Last Movie You Watched.

Salomé wrote:

Strangways&Quarrel wrote:

Cross of Iron (1977)

Just got the recent U.S. Blu-ray of this which appears to be pretty much a straight port of the U.K. Optimum release at least transfer wise. This was my first time seeing it as I'm still slowly catching up on Peckinpah's films and have to say this is next to Alfredo Garcia as one of his best films.  Excellent war film that sadly still seems lesser known despite how fully realized the film is in regards to Peckinpah's outlook. James Coburn delivered a great performance as well as Maximilian Schell as the slimy Captain. Also worth noting is the presence of James Mason and David Warner who both also deliver solid performances. Not only does this rank highly on my Peckinpah list it's definitely amongst the best War films right up there with Das Boot and The Dirty Dozen as films with a more realistic and less glamorized approach to the genre.

Orson Welles called this the greatest anti-war war film ever made.

It's terrific. A great depiction of the nihilism and madness at the heart of warfare. Some great instances of Peckinpah's dark humor.

I'll have to see if I can get a copy of Cross of Iron now. You don't always hear a film getting that kind of praise from one of the best screen practitioners ever.

I love this thread.

BI wrote:

Bohemian Rhapsody - culminating in a very convincing recreation of Queen's Live Aid performance, this biopic of Freddie Mercury (surely one of rock's most beloved frontmen) is inspiring, amusing and at times deeply moving. Rami Malek is excellent as Freddie.

Good to hear. I thought the trailer looked great but biopics can go either way.

I love Cross of Iron but have to admit the ending felt a bit abrupt. (Though I get the intent which is great.) I wouldn't go so far as to say that it is a great film or among Peckinpah's finest which are some of the greatest films ever made-but it is a very powerful film that is indeed one of the truly great war films and not forgettable over-hyped junk like Private Ryan.

I've been wanting to get the BD. The new US release adds the old commentary and ports over all the extras. Looks like the only downside is that they compressed down the video a considerable bit from the UK release. Still at least it's finally back in print here, where Peckinpah still is not properly respected.

For me Peckinpah's great works are: Ride the High Country, Major Dundee, The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs, Pat Garrett preview cut, Alfredo Garcia.

Alfredo Garcia is still my favorite Peckinpah. It feels like the film he put most of himself into and Warren Oates delivered the performance of a lifetime there.

Land of the Dead (2005)

George Romero's fourth and bigger budget zombie film. I hadn't seen it since it first came out in 2005 as I wasn't to keen on it then due it's more Hollywood-made vibe as opposed to the first three which were definitely Independent films through and through. Watching it again it still retains that Hollywood-made vibe which still keeps this from being up there with the original Romero trilogy but it was still entertaining due to a number of key factors. While the main lead played by Simon Baker honestly was pretty meh and was no more than bland hero with a dark secret both John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper delivered some outstanding work here totally getting what movie they're in and having fun with it. Asia Argento is in it too but doesn't have too much of a character to play other than tough hooker/resistance fighter, I think she's probably just here for looks.

The rest of the performance outside of oddly enough the lead zombie we're just serviceable but that's partly due to Romero's attempt at Hollywood style writing. The zombies here are more evolved ones who thanks to the help of the more evolved lead zombie who in one scene teaches a zombie how to shoot a gun. The lead zombie who's a gas station attendant zombie (this plays into Hopper's last scene in the movie) actually develops empathy for his fellow zombies and leads them against the human population more as revenge than just seeking food. Interesting concept as Romero despite going for a more studio-styled zombie film upped his political and social commentary even more than the previous films with themes of authoritarianism and class. All in all it's flawed film but was a lot of fun and short enough that some of the flaws can be overlooked due it's good qualities.

BI wrote:

Bohemian Rhapsody - culminating in a very convincing recreation of Queen's Live Aid performance, this biopic of Freddie Mercury (surely one of rock's most beloved frontmen) is inspiring, amusing and at times deeply moving. Rami Malek is excellent as Freddie.

FieldsMan wrote:

Good to hear. I thought the trailer looked great but biopics can go either way.

With the 12A certification, I did wonder about how certain aspects of Freddie's life would be depicted. His sexuality and drug use aren't shown graphically, but they're not ignored either.

hegottheboot wrote:

I love Cross of Iron but have to admit the ending felt a bit abrupt. (Though I get the intent which is great.) I wouldn't go so far as to say that it is a great film or among Peckinpah's finest which are some of the greatest films ever made-but it is a very powerful film that is indeed one of the truly great war films and not forgettable over-hyped junk like Private Ryan.

I've been wanting to get the BD. The new US release adds the old commentary and ports over all the extras. Looks like the only downside is that they compressed down the video a considerable bit from the UK release. Still at least it's finally back in print here, where Peckinpah still is not properly respected.

For me Peckinpah's great works are: Ride the High Country, Major Dundee, The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs, Pat Garrett preview cut, Alfredo Garcia.

"Ride the High Country" was a great influence on "McCabe and Mrs. Miller".
Which in turn influenced David Milch's "Deadwood".

