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

[Koray Savas 2,251]

37 minutes ago, Ghostbusters II said:

The supernatural stuff in the first movie was tolerable and it at least was a charming attempt to tie in to the dioramas with skeletons at the start of the ride at Disneyland.

 

The sequels made everything in the universe paranormal similar to The Mummy series of movies, only not done as well. They're just not very engaging and they're way too long, although DMC does have some fun bits like the swordfight. They're loaded with temporary alliances and betrayals, which annoyed me. I just think it's bad writing. That sort of thing was done perfectly in the first movie.

The entire franchise is fantasy. 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I thought it was a documentary?

[bollemanneke 3,349]

Wait, it... wasn't a documentary?

 

All I maen is that I love the medieval pirate setting, not the curses, sea monsters etc. As has been said before, the first movie sort of made you accept all that.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

It’s typical pirate lore. I find the first three movies stylistically and thematically consistent (haven’t seen the others).

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

PATTON

DISCLAIMER: I saw this two months ago and I didn't take a lot of notes, so I did my best to string together this review from some material I already wrote and memory. As a result I have not arranged a very extensive overview.

 

Thanks to @SteveMc for the recommendation a while back.

 

General George S. Patton is certainly a colourful character, and can be seen as either a hero or a tyrant (in his own way), depending on who you ask. The 1970 biographical war drama does well to present both sides of the character, from organizing strategic brilliance and swift, impactful tactics to the less than savoury pitfalls of his career, including slapping a shell-shocked soldier in the face. He was definitely a force to be reckoned with during World War II, and George C. Scott's performance is immersive and fronting, as it would need to be. The film won best picture, and I must say that I can see why. 

 

Patton can be a very angry and profane man, and he has his own thoughts as to how he should command his army. There are a number of very key points in the script that stand out as a reflection of the real-life Patton's actual personality and the screenplay by Franics Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North. Here are a few samples, some more in line with actual quotes and others crafted for the purpose of the film.

 

PATTON: Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.

 

PATTON: Rommel... you magnificent bastard, I read your book! 

 

CLERGYMAN: I was interested to see a Bible by your bed. You actually find time to read it?

PATTON: I sure do. Every goddamn day.

 

CHAPLAIN: I don't know how this is going to be received, General, praying for good weather so we can kill our fellow man?

 

There are many more I could share, but let's just keep it at this for now. 

 

The photography is pretty well spot-on, especially for having to handle massive-scale battle scenes (especially a huge desert battle crawling with tanks, heavy artillery, and multiple battalions worth of men) and many action shots that would have ended up being all to typical and overdone in today's cinema. Patton does otherwise, and breaks the mold of monotonous and all-too-typical war filmmaking that it may have succumbed to had it been produced and shot by anyone else. That being said, it's not anything revolutionary, save for the aforementioned battle sequences.

 

 

Between Scott and Karl Malden the performances are superb, with a large supporting cast and plenty of extras. The amazing takeaway is how "big" the film is, which is even more astounding considering that everything is done practically (no animation here). 

 

Goldsmith's score is rather minimalistic in it's spotting, considering there's nearly three hours of footage to work with. Despite this, it's still a very, very good score. The main symphonic march is the most popular cue.

 

RATING: **** and a half * out of *****

CONSENSUAL STATEMENT: "Very well executed war bio-drama caters to all views of the title figure, Patton, in a large-scale epic for the ages." -Jerry

 

[Faleel 5,350]

"That's enough!!"

[JoeinAR 1,949]

5 stars out of 5. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The thinking man's war movie!

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Eiger Sanction is on. The Clint/John connection 

If Superman has the all time greatest credits Eiger Sanction may have the worst.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

1 hour ago, JoeinAR said:

Eiger Sanction may have the worst.

 

If it wasn't glazed over by the balsamic reduction of time, can you imagine just how much of a beating this movie would get? 

[Quintus 5,399]

I like the chilled music though.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Chilled a monkey brain

[Nick Parker 3,040]

1 hour ago, Quintus said:

I like the chilled music though.

 

This is seriously one of my favorite Williams things ever.

 

 

 

That piano is so damn slick, and I love it when comes back later even more aggressive. Such a weird track, the whole thing is ace.

 

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

11 hours ago, JoeinAR said:

5 stars out of 5. 

I think 4.5 stars out of 5, leaning closer to 5 stars as it is, is a pretty good rating coming from me. Forgive me, but perhaps Americans take a greater liking to it because of its patriotism and focus. That being said, I was not deterred by it for these reasons. I know that some less enthusiastic movie-goers would complain a film is too American or too British, which is really quite preposterous. I have no reservations whatsoever, and would sooner watch these sort of films than many of the homegrown Canadian ones I've heard of, with all respect. It may be a rather silly thing to point out, and I hope I haven't stoked any fires. If so, please ignore my comments so as not to create any unnecessary clamour, unless you feel this is good subject matter to debate.

[SteveMc 2,674]

The imperialistic themes in Patton are universal.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

2 hours ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

I think 4.5 stars out of 5, leaning closer to 5 stars as it is, is a pretty good rating coming from me. Forgive me, but perhaps Americans take a greater liking to it because of its patriotism and focus. That being said, I was not deterred by it for these reasons. I know that some less enthusiastic movie-goers would complain a film is too American or too British, which is really quite preposterous. I have no reservations whatsoever, and would sooner watch these sort of films than many of the homegrown Canadian ones I've heard of, with all respect. It may be a rather silly thing to point out, and I hope I haven't stoked any fires. If so, please ignore my comments so as not to create any unnecessary clamour, unless you feel this is good subject matter to debate.

Some of us appreciate it more I suppose. Course I have been infatuated with it for nearly 50 years. I do not think of it in terms of too much American/ Canadian/ British though it is America/Allies(good) vs Germany(evil).

For someone so direct and abrupt as Patton was his demise seems equally abrupt. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

50 years? Oh come on it hasn't been that long. 1970 was only about 30 years ago.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

4 minutes ago, The Original said:

50 years? Oh come on it hasn't been that long. 1970 was only about 30 years ago.

 

Star Wars is like 25 years old, right?

[JoeinAR 1,949]

6 minutes ago, The Original said:

50 years? Oh come on it hasn't been that long. 1970 was only about 30 years ago.

Then I am 38 because I was only 9 when it came out.

[bollemanneke 3,349]

The pelican brief.

 

Quite good, although I only really started to enjoy it after about an hour. Before that, there was something decidedly dull about it, or maybe it was just bad pacing. Once things started to unfold, however, that all changed, although I still think there are a few overly long monologues that don't make much sense because I didn't get enough time to take it all in. I did enjoy Denzel Washington's performance this time. My God, what's happening to me?

The score is also very decent. I especially loved the quieter cues, but there's also an insanely fast-paced action cue that just underscores Derby walking hand in hand with a killer who's only slowly pointing a gun.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

Parts 1 and 2

 

Hey these weren’t bad. Wish I watched them a long time ago. Particularly liked the slower pace of Part 1. Cinematography is terrible all around though. Color grading and lack of any sort of sunlight really kills the look, for me. I’m fine with darker palettes but these were so drained of contrast that they may as well have been in black and white. 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

18 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

Parts 1 and 2

 

Hey these weren’t bad. Wish I watched them a long time ago. Particularly liked the slower pace of Part 1. Cinematography is terrible all around though. Color grading and lack of any sort of sunlight really kills the look, for me. I’m fine with darker palettes but these were so drained of contrast that they may as well have been in black and white. 

These are dark times 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Harry Porter and the Horcrux War Part 2 is usually regarded as a torture test for TV black levels by tech reviewers.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

The Wicker Man - not my first time watching this British folk-horror classic, but it WAS the first time that the dark 'n' twisted BBC comedy The League Of Gentlemen (the film is one of the show's many influences) kept coming to mind while doing so, causing me to chuckle throughout. And always good to see Britt Ekland's half-naked scenes, hehehe.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

 

Phoowee! That was a good one. But isn't Tom getting a bit old to be stunting himself around like he does? The guy's a debilitating injury waiting to happen. People lamented Lorne Balfe doing the score, but it's actually not that bad. Not as great as Joe Kraemer's but still pretty exciting, especially that bad guy motif that flourishes in the big helicopter battle. The score has some Batman Begins-ish moments, but that's okay. Only problem is Michelle Monaghan and Rebecca Ferguson kinda look alike, so I had to think twice about who was who in a few shots. About as good as an action flick gets these days.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Fallout was great, but I prefer the more character-based climax of Rogue Nation to the balls-out action climax of Fallout, even if the helicopter chase was glorious.  Either way, I'm perfectly happy for McQuarrie to continue making these movies.  Although he should rehire Kraemer, obviously.

[Jay 37,368]

They brought back Michelle Monaghan for 6 after she sat out 5? TIL!

 

I gotta see this movie at some point....

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Just now, Jay said:

I gotta see this movie at some point....

 

I can't believe you haven't seen it!  With Ghost Protocol-Rogue Nation-Fallout it's one of the best ongoing franchises of the decade.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

It's a series that gets better as it goes on!

[Jay 37,368]

I like all the MI movies apart from 2 (which is truly terrible), and consider 5 the second best one after 1, but my enthusiasm was deflated after Kraemer got the boot so I had no reason to go see it in the cinema and haven't gotten around to watching it at home.  My wife even got me the 6-film blu ray box set for Christmas, too!

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Just now, The Original said:

It's a series that gets better as it goes on!

 

Like I said above, right now the peak is 5 so I can't really agree with this, but it certainly is basically maintaining a very impressive level of quality

[Chen G. 3,949]

They're not my jam, but for what its worth, I like Rogue Nation much more, and quite possibly Ghost Protocol, too.

 

I don't know that its a series that needs eight movies, though.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

2 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

 

Like I said above, right now the peak is 5 so I can't really agree with this, but it certainly is basically maintaining a very impressive level of quality

 

Well maybe we can both agree that the later end of the franchise is better than the earlier end.

 

Just now, Chen G. said:

I don't know that its a series that needs eight movies. I mean,

 

Does 007 need 25 movies?

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Just now, The Original said:

Well maybe we can both agree that the later end of the franchise is better than the earlier end.

 

For sure.  I like the first one, but I definitely prefer the latter three.

[Chen G. 3,949]

6 minutes ago, The Original said:

Does 007 need 25 movies?

 

No.

 

But James Bond is also different in that every new Bond means a new continuity, more or less. The most films per one Bond were seven.

[SteveMc 2,674]

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

Very enjoyable romp with Steve Martin and Michael Caine.  Lots of laughs.  Directed by Frank Oz, too, which surprised me quite a bit.  

One criticism: the pacing is slightly off.  Takes awhile for the heart of the plot to set in motion.  Still very fun regardless.  Has anyone seen the Brando/Niven original?

3/4

 

Air Force One (1997)

Harrison Ford is President Jack Ry-, I mean James Marshal, who must defend his countrymen and his his family from Iri-, no Russian terrorists.  So, it is another Ford everyman hero action thriller.  But, it is a good one.  Lots of high stakes moments.  Oldman is so very slinky as the main villain.  The best thing about this movie is that it knowingly straddles the line between taking itself seriously, and just being a fun piece of entertainment.  It's no Patriot Games, but I enjoyed it.

3.5/4   

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

3 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

 

No.

 

But James Bond is also different in that every new Bond means a new continuity. The most films per one Bond were seven.

 

Not quite. The Moore films exist within the same continuity as the Connery films, and loosely with the Lazenby film.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I always assume people are joking when they talk about continuity with Bond films.  It's just completely irrelevant to any of the films, outside of maybe the cold open of For Your Eyes Only.  And that was really just a thumbing of the nose at the Thunderball dude

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Dr No - Die Another Day all exist within the same loose continuity. The series' only definite, explicit reboot was with Craig/Casino Royale.      

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I just don't see what is gained from giving it any thought at all. 

[Chen G. 3,949]

7 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

I always assume people are joking when they talk about continuity with Bond films.  It's just completely irrelevant to any of the films.

 

Yeah, its an episodic series: each film is its own thing. That is, until Spectre came around and tried to rope in all of the previous Craig-films.

 

The same is true of Mission Impossible, until Fallout which is very much a direct sequel to Rogue Nation. Reports that MI-7 and 8 will shoot concurrently seem to suggest that those two films will be inter-connected, as well.

[SteveMc 2,674]

The continuity is only there when they need it.  If something doesn't make sense, it's because it's not supposed to.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

9 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

 

Yeah, its an episodic series: each film is its own thing. That is, until Spectre came around and tried to rope in all of the previous Craig-films.

 

The same is true of Mission Impossible, until Fallout which is very much a direct sequel to Rogue Nation. Reports that MI-7 and 8 will shoot concurrently seem to suggest that those two films will be inter-connected, as well.

Its more connected than you give it credit.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

The Missions Impossible are much more connected by explicit continuity than the Bonds have ever been.

[Chen G. 3,949]

Yeah, but it was never quite like the way in which Rogue Nation and Fallout are connected.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Everytime Tom mounts a motorcycle in the later movies, it always reminds me of the second film.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I pretend the 2nd film does not exist. John Woo is a terrible director.

[A24 4,338]

Saw little bits of Supes III (the one with Richard Pryor) on TV. I was surprised that some scenes actually look good. Has this movie been cleaned and remastered in HD or something?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Superman III does look pretty good on blu-ray.

[A24 4,338]

Clark holding that sweater with the 'S' against his chest was funny.

 

"Smallville, Lois!"