Rate The Last Movie You Saw

The Trouble With Girls (1969)

Not a great movie. The story, the songs and everything hold it all together to make it a movie but nothing there to get excited about or mention. Don't care to see this one a second time.

5/10

Tracy Lord isn't really famous. She's just a wild-living socialite from an important family whose every move makes the front pages...sort of a 1950's version of Kim Kardashian.

1st Rewatch...A nearly forgotten dark horse from a very good year at the movies. This 1982 comic mystery about an aging playwright's plan to revitalize his career is the film version of one of the longest running plays in Broadway history that was written by Ira Levin (Rosemary's Baby), who collaborated on the crisp and intelligent screenplay with Jay Presson Allen that requires complete attention. Highly theatrical performances from the leads (with an especially eye-opening turn from Christopher Reeve) and Sidney Lumet's accomplished polish from the director's chair, this one is still a winner that nobody saw back in '82.

I did.

Howl's Moving Castle
8/10.
Wow. Weird but amazing and beautiful. I want to see more from this writer/director.

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Boldly going.

By [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4734680

Bean - (1997)

When Mr. Bean arrived on television in 1990 I knew it was something special - but as with all things special these days, it's success would be exploited to the full, and eventually the genius would wear thin. Still, I'm often surprised by the flak this initial cinematic adventure has received over the years. I think it's because your enjoyment of it depends on so many varying factors - being neither British nor American helps give a better perspective of the British Bean's childlike appreciation for landing in a place that's culturally so different. Also, I think being on the bandwagon from the start helps - I'd hate to be getting to know what this is while watching the film. I say all this because even as I watched it yesterday, I laughed long and hard during the entire movie. Rowan Atkinson still had full control of the character - an adult child that the series implied fell to Earth as is. A film that has given me so much joy over the years I have to rate highly, but I do so with the knowledge that many hate this movie - I know it's not perfect, but for me it has a long laundry list of hilarious moments that at times even outdo some of the initial series' biggest laughs. I don't mind that some have been recycled. Taking Mr. Bean from short skits to a full-length feature was a tall order - and really the film's length should have been closer to 65 minutes (it really ends after 65, then keeps going past the requisite climax out of feature-length necessity), but I'm willing to cut something this funny so much slack.

8/10


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Mr. Bean's Holiday - (2007)

The second Mr. Bean film was an out-and-out disappointment - the entire format that allowed the character so many of his unusual moments was gone, and the character's attributes - his selfishness, occasional malevolence and general childish attitude were diluted. The entire film feels flat, and lacks the inspiration previous incarnations had in spades. In this he's off to France on a holiday after winning a raffle, and the laugh-free set-up and opening scenes give the audience a taste of what's to come. Occasionally, we'll see a small glimpse and situation that's better - but these moments are isolated and rare. This movie was considered an improvement over the first as far as critics were concerned, and that really surprises me. It convinces me that many people never really understood why the character was so original and funny - perhaps you really needed to have been onboard from the very beginning all those years ago. I did like his old-lady/mother disguise near the end - and wish it had of been part of a real Mr. Bean movie, and not squeezed (along with the character) into such a conventional comedy.



4/10


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Johnny English - (2003)

Rowan Atkinson's other comedic character was less brilliantly original than Mr. Bean - spy spoofs were a dime a dozen by the time he had Johnny English up and running. The movies often stole from the Austin Powers films. Here he's stopping French prison owner Pascal Sauvage (John Malkovich) from enacting a scheme whereupon he ascends to England's throne and turns all of Britain into a World prison colony. A funny moment here and there - Johnny English is at it's best when we find the titular secret agent in incredibly embarrassing situations. The character's desire to be suave wears thin after a while, and I find myself wishing he'd be more wise to his limitations - but I guess that's the whole idea of the character. Oh, and Natalie Imbruglia - we're sorry. That's our bad. I'm not a huge fan of the character or this movie, but it's okay and quite watchable.

