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

Reza
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Big Magilla wrote:
Reza wrote
Dame Penelope Wilton
Nope, at least not yet anyway.

Penelope Wilton does have some interesting connections, though. She is the niece of Bill Travers and the ex-wife of both Daniel Massey (who divorced her to marry her sister) and Ian Holm.
Magilla she was made a dame in 2016.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Reza wrote
Dame Penelope Wilton
Nope, at least not yet anyway.

Penelope Wilton does have some interesting connections, though. She is the niece of Bill Travers and the ex-wife of both Daniel Massey (who divorced her to marry her sister) and Ian Holm.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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The Irishman (Martin Scorsese, 2019) 8/10

Scorsese returns to his favourite subject in this very long epic about the Mob which vividly captures a time and place in American history. It is also a return to form for Robert De Niro and the film celebrates the actor's reunion on screen with his favourite director. Steve Zaillian's languorous but sharply polished screenplay is an adaptation of Charles Brandt's book "I Heard You Paint Houses" which chronicles the life of Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a mafia hit man. Via flashbacks we view his rise from truck driver to gofer to hit man and being the most trusted right-hand man to Sicilian mafioso Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and corrupt union overlord Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). The film really comes alive due to all the colorful peripheral characters surrounding the stars and each stands out vividly. The de-aging CGI is hit and miss - all three stars had their faces transformed to a youthful look for the scenes set during the 1950s and 1960s - but in some shots their faces look deformed with Pesci resembling a hobbit. The film belongs to De Niro who is in almost every scene of this 3 and half hour film and gives an exceptional performance. Pacino is his usual animated self shouting out his lines littered with the trademark F-word. The film is sharply edited, has outstanding production design and a jaunty score by Robbie Robertson - the film's period is superbly evoked by a number of hit songs on the soundtrack. Rodrigo Prieto's exceptional camera work deserves an Oscar. One needs to watch this film more than once to get its full impact. There is far too much going on for the brain to capture in one sitting.

Downton Abbey (Michael Engler, 2019) 7/10

Pleasing big screen version of the long running tv series crams in a lot as the screenplay tries to do justice to the huge ensemble cast playing members of the upstairs and downstairs household. The Earl (Hugh Bonneville) and Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern) play hosts to King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) who come for a night to Downton Abbey. The entire household is in a flummox as they prepare for the Royal visit. The busy screenplay throws in everything - an assassination attempt, snobbish royal staff, a revolt and cunning manoeuvring by the downstairs staff, blackmail, secrets involving an illegitimate child, a sudden pregnancy, an unexpected romance, a catfight between the imperious Dowager Countess of Grantham (Dame Maggie Smith) and her estranged cousin (Imelda Staunton) and an amusing faux pas by one of the servants in front of the Royal couple. And since Hollywood is on a perpetual roll on political correctness the lone gay character, butler Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), gets to visit an approximation of a 1920s underground gay bar where he experiences a twirl on the dance floor, a brief jail stint followed by the promise of an affair. Everything AND the kitchen sink. Nostalgic big screen spin-off is exquisitely filmed with even greater production values than the series. And the film would not be complete without the hilarious acidic quips by Dame Maggie who has competition in this department from her long-time adversary played by the equally delightful Dame Penelope Wilton. Great fun revisiting these characters.

Cronaca di un amore / Story of a Love Affair (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1950) 9/10

Antonioni's elegant first film is inspired by James M. Cain's "The Postman Always Rings Twice". The lead role is played by Massimo Girotti, the actor who became a star in the first movie adaptation of that novel filmed by Luchino Visconti as "Ossessione" in 1943. The film drew the wrath of the neo-realists who viewed the film as a celebration of the upper classes as opposed to the working class which the director had championed in all his short films up to that time. It's a love story which is presented as a series of puzzles. It does not go the typical Hollywood route but presents two complex and not very likeable characters passionately in love with each other who share a sordid festering history from their past which is reignited after they meet quite unexpectedly after many years. Paola (Lucia Bosé) is a beautiful socialite and stuck in a boring loveless marriage to a very rich man. She has everything money can buy but there is an empty void in her which keeps her in a listless state of mind. Guido (Massimo Girotti) is her friend from the past who arrives in Milan to warn her that a detective has been inquiring into her past which involved a scandal involving her best friend who fell down a lift shaft and died. The deceased was about to be married to Guido who was also involved with Paola. Both could have saved her but they remained silent. Paola ran away to Milan and after a three month courtship married a rich man. The two now renew their affair with secret trysts in cheap hotel rooms and gradually the penniless man is goaded into a plan to kill the rich husband. As the story progresses we get to view the subtle changes in the characters' motivations as they move through their personal lives. Her life is one of luxury as she shops and socializes with the upper classes in Milan while he has no job and hustles for commissions. Their plan comes through but there is a twist after which Guido realises the selfish motivations of the woman he loves. Antonioni's film is a bleak and bitter comment on modern life which he presents as meaningless, boring and full of angst. Money does not bring happiness, relationships have ulterior motives and old mistakes are repeated. Superbly acted film is helped by the constantly moving camera of Enzo Serafin which follows the actors confined mostly to rooms in hotels, homes or in shops signifying a feeling of entrapment. The characters are trapped through circumstances and stuck in a bubble which is waiting to burst.

The Lady Lies (Hobart Henley, 1929) 5/10

Stiff early talkie with a static camera capturing the cast emoting as if on stage. A widower (Walter Huston), with two doting children, falls in love with a shopgirl (Claudette Colbert) causing shock waves for his brother who poisons the children's minds. The class structure gets a workout with the two leads in splendid natural form. Like all stage actors they adapted quickly to the film medium and became stars.

Maléfices / Sorcery / Where the Truth Lies (Henri Decoin, 1962) 6/10

Atmospheric noir goes through its paces with a plot about African sorcery in rural France. A vet (Jean-Marc Bory) visits a mysterious woman (Juliette Gréco) to check on her pet cheetah and falls passionately in love / under her spell - she lived in Africa so knows a thing or two about magic and her paintings and a statue appear to have powers. The jealous woman wills his wife (Liselotte Pulver) to fall sick. However, things are really not as they seem with a twist in the plot followed by an unexpected ending. The film's most memorable set piece is the film's location - the island of Noirmoutier in France with the Passage de Gois which is a road built on a natural sand bank leading to the island that gets flooded twice a day by the tide. The film opens with an aerial shot of the over 4km narrow road leading upto the island with the sea on either side and which plays an important part during the shocking denouement

The Black Scorpion (Edward Ludwig, 1957) 5/10

One of many films during the 1950s that preyed on human fear of insects. Here the scorpion gets a spin and to make the situation more fearful the plot has a nest of them and all gigantic in size. A combination of stop-motion animation and stock footage (from RKO's classic "King Kong" no less) creates the "monsters" causing havoc on a small Mexican town. A volcano eruption opens up a huge crevasse allowing giant scorpions to invade from caves deep inside the earth and cause mayhem in the countryside - animals and humans are stung, a train is derailed and a helicopter is tossed about. A geologist (Richard Denning who was earlier in another horror flick - "Creature From the Black Lagoon") teams up with the locals to try and come up with a solution to combat the dreaded monsters with a showdown in a huge stadium. Corny film has a certain kitsch appeal and is really not bad at all once you get involved in the plot. A giant worm and a huge spider also make appearances along with a spunky damsel (Mara Corday) - a rancher whose cattle go missing - who provides the love interest.

Riso amaro / Bitter Rice (Giuseppe De Santis, 1949) 10/10

The film that put statuesque 19-year old Italian bombshell Silvana Mangano on the map and for a time made fat thighs very much in vogue. The iconic image of her standing knee deep in a rice paddy with naked thighs and ample bust jutting out caused an uproar helping the film to huge boxoffice and notoriety when the film was condemned in the U.S. for being obscene. The film touches on a number of genres. The screenplay (by De Santis, Mario Monicelli and others) of this Italian neorealist film uses a noir plot at its center with strong underlying social commentary about the conditions of migrant workers in rice paddies in the Po valley. It is also a biting attack on American capitalism as eroding traditional Italian values. Added to this mix is a healthy dose of sex and steamy melodrama. A petty crook (Vittorio Gassman) and his partner / lover (Doris Dowling) hope to escape the cops by mingling with a train load of female migrant workers off to the rice paddies. He grabs hold of a sexy peasant woman (Silvana Mangano) dancing alone and twirls her around but then makes a run for it telling his partner to get onto the train. The two women get to know one another talk about the robbery and the crook who they both feel attracted to. The overseer, a discharged soldier (Raf Vallone), is attracted to the sexy peasant but she rebuffs him. Later when the crook returns he gets involved in a plot to steal the rice which leads to a melodramatic standoff between the two women both holding guns which ends up in a murder and a suicide. There is a strong sexual current running throughout the film - Gassman and Mangano have an erotic moment on the dance floor as she sways her hips and lifts her skirt moving to the beat of the music. Later he whips her with a stick as she hysterically writhes against a tree laughing and crying, falling down after which he has his way with her. Excessive to say the least. The film is replete with striking images helped in great part by the elegant camera movements of Otello Martelli who uses glorious tracking and crane shots across and above the rice fields. The sexist camera also zooms in on the women's cleavage and legs as they bend down in the fields or catches them in the barracks dressed in their undergarments. Santis' film is a mixture of various styles ranging from Italian realism to Mexican epics to American crime movies. Superb film is one of the great classics of Italian cinema and a must-see.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Ford v Ferrari (2019) James Mangold 4/10
Winter's Child (1989) Olivier Assayas 7/10
Earthquake Bird (2019) Wash Westmoreland 2/10
Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets (1971) Shuji Terayama 7/10
Parking (1985) Jacques Demy 5/10
Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles (2019) Salvador Simo 6/10
Tel Aviv on Fire (2019) Sameh Zoabi 8/10
A Room in Town (1981) Jacques Demy 2/10

