What's the last or current Movie you Watched ?

[Shelter]

ALL OF US STRANGERS (2023) England

One night in his near-empty tower block in contemporary London, Adam (Andrew Scott) has a chance encounter with a mysterious neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal), which punctures the rhythm of his everyday life. As a relationship develops between them, Adam is preoccupied with memories of the past and finds himself drawn back to the suburban town where he grew up, and the childhood home where his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), appear to be living, just as they were on the day they died, 30 years before. (IMDb)

On IMDb a reviewer has written "A Metaphysical Tearjerker"! Hmmmm, I don't know what he has seen. "A Tearjerker" - yes because of the loss of lifetime! Short: it was not my cup of tea!

 

[slimjim]

ALL OF US STRANGERS (2023) England

One night in his near-empty tower block in contemporary London, Adam (Andrew Scott) has a chance encounter with a mysterious neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal), which punctures the rhythm of his everyday life. As a relationship develops between them, Adam is preoccupied with memories of the past and finds himself drawn back to the suburban town where he grew up, and the childhood home where his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), appear to be living, just as they were on the day they died, 30 years before. (IMDb)

On IMDb a reviewer has written "A Metaphysical Tearjerker"! Hmmmm, I don't know what he has seen. "A Tearjerker" - yes because of the loss of lifetime! Short: it was not my cup of tea!

I just looked back at what I said about it on Jan 28th .... <<The 4 main cast Andrew Scott; Paul Mescal; Claire Foy and Jamie Bell are all great, Andrew Scott in particular is superb as the vunerable Adam. As you will see on the teaser the critics absolutely loved it. I wasn't as bowled over as the glowing 5* reviews but I did enjoy it.>>

Tonight I tried to watch WEREWOLVES WITHIN - you will not be surprised to read that it was utter rubbish. but as it was on the All4 free streaming service it cost othing and took up no storage space.

 

[slimjim]

SILAT WARRIORS : DEED OF DEATH (2019)

When a reckless gambler loses the deeds to the family land, his siblings have to clean up his mess. Imdb

This was also on the All4 streaming service so I thought I'd give it a go before they took it off. It's a Malaysian movie and the 1st one from there I have watched. Maybe I was unlucky and maybe this is not one of the best Malay movies but based on this if you want an Asian high-octane; well coreographed; all action; mass fight movie then get one made in Korea or Indonesia. Go and watch THE RAID 2 or PROJECT WOLF HUNTING or THE NIGHT COMES FOR US instead.

 

[slimjim]

THE PAINTER (2024)

An ex-CIA operative is thrown back into a dangerous world when a mysterious woman from his past resurfaces. Now exposed and targeted by a relentless killer and a rogue black ops program, he must rely on skills he thought he left behind. Imdb

So let me guess, when you read the plot synopsis you thought "Sounds familiar" and you'd be right you will have seen this done before.... the thing is you will have seen it done much better before. This is rubbish, really bad. It starts off with 2 characters meeting in a diner one talks about what happened to the other (with a flashback) when he was about 10yrs old leaving him with super-sensetive hearing and then gives him a mission to do that night. It goes wrong leading to a tragedy then the caption << 17 years later>> pops up on the screen - all this happens within the 1st 10mins.

Jon Voight is in in (presumably for the cheque). There are two women playing a CIA section head and her junior - both "actresses" are terrible.

Avoid! (the upside is 1.8Gb freed up on the USB)
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

btw - What is it with this sort of movie and their titles. In addition to The Painter we have Denzil in The Equalizer series; Rod Pearlman was The Baker; Aaron Eckart was The Bricklayer; Emile Hirshe was The Engineer and Jason Statham is The Beekeeper ? The recent exception being The Killer - they couldn't be bothered to give him another profession.

 

[slimjim]

ONE LIFE (2023) ... no trailer due to actor age

Sir Nicholas 'Nicky' Winton, a young London broker who, in the months leading up to World War II, rescued children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia on what was to be called the KinderTransport.

