Rate The Last Movie You Saw

I'm too much of a coward to watch this (or the original), but I did quite enjoy Trilogy of Lust, the movie he co-directed with Julie Lee. A lot of what transpires is outre and graphic, but I imagine it's a cakewalk compared to the one you just watched.

Sort of like a movie revolving around the idea that learning a new language could rewire your brain to the extent that you can start seeing through time, huh?

Appointment in London (1953)
aka Raiders in the Sky
Directed by Philip Leacock

Good quality British World War Two drama concerning the Royal Air Force night-time area bombing offensive against Nazi Germany. Dirk Bogarde is excellent and convincing as a highly experienced Wing Commander determined to complete his 90th mission (3 tours of operations), whilst resisting advice from his superiors to step down from flying. As squadron losses mount and the crews come to believe they're up against a jinx, the responsibility and strain of command becomes apparent, as he must navigate a difficult balance of necessary discipline and natural sympathy towards the men.

Dinah Sheridan is fine as the obligatory love interest, who surprises everyone when she appears at a briefing as a naval intelligence officer (hello Top Gun!). William Sylvester's character as a grounded American bomber leader is likable as the ring-in Yank, as well as decent performances also from future director Bryan Forbes and Australian actor Bill Kerr.

Fans of aviation will enjoy the many beautiful scenes of the famous Avro Lancaster bomber throughout, in what is generally considered to be the other Lancaster film; the second being the much more popular and successful The Dam Busters (1955). The film also features good attention to detail in the pursuit of authenticity which keen enthusiasts will appreciate, such as Bill Kerr's Australian character wearing a noticeably darker shade of uniform appropriate for members of the RAAF, and the correct use and application of relevant terminology in the script. The film culminates in a fairly lengthy and in-depth portrayal of a typical night-time raid, and is probably the most accurate depiction of this sort of operation ever filmed, with lavish use of original wartime footage.

Certainly a very good, albeit lesser known entry in the genre of British war films of the '40s & '50s. It has its stereotypical and overly dramatized moments, but they're effectively countered by good attention to realism and authenticity in other areas, and an excellent performance from Dirk Bogarde.

8/10

By Studio and or Graphic Artist - Can be obtained from film's distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61401429

Queen & Slim - (2019)

I liked this a whole lot. Queen & Slim's journey across the United States in the aftermath of a police shooting. These two characters are law-abiding people, Queen a defense attorney and Slim a teetotaler - nevertheless they both know what's about to come down on them after a police officer is killed, even if it was in self-defense and caught on camera. Along their way they meet up with many people who are on their side, and protect them from being found. They also get closer and closer to each other - the horrific incident coming at the conclusion of a disappointing Tinder date.

This is a very poignant story - I think most of us have had at least one nightmare about being in such serious trouble over something we have no control over. The scene where they're pulled over repeats itself daily across the United States. Serious suspicion, the car being rigorously searched, gun pulled and pointed - after a routine traffic stop. Slim's annoyed "hurry up" is enough to lead to a violent escalation after Queen gets out of the car and starts to complain as well. The rest of the film deals with the flight, as one thing after the other goes wrong, though they do have their share of luck as well. In fact, as this luck holds, the characters experiment with riskier and riskier behaviour, which might lead to the viewer pleading with them to play it safe. We have so much invested in them by that stage.

7/10

rewatched loved this movie

I'm gonna assume that's a movie?

Pretty sure he's referring to

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Oh, right, that astonishingly better film than A Quiet Place.

A Passage to India (1984)

Because, you can only sit, be quiet and keep safe for so long before you either make a mistake or just go plain out bonkers. If you eat, you might drop your fork or you might need to flush, or expel some wind or the wind might blow the door shut, all of which could prove fatal.

Like nearly all monster movies, however, there's something like the vampire's stake in the heart, or water to the wicked witch in Oz. That's what made it so obvious to me, a veteran of so many of those kind of movies. Once I figured out that, the rest of the movie was just set decoration. Instead of a 90 minute transition to Part III, it could have had 15 minutes of hiding and being quiet and 5 minutes revealing the secret plan.

