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

[crocodile 8,000]

10 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

The print struck of the original camera negative after Nolan pissed on it?

Haha. Is that the one you watched earlier this year?

 

Karol

[Chen G. 3,949]

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

M:I3 has that high contrast, orange and teal look? I swear this looks like a precursor to the Transformers films, which were only a year away, and from the same studio.

 

It also shares with those films the relentness nature of the camerawork, which is usually a turn-off for me. You'd have to be the absolute master of your craft (read: be Martin Scorcese) to make that kind of lively camerawork work and not be utterly exhausting. "When every scene feels as though it’s the most important, none of the scenes feel terribly important."

[Nick Parker 3,040]

1 hour ago, Chen G. said:

 

It also shares with those films the relentness nature of the camerawork, which is usually a turn-off for me. You'd have to be the absolute master of your craft (read: be Martin Scorcese) to make that kind of lively camerawork work and not be utterly exhausting. "When every scene feels as though it’s the most important, none of the scenes feel terribly important."

 

 

I didn't know you were a Scorcese fan, Chen. What's your favorite film of his?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Greengrass shaky cam isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

3 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

The Greengrass shaky cam isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. 

 

I think I like those Bourne movies more than the M:I ones!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

3 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

The Greengrass shaky cam isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. 

 

It's not, but it inspired a lot of film-makers to do likewise but worse.

[Chen G. 3,949]

10 hours ago, Nick Parker said:

I didn't know you were a Scorcese fan, Chen. What's your favorite film of his?

 

Probably Goodfellas.

 

I can't help but marvel at how his constant movement of the camera is never overwhelming, in the way that it is in MI:III or a Michael Bay film.

[A24 4,331]

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

 

I think I like those Bourne movies more than the M:I ones!

 

Bourne is more likeable.

 

 

He even hands out money to total strangers.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

He's only likeable in the first one.

[A24 4,331]

That's because he's a scrooge in the sequels. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

5 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

That's because he's a scrooge in the sequels. 

 

Bourne doesn't smile in the Greengrass films.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

4 hours ago, Chen G. said:

Probably Goodfellas

 

Not a bad choice. It's an Italian-American soap opera of the highest order!

 

Cliched as it is, I would say Taxi Driver. One of the most compelling portraits of the psychological damage caused by war. And throw Bernard Herrmann? Daaayyyyuuummm.

[A24 4,331]

Score of Taxi Driver is wonderful in the movie. It's like the city is the narrator.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

4 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

Score of Taxi Driver is wonderful in the movie. It's like the city is the narrator.

 

Hell yeah! Very similar to Blade Runner in that regard. I know the word "operatic" is way too overused in the film score community, but the larger than life existential dread that Herrmann creates is enthralling. Unfortunate that Scorcese didn't continue to be a composer's director afterwards.

 

Also, the movie has this scene:

 

 

I always thought it was just a good scene until several years ago my first girlfriend tried to give me advice at about the same level of eloquency, emotional comprehension, and effectiveness. Then I really loved the scene.

[A24 4,331]

Love how it doesn't sound like the words are coming from a clever writer. You can really see how Travis has a hard time expressing his thoughts and feelings.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

2 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

Love how it doesn't sound like the words are coming from a clever writer. You can really see how Travis has a hard time expressing his thoughts and feelings.

 

Yeah this is one of my pet peeves about modern blockbusters how everyone has a clever, witty comment at the exact right moment. That hardly ever happens in real life, so it's refreshing to see in a film like TD.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

10 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

Love how it doesn't sound like the words are coming from a clever writer. You can really see how Travis has a hard time expressing his thoughts and feelings.

 

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

 

Yeah this is one of my pet peeves about modern blockbusters how everyone has a clever, witty comment at the exact right moment. That hardly ever happens in real life, so it's refreshing to see in a film like TD.

 

Indeed. I think it takes a lot of courage from a screenwriter to do this. One of the reasons I wanted to smack every character in Birdman, they were so obnoxiously snappy and smart, every line felt like it was coming from a screenwriter who was afraid people would think he wasn't smart if he didn't make the characters smart. And it contradicted one of the underlying thematic currents in the film!

 

I cowrote a play five years, and there was a scene where a character goes through a very traumatic experience with her son. Afterwards, some clueless character tries to cheer her up, and I had written a brief, eloquent speech from the mother basically saying, "You don't understand, stop talking to me." One of my writing partners was a theater veteran. The next morning after I wrote it, I noticed the scene was revised--we were using Google Docs--and the whole monologue was erased, with in its stead a simple line: "GO AWAY!"

 

It was  one of the most important things I learnt in creative endeavors. 

