What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[Thorongil]

On 17/12/2021 at 19:12, DeeTillEhDeh said:

My wife is getting us to go through all the Harry Potter films (as they are available on SKY right now) - I don't think I watched any of them all the way through the first time round.

I now realise why - they really are fucking tediously boring.

I though Prisoner of Azkaban was sublime. 

Edited December 21, 2021 by Thorongil

[DeeTillEhDeh]

I though Prisoner of Azkaban was sublime. 

Finished them all - I found some if them a real slog. I haven't read the books so I don't know if that was a hindrance or not. Possibly it was as I think you can miss a lot of stuff that a book will actually explain or a least hint towards.

Each to their own.

[DeeTillEhDeh]

Dr. Zhivago - an overlong, boring and woefully miscast "epic".

Depends what you are looking for from a film - I still think it's one of the most visually stunning films made.

The real issue with the film is that Lean really only focuses on one part of the book - missing out a huge chunk on the early lives of Yuri and Lara.

If anything the book would have been better as a series of films.

It's still a very good if flawed film.

[NotThePars]

1 hour ago, Thorongil said:

I though Prisoner of Azkaban was sublime. 

It's not a great movie by any means but it's fine for what it is and that's cause they had a superb director in Alfonso Cuaron. 

[BFTD]

3 hours ago, Detournement said:

The point here is that Disney bought Fox not long ago and may effectively close it down. Result even fewer decent big budget films than now. 

That's shite for the shitmunchers who do the actual work, but there'll be other studios that are either formed or expand to fill the content hole. Besides, depending on who you listen to, the words "quality" and "big-budget" haven't often been seen together in public for as long as the summer blockbuster phenomena has existed.

I'd completely forgotten that Disney owns the well-flogged Alien and Predator franchises now too. I'd imagine we can expect a series of films where the Colonial Marines kick immense amounts of arse and aren't at all out of their depth or skewered by their own hubris, considering that's what fans of that franchise seem to want.

[Theroadlesstravelled]

7 hours ago, Detournement said:

That Simpsons stuff is depressing. 

It will get to the point where the big entertainment companies will decide to stop making films that don't deliver the maximum profit. 

A few people I follow on Twitter think Disney purposefully did a terrible job promoting The Last Duel, West Side Story and Nightmare Alley so they have an excuse to bury 20th Century Pictures and Searchlight (which they accquired from Murdoch with those titles in production).

 

Those 3 movies looked terrible tbf.

Nightmare Alley maybe the best but I still wouldn’t go see it.

 

[BFTD]

9 hours ago, Theroadlesstravelled said:

Those 3 movies looked terrible tbf.

Nightmare Alley maybe the best but I still wouldn’t go see it.

Steven Spielberg making what sounds like a very straight remake of West Side Story. WTF.

Possibly the more superfluous film ever.

[MSU]

15 hours ago, Thorongil said:

I though Prisoner of Azkaban was sublime. 

I think Prisoner of Azkaban is generally received as the pick of the bunch. The movies before it were too juvenile and the ones after it were based from horribly bloated books. Despite all that, I felt they closed out the series pretty well.

[NotThePars]

19 hours ago, BFTD said:

That's shite for the shitmunchers who do the actual work, but there'll be other studios that are either formed or expand to fill the content hole.

That article GHB linked to points out that this isn't happening and that Disney especially are monopolising culture.

[BFTD]

1 hour ago, NotThePars said:

That article GHB linked to points out that this isn't happening and that Disney especially are monopolising culture.

Well, it won't be happening right now, for obvious reasons.

If the worry is that Disney will just continue to absorb any successful new IP, of course they will. They're going to be one of the last surviving corporations, period, not just in the entertainment industry. Most of us won't be giving a shit about the quality of movies by then!  

[Shandon Par]

An American Werewolf in London

Seen it tons of times but there’s always something or someone to spot. Alan “Bricktop” Ford as a cab driver gave me a wee thril. Great soundtrack too and makeup/special effects that are much scarier than CG stuff.

10/10 

[velo army]

Klaus.

I got half way through this and gave up. The animation is beautiful, it really is a gorgeous looking film, but the story is just so cynical and the main character just so unlikeable, self-absorbed and he won't ever stop talking ever that I was just exhausted by the half way point. 

I love iconoclasm but not when it's directed at beloved stories that have positive messages, i.e. Santa Claus. Deconstructing the myth of Santa Claus just strikes me as mean spirited and it just left a bitter taste in my mouth. 

I'm away to watch Santa Claus the Movie. 

