What films did you watch last week (15/07 - 21/07) CLOSED

First Viewings:

One Foot in Hell (1960) 6/10

Caged Heat (1974) 3/10

A Life at Stake (1954) 4/10

The End of the Game (1975) 5/10

Repeat Viewings:

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) 8/10

Mission Impossible - Fallout (2018) 9/10

The Scarlet Coat (1955) 6/10

While the City Sleeps (1956) 8/10

The Third Man (1949) 9/10

Thanks for hosting dsbeadle

From your list...

The Empire Strikes Back (1980) remember this from cinema, and public went out in anger feeling cheated. It didn't have the Wow feeling of the first movie. Seeing the first trilogy it made more sense in row. still don't like it, 6,5/10.

True Lies 1994, one of those relax and enjoy the ride movies, 7/10. Never seen the French original.

Here are my latest...

Gone Girl 2014 directed by David Fincher and based on a novel by Gillian Flynn who also wrote the screenplay.
Married man's wife disappears, it all turns into a media circus. The married man first gains loads of sympathy that will later turn into hate, and what happened to the wife... was he married to a heartless calculating femme fatale...
While the movie certainly is well-made with many smart set-up's and clues, I wasn't satisfied with the ending that let too many questions hanging in the air. 7/10.

Bernie 2011 directed by Richard Linklater and based on real events and an article by Skip Hollandsworth.
Bernie pops up from nowhere in a small Texas town, and as a feeling and caring mortician he melts the hearts of nearly everyone in town except angry rich widow. Trying to melt the heart of the rich widow he also starts to loose himself, he soon finds himself trapped in the black widows net, and kills her...
From the director and star of "School of Rock" I had expected something better and more even if the story here is a bit darker.
The movie uses a semi-documentary frame with interviews with those who knew the real Bernie, but that sadly makes the flow of the movie too much hacksawed and it loses focus for the viewer. 6/10.

The Executioner 1970 directed by Sam Wanamaker.
A late-comer of the 60's secret agent craze, that also produced some serious spy movies, not all of them where camp, though this is not one of the better serious ones, but not a disaster either.
George Peppard plays a British agent, schooled in America explains his accent, who suspects a double agent within British Intelligence.
His superiors tells him to stay away from it, so offcourse he does the opposite...
Made more interesting by a bunch of great supporting actors plus Joan Collins and Judy Geeson. 6/10.

Judex 1963 directed by Georges Franju and based on old French cliffhanger serials of the 1910's and 1920's by Louis Feuillade.
Since this is an homage to old French cliffhanger serials, one shouldn't look too much for any logic and just enjoy the ride even if it slows down from time to time.
Judex is the good person who nearly looks like Zorro and hides in a batcave-like cave under a Chateau ruin with advanced technology for 1920's. His evil counterpart Diana Monti wears black tight spandex but can turn up in many shapes, even as a nun.
I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. 7/10.

A Tale of Two Cities 1958 directed by Ralph Thomas and based on a novel by Charles Dickens.
Big costly and slightly overlooked British version of the famous novel by Dickens.
While not up there with David Lean's Great Expectations and Oliver Twist or George Cukor's David Copperfield, but rubbing shoulders with Cavalcanti's Nicholas Nickleby close by.
According to "those who knows" Dirk Bogarde is closer to the novel's Sidney Carton than Ronald Colman
in the more famous Hollywood version.
It was well worth the watch once I got the hold of it, but what side should one actually emphasize with...
Christopher Lee fans should note that he doen't play an evil Count here, but an evil Marquis who's cruel actions could have started the French Revolution. 7/10.

One Way Street 1950 directed by Hugo Fregonese.
A gangster's doctor takes the latest loot heading for Mexico City, bringing along mobsters latest GF.
Minor but interesting noir thanks to James Mason, Dan Duryea and William Conrad. 6-6,5/10.

The Empire Strikes Back - 9/10
True Lies - 8/10

First Time Viewings:

Dune: Part Two (2024, Denis Villeneuve) - 8/10

Donnie Darko (2001, Richard Kelly) - 7/10
Watched both the theatrical and director's cuts. Think I liked the theatrical more as an overall experience.

