What Is The Last Film You Watched? (Older Films)

[A24 4,326]

2 minutes ago, publicist said:

... nothing is left to the imagination, as if younger folk need that kind of didactics in fantasy movies 

 

Whole generations are raised with these 'didactics' to such a degree that anything that is left to the imagination is called laziness.

[publicist 4,643]

In the 80's you still would have originals like 'Dragonslayer' and 'Dark Crystal', heck, even 'Secret of NIMH', 'An American Tail' or 'The Black Cauldron' were more imaginative.

 

In Harry Potter Part One it was more that whole mock-Dickensian angle that irked me: the cartoonization of the muggle family and their middle-class surrounding made it hardly distinguishable from the wizard's world (at one point the family vacationed on a small, storm-ridden rock island practically unaccessable for mere humans) - i can understand why Williams scored the movie in front of him like this but the frothy operetta tone runs through the whole movie and it's all so awfully cuddlesome. Thank god they found more mature directors later on.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Sadly the quality of the music declined with those directors. I agree with you about Williams's "twee" style of this score. Its his "English children's book style". But no subsequent composer managed to put their stamp on it or define it musically in any way 

[publicist 4,643]

Worse, the producers didn't even try to fight for a unifying vision. Watching Deadly Hallows, after growing familiar with the three Williams entries over the years, i found Desplat did a credible job on the more emotional stuff (some of it was quite nice) but was flabbergasted how often the movie presented itself for variations of older Williams themes and the score just ignored them. Seemed a bit like an affront and i'm no Williams groupie. You just don't do that in a longer running series but nowadays, they do it all the time. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Film music is just musical wallpaper nowadays. I doubt after Ep 9, ill buy much

[publicist 4,643]

In hindsight i just wonder why they bother - lip service to the importance of the score, huge music budgets and so on, and in the end it amounts to hardly anything. I soon will see how DH Part 2 turned out, which as far as i remember had quite a few awful trailer music clichés unworthy of Desplat, which is why i never returned to that album. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Desplat doesn't do blockbuster action music very well.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Godzilla was good!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Its all you need!

[publicist 4,643]

29 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

Desplat doesn't do blockbuster action music very well.

 

Frankly, who does? I completely shut this stuff out my film music diet, even the smoothest operators (JNH, for example) sound either like trailer music or their own recycle bin.

[A24 4,326]

I keep hearing clones of Bourne, which in its turn is probably a clone too. 

[publicist 4,643]

That stuff amounts to monotonous rhythmic patterns - nothing i would describe as 'written music' at this point but probably something you take from a sample library with settings for speeding it up and slowing it down.

[A24 4,326]

Not a fan of the minimalist approach, pubs?  You want Bourne to have a Max Steiner score? 

[publicist 4,643]

Jeez Alex, really? That's the level of music discussion you want to have here?

[A24 4,326]

Do you think your reply will improve the discussion? Really, Pubs? 

[Brundlefly 2,385]

4 hours ago, Richard said:

Weren't DHPTs 1 and 2 filmed at the same time?

Yes, they had 1,5 years to shoot them. 15 months for 7.1 and 3 months for 7.2 At least it comes across as if that was the case.

1 hour ago, publicist said:

Frankly, who does? I completely shut this stuff out my film music diet, even the smoothest operators (JNH, for example) sound either like trailer music or their own recycle bin.

I don't know what happened, but what I know is that Desplat went from his subtle and "credible" score for 7.1 to a just partly subtle and credible score for 7.2 that is much too blockbuster-ish and so forcedly generic at times that you sometimes think James Cameron was the director. "At times" means too often.

[publicist 4,643]

2 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

Do you think your reply will improve the discussion? Really, Pubs? 

 

Say Alex, can a man in his fifties with a vast knowledge of cinema between the 30's and present not possibly come up with a less idiotic comparison? 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

1 hour ago, Brundlefly said:

 

I don't know what happened, but what I know is that Desplat went from his subtle and "credible" score for 7.1 to a just partly subtle and credible score for 7.2 that is much too blockbuster-ish and so forcedly generic at times that you sometimes think James Cameron was the director. "At times" means too often.

 

I do own a 7.2 set of speakers and a pre-amp to process the audio, but my amp is only five channel. Hopefully if my ear injury improves, I can invest in a 2-channel amp for the mains, and use the 5-channel one for the centre and surrounds.

