What was the last film you watched?
- Thread starter Mel O'Drama
- Start date
- Copy link Copy link
- Awards
- 44
17 Again (2009)
It's pretty much what you'd expect. The make a wish age body switch thing done (better)in films like Big and Freaky Friday. And some of the incestuous awkwardness of Back To The Future.
I thought I hadn't seen Zac Efron in anything, but turns out I watched him in New Year's Eve last NYE. The thumbnail I saw suggested Efron and Matthew Perry shared billing, so I hadn't realised quite how little Perry nor how much Efron this film would be. He's a decent actor, but there's something about his energy I find... off-putting (I read it as smugly overconfident, but I'm not sure if that's the performance for this film) and he affects too much territorial alpha throat clearing for my liking. The silly pudding bowl haircut doesn't help.
Maybe I was just in a bad mood last night, because I found almost everyone annoying in this. The "comic relief" best friend; the middle-aged separated wife with the little girl voice and constant uptalk. It's telling that Matthew Perry was perhaps the best thing in this for me.
It's pretty much what you'd expect. The make a wish age body switch thing done (better)in films like Big and Freaky Friday. And some of the incestuous awkwardness of Back To The Future.
I thought I hadn't seen Zac Efron in anything, but turns out I watched him in New Year's Eve last NYE. The thumbnail I saw suggested Efron and Matthew Perry shared billing, so I hadn't realised quite how little Perry nor how much Efron this film would be. He's a decent actor, but there's something about his energy I find... off-putting (I read it as smugly overconfident, but I'm not sure if that's the performance for this film) and he affects too much territorial alpha throat clearing for my liking. The silly pudding bowl haircut doesn't help.
Maybe I was just in a bad mood last night, because I found almost everyone annoying in this. The "comic relief" best friend; the middle-aged separated wife with the little girl voice and constant uptalk. It's telling that Matthew Perry was perhaps the best thing in this for me.
- Awards
- 44
Miss Congeniality (2000)
Yet another film I've managed to avoid all these years until now.
My knowledge is limited to what can be pieced together from the poster (which is pretty clear) and the fact that Sandra Bullock stars (about which I felt fairly indifferent).
How I smiled when I saw that Michael Caine was in this, considering I was torn between watching this and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He was great fun, delivering the film's most hilarious little acid drops ("I haven't seen a walk like that since Jurassic Park" he quipped upon seeing Gracie's walk. I also realised that William Shatner and Donald Trump have the same mouth.
Some voice work aside, I think I've only seen Sandra in Speed (which I can't remember) and that Bionic Showdown film where she played a Bionic Girl type character (I recently had A Time To Kill in my watchlist, but couldn't bring myself to watch after reading about its pro-vigilante message). She was fine here. I particularly enjoyed the contrast shown between "one of the boys" Gracie and "beauty queen" Gracie. The former was great fun, with Sandra channelling Chris Cagney while devouring carbs like Grace Adler and Sammy Jo Carrington combined (and I like that she retained her love of food even under orders) and even throwing in some Adleresque accident proneness (a tad less would have been preferred, but this is a broad comedy).
My main two gripes with the film are that it felt around 15 minutes too long, and I didn't care for the syrupy bit towards the end when the converted Gracie spoke of admiring her fellow contestants and practically endorsed the pageant, which elt rather untruthful.
Groundbreaking this isn't, but it hit the spot for me last night when I just wanted a non-exacting couple of hours where I could switch off the brain and unwind.
Yet another film I've managed to avoid all these years until now.
My knowledge is limited to what can be pieced together from the poster (which is pretty clear) and the fact that Sandra Bullock stars (about which I felt fairly indifferent).
How I smiled when I saw that Michael Caine was in this, considering I was torn between watching this and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He was great fun, delivering the film's most hilarious little acid drops ("I haven't seen a walk like that since Jurassic Park" he quipped upon seeing Gracie's walk. I also realised that William Shatner and Donald Trump have the same mouth.
Some voice work aside, I think I've only seen Sandra in Speed (which I can't remember) and that Bionic Showdown film where she played a Bionic Girl type character (I recently had A Time To Kill in my watchlist, but couldn't bring myself to watch after reading about its pro-vigilante message). She was fine here. I particularly enjoyed the contrast shown between "one of the boys" Gracie and "beauty queen" Gracie. The former was great fun, with Sandra channelling Chris Cagney while devouring carbs like Grace Adler and Sammy Jo Carrington combined (and I like that she retained her love of food even under orders) and even throwing in some Adleresque accident proneness (a tad less would have been preferred, but this is a broad comedy).
My main two gripes with the film are that it felt around 15 minutes too long, and I didn't care for the syrupy bit towards the end when the converted Gracie spoke of admiring her fellow contestants and practically endorsed the pageant, which elt rather untruthful.
