What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[belfastboy]

I never saw "Speed". Should I?

How highly do you value two hours of your life?

 

[Trenchfriend]

How highly do you value two hours of your life?

Mediocre.

 

[belfastboy]

Mediocre.

Then it might be worth a watch for you. Decent American escapist entertainment good enough to fill a 2 hour void

 

[MisterCairo]

Mediocre.

I quite enjoy it myself! Last saw it at a "pop-up" drive in last summer with the family.

 

[Fading Fast]

Bright Young Things from 2003 with Fenella Wooglar, Emily Mortimer, Michael Sheen, Dan Aykroyd, Peter O'Toole, Stockard Channing and James McAvoy

Start with the excellent capture-the-moment Evelyn Waugh novel, Vile Bodies, add in a strong cast and smart directing by Stephen Fry and, right out of the shoot, you're on a exhilarating and exhausting romp with England's young, idle and aimlessly rich 1930s party set - the Bright Young Things.

The first three-quarters of Bright Young Things is mainly a phantasmagoria of one party after another - masquerade balls, hunts, car races, enough cocaine to supply the 1980s, charlatan spiritualists, endless boozing, gambling, casual sex, gay sex (when that was a felony) and general debauchery.

It's all smartly filmed in the wonderfully brassy, cheering and blithe style of the society newsreels of the era. Had the movie been shot in black and white, you would be wondering if director Fry had interspersed vintage clips.

After seeing these Bright Young Things partying, seemingly, without a care in the world, we meet several of them and learn, not surprisingly, that their real lives are much-less gay and easy than their public personas project.

Attractive young lovers Michael Sheen and Emily Mortimer have upper-class pedigree but not its money, which frustrates their efforts to marry. This leads to a fury of get-rich-quick efforts and a quirky hunt for an allusive colonel who, maybe, is holding a huge race-track payoff for Sheen.

Fenella Wooglar, the putative party-girl leader of the clique, uses partying, booze and cocaine to escape real life. Some of the group's gay men are able to somewhat "come out" at parties as their cross dressing and exaggerated mannerisms are seen as part of their set's "crazy" and not the "abnormality" homosexuality was perceived to be at the time.

Hovering over all of this is Dan Aykroyd as the wealthy, immoral and brash American publisher who is insensitive to England's cultural nuances. He hires "spies" (mainly society hanger-ons who need money) from within the Bright Young Things to obtain copy and pictures for his British tabloid.

It, much like any tabloid reporting on the rich and famous, creates a reinforcing feedback loop between the public hungry to read about the antics of the Bright Young Things and the Bright Young Things themselves, feigning disinterest in the attention, but really enjoying it.

All parties must end, as this one does when WWII begins and the bills come due. Pretty, flighty Emily Mortimer breaks her engagement to (and the heart of) Michael Sheen when she becomes engaged to a wealthy man because "It's all very well to look down on money, but a girl's got to look after herself these days." There's a wonderful twist and payoff to this specific story thread, but you want to see in the movie how the reality of WWII forces maturity and perspective on these two former Bright Young Things.

Others Bright Young Things don't make out as well as a trip to a mental asylum for one and flight from England to avoid arrest under the sodomy laws for a few of the others turn out the final lights on this decade-long party.

The Bright Young Things had the money and verve to play outrageously during the Depression, which seemed to both pique and fascinate the struggling-to-get-by British public. But the real story here, as always, is the complex lives behind the happy facades - the tears of the clown.

If Bright Young Things has a flaw, it could have shown a little less partying and a little more of the behind-the-scenes tears and post-party reconciliations. Yet Director Stephen Fry more than admirably translated Waugh's insightful novel into an enjoyable and poignant commentary on England's young upper class taking its last grasp at excess before WWII would provide its life-or-death test for the Empire.


N.B. For those looking to do further "research" on the Bright Young Things, I recommend Bright Young People by J. D. Taylor. Unrelated to the movie, I remember this 2010 book as an entertaining read about this quirky nook of pre-war British history. Plus, you get to meet one of the perfectly named leaders of the young partying English set, Elizabeth Ponsonby.

 

[Harp]

I missed this. "Kick" Kennedy, sister of JFK had a recent bio published that covers this era and landed aristos.
Surprising that many such manor born were penniless or nearly so. Reminiscent somewhat of the novel,
The Buckaneers, believe Edith Wharton penned this, English aristo marriages to nouveau rich American ladies.

 

[Edward]

I missed this. "Kick" Kennedy, sister of JFK had a recent bio published that covers this era and landed aristos.
Surprising that many such manor born were penniless or nearly so. Reminiscent somewhat of the novel,
The Buckaneers, believe Edith Wharton penned this, English aristo marriages to nouveau rich American ladies.

The joys of the English class system. I know of one family, for example, who lost all their money in the depression; one daughter died young because, pre-NHS, the family no longer had the money to see a doctor, while the other's education stopped at twelve because the parents could no longer afford a governess and couldn't take the "shame" of sending their kids to a school with all the other children. (The origin of 'public school' in the UK, meaning private, fee-paying schools like Eton and such, comes from the idea of those who chose to send their kids to a school to be educated alongside others - "in public" as opposed to in the home. This of course was long before compulsory, state-provided education... ). A Rolls Royce rotted on the drive because they didn't want to admit they couldn't afford it and sell it. This sort of story is far from uncommon for the upper classes who were often land-rich but cash poor.

It took me a long time to quite 'get' this at university, having always conceived of class purely in economic terms, which is of course much more fluid. The land rich /cash poor upper classes became a bit of a thing in the 20th century, especially post-WW1, when often all the males of an upper class background were wiped out across a generation; several dying within quick succession rather hammered the estates with 'death duties', as they used to be. In the modern era, many such problems with inheritance tax have been avoided by signing the big house over to the National Trust or English Heritage, with smaller, more practical, private quarters held on trust for the family use. Other estates have turned themselves into businesses to survive (Goodwood and its festivals, for instance).

 

[Edward]

I never saw "Speed". Should I?

I wasn't impressed; a bit sub-Die Hard for my tastes. That said, I've seen worse. The best reason I can think of to recommend it is to develop an understanding of the satire thereon in the Speed III episode of Father Ted. Otherwise, there's probably something better on TV...

 

[Fading Fast]

I missed this. "Kick" Kennedy, sister of JFK had a recent bio published that covers this era and landed aristos.
Surprising that many such manor born were penniless or nearly so. Reminiscent somewhat of the novel,
The Buckaneers, believe Edith Wharton penned this, English aristo marriages to nouveau rich American ladies.

Having run trading and strategy desks that support private banks, the thing you learn is that most wealthy families aren't wealthy two to three generations down the line as poor investing, excessive spending and a lot of offspring (along with taxes - yes, there are ways to reduce taxes, but they don't go away completely) usually depletes the money.

A $20 million dollar fortune today can, by the time the grandkids get it, be equal to a couple million for each grandkid's family. Still a lot of money, but you see where it's going and none of those grandkids is rich like the grandparents were.

To be sure, some families buck this trend and get a lot of attention (and some have so much wealth, it's hard to burn down), but the studies show that most wealthy families aren't wealthy in a few generations.

 

[AmateisGal]

The live-action version of Disney's Lady and the Tramp. A visual feast for the eyes with absolutely gorgeous sets and costumes. Wow. And the story is a wonderful one, of course.

 

[Harp]

Having run trading and strategy desks that support private banks, the thing you learn is that most wealthy families aren't wealthy two to three generations down the line as poor investing, excessive spending and a lot of offspring (along with taxes - yes, there are ways to reduce taxes, but they don't go away completely) usually depletes the money.

A $20 million dollar fortune today can, by the time the grandkids get it, be equal to a couple million for each grandkid's family. Still a lot of money, but you see where it's going and none of those grandkids is rich like the grandparents were.

To be sure, some families buck this trend and get a lot of attention (and some have so much wealth, it's hard to burn down), but the studies show that most wealthy families aren't wealthy in a few generations.

While in law school I worked the overnight desk at Lind Waldock and regularly spoke with some of these
upper but stale crust folk who vainly tried to beat the pros. The profile page showed all the account details
and although not suppose to offer advice unless the client was fully enrolled and paying for such tuition,
I often took pity and tendered some factual analysis. One girl I frankly told to take the remaining $100k to
a local bank where the institution that had served generations of her family could manage her account.
She was young and unskilled, like the poet Hafiz remarked, played for sheckels of gold, and was being quite
literally taken to the cleaners, losing a cool million within two years. And, of course, everything spoken over
the phone being recorded downstairs for the firm's legal protection. As I explained to the floor bosses, the firm
had fiduciary obligation to clients above any contractual legal obligations. Also, when the client continued
to profit, so too did the firm. Whether any senior stuffed suits understood it, the market from a commodity
firm's perspective was a definite two-way street. The rich and not-so-really rich rich collectively ranked
low end totem pole and the previous genetic generational zip seemed to have dissipated over time.

 

[AmateisGal]

The Man Who Knew Too Much with Doris Day and James Stewart. I've never seen this Hitchcock film before, but I quite enjoyed it. I love how Doris Day was so good at everything she did - arguably better at her comedic roles, but she gives an excellent performance in this suspenseful film.