Repeat viewings

Anna Karenina (1935) Clarence Brown 6/10
Le Jour se Leve (Daybreak) (1939) Marcel Carne 7/10
Savage Messiah (1972) Ken Russell 10/10*
O Lucky Man! (1973) Lindsay Anderson 9/10*
Bay of Angels (1963) Jacques Demy 10/10

*Its extremely rare these days for me go to and see something I own on DVD/Blu Ray on the big screen. However Savage Messiah is a personal favourite that I've only seen on the big screen once before back in the 1980s and in the case of O Lucky Man my DVD died last year and I never got around to watching it and have only ever seen the film on VHS back in the 1980s so it was something of a new experience seeing in a very large screen in a beautifully restored print.

Anyway, my experience re-watching these two films really hammered home to me that one cannot beat the big screen experience. These were two of my best big screen experiences of the year even if they were re-viewings.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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The Goldfinch (John Crowley, 2019) 4/10

Donna Tartt's sprawling Pulitzer prize winning novel comes to the screen as a series of vignettes completely devoid of any spark. The film is like looking at a mouth-watering Christmas cake with all the trimmings but the actual taste is insipid because the chef forgot to put in sugar. This coming-of-age story of 13-year old Theo - played superbly as a child by Oakes Fegley and blandly by Ansel Elgort as an adult) - who loses his mother during a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, finds in the wreckage and takes off with a rare Dutch painting ("The Goldfinch" by Carel Fabritius), is given shelter by a rich school friend's family whose matriarch (Nicole Kidman) bonds with him and just when she is planning to adopt him he is whisked off by his estranged alcoholic father (Luke Wilson) and his trailer trash girlfriend (Sarah Paulson). His lonely life gets somewhat of an uplift when he befriends a Ukrainian neighbor and school mate. When his father dies he runs away to New York and lives with an antique dealer (Jeffrey Wright). Years later he runs into his friend who confesses that he had stolen the painting from him and has used it as collateral in a drug deal. The plot just keeps getting thicker and thicker with violent confrontations with the drug dealers, his addiction to pills and an unrequited romance. It is all presented in an antiseptic manner with scenes lacking energy or drama. Roger Deakins rich cinematography is the only saving grace in this very disappointing film.

The King (David Michôd, 2019) 5/10

Straight forward screen adaptation of several plays from William Shakespeare's "Henriad". A fey Timothée Chalamet inherits the role of Prince Hal from Sir Kenneth Branagh by way of Sir Laurence Olivier, both of whom brought their intense and fiery acting prowess to the role. Prince Hal (Timothèe Chalamet), the wayward and wastrel son of King Henry IV (Ben Mendelsohn), is uninterested in his father's policies or the throne. He prefers to spend his time getting drunk and whoring in the company of his close friend Falstaff (Joel Edgerton). When he is disinherited by his father in favour of his younger brother he proceeds to upstage the latter during a battle to suppress a rebellion. Sometime after the death of his brother in Wales and the death of his father, young Prince Hal is crowned King Henry V. He starts his reign by opting for peace with his enemies which his nobles construe as weakness and he is goaded into war with France. With Falstaff heading the British army they meet the French forces at the Battle of Agnicourt winning a decisive victory. The French King surrenders to King Henry and offers the hand in marriage of his daughter Catherine (Lily-Rose Depp). Well acted film moves along at a snail's pace culminating in the ferocious battle with soldiers encompassed in mud and blood. Chalamet grows into the part and makes it his own in a very different interpretstion from both Olivier and Branagh. Skinny and child-like, the actor manages to transform into a haughty and regal monarch. Edgerton shines as the King's macho ally but Robert Pattinson is ridiculous as the Dauphin speaking with a hilarious accent. The film, eschewing Shakespeare's language, becomes just another film about a ruler wading through a troubled life who manages to successfully lead his troops to war. There is nothing distinguished about this project but ensures a modum of respectability in its depiction of a certain time and place.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Reza wrote: Palm Beach (Rachel Ward, 2019) 6/10

The film is a glittering Australian advertisement for living in a spectacular condo right across a beachside location, the titular Palm Beach in New South Wales. The plot is a throwback to "The Big Chill" as three couples, all old friends and now on the far side of middle age, get together for a reunion to celebrate a birthday. The birthday "boy" (Bryan Brown) and his wife (Greta Scacchi) invite their best friends (Sam Neill, Jacqueline McKenzie, Richard E. Grant, Heather Mitchell) for the weekend which predictably unearths long simmering issues while getting drunk and feasting on crab, lobster and cake as an eclectic collection of songs play in the background. This affluent shtick is all too familiar but the engaging and very game cast make it all look beautiful under the astute direction of Rachel Ward who ensures every character gets their moment in the sun. And of course her film is a love letter to her country which should help the tourist trade.


The Cat and the Canary (Radley Metzger, 1978) 7/10


The Betsy (Daniel Petrie, 1978) 4/10
Despite being poorly received by local critics Palm Beach was something of a hit at the box office, though everyone I know who saw the film grumbled about not caring for it, including myself. It rightly received zero nominates for Australia's 'Oscars'. I also wouldn't use the film as 'tourist bait' at least at the moment. We are still a few weeks away from the start of summer and much of the east coast of Australia is on fire, which has taken the lives of a few hundred koala's in the process (endangered species alert). In Sydney we have had more hazardous smokey polluted air quality in the last couple of weeks which is far more than I have experienced during my entire lifetime with all the combined bushfires over the last 40 or so years and the situation up north is far far worse.

Nice to see some appreciation for The Cat and the Canary (1978) which I've always had a degree of affection for and The Betsy is probably not good viewing now but I loved it as a teenager, so much so that I saw it twice at the cinema. I do have it on DVD and intend to revisit it - goodness knows what I'll think over 40 year later :lol:
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Flaming Youth (John Francis Dillon, 1923) 5/10

During the sexual revolution of the jazz age a flapper (Colleen Moore) falls in love with her late mother's lover (Milton Sills). The film defined the rip-roaring 1920s with the rich partying hard and loving with complete sexual abandon. It brought Colleen Moore super-stardom and was a defining role for her. The film is sadly lost and only an 11-minute sequence survives - a scene set at a party and attended by Moore and Sills as they sit on the sidelines watching the other guests cavorting in silhouette through a fountain of spray, dancing in their wet underwear and jumping into a pool. Moore, with her distinct bob and vivacious manner, vividly stands out amongst the other cast members.

Behind That Curtain (Irving Cummings, 1929) 4/10

This film typifies all the negative aspects of the early talkies. A static camera and stiff performances by the cast speaking their dialogue in a halting manner as if they were emoting in a silent film. Once thought lost this film holds the distinction of being the third Charlie Chan murder mystery and the first as a talking picture although the Chinese detective - played here by Korean actor E.L. Park - appears in only three very short scenes. The plot instead revolves around a murder and a love triangle. A young heiress (Lois Moran) jilts her long time best friend (Warner Baxter) and gets married to a shifty womanizer (Phillip Strange) much to the dismay of her uncle and guardian. The old man had hired a detective to check on the suitor but is murdered before he can provide concrete evidence of his past discretions. The globetrotting plot moves from London to India and on to Iran and San Francisco where the murderer is exposed. The film's middle section, set in exotic India, is interesting where the young woman discovers that the cad she is married to is having sex with their local maid followed by her escape from his clutches with the help of her best friend. Both go off riding into the desert towards Iran. Boris Karloff plays a mostly mute Indian man-servant in his talkie debut. The dramatic denoument involving Charlie Chan takes place in San Francisco. Cummings reunited with Baxter here after recently have worked on "In Old Arizona" for which the actor won an Oscar. Here everyone is hilariously stiff including during a love scene between Baxter and Moran as they mouth dialogue with exaggerated pauses. Clearly a curiosity piece and strictly for die-hard fans of early cinema.

