Last Movie You Watched

[relm1]

Great film. Two scenes stood out for me, no, make that three. When Paul asking his dying friend  at the field hospital if he wanted anything and his friend requested cutlery, although unknown to Paul, not to eat food. When new recruits issued with uniform noticed not their tags but another name (dead) sewn in. Finally, entry of tanks into battle for the first time.

Yes, it captured imminent dread very well.  I think this was the first war to use tanks so you can imagine how unimaginably terrifying the sight and sound of those must have been.  I also loved the visual transformation of Paul.  At the start he looked so innocent and maybe 15 years old.  By the end, so weary and looking like 35 years old having endured so much misery.  The gradual decline was conveyed extremely well.  I also liked the extremely minimal music.  Sort of an evolution of Saving Private Ryan, itself scored very uniquely choosing to have no score during battles and only add a very light touch to the retrospective moments, never getting in the way of the already fine script, acting,  and directing.

[Karl Henning]

In his pomp I had an obsession Rod Steiger, waited eagerly for each new film. Such presence and charisma.

What a hoot in The Loved One!

[SonicMan46]

Last night a 4K UHD upgrade Amazon streamer:

A League of Their Own (1992) w/ the cast ensemble below - about the early days (during WWII) of the AAGPBL (see second quote from the Baseball Hall of Fame and a real picture of the lady players).  Although much fictionalized a fun movie of what some talented gals did during the war other than putting in rivets -     Dave

A League of Their Own is an American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The film stars Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, Rosie O'Donnell, Jon Lovitz, David Strathairn, Garry Marshall, and Bill Pullman. A League of Their Own was a critical and commercial success. In 2012, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". (Source)

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the United States. Over 600 women played in the league, which consisted of eventually 10 teams located in the American Midwest. In 1948, league attendance peaked at over 900,000 spectators. The most successful team, the Rockford Peaches, won a league-best four championships. The 1992 film A League of Their Own is a mostly fictionalized account of the early days of the league and its stars. (Source)

[Irons]

What a hoot in The Loved One!

Steiger could do blockbusters or art films, comedy or horror, each role so different from the last. Brilliant as Napoleon in Waterloo and tragic in The Sergeant, I think his greatest performance was The Pawnbroker.
After typing this I have a mind to revisit these great films. Been too long. 

[Karl Henning]

Anyone remember my saying that Peter Shaffer's Amadeus is a brilliant stage play, but the problem with the movie is that viewers mistake it for a documentary?

The Biggest Inaccuracy In Tár — Plus 7 Things The Film Gets Right
A professional violinist breaks down the movie's many wins.

[Madiel]

I still haven't seen Tár (it's on the to-do list, how could I as an Australian miss Cate Blanchett totally dominating a film?), but it has fascinated me how people get the impression it's about a real person. I wonder what it is about the film's style, even the style of its advertising, that keeps giving that impression.

I admit to having an initial uncertainty when I first heard about the film, so there must have been something in the presentation. Unlike some people though, I checked!

[Roasted Swan]

I still haven't seen Tár (it's on the to-do list, how could I as an Australian miss Cate Blanchett totally dominating a film?), but it has fascinated me how people get the impression it's about a real person. I wonder what it is about the film's style, even the style of its advertising, that keeps giving that impression.

I admit to having an initial uncertainty when I first heard about the film, so there must have been something in the presentation. Unlike some people though, I checked!

To be fair if DG are promoting a disc with a cover like this......



I kind of get that some folk for whom in any case CM has an aura around it anyway might be taken in.  To be fair any actor famous for a specific role will tell stories of being approached by members of the public who believe they are the person they've seen on the screen.  Of course Cate Blanchett isn't a conductor (duh!!!) she's Queen of the Elves - EVERYONE knows THAT!!!!



although folk do forget that in fact she premiered her Tar character there too.....

[Madiel]

To be fair any actor famous for a specific role will tell stories of being approached by members of the public who believe they are the person they've seen on the screen.

This is very true.

As for who Cate Blanchett is... well for me she was Lucinda first of all, and Queen Elizabeth, and the unknowing voice of doom Meredith Logue in The Talented Mr Ripley which I completely adore, and she turned out to be a better Bob Dylan than just about anybody, and she's been Richard II live on stage, and then there's the superb Manifesto where she is a hell of a lot of people and even does live crosses to herself as both newsreader and reporter.

To name a few.

[Wanderer]

...and then there's the superb Manifesto where she is a hell of a lot of people and even does live crosses to herself as both newsreader and reporter.

I think this is perhaps the most extraordinary thing she's done so far (along with Blue Jasmine and Tàr). Oh, that funeral oration!
Did you have the chance to also see Julian Rosefeldt's original concept of the work as a multiple-screen video installation? The impression one is left with is markedly different from the (eventual) film; it hits you even harder.

[Madiel]

I think this is perhaps the most extraordinary thing she's done so far (along with Blue Jasmine and Tàr). Oh, that funeral oration!
Did you have the chance to also see Julian Rosefeldt's original concept of the work as a multiple-screen video installation? The impression one is left with is markedly different from the (eventual) film; it hits you even harder.

Yes, I originally saw the installation, in Melbourne. Having it as a linear film isn't quite the same. There's no doubt the impact of having Cate Blanchett close-ups synchronised all over the room is something you can't replicate on a single screen, even though he kind of tries.

