What is the Last Film You Watched? - Part II

[Marian Schedenig 8,253]

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.

I watched that again this weekend, too. You just have to watch this movie when it's 6 o'clock in the morning and you're drunk but not yet tired.

Marian - LOL

Koyaanisqatsi (Philip Glass)

[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.

I watched that again this weekend, too. You just have to watch this movie when it's 6 o'clock in the morning and you're drunk but not yet tired.

Marian - LOL

Koyaanisqatsi (Philip Glass)

LOL

Did that once quite a while back with the original Austin Powers. An interesting experience.

[SturgisPodmore 0]

I saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith last Friday and I thouroughly enjoyed it. It had a lot of great action, excellent humor all throughout, and a really good score by John Powell. Sadly, there's only one score track on the CD. I hate it when that happens; there weren't more than four songs in the movie, yet the soundtrack is filled with them. I'll probably just buy that one track on iTunes . . .

Only problems are that it drags in the first 15 minutes or so and it seems just a bit too long, but overall very well-done. Really funny ending, too.

Anyways, a really enjoyable film with a great plot that allows for (as I said before) great action and humor. Strong performances by both Pitt and Jolie, and they have great on-screen chemistry. Definately worth a watch.

~Sturgis

[Hitch 58]

You're digusting...

I have plenty wind up my bottom LOL LOL LOL

[Elmo Lewis 6]

I watched that again this weekend, too. You just have to watch this movie when it's 6 o'clock in the morning and you're drunk but not yet tired.

I thought (and can confirm, too) that the Monty Pythons are actually the ideal complement to stoners.

[Justin 2]

Bloody Spanish people.

Justin

[deimos 0]

Bloody Spanish people.  

Justin

Hey! What's the problem with us!

By the way, the last movie I saw was The Two Towers; it was the third time I had seen it (theater, extended were the others)

I was not much impressed by Gollum and Andy Serkis this time. Not even with Weta Workshop's work. And the problem of the movie is that in the editing room most of the character secuences were droped, except for those with Aragorn and Arwen. And those weren't really good, Liv Tyler was specially unbelievable.

And the score... during Helm's Deep I was wishing for Williams' battle music.

[Luke Skywalker 1,810]

Bloody Spanish people.  

Justin

I dont understand what he said, but anyway, i think Ender is from the States, no?

[Elmo Lewis 6]

I'm hard to define. But you are correct, I grew up in the States and then moved to London and then to Spain.

[Luke Skywalker 1,810]

But you didnt said where you were born. That, at least legally (not genetically) settles your nationality... (?)

Maybe you are from outer space? Blue kid and all...

[Elmo Lewis 6]

I'm just a mean green mother from outer space. And I'm bad.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

The Blues Brothers - long version

Nice to see an extended cut of this. Still lots of fun.

Deterrence

Kevin Pollak gave a good performance. Otherwise: yawn.

Die Hard, Die Hard 2 and Die Hard with a Vengeance

This was fun.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Monster's Ball

I liked this film, though the sex scene seemed to just jump at you out of nowhere. Not one I'd watch again quickly, but a great film nonetheless. And Berry gives the best performance of her career hands down.

Chicken Run

Always fun, as is the awesome score. One of those films I don't want to watch too often, just to keep some freshness to it.

[Morlock 11]

Monster's Ball

...Berry gives the best performance of her career hands down.

IMO, that's not saying much. I liked the movie, but I didn't think she did a particulaly great job. A particulaly showy one for sure, but not great.

Chicken Run

Always fun, as is the awesome score. One of those films I don't want to watch too often, just to keep some freshness to it.

The film IMO has a severe lack of laughs. It almost makes up for it in it's over-flowing of good spirit, but not enough. The score does rule, though.

Anyhoo, I saw one powerful film: Carrie.

I'd never seen it before, got it used off Amazon a while back, but never felt like seeing it. I almost watched it once, but then I saw the trailer for it, and it really turned me off the film (it's a terrible trailer).

I finally got around to seeing it today, and boy am I glad I did. I am not a fan of the horror genre, but I see now maybe that's just because I've really never seen a good one before (closest thing to horror films that I've loved are Silence of the Lambs and Psycho). Instantly became one of my favorite movies.

