Last Movie You Watched

[Beorn]

You should be watching it. Right now. 

I know!

[TheGSMoeller]

That conductor looks like Listener's old avatar.
I need to see this film now.

[Cato]

That conductor looks like Listener's old avatar.
I need to see this film now.

Yes, you should, absolutely!   0:)

Hans Conried was one of the most underrated actors/comedians of the last century.

[Beorn]

Yes, you should, absolutely!   0:)

Hans Conried was one of the most underrated actors/comedians of the last century.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqy4xcXgtxM

[Cato]

And The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T has a hymn to transvestitism:


http://www.youtube.com/v/W8TQOzyCu8Q

[Beorn]

And The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T has a hymn to transvestitism:


http://www.youtube.com/v/W8TQOzyCu8Q

[Gold Knight]

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, with Michael Redgrave and Tom Courtenay. A  pretty good depiction of youthful angst and anomie in early 1960's Britain. Shot entirely in black and white, I found this to be a terse, "no frills" saga of one young man's disgust with both himself, and the economic class in which he believes he is to be forever trapped. The only weapon he feels he has left is to turn his back on that system--in both a figurative--and a literal, sense. {Netflix}.

[Octave]

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, with Michael Redgrave and Tom Courtenay.

I liked that as well, and I think there's a special flavor to the visual storytelling that was characteristic of a lot of British cinema of the time, largely eclipsed by the noisier and more self-promotional French New Wave.
About a year ago, I saw a couple other Tony Richardson films that I also really liked, though I don't remember seeing a single notable directorial style in common to them all (no problem there, of course): MADEMOISELLE (1966) and THE BORDER (1980).  The former with some of the most beautiful b&w photography I've ever seen post~1960 and an even-more-smoldering-than-usual Jeanne Moreau; the latter a timely (still) and topical thriller with a fine Jack Nicholson performance.  I guess neither of these is a masterpiece, but they both had substance and distinctive dramatic rhythms.  Oh, and MADEMOISELLE was from a script by Marguerite Duras from a story by Jean Genet.

The whirlpool dread of MADEMOISELLE is a kind of feeling that I love in certain movies; I watch thrillers, suspense, and even horror for this feeling, but usually the more overtly violent those movies end up being, the less of that dread I end up experiencing; I'm not convinced there's a connection, except that the filmmakers of the more-violent films just can't sustain that certain kind of tension, so they have to resort to vulgar action....to release the tension, more often than not, instead of amplifying it.  The latter action can work beautifully and make for some great film/theater/spectacle; but it ends up being quite different from the subtle "spiral dread" feeling, less geared to revelation or suggestion, or to a certain unresolved tension and heightened sensitivity.  I think MADEMOISELLE would make a great triple-bill with Antonioni's THE PASSENGER (1975) or Joseph Losey's MR. KLEIN (1976), though of course it would be a terrible idea to watch any two of these in a single evening.  Excellent "static" movies, though...they simmer.  There are probably better examples of the kind of dread I'm talking about, but those two are great, whatever they do or don't exemplify.



both from Mademoiselle (Tony Richardson, 1966)

[Octave]

Re: UNFORGIVEN:

I agree with the above except for the notion that Hackman was a "corrupt' sheriff.

****mild spoiler****
I just watched this several days ago, for the first time in ages.   I wonder if the cited reviewer accidentally conflated Hackman's UNFORGIVEN role with his variation from Sam Raimi's THE QUICK AND THE DEAD, though I don't remember that second character being "corrupt", exactly...just sadistic and ruthlessly selfish.  I was interested to hear Gene Hackman (in one of the little 'making of' videos) say that Clint Eastwood had asked Hackman to model his performance of Little Bill Daggett on longtime LAPD chief and video game actor Daryl Gates (resigned the year UNFORGIVEN was released). 

The movie was even better this time around.  It kind of plays all sides of the gallery, with an antagonist who exercises gun control and a protagonist who's become Keyser Söze by the end; and the last we hear of him, he's allegedly made a killing as a merchant in San Francisco.  With start-up from a source probably other than pig farmin'.  Something for everyone; opportunist pundit Bill O'Reilly once said it was his favorite movie.  "Duck, I says!"

[Karl Henning]

And The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T has a hymn to transvestitism:


http://www.youtube.com/v/W8TQOzyCu8Q

Hah!

[Karl Henning]

Thread Duty:

Last night, I finished Spirited Away. Charming!

[HIPster]

Hi Karl -

I note your Miyazaki interest, have you seen Porco Rosso?

I am a Miyazaki fan, but haven't seen all of his films. . .

[TheGSMoeller]

Hi Karl -

I note your Miyazaki interest, have you seen Porco Rosso?

I am a Miyazaki fan, but haven't seen all of his films. . .

[butting in] Porco Rosso is fantastic, so is Nausicaä. Heck, they're all good.

Miyazaki has a new film in production. 

[HIPster]

[butting in] Porco Rosso is fantastic, so is Nausicaä. Heck, they're all good.

Miyazaki has a new film in production. 

Awesome news Greg!

Yes, I agree, they are all good (at least the ones I've seen).

This reminds me that I am about due for a re-watching of Howl's Moving Castle.

Cheers!

[CaughtintheGaze]

Been really appreciating Wesley Snipes as of late:

Passenger 57
Boiling Point
Murder at 1600
The Art of War 1-2
Game of Death

[mc ukrneal]

Finally saw the first epsiode of Arrested Development. Very well done and am looking forward to watching more. I had seen it recommended in several threads, and it seems to have a very clever group of writers.

[TheGSMoeller]

Finally saw the first epsiode of Arrested Development. Very well done and am looking forward to watching more. I had seen it recommended in several threads, and it seems to have a very clever group of writers.

It's the most brilliantly zany show, I'm in the midst of my 6th full run through in preparation of the new season. The best is around season 3 when they knew they would be cancelled and ignored all the norms of conventional television. Which they already were doing a bit of.

[Brian]

It's the most brilliantly zany show, I'm in the midst of my 6th full run through in preparation of the new season. The best is around season 3 when they knew they would be cancelled and ignored all the norms of conventional television. Which they already were doing a bit of.

I'm trying to marathon through the full show in preparation (probably my third time?) but I'm not gonna make it in time. Still halfway through Season 1! And everything's still hilarious! I forgot how incredible the Heather Graham episode is. "That's the most unethical thing I've ever heard." "Well, you've only been teaching the class for a semester."

[Todd]

I'm in the midst of my 6th full run through in preparation of the new season.

Sixth?  Man, that's a lot.  I've only watched it thrice - when it was on originally, and then twice on DVD.  So many quick zingers and lines that stick in the mind (eg, "They're not tricks Michael . . .")

I'm planning ahead for the bulk release.  I'm going to get a nice stew going to eat while watching.

[Brian]

Sixth?  Man, that's a lot.  I've only watched it thrice - when it was on originally, and then twice on DVD.  So many quick zingers and lines that stick in the mind (eg, "They're not tricks Michael . . .")

I'm planning ahead for the bulk release.  I'm going to get a nice stew going to eat while watching.

I'm going to make hot ham water.