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

[Sir Hilary Bray 235]

Horrifying. And not in the way they intended.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

I had that gif as an avatar here for a while.

[A24 4,333]

Presumed Innocent:

Damn, the only thing that survived the test of time if the music.

[crocodile 8,012]

Did it, though?

Karol

[A24 4,333]

Why wouldn't it? It's elegant and classy, thoughtful and timeless.

[crocodile 8,012]

Quality of music aside, I always thought it sounded like it's stuck in that particular period of filmmaking. Nothing timeless about it.

Karol

[publicist 4,643]

I've just seen Jaws 3 for the first time. Those shark effects are hilarious. Especially when the great white approaches the glass window towards the end, which looks like a kindergarten cutout.

Even more surreal: they had a better shot and discarded it:

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Presumed Innocent:

Damn, the only thing that survived the test of time if the music.

Horrible cover!

[A24 4,333]

Why isn't it timeless? It's a sober, streamlined, stylish score that doesn't scream a particular genre. I don't think those qualities go out of style. It's a classic Noir score.

Is it because it's not Hans Zimmer? If so, Hans Zimmer is not synonymous with timeless.

[publicist 4,643]

Then look at this one:

[crocodile 8,012]

Why isn't it timeless? It's a sober, streamlined, stylish score that doesn't scream a particular genre. I don't think those qualities go out of style. It's a classic Noir score.

Is it because it's not Hans Zimmer? If so, Hans Zimmer is not synonymous with timeless.

Synths betray its age, though.

Not sure if I get Zimmer reference...

Karol

[A24 4,333]

Really? That old "there's a synth in it" argument again? Only synth haters would use that.

Isn't the other John Williams, the Korngold '40s one, more dated?

[crocodile 8,012]

I don't hate them, so your argument is invalid.

Karol

[A24 4,333]

Then why do you use it? It's only an instrument. It's a style that dates.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Can one still use an old Korg or Prophet today? Without sounding retro?

[A24 4,333]

Of course, it's the style that makes something retro, not the color or the fabric.

[Quintus 5,399]

Morricone's The Thing is a good example of a 'timeless' score which has synth elements.

And then on the other hand there's Logan's Run...

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

Logan's Run isn't a timeless film though. Its synths fit it perfectly.

[Quintus 5,399]

They do in that the movie has a kitschy feel which Jerry's score contributes in no small part to.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Morricone's The Thing is a good example of a 'timeless' score which has synth elements.

Are you including the cues that Carpenter and Howarth wrote?

[Quintus 5,399]

Sorry yeah remove the Morricone part of my previous post.

I didn't know this Howarth chap also contributed to the score - I'd always just assumed the synth parts were Carpenter.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Howarth and Carpenter always did the music together in those days. With Howarth being the proper composer.

[A24 4,333]

They make very effective sh!t!

And here Ennio is capturing that Carpenter effectiveness:

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Zimmer and co can't compare!

[A24 4,333]

BTW, the HD version looks waaaaaaay better than my DVD.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Howarth and Carpenter always did the music together in those days. With Howarth being the proper composer.

Howarth was the synth master, who could get all interesting timbres out of the Arp Oddysies, Arp Quadras and Prophet 10s they had. Basically he translated Carpenter's musical ideas (melodies/harmonies/rhythms) into voltage control, though there probably was a bit of input from both.

Before Howarth, Carpenter collaborated with Dan Wyman on ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, HALLOWEEN and THE FOG. IIRC, Wyman used a Series III Moog Modular

They make very effective sh!t!

And here Ennio is capturing that Carpenter effectiveness:

The moody first two minutes is Carpenter/Howarth, with the rest being Ennio.

[crocodile 8,012]

TRON: Legacy. The story and script and completely flat, so are most of pretty all performances. But combination visuals and Daft Punk score works wonders for the film. Not necessarily that any of those two elements are excellent on their own, but together mean business. Mildly interesting.

Karol

[Quintus 5,399]

For some reason I went to the pictures to see it. Had a good time and really enjoyed it, the light show of its photography was great. Vaguely remember the plot. Something about an AI double of Jeff Bridges.

[crocodile 8,012]

That's my point exactly. I finished watching it about an hour ago and forgot most of it. But the films seemed was, I think, about... AI double of Jeff Bridges?

Karol

[Quintus 5,399]

In the cinema though I found it more than just 'mildly interesting'. I felt like I'd just been to a brill light show with cracking good musical accompaniment and so Tron 2 was added to my comparatively small pile of annual cinema visits I rate as 'well worth going'.

For context: the 'wasn't worth going' pile is bigger.

[crocodile 8,012]

Pity I didn't go to see it back then. Would have been much more impressive.

Karol

[Matt C 454]

In the Name of the King 3: The Last Mission

I'm actually disappointed. Everyone kept saying how bad Uwe Boll's movies are, but I was able to get through this relatively painlessly and without laughing too much. If the guy actually learned how to frame and edit action sequences (and pick better scripts), he'd be a decent B-movie director. For a low-budget DTV fantasy movie (save the terrible CGI), it looks pretty good too.

Boll's not the Antichrist of directors, but he's not the next Ed Wood either.

[A24 4,333]

TRON: Legacy. The story and script and completely flat, so are most of pretty all performances. But combination visuals and Daft Punk score works wonders for the film. Not necessarily that any of those two elements are excellent on their own, but together mean business. Mildly interesting.

Karol

That was one of the worst movies I saw that year, mainly due to the story, the completely uninteresting characters and its poor and inadequate storytelling (and thus no atmosphere). You are enthusiastic about the music? I thought the music was overly simplistic, especially in terms of harmony (banal campfire chords) and texture. Bridges' terrible and unpleasant overacting was probably the worst aspect of the film. To be honest, after 10 minutes, watching the movie became a tedious task. Needless to say, I prefer TRON (1982). Even though it's a movie with early CGI, it was way more other-worldly and it had a intriguing weirdness about it.

Alex

[crocodile 8,012]

I'm enthusiastic about how music worked with picture, not music for its own sake. You're not reading carefully.

Karol

[Quintus 5,399]

I think the music works superbly. It was also probably my most played car soundtrack cd that year.

[A24 4,333]

I'm enthusiastic about how music worked with picture, not music for its own sake. You're not reading carefully.

Karol

I know but it's the same for me. I only know the music with the pictures.

Daft Punk should stick to making disco with Pharrell and Nile Rodgers.

[Quintus 5,399]

Last night I ended up being drawn into a BBC movie called Common which was airing, a Jimmy McGovern (Cracker) penned one. It was about the UK's continued use of the hundreds of years old 'Joint Enterprise' law, whereby people, the lower working class in particular, are rounded up and given life sentences for the crime of association. Basically, if there's 5 guys out together and one of them sticks a knife in someone they are potentially all in line for prosecution in the the fullest sense and so the story explored the miscarriages of justice which occur where otherwise innocent and impeccably behaved citizens are are forced to plead guilty in order to reduce their mandatory sentence - but still serve up to six years anyway. Naive youngsters much of the time who in this case made the mistake that night of being out with the wrong person.

It was powerful stuff, well played. It's been a while since I watched anything tv produced of this kind of subject, a politically motivated connentary; and it was a reminder that the Beeb does indeed still make high calibre drama.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I was really enthralled with TRON Legacy in theaters but my second viewing at home wasn't particularly good or interesting. The score is great and the visuals are cool but that's about it.

[Jay 37,364]

Never seen it. Someday I probably will. Would need to re-watch the first one first though.

[Hurmm 91]

Daft Punk's score is really good, but the visuals... they look cool, but in a very expected and conventional sense.

[Quintus 5,399]

Yes. Sometimes I like a movie with good ol conventional sensibilities, especially if it's a popcorn flick.

Were some people expecting something a little more 'avant garde' from Disney? Last time they tried that (with Tron) they were left humiliated with a famous flop.

[A24 4,333]

No, but I didn't expect it to be oversimple either. Not sure if the score was responsible for the lack of success of the original TRON. TRON wasn't really a flop, BTW. It still made mucho bucks. Blade Runner was a much bigger flop that year.

[Quintus 5,399]

I went in expecting nothing tbh. Best way.

[A24 4,333]

It sure is.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Doesnt always help.

I watched Prometheus that way.

[A24 4,333]

Maybe the trick is to watch it twice. Maybe Prometheus is not so superbad as we think it is. Anyway, I did give it a 5/10, I think.

[Jay 37,364]

Maybe Prometheus is not so superbad as we think it is.

Haha, good one Alex!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

You first, Alex....

[Wojo 2,453]

TRON Legacy had a really fine looking Olivia Wilde, and the score tried to imbue the film with a larger sense of grandeur and doom than it deserved, being a completely phoney digital world. I bet it'd be great on Blu.

[mrbellamy 6,287]

In the Name of the King 3: The Last Mission

I'm actually disappointed. Everyone kept saying how bad Uwe Boll's movies are, but I was able to get through this relatively painlessly and without laughing too much. If the guy actually learned how to frame and edit action sequences (and pick better scripts), he'd be a decent B-movie director. For a low-budget DTV fantasy movie (save the terrible CGI), it looks pretty good too.

Boll's not the Antichrist of directors, but he's not the next Ed Wood either.

I thought the first one was pretty terrible (easily the worst film I've ever seen in a theater) and decided I was done with Boll after that. He's probably not the worst director ever but life is too short.