Last Movie You Watched

[White Knight]

On Netflix, The Big Lebowski, starring Tara Reid, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and Ben Gazzara. Great "over the top" performances by Bridges {The Dude] and Goodman {Walter}. As far as the story line is concerned, a little "far fetched", but great fun anyways. And Tara Reid as "Bunny" is by no stretch of the imagination hard on the old peepers.

 

[White Knight]

Via Netflix, Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson, Patrick McGoohan and Ian Bannen, Although I am by no means enamored of the real-life Gibson's quite pronounced and overt anti-semitism and misogyny,as an actor portraying the noble Scottish warrior and freedom fighter William Wallace, he is without equal. Although the movie might have "stretched"--literally {pun intended} certain aspects of the actual story of the fight for Scottish independence, it was nonetheless cinematically quite stunning and powerful. The supporting cast--especially McGoohan and the Queen--were all excellent as well.

 

[teddy]

Unfortunately Gibson is also anti British. Bravehart is about as historically correct as The Three Little Pigs. Good cast, shame about the film

teddy

 

[White Knight]

Via Netflix, Scent Of A Woman, starring Al Pacino, a very young Philip Seymour Hoffman and Chris O'Donnell. Any movie featuring both Pacino and Hoffman already has me buying my ticket, and this one is no exception. Both O'Donnell {as the young pep student, Charlie Sims} and the much older and more grizzled Pacino as the embittered, alcoholic and cynical U.S. Army Colonel Frank Slade {blinded by his own idiocy after "juggling" grenades while drunk} by movie's end have both grown to respect each other and to defend each other--to the point of death--if necessary. Pacino's depiction of a blind man--both physically and emotionally--is nothing less than stunning!

 

[White Knight]

Via Netflix, M, starring--of course--the Marty Feldman bug eyed Peter Lorre as the psychopathic child killer. Those goggle eyes of his seem to be looking both backwards towards the recent horrors of WW1 and ahead to the "people's tribunals" and various other nightmares which would soon be brought to bear by the even bigger monster, Hitler and his Nazis on the German people.

 

[John Watt]

The library put out some movies for sale while I watched her roll the cart by,
so I got first pick, buying six, $1 each or three for $2.

"Tekkonkinkreet", one of the best anime, for me cartoons, that I've ever seen, very moving, lots of beauty.
The Guitar Magazine DVD guide "Play Rock Guitar", with a photo of Jimi Hendrix on the cover, $38 original retail.
Did I learn any new riffs? No.
"The Big Bang", oh yeah, a great movie, lots of originality, hard core, scientific, hilarious and lots to see.
"American Cowslip, a Redneck Comedy", with Dianne Ladd, Rip Torn, Cloris Leachman, Bruce Dern,
Hanna Mall, Val Kilmer, Peter Falk and introducing Ronnie Gene Blevins.
I haven't seen it yet.
The other DVD was a 20 colour western collection, over 32 hours of viewing enjoyment.
The first and only American cowboy movie William Shatner ever starred in is the last movie,
really fun to watch, a Canadian take on post civil war southern violence,
featuring native values.
He plays twin brothers, half Comanche, one living with natives and getting them to attack whites,
the other acting white while really not looking it, trying to avoid his brother who wants to kill him.
Needless to say, his shirt comes off a lot, if he's wearing one to begin with.
I kept hoping he would wrestle a bear, but it was better.

Four days ago, I bought nine movies, $6. I'm reselling for profit and trade.
Same with the books.

"Braveheart" was supposed to be about Scottish history, and I'm only of Scottish descent.
If you remember, he began the movie coming up out of a peat hut, living in the valley.
He ended the movie by arguing in Latin with the King and Queen of England,
what is very ordinary for most Scots back then.
Seaside villagers stood on cliff paths, covering their naked bodies in the chalk, white or blue,
using knives to jump on the sails of a Roman boat, killing all Romans without loss of Scottish life,
letting one Roman go to tell how badly they were defeated. No more naval attacks.
Mel likes to wear his blue facial make-up when he's riding a horse.
Can you visualize Hadrian's Wall as much as the Great Wall of China?

Historically, it was the next battle that the English lost that caused the King of England to pass a law,
saying no Englishman should ever attack Scotland because God was on their side.

But more than any other criticism, his Jesus of Nazareth movie is just one long snuff film.
And enuff's'enuff'o'snuff.

Brigadoon, anyone?

 

[White Knight]

Blow, starring Johnny Depp, Paul Reubens {yes, Peewee Herman himself}, Ray Liotta, Penelope Cruz, Rachel Griffiths and Max Perlich. The all too rapid rise and fall of a pretty decent guy {Depp}, who turns into a drug dealer working for Pablo Escobar. IMHO, Depp is a superb actor who is able to carry off any role to perfection, with this turn being no exception. If only the drug dealeres with whom I had to interact with in real life--usually to arrest--were half as moral as this guy.

 

[White Knight]

Via Netflix, Body Of Lies, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Strong and Russell Crowe. A film exploring the many layers of deceit and deception which comprise--and possibly always has--the Middle East. There are plots, counterplots, operations and
various "side operations", mounted by both the CIA and the people we are fighting against. DiCaprio, a decent man and CIA soldier, becomes a victim of one of these side operations he has himself concocted to entrap a murderous Al Qaeda terrorist. In the end, the only way he can survive with both his sanity and morality intact is to "walk away" from both sides.
Great turns by Mark Strong as the imperious chief of Jordanian Intelligence, as well as by DiCaprio and Crowe with their only slightly "over the top" Southern accents. I was so impressed by this film that I have just ordered the book.

