What was the last movie you watched?

So Spotlight did meet my expectations, and if that sounds like damning with faint praise, it is. My main beef with most of these historically based films, including taut dramas like Spotlight, is that they just seem too little, too late. It's been more than a decade since the eponymous Boston Globe team's earthshaking exposé of the Catholic Church's systematic cover-up of its child molestation cases. Is the world in such dire need of a rehash of this admittedly important story a dozen years after the fact?

One might argue that the Church's guarded response to the film is indeed testimony to its current relevance, and I can stomach part of that reasoning as I remember searching Catholic News Service's movie reviews and being unable to find the one on Spotlight some time after its US release. (For the record the review now appears on the website, but if it was indeed posted on 11/9/2015, a mere three days after its release date, either my memory is seriously faulty or I really need to sharpen my Web browsing skills.) At the same time the Church representatives now clearly admit that the institution committed egregious wrongs against the most innocent members of our society. If that's the case then why not focus on a host of issues with more bearing on the present? If the filmmakers (and here I use the term in the broadest sense) truly cared about justice for the victims wouldn't it have been better to explore why so many priests remain to be investigated for their alleged crimes, and why so many of those who failed to pass scrutiny are still shielded from being tried in their own jurisdiction?

On a more dramaturgical note, Spotlight boasts such a top-notch cast you wish even more that their talents had been put to better use. Mark Ruffalo has received well-deserved kudos for his emotive performance as the dogged Michael Rezendes, but I was more impressed by Rachel McAdams' Sacha Pfeiffer, who juggles a difficult mixture of feminine sympathy (hers is a very much stereotypical role) and simmering righteous anger with aplomb. I'm glad both are in the Oscar race for Best Supporting Actor/Actress, but I can't give the Academy too much credit when Michael Keaton gets shafted for the second year running without even an nomination this time while DiCaprio's bombastic declamation and Damon's smart-aleck schtick continue to wow the impressionable voters. Among the film's other unsung players is composer Howard Shore, who contributes a suitably understated soundtrack to the unfolding drama of neglect, cowardice, turmoil, perseverance and triumph. (Among the 2015 contenders I'd probably rate Shore's effort second only to Carter Burwell's ravishing score for Carol.)

Will try to post capsule reviews of the short films later this week, followed by my final 2015 picks.
 
Here's one that @Sentinel either has or will fall in love with: The Hundred-Foot Journey ! It's all about an Indian family of restauranteurs, driven from Mumbai by political violence and a tragedy, that relocate to the south of France and set up shop across the street from a swanky Michelin-rated bistro. What ensues can best be described as "amour et cuisine"!

Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, starring Helen Mirren and Om Puri.
 
stringertom said:
Here's one that @Sentinel either has or will fall in love with: The Hundred-Foot Journey ! It's all about an Indian family of restauranteurs, driven from Mumbai by political violence and a tragedy, that relocate to the south of France and set up shop across the street from a swanky Michelin-rated bistro. What ensues can best be described as "amour et cuisine"!

Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, starring Helen Mirren and Om Puri.
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Yes, I saw it a year back. Light movie, fun.

Om Puri is a wonderful actor, and has done a variety of roles and does them all very convincingly.

Helen Mirren also acted in Queen (playing Queen Elizabeth) and in Trumbo as Hedda Hopper. I loved Trumbo, and not just because of Walter White. I mean Bryan Cranston :D
 
Salt of the Earth, a documentary about the life of Sebastiao Salgado, the renowned Brazilian photojournalist.

A moving and haunting chronology of the world we call home. Salgado is the heir to Cartier-Bresson. To those familiar with Salgado and his work you will enjoy his explanations and insights and at the end there is a positive message of hope.
 
Sentinel said:
Yes, I saw it a year back. Light movie, fun.

Om Puri is a wonderful actor, and has done a variety of roles and does them all very convincingly.

Helen Mirren also acted in Queen (playing Queen Elizabeth) and in Trumbo as Hedda Hopper. I loved Trumbo, and not just because of Walter White. I mean Bryan Cranston :D
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Dame Helen was first seen by me as DI Jane Tennison in the TV series Prime Suspect from the early 90's. She has great range, even going topless for both comedic romps (Calendar Girls) and dark dramas (Caligula).
 
