The "last movie I saw" thread

[Donuthole]

Kingsmen: The Secret Service. What an utterly charming movie. It's rated R so we had to see it as part of a "Valentine Date." Kids not allowed along.

I regret that I am not so familiar with Brit accents that I can truly appreciate the transformation of our young Eggsy. And it took me a while to pick up on the class undertones of the movie. I just thought Eggsy looked very american, not that he was representative of a lower class hooligan strata. Ahaha.

The movie was quite derivitive, but I'm okay with that because it borrowed from my favorite movies of the past. A strong slice of Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill mostly) but also Scorsese and maybe some Paul T Anderson. Particularly with their joyous celebration of incredibly violent scenes. Oh yeah, some John Woo too. And the main plot device was stolen from the Stephen King novel

Spoiler for Book name hidden so as not to give away the plot.:

Cell

I could have done without the stark references to anal sex at the end of the movie-- up to then it was a fun ride. It also did Obama's image no favors. And there was a huge zit on actor Taron Eggerton's neck that was covered with a flesh covered patch that was not well blended and every time Eggsy had a close up shot it would bug me.

Speaking of derivitive, there was a joke about My Fair Lady and related movies that came after it. The punchline of the joke bugged me a little, and after thinking about it, I guess the director wasn't confident in the audience enough to use "Pygmalian" as the punchline. Although the whole metaphor of the My Fair Lady story didn't escape my sharp-as-a-wet-noodle notice.

If you go to the movie, could someone please do me a favor? I know that some of you instinctually count the number of bullets coming out of a gun in the movies and I am interested in seeing how many came out of a main character's gun in the church. You will know what I mean when the scene starts.

One last tidbit: Mark Hamill is in this movie. Try to guess which character he plays. I would have never guessed.

I thought the movie was hilarious and, as you say, charming. I did not count the bullets in the church scene (not something I instinctively do, and I hadn't read your post because I don't like spoilers for movies I intend to see) but I had a very similar thought as he fired at least 20 rounds before he had to grab someone else's gun. There were two elderly ladies sitting directly in front of me, and they were both apoplectic during the church scene. It made an already funny scene even funnier.

Also, it will come as no surprise to you that I thought the anal sex joke was funny (Your above play on words about sex/anal sex was also funny, FTR).

SLJ screws up the lithp a couple times, forgetting to th the second s in a word. He was great, but it felt an awful lot like he was still one of those ethereal Capital One commercials for some reason.

[PaloAltoCougar]

...I did not count the bullets in the church scene (not something I instinctively do, and I hadn't read your post because I don't like spoilers for movies I intend to see) but I had a very similar thought as he fired at least 20 rounds before he had to grab someone else's gun.

Early on in the church scene, I thought I saw him do a quick clip change. Perhaps he didn't, but it was enough to make me remember KL's question about the ammo. I was about to start counting at that point but I got distracted by everyone around me reacting very loudly to what they were seeing.

Despite the hundreds (!) of murders in the movie, I can think of only one victim whose death I would have truly mourned. Of course, they're all Heavenly Father's children so I guess I should have more compassion. And I found Jackson's lisp a bit distracting, even annoying. He's still always good, though.

[Katy Lied]

Sammy Jackson said he was chanelling the menace of Mike Tyson for the role. You know, a baby voice and a lisp until he goes all medieval on your a$$. I just think that he's played this character so many times that he could come up with nothing better.

Speaking of Capital One, every time I watch Raiann Wilson's new series Backstrom and Dennis Haysbert enters the scene, I think that they've gone to commercial. Its really freaky when the commercial break comes on and they play the Allstate Commercial.

dennis-haysbert-2-sized.jpg

Does anyone remember when Dennis Haysbert did the BYU Football commercial?

[PaloAltoCougar]

Does anyone remember when Dennis Haysbert did the BYU Football commercial?

Is there a link? I don't remember it. I do remember his little bro catching a Bosco pass for a long TD against Pitt, the start of something truly wonderful.

