Last Movie You Watched

[Karl Henning]

Interesting story, told by Laurence Olivier himself, about how he almost got fired by Samuel Goldwyn.

Olivier had not gone very far in Hollywood, but this role was supposed to lift him out of obscurity.

William Wyler showed the "rushes" to Goldwyn, scenes in which Olivier used a lithping accent and did other somewhat eccentric things.

Goldwyn had an absolute fit, and told Wyler: "Willy, that actor is the worst I've ever seen!  Where did you get him?  If that actor don't get better, I shut down the picture!"

Apparently, Olivier improved! 

Geraldine Fitzgerald (Isabella) tells that Goldwyn pointed at Olivier, American women will never stand for that face!

[Karl Henning]

About time I watch this:
Ice Station Zebra

A 7-minute featurette about second-unit director John Stevens, The Man Who Makes a Difference. 

[Karl Henning]

Jurassic World Rebirth

Not good.

Terrible script, silly monsters, a sleepwalking/mailing-it-in cast (ScarJo is particularly disappointing). . .ugh.

Thanks for taking one for the team!

[Karl Henning]

Working Girl. Still quite fun after a couple of decades.

Yes!

[Karl Henning]

Own at least a half dozen+ Bond films but the one I usually pick to watch is below - love the cello girl -    Dave

 

Love it! I've probably said this already, but I watched this in Old Town Alexandria when it opened. I immediately connected with the edge that Dalton brought to the character, which I personally found a very welcome change from Roger Moore. Not saying Moore was bad, only that over time I feel he got complacent. I also liked that Dalton as Bond was less apt to treat women as disposable playthings. Bond and Kara develop a nice, erm, bond.
I'm mildly puzzled that License to Kill is not better liked than it is. Is it the brutal shock of the vengeance wreaked upon Felix Leiter? -- which was literally lifted from Fleming's Live and Let Die, complete with the "something disagreed with what ate him" note. Ah, well, I've always been a fan of both these movies. 

[Karl Henning]

Licence to Kill.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Visconti, Gruppo di Famiglia. Annual revisit. One of my favorite Visconti cinemas.

[SonicMan46]

Licence to Kill.

Hi Karl - I've not watched that film in a while (always go to his other one) - don't own License to Kill but may need another go around!    Dave

[Karl Henning]

Hi Karl - I've not watched that film in a while (always go to his other one) - don't own License to Kill but may need another go around!    Dave

Dave, last night I noticed a nice subtle joke in the script. The lady informant who argues with Bond over who saved whose ass is Pam Bouvier. When Bond invents her cover as his Executive Assistant, he calls her Miss Kennedy. And of course Jacquie Kennedy's maiden name was Bouvier.

[Cato]

Nanas is a Netflix movie with Vince Vaughn ("Based on a true story") about a man trying to start an Italian restaurant late in his life.

(Now, for various reasons, we came across two other movies, which we also watched, and some things began to blur and blend together.  But I think I am correct about the following happening in Nanas.)

There are several scenes with various characters musing about where their lives have gone, or could have or should have gone, or will go, and the choices involved.

For each such scene, my ears picked up a sequence of soft, slowly played string chords in the background music, and I had to smile!

Bb minor - Eb minor/5 * - Ab Major - Db Major

Those chords are used for the refrain "It's My Life...Don't You Forget" in a song (It's My Life) by a group called Talk-Talk, performed (more successfully?) later by Gwen Stefani and No Doubt.

The reference was subtle: the song was given no credit at the end.   

*i.e. Bb - Eb - Gb


For those who do not know the entire song:


(The  original)

Gwen Stefani/No Doubt

[Karl Henning]

Timothy Dalton: "One of the interesting things about Bond is, that he's just as bad as they are ... the real sense of distaste for who he is, what he is, because he's old enough to recognize himself."
Now, to revisit The Living Daylights.

[Karl Henning]

Timothy Dalton: "One of the interesting things about Bond is, that he's just as bad as they are ... the real sense of distaste for who he is, what he is, because he's old enough to recognize himself."
Now, to revisit The Living Daylights.

Well, first a documentary, Inside Licence to Kill, narrated by Patrick Macnee. 

[DavidW]

Watched a brilliant, unorthodox ghost movie. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, well worth watching!

[ritter]

Visconti, Gruppo di Famiglia. Annual revisit. One of my favorite Visconti cinemas.

Love that film! Lancaster and Mangano are superb (Berger not so much, IMHO).

"Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio..." 

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Love that film! Lancaster and Mangano are superb (Berger not so much, IMHO).

"Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio..." 

Just like Alain Delon in France, Helmut Berger is an average actor. I'm a big fan of Romolo Valli, but he showed up only little as a lawyer in Conversation Piece. He was the hotel manager and great in Death in Venice.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Nanas is a Netflix movie with Vince Vaughn ("Based on a true story") about a man trying to start an Italian restaurant late in his life.

(Now, for various reasons, we came across two other movies, which we also watched, and some things began to blur and blend together.  But I think I am correct about the following happening in Nanas.)

There are several scenes with various characters musing about where their lives have gone, or could have or should have gone, or will go, and the choices involved.

For each such scene, my ears picked up a sequence of soft, slowly played string chords in the background music, and I had to smile!

Bb minor - Eb minor/5 * - Ab Major - Db Major

Those chords are used for the refrain "It's My Life...Don't You Forget" in a song (It's My Life) by a group called Talk-Talk, performed (more successfully?) later by Gwen Stefani and No Doubt.

The reference was subtle: the song was given no credit at the end.   

*i.e. Bb - Eb - Gb


For those who do not know the entire song:


(The  original)

Gwen Stefani/No Doubt

I like both the versions!

[Madiel]

I think both versions of It's My Life were pretty successful. And both versions are great, it's one of the few songs where I really enjoy multiple performances.

No Doubt's cover is frankly one of the best ever examples of a band choosing a song that SUITS them. And the other option they considered but didn't release was the INXS song Don't Change which also would have suited them incredibly well.

EDIT: In terms of music videos, though, No Doubt wins hands down.

SECOND EDIT: Dammit, now I want to go listen to both bands, and also to go watch No Doubt music videos because they had a lot of good ones.

[Karl Henning]

No good reason why I've not seen this before:
Das Boot (original theatrical version.)

[Cato]

No good reason why I've not seen this before:
Das Boot (original theatrical version.)

The claustrophobic atmosphere of those little submarines - with Death constantly in the atmosphere as well! - is transferred to the audience quite well!

[Madiel]

The claustrophobic atmosphere of those little submarines - with Death constantly in the atmosphere as well! - is transferred to the audience quite well!

Yep. I remember seeing it, as the director's cut, with my Dad. We both really felt that claustrophobic atmosphere. It's the surest sign that the movie's good when you identify strongly with the characters' situation.