What is the Last Film You Watched? - Part II

[QMM 4]

The Rocketeer

Ooh what a nice film, and Horner's score is one of his best.

Max

[HPFAN_2 0]

Batman Begins

A great film with some style. Would have loved to see a more gothic Batman and the climax was kinda cliche, it lost its style 2/3 of the way through. However it is still great.

[Morlock 11]

With 'some' style?

[A24 4,366]

Batman Begins

A great film with some style. Would have loved to see a more gothic Batman and the climax was kinda cliche, it lost its style 2/3 of the way through. However it is still great.

I agree that Batman Begins lost its strength in its final moments.

[Morlock 11]

But I think that it's not as bad when seen on a global scale. If this is all we were gonna get, than it would be a huge dissapointment. But, seeing as we're going to get another film with these characters, hopefully several other films, I really wasn't so dissapointed that it lost it's edge in the final battle scenes. The characters were there the whole time, and true to their character the whole time. I felt as if this messy battle scene was something the filmmakers were eager to get out of the way, to continue with the good stuff. Because I got that feeling, that Nolan just wanted to get rid of this conflict to get on with the story, I was fine with it. It drags, and it's not particulaly interesting. But we don't care if the fight scenes are like that, that's not what this is about. Inellectually, not the best way to make a film, but I liked the idea that these guys were so true to the characters and liked them so much.

Anyway, the second half of a Superhero film is traditionaly not nearly as good as the first half.

Morlock- who is expecting and willing to suffer through a lot of flaws to see this new Batman, and thinks it is entirely worth it

[A24 4,366]

Mmm, it became rather casual stuff. Gordon in the Batmobile (what where they thinking?!). The action scenes with the Batmobile jumping from rooftop to rooftop. The whole climax thing felt messy indeed. In retrospect, I feel the movie collapsed during those moments, leaving me with a bad aftertaste. Which is a pity, because the whole time the movie did its best to bring something refreshing and different, but when it was time for the showdown, all they came up with was the same old, same old. 7/10

Alex

[robthehand 3]

I couldn't help thinking "Spiderman 2" through the whole train sequence.

[Olivier 5]

Incidentally, I watched Batman Begins on DVD last night.

Just like when I first saw it, in the theater, I found it excellent. An original beginning, lots of characterization & rationalization (making the transformation into Batman credible-- the training, the gadgets, ...). Alfred is more than a one-liner butler; Gordon is not just "that police guy"; and the casting was splendid.

As for the action, my real peve is the extreme close-up approach for every fight, so that you can't make out a thing. I watched Burton's Batman movies last week; the fistfights are clear; here, you can't see what's happening well-- though it didn't seem as bad on TV than on the large screen.

Regarding the finale, it was okay. What would you have liked better? What sort of final confrontation would you have filmed?

My conclusion: it was great.

Burton's first movie was very good, but I prefer the second one (score-wise as well); I find it richer, with really good dialogue.

I like Nolan's movie as much as Batman Returns; the approach is different, so saying one is better is a bit pointless to me.

[Morlock 11]

Mmm, it became rather casual stuff. Gordon in the Batmobile (what where they thinking?!). The action scenes with the Batmobile jumping from rooftop to rooftop. The whole climax thing felt messy indeed. In retrospect, I feel the movie collapsed during those moments, leaving me with a bad aftertaste. Which is a pity, because the whole time the movie did its best to bring something refreshing and different, but when it was time for the showdown, all they came up with was the same old, same old. 7/10

It might have, but the last couple of exchanges, between Batman and Gordon and between Bruce and Alfred, recaptured the promise of the first half of the film, and made me leave the theater in great spirits.

Star Trek: Nemesis. Dumb, du, dumb, dumb. Bad concept, bad script, baaaaaaad dialogue.. I could see how the concept could produce a good episode, but they just made a mess of everything. I've had enough of the mumbo-jumbo technical dialogue, of the battles that are excatly the same as they were in Khan, and not half as interesting as that. (though, to be fair, the battle at the end is more exciting than a lot of the battles in the later films). Some of the Data stuff is good, I liked the way he sacrificed himself, with no melodrama, no extended goodbyes, just a very simple, brief, straightforward sacrifice. I have yet to see Stewart do less than convincing work, and, sure enough, he sounds of great conviction over here. But what he says is so banal and boring.

The wedding scenes is paiful. I felt that there were moments in the OS's movies that were made especialy for the actors, but this was taking it too far.

