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

[A24 4,326]

 

 

Glenn Close in a Zombie B-movie?! How the world has changed! Film starts off okay but gets worse (read ridiculous) in the second half.

 

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

IMDb: 6.7/10

Alexcremers: 3/10

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

What do you expect, Alex; it has Gemma Arterton - the least talented actor this side of Saskia Reeves - in it.

[A24 4,326]

Indeed!

 

 

Where is Linda Hamilton when you need her?!

 

 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

At least she's nice to look at!

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Hmm sometimes I spose

[Quintus 5,399]

Looks like they never should have let Glenn out of the boo box.

[Jay 37,287]

On 7/14/2019 at 9:06 AM, Koray Savas said:

Isn’t there an extended cut on Netflix?

 

On 7/14/2019 at 9:09 AM, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Isn't that a miniseries reedit?

 

18 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

Technically, I suppose. It's listed in an episodic nature on Netflix, but Tarantino structures his films in chapters a lot of the time, so I think it's just broken up like that. Not sure if that was Tarantino's decision, or Netflix's. Either way, it's longer than the theatrical.

 

On 4/25/2019 at 5:53 PM, Jay said:

Tarantino’s Extended ‘Hateful Eight’ Hits Netflix With Big Surprise: It’s a Four-Episode Miniseries

 

On 5/2/2019 at 1:26 AM, Alexcremers said:

For those who think Netflix butchered Tarantino's movie:

 

https://screenrant.com/quentin-tarantino-edited-netflix-hateful-eight-miniseries/

 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Got up Saturday And watched National Treasure while TS Barry pummeled us.

[Holko 9,499]

Catching up on another bunch just like the Last Score thread...

 

Bought a brand new restored collection of award-winning local animated shorts, might pick out highlights sometime later.

 

Gojira - Enjoyable, classic nuclear destruction analogy. Liked it very much.

 

Shin Godzilla - surprisingly dense and snappy remake. 007 Takes the LEKTOR is awesome.

 

Lincoln - I've seen this one so long ago that I had no memory of it. Perfectly good, engaging, beautifully paintingesquely shot, interestingly cast and perfectly acted. Well scored too.

 

Minority Report - This one's alright as well, good escape/investigation thriller. Score's not great enough to agonisingly count the days while listening to the OST and sessions, but certainly good enough for me to get excited and interested if it ever gets a specialty release in the future!

 

Private Life of Sherlock Holmes - Watched for the score but was thoroughly entertained. Not only a faithful but satirical look at the character, but a quite satisfying mystery and ending, too. The ballet episode, though funny, overstays its welcome and IMO could have used a little trimming, or even potentially could have been thrown out once the decision that the other small episodes had to go was made for the director by others. All it really adds to the main episode is the half-joking sexuality exploration and the context for Sherlock whistling Swan Lake later, beside the very opening with the little people, cocaine and all that. Oh, and a Rózsa cameo! The Tadlow recording naturally made its way onto my wishlist.

 

Kramer vs. Kramer - it'll be 40 in a few months, why not? In one sentence: Indecisive bitch causes countless emotional anguish and thousands of dollars of legal damages to broken family, while the status quo remains.  Ok, actually it's a masterfully acted (on-and offset abuse notwithstanding, it may even have helped) and mostly really well written window into its time with changing societal views on family and gender roles, maybe the occasional casual sexism. Some of the court bits are a little iffy, major problems include not even acknowledging the possibility of joint custody or asking the kid for additional information, but the core of personal relationships works wonderfully.

 

 

But Holko, you ask, how's that big buttnumbathon historical epic thing going, have you numbed your butt too much?

Well, I'll be sure to return to it, the new bluray player and Slovenia interrupted it. What I haven't written about yet is...

 

Quo Vadis? (1951)

So why did I hold out on this? I shut it off after an hour, it was just too much. I get it, roman bad, christian good, bad roman become good christian, Nero crazy in various places. Rózsa repeat main theme in many variants. I couldn't take 2 more hours of it if you paid me for i... well, you'd have to pay me handsomely. Next.

 

[A24 4,326]

3 hours ago, Holko said:

 

Kramer vs. Kramer - it'll be 40 in a few months, why not? In one sentence: Indecisive bitch causes countless emotional anguish and thousands of dollars of legal damages to broken family, while the status quo remains.  Ok, actually it's a masterfully acted (on-and offset abuse notwithstanding, it may even have helped) and mostly really well written window into its time with changing societal views on family and gender roles, maybe the occasional casual sexism. Some of the court bits are a little iffy, major problems include not even acknowledging the possibility of joint custody or asking the kid for additional information, but the core of personal relationships works wonderfully.

 

 

 

I went to see this at the theatre at the time because supposedly it was a must-see. I remember the debates. It was a movie that controversially sided with men, because 10 out of 10 times, the child always went to the mother. I find it amazing that, back then, movies with social themes could actually make money. In fact, it was a genuine blockbuster!

[Chen G. 3,943]

6 hours ago, Holko said:

Quo Vadis? (1951)

So why did I hold out on this? I shut it off after an hour, it was just too much. I get it, roman bad, christian good, bad roman become good christian, Nero crazy in various places. Rózsa repeat main theme in many variants. I couldn't take 2 more hours of it if you paid me for i... well, you'd have to pay me handsomely. Next.

 

Ah, 1950s epics! Containing all the things film-buffs like to complain about contemporary blockbusters, and nothing of what casual moviegoers like about those same films!

[A24 4,326]

I thought Ben-Hur is loved by the film gastronome as well by the fast food fanatic?

[Chen G. 3,943]

It is. Until the chariot race concludes...

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I like those God movies from the olden days.

[A24 4,326]

23 minutes ago, The Original said:

I like those God movies from the olden days.

 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Drax would love that one!

[A24 4,326]

30 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

It is. Until the chariot race concludes...

 

I guess you're not a fan of the melodramatic 'leper' act?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

43 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

I thought Ben-Hur is loved by the film gastronome as well by the fast food fanatic?

 

What do you think of it? Or the genre, Alex?

[A24 4,326]

You know me, I like the one you all hate: 

 

 

 

[Chen G. 3,943]

1 hour ago, Alexcremers said:

I guess you're not a fan of the melodramatic 'leper' act?

 

It’s not so much that it’s melodramatic: it’s that it’s a different movie alltogether. The bulk of the movie is basically a revenge story centered around Judah Ben Hur. The first ten minutes and last forty or so are a story of the crucifixion, centered around Jesus.

[Faleel 5,340]

Because it's not liek the Buuk!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

2 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

You know me, I like the one you all hate: 

 

 

 

Not everyone hates it, Alex. IMO, its the best of all the "sword and sandal" epics. Far more intimate than BEN-HUR, not as cheesy as QUO VADIS, and infinitely superior to THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. It's a flawed masterpiece.

Now...if someone could just locate the missing two hours' worth of footage...

[Chen G. 3,943]

Weren’t those two hours part of some rough cut, rather than anything that was actually intended to be shown in the theater?

 

I don’t hate Cleopatra: but I don’t care for it, either. Same goes for many of those films.

[Marian Schedenig 8,173]

12 hours ago, Holko said:

Quo Vadis? (1951)

So why did I hold out on this? I shut it off after an hour, it was just too much. I get it, roman bad, christian good, bad roman become good christian, Nero crazy in various places. Rózsa repeat main theme in many variants. I couldn't take 2 more hours of it if you paid me for i... well, you'd have to pay me handsomely. Next.

 

I have slightly different thoughts about it every time I watch it, but basically the glimpses into Roman culture are nicely handled, the Christian propaganda is mostly frightfully cheesy but has a few moments where a wonderfully mysterious aura of ancient Christianity shines through. Ustinov and Rozsa are brilliant, as is Leo Genn.

 

I still chuckle at the modern Biggus Dickus cover:

 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Yoooo, how did that get through approvals? 

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

Captain Phillips 

Thriller drama marinated in intensity and ferocity, retelling the story of Richard Phillips (an indubiously top-notch Tom Hanks), captain of a Maersk cargo liner who is taken hostage after a band of Somali pirates sieze the ship. Tense camerawork- plenty of unsteadiness and tight shots. Brilliant acting from Hanks, whose final scenes are very well done on his part. Genuinely effective development of suspense and fear. Jackman's score is like a bland wallpaper- it never really catches the ear.

