What Movies Did You Watch Last Week? (17/07-23/07) CLOSED

I hate Trolls and Zoolander 2. 

I enjoy juvenile comedy too (Horrible Bosses 2 is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen), but Zoolander 2 is just awful.

Hey bud

I had never heard of Sunset Lmited and thanks to you I might have found a hidden gem. Just read some reviews and it seem pretty unanimous.

Suicide Squad: The dialogue was mostly execrable and the ending is one of the worst ever. The character I was the most anxious to see was the worst of them all: The Joker (Jared Leto). Apart from that, I enjoyed it as a mindless action movie. The soundtrack was great, the special FX and the zingy settings were good and the characters were interesting (except for the Joker.) 5.5-6/10

Batman Begin: I struggled with this one, it took me like 3 times before finally watching it from start to finish. 7/10
The dark Knight: One of the best ever. 9.5/10
The dark knight rises: Slightly above average action movie. 6.5/10

Jumanji: I agree with you but rate it lower. 7/10

Mine:

The Jungle Book (2016 Netflix): I think they should've hired real animals and get an animated human kid. That's what I think they should've done. Seriously though, the graphics were highly impressive but that young boy needs a few more years of acting practice. Or maybe he should just stick with school and then get a 9-to-5er. No wonder we don't hear one word from him in the entire trailer. At one point I just started working on the computer while watching... My three-year-old loved it. 4.5/10



Beasts of no nation(2015 Netflix): Talking about child actors, this little guy right here has the stuff. The good good stuff. Maybe the fact that this is a raw and harrowing masterpiece in its purest form helped. Maybe. I remember loving the little girl in Beasts of the southern wild but the movie itself had too many flaws for me to give it more than a 8. This one here, words can't even describe. Just watch it for yourself. Idris Elba gave a stunning and flawless performance ant the other young boy (Strika) too. Only thing that pisses me off is that I can't buy a physical copy of it for my collection. A 10/10 for me.

*Last 2 movies I gave this rating are the House of flying daggers and Apocalypse Now and it's been over a year now. A few others came really close. (Ex: The revenant, Mr.Nobody, What we do in the shadows)



Of mice and men (1992 DVD): When you've read a book 15 years ago and you still remember most of it, it proves the power it packs. When you decide to direct such masterpiece of a novel AND star as the main character, you better know what you're getting into. And Gary Sinise clearly knew what he was doing. I think that he succeeded in capturing the essence of the book and played George wonderfully. But my favourite was John Malkovich and his presentation Lennie. I just felt like giving him a big fat hug. The setting was also perfect, the cinematography was great and all the characters were close to what I imagined. 8/10



FX 2 (1991 DVD): Rarely does a sequel match the first one. This one exceeded it and that's even more of a feat. I did like the first one ( rate it a 6) but I feel like it was more of an installment to the second one then a standalone movie. (The two main characters met in the last minutes of the movie) This one felt more complete and I just loved it albeit some parts of the plot were a bit pushed. I love the JCVD and Arnie action flicks but this was refreshing entertainment. 7.5/10



Concussion (2015 DVD): This is a solid film but maybe not as great for me as for others. I found some good acting, an interesting story but the last 30 minutes was a bit weaker than the rest. (when the drama about the pregnancy comes in to play) I found the way the last part unfolded a bit awkward and too dramatic, although the very last scene was excellent. 6.5/10



Dragon: The Bruce Lee story (1993 TV): "A fictionalized account of the life of the martial arts superstar."

I missed the first 30 minutes but what I saw was not very impressive. Looked pretty standard but acceptable. 5.5/10
    

YOURS

Running on Empty (1988, Sidney Lumet). Good script and performances. Haven’t seen it since about the year it came out.

Brief Encounter (1945, David Lean). Love this film. Masterful.

Miracle Mile (1988, Steve De Jarnatt), Yes, it has become a cult film and I am one of the cult members. Brilliant concept and execution. Beautiful ending.

