Last movie you saw?

[pg1067]

Escape From New York
Escape From L.A.

I have no recollection of having seen them before. The first one was clearly the best. The second one had pretty laughable effects.

I watched (re-watched, I assume) Escape from NY over the past two nights.  I believe it's available on Netflix.  I intended to move on to Escape from LA, but it didn't appear to be available on any of the services I have, except as a $3.99 rental, and I'm not sure I want to do that.

I probably didn't see NY in the theater when it came out (I was just shy of 14), but I'm sure I've seen it before.  The score was terrible, many of the effects were laughable, and a lot of the primitive computer graphics were...I don't want to say laughable, but they were obviously in their infancy.  Fun fact:  some of the visual effects were done by James Cameron  The part where they show Air Force One being crashed into NYC was a bit eerie.  Although I'm sure some folks would cry foul, this movie would be an excellent candidate for a remake.

Escape from LA came out 15 years later, and I definitely saw it in the theater.  I recall the plot as being very bad, and I know it bombed at the box office.

[Adami]

Finally saw Birds Of Prey, or the Harley Quinn solo movie that has the Birds of Prey for like 15 minutes.

It was fun. Very poorly constructed, sadly, but the pieces were fantastic. All of the acting was great, Ewan was awesome. Very Deadpoolish in a lot of ways. In fact, I wish this director did the 2nd Deadpool movie, maybe it would've been a bit more fun.

Overall, I liked it, but it didn't have much substance at all.

[Podaar]

What We Do in the Shadows. I laughed myself sick. 

[MirrorMask]

What We Do in the Shadows. I laughed myself sick. 

 

[Podaar]

What We Do in the Shadows. I laughed myself sick. 

 

Vladislav the Poker   

[Orbert]

My wife and I watched the original movie What We Do in the Shadows and laughed our asses off.  We watched it again a few days later, and laughed our asses off again.  This was last year some time, right before the TV series started.  I'm sure they dug out the movie (which is several years old now) to hype the show, which is also hilarious.

Season Two of the show starts soon, and we're psyched.  They changed a few things about it, different characters, set on Staten Island instead of New Zealand, but the premise is the same and the humor is the same.  Modern-day vampires trying to deal with life in the big city.

[faizoff]

Taika Waititi's humor has become one of my most favorite types of humor. His movies that he wrote and directed are some of the most memorable ones and stay with you forever.

If you loved What we do in the shadows, if you haven't already try to watch all the rest of his movies. They are all great at different levels, the humor is there in all of them but the extent it relates to drama varies and is a joy to watch.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Boy
Jojo Rabbit

And of course Thor Ragnorak.

[Orbert]

Hunt for the Wilderpeople -- Never heard of it.  May check it out.
Boy -- Heard of it, but that's it.
Jojo Rabbit -- Heard of it.  Heard it was good.

And of course Thor Ragnorak.  -- I'm thinking this was something of a departure for him?

[Podaar]

Jojo Rabbit is my favorite movie of the year, so far. I've never laughed so hard at horrific things. It invoked a guilt reaction out of me that I didn't know i had.

[faizoff]

Hunt for the Wilderpeople -- Never heard of it.  May check it out.
Boy -- Heard of it, but that's it.
Jojo Rabbit -- Heard of it.  Heard it was good.

And of course Thor Ragnorak.  -- I'm thinking this was something of a departure for him?

From these 4, Hunt for the Wilderpeople might be my favorite of his. Boy is also very similar but leans more on the emotional side of things. I saw it on Amazon prime, it's a short movie Just under 1 1/2 hrs.

Jojo Rabbit is excellent too, probably his most mature themed movie of them all. I could be wrong but I think these all are based on books.

Thor was a departure for him since it's a big-budget summer blockbuster movie and all others are Indie level.

[Orbert]

That makes sense.

[Dream Team]

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

Great crime thriller, one of the bast from that era.

[jjrock88]

I also coincidentally watched Escape From New York last night.  In my opinion one of the classic and best action movies of the 80s; over the top action along with over the top cheese.

Avoid Escape From LA; terrible sequel.

Another good thing about Escape From New York is Brain's main squeeze, Adrienne Barbeau. It's hammer time.

[Volante99]

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

Great crime thriller, one of the bast from that era.

Marilyn Monroe’s best. She never looked sexier than in that movie.

[Dream Team]

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

Great crime thriller, one of the bast from that era.

Marilyn Monroe’s best. She never looked sexier than in that movie.

Yeah she was skinnier then.

