The Official Last Movie You Saw Thread (Part 2)

[Joneslab]

Off-topic, but Downes have you heard of the book The Cartel by Don Winslow?

It's not really my cup o' tea but I've heard it's amazing. Actually I'd probably love it as it sounds in some ways like Breakiing Bad. I'd be intrigued to know what you think so maybe I'd be pushed into picking it up.

Was on all kind of 2015 best lists. Winslow wrote the book Savages, which was also not really my cup o' just from reading the flap copy (I don't usually like international crime/drug syndicate stories), but that's an awesome novel. (Was made into a film by Oliver Stone that I haven't seen.)

[George]

Funny you ask. I got a Barnes & Noble gift card for Christmas and The Cartel was one of the books I picked up. Haven't read it yet, but it's next on the list. I'll probably start it next week once I've had a chance to get through the first week with my new students. I'll post about it in the book thread once I've finished it.

Didn't know Savages was a book, but the movie wasn't very good - at least not what I saw. Granted, it was a television edit, but still. Didn't seem all that great.

[Joneslab]

Funny you ask. I got a Barnes & Noble gift card for Christmas and The Cartel was one of the books I picked up. Haven't read it yet, but it's next on the list. I'll probably start it next week once I've had a chance to get through the first week with my new students. I'll post about it in the book thread once I've finished it.

Didn't know Savages was a book, but the movie wasn't very good - at least not what I saw. Granted, it was a television edit, but still. Didn't seem all that great.

Let me know what you think. I've always been tempted to pick it up.

Savages was one of those books that I waited and waited to read, but when I got into it (cliché alert) I couldn't put it down. Written in this weird, hectic style that's way more hip than a guy named Don Winslow should be. Really interesting and fast read.

[Joneslab]

Saw where The Wire's Idris Elba had been cast as the Gunslinger in the movie version of Stephen King's novel.

I've always wanted to read those books all the way through but for some reason haven't been able to muster up the courage. I read the first two back in high school; really liked the first one (which King wrote himself in high school), liked the second one, never could get through the third.

But they've been referenced by so many people as inspiration, including J.J. Abrams. I might have to try and make it through the entire series.

[George]

Saw where The Wire's Idris Elba had been cast as the Gunslinger in the movie version of Stephen King's novel.

I've always wanted to read those books all the way through but for some reason haven't been able to muster up the courage. I read the first two back in high school; really liked the first one (which King wrote himself in high school), liked the second one, never could get through the third.

But they've been referenced by so many people as inspiration, including J.J. Abrams. I might have to try and make it through the entire series.

This may or may not make me a criminal, but I've never read a single Stephen King novel. I've only read a couple of his short stories, and his memoir/essay collection, On Writing (which is great). The references you're talking about have also piqued my interest, but, like The Sopranos, I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

[Joneslab]

This may or may not make me a criminal, but I've never read a single Stephen King novel. I've only read a couple of his short stories, and his memoir/essay collection, On Writing (which is great). The references you're talking about have also piqued my interest, but, like The Sopranos, I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

I got into King big time back in high school. When I first started reading fiction seriously (15, 16 years old) King was the only writer I'd read.

Like a lot of writers with a massive body of work, it's a lot of hit and miss with King. I think some of his books are better appreciated by children, strangely; a lot of it borders on what we'd now call YA.

I highly recommend Joyland, which is one of his recent books. It's a pretty stunning novel and not anything like you'd expect. King is one of the rare writers who's gotten better as he's aged. His writing used to lean into this area of 1950s-ish stuff, but as he's gotten older he writes with much more intensity.

His book 11/22/63, about the Kennedy assassination, is also pretty incredible. It's going to be a show on Hulu soon. There are movements in that book that are achingly good.

King used to be kind of shock-and-awe, but as he's gotten sober he has turned into something of a stylist. But really what makes him popular is how much he seems to love his characters. All his novels are frontloaded with these long (sometimes hundreds of pages) investigations of the inner workings of his characters.

Maybe nobody in modern American fiction loves the people he creates like King does. He seems to even love his villains.

[KCKUKFan]

I got into King big time back in high school. When I first started reading fiction seriously (15, 16 years old) King was the only writer I'd read.

Like a lot of writers with a massive body of work, it's a lot of hit and miss with King. I think some of his books are better appreciated by children, strangely; a lot of it borders on what we'd now call YA.

I highly recommend Joyland, which is one of his recent books. It's a pretty stunning novel and not anything like you'd expect. King is one of the rare writers who's gotten better as he's aged. His writing used to lean into this area of 1950s-ish stuff, but as he's gotten older he writes with much more intensity.

His book 11/22/63, about the Kennedy assassination, is also pretty incredible. It's going to be a show on Hulu soon. There are movements in that book that are achingly good.

King used to be kind of shock-and-awe, but as he's gotten sober he has turned into something of a stylist. But really what makes him popular is how much he seems to love his characters. All his novels are frontloaded with these long (sometimes hundreds of pages) investigations of the inner workings of his characters.

Maybe nobody in modern American fiction loves the people he creates like King does. He seems to even love his villains.

I really enjoyed King's "Revival" from a couple of years ago. Not essential, but entertaining. His sequel to "The Shining," "Doctor Sleep" was pretty good, too.

"It" is still his finest achievement (a masterpiece), followed by the original (read: condensed) version of "The Stand," and then probably "The Dark Tower" series.

One of King's biggest problems early in his career was his inability to stick landings. He would build such incredible characters, location and tension throughout the usually massive span of his novels, but rarely stuck the ending in a satisfactory matter. He has improved upon this as he's aged, however.

