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

[Jay 32,087]

Man those 3 actors are all really good actors

[karelm 2,641]

Over the weekend, I saw Requiem for a Dream for the first time.  Jared Leto must have been Timothee Chalamet of twenty years ago.   Very strong performances and distinctive directing.  The film was very hard to watch, so dark emotionally at a time that feels somewhat idyllic in hindsight.  So would spectators find our current darkness amazingly ideal twenty years from now?  Perhaps that is what the march of time looks like.  If you don't like the trailer, you won't like the film.

 

 

[filmmusic 1,381]

I remember this film to be very disturbing. I'm not sure I could watch it again..

[Jay 32,087]

 

History of the World Part I

 

I had never seen this film before; We only checked it out because of the sequel series that dropped this week; We figured we should see the original movie before starting that.

 

It was OK.  Some parts worked better than others.  I had seen the classic Moses 15 Commandments bit, and was surprised by how short it was here, I figured there would be more to that scene, but that was really it.  The Roman bit was so long, I was worried that we had a Kentucky Fried Movie situation going on where it purports to be a sketch collection movie but one takes up most of the running time; Luckily it didn't go on for quite that long.  The Spanish Inquisition song after that was actually so good, I was almost expecting it to just end after that, which would have left me feeling mostly OK about the movie.  Instead there was a few more sketches, and the overall impression is that there just isn't enough funny material in this to really be worth it.  Oh well

 

It's on Hulu

[Naïve Old Fart 7,983]

On 07/03/2023 at 1:02 AM, filmmusic said:

I remember this film to be very disturbing. I'm not sure I could watch it again..

I remember someone being menaced by a refrigerator.

That's about it.

[filmmusic 1,381]

 

Surprised this wasn't nominated for any Oscar back in 1995.

A portrait of the painter Dora Carrington, and mainly her relationship with the homosexual writer Lytton Strachey in early 20th century.

Also, a masterful score by Michael Nyman.

 

[Sweeping Strings 1,748]

Planes, Trains And Automobiles - uptight marketing exec Steve Martin has the returning-home-for-Thanksgiving journey from hell in the enforced company of slobby shower curtain ring salesman John Candy. Written and directed by John Hughes, this provides many a chuckle in its hour-and-a-half runtime and was probably the first indication that Hughes could do more than teen flicks.

The Punisher (1989) - long before the 'Marvel Cinematic Universe' here's Dolph Lundgren as the comic-book vigilante character, blowing away Mafia and Yakuza alike. Passably cheap-ish, violent and pulpy (which, given the source material, aren't really issues) action entertainment.

[filmmusic 1,381]

15 minutes ago, Sweeping Strings said:

Planes, Trains And Automobiles

That's an odd time of year to watch this film.

I personally can't watch holiday-ish films at another time...

[Naïve Old Fart 7,983]

PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES, is, rather like HOME ALONE, and LOVE ACTUALLY, a seasonal film that I can watch any time of the year.

[bollemanneke 2,935]

The Matrix 2.

 

I don’t quite know what to say about it. Or maybe I do and I’m just pulling your leg. But if I’m pulling your leg, does that mean I do in fact know what I want to say about it? Or both? And how could I possibly be pulling any of your legs on a forum anyway? More about that later.

Let’s start with the acting. There’s still something in Reeve’s voice that makes me laugh during moments that are anything but funny. Fishburne is still great, but occasionally misused. Moss is awesome. I want to see her in more. Weaving is good too, I guess, but should not have multiplied. Monica Bellucci is even better than Moss.

Now, hold on there, little lady. I’ll try to phrase my problem with the film, but am still finding it hard to put it into words. It wants to be too profound. Or rather, there’s a mismatch between the profound, complicated dialogue and the seemingly endless action sequences. Or, all joking aside, it’s not profound at all and just tries to be in an attempt to mask the fact that it’s really just a dumb action movie. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. I wanna say that if they had just cut the chase scenes a bit, I’d have enjoyed it a great deal more and/or I would have been a lot more open to whatever everyone was trying to say in their big speeches.

