Last Movie You Watched

[drogulus]

Hi PD - amazing description of the BD restoration at that link!  Also for the holidays, I replaced my old HDTV w/ a 50" Sony 4K Bravia and a Sony 4K/UHD BD player - the latter is suppose to 'upscale' the 1080P resolution closer to the 4K (in theory); plus I have the new TV's sound optically cabled to my Cambridge receiver and den speakers (of course, mono sound) - a great experience.  Dave

     My UHD player is set to UHD/auto so everything is scaled correctly from the source resolution. I've never used "source direct", so I only know how well my Sony UHD TV does from my cable feed, and it seems to do quite well.

[SonicMan46]

Over the weekend, The Lady from Shanghai (1947, dir. Orson Welles). A delight to revisit this masterwork, with too many pleasures to name. Yes, the climactic hall of mirrors scene is fantastic, but there are many other marvels.

Here's a nice video preview, from 2011 by Richard Brody of The New Yorker: 

https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/lady-from-shanghai

--Bruce

Hi Bruce - great film! - own the restored BD below (reviewed HERE for those who may be interested in a cheap Amazon purchase).  Dave

[Karl Henning]

Hi Bruce - great film! - own the restored BD below (reviewed HERE for those who may be interested in a cheap Amazon purchase).  Dave

Stop reading my mind, Dave!

[bhodges]

Hi Bruce - great film! - own the restored BD below (reviewed HERE for those who may be interested in a cheap Amazon purchase).  Dave

At the moment, I do not have Blu-ray equipment, but can well imagine that seeing this in that format would be spectacular!

--Bruce

[VonStupp]

Those Daring Young Men in their Jaunty Jalopies (1969)
OR
Monte Carlo or Bust!

If the first movie was great for turn-of-the century aviation stunt enthusiasts, but devoid of anything else, the follow-up makes up for it in pure cartoon silliness.

The ever-loathsome Terry-Thomas reprises into an expanded role, here the progenitor of Hanna-Barbara's Dick Dastardly, plus Tony Curtis, Dudley Moore, Gert Fröbe (Goldfinger), and many British character actors I am not familiar with.

Still not great, but much more entertaining than the previous one. I am nothing, if not a completist.

Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965)
OR
How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes

There were some mentions of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World lately, and it reminded me I had meant to watch this. Well, its not great; Mad...World and The Great Race (Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood) are better examples of these epic race movies that were popular for a while.

But, I admit I was drawn to the ever-unlikable Terry-Thomas and a stuffy Robert Morely, plus we get James Fox, Benny Hill, Red Skelton, and Gert Fröbe (Goldfinger) among others I am altogether less familiar with.

[milk]

Rashomon. (1950). Not my favourite Kurosawa movie. This is the second time that I've watched it and I found it less enjoyable than before.

I had such a meltdown over my disagreement with people here over this film. I kind of regret it (I don't remember what was my stress at that time). There is an interpretation of this film that is very solid which says that the message is about war and morality and that all the characters are morally compromised - rather than this merely being about different subjective memories of the same event. In other words, the rape of her is not such a big deal in the eyes of the film. The big deal is her moral flaws along with those of the other characters. In other words, I did not see this as a comment of the flawed rape-y morality of medieval Japan but, rather, as a dated, non-serious and misogynistic view of rape itself. I have that view and I'm firmly outside of the "woke" camp usually.   

[Artem]

That is very interesting, Milk. For me, everything was just building up to the last gesture of the woodcutter. I felt that the main storyline of the three characters was not very convincing for the movie itself. 

[Madiel]

+1 Karl - the restoration is amazing - HERE is a more thorough description and some comparison pics, for those interested?  Dave

I haven't seen DVD Beaver for a while. Those sorts of comparisons can be maddening, because you see just how bad some versions are. I don't have a Blu-ray player, but the difference between the 2 DVD versions they compare is astounding. Yes, the Blu-ray is clearly better than the good DVD edition, but the gap between the good DVD and the bad DVD... ugh!

[greg]

Rashomon. (1950). Not my favourite Kurosawa movie. This is the second time that I've watched it and I found it less enjoyable than before.

Funny seeing this now, having been rereading my Breaking Into Japanese literature book which includes several short stories for Japanese learners, including Rashomon, and have had this film in mind.

Did you know that the Rashomon movie was actually based on "In a Grove" by Akutagawa, rather than his story Rashomon itself?

I need to rewatch the movie btw, don't remember anything about it.

[Karl Henning]

Dead Poets Society. That was Norman Lloyd, whom I didn't know when I first saw the film.  Cameron was every bit the rat which Trask had hoped to make Charlie (in Scent of a Woman)

Viz. Dead Poets Society: I remembered loving it back when it opened. Perhaps three years ago I borrowed the DVD from the library.  I doubt I shall ever watch it again.

I'm at a loss to explain my reported indifference after checking it out from the BPL. So it it go. Damn, I enjoyed this! Probably cannot watch it with the wife, she would find the tragedy too depressing.

[VonStupp]

Dead Poets Society. That was Norman Lloyd, whom I didn't know when I first saw the film.  Cameron was every bit the rat which Trask had hoped to make Charlie (in Scent of a Woman)

I'm at a loss to explain my reported indifference after checking it out from the BPL. So it it go. Damn, I enjoyed this! Probably cannot watch it with the wife, she would find the tragedy too depressing.

Interesting to read your change of heart. As to your last point, I always wanted to show my wife Robin Williams' What Dreams May Come, of which I remember little other than the striking visuals, but I think it is a dreary trudge of sadness. Probably a no-go.

