What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[Mike1939]

Watched Midnight Mary directed by "Wild Bill" Wellman.
Starring Loretta Young, Franchot Tone, Ricardo Cortez, and Una Merkel.
This is the story of a poor girl trying to work her way up and out of the gutter. Mary Martin (Young) meets the highs and lows of society and finds herself on death row. Character discussions of sex, love, passion, and pregnancy are maturely handled in this pre-code classic. The film showcases the less than glamorous aspects of clawing your way out of poverty.

This movie sounds as depressing as the era in which it was made. I can't wait to see it.

 

[JennyLou]

The last movie I watched was Gigi. I was in a Vincent Minnelli mood.

 

[alden405]

had a top up on the 1st 2 X Men films and Volver

 

[chanteuseCarey]

Hi Quigley, have missed you...

Love this current avatar pic of yours!

P.T. Anderson's 'There Will Be Blood' with Daniel Day-Lewis.

 

[chanteuseCarey]

saw two WWII era movies from the UK...

on the big screen at the Stanford Theateer in Palo Alto. Chuck adn I derssed vintage, let the kids off the hook cuz' it was a hot day for them at school. A movie house is always sooo nice and cool on a hot day...

We saw "A Canterbury Tale" with "A Matter of Life and Death". Both very interesting films, I highly recommend them.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Just watched Leatherheads (George Clooney, Rene Zellwegger, John Krazinski) last night and found it better than I expected it to be. It's about football in the 1920s, Zellwegger as an undercover reporter, Clooney & Kazinski as footballers of the era.

 

[Feraud]

This movie sounds as depressing as the era in which it was made. I can't wait to see it.

Actually it is not depressing. It is a well made film that does not drag at all.
The story is told in flashback as Loretta Young's character is on death row for murder.


I watched Little Caesar. This film left me very underwhelmed. I know it was a big film at the time showcasing the social ills of crime and fast living.
For the life of me I could not figure out how EG Robinson's character made his way to the top of his gang with so little interference from the other mobsters! These schlubs made no resistance as the outsider Robinson walked in and said he was taking over! No argument, no guns drawn...nothing. lol
There is little doubt Robinson was a fine actor. I believe this was one of the cornerstone films (Public Enemy being another) that firmly established not only the gangster genre but Robinson's career.

 

[skyvue]

We saw "A Canterbury Tale" with "A Matter of Life and Death". Both very interesting films, I highly recommend them.

You didn't just see two interesting films -- you saw two of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's greatest pictures. Very nice.

I watched THANK YOU, JEEVES last night. It was mildly entertaining and if the characters had been named James and Benny Whitehead instead of Jeeves and Bertie Wooster, I'd have enjoyed it well enough on its own terms.

But as a filmed adaptation of Wodehouse, it was inexcusably bad.

 

[Slim Portly]

Last night, 1925's "The Freshman," starring Harold Lloyd, and 1935's "Ruggles of Red Gap" starring Charles Laughton (and I dare you not to get misty during Laughton's recital of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to the town folk).

This morning, 1935's "top Hat," starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

 

[Mike1939]

Actually it is not depressing. It is a well made film that does not drag at all.
The story is told in flashback as Loretta Young's character is on death row for murder. .

I meant it when I said I can't wait to see it. Guess I should have put the winking smiley face after the crack about it sounding depressing.

The more I watch pre-code films the more notice similarities between them and the film noir genre of the late 40's. The gritty hard life of crime, the femme fatale and flashbacks. Some difference's being noirs location filming and the instant karma as the bad guys get whats coming to them.

 

[Feraud]

I figured you did mike1939.

Pre-code films had diverse content compared to film noir.
There were pre-code era musicals and comedies as well as cautionary tales. Noir elements contributed to specific storylines. Generally speaking the storylines were adapted from hard boiled crime stories. These were more about greed, lust, murder, revenge, bad karma, etc.

 

[Darhling]

I really want to se Grey Gardens, 1: beacuse of the period, the stills look amazing and 2: I have had a huge girl crush on Drew Barrymore for the past 12+ years..

 

[JennyLou]

I really want to se Grey Gardens, 1: beacuse of the period, the stills look amazing and 2: I have had a huge girl crush on Drew Barrymore for the past 12+ years..

That movie is on my list of movies to see. I was listening to an interview Drew Barrymore did on NPR about that movie. I never really follwered her work but I thought she did great in the interview and now I want to watch her movies and learn more about the Barrymores. I just wish I had HBO so I could watch Grey Gardens.

 

[Kermez]

Just watched Leatherheads (George Clooney, Rene Zellwegger, John Krazinski) last night and found it better than I expected it to be. It's about football in the 1920s, Zellwegger as an undercover reporter, Clooney & Kazinski as footballers of the era.

I just got finished watching it. Well worth seeing, IMO.

 

[Mike1939]

Pre-code films had diverse content compared to film noir.
There were pre-code era musicals and comedies as well as cautionary tales. Noir elements contributed to specific storylines. Generally speaking the storylines were adapted from hard boiled crime stories. These were more about greed, lust, murder, revenge, bad karma, etc.

Yes I agree there are many kinds of pre-code films. I should have been more specific than to label them all as similar to noir.
Movies like Babyface, 3 on a Match and Free Soul are the type of pre-code examples I see having similar elements and a gritty realism that you also find in noir.

 

[cecil]

I really want to se Grey Gardens, 1: beacuse of the period, the stills look amazing and 2: I have had a huge girl crush on Drew Barrymore for the past 12+ years..

Me too! I haven't seen the first film yet though.

I watched "The Bat" last night, the 1959 one I mean. Now I want to see the other ones.

 

[katiemakeup]

Just watched Leatherheads (George Clooney, Rene Zellwegger, John Krazinski) last night and found it better than I expected it to be. It's about football in the 1920s, Zellwegger as an undercover reporter, Clooney & Kazinski as footballers of the era.

I liked that movie too!

I watched Grey Gardens last night-- Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. I enjoyed it a lot and the costumes were fantastic. Just as good as the documentary. They really did settle into their own little black hole of reality... and I thought Drew did a great job bringing eccentric frivolity to Little Edie. Especially during the moments of lucidity when she realizes that her life went down a path of a different color. I was saddened for her; I was happy for her.

 

[Inky]

I thought HBO's Grey Gardens was good. Not as amazing as the documentary, which is absolutely worth watching. Jessica Lange did an outstanding job as Big Edie, and Drew really captured the essence of Little Edie. The backstory was good, seeing Edie slowly turning Grey Gardens into what it became and sucking Little Edie right back in. Those two women certainly loved each other.

Little Edie had an amazing sense of style and the 30's/40's costumes were beautiful - I loved Little Edie's hooded gown and bathing suit as well. The transformation of the house was truly well done.

Worth watching!

 

[Doctor Strange]

I was very impressed with Grey Gardens too.

An outstanding performance by Jessica Lange is a given, but it was Drew Barrymore who really impressed me here: this was probably the best acting I've ever seen from her. (Don't get me wrong: I have loved her since E.T., and I have watched many terrible movies just because she was in them... but I have always thought of her more as a charismatic star than an actress.) Also, Jeanne Tripplehorn totally nailed Jackie in her cameo. And the 30s/50s/70s period details and costumes were very well done.

My 16-year-old daughter, who began watching under protest because the whole thing sounded so weird, ended up being riveted and moved.

 

[St.Ignatz]

"Topper" on TCM but I was more watching the hat's and the Boat tail.