What was the last film you watched?

[citoyen]

I bought Le Samourai and noticed a box set of six other Melville films so bought that – it came before my copy of Le Samourai so I started watching them first.  I did remember that someone had mentioned Bob le Flambeur on here so that might have influenced my choice of watching that first!

Dammit, I want to watch Le Samourai now, but I don't think I have a copy of it at home. Alain Delon is too cool for l'école.

 

[BrianI]

Interstellar.

An overambitious attempt to reach the dizzying orbit of Kubrik's 2001.  Despite the whizz bang cgi, Interstellar failed to reach orbit!   

Glad I didn't shell out on it on blueray, and instead waited for it to be on sky movies (through now tv).   4 out of 10!

[Katie]

Thor at work tonight.

Last cinema one was, uh, that Pixar one about depression that isn't really about depression, with a hockey player and lots of beautiful shots of San Francisco.

I'm bad at film names…

[Mr Larrington]

Last cinema one was, uh, that Pixar one about depression that isn't really about depression, with a hockey player and lots of beautiful shots of San Francisco.

Bullitt?

Taxi!

[Katie]

I'm also really bad at having ever seen any films ever, so if that was a cultural reference it's just completely passed me by!

[hillbilly]

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
A little bit too self conscious and pleased with its own peculiarity. Probably an acquired taste. Bill Murray is a little too deadpan for the lead role, and none of the other characters do very much.  It has its moments though, especially the denouement.

[mattc]

Thor at work tonight.

take 2 paracetamol and a couple of days off.

[was that any better citoyen?? No? Oh well ... ]

[Andrew]

Stories We Tell

A very accomplished documentary and a fine piece of film making. Recommended.

Don't be fooled by any description saying things like 'interviews with my family'. This is much much more than a simple family story. It deals with truth and perspective, how emotions play a part in our remembering and so influence 'the truth'.

It is also expertly edited to provide a film-like suspense and plays a neat little trick with the viewer that, in itself, reminds you that you make assumptions about fact.

[red marley]

Thor at work tonight.

take 2 paracetamol and a couple of days off.

[was that any better citoyen?? No? Oh well ... ]

Almost. Although, I'd go for Take 2 parathetamol and a couple of dayths off.


As for last films, for reasons too boring to explain, I watched Happy Feet last night. Entertaining and surprisingly accurate biology considering it's about singing and dancing penguins.

[mattc]

Touche jo!

(I was resisting telling a very NSFW thor joke that I know; I'll save it for a different thread <sigh of disappointment from citoyen>. Plus I didnt want to risk offence with any vatheline or lipthil jokes. )

Oh yes, film reviews:

Its Complicated
Meryl Streep rom-com ... oh dear. you can write the rest yourselves. this did get good reviews which rather raised my hopes. Lesson learned.

the only notable things were in casting:
- Steve Martin did a dull-but-sound job as the Decent Nice Guy. But why did they cast him?? They didnt use 1% of his real talents, and could probably have paid a tenth as much for a more typical standard issue handsome american.
- Alec Baldwin as the Hopeless Husband. He did alright, considering the script. When did he become a comic actor? I cant remember a single film from his early career, but he does straight-faced comedy really well.

[citoyen]

[was that any better citoyen?? No? Oh well ... ]

I'll give you a solid 7/10 for that one.

[redshift]

- Alec Baldwin as the Hopeless Husband. He did alright, considering the script. When did he become a comic actor? I cant remember a single film from his early career, but he does straight-faced comedy really well.

He was doing comedy in 30 Rock for a while wasn't he?  2006-ish?

[mattc]

- Alec Baldwin as the Hopeless Husband. He did alright, considering the script. When did he become a comic actor? I cant remember a single film from his early career, but he does straight-faced comedy really well.

He was doing comedy in 30 Rock for a while wasn't he?  2006-ish?

Yes, that was where I first noticed him. (I never reeeally got into 30Rock,  but it had its moments).

I wonder if he started a trend - Rob Lowe is brilliant in Parks & Recreation

[Mr Larrington]

I'm also really bad at having ever seen any films ever, so if that was a cultural reference it's just completely passed me by!

Let's just say that while "Bullitt" didn't feature a hockey player or depression there was quite a bit of San Francisco, mostly at speeds in excess of 100 mph

[BrianI]

I'm also really bad at having ever seen any films ever, so if that was a cultural reference it's just completely passed me by!

Let's just say that while "Bullitt" didn't feature a hockey player or depression there was quite a bit of San Francisco, mostly at speeds in excess of 100 mph

And proper car chase scenes, none of this modern cgi rubbish!

[hillbilly]

Predestination
Time travel drama with Ethan Hawke.  An ok central conceit but the resolution was pretty obvious.  You really aren't missing anything if you don't see this one.

[Andrew]

Predestination
Time travel drama with Ethan Hawke.  An ok central conceit but the resolution was pretty obvious.  You really aren't missing anything if you don't see this one.

I saw that too. Did I not post on it? Whatever.

Yes, it will give you the usual time-travel paradox headache but I did quite like it. I kind of like the notion that someone could be be a product of time travel and not actually exist in any particular time. The ending reminded me of some other film, I think Bruce Willis was in it, where the time traveller realised they had to kill themselves to stop history being repeated (not as simplistic as that, but that's the essense)

[hillbilly]

Bruce Willis.  Was it pulp fiction?

(click to show/hide)

actually it was Looper, which was better

[Andrew]

Yes, that was the one. I remember sod all about it in truth!

[mattc]

Bruce Willis.  Was it pulp fiction?

(click to show/hide)

actually it was Looper, which was better

Oi! Willis has been in a LOT of time-travel movies (12 Monkeys being the best - how did people not understand the plot of that?? - leave it Matt ... ), but Pulp Fiction was NOT one of them!

(Its also a very good film. So there. )

[citoyen]

Pulp Fiction does have a non-linear narrative though.

We watched All Or Nothing last night, at the request of the boy, who has lately become interested in Mike Leigh. Fine film but I couldn't stick it. I really was not in the mood for so much grimness.

[hillbilly]

the Daarjeeling Limited

Continuing the series of Wes Anderson films.  This one, set in India, was rather superfluous.  So far, Wes has delivered two goodies, two average films and one I don't think I'd watch too soon in the future.  Next up, the fantastic Mr fox.

[rogerzilla]

For the first time, Jurassic World.  Not bad, a bit predictable but the way the final big dinosaur fight ended made me LOL.

Last watched: Candyman which is a superior slasher, even if Tony Todd is a bit too genial-looking to be really scary.  And you can see the strings when he flies backwards out of the psychiatrist's office window.

[hillbilly]

The Fantastic Mr Fox
Adaptation of a Roald Dahl book, directed by Wes Anderson, done as stop motion animation.  Has some of the dark sensibilities of Dahl (starving out foxes from their foxhole etc) and a thread of humour runs through it.  I didn't quite engage with it though, possibly because I found George Clooneys characterisation of Mr Fox a bit smug and monotonous (see my view of Clooney in most of his films).  Offsetting that, the animation was fine (but more Nightmare at Xmas than Wallace and Gromit in feel) and the story clipped along.

[IanDG]

The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson

'an uplifting ode to life in this celebration of Dr Feelgood's Wilko Johnson and his battle against cancer.'