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

[Chen G. 3,943]

5 minutes ago, JoeinAR said:

No. It is idiotic to think it could be left off. This isn't the tale of Satan. It is the tale of Christ.

 

I understand that's the title of the source material.

 

But as for the film, as a film, the bulk of it is simply the life story of Ben Hur - NOT Christ. It should have stayed that way.

 

I'm not saying the crucifiction should have been cut entirely, though. I'm saying it should have been planted much more throughly into the story, and presented more quickly. Hell, you could probably present part of it before the chariot race.

[publicist 4,643]

Just now, Marian Schedenig said:

I thought Streep was brilliant. While the movie seemed just solid and nothing more to me, Austria's arguably most prominent journalist had high praise for it, so perhaps there's more depth if you're sufficiently invested in the subject matter.

 

There really isn't, it's just that journalists for whatever stupid reason find themselves ennobled by the idea it represents: powerful politicians wrestled down by the press. 

[SteveMc 2,674]

1 minute ago, Chen G. said:

 

I understand that's the title of the source material.

 

But as for the film, as a film, the bulk of it is simply the life story of Ben Hur. It should have stayed that way.

The rivalry between Messala and Judah is not the complete movie.  No, it is about how Judah will meet the same fate as Messala unless he changes.  The implication is that he has not done so already because of the "Man who gave me water."   So, it is only fitting that Christ's end is what effectuates Judah's beginning.   

[Holko 9,499]

3 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

 

I understand that's the title of the source material.

But as for the film, as a film, the bulk of it is simply the life story of Ben Hur. It should have stayed that way.

The lad wouldn't have gotten far without ol' JC directly and indirectly saving him in key spots, though, would he? The film is about the ideas of Christ presented through the life story of Ben-Hur.

[publicist 4,643]

God forbid mankind improves without divine intervention.

[Chen G. 3,943]

On 12/18/2018 at 10:29 PM, Holko said:

The film is about the ideas of Christ presenzed through the life story of Ben-Hur.

 

Yeah, there's thematic continuity in the values upheld by Judah - but they're not christian values as such. They just correlate with christian values. The connection is circumstantial, and - when the two characters briefly meet - mechanical. Sorry, not enough for me.

 

You could have shown word of Christ arriving at Judah's ears (and Messala's) early in the course of the film, and have Judah actively follow Christ's teachings, and make that the source of his conflict with Messala.

[Holko 9,499]

Until the miraculous healing, the bloke's presented as an ordinary man with nice ideas that are starting to catch, nothing divine about him - well, storywise, not in the way he's shot.

1 minute ago, publicist said:

God forbid mankind improves without divine intervention.

 

[Chen G. 3,943]

1 minute ago, Holko said:

Until the miraculous healing, the bloke's presented as an ordinary man with nice ideas that are starting to catch, nothing divine about him.

 

So don't write it that way!

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

17 minutes ago, Steve McQueen said:

I agree that things could have been more taut, dramatic in the third act.  After the high of the chariot race, it does feel a little anticlimactic.  But, to me, Wyler provides adequate and proper resolution to the themes and characters by the end.     

 

I agree. And even as an atheist who doesn't think something must be nothing to laugh at simply because it's Christianity at its core, I think it works, considering both the era it was made in and the religious setting.

25 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

Had the cruxifiction been more tightly knit into Ben Hur's life, the whole retelling of it wouldn't feel so redundant. But it doesn't, and hence it does.

 

But the whole charm of the story is that Judah's and Jesus's lives only cross briefly at a few points, which still have a strong impact on Judah.

 

Also, the whole Bearing of the Cross sequence is magnificent, not least because of the score.

[publicist 4,643]

2 minutes ago, Holko said:

Until the miraculous healing, the bloke's presented as an ordinary man with nice ideas that are starting to catch, nothing divine about him - well, storywise, not in the way he's shot.

 

Yeah well, only showing him in silhouette and people looking up in awe makes me think 'storywise' is not a decisive factor here. Of course they didn't make this movie for martians, so all the patrons knew when quiet reverence was in order.

