Last Movie You Watched

[aligreto]

A Vigilante





This is a hard hitting film about a woman, with a particular history, who is driven to mainly avenge other women who are beaten by their husbands. The story unfolds well in both a general and specific way. It highlights an unfortunately very real problem very well and I agree very much with the dispensation of her type of justice to the perpetrators.

[SimonNZ]

Second viewing. Still a few criticisms, but liked it more this time around.

[SonicMan46]

Angel and the Badman (1947) w/ John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot - short synopsis below - Russell's eyes were just beautiful - great story - Gail's early death in her mid-30s is tragic (LINK) - recommended.

Anchors Aweigh (1945) w/ Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, & Kathryn Grayson; also Dean Stockwell in his youth - second synopsis below - not the same as their later film On the Town (1949) - expect less of a story, more a musical revue, some great numbers, and Gene dancing w/ a mouse in an animated scene - Dave

One of John Wayne's most mystical films, Angel and the Badman is also the first production that Wayne personally produced. The star plays a wounded outlaw who is sheltered by a Quaker family. Attracted to the family's angelic daughter Gail Russell, the hard-bitten Wayne undergoes a slow and subtle character transformation; still, he is obsessed with killing the man (Bruce Cabot) who murdered his foster father. The storyline traces not only the regeneration of Wayne, but of the single-minded sheriff (Harry Carey) who'd previously been determined to bring Wayne to justice.

Anchors Aweigh is a 1945 American Technicolor musical comedy film directed by George Sidney and starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, and Gene Kelly, with songs by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn. In the film, two sailors go on a four-day shore leave in Hollywood, meet a young boy and his aunt, an aspiring young singer, and the sailors try to help her get an audition at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In addition to a live-action Kelly dancing with Jerry Mouse the cartoon mouse, the film also features José Iturbi, Pamela Britton, Dean Stockwell, and Sharon McManus

   

[Madiel]

Latter Days



Mostly, rather cheesy. Occasionally, quite emotional.

[Todd]

The Hustle.  A gender-swapped remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Bedtime Story, this flick remains watchable only because of Rebel Wilson's willingness to do anything for a laugh.  Most of the time it works, but every once in a while one misses what was done in the 80s.  Wilson's Princess Hortense character compared to Steve Martin's Ruprecht (Oklahoma!) highlights all the shortcomings of this remake.  It's paint by numbers filmmaking across the board.  I kept wanting more.  At least it killed ninety minutes.

[aligreto]

2012





Wonderful effects that still hold up very well today for me.

[Madiel]

Babel



Well, 13.5 years on, I like this film pretty much the same as I did the first time I saw it. Though the impact is inevitably a little different when you know how the stories are connected from the beginning, instead of finding out at various points.

But it's still a powerful take on the world's diversity.

[SonicMan46]

On the 4th of July, we usually alternate watching Yankee Doodle Dandy or 1776 but disagreed on the choice last night, so I selected a couple of different films - The Patriot w/ Gibson - this film is quite atmospheric for us, i.e. we travel the Carolinas and have been to many of the Revolutionary battle sites and National Treasure w/ Cage, what more appropriate than stealing the Declaration of Independence!    Dave

 

[Florestan]

The Patriot w/ Gibson

 

Hi, Dave! The movie stroke me as propaganda through and through but I greatly enjoyed what Gibson's character retorts at some time; I fear one tyrant 10,000 miles away much less than 100 of them at home (or something to that effect) --- with respect to whether the colonies should stay within UK or declare independence. 

[SonicMan46]

Hi, Dave! The movie stroke me as propaganda through and through but I greatly enjoyed what Gibson's character retorts at some time; I fear one tyrant 10,000 miles away much less than 100 of them at home (or something to that effect) --- with respect to whether the colonies should stay within UK or declare independence. 

Hi Andrei - beginning of the Wiki article quoted below w/ an emphasis on 'historical fiction'!  Over the decades living in the Carolinas and visiting many of the areas where these events took place (and having read numerous books on the subject and the characters, a recent one on Francis Marion, the 'Swamp Fox') - the battles of Camden (at the beginning) and Cowpens (at the end) are all wrong although wonderfully filmed - I've been to Camden, SC - the battle took place outside of town, i.e. no houses; also have visited Cowpens, again not the way shown.

The British colonel, William Tavington is a fictional representation of Banastre Tarleton, who indeed was known as 'The Butcher' - whether he did all that was shown in the film is doubtful.  General Daniel Morgan virtually destroyed his army at the Battle of Cowpens, leading Cornwallis to retreat to Wilmington, NC to lick his wounds before entering Virginia, and ending up at Yorktown - and we know how that ended.

The southern campaign was more a civil war between the colonists and much of the 'butchery' took place not w/ the British soldiers but between the 'Tories' and 'Patriots', so I guess that would qualify in part as propaganda - Roger Ebert's review HERE, if interested.  BUT for me, the attraction of the movie is the filming in an area well known to me in our many travels here.  How would I rate the movie?  Probably 3* to 4* depending on whether ranking the distortion of history or the atmospheric scenery more important?  Dave

The Patriot is a 2000 American historical fiction war film directed by Roland Emmerich, written by Robert Rodat, and starring Mel Gibson, Chris Cooper, Heath Ledger, and Jason Isaacs. The film mainly takes place in rural Berkeley County, South Carolina, and depicts the story of an American Colonist, nominally loyal to the British Crown, who is swept into the American Revolutionary War when his family is affected. Benjamin Martin is a composite figure who Rodat has stated is based on four factual figures from the American Revolutionary War: Andrew Pickens, Francis Marion, Daniel Morgan, and Thomas Sumter.

The film takes place during the events of the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War. It attracted controversy over its fictional portrayal of historical British figures and atrocities, especially with the infamous burning church scene, of which there is no historical record. Critic Roger Ebert wrote: "None of it has much to do with the historical reality of the Revolutionary War". (Source)

[Florestan]

The British colonel, William Tavington is a fictional representation of Banastre Tarleton, who indeed was known as 'The Butcher' - whether he did all that was shown in the film is doubtful. 

Yes, Banastre Tarleton is one of the main reasons I call the movie propaganda. That Tavington guy reminded me of oh so many Nazi colonels committing oh so many atrocities in oh so many movies about WWII. I always ask myself: had the Loyalists won and there had been no independent USA, or had the Nazi won, how would the Patriot or the Allied colonels have been portrayed in movies? And I always answer my own question thus: precisely and exactly like Tavington or Col. Hans Landa in Inglorious Bastards: Patriots butchering Loyalist's childre and burning their churches, and Englishmen and American officers sadically torturing innocent German civilians. 

The southern campaign was more a civil war between the colonists and much of the 'butchery' took place not w/ the British soldiers but between the 'Tories' and 'Patriots', so I guess that would qualify in part as propaganda - Roger Ebert's review HERE, if interested.

This, too.

BUT for me, the attraction of the movie is the filming in an area well known to me in our many travels here.   

I can see where you're coming from. I liked The Tourist (stupid and far-fetched plot) for the sole reason of its taking place in Venice, so there. 

[aligreto]

The Town





This is a hard hitting crime thriller which can be violent but there is a good story to it.

[TheGSMoeller]

[aligreto]

The Daughter





This is a film about lies and deception and the impact that they have and the consequences that follow. It makes for good viewing.

[vandermolen]

David Copperfield.
Great fun, captures the essence of the novel and good soundtrack:

[vandermolen]

The Town





This is a hard hitting crime thriller which can be violent but there is a good story to it.

I taught Rebecca Hall History A Level.

[vandermolen]

Parasite

[aligreto]

Aftermath





This is based on a true story about a mid air plane crash and the subsequent death of his wife and daughter have on a man. All that he seeks is an apology from the airline but that is not forthcoming. He then seeks his own retribution. It was not Arnie's finest acting display. 

[aligreto]

I taught Rebecca Hall History A Level.

Is that why she became an actress as opposed to a history teacher?!?! 

[vandermolen]

Is that why she became an actress as opposed to a history teacher?!?! 

Haha. I think that she was always destined to be an actress as she had been in films and TV stuff since she was very little. She was good at History though, although not so good at handing in her essays, as she was always so focused on her acting. My History dept. colleague asked Rebecca if she could imagine that she was playing the role of someone writing a history essay! Rather a boring part though.