What Is The Last Film You Watched?

[Datameister 2,233]

I'm still not sure exactly what you're getting at...and I still think that whatever you're talking about is the least of the film's problems.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

Lethal Weapon

It's hard to say what the best action movie of the 80s is, but this comes damn close. I usually put this above Die Hard because I find Riggs more interesting than McClane, and above Predator because of the humour. It's just a rollicking good time, with two fine central performances and a great score by Kamen with great noodling by Clapton. The slow-motion parts aren't very good at all, but the dialogue is still sharp. I love Shane Black.

Lethal Weapon 2

I used to like this more (maybe it was the adolescent in me at the sight of Patsy Kensit's tits), but I kind of miss the seriousness. It's still a very good film, and very fun, and when it gets serious the film really ramps up. The original concept would have been cool, but I'd have missed Riggs. Derrick O'Connor is awesome.

[Quintus 5,411]

I'm still not sure exactly what you're getting at...and I still think that whatever you're talking about is the least of the film's problems.

Perhaps, but a flair for direction and a good eye might have least resulted in a somewhat less dull experience all round. I too think there are bigger problems with Inception, though I've banged on about them enough on previous pages so I'll do everyone a favour and won't repeat it all again.

[A24 4,525]

I'm still not sure exactly what you're getting at...and I still think that whatever you're talking about is the least of the film's problems.

It makes all the difference. It's the difference between Grady telling Jack to correct his wife and child in Kubrick's The Shining or the same scene in Garris' Steven King's The Shining. The first one is interesting in many ways, the second one boring in every way.

[Quintus 5,411]

I think you mean "cor-rrrect", Alex.

[Docteur Qui 1,571]

The Expendables

Did I watch a rough cut or something? I just could not enjoy this movie, as much as I wanted to. It was just dreadful. I don't know why it's getting such favourable reviews from some people...

[Quintus 5,411]

I still need to see that, if only for the blink and you miss it Arnie cameo. I'm expecting it to be about as enjoyable as Rambo 4.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

I am dying to see The Expendables. I know it won't be very good, but it still looks great. I also loved the hell out of Rambo (IV).

[Quintus 5,411]

Rambo was great fun. Who am I kidding; I'm dying to see The Expendables, too

[A24 4,525]

I think you mean "cor-rrrect", Alex.

Apparently Kubrick enjoyed inversing everything from the book. In the book there's never a mirror around when Jacks speaks to Grady. In Kubrick film, Grady is surrounded by mirrors.

The Bathroom Scene Re-Cut

[Quintus 5,411]

On iPod that link doesn't take me to the page you meant it to.

So Alex, in regards to your earlier thoughts, have you come to a conclusion as to whether the Shining and the Hotel itself are 'connected', in Kubrick's film?

[A24 4,525]

On iPod that link doesn't take me to the page you meant it to.

Too bad.

So Alex, in regards to your earlier thoughts, have you come to a conclusion as to whether the Shining and the Hotel itself are 'connected', in Kubrick's film?

No, no conclusions. I just thought I saw a parallel between between 'Tony putting words into Danny's mouth' or 'Grady putting ideas into Jack's head'. Both see dead people from the past. Danny's condition is called 'The Shining'. Jack's condition is called 'insanity'.

[Quintus 5,411]

Definate parallel; not sure if it was intended though. I suppose the slight ambiguity of it is a good thing, well...either that or it's just another case of reading too much into something. Both outcomes are possible.

The Bathroom Scene Re-Cut

Watched it on laptop.

[Naïve Old Fart 10,248]

Inception: I found it an extremely boring movie. An needlessly complex episode of Mission Impossible. The film has no vibe, no feel, no texture. The storytelling is so unremarkable, it's just a cut-and-dried realization of a script. */****

Kubrick was clueless about the material and made a dreadful film.

Personally, I believe Kubrick has turned a turd into gold. And he turned it into gold to prove that it can be done. Anyone who can make weak material appear that interesting is a genius.

Alex

Oh, dear, Alex, you are slipping. All that vibe, feel, and texture is below the surface. In that respect, it's all very Kubrickesque, don't you know?

The Kids Are All Right

Excellent family drama with some solid acting and direction. Mark Ruffalo is great per usual, as are the kids.

Yeah. The bit where Pete Townsend smashes his guitar, is briliant!

[crocodile 8,374]

I can understand why you (or anybody else, for that matter) might find it boring. Even though I disagree, I can at least see where you're coming from. But could you elaborate more on the latter part of your post? I thought Nolan films have all the same similar feel and I can tell his films from anybody else's. The way he shoots, uses sound, editing etc. Inception is no different. Is it that it's not particularly glossy visually for film medium? Just curious.