After the scene at the begining in the locker room, all I knew is that I had a severe sense of discomfort, and I was sure that I wouldn't like the movie. Then the leading up to the prom, I actually told myself "this is going to be decent, but I'll never want to see this again". Then I got drawn into the John Hughes aspect of the movie, and really liked it, and was dredding the inevitable doom I knew was coming (thankfully, I didn't know any of the details of the climax). Then when it came, from the moment the winning couple was anounced....wow. That was just an experience unlike any I've ever had watching a movie. The unbearable tension, coupled with the heartbreaking inevitability of what was going to come, just grabbed me so strongly. The question of whether Amy Irving was in on what was happening in particular seemed to me like a master stroke, executed so well. The brilliant, brilliant scoring of the sequence, also unlike any other film scoring I've seen. Some of the most effective scoring I can think of (and early on in the picture I was wondering how on earth people could love the score, which at that point I found not terribly interesting).

I'm kinda bummed about one thing- I had forgotten that I heard how the film ends (Amy Irving at the site of Carrie's former home), and I was looking away for a second, as I was sure the movie was over as Irving was walking forward, and I missed the moment. I would have loved to have experienced it.

Either way, I loved the movie, and was involved in it in a way I haven't been involved in a new movie I've seen for a long time. Such an exquisitely well made film. I wasn't certain before how I felt about DePalma, but now I'm officialy a big fan. I can't wait to further explore his filmography, of which I haven't seen all that much- The Untouchables (which I love), Mission:Impossible (which I love), Carlito's Way (which I like a lot, save for the climax, which I love), Snake Eyes (which I like), Scarface (which I'm not a fan of) and Femme Fatale (which I liked stylisticaly, but overall just didn't connect with. I'll definately review it now). I can't wait. Also for his next film, The Black Dahlia, which sounds very promising (Written by the guy who did WoTW, based on the James Ellroy book, designed by Dante Ferreti, possibly scored by Horner, and shot by Vilmos Zsigmond!).

Although I've been agreeing with Roger Ebert less and less on recent films, he is pretty much spot on in his review, and really captured what made the film so great for me in the end of his review:

I wouldn't want to spoil the movie's climax for you by even hinting at what happens next. Just let me say that "Carrie" is a true horror story. Not a manufactured one, made up of spare parts from old Vincent Price classics, but a real one, in which the horror grows out of the characters themselves.The scariest horror stories -- the ones by M.R. James, Edgar Allan Poe, and Oliver Onions -- are like this. They develop their horrors out of the people they observe. That happens here, too. Does it ever.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Twilight Zone: The Movie - Joe Dante and George Miller's segments were clearly the best. Can't say much for John Landis and Steven Spielberg's ones though.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Morlock, I'm pleased that you liked Carrie alot, its a brilliant film. I find it interesting you referred to its John Hughes moments, when it predates John by several years. This movie is so well acted even by the secondary characters.

I might just have to have a Carrie party this summer,

[Lurker 5]

Morlock, now you need to rent The Fury, Dressed to Kill and Blow Out.

I saw Batman Begins and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I enjoyed them both.

Neil

[John Crichton 4]

Ghostbusters

One of the movies that defined what a summer blockbuster is. Tons of fun from start to finish, with a great cast and script. For something that's classified as a comedy there's some wonderful dramatic moments in here. Bernstien's score works wonders here too, hitting the dramatic and comedic moments just right. Of course, "blockbuster" usually leads to:

Ghostbusters 2

Also known as Ghostbusters meets Three Men and a Baby. It took about 5 years to put this seqel together, and the cast seems very game as the performances are on par with the original. Too bad the script's not. This one's more of a straight comedy and lacks the big dramatic moments that made the original so good. Well, they try at least. Overall though it's not that bad considering it's a seqel to one of the biggest movies ever. There's some fun moments here and there, and it's good to see the cast together again and enjoying themselves. And it's probably a good thing that this wasn't better than it was, then we wouldv'e been saddled with a potentially horrid Ghostbusters 3.

