Last Movie You Watched

[Drasko]

Marcello Mastroianni dyed blond and Ursula Andress in some eye catching attires with little to no underwear are hunted and huntress in 60s Italian proto Running Man/Hunger Games sci-fi. Has few interesting ideas, but as a social satire less farcical style would have worked better I think. The way it is puts it more in the camp-classic territory, which I'm not sure director intended.

[Karl Henning]

Marcello Mastroianni dyed blond and Ursula Andress in some eye catching attires with little to no underwear are hunted and huntress in 60s Italian proto Running Man/Hunger Games sci-fi. Has few interesting ideas, but as a social satire less farcical style would have worked better I think. The way it is puts it more in the camp-classic territory, which I'm not sure director intended.

Thanks for reminding me that I have yet to see that.  (I've read the Robert Sheckley book.)

[listener]

1936 Jean Renoir light comedy
LA CRIME DE MONSIEUR LANGE

[Karl Henning]

Over two evenings, I watched Prometheus at last.

Something surprised me a bit.  I've grown so used to the Alien series, I can watch the first two movies with "visceral distance";  and even when I watched Alien³ and A. Resurrection for the first time, they did not spook me in the least.   (Whether that is my acclimatization, or shortcomings in their construction, may be a question.)

So what surprised me, the first evening watching the first half of Prometheus was, how much it wound me up.  I practically could not physically watch to the end, because that would have run right up to my bedtime, and my nervous system needed some cooling down.

Still mulling it in various ways, but it is certainly visually dazzling.  I now regret that I did not watch it in 3-D.

[drogulus]

      My experience with 3D is watching Gravity in a theater. It was mildly interesting to see objects float out of the screen, but it adds little to enjoyment and becomes an annoyance quickly. I'm glad it's dying. I have zero desire to see it at home.

[Karl Henning]

We saw Hugo in 3-D, and it was fun (as well as a beauty).

[stingo]

Saw a theatrical double feature a couple of weeks ago - Deadpool and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I rarely go to the movies so this was a real treat. Both are great films.

[Fëanor]

      My experience with 3D is watching Gravity in a theater. It was mildly interesting to see objects float out of the screen, but it adds little to enjoyment and becomes an annoyance quickly. I'm glad it's dying. I have zero desire to see it at home.

I refuse to go to the 3D versions anymore.  It's my eyesight unfortunately; I get a headache watching the 3D.  Granted, I'm an old guy.

The last (and final) 3D version I did see was The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies --  a travesty of Tolkien's novel BTW.  I had a resounding headache for the first 40 minutes though the discomfort eased off a little after that.

[Karl Henning]

That may have given you a headache regardless of questions of 3D 

[NikF]

Monsieur Hire (1989) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsieur_Hire

Poor old M. Hire...he leads a simple life where everything is black and white (even his clothing) in which he steadily solves problems and resolves issues towards his goals in a methodical fashion, but all the while failing to grasp societal norms. This includes any knowledge of women or awareness that he's putting them on a pedestal. It especially becomes an issue when he's decided that Alice is the one for him. Yes, he's sincere in his pursuit, but his huge sense of self-entitlement means he's blind to a very obvious fact, that dear Alice is the kind of girl who you add your fingerprints to the collection already amassed on her derriere - and then you walk away, never looking back. Poor old M. Hire.

Bonus: The story is punctuated throughout by Brahms Op. 25

[SimonNZ]

[SonicMan46]

Last night, I streamed several films from 2015 that were on my 'to see' list:

The 33 w/ Lou Diamond Phillips, Antonio Banderas, Juliette Binoche, & Gabriel Byrne - based on a dramatic true story - first synopsis below - the film was OK but a letdown which could have been much better; ratings - 6.9/10, IMDB; 43% Rotten Tomatoes; 4.3/5*, Amazon - if rating for the latter, I'm at about 3 1/2* - still, an amazing real life rescue!

