What was the last film you watched?

[Angela Channing]

Sincerely Yours (1955)

I had low expectations for this film but liked it much more than I thought I would. It was Liberace's first film and he's not the best actor in the world but he does a decent enough job and his natural charm and talent more than make up for his limited acting chops. The film wasn't just a series of set pieces of him playing the piano that are linked together by a weak storyline but it had a real plot.

I always thought Liberace was little more than a famous cabaret performer but this showed that he was a very accomplished pianist and included his very good rendition of Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, which is a very difficult piece of music to play, and a crowd pleasing version of Boogie Woogie.

 

[Seaviewer]

Batman (1943 movie serial)

The 1949 Batman and Robin serial was shown here on TV a number of times in the wake of the popularity of the Adam West show but this earlier one was said to be "lost" - obviously not, since both are now out on DVD.

You can see where producer William Dozier got a lot of his inspiration - the logo for one thing is almost identical - but it's played somewhat straighter and the fight scenes somehow don't seem right without the Nelson Riddle/Neal Hefti score.

 

[Jessie]

Cruel Peter -Horror flick

 

[Richard Channing]

Beautifully shot and great performances. A somewhat bizarre love story. I enjoyed it.

 

[Jessie]

Murdered at 17
TV movie

 

[Payton Cross]

I just saw Rampage with Dwayne Johnson, i really enjoyed it, it was just a fun and lovely popcorn movie.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Blinded By The Light (2019)

Kind of Muriel's Wedding meets Made In Dagenham meets East Is East. With a dash of Mamma Mia and Adrian Mole thrown in for good measure.

I loved it, and I'm by no means a Springsteen fan.

A few slight misfires with the style of language and delivery occasionally veering a little too much towards the contemporary. And for some reason the young teacher didn't work for me.

But the pure joy and heart of the film overcomes the minor shortcomings. It has a terrific cast: the young lead actor is incredibly endearing. And the Eightiesness made me feel very nostalgic. From the soundtrack to the recreation of those Eighties shopping centres and all the old BL and Vauxhall cars. I think @Ome would love it.

It's a really beautiful film.​

 

[Swami]

Mutiny On The Buses.

Swami

 

[Richard Channing]

I can't say I fully understood it, but it kinda blew me away. The performances are so raw and electrifying. It's unpredictable and original, quite an experience. And the flying scene around New York was wonderful. I never particularly enjoyed Michael Keaton, but his performance here in nothing short of astounding. As is Edward Norton's.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

I was a little apprehensive when I saw Bryan Singer was the director. I like his style, but feared a non-British director wouldn't get it. Mostly needlessly, I'm glad to say. I do think it pulled its punches and wasn't as dark or gritty as it could have been. It is a definite crowd-pleaser though, and has more feelgood rewatch value than I'd have expected. The Live Aid section was mind-blowingly perfect.

Having watched it a couple of days earlier, I feel Blinded By The Light had more emotion and also captured the tone of Eighties Britain more authentically (both perhaps, in large part, because it's also about "us" rather than "them").

Brian May saying "counterclockwise" in one of his first lines was rather jarring; as was Roger Taylor asking "are we done" (both of these from Brits in the early 1970s). Still, overall Bohemian Rhapsody had fewer language anachronisms or Americanisms than expected.
​

 

[Angela Channing]

The Yearling (1946)
I first watched this film over 30 years ago and I thought it was time for a second viewing. It took me all this time to realise the yearling in the title of the film wasn't the pet deer that Jane Wyman's character shot, but her son who was moving from the first years of his life into young adulthood. A good film.

 

[Angela Channing]

Cats (2019)
I think a lot of the criticism of this film has been overly harsh. The main problem with the film is the source material: it's based on a play with a very weak plot and very average songs. In a live performance with good production around it you ca get away with the flaws but in a film the weaknesses are exposed. The stand out performances were from Ian McKellen who brought genuine depth and emotion to his part and Laurie Davidson, who played Mr. Mistoffelees, as a more vulnerable and layered character to how it is usually played. The rest of the cast were just adequate. I wouldn't recommend it but the flaws are more down to Andrew Lloyd Webber's original play than the work of the film's director Tom Hopper.

 

[Richard Channing]

Great performances as you would expect from Anthony Hopkins and Jonathon Price, but at the end of the day it's little more than a manipulative and shameless PR exercise. A whitewashing of the real reasons for Pope Benedict's resignation, and a blatant attempt to paint Bergoglio as a saintly and heroic man of the people, which I just wasn't buying.

 

[Swami]

Holiday On The Buses.

Swami

 

[Willie Oleson]

THE VVITCH

The wicked twins are so funny!

 

[Payton Cross]

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (part 2)

 

[Seaviewer]

Cats (2019)

I wish they had gone with original proposal of a decade or two back and made it an animated movie with the voices of the the likes of Barbra Streisand.

 

[Angela Channing]

I wish they had gone with original proposal of a decade or two back and made it an animated movie with the voices of the the likes of Barbra Streisand.

I agree. The main problem with the film was that it stuck to closely to the stage show and they would have been better completely re-imagining it in a different form and ditching some of the weaker songs for new ones.

 

[Toni]

I watched this one last night, it was made for Netflix but it´s a movie, not a series. It belongs to the subgenre of "A.I. who might turn into the baddie (or not)", but with a lot of twists. Only three actresses in this, and one of them is the voice of a robot. Impressive production values, pacing, atmosphere and sets. Take a look at this if you are not too sensitive about post-apocalypse stories at this moment! Hillary Swank plays a supporting role but is fantastic!

 

[Angela Channing]

All That Heaven Allows (1955)

After re-watching The Yearling recently, I thought I would watch this film again for the first time in over 30 years. When I originally saw it I wasn't particularly impressed with it, maybe because the themes of the films went over the head of a young school boy. Watching it again as a adult, I think it's a near perfect film and a masterpiece of cinematic creation.