Last Movie You Watched? the 8th

Lor'. Got muddled...[rummages] meant Titfield Thunderbolt.

Apologies.

None required. I'm both pleased and surprised that anyone under 30 watches Ealing comedies.

(Not talking about nu Ealing, obviously ... Can't believe that St Trinian's (2007), is the fourth most financially successful British film. :roll: )

Erica Ambler wrote:

None required. I'm both pleased and surprised that anyone under 30 watches Ealing comedies.

(Not talking about nu Ealing, obviously ... Can't believe that St Trinian's (2007), is the fourth most financially successful British film. :roll: )

Fear it says a lot about modern audiences. Or at least films like that would make such money. If I lived in London (where most of these tend to be now) I'd check out the reshowings of older films such as when Pimlico etc were reshowed a couple of years ago.

As I say it was my upbringing. One of the first films I recall was Kenneth More's Man on the Moon. All these faces long gone are my actors which sort of depresses me with these Pattinson's and so on.

The Way Way Back (2013)

Enjoyable teenage coming of age summer flick. I always enjoy Sam Rockwell in most things, so of course a lot of my favorite bits involved him.

FEARLESS (1993, dir. Peter Weir)

Unfairly forgotten.

21 Jump Street

Quite amusing, and nice little cameo from Johnny Depp.

Control wrote:

Harmsway wrote:

THE HUNT (2013, dir. Thomas Vinterberg)

Efficiently made (Mikkelsen is great), but there's something missing.

I wanted to check this out. What do you mean by "something missing"?

As a study of the "witch hunt" mentality, it's fairly surface-level (and occasionally heavy-handed with its metaphors). An event early in the film suggests that THE HUNT could have made for a compelling examination of the concept of childhood innocence in an over-sexualized world, but it never really coalesces into anything that fascinating.

Fast and Furious 6

These have been guilty pleasures in the past but this one came along and just shat its awfulness all over those memories.

Harmsway wrote:

FEARLESS (1993, dir. Peter Weir)

Unfairly forgotten.

Definitely. And quite possibly Jeff Bridges' finest hour.

And I agree with Loomis that even Bridges can't save Iron Man from being a soulless, spiritless, fun-free POS. I hated it as well.

Annie Hall

enjoyable still on its second viewing. I quite like and somehow found Diane Keaton quite alluring on this viewing. Tony Roberts is a blast and then there's going to California.

To distract from this lightweight review here's what I saw long before the film itself

Oz the Great and Powerful

Better than I feared, Franco is quite engaging in the central role, though I feel Wiez is somewhat wasted. Oddlly - it may be a personal quirk - but Kunis seemed sexier with heaving boddice, hooked nose and green skin to me ^^

6/10

Horse Feathers

Showing its age in technical terms (some of the picture is wobblier than a Marc Foster action sequence) but many riotous scenes. Like, Duck Soup, there's a fresh anarchic/offbeat vibe that puts one in mind of Monty Python. The short running time does however suffer a few shaky musical numbers and the curse of Zeppo of course.

7/10 (though imo currently least in terms of the bros other vehicles)

Harmsway wrote:

FEARLESS (1993, dir. Peter Weir)

Unfairly forgotten.

I'd love to sit down to FEARLESS but the last time I checked it didn't seem to be available on DVD in Britain.

Santa wrote:

Fast and Furious 6

These have been guilty pleasures in the past but this one came along and just shat its awfulness all over those memories.

I'm not quite clear - did you enjoy it or not?

Me, I haven't seen FAST SIX, or indeed FAST FIVE, which is also often held to be Much Better Than You'd Expect. I keep wondering whether I'd find them entertaining, and although my mental answer to that question has so far always come down on the "No" side of the fence I remain open to recommendations.

Forrest Gump

curiously I've managed to avoid watching it until now and with it on the box last night took the plunge. Dare I say, like The Godfather and Jaws (both films I only saw the first time in recent years), there was this built up hype that's grown over time or supposedly has. Needless to say I didn't mind it. If only Tom Hanks was still doing good roles.

FORREST GUMP is a great film.

Been watching Hawks and Ford recently. Won't go through everything. Saw Only Angels Have Wings for the first time and was in love immediately. Top-tier Hawks, that's for sure. To Have and Have Not has also gone up in my estimation - I took a lot more away from it than I did first time around, and Robin Wood confirmed its greatness for me. I'm looking forward to getting around to The Big Sleep, which I'm thinking he's not too keen on but which I absolutely adore.

My Ford viewing isn't being guided around any reading so it will probably meander aimlessly and move much more slowly - all I'm going by is what's in my collection, which doesn't appeal to me at every moment. Re-watching How Green Was My Valley was a delight as always, this time in hi-def. Angharad's wedding alone is more beautiful than any moment in Welles's entire filmography, and I find allegations that this film "robbed" Kane of an Oscar laughable. Does anybody who has seen both actually consider Kane the finer picture, even for all of its parading around GOAT lists? The Informer was less impressive. I enjoy Ford letting loose visually (other than How Green, my favourite is the hyper-stylish The Fugitive), but this one just doesn't hold together for me. I can see why some like it, but I just wasn't on the right wavelength to enjoy it.

Harmsway wrote:

Control wrote:

Harmsway wrote:

THE HUNT (2013, dir. Thomas Vinterberg)

Efficiently made (Mikkelsen is great), but there's something missing.

I wanted to check this out. What do you mean by "something missing"?