[A24 4,326]

2 hours ago, publicist said:

 

Say Alex, can a man in his fifties with a vast knowledge of cinema between the 30's and present not possibly come up with a less idiotic comparison? 

 

What comparison? Of course I don't think you would have preferred a Golden Age symphonic score a la Max Steiner for Bourne, but is there a film music style that you think that would have been a better fit than the one we've got? If it works, it works.

[publicist 4,643]

But obviously it doesn't, say a film MUSIC fan.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,507]

Gentlemen, behave yourselves!

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

The scores for the Bourne movies work, but like hell would I wanna actually listen to them on their own.

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

Even Powell’s #1 fan here doesn’t give a darn about those Bouring things.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Premium Rush

 

It's fun when it's Zod chasing Robin around the city, but gets boring when it goes all plotty. Ehhh.

[publicist 4,643]

 

And so it did end. Disappointingly so. After the comparatively contemplative DH7.1 this one suffers from a severe case of blockbusteritis: loud, overlong effect/action scenes (check), annoying speechifying (double check) and irritatingly fleeting appearances of past characters like collecting merchandise (double check).

 

While i appreciate the bloodletting, there's only one reason to see this, and it's the long Snape flashback scene, which finally gives the character justice and feels really well-written/directed. While the obvious Christ-allusions of the story would have meant for the boy die together with Voldemort, i can live with the ending they chose to go with: why so anally explain the machinations behind it only Rowlings and Kloves know - do it through images, it's a picture, folks! Desplat's score this time felt rather helpless and out of its element with the Zimmerized battle stuff and apart from a few good mystical moments has zero to contribute.

 

I should have heeded Brundlefly's warning...

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Some good HP fan fiction out there. And no, I'm not talking about the smut.

[Sweeping Strings 2,346]

Am not a prude, but erotic fan-fic based on kid's/family franchises gives me the icks.   

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

A Passage to India

 

Wow, an early #metoo movie! Poor Indian doctor fella wouldn't have stood a chance these days. In fact I thought the doctor was more the main character and not Judy Davis, who got top billing. By the way, the hair and make up department could have done a better job on her, right? She was a two-face, looked okay in some shots and hideous in other shots! David Lean didn't seem very good at casting female leads, but man oh man the movie looks and feels epic! And at times felt like a travelogue. Great, now I don't have to go there.

[A24 4,326]

 

Mrs. Fielding!!!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,507]

Have you read the novel, Jerry?

Imho, it's the finest novel ever written, in the English language. It's so anti-colonial, you wouldn't believe!

 

Ahem; "David Lean didn't seem very good at casting female leads"? Really? Really? Sarah Miles? Julie Christie? Julie. ****ing. Christie???!!!

[publicist 4,643]

I liked Peggy Ashcroft in that movie (which is great).

[A24 4,326]

20 hours ago, Norma's Corpse said:

The scores for the Bourne movies work, but like hell would I wanna actually listen to them on their own.

 

Don't ask me why but I'm pretty sure Thor gets a kick out of listening to the scores on their own. It shows it's possible. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

9 hours ago, Richard said:

Have you read the novel, Jerry?

Imho, it's the finest novel ever written, in the English language. It's so anti-colonial, you wouldn't believe!

 

Ahem; "David Lean didn't seem very good at casting female leads"? Really? Really? Sarah Miles? Julie Christie? Julie. ****ing. Christie???!!!

 

I never cared much for Julie Christie, sorry.

 

Never read the book.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,507]

Philistine  

[bollemanneke 3,338]

Hobbit, BOFA.

 

Da, Dain is surrounded! This is definitely the weakest of the three. I still find the first ten minutes its highlight and the actual battle lasts way too long: the beginning is boring and long-winded, but the defeat of the armies seemingly only takes 30 seconds while Legolas and Bolg just won't stop fighting and Bilbo is suddenly back in the Shire. Tauriel and Kili's 'story' is more annoying than ever here and I totally forgot how she and then even Legolas stand up to Thranduil. Really absurd. Richard Armitage is great, but Galadriel's cameo is horrible and even Ian McKellen had weak moments. Oh, and did I already say that Lickspittle is not a realistic surname and that the mention of Aragorn is even more ludicrous? Also, why does Thorin think that killing Azog will solve everything and why can't Legolas just bury the hatchet with his father and go back to the Woodland Realm? I need to go back to the two-part fan edit, methinks, and should also stop watching YTP versions on YouTube because half of the ordinary lines in An Unexpected Journey now have me in stitches.

