What was the last film you watched?

[Mel O'Drama]

Justice League (2017)

My first time. With the way this film was panned (I watched the original version, not the Snyder Cut) I had a feeling it was going to be pretty awful.

Actually, I really enjoyed it. It probably helps that I'm not a hardcore fan of superhero films. I haven't watched The Avengers, so I'm not directly comparing this with its contemporaries, and I'm able to enjoy it on its own merits. Not being part of the fanbase means I haven't bought into that "one mind" thing where I assimilate others' criticisms of the film and form an "opinion" before watching. I have no real opinion about Joss Whedon and Zach Snyder and so I don't care who directed which scenes just so long as I enjoy the finished product. And because I'm not twelve, I don't fear being uncool because Whedon's version isn't rated 18.

I still had a couple of my own issues with the film, mostly based on my comics-reading childhood.

Like, why is Lois Lane a redhead with Kardashian vocal fry? And why is Barry Allen a brunette twink when he's traditionally been a muscular blonde grown man? The film version - with his wide-eyed enthusiasm over tagging along with Batman - might as well have been Robin. It's a little odd that he's far younger than Cyborg when comics Cyborg was teammates with Barry's young sidekick in The New Teen Titans. All the same, I found this new young Barry Allen very endearing. It's difficult not to like him.

My stomach turned when I saw Amber Heard's name in the credits. How is she still appearing in films? I can't see her without thinking of the recording of her psychologically abusing her partner and of that deposition video. Fortunately she and her righteous anger appeared in just one short scene.

Ben Affleck makes a surprisingly good Bruce Wayne. He's a contender for my favourite Batman. Great to see Jeremy Irons in the cast as well.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Perfect Host (2010)

Oh my. This was like going down the rabbit hole.

I had no idea of the film's genre and little of the premise, and so the initial twist (there were many) really grabbed me. It's a cracking little film, difficult to define and worth watching with the least amount of information possible.

Here's the least spoiler-y trailer I can find (but I'd still advise going in blind):

 

[DallasFanForever]

Ben Affleck makes a surprisingly good Bruce Wayne. He's a contender for my favourite Batman.

I remember thinking that I just couldn’t see him playing that role. I honestly thought he wouldn’t make a great Bruce Wayne/Batman at all but I was wrong. He far exceeded my expectations.

 

[DallasFanForever]

The Perfect Host (2010)

Oh my. This was like going down the rabbit hole.

I had no idea of the film's genre and little of the premise, and so the initial twist (there were many) really grabbed me. It's a cracking little film, difficult to define and worth watching with the least amount of information possible.

Here's the least spoiler-y trailer I can find (but I'd still advise going in blind):

And I’m not sure what to make of this movie from the preview but I have to say this does look intriguing to me.

 

[Sea - Boo! - Er]

I remember thinking that I just couldn’t see him playing that role. I honestly thought he wouldn’t make a great Bruce Wayne/Batman at all but I was wrong. He far exceeded my expectations.

Same thing happened when Michael Keaton was announced for the '89 movie. There was a great outcry at first but he's since become one of the most popular in the role.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I remember thinking that I just couldn’t see him playing that role. I honestly thought he wouldn’t make a great Bruce Wayne/Batman at all but I was wrong. He far exceeded my expectations.

I probably felt similarly. Especially when I associate the actor with a different superhero role (I have similar feelings with Chris Evans as Captain America, though I haven't seen that performance yet).

With Ben as Batman, it helps that I wasn't too fussed about Christian Bale who seems to be popular with many fans, so I didn't have that hurdle to overcome.

Same thing happened when Michael Keaton was announced for the '89 movie. There was a great outcry at first but he's since become one of the most popular in the role.

I feel quite fortunate that I had no idea who Michael Keaton was. Batman was the first time his name registered with me at all.

And I’m not sure what to make of this movie from the preview but I have to say this does look intriguing to me.

It's really difficult to describe without spoiling it, but I thought it was cleverly disorientating. Every time I thought I knew what was about to happen the rules changed again.

David Hyde Pierce was really good in it. It's quite a dark film at times, but there's a humour to his performance that keeps him likeable, and he embraces the weirdness of it all, right down to the bizarre scene where he gets funky to Rose Royce's Car Wash.

 

[Toni]

I just watched this movie, "Tape". It´s a compelling 3-character play filmed for big-screen by Mr. Hawke, his (then) wife Uma Thurman and his friend Sean Scott. Not too surprising, but the performances are very very good.

