Cinema Cycle - Scenes from a Mall

Scenes from a Mall

Thursday, 02.28.2020

Media

BluRay

Attendees

Bruce Johnson

Notes

1. Life in 1990 Los Angeles
2. Woody and Bette dialogue can be hard to take.
3. In the time before cell phones, every phone has a cord!
4. Malls don't look like this anymore.
5. So far I am underwhelmed.  To much fast Woody dialogue and personal issues. 
6. Not movie escapism, more like movie therapy.
7. Not enjoying this.  Tedious / not funny.
8. Woody takes profound films by foreign directors and puts an American slant on them. 
9. It's a sort of plagiarism. (Scenes from a Marriage)
10. Sex scene in the theater...Really?
11. The best thing about this film is the Mime.
12. All the franchise mall stores that are no longer in business.
13. Fabio in the elevator!
14. Ideal movie for folks going through a divorce.

Cinema Cycle Notes

• 17.4 miles
• 89 minutes
• Odometer =  11792.8 miles 

He Saw / She Saw: Mr. Popper's Penguins

Sue:

I figured this would be a cute, feel good movie with Jim Carrey and was not disappointed. He played a divorced dad, with two children, who inherited a penguin from his deceased father (and then wound up with 5 more).  Silly antics and over all theme that family is more important than work.  Some scenes were not realistic but overall a cute family film.

Bruce:

I was hoping for some light hearted slap-stick entertainment from Mr. Rubberface himself.  Sadly, what I ended up watching was another retread of Hollywood's obsession with re-uniting the broken family through some cute plot twist.  It gets tiring after a while.  There were some key scenes that were apparently cut from this Blu-Ray presentation which made it even more confusing to watch at the end.  The best part of this film was the CGI penguins. 

He Saw / She Saw: Downton Abbey (The Movie)

Sue:

Having watched the series, I was excited to see this movie.  It did not disappoint and I absolutely love watching Maggie Smith playing the part of wise grandmother.  I loved it when she said, “I never argue, I explain.”  For those who have not seen the series it may be difficult at times to follow, but overall, was happy to see almost all the original characters from the TV series.

Bruce:

I don't recall how, but we got sucked into this series back in the day when it was still running on PBS.  I gotta admit, it made me feel homie.  Sort of like an upper crust version of Friends with the Sopranos thrown in .  So, when they all came back in a movie (and I found it in the bargain bin at Safeway - impulse buy!) Sue and I were punching up the microwave popcorn and kicking back the recliners.  It does not disappoint, hitting all the right notes and making you feel satisfied in the end, sort of like eating cotton candy.  (but really GOOD cotton candy)

He Saw / She Saw - The Homesman

Sue:

I want to watch this movie again...I feel like I missed so much.  A spinster (Hylary Swank),  took on the task of trying to transport three women who had experienced mental breakdowns while living in the old West.  So many twists and turns that I did not see coming.  What motivates a person to help others?  Some help for money (Tommy Lee Jones) some because they just do not like seeing others hurt.  And what happens when you do not get what you want?  In the movie you quit trying and hang yourself.  

Bruce:

Not the film you would expect unless you had read the book.  An interesting study of life on the early plains when towns were weeks apart by horse.  Not so much a story arc as it is a long character development with very interesting characters.  While some might find this a rambling film with little direction, it mirrors life, in that you never know what is coming next, and our interactions with those around us have a profound affect on all our futures. 

He Saw / She Saw - A Million Ways To Die In The West

Sue:

This was an hilarious film.  At first it seems odd, but it turns out to be one vulgar sight gag after another.  I was literally laughing out loud through most of the film. 

Bruce:

Pretty much anything Seth MacFarlane does is genius.  I expected this to be a rather silly film, but found it be absolutely hilarious, especially the unrated version, where profanity was the primary weapon and not guns.  

He Saw / She Saw - Escape Plan

Sue:

Stalone was the big attraction for me.  An entertaining film that you can't predict the ending to.  It gets a bit silly near the end, but boys with guns will be boys with guns. 

Bruce:

This was my second viewing of the film.  It is better than you think, with a thinking mans plot interspersed with a lot of violence and gun play.  You know that in the end, 'Arnold' is going to unhook a machine gun and start blowing people away....which he does here with relish. 

Cinema Cycle - Fast & Furious

A basic adverse / buddy film who set aside their differences to go after the really big bad guy with a lot of fancy cars thrown in. A slick film with a good soundtrack, but its target audience (young boys who play video games) is obvious. A fun thrill ride, but hardly realistic or believable.

Cinema Cycle - Rio

Cinema Cycle - Once Upon A Time In America (Extended)

Cinema Cycle - Escape Plan

Cinema Cycle - Batman Begins

Cinema Cycle - Dark City

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

SYNOPSIS: The protagonist in a Matrix like alien world discovers that he is the chosen one.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Another overly stylized dystopian view of a society ruled by an unseen presence.

PROS AND CONS:  

A rather odd film that relies more of style and visuals than a coherent plot.

