Author Topic: What was the last film you watched?  (Read 951775 times)

Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9900 on: 19 April, 2022, 04:03:50 pm »
Oscar winning "Drive my Car" last night, using BFI rental. Best I've seen within living memory.

Three hours, really good film about relationships in Japanese society. Long time since I saw a film in which smoking is portrayed!  Based on a short story by Haruki Murakami, which I've read, the basic plot has been considerably expanded.


ian

Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9901 on: 19 April, 2022, 04:53:05 pm »
Nightmare Alley. Like so many modern films, too, too long. The plot is contrived and the plot blatantly telegraphed, which in a tighter, shorter film might have worked, but in the extended take, you're left to unpick the plot contrivances while waiting for the obvious to finally get around to happening.

It's well photographed and cast, but it's the usual feat of squeezing a 90-minute film into the better part of two and a half hours.

robgul

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Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9902 on: 19 April, 2022, 10:00:36 pm »
A rare (for me) visit to the cinema to see Operation Mincemeat - entertaining but a bit too over the top on the love interest when compared with the book . . .  nevertheless enjoyable with an all-star cast.

Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9903 on: 24 April, 2022, 11:50:47 am »
Death on the Nile, Kenneth Brannagh version
Verdict; very pretty, but mostly terrible acting, over the top and histrionic. That will be the director's fault then. Letitia White and Emma Mackey were good.

Rebecca, the modern 2020 version
Verdict; good. Visually excellent with brilliant performance from Kristen Scott Thomas as Mrs Danvers.
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Incidentally, if you consider Daphne Du Maurier a lightweight romantic novelist, I suggest you read Julius and I'll Never Be Young Again.
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Pedal Castro

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Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9904 on: 24 April, 2022, 01:36:48 pm »
American Flyers.

I could remember the key scenes so well but had no recollection of the conflict between mother and Marcus, or even that there was a mother involved at all...

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9905 on: 24 April, 2022, 03:32:00 pm »
Having recently succumbed to the allure of Amazon Prime, we're watching American Gods.  Read the book too long ago to remember anything, except (arse) how it ends. Enjoying it all the same.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Jaded

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Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9906 on: 29 April, 2022, 11:32:32 pm »
Iris

Preceded by a fascinating talk with Q&A by the director.

At the end of the viewing the venue blew dust into all the attendees eyes...
It is simpler than it looks.

T42

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Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9907 on: 30 April, 2022, 09:01:24 am »
MrsT & I finally crawled out of the second series of American Gods wondering why TF we'd not baled sooner.  I don't think there was a single episode during which one of us didn't fall asleep.  Dunno how the producers managed it: the characters were good, ditto the original book, but it managed to be boring anyway.  They probably wanted to get an infinite soap out of it. Dimwits.

I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

ian

Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9908 on: 01 May, 2022, 01:42:04 am »
Yeah the second series was a long slow death of a good idea. I think we bailed half way.

Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9909 on: 03 May, 2022, 01:22:23 pm »
MrsT & I finally crawled out of the second series of American Gods wondering why TF we'd not baled sooner.  I don't think there was a single episode during which one of us didn't fall asleep.  Dunno how the producers managed it: the characters were good, ditto the original book, but it managed to be boring anyway.  They probably wanted to get an infinite soap out of it. Dimwits.

Worth noting that Mr Gaiman disclaims any involvement in that production.
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Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9910 on: 03 May, 2022, 01:45:09 pm »
"Love Is The Devil".   Daniel Craig playing George Dyer, a petty crook who became a bit of rough for artist Francis Bacon, played by Derek Jacobi.   A sad story of a relationship between 2 fairly screwed up people.  Lots of drinking in seedy Soho bars & clubs, good backing parts from Tilda Swinton & Karl Johnson.  Reading up on that milieu you could probably make a decent film about the Colony Room Club itself.  Amusingly Craig worked there as a barman in a later era to the one portrayed.


https://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/the-colony-of-outsiders-professional-bohemians-in-soho/


https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/love-is-the-devil-1998


Edit: https://www.francis-bacon.com/paintings
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Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9911 on: 03 May, 2022, 02:44:51 pm »
MrsT & I finally crawled out of the second series of American Gods wondering why TF we'd not baled sooner.  I don't think there was a single episode during which one of us didn't fall asleep.  Dunno how the producers managed it: the characters were good, ditto the original book, but it managed to be boring anyway.  They probably wanted to get an infinite soap out of it. Dimwits.

Worth noting that Mr Gaiman disclaims any involvement in that production.
I did not know that.  Strange as Gaiman is not over-worked and likes to dabble in different style (and was/is involved in Good Omens on Prime).  My issue was that the first series was too much like the book, just with excess gore and the second series departed from the book, which made me wonder which they were trying to do, the book or not?  Either would have been preferable.
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

ian

Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9912 on: 03 May, 2022, 03:48:28 pm »
I wasn't sure what the second series was about, it seemed plot-free; making up for the absence of direction with endless meandering and soporific visuals. There is a series three apparently, the why of that, who knows.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9913 on: 03 May, 2022, 04:14:07 pm »
American Flyers.

