Last Movie you Watched?

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

Best check out Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, tux!

Tried. Made it a half hour and gave up. I tried on two other films recently, both LOST SKELETON films. I've had the first one on DVD for years, and I enjoyed it some years back. Couldn't sit through it. Tried to watch the sequel, didn't succeed either. I appreciate the humor that they're going for, but it just doesn't interest me for more than about five minutes. I'd rather just watch some real z-movie piece of crap anyway, preferably on MST3K.

In order to catch up with the Winter Sequels, here's two adaptions that take generous liberties with their source material.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Highly amusing light-hearted caper of a film. The gritty production design firmly entrench it in the time period, showing the Victorian era with all it's warts. RDJ and Jude Law have dynamite chemistry. I find Rachael McAdams quite titillating.

Mission: Impossible

It's obvious they started shooting without a coherent plot. You could watch just the NOC theft and get the gist of the film (which I'm sure most people my age have done). The difference between MI and MI:2 is what they did come up with for a story is halfway decent here. There is intrigue present, something that isn't in MI:2. It's a fun watch.

Tank Girl (1995)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114614/

3/5

That's a 26 years young Naomi Watts in this film!!

Knocked Up & Children Of Men
oh my god, two birth scenes in one sitting, what was I thinking?!
"Knocked Up" is a superior rom com
"Children of Men" is a well executed Sci Fi action movie
I really enjoyed the long flowing takes used instead of the incessant cutting that afflicts most modern action movies
on the other hand I felt the plot was underdeveloped, just used as an excuse to set the chase in motion, which is another common failing in modern Sci Fi action movies
supposedly everyone wanted possession of the child for "political reasons" but those reasons were never fully explained
also, as far as I could tell, the government were never actually aware of the preganacy, so it was only the "Fishers" who were ever doing the chasing, which was a bit weird for a movie set in a sort of "Police State" (I think the police were only interested in them in connection with the Fishers murder of the two police officers)
and when the army did become aware of the baby they just looked on like stunned mullets as they walked through their lines and away...
in any credible reality an officer would have immediatly assigned a non-com to take charge of them, with a couple of grunts for assistance, and had them escorted somewhere, rather than all the soldiers suddenly being distracted by further gunfire like a bunch of two year olds seeing a new toy
and who were these Human Project characters anyway?
as presented on screen it was all pretty half baked from a conceptual point of view, maybe I need to read the book, but I shouldn't have to

MELANCHOLIA (2011, dir. Lars Von Trier)

Rubbish.

NAKED SPACES: LIVING IS ROUND (1985)

Fell asleep towards the end of it. Liked the use of different voice overs, though.

Cahill, US Marshal

Meh. It just happened, there was nothing to it really. The oldest kid was an idiot, the youngest bewildered, John Wayne disinterested (according to IMDB he stopped caring mid-way when learning John Ford was dying) and George Kennedy at times laughable which is a shame.
Bernstein's score fine enough albeit with shades of his Great Escape score or the Seven.

:3*:

I'll try McLintock! soon enough. Well, soonish :*d*:

Harmsway wrote:

MELANCHOLIA (2011, dir. Lars Von Trier)

Rubbish.

Please explain! I was looking forward to this one....

FieldsMan wrote:

Harmsway wrote:

MELANCHOLIA (2011, dir. Lars Von Trier)

Rubbish.

Please explain! I was looking forward to this one....

The biggest problem with MELANCHOLIA is that it doesn't really go anywhere after the prologue; the film consists of disconnected scenes and exchanges that never cohere. The film's nihilism might have some emotional bite if the film allowed us to enter into Dunst's character's internal life, but she remains an irritating, petulant cipher. The dramatic conclusion should end with a bang, but it ends up being scarcely a whimper.

Jesse Stone: Night Passage

quite good as before, at least it stays as true as it can to Parker's novel and something about Selleck in the role that is excellent. Even if the film features Stephen 'Swallowed a Bus' Baldwin.

Doctor in the House

quite the opposite is this old chesnut that I've surely knackered. In case of emergency break glass and thus I did. Still amused at the usual things, Donald Sinden's "ah-ah!" to this nurse, Donald Huston's poor rugby mad student, Kenneth More's waistcoats (just as well this film's in colour), the various antics, the liberation of the rugby mascot and on and on. I visited the location for St. Swithins earlier in the year, the UCL campus off Gower Street. Where the giant that was James Robertson Justice stormed in bellowing "Pursue me you must pursue me!" is a locked pair of doors. Looks smaller in person.
In a recent re-run of his autobioraphy readings the late great Dirk Bogarde remarked that this film was a piece of luck for him but also that upon arriving at the set Kenny More welcomed him with a bearhug and a remark that it was good to see him after eight years 'only for Kenny to steal the film from under us'.
Dare I suggest as much as I like Kenny More and his films that it is Justice who stole this film.

Still, thinking of that MI6 studios thing that got going before the Apocalypse I considered in the late 60's with their careers waning Norman Wisdom and Kenneth More in some kind of crime comedy caper.

TTFN

The Broadway Melody (1929)

Interesting as a piece of movie history, but that's about it. It was the top film in 1929 and I can't really blame audiences for thinking it was the bee's knees. Looking at it now the various elements just don't coalesce and the film is plain awkward and dated. I don't think it's quite fair to write it off as a piece of shit, though. It seems almost nobody knew WTF to do when sound came in, and stumbling was gonna happen.

A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
Dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Superb. And certainly one of the Mank's best, which means I like it a heck of a lot. Brilliant structurally, and written with that trademark sharp (but not hysterical) wit of JLM's, it does certainly feel like a precursor to All About Eve, but it stands on its own two feet comfortably. Roundly excellent performances, again par the course for JLM, although Kirk Douglas just about steals the show with one of his best performances. Mankiewicz is adventurous with his direction (moreso than usual, perhaps) without ever being ostentatious (as usual).

The only shame is that it made me realise that The Barefoot Contessa is an even bigger disappointment when viewed in the light of it completing a sort of bona fide trilogy with this and All About Eve. More's the pity.

I was actually wondering earlier this evening if you'd watched this yet.

Pure gold - Crain, Darnell, Sothern and Ritter prop up the ladies, but the real gems come from the double Douglas act. Its my favourite Kirk performance, his George Phipps is a guy I can actually see myself emulating - one of my favourite examples of the "common man" I love seeing in that era. Then theres also the Chief, the Jason Dunstall, the Silverback Gorilla in Paul Douglas; who seems to have no life example turning up bored for the social engagements and telling Darnell to shut up. Love it.

By the way, what did you think of DEADLINE AT DAWN?

If I were remaking that film, I'd cast Dunstall in that role. And tell him to think of Quarters.

Deadline at Dawn was OK. There are moments that are really sharp, really jump out from the rest of the film, but then there are other aspects which are a touch... dubious. And I think the writing is occasionally a little bit too on-the-nose. Basically, the components of the film are quality, it's just that they don't fit together all that cleanly, and that's probably due more to Clurman's inexperience than anything. I agree that it's a shame he didn't do anything else though, because there's enough interesting ideas in his work that would have been worth exploring.

Of the other classic Hollywood films I've seen recently, Heat Lightning was top-notch stuff. Aline McMahon is as underrated as they go. As is LeRoy, actually.

And I loathed The Cobweb. You will too, Colly - Widmark cheats on Grahame with Bacall. It don't make sense.

I love THE COBWEB. Big Minnelli and Rosenman fan here.

Warlock

initially watched for Widmark but then there's DeForrest Kelly about seven years before Star Trek. The most I've seen him in something outside of a few minutes in Ironside or Gunfight at the OK Corral. Good to see him not as McCoy. Whit Bissell to boot and Frank Gorshin so Star Trek/Batman wise it's up there. Overall it's not a bad film with Widmark/Fonda doing well to the end. The De Kelly factor drove this along in this reporters book.

FourDot wrote:

Of the other classic Hollywood films I've seen recently, Heat Lightning was top-notch stuff. Aline McMahon is as underrated as they go. As is LeRoy, actually.

I really liked the look of that from reading the DVDBeaver review, along with the other 4 in the original 5 pack it came in (which were BLACK FURY, BLONDIE JOHNSON, FROM HEADQUARTERS and ALIAS THE DOCTOR).

FourDot wrote:

And I loathed The Cobweb. You will too, Colly - Widmark cheats on Grahame with Bacall. It don't make sense.

And I thought Rock Hudson was out of his mind when he took Bacall over Malone. Still want to see it though. ;)

The Wages of Fear (1953)

Saw this at MoMA tonight, and for free.

If you haven't seen this film, I'd advise you to catch it on the big screen first, before you check it out on DVD. They're two completely different experiences (naturally).

DEPARTURES. Yojiro Takita's charming, touching comedy-drama is definitely one of the celluloid highlights of the past couple of years.

THE THING (Carpenter's version). Hadn't seen it till now, and was somewhat disappointed, since I was under the impression that it ruled, and, well, it doesn't. Not in my book, anyway. The main problem that I have with it is that, unlike with HALLOWEEN, Carpenter doesn't bother to develop the characters (or rather victims) to the point where we identify with them as human beings - here, it's impossible to care about the unpleasant, uninteresting people onscreen or to give much of a stuff about who's doing what to whom (indeed, I was rooting for The Thing throughout). And rarely has a film presented a less convincing bunch of research scientists - these guys seem little more than super-dumb slobs. Okay, okay, I know that they're supposed to be suffering cabin fever after too long in Antarctica and have gone to seed somewhat, but surely they're the cream of their profession, otherwise why are they there? Most of them seem like they were dragged out of a redneck bar.

Plot logic is hardly this flick's strong suit. Still, THE THING does have its moments (a couple of them, anyway), the special effects still look terrific, Ennio Morricone's score (which sounds much closer to something Carpenter himself might have knocked out) is interesting, and the Blu-ray transfer is surprisingly good.

Loomis wrote:

DEPARTURES. Yojiro Takita's charming, touching comedy-drama is definitely one of the celluloid highlights of the past couple of years.

THE THING (Carpenter's version). Hadn't seen it till now, and was somewhat disappointed, since I was under the impression that it ruled, and, well, it doesn't. Not in my book, anyway. The main problem that I have with it is that, unlike with HALLOWEEN, Carpenter doesn't bother to develop the characters (or rather victims) to the point where we identify with them as human beings - here, it's impossible to care about the unpleasant, uninteresting people onscreen or to give much of a stuff about who's doing what to whom (indeed, I was rooting for The Thing throughout). And rarely has a film presented a less convincing bunch of research scientists - these guys seem little more than super-dumb slobs. Okay, okay, I know that they're supposed to be suffering cabin fever after too long in Antarctica and have gone to seed somewhat, but surely they're the cream of their profession, otherwise why are they there? Most of them seem like they were dragged out of a redneck bar.

Plot logic is hardly this flick's strong suit. Still, THE THING does have its moments (a couple of them, anyway), the special effects still look terrific, Ennio Morricone's score (which sounds much closer to something Carpenter himself might have knocked out) is interesting, and the Blu-ray transfer is surprisingly good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdwqnUK4TkM#t=12m52s

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

A lot more effective than I had anticipated. Very well made. I was shocked at the nudity (dude's arses in the river), but I remembered this was pre-Code. Louis Wolheim stole the show for me. Had never heard of him before. Shame he died in 1931.

tiffanywint wrote:

Tamara Drewe, 2010, Gemma Arterton

Its the ultimate Gemma film, the most Gemma-centric movie of them all.

Fields Man will love it! Although I'm sure he's got his own personal copy, and would be on his 10th viewing by now.

Funny cheeky British sex comedy. It's real funny and so very English. Arterton might be the most English actress on the planet.

Funniest characters are the two teenage girls. Such potty mouths.

The middle-aged thriller writer's schemes for stepping out on his wife are just awful, but funny. He explains you lull wife into false sense of security, by acting like you are cheating, so that when she checks up on you and you are not, she feels so guilty for suspecting, that you can then get away with anything.

As I've said, I haven't seen it, but your review tempts me to! :)

Loomis wrote:

THE THING (Carpenter's version). Hadn't seen it till now, and was somewhat disappointed, since I was under the impression that it ruled

It does rule but you probably have to have been under age 10 at first viewing. :)

Santa wrote:

Loomis wrote:

THE THING (Carpenter's version). Hadn't seen it till now, and was somewhat disappointed, since I was under the impression that it ruled

It does rule but you probably have to have been under age 10 at first viewing. :)

I wasn't, and I think it rules.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

Louis Wolheim stole the show for me. Had never heard of him before. Shame he died in 1931.

My thoughts exactly. If they'd had a Best Supporting Actor category back then he'd have won it easily.

Shame that All Quiet is the only Milestone film really worth seeing, at least of the ones that I've checked out, with the possible exception of The General Died at Dawn.

Sharky wrote:

Santa wrote:

Loomis wrote:

THE THING (Carpenter's version). Hadn't seen it till now, and was somewhat disappointed, since I was under the impression that it ruled

It does rule but you probably have to have been under age 10 at first viewing. :)

I wasn't, and I think it rules.

On what basis does it rule, though? Seriously, what's so special about it? To be honest, I only rented it because Harmsway recently cited it as his top film of 1982, but if that's really the case then, man, '82 musta been one seriously lean year for ol' Harms.

I mean, it's watchable enough, I suppose, but, really, it's just a retread of ALIEN. Some of the big scare moments are flubbed badly (to be fair, some aren't, but Carpenter doesn't even achieve a perfect strike rate in terms of shocks). For most of the time I was just sitting there marvelling at what a total classic HALLOWEEN is compared to this one. ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, too - I sometimes wonder whether those are really the only two Carpenters worth a damn.

I guess THE THING is one of those sacred cows of movie geekdom that I just don't "get", however much I try, like THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.