Otherwise notable for being the very last acting job of Randolph Scott's career, who is my favorite movie cowboy.

Liebestraum (1991)
Neo-Noir from Mike Figgis who's mostly known for Leaving Las Vegas. An architectural professor returns to his hometown to take care of his dying mother and winds up meeting a college friend who's wife he ultimately falls for putting his life in danger.  Kevin Anderson is the lead here and he's alright but didn't leave much an impression and Kim Novak is the mother but does little but moan and yell given her character is in a hospital bed for the whole movie. Bill Pullman on the other hand does a great job as the college friend who wants to tear down a building that has a dark past (murder) much to Anderson's dismay and Pamela Gidley who a year later played the ill-fated Teresa Banks in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is his wife who does an okay job here. The other big bright spot though performance wise is Graham Beckel as a crazy sheriff who's part Frank Booth from Blue Velvet and part Mr. Eddy from Lost Highway. Sadly though outside of one major scene and a deleted scene cut to keep this from getting an X rating he's severely underused in the film despite implication of more.

Mike really tries hard for a David Lynch approach here with more focus on really gorgeous cinematography and surreal atmospherics but ultimately the plot ended up feeling like a meh episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The twist I predicted about halfway through right down to the fate of the main characters and how and even where exactly it would end for them as like a lot of filmmakers who try for Lynch they usually fail to make a twist that at the very least isn't too obvious and in this case boring. It's a film that had some good qualities going for it but the last forty or so minutes squandered and potential it may have had. Only worth it for Bill Pullman fans.

Done a couple of Spielberg's, well three actually, this week.

War of the Worlds, Crystal Skull and Munich.

Firstly, WOTW is all right, I'm not a huge fan of Cruise but the film itself does okay throughout, giving it a modern enough spin to give it a fresher feel than 1953's version.
Crystal Skull I set off trying to like it, never mind the fridge (that I don't mind in the general scheme of Indy's escapades), it just staggers and goes downhill (the constant to'ing fro'ing of Winstone's character got tiresome), Blanchett is wasted, the music echoes the recent Star Wars outcropping (Duel of the Fates) and it's just...a waste.

And Munich. Good film but feels heavy handed -the documentary film narrated by Michael Douglas about the Munich Massacre has greater skill and weight. I see what he's trying to do, Spielberg, with the climatic scene but something feels incredibly off about it.

This being said it has a good cast. I remember seeing Munich prior to Casino Royale and thinking, this Craig bloke might be a good Bond. Then you sort of remember no one is known in Bond films necessarily for their acting chops. Love seeing Michael Lonsdale in this (I had no idea he had an Irish mother and English father, according to his bio). Geoffrey Rush is good and it has my constant 'should be in a Bond film' Ciaran Hinds. Personally, Spielberg should've just done an account of the Massacre. For it effectively is done in a way during Munich that would have been compelling.

I enjoyed Munich when I saw it years ago. I've been meaning to give it a rewatch. Mathieu Almaric is in it too, isn't he?

Hilly wrote:

I remember seeing Munich prior to Casino Royale and thinking, this Craig bloke might be a good Bond.

Pity how that played out.

I saw Colette last night. Looks and sounds pretty but it plays loose with the facts (as I'm sure many biopics do) however at the expense of flow and to promote its left political agenda. I think many of the film's supporters seem to conveniently forget that Colette's second marriage dissolved in part due to her affair with her 16 year old stepson. Crucify Woody Allen for getting with his wife's 19 year old adoptive daughter after his marriage to Mia Farrow but all hail Colette.

Hilly KCMG wrote:

Done a couple of Spielberg's, well three actually, this week.

War of the Worlds, Crystal Skull and Munich.

Firstly, WOTW is all right, I'm not a huge fan of Cruise but the film itself does okay throughout, giving it a modern enough spin to give it a fresher feel than 1953's version.
Crystal Skull I set off trying to like it, never mind the fridge (that I don't mind in the general scheme of Indy's escapades), it just staggers and goes downhill (the constant to'ing fro'ing of Winstone's character got tiresome), Blanchett is wasted, the music echoes the recent Star Wars outcropping (Duel of the Fates) and it's just...a waste.

And Munich. Good film but feels heavy handed -the documentary film narrated by Michael Douglas about the Munich Massacre has greater skill and weight. I see what he's trying to do, Spielberg, with the climatic scene but something feels incredibly off about it.

This being said it has a good cast. I remember seeing Munich prior to Casino Royale and thinking, this Craig bloke might be a good Bond. Then you sort of remember no one is known in Bond films necessarily for their acting chops. Love seeing Michael Lonsdale in this (I had no idea he had an Irish mother and English father, according to his bio). Geoffrey Rush is good and it has my constant 'should be in a Bond film' Ciaran Hinds. Personally, Spielberg should've just done an account of the Massacre. For it effectively is done in a way during Munich that would have been compelling.

The punch-up with the Russian heavy who gets carried off by the army ants is probably the closest that Crystal Skull gets to the spirit of first 3 Indys, it's a shame about much of the rest of it.

