Last Movie You Watched

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Yesterday, I saw Godzilla Minus One.  It was very good.  I'm not a Godzilla expert, maybe only seen one or two of the 30+ Japanese entries but found this to be just a very solid and personal film about post war Japan with a giant monster.  The big reason why this is a good film is if Godzilla wasn't even in it, it would still have been a good film with strong characters you care about and their post war plight.  Some of the imagery is stunning in its terror.  It is sort of a reboot of the classic first film from 1954 and takes place immediately after WW2.  No one really knows what Godzilla is other than some legends by islanders.  The cast and acting is very good and the film is in Japanese with subtitles. 

The budget was only $15million. I think the movie uses the original music score by Akira Ifukube. As I'm out of the country now, I will check the movie in January.

[George]

A heartbreaking roller coaster ride.

[Karl Henning]

For me, it's nostalgia for my childhood, which was mostly idyllic ( I was deathly ill once and there were occasional bullies at school, but that never lasted long ). Life was simple, and frequently glorious. 

And I cry easily, but it's rather embarrassing and I generally try to keep it in check around others.

If I cry, I shall faithfully report. TD: The Wizard of Oz.

[Madiel]

A heartbreaking roller coaster ride.

I'm not sure I knew that Diana Ross played Billie Holiday. Which is interesting given that I've recently been reminded that Beyonce basically played Diana Ross...

[drogulus]

    Last night I watched Boston Strangler.

    The bad: I'm sick unto death with vomit colored movies that are supposed to be artistic. Feel me?

    The story is set in the early 60's and one suspect has 70's style long hair. Even worse the police commissioner played by Bill Camp has hair that's "getting good in the back"! Unforced errors like this deserve the maximum punishment. Bill fukin' Camp with the wrong hair will not stand!

    The less bad is the story is largely true. I'll say no more because, for those interested in the subject, it's worth watching.

[DavidW]

Last night I watched Boston Strangler.

I saw it.  And was interested enough to follow up with some documentaries.

[George]

Enjoyed this. My second time seeing it.

[SimonNZ]

Ken Loach's latest and, alas, probably last film.

Hadn't realized going in that the main story was about Syrian refugees getting an initially hostile reception from the community of an economically depressed ex-mining village.

As ever with Loach its a damn shame that the people who most need to see this are not the ones who will.

I'm wondering if there isn't an autobiographical element to the main character's lament at his lowest moment that he's spent decades trying to change things for the better and it hasn't made a bit of difference.

[Madiel]

I've just been reminded that it's a very long time since I watched the video version of Beyoncé's self-titled album. So that's what I'll be doing shortly.



The fact that the entire album came with video, from the moment of its surprise release, really was a part of how it caught my attention. And the CD and video versions do have some differences.

[relm1]

Enjoyed this. My second time seeing it.

Perfect film.

[Madiel]

Perfect film.

Hate it. But that's already on record.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

One of the best films (Strictly Background) on Hollywood - focused on, perhaps, the most overlooked/underlooked aspect of filmmaking - the background actors/actresses/etc. aka the "extras":



This is one of my highest recommendations because they have a few legend "extras" as part of this production who have a truly frim grasp of the role they play in the making of movies, and intermingled with those legends are those who are dreaming of the potential for their big break - and they aren't wrong - as maybe the biggest male star of the 20th century - Harrison Ford - started out as an extra, grip, and laborer on sets. The legends are wonderful to listen to as they have great stories having been doing this since the 1980s and are actual known - even if you don't watch films as much as I do, and the dreamers are all very sympathetic, so you will definitely feel for them. Importantly, I didn't find any of them "delusional," which can make raw documentaries like this difficult to watch. Some of them talk oddly, but I suspect that is part and parcel with being active in the industry.

A truly amazing experience - was inspired to rewatch this because YouTube suggested this video for me to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxx4l8Z2av0, which is a child actress (Jara Zeimer) of ten years telling us what happens to those who don't make it - she is a wonderful storyteller, and she has wisdom far beyond her years. I'd also highly recommend watching her YouTube video; it is very insightful.

Sounds interesting.

From what I remember Harrison Ford (in his early years), worked as a carpenter on sets while he was trying to break into the movie industry (I didn't know about his other jobs).

PD

[Karl Henning]

Last night I revisited Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal. I caught this in the cinema the year it opened, and was immediately charmed. This is probably the first I've watched it since '82, the recent talk of The Neverending Story somehow prompted me to come back to the Crystal Chamber. 

[relm1]

Yesterday I saw Barbie. 



I'm not the target audience for this but my tween niece said it was very good.  It had some positives and minuses.

