What DVD have you just watched?

Last movie I saw as well - only I tried this version:

With varying degrees of success throughout I might add..

Actualy Mrs H thought it grim too.

G

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Carl Theodor Dreyer

BlueRay, although the source material is good there is no advantage to the media here, .....and as to the film?

It is as though I have seen a new art form. The over-acting that defined the silent era in my mind as a child is nowhere in sight, with the possible exception of Joan of Arc, but as she is 'other wordly' I am more than happy to accept that this was an artistic decision.

The film covers the trial for which there is existent documentation. The dialogue is presented in frames that intrude far less than you might expect. The narrative is silently presented, but  it is clear what is happening, and subtly presented; some truly excellent acting.

The framing of the film is startling. It moves from pastiche to pastiche, echoing classic art, but the movement is achieved in an effective way with camera movement; and bear in mind the technology that would have been available. Individual shots foreshadow much that we see in modern comic books and films such as Sin City.

This is a presentation on film that really deserves to be seen, and is a use of cinema that for me stands on its own. It hasn't been surpassed, just forgotten.

Superb.

M

If you're a Wes Anderson fan, you've already seens this. Otherwise, watch it anyway!

A stark and surrealist epic about three army deserters who escape into the barren, snow-swept mountains of Iran.

Very good indeed

A great back-catalogue sampler.

Red Sorghum one of my favourite Chinese movies followed by Red Firecracker Green Firecracker.

John Hiatt- Live at the Franklin official release.

Mr Underhill

I am so pleased you liked this movie and that it had such an effect on you. I personally think that Dreyer's film, which I have seen 20 or more times, may well be the greatest ever made. Its technical and cinematic innovations are certainly up there with Citizen Kane , and this excellent essay (click here) explains why it stands alone not only among silent films, but all movies.

You may wish to try one of Dreyer's other masterpieces, Ordet (Vredens Dag and Getrud, from 1943 and 1964 respectively; the hyper-weird Vampyr from 1932 are all also worth seeing, as are his other silents like The Parson's Widow, Mikael and The Bride of Glomdal).

A very amusing look at bureaucracy, business-speak, consultancy culture and good old-fashioned British incompetence:

Truly wonderful

Never tire of this one. The storyline is good, the dialogue rich and the sound-track wonderfully matched. There's always new I spot every time I watch it.  

Watched this last night. Guy Richie's first, I think.  Entertaining, violent but also very funny. Features a very young Jason Statham before he went to Hollywood. Quite a few scenes filmed in Borough Market, an area of London I'm familiar with. I also like the classic cars a number of the characters drive around in e.g. Chris's (Vinnie J) 3500 Rover, the Scouser's RS2000 Escort. Excellent movie. 

I never tire of Jean Renoir's great pacifist movie, made in 1937 and which includes a cast of all the French greats (many of them Renoir regulars) of the time - the mighty Pierre Fresnay, and Erich Von Stroheim, Jean Gabin, Julien Carette, Jean Daste, Dita Palo, Gaston Modot, Marcel Dalio, etc.

Every viewing of this remarkable picture reveals another visual or textual layer, and the writing and acting are exceptional.

A rather charmless  and unconvincing 2002 remake of George Pal's 1960 classic, based on HG Wells' 1895 novella. This suffers from the usual faults of much recent Hollywood output - special effects (which are really a bit naff here) at the expense of storytelling, plot development and characterisation; an inappropriately bombastic music soundtrack; lots of over-loud bangs and explosions; and often inaudible dialogue. The plot is all over the place and everyone - even the usually excellent Guy Pierce - is woefully miscast.

Another one for the bulging "why did they bother with this pointless and inferior to the original remake" file.

"Traversing more than 1,450 miles upcountry, Mexican freight trains routinely are boarded by migrants hoping to reach America. Among the thousands who ride the trains, many are children traveling alone. They come from all over Mexico and Central America, risking everything for the chance of a better life. Academy Award® nominee WHICH WAY HOME follows some of these unaccompanied children as they make the long and treacherous voyage to the U.S. border. Some, like Olga and Freddy, venture out in search of distant relatives. Others, like Kevin, hope to find work to support their families at home. Often travelling for months or even years at a time, these courageous and determined children each have stories of hope and resilience, disappointment and sorrow."

Watched this last night. Yes the special effects are laughable by today's standards and the stereo-types of the Germans and upper-class RN officers and working class ratings are very obvious but somehow it all adds to the charm.  When war was waged between gentleman?  But I still enjoyed it.

Oh, and a very young Christopher Lee appears as the bar owner in Montevideo. 

MDS, that's a classic late-period Powell & Pressberger - it's got absolutely everyone in it, including the great John Le Mesurier

Well, Kevin, I must admit to missing John LM.  Will look out for him next time, though my next DVD to watch from this era is In Which We Serve.  I love Noel C in that e.g. the scene of the posh family picnic while the Battle of Britain rages in the skies above.