What is the last film you watched?

[publicist 4,643]

Someone gave me the high definition DVD of Waterworld: Yes, it's true what people say, it's Mad Max on water. However, Kevin Reynolds' film is without fun and excitement. Waterwold has good sets but that's about it. Various elements of the story/events are just plain silly. Kevin Kostner has the charisma of a wet sock and his opponent Dennis Hopper only seems to be doing his best to earn a place in the top 10 of worst villains. I missed the big climax because I fell asleep.

Considering that he came aboard after Mark Isham was fired, Newton Howard did an admirable 4-week-job of scoring this big blue nothing. It's no great shakes and you better not say 'Waterworld' and 'original' in the same sentence, but a lot of great orchestrated fun it is!

[Unlucky Bastard 7,785]

And has Sir Ridley not something visually more arresting on his plate?

Apparently so.

[A24 4,371]

Considering that he came aboard after Mark Isham was fired, Newton Howard did an admirable 4-week-job of scoring this big blue nothing. It's no great shakes and you better not say 'Waterworld' and 'original' in the same sentence, but a lot of great orchestrated fun it is!

The first notes of the main theme sound awfully familiar.

And has Sir Ridley not something visually more arresting on his plate?

Apparently so.

Wow! Thanks, Drax. I was waiting for this to be confirmed.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Body Of Lies (***)

I really enjoyed this, a lot better than American Gangster, which I didn't like so much. It feels like Ridley in his comfort zone, so that's a plus. Acting was solid, I liked Russell Crowe as he played something really different than what he has previously done. Leo was good, but he wasn't very good in some of the lighter scenes when he wasn't yelling at someone.

I was expecting him to die at the end, considering he dies in pretty much all of his movies, but then come in the cavalry...

I liked the story, it isn't very original, but Ridley breathed some fresh air into it, and it felt like something new. Editing was great, as always with Scalia. Steitenfeld's score was very good. I'm starting to like him more and more, and think he is one of the best from Zimmer's crew. The theme was great, and some of the other parts sounded like something Powell might do, but I've immediately noticed that he already has his own sound.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Finally! Someone who did not like "American Gangster" or "Waterworld"! I thought I was the only one....

[Bryant Burnette 658]

Hearts In Atlantis

This is one of those movies in which almost nothing works. It's heavy-handed, dull, unimaginative, and -- apart from some decent cinematography -- just not very well-made.

The acting is flat as can be. Anthony Hopkins tries to invest his character with a sort of mysterious appeal, but it does not work, mostly because the screenplay does nothing to help him out; Anton Yelchin feels completely non-genuine; Hope Davis is shrill and thoroughly phony. In a couple of wraparound scenes, David Morse does pretty well, but that's about it.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I actually liked that movie, but it's been awhile since I've seen it.

Finally! Someone who did not like "American Gangster" or "Waterworld"! I thought I was the only one....

American Gangster was decent, but it wasn't anything we haven't seen before from either Washington or Crowe. I liked the cinematography and the score, that's it. Waterworld on the other hand, is a total sh*tfest. I don't know who would want the 3 hour director's cut that's being released.

[A24 4,371]

Body Of Lies is getting very mixed reviews, which doesn't help its overall score, but James Berardinelli, Roger Ebert and Peter Travers are rather positive about it.

[Hitch 58]

Star Trek III - The Search for God

Even the Pope is a fan

[Unlucky Bastard 7,785]

And the King of Jordan.

[Hitch 58]

Gonna watch my movies SECRET AGENT and YOUNG AND INNOCENT tonight.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,785]

Hey! You're that secret agent! That English secret agent! From England!

[Marian Schedenig 8,267]

Star Trek III - The Search for God

Is that III or V?

What's Palpatine doing on the Enterprise?

[A24 4,371]

Bubble Boy: The world is wrong. It IS a funny movie.

[Morlock 11]

Had a good weekend, film-wise- saw three of the greatest movies I've ever seen, and two of them were entirely new to me.

First off- Miller's Crossing. Great as ever, and I even got a more concrete view of Tom's character.

