What was the last film you watched?

[Angela Channing]

Women Talking (2022)

And the award for the most appropriate title for a film goes to this film because it's almost entirely about a group of women sitting around talking. However, it's far more interesting than I've made it sound so far because the women are part of a religious colony in which the men are all powerful and they abuse the women. The women don't want to put up with this any more so they discuss their options: do nothing, stay and fight or leave. During the discussions some of the group describe what life has been like for them and some of the violence they have been subjected too. We never see any of the violence, just the injuries and traumas caused by it.

There is no stand out star, this is very much an ensemble piece as we follow the deliberations and hear some of the truly awful experiences of some of the women. Not a film that sends you away with a smile on your face but one that scores highly on being worthy and scores moderately on being entertaining.

 

[Seaviewer]

The Whale (2022)

Yes, I've heard something about this one. Sounds like quite a departure from the type of role that Brandon Fraser is known for.

 

[Angela Channing]

Yes, I've heard something about this one. Sounds like quite a departure from the type of role that Brandon Fraser is known for.

Brandon Fraser is great in this. I had only previously seen him in Gods and Monsters (1998) and although he was very good in that, he is outstanding in The Whale. At times he is uncomfortable to watch (there's a scene when he binge eats in reaction to a personal disappointment) and times when he wrings every drop of sympathy from you when attempts to walk unaided to prove his love for his daughter. He acts out a wide range of emotions during the course of the film and it's an remarkable performance.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Magic Of Belle Isle (2012)
(AKA 'Once More')

Take Johnny Depp's depressed, reclusive novelist with writer's block looking for his solitude in Secret Window and combine him with Jack Nicholson's grumpy novelist frustrated by the limitations his health condition causes him and bitter at the world. Throw in the novelist from Misery (also directed by this film's Rob Reiner) who has closed the book on his biggest-selling character to the disappointment of a fan of his work, and you have Monte Wildhorn, Morgan Freeman's character in this film.

I had no idea what this film was to be about. I hadn't read any synopses or reviews. The UK title - Once More - could mean anything (I've only this morning discovered its original title and find myself wondering why it was changed from something specific to this film into something generic and pretty much meaningless). The only other information I had ahead of time was the image used for its placeholder on my streaming service: Morgan Freeman smiling in front of clouds. So the film could have been about absolutely anything. Indeed Morgan Freeman's smile was enough for me since I've never found him to be anything less than captivating.

It is difficult to sum up this film, since it's one of those films that's very much about what's happening below the surface. It feels rather TV movie or soap-ish in the regard that it feels quite small and unhurried. This may sound like a criticism, but I mean it in the most complimentary way. There's a lot of everyday life and casual interactions and any hint of "event" begins with character and works outwards.

How well it works is probably going to hinge on how endearing you find the characters or how much the film's voice resonates with you. For me, the film was entirely about the journey from isolation to connection and on that level it worked entirely well. In many ways it's an unconventional film which - most of the time- doesn't feel as though it's trying to please a mass audience (the film feels weaker in those moments which feel more expected or conventional). I also liked the characters, even the kids (cutesy Hollywood kids usually nauseate me, but these all felt cast for their acting ability which is fortunate given how much screen-time they had).

By the by, somewhere in the middle of the film I convinced myself that the lead actress was Kim Lankford and then I couldn't unsee it. By film's end I was even a little surprised to find it was not Kim but Virginia Madsen.

And for those who don't care for the story, the scenery is beautiful (I looked it up and it was filmed in the Greenwood Lake area of Orange County) and I suspect it captures that sense of small towns and their communities very well.

This morning I've read that the film is rated very poorly on a couple of those review/critique sites, and I'm glad I don't pay attention to such things or I would have missed out.​

 

[Seaviewer]

A Fantastic Woman (2017)
Chilean film (with English subtitles) about the travails of a trans woman after the death of her older (apparently) straight male lover.
The usual tropes of such stories are all here: the unaccepting family, the ignorant police detectives, the intrusive questions and violence she must endure. It all takes place in a brooding, almost noirish atmosphere like a mystery, but there's little in the way of plot and no real resolution - typical of a "slice of life" film.

 

[Angela Channing]

A Man Called Otto (2023)

Tom Hanks plays Otto, a curmudgeonly widow who spends much of his time enforcing neighbourhood rules and annoying his neighbours in the process but also has a kind heart which comes to the fore when the situation forces it. He is grieving the loss of his wife and makes several attempts to take his own life but various things happen which prevents him from seeing it through. There are several flashbacks to his early life with his wife and in these scenes Otto is played by Tom Hanks's real life son Truman. There's another Hanks family connection in that Tom's wife, Rita Wilson, sings the closing song of the film.

