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

[Chen G. 3,949]

The seperate parts of what is - in my book - one Lord of the Rings film (and yes, its applicable to films like Infinity War/Endgame, Pirates of the Caribbean 2/3, Harry Potter 7/8, etc...) have their own ebb-and-flow just like any individual setpieces contained within each of them may have an internal ebb, flow, climax and denoument.

 

For instance, each half of any one of The Lord of the Rings films has its own internal structure (not unlike 60s epics) and even individual sequences like Moria or Helm's Deep do.

 

Hell, one of the critiques leveled against some of those concurrent productions is that at least one of the individual parts often does lack individuality indeed. Infinity War, for instance, has most certainly been called a half-movie.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

2 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

The seperate parts of what is - in my book - one Lord of the Rings film (and yes, its applicable to films like Infinity War/Endgame, Pirates of the Caribbean 2/3, Harry Potter 7/8, etc...) have their own ebb-and-flow just like any individual setpieces contained within each of them may have an internal ebb, flow, climax and denoument.

 

Chen, if you're gonna tell a dude to lighten up,  don't get engaged with them in a debate on the nuances of multi-part narrative fifteen minutes later. 

[Quintus 5,399]

48 minutes ago, JoeinAR said:

I would be interested in seeing a list of 5 films we could each take to an island. Only I am strict. 5 films. Not Lotr and count it as 1 as many here would do. Its 3 movies. Same with Potter or Indy.

 

I like it, not a bad idea for a thread.

 

42 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

 

Not a right comparison. The one was written, previsualized, shot and largely assembled in one go and presented as three parts; the others (with the exception of the last two Harry Potter entries) were made as separate productions, often with different creative teams.

 

9 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

The seperate parts of what is - in my book - one Lord of the Rings film (and yes, its applicable to films like Infinity War/Endgame, Pirates of the Caribbean 2/3, Harry Potter 7/8, etc...) have their own ebb-and-flow just like any individual setpieces contained within each of them may have an internal ebb, flow, climax and denoument.

 

Abort Abort, thread idea cancelled. Kill me now.

 

 

[Chen G. 3,949]

Oh no, a discussion! Who could have imagined the horror?!

[Quintus 5,399]

Are you always like this though?

[Chen G. 3,949]

What, up for talking about stuff? on a discussion board no less?

[Quintus 5,399]

Talking about the content of the movies themselves would be great of course, but wading through your boring semantics wouldn't be, no. 

[Chen G. 3,949]

To each his own.

 

I find those academic discussions about finer points very interesting.

 

It wasn't my idea, anyway. Joe brought the point up.

[Quintus 5,399]

2 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

 

I find those academic discussions about finer points very interesting.

 

 

Oh god

[JoeinAR 1,949]

32 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

The seperate parts of what is - in my book - one Lord of the Rings film (and yes, its applicable to films like Infinity War/Endgame, Pirates of the Caribbean 2/3, Harry Potter 7/8, etc...) have their own ebb-and-flow just like any individual setpieces contained within each of them may have an internal ebb, flow, climax and denoument.

 

Hell, one of the critiques leveled against some of those concurrent productions is that at least one of the individual parts often does lack individuality indeed. Infinity War, for instance, has most certainly been called a half-movie.

Jesus Fucking Christ is all I got.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

15 minutes ago, Quintus said:

 

Oh god

 

Movie discussion in the Millennial age mate, better get used to it.

[Quintus 5,399]

Aye. This is JWFan: The Next Generation

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I'll wait for JWFan: Deep Space Nine

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I have trouble abiding such ingnorance. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

6 minutes ago, JoeinAR said:

I have trouble abiding such ingnorance. 

 

Its just a difference of opinion though. No real damage is done.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

1 hour ago, Chen G. said:

If I were stuck on a desert island, i would take

1. The Lord of the Rings, (Fellowship of the Rings, The Two Towers, Return of the King),

2. The Godfather (parts 1, 2, & 3), 

3.Harry Potter(Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, The Half Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows, Parts 1 & 2,

4. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade(the best part) but not Kingdom of the Crystal skull, I do have standards.

