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


Mr. Breathmask

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5 minutes ago, dougie said:

The BFG

 

I'd put this off for ages because I was afraid it'd be the "Boring Fucking Giant". Well it certainly threatens to be, that is until the schlocky third act that was nothing short of hilarious! They even chucked in an ID4 line when the Queen tells "Nancy" over the phone "then wake him!" It could have gone that extra mile in schlock value if the giants attacked London, but Spielberg held back. We'll probably have to wait for The Lost Giants: The BFG if we wanna see that.

 

The best set up fart joke in film history?

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59 minutes ago, dougie said:

The Ghost Writer

 

Poor Obi-Wan gets thrown into a political underworld of conspiracy that was more than he bargained for in the beginning. If you like Chinatown or The Ninth Gate, you'll nod at all the Polanski parallels from those movies harkening back to Hitchcock. Exciting movie!

 


Ugh, The Ninth Gate ... a supernatural thriller with no chills, and it doesn't so much come to an end as just ... stop. Polanski's previous movie on similar themes (Rosemary's Baby) is so much better. 

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Red Dawn (1984)

The Soviet machine versus the red-blooded teenage american mujahideen. Entertaining in its own way, I guess.  I dig the Rambo III helicopters.  This movie seems to want to work, but the demands it makes on your suspension of disbelief are extraordinary.  I kept thinking of rather simple fixes scene after scene.   An alternate timeline, say where the U.S. lost the Cuban Missile Crisis would have worked better.  At any rate, a rural high school is hardly an important place for invading paratroopers to mow down.  The acting is okay, I suppose.  Swayze gives off some nuance at least.

Basil Poledouris's score offers some moments of interest.  

2/4

 

Tucker: The Man And His Dream (1988)

Coppola goes full Capra here and Jeff Bridges plays the title character with a lot of Jimmy Stewart thrown in.  It even all ends with a big little guys against the machine speech that ends in a moral if not literal victory, with some criticism of the decline in American industry thrown in.  Anyway, Vittorio Storaro's shots are always wonderful to see.  Costumes are top notch.  Music brings a nice period flavor (Williams was attached to this at one point, no?).  Coppola's direction is solid if not especially spectacular.  I am a bit unsure about the whole approach where the movie is and isn't a period promotional film for Tucker and his automobile.  Nice one nonetheless.

3.5/4 

 

The Force Awakens (2015)

Multiple watches and listens reinforce two truths about this one.  One, Williams wrote a bloody brilliant score.  Two, Rey is too powerful, too soon.  Abrams starts the first act off brilliantly, with flair, grit and identity.  His introduction of Rey as a character is great, compelling.  Poe and Finn are charismatic.  Ren menacing, mysterious.  BB-8 a godsend for the marketing people, and adorable for all that.  This is how you start a movie and a trilogy. 

 

The second act is a mess.  An expensive fan film.  Too many forgettable characters and creatures.  Stupid dialogue.  Boring Snoke scenes.  Annoying Abrams directorial traits, like those shaky dutch angles.  And the fact that the lightsaber calls to Rey remains annoying.  The one wand to rule them all.  And, it really feels like Han Solo and Chewy are cameoing in their own franchise, or in another franchise even.

 

This helps the third act become hit and miss.  There is some good.  Yes, the whole point of the climax with "another death star" is a well worn rip-off, but it still sells.  I like the subtle call backs to Rey's earlier smuggling here, too.  And the final duel is great.  Han's death leaves mixed feelings.  I think he does in fact sacrifice himself, which is a filmmaking move I approve of, in general.  But Abrams relies on nostalgia.  In this film, we have not seen this Han.  We have not spent enough quality time with him.  We don't know who he is, why he would do it.

And, of course, Rey becomes far too strong in the force without much growth as per the franchise's de facto established rules.  There is another issue, character growth.  There is little to no character growth and development past the preliminaries.  In this sense, as well as with the cinematography, TLJ has the upper hand.  But, I sense TFA, for all its clumsiness, is still good fun.

And the Jedi Steps sequence, with its impressive camerawork, Luke's presence, and some of John's best recent work.  Closure and anticipation.  This is how you set up a sequel properly.

3/4 

 

   

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1 hour ago, SteveMc said:

Two, Rey is too powerful, too soon. 

   

 

It's what I keep saying, but the fans no longer have patience. They want the trophy, not the journey.

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1984

 

Ugh, dull as dishwater. Gilliam did better with this concept the following year. And Lucas with THX-1138. So utterly boring, they had to sprinkle it with nuddy bits to wake everyone up. The main girl had a real fuzzball fanny though.

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Image result for the founder

THE FOUNDER

Let's face the facts. McDonald's has become more than just a restaurant and a brand. It's become a part of our lives. And while maybe you don't eat out at McDonald's, you have eaten out before, whether it be there or another fast food restaurant that picked up on their industry changing idea. Granted, McDonald's, at least as far as I can tell, is infamous for being unhealthy. A while back, the idea that their new line of salads had a higher fat content then some of the french fries became a localized meme, as far as I'm concerned. While this may not be true, we all know that McDonald's isn't the healthiest meal option. And with that in mind, we cannot resist a good Big Mac and a side of fries every now and again. Well, if you thought that the McDonald's menu was an interesting discussion point, think again. THE FOUNDER puts into perspective the rise of this operation from a few small town locations to the global franchise that it is today. And the man who made it all possible was Ray Kroc, played by Michael Keaton.

 

Ray is one of those interesting characters, especially in the way he is portrayed in the film. He starts off very much as the guy you want to cheer for. When we first meet Ray, he's selling (or trying to at least) milkshake mixers to a number of shabby food joints. His sales pitch is tired, until one location asks for a considerably large order- eight mixers. He decides to drive down to California to see what kind of operation these owners might have to need such an order. Long story short, he’s introduced to their revolutionary fast food setup, he meets with the owners, and he informs them of what he thinks they should do.

 

Keaton is, as some critics put it, “electrifying”. He’s bursting with energy, and he’s a pleasure to watch. But his character isn’t without flaws. He starts off as the underdog who grabs the attention and gets the cheers, but he ends as a greedy snake and a very, very bad man. Honestly, I don’t want to say too much about the story, because it’s neat to watch it unfold itself. The first thirty minutes are snappy, great pacing, keeping the film going with help from the great performances. On that note, I’ll also mention that the McDonald’s brothers themselves (played by Nick Offerman, John Caroll Lynch) and other supporting characters such as Ethel Kroc (Laura Dern) and Harry Sonenborg (BJ Novak) put forth very good roles, and they play alongside Keaton to very near perfection.

 

The photography isn’t stunning, but is doesn’t need to be. There are no shots that stand out as visually awesome, but that’s not the point. The camerawork is often fairly rudimentary, with a few bird’s eye and following shots through the restaurant kitchen.

I quite liked this film. It was informative, it was exciting, and it was very well done. I give it my recommendation.

 

RATING: **** and a half out of *****

CONSENSUAL STATEMENT: “Full of energy, both in the story and the performances.”

 

 

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13 hours ago, dougie said:

Han's death was dark and disturbing...

RIP Hans.

(Eventhough it didn't seem like a big deal in the movie)

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The Goodbye Girl

 

That's more like it. Needed it after that last depressing film I watched. Dreyfuss is electric in this. He reminds me a bit of Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs Kramer or Tootsie or Michael Keaton in Mr Mom. It's sort of like that.

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It was so awesome at the Academy Awards that year. Multiple Oscar nominee Richard Burton was the favorite for Equis and the award goes to Richard....pause....Richard Burton starts to stand... Dreyfus....Burton promptly falls back into his sear.

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The Hitman's Bodyguard

 

Okay buddy flick actioner. Ryan Reynolds is such a strange action lead since he conveys such a sissy persona with a high, girly voice. Oddly so many seemingly simple shots in this movie look like they were shot with green screen on a sound stage - it always takes me out of it when they do that!

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6 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

They really should stop giving Oscars to foreigners anyway!

Brits are practically American 

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Just now, Stefancos said:

They really arent. You just took their language.

Yes they are. We get a say. You do not...foreigner!  😂🤡

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Our nations historic memories are of England.  We relate to our founders. We fought against them and beside them.

This fortress built by nature for herself, this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England."

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The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

 

I loved watching Bogey's gradual and painful descent into insanity and paranoia from gold fever. It's really one of those stories I adore where poor and disadvantaged people struggle to get a break, and no matter how much they put their backs into it, success always finds a way to elude them.

 

 

Sixteen Candles

 

Why do we talk about John Hughes movies these days as if they're scholarly works of great artistic and cultural significance? Shit a brick, they're not that great, although I did think Ferris Bueller was good fun. But I just didn't get anything from this or The Brekky Club. I think I'm just so over high school and these movies are so far removed from my own teenage experience that I'm just left distanced and dissatisfied. Something about a girl whose family forgets her birthday (uh get over yourself?) and a pack of skinny dorks in total shock and awe about seeing a girl's undies that screams trashy 80s frat humour and I couldn't stand it.

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16 Candles isn't a deep thoughtful film that pushes the boundaries of the mind. Its a film about a right of passage that both glorifies and minimizes the event and in the end the girl gets the boy and the nerd makes his mark. This is a seminal Hughes Experience. Among his great teen films kt stands proud.

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So do most but Sixteen Candles is a film I regret not seeing at the theatre, a thought many millennials here can't comprehend. 

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2 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

John Hugh films do not require to be seen in the cinema 

They absolutely require being seen in a cinema with a receptive audience. Comedies work best woth a large crowd. Laughter begets laughter. To say otherwise is a lie.

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4 hours ago, JoeinAR said:

So do most but Sixteen Candles is a film I regret not seeing at the theatre, a thought many millennials here can't comprehend. 

I comprehend.  

 

8 hours ago, dougie said:

Why do we talk about John Hughes movies these days as if they're scholarly works of great artistic and cultural significance?

Because they make an artform out of what is at first glance ordinary entertainment.  I am put off by a lot in Sixteen Candles, but I can't escape from the fact that it contains some pretty good filmmaking, especially for a first time director.  

Overall, I love how Hughes was unpretentious in his writing and directing.  I maintain that Breakfast Club is a masterpiece.  And Some Kind Of Wonderful has a great deal of depth to it, so I'd definitely recommend that one.  

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