[BFTD]

Quick catch-up with the Bond marathon...

Dr. No (Blu-Ray) - back to the original, as the wean's gran bought him the missing films in his collection. I remembered it as a decent start, but not one of the best, but I really enjoyed Dr. No this time. Sean really hit the ground running and nailed the character right from the start, and it's a lot of fun watching him stoat about the Caribbean to investigate the murder of some MI6 agents.

From Russia With Love (Blu-Ray) - one of my favourites when I was wee, and still a candidate now. I like the Bond films that go heavier on the spying than the action, and Sean spends a lot of time here sneaking about and being suave. The whole film's a long build-up to the inevitable face-off with Robert Shaw, and it doesn't disappoint. Just a great film, Bond or not.

You Only Live Twice (DVD) - the wean's a big Austin Powers fan, so he loved this. I hadn't realised, but this is basically the film from which Mike Myers lifted most of the trappings for his own series. It's a cracking romp, with the world brought to the brink of war as SPECTRE anonymously hijacks a series of spacecraft launched by the Americans and Soviets, leading both to suspect the other. Donald Pleasance becomes the definitive Blofeld with only a small amount of screen time, and this is the film where we're expected to believe that Sean Connery has convincingly changed ethnicity by having a haircut (a feat he'd revisit years later in Rising Sun).

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (DVD) - Blofeld opens an alpine research clinic full of sizzling hot babes, and Bond goes undercover to murder him/unravel his scheme/shag as many hot babes as possible.

I know OHMSS has been re-evaluated somewhat in recent years, but I don't see it. Lazenby isn't awful, but he's no actor, and this film marks the start of the descent into the goofy Roger Moore era, despite the reputation as a more serious Bond. The whole arranged marriage subplot feels weird, and the tonal shift at the climax doesn't feel earned. Certainly not the worst film in the world, and it's always fun to watch Telly Savalas, but it's still one of the poorer Bond entries.

Diamonds are Forever (DVD) - Sean returns for one last (canon) stab, with Bond roped into helping consolidate the monopoly in the diamond industry. Thankfully it turns out to be a bit more serious than that, as 007 executing poor miners for DeBeers would've been a bit grim.

More of a comedic/slapstick edge than Connery's other Bond films, but it's still very entertaining and features a car chase in a moon buggy where Bond does f**k all, yet everyone chasing him makes an absolute c**t of it and crashes their vehicles for no good reason. There's a token attempt to make it follow on from OHMSS at the beginning, but it's not explicit and later events make it obvious that this either isn't really a sequel, or Bond got over the whole thing disturbingly fast.

We saw Live and Let Die recently, so I'd imagine we'll be skipping it for The Man with the Golden Gun next. Three-nippled Christopher Lee; oh my.

[Arch Stanton]

The Power of the Dog (2021)

Yeah, I liked it. Cumberbatch gives his usual excellent portrayal, this time as a grizzled early 20th century cowboy.

When his brother (Jesse Plemons of Breaking Bad fame) shacks up with real-life missus Kirsten Dunst,  BC is jealous and takes a dislike to KD's effete son Pete. BC is a bit of a c**t and drives KD to alcoholism.

Pete discovers something about BC which brings them closer. There are animal hides, a rope made from the hides and anthrax. Something Pete does at the end of the film explains a lot.

Edited December 23, 2021 by Arch Stanton

[JustOneCornetto]

Been watching some old low budget horror films on Talking Pictures streaming service, laughably bad in a good way.

Carnival Of Souls (1962) - actually not bad with a fair amount of mystery and some decent scares.

The Atomic Brain (1963) - pretty much a version of Frankenstein but here we have Dr Frank working for a rich old lady who wants her brain transplanted into the body of a sexy young woman. It ends up more like a spoof than anything scary.

A Candle For The Devil (1973) - a Spanish made horror which is pretty good starring Judy Geeson who goes to a Hotel in a Spanish resort to meet up with her sister. The Hotel is run by two prudish sisters who make Norman Bates look like a saint and they make sure that they won't tolerate any sexy goings on otherwise there's going to be a lot of blood and disposing of bodies.

Edited December 23, 2021 by JustOneCornetto

[paranoid android]

Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991) was on Sky Arts the other night - probably decent attention to detail in some ways while being inaccurate in others. 

Morrison comes off looking more like a pretentious arsehole than a shaman poet. 

Probably made on a big budget - stimulated a lot of interest in the band at the time, but actually a bit boring, so an opportunity missed, maybe. 

[54_and_counting]

19 hours ago, BFTD said:

Quick catch-up with the Bond marathon...

