Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[Dust Devil]

Unless, of course, it was all but a dream.

[dave jenkins]

And the technical fair with all the gadgets from various manufacturers? Like it's a hobby like any other... I don't understand how these things worked in the US back then, but how was it possible/legal for a civilian to have someone else surveyed anyway??

The act of wiretapping was/is illegal. I don't know about now, but at the time the film was made it was legal to own and/or sell wiretapping equipment. You just could not legally use the devices. Of course, if there's a trade in this kind of gear the buyers/sellers are going to be using the stuff, but the philosophy that most law enforcement operates under in this country has been to get involved after a crime has occurred, not before. And the movie was made before the great tradition of government sting operations came into its own. Today one or more federal agencies might run a technical fare like the one depicted to get data on perps or potentials, or they might even entrap individuals. Most savy wiretappers, of course, would be suspicious of such a fair and steer clear, which is why that kind of fair probably wouldn't really happen today. Even at the time of the movie the scene was somewhat satirical, but believable. Such an event could have happened. Perhaps the analogy with gun ownership is helpful: it is legal to buy and sell guns, but using guns for illegal purposes will land you in jail.

[dave jenkins]

I just saw Army of Crime, I give it a 7.5/10

What do you mean about AoC "whitewashing its protagonists"? You are referring to the movie whitewashing the evils of Communism?

I can't speak for Groggy, but he may be referring to the squeaky-clean aura that surrounds the protagonists. If the men had held any other kind of political philosophy they would have been depicted with flaws, weaknesses, etc. But because they are heroes of communism they are idealized to a level that beggars belief. In fact, watching the film the term hagiography came into my mind.

[Dust Devil]

The act of wiretapping was/is illegal. I don't know about now, but at the time the film was made it was legal to own and/or sell wiretapping equipment. You just could not legally use the devices. Of course, if there's a trade in this kind of gear the buyers/sellers are going to be using the stuff, but the philosophy that most law enforcement operates under in this country has been to get involved after a crime has occurred, not before. And the movie was made before the great tradition of government sting operations came into its own. Today one or more federal agencies might run a technical fare like the one depicted to get data on perps or potentials, or they might even entrap individuals. Most savy wiretappers, of course, would be suspicious of such a fair and steer clear, which is why that kind of fair probably wouldn't really happen today. Even at the time of the movie the scene was somewhat satirical, but believable. Such an event could have happened. Perhaps the analogy with gun ownership is helpful: it is legal to buy and sell guns, but using guns for illegal purposes will land you in jail.

Thx, more or less what I thought.

[Dust Devil]

We Own the Night (2007) - 4.5/10

Subpar.

[noodles_leone]

We Own the Night (2007) - 4.5/10

Subpar.

On a side note, it features one of the greatest tension scene ever (the drug lab). And my second favorite car chase in film history (the car chase). And the worst ending line ever.

[Dust Devil]

Narrow Margin (1990) - 6.5/10

[stanton]

On a side note, it features one of the greatest tension scene ever (the drug lab). And my second favorite car chase in film history (the car chase). And the worst ending line ever.

Amazing, I can't even remember that there was a car chase in this film.

Noodles which is the other car chase of the 2 you ever saw?

[drinkanddestroy]

I can't speak for Groggy, but he may be referring to the squeaky-clean aura that surrounds the protagonists. If the men had held any other kind of political philosophy they would have been depicted with flaws, weaknesses, etc. But because they are heroes of communism they are idealized to a level that beggars belief. In fact, watching the film the term hagiography came into my mind.

I wasn't familiar with Robert Guédiguian before, but I saw his discussion in the bonus features, yeah, he explicitly says that he is trying to advocate for Left-wing ideals in cinema, for Leftists to be proud of these moments in their history.

I am as staunch an anti-Communist as Guédiguian is a commie, but this communist issue didn't bother me at all in this movie we are discussing, Army of Crime. We're talking about fighting the Nazis. The Communists indeed played an important part in the French Resistance. (Even Melville, at the beginning of Army of Shadows, makes reference to this, when Lino Ventura calls one of his fellow prisoners comrade - an acknowledgement (by the Ventura character and really by Melville) of the important role the Communists played in fighting the Nazis.) Should their story not be told - with admiration? The point here is how a group of young "outsiders" - immigrants, Communists - fought the Nazis. The movie doesn't really go into the whole ideology of Communism here. It's about a group of people fighting the Nazis - to that extent, I sympathize with this group and am as supportive of them and interested in them as I am about the story of the middle-aged "white" people fighting the Nazis in Army of Shadows.

And when it comes to fighting the Nazis, I don't think it's necessary to show all the flaws in order to make it interesting. I am certainly not saying that nobody in the French Resistance had flaws. What I am saying is, if a movie is about a group of people fighting for an admirable cause, I can get behind that cause (and enjoy the film if it is well-made) without worrying about, hey there are other things about these people that aren't discussed much.
Of course, Guédiguian chose to focus on this group because he is a Leftist, so perhaps he is most proud or can relate most to this faction of the Resistance.

But as a viewer, if there is a well-made movie about people fighting the Nazis, I can appreciate watching that conflict; that conflict can be the basis of the movie; I don't require a whole character study and showing everything (good or bad) about these people. I'm not saying that because they fought the Nazis, they didn't have flaws or the flaws should not be discussed. I'm saying that showing a group of people fighting against the Nazis is enough of a story that I don't feel cheated if a movie doesn't get into the other parts of these peoples' lives.

[cigar joe]

Lost Highway (1997) Neo Noir from the Twilight Zone amazing soundtrack and visuals. Gets better every watch 10/10.

[noodles_leone]

Amazing, I can't even remember that there was a car chase in this film.

Noodles which is the other car chase of the 2 you ever saw?

 


Terminator II has the best car chase i know of. Mad Max II also has a better car chase than we own the night so I have to correct my previous post. WOTN only has the 3rd greatest car chase.

Lost Highway (1997) Neo Noir from the Twilight Zone amazing soundtrack and visuals. Gets better every watch 10/10.

 

[drinkanddestroy]

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was just released on BRD. Not sure where to mention it cuz that film has no special thread, so I'll do so here.
Here's what Beaver has to say http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-ray_reviews_64/mr_smith_goes_to_washington_blu-ray.htm

I just rented the BRD from Netflix, I'll watch it soon; it'll be my first-ever viewing of the movie  

[stanton]

Terminator II has the best car chase i know of. Mad Max II also has a better car chase than we own the night so I have to correct my previous post. WOTN only has the 3rd greatest car chase.

Interesting. Terminator never impressed me in any respect. It is an ok movie, well directed, but often infantile too. 6/10

One of the greatest car chases is still that in Bullitt, but the most impressing is probably the one which opens Quantum of Solace. Both are also the most cinematic car chases.

The one in Matrix 2 is also stunning (the film not so much)

[noodles_leone]

Interesting. Terminator never impressed me in any respect. It is an ok movie, well directed, but often infantile too. 6/10

One of the greatest car chases is still that in Bullitt, but the most impressing is probably the one which opens Quantum of Solace. Both are also the most cinematic car chases.

The one in Matrix 2 is also stunning (the film not so much)

I really like the bullit chase, of course, but the Matrix 2 chase disappointed me , mainly because it was advertised as the greatest car chase ever so it was very hard to live up to that. But also because of the overuse of badCGI.

I'M alone here but T2 is my favorite action movie. Yes it's childish, but it has everything I look in an action film: great action of course, adventure, originality, characters, humor and technical perfection.

[dave jenkins]

I'M alone here

So true. So very true. But if you decide to scream, rest assured, it will be heard.