Last Movie You Watched

[Karl Henning]

"Obviously, this text is addressed to those who know Vertigo by heart. But do those who don't deserve anything at all?"

I see what you mean, Octave.

[SonicMan46]

Finally 'caught up' w/ Bones - outstanding series, but now have looked for another; my son has recommended several & my BIL suggested The Closer w/ Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief; just finished the first season and am also enjoying (streaming via Netflix as part of my membership).

[Octave]

REPRISE (Joachim Trier, 2006)

Also recommended, but with more hesitation than with OSLO AUGUST 31, which I mentioned on the previous page.  I'm not sure I find too much compelling in contemporary (to us) stories about characters moping their way through their own privilege.  It feels even more disappointing (boring? irritating? cheap?) to have them casually judged by the gawdlike (to borrow an ancient epithet) director, just because it's anticipated that their (i.e. the characters') freedom will begin to rankle us.  Is that what's happening here, in either case?  There were times I felt the queasiness I feel when I sense this happening, this double cop-out.  Also, I found the facsimile (or real?) Norweigian punk band substandard. (Though they ended up as a reunion/wedding band, so maybe "that's the point", as the Knowing Knowers say?)  Fortunately, these problems were fleeting and brief.  What remains with me is this dreamlike muddle, not available to every filmmaker.  I don't long much for youth, only for health; and I've pretty much always despised youth culture....so insofar as the film celebrates the vigor of youth, I don't find it very interesting.  The perpetual in-joke between the two suspiciously-male-model-pretty----really, it's almost silly....like ZOOLANDER pretty-----homosocial protagonists is the dreamy-blunted contempt that could drive one crazy; you want to grab their labels and commence shaking them: "You are here!  You are down here with us, muddling with us in the dark, whether you have a day job or not!"  But somehow I felt like this annoyance was part of the plan in a way that kept the film's perspective uneasy.  The way this movie marks the slippery passing of time and talent is something else. 

I feel a little unprepared to strongly recommend either of Trier's films, but one could do much worse than to spend an evening watching both of them.   
Incidentally, the occasionally infuriating dreamy borderline-sneer---which both protagonists wear to ward off the pain or to create a cozy charmed feedback-loop between them, and between them and the world---reminds me of another film with a similar male-companions-dynamic that annoyed me similarly: Lars von Trier's early EPIDEMIC (1987).  That film might or might not be worth seeing, but I remember it was singularly infuriating to me purely for the kind of conspiratorial scoffing that the two leads shared throughout; this, too, might have been the point, of course.  (Von Trier and Trier are apparently distantly related.)

[Wakefield]

10 episodes of Jerry Seinfeld's web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee:



Mandatory for everyone who loves comedy. Particularly enticing are the episodes with Michael Richards (the whole conversation about chess & madness, followed by the conversation on the Laugh Factory incident) and the episode with Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks.



Available for free on Crackle. 

[Papy Oli]

.
[asin]B0006IWQJO[/asin]

I have started to watch Arrested Development on Netflix... this is bonkers, creepy, hilarious... 

[George]

10 episodes of Jerry Seinfeld's web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee:



Mandatory for everyone who loves comedy. Particularly enticing are the episodes with Michael Richards (the whole conversation about chess & madness, followed by the conversation on the Laugh Factory incident) and the episode with Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks.

Thanks SO MUCH for posting this, I had missed it entirely and love stuff like this. Did you see the talk that Seinfeld did with Chris Rock, Gervais and Louie CK?

[TheGSMoeller]

Thanks SO MUCH for posting this, I had missed it entirely and love stuff like this. Did you see the talk that Seinfeld did with Chris Rock, Gervais and Louie CK?

I've only seen the Gervais one, hysterical. And an intelligent concept.

[Leo K.]

Well, a few days ago, Susan & I made one of our rare appearances at a local movie complex to see:

Lincoln (2012) w/ Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, et al - the film is long (2 1/2 hrs) and covers a short period at the end of the Civil War w/ an emphasis on passage of the 13th amendment; rather talky and slow at times, but quite atmospheric and some excellent performances (probably liked Tommy Lee Jones the best).

