Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

Widows (2018)

SimoneS

By SimoneS
in Movies

  • Reply
  • Start Topic

Recommended Posts

announcergirl

announcergirl

I saw it today and loved it. Very slow, deep character development. Interesting story and the director made some nice cinematography decisions. The acting is stellar all the way around! So many familiar faces with solid roles and various emotions. Any actor would sink his or her teeth into the roles in this movie just to have opportunity to show ranges of emotion. Good movie.

  • Love 8
Link to comment
SimoneS

SimoneS

  • Author
(edited)
1 hour ago, announcergirl said:

I saw it today and loved it. Very slow, deep character development. Interesting story and the director made some nice cinematography decisions. The acting is stellar all the way around! So many familiar faces with solid roles and various emotions. Any actor would sink his or her teeth into the roles in this movie just to have opportunity to show ranges of emotion. Good movie.

I am glad to hear this. I won't be able to go see it until next week. I am really excited. The movie is getting Oscar buzz.

Edited by SimoneS
  • Love 2
Link to comment
Silver Raven

Silver Raven

(edited)

This is not really the action flick that the previews promise, instead, it's an awesome character arc film.  From several characters, in particular Viola Davis's and Elizabeth Debicki's characters.

Man, Daniel Kaluuya was scary!

I was just watching Testament the other day, when Lukas Haas was seven years old.  He's all grown up now.

Edited by Silver Raven
  • Love 5
Link to comment
raven

raven

I was annoyingly tense for 3/4 of the movie worrying about the dog.  The dog is fine, for anyone else who is like me and worries about that. 

Every scene with the women was gold.  Everyone brought their A game, acting-wise.   I loved the scene where Veronica is looking out of the window, and imagines Harry behind her, holding her.   Viola Davis brought so much just with her expressions; grief, fright, anger.   Again, I am dog-sensitive, especially with my own dog passing just a few weeks ago, but I thought the scene where she drops Olivia off at the (admittedly fancy) dog hotel/kennel was poignant.

Elizabeth Debicki as Alice was also terrific.  You can actually see her gaining confidence and strength.  I thought it was realistic, yet sad when she asked the rich guy (Lukas Haas, jeez, hey) why they've never been to his place.    It felt like she was kind of hoping from some normalcy there, rather than a business transaction.

Wish we had a bit more of Cynthia Erivo's character.  I liked how there was a light bonding with Michelle Rodriguez's character; both mothers, trying to survive.

Hi, Garret Dillahunt! He might have well have had "doom" written on his forehead, but it's always good to see him.  I liked the small bits we got of Kevin O'Connor as well.

Brian Tyree Henry and Daniel Kaluuya were both very good, very scary.  I know Daniel K is getting the buzz for his work but I found Henry's character had more layers.  When we first meet them, discussing the election and you're thinking it's one thing and then Jamal starts talking about wanting to get the big money where the graft and bribes are?  I thought that was really well done.

I figured Harry was still alive when everyone, early in the film, talked about how good he was and never made mistakes.  Glad he got the ending he deserved and I LOVED the expression on Veronica's face after she shot him.  Still, my heart broke for her a little, she really loved him.

I found Robert Duvall's character tiresome and though Colin Farrell did good work, he had too many scenes.  We could have got where McQueen wanted to go with less of him.

The movie is about the four women and I wanted more than we got.  Veronica taking charge but saying she's not Harry, admonishing the other that this wasn't a game - everyone trying to do their part while still working through their own shit - I really enjoyed the gritty feel of this one.  Veronica pointedly tells everyone that if anything goes wrong, they are on their own, and things go wrong but they stick together because they have to.  The plan would have gone even more sideways if they didn't.

The blunders during the actual break in made sense since they're all amateurs.

Jatemme dying in the van was convenient; even with the money gone, the entire break in could be blamed on him.  The only person who saw Veronica's face was dead.  I could handwave Alice going to the hospital with a gunshot wound as either - she left as soon as they sewed her up  (Linda gives them a wrong name) or they believed the drive by story because she's white.

