Last Movie You Watched

[drogulus]

I'm on Episode 5 (of 6 on Amazon). I never liked the Dead but this is fascinating. They're perhaps the only band that stuck to ideals, at least most of the way through, that set up a way of existing that countered music marketing and money-making generally.
I don't get the music, don't understand it. But I do appreciate them for what they were and for being the only ones. It's interesting because I simply do not find them interesting musically. Anyway, this doc is recommended. 

     I think my favorite song is Born Cross-Eyed. Listen at your peril. They actually played this live back in '68, kind of a shambles with all due respect, but as with the talking dog, the mere fact......

[aligreto]

Constantine:





I watched this film because I like both Reeves and Weisz. It was, in truth, nothing special however.

[Karl Henning]

The World According to Garp (1982)
Robin Williams, Glenn Close
John Lithgow, Mary Beth Hurt

A bit of an emotional roller coaster, and oddly broken into up-and-down dramedy vignettes. I have never read John Irving's source material.

While this is RW's film, Glenn Close as the emotionally shut-off mother who walks backwards into leading a feminist movement, John Lithgow as a sincerely portrayed, transgender ex-pro football player, and Mary Beth Hurt as Williams' wife, make the film.

A fun appearance by Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn too!

VS

Remember loving that in the cinema. Tried reading the novel, don't believe I finished it.

[Karl Henning]

TD: re-watched Mankiewicz' Cleopatra last night, and a fascinating documentary, Cleopatra: the Film That Changed Hollywood

[JBS]

Remember loving that in the cinema. Tried reading the novel, don't believe I finished it.

I read the novel then saw the film.
Each has certain weaknesses and strengths the other doesn't, but both end up equally good, unlike Hotel New Hampshire, in which the movie is much weaker than the book (and not all of the blame for that belongs to Rob Lowe).

IIRC TWATG was Lithgow's breakout role.

[Karl Henning]

I read the novel then saw the film.
Each has certain weaknesses and strengths the other doesn't, but both end up equally good, unlike Hotel New Hampshire, in which the movie is much weaker than the book (and not all of the blame for that belongs to Rob Lowe).

IIRC TWATG was Lithgow's breakout role.

Interesting, thanks! You may well be right, viz. Lithgow ... Garp predated Buckaroo Banzai by two years.

[vers la flamme]

I'm on Episode 5 (of 6 on Amazon). I never liked the Dead but this is fascinating. They're perhaps the only band that stuck to ideals, at least most of the way through, that set up a way of existing that countered music marketing and money-making generally.
I don't get the music, don't understand it. But I do appreciate them for what they were and for being the only ones. It's interesting because I simply do not find them interesting musically. Anyway, this doc is recommended.

I love the Dead, and LOVED that series when it came out. I ought to rewatch.

[milk]

I love the Dead, and LOVED that series when it came out. I ought to rewatch.

I felt a lot of sympathy for Jerry. I don't know why - I usually don't have a lot for smack-heads - the ultimate nihilistic, giving-up-on-life move. It's such a paradox how idealistic Jerry was. Leaving aside the ice-cream and 90's pop hit, Jerry had integrity. But, he created a monster. It's sad that it all seemed to trap him and make him unhappy, in the end. There's one astonishing moment towards the end that shows how bad it was, how sad it was, I won't give it away. I'll say it again: there wasn't another band that had their kind of integrity. To me, the music still sucks (no offense). I know there must be something great about it that I don't hear. I'm genuinely glad people enjoy the music, Al Franken included.   

[SonicMan46]

High School Sports Movies - a few pages back, I had a couple posts on this sports genre (i.e. Remember the Titans & McFarland, the latter new to us; our favs are the Titans and the Hoosiers) - but I had put together two lists of the 'Top Ten' HS Sports Films (last pic below - of course, there are many other lists).  So, we decided to pick a couple more and have watched over the last few days:

Friday Night Lights (2004) starring Billy Bob Thornton as Coach Gary Gaines and many others, including Tim McGraw; short synopsis below - the final state championship game in the Houston Astrodome is well done w/ the 'underdog' team just losing - the following year, Gaines takes his team again to the Texas HS State Championship game and wins the title.  Always enjoy Billy Bob!

