What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[Edward]

Travelling long haul yesterday, so I caught a few films I'd missed. Crimes of Grindelwald was fun; doesn't add much to the first one but it moved the plot along and it looked beautiful, especially the clothes. Depp was largely wasted in a role that any halfway competent actor could have done - for a character actor of his strength (even given his recent troubles) I'd expected more. Jude Law was surprisingly good as a young Dumbledore, though. Overall, a nice addition to Rowling's world, and again proved that it can work with all-adult characters.

Bumblebee was vastly superior to the other films in the Transformers franchise - finally, a good workable script with some good acting turns from the humans alongside the impressive effects.

First Man is very good indeed, nothing more to add to the posts on that above.

The Meg - somewhere between Jaws III and Sharknado. Knowing, campy fun that neither goes too silly nor ruins itself by stage-whispering to the audience about ow clever and campy it is (a la the execrable Scream).

Finally Netflix offers "LaLa Land" and I am willing to watch...not willing to rent it. I actually liked it.....a bit. In the beginning I had the urge to switch it off as I disliked both characters but at my wife's urging I hung in. The characters grew on me and in the end I did care for them...even getting a bit verklempf at the ending. Much better movie than I anticipated but not deserving of the hype. A decent, fun little movie. As my wife said; the dance scenes would have been more enjoyable if they had actors that actually knew how to dance.

Complex dances for two leads who couldn't dance., whiled conversely they chose two leads who could sing well enough and gave them rubbish, repetitive songs in a half-key outside their comfortable ranges. Saw it in the cinema at the time. Refused to buy into the hype, but was still disappointed. Herself hated it. I felt I'd basically seen a mid-90s also-ran Woody Allen that'd he'd made in his sleep and that might ave been diverting enough on a plane for a couple of hours if I'd seen everything else available twice. Not even deserving of a nomination for something as discredited as the Oscars, let alone a prize worth winning.

 

[scottyrocks]

Travelling long haul yesterday, so I caught a few films I'd missed. Crimes of Grindelwald was fun; doesn't add much to the first one but it moved the plot along and it looked beautiful, especially the clothes. Depp was largely wasted in a role that any halfway competent actor could have done - for a character actor of his strength (even given his recent troubles) I'd expected more. Jude Law was surprisingly good as a young Dumbledore, though. Overall, a nice addition to Rowling's world, and again proved that it can work with all-adult characters.

Bumblebee was vastly superior to the other films in the Transformers franchise - finally, a good workable script with some good acting turns from the humans alongside the impressive effects.

First Man is very good indeed, nothing more to add to the posts on that above.

The Meg - somewhere between Jaws III and Sharknado. Knowing, campy fun that neither goes too silly nor ruins itself by stage-whispering to the audience about ow clever and campy it is (a la the execrable Scream).



Complex dances for two leads who couldn't dance., whiled conversely they chose two leads who could sing well enough and gave them rubbish, repetitive songs in a half-key outside their comfortable ranges. Saw it in the cinema at the time. Refused to buy into the hype, but was still disappointed. Herself hated it. I felt I'd basically seen a mid-90s also-ran Woody Allen that'd he'd made in his sleep and that might ave been diverting enough on a plane for a couple of hours if I'd seen everything else available twice. Not even deserving of a nomination for something as discredited as the Oscars, let alone a prize worth winning.

I felt Grindelwald to be a let down, but only because I thought that Fantastic Beasts was so good.

I had been all set to see Bumblebee when it was released, and just never got around to it (I know - a big boo-hiss for this VW fan). At this point I'll catch it on alternative media (not a theater).

I hadn't seen The Meg, mainly because I'm kinda special-effectsed-out, but being between the two films you mentioned does give me some idea of how it will roll. Sharknado was hilarious, and Jaws III was trash.

 

[MisterCairo]

A re-visit to Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows. Watched it on my MacBook Pro, as our tv is gone to the new house, waiting for Bell (Canada) satellite hookup.

 

[scottyrocks]

I just watched Sabrina (1954).

I think Bogey is best known as a tough bad guy, or tough, virtuous good guy, but I so enjoy him in films such as this where he plays a tough (haha), yet wise, virtuous, sentimental, somewhat vulnerable character (another of my Bogart favorites in this vein is Deadline U.S.A. [1952]).

Sabrina is a comedy, and both Bogey and William Holden, playing brothers, were first rate. And Audrey Hepburn? Absolutely mesmerizing. I mean absolutely.

What made this film especially entertaining was the comedic aspect of it combined with the questionable virtuousness of Bogart's character, Linus Larabee, regarding his feelings and motives towards Hepburn's character, Sabrina. Is he trying to dissolve the relationship between Sabrina and his younger brother (Holden) because it's best for the family, or because he loves her, or both? Bogart plays it pretty close to the vest, and it's not completely clear right up until the second to last scene, where it is resolved beautifully.

 

[Edward]

I felt Grindelwald to be a let down, but only because I thought that Fantastic Beasts was so good.

I had been all set to see Bumblebee when it was released, and just never got around to it (I know - a big boo-hiss for this VW fan). At this point I'll catch it on alternative media (not a theater).

I hadn't seen The Meg, mainly because I'm kinda special-effectsed-out, but being between the two films you mentioned does give me some idea of how it will roll. Sharknado was hilarious, and Jaws III was trash.

In entertainment vaue, it's much clsoer Sharknado; the Jaws franchise went sadly downhill after II. I suspect, though, theres an element of knowing parody of Jaws in there - also, Statham seems to be parodying himself, though in a much subtler way than the lead in Airplane / Naked Gun.

 

[scottyrocks]

In entertainment vaue, it's much clsoer Sharknado; the Jaws franchise went sadly downhill after II. I suspect, though, theres an element of knowing parody of Jaws in there - also, Statham seems to be parodying himself, though in a much subtler way than the lead in Airplane / Naked Gun.

I don't think Leslie Nielsen was ever accused of being subtle. haha

 

[Fading Fast]

Just This Once from 1952 staring Janet Leigh and Peter Lawford

• The battle-of-the-sexes movies reached their peak in the late '50s with Doris Day and Rock Hudson, but you can see the genre starting to take shape in this early-'50s movie

• Lawford plays a young man who outspends his trust fund's $1,000,000/yr income (~$10,000,000 in today's dollars) by over $500,000/yr, so his trust's attorney hires Leigh, a young, pragmatic and thrifty attorney to control Lawford's spending (hey, I didn't write the script and battle-of-the-sexes movies are not about the story as they are all about the chemistry between the stars)

• Unfortunately, Lawford and Leigh don't sizzle together - both look great individually and they create reasonably engaging, if silly, characters, but you never feel a real spark between them

• A ridiculously young Richard Anderson (well before he played Steve Austin's handler) is adequate, but nothing more, in the Tony Randall-like role of Leigh's slightly woebegone fiancee

• It's okay for killing an hour and a half - and there's plenty of neat period clothes, cars, architecture, etc. - but that's about it

 

[Zombie_61]

...the Jaws franchise went sadly downhill after II...

The Jaws franchise went downhill after the first movie. After the disappointing box office for Jaws 2 (Roy Scheider only agreed to appear in the movie after a deal was made with Universal to release him from his contract), David Brown and Richard Zanuck originally pitched Jaws 3-D as a spoof titled "National Lampoon's Jaws 3, People 0". They abandoned the idea only after Steven Spielberg rejected it and threatened to sever all ties with Universal.

 

[Edward]

The Jaws franchise went downhill after the first movie. After the disappointing box office for Jaws 2 (Roy Scheider only agreed to appear in the movie after a deal was made with Universal to release him from his contract), David Brown and Richard Zanuck originally pitched Jaws 3-D as a spoof titled "National Lampoon's Jaws 3, People 0". They abandoned the idea only after Steven Spielberg rejected it and threatened to sever all ties with Universal.

I found them all entertaining, but the first two I think were credible. The first was the best, obvs.

I always loved Michael Caine's comment on the fourth one. A journo mocked him for being in such a bad film. He replied "I've never seen it, but I could show you the house it bought me."

 

[MissMittens]

The Mole People, a 1956 monster/sci-fi flick distributed by Universal and directed by Virgil Vogel. The movie stars John Agar, who was husband at the time of Shirley Temple, and over-acted every scene, and doe-eyed Cynthia Patrick, who only seems to have done bit-parts on TV afterwards from what I could find on IMDB.