I could remember the key scenes so well but had no recollection of the conflict between mother and Marcus, or even that there was a mother involved at all...
It has a satisfyingly nasty Russian, though, possibly the only racing cyclist to sport a beard before 2015, when every bugger grew one.
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T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9914 on: 03 May, 2022, 05:17:25 pm »
MrsT & I finally crawled out of the second series of American Gods wondering why TF we'd not baled sooner.  I don't think there was a single episode during which one of us didn't fall asleep.  Dunno how the producers managed it: the characters were good, ditto the original book, but it managed to be boring anyway.  They probably wanted to get an infinite soap out of it. Dimwits.

Worth noting that Mr Gaiman disclaims any involvement in that production.
I did not know that. Strange as Gaiman is not over-worked and likes to dabble in different style (and was/is involved in Good Omens on Prime).  My issue was that the first series was too much like the book, just with excess gore and the second series departed from the book, which made me wonder which they were trying to do, the book or not?  Either would have been preferable.

Nor yet I.  I did see the "Based on the book by..." credit but I suppose that's nothing but the truth.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

FifeingEejit

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Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9915 on: 06 May, 2022, 10:18:25 pm »
A streetcar named desire.
I read the play script a while back and I've only just got round to watching.

Contemporary reference always seems to highlight Stanley's behaviour but I remember realizng there's so much more to the story than the wife beater when I read it and seeing more now too.

Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk


ian

Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9916 on: 09 May, 2022, 09:52:42 am »
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Actually, unlike the last view meh-worthy Marvel outings (did I mention Morbius, fucking awful dirge), this was a better deal, at least the CGI dazzled (though the actual scenes in the real universe looked a bit sub-par, not sure if that was purposeful to make the rest of it gaudier). Doctor Strange is always a bit of a hard sell as he's a loaded with being a bit of a dick (they do have the entire surgeon thing down pat), but they play on it nicely.

The downside is that it's falling into referential hell, forever recalling previous bits of the MCU (and evidently the TV side, which I've not seen, so there are a good few huh moments from anyone in the audience who also lacks an encyclopaedic knowledge of all past events). The constant need to keep drawing together a bigger and bigger (and ultimately increasingly non-sensical) universe mires everything and makes you yearn for the simpler days when it was a bunch of superheroes versus the Big Bad. Now they have to stop every 3.2 seconds to reference something in a previous film or episode (it's probably part of the algorithm that makes these movies). Possibly this tickles if you're a comic book nerd, but I find it a bit exasperating and done once or twice it might seem mildly clever, but after the n-th time it's just deflating. But it's an entertaining couple of hours.

As a plus, the forthcoming Thor movie has a very funny trailer, so that's looking promising.

Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9917 on: 15 May, 2022, 05:36:58 pm »
Bladerunner 2049

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Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9918 on: 19 May, 2022, 11:55:02 pm »
I agree with your review of Bladerunner.

I can't stand MCU.

Just watched Fantastic Beasts II, it's better than MCU but I felt it was significantly less good than the first one (which was not excellent itself) with pace being used to justify a total lack of plot exposition or sense.

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simplicity, truth, equality, peace

Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9919 on: 25 May, 2022, 12:13:52 am »
"Benediction" , a biography of Siegried Sassoon.  Beautifully shot, a magnificent cast & interesting enough story.  A quick Google shows it's not an exact retelling of his life but I don't think that was the point.  Very little actual poetry, it concentrated more on the (many famous) people he knew and a string of affairs with unsuitable chaps.  This part of the film was perhaps a bit too camp & bitchy.   Not much explanation given either for his conversion to Catholicism in later life. 


It was part financed by the Beeb so will probably be on there shortly.



https://www.historyextra.com/period/first-world-war/benediction-film-movie-historian-review-siegfried-sassoon-story/


https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/22/benediction-review-siegfried-sassoon-biopic-terence-davies-jack-lowden
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Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9920 on: 25 May, 2022, 06:39:15 pm »
Top Gun: Maverick

Having seen the original Top Gun, one broadly knows what type of film to expect for the sequel; but flight sequences are very impressive and the story better.  Enjoyed it.
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Kim

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Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9921 on: 25 May, 2022, 07:39:16 pm »
I heard they'd completely removed all the homoeroticism, leaving a film about flying around in planes.

I mean, I'm sure the flight sequences are stunning, but that's hardly Top Gun, is it?

Mr Larrington

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Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9922 on: 25 May, 2022, 07:49:22 pm »
Curiously, when C4 interviewed Thomas Cruise Mapother IV during last weekend’s F1 coverage they utterly failed to mention either Scientology or the homoeroticism of “Top Gun”.  Can’t think why.
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Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9923 on: 25 May, 2022, 08:03:09 pm »
Not much of a
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Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: What was the last film you watched?
« Reply #9924 on: 25 May, 2022, 09:06:45 pm »
Bladerunner 2049

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I really liked the look of the film/cinematography; ended up watching it twice to try & get to grips with the plot...

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Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson