Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched

[laggyteabag]

I watched John Wick 4 last night, and I really enjoyed it.

The action was better than ever (a lot of it just left me grinning), I really enjoyed a lot of the new characters, and the film also just looks pretty great. They have also nailed their own particular brand of humour.

The only real negatives are that the film is very long, clocking in just shy of 3 hours, and the franchise has reached its new peak of absurdity. It is an enjoyable world, for sure, but I really enjoyed the simplicity of the first film's "stole his car and killed his dog" rampage, and now John Wick is shooting at men, whilst on horseback, in the middle of a desert. This definitely adds big points for variety, but maybe something was lost along the way.

Otherwise, it is a really strong recommend.

As for spoilers:

Im of the understanding that this is where they are planning on leaving the franchise for a while, and the ending - where John Wick is supposedly dead - is probably a good way to cap off the franchise, should they decide not to continue. On the other hand, im sure they will be happy to do the whole "fake grave" trope, if they decide to come back for number 5.

Killing off Lance Reddick's character was a massive shame, and I definitely missed him in most of Ian McShane's scenes. But considering Lance's recent unfortunate passing, should they indeed decide to make a sequel, this was quite a fortuitous choice for them to make, as they now don't need to awkwardly write him out, in the next movie.

 

[Absent]

Yes, I am. All of them except for the 1967 Casino Royale, because that one is a ***** to find, and really not worth the effort of doing so

Replace it with OK Connery / Operation Kid Brother.



Or (slightly) more seriously you could have started with the 1954 Climax episode. Just for historical exhaustivity and nerd points.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ★★★★½ review of Goldfinger (1964)

Easily the best of the Bond movies so far, and I can definitely see how it's the favorite of a fair few fans, but I cannot give it 5 stars for reasons I will go into. The production on this film went a bit smoother than the last two, but that's not to say there weren't complications. For one...

letterboxd.com

 

[Thaluikhain]

Wasn't really a fan of Goldfinger. OTOH,

Spoiler

that fight in Fort Know was really good. And someone who resembles the main bad guy (a bit) became a notoriously evil ex-POTUS. If you imagine him as being just as evil, but more competent, he could work as Goldfinger.

Oh, smuggling gold by making a car our of it would not work. Gold is really dense, most movies forget this.

 

[Absent]

For all its awesome gadgets, the Aston Martin in Goldfinger broke my heart, by achieving nothing.

Also its radar makes me laugh, by showing the cars at the lake near Geneva while they're clearly driving through the mountains (I actually had the fake memory of it showing them in the lake, but, well, hey, close enough).

One of the best opening titles, although it was weird to see scenes from the earlier movies in it.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio: Good / Great

Classic tale of Pinocchio as imagined through the dark and macabre lens of Guillermo del Toro.

Morbid curiosity is the only reason I watched this. As told through the perspective of a naïve wooden boy finding himself in some very grave situations, i.e.: instead of a "no rules" amusement park, he's conscripted into the army to fight in WWII, t'was interesting. Not as dark as it could have been, but certainly much more austere than say Disney's or other adaptations. The fact that it still managed to be a serviceable musical is not lost on me.

 

[Chimpzy]

Winnie the Pooh Blood & Honey: Oh bother / 10

Watched this for a lark. Cheap slasher flick cashing in on a known ip becoming public domain. Poorly scripted, poorly acted, poorly shot. One kind of cool kill tho.

 

[gorfias]

I love "From Russia" for being one of the most faithful adaptations, and thus feeling like a cold war hitchcockian movie more than an explosive indiana jones (I wish they had kept it a smersh thing instead of using the more apolitical spectre). Also the end fight didn't really seem goofy too me, but maybe I'm infuenced by the novel, in which Klebb

Spoiler

murders Bond with her poisonous shoe (he gets unmurdered, Holmes-like, at the start of the following book)

. In fact I had never noticed the irony of the "From Russia" and "Dr No" stories being chronologically inverted on film (in the books, the imposed gun switch at the start of "Dr No" is a consequence of the ending of "From Russia"). By the way, it's also odd to start the "Dr No" film with Bond clinging to a gun we had never seen him use.

Also, Sylvia Trench was supposed to be a stupid recurring joke, Bond leaving her at the start of each new mission. They ditched the idea to not give the impression that Bond had a sentimental anchor at home, and Moneypenny became a bit of that running gag, in a way. But still, it's odd to see these two first movies start with a same girlfriend.

And yes, gender dynamics are hilariously creepy in these films. The smug ridicule of Connery's discreet bum slaps always made me laugh at his expense, as a kid, even when I wasn't fully aware of the problematic nature of the other manifestations of sexism. There's a wonderfully stupid one in Goldfinger, full with its let-the-men-discuss-serious-business sendaway, it's so fantastically 60s. So black-and-white french gangster movie. To me, it's the OSS117est component of these films (and the competition is tough).

Anyway. Hot take : trains are just the best settings. They may even beat ships. "From Russia" is an awesome Orient Express caper.

