Last Movie You Watched

[Karl Henning]

I watched that last summer and I liked it, but could not imagine reading the door stop that it was adapted from.

Nor me. From the comparatively little King I have slogged through, he is best served by the cinema (I'll much sooner re-read Dickens, of course.) The producer Richard Kobritz had produced the miniseries Salem's Lot, and Stephen King sent him his next two Mss. for consideration, and Kobritz bought up the rights to Christine, which was soon published and instantly became a best-seller.  At the time when the film was released, the hard cover and paperback were nos. 10 & 1, respectively on the NYT Best-Seller List.  It was a pop culture perfect storm.

[Brahmsian]

Nor me. From the comparatively little King I have slogged through, he is best served by the cinema (I'll much sooner re-read Dickens, of course.) The producer Richard Kobritz had produced the miniseries Salem's Lot, and Stephen King sent him his next two Mss. for consideration, and Kobritz bought up the rights to Christine, which was soon published and instantly became a best-seller.  At the time when the film was released, the hard cover and paperback were nos. 10 & 1, respectively on the NYT Best-Seller List.  It was a pop culture perfect storm.

From the written point of view, I find Stephen King much more interesting in his short stories.  "Night Shift", his first collection of short stories, is quite marvelous.  Some of his lengthy novels I have read.  Of the lengthiest variety, probably "The Stand" is my favourite.  "IT" was stupendously fantastic for the first 2/3 of the novel, and downright stupendously horrible for the final 1/3 of the novel.

[DavidW]

I think that Pet Semetary might be his best novel.  The trainwreck of losing a son, especially at a tender age, and all a grieving parent would do made for a story that was genuinely horrific and tragic in a way that really I don't think that any of his other stories were.  And it is concisely written too!

[Brahmsian]

I think that Pet Semetary might be his best novel.  The trainwreck of losing a son, especially at a tender age, and all a grieving parent would do made for a story that was genuinely horrific and tragic in a way that really I don't think that any of his other stories were.  And it is concisely written too!

That one is probably my favourite too of his "shorter" novels (ie., under 1,000 pages) 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

They'll never make its like again.

Very true.

I ran across this fascinating article about the making of the movie, all of the problems that were encountered, horrible decisions, romances and relationships that went afoul, careers that were created or destroyed by it, etc.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/1998/03/elizabeth-taylor-199803

PD

[milk]

So far I've only seen A Brighter Summer Day of his. And it was fascinating, but I'm glad I did Tony Rayns' commentary to explain facets of Taiwanese history and culture which weren't obvious on the first viewing. I'll probably be watching Yi Yi in the very near future. Which others would you recommend of his?

I just know those two, but Yi Yi is mesmerizing cinema. It's so masterful.

[André]

I just know those two, but Yi Yi is mesmerizing cinema. It's so masterful.

+1. A masterpiece and a classic.

[milk]

Is it safe?

It's still good.

[Brahmsian]

Is it safe?

It's still good.

Marvelous film!

[milk]

This is great cinema and ambitious, in a way. I also wonder if it was shocking at the time? I think this film survives on the charm of Michael Caine. Despite it being impressive on many levels, the main character is such an ass that almost any other actor might have sunk the whole thing. Anyway, it's an interesting movie, sort of funny and brutal at the same time.

[aligreto]

The Company You Keep





This is a case of spotting the old actor. The plot is fine as is the direction [Redford] but the casting of Redford as the main role was misdirected as far as I am concerned [and I am a fan]. He was too old at this stage and his performance was far from credible. It is, as a film however, still worth a watch.

[SimonNZ]

[vers la flamme]

The Aviator. Now I want to watch some of the old movies referenced in the film, Hell's Angels, Scarface, etc.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

High Fidelity

[George]

High Fidelity

One of my very favorite movies!

Another favorite, I watched yesterday:

[SonicMan46]

Nomadland (2020) w/ Frances McDormand and others - up for a half dozen Oscars soon, including Best Picture and Actress - synopsis below from opening of its Wiki article; bought from Amazon Prime Video as a 4K UHD streamer (no rental options at the moment) for $14 USD; ratings: 7.5/10, IMDB; 94%, Rotten Tomatoes;  3.7/5, Amazon w/ a lot of poor ratings (boredom often the term used).  As for us, we enjoyed the film, Susan more than me; the western US vistas were beautifully filmed and McDormand excellent as usual - I'd probably do a 4/5 if reviewing on Amazon - recommended, especially to those who like to see several or all of the Oscar-nominated films, as we do - but a weird COVID altered experience to come, I'm sure?

