Last Movie you Watched?

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  • Posts: 3,336
    FoxRox wrote: »
    I don't know where to go next for Hitchcock films. I've seen Psycho, Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Rear Window (loved them all - especially Psycho and Vertigo) - generally his most acclaimed work. Anyone have any recommendations?

    The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, Lifeboat, Spellbound, Strangers on a Train, and Dial M for Murder
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Dial M for Murder
    I can't believe I forgot to mention this one earlier. A true out and out classic. I'm waiting for it to be done again on Broadway. It's perfect for this.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,374
    Agreed on 'Under Siege 2,' @DarthDimi, though I enjoy the first one a little bit more. Thankfully, both end with some brutal and thrilling knife fights.
  • Posts: 7,653
    Only last night, I humoured myself and put Play Misty For Me in the player. I've been longing to see it after sometime since it's a Clint Eastwood film and the genre of the subject is "psychological thriller".

    I will say this. I wasn't blown away by the film. But, that doesn't mean it was bad, either. It was quite atmospheric, and I have to say I loved the effects given in the film. The lights, the shadows, the shades, that horrifying atmosphere at times... And even though, it's a Clint Eastwood film, the highlight of it wasn't him. It was Jessica Walter (Yes, some of you know her from the animated sitcom Archer, while the others might recognize her other character "Lucille") who played the part given to her brilliantly.

    This shot (below), particularly, grabbed my applaud of the film. The camera angle, the effects, the way she's standing all in all was quite what I expected to see when some of my instincts gave it away. The look of the shot alone is very horrifying somehow, along with Jessica's expressions. And I loved it for this reason.

    CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PICTURE
    Don't want any copyright infringements after all.

    As for the soundtrack, it definitely a candy for any jazz lover who doesn't quite need to see the film to listen to the music there. This is coming from a Jazz enthusiast such as myself.

    An excellent and moody thriller that would be worthy of Hitchcock. A lot of the Eastwood movies are actually quite a lot better than most give them credit for.

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Eastwood is a genius, both as an actor as a director.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Eastwood is a genius, both as an actor as a director.
    But as a stand up he sucks. :))
    (empty chair talk)
  • Lancaster007Lancaster007 Shrublands Health Clinic, England
    Posts: 1,874
    The Lady Vanishes (1938) d Alfred Hitchcock. Network, part of the British Years box-set. Having just finished reading Ethel Lina White's The Lady Vanishes (originally published under the title The Wheel Spins) I thought I'd give The Master's film version another spin. This is one of those rare occasions when the film is better than the book. While being a readable 1930s crime thriller, the book takes a great idea, but doesn't really explore it well enough. It took screen writers Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat (who would go on as writer/director and produce some great war-time films, including the brilliant Green For Danger with Alistair Sim), to polish the story, introducing two original characters, the light relief of cricket-loving Charters and Caldicot who to went on to have a life of their own. Hitchcock's version is a great between the wars thriller with political overtones missing from the book and a great McGuffin, the tune Redgrave has to commit to memory and is thrown away in the last scene. Margaret Lockwood as Iris makes a great 30s heroine.
  • Posts: 12,243
    Decided to go with Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Hitchcock's personal favorite of his works. It got off to a slow start, but when it gets going, it gets really good. Joseph Cotten was the biggest highlight, turning in a great performance. Just a good Hitchcock classic; I'll be checking out more soon.
  • Lancaster007Lancaster007 Shrublands Health Clinic, England
    Posts: 1,874
    FoxRox wrote: »
    Decided to go with Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Hitchcock's personal favorite of his works. It got off to a slow start, but when it gets going, it gets really good. Joseph Cotten was the biggest highlight, turning in a great performance. Just a good Hitchcock classic; I'll be checking out more soon.

    Not seen that one in years, remember it being quite tense in places.
  • Posts: 3,336
    Birdleson wrote: »
    FoxRox wrote: »
    Decided to go with Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Hitchcock's personal favorite of his works. It got off to a slow start, but when it gets going, it gets really good. Joseph Cotten was the biggest highlight, turning in a great performance. Just a good Hitchcock classic; I'll be checking out more soon.

    It's always been one of my least favorite Hitchcock. No matter how it's explained in the film, it never makes sense to me how idiotic Teresa Wright's character 's behavior in the film is, and the whole plot hinges on it.

