Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

Reza
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Fatherland (Christopher Menaul, 1994) 6/10

Fascinating premise based on the book by Thomas Harris - it's 1964 and Adolph Hitler won WWII and now rules over Germania which includes all of Europe including Great Britain. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor became King and Queen of Britain but have been exiled, Churchill escaped the Nazis and died in exile and Joseph Kennedy is the President of the United States. Hitler, still fighting Russia, hopes to make an ally of America and decides to "open-up" Germania to the world by inviting the American President for a visit. Germania is a police state with the Gestapo keeping a close eye on things. An SS officer (Rutger Hauer) and an American journalist (Miranda Richardson) find themselves working together trying to solve a mystery involving a terrifying secret which the government has hidden from the world. Unfortunately the premise proves more interesting than the main plot which moves at a deathly pace. The film scores points for its spectacular production design creating, via effects, Nazi Albert Speer's actual architectural designs which were in reality planned but could not come to fruition due to Germany's defeat. The two leads are good but the police procedural section of the film bogs it down.
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The Angry Hills (Robert Aldrich, 1959) 5/10

Atmospheric but extremely long rambling WWII thriller based on the novel by Leon Uris. A journalist (Robert Mitchum) is forcibly handed a list of greek double agents to deliver to the British. He soon finds himself being chased by the Nazis and greek collaborators (Marius Goring, Stanley Baker, Theodore Bikel) and romanced and abetted by women (Gia Scala, Elisabeth Müller) along the way. Slow film is only memorable for a startling nude sequence set in a club (filmed for the European viewers but cut in the USA) and for its great supporting cast of which also memorable are Sir Donald Wolfit, Sebastian Cabot, Leslie Phillips and Kieron Moore. Mitchum gives an indifferent performance looking bored throughout. Shot entirely on location in Greece.
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South of Suez (Lewis Seiler, 1940) 4/10

Slow indifferent murder-mystery set in Tanganyika and London - a diamond is stolen and a mine foreman (George Brent) is falsely accused. He makes a run for it, changes his identity, falls in love with the murder victim's daughter (Brenda Marshall) and on the eve of their engagement is arrested and put on trial for another murder. A stiff and bored looking Brent has no chemistry with Marshall but they are luckily surrounded by a great group of character actors - George Tobias, Lee Patrick, Eric Blore, Miles Mander, Cecil Kellaway, Mary Forbes - all of whom try to bring this musty little film to life. Strictly a B-production.
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The Child in Time (Julian Farino, 2017) 7/10

A study in grief and loss as a devastated couple (Benedict Cumberbatch & Kelly Macdonald) try to come to terms with the sudden disappearance of their four year old daughter from a supermarket. The non-linear screenplay avoids melodrama and goes back and forth in time showing the events from the perspective of the husband - the child gets lost while in his care - as we seen glimpses of the tragic event, the couple's estrangement, his day-to-day existence at his job, interacting with close friends and a bitersweet reunion with his wife. Life goes on but the pain never goes away. The film's striking use of sound underlines the mood of the characters. Both stars are superb.
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Dr. Monica (William Keighley & William Dieterle, 1934) 6/10

Kay Francis, almost completely forgotten, has a very contemporary air about her - all her characters seem fresh and real and could be part of everyday life today. Once the top star at Warners she was quickly supplanted by the likes of Bette Davis who managed to get all the prestige productions at the studio. Francis specialized in soap operas playing characters from all spheres. Dr. Monica (Kay Francis), a physician, finds herself looking after a friend (Jean Muir) who is pregnant. The doctor is unaware that the unborn child's father (Warren William) is her own husband. The complications of this pre-Code film are taken care of by the censors at the time as the film has a pat ending. Francis goes through the film acting noble, dressed in flattering sexy gowns (by Orry-Kelly) and doing the "right" thing. She gives a star performance as expected by her fans and gives this "women's picture" a touch of class. Joe Breen of the censors pressurized the studio to cut the film calling the three female characters "a lesbian, a nymphomaniac and a prostitute" (the chic architect friend played by Verree Teasdale) which was absolute nonsense. The screenplay bravely handles the theme of unwed motherhood also hinting at abortion which through careful cutting is avoided but understood through dialogue and the superb interplay between Francis and Muir. Pretty racy stuff for 1934 handled by an expert cast led by the radiant Kay Francis.
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Uncertain Glory (Raoul Walsh, 1944) 7/10

