Last Movie You Watched

[Bogey]

Still styling.

[Ken B]

Still styling.

A lonely place.

[Bogey]

Good film.

[George]

Good film.

Indeed.

Me:



Ended well, but should have been a lot better.

[Bogey]

You know, another 20 years added to you my friend and you could be Simmons' stunt double.

[George]

You know, another 20 years added to you my friend and you could be Simmons' stunt double.

If i look that good in 20 years, I will thank my lucky stars. 

[Bogey]

If i look that good in 20 years, I will thank my lucky stars.

Oh, you got this.  I, on the other hand, am just trying to prevent any late Orson Welles.

[listener]

bought in 2008, but I don't remember seeing it, another Shaw Bothers film from 1970
THE SHADOW WHIP with the stars of a previous success Come Drink with Me, Cheng Pei-Pei and Ku Feng
Lots of wire work (no one goes through a door it they can leap over a wall, one dismemberment, lots of impaling.  Extra marks for coming in under 80 minutes with a relatively straightforward plot of deception and revenge.

[SonicMan46]

A couple of BD replacements for tonight:

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) w/ James Cagney, Walter Huston, Joan Leslie and many others - one of my favorite films, of course, w/ a lot of patriotic overtones - superb restoration - 4.8/5 for both video & audio, the latter particularly important in this film (Source).

Coming Home (1978) w/ Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, & Bruce Dern - Oscars for the two main stars - Dave

 

[Corey]

Watching Assignment 3 of Sapphire & Steel (1979-1982) -- the air of menace and unease this show is able to conjure with such limited resources (not many special effects, extremely minimal sets) is just incredible. Some fantastic character acting from Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous) and David McCallum (The Man from UNCLE).

[TheGSMoeller]

Birdman

Finally watched it, available to rent today. I was mesmerized by every frame of this imaginative, visually stimulating and quirky human tale. Emmanuel Lubieski has pretty much cemented himself as one of the best cinematographers; and the acting is darn near flawless. It somehow has made most of the 2014 films I've seen feel ordinary.

[Ken B]

Once Upon A Time In The West.

[TheGSMoeller]

Once Upon A Time In The West.

My favorite western. Even if it is spaghetti. 

[Brian]

Birdman

Finally watched it, available to rent today. I was mesmerized by every frame of this imaginative, visually stimulating and quirky human tale. Emmanuel Lubieski has pretty much cemented himself as one of the best cinematographers; and the acting is darn near flawless. It somehow has made most of the 2014 films I've seen feel ordinary.

I felt that way pretty much until the last 20 seconds, which really annoyed the crap out of me. (Maybe that's a personal issue. I hate supernatural stuff and it felt too much like "aha, aren't we being provocative?".) And I guess I could have done without some of the other fancy touches, like the random jellyfish.

The acting was phenomenal, and Edward Norton in particular was such a delight that it's a pity he doesn't figure into the last few scenes.

[Drasko]

aka Cemetery Man

[asin]B004NRN2WO[/asin]

[Ken B]

My favorite western. Even if it is spaghetti.

I'm not generally big on spaghettis, but despite its flaws I liked this. I think in large part because it is so overtly directed. There are all sorts of interesting ways the story is told visually, many striking visuals without flash or bang or sweeping vistas (or godawful cgi). Just the way you see something. Eisenstein still.

[TheGSMoeller]

The acting was phenomenal, and Edward Norton in particular...

Yes, he deserves the same attention that Keaton has been receiving. Possibly Norton's best role to date.

[Corey]

Wings of Honneamise (AKA Royal Space Force) (1987)

A nice somewhat slowly-paced unique sci-fi anime film -- no giant robots, interstellar travel, time manipulation or any of that. The gorgeously-rendered world is an alternate-universe Earth that is subtly different enough in detail (written language, the shapes of buildings, the clothing, religion, etc) to seem alien. No great struggle against an all-powerful malevolent supernatural force, just a very human story about doubt, facing ridicule, and the politics of exploration.

[SonicMan46]

Over the last few nights, I've been testing out a new DVR that Time-Warner installed (these machines seem to die on me every 3-4 years) - first two shows watched below:

The Harder They Fall (1956) w/ Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling, and many other great character actors - Bogie as a 'washed up' boxing writer hired by Steiger - the coming together of different acting styles but seems to work out fine - Bogart's last film - worth a watch!

Exodus (1960) w/ Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Ralph Richardson, Peter Lawford, Lee J. Cobb, Sal Mineo, John Derek, and many others; Otto Preminger, director - this film is too long for me (3 1/2 hrs - watched over 2 nights); of course about the founding of Israel based on the Leon Uris book - beautiful on locale film making in Cyrus & present day Israel - kind of snubbed @ the Oscars, just 3 nominations (won for best score) - of the usual TOP Oscars, only Sal Mineo was up for best supporting actor and lost.  I don't plan to watch this film again and could do 3+ or possibly 4/5* on Amazon - NOW, if you have never seen the movie, then worth a watch (but stop @ the intermission and watch the rest the next night ) - Dave

 

[Drasko]