What was the last film you watched?

Angela Channing

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Have you seen the original film from 1970? I saw it when I was in my late teens I think, one late night. Maybe on BBC2 or Channel 4 and I loved it. I do tend to like films based on plays though. Anyway I watched the Netflix version recently and it was just OK. Maybe it's the Ryan Murphy casting or something but I couldn't get into it as much. And I couldn't help thinking about the original. I went straight to eBay and ordered it. I haven't watched it yet though.

I just remember from seeing the original way back then that it showed me a bit about being gay that I hoped wouldn't be my life. It's not, thankfully. However I see how somethings have moved on for the better, some things have stayed the same. There's a lot of stuff to identify with or understand.
No, I've not seen the original but I'm hoping to get a copy soon. I'll post my thoughts here when I've seen it. I fully get how a gay man could get something different from this film compared with a woman or a straight man.
 

Mel O'Drama

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Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie (1997)

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Quite surreal to see Burt Reynolds, Dot Cotton, John Cage, Paul from Ever Decreasing Circles and Benny Appleman all sharing the screen with Mr Bean. Even more bizarre to think that Mel Smith directed the whole thing.

I accepted going in that it was aimed at the American market. Many things that make the series and character so unique (and hilarious) are diluted or dispensed with. And as with many film versions of TV series, a number of sketches were recycled. But it worked and was much funnier than I'd expected.

 

Angela Channing

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Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie (1997)

BEAN-1.jpg


Quite surreal to see Burt Reynolds, Dot Cotton, John Cage, Paul from Ever Decreasing Circles and Benny Appleman all sharing the screen with Mr Bean. Even more bizarre to think that Mel Smith directed the whole thing.

I accepted going in that it was aimed at the American market. Many things that make the series and character so unique (and hilarious) are diluted or dispensed with. And as with many film versions of TV series, a number of sketches were recycled. But it worked and was much funnier than I'd expected.

I never watched the TV series so when I watched this for the first time I had no idea what to expect. I thought there were some great laugh out loud moments and overall I really enjoyed the film.
 

Angela Channing

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The Trial of The Chicago 7 (2020)

I didn't know anything about the story that inspired this film but that didn't matter, this is a seriously good film. I was gripped from beginning to the end and even found the final scene quite emotional. For an American story, it's curious that so many British actors were in the lead roles but that wasn't a serious distraction. Although it depicts events from the 1960s the film couldn't be more relevant today with it's portrayal of police brutality, government oppression and a criminal justice system that is often biased in favour of the Establishment. Well worth a watch.

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Mel O'Drama

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Mr Bean's Holiday (2007)


I thought it really fitting that Bean came full-circle for his last outing by getting in touch with the Jacques Tati style that inspired the character.

The film felt far closer to what Bean is that the Americanised first film (which was enjoyable but felt very much non-canon). This time round there was a lot less dialogue and it got back to the physical antics of Bean simply doing his thing. The scenery was very nice as well.

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Mel O'Drama

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Urban Legend (1998)

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It's shocking to me that it's now well over two decades since I watched it in the cinema.

My interest in - and tolerance for - for this kind of film is far lower now than it was then (I'd only properly discovered the genre a year or so before this came out). It's not the cleverest and a whole lot of liberties are taken which require suspension of disbelief. But... it was fun then, and it's fun now. Sometimes it's nice to be able to switch the brain off and get stuck into some silly, glossy Nineties slasher fun.

 

Angela Channing

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The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989).

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It's been almost 30 years since I last saw this film and it's every bit as good as I remember it. Peter Greenaway's films often divides opinions but I think this is one of his most accessible films and his best. It's a superb piece of storytelling that's intriguing, dramatic, mysterious, horrific, funny, shocking and like no other film I've seen. The direction is imaginative, as is usually the case with Peter Greenaway films, the use of colour is inventive, the cinematography and set design are stunning, the score is a work of genius and the acting is first class, especially by Sir Michael Gambon. There isn't a weak link in this film and I think it's a masterpiece of British cinema.
 

Mel O'Drama

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Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000)

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Not great. Fake out upon hokey fake out, with a dream sequence thrown in for good measure and even a faked denouement or two. The comic relief characters are broader and very annoying. And there's an early character death that's pretty much unrelated to the story since it's never referenced again. But nostalgia helps make it an almost restful experience to sit back and rewatch. And John Ottman's score helps make things creepier than they otherwise would be.

 

DallasFanForever

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I just watched Back to the Future 2 (1989) the other day. I know most people prefer the original but this was always my favorite cause of how they travel to the future. I like seeing how many things they actually predicted right. I’m still waiting to see a flying car though
 

bmasters9

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The Lie with Joey King.

Absolutely brilliant, very clever movie.

Wish I could see that-- unfortunately, I can't afford Amazon Prime.
 

bmasters9

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bmasters9

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I have a Roku stick and got Prime through that, then the movie was free @bmasters9

Ah! I always thought that Prime Video was only for those who had the Amazon Prime service.
 

A Nightmare on Jimmy Todd Street

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The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989).

Cookloverwifethief.jpg


It's been almost 30 years since I last saw this film and it's every bit as good as I remember it. Peter Greenaway's films often divides opinions but I think this is one of his most accessible films and his best. It's a superb piece of storytelling that's intriguing, dramatic, mysterious, horrific, funny, shocking and like no other film I've seen. The direction is imaginative, as is usually the case with Peter Greenaway films, the use of colour is inventive, the cinematography and set design are stunning, the score is a work of genius and the acting is first class, especially by Sir Michael Gambon. There isn't a weak link in this film and I think it's a masterpiece of British cinema.

I remember seeing this when it first came out in '89. I agree with you on all counts, except that for me the scenes of violence were too disturbing. Much more disturbing than anything I had ever seen before.
However, everything else about it was brilliant. It was also the first time I had ever seen Helen Mirren in a movie. She was wonderful. The scene when she is at the dinner table with the bruise on her face as Gambon's character low key taunts her really shows Mirren's skill. She conveys so much with just her facial expression. Incredibly talented person.
 

Angela Channing

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I remember seeing this when it first came out in '89. I agree with you on all counts, except that for me the scenes of violence were too disturbing. Much more disturbing than anything I had ever seen before.
However, everything else about it was brilliant. It was also the first time I had ever seen Helen Mirren in a movie. She was wonderful. The scene when she is at the dinner table with the bruise on her face as Gambon's character low key taunts her really shows Mirren's skill. She conveys so much with just her facial expression. Incredibly talented person.
I agree with you, the acting is exceptional, although I singled out Michael Gambon for praise, Helen Mirren was also outstanding. There is a lot of violence in the film but it that didn't trouble me because it was such an important part of the story and at times it was done to shock, at times for humour but always to show what a terrible person Michael Gambon's character was. It just wouldn't have had the same impact had the violence just been suggested.
 

A Nightmare on Jimmy Todd Street

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I agree with you, the acting is exceptional, although I singled out Michael Gambon for praise, Helen Mirren was also outstanding. There is a lot of violence in the film but it that didn't trouble me because it was such an important part of the story and at times it was done to shock, at times for humour but always to show what a terrible person Michael Gambon's character was. It just wouldn't have had the same impact had the violence just been suggested.

Interestingly, the scene I mentioned only suggests the violence Mirren's character endured through the bruise. It's such a chilling scene because of the truly awful violence of which we have seen Gambon's character capable.
 
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