What Movies Have You Seen Lately?

axolotl said:
I saw In the Heights with family and my family's friends last evening. My son Alo chartered out the small AMC theater.

It is a "feel-good" hit and arguably "the movie of the Summer."

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"In the Heights" is more Jewish than it seems

(RNS) — Your summer just got instantly better. Prepare to smile and weep.
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Mrs. Ojai and I saw it on stage a few years ago and enjoyed it a lot. In The Heights seems ideal for the big screen treatment.
 
Anyone like film noir?

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I just saw “In A Lonely Place” with Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame, directed by Gloria’s husband at the time, Nicholas Ray. A dark story chock full of rich characters, well told with superb performances all around.

An added bonus is the music. Not only do we get a stirring soundtrack by George Antheil but Hadda Brooks delivers this smoky number uninterrupted by dialogue:
 
I am home recovering from surgery (it went fine) so I have some time to catch up on my movie bucket list. Here’s today’s selection:

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I :heart: courtroom drama, and “Witness For The Prosecution” Is one of the best. Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich and Tyrone Power bring Agatha Christie’s story to life, with the assistance of a top-notch supporting cast including Laughton’s wife, Elsa Lanchester. Director Billy Wilder achieves the almost impossible feat of making us forget that this was originally a stage play through skillful use of flashbacks.

Once again, music plays a small but significant part of this film. This number by Marlene Dietrich is not only an essential element of plot development, but also an unblinking look at the harsh reality of post World War II Germany:

 
Ojai Sam said:
I am home recovering from surgery (it went fine) so I have some time to catch up on my movie bucket list. Here’s today’s selection:
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I'm so jealous! Not about the surgery, but about catching up on the movie bucket list. Good work!

Last night, I introduced my daughters to The Italian Job. I had specifically lined it up for the 15 year old because it seemed right in her sweet spot and because the 13 year old has little patience for movies. The older one loved it and was eyes-wide-open the entire time. A couple of times during the movie, she turned to me and said "you were right, I really like this."

 
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“To Catch A Thief” is one of the few Hitchcock films of his prime period that I’ve missed. But it popped up both on my MovieLens recos and on a “100 Essential Films” list I checked so I decided to take the plunge.

I’ve been a Hitch fan since I was a kid staying up late to watch his eponymous TV series, which my mom accurately called “morbid”. However I prefer his darker work to lighter fluff such as TCAT.

The exteriors and aerial shots of Cannes are admittedly stunning. But aging Cary Grant is implausible, both as a reformed cat burglar and as Grace Kelly’s romantic interest, 30 year old Brigitte Aubert is delightful but miscast as a teenager and the whole plot clings to credibility by its fingernails. Watchable but hardly essential.
 
JazzyRandy said:
I'm so jealous! Not about the surgery, but about catching up on the movie bucket list. Good work!

Last night, I introduced my daughters to The Italian Job. I had specifically lined it up for the 15 year old because it seemed right in her sweet spot and because the 13 year old has little patience for movies. The older one loved it and was eyes-wide-open the entire time. A couple of times during the movie, she turned to me and said "you were right, I really like this."

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Show them the original version from 1969. It's chock-full of 60's style and grooviness. More laid back than the new version which seems to hew to the "we need lots of non-stop action to keep people's attention!!" rule.
 
Saw the new West Side Story directed by Spielberg over the weekend. Glad my daughter brought me as I was not planning on seeing it on my own. Despite the issues with the original (some wooden acting by two leads, the dubbing of Natalie Wood's voice, the use of make up to darken the skin of the Sharks), it remains one of my favorite movie musicals primarily because the Bernstein score/Sondheim lyrics are, to me, perfection. Despite my dad's old grumbling of inner city gang members breaking out in a dance, I've always loved Robbins' choreography.

Not typically a fan of remaking excellent films without adding a totally new spin on it, but in this case. Spielberg nailed it. The leads are better actors (and singers - who knew heartthrob Ansel Elgort could sing). Though set in the 50s, Spielberg and scriptwriters add a 21st century perspective on immigration and racism. And the always wonderful Rita Moreno is in it - this time as the widow who owns "Doc's Pharmacy" - they have her sing the reprise of Somewhere to add more of a general perspective about acceptance/racial harmony instead of using it as a romantic song of hope.

So kudos to Spielberg at changing the mind of an old cinema mossback :)
 
Discovered I had free access to HBOMax through my internet account, so I activated it last week and watched Matrix 4. Weeks ago, I was torn on whether I would watch M4. I lived M1, liked M2 better and less in spots, but was underwhelmed by M3 and felt the series had overrun its useful course.

What I like about this is how it tried to be self-aware about how viewers would view M4 in the place of things. It was odd seeing updated special effects. It was odd being kind of taken in by an almost transparently obvious plot. I didn't have high expectations, but I also wasn't disappointed by this at all.

This is completely miss-able if you're not a fan of the series. If you are a fan, it's still not must-see viewing, but you'll probably enjoy this.
 
Unintentionally watched these two movies in the past two weeks, and come to realize they are great bookend watches. I mean, I intentionally watched them, but unintentionally watched two movies that should be watched together because they share major themes.
A Thousand And One (2023)
Claudine (1974)
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Both are about lowest-income single mothers struggling to survive in Harlem in a unjust world. One takes place in the early 70s, the other during the mid80s-to-mid90s.

If you choose to watch either, I strongly recommend going in completely blind and not reading anything more about the plots. In particular, A Thousand And One has a huge twist at the end that I (and JazzyDaughter2) had absolutely no idea was coming. I'm sure 95% of viewers went into this movie already knowing that twist ... and I feel sorry for them. Experiencing that twist was as much a shock as finding out Bruce Willis was a dead man in "The Sixth Sense". Lead actress, Teyana Taylor is a PRESENCE and drives this whole movie. I'd never heard of her before, but WOW, she deserves more roles. Also, she's a singer I probably should have heard of, but had not before I "discovered" her in this movie. She's strictly an actress in this movie, but the music of the era plays a big part in the background soundtrack and in various scenes.

I can't believe I hadn't ever watched Claudine before. I don't think I've seen a lot of Diahann Carroll but I like everything I've seen her in. She's excellent in this. James Earl Jones role here is far from Darth Vader, Mufasa or the guy from Field Of Dreams, and this is probably the best role I've ever seen him play. By far. What a master performance. And it was nice to see the Black guy from Welcome Back Kotter in this. For this guy who grew up on 70s television, that was a nice surprise. The soundtrack is a huge presence in this film, written by Curtis Mayfield and sung by Gladys Knight & The Pips. Just great all around.

I didn't expect either to be a "great" watch, but I was stunned while watching both, and thought about both for many days after watching them. I cried and laughed and was stunned ... multiple times through both films.

TIP: Apparently Claudine is not streaming anywhere. However it is available free in its entirety on Youtube, in good resolution.
 
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