What was the last film you watched?

[Willie Oleson]

It's been a treat to rewatch this gorgeous disaster film after so many years. The way the camera captures the bridge as a place of utter doom almost makes it look evil, and the motion of the train itself helps to build up the tension which can't be achieved with a boat or plane. Additionally, there's a WWII theme going on that makes it all even more depressing (but in a fascinating way).

 

[Angela Channing]

The Upside (2017)

I've no idea how this ended up in my watchlist, but it fitted the bill last night when I was in the mood for a 2 hour + film that wasn't too heavy.

Probably helping things, I wasn't familiar with the two lead actors. Bryan Cranston seems very familiar and looking at his IMDb I've watched him in some small guest-roles (mostly from decades before this), but I thought he gave a knockout performance. Nicole Kidman is a familiar face (with only one expression at that. Still, she was perfectly acceptable here). I had no idea who Kevin Hart is, but thought he gave a reasonable performance, particularly in the interactions with his estranged partner and son. However, I never found him at all likeable which made it difficult to buy the growing connection between the two men. Consequently some of his "rebellious" actions felt more tiresome than endearing. The scene where he laughed at the opera is an example of this. The character just seemed like a douche. And in a key scene where Dell smashed Philip's belongings he gave out so little sense of empathy towards the other character, it seemed Dell was simply still the same thug he was when he barged into the interview, hiding his thuggery behind a more altruistic motive, so there was a frustrating lack of a sense of journey or growth for the character. Reading about Hart's homophobic tweets and jokes when looking up information on the actors this morning has soured me on him even more, and puts an even more unpleasant spin on the scene where his character made a huge deal out of changing Philip's catheter.

Even though it seemed to have been universally panned by critics, I thought it was a perfectly watchable film. However, I didn't know until after it was over that it was a remake of a French film called The Intouchables. While I don't regret watching The Upside, frankly I suspect I'd have preferred to have watched the original than an unnecessary Hollywood karaoke version.​

I've seen both The Upside and Intouchables on which it was based and the original is far superior. However, The Upside is still a pretty good film, although I thought the subplot of the Kevin Hart's character's relationship with his son and the son's mother was unnecessary. Other than that subplot the storyline of both films is very similar but The Upside doesn't have as much charm as Intouchables and the chemistry of the 2 leads works so much better in the original.

This is my favourite scene in Intouchables and I didn't think the equivalent scene in The Upside worked as well because it was more about Kevin Hart whereas in Intouchables it was more about the relationship between the 2 main characters.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I've seen both The Upside and Intouchables on which it was based and the original is far superior. However, The Upside is still a pretty good film, although I thought the subplot of the Kevin Hart's character's relationship with his son and the son's mother was unnecessary. Other than that subplot the storyline of both films is very similar but The Upside doesn't have as much charm as Intouchables and the chemistry of the 2 leads works so much better in the original.

Thanks. It's good to have a comparison from someone familiar with both. And Omar Sy is quite the dancer!!

I would like to watch Intouchables someday, but I'd wait until The Upside slips further back in my memory banks so I can fully invest in the film.

 

[Angela Channing]

Mrs Harris Goes To Paris (2022)

Charming old fashioned film, the sort of thing that would have starred someone like Jane Wyman, Joan Fontaine or Jennifer Jones had it been made in Hollywood's golden age.

Ada Harris is a cleaning lady whose husband is missing presumed dead during World War 2. She admires the Dior dress of one of the rich women she works for and sets her heart on buy one for herself. So she scrapes together all the money from a range of sources and goes to Paris to buy the dress. She's treated with hostility from some of the snobby staff at Dior but her good nature wins over many of the people she meets.

It's a nice, heart-warming wholesome story that is beautifully shot and acted.

 

[Angela Channing]

Emily The Criminal (2022)

This is a really good film. Emily is struggling to pay her student debt and can't get a job when someone suggests she does mystery shopping which turns out to be a front for a credit card fraud operation run by 2 cousins. Emily gets more and more involved in the running of the fraud (hence the title of the film) and is a total badass when dealing with anyone who crosses her. The acting in this film is really strong, every character is believable and interesting and the whole film is a thrilling ride.

 

[Angela Channing]

Breaking (2022)

Great film with superb acting, especially from John Boyega who plays the main role of a US Marine veteran who has financial difficulties because the Veterans Association won't give him the $800 that they owe him. He holds up a bank to force them to transfer the money he is owed to his account. It's a tense and gripping thriller based on a true story.

