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

[Naïve Old Fart 9,488]

"total ignorance, in the matter"?

I think @Holko doth protest, too much 

[Nick Parker 3,040]

On 9/23/2018 at 11:23 AM, Holko said:

Say someone was planning a Halloween horror marathon along the lines of '30s Universal, '50s Hammer, American Werewolf in London, Little Shop of Horrors, Evil Dead... so not too serious or particularly agitating. What would be some perhaps oft-forgotten, but great classics or cult classics that must make it onto such a list if it had only 22 movies on it out of the possible 31?

 

Roger Corman's Masque of Red Death! Also, Abominable Dr. Phibes.

[publicist 4,643]

If Vincent Price, 'Theatre of Blood'.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

1 minute ago, publicist said:

If Vincent Price, 'Theatre of Blood'.

 

Is that the one where he's a disgraced director or producer or something and kills former coworkers/colleagues? 

[Sweeping Strings 2,342]

Might I suggest this for the horror marathon, Holko? I had a lot of fun with it when recently re-watching it earlier this year (for the first time since its VHS release) on the Horror Channel's on-demand thingy - 

 

It was the 'Unrated Director's Cut', I think. 

[publicist 4,643]

13 minutes ago, Nick Parker said:

 

Is that the one where he's a disgraced director or producer or something and kills former coworkers/colleagues? 

 

Actor...and he kills critics!

 

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Love watching Vincent Price in just about anything, but I didn't enjoy that movie as much as I thought I would. I don't watch movies with him in them for "camp" value, although by circumstance that what's many of the films he's in happen to fall under, whether justified or not. (Masque of Red Death is a great movie far beyond the category, for example.)

[John 2,032]

51 minutes ago, publicist said:

Actor...and he kills critics!

 

 

Bob Ross would never do such a thing!

[publicist 4,643]

8 minutes ago, Nick Parker said:

Love watching Vincent Price in just about anything, but I didn't enjoy that movie as much as I thought I would. I don't watch movies with him in them for "camp" value, although by circumstance that what's many of the films he's in happen to fall under, whether justified or not. (Masque of Red Death is a great movie far beyond the category, for example.)

 

Oh, the camp was well stirred with cruelty and gratuitous violence. It's a good one, though my favourite of his remains the Tourneur/AIP 'Comedy of Terrors'. Him, Lorre and Rathbone are a hammy delight.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

4 minutes ago, publicist said:

 

Oh, the camp was well stirred with cruelty and gratuitous violence. It's a good one, though my favourite of his remains the Tourneur/AIP 'Comedy of Terrors'. Him, Lorre and Rathbone are a hammy delight.

 

I was speaking more from a general perspective, as often people recommend Price movies with "This movie is so hilarious and corny, you have to watch it!"

 

Our tastes in Price are very different, it would seem. I want to love Comedy of Terrors so much: all of the actors work so well together, and the premise is great. The opening scene, where they dump out their last "client's" corpse so they can reuse the coffin, is awesome, but everything else felt...limp, to me. Strange, coming from a Matheson screenplay.

[publicist 4,643]

It's a comedy, after all. The mix seldom sits well with horror fans.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

1 hour ago, publicist said:

It's a comedy, after all. The mix seldom sits well with horror fans.

 

I didn't think it was that funny, is the thing. I felt like it should've been wittier than it was.

 

Although, as a philosophical aside, I sense horror and comedy go very well together.

[SteveMc 2,674]

2 hours ago, John said:

 

Bob Ross would never do such a thing!

His evil twin, obviously.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

6 hours ago, Sweeping Strings said:

Might I suggest this for the horror marathon, Holko? I had a lot of fun with it when recently re-watching it earlier this year (for the first time since its VHS release) on the Horror Channel's on-demand thingy - 

 

It was the 'Unrated Director's Cut', I think. 

Great flick. Love the score too. “With apologies to Bernard Herrmann” has to be the best composing credit of all time. 

[publicist 4,643]

7 hours ago, Nick Parker said:

I didn't think it was that funny, is the thing. I felt like it should've been wittier than it was.

 

Script aside, the performances are. And at 80 minutes, that's enough for me. 

[Nick Parker 3,040]

4 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

With apologies to Bernard Herrmann” has to be the best composing credit of all time. 

 

Glad to know they acknowledged it!

24 minutes ago, publicist said:

Script aside, the performances are. 

 

I can agree with that.

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

From Beyond's better in nearly every way. Them's the facts, dawgs!

[Holko 9,491]

Thank you on the horror front, gents, I'm up to 33, so I have a little wiggle room if I'm particularly not feeling one of 'em. There's a bunch I've seen and love, some I wanted to see for a while and quite a bit I've never heard of. Tune in next Monday for the first of 31 quick thoughts blurted out without sitting on them!

