What's on your Daily Viewing List? (1 Viewer)

[Toronto Argonauts]

Tonight:

 

[Matt Hough]

I started rewatching Feud: Bette and Joan tonight. I bought the HD streaming version on iTunes when it was on sale several months ago, and tonight I started at the beginning and watched the first two episodes. Despite the dramatic license, it's still a delicious watch.

 

[BobO'Link]

and

 

[Mike Frezon]

Tonight's feature:

Peg and hadn't seen this before.

We both really like Love Actually. So we had high hopes for this. But we didn't like this that much.

First off, we both HATED the soundtrack. The use of pop songs with vocals didn't work. Mostly because the song selection was quite bad.

Richard Curtis kinda let us down here, I fear. The film really dragged in the final third and some of the writing was really, pretty...lame. Outside of predictability of plot, there was some dialogue that was quite painful. It had the feel of a Curtis movie, but not the tight execution. This needed some tighter editing as it started to gt a bit ponderous.

But it definitely had some very cute moments in the first third.

Grant, Roberts and the rest of the cast were very good. Nice ensemble.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Star Trek: First Contact
Originally Released: 11/22/1996
Watched: 06/27/2020
1080P Blu-ray disc, upscaled to 4K via Panasonic DP-UB820

I continued on my Star Trek marathon with First Contact, far and away the best of the films made with the TNG cast. It holds up extremely well, and doesn't feel dated at all. It seems somewhat fitting that just as the second Kirk film was heavy on the Moby Dick metaphors, the second Picard film is also heavy on the Moby Dick metaphors. Both the storyline on board the Enterprise-E and the storyline on the ground in Montana really work.

The decision to make Zefram Cochrane a womanizing drunk just trying to make a buck was a really interesting and effective choice. Chronologically, Cochrane should have been in his early thirties in 2063, which makes Cromwell's casting tricky since he's about a quarter of a century too old with very little resemblance to Glenn Corbett in "Metamorphosis". But the performance is really effective. Both Cromwell and Alfre Woodard hold their own against the established cast, which is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Alice Krige makes for a compelling villain as the Borg Queen; so many villains seem to be physical adversaries, whereas she advances her agenda through a sort of seduction.

The first warp flight is genuinely thrilling, and the use of "Magic Carpet Ride" undercuts the pomposity of such a historic occasion in a really fun way.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Has anybody seen "Kin" (2018), if so, what did you think of it?

 

[Mysto]

Have been doing a lot of Zooming recently cutting into my movie time but last night we watched:

A little Robin Hood - a Little Marco Polo - a little swash buckler - a little love story. An adventure film of the 50's to be sure with a fine performance by all but perhaps best by villain Orson Welles.

 

[Keith Cobby]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978). Outstanding remake of the classic film, wonderful ending.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978). Outstanding remake of the classic film, wonderful ending.

Thank you for mentioning this movie as I had forgotten all about it and picked it up on iTunes.

 

[BobO'Link]

More westerns:

 

[bujaki]

God Told Me To (Criterion Channel) 1976. Larry Cohen's science fiction/horror/alien/messianic cocktail of a film, and it works. Even Sylvia Sidney shows up! It's an intriguing and, frankly, frightening premise. It held my interest.
Johnny O'Clock (Criterion Channel) 1947. Robert Rossen wrote the screenplay and directed Dick Powell in one of tough guy roles he did so well, delivering wisecrack quips as he fights for survival during two long days (and nights). Evelyn Keyes is the tough dame and Ellen Drew is the femme fatale. The DP is the great Burnett Guffey. Jeff Chandler has a small part and he still has black hair, no gray. I enjoyed this noir in a very good transfer.
The Adventures of Marco Polo (Criterion Channel) 1938. Very fanciful and unrealistic adventure story starring Gary Cooper (check out a young Lana Turner). It is what it is, light entertainment with Goldwyn production values. I saw this once before in the '50s in a 35mm print, so I thought I should see it again after more than 60 years.
Task Force (Criterion Channel) 1949. Gary Cooper again, this time playing a Navy officer aging 30 years without makeup or camera tricks. The final two reels are in Technicolor. Why? I wonder. I hadn't seen this film in years and probably without the color reels. It's fine for what it is. Delmer Daves directs Cooper before their better outing in The Hanging Tree. The print is old and ragged.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Johnny O'Clock (Criterion Channel) 1947. Robert Rossen wrote the screenplay and directed Dick Powell in one of tough guy roles he did so well, delivering wisecrack quips as he fights for survival during two long days (and nights). Evelyn Keyes is the tough dame and Ellen Drew is the femme fatale. The DP is the great Burnett Guffey. Jeff Chandler has a small part and he still has black hair, no gray. I enjoyed this noir in a very good transfer.

Jeff Chandler has one of the best lines in the movie. It cracks me up, everytime I hear him say it after the card game participants hear gunshots near the end of the movie.

"Somebody's got a nasty cough"

 

[Robert Crawford]

On 4K disc:

 

[Toronto Argonauts]

Tonight:

 

[DFurr]

So growing up in the 60's I became a huge fan of William Castle. My all time favorite Castle movie was 13 Ghosts. It took me many years to find a 35mm print of that title and I might have the only copy in a private collectors hands. Since the color sequences were faded to red I had to have 1,300 feet of those sequences color corrected and reprinted. In 2001 Dark Castle and Castle's daughter Terry Castle did a remake and it was called Thirteen Ghosts, not 13 Ghosts which I also have a print of. Every few months I can't help but drag one of the 13 Ghosts prints out and pop the popcorn. Tonight was the remake, Thirteen Ghosts.
35mm, 1:85:1, SDDS/DTS and one of the best sounding tracks of any movie I have. The glass walls exploding at the end of the movie is simply amazing. Like I learned years ago Blu Ray tracks can't complete with digital track on film....not even close. It was a fun watch tonight.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Like I learned years ago Blu Ray tracks can't complete with digital track on film....not even close.

