Last Movie You Watched

[Cato]

I understand (and largely sympathize) with the commentary of regret that Dalí's originally elaborate plot of the Dream Sequence got down-sized. (I mean, more D a l í  would undoubtedly be of interest.) But the sequence as we have it is entire and brilliant, and serves the film.

Like needing more cowbell, one always wants more D a l í 

[Number Six]

Jewish Superhero Comedy double feature last night:

You Don't Mess with the Zohan
The Hebrew Hammer

Love them both. Seen them a zillion times.

[SimonNZ]

Not watching:



Recently put on what I thought was Baz Luhman's directors commentary for his Romeo Plus Juliet. Turns out this was the Special Music Edition DVD and his was one on many commentary tracks that talk exclusively about just the soundtrack. Seriously. Turned off after thirty minutes, but I did learn that they had to use a soundalike for "O Fortuna" near the beginning because the Orff people feel it has been detrimentally overused and are in an extended moratorium on allowing it in film, tv and advertising.

Picked up a cheap copy of the regular dvd and will be playing the regular commentary tonight.

[SonicMan46]

Northwest Passage (1940) - short summary below - a favorite from my boyhood; Tracy great as Robert Rogers (1731-1795) - action occurring during the French & Indian War - gorgeous color and scenery (filmed in Idaho).

Come September (1961) - an enjoyable romantic comedy, now nearly 70 years old!  Darin (in his film debut) and Dee met on the set and were shortly married - he wrote several songs for the film including 'Multiplication' at the bottom.  Dave

Northwest Passage, an American Western film in Technicolor, directed by King Vidor. It stars Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, Walter Brennan and Ruth Hussey. The film is set in 1759, and tells a partly fictionalized version of the real-life St. Francis Raid by Rogers' Rangers, led by Robert Rogers (played by Tracy) on the primarily Abenaki village of St. Francis, in modern-day Canada. The screenplay, by Laurence Stallings and Talbot Jennings, is based on the 1937 historical novel Northwest Passage by Kenneth Roberts. (Source)

Come September is a 1961 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Rock Hudson, Gina Lollobrigida, Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin. The film was the first produced by Hudson's film production company, 7 Pictures Corporation, in co-production with Raoul Walsh Enterprises. (Source)

 

[Madiel]

Not watching:



Recently put on what I thought was Baz Luhman's directors commentary for his Romeo Plus Juliet. Turns out this was the Special Music Edition DVD and his was one on many commentary tracks that talk exclusively about just the soundtrack. Seriously. Turned off after thirty minutes, but I did learn that they had to use a soundalike for "O Fortuna" near the beginning because the Orff people feel it has been detrimentally overused and are in an extended moratorium on allowing it in film, tv and advertising.

Picked up a cheap copy of the regular dvd and will be playing the regular commentary tonight.

That... is a weird product to even exist.

I mean, I have the soundtrack albums (both of them, the score one and the songs one). I don't know why I would want to hear a commentary on it though.

[Christo]

Not watching:

errr ..., is this all you're not watching? 

[hopefullytrusting]

I like feeling good, so I watched Lukas Moodysson's best movie (in my opinion, of course): Show Me Love



It is definitely a period of its time (1990s, which is the era I grew up in), so if you are not of the time you might not fully capture the charm, but even without that nostalgic factor the two leads in this (both actual teenagers) are drawn up so realistically (actually reminds me of Wood and Barton in Season 3 of Once and Again). It feels like high school and smells of middle-class, suburban rebellion all being churned by the undercurrent of a burgeoning questioning of sexuality (see Once and Again for an almost exact comparison), and it is handled in much the same way as I recall it being handled back in the 1990s, so I got it.

Ultimately, it is a serious movie (if you look at Moodysson career, this is not surprising), so nothing is gratuitous or played for kicks (a gay version of this, but way more depressing, is L.I.E. - Paul Dano and Brian Cox). The way it concludes is, in my opinion, the best part of the film, and it has a very anti-ending ending (which is very 1990s).

Highest recommendation (it is one of my favorite films, after all, lol).

[AnotherSpin]

Woody Allen's 50th film, this time in French — Coup de Chance — leaves a rather odd impression. Everything seems fine: the acting is easy on the nerves (with the betrayed husband standing out in particular), and the storytelling flows smoothly. And yet, there's not a hint of novelty, just a constant sense of déjà vu. No, this isn't Allen at his peak. It's watchable, especially in these less-than-stellar times for cinema, but those who skip it won't be missing much.

