# What Movie Have You Seen Today? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Movie Discussion\ **Created:** [September 17, 2017, 3:02am UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343 "2017-09-17T03:02:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 76
**Author:** ![Stbernard](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Stbernard](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/Stbernard)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 5:13pm UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1513 "2022-03-06T17:13:08Z")
Casino Royale 1967. Big Screen Big Ideas Big fun! Of course it’s a complete mess totally nonsensical but what a blast. The jokes kind of worked better on the big screen. Watching Sellers on the big screen was an experience and it is astonishingly shot in parts. The standout for me was the Mata Bond dance and the sequences with Andreas and Sellers in her flat. Definitely glad we went! My 11 year old was in hysterics watching it. Roll on Diamonds Are Forever ---
**Author:** ![Silvertoe](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/user_avatar/quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/silvertoe/32/1701_2.png) [@Silvertoe](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/Silvertoe)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 7:08pm UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1514 "2022-03-06T19:08:44Z")
I am hooligan Got the dvd on eBay for £1.59 including postage, I can see why! A total waste of 79 minutes! ---
**Author:** ![secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/user_avatar/quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/secretagentfan/32/504_2.png) [@secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/secretagentfan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 4:25pm UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1515 "2022-03-09T16:25:31Z")
**West Side Story (2021)** Steven Spielberg is one of my favorite directors. Maybe because his films introduced me to cinema and the concept of what a director does. And when I start a review by saying that I love someone’s work - yep, that is an indicator for my disappointment. Despite his visual panache carrying this version of the classic musical (or his remake of Robert Wise´s film version of it), the film just did not win me over due to many irritating factors. Spielberg decided to make a very traditional version, not a re-imagining. So instead of delivering a new “West Side Story” that speaks to our times it stays very safely in the past. On the plus side is the laudable casting of actors with the appropriate cultural heritage and letting them speak Spanish without subtitles, creating the more realistic situation of them having to speak English because they need to fit in. But that aspect is severely undercut by the too perfect dancing and singing. We are supposed to believe in the reality of these characters - but suddenly even the tough guys are flawless ballet dancers, joining huge song and dance numbers. The courage to have no perfection here would have worked wonders, I believe. But Spielberg chose glossy and conventional over innovation. And since Spielberg decides to overlight every set, everything builds up an artificial distance. Yes, visually it´s all dynamic and pretty. But I never got lost in the story. I rather got the feeling that I was sitting in a theatre with a huge stage. Also: the costume design gives everyone a weird COSTUME look, nothing feels lived-in, resulting in the impression of “we’re all just putting on a show and pretend to be in love or hurt, just waiting to bow to your applause.” Even a Wes Anderson movie with its distinct formalities is more lively and real. I also did not think the staging of the finale was convincing - Spielberg is so much better than this. Or at least, he can be. In the end, I got the feeling that Spielberg just wanted to do “West Side Story” and did not really care whether he brought anything new to it. He wanted to strike off a musical from his list, chose the most conventional and famous one, and then realized that the musical itself is problematic in its narrative structure, stringing along set pieces and songs which do not really gel with each other (but nevertheless, due to their ear worm quality became a huge legendary hit). Once Spielberg toyed with creating an original musical. That would have given him the chance to do something really interesting. His “West Side Story” appeared to be a safer bet. But I am not surprised it flopped badly. I was bored very quickly and I cannot imagine younger audiences caring for any of this. ---
**Author:** ![MrKiddWint](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/user_avatar/quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/mrkiddwint/32/1772_2.png) [@MrKiddWint](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/MrKiddWint)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 5:35pm UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1516 "2022-03-10T17:35:05Z")
> [@secretagentfan](#): > > I got the feeling that Spielberg just wanted to do “West Side Story” Exactly. > [@secretagentfan](#): > > and did not really care whether he brought anything new to it I think he did care a lot about bringing something new to it. The material defeated him in the effort, however. > [@secretagentfan](#): > > We are supposed to believe in the reality of these characters - but suddenly even the tough guys are flawless ballet dancers, joining huge song and dance numbers. Interestingly enough, that aspect works much better on stage and in the Robert Wise film (which I do not think is that good overall). ---
**Author:** ![secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/user_avatar/quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/secretagentfan/32/504_2.png) [@secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/secretagentfan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 6:19pm UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1517 "2022-03-10T18:19:32Z")
> [@MrKiddWint](#): > > Interestingly enough, that aspect works much better on stage and in the Robert Wise film (which I do not think is that good overall). I believe on stage, in a theatre, we are used to and expect this. In cinema, staginess distracts from immersion. Although maybe it is due to the overfamiliarity with the music and the story. ---
**Author:** ![MrKiddWint](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/user_avatar/quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/mrkiddwint/32/1772_2.png) [@MrKiddWint](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/MrKiddWint)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1518 "2022-03-10T21:51:05Z")
> [@secretagentfan](#): > > In cinema, staginess distracts from immersion. Staginess–yes, but what about artificiality/non-realism? GUYS AND DOLLS and THE BAND WAGON are non-realistic, but immersive. CABARET is one of the few musicals that is on the more realistic end of the spectrum, but then all of its musical numbers occur on a stage save one–which occurs in a beer garden. Along these lines: what did you think of IN THE HEIGHTS? > [@secretagentfan](#): > > Although maybe it is due to the overfamiliarity with the music and the story. I think you had it correct in your first post: the material itself is problematic. Merging “Romeo and Juliet” with a story about racial/ethnic conflict (it was originally supposed to be Irish Catholic vs. Jewish on the Lower East Side) was a daft idea to begin with, and became only more so as the musical evolved. ---
**Author:** ![secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/user_avatar/quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/secretagentfan/32/504_2.png) [@secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/secretagentfan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 9:43am UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1519 "2022-03-11T09:43:52Z")
Haven’t seen IN THE HEIGHTS yet. But the merging of realism and artifice is not a problem per se for me. TICK TICK BOOM was one of my favorite films last year, and I love LA LA LAND and A CHORUS LINE. ---
**Author:** ![Stbernard](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Stbernard](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/Stbernard)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 11:18am UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1520 "2022-03-11T11:18:34Z")
A Chorus Line is one of my favourite filmed musicals along with all that Jazz ( is it a musical? ) Nevermind - those two are fantastic ---
**Author:** ![secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/user_avatar/quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/secretagentfan/32/504_2.png) [@secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/secretagentfan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1521 "2022-03-11T14:37:29Z")
Yes, All that Jazz is great, too. I also am a huge fan of Oz‘ version of LITTLE SHOP OF HORROR, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![MrKiddWint](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/user_avatar/quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/mrkiddwint/32/1772_2.png) [@MrKiddWint](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/MrKiddWint)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1522 "2022-03-11T20:37:30Z")
> [@secretagentfan](#): > > But the merging of realism and artifice is not a problem per se for me. Understood. I think it interesting when such mergings register as “staginess”–the threshold will vary with the viewer. In other words: when is the cinematic lost? > [@Stbernard](#): > > all that Jazz ( is it a musical? ) I vote yes, and think it is Fosse’s most accomplished film. I saw it opening day at a theatre underneath The Plaza Hotel–Cinema 3 (long closed). The theatre was a jewel box done in shades of beige–as if it existed for guests of The Plaza who wanted to see a movie without any inconveniences. I do not seem to remember any rake to the room, though it was more than 40 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Stbernard](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Stbernard](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/Stbernard)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2022, 12:04am UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1523 "2022-03-12T00:04:24Z")
It’s one I would dearly love to see on the big screen ---
**Author:** ![sharpshooter](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/user_avatar/quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/sharpshooter/32/503_2.png) [@sharpshooter](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/sharpshooter)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2022, 12:57am UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1524 "2022-03-12T00:57:58Z")
Groundhog Day. Bill Murray at his best with a funny but poignantly relatable existence shared by many in society. It still holds up after all these years. One of my favourite films. ---
**Author:** ![MrKiddWint](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/user_avatar/quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/mrkiddwint/32/1772_2.png) [@MrKiddWint](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/MrKiddWint)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2022, 1:21am UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1525 "2022-03-12T01:21:02Z")
> [@Stbernard](#): > > It’s one I would dearly love to see on the big screen The Criterion Blu-ray is not a bad second option. ---
**Author:** ![Stbernard](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Stbernard](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/Stbernard)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2022, 9:06am UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1526 "2022-03-12T09:06:41Z")
I have it ! For me it’s one of the greatest central performances ever filmed. Scheider was some actor. ---
**Author:** ![saintmark](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@saintmark](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/saintmark)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 7:03pm UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1527 "2022-03-15T19:03:33Z")
The Batman - and is was a great experience the Nolan movies were less my taste this one was actually pretty good and far more the Dark Knight than the movie carrying that title. Pattison was pretty convincing in the role and as I saw in cinema brought with him his fans, the Monday evening crowd was three quarters female and a quarter male. Everybody enjoyed him/herself. ---
**Author:** ![secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/user_avatar/quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/secretagentfan/32/504_2.png) [@secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/secretagentfan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1528 "2022-03-19T18:01:09Z")
**Spider-Man: No way home** The Marvel movies are hit and miss for me. Most are entertaining enough but there are very few I would like to see more than once. I am a fan of the “Guardians of the Galaxy”. I liked the third “Thor” a lot. And I do like the “Spider-Man” movies, although I still think Raimi´s second Spider was the best comic book movie after - of course - “Superman: The Movie”. I also like Tom Holland as Peter Parker, the younger generation, but this third film, a box office behemoth, confirmed something I always thought: for my taste Holland´s take on the role is the least interesting of the previous big screen portrayals. And while this third film in his trilogy does something extraordinary it also is revealing how the Spider-Man films have changed. For those one or two who haven’t seen this pandemic super success yet, I’ll explain in the hidden text. > **Summary** > > As you who have seen it know, the multiverse brings back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to fight along Tom Holland against all the previous villains. > > Which is a great idea, tieing the Sony films together with the Marvel ones, and actually honoring what the other actors did and could have done even further if the films had not been rebooted. > > But it really shows that Marvel, while offering light-hearted popcorn entertainment (which is no small feat and actually a consistent Herculean task they succeed at), have homogenized the “Spider-Man” character in order to maximize the appeal. The consequence: Peter Parker has become quite… boring, without any edge at all. > > Look at Tobey Maguire. Raimi cast him, I think, because Maguire has the aura of a loner, kind of sardonic, withdrawn, with a dark side just barely hidden. When he appears as the oldest (?) of the three, he does not even enter in the Spider costume. And still he draws our eyes onto him, making us wonder what he is hiding behind his eyes. > > Also, look at Andrew Garfield. Webb cast him, I think, because he is versatile and can play emotional and charming and funny and yet in the next moment be serious. And you never see the effort, you are immediately drawn in. His Spider-Man was already playing to a larger crowd than the more sinister, horror-influenced Raimi films, and if he had been surrounded by better villains and put into better stories, Garfield would have been celebrated in that role. > > When he enters the film, at that point I had almost lost interest. The plot, while thankfully not as overcomplicated as other Marvel pics, was a nice surprise (Parker trying to give the villains a chance to redeem themselves) but utterly predictable in its progress. > > Then Garfield appears - and I forgot about Holland immediately. Garfield radiates charisma, acts circles around Holland and proves how relaxed he can put humor in the scenes while also giving us a glimpse at the deep wound inside of his Peter Parker. > > Sure, Holland gets a traumatic event in this film, too. But neither his acting nor the writing give him the same amount of impact - despite aiming to go for a big finale. In other words: even if nobody remembers him being Spider-Man at the end, would it be so hard for his Peter Parker to again charm M.J. and his best friend? > > In contrast to that, Garfield’s Peter Parker will never forgive himself for not being able to save the love of his life from falling to her death. That is so much more powerful. And when he actually manages to save the other M.J. from falling to her death, the look in his eyes is just perfect; Garfield’s Peter finds the redemption he so desperately needed in this universe. For me, that was the best scene of the movie. > > But here you have it: Raimi dared (and was allowed) to give a sinister edge to his films. Webb tried to concentrate on the personal in his films and was overpowered by Sony’s attempt to build a bigger universe, neglecting the storytelling. And now Marvel has