Last Movie You Watched

[Belle]

I'm grateful to be having these little back-and-forth discussions on CMG!

[Cato]

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Spoiler alert;  I'm over 70 and have adored 'vintage' film all my life;  studying, watching, analyzing. That's my specialization as a film aficionado. English teacher I taught films like "Ten Things I Hate About You", "Clueless", "A Simple Plan", etc.  However, I do remember showing "The Man With the Golden Arm" to a mid-level Year 10 and they liked it!!

Oh my, A Simple Plan packs a punch like Oedipus Rex or Elektra!

Directed by Sam Raimi, another highly recommended movie!

[brewski]

Oh my, A Simple Plan packs a punch like Oedipus Rex or Elektra!

Directed by Sam Raimi, another highly recommended movie!

I love this movie. So great, seeing how the original premise of the title rapidly spirals out of control. Still recall a review when it came out, commenting on all the crows as a kind of Greek chorus, commenting on the action. After I saw the movie the first time, I read the book by Scott Smith, and liked it, but Sam Raimi improved on it with the film. Definitely fun, with three terrific performances.

[Cato]

I love this movie. So great, seeing how the original premise of the title rapidly spirals out of control. Still recall a review when it came out, commenting on all the crows as a kind of Greek chorus, commenting on the action. After I saw the movie the first time, I read the book by Scott Smith, and liked it, but Sam Raimi improved on it with the film. Definitely fun, with three terrific performances.

The reviewer is quite right about the crows, one of the reasons why I referred to Greek tragedies earlier.

And your comment on how the movie is better than the book reminded me about Alfred Hitchcock's idea that mediocre books or stories can be improved, when they are turned into movies.

Tonight we watched:

Bullitt with Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Don Gordon.

Roger Ebert's 4-star review is on target.


https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bullitt-1968

[Todd]

Started rewatching Raiders of the Lost Ark - with a twist.  Until yesterday, I was unaware that Steven Soderbergh had posted a black and white version of the film with the original sound entirely removed, with music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross swapped in, making it a hybrid silent movie.

The opening sequence looks fantastic throughout.  The purpose of the project was to focus on staging and blocking, which works well, but the conversion also allows one to dig the compositions and lighting as well.  The music was selected and edited to end the sequence with Techno-Grieg.

This makes me wonder what other color films would look this good in black and white, and it makes me want to see the proper hybrid of black and white with original sound and music.

Link: https://extension765.com/blogs/soderblog/raiders

[Cato]

Tonight we watched:

Bullitt with Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Don Gordon.

Roger Ebert's 4-star review is on target.


https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bullitt-1968

I should mention that Mrs. Cato and I both noticed that Lalo Schifrin's score sounds, to be polite, antiquated: jazzy solo flute or saxophone (the latter was worse), and probably too much pizzicato bass with brushes on snare drums and cymbals. 

I am sure, however, that it would have seemed just fine in 1968! 

And Schifrin's Mission: Impossible music is hard to top and has obviously withstood the test of time!

A comment about the movie itself: the hospital scenes are almost documentary in style, very realistic, with none of the Sturm-und-Drang "hysterionics" of modern doctor-nurse dramas.

And indeed, there is a low-key documentary feel to most of it.  Robert Vaughn's arrogant corruption and Steve McQueen's tight-lipped detective, all add to a realistic atmosphere.

In keeping with the "cool" atmosphere, there is hardly any shouting of any kind.  Neither the criminals nor the police speak in wise-cracking banter or have yelling matches full of obscenities.  The influence of Jack Webb's Sergeant Friday character was obvious!

[San Antone]

To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American legal drama crime film directed by Robert Mulligan, starring Gregory Peck and Mary Badham. Adapted from Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the film follows lawyer Atticus Finch in Depression-era Alabama educating his children against prejudice while defending a black man who is falsely charged with the rape of a white woman.



One of my favorite movies, and book. Watching it, no matter how often, never fails to bring tears to my eyes at the scenes of the Black community rising as Atticus leaves the courtroom and when Scout meets Boo Radley after he saved Jem.

