What film did you watch last night?

[Profpointy]

Watched "In the Heat of the Night" at the local arts cinema. A '60s murder story set in segregationist Mississippi starring Sydney Poitier as a Philidelophia murder detective travelling through town and Rod Steiger as the redneck local police chief; both outstanding. Steiger got an Oscar. The film's really about acting and the characters whilst the murder itself maybe secondary. The two leads are superb as are the supporting cast (including a young Warren Oates) plus brilliant script and fine cinematgraphy. Although about racism it's not unduly laboured or preachy nor does it fall into cliche.Have seen it before on TV maybe 40 years ago but it still stands up. An outstanding film by any reckoning.

"They call me Mister Tibbs!"

 

[AndyRM]

Pan's Labyrinth (Netflix)
Is this Guillermo Del Toro's best film? Beautiful, dark, uncanny and haunting, setting the capricious brutality of a period at the end of the Spanish Civil War against the dark logic of a fantasy world.

Definitely up there, but Devil's Backbone edges it for me.

 

[Dayvo]

Watched "In the Heat of the Night" at the local arts cinema. A '60s murder story set in segregationist Mississippi starring Sydney Poitier as a Philidelophia murder detective travelling through town and Rod Steiger as the redneck local police chief; both outstanding. Steiger got an Oscar. The film's really about acting and the characters whilst the murder itself maybe secondary. The two leads are superb as are the supporting cast (including a young Warren Oates) plus brilliant script and fine cinematgraphy. Although about racism it's not unduly laboured or preachy nor does it fall into cliche.Have seen it before on TV maybe 40 years ago but it still stands up. An outstanding film by any reckoning.

"They call me Mister Tibbs!"

It is indeed a very good film.

What I remember most about it, though, is a high speed car journey through the town where the car drives past an old boy on the pavement using walking sticks very slowly, then a few minutes later, in another part of town, they pass the old fella again.

Either they got lost, or didn't have very many extras available.

 

[swee'pea99]

Restoration. A rags to riches to rags to riches story set after Charles II's return to the throne, post-Cromwell. Quite enjoyable, but not half as good as the book.

 

[PaulB]

Into the Forest.

In the near future, with the world on the brink of apocalypse, sisters Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood fight to survive. Basically, all power stops so on one level, it forces us to look at how this would affect us and how much we actually depend on it. Those of you my age and older will remember the power cuts and three-day weeks of the early 70s when the telly used to finish broadcasting at 10.30. It's probably wrong to assume those days will never return because of course they might.

Overall, this is an excellent film with a good story and terrific acting. They are a family of three (reduced to two sisters) who live in the back of beyond in rural Canada when there's an unexplained power cut but it never ends so they are removed from what's happening/happened and daren't venture into the wild town for provisions so are forced to forage in the woods and forest surrounding their home to survive.

It's a good film, entirely believable - no science fiction nonsense and no CGI crap - so if you get Sky Movies, this is one I'd recommend.

 

[AndyRM]

Into the Forest.

In the near future, with the world on the brink of apocalypse, sisters Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood fight to survive. Basically, all power stops so on one level, it forces us to look at how this would affect us and how much we actually depend on it. Those of you my age and older will remember the power cuts and three-day weeks of the early 70s when the telly used to finish broadcasting at 10.30. It's probably wrong to assume those days will never return because of course they might.

Overall, this is an excellent film with a good story and terrific acting. They are a family of three (reduced to two sisters) who live in the back of beyond in rural Canada when there's an unexplained power cut but it never ends so they are removed from what's happening/happened and daren't venture into the wild town for provisions so are forced to forage in the woods and forest surrounding their home to survive.

It's a good film, entirely believable - no science fiction nonsense and no CGI crap - so if you get Sky Movies, this is one I'd recommend.

Hm, I vaguely remember this, and I gave it a chance despite hating Ellen Page, but...

Spoiler

...do they not end up burning down their house and all their stuff and relocate to a tree stump in the pishing rain?

 

[PaulB]

Hm, I vaguely remember this, and I gave it a chance despite hating Ellen Page, but...

Spoiler

...do they not end up burning down their house and all their stuff and relocate to a tree stump in the pishing rain?

Why would you hate Ellen Page? She was great in Juno.

 

[AndyRM]

Why would you hate Ellen Page? She was great in Juno.

Juno was the first film I saw her in, and I found her incredibly irritating. Likewise Hard Candy.

Whip It was pretty good but I really don't like her as an actress.

 

[swee'pea99]

Ok, so there's these sisters who live in the back of beyond in rural Canada and civilisation comes to an end and they notice?....

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Battle for Sevastopol.

I wouldn't bother.

 

[YahudaMoon]

Ive always noticed the Church Of Scientology on Deansgate in Manchester, though always wondered what it is, so watched this last night

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)

Wow, John Travolta and Tom Cruise are clearly bonkers

Looking forward to watching Louise Theroux journo 'My Scientology' (2016) this evening

 

[biggs682]

Arthur Christmas

Very nice film we missed the last 15 minutes due to timing issues

 

[John the Monkey]

My Scientology Movie (Amazon Prime)

Louis Theroux attempts to investigate the aforementioned organisation, and people who seem to be part of it frustrate his efforts in ways that make them look far more paranoid and disturbing than simply engaging with the film makers would have. Not as much of the humour (unless you like your humour very dark) as Theroux's earlier work, but possibly more significant than that earlier work too.

 

[swee'pea99]

Harvey, with James Stewart and a six foot invisible rabbit. Fun, very stagey (not hard to see its theatrical roots) very much of its time - wordy, smart, well-crafted Hollywood movies of the late b/w era. 8/10, easy.

Then

Fright Night - as awful as Harvey was good. Vampires in middle America, Roddy McDowell, a bit of tit and a threadbare script. Imdb gave it a not-entirely-risible score, but it really was dross. 3/10? I'm feeling generous.

 

[YahudaMoon]

My Scientology Movie (Amazon Prime)

Louis Theroux attempts to investigate the aforementioned organisation, and people who seem to be part of it frustrate his efforts in ways that make them look far more paranoid and disturbing than simply engaging with the film makers would have. Not as much of the humour (unless you like your humour very dark) as Theroux's earlier work, but possibly more significant than that earlier work too.

Though Louis work is good in my opinion the works in 'Going Clear' was way better, also makes Louis's work more admirable if you watch 'Going Clear' first