[UVACoug]

Virunga - an Oscar nominated documentary on the unrest in eastern Congo involving a european oil company that appears to be funding a militant rebel group to help them gain access to Virunga national park, one of the last (if not THE last) known habitats of mountain gorillas, to conduct oil exploration. Pretty fascinating story. At times it wants to veer into ultra-liberal conservationist propaganda (refusing to contemplate that it might be possible to extract oil in a responsible way without killing all wildlife), but overall I would say it avoids becoming just about that.

Personally, I thought Virunga was much better (and much more important) than CITIZENFOUR, which is almost certain to win the Oscar. It's available on Netflix if anyone is interested in that kind of stuff.

[RC Vikings]

We rented Lucy last night. The idea was good but they failed pulling it off. They just took it to far.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Whiplash. This has been hyped so much that I tried to watch it with low expectations, figuring there was no way it could live up to that hype. Seemed like a fairly predictable plot based on the trailer. I loved it. Some nice twists at the end.

[Blueintheface]

Virunga - an Oscar nominated documentary on the unrest in eastern Congo involving a european oil company that appears to be funding a militant rebel group to help them gain access to Virunga national park, one of the last (if not THE last) known habitats of mountain gorillas, to conduct oil exploration. Pretty fascinating story. At times it wants to veer into ultra-liberal conservationist propaganda (refusing to contemplate that it might be possible to extract oil in a responsible way without killing all wildlife), but overall I would say it avoids becoming just about that.

Personally, I thought Virunga was much better (and much more important) than CITIZENFOUR, which is almost certain to win the Oscar. It's available on Netflix if anyone is interested in that kind of stuff.

I watched this yesterday as well. I did enjoy it though I'm left with the sense that without interdiction by the international aid community the exploitation of the remaining resources in the area is inevitable.

[Katy Lied]

We rented Lucy last night.

Jeez, how many times can Luc Besson resurrect La Femme Nikita? Let me count the ways he creates female characters brutally victimized by men who then grow extraordinarily strong and open up a can of whoop on their male dominators:

Le Femme Nikita
Point of No Return
Leon: The Professional
The Fifth Element
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
Bandidas (x 2!)
Columbiana
Lucy

[Northwestcoug]

John Wick. I liked it for what it was: a simple revenge flick. Only needed a couple of minutes of back story, and it went from there. A decent role for Keanu Reeves. I'd give it a B minus.

[Joe Public]

Jeez, how many times can Luc Besson resurrect La Femme Nikita? Let me count the ways he creates female characters brutally victimized by men who then grow extraordinarily strong and open up a can of whoop on their male dominators:

Le Femme Nikita
Point of No Return
Leon: The Professional
The Fifth Element
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
Bandidas (x 2!)
Columbiana
Lucy

If I hear Lucy is as good as The Professional or The Fifth Element, then I'd consider watching it. I assume Gary Oldman is in it.

[Armenag]

A Most Wanted Man - Competing German intelligence agencies track and scheme to use a Chechen immigrant recently (and illegally) arrived in Hamburg. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the head of the agency the film follows; Rachel McAdams is the Chechen's human rights/immigration lawyer; Willem Dafoe is a banker who gets roped in. Well made and well acted, but like all adaptations of le Carre's novels (and the novels themselves), it left me a bit cold. A good movie, but I wouldn't push anyone to go out of their way to see it.

[Uncle Ted]

I thought the movie was hilarious and, as you say, charming. I did not count the bullets in the church scene (not something I instinctively do, and I hadn't read your post because I don't like spoilers for movies I intend to see) but I had a very similar thought as he fired at least 20 rounds before he had to grab someone else's gun.

Maybe the guys that supplied those very explosive lighter hand grenades and the rather handy umbrellas maybe also picked up a few 20 round mags for their agents.

[Katy Lied]

A Most Wanted Man - Competing German intelligence agencies track and scheme to use a Chechen immigrant recently (and illegally) arrived in Hamburg. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the head of the agency the film follows; Rachel McAdams is the Chechen's human rights/immigration lawyer; Willem Dafoe is a banker who gets roped in. Well made and well acted, but like all adaptations of le Carre's novels (and the novels themselves), it left me a bit cold. A good movie, but I wouldn't push anyone to go out of their way to see it.

Exactly how I felt. Except that I loved PSH's acting.

[old_gregg]

watched whiplash last night. pretty good, i guess. i'm glad it ended how it did instead of waxing sentimental.