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

[Precious Doll]

Sexus Dei (2007) Philippe Vallois 6/10

Two Daughters (1961) Satajit Ray 7/10

Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) Michael Moore 3/10

We Were One Man (1979) Philippe Vallois 4/10

Millhouse: A White Comedy (1967) Emile de Antonio 6/10

[Reza]

Merrily We Go to Hell (Dorothy Arzner, 1932) 8/10

Superb film about a woman (Sylvia Sidney) falling in love and getting married to an alcoholic (Fredric March). Simply told story with Oscar caliber performances by both leads. Sidney is heartbreaking and looks sexy dressed in slinky Travis Banton gowns. Cary Grant makes an immediate impact in his two very brief scenes.



Edited By Reza on 1257747208

[mlrg]

Julie & Julia (2009) - Nora Ephron

6/10

Nice film for an autumn afternoon. But there is no way Streep is winning an oscar for this.

[Big Magilla]

My Blood Runs Cold (1965) William Conrad 5/10

Troy Donahue's last film before he was dropped by Warner Bros. He plays a man alleging to be the reincarnation of his own great-grandfather with a straight face while all the other actors including Barry Sullivan, Jeanette Nolan, Nicolas Coster and the usually insipid Joey Heatherton seem to have their tongues firmly in cheek.

This was one of only three films Conrad directed, all of them in the same year. Brainstorm, a nifty film noir with Jeffrey Hunter, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews is the best of the lot.

[Reza]

The Cheat (George Abbott, 1931) 5/10

Part of the Pre-Code dvd set. Pity Tallullah Bankhead did not make more films as she had a very distinctive voice and great screen presence.

A Night to Remember (George Wallace, 1943) 4/10

A comedy-mystery with Loretta Young and Brian Aherne. Bob Hope did it better.

Palm Springs Weekend (Norman Taurog, 1963) 4/10

Amusing to see Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens, Stefanie Powers, Robert Conrad and Ty Hardin play teenagers. Jerry Van Dyke is annoying but in an amusing way. He comes off best.


Carry on Cleo (Gerald Thomas, 1965) 5/10

Typical smutty humour from the ''gang''.....Sidney James, Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims and Charles Hawtrey. Here they spoof Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra. Silly fun.

[mlrg]

The Hurt Locker (2009) - Kathryn Bigelow

9/10

Best film of the year so far.

[Zahveed]

The Men Who Stare at Goats - 6/10

Wasn't what I expected but entertaining nonetheless.

[Damien]

I know that Beau Travail is some sort of wet dream for many cinephiles, but while I found it intriguing, I didn't quite get what all the fuss was about.

I think Friday Night is one-half of a great movie. Denis created a unique, moody, dream-like view of Paris, a neon-colored world of isolated individuals, with a brilliantly-staged traffic jam the centerpiece (second only to Weekend, as cinematic traffic jams go). Unfortunately, the second part of the picture morphs into a Claude Lelouch movie, and does not sustain interest.

I find Trouble Every Day to be a beautiful film, one that borders on the heartbreaking in its evocation of human longing for connections with other people and what Denis perceives as the impossibility of that kind of relationship. Vincent Gallo's terrible line readings are problematic, and Denis's detached point of view does not always work to the film's advantage, but it is still a disquietingly gorgeous work.

Denis employs some highly effective - at times ironic, at other times evocative -- imagery, starting with the first image of the movie - the highly romantic view of the moonlight shimmering on the Seine. And Tricia Vessey's face is arguably as expressive as Falconetti's was in Passion of Joan of Arc.

And Denis does something utterly subversive and disturbing in Trouble - she turns what should be, and what in other movies is, repulsive and horrible (an attack by a vampire) - into something erotically charged and alluring. One might feel "dirty" or "guilty" about it, but the scenes in which Gallo attacks the hotel maid and, especially, when in the middle of having sex, Béatrice Dalle devours the young guy, are extremely sensuous in their pure carnality. And I think that this attitude is intrinsic to Denis's specific theme of rethinking what vampirism is and, more universally, of her intent to have us reconsider our initial perceptions of our fellow humankind. And by extension, she's also expanding our ideas of how cinema can get us to rethink long-held convictions. And thus is the profundity of the picture.