[MirrorMask]

Technically it doesn't belong in this thread, but....

Is the Godfather trilogy worth watching? I never did and and I always wanted to, but I'm "scared" by the massive length of all those movies, clocking at 3 hours or nearly less...

Is it still an enjoyable experience more than 40 years later, or it's one of those "you had to be there" movies (like for example Blues Brothers, I never saw it back in the day and I definitively noticed that it was meant for its era) that lose their charm after some decades?

I never really saw Coppola's classic movies except Apocalypse now, but I love Dracula. I've seen more movies from Martin Scorsese and I enjoyed Goodfellas and the likes, so the gangster movie angle for me it's not a problem, and neither are old movies, but I was just wondering if it was worth to sit through three hours of a movie just because it's so famous when almost 50 years have passed.

[faizoff]

It's been a while for me since I've watched the Godfather movies. I think I last saw them 10 years ago. I do watch clips of some scenes now and then.

The main thing when watching those movies is you probably need to be in the 'movie watching zone' that is how I view certain movies that are long and dialogue-heavy.

There will be certain things that might not look like they aged well like blood and fight scenes, but there are a ton of amazing things in those movies as well (3rd part not included) The unfolding of the story, the acting, and the several technical aspects like the editing, shot framing, etc..

It's definitely worth watching part I & II with a no phone policy, if you're into those slow paced movies, you'll love them.

[Grappler]

The Godfather films are absolutely fantastic.  I even like III, but I and II are classics and should definitely be watched. 

[Adami]

Technically it doesn't belong in this thread, but....

Is the Godfather trilogy worth watching? I never did and and I always wanted to, but I'm "scared" by the massive length of all those movies, clocking at 3 hours or nearly less...

Is it still an enjoyable experience more than 40 years later, or it's one of those "you had to be there" movies (like for example Blues Brothers, I never saw it back in the day and I definitively noticed that it was meant for its era) that lose their charm after some decades?

I never really saw Coppola's classic movies except Apocalypse now, but I love Dracula. I've seen more movies from Martin Scorsese and I enjoyed Goodfellas and the likes, so the gangster movie angle for me it's not a problem, and neither are old movies, but I was just wondering if it was worth to sit through three hours of a movie just because it's so famous when almost 50 years have passed.

The first two are amazing. They're slow and character based, so don't expect Scorsese style quick paced stuff.

You can skip the third. It's not awful, but it's mostly just unnecessary and Sofia Coppola is terrible in it.

[Orbert]

The Godfather is a masterpiece.  It may feel dated in a few places, but if you are able to mentally place yourself in the early 70's and what cinema was back then, then you'll understand how this film blew everyone away.

A lot of people consider The Godfather - Part II to be even better.  It incorporates a lot of the backstory from the original novel (which is also a masterpiece, by the way) through the use of flashbacks, and continues the story of Michael Corleone, showing the many parallels in their stories, and also some important differences.  While I think it's also a great film, not all of the new material (not in the novel) works for me.

The Godfather - Part III divides people the most.  Many consider it just plain bad.  Those people are wrong.  It's not as strong as the first two, but I consider it a worthy film and a perfectly fine end of the trilogy.

The original film was meant to stand alone.  It is the story of The Godfather Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), a modern day King Lear, with three sons and a succession problem to solve.  By continuing to the story in Part II and eventually ending it in Part III, the saga becomes the story of Michael Corleone, with his creation, "glory days", and eventual demise.  I recommend watching all three.  Yes, they're long, but you have plenty of time.  Parts will feel very slow-paced, especially by today's standards, but that's a deliberate choice by the director.  This is a truly epic story.

[Adami]

Also, don't do things like check your phone or browse the web or whatever during the movies. Just watch them.

[gmillerdrake]

The Godfather is a masterpiece.  It may feel dated in a few places, but if you are able to mentally place yourself in the early 70's and what cinema was back then, then you'll understand how this film blew everyone away.

A lot of people consider The Godfather - Part II to be even better.  It incorporates a lot of the backstory from the original novel (which is also a masterpiece, by the way) through the use of flashbacks, and continues the story of Michael Corleone, showing the many parallels in their stories, and also some important differences.  While I think it's also a great film, not all of the new material (not in the novel) works for me.

The Godfather - Part III divides people the most.  Many consider it just plain bad.  Those people are wrong.  It's not as strong as the first two, but I consider it a worthy film and a perfectly fine end of the trilogy.

