Last Movie You Watched

[VonStupp]

The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor
John Candy, George C. Scott, Billy Barty

Never saw this one before, only the 70's original. I am sure it followed the media's love of everything Australian around that time. Found out what a Goanna is from this Fox and the Hound-style villain's henchman.

The Bruce Broughton soundtrack improves upon its dated original.
VS

The Rescuers (1977)
Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor
Geraldine Page, Bernard Fox, Dub Taylor

A Scarecrow and Mrs. King style investigation by two United Nations secret society mice.

Despite accolades, I find the 70's animation dull and dreary. The kidnapping and mistreatment of an orphan girl is an unusually dark plot point too.

Antagonist Madame Medusa reminds me of a mix between Cruella de Vil and Carol Burnett in Annie; they call her sleazy in the film, and they wouldn't be wrong.

The 70's ballad soundtrack was an unusual, and now dated, choice.

VS

[Karl Henning]

One I watch only once in a while: Citizen Kane. 

[Todd]

Oppenheimer.  Finally got around to watching the most recent Best Picture winner.  First the biggest minuses.  The almost relentless use of music underlining almost every scene is dreadful.  It does not add drama or impact or anything.  Tom Conti playing Albert Einstein is one of the worst casting choices since Anthony Hopkins played Richard Nixon.  (Conti could probably pull off Samuel Clemens, though.)  The female characters are terribly written.  Visually, the movie lacks the pizzaz of Nolan the Greater's more visually impressive movies.  The plusses are down to a few things.  First, some expert cinematography keeps the eyes satisfied about half the time, with great use of optical only focus falloff in some scenes, and kitschy but visually impactful high key black and white in other scenes.  Second, three actors do good work.  Cillian Murphy was pretty darned good.  Robert Downey, Jr was better yet.  Best of all, in his one small but crucial scene, was Gary Oldman as Harry Truman.  One easily gets past the lack of physical resemblance here to absorb what is one of the key messages of the film.  Overall, this is a middle of the pack Nolan movie.  I'd say it's a weak Best Picture, but that not only is not true, but Best Picture winners rarely are close to being the best movie released in any given year.

[DavidW]

but Best Picture winners rarely are close to being the best movie released in any given year.

Yeah I stopped watching the Oscars long ago, it just doesn't mean anything.  It is just Hollywood celebrities patting themselves on the back.  I did really like the movie though.

[NumberSix]

Ghostlight
9/10

Wow. I'm kind of speechless. An examination of family, grief, loss, art, and friendship. The first time I cried was when they were dancing to "Under Pressure". (I'm getting a little teary now as I think of it.)

That wasn't the last time I cried. Or laughed.

Kinds of Kindness

Oof. I hated it.

I can't really point to why. Acting great. Cinematography great. But it was ridiculously long, for one thing; if I'd been wearing a watch, I would have been checking it constantly. And while on paper nothing pleases me more than the idea of nekkid Emily Stone, Margaret Qualley, and Hunter Schafer, I'm really over Lanthimos and his need for "edgy" nudity and sexuality. It's just tiresome at this point.

And the whole thing is bleak AF.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Into the Storm.

[drogulus]

    Dept. of Cinematic Art

   

    Well, I did it. The Other One saw The Giant Claw as a youngster (so did I) and got scared. Last night we watched the film and super enjoyed it. The whole matter/antimatter thing was immediately familiar. The deeply unspecial effects were, too.

     

     Yeah, so no sequel. I dearly hope they don't remake this masterpiece because they could hardly improve on it.

[Karl Henning]

Dept. of Cinematic Art

   

    Well, I did it. The Other One saw The Giant Claw as a youngster (so did I) and got scared. Last night we watched the film and super enjoyed it. The whole matter/antimatter thing was immediately familiar. The deeply unspecial effects were, too.

   

    Yeah, so no sequel. I dearly hope they don't remake this masterpiece because they could hardly improve on it.

Ray Harryhausen?

[ritter]

Yesterday, after many years, rewatched Fellini's La dolce vita, with my son (who was watching it for the first time).



An extraordinary achievement!

[Karl Henning]

Yesterday, after many years, rewatched Fellini's La dolce vita, with my son (who was watching it for the first time).



An extraordinary achievement!

Superb!

[drogulus]

Ray Harryhausen?

    It's sub-sub-Harryhausen, and all the more magnificent for it. 

[ritter]

Superb!

Buona sera, Karl!

[Cato]

Ray Harryhausen?

No, and the movie is...controversial, let us say:

e.g.

"...film writer and historian Bill Warren commenting, "This would have been an ordinarily bad movie of its type, with a good performance by Jeff Morrow, if the special effects had been industry standard for the time. That, however, is not what happened. The Claw is not just badly rendered, it is hilariously rendered, resembling nothing so much as Warner Bros. cartoon-character Beaky Buzzard. Once seen, you will never forget this awesomely silly creation".[8]

[drogulus]

No, and the movie is...controversial, let us say:

e.g.

    There's no controversy I'm aware of. 

    Morrow is quite good. You'll remember him for his performance in This Island Earth as Exeter.

[Karl Henning]

It's sub-sub-Harryhausen, and all the more magnificent for it. 

I saw that a bunch of Harryhausen is available on Tubi. Maybe this is, too.

[Karl Henning]

It's sub-sub-Harryhausen, and all the more magnificent for it. 

A "trashterpiece?"

[drogulus]

I saw that a bunch of Harryhausen is available on Tubi. Maybe this is, too.

    It's easy to find.

    If I can be briefly serious, many contemporary films are technically sophisticated but lack charm. Is there such a thing as dreary fun? You remember The Giant Claw for more than 60 years, as ridiculous as it is.

A "trashterpiece?"

     Not really. It belongs in a separate unnamed subcategory. A trashterpiece would be something like Scarface or Starship Troopers. These are trashy films that are good. You can defend them on solid grounds. The Giant Claw is wonderfully indefensible.

[Cato]

There's no controversy I'm aware of. 

 

True: I was being ironic!    And if there were a controversy, it would be over how "unspecial" the "special effects" were! 


Recently:





Again it seems like we just saw this movie!  (1997!)

A "small" movie looking at a struggling family: excellent performances all around.

Peter Fonda plays a beekeeper, who is emotionally restrained and trying to keep his dysfunctional family together, along with handling the increasing problems in bee-keeping.

The movie finds the epic in everyday life!

Highly recommended!

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

My Neighbor Totoro.

[NumberSix]

A Family Affair (2024)

The new Netflix romcom starring Joey King and Nicole Kidman (and Zac Efron, whose head seems quite enormous) is what it is. Has its cute moments, some manufactured conflict, and everything working out in the end more or less.