Last movie you saw?

[Stadler]

Somehow growing up I missed The Goonies. I have no reasonable explanation for it. That film would have been right in my wheelhouse. And yet I didn't see it till much later in adulthood, when it just played like a run of the mill silly 80s kid comedy that had me struggling to watch till the end.

It baffles me to this day how Corey Feldman ever got an acting gig.  I watched The Lost Boys recently for the first time in a while and he plays the SAME F-ING CHARACTER in every movie:  the hopeless, hapless kid who acts like he's 40, except for the tablecloth or necktie tied around his head as if that's cool?   WTF?  It wasn't funny then and isn't funny now*.


* Doesn't help that I really, really, REALLY don't like precocious kids in movies; 'Home Alone' is an unwatchable experience for me, and I've wanted for years to pull Joe Pesci aside and slap him and say "have some respect, man!  WTF were you thinking?"

You ever wonder what life would be like if you were born in a different time? Like, I imagine my psychology career would make more sense in the 70's when the types of therapy I love were popular.

For you? I imagine you'd be pretty pleased if you were born in England in the mid to late 19th century.

I'm going to assume by that post that a) you're a fan of PRIMAL SCREAM THERAPY, and b) there are no precocious kids in the mid to late 19th century England.  I'm good with that.   

A) I will gladly offer you Primal Scream Therapy for whenever you read a post by Xe.
B) I just imagine you'd love it. No social media. At all. No strong sense of entitlement. Kids are kept down to the level of roaches that they are and no one respects them at all. And a person is worth only what he is able to work for and earn. It's like your paradise! Plus, they're all about ending divisiveness. I mean, hell, they're trying to unify dozens of countries under their empire to create UNITY and not divisiveness. And what happens when people are divisive? They get dealt with. It's perfect Stadler land.

The smells, though.  Sometimes when we're watching a show that is set in a period, I'll turn to my wife and ask "I wonder what they smell like?".   This happened a lot during Game Of Thrones.  I feel like Jamie and Cersi smelled like lavender.   

[Adami]

A very fair point. Also women would not be shaving their legs/arm pits. But thems the breaks.

[Stadler]

A very fair point. Also women would not be shaving their legs/arm pits. But thems the breaks.

I'm okay with that.  Dirty hands, though, nuh uh. 

[chknptpie]

A very fair point. Also women would not be shaving their legs/arm pits. But thems the breaks.

I'm okay with that.  Dirty hands, though, nuh uh.

THE BREATH uuuggghhhh

[Adami]

To be fair, no one back then likely would've noticed. We just are used to better smells and cleaner living, so we'd notice if it's not that. But I'm sure in 1-200 years, there will be some new way of life where people couldn't possibly imagine living today (minus the politics) and we likely don't even notice the thing they'll complain about.

So yea, Stads should be in 19th century England. Maybe even as a John Cleese type character.

[Cool Chris]

It baffles me to this day how Corey Feldman ever got an acting gig.  I watched The Lost Boys recently for the first time in a while and he plays the SAME F-ING CHARACTER in every movie:  the hopeless, hapless kid who acts like he's 40, except for the tablecloth or necktie tied around his head as if that's cool?   WTF?  It wasn't funny then and isn't funny now*.


* Doesn't help that I really, really, REALLY don't like precocious kids in movies; 'Home Alone' is an unwatchable experience for me, and I've wanted for years to pull Joe Pesci aside and slap him and say "have some respect, man!  WTF were you thinking?"

I have always been on board with your thoughts on this. But wanted to ask if you felt the same about Stand By Me. I think Corey Feldman works in that movie because to me Teddy is basically what Corey Feldman is in real life.

[Stadler]

It baffles me to this day how Corey Feldman ever got an acting gig.  I watched The Lost Boys recently for the first time in a while and he plays the SAME F-ING CHARACTER in every movie:  the hopeless, hapless kid who acts like he's 40, except for the tablecloth or necktie tied around his head as if that's cool?   WTF?  It wasn't funny then and isn't funny now*.


* Doesn't help that I really, really, REALLY don't like precocious kids in movies; 'Home Alone' is an unwatchable experience for me, and I've wanted for years to pull Joe Pesci aside and slap him and say "have some respect, man!  WTF were you thinking?"

I have always been on board with your thoughts on this. But wanted to ask if you felt the same about Stand By Me. I think Corey Feldman works in that movie because to me Teddy is basically what Corey Feldman is in real life.

Well, that's a fair question, but it needs some background: I LOVE STEPHEN KING.  I've read every word he's published, save a few short stories that only appeared in magazines.  11/22/63 is my favorite book of all time; I read the last 100 pages sitting on the can, my legs numb (from sitting on the can) and tears running down my face.   So I've read Stand By Me (called "The Body" when in print) probably five times or more.   The movie isn't magical to me. It's good - Keifer Sutherland is the exception to the kid actor rule - but not great; I don't really like that whole school of "Rob Reiner/Ron Howard/et al" whose movies tend to me sappier than I like.  Rob Reiner, with the exception of This Is Spinal Tap! is kind of the Richard Marx of movie making.   Undeniably great craft, but it lacks a lot of substance for me.