 

***** out of ****

 

Catch Me If You Can

One of those "Why didn't I watch this sooner?" type of movies. As a huge fan of Spielberg, I'm sorry to say I didn't get to this earlier, as it was well worth the viewing. Follows con-kid Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) on his paper hanging prance about the United States, with FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) breathing down his neck. It's a serious topic, tax fraud and international crime, but it comes across in an undeniably fun romp. But it's not all fun and games. Spielberg's dysfunctional family trait is present, and Abagnale ends up leaving his father to eventually find another in Hanratty, in a sense. Always fun with Hanks, and Spielberg and Kaminski are all over this. Steven called it a dessert of a movie, John Williams said it was a bonbon. On that note, Williams jazzy score is one of my favourites from this time period for him. Always a pleasure!

 

**** and a half * out of ****

[John 2,032]

Captain Philips is a great film. 

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

The Mist 

Ending's too soft and tame for my tastes.

[A24 4,326]

8 hours ago, Richard said:

Not everyone hates it, Alex. IMO, its the best of all the "sword and sandal" epics. Far more intimate than BEN-HUR, not as cheesy as QUO VADIS, and infinitely superior to THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. It's a flawed masterpiece.

 

 

Agreed! One of its flaws is the big sea battle scene in the second half. I don't know why someone felt it was necessary to show a (clumsy) battle scene because up to that point (and we are already very late in the running time) this Freudian drama wasn't interested in being a typical Sword and Sandal epic.

 

 

8 hours ago, Chen G. said:

Weren’t those two hours part of some rough cut, rather than anything that was actually intended to be shown in the theater?

 

 

Mankiewicz originally planned Cleopatra to be a two movie affair (Part 1 & Part 2), each almost 3 hours long, but he didn't get his way, so he made a 4-hour cut instead, which is probably still the longest studio movie ever. The remaining footage is either destroyed or lost.

[Chen G. 3,943]

Yeah, I know he wanted to turn it into two movies: Lots of long movies were made that way (1900, Once Upon a Time in America). But in terms of the one-film cut, it was never intended - as I understand it - to be six hours long.

[A24 4,326]

Indeed, two parts or two movies.  And that's exactly how I watch Cleopatra, two parts of two hours. 

[Chen G. 3,943]

Oh sure, virtually all the epics of the 50s and 60s are divided by the intermission into two discrete parts, each with its own beginning, internal narrative, themes, tone and cast.

 

Its why people will sometimes struggle watching - say - The Bridge on the River Kwai from front to back. You need the intermission, because the second part's its own thing, anyway, so you might as well take the time to reel from the first part.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Cleopatra is more than long enough. In fact I reckon it needs to be significantly trimmed.

[A24 4,326]

3 hours ago, Chen G. said:

Oh sure, virtually all the epics of the 50s and 60s are divided by the intermission into two discrete parts, each with its own beginning, internal narrative, themes, tone and cast.

 

Its why people will sometimes struggle watching - say - The Bridge on the River Kwai from front to back. You need the intermission, because the second part's its own thing, anyway, so you might as well take the time to reel from the first part.

 

I need the intermission because I can't concentrate for so long. I don't mind cutting a very long movie into two watching sessions, but I'm sure there are those who see it as sacrilege. Tarkovsky's Solyaris is another long movie that I cut into two parts. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

15 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

 

 

Zod.

[Chen G. 3,943]

2 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

I need the intermission because I can't concentrate for so long. I don't mind cutting a very long movie into two watching sessions, but I'm sure there are those who see it as sacrilege.

 

Yeah, but in a 1950s epic, its necessary, because each part is its own story, with its own beginning, middle and end. I'll watch Braveheart all the way through in one sitting, but I'll watch the shorter The Bridge on the River Kwai with a break because it was edited to be seen that way.

[A24 4,326]

5 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

 

Yeah, but in a 1950s epic, its necessary, because each part is its own story, with its own beginning, middle and end. I'll watch Braveheart all the way through in one sitting, but I'll watch the shorter The Bridge on the River Kwai with a break because it was edited to be seen that way.

