Last Movie You Watched

[Mister Sharpe]

Last few nights, a couple of 'new' blu-ray arrivals from the past:


Firefly (2002-2003) - the short-lived TV series about outer space (short synopsis below) - did watch the series originally but forgot how good it was ..."

Agree - astonishingly good...by coincidence my wife and I are reprising the series now and it does not age or wear thin on repeated viewings. Wish there were more episodes; less happy with the movie sequel.

[Ken B]

Last few nights, a couple of 'new' blu-ray arrivals from the past:


Firefly (2002-2003) - the short-lived TV series about outer space (short synopsis below) - did watch the series originally but forgot how good it was ..."

Agree - astonishingly good...by coincidence my wife and I are reprising the series now and it does not age or wear thin on repeated viewings. Wish there were more episodes; less happy with the movie sequel.

Rationing keystrokes this week?

[SimonNZ]

Lots of fun individual scenes, but immediately once it finished quite a lot of it seemed very problematic and left a bad aftertaste. Not least for the historical whitewashing it gives a nasty piece of work like studio fixer Eddie Mannix, and especially for how it turns the screenwriter victims of the McCarthy witchhunts into genuine Russian agents. Somehow it also seems to genuinely support the reactionary and hypocritical studio/media politics and "family values", or in its quest for a laugh completely loses sight of the critique. Then there's the waste of a large cast of big name actors who get little more than extended cameos, if that, and certainly nothing resembling character development.

[Mister Sharpe]

Rationing keystrokes this week?

Smarty,  , done on my tablet, upon which I am a clumsy poker and prodder. Devilish device. I'm more or less certain to commit sepukku with this tablet pen. Also endeavoring to save GMG valuable disk space!!!

[SonicMan46]

Last few nights, a couple of 'new' blu-ray arrivals from the past:


Firefly (2002-2003) - the short-lived TV series about outer space (short synopsis below) - did watch the series originally but forgot how good it was ..."

Agree - astonishingly good...by coincidence my wife and I are reprising the series now and it does not age or wear thin on repeated viewings. Wish there were more episodes; less happy with the movie sequel.

OK - extracted your response from my Firefly comments - agree w/ your thoughts - still have the last disc to complete - quite good!  Dave

[Mister Sharpe]

Agree - astonishingly good...by coincidence my wife and I are reprising the series now and it does not age or wear thin on repeated viewings. Wish there were more episodes; less happy with the movie sequel.

OK - extracted your response from my Firefly comments - agree w/ your thoughts - still have the last disc to complete - quite good!  Dave

Thank you, and sorry about that!  "You're the hero of Canton, the man they call [Dave]..." 

[Karl Henning]

Another amazing film. The use of Schubert's 15th string quartet is perfection, and haunting.

He has an ear for music to rival Kubrick's, I believe.

[aligreto]

Last night....





I watch Amelie about once a year and still find it one of the quirkiest and most entertaining of films that I know.

[NikF]

Last night....





I watch Amelie about once a year and still find it one of the quirkiest and most entertaining of films that I know.

Good stuff. Yeah, I find it one that can be watched often too.
There's talk of the Jaurez Machado kind of palette used, but have you ever noticed the lack of blue and the impact of if when it does appear? Obvious, but all the same, cool.

[Spineur]

Last night....

.....

I watch Amelie about once a year and still find it one of the quirkiest and most entertaining of films that I know.

Too much of postcard France for me.  Yann Tersen music is the best part.

There is a place in France which is postcard France which I actually love.  Its the Abbaye de Collonges near Lyon, one of Paul Bocuse (a very famous french chef) restaurants.  The decorum is amazing.  In particular there is a mechanical organ where Paul Bocuse himself  appears as one of the character

.

The Abbaye de Collonges isnt Bocuse gastronomical resraurant any more so you can eat there for 60€ or so.  You get get there by boat.  For a foreigner its an amazing trip.into France and its traditions.

[aligreto]

Too much of postcard France for me. 

That aspect has never struck me about Amelie. I do not, as a foreigner, think that at all and I have visited France many times. I think that the whimsical way that France is treated in the film, although not being disrespectful, is certainly tongue in cheek. Just my take on it.

[Ken B]

Gone Baby, Gone

Gets generally good reviews but I am not a fan. The story is contrived and script is weak. A lot of the scenes look staged, with forced acting. I think that's at least partly the script at fault but also the director. The accents come and go. Sometimes they return at the end of a speech! The minor characters were Central Casting On Stilts.

It's not dreadful, I am not wailing over my two lost hours, but thumbs down. 5/10

[kishnevi]

Gone Baby, Gone

Gets generally good reviews but I am not a fan. The story is contrived and script is weak. A lot of the scenes look staged, with forced acting. I think that's at least partly the script at fault but also the director. The accents come and go. Sometimes they return at the end of a speech! The minor characters were Central Casting On Stilts.

It's not dreadful, I am not wailing over my two lost hours, but thumbs down. 5/10

My Boston accent comes and goes--and I was born there!

[SimonNZ]

Unexpectedly excellent. I'm a big Aaron Sorkin fan, but didn't see how this was his kind of story or what he could bring to what I assumed would be a standard biopic - glad to be proven wrong. The structuring exclusively around three product launches was particularly clever and effective, and though it means taking some liberties with when actual conversations actually took place, it meant avoiding all the tired biopic cliches.

[James]

Gone Baby, Gone

Gets generally good reviews but I am not a fan. The story is contrived and script is weak. A lot of the scenes look staged, with forced acting. I think that's at least partly the script at fault but also the director. The accents come and go. Sometimes they return at the end of a speech! The minor characters were Central Casting On Stilts.

It's not dreadful, I am not wailing over my two lost hours, but thumbs down. 5/10

Is this the Fincher film? If so .. I was gravely disappointed with it too. I was expecting better things as I love Fincher's Seven and Zodiac, good results there. Gone was just flat, contrived and predictable. Uninvolving.

[SimonNZ]

Is this the Fincher film? If so .. I was gravely disappointed with it too. I was expecting better things as I love Fincher's Seven and Zodiac, good results there. Gone was just flat, contrived and predictable. Uninvolving.

You're thinking of Gone Girl.

[GioCar]

Unexpectedly excellent. I'm a big Aaron Sorkin fan, but didn't see how this was his kind of story or what he could bring to what I assumed would be a standard biopic - glad to be proven wrong. The structuring exclusively around three product launches was particularly clever and effective, and though it means taking some liberties with when actual conversations actually took place, it meant avoiding all the tired biopic cliches.

Seconded. and Fassbender is a very credible SJ, much better than Ashton Kutcher.
I am a fan of Danny Boyle's films.

[SimonNZ]

Seconded. and Fassbender is a very credible SJ, much better than Ashton Kutcher.
I am a fan of Danny Boyle's films.

I like that they didn't cast according to superficial similarity in appearance or even try much in production to make the actors look like their originals, but rather trusted the actors to convey their characters convincingly through the delivery of the script. One of Kate Winslet's strongest performances, also, I thought.

Haven't seen the Kutchner and probably wont, but may move the Alex Gibney documentary up in the queue.

[James]

You're thinking of Gone Girl.

Yea .. that's the one. Thx.

[James]

Unexpectedly excellent. I'm a big Aaron Sorkin fan, but didn't see how this was his kind of story or what he could bring to what I assumed would be a standard biopic - glad to be proven wrong. The structuring exclusively around three product launches was particularly clever and effective, and though it means taking some liberties with when actual conversations actually took place, it meant avoiding all the tired biopic cliches.

Danny Boyle has did some pretty entertaining movies (i.e. 127 Hours, Trainspotting, most of 28 Days Later) .. but strangely, I have zero interest in his Jobs movie.