This is a workmanlike and straightforward bio-pic story but the story is so moving and powerful that it sweeps you along - that and the performance of Sir Anthony Hopkins as Nicky Winton.

 

[jhtw]

saw Dune 2.
excellent in real IMAX screen

 

[slimjim]

In the last days we've watched three movies.

3. ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023 France)

The story begins when Samuel is found dead in the snow outside the isolated chalet where he lived with his wife Sandra, a German writer, and their partially-sighted 11-year-old son Daniel. An investigation leads to a conclusion of "suspicious death": it's impossible to know for sure whether he took his own life or was killed. Sandra is indicted, and we follow her trial which pulls the couple's relationship apart. Daniel is caught in the middle: between the trial and their home life, doubts take their toll on the mother-son relationship. (IMDb)

When I saw at first that this film will last for 151 Minutes - I didn't want to watch it ... "too long" my first thought. But believe me I didn't realize at the end that it really lastet for 2,5 hours. A highly dramatic courtroom drama. This film has got 5 Oscar nominations. And I hope that Sandra Hüller (a German actress) will get it. Great movie - and if you like courtroom dramas, this is the right film for you!

And now it's time to go to bed. Good night my friends till tomorrow - or the day after tomorrow or ...........

ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023) No trailer due to actor age.

It is a long film and for most of it I was gripped. My only slight negative was that I thought the last 45mins or so lost the pacing a little. Great performances from all the main cast.

(And if you haven't heard this track before you sure will have by the end of the film lol)

 

[haiducii]

The Zone of Interest (2023)



I saw this last week and haven't stopped thinking about it. It's one of the most impactful films, I've seen in a while...I'll never forget the experience of watching it, even if I can't ever bring myself to endure it again.

Zone follows Commandant Rudolf Höss of Auschwitz, his wife Hedwig, and their family as they live in domestic bliss just over the wall of the infamous concentration camp...Jonathan Glazer's Holocaust film is an unrelenting portrait of the banality of evil.

What an amazing film. Compelling and powerful. The cinematography and sound was really masterful!!!

​

 

[gorgik9]

The Zone of Interest (2023)



I saw this last week and haven't stopped thinking about it. It's one of the most impactful films, I've seen in a while...I'll never forget the experience of watching it, even if I can't ever bring myself to endure it again.

Zone follows Commandant Rudolf Höss of Auschwitz, his wife Hedwig, and their family as they live in domestic bliss just over the wall of the infamous concentration camp...Jonathan Glazer's Holocaust film is an unrelenting portrait of the banality of evil.

What an amazing film. Compelling and powerful. The cinematography and sound was really masterful!!!

​

The Banality of Evil - that was the title of Hannah Arendt's book, wasn't it ? The book she wrote after having covered the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem in the early 1960's.

 

[Jase]

John Wick 1, 2, and 3.

 

[dudophile]

I just now finished watching "Sodom" that I got here a while ago, from Infosfera. So thank you. It's low budget, but the acting was pretty good. It's basically about a young man trying to come to terms with his sexuality, when he gets "rescued" by a hot gay man after being tied to a post for his bachelor party.

 

[slimjim]

The Zone of Interest (2023)



I saw this last week and haven't stopped thinking about it. It's one of the most impactful films, I've seen in a while...I'll never forget the experience of watching it, even if I can't ever bring myself to endure it again.

Zone follows Commandant Rudolf Höss of Auschwitz, his wife Hedwig, and their family as they live in domestic bliss just over the wall of the infamous concentration camp...Jonathan Glazer's Holocaust film is an unrelenting portrait of the banality of evil.

What an amazing film. Compelling and powerful. The cinematography and sound was really masterful!!!

​

Thanks for your thoughts on this. I had pondered if I should get a copy or not as I had read that it was not an easy watch (to say the least!)... maybe I should get one and take a look.
..........................

POOR THINGS (2023)

From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter's protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation. Imdb.