Coach Carter (2005) starring Samuel L. Jackson as the basketball coach - a lot of gang/drug culture (Richmond is in the San Francisco Bay area) - short synopsis below - enjoyable but probably our least favorite of sports films watched and quite different from 'The Hoosiers', still up there w/ 'Remember the Titans' as our favs.  Dave

Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama film co-written and directed by Peter Berg. The film follows the coach and players of a high school football team in the Texas city of Odessa, which supported the team and was obsessed with them. The book on which it is based, Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream (1990) by H. G. Bissinger, followed the story of the 1988 Permian High School Panthers football team as they made a run towards the state championship. A television series of the same name premiered on October 3, 2006 on NBC. ([urhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night_Lights_(film)]Source[/url])

Coach Carter is a 2005 American biographical teen sports drama film starring Samuel L. Jackson and directed by Thomas Carter. The film is based on the true story of Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter, who made headlines in 1999 for suspending his undefeated high school basketball team due to poor academic results. The story was conceived from a screenplay co-written by John Gatins and Mark Schwahn, who created the television series One Tree Hill. (Source)

   

[Florestan]

Excellent.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Constantine:





I watched this film because I like both Reeves and Weisz. It was, in truth, nothing special however.

I saw that one not too long ago.  Parts of it I enjoyed--particularly liked Tilda Swinton as Gabriel and also her part in the whole story.

PD

[Karl Henning]

Watched All About Eve with an at-times  richly interesting commentary by the son of writer-director Jos. L. Mankiewicz

[SonicMan46]

Well, some more upgrades for me: 1) The Naked Jungle DVD > HD Amazon streamer; and 2) The Shawshank Redemption BD > 4K UHD physical disc:

The Naked Jungle (1954) starring Charlton Heston, Eleanor Parker, and William Conrad - summaries below (from 2 sources) - although not a great film, this has been a favorite of mine for years - looking at the beautiful Eleanor Parker and the finale of the ANT ATTACK are just two reasons. The HD quality from Amazon an improvement over my old DVD - if you like looking at a gorgeous redhead in her prime of pulchritude and 1950s 'bug movies', then may be right up your alley - 

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) w/ Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, and many others - short synopsis below; if you're into prison movies, this is rated No. 1 on IMDB (9.3/10) for that genre HERE - if not seen yet, then a MUST - Robbins is just superb (and what versatility - I'm thinking of another favorite w/ him, Bull Durham).  Dave

The Naked Jungle is a 1954 American adventure film directed by Byron Haskin, and starring Charlton Heston and Eleanor Parker. Telling the story of an attack of army ants on a Brazilian cocoa plantation, it was based on the 1937 short story "Leiningen Versus the Ants" by Carl Stephenson. It's 1901. At 19, tough, stubborn Christopher Leiningen came to South America and built levees to claim thousands of acres of Rio Negro river land for a chocolate plantation. Now 34, he recruits a mail-order bride in New Orleans. She's beautiful and arrives ready to be his stalwart helpmate; however, no one has told him she's a widow. He rejects her. During the next week, as she awaits the boat to take her back to the US, they learn that legions of army ants will strike in a few days' time. She joins the fight to save the plantation; their courage and his probable loss of all he's worked for may crack his resolve to send her away. (Source & IMDB)

The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. It's the story of banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), who is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murders of his wife and her lover, despite his claims of innocence. Over the following two decades, he befriends a fellow prisoner, contraband smuggler Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), and becomes instrumental in a money-laundering operation led by the prison warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton). William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, and James Whitmore appear in supporting roles. (Source)

 

[aligreto]

I saw that one not too long ago.  Parts of it I enjoyed--particularly liked Tilda Swinton as Gabriel and also her part in the whole story.

PD

Yes, she was very good, actually.

[SonicMan46]

More Amazon streaming upgrades for me:  Rocky:BD > UHD and First Blood: BD > UHD (UHD = 4K Equivalents):

Just for starters, I'm not a BIG Sylvester Stallone fan, i.e. I enjoy these two films which became the starts of long-term major franchises - I've seen most of these 'sequel' films and their 'spin-offs' but own no more, although the early Rocky follow-ups might be a consideration?

Rocky (1976) written by and starring Sylvester Stallone and Talia Shire; synopsis below; saw this in Fayetteville, NC in a theater while I was stationed at Ft. Bragg as a major in the US Army Medical Corps for 2 years (right after my radiology residency) - wife and I loved the film, and one of my favorite 'boxing movies' - nominated for 10 Oscars, and winner of 3 including the 'Best Picture' - Raging Bull and Rocky are ranked 1 & 2 HERE.  Highly recommended.

First Blood (1982) w/ Stallone and others in the summary below - enjoy this action film and like watching a well-trained Green Beret specialist in action.  This film is probably not for everyone but good ratings: IMDB, 7.7/10; Rotten Tomatoes, 85%; 4.7*/5*, Amazon - I'd do 4* on the latter site; plus, the UHD on my 4K is such an improvement over my old BD - recommended.  Dave

Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, and directed by John G. Avildsen. It tells the rags to riches story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated, kind-hearted working class Italian-American and small-time club fighter who, while working for a loan shark in the slums of Philadelphia, gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship. The film also stars Talia Shire as Rocky's love interest Adrian, Burt Young as Adrian's brother Paulie, Burgess Meredith as Rocky's trainer Mickey Goldmill, and Carl Weathers as reigning champion Apollo Creed. (Source)

First Blood (a.k.a. Rambo: First Blood) is a 1982 American action film directed by Ted Kotcheff, and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who also stars as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. It co-stars Richard Crenna as Rambo's mentor Sam Trautman and Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle, and is the first installment in the Rambo franchise, followed by Rambo: First Blood Part II. (Source)

 

[Karl Henning]

Rocky (1976) written by and starring Sylvester Stallone and Talia Shire; synopsis below; saw this in Fayetteville, NC in a theater while I was stationed at Ft. Bragg as a major in the US Army Medical Corps for 2 years (right after my radiology residency) - wife and I loved the film, and one of my favorite 'boxing movies' - nominated for 10 Oscars, and winner of 3 including the 'Best Picture'

Rocky was a life-changing triumph for Stallone, and big also for the late Burgess Meredith.

[SonicMan46]

Rocky was a life-changing triumph for Stallone, and big also for the late Burgess Meredith.

Hi Karl - yep, Sylvester's career was headed toward television looking at his credits below (Source) - Rocky indeed was his salvation and springboard to phenomenal success.  Dave

[André]

The Power of the Dog:





I finally got to see this film last night. I found it to be excellent. I thought that the acting was very fine. It was a good story, well told and the cinematography was also wonderful. The film has a great presence to it.

I saw it today. Very fine indeed. Not sure it is Best Movie Oscar material, but certainly close - will depend on the competition of course.

[aligreto]

Burn After Reading:





This is quite a convoluted story of espionage where espionage does not necessarily exist. Everyone appears to be way in over their heads. It is quite amusing in places and a good watch overall Good performances from all concerned.

[Karl Henning]

Burn After Reading:





This is quite a convoluted story of espionage where espionage does not necessarily exist. Everyone appears to be way in over their heads. It is quite amusing in places and a good watch overall Good performances from all concerned.

I like that one even better each time I watch it, Fergus!

TD:

although I had seen (for instance) the sand-for-strawberries demo and Queeg on the witness stand ... I only realized last night that I hadn't seen it in its entirety: The Caine Mutiny.

Fred MacMurray manages to play a character even lower than his role in Double Indemnity. Damn, this is good.