What was the last movie you saw?

[Dave]

Cold Pursuit (2019) a made-for-Netflix movie.

With Liam Neeson, who is now firmly typecast in his Taken role, and Laura Dern, proving that she reached the height of her career in the 1990's. Quiet and hard-working snowplow driver Nels is honoured in a resort town in the Rocky Mountains because he is the one who keeps the main road open. When his son is murdered, no one will believe that it isn't a drug overdose, and so he begins his campaign as a serial murderer, oblivious to the only two police in the town. When he kidnaps the gangster's son, he only goes to prove that his wife was right to leave him for his lack of parenting skills. (And did I mention that his brother used to be a gangster's lackey too?)

As the body count rises steeply and the screenplay becomes ever more ludicrous, one keeps asking oneself, is this a black comedy, or did the writer take a holiday and get replaced by someone else, who simply gave up? You also wonder how such stupid criminals would ever become so powerful anyhow? In the climax, two rival gangs shoot it out until only one of them survives, but Neeson's character becomes both totally invisible and immune to bullets. In the final scene of the movie it is confirmed - yes, this was a comedy, if a little bit sick - which could really be used to sum up the entire film.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Dream Scenario (2023): A college professor starts appearing in people's dreams with no control over it. He becomes famous. Then he starts appearing in people's nightmares as the main antagonist. He becomes infamous. I liked this movie for the most part, and thought the concept was interesting. Evidently, it's a black comedy; I saw it more as a drama, as the main character pretty much goes through hell through most of the movie. There were funny parts, but it mostly made me sad.

 

[AE35Unit]

Play Dead (2022)
So so film about a girl faking death to get back some stolen information from a guy working in a morgue, who isn't what he seems.
Significant Other (2022)
Alien takeover movie about a couple on a hiking trip who encounter something strange in the woods.
Not bad at all

 

[paranoid marvin]

Hitler's Madman (1943) the final film (I recorded) on the John Carradine day at TCM.

Reinhard Heydrich (John Carradine) is just about the worst of the worst. He is the 'protector' of Czechoslovakia, though he obviously cares not for the lives of the conquered people.

Finally, the Czechs have had enough. Led by one of their own, who had fled to the UK before the conquest, he returned to lead the resistance. At 1st, the people of Lidice, were not inclined to act against their enemies, because of the 100 to 1 ration of deaths, demanded by the enemy. Knowing what would follow, they assassinated Heydrich anyway.

In the film, Heydrich on his deathbed, curses his own nation, predicting they will lose the war.

Myself, having been a history buff, especially WWII in Europe, though that was long ago, I am certain the filmmakers took what they call creative license or words to that effect with the deathbed scene.

Only one other name/face familiar to me, the woodsman Nepomuk, was portrayed by Edgar Kennedy.

8/10, though the brutality is mostly offscreen, still, intense.

I think the key is that it was made in 1943, so a propaganda movie in relation to Heydrich predicting the defeat of Germany.

 

[KGeo777]

ALICE, SWEET, ALICE 1976 - I was warned. It sucked.

PERFECT CRIME 1978 - Indeed, it is the perfect crime when you watch one movie and then follow up with another that is not as bad but still sucked.

 

[Toby Frost]

Operation Daybreak (1975) is another film about the assassination of Heydrich, and is quite good, IIRC.

I watched Galaxy Quest (1999) again, and it continues to be excellent. Good jokes, good special effects, good cast and the pitching of the parody of Star Trek is perfect. I noticed this time around that the theme music to the imaginary TV show "Galaxy Quest" is very similar to Star Trek DS9.

 

[CupofJoe]

The Batman [2022] Nearly three hours long. Or at least I think it is. I fell asleep in the first 15 minutes.

 

[Matteo]

The Batman [2022] Nearly three hours long. Or at least I think it is. I fell asleep in the first 15 minutes.

So did the wife and I...almost.

But we stuck with it and although it is very slow (and about an hour too long) we ended up liking it.

 

[Randy M.]

ALICE, SWEET, ALICE 1976 - I was warned. It sucked.

A different take on Alice, Sweet Alice

 

[pogopossum]

The Death Of Stalin. 2017
I discovered the movie on a NYT list of best movies streaming on Hulu.

A political black comedy, produced by Gaumont but in English, starring American and British actors.
Those include Jeffrey Tambour. Michael Palin, and Steve Buscemi. It received raves when it came out
including two British Academy Award nominations and 13 British Independent Film nominations, with four wins.
Given the cast one might assume (I did) that it would be more light hearted. It is not. The ghoulish fearful sycophants around Stalin cannot separate themselves from his total dominance, dread of his ruthlessness, nor the individual power that that allegiance gives them. Molotov's wife is in prison, denounced by her husband. All are aware that innocents have been executed but that awareness has the basic effect of dread that they might be next. Before and after his death they are still inside the ethos of the dictator.
Their reactions to Stalin's collapse and their vying for power and the earthy backbiting as they realize that Stalin is actually gone provides the "comedy." There are other threads, development of the individual characters foibles and differences. That, beyond the basic inability to separate themselves from Stalin carries the movie. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 94% (huge) positive rating I would give it an eight of ten It lost 2 because after a while I was uncomfortable being in the same room with the cast.
And who knew that Michael Palin could actually act?

