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

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Leon?

 

[Faleel 5,341]

Basically a film equivalent of Dynamic Range

[Brundlefly 2,385]

1 hour ago, Chen G. said:

Think about when the bad in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” sits down and eats soup for a minute or two. Just this repetitive, mondane action for a relatively long period of time, without some exciting music under it (as opposed to final showdown) and without anything too clever with regards to camerawork. It’s especially appearant because the previous sequence was much more exciting.

 

Makes the impact of the violence that ensues that much greater.

I'm still being highly entertained during those passages, but the dramaturgical concept is correct as you described it.

 

However, in OUATIA that is not really applied.

[John 2,032]

Ghostbusters (1984 original)

 

A near perfectly executed piece of pop entertainment. The special effects seem somewhat dated today, but the cast and script are still as great as ever. Each character is given his/her own moment to shine, and the comedic timing throughout is just right. It’s lightning in a bottle, really; it’s a miracle it all comes together as seamlessly as it does. 

 

Can anyone honestly say they don’t like this movie? I mean, do people like that actually exist?

 

**** out of *****

[Faleel 5,341]

Just now, John said:

Can anyone honestly say they don’t like this movie? I mean, do people like that actually exist?

Yes.

[John 2,032]

But why?

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

They never even had slinkies.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

9 minutes ago, John said:

But why?

 

If they don’t enjoy the genre elements, the comedy would have to make up for it and what’s funny for some isn’t for others.

[Chen G. 3,944]

Yeah, I would have liked it to be much funnier, given it’s reputation.

 

But than, humor is so subjective that it not only varies completely between audience members, but also for the same audience member across several viewings.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

I fully expected to love Ghostbusters, but like Chen, I didn't think it was that funny. I haven't watched it in about five years,  so I'm hazy on specifics, but I think I remember feeling that the repartee between the crew wasn't very...not witty, per se, but it just didn't tickle me. It didn't really feel like they were a team, and that Murray pulled most of the comedic weight. The whole thing just felt pretty flat, personally, and dare I say it boring, although there were some gags in there that I enjoyed.

 

Well-made film, though. 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Do you at least like the second one?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I never thought the Ghostbusters movies were all that funny, but I still love them.

[A24 4,327]

That's why I never liked it. It's too Draxian, too everyman. I want movies to be special, like me.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

1 hour ago, Norma's Corpse said:

I never thought the Ghostbusters movies were all that funny, but I still love them.

 

Beyond the humor, like I said, I still found Ghostbusters to be pretty flat; if I'm not gonna laugh at it, then at least give me a movie with some "weight" to hold on to! It started to do so when they were at the top of the building at the end, but too little too late.

 

2 hours ago, Horner's Dynamic Range said:

Do you at least like the second one?

 

Never seen it. Or Titanic all the way through in one sitting. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

//internet armchair critic

 

Teh moovey has crippling narrative issues inherent in teh script, which maek the story/film less engaging, because the stakes rnt high enuff until the final moments when it's 2 little 2 late. 

[Holko 9,499]

5 hours ago, Nick Parker said:

I fully expected to love Ghostbusters, but like Chen, I didn't think it was that funny. I haven't watched it in about five years,  so I'm hazy on specifics, but I think I remember feeling that the repartee between the crew wasn't very...not witty, per se, but it just didn't tickle me. It didn't really feel like they were a team, and that Murray pulled most of the comedic weight. The whole thing just felt pretty flat, personally, and dare I say it boring, although there were some gags in there that I enjoyed.

 

Well-made film, though. 

Same here. The parts I most enjoyed were Murray's kinda obvious adlibbed lines like "It's true, this man has no dick". But I was bored mostly.

I can see why something like Jurassic Park would stay with people and define their youth, even if I don't think it's anything beyond a very good thriller with some magical elements.

I don't see what people saw in Ghostbusters.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Terrible film. I can't believe I actually liked it for all these years.

 

(Hoping to graduate to more snobby moviedom!)

[Nick Parker 3,040]

3 minutes ago, Norma's Corpse said:

Hoping to graduate to more snobby moviedom

 

You're being real cute right now. Chill out, you don't have to be a snob to dislike a movie, amigo.

21 minutes ago, Holko said:

I don't see what people saw in Ghostbusters

 

As an adult, no, I can't see why it became such a part of zeitgeist it has, where it's entered the "Bible" area of pop culture. But I can imagine this movie being a real trip and treat as a kid, one that really gets the imagination going. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

2 hours ago, Nick Parker said:

 

You're being real cute right now. Chill out, you don't have to be a snob to dislike a movie, amigo.

 

And uhmuhgawd that terrible bit in the middle rly killed the pacing for me. It just grinds 2 a halt bro. I was so bored then. The moovey lost me and i started checkin facebuk insted

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Watched Brian DePalma's masterpiece Carrie. From that shocking beginning to that shocking ending this is a great film. Its goofy and campy. It is so well acted it is no surprise with got the two main stars and Oscar nomination. The score by Pino Donaggio is in mind mind a true essential. Much like Jaws this film's effects didn't work and it made for a film much leaner and tigher. In the end the film's cast elevates it. The result is one of the great horror films of the 70's and one of the great Stephen King films of all time. Sadly I wasn't able to see the film in the theatre as I was only 15. But it ranks as one of my most watched films of all time. 

[Bilbo 3,709]

Never got the Ghostbusters thing either. Seems a load of shite to me.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

7 hours ago, Nick Parker said:

Never seen it. Or Titanic all the way through in one sitting. 

 

Well, Titanic is in the second one.

[Chen G. 3,944]

4 minutes ago, Bilbo said:

Seems a load of shite to me.

