What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[ChiTownScion]

....As for factory work, the year I spent in the t-shirt factory radicalized me more than reading any book or listening any speech ever possibly could. It was almost thirty years ago, but it still affects me to this day.

Mine was several boots in the arse that I needed along the way as a "gentle reminder" for many hard learned lessons. To stay in school and complete the course, obviously... but also one of many reminders to be grateful for what I have and avoid wallowing in a sense of entitlement.

Had several non-factory (hospital security) jobs that did that as well. Not bad jobs, really... at least compared to factory work. It paid fairly decently as well, at least for a single person. But I had to deal with drunks, punks, and a hospital caste system (at least at one institution, now shuttered) that treated the Dr. Mucus Welby's and Their Golden Stethoscopes, and the administrators in suits, as gods worthy of Olympus... while the housekeeping and food service staff (without whom no hospital could function) as untouchables. Security officers were somewhere in the middle... definitely lower on the food chain than the diploma grads in nursing who made up 90% of the RN's. But the worst part was never--EVER---being able to enjoy a weekend or a regular holiday off.

I kept a handcuff key from the last security gig on my key ring for years. It served as a gentle reminder: dealing with jerk clients, childish judges, and reality challenged prosecutors (who'd never held a job in their lives until Daddy made a phone call to get them their current position) was not the worst of all worlds. I was damned fortunate, because I had a small taste of how miserable life could have been, and there but for the grace of the Almighty/ pure dumb luck/ decent people along the way giving me a break, a miserable few months or years could have been a lifetime sentence of misery.

 

[Fading Fast]

I loved this movie as well. Two completely different people doing the same thing in completely different ways. I was riveted and I'm completely uninterested in Formula 1 or Grand Prix racing... Very well done. Unsure why it didn't do better at the box office.

Worf

Based on your and Gregg's review, I just dropped "Rush" in my Netflix queue (can't they just make all this stuff streaming and end the silly mailing of discs).

Have either of you read a book "Go Like Hell" which is the story of Ford's attempt in the '60s to gain a racing halo effect by beating Ferrari at LeMans?

Like Worf, I know nothing about auto racing (not even the difference between Formula 1 or Grand Prix or LeMans), but the book is riveting as a story of outsized personalities, intense competition and impressive skill and courage. My guess is that you both would enjoy it.

 

[Gregg Axley]

I loved this movie as well. Two completely different people doing the same thing in completely different ways. I was riveted and I'm completely uninterested in Formula 1 or Grand Prix racing... Very well done. Unsure why it didn't do better at the box office.

Worf

Many people didn't understand it.
There are quite a lot of good movies with the same result unfortunately.
Agreed though, simply riveting.

 

[Stearmen]

I Am Dale Earnhardt! I was not much of a fan of him, quit watching NASCAR about that time, hatted all the conservative YUPPIES coming into the audience that used to look down on us. But I do have a better opinion of Dale after this! [video=youtube;9uT2wQBrkkI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uT2wQBrkkI[/video]

 

[Fading Fast]

Did anyone happen to catch the film short / government film "Don't Talk" on TCM at about 5:45pm EST yesterday (according to the schedule, it started at 5:30)?

It was already on when I started it, but the general gist is that it was a home front WWII education film about factory workers and others not talking about anything having to do with their war work - even things that seem innocuous.

More than the plot - which, again, I missed some of but was pretty cookie cutter (bad guys and gal steal info and plot sabotage owing to some loose talking and sloppy handling of info - G-men track their movements) - the clothes (incredible suits and some incredible work clothes on the men - fish back trousers / suspenders), settings (great diner) and cars / trucks made the piece a great time-travel moment.

I love that TCM uses these as filler as it is a great window into the culture and vibe of the time.

 

[Feraud]

I love that TCM uses these as filler as it is a great window into the culture and vibe of the time.

I did not see that particular short but I've always enjoyed and look forward to these clips.

