What Is The Last Film You Watched?

[Quintus 5,399]

Seasons 2 & 3 are the cream of the series. Ooo yes.

[A24 4,371]

I didn't buy season 6 because it comes in two seperate DVD boxes (two parts), which makes it an expensive season to purchase.

Alex

[mahler3 478]

Season 1 of the The Sopranos: Yesterday I already bought the next 4 seasons. Damn you, HBO!

Alex

It's utterly addictive isn't it, you should be able to pick up S6 parts 1 & 2 pretty reasonably @ Amazon's marketplace.

Another HBO show that is worth a look is In Treatment. Just started it the other day and it's very well written / produced. Further proof that HBO are unrivalled when it comes to TV programming, really looking forward to Pacific next month.

[Quintus 5,399]

Yeah, Sopranos season 6 was split into two, with a few months gap between the first and final episodes. The very last two episodes of the series are insanely good, but I just hope you have managed to avoid spoilers.

Season 3 is a class act though, keep an eye out for "Pine Barrens" - its regarded as the finest episode by many, which whilst I wouldn't completely agree, I would still say it is a hilariously entertaining highlight of the series.

[mahler3 478]

Seasons 2 & 3 are the cream of the series. Ooo yes.

S5 has some classic moments too! The Steve Buscemi directed episode with the Russian is one of my favourites.

[Quintus 5,399]

Yes, "Pine Barrens" I think you mean, which is season 3

[mahler3 478]

That's the one! Thought it was a later one, cheers!

[Morlock 11]

Watched Up in the Air, which was pretty good. Good script, fairly orginal story and good performances. I don't get all the awards buzz, but I'd certainly give it 4 out of 5.

So remind me why some here hate it again?

I don't hate it. But I don't see what is so good about it. It was entertaining enough as a comedy, but is just a total dud as a drama. It features the very real and relevant idea of people losing their jobs, yet it has no real reason to (it doesn't care). It's got no plot, just three sub-plots, and two of those are on auto-pilot the entire time. I think the movie is worth it just for the Vera Farmiga scenes, who was fantastic, and brought out the best in Clooney. But I found nothing compelling about the Kendrick character, and thought that Clooney was doing a very good job in a role that he was essentially miscast in (a lower wattage star would have served this movie much better). He is not a real person, nor are any of the characters in this film. Its mix of slick Hollywood fantasy and an attempt at "reality" really felt tone deaf to me. Put someone else in there, maybe the movie's goals would become clearer. I'm still not sure what its trying to say, beyond 'No man is an island'.

Saw Fantastic Mr. Fox. Wonderful, wonderful time at the theater. Rich, bubbly, vivacious filmmaking. Best animated film of 2009 that I've seen. Not being familiar with the source material, I'm a bit confused by the morality on display here, but this is thrilling stuff.

[Bryant Burnette 658]

I'm not a big fan of Up in the Air, either. Like another of the '09 critical darlings I'd say was way overrated, Precious, it is a good movie with a large number of good scenes, but it also has no real focus and comes to no meaningful conclusion. Neither of them, ultimately, feels like they're actually about much of anything.

On the other hand, I recently saw An Education, which I thought was absolutely terrific in all the ways that those two movies tried (and mostly failed) to be. And last night, I saw Crazy Heart, which is not great, but at least feels like a complete movie that goes from Point A to Point B.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Saw the Wolfman tonight. Its not a bad movie, not a great movie.

The wolfman himself is a great great monster and its an early favorite for best makeup.

It has a few set pieces that are excellent. It should have stayed true to the original and I think the gothic look is awesome but I would have put the film in a early 20th century time period.

[A24 4,371]

Elizabeth: The Golden Age: Wow, that wasn't very good. Way too melodramatic! Just listen to how the film's terrible video game music is trying to get the emotions across. This is a perfect example of how music can kill a movie.

Alex

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,267]

Pity, the first film was outstanding.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,785]

Elizabeth: The Golden Age: Wow, that wasn't very good. Way too melodramatic! Just listen to how the film's terrible video game music is trying to get the emotions across. This is a perfect example of how music can kill a movie.

Alex

Awesome movie.

[Morlock 11]

I forgot about it very quickly.

Saw Lord of War (2005). A favorite, still great. One of my absolute favorites of the decade.

Came across A Knight's Tale (2001) on tv. I started watching it, remembering nothing about the movie save the soundtrack....and I loved it. Terrific piece of modest entertainment. I was with it the entire way, first time in a while that I went for a movie's traditional and expected happy ending. The songs work well, but as a gimmick, they distract. Burwell's score is quite good. Quite fortuitous, as I just rented Helgeland's director's cut of Payback. Edge of Darkness ain't getting any better in retrospect.

