Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

[Big Magilla]

The Singing Fool (1928) Lloyd Bacon 6/10

When The Jazz Singer opened in October, 1927 only 200 theatres across the U.S. were equipped with sound. This film, released almost a year later in September, 1928 after most theatres were so equipped, was the first mostly talking picture most people were able to see making it the most successfully financial film until Gone With the Wind.


The problem is it creaks. It probably creaked then but audiences didn't mind as long as they could see and hear Jolson sing "There's a Rainbow Round My Shoulder", "I'm Sitting on Top of the World" and other hit songs.

The plot has aspiring singer Jolson married to two-timing Josephine Dunn who leaves him after both become stars and takes his beloved three year old son, "Sonny Boy" (Davey Lee) with her. It doesn't help that Jolson has more chemistry with little Davey Lee than he does with either Dunn or Betty Bronson as the perky waitress who who waits for him.

Worth seeing for its historic value only.

Say It With Songs (1929) Lloyd Bacon 5/10

Whereas the plot of The Singing Fool doesn't turn maudlin until the last act, this one starts out that way and doesn't let up. Jolson spends the better part of the film behind bars for accidentally killing his boss for having lecherous designs on his wife, Marion Nixon. There's even a Stella Dallas type scene with Jolson peering through the window at his now estranged wife and his beloved "Little Pal", the same Davey Lee who climbed upon his knee as "Sonny Boy". Worst of all, the songs here aren't even interesting. The wretched "Little Pal" is heard at least three times.

Again, worth seeing for its historic value only.



Edited By Big Magilla on 1250250518

[mlrg]

Up (2009) - Peter Docter

8/10

Another Pixar marvel.

[dreaMaker]

Paul Blart: Mall Cop

4/10

In general, I like Kevin James and he is the only reason I didn't sink this movie.

[Penelope]

Rendez-vous (1985; André Téchiné) 6/10

Lambert Wilson, Wadeck Stanczak and Jean-Louis Trintignant are driven mad by Juliette Binoche, she in return by them, and the audience by all of them. Not a pleasant movie to watch, but the acting generally good and there's an appropriately moody score by Phillippe Sarde.

[Precious Doll]

Cherry Blossoms (2008) Doris Dorrie 4/10

Chef's Special (2008) Nacho G Velilla 4/10

Love Live Long (2008) Mike Figgis 3/10

Coraline (2009) Henry Selick 6/10

This is only the second 3D film I have seen since the system has been revolutionized and I enjoyed this experience more, which was in a regular cinema, as opposed to Beowulf with I saw in 3D IMAX.

Though I'm still not sold on this whole big move by the studios to 3D. Whilst it was a terrific way to experience Coraline, particularly given Selick's visual style, I doubt watching run of the mill hack word (e.g. Ice Age 3 or Bolt) would be anymore tolerable in 3D. Given that the 3D makes my eyes somewhat tired and sore I'm inclined pick my films much more carefully.

[Penelope]

Reinas (2005; Manuel Gómez Pereira) 6/10

Mildly diverting screwball comedy based around the legalization of same-sex marriage in Spain.

[Hustler]

My Winnipeg (Guy Maddin) 8/10 An excellent and creative portrait of the director´s hometown.



Edited By Hustler on 1250044745

[dreaMaker]

Joshua

7/10

Very very good performances from ''Little Spock'', Vera Farmiga and Sam Rockwell.

I expected kind of a supernatural horror, like Exorcist or Omen, but this was ''just'' a creepy family drama.
A pleasant surprise.



Edited By dreaMaker on 1250195304

[Reza]

Horsemen (2009) 3/10

[Hustler]

Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi) 6/10 Funny movie! You can´t imagine how much did I laugh!

I agree. Very funny and gross at the same time. Great to see Raimi going back to his cinematic roots. The highlight for me was the goat spouting profanity. Priceless.

Agree. And I would add the family reunion sequence.

[Precious Doll]

Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi) 6/10 Funny movie! You can´t imagine how much did I laugh!

I agree. Very funny and gross at the same time. Great to see Raimi going back to his cinematic roots. The highlight for me was the goat spouting profanity. Priceless.

[Precious Doll]

Down to Earth (1994) Pedro Costa 7/10

wow! This is a very hard to find portuguese/cape verde film....

are you trying to see every film ever released?

Got this from DaaVeeDee. I have been wanting to see Pedro Costa's work for sometime now and Gone to Earth is my first.

There is a box set available of 4 of his more recent films, with English subtitles, but I haven't had any luck yet tracking down a seller.

[Sabin]

I mean I probably need to watch it a few more times to catch the nuances that Sabin was referring to. I couldn't make a connection with the characters like I could with many other Allen works. It's gorgeous to look at though.

I felt the same, Zahveed, when I first saw it. I was perhaps a little younger than you, but I just found them to be at times weird, off-putting, and engaging in behavior that I found distant. I don't mean to sound condescending but I've found that improved my ability to love Manhattan was the years I've put on and the number of complicated relationships. It's a movie about timing. The whole thing takes place in the middle of an affair between a very supporting character (Murphy) and Diane Keaton. It's ostensibly *their* story. But by shuffling the focus to Keaton and Allen, it changes its scope, becomes a larger, vaster portrait of how love rolls into and over other people, how you get trampled by it. Manhattan never calls attention to this, which is its genius. Woody Allen gets a big speech at the end, but it's less about clarifying the theme than telling off a hypocrite friend he's found himself latching onto all these years in lieu of taking a chance on things. The Woody Allen character in Manhattan is, I believe, the purest distillation of his persona. He's obnoxious, fringe, he's always being viewed from outside sources rather than in Annie Hall where he actively redefining his universe. And Diane Keaton sorely deserved her one career Oscar for this movie as a far, far more complicated woman.

More so than Annie Hall, Manhattan is the movie of Woody Allen's oeuvre that people have been copying the most for years. Every filmmaker wants to remake Manhattan. It's worth noting that Woody Allen hated the film and told United Artists (?) that he would make the next movie for free if they just disposed of it. It may not have cleaned up at the Oscars but he won the most directing awards from critics of his career (in a year of Apocalypse Now! amongs others no less). I think 1979 has to go on record for most egregious cinematography snubs. Neither The Black Stallion nor Manhattan were nominated.

[Hustler]

Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi) 6/10 Funny movie! You can´t imagine how much did I laugh!

[Zahveed]

Manhattan - 8/10

I still couldn't make a connection with a lot of the characters though. This is probably one to stew over.

I'm curious.....what do you mean by this?

I mean I probably need to watch it a few more times to catch the nuances that Sabin was referring to. I couldn't make a connection with the characters like I could with many other Allen works. It's gorgeous to look at though.