The storyline is similar to the Matrix Trilogy, in that a chosen / special person discovers that they have the power to expose and defeat those that enslave them.

This may be considered a cult classic by some, and may well be in it’s genre. However, I found it rather tedious to watch.

To read an overview of this project, check out this status posting.  

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - The X-Files: I Want To Believe

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE REVIEWED: 06/27/2017

TITLE: The X-Files: I Want To Believe

FORMAT: BluRay

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hour 49 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 23.2 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 6995.3 miles

SYNOPSIS: Two ex-FBI agents team up to find a kidnapped agent with the help of a pedophile psychic.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Solving mysteries with a bit of the para-normal thrown in along with some interpersonal tension between the two protagonists.

PROS AND CONS:  Not a bad film, although I have never been a fan of the series.  Conspiracy and mumbo-jumbo have never been my favorite suit.  

What separates this from the torrent of mystery dramas on television today is the higher level of production value.  The cinematography, the score, the direction is all notched up a bit here to give it a slicker ‘Silence of the Lambs’ vibe.  

That said, the whole Skully / Mulder relationship is getting a bit long in the tooth folks. These two are destined to be albatrosses around each other’s necks for all eternity at this point.

To read an overview of this project, check out this status posting.  

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - Snowpiercer

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE REVIEWED: 06/23/2017

TITLE: Snowpiercer

FORMAT: BluRay

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 2 hours 11 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 28.1 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 6970.3 miles

SYNOPSIS: A repressed minority struggles to fight their way to the top of the heap.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: A mirror of society and the concept of class struggle and perception of purpose.

PROS AND CONS:  I had heard that this was a sleeper film that bombed at the box office, but was actually very good.  The rumors were correct.  This is a thinking man’s science fiction film that leaves you pondering a lot of things when it is over.  

This film is not for everyone.  It has an odd style with a lot of subplots that go nowhere.  Which in the end is true of life, you don’t get to see how every side-story ends.  When the film ends there is no conclusion, but you are left to ponder a lot of possibilities.

Be warned that this is a violent film.  The violence here is not gratuitous though.  Here the repressed savagely beat their oppressors, but for good reason.  One particular stand out in the cast is Tilda Swinton.  Every time I see this woman on screen, her performance usually outshines her cast mates.

To read an overview of this project, check out this status posting.  

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - The Great Gatsby

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE REVIEWED: 06/19/2017

TITLE: The Great Gatsby

FORMAT: BluRay

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 2 hours 26 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 31 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 6938.4 miles

SYNOPSIS: An ambitious young man goes to great lengths to woo the girl of his dreams, with tragic consequences.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Being the pawn in a high stakes game of illicit romance is never a good thing.

PROS AND CONS:  A fun film to watch with a few flaws.  The story and acting are overshadowed by the overwhelming special effects.  

I will give Baz Luhrman kudos for making films that are always fun to watch.  He is like the anti-Michael Bay.  This film suffers from being a little bit too over the top regarding the special effects.  

My major drawback here is how the story line and acting are presented.  In some scenes the motivation and behavior of the characters does not seem right and you are left scratching your head as to why they said / did something.  

To read an overview of this project, check out this status posting.  

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - Maggie

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE REVIEWED: 06/06/2017

TITLE: Maggie

FORMAT: Blu-Ray

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hour 44 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 21.7 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 6874.2 miles

SYNOPSIS: A farmer must watch his daughter slowly die in a post apocalyptic world that has been decimated by a pandemic.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Depression, death, despair.  This is a dark, dark work.  

PROS AND CONS:  I am not quite sure what to make of this film.  It is well done, with cinematography and score that really set the mood.  Unfortunately, the mood is very depressing.  

About 20 minutes into the work, it dawned on me that this is just an updated Bergman film, dealing with human perception of and dealing with imminent death.  

Technically the film is very good and Arnold is very good as the lead character, but I can’t imagine what the target audience is, maybe those contemplating euthanasia?  

To read an overview of this project, check out this status posting.  

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - Flash Gordon

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE REVIEWED: 05/30/2017

TITLE: Flash Gordon

FORMAT: BluRay

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hour 52 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 22.8 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 6815.7 miles

SYNOPSIS: A football quarterback a travel agent and a mad scientist team up to save the world from a universal warlord.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Comic books come to life, but not with all the brooding and backstory that we have today.  This is fun comics with a sinister edge.

PROS AND CONS:  It has been years since I have seen this and if you haven’t seen it recently (or at all) look at it on a really good television and sound system.  It is a whole lot better than I remembered it.

The production design of the planet Mongo and its moons, along with soundtrack by Queen and Max Von Sydow’s over the top portrayal of Ming the Merciless are all just huge amounts of cinema candy that you munch away on.

One of the things that is surprising about this film is just how much ‘implied’ gore is in it.  Even though it is just a comic book set to cinema, there is a real sense of dread in the film that this Ming guy is not a nice fellow.

To read an overview of this project, check out this status posting.  

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.