My problem is that Nolan wants to let the story of Inception speak for itself. So, in the end, the story (of which only the concept is okay) is all I can take away from it. I've could've read the script and I wouldn't miss a thing if I didn't see the movie. He's not interested in creating an atmosphere because he's too occupied to get the story going. As a storyteller Nolan's prose is bland. I don't feel the surroundings of the characters. I don't feel the air they are breathing, the leather of their seats, or the water leaking into the car. The visuals strike me as very 2D, if you know what I mean. The way he shoots, I've seen it all before. He doesn't offer intriguing images, nor do they convey any other information. There's no ambiguity to it. The characters? They too are merely present to show off Nolan's story. They could've been anybody. They are not important, special, credible (that Juno girl as an architect, come on!) or memorable in any way. Like the film itself, they don't bleed, there's no blood running through their veins. And aren't you tired of seeing Dicaprio playing the same character over and over again? Then there's that interchangeable, non-stop Hans Zimmer music again. What a surprise!

Alex

Even though I disagree and tend to enjoy this kind of a movie very much, there are some interesting points here indeed. Thanks!

Karol

[Datameister 2,233]

It makes all the difference. It's the difference between Grady telling Jack to correct his wife and child in Kubrick's The Shining or the same scene in Garris' Steven King's The Shining. The first one is interesting in many ways, the second one boring in every way.

Only problem is I haven't seen either.

[Jay 38,934]

Lethal Weapon 2

I used to like this more (maybe it was the adolescent in me at the sight of Patsy Kensit's tits), but I kind of miss the seriousness. It's still a very good film, and very fun, and when it gets serious the film really ramps up. The original concept would have been cool, but I'd have missed Riggs. Derrick O'Connor is awesome.

What was the original concept?

[Charlie Brigden 7]

Lethal Weapon 2

I used to like this more (maybe it was the adolescent in me at the sight of Patsy Kensit's tits), but I kind of miss the seriousness. It's still a very good film, and very fun, and when it gets serious the film really ramps up. The original concept would have been cool, but I'd have missed Riggs. Derrick O'Connor is awesome.

What was the original concept?

Riggs dies and Murtaugh goes crazy in revenge.

[Jay 38,934]

Yea that would have been dumb. Maybe by Lethal Weapon 4 that woulda been doable

[Quintus 5,411]

Just got back from The Expendables. It was pretty much exactly what I was expecting: lots of cheesy fun - it was sort of a noughties Commando and easily just as violent and ridiculous. I like Stallone, I like how he ignores what is trendy in current action flicks and does things in the old fashioned, thoroughly un-pc way. It's gory action entertainment for the hell of it and he knows what will and won't work and how far to push it.

Such a shame that Arnie's cameo was a complete and utter waste though; I grinned from ear to ear when he showed up, and he was uber cool, but he was gone before you knew it. I miss him from movies and I hope he returns proper, once his other work is done with.

The Expendable gets ***/*****

[Charlie Brigden 7]

Yea that would have been dumb. Maybe by Lethal Weapon 4 that woulda been doable

I dunno, I'd have preferred it to have happened in 3 so we wouldn't have had to sit through Pesci's frogspeech in 4.

[Koray Savas 2,254]

Such a shame that Arnie's cameo was a complete and utter waste though; I grinned from ear to ear when he showed up, and he was uber cool, but he was gone before you knew it. I miss him from movies and I hope he returns proper, once his other work is done with.

I miss him too. It's strange to think kids these days will only know him as a governor. Either way though, he's too old.

[Wojo 2,456]

I miss [Arnie] too. It's strange to think kids these days will only know him as a governor. Either way though, he's too old.

Not necessarily. Shirley Temple Black became a public servant and ambassador late in life, but anyone who's ever heard of her will think of her first and foremost as a child actress.

[Jeff 10]

I miss [Arnie] too. It's strange to think kids these days will only know him as a governor. Either way though, he's too old.

Not necessarily. Shirley Temple Black became a public servant and ambassador late in life, but anyone who's ever heard of her will think of her first and foremost as a child actress.

But Shirley Temple as a public servant didn't have a catchy nickname. Kids will remember the Governator.

[Wojo 2,456]

I have a headache...

[Quintus 5,411]

I need a vacation...

[crocodile 8,374]

The Wolfman

My god, what a mess! It could have been pretty decent but it has no tension whatsoever. In fact, it's absolutely boring. What a waste of a potentially good cast. As for the music... it doesn't make much sense. You hear some 30 second bit of Elfman which then switches to some other composer in a middle of a cue. And while I applaud the efforts of trying to conform to the cut, it just doesn't work. The music suddenly looses all personality. Better stick to the album version and forget about the movie and its music. I could talk more about the film, but I watched it solely to see what they've done with the score.

Karol - who loves the score as presented on the disc.

[John Dutton 7,220]

Interview With the Vampire. I miss when vamp movies were good.

[Romão 2,313]

And what a stunning score that one has

[Taikomochi 1,185]

And what a stunning score that one has

I know! I rarely buy CD's because I'm a cheapo, but I had to have this one.

[Ollie 1,108]

And what a stunning score that one has

Yes, it's a shame the album had to be ruined with the Guns & Roses song inclusion.