Okri, what are your reservations about the films?

[Damien]

Lily in Love (Karoly Makk, 1984) 2/10

A retread of Ferenc Molnar's The Guardsman set on a film set in Hungary. Christopher Plummer hams it up while Maggie Smith is radiant as his wife. What ugly grainy photography!

I was shocked by the quality of the film processing in this movie when I saw it upon its release.

[Precious Doll]

What do people here think of Denis' other films? I have Nenette and Boni sitting here from the library and I've glanced at I Can't Sleep a couple times.

I didn't care for Friday Night and hated Trouble Every Day. Really enjoyed Beau Travail.

I'm rather indifferent to Denis' work.

I do like Beau Travail, Trouble Every Day and to a lesser extent The Intruder.

Nenette and Boni, Chocolate, 35 Shots of Rum, Friday Night, Chocolat & No Fear No Desire have their moments but mostly felt underdeveloped.

My partner is more appreciative of Denis' work then I am.

I recently read a very positive review of her new film which stars Isabelle Huppert. Sounds interesting.



Edited By Precious Doll on 1257578349

[Reza]

Lily in Love (Karoly Makk, 1984) 2/10

A retread of Ferenc Molnar's The Guardsman set on a film set in Hungary. Christopher Plummer hams it up while Maggie Smith is radiant as his wife. What ugly grainy photography!

[Okri]

What do people here think of Denis' other films? I have Nenette and Boni sitting here from the library and I've glanced at I Can't Sleep a couple times.

I didn't care for Friday Night and hated Trouble Every Day. Really enjoyed Beau Travail.

[Damien]

I think Running on Empty is probably his best film, a pretty good screenplay that probably could've been a good bit more with an Eastwood or a Jonathan Demme at the helm. But in addition to Phoenix/Plimpton, I think Christine Lahti and Judd Hirsch are excellent, as well as Steven Hill in his short performance as Lahti's father. I've never really bought into his reputation as some great actor's director (his movies typically have one or a few really good performances mixed with some terrible ones), but Running on Empty, and not Network or Murder on the Orient Express, does the most to justify that reputation as far as I'm concerned.

I also think it's probably his best (or least bad) -- River Phoenix is just heartbreaking in it, and Martha Plimpton is lovely. (And Sabin, you're right -- the material screams out for Robert Muligan.)

I, too, don't get Sid's reputation as an "actor's director." As a friend of mine said nearly 30 years ago, "He's good with good actors, and bad with bad actors."

Case in point, Before The Devil Knows Your Dead. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is horrendous while a great performance is given by Ethan Hawke, whose birthday it happens to be today. I hope everyone is enjoying this most joyous of Holy Days!



Edited By Damien on 1257565064

[Sabin]

Running on Empty is a wonderful script that survives Sidney Lumet's perfunctory direction. The film screams out for Robert Mulligan. Both the beginning and the end of the film is emotionally devastating. I'm a little perplexed that it wasn't nominated for more Oscars, but 1988 was a pretty great year for films. You just wouldn't know it from the nominees. My vote goes to Dangerous Liaisons barely over Rain Man.

I feel the same about Beau Travail. One reason I'm so fond of 35 Shots is that it's her warmest film. I also quite like Trouble Every Day and FFriday Night.

I love Friday Night, so if it's warmer than that magical little film, I'm there.



Edited By Sabin on 1257550676

[dws1982]

I think Running on Empty is probably his best film, a pretty good screenplay that probably could've been a good bit more with an Eastwood or a Jonathan Demme at the helm. But in addition to Phoenix/Plimpton, I think Christine Lahti and Judd Hirsch are excellent, as well as Steven Hill in his short performance as Lahti's father. I've never really bought into his reputation as some great actor's director (his movies typically have one or a few really good performances mixed with some terrible ones), but Running on Empty, and not Network or Murder on the Orient Express, does the most to justify that reputation as far as I'm concerned.