Robocop (remake): Not opposed to remakes but this is awful.

Nymphomaniac vol.1: Didn't like. Von Trier directs like a film student, which I am not a fan of.

Nebraska: Very good. Bruce Dern is great.

The Martian: Enjoyed this. Good, solid entertainment. Scott showing his age though - all the cool kids love disco nowadays.

Macbeth: This was very well made and looks fantastic. Fassbender and Cotillard are two of my favourite leading actors.
 
Sentinel said:
Just saw Carol.

Enjoyed it. Interesting.
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Glad you enjoyed it Sentinel. I did too and thought it the best love story I'd seen in the past year, but what keeps me from endorsing Carol full stop is that its hopeful conclusion is not supported by its own politics that have the title heroine opt for expediency in her two main confrontations against the forces it wishes to condemn. Put more crudely it tries to have it both ways while presenting Carol as a sympathetic figure who obviously, clearly cannot do the same herself in the film. But hey, love conquers all, right?

Most critics either overlooked or failed to note this glib hedonism, and I suppose one could argue that gays simply did not have the choice in those days, but then why insist on a code of ethics that we all (well, at least the sane ones) now agree is not only outdated but unfair and cruel to a marginalized group? If Haynes wished to elevate us above this old history of prejudice, and I'm sure he does (for those in the dark Todd is openly gay), he badly stumbled in his endeavor.

I thought about reviewing the Oscar short-film nominees in your best-of-2015 thread but since I have a slightly protracted rant to air before the broadcast let me post the capsule reviews here (the quotes are culled from the capsule summaries provided by the studios/theaters):
  • Ave Maria (Palestine/France/Germany) directed by Basil Khalil, a comedic clash of civilizations in which "the silent routine of five Palestinian nuns living in the West Bank wilderness is disturbed when an Israeli settler family breaks down right outside the convent just as the Sabbath comes into effect." When I saw this in the theater I laughed along with the other moviegoers and still think its heart is in the right place, but upon reflection I can't help but feel a tad patronized by its caricatures of the two groups of characters, which succeed better in making the audience feel superior than in illuminating the common threads and unbridgeable gaps between them. (The most cringing moment comes when the Israeli family first attempts to ask one of the Palestinian nuns for help and she runs inside without saying a word and announces to her sisterhood with panic that a Jew is outside, though the effect is somewhat mitigated when one considers that Khalil is a British-Palestinian born in Nazareth.) It's still worth watching, but I hope it doesn't win the Oscar as many are predicting because it's probably the most morally disoriented of all the five contenders.
  • Shok (Kosovo/UK, translated as Friend) by Jamie Donoughue, a harrowing tale of the friendship of two boys which "is tested to its limit as they battle for survival during the Kosovo war." My pick for the Oscar, and in fact among my top 5-6 of 2015. This solo debut by Donoughue (he'd previously been co-director of the shorts Ada and Life on the Line, both of which I have not seen and am very interested to check out) shows the brutalities of war and racism better in its brief 21 minutes than most features several times its length.
  • Everything Will Be Okay/Alles wird gut by Patrick Vollrath (Germany/Austria), a touching 24-hour vignette about a divorced father who after all these years (left unspecified in the film) still cannot come to grips with his tenuous custody of his 8-year-old daughter, and the drastic action he decides to take on their fateful day together. Superb performances by both of the leads, Simon Schwarz as the troubled father and especially Julia Pointner as the hapless yet perceptive and quick-witted daughter who along with Jacob Tremblay in Room is the most promising child actor to emerge in the past year.
  • Stutterer (UK/Ireland) by Benjamin Cleary, the story of the title character Greenwood who struggles to reveal his crippling condition to his online girlfriend Ellie when she catches him off guard by coming to London on the eve of their 6-month anniversary. A charming little gem, but this is the slightest of the candidates. (It's tempting to throw in a King's Speech reference here but I've yet to see the movie.)
  • Day One by Henry Hughes (USA), "depicting a new translator [played by a fine Layla Alizada]’s first day accompanying a U.S. Army unit as it searches for a local terrorist." I'd considered giving this a co-No. 5 place alongside Shok (and Um século de energia by the late Manoel de Oliveira), given its considerable dramatic power and attention to detail (the visible stubbles on the translator's legs as she jumps in the shower early in the film are just one impressive example), but somehow I can't shake off the feeling that the complex moral issues it attempts to cover would be better explored in a longer format, which is not a knock I'd administer on Shok. Wiki tells us this short was part of Hughes' graduation thesis project at the AFI. Hope he takes my constructive criticism to heart and expands on his thesis, and if he manages to surpass himself (the expanded) Day One may well become the AFI's most valuable contribution to the cinema it purports to support since Lynch's Eraserhead.
Will follow up in the other thread shortly.
 
