Last Movie You Watched

[James]

[asin]B00BCGUJ5M[/asin]

Managed to complete things here, great set overall .. (still have to view the documentry disc, looking forward to that) .. The Petrified Forest & especially White Heat, both excellent pictures (impeccable transfer on the latter). Cagney in particular in White Heat .. great, electric performance, seems to me that later actors like De Niro, Nicholson, even DiCaprio & others totally studied him and this performance, as I totally see some mimicry in some of their more villianous performances taken right from the one in White Heat.

[Cato]

The 2012 version of Anna Karenina: style over story-telling.  It seemed the director and screenwriter were trying to show how clever they were in re-energizing a warhorse, as if Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony were played with music boxes, toy pianos, and kazoos.

[asin]B008220C38[/asin]

Certainly I understand the desire for a new take, but the Fellini-esque buffoonery, the variations of Wes Anderson's style (a style which works nicely for his comedies) fell flat for me. 

Alfred Hitchcock was of the opinion that it was very difficult to take a great book and turn it into a great movie: a good or even mediocre book, however, gave the possibility of the movie being a better experience! 

[Karl Henning]

Well, you're reminding me to re-watch Moonrise Kingdom! 

[Cato]

Well, you're reminding me to re-watch Moonrise Kingdom! 

A much better choice than the above! 

[Bogey]

Alfred Hitchcock was of the opinion that it was very difficult to take a great book and turn it into a great movie: a good or even mediocre book, however, gave the possibility of the movie being a better experience! 

Great insight for most cases.

[Drasko]

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[TheGSMoeller]

Wild Tales
A 2014 Argentine-Spanish black comedy. 6 highly brutal and graphic tales of revenge. Some tales are difficult to watch because of the sheer viciousness of violence, others will have you carefully laughing at the ridiculousness. But overall it's brilliantly well done, each tale seamlessly shifts into its own tone and none are dull or weak. Highly recommended, but requires a strong stomach.




Chappie
The 2015 American produced science fiction film, co-written and directed by South African born Neill Blomkamp, who also created the wonderful District 9. I don't normally follow what film critics say, I have a few that I enjoy reading who I find can actually write about a film without sounding so objective that they might as well have said, "I just didn't like it.". Chappie seemed to be panned across the board, 31% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But this has to be the first time that every critic I read as panned a film that I absolutely loved. That's right, I loved this film. It captured my imagination and held on to it throughout. The biggest reason for me is that Chappie is very unique. Yes, I know there have been robot-gains-conciseness films before, but Blomkamp sets this robot tale into the slums of Johannesburg (again) and Chappie is born into a life of crime, it's a savage lifestyle for a newborn to be first introduced to into this world. I'm sure there are many viewers who will find Chappie to be clunky and over the top, but for me it was refreshing, something that I can honestly say I haven't seen anything like before. I applaud Blomkamp for his boldness. 

[George]

Wild Tales
A 2014 Argentine-Spanish black comedy. 6 highly brutal and graphic tales of revenge. Some tales are difficult to watch because of the sheer viciousness of violence, others will have you carefully laughing at the ridiculousness. But overall it's brilliantly well done, each tale seamlessly shifts into its own tone and none are dull or weak. Highly recommended, but requires a strong stomach.

Thanks for mentioning this. I can never resist a black comedy.

[TheGSMoeller]

Thanks for mentioning this. I can never resist a black comedy.

Hope you enjoy it, George.
I forgot to mention it also contains one of the most amazing opening pre-credit scenes ever.

[Bogey]

Managed to complete things here, great set overall .. (still have to view the documentry disc, looking forward to that) .. The Petrified Forest & especially White Heat, both excellent pictures (impeccable transfer on the latter). Cagney in particular in White Heat .. great, electric performance, seems to me that later actors like De Niro, Nicholson, even DiCaprio & others totally studied him and this performance, as I totally see some mimicry in some of their more villianous performances taken right from the one in White Heat.

I'm glad you enjoyed White Heat as much as I did.  All my friends that enjoy the more recent gangster type movies I make it a point to have them watch this one.  Cagney at his best in this genre IMO.   

[James]

I'm glad you enjoyed White Heat as much as I did.  All my friends that enjoy the more recent gangster type movies I make it a point to have them watch this one.  Cagney at his best in this genre IMO.

Absolutely, I enjoyed him in The Public Enemy also. He reminds me of so many that came after him, and I like his style. Malcom Mcdowell of A Clockwork Orange fame obviously studied him. Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) comes to mind as well.

I managed to watch a quarter of the documentary that came with the set last nite before drifting off (had a long day) .. but it gets right into the history of the gangster pictures of the Golden Era and well before it (turn of the century, 20s), looking forward to the rest of it.

I have Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy (blu ray) lined up after that .. should show off his range I would think.

Another Gangster picture I have in the queue is Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time in America.

