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

[Chen G. 3,949]

Whatever.

 

It has no subtlety: not thematically, not visually or otherwise. The closest it gets to subtlety is by withholding gore, a restraint it also sheds at some point.

 

Does all of this make it any less great? No.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

Close Encounters of the Third Kind 

Well I saw it. It's good, it's confusing. I'm not sure where I stand on the story-line really, as I was a bit estranged for most of the film. But there were some killer scenes, namely:

So at the end of the day I didn't quite get it all, but it was some awesome film making.

[Holko 9,518]

Which cut did you end up watching? 

[Chen G. 3,949]

5 minutes ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

I'm not sure where I stand on the story-line really

 

What storyline?! For 90% of this film's runtime absolutely NOTHING happens.

 

That's the greatness of it.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

Just now, Chen G. said:

What storyline?! For 90% of this film's runtime absolutely NOTHING happens.

 

That's the greatness of it.

Blazes! I'm confused. I cannot say I love it, but it was very effective.

[Holko 9,518]

The only place where I think it actually drags is where Roy and Jillian struggle to climb up the slope, Roy slides back and such. They are there, they got through everything, we know both of them will make it to the base, get on with it already! It's a pointless cliché, you'd lose nothing without it.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

6 minutes ago, Holko said:

Which cut did you end up watching? 

I did the theatrical version. What did you say I should've done again? I forgot. 

[Holko 9,518]

Theatrical is a tighter, better film experience in my opinion. Collector's cut focuses more on the not very well done family drama. There's probably a great balance somewhere between the two with some additional deleted (and unreleased!) scenes like the stargazing, but overall I prefer the theatrical.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

Just now, Holko said:

Theatrical is a tighter, better film experience in my opinion. Collector's cut focuses more on the not very well done family drama. There's probably a great balance somewhere between the two with some additional deleted (and unreleased!) scenes like the stargazing, but overall I prefer the theatrical.

There was a Theatrical, Special Edition, and Directors Cut.

 

Oh, and the score was pretty good too. There were a lot of quiet scenes that ran silent, but that theme is all too memorable.

[Holko 9,518]

The Special Edition is more like the Director's, but adds a scene inside the mothership, a widely disliked decision forced by the studio to sell the new cut.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

It was funny how in that conference room when this guy said he'd seen Bigfoot all the cameras turned on him.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,514]

17 minutes ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

Close Encounters of the Third Kind 

Well I saw it. It's good, it's confusing. I'm not sure where I stand on the story-line really, as I was a bit estranged for most of the film. But there were some killer scenes, namely:

So at the end of the day I didn't quite get it all, but it was some awesome film making.

There's not much to get, Jerry: boy sees UFO, boy obsesses about UFO, boy looses family, boy gains a friend, friend gets her son back, boy lives happily ever after, on a fuck-off spaceship.

All that Laçombe stuff, is window dressing.

 

 

 

 

11 minutes ago, Holko said:

The only place where I think it actually drags is where Roy and Jillian struggle to climb up the slope, Roy slides back and such. They are there, they got through everything, we know both of them will make it to the base, get on with it already! It's a pointless cliché, you'd lose nothing without it.

They're just crop dusting. Los Angeles!

 

 

 

 

7 minutes ago, Holko said:

Theatrical is a tighter, better film experience in my opinion. Collector's cut focuses more on the not very well done family drama. There's probably a great balance somewhere between the two with some additional deleted (and unreleased!) scenes like the stargazing, but overall I prefer the theatrical.

Am I the only JWfaner who likes the Special Edition?

 

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

That kidnapping scene felt like classic Spielberg to me. The screws coming out of the vent! Oooooooooo that did it for me. Epic.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Horror film stuff!

 

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

Oh, it's magnificent.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,514]

7 minutes ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

It was funny how in that conference room when this guy said he'd seen Bigfoot all the cameras turned on him.

Oh, dear, Jerry. If you're going to post a still from CE3K, please get the ratio correct 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

The 1.85:1 crop is better.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

Just now, Richard said:

Oh, dear, Jerry. If you're going to post a still from CE3K, please get the ratio correct 

I'm sorry.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,514]

1 minute ago, Norma's Corpse said:

The 1.85:1 crop is better.

Fuck you!

 

 

 

1 minute ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

I'm sorry.

Ooh! Thanks. That shot is excellent, in so many ways, and indicates why Zsigmond won the Oscar.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Barry!

[Quintus 5,399]

1 hour ago, Chen G. said:

 

For 90% of this film's runtime absolutely NOTHING happens.

 

That's the greatness of it.

 

🤔Lol

[Kasey Kockroach 2,344]

I have yet to even see so much as a clip of Close Encounters. The only major Spielberg picture I haven’t seen, oddly enough.

 

Should I remedy that?

[Nick Parker 3,040]

That movie resides in a very private, strange part of my psyche. Sometimes the movie feels aloof or distant, but then at the end when you're crying in a state of awe you realize why everything built up the way it did. An immensely powerful story of a man caught up in the dreariness of the disillusioned "American Dream", suddenly stricken with a hard-to-articulate sense of higher purpose. Speaks to anyone's who ever had a life dream without truly being able to explain "Why". Also has my favorite Spielberg family scenes; growing up in a household with several siblings, he _nailed_ the interactions between them, the parents, everything. Screw it, has my favorite family scenes in any movie.

 

 

I think I might consider it to be my favorite film.

 

 

[Kasey Kockroach 2,344]

I’ll take that as a “maybe”.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

1 minute ago, kaseykockroach said:

I’ll take that as a “maybe”.

 

Your choice, of course: frankly I don't even know if you'd like it.

