Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: desertsolitaire; Albion Wilde
Diner looks interesting. I'll check it out.

You might also be interested in Tony, the upcoming Anthony Bourdain film. It's not the sort of thing that I would ordinarily watch based on general genre preferences and careless assumptions, but since attending some local film festivals, I suddenly started getting invitations to free early screenings of upcoming movies.

I try to get to half a dozen or more a year, just to keep my "cinephile and potential influencer" status current with whoever makes those lists. Tony is one that I would never have seen otherwise ... and it was a complete surprise.

About 20 minutes into the movie, I was thinking that young Anthony, a completely boring, pretentious, fraud of a human being -- a "Vasser Man" in 1973, if I may appeal to crude prejudices (and no offense to any Vasser Men lurking on FR) -- should have just committed suicide 40 years earlier and saved us all the tedium of another feckless and directionless manboy.

Then he gets a most unexpected wakeup call and stumbles his way to a complete change of life. Once that is set in motion, a lot of the film is hilarious, and all of it packs a punch. Antonio Banderas is superb and should get some serious awards attention.

Tony will be release August 21. Murphy's Law now rules the streaming ecosystem; if a movie is of interest to you, there is a very high probability that it will stream on a platform you don't subscribe to, and you will have forgotten all about it by the time it pops up on Tubi. Just one more way that streaming is destroying the ecosystem that used to support good movies. As always, take a chance now and then and see some movies in theaters.

11 posted on 07/26/2026 8:14:35 AM PDT by sphinx
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies ]


To: sphinx; desertsolitaire
As always, take a chance now and then and see some movies in theaters.

My rule of thumb is that the background scenery must be as much a "character" in the movie as are the speaking parts. Then it's imperative to see it on the big screen!

12 posted on 07/26/2026 11:29:15 AM PDT by Albion Wilde (The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. --DJT)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies ]

To: sphinx

I only caught a few episodes of the Bourdain culinary show, and he seemed pretty decadent to me (and died a repellently decadent death). But one of his episodes really moved me— he went someplace down in Appalachia and hung out with some good ole boys, went shooting with them, cooked squirrel and other country game, sat around having a great time as Southerners do. It seemed so incongruous from his usual schtick, and yet he seemed to be sincerely enjoying and respecting his hosts. Wish I still had the link. It was some years ago.


13 posted on 07/29/2026 5:24:36 PM PDT by Albion Wilde (The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. --DJT)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson