What was the last film you watched?

[Angela Channing]

Blonde (2022)

I know this film has come in for a lot of criticism including how it portrays Marilyn as being little more than a victim and how it exploits her memory. To some extent those criticisms are justified but it still is an engrossing and fascinating piece of film making. It's not a biopic, it's a fictional account of her life with a few true facts thrown in. The cinematography is stunning, Ana de Armas's performance is one of the best I've seen by a female actor this year and the script is masterful. I was captivated throughout and that's not always easy for a film that is almost 3 hours long.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

It's the tried and tested formula of the misfit "parents" but that doesn't change the fact that it is a very funny movie.
Yes, it could have been made in 1998 but not exactly this version.
This movie will make you feel very gay.

Ha ha. I watched this one for the first time last year and had this to say about it:

Unbelievably, I don't think I've ever watched Steve Coogan in anything. I've decided he's hilarious and will be keeping my eyes peeled for more of his stuff.

I'm sure Kevin Costner never expected to be discussed in this particular setting.

I can remember the scene, but not the exact dialogue. Apart from Dances With Wooooooooooolves?!!?

 

[KillerBob]

Halloween Ends.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Perfectly zany, perfectly brilliant.
It's funny that John Malkovich doesn't really play himself.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Everything that could have happened in this story....doesn't. It's basically a one-man show and although it's a good show it's not a very funny or intriguing one.
The roles for Dakota Fanning and Theo James are mostly passive and I think that's a shame.
I can't say I hate this movie but I wish I had watched something else instead.


The way this story escalates reminds me of CABIN IN THE WOODS.
I don't think I had ever seen a film starring Scarlett Johansson before.
And then there's Morgan Freeman giving a lecture on the human brain which I found kinda tranquilizing but in a very pleasant way.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I watched Bedknobs and Broomsticks last night.

Angela Lansbury was brilliant in it.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I don't think I had ever seen a film starring Scarlett Johansson before.

I watched this a couple of years ago and I think it was my introduction to Scarlett as well...

Best of all was that I knew absolutely nothing about the film going in. So every turn surprised me. And I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

 

[Angela Channing]

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

After watching the film Blonde (2022) recently, I felt inspired to watch a couple of Marilyn Monroe films that I hadn't seen before. My first choice was this one and although it feels very dated, it's a lot of fun and very entertaining. Marilyn plays a money digger who is after a man who can fund the lavish lifestyle that she desires and Jane Russell plays who friend who is after a man she finds physically attractive. That's basically all the plot which is held together by a series of musical numbers. The chemistry between the 2 leads is strong and they both play the comedy and musical numbers brilliantly. Although it's a frivolous musical comedy, It's also an empowering tale of 2 women using their wile and friendship to succeed in a world of men.

 

[Angela Channing]

Niagara (1953)

This film was far darker than I expected. Marilyn plays an unfaithful wife who plots to kill her husband but things don't go according to her plan. The film makes good use of the location although some shots were clearly created in a studio. Marilyn is a clever casting choice as she creates a softer and sympathetic character than would some of her contemporaries such as Kim Novak, Eva Marie Saint or the afore mentioned Jane Russell so although she is the villain, you can still sympathise with her plight. It's a good film and Marilyn proves was an accomplished dramatic actress.

 

[Toni]

View attachment 41313
Everything that could have happened in this story....doesn't. It's basically a one-man show and although it's a good show it's not a very funny or intriguing one.
The roles for Dakota Fanning and Theo James are mostly passive and I think that's a shame.
I can't say I hate this movie but I wish I had watched something else instead.

I watched both movies long ago. I kinda liked Richard Gere´s one (did you notice the gay vibes in some of his scenes with Theo?), but I have completely forgotten about "Lucy", except that it sounded like a "Dallas" spin-off.

 

[TaranofPrydain]

1978's A Wedding. One of those giant ensemble Robert Altman films, but unlike Nashville, it never fully comes together, although individual scenes sparkle, and there is a great cast; Carol Burnett, Paul Dooley, Mia Farrow, Dina Merill, Desi Arnaz Jr, Desi Arnaz Jr, Peggy Ann Garner, Margaret Ladd, Geraldine Chaplin, Vivika Lindfors, Dennis Franz, Vittorio Gassmann, and Lillian Gish.

