Last Movie You Watched

[(poco) Sforzando]

Thanks!

Apropos:
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1366-out-of-print-sale

[Karl Henning]

Apropos:
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1366-out-of-print-sale

Thank you again!

[Karl Henning]

Thread Duty:

Last night, finished my first (probably only) viewing of Alien Resurrection.  At first, I felt more engaged by it than I had with Alien³, but I wondered even at that point if it were simply a matter of my having read fewer reviews, so that fewer key plot points had leaked to me.  ** SPOILER ALERT **  The opening "beetle" was . . . interesting.  The "xenomorph obedience school" was fairly well played, though we all knew it could not end well.  Meet the new Ripley, not quite the same as the old Ripley . . . the ambivalence has me wondering if the viewer quite cares about her (a) as we used and (b) as is necessary for engagement with the movie.  Do we really care about her, can we really care about her, are her motivations and goals really the same as ours?  As a half-alien, where are her loyalties?  Is she sufficiently alien that she's just a cold, survivalist, amoral killer?  She seems at her most nearly human when dropping in at the "1-7" clinic, which was probably the most Cronenberg-ish moment in the four movies I've seen.  They really could have escaped clean away if Ripley hadn't lingered to sniff out the nest, right?  Freaky-creepy, her sinking down into that nest.  The whole Spawn of Ripley bit, de trop?  Ripley's sarabande with the crittur is squirm-inducing (and maybe that is the entire point);  don't know what it's supposed to be about, what it does or does not mean to #8.  Nevertheless, she acts coolly to destroy it.  Its demise, like the contents of an egg being blown out a pinhole in the shell, is both profoundly undramatic, and underwhelming as SFX, isn't it?  The wreckage of Le tour Eiffel is ironic in timing, as I am now also watching the 1968 Planet of the Apes.

So, offhand, I do not see myself bothering to watch this one again;  while I will watch Alien³ once again before returning the box (sacrée vache, 50 hours of extras???) to my brother.

And — is it me, or does Winona Ryder seem pretty much just to play Winona Ryder all the time?  Is this just an accident of what I have seen her in (Beetlejuice & Alien Rez)?

[Sergeant Rock]

And — is it me, or does Winona Ryder seem pretty much just to play Winona Ryder all the time?  Is this just an accident of what I have seen her in (Beetlejuice & Alien Rez)?

Karl, have you not seen Heathers or Mermaids or Edward Scissorhands or Coppola's Dracula or Scorsese's The Age of Innocence?

But yes, she basically plays herself...although sometimes with an English accent 

Sarge

[Karl Henning]

Karl, have you not seen Heathers or Mermaids or Edward Scissorhands or Coppola's Dracula or Scorsese's The Age of Innocence?

Sarge, I have not seen any of those, although I am conscious that I ought to watch Edward Longshanks Scissorhands, at least.

[NikF]

Sur mes lèvres/Read my Lips (2001) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read_My_Lips_(film)

Another film from the most recent batch we're taking to the charity shop as our downsizing continues...

A César Award winning display from Emmanuelle Devos as a deaf secretary who is generally overlooked and often alienated by her colleagues. In the midst of her loneliness she occasionally indulges herself by allowing her dreams out to roam a little, and here these are so wonderfully illustrated and handled that they're cameo moments of real pathos. However a change approaches in the shape of a good performance by Vincent Cassel, a recently paroled small time crook who enters her life as a work colleague. Sensing that he can take advantage of the fact she's starved for affection, he initially has less than noble plans for her. Ah, but the slow burner of mutual attraction...

It's a pleasure to watch such a well realised combo caper/drama that can include a mystery subplot, the element of awkward romance, and a perhaps a hint of Hitchcock. And if you do watch this, check out the body language of Devos as she continually strives to make herself as unobtrusive as possible when in the proximity of others - it's good stuff.

An aside: in this role Vincent Cassel's nose is masterpiece of make-up and and almost a worse specimen than my own.

[George]

Sarge, I have not seen any of those, although I am conscious that I ought to watch Edward Longshanks Scissorhands, at least.

When you go to the video store, just be sure to not get the film from the back room, the one with the beads in the doorway.

[aligreto]

Sur mes lèvres/Read my Lips (2001) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read_My_Lips_(film)

Another film from the most recent batch we're taking to the charity shop as our downsizing continues...

A César Award winning display from Emmanuelle Devos as a deaf secretary who is generally overlooked and often alienated by her colleagues. In the midst of her loneliness she occasionally indulges herself by allowing her dreams out to roam a little, and here these are so wonderfully illustrated and handled that they're cameo moments of real pathos. However a change approaches in the shape of a good performance by Vincent Cassel, a recently paroled small time crook who enters her life as a work colleague. Sensing that he can take advantage of the fact she's starved for affection, he initially has less than noble plans for her. Ah, but the slow burner of mutual attraction...

