Last Movie You Watched

[SimonNZ]

An essential historical document, the actual move by move of Edward Snowden's contact, release of information, media response and investigation (and his highly intelligent and articulate thoughts and reactions), as captured by the filmmaker he first approached and including Snowden's actual discussions with Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald who would release the story.

One of the best documentaries I've seen in recent times.

[NikF]

Local Hero (1983) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Hero

Kind of an eclectic cast here, in that it features Burt Lancaster, Peter Riegert, Fulton Mackay, and a young Doctor Who.
A corporate dude finds himself slowly becoming enchanted by people and a place that are the antithesis of all he has valued in the course of pursuing his career. Despite the simple plot and faintly stereotypical characters the whole never nears the whimsical. Instead, the Mark Knopfler soundtrack sits almost seamlessly with the cinematography of Chris Menges (guy who shot stuff like Kes and also The Killing Fields) resulting in a small jewel of a film.





Fun(?) Fact 1: this film also features an actress named Jenny Seagrove. Many years ago I was in a restaurant and it was pointed out to me that she was sitting at another table. As the evening progressed and the food and wine took hold, I looked over and noticed that by (happy) accident her face was lit in part from either side by two tall candles - with the result that she appeared positively angelic. I've always meant to shoot a photo based on that memory but never got around to it.
Fun Fact 2:  Off the top of my head the colour temperature of a candle is about 1800k. 

[Cato]

I showed this 84 year-old classic to my 7th and 8th Graders (our Latin text has a comic relief story about two bumbling Roman soldiers, one skinny and one plump) on the day before Easter vacation:

https://www.youtube.com/v/E788wcKDTFM

My students were in essence rolling on the floor laughing!   

[NikF]

I showed this 84 year-old classic to my 7th and 8th Graders (our Latin text has a comic relief story about two bumbling Roman soldiers, one skinny and one plump) on the day before Easter vacation:

https://www.youtube.com/v/E788wcKDTFM

My students were in essence rolling on the floor laughing!   

Good stuff.
Tell me, please, did many of them know beforehand who Laurel and Hardy are?

[Cato]

Good stuff.
Tell me, please, did many of them know beforehand who Laurel and Hardy are?

No more than a handful: a few do know about the Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields due to their fathers being fans of the "ancient" comics. 

[NikF]

No more than a handful: a few do know about the Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields due to their fathers being fans of the "ancient" comics. 

I suppose that's to be expected. Still, it's certainly a cool way to augment a teaching lesson.

[Drasko]

[aligreto]

Parked....





....a local film with a local star about local [universal] issues. Well put together even if the script is a bit forced in places but that is a minor quibble. A good watch.

[Bogey]

I showed this 84 year-old classic to my 7th and 8th Graders (our Latin text has a comic relief story about two bumbling Roman soldiers, one skinny and one plump) on the day before Easter vacation:

https://www.youtube.com/v/E788wcKDTFM

My students were in essence rolling on the floor laughing!   

Excellent job!  They are easily my favorite comedy team of all time, Cato!  I pulled out some Harold Lloyd one year for my kiddos and the reaction was throughout the year, "Can we see that guy hanging from the clock again movie?" 

[Karl Henning]

Just watched the final 25 minutes of Touch of Evil (watched most of it last night). Something else! I hadn't thought a movie from 1957 could make me squirm so much on Janet Leigh's behalf. I watched the reconstruction.

[Bogey]

Just watched the final 25 minutes of Touch of Evil (watched most of it last night). Something else! I hadn't thought a movie from 1957 could make me squirm so much on Janet Leigh's behalf. I watched the reconstruction.

Glad you enjoyed it.  How about that opening shot?!  Brilliant! 

[Karl Henning]

A tour-de-force.

[listener]

BIG BROTHER CHENG    H.K.  1975 Cantonese  w. E s-t
dir. Kuei Chi-hung     Chen Kuan-tai as a Charles Bronson-type restaurant manager trying to keep the streets of Hong Kong clean of gangsters.
Seems more violent than usual because of the contemporary setting. 
HK Cat III classification is a strong warning,

[SimonNZ]

Very good. Lots of useful vintage historical context. But somehow I had the idea that this would present all of the debates uncut, which it doesn't - a few are just the briefest of edits.

[Karl Henning]

Last night, with the missus and mom-in-law (first viewing for the former): Otto Preminger's Laura.

[Drasko]

https://www.youtube.com/v/zswYl2Oe3E4

Peter Greenaway - Act of God

Documentary film by Peter Greenaway made for Thames Television, in which people who have survived being struck by lightning relate their experiences against a typically Greenaway backdrop of lists, black humour, 'collated statistics', bizarre camera angles and Michael Nyman music.

[Bogey]

Last night, with the missus and mom-in-law (first viewing for the former): Otto Preminger's Laura.

I remember this took me two or three viewings before it totally clicked.  Now, I need it on my shelf.

[Karl Henning]

I remember this took me two or three viewings before it totally clicked.  Now, I need it on my shelf.

When I read synopses of the story, Shelby comes off very poorly in the description . . . but one thing I especially like about the movie, is how Vincent Price plays the character so that he is entirely sympathetic, not parasitic.  His Shelby seems to act for genuine concern primarily for Laura, and not out of gross self-interest.

And, face it:  I should love the movie simply because Vincent Price plays a character completely against his later type-casting.

[SonicMan46]

I remember this took me two or three viewings before it totally clicked.  Now, I need it on my shelf.

Enjoy Laura, especially one of my favorite 'babes' of the era, i.e. Gene Tierney - for those who do not yet own this film, then the blu-ray release below is the must purchase - ratings HERE are 4.8/5.0 for visual & audio, and 4.2/5.0 for specials, which I've not watched yet - Dave

 

[NikF2]

She was an incredible looking woman, yes. And look how wide apart her eyes are. Wonderful.