Still, I wondered what Jamal thought?  Veronica gave money to his assistant, which I assumed was her share, to build a school and name it after her son.  I figured she paid off Jamal but did he wonder where the money came from?  Did he wonder about the break in and his brother's death, or was Jamal implicated along with Jatemme?  They knew Veronica had Harry's notebook.   I felt like that was a loose thread to tie up.  Maybe they would have tied in now-dead Harry, found with a gun his hand, somehow.

  • Love 5
Link to comment
Silver Raven

Silver Raven

(edited)
4 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

imdb says 'Rawlings'. Is it Rawlins in the book?

It's Rawlins in every interview I've seen, and everybody in the movie pronounces it Rawlins.

It's Rawlins in the mini-series the movie is based on.

Edited by Silver Raven
Link to comment
thuganomics85

thuganomics85

Different then I expected, but I still really enjoyed it.  I suspect some might end up disappointed that it wasn't wall to wall action, and more of a slow burn character study mixed with a heist film, but I thought it lended much freshness to the heist film.  And even then, a lot of the action sequences where still great.  No surprise that Steve McQueen brought a different flare to this.  One of my favorite smaller moments was the one-take shot, where he followed Colin Farrell and his aid in the car, and in the few minutes, you see how quickly it changes from the downtrodden section of Chicago, all the way to the fancy neighborhood that he lives in.  It's jarring to think how close by those sections are, but they're so different.

Goes without saying that the cast was close to perfect, from top to bottom.  I know that Viola Davis and Daniel Kaluuya have gotten the majority of the praise, and it is certainly well-earned.  But I actually think Elizabeth Debicki was my favorite.  Really liked how she made Alice so meek and subdue at first, but gain confidence as the film progressed, to the point where she stood her ground and even slapped Veronica back, which is impressive in itself, because I would have already been hiding under the bed, if Viola Davis started yelling at me like that!  But all of the widows were great.  Cool seeing Cynthia Erivo again after Bad Times at the El Royale, and it was nice to be reminded that Michelle Rodriguez can do more then just snarl and make out with Vin Diesel, like it feels like she's only been doing in the recent Fast & the Furious films.

They even stacked the deck with the smaller roles, huh?  You've got Garrett Dillahunt, good old Jon Bernthal, Kevin J. O'Conner from to good Mummy film, Jacki Weaver, Elementary's Jon Michael Hill as the reverend, and the always excellent Carrie Coon as the one widow who wasn't involved in the heist.  I have to imagine everyone in Hollywood wanted a piece of this action!

 I definitely suspected Harry was going to be alive, but it was cool seeing Liam Neeson be a straight-up villain at the end.

Despite my love for Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell, the Mulligans were my least favorite part of the film.  I wish we spent more time on the Mannings.

Curious to see if will make a dent at the Oscars.  Ironically, I feel like Viola Davis could have been a frontrunner here, but I wonder if her winning two years ago for Fences might prevent that, even though it shouldn't.  But since Daniel Kaluuya just got nominated last year but lost, maybe he has a better chance?  Of course, I'd love it if Debicki somehow got in the game.  Especially if they made all the Oscar nominees play basketball (sorry, but I just love how she's always towering over everyone!)

  • Love 6
Link to comment
Empress1

Empress1

This is the first time I haven't disliked Michelle Rodriguez since Girlfight, which was her first movie. I disliked her less here. (Oddly, I really enjoy the Fast and Furious movies but I can't stand Michelle Rodriguez.) I think she was elevated by the cast. (Her making out with the architect she went to see was weird - was that real or was that a tactic?)

Cynthia Erivo boxing and running made me want to go work out. (Viola was sporting some nice arms too.)

On 11/19/2018 at 2:30 PM, thuganomics85 said:

One of my favorite smaller moments was the one-take shot, where he followed Colin Farrell and his aid in the car, and in the few minutes, you see how quickly it changes from the downtrodden section of Chicago, all the way to the fancy neighborhood that he lives in. 

I really liked this. At first I didn't understand what that shot was supposed to be doing, but then I paid more attention to the landscape. That whole scene was only a couple of minutes but wow did the landscape change. I've spent my whole life in cities - I love them and I find them so interesting, all the layers, all of what goes into making a city, even when it's messy. I really appreciated that scene.

