Last Movie You Watched

[relm1]

I can't let Kirk Douglas Day go by without recommending Seven Days in May:

https://a.co/d/3Zss8PP

Strong performances with a screenplay by Rod Serling. The plot used to come off as somewhat farfetched, but since 1/6/21... not so much.

Never heard of it but it hits a lot of checkboxes.

* Rod Serling: Check
* Kirk Douglas: Check
* Burt Lancaster: Check
* Political turmoil and intrigue: Check

[LKB]

Never heard of it but it hits a lot of checkboxes.

* Rod Serling: Check
* Kirk Douglas: Check
* Burt Lancaster: Check
* Political turmoil and intrigue: Check

It's not a perfect film. Ava Gardner is under-utilized, and I've always felt that one of the military roles was somewhat miscast. But it remains relevant nearly sixty years on, and the actors clearly believed in it.

[Karl Henning]

It's not a perfect film. Ava Gardner is under-utilized, and I've always felt that one of the military roles was somewhat miscast. But it remains relevant nearly sixty years on, and the actors clearly believed in it.

I feel somewhat similarly about Carol for Another Christmas: not perfect, but many virtues.

[Karl Henning]

Peyton Place.
Gotta admit, I  came back for the feel-good ending.

[SonicMan46]

Replacing old physical discs with Amazon HD streamers (if 10 bucks or less) - last few nights:

Murder, My Sweet (1944) - description and cast below - one of the films that started the 'film noir' genre; now "Double Indemnity" is the better movie, but this one rated 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and 3 1/2*/4* by Leonard Maltin - worth a watch if you like these productions.

Mrs. Miniver (1942) - second quote for synopsis and cast; nominated for 12 Oscars, winning 6 including 'Best Picture' - highly recommended!

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) - last quote for summary and cast - I've had this film since  VHS days - looks great on Amazon HD - own many Eastwood films but this one has remained a favorite (never tire of Sandra Locke's 'butt scene' -  ) Dave

Murder, My Sweet is a 1944 American film noir, directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor and Anne Shirley. The film is based on Raymond Chandler's 1940 novel Farewell, My Lovely. It was the first film to feature Chandler's primary character, the hard-boiled private detective Philip Marlowe. Murder, My Sweet is, along with Double Indemnity (released five months prior), one of the first films noirs, and a key influence in the development of the genre. (Source)

Mrs. Miniver is an American romantic war drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Inspired by the 1940 novel Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther, about the life of an unassuming British housewife in rural England is affected by World War II. Produced by MGM; supporting cast includes Teresa Wright, Dame May Whitty, Reginald Owen, Henry Travers, Richard Ney and Henry Wilcoxon. It was a critical and a commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1942 and winning six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Garson), and Best Supporting Actress (Teresa Wright). (Source)

The Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 American Revisionist Western film set during and after the American Civil War.[3] It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood (as Josey Wales), with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Sam Bottoms, and Geraldine Keams.[4][5] The film tells the story of Josey Wales, a Missouri farmer whose family is murdered by Union militants during the Civil War. Driven to revenge, Wales joins a Confederate guerrilla band and makes a name for himself as a feared gunfighter. After the war, all the fighters in Wales' group except for him surrender to Union officers, but they end up being massacred. Wales becomes an outlaw and is pursued by bounty hunters and Union soldiers as he tries to make a new life for himself. (Source)

 

[71 dB]

LE CASSE - THE BURGLARS (Henri Verneuil, 1971) German Blu-ray release, English version: 114 mins.

This looked like a nice movie from the early 70's. For nostalgic reasons, and because the "hectic" movies of today needs to be balanced with older "give things time" movies, I try to discover/collect nice movies from the past (especially 70's and 80's) I like. Well, I liked this a lot! Good relaxing directing and Ennio Morricone's music. Nice witty action and charismatic acting. I like movies that have about 10 scenes each lasting 10-15 minutes instead of 100 scenes each lasting only 1-2 minutes. Give more time and create meaning. Give less time and lose meaning.

[brewski]

Looking forward to these two next week, thanks to Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation, which has monthly screenings of films that the foundation has restored. Register free here, and watch any time within 72 hours, starting Monday, June 12.

Hellfire (1949, dir. R.G. Springsteen)
Wake of the Red Witch (1948, dir. Edward Ludwig)

I've not seen either one. Comments welcome!

Coming in July, two versions of The Killers (1946 and 1964, dir. Robert Siodmak and Don Siegel, respectively), available with registration here. Haven't seen these either.

-Bruce

[Karl Henning]

Coming in July, two versions of The Killers (1946 and 1964, dir. Robert Siodmak and Don Siegel, respectively), available with registration here. Haven't seen these either

the '64 remake was Reagan's last film role, and Siegel had to cajole him into it. Perhaps as he was eyeing a future in politics, Reagan didn't want to play a "heavy."

