Last Movie You Watched

[mc ukrneal]

East Side Sushi was an unexpected pleasure to watch. There are unresolved issues and some tough moments are sort of glossed over. But other ideas are explored more deeply and the spirit of the movie is ultimately positive. I'm in a good mood after watching it. It is free to Prime Amazon members, and one I'd recommend. 
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[bhodges]

Shallow Grave....

A marvelous film -- a twisty little thriller -- with especially vibrant production design.

This afternoon, Barton Fink (1991, Coen brothers). Had only seen it once, when it emerged, and liked it. This time, however, a totally different story: Seems to be one of their top 2-3 films -- a masterpiece. Superb cast, great Roger Deakins photography, and people are probably still talking about what the story actually means.

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--Bruce

[anothername]

[Jaakko Keskinen]

A cross-post, but I have now re-watched all the Star Wars movies from my youth:  Space Tussles

Great reviews, Karl! According to the Expanded universe comicbooks (which, however, are not canon anymore) Vader learns Luke's name (including his last name) somewhere between episodes IV and V. However, as you said, this doesn't explain how the hell he didn't realize Leia is his daughter while interrogating her. The best explanation I can think of is that Luke had at least some Force training from Ben Kenobi which could have made his presence stronger than Leia's who had no training whatsoever. Or maybe the midichlorian count (can't believe I'm acknowledging midichlorians) was much higher in Luke than it was in Leia  Also, Skywalker sounds a rather common name so it could be a far-fetched theory to think that a rebel named Luke Skywalker is automatically related to him. I guess the Force told him, right?



Thread duty: Coincidentally, the last movie I saw was a Star Wars movie as well. Take a guess which one. 

[Karl Henning]

Great reviews, Karl! According to the Expanded universe comicbooks (which, however, are not canon anymore) Vader learns Luke's name (including his last name) somewhere between episodes IV and V. However, as you said, this doesn't explain how the hell he didn't realize Leia is his daughter while interrogating her. The best explanation I can think of is that Luke had at least some Force training from Ben Kenobi which could have made his presence stronger than Leia's who had no training whatsoever. Or maybe the midichlorian count (can't believe I'm acknowledging midichlorians) was much higher in Luke than it was in Leia  Also, Skywalker sounds a rather common name so it could be a far-fetched theory to think that a rebel named Luke Skywalker is automatically related to him. I guess the Force told him, right?

Thread duty: Coincidentally, the last movie I saw was a Star Wars movie as well. Take a guess which one. 

Thanks!

(Did you just see the new one?)

One "downstream effect" of this Star Wars binge is, I am inclined to give Revenge of the Sith a fresh try.  It will, in fact, be my first full sight of it, since my first attempt was a library DVD which was simply the most scratched disc (LP, CD or DVD) I have ever laid eyes on in my life, and there was no way to get it to play properly.  I was able to do no more than randomly try scenes in hope they might play . . . not at all the conditions under which I could be fair to the endeavor.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

(Did you just see the new one?)

That's right! 

[Karl Henning]

Maybe I used the Force!

[aligreto]

The Descendants....





This was my second time to see this film. Set in paradise, but is is not at all happy clappy. Most enjoyable.

[SonicMan46]

East Side Sushi was an unexpected pleasure to watch. There are unresolved issues and some tough moments are sort of glossed over. But other ideas are explored more deeply and the spirit of the movie is ultimately positive. I'm in a good mood after watching it. It is free to Prime Amazon members, and one I'd recommend. 

Hi Neal - thanks for the recommendation above - we seemed to have missed that film (and surprised being sushi lovers since the late '70s) - in fact, we are waiting on a 'home delivery from a local oriental restaurant - I'm having seaweed salad, sashimi, and a rainbow roll!    Dave

[mc ukrneal]

Hi Neal - thanks for the recommendation above - we seemed to have missed that film (and surprised being sushi lovers since the late '70s) - in fact, we are waiting on a 'home delivery from a local oriental restaurant - I'm having seaweed salad, sashimi, and a rainbow roll!    Dave

it seems to have been one of those low budget indie type films. I really enjoyed it, more than expected, perhaps because I hadn't heard anything about it. It has a lot of relevant social commentary, but it doesn't get bogged down in it. It could have explored some of the topics more deeply, yet I still felt it touched upon several ideas that many films shy away from. Overall though, a very enjoyable watch. Hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

[SonicMan46]

it seems to have been one of those low budget indie type films. I really enjoyed it, more than expected, perhaps because I hadn't heard anything about it. It has a lot of relevant social commentary, but it doesn't get bogged down in it. It could have explored some of the topics more deeply, yet I still felt it touched upon several ideas that many films shy away from. Overall though, a very enjoyable watch. Hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

Hi Neal - just finished watching the film on Amazon Prime and we enjoyed! Also loved my sushi/sashimi dinner - had w/ some New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, my favorite beverage w/ this food (although a Japanese beer is a great choice!).  Dave

[mc ukrneal]

Hi Neal - just finished watching the film on Amazon Prime and we enjoyed! Also loved my sushi/sashimi dinner - had w/ some New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, my favorite beverage w/ this food (although a Japanese beer is a great choice!).  Dave

Glad to hear that. Really would have loved to try some of the food!  And also glad that you had a yummy dinner! I too like a Sauvignon Blanc with that sort of meal. We usually have something a little bit sweeter (not too much, but a bit) from Vouvray with fish. Totally reasonable price and pretty versatile.