[relm1]

I just saw Cloud Atlas.  A bit of a mess.  I like the premise but feel it would have worked better as a manga but as a film, it's overly long and jarring story telling.  Jarring could be fine if concise like Sin City and Pulp Fiction but they also give episodes time to themselves.  This film literally flips epoch's mid thought for much of the run time.  It might have been better if they gave each epoch 20 minutes straight then jumped and tide it all up just at the end where they could have done a flip through of the various timelines in a few minutes.

[hopefullytrusting]

I just saw Cloud Atlas.  A bit of a mess.  I like the premise but feel it would have worked better as a manga but as a film, it's overly long and jarring story telling.  Jarring could be fine if concise like Sin City and Pulp Fiction but they also give episodes time to themselves.  This film literally flips epoch's mid thought for much of the run time.  It might have been better if they gave each epoch 20 minutes straight then jumped and tide it all up just at the end where they could have done a flip through of the various timelines in a few minutes.

I will admit I've not seen Cloud Atlas since it came out, but I had a very different experience of the movie. I originally went in a bit trepidatious, as neither Berry or Hanks excite me - in fact, they do quite the opposite, but I love the Wachowski sisters and Tykwer, who have not directed an uninteresting film between them (seriously, give both Speed Race and Jupiter Ascending a relook, if you disagree - you might not like them, but they are interesting), and I was quite literally blown away by the scale and scope of Cloud Atlas.

I honestly was surprised at how moved i was during them film (openly weeping, yes, weeping not crying), and I was emotionally exhausted as the film reached its conclusion (a rare film where I had to sit through the credits to decompress from the movie watching experience), but it is a film that was made for the big screen - not the small (and this is true for all the Wachowski films save Bound - Bound is definitely made for the small screen), and something is lot when all that film is compressed into a box

But, I've not seen it since it came out, so I'm going to see how that movie translates to the small screen (to eBay!).

[DavidW]

I like the premise but feel it would have worked better as a manga but as a film,

Manga!? Ha! You do know that it was adapted from a novel, right?

[T. D.]

David Lynch was a director whose work never appealed to me. Saw Eraserhead when it first came out and didn't like it, never investigated his other films or TV shows.
There have been all kinds of Lynch retrospectives around here the past couple of weeks. I decided to try The Straight Story, because it was free and I expected less stagey/contrived weirdness.



Well, it was OK but slow (granted there was a little contrived weirdness) and I left halfway through. Not that the film was terrible, but I'm currently reading two interesting books that I strongly felt were more deserving of the time.

[Madiel]

I haven't seen Cloud Atlas as yet, but I definitely get the impression it polarises people.

[hopefullytrusting]

This film is pure, unadulterated awesome: The Great Wall



This genre of film is growing on me - let's call it over-the-top maximalism - other examples of this would be Battleship, Pacific Rim, Mechagodzilla, etc. Films that are so ridiculous, they become awesome. Honestly, nothing in The Great Wall will make any sense, but it doesn't need to because it is awesome. I honestly think that is how they made all their decisions on this film. And that most of the actors/actresses are so serious, just makes it all the better - I think it is their sincerity which really sells it for me.

High recommendation if you want to have fun!

[relm1]

Manga!? Ha! You do know that it was adapted from a novel, right?

Yep.  And yes Manga.

[Iota]

Manga!? Ha! You do know that it was adapted from a novel, right?

Indeed, an excellent novel. I find it hard to imagine how you would portray such a work in film form, but haven't seen it.

[DavidW]

Indeed, an excellent novel. I find it hard to imagine how you would portray such a work in film form, but haven't seen it.

It's good to find someone who appreciates David Mitchell! His novels are polarizing, but I'm a fan. I've read and enjoyed Cloud Atlas, Slade House, and The Bone Clocks.

[Iota]

It's good to find someone who appreciates David Mitchell! His novels are polarizing, but I'm a fan. I've read and enjoyed Cloud Atlas, Slade House, and The Bone Clocks.

I was actually looking at it on the shelves recently and thinking I should reread it, it's been about 10 years since I first read it, but I'm surrounded by so much good reading at the moment, it may be a while.

[Karl Henning]

Foreign Correspondent. On one hand, inessential. On t'other, there's no Hitchcock movie but has some interest. 

[Karl Henning]

Put this one in the tray morally prepared not to understand it completely: Tenet. Nice to see Michael Caine.