6/10


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Dudley Do-Right - (1999)

Wow - okay. Nobody should ever watch Dudley Do-Right. It has the feel of a film that was never even meant to be watched. Based on the Dudley Do-Right cartoons, it tries to bring a sense of "living cartoon" to all it does, but ultimately ends up just making every scene so bizarre that funny moments are really hard to find or fathom. Eric Idle and Alfred Molina shame themselves. Nothing works. There's a lot of sparkle to the $70 million production, but all of it seems terribly misplaced - and only Brendan Fraser can hold his head high. Embarrassingly not funny, with an insanely chaotic and meaningless plot, it has the feel of a fireworks factory on fire - explosively disastrous.

3/10

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2nd Rewatch...Steven Spielberg crushed it here, accomplishing something that many, myself included , thought could not be done...improving on the 1961 film version of the Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim musical that won ten Oscars, including Best Picture, but he did just that. First of all, he didn't just try to reproduce the '61 film, he went back to the 1957 Broadway musical and returned certain scenes and musical numbers to their original places in the libretto. Second, he actually hired Latino actors to play the Sharks and allowed screenwriter Tony Kushner to pepper the dialogue with enough Spanish to make their characters more authentic. Then he hired four actors for the leading roles who could actually sing. I had minor issues with a couple of musical numbers in terms of choreography, but Justin Peck knocked it out of the park with "America" and the dance at the gym. As I said in my original review of the film, Mr. Spielberg, we're not worthy.

I saw this years ago, but couldn't remember who played the lead role... first I thought it was Sacha Baron Cohen, then I thought it was Ben Stiller. But... of course it was Adam.

SF = Z






[Snooze Factor Ratings]:
Z = didn't nod off at all
Zz = nearly nodded off but managed to stay alert
Zzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed
Zzzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed but nodded off again at the same point and therefore needed to go back a number of times before I got through it...
Zzzzz = nodded off and missed some or the rest of the film but was not interested enough to go back over it

Safety Last! (1923)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

It does feel like a film that Sacha Baron Cohen would be in before Adam Sandler. Adam Sandler has a lot of goofy movies certain, but usually not goofy in this particular way.

Star Wars (1977)

Classic.

10/10

2nd Rewatch...Quentin Tarantino put himself on the map with this relentlessly bloody thriller about the robbery of a jewelry store that goes horribly wrong but the viewer witnesses everything but the crime itself. We meet the players, are introduced to the bloody aftermath of what happened and then get backstory on how these criminal misfits get together. Love Michael Madsen's torture of the cop, Tim Roth's memorization of the story to tell in order to get the job and everything that happens with Roth and Keitel. And Steve Buscemi's explosive performance is probably the best of his career. LOVE that opening scene too where the guys are having breakfast because it offers no clue as to what is about to go down. Tarantino changed the art of cinematic storytelling forever with this one.

2nd rewatch...For my money, the finest performance of Marilyn Monroe's career that actually earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress Comedy or Musical and should have earned her an Oscar nomination...yeah, I said it. Though it barely resembles the William Inge play it was based on, it has been effectively re-imagined to showcase Marilyn. She plays a 4th rate saloon singer named Cherie who catches the eye of a naive young cowboy named Bo Decker (Don Murray) who falls in love with her on sight and has decided she is going to be his wife whether she likes it or not. This was the first film Marilyn made after spending a year in New York studying with Lee Strasberg at the Actor's Studio and if you watch her work before this film, you can tell the difference. Those of you who believed Marilyn couldn't act need to watch this movie because she's quite good here. Monroe has never been so warm and vulnerable onscreen. Don Murray made an impressive film debut as the nutty young cowboy Bo, a charming performance that earned him an Oscar nomination. Arthur O' Connell, Hope Lange, Betty Field, and Eileen Heckart make the most of their roles too, but this is Marilyn's show.

As a long time fan of bears and cocaine, I had to give it a shot. It was as expected; silly, humorous, and amusing. RIP Ray Liotta.

Smashed, 2012

Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and her husband Charlie (Aaron Paul) are a young couple living a life of functional alcoholism. Waking up to hangovers, making their wobbly way home on bicycles late at night. But for Kate, the “functional” part starts to become more questionable as her drinking spills over in nasty ways into her personal and professional lives outside of the bar.

