Last Movie You Watched? 7.0

The Last Seduction (1994; dir. John Dahl)

Very compelling and satisfying modern noir/erotic thriller. Fiorentino is phenomenal. Pullman is always interesting, and Peter Berg plays a perfect sucker. I really enjoyed the hell out of this movie. It's got one scene in particular where there is a very inventive way of getting someone out of your car.

Starting to see the 90's as a "period" is odd. I associate the early 90's with THE X-FILES and RED SHOES DIARIES, which I didn't watch late at night. I guess Duchovny ruled the 90's. But I also generally associate "erotic thriller" with early/mid 90's lighting. I don't think I really have a point to deliver there, but the whole thing appeals to me.

It feels a little "TV", but I don't mind that. It actually works better for the story, because this shit could have taken a left turn and become an episode of RED SHOE DIARIES at any moment anyway.

Wonder if Basic Instinct might have also contributed to your association there, Tux.

THE SHINING (1980, dir. Stanley Kubrick)

Every time I come back to this one, I find that I like it a little less. I'm never sure how the ghost story elements are meant to connect with the film's portrait of fatherhood gone wrong. It doesn't help that the DVD release contains the inferior edit of the film (the long-winded American cut). Kubrick's exensive edits for the European version were for the better, resulting in a tighter, more focused film.

Skyfall (2012, Sam Mendes)

Thoughts?

Cockneys -v- Zombies

:D

Guess what it's about?

I have never seen so many zombies. It's great.

Honor Blackman plays a very convincing old hag.

SKYFALL (2012)

Damn good. More thoughts later.

ET

been yonks since I've seen it and not too bad, I say this..it was off ITV so I'll try and grab a cheap copy someplace to properly enjoy it. C. Thomas Howell, where did it go wrong?
Drew..
Still, the goodbye scene at the end was lump in throat stuff largely helped by Williams. Perhaps.

Williams's music for the last 15 minutes of the film is excellent.

Control wrote:

Williams's music for the last 15 minutes of the film is excellent.

Makes me wonder, as with Jaws (maybe Close Encounters), if without Williams' music would these films be as well remembered. Certainly Jaws.

John Williams's whole score is excellent. Probably his best along with CLOSE ENCOUNTERS.

THE FURY has an excellent Main Title and central theme, though I don't find the underscore as memorable. The only bit I remember is the Arabs on the mall ferriswheel.



Solid rerecording by Nic Raine. He's not all bad, you know.

Largo's Shark wrote:

Solid re-rerecording by Nic Raine. He's not all bad, you know.

Think I'll have this quote framed someplace ;)

Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (2011, Asghar Farhadi)

A superb film. A highly realistic story with a lot of moral intricacies. The acting is excellent. It features the best portrayal of a man suffering from dementia I've seen.
(All of the imbecile Islam-haters should watch it, but it probably won't help a bit).

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (2011)

Probably one of the worst films I've seen in a long time. I'm not sure which is worse, the writing or the performances. Good thing Kevin Bacon was included for a bit of comic relief.

... Oh, wait, we were supposed to take his character seriously, too?



I'd do Jen Lawrence, though.

Prince and the Pauper (Crossed Swords, USA)

neither here nor there really. The main draw had been the cast -George C. Scott (guest star), Racquel Welch, Oliver Reed, Charlton Heston (Henry VIII) and even Ernest Borgnine (supposedly doing a cockney accent).
Mark Lester grated in equal measure but Reed is the true gem of this film. He plays it reminiscent of Three Musketeers but is on form. Raquel Welch does her bit well both comically and seriously (bosom heaving all the while) and George C. Scott in his small turn as king of the beggars.
Best forgotten I guess.

Control wrote:

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (2011)

Probably one of the worst films I've seen in a long time. I'm not sure which is worse, the writing or the performances. Good thing Kevin Bacon was included for a bit of comic relief.

... Oh, wait, we were supposed to take his character seriously, too?



I'd do Jen Lawrence, though.

I would...

-Ditch Mystique. One could always recast Lawrence as someone else.
-Set the whole film within the Cuban Missile Crisis. Open with the crisis beginning, and it can add tension to the whole film. Race against time sorta thing. Treat the whole thing like a thriller first, and it just happens to be about a group superheroes coming together.
-Not go so far in setting up the regular dynamic of making Magneto Magneto and Prof. X a crip- a, handicapped guy.
-Have Jennifer Lawrence be naked.

Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970; dir. Peter Sasdy)

Meh, it was watchable. It's frustating that these Dracula sequels are well-produced, but the main stories just don't interest me as much. Moreover, the casts generally don't. I guess this was slated to have Vincent Price. If only. Geoffrey Keen was alright, but I still miss Cushing damnit.

I have to say, get me a young Linda Hayden.

De Palmathon...

Dressed to Kill (1980) and Blow Out (1981)

Terrific double bill. DTK went up for me on a second viewing. Still not over the moon about it, but both of these films I found exhilarating to watch. This kind of exubarant, at times operatic filmmaking is what I love. The fireworks shot is a stunning moment of cinema.

21 Jump Street

Dire.

Five Easy Pieces (1971; dir. Bob Rafelson)

Felt right to watch it. I did a show earlier tonight and it went GREAT, so I felt jazzed. I'm also using this film as sort of a touchstone for the film I'm starting to write that I'll star in. So it just felt right to watch it.

Love the film. Love the mood on Vashon Island. Jack's splendid. Love, love, love Lois Smith. Any chance to see her is great. Love Tammy.



And what's-her-face in the car complaining about the world is great too.

Scars of Dracula (1970; dir. Roy Ward Baker)

I guess Baker did his best with this, but the flick didn't do much for me. Still miss Cushing...

Yeah, I don't much care for SCARS. I dig the Dracula series up until DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE, but after that, I lose interest.

Gotta say, I don't know how much more I'll post on pretty much every film I watch. I only have much to say if I either really like something or really dislike something.

Maybe I'll just post the more interesting films I see. I've got a backlog of dozens and dozens of films I want to plow through. Everything from Hammer to French New Wave. I'm more in a viewing-only mode currently, rather than stopping to smell the roses. Or the shit.

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979, dir. Robert Wise)

It's alright. More respectable than many of the films that follow in the TREK series, but it's overlong and overblown, essentially an episode of the original series blown up to the length of two hours.

Thankfully, Jerry Goldsmith brings his A-game.

Harmsway wrote:

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979, dir. Robert Wise)

It's alright. More respectable than many of the films that follow in the TREK series, but it's overlong and overblown, essentially an episode of the original series blown up to the length of two hours.

Thankfully, Jerry Goldsmith brings his A-game.

Which version did you see, the so-called director's cut or the theatrical?

I've hear the blu-ray is DNR city in terms of waxy features, so haven't seen it in that version myself.

trevanian wrote:

Which version did you see, the so-called director's cut or the theatrical?

Theatrical.

trevanian wrote:

I've hear the blu-ray is DNR city in terms of waxy features, so haven't seen it in that version myself.

It's been ages since I've seen it, so I wouldn't know how to compare it to previous releases. The Blu-Ray looked okay to me, though. The effects-heavy sequences came off beautifully.