Official last movie you saw thread

Opening Night (1977)

American psychological drama film. It's about a stage actress who, after witnessing the accidental death of a fan, struggles through a nervous breakdown while she prepares for an upcoming Broadway premiere. Of course masterfully portrayed by the great Gena Rowlands. Directed by and co-starring her husband, the great John Cassavetes. It's a very raw movie which might not appeal to people who prefer a more polished end product but for what it is it's really good. Overall I can recommend it.

Burning (2018)

An atmospheric very suspenseful thriller. Apparently it's adapted from a book called Barn Burning by William Faulkner which is a name I recognize :) It's uncomfortable in a good way, the same way that Longlegs is (While it isn't horror, it nails the uncomfortable aura test)
I'd recommend it as a blind watch. The plot-twist was a bit obvious to me but the performances and the small things were a delight.
Also FYI: the main character really likes the N-Seoul tower.

Taking Lives (2004)

American psychological thriller film. It's about an enigmatic serial killer who takes on the identities of his victims. Great cast (Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Paul Dano, Kiefer Sutherland, Gena Rowlands and more) who all deliver great performances. Gena Rowlands has a smaller role in this but she still nailed it. Overall I'm surprised by how good it is and can very much recommend it.

The Mighty (1998)

American coming of age buddy comedy-drama film. It's about two teen boys, one of them physically handicapped but brilliant, the other tall but not very intelligent, who become great friends. I think I've read the book this is based on about... 20 years ago or so. Don't remember a lot from it, apart from a few character names and the title and I never knew there was a movie made of it. Also it was just called "Freak" in Germany, so I didn't realize this was an adaptation of the novel (which was originally titled Freak the Mighty). I just added this to my watchlist because of the cast, which includes Gena Rowlands, Harry Dean Stanton, Kieran Culkin, Elden Henson, Sharon Stone, Gillian Anderson, James Gandolfini, Meat Loaf, Sting and more. But yeah, back when I read the novel, as a young teenager, I loved it a lot. And that, paired with the nostalgia and the great cast who deliver great performances, easily makes this a great movie for me specifically. Not everyone might think so but I do. Recommended!

A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

American drama film. It's about a woman going through a mental breakdown and her family's inability to cope with it. This movie is very raw and authentic, so it might not appeal to everyone, but I think it's great. Peter Falk delivers a great performance, but the star of this movie is Gena Rowlands. Her work in this movie is just show-stopping. Definitely one of the best acting performances ever captured on film. If you have any doubt why Gena Rowlands was considered one of the greatest actors of all time, watch this movie. Highly recommended!

The Martian (2015)

Pretty great sci fi, and i learned you can fix a lot of stuff with duck tape, including space helmet. While not an overly large enjoyer of sci fi normally, this was really a movie i found interesting, i think that good movies of the genre does not necessarily include aliens.

Rated 10/10

Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)

American romantic comedy-drama film. It's about a museum curator who falls in love with a crazy parking attendant. Also a very authentic, slice-of-life movie. Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel are great in this. I can't say much more about this one other than the fact that I enjoyed it. Can recommend.

Parts Per Billion (2014)

American romantic drama science fiction film. It's about three loosely connected couples who must deal with a looming biological attack. This movie is not very good but it's the latest Gena Rowlands movie I could find (I actually planned on watching Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks (2014) (her actual last movie) but I couldn't find it anywhere). Good cast (Frank Langella, Gena Rowlands, Rosario Dawson, Penn Badgley, Teresa Palmer, Josh Hartnett and more) and Gena Rowlands still stood out, even though this was one of the last movies she made. The idea was interesting, but somehow they weren't able to make it into a good movie. Doesn't really help that only one of the couples (the one played by Frank Langella and Gena Rowlands) had a compelling storyline. Overall I can't recommend this.

And that's the end of my week of Gena Rowlands movies. There are still a lot more out there that I am excited to watch some time, because she was an outstanding talent. RIP to a legend!

Barbarian (2022)

American horror thriller film. It's about a woman finding out that the rental home she reserved has been accidentally double-booked by a man, not knowing of a dark secret within the dwelling. Rewatched this yesterday and it's still very good and a lot of fun.

Old Man Drinking a Glass of Beer (1897)

British short silent comedy film. It's about a man drinking a glass of beer whose face and hands become increasingly lively as a result. That's it. It's funny, but it's mostly about the ability to get close up to the star which was a great advantage that film had over the stage and early filmmakers were of course keen to exploit it. This is an example of that, but apart from that it's not really anything special. Just a guy making faces while drinking a weird looking beer for 35 seconds. Still, it's funny and I can recommend it.

(Didn't have much time for a movie today because I was at a birthday party, so this is gonna have to do.)

Quand la femme s'en mêle/Send a Woman When the Devil Fails (1957)

French-Italian-West German crime drama film. It's about a night-club owner who hires a young hit man to kill his arch rival but he gets entangled with the rival's mistress. The movie isn't very good, but more importantly it was the big screen debut of the great Alain Delon, who passed away about a week ago. So unless you're watching it for that, I can't really recommend it.

