Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Registered User

04-24-23

Originally Posted by PHOENIX74

Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16189573

Jane Eyre - (1996)

It's been 12 years since the last adaptation of Jane Eyre was released, which means we're pretty much due for another one when you consider the time gap between adaptations. There were two made during the 90s, only 1 year apart, but generally it's a decade by decade prospect. Some time last year I decided I'd take on a little side project, and compare all the adaptations - my first experience was with the 2011 Mia Wasikowska/Michael Fassbender version. Last night I gave the 1996 Charlotte Gainsbourg/William Hurt version a go - produced and distributed by Miramax, so unfortunately it includes Harvey Weinstein's name prominently in the opening credits. Gainsbourg's name never came up as one of the ladies he abused, so hopefully she avoided the big-bodied producer in his bathrobe asking for a "massage". This adaptation was fine - everything you'd expect, and I really liked Gainsbourg in this. Although William Hurt came in for come criticism for being wrong for the part, I thought he acquitted himself well also. He's no Timothy Dalton or Michael Fassbender though. But, as Jane Eyre herself says, "Remember, the shadows are just as important as the light." This version makes itself unique in character by casting him.

7/10

OMG I have to disagree with the critics. I thought William Hurt brought such depth to the Rochester. Charlotte Gainsbourg, with her offbeat looks gives us a more convincing Jane. Fassbender and Timothy Dalton are too dang sexy for Rochester. William Hurt is also a very handsome man but he has some miles on by the time he made this version of Jane Eyre and his character just exudes an air of sadness and desperation. Have you seen the version of Jane Eyre with Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine yet?

beelzebubble

Registered User

04-24-23

Originally Posted by skizzerflake

Interesting, sorta good, AIR. It's an odd movie, about Micheal Jordan and the development and release of the "Air Jordan", the shoe that saved the fortunes of Nike and is still made, sold on Amazon for like $500 as of tonight. I don't get it, but it is what it is. The movie catches Jordan as a rising star and the guys at Nike, recognizing his talent, manage to get a contract with Jordan to use his name, blindsiding everybody else who wants a piece of his image.

It was one of the first times that a sports figure got not just paid to license a name, but got a piece of every sale, so even now Jordan gets paid a piece of every shoe, a nice deal. Since that deal, all sports heroes need a shoe or a jersey or something sellable that people will buy.

The movie is fairly pedestrian, and, for reasons I don't quite understand, probably something about image licensing, "Jordan" (portrayed by an actor) appears in a bunch of scenes, but we never get a clear view. This is the way old movies portrayed Jesus. Often sports movies are lost on me. This one is no exception.

5/10

Dude, you cracked me up.

beelzebubble

Registered User

04-24-23

Originally Posted by PHOENIX74

By Movie Poster Database, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7678285

Jane Eyre - (1943)

My third Jane Eyre, and my reaction to this one has me thinking I should space them out a little more - Orson Welles plays Edward Rochester in a curious manner. Gruffly masculine, which I guess is on the money, but still feels strange when it's coming from a peach-faced, smooth, Orson Welles - and it's the way his eyes seem to penetrate what they're looking at that captivates. This follows the usual story beats in a familiar pattern - the adaptations go back as far as 1910 (that version is lost however - a shame, I'd love to see how they squeeze everything onto one reel) and there followed one in 1921, and one in 1934, the latter of which goes only 62 minutes. I feel the need to read the novel starting to bother me...

6/10

Aww I'm sorry you didn't love this. It is so wonderfully gothic. Orson Welles had a gravitas beyond his years and played many parts he was to young for obstensibly. For me, every Jane Eyre needs to stand against this one. The script is stripped down a lot. I think it is about 90 minutes. There is a lot of story missing, but much of that story feels unnecessary. So much is conveyed through the art direction, the cinematography and the music.

LChimp

Registered User

04-24-23

Re-watch

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Thief

Master of None

04-24-23

BULLET IN THE HEAD
(1990, Woo)

"Today I saw a soldier kill a man and I learned something. In this world, we can do anything if we have guns!"

Set in the late 1960s, Bullet in the Head follows three childhood friends: Ben, Paul, and Frank (Tony Leung, Waise Lee, and Jacky Cheung), that flee from Hong Kong to Vietnam to escape from a rival gang as well as the police. However, as they try to make it as contraband smugglers in the middle of the Vietnam War, the three friends end up at odds with a Vietnamese gangster as well as the Vietcong, all of which puts their friendship to the test.

