What was the last film you watched?

[Mel O'Drama]

The Mist (2007)

A spontaneous blind watch.

This film did a decent-ish job of keeping the threat off-screen for much of the time and I found myself invested in the first part of the film. This dropped tenfold when the first CGI tentacle appeared. I don't care what tweaks are made to them... tentacles always seem more funny than scary to me. Any time creatures arrived, all tension and horror dissipated, but the times in between featuring the group dynamics - with its tribes, schisms, antagonism and rebellion - was much more watchable. I struggled to believe Marcia Gay Harden's evangelical character would so easily sway and recruit the number of people she did with such ease, but the ensuing lynch mob was genuinely disturbing and felt like a very credible threat.

Incidentally, I spent much of the film thinking Marcia Gay Harden was Christine Estabrook from Desperate Housewives. But I was also distracted by her (MGH's) similarity to Letitia Dean from EastEnders.

Also, I spent much of the film thinking that the lead actor reminded me of Thomas Jane when he (frequently) pouted or flared his nostrils, only to discover in the closing credits that it was Thomas Jane. Viewing him as a blank slate here, I thought there were some scenes where he was excellent - particularly his expressive eyes - and even naturalistic. At times he was positively Shackelfordesque. However, there were other moments when he was comically hammy. The twist at the end of the film reminded me of the twist at the end of 1968's Planet Of The Apes, and this was mainly due to the performance, which echoed that of Charlton Heston.

At over two hours, the film felt stretched too thin and I found myself tuning out during dialogue-free scenes of shocked reactions towards film's end which felt very much like filler. It also couldn't help but feel derivative. Of course The Fog immediately springs to mind, but there are numerous other films and stories that seem to be ripped off here. In particular, the captured people who act as incubators for the creatures felt like an Alien rip-off. And the overall tone of the people isolated with strangers in a supermarket felt similar to any other old post-apocalyptic or natural disaster film. It's pretty much all been done before, and mostly done better.

That's not to say it wasn't entertaining. Expectations were low, and they were met. But only just.​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR (1977)

This title instantly makes me think of Donna Summer's Try Me, I Know We Can Make It.

While I've never watched it, there was a brief, unsuccessful quest to do so many years ago driven by the fact that I'd read the song (along with Donna's version of Could It Be Magic) was featured in a nightclub scene and I wanted to get some context.

I'd forgotten all about it until your post.

 

[Biggie]

Traffic 200

Traffic was excellent overall, only two eye rolling moments of incredulity. The cast delivered the good and the cinematography deserves to be singled out for further recognition.

Not sure if Steven Soderbergh was trying to show the futility of the "war on drugs" or just wanted to make a flick about man's and that slinging beaucoup weight and that. No matter, works on both levels.

This movie is a Hollywood remake of Traffik from 1989, produced by Channel 4 as a six part miniseries. The lineage is unmistakable with the only big difference being that the movie followed the chang from Mexico to the end user, the TV show followed the smack from the poppy farmer to the end user. The TV show was beyond excellent.

The star of the show... was the star of the show.

 

[9unfold]

I've seen Traffic and Traffik. The movie is good but I enjoyed the TV series more. I think that it's because the TV series had more time to tell a more in-depth story from the various perspectives of the farmer, supplier, user and others.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Tuesday Weld played her sister

Before I watched GOODBAR I tried James Caan's THIEF (1981) which also stars Tuesday Weld.
Such an odd coincidence because I hadn't seen her in anything for at least three decades.

only to discover in the closing credits that it was Thomas Jane.

I'm familiar with the experience, but sometimes it gets even trickier when I think someone looks like someone, then decide it actually is the same person only to discover that they're not.

The twist at the end of the film

I am more than a little embarrassed to admit that I didn't immediately understand what was going on. I thought, where do all these people come from? Has the next film already begun?

along with Donna's version of Could It Be Magic

Definitely one of my most overlooked Donna Classics. It's so gorgeous and I think I like it even better as a pop song than as a disco song.

Donna Summer's Try Me, I Know We Can Make It

Even though I've tried many times, I never know what to make of it. It's got such a weird fluctuation in the bassline. Or am I the only one who's hearing it?

