Last Movie You Watched

[SonicMan46]

And a rather famous song was written with his voice in mind to sing too, as he first performed it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3mAT-4FdP4

Ken - the link is Walter Huston singing September Song; but out of curiosity, I went to Amazon and found a bunch of Walter Brennan recordings, such as the one below - assume mainly 'story telling' reading some of the comments - I've never heard any of these performances - may check Spotify to see if any are available?

It is amazing what sticks in one's mind!  Walter Brennan was the star of a television show called The Real McCoys which dealt with the (usually) comical adventures of a farm family, led by Grandpa Walter Brennan.

I still recall quite vividly his performance in an episode where one of the grandchildren has a school project: an aptitude/personality test to determine what sort of vocation one should pursue...or could pursue.

Grandpa at first is resistant, seeing no reason to take the test because of age and his decades as successful farmer, but eventually gives in.  When the results come back, and the list of possible occupations he could have followed is read to him, one of them shatters him: train engineer.  Walter Brennan's portrayal at this moment - a man devastated by all the possibilities of a path never taken - is masterful.  He confesses to a life-long desire to run a train, to be in charge of a locomotive with a mile of boxcars rushing through the country day and night. 

Like I said, that one scene was so masterful it has remained in my head for over many, many years!  0:)

Hi Cato - I was a big fan of the TV series - don't remember that particular scene, but likely saw the episode.  Dave

[Cato]

Hi Cato - I was a big fan the TV series - don't remember that particular scene, but likely saw the episode.  Dave

Greetings!
Another memory: Richard Crenna stepped up a notch in his career in the series from playing a teenager in Our Miss Brooks.  I was amazed to see him go into dramatic roles like the commander of the boat going up the Yangtze River in The Sand Pebbles.

[Pat B]

The Room.

[aleazk]

Dunkirk.

Mind blowing in every posible sense. The cinematography, the acting, the structure, the feel, etc.

I was expecting something good, considering all the reviews, but boy! Best film I saw in a long time on the cinema these years.

Go! Did I already say Go? Ok, Go!

[aligreto]

War....





Lots of gratuitous violence.

[Drasko]

It's 38°C here in Belgrade and will be pushing 40 for the weekend, so this was a logical choice:



It is my favorite Antonioni film. It's so beautiful, crisp, clear and immaculately composed that I can watch it on repeat, for hours, never ever bothering with whys, whatfors and whatdoesitmeans.

[ritter]

...


It is my favorite Antonioni film. It's so beautiful, crisp, clear and immaculately composed that I can watch it on repeat, for hours, never ever bothering with whys, whatfors and whatdoesitmeans.

That happens to me with La Notte...I should revist L'Eclisse soon, anyway...

Cheers,

[SonicMan46]

Their Finest (2017) w/ Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, & Bill Nighy - synopsis below; ratings: 6.9/10, IMDB; 88%, Rotten Tomatoes; and 4.1*/5*, Amazon - streamed from Amazon last night - excellent atmospheric film of London during the early part of WW II - for us, somewhat slow at times and could have been a little shorter - ratings seem to hover around 4*/5* - I'd probably push a 3 1/2 * to a 4* on Amazon - recommended but will not be a purchase for me and unlikely a re-watch.  Dave

During the London Blitz of World War II, Catrin Cole is recruited by the British Ministry of Information to write scripts for propaganda films that the public will actually watch without scoffing. In the line of her new duties, Cole investigates the story of two young women who supposedly piloted a boat in the Dunkirk Evacuation. Although it proved a complete misapprehension, the story becomes the basis for a fictional film with some possible appeal. As Cole labors to write the script with her new colleagues such as Tom Buckley, veteran actor Ambrose Hilliard must accept that his days as a leading man are over as he joins the project. Together, this disparate trio must struggle against such complications such as sexism against Cole, jealous relatives, and political interference in their artistic decisions even as London endures the bombs of the enemy. In the face of those challenges, they share a hope to contribute something meaningful in this time of war and in their own lives. Written by Kenneth Chisholm

[Ken B]

Far Country, The (1954) w/ James Stewart, Walter Brennan, Ruth Roman & many other great character actors; Anthony Mann, Director - ANY FANS of the Jimmy Stewart-Anthony Mann westerns from the early 1950s?  Below is the list of the 5 'westerns' made (they did several others) - I own 4 on DVD or DVD-R (TCM channel burns) - unfortunately, inexpensive and 'good' blu-ray offerings seem to be missing, really sad since the scenery in these films can be remarkable.

Tonight, I watched the film above from my DVR - short synopsis below - the scenery was magnificent, exterior sites from Jasper National Park & the Athabasca Glacier (couple of images below from the web) - decades ago, Susan & I did a trip to Alberta and stayed in Jasper, road on the glacier, canoed in several lakes, visited Banff & Lake Louise, and ended up in Calgary - a wonderful experience. SO, I'm anxious to see these Mann-Stewart films converted to BDs - fingers crossed -   Dave

 

Just bought this and 3 other Stewart westerns in a wee box. I might have seen this long ago. DVD though -- it was 5.19 for the four, shipped!
I'll let you know my review.