Groundbreaking this isn't, but it hit the spot for me last night when I just wanted a non-exacting couple of hours where I could switch off the brain and unwind.
- Awards
- 27
The exact same reason for me to watch AQUAMAN.
I know I'm not the target audience for these modern superhero films but that doesn't mean I'm not able to enjoy some "mindless fun". Unfortunately, only one of those two last words applied.
I wondered what other tellytalkers had to say about it.
Well, it was sort of just there, and from the outset it was supposed to make sense that these two worlds could exist in the same universe. Maybe it would have helped if the film had started with the legendary Underwater World rather than informing the audience about it via the character of....forgot name....played by Nicole Kidman (!!).
They are people, not mermaids? I just didn't get it.
I had anticipated that and promised myself to not over-think it. Better still, not to think about it at all.
I have no problem with American English in American films, in fact, it added a lot of charm to the classic Disney films.
What you often see these days is that streaming-films (which are sort of made in no-man's-land) always use OTT posh British accents for characters who live in these fantasy versions of Europa-ish countries. It sounds nothing like original British films featuring original British actors. It just sounds terribly annoying. Teddibly annoying.
Ideally, the Atlantisans would speak with a Greec accent.
Although I've never really loved (nor disliked) SUPERMAN, at least Christopher Reeve has a lot of charisma. The actor playing Aquaman has none, and after approx 40 minutes I threw in the towel. Even half-brain-dead I still couldn't enjoy it.
The only thing I really liked was the scene with the kids and the sharks.
- Awards
- 44
I've actually forgotten almost everything about the film by now, but I'd guess it might have had to do with the legend of Atlantis being fairly widely used (from Plato to Patrick Duffy). But like you I like my "i"s dotted and my "t"s crossed - especially when it comes to origin stories - so some more exposition would have been good.
I'm OK with most of the Disneys in this regard. Alice In Wonderland, Peter Pan and Winnie The Pooh being three glaring exceptions. They needed those posh British accents. Although, bizarrely, I'm mostly OK with their Robin Hood.
Agreed.
Even worse, while Chris Reeve got wonderful Margot Kidder, poor charisma-free Jason Momoa is stuck with Amber Heard.
Oh yikes. I don't even remember that.
- Awards
- 44
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed And Fabulous (2005)
One of the few things that wasn't predictable about this film was just how few returnees there are from the original. In addition to Sandra Bullock, there are three returnees from the original in relatively small roles. Replacing Michael Caine with the scathing one-liners is a cardboard cutout gay stereotypical stylist. Meanwhile, Gracie's key ally (and happy ending) from the first film is dispensed with via a short one-sided phone call at the beginning of the film, and in his place comes an actor who looks a bit like Paul Rudd from certain angles and distances (the film's other surprise was that he ended up with Miss America Cheryl, and not Gracie herself. The chemistry seemed quite good so I wouldn't have objected).
One notably meta feature was the poster for the original film appearing regularly in the background of scenes. This was because it was, for the purposes of the film, the cover to Gracie's book. All the same, it was slightly jarring every time I saw it.
The daft disguises (among other things, Gracie became an old lady and a drag queen) and the glamour of the Las Vegas setting reminded me of Charlie's Angels or something. And I suppose on that level it's perfectly enjoyable. No disguise that could hide the fact that this isn't a great film and is inferior to the original. But it has Eileen Brennan and even a cameo from Dolly, so it's never going to be time wasted.
One of the few things that wasn't predictable about this film was just how few returnees there are from the original. In addition to Sandra Bullock, there are three returnees from the original in relatively small roles. Replacing Michael Caine with the scathing one-liners is a cardboard cutout gay stereotypical stylist. Meanwhile, Gracie's key ally (and happy ending) from the first film is dispensed with via a short one-sided phone call at the beginning of the film, and in his place comes an actor who looks a bit like Paul Rudd from certain angles and distances (the film's other surprise was that he ended up with Miss America Cheryl, and not Gracie herself. The chemistry seemed quite good so I wouldn't have objected).
One notably meta feature was the poster for the original film appearing regularly in the background of scenes. This was because it was, for the purposes of the film, the cover to Gracie's book. All the same, it was slightly jarring every time I saw it.
The daft disguises (among other things, Gracie became an old lady and a drag queen) and the glamour of the Las Vegas setting reminded me of Charlie's Angels or something. And I suppose on that level it's perfectly enjoyable. No disguise that could hide the fact that this isn't a great film and is inferior to the original. But it has Eileen Brennan and even a cameo from Dolly, so it's never going to be time wasted.
- Awards
- 27
The film is very beautiful to look at and all the characters are, well, very characteristic but the crime mystery isn't very compelling. I understand that the crime mainly serves as a set-up for Mr. Tibbs' adventure in Sparta but that doesn't change the fact that it could have been better. It ended with characters who only showed up in the last part of the plot.
Rod Steiger chews the scenery in a very unusual way.
I'm glad I've watched it but I don't think it's one of The Greatest.
- Awards
- 20
I like Sandra Bullock. I don't go out of my way to see her but it's always good when I do. The Miss Congenialitys are not her best but they do have some nice comedic moments.
- Awards
- 24
Baby Boom (1987)
Yet another well-known Eighties film that I was aware of but that completely passed me by. At least I think it did. I couldn't swear that I've never seen this, but then it's so comfortably predictable it's also the kind of film that one could probably practically play out in one's head without ever having seen it. This is especially true given other films of the era with similar tones and themes, such as Three Men And A Baby (Diane Keaton herself later starred in others that I associate with this kind of romanticised conservative genre of comedy with Father Of The Bride).
In many ways it's very of its time. Keaton's character - with her Armani suits, Oliver Peoples glasses and minimalist apartment - is the epitome of the Yuppie (the very point of the character, of course. By film's end she's learnt a valuable lesson).
It has a cutesy, boing-y synthesised Eighties score which tells you when to laugh or get tearful or whatever (saving the viewer the trouble of having to think too much about what's actually going on).
It's a warm film and quite a soppy one. I have a low tolerance for cutesy films, especially cutesy baby films, but I found myself investing in this one. The girl (or girls, since she was played by twins) is cute without being precocious and the film really sells J.C.'s journey with her (there's a scene at the adoption office which almost broke my stony heart).
I suppose the underlying message of the film is that you can have it all on your own terms... if you're creative and resourceful enough. The ending is upbeat and happy enough, but there's just something about it that could have been a bit more.For the first half of the film, it really felt as though J.C. was on her way to achieving something significant. There's a terrific moment after she decides to keep the inherited baby where Harold Ramis's character announces he can't do it, and she calmly but simply says "OK" and then he's gone. I found it quite admirable that she (well she and he both, really) had sacrificed this in order to step up and be there for the child. After all, she still had her career. Then that, too, was gone and I wasn't sure how to feel about this because it leaned into the "all women are slaves to their maternal instincts" trope. She gave up what was most important to her life to be a mother, which seems retrogressive.
Then comes the baby food business she sets up, starting with the homemade apple sauce, and she's the capitalist again (so she can have it all on her own terms). But the unnecessary icing on the cake was the romance with the vet. So she has the money, the career and the man. And that's kind of the measure of her success. It ended up lazily ticking all the conservative boxes. And while it worked fine, I'd have found it a stronger film without the Hollywood ending.
I'm trying to think how many films I've watched with Diane Keaton, and the answer is "not enough". The First Wives Club; The Godfather films; the occasional more recent film has been streamed recently. To my shame I've never watched Annie Hall, and it has been in my watch list for a while. I do find her a charismatic actress. It's quite a feat to essentially look the same in everything and display many of the same quirky mannerisms, yet still be completely in the moment and somehow become that character completely. I'm fascinated by her features: the fixed smile; the sad "weary of life" eyes. And her timeless style, of course. Plus she seems to be ageing both relatively naturally and like fine wine.
Oh yes - that was when she was setting up her "Vesta Rose" agency with the old colleague from the nursing home.
This reminded me to look up who played "whaddayathink" woman.
I don't recall her getting a close-up, and I remember thinking as I watched that she looked rather like Marilee Stone from Dallas (even though she didn't sound at all like her), so I wanted to see who it was.
Turns out it was June Gable, who went on to play Joey's agent Estelle from Friends.
Funnily enough, after watching the film, I took a peek to see if it was available on DVD.
Seems it's long out of print, but I'll certainly keep an eye out for either an affordable copy or for the series becoming available to stream. I'd be very interested to see how it's aged, and - since it made a big impression on me as a kid - how I view it as an adult.
There are 4 episodes of Baby Boom here:
- Awards
- 44
Oh great. I read about this after watching the film and I was curious to see what Kate Jackson would do with it. I hope to check some of these out over the weekend.
- Awards
- 44
Yesterday's matineé was:
The Sea (2013)
A charming tale of (among other things) bereavement, grief, depression, alcoholism, melancholic nostalgia, searching, envy and sexual awakening.
It's the kind of film one feels rather than watching, and I can imagine if you're not on board with that it's quite a difficult film to watch. I can understand how may experience it as plodding or pretentious. There's something inherently arty about its tone which could be a case of overselling itself.
The subjective, fragmented way the story is told is what made it so effective for me. A gist of the plot is that that, following the death of his wife, a man revisits places (and in some cases, people) from childhood and memories come flooding back to him. With flashbacks galore to various stages of his life - recent and distant - we're given the patches but don't see the quilt until pretty much the end. Indeed, we don't even know for certain who one of the main characters is until the name is revealed in the film's final moments.
