last movie you watched

[keninlincs]

Yesterday we went to the cinema and watched "Florence Foster Jenkins " with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant it was a film that filled me with joy ,i really enjoyed it .watch it if you get the chance

Florence Foster Jenkins, born Nascina Florence Foster (July 19, 1868 – November 26, 1944), was an American socialite and amateur soprano who was known and mocked for her flamboyant performance costumes and notably poor singing ability.
Despite (or perhaps due to) her technical incompetence, she became a prominent musical cult figure in New York City during the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. Cole Porter, Enrico Caruso, and other celebrities were loyal fans. The poet William Meredith wrote that what Jenkins provided " ... was never exactly an aesthetic experience, or only to the degree that an early Christian among the lions provided aesthetic experience; it was chiefly immolatory, and Madame Jenkins was always eaten, in the end.”[1]

[keninlincs]

Yesterday we went to the cinema and watched "Florence Foster Jenkins " with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant it was a film that filled me with joy ,i really enjoyed it .watch it if you get the chance

Florence Foster Jenkins, born Nascina Florence Foster (July 19, 1868 – November 26, 1944), was an American socialite and amateur soprano who was known and mocked for her flamboyant performance costumes and notably poor singing ability.
Despite (or perhaps due to) her technical incompetence, she became a prominent musical cult figure in New York City during the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. Cole Porter, Enrico Caruso, and other celebrities were loyal fans. The poet William Meredith wrote that what Jenkins provided " ... was never exactly an aesthetic experience, or only to the degree that an early Christian among the lions provided aesthetic experience; it was chiefly immolatory, and Madame Jenkins was always eaten, in the end.”[1]

I thought Florence Foster Jenkins was just wonderful, Ken. I'm sure I wrote a little bit about it when I saw it. Meryl Streep is so good here, and I think Hugh Grant is on career-best form. Their relationship is complex, but lovely. And I love the film's musicality, despite Florence`s lack of musicality. But I think this film works because it's never laughing at her. It's a real gem.

Yes agree it really is a gem,i agree also it was Hugh Grant on top of his game

[jetblack]

Cheers Greystoke. First time I have seen that. Looks amazing.

Just watched 'The Conjuring 2' which I rate slightly higher than the original. The Elvis parts were fun too.

Also 'The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas' which was just released on Bluray. Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton made such a great team.

Andy

[poormadpeter2]

Yesterday we went to the cinema and watched "Florence Foster Jenkins " with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant it was a film that filled me with joy ,i really enjoyed it .watch it if you get the chance

Florence Foster Jenkins, born Nascina Florence Foster (July 19, 1868 – November 26, 1944), was an American socialite and amateur soprano who was known and mocked for her flamboyant performance costumes and notably poor singing ability.
Despite (or perhaps due to) her technical incompetence, she became a prominent musical cult figure in New York City during the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. Cole Porter, Enrico Caruso, and other celebrities were loyal fans. The poet William Meredith wrote that what Jenkins provided " ... was never exactly an aesthetic experience, or only to the degree that an early Christian among the lions provided aesthetic experience; it was chiefly immolatory, and Madame Jenkins was always eaten, in the end.”[1]

I saw this reviewed on TV a few weeks back and it looked like an interesting movie and about a bizarre figure in music history. Sadly, though, I am in a position where if I ever see Meryl Streep in another film, it will be too soon. I certainly admire her for being an actress in her mid-60s in Hollywood that is still getting great roles, but she drives me nuts!

[keninlincs]

Here's good news for Hammer fans, of which I know Ken is one. A new restoration of One Million Years B.C. is coming to Blu-ray on October 24th, scanned in 4K, I believe.

Thanks for the info! one i will add to my collection

[keninlincs]

Here's good news for Hammer fans, of which I know Ken is one. A new restoration of One Million Years B.C. is coming to Blu-ray on October 24th, scanned in 4K, I believe.

Thanks for the info! one i will add to my collection

Me, too, Ken. There's still a lot of Hammer to come on Blu-ray. Hopefully a Hammer Classics Vol. 2 from Warners.

I want "Scars Of Dracula" and "Dracula AD1972" in next batch

[jetblack]

I want "Scars Of Dracula" and "Dracula AD1972" in next batch

I have just viewed all the Christopher Lee 'Dracula' movies by Hammer. They are amongst my favourie horror movies.

