Last Movie You Watched

[André]

Last October I watched Zéro de conduite and L'Atalante. This weekend I watched À propos de Nice, Taris and the Criterion supplements. These include a fascinating TV program by Eric Rohmer interviewing François Truffaut on Vigo and particularly L'Atalante. What a brilliant and keen intellect Truffaut was. By contrast Rohmer appears rather snob and conventional. There is also a 1964 98 minute film/interview of 'survivors' (actors, technicians, producer) of L'Atalante that sheds fascinating light on Vigo's creative genius. I was surprised to see how much influence photographer Boris Kaufman had on Vigo's work (he shot all his films except for the short Taris). Kaufman was the younger brother of Dziga Vertov (Man with a Movie Camera) and the influence of Vertov's Kino-Pravda movement is quite obvious in À propos de Nice, for which Kaufman is also credited as co-director.

This is one of the most illuminating items in the Criterion collection.

[SimonNZ]

I haven't seen that one but will seek it out. Thanks for posting.

Perhaps the most famous Jancsó film is:


Which I first saw many years ago and was quite knocked out by it.  Can't imagine the Russians would have been too thrilled by its depiction of Hungarian nationalism crushed under a brutal autocracy.

Thanks for that. I'll see if I can track it down.

The local dvd store had two others of his, and I've got this one out to watch with a friend this coming weekend:

[aligreto]

I Kill Giants





This is ostensibly a fantasy film but it also works, successfully, for me on other emotional and psychological levels as the two worlds are successfully interwoven. I found it to be well written and presented with wonderful performances from all concerned, particularly from Madison Wolfe. It is a tad slow to develop but it is well worth staying with it if you are in the mood for something just a little different. I certainly enjoyed it.

[milk]

This is a pair. I like Judd Hirsch falling down drunk and River Phoenix breaking into a home to play Beethoven on the family piano. The above doc was great too.

[SonicMan46]

OSCARS 2021 - SOME SURPRISES!

Well, we decided to watch this year's Oscar Show, a mixture of online and social distancing, the latter at Los Angeles' restored historic Union Station - went from 8 PM to 11:15 PM EST with way too many commercials!  The presentation was OK (I'd probably do a 3*/5* rating - this morning on NPR, several of the guests discussing the show gave lower ratings) - the main surprise was switching the order of 'Best Actor' and 'Best Movie' which I thought was stupid, but the prediction was that the now departed Chadwick Boseman would win the acting Oscar; well, the award went to Anthony Hopkins in The Father - having seen both films, I agree that Hopkins deserved the honor more, but just my two cents?

Below from HERE, the winners of the major Oscars, including a delighted Chloé Zhao for Best Director of Nomadland, also voted Best Picture. We had seen nearly 4 of the best film nominations (started the '....Chicago 7' and turned off), the others Nomadland, Mank, and The Father.  Believe that we had made wise decisions, i.e. those three won at least 7 Oscars, and are worth a watch - cannot comment on the others up for the award.  Dave

[Brahmsian]

OSCARS 2021 - SOME SURPRISES!

Well, we decided to watch this year's Oscar Show, a mixture of online and social distancing, the latter at Los Angeles' restored historic Union Station - went from 8 PM to 11:15 PM EST with way too many commercials!  The presentation was OK (I'd probably do a 3*/5* rating - this morning on NPR, several of the guests discussing the show gave lower ratings) - the main surprise was switching the order of 'Best Actor' and 'Best Movie' which I thought was stupid, but the prediction was that the now departed Chadwick Boseman would win the acting Oscar; well, the award went to Anthony Hopkins in The Father - having seen both films, I agree that Hopkins deserved the honor more, but just my two cents?

Below from HERE, the winners of the major Oscars, including a delighted Chloé Zhao for Best Director of Nomadland, also voted Best Picture. We had seen nearly 4 of the best film nominations (started the '....Chicago 7' and turned off), the others Nomadland, Mank, and The Father.  Believe that we had made wise decisions, i.e. those three won at least 7 Oscars, and are worth a watch - cannot comment on the others up for the award.  Dave

Also watched it from beginning to end, Dave.

