Latest Movie That You Watched!

Tery · Jun 21, 2018

skimom2 said:
Infinity War, again

I need to see it again. We had to sit in the second row and I missed a lot of peripheral stuff.

We went to see The Incredibles 2 on Saturday. Loved it! It picks up right where the first left off. I loved all the characters but Jack-Jack stole the show. His fight scene with a raccoon is brilliant. Also, Bob Odenkirk did a voice and was superb.

GNTLGNT · Jun 22, 2018

Coolallosaurus said:
I was surprised when I looked up the critical responses to the film. It's definitely not the *best* quality, and there's really nothing that will keep you up at night, but I thought it was a pretty decent mystery/horror flick. Maybe I liked it because I had never seen the original Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)-- which has higher ratings (another film to add to the watch list).
That's interesting about the official Chamber of Horrors. I had no idea there was an actual exhibit. Not sure I would dig the real actors. Wax figures are creepy enough. Living humans, no thanks! Speaking of wax figures, have you ever seen the anatomical models from 18th century Florence? In their historical context they are super cool, but in real life they are a horror story waiting to happen.

....that link is outstanding!....science combined with art......

Gerald · Jun 22, 2018

Coolallosaurus said:
I was surprised when I looked up the critical responses to the film. It's definitely not the *best* quality, and there's really nothing that will keep you up at night, but I thought it was a pretty decent mystery/horror flick. Maybe I liked it because I had never seen the original Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)-- which has higher ratings (another film to add to the watch list).
That's interesting about the official Chamber of Horrors. I had no idea there was an actual exhibit. Not sure I would dig the real actors. Wax figures are creepy enough. Living humans, no thanks! Speaking of wax figures, have you ever seen the anatomical models from 18th century Florence? In their historical context they are super cool, but in real life they are a horror story waiting to happen.

I get the idea that Terror at the Wax Museum is not a remake of Mystery of the Wax Museum. When you look at the writing credits it looks original.

Here is the exhibit at Madame Tussaud's filmed by a visitor:

I said murder scenes but it's mostly methods of torture and execution. I may have heard they were also used for anatomical lessons, yeah.
It's said Madame Tussaud's sculpted the first ones from the actual people who had died during the French revolution. It has the blade that decapitated Marie Antoinette.

HollyGolightly · Jun 22, 2018

I went to see Jurassic Park 4 last night. I give it 5 stars! Totally unreal, lots of jumps and cool dinosaurs, and the hunky Chris Pratt with his gentle raptor taming gestures - it was perfect!

Neil W · Jun 25, 2018

HollyGolightly said:
I went to see Jurassic Park 4 last night. I give it 5 stars! Totally unreal, lots of jumps and cool dinosaurs, and the hunky Chris Pratt with his gentle raptor taming gestures - it was perfect!

Also the hunky Chris Pratt outsprinting a pyroclastic flow...

Neil W · Jun 25, 2018

Super Troopers 2 - grimly unfunny collection of profanity poking fun at Canadians
Ocean's 8 - tolerable female caper

Keith72 · Jun 25, 2018

Watched Ocean's 8. Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett were very good.

Gerald · Jun 25, 2018

Gerald said:
It's said Madame Tussaud's sculpted the first ones from the actual people who had died during the French revolution. It has the blade that decapitated Marie Antoinette.

It seems Marie Tussaud (Grosholtz before she married) was the art teacher to Louis the 16th's sister and lived at Versailles for nine years. So after the Revolution happened she had to make 'death masks' (which I assume are impressions in wax) of people she actually knew in life - she's portrayed searching through the bodies in the museum. The London branch has a 'death mask' also of herself. But usually the heads are actually made in clay (after making photos and measurements of the portrayed people) and the wax is poured in a mould made from the clay head (the bodies are made in fibreglass for durability).