#5 would be a guilty pleasure Final Destination, FD 2, 3, The Final Destination, and FD 5.

Those would be my 5 film choices.

How 5 becomes 22 #fake post.

[publicist 4,643]

Though i can't fault Chen's zealous reasoning as such, i still find his peculiar obsession with shallow boys blockbusters extremely fishy. I just can't picture a guy who scholarly wades through film history and then evangelizes people about the profound brilliance of 'Braveheart' and 'Gladiator'. 

 

This Top 22 activates my fishy-meter even more.

[Quintus 5,399]

19 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

 

Its just a difference of opinion though. No real damage is done.

 

It's not really though. Joey was suggesting an entirely different subject to Chen.

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

Five?

 

Amadeus (Milos Forman, 1984)

Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)

Midnight Run (Martin Brest, 1988)

Oh, Mr Porter! (Marcel Varnel, 1937)

2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)

[bollemanneke 3,342]

Terminator Salvation.

 

I'm surprised they manage to keep the story this interesting after four films. Not that it was ever dull, I just didn't expect this one to be as engaging as it was. I only didn't really like the romance between Marcus and Blair, and killing that last Terminator by beheading it is really cheap. I thought these things were supposed to be virtually indestructible?

Danny Elfman did what he could as well. I'm still missing the original main theme, but really like Elfman's more contemplative side and some action moments weren't bad either.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

The Ten Commandments is on ABC, like it is every Saturday night before Easter.  Someone needs to do a supercut of every time Charlton Heston says the word "bondage."

[Wojo 2,453]

2 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

The Ten Commandments is on ABC, like it is every Saturday night before Easter.  Someone needs to do a supercut of every time Charlton Heston says the word "bondage."

 

This will suffice, for now. 

 

 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Party Monster

 

 

This reminded me of Factory Girl in that it's basically a mediocre movie with a story that didn't need to be told about immature freeloaders in NYC, but it does feature a memorable performance. In this case, Macaulay Culkin just being flamboyant and sexy. It's a camp-fest that never really engages and certainly doesn't have any payoff, but if you can just stare at and listen to Mac for an hour and a half, here you go.

[Chen G. 3,949]

6 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

The Ten Commandments is on ABC, like it is every Saturday night before Easter.  Someone needs to do a supercut of every time Charlton Heston says the word "bondage."

 

Cecil B. DeMille's narration is another thing. The montage in which Moses goes into Sinai was the one chance the film had (if you could call this wideshot teleplay a film) at visual storytelling, and here comes the director and decides to fill it with wall-to-wall narration which is completely redundant.

 

**1/2 out of *****

[Sweeping Strings 2,355]

Easter double-bill. Hehehe. 

Life Of Brian - now 40 years old, and still as irreverently hilarious as ever. Peerless religious satire.

Nude Nuns With Big Guns - the sort of thing that probably plays in Tarantino's head when he has a fever, this low-budget 'nunsploitation' flick is heavy on the gratuitous nudity, violence and bad gringos. Perfect late-night-with-beer 'mantertainment'.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

5 hours ago, Sweeping Strings said:

Life Of Brian - now 40 years old, and still as irreverently hilarious as ever. Peerless religious satire.

 

Sorry, you're gonna have to be banned now. 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Ben Hur on the perfect day 

[A24 4,331]

Shut In (2016)

 

 

Steals from The Shining like there's no tomorrow. 3/10

 

The Stranger (1946)

 

 

It's been ages since I've seen a really old movie. I didn't find much to like in this one but it was watchable, I guess. 5/10

[SteveMc 2,674]

Jaws

Spielberg's economy of effective visual storytelling here is most remarkable.  There is an effortlessness that is missing in Spielberg's later work.  Which is not to say he did not have to wring this one out of himself.  It's just that it looks and feels so effortless, spontaneous, natural.  And, of course, the dialogue and acting are pretty much perfect.  The film works so very well even without the music.  Williams takes things to a whole new level altogether.