It was barely watchable until we found the MST3K version, which made it so much better. I miss the snark of the original Mystery Science Theater 3000. The one with Felicia Day doesn't do it for me.

 

[The Jackal]

The last movie I watched was Shazam back on March 23. I managed to get tickets to an advanced showing. I think it actually hits theatres this week. Its a fun family movie despite a few kinda dark scenes.

I've also just purchased tickets to the opening day for Avengers Endgame. Tickets appear to be selling out really fast at all the theatres in my area.

 

[EngProf]

The Mole People, a 1956 monster/sci-fi flick distributed by Universal and directed by Virgil Vogel. The movie stars John Agar, who was husband at the time of Shirley Temple, and over-acted every scene, and doe-eyed Cynthia Patrick, who only seems to have done bit-parts on TV afterwards from what I could find on IMDB.

It was barely watchable until we found the MST3K version, which made it so much better. I miss the snark of the original Mystery Science Theater 3000. The one with Felicia Day doesn't do it for me.

Also it had Ward Cleaver as Agar's co-adventurer, before he settled down with June, and had Wally and The Beaver.

 

[Fading Fast]

Inherit the Wind from 1960 staring Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly and several really talented actors who became well known TV actors in subsequent years.

Okay, I've seen it a bunch of times over several decades, so I'm now at that point where I see it versus my prior impressions. To that, it's held up as it's a solid movie - strong story, machine-gun fast and smart dialogue, talented actors and beautiful B&W cinematography. It's dated, but also not dated, as the theme - science versus religious faith - is still relevant and debated today in a not-that-different way.

Also, it's all exaggerated - the characters, the town-folks, the acting (wonderful, but stagey - makes sense, it was originally a play) and the good and the evil are all a bit too black and white and all a bit too loud. But still, effective, engaging and powerful - even knowing what's going to happen, I'm rooting for the good guys to win.

But what surprised me is that I noticed - for the first time with this viewing - that 1984's Footloose is derivative of Inherit the Wind to the point that several scenes in Footloose are lifted right out of Inherit the Wind. The fundamentalist preacher in Inherit the Wind is the same character as the fundamentalist preacher in Footloose. Both have troubled relationships with their rebellious/doubting daughters - which makes both of them outwardly more orthodox while inwardly insecure in their beliefs.

Three scenes in Footloose - the daughter confronting the father about his faith while he's preaching fire and brimstone, a come-to-Jesus [] father-daughter screaming match in their house and the "trial" scene where the atheist defender uses the words of the bible to confront the true believers (his judge and jury) - are straight out of Inherit the Wind. It's all too similar - in words and style - to be coincidental. Despite being a cheesy '80s teen, kinda, musical, I've always thought Footloose had something more than the average movie in it - now I know that, that something more is right out of Inherit the Wind.


Edit Add: Has anyone else noticed the similarities between Inherit the Wind and Footloose?

 

[Julian Shellhammer]

Fantastic Beasts: the Grindelwald one. The Missus and I didn't follow exactly who was who and what was what, which diminished our overall enjoyment. Dazzling, state-of-the-art CGI effects do not compensate for Eddie Redmayne's affectation of staring away from whomever is engaged in dialogue with him. David Yates' swirling, swooping, gliding camera work distracted occasionally from the narrative. Nonetheless, entertaining for a Friday night chill out.
And for something completely different, 1959's Pork Chop Hill. What a great movie. Always good for rock-solid performances, action scenes, and an astonishing cast of familiar faces.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Killing time on Yoo toob, here's some priceless footage of our good friend the Pathe Rooster, captured here in a screen test for the role. Clearly the one on the left had the personality required for the part, but imagine my disappointment to discover his voice was dubbed.

 

[Fading Fast]

Killing time on Yoo toob, here's some priceless footage of our good friend the Pathe Rooster, captured here in a screen test for the role. Clearly the one on the left had the personality required for the part, but imagine my disappointment to discover his voice was dubbed.

It's all a facade in Hollywood - even the rooster needs a voice over.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I found an unlabeled VHS tape in my spare room today while going thru some junk, and it turned out to contain a fine off-the-air recording of "The Road To Morocco," which of course I had to drop all pretense of cleaning and sit and watch.

This is the most popular of the "Road" pictures, and it pretty much sums up the entire ethos of the series: Hope and Crosby are bumbling con men who end up in some exotic location, become involved with local stereotypes, wise-ass their way into and out of trouble, knock off a few songs, and try to get ahead with Dorothy Lamour. Plot and characterization take a far distant place behind the constant barrage of gags, many of which are as meta as anything you'll see on any hipster cable show.

As I say, stereotypes are a big part of all these films, but the point is usually a self-aware parody of the Hollywood version of those stereotypes rather than an unselfconscious promotion of them. In "Morocco," the whole picture is one big razzberry at the entire genre of desert-adventure pictures, complete with camels, ruthless shieks, glamorous harem girls, scheming traders, and nefarious advisors. The stereotypes are deliberately exaggerated for the sole reason of pointing out what ridiculous Hollywood conventions they are. A generation that didn't grow up on "Son Of The Shiek," "The Desert Song," and "Beau Geste" is likely to take all this stuff literally and deplore it -- but rest assured, the moviegoers of 1942 didn't see it that way at all.

Hope and Crosby are at their best in this picture -- Hope is his usual jabbering, babbling patsy, with a yellow streak a mile wide, while Crosby is, as ever, the smooth, calculating master of every situation, the suave Bugs Bunny to Hope's two-bit Daffy Duck. And I've said before and will say again, the scene of Crosby swaggering along singing "Ain't Got A Dime To My Name" in a fez and immaculate ice-cream suit is the apotheosis of effortless Cool.

You don't hear the Road pictures talked about as often among comedy buffs as you did thirty or forty years ago, but as far as I'm concerned they're still among the best "comedian comedies" Hollywood has ever produced. I wonder if I've got an unlabeled VHS tape around here with "Road to Utopia" on it?

 

[scottyrocks]

Last night I watched 99 River Street (1953) starring John Payne, Evelyn Keyes, and Brad Dexter.

It's the story of prizefighter Eddie Driscoll (Payne) who is now driving a cab because of a debilitating injury he suffered in his last fight, which opens the film.

His financially unsatisfied wife (actress Peggy Castle) gets involved in an affair with jewel thief Victor Rawlins (Dexter) who kills her with the knowledge that Driscoll will be blamed. Then it is up to Driscoll to prove his innocence by preserving the only proof he's got, Rawlins, before he gets rubbed out by other crooks for his shenanigans.

Along the way he gets more involved than he wants with a female friend (played by Ellen Keyes) because she uses him to prove to a Broadway casting director that she is the right girl for a Broadway play that is being cast. She winds up being right beside him throughout the film, helping him to clear his name.

Interesting was the idea that although her character had had some television roles, it wasn't looked at as anything with a future. Such was life in 1953.

As far as I am concerned, Keyes steals the show at least twice during this 1 hour 23 minute film. First in the unofficial audition where she uses Driscoll without his knowledge, and then in a bar where she tries to seduce, actually delay, Rawlins from getting on a boat and making a getaway.

The film is characterized as Noir, although it didn't feel like it to me. No overtly dangerous femme fatale, and hardly any use of dramatic shadows. Yes, Peggy Castle as Pauline Driscoll is not nice, but not a femme fatale.

 

[Zombie_61]

Last night i watched 99 River Street (1953] starring John Payne, Evelyn Keyes, and Brad Dexter...

Aww, nuts. I wanted to watch that last night, but She Who Must Be Obeyed nixed the idea and we ended up watching something that I was so disinterested in that I don't even remember what it was. I'll have to try to keep it in mind for the next time TCM airs it.

 

[MissMittens]

The Last Starfighter. The song of a trailer park manager, Alex, plays an arcade game called The Last Starfighter after experiencing a tough day as a teenager, and gets max score. A mysterious car pulls up with someone who claims to have created the game, and he asks Alex to get in to discuss a proposition. Alex soon learns that he's been recruited to join a squadron of Starfighters to defend the entire universe from attack. Upon refusing, Alex is returned to Earth to decide on going back. When he returns to the star base, he finds that all the other candidates are dead, leaving him as the "last" Starfighter. Ultimately he returns to Earth after successfully defeating the enemy, where he picks up his girlfriend and leaves for space once more.