 

[Willie Oleson]

A very funny movie about a narcissistic nitwit. His life is falling apart for various reasons and he's trying to understand it but his lack of focus makes it all delightfully chaotic - and sometimes uncomfortably recognizable.

 

[bmasters9]

Bullet Train

Action/adventure/comedy/thriller w/Brad Pitt, Joey King et al. (received my copy of the new DVD/Blu-Ray release; saw some last night, and the remainder today; pretty good piece, but has plenty of language and violence; the characters of Ladybug [Pitt] and Prince [King] are the best of the picture, IMO)

 

[Payton Cross]

I went yesterday to the cinema and watch "Halloween Ends"

 

[Angela Channing]

Luckiest Girl Alive (2022)

Mila Kunis plays a woman who initially seems to have a perfect life: she is about to marry the man she loves and she is a journalist in line to be offered her dream job working for the New York Times. However, all is not what she seems as she is forced to confront an episode from her past that returns to haunt her.

I'm not sure how much I can say about the plot without giving away what happens so I won't describe it in detail. Ms Kuni plays a character called TiffAni (the way the name is written is annoying) who as a girl survived a school shooting which killed several of her classmates and paralysed another who went on to be a politician. The involvement of the characters in the events leading up to shooting and if any of them should bear any of the responsibility for what happened unfolds over the course of the film. It could have been a tense thriller or an empowering story of a woman finding her voice after coming through a childhood horror but it's none of those things, it's more of tale of a victim navigating her new life and I felt this was a weak angle on what was an interesting story and missed opportunity for what could have been a better film.

 

[Biggie]

Bumblebee.

Quite frankly, a jolly good movie.
A car morphs into a robot? Why not!

 

[Mel O'Drama]

My double-feature matinee began with:

A Home Of Your Own (1965)

One of four silent films starring Ronnie Barker which appear on a Blu-ray I purchased recently. This one's great. As well as Ronnie B., there's Richard Briers, Bernard Cribbins, Peter Butterworth plus a whole load of familiar faces from British films of the era.

Making a silent film in 1965 seems like it could be quite a risky prospect, but it's pulled off admirably, and these films no doubt also paved the way for the likes of Mr Bean.

Some of the physical comedy is shocking today due to the flagrant lack of health and safety considerations. Ronnie Stevens comes off the worst in this department. His character falls several times into wet cement face first (while smoking a pipe), then gets a skip load of shingle dumped on him (and it is very visibly him) while sitting in a convertible. Finally, said convertible ends up being picked up by a crane, swinging vigorously while being lifted perhaps thirty storeys into the air and dumped on a high level... with Ronnie sitting (and at one point standing) in the car. I got acrophobic just watching.​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Next up yesterday afternoon was:

The Sitter (1977)

This is a short film that's been on my viewing bucket list for decades so it was exciting to finally see it. It's essentially the first twenty minutes of When A Stranger Calls, which came along two years later, with the same writer and director. From memory, the dialogue is identical and even many of the shots seem to line up. It's like watching a dry run with a different cast and set.

Truthfully, it's better than I expected. I knew it was low budget and I'd anticipated it feeling far rougher than it is.

When A Stranger Calls and When A Stranger Calls Back are on the same Blu-ray, so I'll get round to re-watching those in HD one of these days. In the meantime, this has hit the spot as a concession to pre-Hallowe'en viewing.

 

[Crimson]

Heading into Halloween week, I watched a couple long time horror favorites this weekend.

POLTERGEIST (1982) -- Although I watch it almost yearly, this was the first time in ages that I really paid attention to it (vs just something playing in the background). I can see why I loved it as a kid, but this is less of a horror film than a theme park attraction: some strobe lights and a few jump "scares", but not much else. On the plus side, I finally, after 40 years, figured out the dog's name ("E. Buzz").

FRIGHT NIGHT (1985) -- I think it's aging less well than the near contemporaneous THE LOST BOYS, I think it's one of the better vampire movies and one that find a good balance between horror and comedy.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Mesmerizing and wonderfully frustrating.
Everything's happening inside a car and I have no idea how they filmed this. People often praise camera work for pretty scenery (which shouldn't be too hard to do if the scenery is pretty) but this is something else.
Oh and by the way, even though this is a one-man show, Olivia Colman is STILL in it!! Needless to say she's also very good as a voice actor.