Last Movie You Watched

[Daverz]

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Considering the $5M budget, this is a great looking SF action film.  Some of the acting in the minor roles suffers the most from the budget (no showstoppers, though), and the screenplay is not particularly original.

The Bookshop

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A woman opens a bookshop in a small town.  The townies are shits.  Very low key.  I enjoyed the performances, particularly Emily Mortimer as the bookshop owner.

Maigret in Montmarte

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Rowan Atkinson in a serious role as the canny French detective.  Really enjoy this series.

[milk]

OK not a great movie. But I really really respect the effort by all involved. They had great intentions.

[aligreto]

Nights in Rodanthe





A wonderful human story [with an excellent performance from Diane Lane] of how two mature adults come together and form a relationship. Well worth a watch. 

[SonicMan46]

 
OK not a great movie. But I really really respect the effort by all involved. They had great intentions.

Starman (1984) - a film that I now own on blu-ray and just watched a month or so ago - the movie has gotten a lot of 'mixed' reviews over the years, but still an enjoyable one for me - love intelligent aliens visiting the earth and also the chemistry between Allen & Bridges.  However, the ratings are generally favorable, e.g. 7.1/10, IMDB; 81%, Rotten Tomatoes; 4.7/5, Amazon; and 3/4* by Roger Ebert - his review HERE, which matches mine closer that the others read in the past.  Dave

[SonicMan46]

Benny Goodman Story, The (1956) w/ Steve Allen, Donna Reed, and many guest appearances (see quote below) - currently reading Ted Gioia's 2nd edition of The History of Jazz (highly recommended for those into this music) and was on the Swing/Big Band chapter w/ much about Goodman - this film has also received a LOT of mixed reviews over the years, e.g. Allen's poor acting skills (note - he was an excellent pianist, wrote thousands of songs, and made a number of musical recordings) and 'sweetening' of the love affair between him and Alice Hammond who he eventually married in 1942 (she & Benny were having a 'real' affair while she was still married to the British diplomat, Arthur Duckworth, and had had 3 daughters by him).

But, the main reasons that I enjoy this bioptic are : 1) Good portrayal of Goodman's rise to fame and successes in the 1930s culminating in the Carnegie Hall Concert of 1938; and 2) Appearance of so many previous members and associates, just great to see the likes of Hampton, Wilson, and Krupa.  Plus, the music is fabulous throughout - my only wish would be a proper audio restoration on a BD - maybe?  Dave

P.S. over the decades I've read many jazz bios, including a number on Goodman - the one that I've kept from 1993 is shown below.

Lionel Hampton, Martha Tilton, Kid Ory, George Givot, Gene Krupa, Teddy Wilson, Harry James and many other musicians made appearances in this film. However, while Ziggy Elman appeared on screen recreating his trumpet solo on "And the Angels Sing", he was unable to record his portion for the soundtrack. Fletcher Henderson is portrayed by Sammy Davis, Sr., father of Sammy Davis, Jr. (SOURCE)

   

[Todd]

Romper Stomper.  A bad young dude and his fellow droogs engage in a little ultraviolence in and about town, including in a hapless rich dude's fancy digs.  The skinhead element adds something special, I guess.  Low-budget and it looks it.  Russell Crowe does only decent fightin' round the world work. Meh-.

[Ken B]

Romper Stomper.  A bad young dude and his fellow droogs engage in a little ultraviolence in and about town, including in a hapless rich dude's fancy digs.  The skinhead element adds something special, I guess.  Low-budget and it looks it.  Russell Crowe does only decent fightin' round the world work. Meh-.

Yeah,not a winner.

[Madiel]

Rather controversial in Australia at the time.

[milk]

Good fun is hard to come by: This is a noir spoof, so no surprises as to plot. But...surprising laughs and surprisingly exceeded expectations.

[aligreto]

Nurse Betty





If you suspend disbelief this can be entertaining with good performances throughout.

[Todd]

The Shape of Water.  Mute chick falls in love with, and fucks, the creature from the black lagoon in this mash-up of Splash and Bridge of Spies.  (Yeah, yeah, I get it, the movie explores multiple very deep themes in an at times metaphorical way, and blah, blah, blah.)  Were it not for Michael Shannon's menacing presence, the film would be nothing but a gorgeous looking steaming pile.  This movie confirms two things for me: 1.) I am sick of movies that so blatantly pay homage to Hollywood's "Golden Age", and 2.) Guillermo del Toro is not a particularly good director.  Pan's Labyrinth is the exception, not the rule. 

[SonicMan46]

The Shape of Water.  Mute chick falls in love with, and fucks, the creature from the black lagoon in this mash-up of Splash and Bridge of Spies.  (Yeah, yeah, I get it, the movie explores multiple very deep themes in an at times metaphorical way, and blah, blah, blah.)  Were it not for Michael Shannon's menacing presence, the film would be nothing but a gorgeous looking steaming pile.  This movie confirms two things for me: 1.) I am sick of movies that so blatantly pay homage to Hollywood's "Golden Age", and 2.) Guillermo del Toro is not a particularly good director.  Pan's Labyrinth is the exception, not the rule.

