Last Movie You Watched

[Todd]

Got my annual holiday viewing in, just in the nick of time.

[Bogey]

Got my annual holiday viewing in, just in the nick of time.

[SonicMan46]

Over the last few nights, some new BD replacements for a handful of my DVDs:

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) w/ Judy Garland - 4.5/5 V & 4.6/5 A (V=video; A=audio; ratings from Blu-ray.com) - Judy's voice will never sound better than on this remastered classic - the dancing scene w/ her small sister (Margaret O'Brien) is still a delight.

Stalag 17 (1953) w/ William Holden (Oscar Best Actor) -  4.4 V & 4.2 A - and Otto Preminger as the commandant of the POW camp.

Untouchables (1987) w/ Kevin Costner & Sean Connery - not rated yet @ the above BD site, but easily will be in the 4+ for AV - Costner has his critics, but this role seemed to suit him well, and of course Sean seems to always come through!  Dave

 

[Bogey]

Over the last few nights, some new BD replacements for a handful of my DVDs:

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) w/ Judy Garland - 4.5/5 V & 4.6/5 A (V=video; A=audio; ratings from Blu-ray.com) - Judy's voice will never sound better than on this remastered classic - the dancing scene w/ her small sister (Margaret O'Brien) is still a delight.

Stalag 17 (1953) w/ William Holden (Oscar Best Actor) -  4.4 V & 4.2 A - and Otto Preminger as the commandant of the POW camp.

Untouchables (1987) w/ Kevin Costner & Sean Connery - not rated yet @ the above BD site, but easily will be in the 4+ for AV - Costner has his critics, but this role seemed to suit him well, and of course Sean seems to always come through!  Dave

 

I am just bummed that I was not invited over to your place for this line-up, Dave.

[SonicMan46]

I am just bummed that I was not invited over to your place for this line-up, Dave.

Hi Bill - well all will be waiting for you!   

Another 6 BDs just arrived today from Amazon - so I've replaced a dozen of my DVDs this holiday season - probably paid < $10 per BD w/ some holiday money & an Amazon Gift Card; plus will be able to sell the DVDs for a buck or two - will be posting in the near future - Dave

[AndyD.]

We have part 3 lined up for today .. watched 1 & 2 yesterday for Christmas.

To me part 3 paled in comparison to the first two (especially no. 2). But I look at it like Exorcist 3: well worth watching, even just for the actors.

Me:

Revenge of the Pink Panther

Jasmine is still getting initiated into the world of Inspector Clouseau.

[George]

Me:

Revenge of the Pink Panther

Jasmine is still getting initiated into the world of Inspector Clouseau.

[AndyD.]

(HUGE smile)

[George]

Still (by far) my favorite Christmas movie!

[Karl Henning]

A Nero Wolfe Mystery, "Prisoner's Base"

[SonicMan46]

Well some more new BD arrivals - watched several tonight and saved for tomorrow - Dave

Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946) w/ so many excellent actors - 4.5/5 V & 4.0/5 A (again V = Video & A = Audio from Blu-ray.com - this is a post-WWII classic and worth a watch in whatever format!

East of Eden (1955) w/ James Dean and many others - 4.8 V & 4.2 A - well he made only 3 films before his tragic death - the supporting cast is just superb - great reprocessing of this movie as the ratings suggest.

Rebel w/o a Cause (1955) - w/ James Dean, Natalie Wood, & Sal Mineo - 4.2 V & 4.1 A - yet to watch but expect a great experience - Dean's third film before his accident was Giant which I own on DVD - just wonder if he had made movies for another 10-15 years?  Dave

   

[Octave]

I have been watching a bunch of Bergman films lately, but for now I will just mention:
WILD STRAWBERRIES aka SMULTRONSTÄLLET aka "The Wild Strawberry Patch" (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)










Perhaps one that gets better as you get older and/or have seen more, or more of less.  It meant a lot more to me this time than it did 10 years ago.

Bergman: I learned much from Victor Sjöström [Swedish director who plays the professor in WILD STRAWBERRIES]. He was the artistic director of the studio when I began, he would come to see me from time to time and he was benevolent. He saw the rushes, he was very, very intelligent and very clever. He would appear–never on set, nor during the shoot–and he would say: "Hello...how are you Ingmar? All's well? – Yes it is, still making my film... – I know...I saw something..." Then we'd go walking around the studio, it was very beautiful, in the middle of the forest, we'd walk in silence and suddenly, he would say something like: "Don't do such complicated set-ups, your operator can't do it, your actors don't like it and it's too complicated for you. Just set the camera in front of the actor, he'll he happy." He told me many useful things. I admired him tremendously. I admired his films, The Phantom Carriage, and the other ones. I admired him also as an actor, so it was easy for me to pay attention to what he said.