As someone who can lean heavily into introspection and reflectiveness, I feel I was on board with the film's voice (or, at least, the way the story was told). It was also very frank about certain matters... almost shockingly so.
I'm not sure I'd want to revisit the film. Not because I thought it was bad, but I very much feel I've ticked that box. It's the kind of experience where once is enough. That said, the film is based on a book, with the screenplay written by the author itself. I wouldn't rule out reading it at some point.
The Sea (2013)
A charming tale of (among other things) bereavement, grief, depression, alcoholism, melancholic nostalgia, searching, envy and sexual awakening.
It's the kind of film one feels rather than watching, and I can imagine if you're not on board with that it's quite a difficult film to watch. I can understand how may experience it as plodding or pretentious. There's something inherently arty about its tone which could be a case of overselling itself.
The subjective, fragmented way the story is told is what made it so effective for me. A gist of the plot is that that, following the death of his wife, a man revisits places (and in some cases, people) from childhood and memories come flooding back to him. With flashbacks galore to various stages of his life - recent and distant - we're given the patches but don't see the quilt until pretty much the end. Indeed, we don't even know for certain who one of the main characters is until the name is revealed in the film's final moments.
As someone who can lean heavily into introspection and reflectiveness, I feel I was on board with the film's voice (or, at least, the way the story was told). It was also very frank about certain matters... almost shockingly so.
I'm not sure I'd want to revisit the film. Not because I thought it was bad, but I very much feel I've ticked that box. It's the kind of experience where once is enough. That said, the film is based on a book, with the screenplay written by the author itself. I wouldn't rule out reading it at some point.
- Awards
- 44
And I followed it up with an evening screening:
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Yet another to be filed under "how have I not seen this until now"? The simplest answer being 1989 me was aware of it by name and poster alone, and probably didn't feel it was my cup of tea.
I remember him being a pretty big name at this time, but with the little I saw of him I never really "got" him back then. At the time it felt to me as though he was in everything. Kids at school - and boys particularly - seemed to love him in films like Roxanne or Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Me? At the time I thought the little I'd seen of him was pretty silly and found his overexposure a turn-off, which is part of the reason I happily skipped over the film.
With this in mind, it was a wonderful surprise to find myself belly laughing at some of his scenes. Some of the characters he played here were just hilarious. There's an underlying cruelty to some of the humour (I felt guilty for laughing at the "Ruprecht" scenes because he appeared to be posing as someone with severe learning difficulties), but Martin has the charisma to soften the blow.
Michael Caine is also an actor whose body of work is impressive, but who - to me - seemed pretty much the same in everything (thanks in no small part to his trademark distinctive speaking voice). That said, I don't recall watching one of his performances that wasn't in some way enjoyable. It's telling that just this week I was disappointed to find that he didn't return for the second Miss Congeniality film as I'd enjoyed him in the first.
More than even Steve Martin, this film has allowed me to appreciate Michael Caine more than ever before. What really struck me - and this is mostly thanks to the dynamic with Steve Martin who is frequently very OTT and animated - was his stillness. He simply stood there taking it all - twinkle in the eye and knowing look on his face - and completely commanded the screen. It was great fun to see him playing other some roles within the role, and to hear that he's rather good at accents which here included German and Australian. And of course he was born to play a roguish cad with echoes of David Niven, Leslie Phillips or Terry Thomas.
It was good to see Anton Rodgers in another film role. While I've seen him in some cameos and small roles in older British films, he's best known to me as William Fields. This year has given me the chance to see him do some different stuff: the singing and dancing in Scrooge was a revelation to me since there was a natural fluidity to his physicality that was light years away from the sitcom hubby I know; as was the lascivious roué in Upstairs Downstairs. His part in this film as the corrupt French police inspector showed yet another side to him, and he was perfect for this bigger supporting role. I was struck by a couple of nods (perhaps unintentional) to other vehicles of his: firstly, the con artist being known as The Jackal could be viewed as alluding to The Day Of The Jackal - the film version of which featured Anton. Secondly, and most exciting, a lengthy surveillance scene featuring Rodgers early-ish in the film was done to a quirky, slightly Gallic instrumental rendition of Pick Yourself Up which is best known to me as the theme to Anton's hit sitcoms Fresh Fields and its successor French Fields (where it was given a more Gallic style). This film was shot some time Fresh Fields ended (and around a year before French Fields began), and I couldn't help wondering if this was a deliberate little Easter egg.
The rest of the casting remained consistently good. There are lots of familiar faces of the well-known and lesser-known varieties to keep the interest.