The bluray's of the first two were exceptional housing loads of extras.




Andy

[goldbelt]

Today I saw Anthropoid, Don't Breathe and Hell or High Water at the cinema. All of which I liked. With some reservations. Especially with regards to Anthropoid. But I'll elaborate more later.

Those all seem to have the potential to be good movies, be interested in your findings. Did you view them pretty much one after the other?

Meanwhile, why on earth have they re-made Ben Hur!

[poormadpeter2]

Today I saw Anthropoid, Don't Breathe and Hell or High Water at the cinema. All of which I liked. With some reservations. Especially with regards to Anthropoid. But I'll elaborate more later.

Those all seem to have the potential to be good movies, be interested in your findings. Did you view them pretty much one after the other?

Meanwhile, why on earth have they re-made Ben Hur!

Yes, I saw the three of them in a row today. I had planned on seeing Ben-Hur and The Mechanic: Resurrection yesterday, but thought otherwise when the weather got wilder as the day went on.

I guess Ben-Hur has that epic, action-quality that can find big box office -- with it hinting at a flavour of Gladiator and 300 in the trailers. Although it's struggling to turn a profit, despite a fairly good marketing campaign. I think it may have needed bigger names in the central roles, and would probably have found a big upswing at the box office six or seven years ago, when 3D was driving sales again. And maybe it needed to hint at something much more spectacular and unique to find stronger interest. But I'm not adverse to remakes -- bearing in mind that two versions of Ben-Hur and a stage production preceded the 1959 film, which I love. There was also a Ben-Hur animation in 2003, with Charlton Heston voicing Ben-Hur, plus a 2006 mini-series. Which I haven't seen. I also think there's a spoof Ben-Hur riding on the coattails of the new film. Which I hope to see next week.

There seems to be something of a debate just now amongst film fans - particularly heated over on facebook groups dedicated to horror films, I might add, due to the announcement of a reboot of Universal horrors and the film version of Stephen King's It now in production. I find it odd that the fans are bemoaning the fact that Dracula, Frankenstein, and others will appear together in films, when this was done back in the Universal movies anyway. As for It, the TV series was only really half successful (the first episode), so I have high hopes for the film version (which I believe is also in two parts).

As for Ben Hur, I don't have much desire to see it because I'm not really one for epics anyway. I didn't like the 1959 version (or other films of that ilk such as El Cid or Spartacus), although I have a lot of time for the 1925 silent film which is a wonderful film despite the many problems that befell the production of it. I'm not sure it's a great film in the strictest sense of the word, but it is an entertaining one, and the two hours or so fly by very quickly. I confess I don't have similar patience with other silent epics such as the Ten Commandments or King of Kings, which really bore me to tears. Perhaps the other exception is the 1929 Noah's Ark, which is a real hoot, but then most of that is actually set during WWI!

[MikeFromHolland]

I hope you enjoy it, Mike. I may see it again in a couple of days.

Haven't seen it yet, for finding out it will be in our cinema's for at least two more weeks. So I went to the local library first to borrow the book on which the movie is based: Runaway, by Nobel Price winner Alice Munro. Just finished reading the three chapters about Juliet. In the book her daughter is called Penelope. It's a very fascinating story and extremely well written. Never read something by Alice Munro before, but I sure will read more of her now I know her.

Looking forward now with even more pleasure to see what Almodovar made of it.

.

I may follow your lead and do the same, Mike. But it's good to see Julieta getting a wide release. I've been keeping track of its fortunes at the box office, and it's done Ok. Not great. So I'm glad it's getting a chance.

I've got quite a few films to see this week, but I'm still hoping to see it a second time.

I have a lot of catching up to do on this thread. I missed a lot of contributions the last couple of days. Will be fun to read

Meanwhile I saw Julieta and I admire how Almodovar turned the three chapter story into this captivating film. All names are different to change the Canadian setting from the book into a Spanish one, so after reading the book it was a bit of a puzzle: who's who. That made reading the book first a bit of an hindrance. Though not conform the book, it was a good idea to let Julieta write a letter to her daughter as a way to keep the story together. The book was more chronologically written. The film increases the tention that way.

What I did miss in the film, but played a crucial role in the book, was the fact that Julieta wasn't religious and she had a big argument about that with a preacher man who was a friend of her mother. Was what happened to her due to her not being religious? It gives the book another, though subtle, dimension.

In the film explanations are given about the reason why Julieta's daughter didn't contact her anymore. In the book those explanations are not given. You have to make them up for yourself. Personally I think the effect was stronger for that in the book. In life we don't always get explanations. It's a pity Almodovar found it necessary to give them.

Now that I think about it, also the fact that the short conversation with the man in her train coupé (who later committed suicide) was even shorter in the film, made this part of the story (and its impact on Julieta) less strong. In the book this meeting was getting more attention. By Alice Munro's deeper and longer description of the conversation between Julieta and the man, the suicide and what the man asked earlier: "We're both alone. Can we travel together? It's lonely to be alone." get a deeper dimension and impact. Julieta doubted: "Why didn't I stay with the man". But if she had, she wouldn't have met the father of her child...

I think the cast was perfect. The cinematography very eye-catching and at the same time realistic.

I'd give it a 8.5 out of 10. (Not knowing the book, my rating would have been a bit higher. Not showing the argument with the preacher man, shortening the dialogue with the suicide man and giving an explanation for the leaving lowers the rating a bit.)



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[brian]

I've been thinking about watching the following three movies but I haven't been able to decide so I need some opinions on them. Has anyone on here seen the following movies???

Midnight Special directed by Jeff Nicholas and starring Michael Shannon and I'm not sure if this is worth watching or not i'm on the fence about giving it a try.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I'm a fan of the t.v. series The Walking Dead but I'm not sure about this one.

Purge: Election year. I thought the first one was okay and I liked the second Purge but I'm unsure about this movie.

[brian]

Thank you Greystoke much appreciated.

One more what about Triple 9 have you seen that and if you have is it worth watching?

[brian]

Thank you Greystoke.

[MikeFromHolland]

Today I've got Blair Witch, Kubo and the Two Strings and Captain Fantastic at the cinema.

Wow, three movies at one day. How can you separate them all from each other.

Are you watching them like this:



or this?







Anyway, I'm glad you do. You're a great and pleasant source of movie information



.

[MikeFromHolland]

Today I've got Blair Witch, Kubo and the Two Strings and Captain Fantastic at the cinema.

Wow, three movies at one day. How can you separate them all from each other.

Are you watching them like this:



or this?







Anyway, I'm glad you do. You're a great and pleasant source of movie information



.

Not quite, Mike. Just in the comfort of a good cinema. But I was really underwhelmed by Blair Witch, loved Kubo and the Two Strings and thought Captain Fantastic was, well, fantastic. Home time. It's been a good day.

My son and I have plans to go to Captain Fantastic together. And he goes to Kubo and the Two Strings with some friends. I gave him a movie-pass, so he can go to any movie he wants at our local cinema. To him it will feel as if it's for free. So nice to hear how he talks about the movies he's seen. Remembering the names of the actors, directors, and in which other movies they played, etc. Guess he'll be the "Greystoke" of the future

I try to encourage him to start a YouTube movie-review channel for 12 year olds. But he doesn't like the idea


.

[MikeFromHolland]

I watched Arrow`s fantastic new Matinee Blu-ray a few nights ago. A gem of a film from Joe Dante, set during the time of the Cuban missile crisis, as a small Florida town plays host to the premiere of a new sci-fi/horror movie. In addition to the movie looking terrific, the Blu-ray has lots of great bonus material. But this is one of my favourite Joe Dante films.

..

Have never heard of this one before. Looks like a lot of fun. A must see, added to my list

The concept reminds me of Stephen King's non-fictional novel "Danse Macabre" in which he writes about the impact of horror movies in his youth in the early sixties. It makes for a good and interesting read if you're interested in the subject:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danse_Macabre_(book)



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[brian]

Greystoke, Have you seen the following movies and are they worth watching?

Before the Devil knows you're dead
Donnie Darko
Short term 12
Frank
Blue Ruin
Scott Pilgrim vs. the world
Enemy
Robot & Frank
Fish tank

[brian]

Thank you Greystoke.

I'll check them all out.