[Karl Henning]

To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American legal drama crime film directed by Robert Mulligan, starring Gregory Peck and Mary Badham. Adapted from Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the film follows lawyer Atticus Finch in Depression-era Alabama educating his children against prejudice while defending a black man who is falsely charged with the rape of a white woman.



One of my favorite movies, and book. Watching it, no matter how often, never fails to bring tears to my eyes at the scenes of the Black community rising as Atticus leaves the courtroom and when Scout meets Boo Radley after he saved Jem.

Instant classic!

[Belle]

"To Kill a Mockingbird":  surely one of the greatest films of all time in the English language.  A great book, of course (which I taught in high-school), but these don't always transpose well into cinema.  Robert Mulligan and Horton Foote did a miraculous job, as did Peck and, of course, Elmer Bernstein with his opening theme.  The children were outstanding too.  Black and white cinematography of Russell Harlan captured that 'tired old town' effectively.

Just thinking about this film lifts the tone of my day!!

[Karl Henning]

"To Kill a Mockingbird":  surely one of the greatest films of all time in the English language.  A great book, of course (which I taught in high-school), but these don't always transpose well into cinema.  Robert Mulligan and Horton Foote did a miraculous job, as did Peck and, of course, Elmer Bernstein with his opening theme.  The children were outstanding too.  Black and white cinematography of Russell Harlan captured that 'tired old town' effectively.

Just thinking about this film lifts the tone of my day!!

Bernstein's score is thoroughly superb!
TD: Frankenstein (1931)

[Philo]

Dunkrik, some of the best sound design I've ever heard:



I didn't think I'd enjoy the film as much as I did - the sound really does a lot of that legwork.

[Karl Henning]

Dunkrik, some of the best sound design I've ever heard:



I didn't think I'd enjoy the film as much as I did - the sound really does a lot of that legwork.

Love it!

[Cato]

Going through our movie library alphabetically: starting with the Letter C after Bullitt...

Casablanca

Nobody needs me to recommend this movie! 

Tangential comments:

Casablanca is evidence why it is no wonder so many movie stars died early of lung cancer (e.g. Humphrey Bogart and Gary Cooper in their 50's).


And...Bugs Bunny comments on the famous song...go to 2:09

[VonStupp]

Matilda
Mara Wilson
Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Pam Ferris

We have a set of Roald Dahl books in our house and both of my daughters have read his Matilda. Haven't seen this Danny DeVito directed flick, I don't think.

Matilda doesn't rank with DeVito's other director-chair favorites, such as Throw Momma from the Train or War of the Roses, but this one is rather different I think, aimed at a younger crowd.
VS

[Karl Henning]

TD: Frankenstein (1931)

Just the second time I've watched this. Watched it first on Tubi a couple of Hallowe'ens back. I didn't appreciate before how visually creative this is, esp. for its era.

[Karl Henning]

Godzilla Minus One: Behind the Scenes.

[Belle]

Please, what does TD mean?

[Cato]

Matilda

Mara Wilson

Mara Wilson has written that she was lucky that no abuse occurred to her on set, yet not lucky that the idiots in the general public would not let her alone.

See her essay here:

https://www.ideastream.org/2016-09-11/where-am-i-now-mara-wilson-explains-what-happened-when-matilda-grew-up

[Cato]

Please, what does TD mean?

Thread Duty

i.e. You might be making an off-topic, tangential comment, but then get back on topic, and do your "Thread Duty" by (here) telling us about a movie!

[Belle]

"Odd Man Out", 1947, Carol Reed.  An OUTSTANDING film shot by Reed favourite Robert Krasker.  Strictly not 'film noir' (that title is bandied about too much), its about the 'troubles' of Northern Ireland and absolutely compelling.  Do yourselves a favour and watch this stunning film!!  Black and white is the only film stock to use in such circumstances (and many others too!).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV3wKLglW7E