I watched The Best you Can several months ago. I enjoyed it.
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The Wikipedia entry on Brittany O’Grady is interesting. She is 29 years old. Attended college at Pepperdine University where she experienced racism & bullying, but she did meet her husband there. Brittany O’Grady’s dad is Irish and her mom is African-American. She is gorgeous & talented.
Regarding the other movie that I suggested–Daddio–(with Sean Penn)–my comments about the scenery & location are an example of my sense of humor as it is shot almost entirely in a taxi cab.
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Thanks for the recommendation, @Youdon_tsay. I just watched it this afternoon. What a sad story!
Thanks for the Daddio suggestion. We just finished it. H almost wouldn’t watch it because he hated Sean Penn in one battle after another and said he couldn’t get that out of his head. (I didn’t see it.) But we watched it and it was really good!
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Went to see Devil Wears Prada 2 with some friends yesterday. Was it as good as the original? No. Was it light and fun? Absolutely. Bonus points for seeing it on a large screen (with popcorn).
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I never go to the movies but love the popcorn (probably the most unhealthy snack and I’m swollen for days). Last summer my daughter was having a movie night with friends so we drove to AMC and asked if we could just go in to buy popcorn, I think I ate half a bucket on the ride home.
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I did too! It’s not as funny but it says something.
It’s also interesting that IRL Meryl Streep doesn’t hide her contempt for Jeff Bezos (allegedly).
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I also went with a friend to see Devil Wear Prada 2. I totally agree with your comments. It was fun entertainment, probably not going to get an Academy Award (maybe for costume design). Also, I have to say Meryl Streep looks great–she’s 76!
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I went to TDWP2 with D this afternoon. I agree it was fun entertainment. I loved the scenery and the clothes. It was good to revisit the characters and they did a good job with the callbacks to the first movie.
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I’m looking forward to watching it! So dang tired of depressing stuff and horror flicks.
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Standout: The Ben Kjar Story. A documentary about a boy with a birth defect that he has overcome. It will pull at your heartstrings.
Not sure if this actually qualifies as a “movie” but I just finished watching the filmed version of the Broadway musical “ Suffs” on PBS. It was fabulous. Great music and a really relevant show right now.
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Watched Sally Field in the Netflix movie version of Remarkably Bright Creatures, a book I thoroughly enjoyed. I really appreciate seeing mature actresses in mature roles, and Sally never disappoints. I remember her as Gidget and The Flying Nun, so I guess I’m “mature” now, too. 
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Wait, she did something before Mrs. Doubtfire? 
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I am really looking forward to watching this tonight. I heard the acting is excellent across the board.
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You know that the daughter of a longtime CC contributor won two Tonys for Suffs? 
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I did know that.
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Wow! I didn’t know that. I recorded the Suffs performance that aired on PBS Friday night an hope to watch in the next week or two.
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I saw The Substance today. I thought it meets the thread title question of being a “good movie”. Nevertheless, I disliked the movie more so than any movie I can recall seeing. This unique combination of being a good movie that I hated inspired me to write a post about it.
When I dislike a movie to this extent, I’ll usually stop watching in after less than 20 minutes and switch to watching a different movie on the streaming service. I recognize that I’m not going to like the movie before I waste too much of my time. What makes The Substance different is the movie starts out far less problematic. The start of the movie reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode. It presents a very obvious moral/society satire and poses some interesting questions with the protagonist having a unique opportunity to take a drug that creates a “younger, more beautiful, more perfect” version of oneself, and potential consequences of that decision. It’s an interesting enough concept to keep me watching.
My problem is when a Twilight Zone episode or nearly any other movie would end and leave the viewer with questions to think about and come to their own conclusions, The Substance keeps going. It gradually gets more and more graphic, grotesque, disturbing, and outlandish… becoming reminiscent of a low budget shock horror film by the end (I realize end was actually high budget). When the movie seems like it’s at a good stopping point, the movie instead keeps going and gets more and more disturbing. When I think it can’t go any further, it finds a way to do so. I’m not sure what the point of the final 30 minutes was. Shocking/disgusting the viewer? Doing something extreme enough to catch the attention of Cannes voters, where it won best screenplay?
While I am surprised it won best screenplay, I am not surprised that critics rated it well. It’s well acted, particularly with Demi Moore’s lead; makes the viewer truly feel something with creative and ambitious directing/writing decisions beyond just being shocking; has a strong social theme that makes a statement about society; and stands out as being something unique and original. I can recognize that it is a good movie, yet I regret watching it and plan to stay far away from any other movies in the body horror genre in the future.
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Watched two this weekend, Song Sung Blue and Really Bright Creatures. A bit emotional this weekend, just had to have the vet come and put down our 15 year old dog, which has me a little emotionally unstable, but teared up watching both. My Octopus Teacher is one of H’s favorite movies, which I think made me like the second even more (did not read the book). Loved the music in the first, lots of music.
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