Last Movie You Watched

[SonicMan46]

Still going through by 'burned DVDs' - tonight:

Detective Story (1951) w/ Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker, William Bendix et al; William Wyler, director - one day in the 21st Precinct squad room in the Big Apple - holds your attention & great character performances; a cute Lee Grant w/ a great local accent; IMDB, 7.6/10; Rotten Tomatoes, 67%; and 4.3/5* on Amazon - believe that I'd go 4* on the latter site - based on a play and filmed as such - recommended!  Dave

[André]

Strongly agree with the choice of Les Enfants du paradis and La Belle et la Bête as among the best films of all time. Indeed, together with Renoir's La Règle du jeu (1938), possibly the best french films of all time except for Bresson's  of course.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

The one where Charlie eats a shoe.

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

Another in a family tree of recent films (Lives of Others;  Goodbye Lenin) treating East Germany in Iron Curtain days.  The performances are moving and the story a poignant one but it's so muted that the genuine terror of the time seems diminished.  Still, well worth viewing.  Will make viewers wistful about having the kind of thoughtful and concerned medical care these East Germans enjoyed (as depicted in this film), however backward technically their facilities were.

[asin]B00EO2I6QK[/asin]

[SonicMan46]

Another oldie but a classic comedy-drama w/ some of the best actors of the time:

Dinner At Eight (1933) w/ the actors on the image below; synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes w/ a rating there of 100% (8.6/10); IMDB, 7.9/10 - Harlow below started the whole 'bleached blonde' look for decades, probably capped off by Marilyn Monore.  Recommended - I' do a 4/5* rating on Amazon.  Dave

Based on the Broadway hit by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, Dinner at Eight is a near-flawless comedy/drama with an all-star cast at the peak of their talents. Social butterfly Mrs. Oliver Jordan (Billie Burke) arranges a dinner party that will benefit the busines of her husband (Lionel Barrymore). Among the invited are a crooked executive (Wallace Beery), who is in the process of ruining Jordan; his wife (Jean Harlow), who is carrying on an affair with a doctor (Edmund Lowe); a fading matinee idol (John Barrymore), who has squandered his fortune on liquor and is romantically involved with the Jordan daughter (Madge Evans); and a venerable stage actress (Marie Dressler), who since losing all her money has become a "professional guest." Nothing goes as planned, due to various suicides, double-crosses, compromises, fatal illness, and servant problems. But dinner is served precisely at eight. The script by Herman Mankiewicz, Frances Marion, and Donald Ogden Stewart is a virtual enclyopedia of witty lines and scenes, right down to the unforgettable closing gag.

 

[Bogey]

The one where Charlie eats a shoe.

Love this one.  Outside of the comedic/Chaplain/sometimes clowning moments (which are good), the love story that unfolds is one of the best on film, IMO.

[DavidRoss]

Just last night Annie and I were watching Richard Attenborough's wonderful Chaplin for the first time since its theatrical release.

Holds up well.

And what's Mr. Downey doing these days...?

[Bogey]

Just last night Annie and I were watching Richard Attenborough's wonderful Chaplin for the first time since its theatrical release.

Holds up well.

And what's Mr. Downey doing these days...?

The same character over and over, not matter the movie.  (See Chuck Heston post Ten Commandments).   Good thing I still get a kick out his work.

[Ken B]

The same character over and over, not matter the movie.  (See Chuck Heston post Ten Commandments).   Good thing I still get a kick out his work.

Robert Benchley once made a crack about Rex Harrison's string of women. "You on the other hand are a model of stability Robert, one wife, one home, one performance."

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

Enthusiastically recommended:  Parade's End, Tom Stoppard's HBO adaptation of Ford Maddox Ford's Good Soldier and successor novels.  Superb material insightfully adapted and splendidly produced. The characters are alive, complex and compelling.  They occupy a gray zone that will have you thinking about them (perhaps arguing about them with others or with yourself) for days afterwards.  Some of the best "TV" I've seen outside of the Wire.  I'm not a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock, but he so excels in this difficult role, his performance compels me to look at that series again.  This is literature, history, sociology, and psychology wrapped-up in a five-part mini-series you ought not miss.  Magic Dragon Five Star Award.

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[milk]

Well, I appreciated her. I thought she was funny...at least never dull. I don't think she took anything for granted. I'm glad her career came back and she could enjoy that on the way out.

[Karl Henning]

Last night: The Planet of the Apes (the original)

[George]

Last night: The Planet of the Apes (the original)

They had film in those days?

[Karl Henning]

They had film in those days?

Human see, human do . . . .

[Bogey]

Last night: The Planet of the Apes (the original)

TCM Alert:



http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/1028011%7C0/Planet-of-the-Apes-Double-Feature-9-7.html

[Bogey]

The comic genius of silent star Harold Lloyd is eternal. Chaplin was the sweet innocent, Keaton the stoic outsider, but Lloyd—the modern guy striving for success—is us. And with its torrent of perfectly executed gags and astonishing stunts, Safety Last! is the perfect introduction to him. Lloyd plays a small-town bumpkin trying to make it in the big city, who finds employment as a lowly department-store clerk. He comes up with a wild publicity stunt to draw attention to the store, resulting in an incredible feat of derring-do on his part that gets him started on the climb to success. Laugh-out-loud funny and jaw-dropping in equal measure, Safety Last! is a movie experience par excellence, anchored by a genuine legend. (Criterion)

[asin]B00BX49C3S[/asin]

My favorite "dude" from the silent era.    How is the transfer on this one, James?  I guessing it is well done.

[Karl Henning]

TCM Alert:



http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/1028011%7C0/Planet-of-the-Apes-Double-Feature-9-7.html

Cheers, Bill!

[DavidRoss]

Parade's End, Tom Stoppard's HBO adaptation of Ford Maddox Ford's Good Soldier and successor novels. 

Thanks for the tip.  I'll track it down and give it a go.

[SonicMan46]

Easy Living (1937) w/ Jean Arthur, Ray Milland, & Edward Arnold - a wacky & loud Preston Sturges screenplay - one of my favorite actresses from the 30s & 40s - funny, beautiful, and with that husky voice; born in 1900, she had already been in over 40 films/shorts before 1930!  But her roles in Mr. Deeds Goes To Town, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, The Devil & Miss Jones, The More The Merrier, & Shane (her last film role) are the films remembered - credits HERE, for those interested.  Dave


 

[Karl Henning]

Not for the first time, Eating Raoul.