A Lawless Street (Joseph H. Lewis, 1955) 7/10

One of many Randolph Scott B-westerns from the 1950s which stand the test of time. The plot consists of familiar tropes - weary sheriff, having spent a lifetime of killing, has to deal with a villain from his past who is out to get him - but Scott here creates a character who, through subtle facial and body movements, conveys fear, regret of lost opportunities and the realization that he lives on borrowed time. He is adept at keeping up a facade of confidence in front of the townfolk. Not only having to face the killer he also has to deal with two businessmen planning a takeover of the town along with the arrival of a showgirl (Angela Lansbury) who happens to be his long estranged wife and for whom he still harbors deep feelings. Lewis and his cameraman, Ray Rennahan, line up most scenes in tight shots which are mostly filmed indoors creating tension while providing the film with an atmosphere of a noir. The film has a remarkable supporting cast of character actors - Wallace Ford, Ruth Donnelly, John Emery, Jean Parker, Jeannette Nolan - all of whom give vivid performances. Lansbury gets to sing and dance creating heartfelt fireworks in all her scenes with Scott.

October (Shoojit Sircar, 2018) 2/10

Varun Dhawan tries to offset his image of the goofy rambunctious star of masala cinema by appearing in dead-serious mode in this dreary drama. A spoilt, obnoxious know-it-all (Varun Dhavan) finds redemption when a casual acquaintance and work colleague - they both intern at a big hotel - accidently falls off a balcony, gets paralyzed and spends most of the film comatose in a hospital bed. A friend tells the young man that she asked for him just before she fell and he becomes obsessed with finding out why. Spending all his time at her bedside he falls in love with her and like every good Bollywood hero discovers that he can care for someone other than himself - a journey of self-discovery and his coming-of-age. This is such a downbeat film with nothing new to say except allow the leading actor to display his acting chops to show his critics that he can "act".

Palm Beach (Rachel Ward, 2019) 6/10

The film is a glittering Australian advertisement for living in a spectacular condo right across a beachside location, the titular Palm Beach in New South Wales. The plot is a throwback to "The Big Chill" as three couples, all old friends and now on the far side of middle age, get together for a reunion to celebrate a birthday. The birthday "boy" (Bryan Brown) and his wife (Greta Scacchi) invite their best friends (Sam Neill, Jacqueline McKenzie, Richard E. Grant, Heather Mitchell) for the weekend which predictably unearths long simmering issues while getting drunk and feasting on crab, lobster and cake as an eclectic collection of songs play in the background. This affluent shtick is all too familiar but the engaging and very game cast make it all look beautiful under the astute direction of Rachel Ward who ensures every character gets their moment in the sun. And of course her film is a love letter to her country which should help the tourist trade.

Visions of Light (Arnold Glassman, Todd McCarthy & Stuart Samuels, 1992) 7/10

The camera is turned back on the artists who created magic on the screen as they discuss their art. From the silent era's Billy Bitzer who shot films for D.W. Griffith to the legendary Gregg Toland and his deep focus shots in "Citizen Kane" to the expressionistic noirs of the 1940s and onto the exciting monochrome works created by Haskel Wexler ("Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?") and Conrad Hall ("In Cold Blood"). The second half of the documentary has detailed commentaries on how colour was used in imaginative ways by Gordon Willis ("The Godfather"), Michael Chapman ("Taxi Driver"), Allen Davieu ("ET"), Bill Butler ("Jaws), William Fraker ("Rosemary's Baby"), Nestor Almendros ("Days of Heaven") and Vittorio Storarro ("Apocalypse, Now", "The Last Emperor"). With improved technology innovative ideas became easy to put across the screen. Surprisingly the films of Hitchcock and Kubrick get a shortshrift with only a cursory glance while world cinema is totally ignored. Indulgent stars are served memorably by the cameramen - both Garbo and Dietrich are seen with their faces lit by William Daniels and Lee Garmes while Claudette Colbert insists on her face being shot only from one side in all her films. This is an interesting film to see as an introduction to the art of cinematography but it could have achieved much more if it was of longer length and covered German, Russian, French, Italian and Japanese cinema as well to show that there were innovative cinematographers outside Hollywood who left an even greater indelible mark on the medium.

Fat City (John Huston, 1972) 8/10

Huston's favourite theme of focusing on losers and the down-and-out is adapted by Leonard Gardner from his own novel. Haunting sad vision of the American Dream gone wrong with the plot revolving around two boxers. The old one (Stacy Keach) is on his way down, shacked up with a pathetic barfly (Susan Tyrrell) who gets one last chance at glory in the ring. The cocky younger man is full of meaningless dreams about his future and in a dull relationship with his pregnant wife (Candy Clark). Both men are losers with big dreams but stuck and struggling in a small derelict town. Huston brings a strong sense of realism through his images - the boxing scenes have a raw edge to them and do not look staged - and the characters have a strong touch of theatricality infused in them as they interact with each other with dialogue that seems to be improvised â la John Cassavetes. Keach is outstanding and this film should have made him a huge star but the film tanked, disappeared and is rarely talked about today. Tyrrell was nominated for an Oscar as the annoying and bloated harridan. The film is bookended with Kris Kristofferson's hit song, "Help Me Make it Through the Night".

Greenfingers (Joel Hershman, 2001) 6/10

Innocuous British film resembles an Ealing comedy with flashes of charm amongst the clichés. A convict (Clive Owen), with a perpetual frown - you just know he will change through the course of the film - is transferred to an open facility prison where he is coerced into becoming a gardener. A motley group - the old man suffering from cancer (an outstanding David Kelly) becomes a close friend - get together and plant a garden attracting the attention of a famed horticulturist (Helen Mirren) and her daughter with whom he falls in love. After being allowed to work outside the prison in gardens belonging to rich people he gets to participate in the Great British Gardening Show. The underdog triumphs over adversity. It's all rather silly but Owen, and particularly Kelley, make this fluff work. And Mirren, as the no-nonsense and imperious author / gardener, is a delightful sight in her floral dresses and large hats.

The Cat and the Canary (Radley Metzger, 1978) 7/10

Stage chiller which was adapted for the screen as a stylish silent in 1927 and as the Bob Hope comedy-thriller in 1939 gets taken out of mothballs once more by a director of hardcore porn flicks who adds blood, sex, sadism and comes up with an old fashioned but campy remake helped by an eclectic cast. These one-shot and has-been stars come together - in fact they have all been pretty famous in one medium or another - in the classic setting of a grand English mansion during a storm. Family members gather for the reading of a will on camera by their long dead Uncle Cyrus (Wilfred Hyde-White) who baits them and calls them all greedy bastards. The motley group consists of an elegant bitchy lesbian (Honor Blackman), her placid lover (Olivia Hussey), a war hero turned stunt man (Peter McEnery), a doctor (Daniel Massey) with a sordid past, an American songwriter (Michael Callan), a dizzy blonde (Carol Lynley), the old man's lawyer (Dame Wendy Hiller) and the faithful but sinister housekeeper (Beatrix Lehmann). The guests are informed that an heir will be revealed and if after 12 hours in the house the heir dies or goes insane there would be an announcement of a second heir thus setting up a gleeful case of in-fighting amongst the feuding cousins, the possibility of murder which is confirmed when a local doctor (Edward Fox) arrives and announces there is a lunatic on the loose. Also adding to the drama is a valuable necklace which is hidden in the house. People start disappearing, secret rooms and passages are discovered and a cloaked disfigured prowler sneaks around the creaky corridors. The plot is a witty tongue-in-cheek parody of an Agatha Christie mystery complete with a twist ending. The ensemble cast throw themselves into their roles playing at a high pitch with each making their mark and clearly having fun with this over-the-top material.

The Cat and the Canary (Elliott Nugent, 1939) 8/10

John Willard's stage play from 1922 was filmed as a silent in 1927 and then slightly re-tailored in this remake to accomodate Bob Hope's familiar brand of comedy. It retains the creepy atmosphere and chills helped in great part by Charles Lang's magnificent cinematography as he manoeuvres his camera through the dark shadows of the derelict mansion in the middle of the Louisiana bayou. A group of relatives are summoned to their uncle's old house for the reading of his will. The declared heiress (Paulette Goddard) finds herself in jeopardy as the will states that if she were to die or go insane the fortune would pass on to a second relative. Adding to the terror is an escaped lunatic from a nearby asylum as he creeps about the dark corridors waiting to kill. With Bob Hope around the film neatly balances comedy and drama with the actor's hilarious quips keeping things light in the midst of all the terror. Old fashioned haunted house plot includes the memorable presence of Gale Sondergaard as the sinister Creole housekeeper. Hope and Goddard's delightful chemistry resulted in the studio quickly churning out "The Ghost Breakers" the following year, a similar tale full of chills set in a haunted castle.

