What was the last film you watched?

[Brian Kinney]

DUNE. Most of it looked like a reshoot of the 1984 version but with less colours. Isn't there any more happening in the first novel it's based on? Toto's stupid score is replaced by Hans Zimmer but minus Brian Eno's fantastic "Prophecy" theme. Timmy and Zendaya are probably genius casting for younger generations (and they're actually good - as were Kyle MacLachlan and Sean Young back then). I think the actress playing Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet) mother - Rebecca Ferguson - looks too young, like a sister (Francessca Annis had a natural maternal authority in the old film). Jason Mamoa as always a joy to watch (and much more memorable than Richard Jordan). The set decorations for the three different planets we see aren't very different, that's a big minus compared to Lynch's film (and also no spectacular costumes or hair styling). But overall I like Villeneuve's slow visual style even though BLADE RUNNER 2049 impressed me more. So this is PART ONE and Feyd ("oh beautiful Feyd")- played by Sting in the original film, hasn't been introduced yet.

 

[Laurie Marr]

Sister Act. Finally got around to watching it yesterday. Very dated and pretty light on laughs.

 

[Angela Channing]

DUNE. Most of it looked like a reshoot of the 1984 version but with less colours. Isn't there any more happening in the first novel it's based on? Toto's stupid score is replaced by Hans Zimmer but minus Brian Eno's fantastic "Prophecy" theme. Timmy and Zendaya are probably genius casting for younger generations (and they're actually good - as were Kyle MacLachlan and Sean Young back then). I think the actress playing Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet) mother - Rebecca Ferguson - looks too young, like a sister (Francessca Annis had a natural maternal authority in the old film). Jason Mamoa as always a joy to watch (and much more memorable than Richard Jordan). The set decorations for the three different planets we see aren't very different, that's a big minus compared to Lynch's film (and also no spectacular costumes or hair styling). But overall I like Villeneuve's slow visual style even though BLADE RUNNER 2049 impressed me more. So this is PART ONE and Feyd ("oh beautiful Feyd")- played by Sting in the original film, hasn't been introduced yet.

I'm planning to see this later this week. I've not seen the earlier version and know nothing about the novel on which it was based so I will coming from a different starting point from you. It will be interesting if I will like it more than you appear to have.

 

[Angela Channing]

Sister Act. Finally got around to watching it yesterday. Very dated and pretty light on laughs.

I never tire of watching Sister Act. I think it's a marvellous film.

 

[Angela Channing]

Dear Evan Hansen (2021)

This film had lots of bad reviews but I was still keen to watch it because I heard a lot of good things about the stage play but I never got around to seeing it. In the end I didn't think it was a bad film at all, in fact I liked it.

The premise of the film is great, the story of a high school student, Evan Hansen,. who suffers with social anxiety so his therapist suggests he writes letters to himself stating why each day will be a good one. On this one particular day he types a letter to himself in which details some of his depressive thoughts and Connor, the school bully, takes it from him when he prints it out. Connor later commits suicide and the "Dear Evan Hansen" letter is found on him and Connor's parents think their son wrote it to a fellow student who must have been his best friend. Evan plays along because he thinks it gives Connor's parents some comfort and it also makes him a more popular at school as other students have sympathy for him.

It's a really interesting premise for a film and it would work even without the musical numbers and it some ways I think it would have been a better film had it not been a musical. However, the songs are pleasant enough and they work reasonably well with the narrative. Overall, I thought it was an entertaining film which made me even more keen on seeing the stage production.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

A double-bill today, starting with a matinee...

Joker (2019)

The chance to watch it came up and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I'd picked up that the film was violent and disturbing, so at least I was prepared for that. I thought it was an incredibly well-made film, with a fascinating story. The aesthetics were great - I loved the gritty mid-to-late Twentieth Century East Coast vibes. And the sound design was really something. Several times during the film I thought something was going on outside the house because of the way sound was used realistically. Grim as it is, I'm very glad I watched it.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

This evening's film was...

