What is The Last Movie You Watched?

[trish]

Bridge of Spies
It was directed by Steven Spielberg, but the Coen brothers (who wrote the screenplay along with Matt Charman) are all over this. Splendidly written, superbly acted (Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance of Wolf Hall fame). On the surface its about the famous cold war prisoner exchange (U-2 pilot Gary Powers for Russian spy Rudolph Abel) but it's also about honor, freedom, people and principle. I'd be curious to know how faithful the film is to the historical events.

[Stavros]

Bridge of Spies
It was directed by Steven Spielberg, but the Coen brothers (who wrote the screenplay along with Matt Charman) are all over this. Splendidly written, superbly acted (Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance of Wolf Hall fame). On the surface its about the famous cold war prisoner exchange (U-2 pilot Gary Powers for Russian spy Rudolph Abel) but it's also about honor, freedom, people and principle. I'd be curious to know how faithful the film is to the historical events.

There is a review of the film as fact in this issue of Time (spoiler alert for those who haven't seen the film). It hasn't opened in this country yet so I haven't seen it. Spielberg's father was in Russia shortly after Powers was shot down.

http://time.com/4070307/bridge-of-spies-history/

[trish]

Thanks, Stavros, for the article.

[bluesoul]

screened this film for a bunch of friends near the moca in little tokyo a few days ago. it's not a bad little film: a mom returns from hospital after having reconstructive surgery and her twin sons begin to suspect the woman under the bandages might not be their mother.

it relies a lot on atmosphere and minimalist dialogue and it's obviously very taught, but it's really two types of film masquerading as one. you've got an opening half that's very psychological, then the last half which is horror(?)



waited until everyone watched this before i checked it out (last wkend). absolute crap. all the acting was so wooden and contrived it was hard to get into the film. here is an example: young ice-cube is on the bus from high school. the kid sitting is front of him is taunting some gangsta's cursing beside the school bus. the gangstas "roll up" in front of the bus, take out their "pieces" and proceed to get onto the bus and demand the kid apologize for taunting them. then they take one look at weee ice cube- starring them straight in the face, then leave. why did they leave? these guys are much older than all the kids on the bus and they have guns. did they know ice cube? it's never made clear.

there are countless other scenes like these and then it finally dawned on me: i don't care. out i went



if you were @ universal studios yesterday then you caught the back to the future day: hover-board outside the hill valley court house, enchantment under the sea dance, delorean and props and catching all 3 films (again).

[runningdownthatdream]

Not a movie per se but currently watching the 10-episode Ken Burns documentary on Jazz produced in 2001. I'm only up to episode 5 but so far it's been fascinating to me. As someone who appreciates the complexity and creativity of jazz - though i much prefer listening to blues - it's been incredibly illuminating to see and hear how the form developed and find where its influences extended through the years into the most surprising and often even mundane aspects of today's music.

Very enjoyable and highly recommended for music lovers.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0221300/

[bluesoul]

went to an early morning screening for this yesterday @ culver city where sony is still desperately trying to do damage control from the gop hack fallout.

return to roger moore form (thankfully) from the woefully embracing and terribly misguided quantum of solace (what the fuck were they thinking?) but this is still somewhat shaky territory babs broccoli and co. who are desperately trying to find footing for the franchise that seems to have stumbled at the le chiffre narrative for ernst blofeld (last seen in never say never again from 83?).

it's understandable now why craig so desperately wants out of this, bond has been a joke since whatever movie came before goldeneye: i still think daniel craig is one of the best bonds, he just hasn't had a bond script that's been complimentary

one of the best parts of this screening was a free grab bag that included, amongst other toys, a spectre pen replica of the dupont st that attaches to a butane lighter engraved with the swirl decor from the gun barrel sequence. the original is currently priced at $7,600

[Laphroaig]

return to roger moore form (thankfully)

You think Roger Moore was the best Bond?? (why isn't there a "raised eyebrow" emoticon when you need one?...)

[Stavros]

Billy Elliott (Stephen Daldry, 2000)
I had not seen this film before and took the advantage of a tv broadcast to watch it. It is a familiar story of the lad from a poor background who fights poverty and prejudice to make it to the Royal Ballet School and eventually the lead role in Swan Lake. The tried and tested formula means almost every scene can be ticked off with predictable tedium with only the irritating gay sub-theme suggesting the film is any different from other films of this kind. The acting-by-numbers doesn't add any depth to the film, and there may be music but I have forgotten it already. The climax of the film is also its lowest point, as it features a now mature Billy in Matthew Bourne's all-male Swan Lake, surely the biggest mistake in the history of ballet? I saw it once and had hoped never to set eyes on this meaningless rubbish again but there it was, to insult the audience. I can only hope that this pathetic film declines into the same obscurity as Bourne's Man Lake while the rest of us get on with the more satisfying experience of seeing proper dancers take on the old warhorse which, when done properly still captivates the heart and the mind. The least one can say is that Jamie Bell who plays young Billy was a trained dancer, and can tap.

[trish]

Our Brand is Crisis: Fair to middlin'. At least it was a story and not a romance.
Spectre: Pretty bad. In fact we laughed all the way through it, so I guess it was laughably bad.

[MrFanti]

Terminator: Genisys