Midway (Roland Emmerich, 2019) 7/10

The decisive Battle of Midway, during WWII, completely changed the course of the war in the Pacific leading to the defeat of Japan. Emmerich systematically weaves the complicated chain of events starting with the United States entering the war after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. From then on it became a battle of wits as the American fleet clashed with the Imperial Japanese Navy. The screenplay follows the real-life events viewing it through the heroic efforts of the American leaders and soldiers as they battle the enemy above and below the ocean. The spectacular visual effects take precedence over detailed character development, which can be easily forgiven considering its only a 2-hour film, but unlike the 1976 film version there are thankfully no fictional characters or cheesy love stories hampering the historical facts. The main thrust of the story focuses on two soldiers - gung-ho pilot Dick Best (Ed Skrein) who led his dive bomber squadron at Midway and intelligence officer Edwin Layton (Patrick Wilson) whose team of code breakers predicted the attack at Midway. We get glimpses of the commanding officers - Admiral Chester Nimitz (an understated Woody Harrelson) and Vice Admiral William "Bull" Halsey (Dennis Quaid) - as they steer the attack from the back. There is a tense sequence with Jimmy Dolittle (Aaron Eckhart) who leads a squadron and bombs Tokyo which was a great boost to the morale of the soldiers, especially after the devastation suffered at Pearl Harbor. The execution of the dive bombing aviation scenes are shot with jaw-dropping authenticity using a combiniation of expert editing, visual effects and sound design creating an incredible rush putting the audience right into the horrors of the battle itself. Fast paced war film is well acted by the ensemble cast - Nick Jonas (Mr Priyanka Chopra) stands out in two short but memorable scenes. The film really does not deserve the thrashing it has received from many critics and though it may look like a loud video game the film does manage to effectively bring alive actual flesh and blood heroes from the historical past almost forgotten by today's generation who sadly live on a diet of Marvel comic book heroes instead.

Ford v Ferrari (James Mangold, 2019) 7/10

When Enzo Ferrari goes back on his initial deal and refuses to sell his Company to Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) it sets up a chain of events that urges the insulted and humiliated Ford to create a racing car to beat Ferrari at the annual Le Mans race. The two men who play a vital role in bringing to fruition Ford's "revenge" are Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), a former racing driver - automotive designer and Ken Miles (Christian Bale), an English sports car racing engineer and driver. The vehicle that defeats the Ferrari is the newly designed high-performance endurance racing car, the Ford GT40. Mangold's thrilling, if excessively overlong, drama has superbly staged and edited action sequences on the race track. At the story's center is the often bristly relationship between the two men who not only join hands together but have to constantly stay two steps ahead of Ford's envious executive team as they try to put obstacles in their path. Bale is superb as the hot-tempered struggling mechanic and is matched every step of the way by Damon who is funny and untimately very moving as the often flamboyant entrepreneur who takes on the challenge and champions the driver who is initially rejected by Ford and his team. There is great attention to period detail and the screenplay vividly depicts the tragedy and emotional triumphs of the sport.

Bahubali: The Beginning (S.S. Rajamouli, 2015) 8/10

This old fashioned and crowd-pleasing Tamil & Telugu (also dubbed into Malayalam, Hindi, Japanese, Russian and Chinese) spectacle has elements of Indian mythology (from the life of Lord Krishna). The film's claim to fame is its huge budget - the most expensive to come out of India - and its success at the boxoffice surpassing every film ever made in the country until its sequel a year later which surpassed it. This is also one of the most visually stunning films, which apart from the spectacular scenic locations (Kerala & Bulgaria), has CGI magic to thank for it. A baby, saved from a river while being held above the waves by a submerged woman, is rescued by a villager and raised as his son. Bahubali (Prabhas) grows up possessed of great strength and fascinated by a huge waterfall over a cliff overlooking the village which he keeps trying to climb. Finally making it to the top he discovers snow clad mountains, a rebellious warrior (Tammannah Bhatia) whom he tattoos and makes love to during a song and dance number and discovers his past in a kingdom ruled by a despot (Rana Daggubati) who has imprisoned an old woman (Anushka Shetty). The film goes straight for the jugular with its over the top set pieces - a giant bull subdued by the despot, an escape from an avalanche straight out of a Bond flick, stunts in slow motion and battle scenes clearly inspired by Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The film reverts to a long flashback sequence during the middle which explains the relationship of Bahubali with the old woman (who turns out to be the former Queen of the State), with the despot and the woman (Ramyan Krishnan) who drowned trying to save him. Notwithstanding the corny overblown dialogue and mostly wooden acting - both the male leads flex their muscles and contort their faces either in anger or in ecstacy - this is a film that holds edge-of-the seat interest throughout. You have to be a devotee of Indian cinema to completely get and understand the exaggerated nuances of the characters and the dramatic situations. The film's best performance is by Krishnan as the Queen Mother and former regent of the kingdom, an egoistic but skilled fighter and a strong leader whose one mistake results in her atonement through an ultimate sacrifice. All credit for the film's look and its ultimate success rests at the feet of the innovative director Rajamouli who brings back memories of classic films from Bollywood's very distant past.

Barricade (Gregory Ratoff, 1939) 4/10

An alcoholic reporter (Warner Baxter) and a chorus girl from Brooklyn posing as a bogus Russian (Alice Faye) get caught up during the war in China and find themselves beseiged in the American Consulate by bandits. A subject Hollywood found fascinating during the 1930s - stick white folk in an exotic country and have them terrorized by coloured "savages". This one doesn't have anything new to say. Baxter is good but Faye, in a non-singing role, is merely annoying speaking with a faux Russian accent. The film had a troubled shoot and was shelved and then cut and released after Alice Faye became a huge star courtesy of her hit musicals.

The Appointment (Sidney Lumet, 1969) 8/10

Lumet's arty take on a dream-like obsessive love story, steeped in jealousy and possessiveness, is set in ravishing Rome. A lawyer (Omar Sharif) spots and follows an enigmatic beauty (Anouk Aimée) on the street and is later surprised to discover that she is the girlfriend of his friend. Later he is informed that the two have broken up so he desperately seeks her out and they strike up a friendship. Both appear to be awkward tormented souls as they circle one another with their sad eyes speaking volumes. Nothing much happens as the camera follows them on walks through the streets, boat rides on the ocean and trysts in the countryside (with the camera slowly rising high above them) as a silent sexual tension runs between them. His obsession with her turns to jealousy as he begins to suspect if she is a prostitute. An unusual and puzzling departure for Lumet - shooting outside New York on European locations, using Antonioni's cameraman (Carlo De Palma) and Fellini's costume and production designer (Piero Gherardi) with a plot that moves at a snail's pace. The two stars make a lovely pair on screen and there is a vivid cameo by Lotte Lenya playing a sinister shop owner with vaguely predatory tendencies - is she a pimp? The film was a failure and never released in America after its premiere at the Cannes film festival where it was shown in competition. Stylish film is one of Lumet's most underated and forgotten gems.

The Betsy (Daniel Petrie, 1978) 4/10

Much before Jackie Collins became a household name as the successful author of trashy novels many of us, during our teen years, turned to the sleazy potboilers of Harold Robbins for a healthy dose of sexual titillation. He churned out stories, often about rich people, who loved to fuck, describing the various forms of the sexual act in lurid detail whilst making each book a feverish page turner. He sold millions of copies and Hollywood adapted many for the big screen. This one was a thinly veiled story about an aged auto tycoon and his family obviously based on Henry Ford, Sr. and his sons. The distinguished all-star cast is led by Laurence Olivier, as the old tycoon, giving a hammy performance and speaking with a hideous Texan accent - a role which he accepted strictly for a hefty paycheck. He also gets to bed a maid while his daughter-in-law (Katharine Ross) watches in awe - she later jumps into his bed too which eventually leads to his son's suicide. His grandson (Robert Duvall) is perpetually annoyed and disturbed having witnessed, as a child, his grandfather screwing his mother AND seeing his father commit suicide on the very same day. He wants to disinvest from the auto business and clashes with the old man who has delusions of grandeur hiring a race car driver (Tommy Lee Jones) to create a new car with greater fuel efficience which he wants to leave behind as his legacy. The car is to be called "Betsy", named after his great grand daughter (Kathleen Beller) who has an affair with the race driver who in turn also finds time to bed a jet-setter (a ravishing Lesley Anne Down with and without her clothes). The film's overheated situations are pure camp with most of the cast going through their paces looking rather bored. It is left to the great Olivier to carry the film which he easily does like a pro, aging from 45 to 85, throwing hissy fits and basically going way over-the-top playing to the gallery. All his scenes are fascinating to watch which unfortunately still doesn't compensate for the overall dredge this film turns out to be. It is all superbly photographed (Mario Tosi) and scored (John Barry).