The film's lighthearted twist was satisfying enough. I must confess I didn't see it coming until shortly before the reveal.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Yet another to be filed under "how have I not seen this until now"? The simplest answer being 1989 me was aware of it by name and poster alone, and probably didn't feel it was my cup of tea.
I remember him being a pretty big name at this time, but with the little I saw of him I never really "got" him back then. At the time it felt to me as though he was in everything. Kids at school - and boys particularly - seemed to love him in films like Roxanne or Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Me? At the time I thought the little I'd seen of him was pretty silly and found his overexposure a turn-off, which is part of the reason I happily skipped over the film.
With this in mind, it was a wonderful surprise to find myself belly laughing at some of his scenes. Some of the characters he played here were just hilarious. There's an underlying cruelty to some of the humour (I felt guilty for laughing at the "Ruprecht" scenes because he appeared to be posing as someone with severe learning difficulties), but Martin has the charisma to soften the blow.
Michael Caine is also an actor whose body of work is impressive, but who - to me - seemed pretty much the same in everything (thanks in no small part to his trademark distinctive speaking voice). That said, I don't recall watching one of his performances that wasn't in some way enjoyable. It's telling that just this week I was disappointed to find that he didn't return for the second Miss Congeniality film as I'd enjoyed him in the first.
More than even Steve Martin, this film has allowed me to appreciate Michael Caine more than ever before. What really struck me - and this is mostly thanks to the dynamic with Steve Martin who is frequently very OTT and animated - was his stillness. He simply stood there taking it all - twinkle in the eye and knowing look on his face - and completely commanded the screen. It was great fun to see him playing other some roles within the role, and to hear that he's rather good at accents which here included German and Australian. And of course he was born to play a roguish cad with echoes of David Niven, Leslie Phillips or Terry Thomas.
It was good to see Anton Rodgers in another film role. While I've seen him in some cameos and small roles in older British films, he's best known to me as William Fields. This year has given me the chance to see him do some different stuff: the singing and dancing in Scrooge was a revelation to me since there was a natural fluidity to his physicality that was light years away from the sitcom hubby I know; as was the lascivious roué in Upstairs Downstairs. His part in this film as the corrupt French police inspector showed yet another side to him, and he was perfect for this bigger supporting role. I was struck by a couple of nods (perhaps unintentional) to other vehicles of his: firstly, the con artist being known as The Jackal could be viewed as alluding to The Day Of The Jackal - the film version of which featured Anton. Secondly, and most exciting, a lengthy surveillance scene featuring Rodgers early-ish in the film was done to a quirky, slightly Gallic instrumental rendition of Pick Yourself Up which is best known to me as the theme to Anton's hit sitcoms Fresh Fields and its successor French Fields (where it was given a more Gallic style). This film was shot some time Fresh Fields ended (and around a year before French Fields began), and I couldn't help wondering if this was a deliberate little Easter egg.
The rest of the casting remained consistently good. There are lots of familiar faces of the well-known and lesser-known varieties to keep the interest.
The film's lighthearted twist was satisfying enough. I must confess I didn't see it coming until shortly before the reveal.
- Awards
- 9
DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS is one of my favorite comedies; I mentally pair it with RUTHLESS PEOPLE and A FISH CALLED WANDA as the trio of 80s comedies about terrible people that are darkly funny but also surprisingly sweet. (I love all three.) In general I like all of Steve Martin's 80s work although since then, not so much. SCOUNDRELS is also an incredibly rare instance of a remake being better than the original. BEDTIME STORY, with Brando, David Niven and Shirley Jones is just so-so and has none of the hilarity and heart of SCOUNDRELS.
- Awards
- 44
The Revengers' Comedies (1998)
a.k.a. Sweet Revenge
.jpg)
I hadn't heard of this and ahead of watching I scanned enough to know only that it was a Strangers On A Train type plot and included Helena Bonham Carter, Sam Neill and Kristin Scott Thomas.
As the titles played, the news got better and better for me. Firstly, it transpired this was based on an Alan Ayckbourn play. Then there was the cast, which was a virtual smörgåsbord of familiar names and faces whose work I've enjoyed, some of whom I'd almost forgotten. I'd never have thought some of these would appear in the same project.
There's Anita Dobson, starting out all posh, like, and ending up screaming hysterically at her daughter and causing a scene by assaulting a man outside a pub. Angie would be proud. Her daughter is Charlotte "Marmalade Atkins" Coleman, who works as a housekeeper beneath reliable old Liz Smith, whose method for getting a greasy kipper stain off Sam Neill's trouser crotch involves so much elbow grease and friction he finds himself fighting a losing battle with his own biology. Devastatingly chiseled Rupert Graves is HBC's dopey-but-sensitive brother. Steve Coogan's here, the object of HBC's murderous intentions and there's a small role from Dicken Ashworth (whose final Brookside episodes I watched just last week) meaning this is a tale of two Alan Partridges. Sadly, the two don't appear in a scene together.