Next comes Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. A rare movie musical that is 100% sung, not a single qord is just spoken. It really feels more like an opera than a movie-musical. Michel Legrand's music is marvelous. One of the most romantic films I've ever seen, and one in which the characters are surprisingly multi-faceted. Bliss.

Last comes Michael Powell's Peeping Tom. In general, I am not a fan of horror films. The few I've seen have genuinly creeped me out and scared me, and I felt none the richer for the experience. To date, the only movie that truely scares me was Carrie, and that is because of how much I care for the character. Peeping Tom is without a doubt the most horrifying film I've ever seen. It filled me with dread and with unease, but unlike the other supposed horror films I've seen (and like Carrie) was always both enhanced and tempered by the caring for the characters, even the horrifying killer. I was literaly shaking for about half an hour after seeing the film, and felt guilty just for having experienced it. But What an exceptional film, in many ways. One of the most notable is the back-story given to the murderer. I've never seen a film with a more compelling or effective back-story. Most films will have a Rubber-Ducky type explanation (his parents didn't let him have a rubber-ducky, which is why he's messed up), but this one enhances the film to an immeasurable degree.

The main performance, by Karlheinz Brohm, is superb. His physical resemblance to Klaus Kinski (mainly the huge eyes), as well as his voice that brings Peter Lorre to mind also add a lot to the performance (Particularly in the connection it makes to Lorre in M).

The film is very elegantly photographed, with great, deep colors, and has a very detailed soundtrack, including a superb score. Mostly piano-based, it definitely brings to mind the great 70's paranoid piano scores of Small and Shire.

This may sound strange, but I think that this is the most satisfying unsettling film I've seen, and a film that most definitely deserves to be called a masterpiece.

To take things down a notch or two, I also saw Burn After Reading. If nothing else, I'm thrilled that the Coens surprised me. I've been grappling with the film...at the moment, I think it is the Coen's weakest film besides The Ladykillers, yet I think that in time, it will be seen as a crucial film in their filmography, in it being the film that most acknowledges the audience and their fans. That being said, the film's comedy was more sporadic than I had hoped, but the big laughs rank among their best comedy. JK Simmons is the luckiest guy in this cast, given two scenes in which he steals the film almost entirely from it's leading quartet.

The film's satire felt rather scatter-shot, though the opening is spot-on...this one will definitely take me a few more viewings and clearer view of it's historical place in their filmography to get to the bottom of (if there is a bottom to get to, that is. I suspect that there is both more and less to it than meets the eye, whatever that means).

[A24 4,371]

Last comes Michael Powell's Peeping Tom. In general, I am not a fan of horror films.

That's weird! I never saw Peeping Tom as a horror film. I place it under drama.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

"Pee-Wee's Big Adventure". It is not Tim Burton's best film, in my opinion, but one can see why he was allowed more ambitious projects in the future. I actually found the film to be quite humorous. I love Danny Elfman's score, it is easy to hear that he was inspired by Nino Rota.

[Morlock 11]

Last comes Michael Powell's Peeping Tom. In general, I am not a fan of horror films.

That's weird! I never saw Peeping Tom as a horror film. I place it under drama.

I probably wouldn't place it in the horror genre, but for someone who is entirely uneducted in the genre, this was pretty damn close and entirely horrifying. But yes, drama would probably be the more apt section.

[Hitch 58]

Star Trek III - The Search for God

Is that III or V?

Fenderbaum: [Fenderbaum and Blake's Ferrari drives alongside J.J.'s ambulance] Pull over! We want to give you our blessing!

Victor Prinsi: J.J., there are two priests in that car. They want us to pull over.

J.J. McClure: Victor, that's two priests driving a Ferrari. When's the last time you saw two priests drive a Ferrari? What are they doing, taking home the bingo money?

Victor Prinsi: No, they're doing the work of the Lord. In a Ferrari, they can just do it faster.

What's Palpatine doing on the Enterprise?

It's a Trek/Wars cross-over-time-travel episode.

[A24 4,371]

Last comes Michael Powell's Peeping Tom. In general, I am not a fan of horror films.

That's weird! I never saw Peeping Tom as a horror film. I place it under drama.

I probably wouldn't place it in the horror genre, but for someone who is entirely uneducted in the genre, this was pretty damn close and entirely horrifying. But yes, drama would probably be the more apt section.

Now watch Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow-Up, if you haven't already.

Alex - who places both films in the same category (drama and with voyeurism as a theme)

[Hitch 58]

I love Voyeur. Kate Mulgrew was never sexier in a red uniform.

[Morlock 11]

Last comes Michael Powell's Peeping Tom. In general, I am not a fan of horror films.

That's weird! I never saw Peeping Tom as a horror film. I place it under drama.

I probably wouldn't place it in the horror genre, but for someone who is entirely uneducted in the genre, this was pretty damn close and entirely horrifying. But yes, drama would probably be the more apt section.

Now watch Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow-Up, if you haven't already.

Alex - who places both films in the same category (drama and with voyeurism as a theme)

I have not yet. I'll get to it eventually. At the moment, I'm trying to take an auturist route of watching classics. I start with one or two of the most famous, than try to diversify with each director. Already rented one of the Powell/Fassbinder classics, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

As long as you stay away from "The Battleship Potempkin"....

[Hitch 58]

Why? That's great cinema. Even DePalma re-used it. Next you'll be saying to stay away from "Gone with the Wind".

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Well, actually....

[Hitch 58]

Well what? Cat caught your tongue?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

He tends to drift in an...

[Bryant Burnette 658]

Assault on Precinct 13

Low-budget goofery from John Carpenter is not exactly sound in departments such as plot, dialogue, acting, etc. But it's also got some effective scenes, and is generally witty, and I love the score; it's simple and repetitive, but it works.

This movie may only be for Carpenter fans, or for people who enjoy exploitation movies, but it's fun enough.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Assault on Precinct 13

I love the score; it's simple and repetitive, but it works.

It was one Hans' inspirations. Which could be an explanation for why all of his scores are simple.

[Romão 2,276]

Poltergeist, for the very first time

Truth is, some parts of it scared the hell out of me. Great entertainment

[Bryant Burnette 658]

Poltergeist, for the very first time

Truth is, some parts of it scared the hell out of me. Great entertainment

Is it a Tobe Hooper movie? Is it a Steven Spielberg movie? It's both, and I love it. If the upcoming remake is half as scary, half as witty, or half as successful, I'll eat my hat.

[publicist 4,643]

Poltergeist, for the very first time

Truth is, some parts of it scared the hell out of me. Great entertainment

Is it a Tobe Hooper movie? Is it a Steven Spielberg movie? It's both, and I love it. If the upcoming remake is half as scary, half as witty, or half as successful, I'll eat my hat.

How could it be? Whatever novelty value the first one had is long gone...

[Unlucky Bastard 7,785]

James Horner should make it decent.

[Quintus 5,399]

Poltergeist, for the very first time

Truth is, some parts of it scared the hell out of me. Great entertainment

Is it a Tobe Hooper movie? Is it a Steven Spielberg movie? It's both, and I love it. If the upcoming remake is half as scary, half as witty, or half as successful, I'll eat my hat.

How could it be? Whatever novelty value the first one had is long gone...

Er... no. It isn't.

[publicist 4,643]

It was a crap story to begin with.

Capital punishment for all remakers!

Remakes (the latest rage is to call it 're-imaginings) of 'Back to the Future', 'The Goonies' and 'Ghostbusters' should be in order very soon - included in the ticket price is a frontal lobotomy for every filmgoer over 30.

[Quintus 5,399]

I'm not a fan of remakes either, but the original Poltergeist was never a novelty. Its something of a minor classic.

[A24 4,371]

Will the haunted house concept still excite the public? Not a very fresh idea, if you ask me.

[publicist 4,643]

I'm not a fan of remakes either, but the original Poltergeist was never a novelty. Its something of a minor classic.

Why? It's carnival hucksterism, Spielberg style. You know you're in trouble if a movie presents you a haunted house and all the protagonists look starry-eyed like 8-year olds at every flying object.