I've always found them fascinating. They're like 3D ultra-realistic photographs, like people frozen in time almost. I visit the branch in Amsterdam from time to time when there are new figures I want to see, and they change the whole exhibition space around every couple of years or so. Over the years they made it more and more interactive, so many figures now have something to do for visitors: like you can be in a film with Charlie Chaplin, walk a catwalk amidst fashion models, sing in the studio with Adele, be on stage with DJ's with virtual reality glasses or slam Thor's (Chris Hemworth) hammer and make the whole environment literally quake,

The most famous film is House of Wax (1953) with Vincent Price. I actually liked the remake too, with Paris Hilton (who also got a wax figure in reality).
The plot revolves around a fire that destroys the museum and that happened to the Tussaud museum in London for real in 1925, when a fire destroyed many figures and costumes - luckily they keep the moulds. So that may have inspired the film.
Also a bomb fell on the adjoining cinema in 1940 during WW2, and Hitler was one of the few figures that were saved ironically. Actually for sensitive reasons, the Hitler figure has never been in Amsterdam; they had one in the Berlin museum at one point but an angry visitor destroyed it within days.

Gerald · Jun 25, 2018

Actually I looked at Wikipedia and Phillipe Curtius who was Marie Tussaud's teacher was a Swiss physician and he used the wax figures to illustrate anatomy initially just like in Florence. Later on he did portraits as well.

Marie Tussaud - Wikipedia

HollyGolightly · Jun 25, 2018

Neil W said:
Also the hunky Chris Pratt outsprinting a pyroclastic flow...

Isn't he amazing? :faints: You have to suspend reality for this one for sure!

Coolallosaurus · Jun 25, 2018

Gerald said:
It seems Marie Tussaud (Grosholtz before she married) was the art teacher to Louis the 16th's sister and lived at Versailles for nine years. So after the Revolution happened she had to make 'death masks' (which I assume are impressions in wax) of people she actually knew in life - she's portrayed searching through the bodies in the museum. The London branch has a 'death mask' also of herself. But usually the heads are actually made in clay (after making photos and measurements of the portrayed people) and the wax is poured in a mould made from the clay head (the bodies are made in fibreglass for durability).

I've always found them fascinating. They're like 3D ultra-realistic photographs, like people frozen in time almost. I visit the branch in Amsterdam from time to time when there are new figures I want to see, and they change the whole exhibition space around every couple of years or so. Over the years they made it more and more interactive, so many figures now have something to do for visitors: like you can be in a film with Charlie Chaplin, walk a catwalk amidst fashion models, sing in the studio with Adele, be on stage with DJ's with virtual reality glasses or slam Thor's (Chris Hemworth) hammer and make the whole environment literally quake,

The most famous film is House of Wax (1953) with Vincent Price. I actually liked the remake too, with Paris Hilton (who also got a wax figure in reality).
The plot revolves around a fire that destroys the museum and that happened to the Tussaud museum in London for real in 1925, when a fire destroyed many figures and costumes - luckily they keep the moulds. So that may have inspired the film.
Also a bomb fell on the adjoining cinema in 1940 during WW2, and Hitler was one of the few figures that were saved ironically. Actually for sensitive reasons, the Hitler figure has never been in Amsterdam; they had one in the Berlin museum at one point but an angry visitor destroyed it within days.

This is fascinating. Thank you for sharing. I have actually never seen the Vincent Price House of Wax. The SKMB is leading me down a very weird (but also wonderful) wax rabbit hole. I'll report back when I get a chance to check out House of Wax.

JMR · Jun 25, 2018

Watch baby driver and Red sparrow.

Coolallosaurus · Jun 25, 2018

GNTLGNT said:
....that link is outstanding!....science combined with art......

Glad you liked the link. I am co-teaching a Bioethics course in the fall, and we're doing a whole unit on the anatomical models which should be really fun. My co-instructor actually got to go to Florence and see the models in person(!).

GNTLGNT · Jun 25, 2018

Coolallosaurus said:
Glad you liked the link. I am co-teaching a Bioethics course in the fall, and we're doing a whole unit on the anatomical models which should be really fun. My co-instructor actually got to go to Florence and see the models in person(!).

...we went to a cadaver lab in nursing school...sobering....and meant to be...helped us understand that these were once people not preserved husks to be mined without thought and reverence....