[A24 4,331]

4 minutes ago, Nick Parker said:

 Also has my favorite Spielberg family scenes; growing up in a household with several siblings, he _nailed_ the interactions between them, the parents, everything. Screw it, has my favorite family scenes in any movie.

 

 

The domestic scenes in CE3K and E.T. are great because they feel so natural. It's something Spielberg has lost in his later period. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Very much so 

[A24 4,331]

In those days, Spielberg's special gift to work with children was often praised by the film community.

[SteveMc 2,674]

Those domestic scenes seem to be Spielberg living out a past that was weighing on him.  As he got older and enjoyed a more stable family life, I suppose the artistic drive and need occasioned by his childhood began to fade away. 

[Nick Parker 3,040]

5 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

 

The domestic scenes in CE3K and E.T. are great because they feel so natural. It's something Spielberg has lost in his later period. 

 

From what I understand, back in the day that was considered one of his greatest selling points. Then he met David Koepp, and kids turned to Movie Characters to spout "clever", "snappy" dialogue. In Jurassic Park it's _somewhat_ permissible, but damn, War of the Worlds? Get the hell outta here. 

 

Munich had some really good husband and wife scenes, at least, not that that's the same thing.

EDIT: Beat me to it!

[A24 4,331]

1 minute ago, Nick Parker said:

 

From what I understand, back in the day that was considered one of his greatest selling points. Then he met David Koepp, and kids turned to Movie Characters to spout "clever", "snappy" dialogue. In Jurassic Park it's _somewhat_ permissible, but damn, War of the Worlds? 

 

Munich had some really good husband and wife scenes, at least, not that that's the same thing.

EDIT: Beat me to it!

 

I've always admired Spielberg for the way he handled family scenes, so imagine my bafflement when I went to see Jurassic Park and War Of The World. A week ago, I watched a recent extensive documentary on Spielberg where they showed 'behind the scenes' moments of E.T. and he this interaction with those children as a director was truly incredible.

 

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Air America

 

To think they made a boring movie with Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. I had no idea what this was about.

Zzzzzzzzzz....

[SteveMc 2,674]

The Third Man

The very definition of a classic.  You don't watch it, you experience it.  Elegant, perfectly paced, flowing.  Fantastic performances, legendary camerawork, tight direction, the works.  Old Vienna vs. new, Old World v. New (geographically and chronologically).  I could go on and on.  The kind of filmmaking prowess I aspire to.

As for the music, I'm warming up to it a bit.  Adds notably to the sense of disorientation that.  If nothing else, I greatly admire Reed's balls for choosing to go with it.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

3 minutes ago, Steve McQueen said:

greatly admire Reed's balls for choosing to go with it.

 

The most crass thing I've seen you say! Didn't know the JWFan Nice Guy had it in him!

[SteveMc 2,674]

1 minute ago, Nick Parker said:

 

The most crass thing I've seen you say! Didn't know the JWFan Nice Guy had it in him!

The movie stirs my blood!

 

[bollemanneke 3,342]

My best friend's wedding.

 

The first half was over much more quickly than I had expected it to be, but as with all romantic comedies, I felt myself losing interest at times. Julia Roberts was mostly great, of course, but I didn't expect it to end the way it did, especially because Kimmy just isn't a nice woman. Bad Michael.

I wasn't really a fan of the sad music that James Newton Howard wrote, but the upbeat, flighty stuff, some of which I was very lucky to hear in concert, is absolutely gorgeous. I haven't heard such wonderful music in a very long time. The songs are also quite decent.

[John 2,032]

The Sixth Sense (1999)

 

I really liked it. First time watch and having not been exposed to any spoilers prior (yes, I live under a rock). I feel like I should've seen that twist coming, despite all the clever little clues and setups throughout the film, and when I found out what it was my jaw dropped. Definitely a movie I'll be thinking about for a while.

 

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

[Chen G. 3,949]

Fantastic film, that!

[Quintus 5,399]

1 hour ago, John said:

The Sixth Sense (1999)

 

I really liked it. First time watch and having not been exposed to any spoilers prior (yes, I live under a rock). I feel like I should've seen that twist coming, despite all the clever little clues and setups throughout the film, and when I found out what it was my jaw dropped. Definitely a movie I'll be thinking about for a while.

 

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

 

All these years later it's a movie which is almost quaintly dismissed and passively ignored, none less so it even being the movie which launched Shyamalan's career; but it's easy to forget how big of a hit the movie was, and just how profoundly impactful audiences found its raison d'être plot twist to be. Despite all that though, I never really thought it was all that great.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

13 hours ago, Stefancos said:

 

You don't seem to understand Silence Of The Lambs very well.

He has an understanding to his limited viewings. 

He is most definitely wrong about Lambs. It shows much restraint. If he does not see the subtleties of the film he should watch it again. Silence of the Lambs is one of the most perfectly edited films I have ever seen. Its as close to perfection as films get. On top of that it is a great horror film.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

He should watch it again, but would he see the error of his ways?

 

Some people are beyond salvation, brother.

[A24 4,331]

He probably saw it many times already. I mean, who hasn't? It's a classic, even though the movie made less impact on me during subsequent viewing.

 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Its a movie one should watch every 5 to 7 years.

[publicist 4,643]

And immensely quotable;

'It puts the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again.'

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Last time i saw it i noticed how much "unsolicited" male attention Clarice recieves in the film. 

 

 

[A24 4,331]

If it was released today, people would protest outside the theatre.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

But people did protest the movie at the time.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/before-oscarssowhite-the-forgotten-story-of-201810336.html

[A24 4,331]

That's a very long article, Drax.

 

 

BTW, if subtlety is overrated (like Chen claims) then Hannibal is the superior movie.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

31 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

If it was released today, people would protest outside the theatre.

 

The transgender community did protest.

 

I disagree with their reasons.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Back then they were called transexuals.