# Movies you've seen recently (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [September 29, 2014, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906 "2014-09-29T21:53:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/302 "2015-09-05T17:23:05Z")
Finally watched **Going Clear** , the documentary about Scientology. Holy shit. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/303 "2015-09-06T23:59:56Z")
Decided to do a popcorn movie today and watched **Mad Max: Fury Road**. Another CGI fest and seemingly endless. I must be getting too old for smash, crash and explosion movies. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/304 "2015-09-07T04:08:09Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Please excuse me for offering an opinion about Leon: The Professional that is a little different than yours. > > I think it was a much better film than just “pretty good”… > > This film was rated 8.6 by IMDB. For those of you who know how IMDB gives out those ratings to movies and the range these ratings usually take, that is an astounding rating. It’s in the same league as films like “The Godfather” and “Shawshank Redemption” and other films you might know… Funny you should mention _The Shawshank Redemption_, because I think it’s waaaay overrated. Like _Leon_, IMHO it was a good but not stupendous movie. So having a great IMDB number is, to me at least, no guarantee of any movie being great. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/305 "2015-09-07T06:03:37Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > I watched “John Wicke.” I was intrigued by the promos that seemed to promote Wicke as some sort of mythological figure, kind of like Kayser Soze in “The Usual Suspects.” I thought Keanu Reaves could do a pretty good job of portraying someone like that. But I was disappointed. The story was a run of the mill violent revenge flick. Reaves’ character never obtains mythic stature, he’s just a pissed off assassin. Instead of using Reaves’ ability to project uber-cool, he was asked to EMOTE. So stupid. Not worth my time, or anyone else’s. Pretty much agree with you. Here’s what I wrote in my personal movie review log back in June: “John Wick” – Keanu Reeves as a retired hit-man who is drawn back for “one last kill” for personal reasons. Fairly forgettable, but it did have some nice violence, both of the hand to hand variety and the explosives variety. also a lot more high-priced actors than necessary for such a forgettable movie, including Willem Dafoe, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, and Dean “Mayhem” Winters. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/306 "2015-09-07T14:22:00Z")
We rewatched _Blazing Saddles_ for a lark. Good: Some of the actors were great: Harvey Korman, Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder especially. Top of their game. Bad: The staginess of the filming. Looked like a bad 50s film in set, lighting, etc. at times. I don’t think it was all part of the old Western spoof concept. The racist stuff was quite uncomfortable at times. Some worked well. But a lot was … eeeegh. And the ending. Breaking the fourth (and fifth and sixth) wall. Funny idea. But it doesn’t work with this film. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/307 "2015-09-07T15:54:41Z")
“You said rape twice.” “I like rape!” “Sign here.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/308 "2015-09-07T16:18:01Z")
_[Wanda Nevada](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080116/)_, a curious 1979 film starring Peter Fonda and Brooke Shields. Shields, obviously 14 and underage, constantly gets hit on by every man _except_ Peter Fonda, making for a very confusing movie. When this movie came out, my to-be wife was constantly getting stopped, saying she looked like Shields’s [character in the movie](http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/34700000/Wanda-Nevada-1979-brooke-shields-34740410-1064-577.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/309 "2015-09-08T00:55:22Z")
My husband and I saw [A Walk in the Woods](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suK1e_3zNHg) today. I liked it but it seems to be missing some scenes. There’s a build-up when Bryson is stuck in the mud while going to KMart that we never see resolved and the obnoxious female hiker is never seen again though you expect just that. Also the movie seemed to end kind of abruptly. Wanna go home? Yup. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/310 "2015-09-08T12:01:25Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > In Leon: The Professional, she was portrayed as being a little older and so I figured it was acceptable to make my feelings of desire more evident. Paul Reubens got in all sorts of trouble. Just a heads up. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/311 "2015-09-09T03:48:34Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Finally watched **Going Clear** , the documentary about Scientology. Holy shit. Ayep, and it just scratched the surface. For those not wanting to wade into my thread about the movie, it’s still playing on HBO in the US (including, I believe, HBO On Demand), it’s now playing on HBO Canada, it will soon be playing on Sky in the UK, it will be playing in several US theaters starting Sept. 25, released on DVD in the US on, I think, October 6, and on VOD in the US at the end of October. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/312 "2015-09-21T22:03:01Z")
Kevin Bacon’s film [Cop Car](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3813310/). Came out more-or-less direct to VOD in August. Shame. This is a riveting film. Two 10 year olds steal a cop car and Kevin Bacon desperately wants it back. Sort of a chase film. The tension just builds and builds. Very edge of the seat by the end. One technique used in the film is long shots on basically nothing. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. Here it is done just right. It enhances the tension. Also has small roles by Camryn Manheim and Shea Whigham (Eli Thompson). The two kids did a pretty good job, especially James Freedson-Jackson. They played basically the dumbest 10 year olds you’ve ever seen. The biggest downside is it suffers from the [Twister Effect](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117998/goofs?ref_=tt_ql_trv_2#continuity). Something is damaged/marked in some way and in the next shot it’s back to the way it was. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/313 "2015-09-21T23:00:20Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Ayep, and it just scratched the surface. For those not wanting to wade into my thread about the movie, it’s still playing on HBO in the US (including, I believe, HBO On Demand), it’s now playing on HBO Canada, it will soon be playing on Sky in the UK, it will be playing in several US theaters starting Sept. 25, released on DVD in the US on, I think, October 6, and on VOD in the US at the end of October. For anyone who has never had any contact or experience with Scientology, I would like to recommend this film for your own safety. You really should get this point of view. Other people may present a different point of view. But, for your own safety, I would think it would be a very good idea to get this point of view - namely that if you get involved with Scientology, there is a real good chance they will empty your bank account and all the bank accounts of all your family members and the money will be gone and will never be able to be recovered. Talk about a “Heads Up”! ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/314 "2015-09-23T22:40:06Z")
Cross posted. I put this in ‘Seethe you in September’ thread: Just watched (and have not yet finished) [Divorce Corp](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2636456/) on Netflix It made my soul ache. I was overcome with anger and bitterness at the rampant corruption of the system, the horrible people who make their living at it, and the god-awful behavior of people against those they claim to have loved. The next person who tries to tell me what a wonderful institution marriage is is gonna get punched. What the fuck is wrong with these…humans? I was divorced 7 years ago. We were as amicable as we could possibly be, because we still loved each other and didn’t want the other to hurt. But then, neither of us had any real money or property. So I guess the film was successful. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/315 "2015-09-30T18:33:32Z")
Recently seen: _The Book of Eli_ Denzel Washington stars as a mysterious badass in this post-apocalyptic fable. Appropriately arid and overexposed cinematography, some great gunfights, and no less than three _Harry Potter_ alums! _The King and I_ Finally saw this 1956 musical from start to finish. Yul Brynner dominates as the King, but Deborah Kerr is a worthy foil to him. Good song and dance scenes. _Any Given Sunday_ Downbeat football movie about a coach (Al Pacino) and quarterback (Dennis Quaid), both near the end of their careers, uneasily realizing that their beloved sport is moving on without them. Jamie Foxx is the hotshot young QB who surprises them both. _Sense and Sensibility_ Emma Thompson’s brilliant, charming adaptation of the Jane Austen romance. A great cast and a story that carries you on to a perfect conclusion. Highly recommended. _A Dangerous Method_ Thoughtful, well-crafted costume drama about Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Sabina Spielrein, the beautiful patient who challenged and charmed them both. Great cast - Viggo Mortensen is a standout as Freud; Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightley are also quite good as Jung and Spielrein, his patient/colleague/lover. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/316 "2015-09-30T19:15:26Z")