Ophelia (Claire McCarthy, 2018) 7/10

Shakespeare's "Hamlet" as seen through the eyes of the girl he loves with none of the dialogue in the rhythmic poetic form of the play. The tragic tale, while faithful to most of the events, takes on a surprising twist at the end which almost has a soothing effect after all the political intrigue and blood. Ophelia (Daisy Ridley), a rebellious child, is taken into Elsinore Castle in Denmark by Queen Gertrude (Naomi Watts) and becomes her closest lady-in-waiting. With the country on the brink of war and amidst much political intrigue she attracts the attention of Prince Hamlet (George MacKay) and they conduct a secret affair leading to marriage. Meanwhile the King mysteriously dies and the Queen gets married to his brother Claudius (Clive Owen) who is declared the new ruler. Hamlet plots revenge while pretending to be mad. Ophelia discovers that Claudius killed his own brother to get to the throne and uses all her wits to stay alive especially when the King discovers that his secret is known to her. The play's tragic ending remains intact as Hamlet, Claudius and Gertrude meet their bloody end but with an obvious but imaginative twist. Ridley shines as the tough and resourceful young girl who tries to survive in a man's world made up of rules also dictated by the male sex. The story also gives a new and feminist slant to the character of Ophelia who in Shakespeare's play is almost a cipher and much misunderstood caught between her love and loyalty for both her father and Hamlet. Here she strides about almost like a man without fear and proves most resourceful in avoiding danger at every step. Gorgeous production includes exquisite costumes and cinematography. Shakespeare purists will be aghast but this film takes its cue from Game of Thrones and comes up with an intetesting interpretation.

Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (Henry King, 1955) 9/10

A Eurasian doctor (Jennifer Jones) in Hong Kong falls in love with a married correspondent (William Holden) with tragic results. One of the great old-fashioned romances of all time. Corny? Yes......but superbly packaged film in cinemascope blending great production values, location, music and performances. This is one of Jennifer Jones' best roles and she has wonderful on-screen chemistry with William Holden who was on a roll during the 1950s, appearing in many hit films. It is to the credit of both stars that they appear so convincing as lovers on screen because in reality they detested each other and barely spoke on set. The memorable title song won an Oscar as did the score by Alfred Newman and the film's chinese inspired costumes. The film, Jennifer Jones, the art-direction, sound design and Leon Shamroy's glossy cinematography were all nominated.

Surrender (William K. Howard, 1931) 4/10

Stylishly directed and photographed film is stuck with a turgid screenplay and stiff acting. A young German aristocrat (Leila Hyams) is pursued by the scarred commandant (Ralph Bellamy) of a POW camp next to the castle of her old benefactor (Sir C. Aubrey Smith). The latter's son (Alexander Kirkwood) is her fiancé but she falls in love with a french officer (Warner Baxter) who is a prisoner at the camp. Hyams is pretty but cannot act, Smith overacts, shouts his dialogue and plays to the gallery and Baxter looks bored throughout. Bellamy easily steals the film as the embittered German officer with half his scarred face covered. James Wong Howe's innovative camera movements are rare for an early talkie which tries to copy one of Josef von Sternberg's exotic melodramas but the pace is too slow and the cast just not up to it.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (Mervyn LeRoy, 1944) 4/10

Turgid overlong film depicts the events leading up to the surprise bombing raid on Tokyo and Yokohama which was a carefully planned attack by an air squadron led by Lt. Colonel James H. Doolittle (Spencer Tracy). After Pearl Harbor this successful raid proved to the Japanese that they were just as vulnerable as they had found the Americans in Hawaii. The film was shot while WWII was raging around the world and is pure propaganda like many similar themed films and were instrumental in boosting morale during those extremely difficult times. The main thrust of the story is spent depicting the training and comraderie between the young volunteer pilots - Robert Walker, Don DeFore, Stephen McNally, Robert Mitchum - who have signed up for the secret mission. Upcoming star Van Johnson gets the lead role of Ted Lawson (based on his book), the newly married pilot who leaves behind his pregnant wife (Phyllis Thaxter) to lead the dangerous mission which ends up in a crash landing on Chinese territory. The actual raid on Tokyo is never shown. Typical MGM antiseptic gloss recovers briefly during the scenes with the no-nonsense Tracy who effortlessly stands out despite a role that is just a cameo. The flight sequences and the crash landing brought the film an Oscar for its special effects and a nomination for the cinematography by Robert Surtees and Harold Rosson.

Luce (Julius Onah, 2019) 8/10

Provocative #MeToo issue is dealt with in an in-your-face manner which is now bordering on an obsession in the United States. And to make it even more sensational the plot is centered on the "black" subtext, an issue that continues to haunt the nation to the point of self flagellation. A handsome, clean-cut, straight A student (Kelvin Harrison Jr), soon to be high school valedictorian, is the perfect example of the all-American teenager. He is the adopted son of an affluent couple (Tim Roth & Naomi Watts) with a few minus points on his life's "resumé" - he is black and was adopted by his white parents from war-torn Eritrea. He also has a smarmy side and is easily able to manipulate situations to go in his favour when the deck is stacked against him. The shit hits the fan when after reading a troubling piece of homework his teacher (Octavia Spencer) invades his private space and finds illegal fireworks in his school locker. Bringing it to the notice of his parents it opens up a pandora's box raising many questions despite his denial of knowing anything about the contraband item since he claims that other friends often kept their stuff in his locker too. Is the boy still harbouring seemingly suppressed violence from his childhood? His parents are initially suspicious but decide to give him the benefit of the doubt but are they doing it out of white guilt or out of genuine love. Is the black middle class teacher resentful of the boy's affluent lifestyle and taking out her own frustrations (she has a drug addicted sister) on the innocent young man? Hard hitting drama about complex issues that deconstruct stereotypes and how people of colour are set up to fail. Well acted film by the entire cast betrays its stage origins as characters get to confront each other with long monologues making it an actors' showcase. The fireworks are used in the screenplay as a MacGuffin in order to confront serious issues prevailing in American society and the debate about race and class is presented with suspense.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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dws1982 wrote:
Precious Doll wrote: American Factory (2019) Steven Bognar & Julia Riechert 4/10

Casualties of War (1989) Brian De Palma 9/10
Sad to see a low rating for the Bognar and Reichert documentary; I haven't watched it yet, but their A Lion in the House was easily a top five film of the 2000's, in my opinion.

Love Casualties of War; haven't seen it in year, but it may be my top Vietnam film, and maybe my top film of 1989, period.
I was pretty underwhelmed by American Factory. It didn't expose me to anything I already wasn't well aware of and it didn't even anger me because with more than 20 years of workers conditions being systemically eroded across virtually all industries globally its become so normalised that I can't muster up any more emotions about the issue only disdain and shaking of the head. That the filmmakers chose a Chinese owned factory made me a little uncomfortable because during the last couple years of my working life I had to deal with a lot of anti-Chinese sentiment in the workplace and it became rather wearing. I do not believe that was the filmmakers intention and the article on the film in the Sep/Oct edition of Film Comment may clarify their intentions.

Casualties of War feels so much more relevant today that it did 30 years ago. I think that may be because the film was made 20 years after the events and in the following 30 years there have been so many more similar cases of barbaric behaviour in the armed services reported. I was also struck at just how great Michael J. Fox was in the film. I think at the time he was primarily known for light weight comedies and his appearance in this may have been jarring at the time but 30 years on he feels so right in the role - a truely great performance of sustained horror and helplessness. I'd never counted this film amongst top tier De Palma but this second viewing has upped my appreciation of the film to include this as one of his very best works.

Funnily enough I was partly prompted to revisit it as it was featured in the recent documentary What She Said about Pauline Kael. I've been wanting to watch it again for sometime but the Kael documentary gave me the shove I needed. Mean Streets is another film featured in the documentary that I have been meaning to get to again for ages now.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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[quote="Precious Doll"
American Factory (2019) Steven Bognar & Julia Riechert 4/10

Casualties of War (1989) Brian De Palma 9/10[/quote]
Sad to see a low rating for the Bognar and Reichert documentary; I haven't watched it yet, but their A Lion in the House was easily a top five film of the 2000's, in my opinion.

Love Casualties of War; haven't seen it in year, but it may be my top Vietnam film, and maybe my top film of 1989, period.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Trial by Fire (2019) Edward Zwick 2/10
The Art of Self-Defense (2019) Riley Stearns 4/10
Friendly Enimes (1942) Allan Dwan 4/10
American Factory (2019) Steven Bognar & Julia Riechert 4/10
Disorder (1986) Olivier Assayas 5/10

Repeat viewings

Peyton Place (1957) Mark Robson 10/10
Through the Olive Trees (1994) Abbas Kiarostami 7/10
Matewan (1987) John Sayles 8/10
The Officer's Ward (2001) Francois Dupeyron 8/10
Claire's Knee (1970) Eric Rohmer 10/10
The River (1951) Jean Renoir 9/10
Polyester (1981) John Waters 8/10
Casualties of War (1989) Brian De Palma 9/10
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Lucrèce Borgia (Christian-Jaque, 1953) 6/10

The Borgia family in Italy during the Renaissance as Lucrèce (Martine Carol) and her vile brother César (Pedro Armendàriz) go through their lives in an orgy of sex and violence. Lavish french production is shot in stunning colour by the great Christian Matras. The screenplay focuses on the love life of Lucrèce, her marriage of convenience and romance with a Spaniard (Massimo Serrato) and a lover (Christian Marquand) who is murdered by her brother who in turn nurses simmering incestuous feelings for his own sister. A merry-go-round of sex with scenes of nudity performed by Martine Carol who was the reigning sex symbol of french cinema until dethroned by Bardot. Stylish film with Carol too old to be playing the title character even though she gives it her valiant best despite a general white washing of the actual events due to censorship. The recent tv series on the Borgias was probably more true to form with its graphic sex and sinister court intrigues.