[Holko 9,491]

Rogue One

 

Well, what can I say? The first half is an unengaging mess, characters don't develop relationships with each other, they just decide to follow each other because script, Vader's voice is really off, Tarkin does look off apart from a shot or two (glass reflection, You may fire when ready)...

But who cares when you have a great second half with a fantastic battle and a killer finale, right?

 

What I noticed this time is the score. It has a handful of great moments (Krennic arriving at Scarif, X-wing coming out of hyperspace, the final two cues), but apart from that, it's really not good! It's overscored, all over the place, many times really far from what it should be doing, annoying nondescript fanfares in every other cue, sometimes irritating sound (recording?)... I used to think it was an OK effort, works in the movie, but this time I didn't think it did at all.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

The score is hard to like, but I'm okay with it.

[Chen G. 3,940]

17 hours ago, Holko said:

 But who cares when you have a great second half with a fantastic battle and a killer finale, right?

 

Honstely, I didn't find the second half that engaging, either.

 

More often than not, I find it overwrought when the finale of a film is split into more than two "pronges". Compare the number of parallel storylines in the finale of The Empire Strikes Back (two) to Return of the Jedi (three) to The Phantom Menace (four). Even though the latter is a prequel, with each film, the finale became more "ambitious" with regards to parallel storylines, but its impact was the inverse of their number.

[Marian Schedenig 8,153]

On 9/23/2018 at 8:52 PM, publicist said:

Have an old recording from the MGM channel, but there is a Blu Ray release, too: https://www.amazon.de/Zeugin-Anklage-Limited-Digipack-Blu-ray/dp/B0761PCBTR

 

Seems to have the wrong aspect ratio. No go. But there's a UK release also, perhaps that's better.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Jurassic Park

 

My local chain decided to screen this because it's 25 years old, and I decided to watch it.

Certainly not Spielberg's best film, but certainly a film that benefits tremendously from being directed by Spielberg.

The occasional dollops of Spielbergian wonderment and his impeccable knack for setpieces really make this a first rate special effects adventure film. 

Fun too. Nothing too heavy handed while still containing some stakes. Ready Player One reminded my strongly of this film. It's the same kinda Spielberg film in tone and style.

Effectively told with a couple of fun character beats, while remaining quite lean overall. Not much added fat. 

The special effects have aged incredibly well actually, even on the big screen. 

 

I really enjoyed this movie, and of course the score is a landmark one for Williams fans of my generation.

 

[John 2,032]

It’s a near-perfect movie. 

[Jay 37,249]

I love it

[JoeinAR 1,949]

On 9/24/2018 at 3:51 PM, publicist said:

It's a comedy, after all. The mix seldom sits well with horror fans.

I have no problem with comedy and horror. It is often a necessary mix.

Hahaha that was funny because Im not scared no not at all hahaha. 

[Nick Parker 3,040]

32 minutes ago, JoeinAR said:

I have no problem with comedy and horror. It is often a necessary mix.

 

I imagine many feel similarly.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Anyone else prefer Jurassic World to the original?

[Nick Parker 3,040]

4 hours ago, Cherry Pie That'll Kill Ya said:

Anyone else prefer Jurassic World to the original?

 

Don't you have a thread about tinnitus or something to make?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

22 minutes ago, Nick Parker said:

 

Don't you have a thread about tinnitus or something to make?

 

Why don't you go and pester Dr McCoy for a while?

[publicist 4,643]

10 hours ago, JoeinAR said:

I have no problem with comedy and horror. It is often a necessary mix.

Hahaha that was funny because Im not scared no not at all hahaha. 

 

Broadly speaking, yes. But that particular movie suffered from being an all-out farce while it mostly attracted horror fans (due to its cast and marketing). 

[Holko 9,491]

The Force Awakens

 

The more I see this, the less I like it overall. Maybe I should stop watching it before it gets below the "good" level it's on right now  

The first act or so is certainly the strongest part, right until they enter Maz's castle and it doesn't get great again until Rey enters hyperspace. 

Han's death never really did anything for me, but I was never much of a Han fan, I loved Luke, Chewie, 3PO and the Ewoks as a kid. If Chewie would have died defending Han, then I would have been sad.

I like the new characters it introduces and how it introduces them - neither Rey nor Finn say a word until a few minutes of screentime in, but you know everything you have to know about them by then, purely through visuals and music (the latter more so with Rey, of course). However, It doesn't do anything too interesting or original with them just yet. It's kind of a rite of passage, putting them through the stereotypical Star Wars motions now that they're part of the story, before their "real" adventures can begin. It does a fine job of reintroducing the OT-esque formula, which was needed in 2015, but doesn't take it any further. It does have quite a few "mythic" moments in the first half and of course Jedi Steps.