Just out of curiosity what is the bandwidth for SDDS?

Dolby Digital Theatrical 320kbps
Dolby Digital SD DVD 384 & 448 kbps
DTS Theatrical 1.5 mbps on the CD ROM
DTS SD DVD Should be around 754.5 kbps and 1509.75 kbps

Dolby TrueHD audiotracks may carry up to 8 discrete audio channels (7.1 surround) and 20 objects of 24-bit audio at 96 kHz or up to 6 channels (5.1 surround) at 192 kHz. The maximum encoded bitrate is 18 Mbit/s.

DTS-HD Master Audio supports variable bit rates up to 24.5 Mbit/s. The format supports a maximum of 192 kHz sampling frequency and 24-bit depth samples from 2 to 5.1 channels, and 96 kHz/24bit resolution up to 7.1 channels.

I just do not see digital from 35mm film competing with lossless tracks from blu-ray or 4K blu-ray. Even DD only had 320kbps which was outdone by DD+ on HD-DVD. Don't get me wrong Don I bet the audio on Thirteen Ghost sounds great and I agree the surround track is very good on that movie. Now I would love to know about the audio that is in the DCP files for digital cinemas. Never been a fan of the old DD tracks in the theater or SD DVD. I find todays audio mixes using Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio and Lossless PCM tracks to be very very good. What are you using to decode surround audio from your blu-ray player?

 

[DFurr]

I just do not see digital from 35mm film competing with lossless tracks from blu-ray or 4K blu-ray. Even DD only had 320kbps which was outdone by DD+ on HD-DVD. Don't get me wrong Don I bet the audio on Thirteen Ghost sounds great and I agree the surround track is very good on that movie. Now I would love to know about the audio that is in the DCP files for digital cinemas. Never been a fan of the old DD tracks in the theater or SD DVD. I find todays audio mixes using Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio and Lossless PCM tracks to be very very good. What are you using to decode surround audio from your blu ray player?

Dave the output of the OPPO player is processed through a Dolby CP500 digital unit. All of my processing and amps are pro cinema gear that was used in commercial theatres.
There is a new BD of Thirteen Ghosts coming out July 28 however the audio track has not been announced yet. If it turns out to be 4K with all the HD/lossless audio, etc that you're talking about I think the best thing to do is bring it over to the house and we'll do a direct comparison between the BD audio and the SDDS or DTS track on the film. You can be the judge.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Not Suitable for Children
Originally Released: 07/12/2012
Watched: 06/28/2020
HDX (1080P) digital streaming on Apple TV app, upscaled to 4K via Roku Ultra

In this 2012 Australian movie, Ryan Kwanten plays Jonah, a professional partier who has been stuck in a state of suspended adolescence since his mother's death from cancer. He lives in whatever the Australian equivalent of a frat house would be with his friends Gus and Stevie.

One night, while a girl is going down on him, she discovers a lump on one of his testicles. Within days, he's hit with the successive bombshells that: 1) he has testicular cancer; 2) the treatment necessary to save his life will render him sterile; and 3) his sperm is not able to withstand the stresses associated with freezing and thawing, so preoperative cryogenic preservation at a sperm bank is not an option.

This kicks off a race against time as he rushes to impregnate a woman in the weeks leading up to his operation.

Kwanten is really likable as the main character, and he has real chemistry with Sarah Snook as Jonah's best friend/love interest. If you want to see Sarah Snook (and presumably in certain shots a body double) in a whole variety of sexual positions, this movie is for you.

The problem that the film never quite overcomes is justifying why Jonah should be a father. He's unemployed, irresponsible, with little in the way of useful skills, and completely adrift in life before his diagnosis. Yes, he's good with kids, but that doesn't seem like enough to dive into becoming a parent.

The ending gets murky, and resists the usual formula for these types of movies. Whether that's to the movie's benefit or detriment will probably depend on the viewer.

All in all, it was worth the $4.99 I paid for it in an iTunes sale a while back, but I wouldn't pay any more for it.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Before the virus happened, I was scheduled to see the stage production of The Lion King today. That was cancelled, of course. While it's not a significant cross to bear in relation to what other people are going through during this very difficult time, it is still disappointing. The last time I saw the show was all the way back in December 2008 from seats near the back, and I had bought much better seats for this time around. So I was very much looking forward to revisiting it from a better vantage point.

The virus took that away from me, but dammit, on principle, I refuse to allow the virus to take today being a day for The Lion King away from me. So, in lieu of being able to have the Broadway experience, I had to pull out my Blu-ray of the film again today. Obviously, it's not the same thing, but It is the best available substitute at the moment. And, of course, it is the brilliant original from which the Broadway show was sourced.

This is my #2 favorite film of all time, right behind Aladdin, and the margin between them is pretty close. I don't even know how many times I've seen it, but it's probably well into the hundreds at this point. But it never gets old and never doesn't work. It is one of a very small group of films that I think is absolutely perfect, and among the greatest experiences that cinema has to offer. It was that again today, and I was swept away in it from the opening frame. I look forward to being able to see the live show again at some point in the future when the pandemic is over and theatre can resume safely, but in the meantime I was just completely taken on the ride again with the film. I could probably watch it again tomorrow and feel the same. It's just that good.

 

[Robert Crawford]

This mornings viewings on the Criterion Channel, the original movie "Blind Alley" (1939) and its remake "The Dark Past (1948):