Last movie you saw?

[jjrock88]

The Exorcist

Awesome movie that has stood the test of time but I can see how this movie had people running for the exits in 1973. The directors cut is the way to watch this one.

[Cool Chris]

I watched that movie the first time sometime in my teens. Only knew about its reputation. Kept a light on throughout. Don't think I've seen it since. And wasn't even aware there was a Director's Cut.

[jjrock88]

I watched that movie the first time sometime in my teens. Only knew about its reputation. Kept a light on throughout. Don't think I've seen it since. And wasn't even aware there was a Director's Cut.

The backwards crawl down the stairs (think Bray Wyatt) is worth re-watching the directors cut for

[Cool Chris]

Oh yeah, I remember seeing a clip of that. I just never bothered to pursue seeing this film again, director's cut or otherwise.

[jjrock88]

Oh yeah, I remember seeing a clip of that. I just never bothered to pursue seeing this film again, director's cut or otherwise.

Give the directors cut a shot Chris and see what you think

And then watch Exorcist 2 The Heretic. The most ridiculous obscured locust filled movie ever. But it has a major cult following because it is so ridiculous

[El Barto]

Day of the Jackal (1973)

This is the sort of movie I really wish they still made. Like most British films it's long and drawn out, but it keeps you well engaged the whole time and moves along nicely. In a nutshell, a terrorist organization hires a brilliant assassin to bump off de Gaulle (1963), resulting in a cat and mouse game pitting him against a super low-key, but equally brilliant French detective. What I liked about it was that it dispensed with all of the usual trappings of such a movie. There weren't any car chases, fist fights, or shootouts. They didn't get inside each other's heads. In fact they never had any idea who the other was. The cop wasn't chasing him, or following him from town to town. It was simply a hit-man with total anonymity, superb planning and attention to detail (and an ascot) doing his thing, and a good detective with the nearly unlimited resources of the French and English governments to utilize trying to figure out who he is and what he's up to. It was completely understated, yet fascinating to watch two people so skilled at what they do work against each other while not really even knowing of the other's existence.

[Orbert]

I don't know if this counts, but I really like "The Jackal" (Bruce Willis, Richard Gere) which is a remake of the original "Day of the Jackal".  I saw the original long ago, but really don't remember it.

[pg1067]

I watched the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie with my 16yo daughter last night.  She has watched every episode of the TV show with my wife, but we recently realized she had never seen the movie.

I saw the movie in the theater about a year before I met my wife and loved it (didn't hurt that I went with a co-worker I had the hots for who wanted to see it for the cheese factor).  My wife and I started watching the TV show, but I gave up on it after about season 4 because it had become too broody and angsty and not as much fun as the movie and first couple seasons.  My wife stuck with it until the end.  My daughter doesn't like the angsty stuff too much either, so I hoped she'd like the movie.  Unfortunately, it was a bit too dated for her.

One thing I noticed for the first time is that there was a song in the movie by Rob Halford with Pantera: Light Comes out of Black.  I listened to it today, and it's not very good, but it was interesting to see.

[El Barto]

I don't know if this counts, but I really like "The Jackal" (Bruce Willis, Richard Gere) which is a remake of the original "Day of the Jackal".  I saw the original long ago, but really don't remember it.

I wasn't aware Bruce Willis did a "remake" of it. Based on the description I just read it seems like all of the things the original didn't do, thus endearing it to me, happen in spades in the remake. I'd be fine with an American version of it, but as soon as you make the cat and the mouse old arch-enemies I'm out. As the original demonstrated so well, you don't have to. Unless, that is, you're pandering to American audiences.

[Orbert]

Yeah, it was definitely made for more contemporary American audiences.  That said, it didn't completely pander, and it didn't suck.  Some violence, but not a ton.  There was a lot of good suspense and wondering what the heck was going on.  We weren't sure what Willis (the Jackal) was doing a lot of the time, or why, until we saw how his plan slowly came together.  Gere wasn't as annoying as I usually find him.  And that's mostly my fault.  I have a lot of trouble seeing anyone other that Zack Mayo-naise when I watch Gere.  Edward Lewis (Pretty Woman), Dennis Peck (Internal Affairs), and even Martin Vail (Primal Fear) all just feel like older, slightly less assholish versions of Zack Mayo (An Officer but Not a Gentleman).  All great characters, really, but all just Richard Gere playing Richard Gere.

