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

[Alex 2,833]

I watched the new Aladdin. I enjoyed it. I had quite a unique experience I think, because I’ve never actually seen the original. However, it’s full of moments where you just sigh, roll your eyes and say to yourself “Guy Ritchie”. Not sure he was the right choice for this film.

 

 

Edit: Whoops, wrong thread, feel free to shunt me over to the correct one

[Holko 9,491]

This past week and a bit I embarked on a Ghibli journey, having only seen a few frames at most from any of them before. (Japanese ones, I don't really do dubs)

 

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Loved the world it builds. Can certainly see how and why it's influential.

Castle in the Sky - Fun adventure.

Grave of the Fireflies - Whew. Not quite what i expected based on its reputation, more of a slice of life (like the next two) slowly going wrong, rather than full out horrors of war and fighting for life on the road. Also more about humility, responsibility, and being able to swallow your pride and admit defeat at the right moment (by showing the worst that can happen otherwise) than explicitly antiwar.

My Neighbour Totoro - Another where I didn't get what I expect based on how prominent Totoro is as the studio's logo and everything - he's barely in it!. Very mood and character-based, more about internal conflicts and reactions to environment changes than plot. I like it.

Kiki's Delivery Service - That last sentence applies to this just the same, just moved to an older agerange and higher level of maturation/coming of age. Lovely.

Porco Rosso - Another interesting, fun adventure.

Princess Mononoke - Wow. Yugoslavia really did break Miyazaki - jumping right back to Nausicaä's territory of environmentalist antiwar war epic, just feels bigger and bloodier. Ambiguous characters with complex motivations, compromising ambiguous resolution, flavoured with just enough fantasy weirdness to not turn most people off if they already made it that far. Loooved it, as a first reaction it might be my favourite of the bunch.

Spirited Away - Another complex one with folklore, symbolism, Wonderlandism and traditionalism. Very interesting.

Howl's Moving Castle - Well, the streak had to be broken somewhere. I don't feel this one uses its concepts and themes quite to ther full potential, but what's worse, the storytelling, plot and characters can be very unclear at times. I didn't hate it or anything but not a fan.

Ponyo - Cute. Like.

The Wind Rises - Suffers from Biopicitis Formulaica a bit, and the time, place and dream/awakeness can be confusing to figure out at a scene change (though I suspect at least the latter is very much intentional), but liked it nonetheless.

 

What a stunning body of work! It was interesting to go through this traditionalist environmentalist aviation enthusiast's evolution. (Yes, I know Fireflies is the odd one out of the Miyazaki bunch, but I hadn't seen it and this was the perfect opportunity - still Ghibli) All of them look completely gorgeous of course, with believably acting characters. Looking forward to How Do You Live? with this track record!

 

Scores?

um...

 

I want it all

I want it all

I want it all

I want it NOW

[Naïve Old Fart 9,490]

Just an alley creeper, light on his feet.

[KK 3,307]

 

Wildlife

 

Paul Dano's directorial debut from last year is a subtle, tasteful portrait of a family in crisis. It's a little on the tame side, but you can tell that the years of working with artisanal directors has instilled in him a great confidence as a director. Beautifully shot, with many lingering poetic frames and an aptly minimalist score by David Lang and Jóhannsson (from Fordlandia), the film moves like a moody dream. Though the story follows your familiar dysfunctional family crisis narrative, it's worth watching for Mulligan's strong performance and the beautiful cinematography.

 

Was also surprised to learn that the film was dedicated to Jóhannsson! I look forward to what Dano gets up to next.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,490]

7 hours ago, KK said:

 

Freedom. The new fragrance, from Paco Rabanne.

[A24 4,326]

By Paco Rabanne, Richard. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,490]

Thank you for you correction, and for the spirit in which it was meant.

[Chen G. 3,941]

1 hour ago, Richard said:

Freedom. The new fragrance,

 

Freedom...?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

3 hours ago, Chen G. said:

 

Freedom...?

 

I can do one better!

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,490]

He's not Scottish!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Neither are you!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,490]

I live here, so I'm Scottish by association.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

And Prima Nocta?

[Holko 9,491]

Son of Saul

 

Wow.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,490]

Ha! . I wish.

[Fabulin 3,506]

On 5/27/2019 at 5:53 PM, The Original said:

Did they shoot this on the moon? Sure looked real! 

They must have shot it in the same studio that Stanley Kubrick used when he faked the moon landings back then.

[Jay 37,267]

On 5/28/2019 at 1:50 PM, Holko said:

This past week and a bit I embarked on a Ghibli journey, having only seen a few frames at most from any of them before. (Japanese ones, I don't really do dubs)

 

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Loved the world it builds. Can certainly see how and why it's influential.

Castle in the Sky - Fun adventure.

Grave of the Fireflies - Whew. Not quite what i expected based on its reputation, more of a slice of life (like the next two) slowly going wrong, rather than full out horrors of war and fighting for life on the road. Also more about humility, responsibility, and being able to swallow your pride and admit defeat at the right moment (by showing the worst that can happen otherwise) than explicitly antiwar.

My Neighbour Totoro - Another where I didn't get what I expect based on how prominent Totoro is as the studio's logo and everything - he's barely in it!. Very mood and character-based, more about internal conflicts and reactions to environment changes than plot. I like it.

Kiki's Delivery Service - That last sentence applies to this just the same, just moved to an older agerange and higher level of maturation/coming of age. Lovely.

Porco Rosso - Another interesting, fun adventure.

Princess Mononoke - Wow. Yugoslavia really did break Miyazaki - jumping right back to Nausicaä's territory of environmentalist antiwar war epic, just feels bigger and bloodier. Ambiguous characters with complex motivations, compromising ambiguous resolution, flavoured with just enough fantasy weirdness to not turn most people off if they already made it that far. Loooved it, as a first reaction it might be my favourite of the bunch.

Spirited Away - Another complex one with folklore, symbolism, Wonderlandism and traditionalism. Very interesting.

Howl's Moving Castle - Well, the streak had to be broken somewhere. I don't feel this one uses its concepts and themes quite to ther full potential, but what's worse, the storytelling, plot and characters can be very unclear at times. I didn't hate it or anything but not a fan.

Ponyo - Cute. Like.

The Wind Rises - Suffers from Biopicitis Formulaica a bit, and the time, place and dream/awakeness can be confusing to figure out at a scene change (though I suspect at least the latter is very much intentional), but liked it nonetheless.

 

What a stunning body of work! It was interesting to go through this traditionalist environmentalist aviation enthusiast's evolution. (Yes, I know Fireflies is the odd one out of the Miyazaki bunch, but I hadn't seen it and this was the perfect opportunity - still Ghibli) All of them look completely gorgeous of course, with believably acting characters. Looking forward to How Do You Live? with this track record!

 

Scores?

um...

 

I want it all

I want it all

I want it all

I want it NOW

 

Welcome to the Ghibli club!  I quite enjoyed reading your thoughts.

Next time check out the Disney English dubs, they are nice too!

[John 2,032]

Bumblebee 

 

The opening scene was great! The classic G1 designs from the old cartoon show translated beautifully into CGI; why couldn’t Bay have used those from the start? Seeing Soundwave in all his autotuned-voice glory gave me the biggest grin. 

 

The plot mostly devolves into an E.T. pastiche complete with government agents, unsuspecting parents and a cute family dog, but still had some charms of its own. 

 

I liked the Drew Struzan posters for Raiders and The Thing in one of the character’s rooms. 

[Chen G. 3,941]

Yeah, a friend named it Spielberg-lite.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Stakeout

 

Bird on a Wire

 

Had a John Badham double feature last night. Both were pretty funny but sort of felt like a pair of poor man's Richard Donner flicks. I think I liked the latter one more because I like screwball comedies, and Goldie Hawn had a nice bum... but so did Madeline Stowe, so.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Brightburn.  Shameless in its mythology, it bravely stares into the theatre and says into the theatre if Superman were evil he would do some really messed up things. 

Well Brandon is bad and does some messed up things. This is a minor B film. It isn't bad nor is it good but damn it it is gross and gory. Its occasionally funny. But damnit there is another gory scene. Matt Jones, shit man, thats gotta hurt, wait what did you say? Enunciate man. Oh you cant!  Yeah i can see why.

[A24 4,326]

I knew it wasn't going to be good!

 

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Looks fun.

[Sweeping Strings 2,343]

Nerve - teens participate in the titular online game by live-streaming themselves completing increasingly dangerous dares for financial reward/ to increase their 'followers'. Begins with at least a reasonable hold on believability (especially when one recalls the likes of the 'TidePod Challenge' in recent years), but becomes increasingly preposterous. A fun enough way to pass 95 minutes.       

[A24 4,326]

Captain Marvel

 

 

Whatever it tries to do, it doesn't do it well, so it ends up on the pile of Marvel's worst movies.  3/10

 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

On 5/28/2019 at 7:27 PM, Alex said:

I watched the new Aladdin. I enjoyed it. I had quite a unique experience I think, because I’ve never actually seen the original. However, it’s full of moments where you just sigh, roll your eyes and say to yourself “Guy Ritchie”. Not sure he was the right choice for this film.

 

 

Edit: Whoops, wrong thread, feel free to shunt me over to the correct one

 

That's okay; the film's already old now.

[Quintus 5,399]

I still think he should apologise to KM for the inconvenience.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

43 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

Captain Marvel

 

 

Whatever it tries to do, it doesn't do it well, so it ends up on the pile of Marvel's worst movies.  3/10

 

 

 

Mithogynithm!

[bollemanneke 3,334]

Snowpiercer.

 

Meh. Muddled at times and just not very interesting in general. Tilda Swinton is great, though. They really didn't know how to 'use' her in the Narnia movies. Interesting premise, boring movie.

The score isn't interesting either. Some okay-ish attempts on the piano, but that's it.

[Quintus 5,399]

I enjoyed it as B sci-fi just fine, and the closing shots I found to be genuinely striking and emotive.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Wrong Turn

 

This reminded me of that X-Files episode Home. Bog standard slasher with TCM and HHE inspiration. Still I'll watch anything with Eliza Dushku.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

15 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

I knew it wasn't going to be good!

 

 

it isn't but as a horror film its pretty good

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Halloween

 

Oh it was okay. Had an interesting twist in the last act that went forgotten two minutes later that reminded me of Lex Luthor's plan to make Batman and Superman fight. I liked that they revived the depraved prankster aspect to Michael Myers' personality, a disturbingly playful trait of the character that most of the sequels unfortunately ignored. Something a bit weird about seeing Myers as an elderly, bald man, which can't be unseen once he puts the mask with the full head of hair on because I now see him as an elderly, bald man! And that's another thing, this movie has that weird KotCS and Die Hard 4 thing where the old fart Myers seems more powerful and invincible than his younger self! Plot seems somewhat more unlikely than H20, but JLC's role probably needed an overhaul anyway.

[A24 4,326]

On 9/10/2017 at 4:50 PM, The Original said:

Nocturnal Animals

 

I kinda liked the movie within a movie more than the whole movie. Very suspenseful. But what was with those nasty, fat ugly beluga whales at the beginning? That was fuckin' nasty, man! Women as fat as that shouldn't be let out of the house, let alone dancing naked for a movie!

 

 

- The large women in the beginning of the movie was some kind of arty statement during an art exhibition. 

 

- By the way, did you understand the movie within the movie? I know I didn't at first. Watched it again to fully understand the story/plot. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

4 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

 

 

- The large women in the beginning of the movie was some kind of arty statement during an art exhibition. 

 

- By the way, did you understand the movie within the movie? I know I didn't at first. 

 

- Yeah I got that but... eww.

 

- Yep, got that.

 

Waddya reading that far back for?

[A24 4,326]

2 minutes ago, The Original said:

 

 

- Yep, got that.

 

 

 

Really? 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

2 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

 

Really? 

 

It was pretty clear. She was reading the manuscript and imagining it in her head.

[A24 4,326]

1 minute ago, The Original said:

 

It was pretty clear. She was reading the manuscript and imagining it in her head.

 

Of course. But what is the manuscript really about? Did you get that? 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Just now, Alexcremers said:

 

Of course. But what is the manuscript really about? 