Psycho 2 - many years since I last saw this ... as good a sequel to Hitchcock's classic as one could hope for, I'd say. Damn, Meg Tilly was cute as a button.

Overlord - this WW2 action-horror rattles along most entertainingly.

Watched Star Wars The Last Jedi and wanted to throw up.



Just awful, on every level.

bitchcraft wrote:

Watched Star Wars The Last Jedi and wanted to throw up.



Just awful, on every level.

I've seen the original three Star Wars and have no interest in seeing the others.

I've seen the first Star Wars and have no interest in seeing the others

Well, I've seen them all and wish to un-see Episode VIII.

Disney Wars is pointless garbage.

Star Wars died officially with the EU. The real Episode VII is, was and will always be HEIR TO THE EMPIRE.

hegottheboot wrote:

Disney Wars is pointless garbage.

Star Wars died officially with the EU. The real Episode VII is, was and will always be HEIR TO THE EMPIRE.

Hear, hear. I still have a fair few books -Shadows, the X-Wing series (1-8), Zahn's trilogy, Jedi Academy trilogy...Shame the EU couldn't remain in some form though the new books seem to be trying to pepper the universe a little. I've only read the Rogue One 'prequel' of the new EU.

Bohemian Rhapsody

It doesn't dig deeper into their rise to fame, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a blast. Mostly for the band's competence, not the filmmakers.

7.5/10

Hell Or High Water - drama with more than a hint of Western about it (and some social commentary), with Chris Pine and Ben Foster as bank-robbing brothers and Jeff Bridges on terrific form as one of the Texas Rangers on their tail.

Bad Samaritan - quite entertaining psycho-thriller with a brilliantly creepy performance from David Tennant.

The Old Man and the Gun.

Saw it in cinemas. Feels like a 70s Hollywood film marred slightly by modern day sensibilities. But a solid swan song for Redford if he really is to retire. And a very melodic score, too.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Thematically linked short movies, six in total, that are rather uneven in quality.
"Meal Ticket" left the deepest impression. One of the more interesting performances of Liam Neeson's recent career but he is still outplayed in that chapter of the movie by Harry Melling (the performer who says the most when he is silent).

"The Gal who got rattled" is good too, ultimately a rather conventional story about life, regret and missed opportunities.

The one common theme throughout all six segments is death, the seriousness with which this is treated fluctuates from segment to segment.

I don't think the Coens have made a truly great film since "No Country for Old Men" but this at the very least contains some interesting segments.

Wild Things - at times, this plays like a parody of straight-to-video erotic thrillers with a far better cast than those movies usually attracted. Good fun, with plenty of chances to check out Denise Richards in varying states of undress and a welter of double-crosses at the end.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Wild Things - at times, this plays like a parody of straight-to-video erotic thrillers with a far better cast than those movies usually attracted. Good fun, with plenty of chances to check out Denise Richards in varying states of undress and a welter of double-crosses at the end.

The only reason to watch it...

Who Dares Wins

Buying it cheap and watching it was the first time I've seen it since maybe when I was 10-11 with my parents (some of the films I was allowed to watch, sometimes with my brothers, boggles the mind, chortle!). So much of the going I forgot other than the SAS raid. It's produced by Euan Lloyd who had a hand on Wild Geese and Sea Wolves (he also did Wild Geese II but less said the better).
As a film it's nothing earth-shattering, oddly enjoyable in it's silliness. Personally, a good cast -Edward Woodward, Patrick Allen, Tony Doyle (the no nonsense SAS chief), Lewis Collins in his best film (which sadly is not saying much) and the likes of Ingrid Pitt, Robert Webber and Richard Widmark.

The latter two you suspect taking a pay cheque where they could. It was the first film I saw Widmark in (and Webber for that matter) and made me a fan of his ever since. (The first two films of Widmark's I saw were this and the Swarm, some introduction some might say!)

Personally, I liked the film for shots of early 80s London. The old road that ran across the top of Trafalgar Square, pre-1999 Westminster Tube, snow on the streets (something that hasn't happened much since 1981 in London. I can recall 2009 and I imagine it did the same this year) and London locales all over. Weirdly the film used a shot of the Isle of Wight to Portsmouth hovercraft to depict the bad guy travelling cross-Channel from France (you see the actual cross-Channel hovercraft in Diamonds Are Forever, to give you an idea of how jarring the two are).


Watching it I half wonder about a Collins Bond. I dare-say his would be more Lazenbyesque, relying on physicality and not so much emoting or whatever. He had a good sense of humour in this and Professionals so who knows. Collins is a case of what could've been. His career never really got anywhere after Professionals and this film, guest spots in the like of the Bill kind of thing.

Anyway. The film at least has a funky score by Roy Budd and is worth a watch for a bit of an afternoon needing to be wasted.

Peppermint.

Basically, Mrs Punisher. A wife/mom who turns into a well-trained, one-woman killing machine after her family is gunned down before her eyes by a Latino mobster.

Jennifer Garner is made for these type of films and not lovey-dovey bullshit romances.

Worth a watch.

I fell asleep halfway through that film. Reminded me of cheap Gerard Butler actioners I used to rent.