What was the last film you watched?

If you haven't seen 2001:a space odyssey yet, don't judge it by today's editing and pacing standards, or even as a movie. It's more of a work of art that happens to use film. It may seem to drag to modern viewers. But I remember as a 12 year old kid in 1968 or '69 seeing it in the movie theater in Cinerama (sort of the IMAX of its day) and it was like having some kind of psychotic break. I was terrified, inspired, confused, uplifted, all at the same time. It must have been something like what people experienced on the debut of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.

Everyone has heard of the cultural icons of that movie now, HAL, the Monolith, the Starchild, etc., but back then no one knew what to expect. I remember clenching my hands so tightly during the Monolith sequences (with Ligeti's Requiem playing at almost rock concert volume) my fingernails nearly drew blood from my palms. I feel very fortunate in having experienced this when it was new, when no one knew anything about it so it had the full emotional and psychological impact. It was a kind of religious experience. Certainly a rare life changing event for me.

I just watched Agora, a sprawling epic film by director Alejandro Amenábar about Hypatia, the Alexandrian lady philosopher, mathematician and astronomer at the end of classical antiquity and the rise of theocracy that may have set science back a thousand years. It is not a fast paced adventure film, but one that makes you think and is a beautiful visit to what we imagine the past must have been like. Except for the obligatory British accents in ancient Alexandria (well, what else would work?) and some seemingly up to date hair fashions, the film seems pretty authentic to this history laymen at least.

In truth it took me three nights to watch it, not through any fault of the film but because I could fall asleep in the middle of a hurricane with Armageddon to the right of me and Ragnarok to the left. It is a good movie in spite of my aging attention span.

Ex Machina



A glacially paced cerebral Kubrick-esque slightly disturbing bleak-fest.

Black Death (2010)
Sean Bean, et al.



This is marketed as horror. It's not really. It's merely depressing. While the plague plays a part in the plot, the film is more about fanaticism. That's about all I can reveal without spoilers, but I'd avoid this one anyway. Why is everything so nihilistic these days? I feel like I need to put "Finding Nemo" in my queue.

Via Netflix "Blutgletscher" (Blood Glacier)



The writers might have tried harder to suspend my disbelief and a tiny bit of CGI might have helped, but it has its moments.

Banshee Chapter



An unusual horror movie in that it is actually frightening in places for a change, as opposed to mere gross out or cheap jump scares, or found footage. It may not be high art, but hit the spot I was looking for with autumn just around the corner here. I love the character of the crusty drunken old washed up writer, stereotype though that may be.

On the other hand I've all but forgotten it a few days later.

Drat! I have to stay away form this thread too to avoid Star Wars talk. Until Tuesday evening then.

So obviously the last film I watched was Star Wars :TFA.

Before that, Charade with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn.



I loved this movie as a kid when I had never heard of plot twists before. It like a Hitchcock thriller meets romantic comedy. I thought it was brilliant back then. Now it's kind of trite and hasn't aged that well, but it's still a fun enough romp with witty flirty innuendos I didn't get as kid.