Last Movie you Watched?

Loomis wrote:

SHOOTER. Dreadful. How do these things turn out quite so cookie-cutter? You'd have thought that the writers and directors would want to put in some original or eccentric elements out of sheer boredom if nothing else.

You would think. But I suspect a lot of the folks making these things are just as uninteresting as the movies they make.

Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato (1978) aka The Inglorious Bastards

my rating: 3/5

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076584/



I brought this movie home because I read somewhere that Quentin got his inspiration for Inglorious Basterds from this.

I've seen bits and pieces of this movie before!

I can't remember where but it may have been on Cable TV or something.

But surely not on VHS or DVD.

I brought home the DVD and I had to special order it - we didn't have it in our inventory and our inventory system shows we'd never had a copy of the VHS either.

The Thin Man (1934)

Good entertainment with William Powell rocking. Beneficial to society. It's spiritual resonance gave me an erection. I'd have ****ed Myrna Loy.

The modern world needs a William Powell to populate it's movies.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

The Thin Man (1934)

Good entertainment with William Powell rocking. Beneficial to society. It's spiritual resonance gave me an erection. I'd have ****ed Myrna Loy.

The modern world needs a William Powell to populate it's movies.

AND A MYRNA LOY

She is so awesome and the kind of woman you want to show off with at your family and friends.

Gravity's Silhouette wrote:

Loomis wrote:

SHOOTER. Dreadful. How do these things turn out quite so cookie-cutter? You'd have thought that the writers and directors would want to put in some original or eccentric elements out of sheer boredom if nothing else.

When I first read the plot synopsis to SHOOTER I thought: "Hmmm...that sounds very similar to the best selling book POINT OF IMPACT by Stephen Hunter." Then when I looked at the bottom of the one-sheet it said in small print "Based upon the novel POINT OF IMPACT by Stephen Hunter." I should have known from the fact that they were burying their link to the novel (and made no effort to reach out to fans of the book or even publicize the fact that the book was being adapted) that they weren't really going to attempt to be faithful to the book, and that's usually where a film project starts to go wrong.

In the book Swagger is the best marksman in The West, a record of kills only matched by his opposite from the Soviet Union who also happens to be caught up in this assassination plot (and is inferred in the book as the true killer of John F. Kennedy). All of that good stuff from the book got gutted for the movie.

SHOOTER was decent, but if you want a truly gripping story go read the book.

Yeah, I believe POINT OF IMPACT (which I haven't read) was mired in Hollywood's development hell for many years before it was eventually watered down into SHOOTER. I seem to recall William Goldman mentioning in one of his books that he was hired to adapt the novel, which originally featured an older protagonist who was a Vietnam veteran. I think Goldman said he left the project when the moneymen decided to revamp it for a younger demographic and Keanu Reeves was mooted as the lead (prior to that it had been an Eastwood vehicle, maybe).

Still, I don't imagine that lowering the age of the hero is the main problem with SHOOTER (I say that without having read the novel, of course) - Mark Wahlberg is a decent enough actor (although he sure ain't one of the greats). The real trouble with the film is that it's just so join-the-dots and meat-and-potatoes and lacklustre. It could have been directed by a computer. No passion whatsoever seems to have gone into its creation. It's formula-bound and lifeless to the point that it's actually infuriating, especially as it keeps reminding the viewer of other movies that are much more enjoyable, e.g. COMMANDO, IN THE LINE OF FIRE and the Bournes. It's almost like it's taunting you with what you could be watching instead.

I reckon POINT OF IMPACT would have been a terrific project for John McTiernan in his prime, when he was making the likes of DIE HARD and THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER.

Immortals (2011)

5/5

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1253864/

What an awesome film!

Better than "300"!!

$75 Million Budget, Grossed over $217 Million so it's not a flop by the 2.5x Hollywood rule!!

Bring on the Sequel!!

The Lives of Others

A wonderful film told in such a restrained way that is rare nowadays. The acting is surprisingly good (since restrained). The sense of humanity that befalls Wiesler, and his actions to help the writer and his lover, the tragedy, and the way Dreyman finds out about his secret helper, are all superbly written and directed. (A shame the director compromised himself with a Hollywood shit production). The last line of Wiesler, signalling the book shop salesperson that the book he's about to buy isn't a present, while at the same time expressing that it's dedicated to him, for his help, is a pretty fine, properly moving ending to a classy film.

Double Indemnity

The ease with which Phyllis gets Walter to help her conduct her evil scheme perplexed me initially, but once Walter's character reveals itself it becomes understandable. Excellently written, as you'd expect from Wilder, this is a noir tour de force par excellence. A great yarn, congenially made alive by Wilder and his team. Engaging to the end.

