What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[Touchofevil]

The Mountain Between Us
Not worth the viewing.
Bad acting.
Bad directing.
Bad dialogue.
Poor script.
Waste of time.

 

[Big J]

I used to like Sinatra, but then someone gave me a biography to read.
It was kinda creepy the way he obsessed (apparently) over Bogart, and constantly measured himself against him, in a way that seemed a little mentally ill- like wanting Lauren Bacall just because she had been married to Bogie.
He seemed kind of like what we'd call a celebrity stalker today.
No one else ever got that vibe?
Anyway, it put me right off him to hear he was so insecure and over-compensating, pathetic. It was a real 'feet of clay' moment for me.

 

[Fading Fast]

Watching "The Human Comedy" on TCM right now with the sound off as I do some work and play on Fedora. I've seen the movie many times and just like having the picture on for background and because the movie is so iconic of its era - '43. Some movies - their cars, clothes, architecture, furniture, etc. - just seem to perfectly typify their period like this one does.

The scene I'm watching (not listening to) right now is in a telegraph office with a radiator, vacuum-tube system, stick phones and "regular" phones, roll-top desk, wire basket for papers, typewriter on a side "typewriter" table, swivel desk chair, bubbler (and wall-mounted cup dispenser), wood venetian blinds and transoms. And the man is wearing a suit (with pleats), a big looping key chain and a bowtie. Incredible time travel.

 

[AmateisGal]

I used to like Sinatra, but then someone gave me a biography to read.
It was kinda creepy the way he obsessed (apparently) over Bogart, and constantly measured himself against him, in a way that seemed a little mentally ill- like wanting Lauren Bacall just because she had been married to Bogie.
He seemed kind of like what we'd call a celebrity stalker today.
No one else ever got that vibe?
Anyway, it put me right off him to hear he was so insecure and over-compensating, pathetic. It was a real 'feet of clay' moment for me.

I read Ava Gardner's autobiography and of course, since she was one of Sinatra's wives, she discussed their marriage. One word: volatile.

I haven't heard of the obsession he had with Bogart. I have a couple biographies of him on my shelf that I haven't read yet, but plan to.

 

[AmateisGal]

Watching "The Human Comedy" on TCM right now with the sound off as I do some work and play on Fedora. I've seen the movie many times and just like having the picture on for background and because the movie is so iconic of its era - '43. Some movies - their cars, clothes, architecture, furniture, etc. - just seem to perfectly typify their period like this one does.

The scene I'm watching (not listening to) right now is in a telegraph office with a radiator, vacuum-tube system, stick phones and "regular" phones, roll-top desk, wire basket for papers, typewriter on a side "typewriter" table, swivel desk chair, bubbler (and wall-mounted cup dispenser), wood venetian blinds and transoms. And the man is wearing a suit (with pleats), a big looping key chain and a bowtie. Incredible time travel.

I have to watch this one! I missed it this morning, so I'll watch it when it comes on TCM Watch. Thank God for that feature!

 

[AmateisGal]

The Mountain Between Us
Not worth the viewing.
Bad acting.
Bad directing.
Bad dialogue.
Poor script.
Waste of time.

That's too bad. Idris Elba and Kate Winslet are both very good actors.

 

[AmateisGal]

In keeping with my Sinatra theme, I'm watching my DVD of Von Ryan's Express. I don't understand why they changed the ending in the film...in the book, he survives at the end.

 

[Zombie_61]

In keeping with my Sinatra theme, I'm watching my DVD of Von Ryan's Express. I don't understand why they changed the ending in the film...in the book, he survives at the end.

According to IMDb.com: "Frank Sinatra mandated that this movie's ending be changed, and subsequently this destroyed any possibility of a sequel that the 20th Century Fox studio was considering. In the original ending which appears in the source novel, Ryan is not killed as with the film's ending; he survives and with the other escaped POWs, is able to get to neutral Switzerland. This ending would have allowed Ryan, the movie's central character, to appear in a sequel. Sinatra wished for his character to be killed off to add a token of believability to the movie, as well as for there to be redemption for the death of the female character Gabriella."

 

[Touchofevil]

That's too bad. Idris Elba and Kate Winslet are both very good actors.

We were both surprised at how bad Elba and Winslet were as we normally appreciate their acting abilities. The dialogue and story were pretty bad so maybe it wasn’t their fault.

 

[AmateisGal]

According to IMDb.com: "Frank Sinatra mandated that this movie's ending be changed, and subsequently this destroyed any possibility of a sequel that the 20th Century Fox studio was considering. In the original ending which appears in the source novel, Ryan is not killed as with the film's ending; he survives and with the other escaped POWs, is able to get to neutral Switzerland. This ending would have allowed Ryan, the movie's central character, to appear in a sequel. Sinatra wished for his character to be killed off to add a token of believability to the movie, as well as for there to be redemption for the death of the female character Gabriella."

How fascinating! Thanks for sharing that. And honestly, the redemption stuff does make sense.

 

[3fingers]

I used to like Sinatra, but then someone gave me a biography to read.
It was kinda creepy the way he obsessed (apparently) over Bogart, and constantly measured himself against him, in a way that seemed a little mentally ill- like wanting Lauren Bacall just because she had been married to Bogie.
He seemed kind of like what we'd call a celebrity stalker today.
No one else ever got that vibe?
Anyway, it put me right off him to hear he was so insecure and over-compensating, pathetic. It was a real 'feet of clay' moment for me.