[Karl Henning]

Interesting to read your change of heart. As to your last point, I always wanted to show my wife Robin Williams' What Dreams May Come, of which I remember little other than the striking visuals, but I think it is a dreary trudge of sadness. Probably a no-go.

Nor, probably One Hour Photo, though Wliiams puts in a solid performance there, too.

[Roasted Swan]

Just joined my local film club (10 films over the season for £30 - a bargain!).  Last night the season opened with;



not something I'd have seen otherwise but beautifully done and an insight into a society I know nothing about

[milk]

Funny seeing this now, having been rereading my Breaking Into Japanese literature book which includes several short stories for Japanese learners, including Rashomon, and have had this film in mind.

Did you know that the Rashomon movie was actually based on "In a Grove" by Akutagawa, rather than his story Rashomon itself?

I need to rewatch the movie btw, don't remember anything about it.

I didn't know that and I've never read those short stories. I don't read a lot of short stories but I've read a lot of Japanese literature. How are those stories? I'm guessing Kurosawa had his own idea of how to use the material. I'm not a huge fan of his anyway but I love love love Ozu who is sublime and whose films are as deep as any novel.

[SonicMan46]

Well has been a number of months but I decided to add some 4K replacements for several BDs in my collection:

The Sting (1973) w/ Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw and so many others; always such an atmospheric film - package includes two discs (BD & 4K UHD) plus a 'digital copy' code.  Ratings HERE; now the video might have been better restored but still felt from the review linked to be a major improvement; and indeed to my eyes, 'The Sting' has never looked better.  Winner of 7 Oscars, including best picture - a must in any decent film collection -    Highly recommended.

Finding Nemo (2003) - the classic Disney Pixar animation, knocked down in price nearly 60% at Amazon; contains 3 discs (one of extras), plus the digital code.  Now at my age, I don't buy many animation films but a few over the last 20+ years I like to re-watch occasionally, e.g. Ratatouille is now out on 4K at the same price - hmmm?  Outstanding ratings HERE, although this was such a great BD that the improvements are minimal according to the comments.  Dave

 

[Madiel]

Ratatouille is one of my favourite films. Just saying.

[SonicMan46]

Ratatouille is one of my favourite films. Just saying.

Ratatouille has similarly come down in price and is tempting, i.e. I love the film too! 

As seen in the image from HERE, the video and audio marks are impressive - NOW, why does the 4K vs. 2K (std. BD) show a better rating for the poorer resolution - a common occurrence at this website (which I love, BTW) - my feeling is that the judging standards are different for the two resolutions - when reading the video comments the 4K is stated as much better than the 2K (see quote below) - SO, maybe an upcoming purchase?  Dave

Ratatouille's UHD disc delivers impressive results both visually and aurally. The 2160p resolution sharpens and clarifies the image while the HDR colors add a new level of depth and punch. The Atmos soundtrack is very well rounded. Highly recommended.

[greg]

I didn't know that and I've never read those short stories. I don't read a lot of short stories but I've read a lot of Japanese literature. How are those stories? I'm guessing Kurosawa had his own idea of how to use the material. I'm not a huge fan of his anyway but I love love love Ozu who is sublime and whose films are as deep as any novel.

Well, In a Grove is certainly dark and to the point in its storytelling (though it feels like the reader is meant to extract some sort of meaning- almost feels like a dark Aesop's fable with a moral that is supposed to be interpreted by the reader rather than something obvious).

I also recently watched Aoi Bungaku, which is a collection of Japanese stories in Anime form.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/7193/Aoi_Bungaku_Series

My favorite was this one: "Sakura No Mori No Mankai No Shita (In The Forest, Under Cherries In Full Bloom)"
Holy shit, what an insane story that was.

Actually, now that I thought of it, I just ordered a new copy of the book in Japanese. Aaaaand saw that there was a movie release back in 1975. Hell yeah. 

[milk]

Well, In a Grove is certainly dark and to the point in its storytelling (though it feels like the reader is meant to extract some sort of meaning- almost feels like a dark Aesop's fable with a moral that is supposed to be interpreted by the reader rather than something obvious).

I also recently watched Aoi Bungaku, which is a collection of Japanese stories in Anime form.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/7193/Aoi_Bungaku_Series

My favorite was this one: "Sakura No Mori No Mankai No Shita (In The Forest, Under Cherries In Full Bloom)"
Holy shit, what an insane story that was.

Actually, now that I thought of it, I just ordered a new copy of the book in Japanese. Aaaaand saw that there was a movie release back in 1975. Hell yeah. 

Ango Sakaguchi? I'd never heard of that writer. A lot of that post-war writing strikes me as narcissistic and alienated. Indeed this writer is listed as part of the "decadent school" that included Dazai. I liked that stuff a lot but it's been many years since I've read it. I wonder if I would get through it nowadays. Mishima is the other side of the coin, rejecting decadence in favor of nationalism that seems equally narcissistic to me. Anyway, they were talented and I'm sure the anime could be weird in an interesting way. 

For Cinema, as I said before, Ozu is in another universe, not perceptible from decadent and alienated post-war hand-wringing. Ozu is human and sublime. It's more my speed, although Kurusawa tried to present grand moral ideas that are important in some examples. 

[LKB]

I know: playing a blind man dancing the tango. Fearless acting!

Any film featuring Por una Cabeza gets a thumbs up from me, regardless.