[John Dutton 7,220]

The movie and score wouldn't be complete without Sympathy for the Devil at the end.

[Andy 5,009]

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Very enjoyable. A couple of montage sequences with no dialogue, only score, were pretty neat... storytelling techniques you don't see too much of anymore.

[JoeinAR 1,953]

Titanic II, a cheapie from Kanadia. It was cheesy, it was terrible, it was horrible, it wasn't even fun.

The premise is this, on the 100th anniversary of the voyage of the Titanic, a replica but modern version sets sail from New York back across the Atlantic. Meanwhile in Greenland a massive glacier cracks and falls into the Atlantic creating a humongous Sunami that pushes icebergs into the path of the Titanic II. Dave found it for a couple of bucks and it wasn't even worth the 2 bucks. There were some really bad previews at the beginning that almost looked like bad fun.

[Marian Schedenig 8,834]

And what a stunning score that one has

Yes, it's a shame the album had to be ruined with the Guns & Roses song inclusion.

I'm a big Rolling Stones fan, but I like the GNR version a lot.

[Koray Savas 2,254]

The original version is one of my favorite songs of all-time. I hate GNR covers. "Live And Let Die" and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." Bleh.

[Datameister 2,233]

Iron Man, finally. I enjoyed it, definitely. It had a sense of...fun. I like that. Robert Downey Jr.'s delivery is always great, and watching him fly around in a ridiculously high-tech suit certainly ups the cool factor. Points off for the final confrontation, which somehow felt a little unimpressive and was hurt a bit by the descent into generic villain taunting, but I still thought it was a slick, enjoyable superhero film. I'll look forward to seeing the sequel...eventually.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

The original version is one of my favorite songs of all-time. I hate GNR covers. "Live And Let Die" and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." Bleh.

Live and Let Die is an awesome cover, but Sympathy is just awful.

[Koray Savas 2,254]

Machete

Robert Rodriguez returns to his roots (although he never really left them). Guns, knives, church shootouts, naked babes (including Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Alba), Cheech Marin, eye patches, Chingon. It's all here. Most fun I've had at the movies the entire year, but maybe that's because I'm a diehard Rodriguez fan.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,364]

But, is this a prequel of a sequel to the Spykids film, were Trejo plays the same character?

[Koray Savas 2,254]

It's based off the fake trailer of the same name that premiered in front of Grindhouse. Trejo is basically the same character in all of Rodriguez's films, so it doesn't really matter. But the kid from Spy Kids is in here, so I don't think it's connected at all.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,364]

No in all other Rodriquez films he has a different name. But in Spykids he plays a character called Machete. So it must be the same character. Is this also rated PG?

[publicist 4,647]

Is the Debney score any good?

[Koray Savas 2,254]

No in all other Rodriquez films he has a different name. But in Spykids he plays a character called Machete. So it must be the same character. Is this also rated PG?

It's rated R, like all of Rodriguez's non-kids films. There's excessive, hilarious, gorey violence. Lots of heads being chopped off, lots of boobs and ass.

Is the Debney score any good?

The music is by Chingon, which is Rodriguez's band. Debney is listed as a part of the band in the end credits, so I guess he's officially a member. Either way, the music was good. I'm just glad Rodriguez was involved with the writing aspect this time.

[A24 4,525]

Is the Debney score any good?

Talking about Debney, I just watched Duma. I'm a fan of Ballard's Never Cry Wolf and Fly Away Home but I have to say Duma is not so good. It's more geared towards children. Music has those typical African touches.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

It's the story of Inception that is complicated. It makes people think: "Wow! I have to keep my mind on things here or else I won't know what's going on. And Leo seems intense ... What a great movie!"

Happens with every complicated plotted film with a twist

[A24 4,525]

It's the story of Inception that is complicated. It makes people think: "Wow! I have to keep my mind on things here or else I won't know what's going on. And Leo seems intense ... What a great movie!"

Happens with every complicated plotted film with a twist

Shutter Island is another example.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

Fight Club, Se7en....the list just goes on. The thing is, many of them are fine films by merit but the overpraise by college aged pseudointellectuals pisses me off and affects my enjoyment of them to a small extent.

[Koray Savas 2,254]

I don't let the general masses affect my liking of a film. People love Fight Club, but not for the same reasons I do. That's all that's important. No one cares about cinematography or editing or anything that's technical.

[crocodile 8,374]

Fight Club, Se7en....the list just goes on. The thing is, many of them are fine films by merit but the overpraise by college aged pseudointellectuals pisses me off and affects my enjoyment of them to a small extent.

The problem with Inception (and with The Dark Knight, for that matter) is that some of the negative reviews seem be only reaction to the initial positive response. The truth is few of them have something to say. The positive ones are almost masturbatory in their "awesome, awesome!" exclamations and the negatives mostly say "it's disappointing, because I expected more after reading so many positive reviews". It's the over-simplification, of course, but point is there is very little interesting opinions to read about the actual film. Neither positive, nor negative.

Karol