What was the last film you watched?

[DallasFanForever]

The Bystander Theory (2013)

It's rather like what you'd get if early Melrose Place had done an episode based on JFK conspiracy theories. It's all a bit stiff and clunky and earnest and feels very much made for Lifetime.

The lead actress looked and sounded exactly like a genetic hybrid of Jill Eikenberry and Josie Bissett.

I’ve never heard of this one Mel but I’m definitely going to check this out. This might be up my alley. I’ll just go in with low expectations.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I’ve never heard of this one Mel but I’m definitely going to check this out. This might be up my alley. I’ll just go in with low expectations.

Hope you enjoy it, DFF. It may be best to think of it as a made for TV romantic drama with a bit of JFK stuff thrown in here and there. That way you're less likely to be disappointed.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Hope you enjoy it, DFF. It may be best to think of it as a made for TV romantic drama with a bit of JFK stuff thrown in here and there. That way you're less likely to be disappointed.

I gotcha! Luckily I’m more than used to disappointment in the cinematic department.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Luckily I’m more than used to disappointment in the cinematic department.

Ha ha. I can relate to that.

Never mind. At least most of my recent disappointments have been free on Prime.

 

[Angela Channing]

Army of The Dead (2021)

This film is a part zombie apocalypse part money heist film with elements of comedy, horror, thriller, sci film and dystopian future thrown in. It should have be a bit of a mess but instead it was a thrilling edge of the seat ride which I really enjoyed.

 

[Sarah]

I watched Lesser Things with Denzel Washington - wasn't really in the mood for it and was very unfocussed. Not sure why they were charging 15.99 on Prime for it (I got it for 4.49)

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Basmati Blues (2017)

Added to my watchlist for no other reason than Tyne Daly is in it (as if that's not enough), I knew nothing about this film before diving in. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The musical aspect was a surprise and I wasn't sure at first as the lip synching which made me think of Glee, (I think it was autotuned as well). And I don't think Brie Larson - who did most of the singing - has a very good voice. But as it progressed, I came to view the film as a live action version of a classic Disney film. The way it was shot and the rhythms of the film had a very similar tone to the Nineties Disney Animated Classics. Then it all started working for me.

While I've heard of Brie Larson for her role as Ms. Captain Marvel, I don't believe I've watched anything with her. Likewise, the male romantic lead, Utkarsh Ambudkar. They were both likeable enough.

Familiar faces come in the forms not just of Tyne, but also Donald Sutherland and Scott Bakula. The very idea of a duet between Tyne and Donald is slightly mind-boggling, but there it was:

Apparently the film - and especially the trailer - came in for flak for presenting an outdated image of India. Shame, because I experienced it to be a nice gentle film with nods to Bollywood. Romantic musical comedies aren't really renowned for being a true reflection of any society. By their nature they're old-fashioned and unrealistic.

 

[Willie Oleson]

The Unholy

Ooooh...I want to see this!

 

[Angela Channing]

Crimes and Misdemeanours (1989)

I always think Woody Allen films are hit or miss, with more misses that hits, but in my opinion this is one of his best film. Two unconnected stories of men in unhappy relationships. In one story, the Martin Landau character arranges for his mistress to be murdered when she insists he leaves his wife for her or she will expose his affair and wrong-doings and in the other story the Woody Allen character is in a loveless marriage who becomes attracted to a character played by Mia Farrow when they work together on a film documentary. The casting is spot on with great supporting support from Angelica Houston as the mistress and Alan Alda as the arrogant documentary subject but the outstanding performance is by Martin Landau. The Woody Allen story is has some real laugh out loud moments while the Martin Landau story is a tragic drama chronicling the decline of a respected medical professional. The 2 stories briefly come together when both men are invited to the same wedding and they share a scene together.

 

[Angela Channing]

Remember (2015)

I only became aware of this film when @Mel O'Drama mentioned it on this thread. I'm watching a few of Martin Landau films at the moment and I'm a Christopher Plummer fan so it was high on my list of films to watch next. Both Men were in their mid 80s when they made this film and they both gave compelling performances. It's a really good film with a surprise ending that I never saw coming.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Kaw (2007)

A weird, Sci Fi Channel dumbed down remake of The Birds, with roles now played by actors most of whom look and act like former teen drama actors.

The film itself was a drag. The 1963 film put Kaw's effects to shame. And in between the uninteresting attacks came a lot of deathly dull angsty town drama.

I dare anyone not to chortle when they earnestly explain that the reason the CGI ravens are killing everyone is because they've developed a taste for cattle suffering from Mad Cow disease.

It's a really good film with a surprise ending that I never saw coming.

I'm glad you liked it, Angela. That was quick work. I only watched it myself ten days ago.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Justice League (2017)

My first time. With the way this film was panned (I watched the original version, not the Snyder Cut) I had a feeling it was going to be pretty awful.

Actually, I really enjoyed it. It probably helps that I'm not a hardcore fan of superhero films. I haven't watched The Avengers, so I'm not directly comparing this with its contemporaries, and I'm able to enjoy it on its own merits. Not being part of the fanbase means I haven't bought into that "one mind" thing where I assimilate others' criticisms of the film and form an "opinion" before watching. I have no real opinion about Joss Whedon and Zach Snyder and so I don't care who directed which scenes just so long as I enjoy the finished product. And because I'm not twelve, I don't fear being uncool because Whedon's version isn't rated 18.

I still had a couple of my own issues with the film, mostly based on my comics-reading childhood.

Like, why is Lois Lane a redhead with Kardashian vocal fry? And why is Barry Allen a brunette twink when he's traditionally been a muscular blonde grown man? The film version - with his wide-eyed enthusiasm over tagging along with Batman - might as well have been Robin. It's a little odd that he's far younger than Cyborg when comics Cyborg was teammates with Barry's young sidekick in The New Teen Titans. All the same, I found this new young Barry Allen very endearing. It's difficult not to like him.

My stomach turned when I saw Amber Heard's name in the credits. How is she still appearing in films? I can't see her without thinking of the recording of her psychologically abusing her partner and of that deposition video. Fortunately she and her righteous anger appeared in just one short scene.

Ben Affleck makes a surprisingly good Bruce Wayne. He's a contender for my favourite Batman. Great to see Jeremy Irons in the cast as well.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Perfect Host (2010)

Oh my. This was like going down the rabbit hole.

I had no idea of the film's genre and little of the premise, and so the initial twist (there were many) really grabbed me. It's a cracking little film, difficult to define and worth watching with the least amount of information possible.

Here's the least spoiler-y trailer I can find (but I'd still advise going in blind):

 

[DallasFanForever]

Ben Affleck makes a surprisingly good Bruce Wayne. He's a contender for my favourite Batman.

I remember thinking that I just couldn’t see him playing that role. I honestly thought he wouldn’t make a great Bruce Wayne/Batman at all but I was wrong. He far exceeded my expectations.

 

[DallasFanForever]

The Perfect Host (2010)

Oh my. This was like going down the rabbit hole.

I had no idea of the film's genre and little of the premise, and so the initial twist (there were many) really grabbed me. It's a cracking little film, difficult to define and worth watching with the least amount of information possible.

Here's the least spoiler-y trailer I can find (but I'd still advise going in blind):

And I’m not sure what to make of this movie from the preview but I have to say this does look intriguing to me.

 

[Seaviewer]

I remember thinking that I just couldn’t see him playing that role. I honestly thought he wouldn’t make a great Bruce Wayne/Batman at all but I was wrong. He far exceeded my expectations.

Same thing happened when Michael Keaton was announced for the '89 movie. There was a great outcry at first but he's since become one of the most popular in the role.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I remember thinking that I just couldn’t see him playing that role. I honestly thought he wouldn’t make a great Bruce Wayne/Batman at all but I was wrong. He far exceeded my expectations.

I probably felt similarly. Especially when I associate the actor with a different superhero role (I have similar feelings with Chris Evans as Captain America, though I haven't seen that performance yet).

With Ben as Batman, it helps that I wasn't too fussed about Christian Bale who seems to be popular with many fans, so I didn't have that hurdle to overcome.

Same thing happened when Michael Keaton was announced for the '89 movie. There was a great outcry at first but he's since become one of the most popular in the role.

I feel quite fortunate that I had no idea who Michael Keaton was. Batman was the first time his name registered with me at all.

And I’m not sure what to make of this movie from the preview but I have to say this does look intriguing to me.

It's really difficult to describe without spoiling it, but I thought it was cleverly disorientating. Every time I thought I knew what was about to happen the rules changed again.

David Hyde Pierce was really good in it. It's quite a dark film at times, but there's a humour to his performance that keeps him likeable, and he embraces the weirdness of it all, right down to the bizarre scene where he gets funky to Rose Royce's Car Wash.

 

[Toni]

I just watched this movie, "Tape". It´s a compelling 3-character play filmed for big-screen by Mr. Hawke, his (then) wife Uma Thurman and his friend Sean Scott. Not too surprising, but the performances are very very good.

 

[Angela Channing]

Ed Wood (1994)

This is the third Martin Landau film I've watched recently and this is the one for which he won his Oscar. From the moment the film starts and the camera moves around the graves in a cemetery and each gravestone bears the name of a different member of the film's cast, you know this is a stylish film. This telling of the story of the man voted the worst director ever is at times funny and moving and the film is far better than its poor box office returns would suggest.

 

[Jessie]

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