Last Movie You Watched

[Karl Henning]

John Carpenter's The Fog.

[Karl Henning]

John Carpenter's The Fog.

Even better the second time. 

[DavidW]

Even better the second time.

I haven't watched that in a long time... perhaps due for a rewatch.

[SonicMan46]

Another DVD > HD Amazon streamer purchase last night:

The Freshman (1990) w/ Marlon Brando, Matthew Broderick, and others - short summary below; Brando spoofing his 'Godfather' roles; great rapport between the two main stars - Maximilian Schell as the chef and Bert Parks the emcee are also hilarious - ratings generally good: 94%, Rotten Tomatoes; 3*/4* Maltin; 3+*/4* Ebert - the latter's review HERE (w/ some discussion of the negative then retracted Brando comments) - recommended!  Dave

P.S. not to be confused w/ the 1925 classic silent film of the same name starring Harold Lloyd, which I've not seen in decades.

The Freshman is an American crime comedy film written and directed by Andrew Bergman, and starring Marlon Brando, Matthew Broderick, Bruno Kirby, Penelope Ann Miller, and Frank Whaley. The plot revolves around a young New York film student's entanglement in an illicit business of offering exotic and endangered animals as specialty food items, including his being tasked with delivering a Komodo dragon for this purpose. (Source)

 

[Karl Henning]

Another DVD > HD Amazon streamer purchase last night:

The Freshman (1990) w/ Marlon Brando, Matthew Broderick, and others - short summary below; Brando spoofing his 'Godfather' roles; great rapport between the two main stars - Maximilian Schell as the chef and Bert Parks the emcee are also hilarious - ratings generally good: 94%, Rotten Tomatoes; 3*/4* Maltin; 3+*/4* Ebert - the latter's review HERE (w/ some discussion of the negative then retracted Brando comments) - recommended!  Dave

P.S. not to be confused w/ the 1925 classic silent film of the same name starring Harold Lloyd, which I've not seen in decades.

 

Smiling just at the thought of Brando and Broderick together. 

[SonicMan46]

Any Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn fans? They made 9 films together (1942-67) shown in the list below (I own 5' either as BDs or HD Amazon streamers). My favorites are probably Adams Rib & Pat & Mike; not a big fan of Guess Who..., dated now IMO - here's a RANKING that reflects my own, BUT there are a lot of different lists. 

Last night I bought the HD streamer State of the Union from Amazon (not sure I've seen before?) - seems to end up in the middle of the rankings, but we enjoyed.  Ratings: 80%, Rotten Tomatoes; 3+*/4*, Leonard Maltin; 3+/4, VideoHound; 7.2/10, IMDB - directed by Frank Capra and worth a watch for a different take on their other more comedic films.  BTW, Angela Lansbury was only 23 y/o (made up to look in her 30s) and was just outstanding in the movie.  Dave

Tracy-Hepburn Films (own in italics)
Adam's Rib (1949)
Desk Set (1957)
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Keeper of the Flame (1942)
Pat and Mike (1952)
Without Love (1945)
Sea of Grass (1947)
State of the Union (1948)
Woman of the Year (1942)

 

[relm1]

Smiling just at the thought of Brando and Broderick together.

You know what's crazy??  Broderick looks the same as he's looked since 1980's. Voodoo I say! 

[Roasted Swan]

You know what's crazy??  Broderick looks the same as he's looked since 1980's. Voodoo I say! 

Not the last film I watched but Matthew Broderick in "Glory" is excellent along with of course Denzel Washington (who won an Oscar for his role here) and Morgan Freeman and of course James Horner's tremendous score

[DavidW]

I watched a movie that seriously messed with my head.  It is dark, violent and upsetting.  Watch only if you have the will:

[SonicMan46]

Out of the Past (1947) - first quote a short synopsis w/ the main cast; one of the best of the 'film noir' films - for those unfamiliar w/ the genre, second quote a brief description (link given), and their list of the top 15 noir movies - owning about two-thirds of these films, I'd probably bump this one up a few notches - excellent 4*/4* Roger Ebert review. I've always found Jane Greer 'irresistible' despite her being a nasty femme fatale - highly recommended!  Dave

Out of the Past is a film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Daniel Mainwaring from his 1946 novel Build My Gallows High, with uncredited revisions by Frank Fenton and James M. Cain. Its complex, fatalistic storyline, dark cinematography, and classic femme fatale garnered the film critical acclaim and cult status. In 1991, the National Film Preservation Board at the Library of Congress added Out of the Past to the United States National Film Registry of "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" films. (Source)

From 1941 to 1959, American audiences were captivated by melodramas about hard-boiled detectives, dangerous dames, and pulpy mysteries with literary origins. It's a style that would later be known as film noir. Many of the movies in that classic film noir era-inspired cinema for decades to come. In recognition of that, we've compiled a list of the best film noir movies of all time — not only from a critical perspective but also by their influence on the genre and beyond. (Source)

- list below is the link's compilation of their top 15 'film noirs' (own about 2/3 of the list below, marked by an *)

01 - Double Indemnity (1944)*
02 - Sunset Boulevard (1950)*
03 - The Third Man (1949)*
04 - In A Lonely Place (1950)*
05 - Touch of Evil (1958)*
06 - Out of the Past (1947)*
07 - White Heat (1949)
08 - The Big Heat (1953)
09 - Sweet Smell of Success (1957)*
10 - The Big Sleep (1946)*
11 - Gilda (1946)*
12 - The Maltese Falcon (1941)*
13 - Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
14 - Nightmare Alley (1947)
15 - The Asphalt Jungle (1950)*

 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Any Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn fans?