Earlier this year, we streamed the film on Amazon - agree w/ your comments - not impressed and shocked that the production was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won 4 Oscars, including Best Picture & Best Director!    Dave

[SonicMan46]

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) w/ Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, et al - streamed last night from Amazon (short synopsis quoted below) - a sequel to Jurassic World (2015) w/ the same main actors and a film that I did enjoy - neither of these productions received great reviews, but I was disappointed in this follow-up - ratings: 6.3/10, IMDB; 49%, Rotten Tomatoes; 3.6/5, Amazon w/ 34% 1* & 2* only - I'd have to agree, i.e. 2.5* on Amazon if I could vote fractions, otherwise 3* - neutral recommendation unless a fan of the first film or if you enjoy looking at Opie's daughter, which does not bother me at all -   Dave

Three years after the destruction of the Jurassic World theme park, Owen Grady and Claire Dearing return to the island of Isla Nublar to save the remaining dinosaurs from a volcano that's about to erupt. They soon encounter terrifying new breeds of gigantic dinosaurs, while uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the entire planet.

 

[Ken B]

Earlier this year, we streamed the film on Amazon - agree w/ your comments - not impressed and shocked that the production was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won 4 Oscars, including Best Picture & Best Director!    Dave

I am only shocked when something I like wins.

[Daverz]

Guillermo del Toro is not a particularly good director.  Pan's Labyrinth is the exception, not the rule.

I'd add The Devil's Backbone

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Admit that I also enjoyed Cronos.

[Karl Henning]

I'd add The Devil's Backbone

[asin] B004EMS0HU[/asin]

Admit that I also enjoyed Cronos.

And Cronos enjoys the allowances one makes for an initial effort.  I would add Mimic.

[Karl Henning]

And Cronos enjoys the allowances one makes for an initial effort.  I would add Mimic.

IOW, restricting his directorial success to Pan's Labyrinth is (most charitably) blinkered.

[Cato]

Most of the men cannot sing, a good number of the songs are clumsy - with typical Broadway "chatter a bunch of words for plot and character development on one note" stiltedness - and predictable, and the orchestrations are tinny.  Yet it is a decent movie, because the three leads (William Daniels, Ken Howard, and Howard Da Silva) make you believe that they are singing versions of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin.

I do NOT recommend the "extended version."  Old-time movie mogul Jack Warner (of Warner Brothers) was the producer, and he cut certain songs and scenes to bring the movie down to a more reasonable length.  He also put the credits last, because none of the stars were known outside of Broadway: People will just be asking: "Who the heck is William Daniels?"     I think he was right with his edits.

[NikF]

And all the more embarassing to post here,in the same thread as les enfants du paradis! I like those old movie series,too! I do watch some more highbrow movies,though. Thanks to my 86 year old father,to some degree. In the last five to six years,or so,I have bought dvd's of Max Ophüls,La Ronde and Le Plaisir,Clouzot's The Wages of Fear,and most recently,Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast and  Orphée,for him to watch;because he saw them in the cinema,with a friend,when he was young (except Le plaisir). I have enjoyed them all! He hadn't heard of Cliffhanger serials. I don't think his friend would have wanted to take him to those?! Maybe,in disguise?!!   I have also bought a few French films that interested me. And I like Fellini! I don't think my father would want to watch my collection of 50's (and some.60's) sci-fi,though?!!
If you are interested,at all;Drums of Fu Manchu is pure boys own paper,with gadgets galore and Henry Brandon relishing his role as,probably,the best Fu Manchu ever. It's,by far,the least repetitious and most varied serial I have seen,to date. The VCI print is pretty good. I had no issue with it. I also found Jungle girl very entertaining. Like the Drums of Fu Manchu,it is a Republic serial. They were regarded as the finest producers of serials;and like the Fu Manchu (and Daredevils of the Red Circle) it is directed by William Whitney and John English,who are regarded as the finest directors of serials,ever. Some of the cliffhanger set pieces are very excitingly paced,and,the influence on Indiana Jones is obvious. One of them involving the hero and heroine being shoved into a chamber,with the floor sliding away to reveal a seemingly bottomless drop into darkness,below. The print from VCI is excellent. You have to make sure it's dvd's,though. VCI sold some sets as dvd-r's. The one I bought recently from a US seller was a dvd set,thank goodness!

Thanks for the info. I'll make time to have a look at Drums of Fu Manchu at least. But a quick look at the VCI site was interesting as far as what's available is concerned. And Jungle Girl was Frances Gifford? - I remember her in The Glass Key with Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. 

[Cato]

And Jungle Girl was Frances Gifford? - I remember her in The Glass Key with Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. 

Also a highly recommended movie!