So who profited from this? Seems like what colleges have been doing for ages .
No, it was about the parents paying Singer to have the kids’ admissions test results falsified, or to get preference from college athletics officials who were bribed to falsely attest that the students involved were top athletes and therefore entitled to preferential treatment in the admissions process - violating NCAA and the colleges’ own rules. Singer and the bribed athletics officials benefited monetarily, and the parents benefitted by getting their children into elite schools they would not have been admitted to otherwise.
I did not watch it nor did I follow closely in the news. A superficial look from the outside reminds me of well to do parents paying for a building in return their kids get admitted. Only real difference is Singer profited, not the college?
Two outstanding movies from the husband/wife directing/screenwriting team of Eleanor and Frank Perry:
David and Lisa (1962): a teenager named David (Keir Dullea) enters a residential psychiatric treatment boarding house, where he meets the compassionate doctors and other staff, and also meets a young woman named Lisa (Janet Margolin) who is also there for treatment. David has a severe phobia about being touched, and is very aloof and defensive when he is first approached by a kindly psychiatrist in the facility (Howard Da Silva). Lisa has another identity she calls “Muriel,” talks only in rhymes, and rarely interacts constructively with the other children and staff at the facility. As David begins to value and form a bond with the psychiatrist treating him, he also forms a unique bond with Lisa that helps both of them learn to deal with their illness and connect with the people around them. This movie was way ahead of its time in dealing with the subject of mental illness and children, and it also features outstanding writing and acting by all involved. While a bit old-fashioned by today’s standards, the story is still movingly told.
Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970): this, along with Little Murders (1971) and Dr. Strangelove (1964), represents the very best of dark satire in movies. They don’t make movies like this today - the writing, acting and directing are wonderfully deadpan and frank. The plot simply shows the many humiliations and abuses endured by Tina (Carrie Snodgress), a housewife with an ivy league degree who is constantly bombarded with the self-centered demands of her husband Jonathan (Richard Benjamin), a Wall-street lawyer with an obsession about seeing and being seen with the “right” people. Richard Benjamin is mesmerizing as the social-climbing, narcissistic husband, and Frank Langella is spot on perfect as the sadistic lover Tina begins to see on the sly. The performances of Carrie Snodgress and Richard Benjamin won them Golden Globes, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Snodgress. Frank Langella won the National Board of Review award for best supporting actor. The film was nominated for an academy award for best picture. Neil Young wrote a song about falling in love with Snodgress by watching the movie, and they were living together for a time.
Neither of these movies is easy to find now, but they are both priceless. Kino Lorber finally released a blu-ray of Diary of a Mad Housewife last year. Diary of a Mad Housewife, along with The Swimmer (1968)(Burt Lancaster, Janice Rule), are the best movies Eleanor and Frank Perry made, and two of the best made by anyone, in my opinion.
Exactly. “It’s only illegal if you get caught”, and then they’re shocked, shocked, that people would do things like that! :smiling_imp:
The Road Home 1999 made in China
The Right Stuff.
for the 2nd time.
1. as usual, the book is better.
2. some fake Hollywood drama thrown in.
3. ok movie, but fast-forward is your friend.
Watched Dredd (2012) although I have read very few Judge Dredd comics in my lifetime.
It looks low budget even though the budget was $45m. The film takes place in one building and the actors are relative unknowns. For comparison Chappie (2015), also shot in South Africa, had a budget of $49m. I wonder if they could have done more films had they gone properly low budget.
Captures the feel of the comic better than what I remember of the Stallone Dredd film.
Doesn’t have a bloated runtime which helps with the lack of variety in the shooting location. Recommended for fans of the comic, the more familiar you are the more you might appreciate this adaptation.
I notice that The Critical Drinker has a review
I got a hold of Platoon on Bluray, last time I saw it may have been 15 or more years ago. In the “YouTube” era there’s so much extra analysis to go along with films these days. I think I learned of Oliver Stone through IMDB back in the day. Never saw Platoon until I rented it myself as an adult, but that poster image is one that’s hard to forget once you saw it on VHS store shelves.
Platoon goes for realism concerning a very dramatic time and place. I can see why it was a “sleeper hit”. The audiences were in for a film with a lot of substance and a big impact even if it was a low budget film with (at the time) unknown actors.
To me the idea of a war in Vietnam is increasingly bizarre as time goes on, given that Vietnam is now a tropical tourist destination that manufactures electronics, and their food is popular in the west. But then Eisenhower did warn about the dangers of a “military industrial complex”. Sad that the Australian government sent troops over there…
Nobody (2021)
An excellent movie with Bob Odenkirk (of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul fame). I highly recommend it.
Begin Again (2013)
A chance encounter between a down-and-out music-business executive and a young singer-songwriter, new to Manhattan, turns into a promising collaboration between the two talents.
A really good movie about music, family, parentship, and managing talent in New York City.
Iceberg Slim.
1. the book, Pimp: The Story of My Life, is a magnitude better.
2. which is the only reason i watched the whole movie.
3. essentially, it is a bunch of people talking about IS.
but, this was all started by Dave Chappell….
Bliss (2019) might be OK if you are really into gory horror movies, but it is not very good.
I saw Better Watch Out (2016).
[One of my favorite movies of all time.]
I love this movie.
The acting is excellent, as is the script.
The music is very good.
The movie is a little slow for my taste, but I say that about most movies.
This film is quite entertaining, and it's not your average horror flick.
The way the movie ends is just perfect.
I really enjoy when a movie has a strong ending, like this movie does.
If you like horror movies, then be sure to check this one out.
Friends with benefits
rom/com with Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake
Decent enough, even though it isn’t a very funny movie.
Ha! Srdjan Todorovic is in there (“Srpski Film”)!
Return of the Hero. (Le retour du héros)
French with subtitles.
A delightful light rom-com. Dujardin is in his swashbuckling prime and Laurent shines with sparkling intelligence.
“Comedic French period piece set in 1809 France about an accidentally over-praised soldier, starring Oscar winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist) and Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds).”
Kung Fu Hustle
This came around on a late night movie.
Perhaps the finest Kung Fu comedy movie of all time.
If you even sorta like Kung Fu movies, this is a must see.
I may have mentioned before. But it’s worth seeking out.
All the Best,
Jeff
Lovelace
The story of Linda Lovelace, who is used and abused by the porn industry at the behest of her coercive husband before taking control of her life.
somewhat watchable movie, not my favorite but not a plot I had seen before.