 

[Rove]

SALTBURN (2023)

I watched this on the recommendation of a work colleague. All the actors were perfectly cast and it's amazing how with little dialogue they still inject themselves into the story. At times it felt everyone had a hidden agenda especially so at the beginning of Saltburn when Oliver was attending College.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie but I think how well this could have played as a limited series; offering the actors and characters to truly breathe. Barry Keoghan is perfectly cast as Oliver Quick (what a truly Dickens name) but I wanted a deeper meaning of what was driving him to rip the Catton family apart.

7/10

 

[Angela Channing]

The Great Escaper (2023)

Most notable for being the last film performances of Glenda Jackson and (so we're told, at least) Michael Caine. And it's a most worthy curtain call. Both are wonderful in this film.

The retirement home where the characters live feels like a real community or extended family, and staff and residents with smaller roles are nicely cast (how surprising to see that one of them was Karen Carpenter tribute act Jackie Clune) Even with so little material it feels we already know them.

The story itself rings bells, so I probably read about the real-life events when it happened a decade ago. It's beautifully told here: funny and heartbreaking. I found the love more painful than the losses, because of its endurance and fragility. It's a little strange seeing Michael Caine in particular looking so old and frail, but he still shines through in it, and the chemistry between the two is very believable. It's easy to imagine they've been together for seventy years.

The flashbacks to WWII are the parts where suspension of disbelief was required, since we know what the actors looked like when they were much younger. For someone who hadn't seen them in projects of earlier decades, it would probably have been easier to buy. All the same, it looks as though the actor playing the young Caine had done his homework in terms of mannerisms and speech patterns (the actress playing young Glenda less so. She looked a little like her in one or two long shots but that's where the similarities ended).

John Standing is terrific, and the French adventures with its haunted veterans from various wars is a must see.

All in all it's a beautiful little film that got me in the heart and in the tear ducts.​

I saw this film a few weeks ago and really liked it. It's a gentle low action film, which isn't unexpected considering the lead was about 90 years old, but it tells an interesting and heart-warming story and is very well made. I'm a big fan of Glenda Jackson and although her role was quite small if was lovely to see her in another film.

The story is currently being made into another film with Pierce Brosnan taking on the Michael Caine role which might also be interesting to watch and compare.

 

[Angela Channing]

SALTBURN (2023)

View attachment 49920

Story-wise I don't think it's possible to put any spoilers in this review. If you've seen trailers or just the first three minutes of this film then you know what you're going to get.
After I had watched the film I wondered how it compares to the fourth season of Carolyn Kepnes' YOU which also takes place in England's high society.
Predictability can also have a good effect on my viewing experiences as I'm less focused on the "what" and more on the "how".
And the "how" in SALTBURN certainly doesn't disappoint.
Rosamund Pike as matriarch Elspeth Catton's character description of family friend Poor Dear Pamela is priceless. If everything else in this film had failed then at least there's still that.
Pamela herself looks like a Nina Hagen-played-by-Helena Bonham Carter (but played by Carey Mulligan) and this underlines the wealthy and very priviliged family's desire to dabble in faux-bohemianism every now and then.

Oliver Quick is the "invisible" blue-collar classmate of Catton heir Felix and of course it doesn't take long before he worms his way into the world of the quasi-casual yet oh-so-snobby aristocrats.
At the same time it's the aristocrats themselves who think they've found a new exotic thing to play with.
To be fair, it's only at the end of the film that it becomes perfectly clear how calculated Oliver had been. Personally I didn't need to know that because the moments of ambiguity work really well in this story, and it's interesting that the most disturbing scene happens in the home of Oliver's family.

I think this film is beautifully shot, very very well acted and also incredibly funny in some unexpected moments.
The film poster looks very modern - a mix of "Babylon" and "Everthing Everywhere All At One".

I watched this film yesterday, it reminded me a bit of The Talented Mr Ripley (1999). I was a bit slow in cottoning on to what Oliver was up to which made the ending all the better for me.