 

Uh... a family's unfortunate highway encounter with a car full of violent thugs, and the dad gets revenge?

[A24 4,326]

That's the story at face value. The manuscript is fictional but it's an allegory based on the experience of his relationship he had with Amy Adams, or how a man loses the love of his life, and his child, due to his own personal 'weakness'. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Okay.

 

So how about that bit where Kick-Ass was wiping his arse?

[A24 4,326]

That were the forces (Amy Adams and especially her mother) that told him he was weak. He didn't stand up against those forces. He just let it all happen. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Hey, scary situation. Could happen to anyone!

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

 

The Meg

 

Whoa it's that bald pommie bloke vs a super sized computer shark! Ehhh it has some exciting bits, but it feels like it's cut from the same cloth as Rampage and Skyscraper. Mildly entertaining but ultimately disposable.

[SteveMc 2,674]

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)

No hyperbole to say that this is one of the greatest films I have ever seen.  Truly magnificent. 

4/4

Wrote a little ramble on it here: 

 

Mars Attacks! (1996)

This kind of movie is admittedly not my cup of tea, but still, objectively, I couldn't find too much to appreciate here.  Just too zany.  Paradoxically, Burton was trying so hard not to be serious that he ended up making a movie too serious for its own good.

2/4

 

Julie and Julia (2009)

I rather liked this one.  Adams's very natural, relatable acting approach contrasts very nicely with the impressive overtly cinematic one adopted by Streep.  Strong turns from the supporting cast.  The plot is a standard one, but the idea of cutting between the two leads' respective stories provides a fresh take.  Pretty good dialogue and well written scenes allow the characters and tensions to develop fluidly, though a couple of scenes, like the one where Julie and her successful friends have a power lunch together, seem awkwardly leftover from the 80s. 

Stephen Goldblatt's cinematography stood out for me.  I like the nostalgic storybook aesthetic he chose for the Julia Child scenes, and how it contrasts with the sharper 00s scenes, and, especially, how he achieved a blend of the two for the "present day" domestic and cooking sequences.   Desplat's score is inoffensive.  

3/4

 

The Secret Of NIMH (1982)

Don Bluth's best work by a healthy margin.  It is dark, quite adult-oriented, but more purposeful than some of his later films.  The animation is gorgeous, and the characters engaging, with Mrs. Brisby's arc being quite well done.  The final half of the movie is most cinematic.  I read a criticism that there are too many unimportant characters here, but I disagree with that being a weakness.  It adds an element of reality to the otherwise fantastical proceedings.  And Goldsmith hit the ball out of the park with this one.

4/4

[Wojo 2,453]

John Carter (2012)

 

This showed up on Netflix recently so we watched it. It's fun and loud and action-packed and takes itself seriously for all the made-up names it throws at the viewer. You almost need to watch with closed captioning to catch all of them. I wish I had seen this in the theater, but I was in a really bad place in March 2012 and not up to going to the movies. It's a shame we'll never see the sequels to this. Disney's marketing failure killed this franchise. Definitely one of MG's best, his sound flourishes on Barsoom. 

 

Lynn Collins is beautiful and needs to be in more movies. I only know her from this and the bad Wolverine movie. 

[KK 3,307]

On 6/2/2019 at 11:30 AM, Alexcremers said:

 

Of course. But what is the manuscript really about? Did you get that? 

 

I don't think the metaphor was all that subtle.

 

I'm not sure how the whole thing holds up to scrutiny, but I like the literary quality to it.

[Holko 9,491]

Gunga Din

 

Pretty entertaining and somewhat familiar from here and there of course.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

And the Goongas battle the droids in this huge kinda War and Peace battle.

[Ii2 210]

I watched Raiders Of The Lost Ark over the weekend

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

The Wife

 

Definite shades of Funny Farm in this movie. I suppose there aren't any original ideas, but there's no shortage of new ways of telling them! But I think Funny Farm did it better. But hey, I think the chick playing younger Glenn Close was okay. And you can almost smell the elderly scent from Glenn Close and the Tomorrow Never Dies guy - that ever happen to anyone else while watching a movie about old people?