They didn't have to be old nemeses.  But... American audiences.

[Volante99]

Yeah, it was definitely made for more contemporary American audiences.  That said, it didn't completely pander, and it didn't suck.  Some violence, but not a ton.  There was a lot of good suspense and wondering what the heck was going on.  We weren't sure what Willis (the Jackal) was doing a lot of the time, or why, until we saw how his plan slowly came together.  Gere wasn't as annoying as I usually find him.  And that's mostly my fault.  I have a lot of trouble seeing anyone other that Zack Mayo-naise when I watch Gere.  Edward Lewis (Pretty Woman), Dennis Peck (Internal Affairs), and even Martin Vail (Primal Fear) all just feel like older, slightly less assholish versions of Zack Mayo (An Officer but Not a Gentleman).  All great characters, really, but all just Richard Gere playing Richard Gere.

They didn't have to be old nemeses.  But... American audiences.

Funny I always see Gere as older, slightly less kinky versions of Julius from American Gigolo.

[Orbert]

I don't know if I've ever seen American Gigolo.  If I did, it was probably later, and I probably paid more attention to the babes.

[MirrorMask]

I don't know if I've ever seen American Gigolo.  If I did, it was probably later, and I probably paid more attention to the babes.

I saw it as a young teen fast forward through scenes for..... well, research purpouses.

[MirrorMask]

After months of doing about it, few days after Midsummer I saw Midsommar.

Too long and too slow for the story it wanted to tell. It's nice to see some ancient pagan rites portrayed in a movie, but I'm not sure the movie needed 2 hours and 40 minutes of running time. Miles and miles behind The Wicker Man which remains the undisputed masterpiece of the sub-genre.

[KevShmev]

Finally saw Miracle. Very good. Kirk Russell was great as Herb Brooks. I thought certain aspects of the film were a bit too glossed over to where the win at the end didn't feel as earned as it should have (despite obviously being a true story), but I still enjoyed it a lot.

[King Postwhore]

I can't believe you've never seen it until now Kev!

[KevShmev]

I can't believe you've never seen it until now Kev!

I know, I know. It's been on my list for years.    I can thank a co-worker who mentioned to me the other day that it was on Netflix.  We were talking best sports movies, and he, too, was stunned that I had never seen Miracle.

[King Postwhore]

Shocked as a sports fan you waited so long.

I've got a movie for you I hope you never saw.

Escape to Victory. 1981.

[KevShmev]

I think I saw that when I was young, but I have zero recollection of it.

[King Postwhore]

Perfect. I bet you'd love it. 

[Stadler]

Finally saw Miracle. Very good. Kirk Russell was great as Herb Brooks. I thought certain aspects of the film were a bit too glossed over to where the win at the end didn't feel as earned as it should have (despite obviously being a true story), but I still enjoyed it a lot.

Loved that movie.  I lived it in real time (I remember we were on our annual pilgrimage to Florida to see my grandparents and watched the game on TV in a hotel room somewhere on the Eastern seaboard!).   Mike Eruzione is still one of my favorite hockey players ever; I love the grit and the heart and always will.  Those are always my favorite players (and one of the reasons I like the Patriots; they always seem to find those types of players). 

[pg1067]

Finally saw Miracle. Very good. Kirk Russell was great as Herb Brooks. I thought certain aspects of the film were a bit too glossed over to where the win at the end didn't feel as earned as it should have (despite obviously being a true story), but I still enjoyed it a lot.

Loved that movie.  I lived it in real time (I remember we were on our annual pilgrimage to Florida to see my grandparents and watched the game on TV in a hotel room somewhere on the Eastern seaboard!).   Mike Eruzione is still one of my favorite hockey players ever; I love the grit and the heart and always will.  Those are always my favorite players (and one of the reasons I like the Patriots; they always seem to find those types of players).

I can vividly recall watching the game -- on tape delay, of course, and without knowing the outcome.  Back in those days, they used to do stuff like have Jim McKay say, "we're going to show the score of the hockey game between the United States and Soviet Union.  If you don't want to know the score, then look away from your TV for ten seconds."  You'd wait until McKay said it was ok to look.

Miracle was great.  I read a book about that team not too long ago that was also enjoyable.

It's interesting that all but one of the twenty players on the U.S. team are still alive.  Only 15 of the 20 Soviet players are still alive.

[El Barto]

The Parallax View (1974)

The 70's political thriller marathon continues. Overall this was good, but not great. However, it was totally unique. Don't think I've ever seen a movie quite like this, or at least with this sort of ending. Warren Beatty is a newspaper reporter who [eventually] begins an investigation into why every witness to a political assassination has died. The trail takes him to a corporation that's sending out psychological inventories designed to look for sociopaths, presumably to recruit political assassins. He infiltrates them and witnesses the bumping off of a senate candidate right before a cop, assuming he's the killer, puts 7 balls of double-ought buckshot into him. The movie promptly ends with a congressional hearing pronouncing him a loan-wolf, pissed off and hungry for notoriety. It was wholly unexpected. He was winning. The corporation wasn't on to him. He was going to expose the whole thing. Yet with nobody left alive to continue the investigation, or even report on his activities, everything stops. The corporation continues right on along, and he's a forgotten thug. It's like a Bond movie if 007 is killed by a drunk driver on his way to the final showdown with Blofeld. The movie suddenly ends with a newspaper clipping "Royal Navy Officer Killed in Tragic Crash." Right next to "Mysterious Space Laser Destroys, Paris, Madrid, Moscow, and Washington."

[Orbert]

That's another one I vaguely remember.  I remember watching it on TV, but don't remember any details, and certainly don't remember the ending.

[ozzy554]

Demonic Toys (1992) - More cheesy Full Moon fun. Written by the future writer of BVS so not the worst thing he's written.

Killjoy (2000) - OK this one was just plain bad. They've made like 6 of these so I assume they get better...........I hope

Bad Channels (1992) - Pure fun from beginning to end. With a fun Tim Thomerson cameo that leads into.......

Dollman Vs Demonic Toys (1993) - Fun movie held back by the cheap ass use of stock footage. The whole VS aspect is basically last 15 minutes.

Shocking Dark AKA Terminator 2 (1989) - Fun Aliens rip off from Bruno Mattei the director of Jaws 5

[SoundscapeMN]

revisited Almost Famous (2000).

It does hold up, although it's a little long per the last 3rd of the movie seems to drag a bit.

The biggest reason I watched this is a lot of cast and cameos. Jimmy Fallon, Jay Baruchel, Eric Stonestreet, Rainn Wilson and many others I honestly had no idea were in this when I 1st saw it almost 20 years ago.

[jjrock88]

Demonic Toys (1992) - More cheesy Full Moon fun. Written by the future writer of BVS so not the worst thing he's written.

Killjoy (2000) - OK this one was just plain bad. They've made like 6 of these so I assume they get better...........I hope

Bad Channels (1992) - Pure fun from beginning to end. With a fun Tim Thomerson cameo that leads into.......

Dollman Vs Demonic Toys (1993) - Fun movie held back by the cheap ass use of stock footage. The whole VS aspect is basically last 15 minutes.

Shocking Dark AKA Terminator 2 (1989) - Fun Aliens rip off from Bruno Mattei the director of Jaws 5

Watched the trailers for Demonic Toys and Dollman vs Demonic Toys. Classic cheese. Funny how Full Moon is basically ripping themselves off by redoing their own movie, Puppet Master lol.

[Stadler]

The Shining

I've seen this movie several times, but haven't sat down to watch it in YEARS.  Everything for the recent past has been clips and snippets.   Kubrick, man.  I can say a lot of the same things about this as I can 2001; it's surely high art, it's well-crafted no doubt, but so many questions...