Reviews:  4+/5* on Amazon (suggest reading the 2* comments for some interesting 'fisticuffs'!); 91% (8.1/10) on Rotten Tomatoes, so liked by the critics; and 8.2/10 on IMDB - the latter two equating to 4*, I guess.  Susan liked the movie more that me and would probably do at least 4* (but she is a BIG fan of Day-Lewis) - I'd probably go 3+/5*. 

Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln?  Sally is our age, i.e. mid-60s (all 3 of us born in the same year) which made her 20 yrs older that Mary Todd, but Sally has always looked younger, the make-up was good, and her round face & plumpness did resemble the appearance of Lincoln's wife.  Bottom line for me - worth seeing -

Lincoln struggled mightily with every word in the Constitution and what powers he did and did not have. The fact that they managed to convey this - which I can testify is no easy feat to accomplish - while also providing a riveting political procedural AND make it funny, heartwarming, and downright thrilling at times is just astonishing. In the end, there may be plenty to nitpick here, but this is Spielberg's best work in ages...perhaps ever...and will go down as among the greatest historical films ever made for one simple reason: it's not an "epic" as so many try to be (The Patriot, Dances With Wolves, War Horse, Last of the Mohicans, Glory, etc etc). Epic speeches with enthralled acolytes at his feet.

Instead we get a portrayal of a deeply wounded, conflicted, committed, and exhausted man who found himself at the precipice of history, appreciated this fact, and new this was his shot to end slavery once and for all. And he was dealing with an unwell wife (also admirably portrayed by Sally Field - the one bit of casting I was most leery of). All of the "quaintness" of storytelling and his methodical manner are rooted in truth: everything we know about the man is brought to life with amazing restraint and subtlety. He's so remarkably human I can't fully comprehend how Lewis pulled this off. He didn't imitate him...he became Lincoln. It's truly remarkable.

Among all the haranguing in the House chamber what I loved most was the partisan invective that flew back and forth - all pitch perfect and could easily have been straight from transcripts. If anything much of it was restrained - no one could insult another with such guile, viciousness, and glee as opposing politicians in the mid 19th century. The film thus again owes much to its fantastic screenplay...every word felt right, with perhaps only a few exceptions, all of them trivial (did "emphysema" exist in 1865?). Which brings me to my ultimate compliment and the most surprising aspect of the film: it is incredibly restrained.

A towering figure like Lincoln in the hands of Spielberg and John Williams simply begged for soaring backgrounds but the tone and screenplay is phenomenal in it's restraint, and damned well better win the oscar; Daniel Day Lewis is likewise incredible - I was hard pressed to come up with another portrayal of a historical figure that comes close to the gravitas, grit, and absolute realism Lewis managed to conjure. Bruce McGill is perfect, Straithern, as always, proves again he is one of our greatest (and most underrated) actors, and I especially enjoyed Michael Stuhlbarg's conflicted portrayal of George Yeaman, Jackie Earle Haley's wonderfuly ignoble portrayal of Stephens - maybe the best supporting role in the film - and even Boyd Crowder as a frightened lame duck Democrat torn by his desire for self-sufficiency and staying alive.

[drogulus]

      My favorite scene is Lincoln in the telegraph office (entirely realistic as he haunted the place) discoursing on Euclid. And I hope James Spader is recognized for his wonderfully sleazy performance.

[Karl Henning]

Grosse Pointe Blank

[Bogey]

      My favorite scene is Lincoln in the telegraph office (entirely realistic as he haunted the place) discoursing on Euclid. And I hope James Spader is recognized for his wonderfully sleazy performance.

A great scene indeed!

[Gold Knight]

Smiley's People {Disc 2, with Episodes 3 and 4}, starring Alec Guinness and Bernard Hepton. Once again, Alec Guinness steals the show. Now it's on to the third and final disc of the series from Netflix.

[Leo K.]

      My favorite scene is Lincoln in the telegraph office (entirely realistic as he haunted the place) discoursing on Euclid. And I hope James Spader is recognized for his wonderfully sleazy performance.

I think that is my favorite scene too.

[Leo K.]

Been going through my new Blu-Ray Hitchcock set, from Santa, and so far it's amazing.

First dip in the box was Rear Window. There's one shot of Grace Kelly's white halter top blouse where it appears her flesh toned make-up has rubbed off her right arm on the side of it. Never saw that before. When Stella is giving Jeff a back rub, I never saw before the lotion was white! I'd say this new blu-ray is a step up.