Also saw Anti-Christ (2009). Not a clue.

[Maglorfin 196]

I recently bought the first season of MacGyver and the Keeping Up Appearances Complete Collection boxset, now I'm watching both shows and enjoying them greatly, I was a huge MacG and KuA fan back in the elementary and high school when they aired in Slovenia, and somehow, I never thought of buying the DVDs. I'm also watching a lot of ER with my girlfriend (I bought her the Complete Collection boxset for Christmas, she's a doctor herself and ER was actually one of her main motivation factors to go and study medicine). So, these days (and weeks), I'm really a lot more into TV shows than into movies.

[Henry B 50]

Elizabeth: The Golden Age: Wow, that wasn't very good. Way too melodramatic! Just listen to how the film's terrible video game music is trying to get the emotions across. This is a perfect example of how music can kill a movie.

Completely agreed, except that the best of video game music is amazing, while the score to Elizabeth is awful. When I saw this movie with my girlfriend (she liked it) it made me want to break up with her.

[A24 4,371]

Elizabeth: The Golden Age: Wow, that wasn't very good. Way too melodramatic! Just listen to how the film's terrible video game music is trying to get the emotions across. This is a perfect example of how music can kill a movie.

Completely agreed, except that the best of video game music is amazing, while the score to Elizabeth is awful. When I saw this movie with my girlfriend (she liked it) it made me want to break up with her.

I don't know what you mean by the best but I always hear the same generic orchestral action music with lots of toms. I hear generic action music with toms when I watch TV, when I watch a movie, when my son plays a video game. Why can't video games create their own universe based on their own distinctive qualities and merits (like they did in the beginning of the medium)? Why do video games want to impersonate a (Hollywood) movie. Why this striving for monotony and sameness? Why?

Alex

[Henry B 50]

Elizabeth: The Golden Age: Wow, that wasn't very good. Way too melodramatic! Just listen to how the film's terrible video game music is trying to get the emotions across. This is a perfect example of how music can kill a movie.

Completely agreed, except that the best of video game music is amazing, while the score to Elizabeth is awful. When I saw this movie with my girlfriend (she liked it) it made me want to break up with her.

I don't know what you mean by the best but I always hear the same generic orchestral action music with lots of toms. I hear generic action music with toms when I watch TV, when I watch a movie, when my son plays a video game. Why can't video games create their own universe based on their own distinctive qualities and merits (like they did in the beginning of the medium)? Why do video games want to impersonate a (Hollywood) movie. Why this striving for monotony and sameness? Why?

Yeah, definitely. The early days of games were what I meant by "the best." There aren't many game scores these days that don't go in the direction of dreary Hollywood action filler.

[Morlock 11]

Not necasserily dreary...but a tad on the boring side. I just listened to Valkyria Chronicles, and the theme is fine, but it seems like the melodic game scores often go to John Debney for inspiration, not a good thing in my book.

Last things I watched were tv shows- season 2 of The Wire (second time around, my guess is that this is the season that will benefit the most from repeated viewings) and the three current comedies I'm watching- Community, Moder Family and The Office. The first two have been pretty consistantly good, with an off episode now and then. But this current season of The Office is just dreadful. There was 'Niagra' and 'The Lover', but I'm having almost no fun with the show. Shapeless, aimless, not particularly funny.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

My frustration with the current season of The Office lies with the fact that the last few episodes have introduced some great potential ongoing threads that are neatly wrapped up straight away, not capitalizing on any lasting tension or humour. The most recent episode is particularly guilty; the idea that either Jim or Michael would have to be demoted to sales could have lasted for longer, as could Michael's failed stint in the demoted role. Added to that, the "cute romantic tension" between Andy and the receptionist just screams lazy writing.

[Morlock 11]

Yeah, but it's the only relationship in recent episode that I had any interest in.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,496]

Wolfman 2010 - Fairly average/mediocre movie. Entertaining in spots, some decent action scenes. Overall very predictable and kind of boring.

Up - I liked it. But I think I'm the last person to see it.

[A24 4,371]

Up - I liked it. But I think I'm the last person to see it.

Well, I haven't seen it.

I held a Marcel Pagnol movie marathon:

Jean de Florette (Claude Berri): Story and characters are the power of this film. Very good music. The DVD transfer is pretty bad. It looks as if they used the mastertape for the old video release.

Manon des Sources (Claude Berri): Part two of Jean The Florette, it needs the previous film (it's best to see both films in one take). Very good music. The DVD transfer is pretty bad.