They Gave Him a Gun (W.S. Van Dyke II, 1937) 5/10

This film mixes a number of different genres - war, romance, gangster, noir and social. Two very different men - a boistrous carnival barker (Spencer Tracy) and an introverted hayseed (Franchot Tone) become close friends while drafted into the army during WWI. In Europe a romantic triangle forms when both men fall in love with a nurse (Gladys George). She loves the loudmouth but ends up getting married to his friend when the former is mistakenly declared dead. Upon his return from the "dead" he sacrifices his love when he sees that his friend, now a war hero and wounded in battle, is desperately in love with the nurse. Back home their lives intertwine when the barker discovers his former meek friend is in the racket business and upto no good which leads to an obvious conclusion. The social message of the film is a plea to the goverment to provide the means for proper assimilation of soldiers once they return from the battlefield - they are given guns to fight the enemy during wartime but if on their return there are no jobs available then its just as easy to pick up guns leading to unintended consequences.

Wuthering Heights (Peter Kosinsky, 1992) 7/10

Emily Bronte's book is very difficult to adapt because the plot hinges on the intense passion between the two main characters (Heathcliff & Cathy) and so far in every film version the actor playing Heathcliff ends up dominating. The films have never managed to capture Cathy's wild passion and selfish nature. Laurence Olivier, Timothy Dalton, Dilip Kumar (in the hindi version) and now Ralph Fiennes (with an intense scowl, piercing blue eyes and long hair) have all shined playing the brooding, passionate but cruel Heathcliff. This version is more complete as it follows the story to the end including the dramatic events in the lives of the children of the two main characters. French actress Juliette Binoche is an odd choice as Cathy but the Yorkshire moors of Bronte's novel are vividly brought to the screen with an interesting supporting cast - Janet McTeer, Sophie Ward, Jeremy Northam and Simon Ward.

The Skeleton Key (Iain Softley, 2005) 5/10

Gothic horror film set amongst the bayou backwoods. A nurse (Kate Hudson) takes a job at a spooky mansion to care for the stroke-felled owner (John Hurt) of a spooky mansion. The man's dotty old wife (Gena Rowlands) runs the house which includes an attic with a mysterious door leading into a secret room. Things keep going bump in the night leading to the discovery of ghosts and an old curse by way of hoodoo practitioners. Its all quite nonsense although Hudson gives it a go as the plucky damsel who wants to get to the bottom of the mystery about the house, its past and present occupants and the family lawyer (Peter Sarsgaard) who is eager to help her. Atmospheric film relies on cheap scares and gets derailed by far too many absurd skeletons in the screenplay.

Midsommar (Ari Aster, 2019) 4/10

Visually stunning film is hardly original in its conception as it takes its cue from any number of teen horror-slasher films - the "kids" here are university students - giving the proceedings an ominous cult touch straight out of "The Wicker Man" by way of Agatha Christie"s "And Then There Were None". An emotionally needy woman (Florence Pugh), suffering from a recent family tragedy, insinuates herself onto a summer trip to Sweden with her boyfriend (Jack Reynor) and his college buddies - one of whom is hosting the group at his ancestral home. None of the boys want her along and the ancestral "home" turns out to be a commune that quickly begins to resemble a hippie-like cult. The film gets points for flashy disorienting camera angles, the subtle visual effects which depict the mind-bending hallucinogens the group imbibe and the sun-kissed location (actually shot in Hungary). Once the film's horror quotient gets into overdrive the plot gets more and more absurd borrowing copiously and shamelessly from far superior films as it depicts lashings of blood (the skin flaying body from "The Silence of the Lambs") and sex (the copulation from "Rosemary's Baby" gets a retread as naked old women with sagging breasts chant and goad on a "fertility fuck" courtesy of Reynor who also gets to run around in flagrante delicto flapping his organ in uncharacteristic style for an American film as usually such scenes are strictly the titillating bane of the female actor). Just like Aster's previous film, "Hereditary", this too lacks originality or surprise. How can it be when his creations are mere "greatest hits" scenes taken from far superior films and stitched onto plots that are bizzare and unintentionally funny and absurd. And this one just goes on much too long making it very tedious to sit through.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael (2019) Rob Garver 8/10
Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019) Paul Downs Colaizzo 4/10
Happy New Year, Colin Burstead (2018) ben Wheatley 5/10
The Memory of Justice (1976) Marcel Ophuls 10/10
Honeyland (2019) Tamara Koetevska & Ljubomir Stefanov 4/10
Those Who Remained (2019) Barnabas Toth 6/10
The Fate of Lee Khan (1973) King Hu 7/10
The Purple Taxi (1977) Yves Boisset 4/10
Birds Do It, Bees Do It (1974) Nicolas Nixon & Irwin Rosten 5/10
Where Is the Friend's House? (1987) Abbas Kiarostami 6/10
An Average Little Man (1977) Mario Monicelli 8/10

Repeat viewings

My Winnipeg (2008) Guy Maddin 10/10
La Collectionneuse (1967) Eric Rohmer 6/10
And Life Goes On (1992) Abbas Kiarostami 8/10
Last edited by Precious Doll on Mon Nov 11, 2019 4:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Judy (Rupert Gould, 2019) 6/10

This sketchy screen biography is based on Peter Quilter's play, "End of the Rainbow, charting the last year in the life of the tired and tragic Judy Garland. In the role, making a screen comeback, is Renée Zellweger who spent the last few years facing sharp criticism from the public, press and the industry, who questioned her facial features after she went through a series of face lifts. It was exactly the sort of criticism Judy Garland, the child actor, faced at the start of her career as the studio and its head, Louis B. Mayer, took control of her life and put her on a regular regime of diet and sleeping pills. The film covers her dark early career via flashbacks as her life eventually spiralled out of control and 30-years later she found herself broke, a pill and alcohol addict battling her ex-husband, Sid Luft (Rufus Sewell), for custody of her two kids as nobody would hire her. Finally getting a gig in London, the star takes to the stage performing her repertory of songs - "Get Happy", "The Trolley Song", "You Made Me Love You", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "The Man That Got Away" and of course "Over the Rainbow". Zellweger, who sings all the songs herself, does not resemble or sound like the iconic star but still manages to get completely under her skin capturing her spirit and bringing her to life. Looking emaciated, just like Garland was in 1969, Zellweger goes through harrowing scenes bringing to life the star's unreliability and uncertainty who could be brilliant on stage during one performance while being literally poured into her dress and pushed on to the stage by assistants the following night as she battled stage fright while in an alcoholic stupor. Her seesaw life continued right to the end although she found some measure of happiness with Mickey Dean (Finn Wittrock) who would become her fifth and final husband. This film is very much a one-woman show just like Garland's stage performances were and Zellweger overcomes the superficiality of the project with her commanding presence giving what is easily her best screen performance.

The Chaperone (Simon West, 2019) 4/10

Exquisite production is such a damp squib. Julian Fellowes adapted the screenplay and the film has a whiff of "Downton Abbey" which deals with an early episode in the life of Louise Brooks (Hayley Lu Richardson) who would go on to become a dancer and silent-movie star during the 1920s and 1930s. Accepted at a prestigious dance school in New York she leaves her hometown of Wichita, Kansas and is chaperoned by a local matron (Elizabeth McGovern), who has her hands full keeping an eye on the sassy girl. The older woman has an agenda of her own for making the trip. Estranged from her husband (Campbell Scott) - a flashback reveals the reason for her marriage unravelling - she hopes to find her birth mother who left her in an orphanage when she was a child. She is disappointed when her mother (Blythe Danner), now married into money, wants nothing to do with her although is pleased to see her. Brooks' character is the backbone of this coming-of-age drama but apart from the familiar bob, which would go on to become her trademark "look", she seems like just any other horny teenager wanting to chase men for sex and attention. McGovern comes off better as the prissy woman who gets exasperated at the young girl's antics but recognizes her talent and also finds romance with a much younger jewish janitor (Géza Röhrig). The screenplay plays it safe avoiding issues of race, sex and resists anything provocative which makes the film a dull viewing experience.

Chance at Heaven (William A. Seiter, 1933) 2/10

Corny depression era drama involving a love triangle. Good natured garage owner (Joel McCrea), engaged to his childhood sweetheart (Ginger Rogers), falls head over heels in love with a dizzy rich blonde (Marian Nixon) from New York. The girl's mother breaks up the marriage and the lady waiting in the wings moves back in. Rogers and McCrea make a cute couple but this silly and implausable film is just a waste of time.