[Chen G. 3,943]

24 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

the whole Bearing of the Cross sequence is magnificent, not least because of the score.

 

I do really like the scoring of it, yes.

 

It is harder for me to register to it, being that not only am I not christian, I didn't grew up with any christians around.

[SteveMc 2,674]

3 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

Also, the whole Bearing of the Cross sequence is magnificent, not least because of the score.

Rozsa outdid himself there.

[SteveMc 2,674]

Patton (1970)

Franklin Schaeffer's magnum opus.  This is a great film on many levels.  Technically, it is superb.  The direction has a wonderful and purposeful flow to it.  The cinematography is quite gorgeous.  The mise-en-scene rich and meaningful.  The editing crisp.  The script, co written by Francis Ford Coppola, excellent.  Goldsmith's score effective and impactful.  All the elements are brought together skillfully towards the film's central thesis: the paradox that Patton was a man behind his times, an imperial millitarist completely out of place in modern politics and warfare, and yet he was just the man needed for the job at hand.

George C. Scott is titanic as the title figure.  A virtuoso performance.  Patton the man is a bit over the top, yet we still see the life behind the imposing facade; it may be trapped there in the dissonances.  War is life for him.  Karl Malden offers expert counterpoint as Bradley. 

The war scenes are possibly a little more poetic than realistic, but it all serves the film's purpose well.  Patton the man has a poetic view of war after all. 

A taut epic and an immensely good film all around.

4/4          

[Naïve Old Fart 9,493]

Nice review, Steve, but, just so's you know...PATTON was released in 1970.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

THE BOOK THIEF

After a good week of viewings, the quality finally takes a proverbial dive. The Book Thief, while filled with streaks of "touching moments" and such, is not captivating enough in character development to emulate too much feeling of anything. Without any predisposed knowledge, as I have not read the book, the idea of Death as a narrator was creative, but doesn't work nearly as well on screen as I imagine it does on paper. 

 

There are some highlights; what I like to call "breautiful", a combination of the words brutal and beautiful. A scene where essentially brainwashed German schoolchildren sing an anti-Jew, Nazi victory choral meshes into a montage of Nazi raids on Jewish homes, with the choir being the only thing that carries over into each shot. That was good film making. 

 

Photographically, the film doesn't look terrible, but there's not much to look at as it is. 

 

Acting wise, Sophie Nelisse was probably one of the better child performances, although nothing stunning. Geoffrey Rush has the most control on screen, and he does his best as with a German accent.

 

All in all, it didn't pick up on some of the tones that might've kept it, how do you say, moving. While I have every respect for the story and the matters pertaining to it, I was not overly interested by the film.

 

RATING: ** out of *****

CONSENSUAL STATEMENT: "Not all bad, but needed something more."

[Hitch 57]

Roma (2018) written, edited, photographed (B&W) and directed by Alfonso Cuaron.  Amazing cinematography and beautifully acted. A front-runner for Best Picture.  It'll definitely bag the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Feature and nominations for cinematography, directing and screenplay.

On 10/28/2018 at 8:39 AM, publicist said:

#metoo. Still, it felt awkward even then. Hitch's way of saying 'fuck u'.

That wasn't my intention.  It's really a very funny comedy.

On 3/9/2018 at 5:05 PM, Stefancos said:

Hitch loved this one, if I recall correctly.

Indeed. It's a gorgeous movie and deserved all the Oscars heaped on it.

[SteveMc 2,674]

40 minutes ago, Richard said:

Nice review, Steve, but, just so's you know...PATTON was released in 1970.

Whoops.  Many pardons.  Edited.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

1 hour ago, Steve McQueen said:

Whoops.  Many pardons.  Edited.

Edit it again and love JG's score MORE MORE MORE..

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,493]

You're right, Joe; it's a powerhouse of a score. Among his finest.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

We loved it in college. The music, Patton's monologue. Good times

[SteveMc 2,674]

1 hour ago, JoeinAR said:

Edit it again and love JG's score MORE MORE MORE..

