in this type of story line.

 

The Commuter was a movie in that style.  

 

Our main character is an ordinary man working an ordinary job.  He gets on the train to come home and a mysterious woman asks him a hypothetical question--if you were given a very small task that would affect someone else on the train, would you do it?  You would be given money for the task, but you would not know how your actions would affect that other person on the train.  

 

Obviously from the trailers, the question isn't hypothetical, and our character finds himself carrying out the small task, though he doesn't really want to.  The danger keeps escalating and the stakes get higher and higher.  Eventually, his actions draw attention to himself and now the police think he's a bad guy.  

 

I wasn't sure if I'd like the movie or not, but I did.  It was fast paced, there was nothing wrong with the acting.  There were a couple of cookie-cutter characters, but that was ok for this style of movie.  The movie was somewhat predicable for its genre, but it was still a fun ride.  You'd have to suspend your disbelief for a number of things, but that's ok.  That's the agreement between this style of movie and the audience.  Some movies have to have a tight plot with no holes, and others can have a few "that would never happen in real life" moments and that's ok.  

 

Escapist movie.  You won't walk away having learned a lesson.  You won't walk away thinking about if for days afterwards.  But it will have been fun while you were there and you'll walk away feeling the way one feels after watching a fun action/suspense/mystery movie.  I would recommend it to other people.

 

[poppy]

My review: The Greatest Showman was such a WONDERFUL cinema experience.  I was thrilled, I laughed, I teared up, I wanted to watch it again after I left.  It was joy.
I know the story doesn't add up at all if you think about it - it's so corny and fake and full of lies.  But I don't care.

 

Well, I've been a few times, which is rare for me, so I'll post.

 

Don't go on if you want no spoilers!

 

I took my dd13, who is a big Poirot fan, to see Murder on the Orient Express.  I am meh about it.  The best parts of the movie seemed to be the CGI train scenes where it was going up the mountain in the storm.  I could imagine it getting some awards for sound production.  There were some appearances by a few good British actors.  Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer played themselves I felt, though they weren't badly cast for all that.

 

What I really did not enjoy was Branagh's version of Poirot.  He just seemed far too broad, almost like a clown version at times.  There were a few scenes at the beginning meant to establish his methodical, eccentric personality and he came off more as rude and weird.  And I wasn't convinced by his brilliant deduction either.  They also made him much more physically active than I'd have liked.  They've him a sort of notional love interest too, which seemed like it added nothing - but it seems like in a lot of times it's obligatory to give these kinds of characters love interests as if we simply won't be able to relate to them on a human level otherwise.  Christie always managed to make Poirot very human and humane in other ways, so it seemed like a bit of a cop out - but really it was seeing this same trick used in so many films and television shows that made it very annoying.

 

 

You do not have a very high opinion of Johnny Depp!!

I know Poirot is an iconic character , etc but this was my first experience with him.  I grasped that he is supposed to be eccentric, brilliant, methodical, righteous, a bit stiff but also kind.  But I agree, it didn't really add up to a full person in this film. 

 

I've liked Kenneth Braughan as an director very much ever since I was in high school and I saw him in a Hitchcock-style movie whose name I can't remember but I really liked.   (Googles: Dead Again)   He's made some wonderful films.  But this one, and the remake of Cinderella, are both just expensive and "good enough" and not as special as they should have been.

 

It made me laugh to realize after the film that one important character was played by Leslie Odom Jr.   I've heard him sing on the Hamilton soundtrack easily 100+ times..... but I had no idea it was that guy when I was watching the film.  If he'd sung, I'd have known his voice right away.

 

 

[Rachel]

Thanks to all of your recommendations, when my husband said he really wanted to see The Greatest Showman, I went in with an open mind. I’m not a big fan of musicals and the one preview I saw didn’t really intrigue me, but it was so good! I loved the soundtrack and just about everything in the movie.

 

Corrected typo.

Edited February 1, 2018 by Rach

[Garga]

Thanks to all of your recommendations, when my husband said he really wanted to see The Greatess Showman, I went in with an open mind. I’m not a big fan of musicals and the one preview I saw didn’t really intrigue me, but it was so good! I loved the soundtrack and just about everything in the movie.

Yes! It’s crazy how likeable this movie is. I go to a new movie every week and never repeat them, until now. I went to see The Greatest Showman three times. My boys rarely go to the movies, but somehow I convinced them to see TGS with me the first time I went and they loved it so much, they insisted on going back. They ask me to play the songs when we’re in the house. They have never, ever asked me to play any music ever. We don’t listen to music in the house here. They have looked up the words to the songs and will sing along. These are boys who never, ever sing to anything. Ever. They keep asking me, “When it comes out, we’re going to buy TGS, right?†They want to watch it at home over and over.

 

What is it about this movie? I can’t wait for it to come out so I can play it at home on a loop and watch it over and over with the boys. I have no idea what it is about it that is so captivating.

 

Every time I watched the scene with the Never Enough song, the hairs on my arms stood up and I’d get shivers through me.

