Last Movie You Watched

[SonicMan46]

My Sister's Keeper (2009) w/ Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, et al - this was a Netflix rental which had received pretty average reviews, but a 7.4/10 on IMDB, and only a 47% on Rotten Tomatoes!  For me this was quite an emotional movie because the theme was a child dying of leukemia (won't go into the details for those who may want to see the film) - but when I was an intern in medicine back in the early 1970s, my first rotation was on hematology & oncology; many patients, both young & old died when I (and my fellow interns/residents) were on call in the late hours of the night - we had of course to talk to parents & other relatives - this was not an easy experience for a young doctor just starting out his post-graduate career.

There was a scene in this movie that brought 'tears' to my eyes - when the family was in the room of the 'dying' sister (sorry, giving the story away, but pretty obvious from the beginning), someone suggested ordering pizza!  Well that recalled a scene one late night for me nearly 40 yrs ago, when I was caring for a teenager w/ leukemia; I'd visit him at night when on call w/ family present, and often he would be eating pizza - well, I was 'on call' the night that he passed away, I talked to his parents and called in the faculty oncologist - I had tears in my eyes that night & hugged his mother - that scene still sticks w/ me after so many years, and this movie brought back those memories - 

[karlhenning]

Martin Landau in both "The Man Who Was Never Born" from the first season of The Outer Limits, and "Mr Denton at Doomsday" from the first season of The Twilight Zone.  He was such a steady stock character, it is strange to reflect that the Outer Limits turn is the most sustained acting I've seen of him.

[George]

Hi-larious!!! 

[Harpo]

Shattered, a 1991 "thriller" with Tom Berenger and Bob Hoskins. Guy is in a car accident, has amnesia afterwards, doesn't know who to trust, etc. Not exactly a novel plot, but interesting enough to watch it all the way to the end (the ending surprised me, though others might have guessed it).

[DavidRoss]

We finally saw The Blind Side via DVD rental last night.  It delivered exactly what I expected--except that I was wowed by the brilliant opening voiceover narrative condensed from the first chapter of the Michael Lewis book, reproduced here: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/BlindSide/excerpt-blind-side-michael-lewis/story?id=9418563  Too bad the rest of the screenplay wasn't as tight, original, and informative.  As "sports inspirational" movies go, it fell short of the great ones, like The Natural or Hoosiers, but it sustained my interest for the first hour or more.

After seeing the movie, I found myself wondering about Michael Oher's real story and was curious about Tony Henderson, the man who took Michael into his home and got him admitted to the Briarcrest Christian School long before the Tuohys got involved.  (Leigh Ann Tuohy is the real person on whom Sandra Bullock's much ballyhooed movie character was based.)  Here's a bit more about him and the role he played in turning Oher's life around: http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-tonyhenderson-story,0,6390566.story

Oher attended Briarcrest for 20 months while living in a variety of foster homes and crashing on friends' sofas before the Tuohy's took him in.  He had played football as a high school freshman at a public school.  After the 2003 season at Briarcrest, he was named to the Tennessee All-State team.  Sean Tuohy, a former standout NCAA basketball player, knew Michael from the Briarcrest's basketball team, which he helped coach.  He took an interest in Michael and arranged to pay for an open charge account at the school cafeteria for Michael to help insure that he got fed.  Michael had been crashing on a teammate's sofa when Sean & Leigh Anne spotted him walking along a Memphis street wearing only shorts and T-shirt on a snowy winter night in 2004.

More information about the true story here: http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-how/big-man-on-campus/article30250.html

And George Will's NYTimes review of Michael Lewis's book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game,  on which the movie is based, is here: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04EFDC103FF931A25752C1A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1

[Bogey]

We finally saw The Blind Side via DVD rental last night.  It delivered exactly what I expected--except that I was wowed by the brilliant opening voiceover narrative condensed from the first chapter of the Michael Lewis book, reproduced here: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/BlindSide/excerpt-blind-side-michael-lewis/story?id=9418563  Too bad the rest of the screenplay wasn't as tight, original, and informative.  As "sports inspirational" movies go, it fell short of the great ones, like The Natural or Hoosiers, but it sustained my interest for the first hour or more.

After seeing the movie, I found myself wondering about Michael Oher's real story and was curious about Tony Henderson, the man who took Michael into his home and got him admitted to the Briarcrest Christian School long before the Tuohys got involved.  (Leigh Ann Tuohy is the real person on whom Sandra Bullock's much ballyhooed movie character was based.)  Here's a bit more about him and the role he played in turning Oher's life around: http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-tonyhenderson-story,0,6390566.story

Oher attended Briarcrest for 20 months while living in a variety of foster homes and crashing on friends' sofas before the Tuohy's took him in.  He had played football as a high school freshman at a public school.  After the 2003 season at Briarcrest, he was named to the Tennessee All-State team.  Sean Tuohy, a former standout NCAA basketball player, knew Michael from the Briarcrest's basketball team, which he helped coach.  He took an interest in Michael and arranged to pay for an open charge account at the school cafeteria for Michael to help insure that he got fed.  Michael had been crashing on a teammate's sofa when Sean & Leigh Anne spotted him walking along a Memphis street wearing only shorts and T-shirt on a snowy winter night in 2004.