I mentioned Jack Nicholson in discussing The Departed... what say us about him?   I think he was perfect for the part... and yet, wrong for the part.  Who else can you see having that discussion with Grady in the red men's room, or while locked in the freezer?  No one, really; but I don't know about early on. Was Jack nuts before he ever went up there, or did the Overlook get to him?  Nicholson, in my view, has a hard time playing an everyman, and I wonder if a little more contrast wouldn't have served.   

Kudos to Shelly Duvall for sacrificing any dignity or self-respect for playing such a sniveling, spine-less, gutless person so completely.  HAHA.  We (my wife and daughter and I) all commented how horrible an actress she seemed to be (the stair scene where she's holding the bat halfway and swinging it like she's a drunk teenager playing pinata), and yet if you read the commentaries, both Kubrick and Nicholson laud her for a courageous, gutty performance.  I think Nicholson said it was the hardest job he's ever seen an actor do on one of his films, or something like that (it's in IMDB "Trivia"). 

[ZirconBlue]

I mentioned Jack Nicholson in discussing The Departed... what say us about him?   I think he was perfect for the part... and yet, wrong for the part.  Who else can you see having that discussion with Grady in the red men's room, or while locked in the freezer?  No one, really; but I don't know about early on. Was Jack nuts before he ever went up there, or did the Overlook get to him?  Nicholson, in my view, has a hard time playing an everyman, and I wonder if a little more contrast wouldn't have served.   

That's Stephen King's main criticism of the movie:

I feel the same because the character of Jack Torrance has no arc in that movie. Absolutely no arc at all,” he continued. “When we first see Jack Nicholson, he’s in the office of Mr. Ullman, the manager of the hotel, and you know, then, he’s crazy as a shit house rat. All he does is get crazier. In the book, he’s a guy who’s struggling with his sanity and finally loses it. To me, that’s a tragedy. In the movie, there’s no tragedy because there’s no real change.

source


To me, Jack Nicholson is always playing Jack Nicholson. 

[faizoff]

I think Kubrick basically broke Shelly DuVal and Jack Nicholson during that movie with his insistence of a million takes for each shot. I think all the actors were traumatized during the filming of that entire movie. In some of the behind the scenes stuff, you can see Shelly breaking down on set a few times.

[Stadler]

I think Kubrick basically broke Shelly DuVal and Jack Nicholson during that movie with his insistence of a million takes for each shot. I think all the actors were traumatized during the filming of that entire movie. In some of the behind the scenes stuff, you can see Shelly breaking down on set a few times.

Scatman Crothers as well; I read somewhere that for the axe scene, NICHOLSON went to Kubrick and said "enough, bro; he's 69 years old."

I also read that Duvall was so anxious and stressed that she started to lose her hair during filming.  The movie was largely filmed in sequence (very unusual) so it lent itself to the story, but still...  (both from the "Trivia" section of IMDB).

[LudwigVan]

I actually thought Shelley Duvall's performance was quite convincing. She had to face down a man that she apparently loved and admired, but had turned psychotic. Was she sniveling?  Yes, but she also showed flashes of courage and resourcefulness. 

[MirrorMask]

I actually thought Shelley Duvall's performance was quite convincing.

You don't need to concentrate on your performance if the director actually and seriously terrorizes you

[LudwigVan]

I actually thought Shelley Duvall's performance was quite convincing.

You don't need to concentrate on your performance if the director actually and seriously terrorizes you

I don't know the background/history behind the making of the movie, but I guess that was Kubrick's intent? I was judging the performance by the end-result I saw on the screen. 

[Orbert]

I don't know if it was actually his intent, though he did manage to get the performance out of her that he wanted.  Kubrick was a perfectionist in every sense of the word.  Stories of him requiring dozens of takes or more are legendary.  Shelly Duvall was a rather timid person by nature, and Kubrick was overbearing, extremely demanding.  I'm not surprised that he basically scared the hell out of her.  She needed counseling after finishing this movie, and really was never the same after.