So, yeah, I suppose Corey Feldman works in that setting, but it's the sort of exception that proves the rule, since he's STILL playing that same character, just not as exaggerated. 

[soupytwist]

Different Season is for me King's greatest work.  3 outstanding tales - Shawshank, Stand By Me/The Body and the best thing King has ever written in Apt Pupil (the adaption is pretty rough though).

[Metro]

sorry to derail the thread but the last movie I saw was A Monster Calls.

 

[hefdaddy42]

Different Season is for me King's greatest work.  3 outstanding tales - Shawshank, Stand By Me/The Body and the best thing King has ever written in Apt Pupil (the adaption is pretty rough though).

No love for "The Breathing Method"?  I love that story, and think it is the equal of the other four (well, almost).

[Cool Chris]

I read Shawshank and The Body after I saw their respective films, so a bit of air was already out of those balloons. They were fine, but my viewing of those films informed by reading. I highly enjoyed Apt Pupil, but never saw that film. And yes, The Breathing Method is too often overlooked in that collection.

[soupytwist]

Different Season is for me King's greatest work.  3 outstanding tales - Shawshank, Stand By Me/The Body and the best thing King has ever written in Apt Pupil (the adaption is pretty rough though).

No love for "The Breathing Method"?  I love that story, and think it is the equal of the other four (well, almost).

I find the setup of the storytelling den more interesting than the story told.  It's a decent enough tale, but just imo nowhere near the quality of the first 3 tales.

[Stadler]

Different Season is for me King's greatest work.  3 outstanding tales - Shawshank, Stand By Me/The Body and the best thing King has ever written in Apt Pupil (the adaption is pretty rough though).

No love for "The Breathing Method"?  I love that story, and think it is the equal of the other four (well, almost).

I find the setup of the storytelling den more interesting than the story told.  It's a decent enough tale, but just imo nowhere near the quality of the first 3 tales.

Weren't there like three or four stories set in that "den"?  I love that idea.  I still have - to this day, even though I haven't read those stories in years - a vivid mental picture of that setting.

[Dream Team]

Different Season is for me King's greatest work.  3 outstanding tales - Shawshank, Stand By Me/The Body and the best thing King has ever written in Apt Pupil (the adaption is pretty rough though).

No love for "The Breathing Method"?  I love that story, and think it is the equal of the other four (well, almost).

4 amazing stories. I actually enjoyed his collections of shorter novellas more than the big ones because 800 pages can be a slog to get through. Night Shift. Skeleton Crew. The Bachman Books were great for me, The Long Walk is one of my absolute favorites of his strories.

[hefdaddy42]

Different Season is for me King's greatest work.  3 outstanding tales - Shawshank, Stand By Me/The Body and the best thing King has ever written in Apt Pupil (the adaption is pretty rough though).

No love for "The Breathing Method"?  I love that story, and think it is the equal of the other four (well, almost).

4 amazing stories. I actually enjoyed his collections of shorter novellas more than the big ones because 800 pages can be a slog to get through. Night Shift. Skeleton Crew. The Bachman Books were great for me, The Long Walk is one of my absolute favorites of his strories.

I also love his collections.

[soupytwist]

Different Season is for me King's greatest work.  3 outstanding tales - Shawshank, Stand By Me/The Body and the best thing King has ever written in Apt Pupil (the adaption is pretty rough though).

No love for "The Breathing Method"?  I love that story, and think it is the equal of the other four (well, almost).

I find the setup of the storytelling den more interesting than the story told.  It's a decent enough tale, but just imo nowhere near the quality of the first 3 tales.

Weren't there like three or four stories set in that "den"?  I love that idea.  I still have - to this day, even though I haven't read those stories in years - a vivid mental picture of that setting.

According to wiki,  one other 'The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands'.  I didn't know that, and I don't recall ever reading it.

[Dream Team]

You need to, great story.

[ZirconBlue]

Confess, Fletch. I really enjoyed it. Much more true to the source material than the Chevy Chase movies, and better for it IMO.

[hefdaddy42]

Dirty Harry

First time watching in, well, decades.  Definitely dated, and much of it simply wouldn't be done the same way (if at all) these days.  But definitely quality for the time. 

[Cool Chris]

I am a huge Eastwood fan, and these movies never impressed me much, though I saw them decades after their release, so yes, maybe they can be chalked up to "you had to be there" to fully appreciate.

[El Barto]

I preferred Magnum Force, but Scorpio kept it close. I liked how they varied the themes throughout the franchise. Dirty Harry was just white conservative male rage, with liberal pinheads holding him back. Magnum Force sent him in the opposite direction fighting back against a corrupt police force. Also, Hal Holbrook as a bad guy is instant win. They saddled him with a female cop, and naturally she turned out to be excellent and died saving him. He had to figure out what to do with vigilante that he disapproved of but was sympathetic to. The varied stories kind of kept him from becoming one dimensional.