built that well-oiled machine which, basically, needs a Peter Parker who is appealing to all quadrants and does not irritate anyone with individuality. > > It still pretends to be emotional and surprising. But it is not really allowed to do that. It is prepackaged to not irritate or involve anybody too much. It´s like a pop song produced so everybody can hum it - without really being special. > > Welcome to studio blockbusters in the 21st Century. ---
**Author:** ![secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/user_avatar/quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/secretagentfan/32/504_2.png) [@secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/secretagentfan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 6:07pm UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1529 "2022-03-19T18:07:24Z")
**The Adam Project** In a way, Netflix movies are like Marvel movies: a mix-tape of everything people loved before, constructed so every moment is timed to come when it is expected. Only taking even less risks. Narrative surprises? Netflix movies do not need that. The subscribers tune in because they want to see a particular actor or a particular story. This is just that kind of movie. Not bad. Not good. Fun, but not too fun. You remember every better movie that this one takes scenes from to put together. This is the future of movie-making, let’s not kid ourselves. Ikea-streaming. And boy, what a sourpuss I am to point that out. I should get with the program, right? RIGHT? ---
**Author:** ![Stbernard](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Stbernard](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/Stbernard)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 10:49am UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1530 "2022-03-20T10:49:23Z")
Well… On The Waterfront was majestic. The performances superb and my 16 year old son has finally found an object of his affection in Marlon Brando. Gushing is a word I’d use. It was a great starter for our DAF main course. Special mention to Rod Steiger who’s performance lives longest in the memory. Less showy than Brandos, though now Sean is researching Brando posters furiously for his bedroom wall. My youngest son Benson had this to say about DAF… "This is really funny Sean Connery is better than even Daniel Craig at James Bond Praise indeed from an 11 year old. The oppulence of every scene drips from the big screen. It was like post dinner Christmas, all the presents had been opened and everywhere is decorated and crucially everybody is stuffed. It’s ripe and just about to decay but not quite. Surely a mirror of the 70s itself. The visual gags work better on the big screen as does the framing of the fight scenes. Jill St John radiates on the big screen in a way I hadn’t paid attention to on the small screen before. But Connery, wow, he strides across the screen with a presence that pops out of the screen, was there ever an actor more comfortable with themselves and their body? Maybe Cary Grant. Maybe. What Connery does is invite the audience in on the joke ( he does it more literally in NSNA and in Wrong is Right ) but here the balance is better, he’s parodying his own earlier Bond performances whilst simultaneously being the dangerous panther he always was. ( Moore managed parody but never danger ) he is saying to the audience I don’t believe any of this shit, but hey isn’t it a blast so strap yourselves in I’m going to make this ride go very fast. Full disclosure I’m off to see it again on Thursday afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![raylan.givens](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/74df32/32.png) [@raylan.givens](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/raylan.givens)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1531 "2022-03-20T21:08:59Z")
24 Hours to Live B-movie with a great cast: Ethan Hawke, Liam Cunningham, Paul Anderson and always fun to watch and sadly missed-Rutger Hauer (all those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain). Recommended for action-fans ---
**Author:** ![secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/user_avatar/quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/secretagentfan/32/504_2.png) [@secretagentfan](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/u/secretagentfan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 4:39pm UTC](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343/1532 "2022-03-22T16:39:02Z")
**Nightmare Alley** I did not really get Guillermo del Toro so far. Sure, I saw the great set design, the intelligent camera moves, the love for genre mixed with current topics. But I did not really get his movies. It all seemed to me too gimmicky, too much homage, too much “fanboy cinema”. Sorry, Mr. del Toro. It was me. I was wrong. And after watching “Nightmare Alley” I am looking at your films completely differently. Really, “Nightmare Alley” made me understand del Toro´s approach for the first time completely, and I was surprised how tightly and yet never rushed the narrative of this 2 1/2 hour film unfolds. Everything comes together perfectly, culminating in a most devastating closeup of Bradley Cooper. What a great film, sadly completely underrated. A genre movie which really is about our times, the age of con men and their destructive behavior. Definitely one of the best films del Toro ever made and one of the best films of last year. [Previous page](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343.md?page=75) [Next page](https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/t/what-movie-have-you-seen-today/343.md?page=77)