[brian]

Greystoke, In the last couple of years have you seen any good action movies that you would recommend?
Any good action movies that you might have seen that have come out this year?

[brian]

Greystoke, In the last couple of years have you seen any good action movies that you would recommend?
Any good action movies that you might have seen that have come out this year?

I thought Jason Bourne was excellent. It's a bit familar, but first-class as an action thriller. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is also very good. I liked Fast & Furious 7, although it's too long. But you will probably get more out of it if you've seen and like the previous two instalments.

I really like John Wick and thought Kingsman: The Secret Service was good. Edge of Tomorrow is really good, too. The Raid 2 is brilliant, but you may like it more if you've seen The Raid. ‘71 is excellent, too. So is Mad Max: Fury Road.

Run All Night and Non-Stop are quite good. Not amongst the better ones I've mentioned, but worth a look. Parker is also good. And although they may not be what you're looking for, I'm a big fan of the Marvel films and really enjoyed Jurassic World.

I've seen all of those except Jason Bourne I'll check that out.

Thank you Greystoke.

[brian]

Greystoke, Have you seen any of these movies yet and would you recomment any of them?

Nerve (starring Emma Watston)
Everybody wants some
Sing Street
Into the Forest
The Free State of Jones

[brian]

Thank you for all your help Greystoke.

[Johnny2523]

Creed and 2006 rocky balboa.

[poormadpeter2]

I saw A Good Neighbour tonight - it's on Amazon for rental at the moment, and the DVD comes out in a couple of weeks. It stars James Caan as a miserable old man who two teenagers decide to play a series of pranks on, trying to persuade him that his house is haunted...with unexpected consequences. There is a fair amount of "found footage" material here, as shown within a court trial - although what the trial is for is kept secret till the end of the film. It's an odd little movie - part Rear Window, part Disturbia, but part something else entirely, with the end fifteen minutes or so being somewhat unexpected. Caan, despite being the star, has relatively little to do in the great scheme of things, except wander around the house looking confused and miserable. The real star is Keir Gilchrist, who has carved himself something of a niche in the last couple of years in a series of intelligent teen horrors, most notably It Follows and Dark Summer. This at least starts out as a dark thriller in the same vein. He is particularly good here, although I don't think he's ever bettered his roles in It's Kind of a Funny Story (as a teen with depression) and the TV series The United States of Tara (with Toni Colette).

A Good Neighbour suffers from being a tad too long and repetitive, but there is much to savour here, not least the performances and the fact it takes you in a very different direction to what one might expect. A shame it didn't get a proper cinematic release in the UK.

[poormadpeter2]

The home invasion film has really found a lot of traction again in recent years, although to variable results. And whilst the found footage film was ebbing away, I get the feeling a bit of a resurgence is on hand. More so had The Blair Witch been more successful, but the found footage genre has been done to death in the wake of The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity. Which have been emulated, ripped off and lampooned, but rarely matched.

Curiously, the latest season of American Horror Story has been incorporating a found footage theme into what's played as a home invasion narrative, with paranormal activity also present. There's also a pagan aspect. All of which is resulting in some overly ambitious plotting. Which isn't helped by major plotting issues and stupid characters. But there's certainly a flavour of The Blair Witch Project in the found footage.

I'm only on episode two, and hope that it will improve, although it's not bad at all. It does strike some of the right notes with regards to being sinister and unsettling, but this is fractured too often by an induced documentary style that is narrated by talking heads who recount events that are played by other actors, namely Cuba Gooding, Jr., Angela Bassett and Sarah Paulson. Who are generally fine, although Bassett playing drunk isn't convincing at all.

I'll keep an eye out for The Good Neighbour. It also sounds like a bit of a hybrid. But I like James Caan and have found Keir Gilchrist to be good in more than a few films.

I gave up American Horror Story several seasons ago, as each one seemed to get more ludicrous than the last, which seems to be a problem with Ryan Murphy series in general it seems, and Glee certainly suffered that fate, alas.

As for Gilchrist, he's an interesting actor I think, and particularly convincing in The Good Neighbour. It looked like he was going to disappear off the map for a while, but seems to have had quite a run in the past couple of years, with a few features already in the can as well which is promising. Interestingly, one of his recent short films is called The Elvis Room!