[Marian Schedenig 8,253]

Morlock, now you need to rent The Fury, Dressed to Kill and Blow Out.

While I have to get the Carrie DVD.

I saw Batman Begins and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.  I enjoyed them both.

Saw Batman Begins, too. Not bad (certainly far better than the previous two, but that was to be expected). Probably quite good, in fact, but I need to see it again someday to be sure. The score worked rather well in the film, but it's nothing I need on CD.

Marian - who also took a peek at the recording session footage from the Goldsmith DVD, and it seems to be absolutely fantastic.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Ghostbusters

One of the movies that defined what a summer blockbuster is. Tons of fun from start to finish, with a great cast and script. For something that's classified as a comedy there's some wonderful dramatic moments in here. Bernstien's score works wonders here too, hitting the dramatic and comedic moments just right.

I'm not sure I'd call it blockbuster-defining. It was a major smash hit, but I don't think it fits into the mold of a blockbuster. It certainly was never intended to be huge.

It is the grandaddy of comedies to me, though, because of the dramatic parts, and because the movie's basically almost like one 100+ minute joke told in perfection.

Ghostbusters 2

Also known as Ghostbusters meets Three Men and a Baby. It took about 5 years to put this seqel together, and the cast seems very game as the performances are on par with the original. Too bad the script's not. This one's more of a straight comedy and lacks the big dramatic moments that made the original so good. Well, they try at least. Overall though it's not that bad considering it's a seqel to one of the biggest movies ever. There's some fun moments here and there, and it's good to see the cast together again and enjoying themselves. And it's probably a good thing that this wasn't better than it was, then we wouldv'e been saddled with a potentially horrid Ghostbusters 3.

True. I'm not a big fan of this one. It's too much of a repetition. The construction of the film is basically a carbon copy of the first one. Throw in a baby, some new romance, and there ya go.

Enjoyable, but not as good as the first one by a stretch.

- Marc

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I am the only person in the world who finds Ghostbusters 2 to be just as entertaining as the first one.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

No, you're not. I like them both equally.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

For some reason: Lost in Space

Mercy me, this was awful. There's two-and-a-half hours down the tube.

Nice score, though.

[Morlock 11]

Saw Batman Begins. Loved it. Though some of it did meet my expectations, that was a small minority. Most of it I absolutely loved, I can't count how many times I had a wide smile on my face just out of sheer enjoyment.

SPOILER FULL!!!!!

While it's all mixed together, I'll try to start with what I didn't like.

Well, the main thing is a mixed bag. It's that this didn't look or feel in any way like the comic book. Nobody felt like their comic inspiration. But, that's a good thing as well as the bad thing. One of the reasons I was originaly dreading this version is because I feared it would try to compete with the Burton one in every way. But it did not. It's a much better movie than Burton's is. Burton's was all about style, had very little substance. But with his style, IMO he perfectly captured the feel of the comic book. Batman looked and sounded like Batman. Same for the Joker. Same for Alfred. Same for Gordon. Same for the Penguin, for that matter. Gotham was the Gotham city I loved from the comics. But I have a hard time remembering the plot of that movie. I remember selected scenes, but not how they connected to one another. I remember I loved how Keaton said his lines, but not what he said (save selected vignettes). This one is a real, complete movie. And a damn fine one at that.

I don't like the new Batmobile one bit. More practical, sure, and makes more sense, but one of the defining things about the character is that it's a slick surface- deceptive, smooth, sexy, very stylish. The 'tank' (I loved the way the cop delivered the line about it's description) is just too clunky.

Bale's face looked all wrong for the mask. His mouth is just not suited for an eye mask- Keaton's small mouth fit the mask perfectly. His voice also didn't seem right.

The scene at Crane's lab was a bit messy, I think it could have used a bit tightening. Nothing specific, I just know that it took a little steam from the excitment that was building up.

....and that's about it. There were other things, but they were too small for me to even remember.

Now, on to the fun part:

The main thing about this movie, is my point expressed above. This is not the Batman I knew, but this is one I'll be happy to get used to in a second series.

Specific points:

The actors-

I loved pretty much all the actors all the time.