On 11/18/2018 at 10:04 AM, raven said:

I figured Harry was still alive when everyone, early in the film, talked about how good he was and never made mistakes.  Glad he got the ending he deserved and I LOVED the expression on Veronica's face after she shot him.  Still, my heart broke for her a little, she really loved him.

When Harry confronted her, someone in my theater yelled "FUCK HIM UP, ANNALISE!" (Annalise is her character on How to Get Away with Murder.) I suspected all along that he was still alive, mainly because Gillian Flynn was involved with the script and she likes a twist like that. I felt bad for her, losing him twice - AND she lost her son in a horrible way. It was kind of hokey of me, but I wanted the heist crew to be a kind of found family for her since she lost so much.

Alice was a really interesting character. You could tell she'd been raised to be pretty and taken care of on some guy's arm - when your mother is essentially pimping you out, you know what's up. (Did her mother know about the abuse?) She'd been taught to look to and rely on men for help, even the guy at the auction. I was proud of her when she got the guns, and I was really proud of her when she told her sugar daddy that her life was hers to do with what she wanted.

  • Love 5
Link to comment
SimoneS

SimoneS

  • Author
(edited)

I saw it today, finally. I loved it. It surpassed my expectations and I was spoilt to the hilt. Viola was outstanding as usual. My favorite scenes were when Veronica screamed as when she was mourning Harry, the intimidation scene with Jamal, when Veronica realized that Harry was alive, and the final scene when she killed him. Honestly, I was "yeah" when she killed him. He was such a shit. I thought he would be remorseful. I couldn't believe it when he demanded the money, slapped her and then pulled the gun to kill her. 

My favorite part of the heist was when the Asian woman who was the aide to Mulligan backed away into the room. I would have done the same thing and hope for the best. I did curse up a storm in my head when they came out and Daniel Kaluuya's character had a gun to Belle's head. Daniel Kaluuya's character was terrifying, the casual brutality. I cheered when he died and they got the money back. Brian Tyree Henry was also so good.

Honestly, I don't know how Colin Farrell keeps getting movie work. He is a mediocre actor at best although I thought he was strong enough in the scenes with Robert Duvall.

Edited by SimoneS
  • Love 2
Link to comment
SimoneS

SimoneS

  • Author

 The one question that I have is why didn't Harry leave town with his girlfriend and child right after? All he had to do was give Mulligan half of the money that he stole from Jamal and then he was free and clear. What was he sticking around for? Was he reckless enough to hope to get another crew together to steal Mulligan's bribery money? 

Link to comment
raven

raven

2 hours ago, SimoneS said:

 The one question that I have is why didn't Harry leave town with his girlfriend and child right after?

When Harry meets with Mulligan on the boat, Harry says something about losing half the money in the fire, there was some kind of screw up that I don't remember.  Mulligan says they still have to pay off the coroner and if Harry doesn't come through with the rest of the money, he'll tell everyone that Harry is alive.

So I think that Harry's initial plan, if everything had gone right, was that Veronica would turn in his notebook to Jamal and so be clear of the $2M debt and Harry would go with the g/f and baby.  Since part of the money that Harry intended to steal was burnt in the fire, he needed the money that Veronica and her crew ended up stealing.

ETA - another thing I liked was that when Harry approaches Veronica in the hideout, he looks old and haggard, as opposed to the earlier scenes when he looks dreamily romantic.   I thought that was a good visual of how Harry ended up.

  • Love 3
Link to comment
SimoneS

SimoneS

  • Author
19 minutes ago, raven said:

When Harry meets with Mulligan on the boat, Harry says something about losing half the money in the fire, there was some kind of screw up that I don't remember.  Mulligan says they still have to pay off the coroner and if Harry doesn't come through with the rest of the money, he'll tell everyone that Harry is alive.

So I think that Harry's initial plan, if everything had gone right, was that Veronica would turn in his notebook to Jamal and so be clear of the $2M debt and Harry would go with the g/f and baby.  Since part of the money that Harry intended to steal was burnt in the fire, he needed the money that Veronica and her crew ended up stealing.

Ah, I totally missed Harry saying that half of the money was lost in the fire. That clarifies a lot. Thanks.