    One of my least favourite Hitchcock aswell
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Eastwood is a genius, both as an actor as a director.
    But as a stand up he sucks. :))
    (empty chair talk)

    Forgot about that. Yes, agreed.
  • Posts: 12,243
    Birdleson wrote: »
    FoxRox wrote: »
    Decided to go with Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Hitchcock's personal favorite of his works. It got off to a slow start, but when it gets going, it gets really good. Joseph Cotten was the biggest highlight, turning in a great performance. Just a good Hitchcock classic; I'll be checking out more soon.

    It's always been one of my least favorite Hitchcock. No matter how it's explained in the film, it never makes sense to me how idiotic Teresa Wright's character 's behavior in the film is, and the whole plot hinges on it.

    I didn't like Teresa Wright's character either. But Cotten was really good, and I was always eager to find out how it would all end. I probably wouldn't watch it again, but I think the story was interesting enough and the suspense was good.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited January 2016 Posts: 23,883
    The Big Short (2015)

    In a previous career, I audited some of the financial products that cause the housing crisis (including those pesky mortgage backed securities), so this was an especially interesting film for me to see.

    Based on a book by Michael Lewis, this is a somewhat comedic film in places, although the subject matter is deadly serious. All the participants do a great job in the acting dept. Christian Bale is brilliant, as is Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell. It's sort of a pseudo docudrama, if that's even a genre, & its primary purpose is to try and educate the audience on the excesses of capitalism and especially Wall Street, which caused the global financial meltdown in 2008. The film includes humorous exposition and simple explanations on topics from time to time using famous personalities, like Anthony Bourdain or Margot Robbie.

    The plot focuses on a bunch of Wall Street players who realize that the US real estate market is unstable and built on shoddy repackaged and resold financial instruments (mortgage backed securities & collateralized debt obligations) based on subprime mortgages. They decide to 'short' these securities through purchase of credit default swaps, so they will benefit massively if the bubble bursts. In essence, 'betting against the World Economy', as Brad Pitt's character so aptly puts it. The irony is that they end up doing exactly what the Banks were doing in the first place, i.e. betting the farm in the other direction. They were right this time, but if they were wrong they could have lost it all too.

    Another irony from this very timely film is that today, 8 long years on from that crisis, the world economy is still built on debt and leveraged bets on assets. Not housing so much this time, but derivatives on student debt, oil (witness the recent market collapse), gold etc. etc. The other shoe will drop one day, and sadly we haven't really learnt a thing.

    Recommended.

    PS: Other films on the same topic that are worth watching: Too Big To Fail & Margin Call
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited January 2016 Posts: 23,883
    Birdleson wrote: »
    @bondjames , I also liked MARGIN CALL quite a bit.
    Yes @Birdleson, great ensemble cast in that film too, like The Big Short. Jeremy Irons was brilliant in it - that's really how these guys are. He nailed the persona of an Investment Bank exec perfectly. The power, money, arrogance and smarts just drips off them.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited January 2016 Posts: 23,883
    I was with PwC (an accounting/consulting firm) at the time. So I audited some of the banks like JP Morgan Chase & mutual funds, like George Soros's Quantum fund (offshore) that held these securities. I was never confident about the risk of these products, and let the higher ups know that we should perhaps be paying more attention to them during the audit, including stress testing them. I wish I had the brains to bet against them.
  • Posts: 12,243
    The Godfather (1972). Abe Vigoda's passing prompted this viewing. Of all the films that are often called "the best film ever", this one is my choice. It's just an incredible work; there aren't any substantial complaints I have at all with the film.
  • Posts: 1,631
    Contracted: Phase 2 (2015)

