Last Movie You Watched

[SimonNZ]

Director Julie Taymor's commentary track.

Which had me accept and respect the decisions of visual style that seemed pretty crazy when I first saw this.

[Christo]

Literally on New Year's Eve and New Year's Eve: two movies, on Netflix. First, the ultimate Hollywood film Once Upon a Time in ... Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino from 2019. Extremely cleverly made, astronomical budget, among the best Hollywood has to offer at all. The following day for the second time 'Maestro' (2023), about Leonard Bernstein, by Bradley Cooper, who himself plays the lead role in an unparalleled way.

The conclusion after two evenings was clear to both of us: Hollywood is fun, but offers a game, not life, life here on earth I mean, and too vacuous to enthrall for longer than the duration of the film -- at the gruesome scenes of derailed violence towards the end of Once Upon a Time Etc., even disgust strikes: what unnecessary, utterly nonsensical, inhuman nonsense. May all of Hollywood burn down to ashes, as it deserves, we tend to pray.

Maestro, on the other hand, captivated even more than last year: along with Oppenheimer, the most impressive American film we know, despite Spielberg (at least four outstanding films: Empire of the Sun, Lincoln, The Post, and most of all: Fabelmans) and certainly despite Hollywood. Maestro is about our fragile lives, success and failure, about love and death. Impressive, we barely kept dry: what a film. And then also all those incomparable scenes, and all that fantastic music.

We do know: America is a grandiose culture, but for pop music and films, America is not the place to be. A place like Norway has more to offer on both accounts. Maestro, however, proves that even now, excellent, rich, truly American films are still appearing -- despite the utter bullshit Hollywood keeps pouring out on all humanity. Highly recommended, if only for music lovers: Maestro, a 10 out of 10.

[KevinP]

Rewatches, all.

[Roasted Swan]

Nosferatu at my local (£4.00 a seat - any film any day!!) independent cinema.  I enjoyed this a lot - very brooding cinematography and design.  Not many big jumps or shocks but a real Gothic Horror movie.  Strong performances with Lily-Rose Depp rather good as the dream-haunted Ellen.  But in fact the whole cast are very good.  This is literally (as filmed) a dark and shadowy movie but somehow the result is often sombrely beautiful in the composition of the shots and scenes.  Certainly worth seeing I thought

[AnotherSpin]

Literally on New Year's Eve and New Year's Eve: two movies, on Netflix. First, the ultimate Hollywood film Once Upon a Time in ... Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino from 2019. Extremely cleverly made, astronomical budget, among the best Hollywood has to offer at all. The following day for the second time 'Maestro' (2023), about Leonard Bernstein, by Bradley Cooper, who himself plays the lead role in an unparalleled way.

The conclusion after two evenings was clear to both of us: Hollywood is fun, but offers a game, not life, life here on earth I mean, and too vacuous to enthrall for longer than the duration of the film -- at the gruesome scenes of derailed violence towards the end of Once Upon a Time Etc., even disgust strikes: what unnecessary, utterly nonsensical, inhuman nonsense. May all of Hollywood burn down to ashes, as it deserves, we tend to pray.

Maestro, on the other hand, captivated even more than last year: along with Oppenheimer, the most impressive American film we know, despite Spielberg (at least four outstanding films: Empire of the Sun, Lincoln, The Post, and most of all: Fabelmans) and certainly despite Hollywood. Maestro is about our fragile lives, success and failure, about love and death. Impressive, we barely kept dry: what a film. And then also all those incomparable scenes, and all that fantastic music.

We do know: America is a grandiose culture, but for pop music and films, America is not the place to be. A place like Norway has more to offer on both accounts. Maestro, however, proves that even now, excellent, rich, truly American films are still appearing -- despite the utter bullshit Hollywood keeps pouring out on all humanity. Highly recommended, if only for music lovers: Maestro, a 10 out of 10.

Greenland, in terms of pop music and the film industry, is cooler than even Norway. This is the hidden meaning behind some of the current movements in America that are reported in the news.

[Franco_Manitobain]

Nosferatu at my local (£4.00 a seat - any film any day!!) independent cinema.  I enjoyed this a lot - very brooding cinematography and design.  Not many big jumps or shocks but a real Gothic Horror movie.  Strong performances with Lily-Rose Depp rather good as the dream-haunted Ellen.  But in fact the whole cast are very good.  This is literally (as filmed) a dark and shadowy movie but somehow the result is often sombrely beautiful in the composition of the shots and scenes.  Certainly worth seeing I thought

I'm glad you enjoyed it as well.

[Brian]

Rewatches, all.

Wow that's a good lineup!!

[KevinP]

Wow that's a good lineup!!

I'm in a phase of revisiting films I liked but haven't watched to death, especially from the 70s. (1959's Anatomy because musically I'm in an Ellington phase.) Chinatown, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Papillon and French Connection II are in queue.

[Karl Henning]

I started with "a conversation" between Ed and Richard before starting the film proper.

[relm1]

Director Julie Taymor's commentary track.

Which had me accept and respect the decisions of visual style that seemed pretty crazy when I first saw this.

I love this movie and it's fabulous soundtrack!

[Karl Henning]

Not the first time I've watched this.

[SimonNZ]

I love this movie and it's fabulous soundtrack!

Interesting you should point to that, because the dvd has a second commentary track by composer Eliot Goldenthal. And its the first time I've encountered the option of a composers commentary.

[Karl Henning]

Not the first time I've watched this.

LOL
"What do you call a trombone player with a beeper?"
"An optimist."

[relm1]

LOL
"What do you call a trombone player with a beeper?"
"An optimist."

As a trombonist, I approve this funny joke and will repeat it.

What do you call someone who hangs around with musicians?
A viola player.

[KevinP]

How do you get guitarists to turn their volume down?
Put sheet music in front of them.

[hopefullytrusting]

WITNESS ME! Mad Max: Fury Road

[SimonNZ]

Director Joss Whedon's commentary track.

Which, personally, I found much more interesting than the film itself, though it has little to say about Shakespeare and more about how nice it was to hang out with all his regular actor friends and quite a bit about filming in and around his own house.

[hopefullytrusting]

Easily, one of the most terrifying antagonists ever in Lil Z: City of God



Absolutely amazing film (as long as you don't take it too seriously).

[Madiel]

Director Joss Whedon's commentary track.

Which, personally, I found much more interesting than the film itself, though it has little to say about Shakespeare and more about how nice it was to hang out with all his regular actor friends and quite a bit about filming in and around his own house.

I don't think I even knew this film existed. Weird.

[Roasted Swan]

WITNESS ME! Mad Max: Fury Road

I'm not sure health and safety is much of an issue any more in the post apocolypse Mad Max world..........