What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[centralTon]

Moonage Daydream - MacRobert Arts Centre, Stirling.

I absolutely loved this, not really surprising as I've been a Bowie fan for 50 years. However, what was surprising was that Mrs. cT also loved it, despite not being a Bowie fan at all.

10/10

[MSU]

124 Backstabbing for Beginners (#64 in the A24 series) Thought this was going to be a romantic comedy along the lines of Perks of Being a Wallflower. Instead it's a true story about the corruption within the UN's Food to Oil program in the early 2000s in Iraq. A24 really will throw money at anything. A worthy topic but unsure why this isn't just a documentary. 4/10

125 First Reformed (#65 in the A24 series) -- Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried are outstanding in this story of the minister of a declining church struggling with his faith and his health in the aftermath of an environmentalist parishioner's suicide. Paul Shrader, whose writing I typically prefer over his directing, presents lots of ideas here, and nothing much in the way of solution, and it works well. Not many chuckles to be found so it's definitely one that depends on your mood. 7/10

126 How to Talk to Girls at Parties (#66 in the A24 series) -- In 70s London, a band of punks run into an alien cult. I'm not sure if this is meant to be funny because no one in it is acting well enough to tell. I would, however, put five crisp English pounds that not one of the punks in the movie has listened to a Ramones album all the way through. Punk is all about authenticity and this has none of it. Having extra-terrestrial Elle Fanning running around demanding "Show me the punk" makes a damn fine point, tho. 3/10

127 All Quiet on the Western Front (#3 in the Best Picture Oscar series) From 1930, it's the first of the Academy Award Best Picture winners that is genuinely still a great movie. The script, and its delivery, are very much on the nose, as was the style of the day, but it actually adds to the helplessness of the situation and the blind obedience of its participants. 8/10

128 Camp (#1 in the Anna Kendrick series) Anna Kendrick movies, because why not shut up. Her first appearance comes in this well-intentioned collection of stories about a diverse group of kids who get together for a Summer Theatre camp. It struggles along for a surprisingly long time with plenty of over-enthusiastic acting from the young cast. Kendrick is in a supporting role as the lackey for the camp bitch but she still gets the best scene in the movie. 4/10

129 Rocket Science (#2 in the Anna Kendrick series) Quirky indie comedy with echoes of Juno sees Hal, Reece Thompson, a stuttering high school student, who is convinced to join the debate team by super confident Ginny, played by Kendrick. Thompson is wonderful as the socially awkward Hal who struggles to overcome his affliction, while Kendrick's speed and precision of delivery is something to behold, and there's real heart to the story without going too far in the wrong direction. If I'd seen Rocket Science when I was 15 or 16 I reckon I'd have seen it a hundred times by now. A perfect movie for a rainy Saturday afternoon. 9/10

130 Confess, Fletch -- It's been 33 years since Fletch Lives, so why they didn't give Jon Hamm a different cap and trainers and call it something else, I have no idea. I have fond memories of the Chevy Chase movies from the 80s and this lacks their charm and the invention. Gone are the disguises and the wisecracks, and if Fletch did nothing for most of the movie I'm not sure it would've ended all that differently. Not bad, as such, just not all that interesting. 5/10

[Flybhoy]

Sicario

 

2015 crime thriller with fantastic performances from Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and a chilling and wicked Benicio Del Toro, also featuring a fantastic cameo from Jon Favreau of The Walking Dead and Fury.

Hadn't seen this film till I stumbled upon it on Netflix when I was off work a bit unwell at the beginning of the week but a superb watch, without spoiling it for those yet to see it, the basic synopsis is the FBI and a few other criminal prevention groups try to infiltrate and stop Mexican drug cartels in and around the border, in particular one absolutely brutal, evil crime lord obviously loosely based on Pablo Escobar, it soon becomes clear to Emily Blunt's character that Brolin and Del Toro are not exactly playing things by the book, nor even pretending to be closely following the law in the pursuit of what they perceive as 'justice', the real reason for which becomes apparent towards the end.

Special mention too for the chilling opening where the feds discover several dead bodies concealed within the walls of the house they bust

9/10

[BFTD]

3 hours ago, MSU said:

130 Confess, Fletch -- It's been 33 years since Fletch Lives, so why they didn't give Jon Hamm a different cap and trainers and call it something else, I have no idea. I have fond memories of the Chevy Chase movies from the 80s and this lacks their charm and the invention. Gone are the disguises and the wisecracks, and if Fletch did nothing for most of the movie I'm not sure it would've ended all that differently. Not bad, as such, just not all that interesting. 5/10

I'm amazed they actually got around to making another of these; they've been trying for decades. I remember Kevin Smith being approached to make one with Jason Lee in the Nineties.

I can't imagine many people under the age of 30 having seen those films.

[MSU]

32 minutes ago, BFTD said:

I'm amazed they actually got around to making another of these; they've been trying for decades. I remember Kevin Smith being approached to make one with Jason Lee in the Nineties.

I can't imagine many people under the age of 30 having seen those films.

God, I'd forgotten all about the Kevin Smith attempted reboot. Honestly, I reckon Jason Lee would've given it a pretty good go. Jon Hamm is too handsome, as Mrs MSU never tires of pointing out.

[Granny Danger]

On 23/09/2022 at 21:57, UpInTheAyr said:

Conspiracy (2001)

Kenneth Branagh leads a star studded cast of the senior Nazis that met to discuss the final solution in 1942. Basically just sitting round a table for 90 minutes talking but very well acted and chilling stuff.

Brilliant film.  We’re you able to stream it, if so from where?

[TheGreenElves]

1 hour ago, Flybhoy said:

Sicario

 

2015 crime thriller with fantastic performances from Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and a chilling and wicked Benicio Del Toro, also featuring a fantastic cameo from Jon Favreau of The Walking Dead and Fury.

Hadn't seen this film till I stumbled upon it on Netflix when I was off work a bit unwell at the beginning of the week but a superb watch, without spoiling it for those yet to see it, the basic synopsis is the FBI and a few other criminal prevention groups try to infiltrate and stop Mexican drug cartels in and around the border, in particular one absolutely brutal, evil crime lord obviously loosely based on Pablo Escobar, it soon becomes clear to Emily Blunt's character that Brolin and Del Toro are not exactly playing things by the book, nor even pretending to be closely following the law in the pursuit of what they perceive as 'justice', the real reason for which becomes apparent towards the end.

Special mention too for the chilling opening where the feds discover several dead bodies concealed within the walls of the house they bust

9/10

I think you mean Jon Bernthal, but thank you for giving me the wonderful image of Jon Favreau in those roles 

[BFTD]

1 minute ago, TheGreenElves said:

I think you mean Jon Bernthal, but thank you for giving me the wonderful image of Jon Favreau in those roles 

Thank you, I thought I'd gone mad during Sicario and missed Favreau being money and not even knowing it.

[Flybhoy]

3 hours ago, TheGreenElves said:

I think you mean Jon Bernthal, but thank you for giving me the wonderful image of Jon Favreau in those roles 

My bad, had a complete brain fart typing that post earlier

[UpInTheAyr]

Brilliant film.  We’re you able to stream it, if so from where?

Had to sail the high seas for that one.

[Detournement]

On 25/09/2022 at 15:22, MSU said:

 

125 First Reformed (#65 in the A24 series) -- Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried are outstanding in this story of the minister of a declining church struggling with his faith and his health in the aftermath of an environmentalist parishioner's suicide. Paul Shrader, whose writing I typically prefer over his directing, presents lots of ideas here, and nothing much in the way of solution, and it works well. Not many chuckles to be found so it's definitely one that depends on your mood. 7/10

3 points too low. 

Schrader's second perfect film after Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters. 