The main cast are great, too. HBC appears to have great fun playing the unpredictable and slightly fragile upper class type whose disguises range from a plain Jane secretary (complete with fake teeth) to a slutty variation of the same secretary. Sam Neill looks wonderfully out of his depth at times (as he's meant to be). KST does that ice queen thing she's so good at.
The plot is fun, and the tone nicely quirky in the most eccentrically British kind of way. Almost everyone, as it turns out, has an agenda, so the truth lies where you find it.
The Norman Conquests it isn't, but I'm still very glad to have stumbled upon this one.
a.k.a. Sweet Revenge
I hadn't heard of this and ahead of watching I scanned enough to know only that it was a Strangers On A Train type plot and included Helena Bonham Carter, Sam Neill and Kristin Scott Thomas.
As the titles played, the news got better and better for me. Firstly, it transpired this was based on an Alan Ayckbourn play. Then there was the cast, which was a virtual smörgåsbord of familiar names and faces whose work I've enjoyed, some of whom I'd almost forgotten. I'd never have thought some of these would appear in the same project.
There's Anita Dobson, starting out all posh, like, and ending up screaming hysterically at her daughter and causing a scene by assaulting a man outside a pub. Angie would be proud. Her daughter is Charlotte "Marmalade Atkins" Coleman, who works as a housekeeper beneath reliable old Liz Smith, whose method for getting a greasy kipper stain off Sam Neill's trouser crotch involves so much elbow grease and friction he finds himself fighting a losing battle with his own biology. Devastatingly chiseled Rupert Graves is HBC's dopey-but-sensitive brother. Steve Coogan's here, the object of HBC's murderous intentions and there's a small role from Dicken Ashworth (whose final Brookside episodes I watched just last week) meaning this is a tale of two Alan Partridges. Sadly, the two don't appear in a scene together.
The main cast are great, too. HBC appears to have great fun playing the unpredictable and slightly fragile upper class type whose disguises range from a plain Jane secretary (complete with fake teeth) to a slutty variation of the same secretary. Sam Neill looks wonderfully out of his depth at times (as he's meant to be). KST does that ice queen thing she's so good at.
The plot is fun, and the tone nicely quirky in the most eccentrically British kind of way. Almost everyone, as it turns out, has an agenda, so the truth lies where you find it.
The Norman Conquests it isn't, but I'm still very glad to have stumbled upon this one.
Oh, interesting. I'd probably never have made that connection between these three, but now you've said I can completely see it.
Thanks. This will save me seeking it out. Incidentally, I see that Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has itself been remade (gender-switched, naturally) as The Hustle. I've only seen the poster but I can't say it grabbed me.
I was intrigued to see that Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was initially written with Bowie and Jagger in mind. John Cleese was considered for Jamieson, while Eddie Murphy and Richard Dreyfuss were mooted for Benson (due to crossed wires, Dreyfuss ended up prepping a reading for the Michael Caine character instead). This kind of background minutiae always adds a bit of interest for me.
- Awards
- 27
I honestly don't know how I feel about this film. I don't regret watching it but at the same time I want to forget about it as soon as possible.
- Awards
- 44
Ladies In Lavender (2004)
Watched mainly on the basis that it includes both Miriam Margolyes and Judi Dench among its main cast. They do their Miriam Margolyes and Judi Dench things, along with Maggie Smith doing her Maggie Smith thing.
Daniel Brühl was great in this. He's kind of a fantasy character: a handsome young man who literally washes up onto shore to be taken in and cared for by two older women who find him in turn fascinating and attractive. His appeal as a naïf comes from his initial helplessness and his inability to speak English, something the women teach him.
Recapping this story now, it strikes me that there are numerous parallels with Misery - right down to the hosts' admiration of - and the talent they want to keep around them (he turns out to be a wunderkind when he picks up a violin) and their protectiveness becoming possessive. The big difference is that while Misery plays out as a nightmarish horror, Ladies... is viewed through the prism of innocent romance and lost dreams (the poster's endorsement quotes from reviews speak volumes). Essentially, this film could be like seeing the scenario through the eyes of Annie Wilkes rather than Paul Sheldon. When they help him recover or ravel to town to buy him Harris Tweed suits, there's a charming warmth. Even the more glaringly inappropriate moments where Judi's character attempts to stroke his hair as he sleeps or later recovers a lock of his hair to keep for herself seem somehow as heartbreaking as it is creepy. And now I've seen the Misery parallels, it's replaying as a very different film in my head. It's also interesting to consider existing double-standards, and the outrage and controversy today's audience might feel were genders reversed.