  • Love 2
Link to comment
SimoneS

SimoneS

  • Author
(edited)
8 hours ago, raven said:

ETA - another thing I liked was that when Harry approaches Veronica in the hideout, he looks old and haggard, as opposed to the earlier scenes when he looks dreamily romantic.   I thought that was a good visual of how Harry ended up.

I noticed how broken down Harry looked at his final scene. It was like his physical appearance now reflected his inner self or maybe Veronica was finally seeing him without love clouding her judgment.

Only today, I realized that Veronica put the gun in his hand to make it look like he killed the Mulligan father during the break in. It was a slick move. The son couldn't report the theft, but he would think that Harry's "partners" helped him steal the money and then killed Harry before taking off.

The only loose end that I can see is the van that the Manning brother was in killed. Did Alice use a fake ID or her real ID to buy it? I presume that the brother didn't get a chance to call Jamal and tell him what was going on, but still Jamal has to wonder what he was doing in that van.

Oh, one other thing that I liked about the heist is that women were clever and used some type of device that distorted their voices and made them sound like men.

Edited by SimoneS
  • Love 2
Link to comment
SimoneS

SimoneS

  • Author
(edited)
On 11/18/2018 at 10:04 AM, raven said:

Brian Tyree Henry and Daniel Kaluuya were both very good, very scary.  I know Daniel K is getting the buzz for his work but I found Henry's character had more layers.  When we first meet them, discussing the election and you're thinking it's one thing and then Jamal starts talking about wanting to get the big money where the graft and bribes are?  I thought that was really well done.

I found the politics and corruption component of the movie compelling and realistic, especially on the local level. Initially, it seemed like the ambitious black man attempting to unseat the corrupt white politician who is part of the establishment. Only to discover that Jamal simply wanted to make millions from kickbacks and to get off the streets before the cops or his competition take him out. I actually bought the younger Mulligan's claim of being sick of the corruption only for it to turn that he has been taking millions in bribes and barely doing anything for the community. The community was screwed no matter which of them won the election.

Edited by SimoneS
  • Love 9
Link to comment
LydiaMoon1

LydiaMoon1

18 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

I found the politics and corruption component of the movie compelling and realistic, especially on the local level. Initially, it seemed like the ambitious black man attempting to unseat the corrupt white politician who is part of the establishment. Only to discover that Jamal simply want to make millions from kickbacks and to get off the streets before the cops or his competition take him out. I actually bought the younger Mulligan claim of being sick of the corruption only for it to turn that he has been taking millions in bribers and barely does anything for the community. The community was screwed no matter which of them won the election.

Agree.  The most powerful shot to me in the whole movie was when Young Mulligan was campaigning in the hood and left to go home. It was brilliant watching  the landscape change as his car traveled from the hood to his home. Such a difference in just a few blocks. Later on when Viola's character visited the Mulligan home and she asked the wife how many guards they had, I wanted to slap the wife when she commented about needing a guard "in that neighborhood".  I was like, "Shut up! You're here living like kings amongst these people that you're actively suppressing; technically living in their borough, but actually living a world apart. Just shut up!"

I also agree with others that the movie could have used less time spent on the Mulligans and more time developing Cynthia Erivo's character and the Mannings. I wanted to know how and why she and Michelle Rodriguez's character bonded so quickly. I remember being a little thrown towards the end of the movie with that quick scene of them praying with their children in church right before the heist. When did they get that close? Had their children become friends as well? I would have liked to have seen that. I also could have spent a little less time with Alice (?) and her john, Seems like I spent too much time with him. I would have rather spent that time learning more about the remaining two women of the crew.

And yes, the Mannings were very scary, especially Daniel Kaluuya (although both were excellent). I actually wish Young Manning hadn't died by car. I think the final confrontation would have been much more dramatic and exciting if his character had survived the car crash and showed up during the final showdown with Harry. Now that would have been pulse-pounding!

I really enjoyed this movie though. I agree that it was a wonderful character study.  Of course, you can add me to the people who thought it was going to be an action movie. Wasn't it promoted as an action movie?  I mean, I don't blame the studio for that little deception. It's hard to get audiences to come out for anything other than superheroes these days. I can see how they didn't want to advertise an absorbing character study. Where's the fun in that? Ha ha.  It was great watching a movie for grownups though. Those seem to be in really short supply.

