Jump to content

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


Mr. Breathmask

Recommended Posts

Why did It get such good reviews again? Critics have become so easily placated these days. 

 

Anyways I also watched Kingsman: The Golden Circle. I enjoyed the first one, wasn't really looking forward to a sequel, heard the lukewarm reviews, and went in with low expectations. Turned out to be good fun! Most of the plot choices don't make a lick of sense (why even bring back Colin Firth's character?) but Vaughn knows it doesn't need to make a lick of sense for it to be mash of fun. 

 

A Ghost Story... It's been sometime since I watched a less mainstream-friendly movie, but I really liked this. Almost like a silent film at times, with wisps of existentialism and melancholy. And a very apt movie title. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Hurmm said:

It (2017). 

 

Simply not good. And not scary in the slightest. The opening sequence with Georgie looking down into the gutter was creepy, but it's all down hill from there. 

 

Absolutely true! Also, the movie's tone was all over the place. Sometimes serious, then suddenly it turned into comedy, then it was absurd, then silly, et cetera. But never scary ... except for the sewer scene. You're right, that was the best moment of the movie.

 

nintchdbpict000315870838.jpg?strip=all&w

 

Sewer scene from the original movie, which was probably the best moment in that movie too, because that's all I remember from it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never seen the TV movie. But the sewer scene was always iconic I think, even from the book. Part of it I think is because of how surreal it is -- to find an adult clown existing within a small dank space below your feet, calling out to you. 

 

It's also one of the few sections of the book I still remember, that and the children sex scene and giant spider. What a weird book. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Margot At The Wedding

 

My Noah Baumbach retrospective continues with his 2007 film. Haven’t seen it in years but I really enjoyed it. The technical work is subtle, but the editing, cinematography, and character writing all create a pretty unique picture, I think. The performances are great and the lack of music for much of the film adds a nice touch to the tone and mood. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Empire Strikes Back. 

 

For my sins watched the Special Edition. Been watching the 'original' version past few years but figured SE to shake it up. The score really seals the deal. And there's still something about the ending. Must have been something to come out of that cinema in 1980 without the internet and all that it has therein, not knowing whether Han really would return for the next film, seeing the Empire win or at least get an upper hand and that revelation about Luke. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

This was really good, but I could have done without the whole subplot with Mary and Howard, and I didn't really get why Patrick was there, but it was still pretty awesome

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, Hawmy said:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

This was really good, but I could have done without the whole subplot with Mary and Howard, and I didn't really get why Patrick was there, but it was still pretty awesome

 

Patrick is the main reason they mess up the procedure, and the Mary/Howard plot is what brings about the resolution.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Patrick is the main reason they mess up the procedure, and the Mary/Howard plot is what brings about the resolution.


I figured that, but I just feel there could have been a better way to handle those two points. It's not like they detracted from the film in any way

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Eagle Has Landed - enjoyable WW2 adventure from the Jack Higgins novel with Michael Caine, Donalds Sutherland and Pleasance and Robert Duvall about a Nazi plot to snatch Winston Churchill from an English country house where he's staying before a planned visit to an airfield.
 

It was free to view on the iPlayer after being on Beeb 2 on Boxing Day :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Hawmy said:


I figured that, but I just feel there could have been a better way to handle those two points. It's not like they detracted from the film in any way

 

 

Watch the movie again 1 or 2 or 3 years later ans see what you feel about it. Eternal Sunshine is one of those movies that gets better. I had problems with the whimsical plotting and development at first too, but subsequent viewings just shed light on how perfect this movie is. Nothing is extraneous. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Sweeping Strings said:

The Eagle Has Landed - enjoyable WW2 adventure from the Jack Higgins novel with Michael Caine, Donalds Sutherland and Pleasance and Robert Duvall about a Nazi plot to snatch Winston Churchill from an English country house where he's staying before a planned visit to an airfield.
 