If anything further were needed, the film's main older man is David Warner whose name, I'm slightly ashamed to say I mainly associate with two of his horror roles: the ill-fated photographer in The Omen and Sidney's avuncular drama teacher in Scream 2. I found him intriguing in the latter role in particular, because it was a small role but he had such gravitas that every line he spoke felt important. Ladies... sees him playing a distrusting moustachioed doctor with just a hint of the old letch when it comes to the pretty young woman, and the investigative instinct of Jennings, his character from The Omen. Once again he's very enjoyable and it's reminded me I'd like to check out more of his work.
There are oodles of "oh, it's him from..." moments to anyone who's watched British dramas or sitcoms. Even Geoffrey "The Crowman" Bayldon is in there. At a couple of points I thought I saw Bill Owen, but turns out it was another character actor with similar features.
The Cornish location work is very attractive and, combined with the winning cast and gentle story make this ideal weekend matinée material, though mileage will vary on how satisfied one feels as the credits roll.
Watched mainly on the basis that it includes both Miriam Margolyes and Judi Dench among its main cast. They do their Miriam Margolyes and Judi Dench things, along with Maggie Smith doing her Maggie Smith thing.
Daniel Brühl was great in this. He's kind of a fantasy character: a handsome young man who literally washes up onto shore to be taken in and cared for by two older women who find him in turn fascinating and attractive. His appeal as a naïf comes from his initial helplessness and his inability to speak English, something the women teach him.
Recapping this story now, it strikes me that there are numerous parallels with Misery - right down to the hosts' admiration of - and the talent they want to keep around them (he turns out to be a wunderkind when he picks up a violin) and their protectiveness becoming possessive. The big difference is that while Misery plays out as a nightmarish horror, Ladies... is viewed through the prism of innocent romance and lost dreams (the poster's endorsement quotes from reviews speak volumes). Essentially, this film could be like seeing the scenario through the eyes of Annie Wilkes rather than Paul Sheldon. When they help him recover or ravel to town to buy him Harris Tweed suits, there's a charming warmth. Even the more glaringly inappropriate moments where Judi's character attempts to stroke his hair as he sleeps or later recovers a lock of his hair to keep for herself seem somehow as heartbreaking as it is creepy. And now I've seen the Misery parallels, it's replaying as a very different film in my head. It's also interesting to consider existing double-standards, and the outrage and controversy today's audience might feel were genders reversed.
If anything further were needed, the film's main older man is David Warner whose name, I'm slightly ashamed to say I mainly associate with two of his horror roles: the ill-fated photographer in The Omen and Sidney's avuncular drama teacher in Scream 2. I found him intriguing in the latter role in particular, because it was a small role but he had such gravitas that every line he spoke felt important. Ladies... sees him playing a distrusting moustachioed doctor with just a hint of the old letch when it comes to the pretty young woman, and the investigative instinct of Jennings, his character from The Omen. Once again he's very enjoyable and it's reminded me I'd like to check out more of his work.
There are oodles of "oh, it's him from..." moments to anyone who's watched British dramas or sitcoms. Even Geoffrey "The Crowman" Bayldon is in there. At a couple of points I thought I saw Bill Owen, but turns out it was another character actor with similar features.
The Cornish location work is very attractive and, combined with the winning cast and gentle story make this ideal weekend matinée material, though mileage will vary on how satisfied one feels as the credits roll.
- Awards
- 27
THE CONJURING (2013)
A re-watch, and it wasn't as awesome as I remembered it, which explains why I didn't remember what I liked about it in the first place.
It's also very possible that I liked the sequel better.
It looks like a well-made greatest hits medley (Amityville, The Haunting, The Exorcist, Paranormal Activity) and if you don't have the time to watch all these films then I guess THE CONJURING does the trick.
Funnily enough, the part that makes me feel the most uncomfortable is the suffocating and disorientating effect of the flowery wallpaper in the Warren's house. It does precisely what the demonic-looking Annabelle doll fails to accomplish.
Inspired by this I watched a part of POLTERGEIST II which is unbelievably bad.
Scenario:
1. something strange happens
2. one the kids screams
3. parent to other parent "THE KIDS!" (as in: "Remember those little people who live in our house? I think we even named them")
Watch it for Craig T. Nelson's fabulous histrionics.
A re-watch, and it wasn't as awesome as I remembered it, which explains why I didn't remember what I liked about it in the first place.
It's also very possible that I liked the sequel better.
It looks like a well-made greatest hits medley (Amityville, The Haunting, The Exorcist, Paranormal Activity) and if you don't have the time to watch all these films then I guess THE CONJURING does the trick.
Funnily enough, the part that makes me feel the most uncomfortable is the suffocating and disorientating effect of the flowery wallpaper in the Warren's house. It does precisely what the demonic-looking Annabelle doll fails to accomplish.