The Mysterious Doctor (Benjamin Stoloff, 1943) 5/10

Studio-bound horror film set in a small village in Cornwall during WWII. A headless ghost, assorted murders, a simple minded villager, a mysteriously abandoned tin mine, suspected Nazis, a feisty heroine (Eleanor Parker) and the local Baron (John Loder) are part of the formulaic but atmospheric plot.

Twenty Million Sweethearts (Ray Enright, 1934) 5/10

Cute musical was Ginger Rogers' first star-role. She gets to sing, romance a singing waiter (Dick Powell) who becomes a huge radio star helped by an unscrupulous agent (Pat O'Brien). Their marriage stumbles when he is romanced by "twenty million sweethearts" who fall in love with the crooner while listening to his songs on the radio. Powell, who is clearly the star here, introduces the hit number "I'll String Along With You". Despite Rogers getting her lead break she iss relegated to the sidelines. O'Brien does his usual obnoxious shtick. Remade loosely 15-years later as the Doris Day musical "My Dream Is Yours".

Ran (Akira Kurosawa, 1985) 10/10

Kurosawa's adaptation of Shakespeare's "King Lear" is a brilliant retelling which mixes Japanese history, Shakespeare's plot and his own feelings about loyalty. Set in medieval Japan, an aging ruler - Lord Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadi) - decides to bequeath his kingdom equally to his three sons with the eldest having overall control. The two older sons shower him with words of love and appreciation while the younger son opposes their father's move calling him mad and a fool for thinking the brothers will stay united. Outraged by his son's audacity he banishes him and tells his other sons that he will retain an entourage of 30 warriors and live out his old age visiting both in turn. The younger son's prophecy comes true and the old man finds both his sons turning against him - first the eldest who, goaded on by his wife, Lady Kaedo (Mieko Harada), turns him out of the castle. She had waited all these years to take revenge on the old man for slaughtering her family and she now ruthlessly sets her plans in motion. The second son also turns his back on the old man and the two brothers go into battle against each other with the eldest getting slain and their father going mad and wandering the heath with only the company of a loyal bodyguard and his ever-faithful court Fool. His life now in ruins he turns to his banished son, is forgiven by him but the final outcome has tragic results. This magnificent epic, after a return to form with "Kagemusha" in 1980 which was his last critically acclaimed film, consolidated his position as one of the world's greatest film directors. It was indeed bitersweet as this re-emergence came after facing years of disapproval from critics and the public, failing health and a suicide attempt. There are many memorable sequences in the film starting with the opening boar hunt with galloping horses against a vast barren background, a brutal battle sequence shot in complete silence except for a soaring score as soldiers are brutally killed by arrows and swords, a gentle scene of the old mad man sitting in a field of flowers and every scene involving the cold, ruthless and sexually charged Lady Kaedo. Kurosawa, the production design and the film's breathtaking cinematography were all nominated for Oscars. It took over two years for the stunning costumes to be painstakingly created which are highlighted in the film with Kurosawa often directing the actors against bland coloured backgrounds allowing the green, orange, red and yellow costumes to jump out of the screen in all their splendor. The costume designers won a richly deserved Oscar. One of the great classics of the screen and a must-see.

Chernobyl (Johan Renck, 2018) 10/10

In April 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics becomes one of the world’s worst man-made catastrophes. Superbly made 5-part miniseries recreates the events of that night with riveting intensity and follows through with its aftermath with edge-of-the seat suspense and horror. A wonderful cast - Emily Watson, Jessie Buckley, Stellan Skarsgård - is anchored by Jared Harris in the lead as Valery Legasov who was the chief of the commission investigating the disaster. Thoughtful, frightening story makes you think, especially with a nuclear reactor literally in Islamabad's back yard. Won 10 Emmy awards with Harris, Skarsgård and Watson all nominated for their performances.

Bande à part / Band of Outsiders (Jean-Luc Godard, 1964) 10/10

Exciting early Godard when his films had a raw and very breezy quality. Everything looks natural on screen - the actors and their seemingly unrehearsed antics (although he did rehearse them) have a natural spontaneity which in his later films became overly self conscious and arty. Two friends (Sami Frey & Claude Brasseur), both movie buffs, spend their time wandering aimlessly through Paris looking for excitement. They find "her" in an english class, a bubbly but naive young girl (Anna Karina), with whom both fall in love forming a doomed love triangle while modeling themselves on popular American culture and getting up to crazy antics - dancing spontaneously, observing a minute's silence, running through the Louvre and carrying out a robbery. Godard's fascination with Hollywood style gangsters and guns is never far away from his plots. They decide to rob money stashed at her aunt's house on a whim and out of boredom while playing out their fantasies. Like all Godard films the snappy editing, crisp (b/w) cinematography (Raoul Coutard) and a jazzy score (Michel Legrand) play their part in creating cinema magic. Great fun and Karina - Godard's muse then - is an absolute delight.

Fabiola (Alessandro Blasetti, 1949) 8/10

Blasetti's film was the first large-scale sword-and-sandal epic made after the war and had a lot in common with MGM's lavish colour production of "Quo Vadis?" which came out two years later. Loosely based on the novel by Nicholas Patrick Wiseman, the film covers Roman politics during the 4th century reign of Emperor Constantine who was fast becoming partial to Christianity. At the center of the conflict between the Romans and Christians is the romance between Fabiola (Michèle Morgan), daughter of a senator (Michel Simon), and a gladiator (Henri Vidal) who is secretly a spy for the Emperor and believer of the new faith. The senator's radical acceptance of the Christian faith and of freeing slaves puts him at odds with Roman aristocracy and he is murdered and the Christians are accused. It all ends grimly in the arena with persecuted Christians condemned to die as both lovers find themselves fighting for their lives and watched by the blood thirsty population. Massimo Giroti plays the gentle Saint Sebastian who is martyred. The original 3-hour version of the film was dubbed and drastically cut by an hour for english speaking countries. It loses much of its impact in this truncated version but manages to retain a lot of the spectacle in this handsome production. Morgan and Vidal began their ill-fated relationship during the film's shoot leading to an unhappy marriage (caused by his drug addiction) which ended with his death a decade later.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Sedotta e abbandonata / Seduced and Abandoned (Pietro Germi, 1964) 10/10

Germi's grotesque and hilarious comedy takes scornful digs at the hypocricies committed in the name of honour and justice. The savage screenplay, a misogynistic nightmare, takes a comic route in its dissection of Sicilian customs at the time - the crime of a minor's rape getting absolved in the eyes of the law if the perpetrator agrees to marry his victim. After a lunch party and during the afternoon siesta a young man (Aldo Puglisi), fiancé of his host's elder daughter, seduces the 15-year old younger daughter (Stefania Sandrelli). All hell breaks loose when the girl's father (Saro Urzì) discovers the girl's secret with matters bordering on mass hysteria when she is discovered to be pregnant. The angry and hapless father not only has to contend with his daughter's sullied honour but also has to face the villagers all of whom are following the scenario with glee. A deal is struck with the man's family - the elder daughter will break her engagement to their son, get engaged to an impoverished baron followed by the man getting married to the pregnant younger daughter. Matters instead go from bad to worse when the man, on second thought, insists on a wife who is a virgin and refuses to marry the girl who he seduced. A frantic plan is hatched, courtesy of a family lawyer, to get the cowardly brother of the girl to shoot her rapist so her honour is defended. Pandemonium ensues when the attempt is bungled and the police get involved. This serious subject is presented as an outright farce with Carlo Rustichelli's jaunty score and the frantic often over-the-top performances keeping things light. The film is stolen by the blustery Saro Urzì who gives an inspired comic performance as the old patriarch at his wit's end over the shenanigans of his brood of daughters. He deservedly won an acting prize at the Cannes film festival. Germi's inspired direction and the witty screenplay give even the most minor character a life arc as each stands out in a familiar and very funny way. Classic film is a must-see.

The Art of Racing in the Rain (Simon Curtis, 2019) 6/10

I hate it when a doggy dies in a film. It's the easiest way to wring tears from an audience. Actually it's a given that any story that revolves around a canine is going to be sentimental gush. This one allows a lead role to the tv star Milo Ventimiglia who plays a race car driver. Early on in the plot arrives the canine as he is picked up on a whim as a pup. The Golden Retriever is appropriately named Enzo - as in "Ferrari" - by his master and the film is narrated by the dog by way of gruff voiced Kevin Costner. The inbred oath of love, obedience and loyalty go hand in hand as he is witness to the ups and downs in the life of his master. Into their lives comes a girlfriend (Amanda Seyfried) and marriage followed by a daughter. Then tragedy strikes followed by a custody battle leading to a happy ending for the humans as well as the dog who doesn't go to heaven but according to Mongolian belief returns in human form. The philosophical thoughts by the dog threaten to get corny but if you are a dog lover its easy to forgive and wallow in all the goo on screen. Needless to say the dog is beautiful and a delight to watch.

