Last Movie You Watched

[Ken B]

The Highwaymen (2019)

Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson hunt Bonnie and Clyde.

I thought this an excellent movie, perhaps a bit long but it never drags. The acting is uniformly excellent, and the look, sans CGI or explosions, is spot on. 

[André]

R.I.P. Bibi Andersson

[Karl Henning]

This came up a few days ago: great news!

Sergei Bondarchuk's digitally restored, four-movie version of War and Peace, with the great score by the late Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov, will be available as of June 25th on Blu-Ray thanks to Criterion.

https://www.youtube.com/v/3DqanxfecIA


See:

https://www.criterion.com/films/28891-war-and-peace

See also:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/movies/war-and-peace-bondarchuk-lincoln-center.html

Wow!

Thread Duty:

last night, for only the second time, Road to Perdition

[SonicMan46]

Susan & I just returned from Kiawah Island near Charleston, SC - we stayed in a lagoon villa w/ several BD players and HDTVs, so brought along a number of DVDs/BDs - watched the first two below - before going we had streamed the new Willem Dafoe film about van Gogh but stopped watching, so cannot make a recommendation (or not?):

Nobody's Fool (1994) w/ Paul Newman, Jessica Tandy, Bruce Willis, and Melanie Griffith - we've always enjoyed this film - nice ensemble acting w/ the inter-relationships well developed and distinct between the characters - recommended.

Lust for Life (1956) w/ Kirk Douglas & Anthony Quinn; Vincent Minelli, Director - beautifully film w/ plenty of van Gogh's artwork shown in splendid color (have the BD - 4.5 & 4.5 of 5 AV rating HERE) - nominated for 4 Oscars (Anthony Quinn winner for Best Supporting Actor); Douglas awarded a Golden Globe award for Best Actor (and an Oscar nomination - won by Yul Brynner for the King & I) - highly recommended.  Dave

   

[aligreto]

Alien Resurrection





A great cast which give a great collective performance.

[George]

Third time viewing this fun film.

[aligreto]

Smokin' Aces





Good enough entertainment.

[aligreto]

Life





This is not a million miles away from the Alien story line. This film is perhaps better than I think; it is unfortunate that I watched it not too long after I had re-watched the four Alien films. There is no one in Life that can come close to such a commanding performance as that of Sigourney Weaver's.

[aligreto]

Amadeus





This is one, for me, that is always worth another watch irrespective of how many times one has seen it.

[SonicMan46]

Last few nights, several early 1950s 'adventure' films in brilliant color!

Bend of the River (1952) w/ James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julie Adams, & Rock Hudson; Anthony Mann, director - love the Stewart/Mann western films (listed below - own all in one form or another, as noted at the end of each listing) - except for the B&W Winchester '73, the others are in superb color w/ panoramic location settings - this one was filmed around Mt. Hood in Oregon and Columbia River locales - only two have been released as BDs, and several others I have are DVD-Rs from TCM - waiting for the other three to come out on blu-ray discs.

Ivanhoe (1952) w/ Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Finlay Currie - I've been watching the Great Courses Lectures on the Middle Ages (DVD version) presented by Philip Daileader (LINK) and just finished the talk on nobles, knights, & chivalry, so had to pick a movie w/ the same themes; Elizabeth & Joan are just beautiful and the colors magnificent; Sanders his usual character (seems always perfect for these roles!) - was up for several Oscars in 1953, including Best Picture (others were the Greatest Show on Earth, the winner, High Noon, Moulin Rouge, & The Quiet Man - tough competition!), Color Cinematography, and Musical Score (Miklós Rózsa) - Dave

1950 - Winchester '73 (Shelley Winters & Dan Duryea) (DVD)
1952 - Bend of the River (Arthur Kennedy, Julie Adams, Rock Hudson) (BD)
1953 - The Naked Spur (Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan, Ralph Meeker) (DVD-R)
1954 - The Far Country (Ruth Roman, Walter Brennan, Corinne Calvet) (DVD-R)
1955 - The Man from Laramie (Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, Cathy O'Donnell) (BD)

 

[Todd]

It took a while to get around to it, but I watched W.  Mediocre film making mixed with poor casting choices and poor acting.  What happened to Oliver Stone?  Anyway, last year's Vice is better, and much better acted, than this movie. 

[Madiel]

Beach Rats



Sigh. Sometimes you hope a film is going somewhere and it doesn't.  Cute closeted gay boy basically has 2 modes: doing nothing, or behaving like an arse. His straight friends are also arses, only not quite so cute.

The fact that the main character is described as "aimless" should have been a clue.

[aligreto]

Arachnophobia




Some light and sometimes amusing viewing.

[André]

Based on a true story set in Durham, NC in 1971. Reviews are mostly favourable, but not full out enthusiastic. I found it both engrossing and very well directed, with a welcome tightening of the dramatic screws as the story unfolds. The acting is superb, with Sam Rockwell particularly outstanding. Watching it in a theatre near Durham made it a rather special experience. Recommended.

[aligreto]

Dismissed





An interesting thriller about a young student who will do anything to further his obsession with getting the top grades in school which will thereby ensure his progression into the Iveagh League.

[Ken B]

The Limehouse Golem

Based on a novel by Peter Ackroyd, which I read long ago and liked. A bit of a misfire because of too much indulgence in slasher porn and "arty" camera work, but not dreadful. 6/10, not for the squeamish.

[SimonNZ]

Very good and fresh documentary on MLK, focusing on the years 1964-68 and especially on his challenges and changing perspectives when bringing his Southern message to the North. They've gone out of their way to avoid the familiar footage and familiar storytelling which makes this particularly worthy, even if you've seen a lot on King. I particularly liked the section on his work and debate with Stokely Carmichael - who I consider a fascinating figure, and still too little celebrated.

[lisa needs braces]

Arachnophobia




Some light and sometimes amusing viewing.

I saw this on Halloween when I was a kid and it was a very entertaining experience. John Goodman is so good

[Madiel]

Dismissed





An interesting thriller about a young student who will do anything to further his obsession with getting the top grades in school which will thereby ensure his progression into the Iveagh League.

Couldn't he just use money to get in like everybody else?

[André]

Very good, but not excellent. It's a bit like 2 movies in one that have a bit of trouble finding the right tone. The depiction of a traditional ethnic family is endearing but slightly caricatural, like that in Moonstruck or My Big, Fat Greek Wedding. When on the road (litterally), things flow better. Excellent acting. The snowstorm scenes in the last minutes made me roll my eyes. In these days of incredible special effects, it amazes me that Hollywood can't make natural-looking snow. Any pretense to realism melts before the eyes