  • Love 5
Link to comment
SimoneS

SimoneS

  • Author
6 minutes ago, LydiaMoon1 said:

I also agree with others that the movie could have used less time spent on the Mulligans and more time developing Cynthia Erivo's character and the Mannings. I wanted to know how and why she and Michelle Rodriguez's character bonded so quickly. I remember being a little thrown towards the end of the movie with that quick scene of them praying with their children in church right before the heist. When did they get that close? Had their children become friends as well? I would have liked to have seen that. I also could have spent a little less time with Alice (?) and her john, Seems like I spent too much time with him. I would have rather spent that time learning more about the remaining two women of the crew.

Yeah, I could have done without so many scenes of Alice with her pimp. I didn't mind the Mulligans as much because I felt that their scenes showed how the corruption transitions from one generation to the next. However, I would have liked to learn more about Belle (Cynthia Erivo) and seen the development of her friendship with Linda (Michelle Rodriguez). They could have shown us Belle bringing her daughter over to Linda's house and that they were getting a shared babysitter for their kids. It actually felt like many of these scenes were shot, but left on the editing floor. 

Btw, the woman was his aide not his wife.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
LydiaMoon1

LydiaMoon1

(edited)
15 hours ago, SimoneS said:

 It actually felt like many of these scenes were shot, but left on the editing floor. 

I don't know much about film-making, but I wish directors had more control over the editing process. Editing is such a crucial part, and it seems like that's the part that the studios control the most. I'm still salty that Marvel cut the quarrel between W'Kabi and Okoye in Black Panther. They thought it was unnecessary. I thought it was vital and would have instead preferred a shorter CGI fight at the end. In the case of this movie, like I said, I wanted to see more of the women and less of Colin Ferrell and the john/pimp/whatever. Like that scene of Young Mulligan at the social club. They should have cut that and used the the time to develop the ladies. That social club scene told me nothing I didn't already know.

Edited by LydiaMoon1
  • Love 3
Link to comment
Empress1

Empress1

(edited)
12 hours ago, SimoneS said:

Btw, the woman was his aide not his wife.

I assumed they were sleeping/had slept together, given that he asked her if she'd ever slept with a Black guy. She said something like "You really want to know if someone's dick is bigger than yours?"

11 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Lukas Haas was her client, not her pimp. 

Technically her mom was her pimp (gross!).

Edited by Empress1
  • Love 2
Link to comment
SimoneS

SimoneS

  • Author
14 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

I assumed they were sleeping/had slept together, given that he asked her if she'd ever slept with a Black guy. She said something like "You really want to know if someone's dick is bigger than yours?"

Ah, I didn't pick up on that.

Link to comment
LydiaMoon1

LydiaMoon1

3 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Technically her mom was her pimp (gross!).

Yeah. That was awful. I could never.

 

On a different note, I really hope people go to see this movie this weekend, because I want this to turn into a franchise. Gimme a sequel, dammit! I'm not tired of these characters yet.

  • Love 4
Link to comment
SimoneS

SimoneS

  • Author
(edited)
7 hours ago, LydiaMoon1 said:

On a different note, I really hope people go to see this movie this weekend, because I want this to turn into a franchise. Gimme a sequel, dammit! I'm not tired of these characters yet.

Widows is doing so so at the box office. Hopefully, word of mouth will help.

It occurs me that there is a major loose end that I overlooked, Harry's girlfriend. She would have known that he went to the hideaway to steal the money from Veronica. She could tell Mulligan who would likely demand his money back from Veronica with the threat of telling Jamal that she was involved in his brother's death.

Edited by SimoneS
  • Love 2
Link to comment
shantown

shantown

I saw this and loved it - even though I think I need to see it again to pick up on everything that is happening in all the different stories. Really good, and I'm surprised it wasn't marketed better (which may explain the lackluster box office)

  • Love 4
Link to comment
Clare

Clare

What was the point of Michelle Rodriguez character going to visit that man?  It was really weird.  Also did that business still have business cards out for his dead wife?