I didn't like the score that much either. Like The Return Of The King, it contains too much aimless meandering. Some moments are great, of course, but... he could have done more and they should have done more (or less). The most obnoxious part for me is Gandalf playing the Erebor theme. How is that a homage to Thorin? Why not the Misty Mountains theme instead? At least that's mournful and not simplistic.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Watching the 1931 version of dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde with Frederick March. It's a hoot. Talking films were still in their infancy and there's a tendency to overact. But the performances are brilliant and the set pieces are beautiful to look at. March won an Oscar for best actor it would be decades before another actor would win for a horror movie.

[Holko 9,499]

Liza, the Fox-Fairy (2015)

 

 

Ah, there's no good way to describe this zany weirdness. Death falls in love with girl, curses her out of jealousy and only true love can make her free. That sounds boring and overused fairytale tripe, doesn't it? What if I say it's set in a finctionalised 70's capitalist Hungary? What if I say the girl is obsessed with Japan and thus Death appears for her as a dashing young Japanese rock'n'roll/twist singer and you can't tell if half the events are only in her head or not? What if I say the curse is anyone who comes to desire her dies within days and the true, slowly acquired love interest is a Finnish-Western-loving policeman investigating her because of all these deaths, and he's practically Kenny? Those perhaps help in getting across the atmosphere. Zany, a bit all over the place dark romantic comedy with gorgeous visuals, loved it!

 

[bollemanneke 3,338]

Spider-Man: Homecoming.

 

Pretty good, if a little long. I'm still not sure whether Tom Holland is my favourite Spider-Man, but really liked Marisa Tomei, Laura Harrier and especially Jennifer Connelly. The light-hearted tone was as pleasing as ever and the characters didn't disappoint either.

Giacchino's score was quite amusing as well. I particularly liked the emphasis on the flutes and pizzicato strings, but he still needs to read about reverb and James Horner's Spider-Man theme is just no match for any other composer's effort. Also, why can't Iron Man's old themes ever be re-used in these movies? How many of them has he got by now? Five? Nine?

[Matt C 452]

Showgirls

 

Talk about excess! It has some classic bad movie moments (like Elizabeth Berkley dry humping or licking anything), but it's largely boring and Paul Verhoeven's excesses work against the movie. You know the movie can't get anything right when the lap dancing scene isn't even sexy, just Berkley gyrating like a crack whore while Kyle McLachlan and Gina Gershon pretend to be turned on. 

 

The best thing about the movie is the tits. Too bad the movie is less sexy than a softcore porno.

[Sweeping Strings 2,346]

Hell Or High Water - drama with more than a hint of Western about it (and some social commentary), with Chris Pine and Ben Foster as bank-robbing brothers and Jeff Bridges on terrific form as one of the Texas Rangers on their tail.
 

[crocodile 7,988]

Days of Heaven. My housemate has a region free player and he bought the Criterion Blu-ray of this which we watched on the projector. Oh wow, isn't this a beautiful looking film?

 

Karol

[Quintus 5,399]

I watched it for the first time in the summer. Absolutely mesmerising film, and not just for its dreamlike visual ID. I'm gonna buy it on blu. I'd essentially stopped buying blu-rays an all.

[Matt C 452]

On 11/14/2018 at 2:05 AM, Norma's Corpse said:

Some good HP fan fiction out there. And no, I'm not talking about the smut.

 

A few even outdo JKR in terms of overall quality. 

 

As for the smutty HP fanfic... some shippers like pairing up sworn enemies or students with professors. It's disturbing.

[Holko 9,499]

I hear even those get the characters and lore better than the fanfic that ended up as a canon play.

[crocodile 7,988]

10 hours ago, Quintus said:

I watched it for the first time in the summer. Absolutely mesmerising film, and not just for its dreamlike visual ID. I'm gonna buy it on blu. I'd essentially stopped buying blu-rays an all.

I'm not sure there is a UK region release. Don't think there is one.

 

Karol

[Quintus 5,399]

That sucks a bit then doesn't it. I was lucky to catch it on Netflix then, where it looked great.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Quintus considering a Blu-ray purchase? As I live and breath!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The power of Malick!

[publicist 4,643]

And it's his only movie where it is worth the bother.

[A24 4,326]

I once watched that movie and thought the image quality looked extremely soft. Could have been the DVD though ...