Oh, and also, that resurrection bullshit at the end is so stupid. Besides, if the Matrix is a computer programme, how could one possibly die in real life when they die in the Matrix? And also also, if Neo is built to perfect the Matrix, wouldn’t it have been a lot simpler to just not have any Neo at all? Or was the Architect bored?

The score still contains that special, equally indescribable infectious sound that makes my heart race. Maybe it’s the high brass writing? I really missed that in Black Widow.

[JNHFan2000 1,575]

What does Black Widow have to with The Matrix?

Or do I misunderstand

[bollemanneke 2,935]

Oh, there was a Trinity in action moment that had a lot of high notes.

[Sweeping Strings 1,748]

On 11/03/2023 at 12:09 PM, filmmusic said:

That's an odd time of year to watch this film.

I personally can't watch holiday-ish films at another time...

It possibly helps that Thanksgiving isn't a thing here in the UK, and also that we had some snowfall on Thursday and Friday. 

[Naïve Old Fart 7,983]

It's the same reason that I can watch BATMAN RETURNS, DIE HARD, and GREMLINS, anytime of the year: they are all great films.

[AC1 3,902]

 

Filmmaker William Oldroyd is the new darling of the critics, but I dunno guys, I thought it was all a bit blunt (but entertaining nevertheless). Haven't seen Eileen (2023) yet. And yes, the critics go crazy for that one too. 

[Romão 2,180]

Simple, question, everyone: which version of Apocalypse Now should I watch?

 

I've never actually seen the movie and I mean to correct that soon enough

[Jay 32,087]

Theatrical

[Tallguy 1,842]

2 minutes ago, Jay said:

Theatrical

 

Co-rect!

[filmmusic 1,381]

11 minutes ago, Romão said:

Simple, question, everyone: which version of Apocalypse Now should I watch?

 

I've never actually seen the movie and I mean to correct that soon enough

I think the first time with EVERY movie should be the theatrical.

I envy you.

In what format will you watch it? I have the blu-ray.

[JoeinAR 1,894]

On 11/03/2023 at 6:09 AM, filmmusic said:

That's an odd time of year to watch this film.

I personally can't watch holiday-ish films at another time...

Its a Thanksgiving film

Apocalypse Now may be considered a great film but I have no desire to watch any war about vietnam. Every one is unpleasant as hell,  probably because it was the war I feared as a child.

 

[Naïve Old Fart 7,983]

59 minutes ago, Romão said:

Simple, question, everyone: which version of Apocalypse Now should I watch?

Don't listen to those eejits.

Watch APOCALYPSE NOW, REDUX.

[Romão 2,180]

1 hour ago, filmmusic said:

I think the first time with EVERY movie should be the theatrical.

I envy you.

In what format will you watch it? I have the blu-ray.

 

I will try to find a version with the highest possible resolution. Just totally unsure of what version to watch first

[Jay 32,087]

Theatrical

[Romão 2,180]

Theatrical it is. Thank you for input, everyone.

 

I will watch Redux a few weeks later

[Jay 32,087]

This is the way

[Glóin the Dark 1,139]

Just Redux.

[Mr. Who 717]

I have only seen Redux and while 5e movie is incredible, I think seeing the theatrical first is probably better as there are some portions of the film where the pacing is a bit tough for a first time viewer. However I read which bits are added and I think they probably add to the craziness of the film and its depiction of war.

[Koray Savas 2,218]

On 11/3/2023 at 5:35 PM, bollemanneke said:

The Matrix 2.

 

I don’t quite know what to say about it. Or maybe I do and I’m just pulling your leg. But if I’m pulling your leg, does that mean I do in fact know what I want to say about it? Or both? And how could I possibly be pulling any of your legs on a forum anyway? More about that later.

Let’s start with the acting. There’s still something in Reeve’s voice that makes me laugh during moments that are anything but funny. Fishburne is still great, but occasionally misused. Moss is awesome. I want to see her in more. Weaving is good too, I guess, but should not have multiplied. Monica Bellucci is even better than Moss.

Now, hold on there, little lady. I’ll try to phrase my problem with the film, but am still finding it hard to put it into words. It wants to be too profound. Or rather, there’s a mismatch between the profound, complicated dialogue and the seemingly endless action sequences. Or, all joking aside, it’s not profound at all and just tries to be in an attempt to mask the fact that it’s really just a dumb action movie. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. I wanna say that if they had just cut the chase scenes a bit, I’d have enjoyed it a great deal more and/or I would have been a lot more open to whatever everyone was trying to say in their big speeches.