    A very poor sequel to the surprisingly fresh take on the zombie genre that was 2013's Contracted. Not that the original was the greatest horror film ever made, far from it in fact, but it had a fresh take on the zombie genre. This sequel can't decide on whether or not to simply remake the first film with a different character or to take the events of the first film further towards a natural conclusion. This confusion, as well as some of the worst acting you'll see on film, and a stupid climax destroy what could have been a decent little horror franchise if they had played their cards right. They set things up for Contracted: Phase 3, but I doubt that we'll see it.
  • edited January 2016 Posts: 12,243
    Strangers on a Train (1951). I had a really good time with this one; a suspenseful and exciting film from start to finish. My favorite parts were those two carnival sequences. Guy Haines from Quantum of Solace was surely a nod to this film? There was also one moment that made me laugh hard: as soon as Guy hears Bruno say, "Hello, Guy" on the other line of the phone, he just slams the phone down hard without giving back a word :)) kind of reminded me of when Bond slams the door on the guards in Thunderball when he sees them.
  • Posts: 3,336
    FoxRox wrote: »
    Strangers on a Train (1951). I had a really good time with this one; a suspenseful and exciting film from start to finish. My favorite parts were those two carnival sequences. Guy Haines from Quantum of Solace was surely a nod to this film? There was also one moment that made me laugh hard: as soon as Guy hears Bruno say, "Hello, Guy" on the other line of the phone, he just slams the phone down hard without giving back a word :)) kind of reminded me of when Bond slams the door on the guards in Thunderball when he sees them.

    Glad you liked, of the ones you haven't seen. I highly recommend dial m for murder
  • edited January 2016 Posts: 12,243
    FoxRox wrote: »
    Strangers on a Train (1951). I had a really good time with this one; a suspenseful and exciting film from start to finish. My favorite parts were those two carnival sequences. Guy Haines from Quantum of Solace was surely a nod to this film? There was also one moment that made me laugh hard: as soon as Guy hears Bruno say, "Hello, Guy" on the other line of the phone, he just slams the phone down hard without giving back a word :)) kind of reminded me of when Bond slams the door on the guards in Thunderball when he sees them.

    Glad you liked, of the ones you haven't seen. I highly recommend dial m for murder

    I'll probably see that one next; Hitchcock's done a LOT of films, so I feel like I should see at least 10-12. Psycho and Vertigo are comfortably my Top 2; it's hard to rank them beyond that, but I'd put Shadow of a Doubt below North by Northwest, Rear Window, and Strangers on a Train. Those three are pretty much neck-and-neck (and neck).
  • Posts: 12,506
    Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit:
    Love Brannagh as the villain, Liked Pine as Ryan but kept thinking of him in the Kirk role which to be fair is a compliment. Have to say though i thought Costner stole the show in this movie.

    American Sniper: What an astonishing and very moving movie. Would recommend to anyone to watch.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    FoxRox wrote: »
    FoxRox wrote: »
    Strangers on a Train (1951). I had a really good time with this one; a suspenseful and exciting film from start to finish. My favorite parts were those two carnival sequences. Guy Haines from Quantum of Solace was surely a nod to this film? There was also one moment that made me laugh hard: as soon as Guy hears Bruno say, "Hello, Guy" on the other line of the phone, he just slams the phone down hard without giving back a word :)) kind of reminded me of when Bond slams the door on the guards in Thunderball when he sees them.

    Glad you liked, of the ones you haven't seen. I highly recommend dial m for murder

    I'll probably see that one next; Hitchcock's done a LOT of films, so I feel like I should see at least 10-12. Psycho and Vertigo are comfortably my Top 2; it's hard to rank them beyond that, but I'd put Shadow of a Doubt below North by Northwest, Rear Window, and Strangers on a Train. Those three are pretty much neck-and-neck (and neck).
    I forgot to mention (and I can't believe nobody else has either) the legendary To Catch A Thief. One of my all time fave Hitchcock efforts and which, like North By Northwest, inspired some scenes in Bond films.
  • Lancaster007Lancaster007 Shrublands Health Clinic, England
    Posts: 1,874
    re Hitchcock - Vertigo my number one film of The Masters. In fact I may start a Hitchock Marathon (getting bored with Bond at the mo) and go right through. Don't have all his films but do have all early silents and British films so might be able to get those that I don't have as I go.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    My number one Hitchcock film, although I haven t seen them all, is still Rebecca from 1940.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    bondjames wrote: »
    FoxRox wrote: »
    FoxRox wrote: »
    Strangers on a Train (1951). I had a really good time with this one; a suspenseful and exciting film from start to finish. My favorite parts were those two carnival sequences. Guy Haines from Quantum of Solace was surely a nod to this film? There was also one moment that made me laugh hard: as soon as Guy hears Bruno say, "Hello, Guy" on the other line of the phone, he just slams the phone down hard without giving back a word :)) kind of reminded me of when Bond slams the door on the guards in Thunderball when he sees them.