 

The only person I know who didn’t like it at all is my almost 80-yo Texan uncle who often breaks out into yodeling for any reason whatsoever. He had no clue going in that it was a musical and hated it. :)

[Rachel]

Yes! It’s crazy how likeable this movie is. I go to a new movie every week and never repeat them, until now. I went to see The Greatest Showman three times. My boys rarely go to the movies, but somehow I convinced them to see TGS with me the first time I went and they loved it so much, they insisted on going back. They ask me to play the songs when we’re in the house. They have never, ever asked me to play any music ever. We don’t listen to music in the house here. They have looked up the words to the songs and will sing along. These are boys who never, ever sing to anything. Ever. They keep asking me, “When it comes out, we’re going to buy TGS, right?†They want to watch it at home over and over.

 

What is it about this movie? I can’t wait for it to come out so I can play it at home on a loop and watch it over and over with the boys. I have no idea what it is about it that is so captivating.

 

Every time I watched the scene with the Never Enough song, the hairs on my arms stood up and I’d get shivers through me.

 

The only person I know who didn’t like it at all is my almost 80-yo Texan uncle who often breaks out into yodeling for any reason whatsoever. He had no clue going in that it was a musical and hated it. :)

I think I’m going to take my kids to see it too. The 5 year old may not like it but I think all three will enjoy the music.

[alisoncooks]

My girls (9 & 11) and I listen to the Greatest Showman soundtrack on repeat. It's a great soundtrack! We are eagerly awaiting the DVD release.

[Storygirl]

I'll be the lone voice of dissent, I guess, and admit that I didn't like The Greatest Showman as much as I wanted to. Hugh Jackman is one of my all-time favorites, so I had high hopes. I won't go into details, in order to keep from throwing cold water on anyone else's enthusiasm, and I think I'd need to see it again to articulate just exactly why it was less satisfying for me. I know I was bothered by the lack of grounding in time. The girls never aged, for example.

 

But I still love Hugh Jackman. And my girls loved the movie.

[Seasider]

I went to see The Greatest Showman three times....What is it about this movie?

 

:)

I would see it three times just to see the oh so clever scene in the bar. That choreography with Jackman, Ephron and that amazing bartender was fantastic!

 

Plus, the whole rest of the movie. 😂

[poppy]

I'll be the lone voice of dissent, I guess, and admit that I didn't like The Greatest Showman as much as I wanted to. Hugh Jackman is one of my all-time favorites, so I had high hopes. I won't go into details, in order to keep from throwing cold water on anyone else's enthusiasm, and I think I'd need to see it again to articulate just exactly why it was less satisfying for me. I know I was bothered by the lack of grounding in time. The girls never aged, for example.

 

But I still love Hugh Jackman. And my girls loved the movie.

 

Of course you're right.   That's not really PT Barnum, or Jenny Lind,  and that's not how any of it happened at all, it's just wishful thinking and anachronisms.  The costumes, the attitudes and the timeline are way off.  The story is pretty low stakes too.  Every time there is a problem, it gets solved pretty quickly. It's just a fantasy. I  think the movie kind of  winks at these issues in the conversation with the critic and Barnum.  The critic says "it's all a trick!" and Barnum says that hardly matters, look at the people smiling.

 

But the showmanship! And the costumes and production design.  And the music- there are so many distinctly different, cleverly constructed  song and dance numbers.  I saw it a month after it was released and my theater was full, and everyone seemed just transfixed.    It all held together despite everything that could go wrong. It's also pretty clearly a labor of love, which makes me want to root for it too.   So yes, I think your views are completely fair, but I'd still recommend the movie to just about anyone.

[Angie in VA]

Yes! It’s crazy how likeable this movie is. I go to a new movie every week and never repeat them, until now. I went to see The Greatest Showman three times. My boys rarely go to the movies, but somehow I convinced them to see TGS with me the first time I went and they loved it so much, they insisted on going back. They ask me to play the songs when we’re in the house. They have never, ever asked me to play any music ever. We don’t listen to music in the house here. They have looked up the words to the songs and will sing along. These are boys who never, ever sing to anything. Ever. They keep asking me, “When it comes out, we’re going to buy TGS, right?†They want to watch it at home over and over.

 

What is it about this movie? I can’t wait for it to come out so I can play it at home on a loop and watch it over and over with the boys. I have no idea what it is about it that is so captivating.

 

Every time I watched the scene with the Never Enough song, the hairs on my arms stood up and I’d get shivers through me.

 

The only person I know who didn’t like it at all is my almost 80-yo Texan uncle who often breaks out into yodeling for any reason whatsoever. He had no clue going in that it was a musical and hated it. :)

 

Yes! Agreeing with all the positive and, not negative, let's just say realistic critiques of this movie. But that song, that dress, the imagery of this scene are gorgeous. 

[Garga]

I'll be the lone voice of dissent, I guess, and admit that I didn't like The Greatest Showman as much as I wanted to. Hugh Jackman is one of my all-time favorites, so I had high hopes. I won't go into details, in order to keep from throwing cold water on anyone else's enthusiasm, and I think I'd need to see it again to articulate just exactly why it was less satisfying for me. I know I was bothered by the lack of grounding in time. The girls never aged, for example.

