Last Film You Watched

[fish]

...You might as well just watch a real 80s movie, really.

What a sad thing to say about it.

[Ian]

80s movies are the best movies!

[Ian]

Saw A View to a Kill last night, first time in a very long time. Roger Moore is back for his 7th and final outing as 007, as Bond goes up against a mad industrialist (Christopher Walken on great scenery-chewing form) who wants to corner the market on microchips and doesn't much care about killing millions of people by wiping out Silicon Valley to do it. What a loony. I really enjoyed this, a massive return to form after the fricking boring Octopussy (the only Moore I don't like) with solid support from Grace Jones as Walken's menacingly murderous henchwoman and the late, great Patrick Macnee stealing every scene he's in as Sir Godfrey. The chemistry between him and Moore when they go undercover on Walken's estate is great and it's a real pity he gets killed off so early. Tanya Roberts is a pretty lame Bond girl (though that's as much the script's fault as hers, as she only really shows up over an hour in and gets little to do, rather a disappointment after the Russian spy in - er - Spy, Holly Goodhead (lol) in Moonraker and the vengeful Melina in FYEO) but the movie has so many other pleasures to offer it doesn't bother me too much. There's loads of great action scenes and a thrilling last half hour, complete with memorable climax atop the Golden Gate Bridge.
Huge fun and a great send-off for Uncle Rog.

[Dahls]

Fanny and Alexander.
I think it's starting to become a christmas tradition for me this film, although I didn't see it last year (saw it in christmas time the two past years before that).
A fantastic drama from 1982, one of Bergman's best and most easy watching films imo.
Not strictly a christmas film, but the first and last part depicts the grand extravagant christmas celebration in a wealthy swedish 19.century family, in such a wonderful and loving way.


Anyone else have a christmas favorit?
Not necessary one who's all about christmas, could also be a film which suits the mood of the holiday season.

It's a Wonderful Life also comes to mind.

[fish]

...It's a Wonderful Life also comes to mind.

It was on TV in Aus.
Must admit, I avoided it like the plague.

[Dahls]

What do you mean, don't you like it?
One of the most heartwarming films I've ever seen.

[fish]

...One of the most heartwarming films I've ever seen.

No, I absolutely agree with you.
At least I did for the first two or three times I saw it.
The fourth and fifth times a bit less so.
And six, seven, eight, nine and ten were a bit boring.

[Dahls]

Ah, of course, got you.

Nightcrawler.
Chilling film, masterful performance by J.Gyllenhal.

[Ian]

Island of Terror, this afternoon. On an isolated island, research scientists' efforts to create a living organism that can kill cancer goes badly awry when they end up with a living organism that kills humans instead. Yeah, well, that was a pretty big mistake, wasn't it?! Peter Cushing stars in this unremarkable but mildly entertaining mid 60s horror flick.

[Ian]

Dogs. In an isolated university town, a series of animal attacks on cattle lead a scruffy, acerbic university professor (David McCallum, as excellent as always) to the alarming conclusion that ordinary domestic dogs are packing and turning savage... and they're about to graduate from cattle to people. This eerie mid 70s horror-thriller has a very silly premise, but treats it with refreshing severity and the result is a hugely entertaining and creepy film with plenty of shocks, scares and gore! 70s flicks always seem to get an extra 10 points of atmosphere added to them just because of the vibe, and Dogs is no exception. I have a very vague feeling that I may have seen this - or some of this - before as a kid (for some reason I keep imagining watching it on holiday in a caravan somewhere or other!) but I really couldn't remember it. Very enjoyable.

[Ian]

Juggernaut. A passenger liner with over a thousand people on board is plunged into terror when a madman rings the company to report he has placed a number of lethal explosive devices on board - and he'll let them all off unless he's paid handsomely. Richard Harris, Omar Sharif and Anthony Hopkins lead an absolutely stellar cast (Ian Holm, Julian Glover, Roy Kinnear, David Hemmings, Freddie Jones and many more recognisable faces) in this very British and very enjoyable 70s thriller.

[Ian]

I went to the cinema today and saw Goosebumps. I'm not in the slightest bit familiar with the books or the TV series, but I thought it looked quite fun from the trailer and it was a laugh. Nothing special but I liked Jack Black and Odeya Rush (so beautiful ) and it had a very 90s throwback feel to it, which is rarely a bad thing. Fun.

[Ian]

Eyes of a Stranger. A serial rapist-killer is stalking the streets, and a TV journalist obsessed over the safety of her disabled younger sister (a young Jennifer Jason Leigh in her movie debut!) becomes convinced that the bloke living just opposite from her is the lunatic. This early 80s suspense thriller is fairly well made and acted, and has a very intense climax, but was marred slightly just by the sheer unhinged stupidity of the lead character. She has a fairly reasonable reason to be suspicious, though not entirely certain, of this man, but rather than calling the police and leaving a tip, she starts breaking into his apartment and then harassing him over the telephone, while leaving a gigantic clue as to her identity. She practically INVITES the killer's attention onto her and her sister and I was just sat there shaking my head and doing my best Rene-from-'Allo-'Allo impression: "You stoopid wo-man!"

[fish]

...the sheer unhinged stupidity of the lead character...

Why will they never just call the police?

[DMt.]

Dramatic necessity?