What Is The Last Film You Watched? (Older Films)

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Quantum Of Solace (2008)

In some significant ways this film resembles Licence To Kill. It features a Bond out for revenge, largely but not wholly stripped of his humor. Both feature mostly Southern Americans locations and have a scene where M reliefs 007 of duty.

QoS is by far the most cynical of the Bond film, featuring political back stabbing in every turn. It paints an ugly picture of an Intelligence community where the CIA happily looks the other way in exchange for American oil concessions.

Casino Royale was the longest Bond film and this is the shortest. And the short length is an issue because of two reasons.

The plot is very murky, and very hard to follow, the most convoluted one since Octopussy, which started as an investigation into an egg and ended with a nuke.

The main reason for this is because of the 2008 writers strike which affected many films and TV shows. There is actually an interesting plot in there, and story elements worth exploring, but it all doesnt come together very well. A longer film which took the time to properly take it's audience though the story would have been better.

The second reason why I wished this was longer is because it's been edited to an inch of it's life. Not just in the action scenes (more about those later), but even the usual transition scenes have loads of half second cuts often making it hard to properly establish the scenery. Transition scenes from one location to another should give the viewer a breather, but the tight editing style constantly feel like you should be on edge.

It's the same several times in rather important dialogue scenes. Cut a bit too quickly, at the expense of their impact. A film with such a solemn mood should linger on that a bit more. So the complicated, unfinished script and the fast editing make this film hard to follow at times.

And now for the action scenes. It's very normal for the Bond films to take inspiration of the popular films of the era. Which is why 007 went to Harlem in LALD, went into outer space in Moonraker and went after Colombian drug lords in LTK.

The Bourne films were big at around the time this film was made, and it's pretty obvious in it's style.

Paul Greengrass used a style of shooting and cutting that tried to make the action as visceral and kinetic as possible, and though the action is his Bourne films is pretty hard to follow it really does work for those films. But sadly director Marc Foster is no Paul Greengrass, so the Bourne style is imitated in the films many action and fight scenes (eleven in total), but instead of putting you on the edge of your seat they make you desperatly trying to work out what is going on, and who is where.

Casino Royale produced two of the best action scenes of it's decade, and had a few other ones that were pretty good as well. Those also had some quick cuts and shaky cams. But never to these extremes.

Long shots, distant shots, shots held for a few seconds to show where the characters are in relation to each other or their environment. These are all very important is making an action scene into more then just a collection bangs and whallops. Martin Campbell and his editors understood this. Marc Foster apparently didn't

The movie is often well shot, and it's action scenes have some amazing individual shots in each of them. But there's far too little sense of space, and therefore impact. An action scene happens, last a few minutes and is soon forgotten. I did rather like the hotel room fight early in the film, recalling the 60's Bonds, but even that one ends too fast.

Thankfully the actors are actually quite good. Daniel Craig plays a Bond looking for revenge so the humor that was there in Casino Royale is severely tones down (Again resembling Dalton's Bond in LTK.)

But Craig does shine in the few moments of levity allowed to him in this film. He has a tendency to underact these moments instead of trying to milk them, which would really work well in the next film.

Like Casino Royale Craig's Bond is completely bad-ass. Both invulnerable, yet somehow human at the same time.

Judi Dench gets a bigger role here, and spends much of the film distrusting Bond and everyone around her. Once again Dame Judi (who can do cynical as good as anyone) is in excellent form and the few scenes she has with Craig are strong.

Olga Kurylenko looks fantastic and is also actually a very good actress. I liked her in this though her character could ahve used a few more rewrites. Why does she go straight to Greene after he just tried to have her killed? Why is she a member of Bolivian Intelligence (the film mentions this and then does nothing with it). The decision to not have 007 sleep with her was controversial, but I don't actually mind it.

Bond does sleep with Strawberry Fields. Though for some reason she is never named Strawberry in the film (why come up with a silly Flemmingesque name and not use it?).

Gemma Arterton actually built quite a credible acting career on the back of this film and she's good in an underwritten role.

Again, Bond does sleep with her, but there isnt even any kind if seduction scene? Why not?

Her death makes little impact because by that time the character had already been forgotten. Also the recall to Goldfinger doesn't really work because oil doesn't really play much of any part in this film. (the script has a hard time pinpointing what the stakes are)

Despite the quick editing, I do like the look of this film. Unlike every other Bond film is eschews exotic locations and goes for a parched, used up feel which is effective for this story (its not something I'd want for all of them though). Though some CGI was used, many of the stunts and action shots do feel like they take place in a realistic setting. But again, the editing lessens the impact.

This film properly introduces Quantum, in one of the films most impressive scenes in Austria. Obviously subsequent films were going to return to this, but in 2013 EON finally got the rights for SPECTRE back. Since the actor playing Mr. White will return in the upcoming Bond films one can assume that Quantum will make place for SPECTRE in some fashion onscreen.

I love the score. A continuation of Casino Royale, with a wonderfully guttural brassy style. It doesnt have the high point of CR, but also far less of the atmospheric filler. The theme song is one of the most forgettable entries. An attempt at Barry's big band style, but sounding weirdly amateurish.

As a follow up to Casino Royale, one of the best of the Bonds, it doesn't quite work. They focused too much on the hard and gritty style of that one and the Bourne films but forgot about the humor and romance that also made Casino so great. It does have a lot of interesting stuff though, and I like way it puts Bond in a more ugly, cynical world then usual.

It's the weakest one of the Craig films so far. And I cant imagine SPECTRE will be weaker then it. I still like it, though I would want to see a version with properly edited action scenes.

[Wojo 2,453]

I guess posting the entire review here that's duplicated in its own bloody thread takes the same number of posts as a link post would. Whatever.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Not everyo uses the review site

[Wojo 2,453]

Not everyo uses the review site

Whateveryo.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

The Simpsons Movie

Pretty much like a solid, 2 hour episode. It delivers exactly on what it promises, being not great but generally enjoyable. Many of the jokes are funny and a small handful are not (anything with the "Spider-Pig"). I have no idea why they got Hans Zimmer to score it. There are many moments when the music becomes way too melodramatic and "movie-ish" (the slow-motion end of the movie kiss). It's hard to blame Zimmer though, as he was simply scoring what was on screen. I can't help but feel that Danny Elfman or the show's usual composer, Alf Clausen would have set a much more fitting tone for the movie.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

That score is ace man. One of Zimmer's best from the 10s.

[KK 3,307]

The film is pretty funny! And gave a glimpse of hope that the writers still had it in them to crack some good stuff out from the Simpsons.

And Zimmer's score is good indeed, extending Elfman's sound for the show in a more melodramatic fashion as appropriate for the big screen, and the "bigger stakes".

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

It's a rare Zimmer score that has colour and variety. I still lament the fact that they didn't hire Alf Clausen. Was it because they felt his name had no marketing value that would generate sales revenue from the CD release?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

James L. Brooks.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Yep.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Prior collaborative loyalties mean nothing when they had an existing composer delivering great results.

[Quintus 5,399]

I give the Simpsons movie 1 star.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Why?

[Quintus 5,399]

I just remember thinking as I was watching, is this it?? Years and years of development and a legacy of needle sharp comedy writing and that was all they could come up with. An unfunny and unmoving stain on the legendary golden years of the show!

What were they thinking when they took the Simpsons out of Springfield?!

The Itchy and Scratchy intro was genius though, and the best part of the movie. It was all downhill afterwards IMO.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Yeah the movie sucked. Great score though!

[Sweeping Strings 2,357]

I don't think it sucked ... there's some great stuff in there. But really the time for a movie was sometime within the show's first ten years.

Damn, I miss the days when the Simpsons was one of the best reasons to watch television. 'King-Size Homer' remains one of the funniest things these eyes will ever see.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Why is it still going!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Last night I checked out Steven Spielberg's Always. Now I've not seen the film it's based upon, A Guy Named Joe, but I found I didn't mind it. Like 1941 it didn't do too well and it's not your average Spielberg I guess but something about it I didn't mind. Maybe it was Dreyfus and Goodman or the aircraft involved. Either way, not too bad. Not the best but not too bad.

Then tonight a Bob Hope/Bing Crosby double, the Roads to Zanzibar and Utopia respectively.

I need to block your avatar or something.

[crocodile 8,006]

Watched Locke with Tom Hardy some days ago. Expected to be a clichéd over-constructed garbage. But, to my surprise, the film avoided all of that. It constructed drama out of most undramatic ingredients and managed to tell a really human story in a way that's almost contradictory to how cinema works. It was really good, I thought.

8/10

Karol

[Sweeping Strings 2,357]

Locke is kinda like a 'palate cleanser' for when you feel like you've overdone it on the blockbusters. Down-to-earth yet gripping story, mesmeric central performance.

[A24 4,331]

The critics loved it as much as Guardians Of The Galaxy! (91% on RT)

[crocodile 8,006]

It's something I was missing in some major films lately - a story that doesn't involve extreme behaviours like murder, mental breakdown or saving the world. It's as small and personal as you can get, really.

Plus, Tom Hardy is really becoming a great actor. He has to be because the film relies completely on him sitting in his car and talking on the phone for 80+ minutes.

Karol

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Damn, I miss the days when the Simpsons was one of the best reasons to watch television. 'King-Size Homer' remains one of the funniest things these eyes will ever see.

I've been rewatching the series over the past few months. I'm halfway through season six and it's great. There's not a bad episode to be found in season 5 and 6. Absolute classics.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Watched Locke with Tom Hardy some days ago. Expected to be a clichéd over-constructed garbage. But, to my surprise, the film avoided all of that. It constructed drama out of most undramatic ingredients and managed to tell a really human story in a way that's almost contradictory to how cinema works. It was really good, I thought.

8/10

Karol

Indeed.

[Sir Hilary Bray 235]

Last night I checked out Steven Spielberg's Always. Now I've not seen the film it's based upon, A Guy Named Joe, but I found I didn't mind it. Like 1941 it didn't do too well and it's not your average Spielberg I guess but something about it I didn't mind. Maybe it was Dreyfus and Goodman or the aircraft involved. Either way, not too bad. Not the best but not too bad.

Then tonight a Bob Hope/Bing Crosby double, the Roads to Zanzibar and Utopia respectively.

I need to block your avatar or something.

I'll change it soon Once Spiral (a.k.a Engrenages) finishes up on BBC4

.

Finished after starting earlier in the week, The American Friend with Dennis Hopper and Bruno Ganz.

Confess Ganz is the reason I initially watched it having seen him in Downfall of course and Baader Meinhof Complex. But Hopper is as good and the locales seen of Hamburg add as much as the actors do.

[Jay 37,352]

Flight

Robert Zemeckis' return to live action films (his last before this was Cast Away and What Lies Beneath in 2000). I thought it was overall pretty good, though it gets bogged down for a little while in the middle. The first act is great. Airline pilot captain Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) wakes up after a alcohol and coke fueled night with a stewardess, and makes his way onto a flight, and gets them to take-odd in a crazy rain storm. He then falls asleep, only to wake up in an extreme emergency during an equipment failure, but manages to land the plane in a harrowing and very well staged crash landing that leaves only 4 passengers and 2 crew members dead. He is hailed as a hero, as several experts state no other pilot could have landed that plane in those conditions.

But soon its discovered he had alcohol and cocaine in his system, which could lead to him getting manslaughter charges. Don Cheadle plays a lawyer, Bruce Greenwood plays his friend and union representative, and John Goodman has 2 great scenes as his drug dealer. The film is sparsely scored, instead making great use of many classic rock hits.

The beginning and end are very good, and the middle only bogs for a little bit. Overall, an entertaining movie.

[Uni 306]

Saw this one recently myself. I'd give it roughly the same assessment. They came up with a fantastic conflict—a hero who saves a planeload of people, and yet still is at fault for his actions. I don't know that they pulled it off entirely, but it was a fine effort nonetheless. I'd say 3 1/2 out of 4.

[Jay 37,352]

The hotel scene at the end, especially when Goodman turns up, was all really good stuff.

And his final decision was well earned

I can't put my finger on what it was about the middle that dragged. Maybe the female character he spends a bunch of time with? I wonder if you could cut her out of the movie completely and still have almost the same thing?

[crocodile 8,006]

I watched Rear Window the other night. And while the film is as entertaining as ever, one cannot help but wonder Hitckock was a master of suspense but not necessarily master of the endings. Nolan gets a lot of criticism for exposition. Well, this film consists almost exclusively of exposition. But what he was great at is making morbid things fun.

Karol

[Uni 306]

I can't put my finger on what it was about the middle that dragged. Maybe the female character he spends a bunch of time with? I wonder if you could cut her out of the movie completely and still have almost the same thing?

Funny! I was thinking much the same thing. And I can't put my finger on why, either. Maybe it's how they introduce her—the fact that so much of the beginning of the film focuses on her situation, when all she winds up becoming is a secondary character who spends a little time with Washington. That brings a weird imbalance to the story that it could've done without.

[Jay 37,352]

I will say that despite all that, the films 2 hour 18 minute run time goes by quickly, it doesn't feel that long

[Uni 306]

Not at all. And it's intense, too, in its own way. You really do wonder through the whole thing how he's going to play things out—and you're not sure how you want him to play them out, to keep his well-earned hero status or have to deal with the well-eared consequences of his condition.

[Jay 37,352]

Yup, agreed.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I thought it was melodramatic fluff.

[Quintus 5,399]

I just watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes and it was bloody awesome! This is exactly what I want from a popcorn movie and there needs to be more gleeful thrillers like it which strive for the exact same unashamed tone this movie achieves. Can't wait to watch the sequel now!

It's been a while since I've had a daft grin this big immediately after a movie.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

So both you and Alex like this?

[Quintus 5,399]

Alex liked it? GTFO! No way.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I actually seem to recall that he liked it, but the sequel looked dissapointing to him.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

The sequel was rubbish.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Alex liked it? GTFO! No way.

and me too.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Alex liked it? GTFO! No way.

and me too.

And me.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

It was my favorite film that summer.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Mine would've been ATTACK THE BLOCK. Strangely prescient of the August riots.

[A24 4,331]

The sequel was better than I expected (up to a certain point anyway).

[filmmusic 1,826]

Outstanding psychological drama.

Sean Connery should definitely be nominated for an Oscar, if not win it!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Outstanding psychological drama.

Sean Connery should definitely be nominated for an Oscar, if not win it!

You do know this is an old movie, right?

[Uni 306]

It's s'damn good, he should win for it EVERY year!

[filmmusic 1,826]

Outstanding psychological drama.

Sean Connery should definitely be nominated for an Oscar, if not win it!

You do know this is an old movie, right?

I don't understand your point.

Oh you mean the wrong grammar?

I should have written "he should have been nominated", right?

[Jay 37,352]

right.