Last Movie You Watched

[Iota]

My goodness. When I have calmed down, I do want to see the color original, but the visual impact of the black-and-white version is stunning. Forgot that it had been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Spotlight won the latter, but this won six others, mostly in the tech categories, which it easily deserves. Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy are excellent (along with many in the big cast), but the director, George Miller, is the real hero here, creating an environment like no other, and managing what looks like an incredibly complicated project. (From the closing credits, it looks like about 2,000 people were on the film's payroll.) Not hyperbole: arguably the best action picture ever made, which is saying something.

Mad Max: Fury Road - Black and Chrome trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNykS4VlnwE&t=1s

--Bruce

That looks impressive.  Thanks for posting.

[LKB]

Great movie! Couldn't make that movie today, Dave!

Brother, you ain't kidding...

Blazing Saddles is probably the second-bravest film Mel Brooks made, with The Producers being the first. But in today's social climate, many evaluating both films might reverse that order.

In any event, it's been my no. 2 comedy for years, nestled between Airplane and Young Frankenstein.

It's interesting to watch reaction videos uploaded by folks who haven't seen the film before. Nearly all seem to " get it ", l've only seen one young African-American man who seemed disturbed at the usage of the n-word in the opening scene, which was unfortunate.

Mel Brooks is now 96 years old. I hope someone clones him before he exits stage right, because the film industry needs him, even if they don't quite believe it just now.

[Karl Henning]

Brother, you ain't kidding...

Blazing Saddles is probably the second-bravest film Mel Brooks made, with The Producers being the first. But in today's social climate, many evaluating both films might reverse that order.

In any event, it's been my no. 2 comedy for years, nestled between Airplane and Young Frankenstein.

It's interesting to watch reaction videos uploaded by folks who haven't seen the film before. Nearly all seem to " get it ", l've only seen one young African-American man who seemed disturbed at the usage of the n-word in the opening scene, which was unfortunate.

Mel Brooks is now 96 years old. I hope someone clones him before he exits stage right, because the film industry needs him, even if they don't quite believe it just now.

He's a National Treasure.

[Todd]

Sorry - my mistake - The Devil And Miss Jones is correct for the 1941 film w/ Jean Arthur - NOW, there is a porn film and soundtrack called The Devil in Miss Jones which came much later - have never seen the film nor heard the soundtrack - any comments from others?    Dave

The Devil in Miss Jones is an absolute classic.  The cinematography pays homage to the films of Fritz Lang and Orson Welles, and it fits in with the early 70s zeitgeist, displaying the same grittiness of masterpieces like The French Connection and Dirty Harry. 

[Karl Henning]

We might debate the wisdom (in terms of giving Burton the benefit of the doubt) of watching this when not only have I become morally prepared to overlook liberties he may have taken with Washington Irving in Sleepy Hollow, but I now now the source material of Dark Shadows better. But there it is. The things which underwhelmed or annoyed back on my first viewing have aged predictably poorly. Probably the best, and certainly the most nearly neutral liberty taken is rather a cute touch, actually: While on the train to Maine, the prospective governess rehearses her self-introduction, "Hello, I'm Maggie Ev—" and her eye catches sight of a travel poster for British Columbia, and she repeats, "Hello, I'm Victoria Winters." (In the original series, Maggie and Victoria are distinct persons, Victoria is indeed the governess, and Maggie is simply a resident of Collinsport.) Clearly meaning it simply as a vehicle for his wife, Helena Bonham Carter (a superb actress in possibly her least admirable turn) Burton made a mere cartoon character out of Dr Hoffman. There are more objectionable changes than merit mention, but the ending. Well, I'm not sure I can judge the ending, since I'm not sure I understand it. Except that it's some combination of disengaged laziness and bad story-telling. There! It's off my chest. Now to see whether Miss Winters actually gets tried for witchcraft in 1795.


Oh, yes! Sleepy Hollow. Will watch this later. I'm curiously hopeful: my sister says it's one of her favorites, and that it's a movie she and my brother-in-law occasionally re-watch together. Will report.