MINE

She Done Him Wrong / Lowell Sherman (1933). A huge hit for Mae West and a big boost in Cary Grant’s incipient career. A film version of West’s stage his “Diamond Lil,” her talent for sultry but subtle double entendres is in full force. “You’re a good woman,” someone compliments her. “Best woman who ever walked the streets,” she drawls. A little later she talks about how poor she was: “There was a time when I didn’t know where my next husband was coming from.” She managed to get those and many more past the watchful eyes of the Production Code sheriffs who knew she was up to something but couldn’t put their finger on what it was. West plays Lady Lou, the mistress of rich saloon keeper Gus Gordan (Noah Beery) who runs rackets (including sex trafficking) on the side so he can afford to buy her diamonds and keep her happy. Next door to Gordan’s joint is a rescue mission run by upright Capt. Cummings (Grant) who comes around occasionally to be hit on by Lou (“Why don't you come up some time and see me?) and to remind her that there is still a good person under the cynical surface. Meanwhile, the word is on the street that an unknown undercover supercop is closing in on Jordan. A true classic of early sound; a witty melodrama that is dominated by a Hollywood legend – and, no, I don’t mean Cary Grant (who wasn’t “Cary Grant” at the time), but the great Mae West.

The Big Sleep / Howard Hawks (1946). One of the biggest hits of 1946, “The Big Sleep” remains a fan favorite in spite of – or maybe because of – its convoluted plot and one of the most famous loose ends in film history. The film also benefits mightily from the almost tangible chemistry and electricity between Humphrey Bogart
and Lauren Bacall in their second film together. Even the two had The film is based on Raymond Chandler’s 1939 novel of the same name, the first featuring Los Angeles private detective Philip Marlowe. Marlowe is hired by the rich General Sternwood to deal with a blackmailer who claims that the General’s youngest daughter Carmen (Martha Vickers) owes gambling debts. The General also mentions an employee and friend, Shawn Regan, who left suddenly without a word. Before leaving the house, Marlowe encounters flirtations Carmen (“She tried to sit on my lap while I was standing up”) and Carmen’s older sister, Vivian (Bacall) who tries to discourage Marlowe’s investigation. This is just the start. Along the way we encounter a bookstore with a sideline in blackmail fronted by the sarcastic Agnes (Sonia Darrin, wonderful but, incredibly, not credited). Marlowe: “You do sell books, don’t you.” Agnes: “What do these look like, grapefruit?” After the bookstore owner is murdered, Marlowe follows a trail to low-life Joe Brodie (Louis Jean Heydt) who is associated with mobster Eddie Mars (John Ridgely) whose main enforcer is Canino (Bob Steele) who kills a harmless hustler (Elisha Cook, Jr.) which make Marlowe mad and…anyway, all this whizzes by at about 90-miles an hour so don’t try to figure things out until your third or fourth viewing.

Lady In The Lake / Robert Montgomery (1947). Early 1947 saw the release of two Philip Marlowe films from two different studios. On January 24, MGM sent this picture to theaters. Director and star Robert Montgomery decided on a radical experiment. To try to duplicate the first person narrative of Chandler’s novel (the fourth of seven with Marlowe), we see everything from Marlowe’s viewpoint through the camera. Montgomery is only seen when he narrates directly to the audience and in a couple of mirror shots when he is looking at himself. The experiment wears out its welcome after about five minutes. Another thing very wrong is Montgomery’s voice acting. Marlowe can be sarcastic and is quick to crack wise, but Montgomery delivery is very rough and rude. He sounds like he is deliberately insulting and trying to aggressively antagonize people. When, early in the film, a suspect punches him in the face, I laughed and applauded. ‘Bout time. That said, the mystery is a good one and the supporting cast superb. The great Audrey Totter hires Marlowe to find her boss’s missing wife but her motives are obscure. Lloyd Nolan is a cop with an agenda that goes beyond finding a murderer. Jayne Meadows is a delight as a scatterbrained landlady. Or is she? These three players – Totter, Nolan, and Meadows – make this a worthwhile watch.

The Brasher Doubloon / John Brahm (1947). One February 6, 20th Century Fox released this film (from the novel “The High Window.”) Another Montgomery – western star George – takes the role and is quicker and lighter with a quip than Robert (no relation between the two actors). Rich Old Lady: “I expected someone older, more intelligent looking.” Marlowe: “I’m wearing a disguise.” Rich elderly grump Mrs. Murdock (Florence Bates) hires Marlowe to find the title valuable coin which has disappeared from her late husband’s collection. There are plenty of people in the Murdock household who look mighty suspicious including Mrs. Murdock’s unaccountably loyal and servile secretary (Nancy Guild) and Mrs. Murdock’s creepy son (Conrad Janis). This doesn’t have the seriousness of “The Big Sleep” or the would-be seriousness of “Lady in the Lake.” It tends more toward B-movie territory and, as such, is a good evening’s entertainment.