 

[Edward]

Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead. A sequel to the original Norse Dead Snow. Unfortunately, for some reason Amazon Prime have chosen not to make subtitles available for the film (there is a subtitled version that charges quite a lot to "buy" as a download (which only exists within your Amazon account)). It is listed as the dialogue being in English. This is partially true, though much of it is Norwegian. Still, the narrative is easy enough to follow, especially if you are a fan of the zombie genre, and it is great fun. There's a lot of knowing playing to the tropes of the genre, but without annoying, Scream-style "Look at us! We're so clever!" signposting. And raising an army of Soviet zombies to fight off Nazi Zombies is tremendous fun. The post-title sequence is a hoot too, if not quite for the faint of heart...

If you love Bruce Campbell and/or early Peter Jackson flicks (to which there is a nod here: one character wears a "Brain Dead" T-shirt), you'll love this.

 

[AmateisGal]

The Quiet Man with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara because it's St. Patrick's Day and because I love this movie. Maureen's autobiography is also wonderful. I highly recommend it.

 

[Harp]

The Quiet Man with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara because it's St. Patrick's Day and because I love this movie. Maureen's autobiography is also wonderful. I highly recommend it.

The Man Who Knew Too Much with Doris Day and James Stewart. I've never seen this Hitchcock film before, but I quite enjoyed it. I love how Doris Day was so good at everything she did - arguably better at her comedic roles, but she gives an excellent performance in this suspenseful film.

First, Doris Day. Proverbial gal next door comedienne, Big Band songstress, actress.
A woman, whose understated provocative sexuality fit the time and tenor of her varied career.
=====

The Quiet Man enshrined in the Irish-American pantheon and rightful cherished film all things nostalgic,
nevertheless pales compared to the later Ryan's Daughter starring Sarah Miles and Robert Mitchum.
For a stark look at the Irish race shorn of sentiment, this David Lean production merits four shamrocks.

 

[Fading Fast]

First, Doris Day. Proverbial gal next door comedienne, Big Band songstress, actress.
A woman, whose understated provocative sexuality fit the time and tenor of her varied career.
=====

The Quiet Man enshrined in the Irish-American pantheon and rightful cherished film all things nostalgic,
nevertheless pales compared to the later Ryan's Daughter starring Sarah Miles and Robert Mitchum.
For a stark look at the Irish race shorn of sentiment, this David Lean production merits four shamrocks.

I don't know enough to comment on its accuracy, but man was "Ryan's Daughter" one depressing movie.

 

[Harp]

I don't know enough to comment on its accuracy, but man was "Ryan's Daughter" one depressing movie.

Ryan's Daughter isn't everyone's cuppa, panned by the critics as Madame Bovary rehash, but grit, grime,
raw sexual passion, and a German U-boat deliver small arms to rebels is action packed if not chocked full o' charm.

I like it, but I also like Bovary. And Flaubert gets pilloried by the dumbass Ivory Tower crowd.

PS The end scene, gives a confirmed Irish bachelor some stuff to mind chew on. The redemptive power of married love, forgiveness, faithfulness,courage--all like diamond engagement rings--stuff I normally never consider.

 

[Fading Fast]

Ryan's Daughter isn't everyone's cuppa, panned by the critics as Madame Bovary rehash, but grit, grime,
raw sexual passion, and a German U-boat deliver small arms to rebels is action packed if not chocked full o' charm.

I like it, but I also like Bovary. And Flaubert gets pilloried by the dumbass Ivory Tower crowd.

PS The end scene, gives a confirmed Irish bachelor some stuff to mind chew on. The redemptive power of married love, forgiveness, faithfulness,courage--all like diamond engagement rings--stuff I normally never consider.

Beyond the sheer depressingness of it, I remember the actor who played Sarah Miles' lover was awful (and I don't say that often about actors).

 

[Harp]

Beyond the cheer depressingness of it, I remember the actor who played Sarah Miles' lover was awful (and I don't say that often about actors).

I came across a book written about the film, I recall his name was Christopher Jones? And, the story was he was
a set SOB, I guess his career amounted to little.

Sarah Miles and Mitchum made an interesting May-December couple, and as I remarked its ending scene gave some
food for thought. I like a film that entertains and makes one think. But, not everyone's cuppa cinema tea.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I love most of David Lean's films... but I don't like Ryan's Daughter either. And mind you, I dig depressing dramas more than most people. It just somehow doesn't work for me.... I'm not a fan of Doctor Zhivago either. Like some other elder directors (Hitchcock, Ford), I think Lean lost his way towards the end of his career.