 

[KGeo777]

A different take on Alice, Sweet Alice

I thought it started interesting but meandered and got too eccentric in performance. Reminded me of Paranoiac with Don't Look Now thrown in. It felt more like a quirky drama than a horror film to me.

 

[Randy M.]

Re: Alice, Sweet Alice

It felt more like a quirky drama than a horror film to me.

I can see that. Maybe that's even why I liked it. It wasn't trying for the big scare.

 

[hitmouse]

The Death Of Stalin. 2017
I discovered the movie on a NYT list of best movies streaming on Hulu.

A political black comedy, produced by Gaumont but in English, starring American and British actors.
Those include Jeffrey Tambour. Michael Palin, and Steve Buscemi. It received raves when it came out
including two British Academy Award nominations and 13 British Independent Film nominations, with four wins.
Given the cast one might assume (I did) that it would be more light hearted. It is not. The ghoulish fearful sycophants around Stalin cannot separate themselves from his total dominance, dread of his ruthlessness, nor the individual power that that allegiance gives them. Molotov's wife is in prison, denounced by her husband. All are aware that innocents have been executed but that awareness has the basic effect of dread that they might be next. Before and after his death they are still inside the ethos of the dictator.
Their reactions to Stalin's collapse and their vying for power and the earthy backbiting as they realize that Stalin is actually gone provides the "comedy." There are other threads, development of the individual characters foibles and differences. That, beyond the basic inability to separate themselves from Stalin carries the movie. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 94% (huge) positive rating I would give it an eight of ten It lost 2 because after a while I was uncomfortable being in the same room with the cast.
And who knew that Michael Palin could actually act?

This is very black comedy, and great, almost Shakespearean drama. It is also laugh out loud funny and one of the best films I have seen in recent years. The casting is brilliant. Armando Iannucci is a clever guy. I suspect this will become a classic.

 

[JunkMonkey]

This is very black comedy, and great, almost Shakespearean drama. It is also laugh out loud funny and one of the best films I have seen in recent years. The casting is brilliant. Armando Iannucci is a clever guy. I suspect this will become a classic.

I HATED this film. Seriously. I Loathed it. I got 20 minutes into it and could stand no more. took it out of the DVD player and threw it in the landfill bin. ****ing Hated it. .

 

[JunkMonkey]

Meanwhile...

I have a winner! No really! It makes The Room look good!

Sitting comfortably?

Double Down (2005). I'm only 35 minutes into it and I Know I KNOW that this is it. This IS the worst film I have ever seen. For the first fifteen minutes producer / writer / actor / director / editor / production designer / production manager / casting director and music director Neil Breen does nothing but wander around in a desert landscape in jeans and an undershirt. (His is the only name on the opening credits.)

Sometimes our 'star' stops wandering around bits of Nevada that don't quite look like those rocks from Star Trek, climbs into his Mercedes and drives to a different piece of desert, driving past the same human skull lying in the ground to show it is a desert - "Couldn't get you a cow skull, Neil, got you a human one. Will that do?". Sometimes he types on two laptops and two cell phones at once while wearing surgical gloves, then he poisons some fish.

In between all this pointless wandering (which was probably shot in a day) there is a lot of stock footage. Some of the stock footage makes very little sense in context. Some of it almost does. All the time a monotonous, never ending, badly-delivered back story is dribbled into our ears about how this pathetic figure is an international soldier of fortune with wizzo computer skills who could bring down governments if he wanted to.

An international man of mystery who lives in a car, eats tuna out of the tin while driving, and gives away all the millions he makes renting his skills out to anyone who will pay him (while "supporting our troops") to children's homes and helping the victims of natural disasters. He is bitter and cynical because years ago 'they' killed the love of his life. (Cue flashback of middle-aged man actor snuggling up to much younger actress in the world's most uncomfortably awkward nude scene - eeeew! a single shot rings out.) This maybe a dream sequence. (The whole movie may be a dream sequence!)

The pacing is leaden!

VO: "I'm constantly changing my identity."

Cut to: 30 second locked off wide shot of him changing the rear number plate of his car.

Cut to: 10 second slow pan right, down angle on the junk in the boot of his car.

Cut to: 15 second long shot of his climbing into car and driving - camera pans left and the shot is held far too long after the car is out of sight. (The second time this shot has been used.)

Cut to: 35 second wide shot of a public toilet with the desert in the background - car draws up background left, he gets out of the car, shoes and a bundle of clothes in hand, and slowly walks into the toilet. Jump cut. He exits toilet in black trousers and blue shirt and slowly walks back to the car, gets in, and reverses right out of frame.