A Dog's Journey (Gail Mancuso, 2019) 7/10

Why do these bastards always kill the dog? But in this sequel to "A Dog's Purpose", also based on the book by W. Bruce Cameron, the dog keeps getting reincarnated which is some consolation even if the death scenes bring on tears. Bailey, an elderly St. Bernard/Australian Shepherd mix, lives with his owner (Dennis Quaid) and his wife (Marg Helgenberger) on their Michigan farm. Also living with them is their late son's widow and baby daughter "CJ" (Emma Volk). The child's incompetent mother hates dogs, does not like her in-laws, dreams of being a singer and after an altercation moves out with her baby. Bailey is discovered to have cancer and while dying is told to look after baby "CJ". This sets up the reincarnation plot as the child grows up lonely and ignored by her mother with only different dogs in her life to keep her company. So Molly (a female Beagle), Big Dog (a male English Mastiff) and Max (a Biewer Terrier) come into her life and keep an eye on her as she goes through life aspiring to be a singer, reuniting with a childhood buddy with whom she finds love and returning back to her grandparents' home on the farm. Life comes around full circle for "CJ" and the dog Bailey. Sentimental story gets a boost with the presence of the delightful presence of different breeds of dogs (all voiced by Josh Gad). Joyful and heartwarming film strictly for dog lovers.

The Farewell (Lulu Wang, 2019) 6/10

This film seems to have touched a nerve considering its surprise boxoffice success especially in the United States. A gentle and often touching comedy-drama about Asian families with themes pretty much universal to almost all Asian countries. A Chinese family uses the excuse of a family wedding to get together in China after the matriarch (Shuzen Zhao) of the family is diagnosed with terminal cancer. They have collectively decided not to tell her about the seriousness of her illness so that her last few months are spent without worry. Her two sons, one living in Tokyo (who's son is getting married) and the other in New York, both arrive with their spouses. The only family member who opposes the idea of keeping the old lady in the dark is her grand daughter (Awkwafina) from New York. Raised in the United States she is at odds over her lifestyle with her conservative parents who have faced difficulty as immigrants adjusting between tradition and modernity. Awkwafina here is in sharp contrast to her previous role in "Crazy Rich Asians" - in fact I did not recognise her during the first half of the film - playing her part with a glum expression throughout getting the bulk of the film's rave reviews. I found her too one-note throughout and with a bad posture to boot, making her look like a hunchback. The film is stolen by the delightful Shuzen Zhao as the bossy old lady who is thrilled to have her family in her fold as she dispenses wise advice and despite her illness has a strong zest for life. A rather slight film which seems to have received an overrated positive reaction but which surprisingly avoids being overly sentimental and closes with a neat touch of positivity.

JoJo Rabbit (Taika Waititi, 2019) 3/10

As if we already didn't have to contend with the likes of Wes Anderson's hipster films, we get this one from Waititi where he apes Anderson with characters straight out of Hanna-Barbera cartoons. A satire of WWII, critics are going gaga calling it "a twisted piece of grandly entertaining provocation", and "a feel-good movie" with "belly laughs". Maybe I watched a different film because I found this to be a self indulgent mess with every joke not only repetitious but falling completely flat - the repeated "Heil Hitler" salutes grate badly. The best sequence is during the opening credits with the Beatles singing the german version of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as newsreels of germans saluting Hitler flash on screen. The film takes a downward trajectory right afterwards and continues on that path all the way to the end. A 10-year old boy desperately wants to be the best possible Nazi, a murderer of jews, defender of the motherland and has as his imaginary best friend Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi - horribly grotesque and unfunny doing a mincing take of Michael Palin during his Monty Python sketch). The child fails his Nazi military training at a youth camp, is branded a coward and gets scarred and injured when a grenade explodes - Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson and Alfie Allen play the goofy and psychotic officers in charge of the kids and are NOT funny doing their exaggerated shtick. Back home he is horrified to discover that his activist mother (a droll Scarlett Johansson taking a welcome break from the Marvel universe) has hidden a young jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) inside their house. He is surprised to find her quite normal and unlike the image in his mind of jews having horns and tails. The screenplay goes through great pains to repeatedly paint a picture of jews presented as racist stereotypes which the child has always throught to be the truth and which he later discovers to be untrue and a myth after interacting with the girl in hiding. I'm not sure who this whole idea was aimed at and if it was Waititi's jewish ancestry making him rebuke old common-held but nonsensical beliefs held throughout history about the jewish race. Nobody today even remotely believes that silly view although it may have been more apt to compare Israeli jews to Nazis - what Nazis did to the jews during the War, the jews have done the same to the Palestinians today. Now THAT might have been something worth exploring. Instead we get an overdose of absurdity posing as comic satire. Best stick to Mel Brooks' "The Producers" instead where it was really "Springtime for Hitler" bringing on genuine laughs.

La notte brava / The Big Night (Mauro Bolognini, 1959) 10/10

The wasted existence and moral decay of modern youth is the subject of Pier Paolo Pasolini's sex charged screenplay based on his own novel. The film covers the escapades over one day and night in the lives of three aimless small-time crooks (Laurent Terzieff, Jean-Claude Brialy, Franco Interlenghi) who have stolen a few guns and hope to fence them to make a quick buck. As decoys they pick up two prostitutes (Antonella Lualdi, Elsa Martinelli) who they find in the midst of a catfight and take them along. After unsuccessful attempts to get rid of the guns the girls take them to a person who pays them off. Picking up another prostitute (Anna Maria Ferrero) the three men plan on having sex with the girls and dumping them in the countryside. Instead the girls turn the tables on them and run off with their money. Not finding them they get involved in a fight with another gang, pick up three homosexuals and end up at a party - clearly implying the aftermath of an orgy as the men are seen casually reclining on sofas and the floor - where one of them steals the wallet of their gay host (Tomas Milian) and another falls in love with the host's sister (Mylène Demongeot who has a great scene lying asleep in bed (shades of Marilyn Monroe) as the sheet covering her is removed revealing her naked back down to her brief panties). One of the men escapes with the stolen wallet and goes to the house of his girlfriend (Rosanna Schiaffino) while the others continue their aimless wanderings leading to the dawn of another day. The fantastic cast, helped by the raw dialogue, bring a very modern touch to the proceedings. Pasolini would go on to explore similar alienated youth in his own films except he would keep away from glamorous stars hiring non professionals instead which brought a strong sense of realism to his plots. This is one of Bolognini's least known works but easily one of his best. Superbly scored and photographed on actual outdoor locations the film comes alive due to the exceptional cast including the bevy of beauties - Lualdi, Martinelli, Ferrero, Demongeot and Schiaffino - all of whom made Italian cinema exciting with their talent and presence during the 1960s.

Gli indifferenti / Time of Indifference (Francesco Maselli, 1964) 8/10

Crumbling aristocracy, during the Italian fascist period, is the subject of this film adapted from Alberto Moravia's first novel. The plot revolves around five characters as they claw at each other to hold on to a lifestyle as the world changes around them. An old woman (Paulette Goddard) tries to evade bailiffs who are threatening to auction off her villa after she has failed to pay her mortgage. She lives in the house with her daughter (Claudia Cardinale), son (Tomas Milian) and best friend (Shelley Winters). Her predatory ex-lover (Rod Steiger), and supposed family friend and father-like fivure to her children pretends to come to her recue. In reality he is hoping to purchase the villa at a throwaway price. Having also had an affair with the old widow's best friend he now makes his move hoping to marry the daughter to ensure an aristocrat breed. Both the son and daughter are indolent refusing to give up their rich lifestyle with the brother even pimping for his sister. She decides to accept a loveless marriage to the parasite to maintain her lifestyle while her brother contemplates getting a job but finds it easier to live off his mother's rich older friend instead. Both prefer a life condemned to prostitution rather than forsake their class stature. Sumptuously produced film has sets and costumes resembling a film by Visconti with moody photography by the great Gainni Di Venanzo who lit many of the films by Fellini and Antonioni.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Dear Son (2018) Mohamed Ben Attia 6/10
Blinded by the Light (2019) Gurinder Chadha 4/10
Judy (2019) Rupert Goold 4/10
Harvest (1937) Marcel Pagnol 6/10
Gaza (2019) Garry Keane & Andrew McConnell 6/10
Dolemite Is My Name (2019) Craig Brewer 7/10
The Truce (1974) Sergio Renan 6/10
Sorry We Missed You (2019) Ken Loach 7/10
Lionheart (2019) Genevieve Nnaji 2/10
The Chambermaid (2019) Lila Aviles 6/10
My Son, My Son (1940) Charles Vidor 4/10
Adam (2019) Maryam Touzani 6/10
Like a Turtle on it's Back (1978) Luc Beraud 5/10
Another Day of Life (2018) Raul de la Fuente & Damian Nenow 6/10
The King (2019) David Michod 2/10

Repeat viewings

My Night at Mauds (1969) Eric Rohmer 9/10
Birdy (1984) Alan Parker 9/10
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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