What was the last film you watched?

[Angela Channing]

Don't Look Up (2021)

An end of the world drama. A comet is identified as being on a collision course with the world that will wipe out all life on earth when it impacts. It's a serious subject matter made more palatable by having a lot of humour in the film. It's very dark in some places and hilarious in others. The film is packed with Hollywood A-listers and there isn't a weak performance in it. It's a good film, thought-provoking too and well worth watching.

 

[Angela Channing]

Tick Tick... Boom! (2021)

I like film musicals and prior to this, the last new one that I saw was also directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, In The Heights (2021), but I didn't like that one too much, nor did I like his filmed stage production of Hamilton (2021) so I went into this with low expectations. How wrong was I? This is a superb stage to screen adaptation of Jonathan Larson's semi-autobiographical novel and Steven Levenson surely must get nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for his work on this film. Andrew Garfield, an actor who I'm normally indifferent about, gives a performance so intense and believable that I found it totally captivating. This film even changed my opinion of Lin Manuel Miranda as his direction was brisk and visually engaging. The film felt modern and current even though the original play was first performed in the 1990s and it was set in that era too and that mainly due to Lin-Manuel Miranda's direction.

The plot is about a playwright who is determined to write his first Broadway play before he is 30 and we see how his single-mindedness impacts on his relationships with those around him. The songs were ok, not particularly memorable but they worked within the context of the film. I think overall it's a great piece of cinema that will do will in awards season.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I've seen many versions of the classic ALICE story and I think I liked most of them. The child in me still enjoys the old fairy tales and that's how most of the AIW movies are presented, basically all remixes of the Disney version.

This TV version from 1966 has been on my radar for quite some time because (apparently) it was done in a different style.
But what makes this movie so unique and (imho) superb is that you can watch it as an Alice In Wonderland movie and as a movie that truly captures the art of movie making.
It's not exactly big news that human creativity peaked in the 1960s and 1970s but somehow it never stops surprising me, and speaking of surprises, apart from being haunting and atmospheric ALICE '66 is also the funniest version I've ever seen. I was still chuckling while I was doing the dishes.

The scripted dialogue, the actors, the effects created by filming technique and by the actors themselves, the otherworldly Indian folk soundtrack (a stroke of genius because it really shouldn't work with these images) - it just played with all my senses.
The Victorian period setting as opposed to the more fantastical fairy tale versions makes more sense from Alice's point of view. All those questions that can't be answered, the suffocating, conventional and bombastic self-imposed importance of the stiff-upper-lipped upper class who keeps its daughters hatted and buttoned up, I mean, if this is Alice's Wonderland then what was her sister dreaming of?

The dream itself looks exactly like that, without any narrative manipulation. Like we are in our dreams, Alice is powerless and aimless, mildly pondering something that may or may not be important. She's not an active heroine and her half-hearted commentary here and there suggests that part of the intelligence that tries to be part of the subconscious (but usually fails) or, for example, when you're able to recognize danger and you try to run away but you're not making any progress because that part of your brain that's supposed to stimulate your physical strength is muted.
The Wonderland dialogue sounds like a mathematical language problem that moves in two opposite directions, to ridicule and sabotage sanity and to make sense (one way or another) of something that has been ridiculous and insane from the outset. Which could refer to Alice's painfully Victorian oblivious state of mind, but with a rebellious undercurrent.

Most ALICEs I've seen "escaped" from the "terror" of Wonderland, in this case it felt a bit sad. I don't know what's going to happen to her and I don't know if she'll ever dream like this again.
It was Anne-Marie Mallik's first and last role and of course that adds to the oomph and obscurity of this movie.

10/10

Edit: don't be fooled by the DVD artwork, it's all in glorious black & white.

 

[Willie Oleson]

From the makers of PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK



And just like PICNIC, the mystery (or mysteries) in SUMMERFIELD 1977 kind of play second fiddle to the setting, time and gorgeous cinematography.
The narrative serves the atmosphere rather than vice versa.
The Australian backdrop is both mesmerizing and brutal, like a Haunted House movie that isn't about ghosts and monsters. The ghost is the situation itself in Summerfield.
The interior sets are equally beautiful in that seventies offbeat kind of way, and then there's Nick Tate sporting a super-tight hot pants generously captured from various angles.
The suspense part has a whiff of WICKER MAN but it's mostly about the idea that things are not the way they are supposed to be and to be honest I didn't care very much what was going to happen or what the outcome would be. But I was glued to screen from start to finish.

An excellent quality upload can be found on you-know-what-site, I suggest to snap it up before it's gone. I think the DVD is hard to find.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Another one I've watched recently...



