Rate The Last Movie You Saw

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
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Act Naturally (2011), a comedy about two estranged sisters who inherit a nudist resort from their father. It was amusing and enjoyable, a charming and pleasant comedy. My rating is a 7/10.

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The Ascent (1977)

Rope (1948, Alfred Hitchcock)



"Am I a trembling creature or have I the right?"
"No, you're just a creepy psychopathic Jake Tapper lookalike committing a senseless murder just for kicks and then purposefully doing everything you can to get caught"

Definitely one of the better Hitchcocks I've seen so far, this one feels like it was shot in one continuous take - it's almost like watching a play enacted live on stage. Fascinating premise, lots of suspense, excellent performances by the cast - an unmitigated classic, for sure. I still kind of expected more from the ending, which was just a tad too transparent and obvious to me.

I'm Your Woman (2020)

This was quite entertaining and kinda neo-noir in its dialogue and situations.

Hood turns up to wife>hood gives wife a baby (as she cannot conceive naturally)>hood goes missing>women has to deal with the situation (baby and a missing husband).

Rachel Brosnahan does exceptionally well in portraying the "worm has turned" wife and I thought this was a good film despite never having heard of it or of any of the actors!

This one isn't top-tier Hitchcock for me, but it's still pretty darn good and a lot of fun. Aside from the technical marvel of seeing Hitchcock "pretend" it's one shot, Stewart is always a joy, and John Dall is wickedly good.

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Vampire's Kiss is not perfect; most notably, the subplot with the secretary is awkwardly executed. Despite that, he film is definitely worth it only to watch Cage crank it to 11, while making others wonder if Loew has changed or has he always been like this. If we look at Cage's career evolution, we might end up wondering the same about Cage; has he changed or has he always been like this? I think this film provides the answer.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot thread.

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“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!” ~ Rocky Balboa

Yeah, I was surprised how much I liked this. I kinda wanted to see this because I do think Streep is the best living film actor and certainly one of the best film actors ever and I like Amy Adams and I grew up watching Julia Child on TV, but I couldn't see how this was going to be an interesting movie. It is, although it has some studio-movie flaws, and while Streep just shocks me yet again, the movie really rides on Adams' shoulders.

Instant Family (2018)

This was fairly "alright" treaded the line between emotion and farce quite well but fell off either side a few times. Heart-warming story though.

Yeah, for me too - I mean, it's not on the level of Psycho, North by Northwest or Vertigo but it's up there among the runners-up for sure.

So we should be getting It Would Happen to You in 2034, right?

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I was so intrigued by this (and the fact it was worthy of a rare 7) that I just watched it. It's great. Very emotional in parts. No idea how some of the tricks were done but a real human experience and one that must have taken meticulous planning. Also, is it my imagination or did Bill Gates pop up at one point?

Yes, and Tim Gunn too.

Pretty sure Larry Wilmore is in there as well.

I liked In & of Itself, but I do think it loses a little bit in the transition from stage to film. It's not a show I went to see myself, but it's clear that the interaction with the audience is a big part of the experience, and with the film you are now an audience watching an audience watching a show. That extra remove leaves a little emotional gap. Nonetheless it's an intriguing concept and worth a watch.

Amazing to me how Meryl became Julia Child.

The original book by Julie Powell is very good too. Funniest of all is her original blog, which was hilarious. Its profanity was cleaned up for the movie.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

Live and Let Die (Guy Hamilton, 1973)
The most notable change here (even more so than our new Bond) is simply the change in decade. Going from the lush Panavision/Technicolor combo to whatever it is that makes 70's films just look dark and muddy is unfortunate to me personally but its not wholly out of place for the film and its still competently shot. I wasn't ever all that hot on Connery's portrayal of the character but I may have developed a bit of Stockholm syndrome and feel it might be unfair to judge Moore at this point but he's at least fine in the role. I don't have a ton to say about the plot/story. It's passably entertaining throughout and doesn't drag very much despite it having the longest runtime yet (I think) but it doesn't have a ton of standout moments. The only thing I'd say as an outright downside is just how bad the McCartney song is as a Bond theme and even just having bits of it worked into the score don't seem to fit that well either. A bit forgettable when all's said and done but its never really "bad" at any point.


The Man with the Golden Gun (Guy Hamilton, 1974)
I'm a huge fan of the initial set up and plot and Christopher Lee is great here, I just wish it stayed focused on that instead of all that stuff in the second act (really did not need the return of that annoying cop from the previous film) and with the film being over 2 hours cuts could have easily been made. I think this marries the Bond tone with the 70's aesthetics a lot more harmoniously than Live and Let Die (which I found to be a bit at odds with itself) with brighter, more consistent use of colour whilst maintaining just enough of that 70's roughness. I do like this one a good deal overall but it definitely feels like a missed opportunity in ways. Also to note, I'm 100% on board with Moore as 007 now.


The Spy Who Loved Me (Lewis Gilbert, 1977)
Really loved the rival spies dynamic here and the great villains of course but the standouts, as in all the great Bond films, is the visual flair and not only the score (of course) but specifically the use of said score. It maybe doesn't have the absolute hypest moments of the franchise but there's something dope happening pretty much every scene. It just doesn't miss.


Current Bond rankings:
01. From Russia with Love
02. Thunderball
03. The Spy Who Loved Me
04. Diamonds are Forever
05. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
06. Dr. No
07. The Man with the Golden Gun
08. Live and Let Die
09. You Only Live Twice
10. Goldfinger

Ammonite (2020)