[hefdaddy42]

Yes, I remember Magnum Force being quite good.  Hopefully, I get a chance to re-watch that before too long.

[Adami]

The only thing I remember from Dirty Harry was how awesome Andrew Robinson was.

[SoundscapeMN]

Confess, Fletch. I really enjoyed it. Much more true to the source material than the Chevy Chase movies, and better for it IMO.

 

I want to see it, and I realize this movie may be more based on 1 of the novels, however the 2 Chevy Chase films were at least loosely as well.

But some people find the 1st one of the most quotable, influential Comedies of the last 40 years.

[hefdaddy42]

Confess, Fletch. I really enjoyed it. Much more true to the source material than the Chevy Chase movies, and better for it IMO.

 

I want to see it, and I realize this movie may be more based on 1 of the novels, however the 2 Chevy Chase films were at least loosely as well.

But some people find the 1st one of the most quotable, influential Comedies of the last 40 years.

The second Chevy Chase Fletch film was not based on any of the novels.  And it was awful.

[ZirconBlue]

Confess, Fletch. I really enjoyed it. Much more true to the source material than the Chevy Chase movies, and better for it IMO.

 

I want to see it, and I realize this movie may be more based on 1 of the novels, however the 2 Chevy Chase films were at least loosely as well.

But some people find the 1st one of the most quotable, influential Comedies of the last 40 years.

Fletch was based on the first novel of the same name.  Fletch Lives, as Hef points out, was not based on any of the novels.  Confess, Fletch is based on the novel of the same name, the second in the series (as published; chronological order gets a bit complicated as the series goes on). 


The new movie makes some nods to the previous films (like his Lakers hat), but is much more in keeping with the tone of the novels.  I liked the Chevy Chase films, but he mostly just does his Chevy Chase thing, and doesn't really capture the character from the books.  Fletch is a smartass and has a lot of witty dialogue, but doesn't wear any silly disguises or do any of the more goofy stuff that Chase does.

[hefdaddy42]

I am a big fan of the original novels, so I'm glad to see that you liked it.

I actually enjoyed Chase's take on the character in the first film, despite the liberties he took with it.  But man, that sequel was hot garbage.

[Orbert]

I never realized that Fletch was a character from a book, or book series.  I just figured it was a goofy-ass Chevy Chase character.  Funny if you're drunk or stoned enough, but basically just Chevy Chase being himself the same character he always plays.  Not "himself" since by all accounts, he's a total dick in real life.  His persona really is a persona.

[Stadler]

I never realized that Fletch was a character from a book, or book series.  I just figured it was a goofy-ass Chevy Chase character.  Funny if you're drunk or stoned enough, but basically just Chevy Chase being himself the same character he always plays.  Not "himself" since by all accounts, he's a total dick in real life.  His persona really is a persona.

Gregory McDonald. They are good books, a little darker and not as slapstick funny as the movies.

[Cool Chris]

Had no idea it was a book series either. Highly enjoyed the films as a kid, yes even the second one.

[hefdaddy42]

I love the books, although good luck finding them in bookstores now.  Except maybe in used bookstores.

I have a copy of the paperback of the first book from the 70s.  I love it.

[ZirconBlue]

I love the books, although good luck finding them in bookstores now.  Except maybe in used bookstores.

I have a copy of the paperback of the first book from the 70s.  I love it.

You can easily find used copies online, though.  I wanted to do a re-read a couple years ago, and couldn't find all the books.  (They're still in boxes from a previous move), so I rebought the missing ones online from abebooks and amazon.


EDIT:  It looks like they've re-released them at some point.  There's even a Confess, Fletch edition with movie tie-in cover art.

[Stadler]

I love the books, although good luck finding them in bookstores now.  Except maybe in used bookstores.

I have a copy of the paperback of the first book from the 70s.  I love it.

I haven't looked, but I would try Thrift Books, too. I've had great luck there.

[hefdaddy42]

There's even a Confess, Fletch edition with movie tie-in cover art.

This I expected.  That always happens with every film based on a book.

[El Barto]

First day and a half of being laid up I went on a 80s movie kick.

Hunt for Red October
The Enemy Below (not 80s, but continuing the submarine theme, and Robert Mitchum FTW)
The Final Countdown (sticking with the Naval theme)
Fletch 1 and 2  (Fletch Lives is certainly the lesser of the two movies, but what a cast! Also, as I pointed out the other day, Hal Holbrook as the heal is instant win.)
Beverly Hills Cop (essentially a better version of Fletch)
Ghostbusters
Star Trek V--Final Frontier (as bad as I remember it)

Had a few more on deck, Magnum Force and the first two MiB movies, but went off on a Star Trek thing today, instead. For those keeping score:
One Little Ship
The Menagerie
A Piece of the Action
By Any Other Name
Patterns of Force
Little Green Men

Mostly trying to keep them lighthearted, obviously, except for Menagerie, which is just a wonderful episode.

I'll give football a shot tonight, but if the game's as bad as I expect it to be I'll switch back to ST or the 80s.