In a world of make believe, I've always assumed that the majority of the residents were at least as messed up as the rest of us, and likely more so.

 

[3fingers]

Behind Green Lights. Cop William Gargan decides whether to arrest Carole Landis or fall in love with her. He chooses option 2.
A pretty good film, but very like many others. Definitely watched far worse.

 

[AmateisGal]

Dunkirk.

A few quibbles. Overall, I liked it. There wasn't a lot of dialogue in this film, and I think that was on purpose. But it worked. The four basic storylines - the two soldiers who do everything they can to escape the beach; the father, son, and their friend on the boat; the pilot (played by Tom Hardy) and the naval officer in charge (Kenneth Branagh) - show each aspect of the fight. All of them were strong, but I think the strongest were the pilot's story and the boat with the father and son.

The constant music playing in the background was a little annoying, but I get why they did it - to keep the tension constantly ramped up. And it succeeded.

The one thing that bothered me was that the storytelling was not linear. We jumped back and forth in time, but I didn't realize that's what was happening until well into the film. It was jarring.

Great performances by all the cast, and I was pleasantly surprised by Harry Styles' performance as it was his first acting role (other than music videos, I think).

Honestly, though, I think it could have been better.

Overall? I'd give it a B+.

 

[Fading Fast]

I used to like Sinatra, but then someone gave me a biography to read.
It was kinda creepy the way he obsessed (apparently) over Bogart, and constantly measured himself against him, in a way that seemed a little mentally ill- like wanting Lauren Bacall just because she had been married to Bogie.
He seemed kind of like what we'd call a celebrity stalker today.
No one else ever got that vibe?
Anyway, it put me right off him to hear he was so insecure and over-compensating, pathetic. It was a real 'feet of clay' moment for me.

A couple of thoughts. One, depending on which biography you read, you'll get a different impression (I've read several Sinatra biographies over the years and don't even remember him having an obsession with Bogey - but that might simply be because I didn't read the one(s) that honestly reported on or over exaggerated that fact).

And, two, my read of Sinatra was that he was like many (most /all) people in that he had good and bad in him. He could be generous and kind and / or mean and spiteful - depending on to whom / the time period in his life / etc. Also, being Sinatra, the usual guardrails that keep most of our worst behaviors in check weren't in place once he became an outsized star.

So I kind of take it all in stride - I don't fully believe or outright dismiss the extreme things I read about famous people (unless truly verifiable). Also, I assume that most famous people would have kept their crazy more in control if they had to live normal lives like the rest of us. Hence, I guess I give them a little more slack.

 

[Touchofevil]

Last night, “Allied.” One of the more entertaining movies we have seen during the past year. Visually appealing, good acting throughout (Pitt, not so much), entertaining story.

Right now (with a cup of coffee) on TCM’s Noir Alley, “Where Danger Lives.” I saw “Robert Mitchum” and that was enough for me to tune in.

 

[Fading Fast]

Last night, “Allied.” One of the more entertaining movies we have seen during the past year. Visually appealing, good acting throughout (Pitt, not so much), entertaining story.

Right now (with a cup of coffee) on TCM’s Noir Alley, “Where Danger Lives.” I saw “Robert Mitchum” and that was enough for me to tune in.

Shoot, forgot to record it (still have to get to last week's one, which I did put on the DVR). How is it so far?

 

[Touchofevil]

Shoot, forgot to record it (still have to get to last week's one, which I did put on the DVR). How is it so far?

I enjoy it. It’s not his best, but it is always good to see Mitchum. The shify shady car salesman scene is entertaining; not much has changed since 1950. The cars are fun to look at as well. I always enjoy watching the exterior scenes of real life shots of life circa 1950.

 

[Fading Fast]

I enjoy it. It’s not his best, but it is always good to see Mitchum. The shify shady car salesman scene is entertaining; not much has changed since 1950. The cars are fun to look at as well. I always enjoy watching the exterior scenes of real life shots of life circa 1950.

Mitchum - yes, like visiting with a cool old friend

Car salesmen - yup, they don't change. I read an article awhile back that "Detroit" (GM, Ford, etc.), at the corporate level, would love to do away with the whole "bargaining" process as every survey shows customers hate it and that it hurts both their brands and the industry's image overall, but the franchisees (i.e., dealerships) believe it is profitable individually, so they resist the standardized pricing Detroit wants to move toward.

Watching "real life shots of life..." is part of the great joys of old movies

 

[Doctor Strange]

The Girl on the Train on Showtime. Twisty, disturbing psychological relationship/crime flick with some excellent performances, and clever misdirection of who's guilty of what.

Of special interest if you've spent a lot of time riding the Metro-North Hudson Line, as much of it was shot aboard trains and adjacent to the tracks in several Westchester towns.

 

[Touchofevil]

I enjoy it. It’s not his best, but it is always good to see Mitchum. The shify shady car salesman scene is entertaining; not much has changed since 1950. The cars are fun to look at as well. I always enjoy watching the exterior scenes of real life shots of life circa 1950.

The more I watched, the more I enjoyed the story and the visuals. It is a much better movie than the credit I was giving it.