The last movie you saw Thread

[Primula Baggins]

I have this book deadline on Tuesday, and we're going to the coast next weekend, but after that all bets are off.

[Alatar]

Just watched Paul again with the kids. Language is pretty strong, but its hilarious.

[Inanna]

I really want to see Hidden Figures too. I wish they would just make movies available on streaming/on demand sooner. I would pay the equivalent dollar amount to see that movie now, I just would not go to a movie theater.

Saw Sully last night.

Well made movie. All low key, no melodrama. I saw that plane sinking from my apt window & then being taken out soon after. The point it went in is right in front of our building. And I of course remember the adulation heaped on Sully. This movie gives a very well rounded view of all the stuff that happens behind the scenes.

[Lalaith]

What airport was that out of, Inanna?

And I'm with you about paying to see the movie in my own home. Absolutely! For me, only the big sci-fi/action/fantasy movies and such merit the big screen experience.

[Inanna]

La Guardia.

I got quite bored in The Hobbit, actually... that was the last movie I saw on the big screen.

[Sunsilver]

I agree - much prefer to watch movies at home! I do see a few more movies on the big screen than I used to, now that everything has closed captioning available. However CC using the system they use in theatres is rather awkward. The CC screen has to be positioned just so in your drink cup holder, and you have to keep switching your focus from the screen back to the CC device. It's especially awkward for 3 D movies, because I now need my reading glasses to read the CC screen, and have to find a way of positioning them so they don't bock the 3D glasses...

For that reason, I much prefer old-fashioned 2D movies. And unless the movie is something I just can't wait to see on TV, it's much easier to watch it in the comfort of my home, with the closed captioning turned on.

Of course, then there are movies like Avatar, that absolutely HAVE to be seen on the big screen, in 3D...

[Primula Baggins]

I agree about Avatar. They used the 3D to great effect, where it made the film even more beautiful—not just throwing things at our faces so we jump.

I'm waiting for a film that is that gorgeous while also having a truly original story. I'd see that in 3D. For most films I don't think it adds that much.

[Dave_LF]

I'm waiting for a film that is that gorgeous while also having a truly original story. I'd see that in 3D.

Have you seen Life of Pi?

[Frelga]

And I'm with you about paying to see the movie in my own home. Absolutely! For me, only the big sci-fi/action/fantasy movies and such merit the big screen experience.

That used to be my default. But we have this adorable local theater/cafe, with original Art Deco murals and excellent burgers, and going there is just fun. Plus, they serve hard cider, which makes most movies better.

[Inanna]

That book and movie were really wasted on me. I suck at figuring out metaphors...

[Lalaith]

Frelga, that reminds me that there is a fun theatre in downtown Dayton that I like. They play the odd movies that most places won't show. I really should go more often. (They also serve alcohol. )

[Frelga]

Lali, yup, ours reruns classics and art stuff like plays from London theaters and tours of art museums. But also blockbusters.

[Túrin Turambar]

I saw the 3-hour extended edition of the 1984 Dune (the one that David Lynch, who directed the original film, disowned and refused to put his name to). Not having seen Lynch's original cut, I can't compare the two. I'm impressed by the scope and ambition of the project, but the final film is a bit of a fruit salad. As many original filmgoers found it incomprehensible, the extended edition has a prologue and an almost non-stop commentary explaining all the details like a National Geographic documentary, which I really disliked - it would have been better to just trust the audience. The film also appears to have attempted a number of special effects shots beyond the capabilities of technology at the time. That said, the Star Wars had much better effects despite being older. Still, there are many things about the film I liked.

[Impenitent]

Túrin, was it playing commercially or did you download it? I think it'd like to see it - I saw the original when it first came out and felt very, very ambivalent about it; am curious about how it would strike me now.

Posting on phone via Tapatalk

[yovargas]

As many original filmgoers found it incomprehensible....

I tried to watch it last year and was in that group. I gave up about an hour in because I had zero idea (or interest) what was going on.

[Frelga]

To be fair, that was my reaction to the book, too.

[Túrin Turambar]

Túrin, was it playing commercially or did you download it? I think it'd like to see it - I saw the original when it first came out and felt very, very ambivalent about it; am curious about how it would strike me now.

I found the DVD in an Op shop.

As many original filmgoers found it incomprehensible....

I tried to watch it last year and was in that group. I gave up about an hour in because I had zero idea (or interest) what was going on.

Yes, it’s a pretty common reaction.

The 1984 Dune was, for a long time, a warning against trying to make films out of long and complex fantasy and sci-fi books, and would have certainly been on the mind of the executives at New Line Cinema when they greenlighted LotR. I know it was also adapted into a TV miniseries in 2001 that was somewhat better-received, although I’ve never seen it. How I would adapt the book into a three-hour film is something I sometimes idly wonder about, and I’m sure many others do as well.

I quite like the book, certainly in part for some of its very way-out and unconventional ideas. But the core storyline is a pretty classic hero’s journey, which might be what has made it so successful.

[Primula Baggins]

I quite liked the book, too, though I haven't read it in years.

I enjoyed the miniseries version, enough that I sought out and watched the whole thing. They took a much more straightforward approach, and it was low-budget, so they didn't go nuts with the more bizarre aspects of the story. They relied on the acting and the storyline, which is a good one.

[yovargas]

LEGO BATMAN, which was ridiculously goofy, clever, fun ride. Much recommended.

[Lalaith]

I guess I'll have to check those movies out on DVD. I don't see myself going to the movies to see them, but I do keep hearing that they're funny.

I went to see Hidden Figures last night, though, and it was excellent! There were a couple of times when the audience clapped, and we all applauded at the end. I told Sarah that I'm going to take her to see it some time this week.