The Five Pennies (1959) w/ Danny Kaye, Barbara Bel Geddes, Louis Armstrong, et al - short summary below second quote - jazz biopic about the cornet player and band leader, Red Nichols - marvelous performance by Kaye and guest appearance by Armstrong just memorable; I've owned the DVD for years - wife watched this time and enjoyed - recommended - now, Nichols is on CD but I have only the recording shown below w/ about a half dozen of his recordings from the 1920s.  Dave

Nomadland is a 2020 American drama film written, edited, produced, and directed by Chloé Zhao. It stars Frances McDormand as a woman who leaves her hometown of Empire, Nevada, after her husband dies and the sole industry closes down, to be "houseless" and travel around the United States. It also features David Strathairn in a supporting role, as well as real-life nomads Linda May, Swankie, and Bob Wells as fictionalized versions of themselves. The film is based on the 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder. (Source)

The Five Pennies is a semi-biographical 1959 film starring Danny Kaye as jazz cornet player and bandleader Loring Red Nichols. Other cast members include Barbara Bel Geddes, Louis Armstrong, Harry Guardino, Bob Crosby, Bobby Troup, Susan Gordon, and Tuesday Weld. The film received four Oscar nominations: Best Musical Scoring (Leith Stevens), Best Original Song (Sylvia Fine—Danny Kaye's wife), Best Cinematography (Daniel L. Fapp), and Best Costumes (Edith Head). The real Red Nichols recorded all of Kaye's cornet playing for the film soundtrack. The other musicians in Red's band were not asked to provide their musical contributions, and the sound of his band was supplied by session players. (Source)

   

[aligreto]

Nomadland (2020) w/ Frances McDormand and others - up for a half dozen Oscars soon, including Best Picture and Actress - synopsis below from opening of its Wiki article; bought from Amazon Prime Video as a 4K UHD streamer (no rental options at the moment) for $14 USD; ratings: 7.5/10, IMDB; 94%, Rotten Tomatoes;  3.7/5, Amazon w/ a lot of poor ratings (boredom often the term used).  As for us, we enjoyed the film, Susan more than me; the western US vistas were beautifully filmed and McDormand excellent as usual - I'd probably do a 4/5 if reviewing on Amazon - recommended, especially to those who like to see several or all of the Oscar-nominated films, as we do - but a weird COVID altered experience to come, I'm sure?

 

Cheers Dave. That is a film that I will certainly watch sometime in the future. I like what I have heard about it so far.

[vers la flamme]

Still thinking about The Aviator. Man, Scorcese's a genius! I'm not sure how he's been able to pull off all these sprawling epics about such varied subjects. He made a film out of the book I'm reading, Silence, by Shusaku Endo, and I reckon I'll be watching that after I finish the book.

High Fidelity

A favorite of mine. Haven't seen it in years however. I just got the book recently and ought to read it soon.

[milk]

Modern Romance - Albert Brooks this movie didn't work for me. I got the feeling that Brooks thought the pathologically narcissist character he played here was cute. Not only does the character go too far in the way he treats his love interest - in a way that is alarming rather than cute - but Brooks the director doesn't give the female protagonist necessary development either. Perhaps it would have worked if he wrote a woman who was drawn into repetition compulsion and dependency because of her own trauma and issues. Instead, we see a pretty together person who reasonably pushes back against a stifling creep until she just gives in at the very last. It's hard to make a comedy about a stalker. Some might say it's a satire of narcissism. I'm not sure I buy it. Brooks just doesn't realize how leaving a teddy bear on a woman's door and then proceeding to drive around her house all night could be construed as threatening behavior warranting a restraining order. He seems to think of it more as pathetic in a kind of comic way. Times have changed, haven't they? Usually, I tend to push back against all the canceling going on today and the oversensitivity of today's generation. But here's an example where I just don't think the man making this picture understood how women normally feel about this sort of thing. I don't think women found it any cuter back in 1981 though it does seem to have played to audiences differently.

[SonicMan46]

Cotton Club (Encore) (1984/2019) w/ Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Lonette McKee, and so many others; FF Coppola, director - saw this film on release so many years ago; Coppola re-edited the film (taking out 13 mins and adding 24 mins) a few years ago; Susan wanted to see the movie, so bought on Amazon Prime in 4K/UHD for $10 (rental was $5) - kind of a 1920/30s gangster musical focusing on the historic Cotton Club in Harlem, NYC.  On release in the 80s, the film had mixed reviews and not well received - Coppola's restoration has changed the whole mood for me w/ much more emphasis on the black characters and the musical scenes, especially the fabulous tap dancing of the late Gregory Hines. Diane Lane and Lonette McKee (from Round Midnight) are also excellent; and Richard Gere played his own cornet scenes in the film.  Some reviews: Vanity Fair, Hi-Def Digest, Roger Ebert

The reviews above are all good to excellent for the 'new version' of Cotton Club - could have been even better but for myself, an improved production that I'll be watching again - if rating on Amazon, I would have given 3* for the 1984 release and now would up to 4* - recommended.  Dave