[Karl Henning]

Hat-tip to @LKB Seven Days in May.

[Karl Henning]

Hat-tip to @LKB Seven Days in May.

I really enjoyed this. Score by Jerry Goldsmith, too.

[LKB]

I really enjoyed this. Score by Jerry Goldsmith, too.

Glad you enjoyed it, Karl. 

It's an interesting score, and you probably won't hear that many different drums opening a film anywhere else. ( Oliver Stone's JFK has prominent drums as well, but they're used differently. )

[Karl Henning]

John Wick 4 - Disappointing. Not as bad as 3, but not as good as 1 and 2.

Watching Chapter 2 now.

[Daverz]

John Wick 4 - Disappointing. Not as bad as 3, but not as good as 1 and 2.

I wish I could get that time back.  I've got some bare walls to stare at that would have been time better spent.

[Karl Henning]

Watching Chapter 2 now.

I should have known Laurence Fishburne, but had to be reminded by the closing credits. Disappointed that Wick's solution at the end was a violation of house rules. Much more disappointed that they so baldly set up a sequel. 

[Karl Henning]

I wish I could get that time back.  I've got some bare walls to stare at that would have been time better spent.

Well, no one can fail to understand my hesitancy to watch even the second.

[Madiel]

Well, if I had seen this in the theatre, I expect I should have cried.

I saw Saving Private Ryan at the cinema and it traumatised me a bit. GOOD, but I just found that long, long opening D-Day sequence more than I could handle. I remember going for a meal or coffee with my parents afterwards (we'd seen the movie together) and not being able to shake it off.

[Madiel]

At long last, I was in the right frame of mind for a first viewing of Schindler's List.

Dramatic and incredible story, even if I was somewhat perplexed at times by the portrayal of some characters' evolution or interactions.


Also attempted a viewing of Birdman with Michael Keaton and Edward Norton. Lasted 30 min before I gave up.

Birdman is definitely one of those films not to everyone's tastes. I loved it. I remember my parents said they hated it...

[Madiel]

Couple of Kirk Douglas films now in my collection as Amazon HD streamers:

The Man from Snowy River (1982) w/ Douglas in a dual 'twin' role - synopsis below - the scenery, especially with the horses is one of the best parts of the movie for me, and I do like Kirk as the Spur character.  Ratings: 85%, Rotten Tomatoes; 7.2, IMDB - recommended if the plot and characters are of interest. 

Lust for Life (1956) - biopic on Vincent van Gogh the post-impressionistic artist - a favorite of ours - amazing that his paintings in his life time went for 'peanuts' but "The Starry Night painting, highly esteemed for decades has reached $100 million, following its $50 million sale in 1990. (Source)". Summary and awards below - a must see if a fan of this era of art.  Dave

   

The Man from Snowy River is very much a part of Australian culture, though to be honest I'm not sure if I've ever seen it in full. I wasn't really the right age when it came out.

However... nobody here would ever label it as a Kirk Douglas film!

[SonicMan46]

Network (1976) - synopsis and cast below; saw this film on release and enjoyed; this time around as 'oldsters' not as enthralled w/ the 'screaming and yelling' but still has a punch and worth seeing for the final performance of Finch and the excellent ensemble acting.

They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) - for me, an unprecedented documentary on WW I (Great War) w/ unbelievable colorization, widescreen format, and historic voice recordings - see description below and check the link for more - we saw this on release in the theater (and now a $6 HD buy on Amazon) - a MUST see IMHO - Dave

Network is an American satirical drama film written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet. It is about a fictional television network, the Union Broadcasting System (UBS), and its struggle with poor ratings. The film stars Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, Wesley Addy, Ned Beatty, and Beatrice Straight. Network received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise for the screenplay and performances. The film had nine Oscar nominations at the 49th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, that led to four wins: Best Actor (Finch), Best Actress (Dunaway), Best Supporting Actress (Straight), and Best Original Screenplay. (Source)

They Shall Not Grow Old is a 2018 documentary film directed and produced by Peter Jackson. The film was created using original footage of the First World War from the Imperial War Museum's archives, most previously unseen, all over 100 years old by the time of release. Audio is from BBC and Imperial War Museum (IWM) interviews of British servicemen who fought in the conflict. Most of the footage has been colourised and transformed with modern production techniques, with the addition of sound effects and voice acting to be more evocative and feel closer to the soldiers' actual experiences. (Source)

   

[drogulus]

    Last night I watched A Man And A Woman, a 1966 film directed by Claude Lelouch.

    I enjoyed it, though not so I'd be tempted to watch it again. Jean-Louis Trintignant has a Keanu-like blankness that suits him to films that glory in stylish vapidity. Thumbs up.