# 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:** 473
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9460 "2024-05-28T16:34:40Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > **Being There** (1979) This was one of the first movies I ever watched on HBO. I loved it and probably watched it five or six times over the course of the next few weeks. I haven’t seen it since, however. Perhaps I should watch it again to see what I’ve forgotten or misremembered. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9461 "2024-05-28T16:38:48Z")
I just found these trivia items on IMDB. > Peter Sellers was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor. Some said the reason Sellers lost was because of the outtakes at the very end of the movie as the credits are rolling. Sellers himself later said the outtakes “broke the spell” of the movie. > Despite Peter Sellers’ repeated requests, the producers would not remove the outtakes from the version they submitted to Cannes. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9462 "2024-05-28T17:21:11Z")
Interesting. Sometimes I watch the end credits of a movie, sometimes not, sometimes depending on whether the style and music of the credits carries forward the mood that the movie put me in. In the case of _Being There_, which was indisputably excellent, the outtakes of Peter Sellers giggling at his own lines seemed really out of place, and I didn’t watch the rest of the credits. If this was director Hal Ashby’s decision, it was another bad one, like his decision to alter the ending as I already mentioned. By contrast, the end credits to the beautiful _Arthur the King_ began with a statement about the money that had been raised dedicated to Arthur’s medical treatment and how much the foundation continues to benefit dogs in need. Then the credits rolled over images of the real-life Arthur and his humans. It was perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9463 "2024-05-28T20:10:03Z")
**The First Omen** Very strongly recommended. Oh, boy, what a movie. And what a surprise! I’m sure the studio was trying to slap together a quick Omen prequel and had only the opening weekend cash grab in mind. But, wow, this movie turned out terrific, scary, and has some of the best horror imagery of the year. This movie goes so hard, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing a studio horror prequel on a thin budget with a first-time director. But it’s scary, intense, well acted, well directed, and has some scenes I will remember for a really long time. This just shot into my top 5 of the year so far. What a huge and pleasant surprise. Definitely check it out. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9464 "2024-05-28T20:27:33Z")
I didn’t post it at the time, but I finally saw Steve Martin’s **Pennies From Heaven** on TCM a few weeks ago. I remember when it came out that it was known to be a departure from Martin’s wild-and-crazy persona, but I didn’t realize just how much of a departure. Can’t exactly say I enjoyed it. Martin plays a jerk (not The Jerk) who still gets a lot worse than he deserves. I give him credit for taking the chance, though; couldn’t help but think of how his career progressed from his standup days to more mature comedies like _Roxanne_ and _L.A. Story_. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9465 "2024-05-28T22:24:41Z")
Yeah, viewers expecting Martin’s zany persona in a Dennis Potter vehicle (which are always _spectacularly_ bleak) made for a lot of negative reviews. And the juxtaposition of movie-musical fantasy numbers with harsh realities made the emotional gut punches that much more painful. It’s a pretty good film _for what it is_, but it wasn’t what most of the people who saw it expected. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9466 "2024-05-28T23:22:26Z")
Eileen. Great movie - lots of layers. Highly recommend. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9467 "2024-05-29T00:06:52Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > _It’s a pretty good film for what it is, but it wasn’t what most of the people who saw it expected._ I saw “Pennies from Heaven” many, many years ago, and while I thought it was pretty good, it was more tragedy than any attempt at comedy. I liked the way the old music was incorporated into the story. I even have the soundtrack album. As I recall, it fell flat at the end with a disappointing conclusion that didn’t make a lot of sense. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9468 "2024-05-29T00:53:33Z")
The Beekeeper. The worst movie in memory that I’ve managed to finish, though I was stuck on a plane, so my choices were limited. Statham basically sleepwalks through this, and the plot and plot developments are stupid even for a dumb actioner. It verges on being a The Asylum picture. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9469 "2024-05-29T00:58:17Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > The Beekeeper. The worst movie in memory that I’ve managed to finish, though I was stuck on a plane, so my choices were limited. Statham basically sleepwalks through this, and the plot and plot developments are stupid even for a dumb actioner. It verges on being a The Asylum picture Oh, thank goodness someone else had the same reaction I did. It actually got fairly good reviews, but was one of the worst of the year for me so far. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9470 "2024-05-29T01:59:59Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Then the credits rolled over images of the real-life Arthur and his humans. One of the most interesting end credits scenes I know of is [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWow24GcSCM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWow24GcSCM) , which comes from _Queen of Katwe_. Each of the major actors walks into the room. Then the real person who they were playing walks into the room. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9471 "2024-05-29T02:01:47Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Yeah, viewers expecting Martin’s zany persona in a Dennis Potter vehicle (which are always _spectacularly_ bleak) made for a lot of negative reviews. And the juxtaposition of movie-musical fantasy numbers with harsh realities made the emotional gut punches that much more painful. I was warned at the time that it wasn’t a happy, feel-good type of movie. Anybody who expected it to be hadn’t done their research. After seeing it, I read up a bit on it. It’s a remake of a BBC series, I think, which Martin apparently loved. Now I’m a little curious to see that, and how closely he followed the original. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9472 "2024-05-29T06:43:57Z")
I haven’t seen that Potter series (although I’ve seen others) but the answer is almost certainly that the original is a _lot_ slower and even more depressing. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9473 "2024-05-29T07:47:02Z")
I watched **Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning** on the weekend. It was a very long chase sequence, occasionally interrupted by a parade of sleight-of-hand tricks to hide the maguffin. Very enjoyable, though the big deal stunt of the bike off the cliff was a bit underwhelming. The train crash was way more exciting. I have always liked Hayley Atwell and she is particularly appealing in this. The MI series consistently cast very well. One thing I noticed was how most of the fight scenes used blades as weapons rather than guns. Unusual. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9474 "2024-05-29T13:20:59Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I watched **Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning** on the weekend. It was a very long chase sequence, occasionally interrupted by a parade of sleight-of-hand tricks to hide the maguffin. Very enjoyable, though the big deal stunt of the bike off the cliff was a bit underwhelming. The train crash was way more exciting. You got it on that big stunt. As impressive as it was to do, it was just OK in the movie. The train sequence that takes up the last 30 minutes of the movie is terrific. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9475 "2024-05-29T13:31:10Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > _I was warned at the time that it wasn’t a happy, feel-good type of movie. Anybody who expected it to be hadn’t done their research._ “Pennies” was Steve Martin’s next movie following “The Jerk.” What a contrast! No wonder people assumed it would be a comedy. That was his image. The trailer makes it look like a colorful singing-and-dancing extravaganza, not the rather bleak movie that it is. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9476 "2024-05-30T03:40:48Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Saw **Furiosa** last night and loved it. I was given the impression that it might be a change of pace (slower, more deliberate) than the other Mad Max films but that wasn’t the case at all. This might have more road battles than all the other films put together with a lot of clever new stunts and, as always with George Miller, brilliant world-building and humor. I 80% agree, or thereabouts. Very watchable movie, especially toward the end. But I (irrationally) missed the riveting novelty of this world that was such a feature of Fury Road. At this point, we’ve seen this world before and know a fair bit about what it’s like. It cannot be expected to blow our minds with its sheer strangeness every other minute, the way much of Fury Road did. Nonetheless, the memory of that sheer strangeness makes Furiosa seem to suffer a little bit in comparison. Minor quibble, though. If you liked Fury Road and want to revisit that world, Furiosa will absolutely be worth your time. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9477 "2024-05-30T03:51:23Z")
_Tora! Tora! Tora!_ 1970 large American and Japanese cast I first saw this film at the theater a few weeks after _Jaws_, released June 20, 1975, came out. Pretty sure the trailer ran before Jaws. The studio must have rereleased it to theaters. I was still watching Disney kiddie films in 1970. Toro is the most balanced story about Pearl Harbor. They used a separate Japanese director and cast to tell the planning, preparation, and execution of the surprise attack. Pearl Harbor was considered safe from attack. The extreme distance from Japan and the shallow harbor were natural defensive barriers. That belief was shattered on Dec 7, 1941. I consider it a must see film. People need to be reminded how easily countries can allow conflicts to escalate into armed war. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9478 "2024-05-30T04:09:03Z")
Not sure if it’s true, but part of the publicity for _Tora_ was that the filmmakers spent more money to film the reenactments than the Japanese spent on the actual attack. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906/9479 "2024-05-30T12:30:29Z")
**Monty Python and the Holy Grail** (1975), I have watched this numerous times and can quote many parts of it as can many Dopers. Still, it was great to see it in a theater and notice some things here and there that weren’t as apparent on a smaller screen or that maybe I had forgotten. A completely absurd movie that happens to have a semi-coherent plot. It is great in that it is not just sight jokes or bawdy humor, but a mix of all kinds of things. Certainly not for everyone but quite fun for those with a certain type of funny bone. `//i\\` [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906.md?page=472) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-youve-seen-recently-part-1/699906.md?page=474)