 

 

The Last Jedi

 

Oh boy. Is it possible Mattris has gotten to me?

I haven't seen this since March, and this time around, I could barely get through it! 

It's bloated and badly paced. Canto Bight really is useless. Leia floating looks stupid. The humour is jarring and misplaced. It shits on TFA just to constantly mess with you. That Luke moment I defended a while ago is much worse than I thought. The heroes are all depowered fools, and the SJW agenda is actually quite blatant. Rose is a garbage charater who doesn't do anything worthwile, Holdo is just an irritatingly incompetent leader, as is Hux. Luke projecting himself through the galaxy is the biggest copout and letdown of all time.

 

But the worst of all?

 

Spoiler

Gotcha. How many of you fell for that? God it was fun to pretend to be mentally challenged!

In actuality, Last Jedi is fucking great.

Let's go through some of those points: I loved every minute of it. My only problem with the pacing is that the false ending is too good of a false ending, you feel the movie should/could end there.

Canto Bight introduces important elements of moral ambiguity, but is also really important to the plot, even if it'll turn out to be mostly symbolic - that the Resistance's job now with its small numbers is to inspire hope in the oppressed and the new generation, letting them know they're not only stories, but can go there and make a difference. Like we saw at the end, it could mean the world to that young Force user, who will now probably try to hone his talents and organize an uprising of his own instead of using it to grab brooms and be oppressed for the rest of his life.

The Leia scene is dignified and finally acknowledges her Force powers - tying into themes TFA started with Rey's "Mary Sue"-ness, which I'll address later with Luke and the Jedi.

The humour is of course subjective, but I felt none of it was too bad or jarring, most of it in line with TFA's humour,  Maybe "About his mother" at the beginning was a bit too far.

I think it's a great continuation of TFA, going in a more bold direction. Most of the subverted expectations work because it not only subverts you, but the characters in the movie, too. Since backing out of the elevator, Rey hasn't the slightest clue what Kylo's going to do, him just killing Snoke is a surprise to her, too - and to Snoke as well. Rey being a nobody is crucial to her character, her major flaw in TFA was self-doubt and abandonment issues - now she's quite sure she has nobody in the galaxy she could rely on but herself. Maybe Finn, too, but no magic ancestor or old master will come along to make everything right and dandy, she will have to work hard to make a name for herself, after accepting the powers, role and responsibilities she has, and after overcoming her attachment issues and fears.

That Luke moment is perfectly fine, makes him human and faulty, and he feels guilty the second he ignites his saber. No further word on that one.

The main theme of this movie is embracing and accepting failure, learning to learn from it and move on without discarding it. The heroes are constantly confronted with this in various situations, which I wouldn't say is depowering them, more like challenging them, which makes them grow. Poe realises there are times where you have to retreat from a fight, Finn realises he connects with the Resistance cause and fights for them instead of jumping ship at the first opportunity, and Rey will probably want to be a lone wolf trusting primarily herself after hopping from mentor to mentor, substitute father to substitute father to substitute brother/possible romantic interest and everyone letting her down in various ways, which could be dangerous. Anyone who says this movie has an aggressive agenda or is SJW propaganda has some mental deficiency or would find it in anything if looking hard enough.

Rose starts the crucial inspiration in the galaxy, and tells Finn this is the way to go to at the end - the war will not be won by every good person dying trying to fight the war machine while burning up the galaxy and making the rich richer, but regrouping, preserving values and helping people.

Holdo... Eh, not quite sure what to think of her. She is key in Poe's growth. Hux is fun, and if the leaks are true,

Spoiler

I can totally see him leaking info to the Resistance to dethrone Kylo and take over. This is the guy that, according to the new canon, killed his own father to rise up in the ranks.

 

Ah, Luke and the Jedi. Hamill is at his best ever here. 30 years ago Luke came out of everything just fine and became a legend. A legend he couldn't live up to, especially when a mistake caused everything to go out of control. This is a failure he couldn't move past, and his souring and burnout caused him to reevaluate the entire Jedi order, deeming it a failure and wanting to discard it by burning the books and dying alone.

It's mostly TLJ, but TFA has seeds of this, too, but the sequel trilogy seems to be about rethinking the entire Force and how people use it. The Prequels had prominent orders established for millenia, which the OT reminisce about, but the sequels realise you don't need to be a member of dogmatic unemotional orders and councils, or ultraviolent hate-cults to use the Force, there's no need for this separation, because both extremes are bad in their own ways. Rey and Kylo (after Kylo made his decision and destroyed the symbol of his conflict in the elevator) are more natural sides of the Force and create a healthy balance - they are even balanced in power level and determination, like the splitting of the saber shows. Rey also needs nothing more than a mind-connection with Kylo to start instinctively using her powers without decades of discipline and non-attachment being beaten into her from infancy.