[James]

.[asin]B00UUOVC6M[/asin]

I have this one coming .. Barnes & Noble really fucked up their website, looks like they are sending 2 copies .. not to mention other films I never even ordered. Hopefully they send the ones I DID order ..

[Bogey]

Absolutely, I enjoyed him in The Public Enemy also. He reminds me of so many that came after him, and I like his style. Malcom Mcdowell of A Clockwork Orange fame obviously studied him. Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) comes to mind as well.

I managed to watch a quarter of the documentary that came with the set last nite before drifting off (had a long day) .. but it gets right into the history of the gangster pictures of the Golden Era and well before it (turn of the century, 20s), looking forward to the rest of it.

I have Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy (blu ray) lined up after that .. should show off his range I would think.

Another Gangster picture I have in the queue is Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time in America.

Indeed it does show his range.  Watch the film then go right to the extra that features John Travolta first.  Great story he tells.  Then watch as many of the extras as you can.

Not on blu, but Angels With Dirty Faces is a must as well.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

The 2012 version of Anna Karenina: style over story-telling.  It seemed the director and screenwriter were trying to show how clever they were in re-energizing a warhorse, as if Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony were played with music boxes, toy pianos, and kazoos.

[asin]B008220C38[/asin]

I just never got into Tolstoy. I prefer Dostoyevsky. I didn't finish either War and peace nor Anna Karenina. I recall having liked Anna karenina more (what I read, anyway).

[Ken B]

Indeed it does show his range.  Watch the film then go right to the extra that features John Travolta first.  Great story he tells.  Then watch as many of the extras as you can.

Not on blu, but Angels With Dirty Faces is a must as well.

Logically Bill, you should be a One,Two,Three fan.

[SonicMan46]

Last few nights, a couple of new BDs:

Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) w/ Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara and Cedric Hardwicke - just had this film on a DVD-R from TCM.  Excellent ratings for video & sound restoration (4.5/5.0 & 4.0/5.0, respectively - Source) - below first quote, just the beginning of the video description from the link.  Oscar nominations for Best Sound Recording & Best Music Scoring (did not win either) - surprised the film was not up for 'Special Effects'?  Highly recommended if a fan of this story and for a spectacular example of what a superb blu-ray restoration can do on old B&W movies!

Pride & Prejudice (2005) w/ Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Talulah Riley, Rosamund Pike, & Donald Sutherland - now my favorite portrayal of this book is the BBC mini-series from 1995 w/ Colin Firth & Jennifer Ehle, but goes for over 5 hours, so a multi-nighter; for a 'single film', I like the 1940 version w/ Greer Garson & Laurence Olivier, but decided to add the 'newest' one w/ Knightley and feel she does quite well in her performance; the blu-ray production is also quite good - recommended if you're into this story.  Dave

The 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray is the jewel in the crown of the new titles issued by Warner for The Golden Year Collection— 1939. The detail of the lavish Paris re-creation is superb, as is that of the numerous crowd scenes, whether the mass of extras are seen in long shots from the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral tower..........

 

 

[Karl Henning]

I just never got into Tolstoy. I prefer Dostoyevsky. I didn't finish either War and peace nor Anna Karenina. I recall having liked Anna karenina more (what I read, anyway).

I've not read Anna Karenina;  but War & Peace is marvelous.  (I'm a big Dostoyevsky fan, too.)

[Bogey]

Logically Bill, you should be a One,Two,Three fan.

Yet another grapefruit of a film, Ken.

[Todd]

American Sniper.  I really had no intention of seeing this when it came out, but when various Hollywood heavyweights – you know, like Seth Rogen and Michael Moore – attacked it as pro-war propaganda, I decided I would watch at home.  While Eastwood is very clearly pro-soldier, I didn't get the impression that he particularly liked the second Gulf War or thought highly of the decisions made at higher levels.  Non-film issues aside, I didn't really care for the movie.  The intense, graphic combat scenes aside – and they do not shy away from showing what happens in war – I found the movie boring and not especially well crafted.  The use of the dolls in place of actual infants was cheesy, and there is some overacting.  I ended up having to split the viewing into two evenings.  The two bright spots are the phenomenal sound, especially the deep bass, which adds oomph to the combat scenes, and Sienna Miller, one of the most perfect humans to ever walk this earth.

[mc ukrneal]

Pride & Prejudice (2005) w/ Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Talulah Riley, Rosamund Pike, & Donald Sutherland - now my favorite portrayal of this book is the BBC mini-series from 1995 w/ Colin Firth & Jennifer Ehle, but goes for over 5 hours, so a multi-nighter; for a 'single film', I like the 1940 version w/ Greer Garson & Laurence Olivier, but decided to add the 'newest' one w/ Knightley and feel she does quite well in her performance; the blu-ray production is also quite good - recommended if you're into this story.  Dave

I really like the music from that one too...