Oh, and also, that resurrection bullshit at the end is so stupid. Besides, if the Matrix is a computer programme, how could one possibly die in real life when they die in the Matrix? And also also, if Neo is built to perfect the Matrix, wouldn’t it have been a lot simpler to just not have any Neo at all? Or was the Architect bored?

The score still contains that special, equally indescribable infectious sound that makes my heart race. Maybe it’s the high brass writing? I really missed that in Black Widow.

Just enjoy the actions scenes and forget the philosophical mumbo jumbo!

 

15 hours ago, Romão said:

Theatrical it is. Thank you for input, everyone.

 

I will watch Redux a few weeks later

There’s a new “Final Cut” that was recently released on the 4K blu-ray, I would recommend that over the Redux. 

[Bellosh 1,950]

The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

 

(Please keep in mind, I have never seen the original)

 

But anyways, this was free on youtube, and I decided to give it a go this weekend.  I'm always down for a political thriller and a tour de force by Denzel.

 

My god what an awfully edited movie!  Seriously.  I don't think I've ever watched a movie so poorly edited in my life.  Everyone gives great performances, but I swear Denzel goes from being on the brink of barely functioning as a human to being in control of everything, scene by scene.  The exposition is terrible.  And mostly told through awful fake news broadcasts/radio stations.  Also the music, holy shit, it's like this movie was made in 1998.  The concept was decent enough for me not turn it off.  Also....what in the fuck was that implied 'incest' scene near the end with Streep and Schreiber??!? That just came out of nowhere and added NOTHING.

 

Easily the most annoying movie I've seen in a long time.  I should have know it was gonna be shit when they couldn't (or didn't want to) pay for the rights of the original 'Fortunate Son' by CCR, and had that horrible cover be the end credits (its in the opening credits that that song is going to be featured lol)

 

Is the original worth watching to remove this disgust from my brain?

[Jay 32,087]

I've never seen the original either, but it's considered a very good movie, yes

 

The remake is not

[Holko 8,228]

The Duelists - liked it! Great looking, engaging and economical. Very impressive feature film career start (too bad it continued onto Prometheus and Covenant)

 

Kingdom of Heaven - eh. Better than Gladiator but still not a fan, Bloom and/or his character are too boring to carry it, all kinds of impressive side casting go all over the place to try and save it without a proper anchor/core/heart. The most fun part was noticing a good handful of Game of Thrones actors in small, near walk-on roles, and banging my head to the score when it gets into that repetitively implemented but fun action motif.

 

The French Connection - this'll be one of those that was revolutionary at its time, and it still counts as very well made but doesn't really provide that much special stuff to make it stand out from half a century's worth of stuff that it kicked off. Maybe besides that general feeling of somewhat experimental somewhat guerilla but genuine rawness - the car chase, for example.

[Jay 32,087]

Hopefully you watched the Director's Cut of Kingdom of Heaven and not the Theatrical Cut

[Holko 8,228]

Yes of course

[Jay 32,087]

Nice

[Matt C 439]

Stargate

 

Roland Emmerich’s most straightforward and enjoyable film, aided by Karl Walter Lindenlaub’s camerawork and David Arnold’s fantastic and bombastic score. There’s little of the embarrassing jingoistic histrionics of, say, Independence Day or Moonfall. There’s genuine earnestness to the cheesiness, even though Jaye Davidson pouts and scowls his way through.

 

I kinda wish the TV show cast had been used because… well, I’m used to them and not Kurt Russell and James Spader. 

[filmmusic 1,381]

 

Tonight that is St. Patrick's day, I decided to see this "Irish" film.

Solid movie with an excellent performance by Harris which was nominated for an Oscar.

[AC1 3,902]

4 hours ago, filmmusic said:

 

Tonight that is St. Patrick's day, I decided to see this "Irish" film.

Solid movie with an excellent performance by Harris which was nominated for an Oscar.

 

It's been ages since I've seen The Field but I remember being very impressed with Richard Harris' performance.

[filmmusic 1,381]

 

Not the masterpiece I expected it to be based on its reputation and reviews, but quite a gripping political thriller based on true facts which happened in Greece.

[Andy 2,565]

Legend (1985)

 

 

I'd never seen it.  Arrow Video got me to blind buy the beautifully produced box set.  I finally got a chance to watch it.  Holy shit, I actively hated this movie!  I'm not one for picking apart scripts, and I like plenty of style over substance films (Suspiria comes to mind) but this was a CHORE.  I could see right away it would be nice to look at.  I usually do enjoy the surrealism of sound stage photography in fantasy films, to give it that not too realistic make believe look.  

 

But oh my God did I get bored quickly!  What the heck was supposed to be compelling about this quest?  Why were none of the characters memorable?  How strong were Cruise's hamstrings after squatting for shot after shot.  Did Mia Sara grow a unibrow to compete with Cruise's?  Was there a Goldsmith score buried somewhere in there?  How did Cruise defeat Tim Curry again?  I've already forgotten.  Oh wait I think it was those reflective pie plates.

 

I apologize in advance to anyone who enjoys this.  I actually do get it if you do.  Not everything has to have a strong narrative or relatable characters.  But for whatever reason, the photography and production design weren't enough to sustain me.

[filmmusic 1,381]

11 minutes ago, Andy said:

Was there a Goldsmith score buried somewhere in there?

What do you mean by this?

By the way, I love the film! The Goldsmith score is a masterpiece and is given the proper place and time to shine.

That's why I don't understand that question.

(I take it you saw the director's cut, right?)

[Tallguy 1,842]

I understand, @Andy I really do. I saw it in the cinema when it opened. I had recently discovered Tim Curry. I had no idea who Tom Cruise was. It didn't help that they showed the trailer for Labyrinth. (THAT looked really great!) Curry LOOKS amazing, but why did they mess with his VOICE? Overall, I did not like it. (And yes, I saw it here in the States with the Tangerine Dream score.)

 

So years go by and it gets something of a following. And it DOES have everything I like. It's a Ridley Scott film. I can even see it with a Goldsmith score. I like Tom Cruise now.

 

I. Cannot. Get into. This. Film. Sorry.

 

I've had almost the same experience with Conan the Barbarian and Excalibur. I'm sure at some point I'll be dumb enough to revisit any or all of these.

 

Really I should just watch Labyrinth again.

[Andy 2,565]

1 hour ago, filmmusic said:

What do you mean by this?

By the way, I love the film! The Goldsmith score is a masterpiece and is given the proper place and time to shine.

That's why I don't understand that question.

(I take it you saw the director's cut, right?)

I admit, I was posting a little obnoxiously.  I obviously heard the Goldsmith score, which did have nice moments accompanying the song Mia Sara was singing.   I’ve never listened to this score in its own. I guess I always wanted to see the film first.  I was just hoping for a little more of an aggressive score.  

 

24 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

I understand, @Andy I really do. I saw it in the cinema when it opened. I had recently discovered Tim Curry. I had no idea who Tom Cruise was. It didn't help that they showed the trailer for Labyrinth. (THAT looked really great!) Curry LOOKS amazing, but why did they mess with his VOICE? Overall, I did not like it. (And yes, I saw it here in the States with the Tangerine Dream score.)

 

So years go by and it gets something of a following. And it DOES have everything I like. It's a Ridley Scott film. I can even see it with a Goldsmith score. I like Tom Cruise now.

 

I. Cannot. Get into. This. Film. Sorry.

 

I've had almost the same experience with Conan the Barbarian and Excalibur. I'm sure at some point I'll be dumb enough to revisit any or all of these.

 

Really I should just watch Labyrinth again.

Conan I like. I’ve not seen Excalibur.  Labyrinth I haven’t watched since it’s release when I had a crush on Jennifer Connelly. 
 

Yes, I came to appreciate Cruise over the years.  He is arguably bananas, but the man is an entertainer.  Probably his Spielberg films and MI series helped improve my opinion of him. 
 

But his character seemed to be … ugh I don’t know… sort of undefined. Nothing really to latch on and cheer for.   Just limp.  And squatting. Lots of squatting. 
 

Tim Curry looked awesome. 
 

Ridley Scott should never try humor again. It is a difficult concept. 
 

Oh well. I will sell it off and finally listen to the Goldsmith score. 

[Tallguy 1,842]

8 hours ago, Andy said:

Ridley Scott should never try humor again. It is a difficult concept. 

 

The Martian is one of my favorite movies.

[AC1 3,902]

Slow West (2015)

 

 

Slow West is a Revisionist Western and a great debut of filmmaker John Maclean. It's odd that he never made another movie since. 

 

 

 

[JNHFan2000 1,575]

Fantasia

 

I've started watching all of the Disney Animated films (again). I thought I'd seen every one of them, but that wasn't the case. So I thought I'd start at the beginning and watch them all.

Saw Snow White & Pinocchio last week. Snow White is very charming and I remember that Pinocchio used the scare the crap out me as a child. It's a really strong film.

 

Fantasia is truly a masterpiece. It really is an ingenious idea to put animated sequences to famous classical pieces. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" remains a classic and I always love "The Pastoral Symphony" and the "Night On Bald Mountain" segments.

 

Great stuff!!

[Tallguy 1,842]

45 minutes ago, JNHFan2000 said:

Fantasia

 

I've started watching all of the Disney Animated films (again). I thought I'd seen every one of them, but that wasn't the case. So I thought I'd start at the beginning and watch them all.

Saw Snow White & Pinocchio last week. Snow White is very charming and I remember that Pinocchio used the scare the crap out me as a child. It's a really strong film.

 

Fantasia is truly a masterpiece. It really is an ingenious idea to put animated sequences to famous classical pieces. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" remains a classic and I always love "The Pastoral Symphony" and the "Night On Bald Mountain" segments.

 

Great stuff!!

 

Is there a bad moment in that film? I think Ave Maria is sorely underrated. How do you follow Night on Bald Mountain? Disney: Hold my beer.

[JNHFan2000 1,575]

I was planning when to look the next Disney film, which is Dumbo. So I was looking for a runtime.

How is that film only 64 minutes?? That's insane. I never noticed that before

[Jay 32,087]

Saludos Amigos is even shorter

[bollemanneke 2,935]

Spider-Man 3.

 

Well, I feel like I can say a lot about it, so here we go.

The first snippet of film that I ever saw was a scene near the beginning, but it was dubbed in German because our TV in that particular hotel only had German channels, for some reason. Loads of people seem to think tourists equals Germans. ‘Herry, Herry, ich hab dein Vater nicht umgebracht!’ That was quite funny, as were my relatives’ comments about the awful special effects.

Also, I didn’t need that whole black tendril subplot. They could have just done all that to Spider-Man by having the adoring crowd drive him temporarily annoying and idiotic. I was first going to say I didn’t like Black Spider-Man, but then realised somebody might dig that phrase up in 2035 and cancel me forever, and also, since Venom had to become a part of it, that phrase would be inaccurate anyway.

Kirsten Dunst is still great, but I’m not sure if it was really her singing. Lovely voice, though.

I was going to say I was tired of Harry, but really liked where they took things with him. How on earth did that butler arrive at the scene of the crime in the finale of part one, though? I do have to admit I was hoping they’d make him say some more.

Thomas Haden Church was good too, but I’m just tired of villains, I guess. I mean, he’s not really a villain, but I definitely shook my head the moment he started making King Kong noises. That’s my problem with all these movies, they try to balance being profound with stupidity. Like Brock Jr saying ‘I like being bad.’ Cool story, bro. Doesn’t make Venom any less boring.

Rosemary Harris still reminds me of someone in England I’d like to see again.

J. K. Simmons was a bit underused.

The score’s tender and emotional cues were extremely good. Elfman could never have written that finale. I also really liked how he used the French horns again.

[A Farewell to Kings 3,789]

Wh8ch version did you watch? Editors cut or Theatrical?

 

Theatrical has a hodgepodge score of Young + assistant rewrites and lifts and reworks of material from S1

 

Where the editors cut uses more of Youngs original score prior to all the additional music and rewrites.