NonP said:
  • Stutterer (UK/Ireland) by Benjamin Cleary, the story of the title character Greenwood who struggles to reveal his crippling condition to his online girlfriend Ellie when she catches him off guard by coming to London on the eve of their 6-month anniversary. A charming little gem, but this is the slightest of the candidates. (It's tempting to throw in a King's Speech reference here but I've yet to see the movie.)
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Oh,so that's what they were saying. I was listening to a pre-Oscars podcast that wasn't too clear and it sounded like they were saying 'Federer'.

Been watching Jules And Jim (1962)
 
Pumping_Iron_movie_poster.jpg


" Later, at an after party for the competitors, Schwarzenegger celebrates his victory by smoking marijuana and eating fried chicken."

Lol, was fantastic tbh, wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much.

 
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Just saw an old Ron Howard gem, The Paper, with an incredible cast...Michael Keaton, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close are the leads but an even deeper supporting cast with Marisa Tomei, Randy Quaid, Jason Robards, Katherine O'Hara, Jason Alexander and a few more familiar faces from the smaller screen (Roma Maffia, Jill Hennessy, Geoffrey Owens and the late Lynne Thigpen).

The movie is about 24 hours in the life of the writers, editors and staff of a struggling NYC tabloid newspaper. The pace, twisted humor and office politics combine for a very interesting watch. Definite thumbs up!
 
Brooklyn (2015). Romantic story set in 1952. Irish girl moves to Brooklyn and falls for first guy who falls for her. Interesting, light movie.
 
Sentinel said:
Currently midway "99 Homes" (2015). The star Andrew Garfield looks exactly like Andy Murray.

DId i say Andrew ? Even the first name is the same !
andrew-garfield-300.jpg

@batz @Mainad
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I remember you saying you had regrets about not buying property,surely if there's any movie to make you re-think that,it's 99 Homes. Yes,I suppose he does look a little like Andy Murray,I'd never really thought about it before though.

Watched Hot Rod (2007). Nice fun movie,nothing more,nothing less
 
Mainad said:
Obvious first choice to play Andy in the movies: "2012 Olympics" and "2013 Wimbledon". :)

But who will play Kim and Judy? ;)
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Surprised people are discovering the Andy Murray - spiderman guy resemblance only now. Yeah, it's a no brainer who'd play Andy in those movies.

Judy Murray - Judy Dench
Kim Sears - Kristen what'shername - the twilight actress.
 
The Green Mile said:
I didn't expect it to be that graphic, lol. It was an enjoyable movie. The film broke the fourth wall a bit too much for my liking though.
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Haha yeah it was an adult comedy more than anything. I enjoyed it too. I usually really don't like all those annoying one-liners you see in every movie these days, but it was bearable in Deadpool and its humour didn't depend on just one-liners fortunately :p

I think it gets a user rating of almost 9 on IMDB, which I think is a liiiittle bit too much though!
 
Finished 99 Homes. Interesting movie about a mortgage scandal.

Set in Orlando, Fl. @stringertom, your area!

sbengte said:
Surprised people are discovering the Andy Murray
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I did notice it while watching Never Let me Go a few years back. Have not watched Spiderman.