 

I will say it:  It is Goldsmith's very best.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

5 minutes ago, Steve McQueen said:

I will say it:  It is Goldsmith's very best.

Now back it down. It is great but it isn't Star Trek the Motion Picture. But your attitude and enthusiasm make me dream of a better future.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,493]

10 hours ago, JoeinAR said:

We loved it in college. The music, Patton's monologue. Good times

When you stick your hand into a pile of goo which was once your best friend's face...you'll know what to do.

[crocodile 7,983]

Watched one of my favourite Christmas movies last night:

 

 

Karol

[John 2,032]

Great family flick!

[SteveMc 2,674]

 

 

 

Frozen (2013)  

 

Review contains spoilers.  Duh.  

Now for something really family friendly!

When approaching an animated movie, I take things seriously.  No animated movie gets a pass for being "for kids."  A movie should have good dramatic storytelling, regardless of how the story is told.  Still, of course, there are particulars in animation.  The artistry becomes an important consideration.  The really good animated films have a timelessness and purity to them.

How does Frozen stack up?  Things are a bit mixed.  On one hand, there is a lot to admire in terms of artistry.  The costume and architectural designs, the natural scenes, the ice and snow, the variety of color and light, all done exquisitely well.  But, the character design presents issues.  The female leads bear the creative stamp of Mark Henn, anime, and the toy department.  The characters often, in movement and design, come off as too circa 2012.  Which is not to say things aren't good sometimes: just watch the opening sequence set to the song "Frozen Heart."  Design and movement are exemplary there.  Another issue is with Jennifer Lee's script, namely the dialogue.  It wants timelessness.  But, structurally speaking, Lee's script is fantastic.  It hits all the right beats, with just enough variation to remain engaging.

What of the characters?  Well, we know classic Disney characters tended to be a tad shallow.  Not so with Anna and especially Elsa.  They are fully fleshed out, eminently relatable.  The same can't be really said about the male characters.  Hans is more a plot device than a character.  The twist of him being evil is meant to be a subversion, and, in the script, it is barely set up at all.  The animators do an admirable job to fill in the blanks, though.  It is a pity that he was not more fully fleshed out, as he could be as interesting a figure as Elsa, and the differences between the two could have been used to great effect.  

One on hand the centrality of the story, that love between sisters rather than the love of a prince is what saves the day, is intended also to be subversive, contemporary.  On the other hand, it is handled very well, and has foundations in good storytelling and inherent mythical sense.  Elsa's predicament is a human one.  She is an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances.  The same with Anna.  There is a universal aspect to the message, and it is refreshing that a completely non-sexual love (fanfiction be damned)  is what is at play here.  In the way the characters interact with and are affected by the story, there is a good deal of depth, and a richness of applicable interpretation.  (Interestingly, the story has definite elements of Christian principles, if not direct allegory, from story elements like Anna dying for another after being betrayed, to character names, to symbolism, to music choices.  This seems to have been intentional.)   

Now what of the music?  Beck's score is rather good.  The songs?  Some, like "Frozen Heart," "For The First Time In Forever" and its reprise, and "Do You Want To Build A Snowman?" are very good indeed, thanks largely to astute orchestration.  Olaf's song, like his character, is okay.  Serves a legitimate purpose.  The troll song is ----ing stupid.  So are the trolls themselves.  They should have been written out.  "Let it Go" is a pretty good song.  But it is totally misunderstood.  It is not an empowerment anthem.  It is a false high, like "Hakuna Matata" before it.  Almost everything Elsa sings is proven wrong by the plot.  She still hasn't found what she was looking for. 

 

So, the verdict?  When I watched this movie for the first time, I came to hate it.  I ended up loving it.  But love is not blind.  While there are plenty of truly timeless elements here, and definitely some of the fruits of good storytelling, some of these things are overshadowed by the "contemporary" and more ethereal elements at play here.  History may not be as kind to Frozen as it has been to some of the Disney classics.  Nevertheless, Frozen is rather good indeed.  We will see if the sequel will be a worthy follow-up.

