Last Movie You Watched.

bitchcraft wrote:

CJB wrote:

Wolf is just about the only 3 hour movie that never has me looking at the clock.

I got careless once and my daughter, still a preteen, nabbed it and...had some awkward questions for me after.  

Never too early to learn about the benefits of investing in equities.

The Flight of the Phoenix

fine cast keeps it chugging along nicely. The book was seen as fairly unremarkable and so was this when it came out (and I imagine the remake too) but thanks to the cast I quite enjoy it. Insomuch as you can enjoy a film confined to the desert. Amongst the highlights is the gradual unravelling of the characters, especially Attenborough who at one point laughs so manically you feel yourself on the edge of joining in. Hardy Kruger, the sole survivor of the film's cast it seems, appears to convey his maddening calm with that hint he could be just as nuts as everyone else is becoming.

And it boasts a title sequence that seals the deal, personally. The freeze-framing, DeVol's music and the wide-eyed look on each actor's face as they get thrown into a shitstorm.

Tomb Raider - halfway-decent videogame adaptation shocker!

Beats the 2 Jolie flicks ... an enjoyable action-adventure that was ideal for passing a couple of hours on a rainy weekend afternoon on which I wasn't in work, anyway.

Went on a Harrison Ford Blu-ray binge recently as I hadn't seen The Indiana Jones trilogy since I was about twelve years old and it had been a long while since I saw Blade Runner.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
I feel like this one has been spoofed and borrowed from so endlessly it feels like not much else to say than it still is a classic of course and still stomps a lot of the action film competition. Worth noting that Wolf Kahler who plays Dietrich also played one of Mengele's goons in The Boys from Brazil which would make for a pretty good pairing with this one day.

The Temple of Doom (1984)
My Least favorite of the three (one I actually disliked as a child) and still is but it is a pretty entertaining despite how dark it gets. I applaud Lucas and Spielberg for trying something different but I think it got a bit too dark at times (particularly the over-the-top sacrifice scene) even for my depraved tastes. It really picks back in the finale though with the cart chase and climax on the bridge. Short Round and Willie Scott are still two for the most annoying sidekick hall of fame awards though.

The Last Crusade (1989)
Still my overall favorite of the three. Very epic feeling and loaded with great action scenes and humor. Connery and Ford make for a perfect duo and Alison Doody's Elsa is still one of my favorite femme fatales. Also liked that Brody got more screentime in the one and he got to literally ride off into the sunset with Indy and Henry Jones at the end. Definitely on my shortlist for best action film ever made.

Blade Runner (1982)
My first time seeing The Final Cut as I had only seen this film in the form of the theatrical version on an old late-80's era VHS tape. Kind of like Raiders in that it feels talked about to death but still a very good and haunting movie with impressive visuals. Rutger Hauer steals the movie of course in every scene he is in although his rather creepy stalking of Deckard in the Bradbury building being my favorite part of his even more so than his final speech. Totally forgot M. Emmett Walsh was in this film as the police captain and while not as great as his role in Blood Simple was still a very good nasty and mean performance that he usually does so well. Overall I'd of course say this was the version of the two to watch for maximum impact although I still have a soft spot for that narration in the Theatrical despite it being very phoned in and tacked on.

Will probably revisit Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls sooner or later as I didn't really dislike it when it first came out plus got a good South Park episode out of it (The China Syndrome) and of course will see Blade Runner 2049 at some point.

n

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Tomb Raider - halfway-decent videogame adaptation shocker!

Beats the 2 Jolie flicks ... an enjoyable action-adventure that was ideal for passing a couple of hours on a rainy weekend afternoon on which I wasn't in work, anyway.

Seeing it tonight, wasn't sold on Alicia as Lara Croft but maybe I'll change my mind.

UPDATE: Okay, it was a fun, action popcorn flick. Alicia is still a bit...tiny to me

I think her casting was inspired by the movie being based on the 'reboot' TR game, in which Lara is younger and 'slighter'.

I have no particular fondness for the "Tomb Raider" movies of the early 2000s. But I was a bit bothered by the tone of some of Alicia Vikander's interviews I have read in the lead-up to this movie's release. Distancing herself from the earlier portrayals, making sure that people understood her Lara Croft was different. It sort of reminded me of how some aspects of the Bond character have been disowned by Daniel Craig. I don't really like that kind of talk. If you don't appreciate a character, no one is forcing you to play them.

new F1 season so, Rush

Hunt was someone I remembered as a boy, with his F1 commentary, back in the days when I had Matchbox F1 cars for Williams and Ferrari. Growing up, there was always something special about him even though he won one championship and had a somewhat hit and miss career either side of it (well, more miss after 1976).
The film does as much justice to either driver -Bruhl described as more Lauda than Lauda himself. Considering it had a relatively tight budget, Rush manages to convey foreign race courses and locations well, without really ever leaving Blighty aside from the Nurgburgring (puts me in mind of the Saint being able to 'travel' all over the world but never leaving Elstree). Hemsworth is okay as Hunt though I can't help but think someone else could've done better, who is beyond me but Hunt was such a giant of a character that no one would've captured him 100%.