It's certainly not a bad film as such, just terrible hokum. It gave Goldsmith a great canvas to paint on, though.

[Richard Penna 3,783]

Donnie Darko

Note: I've tried to avoid spoilers, but I wouldn't read this if you don't want even subtle hints about the ending.

An intriguing and exceptionally well made movie. I love movies that have an air of interpretation about them, especially with this one, where you really don't know whether what Donnie decides to do at the end

really was to avoid something that would've happened in this 'tangent universe'

, or

if it was all in his head

. Not sure which one would indicate him being more screwed up.

The ending may be one of those candidates for 'syrupy' ending music, but I think in this case it fits perfectly, regardless of which of the aforementioned things was true. Unlike many films, it's a case of after everything you've seen about the family in the last 2 hours, I did care deeply for them all. When you add the whole plane/corporate responsibility into it all, it really is a touching ending IMO.

Story, casting (having real life siblings playing them on screen works a treat), direction, music, all pretty much perfect.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I think I'm one of the few that never really liked Donnie Darko. I do like the end song though.

[Richard Penna 3,783]

Oh my view of the world is nearly as screwed up as Donnie's - I loved it

[Bryant Burnette 658]

Donnie Darko is one of my favorite movies of the decade -- top 10 easily.

[Bryant Burnette 658]

The most recent film(s) I watched were the most recent episodes of True Blood, Dexter, and Mad Men.

Man, oh man, is Sunday night awesome right now.

True Blood gets better each and every week. The first few episodes were good, but as the characters grow and become more flawed and interesting, the series is becoming much more enjoyable. I look forward to this one being around for many seasons to come.

A lot of people -- well, several dozen people -- were worried that the third season of Dexter was going to be a letdown, given that one of the show's producers (can't remember which one, but he was one of the show's primary creative forces) bailed out to go work on Dirty Sexy Money over on ABC. So far, those fears have been not only unfounded, but completely baseless. I'm digging the new plotlines, all of which feel like very natural directions for the show to go in. And I've always liked Jimmy Smits, so it's nice to see him on a good show again.

As for Mad Men, well, it's better than the two above-mentioned shows combined, and those shows are pretty damn terrific. It's no hyperbole: this is as good as television gets. One thing I treasure about the show is that I can almost never see what direction it's going in. Another thing I treasure is that the characters seem to become richer with every single episode; and, luckily, the actors playing them are more than suited to the task. I was a little worried that the second season wouldn't be able to measure up to the first. Boy, was I wrong. Not only has it measured up, it's exceeded it; no small task, that. Between this instant-classic show and the short first season of the similarly excellent Breaking Bad, AMC is on fire right now.

[A24 4,371]

Donnie Darko

The ending may be one of those candidates for 'syrupy' ending music, but I think in this case it fits perfectly, regardless of which of the aforementioned things was true. Unlike many films, it's a case of after everything you've seen about the family in the last 2 hours, I did care deeply for them all. When you add the whole plane/corporate responsibility into it all, it really is a touching ending IMO.

A great film (and great is a word I rarely use)! I've heard that Richard Kelly threw the pop songs in the garbage can in favour of a more conventional style of film music for his Director's Cut of Donnie Darko. If this is true then it's a weird decision because I can't think of an another film where the pop songs work so well. Anyways, I just bought Richard Kelly's Southland Tales on DVD. Many Darko fans seem to hate this film so I'm quite curious about it.

Alex

[Marian Schedenig 8,267]

I believe I remember reading about some song changes for the DC due to licensing reasons. I have the DC on DVD, but the first time I watched the movie was the regular version. I don't recall much, but I don't think I noticed any chance in tone. I'm sure Mad World (great song) is in both (it's definitely in the DC).

[Bryant Burnette 658]

I believe I remember reading about some song changes for the DC due to licensing reasons. I have the DC on DVD, but the first time I watched the movie was the regular version. I don't recall much, but I don't think I noticed any chance in tone. I'm sure Mad World (great song) is in both (it's definitely in the DC).