It is obvious that, after films like A Better Tomorrow and The Killer, Woo was trying to spread his wings a bit. The scope here feels more ambitious and the narrative seems to aim for more depth. Unfortunately, I don't think that Woo fully delivered on the promise. As hinted above, the film does feel like a bit of a mess. There is a bit of tonal dissonance between the violence and the drama, and the last act felt clumsily hyper-charged instead of being something more emotionally powerful.

Grade:

Full review on my Movie Loot

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Thief

Master of None

04-24-23

HARD BOILED
(1992, Woo)

"To you, I'm a criminal. To my mum, I'm a son. To the triads, I'm a hero."

That is how tormented undercover agent Alan (Tony Leung) describes himself to detective Tequila Yuen (Chow Yun-fat). This hints at the inner struggles of playing two different people at the same time, something which Alan has to deal with, especially if he wants to take down his triad boss. Hard Boiled follows the efforts of the two to do so.

After opening the film with a balls-out shoot-out at a restaurant, Woo slows down into what you think will be a more subdued and morally complex crime thriller, where the struggles mentioned above come into play. Instead, by the last act, our heroes are jumping to the side shooting endless bullets at a constant swarm of nameless bad guys as a hospital literally blows up on top of them. It is the epitome of excesses of Woo and action films in general.

Grade:

Full review on my Movie Loot

Captain Steel

"Lois, I never lie."

04-24-23

Originally Posted by Fred2515

RENFIELD (2023)
I watched it to the end without rewinding. For the role of Dracula, Cage in this film is ill-suited, and Leslie Nielsen, unfortunately, is all. In general, it turned out to be rubbish.

You can't out-Brooks Mel Brooks!

GulfportDoc

Registered User

04-24-23

Originally Posted by PHOENIX74

By May be found at the following website: IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24105930

Children of Men - (2006)

Dystopian science fiction can get pretty depressing, but Children of Men is so well put together, and looks so perfect, that Alfonso Cuar�n turns this into a cinematic triumph. The film feels even more timely now, with a pandemic that has disrupted the entire globe and the United States teetering on the edge of civil strife, an uncertain election the world is bracing for not far away. Refugee hate-mongering takes center stage in this, in a world where time is limited due to the fact that no new life is being produced - 100% infertility, and we're staring into the abyss. Through war and hate, a delicate newborn baby must make it's way - and I hold my breath the entire time. Initially, this film was too dark and full of despair for me to manage - but in the ensuing years I've been eager to see it again with an eye to how well made it is. It still surprises, and as I said - still seems ever so relevant.

8/10

It was a good film, with the story and action very innovative. It has one of the greatest long take action scenes in recent memory. I've watched that scene over and over. I started to attach that portion, but realized it would give away too much of the plot.

PHOENIX74

I forgot the opening line.

04-24-23

Originally Posted by SpelingError

Bump it up an extra star you coward!

Originally Posted by beelzebubble

You're spot on with that assessment of William Hurt in the role - I haven't read the book yet, but his version of Rochester is the closest I've seen to what I imagine the character would be like.

Originally Posted by beelzebubble

I totally blame the fact that I'd just watched an adaptation of Jane Eyre a day earlier for giving me Jane Eyre fatigue, and otherwise I might have enjoyed this one a lot more.

Originally Posted by GulfportDoc

I marvel at the fact that the shot you talk about was planned and executed so perfectly.

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PHOENIX74

I forgot the opening line.

04-24-23

By POV - Impawards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6417657

The Bridges of Madison County - (1995)

I didn't fancy watching this one, and my enjoyment of it stands as a testament to why I make myself watch films on my to-watch list no matter how I feel about them. Many a love story will go through the motions without moving me in the slightest, but this one dug right into my heart - it felt so genuine and there was real chemistry between Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood - he was 65, and Streep was 46. So wonderful to see a romance that isn't between two young, perfect and gorgeous empty-headed model-type Barbie and Ken dolls. Streep is incredible as Italian-American Francesca Johnson - she knocked that performance out of the park, and should count herself unlucky to have lost her Best Actress Oscar nomination to Susan Sarandon for her role in Dead Man Walking. Eastwood doesn't have as much range, but oozes enough masculine charm to buy the fact that this neither happy nor unhappy married woman would fall for him so completely in a matter of 24 hours. Did The Bridges of Madison County induce tears from me? I won't say. Great movie - great love story - deserved more Oscar nominations.

8/10

Act III

Scene 1

04-25-23

Renfield

Good movie, will make you laugh. I suggest you go see it.

