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

[Romão 2,274]

I still consider it the best score he has ever done. And I love the narration on the cd

[Sir Hilary Bray 235]

National Lampoon's Animal House

never seen it before, never even knew the late Harold Ramis had a hand in it and found it a riot. Found it great to see the likes of Matheson, McGill, Riegert and of course John Vernon in it. And quite a score by Elmer Bernstein of all people. I think I heard an interview where he was asked to do the film and said he hadn't done comedies or something and decided to approach it like a serious film. Well...I quote loosely.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Zimmer (and co's) score is noteworthy for the prevailing sense of dread gushing from every low, stringy note. It suits the dark, slightly self-important tone of the film perfectly, and is actually a very strong listen on CD.

The score might be slightly exalted and overbearing, but it's one aspect of the film that considerably enriches the film. Captures the subtexts better than Zaillian/Mamet script, better than Scott's direction. In other words - the music makes Hannibal more interesting than it is. No matter how you slice it, it's Hans on top of his hame.

Agree with both of you, though personally I find Patrick Cassidy's aria bland and strangely grating - it's the one moment where the score's self-importance reaches breaking point.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Usually the Aria is cited as the best track!

Ta-da.....S

[Mr. Brown 91]

RE-ANIMATOR (1985) -- Miles better than films like THE EVIL DEAD, in my opinion. I love Richard Band's score, obviously paying tribute to Herrmann. I'm thinking about buying that new Intrada release now.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Usually the Aria is cited as the best track!

Ta-da.....S

I am... different.

[Matt C 454]

The Great Beauty

I'm disappointed, really. The first 2/3s of the movie are engaging, due to Paulo Sorrentino's masterful staging and Luca Bigazzi's sumptuous cinematography. The way Sorrentino and Bigazzi shoot Rome is a clever mix of how the tourists see it, as well as the residents' viewpoint, and they keep the images composed to let the viewer drink it in (including some impressive camera shots). In terms of visuals, it's an outright masterpiece. But for the life of me, I can't really relate to any of the characters -- including Jep -- because they just seem aloof and detached from reality. But I do like the visual symbolism Sorrentino uses to contrast the seedier, more upscale side of Italy with the older but more beautiful side.

I'll certainly be revisiting it again, if only for the visuals.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Agreed. Style-over-substance Eurotrash.

[A24 4,333]

Everything that is European is trash?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The Silence Of The Lambs

While Hannibal and Red Dragon are well made sequels in their own way, and the new show Hannibal is supposedly well made. The Silence Of The Lambs is a film with few rivals. A thriller, horror film and psychological study all in one, and while it created a franchise, and indeed a genre of film all with a similar theme of intelligent serial killers leaving enigmatic clues for the FBI or police to follow, it is not simply a well made genre film. It never feels like it's following a carefully laid out formula.

The film is carried by two actors, Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, who is in most scenes of the film, often observed from POV camera angles as s small, diminutive woman, dwarfed by the men, and some of the women around her. As a FBI agent in training Starling inhabits a man's world and is often regarded by leering eyes of co-workers, police officers, and indeed serial killers. This film does a better job them most conveying what it must feel like for a good looking woman to be looked at as a sex object, or as someone inferior because of gender or size.

Foster's performance as a Clarice who isnt quite as tough as she want people to believe she is is the main reason why the film has become a true classic. Foster makes us care and worry for Clarice, who in essence becomes the soul of the film.

It's also part of the reason why Anthony Hopkins' performance as Hannibal Lecter works so well in this film.

Lecter takes a shine to Starling, on some level likes her, is intrigued by her for other reason then her looks or gender. This forms a bond that makes it impossible for the audience to hate Lecter, despite the fact that the film clearly announced what he is at the start of the film, and shows him killing savagely and without remorse later.

Hopkins has the viewer glued to the screen from his very first scene, where he greets Clarice in front of his cell, standing erect but calm, observing his latest visitor like a predator. Hopkins' Lecter has the piercing gaze of a man who can spot your weak spots in an instant, and then decide is he may or may not exploit them.

