What was the last film you watched?

[Seaviewer]

Man of the World (1931)
My second William Powell starrer of recent weeks. I don't know if it was a pattern for him, but here he plays another character in a moral dilemma. This time he is a blackmailer who falls for one of his victims, played by Carole Lombard.

 

[Angela Channing]

Shazam! Fury of The Gods (2023)

I thought Shazam! (2019) was one of the best DC superhero film adaptations so I had high hopes for this sequel but sadly I was disappointed. The story follows a new threat to the Shazam familywhen the Daughters of Atlas, Hespera, Kalypso, and Anthea, arrive on Earth after the barrier between their worlds was broken by Billy Batson, aka Shazam, when he broke the wizard's staff in the first film in this series. The sisters want to reclaim their god powers from the Shazam siblings which brings the two groups into conflict. The film has none of the humour which worked so well in the first film and the excessive CGI driven action sequences weren't anywhere as exciting as I had hoped. Not a terrible sequel but no where as good as the original Shazam! film.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The film has none of the humour which worked so well in the first film and the excessive CGI driven action sequences weren't anywhere as exciting as I had hoped. Not a terrible sequel but no where as good as the original Shazam! film.

That's a shame. I thoroughly enjoyed the first one which was the nicest of surprises, so the sequel was definitely on my radar to watch at some point.

I'll probably still take a look at it sometime, but it looks as though I'll need to keep my expectations low.

 

[Angela Channing]

That's a shame. I thoroughly enjoyed the first one which was the nicest of surprises, so the sequel was definitely on my radar to watch at some point.

I'll probably still take a look at it sometime, but it looks as though I'll need to keep my expectations low.

You might like it more than me and maybe I was expecting too much because I hugely enjoyed the original, so it was always going to be difficult for the sequel to live up to my expectations. However, it's not a patch on first film, in my opinion. Even a brief cameo by Gal Gadot (who I secretly have the hots for) couldn't save this film for me.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

You might like it more than me

Yes, there is that possibility and I haven't written it off entirely. I now have the probable advantage of being forewarned that it may not be as good as the original which I'm sure will help.

it was always going to be difficult for the sequel to live up to my expectations.

Yes - that's probably true of many sequels to films I've liked. There are often so many reasons why I like a film that would be difficult to recreate them for a sequel (and if they could be recreated, it's often best not to).

 

[Angela Channing]

What's Love Got To Do With It? (2023)

You could easily mistake this film for being written by Richard Curtis because it has all the elements of something he might do. It was even produced by Working Title which seem to make a lot of his films. It was in fact written by Jemima Khan and seeing that the subject of the film is a Pakistani arranged marriage and how it's perceived by a white British mother and daughter, I can see why this subject would be of interest for her to write about.

The film is about Zoe (Lily James), a documentary filmmaker who has encountered challenges in finding a romantic partner through conventional means. In contrast, her childhood friend and neighbour, Kaz (Shazad Latif), has chosen to pursue an arranged marriage to find a suitrable and successful bride from Pakistan. Zoe, intrigued by Kaz's unorthodox approach to finding love, decides to document his journey on film. As she delves deeper into the intricacies of arranged marriages, Zoe begins to wonder whether there are lessons to be learned from this alternative path to love.

The film has all the elements of a British romcom with elements of a British cultural differences comedy mixed in. It's nothing than we haven't seen before but it is very entertaining, quite absorbing, moderately funny in places and a bit of a heart-warming ending. I really enjoyed it.

 

[cijimccashin]

AIR (2023)

It’s very seldom I leave the movie theatre and am left speechless. As an avid sports fan, I have to say that this may very well be the best sports movie I’ve ever seen. The story of how a struggling shoe company called NIKE put it all on the line and all in the hands of an 18 year old rookie named Michael Jordan is quite intriguing. It’s an inspiring film, with terrific acting and some well placed, but not overdone, humor. This movie made me a little emotional I have to admit. If you grew up in the 80s like I did it’s a nice walk down nostalgia lane.

@Angela Channing I have a feeling you will be seeing this movie soon? I patiently await your review.

!!! I can here to say the same thing. I loved it. It's amazing hope we get more movies like this in the coming years. It reminded me of many classics I grew up on.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Yesterday I had a double-bill of films. First up was...

Elsa & Fred (2014)

Watched on a whim, based on nothing more than seeing Christopher Plummer's name on a thumbnail on Prime. It was appropriate Sunday matinee fare. It felt rather like a TV movie: simply made and not at all showy, but it worked on the basis of its performances and a decent, if basic, story. Plummer always gives good grumpy old man, while there are many well-known names and faces in the supporting cast.

I hadn't realised it was a remake of an existing film or else I'd probably have been more inclined to seek out the original.

This is far from a great film, and almost all concerned have done better work elsewhere. But there are far worse ways to kill 90 minutes on a Sunday afternoon.​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Last night's film was another remake of which I haven't seen the original...

Cape Fear (1991)

Believe it or not, this was my first time watching this. It's been on my radar for many, many years and is one of those films I'm familiar with through some pop culture references and satires, so I'm glad to have finally seen it.