Marlowe / Paul Bogart (1969). Contrary to the end, my favorite Philip Marlowe novel is the almost never talked about “The Little Sister” (1949, the fifth of seven Marlowe mysteries). I am fascinated by the icky Quest family from Manhattan, Kansas; two evil siblings and a sister who wants to escape them. James Garner essays Philip Marlowe in this one. Garner has a lot of potential for the role but not all of it is realized. For one, his line delivery of Marlowe’s wisecracks are, like Robert Montgomery’s in “Lady in the Lake,” too harsh and aggressive. For two, even though he drives a beater and works out of the usual dingy office that movie P.I.s always have, he dresses in very expensive, top-of-the-line business suits. Marlow is hired by innocent, naïve-looking Orfamay Quest (Sharon Farrell) to find her brother Orrin P. Quest, who hasn’t written home in some time. Meanwhile, we have already seen Orrin taking surreptitious and explicit photographs of a famous TV star, played by Gayle Hunnicutt, who for a couple of years in the late ‘60s seemed to be everywhere. There is the usual complex Chandler plot with blackmail, gangsters, and Marlowe finding murdered bodies wherever he goes. This is another Chandler film that requires several visits to suss out all of the details. In support, Carroll O’Conner and Kenneth Tobey are great as the cops who hound Marlowe for details of his investigation. My favorite performance is by a luminous and delightful Rita Moreno, as the main gal-pal of Hunnicut’s TV star. Paul Stevens makes a big impression as a doctor with a mysterious past. But, personally, my whole outlook of life and the movies was changed with the first American, English language debut of Bruce Lee, as an enforcer from the mob. After Marlowe refuses a bribe, Lee proceeds to destroy his office with chops and strikes. But when Lee kicks out the light fixture in the ceiling, my bottom jaw was on the movie theater’s dirty floor. The era of Asian martial arts had arrived. And not a moment too soon.

Bruce Lee's debut

Farewell, My Lovely / Dick Richards (1975). In Chandler’s first novel “The Big Sleep” (1939), he portrayed Philip Marlowe as, underneath the wise cracks, as aging, cynical, and tired. Robert Mitchum is the perfect embodiment of this in the film from the second Philip Marlowe novel. Set in an often stylized 1940s, Marlowe is hired by the human tank Moose Malloy (Jack O'Halloran) to find “my Velma.” Again, Marlowe finds himself knocking heads with the Mob and finding his way through a labyrinth of characters and situations. This is, with the possible exception of Bogart’s “The Big Sleep,” this is the perfect embodiment of Philip Marlowe.

Pet Fooled / Kohl Harrington (2016). In 2007, ten years ago, the pet food industry was rocked by the recalls required after it was discovered that melamine, a chemical used as a fire retardant, had been added to wheat gluten (to boost the protein count) sold to Menu Foods by a Chinese supplier for inclusion in pet food. Amazingly, this was the first time in over 100 years of commercial pet food manufacturing in America that the industry had come under intense scrutiny by consumers and regulators. What was learned is that pet food in the U.S. is “self-regulated,” that is, major companies are members of an organization that they themselves have formed and whose “regulations” they have themselves written and agree to abide by. Most of the regulations are either vague, benefit the companies rather than the pets, or are designed to hide what they mean. For example, if a can of cat food has the word “dinner” one it, it has to have a certain amount, I think 30%, of the meat mentioned on the label (Chicken Dinner in Savory Gravy). On the other end, “flavor” means that spices or other means rather than meat are used (with Salmon Flavor). Not much different from human marketing. As George Carlin said: “What does ‘rich chocolaty flavor’ mean? No f***ing chocolate! Fresh lemony flavor? No f***ing lemon!” It is the same with pet food. “Salmon flavor”? No f***ing salmon! According to the evidence in this documentary, commercially manufactured pet food has little to nothing to do with how the digestive systems of dogs and cats have evolved. This is especially true of “dry” food – kibbles. Supermarket or large pet store chains (Pet Not-So-Smart) do not sell much, if any, food that is species appropriate. The film makers back up their claims and discuss ways to feed your furry family member in a way they are suppose to be eating. One last tip: read the label on your canned pet food. If the name of an actual animal comes up in the first or second ingredient (Water, chicken…) you might want to take a chance on it. “Bi-products” are the nasty bits of animals that cannot be used commercially in any other way. There are usually bi-products in all pet food. However, if the label has just the word “meat’ all by itself or, even worse, “meat bi-products” then you are feeding your pet, your little sweetie bumpkins, the lowest grade product of a rendering plant. Drop that can and run.

Hello.
None of them.
I have stopped watching movies after they closed the boards on the other site.
Bought a whole tv serie, as I neither does watch tv anymore (but that was the twenties century, time limitation applies:)

Till later,
T