La Gloire de mon Père (Yves Robert): What can I say, the sweet remembrance of the little things in Marcel Pagnol's youth do more to me than the big melodrama of Jean De Florette. The magic of the movie starts when little Marcel arrives in La Provence. The score is fantastic.

Le Château de ma Mère (Yves Robert): The memory of Marcel Pagnol becomes a part of our memory. The score is again fantastic.

Alex

[Datameister 2,097]

But this current season of The Office is just dreadful. There was 'Niagra' and 'The Lover', but I'm having almost no fun with the show. Shapeless, aimless, not particularly funny.

I'm heartbroken by how utterly bad The Office has gotten. It used to be so genuinely funny, so intelligent, so unpredictable. But now...urgh, I actually feel annoyed watching it. It's not that I'm merely not amused...I'm actually aggravated by the characters' humorless antics. Pam and Jim have gone from the most sublimely likable people on the show to two of the most unpleasant to watch...Michael is unfunny at best...and Dwight. Ohhhh, don't get me started on Dwight.

As far as I'm concerned, the show has completely and irrevocably jumped the shark. Luckily, "The Banker" gave me some hope that the end may be in sight...seems like episodes that just build a frame story around funny or important moments from other episodes tend to be harbingers of cancellation. And The Office really just needs to die now, with what little dignity it's got left.

Same goes for Heroes, actually.

[Quintus 5,399]

I've only ever seen the proper British original of The Office and I think it's always the right decision to end a show on a high. Gervais understands what makes tv sitcoms legendary.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I stopped watching The Office after Season 3.

[Bryant Burnette 658]

I have been a big fan of The Office throughout its run, but it has gotten very close to losing me in the last few weeks. When they resorted to airing a clip show a few weeks back, I knew they were badly in terouble. And the episode after that had to rely on Christian Slater for its laughs.

It's a shame.

Still, I like Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock, so I'll keep watching until it becomes literally too painful.

Movie-wise, I most recently saw Crazy Heart, which I liked a lot. It's no classic, and I think Bridges is good, not great, in it. However, nobody else deserves the Oscar this year enough to make me want to see Bridges not win it. Sometimes, giving it out as an award for an entire career is okay, and this is one of those occasions.

And I actually really liked most of the music from the movie, despite not at all being a country music fan.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Fifth Element

Superb as always.

Children Of Men

One of my favorites of the decade with stunning picture and sound quality.

[Morlock 11]

The White Ribbon (2009). For the longest time while watching it I couldn't tell if I was with it or not. At the end, though, I was really shaken. It's a tremendously intense watch. It reminded me of M in its disgust with these pre-WWII Germans (this one in hindsight, though), and, more superficially, of Clouzot's Les Corbeau . It certainly is something, and it sounds like it's a definite change of pace for Heneke (I wouldn't really know, as I've only seen one of his films, Cache).

[Datameister 2,097]

Oh wow, and then this week's episode of The Office was actually kinda promising...just when I was about to give up, too! Maybe I'll stick with it a little longer.

[Bryant Burnette 658]

Well, at least The Office hasn't (yet) gotten as bad as 24 has gotten this season.

24 has been through some rough patches before, of course, but this season is shaping up to be genuinely awful. Seems like the writers have virtually no clue what they're doing this time around. Which, really, is astounding. How can a show this popular, that costs as much money as it costs, be allowed to get this far off course? Shouldn't any number of people within that production have smelled it coming from far off and, like, I dunno, done something about it? I can understand it happening to a fundamentally mediocre show, but 24 has mostly been a top-notch production, so it's really kinda confusing.

Of course, the show has always been a bit ridiculous and contrived, so maybe those elements have finally gotten too heavy to be overcome.

[crocodile 8,097]

The White Ribbon (2009). For the longest time while watching it I couldn't tell if I was with it or not. At the end, though, I was really shaken. It's a tremendously intense watch. It reminded me of M in its disgust with these pre-WWII Germans (this one in hindsight, though), and, more superficially, of Clouzot's Les Corbeau . It certainly is something, and it sounds like it's a definite change of pace for Heneke (I wouldn't really know, as I've only seen one of his films, Cache).

Unfortunetely it was playing only for about a week in my city and I didn't have time to see it. Pity.

Aliens. This film doesn't age well at all.

Karol

[Naïve Old Fart 9,738]

"The River". This is not the wonderful 1951 film directed by Jean Renoir, but the 1984 film directed by Mark Rydell. This was one in a cluster of "down home town" movies about how ordinary folk faced up to the various challenges/hardships, while taking solace from support of family and friends. If this all sounds a bit boring, and not exactly "Mad Men", then you are right.

