Last Movie you Watched?

She certainly, shall we say, quivers the foundations.

*cough*

well, moving on

Makeshift Python wrote:

I saw that last night with a couple of friends. All I knew was that it had Pattinson and I wasn't too thrilled about being dragged to it, but with Christoph Waltz I figured that would even things.

And then I ended up liking the flick, to my surprise. Until the fourth quarter of the film. The moment Witherspoon decided to jump out of the train with Pattinson is where it lost me. Plus I never really bought their chemistry so it was hard for me to believe she would take such a risk. I literally rolled eyes the moment that happened and the rest was like watching a disaster (oh).

With a few exceptions I did like most of the cinematography a lot, it was a nice looking flick.

That's pretty much my thoughts on it.

That was my biggest problem with it, too. I didn't really believe her falling for him the way she did. I could kind of buy it with the whole "animal lover" thing, but I honestly didn't think she was going to leave her husband. I thought the crux of the tragedy would either be the lost love or her death. I would have been happy with either of those endings...

That said, I liked Hal Holbrook, and had it somehow been possible for him to play the Jacob character for the entire film, I might have preferred that

True Lies (1994)



You're fired.

Not near the excellence of Cameron's previous works, but still an enjoyable and even pretty creative spy comedy. Love the ending with the Harrier, I gotta have one of those for myself and go shopping with it. 8)

8/10


James Cameron Countdown:
1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
2. The Terminator (1984)
3. Aliens (1986)
4. The Abyss (1989)
5. Titanic (1997)
6. True Lies (1994)
7. Avatar (2009)




Good Night and Good Luck (2005)



Powerful, opinionated and truly interesting film about journalist Edward Murlow who stands against Senator Joseph McCarty's anti-Communistic thoughts and actions in 50´s Cold War-esqued United States. Not often these days you see a film that shows everything B&W, giving it a realistic edge. And the acting is pure A-class quality, shame that David Strathairn hasn't been in any noticeable role ever since. Overall a greatly underrated piece of modern cinema.

9.5/10


George Clooney Countdown:
1. Good Night and Good Luck (2005)
2. Confessions of A Dangerous Mind (2002)




The Prestige (2006)



A low start leading to a better middle section and concluding with a mindblowing climax: pure Christopher Nolan quality. And I love it, even though it doesn't top the other Nolan films I've seen for now. But, this was the first time, so...

9/10


Christopher Nolan Countdown:
1. The Dark Knight (2008)
2. Inception (2010)
3. Memento (2000)
4. Batman Begins (2005)
5. The Prestige (2006)

The White Ribbon

I think I liked this even more than Caché (though not very much).
It features once again the fine, natural acting we know from Haneke's films.
An absorbing study of village inhabitants just before the outbreak of WWI.
Though Haneke, the rascal, leaves a lot of important questions for the viewer to answer for himself: Why did the midwife lock up the house and barricade the windows when her boy wasn't in there anymore?
What happened to him?
Why did the other boy steal the flute, lie about it to his father, yet start to play when his father was still within hearing?
What is the point of all the evil attacks?
What does the pastor know or suspect? What do his children?
What does the HOLY BIBLE have to do with all of this?

Ad infinitum...

Answers can be sent via pm or posted on here.
Thanks alot.

:bom:

Anatomy of A Murder (1959) Dir: Otto Preminger



One of the finest courtroom dramas I've seen. The trickeries, rapid-fire delivering and fast-talking that any efficient (not righteous) criminal lawyer should have, unbiased, detached from any inner conviction or moral standpoint.

The opposite forces are masterfully played by Jimmy Stewart and George C. Scott, two individuals with an expertise in the use of every cunning, dirty scheme able to be used in order to destroy the credibility of each other's arguments. There are occasional bouts of humour to break up the tension and it was much appreciated. Preminger's direction is clean and focused on the right spots; the screenplay is snappy and occasionally very funny; Duke Ellington's music is quite mellow; and Lee Remick couldn't be lovelier.



The Professionals (1966) Dir: Richard Brooks




In summary:

Volodymyr Palahniuk as a Mexican
Lee Marvin as Lee Marvin
A mine car chase
Dynamites and Arrows
The glorious cleavage of Claudia Cardinale.

A good-old-fashion western, it has plenty of shoot-outs, good lines, and even a few twists near the end. Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster do well together as once and future partners who are different in terms of their personalities and style, but they both share the same sense of loyalty and betray as they look back on their former lives. Robert Ryan and Woody Strode are also good, though I feel that their characters probably should have been developed a little more.