"Based on the Washington Irving story" ... was that how the credit read? It ought to have been phrased otherwise, really. No matter. I was already reconciled to the fact that it had nothing to do with Irving's story qua story, but only borrowed locale, characters, and the legend. That quibble laid aside, this was very good—and I am glad, as it helped clear away the bad taste left by Dark Shadows. I do think this may be the best thing I've ever seen Burton do.

[SimonNZ]

I've not seen Fury Road in either form. But time and time again I've seen people basically saying that in terms of action movie blockbusters, it's one of the very best.

Visually it's very impressive. But a great many plot devices that require you to completely disable your critical apparatus.  Even by action movie standards.

[Karl Henning]

Visually it's very impressive. But a great many plot devices that require you to completely disable your critical apparatus.  Even by action movie standards.

"Based on the Washington Irving story" ... was that how the credit read? It ought to have been phrased otherwise, really. No matter. I was already reconciled to the fact that it had nothing to do with Irving's story qua story, but only borrowed locale, characters, and the legend. That quibble laid aside, this was very good—and I am glad, as it helped clear away the bad taste left by Dark Shadows. I do think this may be the best thing I've ever seen Burton do.

You reminded me: Burton's screenplay is some distance from Washington Irving's Sketch Book. We stipulate that. The "Ichabod Crane, Super Agent" angle at the end gives your disbelief suspension a good stretch.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

The Woman with Red Boots.
Catherine Deneuve, Fernando Rey, et al.

[SonicMan46]

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - short synopsis below w/ the cast - love the music in this film, and the scene (2nd pic below) of the 'sirens' emerging from the river - Mia Tate, Musetta Vander, and Christy Taylor as the three "sirens". Their singing voices are dubbed by Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch (hard to beat that trio for this type of music!).

Now am I a 'big' fan of the Coen Brothers - they've made about 20 films and I own just 4 although have seen most - guess that I am a fan for the films they make that I enjoy - I'm sure others have varied thoughts.  However, 'O Brother...' would be a recommendation!  Dave

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a comedy drama film written, produced, co-edited, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen; it stars George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson. Chris Thomas King, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning have supporting roles. The film is set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression. Its story is a modern satire loosely based on Homer's epic Greek poem the Odyssey that incorporates social features of the American South. The title of the film is a reference to the Preston Sturges 1941 film Sullivan's Travels, in which the protagonist is a director who wants to film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a fictitious book about the Great Depression. (Source)

 

[Karl Henning]

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - short synopsis below w/ the cast - love the music in this film, and the scene (2nd pic below) of the 'sirens' emerging from the river - Mia Tate, Musetta Vander, and Christy Taylor as the three "sirens". Their singing voices are dubbed by Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch (hard to beat that trio for this type of music!).

Now am I a 'big' fan of the Coen Brothers - they've made about 20 films and I own just 4 although have seen most - guess that I am a fan for the films they make that I enjoy - I'm sure others have varied thoughts.  However, 'O Brother...' would be a recommendation!  Dave


 

Although, O Brother is not among the films of theirs which I own, I do like it, Dave. Will reserve it at the Library.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - short synopsis below w/ the cast - love the music in this film, and the scene (2nd pic below) of the 'sirens' emerging from the river - Mia Tate, Musetta Vander, and Christy Taylor as the three "sirens". Their singing voices are dubbed by Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch (hard to beat that trio for this type of music!).

Now am I a 'big' fan of the Coen Brothers - they've made about 20 films and I own just 4 although have seen most - guess that I am a fan for the films they make that I enjoy - I'm sure others have varied thoughts.  However, 'O Brother...' would be a recommendation!  Dave

Excellent movie!  One of the few movie soundtracks that I've purchased too. 

PD

p.s.  I've borrowed a couple of movies to watch, but with the US Open on, I'm not certain when I'll get around to watching them. 

[SonicMan46]

Excellent movie!  One of the few movie soundtracks that I've purchased too. 

PD

p.s.  I've borrowed a couple of movies to watch, but with the US Open on, I'm not certain when I'll get around to watching them. 

Hi PD - the music is probably my favorite part of the movie (and the 'sirens' emerging from the river -  ) - having lived in North Carolina since the early 1970s, I've been emerged in this music for decades and own a lot of the 'old time' stuff, and have read dozens of books over the same time - Dave

[Karl Henning]

That's a big favourite in this household.

