Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[stanton]

I love Demy's Lola. His best film.

[noodles_leone]

I'm saying that to the extent that cinema became less classic Hollywood and more New Wavy, it bothers me. I should clarify and say that it probably changed French cinema more than Hollywood. I certainly don't have more than a minimal knowledge of French cinema, but the famous French films/filmmakers from the 30's until the New Wave films, I love that stuff. But during the New Wave period with few exceptions, most of the famous French films I've heard of are New Wave and I don't like that style as much.

It's ok if you don't like New Wave films or Godard, but just to be clear: apart from actual New Wave films themselves, do you think the New Wave had a bad influence on cinema?
One thing i'm sure about: The Patriot wasn't influenced by The New Wave in any way, which may be why it's the only post 1960 masterpiece we've ever seen.

Seriously though, the american movies from the 70's were heavily influenced by the new wave... and for the better, right? I do love the new wave and still I do agree that French films after the New Wave were plagued by such an heavy heritage. They were influenced in a bad way because lots of them didn't really understand what those great films were about and they just used them as an excuse to be lazy.

[dave jenkins]

Seriously though, the american movies from the 70's were heavily influenced by the new wave... and for the better, right? I do love the new wave and still I do agree that French films after the New Wave were plagued by such an heavy heritage. They were influenced in a bad way because lots of them didn't really understand what those great films were about and they just used them as an excuse to be lazy.

My beef with the New Wave is that when it came in, it pushed all the older French films (with a few exceptions) out. At least in the U.S. In the 70s it meant you couldn't see anything BUT New Wave films. So, no Duvivier, no Gremillon, and of course, certainly no Autant-Lara (thank you, Francois Truffaut). I had to wait to the 21st Century to see films by those directors and many others.

Meanwhile, the New Wave itself had films that were good, bad, and indifferent. I like just about everything from Rohmer, and there are several that Resnais made that continue to give me pleasure. Even Godard has a couple of good ones among his pile of dreck. And of course there are the influences; as noodles (almost) says, What would 70s American cinema have looked like if there'd been no New Wave? Would we even have, say, films by Schatzberg? The 70s is probably my favorite decade for U.S. films, so I'm very glad the New Wave happened.

OTOH, if D&D had never happened, would anyone now be any worse off? There's a question that's easy to answer. 

[noodles_leone]

OTOH, if D&D had never happened, would anyone now be any worse off? There's a question that's easy to answer. 

I'd say a few "Miss [insert random city]" would have a lot more free time.

[drinkanddestroy]

I'd say a few "Miss [insert random city]" would have a lot more free time.

A) It?s usually not a city but a country. (Although right now it?s Miss Baltimore ? who, btw, never got a bikini wax till she met me.)

B) They?d have more free time. But fewer filthy memories.

[dave jenkins]

Le gentleman d'Epsom (1962) - 7/10. According to IMDb, Jean Gabin appeared in 95 feature-length films. This is one.

[drinkanddestroy]

Film Stars Don?t Die in Liverpool (2017) 6.5/10

Story of the end of Gloria Grahame?s life, when she was dying and in Liverpool and in a relationship with a much younger guy.

The acting is very good - Annette Bening as Gloria Grahame, and Jamie Bell as the guy. Bening has a much lower voice than Grahame (everybody does) and makes no attempt to sound like her, but she?s very good. Cinematography and editing is very good too.

The schmaltz is laid on very thick at the end.

[drinkanddestroy]

I saw Port of Shadows again, on my Criterion DVD.

Quite a few frames are poor quality. I want to upgrade to blu ray. Does anyone know what's better, the American Kink version or the European Studio Canal? (Beaver seems to be down)

[cigar joe]

Cockfighter aka Born to Kill (1974) Hixploitation - Directed by Monte Hellman Cockfighter was written by Charles Willeford and based on his eponymous novel.



The film stars Warren Oates as Frank Mansfield, Richard B. Shull as Omar Baradansky, Harry Dean Stanton as Jack Burke. d Begley Jr. as Tom Peeples, Laurie Bird as Dody White Burke, Troy Donahue as Randall Mansfield, Warren Finnerty as Sanders, Robert Earl Jones as Buford, Patricia  Pearcy as Mary Elizabeth, Millie Perkins as Frances Mansfield, Steve Railsback as Junior, Tom Spratley as Mister Peeples and Charles Willeford as Ed Middleton.