The score is rather uninteresting for the most part, until the final fight between Picard and Shinzon, where it gets mroe interesting. That's also the first time I found the new theme to be particulaly engaging. I love Jerry's continual use of the 'Busy Man' motif in the series.

Overall, an unintersting and unengaging ST movie. The worst of the lot, IMO.

Now that I've seen and reseen all the ST films, my ranking, and rating (out of ****):

1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (***1/2)

2. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (***1/2)

3. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (***1/2)

4. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (***)

5. Star Trek VIII: First Contact (***)

6. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (***)

7. Star Trek IX: Insurrection (***)

8. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (**)

9. Star Trek VII: Generations (**)

10. Star Trek X: Nemesis (**)

And, for the scores (of which I currently have the five Goldsmith scores, the first Horner one, and Eidelman's one), ranking and rating (out of *****):

1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (****1/2)

2. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (****)

3. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (****)

4. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (***1/2)

5. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (***1/2)

6. Star Trek VIII: First Contact (***)

7. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (***)

8. Star Trek IX: Insurrection (**1/2)

9. Star Trek X: Nemesis (**)

10. Star Trek VII: Generations (zero stars)

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Anyone who gives the Generations score zero stars is a complete and utter idiot!

Stefancos- who thinks it's overall better then First Contact.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Star Trek IV: The Quest for Peace

It's The Voyage Home.

And I like the Nemesis score. Better than IV I think.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Definatly, that score almosts works in the film. On CD it's really awfull.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Awful? Voyage or Nemesis?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Voyage.

Nemesis is pretty good.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Oh okay. For a moment you almost had me worried.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I've been bashing Rosenman's score for Trek 4 for years now.

[Morlock 11]

Anyone who gives the Generations score zero stars is a complete and utter idiot!

Stefancos- who thinks it's overall better then First Contact.

In the film, at just about every moment I wished Goldsmith or Horner would've scored it. It was so utterly uninteresting in the film. As I said, I do not own the album, but in the film, it only did harm, as far as I'm concerned.

Definately, that score almosts works in the film. On CD it's really awfull.

Again, I don't own the CD. In the film, I think it's fantastic. The polka almost works, but the main theme works great, as does Chekov's Run.

I've been bashing Rosenman's score for Trek 4 for years now.

I, not being such a purist, take it in good humor.

Nemesis was your average Jerry Goldsmith action sound for the most part, aside from the theme. Both the action and the theme kicked in towads the end, but, for the most part, supported the images in a rather tired and predictable way.

[Marian Schedenig 8,241]

Rosenman's score is very good, better than the ok (and for long stretches boring) Nemesis. The McCarthy is very underrated, it's quite interesting and works really well in the film (it's rather Rosenmanish, actually). The Nexus music is annoyingly cheesy, but that fits its purpose.

Insurrection's score is severely underrated as well. It's the best of Goldsmith's post-5 scores, and the best of those second half of the movie's scores, with the possible exception of the Eidelman.

Marian - who thinks Nemesis the movie is fine (and Stewart's best ST movie performance).

[Morlock 11]

Marian - who thinks Nemesis the movie is fine (and Stewart's best ST movie performance).

It might've been fine if it came earlier. But the story didn't work for me one bit, and I'm just sick and tired of seeing the same thing over and over again enveloping the new stories.

[A24 4,366]

Unlike most others, I enjoyed Nemesis but I repeat, I'm no fan of Star Trek.

[Justin 2]

My enjoyment of Nemesis goes down everytime I watch it. Still I do like a lot of it. A good film in a completly and utterly brainless way. I blame John Logan for most of it's problems.

Justin

[A24 4,366]

I got Millions and The Station Agent on DVD, whoohoo!

[Morlock 11]

I got Millions and The Station Agent on DVD, whoohoo!

Have you seen them before?

I saw History of Violence again. It's much better the second time around (and I thought it was pretty darn good the first time!). I love how the presentation is simple, and straight forward. Nothing fancy, no tricks. Pure story-telling. At 91 minutes, it has not an ounce of fat, develops wonderfully. A really well-written effort.

Vigo Moretensen's performance is the best I've seen so far this year.

Maria Bello is great here. She is not only as beautiful as any actress currently working, she also picks her parts as well as any actress.

Ed Harris is fantastic, back into great form, one of his great parts. He is just so perfect.

A lot of people had a problem with Williams Hurt. I also had a hard time buying him at first, but this time, I just love every second he's on screen. He has the best lines and expressions in the movie ("How do you $%^* that up?" is the best one, his expression is perfect).

Stephen McHattie is fantastically effective in the role as 'the bad guy'. His expressions are also fantastic.

And I know this is a tiny part, but Ian Matthews, who plays Ruben, Richie's guy at the bar, is just fantastic in the minute and a half he's on screen.

The score is good, with one really great theme- the one used first in the scene on the stairs, and then a couple of more times near the end. Really captures the conflict.

The film is one of the strongest I've seen this year, one of the few that is worthy to be on a 'best of the year' list. It is one that you can spend hours talking about with your friends after seeing it. Only the third film this year to earn ****/**** from me (but, hey- lasy year there was only one, and I haven't seen Munich, Brokeback Mountain, Goodnight and Good Luck, Syriana, The Squid and The Whale, Match Point or several other films that are filling the best of the year lists).

And I just bought a bunch of DVDs for very little- Raising Arizona, Bullets Over Broadway, Amistad, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Titus, Die Hard, Chasing Amy and, based largly on Justin's recommendation, The Crossing Guard.

[Hitch 58]

Christmas Day viewing at the Hitchcock Estate

2:00pm: LAND OF THE DEAD

3:45pm: MADAGASCAR

5:30pm: ST - VOYAGER (Season 7 "FLESH & BLOOD" Parts 1 & 2)

7:00pm: CLERKS (Theatrical Version)

8:45pm: SPACEBALLS THE MOVIE

10:00pm: PSYCHO (1960)

11:45pm: THE 4400s (Season 1: Disc 1)

Hitch, who watched NORTH BY NORTHWEST on TV at 9:15am this morning while having his freshly squeezed orange juice and munching his favorite Kelloggs breakfast cereal.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Catch Me If You Can. Definetly, one of my personal favorite Spielberg films of all time. And to think I never liked it in the theater. I don't Spielberg can get lighter and better than this.

[Morlock 11]

Lighter? no. Better? yes. I love the film, but the last 20 minutes were really dissapointing after what came before.

[King Mark 3,631]

Bewitched.

I was looking for the "worst movie ever" thread...

k.m.

[Morlock 11]

Anyone who willingly watches that film deserves what's coming to him.

[Lurker 5]

I saw The Producers tonight. Kingdom of Heaven, Revenge of the Sith and King Kong have nothing on this movie. A complete and total waste of time, film, money, talent and anything else you can think of. There isn't a single, memorable original song in this thing. They're all terrible. "Springtime for Hitler" is still funny, but it's been expanded and isn't as tight or funny as it was. There is no comic timing in this and the performances are all across the board dreadful. All of the actors play this as a stage show and not a feature film, and over act throughout the 2+ hours of this lump of doodie.

Unlike the stage show there is no intermission. If there had been I would not have seen the second half.

Avoid this one at all costs. If a friend says "Lets go see this" they're not a friend! If your wife wants to see it, divorce her!

This is the worst movie of the year that I've seen.

For clarity, I love the original movie and I've never seen the show live. I'll keep watching the original movie, but I'll never see the show. The songs stink and I can't be bothered.

Neil

[ST-321 4]

Don't mince words Neil, what do you really think?

I just watched. Logan's Run.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Lighter? no. Better? yes. I love the film, but the last 20 minutes were really dissapointing after what came before.

Ah, I forgot, to add -- I stopped the movie after Frank gets captured in France, with the "Christmas Song" scene. The ending is nice if you have the patience and admit it's like an after-thought of the movie, or an epilogue, but for me the real ending in the shot of Frank's cell fading out.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Young Frankenstein

It was alright. Didn't think it was as funny as its reputation says it is, but then, I've never been a big fan of Mel Brooks's films (although I love Spaceballs).

[Morlock 11]

I didn't think it was particulaly good either. Although I am a fan of Brooks- I can't get enough of Spaceballs, Robin Hood, or especialy The Producers. Blazing Saddles ain't too shabby either.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Yeah, Robin Hood is funny too. I haven't yet seen Blazing Saddles or The Producers. I'm counting on those to make me change my mind someday. Didn't like History of the World that much, though.

[A24 4,366]

I got Millions and The Station Agent on DVD, whoohoo!

Have you seen them before?

Nope! But I'm really looking forward to watch both movies.

Just got the new version of Howard's End too. Whoohoo!