I haven't seen this much slapping since Dynasty.  Everybody slapping each other.

I wanted a more satisfying death for Daniel Kaluuya's character.  It was a little anticlimactic.  I'm glad the women knew he was following them and got the jump on him but I wanted him to suffer a little more. 

  • Love 5
Link to comment
Robert Lynch

Robert Lynch

Whenever I see Lukas Haas, I still see him as Samuel from Witness. It is amazing how much of a draw he was in the 80s and parts of the 90s. He really was the "go-to-doe-eyed" kid that most directors liked. I still liked his role in Lady In White. To this day, that film creeps me out. It is always amazing to see him pop up in these big Hollywood films in very small parts. 

Anyway, the film was amazing. Probably Viola Davis best by far. The woman's facial expressions says it all. She owned that role.

  • Love 6
Link to comment
nilyank

nilyank

So I don't know what the source material was, but I think Veronica did plan for Jatemme and Harry. In the case of Jatemme, they had another car ready to ram the van. Jamal wouldn't actually suspicious of the widows because he told his brother to leave her alone and wait until the deadline was completed to see if she would pay off the debt. All he knows that Jatemme was after Harry's book which had the details of his last job and his next job. With the elder Mulligan dead and the safe being robbed, and the fact that Harry was found dead, there is no reason why Jamal would think Veronica had a crew to steal the money and kill his brother. 

As for Harry, once Veronica realized that Harry was alive, she knew that he faked his death and killed his crew for the money. Whatever blinders she had about him were ripped away and she realized that he was capable of anything. I think once the news of the elder Mulligan being killed at home from a home invasion, Harry would have known that Veronica did the job and had the money. She went back to the hideout and was ready to shoot him before he killed her. When she is leaving she takes her bag back and goes to yet another car which actually contained all the money. What she took into the hideout was supposed to be bait for Harry.

Now the original plan wasn't for to kill the older Mulligan, but Veronica had suspected the younger Mulligan was working with Harry and it is safe bet that he would have contacted Harry the moment he discovered the money stolen.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
Stenbeck

Stenbeck

I just saw this and I expected to like it a lot more. For a while, there were way too many things going on at once: The heist planning, Jamal's brother stalking them, the politics, whoa...calm down. It seemed like two movies going on at once: Heist and the city politics.

I also struggled with the pacing, not much happened until the final week, when the plan came together in 3-5 days. 

A very powerful moment was the death of Veronica's son: He's driving a fancy Mercedes Benz, is pulled over, doesn't really think he's in danger...casually reaches over to the glove box to presumably, put away the Cartier gift box and BOOM! he's shot three times. Wow. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment
NoWillToResist

NoWillToResist

On 12/9/2018 at 12:30 AM, Stenbeck said:

I just saw this and I expected to like it a lot more. For a while, there were way too many things going on at once: The heist planning, Jamal's brother stalking them, the politics, whoa...calm down. It seemed like two movies going on at once: Heist and the city politics.

 

 

I was surprised by how 'meh' I was about this movie but...I was 'meh' about the movie. :) I thought the acting was great but the plot was...less so.

It really bothered me that, for three ladies who were allegedly not involved in their men's criminal activities, how quickly (and well) they took to it. There were also too many "oh, that's convenient" moments for me.

The one which really stood out to me was how the blonde somehow managed to tinder up with a guy who could identify the building which the blueprints belonged to. That was too much for me to buy. Her mother was awful, but I suspect there are MANY people whose sole ambition is to get a sugar daddy to take care of them. And, I mean, there's nothing wrong with that (IMO) as long as all parties are aware and happy with that arrangement...

  • Love 1
Link to comment
ombelico

ombelico

(edited)

Admittedly, I went to see this movie primarily because of the dog. That said, I can still get behind a good heist movie, but I think this one was just about 20 minutes too long. Too much time spent on the alderman election (and really, we're supposed to be shocked that the son of a corrupt long-time Chicago alderman has some criminality and corruption in his background?). I agree that Alice's client oh-so-conveniently being an architect was a stretch, and when Michelle Rodriguez's character was at the widower's house trying to get info on the blueprints, her sudden breaking down and talking about how her husband died recently, then kissing the guy, was just so weird. I honestly couldn't tell if the crying and grief were real or just a ploy. Cynthia Erivo was good and of course Viola Davis was awesome as usual. There was just too much going on, and I agree that more of the focus should have been on the widows (after all, the movie is called "Widows") and not on the political stuff.