The Secret Of My Success (1987)

I really wanted to see this when it first came out on VHS but, for whatever reason, it never ended up being one of the pairs of films I'd opt to rent. I also missed it on TV, DVD and Blu-ray. Three and a half decades on I've finally ticked that box.

It's an enjoyable enough film, though everything about it is oh so very Eighties: The soundtrack.The clothes. The values. I've always thought Michael J. Fox is cute in a cheeky little terrier kind of way, and it's used to good effect in this film.

Oh, and this scene really surprised me in the best possible way.

 

[Angela Channing]

A double-bill today, starting with a matinee...

Joker (2019)

The chance to watch it came up and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I'd picked up that the film was violent and disturbing, so at least I was prepared for that. I thought it was an incredibly well-made film, with a fascinating story. The aesthetics were great - I loved the gritty mid-to-late Twentieth Century East Coast vibes. And the sound design was really something. Several times during the film I thought something was going on outside the house because of the way sound was used realistically. Grim as it is, I'm very glad I watched it.

I think this is one of the great films of the 21st Century. It reminded me a lot of Martin Scorsese's King of Comedy (1982) in which Robert De Niro played the role equivalent to Joker.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I think this is one of the great films of the 21st Century.

I'm sure it could well be. It's certainly unique, and I thought the subjective emphasis on mental illness fascinating.

It reminded me a lot of Martin Scorsese's King of Comedy (1982) in which Robert De Niro played the role equivalent to Joker.

I'm not familiar with King Of Comedy (though naturally I'm now intrigued), but with this in mind it's interesting that De Niro appears in Joker as well. Almost as though he's passing on the torch.

 

[Angela Channing]

I'm sure it could well be. It's certainly unique, and I thought the subjective emphasis on mental illness fascinating.

I agree. It's my favourite film based on a Marvel or DC comic book character. The film works on so many levels and is completely engrossing. I superb piece of cinema in my opinion.

I'm not familiar with King Of Comedy (though naturally I'm now intrigued), but with this in mind it's interesting that De Niro appears in Joker as well. Almost as though he's passing on the torch.

It storyline of the 2 films is very similar. Robert De Niro is the slightly deranged comedian who wants to appear on the TV chat show and Jerry Lewis plays the Johnny Carson type chat show host. There isn't the same intensity nor the depth in the exploration of the main character's history and it's no where near as violent and but it's a great film, one of Martin Scorsese's best.

 

[Willie Oleson]

DUNE. Most of it looked like a reshoot of the 1984 version but with less colours

Maybe to give it a more realistic appearance even though there's nothing realistic about a reality without colours. And why this reality, of all realities, should look unrealistically realistic...well that's the big question.

Isn't there any more happening in the first novel it's based on?

According to an IMDB review:
"If the pacing were any slower, this movie would run backwards"

 

[darkshadows38]

a really good one on you tube of all places lol and that's called Town on Trial (1957) and so worth it, it's an old British Mystery and it's a must see! it's broken up in 2 parts on you tube. 10/10! it's got John Mills as the lead and Charley Grapewin i think is how you spell his last name? in it as well

 

[Mel O'Drama]

It's my favourite film based on a Marvel or DC comic book character.

It's the least comic book feeling film I've watched based on DC or Marvel and can imagine this one appealing to people who don't usually like that kind of film. One could watch two thirds of scenes out of context and not even realise it's about the Joker. I'm not too au fait with the character's comic book origins, but I'd guess this is pretty far from the source material.

The film works on so many levels and is completely engrossing.

Absolutely.

I've never seen A Clockwork Orange (again, put off by its violent reputation), but Joker is pretty much how I'd imagined that film to be.

It storyline of the 2 films is very similar. Robert De Niro is the slightly deranged comedian who wants to appear on the TV chat show and Jerry Lewis plays the Johnny Carson type chat show host. There isn't the same intensity nor the depth in the exploration of the main character's history and it's no where near as violent and but it's a great film, one of Martin Scorsese's best.

Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for it.

 

[Angela Channing]

Dune (2021)

I didn't like it. The film is visually spectacular, the special effects are stunning, the score is impressive and the acting is first rate. So technically it's a good film but as a piece of entertainment it was a let down for me. I found it painfully slow to the point where I got bored at times. I can't help wondering if it was a mistake dragging the story out over 2 films instead doing it all in one but going at a brisker pace.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Last Right (2019)

Funny, touching and wonderfully acted. A very human film about life, death and a dead bloke.

Great to see some beautiful Irish scenery on film as well. And my goodness, Michiel Huisman looks very much like Dan Futterman (which is no bad thing at all). I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[Ome]

​

My first visit to the cinema in almost two years, and I'm back again on Friday for the Halloween Kills.

I enjoyed Venom: Let There Be Carnage, it was action-packed, and though the story follows the typical Marvel, it's the comedy angle that wins me around. Hilarious in many ways and fun to watch. The teaser at the end with Spiderman had me excited.

 

[Brian Kinney]

Dune (2021)

I found it painfully slow to the point where I got bored at times. I can't help wondering if it was a mistake dragging the story out over 2 films instead doing it all in one but going at a brisker pace.

But that's the thing I don't have a problem with . No, the pace has to be just like it is. I think it's important because the story spans over a few years (Paul's upcoming training on Dune). Lynch's 1984 version of DUNE had moments of that but was too rushed in the last third. So I'm in for PART 2 despite my criticism. I was a bit underwhelmed that Villeneuve chose the same story highlights but in my view his storytelling was nevertheless superior to Lynch's one.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

My first visit. I've been meaning to check out Andrew Garfield's interpretation for a while. Visually he's far closer to my image of Peter Parker than Tobey Maguire ever was, and he also seems to be a better actor. Before watching I'd had my doubts about other casting (Sally Field as Aunt May), but in the context of the film it all worked well. Emma Stone was a great 21st Century take on Gwen Stacy and it was good to see Captain Stacy appear, even though his death wasn't used as effectively as it was in the source material. Rhys Ifans was good as Curt Connors, but the Lizard was a bit too CGI for my tastes, and where on earth were Martha and Billy. One thing that's long made Curt stand out for me is the fact that he's a family man. Here he was presented as too much of a loner.

I wasn't expecting the origin to be re-told and I suppose it's inevitable it would take some more revisionist liberties with the origin story and continuity. None of this bothered me, partly because I'd determined to view it as a blank slate, but I think it helped that this film is already non-canon thanks to the MCU's Spider-Man.

The film's long running time (it's the best part of two and a half hours) mostly worked in its favour. I especially appreciated the fact that we spent so much time with Peter Parker before he was even bitten.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

What Lies Beneath (2000)

It's many a year since I last rewatched this one and some of the details had started to fade, which is nice.

While I loved it when it first came out, my memory had started to remember the film as being full of schlocky jumps in lieu of genuine suspense. Turns out I was only half right. There are a number of jump scares accompanied by sudden bursts of loud music. But there's also a nice human story that drives it, with a great deal of time seeing smaller moments. There's also a nice brooding atmosphere that builds.

Character is lacking slightly, outside of Michelle Pfeiffer's character (and Harrison Ford's to a lesser extent). Other characters are purely functional, but since we don't spend much time with them it doesn't seem to matter.

It's probably best remembered as an attempt at an updated Hitchcock-type film and it's reasonably effective there. There are a couple of direct nods to Hitchcock films (a body apparently loaded into a car boot at night and a shower curtain being pulled down as a woman collapses out of the bathtub after an attack both evoke Psycho. And there's the snooping on the neighbours element of Rear Window). But it works well as an intriguing thriller even without these.

It really hit the spot for me, and it felt like an indulgent treat to have a matinee.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Countdown (2019)

Essentially a poor man's Final Destination with some creepy weirdness which is how I imagine The Ring to be.

It's pretty terrible. But it still made me jump.