[Morlock 11]

I must shamefully admit to never having seen a single Merchant/Ivory film. Not even A Room with a View. There are about 4 of them I'm dying to see.

[A24 4,366]

Some Merchant/Ivory movies disappoint me but Room with a view, Remains of The Day and Howard's End are must-sees.

[Romão 2,276]

Remains of the day is one of my all time favorites. The atmosphere is incredibly tangible.

[A24 4,366]

BTW,

 And I just bought a bunch of DVDs for very little-  ... Titus, ...

[A24 4,366]

Remains of the day is one of my all time favorites. The atmosphere is incredibly tangible.

It's my favorite Hopkins role. He's so good at playing emotions that take place beneath the surface.

[Lurker 5]

Don't mince words Neil, what do you really think?

I no longer fear death.

Neil

[Hitch 58]

HEAT AND DUST is another great M/I movie. I have that plus A ROOM WITH A VIEW, MAURICE, HOWARDS END, THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, SURVIVING PICASSO.

It doesn't matter whether their movies are bad or not, their meticulous attention to detail is evident in every frame. And HOWARDS END is a personal favorite of mine. Ismail Merchant incidentally died earlier this year. And James Ivory has a new movie...his first without his late producer's name.

Don't mince words Neil, what do you really think?

I no longer fear death.

Neil

Related to Emily Dickinson are we, Neil???

[Elmo Lewis 6]

I just watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. This is my least-watched Indy movie ever (must have seen it about three times in my lifetime), and I really liked it. It is really very 80's, very Lucas-y, and it makes you wonder what Spielberg was thinking at a time (the same guy who made E.T. has Harrison Ford beating a kid he has adopted as a son? That same kid beating another kid as violently as Indy would hit a nameless oponent?). I disliked the cinematography - Spielberg allowed Douglas Slocombe to use as many shadows as he wanted, and while he got the colors right, there are just so many shadows in this movie even the exterior scenes seem like the celluloid has deteriorated.

Additionally, the unreleased score is very good. It'd be very tiring to listen to 2-CD's of intense action music in one sitting, but I hope this gets released some day. I particularly liked the music that accompanied the destruction of the wood bridge and Indy and Mola Ram's consequent fistfight. I noticed an ugly music edit as the kid slaves break free and flee the palace; the cut from the temple to the kids running on the palace's table was terrible to say the least.

By the way, I was... shall we say amused when I put the DVD into my DVD-ROM and saw it was labeled as "Indy_Doom_UK_Censored". Ah well, at least the correspondent music edit went unnoticed, if there even was one.

-Ross, who thinks the ToD opening scene (which runs until Indy gets to the plane and bids farewell to Lao Che) is one Spielberg's best.

[Justin 2]

It'd be very tiring to listen to 2-CD's of intense action music in one sitting

Hmmmmm.... :?

Justin

[Morlock 11]

Don't mince words Neil, what do you really think?

I no longer fear death.

Neil

-Ross, who thinks the ToD opening scene (which runs until Indy gets to the plane and bids farewell to Lao Che) is one Spielberg's best.

I agree 100%. That scene is just pitch perfect. And the 'Nice Try, Lao Che' gag is IMO the best gag in the series, after the swordsman. The film has tons of great little jokes, some bigger some smaller. And IMO, almost all of them work to one extent or another, be it the Marx Brothers-ish 'Water! Water! Wat...WATER!!!WATER!!!' or Indy saying 'Hi' when the big thugee steps in front of him, or Willy running around behind them hysterical, or 'I hate that elephant'. Just pure fun, until the ending on the bridge, which is as exciting a finale as they come.

[ST-321 4]

Ender and Morlock, I completely agree about the opening of TOD. It is the best.

I saw Narnia today. Yuck. I don't think that the story makes any sense.

[Romão 2,276]

Hook.

I hadn't watched this in a very long time, but I didn't hold this movie in very high regard.

The truth is, there are many great moments in this. The lost boys are annoying and the last battle is a bit dull, but there are some many things to love. The whole build-up until they arrive on Neverland is magnificent. The cast is spot on, and Hoffman and Hoskins are a joy to watch. When the movie deals with crucial elements of the Peter Pan mythos (mainly the scenes with Granny Wendy and Peter remembering), the movie soars. The score is amazing, one of the best ever.

All and all, a good movie, that with a few tweaks could really be a classic.

[Justin 2]

Alien 3. Still great. The last 20 minutes of the film are probably the greatest of Elliot Goldenthal's carrer. I've heard the score many times and still, WOW.