Edited by ombelico
  • Love 2
Link to comment
Simon Boccanegra

Simon Boccanegra

(edited)

I really don't get movie awards. I do not expect I ever will. I've been catching up on the Best Picture nominees, and with one after another, I'm either thinking something is good and entertaining but not "best of the year" quality, or else it's not good at all. So far, only one of the six I've seen (of eight) has been my idea of an "A" picture. Then I took a breather for Widows, now available for rental. I'd perceived Widows as a big thing that wasn't. I remember it was hotly anticipated and mostly well reviewed, but it did a quick fade -- the box office was unspectacular and it was excluded from all the major awards lists, despite having awards magnets in the principal actress and the director. 

And I thought it was excellent, easily one of the best of 2018. Yes, it was intricately plotted and there was a lot to get one's hands around, but it had such strong characters and interesting relationships, the city of Chicago was given a convincingly textured presentation at all its levels, one gripping scene followed another, and there were stylish things going on visually. I couldn't wait to see where it was going to go next. I actually think it's a better film than Steve McQueen's prior two, although it's not as "transgressive" as Shame or as "important" as 12 Years a Slave. It strikes an ideal balance between weighty themes and superior genre entertainment.

Edited by Simon Boccanegra
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Simon Boccanegra

Simon Boccanegra

On 11/17/2018 at 6:41 PM, AimingforYoko said:

I haven't seen everything Liam Neeson's been in, but I have seen quite a few of his roles. Is this the scummiest character he's ever played?

If you haven't yet, check him out in his segment of the Coens' The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. He's...um, disturbing. This was obviously Liam's bastard year! 

  • Love 2
Link to comment
snarktini

snarktini

On 11/18/2018 at 7:04 AM, raven said:

I was annoyingly tense for 3/4 of the movie worrying about the dog.  The dog is fine, for anyone else who is like me and worries about that.

I am not the type of person who worries about the dog, but I did here! It was so strange how she kept taking the dog everywhere and it was obviously going to be a plot point -- something big would happen to the dog or because of the dog. And of course, it DID happen in that the dog led her to Harry. (And they had to set up her taking the dog everywhere for that scene to make sense. Who takes a dog to someone's house and just drops them to run around?!) I was waiting for it to happen during a bigger action / end scene, so I didn't realize this was the payoff till later.

On 11/21/2018 at 7:47 PM, SimoneS said:

He was such a shit. I thought he would be remorseful. I couldn't believe it when he demanded the money, slapped her and then pulled the gun to kill her. 

I was truly shocked by that. It was a little hard to reconcile that he was THAT much of a bastard, based on the flashbacks and her love. In the beginning of the film, it was clear we weren't mean to like the men at all but I was like, oh Liam seems ok, but by the end NOPE. All creeps.

On 11/22/2018 at 4:03 PM, SimoneS said:

Oh, one other thing that I liked about the heist is that women were clever and used some type of device that distorted their voices and made them sound like men.

This was a good setup bit. We saw that device earlier, it was a child's toy at Michelle Rodriguez's house. The girl used it to say something about the MIL.

On 11/23/2018 at 7:21 AM, AimingforYoko said:

Lukas Haas was her client, not her pimp. 

Holy cow, he seemed familiar but I did not realize that was him!

On 12/2/2018 at 7:02 AM, Clare said:

What was the point of Michelle Rodriguez character going to visit that man?  It was really weird.  Also did that business still have business cards out for his dead wife?

His wife was the architect of the blueprint, so MR was visiting in hopes she would divulge the address of the property. Did they actually have her cards out still? I wasn't sure. MR took a bunch (which was smart thinking) but I don't remember if we saw confirmation that one of them was hers. Her home address wouldn't have been on the card anyway, so she could have gotten there via the internet.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...