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What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

Doctor Strange

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Sunshine - not the 2007 Danny Boyle SF film, the 1999 epic detailing several generations of a successful Hungarian Jewish family across a hundred years. It's got everything you'd expect: rebellious younger generations, anti-Semitism, conversions to be allowed into the oligarchy, pseudo-incest, Olympic medals, Nazi atrocities, the 1956 uprising, dealing with grief and PTSD, loss of family history, etc.

Even at three hours, it felt to me like a six-hour miniseries that was reedited into a feature film. While some of the characters and events were well drawn, there still seemed to be a lot missing. And having Ralph Fiennes playing three different generations of adults - grandfather, father, son - was confusing. (The brilliant casting award for this movie goes to the character played as a young woman by Jennifer Ehle and an old woman by Rosemary Harris - Ehle's real-life mother!) Anyway, I wouldn't say it's exactly a success, but it's an interesting enough flick if you're in the mood for a slog through a century of European history.
 

MisterCairo

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Gads Hill, Ontario
Jingle All the Way.

A much maligned film, but we think it's cute and fun, and it has a pre-Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Jake Lloyd.

Probably also some of Sinbad's best work...
 

AmateisGal

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6,126
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Nebraska
"Christmas in Connecticut" for the 30th or so time in my life.

Here's the thing, it's not a good movie, but I enjoy it immensely anyway.

The plot is all holes, Barbary Stanwyck so out acts her male lead, Dennis Morgan, that they don't belong in the same movie and even the very talented Sydney Greenstreet (not that many names have four "e's" in them) struggles to make some of his silly lines believable.

But it doesn't matter - somehow, the flipping of the flapjacks, the cutters in the snow, the cold chicken at night, the silly barn dance and, most importantly, Barbara Stanwyck, all come together enough to make it fun.

I am recording today and plan to watch soon a much better Stanwyck Christmas movie, "Remember the Night."

I love this movie. Love, love, love it. Yes, it's corny and hokey, but I don't care! :)
 

AmateisGal

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Elf.

I have a few Christmas movies I need to watch in the next few days: Miracle on 34th Street (the Maureen O'Hara one), The Bishop's Wife, and Holiday Inn. Thankfully, I have all of them on DVD. :D
 
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New York City
Elf.

I have a few Christmas movies I need to watch in the next few days: Miracle on 34th Street (the Maureen O'Hara one), The Bishop's Wife, and Holiday Inn. Thankfully, I have all of them on DVD. :D

You might be a bigger Christmas movie fan than my girlfriend (she can quote large passages of dialogue from many of them) - so I have to ask (which I ask her all the time), what is your favorite of them all?
 
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AmateisGal

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Nebraska
You might be a bigger Christmas movie fan than my girlfriend (she can quote large pieces of dialogue from many of them) - so I have to ask (which I ask her all the time), what is your favorite of them all?

That is a TOUGH one. Hmm...

I think it goes in this order:
1) The Bishop's Wife
2) Christmas in Connecticut
3) Remember the Night
4) It Happened on 5th Avenue
5) Holiday Inn
6) White Christmas
7) Holiday Affair

I deliberately left Miracle on 34th Street out of the list because *gasp* I have only watched the Maureen O'Hara version once, and I don't think I caught the very beginning. So after I watch it, it may get on to my top 5 list. :)
 
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New York City
That is a TOUGH one. Hmm...

I think it goes in this order:
1) The Bishop's Wife
2) Christmas in Connecticut
3) Remember the Night
4) It Happened on 5th Avenue
5) Holiday Inn
6) White Christmas
7) Holiday Affair

I deliberately left Miracle on 34th Street out of the list because *gasp* I have only watched the Maureen O'Hara version once, and I don't think I caught the very beginning. So after I watch it, it may get on to my top 5 list. :)

Agree completely on your number 1 - "The Bishop's Wife" is an outstanding movie, Christmas tie in or not. My list goes (and does change over time):

1. The Bishop's Wife
2. The Shop Around the Corner (is, like The Bishop's Wife, a fine movie without even calling it a "Christmas movie")
3. Holiday Affair (hokey through and through and don't care - love it and want my own "Red Rocket Express" train)
4. A Christmas Carol ('38 & '51 versions are about tied in my mind)
5. Remember the Night (mixing in some grit)
6. Christmas in Connecticut
7. Holiday Inn (Bing)
8. Love Actually (I never tire of this one and the only modern one I feel this way about)
9. Miracle on 34th Street
 

