Last movie you watched......

"Let It Be."

The full movie, from beginning to end. Currently it's up on YouTube.

Saw it once or twice in the 1970s in midnight-movie showings on campus, and off and on in low-quality VHS copies, but I don't remember if I ever saw it beginning to end before.

It's bad. Cold, dark, depressing. Poorly shot, poorly recorded (especially annoying since half the film was actually shot in the cavernous and drafty Twickenham film studios for the express objective of getting high quality footage). The entire band is dispirited; George looks totally disgruntled, Ringo almost forgotten, John spaced out and apathetic, and Paul like a pompous schoolmarm trying to inject fake enthusiasm nobody else is feeling.

The much harped-upon presence of Yoko Ono is barely noticeable. She's only on camera a few seconds, usually off on the side or in the background.

She doesn't interfere with anything, but John has little of any value to contribute.

Aside from a couple of run-throughs of "Across The Universe," which they still can't get right, John has only the unfinished and slapdash "Dig It" and "I Dig A Pony" and seems little interested in doing more.

After four strong songs on the White Album, George throws up only "I Me Mine" and the lame, "For You Blue."

So pretty much by default, Paul steps into the leadership role.

The legendary rooftop concert does liven things up a bit, but it's sloppy, obviously underrehearsed, and playing in 35-degree rain is not good for anybody's instrumental chops.

Supposedly it was about to be re-released in a new remastered DVD version in 2007-08, but Paul and Ringo reportedly kiboshed it because it brought back depressing memories. And it certainly does.

Last September Paul said a new version, essentially a complete re-cut using new footage, will probably come out in 2020. It'll probably present everybody in a much better light, but it'll be much less real.

Watching it knowing what we know, that it's showing the dissolution of the band, is really depressing. Too bad they didn't just roll cameras for the Abbey Road sessions.

 

Mary Poppins Returns. With my parents, who took me to the original more than 50 years ago.

Could have come off as a weak imitation or worse, a bad parody. Instead, Disney took special care to not spoil the original. Great animation, dancing scenes equal to the original, good but not great songs, decent script (for a G-rated movie), nice continuation of the storyline. Two cameos from the original -- one easily spotted, the other I had to look up afterwards. Thought Mary Poppins and Jack were nicely suited for their roles.

The biggest problem? Nothing about it that stuck with you once you left the theater. There wasn't a single song that was hummable afterwards. It just goes to show how good the Sherman brothers were at their craft.

 

Blockers. Not bad. not bad at all.

 

Poppins might be the greatest movie soundtrack.

I listened to the Returns soundtrack on a road trip with the family. I have had no desire to listen to it again.

I’m glad it isn’t awful, but sad it isn’t Frozen quality.

 

Saw The Front Runner, which tells of the three weeks in 1988 when Gary Hart went from being the Democratic front runner for president to a punch line.

Based on the -book by Matt Bai, it's the type of movie that blame the press for his fall while making sure to let us know that his teenage daughter - whom most of the viewers probably didn't know existed - was a closeted lesbian.

 

Took me a while, but I saw "Hell or High Water" on Netflix last night. Outstanding; I can see why it was nominated for Best Picture. Great performances from a story that really had your sympathies swaying back and forth.

 

Taylor Sheridan also directed and wrote Wind River, worthy of checking out.

Finally saw Solo - I liked it - but like the Marvel universe movies, the stories are all drafted by committee that they end up being kind of bland - everything you expect, but not a whole lot more.

 

Jason Reitman’s movies since Up In The Air have been...interesting. That’s a word for them.

 

It was a good movie until the very final conversation. Then it became a great movie. One of my favorites of recent years.

 

Finished up the Back to the Future trilogy with my 10-year-old last night. Part II was an abortion on toast, and Part III wasn't much better. It's like after the first one they thought, What crazy shit can we throw at the wall and get it to stick? Should have stopped at the original.

 

BTTF II was bad (even though I didn't know it as a kid), but it really did prepare me for the current state of America.

 

Finally caught this last night. A couple of scenes where I was glad it was not on the big screen, but kept me on the edge of my couch for the duration.