Repeat Viewings:

Dune (2021, Denis Villeneuve) - 7/10

First Viewings:

One Foot in Hell (1960) 6/10

Caged Heat (1974) 3/10

A Life at Stake (1954) 4/10

The End of the Game (1975) 5/10

Repeat Viewings:

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) 8/10

Mission Impossible - Fallout (2018) 9/10

The Scarlet Coat (1955) 6/10

While the City Sleeps (1956) 8/10

The Third Man (1949) 9/10

Thanks for hosting dsbeadle

From your list...

The Empire Strikes Back (1980) remember this from cinema, and public went out in anger feeling cheated. It didn't have the Wow feeling of the first movie. Seeing the first trilogy it made more sense in row. still don't like it, 6,5/10.

True Lies 1994, one of those relax and enjoy the ride movies, 7/10. Never seen the French original.

Here are my latest...

Gone Girl 2014 directed by David Fincher and based on a novel by Gillian Flynn who also wrote the screenplay.
Married man's wife disappears, it all turns into a media circus. The married man first gains loads of sympathy that will later turn into hate, and what happened to the wife... was he married to a heartless calculating femme fatale...
While the movie certainly is well-made with many smart set-up's and clues, I wasn't satisfied with the ending that let too many questions hanging in the air. 7/10.

Bernie 2011 directed by Richard Linklater and based on real events and an article by Skip Hollandsworth.
Bernie pops up from nowhere in a small Texas town, and as a feeling and caring mortician he melts the hearts of nearly everyone in town except angry rich widow. Trying to melt the heart of the rich widow he also starts to loose himself, he soon finds himself trapped in the black widows net, and kills her...
From the director and star of "School of Rock" I had expected something better and more even if the story here is a bit darker.
The movie uses a semi-documentary frame with interviews with those who knew the real Bernie, but that sadly makes the flow of the movie too much hacksawed and it loses focus for the viewer. 6/10.

The Executioner 1970 directed by Sam Wanamaker.
A late-comer of the 60's secret agent craze, that also produced some serious spy movies, not all of them where camp, though this is not one of the better serious ones, but not a disaster either.
George Peppard plays a British agent, schooled in America explains his accent, who suspects a double agent within British Intelligence.
His superiors tells him to stay away from it, so offcourse he does the opposite...
Made more interesting by a bunch of great supporting actors plus Joan Collins and Judy Geeson. 6/10.

Judex 1963 directed by Georges Franju and based on old French cliffhanger serials of the 1910's and 1920's by Louis Feuillade.
Since this is an homage to old French cliffhanger serials, one shouldn't look too much for any logic and just enjoy the ride even if it slows down from time to time.
Judex is the good person who nearly looks like Zorro and hides in a batcave-like cave under a Chateau ruin with advanced technology for 1920's. His evil counterpart Diana Monti wears black tight spandex but can turn up in many shapes, even as a nun.
I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. 7/10.

A Tale of Two Cities 1958 directed by Ralph Thomas and based on a novel by Charles Dickens.
Big costly and slightly overlooked British version of the famous novel by Dickens.
While not up there with David Lean's Great Expectations and Oliver Twist or George Cukor's David Copperfield, but rubbing shoulders with Cavalcanti's Nicholas Nickleby close by.
According to "those who knows" Dirk Bogarde is closer to the novel's Sidney Carton than Ronald Colman
in the more famous Hollywood version.
It was well worth the watch once I got the hold of it, but what side should one actually emphasize with...
Christopher Lee fans should note that he doen't play an evil Count here, but an evil Marquis who's cruel actions could have started the French Revolution. 7/10.

One Way Street 1950 directed by Hugo Fregonese.
A gangster's doctor takes the latest loot heading for Mexico City, bringing along mobsters latest GF.
Minor but interesting noir thanks to James Mason, Dan Duryea and William Conrad. 6-6,5/10.