Last Movie You Watched? Mark 9

THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (1993, directed by James Ivory). A virtually perfect film that boasts what is perhaps the best performance that Anthony Hopkins has ever given (Emma Thompson and James Fox are also superb).

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (Sydney Pollack, 1975)
Great '70s conspiracy thriller. Cliff Robertson and Max von Sydow were superb, although they were supporting roles. Dunaway was the weakest link, I believe, along with the thin plot. I enjoy it still. It's like DIRTY HARRY meets BBC's TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, in terms of filmmaking style.


DOWNHILL RACER (Michael Ritchie, 1969)
I really enjoyed this film, and I don't normally bother with sports flicks. It plays a lot like a documentary. Redford's does well at playing a conceited skier. Camilla Sparv looks gorgeous. There wasn't much room for Hackman to shine, unfortunately.

Wish Hackman would do one more film. Like Connery what would stand as his last film doesn't exactly thrill.

Control wrote:

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (Sydney Pollack, 1975)
Great '70s conspiracy thriller. Cliff Robertson and Max von Sydow were superb, although they were supporting roles. Dunaway was the weakest link, I believe, along with the thin plot. I enjoy it still. It's like DIRTY HARRY meets BBC's TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, in terms of filmmaking style.

Von Sydow is brilliant in it.

I agree that the romance seems contrived, especially since we never get a good reason for Dunaway's character falling so quickly for him.
Other than him being Robert Redford.

FRUITVALE STATION (2013, directed by Ryan Coogler). An astonishingly accomplished feature debut from writer and director Coogler, with an outstanding lead performance by Michael B. Jordan. The pair are currently making the Rocky series spinoff film CREED (in which Stallone mentors Apollo Creed's grandson, played by Jordan). As a huge fan of the Italian Stallion I'd been looking forward to CREED, but having now seen how good FRUITVALE STATION is my excitement for it has skyrocketed.

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR (2014)

Damn good. Oscar Isaac continually proves himself as one of the absolute best young actors.

Salomé wrote:

Control wrote:

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (Sydney Pollack, 1975)
Great '70s conspiracy thriller. Cliff Robertson and Max von Sydow were superb, although they were supporting roles. Dunaway was the weakest link, I believe, along with the thin plot. I enjoy it still. It's like DIRTY HARRY meets BBC's TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, in terms of filmmaking style.

I agree that the romance seems contrived, especially since we never get a good reason for Dunaway's character falling so quickly for him.
Other than him being Robert Redford.

That's the weakest bit. Although, I liked when she referred to herself as the "spy-fucker", which poked fun at a woman's role in the spy genre.

Great thriller, though, as I said. The scene with Redford and Von Sydow outside of the home at the end is brilliant. Von Sydow is so subtle, but incredibly menacing.

Last film I saw was AMERICAN SNIPER. It's 'aight. Cooper is great, but overall not Eastwood's best film at any range. He's already had his UNFORGIVEN.

Control wrote:

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (Sydney Pollack, 1975)
Great '70s conspiracy thriller. Cliff Robertson and Max von Sydow were superb, although they were supporting roles. Dunaway was the weakest link, I believe, along with the thin plot. I enjoy it still. It's like DIRTY HARRY meets BBC's TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, in terms of filmmaking style.

I love the beginning and I love the last scene. The stuff in-between gets a little goofy.

Harmsway wrote:

Control wrote:

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (Sydney Pollack, 1975)
Great '70s conspiracy thriller. Cliff Robertson and Max von Sydow were superb, although they were supporting roles. Dunaway was the weakest link, I believe, along with the thin plot. I enjoy it still. It's like DIRTY HARRY meets BBC's TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, in terms of filmmaking style.

I love the beginning and I love the last scene. The stuff in-between gets a little goofy.

It's a conspiracy film for girls. Essentially a POS romance bookended by fine threatening moments. I don't think Redford is going to be well remembered.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Ex Machina - gripping, thought-provoking sci-fi. If you're worried about what ever-advancing artificial intelligence might mean for the fate of the human race, unfortunately this will do little to reassure you.

Saw 'Ex Machina' a week ago. It has an intelligent script, b-movie sensibilities and pubic hair, which makes it my type of film. My main complaint is that the entire thing could be done on stage. Essentially, it's a three-hander.