 

But I still love Hugh Jackman. And my girls loved the movie.

I did love the movie, but I hear you. This movie is the kind of musical that’s like eating a dinner of cotton candy and popcorn. There’s no real depth to it and a lot of things don’t make a lick of sense, but the dancing is fun, the songs are endlessly contagious, and the sets and costumes are beautiful.

 

I like some musicals (Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music) and greatly dislike others (can’t remember their names, but remember watching them as a teen with my mom and haaaating them). The entire genre isn’t for everyone. It’s ok!

 

ETA:. Grease! I haaaated Grease. I’’ve never met anyone who hates that musical, but I 100% do.

 

 

I would see it three times just to see the oh so clever scene in the bar. That choreography with Jackman, Ephron and that amazing bartender was fantastic!

Plus, the whole rest of the movie. 😂

Yes! I went back the third time for the bar scene and the Never Enough scene. Edited February 1, 2018 by Garga

[Rachel]

We finally saw Paddington 2. We were supposed to see it a while ago, but change of plans. It was cute. I enjoyed it more than the first.

I throughly enjoyed Paddington 2. My 5 year old thinks Paddington 1 is scary (which I don’t get because he had seen all but one Star Wars movie??!?) but we all loved Paddington 2. When I took the kids I thought I was going to end up sitting in the hall with him while the other 2 kids finished the movie but he leaned over and told me it was way better than the first.

[Lanny]

I would like to see "12 Strong".  Sometimes, the movies here begin the same day they begin in the USA. This one isn't even showing on movies that will be shown in the near future...  Possibly they are dubbing it into Spanish.  I hope I don't need to wait until it is on Netflix...

[poppy]

I throughly enjoyed Paddington 2. My 5 year old thinks Paddington 1 is scary (which I don’t get because he had seen all but one Star Wars movie??!?) but we all loved Paddington 2. When I took the kids I thought I was going to end up sitting in the hall with him while the other 2 kids finished the movie but he leaned over and told me it was way better than the first.

 

My daughter had to leave Paddington 1 because she thought it was scary-- she was 8 at the time!! But since then, she has watched it a dozen times on Netflix and adores it.   I'm so, so glad to hear that Paddington 2 is just as special. 

[Annie G]

We saw Hostiles over the weekend.  It was good....but pretty depressing. Nearly everyone died.  

[poppy]

Yes! I went back the third time for the bar scene and the Never Enough scene.

 

This one is my favorite (SPOILERS, don't watch the video if you haven't seen the movie yet!).  Can't wait to see it live at the Oscars.

 

And the big romance number is really delightful.  Both of them, actually.

[Angie in VA]

I did love the movie, but I hear you. This movie is the kind of musical that’s like eating a dinner of cotton candy and popcorn. There’s no real depth to it and a lot of things don’t make a lick of sense, but the dancing is fun, the songs are endlessly contagious, and the sets and costumes are beautiful.

 

I like some musicals (Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music) and greatly dislike others (can’t remember their names, but remember watching them as a teen with my mom and haaaating them). The entire genre isn’t for everyone. It’s ok!

 

ETA:. Grease! I haaaated Grease. I’’ve never met anyone who hates that musical, but I 100% do.

 

 

Yes! I went back the third time for the bar scene and the Never Enough scene.

 

I'm Angie. Pleased to meet you!

 

Never liked that movie!

[ashfern]

I'm Angie. Pleased to meet you!

 

Never liked that movie!

 

:lol: I don't think I've seen the whole movie. But the parts of Grease that I've seen, I don't like. I've also never seen Titanic.  :leaving:  

 

My 15 yo wants to see Greatest Showman. Just trying to figure a time in around her schedule.

[Laura in CA]

My daughter had to leave Paddington 1 because she thought it was scary-- she was 8 at the time!! But since then, she has watched it a dozen times on Netflix and adores it. I'm so, so glad to hear that Paddington 2 is just as special.

The Nicole Kidman villain in the first movie was one-dimensional and just plain scary. But the baddie in "2" is a very funny, scene-stealing Hugh Grant as a vain, washed-up has-been. So funny! And just yesterday WSJ had a home-page article about how "Paddington 2" is the "Godfather 2" of animated family movies (i.e., better than the first one). I heard Hugh Bonneville (Mr Brown) use the same phrase in an interview. I'm going today for the umpteenth time and taking my Spanish teacher and a friend.

 

We are seeing the Greatest Showman next and I can't wait, thanks to the raves here! Also, I decided to skip Shape of Water based on the helpful review here; my husband saw it and agreed I probably wouldn't have liked it. I love this thread! Reviews by people just like me :)

[Storygirl]

I loved Paddington 2!

 

I just saw 12 Strong today (stole a little me-time while my kids were in school). I would have chosen Darkest Hour or Lady Bird if they had been showing at the correct time for my schedule, so it wasn't really my first choice. However, it was gripping and inspiring and included themes about loyalty and what is worth fighting for. If you can handle intense war scenes -- mostly people being shot from a distance -- and a few swear words (not as many as you might think for a movie with such an emotional and raw topic), I recommend it.