What Is The Last Film You Watched?

[Red 75]

I was waiting for someone to say that....

But seriously, when? I do not recall any church in the film.

It's a little interlude not long after the first death of one of the squad members (Vin Diesel's character), when they meet up with some other soldiers and who they think is Private Ryan (Nathan Fillion, for the browncoats).

[Morlock 11]

Duplicity is nothing I'd ever pay to see. It looks like another paycheck for Roberts and nothing more.

Roberts is certainly the least attractive thing about the movie for me. But I've heard great stuff about it, and I'll give Gilroy the benefit of the doubt. Also, hopefully, he could make Owen interesting again (as well as maybe get an interesting score out of JNH, but I have my doubts).

Race to Witch Mountain has Ciaran Hinds? Now I'm kind of interested.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

I was waiting for someone to say that....

But seriously, when? I do not recall any church in the film.

It's a little interlude not long after the first death of one of the squad members (Vin Diesel's character), when they meet up with some other soldiers and who they think is Private Ryan (Nathan Fillion, for the browncoats).

Oh, the part where they meet the wrong Private Ryan? I always thought that scene was rather humorous, but I still do not remember a church...I need to watch that film again....

[Marian Schedenig 8,240]

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). I was wary of seeing this for a long time, probably one of the two most famous cases of Hollywood mutilation of a master's film.

Out of curiosity, and perhaps I'm just stupid right now to not think of it: What would be the other one?

Frankly, I barely noticed the score by Herrmann, who is strangely uncredited.

Wasn't his score also heavily twisted by studio interference? Perhaps that's the reason.

It's been so long since I've seen it, all I remember is liking it. I should watch it again.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Then, I gave Will Ferrell's You're Welcome, America: A Final Night With George W. Bush a look. I gave up after about fifteen minutes when I realized that I had not even chuckled a single time. After mostly not chuckling for the better part of an hour and a half, this was too much.

I gave up after 15 minutes too.

[Dole 17]

Frankly, I barely noticed the score by Herrmann, who is strangely uncredited.

Wasn't his score also heavily twisted by studio interference? Perhaps that's the reason.

Yes. IIRC, Herrmann threw a fit that his score was edited when the film was edited, so he demanded his name be taken off the film.

[Bryant Burnette 655]

It didn't underperform, it did about what Disney thought.

All the projections I saw had it at about $35 million for the weekend; it made, what, nearly thirty percent less than that...? I'll call that underperforming every time.

Race to Witch Mountain has Ciaran Hinds? Now I'm kind of interested.

Stay away. He's not very good here, although the screenplay and the director get equal shares of the blame for that. Think of him as Cigarette Smoking Man from The X-Files, but without the cigarettes, menace, and good dialogue.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Think of him as Cigarette Smoking Man from The X-Files, but without the cigarettes, menace, and good dialogue.

Ah, so he's just a man.

[A24 4,364]

Watched any more Carnivale yet, Alex?

I only had access to the first episode. One of The Wire or Rome DVD sets came with a HBO promo DVD. This DVD enables you to watch the first episode of several HBO shows. That's how I saw the first episode of Big Love, which I also liked (but perhaps not enough to buy it). They only show I didn't like is Entourage.

I will buy Carnivale one of these days. That's a no-brainer decision.

Alex

[Bryant Burnette 655]

I myself enjoy Entourage, but only somewhat; and I wouldn't like it at all if not for Jeremy Piven and Kevin Dillon. That's one of those shows I'm happy to watch as long as they keep making it, but I won't find myself missing it very much once it's done. (Unlike, say, Deadwood, which I still miss bitterly.)

As for Big Love, I liked it from the beginning, but it's gotten even better as time has gone on. It's very near the end of the third season (the finale is next week), and the latter half of this season has been exceptional. It's still not in the same league with some of HBO's more notable shows, but it's starting to get close.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I share the same opinion about Entourage. I didn't even watch all of Season 5.

I'm starting to get into Flight Of The Conchords.

[Bryant Burnette 655]

I like Flight of the Conchords. But it's so weird ... I would only ever recommend that one to people whose sense of humor I was familiar with. The second season has been funny, but the songs have been mostly terrible, whereas in the first season I liked most of them.

[QMM 4]

Con Air

Woof.

[Bryant Burnette 655]

Even all these years later, Con Air remains one of THE worst movies I've ever seen.

[Quintus 5,399]

Again, I disagree. As big dumb fun movies go, Con Air remains one of THE best of the genre.

Casino Royale: I had forgotten how good this film was.

I think it's by far the best 007 film.

It's good, but I'll still take the cheese of Live and Let Die.

So what's preventing it from being a 5 star film?

Apart from the spectacular battle sequences, the film doesn't engage as well as it should do. The dialogue heavy middle section feels staged, as it does in all of Spielberg's movies, but this time it grates against the hyper-realism of the aforementioned battle sequences. The two contrasting styles of direction do not blend well together to form a cohesive whole.

I think the miracle of the film is precisely how well both styles fit together. I think the character stuff is a constant thread that keeps the battle scenes from being merely harrowing re-creations, and the film is so superbly acted, that the dialogue scenes rarely get phony (fine, maybe the church scene was pushing it a bit...but I still love it). I think the film does falter in it's last scene, but, frankly, I've learned to forgive Spielberg's endings. The rest of it is such amazing visual storytelling. And I don't think think that Spielberg's dialogue feels any more staged than any other part of his filmmaking. I used to have my doubts about the film...but, upon watching it, all the arguments I'd had and heard felt rather feeble. The mastery of the filmmaking here I find to be awe-inspiring.

I appreciate and agree with most of what you said, since I was merely stating the reason why I think the film is a 4 starer and not a 5, as Koray asked. don't misunderstand me - I really like the film. There's some really good stuff in SPR; the moral dilemma of the little French girl, the later moral dilemma of the German prisoner and the mistaken identity scene are all worthy moments, but yeah, there are a couple of stinkers there too. The Church sequence being the biggest offender.

[Jay 37,478]

I will buy Carnivale one of these days. That's a no-brainer decision.

Carnivale is more or less the best TV show I've ever seen. I still feel the sting of HBO canceling it before they could finish telling their story..... sucks.

[Wojo 2,453]

I think the film is a 4 starer and not a 5

There...are...FOUR...LIGHTS!!!

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Even all these years later, Con Air remains one of THE worst movies I've ever seen.

I agree.

funny we disagree about some (like Race) but Con Air is just terrible. It features a bunch of A Listers, and everything fails.

Even worse its a film of all sorts of missed opportunities. It could have been good.

[Morlock 11]

Out of curiosity, and perhaps I'm just stupid right now to not think of it: What would be the other one?

Probably Erich von Stroheim's Greed.

[Dole 17]

I think the studios hacked up Welles's Touch of Evil and Cukor's A Star is Born pretty badly too.

[Morlock 11]

They did (at least the former), I should have been more specific. Greed and Ambersons are probably the most famous cases of films thaat were seriously mutilated, with no known remains of the edited scenes. Although, after the missing Metropolis scenes were found last year, we can always hope to find them some day.

And speaking of Cukor, I just saw The Philadelphia Story for the first time. Like all screwball comedies (which this is in part at least), there's the rhythem and the dialogue that I find very hard ot connect to. But I stuck with it just for the site of these icons together, and it paid off, albeit modestly. I didn't love it, but I liked it well enough. Stewart's great, Grant's brilliant, Hepburn is annoying (as I always find her in comedies).

[A24 4,364]

I think the studios hacked up Welles's Touch of Evil and Cukor's A Star is Born pretty badly too.

Touch Of Evil is sorta restored now, isn't it?

[JoeinAR 1,949]

They did (at least the former), I should have been more specific. Greed and Ambersons are probably the most famous cases of films thaat were seriously mutilated, with no known remains of the edited scenes. Although, after the missing Metropolis scenes were found last year, we can always hope to find them some day.

And speaking of Cukor, I just saw The Philadelphia Story for the first time. Like all screwball comedies (which this is in part at least), there's the rhythem and the dialogue that I find very hard ot connect to. But I stuck with it just for the site of these icons together, and it paid off, albeit modestly. I didn't love it, but I liked it well enough. Stewart's great, Grant's brilliant, Hepburn is annoying (as I always find her in comedies).

I love Hepburn in her comedies, she is commanding. Yeah she can be annoying, thats usually her role, to annoy the main characters, but there is no denying her charm

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Again, I disagree. As big dumb fun movies go, Con Air remains one of THE best of the genre.

Yep.

[Wojo 2,453]

I like Armageddon better. Con Air may be a big dumb fun ride, but Armageddon is a two-hour testosterone-induced acid trip of a roller coaster ride. I like it.

[A24 4,364]

You like dumb and stupid?

[Dole 17]

They did (at least the former), I should have been more specific. Greed and Ambersons are probably the most famous cases of films thaat were seriously mutilated, with no known remains of the edited scenes. Although, after the missing Metropolis scenes were found last year, we can always hope to find them some day.

And speaking of Cukor, I just saw The Philadelphia Story for the first time. Like all screwball comedies (which this is in part at least), there's the rhythem and the dialogue that I find very hard ot connect to. But I stuck with it just for the site of these icons together, and it paid off, albeit modestly. I didn't love it, but I liked it well enough. Stewart's great, Grant's brilliant, Hepburn is annoying (as I always find her in comedies).

I didn't know they found the missing scenes for Metropolis! That's great news.

I'm not a huge fan of Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story, but I really love her in Bringing Up Baby. I think it's one of her best performances, and one of her best films as well.

[Red 75]

I like Armageddon better. Con Air may be a big dumb fun ride, but Armageddon is a two-hour testosterone-induced acid trip of a roller coaster ride. I like it.

Armageddon is just mind-numbingly bad. I felt dumber after watching that movie.

[Wojo 2,453]

What's wrong with dumb and stupid movies? If you want to be educated, watch PBS or read a book. If you want to be entertained, watch a movie. A movie doesn't have to teach you anything. It just has to take you out of the real world for two hours.

[Quintus 5,399]

You like dumb and stupid?

Yes of course, if the movie knows what it is and it does it well, like Death Race did. A bad example of the genre would be AvP2: Requiem, which is just plain bad on every level.

Depending on my mood, big dumb movies can be a welcome highlight on my tv and why on earth shouldn't they be? Methinks the square peeps who disagree with that sentiment need to lighten up a bit.

[Bryant Burnette 655]

Again, I disagree. As big dumb fun movies go, Con Air remains one of THE best of the genre.

If you're looking at it from the big and dumb perspective, sure, I'll buy that. Fun? No way. That movie blows.

Again, I disagree. As big dumb fun movies go, Con Air remains one of THE best of the genre.

Yep.

Nope.

I like Armageddon better. Con Air may be a big dumb fun ride, but Armageddon is a two-hour testosterone-induced acid trip of a roller coaster ride. I like it.

Armageddon has a few okay scenes, but by and large, it's as crappy as Con Air. A (nearly totally) miserable experience.

What's wrong with dumb and stupid movies? If you want to be educated, watch PBS or read a book. If you want to be entertained, watch a movie. A movie doesn't have to teach you anything. It just has to take you out of the real world for two hours.

I agree that all a movie has to be is entertaining. But in order for me to be entertained, a movie has to be entertaining. It can't just try to be entertaining, it has to actually be entertaining, and -- in my opinion, of course -- the movies in question are not entertaining, they are loud, boring wastes of time and money.

[Quintus 5,399]

Who knows, maybe different people find different movies 'entertaining'. Stranger things have happened!

[Bryant Burnette 655]

Who knows, maybe different people find different movies 'entertaining'. Stranger things have happened!

Right you are. I'm just one of the people saying that Con Air offered me one of the smallest amounts of entertainment I've ever experienced in a movie. Right up there with The Mummy, Ultraviolet, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and Basquiat.

I'm sure I like plenty of movies you hate, too. For example, I kinda enjoyed Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. Not a good movie, by any means; but I had fun with it.

[Quintus 5,399]

The Mummy, Ultraviolet, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and Basquiat.

I do not like any of those movies, though I do appreciate that many millions actually quite love The Mummy. To me it's bland bland bland, yet to them its brilliant fun. And that's okay because either way, its a harmless piece of cinema.

[QMM 4]

I saw Con Air in a lecture theater full of students. We were cheering our heads off when Cage got back to his kid.

[Bryant Burnette 655]

What kind of f---ed-up school would allow Con Air to be shown in a lecture hall?

[Ollie 1,069]

American schools....

I was cheering too, the film was over!!!!!!

[Quintus 5,399]

Long live Cyrus The Virus!!!

You like dumb and stupid?

Yes of course, if the movie knows what it is and it does it well, like Death Race did. A bad example of the genre would be AvP2: Requiem, which is just plain bad on every level.

I've just realised that Indiana Jones 4 is utterly relevant in this discussion. That movie committed the ultimate big dumb movie crime: it masqueraded itself as a GREAT movie whilst being really quite bad. It is interesting to see the mighty Spielberg mixing it with the likes of the Paul W.S. Anderson, albeit unknown to the two of them.

