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

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,433]

Yeah but this year is the one, I can feel it

[Tallguy 3,401]

23 minutes ago, May the Force be with You said:

Yeah but this year is the one, I can feel it

 

There do seem to be a few more factors in favor than in the past.

 

 

[LSH 969]

9 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

You know that a film is bad when the blooper reel is funnier than the film itself, and the outtakes should have replaced the released footage.

Such is the case with ALAN PARTRIDGE: ALPHA PAPA.

I'll go on record by saying that AP is hilarious on TV (especially the masterful "The Day Today"), and radio. In an age of PC, and forced politeness, his particular brand of "no filter" humour is refreshing.

This film, however, missed the mark entirely. I chuckled twice, which, for an AP project, is simply not good enough.

Even a good supporting cast led by Colm Meany, Anna Maxwell Martin, and Monica Dolan, couldn't save it.

I'll revisit it, in a few months to see if it really is that bad, or if it was just me. In the meantime, I'll stick with the TV stuff, where he truly has made his home.

 

 

It certainly has its moments but it's no masterpiece. I will say, however, that it survived the 'small screen to cinema' transition better than most have. 

 

TV-based Partridge is always perfect... since that was always the very apex of his own talent in that universe.

 

The first series of I'm Alan Partridge is still my favourite outing of his.

 

It's time to say... "Ruddy hell, it's Soft Cell."

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

I liked the end credits where there was a running battle between some song, or other, and "#1 Song In Heaven".

[LSH 969]

 

I've spoken here enough (too much) about my enduring love for this film... so I won't bore you all again...

 

Except to say... it's brilliant. I even enjoyed it this time with a bottle of Californian Pinot Noir that I bought a few weeks ago and saved.

 

One of my favourites! Fucking great score too... one that gets appreciated more outside of the film in my household.

[A24 4,345]

It's a great movie with perfect chemistry between everyone involved. So what is Alexander Payne doing these days? Let me check IMDb ... Hmm ... interesting ... people like Nebraska even more? Who knew?! Okay, so what's his latest project? Checking ... The Holdovers with Tate Donovan and Paul Giamatti? Movie is in post-production. Will be released in 2023.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

22 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

You know that a film is bad when the blooper reel is funnier than the film itself, and the outtakes should have replaced the released footage.

Such is the case with ALAN PARTRIDGE: ALPHA PAPA.

I'll go on record by saying that AP is hilarious on TV (especially the masterful "The Day Today"), and radio. In an age of PC, and forced politeness, his particular brand of "no filter" humour is refreshing.

This film, however, missed the mark entirely. I chuckled twice, which, for an AP project, is simply not good enough.

Even a good supporting cast led by Colm Meany, Anna Maxwell Martin, and Monica Dolan, couldn't save it.

I'll revisit it, in a few months to see if it really is that bad, or if it was just me. In the meantime, I'll stick with the TV stuff, where he truly has made his home.

 

It plays a little broader than small-screen Partridge, but still enjoyable enough ... the likes of 'She's an alcoholic racist, Lynn. I'll tolerate one of those things, but not both' given to his PA as the reason he stopped seeing someone could easily have come from 'telly Alan'.   

He's one of the great comedy 'monsters' for me, up there with the likes of Fawlty, David Brent and Homer in classic-era Simpsons. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

I find AP far more palatable than either Fawlty, Brent, or Simpson.

I maintain that AP is brilliant, on TV:

"Shit! Did you see that?! He must have a foot like a traction engine!" makes me spill my coffee, every time.

Somehow, it misfired, on the big screen.

Like I said: I'll watch it again, soon.

[rough cut 1,714]

So for y’all talking about The Abyss, this is coming on 31st oct.

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

       

[filmmusic 1,838]

3 hours ago, rough cut said:

So for y’all talking about The Abyss, this is coming on 31st oct.

 

Is this real? What is the source?

 

* * *

 

 

Not anything exceptional and I'm not really into martial arts, but I love the new 4K Capelight release I purchased in a digibook (and of course I love Jean Claude Van Damme ).

Some photos of the packaging here:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=21060857&postcount=286

 

[Bespin 8,484]

Like usual, when I watch or listen to something, the next week it comes out as a Special Edition or an Expanded Set.

[Tallguy 3,401]

4 hours ago, rough cut said:

So for y’all talking about The Abyss, this is coming on 31st oct.

 

 

SERIOUSLY?!?