Isn't Judi Dench a bit old to play Mum Murray. btw, iirc it is Judi and not Judy in Dench.
 
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Rafaisdabest said:
The Book Thief, I love this movie, it's a must see, trust me!!! :) ;)
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Yes, accidentally saw it a month back or so, rather reluctantly. Loved it and will see it again in a year or so. Night Train to Lisbon is another nice one I saw a day or so before or after it.
 
Going to watch The Other side of the Door today.

A horror movie about an American family living in Mumbai and awakening the dead at a Hindu temple.

Probably a 3rd rate movie, but will just watch it to see the Indian content.
 
Sentinel said:
Midway through "Stand by Me" (1986)

One of the actors, River Phoenix, looks just like Tomas Berdych. Just read that he passed away at 23. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Phoenix#Death
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Stand By Me is so great,those kids were awesome talents and they're all still fairly active in the business except River,obviously. That was a tragic loss,he was an immense talent and I know quite a few of the actors that were coming up at the same time looked up to him. Another one he was in I really liked was Running On Empty but it doesn't seem to be talked about much now for some reason...
 
Midaso240 said:
Stand By Me is so great,those kids were awesome talents and they're all still fairly active in the business except River,obviously. That was a tragic loss,he was an immense talent and I know quite a few of the actors that were coming up at the same time looked up to him. Another one he was in I really liked was Running On Empty but it doesn't seem to be talked about much now for some reason...
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Yes, I was reading that DiCaprio looked up to him.
I have another 30 minutes of the movie to watch tonight, and it's going to be tough watching it knowing that that kid died young.

I am wondering who referred me to this movie, it seems the only other reference to this was by you in Dec 2014 -- too far back for me to remember.

Bartelby said:
I'm on the drugs, I'm on the drugs, I'm on the drugs ...
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Not sure what exactly your post means or refers to.
 
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Sentinel said:
Yes, I was reading that DiCaprio looked up to him.
I have another 30 minutes of the movie to watch tonight, and it's going to be tough watching it knowing that that kid died young.

I am wondering who referred me to this movie, it seems the only other reference to this was by you in Dec 2014 -- too far back for me to remember.
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Well maybe it was mentioned that time someone (maybe you) watched Spirit Of The Beehive and then the subject came up of best movies with children in them,I don't know. The movie is still talked about quite a bit to this day,I think it was Stephen King's favourite adaption of one of his books (he famously didn't like The Shining)
 
I wrote awhile back that I watched Stand By Me, think it was back in 2014....don't know if I told u to watch it though!! Think I just put that I had watched it....I love that movie though it's one of my Dad's fav movies so I've grown up watching it...he always liked it because the boys in that movie remind him of him and his best mate when they were that age...brings back a lot of similarities for him I think!!
 
Midaso240 said:
I remember you saying you had regrets about not buying property,surely if there's any movie to make you re-think that,it's 99 Homes.
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Yeah, but I would be buying it outright, not mortgaging. Fifteen years back, I could have bought a decent 3-bedroom flat and either sold it a few years later at 4x the price, or rented it out and been living off the rent since rents are very high here. Land rates are very high and constantly rising due to the huge population and limited land, and the influx of people into our metropolitan cities since the opportunities outside are poor as are other facilities like schools and hospitals.
 
Midaso240 said:
Stand By Me (1986) Nice nostalgia
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okay, you posted this in Feb -- a month back, and that's how i got it !!! I've actually seen maybe a dozen or more movies recommended by you in the recent months, and all have been really good recommendations.
 
"London Has Fallen"

Lively and amusing action film, cartoon-like action and violence made bearable by Gerard Butler's performance. Some major incoherencies in the plot, but plot in a film like this merely serves to get the fireworks started.
 
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sureshs said:
Going to watch The Other side of the Door today.

A horror movie about an American family living in Mumbai and awakening the dead at a Hindu temple.

Probably a 3rd rate movie, but will just watch it to see the Indian content.
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senti, it had a chanting of the Maha Mrityunjaya stotra
 
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