[Blue Heaven]

Sicario- I thouroughly was enjoying this awesome movie up to a point. After that I still liked it, but the 180 it took was unexpected but enjoyable as well. It felt as like the director just wanted to start making another movie because there was really not a lot of build up up to that point. Still a great movie with great performances, especially Emily Blunt and Benecio DelToro.

[George]

Sicario- I thouroughly was enjoying this awesome movie up to a point. After that I still liked it, but the 180 it took was unexpected but enjoyable as well. It felt as like the director just wanted to start making another movie because there was really not a lot of build up up to that point. Still a great movie with great performances, especially Emily Blunt and Benecio DelToro.

Sicario.

Acting and writing are both superb - though the story takes a turn toward the end that may throw off some viewers. We're with Emily Blunt's character all the way, absorbing the situation in step with her, and then...we aren't. That's all I'll say for now.

We have to be talking about the same thing. I'm okay with it because I felt like that particular character and his purpose were meant to be mysteries throughout the film, and that turning point was the big reveal. I understand, though, where you're coming from.

[Blue Heaven]

Straight Outta Compton- There will be a TON of 60+ year old folks who will nhate this movie before they even see it. They will hate it because they're kids were jamming this in there room in mostly white suburbia in ther 80's and 90's (sorry Mom and Dad).. If those folks could look past that though, they will find a great movie with a ton of heart. I really had no desire to see this as my hip hop days have LONG been in the rearview. This movie was getting such good reviews though that I had to give it a shot. I am so glad I did. There were great performances and the music was hard hitting. Funny how the mind retains information because I still knew every word to their songs. This is a long movie and a lot of characters are thrown at you. However the movie keeps a brisk pace and never bogs down. I knew a lot of this story already but it didn't matter. A fantastic movie that IMO should have at least got a Best Picture nomination.

[TrueblueCATfan]

The Forest......Saw this yesterday......creepy and weird

[KCKUKFan]

I enjoyed the swerve in "Sicario." I actually enjoyed the film more after the focus drifted from Emily Blunt's character.

"Straight Outta Compton" was entertaining, but it was a complete white-wash of the band's history, especially as it pertains to Dr. Dre. And they made Eazy-E look like a saint who tried to make peace before his death, when anybody who knows anything about hip-hop history knows that never happened.

[Blue Heaven]

"Straight Outta Compton" was entertaining, but it was a complete white-wash of the band's history, especially as it pertains to Dr. Dre. And they made Eazy-E look like a saint who tried to make peace before his death, when anybody who knows anything about hip-hop history knows that never happened.

They obviously took liberties with the story, especially that of Eazy-E. I still thoroughly enjoyed it though it was a tad overlong. I absolutely loved that Gangsta Rap when it came out. I will never forget picking out some cassettes with my Mom that would be Christmas gifts for me. Obviously I grabbed NWA and Eazy-E's. A few days after Christmas my buddy and I were listening to them in my room. My Dad walks in and asks if he was the one who paid for that crap (though he didn't say crap). I said yes then he says sternly that he better not ever hear that "crap" again and that I'd better use headphones. Saw NWA and Eazy at Louisville Gardens with a friend of mine. It was my first concert and I was worried we'd be the only white boys there. It was about a 50/50 split. Good memories there my friend.

[Joneslab]

The Cheshire Murders.

I'm still on a true crime kick after Making a Murderer, so I tracked down this HBO doc from a couple years ago. It focuses on the bizarre murder of a family in Connecticut. (Strangely, there's mention of Michael Ross, who I was ironically just listening about this week on this podcast. Ross was the last person executed in Connecticut, and in some ways this documentary is about the death penalty.)

It's similar to MaM in that it goes into the psychology of the killers. Where it's different is that it has none of the plot twists or shocking moments of MaM; you know who did it early on and there's very little in the way of surprises. But this is a wrenching film...and I mean wrenching. I've seen a lot of bizarre stuff, but this may be the most disturbing movie I've ever seen simply because of the way these guys committed their crime.

A sad, dark, heavy movie in the mode of Dear Zachary or What's Wrong with Aunt Diane? Not for everyone but very well-made and riveting if you like stories of bizarre human psychology.

[KCKUKFan]

They obviously took liberties with the story, especially that of Eazy-E. I still thoroughly enjoyed it though it was a tad overlong. I absolutely loved that Gangsta Rap when it came out. I will never forget picking out some cassettes with my Mom that would be Christmas gifts for me. Obviously I grabbed NWA and Eazy-E's. A few days after Christmas my buddy and I were listening to them in my room. My Dad walks in and asks if he was the one who paid for that crap (though he didn't say crap). I said yes then he says sternly that he better not ever hear that "crap" again and that I'd better use headphones. Saw NWA and Eazy at Louisville Gardens with a friend of mine. It was my first concert and I was worried we'd be the only white boys there. It was about a 50/50 split. Good memories there my friend.

I still love hip-hop. I'm a hip-hop head and probably always will be.

The early gangsta rap albums are still classics that I listen to today: N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton," Dr. Dre's "The Chronic," Snoop's "Doggystyle," the early Ice Cube solo records, all 2Pac. What people miss is that beyond the sexism, misogony and foul language, there's a lot of genuine fire and passion in those records.

"Death Certificate" by Ice Cube might be one of the most thoughtful, angry, poetic, time bomb in the form of an album ever released. I implore people who dismiss rap music to listen to this record in it's entirety to show how good it really can be.