O. Assayas: Did he inspire you for the character of the conductor he plays in To Joy?

Bergman: No. At that time our relationship was not very good. He did it because I asked him to do it and he agreed. He thought it could be funny, he was a great actor at the time and perhaps he thought it was a good part. But we didn't really have any relationship at that time. However, a few years later, when he played in Wild Strawberries, he situation had changed considerably. He had retired, he was seventy-one years old. he didn't feel very well but he liked the character. As for me, I knew more about cinema and I had time and the interest, because I had more experience, to be gentle with him, to care for him. At the beginning we had serious problems because he was over overacting and when I told him, he became very angry and told me: "If you don't want me, Ingmar, I can leave immediately because the doctor told me my health was poor, it's not good for me to be here and you don't like what I'm doing. Ingmar, I'm not saying that I'm leaving, but if yon want me to go, I'm leaving and I'll he happy to go!" This was at the start, the first day. You can imagine... But day by day, we were able to find our way to communicate and he liked girls, he liked Bibi, he was an old lion you know!... Ingrid Thulin was playing her first leading part and was very discreet, very beautiful and spiritual, Bibi was quite young, terribly sweet and charming and pretty. The girls flirted with him, it was very moving. So when he came in the morning and was in a bad mood, they played with him and he would end up laughing and feeling at ease with them. And there I was, behind... (laughs) Of course I also had the time to sit down with him and have him talk about the past, how he made his films, his impressions, his first day of shooting, his relationship with his cinematographer, his actors and actresses... He told us about A Man There Was, that beautiful film on which he met the charming actress he married, loved, with whom he lived and who died suddenly. He was very much alone, not very friendly, but a genius. I asked him: "When you made The Phantom Carriage, were you aware you were making a masterpiece? - No, I was making my film, that's all. We had little time, a lot of difficulties, some very experimental things and I was playing the main role. I just remember I didn't want to see the rushes and I didn't see them until the end of the shoot. I trusted my cinematographer. I was just making a film." What a beautiful way to make a masterpiece!

[Fëanor]

I have been watching a bunch of Bergman films lately, but for now I will just mention:
WILD STRAWBERRIES aka SMULTRONSTÄLLET aka "The Wild Strawberry Patch" (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
...

A great film: my farourite Bergman and very near the top of my all-time favourites.

[Bogey]

Well some more new BD arrivals - watched several tonight and saved for tomorrow - Dave

Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946) w/ so many excellent actors - 4.5/5 V & 4.0/5 A (again V = Video & A = Audio from Blu-ray.com - this is a post-WWII classic and worth a watch in whatever format!

East of Eden (1955) w/ James Dean and many others - 4.8 V & 4.2 A - well he made only 3 films before his tragic death - the supporting cast is just superb - great reprocessing of this movie as the ratings suggest.

Rebel w/o a Cause (1955) - w/ James Dean, Natalie Wood, & Sal Mineo - 4.2 V & 4.1 A - yet to watch but expect a great experience - Dean's third film before his accident was Giant which I own on DVD - just wonder if he had made movies for another 10-15 years?  Dave

   

In regard to repurchasing movies on Blu Ray Dave, what goes into your decision of what to replace?

[George]

In regard to repurchasing movies on Blu Ray Dave, what goes into your decision of what to replace?

I suspect James Dean's booty played a part.

[SonicMan46]

In regard to repurchasing movies on Blu Ray Dave, what goes into your decision of what to replace?

Hi Bill - well, availability first - there are plenty of DVDs in my collection that I'd like to replace w/ BDs but the films have not been released in that format (e.g. love to see a great restoration of War of the Worlds from the 50s); second the Blu-ray transfer just has to receive great reviews (I tend to balk if the AV ratings are below 4.0 at the site I linked previously) - my son has a lot of BDs and he also likes specials.  And finally, the price has to be right - I usually buy BDs when I have a gift certificate or two (get Amazon ones from our credit card usage), virtually all have cost me $10 or less (plus I sell the DVDs for a couple of bucks).  Dave

[SonicMan46]

I was thinking the same thing. I'm also thinking about getting an additional Region Free Player soon so I can get more
of the movies I'm looking for that are only offered on Blu outside of NA - which is something like over 50 titles thus far.

Hello James - well, a Region Free player would certainly let you add more BDs to your collection; I keep going back to Bluray.com periodically and look at the 'new releases' and price reductions - two of my favorite John Wayne films are now on blu-ray (North to Alaska & Red River) - just have to wait for a lower price!  Dave

[Bogey]

Just finished up:



Maybe my all time favorite sci-fi film with a nod to Alien. I do not remember a movie ever looking better on our screen at home.  Transfer is top-shelf.

[Karl Henning]

Just finished up:



Maybe my all time favorite sci-fi film with a nod to Alien. I do not remember a movie ever looking better on our screen at home.  Transfer is top-shelf.

I do enjoy watching that one again from time to time.

Tangentially, not only was "Leon" (Brion James) in The Fifth Element, but I only realized when watching The Jerk on Andy's suggestion (as 'twere) that "Bryant" (M. Emmet Walsh) is the sniper who found Navin's name at random in the phone book . . . .

[Bogey]

And actress Sean Young (Rachel) still going with the black clothes and red lipstick: