Oops - I meant to start posting in here more often, but it's been a couple of months. I did start a new job in that time. I watched 34 movies in that time. Here are some of them:
Wild River: Elia Kazan is becoming a real favourite director. His movies are usually very issues-y, so they can sometimes feel a bit dated too, I suppose. Or maybe 'of its time' is a better way to put it? The government is betting ready to damn part of the Tennessee River, but this means displacing some of the locals, including a family on a small island in the river, who have been there generations. On top of that, they essentially still keep slaves, and the whole town is opposed to the government coming in and telling them what to do. Montgomery Clift stars, post accident, and he's truly fantastic. Very much enjoyed this film.
The Big Combo - Fantastic B-Noir film. A cop is warned away from investigating a big mob boss, and makes one last attempt by trying to get the mob boss' girlfriend to turn on him. It elevates itself above most B-movies though. It's stylish and fun. Liked it a lot.
Night Moves - (The 1975 film, not the recent, unrelated film of the same name) Gene Hackman plays a private detective who's not really doing that well. His wife is cheating on him. He goes looking for a missing 16 year old girl who is going off the rails... It's a bit of a hidden gem, this movie. Recommended. And it sent us on a bit of a 70s film kick.
Sorcerer - A very good film, though I didn't enjoy it as much as the earlier version (The Wages of Fear). It's different enough that it's well worth watching.
The African Queen - Just tremendous all around. A great adventure and great performances. John Huston is such an odd director who directed some of the best films of all time, but also so many turkeys.
Rocky - I've been wanting to watch this for a while, but my wife was resistant because it was a 'boxing movie.' Of course it isn't really. We both really enjoyed it, much to my wife's surprise. Not sure I could convince her to watch sequels though...
Get Carter - (Original) Boy oh boy. Dark film. Super cool though.
Red River - I prefer John Ford Westerns over Howard Hawks, and this started a bit dryly, but once it got going, it was a fun movie. Great to see Montgomery Clift pre accident. He really was very handsome, and talented.
Godzilla - (2014) Didn't buy into the hype, especially after hating Pacific Rim as much as I did, but actually I found the film to be really enjoyable. Not sure I'd bother watching it again, but it was a lot of fun.
The Sacrament - Mixed reviews on this one, but we mostly enjoy Ti West's films, so we gave it a go, and we found it to be very effective. It's basically a fictionalised version of the Jonestown Massacre. People are calling it a found footage movie, but it's not really - the premise is people from Vice are making a documentary about this cult, and the film is made up of that footage. Anyway, it's a 'small' film, but we liked it.
La vie de Bohème - A very cheeky adaptation of the novel, updated to contemporary Paris, but set in the suburbs following three loser artists. Really had a great time with this film.
An American Werewolf in London - Meh. It was OK. Had great effects. Was easy to watch. Has not-much of an ending. Left me just thinking it was fine.
The Fury - Started really strong, but loses steam once it moves away from the father and son. Again, is fine, but not a classic. De Palma does a lot of great things in the film, he is a stylish director that I'm coming to appreciate more and more, and perhaps if I saw this film earlier, it might have had more of an impact.
Cool Hand Luke - Paul Newman (the greatest actor of all time) plays a troubled young man who seemingly deliberately gets himself in trouble with the law because he doesn't really know what to do with himself since he got back from the Korean War. Then it becomes a prison drama and it is gripping, funny in places and just as great as its reputation suggests.
They Came Together - I am not sure how this movie came to be. It is all over the shop. Some of the comedy falls so flat it's hard to even imagine it wasn't rewritten on the set. BUT, on the whole, if you take it for what it is and go along for the ride, you could easily have a great time with this. We did.
The Two Faces of January - My wife is a huge fan of Patricia Highsmith novels, especially the Ripley series, so we checked out this recent adaptation of one of her books starring Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Isaac and Kirsten Dunst. It's a good enough film - The ending doesn't quite get as tense as it wants to, but it's an easy watch. Feels very similar to The Talented Mr Ripley actually.
The rest of the films that we watched:
The City of the Dead, Attack of the Puppet People, The Muppets (rewatched), The French Connection (rewatched), Yambao, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Prize, The Gold Rush (1925 version), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (rewatch), Zindy, the Swamp-Boy, Sisters of Death, Skyfall (rewatch), The Bride and the Beast
Topic: What was the last movie you watched? (Read 1536865 times)