My only complaint is we don't know when they are on! I don't think these are shown between every film and as far as I know they are not listed. I would love to know when these are running and what the content is!

My wife recorded a great short film on TCM a while back. It was a cotton industry commerical filmed in the mid to late 60s. Many of the outdoor scenes were in NYC and it was an excellent look real people walking and working around the Garment District.

 

[Fading Fast]

I did not see that particular short but I've always enjoyed and look forward to these clips.

My only complaint is we don't know when they are on! I don't think these are shown between every film and as far as I know they are not listed. I would love to know when these are running and what the content is!

My wife recorded a great short film on TCM a while back. It was a cotton industry commerical filmed in the mid to late 60s. Many of the outdoor scenes were in NYC and it was an excellent look real people walking and working around the Garment District.

Agreed - it's a shame they don't put them on the schedule, but (and this may be the reason they don't) it encourages me to always see what is on TCM whenever I turn on the TV (and I don't do that with other channels, for those, I just look at the schedule guide on line).

The travelogue shorts are also a great time travel moment that TCM runs off and on - but again, you just have to catch them.

 

[ChiTownScion]

"The Raid" (1954) with Van Heflin, Anne Bancroft, Richard Boone, Peter Graves and Lee Marvin. With a plot very loosely based upon the St. Albans Vermont Raid of 1864. Farbie uniforms (esp. the Rebs) and a lot of overacting, and more than a few anachronisms and other inaccuracies: "so bad, it's good."

 

[Worf]

"RoboCop" 2014 Version - I watched this on Netflix the other night and was thoroughly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Michael Keaton was excellent as the "villain du jour" and all the acting was pretty good. I think the film is at least "as good" as the original and they didn't go completely overboard in the special effects department. The film also touches on the morality of sending machines in to kill men. You could do worse.

Worf

 

[Feraud]

Worf, the wife and I just saw the new Robocop and absolutely agree! As far as remakes go this wasn't bad. It was true to the intent of the original. Changes to the original story were minor and the modern special effects were enough without going overboard.
Three cheers for Netflix. May I never have to set foot in a movie theater again!

 

[Fading Fast]

... May I never have to set foot in a movie theater again!

We haven't in over five years - I can't stand them. At least in NYC, many are dirty, most are expensive and - sometimes - have rude people who act as if they are watching in their living room and can talk out loud during the movie. Our goal is never to go to a movie theatre again.

 

[Doctor Strange]

As an old school film buff, I find that position really sad.

Not that I don't partly agree: I have a personal rule about never going to Friday or Saturday night shows because of the rude, rowdy crowds. The truth is, I typically only go to three or four theatrical films a year myself now. Most movies I see on cable...

But as great as a home theater setup can be, there's no substitute for watching a film in the dark with strangers: There's magic there, a connection back to our roots - listening to the tribal shaman telling stories huddled around the fire in the terrifying, huge darkness - that still adds a potent effect. Sometimes, anyway.

And first-run exhibition is still a key part the economics of the movie biz, even with the added importance of all the "ancillary markets." If you really love movies, you should go to a theater now and then to help keep the industry healthy.

 

[Fading Fast]

I agree that nothing can replace the full experience of a theater. After having seen "Casablanca" on TV several time, it became a different movie for me in the theatre. The sheer size, the incredible crispness of the black and white cinematography, the rich sound and the use of shadows and angles that are lost on TV are incredible when seen in a theater. I can say the same for tens of other movies (seeing "Dr. Zhivago" at the NYC Ziegfeld is still one of my favorite movie theater experiences ever).

That said, the experience today has become so unenjoyable for the aforementioned reasons (and since NYC has shut most of its smaller theaters and everything is now crowded multiplexes), we just don't enjoy going.

It does seem that enough people do still enjoy going that Hollywood box office revenues - while down - aren't plummeting anymore. Also, sales to venues like Netflix, HBO, etc. are all part of the economic calculation so, by watching on those venues, I am supporting the movie biz.