 

[Willie Oleson]

A crime/gore/thriller with some surprisingly funny moments and comments, and a narrative that is in sync with the poker game itself.
Not that I know anything about the rules of poker but I'm sure everybody's familiar with the mood of it.
Since POKER NIGHT mimicks the tough-talk stories that are being told within the story I felt the ending was a little straightforward and therefore doesn't quite pack a punch.
Overall, an original film that kinda bluffs, bedazzles and confuses in a way the poker player is supposed to do (I think).


I didn't know this was based on/inspired by real people and true events and that's why it looked like a "David Lynch" for kids - and that's right up my cul de sac.
So, when I discovered that it was a semi-biopic it felt a tiny bit disappointed, but only for a few moments.
Because I know what most biopics look like, and this is definitely not of them.

A special mention for Tom Hank's scene in "let's have a minute of silence" - he was looking straight into the camera for what seemed like minutes and I didn't know if or what was going to happen. I pushed my chair backwards and I think it's rather unique to have such a physical experience.
I also loved the puppets and toy imagery.

 

[Willie Oleson]

and who knows, maybe it's too early to say if SUSPIRIA is memorable or not.

Not that this will mean anything to anyone, but I'm happy to report that it's finally found a place in my mental library.
Of all the films I've streamed recently, this is the only one that keeps popping up in my mind.

To compare: I thoroughly enjoyed the Amazon Exclusive PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN - and yet, last night, I almost added it to my watchlist again.
And since I couldn't give you the full story if my life depended on it perhaps I should do that anyway.

I think I'm going to re-read the entire thread and make a list of all the films I've watched (and add more titles that have been positively reviewed by other tellytalkers).

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I think I'm going to re-read the entire thread and make a list of all the films I've watched (and add more titles that have been positively reviewed by other tellytalkers).

Ooh... could this lead to a spinoff thread, I wonder...?

Or even some kind of lavish red carpet award thingy for your top films. We could all don our best attire to attend The First Annual Thrillies Ceremony.

 

[Willie Oleson]

HARRY POTTER meets X-MEN, and it does everything you'd expect this kind of movie to do.
I know it's a luxury problem, but with so many other visually stunning fantasy movies to watch this one doesn't stand out from the rest.
And I feel it should. It should be a very special experience remembered by generations to come. I just don't think it's going to happen.
Oh, and look at the thousands of credits, it's almost like a military operation.

 

[darkshadows38]

that one i loved i really doubt it will get a sequel but i want one even if Tim Burton doesn't direct it

 

[Willie Oleson]

I chose this film based on the many "take no prisoners" kind of reviews, hoping it would be so-bad-it's-good. Disappointingly, it wasn't.
It's basically about a somewhat unsuitable person being a diehard fan of a somewhat unsuitable celebrity and then they bring out the worst in each other.
It's not a typical good vs. bad scenario and this seems to put off many of the people who have rated THE FANATIC. But why should a story be the way we expect it to be?
As for the unintentionally funny parts, it looked like intentional dark comedy to me but since I don't know what it was meant to be I could be totally wrong.

It's not a spectacular or very original film by any means, it's a storyline that could have happened (and kinda did ) in Penn Badgley's YOU.
Perhaps the Big Name is its major hindrance - without John Travolta in it it may have been considered a nice indie flick.

I thought the hustler part of night time Hollywood (those who'll never make it big doing crappy performances for tourists) was captured rather nicely, and I absolutely love the main soundtrack theme which, unfortunately, is not on youtube.
Speaking of music....

Is it really shameless self-promotion, as most reviewers think it is?
It looks SO extremely obvious that I refuse to believe that Fred Durst thought he could sneak it in and then think he'd totally get away with it. I refuse to believe that anyone would be that ignorant.
I prefer the theory that this was nothing but intentionally-cheekily trolling the audience and in that case the joke is on those who swallowed the bait.

At the risk of stating the obvious, some people are offended by the incorrect perception (!!!) of the mentally disabled.
Perhaps all aspiring artists should receive an extensive manual of all the DOs and DONTs?
Freedom of speech but no freedom of art? Oh the hypocrisy of it all.

If you're looking for an intriguing stalker movie that offers something completely new then don't bother to put it on top of your to-watch-list.
If you want to watch John "former sex-on-dancing-legs" Travolta in a most unflattering role then this might be your cup of tea.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I think I'm going to re-read the entire thread

Done.

