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


Mr. Breathmask

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8 hours ago, BloodBoal said:

 

And he checks OSTs only by listening one or two tracks as Youtube videos.

 

And he loves trailer music.

 

Oh, and:

 

 

Yes, JWFANPro it is!

 

Um, I know this is all meant in jest, but shall I remind everyone that I have stood by John Williams even when most of the members here did not -- specifically, in the case of his BFG score, which was widely derided? The BFG is about as classic orchestral as you can get, and I vastly enjoyed it, and have written at length here about it. I'll watch the film again right when it comes out on home video and continue my analysis. Rather than abandoning Williams to head to the "dark side" -- RCP and trailer music fandom -- I instead look at this as an expansion of my musical tastes. Some music appeals to my head, some to my heart, and some to both. I enjoy many styles of film music, but that doesn't mean I am abandoning Williams and becoming the "classic modern film music fan." Quite the contrary: Even when others have complained about JW's "bad" output this year, I've seen the opposite. 

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30 minutes ago, Richard said:

Everyone-everyone- must see 2001, before they die. Nuff said. 

 

We'll be seeing that one in the class too, so don't worry. ;)

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As a side note, I read this a few days ago on the bus on my way to school:

 

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/what-the-seven-star-wars-films-reveal-about-george-lucas

 

(Yes, another pro-prequel article)

 

There are some really interesting thing said here. Apparently the critic Richard Brody recently watched the SW films other than ANH for the first time, and he determined that he didn't like ANH, TESB, ROTJ, or TPM, although he did find some positives in ANH and TPM. 

 

But he vastly enjoyed Lucas's direction in AOTC and ROTS, specifically with lightsaber duels and chases and the sort, and spends several paragraphs completely gushing over those films, including their use of CGI, which he says seems to have freed Lucas to do what he always wanted to do with SW. He does, however, believe that Lucas's directorial wizardry comes to an end whenever there is a dialog scene, essentially -- he thinks the action scenes and other little to no dialog scenes are really terrific but the dialog ones, not so much. He praises Lucas's complex political maneuvering written into the story, but thinks it wasn't delivered very well. 

 

Brody wonders why Lucas's other films (other than AOTC and ROTS) didn't showcase his "genius" as a director to the same extent. He thinks it was because Lucas felt that the enduring legacy of SW would be in the broader story and mythology, not in his direction. He suggests that Lucas's dedication to story, narrative, and the mythology of SW prevented him from showcasing his "real talent," in direction, until near the end. 

 

Anyway, he says Lucas would be on his "personal pantheon" even if he'd only ever directed AOTC and ROTS. 

 

Brody does trash JW's scores, going with the familiar line that they are too heavy-handed. Perhaps he is right. I don't know. I like the scores too much to be able to judge fairly whether they support the films as well as they could have. Maybe a piano score would have been better, who knows ... but how terrible would that be on album? :P

 

Just now, Alexcremers said:

In class? In that case, you will not like it!

 

:lol: It's a "fun class." We don't really get a grade or anything. Every other Wednesday we go to two classes that we have chosen for the semester based on our interests. They aren't "regular classes." And we get out of school early. 

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6 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

 

even Djawadi's music

 

Well, I don't think I've ever heard a note of his music, although I know the name. 

 

6 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

 

I do however have more of a problem when you call The BFG Williams' finest score (or one of his finest).

 

Did I say that? Well, I certainly never said it was his finest score. 

 

Anyway, I'm not very good at ranking things so I tend to give scores a pass/fail grade -- either I like it, or I don't. Since I like most JW scores I've heard, it's hard for me to really differentiate between them in terms of ranking. So if I do say something is one of JW's best, I'm saying it's great -- it's not so much a comparison as a way to say something is really, really great. 

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7 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

 

"The BFG is very original. I mean, I've listened to two tracks from Harry Potter on Youtube, and I don't think it sounded the same, sorry". I just can't take that person seriously, and that makes me think of the "classic modern film music fan". 

 

Well, first I'll note that I've listened to every note recorded for HPSS. But yes, I haven't listened to much of the second or third scores. 

 

You're right, you shouldn't take opinions seriously if they are not well grounded.

 

This is kind of funny because in, say, politics, I pride myself in always looking at every angle, every point of view, thoroughly researching things. But in films and film music... I guess I'm not as thorough, at least overall. 

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3 hours ago, Stefancos said:

Jealous that you are no longer "the kid" here?

 

Oh how the time flies! :(

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19 minutes ago, TheWhiteRider said:

If I know my stuff, how do I spew bullshit?! Asshole! Meet me at the flagpole after school!

 

I'm sorry, but as a rule, I never punch scholars. You're lucky, because I'd kick your ass.

 

17 minutes ago, Will said:

Did I say that? Well, I certainly never said it was his finest score.

 

Well, if I misremembered, then my bad!

 

17 minutes ago, Will said:

Anyway, I'm not very good at ranking things so I tend to give scores a pass/fail grade -- either I like it, or I don't. Since I like most JW scores I've heard, it's hard for me to really differentiate between them in terms of ranking. So if I do say something is one of JW's best, I'm saying it's great -- it's not so much a comparison as a way to say something is really, really great. 

 

Fair enough, I guess.

 

8 minutes ago, Will said:

Well, first I'll note that I've listened to every note recorded for HPSS. But yes, I haven't listened to much of the second or third scores.

 

Good, that's good. We're slowly getting there!

 

Oh, and if you've listened to the first score, then you've already heard most of the second score anyway!

 

8 minutes ago, Will said:

This is kind of funny because in, say, politics, I pride myself in always looking at every angle, every point of view, thoroughly researching things. But in films and film music... I guess I'm not as thorough, at least overall. 

 

That's fine, but now, you've been warned. Next time, there won't be another warning!

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When the time comes, Will shall serve as a reminder of how we've fallen from our glory days.

 

Soon, like all of us have, Will will look back at his old posts in horror, and Alvar will be there to shove old quotes in his face.

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JWFan... where we learned the truth about despair, as will Will. There's a reason why this forum is the worst hell on earth... hope. Every man who has ventured here over the centuries has looked up to the light and imagined posting to freedom. So easy... so simple... and like shipwrecked men turning to seawater from uncontrollable thirst, many have died trying. I learned here that there can be no true despair without hope.

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From that Richard Brody retrospective on the SW films.

 

 

Quote

 

I was wrong not to watch. But it would have taken a couple of decades to find out how wrong I was, because the marathon watching of “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi,” and “The Phantom Menace” was a chore (for the record, a self-imposed chore). “A New Hope” at least had the merit of coming first—it had the element of surprise—along with a comically flat direction that appeared to be a parody of the mediocre serials on which it was based. “Empire” and “Jedi” had nothing parodistic; their absurd earnestness and the bombastic banality of their direction (by Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand, respectively) are a perfect match for the oppressive, hectoring John Williams scores that accompanied them.

My colleague Alex Ross recently wrote in praise of Williams’s music for the “Star Wars” series. I defer to Alex regarding the details of musical knowledge and craft that Williams displays; I differ with him regarding the emotional and sonic affect of the music. Hearing Williams’s compositions for “Star Wars” is like being ordered, loudly and aggressively, to feel, and to feel one thing. It sounds calculated to bludgeon a viewer into submission, to create a cowed unanimity of simple and narrow emotions that are the antithesis of imagination and fantasy.

 

 

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It's a facile line of thought that reduces the scores to pure unadulterated bombast. There is ambiguity within the scores (increasingly so if looked at chronologically), it's just not foregrounded to the same degree as the most memorable moments, which is why it's easy to overlook.

 

Curiously this is the same accusation he levels at Spielberg and Nolan.

 

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/interstellar-flowery-greeting-card

 

 

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6 hours ago, BloodBoal said:

 

My old friend... Please, do not judge me too harshly, for I would like to remind you that it was you who made me do this:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

I...am...defeated... 

 

I miss The Messenger. He was nicer. :(

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Pompeii

 

TV gave me Rome. Cinema gave me Pompeii. 

 

Funny enough, master Anderson's movie is watchable (in that typical Anderson style) until Vesuvius starts to erupt. Then it's mostly a boring CGI fest (surprise, surprise!)

 

 

pompeii.jpg

 

Watch Jon Snow visit Ancient Rome!

 

landscape_movies-pompeii-kiefer-sutherla

 

Hear Kiefer Sutherland's strange and bad accent.

 

lucas.jpg

 

Heck! Let's not kid each other. Just watch it for Jessica Lucas! 

 

3,5/10

 

 

Alex

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On 10/15/2016 at 3:51 PM, TheWhiteRider said:

JWFan... where we learned the truth about despair, as will Will. There's a reason why this forum is the worst hell on earth... hope. Every man who has ventured here over the centuries has looked up to the light and imagined posting to freedom. So easy... so simple... and like shipwrecked men turning to seawater from uncontrollable thirst, many have died trying. I learned here that there can be no true despair without hope.

 

My turn with the quotes. 

 

"We have hope." - Jyn Erso

 

;)

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Finished Empire of the Sun a few days ago. 

 

The second and third acts weren't as good as the absolutely terrific first, but overall the film is definitely one of my top few favorites from Spielberg if not my favorite. 

 

The scene where the boy and the guard are in a game of cat-and-mouse beyond the fence is so well done. 

 

But the haunting and beautiful first act will be what really sticks with me.

 

And the stadium... As haunting as haunting can get. 

 

Oh, of course, the plane scene. The lighting there is incredible, and the music, of course is, too. I had chills.

 

It was a very provocative film in a lot of ways. This boys' emotions were very interesting. He seemed to almost enjoy the prison camp in many ways ... yet it was still prison ... much more conflicted ideas then we're used to seeing in this type of film. 

 

It's amazing how Shanghai still looked like it was from the 40s back when this was filmed. Now they probably couldn't film this without tons of CGI and elaborate sets.

 

I watched the documentary too, which was great.

 

 

 

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The mob scene in the first act is one of Spielberg's most haunting set-pieces. One of his finest looking films.

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Some would say he did have fun at the camp as a way to cope with the trauma he was going through - and the music reflects that

 

It's also great music on its own away from the film, especially in complete form on the LLL CD set.

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5 hours ago, Will said:

He seemed to almost enjoy the prison camp in many ways ... yet it was still prison ... much more conflicted ideas then we're used to seeing in this type of film. 

 

 

Indeed, for the world of children is much smaller and 'blinded' by innocence, the war isn't that real to them. Jamie doesn't even see the cruelty that's being done to him by his so-called best friend and surrogate father Basie. 

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Jagten

A very good movie, anchored by a fantastic performance by Mads Mikkelsen. Actually, the entire cast is great, with other standouts being the performers portraying Klara, Theo and Grethe.

Tense, layered and occasionally uncomfortable, Jagten tackles its subject matter with nuance yet without fear. 

If you're up for genuine human drama, give this one a go.

If you want your movies loud and explosive - never mind.

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3 minutes ago, Mr. Breathmask said:

Jagten

A very good movie, anchored by a fantastic performance by Mads Mikkelsen. Actually, the entire cast is great, with other standouts being the performers portraying Klara, Theo and Grethe.

Tense, layered and occasionally uncomfortable, Jagten tackles its subject matter with nuance yet without fear. 

If you're up for genuine human drama, give this one a go.

If you want your movies loud and explosive - never mind.

 

One of my favorites of the last years together with Villeneuve's Prisoners

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