 

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

1 minute ago, Nick Parker said:

 

 

Indeed. I think it takes a lot of courage from a screenwriter to do this. One of the reasons I wanted to smack every character in Birdman, they were so obnoxiously snappy and smart, every line felt like it was coming from a screenwriter who was afraid people would think he wasn't smart if he didn't make the characters smart. And it contradicted one of the underlying thematic currents in the film!

 

I cowrote a play five years, and there was a scene where a character goes through a very traumatic experience with her son. Afterwards, some clueless character tries to cheer her up, and I had written a brief, eloquent speech from the mother basically saying, "You don't understand, stop talking to me." One of my writing partners was a theater veteran. The next morning after I wrote it, I noticed the scene was revised--we were using Google Docs--and the whole monologue was erased, with in its stead a simple line: "GO AWAY!"

 

It was  one of the most important things I learnt in creative endeavors. 

 

 

 

Normally these days people say "FUCK OFF!"

[Nick Parker 3,040]

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

 

Normally these days people say "FUCK OFF!"

 

We were pulling a Sony, wanted to get all those teenagers in the theater seats. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Or my new favourite:

 

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

 

Wow, Ethan Hunt takes on ghosts now! Oh...

 

Well anyway, gone are all the stupid camera gimmicks. It's just a straight-up, exciting action movie now, with a proper team dynamic without everyone else either killed or a traitor. I guess all it lacks is a strong, charismatic super villain, but whatevs. I loved the bit when he climbs the building like Spider-Man.

[Sweeping Strings 2,352]

On 9/30/2018 at 11:55 AM, Quintus said:

I heard it was disappointing after the first movie. How about the third one?

Haven't seen it, and with it apparently even worse than 2 I don't think I will. 

Don't mind some of Neeson's 'ageing action hero' output ... had fun with Run All Night and The Commuter. Overall though, I think I'd rather see him in the likes of The Grey. He's too good of an actor to carry on being Northern Ireland's answer to Steven Seagal.  

[A24 4,331]

Just as the next guy, I don't mind a dumb Neeson actioner every once in a while, but The Commuter is one of the worst. In fact, I stopped watching when the movie turned into some kind of nonsensical disaster flick.

[Holko 9,519]

So, Horrorathon 1 : Dracula (1931)

Where else could I start off? An iconic, influential, atmospheric classic, and a bit dragging even at only an hour and 10 minutes. Lugosi's hypnotic gaze and Renfield's madness (he's the creepiest thing in the movie) are the highlights, but once we move into that house, not much happens. Even what does happen repeats itself, and is quite slow.

The first time I saw this I was surprised to hear and read perfect Hungarian in the first 6-7 minutes, it's always a nice touch even if the actors lacked the quite recognizeable accent they should have had in Transylvania. 

I've seen Lugosi's influence and imitations many times, but when hearing him for the first time, my first reaction was to burst out laughing. Through all the imitations I never realised the iconic Dracula accent is that of a Hungarian who doesn't speak a word of English and is regurgitating phonetically transcribed lines! Once I got through the initial shock, I of course realised it could be considered fitting for the character's background.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,514]

16 minutes ago, Holko said:

 

Where else could I start off? 

NOSFERATU, THE GOLEM, THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI.

[Holko 9,519]

Well, yeah, but I don't think I have the patience/mood for silent movies. I do know about all of those.

[publicist 4,643]

 

Jean de Florette: Great french movie (hey, get outta here!) with Yves Montand, Gerard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil A greedy Provence landowner and his backward nephew conspire to block the only water source for an adjoining property in order to bankrupt the owner (Depardieu) and force him to sell. Based on a Marcel Pagnol book, it's a sumptuous (sometimes funny) country epos with the créme de la créme of french actors of the time, as much a dramatic story as an ode to the beauty of the landscape. Toots Thielemans plays the main theme.

 

 

The Last Valley: During the Thirty Years' War of 1600s, a band of protestant mercenaries peacefully coexists with german catholic villagers in a hidden idyllic mountain valley untouched by war. The peace is about to end soon, though.  This Michael Caine/Omar Sharif movie is one third historical epos, one third adventure movie and one third parable. Directed by author James Clavell, the result is a bit more boring than necessary, but the photography and John Barry's brilliant score make it appear more respectable than it is. It's too verbatim in historical detail to cleverly suggest the intended allegories and, paradoxically, too emblematic to illustrate the actual realities of the Thirty Years' War.

 

Still, the entry into the Last Valley and the final scene are great movie pieces, with Barry's score providing a most compelling narrative.

[crocodile 8,000]

Noticed 4K Blu-ray of Apollo 13 was on offer at HMV so bought a copy. I've only seen the last 30 minutes on television ages ago. It was a conventional romp, sure, but very well done. There's nothing really remarkable about the film as such but Howard orchestrated this quite well. At no point was I bored. Special effects were used very sensibly throughout so they never really show their age, even in high resolution. Ace score from Horner too. Now this is what I call good spotting.

