What Classics Did You See Last Week (December 28–January 3)
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spiderwort — 3 months ago(January 04, 2026 04:50 PM)
Excellent for the holiday, indeed, Margo! I almost always watch them, but skipped them this year. But I'm sure they'll show up again before too long, and I'll watch them then. With the exception of one (can't remember which one; probably the last), they are all wonderful.
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spiderwort — 3 months ago(January 04, 2026 04:25 PM)
First viewings (all new films, because of Awards season):
Train Dreams / Clint Bentley
(2025). Director Bentley's historical drama is set in the age of the steam locomotive and westward expansion and centers on a logger in the Pacific Northwest who searches for meaning in his life, one marked by loss and the changing American frontier. Its stars are Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, and William H. Macy among others, with narration by Will Patton. It’s a slow moving but thoughtful and lovely adaptation of Denis Johnson’s award winning novella, and it covers many years in the life of the Edgerton character. Under Bentley’s outstanding direction, Edgerton gives a marvelous, subdued performance. It’s a beautiful, deeply moving film, one of the best I’ve seen in a very long time. Highly recommended. (On Netflix).
Goodbye June /Kate Winslet
(2025). Winslet makes her directorial debut with this film and is also one of its stars. Written by Winslet’s son, Joe Anders, it’s the moving story of a conflicted but loving family reuniting to say goodbye to their ailing mother (Helen Mirren). Other cast members include Toni Collette, Timothy Spall, Johnny Flynn, and Andrea Riseborough. It’s a good film, very moving and well directed by Winslet. I had a few problems with the script, especially the excessive use of the F-word, which for me diminishes the story, but it’s still a film that’s well worth watching for Winslet’s excellent direction and all the fine performances, anchored around Helen Mirren. (On Netflix).
Blue Moon / Richard Linklater
(2025). In 1943, lyricist Lorenz Hart, the former partner of Richard Rogers, struggles with his alcoholism and mental health as he tries to save face in a bar the night of the celebration of the opening of the Rodgers and Hammerstein masterpiece, “Oklahoma!” An enjoyable, well written and directed film with a brilliant performance by Ethan Hawke as Hart. I’m sure he'll get an Oscar nomination for it and may even win.
The Friend / Scott McGehee, David Siegel
(2025). When a solitary writer (Naomi Watts) adopts and bonds with a Great Dane that belonged to her late friend (Bill Murray), she begins to come to terms with her past and her own creative inner life. It’s a beautiful film with a fresh, unsentimental and deeply moving story that was so much better than I anticipated. Highly recommended. (Streaming on Paramount+)
One re-watch:
Three Godfathers / Richard Boleslawski
(1936). Three outlaws in the desert (Chester Morris, Lewis Stone, Walter Brennan) adopt the baby of a dying woman and risk their lives to bring the newborn to safety. Filmed many times since the silent era, this is a superb version with a powerful, completely unsentimental script, outstanding performances by all the cast, and great direction by Boleslawski. I haven’t seen the other versions, but I’m betting that they can’t hold a candle to this one. Highly recommended. (On Tubi) -
sheetsadam1 — 3 months ago(January 04, 2026 04:33 PM)
I began watching
Goodbye June
and it seemed fine, but the subject matter simply isn't something I'm capable of watching at the moment. Maybe someday!
I still need to see
Blue Moon
, as well as Linklater's other 2025 film
Nouvelle Vague
. He's one of my favorite active directors.
"Praise be to Allah." - President Donald J. Trump, Easter Sunday 04/05/2026 -
spiderwort — 3 months ago(January 04, 2026 04:45 PM)
I can understand about
Goodbye June
. It was hard for me, too, but actually it was comforting in the end, for which I was very grateful.
And I think you'll love
Blue Moon
. I haven't seen
Nouvelle Vague
yet, but it's on my list. -
Rufus-T — 3 months ago(January 05, 2026 06:18 AM)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058333/
One of the Roger Corman directed, Vincent Price starred, Edgar Allan Poe adaptation I haven't watched. This is based on a Poe's short story in which a rich tyrannical prince in middle age shut himself along with a bunch of rich people in a castle off from pestilence, while having a party. The movie added scene in which the prince harassed the village, and brought back a village girl along with her father and her lover back to the castle. Vincent Price was outstanding as this evil prince who held control over everyone else. The setting might be a bit shoddy, but the scenes were colorful and eerily at some point. The story hinged much on the atmosphere, and it is very relatable to the recent COVID pandemic. Jane Asher played the girl the prince bought back to the castle. She was very attractive and carried Christian believe which attracted the prince into ruining her. This is a very good adaptation with creative addition to the short story.
The Hangover Part II (2011)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1411697/
I saw Hangover not long after it came out, and it could be the funniest movie this century. It was directed by Todd Phillips, who directed Joker. The story was four friends went to Las Vegas for a bachelor gathering, waking the next morning missing the groom and not remembering what happened the night before. It was the movie that made Bradley Cooper famous. Zach Galifianakis was hilarious. This second movie which I finally which since it is leaving Netflix ending of December. Again directed by Todd Phillips, the story is similar to the first one. This time, another of the friend will be married, but in Thailand. Again they had a bachelor gathering. This time including the younger brother of the bride. They wake up the next morning to another mess. It was still very very funny, but situation was a bit of over-reached. Lot more dirty jokes than the first one.
The Hangover Part III (2013)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1951261/
The final movie of the Hangover trilogy. This time, no wedding, but related to something happened to the first movie. Also directed by Todd Phillips. One would expect the diminish in quality. Ken Jeong who played the wild mob boss who got chummy with the group gotten a bit annoying in this one, and he and Zach Galifianakis were the focus in this one. There were still many funny moments, but definitely a weaker story.
Warfare (2025)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31434639/
My first viewing of 2026. A movie that I see in many of the reviewers best movie list. I like Alex Garland's 2 movies a lot, Ex Machina and Annihilation, both Sci-Fi movies. So I have high expectation of what he is doing. There were good moment in his last movie Civil War, but I was not too crazy about it. Warfare, he co-directed and co-written with Ray Mendoza who is featured as one of the character in the film played by D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai. Therefore, it was based on a true story of an incidence during the Iraq war. The incidence took place in a small building which the military guarded. Started out like slow, and no background information about any of the soldiers. The audience just thrown into the situation. Though slow, but intense. Something went awry and the movie became explosive non-stop til the end. It was felt like watching a war documentary. Scenes can get chaotic. Technically, I thought it was very well-made, but there was not much of narrative. It was more like you experience what Ray Mendoza experienced. -
CoriSCapnSkip — 2 months ago(January 06, 2026 05:47 PM)
Babes in Toyland
(1961) on December 28
Santa Claus
(1959) on December 29
A Child's Christmas in Wales
(1987) on December 30
Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!
(1986) on December 31
Rudolph's Shiny New Year
(1976) on January 1
Secondhand Lions
(2003) on January 2
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
(1978) on January 3