In many ways Anthony Hopkins achieved the same thing Al Pacino did in The Godfather, making us root for a man who does things that are unspeakable. Michael Corleane did then to protect his family. Lecter does so because it is in his nature. He is a predator, a wolf amongst the sheep, and a wolf must eat.

Also Lecter is never boring, or stupid. Unlike his "nemesis" Dr. Chilton, who most of the audience despised far more ten they did Lecter. For being sexist, dismissive, petty and arrogant.

Hopkins famously won a best leading actor Oscar for only 16 minutes of screen time. It's not hard top see why though. It feels longer, not just the scenes he is in, but his presence seems to permeate in scenes where the character isnt even in.

Ted Levine turns in a effective performance as a serial killer who shares Lecter's savage nature, but not his acumen or intelligence. Levine's Jamie Gumb with his scary drag queen attributes, and piercing nasal delivery is at his most frightening standing above a pit where he keeps his victims before skinning them, referring to that in the "it" form.

Ted Tally's script based on the novel by Thomas Harris isnt just a police procedural with a plot that goes from A to be. The story occasionally pauses to ponder at the victims, about the horrible things done to them and what it does to those around them, or the people who investigate their deaths. Most serial killer films are slick procedural thrillers, with carrying degrees of grotesque violence. Silence feels more real. Thanks to the excellent direction of Jonathan Demme, who takes a dark, but decidedly glossy approach in the visual style of this film. Demme seems interested in characters rather then plot or action and even gives the minor characters a little bit more dimension that you would normally see. ( The police sergeants anger with one of his officers who doesn't know how to comfort one of the guards who lays dying after Lecters escape "It's Jack Pembry God dammit!")

This attention to detail pays of the best during the scenes between Lecter and Clarice, culminating in the breathtaking scene where she tells him of the screaming of the lambs, with Foster looking more naked and vulnerable then ever, and Hopkins shot n close up, filling the screen surrounded by white light, scanning her without blinking.

Howard Shore's score may not be the greatest listen on CD, and never strives to the almost religious self-importance that Zimmer's follow up score has, but it sets the tone in an almost Herrmanesque way. With the orchestra blaring out in panic when it needs to, but never tries to draw attention to itself. This is very much the Howard Shore of the Cronenberg thrillers rather then the Lord Of The Rings Howard.

The Silence Of The Lambs is a film made with extraordinary skill on every level, and somehow becomes more then the sum of it's parts.

Se7en is a film as well made and acted, but somehow it doesnt quite reach the same hights. Red Dragon was a sequel written and shot much in the same way, to recapture the magic. And while it's a worthwhile film, it really doesn't get there.

A landmark!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Everything that is European is trash?

Just mostly.

[A24 4,333]

More trashy than Michael Bay? Or is he deep for the average American?

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Europeans invented trash, Americans perfected it.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Everything that is European is trash?

Anything that is trashy and European is Eurotrash. What's so hard to understand?

[A24 4,333]

What's left for us? Asian cinema?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Don't be rude, Alex!

[Brónach 1,302]

I saw Thor: The Dark World and I'm amazed at how they keep fucking up the Thor movies. It's probably the easiest of their multifranchise and look!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Specify?

[A24 4,333]

But Loki ... he was good!

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

What's left for us? Asian cinema?

What? Where did I say all European cinema is trash?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Everyone loves Loki!

[A24 4,333]

Is his solo film a fact?

[Matt C 454]

Agreed. Style-over-substance Eurotrash.

I wouldn't say that, but yeah, a highly overrated film. Should've been nominated for Best Cinematography than Best Foreign Film at the Oscars. But it would've lost to Gravity anyway.

[Brónach 1,302]

Yes, Loki was good.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

More trashy than Michael Bay? Or is he deep for the average American?

It's a different class of trash when the director knows it's trash.

[nightscape94 965]

You think Big Michael Bay Daddy thinks his films are trash? I think he believe they're great art.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

More trashy than Michael Bay? Or is he deep for the average American?