There is much to admire about "The River", however; for a start, J.W.'s music manages (mostly) to convey the sense of community, loss, heartache, and joy that comes with depending on the behaviour of the aforementioned titular aquified causeway (pretentious? Moi?) for a living, and after 4 films together, the Williams/Rydell magic is still firmly in place. Vilmos Zsigman's (appologies if I spelt that wrong) photography is simply gorgeuos, and supporting characters such as Scott Glenn's slimeball developer are effective.

The beef that I have with this film is that is simply not as dramatic as it really should have been. Not enough is made of the love triangle between Glenn, Sissy Spacek, and Mel Gibson, and the idea of the corruptible senator was handled in a blink-and-you-miss-it exchange toward the beginning of the film. It was good to see James Tolkan (that's Mr. Strickland, to you) though, and he STILL had no hair!

A curious thing about "The River" is that, for a film that takes its title from a river, there is not really a lot of "the river" in it. Sure, there's a few lovingly photographed shots (including a wonderful shot of the eldest child fishing in a creek at the begining (cue "Rain Clouds Gather"), but that's about it. Odd, really. So, there you are. Not bad, but not a masterpiece, either. Next up, it's a choice between two of my all-time favourite 80s films: John Carpenter's "The Thing", or "Altered States". Stay tuned.

[A24 4,371]

Aliens. This film doesn't age well at all.

I know what you mean.

The Princess Bride: It doesn't age too well either.

Alex - who will buy Der Weisse Band on DVD as soon as the price is right

[Quintus 5,399]

Aliens is ageing about as well as Poltergeist, ET, The Thing and BTTF.

Timeless movies, made in the eightees. I especially love the grainy 'poor quality' print of Aliens.

[Datameister 2,097]

Well, at least The Office hasn't (yet) gotten as bad as 24 has gotten this season.

24 has been through some rough patches before, of course, but this season is shaping up to be genuinely awful. Seems like the writers have virtually no clue what they're doing this time around. Which, really, is astounding. How can a show this popular, that costs as much money as it costs, be allowed to get this far off course? Shouldn't any number of people within that production have smelled it coming from far off and, like, I dunno, done something about it? I can understand it happening to a fundamentally mediocre show, but 24 has mostly been a top-notch production, so it's really kinda confusing.

Of course, the show has always been a bit ridiculous and contrived, so maybe those elements have finally gotten too heavy to be overcome.

I somewhat disagree. I think 24 has been going through the motions for a while now...there's not much about it that's actively bothersome to me, but they aren't thinking up anything new, and I don't think this season is any worse than the past few have been. They've just run out of things to do.

But The Office...oh, at least until this latest episode, it was driving me crazy every week. I don't know why I was still watching it. The characters were COMPLETELY different than they used to be, and not in the satisfying character development sort of way. The humor wasn't funny in the slightest and frequently actually came across as irritating and obnoxious. I'm saying all this in the past tense because...well, like I said, the latest episode showed surprising promise. There were genuinely funny parts, and for the first time in a long while, I actually grinned instinctively because of something that happened on the show - that little interaction between Jim and Dwight at the end, specifically. This could mean good things for the show.

Michael needs his old hair back, though. It's bothering me as much as Jack's hair on Lost...which is weird, because I really couldn't care less about hairstyles and fashion.

[Bryant Burnette 658]

"The River". This is not the wonderful 1951 film directed by Jean Renoir, but the 1984 film directed by Mark Rydell. This was one in a cluster of "down home town" movies about how ordinary folk faced up to the various challenges/hardships, while taking solace from support of family and friends. If this all sounds a bit boring, and not exactly "Mad Men", then you are right.

There is much to admire about "The River", however; for a start, J.W.'s music manages (mostly) to convey the sense of community, loss, heartache, and joy that comes with depending on the behaviour of the aforementioned titular aquified causeway (pretentious? Moi?) for a living, and after 4 films together, the Williams/Rydell magic is still firmly in place. Vilmos Zsigman's (appologies if I spelt that wrong) photography is simply gorgeuos, and supporting characters such as Scott Glenn's slimeball developer are effective.

The beef that I have with this film is that is simply not as dramatic as it really should have been. Not enough is made of the love triangle between Glenn, Sissy Spacek, and Mel Gibson, and the idea of the corruptible senator was handled in a blink-and-you-miss-it exchange toward the beginning of the film. It was good to see James Tolkan (that's Mr. Strickland, to you) though, and he STILL had no hair!