More information about the true story here: http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-how/big-man-on-campus/article30250.html

And George Will's NYTimes review of Michael Lewis's book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game,  on which the movie is based, is here: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04EFDC103FF931A25752C1A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1

Always a pleasure to read George Will, David as it is your reviews of film.  Didn't I compare the two of you favorably back at the old GMG.  If not, I will now.

Overall, I thought it more watchable than expected, as expected it to be unwatchable.  I will have to share this with my wife and son as they both enjoyed the movie, and my brother-in-law who played football at the college level. 

[karlhenning]

"My Nephew, the Spy" from Get Smart
"The Addams Family & the Spacemen"
"O.B.I.T." from The Outer Limits
"The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine" from The Twilight Zone
The Whole Wide World

[DavidRoss]

Thanks, Bill.  I always appreciate your comments, too.  BTW, my wife and I watched The African Queen the other night and thoroughly enjoyed it, then she stayed up another hour or so watching a feature on the making of it that's packaged with the DVD.

I actually sort of liked The Blind Side, but felt a bit queasy about it as it seemed just a bit too Hollywoodized to believe, especially Bullock's character.  My BS meter nagged me to look into the facts, and what I learned diminished my respect for producer Bullock, whom it seems used Oher's remarkable story and the Tuohys to craft a vehicle for her own glorification, somehow cheapening Oher's story by minimizing his own and others' contributions to his success.

On the other hand, the movie interested me in Lewis's book, and even though the subject interests me little, the first chapter intrigues me enough that I just might read further. 

[Saul]

One of the best movies of all time.

[George]

 Currently watching through the first two seasons of Trailer Park Boys. As they say it's like COPS, but from the criminals point of view. Like the movie, it is hilarious.   

[SonicMan46]

The Blue Dahlia (1946) w/ Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, et al - burned this film to a DVD-R off the TCM channel - one of the early 'film noir' films - this is an excellent movie w/ Ladd & Lake looking great at their ages - Lake was such a beautiful and talented actress who died at age 50 y/o (Bio HERE, if interested) - bottom line, a film worth seeing at least once!   


 

[karlhenning]

Episode 13 of the first season of Get Smart: "Aboard the Orient Express"

The good stuff is starting now! And a cameo role for Johnny Carson, too.

[DavidRoss]

Thoroughly enjoyable and beautiful movie about the political intrigues swirling about Victoria just before and immediately after her ascent to the throne.  The way it was marketed and trivialized by the Academy Awards led me to expect a mawkish costume romance flick--"Young Victoria in Love."  I was pleasantly surprised to find otherwise.

[val]

LAWRENCE KASDAN:     "The Big Chill"

I saw this movie many years ago. Now, seeing it for the 2nd time, I like it even better. The cast is remarkable. One of the best Hollywood movies I ever saw.

[karlhenning]

The Freak Out List, a documentary about Zappa with some overlap in commentariat with the Overnite Sensation/Apostrophe (') DVD.  Information and interest enough, though some of the opinionating strikes me as just plain eccentric (repeated but unsubstantiated assertions that Jimmy Carl Black was a great drummer, e.g.).  Loved hearing that Don Preston hates doo-wop . . . can just imagine what a torment that was to him, and how that of itself must have amused Zappa.  Quite a stuffed frog of a "Classical and Avant-Garde Music Expert" figured at first as they gave sort of a whirlwind tour of Schoenberg/Stravinsky/Varèse.

[DavidRoss]

LAWRENCE KASDAN:     "The Big Chill"

I saw this movie many years ago. Now, seeing it for the 2nd time, I like it even better. The cast is remarkable. One of the best Hollywood movies I ever saw.

Kevin Costner's most convincing performance ever.

[karlhenning]

I'd forgotten Costner is in that. Which must mean it's been too long since I watched it.

[Sergeant Rock]

I'd forgotten Costner is in that. Which must mean it's been too long since I watched it.

It has been too long...he played the dead guy. His scenes were deleted. I think David was being a wee bit sarcastic 

Sarge

[karlhenning]

Delighted, really.

[eyeresist]

Wanting some "comfort food" last night, I watched the recent Star Trek film again. It's still very enjoyable overall, visually well designed, with a likable cast. The music is generally good too, occasionally veering into the majorly epic, and doing it well. However, I do feel that, for such an optimistic show as this, the main theme needs the option of resolving satisfactorily - which it doesn't, instead just punching a tonic chord to show it's reached the end.

I don't know if anyone else on the planet has been bothered by this. Sometimes caring about music makes life less fun