Jacob Elordi must have a brilliant agent because he seems to be in so many films these days and he was perfectly cast in this one. But this is Barry Keoghan's film and he's excellent in it. Overall, it's a good film

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I'm a big fan of Glenda Jackson and although her role was quite small if was lovely to see her in another film.

It's funny, but I didn't really think of her role being smaller until you mentioned it. You're quite right - she gets a lot less screen time than Michael Caine - but it all flowed so well, and they did such a good job of interspersing some of her scenes with those set in Normandy* that it never felt she was offscreen for too long.

I've seen shamefully few Glenda films and hope to rectify this in the fullness of time.

The story is currently being made into another film with Pierce Brosnan taking on the Michael Caine role which might also be interesting to watch and compare.

Yes indeed, although this one is a difficult act to follow.






* Since watching the films, I've learnt that it was shot entirely in the UK, so there was some cheating going on with the French scenes. I didn't suspect for a minute, which is a testament either to their cleverness or my lack thereof.

 

[Emelee]

Breakfast at Tiffany's. I simply love Holly Golightly's style! Super chic. The story feels modern with a strong independant survivor woman and a male prostitute. But I don't imagine anyone today would have white actor with yellow face make-up, small eyes, false teeth etc playing a Japanese man today. And having the character being a clumsy and angry antagonist too.

 

[Biggie]

Rise Of The Footsolider 3.

The first one was excellent, the second was OK, the third was really good.
If nothing else, this movie, shows that drug dealing is a very difficult and all consuming occupation. But our man here Pat Tate had a work etiquette that others admired but none could match.

Ol' Pat really went the extra mile in his chosen profession to ensure that he'd be holed up just right in that Range Rover by that guy wielding the shot gun. Poor old never understood that calculating criminals that fight with their mind are soooooo much more dangerous that violent thugs.

The star of the show... him with the firearm that said "bye bye Pat" Then holed up the other 2 in the motor. Busy night did the man have.

 

[Willie Oleson]

REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT (1962)



I'm not in the habit of watching stories with a sports theme but there was something about the title that intrigued me.

A serious physical problem, the result of many years in the boxing ring, forces Lewis "Mountain" Rivera (Anthony Quinn) to look for a different profession.
But shady circumstances he's not aware of could probably decide for him what's going to happen next.
There's a little bit of "Frankenstein" or "The Beauty And The Beast" in it, and it also features a female gangster honcho à la Irma Bunt.

It's an exquisite little drama with great performances, and I think fans of sixties cinema would want to see this.

 

[Willie Oleson]

INFINITY POOL (2023)



One of the characters explains why the Li Tolqans (an island in...Eastern Europe? South-Asia?) are the only ones being successful at cloning humans.
"Because they've got more poetry".
I thought that was an interesting thing to say but unfortunately it highlights precisely what is missing in this film.
Because instead of poetry it comes across as a greatest hits of indie cinema: the cloning itself that reminds me of John Frankenheimer's SECONDS, the frenzy and incomprehensible style of Ben Wheatley's HIGH-RISE (which is why, until the end credits rolled, I thought I had been watching Tom Hiddleston instead of Alexander Skarsgård), the obligatory porno-horror fever dream that usually only works as a juxtaposition in a more "conventional" narrative - and last but not least, the wonderful Mia Goth.

It's possible that none of actions happened for real but if it's important enough to show it then surely it's important enough not to dismiss it?
Simply put, if it happens on screen then it happens for real.
Maybe it's all a metaphor for Skarsgard's character James Foster, the unsuccessful author-at-the-mercy-of-his-father-in-law-publisher but I suspect that would be giving this film too much credit.
I don't care how likeable or unlikeable the characters are as long as it offers something impactful.

I think it also fails as a social commentary on rich tourists behaving immorally - and hasn't the theme of "rich people are bad" become terribly cliché at this point? - because the story takes place in an immoral and lawless country.
The police (!) can sentence them to death penalty for, well, just about anything, and without that particular trade-off this story couldn't even exist.
Perhaps the film would have been better from the Li Tolgans' point of view.

Mia Goth cannot be unentertaining even if she tried so at least she provided some of the humour that was lacking in most parts of the film.
I also liked the character who organized all kinds of entertainment for the guests of the resort.