 

[Angela Chilling]

Ed Wood (1994)

This is the third Martin Landau film I've watched recently and this is the one for which he won his Oscar. From the moment the film starts and the camera moves around the graves in a cemetery and each gravestone bears the name of a different member of the film's cast, you know this is a stylish film. This telling of the story of the man voted the worst director ever is at times funny and moving and the film is far better than its poor box office returns would suggest.

 

[Jessie]

Flashback

 

[Jessie]

The Lie

Great film

 

[Sea - Boo! - Er]

I probably felt similarly. Especially when I associate the actor with a different superhero role (I have similar feelings with Chris Evans as Captain America, though I haven't seen that performance yet).

I think those movies work better when an unknown is cast. Of course that often leads to typecasting when they become too associated with the role, although that doesn't seem to be as much of a problem now as it was in George Reeves's and Adam West's day.

 

[Angela Chilling]

Awake (2021)

This film was surprisingly good. The story of a global event that changes humankind so no one is able to sleep. Then it's discovered that a young girl is able to sleep normally and desperate people try to get their hands on her to save mankind. A gripping story with some very tense, edge of the seat moments.

 

[Jessie]

Run

 

[Jessie]

A really good horror movie.

 

[Toni]

Last night I watched this underrated movie about writer Thomas Wolfe, played to the hilt by British Jude Law. Also starring is Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman in a smaller role. Highly recommendable if you like literary movies about literary figures.

 

[Willie Oleson]

And I’m not sure what to make of this movie from the preview but I have to say this does look intriguing to me.

I like stories about characters being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Overall, lots of great suggestions in this thread. That movie with Christopher Plummer also looks very promising.
Will I ever watch them? I don't know...the content of Dutch Prime is only a tenth of what's available on UK Prime (or Germany, for that matter).
I guess the difference between the European Netflixes isn't that signifcant, but it seems that the American Netflix subscribers got the best deal.
HBO isn't available here at all.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I think those movies work better when an unknown is cast. Of course that often leads to typecasting when they become too associated with the role, although that doesn't seem to be as much of a problem now as it was in George Reeves's and Adam West's day.

Speaking of familiar faces in superhero roles, tonight I watched:

Ant-Man (2015)

Starring Josh from Clueless.

With a ton of people related to Will Truman: Will's cop boyfriend was the hero's daughter's prospective stepfather. Freaky Teeth Guy who pretended to be a cop was the original Ant-Man. And Will's brother who slept with Grace twice in one night was Iron Man's dad.

I'm not too familiar with the Scott Lang version of Ant-Man, which probably helped. I was able to swallow what was presented for a couple of hours, even though it's all pretty meaningless and non-canon. All the same, it did feel weird that Henry Pym was so old, Janet was meant to be dead and their creaky voiced daughter was taking up Janet's Wasp mantle.

It was a nice, lighthearted take on the superhero film. I enjoyed it more than expected.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Speaking of familiar faces in superhero roles, tonight I watched:

Ant-Man (2015)

Starring Josh from Clueless.

With a ton of people related to Will Truman: Will's cop boyfriend was the hero's daughter's prospective stepfather. Freaky Teeth Guy who pretended to be a cop was the original Ant-Man. And Will's brother who slept with Grace twice in one night was Iron Man's dad.

I'm not too familiar with the Scott Lang version of Ant-Man, which probably helped. I was able to swallow what was presented for a couple of hours, even though it's all pretty meaningless and non-canon. All the same, it did feel weird that Henry Pym was so old, Janet was meant to be dead and their creaky voiced daughter was taking up Janet's Wasp mantle.

It was a nice, lighthearted take on the superhero film. I enjoyed it more than expected.

Ant Man was one film I just couldn’t get into no matter how hard I tried. I’ve given it an honest go a couple of times and I never seem to get very far into it.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Ant Man was one film I just couldn’t get into no matter how hard I tried. I’ve given it an honest go a couple of times and I never seem to get very far into it.

I can relate. I've had similar experiences with films I've really given a go that just didn't do it for me. Maybe Ant-Man is just that film for you. Or perhaps you'll end up watching it years from now and it will suddenly click with you.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I can relate. I've had similar experiences with films I've really given a go that just didn't do it for me. Maybe Ant-Man is just that film for you. Or perhaps you'll end up watching it years from now and it will suddenly click with you.

Highly plausible! I notice this happens with me a lot as I get older. And then sometimes it’s the opposite and I ask myself why did I ever like this?