Last Movie You Watched

[Karl Henning]

Born on this day in 1899:

Knew there was a reason I started re-watching Saboteur last night!

I also watched Part I of Woody Allen: A Documentary.

[Drasko]

Silly, but funny. Gosling shows some decent slapstick skills. Same basic matrix but not as good as the best of Lethal Weapon or The Last Boy Scout but better than Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

[Karl Henning]

Last night and tonight: Woody Allen: A Documentary. Thoroughly enjoyable, touching, impressive. Predictably, I am curious to see some titles, and to revisit (e.g.) Stardust Memories.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[George]

Last night and tonight: Woody Allen: A Documentary. Thoroughly enjoyable, touching, impressive. Predictably, I am curious to see some titles, and to revisit (e.g.) Stardust Memories.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Yes, I loved that one too, Karl!

Looking forward to his new show on amazon?

[(poco) Sforzando]

Last night and tonight: Woody Allen: A Documentary. Thoroughly enjoyable, touching, impressive. Predictably, I am curious to see some titles, and to revisit (e.g.) Stardust Memories.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

How does it handle the (er) Mia (who's my ex?) Farrow / Soon-Yi (who's my adopted daughter/wife?) Previn / Satchel aka Ronan (who's my dad, Frank?) Farrow / Dylan (who's molesting me?) Farrow stuff?

[(poco) Sforzando]

I checked out Die Brücke from the BPL, oh, weeks ago.  I was given to understand that it is the sort of movie, I should be ready to watch and experience (I know, sounds pretty basic).  So I kept watching other things, and letting the library auto-renew this title for me.

Time passed.

The limitation on renewals (not complaining) meant that I needed to return the DVD today.  That was all right;  I was ready to watch last night.

It is, as expected, somber, heart-breaking, forehead-smacking.  There is the odd flash of humor (which I am not going to spoil for anyone).  I don't know that I will watch it again (I might), but I am very glad to have watched it.

Good. Some here refused, on account it was a "downer."

[Karl Henning]

Good. Some here refused, on account it was a "downer."

I knew the risks 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[listener]

this was a fun evening
BLACK CAT, WHITE CAT   an over-the-top rural comedy directed by Emir Kusturica
with an appearance by his gypsy band
It feels at the start like an uncontrolled John Waters film but the tone quickly solidifies and is consistent all the way through.

[SimonNZ]

^Wonderful film! My favourite Kusturica, imo even better than his two Palm d'Or winners.

[Karl Henning]

Yes, I loved that one too, Karl!

How does it handle the (er) Mia (who's my ex?) Farrow / Soon-Yi (who's my adopted daughter/wife?) Previn / Satchel aka Ronan (who's my dad, Frank?) Farrow / Dylan (who's molesting me?) Farrow stuff?

I should defer to George, as a New Yorker who must have a better informed read.  Back when the story was a story, I had only a geographically distant impression of a lurid tangle, the kind of story where no one outside of the principals (if they, even) knew all the facts, but almost everyone has an opinion.  I try to keep sight of the fact that I don't know much about the real story, and I want where possible to think charitably of everyone (even if he is a celebrity).  But I am sure that the episode colored Allen very badly in the back of my mind.

So, the documentary.  A still of Mia Farrow at a mantel, and we are told she found polaroid nudes of her adopted daughter.  A composite video wall of sixteen talking heads from the evening news and the talk shows reporting or fanning whatever the story was or appeared to be that day.

The emphasis in the documentary was, Allen's (and Farrow's) professionalism.  That after a couple of days of Farrow not being on the set (entirely understandably—I mean, insofar as we outside the circle can understand), she was enjoined to come back and finish the project.  That throughout that period, even when a meeting was perforce interrupted by a phone call he must take, or he would head shortly out to appear in court, Allen kept focused on the process of getting the film done.  (Which made me think a bit about Shostakovich's work ethic/habits.)  My sense was that the documentary neither accused nor exculpated;  its purpose was not to expose the private facts, but to chronicle the artist's public life through a period of dire scandal.

[Karl Henning]

After the documentary yesterday, and at long last:  Lethal Weapon 2.  Very good, and probably just what I needed to watch, then.

[NikF]

At short notice I was taken to see the 1948 Orson Welles 'Macbeth' which was being shown in an 18th century former church. It was a pleasure to view it on a big screen.

[James]

Time Bandits
1981 ‧ Fantasy/Indie film ‧ 1h 56m

Young history buff Kevin (Craig Warnock) can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. Former employees of the Supreme Being (Ralph Richardson), they've purloined a map charting all of the holes in the fabric of time and are using it to steal treasures from different historical eras. Taking Kevin with them, they variously drop in on Napoleon (Ian Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese) and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery) before the Supreme Being catches up with them.

[asin]B00NMUCHNS[/asin]

[Cato]

Time Bandits
1981 ‧ Fantasy/Indie film ‧ 1h 56m

Young history buff Kevin (Craig Warnock) can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. Former employees of the Supreme Being (Ralph Richardson), they've purloined a map charting all of the holes in the fabric of time and are using it to steal treasures from different historical eras. Taking Kevin with them, they variously drop in on Napoleon (Ian Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese) and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery) before the Supreme Being catches up with them.

[asin]B00NMUCHNS[/asin]

One of my favorite scenes is the trapdoor in the sky opening to drop the bandits into the world.   

[Monsieur Croche]

Beyond Tomorrow (aka Beyond Christmas) ~ via Youtube
A sweet black and white grade B flick from 1940.

https://www.youtube.com/v/4xHXcIxeL4U

[listener]

SWIFT SWORD  (1980)   Jimmy Wang Yu, Lo Lieh, Lily Li and "Esther"
looks like a winter produced quickie, exteriors are all studio shots and some special effect shots not polished.
The plot's a bit more straightforward, 82 minutes of action.     Directed by Ho Weng-hua

[James]

Phantom of the Paradise
1974 ‧ Thriller/Indie film ‧ 1h 32m

After record producer Swan (Paul Williams) steals the music of songwriter Winslow Leach (William Finley) and gives it to one of his bands, Leach sneaks into Swan's offices. Catching Leach, Swan frames him for dealing drugs, which lands him in prison. After Leach breaks out and again attempts to sabotage Swan's empire, an accident crushes his face. Leach then dons a costume and becomes the Phantom, intent on ruining Swan while saving singer Phoenix (Jessica Harper) from a terrible fate.

[asin]B00JHH1YQG[/asin]

[SonicMan46]

Couple of recent BDs additions to my collection - replacements for DVD-Rs off the TCM channel:

Devil and Miss Jones, The (1941) w/ Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings, Charles Coburn, & Spring Byington - crazy comedy w/ an ensemble cast - Arthur just sparkling (yes, I have always had a crush on her!) and Cummings excellent - of course, Coburn's ability to play these 'goofy' roles always good - the blu-ray transfer was done by Olive Films which does little in the way of restoration, so just average ratings (3/5* for video/audio), but MUCH better than my burned DVD.

Deadline-U.S.A. (1952) w/ Humphrey Bogart, Ethel Barrymore, & Kim Hunter - a journalism story about a dying newspaper - good video and audio restoration - again, much better than my burned DVD - as usual, an excellent Bogart performance.  Both BDs of these films recommended - Dave

 

[listener]

Kurosawa's DERSU UZALA

[Spineur]

I shunned watching this movie because of the topic for years.

[asin]6305174083[/asin]

After watching it I understand why !