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


Mr. Breathmask

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Sudden Impact - Dirty Harry 4, and the formula is well in place by now ... Harry dinosaur-stomps his way through his cases, enraging his superiors who ultimately forgive him because he gets results. This one does shake things up a little by taking him out of San Francisco and putting him on the trail of a woman who's on a rape-revenge killing spree.

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23 hours ago, Þekþiþm said:

Dirty Harry was the best one.



Fixed it for you ;) . 

Atomic Blonde - Charlize Theron is of course very easy on the eye, the action is very good, Berlin just before the Wall fell is atmospherically re-created and there's a cracking 80s soundtrack. However, the 'list of agents' McGuffin feels overused (probably because Mission Impossible and Bond have already done it, and there are probably others that have too) and the plot gets a bit lost amongst all the 'who can you really trust?' machinations.

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On 4/2/2020 at 3:18 AM, Sweeping Strings said:

Sudden Impact - Dirty Harry 4, and the formula is well in place by now ... Harry dinosaur-stomps his way through his cases, enraging his superiors who ultimately forgive him because he gets results. This one does shake things up a little by taking him out of San Francisco and putting him on the trail of a woman who's on a rape-revenge killing spree.

 

That's the one with the unicorn, yeah?

2 hours ago, Sweeping Strings said:

Fixed it for you

 

Oh don't mind ol' Draxie there.

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How to Steal a Million

 

Aubrey Hepburn is radiant here, which is no Breakfast at Tiffany's, but still quite lively. She has some crackling chemistry with Peter O'Toole, even though the picture runs too long for its own good. Williams' score is interesting considering how lively and jazzy it is (shades of Pink Panther), but his composing style is still distinct even all those decades ago. One cue is reminiscent of his Lex Luthor fanfare for Superman: The Movie.

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The spy who loved me.

 

I thought I had reviewed this one when I watched it four years ago, but I didn’t, so re-watched it again and hardly remembered anything. The girls are great and Roger Moore is still the only James Bond as far as I’m concerned. Good jokes, good story, villain is okay. To hell with Timothy Dalton.

I wish the score had opened with the usual brassy opening instead of the subdued version. The sound effects are too sparse and are very artificial. The score is way too dramatic, has too many guitars and is just bad. The song is good.

 

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No, not "bad" as Michael Jackson puts it, just regularly bad. 

 

Of course, you were all 6 when you watched the Dalton Bonds, and therefore you look back on these movies through nostalgic glasses. 

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Fine. Our turf.

Either way, Living Daylights is probably one of my favorite Bond songs that I've heard thus far, and I don't just say that because I'm a fan of the band (though it's certainly part of it).

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1 hour ago, Alexcremers said:

No, not "bad" as Michael Jackson puts it, just regularly bad. 

 

Of course, you were all 6 when you watched the Dalton Bonds, and therefore you look back on these movies through nostalgic glasses. 


Actually I was 16 and 18 when they were released. He's underrated; the 'more down-to-Earth' stuff that the Craigs get praise for is in Dalton's 2 in spades but the lukewarm box-office response to Licence To Kill suggests that audiences weren't ready for it then (the decidedly lacklustre marketing campaign wouldn't have helped either). 

I wish the legal ructions hadn't happened and he'd been able to do another 2 in '91 and '93 before Brosnan stepped in. 

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2 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

Of course, you were all 6 when you watched the Dalton Bonds, and therefore you look back on these movies through nostalgic glasses. 

Excuse me Alex?!

I was not 6 when I watched the Dalton Bonds. I wasn't even 6 when I saw my first Bond film, at the cinema.

 

Although Dalton will always be my favourite Bond, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, is, IMO, the best all-round Bond film. It's wildly entertaining, and it's clear that, after THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, EON had a rethink about what makes a good Bond film. The switch back to 2.35:1 didn't hurt, either. It's pure spectacle.

 

IT'S THE BIGGEST IT'S THE BEST IT'S BOND AND BEYOND

:)

 

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I remember the SE DVD to TSWLM had the worst picture quality in the whole boxset, but the blu-ray had a beautifully restored presentation, earning it the title of best looking transfer in the collection, next to TND.

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5 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Excuse me Alex?!

I was not 6 when I watched the Dalton Bonds. I wasn't even 6 when I saw my first Bond film, at the cinema.

 

Although Dalton will always be my favourite Bond, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, is, IMO, the best all-round Bond film. It's wildly entertaining, and it's clear that, after THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, EON had a rethink about what makes a good Bond film. The switch back to 2.35:1 didn't hurt, either. It's pure spectacle.

 

IT'S THE BIGGEST IT'S THE BEST IT'S BOND AND BEYOND

:)

 

 

In your case, it's because the Dalton bond cared about people. He was a humanist Bond. You love that.

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1 minute ago, Þekþiþm said:

I remember the SE DVD to TSWLM had the worst picture quality in the whole boxset, but the blu-ray had a beautifully restored presentation, earning it the title of best looking transfer in the collection, next to TND.

 

Jerry, you should have seen TSWLM, at the cinema. Gorgeous!

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1 hour ago, Alexcremers said:

 

In your case, it's because the Dalton bond cared about people. He was a humanist Bond. You love that.

But even that doesn't hold up. The way he just totally lost it when Felix Leiter, who we know next to nothing about, got hurt (not even killed!) is just ridiculous. I'd have cared more if he had been friends with his wife and went on a killing spree for her.

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6 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

Of course, you were all 6 when you watched the Dalton Bonds, and therefore you look back on these movies through nostalgic glasses. 

 

I didn't see my first Bond film until when I was about 20, and then it was only the Connerys, a few of the Moores, and a few of the Brosnans. I didn't see the rest (including the two Daltons) until I was in my 30s. He's still clearly one of my three favourite Bond actors.

 

If I had to rank them, it would possibly look like this:

 

1. Craig

2. Dalton

3. Connery

 

4. Brosnan

 

5. Lazenby

 

 

 

 

1000. Moore

 

 

Edit: Shame on me for forgetting Lazenby. He was solid, and his one film is still one of the best in the series.

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The sequence near the start of The Living Daylights when Dalton takes charge of the defection operation, sets up his gear, and then refuses to shoot the girl is an utterly fantastic one.  Dalton's approach to Bond was excellent.  Had Dalton made Casino Royale in '87 or whatever, people would agree he's the greatest Bond.

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4 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

In your case, it's because the Dalton bond cared about people. He was a humanist Bond. You love that.

I hold no truck with humanism, whatsoever, but if you mean that Dalton was the most "human" Bond, then I'd agree.

 

2 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

...Felix Leiter, who we know next to nothing about...

That's not true. Leiter is in several of the books, and several of the films. It's clear that they have a good working relationship, that borders on friendship. It's understandable that Bond would be upset, if anything happened to Leiter (he lost a hand in - I think - LIVE AND LET DIE). After all, he is "A brother from Langley", and he had the (second) best line in CASINO ROYALE: "My friend, bring me of those, would you? Keep the fruit" :)

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13 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

I hold no truck with humanism, whatsoever,

 

 Don't try to change who you are, Richard. You have always cared for human values and welfare. I guess I know you better than you know yourself. 

 

13 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

 but if you mean that Dalton was the most "human" Bond, then I'd agree.

 

 

Dalton cares ... 

 

And therefore you care ...

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21 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

Hmm, I dunno, maybe Moore would have made me believe it.

 

Moore wouldn't have been upset, but Leiter getting hurt would have been scored with a slide whistle.

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2 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

Spy.

 

Oh, come on. How did this get positive reviews? Seriously? We couldn’t stand it for more than seven minutes.

 

 

Agreed. I was baffled with how well received it was

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Screen-Shot-2020-04-04-at-12-24-38-PM.pn

 

Dogtooth

 

Having only seen his English films, I wasn't really convinced about Lanthimos until The Favourite came along. But having finally gotten to see this one, I can see why he built such a loyal fanbase from the start. Dogtooth resembles a Haneke film in many ways, even beyond the deadpan faces and the stark lensing, but this one has the benefit of a lighter touch (unlike a Haneke film, you're allowed to laugh here). I've always felt Lanthimos' films were a bit neutered by their high-concept ideas, but here he seems to transcend his premise with its sheer absurdity. It also seems clear to me now, that as Lanthimos' films got bigger, they inevitably became more American and I'm not sure that's entirely a good thing. He should come back to his roots!

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Ghost Stories (2017) - Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson adapt their successful stage play to film. This in many ways is a tribute to the likes of the Amicus portmanteau horrors, and manages a goodly amount of scares. With Nyman, Paul Whitehouse and Martin Freeman.

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Demolition Man - another 'action distraction', this Stallone sci-fi flick sees his 'wrecking ball' cop John Spartan cryo-frozen in '96 due to perceived manslaughter in his apprehension of ultra-violent crim Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) who is also frozen but then escapes from a parole hearing in an ultra-PC 2032. Unable to cope, the 'San Angeles' PD defrost Spartan to tackle him.

This rattles along nicely, with an early role for Sandra Bullock and also featuring Nigel Hawthorne and Denis Leary reworking his pissed-off stand-up persona into that of a literally underground rebellion leader.

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MVF3Q6o.jpg

 

Certified Copy

 

Kiarostami's take on Before Sunrise. There are some great ideas here, sometimes rising to brilliance in how it distorts and blurs our perception of fact and fiction. But there is something overly choreographed about the whole thing. It doesn't feel like we're seeing two human beings talking to each other. But then again, maybe that's the point. Binoche is always radiant on screen and it's great seeing her milking the comedy of the whole thing, something Kiarostami mirrors in his framing and detail. Anyways, it's clear an old pro was behind this, even if it might be a bit sterile. 

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I was battling with myself for 2-3 days now, on whether I should watch Mad Max: Fury Road.

Well, I watched it eventually..

 

Meh.

A simplistic plot just to justify the use of special effects.

 

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