Last Movie You Watched

[Cato]

Peter Lorre before he started making English-language movies. Very enjoyable, and for 1931 a surprisingly nuanced portrait of the mind of a serial killer and of criminal justice.

I used to show this to my German classes every year.  The actor (Gustaf Gruendgens) portraying the crime boss Schraenker always impressed me: one of the best performances ever of any kind.  Peter Lorre's performance, of course, goes beyond classic, especially in the final scene with the "trial."

[André]

Great film. Lang was implacable in his denunciation of the mob mentality. M and Fury are powerfully eloquent in that regard.

[milk]

Great stuff!

Thread Duty:

Last night, A Fish Called Wanda and The Conversation, both of them perfect movies  0:)

The Conversation! Brilliant flick!

[James]

Suspiria
1977 ‧ Mystery/Horror ‧ 1h 40m

Suzy (Jessica Harper) travels to Germany to attend ballet school. When she arrives, late on a stormy night, no one lets her in, and she sees Pat (Eva Axén), another student, fleeing from the school. When Pat reaches her apartment, she is murdered. The next day, Suzy is admitted to her new school, but has a difficult time settling in. She hears noises, and often feels ill. As more people die, Suzy uncovers the terrifying secret history of the place.

[asin]B077MYF46D[/asin]

[Karl Henning]

The Conversation! Brilliant flick!

My first watch;  not surprisingly, spurred by the Perfect Movie thread.  Marvelous.  That it is a great film, and that the story was engaging to the last, did not surprise me.  I was a little surprised a how introverted and repressed Hackman's character is, compared to Brill in Enemy of the State.

Thread Duty:

Yesterday—Apocalypse Now! (1979 original release, i.e., fade to black, no closing credits) and Sabrina (Hepburn/Bogart/Holden . . . of course).

[André]

I enjoyed this film, with its depiction of a world closed to the outside world. Spectacular scene of the Red Shoes ballet. Great performance from Anton Walbrook.



A masterpiece, albeit one that, oyster-like, doesn't lend itself to easy enjoyment. Numerous cinematic parallels are like signposts that raise questions as well as provide clues. Wiene's Caligari and Bergman's Through a Glass, Darkly and Shame come to mind.

[Karl Henning]

Watched Dunkirk, very much enjoyed it.

[Cato]

(Jessica Harper) 

Jessica Harper (Oh my!       )   did her best in another strange movie, Brian DePalma's rock 'n' roll comedy-horror satire Phantom of the Paradise, which rather viciously satirized its intended audience....which led to it not doing very well!

https://www.youtube.com/v/M-9arBm8pOk

Incredible performance by Gerrit Graham as a wild rock singer named BEEF!

https://www.youtube.com/v/6CTNV0jmbqg

[bhodges]

The Opera House (2017, dir. Susan Froemke) -- A terrific documentary about the Metropolitan Opera, specifically, the period in the 1950s and 1960s when the company was making the transition from the old house to the new one.

The archival footage is abundant and memorable, showing NYC during that time, and the razing of the west side neighborhood that paved the way for Lincoln Center.

But the highlights are sequences with Leontyne Price, who (incredibly) turns 91 next month. Whether singing or cracking jokes, she is a joy.

--Bruce

[Ken B]

Local Hero (1983)

Peter Riegert, Burt Lancaster.

Pleasant but unexciting.

[aligreto]

Signs....





I have always liked this film.

[blablawsky]

Brakhage's Dog Star Man. I haven't finished it yet. I like that he doesn't make assumptions that are unnecessary for his films. I wonder what he might've done with VR.

[aligreto]

Brighton Rock....





Good, old school English film making; worth a watch.

[SimonNZ]

[Daverz]

Out yesterday with wife and friends, to see



A very good film, recalling the Coen brothers' style.
The first half is outstanding, the second a bit less but anyway a very good film indeed.

I tried to stream this with Kodi, but it I got The Missouri Breaks instead.  Well, I'd never seen that before, with its bizarre Marlon Brando performance, so I kept watching.

Was finally able to find the Billboards movie, but baled out about 50 minutes in.  Awful, bullshit writing.

[pjme]

A film that tries hard not to be a cheap horror movie  - and it isn't one. But rarely have I left a cinema with such an unpleasant feeling. It is a painfull & trying experience, mixes dry, ice cold humor with an increasingly shocking awareness of doom.
A contemporary Greek tragedy (cfr. Iphigenia) ? Possibly. Still - for me at least - I wasn't totally convinced. But the shock value is high.
P.

[milk]

I couldn't pass up the temptation to revisit the story of Elian Gonzalez. This is pretty good documentary. A little bit "by the numbers" and a little bit too long but it captured the madness. In the Cuban community of the film, you have people who are so clearly wrong yet possessing absolute faith in the rightness of their side. SPOLER ALERT: The irony is SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER that Elian (SPOILER), in the end, [SPOILER] grows up to be the same way for the other side. 

[SimonNZ]

Disappointing on so many levels. A silly story, poorly written, with numerous plotholes and tedious pacing. And weirdly, insultingly, sexist.

[SonicMan46]

 

Disappointing on so many levels. A silly story, poorly written, with numerous plotholes and tedious pacing. And weirdly, insultingly, sexist.

Thanks Simon - decided not to see this film on the BIG screen - one reason too long - do own the original on BD and enjoy - there have been mixed reviews here and also elsewhere, e.g. inserted above are the Amazon commenters, 3+*/5* not great there - SO, I'm still considering a streaming option when available, but still not sure if the film would hold my interest?  Dave

[Spineur]

I enjoyed this film, with its depiction of a world closed to the outside world. Spectacular scene of the Red Shoes ballet.

Yes I saw this little wonder when it got reedited in BD, 6 years ago.  Fantastic evocations of the ballet russes Diaghilev and Nijinsky.  It is very special because the actors are real dancers.