**The Kentuckian** from 1955, starring Burt Lancaster, who directed (for the first time). I never even knew this film existed (I wrote several months back about Films That Disappeared Off the Face of the Earth) – I never saw it on TV or in a video store or on Netflix. I found out about it when I went to a show of the work of artist Thomas Hart Benton at the Peabody-Essex Museum. He did a poster and several other publicity paintings for this. I was intrigued, folr several reasons, and figured if Benton worked with it, there might be something to it. Film set in the first half of the 19th century, with Lancaster as the titular Kentuckian, Eli Wakefield, going to Texas with his son, Little Eli (and their dog). Filmed in Cinerama and Technicolor, the film is gorgeous. It also features music by Bernard Herrmann – one of my favorite film-score composers. I’m surprised I never heard about it because of his connection. It’s also the film debut of Walter Matthau, who plays one of the villains. He gets an “Introducing” in the credits. The film is based on a book called “The Gabriel Horn”, and much of it is told from the POV of Little Eli. I get the feeling the book was what we’d call Young Adult these days. The film feels almost like a Disney film – adventure in the American Wilderness, in the Legendary Past – Frontiersmen, River Boats, Fightin’ – It has passionate relationships but not a hint of sex. I wonder if the TV (and cinema) success of Disney’s **Davy Crockett** helped this film get funding? They even manage to work some songs in, almost unobtrusively. The film wraps up in a satisfying fashion, with a happy ending. Matthau gets his comeuppance. An interesting film, although not by any means a great one. You could watch it for the widescreen cinematography alone. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/317 "2015-09-30T20:08:27Z")
Hey Cal, Thanks very much for that info. I never heard of The Kentuckian either. I’m always delighted when someone posts info about a movie that I have never heard of before. So, thank you again! ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/318 "2015-09-30T20:13:11Z")
Elendil’s Hair, Re “The Book of Eli”. Did you like this film? I saw it and was disappointed. It just didn’t seem to be anywhere near the quality of most other of Denzel’s films. Most all of his films are great. This one just seemed to struggle to make it past mediocre. Thanks very much for telling us about Sense & Sensibility. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/319 "2015-09-30T20:16:25Z")
Watched “Maleficent” on cable the other day, because the trailer was GORGEOUS. And the film was just as gorgeous. And it didn’t have the moralistic simplicity that used to plague Disney films. Sure, there’s a happy ending, but but the bad guys are not completely bad (some of them come close) and the good guys are not completely good (far from it, in some cases). And Angelina Jolie just knocks it out of the park as the title character, she’s mesmerizing in every scene she’s in. She too the whole film up a few notches all by her lonesome. Though the three fairies were good, too. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/320 "2015-09-30T20:22:39Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Elendil’s Hair, > > Re “The Book of Eli”. Did you like this film? > > I saw it and was disappointed. It just didn’t seem to be anywhere near the quality of most other of Denzel’s films. Most all of his films are great. This one just seemed to struggle to make it past mediocre. > > Thanks very much for telling us about Sense & Sensibility. Yes, I did like TBOE, for the reasons I wrote (and it’s **Heir** , not **Hair** ). Hope you like S&S, too. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/321 "2015-09-30T20:26:46Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Watched “Maleficent” on cable the other day, because the trailer was GORGEOUS. And the film was just as gorgeous. And it didn’t have the moralistic simplicity that used to plague Disney films. Sure, there’s a happy ending, but but the bad guys are not completely bad (some of them come close) and the good guys are not completely good (far from it, in some cases). And Angelina Jolie just knocks it out of the park as the title character, she’s mesmerizing in every scene she’s in. She too the whole film up a few notches all by her lonesome. Though the three fairies were good, too. Hello EC, Are you certain that you spelled the name of this movie correctly? I can’t find any movies named, “Seethe you in September”. But I did find one called, “See you in September”. It was from 2010. Could that be the film you intended? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906.md?page=17)