The central theme of the film is love with characters reaching out to one another even when it seemed like they don't really like each other or want to be friends. So although Otto is usually grumpy and annoying he is a central part of the neighbourhood coming together in times of need.

It's an old fashioned film with old fashioned values but that's part of it's charm and what makes it so enjoyable.

 

[Angela Channing]

The Inspection (2022)

Until recently I wasn't particularly aware of A24 and now it seems like every other film I watch has been produced by them.

This film is about a young gay black man who is estranged from his mother and he decides to join the army to make his mother proud of him. At first he tries to hide his sexuality until the recruits have to have communal showers and he gets..., ahem..., excited and then is is subjected to homophobic bullying from his troop and his seniors. Over time he wins them over and his colleagues come to respect and support him.

 

[Angela Channing]

When You Finish Saving The World (2023)

As I said earlier in this thread, I'm a big of Julianne Moore and here she stars with Finn Wolfhard who is best known as Mike from the brilliant series Stranger Things. She plays Evelyn who has a son called Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard) and they have a strained relationship. She works for a women's refuge and bonds with Kyle, the son of one of the women who goes their for help while Ziggy gets affirmation from singing songs on YouTube for his worldwide followers. Ziggy secretly likes a girl from school who is very politically active and he tries to impress her by trying to get involved in her activism. It's almost as if they see these other people as a surrogate for the son/mother that they would have liked.

The film has some interesting ideas but sadly it's a bit of a mess. The storyline is a bit meandering and the only part that was interesting was the relationship between Evelyn and Kyle. Overall, it's moderately entertaining but it should have been so much better.

 

[Willie Oleson]

The Whale (2022)

I watched the trailer to see what the fuss is all about. I find the "you're an amazing person" dialogue a little off-putting.

 

[Angela Channing]

I watched the trailer to see what the fuss is all about. I find the "you're an amazing person" dialogue a little off-putting.

The film won't appeal to everyone and at times it's a bit uncomfortable to watch but in the context of a dying man trying to connect with his directionless and estranged daughter, the dialogue you quoted has real meaning. The film is also more than just the relationship between the Brandon Fraser character and his daughter but also his relationship with his ex-wife, his carer, with food, with his students, with a church missionary and with himself. But like I said, it's not for everyone.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I watched Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning last night.

A bit violent and gory but in my opinion a very good film.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I've just finished watching Tremors on 5 ACTION. Very good film, I hadn't seen it in a long time.

 

[Seaviewer]

The Sapphires (2012)
"Inspired by real events" film about three Indigenous sisters and a cousin in remote Australia who form their own soul group and answer a newspaper add calling for singers to entertain the troops in Vietnam.
Set against the turbulent year of 1968, cliches abound but it's carried off with great aplomb by a cast including Australian Idol runner-up Jessica Mauboy and Irish comedian Chris O'Dowd as their semi-competent manager.

 

[Angela Channing]

Your Place or Mine (2023)

I've seen this film before and you've seen this film before, not this actual film but it's storyline is interchangeable with just about every romcom you have ever seen. Your Place or Mine is a unnecessary variation on the standard romcom cliché and stars Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher as Debbie and Peter who share a longstanding friendship of two decades despite their differing lifestyles and personalities. The plot revolves around their decision to swap homes for a week, with the expectation of gaining a new perspective on their lives. Sadly, the star quality of the two leads can't save this film because the script lacks any depth and the film's predictability and lack of plot twists and surprises ultimately make it forgettable.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Sapphires (2012)

I really enjoyed this film when I finally got round to watching it last year.

This has been on my viewing radar for quite some years: probably since 2016 when I stumbled upon the soundtrack which is a favourite of mine.

Inspired by a true story, with the original play written by Tony Briggs, whose mother and aunt were two of the girl group in question. It's not entirely biographical, with some fictionalised characters and events.

The poster - and to a large extent the soundtrack - strongly suggest Dreamgirls Down Under (even down to the lead actresses in the respective film adaptions being alumnae of their country's version of Pop Idol). It does satisfy on that level, but there's so much more to the film than I'd expected.

With the white Irish guy managing the band and introducing them to soul music there's more than a hint of The Commitments. Then there's the tour of Vietnam which could conjure up any number of films with that backdrop (the entertainment angle reminded me of that bit in For The Boys where the older Dixie sang for the troops in Vietnam).

And of course there's the unmistakably gritty Australian tone. With The Sapphires being an Australian Aboriginal group, most interesting of all is the focus on civil rights. The film touches not just on the sometimes hostile reception they got due to their race, but also the wider concerns facing First Australians at the time and their horrific treatment from the Government. The film opens with some text giving us background:


It's important to note that the film is set in 1968, the year after the citizenship law changed, and a key year for civil rights, not least with the assassination of Martin Luther King - an event referenced in the film.