[Karl Henning]

Yesterday, because at last I had to time to watch it through, complete, and without rushing my head to the pillow, The Godfather Part III.

As I likely mentioned, the first time I saw it, I did not see the whole movie;  it was on cable, so there were distractions both from the broadcast side (the various breaks) and from the viewer's side (as I stepped away to see to other occasional tasks).  And, of course, it did not look nearly as good, as popping in the blu-ray disc.

Beautiful to watch (as we expect), and that wonderful-creepy balance of thoroughly satisfying, in the continued unraveling — the symbol for the movie series is the puppeteer's hand, but after the "tidiness high point" at the end of the first movie, the puppeteer comes to have less and less control of the strings — of Michael's efforts (to go legit, to keep his family together);  together with the viewer feeling somewhat morally compromised in caring for this man who has done such cold, horrid things.  The icon of this conflict, perhaps, is the scene in this last movie between Michael and Kay in the parlor of the Sicilian villa.

I'm not remembering the line accurately;  but when Michael talks about terrible injustices endured for years and years by the people of Sicily, but they still hope that something good will happen to them — it does not have the stink of Author's Message, and at the movie's end I understand that Michael was also talking about himself.

[James]

Wind River
2017 ‧ Mystery/Crime film ‧ 1h 51m

Cory Lambert is a wildlife officer who finds the body of an 18-year-old woman on an American Indian reservation in snowy Wyoming. When the autopsy reveals that she was raped, FBI agent Jane Banner arrives to investigate. Teaming up with Lambert as a guide, the duo soon find that their lives are in danger while trying to solve the mystery of the teen's death.

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[SonicMan46]

In the last few days, in addition to the Sushi film streamed from Amazon (posted previously), also watched a couple of new Blu-ray arrivals (the Stewart movie a DVD replacement) and attended our downtown independent theater to see Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri:

Pursued (1947) w/ Robert Mitchum, Teresa Wright, Judith Anderson, & Dean Jagger - an early 'western film noir' looking great on blu-ray with excellent black, whites, and shadowing - nice synopsis HERE; a 7.4/10 rating on IMDB which translates to 3 1/2* - I'd probably do 4* and would recommend the film.

Man From Laramie, The (1955) w/ James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, & Kathy O'Donnell - the last of the 'western' Stewart-Anthony Mann collaborations - filmed in widescreen w/ glorious color and great scenery (worth the watch alone) - first quote below from HERE, a 5/5* rating for video & 4.5/5* for audio; also received a 7.4/10 IMDB rating but again, I'd have to go to 4* - highly recommended on the blu-ray format.

Three Billboards Outside....... (2017) w/ Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, & Peter Dinklage - short synopsis below (2nd quote); ratings, 8.5/10, IMDB; 93% (8.6/10), Rotten Tomatoes critics (4.3/5 from audience) - just an excellent film and highly recommended - I'd agree w/ the ratings - already stacking up nominations - 6 Golden Globe, 4 Screen Actor's Guild, and likely foretells a number of Oscar nominations to follow - McDormand in both lists for 'Best Actress.'  Dave

The Man From Laramie is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.55:1. According to materials accompanying this release, this was sourced off the original camera negative and granted a 4K scan, and the results are really gorgeous, with the exception of a couple of somewhat strange, probably inherent, issues.

After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby, the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command, Officer Dixon -- an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence -- gets involved, the battle is only exacerbated.

   

[lisa needs braces]

The spirit of genius has left Tarantino and now resides in Martin McDonagh! 

[aligreto]

Wanted....

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Enjoyed pretty much every second of this. The Last Crusade and Monty Python films remind me of this very much.I have never read Kipling's original short story and in fact, I have so far never read any Kipling work whatsoever, but if it was anything like this movie, I'm sure I would enjoy reading it. Rather weirdly, my first meeting with this kind of story line was probably the Dreamworks cartoon about El Dorado, which obviously is much much younger than this movie and Kipling's original work.

[bhodges]

Three Billboards Outside....... (2017) w/ Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, & Peter Dinklage - short synopsis below (2nd quote); ratings, 8.5/10, IMDB; 93% (8.6/10), Rotten Tomatoes critics (4.3/5 from audience) - just an excellent film and highly recommended - I'd agree w/ the ratings - already stacking up nominations - 6 Golden Globe, 4 Screen Actor's Guild, and likely foretells a number of Oscar nominations to follow - McDormand in both lists for 'Best Actress.'  Dave

I can't wait to see this. Martin McDonagh is probably my favorite playwright at the moment (with a new one, Hangman, coming up), and he's turned out to be pretty fluent in film, too.

Meanwhile, yesterday, everyone's holiday favorite at MoMA:

La Notte (1961, dir. Antonioni) -- My first encounter with one of the most visually striking films about boredom ever. Great cast, and some memorable images.

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--Bruce

[André]

I remember clearly how films like La notte, L'Eclisse or L'année dernière à Marienbad tried my patience mightily when in my early twenties. I kind of wrote off Antonioni and Resnais after that, although I came to apppreciate Il deserto rosso and Mon oncle d'Amérique. This of course is more a reflection of my youthful immaturity than a judgement on the films themselves, which I have not seen again since.