Steffen · Jun 25, 2018

I Kill Giants - the little-girl version of A Monster Calls, but the material is handled nowhere nearly as good as the latter. Still worth a look though, plus also watch AMC for comparison afterwards.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night - quirky little Iranian vampire flick. Definitely worth a look.

Connor B · Jun 26, 2018

Street Law (1974) Director: Enzo G. Castellari Rating: ***
A hardworking Italian, well played by Franco Nero, is taken hostage and beaten during a post office robbery. Filled with righteous anger when the police are unable to do anything about it, he sets in motion a plan to get payback on the punks. Straightforward Italian answer to Death Wish delivers pretty much what you would expect; required viewing for anyone interested in the poliziotteschi genre.

Gerald · Jun 26, 2018

Coolallosaurus said:
This is fascinating. Thank you for sharing. I have actually never seen the Vincent Price House of Wax. The SKMB is leading me down a very weird (but also wonderful) wax rabbit hole. I'll report back when I get a chance to check out House of Wax.

Perhaps not a good movie, but if you like Italian horror it's great fun: Wax Mask (1997), directed by Sergio Stivaletti (Dario Argento's special effects man) and produced by Argento. It's a cheapie - the wax museum has only one corridor and just a couple of figures. But it's got a nice classic atmosphere.
It was meant to be a return to directing for Lucio Fulci, who had gotten ill, but he passed away before he could make it. It's stll shot by Fulci's cinematographer Sergio Salvati.
But I can only recommend it if you like the often bizarre, illogical world of Italian horror. It even has a visual Terminator reference in the finale, wildly out of tune with the classic setting - so it's a case of a special effects man not showing restraint.

Wax Mask

fljoe0 · Jun 26, 2018

I watched a couple of early Gus Van Sant flicks last weekend. These movies gave a boost to independent film in the 90s and beyond. The 90's were a great era for independent film and these movies with their big stars helped kick off the era.

Drugstore Cowboy (1989) Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch

A gritty realistic look at a group of junkies that rob drugstores. Matt Dillon and Kelly lynch are fantastic in this.

My Own Private Idaho (1991) River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves

This is River's movie. He is incredible in this tale that combines Henry IV with the lives of Portland street people and hustlers. The story follows two friends on different paths. River's character is searching for his mother who abandoned him as Keanu's character is trying to distancing himself from his family. When I first saw this in 1991, I didn't totally get it but River's performance is so awesome that it always drew me back to this movie. I've seen it several times now and think it's great. The movie is a bit of a challenge the first time you see it because of the Shakespere mixed with a modern tale.

Coolallosaurus · Jun 26, 2018

Gerald said:
Perhaps not a good movie, but if you like Italian horror it's great fun: Wax Mask (1997), directed by Sergio Stivaletti (Dario Argento's special effects man) and produced by Argento. It's a cheapie - the wax museum has only one corridor and just a couple of figures. But it's got a nice classic atmosphere.
It was meant to be a return to directing for Lucio Fulci, who had gotten ill, but he passed away before he could make it. It's stll shot by Fulci's cinematographer Sergio Salvati.
But I can only recommend it if you like the often bizarre, illogical world of Italian horror. It even has a visual Terminator reference in the finale, wildly out of tune with the classic setting - so it's a case of a special effects man not showing restraint.

Wax Mask

Wow, Wax Mask looks like a trip! At one point in my life I was really into the Italian Western, but my only experience with Italian horror is Suspiria (which I found pretty fun), so I will have to check out Wax Mask at some point. Thank you for the recommendation!

Coolallosaurus · Jun 26, 2018

GNTLGNT said:
...we went to a cadaver lab in nursing school...sobering....and meant to be...helped us understand that these were once people not preserved husks to be mined without thought and reverence....

So true. Have you read Mary Roach's Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers? Your experience in the cadaver lab made me think of the section on memorial services in anatomy labs. Roach's book is on the older side, but I know schools still practice the ceremonies to honor the individuals who donated their bodies and teach the students to begin their anatomical studies with respect and reverence.

Latest Movie That You Watched!

Say hello to my fishy buddy

The idiot is IN

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

The idiot is IN

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Cantre Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member