75/100

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ScarletLion

Professional horse shoe straightener

04-25-23

'War Witch' (2012)

Really good film from Canadian filmmaker Kim Ngyuen. A young girl narrates the story of her life as a child soldier in Sub Saharan Africa to the unborn child in her belly.

This has the brutality of 'City of God' and the foundations for 'Beasts of No Nation', which must have taken large inspiration from this film. An Oscar nomination is zero bearing of quality for a film, but normally it means the movie has a blu-ray release at the very least. Not so with 'War Witch' which is quite difficult to track down.

There are moments of real beauty mixed in with the bloodshed of civil war in the un-named African country, and while there is plenty of magical realism and 'did that really happen' elements, it doesn't stray too far from the central message of the tragedy of children at war.

7.8/10

Fabulous

Jonsilfab

04-25-23

The Omega Man (1971)

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Gideon58

Registered User

04-25-23

3rd Re-watch...this Neil Simon comedy stil has enormous re-watch appeal thanks to Herbert Ross' breezy direction and a terrific cast, with standout work by Jane Fonda, Michael Caine, Alan Alda. and, best of all, the divine Maggie Smith, who won her second Oscar for playing an actress in Los Angeles for being nominated for her first Oscar. Smith alone makes this ride the pleasure it is.

Last edited by Gideon58; 04-26-23 at 04:13 PM.

donniedarko

Survivor 3 Champ

04-25-23

Beau Is Afraid (2023, Aster)

I'll start by saying- I quite enjoyed this three-hour surrealistic fiasco of a film. As a major Aster fan, I'll start with where I'm critical of his most recent piece.

From the start there's a lot going on here.. yet somehow through all the craziness it never feels overwhelming and often on-beat with the humor. & while the film delivered several laughs for the whole theater (and others for a select few) sometimes I wondered how much comedy was necessary. I think Aster wondered this himself, as it often feels that this work rarely knows how seriously to take itself. While covering serious topics of family relationships, post partum depression, sexual ineptness there is often a childlike obsession of penises and sex. Almost south park-esque in its juvenility. It was funny- but perhaps it took away from the fear that was earlier so well captured

The film can be divided into three primary acts;

I: The city
II: The woods
III: The home

The first is especially sinister & intense, keeping a constant sense of horror, confusion, and fear. I was just as afraid as Beau. The Woods holds a similar intensity.. where for a split moment it may seem Beau has found a sanctuary. But suddenly the suburbs aren't any safer than the freakish city after all. At least Im the city you're safe in your bed

By the third act much of the fear goes away, and the absurdity increases. A few questions are answered, and some hilarious moments. Kangaroo court was an all time classic.

Overall I'd say this is his worst feature. Hereditary being my favorite & Midsommar in the middle. But with this being feature #3 Aster sure is delivering a spectacular filmography for all of us

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Originally Posted by mark f

Yeah, there's no body mutilation in it

Last edited by Sedai; 04-26-23 at 11:21 AM.

Gideon58

Registered User

04-25-23

GulfportDoc

Registered User

04-25-23

I marvel at the fact that the shot you talk about was planned and executed so perfectly.

[Children of Men - long take scene]
If you haven't already seen it, there's a well done video explanation of how that long scene was done. You'd have to web search it, e.g. "children of men long take".

Last edited by GulfportDoc; 04-25-23 at 08:53 PM.

beelzebubble

Registered User

04-25-23

Originally Posted by donniedarko

Beau if Afraid (2023, Aster)

I like Ari Aster except for one thing. In both, Hereditaty and Midsommar people's heads get smashed. And I found that I can not handle people getting their heads smashed. so I have one question for you. Does anyone get their head smashed in this movie? Because if someone does I am not watching it. That is my line in the sand.

GulfportDoc

Registered User

04-25-23

Emily the Criminal (2022)

While I'm not motivated to do a full review, this is a well done picture, with a stand out performance by Aubrey Plaza.

It's really a contemporary noir. The Plaza character finds herself saddled with unpayable student loan debt. After toiling at a mediocre job, she accidentally gets exposed to a ring of credit card fraudsters. She decides to try a simple fraud, and is sucked in.

Plot holes aside, there's plenty of suspense as she gradually takes higher risks, and almost gets into hot water.

Theo Rossi does a nice turn as the grifter who educates the woman on how to fabricate and use stolen credit card numbers. Their relationship is prominent, leading to a rather surprising ending.

Doc's rating: 7/10

donniedarko