A.k.a. the original "Fatal Attraction". I knew this was going to be a challenge, not because I had seen it before but because it's impossible to pretend that I haven't watched the many stalker movies that came after this one. It makes it difficult to rate MISTY fairly.
Of course it still works if you're able to adjust your frame of mind but I don't feel I should have to do that in order to enjoy it.
That said, the late 60s groovy Californian vibe is very pleasant, and I like the cool cabin-style houses teetering on the edge of a cliff. In the case of Clint Eastwood's house I couldn't even figure out where the house ends and the garden begins. I like that.

The scripted dialogue is rather unconventional and it kinda plays out as if the viewer is already in the know of the characters and their backgrounds. Like watching MISTY LANDING season 2 without having watched season 1.
The good thing is that it forced me to pay attention to what was being said.
Again, being so familiar with the theme, the story of PMFM looks as straightforward as a cheesy TV film and the feeling of real terror is almost non-existent.
Eastwood's character is not very likeable and also not too smart but there's a love making montage with his ex-girlfriend (accompanied by Roberta Flack's "First Time Ever") to signal that he is indeed the guy to root for. I thought it looked clumsily manipulative.

On the upside, the movie allows Jessica Walter to pull out all the stops as the neurotic psycho and often in an unintentionally funny way. I suppose that qualifies as good "camp".
Donna Mills does a lot with a little and I found her more convincing than Clint Eastwood. But then again, he was also doing everything else behind the scenes of PMFM.
It's one of those movies that deserves the recognition and accolade for an obvious reason but I'm not in a hurry to rewatch it again.

 

[Willie Oleson]

It certainly looks very Christmas with its warm, chocolate-y colour palette. The scarce shocking moments are incredibly effective (the dead body is actually more frightening than the idea of a serial killer, well, not so serial) and the effort to make it more than "just a bunch of unfortunate, bland characters just happening to be in the same place" is certainly appreciated.
But the sum total is quite a different experience. My goodness, how it drags and plods, and it's not that the characters are so fascinating that I enjoy them out of the horror context.
The lack of focus really made this a chore to sit through and there's very little to connect, certainly not enough to justify the final twist that doesn't feel like anything at all. Again, it's only the image of the dead girl in the attic that made my skin crawl, as it were.

Generally speaking I would dismiss a miss as just a miss, but since a) it's from 1974 and b) there's too much in it that could have worked I'll allow myself to rate it more harshly.

3/10

 

[Willie Oleson]

I finished watching this movie just a few minutes ago and I think it's....bizarre, but not necessarily in a bad way.
Narrative-wise it's a bit all over the place, it builds up and tones down again and again only to have it end in a rather underwhelming way.

But it works as a sexy, Gothic guilty pleasure with lots of wickedness and a few surprisingly endearing moments.
I think the best way to watch this movie is to gobble it up and not think too much of it.
Clint Eastwood is great as the scheming charmer although it's a characteristic I'd normally associate with men from The South because the South has the bastards and the devious Southern belles, isn't that correct?
Either way he's very handsome and I wish he had shown more flesh.
The group of female characters has all the stereotypes: the "hag" with a dirty secret, the tramp, the Jane Eyre, the slave who had killed her master (deservedly so) but there's also a Laura Ingalls type who becomes instrumental in the fate of Johnny McBurney. She's creepier than Damien Thorn.
And speaking of creepy and sensational, that kiss between her and Clint Eastwood sure got me invested from the very beginning.

I had never heard of this movie until @Alexis mentioned it on this forum, a few years ago I think? Thanks again!

 

[Alexis]

View attachment 33841
I finished watching this movie just a few minutes ago and I think it's....bizarre, but not necessarily in a bad way.
Narrative-wise it's a bit all over the place, it builds up and tones down again and again only to have it end in a rather underwhelming way.

But it works as a sexy, Gothic guilty pleasure with lots of wickedness and a few surprisingly endearing moments.
I think the best way to watch this movie is to gobble it up and not think too much of it.
Clint Eastwood is great as the scheming charmer although it's a characteristic I'd normally associate with men from The South because the South has the bastards and the devious Southern belles, isn't that correct?
Either way he's very handsome and I wish he had shown more flesh.
The group of female characters has all the stereotypes: the "hag" with a dirty secret, the tramp, the Jane Eyre, the slave who had killed her master (deservedly so) but there's also a Laura Ingalls type who becomes instrumental in the fate of Johnny McBurney. She's creepier than Damien Thorn.
And speaking of creepy and sensational, that kiss between her and Clint Eastwood sure got me invested from the very beginning.

I had never heard of this movie until @Alexis mentioned it on this forum, a few years ago I think? Thanks again!

I love The Beguiled but don't watch the remake with Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman. It's awful, Really bad.

 

[Angela Channing]

That film poster looks like the cover of a cheap romantic novel.