It's a pleasure to watch such a well realised combo caper/drama that can include a mystery subplot, the element of awkward romance, and a perhaps a hint of Hitchcock. And if you do watch this, check out the body language of Devos as she continually strives to make herself as unobtrusive as possible when in the proximity of others - it's good stuff.

An aside: in this role Vincent Cassel's nose is masterpiece of make-up and and almost a worse specimen than my own.

An excellent film 

[André]

Re: Vincent Cassel. Indeed, an impressive nose job compared to his usual self



The only question is: why ? 

FWIW, Vincent is the son of actor Jean-Pierre Cassel, himself a well-known quantity for french film audiences:

[Drasko]

Superb.

[asin]B00YTSH21Y[/asin]

[SonicMan46]

Today a couple of Bogart DVD replacements arrived, just released on BD - Dave

 

[aligreto]

Fierce Creatures....





....a good laugh.

[Karl Henning]

Could be my favorite Bogart film, Dave.

[SonicMan46]

Could be my favorite Bogart film, Dave.

Hard to choose Karl - I own many and I must say that Casablanca, Maltese Falcon, & African Queen come immediately to mind - Dave

[Karl Henning]

A huge fan of Casablanca and the Maltese Falcon, too.  Maybe I just like him in B&W? 

[NikF]

My favourite Bogart is 'The Big Sleep', simply because so many of the small details are wonderful. I think I've mentioned this before, but it's worth again watching that scene featuring the interaction between Dorothy Malone and Bogart (perhaps minus the sound?) and focussing only on the changing manner in which she's treating the pencil in her hands as she becomes increasingly open to him. Also, Bacall and Martha Vickers and the chick driving the taxi (I don't know her name) all look incredible.
I'd be interested to know if the Blu-ray is the 1946 version, because that's the only one I'm familiar with.

If I had to choose another of his films and rank it in second place, it would be 'Dark Passage'. I don't rate it anywhere near as highly as 'The Big Sleep' but I think Bacall shines in it and I like the POV/subjective camera thing.
Incidentally, both of these films were lensed by Sidney Hickox - and if you want to see an example of a workload, check out his resume at IMDb.com or somewhere. 

[SimonNZ]

Martin Scorsese: My Voyage To Italy

First time I've seen this. An excellent four hour overview of and insights into the couple dozen Italian films from the 40s, 50s and 60s by five directors that particularly shaped his early years as a film enthusiast and as a young filmmaker.

Not for those people who like to say "hey, no spoilers!" every chance they get, as he guides the viewer through the entirety of each film he covers, but personally I find that just whetted my appetite for the few I hadn't seen, and made me want to rewatch the ones I had. In fact I'll be off to the videostore tonight to get Fellini's I Vitelloni and Antonioni's L'Eclise.

[NikF]

Martin Scorsese: My Voyage To Italy

First time I've seen this. An excellent four hour overview of and insights into the couple dozen films from the 50s and 60s by five directors that particularly shaped his early years as a film enthusiast and as a young filmmaker.

Not for those people who like to say "hey, no spoilers!" every chance they get, as he guides the viewer through the entirety of each film he covers, but personally I find that just whetted my appetite for the few I hadn't seen, and made me want to rewatch the ones I hadn't. In fact I'll be off to the videostore tonight to get Fellini's I Vitelloni and Antonioni's L'Eclise.

Looks interesting indeed. And I've seen 'I Vitelloni' but not 'L'Eclise'.
Anyway, enjoy your viewing.

[SonicMan46]

My favourite Bogart is 'The Big Sleep', simply because so many of the small details are wonderful. I think I've mentioned this before, but it's worth again watching that scene featuring the interaction between Dorothy Malone and Bogart (perhaps minus the sound?) and focussing only on the changing manner in which she's treating the pencil in her hands as she becomes increasingly open to him. Also, Bacall and Martha Vickers and the chick driving the taxi (I don't know her name) all look incredible.
I'd be interested to know if the Blu-ray is the 1946 version, because that's the only one I'm familiar with....

The BD that I pictured contains both the 1945 & 1946 versions - I watched the latter last night.  Dave

[SonicMan46]

Downtown this afternoon for a 3 PM movie at our independent theater and then a seafood dinner down the street including 4 different oysters from the East Coast on the half shell, all delicious!  BUT, the film:

The Lady in the Van (2015) w/ Maggie Smith & Alex Jennings; short synopsis below; ratings - 7/10, IMDB; 92%, Rotten Tomatoes; Amazon, not in yet - really enjoyed - I'd probably do 4/5* on Amazon if rating.  If a fan of the aging Maggie Smith, then certainly worth a watch - recommended.  Dave

In 1973 London, playwright Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) develops an unlikely friendship with Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith), a homeless woman who lives in a van in his driveway for the next 15 years.