Spectre w/ Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Monica Bellucci, Ralph Fiennes, and Lea Seydoux - yet another mediocre Craig project - second synopsis below; ratings - 6.9/10, IMDB; 64%, Rotten Tomatoes; 3.7/5*, Amazon - watchable and 3* for me on Amazon; BUT, Lea Seydoux is yet another beautiful Bond Babe (second image below) -   Dave

Disaster strikes on Aug. 5, 2010, as a copper and gold mine collapses in Chile, trapping 33 men underground. With more than 2,000 feet of rock in their way, members of a rescue team work tirelessly for 69 days to save the seemingly doomed crew. Beneath the rubble, the miners begin an epic quest to survive, contending with suffocating heat and the need for food and water. With family, friends and the rest of the world watching, it becomes a race against time and a true test of the human spirit.

A cryptic message from the past leads James Bond (Daniel Craig) to Mexico City and Rome, where he meets the beautiful widow (Monica Bellucci) of an infamous criminal. After infiltrating a secret meeting, 007 uncovers the existence of the sinister organization SPECTRE. Needing the help of the daughter of an old nemesis, he embarks on a mission to find her. As Bond ventures toward the heart of SPECTRE, he discovers a chilling connection between himself and the enemy (Christoph Waltz) he seeks.

[SonicMan46]

New York City policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis) is visiting his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and two daughters on Christmas Eve. He joins her at a holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for. But the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who take over the exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it. Very soon McClane realizes that there's no one to save the hostages -- but him.

James - I upgraded to the BD 4 years ago according to my Amazon account - good AV ratings HERE - of course, one of my favorite roles in this film is that of the just late Alan Rickman - Dave

[James]

      My experience with 3D is watching Gravity in a theater. It was mildly interesting to see objects float out of the screen, but it adds little to enjoyment and becomes an annoyance quickly. I'm glad it's dying. I have zero desire to see it at home.

It depends on how it's done. Some 3D is integral to the film and how it's made & shot. (i.e. Avatar)

Most 3D is done in post-production in order to create a 3D viewing option/experience.
Under this particular method, I have found that sometimes it really adds (fully immersive), other times not so much.
I saw Gravity in 3D and it wasn't necessary to, meanwhile films like Iron Man 3 & Fury Road were great.

[drogulus]

     My problem with 3D is that things pop out but don't pop in. The depth of field illusion only goes one way. I think this contributes to the discomfort as the brain falsifies what the eye "sees".

[listener]

time for anther fro the Shaw Brothers
THE LONG CHASE 1971   dir. Ho Meng-hua
Li Ching, Yueh Hua, Lo Lieh, Chuan Yuan
... a dart-master-for-hire and the innkeeper's daughter who loves him.  He's under deadly threat from a police officer who assassinates a Government Minister, while she's the target of murderous local bandits.

[Karl Henning]

Last night, with the missus:  Moonrise Kingdom

[Drasko]

Highly interesting and mostly successful exploration of societal conventions and rules and their impact on emotional life of an individual. Set in dystopian (totalitarian in a way) world more or less identically looking to our own but with completely different set of rules of human interaction, follows David (Farrell) in search for significant other (per society's request) after his wife leaves him. Very detailed script creates this strange world to minutest detail with lots of deadpan humor (especially in the first half of the film) delivered through very Bressonian deliberately flat acting of entire cast. This flat tone can get bit wearisome toward the end which is my main complaint. Otherwise film asks some very intriguing questions about nature of society, its rules, and our functioning within it. Not for everyone, but worth seeing I think. 

[North Star]

Lately: Mad Men. I remember NikF posting about this (or perhaps a related) dance scene some (a long?) time ago. . .

https://www.youtube.com/v/WPW7_RQmSCU

[SimonNZ]

Antonioni's L'Eclisse

First time I've seen it and it was a knockout. Every single shot masterfully composed, and the final seven minutes must be one of the greatest endings in all film.