If you are familiar with the movies of Yorgos Lanthimos (THE LOBSTER; KILLING OF A SACRED DEER: DOGTOOTH) then you will know what to expect - a stunning, surreal, darkly comedic, wildly imaginative, beautifully shot movie. Very funny in places (raunchy too) with an atmospheric soundtrack and incredible performances. I loved it (but I am a Yorgos Lanthimos fan)

 

[haiducii]

The Banality of Evil - that was the title of Hannah Arendt's book, wasn't it ? The book she wrote after having covered the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem in the early 1960's.

You're right! This book is genius but it is very scary.

 

[gorgik9]

You're right! This book is genius but it is very scary.

I just wonder what Ludwig Wittgenstein would have said about Arendt's book if he have had the chance to read it, but alas he couldn't since he passed away already in 1951.

Wittgenstein and Arendt must be counted among the most important intellectuals and thinkers in the 20th century. Both Jewish and never afraid to deliver very impopular points of views. I have a hunch that Wittgenstein would have clamped down on the central concepts in the title of Arendt's book: "Banality "? "Evil"? Wtf do you mean? What's the point in saying to people that evil is banal? Does it give us a better understanding, and of what?

 

[slimjim]

THE ZONE OF INTEREST (2023)

Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden beside the camp. Imdb

Chilling - a powerful study of the horror of indifference. I rarely quote dialogue but my chin hit the floor when Hedwig says to Rudolf ".... This is the dream we had......everything we want. On our doorstep..." The cinematography is great, particularly with the way most scenes are framed (interestingly I don't think there was even 1No. close-up) The soundtrack/soundscape is perfect and so atmospheric.

I knew that A24 was involved but I had no idea it was also done in partnership with Film4, a division of Channel4 here in the UK, as is the All4 free streamer that provides me with much of my movie watching.

 

[slimjim]

MEMORIES OF MURDER (2003)

In a small Korean province in 1986, two detectives struggle with the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown culprit. Imdb

This is an early movie from director/writer Bong Joon Ho who went on to make PARASITE so I thought I'd try it. It got some great reviews but sadly it didn't grab me. I was particularly put off by the "dark comedic" moments I didn't find funny.... maybe the Korean sense of humour doesn't travel well?

 

[slimjim]

HARD TIMES (2009) ) originally titled HOLY WATER

The village of Kilcoulin's Leap was once a thriving spa town, home to a famous Holy Well, but now offers little employment for its people, and its decline seems inevitable. When local Postie Podger Byrnes comes up with a plan to hijack a consignment of Viagra and sell it on the open market in Amsterdam, his friends are desperate enough to try it. Not counting on the muscular response of Viagra's makers, the boys panic and hide the lorry-load of Viagra down the town's Holy Well. Imdb

So if after reading the above you're thinking " so a sexy silly comedy " you would be wrong as it's more stupid than funny and not particularly sexy. What it is is a low budget Irish movie. If you have access to R@kuten TV you will find it there.

 

[Bryan]

Alibi.com 2

 

[slimjim]

CODE 8 : Pt 2 (2024)

Follows a girl fighting to get justice for her slain brother by corrupt police officers. She enlists the help of an ex-con and his former partner, they face a highly regarded and well protected police sergeant who doesn't want to be. Imdb

Most people say that (apart from Godfather 2) sequels are nowhere near as good as the original. This does not dispute that theory, and in this case the original was not that good anyway.

 

[slimjim]

LAND OF BAD (2024)

A US Army special forces unit is ambushed during a mission to retrieve an intelligence asset and their only remaining hope lies with a remote Air Force drone operator assisting them through a brutal 48-hour battle for survival. Imdb

This was okay. not great but okay. I'm pretty sure we have seen this plot before but maybe not updated to include drones and the internet etc. This one has 2 Hemsworths (Liam and Luke) and a Crowe (Russell). At about 50 mins in you'll be hoping that it isn't just more "US soldier trying to get to an extraction point helped by the drone pilot back in Las Vegas... and you will be happy to find that's not what the rest of the movie is about.