The original film was meant to stand alone.  It is the story of The Godfather Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), a modern day King Lear, with three sons and a succession problem to solve.  By continuing to the story in Part II and eventually ending it in Part III, the saga becomes the story of Michael Corleone, with his creation, "glory days", and eventual demise.  I recommend watching all three.  Yes, they're long, but you have plenty of time.  Parts will feel very slow-paced, especially by today's standards, but that's a deliberate choice by the director.  This is a truly epic story.

I have an admission. With all the tv and movie content I devour......I’ve never seen any of The Godfather movies. Seen/know about small bits here and there but have never watched any all the way through.

[faizoff]

The Godfather - Part III divides people the most.  Many consider it just plain bad.  Those people are wrong.  It's not as strong as the first two, but I consider it a worthy film and a perfectly fine end of the trilogy.

It's been a while since I saw the 3rd one but I recall my problem with the movie not being with Sophia Coppola, though she didn't make it any easy, but my main issue being was with how Al Pacino played Michael Corleone. It's very disconnected with the other two movies and you can argue that time has passed between the movies but he's acting like a calmer version of Al Pacino from Scent of a Woman. It doesn't feel like the calculating, calm and sinister character from parts 1 & 2.

[MirrorMask]

So, it seems the overwhelming consensus is that yes, they are indeed worth watching. I'll take that into consideration, thanks 

[Orbert]

I had trouble with Pacino in Part III as well.  He's become something of a one-note actor, and the raving, ranting guy is his thing.  So like many others, I had trouble accepting his performance as that of an older, jaded Michael Corleone.  I tried to look past it and tried to get to the story itself.  Like the first two, it took repeated viewings for me to appreciate, but eventually I came around.  Some would say that it shouldn't take repeated viewings to appreciate a film; it either grabs you or it doesn't.  But the story is complex and layered and I was basically lost the first time around.  I probably also "wanted" to like it.

It's not flawless, and admittedly not on the level of the first two.  I still think it's worth watching.

[ChuckSteak]

The Fall (2006)

Very beautiful and imaginative. 8/10

[MirrorMask]

Back to the purpouse of the thread, I saw Dolittle.

Funny, wacky and enjoyable. The protagonist seemed tailor made for Johnny Depp but Robert Downey JR pulled if off nicely. At times it's cheesy and it's definitively oriented to young adults more than that, but in these times I found this simple, colored and heart warming movie quite enjoyable.

[ChuckSteak]

High and Low (1963)

Easily one of the best crime film ever made. 10/10

[KevShmev]

The Godfather is a masterpiece.  It may feel dated in a few places, but if you are able to mentally place yourself in the early 70's and what cinema was back then, then you'll understand how this film blew everyone away.

A lot of people consider The Godfather - Part II to be even better.  It incorporates a lot of the backstory from the original novel (which is also a masterpiece, by the way) through the use of flashbacks, and continues the story of Michael Corleone, showing the many parallels in their stories, and also some important differences.  While I think it's also a great film, not all of the new material (not in the novel) works for me.

The Godfather - Part III divides people the most.  Many consider it just plain bad.  Those people are wrong.  It's not as strong as the first two, but I consider it a worthy film and a perfectly fine end of the trilogy.

The original film was meant to stand alone.  It is the story of The Godfather Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), a modern day King Lear, with three sons and a succession problem to solve.  By continuing to the story in Part II and eventually ending it in Part III, the saga becomes the story of Michael Corleone, with his creation, "glory days", and eventual demise.  I recommend watching all three.  Yes, they're long, but you have plenty of time.  Parts will feel very slow-paced, especially by today's standards, but that's a deliberate choice by the director.  This is a truly epic story.

Good summation.

I and II are both in my all-time top 5.  Perfect films, both of them if you ask me.

III isn't bad, but it's not that great either. 

[El Barto]

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

Great crime thriller, one of the bast from that era.

Cool flick. I always love when the hooligan that everybody looks down on is the one with character.

And yeah, Marilyn was smoking hot.

[MirrorMask]

Last movie saw.... The Godfather.

Yup, I did it! and I liked it. Yeah it was long but not unbearable long, and the immersion in the atmosphere of the movie was good.