The Producers (1968)

when I first watched it the laughs were few but now they be plenty. For me Zero Mostel makes the film, throughout he excels even if it's an off-camera shout of: "That's our Hitler!" Kenneth Mars wildly eccentric ("I am the author! I outrank you!"), Dick Shaw delightfully weird if just plain zany and Lee Meredith...well, I say. The best part perhaps is Springtime for Hitler. A damn catchy tune (the instrumental at the start of the film somehow stirring) with the audience's dumbfounded reaction hilarious.
I dare say I loved Curb Your Enthusiasm's riff on this though it's obviously quite different.

bondfan06 wrote:

The Professionals (1966) Dir: Richard Brooks




In summary:

Volodymyr Palahniuk as a Mexican
Lee Marvin as Lee Marvin
A mine car chase
Dynamites and Arrows
The glorious cleavage of Claudia Cardinale.

A good-old-fashion western, it has plenty of shoot-outs, good lines, and even a few twists near the end. Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster do well together as once and future partners who are different in terms of their personalities and style, but they both share the same sense of loyalty and betray as they look back on their former lives. Robert Ryan and Woody Strode are also good, though I feel that their characters probably should have been developed a little more.

No mention of Burt? It's one of my favorites as well, and not just for the stellar cast. The (main) characters are wonderfully complex. I especially love the scene near the end with Palance's henchwoman and Lancaster. A shame it's now a largely forgotten movie...

The Fog (1980)
Dir. John Carpenter

I first saw this about three years ago and it remains a lot of fun. It's success lies in the fact that there is no gore and yet it is still able to terrify, some would call the shocks "cheap" but I beg to differ. Sudden jumps and Carpenter's creepy synthesizer music is a combination that works. It's thrilling. The film owes a lot to Hitchcock - the arrival of a young woman to a seaside town ,prompting mysterious goings on, is straight out of The Birds and of course we have Psycho's scream queen, Janet Leigh. The rest of the cast are great; Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Atkins make an interesting duo and a hot Adrienne Barbeau (then Carpenter’s wife) is excellent, providing commentary on the events via the radio, cooped up in her lighthouse. Arguably old-fashioned, but very enjoyable.

4/5

Robin and Marian

don't know really what to make of it. A different take on the story in terms of Robin and co being old, weary etc but the film never seemed to go places or if it did ponderously. What made the movie apart from Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn was John Barry's music. Powerful, emotive, stirring and the rest.

Quote :

don't know really what to make of it. A different take on the story in terms of Robin and co being old, weary etc but the film never seemed to go places or if it did ponderously.

I thought that was Richard Lester's point. Like its aging characters, the film is deliberate and honest, without ever dressing up or glamourising the characters. There's also a neat circular feel to film - with it ending and closing with the same symbolic image.

Some stunning, painterly cinematography too, not to forget a very adult script.

Sharky wrote:

Quote :

don't know really what to make of it. A different take on the story in terms of Robin and co being old, weary etc but the film never seemed to go places or if it did ponderously.

I thought that was Richard Lester's point. Like its aging characters, the film is deliberate and honest, without ever dressing up or glamourising the characters. There's also a neat circular feel to film - with it ending and closing with the same symbolic image.

Some stunning, painterly cinematography too, not to forget a fine script.

I guess it is Lester's way, certainly I like the Musketeers film. I don't mean it to sound like I didn't like it, just thought it have a little more to it :)

The fact it isn't glamourised does add something. Maybe a second viewing at some point will change things more positively.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

I enjoyed it.

Silver Bears (1978)
Dir. Ivan Passer

A criminally overlooked and practically forgotten film from Michael Caine's early Hollywood career. Right in the middle of films such as A Bridge Too Far, The Eagle Has Landed, Beyond The Poseidon Adventure and the notorious The Swarm, that don't exactly showcase his talents, it's great to see Caine doing what he does best again in this fun caper - being a star. Flanked by, the ever-so charming and suave, Louis Jourdan, Silver Bears has Caine fighting to keep control of his Swiss Bank whilst simultaneously masterminding, or so he thinks, a silver-mining operation in Iran. His boss? Martin Balsam. His girl? Cybill Shepherd. His nemesis? Charles Gray, in another rediculously over the top performance. The gags come thick and fast and there are some genuinely hilarious moments, the locations are stunning and Caine and Jourdan get on like a house on fire. Look out for Shane Rimmer in a cameo, too. Great fun.

4/5

The Front Page (1974)



A delightfully cheesier His Girl Friday with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Not as good as the former one, but still cracks me up most of the time. Love the ending when Matthau gives Lemmon his favorite watch as a wedding gift and then calls the police to arrest him.

8.5/10


Billy Wilder Countdown:
1. Ace in the Hole (1951)
2. Some Like It Hot (1959)
3. The Front Page (1974)
4. Sabrina (1954)

Wake in Fright (1971)


What the hell happened to Ted Kotcheff's career?

Excellent film. Unsettling and shocking today, unimaginable to think about how this would've sat with (Australian) audiences in the 1971. Highly recommend everyone here watch it if they can.