[UpInTheAyr]

The Big Man.

Popped up on my recommendation list on Amazon Video. Liam Neeson plays an unemployed miner who agrees to a bare knuckle fight. Surprised I'd never heard of this before. Proper Scottish film with a who's who of 90's Scottish actors....and Liam Neeson.

[Wile E Coyote]

4 minutes ago, UpInTheAyr said:

The Big Man.

Popped up on my recommendation list on Amazon Video. Liam Neeson plays an unemployed miner who agrees to a bare knuckle fight. Surprised I'd never heard of this before. Proper Scottish film with a who's who of 90's Scottish actors....and Liam Neeson.

Some of it was filmed in Ayrshire. The scenes at the pit were filmed at The Barony Pit near Auchinleck

[scottsdad]

On 21/09/2022 at 14:26, BFTD said:

The Pirate Bay. According to a mate. Who also says that he knows there are better sites for downloading films, but he doesn't know them, so perhaps other P&Bers can help.

Also it's illegal, so don't do it. Hiya mods, hiya pals!

I know of one guys. Let's call him El Scottio Daddio. No relation. His wife asked him to find a show on the pirate bay called "Mom".

Having entered the word "Mom" into the bar, it was several pages before he reached a light-hearted sitcom. The results before this show were somewhat interesting.

[BFTD]

On 29/09/2022 at 15:44, scottsdad said:

I know of one guys. Let's call him El Scottio Daddio. No relation. His wife asked him to find a show on the pirate bay called "Mom".

Having entered the word "Mom" into the bar, it was several pages before he reached a light-hearted sitcom. The results before this show were somewhat interesting.

Good Lord. I'd no idea you could find such things on the internet.

[BFTD]

Smile (cinema) - after a patient commits suicide in front of her, a workaholic psychiatric doctor with a troubled past finds herself suffering the attentions of a mysterious entity.

That probably sounds pretty generic, and it is. This film cribs merrily from films such as Fallen, the American Ring remake, It Follows, and [Rec], even down to specific shots. It isn't quite as good as any of them, but it's still an entertaining watch, with some creepy moments and a few harsh jumpscares for people who enjoy such things Unfortunately, the denouement is pretty predictable and too disappointing to elevate it to the ranks of the genre classics that it pays tributes to.

It's very well done, and still worth checking out in the cinema if you're a horror fan. It also has a sparingly-used, but quite unnerving score that certainly helps matters. Recommended, but don't go in expecting to have your socks rocked off.

[Scotty Tunbridge]

Kill Bill vol 1. Blood splattering out of people like a fountain constantly is stupid and too much feet obv.

[buchan30]

Kill Bill vol 1. Blood splattering out of people like a fountain constantly is stupid and too much feet obv.

Would you expect anything less from a Tarantino film? Great soundtrack though.

[BFTD]

Tarantino's entire post-Reservoir Dogs career has genuinely been cover for him to legally obtain high-quality close-up footage of attractive women's feet.

Wouldn't surprise me if he retires to devote himself to full-time foot filming, like Russ Meyer and honking great diddies.

[Detournement]

Blonde

I saw all the babies on Twitter and in the media crying about this so I figured it would be worth watching. Andrew Dominik is a very strange choice to do a film about Marilyn Monroe considering his three films are Chopper, The Assassination Of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Ford and Killing Them Softly which are all very male films. Blonde is good, it's much better than something like Bohemian Rhapsody which takes all the edge off Freddie Mercury and leaves you with a family friendly movie. Walk The Line is obviously the high water mark for biopics but it's still a fairly conventional film. Blonde clearly isn't interested in being a biopic or claiming it can attempt to know the real Norma Jean/Marilyn and it's just three hours of watching her being exploited by Hollywood until she dies. Not an easy watch and very deliberatively provocative but there's lot to digest and it's commenting on contemporary society more than the 50s and 60s.

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by Detournement