Respond to the last movie you watched

[Bondo]

Princess Cyd:  Always glad for more accepting coming of age stories.

Not too late for this cabal.

So happy to see the return of tinyholidays I didn't want to comment with disagreements. Then I felt bad that nobody was responding.

What am I, chopped liver? But I'll engage more.

tiny...the only review that raised my hackles was Black Panther as for me it is the only memorable Marvel film to date. A Star Is Born was the most interesting of the reviews. It is a film I loved. I feel like your comment that it could be actively harmful was a critique, but I agree even as I loved the film. The same thing that makes it morally questionable is what makes it emotionally effective.

[1SO]

The Last Voyage (1960)

Coming out a decade before the 70s disaster films, this one about a boiler explosion on a luxury liner manages to be a bit different because there wasn't yet a formula to follow. Wasting no time - the first line of dialogue alerts the Captain to a fire in the Engine Room - the first hour is largely indistinguishable chatter, giving the impression we're not watching an ensemble of all-stars but an actual crew responding to an emergency. (No need for lengthy introductions before disaster strikes.) Close-ups are rare, so it's the voices we focus on.

I just realized the unique voices of this cast. It can't be a mistake. George Sanders plays the Captain, Edmond O'Brien is in charge of the Engine Crew, Robert Stack must rescue his family when the explosion happens. Dorothy Malone plays his wife and Woody Strode is a key member of the crew. The film officially lists 14 speaking roles. The rest is overlapping technical commands, but we easily follow along. The effects are also quite impressive, with an amazing shot towards the end of the actual ship sinking while the cast races to get from one end to the other. I'm guessing there was no 2nd Take.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ - Good

[jdc]

I'm a huge fan of Fincher so, yeah, I loved Zodiac. My 2nd favorite of his films.

Any chance you have watched the Korean film, Memories of Murder?  Very similar story and focus, more about those that get obsessed about catching a serial murder than focusing on the actual murder. It came out a bit before Zodiac and also is based on a true story in Korea.

A lot of people have recommended it to me, but I still haven't gotten around to it. I did like two of his other films (The Host and Snowpiercer), so it's on my "short" list.

By far Memories of Murder is my fav of his folllowed by Mother and Barking Dogs Never Bite.  I found Snowpiercer interesting but not sure I will rewatch it now. The Host was maybe my least favorite but I think it was the CGI of the time that took me out of the film. 

[philip918]

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

The second best movie about "White Voice" of 2018.

Finally caught up with this one, and overall I liked it quite a bit. What kept me from really loving it was I found Ron Stallworth to be a cipher. I didn't really get a sense of him as a person beyond the surface-level tension of his attempts to balance being a black police officer in America. The actual events that play out are really engaging. There's some great editing and intercutting. I also thought the Wayne's World-esque "Super Happy Ending" slamming into a final scene that completely subverts the feel-good, we can all get along platitudes of so many films that deal with race, was very effective.

This being nominated for Best Score baffles me. It has a great soundtrack, but the score seemed to be variations on one (very cool) guitar riff.

[1SO]

Curtain Call at Cactus Creek (1950)
★ ★ ★ - Okay
I've been looking for this musical/comedy/western for years and finally found a sketchy VHS copy. It's so rare, you can't even find an accurate screenshot on the internet.

Walter Brennan leads a team of bank robbers who arrive in town the same day as a theater troupe. Vincent Price is the lead actor, Eve Arden is the sassy showgirl and Donald O'Connor is the stagehand. O'Connor's physical comedy is a wonder as during the show he controls the spotlight, works the props from the rafters and slides up to the piano while operating the curtain and backdrops. Brennan joins the show as a cover for his crimes and O'Connor ends up running with the bandits. All is exactly as I hoped for until the final scene, which is a terrible blackface number that includes Brennan dressed as a woman (and yes, in blackface.) My wife exclaimed, "I can't unsee that!" Cut off the last 3 minutes and you have a fine film.

[Corndog]

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

This being nominated for Best Score baffles me. It has a great soundtrack, but the score seemed to be variations on one (very cool) guitar riff.

Agree with this.

[Thief]

I'm a huge fan of Fincher so, yeah, I loved Zodiac. My 2nd favorite of his films.

Any chance you have watched the Korean film, Memories of Murder?  Very similar story and focus, more about those that get obsessed about catching a serial murder than focusing on the actual murder. It came out a bit before Zodiac and also is based on a true story in Korea.

A lot of people have recommended it to me, but I still haven't gotten around to it. I did like two of his other films (The Host and Snowpiercer), so it's on my "short" list.

By far Memories of Murder is my fav of his folllowed by Mother and Barking Dogs Never Bite.  I found Snowpiercer interesting but not sure I will rewatch it now. The Host was maybe my least favorite but I think it was the CGI of the time that took me out of the film.

Yeah, the effects on The Host were spotty, to put it mildly. But I tried to put myself in the mindset of watching a 50's or 60's creature film, which I think was the vibe they were going for. Either way, it wasn't a great film, but a fun watch nonetheless.

[Thief]

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

The second best movie about "White Voice" of 2018.

Finally caught up with this one, and overall I liked it quite a bit. What kept me from really loving it was I found Ron Stallworth to be a cipher. I didn't really get a sense of him as a person beyond the surface-level tension of his attempts to balance being a black police officer in America. The actual events that play out are really engaging. There's some great editing and intercutting. I also thought the Wayne's World-esque "Super Happy Ending" slamming into a final scene that completely subverts the feel-good, we can all get along platitudes of so many films that deal with race, was very effective.

I think I agree with this, but I still found the character so likable that I couldn't help but root for him.

[Teproc]

I guess you could see him as a cipher, but I simply see him as a deeply conflicted man, trying to reconcile being a black man and a police officer, and I'd say the film does wrestle with that tension a bit, though not outwardly so.

And I love the score. Maybe it's a variation on a theme, but I'm not sure why that matters: it's integral to the film's mood and tone.

[smirnoff]

Up In The Air (Jason Reitman, 2009)        ⁶/₁₀

Mmm. It's okay. It's more cutesy than I remember. The tension of the firing sequences is always undermined by the fact that you feel everyone involved is acting. The reactions are consistently over the top. Characters immediately vocalize the thoughts that I suspect real people would have the dignity to keep to themselves in such a moment. It cheapens the impact of what's happening. I don't agree with the choice. Give me one good raw moment, à la the opening scene in Another Year.

As a dramedy, eh I guess it has a handful of endearing moments between Clooney and Farmiga. Overall a bit of a let down repeat viewing.