What Films did You Watch Last Week (15/11 - 21/11) CLOSED

Welcome back to another week of the BEST & WORST edition of 'what movies did you see last week?' thread. For those who haven't been part of it before, basically your host (me) posts my weekly movies and you can comment on those and list your movie for the same time frame. I will get back to you on yours and you can talk to other users here about their films. It's a great place to talk about film.

FIRST TIME MOVIE VIEWING

The Reckless Moment (1949, Max Ophuls)
blu ray
Solid film noir with Joan Bennett playing a mother who attempts to protect her daughter from trouble with the law. James Mason also stars as a criminal who is extorting the mother for money. Despite its short length there is some pacing issues in the middle but the acting is strong and the camera work has some wonderful flourishes.
6.5/10

Last Night in Soho (2021, Edgar Wright)
Upcoming kiwi actress Thomasin McKenzie (Leave No Trace) stars as an aspiring fashion designer who is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer (Anya Taylor-Joy). In short, this film is not very good, the twist is obvious from a mile off and the visual aesthetic of the super natural elements is weak. The acting is good and the premise had promise but it's a swing and a miss.
5/10

Bruised (2021, Halle Berry)
55 year old Halle Berry amazingly stars as a 30 something disgraced MMA fighter who is looking for redemption in the cage and the courage to face her demons when the son she had given up as an infant unexpectedly re-enters her life. The script is a weak cliche, the direction is poor and cannot disguise it's budget. The acting is a mixed bag ranging from pretty good to pretty poor.
3/10

REPEAT MOVIE VIEWING

Chopper (2000, Andrew Dominik)
blu ray
This Australian film tells the story of Mark "Chopper" Read, a legendary criminal who wrote his autobiography while serving his sentence in prison. The lead performance from Eric Bana is a tour deforce and the supporting cast don't make any wrong steps either. 
8.5/10

Carlito's Way (1993, Brian De Palma)
UHD Disc
Italian-American actor Al Pacino plays a Puerto Rican former convict, just released from prison who pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of N.Y.C. Stylishly directed and wonderfully acted with some great set pieces.
7.5/10

Sorry, Wrong Number (1948, Anatole Litvak)
blu ray
This film noir stars Barbara Stanwyck as a woman  confined to her bed who uses her telephone to keep in contact with the outside world. One day she overhears a murder plot on the telephone and is desperate to find out who the intended victim is. It is a stylish affair  but a mess over complicated, flash back driven plot does not do it any favours. Still its an entertaining noir.
6.5/10

Bugsy Malone (1976, Alan Parker)
blu ray
This is a pretty bold idea to film with it being not only a period piece gangster film, it is  also a musical and all the adult parts are played by children. It looks great and the kids do a great job but the songs do go on way too long and there are too many of them.
6/10

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018, Bryan Singer)
Netflix
I will never understand why this film was so divisive when it came out. It is neither a revelatory  awards worthy film nor a total miss-fire. It is for the most part a pretty by the numbers biopic that is easy enough to watch.
6/10

FIRST TIME DOCUMENTARY VIEWING

JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass (2021, Oliver Stone)
Oliver Stone looks at files that have been released since his JFK film came out in 1991 to show you that conspiracy theory has now become conspiracy fact.
Good Documentary

Found (2021, Amanda Lipitz)
Netflix
The story of three American teenage girls-each adopted from China-who discover they are blood-related cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions they have about their lost history. An interesting story presented in a pretty ho hum fashion.
Average Documentary

WEEKLY FILM AWARDS

BEST FILM: Chopper
BEST ACTOR: Eric Bana - Chopper
BEST ACTRESS: Barbara Stanwyck - Sorry, Wrong Number
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Simon Lyndon - Chopper
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jodi Foster - Bugsy Malone
BEST EDITING: Kristina Boden - Carlito's Way
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Stephen H. Burum - Carlito's Way
BEST SCORE: Patrick Doyle - Carlito's Way
BEST SCRIPT: Andrew Dominik - Chopper
BEST DIRECTOR: Andrew Dominik - Chopper

10/10 - Perfection (or as close to it as possible)
09/10 - An Excellent film
08/10 - A VERY Good film
07/10 - A Good film
06/10 - A Solid film
05/10 - An Average film
04/10 - Below Average film
03/10 - A mostly bad film
02/10 - A mostly terrible film
01/10 - Awful through and through
00/10 - Not only awful but offensive too