What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[Fading Fast]

North By Northwest on TCM for the bazillionth time. I have it on dvd, but cannot help myself and stop to watch when I pass it by.

As noted by others, there is something to watching it when it is on. Sadly (I am not proud of myself) part of it is the lazy factor - to watch my copy, I'd have to dig it out of my DVD box, put it in the player, etc.; whereas, when it is just on, there it is, presto. Also, it is a commitment to plan to watch a 2 hour movie; however, when it is just on, you can watch it for as long or as short a time as you want. And there is the serendipity factor - wow, "North By Northwest" is on right now and I can sit down and watch it - what luck - like a little gift. And, perhaps, the virtual community factor (as others have noted).

I might be up there with you in having seen "NBN" a "bazillion" times (or at least parts of it that much). And maybe that is part of it. I am not itching to see "NBN" because I've seen it so many times (hence, I'm not going to take my dvd out to play it), but when it's one, it just sucks me in (as our friend Worf would say - "a drop and watch" movie).

N.B. to AmateisGal - "The Sunny Side of Life" was a great intro / promo, you obviously discovered TCM after they stopped running it, but it was the perfect touch for the type of movies they tied it to. And, yes, TCM is the only cable channel I can't live without. We are moving and it has been playing in the background during all our packing, etc. and (while it has cost me some times as I've gotten sucked into some movies) it has made an un-fun task better by just being friendly background presence.

 

[AmateisGal]

As noted by others, there is something to watching it when it is on. Sadly (I am not proud of myself) part of it is the lazy factor - to watch my copy, I'd have to dig it out of my DVD box, put it in the player, etc.; whereas, when it is just on, there it is, presto. Also, it is a commitment to plan to watch a 2 hour movie; however, when it is just on, you can watch it for as long or as short a time as you want. And there is the serendipity factor - wow, "North By Northwest" is on right now and I can sit down and watch it - what luck - like a little gift. And, perhaps, the virtual community factor (as others have noted).

I might be up there with you in having seen "NBN" a "bazillion" times (or at least parts of it that much). And maybe that is part of it. I am not itching to see "NBN" because I've seen it so many times (hence, I'm not going to take my dvd out to play it), but when it's one, it just sucks me in (as our friend Worf would say - "a drop and watch" movie).

N.B. to AmateisGal - "The Sunny Side of Life" was a great intro / promo, you obviously discovered TCM after they stopped running it, but it was the perfect touch for the type of movies they tied it to. And, yes, TCM is the only cable channel I can't live without. We are moving and it has been playing in the background during all our packing, etc. and (while it has cost me some times as I've gotten sucked into some movies) it has made an un-fun task better by just being friendly background presence.

I can't remember when I started watching TCM - but I've always loved classic movies. Even when I was a kid, our local PBS station ran "Silver Screen Classics" and I would devour them. That's where I first saw Laura, Ball of Fire, Union Pacific, and so many others. We didn't have cable when I was growing up on the farm (too expensive), just three channels: PBS, CBS, and ABC. When AMC played classic movies, I would scour through the TV guide and find those that I wanted to watch, then ask my grandmother (who lived in town by that time and had cable) to record them on video cassettes for me. I still have them.

 

[LizzieMaine]

That's jazzman Chet Baker doing the vocal on that bumper clip, to give credit where credit was due, in a recording dating to the mid-fifties.

One of our local TV stations owned the Warner Bros/UA movie package when I was a kid, and they ran them as "The Great Money Movie" every afternoon at 4pm, with interruptions by a host who'd draw pieces of cut-up phone books out of a bingo-ball cage and call to see if the person whose number he picked was watching. If she could answer a question about the movie, she'd win whatever the jackpot was - otherwise, it'd increase by $2 and so on until somebody won it. We never got called, but I rarely missed those movies. The host was Eddie Driscoll, a beloved local personality who went in for unadulterated corn, but he we loved him because he was completely lacking in anything resembling "slick." Here's a typical promo from the late '70s, which is all that survives of "The Great Money Movie."

[video=youtube;zYKxVD5jub4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYKxVD5jub4&index=4&list=PL3A1E137DACF49878[/video]

The best part of it was that they didn't show just the same overexposed chestnuts over and over again, but *everything* in the catalog, including a lot of obscure 1929-30 talkies you hardly even see on TCM anymore. At five days a week, they burned thru material very fast. It was all lousy 16mm prints, but you considered yourself lucky to see any of this material at all.

Between that, and "The Movie Loft" on Channel 38 out of Boston, which owned the Paramount-Universal package, I got a very intense movie education before I was fifteen.

 

[2jakes]

There have been many films that I never knew existed or were not available . Because of TCM I have enjoyed many.
One time there was an evening of Georges Melies films as seen in theaters in it’s original colors. The only one I recall
was “A Trip To The Moon” 1902. I was treated to many of his works that evening.

Another time the collection of silent “Our gang” series was shown. And the last time was the history of early animation
& the people who made it possible. Complete with the films of those early days. Very interesting material.

A special Thanks to PBS for presenting Ken Burns “History of Baseball” ...in chapters like baseball innings.
Also “Story of Jazz”.
When I feel a little down, all I have to do is watch these & everything is A-OK !