3.5/4  

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Later tonight I'm going to watch several versions of A Christmas Carol the gene Lockhart version the Alastair Sim version and the basil Rathbone version

[Naïve Old Fart 9,493]

Don't forget the underrated George C. Scott version.

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

4 hours ago, Steve McQueen said:

Hans is more a plot device than a character.  The twist of him being evil is meant to be a subversion, and, in the script, it is barely set up at all.

 

I rather like the fact that the only real (big, if you don't miss it) hint towards his true character is the early mentioned bit about him having 12 older brothers. Other than that, the film makes it look very much like it wants you to accept - like Anna does - him blindly as her true love, and to find his (man) taking over the kingdom in her (woman) stead perfectly natural - as it would have been in many earlier Disney fairy tales. It's traditional Disney storytelling subverting itself, and I think they pulled that off rather well.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

The Holiday (2006)

Ew

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Idiot!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

One of the very few films to feature a character who is a film composer though.

[SteveMc 2,674]

15 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

I rather like the fact that the only real (big, if you don't miss it) hint towards his true character is the early mentioned bit about him having 12 older brothers. Other than that, the film makes it look very much like it wants you to accept - like Anna does - him blindly as her true love, and to find his (man) taking over the kingdom in her (woman) stead perfectly natural - as it would have been in many earlier Disney fairy tales. It's traditional Disney storytelling subverting itself, and I think they pulled that off rather well.

The only thing is, was he, as a character, always completely "evil"?  Is he an outright sociopath, or does he descend and allow his heart to become frozen as the story wears on? 

A bit unclear on this, the film is.  

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

10 hours ago, Stefancos said:

One of the very few films to feature a character who is a film composer though.

And he's by far the most annoying character in the film 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Yes...

[Brundlefly 2,385]

Has anyone seen that movie with John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith and all the other composers?

[bollemanneke 3,337]

Lucy.

 

I'm not sure what to think about it. It definitely provides food for thought, but how realistic it is remains a mystery for now. The ending was rather confusing and Scarlett Johansson wasn't very good at the beginning, but luckily, that quickly changed. Even Morgan Freeman wasn't as great as he usually is, but that might have something to do with his occasionally far-fetched lines.

I had some misgivings about the score because its first cue was horrible, but it turned out to be quite an interesting one with some very effective emotional material and the incorporation of Mozart's requiem worked brilliantly.

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

9 hours ago, Steve McQueen said:

The only thing is, was he, as a character, always completely "evil"?  Is he an outright sociopath, or does he descend and allow his heart to become frozen as the story wears on? 

A bit unclear on this, the film is.  

 

I think him being the 13th son implies that he was born evil. On a second viewing, it also seems obvious that he's scheming right from the beginning.

[SteveMc 2,674]

38 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

I think him being the 13th son implies that he was born evil

That may be quite true.  But the writer, Jennifer Lee, said once that he was the consequence of being raised without love.

39 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

On a second viewing, it also seems obvious that he's scheming right from the beginning

Oh, he is scheming alright, no doubt about it.  But, the question is this: did he ever have any affection at all for Anna, however mixed as it was with ambition?  When he left Anna to die was he just being classic villain cruel, or was he also forcing whatever decency he had left to die with her?

    

[JoeinAR 1,949]

On 12/21/2018 at 5:04 PM, Richard said:

Don't forget the underrated George C. Scott version.

I dont have all winter long.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,493]

Really? Come to were I live, and you'll have plenty if time to watch it.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

10 hours ago, Richard said:

Really? Come to were I live, and you'll have plenty if time to watch it.

How about Christmas in Connecticut. The sexual innuendo is almost over the top in that movie. Richard I do like that version with George C Scott

[Naïve Old Fart 9,493]

Thanks for the tip. I'll check out that movie.