The only significant changes the Director's Cut makes musically are these:

(1) The film no longer begins with the song "The Killing Moon" by Echo & The Bunnymen; that has been replaced by "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS.

(2) During the party scene, "Under the Milky Way" by The Church has been replaced by "The Killing Moon."

Personally, I miss "The Killing Moon." "Never Tear Us Apart" is a great song, and it works pretty well, but not AS well. The reason for this change is that Richard Kelly -- according to the commentary track -- always intended for the film to have "Never Tear Us Apart" here, but was unable to license the song in time. The film even played several times (in what capacity, I can't remember; for critics, maybe, or at festivals) with the INXS song before the licensing fell through and Kelly had to put something else in its place. Objectively, both work equally well; I just personally prefer Echo & The Bunnymen. (Bunnymen!) (Incidentally, Kelly also initially wanted to use Pet Shop Boys' "West End Girls" for the Sparkle Motion sequence instead of Duran Duran's "Notorious," and even filmed the sequence with that song in mind. I wish he'd been able to make that change for the Director's Cut; I like the kitsch of "Notorious," but "West End Girls" has kitsch as well as an extreme undercurrent of melancholy, and therefore fits the movie better tonally. Ah well, maybe Pet Shop Boys were still asking for too much money.)

And while my memory isn't clear enough to remember why I feel this way, I absolutely HATE the change to the music in the party scene. Can't remember why, but I'm sure I had a good reason for it.

Overall, I think the Director's Cut is problematic. It makes an attempt -- via newly-filmed and -inserted excerpts from The Philosophy of Time Travel -- to make the plot a bit more understandable. Why bother? The lack of accessibility is one of the elements of the movie that makes the original cut so vivid. Who cares if it makes any sense? The emotions are what matter in this movie; I don't care about why what's going on is going on, I only care about the effect it has emotionally on the characters, and therefore on me. So for me, those newly inserted "explanatory" sequences are a major drag.

On the other hand, the Director's Cut adds in a lot of scenes that had been deleted, and they're mostly very good. Combined with some other, milder changes that affect the film's pace, these are very good additions. So there are certain things about the Director's Cut that I definitely like. (Which reminds me that I need to buy a copy of it.)

All in all, though, I prefer the original cut. No surprise there. It's a movie that appeals to the emotions, and had a very distinct emotional effect on me; therefore, I will always kinda want to see the movie the same way I saw it the first time. I wouldn't be at all surprised if people who see the Director's Cut first have the same reaction, but reversed.

[A24 4,371]

The only significant changes the Director's Cut makes musically are these:

(1) The film no longer begins with the song "The Killing Moon" by Echo & The Bunnymen; that has been replaced by "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS.

(2) During the party scene, "Under the Milky Way" by The Church has been replaced by "The Killing Moon."

Overall, I think the Director's Cut is problematic. It makes an attempt -- via newly-filmed and -inserted excerpts from The Philosophy of Time Travel -- to make the plot a bit more understandable. Why bother? The lack of accessibility is one of the elements of the movie that makes the original cut so vivid. Who cares if it makes any sense? The emotions are what matter in this movie; I don't care about why what's going on is going on, I only care about the effect it has emotionally on the characters, and therefore on me. So for me, those newly inserted "explanatory" sequences are a major drag.

All very good reasons why I will never watch the DC.

[QMM 4]

Burn After Reading

Doesn't fall flat on its face like Ladykillers but it was....weird. JK Simmons pretty much made the whole movie worth it with his last scene.

Babylon AD

I wanted to see just how bad it was and it was very bad. The ending was the worst I've ever seen and FOX must have really been mucking around with the production if they let that thing get through.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

What'd you think of the scores for both? I really like Burwell's overdramatic percussion score. My brother sent me a huge file of all the music he got recently, and Babylon is in there. He said it was pretty good for Orvarsson's second score, but of course he loves everything RCP.

[QMM 4]

I liked the percussive elements of Burwell's score and the little piano motif that came up every now and then.

Babylon had terrible action music and bland choral writing.