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

[Jay 37,368]

The final scene is the best part and makes the film

[Quintus 5,399]

It's extremely vague in my mind all these years later, but I do remember that once they get inside the house the creeping terror did reach fever pitch where I was sitting in the cinema.

[A24 4,338]

Why can't there be more films like Gattaca?

Some would say Gravity is like that but it isn't really science fiction, in my book, nor is it in Cuaron's book. Another recent example is Duncan Jones' Moon which I didn't really like either .. but I appreciated it.

[Jay 37,368]

It's extremely vague in my mind all these years later, but I do remember that once they get inside the house the creeping terror did reach fever pitch where I was sitting in the cinema.

Yep.

Why can't there be more films like Gattaca?

Some would say Gravity is like that but it isn't really science fiction, in my book, nor is it in Cuaron's book. Another recent example is Duncan ones' Moon which I didn't really like either .. but I appreciated it.

I don't see why anyone would compare Gattaca to Gravity, two completely different movies on almost every level. Dunno where you came up with that one.

I saw Moon and didn't love it, didn't hate it... it was just kinda... meh.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

The final scene is the best part and makes the film

It's extremely vague in my mind all these years later, but I do remember that once they get inside the house the creeping terror did reach fever pitch where I was sitting in the cinema.

Yep. Actually, that's the only thing I remember from the film. The previous 70 minutes were just filler leading up to that scene.

[Jay 37,368]

Pretty much

[A24 4,338]

I don't see why anyone would compare Gattaca to Gravity, two completely different movies on almost every level. Dunno where you came up with that one.

Well, I won't explain the obvious ...

The previous 70 minutes were just filler leading up to that scene.

My thoughts exactly. When I saw that scene, I said to myself, why couldn't the whole film be more like that?

. it was just kinda... meh.

It was "meh" but at least it did an effort to be smaller and more intimate sci-fi with an emphasis on drama.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Yes, the unknown can be scary, but before that happens, I need to be a witness of things that I find unsettling.

And that's where the bloody teeth and the wooden stick figures come in. The premise of this primal being taunting them is what I find most unsettling about it. Maybe it is an age thing, I saw it in theaters when I was 9. Still have the ticket stub!

[Quintus 5,399]

I remember the extremely faint crying baby in the middle of the night. It was so quiet it was barely even audible - I wonder if home release viewers even picked up on it?

That was effective. It creeped me out and it made me wonder.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I've never seen it, but it's that kind of suggestive, vague stuff that most gets to me. The stuff that makes your imagination do all the work, resulting in a disturbingly personal fear. I'll have to check it out.

That's literally the only good proper sci-fi movie I've seen in nearly 10 years. When will the drought end?

November.

[Jay 37,368]

[Hurmm 91]

All that "nothing happening" before the ending was necessary for the ending to be effective. It was all building up to that point. Without it the ending wouldn't have that kind of impact. As Quint and Koray pointed out the bloody teeth and creepy sounds really made you uneasy so that when the climax came you're vulnerable at that point. I've only seen it once and thought it was a really effective horror movie. I found it unsettling and terrifying because the stuff that happens in it is so possible within the realms of this world, and yet it is at the same time unexplainable. In the usual horror movies with ghosts and supernatural stuff my mind tells me such things don't exist in our world, so it takes more to unsettle me. In Blair Witch everything that happens could very well happen. Try imagining yourself being in the woods like that, with stuff like THAT happening around you. Creepy as hell. It's a movie that works purely as an experience.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Well said.

[A24 4,338]

I agree that a circle of piled pebbles or stones is possible in this world but to me it isn't creepy at all. If this happened in real life while camping, maybe, but I don't think so. I would think it's someone pulling a prank.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

You're too young to enjoy Gattaca

I saw it last year (I was 21) and I loved it, especially Michael Nyman's score. It's a completely different film to GRAVITY - slow and lyrical.

SNOWPIECER looks pretty dire IMO. The sociological allegory sounds simplistic and banal. A strong Asian cinema influence would promising if the influence wasn't Hong Kong action movies, the lowest common denominator. Looks like it'll be hacking through carriages plus earnest PC crap.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I agree that a circle of piled pebbles or stones is possible in this world but to me it isn't creepy at all. If this happened in real life while camping, maybe, but I don't think so. I would think it's someone pulling a prank.

Right, just like they did, until they found the teeth!

[A24 4,338]

It's a completely different film to GRAVITY - slow and lyrical.

That's what they say about Gravity.

SNOWPIECER looks pretty dire IMO. The sociological allegory sounds simplistic and banal. A strong Asian cinema influence would promising if the influence wasn't Hong Kong action movies, the lowest common denominator. Looks like it'll be hacking through carriages plus earnest PC crap.

Snowpiercer is comic books, not Hong Kong action movies.

[Jay 37,368]

People say Gravity is slow and lyrical? Who the hell says that?

[A24 4,338]

Too many reviews to mention, Jay.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

It's a completely different film to GRAVITY - slow and lyrical.

That's what they say about Gravity.

Not really. GRAVITY'S an immersive, pseudo-spiritual, roller coaster ride. Sure, it has its quieter moments ('I don't know how to pray', the foetal position), but over all it's way more blockbuster-y. There's nothing as visceral as the debris collision or re-entry in GATTACA.

SNOWPIECER looks pretty dire IMO. The sociological allegory sounds simplistic and banal. A strong Asian cinema influence would promising if the influence wasn't Hong Kong action movies, the lowest common denominator. Looks like it'll be hacking through carriages plus earnest PC crap.

Snowpiercer is comic books, not Hong Kong action movies.

That's not inspiring any hope.

[A24 4,338]

It wouldn't surprise me if they say it more about Gravity than about Gattaca.

[Jay 37,368]

yea, gravity's a 80 minute roller coaster ride, nothing slow about it at all

[Quintus 5,399]

Too many reviews to mention, Jay.

Can you show us at least one of them? Go on, I want to read it!

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Too many reviews to mention, Jay.

Can you show us at least one of them? Go on, I want to read it!

This. And it better be in English.

[A24 4,338]

I can do better than that:

Sandra Bullock: "This movie (Gravity) is very lyrical."

Alex

[Quintus 5,399]

Hahaha!

[A24 4,338]

Do you have a similar quote about Gattaca from Ethan Hawke? I don't think so!

[Wojo 2,453]

Too many reviews to mention, Jay.

I found one by Googling three words: gattaca gravity review

http://szgashi.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/gattaca-film-review/

'With minor discrepancies, including the lack of video surveillance pretty much everywhere and the ridiculous idea that Ethan Hawke and Jude Law look anything alike, the screenplay itself is decently written. Possibly the result of watching “Gravity” by Alfonso Cuarón last night, I can’t help but compare and contrast the film with “Gattaca.”'

But it is the blog of a student, not a mainstream published review. The burden of proof is not on me to find "too many...to mention."

[Quintus 5,399]

Hehe good stuff!

[KK 3,307]

You're too young to enjoy Gattaca

especially Michael Nyman's score.

Agreed. Nyman's score was exquisite.

[Marian Schedenig 8,198]

The heart of Gattaca isn't the science though, it's the... heart. Triumph of the human spirit. And on that front the film succeeds quite magnificently.

Yes. There's hardly any science in it.

Europa Report was good too. A film that captures galactic mystique.

I want to see that, but the German Blu release is bad. I'll have to get a different version.

Yes, the unknown can be scary, but before that happens, I need to be a witness of things that I find unsettling. That didn't happen when I watched Blair Witch. Actually, I did like the very last scene which, strangely enough, some people didn't like because they deemed it "too vague". What a crazy world, huh.

What about Wise's The Haunting? Nothing much is happening there for most of the film. Just some stories and loud noises. Plus a background story that's, at least by today's standards, pretty laughable. And yet it still manages to create a nicely mysterious atmosphere, something the FX laden remake (which lets you witness things that are supposed to be scary) fails to do.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This was really good. An interesting change of pace for the superhero genre, as has been said plenty of times. I like how post-Avengers even in the "solo" outings, there's still a sense of a team effort. Wish I had seen this when it came out so it would have tied into the ABC show more, since both were quite exciting on their own. Even Jackman's score was better than I expected. The bit over the credits was actually pretty interesting.

I think I enjoyed this more than GOTG.

[A24 4,338]

Yes. There's hardly any science in it.

And yet, Gattaca is as science fiction as it can get. Not only is the science (genetic manipulation/engineering) futuristic yet credible, it also has a profound effect on the human psyche. I don't think many other so-called science fiction movies can tick all the same boxes.

I think I enjoyed this more than GOTG.

Me too, even though I'm so tired of the giant air battle climax.

What about Wise's The Haunting? Nothing much is happening there for most of the film. Just some stories and loud noises. Plus a background story that's, at least by today's standards, pretty laughable. And yet it still manages to create a nicely mysterious atmosphere, something the FX laden remake (which lets you witness things that are supposed to be scary) fails to do.

The Haunting is longer relevant now that I've seen The Others.

alex

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

The giant air battle climax wasn't as dreary as I expected it to be. But I am absolutely tired of explosions and twisted grey metal.

[Jay 37,368]

Yes. There's hardly any science in it.

And yet, Gattaca is as science fiction as it can get. Not only is the science (genetic manipulation/engineering) futuristic yet credible, it also has a profound effect on the human psyche. I don't think many others so-called science fiction movies can tick all the same boxes.

Well said.

[Marian Schedenig 8,198]

The Haunting is longer relevant now that I've seen The Others.

Explain.

[Romão 2,274]

The Five -Year Engagement:

Comedy that starts off being not so funny, then after 50 minutes it becomes very funny, only to end with all the clichés in the book. It must be said, the two leading actors have a pretty good chemistry together. Enjoyable. 6/10

BTW, what's up with this Jason Segel guy? He's in every comedy I see these days.

Alex

I watched this yesterday and I genuinely enjoyed it. And Emily Blunt. How come she had never caught my eye before? I'd easily wait 5 years to marry her

[A24 4,338]

The Haunting is longer relevant now that I've seen The Others.

Explain.

I liked The Haunting. I still do, but after being so impressed with The Others, the former sorta lost its effect on me. I find the Kubrickesque storytelling of The Others (Amenabar said it wasn't deliberate but he understands why people are reminded of Kubrick) to be enormously more captivating.

[Marian Schedenig 8,198]

The Haunting is too cliched and dated to be genuinely scary today, but it still has a nice atmosphere. The Others, which I haven't seen in years, was also excellent (not least thanks to the wonderful Fionnula Flanagan). And it's also a film that doesn't actually show anything scary until the end, except some erratic and confusing character behaviour. So the question remains: Why is that a problem for Blair Witch?

[Quintus 5,399]

The trouble with time is it unfairly undermines the brilliance of the past.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Time After Time with Malcolm McDonald, the always amazing David Warner and Doc's annoying girlfriend from Back to the Future Part III (who was slightly less annoying here). It was pretty fun, actually. Good Rozsa score, too.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Wonderful, heartwarming and clever film!

[KK 3,307]

Europa Report

It was refreshing to see science fiction with some real science in it for once! Plays much like your standard horror film, but made all the more interesting by its depiction of Europa and the journey. Concise, economical, effective. Good stuff.

Mydisappointment was with the ending however. Don't get me wrong, I'm not referring to how it played out (which was good, if a bit on the idealistic side), but more for

the design of the creature. The film maintained such an expert sense of realism up until that very last shot of the creature. Looks like it came straight out of the Matrix! And considering how clean it looked too, it nearly took me out of the whole movie.

But other than that small blimp, consider me quite satisfied!

Oh and I really enjoyed the score in the film! I was never a fan of Bear McCreary, but this was a job well done. Good theme, coloured by some minimalist electronic details. Helped sell the film.

[DreamTheater 131]

Godzilla

The new one, it was okay, giant beasts destroying the world and not caring about what happens to the humans, and neither did I for that matter. But the spectacle was nice. I like the fact this one takes the source material seriously but why did it have to be so dark again (visually and stylistically)... I prefer the previous one that had a lighter tone to it, but may not be a true Godzilla flick.

About the score, it irritated the hell out of me... never been into Desplat, but his relentless droning almost gave me a headache.

[Quintus 5,399]

Europa Report

It was refreshing to see science fiction with some real science in it for once! Plays much like your standard horror film, but made all the more interesting by its depiction of Europa and the journey. Concise, economical, effective. Good stuff.

Mydisappointment was with the ending however. Don't get me wrong, I'm not referring to how it played out (which was good, if it was a bit on the idealistic side), but more for

the design of the creature. The film maintained such an expert sense of realism up until that very last shot of the creature. Looks like it came straight out of the Matrix! And considering how clean it looked too, it nearly took me out of the whole movie.

But other than that blimp, consider me quite satisfied!

Oh and I really enjoyed the score in the film! I was never a fan of Bear McCreary, but this was a job well done. Good theme, coloured by some minimalist electronic details. Helped sell the film.

I actually really liked the money shot, I thought the biology of it was very satisfying! In that one fleeting shot I could even discern

intelligence in the creature

, it was a most rewarding climax to a quality slice of proper sci-fi. Need to see the movie a second time.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I need to check it out. Bear's score is good stuff.

[crocodile 8,017]

Skyfall

Karol

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Time After Time with Malcolm McDonald, the always amazing David Warner and Doc's annoying girlfriend from Back to the Future Part III (who was slightly less annoying here). It was pretty fun, actually. Good Rozsa score, too.

Hehe, you've been watching Plinkett.

[KK 3,307]

Europa Report

It was refreshing to see science fiction with some real science in it for once! Plays much like your standard horror film, but made all the more interesting by its depiction of Europa and the journey. Concise, economical, effective. Good stuff.

Mydisappointment was with the ending however. Don't get me wrong, I'm not referring to how it played out (which was good, if it was a bit on the idealistic side), but more for

the design of the creature. The film maintained such an expert sense of realism up until that very last shot of the creature. Looks like it came straight out of the Matrix! And considering how clean it looked too, it nearly took me out of the whole movie.

But other than that blimp, consider me quite satisfied!

Oh and I really enjoyed the score in the film! I was never a fan of Bear McCreary, but this was a job well done. Good theme, coloured by some minimalist electronic details. Helped sell the film.

I actually really liked the money shot, I thought the biology of it was very satisfying! In that one fleeting shot I could even discern

intelligence in the creature

, it was a most rewarding climax to a quality slice of proper sci-fi. Need to see the movie a second time.

I liked the climax, just didn't like that one aspect of it.

What I really appreciated about Europa Report is that it's an entertaining sci-fi film, with authentic credible science, which never cheats or falters for the sake of thrills. You just don't see that much anymore.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Hm. This sounds interesting. Is it better than gimmicky scifi like Gravity or Moon?