Yes!   

PD

[Franco_Manitobain]

I watched a movie that seriously messed with my head.  It is dark, violent and upsetting.  Watch only if you have the will:

Looks interesting. I'm generally a fan of David Cronenberg, but less familiar with his son's work, although I have seen Antiviral and thought it was pretty decent.

[Karl Henning]

Out of the Past (1947) - first quote a short synopsis w/ the main cast; one of the best of the 'film noir' films - for those unfamiliar w/ the genre, second quote a brief description (link given), and their list of the top 15 noir movies - owning about two-thirds of these films, I'd probably bump this one up a few notches - excellent 4*/4* Roger Ebert review. I've always found Jane Greer 'irresistible' despite her being a nasty femme fatale - highly recommended!  Dave

Thanks for the tip/reminder, Dave.

[Karl Henning]

01 - Double Indemnity (1944)*
02 - Sunset Boulevard (1950)*
03 - The Third Man (1949)*
04 - In A Lonely Place (1950)*
05 - Touch of Evil (1958)*
06 - Out of the Past (1947)*
07 - White Heat (1949)
08 - The Big Heat (1953)
09 - Sweet Smell of Success (1957)*
10 - The Big Sleep (1946)*
11 - Gilda (1946)*
12 - The Maltese Falcon (1941)*
13 - Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
14 - Nightmare Alley (1947)
15 - The Asphalt Jungle (1950)*

Disclosure: of the "bottom five" here, I've only seen the Falcon. This fact won't stop me from expressing disappointment at the omission of Mankiewicz's No Way Out (1950)

[Brian]

Disclosure: of the "bottom five" here, I've only seen the Falcon. This fact won't stop me from expressing disappointment at the omission of Mankiewicz's No Way Out (1950)

No Maltese Falcon?! I recently saw Asphalt Jungle for the first time and, along with a stoic lead role for Sterling Hayden and a cameo by Marilyn Monroe, the main attraction is a careful, methodical robbery/heist scene that created the template for all heist movies after it. The overall tone is quite sour and cynical but that's noir for ya. It was a good watch.

[Karl Henning]

No Maltese Falcon?! I recently saw Asphalt Jungle for the first time and, along with a stoic lead role for Sterling Hayden and a cameo by Marilyn Monroe, the main attraction is a careful, methodical robbery/heist scene that created the template for all heist movies after it. The overall tone is quite sour and cynical but that's noir for ya. It was a good watch.

I meant, I've seen Falcon, but not the other four. Sorry to have been unclear. I really ought to see the remainder.

[Brian]

I meant, I've seen Falcon, but not the other four. Sorry to have been unclear. I really ought to see the remainder.

Oh, you were not unclear at all, I was just bad at reading  I didn't have breakfast, that must be the problem...I'll log off now... 

[SonicMan46]

Disclosure: of the "bottom five" here, I've only seen the Falcon. This fact won't stop me from expressing disappointment at the omission of Mankiewicz's No Way Out (1950)

Hi Karl - I've missed a few in that list - saw No Way Out on release years ago and is described as 'neo-noir' from its Wiki article below - 'film noir' basically covered the years 1941-1959 and films made more recently w/ similar themes seem to fall into a 'neo-noir' genre? Checked for a list of 'neo-noir' films - 50 best HERE by one list.  Dave

No Way Out is a 1987 American neo-noir political action thriller film directed by Roger Donaldson and starring Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Will Patton, and Sean Young... The film is based on the 1946 novelThe Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing, previously filmed as The Big Clock (1948) and Police Python 357 (1976). (Source)

[Karl Henning]

Hi Karl - I've missed a few in that list - saw No Way Out on release years ago and is described as 'neo-noir' from its Wiki article below - 'film noir' basically covered the years 1941-1959 and films made more recently w/ similar themes seem to fall into a 'neo-noir' genre? Checked for a list of 'neo-noir' films - 50 best HERE by one

I guess, Dave, if "classic noir" is 1941-1959 ... why would Mankiewicz's 1950 No Way Out be left out?

[SonicMan46]

Last night, another film noir movie in my collection (as a Criterion BD) and on the previous 'best' list:

Sweet Smell of Success (1957) - short synopsis below w/ cast - Burt & Tony play their roles as 'rotten scumbags' perfectly; ratings: 8/10, IMDB; 98%, Rotten Tomatoes; 3 1/2*/4*, Maltin; and 4*/4*, Roger Ebert (his review HERE, if interested) - yet another recommendation.  Dave

Sweet Smell of Success is an American film noir drama directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin Milner, and written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman, and Mackendrick from the novelette by Lehman. The shadowy noir cinematography filmed on location in New York City was shot by James Wong Howe. The musical score by Elmer Bernstein with jazz performances by the Chico Hamilton Quintet. The film tells the story of powerful and sleazy newspaper columnist J.J. Hunsecker (Lancaster) who uses his connections to ruin his sister's relationship with a man he deems unworthy of her. (Source)