What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[Worf]

"The Petrified Forest"

Assuming this was a normal A-movie release in 1936, one can say they aren't making these movies anymore. Basically, it's a philosophical theory and social commentary ramble - and a darn fine one - with some, for the time, action-aventure shooting scenes thrown in.

A lot of "big" questions are brought up - America's capitalist system and the economy's depression era failings, individualism versus societal conformity, crime as immorality that undermines the state versus crime as an expression of individuality and freedom in a overbearing state, marriage for money and security versus marriage for love and a future of promise, artists as the embodiment of special talents needing tender nurturing, money for future security or present pleasure and on and on it goes.

Ninety-five percent set in a small roadside diner and gas station in the desolate desert of 1936 Arizona, Bette Davis (never looking more youthful and innocent - none of her famous hardness can be seen even at the edges) plays the artist-dreamer daughter of the diner's owner who feels trapped in her dead-end world. Leslie Howard plays a drifter - a down-and-out-and-dispirited failed English novelist - who fuels Davis' escapist dreams and sexual fantasies.

Most of the philosophical drama is driven by these two with Davis' father and the young football player who works there representing conventional thinking, her grandfather, the lost frontier and original spirit of can-do Americanism, and a wealthy couple representing class divide and the aforementioned questions of marriage. The drama is kicked forward when Bogart - playing a famous Dillinger-type criminal-on-the-lam - and his gang take the diner patrons and workers hostages.

This allows for some gunfights and an eventual climatic shootout, but its real purpose is that it allows the philosophical discussion to get richer by example with Bogart representing the alienated individual gone rogue. For an in-the-era-of-the-code movie, there is also some ahead-of-its-time acknowledgment of racial struggles with an outright dig at a black man being subservient to a white man - not your typical code movie and wonderful to see.

I love this movie as the issues are real, raw and treated with respect - no pat answers or easy stereotypes. It is a bit preachy, but since no side is given full support, it doesn't turn you off. The acting is top notch - but IMHO, it's Davis' film. As noted, hard to see this movie being made today as a major release.

In an earlier review I talked about the by-play (or lack of it) between the Black Gangster in Bogart's crew and the Chauffer with the rich couple. Blacks did run with white gangsters back then. Dillinger had a black associate for a time. The conversations between the two were fascinating. For years I had a close friend at work, we'd eat lunch daily or go for drinks afterwards (I always had coffee). Whenever I stopped by his desk to pick him up I'd say....

"Boss let's lam outta here!"

Great film.

Worf

 

[Fading Fast]

In an earlier review I talked about the by-play (or lack of it) between the Black Gangster in Bogart's crew and the Chauffer with the rich couple. Blacks did run with white gangsters back then. Dillinger had a black associate for a time. The conversations between the two were fascinating. For years I had a close friend at work, we'd eat lunch daily or go for drinks afterwards (I always had coffee). Whenever I stopped by his desk to pick him up I'd say....

"Boss let's lam outta here!"

Great film.

Worf

That entire exchange (I think it was broken into two parts) was no "by the way," that was a very clear and well-done message. Great to see and so glad the censors weren't being stupid that day.

Also, it adumbrated Sam getting Rick out of Paris in "Casablanca" as Sam clearly kept his wits about him better than Rick did. There wasn't much of it and way, way too much of the wrong characterization, but wonderful to see it when it pops up.

 

[Worf]

"Hacksaw Ridge" - Mel may be a ranting alcoholic, anti-Semitic lunatic... but he damn well can direct a war movie. It ain't S.P.R. but it has the added benefit of being an absolutely true story. Gibson takes his time too, developing the backstory to the point where you'd have to be made of stone not to care for the hero and his comrades in arms. It all culminates into an intense but satisfying film. In addition to the film you get documentary footage of the only Conscientious Objector to win the Medal of Honor. Looking around the theatre I could tell that almost all the men there had served in subsequent wars.

Worf

 

[Julian Shellhammer]

Doctor Strange. I thought it was great. Visually stunning. Did they consciously try to re-capture the mind-boggling art of Steve Ditko? Having not read any Doctor Strange beyond the original Ditko-Lee corpus, I might have missed some references from the later versions. Cumberbatch looks very much like the original character, who wore only a mustache. I will probably see this again in the theater.

 

[Zombie_61]

"Hacksaw Ridge"...In addition to the film you get documentary footage of the only Conscientious Objector to win the Medal of Honor...