Nice pair of features there, Manhunter.

j7wild wrote:

Immortals (2011)

5/5

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1253864/

What an awesome film!

Better than "300"!!

$75 Million Budget, Grossed over $217 Million so it's not a flop by the 2.5x Hollywood rule!!

Bring on the Sequel!!

Yep, this film did work quite well. It wasn't crap, which most of this type of fare is. I thought Henry Cavill made a bold statement for consideration as Bond. Not only does he have the proper Bond stature and look, but the guy moves really well too.

And the filmmakers also treated us to a long lingering shot of Frieda Pinto's bum.

tiffanywint wrote:

And the filmmakers also treated us to a long lingering shot of Frieda Pinto's bum.

that was a Body Double

j7wild wrote:

tiffanywint wrote:

And the filmmakers also treated us to a long lingering shot of Frieda Pinto's bum.

that was a Body Double

Yeah, Freida and Jessica Alba refuse to do nudity in their movies...mwah if you ask me....it doesn't have to be graphic.

I miss the 70's, when actresses refused to wear clothes in movies.

so if those are Gods (Zeus and his daughter and sons), how they can die?

j7wild wrote:

tiffanywint wrote:

And the filmmakers also treated us to a long lingering shot of Frieda Pinto's bum.

that was a Body Double

It was a great arse in any case.

Killer's Kiss (1955)

Looks great, feels pointless. Wonderful location work, though, and the whole chase is good. The girl is a honey.

j7wild wrote:

that was a Body Double

I think it was her real bum. I could have sworn her face was still in profile - a side shot of the left profile.

Even though media outed the body double for the sex scene (see below) there was still the long lingering shot where she's standing naked over the bed. That's her isn't it, and attached to her real bum? Maybe not. Could be a body double. Maybe she didn't turn her head. Fooled me anyway. Which isn't very hard.

"Unfortunately, things are not quite what they seem. Although her first appearance in the film was a graphic and unexpected sex scene, it turns out her character’s nudity was that of a body double, not her own as some outlets had previously reported."

ScreenJunkiesPinto body double scoop

HOMBRE (1967)

Paul Newman as an Indian-raised white man.

There's really nothing special about this one, but James Wong Howe's photography looks good.

j7wild wrote:

so if those are Gods (Zeus and his daughter and sons), how they can die?

I wondered about that for about 3 seconds myself and then returned to more important matters, such as, was that really Freida's bum we just saw?

The Killing (1956)

I greatly admire it. So does Faggot.

I still think it's a body double!

The scenes where she is still dressed, that's is Freida.

But look at the hair, it's not in the same position as when she is nude.





p.s. since we are on this topic, Isla Fisher used a body double in Wedding Crushers, Vera Farmiga used one in Up In The Air, Mila Kunis used one in Friends with Benefits, and no, that was not Keira Knightley naked in Domino!!

The White Tuxedo wrote:

The Killing (1956)

I greatly admire it. So does Faggot.

I'm almost afraid to ask.

j7wild wrote:

I still think it's a body double!

The scenes where she is still dressed, that's is Freida.

But look at the hair, it's not in the same position as when she is nude.





p.s. since we are on this topic, Isla Fisher used a body double in Wedding Crushers, Vera Farmiga used one in Up In The Air, Mila Kunis used one in Friends with Benefits, and no, that was not Keira Knightley naked in Domino!!

and there it is.

J7 is showing a bit more cheek than usual.

Taking his dedication well in hand you might say.

Paths of Glory (1957)

The only from Kubrick film that I've seen that has anything emotionally "stirring" to me. I'm talking about the end sequence. This film is growing on me. Usually I see Kubrick as a rather cold brain, but there's a tiny sense of humanism in POG.

And Faggot loved it.

j7wild wrote:

I still think it's a body double!

The scenes where she is still dressed, that's is Freida.

But look at the hair, it's not in the same position as when she is nude.





p.s. since we are on this topic, Isla Fisher used a body double in Wedding Crushers, Vera Farmiga used one in Up In The Air, Mila Kunis used one in Friends with Benefits, and no, that was not Keira Knightley naked in Domino!!

Good work J7! You found Pinto's bum-double shot. I think you are right, but a nice bum double it is. And Vera Farmiga's bare bum was doubled in Up in the Air too! It's an epidemic of bum doubling.

That should be an award category. Best bum double for a leading actress. I'll give the gold to Pinto's stand-in. And that was solid work by Farmiga's double as well, so she gets the silver. I didn't see the Kunis doubling or the other performances you mentioned.