The  Scott version is good, but Sim rules!

I watched the Zemeckis/Carrey version, today. Not bad.

[Sweeping Strings 2,344]

OHMSS - the most 'Christmassy' Bond, and a festive tradition of mine.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

 

 

At one point during Star Wars III, Padme asks Anakin to hold her like he used to before all of the politics, plotting and war. The former Queen who had liberated her people with aggressive negotiations two movies earlier just wants to settle down with her husband and raise a family. But this war is far from over and the stakes are higher than ever for our cast of heroes and villains on both sides.

 

We catch up with them in a twenty minute self-contained adventure. Warring factions clash above the Republic's metropolis and Jedi knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker return to save the day. A climactic swordfight right at the start of the movie sees the end of the last movie's villain, the late Christopher Lee in little more than a cameo. Anakin's skills have increased, his anger has made him more powerful and the elusive dark lord disguised as a friendly politician has taken notice. We're brought up to speed with the new hairstyles and cybernetic head honcho.

 

Anakin is once again at odds; with the Jedi, the Sith and especially himself. Lucas knew exactly what it would take for a good man to turn to the side of evil and had already laid the first stones on his road to Hell. The way to make a character that was previously a hammy villain in a robot suit a tragic sympathetic hero [His unmasking to reveal a guy resembling Mr. Freeze from the old Batman TV show and subsequent death in Return of the Jedi were not particularly effective] was to have him say his goodbyes to the light for love.

 

This time around, Hayden and Natalie are surprisingly not monotone. With blow-dried locks, Christensen wields his laser sword aggressively and emotes even more masterfully. The digital camera loves him. The ever dependable Ewan looks like Kiefer Sutherland in Disney's Three Musketeers. Without a doubt, Ian McDiarmid steals the show. He's fantastic as Anakin's manipulative buddy in the first half of the movie. But when the ghoulish makeup is eventually applied and the wardrobe becomes strictly black, he lets his hair down and hams it up to maximum levels. It wouldn't be Star Wars without clunky patented Lucas sayings and Sith's became as memorable as the old trilogy's in many ways.

 

Lucas has compared the Star Wars series to silent films and the marriage of visuals and music in Sith is perfected in three scenes which feature little to no dialogue. The first is a montage where military troops turn on their former Jedi commanders. The second is the duel between Obi-Wan and the renamed Darth Vader while simultaneously Yoda confronts the Emperor, complete with a ludicrous game of space frisbee. Hanging over a great precipice presumably gloating while Yoda plummets to the floor of space congress, Palpatine channels Jack Nicholson as the Joker when he's dangling from the helicopter at the end of Batman. The third sequence is the climax where destinies are set in motion and Williams really outdoes himself.

 

And with that, the George Lucas Saturday matinee popcorn space opera saga is complete.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,493]

On 12/21/2018 at 7:32 PM, crocodile said:

Watched one of my favourite Christmas movies last night:

 

 

Karol

I love that Cruise is standing on four Christmas boxes, and he's still not as tall as Kidman! 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

But he will always have better hair.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

She had better hair in Batman Forever.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,493]

I wasn't really looking at Kidman's hair, in BATMAN FOREVER...if you know what I mean.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Die Hard 2

 

The 40 minutes are actually a bit of a slog. There's a complicated plot that gets set up in a way that isnt super involving, and there's really entertainment value in seeing Willis and Dennis Franz yell at each other. Once the action gets going, the film starts to take off (no pun intended) The Windsor 114 landing scene is outstanding!

 

Willis is once again on form as John, and save Franz the rest of the cast is solid. With William Sadler impressively icey as the main baddie.

 

Harlin mounts the action well, but visually it isn't quite as striking as the first film, save for the impressive ILM shots of planes blowing up.

 

Kamen's score is ace!

 

Bonnie Bedelia is wasted in this, she gets to spend the whole film with the obnoxious journo from the first film! (Why the fuck is he in this)

 

Quite good.