I was very impressed by how Hitchcockian Martin Scorsese's direction is. And not even subtly so... it's very in your face as a Hitchcock style film. Saul Bass's opening credits and Bernard Herrmann's score complete the picture perfectly.

The story was compelling enough, and there's a genuinely menacing darkness to the film that had me feeling that anything could happen by the end. The violence was quite shocking at times and the threat towards the protagonist's daughter particularly disturbing.

What most impressed me about the film were the performances. De Niro was fine (though I've always thought him rather overrated, with most of his performances being variations of the same character), but Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Robert Mitchum and Joe Don Baker were all electric.​

 

[bmasters9]

The In Between (Paramount DVD of this 2022 Paramount Players/Paramount+ hit with Joey King and Kyle Allen)

 

[Mel O'Drama]

H Is For Happiness (2019)

Hands up, I watched this as soon as the it popped up on my Prime home screen for no other reason than the thumbnail featured Miriam Margoyles. I didn't even read any text... no other reason was needed.

Had I looked into it a bit more closely, I might have thought twice. That would have been a great shame because, as wonderful as Miriam is, she's not the most special thing about this film. That would be its sense of wonder and magic.

I wouldn't know how to sum up this film and do it justice. It's surreal, bizarre and quirky. But it's also dark, touching and truthful. Rotten Tomatoes describes it as "a feel-good family film", a description which might have nauseated me. But the way this is presented - from the eccentric-but-relatable writing to the engaging performances gave me a connection that I found unexpected. In the best possible way, it made me feel like a kid again.

 

[Seaviewer]

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
I'm only now catching up with this. In a word, excellent. It obviously can't recapture that sense of newness, but it has just the right combination the familiar and unexpected.
Like the first one, many of the incidents are drawn from the books, but set against a new plot, but one which also ties into the first one. Absent characters are honoured, and the new ones introduced logically - if logic is something that is required with Mary Poppins.
And I do believe that Emily Blunt is closer to the Mary Poppins of the books. She has a haughtiness that Julie Andrews never quite achieved. "Spoonful of Sugar" might be her motto but the Poppins of the books is not that sweet.

 

[Angela Channing]

Ghosted (2023)

The film is part romcom and part action adventure but never quite hit the mark in either of these 2 genres. It stars Chris Evans and Ana de Armas as Cole and Sadie, two strangers who meet at a farmers' market and later go on a date which extends into them spending the night together. The next morning they part ways. Cole tries to contact her over the next few days by sending her numerous text messages but she ghosts him and he can't understand why. By a contrivance that only seems to happen in romcoms, during the date, she looked after something of his in her handbag which contained a tracker from which Cole is able to determine that she is now in London. He decided to fly there to meet her. While there, he discovers that Sadie is actually a secret agent on a mission and she makes use of his presents to help her stop a rogue French spy from unleashing a deadly bio-weapon.

The film is ok but not great. It's main saving grace is the performance of Ana de Armas who brings charm and energy to her role, making her totally unbelievable character likable and sympathetic. Chris Evans on the other hand is bland and one dimensional but that probably has as much to do with how his character is written it has to do with his performance.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Kill List (2012)



Those who live by the sword....
Soul-suckingly grim and gritty and the only way to enjoy it is to allow yourself to be defeated, and that's without considering the on-screen violence.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Dead In A Week (Or Your Money Back) (2018)

It's a little surprising to find that a black comedy about botched suicide is endorsed by The Samaritans, but there you go.

Mixed feelings about the film. It's kind of dark and kind of funny but I feel it could have been significantly more of both. Most of the performers are very good (I was less sure of the girlfriend whose delivery felt a bit too knowing and American), but the low budget production values didn't help it achieve its full glory.

There are far worse ways to assassinate an hour and a half. But, frankly, there are also better. I'd recommend this so long as expectations are kept in check.

 

[Angela Channing]

Invitation To a Murder (2023)

Six seemingly unconnected people get invited by a billionaire to a remote island. While there, as the title of the film suggests, someone gets murdered. In order to identify the killer, they must work out what it the connection between them and why they were invited to the island in the first place.

This feels a bit like a update Agatha Christie story and its main character, Miranda, is like a young Miss Marple, a civilian who likes playing detective. The film feel a little low budget and I haven't seen any of the actors in anything previously. The plot has way too many plot holes, not least why they would accept the invitation from a complete stranger in the first place. It's all nonsense but moderately entertaining nonsense.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Secret Life Of Pets (2016)

Not exactly the most challenging film I've watched, but it really hit the spot for a laugh a minute. The animators did a great job of capturing characteristics that pet owners will recognise and connect with.

Surprisingly for an animated film, this also felt like a love letter to New York and got across the energy and vibrance of the big city as well as the warm heart of gentrification with the Brooklyn scenes. I've rarely felt any desire to visit New York, but this film gave me just that.

