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

[A24 4,337]

Doesn't the ending strike you as 'Irving The Explainer'?

[publicist 4,643]

But that's kind of the point. Ellie doesn't get a lot of answers in the scene, either. It's a glimpse into the larger universe, but not the big, all explaining revelation she was probably expecting. Her personal "that's it" moment.

And as Drax said, it's set up right from the beginning. And conceptually it's the same as the 2001 finale - an alien civilisation using the memories of the protagonist to create an environment that he/she would be familiar in. Personally, I'd prefer the beach to that creepy hotel.

Dear god, have the minions of Sid Field's 101 Golden Rules of Screenwriting come upon me today? It's just not feasable why highly paid screenwriters toiling for years on some cosmic saga cannot come up with something more inspiring than Jodie Foster getting life lessons from Dad while standing on a hawaiian beach she may have drawn when she was 10. Even if you go for a slice-of-life approach there must be better solutions.

And...what fucking creepy hotel?

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Reliable rule: if Publicist can't stand it, it's good.

[publicist 4,643]

You shut the fuck up and go back dribbling on your dozen Interstellar threads.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I will, and I'll relish not having a minuscule, bleak mind like yours, you insufferably ignorant twerp.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

For me, this is like watching your mum and dad fight. Make it stop!

[Jay 37,366]

Come on guys, be nice or take it somewhere else

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Oh it's all in good fun.

[crocodile 8,017]

In any case, I'd like to watch Contact again at some point. Just to see how it works 17 years later.

Karol

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

And...what fucking creepy hotel?

The first time I watched 2001:ASO, I was terrified.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

You were six years old?

[publicist 4,643]

For me, this is like watching your mum and dad fight. Make it stop!

But always remember that i'm dad and only had to hit her to prevent the seizures!

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

You were six years old?

Probably 17 or something. And I still find it creepy.

[Matt C 454]

Spider-Man 3

I was inspired to give this movie another shot after listening to Young's score yesterday, and it's nowhere as bad as people make it out to be. Yes, it suffers from obvious studio and producer interference -- you can tell the seams of where Sam Raimi wanted Sandman and Harry Osborn/Green Goblin to go, and that Venom was forced into the narrative. (Venom could've been written out with no noticeable effect on the plot.) And while Avi Arad definitely had his hand in it, Raimi overplays the humor -- which wasn't the case with the second pic. I was fine with the Emo Peter montage set to James Brown (like the "Raindrops" montage in SM-2 and the costume montage in SM-1), but the following jazz club scene grinds the film to a screeching halt. The shift between comedy and drama is jarring.

Also, I don't think Thomas Haden Church got his due as Clint Marko/Sandman, he did a lot with the amount of screentime given. He wasn't a revelation like Alfred Molina was as Doc Ock, but I thought the final scene between Clint and Peter was beautifully understated. (The big WTF cast member was Topher Grace, he was all wrong from the get-go.) And most of the dramatic scenes worked (save the cringe-inducing bridge scene) -- even the retconning doesn't bother me like it did years ago.

This shares some crucial problems that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 does, but Raimi handles it better. Even if some of the CGI is already horribly dated and it's only 7 years old!

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

I've always found Spider-Man 3 to be underrated. Sure, its more than a little messy but I find it much more entertaining than the majority of post-Iron Man comic book movies.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

There are no redeeming qualities of Spider-Man 3.

[A24 4,337]

I prefer the latest Marvels over the early ones. I'm glad they don't make movies anymore like The Incredible Hulk or The Fantastic Four.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,533]

Whatever one says about "Contact", that first shot, is absolutely stunning!

[A24 4,337]

Why? Make it interesting, Richard, I know you can.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,533]

Well (and I have to be quick, as I'm due in class in 10 minutes!) I turn my amp. up to 11, so the noise makes me jump every time I play it. Plus I think it's a really graceful shot, which just seems to illustrate The Earth's place - location - in the universe. It says it all in that shot: we are so small, and yet have so much potential, as David Morse says.

[A24 4,337]

What do we see? The Earth? I don't remember (so how great can it be? )

[DreamTheater 131]

Well (and I have to be quick, as I'm due in class in 10 minutes!) I turn my amp. up to 11, so the noise makes me jump every time I play it. Plus I think it's a really graceful shot, which just seems to illustrate The Earth's place - location - in the universe. It says it all in that shot: we are so small, and yet have so much potential, as David Morse says.

Haha, same here, it makes me jump too when the first titles fade and the shot appears at full volume. Love how the camera pans back more and more and the sounds from earth get drowned out by the silence of space.

And Alex, it's the money shot from Contact, how could you forget???

[nightscape94 965]

What do we see? The Earth? I don't remember (so how great can it be? )

A shot of the earth, hearing modern radio waves, then pulls through the universe, catching up to old radio waves, until there's silence, continuing to pull through galaxies, etc and finally through Ellie's eye as a young girl.

Love Contact. My favorite Zemeckis film. Small quibbles about the story aside, it's a wonderful film from start to finish. I love different Zemeckis' films for different reasons (especially Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Back to the Future) but I really adore Contact.

They should have sent a poet!

[KK 3,307]

Great opening.

[Matt C 454]

I've always found Spider-Man 3 to be underrated. Sure, its more than a little messy but I find it much more entertaining than the majority of post-Iron Man comic book movies.

I would say that the reason a lot of people hate Spider-Man 3 is due to the jazz club scene, or any big scene with Emo Peter. And also the cuts to crowd reactions in the construction site climax -- like the grating British reporter or Raimi's smug daughter bilking J.J. Jameson for her camera.

Folks would be a lot more forgiving about the "too many villains" problem if Raimi had a better time integrating the humor and melodrama.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

A shot of the earth, hearing modern radio waves, then pulls through the universe, catching up to old radio waves, until there's silence, continuing to pull through galaxies, etc and finally through Ellie's eye as a young girl.

Bit of a precursor to Cosmos (the remake)'s main title sequence.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Godzilla

The only real issue I have is with the characters Ford and Elle Brody. Neither of them is particularly interesting in the way they are written or acted. And the way the film tries to get one of them or both in close proximity of some monster action is distracting, false and redundant. (since the viewer isnt really made to care about them anyway)

The other characters are effective though, Cranston, Watanabe, Perkins, Strathairn etc etc all turn in solid work and their characters make sense.

Outside of Brody couple, this is a cleverly made, exciting, huge... and I do mean HUGE film with some excellent directorial touches (and more then a few Spielberg homages), outstanding special effects and set pieces.

I also like that the movie takes it's time introducing it's title character, and then has the good sense to not feature him all the time.

This way the film has plenty of mayhem and destruction, but doesnt overdo it ala The Transformers films or Man Of Steel.

Effective score by Alexandre Desplat. (did notice one of his themes seems to be taken from X-Files: Fight The Future)

[DreamTheater 131]

Didn't like the score at all, but then I hardly like anything Desplat writes.

Also why did the movie have to be so dark (in color palette)?

It's a stylistic decision of course, but damn Gojira, lighten up already !!!!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

A lot of the film takes place at night. But certainly not all of it.

I actually like that. Reminds me of the original 54 film, which was of-course black and white.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

My dream sequel would be this...

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Both creatures are a force of nature, sent to deal with human arrogance, decadence and sin.

[A24 4,337]

Boring movie except for the parachute sequence. Because the son of Cranston was such a weak character, the movie lacked a point of perspective ... Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim had the exact same problem. With these kind of movies you need to care for the human characters ... or there is no journey, only random explosions and destruction.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The film would have worked better if it didn't try to artificially force in a "human" main character.

Ford Brody is drawn as the hero, but like everyone else he is merely a bystander.

[A24 4,337]

The film would have worked better if it didn't try to artificially force in a "human" main character.

Ford Brody is drawn as the hero, but like everyone else he is merely a bystander.

But then it's bad writing, isn't it? I didn't understand why 'the story' kept coming back to him (I wanted to throw my foam bricks to the screen). Indeed, it felt forced and in the worst possible way. The movie had a much stronger character point of view with the father, though. If this is Godzilla's film then let it be Godzilla's film. Don't make us watch storylines of badly written, redundant characters.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I agree. The writing for Ford Brody isn't good. I laughed how he travels to Hawaii and one of the momsters just happens to turn up there.

Also, he's given a japanese kid to protect, for no real reason what so ever.

[RedBard 71]

Whatever one says about "Contact", that first shot, is absolutely stunning!

Well, compared to the opening shot of The Rescuers Down Under...

That's right. The camera goes the other way and stays on Earth. It's still awesome to watch.

[publicist 4,643]

Though i have to admit that i didn't care about the rubbish story in GODZILLA. It is sad and perhaps inevitable that disaster movies often suck in this regard but in G i was more than content with watching great SCENES (conceived with a real eye for cinematic spectacle) and didn't even bother with all the family stuff.

[RedBard 71]

Though i have to admit that i didn't care about the rubbish story in GODZILLA. It is sad and perhaps inevitable that disaster movies often suck in this regard but in G i was more than content with watching great SCENES (conceived with a real eye for cinematic spectacle) and didn't even bother with all the family stuff.

There was family stuff in G14? And the writers actually thought it was worth watching?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Ford's really just Godzilla's defacto sidekick while he heels into San Francisco like a town marshal ready to make these two randy crooks bed the ground before they can have a hoarde of guttersnipes. After he smokes 'em out and hangs 'em high, he high tails outta there, leaving the townsfolk frolicking in a fandango at the groggery.

[publicist 4,643]

The makers of these movies for sure consider the human stories as much as a crutch as we do. It's marketing that cannot do without.

[A24 4,337]

Though i have to admit that i didn't care about the rubbish story in GODZILLA. It is sad and perhaps inevitable that disaster movies often suck in this regard but in G i was more than content with watching great SCENES (conceived with a real eye for cinematic spectacle) and didn't even bother with all the family stuff.

Interesting to hear the opinion of someone who had such a very different experience with Godzilla and who has such a forgiving attitude. Surely, you must have been more than content with Pacific Rim as well? Personally, I don't see the appeal. I need the human aspect in movies like these or I'm bored.

[publicist 4,643]

Didn't see it. But Alex you may take movies just a wee bit too serious - in a loud fx movie like GODZILLA i can full well immerse myself in certain sensual pleasures and who gives a fuck about the rest? Literally, i don't think the film would have been any more successful or better received with more believable human interactions.

If a movie like, say, CEOTK has weak characters it will be harmed and ultimately fail, GODZILLA is such a silly concept to begin with i actually think it would be harmed by a less silly screenplay just as THE SWARM wouldn't be improved by scientists that don't behave like total idiots.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

2001: A Space Odyssey

Interesting how the film starts as an almost anthropological study of a group of early hominids, at times looking like a serious nature documentary rather then a motion picture film, and when the focus shifts to humans it mostly remains in that same mode. A detached anthropological view of of group of humans at the verge of a major discovery.

Because of this the characters are defined by their status within their particular tribe, or by their actions.

I love the mundane nature of space travel in this film. Like air travel has long lost it's glamour and adventure, traveling from Earth to a space station and then the moon is business as usual. The characters aren't visionaries or forward thinkers blazing a trail for humanity, they are mostly competent professionals doing a job.

The dialogue is likewise mostly formal. From Heywood Floyd dodging questions from polite Russian scientists to some of his subordinates kissing his ass a bit on the way to the moon.

I do like that when Floyd and the scientist approach the monolith, they do what everyone else would do, and all stand in front of it posing for a photo. I this way 2001 has a very detached, but also earnest and realistic view on man kind.

It's amazing how good this film still looks to this day. Especially the Dawn Of Man scenes with wonderfully realized mattes that realistically depict an ancient Africa.

As for the space scenes, yes some of the shots of Earth look a bit flat, and the edges should be more fuzzy looking because of the atmosphere (a detail that they did add to the moons of Jupiter later in the film), but considering the era this was made even those shots look excellent. There are a couple of moon shots that look brilliant even today, and of course the space ship design, both the exteriors and interiors are influential even to this day.

Most sci-fi films are dated by their computer read-outs, but even those look better then for example Star Wars or Alien a decade later. The chairs in the space station are probably the most 60's thing about the whole film.

2001 remains a brilliants and uncompromising vision of the future by a very singular film maker. No one else but Kubrick could have made this film at that time.

So unlike the characters in this film Kubrick is a visionary, blazing a trail for humanity.

**** out of ****

[crocodile 8,017]

Though i have to admit that i didn't care about the rubbish story in GODZILLA. It is sad and perhaps inevitable that disaster movies often suck in this regard but in G i was more than content with watching great SCENES (conceived with a real eye for cinematic spectacle) and didn't even bother with all the family stuff.

I had an internal battle going on which lasted about an hour of the film. Then just thought to myself "screw the story" and it became instantly more enjoyable.

Karol

[Glóin the Dark 1,222]

Two films from 2013 (so not entirely clear whether they belong in this thread or the other one).

Coherence was about a multiple reality situation (of the sort that Schrödinger's cat is always going on about) apparently induced by the proximity of a comet, and with the resulting confusion developed in a horror/thriller sort of way. It had an intriguing first act; the middle and ending perhaps didn't pack quite as much of a punch as the beginning seemed to promise. Still, it had a satisfying enough conclusion. I think I'd watch it again at least once.

Truth or Dare was a comedy horror film about a group of popular YouTube video makers who end up being terrorised by an obsessive fan. It made a concerted effort to gross people out with its gore and use of taboo themes in the story; two of the people I was with walked out half way through the film. I found it quite entertaining, as far as it went, though there were a few off-putting moments when it aimed to generated humour from characters' horrified reactions to issues of transsexuality and of incest. Not something I'd make an effort to watch again. The film's director, writer and co-star Jessica Cameron was there to introduce the screening (which helped, I found, to take its silliness as just a bit of a laugh), and for a Q&A session afterwards. Unusually, that made it the second film I'd seen within a week that was followed by a live appearance by someone who was in the film, after the Richard Dawkins / Lawrence Krauss event from a few days earlier.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The Bourne Identity

A tense a tout, well made action thriller about a man who doesnt know who he is, even though he knows what he is capable off.

Damon is the right actor for this, instilling this frankly remarkable character with an earnestness. And despite all the nailbiting fightscenes still appears quite human.

Franka Potente is equally well cast as his side-kick/lover, and her and Damon share considerable chemistry, and manage to create characters we do care about, even if we don't get much in the way of background on either.

Doug Liman's superb direction doesnt go all out on action, but when things do get hectic, they really impress. I liked the car chase in Paris.

There isnt even that much in the way of actual plot, and the final revelations even are pretty bare bones. But satisfactory nontheless.

Funny to see Matt Damon speak Dutch in the boat near the beginning of the film.

[Jay 37,366]

Chris Cooper and Brian Cox are good in it too.

And always nice to see Julia Stiles in something

And a young Clive Owen!

[DreamTheater 131]

Funny to see Matt Damon speak Dutch in the boat near the beginning of the film.

That was cool but not as cool as Charlize Theron talking in her native south-african (in Mighty Joe Young) which is almost dutch.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Afrikaans sounds really funny to me. Like ugly Dutch, whereass Flemisch Dutch sounds nicer.

The Bourn Supremacy

Like most sequels is has more of everything, louder, bigger, tougher, faster.

Paul Greengrass really knows his way around action and suspense and creates a tense and gripping atmosphere. His fight scenes and actions scenes are often shot close to the action, with quick editing and shaky cam. Which gives it a real visceral effect, though at times sacrificing narrative clarity

The cast is once again superb, with Joan Allen in excellent form as Pam Landy, Brian Cox dependable as ever as Karl Urban as a rival hitman. None of these characters is given any depth though.

Matt Damon looks more grown up, tougher in this one. He's excellent as the former hitman avenging the woman he loved..

And it's that what makes this impressive actioner a bit less interesting then the first film.

Bourne's actions are far more about revenge then self discovery.

Also, since Patente is killed off some 20 minutes into the film, Damon flies solo for most of the film. He's great, but he doesnt have anyone to bounce off on.

The scene near the end where he confesses to the russian girl about killer her parents is stellar though. Done just right.

So this is an excellent follow up, though t lacks some of the personality of the first. Greengrass made a bigger, tenser film, but didnt give it some of the quirky-ness that Doug Liman's film had (like the nice scene where Bourne has an elaborate plan to get some info from a hotel, and Marie trumps him by simply asking the guy at reception.

Oh, in the first film Bourne takes out a guy using a pen, in this one he does the same with a rolled up magazine. That was actually hilarious. I hope in the third one he uses a pencil sharpener.

John Powells score is more orchestral then the first one, and became a blue print for mid 2000's action scoring.

Interesting to note that Brian Cox plays pretty much the same role here as he did in X-Men 2. A government operative with a secret agenda, dealing with a super soldier he created who has amnesia.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The Bourne Ultimatum

Even bigger, louder and harder then the last one, with Bourne traveling to 3 different continents and kicking ass in all of them.

I liked the fact that most of this film took place in between the last two scenes of The Bourne Supremany..

Interesting that Julia Stiles is in this movie for quite a bit, and she barely has any dialogue at all. Most of her work is either running or facial expressions.

Joan Allen gets more to do and turns out to be the only person in US intelligence with a heart.

Since Brian Cox wasnt available for this film it fell to David Straithearn to play the corrupt evil NSA bastard, and he does a good job. Few people do cold-hearted intelligence better.

But like the previous one this film really isnt about the characters. This time even the hitmen were played be unknown actors.

Matt Damon is once again a paragon of resolve and determination. Making the most of the very few moments of character afforded to him in between the endless running, stalking, fighting, shooting, car chases, all of them filmed spectacularly and will blow out your sub woofer (have fists ever made such a loud noise in Hollywood history?)

This time Jason not only uses a book, but a towel to beat down one of his enemies.

He finally knows what happened to him and who he is. which is nice. Though none of it is really a surprise or has much of an emotional resonance

All of this is directed completely over the top, without any humor and all in all rather shallow. But the technical professionalism cannot be denied.

One thing about the action scenes in this trilogy. How preposterous they made be. the all look real. If CGI was used, it's completely unnoticeable. And I do like that.

Powell's score feels like a continuation of the second one, but of course faster...more intense.

So this is a set of three technically flawless and breathless films. But I have to agree with Alex that the first one is the best. It's action scenes seem almost plausible compared to the other two. Matt Damon has another character to interact with, and it just seems to have a little bit more depth and substance to it. And just a little bit of humor.