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

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Fantastic Mr. Fox is brilliant.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The problem is that you use the word "brilliant" to describe almost every film you like.

It it "awesome" too?

[A24 4,331]

Also, I'm more interested in learning why someone thinks this or that is brilliant.

Alex

[crocodile 7,999]

The problem is that you use the word "brilliant" to describe almost every film you like.

It it "awesome" too?

No, but Jason thinks that.

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Jason thought it was "epic!"

[Mr. Brown 91]

Plowed through some Maysles films... GREY GARDENS, SALESMAN, GIVE ME SHELTER.

SALESMAN is still my favorite work from them.

[Jay 37,336]

The problem is that you use the word "brilliant" to describe almost every film you like.

It it "awesome" too?

No, but Jason thinks that.

Karol

Do I really overuse "Awesome"? Or are you saying that I chastise Koray for liking just about every film he watches?

[crocodile 7,999]

Nah, but you do use the word a lot.

Just as i overuse "necessarily".

Karol

[Wojo 2,453]

Watched Breakdown yesterday. Neither epic nor awesome.

Shit, I used the words too.

Rich

[Koray Savas 2,251]

That and "Wow!"

[BloodBoal 7,538]

No. LeBlanc's word is "Interesting".

Interesting!

Interesting.

Interesting.

Interesting!

Interesting!

Interesting.

Interesting.

I didn't even edit the posts! This is the only word there is in those.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The problem is that you use the word "brilliant" to describe almost every film you like.

It it "awesome" too?

No, but Jason thinks that.

Karol

Do I really overuse "Awesome"? Or are you saying that I chastise Koray for liking just about every film he watches?

Americans in general soom to overuse the word. I heard it quite a few times in Boston

[Wojo 2,453]

Intrada also uses the word Wow a lot.

Rich

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Wow! Awesome! Epic! Brilliant!

Any more?

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Interesting!

[Jay 37,336]

Americans in general soom to overuse the word. I heard it quite a few times in Boston

In Boston you're more likely to hear "That's wicked awesome!"

[Wojo 2,453]

Great. Boston is full of Weasleys

Rich

[Jay 37,336]

No actually, that's a totally different connotation. He was using it by itself - "That's wicked" = "That's killer" / "That's cool". Here it's a modifier that basically means "very", ie "That's wicked awesome" = "That's very awesome" or "That's really awesome"

[Mr. Brown 91]

Super epic bro.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Americans in general soom to overuse the word. I heard it quite a few times in Boston

In Boston you're more likely to hear "That's wicked awesome!"

Yep!

[crocodile 7,999]

Watched Breakdown yesterday. Neither epic nor awesome.

Shit, I used the words too.

Rich

Plagiarist!

Karol

[A24 4,331]

"Awesome" is one of the most hated words in the world.

[Sir Hilary Bray 235]

Escape from Alcatraz

absolutely cracking film. Personally, I think it helps that they were able to film on the island. Lended a realism or at least authenticity to it all. Next to that is Eastwood and Patrick McGoohan playing of all people, a warden. ("I intend to discover who are the prisoners, and who are the wardens"). Solid film overall.

[Wojo 2,453]

I think it's on Netflix until April 1st. I don't have much time to escape.

Rich

[crocodile 7,999]

My brain didn't work properly in the past few days so the only things I could watch were: Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor. While both do a decent enough job on the characters (Marvel doesn't really go below that level, no matter what you say), you can't feel like the only reason these films exist is to set up the crossover. The phase two stage is already doing a much better job at making those things seem standalone.

None of the two were really improved on the second viewings, but one thing is certain: both veteran composers serve their pictures well.

Nothing much to add, really.

Karol

[A24 4,331]

While both do a decent enough job on the characters (Marvel doesn't really go below that level, no matter what you say),

Besides the obvious attempt of making the characters likable on a superficial level, I can't say there's much depth to it. It's not really what those movies are about.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Depth doesnt draw audiences. Not the one Marvel is looking for anyway.

[crocodile 7,999]

Still, those first few Marvel films feel like Batman Begins all over again. Which in itself was influenced by Superman: The Movie, but it seems that the 2005 Nolan film influenced how you tell an origin story in terms of dramatic beats.

Having said that, the new Captain America film is supposed to be much better. I might go and see it this afternoom, actually.

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Huh?

Those first few films were origin stories, which is a vital aspect of any superhero mythos. It defines not only who he is, but his prime motivations for becoming a hero/crime fighter. The only thing they really had in common with Batman Begins and Superman The Movie was that those were origin stories too.

[nightscape94 965]

Iron Man probably did the best job making Stark a fleshed-out character, and did it entirely while he was an adult. It's the only one that I feel is a great film, and not just a "Superhero Movie".

[crocodile 7,999]

Huh?

Those first few films were origin stories, which is a vital aspect of any superhero mythos. It defines not only who he is, but his prime motivations for becoming a hero/crime fighter. The only thing they really had in common with Batman Begins and Superman The Movie was that those were origin stories too.

Which is exactly what I'm talking about. Origins are boring.

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

To some degree you may be right. But they are very important for nearly every Superhero mythos. It helps the audience understand him and his motivations.

It sums the character up in one single event.

[nightscape94 965]

They've certainly done better with superhero mythos over the last 30 years, and in many cases needing to reinvent established ones. Back in the day, the origin story for the hero or villain was very simplistic and short. Even someone like Stan Lee was much better at the philosophical motivations of the superhero then their actual origin, birth or transition.

[crocodile 7,999]

Anyway, I've just seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier and... it is actually much better than the previous film. Which seems to be the case with pretty much every Phase 2 film in Marvel repertoire so far. Doesn't really feel like a superhero film at all, more of a Bourne-like espionage thriller. A bit more grounded and physical as opposed to the more CG-heavy blockbusters around it. There is a lot of computer graphics in here as well, of course, but probably used with slightly more restraint (at least in the first two thirds). Captain America himself is much more bad-ass than he was portrayed in previous two films, in terms of action sequences at least. It's obviously still silly, but at least puts the character in an environment that actually seems to at least add something to the subject (thin this layer subject might be) and changes the universe's status quo somewhat. The ironic thing is the story feels more like an esemble piece, rather than Cap film. It's nice to see him wearing the WWII outfit again.

Predictable as a whole, but often exciting. At least for me. Didn't seem to engage 12-year olds very much. And there were plenty of them.

Oh, Alan Silvestri's theme is indeed in the film, at the very start. Not sure if tracked or not, though. The rest of the music I can't really recall.

There is a mid-credit scene as well, directly leading into The Avengers 2.

Karol

[Jay 37,336]

Question about the film - I read that Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter) was in the film, but she was a character from the 1940s, and Cap is in the present day now. How do they work her into the story?

[crocodile 7,999]

She is in the film, yes. As an old lady in bed, probably dying. Steve visits her at one point.

Karol

[Jay 37,336]

Wow, that sounds dumb. I don't want to see Hayley Atwell that way!

[crocodile 7,999]

And there is also some footage of her from 1953, if that is any consolation.

Karol

[Jay 37,336]

Sweet.

[crocodile 7,999]

It's just a short clip, though.

Karol

[Jay 37,336]

Did you watch the Agent Carter short on the Iron Man 3 blu ray? It was pretty good.

[crocodile 7,999]

No, I haven't seen that.

Karol

[Sweeping Strings 2,352]

21 Jump Street - reasonably amusing 105-minute comedy that could've been a funnier 90-minute one. Still, I've seen worse.

[Jay 37,336]

That film was way better than I expected it to be

Not sure a sequel is necessary at all, though

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I thought it tried too hard like most comedies these days. I enjoyed the Depp cameo though.

Lolita

Never thought I wouldn't enjoy a Kubrick film, but this was a mess. A disturbingly comic telling of pedophilia and incest. The story and characters were pointless, not to mention it ran for an hour too long. 153 minutes of this, really? Peter Sellers was amusing as usual but in the context of this film it was just weird.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It wasnt awesome?

I might need to check this one out.

The film is considered something of a masterpiece, Koray.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Yeah... if you can't get over the subject matter you probably won't enjoy the film.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Good for those that think so, I think it's Kubrick's worst so far. Only other films of his I have yet to see are Barry Lyndon and Eyes Wide Shut.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Koray would have been more comfortable with these subjects if they had not been portrayed comically.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Yeah... if you can't get over the subject matter you probably won't enjoy the film.

But that's all there really is. There's nothing else to it. It's a movie about a bunch of old men obsessed with a 14-year old, told in a slightly comic fashion. Maybe I just didn't understand the tone or something, but stuff like Seller's hilarious German psychiatrist character being used to persuade a stepfather to let him get close to his stepdaughter didn't gel with me. Then there was the completely unbelievable moment where he decides to murder his wife because of common marital stress. What?