A curious thing about "The River" is that, for a film that takes its title from a river, there is not really a lot of "the river" in it. Sure, there's a few lovingly photographed shots (including a wonderful shot of the eldest child fishing in a creek at the begining (cue "Rain Clouds Gather"), but that's about it. Odd, really. So, there you are. Not bad, but not a masterpiece, either. Next up, it's a choice between two of my all-time favourite 80s films: John Carpenter's "The Thing", or "Altered States". Stay tuned.

I watched that for the first time not too long ago.

Not bad, although Mel's accent is kinda terrible. As you say, though, a lot of it works, including a great Williams score.

[indy4 155]

I agree about the Office--it has really gone downhill.

[Bryant Burnette 658]

Today, I watched Temple Grandin, an HBO movie about an autistic woman who was a pioneer in the ethical handling of livestock. Sounds like a basket full of yawn, but it was really pretty captivating. Claire Danes will win an Emmy for it, mark my words. Pretty good Glass-esque score by Alex Wurman, too.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

BB, do you watch movies at employee screenings or with actual audiences?

[John Crichton 4]

24 has been through some rough patches before, of course, but this season is shaping up to be genuinely awful. Seems like the writers have virtually no clue what they're doing this time around. Which, really, is astounding. How can a show this popular, that costs as much money as it costs, be allowed to get this far off course? Shouldn't any number of people within that production have smelled it coming from far off and, like, I dunno, done something about it? I can understand it happening to a fundamentally mediocre show, but 24 has mostly been a top-notch production, so it's really kinda confusing.

24 hit it's peak with the excellent season 5, but immediately after not only rolled down the mountain, but burrowed through the earth and is about to emerge somewhere in central Mongolia.

Great to have you back, Bryant, I've always enjoyed reading your opinions.

The Princess Bride: It doesn't age too well either.

It's aged just fine to me. The score screams 80s, but it's still one of the wittiest films ever made.

[King Mark 3,631]

Percy Jackson and Olympian whatever

It's doesn't suck as much as you might think it does from the trailers ,but you'll probably forget about it a few days after you've seen it

[indy4 155]

In a film is made so people will laugh at it, really cheesy SFX only enhance it.

[John Crichton 4]

What did you think of the score, KM? I've been curious about that, it's Christope Beck's first chance to write something fantasy since he left Buffy.

[King Mark 3,631]

I noticed it was very good...enough for me to seek out "samples"

Good old fashioned orchestral score with lots of big themes

and it's very rare I notice a score is good nowadays.

[Datameister 2,097]

24 hit it's peak with the excellent season 5, but immediately after not only rolled down the mountain, but burrowed through the earth and is about to emerge somewhere in central Mongolia.

Season 5 was indeed truly excellent, though I really like the overall story of season 1. Something very compelling about it...and it's the original, y'know. But yeah, since season 5, it's mostly been...autopilot. I still watch it, though.

[Bryant Burnette 658]

BB, do you watch movies at employee screenings or with actual audiences?

Pretty much the only times I see movies with audiences is when I've got family or friends who want to see a movie, and I want to re-see it enough to actually bother taking them.

Semi-private screenings are both a good and a bad thing. It's always nice to have to put up with the distractions inherent in seeing movies with the public ... but then again, if the crowd is well-behaved, seeing a movie communally is the best way to go. As one example, I saw Avatar three times: twice by myself (once in 3D, once in 2D) and once with an exceptionally well-behaved audience, and I enjoyed the viewing with the audience far more than I enjoyed the two solo viewings.

24 hit it's peak with the excellent season 5, but immediately after not only rolled down the mountain, but burrowed through the earth and is about to emerge somewhere in central Mongolia.

Season five was great, definitely. However, even though season six was abysmal (has an on-screen nuclear explosion ever had less of a consequence to the story it was a part of?), I really enjoyed season seven. It was ridiculous, but within the ridiculousness it was very consistently entertaining and extremely well-produced.

So far, season eight has had very few of those virtues. Even the look of the show seems to have suffered somehow.

Season six started great and gradually turned awful; maybe season eight will be the inverse.

[Wojo 2,453]

After how great last season was, I made the subconscious decision that there was no way for this season to top it. So I have watched the first episode, half of the second, took a month off, and caught last night's episode, and I don't think I really missed anything. This season better pick up fast.

[John Crichton 4]

I noticed it was very good...enough for me to seek out "samples"

Good old fashioned orchestral score with lots of big themes

and it's very rare I notice a score is good nowadays.

Cool, I had semi high hopes. Beck wrote some really good stuff for Buffy but never got a film where he could really stretch his legs. I might have to seek this out as well.

[King Mark 3,631]

I also saw The Wolfman tonight. The movie was overall better than I expected but the score was loud and annoying...not something I'd seek to listen to on c.d.