And this is the best-of-the-best list of all the films I plan to watch (excluding titles I want to re-watch):

2001: A Space Odyssey

A Month In The Country

All The President's Men

Badlands

Barry Lyndon

Blade Runner

Cul-De-Sac

Days Of Heaven

Good Time

Ideal Home

Johnny Guitar

K-Pax

Mass

Niagara

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Phantom Of The Paradise

Puzzle Of A Downfall Child

Reflections In A Golden Eye

Remember

Rogue

Seconds

Shoot The Moon

The Collector

The Endless

The Eyes Of Tammy Faye

The Goob

The Ipcress File

The Lighthouse

The Long, Long Trailer

The Lost Daughter

The Nice Guys

The Past

The Trial Of The Chicago 7

Thank you all for your contributions. You have done well.

Some of these titles are available from Prime, free or rental, and maybe I'll find other titles on youtube.
I probably won't find the stuff that was shown on that iPlayer thing.

There are more movie threads with excellent suggestions so I expect the list to grow. But this is a good starting point.

 

[Crimson]

I know it's a luxury problem, but with so many other visually stunning fantasy movies to watch this one doesn't stand out from the rest.

The books were better, although I couldn't pinpoint where the movie went wrong. The changes from page to screen were capricious but inconsequential. The movie was just ... indifferent. I'm hard pressed to think of the last time Tim Burton made a truly good film.

 

[Crimson]

I seldom watch horror movies, except in October; and then I watch pretty much nothing but horror films.

I started the month with THE LOST BOYS (1987). I tend to prefer horror of the horror-comedy ilk, and this is one of the best. It's probably my favorite vampire film, as well.

THE FOG (1980) I always forget how disappointing this one is! It's half creepy-atmospheric and half cheesy-gruesome; the two sides rather cancel each other out. Plus Adrienne Barbeau, one of my favorite actresses of the era, is wasted and isolated.

THE OMEN (1976) I don't say this often, but I like the remake (2006) better. This one's kind of stodgy and not even remotely scary or eerie. The remake is a bit more lurid, and the casting of Mia Farrow as the nanny to the Anti-Christ was a stroke of genius.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Oh, I forget about THE LOST BOYS (1987). That actually was a good one.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I'm hard pressed to think of the last time Tim Burton made a truly good film.

His style has been copied a lot so it's become harder for him to deliver something unique.

Adrienne Barbeau

Painfully missing in FALCON CREST.

THE OMEN (1976) I don't say this often, but I like the remake (2006) better.

the casting of Mia Farrow as the nanny to the Anti-Christ was a stroke of genius

Oh sure, it's a nice Easter egg, but also kinda slick.

I'm currently taking a mini-break from watching THE CONJURING 2. It appears to be everything but the kitchen sink horror. Fun (I think).

 

[Crimson]

I'm currently taking a mini-break from watching THE CONJURING 2. It appears to be everything but the kitchen sink horror. Fun (I think).

I'm a big fan of the first two CONJURING films. (The third is so forgettable I just had to ponder whether I had even watched it.) I think they deftly blend modern (sometimes cheap) frights with old-style atmosphere and creepiness. Plus they build on relatable characters plausibly stuck in their situation. Most haunted house stories fail because the solution is simple: leave. I once moved because of an over-flowed toilet; I can't imagine staying in a haunted house.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Most haunted house stories fail because the solution is simple: leave.

But the haunting manifests itself through daughter Janet and that also happens when they're staying with the family across the street.
I thought that was weird.




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

 

[Angela Channing]

View attachment 41148
A crime/gore/thriller with some surprisingly funny moments and comments, and a narrative that is in sync with the poker game itself.
Not that I know anything about the rules of poker but I'm sure everybody's familiar with the mood of it.
Since POKER NIGHT mimicks the tough-talk stories that are being told within the story I felt the ending was a little straightforward and therefore doesn't quite pack a punch.
Overall, an original film that kinda bluffs, bedazzles and confuses in a way the poker player is supposed to do (I think).

View attachment 41150
I didn't know this was based on/inspired by real people and true events and that's why it looked like a "David Lynch" for kids - and that's right up my cul de sac.
So, when I discovered that it was a semi-biopic it felt a tiny bit disappointed, but only for a few moments.
Because I know what most biopics look like, and this is definitely not of them.

A special mention for Tom Hank's scene in "let's have a minute of silence" - he was looking straight into the camera for what seemed like minutes and I didn't know if or what was going to happen. I pushed my chair backwards and I think it's rather unique to have such a physical experience.
I also loved the puppets and toy imagery.

I loved this film and for a while afterwards I became totally fascinated by the real Mr Rogers and watched lots of YouTube videos of him and read quite a bit about his life. I thought the film did a really good job in how they told his story.