What was the last film you watched?

[Mel O'Drama]

Some films blow you away the first time you watch it and other films can take more than one viewing for you to fully appreciate how good they are.

I know what you mean. And Driving Miss Daisy is a very gentle film that does its thing in a low key, unshowy kind of way so it's a natural to be a grower.

I was pleasantly surprised to see David Brown and Richard Zanuck's names as Executive Producer and Producer respectively. Some of their films seem to have a lovely naturalism and feel very authentic (not least Jaws) and this certainly ticked that box.

 

[Angela Channing]

Cry Macho (2021)

I only watched this out of curiosity to see how Clint Eastwood was fairing as both director and lead actor in a major Hollywood film. For 90, he is impressive and the film isn't bad, it just isn't great. The story of a veteran rodeo star who owes a friend a favour which leads him to go to the Mexican border to get the friend's son from the child's alcoholic mother and to deliver him to the friend. A lot of the film is about the bonding of the old man and the boy and the adventures they get involved in while returning home. Clint looks and moves like the old man he is and the subplot of a considerably younger woman falling for him almost instantly does feel very far fetched. However, the film is well directed but I think it would have been better had Clint stayed behind the camera and left the acting to someone else, preferably someone who was about half his age.

 

[Seaviewer]

The Last Starfighter (1984)
An arcade video game turns out to be a recruiting device for a real space war because why not?
Entertaining if predictable Star Wars wannabe.

 

[Angela Channing]

King Richard (2021)

This was a fascinating film about how Richard Williams encouraged, coached and hustled his daughters to be best tennis players in the world. Although most people this Richard was solely responsible for their success, the films shows the key role that his wife Oracene played in their development, including coaching Serena when a tennis coach could only work with one of the daughters for free.

 

[supermanfan]

A Muppet Christmas Carol

 

[Angela Channing]

A Muppet Christmas Carol

My favourite version of the Dickens classic. It's such a good film and I never get tired of watching it.

 

[supermanfan]

My favourite version of the Dickens classic. It's such a good film and I never get tired of watching it.

Me too!

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Edge Of The Axe (1989)

Utter dreck, with daytime soap opera pacing, Simply Cremation advert acting quality and lots of noisy Eighties synth music that drowns out the dialogue.

In its favour, I have to say that I was very surprised by the reveal of the killer's identity.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Hello,
I interpreted this as a new theatrical release?

If so, it was the new James Bond movie.
Lots of action, special effects,
Daniel Craig is excellent as usual
Ana De Armas steals the show! She should have had a bigger role.
The script seemed uneven. Not as much fun as past Bond films.
Didn't care for the ending

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Black Or White (2015)

I opted for this one based purely on a poster image and the impression I got was that it was going to be a quirky, lighthearted romcom sort of thing. The fact that it opened in a hospital corridor in the immediate aftermath of a death let me know it wasn't going to be quite the silly ride I'd expected.

But it was still a very watchable film with two great leads and a solid supporting cast (the little girl playing Eloise was great). While I feel it didn't hit as hard as it could have done, I appreciated its exploration of the nuances of racial discrimination (in this case it's wrongly platformed in order to gain leverage in a legal proceeding), and in this case it's folded in to the complexities of a flawed extended family unit, making it more interesting still. Ultimately, it's about doing the right thing, even if it means losing face.

Octavia Spencer is always a great watch and no less so here. She has a number of nice dramatic moments, but also a few funny ones, especially her exchanges with the judge. The little stare off at the end of this scene made me laugh out loud:

 

[supermanfan]

Tim Allen in the Santa Claus

 

[Angela Channing]

A Boy Called Christmas (2021)

As we are edging towards Christmas I thought I would see what new festive films were out at the moment and noticed this one. It's a Santa origin story but nowhere as clever and entertaining as Klaus (2019) which also told a story about how Santa came to be. This film was ok but I think it was more of a Children's film rather than one for the whole family in that everything is told in very simplistic terms: conflict is resolved promptly and impending danger never felt dangerous.

 

[Seaviewer]

Heartbreak Ridge (1986) (Not a Bold & The Beautiful spin-off)
I've been an admirer of Clint Eastwood at a distance, you might say, not really having seen many of his films. I think I first saw him in the musical Paint Your Wagon (1969), not very typical of him, as I've since learned, although it is a Western of sorts.
This one seems determined to defy categorisation. If I read the script on paper I'm sure I would take it for a sardonic anti-war comedy like M*A*S*H (the movie) or Catch-22. But Clint, both as actor and director, doggedly imbues it with a gruff deadpan style that runs counter to the humour. Whether that is intentional I have no way of knowing but I found the effect rather unsettling.

 

[Angela Channing]

Harry & Meghan: Escaping The Palace (2021)

I'm almost embarrassed to admit it but this was the last film I watched. Of course it's part trash and part fluff but it wasn't terrible. It's a serious drama depicting the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the last year or so of their lives leading up to when they stepped back from Royal duties. The film has reasonably good production values for a TV film and is well acted and James Dreyfuss appears in a prominent role as an aide to the Duke and Duchess . It's told very much from the Sussex's point of view and if half of what's in the film is true, it's easy to understand why they chose to leave the toxicity of the Royal Family.

 

[supermanfan]

Elf

 

[Angela Channing]

Petite Maman (2021)

This was an interesting film. The story of young girl called Nelly who is taken by her parents to her grandmother's house to clear it after she dies. Her mother has to go back suddenly leaving Nelly with her father and while he works on clearing the house Nelly explores the area and meets a young girl who she realises is her mother when she was the same age as she is now. It's a gently and slow moving film but fascinating to watch and the 2 young girls playing the main roles are brilliant.

 

[9unfold]

Ghostbusters 2016.

Damn good romp. Good entertaining movie.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Maiden Heist (2009)
(AKA The Heist)

Good fun with a nice cast. I'll probably have forgotten ever watching it in three months time but that's fine. It passed ninety minutes most pleasantly.

 

[supermanfan]

Jack frost with Michael keton

 

[Angela Channing]

Belfast (2021)

A film telling the story of a young boy called Buddy growing up in Belfast during The Troubles. Written and directed by Kenneth Branagh based on his own experiences when he was a boy. Mr Branagh is unquestionably a skilled director and every scene in this film is beautifully shot. The plot is told from Buddy's point of view so we only get snatches of the wider story that is what is going on because that's all that Buddy sees and hears. So we see clashes between Catholics and Protestants but it's never explored in any depth because a 9 year old boy wouldn't necessarily understand the history behind them. We see his parents arguing and we see his grandpa in hospital but these are only brief moments because Buddy wouldn't know the full ins and outs of what was going on. The film works best when he is on screen with his dad, played by Jamie Dornan and their relationship is warm and engaging to watch. An interesting film that looks beautiful on the screen.