 

But the intended intermission lasted only 15 or 20 minutes. My intermission is... to continue the next evening. 

 

BTW, Cleopatra is a '60s movie!

 

And it's not available in 4K .... 

[Quintus 5,399]

I thought I was the only one here who isn't enamoured with having to watch a 3hr+ movie in one sitting. I wonder if it's an age thing.

[Chen G. 3,943]

I have no issue watching a three-hour film in one sitting. It depends on the movie.

[Holko 9,499]

Oh, I also watched Legend. Looks gorgeous.

[A24 4,326]

 

Thanks for the tip, Holko!

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

3 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

3 hours ago, Chen G. said:

I'll watch Braveheart all the way through in one sitting, but I'll watch the shorter The Bridge on the River Kwai with a break because it was edited to be seen that way.

But the intended intermission lasted only 15 or 20 minutes. My intermission is... to continue the next evening. 

Incidentally, I actually stopped one night and continued the next when I saw River Kwai. And a darn good film it was too!

 

Watched a few films that I can't possibly give my full time to elaborate on:

 

The Great Escape (**** out of ****)

Loved it! A dream ensemble cast in a movie-ready tale. Good fun and well worth the 2h 50min.

 

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (*** out of ****)

I didn't take to it the same way I did it's predecessor, but it's still in that same vein. Lord and Miller get away with absolutely everything here, and it's a mile and minute of pop culture references, from Mad Max to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Genuinely sweet at it's core.

 

Bullitt (*** out of ****)

Enjoyed taking in that car chase, and also thought that the rest of the film held up quite well. 

 

Vertigo (*** out of ****)

Well I suppose it is a classic, and it still hits the spot for a mystery drama. Get ready for ten minutes of Jimmy Stewart driving with a concerned look. A very abrupt ending in my opinion, but doesn't take away from the Hitchcock-y grandeur of the rest of the movie. 

[Faleel 5,340]

On 7/16/2019 at 6:53 AM, Holko said:

 

Quo Vadis? (1951)

Rózsa repeat main theme in many variants. I couldn't take 2 more hours of it if you paid me.

 

Also, the score is best experienced via the Tadlow.

[Holko 9,499]

Surprise, surprise! I like the main theme fine enough, may try that one day.

[Faleel 5,340]

20 minutes ago, Holko said:

Surprise, surprise! I like the main theme fine enough, may try that one day.

Yeah, the film butchers the score in terms of editing and mix, and the Tadlow includes Rozsa's Suite, which is almost exclusively amazing concert arrangements the main themes

 

For instance the two gorgeous Love themes:

 

 

[Holko 9,499]

What a cover!

[Faleel 5,340]

Yeeup. Thank goodness for purchasing online and not having to go up to a cashier!

[JoeinAR 1,949]

20 hours ago, Chen G. said:

It is. Until the chariot race concludes...

My favorite part is the 3rd act after the race. Being redeemed is exceptional 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

People who complain about the last act of Ben-Hur are the same cynics who whinge about the last act of AI.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

1 hour ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

Incidentally, I actually stopped one night and continued the next when I saw River Kwai. And a darn good film it was too!

 

Watched a few films that I can't possibly give my full time to elaborate on:

 

The Great Escape (**** out of ****)

Loved it! A dream ensemble cast in a movie-ready tale. Good fun and well worth the 2h 50min.

 

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (*** out of ****)

I didn't take to it the same way I did it's predecessor, but it's still in that same vein. Lord and Miller get away with absolutely everything here, and it's a mile and minute of pop culture references, from Mad Max to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Genuinely sweet at it's core.

 

Bullitt (*** out of ****)

Enjoyed taking in that car chase, and also thought that the rest of the film held up quite well. 

 

Vertigo (*** out of ****)

Well I suppose it is a classic, and it still hits the spot for a mystery drama. Get ready for ten minutes of Jimmy Stewart driving with a concerned look. A very abrupt ending in my opinion, but doesn't take away from the Hitchcock-y grandeur of the rest of the movie. 

Vertigo never acheived the lofty heights in my mind. Its not among my favorite Hitchcock films.