Last Movie You Watched

[listener]

IT HAPPENED TO JANE 1959 American "feel good" movie with Doris Day, Jack Lemmon and Ernie Kovacs.
Nice outdoor settings and a working steam locomotive.   Lobster farming and a church with box pews might be of more interest to others.

[Karl Henning]

Hacksaw Ridge.  Mel Gibson's return to directing is possibly the most graphically violent war movie I've seen, possibly surpassing Saving Private Ryan in intensity, if not scale or quality.  Once the combat starts in the second half, it is more or less relentless.  The movie is formulaic, but earnest.  The limited CGI (eg, naval armada) is not top of the line, but is good enough.  The main battlefield on top of a ridge is obviously a set and rather small, but it's fine.  Sound is incredible, with the big gun blasts powerful enough to pressurize a big theater.  Acting is basically in line with what one would expect.  Andrew Garfield does a good job, and the lovely Teresa Palmer is a pleasure to watch.  The interview footage with some of the actual people, including Desmond Doss himself, is both interesting and detracts a bit from the film itself.  It would have made for a great BD extra.  A good film, but not a great one.

Thanks for this.

[Karl Henning]

Don't gloat. You may yet sit through many shitburgers. You'll resent the gloaters.

Well, and there are some who don't like La mer, either 


We've had occasion earlier to observe that he doesn't always get it right . . . but, curious as to what Ebert's opinion was, I found:

[Drasko]

Very good, few minor preachy and talky moments aside.

[listener]

animated, from Hong Kong, the first in a series
McDULL, PRINCE DE LA BUN
set against the modernization of HK with a lot of local references I would not get, but still enjoyed..
I think 'sweet' is an appropriate description in spite of the pejorative connotations of the word.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Last weekend, North by Northwest for the first time. Also, the newest Mad Max.

[Ken B]

Last weekend, North by Northwest for the first time.

The right attitude!

[aligreto]

Last night....

[Karl Henning]

Last weekend, North by Northwest for the first time.

The right attitude!

Forsooth!

[aligreto]

Last night....

[André]

The performance of all three male principals in Berri's Pagnol saga is beyond praise: Depardieu, Montand and Auteuil. As we say in French: ils crèvent l'écran.

[Mister Sharpe]

The performance of all three male principals in Berri's Pagnol saga is beyond praise: Depardieu, Montand and Auteuil. As we say in French: ils crèvent l'écran.

Oui, c'est du vrai de vrai.  On the other hand, I thought The Well-Digger's Daughtera sad disappointment, what say you?

[André]

For a moment I thought you were referring to Manon des sources.

La fille du puisatier is a different story, and I haven't seen this remake by Auteuil (didn't even know it existed: I had to check first). The original film though is very good, a classic french film with an unbeatable cast (directed by Pagnol, with Raimu, Fernandel, Charpin, Josette Day). I saw it many years ago. Time for a re-run!

[Spineur]

The performance of all three male principals in Berri's Pagnol saga is beyond praise: Depardieu, Montand and Auteuil. As we say in French: ils crèvent l'écran.

Yep !!  Many of my american friends were shocked by Jean de Florette, as the good guy looses and the bad guys win.  And the second part Manon des Sources is by no way a redemption of the first part.  From this point of view, one can say their spirit is completly opposite to hollywood. 

[André]

Judicious, smart remark.

Very often there is a bittersweet, sad, caustic or non-moralistic ending in french B&W movies from approx. 1935-1955 movies (the Renoir,  Pagnol, Autant-Lara, Carné, Duvivier, Clair, and even early Bresson era). One of my favourites is the caustic, brilliant Le crime de Monsieur Lange with that other giant of french acting, Jules Berry. Or any film by the great Louis Jouvet (Hôtel du Nord for example).

My own pick for greatest french film ever is from that period: Carné's Les enfants du paradis.

[Mister Sharpe]

Yep !!  Many of my american friends were shocked by Jean de Florette, as the good guy looses and the bad guys win.  And the second part Manon des Sources is by no way a redemption of the first part.  From this point of view, one can say their spirit is completly opposite to hollywood.

Yes, indeedy! Except that what really separates it from most Hollywood films is the series' complexity, its texture; it's not just a matter of good vs. evil but la vie en ville vs. la vie à la campagne, old ways vs. new, and the shocking denouement, which serves to underscore our common humanity.

[James]

Daredevil
American web series

The first in a planned series of shows detailing the Marvel universe, "Daredevil" follows Matt Murdock, attorney by day and vigilante by night. Blinded in an accident as a child, Murdock uses his heightened senses as Daredevil to fight crime on the streets of New York after the sun goes down. While Murdock's day job requires him to believe in the criminal justice system, his alter ego does not follow suit, leading him to take the law into his own hands to protect his Hell's Kitchen neighborhood and the surrounding communities.

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[Bogey]

Daredevil
American web series

The first in a planned series of shows detailing the Marvel universe, "Daredevil" follows Matt Murdock, attorney by day and vigilante by night. Blinded in an accident as a child, Murdock uses his heightened senses as Daredevil to fight crime on the streets of New York after the sun goes down. While Murdock's day job requires him to believe in the criminal justice system, his alter ego does not follow suit, leading him to take the law into his own hands to protect his Hell's Kitchen neighborhood and the surrounding communities.

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I'm hot and cold with this series.  I find I can watch three episodes in a row and then need to take a break.

[Bogey]

Even Cagney could not keep me much interested in this one.  So-so.

[James]

I'm hot and cold with this series.  I find I can watch three episodes in a row and then need to take a break.

Well that's 3 hrs .. who can sit on their ass staring at a screen for that long? Hard to do for me at least .. it took me about 2 weeks to complete.

Overall, I loved the series. More adult-oriented and the 13 hours used to develop things proved effective. Casting was perfect.