Shame Donald Pleasace couldn't have brought half the menace he brings here to his turn as Blofeld.

Vesper wrote:

Wake in Fright (1971)


What the hell happened to Ted Kotcheff's career?

As far as know, Kotcheff retired in the late 1990s when he was pushing 70. Seems fair enough to me.

Re that poster, I think Wake in Fright was released outside Australia as Outback.

Vesper wrote:

Wake in Fright (1971)


What the hell happened to Ted Kotcheff's career?

First Blood, that's what happened.

Lifeforce - space vampires lay waste to England’s green and pleasant land.

Colin Wilson, who wrote the original novel, called Lifeforce the worst adaptation ever made, but this is a compelling and lurid romp through London town, taking the vampire myths and mixing them up with Quatermass and the Pit to make one of the 1980s oddest films.

Quote :

Caine:
She’ll destroy you!

Carlsson:
She’s destroyed whole worlds!

If the film belongs to Mathilda May’s incredible breasts, the dome of St Paul comes a close second, exploding while our vampire queen copulates in the cathedral crypt. This is the sort of wonderful nonsense Hammer used to churn out every other month, yet somehow Cannon contrived to spend millions on it. At least they got one of Henri Mancini’s greatest scores. Worth every penny.

Dial M For Murder

Grace Kelly...

ambler wrote:

Vesper wrote:

Wake in Fright (1971)


What the hell happened to Ted Kotcheff's career?

As far as know, Kotcheff retired in the late 1990s when he was pushing 70. Seems fair enough to me.

Re that poster, I think Wake in Fright was released outside Australia as Outback.

IMDB says he's been an exec. producer on Law & Order SVU since it began. Subsequent googling reveals he was picked to create the visual style and tone of the show. The fact that he hasn't directed an episode since its early days when it still flirted with intelligent storytelling, coupled with his age, makes me admire him a bit for staying with it in a half arsed way for what I'm sure is an exhorbidant pay cheque.

I believe you're right about the poster.

Salomé wrote:

bondfan06 wrote:

The Professionals (1966) Dir: Richard Brooks




In summary:

Volodymyr Palahniuk as a Mexican
Lee Marvin as Lee Marvin
A mine car chase
Dynamites and Arrows
The glorious cleavage of Claudia Cardinale.

A good-old-fashion western, it has plenty of shoot-outs, good lines, and even a few twists near the end. Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster do well together as once and future partners who are different in terms of their personalities and style, but they both share the same sense of loyalty and betray as they look back on their former lives. Robert Ryan and Woody Strode are also good, though I feel that their characters probably should have been developed a little more.

No mention of Burt? It's one of my favorites as well, and not just for the stellar cast. The (main) characters are wonderfully complex. I especially love the scene near the end with Palance's henchwoman and Lancaster. A shame it's now a largely forgotten movie...

The first time I saw the movie, I came in on the 'lancaster stays behind' part, and it utterly captivated, even out of context, largely because of Lancaster and the girl (CC Chiquita?) Give us a kiss ... terrific number of layers, with her trying to kill him all the while.

I read someplace that THE PROFESSIONALS was described as a ballsy movie-movie, and I'd agree. If I had to make do with a dozen flicks for the rest of my life, that'd be one of 'em.

Death Proof

Not really good. But the action scenes and the music were.
As I've said before: for the filming of the action scenes and the choice of music alone T would make a good Bond director. He could make a CR period piece, maybe mingle the novel with one or the other short story.
It is funny if you reconsider how cool, supposedly manly and self-assured Mike acts when he touches Abernathy's foot with his wetted finger, and then compare this demeanour with his whining in the end, starting with his graze wound and the following treatment he gets.

Manhunter wrote:

As I've said before: for the filming of the action scenes and the choice of music alone T would make a good Bond director.

I agree, as well as thinking that it was also a huge missed opportunity to make Bond legitimately cool again for the first time since perhaps as far back as the 1960s, both visually, musically and atmospherically. And impact too, there's no way the suicide would have been such a damp squib (nor the entire final acts) with QT at the helm. Also, Tarantino could have re-stamped a style all Bond's (or partially his own) on the piece, rather than the faint odour of director-for-hire/Bourne-following which EON opted for which, while it may have brought Bond back to some sort of form (though hardly an achievement given the four films prior), it nevertheless clearly rendered the character as follower rather than leader of the pack.

Vesper wrote:

Dial M For Murder

Grace Kelly...

Amazing film, that. I'm trying to find it on DVD, but I can't seem to get it anywhere. Might have to try eBay.

Vesper wrote:

Dial M For Murder

Grace Kelly...

I still find it hard to get round why any heterosexual bloke would want to kill Grace Kelly. Oh wait...

I like the score and art direction, but on the whole it comes off as Powell and Pressburger-lite.