Bale was fantastic as the tormented Bruce Wayne. As Batman in his bat suit, I think he's missing some presence, but his acting was great.

Neeson was great. I loved how at the begining you think he's a lawyer, in the suit, then you think he's the henchman, then he's revealed as the bad guy. Just the idea of a guy who's known for his superb portrayal of goody-goodies playing this kind of bad guy is great. And his cause is far more intriguing than most comic book villains.

Watanabe was really the only familiar cast member who underwhelmed me. He just had so little to do.

Maichael Caine was wonderful as Alfred. I don't know why, I just really loved his jokes. Michael Gough still is my ultimate Alfred, but that's as a servant to Batman. I love this Alfred, as a servat to the Wayne family, then to Batman.

Loved Morgan freeman. I was just tickled by the idea of him playing Q, and he does it wonderfully.

Loved Gary Oldman. His role was really the most subdued I've ever seen him, I was kind of hoping for the more colorful characters he's known to have done (especialy coming from a comic book character), but his down to earth town was just right.

Cillian Murphy's character really troubled me, I love that. His character was the perfect villain to bring into this movie, which has a such a huge well to draw from. A really menacing villain, with a scheme that truely frightens. I love the idea that he's a villain that only has a mask, which he puts on whenever nessacery.

Holmes was fine. The character was the weakest one, but that's to be expected. She was fine with what she was given.

One thing I've heard people were a bit devided on, but I loved- Tom Wilkinson's casting as Falcone. I'm a huge Wilkinson fan, who in my book has only delivered one less than fantastic performance (in the utterly forgettable The Imporatnce of Being Earnest), and in general one of those super dependable character actors. I loved his first scene in particular. His accent was a bit exaggerated at times, but I just ate it up.

...well, most of what I loved came out here- just a few small tidbits left-

I liked the way Neeson's return at the end was staged. Very well done.

Although the last throwaway bit (about the Joker) was a bit tame, I still ate it up. I'm a sucker for those kinds of things (though the 'what is her name?' from Red Dragon is still the best one I've seen).

Ah yes, I forgot. The score. It was quite good in the movie. Some parts I actually liked a lot, thought they added a lot. But, as people have said, there was at least 4-5 times that I was dying for the theme. Any theme would have been nice, but it just isn't a Batman score without the theme. Goldenthal did the nearly impossible and wrote one hell of a subtitute theme. I wish JNH and Hans would have done that. But, then again, it did play down the fantastical element of the movie, which was one of the things that made it so unique and elevated it from the others- that it came out of a timea place much more familiar to our own world than any previous Batman has. Like Harry Potter 3, I felt that the bringing in of more familiar stuff (i.e. in Potter clothes, behavior, language...) made it all the more magical. It came from a real place, from characters we cared about, not just fantastical caricatures copied to the screen.

In closing- One fine movie. Nolan is a talent to be reckoned with, the way he reinvents stuff in ways you couldn't even imagine.

[Morlock 11]

And Carrie inspired me to watch the climax of Carlito's Way. I am quite fond of the whole movie, but the climax is just some one of the best action sequences I've ever seen. So maticulously thought out, so perfectly executed. And at the end, shattered by that little twerp. The scene sports some of Patrick Doyle's best writing. Such and exciting piece of music, not missing a beat, perfectly catching every single moment, and ending quite beautifully.

[Marian Schedenig 8,253]

Carlito is one of De Palma's best films. Yes, the climatic chase is awesome. The pacing and drive in that sequence are amazing. I love the repeated cutting to clocks, and how Doyle works a little time motif into the score at those moments.

Marian - who still doesn't have the new DVD.

[Damo 0]

Die Hard, Die Hard 2 and Die Hard with a Vengeance

This was fun.

I like those movies...that were my favorites

[A24 4,369]

Watanabe was really the only familiar cast member who underwhelmed me. He just had so little to do.

Worst performance of Batman Begins. His overacting embarrased me a bit (a bit much).

[A24 4,369]

And Morlock, how can you be so enthusiastic when you think Bale is all wrong for Batman? Batman is quite important in this movie.

[A24 4,369]

And Morlock, if you look at the comics (any comic, BTW) you'll see that the superhero (any superhero, BTW) doesn't have a cherry mouth like Keaton but rather a straight line like Bale's.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Batman's chin should look like it was chiseled out of a solid block of granite.

[Morlock 11]

And Morlock, how can you be so enthusiastic when you think Bale is all wrong for Batman?    Batman is quite important in this movie.

All wrong for the comic book Batman while in the Batman suit. For this Batman, which was much more about Bruce Wayne than Batman, he was good.

And Morlock, if you look at the comics (any comic, BTW) you'll see that the superhero (any superhero, BTW) doesn't have a cherry mouth like Keaton but rather a straight line like Bale's.

The cherry mouth is less important than the fact that Bale's mouth opens too wide. Kind of overwhelms the mask part of it.

I agree about the action scenes- the climax (or climaxes) were a bit messy and not ground breaking in any way. However the characters motivations in them made them worthwhile.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I tried to watch Terminal this weekend, and I had to turn it off, I though after sufficient time since the last I might find a way to enjoy this movie, but its just a stinker afterall.

[Luke Skywalker 1,810]

Your arrogance blinds you master Joey.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

CutThroat Island

The movie's kinda meh, but the score does indeed quite rock. It may be a size too big for the film itself, though.

[Marian Schedenig 8,253]

It's quite a good score, some very nice stuff in there. But if the movie is "meh", that's just because there haven't been any good pirate movies for decade (with the exception of the neglected Polanski one).

Marian - awaiting his Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk DVDs.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

There haven't been many good pirate films period!

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Raising Arizona

Funny, but The Big Lebowski still reigns supreme.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Darkness warshed over the Dude - darker'n a black steer's tookus on a moonless prairie night. There was no bottom.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

That's the one.

The Dude abides.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Lets not forget Dude that keeping wildlife, um... an amphibious rodent, for... um, ya know domestic... within the city... that ain't legal either.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

The goddamn plane has crashed into the mountain!

- Marc, who could keep going on and on with this... 8O

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Let me explain something to you. Um, I am not "Mr. Lebowski". You're Mr. Lebowski. I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.

[Lurker 5]

I saw Batman Begins again.

Neil

[Morlock 11]

I saw Batman Begins again.

Neil

I plan to over the weekend. The more I think about the movie (and I've done plenty of that over the past week) the more I love the characterizations and dislike the extended climax.

[QMM 4]

Twister

Surprisingly fun action flick, definately not a stinker. A lot of good performances and the tornadoes still hold up today, and I enjoyed the score (sans the 90s guitar riffs) and especially the choir that comes in whenever a twister shows up.

[Morlock 11]

Not a fan. Though I do like Mancina's Americana theme.

A combination of wanting to hear the score and WoTW hype got me to watch the Mars Attack! DVD I bought used a while ago for the isolated score. I had a darn good time watching it. Nicholson was great, and I loved Rod Steiger. Some wonderful cheesy dialogue (though not nearly enough), like:

"We have to nuke 'em, we have to nuke 'em now! Annihalate! kill! kill! kill!"

and

"I want the people to know that they still have two out of three branches of the government working for them, and that ain't bad!"

Joe Don Baker is also great in his little screen time.

I love Elfman's score, ordered it as soon as I started the movie. All of it found the perfect tone, and I just love the main theme.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Mars Attacks! is great. I need to get it on DVD sometime. I saw it on TV once, but it looked like crap in fullscreen.

[HPFAN_2 0]

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

What a great film. So fun and so unhappy! I love the way they combined the first three books into a feasable tale. The Director's vision resembled Burton's but not too much. Jim Carry was great, funny as usual and evil in every way. I also loved all the great cameos. Great comedy too! Just a fun film all around. Loved it.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

This film is OKAY. It's nothing special, nothing to talk about. Formulaic and cheesy at some times. Every time Angelina Jolie was on screen, she just delivered cheesy lines after another.

[QMM 4]

Cinderella Man

Great movie, the fight scenes were brilliantly shot and I loved every scene Paul Giamatti was in. Bought Newman's score a while ago and enjoyed it, enjoy it even moreso now.