Panic Room. A really good thriller. I really loved a lot of stuff about the film. Not the deepest film but an exciting pulse pounding ride. I found a lot of the CGI fly-by shots through the house to be a little annoying. I'd have prefered if the film had been filmed more traditionally. Such a small story didn't seem to call for such eye-candy.

Ocean's Eleven. My reaction to this was much like Panic Room. The film is very good at what it tries to do but is not very deep. Then again it shouldn't really be. A very fun ride. Some great performances in the film. Pitt ranges from good to annoying. Don Cheadles with an English accent is disturbing at first but just ends up funny. I really liked the film. Not Soderbergh's masterwork but still a fine entry.

Justin

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

The Score

Nice and entertaining to watch. Solid work all around, although ye olde switcheroo at the end doesn't really come as a big surprise. In fact, it's thanks to the excellent cast the somewhat lackluster script seems better than it really is.

[Morlock 11]

Hoffman and Hoskins are a joy to watch.

Oh, yes. Two wonderful performances. They are having so much fun. One of my favorite duos ever. IMO, Hoffman should gotten the oscar for his Hook.

The score is amazing, one of the best ever.

It's as close as I come to having a favorite score. It shames most other scores. The score goes a long way to make some of the really bad scenes much more palitable.

All and all, a good movie, that with a few tweaks could really be a classic.

That's pushing it, I think. It couldn't be a REAL classic, but it could be a children's classic.

Speaking of Hook, I just saw another adaptation of a classic story by Hook's writer, James V. Hart. And, unlike with Hook, here he did an excellent job.

Bram Stoker's Dracula. I had never seen this before, nor any other Dracula movie, save for Mel Brooks' (And I've yet to recover from that one).

I thought it was fantastic. I heard it was stylish, but I assumed it would just be over-stylized and ridicules. And, in sense, it was over-stylized- as sometime style took over the story telling, and the film lacks some coherency. But it is not a serious drawback. As an emotional, visceral experience, this is one terrific, romantic, gothic horror movie.

The film looks fantastic, really draws you into the time and feel with the glorious sets and the cinematography, which can be as gentle and beautiful as it gets, or as big, dark, and intimidating as it get.

The main actors are all superb. Well, not Keanu, but the rest. This was still in his sucky era (He really does come of as mentaly challenged, if he thinks that's what constitutes an English accent).

Oldman is phenominal, he carries the film effortlessly and admirably. It's always about him, no matter what's on screen. I particulaly loved him in the old Dracula makeup.

I am not a big fan of Wynona Rider, but she is also very good here.

I loved Anthony Hopkins here. He looks great as Van-Helsing, with the hat and scarf and cigar. He was a great deal of fun to watch.

Any serious doubts I had about the film were erased when I saw the prologue. It does a great job of setting the mood, feel and look of the film. And, of course, the main theme of the film, a love that is not dimmed by time or death.

Now, this movie is a flawed one. A lot of things are left unclear. I didn't like most of Dracula's other forms. The scenes of the guys on horseback chasing the carriage with the gypsies looked unconvincing. And various other stuff. But this is a movie that is so stylized, that it doesn't pretend it is perfect, it just asks you to follow it gothic tale of horror and romance.

This is helped to a great extent by the score. It has two main elements. The first is Mina's theme, the love theme of the film. It is a melody that I've heard before, and I was never particulaly fond of it. Also in the film, in the begining I didn't like it, effective though it was. But gradually, as the film progressed, as it became more and more assertive, it grew on me as well. It really captures this love story, and all of it's elements- the tragedy of it, how it is doomed, the timelessness of it, and, as it is devloped, really becomes quite beautiful.

The second principle element are the various, building, ascending motifs. Very dark, foreboding, and primarlily very-heavy string based. I noticed three of them ('Dracula-The Begining', 'The Storm' and the often imitated 'Vampire Hunters').

The score is fantastic for the film, also highly stylized. The Motif that opens the film, as well as the end credits (after the song), helps set the stage for the world fo the story. The love theme helps you get invested in the love story. The Vampire Hunters motif and it's counterpart in 'The Storm' really gets the adrenaline pumping. And 'The Ring of Fire' is just plain freaky.

To sum it up, a very good, stylish, gothic romantic horror film that looks great, feels great and sounds great. And any film that has Tom Waits in a serious supporting role must be doing something right (and he does a great job as Renfield).