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

[bollemanneke 3,337]

The horse whisperer.

 

Quite good. I was going to say it was excellent, but then found myself losing some interest after two hours. That had nothing to do with the main story and everything to do with the fact that I found the romance between Tom and Annie rather far-fetched, or rather, I just didn't think Annie was a likeable enough character to fall in love with (Robert really doesn't deserve her). Scarlett Johansson was mostly good - unbelievable that this is Black Widow - and Cherry Jones sounds awfully like Catherine O'Hara. She and Sam Neill stood out for me, though I obviously can't say anything about Redford's performance.

The score is predictable and derivative, but in Thomas Newman's case, that's only a plus. Not everything worked for me, like the music when Grace tells Tom about her accident, but the highlight, and there were many of them, was undoubtedly Annie and Tom riding together.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

The Shape is Water

It's... fine I guess?  It's a very simple and predicable story with no surprises.  That could have been fine if the movie built any kind of emotional involvement with the characters but the movie doesn't really do that either.  It spends most of its time on military/spy antics and the whole movie has this ironic detached whimsy that kills any potential drama.  

 

Kind of like E.T with Kit Fisto except bad.

 

 

 

[John 2,032]

Grinding Nemo. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

I watched BRIEF ENCOUNTER, recently. Art. Pure cinematic art. 

[A24 4,326]

BBC plays it once a year (in the afternoon).

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

3 hours ago, Richard said:

I watched BRIEF ENCOUNTER, recently. Art. Pure cinematic art. 

 

Melodrama!

[Nick Parker 3,040]

18 hours ago, John said:

Grinding Nemo. 

 

Guest starring Bam Margera

[Sir Hilary Bray 235]

7 hours ago, Richard said:

I watched BRIEF ENCOUNTER, recently. Art. Pure cinematic art. 

 

brilliant film. Amidst it's brilliance you have the great Stanley Holloway- any film with him in is never a total loss. 

 

--

 

Went through my Dirty Harry boxset past week or so and rewatching Dirty Harry. 

 

Great as Fielding is, I wish Schifrin had been able to do The Enforcer so the series was his all the way through. 

 

If you're Vice, I'll kill myself

-Well do it at home. 

[Nick Parker 3,040]

54 minutes ago, Sir Hilary Bray said:

Great as Fielding is, I wish Schifrin had been able to do The Enforcer so the series was his all the way through. 

 

If you're Vice, I'll kill myself

-Well do it at home. 

 

With scores like Dead Pool, that wouldn't be the proudest distinction. 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

The great 1982 Oscar Winner for Original Song Score and one of my favorite films of all time. Great cast with great all-around acting a gender-bending screenplay with the laughter abounding. Just another typical great film from the greatest year for film of the last 59 years. Bravo or Brava!

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I don't know what movie you're talking about but I thought it was great too.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Victor/Victoria!

[A24 4,326]

 

The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Icelandic style, without the silliness.

 

 

7/10

[Nick Parker 3,040]

3 hours ago, JoeinAR said:

The great 1982 Oscar Winner for Original Song Score and one of my favorite films of all time. Great cast with great all-around acting a gender-bending screenplay with the laughter abounding. Just another typical great film from the greatest year for film of the last 59 years. Bravo or Brava!

 

My introduction to it was the lame-ass stage version, which I couldn't even finish. "_This_ is a classic?" Fortunately I was able to catch the film version months later, and it quickly became one of my favorite movies. 

 

It's Blake Edwards' Greatest Hits, showcasing his ability to orchestrate multiple types of his trademark humor that he tweaked for decades: slapstick, witty dialogue, and gags with long, deliberate setups and payoffs. Mancini doesn't have much an opportunity to speak with the score, but the songs are tons of fun, even if some of them--particularly the Seville one--don't have much reason to be there.

 

Close to a perfect movie for me.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Rampage

 

Silly as fuck, but I have a soft spot for these sorts of corny mega-destructo-creature-on-the-loose flicks. Weakish script is balanced out by the Rock's charisma and the surprisingly dazzling CGI work on George the albino gorilla - I loved this big monkey!

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

The Ballad of Buster Scrugs

I made it ten minutes.  

[Holko 9,499]

By then you could have at least powered through to try the next story!

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

16 minutes ago, Holko said:

By then you could have at least powered through to try the next story!

It's one of those movies where I can tell from the start that it's not for me.  Lots of "edgy random violence!!!! XD" humor, it's a "parody musical" (already a bad sign) with forgettable songs, and I didn't like the look of the film (very smooth and artificial - the "candy coated wax" look I associate with Netflix originals)

[Holko 9,499]

All 6 stories are pretty different in mood, style, depth, even in looks, and I think the first and titular one happens to be the weakest.

[A24 4,326]

7 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

 (very smooth and artificial - the "candy coated wax" look I associate with Netflix originals)

 

So this ...

 

 

... is the same as ...

 

 

... this?

 

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

1 minute ago, Alexcremers said:

 

So this ...

 

 

... is the same as ...

 

 

... this?

 

Not for all Netflix films, just most of them

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

The Perfect Storm

 

Listen up, fellas. This is where trying to be a manly man and ignoring the weather report gets you: dead!

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Good score.

 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

5 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

It's one of those movies where I can tell from the start that it's not for me.  Lots of "edgy random violence!!!! XD" humor, it's a "parody musical" (already a bad sign) with forgettable songs, and I didn't like the look of the film (very smooth and artificial - the "candy coated wax" look I associate with Netflix originals)

Edgy random violence? Parody musical? What the hell are you talking about?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

13 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

 

The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Icelandic style, without the silliness.

 

 

7/10

It looks like a Dogme film.

[Bespin 8,477]

1941 - The Extended Cut (BluRay)

 

It was my 2nd watching of this movie and this time, I very appreciated it.. I think the Extended Cut is better... and I laughed several times.

 

Yes, I'll turn 45 this week, so it may be a beginning of senile dementia.

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

Nothing of the kind, Bes. It's a funny film. End of. The extended version is better.

Best line: "You can take your Third Reich, and shove it up your ass!". 

Ps, it's "laughed". Just so's you know.

[John 2,032]

13 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

1 hour ago, Bespin said:

1941 - The Extended Cut (BluRay)

 

It was my 2nd watching of this movie and this time, I very appreciated it.. I think the Extended Cut is better... and I laughed several times.

 

Yes, I'll turn 45 this week, so it may be a beginning of senile dementia.

 

 

Seriously underappreciated movie. Is it flawed? Of course it is. But it features a typical 1974 to 1984 John Williams score, and some Steven Spielberg's Magic.

14 hours ago, Nick Parker said:

 

My introduction to it was the lame-ass stage version, which I couldn't even finish. "_This_ is a classic?" Fortunately I was able to catch the film version months later, and it quickly became one of my favorite movies. 

 

It's Blake Edwards' Greatest Hits, showcasing his ability to orchestrate multiple types of his trademark humor that he tweaked for decades: slapstick, witty dialogue, and gags with long, deliberate setups and payoffs. Mancini doesn't have much an opportunity to speak with the score, but the songs are tons of fun, even if some of them--particularly the Seville one--don't have much reason to be there.

 

Close to a perfect movie for me.

I'm glad you appreciate the movie but the Shady Dame from Seville is a brilliant and important piece of this film. The Counterpoint at the end using Toddy is a wonderful way to end the film.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

1 hour ago, JoeinAR said:

I'm glad you appreciate the movie but the Shady Dame from Seville is a brilliant and important piece of this film. The Counterpoint at the end using Toddy is a wonderful way to end the film.

 

Oh crap, I totally forgot about that part at the end! You're right, in that aspect, but I meant that it doesn't have a whole lot to do with what's going on, unless there's subtext there that I never picked up on. It's my second favorite song from the movie, though, next to Le Jazz Hot. That low brass that declares out about the halfway point, though simple and cliched, gives me goosebumps everytime, and I just love the drama Mancini creates throughout. 

 

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Why is 1941 never on TV? It's that one Spielberg flick that's eluded me all these years because no station seems to want to air it.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

12 hours ago, Ghostbusters II said:

Good score.

 

 

I can imagine that corny six-note repeating theme playing at the end of Jaws for some reason.

[A24 4,326]

 

An arthouse revenge movie, gritty and realistic, stripped of anything Hollywood. 

 

 

6,5/10

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Hollywood is so gauche. It's the worst. 

[SteveMc 2,674]

Dr. Zhivago (1965)

Sprawling epic.  The costumes and cinematography make it worth watching the movie by themselves.  Exquisite.  Jarre's score is also excellent, but I still can't stand the love theme.  I find the story a tad bit iffy.  It really goes on and on.  I'm not really feeling why Zhivago gets so enamored with Lara, and I'm a poetic soul myself.  The movie does do something interesting with the dueling domesticities, though.  It fails to accurately portray the Revolution, though is rather effective in its portrayal of the consuming spirit of the Bolsheviks.  

3.5/4

 

Lilo and Stich (2002)

A lot of heart in this movie.  Making the sister bond the focus was an inspired choice, and, arguably, it does it even better than Frozen, though that movie is better viewed as a meditation on love and humanity in general.  Lilo and Stich is entertaining, and I absolutely adore how the filmmakers were able to capture both the cultural mystique and the economic realities of the islands.  The illustrated backgrounds work wonders for the Hawaii scenes, but feel out of place for the space scenes.  Indeed, the alien material is the weakest link here.  And the third act is way over the top and too silly, something that HTTYD suffers from, too.  

3/4

 

Good Will Hunting (1997)

A drama that checks all the boxes but then goes for extra credit.  Of course the screenplay shines, and Van Sant's direction is stylish if self-important, but the performances really give this one its staying power.  Robin Williams is magnificent.  More low-key, but also rather brilliant, is Skarsgard's.  Also, the ending is perfect.  Closure,  but uncertainties remain.

4/4

 

Se7en (1995)

Very dark and disturbing.  Neo-noir at its best.  Everything comes together here so well, themes, performances, editing, mise-en-scene.  Pitt is starpower, and gets introduced rather as such, but then is put into his place, into his character.  Very effective.  In the cinematography, the different colors are used more akin to a greyscale, but enhanced.  The mid-90s wardrobe styles (or at least those chosen) seem particularly well suited to the intent and tone, recalling the 40s in a way. 

In music, a highlight is Shore's rather interesting darkly heroic piece for the SWAT team.

4/4        

[Nick Parker 3,040]

41 minutes ago, SteveMc said:

Pitt is starpower, and gets introduced rather as such, but then is put into his place, into his character.  

 

WHAT'S IN THUH BOOOOXXX????

42 minutes ago, SteveMc said:

Lilo and Stich (2002)

A lot of heart in this movie.  Making the sister bond the focus was an inspired choice, and, arguably, it does it even better than Frozen, though that movie is better viewed as a meditation on love and humanity in general.  Lilo and Stich is entertaining, and I absolutely adore how the filmmakers were able to capture both the cultural mystique and the economic realities of the islands.  The illustrated backgrounds work wonders for the Hawaii scenes, but feel out of place for the space scenes.  Indeed, the alien material is the weakest link here.  And the third act is way over the top and too silly, something that HTTYD suffers from, too.  

3/4

 

If anything I felt the third act was pretty weak as a plot climax, as I find a lot of Disney movies from the 90's and 00's, but I forgive it more here because as you say, the focus on the sisters and family never gets sidelined. 

[Chen G. 3,943]

1 hour ago, SteveMc said:

Dr. Zhivago (1965)

Sprawling epic.  The costumes and cinematography make it worth watching the movie by themselves.  Exquisite.  Jarre's score is also excellent, but I still can't stand the love theme.  I find the story a tad bit iffy.  It really goes on and on.  I'm not really feeling why Zhivago gets so enamored with Lara, and I'm a poetic soul myself.  The movie does do something interesting with the dueling domesticities, though.  It fails to accurately portray the Revolution, though is rather effective in its portrayal of the consuming spirit of the Bolsheviks.  

3.5/4

 

Its a tricky film for me. Its certainly got way too much of Lean's, Young's and Jarre's art to be bad. It doesn't deserve the ribbing that it got from critics, which effectivelly benched Lean for a couple of years. Too many beautifull photographes, interesting locations/sets, beautiful music (although Lean tracked one specific variation of the love theme over and over, which - given the length of the picture - dilutes it a great deal) and very interesting angles and camera-movements.

 

However, for an "epic romance", its neither truly epic, nor believably romantic. Its got an "epic" runtime (and how!) and production value, and there are certainly epic events taking place (World War I, The Revolution) but they're in the background: With the exception of one out-of-the-blue sequence in which Zhivago is kidnapped and drafted by force, the characters never become embroiled in these events - they just endure them.

 

There's nothing there to be felt regarding Zhivago's affair with Lara: they just fall in love because the script calls for it. They barely have one meaningful onscreen conversation beforehand. If I recall correctly, Zhivago's feelings to Lara are only first made clear via narration of a letter he sends (to his wife, I might add). If anything, its his relationship with his wife which is the more believable of the two, and by far; and yet when she discovers about the affair it happens offscreen, and no tension or conflict is wrung from it - she just drops out of the plot.

 

Also, Omar Sharif? as a Russian doctor? as Alec Guiness' brother?! Gimmie a break!

 

*** out of *****

[Holko 9,499]

Anyone else hate when they put the all-new fandangled logos in front of old movies instead of preserving the older one? BTTF3 still has the 75th anniversary Universal logo montage with Horner, no? The flashy loud CG ones can play when you put in the disc.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

14 minutes ago, Holko said:

Anyone else hate when they put the all-new fandangled logos in front of old movies instead of preserving the older one? BTTF3 still has the 75th anniversary Universal logo montage with Horner, no? The flashy loud CG ones can play when you put in the disc.

 

I've complained about this before. Especially how Warner Bros is so gung ho about erasing its own logo history by replacing that cool minimalist logo from the 70s-80s with their modern version. And I pretty much saw red when I bought the Electric Dreams DVD and found that the rare and quirky Virgin Films animated logo had been totally replaced by the modern MGM logo. I mean, for fuck sake, they ruined the musical opener by doing that. Fuckin' shitheads.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

3 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

 

An arthouse revenge movie, gritty and realistic, stripped of anything Hollywood. 

 

 

6,5/10

Starring Jan Brady and Buzz Mccallister.

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

4 hours ago, SteveMc said:

Lilo and Stich (2002)

A lot of heart in this movie.  Making the sister bond the focus was an inspired choice, and, arguably, it does it even better than Frozen, though that movie is better viewed as a meditation on love and humanity in general.  Lilo and Stich is entertaining, and I absolutely adore how the filmmakers were able to capture both the cultural mystique and the economic realities of the islands.  The illustrated backgrounds work wonders for the Hawaii scenes, but feel out of place for the space scenes.  Indeed, the alien material is the weakest link here.  And the third act is way over the top and too silly, something that HTTYD suffers from, too.  

3/4

 

I found that unlike most Disney movies, it felt, narratively, like a film made exclusively for kids, with little (especially towards the end) to appeal to me as an adult viewer. (And I'm a fan of many Disney films, old and new)

[Nick Parker 3,040]

7 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

I found that unlike most Disney movies, it felt, narratively, like a film made exclusively for kids, with little (especially towards the end) to appeal to me as an adult viewer. (And I'm a fan of many Disney films, old and new)

 

The scenes between the sisters, as someone who was in a similar position to the big sister during high school, struck me as harder-hitting than a lot of stuff I've seen in other Disney films, especially from around that era. Did those scenes, and the relating conflict and themes, not to speak to you at all? You liked Frozen, yeah?

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

Just now, Nick Parker said:

The scenes between the sisters, as someone who was in a similar position to the big sister during high school, struck me as harder-hitting than a lot of stuff I've seen in other Disney films, especially from around that era. Did those scenes, and the relating conflict and themes, not to speak to you at all? You liked Frozen, yeah?

 

I've only seen it once, and I don't remember much of it now. I think there was good character stuff in the beginning. It probably got sidetracked by the plot later on. And yes, I definitely like Frozen.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

3 hours ago, Holko said:

Anyone else hate when they put the all-new fandangled logos in front of old movies instead of preserving the older one? BTTF3 still has the 75th anniversary Universal logo montage with Horner, no? The flashy loud CG ones can play when you put in the disc.

Agreed. I don't like the wibbly-wobbly "When Time Goes By" Warner's logo. I prefer to see the orange/black "W" coming towards the camera. U.A. is also culpable: I love the lines that "sprout", and say "A Transamerica Company ".

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

1 hour ago, Richard said:

Agreed. I don't like the wibbly-wobbly "When Time Goes By" Warner's logo. I prefer to see the orange/black "W" coming towards the camera. U.A. is also culpable: I love the lines that "sprout", and say "A Transamerica Company ".

 

Play it for me, Sam... my favourite song

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

Good song; bloody awful logo.

[Jay 37,285]

I recommended Blue Ruin years ago!

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Hereditary

 

So I haven't really been all that impressed by the so-called "elevated horror" genre, but I'm always happy to give them a go. What this movie succeeded at was avoiding stupid jump scares altogether, instead opting for mood and atmosphere - the kind that leaves you feeling a lingering sense of dread well after the credits roll. The plot's derivative of Rosemary's Baby and the Paranormal Activity flicks, but twisted in a new way. On another note, where the hell did they find that damn kid? Just her face alone would make a horror picture! And why did the son look Indian when the parents were clearly a couple of white people? Diverthity cathting?

[Sweeping Strings 2,344]

On 3/3/2019 at 8:45 AM, Alexcremers said:

 

The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Icelandic style, without the silliness.

 

 

7/10

Given the film's theme, has he just spotted his first-ever naked lady through that window and instantaneously shot his load all over it?  

[A24 4,326]

OMG! The children! Think of the children!