 

[Angela Channing]

The Power of the Dog (2021)

It's not a bad film even though not a great deal happens in it. It's the kind of film that wins awards (it recently won a Golden Globe) because it looks beautiful and the acting it first rate but the film is a bit lacklustre overall. It's about 2 brothers, a curmudgeonly one called Phil played by Benedict Cumberbatch who no one seems to get on with and the other is more easy going and is called George. George marries and gains a stepson but both mother and son don't really get on with Benedict's character after he mocks the boy for what he considers to be his effeminate manner. Later in the film Phil befriends the boy and teaches him varies cowboy type skills. There is some suggestion that Phil is gay and attracted to the son, who may also be gay, but none if this is firmly established.

 

[Willie Oleson]

That film poster looks like the cover of a cheap romantic novel.

Like so many DVD covers it has very little to do with the original artwork, or even the theme of the movie.


I totally despise the overly bright remake artwork for the Disney DVDs but I guess it's got everything to do with marketing.

Maybe we should start a thread about good and bad DVD covers.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Maybe we should start a thread about good and bad DVD covers.

That sounds fun, Willie.

 

[Angela Channing]

The Amazing Mr Blunden (2021)

I saw the original version of this film about 35 years ago and thought it was pretty good so I was interested to see what this remake was like. Primarily it's aimed at children but people of any age can enjoy it.

Mr Blunden (who we later learn is a ghost) persuades a mother to become the housekeeper of an old property and she, her son and her daughter move to a village in the countryside so they look after the house. While there, 2 ghosts of children visit the son and daughter to ask them to go back in time to save them from a fire which killed them. The film is a fantasy piece which plays out like a fairy story. The score of the film was good and at times reminded be a bit of a tune from Mary Poppins. The film didn't quite have the magic and intrigue of the original but the special effects and the great performances from the cast make up for any shortcomings the film had.

 

[Angela Channing]

The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)

Four sons return to the birth town to bury their mother and they discover their family ranch is owned by someone else and their mother died penniless. They work together to uncover where all her money went as the fear she was cheated out of her property.

It's really a John Wayne western and even though he only is one of the four brothers he completely dominates the film. He's not a great actor, I've always found his performances to be very much one note, but what he does have is star quality and is a charismatic screen presence and that was very much the case in this film. John Wayne plays the tough, no nonsense but fair oldest brother and Dean Martin is the less serious second brother who is a bit of a loser. The age difference between the eldest Elder son looked like it was about 40 years which does stretch credibility a bit but you can overlook that and just enjoy the film.

 

[Angela Channing]

The Lost Daughter (2021)

I've never been a great fan of Olivia Coleman but this film has changed that. She plays a college professor who goes on holiday in Greece to finish writing a book. While there she meet a woman and her young daughter who prompt memories from her of he early motherhood and she secretly becomes obsessed with them. This film was much better than I expected.

 

[Angela Channing]

K-PAX (2001)

There may be questions about whether or not Kevin Spacey is a sex predator but one things that isn't questionable is that he is a brilliant actor. Here is plays a character that claims to be an alien from the planet K-PAX and Jeff Bridges is a psychiatrist assigned to cure him of his delusions. This is a wonderful film that is a mystery with unexpected plot twists and a satisfying ending.

 

[Toni]

Dune 2021. Visually impressive but actually rather boring. What is it with modern movies?? They generally just seem to have no soul and are incapable of making me care about the characters, and this was no exception.


View attachment 33489

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Doctor Sleep (2019)

I rewatched The Shining last year for the first time in decades. I really didn't think it needed a sequel, but this looked far enough removed from the original for me to watch it without too much comparison. As it turned out I was impressed by how the new story managed to work in references to (plus characters and locations from) the original in a way that felt natural and unforced.

 

[Emelee]

Don't Look Up (2021)

An end of the world drama. A comet is identified as being on a collision course with the world that will wipe out all life on earth when it impacts. It's a serious subject matter made more palatable by having a lot of humour in the film. It's very dark in some places and hilarious in others. The film is packed with Hollywood A-listers and there isn't a weak performance in it. It's a good film, thought-provoking too and well worth watching.

I watched it yesterday. I love these disaster movies with good casting. I didn't even realize that toothy Elon Musk character was Mark Rylance! Terrific actor. This movie is absolutely worth watching.

We may not have a comet hitting us in 6 months, but we have a climate disaster coming. And just like the politicians and TV people in this movie, we too don't take it seriously and wonder "how can we profit from this?" And while we're busy with our lives, we just let the disaster happen.

The "Don't look up!" half in the movie sounds very much like the MAGA people and other climate change denying idiots.

 

[Angela Channing]

Doctor Sleep (2019)

I rewatched The Shining last year for the first time in decades. I really didn't think it needed a sequel, but this looked far enough removed from the original for me to watch it without too much comparison. As it turned out I was impressed by how the new story managed to work in references to (plus characters and locations from) the original in a way that felt natural and unforced.

Interesting. I've watched The Shining a couple of times but was never keen on seeing a sequel without Jack Nicholson as he is so closely associated with the film however, your review has sparked an interest is seeing this now.