One of Flynn's many WWII themed films but the least known and one which he produced as well. The story is low on action and concentrates on the moral dilemma of a condemned french career criminal (Errol Flynn) who escapes execution when the British drop bombs on occupied France. He is pursued and caught by a relentless cop (Paul Lukas). The wily prisoner convinces his patriotic captor to allow him to give himself up to the Gestapo as the saboteur who has recently blown up a bridge against which the germans plan to execute 100 frenchmen. Secretly he has no intention of going through with the plan but interaction with the townfolk and a girl make him think otherwise. Typical propaganda film has a heavy dose of patriotism to feed the public during those war years. Flynn makes a cynical but dashing anti-hero in this slow but compelling story.
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Private Detective 62 (Michael Curtiz, 1933) 6/10

Snappy little Warner Bros programmer which utilizes its contract players and technicians to good effect - director Curtiz, cinematographer Tony Gaudio, who uses shadows to create suspense, and leading actor William Powell who specialized in playing sophisticated sleuths was just a year away from becoming a huge star courtesy of "The Thin Man". A disgraced diplomat (William Powell) returns home to find himself without a job so on the spur of the moment joins a second rate detective agency. Soon he finds himself mixed up (and in love) with a socialite gambler (Margaret Lindsay) who is involved with blackmail and murder. Starts off slow but picks up steam as the two leads create sparks courtesy of witty dialogue. Pre-code drama is nothing special but has an effortlessly charming performance by Powell.
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These Wilder Years (Roy Rowland, 1955) 6/10

Low key but effective social drama about adoption which has at it's center the first ever teaming of Cagney and Stanwyck very late in their careers. A steel tycoon (James Cagney), having achieved all in life, decides to search for the illegitimate son he gave up during his youth. He faces a gentle clash from the sympathetic head of an orphanage (Barbara Stanwyck) who refuses to divulge the whereabouts of the child put up for adoption. He hires a lawyer (Walter Pidgeon) to fight his case but loses only to find himself getting close to a young teenage girl at the orphanage who is about to give birth to a baby. The stars both give restrained performances keeping their natural toughness simmering beneath the surface. Poignant drama with a message.
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Loving Pablo (Fernando León de Aranoa, 2017) 5/10

Glossy, pulpy and superficial screen biography of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar narrated by his flashy journalist mistress Virginia Vallejo. The roles are played broadly but with a sense of fun by Javier Bardem, sporting a prosthetic neck and huge paunch, and Penélope Cruz dressed in colourful 1980s fashions and wigs. The film uses her voiceover, while she is in protection with a DEA agent (Peter Sarsgaard), to describe her meeting and infatuation with the druglord as we see through her eyes Escobar who rose from the slums and was closely involved in government corruption during his reign of terror in Colombia - he made millions from selling cocaine but was like Robin Hood to the poor in the slums of his country whom he helped find a better life. The film details the warfare between the cartel and the government - teenagers from the slums are trained to kill cops, politicians and ministers and in turn for each cop killed the government executes ten teenage boys. Mass murder and torture was the order of the day as Escobar goes from strength to strength. The film has a tabloid feel to it with the decision to film it in the english language a major detriment forcing both stars to mumble their dialogue with their accented english. Despite this the film belongs to Bardem who gives a flamboyant performance using his ample girth a workout often keeping his shirt unbuttoned and during one sequence allowing himself to be photographed running nude through the jungle with his ass flapping all over the place. Crisply shot film is a feast for the eyes especially with the delectable Cruz strutting around in high heels and garish costumes. Stick to the tv series "Narcos" for a more authentic version of the story but watch this strictly if you are a fan of Bardem and Cruz.
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Adrift (Baltasar Kormákur, 2018) 6/10

True story about two avid sailors (Shailene Woodley & Sam Claflin), both free spirits, who meet cute, fall in love and go on a journey that leads them straight into a catastrophic hurricane. Tale of survival goes through the motions - a sinking boat, a hurt but plucky woman battling the odds and saving the life of her badly wounded fiancé. The screenplay moves back and forth between the aftermath of the storm and the couple meeting and their courtship. A long sequence deviates from the actual story which involves the woman's hallucinations. The relentless storm sequence paints a horrific picture with the two actors getting an extreme physical battering as they are lashed by the waves and get thrown into the rough sea. Both stars give gut wrenching performances with Woodley (who also produced the film) mainly carrying the film on her shoulders as she gets to show quiet strength during the moments where she is all alone and must prove her mettle as a sailor in order to survive. Robert Richardson's superb cinematography is also a major plus.
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Race 3 (Remo D'Souza, 2018) 1/10

