Last Movie You Watched

[Karl Henning]

I've not approached that many rewatches, yet, but, for me, it is on my current shortlist - I am only starting to compile that shortlist, though - another one on the shortlist is the original Blade Runner, in fact, that might be my entire list for right now - still mulling ...

Big fan of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. 

[Karl Henning]

Big fan of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner.

When the Final Cut DVD release was in preparation, they produced a feature-length featurette, Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner, which is a highly rewarding watch.

[brewski]

Ball and Vase (2022, dir. David Baram). Stumbled across this short film (30 minutes) on my local PBS station, and found it very touching. Despite Austin Pendleton's formidable career (over 400 movies), I hadn't seen him in much of anything since What's Up, Doc? (1972, dir. Peter Bogdanovich). He's now 85, and plays a 92-year-old magician, dealing with the realities of relationships and old age.

You can watch it here.

[Karl Henning]

The Tower of London (1939) with Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price. Also, a young Leo G. Carroll.

[Karl Henning]

When the Final Cut DVD release was in preparation, they produced a feature-length featurette, Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner, which is a highly rewarding watch.

Well, actually it runs three hours and a half, which from this Senator's standpoint is some kind of paradisal.

[Karl Henning]

And, an extra I have not hitherto watched: The workprint of Blade Runner (watching with commentary.)

[Karl Henning]

The Tower of London (1939) with Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price. Also, a young Leo G. Carroll.

There's a moment when Karloff mimes a hint of regret before killing the young princes which is wonderful. 

[Karl Henning]

The Tower of London (1939) with Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price. Also, a young Leo G. Carroll.

Tower of London (1962) with Vincent Price as the Duke of Gloucester. 

[Karl Henning]

Tower of London (1962) with Vincent Price as the Duke of Gloucester.

Where Rathbone's Richard, like Shakespeare's, is coldly calculating, lacking any hint of remorse. Price is haunted earlier and oftener by mocking shades.

[Cato]

The Tower of London (1939) with Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price. Also, a young Leo G. Carroll.

Oh my!  I have not seen that for maybe 60 years!  I recall catching it on a Saturday morning c. 6:00 A.M. on local television.

Did you find it at the library?

Recently, because Mrs. Cato recalled this movie from the early 1970's...




A "cultural artifact" of the 1960's-70's, so to speak: The Gospel of Matthew as performed by '70's-hippie circus clowns.

It was interesting to see and hear a 24-year old Victor Garber as Jesus;  Half of the cast left show business soon or immediately after the movie's release.  The rest had somewhat steady careers, with Lynne Thigpen being the most successful.

Godspell is still around on the stages of American high schools, public and religious, not infrequently as The Senior Class Play.

   

[Karl Henning]

Oh my!  I have not seen that for maybe 60 years!  I recall catching it on a Saturday morning c. 6:00 A.M. on local television.

Did you find it at the library?

Recently, because Mrs. Cato recalled this movie from the early 1970's...




A "cultural artifact" of the 1960's-70's, so to speak: The Gospel of Matthew as performed by '70's-hippie circus clowns.

It was interesting to see and hear a 24-year old Victor Garber as Jesus;  Half of the cast left show business soon or immediately after the movie's release.  The rest had somewhat steady careers, with Lynne Thigpen being the most successful.

Godspell is still around on the stages of American high schools, public and religious, not infrequently as The Senior Class Play.

   

Godspell was indeed one of my High School's school plays. (I wasn't selected to participate.) I think I saw the movie, but remember little to nothing of it.

[Madiel]

I was rehearsal pianist for a production of Godspell in 2018.  Basically the gospel meets theatre sports.

[Cato]

Godspell was indeed one of my High School's school plays. (I wasn't selected to participate.) I think I saw the movie, but remember little to nothing of it.

There is a good reason for that! 

Today, speaking of acquired tastes (Mrs. Cato does not like such movies, and while she is gone for a meeting...)



An early masterpiece, helped of course by Bernard Herrmann's score!

Yes, it has Hitchcockian references beyond a Herrmann score, and people sniffed at the movie because of it: but an intriguing ride all the way.

And if you do not know the movie, watch the asylum-flashback scene carefully!  Somebody appears there, whose presence is absolutely mind-boggling!         

If you do know the movie, and are not sure to what I am referring, watch it again and look more carefully at that scene. 

I should mention that The Criterion Collection's restoration of Sisters is available (for free, with commercials) on TUBI! 

They also offer Brian De Palma's Obsession, much less violent than Sisters, which in comparison to e.g. modern television shows like CSI, seems today not very violent at all!

Obsession features a grand, almost over-the-top score by Bernard Herrmann, who said in an interview that he liked this movie more than Vertigo, because he thought the star (James Stewart) was unconvincing in Vertigo.

[Karl Henning]

And, an extra I have not hitherto watched: The workprint of Blade Runner (watching with commentary.)

This evening: the Director's Cut (1992) Part of me wants the commentary, but I found that the commentary dominated my experience of the Workprint, so I'll just watch the movie now.

[AnotherSpin]

There is one bitter truth about history: it teaches nothing. Even if the world fully understood the crimes committed by Russians against the Finns, it would not prevent repetition, not even today. History does not work that way. It never teaches.

Still, there is one small consolation: you can watch a film in which justice is fully served.

Sisu: Road to Revenge is absolutely worth seeing.

[relm1]

There is one bitter truth about history: it teaches nothing. Even if the world fully understood the crimes committed by Russians against the Finns, it would not prevent repetition, not even today. History does not work that way. It never teaches.

Still, there is one small consolation: you can watch a film in which justice is fully served.

Sisu: Road to Revenge is absolutely worth seeing.

History teaches loads and is full of warnings to the future.  The problem is no one cares to learn it.  That's our failure, not history's.

[Karl Henning]

Introduced the missus and mom-in-law to Elf and they were appropriately charmed.

[Karl Henning]

Diary of a Madman (1952) based on stories by Guy de Maupassant, starring Vincent Price. 

[brewski]

Inland Empire (2006, dir. David Lynch). My first time seeing his final film, almost 20 years after it came out. Need to ponder its brilliance for awhile, but for now, what a movie.

[Madiel]

Big Eden



Gay romantic drama set in Montana that is thoroughly middling. Inoffensive, fairly bland, sometimes a bit clunky. The central characters are very repressed and the film as a whole doesn't have much emotional availability either.