Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[stanton]

I remember Persona as one of his best. On the other hand I don't like The 7th Seal that much, which is for me partly pretentious, especially for some of the dialogues. Some strong ideas though.

After Persona Bergman made then his most fascinating film. The Hour of the Wolf is one of the most fascinating films ever. An entertainment classic for me. And a visual delight.

[moviesceleton]

In addition to The 7th Seal and Persona, to me at least Wild Strawberries, Through a Glass Darkly, Whispers and Cries, Fanny and Alexander and Scenes from a Marriage are good films. I need to rewatch Winter Light.

The Dead (1987) - 9/10
"Gabriel Conroy and wife Greta attend a Christmas dinner with friends at the home of his spinster aunts, an evening which results in an epiphany for both of them." John Huston directed his final film at the brink of his death, based on James Joyce's novella of the same name. A true revelation - in content and form. I haven't been moved like this by a film for a long time. I need to check out the source material as soon as I can.

Behind the Candelabra (2013) - 7/10
Michael Douglas is wonderful and Matt Damon isn't bad either. Most of the time I was interested in the story but not often moved by it.

[drinkanddestroy]

Time Limit (1957) 7.5/10

 Karl Malden's direction is terrific, the acting is absolutely superb up and down the cast, led by Richard Widmark, one of my all time favorite actors.


SPOILERS

The way the movie has it, the only way Basehart could have exonerated himself is by condemning his men by telling the whole story, but I see no reason why he couldn't have simply said, "The commandant threatened to kill all my men if he didn't cooperate," without mentioning the rest of the story – how the men had killed the stool pigeon.

[Groggy]

I've fallen a bit behind, so...

L'Avventura - 8/10 - Much less grating than Blow-Up. Relatively straightforward: the "nothing happens" label lobbed at this movie is ignorant, since it's a well-crafted melodrama. The central mystery just happens to be one of those things. Nice to see Gabriele Ferzetti before he fell into character roles.

The Wild Geese - 7/10 - Andrew McLaglen makes a decent movie!?! Somehow it happened. It has all of his usual flaws: hackish direction, cliched storytelling, slumming stars on autopilot (Richard Burton looks monumentally bored). But it's well-crafted and entertaining to hold your interest. With this kind of movie all that matters is if everything blows up good, and Geese certainly has that in spades.

Viva Zapata! - 7/10 - Very stylish direction with a solid cast. The main problem is that the film can't decide if it's a laudatory biopic or a subversive political drama. Elements hint at a more subversive intent than what ends up on screen: Zapata and his message come off rather garbled.

[cigar joe]

Conflict (1945) Bogart & Greenstreet (in a non villainous roll) with Alexis Smith 6-7/10.

The Drowning Pool (1975) great cast, Paul Newman (reprising his Lew Harper roll from Harper), Joanne Woodward, Anthony Franciosa, Murray Hamilton, Gail Strickland, Melanie Griffith, Linda Haynes, Richard Jaeckel, Paul Koslo, and Andy Robinson.  A good PI flick, that follows in the tradition of some of the classics, where the mere presents of the "detective" starts events rolling out of control. New Orleans setting is a nice touch. 8.5/10

This go round I really picked up on the soundtrack, particularly the various arrangements of "Killing Me Softly with His Song" composed by Charles Fox which is used as a leitmotif for Iris & Lew's past relationship. Too bad its a bit too muted, its a beautiful composition in this form and should have been given a bit more prominence. I don't find a soundtrack release anywhere with an online search.

[Groggy]

Yellow Sky - 8/10 - Skimmed through the pertinent thread and I'll agree with the prevailing sentiment. Starts out excellent and gets more cliched and familiar as it goes along. Still one of the most strikingly-photographed Westerns around, with Gregory Peck doing an uncharacteristically nasty turn.

Local Hero - 7/10 - Another tale of greedy materialists finding solace in an isolated small town. Charming enough in its low key fashion. Amusing to see Peter Capaldi young, handsome and not calling everyone in sight a fucking cunt.

[cigar joe]

Saw Joseph Losey's Stranger On The Prowl (1952) sort of a Italian Neo Realist Noir (Its listed in Selby) with Paul Muni, Joan Lorring, and Vittorio Manunta. It was a poor print but was still entertaining enough. 6.5/10

[noodles_leone]

ELYSIUM 3/10

I really really loved the first half of District 9, so this one came as a big disappointment. It's just generic scifi full of generic action. There is no script: the storyline is nothing but a series of coincidences and logical aberrations. You can like or hate Avatar, Oblivion and Prometheus, but at least they presented us coherent universes with a real background and credible technology. None of this is to be found in Elysium. Why isn't it a 0/10?
- Pretty well shot (although not very well edited) +1
- The immigration policies metaphor works here and there (although showed in a very simplistic way) +1
- Matt Damon being good +1

THE WORLD'S END 8/10

Until then, Edgar Wright was always topping himself, but I'd rank TWE just between Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz. It has all the "best comedy of the decade" characteristics that could be found in Wright's previous work, but the flaws seem more present here. To name a few: corny emotion scenes, too long action ending, list-based dramaturgy (12 pubs, 7 evil exes...).
Still, all of Wright's movies have greatly improved upon repetitive viewings so this is a temporary rating.

[cigar joe]

The Long Wait (1954) Spillane story, Anthony Quinn, first watch interesting. 7/10

[moviesceleton]

Days of Being Wild (1990) - 8/10
Second viewing, first on 35mm film (very good print, rather small screen).

"The Lady with the Dog" / Dama s sobachkoy (1960) - 8/10
Second viewing, first on 35mm film (a pretty good print considering the age). A romance based on Chekhov's short story. The story in its whole complexity: A married man and a married woman fall in love and try to cope with it. Hammy at the worst, breathtaking at the best. Awesome score, especially the lovers' theme - check it out if you can find it somewhere (I couldn't).

[dave jenkins]

The Long Wait (1954) Spillane story, Anthony Quinn, first watch interesting. 7/10

w/ Peggie Castle! Hubba-hubba!

[dave jenkins]

"The Lady with the Dog" / Dama s sobachkoy (1960) - 8/10
Second viewing, first on 35mm film (a pretty good print considering the age). A romance based on Chekhov's short story. The story in its whole complexity: A married man and a married woman fall in love and try to cope with it. Hammy at the worst, breathtaking at the best. Awesome score, especially the lovers' theme - check it out if you can find it somewhere (I couldn't).

Lucky you! I have the U.S. DVD. I agree with your score.

[dave jenkins]

Morrissey 25: Live (2013) - A filmed record of the March 2, 2013 concert given by Mozzer at Hollywood High. Nicely filmed and edited, it looks great in 4K. Probably of interest only to fans, and even I (a kinda, sorta fan) was a little disappointed by the song selection. To my mind, a performance with a better set list--and a much more attractive audience--can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOzodBqF6jI

[Groggy]

Charley Varrick - 8/10 - Good thriller that, if nothing else, proves that Joe Don Baker can be taken seriously.

[dave jenkins]

Le dernier metro (1980) - 9/10. Truffaut's smart film about French theater during the Occupation. Too bad about the tacky sets, but Catherine Deneuve, the most beautiful woman in the world (at the time of filming), is a real pleasure to watch.