Last Movie You Watched

[aligreto]

Adult Life Skills





This is the story of an everyday person who cannot come to terms with the death of a person who was close to her. I feel that the treatment of the situation is extraordinary. I really enjoyed this one.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Luis Bunuel, Cet obscur objet du désir (That obscure object of desire.)

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I hadn't seen this in many years. My memory is that I hadn't liked it as much as the critics. In a way, I've connected to Woody's kind of "realism" side more than his idea-type films. Broadway Danny Rose - my favorite - is more of an homage to borscht-belt comedy, as well as realism in European cinema; Annie Hall a mix between absurd comedy and a real deconstruction of a relationship, Hannah and Her Sisters...etc. On the other hand you have films like Midnight in Paris and Purple Rose, films that Allen clearly thought were clever ideas in the abstract. Having said all that, I quite enjoyed Purple Rose of Cairo after all these years. It's a pure fantasy, extremely well filmed by Gordon Willis, who perfectly captures the aesthetic of early black and white talkies, and it's uproariously funny and inventive (Zoe Caldwell, who was a tony-award winning Broadway Actress rarely appearing on film, is hilarious as the countess).

I like Danny Rose and Purple Rose too. For the movies after them, I like Whatever Works, Celebrity, and Bullets over Broadway. Personally, I didn't like Midnight in Paris much. I found the movie a little supeficial.

[aligreto]

Made in Italy





This is a relatively light film but the subject matter is deep and serious, all of which unfolds as the plot progresses. It primarily involves the relationship between a father and son. As it happens, Neesen plays the father opposite his own, actual son. It is interesting to see this relationship played out, in both ways. Enjoyable and worth your time.

[milk]

Personally, I didn't like Midnight in Paris much. I found the movie a little supeficial.

Everybody loves that movie and, while I found the flashback scenes inventive, I also thought it was just a kind of boring exercise. It reminds me that Woody really does pull these ideas out of a draw filled with scraps of paper. Sometimes he really hits emotionally, like with Blue Jasmine. Sometimes he's just amusing himself.

[SonicMan46]

Made in Italy



This is a relatively light film but the subject matter is deep and serious, all of which unfolds as the plot progresses. It primarily involves the relationship between a father and son. As it happens, Neesen plays the father opposite his own, actual son. It is interesting to see this relationship played out, in both ways. Enjoyable and worth your time.

I've not seen the film but was curious about his son's last name - apparently changed to Richardson to honor his mother, who was tragically killed in an accident - more HERE - Dave
.

[aligreto]

I've not seen the film but was curious about his son's last name - apparently changed to Richardson to honor his mother, who was tragically killed in an accident - more HERE - Dave
.

That is correct, Dave. He took his mother's maiden name to distinguish himself from his father. Hence the poignancy of the film in question where both the father and son [in the film] struggle to come to terms with the death of the wife/mother.

[aligreto]

The Professor:





A professor is diagnosed with eminently terminal cancer [no spoiler as it is the opening scene] and the film is about his attitude to his life, his marriage and family and his work and how he will change these attitudes in the time remaining to him. I thought that Depp was excellent and it is a definite recommendation.

[SonicMan46]

The Riverrun International Film Festival is an annual event in our hometown, now running May 6-16 in a virtual presentation - dozens of films regular length features, shorts, animated, English and foreign languages have in the past been presented throughout the city at a wide assortment of venues, including a number of standard theaters - for the second year the event is virtual and ticket codes can be purchased with a variety of options to view the films - I've been using an app Elevent that I added to my Roku and Apple TV lists and works great - many of these films do not interest us but so far we have watched the two below:

Sapelo - documentary about two boys growing up on the island of Sapelo, a Georgia sea island famous for the Geechee/Gullah cultures that emerged especially after the Civil War; the island is near Brunswick, GA and St. Simons Island, which we have visited on a number of occasions - Susan really like the film and I found it somewhat slow paced with little of the history presented; however, we have toured a number of these islands and the scenery and cinematography are beautiful and excellent.

Saving the Dinosaur Fish - all about the sturgeon and caviar (a LOVE of ours!) - another documentary centered on 'bringing back' the vanishing fish, especially in the Caspian Sea but a lot on the industry in the United States - if you're a lover of fish roe, then recommended.

Now, I'm assuming that if interested, you can visit the links and purchase etickets and watch either on a computer, AirPlay to a qualifying device, or use the app mentioned.  Dave

[Karl Henning]

Everybody loves that movie and, while I found the flashback scenes inventive, I also thought it was just a kind of boring exercise. It reminds me that Woody really does pull these ideas out of a draw filled with scraps of paper. Sometimes he really hits emotionally, like with Blue Jasmine. Sometimes he's just amusing himself.

I enjoy it as a sort of "Woody Allen does a feature-length Twilight Zone episode."  I don't say it's his finest work, but I like it well.

[drogulus]

     I watched Event Horizon, the very model of a trashterpiece in my estimation. Think Hellraiser I/II or Lifeforce and you'll get the idea.

     The Shout Factory remaster looks very good, though I don't know what the original BD looked like so I can't say if it's worthwhile to upgrade.

     

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

The Professor:





A professor is diagnosed with eminently terminal cancer [no spoiler as it is the opening scene] and the film is about his attitude to his life, his marriage and family and his work and how he will change these attitudes in the time remaining to him. I thought that Depp was excellent and it is a definite recommendation.

The story reminds me of Kurosawa's Ikiru.

[SonicMan46]

Los Hermanos - The Brothers - tonight, another from the Winston-Salem Riverrun Film Festival from my previous post - a documentary described in the quote below - mixture of Spanish and English w/ subtitles - really held our interest and worth a view.  Dave

Virtuoso Afro-Cuban-born brothers—violinist Ilmar and pianist Aldo—live on opposite sides of a geopolitical chasm a half-century wide. Tracking their parallel lives in New York and Havana, their poignant reunion, and their momentous first performances together, Los Hermanos/The Brothers offers a nuanced, often startling view of estranged nations through the lens of music and family. Featuring an electrifying, genre-bending score, composed by Cuban Aldo López-Gavilán, performed with his American brother, Ilmar, and with guest appearances by maestro Joshua Bell and the Harlem Quartet. (Source)

[aligreto]

Premonition





A wife, a husband, a death, is it reality or a dream? The film is reasonably well put together.

[steve ridgway]

Shutter Island - I did actually manage to follow it without being totally distracted by the music by Penderecki, Ligeti, Scelsi, Schnittke, Cage et al. Strange though that a concentration camp commandant should be listening to Mahler.

[aligreto]

Shutter Island - I did actually manage to follow it without being totally distracted by the music by Penderecki, Ligeti, Scelsi, Schnittke, Cage et al. Strange though that a concentration camp commandant should be listening to Mahler.

A good film.

[Brahmsian]

A good film.

Yes, a good film with great music! 

[Wanderer]

Strange though that a concentration camp commandant should be listening to Mahler.

It's the old "bad guy listening to classical music" Hollywood cliché.

[George]

It's the old "bad guy listening to classical music" Hollywood cliché.

I'm more familiar with the "unstable, crazy guy" listening to classical music cliche, but I guess they are similar.

[aligreto]

It's the old "bad guy listening to classical music" Hollywood cliché.

I'm more familiar with the "unstable, crazy guy" listening to classical music cliche, but I guess they are similar.

Is this type ringing a bell or sounding familiar guys?