AmateisGal

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Nebraska
Agree completely on your number 1 - "The Bishop's Wife" is an outstanding movie, Christmas tie in or not. My list goes (and does change over time):

1. The Bishop's Wife
2. The Shop Around the Corner (is, like The Bishop's Wife, a fine movie without even calling it a "Christmas movie")
3. Holiday Affair (hokey through and through and don't care - love it and want my own "Red Rocket Express" train)
4. A Christmas Carol ('38 & '51 versions are about tied in my mind)
5. Remember the Night (mixing in some grit)
6. Christmas in Connecticut
7. Holiday Inn (Bing)
8. Love Actually (I never tire of this one and the only modern one I feel this way about)
9. Miracle on 34th Street

I tried watching The Shop Around the Corner the other day when it was on TCM - and I don't know why, but I just couldn't get into it. I also finally watched the entire version of Love Actually on Netflix (which meant it wasn't cut for content!) and thoroughly enjoyed it. :)
 
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17,215
Location
New York City
I tried watching The Shop Around the Corner the other day when it was on TCM - and I don't know why, but I just couldn't get into it. I also finally watched the entire version of Love Actually on Netflix (which meant it wasn't cut for content!) and thoroughly enjoyed it. :)

Hmm, odd, I would have thought you would have loved "The Shop...." Give it a shot some other time - a few movies that I've come to love did not sing to me the first or second time I saw them. My guess, at the right time and in the right mood, you'll love "The Shop...."

"Love Actually" is a lot of fun. I will not admit this in public (actually I would, but shouldn't), but I love Hugh Grant's silly dance scene.
 

AmateisGal

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Location
Nebraska
Hmm, odd, I would have thought you would have loved "The Shop...." Give it a shot some other time - a few movies that I've come to love did not sing to me the first or second time I saw them. My guess, at the right time and in the right mood, you'll love "The Shop...."

"Love Actually" is a lot of fun. I will not admit this in public (actually I would, but shouldn't), but I love Hugh Grant's silly dance scene.

It could be because I'm not a huge fan of Jimmy Stewart. But I'll give it a go another time. :)

I, too, love Hugh Grant's dance scene! That's one of the best parts of the movie!
 
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East of Los Angeles
Haven't seen it, but already have the DVR set for TCM's 12/29 showing of it. Can't wait.
Thanks for letting us know! It's now set to record here as well because I've never seen it either.

^^^^^
My apologies
Was thinking of " OUT of the PAST" with Mitchum & Greer!
I watched this last night; another one I'd never seen before. Fun to watch Douglas and Mitchum go chin dimple to chin dimple. Like The Big Sleep the plot gets a little muddy if you're not paying attention, but also like The Big Sleep the real fun is simply watching these actors do what they do.
 
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Location
New York City
Thanks for letting us know! It's now set to record here as well because I've never seen it either.

I watched this last night; another one I'd never seen before. Fun to watch Douglas and Mitchum go chin dimple to chin dimple. Like The Big Sleep the plot gets a little muddy if you're not paying attention, but also like The Big Sleep the real fun is simply watching these actors do what they do.

Great phrasing - "chin dimple to chin dimple -" there's the soul of a poet in you. Merry Christmas, your posts add so much to FL all throughout the year.
 
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17,215
Location
New York City
A favorite of mine. So all around good.
Really nice cast.
Nice story.
Very good acting.
Great cinematography.
:D

Almost everything is done well in this movie. Eva Marie Saint's best movie (yup, she shows more range and depth in this than "North by Northwest," IMHO). Thank God they made it in black and white - color would have undermined it. Wish more movies today were made in B&W (why are the hipsters not catching on to the "retro" gold of B&W and mining it for all its worth?).
 
Messages
12,017
Location
East of Los Angeles
Great phrasing - "chin dimple to chin dimple -" there's the soul of a poet in you. Merry Christmas, your posts add so much to FL all throughout the year.
I'm not sure how true that is, but I thank you most sincerely anyway. I always enjoy your posts as well, and Happy Christmas to you and everyone you care about!

Black Sea (2014)
Stumbled across this on HBO...
This pops up every once in a while as I'm scrolling through the listings trying to find something worth watching, but I keep bypassing it. I think I'll give it a look next time.
 

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