Con Air is a better movie than Indy IV.

The fanboys will say I'm picking on Indy IV again, and that is why they're fanboys.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

You like dumb and stupid?

You know, if you were a character from Star Trek it would be Plasus from the episode called The Cloud Minders.

[Bryant Burnette 655]

Con Air is a better movie than Indy IV.

Not in this or any other universe is that statement true. It has many flaws, but Crystal Skull is at least occasionally competent, something that at no point is true about Con Air.

In my opinion, of course.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

No, Indy IV is better than Con Air. The really bad decision in this movie was for Nick Cage to kill john mal.

it would have been so much better it Steve Beschimi had done the right thing at the end and killed john. That would have been terrific, instead we get a standard grade z ending.

[Quintus 5,399]

As much as Con Air is mindless entertainment on rails, the two Die Hard sequels are still better again.

I'm yet to compare them to Indy IV and probably never will.

[Wojo 2,453]

It's not surprising that the loathing of these big loud dumb stupid movies is directed at Bay/Bruckheimer movies. That's fine. You don't like Con-Air or Armageddon, that's fine. You probably don't like Pirates 1, 2, or 3 either. That's fine too.

Tell you what. Come over to my house, scare my dog, come into my bedroom, take my Armageddon discs, break them in half, throw them away, and then leave. Do me that small favor. Make me smarter by telling me that I'm a bad person by enjoying such trivially nonsensical movie fare. Then redeem my soul by giving me Indy IV and telling me to enjoy it.

I'll tell you to get the hell out while I go buy another copy of Armageddon.

[Quintus 5,399]

Funnily enough, I never took to the PotC movies. They're okay, but not really my thing. I suppose this goes some way towards proving that there are many varieties of dumb entertainment.

[Wojo 2,453]

There are worse ways to kill two hours of your life.

[Delorean90 42]

I've just realised that Indiana Jones 4 is utterly relevant in this discussion. That movie committed the ultimate big dumb movie crime: it masqueraded itself as a GREAT movie whilst being really quite bad.

When in the world did it do that? And how?

[Quintus 5,399]

Last year, when it came out.

In answer to the second part of your comment: I'm yet to figure that out too.

[Delorean90 42]

What? Was there a misunderstanding? Let me rephrase, because I'm sure you're not just pulling remarks out of your butt just 'cause you don't like the movie: In what way did it "masquerade itself as a great movie whilst really being quite bad"?

[Charlie Brigden 7]

I think the only person who got the CON AIR joke out of the entire cast and crew was Malkovich. I've never really found it entertaining though, and the ending with that Leann Rimes song is the worst kind of transparent emotional manipulation. I can deal with dumb movies, that movie was just an idiot forerunner of SNAKES ON A PLANE. I don't really see where KOTCS fits in at all, but it's certainly a better film than CON AIR. Same with ARMAGEDDON. I think Bay and whoever the genius who directed CON AIR really think they're making superb movies, especially Bay.

On the same wavelength, I have trouble believing Paul Anderson would ever intentionally make a bad/dumb film, especially when he's been making intentionally good ones for years on end and they've all been absolutely shocking.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

It's not surprising that the loathing of these big loud dumb stupid movies is directed at Bay/Bruckheimer movies. That's fine. You don't like Con-Air or Armageddon, that's fine. You probably don't like Pirates 1, 2, or 3 either. That's fine too.

Tell you what. Come over to my house, scare my dog, come into my bedroom, take my Armageddon discs, break them in half, throw them away, and then leave. Do me that small favor. Make me smarter by telling me that I'm a bad person by enjoying such trivially nonsensical movie fare. Then redeem my soul by giving me Indy IV and telling me to enjoy it.

I'll tell you to get the hell out while I go buy another copy of Armageddon.

armageddon is bad, its really really bad.

but is has some moments, not nearly as many as the far superior Deep Impact which isn't about to elicit as many YEAHS as armaggeddon but at least DI isn't edited in the 3 second shot, 2 second shot, 1 second shot, 2 second shot, 3 second shot method.

Its biggest sin is its hyper editing. But how can you not shed a tear when Bruce Willis dies.

I hope some turd doesn't say OMG where's the spoiler tags, I've not seen Armageddon, now you've ruined the movie. No I didn't M.Bay did.