Doss wasn't the only conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor, but he was the first. The second was Corporal Thomas William Bennett, also an Army medic, who was killed in action in Vietnam in 1969 and awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1970. The third was Corporal Joseph Guy LaPointe Jr., who was also an army medic. He was also killed in action in Vietnam in 1969, and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1972.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Doctor Strange. Very, very, VERY good, with a few minor caveats and one more substantial complaint. (No spoilers below, I'll stay generic.)

Cumberbatch, Swinton, McAdams, and the rest of the cast are all excellent - once again, having outstanding actors elevates the material. The production design and effects work is suitably fantastic and mind-blowing. The changes made to get away from the now embarrassing oriental stereotypes of the original sixties stories (pilfered from Lost Horizon, Fu Manchu, The Shadow, Chandu the Magician, etc.) are all for the best. There are many less connections to the other Marvel Cinematic Universe films than usual, and that's good, because this one stakes out a whole other realm that abuts the Asgard of the Thor films, the Quantum Reality of Ant-Man, the space opera settings of Guardians of the Galaxy... but is very much its own unique thing.

My minor issues: Like several other Marvel films, there are pacing problems. As in the first Captain America and Thor films, the transition from zero to hero happens too fast. The ultimate arrival - and defeat - of the big villain also happens too quickly. (Like Thor, this film is too compressed and should be 15 minutes longer.) I think the film's opening (a battle between characters and weapons we don't understand at all yet) is an off-putting mistake, though once Cumberbatch appears it quickly rights itself. (He is GREAT... though his Strange has a way more developed sense of snarky humor than expected.) And there's way too much hand-held camerawork, a cheap trick to add unease.

My big complaint: This won't mean anything to newbies, but none of the sorcerers use those great Stan Lee-invented incantations that are the primary signature of Doctor Strange's magic! No Vapors of Valtorr, Crimson Bands of Cytorrak, Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, Seven Rings of Raggadorr, Name of the Eternal Vishanti, etc. It's all concentration and hand gestures, and the battles are far more physical, with less standing their ground and flinging spells at one another than I expected. (But you know, this is a moving picture, not a series of still poses, so I guess that makes sense. Still, I'm sorry we didn't get any of this great cheesy declaiming!)

But overall, this is a splendid adaptation of a tricky character/story, pulled off with tremendous skill and verve. As my friend Mark just said, "It was about the best Doctor Strange movie that could have been made."

Note: There are two post-credits sequences, one of which connects directly to one of next year's Marvel films.

PS- Julian, Doctor Strange has had the beard in appearances during the last twenty years. I wish they'd stuck with the original pencil moustache, if only to lessen the obvious comparison to Tony Stark. (Obnoxious, egocentric, snarky, brilliant man is brought low by a terrible injury, finds a mentor and his own humanity, and ends up a flying superhero with a glowing circle on his chest!)

 

[AmateisGal]

Star Trek Beyond on Friday night - enjoyed it a lot!

Dr. Strange yesterday - wow. Utterly fantastic!!!!!!

 

[belfastboy]

Finally finished, over the course of about five start and stop viewings, "Bone Tomahawk".

There are no words...

Good words or bad words????? If I can stomach the gore is it a worthwhile watch?

 

[belfastboy]

I watched two wonderful documentaries on Netflix last night ( a cold blustery rainy night, perfect for curling up under a blanket in front of the TV). "The Unbroken" about 4 guys who rode tamed wild mustangs (the horse not the car) from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. The movie documents their trip. Great story.
The second is "Ballet 422" a doc regarding the NY City ballet and a first time choreographer putting together the ballet's 422 original piece. I was so struck with the absence of "divas" and the wonderful professionalism of the troupe. From the choreographer, to the dancers to the musicians, costumers etc etc. A great little doc.

 

[MisterCairo]

Good words or bad words????? If I can stomach the gore is it a worthwhile watch?

It is ultimately good. It has good ratings on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.

The gore is actually quite sporadic, and not a whole lot, with one scene towards the end though quite disturbing (hint - it's not done via CGI).

Be advised the pace is slow. This was a low budget film ($1.8 million), was filmed in 21 days, and has no sound track to speak of.

It does have great, understated performances from Kurt Russell, Matthew Fox (Lost), Patrick Wilson and Richard Jenkins.

If the unusual is your cup of tea, you'll enjoy it. Try to watch it in one go, though, probably not good to divvy it up over the course of a fortnight!

 

[Zombie_61]

It is ultimately good. It has good ratings on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.

The gore is actually quite sporadic, and not a whole lot, with one scene towards the end though quite disturbing (hint - it's not done via CGI).

