Last Movie You Watched

[Undersea]

Recently:



Everything Everywhere All At Once


Not often that I watch a Movie these days - Streamed the above to see what all the hype was about.
Wasn't sure what to make of the Movie at first - it did take a while to get going but got hooked in and ended up enjoying it quite a bit.
Will probably appeal to some other people in this Group I think especially those who enjoy Arthouse/Cult/Strange kind of stuff...

[Todd]

Revisited No Country For Old Men since close to the time it came out.  It has held up very well.  Since it's a period piece of sorts, the imagery hasn't dated.  The story is small-scale and plausible.  And the dialogue is extraordinarily fine in some scenes.  I never read the book, so I don't know if the Coens lifted any from the book, or if they approximated McCarthy's style, but it is a cut above the dialogue in most flicks. 

[Fëanor]

Recently:



Everything Everywhere All At Once

Not often that I watch a Movie these days - Streamed the above to see what all the hype was about.
Wasn't sure what to make of the Movie at first - it did take a while to get going but got hooked in and ended up enjoying it quite a bit.
Will probably appeal to some other people in this Group I think especially those who enjoy Arthouse/Cult/Strange kind of stuff...

Like you it seems. it took me awhile to get in tune with this movie but eventually came away feel it was a "good" of not necessarily "great" movie.  I give it 7/10* on the IMDB scale.  On account of that I'm not quite sure yet it got so many Academy Award nominations.

An acquaintance who had seen all the Best Film nomination suggested it was because it was the best of an mediocre slate. Maybe so.  The only other Best Picture flick that I saw was All Quite on the Western Front which I gave a 8/10*.

Is Everything ... a cult or Arthouse movie?  I don't know.  That same acquaintance said it was about a middle aged women about to loose her business, husband, and daughter -- nothing really cult about that.  But as I said, it's more about that woman's ridiculous fantasies in response to her predicament;  I suppose that's the twist.

[Brian]

Although it does have an unusual concept, I tend to associate the word "Arthouse" with "incredibly slow movies where nothing happens." Maybe I am being unfair 

I'd love some recommendations of fast-paced Arthouse movies.

[Todd]

I'd love some recommendations of fast-paced Arthouse movies.

A good number of Nicholas Winding Refn movies.  Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog, perhaps.  Badlands and The Thin Red Line maybe.

[DavidW]

I'd love some recommendations of fast-paced Arthouse movies.

Run Lola Run.  Oh wait I should rewatch that...

[San Antone]

A Fish Called Wanda
Two Lane Blacktop

I guess they are arthouse?

[Karl Henning]

I should tangentially mention, in this context of pop Sprechgesang, a style which I call The Rex Harrison* School of Fine Singing, where the notes really do not matter!

* Rex Harrison - I have read - was a fairly terrible person, which might explain his 6 marriages...and his affinity for this song! 

I'm tickled that it was for this role that Harrison earned his Best Actor Oscar. Part of me thinks "how ironic that he won for a role he couldn't sing." But more of me thinks that he earned it on more than one level: playing the character of Professor 'iggins, and playing an actor who canna sing.

[brewski]

Thank you for this recommendation. I'd never heard of it before, but anything with Christopher Walker is definitely worth putting on my radar.

So I just watched it... and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Glad you liked it! It's a startling movie, as most of McDonagh's are, and Walken almost steals the show.

That said, McDonagh can be an acquired taste. (On a call with some family members, I steered them away from it, knowing that none of them would really like the film.)

A friend elsewhere said he liked the writer's work, but why all the gleeful, gratuitous violence? My take: McDonagh is above all, a showman (i.e., a writer/director for the stage and screen), and likes the contrast between the most mundane, banal dialogue and scenes intended to shock. It's a combination that he has mastered very well.

Anyway, yes, this movie is pretty funny. Woody Harrelson is used to great comic effect.

-Bruce

[SonicMan46]

'Round Midnight - Criterion's blu-ray restoration (details below) - replaced my old DVD at their half price sale - story at the link for those unfamiliar w/ the film.  Dave

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
*New 4K digital restoration, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
*Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio
*New interview with jazz and cultural critic Gary Giddins
*Over 2 hours of supplements total (Source)

 

[Karl Henning]

an unrecognisably young Prunella Scales as one of the daughters

On this theme, it was only from the commentary upon The Ghost and Mrs Muir that I learnt yesterday that Natalie Wood plays Anna Muir.

[relm1]

On this theme, it was only from the commentary upon The Ghost and Mrs Muir that I learnt yesterday that Natalie Wood plays Anna Muir.

She was so freaking adorable in that role.  The movie is perfect. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Recently watched the movie "All is Lost" with Robert Redford.  Thoroughly enjoyed it (friend did too).   

PD

[Karl Henning]

Don't Know Why It Took Me So Long, Dept.:
The Seventh Seal

[LKB]

Recently watched the movie "All is Lost" with Robert Redford.  Thoroughly enjoyed it (friend did too). 

PD

I remember that one, my father arranged a nautical " double feature " on one occasion several years ago ( the other film was Life of Pi ). Some tough lessons in Redford's film...

[SimonNZ]

*sigh* Is there a good filmed version of As You Like It out there? Apparently there's an 80s one set in the London docklands I haven't found yet. That at least would get past the problem of presenting the fantasy-ish forest of Arden as an over-literal forest where everyone is going to get rained out an hour from now, a feeling, I can only guess, you'd happily bypass in all theatre performances.

There's plenty of fine acting here and clear comprehensible text, but it gave all the ammunition needed to whoever it was at the BBC who put their foot down and said there would be no more location shoots in the series and no more expensive silly costumes - and you can now only thank them. And a remarkably bad, truly cringe-inducing, wrestling scene.

[Karl Henning]

Naked City (1948) - synopsis and cast below w/ Barry Fitzgerald stealing most of the scenes; the NYC on location filming is one of the highlights of this detective film.  Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes, 86% & IMDB, 7.6 - good review HERE for those interested.  Dave

 

You're one of the dangers for me on GMG, Dave ... another impulse purchase you've inspired ....

[Karl Henning]

Naked City (1948) - synopsis and cast below w/ Barry Fitzgerald stealing most of the scenes; the NYC on location filming is one of the highlights of this detective film.  Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes, 86% & IMDB, 7.6 - good review HERE for those interested.  Dave

 

And the youngest I've seen Jas Gregory!

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I remember that one, my father arranged a nautical " double feature " on one occasion several years ago ( the other film was Life of Pi ). Some tough lessons in Redford's film...

Yes.  Not an easy one to watch too...but well worth it.

And I forgot to say @aligreto, thank you for reminding me about this film.  It had been on my mental "To Be Watched List", but accidentally fell off (darn neurotransmitters...not firing correctly!).

PD

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Don't Know Why It Took Me So Long, Dept.:
The Seventh Seal

I've only ever caught bits of that in the past; I've been meaning to watch that movie too.  Did you enjoy it Karl?

PD