After I bought the DVD I realised he has the separate pieces on his website. I actually asked if he had any plans to release them more widely in that form and the answer was no.
https://www.julianrosefeldt.com/film-and-video-works/manifesto-_2014-2015/
 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Sleepily watched Centurion whilst trying not to hack away (My stupid cough is driving me bananas!  At least my hearing is getting better).  From Wiki:

Centurion is a 2010 British historical action-war film written and directed by Neil Marshall,[2] loosely based on the disappearance of the Roman Empire's Ninth Legion in Caledonia in the early second century CE. The film stars Michael Fassbender, Dominic West and Olga Kurylenko. It received mixed reviews and performed poorly at the box office, only earning half of its $12 million budget.

I found it to be quite unengaging (though I realize that I wasn't feeling my best).

PD

[relm1]

Anyone remember my saying that Peter Shaffer's Amadeus is a brilliant stage play, but the problem with the movie is that viewers mistake it for a documentary?

It's one of my favorite films though realizing it's fiction.  Similarly, I love Kaufman's The Right Stuff but it gets none of the history or characters right.  It's historical fiction but does a great job of engaging story telling and caricatures of some of the real people. 

[SonicMan46]

Despite being court room drama fans, a movie below that we missed - bought as a 4K UHD on Amazon:

Primal Fear (1996) w/ cast below and brief synopsis.  Astounding performance by the young Edward Norton in his debut performance - I'd go 4*/5* on Amazon - highly recommended especial for Norton's role.  Dave

Primal Fear is an American legal thriller film directed by Gregory Hoblit, based on William Diehl's 1993 novel of the same name, and written by Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman. It stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney, John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand and Edward Norton in his film debut. The film revolves around a Chicago defense attorney who believes that his altar boy client is not guilty of killing an influential Catholic archbishop. (Source)

 

[71 dB]

To be fair if DG are promoting a disc with a cover like this......

Elgar? Looks like the Cello Concerto, excepts mostly. I saw the trailer for this movie when I went to see The Fabelmans and I am 100 % sure there wasn't any Elgar playing in the trailer.

[DavidW]

Elgar? Looks like the Cello Concerto, excepts mostly. I saw the trailer for this movie when I went to see The Fabelmans and I am 100 % sure there wasn't any Elgar playing in the trailer.

It is the cello concerto.  In the movie, she allows one of the new members of the orchestra to perform the solo as a classic abuse of power.

[Karl Henning]

It's one of my favorite films though realizing it's fiction.  Similarly, I love Kaufman's The Right Stuff but it gets none of the history or characters right.  It's historical fiction but does a great job of engaging story telling and caricatures of some of the real people. 

Agreed that they're both good entertainment!

[SimonNZ]

Quite a lot of fiction, particularly in the last half hour, which is more fiction than fact. The sets and costumes are old school clumsy, as is Korngolds score. But Bette Davis performance is still remarkable all these years on.

Hadn't known this was in color, one of the initial big impact 1939 colors, along with Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind and Robin Hood.

[Karl Henning]

Quite a lot of fiction, particularly in the last half hour, which is more fiction than fact. The sets and costumes are old school clumsy, as is Korngolds score. But Bette Davis performance is still remarkable all these years on.

Hadn't known this was in color, one of the initial big impact 1939 colors, along with Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind and Robin Hood.

Fascinating!

[SonicMan46]

   

Quite a lot of fiction, particularly in the last half hour, which is more fiction than fact. The sets and costumes are old school clumsy, as is Korngolds score. But Bette Davis performance is still remarkable all these years on.

Hadn't known this was in color, one of the initial big impact 1939 colors, along with Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind and Robin Hood.

Recently, I upgraded this film to BD (inserted above - 5* rating for visual restoration HERE) - lot of interesting info at the link below including the quotation about Davis not wanting Flynn for the Essex role - Dave

Davis had lobbied for Laurence Olivier to play the part of Essex, but Warner Brothers, nervous at giving the part to an actor who was relatively unknown in the United States, instead cast Errol Flynn, who was at the height of his success. Davis felt he was not equal to the task, and also believed from past experience that his casual attitude to his work would be reflected in his performance. For her own part, she studied the life of Elizabeth, worked hard to adopt a passable accent, and shaved her hairline to achieve a greater resemblance. Many years later, however, Davis viewed the film with her friend, Olivia de Havilland. At the film's end, Davis turned to de Havilland and admitted, "I was wrong, wrong, wrong. Flynn was brilliant!" (Source)

[SonicMan46]

Amazon had this film for $5 USD as a 4K UHD streamer, so an easy decision:

Moneyball (2011) - synopsis below w/ cast - based on a true story about the 2002 Oakland Athletics and their manager Billy Beane (pic below, right) - ratings: 7.6, IMDB; 94%, Rotten Tomatoes; 4.7/5* Amazon - I'd do a 4* vote on the latter site - recommended if you're into baseball movies. Dave

Moneyball is an American sports drama film directed by Bennett Miller with a script by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin from a story by Stan Chervin. The film is based on the 2003 nonfiction book by Michael Lewis, an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team's 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane's attempts to assemble a competitive team. In the film, Beane (Brad Pitt) and assistant general manager Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), faced with the franchise's limited budget, build a team of undervalued talent by taking a sophisticated sabermetric approach to scouting and analyzing players. Philip Seymour Hoffman also as Art Howe. (Source)