I saw this on holiday in Weymouth and recall a charge in the screen after Hunt has been told by Caldwell to more or less give up on the race owing to the conditions at Fuji, Hunt slaps the visor down and snaps: "Fuck it!".
1976 was a special year somehow and Rush, as above, does a decent enough job bringing it to modern audiences. It is a shame Hunt never got to see it.

n

Unsane - psychological thriller/horror with Claire Foy. It being shot on Soderbergh's iPhone (apparently) lends it a naturalistic air which helps with some of the more far-fetched parts of the plot.

Saw Kermode talking about it on BBCNews. Looks an unique style in this day and age. Personally, my next cinema outing I hope to be Isle of Dogs and then the Dam Busters 75 re-showing in May (the anniversary of the raid that is, the film being shown remastered and something coming out of the Royal Albert Hall- Dan Snow apparently but with orchestra?)

l'Amant Double (or "Double Lover" as it is known in the Anglosphere)



What if a dirty French provocateur made his own version of "Vertigo", basically.
Entertaining and silly in equal measure. Though I will always have a weakness for Ozon's IDGAF attitude.

n

Erica Ambler wrote:

Isn't that the actress you've been pimping for Bond 25, Sabs?

I think that was Nora Arnezeder. Though I might have suggested Marine Vacth too at one point? The former would be a more natural fit for a Bond girl role.

n

Erica Ambler wrote:

Hmmm, I was thinking of Marine Vacth, but I daren't check the Bond 25 section - I  live in fear of the Missing Edit Button.

I remember suggesting Nora Arnezeder and Louise Bourgoin. I might have also suggested Marine Vacth at some point, but I think her acting style would make her a very unusual Bond girl.
Which might be interesting. Having said that, EON doesn't tend to stray too far into the unconventional in their casting of Bond girls.

nb

STALKER (1979)

I've seen this multiple times. It's beautiful, rich and deep. I still don't think I have it all figured out. Every viewing seems to invite a repeat viewing.

Pacific Rim Uprising

Fun popcorn flick, the kids liked it, although my daughter whispered to me she wants to see some R's next.

I've raised her well.

n

Control wrote:

STALKER (1979)

I've seen this multiple times. It's beautiful, rich and deep. I still don't think I have it all figured out. Every viewing seems to invite a repeat viewing.

I owe STALKER a re-watch soon. It's never affected me quite as profoundly as some of Tarkovsky's other haunting works, particularly SOLARIS and NOSTALGIA. Then again, it's been almost three years since I last saw it. I suspect coming to it again will be as if watching it for the first time.

Meanwhile, I've been watching:

FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE (1993, Kaige) which I found to be aesthetically beautiful but oddly empty.

ALPHAVILLE (1965, Godard) in my ongoing attempts for Godard's work to finally "click" for me. Not this time.

Critics are waxing lyrical about YOU WERE NEVER REALLY THERE (2017, Ramsey), an interesting enough subversion of TAXI DRIVER. It's solid enough but pales in comparison to more recent genre flicks. particularly those from Korea.

FEAR EATS THE SOUL (1974, Fassbinder) My first Fassbinder. Charming enough, but I don't know where to go on from here when it comes to exploring more of his work.

The forgotten and unfairly maligned DEADFALL  (1968, Forbes) featuring a lush John Barry score (and cameo appearance), the incredibly beautiful Giovanna Ralli and an intriguing cat and mouse game between Michael Caine and Eric Portman, with a final twist to rival CHINATOWN.

And getting back into Stanley Baker's early career with VIOLENT PLAYGROUND (1958, Dearden), which feels like a missed opportunity on so many levels.

Erica Ambler wrote:

Control wrote:

STALKER (1979)

I've seen this multiple times. It's beautiful, rich and deep. I still don't think I have it all figured out. Every viewing seems to invite a repeat viewing.

I haven't seen the restored version yet but Stalker is the film equivalent of psychotropics - you leave the cinema with a higher consciousness. And unlike 2001 it does it without a pretty lightshow.

Also an obvious influence on both "The Revenant" and "Annihilation".

Ready Player One - geeky blockbuster funtimes, courtesy of Mr Spielberg. Good to see that he's still got this sort of 'light touch' sci-fi action-adventure in him at the age of 70.

Popcorn undoubtedly, but gourmet popcorn. I enjoyed it muchly.