Last Movie You Watched

[LKB]

Christopher Nolan's Inception, via one of the more entertaining reaction videos I've come across this year. ( I've also seen the film properly, in the theater. )

https://youtu.be/9gKxeprlHnc?si=ajcHFsWlD8nebEsl

[Papy Oli]

Rabbit-Proof Fence



A couple of months ago I had occasion to be reminded that I'd never seen this film about an appalling part of our history. It's set in 1931 but the truth is this was still going on into the 1960s and in some places the 1970s.

I don't know that it's an especially good film (though I don't mean to say it's a bad one). But really, as far as I know nobody else has made a story looking this directly at the Stolen Generations, and someone needed to talk about it. I think the film gets a bit better once it's fully out in the landscape.

It's also pretty remarkable that the journey of the 3 girls is real.

Also a small early role for Deborah Mailman, one of the best actors we've got in my opinion.

Miriam Margolyes covered the story of the Stolen Generations in one of her last Australian series, visiting such a school with 2 former pupils taken miles and miles away from their families and forced to live there. That was a heart breaking story. The 2 now adults were campaigning to turn this school into a museum. It still had the portrait of A.O. Neville in the main hallway... Margolyes covered lots of interesting but also difficult aspects of Australian history in her various series (being a "new" Australian so to speak) but this segment was particularly brutal to watch.

[SonicMan46]

97th Oscars early next month! - any interest?  There are 10 movies nominated! List of the films below (predictively ranked at the moment by Variety - check link for details). We don't go out to theaters anymore and I've seen just 4 of the films (Anora, Conclave, Wicked, & Dune: Part 2) - most recently, we streamed Anora which I enjoyed (Susan less so); the only other one I'd like to see is the Dylan bioptic, A Complete Unknown - not available on Amazon yet as a streamer (pre-order purchase for $30 - hmmm -  ).  Dave

 

[Madiel]

These days I'm often more interested in the discussion about the merits of the nominations than the actual results...

I've seen Dune albeit on a plane. I think I'd quite like to see The Brutalist.

[Kalevala]

These days I'm often more interested in the discussion about the merits of the nominations than the actual results...

I've seen Dune albeit on a plane. I think I'd quite like to see The Brutalist.

I've only seen one of the movies (at least so far) which was Conclave--it was free on either Amazon Prime or....?  I think on AP?

K

[AnotherSpin]

I've seen four films: Anora, Emilia Pérez, The Substance, and Dune: Part Two. Of these, the second and fourth felt the most interesting. Emilia Pérez is probably the most intriguing, though the theme of gender transition doesn't really strike a chord with me. Given the current political climate, it might end up winning an Oscar—not so much for the film itself, but as a statement against the new leadership. That would be a bit of a shame.

[Madiel]

Various commentators have been observing how the Oscars campaign of Emilia Peréz is imploding. The star has been caught saying awful things, the director has said questionable things, and both trans people and Mexicans have been saying very negative things about the film.

The impression I'm getting is that everybody agrees that it's a very DIFFERENT film, but it's not necessarily good. The vibe seems to be that Zoe Saldaña might win for her role but a lot of the categories for the film as a whole are looking unlikely.

[Roasted Swan]

Saw "The Brutalist" yesterday at my £4-any-seat local cinema.  It is an impressive and certainly compelling film - very well acted by the entire ensemble.  For a long film I must admit it held my attention a lot better than many shorter movies.  The curious thing is - given its length - the number of plot "loose ends" that the director very deliberately leaves.  And then there are things just casually dropped into the narrative that leave you thinking "oh, what was that, does that explain why...."(fill in own blank!).  So clearly a movie that revels in leaving as much implied or unexplained as the things it appears to expore in more detail.  Perhaps a second viewing where you can start by knowing what you only find out at the end would shine more light on character motivation and as a viewer you would appreciate greater significance in what first time seem like throw away details.  Definitely worth seeing - but I'm not enough of a movie expert to know if its a 'great' film.  From my perspective though its a lot better than many films that have had Oscar recognition in recent years.

[SonicMan46]

Adventures of Robin Hood & Dodge City - in the mood for some Flynn and de Havilland - the two made 8 films together; the best rated is usually Robin Hood with Dodge City up there - Rotten Tomatoes ratings of Olivia's films in last pic - check link for others, if interested.

