Last Movie You Watched

[Bogey]

This has not been posted by a forum member in the past week, so I thought I would watch it:



Is Billy Wilder my all time favorite director when it comes to judging on a full body of work?  Maybe.  This film is just one more in a line of incredible movies from him.  Not only that, but his range is unbelievable.  Sunset Blvd to The Apartment.  Double Indemnity to Sabrina.  The list goes on.  The above blu treatment by the folks at Criterion gets two thumbs up and I have not even dug into the extras.  Having seen Ace a number of times, I cannot help but be more and more impressed with the brief moments that Frank Crady makes an appearance.  He is outstanding and Wilder knows how to place him perfectly to represent the entire crowd.  Brilliant!



He would go on later to play Sam Drucker in Petticoat Junction

[Karl Henning]

Was he in Green Acres, as well?

[Bogey]

Was he in Green Acres, as well?

Indeed, but that pales to his work on The Million Dollar Duck.

[Ken B]

Enthusiastically recommended:  Parade's End, Tom Stoppard's HBO adaptation of Ford Maddox Ford's Good Soldier and successor novels.  Superb material insightfully adapted and splendidly produced. The characters are alive, complex and compelling.  They occupy a gray zone that will have you thinking about them (perhaps arguing about them with others or with yourself) for days afterwards.  Some of the best "TV" I've seen outside of the Wire.  I'm not a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock, but he so excels in this difficult role, his performance compels me to look at that series again.  This is literature, history, sociology, and psychology wrapped-up in a five-part mini-series you ought not miss.  Magic Dragon Five Star Award.

[asin]B00BOTCJXC[/asin]

The Good Soldier is one of my favourite novels. I liked it better the second time, which is rare. But it is not I think part of the PE tetrology.
Anyhoo, on my watchlist. And I should buy the PE series.

[Daverz]

Enthusiastically recommended:  Parade's End,

I found it hard to enjoy this one.  I just couldn't understand the motivations of the characters.  I wanted to slap the Cumberbatch character.  You're married to Rebecca Hall. Stop moping.

[SonicMan46]

Indeed, but that pales to his work on The Million Dollar Duck.

Bill - love the Ace in the Hole - posted on the BD not too long ago - actually I've so far explored few of the extras on the blu ray offerings - must correct that soon!

As to the film above - I've never seen it!  Dave

[Bogey]

Classic...during my youth.  It seemed to pop up once a year during the summer as a matinee at the local theater.  I wonder how many of those type of movies Dean Jones made.

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

I found it hard to enjoy this one.  I just couldn't understand the motivations of the characters.  I wanted to slap the Cumberbatch character.  You're married to Rebecca Hall. Stop moping.

Daverz - you said it precisely - it is at first hard to enjoy because you want to smack sense into some of the characters.  But for old school Christopher Tietjens (Cumberbatch character) it's manners over desires, even at times common sense.  This is what makes the program so damned compelling, and his performance so gripping and, incidentally, so historically informed, as that approach to life had its own role to play in WWI.  Rebecca and Benedict are calling to you, Daverz, "Give us another chance!  You won't regret it."  (Besides, you don't want to miss the saucy bits...)

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Love this one.  Outside of the comedic/Chaplain/sometimes clowning moments (which are good), the love story that unfolds is one of the best on film, IMO.

IIRC, Chaplin himself considered it his magnum opus.

[SonicMan46]

Classic...during my youth.  It seemed to pop up once a year during the summer as a matinee at the local theater.  I wonder how many of those type of movies Dean Jones made.

