What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[Touchofevil]

Starting a trend, Die Hard with a Vengeance.

 

[GHT]

The Quartet directed by Dustin Hoffman. It was screened on BBC4 this evening. So many stars of the big and small screen, I didn't really know what to expect, but I loved it.

 

[rocketeer]

Assault on The Queen. Another film you should watch if your 12, or can partially shut down you brain, so all the implausibility doesn't ruin it!

Not seen this since I WAS about 12 Is it the Frank Sinatra film about raising a WWII U boat hoping to rob an ocean liner? I can't remember all the details but were the dead crew all skeletonised, sitting at the table in their Uniforms or something similar to that? Good fun though, in a similar vein to Raise the Titanic

 

[AmateisGal]

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir was on TCM tonight and of course I had to watch it.

 

[yeezus_christ]

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir was on TCM tonight and of course I had to watch it.

While I agree with your sentiment regarding the visual quality of that motion picture film, I personally prefer the cinematographer's vision in the film 'Project X'. It is far superior, in my humble opinion

 

[Stearmen]

Not seen this since I WAS about 12 Is it the Frank Sinatra film about raising a WWII U boat hoping to rob an ocean liner? I can't remember all the details but were the dead crew all skeletonised, sitting at the table in their Uniforms or something similar to that? Good fun though, in a similar vein to Raise the Titanic

That's it! Only the good Captain's skeleton was left. Great movie for a 12 year old!

 

[Doctor Strange]

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir was on TCM tonight and of course I had to watch it.

I stumbled onto it and had to watch the second half, it's a longtime fave. Besides everything else it has to recommend it, there's that excellent score by Bernard Herrmann. Yes, I was ferklempt at the end AGAIN!

Then I watched a film I'd DVR'd from TCM recently: Smash-Up, The Story of a Woman. Another late forties flick with Susan Hayward as an alcoholic. I was curious to see it just because of that great title, but I ended up liking it.

 

[Fading Fast]

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir was on TCM tonight and of course I had to watch it.

I missed this viewing, but have easily seen the movie ten times in my life. Away from the enjoyable story and acting, I love it visually. In particular, the house (how much do you love her bedroom with its fireplace and little step-up area for watching the ships come and go), the publisher's office (those bookcases are incredible) and the seaside scenes are beautiful. Also, it's a very good ghost movie which isn't cheesy or forced - a very hard thing to pull of.

 

[Doctor Strange]

It's among the best films of the small postwar angel/ghost genre made in response to the losses of the war. (I don't mean that studio execs decided that these movies should be made, they seem to have arisen spontaneously from the emotions of the period across studios/countries.)

 

[Worf]

"Seven Days in May" - Taught direction from Frankenhiemer, excellent script from Rod Serling and amazing performances all round. Great fiction released the same year as Kennedy's assassination.... I'm sure it rattled more'n a few people.... Hell it still rattles me particularly since domestic violence/terror seems to have only increased since then.... Though mebbe not, the high point might have been during the Civil Rights and anti war period. Probably just as much if not more violence then... we just didn't have the 24 hour news cycle to throw it in our faces all day and all night.

Worf

 

[Fading Fast]

"Sun Valley Serenade," a fun, fluffy, 1941 romantic comedy staring Sonja Henie and John Payne with decent-sized roles for Glen Miller (yup, that Glen Miller) and Milton Berle (never my cup of tea, but it is interesting to see him so young).

The movie has two things going for it. One, Miller's music - he and his band - is integrally woven into the plot highlighted by a full-bore version of what is basically an early music video of "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" (and, as always, showing how everything dates back way earlier than it seems - MTV started up in 1981). Two is the movie's overall charm from the Sun Valley setting - with early ski lodge coziness and beautiful ski and skating scenes - to Henie's spirited romantic innocence (with just a bit of necessary chicanery) that provides perfect escapism.

There is nothing challenging here - but good light-hearted entertainment. Also, it's funny to see all the 1940s ski sweaters as it looks like a current-day ad for Ralph Lauren (who openly acknowledges his debt to '20s - '50s American sartorial style).

 

[AmateisGal]

Inglorious Basterds. First time to see it (I'm not a big Quentin Tarantino fan). It was ok. I wasn't enthralled with it, that's for sure.

 

[Touchofevil]

Stand By Me

 

[AmateisGal]

Ant-Man. Third time to see it and it's still awesome!

 

[Fading Fast]

Inglorious Basterds. First time to see it (I'm not a big Quentin Tarantino fan). It was ok. I wasn't enthralled with it, that's for sure.

I liked it - not as much as his best movies - but I enjoyed it. Brad Pitt did an incredible job as did Melanie Laurant. Once you accept (you either can or can't and I understand if you can't) that this is not history, but a made up story built around history and not meant even to reflect events that might have happened, I thought it worked. It is very Tarantino - it brings his crazy mind of how people think and act into a familiar-to-movie-goers WWII setting.

 

[Fading Fast]

"Their Own Desire," a 1929, Norma Shearer pre-code set amidst the swells, in which her father has an affair and then leaves her mother for the "other woman." Meanwhile, without realizing that their parents are involved, Shearer and the "other woman's" son fall in love.

I'll leave the rest of the plot for those who want to see it fresh, but the real fun in this movie (even, I'd bet, in 1929) is not the plot, but the voyeurism of "the lifestyles of the rich and famous" - polo matches, mansions, butlers, gorgeous cars, clothes, etc. And Shearer - while not a favorite of mine - has a energy that overcomes her, IMHO, limited acting abilities: it also doesn't hurt that the camera loves her.

From our perspective today, it is neat in this movie to see the actors feel their way into the talkies as some are still aggressively emoting and gesturing while others seem to understand that it is no longer necessary to do so. As with most pre-codes, it is fun to see that all the sexual high jinx we sometimes think is so fresh, was going on back in the '20s (and in Ancient Rome and Ancient Egypt and all the time since), the only difference is that then it was still a bit of a social scandal to do so.

 

[philosophygirl78]

Right now I'm watching The House On 56th Street (1933) with Kay Francis for a second time. Yesterday I watched Trog (1970).

What was the last movie you watched?

The 'Insidious' Saga... American Horror filmmakers should watch more Japanese and Korean Noir...

 

[Bushman]

Miracle on 34th Street, then It's A Wonderful Life.

 

[AmateisGal]

I liked it - not as much as his best movies - but I enjoyed it. Brad Pitt did an incredible job as did Melanie Laurant. Once you accept (you either can or can't and I understand if you can't) that this is not history, but a made up story built around history and not meant even to reflect events that might have happened, I thought it worked. It is very Tarantino - it brings his crazy mind of how people think and act into a familiar-to-movie-goers WWII setting.

I actually thought Brad Pitt was too much of a caricature. But then again, aren't all the characters in this film some form of caricature? I did like that all of the top Nazis got wiped out in one fell swoop.

 

[Fading Fast]

I actually thought Brad Pitt was too much of a caricature. But then again, aren't all the characters in this film some form of caricature? I did like that all of the top Nazis got wiped out in one fell swoop.

I kinda felt he was going for over the top, but maybe I'm giving Pitt too much credit. More broadly, this was not Tarantino's best, but I thought a worthy effort if you could accept using WWII as a jumping off point for Tarantino Crazy.