Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Where has poor Mickey gone? (1964)

This is one of those I found on Talking Pictures TV. It's quite low key and plays out more like an extended Tales of the Unexpected. 3 young ner'do'wells go about their usual night out dressing sharp and intimidating the local populus and picking up a new (learned) recruit on the way. They eventually break into the premises of an old Italian magician (Warren Mitchell) and begin to regret their actions. It's quite good if you seep into the 60s feeling but, as I say, it is like a Roald Dahls short story.

The Wild Robot has some tough competition when it comes to animated movies about robots.

Will it ever be as highly regarded as WALL·E, Big Hero 6, or The Iron Giant?

Time will tell; if kids go for it in a big way, it could be the beginning of a new Dreamworks franchise.

And it seems like Dreamworks has gone a bit beyond the usual effort here; there is a really good voice cast headed by Lupita Nyong'o and Pedro Pascal, and the animation is definitely a step above the usual Dreamworks project (some of their most recent efforts have looked downright lazy).

Now, while the movie undoubtedly means well, there is something slightly disturbing about the tale of a sophisticated robot that takes becomes the adoptive mother of a young gosling, because at some subconscious level, it might make kids that technology could, in some not-too-distant future, be a perfectly adequate substitute for the love of a biological parent.

It's possible some kids will take to the idea and maybe even think it's kind of cool; but in a world where AI is already replacing humans in a lot of different endeavors, there's also something kind of sinister about the whole premise, especially when presented in such an otherwise adorable way.

If you have young kids and you don't mind them warming up to the idea that perhaps some kind of artificial intelligence could suddenly become a cute replacement for you, if something should happen to you, maybe this movie is exactly what you're looking for.

A Merry Single Christmas





It was on at work. I had nowhere to hide.


I give it half a star.

Tonight is the night for a volcano....Dante's Peak. A pretty western town, favored by hotel goers is threatened by a volcano. Of course, authorities don't do enough, but just what CAN you do when your neighboring volcano is about to devastate the town? Call Pierce Brosnan of course, an expert with a sad history with another volcano. Linda Hamilton runs a local business. Everybody runs and screams, rocks fly through the air, lava flows, and the whole mountain blows up.

Nothing is a surprise, but, if you're in the mood for a disaster movie, this one is pretty good.

I give it 3 stars for being just what I wanted.

Baby Face (1933) - Gotta catch a quick break from the recent 2024 titles I'v been watching in a row; back to the arms of classical Hollywood, the wicked chapter of the "pre-code". I really like those 70-something minutes long, I guess cheap (by the standards of their time too), morally-challenging films that were super economical with their storytelling. Sure they appear simple by our maximalist standards of today but I'd argue that makes them endearing; if not becoming able to communicate with any audience throughout the decades that follows.

Here for example, see how nice an environment (in which we spend the first 10-15 minutes) is taking shape as Lily Powers (what a great name) - played by Barbara Stanwyck, is serving costumers (and men) in her father's place, how her character has this bond with the space she's inhabiting and we recognize that instantly by simple acts that she's doing like opening a window and looking at the smoky, industrial view outside. Getting real down to the simplicities here, bucko... the choices could be visually nice/classy too, as we get her first on-screen sex service through a couple of close-shots of her maid singing (!) and turning out a light.

So by the guidance of Nietzsche, Stanwyck leaves the small town to NY where she sleeps her way to the top and not once the movie's judgmental towards her. It's a crazy film, and I saw The Substance this week so I can't throw that word easily just yet... the ending is semi-tragic, highlighted by one of the two times she breaks down (the previous one was near the begining where she snaps at her sucker of a father; creating this little symmetry in her behaivior with these bits)... the rest is a classic in-control and captivating Stanwyck performance; a bright smirk and a steady eye contact with her scene companion which she doesn't rush to end... and you don't want her to.

Guessing that pretty much everyone likes this movie.

__________________
I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

Apartment 7a (2024) Julia Garner does a good job, but the film feels like a bad remake or rip off of Rosemary's Baby, instead of a prequel. It's not satisfying or enjoyable and drags at times. There are a couple effective moments, but we have seen them before and done better. The screenplay is predictable, formulaic and mediocre. This feels like a step down from the director's previous film, Relic.

I’ll watch Garner in everything she does. Good or bad.

Singer, 2023





I really wanted to rate this higher, but after two strong acts of methodical procedural, this one didn't really stick the landing for me. Good performances, but very little in the way of surprises, with it just sort of playing out as expected. Good, but not great.

__________________

Will & Harper (2024) This was an enjoyable and lovely documentary about a beautiful friendship between two likeable individuals. It's humorous, sweet, heartfelt and entertaining.

