Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Tools    





Communion (1989) – 5/10

WARNING: spoilers below
I was pleased to see this again as it must be over twenty years since I last saw it. The first thing that strikes me is that I reacted against Eric Clapton's theme (co-written with Allan Zavod, the film's other composer), which to me sounded wrong for the film. This is one of those situations where you have a star band or solo artist sharing parts of a film score – Queen and Michael Kamen on Highlander for example. The majority of the film is more subdued and I found that a lot better.

There's plenty of humour in the film, and Christopher Walken was making me laugh straight away (maybe too much dancing though). The anal probe scene was very funny – "Can we talk this over?" and I chuckled, thinking 'it's all anal with Walken isn't it? ' I wouldn't say the humour is always successful, and some scenes may lose a lot because of it, but what I liked is that Walken is always nuanced enough that it doesn't become tongue-in-cheek. You're always conscious of Strieber coping with his experience.

Lindsay Crouse was really good in this too, combative and empathetic in equal measure. However I was disappointed with the lines in the art gallery about it all being to do with "God", which seemed like skewed reasoning. As a Babylon 5 fan it was also nice to see Andreas Katsulas, who I didn't remember being part of the film. Like Christopher Walken, he's very good at bringing in that sense of unease, which leads Alex and his wife to leave the cabin, and also in the scene where he finds Whitley and talks about the folklore he genuinely believes in (I also recalled that B5 referenced this story with its own alien kidnappers, the Streibs).

The aliens are a mixed bag. The best shot of them is probably the Grey peering from behind the door, and they certainly lose a lot when they become weary floating bodies in the later scenes. The "Blue Doctors" are a lot better. As a teenager watching this, they, and the central idea, were a lot more disturbing than they are today.





Really enjoyed this sweet indie movie.
__________________
I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.



The Arizona Express (Tom Buckingham, 1924)

Sat'day mat'nee style entertainment





Re-watch of this movie, which still holds up. Linda Fiorentino excellent & surprised no one has given her a movie rôle for 10 years. Peter Berg at age 30 so cute & handsome & perfect in his rôle.



Based on the truth.. and lies.
[size="4"][i]


at night, this,
whatever this material that
gives us this blackness around,
it's a nice companion
in a city like new york,
when it's hustle and bustle,
and millions of people
here you are the king of the night,
in the store
outside you are the king of the city

and now you see
each street
has its own double life
a curtain is raised,
and you see
the homeless,
the con edison guy,
the garbage guy,
the rat,
the bat,
all the creatures of the night

and 5, 6 o'clock in the morning,
and somebody pulls a curtain,
and all that theater of the night
is gone

that theater, I find,
this is my place
these are the people that
you become invisible like them
Very nice



Beast (2017)




Slow but not boring with a dreamlike quality. It's a British thriller that manages to be unsettling without the violence. It kept my attention and it kept me guessing. Good flick.



Welcome to the human race...
Apocalypse Now -


Anyone thinking of checking out the Final Cut should be warned that it's essentially Redux with a couple of scenes missing, but man is it still worth catching in theatres.
__________________
I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0



Hellloooo Cindy - Scary Movie (2000)
A star is born

Just released on Netflix today. Have been wanting to see it since forever. The culmination of strong acting, equally strong music and a strong message whilst flowing together effortlessly and making me feel for the characters. That is entertainment and some, affecting on an emotional level.

Very impressed by Coopers acting and directorial chops. Maybe he’ll become a new age Clint Eastwood.

Best new film I have seen in years.

4.5/5




The Ghost Writer (2010)

This is an atmospheric mystery/thriller directed by R. Polanski, screenplay by Robert Harris, and nicely filmed by Pawel Edelman. Ewan McGregor stars, with important roles for Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton, and a nice cameo by the venerable Eli Wallach.

An author is hired to ghost write a former British Prime Minister's memoirs. The mood is set right from the git-go as the writer travels from NYC to the ex PM's home on Martha's Vineyard. The suspense and intrigue builds from there, as various CIA and other clandestine characters enter the story.

It's a Brit/U.S. mystery which inexorably unfolds to a surprise ending. Polanski gradually builds interest and allure with the use of Hitchockian techniques, cloudy inclement weather, and strangely lovely settings.

I'm not a McGregor fan, but he's well suited for this role, and provides believability. The other portrayals are first rate. The picture is an enjoyable, traditional intrigue/mystery which is presented without the use of graphic sex, violence, or excessive language.

Doc's rating: 7/10

Attachments
Click image for larger version

Name:	imageedit_1_5560541309.png
Views:	236
Size:	387.8 KB
ID:	56372  



The Hill (1965)



Powerful tale of British Army prisoners in a North African prison camp. The real suffering and injustice are tangeable. It seeps through the performances. It is unrelentingly grim and admirably so. Sean Connery gives a fantastic driven, without being scene stealing, performance.






★★★★
It's disturbing to see Mishima doing Seppuku, since we know he actually killed himself that same way 4 years later. Also, in 1969 he does seppuku in Hideo Gosha's Hitokiri, another very terrifying experience.
Ultra, how does it stand up against Schraders '85 "Mishima: a life in four chapters"?

Reading more deeply into it (which is a good side effect of films) it appears Yukio Mishima was rather a figure of fun towards the end of his life?



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.

IMO, Thousands Cheer deserves a higher rating. It's a very underrated Gene Kelly movie that gets lost among his bigger hits.
__________________
.
If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.