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

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

Richard, you really should stop experimenting with such dangerous stuff. No wonder Sweeps got worried!

[A24 4,331]

18 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

 I will say that, although I think that they are both pompous, overblown, up-their-own-arses POS ...

 

Compared to TDK, Batman Begins feels like a fun, lighthearted Bat flick.

[Quintus 5,399]

I hate the deathly serious tone of TDK so much I never did see the third film. 

 

Although apparently TDK is also one of the greatest films of all time, so they say.

[SteveMc 2,674]

 

Roman Holiday

Pretty much a perfect movie and an old favorite.   The cast is excellent.  Hepburn is magnificent.  My only complaint is that Gregory Peck seems a bit too well put together to play a b-level reporter, but he sells his character's actions and feelings later on very well.  Wyler's direction is just right.  Auric's score fits in perfectly.  Trumbo's script is magnificent.  Hilarious, tender, engaging, witty.  

There's some weight to things, too.  It's not just that the Princess chooses her duty and country over her feelings, and in the process becomes her own person (the character development is exquisite).  Trumbo throws in some socioeconomic subtext.  The very everyman named Joe Bradley is stuck via his economic circumstances in Rome.  But he's also a sucker for the old world charms of the city and falls for a royal.  But Princess Anne is trapped by this old world system that serves to keep her from true happiness.  She is trapped by monarchism even though she thinks she is making a decision on her own.  She has matured, but only so much as the system she was born into allows it.  And, although Joe has softened and become more respectable as a person, monarchism is also keeping him from true happiness, and his hard nosed boss now has him so that he won't be economically able to leave Rome and fulfill his possible potential.  He's not much better off at the end in some respects.  Very adroit writing.     

Classic all around.

4/4

[KK 3,307]

 

Death in Venice

 

This film fascinates me. Mostly because I understand what it aims to achieve, and yet I feel thoroughly underwhelmed by its execution. There are a few moments where the film rises to its potential, namely that closing shot of the boy, the object of beauty, taking his contrapposto stance against the setting sun. It's in those brief moments that you actually the see the poetry of this dance between the two central characters shine through. But so much of Visconti's film actually flattens out both the sensuality and the more philosophical discourse on mortality and beauty that I imagine the more literary source material wrestles with. It's force fed to the audience like expositional dialogue in a Nolan film! And frankly, neither of the protagonists give convincing performances that manage to rise above watching an older man stalking a minor around Venice for two hours. Still, it is an intriguing case study of how early film dealt with queerness. But the source material must clearly be much richer than what the film manages to deliver.

 

Also, the amount of times the film keeps repeating the same Mahler...talk about beating a dead horse! 

 

 

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Have you seen MAHLER which has a hilarious in joke about DIV?

[publicist 4,643]

40 minutes ago, KK said:

Death in Venice

 

This film fascinates me. Mostly because I understand what it aims to achieve, and yet I feel thoroughly underwhelmed by its execution.

 

I similarly laboured through all later Viscontis - post-Leopard - and i found them all stilted, larmoyant bores. 

[KK 3,307]

11 minutes ago, publicist said:

 

I similarly laboured through all later Viscontis - post-Leopard - and i found them all stilted, larmoyant bores. 

 

I suspected as much, which is why I've put off Visconti's filmography for as long as I have. Even The Leopard strikes me as bloated excess. But I saw that this one was leaving the Criterion Channel this month, and I was in the mood for some proper European existential angst so checked it out.

[publicist 4,643]

I love The Leopard, but you have to be in the mood for it. Lancaster is majestic in it, whereas he's kind of doe-eyed in the 1975 'Conversation Piece'. Kael liked that: 

Quote

The theme is DEATH IN VENICE all over again, with Burt Lancaster playing Aschenbach to Helmut Berger's Konrad (a garish, grown-up Tadzio). But the director, Luchino Visconti, is in a jovial mood, and the dignified older man-a retired American professor-isn't destroyed; on the contrary, he is recalled to life. Visconti pictures have often had an undercurrent of silliness, and in this one the silliness is very close to the surface; however, there's grandeur in the director's follies and in his allowing his sexual and political obsessions to be displayed so openly. As Konrad, who moves into an apartment in the professor's house, Berger flaunts the mannerisms that many other actors avoid. A petulant little nymph, Konrad is being kept by a venemous, tantrummy Countess (Silvana Mangano), but he's also supposed to be a revolutionary. In Visconti's view, Konrad is a victim of those to whom he sells his favors, and at the end he stands revealed as a saint. It's an idiosyncratic film, it's cuckoo-an old man's film (partly directed from a wheelchair)-but it's very likable. 

 

I turned it off after 40 minutes, as i didn't get into it, but you might give it a try. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

17 hours ago, AC1 said:

 

Compared to TDK, Batman Begins feels like a fun, lighthearted Bat flick.

 

I revisited BB recently during my Bat-a-thon and found it more boring than algebra 2. TDK was obnoxiously serious but it held my attention more.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

There was a time, not that long ago, when Sergio Leone wouldn't have been mentioned in the same breath as the " great" Visconti.

 

Now it's " Who's Bisconti?"

Antonioni and Fellini are still cool, though.

😎

 

1 hour ago, publicist said:

 

I similarly laboured through all later Viscontis - post-Leopard - and i found them all stilted, larmoyant bores. 

" larmoyant"?😗

[publicist 4,643]

In more plain english, maudlin.

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

What's it in German?

[Sweeping Strings 2,357]

Serenity - it's not often that the fan outcry over a show being cancelled after one season leads to a 'wrap-up' movie being greenlit ... but so it proved with Firefly, Joss Whedon's first post-Buffy project.

This stays true to the show's spirit whilst taking advantage of the bigger budget available (hiring Chiwetel Ejiofor as the bad guy, for example).

[A24 4,331]

4 hours ago, Sweeping Strings said:

This stays true to the show's spirit whilst taking advantage of the bigger budget available (hiring Chiwetel Ejiofor as the bad guy, for example).

 

Was he costly?

 

[Sweeping Strings 2,357]

Granted I'm speculating a bit but he'd previously worked with the likes of Spielberg, Stephen Frears, Richard Curtis and Spike Lee.  

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

He's good as the interpretor, in AMISTAD, but it would have been far more interesting, if Andrew Lincoln had had a crush on him, rather than on Knightley.

[bollemanneke 3,343]

Jackie Brown.

 

I had some misgivings during the very first scene, but obviously it was mostly amazing. Everyone is just great and the story is fascinating too, though I do think I want a re-watch. This was also the first time I needed time to like Samuel Jackson’s character and I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for anything with Pam Grier and Robert Forster in it.

And the music was obviously great too. Tarantino is awesome.

 

[Romão 2,274]

It's my favorite Tarantino

[Matt C 453]

I'm watching a handful of these Fleischer Superman cartoons. You can clearly see how influential these were to Bruce Timm and Miyazaki (particularly "The Mechanical Monsters") in terms of style, but the quality of the animation still holds up almost eight decades later. Gorgeous Art Deco setting, compact storytelling, inventive designs and a memorable theme.

 

 

These don't get enough love.

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

6 hours ago, Romão said:

It's my favorite Tarantino

It's mine, too.

 

7 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

...I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for anything with Pam Grier and Robert Forster in it.

For Robert Forster, see THE BLACK HOLE, THE DESCENDANTS, and MULHOLLAND DRIVE.

For Pam Grier, see the criminally underrated SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, the criminally underrated FORT APACHE THE BRONX, and FOXY BROWN.

 

Sam Jackson was in a dino flick, a few years back. I've heard it's good.

[Quintus 5,399]

Forster is also very good in Breaking Bad, Richard, although he was also in Twin Peaks 3, where he was sorely wasted and essentially a nonentity.

[Marian Schedenig 8,192]

4 hours ago, Quintus said:

Forster is also very good in Breaking Bad, Richard, although he was also in Twin Peaks 3, where he was sorely wasted and essentially a nonentity.

 

He had a much more essential role in Mulholland Drive!  

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Forster is in Breaking Bad? I’m 3 episodes into Season 5. Is he some type of late series character?

[bruce marshall 1,315]

17 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

Forster is in Breaking Bad? I’m 3 episodes into Season 5. Is he some type of late series character?

He turns up late in last season.

No spoilers!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Just now, bruce marshall said:

He turns up late in last season.

No spoilers!

Thank you sir!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

BlacKkKlansman

 

I liked it.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

HEAT

This is masterful. It's opera, in cinematic form. Engaging, tender, tense, darkly funny, visceral, and, at the end, almost unbearably moving.

It's film-making of the highest possible order.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Glass

 

Well, that was certainly... something?

[Bellosh 3,418]

1 hour ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

HEAT

This is masterful. It's opera, in cinematic form. Engaging, tender, tense, darkly funny, visceral, and, at the end, almost unbearably moving.

It's film-making of the highest possible order.

 

Haven't seen this movie in over a decade but everything you said is spot on.  Makes me want to watch it again ASAP.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Masters of the Universe 

 

It's been one of my favorite movies since I was a baby. Now that I'm 47, I'm certain that will never change, especially since I became aware of allegations against the director for being a sexual pervert in the time since I last watched it. I have no issue separating the "Art" from the "Artist". Of course, MOTU was his only movie. There was never any indication that the director could be a creepy sex pervert.

 

 

None at all.

 

I can understand people's disappointment when they suddenly go to Earth after 20 minutes and the movie gets a bit boring and just sort of ordinary. Skeletor is one of the best villains I've seen in anything and while Dolph has some clumsy speaking parts, you get the sense that he's genuinely giving it his all. Everyone is.

 

As a cheesy 80s fantasy movie, Masters perhaps doesn't entirely succeed because they strand it in empty Southern California neighborhoods for so much of the running time and they don't really play up the cheesy aspects. There are some quips here and there and the humans poke fun at the Eternians, but it's mostly played straight. The Frank Langella part, various cool monsters, the excellent Bill Conti music score and James Tolkan keep it entertaining.

[SteveMc 2,674]

80s Courtney Cox

[Edmilson 7,436]

Jojo Rabbit

 

So, this is the "most dangerous and controversial movie in Hollywood since Joker"? I remember that on the last Oscar people whined about this movie, saying it "glorifies nazis" and shit. Personally, I think it's a decent WWII satire that dares to say that there were very young and impressionable children amongst the germans from that era, and they weren't just cartoony Indiana Jones villains. Oh, what a great realization!

 

But since it's 2020 and people just histerically react online to every little thing in pop culture, I guess this was bound to happen.

 

Still, even with all the controversy it isn't as good as Taika Waititi's other films. It's better than Thor: Ragnarok, but worse than The Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which is a masterpiece. One of my favorite movies from the last decade.

[Romão 2,274]

I found Jojo Rabbit to be really quite lackluster

[Matt C 453]

1 hour ago, SteveMc said:

80s Courtney Cox

She was eye catching in Scream 4.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

4 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

HEAT

This is masterful. It's opera, in cinematic form. Engaging, tender, tense, darkly funny, visceral, and, at the end, almost unbearably moving.

It's film-making of the highest possible order.

Im a big fan of the film but it has one major flaw that keeps it from GREATNESS.

The romance between Deniro and the girl . There is NO WAY that a young, attractive girl living in L.A. is going with Deniro. Had they cast an older, plainer actress, it might have worked.

But, every other aspect is excellent.

[Sweeping Strings 2,357]

14 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

HEAT

This is masterful. It's opera, in cinematic form. Engaging, tender, tense, darkly funny, visceral, and, at the end, almost unbearably moving.

It's film-making of the highest possible order.

Agreed. I had the pleasure of a remastered 20th anniversary screening 5 years ago. Extraordinary movie.  

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

Isn't it a bit overrated, though?

[A24 4,331]

9 hours ago, bruce marshall said:

There is NO WAY that a young, attractive girl living in L.A. is going with Deniro. Had they cast an older, plainer actress, it might have worked.

 

 

Doesn't seem so unusual to me. If it was a nerd like Paul Giamatti, I would agree, but there's plenty of younger women that fall for a certain dangerous type of older men.  

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

And he's rich.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

1 hour ago, AC1 said:

...there's plenty of younger women that fall for a certain dangerous type of older men.  

They are two people who think they want something, but, when it comes down to it, can't tear themselves away from what they are.

The irony is that, if the De Nero character didn't go after Waingro, they would have made it. It was his way of sabotaging the relationship, without saying so.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Isn't it a bit overrated, though?

No!

[Quintus 5,399]

I still think the older plain looking dude with a spectacularly attractive younger women is more Hollywood fantasy than reality. Alex is simply guilty of believing the silliness which Hollywood has cultivated for so long.

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

It is a reality in Hollywood.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Isn't it a bit overrated, though?

I would say so. Mann in general is an overrated filmmaker. 

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

If anything, Mann is an underrated filmmaker, though Heat is probably overrated relative to his other work.

 

29 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

The irony is that, if the De Nero character didn't go after Waingro, they would have made it. It was his way of sabotaging the relationship, without saying so.

 

The film sets up the (first-time) viewer to anticipate that De Niro's character will fall into the trap of breaking his own cardinal rule (having nothing in your life that you can't walk out on in thirty seconds) by falling in love with Brenneman's, but he remains true to his word when the moment comes. Instead, he falls into the trap for the opposite reason; his downfall is hatred.

[Brundlefly 2,385]

16 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

HEAT

This is masterful. It's opera, in cinematic form. Engaging, tender, tense, darkly funny, visceral, and, at the end, almost unbearably moving.

It's film-making of the highest possible order.

Absolutely! I wish we had more action movies that also succeeded on all the other levels other than just great action.

[A24 4,331]

1 hour ago, Brundlefly said:

Absolutely! I wish we had more action movies that also succeeded on all the other levels other than just great action.

 

Heat is the reason why people love TDK. 

[Quintus 5,399]

1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

It is a reality in Hollywood.

 

On its glitzy celeb scene yeah. Hardly regular real life though is it.

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

I guess it's regular in Hollywood.