The few interesting moments didn't stop me from feeling underwhelmed.
IN FABRIC (2018) is even more way-out than INFINITY, but it's the film's rhythm (or, indeed, poetry) that makes it so satisfyingly digestible.

 

[Biggie]

Rise Of The Footsoldier Marbella. (Pt 4).

Our man Pat has an epiphany, to get his nightspot jumping he'd get himself over to Marbella and secure a job lot of ecstasy and punt the lot. Our man ropes in his best pal to help by delivering the money, so the two clowns go to Marbella via the knocking shops of Amsterdam, get turned over by a crack fiend hippy that runs of with the pill money. So guns, violence and robbery was their way forward.

These 3 clowns did very little to enhance the image of their industry, but made excellent subject matter for these movies.

The star of the show... the rock star hippy.

 

[Toni]

Breakfast at Tiffany's. I simply love Holly Golightly's style! Super chic. The story feels modern with a strong independant survivor woman and a male prostitute. But I don't imagine anyone today would have white actor with yellow face make-up, small eyes, false teeth etc playing a Japanese man today. And having the character being a clumsy and angry antagonist too.

It was not just a "white actor". It was Mickey Rooney, who had been in more shameful roles before, and he was outrageously fun too. George Peppard was not a gigolo in real life but played one here, didn´t he? It´s called "acting".

 

[Emelee]

It was not just a "white actor". It was Mickey Rooney, who had been in more shameful roles before, and he was outrageously fun too. George Peppard was not a gigolo in real life but played one here, didn´t he? It´s called "acting".

It's not about the acting. It's about producers refusing to cast more Asians, Africans or other ethnical actors except caucasians. Painting a white actor yellow is as bad as painting a white actor black. Then do a silly caricature of the stereotype to add on the insult.

I'm not raging against it like many people are, but I don't like it. I know how annoyed I get when a Swedish production cast an actor who speaks another dialect to play a character from northern Sweden, and said actor tries to speak a northern accent but end up overexaggerating on purpose to make the character sound like a village idiot. Completely off-putting.

 

[ginnyfan]

Tár (2022)​

It's wonderful when your great expectations are totally fulfilled by the movie and that's the case with this one. This is how you deal with the current themes of wokeness, cancel culture, social media etc. Is there anyone out there, better than Cate Blanchett? She is the actress of this generation, always brilliant and always choosing the right role. To say she was robbed of an Oscar is and understatement. The whole movie was robbed, by the worst, most overhyped movie ever (Everything,everywhere whatever....).

Do yourself a favor and watch this masterpiece.

 

[Seaviewer]

I know how annoyed I get when a Swedish production cast an actor who speaks another dialect to play a character from northern Sweden, and said actor tries to speak a northern accent but end up overexaggerating on purpose to make the character sound like a village idiot. Completely off-putting.

Foreign actors attempting an Australian accent . . . ugh!

 

[Toni]

Last night I watched this... (and I liked it!):

"Straight-Jacket"
​

For the first time I watched the whole thing and I (kinda) liked it. Not as bad as public opinion on Earth (and other galaxies) seem to think, the score, the supporting cast (mainly Diane Baker) and Joannie´s performance are decent enough. Joannie manages to put herself over the garbage that is the script (why to lie...?) and makes the character worth of pity and understandable. She promoted her Coke company here as you can see above...

 

[Willie Oleson]

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD (1995)



Previously recommended by other tellytalkers, and I'm going to agree with them - it's a marvel.
The tone of this quirky-gothic Western is somewhat ambivalent but I think it takes itself serious enough to capture the heightened drama of the western genre.
It takes a lot of restraint to create a good mix of homage and caricature, and I think the 1990s has proved itself as a great decade for renaissance cinema.

There are no surprises in TQATD but that's not what the Western genre is about.
Gene Hackman is great as the gleeful villain and Leonardo DiCaprio - looking criminally adorable - shows a lot of confidence.
It looks like a lot of thought went into the cinematography, and the result is very pleasant. It's almost like the Western's answer to Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow.