Last Movie You Watched

[Cato]

Just revisited Hitchcock's Spellbound. Great ending.

I always jump and look away, even though I know what's coming! 

[Cato]

Mrs. Cato became interested in Girl, Interrupted, when it appeared on a movie channel.

A sort of 20-something, female One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, especially in that both have main characters who are not insane (eccentric, but not insane) and are both committed to an institution forcibly (in this one, by her parents).

There are other a few other similarities from other movies about life in asylums, but the movie is different enough, with actresses giving performances which absolve the script of its mediocre aspects, that it could be worth your while.

25 years old now!

[Cato]

Orson Welles did not originate the project, but took it over, revised the script in various ways, and then saw it re-edited and butchered by the studio.

Charlton Heston was appalled by that version.  In the late 1990's, a version was released restoring as much as possible of what Orson Welles had envisioned in the first place, before the studio's scissors got hold of the movie.

As was said of Citizen Kane, "It's Terrific!"

[Karl Henning]

Orson Welles did not originate the project, but took it over, revised the script in various ways, and then saw it re-edited and butchered by the studio.

Charlton Heston was appalled by that version.  In the late 1990's, a version was released restoring as much as possible of what Orson Welles had envisioned in the first place, before the studio's scissors got hold of the movie.

As was said of Citizen Kane, "It's Terrific!"

Great stuff!

[Brian]

Mrs. Cato became interested in Girl, Interrupted, when it appeared on a movie channel.

Hello, fellow Criterion subscriber! There is so much gold on there. I think my watchlist has 30-40 movies on it.

[VonStupp]

The Little Mermaid (1989)
Jodi Benson, René Auberjonois, Buddy Hackett

Many female Disney villains are akin to aging flappers who trained at the Burlesque. Ursula the Sea Witch may be my favorite of that type. The animators seemed to particularly relish in her bosom/rump movements, which drew titters from my daughters.

I didn't even realize there was a live-action remake last year. Probably a pass...
VS

[SonicMan46]

Bottle Shock (2008) - true story of the 1976 Paris Wine Competition, a blind tasting of California vs. French white & red wines, using only French judges - Ch. Montelena chardonnay from Napa won in the white category, and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars cabernet, also Napa, for the reds (see attachment for the results - LINK) - second pic below shows an excellent 2006 book on the subject, if interested.  Spurrier repeated the competition 30 years later and the American wines won again. 

Decades ago I bought Bordeaux futures, aged Sauternes, and had nice collections of Burgundies and Rhone Valley wines - don't have much of a cellar anymore and no French wines - the ones I use to buy and age are now outrageously priced and I'd rather look elsewhere - but just my opinion, many will differ and pay the now exorbitant prices for these wines (although the California reds and whites I use to love have similarly escalated in price).  Dave 

Bottle Shock is a 2008 American comedy-drama film based on the 1976 wine competition termed the "Judgment of Paris", when California wine defeated French wine in a blind taste test. It stars Alan Rickman, Chris Pine, and Bill Pullman and is directed by Randall Mille. Sommelier and wine shop owner Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman), a British expatriate living in Paris, is concerned with how to save his business in his daily conversation with Maurice (Dennis Farina), a wine lover from Milwaukee who is Spurrier's regular (sometimes only) customer. He concocts a plan to hold a blind taste-test intended to introduce Parisians to the quality wines coming from elsewhere in the world. (Source)

 

[DavidW]

Night Watch was a good movie, but I'm surprised to say perhaps too short.  I feel like a lot was cut out.  Perhaps I should read the novel?

[Bachtoven]

Hit Man on Netflix--very enjoyable.

[SonicMan46]

Ben-Hur (1959) - cast and details below (more at the link) - has been many years since my last watch of this 3 1/2 hr historic-religious epic! Still impressive film making - the Wiki article on the Lew Wallace book published in 1880, which out-sold Uncle Tom's Cabin and was not overtaken until Gone With the Wind appeared in 1936. Dave 

Ben-Hur is a 1959 American religious epic film directed by William Wyler, and starring Charlton Heston as the title character; it was adapted from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The cast also features Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, et al. Ben-Hur had the largest budget ($15+ million), as well as the largest sets built, of any film produced at the time. Under cinematographer Robert L. Surtees, executives at MGM decided to produce the film in a widescreen format. Over 200 camels and 2,500 horses were used in the shooting of the film, with some 10,000 extras. The sea battle was filmed using miniatures in a huge tank on an MGM back lot in Culver City, California. The nine-minute chariot race has become one of cinema's most famous action sequences, and the score, composed and conducted by Miklós Rózsa, was at the time the longest ever composed for a film, and was highly influential on cinema for over 15 years. It was the fastest-grossing and the highest-grossing film of 1959, becoming second in history at the time, after Gone with the Wind. It won a record eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Wyler), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Heston), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Griffith), and Best Cinematography – Color (Surtees). (Source)

 

[Karl Henning]

Ben-Hur (1959) - cast and details below (more at the link) - has been many years since my last watch of this 3 1/2 hr historic-religious epic! Still impressive film making - the Wiki article on the Lew Wallace book published in 1880, which out-sold Uncle Tom's Cabin and was not overtaken until Gone With the Wind appeared in 1936. Dave 

 

Really enjoyed my first viewing. Will watch again soon.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

A story in the Deep South. Too dark and creepy. I quit watching in an hour.

[Karl Henning]

A story in the Deep South. Too dark and creepy. I quit watching in an hour.

Tangentially: notwithstanding all the praise for Jn Boorman's Deliverance, I just haven't brought myself to watch it.

[Cato]

Hello, fellow Criterion subscriber! There is so much gold on there. I think my watchlist has 30-40 movies on it.

Greetings!

Three of my Criterion choices: a restored version of Sergei Bondarchuk's 4-movie version of War and Peace.

They also offer restored versions of Sisters and Blow-Out by Brian De Palma: all are highly recommended!

[Karl Henning]

I'm listening to the commentary on Ben-Hur, @SonicMan46  

[Cato]

Ben-Hur (1959) - cast and details below (more at the link) - has been many years since my last watch of this 3 1/2 hr historic-religious epic! Still impressive film making - the Wiki article on the Lew Wallace book published in 1880, which out-sold Uncle Tom's Cabin and was not overtaken until Gone With the Wind appeared in 1936. Dave 

 

Really enjoyed my first viewing. Will watch again soon.

I'm listening to the commentary on Ben-Hur, @SonicMan46 

I have told the story before: I saw it on the big, BIG screen (70mm) when it first came out, and I believe it was my fascination with this movie, which led me to become interested in Ancient History and to become a Latin/Ancient Greek/Ancient History teacher (to which I added German).

Messala's death scene remains one of the most dramatic moments on film.  I also love the scene between Ben-Hur and Pontius Pilate after the demise of Messala.

Miklos Rozsa's score is an all-around fave, of course!   

[Karl Henning]

I have told the story before: I saw it on the big, BIG screen (70mm) when it first came out, and I believe it was my fascination with this movie, which led me to become interested in Ancient History and to become a Latin/Ancient Greek/Ancient History teacher (to which I added German).

Messala's death scene remains one of the most dramatic moments on film.  I also love the scene between Ben-Hur and Pontius Pilate after the demise of Messala.

Miklos Rozsa's score is an all-around fave, of course! 

When I'm done with the commentary, I'll need to watch the movie again on its own. My sister says she's seen it ten times, so she's never tired of it!

[JBS]

Ben-Hur (1959) - cast and details below (more at the link) - has been many years since my last watch of this 3 1/2 hr historic-religious epic! Still impressive film making - the Wiki article on the Lew Wallace book published in 1880, which out-sold Uncle Tom's Cabin and was not overtaken until Gone With the Wind appeared in 1936. Dave 

 

I read the novel after seeing the movie in my teens.
Its best-seller status might be a good example of how the late 19th Century differed from the late 20th Century. Or perhaps not, since its competition included The Adventures of Pinocchio, Heidi,  Nana, A Tramp Abroad, and The Brothers Karamazov (all published that same year).

[Karl Henning]

I read the novel after seeing the movie in my teens.
Its best-seller status might be a good example of how the late 19th Century differed from the late 20th Century. Or perhaps not, since its competition included The Adventures of Pinocchio, Heidi,  Nana, A Tramp Abroad, and The Brothers Karamazov (all published that same year).

Per the commentary, it started out very slow: Wallace's royalties for the first year were "only $300." A few years later, $11K.

[Cato]

Per the commentary, it started out very slow: Wallace's royalties for the first year were "only $300." A few years later, $11K.

Wallace was a fascinating character: he was one of the generals at the Battle of Shiloh, where communications with General Grant became garbled.  He maneuvered his troops for a while on his own, and outflanked the Confederates several times.

This was not good enough, however, and the high number of Union casualties were partially blamed on his actions at first.  Further research into the battle and its chaos led Ulysses Grant to retract his earlier assessment of Wallace's actions.  Nevertheless, as is typical, the mistaken charges tended to be what people remembered, and Wallace felt that he was constantly needing to defend his actions at Shiloh.

After the war, Wallace decided to practice Law, but did not like it very much.  He unsuccessfully ran for Congress, but was eventually appointed by President Hayes to be governor of the New Mexico Territory, where he met Billy the Kid.  Trying to bring lawlessness under control, he offered Billy the Kid amnesty in exchange for testimony against a good number of other criminals.  Billy the Kid agreed, but was arrested and jailed by the local sheriff, who refused to follow the amnesty deal. "Billy" escaped, however, and returned to a life of crime.

Wallace went on to be the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire under President Garfield: this post allowed him to visit Jerusalem and The Holy Land, and it was this opportunity, which led to his novel Ben-Hur.

He had been writing stories on the side for many years, but this novel made him rich.