A nowadays very controversial but obviously loving paean to cockfighting. The history of cockfighting goes back 6,000 years its an ancient blood sport older than bullfighting and gladiator combat. Cockfighting is now illegal in all 50 states; Louisiana being the last state to ban cockfighting in 2007, 33 years after this film was made. Cockfighting still remains legal in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Still legal in Columbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Panama,  Peru, Philippines, and in parts of Indonesia, Iraq, Mexico, Pakistan. This film is definitely nowadays highly politically incorrect and will not be to everyone's taste.

Cockfighter aside from being a very good ensemble acting piece, is a also a historical artifact and of course by its very subject matter a gamecock snuff film.

Warren Oats shines as a Frank who plays almost the entire film mute. His acting is mostly through facial expressions,along with hand, and body gestures. He pulls it off  effortlessly. Oates does do some voice over running commentary on cockfighting, training and gamecock breeding in general. The rest of the cast prove their authentic hick credentials with believable performances.

This film will not be for everyone. Its very brutal. Animal rights activists will get disgusted with the movie. Oats fans will need to catch this.  7/10

[drinkanddestroy]

I saw Port of Shadows again, on my Criterion DVD.

Quite a few frames are poor quality. I want to upgrade to blu ray. Does anyone know what's better, the American Kink version or the European Studio Canal? (Beaver seems to be down)

OK beaver is back up again
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdreview3/portofshadows.htm

seems the Kino is in some screencaps darker than the Studio Canal (both are significantly darker than the Criterion DVD).

No way for me to know what it looked like in 1938, so I guess I should just go with whatever looks better to me in 2021 

I noticed on the screencaps - and beaver did not mention this - on some screencaps the Blu rays show more information o top but less on bottom, with the exception of the newspaper screencap, where the blu ray shows less on top.

Beaver indicates the damage has been cleaned up on the bu rays compared to the DVD - that's a big plus for me, though he gives no screeencaps to compare.

I guess I'll just go for the blu ray - having no real preference, I'll get the American one - regardless of which image is better, I know I'll for sure have the bonus features.

[dave jenkins]

Cockfighter aka Born to Kill (1974) Hixploitation - Directed by Monte Hellman Cockfighter was written by Charles Willeford and based on his eponymous novel.

This film will not be for everyone. Its very brutal. Animal rights activists will get disgusted with the movie. Oats fans will need to catch this.  7/10

How can I see this?

[drinkanddestroy]

The Best Man (1964) 8/10 (TCM)

Political drama, as two presidential candidates vie for the (unnamed) party?s nomination: Henry Fonda, an old principled liberal, and Cliff Robertson, a young ruthless conservative.

[dave jenkins]

The Truth About Bebe Donge (1952) -  8/10. A woman (Danielle Darrieux), after 10 years of marriage, poisons her industrialist husband (Jean Gabin). In flashbacks we find out why. It's Dannielle and Jean, together again for the first time, with Ms. Darrieux getting top billing. Mellers ain't usually my thing, and I was going to give this one a pass, but Bertrand Tavernier convinced me to take a look. He champions the film generally, but made special mention (in Journeys Through French Cinema) of the movie's final shot: a car, lit only by its headlights, crosses frame at a diagonal, with the light getting smaller and smaller until it no longer reads and we get a totally black screen. Real film noir at last! Ms. Darrieux gives a career-best performance (perhaps I should say performances, because the bubbly girl in the flashbacks is not the cynical husk we see at the end). Did I mention--in two senses--that this film is dark? A real downer; definitely not a good date movie. Thank you, Henri Decoin.

[dave jenkins]

I Hired a Contract Killer (1990) - 7/10. This has got one of the greatest premises in crime films: a man (in this case, Jean Pierre Leaud), recently fired, friendless in an unfriendly land, decides to take his life, but, owing to a combination of temperament and circumstances, is unable to do so. He decides to hire a professional, paying, of course, in advance. While waiting to be hit, the man goes into the pub across the street for the first time and meets the girl of his dreams. Suddenly, he wants to live. But you know, these contract killers, once they're paid, they always see the job through . . . Dead pan humor abounds, as Kaurismaki shows he can out-Jarmusch Jarmusch.

[cigar joe]

I Hired a Contract Killer (1990) - 7/10. This has got one of the greatest premises in crime films: a man (in this case, Jean Pierre Leaud), recently fired, friendless in an unfriendly land, decides to take his life, but, owing to a combination of temperament and circumstances, is unable to do so. He decides to hire a professional, paying, of course, in advance. While waiting to be hit, the man goes into the pub across the street for the first time and meets the girl of his dreams. Suddenly, he wants to live. But you know, these contract killers, once they're paid, they always see the job through . . . Dead pan humor abounds, as Kaurismaki shows he can out-Jarmusch Jarmusch.

Sounds good thanks