I watch a version with the Caretaker Village restored, where Luke makes it clear he thinks the Jedi and him are more like passive observers and justice-dealers, rarely intervening, and the cause needs someone like Rey, not bound by arbitrary monk-rules, but fueled by energy and a will to help. His own mistake is not necessarily in seeing the Jedi Order as ultimately a failure, but wanting to get rid of it instead of learning from it, like Kylo wants to kill the past and start everything brand new. It's possible Rey will one day try and create some new order, and she will now have guidelines for a once successful system to build on. But of course at the end Luke understands that while a young warrior is what the Resistance needs in general, Luke Skywalker is what the Resistance needs right now, a passive nonviolent opponent is what Kylo needs right now, and a reinforced legend of Luke Skywalker is what the Galaxy will need for a while. That whole segment from when he "arrives" on Crait, especially when he walks out and when Kylo "strikes him down" and the trick is revealed is just as mythic and emotionally resonant to me as Binary Sunset, his trench run, or when he lashes out at Vader but pulls back and declares himself a Jedi.

All of this not badly written, pretty well-acted (especially from Hamill and Driver), gorgeously shot and (mostly) wonderfully scored. 

 

I dare say at this moment The Last Jedi is my second favourite Star Wars after... well, Star Wars. Empire can suck it with its... umm... *struggles to think of flaws* ...dragging second act?

 

I think I'm done arguing about it or watching any positive or negative videos, that's it for me! The one thing I may want to know is what those people who say this killed Star Wars think Star Wars is.

[KK 3,307]

How many times have you seen those films?

[Holko 9,491]

TFA maybe 5 times, TLJ 4 times, it's the first movie I saw twice at the cinema.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

47 minutes ago, Holko said:

  Hide contents

That whole segment from when he "arrives" on Crait, especially when he walks out and when Kylo "strikes him down" and the trick is revealed is just as mythic and emotionally resonant to me as Binary Sunset, his trench run, or when he lashes out at Vader but pulls back and declares himself a Jedi.

All of this not badly written, pretty well-acted (especially from Hamill and Driver), gorgeously shot and (mostly) wonderfully scored. 

 

The pathos of that scene, interestingly enough, was not changed for me after each viewing, not even the first time I saw it when I marveled at what I was seeing, what had happened, and how it all played out. The tension and emotion of the scene, regardless if you caught on to the bigger picture, is so magnetic and pulsing that it's hard not feel it.

[A24 4,322]

1 hour ago, Holko said:

The Force Awakens

 

The more I see this, the less I like it overall

 

 

Did you really need 5 viewings to realise that?!  

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

It's a bit plain and generic but obviously a crowd pleaser like Star Trek '09 was.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

I've seen TFA 9 times and TLJ 4 times/

[A24 4,322]

2 minutes ago, Cherry Pie That'll Kill Ya said:

It's a bit plain and generic but obviously a crowd pleaser like Star Trek '09 was.

 

Apparently, I don't like plain and generic.

[KK 3,307]

Jeez. What could you guys possibly get from those flicks to warrant 5+ viewings and within a year no less!?

[A24 4,322]

I always felt 99,5% of all movies aren't even worth a second viewing.

[Holko 9,491]

TFA has been out for 3 years.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Only feels like yesterday when we all thought Ep7 would never happen.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

2 hours ago, Holko said:

The more I see this, the less I like it overall.

 

I feel the same--it was a spectacle movie, and I felt for a year that it's not going to age well. Last time I watched it was with friends, and one of them put it best when they said: "This movie knows you're watching it."

[publicist 4,643]

 

Dead Ringer: Saw this for the Previn score which i liked for some time. Surprisingly good late-era Bette (your enjoyment solely depends how much of her you can take, she's twins here).

[Jay 37,249]

I really don't like any of the new Star Wars movies

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

As long as you enjoy the scores.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

7 minutes ago, publicist said:

 

Dead Ringer: Saw this for the Previn score which i liked for some time. Surprisingly good late-era Bette (your enjoyment solely depends how much of her you can take, she's twins here).

 

Hehe, love this flick. Two Bettes for the price of one!

[Jay 37,249]

58 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

As long as you enjoy the scores.

 

Just the Williams ones.  The Powell too for the most part.  Giacchino's stunk.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

2 hours ago, KK said:

Jeez. What could you guys possibly get from those flicks to warrant 5+ viewings and within a year no less!?

The Force Awakens : x1

The Last Jedi: x0

Rogue One: x0

Solo: x0

 

I win!