 

Now for some ramblings on why this one is so engaging and effective.

Chesterton said that the essence of great storytelling is to put ordinary characters in extraordinary situations.  That is what Spielberg does here with Brody.  But, Spielberg brings things down to earth.  In lieu of the dragon and the princess, we have the terrifyingly relatable shark going after beach goers.  Brody, the everyman with the wife, the kids, and the responsibility must faceoff with this extraordinary threat.  Others may be in denial.  Or really on their knowledge.  Or flamboyant experience.  But only the everyman is able to slay the beast, after absorbing lessons and overcoming inner hurdles.  Why?  Because only the everyman, by nature, has what it takes.  He needs a trial to get it out of him.

 

Spielberg, crucially, takes an interesting turn.  He brought the dragon down to earth, but he does not stop there.  He makes a concession as it were, in the person of Quint.  Quint is larger than life, almost fantastic.  He is a living myth that guides and frustrates those more down to earth, steals scenes, and has the audience wanting more.  The juxtaposition of the real with the epic is absolutely brilliant. 

Jaws may very well be the quintessential American film.  You would certainly be hard-pressed to find one where high and low art are more seamlessly blended. 

4/4

 

   

also: the shark is just fine, thank you

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

Easily my favourite Spielberg film, yeah. Love the cinematography too (the ostium of that legendary "zoom-in while moving the camera backwards" technique) , and between a great script (so many memorable lines in it too!) and splendid acting, it's really one of my favourite films of all time. 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

It is my second favorite film of all time and my second favorite SS film. E.T. the Extra-terrestrial number 1 for 37 years and counting.

[John 2,032]

It’s a darn near perfect movie. 

[Jurassic Shark 12,055]

They really couldn't have done more.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

It's alright, but Munich is Spielberg's best film.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

2 minutes ago, Ghostbusters II said:

It's alright, but Munich is Spielberg's best film.

No its a terrible film. Ss makes a snuff film. The last scene is an insult to decent human beings.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

My mistake. I meant A.I.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

You mean the SS version of The Never Ending Story?

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Obviously I meant Hook.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

21 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

They really couldn't have done more.

Are you quite finished?

[JoeinAR 1,949]

You mean the one with the star whose net worth was between 50 and 100 million dollars because he was depressed and had Parkinson's much like Michael J Fox  except unlike Michael J Fox he cowardly killed himself?

[Jurassic Shark 12,055]

6 minutes ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

Are you quite finished?

 

Still at the toilet.

[Chen G. 3,949]

Unforgiven (1992, directed by Clint Eastwood)

 

This is a great example of how a film can benefit from not having a lot of plot to tell. Insteaf of focusing on plot mechanics, it can very leisurely explore its theme and drive it into the audience's minds. "shooting a gun from the 1800s ain't what you thought it was, folks", "killing people isn't what you think it is", "riding across the country on horseback isn't what you think it is", "cowboys and sherifs aren't what you thought they are", etcetra.Its absolutely woven into every strand of the film's fabric.

 

Richard Harris portrays English Bob, perhaps the living embodiment of the classic Western which this film is trying so hard to unpack. His inclusion is thematically significant, but I still wish it tied more closely into the main plot. Oh well...

 

****1/2 out of *****

[Jurassic Shark 12,055]

Nice main theme as well.

[bollemanneke 3,342]

Closer.

 

The men are cast perfectly (especially Clive Owen) and are jerks. Julia Roberts is great, but I didn't really like Natalie Portman in this one. Not that she wasn't good, but everyone is just really weird and annoying. I sincerely hope this wasn't based on or inspired by real people. Speaking of weird, the movie does strange things with time: there are huge gaps that we only find out about through dialogue and that makes them even more unreal. What the hell, they're breaking up AGAIN? Stop it already, now it's just getting absurd.