Next I looked at "Marnie." Now I get what the complaints are about for this one. It's got a lot of soft-focus, diffused photography which gives the impression that this is not HD, but a lot of knowledgable people have stated that this is the way Hitchcock shot the movie, so what is there to really complain about? It's still WAY better than any video or DVD I've owned in the past. This is perhaps my favorite Hitchcock along with Vertigo and Rear Window. MARNIE has almost always been heavily-qualified, if not derided, in assessments for its "cheap" effects, which is, pardon me for saying so, complete nonsense. No, something else is very much at play in MARNIE's complex visuals but not cheapness. Whether one responds favorably to it or not remains another matter. The film's two dominant visual strategies, with regard to crafting a "backdrop" for the story, are: the plunging lines of forced single-point perspective, and; the grid. Both of which fix Marnie/Hedren in particular ways. Watch also, next time, how Hedren is restricted within the frame, from either entering or leaving it directly; that is, at the frame line rather than through a door or passageway already within the frame.

Last night I got through 1/3 of Vertigo, tiredness and a nap prevented me from seeing the whole thing, but will watch again today. First impression: very, very good resolution. Detail looks absolutely incredible. Everything popped out at me. The fine textures of the shaded lines in the Paramount Logo at the beginning I never noticed before. The opening credit sequence by Saul Bass is stunning. Amazing.

[Mirror Image]

Been going through my new Blu-Ray Hitchcock set, from Santa, and so far it's amazing.

First dip in the box was Rear Window. There's one shot of Grace Kelly's white halter top blouse where it appears her flesh toned make-up has rubbed off her right arm on the side of it. Never saw that before. When Stella is giving Jeff a back rub, I never saw before the lotion was white! I'd say this new blu-ray is a step up.

Next I looked at "Marnie." Now I get what the complaints are about for this one. It's got a lot of soft-focus, diffused photography which gives the impression that this is not HD, but a lot of knowledgable people have stated that this is the way Hitchcock shot the movie, so what is there to really complain about? It's still WAY better than any video or DVD I've owned in the past. This is perhaps my favorite Hitchcock along with Vertigo and Rear Window. MARNIE has almost always been heavily-qualified, if not derided, in assessments for its "cheap" effects, which is, pardon me for saying so, complete nonsense. No, something else is very much at play in MARNIE's complex visuals but not cheapness. Whether one responds favorably to it or not remains another matter. The film's two dominant visual strategies, with regard to crafting a "backdrop" for the story, are: the plunging lines of forced single-point perspective, and; the grid. Both of which fix Marnie/Hedren in particular ways. Watch also, next time, how Hedren is restricted within the frame, from either entering or leaving it directly; that is, at the frame line rather than through a door or passageway already within the frame.

Last night I got through 1/3 of Vertigo, tiredness and a nap prevented me from seeing the whole thing, but will watch again today. First impression: very, very good resolution. Detail looks absolutely incredible. Everything popped out at me. The fine textures of the shaded lines in the Paramount Logo at the beginning I never noticed before. The opening credit sequence by Saul Bass is stunning. Amazing.

I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this set and waiting to see if the price drops. Thanks for your feedback.

[Leo K.]

I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this set and waiting to see if the price drops. Thanks for your feedback.

My wife and I got lucky with a large price drop after black friday on Amazon, we got it, but a few weeks later it went down farther to 114 thereabouts, sheeesh!

[Karl Henning]

When I saw Marnie, I just thought it marvelously done.

[Leo K.]

When I saw Marnie, I just thought it marvelously done.

Me too (when I first watched it), I was surprised by the mixed reviews I've heard from serious critics. To me, it's a treasure and holds up alongside with Vertigo, Rear Window, etc. Thanks be to God Hitchcock made it.

[Papy Oli]

Watched "UP" on the BBC I-Player last night. Laughed, cried, it had everything... oh and squirrel...




also up to Season1 / ep.15 of Arrested Development this week-end ... still bonkers 

[Fëanor]

Smiley's People {Disc 2, with Episodes 3 and 4}, starring Alec Guinness and Bernard Hepton. Once again, Alec Guinness steals the show. Now it's on to the third and final disc of the series from Netflix.

That was a great miniseries, and worthy successor to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. 5/5*