Ultimately, the movie biz will either make the theater experience worthwhile (which it seems to have done, just not for us) or it will go away (I don't think that will happen). My guess is it will continue morphing toward a model of releasing into multiple distribution channels with the theater being just one of them.

Who knows, maybe one day I'll be coax back in (if my feet don't stick to the floor and people learn some public manners again).

 

[1mach1]

Last night, From Hell It Came (1957)

 

[jamespowers]

I would gladly go to the movies if the theaters were like the ones
I remember as a kid;

The movie theaters were beautiful structures with different levels & balconies.
The candy counter, drinks & popcorn were affordable.
There was double features with cartoons, serials & you could watch the movie again.
The attitude of the folks towards one another when attending the theater was nice.
And there was ushers with flashlights who would make sure you enjoyed the movie.

Most important, there was no cell phones

That was a looooonnngg time ago.
I remember it but I didn't last long......

 

[Fading Fast]

Many good and important things came out of the changes in the '60s, but we did loose a surface elegance and a day-to-day level of manners and decorum. Since my parents were Golden Era through and through, they sought out the places that still had those standards into the '70s and '80s, so as a kid I went to more of the nicer theaters that held onto at least some of the traditions a bit longer than most. I also saw the contrast when I'd go with my friends to whatever theater was close or cheap. While I couldn't have expressed it the same way then, I really knew there was something meaningfully different in how my parent's world worked and how our in the '70s was working.

 

[Wally_Hood]

As an old school film buff, I find that position really sad.

Not that I don't partly agree: I have a personal rule about never going to Friday or Saturday night shows because of the rude, rowdy crowds. The truth is, I typically only go to three or four theatrical films a year myself now. Most movies I see on cable...

But as great as a home theater setup can be, there's no substitute for watching a film in the dark with strangers: There's magic there, a connection back to our roots - listening to the tribal shaman telling stories huddled around the fire in the terrifying, huge darkness - that still adds a potent effect. Sometimes, anyway.

And first-run exhibition is still a key part the economics of the movie biz, even with the added importance of all the "ancillary markets." If you really love movies, you should go to a theater now and then to help keep the industry healthy.

Agreed. I used to go to the "revival" houses to see Casablanca as it was intended to be seen: on a big screen. The Balboa Theater ran a wide variety of films, foreign, classic, silents, "art house", and so on. There was period of time when they played 40s music during intermission over the speakers (think of Road to Morocco's theme song).
I shy away from visiting the movies today because it's so expensive, there's very little that interests me, and, yes, those folks that talk and text and chat spoil it for me.

 

[Stearmen]

I would gladly go to the movies if the theaters were like the ones
I remember as a kid;

The movie theaters were beautiful structures with different levels & balconies.
The candy counter, drinks & popcorn were affordable.
There was double features with cartoons, serials & you could watch the movie again.
The attitude of the folks towards one another when attending the theater was nice.
And there was ushers with flashlights who would make sure you enjoyed the movie.

Most important, there was no cell phones

I agree! We used to have five theaters downtown now there is one, at least it still has a balcony. The 80s was the real end of it here. Greed, we need a parking lot and office buildings, more money in that!

 

[jamespowers]

Many good and important things came out of the changes in the '60s, but we did loose a surface elegance and a day-to-day level of manners and decorum. Since my parents were Golden Era through and through, they sought out the places that still had those standards into the '70s and '80s, so as a kid I went to more of the nicer theaters that held onto at least some of the traditions a bit longer than most. I also saw the contrast when I'd go with my friends to whatever theater was close or cheap. While I couldn't have expressed it the same way then, I really knew there was something meaningfully different in how my parent's world worked and how our in the '70s was working.

The 70s world was the start of the broken world. The wheels came off in every facet of our country then.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

The 70s world was the start of the broken world. The wheels came off in every facet of our country then.

You knew it was the beginning of the Polyester Apocalypse when Sinatra wore leisure suits.

[video=youtube;V86ERyVOHVU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V86ERyVOHVU[/video]