Last Movie You Watched

[Karl Henning]

Last night, we decided to watch Lord of the Flies (1963).  I had never seen it, and I probably have not read the book since it was assigned reading in (junior?) high school.

Arguably more relevant today than it was 55 years ago.

[bhodges]

The Opera House (2017, dir. Susan Froemke) - Probably essential for opera lovers, and worth the entire 2 hours for the sequences with Leontyne Price alone.

--Bruce

[Ken B]

Last night, we decided to watch Lord of the Flies (1963).  I had never seen it, and I probably have not read the book since it was assigned reading in (junior?) high school.

Arguably more relevant today than it was 55 years ago.

Yep. I wonder when we collectively decided that instead of a warning we should read it as a how-to.

Another related cultural reference.
http://kenblogic.blogspot.com/2017/08/when-did-gladys-kravitz-become-role.html

[lisa needs braces]

It's beautifully and elegantly shot film. Amy Adams is fantastic, as Amy Adams is. But the subject matter has been completely ruined for me since Stanislaw Lem's His Masters Voice, my favorite sf novel of all time, since then any first contact narrative strikes me as meh in comparison.

My problem with these type of stories (such as Arrival...I haven't read the Lem novel but I've added it to my absurdly long Amazon book wishlist) is that invariably the aliens come to serve as substitutes for God, i.e, benign but powerful beings who have the best interests of humanity at heart. It's a theme of Arrival, the book Childhood's End, the film Contact, an James Cameron The Abyss.

One of my favorite alien movies is the 1996 Charlie Sheen flick The Arrival where the aliens are already here and they aren't benign. Not artsy like the Amy Adams movie but quite a bit more fun IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-uGQYEN4jc

[milk]

It's worth revisiting this every few years or so. I enjoyed this yesterday. To me, it's like a whole relationship compressed into 2 hours. It's tragic - maybe all the more so because the characters do love each other as far as they are able to love. Of course every character here is telling themselves some kind of story and reality hits them pretty hard.

[Draško]

My problem with these type of stories (such as Arrival...I haven't read the Lem novel but I've added it to my absurdly long Amazon book wishlist) is that invariably the aliens come to serve as substitutes for God ...

No such problem in His Master's Voice. It's just about a signal (probably) from space and attempts of huge team of scientists to figure it out. Mostly philosophical, not the easiest read but more than worth it in my opinion.

[SimonNZ]

No such problem in His Master's Voice. It's just about a signal (probably) from space and attempts of huge team of scientists to figure it out. Mostly philosophical, not the easiest read but more than worth it in my opinion.

I haven't yet read Lem, but have heard he's the best at making aliens very "alien". I'll try and find a copy of HMV.

Have you read the Sturgatskys' Roadside Picnic? I finally got around to it recently and now think its my new favorite first contact sf.

[Karl Henning]

Yesterday afternoon, my harpsichordist and I watched 1990's (?) Jacob's Ladder.  Intense, agreeably creepy, and just disorienting enough.  Really good.

[drogulus]

My problem with these type of stories (such as Arrival...I haven't read the Lem novel but I've added it to my absurdly long Amazon book wishlist) is that invariably the aliens come to serve as substitutes for God, i.e, benign but powerful beings who have the best interests of humanity at heart. It's a theme of Arrival, the book Childhood's End, the film Contact, an James Cameron The Abyss.

One of my favorite alien movies is the 1996 Charlie Sheen flick The Arrival where the aliens are already here and they aren't benign. Not artsy like the Amy Adams movie but quite a bit more fun IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-uGQYEN4jc

     I partly agree. The stereotype of a good god is too close to common belief. Childhoods End was interesting precisely because you had to follow both forks of "goodness" and since both were human the question of what a "good god" would want is seen more like what the Euthyphro suggested, choosing the god chooses the good, and with at minimum 2 valid answers old views are seen to be empty suits.

     I completely and savagely agree about The Arrival. It's excellent! David Tuohy is an underrated director with a distinctive visual flair.

     

[Ken B]

Yesterday afternoon, my harpsichordist and I watched 1990's (?) Jacob's Ladder.  Intense, agreeably creepy, and just disorienting enough.  Really good.

Movies are creepier with a harpsichordist.

[SimonNZ]

[Draško]

Have you read the Sturgatskys' Roadside Picnic? I finally got around to it recently and now think its my new favorite first contact sf.

Don't think I have. That's the novel that Tarkovsky's Stalker was loosely based on. I've seen Stalker. I've read something by Strugatskys but can't quite remember what, was long time ago.



This one was savaged by the critics, I think it's watchable. The problem is that it has quite preposterous soapy story played quietly and measured, masquerading as drama. But it's well paced and has more than decent cast which makes it passable.

[Karl Henning]

Movies are creepier with a harpsichordist.

I've always found them so.

[André]

Based on Maxim Gorky's play, this Criterion double set offers totally different visions by 2 giants of the silver screen.

[listener]

another from the Shaw Brothers
THE CHINATOWN KID  1977    directed by Chang Cheh
with Alexander Fu Sheng, Sun Chien, and the ripped Lo Meng
some establishing shots are definitely local, but generally it's a Hong Kong production - right hand steering and left side of the road for car chases give that away.  Starts in Taiwan, moves to Hong Kong then San Francisco without a lot of notice.   Multilingual jokes - Cantonese/Mandarin/English may add to hilarity.

[Daverz]

https://www.youtube.com/v/h08szD0wfbo

[Karl Henning]

https://www.youtube.com/v/h08szD0wfbo

Said to be the director's favorite among his own films.

[James]

The Last Laugh
1924 ‧ Drama ‧ 1h 41m

Proud of his position, responsibilities and uniform, a hotel doorman is shocked to find out that he has been demoted to washroom attendant., humiliated, the old man struggles to carry on with his life.

[asin]B075P5XHQB[/asin]

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Said to be the director's favorite among his own films.

That and Rear Window, IIRC.

[Draško]

I'm not a horror fan but some of the gialli from 60s and 70s are really gorgeous.