La Piscine/The Swimming Pool (1969)

French-Italian psychological thriller film. It's about two lovers who spend their vacation in a villa on the French Riviera but when she invites her former lover and his teenage daughter, tensions begin to rise between them. Romy Schneider and Alain Delon play very well off each other, but they were a couple a few years before this movie was made so that's no surprise. The movie also looks fantastic, especially in this restored version I've seen. Very high quality and it got that beautiful late 60s/early 70s grain all over. Of course it also helps that the two main characters were played by Romy Schneider and Alain Delon who were probably two of the most attractive people back then. Overall this movie is very good so I can definitely recommend it.

Monsieur Klein (1976)

French-Italian mystery crime drama thriller film. It's about a Parisian art dealer who is seemingly mistaken for a Jewish man of the same name and targeted in the Holocaust, unable to prove his identity. Very good cast (Alain Delon, Jeanne Moreau, Michael Lonsdale and more) delivering very good performances (and of course Alain Delon really shines). Overall this is a tightly paced thriller and even at over 2 hours long it leaves you wanting more. Can recommend!

Firestarter (2022)

Horror/drama movie that wasn't as bad as the IMDB rating suggests (at least i found it better). Acting was (mostly) convincing, and based on a very interesting Stephen King story (given the premise was somewhat cliché at times). Now to see the original too.

Rated 7/10

Plein soleil/Purple Noon (1960)

French-Italian crime thriller film. It's about a young American sent to Italy to convince a wealthy playboy to return home but he becomes obsessed with the playboy's luxurious lifestyle so he devises a plan that will allow him to take over his life. Maybe you've already guessed it from that short description, but this is actually the first adaptation of the 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. And yes, it's better than the 1999 movie adaptation with Matt Damon and Jude Law. So yeah, it's a great movie and it was also Alain Delon's first major role. Overall I can highly recommend it.

Texas Across the River (1966)

American comedy western film. It's about a Spanish nobleman fleeing to Texas and encountering various adventures. This is not a very good movie (a lot of it is just stupid jokes, often at the expense of Native Americans) and there's not much to the story but the cast includes Dean Martin, Alain Delon, Rosemary Forsyth, Joey Bishop and more, which still doesn't really help. Also, who would cast famous French actor Alain Delon as a Spaniard? Overall I can't recommend this.

Le Samouraï (1967)

French-Italian neo-noir crime thriller film. It's about a professional hitman trying to find out who hired him for a job and then tried to have him killed, and the police inspector trying to catch him. This movie is perfectly paced, is very stylish and atmospheric, has great performances for example from Alain Delon in his prime and if I would describe a movie as "pure coolness", this would be that movie. It's definitely a masterpiece. If you'll only watch one Alain Delon movie this week (or month or year) make it this one. Highly recommended.

(What breaks the tension a bit in the first third of the movie is that one of the characters is called Mr. Wiener. Now I'm not 12 years old but that is quite an unfortunate name and already must've been back then (given that the word "wiener" already had the same connotation it has now since the turn of the 20th century). But of course this is a French movie and I doubt that Jean-Pierre Melville intended to give one of the characters a funny name when he wrote and later directed this movie.)

Toute ressemblance.../Disclaimer (2019)

French comedy drama film. It's about the rise and fall of a news presenter. This was Alain Delon's very last movie and he just plays himself. Not very groundbreaking, but then again, he was in his 80s by then and not really working anymore. His last movie where he didn't just play himself was Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008), but I've already watched that when it was released. So about this movie... it's better than I expected but nothing I'd ever rewatch. Can't really recommend it.

And with this my Alain Delon week has come to an end. He wasn't always perfect, but especially in the 60s and 70s he was fantastic. We truly lost one of the greatest French actors of all time. RIP!

Horizon from Kevin Costner, it was mediocre. Four stories going at the same time and flips back and forth every few minutes. If it had had more focus it would have been better.

Borderlands. Cheesy campy fun. I only played the first game but it seems like an accurate representation. If you try to judge it by something else you might be disappointed but it's not bad and as I said seems very much like the games. I enjoyed it.

Predator (1987) - A debut of one of the recognizable antagonistic aliens with long dreadlocks who hunts and kills 80s action stars, with a team lead by Arnold Schw-er, 'Dutch' to defend themselves against an unfamiliar threat.

The Exorcism (2024)

American supernatural horror film. It's about an actor whose deteriorating mental state on a horror movie set causes his daughter to suspect either his former addictions or a more sinister cause. Good cast (Russell Crowe, Ryan Simpkins, Chloe Bailey, Sam Worthington, David Hyde Pierce, Adam Goldberg and more). It's not very good, but still better than I expected. So if you just want to watch a horror movie where you can shut off your brain for a while, I can actually recommend this.

Some Kind of Hero (1982)

American comedy-drama film. It's about a returning Vietnam War veteran having trouble adjusting to civilian life. You might be expecting a straight-up comedy because the lead character is played by the great Richard Pryor but it's actually mostly a drama with some comedic moments sprinkled in. And I haven't really seen Richard Pryor in dramatic roles but he's actually really good in this. Overall I can recommend this.

Monkey Man (2024)

Canadian-American action thriller film. It's about a young man who unleashes a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systematically victimize the poor and powerless. Now I'm not the biggest action movie fan but this one was very entertaining and for Dev Patel's directional debut also quite impressive. So if you like John Wick and want to watch something similar, I can recommend this.

And this is the start of my Decade Countdown Movie Challenge for 2024 where I watch a movie from this year, one from 10 years ago, one from 20 years ago and so on. And yes, I think I'll stick with that name now.

Battlestar Galactica Pilot Movie