[rough cut 1,714]

Yes, seriously.

 

It was online for about 5 seconds until the lawyers had it removed.

https://twitter.com/TheDiscFather/status/1654153919155560448

[Marian Schedenig 8,207]

I'll believe it when I see it. Didn't it have a release date once before, years ago?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

I've checked my calendar. It's not April 1st.

[filmmusic 1,838]

 

Batman was great, Batman Returns was a masterpiece, but this... here we've started going down the drain..

Two kitschy villains I can't stand, in a trashy film (ok, Batman and Robin is trashier) with a great score.

[Edmilson 7,470]

I always thought Batman Forever was worse than B&R. The 1997 movie was at least entertaining in its trashiness, Forever was just dull and tedious.

 

Both have amazing scores though.

[Marian Schedenig 8,207]

Predestination

 

I've seen this several times now, and every time I like it a lot. The plot is convoluted enough to confuse and at least slightly surprise me all over again every time still, but doesn't feel insincere because of it (at least mostly - perhaps just slightly so in a few moments). Strong main cast (especially Sarah Snook), at times striking cinematography, and a serviceable score. Yet despite all the talent the whole thing feels distinctly low budget, and while that shouldn't - and doesn't, really - distract from the experience, it's something that lingers and keeps me from remembering it as being quite as accomplished as it probably should. Perhaps the German Blu-ray is to blame, which is sadly typical of the current state of German Blu-ray production in general. The transfer is solid, but looks low-res (perhaps just a lack of aliasing, but fine lines have a distinctly pixelised look that cheapens the visuals), and there are no English subtitles, which would really be helpful considering that much of the complicated plot is conveyed via mumbled dialogue. As I find myself returning to rewatch this semi-regularly, I should probably upgrade to a better version (if there is one).

 

(There are two German releases, a 2D (which I have) and a 3D version, which I haven't seen, but if the transfer resolution of the 3D release is similar, it must be even more of a distraction)

[Jay 37,372]

Oh man, someone else knows that movie!

 

I saw it a while back, and just recently re-watched it for the first time, a few weeks back now.  When I saw it the first time I had never heard of Sarah Snook, but was incredibly impressed by her performance in the movie.  Then shortly after I saw it I saw her on Black Mirror and Succession and was glad to see her find more success.

 

Anyways, on recent rewatch, I don't think I was quite impressed as I was with the movie when I first saw it 8 (!!) years ago, though part of that could be knowing where the story was going, but also the film felt more low-budget to me this time than I remembered.  Maybe that's more due to the tech available to low budget filmmakers these days being quite impressive compared to what they used to have.  But also, the ending feels like it doesn't elevate things to another level like a lot of movies would.  I dunno.

 

It's certainly still worth watching for the acting alone, which is very good by Snook and Hawke.

 

Reading your comments about the picture quality, all I can say is that my rewatch was on Hulu, and it looked perfectly fine there >shrug<

[Marian Schedenig 8,207]

14 minutes ago, Jay said:

I saw it a while back, and just recently re-watched it for the first time, a few weeks back now.  When I saw it the first time I had never heard of Sarah Snook, but was incredibly impressed by her performance in the movie.  Then shortly after I saw it I saw her on Black Mirror and Succession and was glad to see her find more success.

 

I didn't know her before either, and have hardly seen here in anything else since. I keep forgetting she was on Black Mirror - probably because it's my least favourite episode of the first four seasons (the idea isn't bad, but it's been done more satisfyingly by Star Trek).

 

14 minutes ago, Jay said:

Anyways, on recent rewatch, I don't think I was quite impressed as I was with the movie when I first saw it 8 (!!) years ago, though part of that could be knowing where the story was going, but also the film felt more low-budget to me this time than I remembered.  Maybe that's more due to the tech available to low budget filmmakers these days being quite impressive compared to what they used to have.

 

There are really only a few scenes that have notable budget demands (except for Snook's makeup). Most of the film is set in the bar or on location. That shouldn't make it look cheap, and it doesn't really, but maybe the relative low-keyness of even the few bigger scenes is what makes it feel a bit too understated.

 

14 minutes ago, Jay said:

But also, the ending feels like it doesn't elevate things to another level like a lot of movies would.  I dunno.

 

A bit, though I'm not sure if maybe I actually like that about it. According to IMDb, it's quite faithful to the original Heinlein story, but the fizzle bomber plot is a film addition, so perhaps it just doesn't resolve that as well as it might have.

 

There's one bit that always confuses me though: I don't find the film as a whole predictable at all (it's convoluted enough that it makes you guess in the right directions, without necessarily coming to the correct conclusions - in my experience at least), but at some point halfway or two thirds through the main twist seems to be completely resolved - and yet right at the end you get a short montage that drives home that twist as if it was supposed to still be a surprise at that point.

[Jay 37,372]

Hmm, yea, I vaguely remember thinking something like that too. 

[Romão 2,274]

On 06/05/2023 at 10:22 PM, filmmusic said:

 

Batman was great, Batman Returns was a masterpiece, but this... here we've started going down the drain..

Two kitschy villains I can't stand, in a trashy film (ok, Batman and Robin is trashier) with a great score.

 

It does have two things going for it that no Marvel movie ever matched ever since:

 

The cinematography and the score.

 

And from the dramatic glimpses one gets in this movie, I still believe Val Kilmer could've been the best Batman/Bruce Wayne ever

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

It's got 'It's the car, right? Chicks love the car', the riff on the 'Holy (thing), Batman!' line from the TV show, Kidman looking mighty fine and excellent U2 and Seal tracks on the soundtrack. 

Not that much, but still more than the next film.  

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

It also has striking cinematography, courtesy of Stephen Goldblatt, and an astounding score by Elliot Goldenthal.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Thomas Crowne Affair (1999)

 

Always really liked this one. Great score from Bill Conti that’s melded perfectly with Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman.” Brosnan and Russo have wonderful chemistry; and the film just exudes sultriness. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore!

 

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

Another longtime favorite. I wish Cusack wrote more movies like this and High Fidelity. 

[Romão 2,274]

2 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

It also has striking cinematography, courtesy of Stephen Goldblatt, and an astounding score by Elliot Goldenthal.

 

Indeed. Like I wrote a few posts above yours:

 

14 hours ago, Romão said:

 

It does have two things going for it that no Marvel movie ever matched ever since:

 

The cinematography and the score.

 

 

[Tallguy 3,401]

57 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

They don’t make ‘em like this anymore!

 

They barely made them like that then!

 

14 hours ago, Romão said:

It does have two things going for it that no Marvel movie ever matched ever since:

 

The cinematography and the score.

 

And from the dramatic glimpses one gets in this movie, I still believe Val Kilmer could've been the best Batman/Bruce Wayne ever

 

Well. The cinematography was a mess. Or it was in service to everything else that was a mess so the difference is immaterial.

 

Yes, the score was fantastic.

 

Val Kilmer could have been the best. George Clooney could have been the best. But they were in terrible movies. So that leaves Michael Keaton who is the best. (Yes, we're leaving off Kevin Conroy.)

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

15 hours ago, Romão said:

It does have two things going for it that no Marvel movie ever matched ever since:

The cinematography and the score.

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

It also has striking cinematography, courtesy of Stephen Goldblatt, and an astounding score by Elliot Goldenthal.

 

 

Great minds, eh? 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

THOR 

Geez, that was boring. Even our Ken couldn't save it.

 

THOR: THE DARK WORLD 

This is even worse than the first one. Monumentally, stultifying stupid. Oh, well. 

 

THOR: RAGNAROK

To say that this is the best of the three (which it is), is a bit like saying: "My last dose of the Clap was better than the first two".

 

All three offer nothing of any value. They present not a thimble full of originality, and have nothing to say, visually, sonically, technically, thematically, or artistically.

I'm glad they only cost me 60p in total. I've a good mind to march up to my local thrift store, and demand my money back.

[Romão 2,274]

On 08/05/2023 at 4:15 PM, Naïve Old Fart said:

 

 

 

 

 

Great minds, eh? 

 

 

Indeed  And both those things go a long way to make the movie, at the very least, watchable.

 

It is not a good movie, very far from it, but there are some glimpses, here and there, of what could've been

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

30 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

THOR 

Geez, that was boring. Even our Ken couldn't save it.

 

THOR: THE DARK WORLD 

This is even worse than the first one. Monumentally, stultifying stupid. Oh, well. 

 

THOR: RAGNAROK

To say that this is the best of the three (which it is), is a bit like saying: "My last dose of the Clap was better than the first two".

 

All three offer nothing of any value. They present not a thimble full of originality, and have nothing to say, visually, sonically, technically, thematically, or artistically.

I'm glad they only cost me 60p in total. I've a good mind to march up to my local thrift store, and demand my money back.

Eccleston - 'Playing The Doctor left me with a fear of being typecast in fantasy and sci-fi roles'. 

Eccleston's agent - 'Hey Chris, wanna play a bad guy in the Thor sequel?' 

Eccleston - 'Sure!' 

 

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

5 minutes ago, Sweeping Strings said:

Eccleston - 'Playing The Doctor left me with a fear of being typecast in fantasy and sci-fi roles'. 

Eccleston's agent - 'Hey Chris, wanna play a bad guy in the Thor sequel?' 

Eccleston - 'Sure!' 

 

Is that the one where you don't even see his face?!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

Yes.

[filmmusic 1,838]

 

John Williams's favorite film!

A delightful springtime romantic comedy (Oscar winner for best director), with beautiful landscapes (Oscar winner for best cinematography) and an array of distinctive characters.

 

[Edmilson 7,470]

21 minutes ago, filmmusic said:

John Williams's favorite film!

 

Really? That's interesting! I think it's sad that we don't know much about film composers' favorite movies outside of those they score, especially in Williams' case, where he doesn't seem to watch much stuff.

[filmmusic 1,838]

53 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

Really? That's interesting! I think it's sad that we don't know much about film composers' favorite movies outside of those they score, especially in Williams' case, where he doesn't seem to watch much stuff.

Spoiler

Telegraph

Filmmakers on film: John Williams
(Filed: 01/06/2002)

John Williams on John Ford's The Quiet Man (1952). Interview by Derren Gilhooley

John Williams, prolific composer of film music, five-time Oscar winner and 41-time nominee, is responsible for many of the most unforgettable themes ever to have accompanied moving pictures. The throbbing strings of Jaws; the ethereal five-note sequence from Close Encounters; the heroic brass fanfares of Star Wars, Superman and the Indiana Jones series - these are not just perfectly judged movie themes, but have all become hardwired into the public consciousness in a way that no other film composer has managed.

At 70, Williams shows no sign of slowing down: already this year you may have heard his music in the second Star Wars prequel, Attack of the Clones; forthcoming projects include a new Indiana Jones film, the Tom Cruise vehicle Minority Report and the next instalment of Harry Potter.

Appropriately enough, he chooses a work by the prolific and long-serving director John Ford as a favourite film. "When I was very much younger," he says, "I saw The Quiet Man, which had a great impact on me. It is also a favourite film of my friend and colleague Steven Spielberg. At the time I saw it, probably in a theatre back on the East Coast in 1952, I was working in various orchestras in California, and had no interest in film music, as I was chiefly concerned with playing the piano."

John Williams, film composer Born Long Island, 1932 Selected films Jaws (1975); Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977); Star Wars (1977); Superman (1978); Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981); ET (1982); Jurassic Park (1993); Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001); Minority Report (2002)

As Williams says, The Quiet Man is "a hugely romantic film, but also quite comic". Starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, it's set in Ireland. Wayne plays Sean, a retired American boxer who has killed a man in a fight and returns to his birthplace having bought his parents' old cottage. He falls in love with a beautiful local woman, played by Maureen O'Hara, but manages to fall out with her brother, the most powerful man in the village, who resents Wayne and sees him as a rival.

"The music for the film was composed by Victor Young," says Williams, "who underscored the setting and the action by adapting music from Irish folk tunes. For much of the movie, he used a famous piece called The Wakes of Mallow - mention it to any Irishman and he will be able to hum it for you. He uses it in a lot of different ways throughout the film. I can remember several wonderful fight scenes between Wayne and Victor McLaglen, and the music is used to bring out the comedic element in these moments. In other scenes between O'Hara and Wayne, he uses the same folk tune in a very passionate and romantic way, such as the first time Wayne sees O'Hara across a field and wonders if what he sees is real.

"It's very inspiring music," he continues, "and, along with the music that Bernard Herrmann composed for Hitchcock's Vertigo, it's one of the first scores that turned me on to the idea of writing music for the movies. In fact, in my early days I played piano in Herrmann's orchestra."

Williams has enjoyed a long-standing collaborative relationship with Steven Spielberg, and, of the work they have done together, he is happiest with Close Encounters.

"I am very self-critical," he says, "and almost always think that I could do better - which is probably my motivation to keep going. But I love that film. I just remember enjoying it very much - I thought that it was particularly imaginative, especially the moment the spaceship arrives and you know that communication is about to happen. Spielberg has created something that seems very real, alive and animate.

"Ford worked with a lot of different composers - I don't think Young was a favourite. I've been lucky to work regularly with some great directors: George Lucas, Oliver Stone, more recently Christopher Columbus, and of course Spielberg. A good working relationship is an essential thing, because the music and the taste for it is a very subjective thing. What seems appropriate to one of us for a scene might seem completely inappropriate to the other."

Williams describes the process of composing film music thus: "In the old studio days, Young would have been given a 10-week contract, and all the music would have to be written and recorded in that period. Which is not a great deal of time. These days, you have three months or so. But what you have to remember is that in those days films were shorter, and often didn't have so much music in them. Having said that, The Quiet Man is about two hours long.

"The composer will usually study the film with the director, and discuss where in the film the music will play. Then it is a matter of analysing each scene separately and looking at details such as tempo, texture and timbre. The co-ordination of music and action is a consideration, as is the emotive impact of melodic structure. Instrumental sources are important too, and are chosen not just for texture and timbre, but also whether they relate to the period of the film, the location and the cultural background. I think that Young's music for The Quiet Man deals with all these elements beautifully. It's also a wonderfully well-written film, and the staging of it is expert. I hope that your readers will look it up."

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

AVENGERS • INFINITY WAR 

I didn't understand a single second of what was going on, but I quite enjoyed it.

 

[Bespin 8,484]

[Faleel 5,359]

A Nightmare 4 the Dream Master on Elm Street

[Bespin 8,484]

Like Freddy's 2, it's a nice "out of trilogy" Freddy. Love the score too!

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Fear Is The Key - early 70s action-thriller based on an Alastair Maclean novel in which Barry Newman contrives to infiltrate the organisation that killed his wife, son and brother (by shooting down a plane they were on) because they were after its cargo of diamonds. Not bad ... moves along at a fair old lick and it was the screen debut of Ben Kingsley, no less. 

[Jurassic Shark 12,083]

1 minute ago, Sweeping Strings said:

Fear Is The Key - early 70s action-thriller based on an Alastair Maclean novel in which Barry Newman contrives to infiltrate the organisation that killed his wife, son and brother (by shooting down a plane they were on) because they were after its cargo of diamonds. Not bad ... moves along at a fair old lick and it was the screen debut of Ben Kingsley, no less. 

 

How was the score by Roy Budd?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

It's the same as every other score by Roy Budd: great.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

What NOF said. 

[Jurassic Shark 12,083]

NOF said.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

NOF said it. Nuff said.

[A24 4,345]

Who is this Roy Budd again? 

[Bespin 8,484]

See what GPT chat have to say about him:

 

Quote

Roy Budd (1947-1993) was a British jazz and film composer, pianist, and arranger. He gained prominence in the 1970s for his work on film soundtracks, particularly his collaborations with director Michael Winner. Budd was known for his innovative and versatile musical style, combining elements of jazz, classical, and contemporary music.

 

Born in London, England, Budd showed exceptional musical talent from a young age. He began playing the piano at the age of three and made his public debut at the age of six. He was largely self-taught and had a natural ability to play by ear. Budd's musical career took off in the 1960s when he started performing in clubs and recording with prominent jazz musicians, including Ronnie Scott and Tubby Hayes.

 

Budd's breakthrough in the film industry came with his composition for the British crime film "Get Carter" (1971), starring Michael Caine. The film's soundtrack, featuring Budd's memorable main theme, became one of his most acclaimed works and gained a cult following. He went on to score numerous other films, including "The Stone Killer" (1973), "Fear Is the Key" (1972), and "The Marseille Contract" (1974).

 

In addition to his film work, Budd released several solo albums and performed live concerts. He showcased his virtuosity on the piano and demonstrated his ability to blend different musical genres. Some of his notable albums include "Madeline" (1972), "The Internecine Project" (1974), and "The Wild Geese" (1978).

 

Tragically, Roy Budd's promising career was cut short when he died at the age of 46 from a brain hemorrhage in 1993. However, his music continues to be celebrated and appreciated by fans of film scores and jazz music alike. His compositions are regarded as iconic contributions to the world of film music and his talent as a pianist and composer remains highly regarded.

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

2 hours ago, AC1 said:

Who is this Roy Budd again? 

 

Really?

You haven't seen GET CARTER?