Umpteenth Rewatch...The 1948 Cole Porter Broadway musical is beautifully revamped by MGM to suit its stable of stars. Howard Keel plays an arrogant actor and director who convinces his ex-wife (Kathryn Grayson) to star with him in a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. Keel and Grayson are perfection together and get solid support from Ann Miller, in the best role of her career as the ditzy Lois Lane and Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore as a pair of dimwitted gangsters. Musical highlights include Keel and Grayson's "So in Love", Miller's sizzling "Too Darn Hot", Grayson's "I Hate Men", and "From This Moment On" which features the rare opportunity of seeing two movie dance legends, Bob Fosse and Carol Haney dance together.

If you ever watched that in 3D in the theater, that's an experience you absolutely would never forget...

Umpteenth Rewatch...It's amazing how wonderful this movie turned out considering all the turbulence behind its production. First of all, Vincente Minnelli was first scheduled to direct, but he and Judy Garland's marriage was seriously on the rocks at the time and Garland's psychiatrist suggested that she and her husband not work together. Also, Gene Kelly was originally signed to play Don Hewes, but he broke his ankle (cinema legend differs as to whether it was in a dance rehearsal or a softball game) and Fred Astaire, who had announced his retirement two years prior, agreed to take the role for the opportunity to work with Garland. Believe it or not, none of this tension shows onscreen in this enchanting musical about a hoofer training a new partner when his original partner (Ann Miller) signs a contract for her own show. It was so interesting watching this right after Kiss Me Kate because she played such a likable ditz in that movie, and in this movie she is the straight up villain of the piece. Miller was such an underrated talent. Musical highlights include Astaire's opening solo "Drum Crazy", his "Steppin Out with my Baby", Astaire and Garland's "A Couple of Swells", Miller's "Shakin the Blues Away" and a Garland ballad that destroys me every time I watch it called "Better Luck Next Time." This movie was such a box office smash that MGM made two other attempts to team Garland and Astaire, but her personal life was in such a shambles at the time, it was never to be.

It's too bad the whole 3D thing is kind of lost on us now.

You can still watch 3D movies if you want.

Umpteenth Rewatch...OK, it was musical day on Turner Classic movies yesterday. This 1962 film version of the 1959 Broadway musical with the iconic score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim remains watchable for this reviewer for one primary reason and that is the absolutely enchanting performance by Natalie Wood as Louise/Gypsy that keeps this movie so riveting. Russell is OK as Mama Rose, but there's something about the performance that pales next to Merman, Bette Midler, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, and Patti Lupone.

Umpteenth Rewatch...This 1955 film version of the groundbreaking Rodgers and Hammerstein musical still holds up beautifully. Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones (enchanting in her impressive film debut) are perfect romantic leads and Rod Steiger is properly bone-chilling as Jud Fry. My feelings about Gloria Grahame's Ado Annie waffle at time, but the performance works for the most part. Big thumbs up to Agnes DeMille's choreography as well, with particular nods to "Many a New Day" and that incredible ballet featuring James Mitchell and Bambi Lynn.

1st Rewatch...Director Denis Villeneuve knocked it out of the park with this chilling drama about two little girls who go out to play before Thanksgiving dinner and encounter an RV parked down the street. Minutes later, the RV is gone and so are the girls. The owner of the RV (Paul Dano) is arrested for the crime, but is let go due to lack of evidence, but when he says something to the father of one of the girls (Hugh Jackman) that implies he knows where the girls are, the father decides to take the law into his own hands to get his daughter back. This story is ugly and at times, breaks my heart and makes my blood boil. The performances by Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal as a police detective. Oscar winner Melissa Leo as Dano's aunt, and especially Jackman, in the performance of his career, are spectacular. This movie had my stomach tied up in knots just as much as it did the first time.

The Master (at about the 4th attempt to enjoy it as well as appreciate it)
9.25

2nd Rewatch...Oscar winning filmmaker Barry Levinson (Rain Man) knocks it out of the park with one of the most underrated films of 2006. The late Robin Williams, who Levinson also directed in Good Morning Vietnam), plays a comedian named Tom Dobbs, who is sort of a fictional version of Bill Maher or Jon Stewart, who is persuaded by his fan base to run for POTUS. He does and is elected but a glitch in the new voting machines implies that he may not have won and might spell trouble for the employee who discovered the glitch. This film brilliantly starts off as a black comedy but quickly becomes bone-chilling as politics and corporate greed collide in a story that goes from Woody Allen to Alfred Hitchcock before the viewer even realizes it. Levinson's screenplay is unapologetic, but allows Williams to do what he did best. The solid supporting cast includes Christopher Walken, Lewis Black, Jeff Goldblum, and in a performance that should have earned her a supporting actress nomination, Laura Linney, as the corporate whistle blower.