* Did you watch a film last night (on Blu or DVD), and what was it? *

I watched a documentary last night, on Netflix:


Very good; it tells us what we all want, but in different ways. Highly recommended. And you don't even need Netflix, as I just discovered now (youtube above).
...Everyone has access.
Do you own bitcoin, are you doing transactions with bitcoin? :b

Last word: Choose life.
_____

? https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-prices-pass-4000-for-the-first-time/
_____

Edit: I forgot to rank it \\\ 77 /// Educational, very.

I watched another documentary last night, this time on Blu-ray:



I was in town earlier yesterday and I bought Alien: Covenant on Blu, and I also bought this BR documentary above for a song.
I was in documentary mood, so Alien will just have to wait...maybe tonight, maybe.

"Over the course of the last several years, the film industry has undergone a multitude of dramatic changes. From the way audiences access movies to the way filmmakers shoot them, the art and business of film is evolving at a shockingly swift rate. In this illuminating documentary, producer Keanu Reeves interviews many of the most innovative game-changers in the world of cinema to examine how the digital age has transformed the movies. James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, and Andy and Lana Wachowski are just a few of the filmmakers who share their insights in this thoroughly engaging documentary about the future of film."

Keanu Reeves is interviewing some of the best filmmakers and cinematographers living today, on history of films (pellicule) up to today's digital age. This is one of the best docs I've seen recently. And more particularly because it is a subject I grew up with and touched. Today cinema is well anchored in the vibrating chords of my emotional structure. Through films I gained access to knowledge, culture of the arts, photography, music scores, acting, synchronisation/harmony, director's visions, evolution.

The cast:

- Derek Ambrosi
- Michael Ballhaus
- Andrzej Bartkowiak
- Dion Beebe
- Jill Bogdanowicz
- Danny Boyle
- Geoff Boyle
- James Cameron
- Michael Chapman
- Don Ciana
- Anne V. Coates
- Lorenzo di Bonaventura
- Lena Dunham
- Gary Einhaus
- Jonathan Fawkner
- David Fincher
- Shruti Ganguly
- Greta Gerwig
- Geoffrey Gilmore
- Michael Goi
- Terry Haggar
- Bob Harvey
- Charles Herzfeld
- Jim Jannard
- Caroline Kaplan
- Glenn Kennel
- Jason Kliot
- John Knoll
- Ellen Kuras
- Chris Lebenzon
- Barry Levinson
- Richard Linklater
- George Lucas
- David Lynch
- John Mathieson
- John Malkovich
- Anthony Dod Mantle
- Darnell Martin
- Donald McAlpine
- Phil Meheux
- Reed Morano
- Walter Murch
- Dennis Muren
- Christopher Nolan
- Vince Pace
- Wally Pfister
- Dick Pope
- Ari Presler
- Robert Rodriguez
- Tom Rothman
- Ted Schilowitz
- Joel Schumacher
- Martin Scorsese
- Alec Shapiro
- Sandi Sissel
- Steven Soderbergh
- Stefan Sonnenfeld
- Tim Stipan
- Vittorio Storaro
- Ed Stratmann
- David Stump
- David Tattersall
- Lars von Trier
- Jost Vacano
- Adam Valdez
- Lana Wachowski
- Lilly Wachowski
- Tim Webber
- Craig Wood
- Bradford Young
- Vilmos Zsigmond

Rest of cast listed alphabetically:

- Gabriel Judet-Weinshel
- Michael E. Phillips
- Keanu Reeves (Host)
- Gary Winick
_____

It's a long list of professional film directors, photographers/cinematographers, film editors, etc. And Keanu Reeves is the perfect interviewer/host.

This is a must see film documentary by any cinema lover alive today.
Overall: 90


Last word: See it, it will expand your film's vision, cinema entertainment, by the master filmmakers/cinematographers/picture composers.
I cannot recommend it more highly. This is food for the visual brain, the power of cinema in the digital edge.
____

Alien: Covenant, ...maybe tonight (directed by Ridley Scott and starring Michael Fassbender and Katherine Waterston).
Cinematography by Dariusz Wolski and edited by Pietro Scalia.
Music by Jed Kurzel (Alien and Prometheus themes composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Marc Streitenfeld)

Live life, watch films and documentaries, listen to music

Last night:



"The crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape."

What a cast! It's a comedy or a fantasy? :b No, it doesn't have vitamins like the original.
It's not bad, but neither it's good.

First, it's only in boring 2D, no baddie aliens to jump @ us, boooh. It's dark, as usual, as it is supposed to be, and it's over the top in the acting and script.
C'mon now Ridley, this is an horror flick, without imagination and without scars. You seem to be losing your touch here sir. :b
The recipe is fading, the art is gone, the intended goal we can decipher easily through any alien wall.


This should have been in 3D. And, FOX didn't include the Dolby Atmos audio that is exclusive of the 4K version, bummer!
The DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio is very serviceable, I'm just mentioning it because of the poor decision.

Overall: 65 ... resting on the edge between mediocre and emptiness of space. It just didn't compete with the real news, and for a film that's bad.
I'd rather check the news, fake and nuts, it's more scary and makes you think.
I'm using a figure of speech here, for describing the void of that flick.

Should you invest money with FOX studios? Absolutely not; they are not living with the rest of the world.
Should you invest your time with a rental? @ 65 you decide; there is some amusement in it.
I'm disappointed by Ridley's backward direction...in bland 2D instead of the more spacious 3D spatiality.
I much prefer 'Prometheus', and for its 3Dness. ...A better package. This one is 2D lame ("dilemme" in French).

Ron, it has been a long time since I saw that film. I think it was on VHS tape.
I checked briefly wiki to re-encapsulate me into the elements of the storyline.
I also briefly checked the author of the book which it was based on.

Jean-Jacques Annaud, the French film director, I like some of his films very much: Quest for Fire, The Lover, Seven Years in Tibet, Enemy at the Gates, ...and The Bear.
From the five films mentioned above, I wonder how many some WBF members saw and which one(s) is their favorite.
For me it is The Lover (L'Amant). ...For the cinematography, camera movements and the love story magically connected. Seven Years in Tibet has also some excellent vistas and photography. I love all five films.



'The Name of the Rose' is a complex film, with several elements; intellectual, mystery/clue, ... from reading wiki.
And the book:

"The Name of the Rose (Italian: Il nome della rosa [il ?no?me della ?r??za]) is the 1980 debut novel by Italian author Umberto Eco. It is a historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery, in the year 1327, an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory."

Sean Connery is much more than James Bond. ...And to listen to Jean-Jacques Annaud's commentary I would need to purchase 'The Name of the Rose' on Blu-ray.
One, I won't buy the Blu-ray (I can check Netflix perhaps for a future rewatch), and two, there are so many films out there and it is extremely rare that I listen to commentaries or watch the special features that are on Blu-ray. I have to be in the mood. From the few movie reviews I posted in this thread you rarely read comments about special features and director's commentaries, etc. Some films have six or seven different commentaries! You can spend a month or two easily just exploring 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy.

When we were between 15 and 25 (now we are between 65 and 75), we didn't have commentary tracks on our black and white tube TVs and later on on VHS/Beta tapes.
In 1996-97 with the birth of DVD, commentary tracks started to appear (I never bought a laserdisc player).
So it is roughly in the last twenty years that content on discs (DVD, Blu-ray) took prominence. I am all for it because we learn more that way.
If I was younger and if I have the time I would check more the good commentary audio tracks.
But then, you are young yourself and you took the time. Some films deserve that we listen to the director's commentary track, and the cinematographer, and the scriptwriter, and the editor... I did with some of them; 'Lawrence of Arabia' for example, and other great films.

But generally, on average here @ WBF, how many of us re-watched films on DVD or Blu-ray to listen to the director's commentary track?
How many of us take the time to watch the special features? How many of us explore the several facets of filmmaking from the films we love most?
I could also ask similar questions about music recordings. There I believe the WBF members have a better handle, in general.
_____

On Monday the United States of America will be plunged under the shadow of the Sun: http://siouxcityjournal.com/special...cle_f5dfe492-7816-56be-b53c-64d11962ff49.html

Will it change some of our regular movie watching habits? I doubt it.

And starting Monday, through the 31st, other things will be happening: http://iphonefresh.com/2017/08/19/united-states-and-south-korea-to-conduct-military-exercises.html
Will it change anything in our normal life's routine? It is not supposed to. I am more unrooted by men's emotions than by nature's emotions.
I want to keep moving, watching movies, climbing mountains, listening to new Blues music recordings, cruising along the ocean's serpentine roads, ...all that great jazz.

When we were born we didn't ask for anything; everything was given to us from history. We are making history now, and the ones coming after us will inherit that history the same as we inherit the history from the ones before us.
Can we change the course of history? That's the question between slavery and freedom.
The movies we watched is the freedom we choose. The movies that are being made ... the same.

'The Name of the Rose' is an intellectual/mystery film. I will check if Netflix has it.
_____

Last night (not a family movie, not a movie for women):



___

It is violent, like in real life in some prisons from America (the entire continent).

"A successful businessman named Jacob Harlon (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is sent to prison for causing the death of his friend in a drunk-driving crash. While incarcerated, he must leave his previous life behind and adapt to the brutality of his new surroundings in order to survive. But even after being released, Harlon remains caught up in the prison's gang rivalries. This crime drama co-stars Omari Hardwick, Lake Bell, Jon Bernthal, and Emory Cohen. Written and directed by Ric Roman Waugh."

The film starts with a lovely and normal family. A car accident happened and it changes everything, for the worst.
It's a little over-the-top of course; in real life I don't think it would turn to be that extreme.
If you buy the story you might find some strong acting performances, realistic snapshots, convincing redemption.
If you don't you'd be left with thin air in a world that escapes most of all of us.

Overall (harsch life's circumstances projected from the acting): 65 ...Proceed @ your own risk, and remember; no children, no women.

Last word: Don't touch my family.

* Strong violence, blood, R rating.

Good stuff Ron. We have in our music and movie libraries treasures that are nice to revisit, and even more so when our systems keep improving along with us;
our vision, our hearing, our spirit.
_____

There are two good Blu-ray movies I've watched recently, both were revisits (in 2D this time).



You can't go wrong; good for the entire family. It's good humor, good for the heart and soul of everyone.
Sing is a universal appeal for music audiophiles; figure of speech.
Guardians part deux is packed with jokes and colors. And it is incredible in 3D, totally awesome.
When watching the 2D version you could tell right away that 3D is breathable, very, quasi 3D.

Both are nine stars (out of ten). Galaxy part two is almost 9.5 stars. They are not of the same caliber as LOTR; they're just different, and excellent.
Both of them have music ? tunes that are fun, lovable, romance, retro, perfect. And there are some fantastic surprises/performances along the way.
Those are movies made for real fun entertainment. And I'm glad that they come both in 3D. Guardians is a must see in 3D by the entire planet's population.
Disney knows how to take good care of all the children and everyone else. Walter would be real proud to see it in 3D, you betcha.

Last word: We all live on a beautiful blue 3D planet.

I revisited Quentin Tarantino's 8th film last night:



I was in the mood for wide vistas, wide cinematography, the music score...and the snow, plus the extreme humor from the actors.
On a regular screen (16:9) the black bars @ the top and bottom fill almost half of the total screen.
To be truly effective you need a very large screen (best from a projector). This film is not for small (65 to 85" TVs).
So I wasn't getting the full picture immersion, but with the music score I was engulfed.

I reviewed (short) this flick before (I don't remember the score I gave it exactly), but it has to be around the eighties.
The ? music score I like, very.

Mike said:

Sing is a good flick. Very clever.

Click to expand...

I agree; it is the type of animated film perfect for audio/music people...like all of us...younger and older.

Mike said:

I saw this an struggled to complete it. In short, I think that his movies are frickin' dire. This will be my last. I'm convinced that this is an industry practical joke they're playing on us.

Click to expand...

Quentin's own making, Western style. It is overcharged, no confusion. My Mom saw it; she did not talk much about the blood aspect, none as a matter of fact...she mentioned the wide landscapes. ...And the music score. I luv my Mum; she is the best of them all. Her birthday is next week. She loves flowers, tennis, classical music and French aromas.

Me too: ----------------------------------------------------- And this one (The Forceful Four):

-------------

Mike said:

The first has quite an array of names: I remember Brennan from Rio Bravo. I think that he was also in a Bogart movie, like Key West. Or, To Have and Have Not, as the case may be. Terrific flick, btw (To Have and Have Not, that is).

Click to expand...

I never saw any of the North Star flicks; there are three of them by that title. And the three you just mentioned; 'Rio Bravo', 'Key West' and 'To Have and Have Not' ... I saw them a long time ago, except for 'Key West' (the one I saw was 'Key Largo' with Bogart and Bacall, who are also in 'To Have in Have Not').

My Dad, rest in peace John, looked exactly like Humphrey Bogart when he was in his thirties.
My Mom, Parise, didn't look like Lauren Bacall when she was younger, but she looked real pretty; when I was about fifteen years-old people thought she was my sister. She was a beauty for sure, she still is.

Anyway, I love older black and white classic movies...romances, thrillers, ...all that Bogart jazz.
____

Last night I watched couple episodes of Narcos Season 3 on Netflix. That was ok, but not as good as the first two seasons (I finished the entire third season).
I don't mention it in the dedicated Narcos thread because I wasn't enthralled enough.

* I'll relate your HB's message to Mom. :b