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


Mr. Breathmask

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The freeway chase is one of the all time bests. Just incredible. The kind you would whoop for in the cinema. 

 

The CGI in the Smiths Vs Neo brawl is very apparently bad in 4K though. Many of the shots you can clearly see blank, detail-less CGI faces/hair/clothes, like something from video games around that time. It's incredibly bad. 

 

But that freeway chase...

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1 hour ago, Koray Savas said:

Most of the dialogue is just awful. Always been the weakest part of the Wachowskis. 

 

Not always, not in the first one, but shockingly so in the sequels.

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26 minutes ago, AC1 said:

 

Not always, not in the first one, but shockingly so in the sequels.

I love the dialogue with the Merovingian in the second movie. Overall the dialogues in the second movie are to me the most interesting in the series.

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 The Architect dialogue was a too pompous. You have to rewatch that scene three times before you understand what the hell he's talking about. For me, good movie dialogue has to be natural and fluent like music, not stiff, awkward or (intellectually) trying too hard. It has to belong to the characters, not to some writer behind a typewriter trying to impress. But even if we leave The Architect out of the equation, I felt the dialogue was not as good as in the first movie and it got really bad in the third one.

 

 

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I mean, these are actually conversations with computer programs by people who are aware of that and used to it. So, this stiff way of talking made absolutely sense to me. I liked it. But I think, I see, what you mean.

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The Italian Job: MINI Fun Facts | MINI of Murray

 

The Italian Job

 

I hadn't seen this movie since it was in theaters almost 20 years ago, and didn't remember anything about it.  Turns out its a charming and zippy little heist / caper movie with a great cast - Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Donal Sutherland, Jason Statham, Seth Green, and Mos Def, who were all very good.

 

The big bummer is that only the opening 15 minutes or so take place in Italy; After a quick scene in Philadelphia, the entire rest of the movie takes place in LA, which was kind of a let-down.  But it was fun.  Nothing special or super spectacular, but an enjoyable popcorn flick I'll forget all the details of before too long again, and that's fine!


The score by John Powell was great!  Like Paycheck, I can't believe I haven't been listening to it all this time.  I will have to immediately rectify this.

 

It's on HBO Max

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On 27/12/2021 at 11:10 PM, Marian Schedenig said:

Much of the score doesn't exactly go anywhere, musically, but it's got its share of highlights, and the whole thing is a lot of fun in the film once you realise that most of the pizzicato underscore is also derived from Beethoven (and from all over Beethoven's own variations on the theme, not just the basic theme itself).

Yeah, I have to agree, it's strange that it's become such an in demand score over the years. It's not like it has a big theme (well, no big theme written by Kamen!) or anything in particular to set it apart. I'll have to listen to the pizzicato sections more closely when I next give the soundtrack a spin.

 

In other news, also watched Gaslight, which was very effective (even if it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense if you think about it too much). It's shocking to think that Angela Lansbury was in a movie made in the 1940s and is still with us. A relatively modest, but effective role - it's surprising how chilling she could be when you're used to Jessica Fletcher (or even Mrs Lovett which she played relatively broadly).

 

Christmas Day viewing (which definitely appealed across all familial demographics) was Mary Poppins Returns. I still think it's a great film and, dare I say it, I enjoy it more than the original which feels even more episodic than its sequel. It helps that I love Shaiman and Whitman's songs which are memorable and witty (and Shaiman's underscore is superb too, even if you don't like musicals or the songs, there's still a decent chunk of score to enjoy on the soundtrack).

 

As I've said several times, it's pointless comparing Shaiman's songs to the Sherman originals which are basically old standards now. Given the earworm mountain he had to climb, Marc Shaiman did a terrific job and I'd argue that the songs are, structurally and narratively, considerably more sophisticated than those in the original which often (but not always) function like musical interludes rather than driving the plot along or developing the characters. I can't deny it, I shed a few tears when Nowhere to Go but Up came on... bringing us full circle back to the wonderful Angela Lansbury (because Julie Andrews demanded too much money, apparently - which reminds me, Emily Blunt is bloody marvellous in the lead role).

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The perfect storm.

 

Another re-watch. Well, I’ll start where my notes and my gut feeling want me to start. The score. It’s fantastic. It’s like a symphony. The movie doesn’t deserve it. No movie deserves it. What a work of art. The themes are memorable. The danger motif made me smile. Yeah, so he re-uses his old material. So, effing, what? The addition of the electric guitar is amazing. The piano is great. The variations are exquisite. And then, just when you think you’ve heard it all, Horner brings in violins playing frantic staccato notes. And then there’s the rescue material and the reprises of Titanic action stuff. And it’s all equally lovely. I want a complete release. I want a live concert. I want it all. Just not the fish. Even most of the source music is nice.

Okay, the movie. Michael Ironside and George Clooney sound really similar and the latter is pretty good. Diane Lane is great. That voice-over of her reading the letter was kind of cheesy, but what the hell, the score! Irene is great. Bob Gunton sounds like Michael Caine. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is mostly fantastic (and what a name she’s got). Should I give Robin Hood another chance? Even Karen Allen was likeable and I still remembered her chanting ‘mayday!’ I’m weird like that, I never forget random excerpts. The second half of the movie contains more character development, for want of a better expression, but this leads me to the film’s biggest problem: the wives are all charming, but the husbands aren’t interesting at all. And what’s worse, the movie knows it too. I might have been prejudiced because I already knew how it was going to end and/or because lengthy action scenes aren’t my thing, but even now, I can only feel mildly sad for Clooney. Wahlberg was the only other guy who got a final scene, or maybe I’m forgetting something because my copy wasn’t exactly ideal: the sound effects were too loud and the recording was occasionally interrupted by ads while the narrator ruined some of the music by necessity. And once they had all died, the heavy-handed conclusion was upon me. The church scene was nice, I guess, but that final Christina and Ethel moment was cringeworthy. The worst was Linda sailing off with Clooney’s voice-over, though. How is that supposed to make me feel? Happy that he’s gone? Hoping she’s going to sacrifice herself for some pennies too? Glad Clooney died on a boat even after he was considering Linda as a partner? What?


 

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15 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

The perfect storm.

 

Another re-watch. Well, I’ll start where my notes and my gut feeling want me to start. The score. It’s fantastic. It’s like a symphony. The movie doesn’t deserve it. No movie deserves it. What a work of art. The themes are memorable. The danger motif made me smile. Yeah, so he re-uses his old material. So, effing, what? The addition of the electric guitar is amazing. The piano is great. The variations are exquisite. And then, just when you think you’ve heard it all, Horner brings in violins playing frantic staccato notes. And then there’s the rescue material and the reprises of Titanic action stuff. And it’s all equally lovely. I want a complete release. I want a live concert. I want it all. Just not the fish. Even most of the source music is nice.

 

Agreed on all accounts. The Perfect Storm is a wonderful score woefully underrated by Horner "fans" who only care about Titanic, Avatar, Braveheart and the 80s scores.

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1407525287-somethingwild.jpg

 

Something Wild (1986)

This Jonathan Demme film was and still is marketed as a sex comedy, but I think it is more Yuppie Noir, if that genre even exists.  It's also quite fantastic.  It seems to say that panache of the 70s, the free spirit of the 60s and the ideal of the 50s all come together to form an America and Americans that are actually, under the go and glow of the 80s, all brokenness and danger, and yet from the jagged pieces some unique and individual romance and domesticity can be formed. 

The film certainly does start in a free, fast paced sexual style that recalls 60s and 70s movies in approach, but Demme snuffs out that candle about half way and lights the slower burning other end, which starts to burn pretty intensely come the third act, getting warmed up for his most celebrated effort in '92.

Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels were never better, both very effectively playing stock character types here who keep shedding layers until they reach the core of who they really are as people and as societal reflections.  Ray Liotta brings menacing psychosis to a breakout antagonist turn.  Score is full of alt needle drops that help contribute to the "other side of the 80s" feeling.  

 

I saw the movie on Amazon Prime, which has the deteriorated and somewhat discolored theatrical cut.  Apparently, Demme oversaw a Criterion restoration and dvd/blu-ray release, which is probably the way to go.  Screencaps show it really brings out the cinematographic choices.  

 

At any rate, a pretty good way to start 2022 moviewise.  

3.5/4

 

edit: the original post midnight post had me say '93 instead of '92 and Jeff Bridges instead of Jeff Daniels.  

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The Mask of ZORRO (1998)

 

The Mask of Zorro (1998) 11x17 Movie Poster - Walmart.com

 

There's nothing better than initiate the year watching a classic from my childhood. This movie began a cool but short-lived "Zorro-mania" at my house after me and my brothers watched it on broadcast TV in a sunday afternoon years ago. 

 

Re-watching it as an adult, it's cool to see that it's still quite a good movie. It's so refreshing to watch a "super-hero" movie that relies on pratical effects and real locations than just CGI. The stunts for the action scenes are wonderful and the swordfighting have some amazing choreography that makes them really exciting - my favorite being the one in which Zorro battles the two main villains of the movie at the same time.

 

Banderas is quite charming in the main role, Catherine Zeta-Jones is wonderful and Anthony Hopkins is great in a mentor position - I'm happy Twitter didn't exist back then to complain about the cast.

 

Anyway, this is a fun, sexy and exciting movie with a great James Horner score. I wish Hollywood used the success of this movie to produce more swashbuckling adventures set in the past.

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Rogue Nation is the 5th one, which added Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hollander, and Sean Harris to the cast, and saw the return of Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rames from prior entries

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Nobody - Bob Odenkirk gives Liam Neeson a run for his money in the 'fiftysomething with 'a certain set of skills' brings the pain to scumbags half his age' action sub-genre ... this knows it's a bit daft, which makes it all the more fun. Done and dusted in a trim 88 minutes, too.

The Invisible Man (extended edition) - HG Wells' sci-fi/horror classic given an intriguing abusive partner/stalker twist, this is often effectively creepy. Elizabeth Moss is excellent as the traumatised heroine.

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Basically the "Extended Edition" in the UK is the same version every other country already got out of the gate

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20 hours ago, Jay said:

Basically the "Extended Edition" in the UK is the same version every other country already got out of the gate


Bit sneaky that ... they could've maybe called it a 'Director's Cut' instead. 'Extended Edition' implies that at the very least a few minutes have been restored to the movie, not a few seconds.   

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21 hours ago, Jay said:

Basically the "Extended Edition" in the UK is the same version every other country already got out of the gate

Same exact thing happened with John Wick 2. 

 

Karol

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True grit, 2010. 

 

My first movie watched using one ear and under the influence of painkillers and antibiotics. And it worked surprisingly well. I think the coming four to six weeks will be over sooner than I thought at first. Don’t know how I feel about the prologue, but I definitely liked the epilogue better. And the second half, for that matter. Jeff Bridges was amazing, though I did get tired of Mattie at times. Not that I have anything against women talking back, but it does get boring after a while.

The score is mainly built around one idea, which vaguely rings a bell, possibly because it’s a song. That makes it a bit monotonous, but those piano and clarinet cues were really lovely, as was the climax. Pity the credits had to open with a horrendous song.

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Deep Impact was on cable today. The movie is awful*, but I love James Horner's score, and I would really like an expansion.

 

*Now that I'm thinking it, 1998 was a horrible year for blockbusters: Godzilla, Armageddon, this one... No wonder Titanic spent almost the entire year in the top 10 at the box office.

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Ghost Ship (2002)

 

Ghost Ship – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre

 

The first 10 minutes are pretty decent and contains a gruesome and memorable death scene. But after that, the movie becomes SO FUCKING BORING. Countless scenes of the characters talking, explaining the plot and walking through the creepy ship corridors, but not a single scare. It takes over 50 minutes of runtime before things start to get real spooky, and even then the scares are mostly shit.

 

Also, I hate movies that end with...

 

Spoiler

Souls ascending to heaven

 

John Frizzell's score is decent, though.

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Three movies about serious subjects, because life is not simple for everyone.

 

- The Basketball Diaires

- My Own Private Idaho

- Midnight Cowboy

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1 hour ago, Bespin said:

Three movies about serious subjects, because life is not simple for everyone.

 

- The Basketball Diaires

- My Own Private Idaho

- Midnight Cowboy

The first two made me the biggest Leonardo DiCaprio fan at that time.

But that stopped with Titanic.

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29 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

F*ck! It's too late. I mixed it up with Gilbert Grape - Somewhere in Iowa.

Sorry.

 

And I'm the one who's supposed to be drunk when he posts.

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THE PEOPLE NEXT DOOR ( 1970).

 

I thought this was a horror film!

It's actually one of those talky , pedantic ' drug addiction' flicks so prevalent in that era.😒

At least it had some so full- frontal nudity.😁😝

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Fail Safe - sweaty-palmed Cold War nuclear tension as a defence computer malfunction sends American bombers to nuke Moscow. Can the pilots be convinced in time that it was a mistake? Can the Russian Premier be convinced of the same and not to retaliate if the pilots can't be reached? Classy thrills from Sidney Lumet with Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau and Larry Hagman.

The Girl In The Spider's Web - the continuing adventures of Steig Larssen's heroic hacker Lisbeth Salander, now played by Claire Foy. Decent enough action thriller (admittedly I've only previously seen the US remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo).

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