What Was the Last Movie You Watched?

seadoug said:
We're seeing that this Sunday. I've seen nothing but great reviews, and most say it is the best role of Demi Moore's career. Can't wait!
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She's amazing. I hate to write this is a body-horror classic, but it is. It simply floods the screen. The last 15 minutes are incredible.
 

VaughanJB said:
She's amazing. I hate to write this is a body-horror classic, but it is. It simply floods the screen. The last 15 minutes are incredible.
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Yes, she was amazing. The movie was downright unsettling at times but I agree it is a classic and will never be mistaken for anything else.
 
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Reptile (2023)

It’s surprising and also a little encouraging that, despite a plethora of films and series present and past of its type, writers are nonetheless able to fashion a fresh, interesting and entertaining crime-thriller-police procedural. A good example of that is Reptile, whose original screenplay was created by writer/director Grant Singer, Benjamin Brewer, and Benicio del Toro.

Del Toro is the feature and main draw of the film, also starring Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone, and with a nice turn by veteran Francis Fisher.

The story is relatively complex, with several red herrings to keep the viewer off the scent. Early on a real estate agent is found murdered in one of the high end homes that she and her boyfriend had been preening to facilitate a market sale. Two detectives (chiefly del Toro) are assigned to the case. Neighborhood security video shows a recognizable car make as the culprit’s likely vehicle.

Suspicion immediately centers on the boyfriend, but in turn switches to her ex-husband, and then to an ex-farmer whose father was bilked out of his land possibly by the realtor. Soon massive drug smuggling and real estate schemes enter the equation, eventually followed by the suspicion of a cadre of bad cops involved. The plot inexorably moves along, resulting in a classic whodunit conclusion.

One mark of a good picture is that the viewer immediately is convinced of its high quality by being drawn into the production’s atmosphere. Whether it’s the screenwriter, director, production designer, cinematographer, or a combination of all four, Reptile has that attraction right from the git-go. The title is a misnomer, having nothing to do with the movie, so one might be fooled as to the subject matter.

The acting is first rate from the entire cast, but it is Benicio del Toro who owns the film. He’s one of a handful of actors whose weathered looks, charisma and presence grab the viewer’s attention whenever he is on screen. The simplest facial expression of his pretty much conveys whatever it is he’s saying. He would’ve been a premier silent film actor. In fact he’s equally effective with non verbal expression as he is with dialogue.

The run time is 136 minutes, but the picture never feels labored. They might have made a good series out of the story, but it’s just right as it is. It’s surprising that writer/director Grant Singer’s only previous projects had been in commercials, music videos and a couple of documentaries. But based upon Reptile we’ll be looking for his future directing work.

Available on Netflix and other sources.

Doc’s rating: 8/10
 

Feelslikefar said:
Split Second - 1953

I admit I'm a Film Noir junky and trying to get around to as many as I can.
Daunting task; so many and so little time.

The movie itself was OK, decent acting and writing for the time.
Went ahead and downloaded it, added it to my collection.

On a side note: Wife and son not really into Film Noir, so not sure why I collect them.
I do go back and watch full or parts of my movies in the collection.

Ah, the search goes on...
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I'm a huge classic noir fan too! There are very few of the "A" noirs I haven't seen, and many of the "Bs" as well. I haven't seen Split Second in years, but it's a unique one in terms of the A-bomb tests. DP Nicholas Musaraca was one of the top 3 or 4 noir cinematographers of the entire era. Nice to see another noir junkie!
 
"Black Box" (2012) sci-fi. Very weird. A black box from space and an immortal assassin coming after it. Sort of almost Pandora's Box. No spaceships or obvious aliens, monsters, etc. Reminds me of the classic "Duel" in many ways.
 
MaidMarian said:
Where I live, in Baltimore , Maryland biracial relationships are beyond commonplace.
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In my home state, blacks are almost 40% of the population. But it's extremely rare to see a black/white couple (if by biracial you mean black/white). Blacks and whites interact continuously, and there is mutual respect. But one almost never sees the two races together socially. Each obviously prefers their own race.
 
ChiroDoc said:
Dilettante, would you recommend the film?
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I'm flip-flopping on that.

I just watched it last night, which is why I brought it up. It stars Kevin Sorbo, but I believe he barely had 3 lines. His character is almost like a supernatural presence, or perhaps an allegory for some force of nature.

I recall one sex scene, but I suppose I squinted my way past it or maybe it wasn't as gratuitously explicit as it might have been. I was probably more upset about the cake than that. What a mess after she scooped it with her hands, threw it at the other guy she was with, etc. I have no idea why she'd bought two cakes anyway.

Some people get shot up, but nothing excessively gory about it. The ending is pretty final... or is it? Was the box destroyed? I don't think so.

Most of the movie there is a vague air of deep suspense. You just await that other shoe dropping and you know that it's coming.

In case I forgot to mention it, this film is weird. Almost some kind of art film.

So I'm glad I watched it, but I probably never would again. There just isn't that much meat on the bones of the story for that. It's an oddball.
 
I saw it on TCM. Don't think I've never seen many movies (or Broadway shows) that had so many depressing characters in it than this Tennessee Williams play, made into a movie. Elizabeth Taylor's character Maggie, was the only real likable character in the movie.
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Paladin1950 said:
I saw it on TCM. Don't think I've never seen many movies (or Broadway shows) that had so many depressing characters in it than this Tennessee Williams play, made into a movie. Elizabeth Taylor's character Maggie, was the only real likable character in the movie.
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I really liked the movie when it came out in '58. Some of the themes were pretty rare then, and stories had been starting to branch in that era, especially after the neutering of the Hayes Code.

But T. Williams was a real twisted sister. When in later years I learned what the story was really about, the film lost all its appeal for me.
 
ChiroDoc said:
I really liked the movie when it came out in '58. Some of the themes were pretty rare then, and stories had been starting to branch in that era, especially after the neutering of the Hayes Code.

But T. Williams was a real twisted sister. When in later years I learned what the story was really about, the film lost all its appeal for me.
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Explain please, what the movie was all about. Brick being gay? No neck monsters? Maggie's lie about being pregnant?
 
Synchronic (2019). Sci-fi horror, but not all about slasher stuff. More mind-bending mystery than horrific.
When New Orleans paramedics and longtime best friends Steve and Dennis are called to a series of bizarre and gruesome accidents, they chalk it up to a mysterious new drug found at the scene. But after Dennis' oldest daughter disappears, Steve stumbles upon a terrifying truth about the supposed psychedelic that will challenge everything he knows about reality -- and the flow of time itself.
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I watched it on Tubi.
 
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