    Glad you liked, of the ones you haven't seen. I highly recommend dial m for murder

    I'll probably see that one next; Hitchcock's done a LOT of films, so I feel like I should see at least 10-12. Psycho and Vertigo are comfortably my Top 2; it's hard to rank them beyond that, but I'd put Shadow of a Doubt below North by Northwest, Rear Window, and Strangers on a Train. Those three are pretty much neck-and-neck (and neck).
    I forgot to mention (and I can't believe nobody else has either) the legendary To Catch A Thief. One of my all time fave Hitchcock efforts and which, like North By Northwest, inspired some scenes in Bond films.

    One of my favourite films too. Grant is amazing as usual and this was the film that shifted my behind into gear to visit the French Riviera.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    doubleoego wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    FoxRox wrote: »
    FoxRox wrote: »
    Strangers on a Train (1951). I had a really good time with this one; a suspenseful and exciting film from start to finish. My favorite parts were those two carnival sequences. Guy Haines from Quantum of Solace was surely a nod to this film? There was also one moment that made me laugh hard: as soon as Guy hears Bruno say, "Hello, Guy" on the other line of the phone, he just slams the phone down hard without giving back a word :)) kind of reminded me of when Bond slams the door on the guards in Thunderball when he sees them.

    Glad you liked, of the ones you haven't seen. I highly recommend dial m for murder

    I'll probably see that one next; Hitchcock's done a LOT of films, so I feel like I should see at least 10-12. Psycho and Vertigo are comfortably my Top 2; it's hard to rank them beyond that, but I'd put Shadow of a Doubt below North by Northwest, Rear Window, and Strangers on a Train. Those three are pretty much neck-and-neck (and neck).
    I forgot to mention (and I can't believe nobody else has either) the legendary To Catch A Thief. One of my all time fave Hitchcock efforts and which, like North By Northwest, inspired some scenes in Bond films.

    One of my favourite films too. Grant is amazing as usual and this was the film that shifted my behind into gear to visit the French Riviera.
    Me too. This film, along with GE were my inspirations for heading over there. Loved it, and must go back again soon. Stunning locale.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    To Catch A Thief is my favourite Hitchcock film. Everything was perfect in there. The plot, the actors, the characters, the locations, everything.
  • Posts: 7,653
    Two mules for sister Sara starring Eastwood & Shirley Maclaine [once bought and thought of to be an Eastwood/Elisabeth Taylor movie] that is actually quite enjoyable and not the cowboy that we know and love usually played by Eastwood. The man does not mind changing the image that made him world famous. The music is gloriously Morricone and the wicked sense of humour between Eastwood and Maclaine is actually the best part of the movie.
  • quantumofsolacequantumofsolace England
    Posts: 279
    Enjoyed a western double-bill at Showcase today...

    'The Revenant'

    Took a while to get into but I wound up hooked. Very intense. I've never cared much for Leonardo but I must admit he was very good here. Likewise Tom Hardy. Looked great on the X-Plus screen and made the most of the Dolby Atmos. Pity they used CGI bears, buffaloes and dogs - appeared completely unrealistic and thus momentarily took you out of the drama. All in all a powerful and decidedly brutal film.

    'The Hateful Eight'

    Best film of the year! Yes, I know it's only January but I'll be amazed if a better flick hits our screens in 2016. I make no bones about loving Tarantino and consider him the second best director in the world today. (Behind Woody Allen, obviously.) This gripping oater is well up to his usual high standards. It may be his second western in a row but it's very different from the equally superb 'Django Unchained'. There's far less action and, as one expects from QT, it's decidedly dialogue-heavy. (Complete with F and N bombs galore, naturally.) The acting is tremendous, particularly Kurt Russell in what is arguably the finest performance of his career. It's magnificently directed by QT and blessed with a tremendous (and surely soon to be Oscar-winning) score by the mighty Ennio Morricone. Loved every minute of it. May well have to go and see this masterpiece again.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,374
    @quantumofsolace, I'm curious as to how you would've managed to film the bear scene in 'The Revenant' with a real, live bear. I'm fine with CGI for situations that prove impossible otherwise, and on top of that, I thought the CG for the bear was rather well done. Also, 'The Hateful Eight' is technically a 2015 film. Happy to hear you seem to have loved it as much as I did! I was very impressed with it and couldn't stop thinking about it and replaying scenes in my head after I first saw it.
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