[drogulus]

The Room.

     I don't know if I have the courage to see this one.

     I'll see the Rogen/Franco "making of".
     

[Pat B]

     I don't know if I have the courage to see this one.

     I'll see the Rogen/Franco "making of".
   

Oh hi, drogulus.

We borrowed it from the library right after the trailer for "The Disaster Artist" came out. A week later, the waiting list was 12 deep.

I say see it. It is much stranger than the other really bad movies I've seen.

[SonicMan46]

Just bought this and 3 other Stewart westerns in a wee box. I might have seen this long ago. DVD though -- it was 5.19 for the four, shipped!
I'll let you know my review.

Ken - will look forward to your comments - might put another one on tonight?  Dave

[NikF]

Alien: Covenant (2017) Directed by Ridley Scott.

There's a tl:dr at the end of this post.

I watched this in the company of my neighbour and her friends. It's a pleasure to be among such a cheerful and charming bunch. But if I fade them out and then step back and away to watch it from afar with the whole series in mind, it creates one major impression upon me. You remember some of those old Hanna-Barbera cartoons? More exactly, the background of those cartoons? There's a character running along or driving along and they pass a house that has a green bush on one side and an overflowing dustbin on the other. Then they pass an uneven hedge which ends at a house with a red mailbox out front and a crooked antenna on the roof. Then we roll by a fence with the fifth and ninth slats missing completely and the eleventh one hanging off at an angle. That ends and it's time to pass a house that has a green bush on one side and an overflowing dustbin on the other. Then there's the uneven hedge again which as usual and always and forever ends at a house with a red mailbox out front and a crooked antenna on the roof. And here comes the fence...
I know that the first job of such a movie is to make money and that a way to goal is in the form of the familiar held dear by the fanbase. Ah, and generally there's nothing new under the sun. But this is BS. We spend a fortune making and consuming this media and the reward turns out like a little kid playing with a Jack-in-the-box, enthusiastically turning the handle over and again never tired of it, constantly entertained, high on anticipation while guided by the familiar landmark of the melody "...that's the way the money goes, Pop! goes the weasel." Crap.

tl:dr: Crap.

[aligreto]

Dead Man Down....





I enjoyed this one.

[Drasko]

That happens to me with La Notte...I should revist L'Eclisse soon, anyway...

La Notte is my second favourite, and the same method of viewing can apply. But not with L'Avventura, maybe it's rural vs city setting, at least to some extent, the angles are missing.

[Karl Henning]

Alien: Covenant (2017) Directed by Ridley Scott.

There's a tl:dr at the end of this post.

I watched this in the company of my neighbour and her friends. It's a pleasure to be among such a cheerful and charming bunch. But if I fade them out and then step back and away to watch it from afar with the whole series in mind, it creates one major impression upon me. You remember some of those old Hanna-Barbera cartoons? More exactly, the background of those cartoons? There's a character running along or driving along and they pass a house that has a green bush on one side and an overflowing dustbin on the other. Then they pass an uneven hedge which ends at a house with a red mailbox out front and a crooked antenna on the roof. Then we roll by a fence with the fifth and ninth slats missing completely and the eleventh one hanging off at an angle. That ends and it's time to pass a house that has a green bush on one side and an overflowing dustbin on the other. Then there's the uneven hedge again which as usual and always and forever ends at a house with a red mailbox out front and a crooked antenna on the roof. And here comes the fence...
I know that the first job of such a movie is to make money and that a way to goal is in the form of the familiar held dear by the fanbase. Ah, and generally there's nothing new under the sun. But this is BS. We spend a fortune making and consuming this media and the reward turns out like a little kid playing with a Jack-in-the-box, enthusiastically turning the handle over and again never tired of it, constantly entertained, high on anticipation while guided by the familiar landmark of the melody "...that's the way the money goes, Pop! goes the weasel." Crap.

tl:dr: Crap.

Alien (the franchise, not me) died in 1992  0:)

I watched Prometheus when my brother had lent me the disc (along with the Box).  But . . . I cannot bring myself to watch Alien: Covenant.

[Karl Henning]

It is not in fact the Last Movie I Watched, but . . . this struck me as a curiosity:

Escape from L.A. is better than the first movie. Ten times better. It's got more to it. It's more mature. It's got a lot more to it. I think some people didn't like it because they felt it was a remake, not a sequel... I suppose it's the old question of whether you like Rio Bravo or El Dorado better? They're essentially the same movie. They both had their strengths and weaknesses.

Personally, I am "agnostic" (I have never seen Escape from L.A.) . . . anyone have thoughts on whether the director is right, wrong, or simply an interested party?

[Drasko]

It's pretty good, as sequels go.

[SimonNZ]

It is not in fact the Last Movie I Watched, but . . . this struck me as a curiosity:

Personally, I am "agnostic" (I have never seen Escape from L.A.) . . . anyone have thoughts on whether the director is right, wrong, or simply an interested party?

Very wrong.

[Ken B]

Miss Sloane

An intriguing premise -- a somewhat dubious lobbyist, expert in playing the game, takes on the gun lobby -- but a weak script. Watchable but no more.