 

I wouldn't say that. Watching it, I enjoyed it: it was funny, it was well-made, it was very well structured. I just wished it would've been a laugh-out-loud-till-it-hurts type of film, given its reputation.

 

But that's the thing with comedies - no matter how masterfuly the joke is set-up or delivered - if you don't find it funny, you won't find it funny. Again, even viewing the same film on an off-day, you sometimes won't laugh as much as you did on another day. Its by far the most subjective genre.

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Closed Circuit

 

Meh thriller. Rebecca Hall is pretty though.

[A24 4,327]

1 hour ago, Chen G. said:

Its by far the most subjective genre.

 

 

 

In fact, Ghostbusters is so enormously subjective that is is one of the most popular comedies ever!

[Holko 9,499]

Dracula A.D. 1972 (you know)

Well, I expected some lowly trash comedy with the Count exploring the nightlife of Londontown, but this is more boring than anything else. "Guys, what do we do for the 93rd Dracula sequel?" "Eh, just bring him into the present, it'll be cheaper to just go out on the street".

Parroting myself here, but Cushing's the stable point.

[Sir Hilary Bray 235]

Checked out Magnificent Seven (1960), Fierce Creatures and the Birds over the weekend thence onto Crimson Tide tonight. 

 

Above anything, just love Gene Hackman. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

6 hours ago, Holko said:

Dracula A.D. 1972 (you know)

Well, I expected some lowly trash comedy with the Count exploring the nightlife of Londontown, but this is more boring than anything else. "Guys, what do we do for the 93rd Dracula sequel?" "Eh, just bring him into the present, it'll be cheaper to just go out on the street".

Parroting myself here, but Cushing's the stable point.

 

You know, it's funny, I expected that from it too! But never got it. There's one more in the series after that, but I've never seen it, so the fun trashiness might be there?

 

It's like Hellraiser III when Pinhead enters the nightclub and wreaks havoc. That was awesome! Although it too is different to what I expected. When I first read about it in the internet, I couldn't help visualising Pinhead wandering through a club being offered drinks and drugs and some high patron going "nice dress, toots". Ah well.

[Loert 2,510]

The Ten Commandments (1956)

 

Had to set aside three evenings to watch this one, but it was definitely worth it in the end!

[Holko 9,499]

Theatre of Blood (1973) 

 

Another fun serial killer thriller, this time with a Shakespearean Price. Probably a better film, but even with a smokin' young Olena Tyrell, I think I prefer Dr. Phibes with its weird atmosphere.

[Alex 2,833]

I watched The Shining for the first time at the weekend. It’s okay, I guess. I think I was expecting more given it’s stature. 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

15 hours ago, Alex said:

I watched The Shining for the first time at the weekend. It’s okay, I guess. I think I was expecting more given it’s stature. 

It has always been over praised. It features a pair of terrible central performances 

[John 2,032]

Nicholson is unforgettable, and Duvall pulls off the “bullied housewife driven to derangement” very well. Over-the-top performances, sure, but hardly terrible. 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Duvall is amazing in that movie.  She was an unpolished performer, to be sure, but she brought this magnetic eccentric naturalism to the screen I always loved.

[John 2,032]

Exactly!

[Bilbo 3,709]

The Shining is magnificent. I only saw it for the first time early this year and thought it was brilliant. 

 

I love all the Kubrick I’ve seen so far

[Alex 2,833]

I think Kubrick films are too weird for me. Beautifully made but very strange.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

There's nothing weird about 2001: ASO.

[Holko 9,499]

I saw The Shining a few months ago, and it was not exactly what I expected, but very very very good nonetheless.

[A24 4,327]

I like The Shining but I never thought it was frightening. Could it that horror is almost as subjective as comedy?

[Bilbo 3,709]

6 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

There's nothing weird about 2001: ASO.

 

2001 is the most fucked up “mainstream” film I have seen. It’s brilliant. 

[KK 3,307]

9 minutes ago, Bilbo said:

 

2001 is the most fucked up “mainstream” film I have seen. It’s brilliant. 

 

That's the brilliance of Kubrick. They're all "mainstream" films, with mostly big budgets, and headliner casts, just with highly individualized aesthetics. He was the last of a breed that could successfully sell art-house sensibilities to the masses.

 

Sadly the disparity between the two is greater now than ever.

 

12 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

I like The Shining but I never thought it was frightening. Could it that horror is almost as subjective as comedy?

 

It's more strange, than scary, like an eerie dream.

[Holko 9,499]

1 minute ago, KK said:

It's more strange, than scary, like an eerie dream.

Exactly, that's what threw me off with my preconceptions for a good portion of the running time.

[A24 4,327]

So nobody thinks it's scary? 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Oppressive at times, but not scary.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I think the long shot following the couple around and up the stairs when she discovers his "novel" is pretty scary.  It successfully puts you in the perspective of the abused in an abusive relationship to a frightening degree.  The movie gave me nightmares as a teen.

[A24 4,327]

6 minutes ago, KK said:

He was the last of a breed that could successfully sell art-house sensibilities to the masses.

 

 

 

How about Wes Anderson? He's pretty successful.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

1 minute ago, Disco Stu said:

I think the long shot following the couple around and up the stairs when she discovers his "novel" is pretty scary.  It successfully puts you in the perspective of the abused in an abusive relationship to a frightening degree.  The movie gave me nightmares as a teen.

 

Those scenes are suspenseful rather than scary, imo.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Yeah it's so suspenseful, wondering just what the fuck he's going to do, that it's scary.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I dunno, doesnt scary make you wanna look away from the screen, rather than draw you closer to it, which is what suspense does. IMO.