The series has been on a continuous downward spiral with this one the absolute pits. It follows the usual formula - top stars acting and looking cool, slick action scenes (of the absurd variety) filmed in slow motion with no visible tear to the actors' designer wear or any blood to the skin, characters shot against sleek buildings created via CGI, sexy production numbers - the one involving a pole is a doozy as Jacqueline Fernandez attempts to fornicate with it while dangling and sliding upside down - guns that get fondled by both men and women, characters double and tripple crossing each other and last but certainly not least is the star himself - Salman Khan - in all his stiff and dull glory. No need to discuss the plot - there is none - as the film just consists of beautifully shot images of stunts and good looking actors - Anil Kapoor looks great in designer suits, Bobby Deol makes a screen comeback, two newcomers (Daisy Shah, Saqib Saleem) bicker and kick-ass while Jacqueline Fernandez looks hot throughout. Watch this film with the sound off (preferably while drinking neat vodka on the rocks) but crank it up when the stars start to dance and gyrate. This has to be one of the worst films out of Bollywood. But do check out that pole dance and keep yourself well sated with alcohol and you might have as much fun as the actors on screen.
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The Bookshop (Isabel Coixet, 2018) 3/10

Deathly slow film about the love of books set in provincial England circa 1958. Coixet superbly captures the atmosphere of a small town and it's inhabitants with genteel digs at class structure. A widow (Emily Mortimer) purchases an old decrepit house in a small East Anglian town (the film was shot in Ireland with interiors in Spain) and opens a bookshop. The lady of the manor (Patricia Clarkson) tries to have her evicted as she wants the property for herself. Helping her in the tussle is the town eccentric (Bill Nighy) who is also a lover of books and is her sounding board for the type of books she wants to sell - Vladimir Nabakov's "Lolita" causes a sensation with the townfolk. The drama is presented in a reserved manner inducing sleep. The story is based on the novel by Penelope Fitzgerald and manages to beautifully capture the time and place - one can actually smell the musty books in the shop - with superb production values. Pity the story is too sparse to generate any feeling for the characters or their dilemma.
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Mubarakan (Anees Bazmee, 2017) 1/10

Slickly made but hideously unfunny comedy with a plot that resorts to Bollywood cinema of the 1980s. Twin brothers (both played by Arjun Kapoor) are raised in separate cities - the hip one loves and romances Ileana D'Cruz in London while the straitlaced one, who wears a turban, lives in Punjab and loves Neha Sharma. Complications ensue once their rambunctious family members arrange a marriage for both twins to nubile Athiya Shetty. The twins seek the help of their uncle (Anil Kapoor) to get out of the jam. Typically convoluted plot suffers from lousy songs, too many characters, over-the-top performances - Anil Kapoor and Ratna Pathak Shah are the only amusing members of the cast - and the dreaded problem of over length. Skip this trashy film.
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La mortadella / Lady Liberty (Mario Monicelli, 1971) 4/10

Monicelli's "Commedia all'Italiana" tries to do for the United States just like his caustic screenplays hilariously exposed Italian customs. Only this time round he has come up with a rather corny premise with it's only saving grace his leading lady. An Italian woman (Sophia Loren) arrives at JFK airport and causes an international incident. She is carrying a large Mortadella as a wedding gift for her fiancé which the customs attempt to confiscate. When she refuses to part with it a manic reporter (William Devane) uses the incident to create headlines for his paper making her into a media darling. The screenplay touches on a number of quirks - the American government's phobia for any negative press image, workaholics who need booze to combat stress followed by the use of uppers to keep them going and a good natured dig at American capitalism and culture. Statuesque Loren keeps this fluff moving smoothly along and the only good thing that comes out of this project is the teaming of the star and director. Pity the end result is a bore although it is interesting to see Danny De Vito and Susan Sarandon in bit parts so early in their careers.
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The Duchess (Saul Dibb, 2008) 6/10

The true story of 18th century aristocrat, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (Keira Knightley), plays out like a Bollywood soap opera. At a young age her mother (Charlotte Rampling) arranges a marriage to the 5th Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes) who spends more time with his dogs than with her. His only desire is for a male heir but instead ends up with three daughters one of whom is a bastard from a previous liaison with a maid. A vivacious and outspoken socialite, author and activist she accepts being the chattel of her husband while ignoring all his infidelities even though she finally produces a male heir with him. She overcomes her lonely existence by having an affair (and a daughter) with the young politician and future Prime Minister of England, Charles Grey (Dominc West) - the Earl Grey tea was named after him - and befriending Lady Elizabeth Foster (Hayley Atwell), who through a complicated set of events ends up in a ménage à trois with the Duke and Duchess. Despite all her "troubles" she led a highly social life and was fêted by royalty and intellectuals and created a sensation as a style icon with her clothes and wigs (the film's costumes won an Oscar). An interesting bit of trivia: The Duchess was the great-great-great-grand-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales. Their lives, centuries apart, have often been compared during contemporary times as tragic.
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