 

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Its a really good film. Solidly crafted and all.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

 

As far as modern actioners go... fuck, this and the fourth one are pretty damn good. If I was less persistent, I might have given up on this series after the third one. But obviously, after a storyroom rethink, they decided to overhaul these movies to reflect a more accurate loyalty to the TV show with a stronger team dynamic rather than just obnoxious star vehicles for Tom Cruise. And shit, I loved the girl in this too - nice to know she shows up in the next one, which I don't have yet. Can't wait to see it!

 

Another note, is this the only series of films where every single entry was shot in anamorphic? Oh wait, maybe the Transformers flicks have it matched, not sure. There's always some outlier in these big movie series where one was either Super 35 or plain old flat.

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

4 hours ago, Stefancos said:

Its a really good film. Solidly crafted and all.

 

It lives from the story it's based on, and Ed Harris's performance. And it does so very well.

[SteveMc 2,674]

5 hours ago, crocodile said:

Special effects were used very sensibly throughout so they never really show their age, even in high resolution.

Yes!  It can be done.  When I watched Apollo 13 the first time I was a bit bored.  When I watched it the second time, I was at the edge of my seat. 

Curious reactions.  I deem it now a very good film.

[crocodile 8,000]

It might be Howard's best film actually.

 

Karol

[SteveMc 2,674]

I may just be inclined to agree.  A Beautiful Mind is rather good, though.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

20 hours ago, Richard said:

NOSFERATU, THE GOLEM, THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI.

None have the sheer drama elegance of Dracula. He could watch the Spanish version which i find wonderfully strange and perverse. It is superior in many ways except for Lugosi's brilliant performance.  I find the film facinating to view as a transition between silent  and sound. Its not quite a true sound picture the way Frankenstein was.

[Holko 9,519]

1 minute ago, JoeinAR said:

I find the film facinating to view as a transition between silent  and sound. Its not quite a true sound picture

Yeah, I thought about the same.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I personally will be watching The Invisible Man in the next few. It stands above most all movies for me. And yes Rose you are quite the dish.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Ive never seen the invisible man.

[Nick1Ø66 4,711]

 

2 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

Ive never seen the invisible man.

 

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

16 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

Ive never seen the invisible man.

Greatest...post..EVER!

[Nick1Ø66 4,711]

1 minute ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

Greatest...post..EVER!

 

Nah. Steef will never top the Bronie incident.

 

I still can't see the word "specimen" and not burst into uncontrollable laughter.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

1 minute ago, Nick1066 said:

Nah. Steef will never top the Bronie incident.

 

I still can't see the word "specimen" and not burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Hark! For I am but young on these pages.

 

What is the Bronie incident?

[Nick1Ø66 4,711]

46 minutes ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

What is the Bronie incident?

 

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

Pray tell.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,514]

I thought we'd have a bit of a sit down?

I'd prefer a bit of a piss off.

1 minute ago, Nick1066 said:

 

 

[Holko 9,519]

I would also love to hear about that, but for the meanwhile...

 

Settle in for Holko's Spooky Octoberween Horrorathon, Part 2! 

OK, I'm not gonna do that every time.

 

Frankenstein (1931) (seen before)

Now that's more like it! Much more tolerable pacing, more easy to follow story, good acting, great production design, some (perhaps not always intentional) humor as well as more hard-hitting scenes (like the farmer carrying his daughter's body through the town) and some more disturbing ones (hanged man) I can understand why this had a charming little warning in front of it.

Henry starts off a a proto-crazy scientist but turns quite likeable by the end (though why the flipping hell did they switch Victor and Henry?), Van Sloan is much more lively in this one, and Karloff is just plain great. Not only does he have damn fine makeup work, an imposing frame and a killer stare on his side, but he's quite animated (sorry), and manages to get across the eventual tragic nature of this freakish, but mistreated monster.

I cannot add much to the age-old Lugosi vs. Karloff debate, but I do highly prefer Frankenstein over Dracula, which was already pretty good.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,514]

I agree with everything you've posted...and BRIDE OF...pisses on the original, from a very great height.

[Holko 9,519]

Now, now, don't get ahead of ourselves 

[Fabulin 3,511]

Gunga Din [1939]. What a funny action flick. Cleverly written, choreographed, acted and shot.

[Holko 9,519]

Onwards!

 

The Mummy (1932) (seen before)

A good story, phenomenal makeup-work (That glowing eye shot!!! The mummy in the opening!), some pretty good music, a fine girl (no Weisz, but still) and a fine Karloff, what else would you need for a great flick?

I love how the Mummy is nowhere near a slasher monster in this, just a tragic romantic who is perhaps a bit too attached to his girlfriend.

I'd probably place it below Frankenstein, but not by much at all.