The score is short and doesn't work. The classical music during the online sex session was particularly jarring and someone needs to re-record the first (and last) song and pretend the original was never made. Posterity will be grateful.

[Quintus 5,399]

JaWsFan.com

[publicist 4,643]

8 hours ago, Chen G. said:

Unforgiven (1992, directed by Clint Eastwood)

 

This is a great example of how a film can benefit from not having a lot of plot to tell. Insteaf of focusing on plot mechanics, it can very leisurely explore its theme and drive it into the audience's minds. "shooting a gun from the 1800s ain't what you thought it was, folks", "killing people isn't what you think it is", "riding across the country on horseback isn't what you think it is", "cowboys and sherifs aren't what you thought they are", etcetra.Its absolutely woven into every strand of the film's fabric.

 

Richard Harris portrays English Bob, perhaps the living embodiment of the classic Western which this film is trying so hard to unpack. His inclusion is thematically significant, but I still wish it tied more closely into the main plot. Oh well...

 

****1/2 out of *****

 

This, to me, is Gene Hackman's movie. His 'I just built this house' scene is great.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Has anyone seen the Japanese remake with Ken Watanabe?

[Sweeping Strings 2,355]

Happy Death Day - if Groundhog Day had been a slasher flick, it might have been something like this. A bitchy sorority girl is killed on campus on the night of her birthday, and then finds herself reliving the day again and again. She sets out to discover who kills her and why, in order to stop them and break free from the 'loop'. Quite inventive, and with a nice streak of humour.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

FOR A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS

I think I've determined now that the director-actor-composer trio of Leone, Eastwood and Morricone is one of the greatest such trios in the history of film, at least in terms of memorability. Although I've gone about the Dollars Trilogy in a scrambled order, starting with The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, each of these three films works pretty well as a standalone, although each does lend character development and key traits into each other. At the end of viewing all three, there was not much that I needed to stitch together, and the connections were not difficult to make. So let's get right into the ostium of The Man With No Name!

 

Leone's impeccable style is genre-defining. Although I've been sweeping through westerns left, right and centre lately (some spaghetti, others classic American) I haven't really seen that many. Nonetheless, it's quite easy to tell that what is being viewed is at the top of it's class. 

 

The script is yet another strong point, with so many memorable lines coming from the stoic Eastwood and company. Leone's directorial style is amplified by the cinematography of Massimo Dallamano, who sets the stage for the series with stunning landscape shots, pressing close-ups, and visual storytelling. The Man With No Name can often stand to be a man of few words, hell, expressions even, because the telling signs of intention, emotion, focus, and motive are woven deeper into the fabric of the film than just in simple looks and lines. That being said, it's nothing to take too seriously. It's fun, it's clever, and it's made for popcorn and Saturday afternoons. 

 

The plot, specifically, introduces the mysterious rider (Clint Eastwood) who walks into a grim Southern town, where the best jobs are coffin maker and bandit. There are two leading gangs, and the Man ends up working both sides of the table by pitting each against the other on numerous occasions, work doubly on the inside. He ends up making a pretty penny, and (SPOILERS) gets the feuding sides killed off in the end. 

 

Morricone composed another trademark theme, owning each shot it appears in with the titoli whistling theme. Additives, such as the male voices and what's literally two pieces of wood, are clinchers. 

 

RATING: **** out of ***** (Prepare three stars.....My mistake, four.)

CONSENSUAL STATEMENT: "My mule liked this film. Genre-defining fun." -Jerry

[Chen G. 3,949]

7 minutes ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

Although I've gone about the Dollars Trilogy in a scrambled order, starting with The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, each of these three films works pretty well as a standalone

 

They are standalone. There's zero continuity between the three. Its a "trilogy" unified by genre and style, not by plot.