What Is The Last Film You Watched?

[Marian Schedenig 8,199]

Sunset Boulevard

How come did I never watch this before? A great script, great performances all around, great cinematography and an absolutely stunning score. All the characters in this thing are deeply, deeply, flawed, but the whole thing remains so intriguing. Gloria Swanson was still a very beautiful lady in her 50's (Norma Desmond should probably look more decadent or aged), with a surprisingly alluring voice for someone who was mainly a silent movie star.

And the opening stands right next to Star Wars as one of the great, in your face, starting with a bang, film music overtures of all time.

The final scene is just so brilliantly built. It truly sends shivers down my spine.

[crocodile 8,017]

And a great line.

Karol

[Richard Penna 3,694]

The "problem" with Scott Pilgrim is that it has a very, very niche audience. I adore that Wright (who we now find out was the actually properly talented one out of the Pegg/Frost/Wright trio) was able to get a solid wad of cash from Universal for a movie aimed squarely at video game slackers.

If you don't enjoy games, and particularly the Nintendo era, you won't like it, unfortunately. I loved it.

I hardly ever played games from the Nintendo era, or games in genera, an I still loved it.

The only game I play these days is occasionally driving like a maniac in GTA, and I loved the movie too. The video game inspired bits only make up some of the story.

[King Mark 3,631]

ok ,I'm taking bets on the future Rotten Tomato rating of the Arthur remake

I'm going for 11%

Every single second of the trailer is cringeworthy

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

36 %, there are Russel Brand worshippers out there. (the English)

[Charlie Brigden 7]

36 %, there are Russel Brand worshippers out there. (the English)

Filthy lies, I cannot stand the imbecile.

[Romão 2,274]

The Bridge on River Kwai

I absolutely adore David Lean in epic mode. I love for how long things and conflicts are set up, I love how little the humor winks at the audience, I love how much you can see going on in the background during a simple dialogue scene (those scenes must take forever to set up), I love how humorous is his view on the perceived British pompousness in the army (something he also did quite well in Lawrence of Arabia), I love the quality acting (was there ever a a line badly acted by Alec Guiness?) and how some scenes, just by their framing and setting, speak so much about the characters inner strugles and standigs (namely, the scene on the bridge, during sunset, when Nicholson speaks with Saito - it is perhaps the most crucial scene of the entire movie).

The score is quite sparce, and I get the feeling it won the oscar because of the Colonel Bogey March, which is not even an original piece of music, but I guess in this case the score was awarded due to film's award bandwagon. Still, the jungle sequence with Holden and Hawkins were very interestingly score.

Summing up, incredible film, highly recommended.

[Jay 37,369]

He's James Newton Howard's protege. Worked on a few of his scores. He used to go by Chris P. Bacon, no joke.

he should have never stopped going by that

[OneBuckFilms 323]

Paul.

Lots of Theramin in the score (predictably). Both film and score are a LOT of fun !!!

[Salacius 7]

Watched Let Me In,

It was OK, the music was awful and I was shocked to realise it was done by Michael Giacchino,

Shoddily written plus orchestration and orchestra was really sub-par

I am rapidly fading away from being a fan of his...

[crocodile 8,017]

I've got the film (haven't seen it yet). I kind of thought the music was rather effective on its overlong album... It's almost like the eleventh disc of Lost but with choir.

Karol

[Salacius 7]

I've got the film (haven't seen it yet). I kind of thought the music was rather effective on its overlong album... It's almost like the eleventh disc of Lost but with choir.

Karol

Hmmm, dunno, it did put me off big time. That harp intro, I could guess the next note coming and unfortunately I was spot on, it went downhill from then on for me.

The kids atonal clusters and choir were ok , but Goldenthal did that stuff ages ago. It's only my opinion but it really didn't work for me...

[Brónach 1,302]

I just saw Back to the Future for the first time since I was a kid.

I think I'll write a review.

[A24 4,338]

Alex

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Dissapointing, right?

[A24 4,338]

But watchable.

[OneBuckFilms 323]

Paul.

Score was fun and cheesy, and the film was an absolute geekfest. I won't spoil the surprises

[Quintus 5,399]

RED

Knew nothing about it, had no idea what to expect.

4/5

[Wojo 2,453]

We need to be renting that one.

This weekend presents both Paul and Your Highness. Might be a double whammy.

[Jay 37,369]

Merkel just wrote an excellent review of Empire Of The Sun that I moved to its own thread right here:

http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20049

[Romão 2,274]

Thank you, Jason, I'm flattered

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Conformist

I really enjoyed this one, even if at times the plot was a bit confusing. I imagine it'd be even better the second time. Fantastic cinematography by Storaro, I was shocked as to how modern it was shot overall, especially the climax. It holds up very well.

[King Mark 3,631]

Tomato rating for Arthur is down to 7%

[Ollie 1,059]

No big surprise there.

Helen Mirren is probably the only good thing about the picture.