Bill - check his credits on IMDB - too many to even count and I've missed most of them (BUT - did I miss much?) -   Dave

[Moonfish]

Enthusiastically recommended:  Parade's End, Tom Stoppard's HBO adaptation of Ford Maddox Ford's Good Soldier and successor novels.  Superb material insightfully adapted and splendidly produced. The characters are alive, complex and compelling.  They occupy a gray zone that will have you thinking about them (perhaps arguing about them with others or with yourself) for days afterwards.  Some of the best "TV" I've seen outside of the Wire.  I'm not a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock, but he so excels in this difficult role, his performance compels me to look at that series again.  This is literature, history, sociology, and psychology wrapped-up in a five-part mini-series you ought not miss.  Magic Dragon Five Star Award.

[asin]B00BOTCJXC[/asin]

Watched it last year and loved it! Enthusiastically concur with your Magic Dragon Award.  I have been thinking of going back to it for a rerun so perhaps your post will compel me. Alas, I have not read the novel.     How does it compare?

[Drasko]

The Sandhamn Murders - quite decent Swedish detective series in gorgeous setting of Stockholm Archipelago, not quite the Lassgard Wallander but probably on par with Henriksson's. Interesting concept - three 45 minutes episodes constitute a story arc (i.e season). Three seasons are made so far.

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

Watched it last year and loved it! Enthusiastically concur with your Magic Dragon Award.  I have been thinking of going back to it for a rerun so perhaps your post will compel me. Alas, I have not read the novel.     How does it compare?

I somehow conflated Good Soldier with the four-book series - often avail. as an omnibus - this production is based on.  Parade's End is based solely on the latter.  Julian Barnes - not given to idle praise - provides excellent background for the novels here, calling them a "masterpiece" :  http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/24/julian-barnes-parades-end-ford-madox-ford   As for Good Soldier I read it long ago and as Ken says it surely rewards a second read and have purchased a copy to do so.  Dunno if I'll get to Parade's End (text) or not - I may have a contract upcoming to research and write a biography - business-related - some dollars to buy new CDs with but much work and less time to listen and post, I fear.  The HBO series surely rewards a second viewing as well and will do that for certain.   

[Ken B]

I somehow conflated Good Soldier with the four-book series - often avail. as an omnibus - this production is based on.  Parade's End is based solely on the latter.  Julian Barnes - not given to idle praise - provides excellent background for the novels here, calling them a "masterpiece" :  http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/24/julian-barnes-parades-end-ford-madox-ford   As for Good Soldier I read it long ago and as Ken says it surely rewards a second read and have purchased a copy to do so.  Dunno if I'll get to Parade's End (text) or not - I may have a contract upcoming to research and write a biography - business-related - some dollars to buy new CDs with but much work and less time to listen and post, I fear.  The HBO series surely rewards a second viewing as well and will do that for certain.

Yeah, based on Z7 and MF I will watch the series. (Is Cumberbatch the only guy in England legally allowed to star in things?) But should I read the book first? Do I have time to, it's like 900 pages for the whole series. Decisions decisions.
Anyway let me re-iterate how very good The Good Soldier is.

[George]

Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Don't recommend it.




Liked it, but didn't feel it was a "classic" or a great film.




With this cast, this should have been way better. Instead it was almost ok.

[Karl Henning]

Last night:  Being John Malkovich

[TheGSMoeller]

Last night:  Being John Malkovich

Charlie Sheen's best film! 

[Karl Henning]

Charlie Sheen's best film! 

Forsooth!

And I should have recognized Orson Bean!

[TheGSMoeller]

Forsooth!

And I should have recognized Orson Bean!

What a good role that was. Sort of reminded me of Leslie Nielsen from Airplane/Police Squad/Naked Gun, the type of acting required to deliver nonsense dialogue with a serious tone and straight face.

I think I may watch this film today, possibly followed by Adaptation, another Spike Jonze film that is absurdly brilliant!

[Brian]

I think I may watch this film today, possibly followed by Adaptation, another Spike Jonze film that is absurdly brilliant!

The first time I watched Adaptation was near the end of a bottle of wine, and I couldn't believe what was happening on screen was real. The next morning I read the movie's Wikipedia page and discovered, wow, I didn't hallucinate that, that was the actual movie!