Great cast, and great lead performance from Winstead, but pretty thin overall.



Full review

1st Rewatch...This mesmerizing psychological thriller is my favorite Francis Ford Coppola film and it features my favorite Gene Hackman performance. Sandwiched between his two Godfather epics, Coppola triumphs with this sizzling suspense thriller about a surveillance expert who has let his work become his life and suffers a crisis of conscience regarding his latest assignment. This film lets the viewer into a world we know so little about through one of cinema's most enigmatic characters, beautifully brought to life by Gene Hackman. I love this character because even though he never displays a shred of anything resembling ego. he is the best at what he does and knowing this is his entire reason for living. Love that scene at the party in the office where the obnoxious Allen Garfield character is trying to get him to spill the beans about his work and trying to persuade him to partner with him at the same time. And the final five minutes of this film are absolutely bone-chilling. Hackman should have won his second Oscar for this performance and wasn't even nominated. A classic that I enjoyed more the second time than the first.

Jules (2023)

Gideon recommended this film several days ago, which compelled me to look it up for a watch. It’s been quite a little while since I’ve been so charmed by a movie! The picture stars the great Ben Kingsley, the veteran Harriet Samson Harris, and Jane Curtain.

Milton (Kingsley) is an old widower who lives alone in a nice vintage home in an old suburban New Jersey area. He’s content with his solitude, but does frequently find things that he feels need done in his town, of which he routinely brings up in the public comment portion of the city council meetings. He tends to harp on the same issues, and the council accepts him as a well meaning but slightly kooky 79 year old. Similarly Sandy (Harris), an old lady who uses a more sugary approach, typically brings up projects that would benefit the community.

One night Milton is awakened by the sound of an object crashing into his back yard azalea patch. He shrugs it off, but the next day he is shocked to see that a medium sized flying saucer has crashed partly imbedded in the ground. Still later he discovers a small alien who had crawled out of the wreck and is laying unconscious on the ground. He immediately calls the authorities to report the incident, but he is brushed off as a delusional senior. He likewise mentions it at a city council meeting, but they too believe he’s just being senile. Meanwhile Milton takes the small alien into his home and feeds it with water and apples. The alien recovers and is content to perch on the couch, never uttering a sound.

Along the way Milton meets Sandy, who offers to drive him home from a meeting. Milton invites her in to his house, where Sandy is utterly shocked to see the strange small human-like alien sitting there. Sandy is gradually taken into confidence, and she too accepts the situation and starts to fuss over the alien. Another citizen, Joyce (Curtain), noses around, and is eventually brought into their tight circle, where they aim to keep the ship and alien a secret.

That forms the basis for the rest of the story. There are a couple of close calls with a government agency as with Milton’s overly protective daughter, while the suspense and twists keep us glued to the action up to its satisfying if slightly mystifying end.

Kingsley shows in spades why he is one of the very elite actors of the 20th/21st Centuries. His manor, his mid American accent, his expressions make one feel like they’re watching the real guy in life. One would hope he’s considered at awards time. So too does Harris wow us with her personality and technique. I haven’t previously seen much of her career (she’s done much stage work), but I’ll certainly be looking for her in future. Curtain’s character’s writing was a little hit and miss, but she too brings in her role in a journeyman’s fashion.

Sci-Fi comedy is one of the trickiest style of movies to be convincing. They tend to be either too goofy or painfully unrealistic. Jules checks all the boxes. If one wants to see how that’s done, this picture is on the very top of the heap to experience.

Doc’s rating: 10/10

I love The Conversation and have some different fond memories of it.

One of my parents' friends did sound work on the film, and it was the first DVD my family ever owned.

And then during the Pandemic, my sister and I co-taught an online class about thrillers (watching and analyzing one film each week) and our students really loved this one.

I couldn't agree more with your points. The Conversation is one of my favorite all time films. The story was innovative and well written, and the acting was first rate. It strikes a mood that never lets one out of its grip. A masterpiece.