r/iwatchedanoldmovie

The power went out sometime ago in my area. So I decided to go through a DVD collection my friends gifted to me. I went for this film because of the sheer number of recommendations I have received. I was left in awe of the cinematography, physics in space, and spectacular designs. I still cannot believe this film was made in 1968! It seems so surreal, and so many of the themes seem so unbelievably relevant to the modern day. However, I am only about halfway through the book, and already it connects with me more than the film. Which is odd because I normally prefer cryptic messaging over explicit storytelling. After starting the book, the movie seems so devoid of narrative. I cannot give my full thoughts until I finish the novel, but I am interested in knowing what other people think?

My history: This movie was a pretty big hit way back in the day, so of course I was aware of it and didn’t dream of seeing it; my parents’ ban on PG-13 movies was absolute. The best I could do was enjoy the tie-in song, which was played on the radio probably once per hour throughout that summer;*1 and ask my more-worldly friends at summer camp for detailed descriptions of the plot.

Some months later, after the movie had been released on VHS (lol, remember those?), I went to a sleepover party at a friend’s house, and we watched this movie. By my count this was only the second PG-13 movie I’d ever seen all the way through. I suppose I expected to be shocked and appalled by all the amoral debauchery on the screen, but of course there was hardly any to be seen; just some ‘bad’ words and ‘obscene’ gestures that I’d heard and seen a thousand times. And the rest of the movie was quite fun and enjoyable.

That should have been the last hint I ever needed that the rules were stupid and I needn’t obey them, but the 15-year-old version of me was not especially quick on the uptake. I resolved to allow no further lapses in anti-movie discipline and moved on, not giving it much further thought.

It’s movies-in-the-park season again, and this movie was first up on the docket, so I figured why the hell not.

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And, well, it’s a pretty good movie. The goofy hijinks are great, and the movie manages to work in an awful lot of exposition and serious storytelling alongside them, which must be a lot harder than it looks. Living in New York City for the last 15 years adds a level of appreciation to some of the jokes; I especially like that the movie ends with blowing up one of Robert Moses’s most visible ‘achievements.’ 

But the main thing that sticks out to me is how powerfully OLD this movie looks. It’s very, very much a time capsule from its own very specific time, that brief overlap when the echoes of the Cold War overlapped with the beginnings of the internet age, and conspiracy theories involving aliens were all the rage. Something like it could be made nowadays, but only by people who are firmly stuck in the past,*2 and it would look as ridiculously anachronistic as the ‘modern’ business attire seen in the final scene, which somehow looks more dated than the much-older styles from the rest of the movie.

We’re fast approaching a time when no one will remember the world that this movie came from: when having CGI onscreen for about five total minutes was all it took for a movie to seem ‘special-effects-heavy,’ the Twin Towers still stood, 4^(th) of July weekend felt incomplete without a Will-Smith-starring blockbuster coming out, Smith himself was thought of as a credible charismatic leading man rather than a supremely creepy weirdo, a tentpole summer movie could exist without anyone knowing it was based on a comic book,*3 and having a big gross bug hit your windshield was a common and relatable experience.

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*1 My parents also forbade modern pop music on the radio, but that rule was much easier to break.

*2 Oh, hi, Steven Spielberg, didn’t see you there. What’s that you say? You made a conspiracy-minded movie about aliens secretly visiting Earth? Yes, I know, it’s called Close Encounters of the Third Kind and it’s been very famous for close to 50 years. Disclosure Day? What’s that?

*3 Maybe I’m just projecting my ignorance, but until the opening credits of this latest viewing I had no idea that this movie was based on anything.

◇ Ghibli Completion 20/26 ◇

Long and dull with a minimalistic art style. It's made to look like a charcoal picture book it's interesting to look at for a bit but not great for 2+ hours. The scenes of nature are realistic and then it goes back to the stick figure like drawings.

Hated the mom at first then hated the dad, then hated the princess and pretty much every character. Still cried at the end just like the last Ghibli movie. They are boring then emotional it's like their thing.

It's about a woodcutter who finds a magic baby in a bamboo tree and raises it as a princess. But the princess wants to be free and live in countryside not the mansion at the capital. That's it for 2 hours, very dull wouldn't reccomend to anyone.

Ghiblis left:

My family the Yamadas

The red turtle

Ear wig and the witch

When Marnie was There

Wolf children

Ocean waves

Very enjoyable movie. Great performances from Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando. The soundtrack is also 🔥

Super fun seeing Meryl Streep in a role like this. This is a whitewater rafting thriller from 1994 with a young Kevin Bacon and John C. Reilly as the villains, while David Strathairn and the annoying kid from Jurassic Park round out Meryl’s family. Everyone was good, but Meryl carries the movie. Also fun seeing a film like this where the characters show some competence and good decision-making. Very enjoyable and the white water rafting sequences were awesome.

This was a gripping drama/thriller about a narcissistic mother's attempt to build an isolated world for her son, and the price she pays for it. From the first frame you can tell it's not going to end happily. You get childhood flashbacks that explain why the mother behaves she does. Obsession, projection, idealization and more. I thought it was good but could've been more daring given the subject matter. Starring Kyra Sedgwick, directed by her husband Kevin Bacon.

about an unlikely sharp shooter during WW1 who captured 132 German soldiers with his troup of 17 American Soldiers in the Argonne Forest. Extraordinary story and acting by Cooper.

I watched this tonight with my son.

This is the story of the real life boxer, Mickey Ward, and his relationship with his dysfunctional family as he tries to make something of his life.

It has a stellar cast with Christian Bale as the drug addict brother, Mark Wahlberg as Mickey and the beautiful Amy Adams as Mickey’s girlfriend.

The story is really about how Mickey’s family is holding him back, through their blind focus on his brother who was a semi successful boxer in the past. Charlene (played by Adams) is his girlfriend and helps to instil confidence in Mickey so he can break away from his family until they sort out their problems.

Ultimately, his brother gets clean and his family and girlfriend all help Mickey in his road to the WBU Welterweight title.

I did notice this is a “Weinstein film” so I explained a bit of that history to my son who’s 15.

I thought the performances in this film were excellent with Bale excellent as the waster of a brother. Bale won an Oscar as did Melissa Leo who did a great job of playing the narcissistic mother.

I really didn't know what to expect going in blindly, but this movie definitely has a vibe. Disgusting adult characters, chill autumn setting and a sharp-tongued young female lead. Is there a message or a theme? I can't say, but the film's got that hypnotizing quality from sheer dialogue and acting. I couldn't get my eyes off the screen.

The initial plot is basically the title: we follow a teenage girl who lives with her dad down the lane. Whenever someone drops by, she says her father is either busy working or on a business trip. The owner of the house they're renting demands to talk to the father, but the girl is firm in saying it's not possible right now.

Saying more would spoil the film. Few characters, very well acted and oozing vibes. Also, a teen guy who's a magician and has a limp.

It was as good as I remembered.

The non-linear, multiple stories format is rather common now.

I think it was the first one that I distinctly remember.
I enjoyed it even more this time around.

There was a method to the madness, as they say.

What was interesting is much of the movie is just people... talking about mundane stuff.

Burgers in Europe
Foot massages
A nervous couple pumping each other up.

Almost everyone is morally gray and somewhat charming unlike a traditional villain.
Well... except Zed and Maynard.

And it is insanely quotable.

Do you mind if I have some of your tasty beverage to wash this down?
Pretty please with sugar on top...

Number 157 in my A-Z watch. The Last Samurai follows an American Civil War veteran captured by samurai warriors after he was hired to train Japan's modernizing army.

I've always enjoyed this film. I think not a small part of that enjoyment comes from a long standing fascination with Meiji era Japan. This was before i had discovered Kurosawa films. And though i still have a soft spot for this movie, it has lowered in my estimation.

I think a lot of the technical aspects of the movie still hold up strong. The set production, costuming, cinematography, and score all feel timeless and are incredibly impressive. The action scenes are very well done. And there definitely are some scenes with great intensity that tend to feel fresh each watch. The firearm training scene is tense, the top knot/scalping scene hits hard, the final cherry blossoms scene always gets my tears going.

I just feel like the movie is heavy handed, and doesn't carry a lot of subtlety. And several concepts are touched on throughout, but never really examined. Taka's feelings toward housing her husband's killer are mentioned but just kinda pushed by, Algren's PTSD and alcoholism are featured a lot but mostly glossed over, for a 2 ½ hour movie it rarely feels like it dives in to anything deep.

7.5/10 I still am so impressed with Watanabe's performance. He's by far the highlight of the film. It's a shame he was up against Robbins for Supporting Actor. It definitely remains an entertaining movie, and one I'm sure I'll watch a number of times again. It just doesn't live up to my original impressions of the movie.

Caught this gem on TCM the other night. It's a neo-noir that's come up on lists and recs for a long time so I was glad to finally see it. Direction wise it shows it's age but the story hit those noir notes perfectly with a plot that slowly escalates from just another mystery of a missing girl, into something deeper and beyond the protagonists control. You think you have it figured out until the movie starts zigging and zagging in a revealing final act that flips everything you thought you knew on it's head.

You get to see a youngish Hackman chewing up the screen like he always does, and an underage Melanie Griffith completely nude, which I'm not sure how they pulled that off without more controversy, but I guess they waited until she was 18 to release it. All in all it was an entertaining movie and as a fan of the genre, I'd say it fits nicely in the pantheon of noir classics.

After watching ‘Best and Last’ in theaters, my wife and I started watching all the Jackass movies again and this one is such a blast. Just dumb foolishness mixed with destruction and high antics with some looney tunes in there for good measure. It’s hilarious, wince-inducing and disgusting. True American cinema and was perfect film to watch on the holiday

wow, this movie was depressing all the way through … although it takes place in 1960‘s England it’s a pretty Dickensian tale of a sick and crazed religious zealot of a mother who dies and leaves 7 kids behind who decide to fend for themselves by forging their mother‘s signature & pretending that she has gone to à sanitarium to get better

Eventually one of the younger boys contacts the possible father after a letter he mailed was discarded by one of his sisters & seeing that his Wife his gone he basically moves in & using the younger ls naive brother forging skills to drain the bank account and have himself put on the deed to the house which he promptly puts on sale with real estate agents showing up to do Tories of the house

After being confronted by a the children He coldly tells them that their mom was a tart (possibly with no evidence) and that he isn’t the father of any of them, the resulting argument ands with a fire place poker to the head, his death & the children leaving the house in the dead if night to an uncertain future 😔

he year is 1965, the place is New Penzance Island, and the story is love, redemption and reclamation.

It is a Wes Anderson film that will make you laugh and cry, will make wish for the world where the Sam and Suzy in all of us is ascendant, and where that ascendancy triumphs because peoples' hearts are irrevocably good.

The prepubescents, Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward) meet-cute at an elaborate church production of the Great Flood story. Sam is a member of Scoutmaster Ward's (Edward Norton) Khaki Scouts in attendance at the play, but he grows restless and goes snooping about the vast old church. His prepubescent spidey sense leads him to the girls' dressing room, where the chicks are transforming into their bird characters. Suzy, with a bloody bandage on her arm from being hit by a mirror, is The Raven, the first bird sent out of the ark to find dry land.

Spoiler alert – the raven never returns.

Sam is an orphan, ping-ponging from Juvenile Refuges to foster homes after he loses his parents. Suzy lives with her three little brothers in a dollhouse home parented by two “counselors,” lawyers, played by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand. Both children are misunderstood and outcast, driven from the Eden of hearth and home created for "good" boys and girls.

Sam and Suzy exchange addresses and correspond; eventually they plan their escapes and their meeting in the meadow. Scout Sam is wilderness survival trained, Suzy has a different approach, like bringing her tiger tabby kitten in a fishing creel.

Included in the adults is Bruce Willis as the island's police captain Sharp. Willis, who's talents we have lost to a cruel debilitating disease, plays Sharp as a tender and gentle man surely hiding out from a harsh world that doesn't understand him, either.

The missing children must be found, and Social Services' Tilda Swinton muses to Captain Sharp and Scoutmaster Ward that Sam will probably be administered electric shock treatments once found. Incorrigible, don't you know.

It's an all-island effort just hours before a historic storm is headed for the region. Ward tries to mobilize the scouts as a non-violent rescue force, the boys quickly become Lord of the Flies armed vigilantes. Harvey Keitel is the Kurtz-eque Scout Commander Pierce who reprimands Ward and relieves him of his office when he appears to have lost his entire troop.

The tides turn for Muskrats Suzy and Sam (sorry) and they are escorted by their rescuers to (supply sergeant/chaplain?) Cousin Ben (Jason Schwartzman) who has the power to marry them in a non-binding but emotionally and morally meaningful ceremony.

The storm makes landfall, lightening strikes, the wooden dam bursts, Social Services arrives by pontoon plane, the chase for the children still enjoined.

Eventually the storm moves out, much of the island has been clobbered, but the sparingly-used narrator (Bob Balaban) tells us that the crop yield the following year was the most abundant in island history.

No! No! Please tell me Sam and Suzy were not the human sacrifices to the heartless bloodthirsty Harvest Gods!

Dry your tears, for tho' weeping may endure for a night, joy cometh in the morning.

Suzy and Sam are reunited with visiting rights in an age-appropriate way, Suzy back with her character-arc-experienced parents and Sam with Captain Sharp as his legal guardian.

OK, now you can cry.

Number 156 in my A-Z watch. Lake Placid is the 90s monster movie chronicling a small town in Maine that recently has become the epicentre of massive crocodile attacks in their calm, serene lake.

This movie is amazing. I absolutely adore films that know what they're about and don't try to be any more than the sum of their parts. Lake Placid absolutely knows that it's a Jaws/Jurassic Park rip-off and leans so hard into it in every perfect way.

The movie is just trope on trope on trope. But it all totally works. The actors are all in on it. And the chemistry ends up being something really genuine. I would absolutely kill for more movies starring Brendan Gleeson and Oliver Platt. The way they play off each other feels like it's got so much heart. Pullman and Fonda round out the cast well however i wouldn't exactly call their romance electric.

8/10 For a movie coming up on 30 years old, the CGI really isn't that bad, and they pair it well with enough practical effects shots. The dialogue snaps, teetering back and forth between the scares and the humor. Betty White steals every scene she's in. Just a good, old fashioned, monster movie.

This documentary follows the experiences of cast and crew during the making of Apocalypse Now. I feel learning about the extreme experiences and stress of the cast helps one appreciate what it took to make a masterpiece. It features a ton of great interviews and behind the scenes insights.

The lengths Coppala went to to complete Apocalypse Now are extraordinary and well worth learning about. It blew me away that he financed much of the shoot and almost went bankrupt completing the project.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102015/