[Quintus 5,399]

Of all the places Alex might expect to find a kindred spirit, IGN wasn't one of them: http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/116/1160581p1.html

The one (major) problem this otherwise worthwhile opinion piece doesn't address is the fact that Snyder's latest is yet another one of those ugly, artificial green movies. The only time movies of that ilk can work is when the visuals are accompanied by strong storytelling and performances, which is extremely rare. I mean, why do so many movies look so green nowadays? Is it another inescapable byproduct of constructing a movie inside of a computer? I'm sick of movies which look artificial and over-produced - they leave me cold, as do they look it.

The [real] experimental classics NEVER suffered from such a glaring problem. That's the difference.

People (even the mass market) appreciate and often embrace 'weird' or 'abstract' movies; they just grow tired of flicks which all look and feel the same.

[A24 4,338]

I mean, why do so many movies look so green nowadays? Is it another inescapable byproduct of constructing a movie inside of a computer?

Clearly, in Sucker Punch, the color timing is adjusted according to the feel the director wanted to give a certain scene. Snyder sometimes lets the grading lean towards green, sometimes it's red, sometimes it's blue ... Color grading, done old school, used to be very difficult and the results always varied. Now with digital color grading, director's have complete control and more possibilities. It's the final step in deciding the appearance of your film. Ridley Scott loves it and drastically changed the look of Blade Runner (The Final Cut) and the latest release of Gladiator has new and updated colors too. In a way, Scott is pulling a lucas. Shame on you, Scott!

Anyway, thanks for that article, Quint. The guy who wrote it definitely gets it. All is not lost.

[Wojo 2,453]

Kinda like how in the original King Kong, the director went with a gray color timing? Makes perfect sense.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

I watched Deathly Hallows pt 1 and Despicable Me recently.

Hallows felt a bit empty really, because really, not a heck of a lot happens. There were individual sequences that I thought worked brilliantly (Ministry of Magic, Hermione hiding inside their 'perception field' thingy) but they seemed to be held together rather loosely. I did like the animated scene though. Half-Blood Prince remains my favourite Potter movie so far.

Despicable Me - brilliant stuff. Carell was hilarious and the writing was so full of both subtle and LOL moments. I'd love a sequel.

[King Mark 3,631]

I liked DH pt.1 , even if it was long and draw out

[Charlie Brigden 7]

I mean, why do so many movies look so green nowadays? Is it another inescapable byproduct of constructing a movie inside of a computer?

Clearly, in Sucker Punch, the color timing is adjusted according to the feel the director wanted to give a certain scene. Snyder sometimes lets the grading lean towards green, sometimes it's red, sometimes it's blue ...

So he ripped off Zhang Yimou?

[A24 4,338]

My god, it's full of references!

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I was recommended Moon with Sam Rockwell. I don't know why I never heard of this, but I really enjoyed it. Nice little thinking man's sci-fi movie. Okay, so it's no 2001 or Close Encounters or Blade Runner, but shit, man. It's better than nothing. I feel like science fiction (and I know that's a broad category) has been a bit dumbed down in the 2000s. It's refreshing to experience something like this. Anything similar?

[Brónach 1,302]

Moon is lovely. I want to see Source Code, the new film directed by the same guy.

[A24 4,338]

The Sci-fi movies of the nillies I enjoyed are:

X-Men

Donnie Darko

Vanilla Sky

28 Days Later

Cypher

Hulk

X2

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Moon (it made the list but I should say that I expected a lot more from it)

Serenity (but only after seeing the TV series)

The Mist

The Prestige

Cloverfield

Wall-E (first 25 min.)

Watchmen

I used this list to make my personal selection, so yes, some comic book adaptations are included.

Alex

[crocodile 8,017]

The Prestige is s-f too. Kind of.

Karol

[A24 4,338]

True, and so is The Mist, which isn't on the list either. I will add both titles to my personal list.

[crocodile 8,017]

I liked The Mist btw. I never understood why it got such bad reviews.

Karol

[A24 4,338]

Yes, The Mist is very good. It's a bit crazy ... like Paul Verhoeven. It's very rewatchable too, BTW.

[Marian Schedenig 8,199]

Vanilla Sky

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but if you haven't yet seen it, please watch Amenábar's original. I loved that and found Vanilla Sky to be pretty much a Hollywood bastardisation of it. (Though admittedly, I've seen both only once so far)

[A24 4,338]

I like Hollywood and American filmmaking, Marian. They have more money. I love Cruise's performance in Vanilla Sky too. There's nothing wrong with the film either except it makes a big mistake to explain everything at the end. Very strange. The last 15 minutes are terrible.

No really, the moments when I don't like Hollywood is when I watch movies like:

The Road: It plays like a Hollywood corrupt version of Haneke's Le Temps De Loup. The whole film didn't work for me. For instance, the kid of Viggo grew up in the new apocalyptic world, a world he knows best, he lives with danger every day, and yet, each time they need to be quiet (while hiding for the danger) he makes those little scared noises that, of course, could give away their hiding location. And the way he talks to his dad all the time with a high-pitched tone: "Papa, oh, papa. Are those the bad guys outside, papa?" What a whiner! The film is filled with these little Hollywood injections. The kid never drank coca cola and enjoyed it?! 1) What has he been drinking all that time? Polluted water maybe?! Cola is the most distributed drink in the whole wide world. If they are going to find something that is safe to drink it's going to be, yes, a can of cola. 2) Someone who's unfamiliar with cola or other soda pops is going to be disgusted by the gross amount of sugar. But no, "Mmm, this is really nice, papa. Here, drink some too." Whiner!

Alex

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I like Hollywood and American filmmaking, Marian. They have more money.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I like Hollywood and American filmmaking, Marian. They have more money. I love Cruise's performance in Vanilla Sky too. There's nothing wrong with the film either except it makes a big mistake to explain everything at the end. Very strange. The last 15 minutes are terrible.

No really, the moments when I don't like Hollywood is when I watch movies like:

The Road: It plays like a Hollywood corrupt version of Haneke's Le Temps De Loup. The whole film didn't work for me. For instance, the kid of Viggo grew up in the new apocalyptic world, a world he knows best, he lives with danger every day, and yet, each time they need to be quiet (while hiding for the danger) he makes those little scared noises that, of course, could give away their hiding location. And the way he talks to his dad all the time with a high-pitched tone: "Papa, oh, papa. Are those the bad guys outside, papa?" What a whiner! The film is filled with these little Hollywood injections. The kid never drank coca cola and enjoyed it?! 1) What has he been drinking all that time? Polluted water maybe?! Cola is the most distributed drink in the whole wide world. If they are going to find something that is safe to drink it's going to be, yes, a can of cola. 2) Someone who's unfamiliar with cola or other soda pops is going to be disgusted by the gross amount of sugar. But no, "Mmm, this is really nice, papa. Here, drink some too." Whiner!

Alex

I think you should read some more books. 100% of the dialogue is taken straight from the novel. There's actually pretty much zero difference between the two, aside from some good editing choices by the filmmakers.

[Andy 4,138]

The one (major) problem this otherwise worthwhile opinion piece doesn't address is the fact that Snyder's latest is yet another one of those ugly, artificial green movies. The only time movies of that ilk can work is when the visuals are accompanied by strong storytelling and performances, which is extremely rare. I mean, why do so many movies look so green nowadays? Is it another inescapable byproduct of constructing a movie inside of a computer? I'm sick of movies which look artificial and over-produced - they leave me cold, as do they look it.

The [real] experimental classics NEVER suffered from such a glaring problem. That's the difference.

People (even the mass market) appreciate and often embrace 'weird' or 'abstract' movies; they just grow tired of flicks which all look and feel the same.

Absolutely. We have the technology to make movies look more real than ever before, and yet they all look shockingly artificial. I blame Jim Cameron (Blue) and the Matrix (Green). I think the whole color grading wash is used as a cheat to make composited CGI less obvious.

[A24 4,338]

I think you should read some more books. 100% of the dialogue is taken straight from the novel. There's actually pretty much zero difference between the two, aside from some good editing choices by the filmmakers.

I don't need to read books to recognize this is a movie for idiots.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Thin Red Line (Criterion Blu)

"Director Terrence Malick recommends that The Thin Red Line be played loud." Gladly.

A heart-wrenchingly beautiful film. Malick never ceases to amaze me with how he combines light and sound. One of my absolute favorites. Zimmer's new interview is fantastic, and really sheds a lot of light on how Malick works as a filmmaker. He never appears on camera so it's nice to get a feel of how he does things.

[A24 4,338]

I think the whole color grading wash is used as a cheat to make composited CGI less obvious.

What about all the movies with modern color grading and that don't have CGI? Digital color grading is just a new artistic tool and directors love to use it.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I think you should read some more books. 100% of the dialogue is taken straight from the novel. There's actually pretty much zero difference between the two, aside from some good editing choices by the filmmakers.

I don't need to read books to recognize this is a movie for idiots.

Blame Cormac McCarthy. Like I was saying, the screenplay is the novel transcribed for the screen. The movie is better, I wish Mortensen acted more.

[Marian Schedenig 8,199]

I like Hollywood and American filmmaking, Marian. They have more money.

Oh, I do like Hollywood, often. And I like much about what Hollywood does and can do. But there are also certain aspects that are typically associated with Hollywood in particular which I can't stand, and very often they become especially apparent with remakes.

I can't remember either version to well now, but I'm pretty sure I was already annoyed with some things about the remake before the final bits.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

The annoying thing about the remake was the same annoying thing about every Cameron Crowe movie: the smug hipster atmosphere permeated with the constant 'aren't I so clever for using this song here?' lines along with the danger of putting Tom Cruise in a film where you're supposed to believe he's anyone other than Tom Cruise. The original seemed a lot less self-important, had a better and more sympathetic central performance, and didn't have any U2 songs in it as far as I can remember.

[A24 4,338]

The original seemed a lot less self-important, had a better and more sympathetic central performance,

There we go again, always the need for characters we can sympathize with. Are we children? The forte of Vanilla Sky is that it happens precisely to someone like Tom Cruise, a selfish, cocky Wall Street character.