It was a 2.5 or 3 out of 5.  I don't like how they zip through the In Memoriam segment in lightning speed.  They could have skipped a few things altogether (like the ridiculous game of identify the tune and whether it was nominated for an Oscar, won an Oscar, or neither).  Skip that segment to allow more time to read the "In Memoriam" names.

The switching of the order of the best actors, directors and best pictures was quite odd.

Under a normal (non-COVID) film year, I doubt several of these films would have been Oscar nomination worthy, particularly "Promising Young Woman".  It was an ok, entertaining film, but definitely not Oscar worthy (and I say this as a big Carey Mulligan fan).  My two cents.   

Glad Nomadland won, and especially Frances McDormand.

[SonicMan46]

Hi Ray - well, I could deduct for the incessant commercials, and completely agree about the memorial tribute - could not even read the entire names of many, especially those that I did not know.  Also agree w/ your other comments about elimination of a number of the scenes (although Glenn Close was cute dancing -  ).   ; but glad that we did stream the ones watched. AND some 'records' set, e.g. Anthony Hopkins being the oldest 'Best Actor' nominated in a competitive category and Choé Zhao, as 'Best Director' , second woman to win but first 'ethnic female' winner also.  Dave

[Karl Henning]

I wish I'd been able to watch Great Expectations before doing an exam on it in school. It would have saved several months of tiresome reading.

That's the trouble, when it's for school, it's a chore.  I read it as a non-student, and loved it. Like Twain's dictum:  work consists of what a body is obliged to do, play of what a body does free of obligation ....

[Karl Henning]

Hi Dave,
Interesting stories and comments there. Thank you. I am a very long term fan of Hopkins so I look forward to seeing this one.

Have you seen Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Fergus?

[SimonNZ]

Tonight, and into tomorrow morning -

The entire Bourne (Damon/Renner) series, including the newest one from 2016, which I've never seen before, so I am very excited for that.

Perennial favorite "pizza movies" in my house.

[aligreto]

The Martian





I believe that I may have seen this film before, but I am not sure. A small number of scenes seemed familiar but that may have been in some trailer that I saw. It is neither a great film nor a poor one. I will probably watch it again in the future simply because I will have forgotten again that I have already watched before.

[aligreto]

Have you seen Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Fergus?

No, Karl, I have not.

[Karl Henning]

Geo. Cukor's David Copperfield

[Wanderer]

...including the newest one from 2016, which I've never seen before, so I am very excited for that.

Don't be, it's not very good.

[Karl Henning]

Don't be, it's not very good.

Another instance of a successful franchise being milked dry?

[steve ridgway]

The Exception. Interesting war mystery involving events around the exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II and including a truly repulsive Himmler.

[SonicMan46]

A Few Good Men (1992) w/ Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, et al - a favorite courtroom film of mine that I watch at least once a year - I own the BD but had some iTunes credit and decided to replace with the 4K UHD digital version - just streamed and looks fabulous; review HERE w/ 4.5/5 ratings for video and sound; trying to clear out some of my optical storage space, so will donate the BD.

[Karl Henning]

A perennial favorite of ours: William Wyler's Roman Holiday. Score by Georges Auric.

[Cato]

Excellent movie from 1951 about German P.O.W.'s being turned into spies for the allies late in World War II:

Decision Before Dawn





Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner, and Hildegard Knef and the rest of the cast give great portrayals of people spying on and surviving in Germany c. late 1944-1945. Filmed in Germany amid the rubble still there in the early 1950's.


Script by Peter Viertel, a German-American who was in the ancestor of the C.I.A. (O.S.S.) during World War II.

[Karl Henning]

Excellent movie from 1951 about German P.O.W.'s being turned into spies for the allies late in World War II:

Decision Before Dawn





Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner, and Hildegard Knef and the rest of the cast give great portrayals of people spying on and surviving in Germany c. late 1944-1945. Filmed in Germany amid the rubble still there in the early 1950's.


Script by Peter Viertel, a German-American who was in the ancestor of the C.I.A. (O.S.S.) during World War II.

Nice!