The Official Last Movie You Saw Thread (Part 2)

[Spiritof96]

American Sniper- Wow what a great character study of the life of Chris Kyle. Not really a war movie though the battle scenes were really well done. This really gets into the life of Kyle and how the war molded not only him but his family as well. It's a sad movie because you know how his life plays out but Eastwood only touched on his demise. The book was an excellent read so I was anxious to see if he portrayed Kyle like the hard boiled patriotic soldier that he was and he nailed it, as did Bradley Cooper. Cooper entrenched himself as Kyle and he shouild at least get an Oscar nod. This is the best Clint Eastwood directed film I have seen and it's the best movie I have seen in a while. This is a movie that will stick with you for a while and that's the sign of a great movie. Highly recommended.

Knowing his story makes me think this film would be depressing beyond words, to the point of being unwatchable. Is that not the case? How much time is spent on missions / deployment vs. him being home and struggling with PTSD?

[JFCats22]

Just saw American Sniper - wow, just wow. Bradley Cooper was phenomenal as Chris Kyle.

One of the best movie and best performances I can remember.

[TrueblueCATfan]

Going to see American Sniper at 4:00 today.....can't wait

[TrueblueCATfan]

American Sniper is by far the best movie I have seen in years.....you could hear a pin drop as we were leaving

Bradley Cooper deserves the oscar for that preformance

[Blue Heaven]

American Sniper is by far the best movie I have seen in years.....you could hear a pin drop as we were leaving

Bradley Cooper derves the oscar for that preformance

It's the only movie I've ever been to that when the house is clearing, not a word was said.

[Pobilly]

My son reported to me how great this movie is and that a viewer in full dress uniform was in the audience and stood by himself clapping after the movie.

[jpay]

The Babadook.... A unique and very frightening little movie.... This is for serious fans of the horror genre... Not for the kids.... Amazon... None of the other streaming services have it. There was no purchase option and it was a $6.99 rental.... Insidious meets Dr. Suess..... If your a true genre fan, highly recommended. If not steer clear...

[George]

American Sniper.

Good, not great. Bradley Cooper's (and only Bradley Cooper's) acting was strong, and as far as war movies go, the story, action, suspense, drama, etc. were fine. However, I felt like the buildup to this movie tried to guilt me into thinking that it's an all-time great simply because of the circumstances surrounding the sniper's death, and that never sat right with me. Again, I thought it was a good - not great - war movie, and context outside of the theater shouldn't effect that.

If film and reality aren't mutually exclusive in this case, then authenticity ought to be of the utmost importance - and clearly it wasn't. That whole rival Syrian sniper narrative? Total fabrication.There was maybe a sniper named Mustafa, but he barely got a mention in the book; Kyle did make a long shot like the one in the end, but it wasn't in that moment - nor did it alert insurgents and draw a wild sandstorm attack; Kyle did have a bounty on his head, but nowhere near the price in the movie.

Don't create a situation where reality is key to the success of the film, then turn around and flip the bird at reality.

[Lighthouse]

American Sniper.

One of the best movies I've ever seen. I thought the continued use of the F-word was unnecessary, but understood it was a war movie. I have to admit I had tears in my eyes several times near the end. The thing I don't understand is why this man's life and death was not widely reported. I had no idea of anything about this man, and he was an American Hero. Complete silence in the theater when the movie ended. The only other time that happened was at the end of The Passion Of The Christ.

[Titus Lucretius Carus]

re-watched "The French Connection" it is a classic and it "stands up" quite well today. Hat tip to Will Lavender as he'd mentioned a book called Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood


by Peter Biskind they mentioned French Connection in the book

[Joneslab]

The thing I don't understand is why this man's life and death was not widely reported.

He was in the news quite a bit. He wrote a book that's sold millions of copies (and another one that came out not long before his death), and there were hundreds of articles about him when the book became popular. The New Yorker in particular had a very interesting article about him both before and after his service. His death was pretty widely reported as well.

The common feeling about him is that he was an unbelievable soldier who had the necessary mindset to do what he did, but he tended to play loose with the facts.

[Joneslab]

Say Anything...

I'd never seen this and found it on YouTube, so my wife and I watched it.

Very odd movie. A couple of things: I'd always believed John Hughes directed it, but it was actually a Cameron Crowe film. (If you pay close attention you can see an interesting similarity to Jerry Maguire.) The movie is has a very amateurish feel. There isn't so much of a plot as much as a series of instances. The humor is very subtle, and really it becomes a full-blown romance by the end with only a few gestures toward the comedic. Seattle plays a key part, and it's interesting how many connections between the sitcom Frasier and this movie show up. My wife and I have been watching Frasier reruns on Amazon Prime, and so many of the main actors from Say Anything... make appearances. (In a recent episode we were watching, John Cusack plays one of Frasier Crane's telephone patients.)

For all this the movie is kind of a doodle. There isn't much happening. I've heard for years that it was a classic of '80s cinema, and while it's interesting, it has the feel of a first-time director, and there's very little of substance here. Even the famous scene with Cusack holding up the boombox is very minor.

Interestingly slight.

[Lighthouse]

He was in the news quite a bit. He wrote a book that's sold millions of copies (and another one that came out not long before his death), and there were hundreds of articles about him when the book became popular. The New Yorker in particular had a very interesting article about him both before and after his service. His death was pretty widely reported as well.

The common feeling about him is that he was an unbelievable soldier who had the necessary mindset to do what he did, but he tended to play loose with the facts.

Thanks for telling me this. I thought the media had dropped the ball on this guy, which is not unusual for soldiers. Also thanks for the link to the article. Very interesting reading.

[KCKUKFan]

American Sniper - I share almost the same exact sentiment as Downes about this. I'm not going to let patriotism paint the way I feel about this as a movie. Bradley Cooper is undeniably great, but the film itself is merely good. Plays loose with facts, and while I don't want to say that Eastwood was trying to force a manipulative cry-and-be-silent-while-walking-out-of-the-theater, it certainly worked that way. I liked the combat portions of the film, but the scenes with family didn't cut as deep as obviously intended. I think this would've worked better as a cable miniseries, ala "Band Of Brothers," where equal time could be spent abroad and stateside with the family. It would've had a stronger emotional impact. Certainly not as great as so many right-wingers and AMURICA screamers would have you believe, but still good, and the performance by Cooper is worth the price of admission alone. 3/4.

Side-note: I read the book "American Sniper," and the way it was written didn't necessarily lend itself to big-screen narrative. A lot of time-jumping and stream-of-consciousness essays.

[Wonderstruck]

Saw American Sniper last Sunday, and it was phenomenal. All the good things people say about it are absolutely true.

My only beef with it was the fake baby.