Oh. Finally finished 'Flight' last night. For years I was obsessed by aviation, but even I couldn't find much to like in this dull and worthy take on alcoholism - I had to digest it in half hour chunks, possibly because Denzil Washington is so singularly uncharismatic. However, Kelly Reilly is as luminescent as usual. She should get a new agent.

Kelly Reilly is really great and underused. Not sure I agree about Washington though. I don't think he's an amazing actor but I've always found him to have a nice, commanding screen presence.

Flight stopped halfway through at the cinema when I went to see it ... still hadn't restarted 10 minutes later, so I walked out and got a refund. Wondered since then if it was worth seeing in its entirety, but it doesn't sound like it.

Xenia93 wrote:

Not sure I agree about Washington though. I don't think he's an amazing actor but I've always found him to have a nice, commanding screen presence.

I hadn't seen Washington in anything since 'Training Day' so might have been the character he was playing in 'Flight' more than anything.

BLACK SEA (2015, dir. Kevin Macdonald)

Efficient, but forgettable.

Volver

Interesting look at life and death in this Hitchcockian story. Penelope Cruz is fantastic as always, and interesting that these, I mean she, hasn't appeared in a Bond film.

Red Cliff (2008/2009, dir. John Woo)

A breathtaking return to form.

Did you see the International cut, Harms? I hear it's much better than the US version. Been wanting to see that one for a while.


A MOST VIOLENT YEAR (2014)
A superb crime drama. I'm shocked beyond belief that this hasn't garnered more accolades (especially Oscar noms).

Xenia93 wrote:

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR (2014)

Damn good. Oscar Isaac continually proves himself as one of the absolute best young actors.

I agree. Oscar's performance in this is really something special.

dr. strangelove wrote:

Did you see the International cut, Harms? I hear it's much better than the US version. Been wanting to see that one for a while.

I've seen both cuts. The international two-film version is the best version, but the US cut is still watchable.

Erica Ambler wrote:

Xenia93 wrote:

Not sure I agree about Washington though. I don't think he's an amazing actor but I've always found him to have a nice, commanding screen presence.

I hadn't seen Washington in anything since 'Training Day' so might have been the character he was playing in 'Flight' more than anything.

Haven't seen FLIGHT personally. He seems to be less invested in his roles as of late.

Watched FURY tonight. I know some don't care for it, and it's very conventional, but I really liked it. Definitely prefer it to UNBROKEN and AMERICAN SNIPER out of 2014's American war films.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Reasonable enough film, but one that does beg the question why bother with CGI? In fact, moreso does it even matter that one group is 'Apes' any more? The sci-fi concepts and political satirizing that the original series mined have all but been abandoned to a superficial and generic actioner, replete with teen angst and misunderstandings. Watchable and competent however lacking real teeth or purpose.

6/10

Watched The Godfather last week and Part II over the past couple of days.

The opinions of both have changed vastly since I first saw them. This being said when I last watched them around October time I thought Part II were the superior film. And yet this time round I find myself leaning to the first. Both, in this writers humble opinion, are well made films, good acting etc but for some reason the first one edges it this time round. Like Soloman maybe I need to have them sawed in half or something.
I confess that for all in the first film, a favourite scene is Sonny going apeshit on Carlo in the street. His death scene is equally as effective. More's the pity personally he was killed but, such is life, ha.
Part II as powerful though if only Brando had not been an arse and appeared in that cameo scene at the end, just to make it complete as it were.

Soon to launch into what would be only my second viewing of Part III. Can't say it's one I look forward to.

THE BEACH (2000, directed by Danny Boyle). Fails to truly generate either the thrill of exotic travel or the suspense/horror of paradise-gone-wrong - it sometimes seems little more than a strangely inert drama about nimbyism. On the whole, though, it's watchable enough.

No Manifesto : A Film About Manic Street Preachers - a stirring, amusing documentary about the brilliant Welsh band (and also a sobering reminder that yesterday saw the 20th anniversary of Richey Edwards' disappearance).

Kingsman : The Secret Service - with all due respect to Matthew Vaughn, it's hard not to think that this is kinda how a Bond movie directed by Tarantino would turn out. Tremendous fun ... if you miss the 'baddie with a world-threatening diabolical plot operating from inside a mountain lair' aspects of 007, look no further.

The only thing I remember from "Flight" is the crash scene.

The rest of it seemed grossly overrated.

I would say that "Man on Fire" was the last time I deemed Denzel to be interesting.