It was free to view on the iPlayer after being on Beeb 2 on Boxing Day :)

 

Yeah, Sweep, but it also has Jenny Agutter! :)

It's also got a nifty score by Lalo Schiffrin.

If you want to see this done "not for laughs", watch WENT THE DAY WELL?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I watched Avatar with my kids today because ever since they got back from Disney my daughter has not stopped asking to see the Pandora movie. Nine years since I saw it and what's amazing and frankly surprising is how much my PS4 games console sometimes produces visuals almost on par with some of the digital effects seen in this movie. The special effects on the indigenous wildlife have really dated quite badly! The facial performances of the Navi race are still striking though, the performances and expressions still convince and are pretty darn relatable. Then again, we can say the same about cartoony characters in a Pixar movie can we not? I think a lot of the illusion is carried rather simply by just an innate understanding we have with broad humanistic emotions, it doesn't really matter how realistic a face looks to our eye so long as we can recognise two eyes, a brow and a mouth - we'll be at least adequately moved by their love and despair regardless and on a very basic level. That's not to play down the beautifully nuanced facial capture seen in Avatar, though.

 

The movie itself I enjoyed, corny warts and all (and paying no heed to the eco warrior narrative bollocks underneath it all). The expositional dialogue is woefully bad, delivering information to the viewer in a way I haven't seen since Gordon Cole updated Albert about the backstory so far in Twin Peaks: The Return last summer. But that's really my biggest complaint. I know absolutely loads took major issue at the time with the recycled Pocahontas plot (a trend which continues with the Star Wars movies), but I don't care any more about that now than I did then. I like old stories if they're told well, even the predictable ones. Cameron makes a long but always cohesive romantic adventure film which moves along at a good beat and executes its highs and lows with a surity and skilful sleight of hand I wish I could find more of in other big modern movies these days. 

 

It's cheesy as hell in a lot of ways (same as his Titanic), but I love a good old fashioned rollicking adventure with broadly drawn goodies and baddies. Avatar fits the bill nicely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How did you watch it. If broadcast tv the effects lag but on blu it still looks very good. Imagine when the sequel comes out. The effects will move the envelope. 

 

There will be a 4K Avatar release at some point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the blu-ray in the house after a relative loaned it to me years ago. I suppose now is the time to hand it back.

 

The visual fidelity was excellent, yes. This rewatch has indeed put an eventual sequel back on my radar again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Quintus said:

The expositional dialogue is woefully bad, delivering information to the viewer in a way I haven't seen since Gordon Cole updated Albert about the backstory so far in Twin Peaks: The Return last summer.

 

That sound you just made with your feet is like a knife in my head!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Carol.

I couldn't keep watching this one. Even though I'm a bit tired of Blanchett, the plot seemed promising and someone with good taste had recommended this film to me earlier, but it's so gloomy, the women barely do more than whisper, it's depressing...

The music could have been more too. Very nice and subtle theme, but I was hoping for more romantic/sad music.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Avatar would have been more impressive if it hadn't been in development hell for so long. Cameron was convinced in the 90s that it would be the coolest thing we'd ever seen. Unfortunately, by the time it was released, we'd already seen CGI worlds and motion capture characters many times. We still paid $15 to see it in IMAX 3D though because Cameron never fails to deliver an entertaining flick.

 

I've never liked the lead actor in that one, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, bollemanneke said:

Carol.

I couldn't keep watching this one. Even though I'm a bit tired of Blanchett, the plot seemed promising and someone with good taste had recommended this film to me earlier, but it's so gloomy, the women barely do more than whisper, it's depressing...

The music could have been more too. Very nice and subtle theme, but I was hoping for more romantic/sad music.

I watched Carol a while back and really did not like it either. I am a big Blanchett fan and I think she does her best in a thankless movie that seems to be trying to make its central characters/romance utterly uninteresting. How did those two even fall in love?! They never spoke or seemed to feel or think anything. Ugh. Sorry I just can't stand movies with no personality sometimes...

And the music - yeah, held back, like the movie.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Totally agree. Watched Inside Out as a back-up.

 

I really liked this one. Fun and airy story and Anger made me laugh more than once. The voice cast was perfect as well, especially in Joy's case.

Giacchino's score was better than I expected it to be too. He's great at portraying happiness and the tense part was wonderful, but he should work on his sad music. It sufficed, but nothing more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alien (Theatrical cut, but I heard there's not much difference)

First time seeing it and it was pretty damn great. Would have been completely terrifying if I didn't know the very basic story and the xenomorph design already. Damn you, pop culture absorption! I really prefer these slow, atmospheric movies over the "let's put a loud noise every 2 seconds, that'll do it for the scares" kind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dune (1984)

 

Occasionally ugly, occasionally beautiful sci-fi epic that feels like it's crammed books fulls of mythology in a 2 and a bit hour film which actually has a very basic story.

 

It's bad, it's very bad in fact, yet it is not. 

 

The way this was filmed, the way the story is yold actually reminds me a lot of the Prequels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Stefancos said:

Dune (1984)

 

Occasionally ugly, occasionally beautiful sci-fi epic that feels like it's crammed books fulls of mythology in a 2 and a bit hour film which actually has a very basic story.

 

It's bad, it's very bad in fact, yet it is not. 

 

The way this was filmed, the way the story is yold actually reminds me a lot of the Prequels.

 

It isn't (or, rather, wasn't) a 2 hour and a bit film. Unfortunately, Lynch was virtually ordered to bring the film in on a 2hrs 17min length. He filmed every major scene, except the banquet, and the assembly cut was over 4hrs.

There are plenty of deleted scenes on YouTube, and someone has even done a "redux" on it.

Sadly, Lynch has disowned the film, and Tony Gibbs is no longer around to recut it. That Gibbs and Lynch did such a good job of telling a very complex story in such a short space of time, is nothing short of miraculous (you can probably tell that I'm just a tiny bit of a fan :)).

For all its faults,  D U N E  is beautiful to both look at, and to listen to (Alan Splett at his best). Just cover your eyes when Sting's codpiece comes on screen!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Denise Bryson said:

So wadda ya'll think of Eraserhead? I'm about to revisit it after eight years since I first saw it.

 

Too artsy fartsy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's what I remember how I felt about it. It's been thirty years ago. Maybe I wasn't ready. Maybe I expected something else. Apparently Kubrick thought it wasn't half bad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

Haven't seen it yet.

The lead from Eraserhead has a small role in Dune.

 

He also played Pete in Twin Peaks. Anyone familiar with Jack Nance would be aware that he was a strange fella.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

43 minutes ago, Denise Bryson said:

So wadda ya'll think of Eraserhead? I'm about to revisit it after eight years since I first saw it.

 

37 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

 

Too artsy fartsy!

 

36 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

Alex doesn't like it? Hmmm....

 

...which probably means you'll love it, Jerry :lol:

It's artsy-fartsy, it's experimental, it's also compelling, and very good filmmaking. One can see a lot of Lynchian themes beginning to take shape, in ERASERHEAD. 

 

 

12 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

The midget is insane...

I thought he was a Pisces :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Richard said:

 

 

...which probably means you'll love it, Jerry :lol:

 

I saw it in 2010 at a screening for the Sydney Uni Film Studies Society. One of the strangest and most disturbing film experiences I can recall. I liked it, but I got the shits with this crop of egghead undergraduates who lauded it along with If..., but thought It's a Wonderful Life stank. These were also screened.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't mind it. What I did mind were these smart arse uni know-it-alls who after viewing these films at the society screenings insisted If... was serious and great cinema, while dismissing It's a Wonderful Life as outdated, schmaltzy and inferior, as if its age and storytelling approach somehow invalidated it as worthy cinema. I kind of figured rather quickly that this wasn't my kind of crowd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.