One of the few movies I have on disc that I've ever watched the making of added features. Very enjoyable and informative.

 

[Absent]

One of the few movies I have on disc that I've ever watched the making of added features. Very enjoyable and informative.

I should really buy them some day, just for that. Never did, because I never liked the dvd/bluray editions' covers (as a kid, we used to rent the VHS editions, and they had the great original posters as covers, so the bar was set high).

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Yeah, I'm not sure the scene would fly quite as well in a remake with Samuel Jackson as Quarrel. Also, the superstition bit is hard to relativize through Honeychile's own belief, as she is essentially a naive, feral kid (despite her good native "you know nothing jon snow" tirade). But hey, who isn't a big child compared to the civilizing British representative.

A sad thing also it that Quarrel became such a throwaway character. His death in the novel has a bit more gravitas, as he had already been a bit of a mentor to Bond in Live and Let Die. But whatever. I love these movies, even if they are so embarrassingly stupidly sexist and reactionary at times (I couldn't stop laughing when screencapturing this scene : this image alone encaplulates so many cringey aspects of that era's mindset).

Basically every Bond Girl from the Sean era has to be "tamed" by Bond. Honey and Tatiana are in the feral/naive spectrum; Honey starts out pulling a knife at him and Tatiana is secretly working against him. Same with Pussy Galore, a lesbian (egads!) whom he essentially rapes after fighting in that barn. Domino I forget if there was anything reprehensible about her relationship. Kissy is barely a character. Tiffany Case starts out as competent and inimical; is turned into a bumbling klutz in a bikini by the end of the movie.

Quarrel at least appears as "Quarrel Jr." in Live and Let Die. They could've just made a new character with a new name, instead we got a cute continuity in joke.

 

[Absent]

Basically every Bond Girl from the Sean era has to be "tamed" by Bond. Honey and Tatiana are in the feral/naive spectrum; Honey starts out pulling a knife at him and Tatiana is secretly working against him. Same with Pussy Galore, a lesbian (egads!) whom he essentially rapes after fighting in that barn. Domino I forget if there was anything reprehensible about her relationship. Kissy is barely a character. Tiffany Case starts out as competent and inimical; is turned into a bumbling klutz in a bikini by the end of the movie.

Oh this goes beyond the Connery era, but i'd consider the word "tamed" a bit severe. There's often a girl who is on the baddie's side and that is won over by Bond and betrays the baddies (often getting killed for her trouble), in some sort of sentimental warfare. It's actually ruthlessly lampshaded and subverted in Thunderball, but it's still common to the whole franchise. And yes, man or woman, once you're on Bond's side, well, you become a foil for his hyper-competence : he's the one doing the work, don't steal his thunder, lay down. In practice, he's the one at the wheel (and lets you know noisily).

I don't think this aspect is much worse than that.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Oh this goes beyond the Connery era, but i'd consider the word "tamed" a bit severe. There's often a girl who is on the baddie's side and that is won over by Bond and betrays the baddies (often getting killed for her trouble), in some sort of sentimental warfare. It's actually ruthlessly lampshaded and subverted in Thunderball, but it's still common to the whole franchise. And yes, man or woman, once you're on Bond's side, well, you become a foil for his hyper-competence : he's the one doing the work, don't steal his thunder, lay down. In practice, he's the one at the wheel (and lets you know noisily).

I don't think this aspect is much worse than that.

There're three types of Bond Girl leading up to early era Craig: sacrificial, dragon and love interest. The sacrificial one is a meaningless fling who either is discarded before the plot starts proper (Dr. No, Russia) or dies protecting Bond (Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only, Diamonds). The dragon is the henchwoman who either dies (Dr. No, Thunderball) or becomes the love interest (Russia, Goldfinger, Diamonds). The love interest is the girl running around in a bikini at the end of the movie. Sometimes they're combined or pull a switcheroo but that's the gist of it.

I think tamed is the right word. It's not enough that they all need rescuing (except for Domino), they usually need to change something fundamental about their nature to be with Bond, whether the movie or Bond himself makes them. Their independence, allegiance, sexuality, morality, profession. It's "fine" because Bond is the good guy saving the world and he will only smack you if you're trying to kill him or his friends.

Sidenote: for two movies in a row, Bond has a signature move or swinging around a woman to take a blow for him. Both of them have it coming (they're actively trying to kill him) but I always found it funny how they did it twice in a row. Once is clever, twice feels... off.

 

[Absent]

There're three types of Bond Girl leading up to early era Craig: sacrificial, dragon and love interest. The sacrificial one is a meaningless fling who either is discarded before the plot starts proper (Dr. No, Russia) or dies protecting Bond (Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only, Diamonds). The dragon is the henchwoman who either dies (Dr. No, Thunderball) or becomes the love interest (Russia, Goldfinger, Diamonds). The love interest is the girl running around in a bikini at the end of the movie. Sometimes they're combined or pull a switcheroo but that's the gist of it.

I think tamed is the right word. It's not enough that they all need rescuing (except for Domino), they usually need to change something fundamental about their nature to be with Bond, whether the movie or Bond himself makes them. Their independence, allegiance, sexuality, morality, profession. It's "fine" because Bond is the good guy saving the world and he will only smack you if you're trying to kill him or his friends.

I think you can opt to shed light on it from different angles. One is the james-bond-brute context. Another could be the larger context of spy, noir or action adventure movies where it's very common for enemies to switch side (and therefore sacrifice their status) and join the hero or heroin. It's a bit less striking in isolated movies than in series where it's a pattern. It's also less striking in ensemble stories (where the heroes are a team) than in solo movies (where the hero has to stay central, and all other good characters have to become hollywood watsons if they're on his side). You could use that typology for cinema as a whole, but it would sound too gratuitously damning (it feels more natural on Bond movies because damning perspectives on these already have a comfy momentum and never feel too much).

It's a matter of framing and perspective. There's enough to criticize and laugh about in james bond movies to give them a bit of slack on some aspects where the most scathing interpretation doesn't absolutely imposes itself. Namely, there's enough in the simple, horrendous trope of "if you're the hero of the story, then you can pluck girls like flowers from the ground". Which is what all the female characters are in Bond movies (with the implication that the female public should identify to them), no matter where on the axis of good guys, bad guys, redeemable, unredeemable, they were.

 

[mirbrownbread]

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do it

I rate it 7/10 - Decent movie, well-acted as all of them, with an interesting and finely paced story. The biggest gripe I have with it is that it's simply not scary, though the tensions were high during several scenes, most notably the final showdown.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Girl In The Closet: Reprehensible / Great

After suffering an aneurysm, a woman bequeaths her 10-year-old daughter to the care of her estranged sister, and the girl becomes the victim of her aunt's abuse and sex trafficking ring for several years.

Once I realized what was going on, I got the distinct impression this was a film written by staunch anti-federally-funded, state-run benefits programs conservatives as an imagining of how God-fearing tax payers' money is splurged and criminalized on welfare programs to scare them back into the deepest corners of the self-sufficient right wing. Then I found out it was based on true events. Jesus, what a disgusting movie. I literally squirmed in my chair waiting for it to end. I've seen a lot of bad people in a lot of good and bad films, but few compare to Aunt Mia in this one. I wanted to crawl through the screen and strangle her myself. The idea that these kind of people exist and live with themselves makes me beyond angry and crushes my heart that anyone might have to endure their wrath.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ★★½ review of Thunderball (1965)

That...could have been better. This film had mostly a smoother production again than the last three, with the only real struggle being finding the right person to play the main Bond girl, Domino Derval, with Julie Christie being turned down after a personal meeting with producer Albert Broccoli...

letterboxd.com

 

[Thaluikhain]

A ★★½ review of Thunderball (1965)

That...could have been better. This film had mostly a smoother production again than the last three, with the only real struggle being finding the right person to play the main Bond girl, Domino Derval, with Julie Christie being turned down after a personal meeting with producer Albert Broccoli...

letterboxd.com

Definitely agree with the bit about the chiropractor, that was really bad, and played for laughs.

Also Dr. Zhivago and The Sound of Music sounds like a band.

I did like the Bond liner about "She's just dead". Especially as he seems to have played it less nonchalantly, and he was more scared, and is relieved to have gotten out of that situation and the adrenaline is still flowing.

(Oh, though this counts as another thing of moving the woman into the way of an attack that you mentioned before)

And unlike From Russia With Love, there weren't any great action scenes to break up the investigative stuff, with even the climax of the film being something that...well, in 1965, I can imagine it being pretty cool to see a fight completely underwater between scuba divers. In 2023, though, I just found it hard to follow who was on which side, and therefore whether I had just seen a good guy or bad guy get harpooned, which made it hard to feel any tension or excitement.

Um...the bad guys are wearing black and the good guys are wearing bright orange.

 

[thebobmaster]

Definitely agree with the bit about the chiropractor, that was really bad, and played for laughs.

Also Dr. Zhivago and The Sound of Music sounds like a band.

I did like the Bond liner about "She's just dead". Especially as he seems to have played it less nonchalantly, and he was more scared, and is relieved to have gotten out of that situation and the adrenaline is still flowing.

(Oh, though this counts as another thing of moving the woman into the way of an attack that you mentioned before)



Um...the bad guys are wearing black and the good guys are wearing bright orange.

I meant more in terms of the choreography with the underwater fighting. It was just so...lethargic.

 

[Gordon_4]

I meant more in terms of the choreography with the underwater fighting. It was just so...lethargic.

Well, that was kind of to be expected. I mean, it’s not even very fit and strong people move very swiftly underwater. I imagine it’s as much famous for the spectacle being at all possible back when it was made.

 

[Hawki]

Thunderball? More like...Blunderball, amirite? No?

Anyway, yeah - I've seen some of Thunderball, barely remember any of it, it's always come across as "hey, it's that movie that came after Goldfinger."