It's a different class of trash when the director knows it's trash.

Bang on. Nothing worse than a poncey pseudo-auteur.

You think Big Michael Bay Daddy thinks his films are trash? I think he believe they're great art.

I sincerely doubt that.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

You think Big Michael Bay Daddy thinks his films are trash? I think he believe they're great art.

"I make movies for teenage boys. Oh, dear, what a crime."

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/summer_movies/2005/06/the_bad_boy_of_summer.html

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Yes, Bay knows what he is.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

We all know what Bay is.

[A24 4,333]

More trashy than Michael Bay? Or is he deep for the average American?

It's a different class of trash when the director knows it's trash.

I never had the impression that Bay deliberately makes trash. So you're saying he's only making trash because hey, it's only teens? Hmm.

Bang on. Nothing worse than a poncey pseudo-auteur.

Does he call himself an auteur? At least, he seems to make the movies he wants (and not trash on purpose because it's for teens)

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

More trashy than Michael Bay? Or is he deep for the average American?

It's a different class of trash when the director knows it's trash.

I never had the impression that Bay deliberately makes trash. So you're saying he's only making trash because hey, it's only teens? Hmm.

Bang on. Nothing worse than a poncey pseudo-auteur.

Does he call himself an auteur? At least, he seems to make the movies he want (and not trash on purpose because it's for teens)

I don't think he deliberately makes trash - he makes the kind of movies that he wants, as you say, but that kind of movie happens to be what many people consider trash, and he knows it.

[Jay 37,364]

In what ways does Hannibal contradict Silence?

[A24 4,333]

I don't think he deliberately makes trash - he makes the kind of movies that he wants, as you say, but that kind of movie happens to be what many people consider trash, and he knows it.

That I can believe.

[Sweeping Strings 2,360]

Captain America : The Winter Soldier - I didn't think the Thor sequel was all that, but no such problems with this (other than a slightly overlong final battle). Thrillingly-staged comic-book action shot through pleasingly with conspiracy-thriller elements, bringing 'shades of grey' into Cap's 'black-and-white' moral outlook.

[Jay 37,364]

The Wolf of Wall Street

Highly entertaining film that only slightly out-stays its 3 hour run time.

It's the story of a Wall Street stockbroker (Leonardo DiCaprio) who is both a drug and sex addict, and eventual millionaire. The methods he uses to make his riches are not entirely legal, so eventually the SEC and FBI become interested in him, which factor in to the story as well. I think it covers about 10-15 years in his life (The film only has one on-screen date (Black Monday) and you have to kind of guess at how much time has passed otherwise.

The film is very episodic, being about one thing for a while, then shifting gears to another idea, and so on. It almost felt like a miniseries shortened down into a feature length film, which is somewhat true as the original cut was supposedly 5 hours long. It's a strange movie that feels both too long and too short at the same time, as the parts that don't work really take you out and make you notice the time on your watch, but the parts that work best all leave you wanting more, and in all likelihood there is more to all the scenes in the film.

Many scenes have a clearly improved air to them, as Scorsese let the cameras roll as the actors make some stuff up, which all work and gel pretty well with all the scripted material.

The supporting cast is fantastic, including both of Jordan (Leo's character)'s wives (the first being played by The Mother on How I Met Your Mother and the second a beautiful newcoming), plus Jonah Hill as his partner in the firm he starts, Matthew McConaughey as an early mentor (I so hope there were more scenes with him filmed, he was fantastic!), Rob Reiner as his dad, Jon Favreau and Ethan Suplee in small roles, and Kyle Chandler as the primary FBI agent. Plus a sea of unknowns as his law firm vice presidents, all of whom were refreshingly original (nice to not have every face in a movie be someone you recognize).

In short, it's a 3 hour foray into drug abuse, sex addition, money laundering, and coporate greed, that is hilarious at times and maintains your interest throughout. Leo's character is the latest in the long line of antiheroes that you kind of root for but also root to be taken down. His Best Actor nomination was very well deserved, I thought.

[Sir Hilary Bray 235]

Cross of Iron, continuing the unintended but not unenjoyable mini-Peckinpah binge after Major Dundee and Ride the High Country.

Gritty, fairly realistic and not without its dark moments. Not a bad movie though at times the slow-motion parts became tedious. Surprised to see James Mason mixing it up. And the film if anything, contains the beautiful Senta Berger.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Wonder if he'll ever win the gold.

[Jay 37,364]

Leo? I think he would have won this year if Dallas Buyer's Club didn't happen to come out in the same year.

[filmmusic 1,829]

Gulliver's Travels (1939)

I don't want to say anything about the film, it's a little animation masterpiece!

But I want to say about the Bluray release from a small studio (Thunderbean), which I believe is the Bluray release of the year!

See for yourself the comparisons with the previous BLuray:

http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleiche/multi_comparison.php?disc1=3896&disc2=3895&cap1=36161&cap2=36145&art=full&image=2&hd_multiID=1613&action=1&lossless=#vergleich

http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleiche/multi_comparison.php?disc1=3896&disc2=3895&cap1=36165&cap2=36149&art=full&image=6&hd_multiID=1613&action=1&lossless=#vergleich

Aspect ratio is now right, and the grain is preserved, giving the film life (not as the Disney ones which are degrained and you see lifeless cells!)

This is a lesson in animation restoration and I wish all animated Blurays were like this!

(My biggest dream would be to see Disney's Beauty and the Beast like this - and all the Disney animation Blurays)

Here's comparisons with the previous DVD:

http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleiche/multi_comparison.php?disc1=3896&disc2=3894&cap1=36161&cap2=36129&art=full&image=2&hd_multiID=1613&action=1&lossless=#vergleich

http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleiche/multi_comparison.php?disc1=3896&disc2=3894&cap1=36165&cap2=36133&art=full&image=6&hd_multiID=1613&action=1&lossless=#vergleich

For anyone that loves animation, I would highly recommend this Bluray which is a revelation indeed!

[Jay 37,364]

Wow, those comparisons are staggering! The new blu ray release is clearly lightyears better than all previous versions. It's remarkable that the previous blu ray version passed any kind of quality control!

[Matt C 454]

Leo? I think he would have won this year if Dallas Buyer's Club didn't happen to come out in the same year.

I enjoyed Wolf of Wall Street but second time I watched it -- I needed a shower afterwards. DiCaprio did a great job though. Dallas Buyers Club... felt like the atypical "award me an Oscar because of my method acting".

[Jay 37,364]

I haven't seen Dallas Buyer's Club yet. And while I enjoyed Wolf of Wall Street from start to finish, I don't think I'll feel the need to see it again for a long while.

[KK 3,307]

Mcconaughey was great in Dallas Buyers but Leo gave the better performance (largely because the role demanded it) and was more deserving of the gold that year. And I think this was the best chance he was going to have in a while.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Yeah there's not much he hasn't done already in his career that would warrant an Oscar at this point.

[Wojo 2,453]

That was the sound of my head exploding.

[nightscape94 965]

Yeah there's not much he hasn't done already in his career that would warrant an Oscar at this point.

What's Eating Arnie Grape?

[Hurmm 91]

The Wolf of Wall Street felt like Scorsese was trying to do another Goodfellas set against the backdrop of wall street execs. Entertaining throughout though it could have been slightly shorter.

I think Leo has peaked though. He deserves an Oscar but I didn't see anything here that I hadn't already seen elsewhere from him. McConaughey has been staggering for the past few films. He's got that effortless presence.

[publicist 4,643]

Maybe it was a bit too entertaining and too much lacking a vision beyond frolicking 3 hours over the eye-rolling behaviour of grown men with peanut brains.

[Jay 37,364]

You're right, the FBI subplot was almost an afterthought.

I'd love to see a longer cut. I think this story would work great as a 3 part miniseries.