Dr. No (Blu-Ray) - back to the original, as the wean's gran bought him the missing films in his collection. I remembered it as a decent start, but not one of the best, but I really enjoyed Dr. No this time. Sean really hit the ground running and nailed the character right from the start, and it's a lot of fun watching him stoat about the Caribbean to investigate the murder of some MI6 agents.

From Russia With Love (Blu-Ray) - one of my favourites when I was wee, and still a candidate now. I like the Bond films that go heavier on the spying than the action, and Sean spends a lot of time here sneaking about and being suave. The whole film's a long build-up to the inevitable face-off with Robert Shaw, and it doesn't disappoint. Just a great film, Bond or not.

You Only Live Twice (DVD) - the wean's a big Austin Powers fan, so he loved this. I hadn't realised, but this is basically the film from which Mike Myers lifted most of the trappings for his own series. It's a cracking romp, with the world brought to the brink of war as SPECTRE anonymously hijacks a series of spacecraft launched by the Americans and Soviets, leading both to suspect the other. Donald Pleasance becomes the definitive Blofeld with only a small amount of screen time, and this is the film where we're expected to believe that Sean Connery has convincingly changed ethnicity by having a haircut (a feat he'd revisit years later in Rising Sun).

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (DVD) - Blofeld opens an alpine research clinic full of sizzling hot babes, and Bond goes undercover to murder him/unravel his scheme/shag as many hot babes as possible.

I know OHMSS has been re-evaluated somewhat in recent years, but I don't see it. Lazenby isn't awful, but he's no actor, and this film marks the start of the descent into the goofy Roger Moore era, despite the reputation as a more serious Bond. The whole arranged marriage subplot feels weird, and the tonal shift at the climax doesn't feel earned. Certainly not the worst film in the world, and it's always fun to watch Telly Savalas, but it's still one of the poorer Bond entries.

Diamonds are Forever (DVD) - Sean returns for one last (canon) stab, with Bond roped into helping consolidate the monopoly in the diamond industry. Thankfully it turns out to be a bit more serious than that, as 007 executing poor miners for DeBeers would've been a bit grim.

More of a comedic/slapstick edge than Connery's other Bond films, but it's still very entertaining and features a car chase in a moon buggy where Bond does f**k all, yet everyone chasing him makes an absolute c**t of it and crashes their vehicles for no good reason. There's a token attempt to make it follow on from OHMSS at the beginning, but it's not explicit and later events make it obvious that this either isn't really a sequel, or Bond got over the whole thing disturbingly fast.

We saw Live and Let Die recently, so I'd imagine we'll be skipping it for The Man with the Golden Gun next. Three-nippled Christopher Lee; oh my.

The man with the golden gun is a cracking film imo, interesting fact, bond only kills one person in this film

[Theroadlesstravelled]

I've been watching the Bad Boys movies.

The first is basically a reel of Will Smith running with his shirt unbuttoned.
The second is maybe the better movie. Gabrielle Union is a beautiful woman.
The third is just the same as the other 2. Fairly enjoyable nonsense.

[UpInTheAyr]

The Matrix Resurrections. Massive disappointment. Everything that made the first one great is missing from this. Action scenes are shoddy and lacking, and the aim from the gum fights is noticeable poor, even for a movie. Folk are literally three feet away in a narrow path and yet still manage to escape a hail of bullets. It had some good ideas, they've gone the meta route, but is lacking in everything else.

[KingRocketman II]

8 hours ago, UpInTheAyr said:

The Matrix Resurrections. Massive disappointment. Everything that made the first one great is missing from this. Action scenes are shoddy and lacking, and the aim from the gum fights is noticeable poor, even for a movie. Folk are literally three feet away in a narrow path and yet still manage to escape a hail of bullets. It had some good ideas, they've gone the meta route, but is lacking in everything else.

yeah the bullet missing ratio really grated on me also. It is something that didn't use to bother me but is now doing so more and more - probably as getting older and start looking for faults in things rather than looking to enjoy ha.

But essentially find myself watching more and more action scenes and being completely bored shitless and that is down to the fact that there is no risk involved or threat to the main character. I know you can apply that to pretty much every major film where it is unlikely the protagonist will die half way through but action sequences such as those in the latter Mission Impossibles, Bournes or even the recent James Bonds can still be done well with an injection of risk - though the shoot-out at the end of No time to Die in particular slightly contradicts that.

Shooting thousands of bullets that result in at worse an occasional graze reduce every ounce of excitement or thrill.