SPOILERS It drives conservatives nuts but I say it is sort of like a sequel/sibling to "The Never-ending Story".  Basically, fantasy barbieland experiences a crisis because of a connection with the real world.  So Barbie (and tag along Ken) makes the journey to the real world where they are surprised how different life is for both of them.  Barbie is a sexualized object and Ken is no longer a tag along but part of the patriarchy where men can dominate.  This point isn't subtle and will hit you over and over in different ways like a joke sometimes, serious other times, etc.  Overall, it's not particularly funny nor that enlightening - other films told the same story but had a more positive and universal message (Legally Blonde where women shouldn't be judged purely by their physical appearance for example).  Like Neverending Story, this film has a strong final few minutes but I hated the final scene.  I think overall the film fancied itself on being way more original and cleverer than it was.  Men shouldn't have any issues with the anti-patriarchy elements that drives all conservatives crazy but see it as a story where extremes ends up alienating the bulk of people out of the mix.  I think it's a good film because the target audience which I'll assume are young women might see this movie as having a positive and unique message where those a generation older would think its been done better before. 

[LKB]

Yesterday I saw Barbie. 



I'm not the target audience for this but my tween niece said it was very good.  It had some positives and minuses.

SPOILERS It drives conservatives nuts but I say it is sort of like a sequel/sibling to "The Never-ending Story".  Basically, fantasy barbieland experiences a crisis because of a connection with the real world.  So Barbie (and tag along Ken) makes the journey to the real world where they are surprised how different life is for both of them.  Barbie is a sexualized object and Ken is no longer a tag along but part of the patriarchy where men can dominate.  This point isn't subtle and will hit you over and over in different ways like a joke sometimes, serious other times, etc.  Overall, it's not particularly funny nor that enlightening - other films told the same story but had a more positive and universal message (Legally Blonde where women shouldn't be judged purely by their physical appearance for example).  Like Neverending Story, this film has a strong final few minutes but I hated the final scene.  I think overall the film fancied itself on being way more original and cleverer than it was.  Men shouldn't have any issues with the anti-patriarchy elements that drives all conservatives crazy but see it as a story where extremes ends up alienating the bulk of people out of the mix.  I think it's a good film because the target audience which I'll assume are young women might see this movie as having a positive and unique message where those a generation older would think its been done better before. 

Maybe they needed a Luck Dragon...

[Iota]

Enjoyed this. My second time seeing it.

Brilliant acting and unforgettable, but tough going. Not sure I could watch it again.

[DavidW]

So I also watched Barbie, but I liked it more than Relm1.  I found it heart warming.  While criticizing the current patriarchy and how it still exists today, it mostly examines the contradictory and difficult life that women lead. 

And at the end the patriarchy is forgiven as a social construct to deal with the pain of existing and no matter your gender you have to find meaning, purpose and happiness within your life and not define yourself by your romantic partner.  And that was the message not just for Barbie, but for Ken as well!

It breaks down stereotypes, and while Barbie is funny it is also meaningful and heart felt.  Huge thumbs up for me.  I haven't seen Oppenheimer yet or Scorcese's new gigantic movie but so far Barbie is my favorite of the year.

[Karl Henning]

Siskel & Ebert look at El Duderino. Hint: Siskel calls it a "would-be comedy."

[Brian]

Was sparked to return to Juno, a film that I was worried would be too cute, too trite, too of its time, but boy was I wrong on that assumption.

This is one of the tightest films I've ever come across, and it has perfect casting. Page and Cera, Garner and Bateman, Janney and Simmons come off as so real that I became invested in their relationships.

Garner, for me, steals the show, especially as we see her marriage deteriorating - and Bateman plays the adult who doesn't want to grow up all too well.

I found Janney and Simmons reaction to the news grounded in a reality familiar to me, and it was sweet to see Page and Janney become friendlier over the course of the film.

High, high recommend, and it is cute, but it never loses its sense of seriousness, and it is really Garner who anchors that. :-)

I am ever so happy to read this because I loved this movie when it came out but have been scared to return to it, afraid that it would age poorly. Everyone remembers the hamburger phone and the "honest to blog" slang conversation but getting caught up in that, it was easy to forget the mature way all the characters handle the situation and deal with their emotions and choices. I remember thinking back then that very few movies at the time depicted people with that kind of realism and compassion.

[Cato]

Twofer today: Bone Tomahawk and Tusk





Holy snikes! Two of the most disturbing films I've even seen. The gore and violence is all grounded in the concrete, material conditions of reality. In fact, Bone has one scene so real that it still turns my stomach, even having seen that scene multiple times now. Both these films are nihilistic; no hope is offered.

Recommended only to those who have the stomach for it.

Apparently few theaters wanted to show Bone Tomahawk, which, yes, from what I have read, is nightmarishly violent.

An acquaintance recommended that one should make an appointment with a psychiatrist for treatment, if one wanted to see it!

Here we watched recently:



Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in Sherlock Holmes and The Secret Weapon from 1942.

The "weapon" is a high-tech bomb-sight.  Basil Rathbone is often selected as the best of all the Sherlock Holmes actors.

Of interest is that this movie was the basis for several scenes in the cartoon movie The Great Mouse Detective, e.g. Sherlock going undercover as a tough sailor and visiting assorted gin palaces on the waterfront to find Professor Moriarty is found in both movies, the cartoon imitating many details of the original.

Also:







Moby Dick, from 1956, with Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab and Richard Basehart as Ishmael, directed by John Huston.


Great score by Phillip Sainton!