Some random comments:

- After hearing it for so many times, actually witnessing the "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" line was a bit underwhelming. I guess it happens with every super famous thing you know from pop culture since your childhood.
- When I was watching the negotiation with the movie producer and I saw the horse I was "is that THE horse?".... and then he rudely refused to let that guy have the part.... and I was "yeah, that must be THE horse". Yup, it was THE horse, one of the few things I knew about the movie.
- The movie is old enough for me to have missed the time frame. I thought it was contemporary, but it's actually set after WWII. That's why they say that Al Pacino was in the war 
- Speaking of Al Pacino, he was young enough to be almost unrecognizable, only in his final scenes I could recognize the face that I associate so well with him. I didn't really expect him to be, if not the actual protagonist of the movie, such an impoprtant character, I thought this was the Marlon Brando show but Michael Corleone's journey in the movie is what holds the narrative together.
- Didn't really know the rest of the plot so the whole Sicily trip came as a complete surprise.
- Didn't also expect Michael Corleone to go all Walter White vs Fring's men in jail (everyone taken care of at the same time), that was so intense especially coming from a guy that started out being late to a family wedding because he was more interested in his girlfriend!
- If anyone cares about these things, it was so blatantly clear for the italian speaking scenes when the american actors tried to speak italian, and when they used actual italian people  off the top of my head Al Pacino was the worst at it, but generally they were all understandable.

So, all in all it was an interesting experience that I don't regret at all, of course seeing a movie almost 50 years after its release you lose a bit of the perspective but the time difference didn't really hamper my enjoyment. Will watch part II definitively, sooner or later.

[faizoff]

That's great, a lot of shows and movies have been inspired by the final sequence of the Godfather and have used it with their own flavor.

The other Breaking Bad - Godfather inspiration was the use of oranges. Notice how always something eventful happens when an orange is shown on screen.

[Dream Team]

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

Great crime thriller, one of the bast from that era.

Cool flick. I always love when the hooligan that everybody looks down on is the one with character.

And yeah, Marilyn was smoking hot.

I read through Sterling Hayden’s bio on IMDB, an extremely interesting and unique fellow. I’m a huge fan of the noir from that era but there are still quite a few I need to see.

[Stadler]

- After hearing it for so many times, actually witnessing the "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" line was a bit underwhelming. I guess it happens with every super famous thing you know from pop culture since your childhood.

Bearing in mind that I'm not really a 'summer blockbuster', 'catch-phrase' kind of guy (I'm confident in saying I've never once uttered "Hasta La Vista, baby", or "yippy kie yay, motherf------r'), that's in my opinion why it's so powerful.  It was that quiet, graceful expression of expected power - not insecure power like you see in villains today, but the confidence of a man who is secure in his family, in his business, and his community (and in the spaces between the three).  That's what made it so chilling, to me.

- Speaking of Al Pacino, he was young enough to be almost unrecognizable, only in his final scenes I could recognize the face that I associate so well with him. I didn't really expect him to be, if not the actual protagonist of the movie, such an impoprtant character, I thought this was the Marlon Brando show but Michael Corleone's journey in the movie is what holds the narrative together.
<Delete>
- Didn't also expect Michael Corleone to go all Walter White vs Fring's men in jail (everyone taken care of at the same time), that was so intense especially coming from a guy that started out being late to a family wedding because he was more interested in his girlfriend!

That is, to me, the essence of the movie.  This is my favorite movie of all time, and I've been on a COVID-19 kick to get my wife and daughter to watch it.  I've responded to their initial complaint - "we hate mob movies!" - with the take that this is really a coming of age story of a young boy, overshadowed (in a good way) by his sister, (in an indeterminant way) by his older brother,  and (in a bad way) by his middle brother, but striving for acceptance and respect from his father.   When given the chance, he rises to the occasion as only he can.   (The "military" is, in my view, a red herring for Vito's wanting his son to be "good" and "respected"; Michael is, if you want to look at it that way, only doing what he's been taught to do).  I can't stand Diane Keaton as an actress, and "Kay" was in many ways annoying AF, but that was a necessary side to this; contrast with "making an offer he can't refuse", Michael was never quite able to get that side of the equation as pat and ordered as he would like. I've always thought that was in part why Michael was slightly more cold and ruthless than his dad: partly it was his sliver of "Sonny" (without the hot head) but partly it was to compensate for the lack of control in his personal life.   

(Yes, I've thought about this before; I've read the book about four or five times as well, and I'm thinking once I finish my current book - Dynasty, by Peter Golenback - I might give it a spin again.)

[Stadler]

Here's another twist to it:

I know it's long, but you've got to watch "The Godfather", then "The Godfather II", but at some point you have to watch "The Godfather Saga", a re-editing of the first two into a more chronological arc, with added footage, but with an eye to more general release (TV) so with less of the adult material (pretty sure Sonny banging the bridesmaid didn't make the cut, though it's been a long time since I've watched it.)