Cut to: 6 second (stock footage?) "Welcome to Las Vegas" road-sign.

Cut to: Camera car footage in front of Mercedes showing Mercedes driving down Las Vegas street. The number plate on the front of the Mercedes matches the one we saw him take off five shots ago!

International man of mystery identity changing action at its finest!

This is genius stuff.

I did point out to myself at this point that this is not, technically, a continuity error. We only saw him take the back numberplate off his car. He might have left the front one unchanged to confuse people. (It confused me.)

At the 25 minute mark we get the first 'dialogue' of the movie. In a extreme long shot taken, I would hazard a guess, without obtaining a permit and from the back of a car parked across the street, our hero walks his baldspot to meet someone outside Caesar's Palace. Their conversation is played out in one shot close ups with up angles that show only only sky behind them. These could have been shot anywhere; out in the middle of the desert, in the crew's motel car park, anywhere. None of the towering Las Vegas scenery we've just watched being established is anywhere in sight.

With a budget-saving line of dialogue about not wanting to go into Grey Suit's "office buildings because I know they're all bugged -- not to mention the skeletons that are in there" they stand outside and 'talk'.

Grey Suit is from 'The Agency' He needs hero man's help because blah blah evil terrorist attack planned "chemical biological, the worst kind, that will take out half of Las Vegas strip in one week". (Whether the attack is going to take place in one week, or the attack, once it had taken place, will take a week to kill half the strip is open to interpretation. I'm pretty sure the guy who delivered the line had no idea either way.)

Hero man delivers long irrelevant speech about nuclear weapons being the least of people's worries.

The page on "Establishing an Eyeline" was missing from the director's copy of The Idiot's Guide to Movie Making Colouring Book.

After a long montage of Las Vegas nightlife - I mean LONG...... with a couple of insert shots of black clad terrorist types doing preparing terrorist things - we get to see our hero wake up by the side of his car back at the desert location he drove away from earlier, dressed as he was before we had the "I'm constantly changing my identity." sequence - and the car's rear numberplate is back to the one he took off. Hot dang! He's good! I wonder who he is now? (And does he still smell of tuna?)

He gets "GPS directions" over his laptop. He goes to... somewhere and, gun in hand, sees an old silver haired bearded man who "doesn't look like a terrorist" sitting in a hole in the rock. The old man falls over. There is blood all over his head. Hero man helps him up. There is no blood anywhere on his head. (Now that IS a continuity error.)

"I was drawn to him - I felt I knew his spirit!"

Old man dies while giving Hero something that looks like a chunk of iron pyrites. Hero makes pile of rocks that's supposed to be a grave over the old geezer's body but looks as if it would just about cover a Barbie doll. (There's a heavenly choir singing in the background.) Stock footage of an American Eagle looking confused as the audience. Hero man pats rocks on the Tomb of the Unknown Character as his voice over tells us: "I am your spirit." He climbs a hill. Stares into the sun. Stock footage Eagle (Again). "I am your spirit." (Again.)

Stock footage of homeless looking bearded man feeding pigeons on some large urban church entrance.

I think this is supposed to be symbolic. Of something.

Hero wakes up beside his car again.

"I'm so alone!"

There is blood on the side of the car.

"But never lonely."

Kneeling Agonised shouting: "Where are you? Where are you? Whaere are youuuuu?" Cut To Kneeling at a graveside in a well tended cemetery. Cut to: meets his white clad Mom and Dad on the side of a lake and asks them if there is an afterlife... "I need to know... I need to know..."



I need a rest....

 

[AE35Unit]

I HATED this film. Seriously. I Loathed it. I got 20 minutes into it and could stand no more. took it out of the DVD player and threw it in the landfill bin. ****ing Hated it. .

Lol that's how I felt about The Great Gatsby. I literally threw the book across the room. And the film is utter dog doo

 

[JunkMonkey]

Lol that's how I felt about The Great Gatsby. I literally threw the book across the room. And the film is utter dog doo

Which version? There have been three that I can think of. The 1974 version is the best.

I adore the book.

 

[AE35Unit]

Which version? There have been three that I can think of. The 1974 version is the best.

I adore the book.

The latest one with Cappuccino

 

[HareBrain]

2/3 of Blade Runner 2049. Stunning visuals and direction (though this was somewhat lost on the small screen) otherwise meh. Several crucial tech elements were so unlikely I couldn't suspend disbelief, and the main bad guy had clearly just taken a course in Screen Villain Evil, which taught him to spout his whole deranged philosophy to his underling the first time the camera is on him, even though they've known each other for years.

 

[Toby Frost]

I agree. The villain is awful. 2049 has got a ponderous, slightly dull feel that the original doesn't (and is about twice as long). I felt the same thing about Dune, so I wonder if it is Villeneuve's direction.