P.S. I was somewhat shocked that today Dodge City, Kansas is a 'small' town of < 30,000 (see quote), despite its fame in the Old West, i.e. Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the 20 year long TV series Gunsmoke.  Dave

Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. It was named after nearby Fort Dodge, which was named in honor of Grenville Dodge. The city is known in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. (Source)

   

[Kalevala]

Saw "The Brutalist" yesterday at my £4-any-seat local cinema.  It is an impressive and certainly compelling film - very well acted by the entire ensemble.  For a long film I must admit it held my attention a lot better than many shorter movies.  The curious thing is - given its length - the number of plot "loose ends" that the director very deliberately leaves.  And then there are things just casually dropped into the narrative that leave you thinking "oh, what was that, does that explain why...."(fill in own blank!).  So clearly a movie that revels in leaving as much implied or unexplained as the things it appears to expore in more detail.  Perhaps a second viewing where you can start by knowing what you only find out at the end would shine more light on character motivation and as a viewer you would appreciate greater significance in what first time seem like throw away details.  Definitely worth seeing - but I'm not enough of a movie expert to know if its a 'great' film.  From my perspective though its a lot better than many films that have had Oscar recognition in recent years.

May I ask if that's some sort of senior discount or does everyone pay 4 pounds?  When I was growing up, there used to be a theatre that would only charge 1 dollar for movies--trying to remember, but I think that it was either for just certain times/days or maybe for certain movies.  Certainly helpful when you were a teenager!

K

[Cato]

Adventures of Robin Hood & Dodge City - in the mood for some Flynn and de Havilland - the two made 8 films together; the best rated is usually Robin Hood with Dodge City up there - Rotten Tomatoes ratings of Olivia's films in last pic - check link for others, if interested.

P.S. I was somewhat shocked that today Dodge City, Kansas is a 'small' town of < 30,000 (see quote), despite its fame in the Old West, i.e. Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the 20 year long TV series Gunsmoke.  Dave

   

One used to hear "Well, it's time to get out of Dodge" in conversations, meaning it was time to leave, or, without the "Well," in an anecdote that the subject of the anecdote left to avoid further trouble.

Younger generations would not understand it: they would think you were driving a Dodge car or truck!

Since it is Saint Valentine's Day, here is Ryan George's summary of a movie supposedly made for Saint Valentine's Day, but it really is not for Saint Valentine's Day, as it has "oh...my God!" moments...and many other kinds of moments  :

[hopefullytrusting]

Evangelical, fundamentalists Christians can be fun when they try to be serious: A Thief in the Night, a harrowing tale of the Rapture:

[hopefullytrusting]

Underworld: Evolution (Kate is worth it.):

[JBS]

Discovered this on Amazon. Posting it here because, honestly, the main interest lies in the director.


An customer review liked it, but complained that the director made a change in the ending which the reviewer did not like--but gave no clue as to what the change was.

[SimonNZ]

Only meant to rewatch the opening scene last night, but it goes so smoothly that I stayed up way too late as all three hours glided by.

[AnotherSpin]

Only meant to rewatch the opening scene last night, but it goes so smoothly that I stayed up way too late as all three hours glided by.

Did you see his last film? What do you think?

[DavidW]

Gladiator 2. Denzel Washington delivers a great performance, but he can't save this stinker! Not only an unnecessary sequel, but it is just a bad movie. Thumbs down, face the gladiator's death.



Oh funny enough it also features someone drinking coffee while reading a newspaper, and an important plot point was a character going mad from a venereal disease that wouldn't show up in Europe for centuries.

That was a low note to go out on for my sub to Paramount Plus.

[Madiel]

Not only an unnecessary sequel, but it is just a bad movie.

It seems to have done reasonably well both at the box office and to some extent with the critical response, but "unnecessary" absolutely seems the right word for it. I haven't seen it, and frankly I've no desire to.

[DavidW]

It seems to have done reasonably well both at the box office and to some extent with the critical response, but "unnecessary" absolutely seems the right word for it. I haven't seen it, and frankly I've no desire to.

I think the critics decided that Washington's performance elevated the whole movie (though almost no one thought the movie was great, just good). I loved his performance, but for me, personally, the film needs to be more than that.

User scores are more like mine, they average to mixed. Unfortunately, most of the best moments of the movie were straight up lifted from the first.

[JBS]

Gladiator 2. Denzel Washington delivers a great performance, but he can't save this stinker! Not only an unnecessary sequel, but it is just a bad movie. Thumbs down, face the gladiator's death.



Oh funny enough it also features someone drinking coffee while reading a newspaper, and an important plot point was a character going mad from a venereal disease that wouldn't show up in Europe for centuries.

That was a low note to go out on for my sub to Paramount Plus.

Coffee did originate in an area--Ethiopia, Somalia, or Yemen--that was within the ambit of Mediterranean commerce, so one could rationally imagine individuals using it as a beverage but not enough to catch history's attention before its "official" discovery c 1500 CE.

Syphilis and newspapers however can't be reconciled like that.