Last Movie You Watched

[Karl Henning]

My experience is itself mildly comedic.
Comedy of Terrors (1963) Vincent Price, Peter Lorre (his final film released before his death,  Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone and Joe E. Brown. Screenplay by Twilight Zone veteran Richard Matheson. (For all these reasons appealing to me.) I found a copy on Amazon, but it proved no good for US machines. Tonight I watched a copy available through the Minuteman Library System. And tonight it dawned on me: it's a Kino Lorber release, so why don't I check their site. And, ka-ching!
Also, following up on Nuremberg from last night, we watched Valkyrie, which the artists in my life enjoyed as much as I.

[Cato]

My experience is itself mildly comedic.

Comedy of Terrors (1963) ...

...we watched Valkyrie, which the artists in my life enjoyed as much as I.

Comedy of Terrors RAWKS! 

Yes, Valkyrie was an excellent depiction of the "Generals' Plot" to assassinate Hitler.

Before there was Un Secreto de Esperanza there was Trick. Before Trick there was Hackers. Before Hackers there was Newsies.



I still know all the songs, and I still cry in all the same places. I don't care what anyone says; I will always love it. This is the first movie that I obsessively watched.

My daughter (12) at the time loved Newsies also.  As I recall critics did not like it very much, but I thought it was fun and energetic!


Recently, we have not seen much because of the chaos from another house-remodeling job in the Winter, but we have squeezed these in:

Clockwise (1985)

Just a very funny and very wild ride with John Cleese, for whom the movie must have been written, as it fits his pompous yet manic style perfectly.

He plays a micro-managing Headmaster, who is obsessive about punctuality: "The key to knowing who we are, is to know where we are, and WHEN we are!"

Watch for a late 30-something Penelope Wilton as his ex-girlfriend.



A quite different movie...from Poland, with excellent dubbing into English:

Forgotten Love (in Polish, however, the title translates as The Quack)

Based upon a 1930's novel, the story shows the class consciousness and the divide between the upper-class and peasants (and everyone else) at that time.  A fairly famous surgeon is attacked, suffers amnesia, and ends up wandering the Polish countryside doing medical procedures, although he does not understand how he has such abilities.

Excellent movie!  Found on Netflix!

[Karl Henning]

Godzilla (1954)

[KevinP]

Godzilla (1954)

As is often the case, a great movie bastardised by its own franchisisation.

[KevinP]

Marty Supreme

Great acting. Engaging dialogue. But the skeleton of the story was yet another The Hustler/Queen's Gambit retread. The meat added to that skeleton was good at least.

[Karl Henning]

As is often the case, a great movie bastardised by its own franchisisation.

Curiosity overcame an ancient and lazy prejudice, and I checked out the 7-disc Criterion edition. I find the original very touching, which was a warm surprise. The returns did diminish, matching expectations.

[Karl Henning]

Comedy of Terrors RAWKS! 

I think I learnt of it first via the Richard Matheson, Storyteller featurette. I think I recall an early title for Comedy of Terrors being Graveside Story. And yes,  Comedy of Terrors is every bit as much fun as I had expected. I need to find Clockwise at the Library.

[Karl Henning]

Also, following up on Nuremberg from last night, we watched Valkyrie, which the artists in my life enjoyed as much as I.

The ladies have been game to continue on this theme, so we watched Conspiracy (2008) Ken Branagh, Stanley Tucci, Colin Firth & al. last night. One bureaucrat's experience was TFW you realize that the Führer's "personal assurance" was BS. Tonight we'll watch Schindler's List.

[KevinP]

Curiosity overcame an ancient and lazy prejudice, and I checked out the 7-disc Criterion edition. I find the original very touching, which was a warm surprise. The returns did diminish, matching expectations.

I have the single-disc Criterion. Watched it once when it came out and again last year. The others, barring CGI-era ones, I saw when I was a kid.

The first one is really about something. It has a story to tell, and it's a pretty grim one: a horror movie for the nuclear age. The rest, so far as I can recall, were just 'further adventures of...'-type stories.

[Madiel]

Clockwise (1985)

Just a very funny and very wild ride with John Cleese, for whom the movie must have been written, as it fits his pompous yet manic style perfectly.

He plays a micro-managing Headmaster, who is obsessive about punctuality: "The key to knowing who we are, is to know where we are, and WHEN we are!"

Watch for a late 30-something Penelope Wilton as his ex-girlfriend.

Clockwise is a total hoot.

But the Wikipedia page does spend some time explaining how the writer says he didn't have any notion of casting, and complains that nobody believes he didn't specifically intend it for Cleese. 

[Karl Henning]

I have the single-disc Criterion.

I recently fetched that singleton in, hence the re-watch.

[Madiel]

The Sound of Music (1965) and, 60 years later, Nazis are still relevant:

I recently saw a meme which said that growing up watching The Sound of Music and Cabaret had led the person to believe the rise of fascism would have more show tunes.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I have the single-disc Criterion. Watched it once when it came out and again last year. The others, barring CGI-era ones, I saw when I was a kid.

The first one is really about something. It has a story to tell, and it's a pretty grim one: a horror movie for the nuclear age. The rest, so far as I can recall, were just 'further adventures of...'-type stories.

Today, a great majority of people consider either the first Godzilla or Godzilla Minus One the best of series. Arguably (and distantly), Shin-Godzilla would be third best.

[Daverz]

Today, a great majority of people consider either the first Godzilla or Godzilla Minus One the best of series. Arguably (and distantly), Shin-Godzilla would be third best.

8-year old me didn't make these distinctions.  I would watch any Japanese monster movie.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

8-year old me didn't make these distinctions.  I would watch any Japanese monster movie.

I personally like Mechagodzilla!

[Belle]

"The Last Angry Man", 1959, Paul Muni, David Wayne, directed by Daniel Mann, cinematography James Wong Howe.  A beautiful film, fabulously acted by Muni and wonderfully directed.  Thoroughly recommended:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MV3x1VsBLU

[Roasted Swan]

I recently saw a meme which said that growing up watching The Sound of Music and Cabaret had led the person to believe the rise of fascism would have more show tunes.

"Springtime for Hitler & Germany"

Pure Genius

[Madiel]

Newsies



A semi-musical story about the 1899 newspaper boy strike in New York. Starring a rather young Christian Bale.

It's not a great movie, but it's bad in interesting ways. I think the real issue is that it's released in 1992 but feels like it comes from the 1950 or 60s. It has the tone of Mary Poppins. Everything is rather cheesy (including the thick New York accents) and the performances tend to be highly theatrical (though only Robert Duvall is genuinely bad). In some ways I've not surprised that it found some later success as an actual musical because the film doesn't feel much like a film.

The director, Kenny Ortega, was a choreographer and this definitely shows. He's directed a few more since.

[Philo]

Just finished watching The Mighty Ducks trilogy - I loved seeing the kids grow up - and I especially liked how Iceland was the villain, lol - I know there is probably a hockey reason, but it was a great choice - and all that slicked back hair like they were Gecko from Wall Street.



Movies designed to make you feel good after watching. I was worried about 3, but it was awesome to see how much the kids had grown - plus, they are all the same movie, ultimately. Well worth your time, if you want some good family friendly fun.

[Philo]

Homeward Bound 1-2



Neither of these movies aged very well, I was pretty disappointed as I recalled liking both when I was a kid. The voice acting, in particular, I found irritating, and the human acting was equally annoying. I couldn't suspend my disbelief, and I felt no nostalgia whatsoever.