I just finished watching America: The Motion Picture on Netflix. If you are looking for an educational, historically accurate film that honours America's history, then this is not the film for you! America: The Motion Picture is a ridiculously over the top, animated satirical comedy about the American revolution. Directed by Matt Thompson, the film features the voices of Channing Tatum, Jason Mantzoukas, Olivia Munn, Bobby Moynihan, Judy Greer, Will Forte, and Andy Samberg. It's intentionally wildly inaccurate and filled with outrageous humour and action I enjoyed it quite a bit and would recommend it to anyone who has a good, wacky sense of humour. My rating is a

Casualties of War (1989)

Godzilla vs. Kong
6.5/10.
I was looking forward to this one for a long time. When I was a kid, I enjoyed the original Kong vs. Godzilla (1963), despite its cheesiness and bad special effects. Had I been 10 years old when I saw Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), I probably would have enjoyed it too. As an adult, I found the plot, the characters and the dialogue to be dumb beyond belief. The special effects were pretty good during the fight sequences, but were frequently overdone elsewhere, such as the underground sequences and the weird (and unnecessary) anti-gravity sequences. Can't we just get a good monster movie?

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Boldly going.

Hound of the Baskervilles, 1939

Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his partner Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are called in to investigate when a wealthy man is found dead under suspicious circumstances and a local doctor suspects that the man's heir, the affable Henry Baskerville (Ricard Greene), may be next on the chopping block. It all seems to relate to a legendary family curse brought on by the cruel actions of Baskerville's ancestor.

I have seen many adaptations of this story, as well as having read the original text. At its core, it's a fun little mystery with the added bonus of some potentially supernatural shenanigans.

This is a fun and for the most part light adaptation, though it knows when to lean into the thrilling or suspenseful side of things. A flashback in which Baskkerville's ancestor laughs with a group of friends about the young village woman he's abducted and raped (or intends to rape? Unclear and gross either way) is disturbing. Sequences showing the attacks by the titular hound are sufficiently suspenseful and intense.

The performances are all perfectly fine. Rathbone's Holmes as never been my favorite, especially as his cutting remarks about Watson's intelligence can read more as nasty than impatience. Bruce's Watson is fine, and this film offers up the scenario of Watson pretending to be Holmes. My favorite detail is when Watson pulls a gun on Holmes who is in disguise and once Holmes reveals himself . . . Watson still has the gun pointed at him. Greene's Baskerville is incredibly likable--a rich, pretty person you can actually root for because he seems just so baffled by the whole ordeal and his romance with Beryl (Wendy Barrie) is so pure and adorable.

The only complaint I had with this one was that the very end was a bit weak. The film sort of ends with a shrug, and it's a tad anticlimactic. The explanation by Holmes about how the murder was committed and how he figured it out is done a bit too simply and off-handed for me. I also felt that the film didn't live up to the potential themes presented by a story in which .

Wrath of Man (2021)

Its a Statham, you know what you're getting. Maybe a bit more inventive with the timelining than most (down to Ritchie I presume, notorious for it ). Personally, I enjoy these films and this wasn't at all a disappointment, neat(ish) story and good action. Pretty good cast also.

One of about 9 films to be called Limbo in the last 3 years. It's about a Syrian refugee in an immigrant community in Scotland waiting to be told what he officially is suposed to be doing next. He still has ties to his homeland, and carries his families musical instrument around with him, as well as a lot of baggage. Literally. He's supposed to be really good at playing it. Maybe he is, maybe it's a rouse.

The last 20 mins of this film reveals all and is a really charming take on the immigrant status in the UK. It's poignant, moving, very funny and has charisma.

I loved it.

Michael Haneke's Code Unknown (2000)
4/5

LOVED this movie

I feel like this has a lot of what I hate about modern action films. It must do them well though because it's a hell of a lot of fun. Even my wife liked it. Having what appears to be a regular guy in the lead adds a relatable element. It's only an hour and a half long and it flys by, unlike other action movies like The Equalizer and John Wick.