There's a line in it - after the "sirens" episode, when one of the three (Pete) cannot be found, the other two jump to the conclusion that he must have been turned into a frog (obviously.)  So the two of them are bowling along in the car, frog on the seat beside them, and the Clooney character says - hesitantly - You know, I ain't sure that's Pete. This has become like our version of Occam's Razor - that the simplest explanation is probably the right one.  I ain't sure that's Pete.

(* chortle *)

[Karl Henning]

Thank you for this recommendation (and everyone else's seconding it!): watching it now, having never heard of it before, and am thoroughly enjoying it

Nice!

[SonicMan46]

Thank you for this recommendation (and everyone else's seconding it!): watching it now, having never heard of it before, and am thoroughly enjoying it

+1 - 

[LKB]

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - short synopsis below w/ the cast - love the music in this film, and the scene (2nd pic below) of the 'sirens' emerging from the river - Mia Tate, Musetta Vander, and Christy Taylor as the three "sirens". Their singing voices are dubbed by Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch (hard to beat that trio for this type of music!).

Now am I a 'big' fan of the Coen Brothers - they've made about 20 films and I own just 4 although have seen most - guess that I am a fan for the films they make that I enjoy - I'm sure others have varied thoughts.  However, 'O Brother...' would be a recommendation!  Dave


 

" Say, any of you boys smithies? "

The film's a hoot, and was the genesis of my decidedly tardy interest in country/ folk/ bluegrass performers, thanks to a friend who played the soundtrack for me one lazy summer day. Since l had dinner not long ago:

" Gopher, Everett? "

[SonicMan46]

Saving Mr. Banks (2013) - maybe not for everyone and hopefully those who are fans of Mary Poppins - brief summary below w/ cast - certainly some fictional liberties were taken (well explained in the link) but the flashbacks to the author's childhood are beautifully filmed (unfortunately not in Australia, but in Southern CA) - Susan and I were a little 'choked up' at the end, so emotions may emerge (or not?) - ratings were generally good: 7.5/10, IMDB, 79% Rotten Tomatoes - recommended especially for fans of Poppins (certainly me; wife less so).  Dave

Saving Mr. Banks is a biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock from a screenplay written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith. Centered on the development of the 1964 film Mary Poppins, the film stars Emma Thompson as author P. L. Travers and Tom Hanks as film producer Walt Disney, with supporting performances by Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Deriving its title from the father in Travers's story, Saving Mr. Banks depicts the author's tragic childhood in rural Queensland in 1906 and the two weeks of meetings during 1961 in Los Angeles, during which Disney attempts to obtain the screen rights to her novels. (Source)

 

[Karl Henning]

Saving Mr. Banks (2013) - maybe not for everyone and hopefully those who are fans of Mary Poppins - brief summary below w/ cast - certainly some fictional liberties were taken (well explained in the link) but the flashbacks to the author's childhood are beautifully filmed (unfortunately not in Australia, but in Southern CA) - Susan and I were a little 'choked up' at the end, so emotions may emerge (or not?) - ratings were generally good: 7.5/10, IMDB, 79% Rotten Tomatoes - recommended especially for fans of Poppins (certainly me; wife less so).  Dave


 

I may well have reported already, Dave: I enjoy this a great deal.

[SonicMan46]

I may well have reported already, Dave: I enjoy this a great deal.

Hi Karl - as with many of these films, likely has come up previously (and I probably posted on it before once or more times - nearly 10 years old now!) - but we greatly enjoyed and did touch us emotionally.  Dave

[Karl Henning]

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - short synopsis below w/ the cast - love the music in this film, and the scene (2nd pic below) of the 'sirens' emerging from the river - Mia Tate, Musetta Vander, and Christy Taylor as the three "sirens". Their singing voices are dubbed by Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch (hard to beat that trio for this type of music!).

Now am I a 'big' fan of the Coen Brothers - they've made about 20 films and I own just 4 although have seen most - guess that I am a fan for the films they make that I enjoy - I'm sure others have varied thoughts.  However, 'O Brother...' would be a recommendation!  Dave


 

Thanks for the reminder, Dave. I'd only watched it once, and it was high time I seed it agin.