 

[Albert]

The five star Amazon release of Sweeney Todd. Ghastly. Angela Lansbury's screeching ruined it for us. Maybe I was spoiled by first attending this at the Lyric in Chicago with Bryn Terfel as Sweeney ...

 

[White Knight]

On Netflix, Cinderella Man, with Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger and Paul Giamati. Recounts the many setbacks of James J. Braddock before he became a boxing world champion. His trials and tribulations--both in and out of the ring, which he overcomes through sheer force of will--is truly awe inspiring.

 

[White Knight]

Via Netflix, Melancholia, with Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland, John Hurt and Charlotte Rampling. This tale charts the course of an impending planetary Armageddon {Earth's, that is} as a recently discovered planet is hurtling towards it. In parallel, it also explores the crumbling relationships in a small family, which was in the process of self-destruction anyway. Though a little jumbled at times, overall the movie was quite haunting and effective, especially some of the scenes near its end.

 

[White Knight]

On Netflix, Munich, starring Eric Bana Daniel Craig and Michael Lonsdale. Using the backdrop of the 1972 Black September's massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the Olympics in Germany, Steven Spielberg raises some rather thorny ethical questions about the line between vengeance and justice {if there is indeed any}, about the ends justifying the means, and ultimately, about what one individual owes his/her country and to what extremes they are willing to go in order to pay this debt. Very interesting take on a horrible chapter in human history, with no easy or pat answers provided. Well done.

 

[White Knight]

Once again, via Netflix, Margin Call, starring Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore and Stanley Tucci. Reconsiders--for many--the 2008 financial meltdown through the prism of "shades of gray" rather than stark black and white, good and evil, as Oliver Stone did with Wall Street. Kevin Spacey does an excellent job of portraying an ambivalent character caught up in the web of nefarious toxic assets and products--such as the infamous bundles and sub-prime mortgages--who in the end has to decide between what is right for himself and what is right morally.
Whereas Michael Douglas famous mantra in Wall Street was "Greed is good", Spacey's is "I need the money". In this he is truly everyman. WEll done story with an excellent cast headed by Spacey and Irons.

 

[White Knight]

On Netflix, Waterloo, with Rod Steiger, Orson Welles and Christopher Plummer. Though perhaps a tad too long and somewhat melodramatic and overwrought in places, I thought overall the film accomplished its task of presenting the political and military machinations of a very pivotal time in history. Truly an epic, especially as it depicted the Battle of Waterloo, which of course proved to be Napoleon's "last hurrah".

 

[Krummhorn]

A couple nights ago, Home Alone and Home Alone 2 ... oddly enough it was the same date as the 25th anniversary of the release of the first film of that series.
Always terrific music composed by John Williams and superb film direction by John Hughes.

 

[teddy]

Two of my favorites for switched off enjoyment Lars. What a shame that they spoilt it with HA 3

teddy

 

[John Watt]

What about Home Alone 4, the John Watt hermitage?

I got movied up again, a local flat screen and furniture rental-purchase store going through movie stock,
putting out movies for sale, 99 cents each or two for $1.79. I bought twenty, most looking brand new.
Last night I watched "Returner", interesting for an action flick, I think Japanese.
One of the last humans left, a younger woman, comes back from 2088 when aliens are destroying mankind,
trying to intercede when the first contact was made, trying to change it so there is no alien attack.
You got triad action, nuclear plant action, oil rig action, creative versions of standard science fiction.
And the movie shoves things in your face to gross you out a little, having fun with the whole process,
like juicy, up close lips on an old woman, slurping down noodles.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to get a back-up DVD player, and keep a collection of DVD's, especially music.
DVD's and CD's are disappearing around here, everyone using signals or carrying chains of sticks,
but I like to have it together where all I need to make my equipment work is plugging into electricity.
No cable, no TV antenna, just a DVD and VHS player through my 48" Panasonic Cinematic HD TV,
that I got for free. You can't sell a TV or new mattress around here, social service agencies giving them away.

Has anyone watched "The St. Lawrence Seaway, an overview of a vital North American waterway?"
You can see some of my bike-hiking areas when they cover the Niagara Peninsula.
I'm waving hello up at you.

 

[teddy]

THE HOBBIT, PARTS 1 AND 2.
What a shame that they left so much out of Lord of the Rings, but have padded The Hobbit so much. Still an enjoyable watch so far

teddy

 

[White Knight]

Via Netflix, Valhalla Rising, starring Mads Mikkelsen, Maarten Stevensen and Gordon Brown. A very mystical film, which in places reminded me of Aguirre: Wrath Of God. Explores the eternal conflict between one people's "paganism" and another's "one true religion", set against the backdrop of the Crusades and exploration of the New World. Stark landscape and dialogue throughout. One in the end has to wonder if the "protagonist" of the story--a superhuman one-eyed warrior who cannot be defeated--is a god or a devil, or perhaps both.

 

[White Knight]

Via Netflix, Transcendence, starring Kate Mara, Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Cole Hauser Paul Bettany and Cillian Murphy {I could have sworn that he's Eric Roberts}. Explores the possibility/ probability of computers assuming human characteristics and feelings by "uploading" a dying Depp's persona into a quantum computer. Interesting concept, but there were too many gaps in logic, at least for me.