As a study of the "witch hunt" mentality, it's fairly surface-level (and occasionally heavy-handed with its metaphors). An event early in the film suggests that THE HUNT could have made for a compelling examination of the concept of childhood innocence in an over-sexualized world, but it never really coalesces into anything that fascinating.

I liked it a lot, but that may because it speaks to disturbing political developments in Britain (and presumably elswhere in Europe). During the week of its UK cinema release, when I saw it, I remember hearing a senior Labour politician say something along the lines of 'we should never doubt allegations of sexual abuse' on the BBC (no prizes for guessing which bint it was, Brits). I think the material is well executed, and fundamentally commendable - particularly given the final passage which struck me as being particularly powerful. I don't know if I'm ever comfortable with criticising a film for not doing something. I don't think the film ever really promises to go down the route suggested, as interesting as it might be, so it's a bit like spitting out a mouthful of apple because it doesn't taste like an orange.

HJackson wrote:

Does anybody who has seen both actually consider Kane the finer picture, even for all of its parading around GOAT lists?

While the old "HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY is a lesser film than CITIZEN KANE" argument is frequently reguritated with little real thought, it seems to me to be a bit unfair to suggest that the claim has never been sincere.

At any rate, you might appreciate Adrian Martin's discussion of HOW GREEN IS MY VALLEY.

HJackson wrote:

I think the material is well executed, and fundamentally commendable - particularly given the final passage which struck me as being particularly powerful.

The final passage is the most surprising section of the film, even if the "hunt" metaphor is laid on a bit thick by the time we get to it.

HJackson wrote:

I don't think the film ever really promises to go down the route suggested, as interesting as it might be, so it's a bit like spitting out a mouthful of apple because it doesn't taste like an orange.

There's plenty of conversation about the innocence of children laced throughout the screenplay (particularly in the first half), and there is an implied critique of this "children are always innocent" idea. It just doesn't develop that into something with real teeth, even if the story development wherein the child's allegations arise because of exposure to pornography is a particularly insightful one.

But that's just a suggestion on my part. My bigger critique is that THE HUNT is just fairly surface-level, and that Vinterberg doesn't bring enough perspective to the material, regardless of what that perspective might be. His direction is rather flat (both conceptually and stylistically). As it is, THE HUNT is worth seeing, but probably only worth seeing once.

THE WORLD (2004, directed by Jia Zhangke). A look at a fast-changing China as seen from the frustrated perspective of employees at a down-at-heel Beijing theme park that promises to show guests the world without their having to leave the country. Not quite as mindblowingly brilliant as I'd remembered, this is still a film that works superbly for much of the time, although at other times it flounders. The narrative is choppy and meandering, with subplots that go nowhere and some somewhat pointless short animated interludes. A good half hour or so of running time should probably have been dropped. At its best, though, THE WORLD is strange, poignant and compelling stuff, capturing slices of contemporary Chinese life with the flavour of a fly-on-the-wall documentary in which the fly in question has somehow managed to consume a drop or two of alcohol, resulting in some detours into surrealism and whimsy. As usual with Jia, the cinematography is striking and the acting first-rate, with an excellent lead performance by Jia's muse, Zhao Tao.

Blue Thunder

solid fun, as fun as a movie of this theme could be. As a kid this was repetitive viewing and in a way it is now, though anually. Roy Schieder is the best thing about it personally, playing Murphy with good humour and character (as well as being on the edge, verge of going over it) and with good lines. Next to that probably Warren Oates. Something about Oates that demands this recognition. Half expect him to chew up the set and swear his way through everything. Sgt Hulka from Stripes writ large.
A favourite moment remains when Murphy suddenly appears in Blue Thunder behind the cops stopping his girlfriend Kate. "Smile you sonofabitch."
Love the soundtrack as well ("Adios JAFO" still romps up the tension). Lymangood's death (said JAFO) knocked me as a kid, seemed pretty violent (well it is) but compared to films today it's tame I suppose. Anyway...Blue Thunder.


"Catch you later"

BLUE THUNDER is probably the 80s movie I most wished I'd gotten to see in the theater but didn't.

The score, especially during the end duel is just breathtaking (though I could live w/o the earlier overly electronic stuff.)

Have often wondered if Dan O'Bannon's script was really butchered or not. I don't see how this movie could have worked being more serious ... PARALLAX VIEW with inverted choppers? ALL THE PRESIDENT'S HUEYS? don't think so.

Blue Thunder has the long-fashionable Brit bad guy in Malcolm McDowell, but I think it might have been an early example of the trend.

Indeed, Trev, hard to see if it could've been more than it ended up being. I think it could've done rounding out in parts but does the job with what it has. Murphy was meant to be psychopathic and a lot more of LA destroyed but it didn't fly. Hard to sympathise with a pyscho I guess.

As for McDowell, his bio on screen cites him as being born in Luton, he's ribbed by Murphy in a British way and yet...he's in the US Army and was in Nam.

Hilly wrote:

As for McDowell, his bio on screen cites him as being born in Luton, he's ribbed by Murphy in a British way and yet...he's in the US Army and was in Nam.

Guess it was a last minute rewrite to explain McDowell's accent.

DOUBLE JEOPARDY (1999, directed by Bruce Beresford). A preposterous and cliché-ridden thriller. Moderately entertaining, though.

Double Jeopardy is utter crap. Fortunately, Ashley Judd got old quickly so society didn't have to suffer her FemiNazism for too long. In films, at any rate.