Be advised the pace is slow. This was a low budget film ($1.8 million), was filmed in 21 days, and has no sound track to speak of.

It does have great, understated performances from Kurt Russell, Matthew Fox (Lost), Patrick Wilson and Richard Jenkins.

If the unusual is your cup of tea, you'll enjoy it. Try to watch it in one go, though, probably not good to divvy it up over the course of a fortnight!

I concur. Bone Tomahawk is what I consider a "character driven" movie that allows the viewer to become familiar with the characters through their actions and dialogue rather than through exposition. The gore is used mostly to give the viewer a sense of how brutal the era could be at times without being gratuitous. So if you can "stomach" the gore, the performances (as MisterCairo mentioned) make this worth seeing at least once.

The Rack (1956). Captain Edward Hall Jr. (Paul Newman) is court-martialed for "collaborating with the enemy" while interred in a POW camp during the Korean war. With a cast that includes Anne Francis, Walter Pidgeon, Wendell Corey, Edmond O'Brien, Lee Marvin, Cloris Leachman, James Best, Barry Atwater, and Robert Blake, Dean Jones, and Rod Taylor in "don't blink or you'll miss him" uncredited roles, the movie is a exploration of the differences between physical torture and psychological torture. Mildly "preachy" here and there, and I felt the ending was rather abrupt, but an effective movie with near-perfect performances.

Duel (1971). You know the one. A made-for-TV movie in which mild-mannered businessman David Mann (Dennis Weaver) and his 1971 Plymouth Valiant are forced to match wits on a mostly deserted highway with a 1955 Peterbilt tanker truck and it's mysterious driver (Carey Loftin) who seems bent on killing him.

 

[Worf]

Doss wasn't the only conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor, but he was the first. The second was Corporal Thomas William Bennett, also an Army medic, who was killed in action in Vietnam in 1969 and awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1970. The third was Corporal Joseph Guy LaPointe Jr., who was also an army medic. He was also killed in action in Vietnam in 1969, and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1972.

Thanks for the additional information... Much appreciated.

Worf

 

[Stearmen]

The Water Diviner (2014) I thought it was pretty good, even though it was not very accurate in the historical details of the Greeks and Turks.

 

[Zombie_61]

Thanks for the additional information... Much appreciated.

Worf

You're very welcome. I wouldn't have known myself if I hadn't seen Gibson being interviewed by Jimmy Kimmel. And thank you for the review; I'm looking forward to seeing the movie.

 

[AmateisGal]

Staving off Election Day anxiety by watching Laura for the umpteenth time in my life. It never, ever gets old.

 

[Stearmen]

In The Heart Of The Sea (2014) Once I figured out what they were doing with the plot, it was really good. They combined three stories. The story of the Essex, the tail of Mocha Dick, and Herman Melville who combined the first two accounts into his master peace Moby-Dick! They did a great job with special effects, showing the great pods of Sperm whales, conveying the stench of the ship, it was said, you could smell a whaling ship two days before you set eyes in it. Plus, the sight of the rendering of the oil, said to be a scene out of Dante's Inferno!

 

[Fading Fast]

"Grandma" a terrible movie about a grandmother - Lily Tomlin - helping her +/- 16 year old granddaughter raise money for the granddaughter's abortion, which she absolutely wants to have today. Since neither have any money and neither wants to ask the scary mother for money, they run around trying to scrounge up the funds. Yup, that's the plot.

Throw in that the grandmother is angry in general, a lesbian who just broke up with her preposterously much younger girlfriend and the granddaughter's complete tool of a former "boyfriend" (the baby's father) and you have most of the key elements of the movie.

I will always respect Lily Tomlin for this one quote: "No matter how cynical you become, it's never enough to keep up."

But she is no actress. The only real actor in the entire movie appears when Sam Elliot makes a cameo and shows everyone else what acting is.

This is just an awful movie.

 

[Touchofevil]

Sicario
Benicio Del Toro
Emily Blunt
Josh Brolin
Nice cast
Bleak
Well filmed
Good story
Under appreciated movie

 

[Fading Fast]

Sicario
Benicio Del Toro
Emily Blunt
Josh Brolin
Nice cast
Bleak
Well filmed
Good story
Under appreciated movie

Channelling our inner Hemingway I see.

 

[Ticklishchap]

[QUOTE="Fading Fast, post: 2162375, member: 26387

I will always respect Lily Tomlin for this one quote: "No matter how cynical you become, it's never enough to keep up."
But she is no actress. [/QUOTE]

She is, however, hilarious as Ernestine from The Phone Company: