What is the Last Film You Watched? - Part II

[JoeinAR 1,949]

The writer copied the book on the first two

no Morlock he didn't.

I prefer Aliens over Alien any day,

Cameron's Aliens is getting dated as we speak.

I do agree Alien is probably more critically received than Aliens, but both are pretty damned popular with the critics and the fans.

The acting in Aliens is a step above that in Alien, and there is no question that the lead role in Aliens, SW stepped up her performance.

[Lurker 5]

The acting in Aliens is a step above that in Alien, and there is no question that the lead role in Aliens, SW stepped up her performance.

I completely disagree with that. The performances in ALIEN are amazing. Yaphet Kotto just gets better and better with every viewing. You really believe these people are living on a spaceship.

Aliens has some of the most dated dialogue in a movie. I was complaining about that 10 years ago. It's only gotten worse. Still a fun movie with a good score, but it's no ALIEN.

Neil

[A24 4,369]

The acting in Aliens is a step above that in Alien, and there is no question that the lead role in Aliens, SW stepped up her performance.

According to who? Ah Joe, the difference in style is so vast. Why did you not notice that? The acting in ALIEN is almost like watching a documentary. It's actually very subdued to enhance the sense of realism, just like the rest of the movie. Sometimes it's like watching candid camera (people not knowning they are being filmed). The acting in ALIENS is great but feels more standard Hollywood. They seem to be "acting" more. If I had to choose, then ALIEN wins hands down, because the acting in ALIENS is not really unique and can be seen in most American movies.

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Alex Cremers

[Morlock 11]

Last few I've seen include Fight Club:Good movie that surprised me, didn't know what to expect beyond the fighting aspect of it and The Aviator which is still a great movie.

Fight Club is a good, overrated movie, and it's ending was blown way out of proportion. I personaly fast forward most of the ending, I can't stand it.

For my thoughts on The Aviator, see my above post.

[A24 4,369]

The first time I went, "Not bad, but is that it?" The second time the Fight Club blew me away from start to finish and I became a Fincher fan, despite ALIEN3 which I hate almost as hard as ALIEN RESURRECTION.

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Alex Cremers

[Morlock 11]

The first time I really didn't like it, because of the ending, which I thought was, in one way or another, so plainly obvious. Second time it blew me away, up until the end. And it encouraged me to rent Panic Room for the first time, which encouraged me to re-see and rethink Se7en, which consiquentaly became one of my favorite movies. Then I saw The Game again, and loved it. Now I'm a huge Fincher fan, never having seen Alien3. Fight Club is actually my least favorite out of those movies, even though it's a better movie than Panic Room and The Game (I know that may not make much sense, but that's how it works in my head).

[A24 4,369]

I didn't think much of The Game. I feel Fincher was just a hired gun for that project, more like his agent told him to do it. Maybe Michael Douglas wanted him as the director, who knows. Anyway, it doesn't feel like it's his child. Maybe I need to see it again, now that I'm a Fincher fan. But I seriously doubt that I will change my mind about The Game.

----------------

Alex Cremers

[Damo 0]

I just finished watching two movies

1) i, Robot

2) The Day After Tomorrow from the director of independence day

[Romão 2,276]

I didn't think much of The Game. I feel Fincher was just a hired gun for that project, more like his agent told him to do it. Maybe Michael Douglas wanted him as the director, who knows. Anyway, it doesn't feel like it's his child. Maybe I need to see it again, now that I'm a Fincher fan. But I seriously doubt that I will change my mind about The Game.

----------------

Alex Cremers

The game is a unrelenting movie experience the first time you watch it. Logicaly, it does not hold very well on multiple viewings. Maybe I saw when I was too young (and I haven't rewatched it since) but I remember being glued to my seat.

[Romão 2,276]

I just finished watching two movies  

1) i, Robot

2) The Day After Tomorrow from the director of independence day

Both of these were better that I expected, which is not saying much.

[Morlock 11]

I didn't think much of The Game. I feel Fincher was just a hired gun for that project, more like his agent told him to do it. Maybe Michael Douglas wanted him as the director, who knows. Anyway, it doesn't feel like it's his child. Maybe I need to see it again, now that I'm a Fincher fan. But I seriously doubt that I will change my mind about The Game.

I disagree, I think it's a superb psychological drama, and really made me think about how much control one really has over his life.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Fincher is a terrible director, who lucked out once with Se7en, but failed at everything else.

I still say the acting in Aliens is better than Alien, watching Nancy Cartwright "act" is laughable. and Yapphet Kotto's side kick, can't think of his name, is lame, every time I see him all I can think is Avenge me, Avenge me. Then there's Ian Holms' over the top performance, when he goes nuts, it looks more like he's getting a nut.

Alex you got one thing right, Sigourney Weaver's performance in Aliens, is not unique, you see that kind of performance in all Hollywood movies... LOL

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Nancy Cartwright wasn't in Alien. I think you mean Veronica Cartwright.

[QMM 4]

I thought Fight Club was a great movie up until the end like you said Morlock, it just seems like they could've done a lot better with it.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Nancy Cartwright wasn't in Alien. I think you mean Veronica Cartwright.

sorry, I had a lost in space moment, bloop, bloop.

[HPFAN_2 0]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers, or something like that. Good movie, should have been longer.

[Morlock 11]

Star Trek: First Contact. Good movie. It does seem like a long episode, just a wider scope and some better dialogue. But good never the less. I saw the Borg episode as a kid, and it always stuck with me more than any other episode (except for maybe 'The Best of Both Worlds'). The borg were always the most menacing villain in the ST universe. I liked the idea of resolving it. Stewart was really great at bringing back all those old feelings I had for the borg, and I love the speech when he defends his desicion to not abandon the Enterprise.

James Cromwell was very good as well, as usual. I liked him as a rather warmer character than we're used to seeing him.

The score is fantastic, really makes the action 100% more exciting and the nobility 100% more noble.

Movie had good VFX.

[Marian Schedenig 8,253]

Fincher is a terrible director, who lucked out once with Se7en, but failed at everything else.

Fight Club is one of my top favourite movies (and, except for a modified ending, nearly a 1:1 version of the book, and it wors perfectly that way), and Fincher one of my favourite directors.

Then there's Ian Holms' over the top performance, when he goes nuts, it looks more like he's getting a nut.

I've never seen Ian Holm in a poor performance. Alien was the movie that turned me into an Ian Holm fan.

Marian - who has yet to get The Game and Panic Room on DVD.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Marian, Fight Club is at the top of one of my lists too, but thats not a nice thing.

[A24 4,369]

What a bunch of silly statements. Really Joe, you are the only one who thinks that way. I find them so otherworldly that I must sum them up for all the people to see:

Fincher is a terrible director, who lucked out once with Se7en, but failed at everything else.  

-JoeinAr

Watching Nancy Cartwright "act" is laughable.

-JoeinAr

8O

Kotto's side kick, can't think of his name, is lame.

-JoeinAr

And now for the pièce de ré·sis·tance (snare roll):

Then there's Ian Holms' over the top performance, when he goes nuts, it looks more like he's getting a nut.

-JoeinAr

----------------

Alex Cremers

[JoeinAR 1,949]

LOL

btw Fincher still sucks, I can't quite figure out why he's so popular with you Europeans, he should stick to directing Madonna videos, the hack.

[SturgisPodmore 0]

The writer copied the book on the first two. On the third one he adapted the book specificaly for the screen.

Indeed. beerchug

I'm a die-hard fan of the books, but I know the difference between a flawed carbon copy that trips over itself and a well-done adaption of a book for film. That's what made POA great, it was Cuaron's beautiful interperetaion of the book.

I just finished watching two movies  

1) i, Robot

2) The Day After Tomorrow from the director of independence day

"From the director of Independence Day" isn't part of the title, Damo.

~Sturgis

[publicist 4,643]

Minority Report...coincidentially Hard to resist the 4€ -double DVD on ebay....

It's a good film which is hampered by some logical flaws as big as an elephant's scrotum. The 'Eye-Dentiscan' would work if Anderton just killed (an accident, maybe? nobody would scratch on the hunk's integrity then) one of his team members and took his eyes. It's quite unbelievable that days after his escape he still has access to a high security tract, especially in an Orwellian society.

Lots of futuristic details which seem very believable and frightening at the same time. The big cover-up is a bit of a letdown...'I never said she drowned!!'..yeah, greetings from Agatha Christie, by the way...

The mushy ending aside, with a little script polish it could have been a really great film, it's merely good in it's current stage. That's a big compliment, nowadays.

[SturgisPodmore 0]

It's a good film which is hampered by some logical flaws as big as an elephant's scrotum.

Wouldn't know.

Minority Report is one of my favorite movies. I love how it's layed out, the scene in Crow's apartement is the best. It's so cool how you know what's going to happen but it's still so exciting, then it changes, and the whole Anne Lively storyline is so brilliant. A great film; I have no problem with the ending.

~Sturgis

[SturgisPodmore 0]

Speaking of which, I just realized that Rachel's date, in "The One Where Ross Finds Out" is Howard, as in "Howard, don't cry." from Minority Report.

~Sturgis

[Jeshopk 8]

Watched Blue Thunder last night for the first time. I bought the DVD on a hunch that I would value another Roy Scheider performance in an action role.

It was pretty good! I once read this was temped with Desert Chase from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Anti Orwellian themes. Post Vietnam themes. Good characters (including the wet bandit sidekick). A rare electronic score which is actually catchy. And Roy Scheider becomes the role, which is different than Brody. I was impressed.

Now I will have to play Thunder Blade by SEGA and pretend I'm Scheider dealing out righteous retribution.

[Justin 2]

Star Trek - Insurrection. This film is a curious move on Michael Pillers part I found. I hadn't seen the film in quite some time and to my surprise I found the first twenty minutes to be wonderful. I find the entire plot of Data's malfunction and the Federation's conspiracy to be wonderful. We have an exiting shuttle chase through the atmosphere...and then the film takes a strange turn. Michael Piller puts it brilliantly on "The Story" documentary when he says that Insurrection began as two stories meshed into one. The first being about Data's malfunction the second being a "Magnificent Seven" type story. In the end, Piller says, that the Data story was cut back to two scenes and the Magnificent Seven story expanded to be the main point of the film.

The real problem is that the film wants to be about the corruption of the Federation and yet it's meshed in with all this goofy humor which totally takes away from any dramatic scenes. The discovery of the Holoship is a wonderfully mysterious scene complimented beautifully by Goldsmith's score and Frakes's directing and then right after the scene we have Data as a flotation device and klingon pimples. The biggest problem with Insurrection is it wants to be two different films. The wanted it to be lighter and they wanted a hard moral choice to be at the center of the film and overall the two just cancels each other out.

The film should have been far more based on Data's malfunction. During the shuttle chase Picard and Worf crash into the Ba'ku wilderness and stumble upon the holoship and the Ba'ku village. Meanwhile on the Enterprise the So'na (A minor role in the film.) Are destroyed in a battle with the Enterprise. The federation thinking that the Enterprise destroyed the So'na out of cold blood send Federation ships to Ba'Ku to stop the Enterprise.

Or something like that.

A lot of people think that the Dominion should have been involved in the plot to Insurrection. Honestly, I don't see why not. They introduced yet another evil race in the film (So'na) why not involve it with the Dominion. But the film is still enjoyable even though it is severely flawed. The score is good, the directing is well done and there are some great special effects. Not to mention a wonderful first 15-20 minutes and a few great scenes buried in there afterward. 2.5/4 - 3/5 - 5/10

Justin

[John Crichton 4]

Insurrection is a TV 2-parter disguised as a movie, and with a full Goldsmith score.

The film should have been far more based on Data's malfunction. During the shuttle chase Picard and Worf crash into the Ba'ku wilderness and stumble upon the holoship and the Ba'ku village. Meanwhile on the Enterprise the So'na (A minor role in the film.) Are destroyed in a battle with the Enterprise. The federation thinking that the Enterprise destroyed the So'na out of cold blood send Federation ships to Ba'Ku to stop the Enterprise.

Hmmm, not a bad idea. And I agree that I would have loved to see a Dominion War movie, but that really was DS9's territory and they handled it beautifully. I think there's a book out there that has the Enterprise playing a large role in the Battle of Betazed (mentioned on DS9 but never seen). That would have been a good movie without really stepping on DS9's toes.

[Marian Schedenig 8,253]

The score is good

The score is great. Better than First Contact's, in fact. It's the CD that makes it look "good".

Marian -

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I bought Heat on DVD the other day. I had never seen it, and the 2-disc SE came out here recently, so I thought I'd get that and check out the film.

The film's great, with a cast of familiar faces that seems to go on and on. The gunfight is amazing, but unfortunately it's so amazing you're ready to leave by the time it's finished. Luckily the stellar performances keep the rest of the film interesting. I didn't feel wholly satisfied with the ending, though. Pacino's character seems to go nowhere, and that disappoints me (or maybe I've missed something).

While I haven't watched any of the special features yet (except for the deleted scenes), I found the DVD itself rather disappointing. As I understand it, this is the same transfer used for a previous edition, and it shows. A lot of this movie takes place at night in the dark, and this transfer does not handle dark areas well. They're either grey or blueish, but rarely are they black like they should be. One of the worst examples is when Vincent Hannah and his wife are sitting in an emptied-out restaurant. The room is darkened, but instead of seeing dark shadows, we see brownish blobs. Too bad.

- Marc

[Marian Schedenig 8,253]

D'oh. I nearly bought the old release when I saw it cheap. Then i heard of the then upcoming 2-disc release and decided to wait for that - and now that I've read your report on the transfer, I'll never dare to buy that either.

Marian -

Rudy (Jerry Goldsmith)

[Lurker 5]

I saw the Borg episode as a kid, and it always stuck with me more than any other episode (except for maybe 'The Best of Both Worlds').

Isn't "The Best of Both Worlds" THE Borg episode?

Neil - unsure what Morlock is getting at here.

[Damo 0]

"From the director of Independence Day" isn't part of the title, Damo.

LOL

yeh i know

anyway I, Robot and The Day After Tomorrow are pretty good movies. I like The Day After Tomorrow better than I, Robot. I, Robot is a bit interesting just because the robots didnt obey the three laws.

The Day After Tomorrow is a good movie with special-effects-filled look at what the world would look like if the greenhouse effect and global warming continued at such levels that they resulted in worldwide catastrophe and disaster, including multiple hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, floods and the beginning of the next Ice Age.

[Justin 2]

I saw the Borg episode as a kid, and it always stuck with me more than any other episode (except for maybe 'The Best of Both Worlds').

Isn't "The Best of Both Worlds" THE Borg episode?

Neil - unsure what Morlock is getting at here.

I was wondering the same thing....

Justin

[JoeinAR 1,949]

perhaps he's talking about the episode where Q introduces them to the Borg?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Dune (1984)

A mess of a film lacking any kind of coherent style in the screen writing, acting, cinematograhpy, directing, editing, special effects and music.

This was a 40 million dollor film, yet the special effects look like they were done on the budget of the original Star Trek or Space 1999.

The story is confusing, plot threads are started and never reseolved, characters are introduced and then forgotten, and an occasional interesting visual effect or scene is instantly followed by a bad one.

Camera work and costume/set design are the worst kind of kitchy 1980's trash (every frame in this film just screams Dino De Laurentiis!!)

There is not a single REAL performance in the film, it's pretty rare you see an intire cast (and a very large one) faking it, and faking it badly.

Editing is an atrocity, shots often seem unrelated to each other.

Music is a mixed bag of occasionally interesting orchestral music and utterly dated rock/synth stuff.

I saw 2 films this week, Revenge Of The Sith and Dune.

Revenge Of The Sith is a far better film.

[publicist 4,643]

Revenge Of The Sith is a far better film.

Well, choosing between Pestilence and Cholera i take......NEITHER!

[Romão 2,276]

Brad Dourif was great in Dune. There are some mesmerizing sequences intervowen with some trully horrible ones. That scene with the water dripping is breathaking (and the music too).

But the book is on a whole other level.

[Morlock 11]

I saw the Borg episode as a kid, and it always stuck with me more than any other episode (except for maybe 'The Best of Both Worlds').

Isn't "The Best of Both Worlds" THE Borg episode?

Neil - unsure what Morlock is getting at here.

I was wondering the same thing....

Justin

perhaps he's talking about the episode where Q introduces them to the Borg?

I was confused, I haven't actually seen any Star Trek episodes in a long while. I remembered loving "The Best of Both Worlds", but having a different idea of what happened in those episodes......it'll come to me.

[Morlock 11]

Saw Troy again. Still a good movie, great looking, fantastic action set pieces, among the most cohesive and exciting the genre has produced. Horner's score has it's moments. Yared's score is still sorely missed. I forgot about Horner's surprisingly potent Greek theme, and about his rather majestic Troy theme.

[A24 4,369]

Saw Troy again. Still a good movie, great looking, fantastic action set pieces, among the most cohesive and exciting the genre has produced.

In the end, Troy disappoints. Brad Pitt is terribly miscast (he simply can't do the dialog and accent). It's probably nothing more than a guilty pleasure of yours, Morlock, but I think you don't realize it yet. That's OK.

----------------

Alex Cremers

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Speed

While this movie is exciting and fun, you don't want to watch it too often, because you'll quickly figure out how completely utterly rediculous the middle section of the film is. But once you get over that, it's a very enjoyable, fun flick with some great action sequences and eye candy - it may not make any sense, but doesn't that bus jumping over a 50-foot gap look utterly cool? The elevator sequence is great, as is the final action sequence, which comes with the typical over-the-top climax (but a fun one). Mancina's score works great in the film. Although it does get repetitive after a while, there's some great stuff in there. At the end, I'm left with a bitter aftertaste, though, because the film intentionally opens with this sort of overture, presenting the music for the film, yet it closes with what has to be the worst end credits song in the history of the planet.

- Marc

[A24 4,369]

I went to see Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) theatrically. Speculation has it that if this film was never mutilated by the studio, it would've been the greatest film ever made, better than Citizen Kane.

[John Crichton 4]

Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with my 14 year old cousin whose family was visiting this weekend and had never seen it. It's still funny.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

the She Wolf of London, nice little B film.

[Hitch 58]

MR AND MRS SMITH. Not a patch on my original. In other words, pass the sick bag please!

[publicist 4,643]

something called 'The Boondock Saints'...featuring Willem Dafoe in another eccentric performance (wait for his transvestite turn, which is hilarious). I was too drunk to give the film a fair rating, but it was a kind of interesting twist on the usual 'Snatch' and the likes.

Apart from that i enjoyed 'Garden State' (Zach Braff, 2004), which opened here in Germany in something like 5 cinemas, but luckily i still caught it. It's from the 'Scrubs' tv series guy and Ian Holm and some others are really great. Braff plays on overmedicated tv actor, who returns home after 9 years with a guilt complex outsizing the grand canyon, because Ian Holm keeps telling him he's responsible for making his mother a paraplegic. The hamster funeral was a highlight.

and...Natalie Portman can act and makes you feel warm and fuzzy (in a good way). Who would've thought that, mere weeks after 'RotS'!?!

[Hitch 58]

Oh and my 70mm VistaVision Cinemascope Panavision Dolby Digital 7.1EX, DTS 7.1ES, THX Stereophonic Surround movie of Alma and Me Naked on the beach re-enacting Lancaster and Kerr's scene FROM HERE TO ETERNITY Plenty of slushing around in the sea and sand.

[publicist 4,643]

You're digusting...

[Kradia 1]

The Goonies was on one of the several HBO channels that comes with my digital cable.  I caught the last 10 minutes, and I didn't realize until just now how bad it was.  I remember when I was younger enjoying it, but I couldn't believe how egregiously bad some of the stuff was.  Like at the end when everyone sees the ship in the distance, as they stand on the beach, Data yells something in Vietnamese and at the bottom of the screen is a bunch of symbols like "$%&@#!!!" to cover up foul language.  I thought that was unbelievably rediculous because there wasn't anything like that, humor wise, in the entire film except that one moment.  But overall, it all seemed so very bad from a more adult stand point.  I honestly don't see what all the fuss is all about, not to mention there isn't one single believable character in the film.

Tim

You mean when Sloth picks up the policeman?

??? That wasn't foul language. it was mandarin chinese characters.

and it said "he's a super soldier"....or he's "Superman".