Inspired by this I watched a part of POLTERGEIST II which is unbelievably bad.
Scenario:
1. something strange happens
2. one the kids screams
3. parent to other parent "THE KIDS!" (as in: "Remember those little people who live in our house? I think we even named them")
Watch it for Craig T. Nelson's fabulous histrionics.
- Awards
- 44
The Others (2001)
Back when it first came out, I'm sure I knew of this film by name, poster and the fact that Nicole Kidman is in it. That's about as far as it went and I probably ruled it out as not my cup of tea without looking any more closely.
Turns out this is my cup of tea. I love how old-fashioned it feels and that goes beyond the period setting to the film's sensibilities. There's an emphasis on gothic atmosphere and the film is a visual feast in this regard. Light is the enemy in the story, and this serves the aesthetic, with long shadows and dim flickering light adding to the unsettling ambience.
It's a well-cast film. Kidman is The Name in the film, while the remaining cast is familiar but in general good, dependable actors rather than big-name staaaaahs. It's also a mostly British/Irish cast, featuring the likes of Chris Eccleston and Fionnula Flanagan. It was surprising to see Eric Sykes's name in the credits since he's currently testing my patience in his self-penned, self-titled, self-starring sitcom from the Seventies. Turns out he was perfectly fine in this role, age having given him a more wizened and interesting presence (old age can create interest and gravitas where there once was little-to-none). It blew my mind a little to realise that the gap between the end of his sitcom and this film is about the same as the gap from this film to today.
I'd wondered if this was a British film or a Hollywood one. Turns out it's neither. This is actually a Spanish-made piece.
This is the perfect film to watch blind without knowing anything about the premise or plot, and it's one of those rare discoveries that I could happily watch more than once.
Back when it first came out, I'm sure I knew of this film by name, poster and the fact that Nicole Kidman is in it. That's about as far as it went and I probably ruled it out as not my cup of tea without looking any more closely.
Turns out this is my cup of tea. I love how old-fashioned it feels and that goes beyond the period setting to the film's sensibilities. There's an emphasis on gothic atmosphere and the film is a visual feast in this regard. Light is the enemy in the story, and this serves the aesthetic, with long shadows and dim flickering light adding to the unsettling ambience.
It's a well-cast film. Kidman is The Name in the film, while the remaining cast is familiar but in general good, dependable actors rather than big-name staaaaahs. It's also a mostly British/Irish cast, featuring the likes of Chris Eccleston and Fionnula Flanagan. It was surprising to see Eric Sykes's name in the credits since he's currently testing my patience in his self-penned, self-titled, self-starring sitcom from the Seventies. Turns out he was perfectly fine in this role, age having given him a more wizened and interesting presence (old age can create interest and gravitas where there once was little-to-none). It blew my mind a little to realise that the gap between the end of his sitcom and this film is about the same as the gap from this film to today.
I'd wondered if this was a British film or a Hollywood one. Turns out it's neither. This is actually a Spanish-made piece.
This is the perfect film to watch blind without knowing anything about the premise or plot, and it's one of those rare discoveries that I could happily watch more than once.
- Awards
- 27
I agree it's a great film although I often find Nicole Kidman a bit challenging to watch. I don't know why but I always want to like her more than I do (if that makes sense).
- Awards
- 21
The Others (2001)
Back when it first came out, I'm sure I knew of this film by name, poster and the fact that Nicole Kidman is in it. That's about as far as it went and I probably ruled it out as not my cup of tea without looking any more closely.
Turns out this is my cup of tea. I love how old-fashioned it feels and that goes beyond the period setting to the film's sensibilities. There's an emphasis on gothic atmosphere and the film is a visual feast in this regard. Light is the enemy in the story, and this serves the aesthetic, with long shadows and dim flickering light adding to the unsettling ambience.
It's a well-cast film. Kidman is The Name in the film, while the remaining cast are familiar but in general good, dependable actors rather than big-name staaaaahs. It's also a mostly British/Irish cast, featuring the likes of Chris Eccleston and Fionnula Flanagan. It was surprising to see Eric Sykes's name in the credits since he's currently testing my patience in his self-penned, self-titled, self-starring sitcom from the Seventies. Turns out he was perfectly fine in this role, age having given him a more wizened and interesting presence (old age can create interest and where there once was little-to-none. It blew my mind a little to realise that the gap between the end of his sitcom and this film is about the same as the gap from this film to today.
I'd wondered if this was a British film or a Hollywood one. Turns out it's neither. This is actually a Spanish-made piece.
This is the perfect film to watch blind without knowing anything about the premise or plot, and it's one of those rare discoveries that I could happily watch more than once.
It's one of the three or four best haunted house films ever.