​

This feels a bit like a update Agatha Christie story

Yes, as I read your first paragraph describing the film it immediately made me think of And Then There Were None (with a bit of Christie satire Murder By Death thrown in).

I'm quite fond of moderately entertaining nonsense, so I wouldn't rule out watching this one.

 

[Angela Channing]

The Madness of King George (1994)

I always have a fascination of film posters and the scene depicted this one doesn't appear in the film, it is an amalgam of 2 different scenes.

I previously had no interest in ever watching this film but recently I watched the Netflix series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story which I thought was excellent and because this film was about part of the same story, but from a different perspective, I was interested to see how this 30 year old film covered the events.

In this film, King George III (played by Nigel Hawthorne) is getting old and starting to show signs of mental health deteriorataion, but nobody really knows what's going on since it's 1788 and they don't understand mental illness very well. The doctors try to treat him with the best methods they have at the time, but nothing seems to work. Meanwhile, Queen Charlotte (played by Helen Mirren) and Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger (played by Julian Wadham) are trying to stop the king's enemies, led by the Prince of Wales (played by Rupert Everett), from taking over the throne.

It's not always fair to compare different productions but I didn't like this anywhere as much as I like the Netflix series. This film focussed almost entirely on the George's mental health (I guess the clue is in its title) so there was a lot of ranting, raving and chaotic running around from him which I felt never gave the character enough depth. In contrast, in the series Queen Charlotte there was greater emphasis on how the mental illness affected the King's relationship with those around him which allowed the character to have more light and shade, and consequently, more interest. It was still a good film with some top notch performances.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Grace and Goliath (2018)

I watched this one on a whim when glancing at the description and seeing that it was set in Belfast. Irish films have often appealed to me for their grit and frank humour. I wouldn't really put this one in that same league. It's mostly bland and predictable and the humour misses for me as often as it hits, being so broad and clunky that it only needs the "Ba-Bum-Tsssshhh" to tell us how funny the powers that be think it is. Likewise, the few twists can be seen coming from miles away.

Not that it's unpleasant to watch. I appreciate having a cast of mostly - to me at least -unknowns, and it's such a mosaic of unlikely relationships that it works on curiosity value alone. Even the performances that aren't great are at least endearing (the two fat comic relief neighbours are given little enough screen time that they never wear out their welcome). It's good news/bad news with the child actors. The two boys do a nice job with their arc. The girl is far too nauseatingly cutesy-wutesy for my taste (there's nothing less cute than a kid who is trying to be cute).

Unfortunately, much of the final act rides on the viewer being invested in the young girl's adorability, and it gets into some seriously saccharine mawkish territory with the threat that she may die (I may or may not have tutted out loud when they started singing Amazing Grace at her bedside). What the film lacks is a real edge, which means it's understood that they'd never be bold enough to kill off a kid. All of which takes away any sense of jeopardy and, ultimately, purpose.

There's some good stuff, and I particularly liked the sense of community. But by the end everything just felt a bit too neatly wrapped and cosy.





​

It's not always fair to compare different productions but I didn't like this anywhere as much as I like the Netflix series.

My benchmark for this film was The King's Speech, since I have a DVD of that film which packaged The Madness Of King George as a special bonus. While it felt inferior to The King's Speech, I do remember feeling it felt a little unfair of me to be comparing them and that it would probably do better taken on its own merits since it had some good performances.

I just had a look back to see what I wrote about it in this thread after watching it in 2017, but it turns out I'd written nothing. Perhaps that's a statement in itself. But equally, I'd also like to re-watch it in isolation now that I have nothing against which to directly compare it.

 

[Angela Channing]

My benchmark for this film was The King's Speech, since I have a DVD of that film which packaged The Madness Of King George as a special bonus. While it felt inferior to The King's Speech, I do remember feeling it felt a little unfair of me to be comparing them and that it would probably do better taken on its own merits since it had some good performances.

I just had a look back to see what I wrote about it in this thread after watching it in 2017, but it turns out I'd written nothing. Perhaps that's a statement in itself. But equally, I'd also like to re-watch it in isolation now that I have nothing against which to directly compare it.

I did wonder if I saw The Madness of King George without having watched Queen Charlotte first if I would have been even more critical of it. There were things in the film which I didn't entirely like but I was more charitable about because I felt my opinion was coloured by comparing it to the Netflix series. For example, I felt on a few occasions that Nigel Hawthorne was being a bit hammy in how he was running around and shouting in a very in your face, unsubtle portrayal of mental illness. I did wonder whether he had played the role on stage and was repeating his theatrical performance which needed to be bigger and bolder to fill a theatre, or maybe that was what the script demanded because of its theatrical origins. I probably wouldn't have made that observation had I not seen Queen Charlotte in which the mental health of the king was portrayed in a much more sympathetic and sensitive way which made him far more likeable and, in my opinion, more believable. So although I said it's not always fair to compare different productions, it's sometimes interesting to do so.

I never thought about it before but there are themes in The Madness of King George and The King's Speech that are similar so I can see why both films would be packaged together and I agree that The King's Speech is the better film.