Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Umpteenth Rewatch...Another charming entry from MGM at the height of their golden age. Fred Astaire and Jane Powell play a brother/sister song and dance team who travel to England to perform before the Royal Wedding of Elizabeth I. On the cruise over, Powell falls for a handsome playboy (Peter Lawford) and after arriving in England , Astaire falls for a chorus girl in in his show (Sarah Churchill). This film is most famous for the number "You're All the World to Me" where Astaire dances on the ceiling, but I also liked Astaire's solo in the gym "Sunday Jumps" and a duet with Astaire and Powell that was written in a limo on the way to the studio called "How Could You Believe when I Said I loved you when you know I've been a liar all my life?". Churchill, the daughter of Winston Churchill, is absolutely dreadful and has forced me to knock half a bag of popcorn off my original, but Astaire and Powell fans will still love it.

2nd Rewatch...This distaff rethinking of the George Clooney Ocean franchise finds Sandra Bullock playing Danny's sister, Debbie who has just been paroled from jail and immediately begins planning the lifting of a $60 million necklace off the neck of a flighty socialite, with the aid of her old buddy Lou (Cate Blanchett) and a brand new crew they hire together. The screenplay is protective of our heroines and makes all the men in the movie look like idiots, but it's slick, sexy, and the production values are extraordinary. Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter steal every scene they're in.

I saw Thunderbolts in the theater. The MCU is steering away from the usual explosive movie formulas that have been extremely hit or miss for them, and instead leaning on the more character driven stories that they've used to more success in their streaming shows. Personally, I like the change in direction.


Florence Pugh and Lawrence Harbour are the best part of the movie, with their father/daughter chemistry working well. Also, Julia Louise-Dreyfus is hilarious in every scene she has. Now if only they could pick a setting besides NYC. And reign in their budgets a bit more. Character driven stories shouldn't cost $180 million to make.

Children of Paradise (1945)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

Nonnas (2025) Watched on Netflix. Directed by Stephen Chbosky, this comedy stars Vince Vaughn as a man who opens an Italian restaurant with grandmas as the chefs. This was pleasant and charming. It's enjoyable, although I would rank it fourth amongst Stephen Chbosky's films.

Election
7/10.
I enjoyed this comedy, and I can't believe how young Reece Witherspoon looks (she would have been 21 or 22 when it was filmed in 1998 or 1999, but she looks about 16 to me). There are certain elements that reminded me of Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Broderick running through the school hallways, Broderick saying "Anyone? Anyone?" to the class, etc.).
I also loved how the button looks like it's saying "pick f*ck"

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Boldly going.

By POV - May be found at the following website: TheItalianJob.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20372936

The Italian Job - (1969)

Well this was very British and overwhelmingly dominated by Michael Caine who plays thief Charlie Croker, out to plan and execute a heist in Italy that'll reward him and his crew with $4 million worth of gold bullion. If you like Caine's cheeky yet kind of classy Cockney-accented ways then you'll probably like the film. Benny Hill shows up, and I thought "Oh well, it's not like this is The Benny Hill Show", but then he proceeds to act out a role that has him lasciviously and gracelessly lust after large women for the entire film. It's hard to square this with my mind, but maybe there was a time in England when that was funny? I was actually looking forward to seeing him do something different. But it didn't ruin the film for me - the final act heist which sees three Mini Coopers race around Turin while being chased by the police is worth seeing the movie for, and the ending is of course legendary. You can't help but ponder what happened next! Also - Noël Coward's final screen appearance as wealthy, pampered jailbird Mr. Bridger. Once again - all very British.

7/10

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David Harbour

Clerks 3 (2022) - Kevin Smith
I cried, I cried a lot… pure nostalgia with characters I deeply love. Touching ending to a great trilogy in my opinion. Love it.

The Peacemaker (1997)

Fun post-Cold War action thriller. I believe it was the first movie DreamWorks ever released.

Warfare

Is A24 currently the most interesting studio?

Game Night (2018)

Yes.

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By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20415282

The Mechanic - (1972)

This was a fine, very enjoyable, grimy "hit man" thriller with a perfectly cast Charles Bronson often sporting a deadly grin as "mechanic" Arthur Bishop - not averse to suffocating a friend if he's being told said friend is his next target. Bishop simply loves living a life well outside normal societal rules, and when a firm friendship develops between him and the son of the friend he just sent six feet under - Steve McKenna (Jan-Michael Vincent - originally Richard Dreyfuss who was replaced because Bronson didn't like him) - he decides to be his mentor. He just might be (as the saying goes) nourishing a viper in his bosom. I woke up this morning and thought to myself, "Yeah, that Mechanic was a first-rate 70s crime movie." The film was initially going to feature a sexual relationship between Bishop and Steve McKenna - and writer Lewis John Carlino was disappointed that this factor was removed. Perhaps the various changes stopped this from being a great film - but all that same it's visually pleasing and Bronson really projects that mix of warmth and silent mystery that makes his performance so believable. In the end what we ended up with is quite excellent I think.

8/10

I thought this was the best movie in the franchise

Another film that has been on my to-watch list for a very long time which, apparently, made me forget about it altogether.
But I know and love the theme song by my favourite crooner Matt Monro.
Perhaps the time has come to make watching this film a priority.

Across the Pacific (1942) - Dishonored soldier tangles with secret agents, sporty henchmen and a sassy woman. Like an American Bond in the time of WW2 made by The Maltese Falcon gang.

With a running time under 100 minutes, I should adore this type of tightly-plotted spy story but it felt a bit over-blown with it's mixture of very average scenes and very good (and humorous) ones; and the final ten minutes being particulary crazy.... not to be missed if you're a fan of Bogart, who had Casablanca come out in the same year. On a run from his past he kicks ass, gets his ass kicked, falls in love, reminds his enemy that "his is bigger", and saves the day. What a legendary leading man.

A good time, if not as concentrated as other Huston-Bogie collaborations; maybe because the director flew to war before finishing it himself... 6-7/10. I hear Beat the Devil is more odd.

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NIght Moves (1975)



A noirish private detective story that doesn't quite fulfil the pulp & sordidness that makes this genre so entertaining.
The first half in particular is meandering and uneventful, but since it's a well-made seventies film this is still watchable enough.
The last part when the real action gets going feels rushed and I felt bombarded with information that made it difficult to connect the dots between the beginning and the ending.

In hindsight I think I prefer the first part that's mostly about the protagonist's domestic situation.
The female characters are very good; Harry Moseby's wife played by Susan Clark, the cool and mysterious Paula played by the beautiful Jennifer Warren and last but not least Janet Ward as the cynical and embittered ex-movie star Arlene Iverson.

But apart from Gene Hackman and Harris Yulin I think the male casting leaves a lot to be desired. James Woods plays it too hysterically but perhaps that says more about how the character was written.
Edward Binns and John Crawford don't have any screen presence here and I'm not saying that they should only cast the prettiest actors but I think it was possible to find actors who would have made the situation look more memorable.
In fact, in the last scene I almost didn't recognise the character played by Edward Binns.

The idea that all of this happened because of some artefact made it look a little banal, as in "could have happened in any random cop show episode".
And yet it's a film that lingers on so it's not completely without merit, and I certainly don't regret watching it.

The Descent (2005)

If you suffer from claustrophobia, are scared of the dark, and possess an irrational fear of slimy, vicious humanoid creatures who dwell underground, then avoid this movie at all costs.

The Descent: Part 2 (2009)

Not as good as the first Descent, but still a lot of fun. Before yesterday, I didn’t even know they’d made a sequel; thought everyone died in the first movie.