Some of the complexities of the racial politics are touched upon in the film, with one of the main characters being one of these fair-skinned children, struggling to reconnect with the family she's been raised to believe are the enemy. And the film shows that racial politics can run any way, from the black girls being called "monkeys" by white bar patrons as they perform, to the fair-skinned relative being called a "coconut" by her own cousin, lashing out in frustration and powerlessness. The law might be "fixed", but the consequences live on. It's a painful and charged topic, but rather than dwell on it, the film simply acknowledges it's there and continues on its way. There is a journey, but it's not anywhere near as heavy as one might expect given the opening text.

Indeed, if the film has a failing, it's that perhaps it does pull its punches a little when it comes to the heavier stuff. The Vietnam war background - while not without its moments - is perhaps not as horrific as it could have been. But then, perhaps that's simply because that's what I've come to expect from war films. This is a small part of that war seen mostly from the relatively safe (mostly) vantage point of people who have gone there to entertain rather than to fight. It could be argued that they saw plenty and the consequences - while not extreme - were enough. This is a fun musical after all, and it's impressive that the film includes these topics, honouring them without dwelling on or being defined by them.

There's a balance to be struck, and despite some of its themes, the film captures a sense of fun and magic and spirit. There are some hilarious lines, enjoyable dynamics and the songs range from beautiful and haunting to foot-tappingly energetic. The emphasis is mostly on the latter, giving this a real feel-good vibe. And it works. I'd happily watch it again, and I'm already revisiting the soundtrack.

 

[Angela Channing]

Living (2022)

The film is set in In 1953 and is about Mr Williams, played superbly by Bill Nighy, a senior administrator at the London County Council. He receives a terminal cancer diagnosis and choses not to tell his son and instead withdraws half of his savings, buys a lethal amount of sleeping pills with the intention of taking his own life at a a seaside resort town. However, he couldn't bring himself to do it and gave the pills to a fellow diner, Mr Sutherland, at a cafe who is having problems sleeping. Mr Williams tells Mr Sutherland he's going to die (everyone in this film addresses each other by their surnames) and decides to take him out for a night on the town. When Mr Williams returns to London he has changed and want to do good things in the time he has left.

This a beautiful film, low-key and understated. Very atmospheric of the 1950s and strongly acted by all the cast. Highly recommended.

 

[DallasFanForever]

The Godfather Part Two (1974)

Even as a huge fan of the series, admittedly I hadn’t watched this one in quite a few years. Funny how we change as we get older, as the violence had me turning my head a couple of times.

The thing that still strikes me about this movie after all these years is the cast. DeNero, Pacino, Duvall, Strasburg, Shire, Caan, Keaton, just to name a few. Brando was supposed to have a cameo in the closing flashback scene as well but that didn’t happen apparently.

 

[Seaviewer]

Atom Man Vs Superman (1950 movie serial)
Once again no credit for Kirk Alyn, but oddly there is an actor in the list named Wally West, although I never did work out which one he was.
Lex Luthor makes his first screen appearance and I was surprised to see that he was already depicted as a wealthy business type as well as a scientist. I don't remember that from the comics I read as a kid. I thought it was a later retcon .(Like Vicki Vale he would be passed over for TV and not return until the Christopher Reeve films almost thirty years later.)
Noel Neil's Lois seems softer than in the first outing - not surprising I suppose since some time has passed from the first one - but she's lost none of her courageous (read foolhardy) spirit.
Superman still turns into a cartoon when he flies but this time it's supplemented by some "midair" shots of Alyn with arms outstretched similar to what was later used in the George Reeves series. He always ducks behind something to change - even when he's alone in the storeroom - and always lands behind something like a car or a boulder before emerging in live action form. It's hard to imagine even the youngest kid in 1950 being terribly thrilled by it.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Atom Man Vs Superman (1950 movie serial)
Once again no credit for Kirk Alyn, but oddly there is an actor in the list named Wally West, although I never did work out which one he was.

I believe Wally West played Dorr if I’m not mistaken. Odd that Alyn wasn’t even credited, considering he was obviously playing one of the main characters.

 

[DallasFanForever]

CREED 3 (2023)

I saw this just this afternoon in the theatre. I have to admit that I had very low expectations going in. After all, let’s face it, this is the ninth movie of the ROCKY franchise and considering it’s the first movie without the iconic character of Rocky Balboa, I had my doubts. The reviews have not been great from what I’ve read but believe me when I tell you that this movie is absolutely terrific. Michael B. Jordan turns out a fine acting performance and the movie has a very real feel to it in terms of the personal relationships between the characters. It’s not just a boxing story, it’s a life story and a really good one at that.