 

[Zombie_61]

...The best part of it was that they didn't show just the same overexposed chestnuts over and over again, but *everything* in the catalog, including a lot of obscure 1929-30 talkies you hardly even see on TCM anymore. At five days a week, they burned thru material very fast...

One summer many years ago, one of our local Los Angeles stations solved that problem by airing the same movie Monday through Friday at 8:00 p.m.. It was great if it was a movie you liked because you could see it five nights in a row if your schedule permitted, and it was during one of those times when the Universal "horror" movies, The Marx Brothers, Abbott and Costello, and other "classic" movies were experiencing a resurgence of sorts. Of course, if it was a movie you didn't like, you had to wait an entire week. lol

 

[Big J]

"Conan the Barbarian" - I can watch this anytime... anywhere. Director John Milius might have been a complete lunatic and Arnold about as subtle as a shotgun to the butt, however this film is epic!

"The Den" - Creepy effective flick about a woman who wants to do research into the "unrestricted" internet. So she joins a website called "The Den" and takes off ALL the filters. She winds up getting way more than she expected. If you're susceptible you may just throw your laptop into the river afterwards.

Worf

Conan the Barbarian is a fantastic film!
Love the ending.

 

[basbol13]

Conan the Barbarian is a fantastic film!
Love the ending.

Yeah I agree Conan is great, but you gotta admit Predator is pretty close. What other movie can boast of having 2 future governors acting in the same flick?

 

[Stearmen]

Paths Of Glory (1957) Kirk Douglas. Been a lot of years since I watched this one. Not the best movie, but they did a better job then most on the trench warfare! They were deep, but not muddy, but they did have plenty of mud and shell holes in no mans land! So not to bad.

 

[Bamaboots]

"Bite The Bullet" with Gene Hackman, James Coburn, Candice Bergen, Ben Johnson, Dabney Coleman and many others. With hats, horses, boots and guns I'm in. I'm always a sucker for western horse races, cross country, endurance before speed and with Hackman and Coburn playing a couple of Teddy's Roughriders, what's not to like? It may be the only movie I've ever seen Jan Michael Vincent do a halfway decent job in.

 

[Big J]

Last night I watched 'Monster' (2003). A true story about a female mass murderer. I watched it to see Charlize Theron's Oscar-winning performance. Otherwise it's a pretty darned depressing film. The night before I watched her in 'North Country.' Talk about a versitile actress!

I wish I knew how she dumped all that weight!

 

[Big J]

Agreed: I loved Conan the Barbarian from first viewing, but unlike a lot of those eighties fantasy flicks, time actually seems to have improved it. NOW FOR THE DAYS OF HIGH ADVENTURE!

You know, I really like that film. Something about James Earl Jones character transformation from steel technology seeker to cult leader, there's something really deep going on there that I (just like Conan, I guess) doesn't really 'get'. The guy that Conan is looking for isn't the guy he finds- he's changed. And the ending is dark- like Apocalypse Now.

 

[Big J]

Paths Of Glory (1957) Kirk Douglas. Been a lot of years since I watched this one. Not the best movie, but they did a better job then most on the trench warfare! They were deep, but not muddy, but they did have plenty of mud and shell holes in no mans land! So not to bad.

That's a really good film. Shows the 'office politics' that enable officers to ignore reality for the sake of their own priorities.

 

[Big J]

Yeah I agree Conan is great, but you gotta admit Predator is pretty close. What other movie can boast of having 2 future governors acting in the same flick?

I'm still trying to work out if being 'A g0ddamnn sexual tyrannosaur' is a good thing or not[huh]

 

[basbol13]

I'm still trying to work out if being 'A g0ddamnn sexual tyrannosaur' is a good thing or not[huh]

Good thing or not, I don't think I would ask Jessie. He might take it wrong.

 

[sergejvandervreede]

Watched Strange love of Martha Ivers the other day. Great story and great acting. I can hardly believe it was Kirk Douglas' debut.

 

[Worf]

You know, I really like that film. Something about James Earl Jones character transformation from steel technology seeker to cult leader, there's something really deep going on there that I (just like Conan, I guess) doesn't really 'get'. The guy that Conan is looking for isn't the guy he finds- he's changed. And the ending is dark- like Apocalypse Now.

Interesting observation... When Conan first met Thulsa Doom he was using force and superior weaponry to amass power. That's why he was lusting after steel. But then as he explained, he realized later that steel is only as strong as the hand that wields it... the power to control the minds and hence the hands of others... THAT is where true power lies! Cersi Lannister explained the same thing to Little Finger once with the sword tips of her personal guard at his throat.

Worf

 

[basbol13]

I remember getting hooked on Conan back in the early 60's reading my first book " Conan the Barbarian" as a Christmas gift. After that I kept reading til I became a Conan junkie. I only wish they'd make more of Howard's books into movies.

 

[Big J]

Worf, I watched The Den. That was a pretty good movie!

 

[nick123]

The Wolf of Wall Street. It was almost as good as Goodfellas/Casino I thought. Just pure entertainment. Though pretty alarming that stuff went on. That inflated ego ain't my cup of tea.

 

[Big J]

The Wolf of Wall Street. It was almost as good as Goodfellas/Casino I thought. Just pure entertainment. Though pretty alarming that stuff went on. That inflated ego ain't my cup of tea.

My wife laughed her a$$ off at that film, which is pretty unusual for her.