[FrankE]

Az ötödik pecsét (1976) The Fifth Seal

The Fifth Seal (1976) - IMDb

The Fifth Seal: Directed by Zoltán Fábri. With Lajos Öze, László Márkus, Ferenc Bencze, Sándor Horváth. In Budapest in 1944, a watchmaker, a book seller and a carpenter are drinking in a bar with the owner, when they are joined by a stranger. The watchmaker asks a hypothetical question that will...

www.imdb.com

Hungarian anti-socialism film, cleverly made as merely anti national socialism to enable release under soviet socialist rule. Two different cuts of the same species.
It's a slow burner, dialogue-driven, thought-provoking.

 

[eljr]

 

[FrankE]

Total Recall (1990)
I had an odd sense of disappointment normally reserved for a poor ending most of the way through the film in case it was all a dream.
But was it?

Total Recall (1990) - IMDb

Total Recall: Directed by Paul Verhoeven. With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Ronny Cox. When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or...

www.imdb.com

 

[Chat Noir]

The Long Arm (aka The Third Key), dir: Charles Frend, 1956.

Good old police mystery in '50s London. Stars Jack Hawkins and John Stratton. Lots of cameos from known (perhaps then less known) actors: Ian Bannen, Nicholas Parsons and the like. Tension and interest is well maintained throughout. Hawkins's performance in particular is good as a world-weary, yet dedicated detective with a wry sense of humour.

 

[eljr]

Terrible movie.

 

[Red Terror]

Come and See
Dir. Elem Klimov

Soviet Union
1985
142 minutes

 

[eljr]

Another really terrible movie.

 

[atsizat]

Cover Girl (1944) in Glorious Technicolor

 

[FrankE]

Come and See
Dir. Elem Klimov

Soviet Union
1985
142 minutes

I've tried to watch this a few times but have been unable to connect with any characters so never managed to watch it all the way through.

 

[Chat Noir]

I watched a film of the type I've not seen for a good while. Johnny Cash in Murder In Coweta County. Based on a real-life case. The villain is played by Andy Griffith and he really pulls it off. I have a soft-spot for Johnny Cash, he was the real deal and you can't dislike him, even if he was the one playing the villain. This was probably a TV movie in 1983 and I wish those kinds of film were still like this. Today they don't know if they want to be TV or front-line Hollywood and the heavy polish gets in the way.

 

[Forster]

A Man Called Otto with Tom Hanks

Whether it compares favourably with the original (or with the book) I don't know, but it stands up on its own. It was very enjoyable. It's a long time since I've laughed at someone falling on train tracks as a train approaches, or at someone attempting to commit suicide, but I found this film both funny and touching. Others may find it too sentimental/schmaltzy, but we all have different tolerances for that kind of thing. (Some people actually enjoy watching torture porn - imagine that.)

 

[Ulalume!Ulalume!]

Best film I watched in January:
The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936)

the whole thing was beautiful and painfully moving but I particularly loved the bit where Lincoln orders the band to play Dixie, an event once mentioned by Johnny Horton

 

[sqorda]

Last night.

 

[aligreto]

Balle Perdue 1 & 2

 

[eljr]

 

[Branko]

Great stuff

 

[eljr]

 

[Rogerx]

 

[aligreto]

The Banshees of Inisherin:

This is not, in truth, a very recent watch. There is quite the amount of hyperbole surrounding the release of this Irish film. It is very well made and acted and much has been said and written about the performances of both of the male actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. However, for me, the star performance in terms of acting was undoubtedly Kerry Condon in the role of the sister. She delivered an excellent performance throughout the film. She typifies the strong Irish woman character. For me, she is the glue that binds everything together, just as Irish women tend to do. I do not, however, understand how well the cultural subtleties of the psyche and intricacies of the plot of the film will travel or even be understood by any foreign audience.

 

[That Guy Mick]

Come and See
Dir. Elem Klimov

Soviet Union
1985
142 minutes

Come and See is classified as a War Movie, but should be considered a horror film.